《Thief of Time》


 Chapter 1: The smallest heist ever

    [Book 1: The Legend of Tot]


    Three moons ¡ª one blue, one yellow and one red ¡ª hung in the dark sky. Such a sight was normally associated with a peaceful night, but for the man running madly for his life, tonight was anything but that.


    ¡°Get back here!¡±


    ¡°Swarm him!¡±


    ¡°Mages, on command!¡±


    Claud Primus, the (self-professed) greatest thief in the whole of Grandis, kicked off a tree and hugged his loot tightly. ¡°Presence Nullification!¡±


    A small square at the top right of his vision, one that depicted a circle with a line drawn straight through it, dimmed out. An umbral light covered his body a moment later, racing through his body and coursing through his nerves. Dismayed shouts followed a moment later, each of them yelling that their target had vanished.


    Their commander responded a moment later.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped! Mages, prepare to use Grand Cross!¡±


    Claud¡¯s lips twitched. I just stole a single lifestone, so why on Grandis would you use ritual magic against me? Do my actions really warrant such an excessive response? I just want to live longer! Is that wrong?!


    Throwing himself off the well-trodden road, Claud hurtled through a whole bunch of brambles and thorns. His cloak, which had durability-increasing enchantments, protected him from the worst of it, but that didn¡¯t stop his face from being scratched.


    ¡°We call upon the holy of holies, the great god Schizel, he who touches upon the five grand skies¡­¡±


    Claud froze up at those words, and then shimmied up into a tree. Scaring away a few curious monkeys, he leaped from tree to tree, willing his body to make as much distance as was humanly possible before Grand Cross was complete.


    It had a fancy name, but like all other ritual spells that invoked a god¡¯s name, there was nothing noble or good about it. Grand Cross, Starfall, Moonbeam¡­these spells, and any others like it, simply targeted an area and turned it to ash. The only difference was the visuals that accompanied them.


    In other words, they were weapons of mass destruction.


    Wind whistled in his ears as he continued to flee. Somewhere deep in a corner of his mind, Claud couldn¡¯t help but mock Duke Istrel, who was the only person who had the capability in this area to authorise the invocation of the White God¡¯s name during ritual spells. This was definitely absurdity on so many levels that Claud didn¡¯t even know when to begin, but fortunately, this wasn¡¯t the first time he had the honour of being the sole target of such an attack. Calling on a god¡¯s name, however, was a first for him.


    ¡°¡­O Lord, your will is mine. Let our devotion shine everlasting. Let our hope stand tall. Let our faith take form¡­¡±


    Slapping aside two monkeys in his way, Claud glared at another square at the top right of his vision, which was darkened out. The self-proclaimed master thief had used it nearly twenty-four hours ago on a whimsical bet, which he¡¯d won, but now¡­it was very possible that he would be the biggest loser.


    His eyes fixed on the dimmed square, which was now blinking, Claud found himself holding on to the most absurd wish he had ever thought up, which was for one of those mages to cough and disrupt the ritual.


    Five.


    ¡°¡­Sanctify the land¡­¡±


    Four.


    ¡°¡­and all sinners within¡­¡±


    Three.


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    ¡°¡­to bring salvation for all!¡±


    By the Moons, hurry up and get off cooldown! Eyes wide with fear, Claud forced himself to continue staring at the only skill that would save him right now. An incredible might had locked on to him from somewhere beyond the horizon. The mana signatures he was sensing was off the charts; the next heartbeat or two could be his last.


    Two¡­one.


    An odd calm descended upon him as he pulled himself up onto an oak tree. Grand Cross had been activated ¡ª he could feel the spell formation racing through the ground at impossible speeds.


    It reached him a moment later, and the ground lit up with the promise of certain death. A white cross, inscribed with a million runes, was directly underneath the tree he was on, with his own body as the centre. Light erupted outwards a moment later as Claud kicked off the branch, pushing himself to the highest jump he¡¯d ever done in his life.


    Hope returned as the dimmed-out square lit up, and with all his might, Claud yelled, ¡°Absolute One!¡±


    The deadly geyser of white light rushed over him a moment later, but the ten seconds of absolute invincibility Absolute One granted him turned it into a gentle hot spring. An unbelievable amount of energy washed through him, passing through Claud¡¯s body like it wasn¡¯t there, thinning out over the next three seconds.


    Heart pounding madly, Claud sat on his bum as the eruption of divinity-empowered mana rushed into the skies, curving to slam into the red moon that shone down on him. A small crater, one barely visible from Grandis, appeared on its surface a moment later, but this wasn¡¯t a big deal. The three moons of Grandis had been abused more than enough times in the First, Second and Third Godsfall. This was just a pimple.


    Shaking his head to clear it of random thoughts, Claud got up. A familiar sight ¡ª barren wasteland for five hundred metres all around ¡ª greeted him. This wasn¡¯t his first time tangling with ritual magic, but this was the first time it¡¯d ran this close to the knife¡¯s edge.


    Making a mental note to never use Absolute One to show off right before a heist again, Claud began to run once more. Duke Istrel¡¯s men were experienced hunters and knights; none of them would be dumb enough to assume that no one could survive ritual magic, even one that was backed by a god¡¯s might.


    ¡°Impossible! He¡¯s still alive!¡±


    Shouts echoed from far behind him, right before he jumped into the jungle. Claud clicked his tongue, and then burrowed himself into the deep undergrowth. There wouldn¡¯t be a second Grand Cross headed his way ¡ª invoking a god placed every single skill one had on an enforced cooldown of twenty-four hours, the cooldown of a level zero skill.


    ¡°Chase, chase! Don¡¯t let him get away!¡±


    ¡°Whoever gets the items he stole back will be made a count!¡±


    ¡°Take his mask down! Do so, and you¡¯ll be a baron!¡±


    Chills ran up Claud¡¯s spine at those insane offers. For a moment, he was tempted to simply return the Pure Life Gem to them ¡ª it was merely a half-formed gem that had two days¡¯ worth life energy. Sure, it was a hundred percent pure, but for a duke, such lifestones weren¡¯t all that rare. Shaking himself awake a moment later, Claud began to traverse through the place, making sure to give any annoyed wild monsters a large berth.


    Those would be settled by the pursuers behind him anyway.


    Weaving and bobbing through the dense undergrowth, Claud thought over the heist he¡¯d just completed. There really wasn¡¯t much to the small box he just stole from the Duke. After all, Pure Life Gems, while rare, weren¡¯t a big deal to the Dukedom of Istrel. Pure-ranked lifestones were easily obtainable by them, after all.


    Rubbing his nose innocently, Claud skipped over a few fallen logs.


    ¡°By the Moons, though. Why would they actually go so far for a Pure Life Gem?¡± Claud wondered out loud. ¡°Maybe¡­there¡¯s something special about it?¡±


    Waving hi to a curious rabbit, the thief took out the small box and opened it. A little prismatic stone sat snugly on a little indent on a raised platform, and Claud stared at the tiny treasure lovingly. Eventually, however, he plucked it out of the box, and then tossed the stone into his mouth, where it promptly dissolved into a sweet fluid.


    Shivering as concentrated amounts of life flooded his body, Claud turned his attention back to the box. Other than the raised platform the gem sat on, there was literally nothing else to it.


    ¡°That¡¯s odd,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°From the way those hounds were chasing me, you would think that there is some divine treasure in it. And from the way that Pure Life Gem was being placed in this box, you¡¯d think that there was something special in it too. But there¡¯s absolutely nothing there.¡±


    Putting the box back into his pocket, he continued to traverse through the area. Now that he managed gain two days to his current lifespan ¡ª which was, at last count, 142 years, 288 days, 1280 minutes and 5 seconds ¡ª Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit chuffed.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t steal that much life in a single go. It was the cumulative effort of twenty years¡¯ work, as well as untold drops of sweat expended while training his skills.


    Most importantly, if he didn¡¯t have Absolute One¡­


    He would be ash by now. Keeping his fear in check, Claud finally burst out of the undergrowth and onto a well-trodden footpath. Now that his noble work was done, the next thing Claud would do was to stay low-profile. After all, of his five skills, only three were left. Fancy bladework would only get him so far; it was far safer to hide in a crowd and let the wind blow over.


    Breaking into a light jog, Claud made his way to the nearest town.

 Chapter 2: Re-organisation and return

    The red moon, who had been the recipient of heavy-duty magic, didn¡¯t look as bad as Claud felt, but the master thief still had things to do.


    On his way back, Claud checked through his skills. They were represented as little squares on the top right of his vision. If they were available, the squares would light up; if they weren¡¯t, they would be dimmed out. Legend had it, however, that skills on cooldown could change to their empowered form, a permanent upgrade. For that reason, Claud would check through his skills after going through something big, like a heist, in the hopes that something that miraculous would happen¡­


    Needless to say, he hadn¡¯t seen it yet. But there was no harm in hoping, right?


    The first, and most commonly used, was Presence Nullification. For that reason, it was at level eight, which took away a grand total of sixteen hours from its cooldown. For thirty minutes, he would not be noticed by the mortal world, but if he did something that would alert someone or instil a fear of death or injury in them, it would wear off immediately.


    Incidentally, for every level a skill was at, its cooldown would be decreased by two hours. Level zero skills, the baseline all new skills started with, had a cooldown of twenty-four hours. Theoretically, at level twelve, a skill would have no cooldown whatsoever. However, the highest level ever recorded was ten, and the only reason why Claud dared to call himself the greatest thief was because his Presence Nullification was at level eight.


    But all things considered, it was quite the weak skill. It simply erased one¡¯s existence for thirty minutes. Though the concealment was absolute, it would not throw off anything imbued with divine power, like that Grand Cross earlier.


    Flight was the second one, at level five. Quite self-explanatory; it enabled flight for thirty minutes, at the speed of a horse. Unfortunately, it had been used earlier to enter the Duke¡¯s floating tower, or else Claud wouldn¡¯t have had to use Absolute One.


    The third skill was Binding Order, at level seven. When activated, it would prevent up to three people from moving for three seconds. It was good for killing, running and winning dance-offs at tavern floors.


    Cleanse was next, at level six. When activated, it would remove all effects on him¡­including Flight. It would also weaken any debilitating skills cast on him by eighty percent for thirty minutes. Useful¡­and for that reason, he had used it earlier while escaping Duke Istrel¡¯s men.


    The last skill was Absolute One.


    How he got that skill, even Claud himself didn¡¯t know. The rest were by training, or by a god¡¯s blessing, for Binding Order and Cleanse, but Absolute One just popped up one day on his status. Everyone had six skill slots, as a rule of thumb, but Absolute One took up two on its own.


    ¡°Still level zero, though.¡± Claud glanced at the skill sadly, before looking away. It had incredible effects; when used, it would turn him invulnerable to all damage for ten seconds, while granting him an overwhelming combat sense and unlimited mana¡­although unlike proper swordsmen and mages, the only thing he could do with mana was to make his hair flutter stylishly in the wind. To use mana, one either needed the Mana Manipulation skill, which was somehow a skill exclusive to nobles, or one could burn mana circuits onto their body, and thereby become a mana-user.


    Washing his face at a nearby river, Claud looked down at the water and sighed at his handsome visage. Clear, unblemished skin. Hair that was constantly windswept. A cloak that hid his slender visage. And a sword that was actually used. Plucking out leaves caught in his hair, Claud let the wind caress his face for a minute or two, and then took out a cylinder the size of his balled-up fist.


    The sweat, grime and blood on him vanished when he pressed the button on top. At the same time, the bar of blue light on its side drained out completely. The Refresher, an artefact created by artificers, had been emptied of mana once more.


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    It was a faulty version; the real deal could clean him up ten times in a row without needing to recharge.


    Straightening up his appearance, Claud looked at the town gates, where anyone who looked shady, unkempt and suspicious were whisked away for some cold water and hard bread. Istrel had clearly gone all out to retrieve that Pure Life Gem, but as to why such a person would do that was a question Claud couldn¡¯t quite answer yet.


    142 years¡­A gentle smile on his face, Claud repeated his current lifespan in his head over and over as he made his way towards the town gates. The guards there all looked like men and women in their prime of life, but Claud knew that they would probably all die off at around forty or fifty years old. The privilege of increasing one¡¯s lifespan was something reserved for the lucky and the bold.


    The former were nobles, who had an average lifespan of a hundred and eighty years. The latter were thieves and rulers, who, depending on how much they plundered from their targets, could live for thousands of years. After all, emptying the treasury of a foreign nation was the key to immortality.


    Thieves just operated on a smaller, more consistent scale.


    ¡°Hey, you.¡± A burly guard walked up to Claud, a spear in his right hand. ¡°Report your whereabouts in the last twelve hours to me. Try anything funny, and you¡¯ll get free food and lodging.¡±


    ¡°O-f course, sir guard.¡± Claud placed a simpering expression on his face. ¡°I¡¯m a vagrant who was working the fields on hire earlier. The Duke¡¯s farmlands are rich and lush, which is why there are commissions for even lowly people like me to bask in his grace.¡±


    ¡°Proof of commission?¡±


    ¡°H-here, sir guard.¡± Claud took out a piece of paper. ¡°By your grace, sir guard, witness my loyalty to the Duke of Istrel.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Hand it over, and keep your hands where I can see them,¡± said the guard. Holding it up to a flickering candle, the guard peered at the words printed on them carefully, and then snorted twice.


    ¡°Alright, everything¡¯s in order.¡± A touch of approval snuck into the guard¡¯s work. ¡°Nice to see someone who understands the Duke¡¯s benevolence, though. Most vagrants just abuse him whenever we¡¯re in earshot. Of course, since that¡¯s a crime¡­¡±


    The other guards laughed.


    Repressing his distaste, Claud laughed along with them. Anyone in the employ of the dukedom¡¯s administration were rotten eggs, and for good reason. Anyone capable of sympathising with the poor folk in the Istrel Dukedom would be backed into a corner after a few days¡¯ work.


    Claud, who had taken up a clerical post to gain intel about Duke Istrel¡¯s house, could attest to that fact.


    ¡°Alright, you may pass through, and remember to keep the Duke¡¯s benevolence in your heart,¡± said the guard, waving him through.


    ¡°Of course, sir guard.¡± Claud bowed deeply, and after making a mental note to burgle the guard¡¯s house tomorrow night, he walked into the town, where a rank stench immediately assaulted his nose. It was a mix of decaying flesh and faeces rolled together and drenched in urine.


    This smell was a barely-adequate state of affairs for this barren town, Pletsville. Badly governed by a relative of Duke Istrel, Baron Aoro, most of the people living here were only here because of the low cost of living here¡­that is, if one could call eating mouldy hardtack and polluted water ¡®living¡¯.


    Dodging into an alley, Claud hid into a corner. His disguise ¡ª one of ragged shirts ¡ª came apart a moment later, and a small column of smoke rose from one of his many pockets.


    ¡°That¡¯s five silvers,¡± Claud muttered. Fortunately, this tool was something he could create, but the materials themselves were enough to feed a family for a week. It was something he picked up from a bootleg workshop of a mage; tools were essential to successful heists and thefts.


    Tossing aside the now ruined device ¡ª the Transformer allowed one to change their looks for thirty minutes ¡ª Claud wrinkled his nose and left the alley, looking like a person of high importance now. People who saw him gave him a wide berth automatically, which was a good thing when he wanted to seem important.


    Making his way to the best inn in Pletsville ¡ª the only inn in this town ¡ª Claud looked around with indifference. Most of the people here were reliant on foreign aid the Duke deigned to send down every month; there weren¡¯t any noteworthy people of character here.


    The citizens of this town had been long resigned to their fate, having lived a life of reliance on meagre handouts. If one wanted to find a place that had living humans in it, the only place that one would find them would be the inn, where curious visitors to the town stayed at.


    It didn¡¯t take long for him to reach the doors of the brightly-lit inn.


    ¡°How may I help you, good sir?¡±


    ¡°Get me a warm meal. The best you have. And then a room.¡±


    ¡°Very well, sir.¡±

 Chapter 3: A Twilight Encounter

    Halfway through his meal ¡ª which consisted of gravy on rice, and two sausages ¡ª a small commotion came from the streets outside. Shouts and yells echoed through the night as the sounds of soldiers marching in formation grew stronger and stronger, before coming to an abrupt halt.


    Claud, who was busy shovelling food into his mouth, glanced up from his plate. His table was by the window, which afforded him a rather good view of the events outside. A company of soldiers, more than a hundred men strong, had occupied the town square. Orders he couldn¡¯t quite make out were being handed down, but he didn¡¯t need to know what orders they were to guess at their intent.


    The innkeeper, who was also watching the events outside, shook his head and closed the inn doors, locking it up. The two flamboyantly-dressed diners sniffed miserably, but that was all.


    ¡°Best not to let those wolves into your home,¡± the innkeeper explained to Claud, who was watching him. ¡°They¡¯ll take anything they can lay their grubby hands on.¡±


    A cautious light entered the innkeeper¡¯s eye. ¡°We can only hope for the Duke¡¯s eye to fall upon Pletsville someday.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you have past history with them,¡± Claud replied, watching the other diners from the corner of his eyes. There were four of them, and all of them were regarding his conversation with the innkeeper with more than a passing interest.


    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t?¡± The old man shook his head. ¡°The baron¡¯s troops are pillagers. Mercenaries that work only for coin. They¡¯re bandits given official titles.¡±


    ¡°Any idea why they¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll find out tomorrow. Just wait for the town crier.¡±


    ¡°So business as usual, then.¡± Claud looked around at the half-empty inn, and then shook his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The innkeeper followed his wry gaze, and then nodded. ¡°Business as usual.¡±


    A few minutes later, the plate was clean of any food, save for some vegetables Claud didn¡¯t want to eat. Stretching his body, he got up from his seat and headed over to the counter, where the innkeeper was solving puzzles from a book in his hand.


    ¡°Need something else?¡±


    ¡°Room for a night,¡± Claud replied.


    The innkeeper didn¡¯t look up, his attention entirely on a page of his puzzle book. ¡°One silver, or one silver and ten bronze if you want breakfast.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have the breakfast option,¡± said Claud, dropping eleven coins onto the counter.


    ¡°Very good. Your room¡¯s Room 31.¡± Filling up some blanks in his puzzle book, the innkeeper took a key and tossed it at him. Catching it with his left hand, Claud glanced at the key, which had some letters inscribed on it.


    B & L R31. Board and Lodging, Room 31...right?Nodding his thanks, Claud headed to the staircase, where a small sign pasted there helpfully informed anyone reading it that Rooms 1 to 31 were on the second floor. Some of the other diners on the first floor looked at him as he went upstairs, but to his relief, no one called him out.


    Once he was on the second floor, Claud heaved a sigh. Maintaining a poker face had been far harder than he liked it to be, especially when only the Moons knew how many people were the Duke¡¯s men. Of the four other diners in the inn, there were at least two dispatched by the Duke; their mannerisms reeked of men and women drunk on a false authority.


    If they were completely drunk on the power the Duke gave them, it was possible that there would be a visit tonight, which would be an unpleasant experience.


    Whether it would be unpleasant for him or his visitor was another question altogether, though. Smiling to himself, Claud headed over to Room 31 and entered it. Making sure to lock the door behind him, the smile on his face faded as the thief began to take out item after item from his cloak.


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    Most of them were tools of his trade. Discounting the artefact that had undergone a terminal malfunction earlier, he had three artefacts on him now; reusable items that used mana to replicate the effect of skills. The rest were items that a master thief like him always had on hand ¡ª smoke bombs, bolas, throwing knives, lockpicks, shaped charges, needles with various types of poisons and caltrops.


    When mixed with other odds and ends, those tools could be turned into traps, and a master thief never slept in a room without setting up at least five traps. Fiddling with his throwing knives and three smoke bombs, Claud soon set up enough obstructions to delay three men for an entire minute.


    Nodding in satisfaction, Claud turned his attention to the booby-trapped window, where the small company of troops had finally made their move. Like locusts, they stormed into the poorer districts, and smoke began to rise as hovel after hovel was torn down and burned. Screams split the night sky, only for them to end abruptly seconds later, and before long, a deathly silence fell upon the night.


    Claud looked up at the three moons shining down on the town, before shaking his head. There wasn¡¯t anything he could do for the people of this town; a company of a hundred-plus soldiers had enough skills to butcher this town entirely and have some left to spare.


    Only mana-users could pose a credible threat, but why would such a person ¡ª having already expended a good chunk of their longevity ¡ª want to intervene in matters that wouldn¡¯t muddy their boots? Besides, they also had a tendency to gravitate towards nobles, as burning mana circuits onto their bodies used one¡¯s lifespan as fuel. Only the nobles and the rulers of territories had a steady, guaranteed supply of lifestones, and it was with the offer of lifestones that they enticed mana-users into their ranks.


    In other words, few mana-users ever played the folk hero if they weren¡¯t backed by a noble to begin with.


    Making a mental note to plunder the military garrison three days later and share the spoils with the slumdwellers here, Claud took off his boots. Removing his cloak, he unfastened the sword hung on his inner shirt and laid down on the bed. Closing his eyes, he felt the urge to sleep batter at his head, and the thief didn¡¯t resist that pull. Without it, he would have to spend so much more time falling asleep, given the din outside.


    His consciousness was about to wink out a moment later when a commotion stirred to life near him. Claud¡¯s eyes shot open, and on instinct, he retracted his legs and forced himself into a crouching position on the bed. Two knives had been withdrawn from his trousers, ready to be thrown at the nearest target.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Claud glanced at the locked door blankly, and then left his stance. The commotion was taking place in the hallway outside, rather than in his room. A heated quarrel was going on, by the sounds of it, and Claud was about to return to his sleep when the sounds of weapons being drawn made his head hurt.


    ¡°You want to throw down, huh? Guess the Duke¡¯s name isn¡¯t much to you! Such impertinence! If his men want something from you, you should be on your knees and offering it up with two hands!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. My establishment respects the privacy of our customers, dear sir. Of course, I also respect warriors, but you¡­you don¡¯t seem like one.¡±


    ¡°Such impertinence!¡±


    Claud narrowed his eyes. He could already guess at the cause behind the fight about to come, but he didn¡¯t like the fact that an old man was shielding him. Of course, the more important reason why Claud didn¡¯t mind acting was because the Duke¡¯s henchman was a normal person, like him. If something happened to such a person, no one would notice much; there were enough aspiring lapdogs for even minor nobles to fill entire streets up.


    Such was the nature of the humans in Grandis.


    Palming the two knives, Claud walked over to the door and unlocked it. The creak as the door opened couldn¡¯t be missed by anyone, and a man that looked like a peacock turned to regard him immediately.


    ¡°Stranger. Know you the Duke¡¯s reputation?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Claud replied. ¡°His Grace is renowned for his benevolence and charity to those he deems worthy, like you.¡±


    ¡°Like me¡­¡± The man, who was dressed in enough silk to look like a cocoon, savoured those words. ¡°Well said. However, it pains me to tell a fellow admirer of the Duke that I must interrogate that person for a few minutes hence.¡±


    ¡°Naturally, I shall comply.¡± Claud glanced at the innkeeper, who had a stupefied expression on his face, one that was combined with mirth to form a rather intriguing expression. ¡°Innkeeper, sir, he bears no ill will. However, I must thank you for your concern towards your patrons.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± An amused expression appeared on his face. ¡°I shall take my leave, then. May the Moons grant¡­you a good rest.¡±


    ¡°A good rest it shall be.¡± Repeating the standard courtesy reply, Claud watched the old man leave, and then with an exaggerated wave, motioned for the flamboyant man to enter his room.


    For Claud, it was indeed going to be a good rest, but the Duke¡¯s henchman was going to have the rest of his life.


    The creak as the door closed seemed to linger on unnaturally.

 Chapter 4: The blame game

    ¡°Good morning, innkeeper.¡± Claud nodded at the old man, who had an amused look on his face. ¡°Where¡¯s my breakfast?¡±


    ¡°Coming right up, laddie. Did the Duke¡¯s emissary¡± ¡ªthe innkeeper smirked at that word¡ª ¡°keep you up late and drinking all night? He was quite drunk when he left my humble business last night.¡±


    ¡°I assure you he was quite sober when he left my room,¡± Claud replied gaily. ¡°Maybe he was just tired and sleepy. He is a hardworking subject of Duke Istrel, after all. He was exerting his full might to help in the search of a despicable thief for the whole of yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Was that the reason behind yesterday¡¯s commotion?¡± the innkeeper asked. ¡°The newsboy hasn¡¯t run over yet, so I cannot be sure.¡±


    ¡°I am almost certain it is. A master thief apparently broke into Duke Istrel¡¯s treasure house and stole something of immense value,¡± replied the thief in question. ¡°His Grace was so worried about the future of his subjects that he was forced to activate every single man he had.¡±


    ¡°The stolen item¡¯s value must beggar our comprehension then,¡± the innkeeper replied. ¡°I wonder what divine treasure it was.¡±


    ¡°So do I. Let¡¯s hope today¡¯s news brings succour to our curiosity.¡±


    The two men laughed and nodded at each other. Of course, both of then knew that the other wasn¡¯t actually an admirer of the Duke; this display was an impromptu show put up for the breakfast diners here. Claud wasn¡¯t sure if there were any of his informants here, but if there were, those informants were far more skilled than the peacocks yesterday.


    After exchanging a few more niceties, Claud went over to an empty table, a tray of poached eggs and bacon in his hands. Setting it down nicely, he adjusted his cloak and slipped on a small ring. It was a ring of Poison Resistance, which had regained a charge just a few minutes ago. The odds of it being activated now due to poisoned food was literally zero, but it was better to be safe than to be sorry.


    Claud was nibbling on a nice long strip of bacon when a tall man wearing the Dukedom of Istrel¡¯s colours ¡ª blue and yellow ¡ª walked into the inn. Nodding politely at the innkeeper, the tall man ordered a drink and gulped it down. Exhaling with a contented expression, the tall man flipped a silver coin at the innkeeper and left the place.


    The whole process hadn¡¯t taken more than a minute or two, but it was enough for Claud to be interested. For one, a silver coin for a drink would drive most of the people in this town insane. Second, the sheer familiarity with the innkeeper, and the practiced moments the innkeeper had when making the tall man¡¯s drink, implied that the latter was a frequent visitor.


    That guy was probably the town crier.


    ¡°Residents of Pletsville, valued citizens of the Dukedom of Istrel, hearken to the Duke¡¯s words. A despicable thief has broken into His Grace¡¯s treasury. The knave has absconded with a divine treasure: a small box smaller than a baby¡¯s fist. News leading to the rogue¡¯s capture will be richly rewarded with a knight¡¯s fief.¡±


    The words continued to echo out into the town. Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel surprised, however. For the box to be the treasure was...unexpected, to put it mildly.


    Resisting his urge to take it out immediately, Claud returned his attention to the town crier, who hadn¡¯t spoken the customary closing phrase yet. The second piece of news, however, made him choke on his bacon strip.


    ¡°Ruler Umbra, father of our reigning Duke Istrel, passed away last night, surrounded by his grieving, filial children,¡± the town crier continued. ¡°As such, commoners within the Dukedom of Istrel is to wear a white armband on their left forearm for the next year. Non-compliance will be treated as high treason, punishable by execution on the spot. A white armband will be distributed at every town centre. Do collect them before the day is over.¡±


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    ¡°Wow,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be damned. A Ruler passing away?¡±


    He wasn¡¯t alone in saying this, either. Virtually everyone else in the inn was reacting with similar levels of shock, and for good reason. Rulers were people of valour directly appointed by Emperor Grandis, who ruled over the namesake continent, to govern smaller ¡ª relatively speaking, anyway ¡ª areas. Every single one of them were monsters of wit, de facto immortals who had all lived more than a thousand years.


    For one to die was¡­shocking news. Which was an understatement, but Claud didn¡¯t have any suitable words in his lexicon right now.


    That, however, wasn¡¯t even enough to describe the shock that followed with the third announcement.


    ¡°The culprit behind his death is the despicable thief who stole away the Umbra Sovereignty¡¯s only Pure Life Gem, the knave who broke into Duke Istrel¡¯s treasury. As such¡­¡±


    Huh? What do you mean, ¡®only¡¯? Since when did pure-ranked lifestones become a super rare commodity? Claud stared at the half-eaten bacon strip in his hands, which seemed to be mocking him, and then forced it into his mouth. Chewing on the meaty strip, the thief couldn¡¯t help but think that he had been turned into a scapegoat for Ruler Umbra¡¯s death.


    There was no way on the Moons that Ruler Umbra passed away ¡®peacefully¡¯. A single pure-ranked lifestone, when fully formed, could extend one¡¯s life by one year unconditionally. Lower ranked lifestones had diminishing effects that would eventually stop working altogether, true, but that wasn¡¯t the same for pure-ranked ones. Ruler Umbra, who was second to all but the ruler of Grandis, wouldn¡¯t be lacking in pure-ranked lifestones. At all. The perp probably swam in them every day.


    Foul play was definitely at work here.


    Claud trembled as he listened to the reward listed for his capture. The Emperor of Grandis had issued it personally; anyone who capture him, the ¡®culprit¡¯, would be made a hereditary duke with all the attendant rewards and privileges. Such a reward would be enough to move even the legendary five-fold mana-users...and if such a reward was offered, Claud couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine the punishment that Emperor Grandis was going to inflict on him.


    Restraining his fear, Claud began to reflect on the events so far. The greatest threat that he would face was from the mana-users that were flocking over to Duke Istrel¡¯s treasury, which wasn¡¯t that far from Pletsville. Some of the more enterprising ones were probably at the town gates already, waiting to follow anyone who was leaving in a rush.


    What made them so problematic was that mana-users, even if one discounted their six skills, had incredible combat capability. Once both sides ran out of skills¡­well, nothing short of a miracle would be needed.


    Clearing up his plate with as much naturalness as he could muster, Claud headed over to the counter and booked the same room for three days. There was no other choice; leaving right now was far too dangerous. It would be infinitely better to hide for a while until the storm brewed over, but a new problem had appeared ¡ª he needed a reason to stay.


    His mind spinning quickly, Claud feigned a few coughs and then groaned. Supporting himself on the counter, he asked, ¡°Is there a healer in Pletsville?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the innkeeper replied. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I seem to have caught a cold or something,¡± Claud replied, before coughing twice. ¡°Can you send food up to my room? I don¡¯t think I want to move around that much.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Three meals for three days¡­that¡¯ll be four silver and eighty-one bronze.¡±


    Claud nodded, and took out five silver. ¡°Help me get some cold medicine with the spare.¡±


    ¡°With that little, the village apothecary¡¯s not going to give you the best quality herbs at hand, though,¡± said the innkeeper. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped,¡± Claud replied, rubbing his head. ¡°I still need to save more money for the return trip home. I came out here to sightsee, but who knew I¡¯d come down with sickness?¡±


    ¡°Just plain unlucky, laddie.¡± The innkeeper threw the same key over to him. ¡°Remember not to lose it, or you¡¯ll have to pay an extra two silver.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Claud replied, reaching out to catch it. The key, however, slipped through a gap in his fingers and fell onto the ground. Shaking his head twice, Claud bent over to pick it up, before ambling back up the stairs.


    Stopping at the hallway to catch his breath ¡ª which was feigned ¡ª Claud ran through his actions earlier, and found no issue with them.


    It was a good performance, as far as Claud was concerned. Within three minutes, he had come up with a convincing excuse as to why he would stay in town, while not leaving his room at all. Furthermore, by giving a reasonable amount of time for convalescence, as well as a date of departure, few would assume that he was hiding in his room to avoid suspicion.


    Walking back to his room slowly, Claud breathed out slowly. By now, everyone in Pletsville was going to start investigating newcomers; if he played his cards right, this whole thing should blow over without too much of a fuss.


    Probably.


    Claud tilted his head as he entered his room. He had a feeling that the overwhelming shock he felt earlier had affected his mind somewhat. Odd. Did I forget about someone?

 Chapter 5: Closing up

    After spending five minutes on musing about whatever he¡¯d forgotten, Claud came to the conclusion that since he could forget about it, it probably wasn¡¯t that important. Besides, a far greater crisis was at hand; lots of people would be enticed to use their skills to ferret him out.


    To date, no one had any clue on how many skills actually existed. Other than the documented or famous ones, like those that were granted by gods or those that functioned as occupational keystones, there wasn¡¯t a compendium of skills. It was entirely possible that skills that pinpointed the exact culprit behind any crime actually existed, and that he was in big trouble right now.


    Of course, if such skills existed, were extremely common, and their users were somehow still alive, Claud would have given up on his trade long ago. Getting caught and executed for crimes against nobility at a young age was in no way preferable to living out his natural lifespan. As proof of his hypothesis, the thief trade was still flourishing in Grandis¡­but he couldn¡¯t rule out that it was because the owners of such skills just couldn¡¯t be bothered to track down petty thieves.


    Claud, however, knew that he no longer fell into this category of petty thieves. Right now, he was essentially the most popular man on Grandis; capturing him was equivalent to securing an entire dukedom. In fact, Claud also wanted to turn himself in for the reward, if not for the fact that doing so was an utterly suicidal and illogical act.


    Shaking his head, Public Enemy Number One peeked out of the window, where a huge commotion had stirred up. Even the poor and weak-willed of Pletsville had started to walk around the town in groups of three, carrying torn nets and sticks in their hands.


    Furthermore, in a rare show of cooperation, the soldiers that had been dispatched here last night were now talking amicably to the people of Pletsville, and it didn¡¯t take a genius to know why. The inhabitants of this poor city were the best source of information; ferreting new wanderers and vagrants through them was the fastest way of looking for suspicious people.


    In fact, a few such people were already trapped in nets and dragged over to the town square, where various tables manned by different groups of soldiers had been set up. After a brief exchange of prisoners for money, the captured fellows would be carted away to places unknown, presumably for interrogation followed by summary execution.


    Claud shuddered at that terrifying sight, and then resolved to keep his head low for as humanly long as possible. As he was about to leave, however, his eyes fixated on a particular person being dragged along in a net, and Claud abruptly remembered what he¡¯d forgotten.


    It was that flamboyant fellow who had visited him last night. Claud had poisoned him with the venom of the Hypnotic Bee, an insect whose stings made one hallucinate. The unconscious fellow had been stripped to boot, leaving only some undergarments to protect his modesty.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°Well, that¡¯s at least one thing taken care of.¡±


    Removing his outerwear, the thief sat down on his bed and took out three sticks of wood and a stack of parchment. The wood was special; it came from the mana-retaining Elysia tree, a protected commodity in every self-respecting tributary in Grandis. By using a skill while holding on to Elysia wood that was at least eight centimetres long, the mana within the wood would reshape itself to the structure of the skill in a process called skill-imbuing.


    Snapping skill-imbued sticks into two would activate the stored skill immediately. For days where one was not expected to use skills, storing them into Elysia sticks was recommended; they could be used when needed or sold on the market.


    One could also do the same with parchment the size of an adult palm, but skills retained in them would only last a week, before a reimbuing was needed. Either way, however, Claud was going to spend his next few days creating skillsticks. Taking a peek at the mad town to motivate himself, Claud breathed in deeply and began to work.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    [You have met the requirements to learn ¡®Imbuing¡¯. Learn it?]


    Claud ignored the textbox that had shown up on the bottom of his vision and continued to work. Imbuing was a skill that could be replicated with a suitable investment of time; it also enabled one to imbue skills into more permanent mediums like swords, armours and shields. Almost every blacksmith worth their salt would have this skill, and for those that didn¡¯t, they definitely had an assistant with it.


    There was a more practical reason as to why he didn¡¯t pay attention to the textbox. The Goddess of Learning and Water was a very persistent fellow in life; rejecting her suggestion would make her ask her believers over and over, until they gave in. Rather, it was wiser to let it sit there and let the Goddess of Learning feel satisfied at the notion that you were pondering her words seriously.


    This automated system of hers had replicated this really annoying character trait of hers to a tee, long after she died during the Second Godsfall.


    Setting aside the first skillstick, which was imbued with Presence Nullification, Claud worked on his second one. The sun continued to rise, and he had barely finished it when the innkeeper dropped by with a tray of food in his hands.


    ¡°Good afternoon, innkeeper.¡±


    ¡°A good afternoon to you too, Primus.¡± The old man passed him a tray of food and a small bag of herbs. ¡°It¡¯s now madness out there.¡±


    ¡°Did the madness affect the apothecary?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°The ruffians know not to disturb him,¡± the old man replied. ¡°And besides, he offers free treatment on a daily basis. It¡¯s paying off now.¡±


    Coughing twice, he picked up the small bag of herbs and looked at the strip of paper hanging on it. ¡°Thanks, innkeep. I owe you one. If anything happens, call me. I¡¯m quite a fair hand at a sword. Just don¡¯t call me if a mana-user comes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be creating a new poster if a folder actually drops by here,¡± said the old man, referring to mana-users by their more formal name.


    ¡°True. There aren¡¯t really that many people with enough lifespan to burn, after all.¡± Claud carried the tray over to his bed. ¡°Do I pass it to you when you come by tonight?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And don¡¯t dirty the place, or you¡¯ll have to clean it up. Water ain¡¯t free round here, laddie.¡± The old man gestured at the smaller room attached to the side. ¡°Bathroom has a meter.¡±


    ¡°Got it, innkeeper.¡±


    ¡°Enjoy your meal, then.¡± The old man closed the door, and Claud locked it. Setting the tray onto his lap, Claud began to scoff down the generous helping of potatoes and meatballs; the old man clearly wasn¡¯t holding back with his share.


    Once he was done, Claud returned to his preparations. Two hours later, he¡¯d completed all four skillsticks. Storing them away, he turned to the stack of parchment. Presence Nullification was already off cooldown, which meant that he could imbue it into parchment to create a skillslip.


    ¡°Feels like a waste to create skillslips, though,¡± Claud mused. ¡°But I¡¯m absolutely, positively certain that a place like this won¡¯t sell Elysia wood.¡±


    Clicking his tongue a few more times, he stole yet another peek outside, only to see that stakes had been erected. Over fifty people had been tied up on them, men and women alike, and none of them looked like they were in good condition at all.


    Once again, Claud was forcibly reminded of the fate if the people here caught him. He didn¡¯t even want to think about the horrible things that would be done to him if he was ever outed as the real culprit; Emperor Grandis was a six-fold mana-user, a person close to the gods.


    If he ever landed in the damn Emperor¡¯s hands, death would be a kindness.


    Shivering, Claud began to create a skillslip for Presence Nullification. Most of his skills were rather high-levelled, which meant that he could create multiple skillslips and skillsticks in a day, provided that he had enough resources. The only thing that was sacrificed was sleep, but that was nothing compared to his tiny life.


    Claud really, really didn¡¯t want to die. At all. Or even be captured and tortured, for that matter. He just wanted to live forever; why did so many people want to interfere with that little dream of his? And why would so many people hoard lifestones and not use them anyway?


    He really couldn¡¯t understand the proclivities of the nobles and the rich, but there was one thing he knew.


    The journey to living forever was a dangerous one. Only with overwhelming preparations could one succeed.


    Steeling his resolve, Claud worked through the afternoon, the night, and the two days that followed, making sure to keep up his masquerade at all times possible and peeking out at the maddened townspeople occasionally to remind him what was at stake.

 Chapter 6: Stealing for the dead

    Three days of staying at home was nothing much for Claud, although he wished that the same could be said for the murderers outside. Fortunately, Claud had enough presence of mind to take a good long nap during the last night, or else he would have to leave Pletsville with bloodshot eyes and dark eyebags.


    Such a sight would make anyone who saw him suspicious, to say the least.


    Stowing all his preparations into the various pockets sewn into his cloak, Claud got up from this bed. The various bags of herbs that the innkeeper had gotten for him were hanging off his belt, but there were now small holes poked into them. Two days ago, news that the Empire¡¯s Spellhound Unit was activated had seeped into the city; those herbs would help muddy the waters by confusing their incredibly acute sense of smell.


    Getting up from his bed, Claud gripped the room¡¯s key in his hand and made his way out of the inn.


    ¡°I hope you enjoyed your stay,¡± said the innkeeper, catching the key that Claud tossed over. ¡°Come back again!¡±


    ¡°If the Moons will it, I will.¡± Claud inclined his head. ¡°May the Moons¡¯ light fall on your entrance.¡±


    ¡°And the same to you!¡±


    Waving goodbye, Claud walked out of the inn. The madness that had gripped the town for the past three days had subsided. The bodies hanging off the stakes, however, were still there, festering and rotting away. Claud stared at them for a moment, and shook his head. This was an apt representation of how the Dukedom of Istrel treated the unfortunate and the poor; cruel down to the very bones.


    Was it his fault? Claud couldn¡¯t be sure, but he knew that the biggest culprit of all was Emperor Grandis himself, who had fanned the ongoing flames to incredible heights. He didn¡¯t need to visit the other towns to know that similar sights had taken place there; the presence of soldiers here implied an official, concerted effort to seek out the ¡°culprit¡± behind Ruler Umbra¡¯s death¡­all for the sake of the emperor¡¯s astronomical reward.


    I¡¯ll go and burgle your treasury one day, Emperor Grandis. Mark my words. Making a little vow, Claud headed towards the impromptu camp the soldiers had set up. It wasn¡¯t all that hard to find, and within minutes, he was at the outskirts of the camp, where a huge group of people had gathered at.


    This disorderly mob, who were still holding on to nets and sticks, were precisely the ones responsible for the mass lynchings against outsiders for the past three days, and from the looks of it, their performance had pleased the soldiers, who were now recruiting from their number.


    I wonder what these murderers would do if a fire burned down their warehouse¡­let¡¯s find out. His eyes alight with a cold glint, Claud tore up a skillslip that contained Presence Nullification, stored the pieces into a pocket, and hopped over the fence.


    For the next thirty minutes, he would be a ghost to everyone else. Even an amateur would be able to do as he pleased, let alone a master thief like him. His eyes alight with a faint light, he surveyed the camp and found his target immediately.


    Making his way to the centremost tent, which was the largest mushroom tent in the area, Claud entered its premises, and struck gold immediately. A small pile of lifestones ¡ª low purity ones, to be sure ¡ª were sitting on the mahogany folding table set in its centre. They were sorted according to size, with the largest one the size of his fist.


    Four guards lazed around the circumference of the tent; their eyes glazed over from fatigue. It was the perfect setup for Claud; under the effects of Presence Nullification, the lifestones would seem to vanish under their very eyes. The first one to notice would blame the others, and in the end, their disappearance would be an internal affair.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Hmmm¡­for insurance¡¯s sake, though¡­ Claud moved over to a rather nice stack of skillslips, which were bundled up nicely. Occasionally, one of the sentries would glance at the huge stack of skillslips, for the obvious reason that filching one or two would be an act that no one would notice or care about. By the looks of it, before their sentry shift was over, eight skillslips or so would be gone from the stack,


    Well then, let me give you a hand. Reaching into his pocket, Claud produced a small grey ball. It was a tool that his colleagues would call a delayed arsonist; the ball would ignite five minutes after activation. Removing one half of the grey shell to reveal a thick bundle of smokekush, a plant that was highly flammable, Claud pressed down on the red button in the very centre, before stuffing the whole thing into the bottom of the skillslip stack.


    Making his way to the lifestones, Claud grabbed the six largest lifestones before making his way out of the tent. Crossing over the fence, he made a beeline to the town¡¯s gates.


    There was still twenty minutes left for Presence Nullification¡¯s effect, and as he walked through the gates boldly, the town bell began to ring. The giant town doors closed on their own automatically, but they were just a moment too late.


    Claud looked at his spoils of war and grinned. He had secured six lifestones, fully formed. Although none of them were pure-ranked ones, Claud wasn¡¯t a particularly picky eater. Lifestones that weren¡¯t pure in quality had a diminishing effect the more one used them, but Claud hadn¡¯t used that many of them to begin with.


    Keeping the five smaller lifestones into his pocket, Claud eyed the biggest lifestone he¡¯d taken from the camp. It was the size of a baby¡¯s fist, which would definitely give him at least fifteen years of lifespan. Since it was too big to hide properly, Claud popped it into his mouth on the spot.


    The effects were immediate. Claud shivered as a burst of pure energy ran through his body, sinking right into the depths of his bones. The stream of joyful life erupted outwards from his bones a moment later, coursing through his veins and rejuvenating everything in its way.


    Man, I could do this all day, and it¡¯ll still be as thrilling as the first time I tried it. What¡¯s my lifespan now? A hundred and fifty years? Let me check¡­


    A small screen appeared in his vision, and he grinned. His current lifespan was now a total of 154 years. A few years had been lost due to the impurity of the lifestone, but this was still a great thing. Grinning dumbly, Claud patted himself on the back ¡ª this was, in many respects, a rather unexpected harvest for him today.


    Truly, good deeds were rewarded richly.


    Shaking his head, his smile faded as he looked at the steady column of smoke that was rising from the camp. The town had done a good job; the gates were closed the moment the fire was started, and the rising smoke was largely kept to one area, indicating that the blaze was already under control.


    For now, this was the most he could do for the ones who lost their lives due to Ruler Umbra¡¯s murder, which was then pinned on him unjustly. He wasn¡¯t relying on the flames, no. Rather, he was relying on people discovering that the largest lifestones had gone missing.


    The lifestones were definitely meant for someone higher up in the chain of command; by only taking these five, the investigators of this arson plus theft incident were more likely to think that this was an internal theft, someone making use of the fire to steal them. It was almost a given that this particular company of soldiers would be punished, along with the crowd that they were recruiting from.


    The latter, in fact, was even more suspicious. Such a thing happened just as the company was recruiting. The new recruits ¡ª which were probably prisoners by now ¡ª would have nothing but a grim fate left. Those hyenas would be killed for the very same reason they used to lynch other people: as a performance.


    It was the least Claud could do.


    Shaking his head, he took out a skillstrip for Flight, and tore it into two. Stuffing the torn pieces into his pocket ¡ª they would be burned to ash later ¡ª he took to the skies, ascending rapidly. Staring down at the impoverished town of cruel folk, Claud snorted and made a mental note to never come back.


    ¡°I should go back first,¡± Claud murmured. ¡°Gotta get more supplies. And then I¡¯ll come for you again, Duke of Istrel. Wash your treasury and display your centrepieces. Master Thief Claud Primus is coming for you.¡±


    As he left Pletsville, serenaded by the town bells, he flew above a second company of troops that was headed towards Pletsville.


    Blue dogs were leading the pack.

 Chapter 7: The eccentric bartender

    Claud¡¯s eyes settled on the pack of spellhounds, and felt fear in his heart. He had expected them to catch up, and yet, having seen them in person, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a headache anyway. Fortunately, he¡¯d spent some time erasing his scent while he was staying in Pletsville; the bags of herbs were brought specifically for this purpose.


    Even now, in his room, there were some smouldering ashes of the common herbs he¡¯d purchased. To play it safe, however, Claud was going to dive into clouds every so often. It was tiresome, but there was nothing he could do about this persistent pursuit.


    ¡°And well,¡± Claud said out loud, ¡°the fact that there¡¯s a fire might just inconvenience them a bit more.¡±


    Soaring towards the west, he plunged into any cloud he saw. For the first two-thirds of his journey, other fliers hadn¡¯t noticed his existence at all, and by the time his Presence Nullification faded away, Claud had already lowered his altitude. Skills usually lasted thirty minutes; Flight, for instance, didn¡¯t really care if its user was still flying when it shut off.


    For that reason, it was better to be closer to the ground or to stop flying right before the skill wore off.


    Sliding down a tree, Claud watched as the floaty energy that had infused his body earlier faded away. Right now, he was but a mere five kilometres away from his destination, and more importantly, forty-five kilometres away from Pletsville.


    Breaking into a light jog, tall city walls soon appeared in his vision. Unlike the time when he entered Pletsville, Claud was not intending to walk in openly through the town gates. The previous time was because he¡¯d ran out of skillslips, and he didn¡¯t have enough time to replenish them. This time, however¡­


    Taking out a skillstrip that stored Presence Nullification, Claud glanced down at the familiar glyphs drawn on it, before tearing it apart. Energy washed over him, and in high spirits, Claud walked through the city gate, not forgetting to dance a small caper in front of the bored guards while he was at it.


    Licencia, the City of Trades. Unlike Pletsville, this was a city brimming with life and activity. The baron that ruled Pletsville was a nincompoop, but the count that ruled Licencia, Count Nightfall, was an accomplished administrator. The citizens here had been accustomed to fair trials, and the soldiers here were actually disciplined if they made any infractions.


    All these and more meant that Licencia was recognised as one of the best territories within the Umbra Sovereignty¡¯s lands¡­


    On the surface, anyway. Claud knew that there were also many shady dealings that Licencia participated in, but out of respect for Count Nightfall¡¯s treatment of his city¡¯s commoners, the self-declared chivalrous thief didn¡¯t pay the good count¡¯s treasury a visit. The nobles were free to backstab and kill each other for all he liked, but touch an innocent and a moonlit visitor would drop by.


    Patting himself for sticking to such heroic ideals, Claud headed towards the largest bar in town, Dragon Drinking Desserts. Unlike its name, Dragon Drinking Desserts ¡ª or Triple D for short ¡ª didn¡¯t deal with confectionaries; it dealt with drinks that numbed one¡¯s tongue with an overwhelming alcoholic sweetness.


    It also sold milk and apple juice, but that was for pansies.


    At this time of day, there weren¡¯t too many or too few patrons, which meant that whatever he was going to do next wasn¡¯t going to be noticed much. Weaving through the chairs and tables, Claud walked into Triple-D and headed over to the counter and waved at the bartender. ¡°Master, apple juice.¡±


    The burly one-eyed man scoffed. ¡°Pansy.¡±


    ¡°Deal with it,¡± Claud replied dismissively. ¡°I know what kind of piss goes into your alcohol, and I¡¯m not having that in my system.¡±


    ¡°You lookin¡¯ for a deckin¡¯?¡±


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    ¡°Oh, you wanna throw down with me? Last time you did that, you lost an apartment.¡± Claud grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I get another one, though.¡±


    ¡°You lil¡¯¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Claud flipped three bronze coins at him. ¡°What¡¯s the news like lately? Haven¡¯t been keeping up; fell sick.¡±


    ¡°Which is why you should drink my Sparkling Dragonflame,¡± the bartender grumbled.


    ¡°Yeah¡­no. Just no, master. I only call you that cuz you make my apple juice the way I like it. Don¡¯t expect me to buy into the tripe.¡± Claud caught the glass of apple juice the bartender slid over and took a sip. ¡°So? What¡¯s the latest breaking news?¡±


    ¡°Did you hear about Tot?¡± the bartender asked.


    ¡°Tot?¡± Claud repeated. ¡°What¡¯s that? The Moons¡¯ new emissary finally appeared?¡±


    ¡°The sun¡¯s still rising, so no.¡± The bartender poured out a cup of apple juice for himself and chugged it down. ¡°Nah. It refers to That One Thief, or Tot. Tot stole the Umbra Sovereignty¡¯s last pure-ranked lifestone, indirectly killing Ruler Umbra. Emperor Grandis got mad and promised one Moon¡¯s worth of a reward for anyone who captured him.¡±


    ¡°Reward?¡± Claud asked, making sure to act like he hadn¡¯t heard about it.


    ¡°Yeah. One entire damn duchy. Hereditary too.¡±


    ¡°Whoa.¡± Claud rubbed his chin and pretended to contemplate things for a moment. ¡°Seems a bit fishy, though. Were pure-ranked lifestones always this rare?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the shady bit,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°Last I checked, there weren¡¯t embargoes on the Umbra Sovereignty with regards to pure-ranked lifestones.¡±


    ¡°Sounds dangerous to take part in capturing Tot, then.¡± Claud took another sip of his apple juice. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it smell like a noble plot?¡±


    ¡°If it shines like a Moon, moves like a Moon, and kills like a Moon, it¡¯s definitely a Moon,¡± the bartender noted. ¡°Same logic, yea? You¡¯re a friend of mine, so here¡¯s my advice; stay as bloody far as possible from this Tot incident. And don¡¯t, for the love of the Moons, go steal any pure-ranked lifestones.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°This city¡¯s gone crazy. Anyone with pure-ranked lifestones are hauled over to Count Nightfall for a cuppa tea.¡± The bartender lowered his volume even more. ¡°And the tea¡¯s like my sparklers. Dangerous.¡±


    ¡°At least you know your stuff¡¯s dangerous,¡± Claud muttered.


    The bartender chortled. ¡°But seriously, don¡¯t go after any pure-ranked lifestones.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, Count Nightfall is a swell noble, as far as nobles go. Ain¡¯t going to plunder his vault.¡± Claud finished his glass of apple juice, before sliding it over to the bartender. ¡°A refill, master.¡±


    ¡°You always get a refill,¡± he grumbled. ¡°Do you know how expensive apples are?¡±


    ¡°Eh, it¡¯s your bar policy. One free refill. Deal with it.¡± Claud replied. ¡°Get me six chicken sausages while you¡¯re at it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± The bartender looked around, before whispering. ¡°What did you get from your latest heist?¡±


    ¡°Five low-ranked lifestones, all fully formed. You want them?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Those things have no effect on me anymore.¡±


    ¡°Good for me, I guess. How many per piece?¡±


    Claud raised five fingers.


    The bartender raised an eyebrow. ¡°Damn, son. Didn¡¯t know you thought of me as a real friend.¡±


    ¡°Fifty gold, dolt. Not five.¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°You know the market price. I¡¯m already selling at two gold below it.¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡±


    ¡°You just clicked your tongue at me, right? Right?¡± The master thief stuck his nose up in the air and sniffed. ¡°It¡¯s already cheaper than the market! What more do you want? Fine, I¡¯ll sell the first one for forty-five, happy?¡±


    The bartender grinned. ¡°Always knew you were a good buddy.¡±


    ¡°You better reserve a few barrels of apple juice for me then. They¡¯re like what, one gold at most?¡±


    ¡°Ninety-two silvers.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s your selling price.¡± Claud flicked a lifestone over. ¡°Help me deliver the usual supplies to my apartment. And as many barrels of apple juice as your conscience would have you give.¡±


    ¡°You run through them like water nowadays. Whose treasury was that fierce?¡±


    ¡°Some shitty knight¡¯s,¡± Claud replied off-handedly. ¡°Who the hell sets up so much security for a bunch of low-ranked lifestones and ornamental weapons?¡±


    ¡°Sheesh, bad luck, man.¡± The bartender refilled Claud¡¯s glass. ¡°Here, have another. On the house. Might wash away your bad luck.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll drink to that.¡± Downing the apple juice in a single go, Claud got up. ¡°Keep me updated on that Tot business, though. Might be able to find an easy mark.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still going to poke yer nose into it, eh?¡± The bartender shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you then. This business¡¯ murkier than the Morna Swamp.¡±


    ¡°Birds die for food; thieves die for money.¡± Claud inclined his head at the bartender. ¡°See ya around, master. Don¡¯t forget to send me my items.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll choose the best barrels for you.¡±


    Turning away from the counter, Claud navigated through the randomly-arranged tables and left the bar. He had a house in Licencia, courtesy of the bartender, who had lost it in a wager. It doubled as his safehouse in the Umbra Sovereignty¡­although, to be fair, it was his only house to begin with.


    Once night fell, the bartender would send a runner to deliver the usual supplies a thief had to anyone who requested it in a day. As for why he would do that¡­


    Well, the bartender was a member of the Profiteers¡¯ Guild, where making money was second nature.

 Chapter 8: Princess in peril

    ¡°My dear daughter, I cannot allow your brother to be taken by Emperor Grandis.¡± A stately man sighed slowly, while sitting on a throne high up. ¡°He is a wielder of Future Sight. This crime must fall on you.¡±


    ¡°Lord father¡­¡± A young woman, with long black hair flowing around her, looked up at the person that had raised her from young. ¡°Is that all I amount to in your eyes? As a monument to your failure to protect Ruler Umbra?¡±


    She broke eye contact with Duke Lustre and looked around at her father¡¯s palace, which had little in the way of decoration. There weren¡¯t many guards today; most of them had been activated to travel to a distant dukedom by order of Emperor Grandis.


    The stately man took a deep breath. Something seemed to tremble inside him, and for a moment, the woman felt hope well up within her. ¡°Men, listen to my orders. Princess Dia has been stripped of her claim to the Dukedom of Lustre. Bring her down, and escort her to Grandia for Emperor Grandis¡¯ judgment.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Three soldiers stepped out of the shadows and approached her. ¡°Princess, you¡¯re under arrest. Come quietly, and we won¡¯t need to put you down.¡±


    Dia ignored the leader of the trio and glared at the man gazing down on her. ¡°Father. You seem to be labouring under the illusion that I would¡­come quietly. Perhaps you should have brought more guards today.¡±


    The sword at her side cut a brilliant circle, and the three soldiers around her reeled back. In that small opening that her move created, Dia kicked off the ground and rocketed towards the palace¡¯s exit. At the same time, a faint moan came from the man looking down on her. From the corner of her eye, she could see the old man clasp his heart.


    My defiance gave father a heart attack? Dia, in disbelief, continued to run through gate after gate. Her father¡¯s palace was smaller than even a count¡¯s, and before the alarm could even be raised, the princess had already escaped outside.


    What in the Moons¡­no, now isn¡¯t the time to do that. I must get out of Lustre as quickly as possible. Dia¡¯s mind raced through all her possible escape routes, and within moments, she had settled on her new destination.


    The Dukedom of Istrel.


    A scapegoat had already been prepared for her there, in a sense. The murder of Ruler Umbra had been twisted to the point that a petty thief was now the culprit. Of course, anyone with the tiniest bit of knowledge would know that even Pure Life Gems, the pinnacle form of pure-ranked lifestones, weren¡¯t as rare as the announcement made it out to be.


    However, someone related to Ruler Umbra ¡ª someone who took part in his death ¡ª had twisted it so that it appeared that way. It just so happened that her brother was in the Istrel Dukedom on exchange, serving as captain of the Istrel treasury¡¯s guards when the thief struck. Since his failure to protect the treasury supposedly led to Ruler Umbra¡¯s death, a lifetime of servitude to the Emperor would be his punishment.


    And just as how a petty thief was turned into the culprit behind the Ruler¡¯s death, she too had been turned into the sacrificial offering the Dukedom of Lustre was going to offer as an explanation. The records were probably already altered; they would show that she escaped from Istrel overnight.


    All to protect her big brother.


    If Dia was to overcome all that without implicating her family, there was only one thing she could do ¡ª capture the thief that was now the scapegoat for this whole mess and have him or her prove that there were other pure-ranked lifestones that he didn¡¯t touch. In doing so, she would save herself from Emperor Grandis¡¯ wrath¡­unless, of course, the thief¡¯s memory showed that he did take every single pure-ranked lifestone there was.


    Gripping her sword tightly, she calmed her trembling muscles and continued to run at a breakneck pace. Mana was flowing towards her legs, empowering their every step and supporting her mad dash out of the dukedom¡¯s capital, Radia. Only by getting out could she even have the possibility of leaving the dukedom entirely, and¡ª


    Her thoughts screeched to a halt as five armoured figures fell from the skies.


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    ¡°Get her!¡±


    Dia narrowed her eyes, and looked at the six squares at the top right of her vision. Parrying the first slash that came in, she took a few steps back and shrouded her sword with mana.


    If I fight here¡­ She shook her head. A wave of purple mana erupted out of her sword as she pointed its tip at the five warriors. Her pursuers were immediately engulfed by the storm of mana, but the only thing she had in mind was a fountain. Fixing the image of that iconic fountain and searing it into her mind, she snapped a strip of wood in her hand, willing the skill inside to bring her away.


    A valuable skillstrip was destroyed like that, but it did serve its intended purpose.


    Her surroundings faded away, replaced by the exact same fountain she had been imprinting onto her mind earlier. Breathing heavily, she looked around at the deserted town square, and then ducked into an alley.


    This town was a territory of a minor baron, a baron of the Dukedom of Istrel. There was nothing much impressive about it, save for¡­


    She froze as she saw a military camp, where fifty ragged-looking fellows had been strung up and tied onto poles. Nothing much impressive? Who wrote Atlas of Grandis? I¡¯ll beat you up!


    Retreating deeper into an alley, Dia poked her head out and looked at the scene. Now that she had a second, longer look, it was clear that the tied-up people had probably done something to the soldiers, who then tied them up and lashed them in return.


    ¡°I wonder what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°What indeed, dearie. Are you going to ask them that?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not, silly¡ª¡± Dia froze, and turned to look at the speaker. An old woman, with a sunny smile on her face, waved at her merrily. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°And who are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a¡­mana-user. Here to seek out the thief that Emperor Grandis wants,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°While looking and sounding like a spoilt lass from some noble family.¡± The old crone nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Wow.¡±


    Dia winced at her words, which had been somehow laced with so much¡­something that she couldn¡¯t quite name. ¡°My family disapproved of my idea. Vigorously.¡±


    ¡°I can see it. Your muscles are trembling. And your legs are giving off enough heat to warm up a bathtub,¡± said the old woman. ¡°Anyway, your clothes¡­are you intending to wear those? You might have managed to escape your family in a dress, but men are wolves. They¡¯ll drug you and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. I don¡¯t need to know that.¡±


    ¡°Really? Odd. I thought you noble girls liked stories like this.¡±


    ¡°There are so many things wrong with that I don¡¯t even know where to begin.¡±


    Dia looked at her clothes, and then sighed. A short frilly dress, lots of accessories, and only one sword. No one would believe her even if she hung the sign ¡®Bounty Hunter¡¯ on her dress. And worst of all, this dress didn¡¯t even have pockets.


    For some reason, the idea that pockets and noble girls were antithetical to each other had turned into a rock-solid fashion statement a hundred years ago, never to change after that. That was why her wardrobe at home was full of boyish clothes, but that didn¡¯t stop her late mother from scolding her every time she bought some trousers.


    Rubbing her nose, Dia nodded her head. ¡°Do you know where I can get more¡­¡±


    ¡°Normal clothes?¡± the old woman asked.


    ¡°Normal clothes, yes.¡±


    ¡°Well, lucky you. I run a clothes shop,¡± said the old woman. ¡°I have outfits for all kinds of people. Bounty hunters, mana-users, thieves, princes, and even for Emperor Grandis!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I really, really doubt that last one.¡± Dia covered her mouth and laughed.


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised. Come, let me show you the inventory of a Profiteer! Guaranteed to make me money!¡±


    Cackling, she pulled open a door that blended into the wall right beside her, before motioning for Dia to enter. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, dearie. I don¡¯t bite.¡±


    Somewhat regretting her decision, Dia took a deep breath ¡ª which was really smelly, now that she noticed it ¡ª and marched boldly into the door. A dim light illuminated her surroundings, and after a few seconds of acclimatisation, a sigh of relief escaped her.


    Surprisingly enough, she was indeed in a boutique¡­well, if a dirty, dingy place like this could actually be graced with that name.


    ¡°A nice place, no?¡± Cackling, the old woman walked over to a shelf and pulled out three sets of clothes. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re flat, skinny and mangy. These three will fit you to a tee.¡±


    ¡°Did you just insult a customer?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just being hyper-efficient,¡± the old woman hobbled over to her, before poking her chest. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m never wrong. Anyway, for you, this set of three would cost you ten gold.¡±


    Taking a step back, Dia took out her purse, before stopping.


    ¡°What? No money?¡±


    ¡°No, I only have platinum¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have gold to give you as change.¡±


    The two women stared at each other, and then the old crone sighed. ¡°Two platinum, and I¡¯ll make sure you leave this shop as a qualified bounty hunter. Crash course and equipment by me; quality guaranteed.¡±


    ¡°My target is time-sensitive¡ª¡±


    ¡°One day, and you¡¯ll be tracking down even the Moons¡¯ cats.¡±


    Dia gulped and looked around the shop. The events of the past hour had gone by far too quickly for her liking, and she couldn¡¯t help but feel overwhelmed. Somehow, she had a feeling that the old woman in front of her was a tad dodgy, and yet, there was something like sincerity she could sense from her.


    ¡°Fine.¡± She took a deep breath and produced a second platinum coin. ¡°Train me.¡±


    ¡°Best choice of your life, dearie.¡± She narrowed her eyes. ¡°Since this is a crash course, however, I shall only teach you my experiences and my theories. Is that alright?¡±


    The wannabe bounty hunter nodded.


    The old crone grinned. ¡°Good. Good. Here, take this drink¡­¡±

 Chapter 9: Crash course

    ¡°Hic¡­¡± Dia shook her head twice, somewhat disorientated. Hundreds ¡ª no, thousands ¡ª of words seemed to echo in her head, while image after image flickered through her mind. Her vision alternated between a blurry mess and an utmost clarity every second or so, a sensation that reminded her of the first time she¡¯d tried using a pure-rank lifestone.


    ¡°Wakey wakey, dearie.¡± A few slaps landed on her face, and the disorientating feeling vanished. ¡°How¡¯s it?¡±


    Dia lowered her body and surveyed the area around her with just her eyes only, without moving her head. For some reason, the old lady¡¯s voice had come from in front of her, but she couldn¡¯t quite spot her. ¡°How¡¯s what?¡±


    ¡°Never mind. Not bad. You managed to take in the essence of tracking and hunting with an Experiential Potion made by a skilled potioneer.¡± The old woman¡¯s voice was tinged with approval. ¡°As expected of a one-fold mana-user.¡±


    Caution coursed through Dia¡¯s nerves. ¡°I don¡¯t recall telling you how many folds I had.¡±


    ¡°More alert, more careful. Good. Good.¡± The old crone cleared her throat. ¡°Not bad at all. Anyway, you¡¯re too weak to be anything but a one-fold mana-user. Don¡¯t be surprised. Bi-folders would have digested the entire potion in five minutes. You took five hours.¡±


    ¡°Five hours?¡± Dia repeated. ¡°It¡¯s been five hours?¡±


    Her muscles gave in a moment later, and as she sat on the dirty floor, her legs lost all feeling.


    ¡°Well, that happens. Here, dearie. I suppose I¡¯ll treat you to some dinner. Two platinum is a lot, after all.¡± The old crone walked in front of her and extended a hand, which Dia took gratefully. Hobbling over to a table, Dia sat down on a chair and looked at the bowl of soup in front of her.


    Something like reluctance filled her. Her left hand twitched madly, as if they wanted to stick something inside the soup, for reasons she couldn¡¯t quite remember.


    The old crone cackled, and slid a case of silver needles over. Before Dia could say anything, her left hand took out a silver needle, stuck it into the soup and the meat with impossibly-practiced movements, and then withdrew it. Her eyes turned to regard the silver needle, which was unblemished, before the reluctance that had filled her up until now vanished.


    ¡°Um. What just happened?¡±


    ¡°Seems like your brain¡¯s far inferior to your instincts,¡± the old lady murmured. ¡°Well, you look like a muscle brain in the first place, so that really can¡¯t be helped, hehe.¡±


    ¡°Did you just insult me?¡±


    ¡°Only if you consider speaking truthful words as insults.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t know what to say to that, and she made do by taking a gulp of the soup¡­after wiping her spoons very intensely. The uh, middling taste, was still somehow acceptable to her highly-refined palate, and as she ladled spoon after spoon into her mouth, the ex-princess ran through the events of the past few hours.


    Within a day, she had turned from princess into prisoner (wanted), left the Dukedom of Lustre¡¯s capital for some tiny town in the Dukedom of Istrel, and turned from na?ve mana-user into a bounty hunter of sorts. It was quite a drastic change, and Dia had the feeling that this old crone had something to do with how easily she accepted it.


    Still¡­I¡¯m probably better-equipped to catch that scapegoat than if virtually anything had changed now. Dia stared down at the unidentified meat and popped it into her mouth. In the moment in which she wanted to lament about how bad it tasted, a whole host of stomach-churning experiences forced themselves into her head.


    The slab of unidentified meat now looked like a delicacy.


    ¡°This potion of yours really is effective,¡± Dia said, a grimace on her face. ¡°It can even make my palate change.¡±


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    ¡°Of course. I have other potions too. One for popular prostitutes, one for intermediate thieves, one for aspiring mages who already have a mana-control skill, one to turn anyone into high-class bootlickers and one more to turn anyone into a seasoned street fighter.¡± The old crone turned to look at Dia after rattling off her whole list. ¡°Anything you want from that list? Two platinum per potion.¡±


    She paused. ¡°And I¡¯ll throw in the relevant equipment too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be lots of equipment, then.¡± Dia replied. Some of these potions indeed sounded handy, especially after she experienced that one earlier. Granted, some of these potions were really freaking useless ¡ª who on Grandis would want to become a high-class bootlicker or a popular prostitute?


    ¡°Which ones do you recommend?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Hmm. Bounty hunter going after a thief¡­I recommend the one for an intermediate thief, the seasoned street fighter and the high-class bootlicker.¡±


    Dia paused, and then voiced the question that had popped up in her mind ever since she heard the old crone¡¯s list. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but did you just say ¡®high-class bootlicker¡¯? Like, learning how to butter someone up with words?¡±


    ¡°Yes, dearie. Why? Do you have an issue with that? I¡¯ll have you know that the last potion is the most popular.¡±


    Glancing at the old crone, Dia sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll take the one for an intermediate thief. I still need to save some money.¡±


    ¡°Sure you don¡¯t need to be a seasoned street fighter?¡± the old lady asked. ¡°That¡¯s very useful.¡±


    ¡°I want it, but I don¡¯t have enough spare cash for that.¡±


    ¡°Pity.¡±


    Finishing off her soup, Dia took a deep breath and passed the old crone two more platinum. There were only ten platinum left, but she knew that intelligence on her target would be at a premium. It was even possible that ten platinum wouldn¡¯t even cover it.


    After she helped the old woman clear the table, she found a random chair and sat down. The three moons were rising, but Percuti ¡ª the red moon of strife ¡ª wasn¡¯t shining. Such a sign gave a boost to people with plotting skills, if they were under the green light of the two lit moons.


    Making a mental note to tread carefully around the Istrel Dukedom for tomorrow and the next few days, Dia rubbed her forehead. She wasn¡¯t quite sure on how to even look for her target in the first place, and as an outsider to¡ª


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Her understanding of how a bounty hunter operated had increased once again, and with it, the unease and fear she harboured a second ago vanished.


    ¡°Really value for money, eh?¡± A cackle echoed from behind her, and Dia turned to look at the old crone.


    ¡°Who are you, really?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m a Profiteer,¡± the old woman replied. ¡°You can call me Pheles.¡±


    A Profiteer¡­Dia scrunched her brows together, but there was nothing about them in her memory.


    ¡°Experiential Potions only give one experience, not memories or information,¡± Pheles said. ¡°If you don¡¯t know them before you drank an Experiential Potion, you still won¡¯t know them after you digest them potions.¡±


    Dia took a deep breath, and decided to not think about it too hard. ¡°Why did you help me?¡±


    ¡°Hah? Help you?¡± The old crone cackled again. ¡°Look here, missy. The things I can teach here are all learnable in this town over five or ten years. Only rich, pampered newbies like you will buy them from me. Hmm¡­well, you¡¯ll understand once you see how most people actually live in this world.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t be overconfident in yourself.¡± The old crone smacked her lips. ¡°Anyway, dearie, your intermediate thief potion is here. But don¡¯t expect it to help you look for Tot. Tot even left a card behind at the scene of the theft; only master thieves have balls that big.¡±


    ¡°Tot?¡±


    ¡°You know, That One Thief? The one who Emperor Grandis wants?¡± The old crone spat out some phlegm. ¡°Easier on the mouth when gossiping.¡±


    ¡°O-oh.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, you¡¯ll probably be stuck here for the night. I¡¯ll lend you a mattress to sleep or sit on, whichever you prefer.¡± The old crone shuffled away. ¡°Remember to drink the potion when you¡¯re in a comfortable position.¡±


    With Pheles ambling off to parts unknown, Dia could finally relax. For some reason, the old woman was releasing a presence that was capable of overwhelming hers. If not for Pheles¡¯ wizened appearance, Dia would have assumed that the old crone was actually a bi-folder.


    After all, physical aging stopped once someone became a two-fold mana user. It was a welcome side product of using lifeforce to etch mana circuits into the body, and this eternally-young effect was the key reason behind the sheer number of people who would kill to be a bi-folder.


    Still¡­that presence might have been responsible for making me buy the bounty hunter experience, though. Dia looked out at the two shining moons. The green light seemed to have enriched her brain somewhat, which was probably why she was capable of being this intelligent.


    ¡°Alrighty, mattress is here, dearie.¡± The old woman dragged a mattress over. ¡°Oh, and some clean cloth to cover it.¡±


    Dia looked at the grimy mattress and gulped.


    ¡°What? You expect old bones like mine to wash mattresses? You must be dreaming!¡±


    A prison probably has better living conditions than this house¡­ Covering half of the mattress with the relatively-cleaner piece of cloth, Dia sat on the mattress, leery of touching any of the dirty bits. Taking a deep breath, she downed the Experiential Potion in her hand.

 Chapter 10: Princess at a pub

    Images whirled through her mind, each of them superimposed memories of doing the same action a hundred times over. Stepping through shadows, picking locks, breaking glass, picking pockets¡­


    Groaning lightly, Dia raised her head as the flood of memories ended. The green moonlight that had illuminated the world last night had been replaced by the sun¡¯s faint golden glow; the ten minutes of excruciating pain she¡¯d felt had actually lasted far, far longer in reality.


    ¡°Good morning, dearie.¡±


    ¡°How long did I take this time?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Ten or eleven hours,¡± Pheles replied, before breaking into a cackle. ¡°Not bad, though. A thief¡¯s experience of over a thousand hours in his trade, distilled to ten hours for you. You¡¯re more talented than your brain made me think.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?


    ¡°That you¡¯re lucky that you have quite a bit of natural talent, missy.¡± Pheles made some nauseating noise with her throat, and then spat a glob of red and green spittle out of the window. ¡°But you are a mana-user, after all.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t know what to say to that, so she made do by getting up from the mattress slowly. Now that the sun was up, it was clear that the mattress ¡ª heck, even the cloth she was sitting on ¡ª was dirtier than anything she¡¯d ever seen before, but for some reason, she now no longer felt distaste.


    It¡¯s probably the effect of those potions, but I must say that it¡¯s really amazing, if it can actually alter my disposition towards certain things. Looking around the shop, Dia stretched a few times in a bid to alleviate the strain her muscles felt.


    ¡°Staying for breakfast?¡± Pheles asked.


    ¡°Thank you, but I must really be going,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Very well. Before you go, though, you should change out of your clothes. I¡¯ve also prepared a set of equipment for a bounty hunter and a thief; if you ever need a resupply, just head over to your local Profiteer for help.¡± Hobbling over to the rickety table they had dinner on last night, the old woman produced a slab of some green mouldy thing and bit down on it.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I just pay you some platinum?¡± Dia asked, picking up a drab tunic and a pair of black trousers. ¡°Why are you still eating things like these? Get something better!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just some food,¡± Pheles replied. ¡°And there¡¯s no food that sells my favourite mould on demand. Thank you for caring about me though, dearie. There¡¯s a changing room over there, by the way.¡±


    Dia nodded and headed over. It didn¡¯t take long for her to change out of her frilly dress, and after removing all the useless accessories in her hair, she stepped out of the changing room. Thankfully, the clothes that the old woman was selling dirt-free, which was an adjective she literally couldn¡¯t apply anywhere else.


    Tying her shoulder-length hair up into a bun, Dia briefly debated on whether she should cut it, before deciding not to.


    ¡°Hmm, a bun¡­well, let¡¯s stick some needles in it,¡± said the old crone. ¡°In case you need smaller implements and you¡¯re unarmed. Your black hair is quite reflective, which is good¡­by the way, how do you wash your hair?¡±


    Dia looked at the old woman, whose hair was grey and aging, and repressed the urge to slap her forehead. ¡°I use the higher-end shampoos from Lumi. They should have some for grey and silver hair too.¡±


    Pheles grunted. Gesturing at a small backpack on the table, she said, ¡°This here contains both the standard kits for bounty hunters and thieves. Take a look at the instruction manuals and their storage locations, and then ask me if you have any questions.¡±


    Tossing two books at Dia, the old crone grabbed a walking stick and yelled, ¡°I¡¯m coming!¡±


    ¡°Customer?¡±


    ¡°They like to come at this time,¡± Pheles replied. ¡°If they come at night, it¡¯s because they ran out of body bags.¡±


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    What am I supposed to say to that? Shivering slightly at the implications behind the old woman¡¯s words, Dia grabbed the first booklet and ran through it. She could recognise every tool the booklet introduced, as well as understand when and how to use them. Leafing through the booklet quickly, the princess couldn¡¯t help but lament that this Experiential Potion would have saved her from undue amounts of studying and practicing the fine arts.


    Picking up the second booklet, which was for thieves¡¯ equipment and tools, Dia thumbed through it rapidly.


    ¡°Once you¡¯re familiar with the tools of the trade,¡± she spoke out loud, ¡°you can consider creating your own layout. A cloak with loops and pockets will be far better than a beginner¡¯s backpack.¡±


    Somehow, Dia¡¯s intuition was telling her that this portion was particularly important, but she couldn¡¯t pin down the reason yet. After racking her brains for a few more minutes, Dia gave up. Stuffing both booklets into her pockets, she lifted her backpack up experimentally.


    ¡°Not that heavy¡­¡±


    ¡°Do come again, dearie!¡±


    A few seconds later, Pheles pushed her way through some clothes, her rheumy eyes on Dia. ¡°Mm. Looks good on you. Now you look like you¡¯re actually qualified to even chase a master thief.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any tips?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Big customer asks me for tips.¡± Pheles snorted. ¡°Consider it service. You may have the senses of an intermediate thief and an experienced bounty hunter, but remember to let your body get used to them. Don¡¯t be in a situation where the mind says yes, but the body says no. Most people die two seconds after they meet such a situation.¡±


    Dia shivered.


    ¡°Scared already?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes,¡± Dia admitted.


    ¡°Good. Better to be scared than to be confident. Feeling scared? Run away. It¡¯s okay. Number two cause of death for professionals: they don¡¯t obey their instincts.¡± Pheles cackled. ¡°Then they die. Or they are crippled. Some of them make their way here and sell their experience for silvers.¡±


    ¡°Sell their¡ª?!¡±


    ¡°Experiential Potion needs memories. They¡¯re the core ingredient. They sell to me their memories for thirty silver, and then I create potions that sell for two platinum. That¡¯s why I¡¯m a Profiteer.¡± A withered claw shot out and held Dia¡¯s hand, and her skin crawled.


    ¡°Last tip, I guess. You chase after a master thief. But you don¡¯t have experience on that level. Be very careful. What you know, the thief surely knows. But what the thief knows, you might not know.¡± She nodded her head twice, seemingly to herself, before lowering her volume. ¡°Master thieves are very weird. Don¡¯t get on their wrong side.¡±


    Dia gulped. For a moment, she wondered if she was doing the right thing after all, but a second later, her reason told her that there wasn¡¯t a choice to begin with. Capturing the scapegoat would help her cause, or failing that, not getting caught until the scapegoat was would have to suffice.


    After all, the Inquisitors¡¯ Chambers would ferret out the truth. And with it, the truth that Dia wasn¡¯t involved in Ruler Umbra¡¯s murder.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Pheles grinned. ¡°You have found a new path.¡±


    ¡°All thanks to your warning,¡± Dia said.


    ¡°So polite. One last tip then, just for you. Follow the nobles. But don¡¯t let nobles follow you. Much easier.¡± She placed both hands onto the table, and a screech followed as she balled them into fists. ¡°Today, spellhounds unit came into town. Follow them, and you¡¯ll eventually find out where the thief is.¡±


    Spellhounds¡­Dia nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°See you around then, dearie. Keep an eye on those dogs.¡± Cackling, Pheles gestured Dia to follow, leading her out from the storefront. ¡°Be careful. You are a pretty girl. And men are creatures, animals. Stab their lower bits if they lose control.¡±


    Cackling, she shooed Dia away, entering the shophouse a moment later.


    The ex-princess took a deep breath, fixed the nameless¡­boutique into her memory, and then headed off into the small town. The presence of spellhounds here could only mean that her target did indeed drop by this town of Pletsville, although the presence of fifty-over men and women tied up against sticks had definitely muddied the waters.


    Why were they being punished by the soldiers?


    Dia didn¡¯t know, but she wanted to find out. After all, this looked like a case of repression by local authorities; the stories she liked to read as a child all had things like this. Now that she had the chance to experience such storylines first hand, Dia wasn¡¯t going to give it up that easily.


    Going over directly wasn¡¯t going to help, though.


    Let¡¯s see¡­bounty hunters and inns go together like the Moons and cats.


    It didn¡¯t take long for her to locate an inn. Or rather, the only inn in Pletsville. For some reason, Pletsville¡¯s inn had been turned into a tourist attraction, with almost every signpost in the area including a mention of the inn. Dia didn¡¯t know what the lord of this town was up to, but since it had such power, it was probably an inn with some backing.


    ¡°Hmm¡­it¡¯s another nameless inn. I had a feeling that was the case, but is it really alright to not have names and signboards for the shops here?¡± Dia muttered, looking at the place. The first floor of the inn was, as usual, a dining area. There were a bunch of people inside, each of them radiating the subtle might that only mana-users had.


    All of them were one-fold mana-users, each of them extraordinary in their own right. Steeling her nerves, Dia walked right inside, making a beeline for the counter. Eyes fell on her as she entered, only to turn away a moment later in what looked like seeming indifference.


    An old man bowed as she approached. ¡°How may I help you, esteemed lady?¡±


    ¡°Some orange juice,¡± Dia said. ¡°And maybe some news?¡±


    ¡°Coming up right. Please, have a seat here.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±

 Chapter 11: Meeting the fakers

    The old innkeeper squinted at Dia, sizing her up. ¡°Such a pretty lady, but your mannerisms have betrayed your disguise. How are you this inexperienced at disguising?¡±


    Dia, who was sticking a silver needle into the orange juice, jumped. At the same time, her left hand reached out for a knife hanging off her belt. ¡°What do you mean, mister?¡±


    ¡°Your impersonation of Princess Dia is imperfect,¡± the old innkeeper replied. ¡°Look behind you; those impersonators do it far better.¡±


    ¡°Impersonators? What?¡± Dia looked in the direction the old man dictated, and her eyes turned into saucers. There, sitting together around a table, were three women who were close to her usual appearance in public. Hands placed on their laps, they spoke in hushed voices, sipping from a glass in the same manner as the Princess Dia of a past life would.


    ¡°Are you her fan? Or just someone hoping to leverage off her escape to throw off an arranged marriage?¡±


    ¡°Escape?¡± Dia echoed.


    Right, it¡¯s been an entire day. News of my escape has definitely spread¡­Steadying her breathing, she shook her head. Ignoring the textbox that had popped up when she stuck the silver needle into the orange juice, she asked, ¡°What escape are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t hear the news?¡± the old man asked, revealing a toothy grin a moment later. ¡°Well, since you¡¯re easy on the eyes, I don¡¯t mind telling you. Word has it that Princess Dia escaped from the Lustre Dukedom, after being told that she was to marry some old coot. On her way out, she crushed half the dukedom¡¯s standing army, three mana-users, as well as any gate that stood in her way.¡±


    Dia opened and closed her mouth, in a manner that reminded her of a goldfish.


    ¡°Wow,¡± she forced out. ¡°That¡¯s really amazing!¡±


    ¡°Which is why some mana-users were inspired to dress up as her,¡± the innkeeper replied. ¡°Hmm¡­in that case, you must be an original fan of hers.¡±


    What do you mean, original fan? I am Dia! Restraining her urge to retort on the spot, she popped a gentle smile. ¡°I am the original¡­fan.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one, so the word ¡®an¡¯ is more appropriate,¡± the innkeeper replied. ¡°Come, follow me. I believe you have the same cause and reason as those three over there. It will help to make friends who think the same.¡±


    Getting up from his chair, the old man ambled forward. Initially, Dia wanted to stop him, but she knew that there were probably people chasing her¡­people like, for instance, the Shadow of Grandis. An organisation that specialised in capturing anyone who dared to defy the will of Emperor Grandis, which she had most certainly done by fleeing Lustre.


    Initially, changing her face and her hair had been the greatest priority, but since there were actually people who wanted to make use of her image¡­


    Dia grinned, and followed the old man over. Virtually everyone on the first floor was a mana-user, so if she could join that group, it would increase her security¡­in a way.


    ¡°Hello, ladies.¡± The old innkeeper beckoned for Dia to come forward.


    ¡°What business do you have with us?¡± one of Dia¡¯s lookalikes, who was even wearing the same gown Dia remembered wearing for a party last year, asked. ¡°We are rather busy people, if you please.¡±


    You¡¯ve gotten the looks right, but the personality leaves a lot to be desired, Dia remarked in her mind.


    ¡°Thought I¡¯d introduce this friend to you,¡± the old man replied. ¡°I always try to make my customers new friends, after all.¡±


    ¡°A new friend?¡± The gown-wearing fake looked at Dia. ¡°Indeed, she is probably one of us. Thank you, geezer. Here¡¯s a tip.¡±


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    Throwing a coin at the old man, she gestured at an open seat. ¡°Hmm¡­you look a bit like her, but I suppose you¡¯re probably too poor to do it properly. Princess Dia never wears anything but gowns.¡±


    ¡°I must contest that statement,¡± another lookalike said. ¡°Two months ago, she was wearing a dress when shopping incognito; the exact same design as mine, in fact.¡±


    How did you know that?! Resisting the urge to gawk, Dia looked at the dress the second lookalike was wearing, which just made things worse. It was indeed the one she liked to wear when sneaking out, but wasn¡¯t she wearing a halfmoon mask and a hat at that time?


    ¡°Besides the dress, she also wore a hat and halfmoon mask too,¡± the second lookalike added. ¡°See? It¡¯s just that I¡¯m not wearing it indoors, that¡¯s all.¡±


    A small shiver ran down Dia¡¯s spine, but before she could take her leave from this bunch of nutjobs, the third lookalike spoke up. ¡°That¡¯s nice at all, but I don¡¯t think what matters is the outside. What¡¯s most important is the inside, like I keep saying.¡±


    Exactly! Looks aren¡¯t anything; it¡¯s the character!


    She turned to look at Dia. ¡°Let me tell you a secret; I¡¯m wearing the same type and brand of undergarments as the princess. For instance¡ª¡±


    Dia¡¯s mind went blank as her lookalike rattled off a whole list of the brands Dia actually brought her clothes and other pieces from. Looking at them in shock, her hands tightened around the arms of her chair. Regret flooded her guts ¡ª now that she knew that there were people like them, sleeping soundly at night now felt like a pipe dream.


    ¡°So¡­what do you bring to the table?¡± the first lookalike asked.


    ¡°I think we should introduce ourselves first, though.¡± Lowering her voice, the second lookalike said, ¡°I¡¯m the heiress to the Julan Barony, Lily Julan. Nice to meet you.¡±


    The two shook hands.


    ¡°Julan Barony¡­was it the one famous for the ultra-aromatic Julan flower?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a specialty, yes.¡±


    ¡°Knew it.¡± Dia nodded her head slowly, and then returned to the main topic at hand. ¡°Why do you want to capture Tot, though?¡±.


    ¡°The rewards, naturally. If I can capture Tot, I¡¯ll be able to leave my family and its stupid rules,¡± Lily Julan replied.¡±


    The first lookalike smiled. ¡°I¡¯m Countess Farah, ruler of the domain with the same name. My people need more living space; if I can get the Emperor¡¯s rewards, my territory will be second to only the Rulers.¡±


    ¡°As for me,¡± said the third lookalike, the one that creeped Dia out the most, ¡°I¡¯m the current ruler of the Folder Association¡¯s daughter, Risti. Dad wants me to catch Tot for a whole bunch of complicated reasons.¡±


    ¡°How about you?¡± Lily asked.


    Dia hesitated, before deciding to tell them the truth. ¡°I¡¯m Dia¡­¡±


    Lily and Risti laughed, while the countess shook her head.


    ¡°The Moons dislike bad lies, dear.¡± Countess Farah patted her shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s really nothing to hide from us three; we¡¯re all friends here. From what I can tell, you¡¯re a daughter of some Named mana-user, right? It¡¯s alright if you don¡¯t want to tell us your name, but you should ensure that your cover isn¡¯t that easily blown.¡±


    Dia opened and closed her mouth.


    ¡°Besides,¡± Countess Farah added, ¡°if the real Princess Dia is here, she would have fainted in shock. Imagine sitting with a group of lookalikes, only to hear the things we get up to.¡±


    You¡¯re right, very right! In fact, I really wanted to faint earlier! Risti, did the Moons tell you the types of undergarments I prefer? Or did you watch my room every day? Lily, do you have spies that report back on my movements on the regular? As for you, Countess Farah¡­well, you¡¯re alright. Probably.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dia said. ¡°If the real Princess Dia was sitting right here, she might have fainted.¡±


    ¡°But you haven¡¯t, and that¡¯s proof enough, no?¡± Countess Farah winked. ¡°So¡­what name do you want to go by?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re alright without knowing my full name?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°No problem. You¡¯re probably like us too, so I see no issue,¡± the countess replied. ¡°Besides, we¡¯ve made an agreement that if we catch Tot, we¡¯ll share the rewards. I¡¯ll give everyone an estate in my county and a viscount title each.¡±


    ¡°I-I see.¡± Dia rubbed her nose. ¡°You can call me Isolde. I want to catch the thief, and that¡¯s all. Serving the thief justice is reward enough for me.¡±


    [You have met the requirements to learn ¡®Lying¡¯. Learn it?]


    No, and do not bring open this window again, Dia replied in her head, and with a pop, the window shattered.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± said Lily. ¡°Are you¡­by chance, the daughter of one of the five Named implicated?¡±


    ¡°You can think of it that way,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Well then, since our goals don¡¯t conflict, do you want to join our group?¡± Countess Farah asked. ¡°Besides, you look really experienced; I was watching the way you entered the inn from the very start. We could really do with someone your calibre.¡±


    In the end, Dia decided not to tell the truth. Granted, she¡¯d already tried it once, but since it failed, that would just be the end of it. Besides, as a bounty hunter and thief ¡ª even if her experiences were all in her head ¡ª the habits she picked up from those potions she drank were hard to shake off. No one was going to believe her, unless she produced irrefutable proof.


    Given that the Shadows of Grandis were probably looking to string her up and parade her as an escaped sinner, this was probably the best choice of action for now. And with three other one-fold mana-users, her safety was near guaranteed.


    Exchanging a few more pleasantries, the four of them were about to make some arrangements when a commotion came from outside.

 Chapter 12: The thiefs first trace

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°The spellhounds have picked up Tot¡¯s scent,¡± Dia replied immediately. ¡°It seems like they¡­followed his trail here.¡±


    Her ears continued to twitch. Spellhounds were creatures that held great importance to people with shady jobs and bounty hunters; being able to interpret their barks correctly would help anyone a great deal. Matching those barks she heard with her newly-obtained knowledge, she continued with the interpretation.


    [You have met the requirements to learn ¡®Animal Speech¡¯. Learn it?]


    ¡°Apparently, Tot actually entered the inn for a day or so,¡± she added, ignoring the intrusive prompt. ¡°And then the trail abruptly vanished.¡±


    ¡°As expected of a Named¡¯s daughter,¡± said Countess Farah. ¡°I still can¡¯t understand what those barks mean.¡±


    You mean, as expected of an Experiential Potion¡­right, I should find some time and bring them over to that, uh, boutique. Maybe they might want to buy other Experiential Potions there too. Making a mental note about that bit, Dia followed the countess outside, where a whole bunch of spellhounds were pawing at the ground.


    The other mana-users in the inn had also filed out, creating a rather modest crowd that stared back at the company of soldiers.


    ¡°Stand in a line and don¡¯t move,¡± said the soldier at the very front. The uniform of her right sleeve was decorated with a white flower ¡ª the rank of a lieutenant. ¡°Any attempts to flee will be dealt with harshly.¡±


    A blue-haired mana-user stepped out, his eyes alight with an arrogant blaze. ¡°With just a bunch of normal people? I could crush the whole lot of you here with my pinky alone.¡±


    ¡°You could,¡± acknowledged the soldier, ¡°but you¡¯ll be hunted down by those behind me. I suggest that you restrain your arrogance and let my men do their investigations.¡±


    The two people locked eyes for a moment, and the mana-user snorted. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll treat this as giving Duke Istrel some face. Tell him that I¡¯ll be going over to ransack his wine cellar after this.¡±


    ¡°Very well. You are¡­¡±


    ¡°Edgeless Night, Hulid,¡± the man replied. ¡°Bi-folder. Remember this name: I¡¯ll be dropping by to pick out some fine wine at the Duke¡¯s treasure house afterwards.¡±


    Dia¡¯s lips twitched. She¡¯d seen less arrogant and more unassuming tri-folders than this man.


    ¡°I shall convey your message, then,¡± said the soldier.


    ¡°How hardworking. And you¡¯re quite a looker too,¡± Hulid muttered. ¡°Care to join me for dinner tonight?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. There¡¯s a thief to be caught, after all,¡± the soldier replied humourlessly. Turning away to face her subordinates, she said, ¡°Let the spellhounds loose.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±


    The sea of blue dogs was released from their leashes immediately. Most of them immediately surrounded the inn, sniffing around it, while a few of them broke off into the town. None of the soldiers made a move to stop them, but before Dia could see where those spellhounds ran off to, something sniffed at her hands.


    She took a few steps back immediately, which was a cue for the spellhound sniffing her to advance. Before it could pounce on her, however, Countess Farah had walked up to it.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a little cutie, hmm? Paw!¡±


    She held out her hand, and the spellhound touched it with its own. There was something rather spectacular about how a dog half her size was acting like a puppy, but Dia was more focused on trying to curb her instinct to gut the animal. Taking a few deep breaths, she stepped away from the spellhound slowly, backing up against the wall of the inn.


    ¡°Isolde, something wrong?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Isolde?¡±


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    ¡°Hmm?¡± Dia glanced at her. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just that I¡¯m not good with animals. I get the feeling that they¡¯ll bite me when I get close.¡±


    ¡°Well then, just stand behind Farah next time. She looks like a natural at this,¡± said Lily.


    The countess raised a thumbs-up at those words, before returning to playing with the spellhound.


    Dia shook her head. The spellhounds didn¡¯t seem scary at first glance¡­unless you were their target. Right now, most of them were sniffing around, and rather than growling, they made little mewling noises that reminded her of cats.


    ¡°Why did I treat them as an enemy earlier?¡± Dia muttered under her breath.


    ¡°Did you say something?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing important,¡± Dia replied, making sure to keep her guard up against Risti. Despite her seemingly-harmless exterior ¡ª Risti was disguised as her, after all ¡ª Dia couldn¡¯t forget about how Risti somehow managed to dig out some very private information on her. If not for her poker face, well trained from years of court life, Dia was sure that a look of disgust would emerge on her face whenever she looked at Risti.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    The spellhounds continued to mewl as they prowled around the inn.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit off-putting, though,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Huge dog-like creatures that mewl so sweetly. When on such a large scale, it¡¯s a tad hard to digest.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± said Risti. ¡°One would expect fearsome growls and barks, right? Instead, we get a whole bunch of kittens mewling. It¡¯s really unexpected, even if you knew that spellhounds mewl like cats.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled by their cute sounds,¡± Countess Farah warned, standing up. ¡°When pursuing their enemies, they don¡¯t show mercy. Even if they mewl cutely while they¡¯re at it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dia said. ¡°The two of you don¡¯t seem to know about spellhounds, but they can put up a good fight for one-folders¡­alone.¡±


    ¡°While making cute mewling sounds,¡± Farah added.


    ¡°You seem particularly hung up on that part,¡± said Lily.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be too, if you had to fight spellhounds as a teenager. The amount of money my dad paid to heal me was enough to buy a barony a few times over. Unfortunately, no amount of money was enough to heal my mental trauma.¡± She shook her head. ¡°For a few years after that, I would tremble and shift into a combat stance whenever a cat mewled. I got over it eventually, and these guys are cute¡­in a sense.¡±


    Farah turned to Dia. ¡°Anyway, you¡­seem to have a similar experience.¡±


    Yeah, if you count instincts that were instilled in me from drinking that Experiential Potion. Dia nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that too much. With this many spellhounds, I really feel like running away.¡±


    ¡°Running away, eh? What kind of training did you do to have such an instinct when faced with spellhounds?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape,¡± Risti unexpectedly said. ¡°This course, which is usually reserved for the folders from the special forces, is the only one that uses spellhounds.¡±


    I haven¡¯t even come up with a cover story, and you¡¯ve already thought one up for me? Dia sighed heavily. I guess I¡¯ll have to thank you or something¡­if you didn¡¯t add another trauma a few minutes ago.


    ¡°As expected of a Named¡¯s daughter, I guess.¡± Countess Farah patted Dia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Stay strong.¡±


    ¡°The spellhounds seem to be stumped at this point. Seems like Tot didn¡¯t hang around here for too long, after all.¡± Dia cupped her ears. ¡°That seems to be correct. The spellhounds are correcting their initial impressions now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to have someone like you,¡± Farah said. ¡°What now, then?¡±


    ¡°We wait for the investigators to move, and then we try to pick up on clues. There seems to be a particularly strong scent coming from¡­that direction.¡± Dia pointed at the direction the spellhounds indicated.


    ¡°I remember seeing a whole bunch of people strung up there, near a military encampment. Maybe Tot¡¯s one of them?¡± Farah ventured.


    ¡°A master thief caught by ordinary soldiers? I¡¯m not buying that,¡± said Risti. ¡°But maybe he got drunk off his success and did something stupid, so he got caught. It¡¯s worth a shot.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head over to the encampment first,¡± said Farah. ¡°Before the others notice.¡±


    Walking through the scattered crowd of spellhounds, she led Dia and the others away from the inn. The constant mewling sounds behind them, however, made Dia want to make a break for it; the instincts she¡¯d gotten from the Experiential potions were kicking in at full swing.


    It didn¡¯t take long for them to arrive at the military encampment, where three dogs were sniffing at a body. There were two different sets of corpses, and these spellhounds were sniffing at the corpses that had clearly died a lot earlier.


    That sight alone was enough to excite the soldiers there, but whenever any of them tried to approach, the spellhounds would mewl and bare their teeth. Eventually, however, some soldiers from the newly-arrived company showed up and took over from them.


    ¡°What are these spellhounds saying, Isolde?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re¡­unsure. Apparently, this guy smells like their target, but isn¡¯t actually it,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Maybe they spent some time together?¡± Risti suggested. ¡°After all, who said Tot had to be a guy?¡±


    ¡°True,¡± said Lily. ¡°But they could both be guys too.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re at least certain that he spent quite some time with Tot,¡± said Risti. ¡°A shame he¡¯s dead, though. We won¡¯t be able to find out anything much with this lead.¡±


    ¡°Not as we are, no.¡± Farah smiled. ¡°But if I remove my disguise¡­¡±


    Mist billowed around her, vanishing a moment later to reveal a green-haired woman. Her facial features were sharper, her clothes somewhat different. Emerald eyes glanced around at Dia and the others, and a small set of lips curled. ¡°Countess Farah, at your service.¡±

 Chapter 13: Spellhounds, suspicions and soldiers

    ¡°That green hair really suits you. Is it a natural colour?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°In a way, yes.¡± Farah ran a hand through her hair. ¡°It turned green after I became a one-folder. For some time, I couldn¡¯t quite get used to it, but it grew on me eventually.¡±


    ¡°Why did your hair change colour?¡± Lily asked, drawing close to it. ¡°I don¡¯t think becoming a mana-user has effects on hair, does it?¡±


    ¡°The healer said that it was just an accident,¡± the countess replied. "Don''t worry about it."


    ¡°Things like these do happen randomly,¡± Risti added. ¡°It is worth noting, however, that mana-users that experience a change to their body during their first inscription tend to be more famous over their more normal peers. Having a special hair colour makes one stand out, so their deeds are more easily recognised.¡±


    ¡°Is that a good thing?¡± Farah asked, curious.


    ¡°That depends on whether you want to be well known or not, really,¡± Risti replied. ¡°You probably don¡¯t know this, but mana-users who are very famous tend to get lots of creepy, undue attention. Like knowing someone¡¯s favourite shampoo brand, preferred brands of underwear¡­¡±


    So you do know that what you¡¯re doing is creepy and uncalled for, right? Dia looked at Risti, who was reciting a list of information people usually sought for such famous individuals, and shuddered.


    ¡°Ahem. That¡¯s all very interesting, but I think we need to focus on the main point at hand,¡± said the countess. Walking up to the guards, she brandished a golden seal.


    ¡°I am Countess Farah, the ruler of Farah County. Let us through; we want to investigate a particular corpse.¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am,¡± said one soldier, who shook like a leaf upon sealing the seal in her hand, ¡°we¡¯ve been issued orders to not let anyone through.¡±


    ¡°And is their authority higher than mine?¡± Farah asked. ¡°I am a countess, second only to Duke Istrel in his lands. No one can gainsay me in this aspect.¡±


    She paused. ¡°I¡¯ll make this easy for you. Hear my orders, soldiers of Pletsville. Let me and my companions through.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±


    The small barricade of soldiers split apart, long enough for Dia and the others to follow the countess in. The barricade closed up moments later behind them, but Dia wasn¡¯t alarmed by that act. The soldiers here would give way to anyone of sufficient power, but that was the extent of it.


    ¡°That¡¯s the corpse, then.¡± Dia walked up and examined it. It was beginning to stink, but it didn¡¯t affect her and Risti much. The other two were hanging back a bit further, and after taking a good look at it, she shook her head.


    ¡°Cause of death is internal injury,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Rough treatment, beatings¡­things like these around three to five days ago. However, there is another batch of dead people, who died a lot more recently, which is over there.¡±


    Beckoning for the others to follow, she headed over to the other pile of bodies, the ones that looked as if they died not too long ago. Turning to a particularly burly soldier, she asked, ¡°Why were these people tied up here and executed?¡±


    ¡°They started a fire and stole some valuable items,¡± the soldier replied.


    ¡°And did you get them back?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with you?¡±


    ¡°Answer the question, soldier,¡± Farah cut in. ¡°Or you can answer to me. As a countess, I have the right to imprison anyone for contempt against nobility. I¡¯m a nice person, so I rarely use this right. Don¡¯t be the first one I use it on in this town.¡±


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    The burly man stiffened up, before lowering his head. ¡°We did not get it back.¡±


    ¡°Which means that the thief is still at large,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°I have a hypothesis.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s likely the same as mine,¡± Farah said, a smile on her face, ¡°but you can have the honours.¡±


    ¡°This man¡± ¡ªDia pointed at the corpse that the spellhounds here were staring at¡ª ¡°probably came into contact with our target. For some reason, however, that man was captured and strung up, eventually passing away. A few days later, arson and robbery happened in this military encampment, which resulted in the loss of valuable items. Does the latter incident feel like it¡¯s about revenge?¡±


    ¡°It does seem that way to me,¡± Farah said, ¡°but we can¡¯t be sure. Soldier, those dead people here¡­on what basis did you capture them?¡±


    ¡°They were at the encampment when a fire broke out yesterday,¡± the soldier replied. ¡°We had intended to let some of them into our company, since they rendered us some meritorious service in getting rid of knaves and rogues in the town, the ones over there. But when we gathered them, a fire broke out and valuables were stolen.¡±


    ¡°Fits like a glove, if you ask me,¡± said Lily. ¡°Friend gets captured and killed by a mob, and Tot sets fire to the camp to frame that mob. Interesting idea.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that these people are innocent?¡± The burly soldier laughed. ¡°We¡¯re all the same mould. These people went overboard when they captured those poor foreigners and peons there. Most of those captives only croaked out a word or two before they died; we were already intending to arrest anyone who didn¡¯t want to join us for murder.¡±


    Dia felt the urge to slap the soldier, a sentiment clearly shared by everyone else. However, there were few laws against things like this, especially when there was no proof that the soldiers actually did any harmful acts of substance. From what she could tell, this company of soldiers here were simply instigators and nothing else.


    And more importantly, they were acting to enforce Emperor Grandis¡¯ orders of capturing Tot. Condemning them for being overzealous here could very well backfire on anyone who tried it.


    She glanced at the others, who were badly shaken by the soldier¡¯s words. ¡°In other words, these people took the fall for Tot. Well, soldier, it seems that the master thief everyone¡¯s looking for isn¡¯t here any longer.¡±


    The burly man shrugged. ¡°Like we would be able to claim the Emperor¡¯s rewards anyway.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Dia said. ¡°There¡¯s no information of value here, unless¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not yet. There¡¯s still things I can do,¡± said Risti. ¡°Follow me back to that corpse.¡±


    The spellhounds mewled as the four returned to the corpse.


    ¡°You have a solution for this?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°A skill, yes. It¡¯s not all that reliable, since it doesn¡¯t actually answer my questions directly all the time. Let¡¯s just hope that we get a lead.¡± Risti closed her eyes, and mana welled up around her. Within moments, the mana floating around her had gathered into a small orb, which rolled apart to form a piece of parchment barely wider than a handprint.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Last Words.¡± Risti looked at the parchment, frowning as she read the words on it. ¡°Hmm. Surprisingly enough, this man was actually someone dispatched by Duke Istrel. Or at least, someone working for an employee of the duke. It seems that the last thing he remembers was being at an inn and interrogating someone.¡±


    ¡°What happened after that?¡± Lily asked


    ¡°His conscious mind stopped working after that,¡± said Risti. ¡°Seems like a case of poison or something, but since he didn¡¯t die from it, it¡¯s probably something like an intoxicant, just a lot stronger.¡±


    ¡°What does all this mean, then?¡± Lily wondered out loud.


    ¡°Beats me,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Isolde, any ideas? You¡¯re the most experienced here after all.¡±


    ¡°Well, if nothing else, we have a lead. It¡¯s back to the inn. I¡¯m not sure what to think about all these, though. If he''s a friend of Tot, why would he be poisoned? If they weren¡¯t related, why would Tot burn this place?"


    ¡°Very good questions,¡± said Farah, ¡°but I think we¡¯ll need to dig a lot more to find out anything else.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right about that,¡± said Dia. ¡°The inn it is, then.¡±


    The others nodded. Stepping away from the corpse, the four retraced their routes. Passing by the company of soldiers and a whole bunch of hellhounds at the same time, Dia looked at them, an odd look in their eye.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Just wondering if they would be able to catch Tot if they don¡¯t have skills like Risti¡¯s, that¡¯s all,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Right, Risti, how did you learn that skill?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s alright if you don¡¯t want to tell us. Skills as miraculous as yours are definitely family secrets.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for your understanding, then. It is something I really cannot disclose on a whim,¡± Risti replied. ¡°But I can tell you that the process is rather¡­chilling.¡±


    ¡°Chilling¡­¡± Dia shook her head. From the sounds of it, the process of attaining this skill probably had something to do with dying people or corpses after all.


    ¡°Chilling or not, this is our only lead for now,¡± said Lily. ¡°I wish my skills were this useful for investigations, though. Mine¡¯s all about making things.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m all about fighting,¡± said Dia.


    ¡°And mine¡¯s about governance," Farah added.


    ¡°Well, at least we¡¯re all specialised in one way,¡± said Risti.


    ¡°True¡­¡±

 Chapter 14: To the City of Trades

    ¡°A guest checked in for three days, claiming to be sick?¡± Dia eyed the logbook, its frail owner standing behind the counter, his hands raised up high. A greatsword¡¯s tip touched his neck; a single movement would draw blood. ¡°And on the day he checked out, the military camp caught fire¡­what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯s probably the target,¡± Farah said, the greatsword in her hand steadier than a statue.


    Dia looked at the old man. ¡°Might want to be careful with that sword.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I¡¯m already treating him very leniently, considering that he dared to show me disrespect.¡±


    Shrugging, Dia continued to flip through the logbook. No one else was suspicious, and after giving it another look over, she tossed the book carelessly on the counter. ¡°So? What herbs did you buy for this visitor?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make her repeat that sentence, or you¡¯ll never be able to speak again,¡± the countess added.


    ¡°I-I brought him some herbs for the common cold,¡± the old innkeeper replied, terror in his eyes.


    ¡°Is that so? Do you have proof of your purchase?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Y-yes.¡± The old man raised a shaking finger. ¡°Over there.¡±


    Risti walked over to a cabinet and opened it, revealing a small stack of parchment. She flipped through it, before fishing out a single piece. ¡°He¡¯s not lying about this.¡±


    ¡°At least you¡¯re wise, innkeep.¡± Farah narrowed her eyes. ¡°Risti, can you do something with it?¡±


    ¡°Why do you assume that I can?¡±


    ¡°Call it instinct.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Risti walked over. ¡°Well, it¡¯s lucky that I have a skillslip for this stored up¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you use your skills every day?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Usually I do,¡± Risti replied, her eyes turning away from the parchment. ¡°I mean, how else would I be able to see what my beloved Princess Dia does all day?¡±


    Dia shivered at those words.


    ¡°Well,¡± Risti continued, ¡°it¡¯s not like I get to see her handwriting or information related to her all day, so I save up some skillslips when that happens. Second hand information does produce lower quality, though, so we might be in for a wild ride.¡±


    ¡°A limitation of your skill, eh?¡± Farah sighed. ¡°This thief is truly sneaky. Not even leaving traces of his handwriting behind.¡±


    ¡°It is said that one¡¯s writing is connected to the spirit,¡± Dia replied on instinct, ¡°so most bounty hunters either don¡¯t write much, or they write in a forced manner. Even if we got his handwriting, it probably won¡¯t do much.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Risti asked. ¡°I never knew that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a legend of sorts for us bounty hunters,¡± Dia replied, sifting through the knowledge in her head. ¡°Naturally most people won¡¯t know about it. It¡¯s a tradition passed down through word of mouth.¡±


    Although I really wish that I knew this a lot earlier. Dia thought about the amounts of paperwork she¡¯d done in her time, and shuddered. If other odd skills like Risti¡¯s existed, and they were used on those documents...well, it would at least explain why she always felt watched.


    There were probably other factors to it, but still.


    ¡°Us bounty hunters, eh?¡± Farah¡¯s eyes twinkled. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that there were any Named that actually raised their children as a full-blown bounty hunter, though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what they want you to think,¡± Risti said. ¡°It¡¯s the same with people like Princess Dia; there¡¯s always bad information about her floating around. You have to be careful and sift out the right things. Did you know that there were rumours about Princess Dia sneaking out of her bedroom just to eat confectionaries in the kitchen?¡±


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Really?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I did hear about that,¡± Farah muttered. ¡°Wait, are you saying that they¡¯re fake?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. All fake! She doesn¡¯t need to eat much at all! Those rumours about her liking to eat commoner snacks are fake too.¡± Risti sniffed. ¡°She doesn¡¯t eat low-class food.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t know how to react to yet another bombshell like this. First, those so-called rumours¡­were actually true. As to how anyone knew about her sneaky actions was another question, though. Second¡­wasn¡¯t Risti holding her to a bit too inhuman a standard? Princess of Lustre she might be, but that didn¡¯t mean that she was one of those legendary familiar spirits of the gods.


    Was it a good thing that she got it wrong? Or was it bad? Dia wasn¡¯t too sure, but she was definitely sure of one thing. Once all these blew over and her name was cleared, she was definitely going to move into a wooden hut at some isolated mountaintop and never come down.


    Not with so many crazy people gunning for her.


    Princess? I don¡¯t want that anymore! In the first place, why do you care so much about me? I¡¯m just your average rich pampered princess; there¡¯s far more people who¡¯re better than me!


    ¡°Something wrong, Isolde?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°No, nothing,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Just thinking about my skills.¡±


    ¡°Well, since you have supplementary training as a bounty hunter,¡± said Farah, ¡°there¡¯s really no need to be concerned about your skills being focused on combat. Incidentally, what skills do you have?¡±


    She paused. ¡°Well, those that you don¡¯t mind showing off when fighting, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Sword Dance, Sword Sense, Sword Roar,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°And this, right here,¡± said Risti, ¡°is a true Princess Dia fan. She even has the skills of the real Princess Dia. Isn¡¯t that awe-inspiring?¡±


    ¡°You know about Princess Dia¡¯s skills?¡± Dia, despite herself, asked. ¡°What other skills do you know about?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Risti beckoned everyone over. ¡°Well, other than one skill the princess has never revealed...¡±


    ¡°You know the other two?¡± Lily asked. ¡°What are they? Do share.¡±


    Risti looked around. ¡°The Sword Princess¡¯ other, hidden, skills are Sword Fall and Fated Sword.¡±


    ¡°Sword Fall? Fated Sword?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Those two are said to be skills that are taught by the late Ruler Umbra. Teaching such destructive skills to a subordinate¡­isn¡¯t that dangerous?¡±


    ¡°They sound rather innocent, though.¡± Lily blinked. ¡°What do they do?¡±


    ¡°Sword Fall summons a giant sword that destroys everything five hundred metres around it,¡± said Countess Farah. ¡°Fated Sword, when used, cripples or kills the next person the currently equipped swords draw blood from.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s about correct,¡± said Dia. By the Moons, how do you know this, Risti? Should I cut you down tonight or something? Or should I reveal my true identity, fall on my knees and ask you to enlighten me?


    ¡°But now that I know she has skills like this¡­¡± Farah shuddered. ¡°I think I¡¯ll never invite her into my county. If someone makes her angry, and she uses Sword Fall, that¡¯ll be the end of it.¡±


    Dia wanted to say that she wasn¡¯t ever going to use it, but now that Farah said those words, an irrational urge to use Sword Fall at Farah County welled up inside her. Suppressing it a moment later, she turned to Risti, who was clearly having delusions about her again.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Dia, ¡°can you use your skill to figure out where Tot is?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m nearly done with this delusion; give me a moment!¡± Risti trembled. Whipping out a book to write in it, she let out a languid sigh. ¡°I¡¯m so blessed to live in the same era as Princess Dia.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°Come on, there¡¯s other things to live for, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­like her items and her hobbies, right?¡± Risti looked to the inn¡¯s door, a faraway look in her eye. ¡°Are you telling me that I should strive to follow her in all aspects, and not just admire her from afar?¡±


    How did you even get to that? Dia coughed. ¡°Yes, yes. After all¡­¡± ¡ªher eyes lit up with inspiration¡ª ¡°Princess Dia wants to be the best ruler, right? Wouldn¡¯t it make sense for her to want her followers to be the best they can be?¡±


    Risti¡¯s eyes went round. ¡°Yes¡­yes. You¡¯re right. As expected of the number one Princess Dia fan.¡±


    ¡°¡­Tell me, how did you arrive at that conclusion?¡±


    Risti opened her mouth, but Farah was the first to speak.


    ¡°I mean, your skills are the exact mirror of hers,¡± said the countess. ¡°Clearly, you¡¯ve lived your entire childhood with the princess as your idol. I wouldn¡¯t even be surprised if you have Sword Fall and Fated Sword, given that you¡¯ve dedicated your skills to follow hers.¡±


    My plan to prove my identity¡¯s busted! Dia let out a slow sigh.


    ¡°Exactly. Your skills ¡ª blessings that take years to build up ¡ª have been dedicated to Princess Dia. Three of them, in fact. Or even four. Maybe five. I¡¯m not sure; some of the less famous Named are chummy with Ruler Umbra.¡± Countess Farah nodded to herself. ¡°The point is, your skills follow hers very much. That¡¯s why you¡¯re the number one fan.¡±


    Dia opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. ¡°Let¡¯s put this aside for a moment. Risti, can you use your skills? Let¡¯s see if we can find Tot with it.¡±


    ¡°Right. Tot.¡± Risti placed the piece of parchment she got from the cabinet onto the logbook, and then pressed her hand down on it. Moments passed in silence, before she looked up again. ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°What did you see?¡±


    Risti lowered her volume. ¡°Tot went north. Most likely to a city. The vision I got pointed at Licencia, the City of Trades, but we¡¯ll need to find out new trails there.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be hard,¡± said Farah, ¡°but it¡¯s a good start.¡±


    ¡°No time like the present,¡± said Lily. ¡°I¡¯ll call a carriage.¡±


    Dia looked around at the three of them, and then nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 15: Tutorial, start!

    Claud Primus, self-proclaimed master thief, got up from his bed, his face set. ¡°Now then, the first mana-users with some really special skills should have found a hint of me by now. It was Redgott when I left that dump; I expect there to be at least tens of mana-users there in the three days I lazed around.¡±


    He checked the calendar once more, and nodded. It was indeed Greengott, the fourth day of the week, and unless everyone investigating Tot was an imbecile, there was definitely a clue about him here and there. Once the rainbow ¡ª the days of the week were named after the colours of the rainbow for some reason ¡ª was out, even those who were late to the party would flock to Licencia, and the city would tremble in earnest.


    From the very start, Claud knew that he could never fully conceal his traces. Skills were tied to the foundations of one¡¯s existence; when they were used, they drew from the world itself. His preparations and gimmicks, any that would have stonewalled people searching the conventional way, would falter in the way of such transcendental abilities.


    I just wanted to work towards living forever. Is it really that hard for you guys to give me a break? Restraining his frustration, he rolled on his bed a few times. Two days had passed since he arrived at Licencia, but there were already some mana-users that were snooping around.


    Law and order had shot up, as a natural result. The news of mana-users congregating in the local areas was enough to make even the evillest of villains into tame cats; recent intelligence by the Profiteers¡¯ Guild branch here ¡ª the bartender ¡ª showed that every single one-folder had flocked towards Pletsville, like moths to flame.


    Still, it wasn¡¯t all that bad. Due to the overwhelming number of folk heroes in the vicinity, some merchants had seen it fit to send out as many trade caravans as possible, in this unprecedented depression of crime rates.


    Today¡¯s goal for Claud was on one of them. A caravan bound towards a county was going to depart at night, with minimal escorts. His prize was a chest of lifestones, middle purity ones.


    Claud licked his lips at that thought, taking out the small box that had contained a Pure Life Gem. Or rather, the box that was capable of turning any lifestone into a Pure Life Gem. Details about this unparalleled treasure had leaked out from the Dukedom of Lustre; Duke Lustre was probably making some moves there against his Istrel counterpart by releasing this news.


    That, however, was none of his business.


    He opened the little box, and felt his face light up at the sight.


    What made a Pure Life Gem special enough to have a name was the fact that it was the only lifestone that could grow in efficacy. The longer it sat around, the greater its effects when finally consumed.


    [You have met the requirements to learn Life Appraisal. Learn it?]


    Making a mental note to check what Life Appraisal was ¡ª it had appeared enough times to make him curious ¡ª when he next talked to the bartender, Claud removed the Pure Life Gem from the box, fitting a low-rank lifestone in its place.


    ¡°Still, for a treasure like this to be unnamed¡­you¡¯d think that someone would name it after a while, right?¡± Claud played with the newly-formed Pure Life Gem, which currently only contained a day¡¯s worth of life energy.


    It would increase in strength over time ¡ª every thirty days would net it one day''s worth of ultra-pure life, unlike its other counterparts, which held a fixed amount of impure life energy. As for how this growth was made possible, Claud wasn¡¯t quite sure, but it probably had to do with either the gods, the Moons, or both. If Claud hadn''t been scared by the prospect of someone tracking him down through the Pure-Life Gem he''d filched from Duke Istrel, he would have kept it for as long as humanly possible.


    ¡°I should name it, at least. Feels so distant calling it ¡®the box¡¯ all the time, right?¡± Claud looked down at the little thing, which grew cuter by the minute. ¡°Erm¡­I¡¯ll call you Crown.¡±


    ¡°Crown¡­¡± Claud repeated the word thoughtfully. ¡°Yes, a word suitable for the Emperor of Thieves. From now on, little treasure, I¡¯ll call you Crown.¡±


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    He chortled, but a moment later, he halted. His body began to convulse, and a huge amount of life energy began to leak out of him. An immense weakness flooded his nerves, and his vision dimmed as a ball of purest life floated out of his trembling frame.


    Moons, what¡¯s going on? Why do I feel like I¡¯m about to die? Claud reached out to grab at the ball of green life, only for his hands to pass through it helplessly. Before his very eyes, the ball floated over to the treasure that he¡¯d named Crown, vanishing inside it.


    His skin shrivelled up immediately, and tufts of white hair fell in front of his face. Even without asking the Goddess¡¯ blessing to know how long his lifespan was, Claud could tell that it was probably less than a year¡­maybe even a minute.


    The box lit up a moment later, and the deathly weakness that suffused Claud¡¯s body vanished. His skin¡¯s condition improved rapidly, but it didn¡¯t return to the same condition it had been just three minutes ago.


    ¡°My lifespan¡­what is it?¡±


    Claud trembled.


    ¡°Lyceris, Goddess of Learning, Fount of Knowledge,¡± he muttered, ¡°I beseech you, show me my status.¡±


    A small screen opened up immediately, and Claud inhaled sharply at the box of text.


    Name: Claud Primus


    Lifespan: 104 years


    Active Skills: Presence Nullification (8), Flight (5), Binding Order (7), Cleanse (6), FiBod;E??? (0), FiBod;E??? (0)


    Passive Skills: DiLCl1¡Þ


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 1.0


    Mana Control Proficiency: Novice


    Comments: What¡¯s with this weird skillset? Mana-users should specialise in one aspect for skills, not look like some hodge-podge. It¡¯s been nice knowing you, I guess. I¡¯ll understand if you stop calling on me one day. And what¡¯s with those odd skills? Do you need help?


    Claud stared at the page for a moment. It was far bigger than it used to be; it used to only show his lifespan in detail and his name. More importantly, things like his skill names and their proficiencies were included in it, along with his name, and some rather weird things. He repeated the words over and over, but he couldn¡¯t quite get it. And yet, Claud had a feeling that he actually knew something about this phenomenon.


    ¡°Wait. Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±


    The flustered master thief clenched his fist and tried to relive the feeling he got whenever he activated any skill. A moment later, lines beneath his skin glowed with a fey blue, revealing a complex network of lines and circles underneath his skin. For a moment, his mind went blank, and then he turned to the box again.


    ¡°Mana Circuit Superimposition¡­don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± His mind churned madly, finally stopping on a memory of a dialogue he shared with the bartender a few years back.


    At that time, they had been swapping stories about mana-users, especially a super pretty Princess Dia from the neighbouring dukedom. During their conversation, the bartender had brought up an urban legend, about how mana-users were able to see a more consolidated version of personal information when they invoked the Goddess of Learning¡¯s honorific name.


    It was something anyone could do, but for normal people like Claud and the bartender, they would only see their remaining lifespan. Letting them know about their lifespan was a grace granted by the goddess, to inspire them to use whatever remained to learn as many things as they could.


    ¡°By the Moons¡­does that mean that I¡¯m a mana-user? A folder?¡± Claud gripped his heart, and felt it clench up. ¡°Moons¡­why did you play this prank? You guys know that I didn¡¯t want to burn my life on becoming a mana-user! Do you think that burning a hundred years just to become dregs¡ªhundred?¡±


    Claud stopped his moaning. ¡°Let¡¯s see here¡­154 minus 104 equals 50. That¡¯s odd. Did¡­I luck out?¡±


    He looked at Crown, and the little box, laced with green lines, jiggled happily.


    Wait. It¡¯s¡­jiggling? And happily at that? The master thief picked up the box and brought it to his face, only for the little thing to rub itself against his cheek. For some reason, Claud likened it to a kitten, and now that he looked at it, the box seemed far more adorable than it was minutes ago.


    Moons¡­what a weird day. Should I have slept in instead? Shaking his head, Claud turned to the box. ¡°What exactly did you do to me?¡±


    Crown jiggled in response, and Claud slapped his face. ¡°Right. I¡¯m talking to a box. The box jiggles in response. I shouldn¡¯t think too hard about it, should I?¡±


    The little fellow jiggled again, before hopping onto his left shoulder. Snuggling up to the nook of his neck, Crown rolled around a few times, before a gentle¡­breathing came from it.


    ¡°Did it just fall asleep on me?¡± Claud tried to move, but some instinct took over and stopped him from removing Crown from his neck. ¡°Why am I treating you like a baby? Is there something wrong with me? Or am I just crazy?¡±


    After spending a few minutes to think about it, he gave up, and returned to the screen in front of him. Apparently, this was the true form of the status, and since he wasn¡¯t an expert in words¡­he would make do with it.


    ¡°Passive Skills?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°What¡¯s that? And what¡¯s with this odd thing on it?¡±


    Again, no one replied him, so the master thief moved on after a moment. He¡¯d already noted the oddity that was his Absolute One, but he¡¯d grown numb to how weird it was in the first place.


    ¡°And also¡­who in the name of the Moons is writing these comments?¡± Claud tutted. ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen my track record? I¡¯m a bona fide professional when it comes to living safely!¡±


    The little box jiggled on his shoulder.


    ¡°¡­or not,¡± Claud completed. ¡°What should I do now? Is there a manual or something?¡±


    [You have ascended in the hierarchy of life. Initialising tutorial for mana-users. Start?]


    ¡°Huh...¡±

 Chapter 16: Tutorial v.s Master Thief

    The textbox danced merrily in his vision, blotting out virtually everything else. Claud glared at the damn thing ¡ª why bother giving him a choice in the first place if it was going to be compulsory?


    ¡°Start it, then.¡± Claud shook his head.


    [Initialising tutorial.]


    His surroundings changed into a world of white.


    ¡°Mana,¡± a voice spoke from the sky, ¡°is a derivative of lifeforce, transmuted into a form that boosts speed, strength and stability when consumed by a body.¡±


    Two shadows appeared in front of him, and began to fight with each other. Exchanging punches and kicks, both shadows struck out at each other with a fearsomeness Claud expected only from professional warriors.


    ¡°This is the apex condition for normal people,¡± the voice continued. ¡°However, mana-users have far greater strength. Even novice ones have great destructive capability ¡ª watch.¡±


    The shadow on the right glowed with a blue light. Stepping and knocking aside its opponent¡¯s assault with an overwhelming ease, it glided in a moment later and punched out once at speeds Claud couldn¡¯t even catch.


    His skin crawled as the shadow on the left came apart, and alarm bells rang in his head a moment later as the victorious shadow kicked out at him. Throwing himself down onto the floor, hair flew as a blue crescent skimmed past his scalp. Without waiting to see what the shadow did next, Claud rolled away from it, before getting to his feet.


    [Detecting a certain level of unstated proficiency from the tutorial taker. Updating opponent to bi-folder.]


    The blue light around the shadow deepened, and the next thing Claud knew, it was up in his face. Wind howled as the shadow appeared in front of him, and his instincts screamed.


    His mind screamed along with it. ¡°Absolute One!¡±


    The shadow¡¯s right arm exploded, and it reeled back from the sheer shock. Without missing a beat, Claud made use of his ten seconds of invincibility, and it was his turn to appear right in front of the shadow. A sonorous thundercrack followed as his fist broke through something intangible, and the shadow scattered into black mist.


    The black shadow reformed seconds later, just as Absolute One stopped working.


    ¡°How¡¯s that, tutorial!¡± Claud stuck out his tongue and yelled at the white world, indulging in the overwhelming sense of joy that had flooded his nerves. ¡°Two-fold mana-users ain¡¯t anything before me! Suck on it!¡±


    [Detecting an extreme level of <category: combat> proficiency from the tutorial-taker. Updating opponent to tri-folder.]


    Claud froze, the euphoria in his veins freezing into ice. Again?! And a tri-folder?!


    The shadow, wreathed in a blue light that threatened to blind his eyes, stared at him. Fire slammed through Claud¡¯s heart a second later, and the world disintegrated around him. In that period of frozen time, right before his death, Claud had seen the tri-folder point at him, and that was it.


    The world reformed a second later. Grasping at his chest, Claud was utterly relieved to learn that he hadn¡¯t died after all. If he did¡­well, he was going to complain to the guys in charge of the afterlife and do something about it.


    The voice up in the sky spoke. ¡°That one-sided beatdown shows just how inadequate you are. If you are to contend against a proficient mana-user, you must learn to use mana. Having the ability to regenerate and to command mana isn¡¯t enough; you must control it like your body.¡±


    Claud felt his face twitch. He was doing perfectly fine against that one-fold mana-user, right? He wasn¡¯t blind; something had clearly activated when he dodged the one-folder¡¯s attack, and when he killed the bi-folder! This tutorial fellow was clearly talking right out of his or her posterior when it claimed that it was a one-sided beatdown!


    Cursing out loud, Claud dug his nose and flicked some debris at the sky.


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    The world didn¡¯t seem to mind. Launching into an explanation about how to train mana use ¡ª which apparently revolved around moving mana through the body¡¯s mana circuits, while inscribing mana on every surface one could lay their grubby hands on ¡ª Claud entered a state of introspection. The former was about channelling mana within the body to improve its overall ability; the latter involved fine control of one¡¯s mana outside the body.


    Surprisingly enough, the voice issued a warning for training the latter, disclaiming any responsibility from vandalism that arose from mana calligraphy. To manifest mana outside the body to a usable degree, it had to be concentrated to the point that it doubled as permanent ink¡­which mana-users apparently used to draw on anything they saw.


    He thought back to some of the more ridiculous laws that apparently mana-users were said to fall afoul of, and then understood some things.


    That one-folder who made the headlines for vandalising a random wall?


    That one-folder who went to jail for doodling on a sleepy man¡¯s face?


    And that one-folder who was executed for writing ¡°Screw the Emperor¡± in a random town square?


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Claud muttered, ¡°that¡¯s probably why there¡¯s so many anti-vandalism laws for mana-users¡­I should tell the bartender about this. Might get a good laugh outta him.¡±


    After stressing that particular warning a few more times, the booming voice from the sky fell silent, and a screen popped up.


    [Detected that the tutorial for mana-users is complete]


    [Returning tutorial taker to the Grandis continent.]


    [Detected that tutorial taker showed a certain level of unstated proficiency during the tutorial. Improving mana sensitivity. Warning: this improvement can result in adverse effects in perceiving your surroundings when returning. Do not move around.]


    [Detected that tutorial taker showed an extreme level of <category: combat> proficiency. Improving mana adaptation. Warning: this improvement will result in increased body strength and reflexes. Adapt to your new condition before moving around.]


    For a moment, Claud wondered about what would happen if he somehow defeated the tri-folder. Given that tri-folders could roam Grandis unhindered, defeating one here was impossible¡­ but a man could dream, right?


    Sighing, he watched as the world of white around him shattered.


    A searing pain followed moments later, as an inferno raged in his head. Everything in his vision was in a set of colours he couldn¡¯t quite follow; each was a shade too bright, too blinding. The air inside his house was a uniform shade of sky-blue; while the air outside was a murky cerulean.


    His body curled up, cold sweat soaking through his clothes seconds later. Even if he closed his eyes, the countless sensations that assailed him continued to whirl in his mind, adding to the cognitive blaze that ravaged the inside of his skull.


    Random words poured out of his mouth, as an indescribable pain crept up from his body. His muscles were convulsing madly, creating an agony that reached deep into the bones.


    Warm blood surged into his tongue as he bit it, and clarity returned to Claud for a moment. Reaching into his trousers, he grabbed a handful of skillsticks, and snapped them all at once.


    The agony ceased, and his nerves, which had been overloaded to the point of heightened sensitivity, calmed down. Fortunately, within one of those skillsticks Claud had snapped was Cleanse, which had broken him out of this situation. Making sure to keep his eyes closed, he removed his damp clothes very slowly, and laid down on the ground.


    A small, comforting sensation nuzzled his chest a moment later.


    ¡°Crown¡­is that you?¡±


    It jiggled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move from here,¡± Claud murmured. ¡°I¡¯m in bad condition now. I¡¯m not sure if I can make it for the heist after all. Look after me.¡±


    Crown jiggled a few times, and mana began to flow within Claud, without any prompting from him at all. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Predictably, there was no reply, but the mana from all over his body had gathered into around his spine, creating a calming chill. Inexplicably, the myriad sensations that kept forcing themselves into the forefront of his mind dulled. The crippling sensory overload weakened even further over the next few seconds, and before he knew it, the debilitating sensation had passed entirely.


    [You have learned the passive skill: Mana Organ!]


    ¡°Moons¡­¡± Claud got up slowly. ¡°Crown, what did you just do?¡±


    The little violet box jiggled happily.


    ¡°Yeah¡­that¡¯s definitely not very helpful,¡± Claud muttered. His eyes were still closed, but for some reason, he could sense anything he wanted around him. The ten ants plotting a rebellion at the corner of his bedroom, for instance, were busy dancing right now. The spiders that maintained law and order in his house were hugging each other and doing¡ª


    Ahem.


    Well, at any rate, it seemed that he was still actively taking in all these details, but these things were being rerouted to his spine for some reason. Nothing bad seemed to come out of it, however, and after stretching a few times, Claud finally opened his eyes.


    Bit by bit, his vision expanded, revealing a house that looked like ten men had trashed it. His arms were red, but he wasn¡¯t exactly registering any physical pain.


    The same couldn¡¯t be said for the heartache he felt, though. Replacing all the trashed furniture for better ones would be a pain for his wallet. The shortfall would have to come from a very generous merchant, in that case.


    Gathering his thoughts, Claud got up slowly and moved the broken furniture ¡ª chair, table, bed and broom ¡ª over to the door, making sure to remove the mattress on the bed beforehand. Once done, he sat down on the mattress and raised his right hand, where a small blue flame burned.


    Only by processing mana through the mana circuits one burned into their body could one concentrate it, or use it to strengthen the body. As for how it worked¡­


    Well, Claud was about to find out.

 Chapter 17: The master thief who talks to a jiggling box

    A small thread of mana burned in front of Claud. It was far finer than the flame he''d created earlier, but a terrible sense of danger loomed within him whenever he laid eyes on the little blue thread. Instinctively, he knew that this little thing could probably pass through plate armour like a hot knife through butter.


    It would have been a good weapon, if not for the fact that it had no mass. Unlike the attacks that the shadow had thrown out earlier, this thread of mana, which was formed by passing through ten percent of his mana though the mana circuits inside his body, was weightless, meaning that it couldn''t exactly be fired out or used as a weapon easily. The only result of his hard work, therefore, was permanent ink that could also tear through metal and paper alike if wielded carelessly.


    "Well, time to do some tests." Raising his finger to the chair he''d broken earlier, he focused on moving the mana slowly, gently. For a moment, the mana thread seemed to come alive, wriggling like a worm.


    "Ah." Claud let out a small sigh as the mana thread touched the wood. He could sense it. The little grooves on the surface, the effects time''s passage had on it, the little specks of dust that he couldn''t see¡­


    Shivering, he worked his will. Let''s see¡­what should write? I know!


    The thread of mana danced, and when he withdrew his hand, three words sat on the surface. "''I was here''. Quite the fitting sentence, right?"


    Claud paused. "Maybe I should write it out in block letters, just to prevent some of those random skills from locking onto me."


    Erasing the cursive words by mutilating them utterly, a strand of mana wriggled out of his hand again. This time, they moved in a mechanical fashion, rewriting the same words in capital letters. Taking a step back, Claud examined the words, and then nodded.


    There was nothing personal about them this time.


    "Still, wasn''t that a bit too easy?" Claud wondered out loud. From how the tutorial had described it, learning to draw with mana was supposed to be a harder process.


    An idea hit him. "Lyceris, Goddess of¡ª


    A textbox opened up before he could even finish his words.


    [By saying ''status'', you can forgo the chant. Conveniences of a mana-user discovered: 1/5.]


    His status appeared a moment later.


    Name: Claud Primus


    Lifespan: 104 years


    Active Skills: Presence Nullification (8), Flight (5), Binding Order (7), Cleanse (6), FiBoD;E??? (0), FiBoD;E??? (0)


    Passive Skills: DiL???C, Mana Organ


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 1.0


    Mana Control Proficiency: Intermediate


    Comments: How did you pass the tutorial with flying colours? And are you alright? Upgrading your mana control and perception is a painful process. Also, those weird skills I''m seeing look really dangerous. If you need help, do approach one of the gods or their Blessed. They might be able to do something.


    Claud looked at the Passive Skills section, where two odd entries caught his eye. He hadn''t noticed them earlier, since his eyes had been caught by the anomaly that was his Absolute One, but now¡­


    "Nice to have them," Claud murmured, "but what do they do?"


    Crown, the little box, jiggled beside him in what looked like agreement. Picking up the little fellow, Claud lolled back onto his mattress. Becoming a one-fold mana-user had taken fifty years from his life ¡ª something the little fellow had definitely played a part. Granted, it looked like a half-off discount, but fifty years was still fifty years.


    "You do understand me, right?" Claud asked.


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    The box jumped twice.


    "I''ll take that as ''yes'', then. So, tell me, what''s with this mana circuit I now have?" Claud asked. "I named you, then fifty years of my lifespan vanished, and I''m suddenly a mana-user."


    The box rolled onto its side.


    "Is that how you tell me that you don''t know?" Claud asked.


    The box rolled back up, before jiggling twice.


    "So¡­yes?" Claud ventured.


    The box jiggled twice.


    "I guess I should thank you for the fifty-year discount you have me, but my lifespan just dropped a great deal from becoming a mana-user," Claud said. "I supposed this can''t be helped. What else can you do?"


    The box tilted over on its side again.


    "Okay¡­you don''t know. Did you lose your memory or something? Do you want me to help?"


    The box jiggled twice again, with a non-committal air this time. Now that Claud was getting used to Crown, he found its tiny mannerisms quite cute. Raising a finger to poke the little guy, who bounced in response, Claud rolled a few times around the mattress.


    "How can I help?" A moment later, Claud hung his head. "Right. You can''t speak, can you? If not, you wouldn''t be jiggling like this, would you?"


    Crown tilted to the side, reminding Claud of a person deep in thought, and then glowed a brilliant green ¡ª the same shade of green as a lifestone. Rolling a few times, it did a few skips and hops onto his body, and then spun on the spot.


    "Okay, you need life energy, that much I understand," said Claud. "What''s with the other actions, though?"


    The box tilted to its side, and then ¡ª in defiance of everything Claud had ever known ¡ª moved in such a way that made him think of a shrug. He blinked twice at the really odd fellow, and then sighed. Running through the events for the past few hours through his mind, he called out his status again, and looked at the next two entries on the list. Earlier on, some really garbled entry, on the level of his Absolute One, was sitting alone in the Passive Skills section, but some new friends had joined it.


    Ignoring the weird entry, which was probably related to his Absolute One, Claud looked at Mana Organ. "And there''s this mystery. I''m willing to bet¡­one gold that it''s probably related to the weird tingly feeling at my back."


    Shutting his status off, Claud looked around at the mess of a room and began to take inventory of the skillstrips and skillsticks he had left. Having broken an entire bunch on them earlier, he wasn''t quite sure about what was left. It was necessary to look through his stock, just in case he ran out after a while.


    "Looks like I''ve taken quite the loss," Claud muttered. He didn''t just grab a bunch of skillsticks ¡ª he''d grabbed everything. What was left was only a bunch of skillstrips, and most of them were going to expire soon. He didn''t make markings on them, which meant that if luck frowned on him, that would be it.


    He stared down at those skillstrips, some of which were probably going to expire in eight hours, and then got up from his mattress. Pulling some clothes on, he stuffed Crown into a pocket and told it stay quiet, before heading out of the house.


    His mark was going to leave tonight. Rather than using skillstrips, he would sell his stock on the market, and then buy some more practical items. Most of his reusable tools were low quality artefacts that had could only be used after they absorbed enough mana from their surroundings, and he was intending on using his whole stack of skillstrips to barter for one of them.


    He would, however, have to find the correct person.


    Heading over to Triple D, he dodged a drunken man on the way in, and walked over to the counter.


    "Hello, master."


    "Good evening to you, Claud." The bartender lowered his voice. "Hey, aren''t you supposed to be looking for your mark now? Why are you still here?"


    "Here to get some items. I''ve a whole bunch of skillstrips. Wanna see if I can trade them for something."


    "They''re probably expiring, right?" The bartender rolled his eyes. "Well, let me take a look."


    His eyes flashed ¡ª it was a skill of his, but Claud wasn''t sure what was it. All he knew was that it was an inspection skill that targeted inanimate items¡­or at least, he''d never seen the bartender use it on anyone living before.


    "Hmm, there are quite a few slips expiring soon," said the bartender. "But there''s so many skillstrips with Presence Nullification; just how exactly did you get them?"


    "A thief trains using his own kind," Claud replied, "while not affecting their work."


    "I suppose no one really notices if just one is gone¡­wait, does that mean that you can tell what items someone has?" the bartender asked, pausing a moment later. "M''bad. It''s private stuff."


    Claud shrugged. "It is. Anyway, you should try it too. Who knows? You might pick up a skill or two."


    "Yeah¡­no. I don''t do ground-level stuff," the bartender replied. "Alright, for this whole stack, I can trade one reusable artefact for it, the Windburst."


    "Only one?" Claud asked.


    "Don''t look down on it," the bartender replied. "The Windburst can generate a blade of wind that can slice through platemail every twenty-four hours. But the selling point is that it can fit on your wrist. It''s also quite versatile; you can fire off weaker shots if you don''t have enough charge."


    Claud mused over his offer, and then nodded. "Sure. Let''s make the trade, then."


    "You''re not haggling?"


    "Think of it as my thanks to you, master." Claud paused. "Can I have some apple juice?"


    "Didn''t I send you a whole lot a few days ago?"


    "I finished them already, smartass."


    "Glutton. Hang tight here, while I grab the item for you."


    Sliding a glass of apple juice over, the bartender vanished into a door behind the counter. Without anyone to occupy him, Claud turned to look at the customers today; business was as brisk as usual.


    The bartender emerged a moment later, tossing a small wristguard that was glowing a dark blue at him, which he fixed on his right hand. Nodding at him in thanks, Claud slipped off the chair, dodged a group of self-important quadruplets, and headed outside.


    Night was falling, and his prey was about to move.

 Chapter 18: Forced acquisitions, forced meetings

    Two hundred metres away from him, a small caravan trundled on. There were very few men guarding the shipment of goods, and those that were there didn¡¯t look particularly formidable. From the looks of it, the three of them probably had a similar repertoire of life skills ¡ª those that enhanced one¡¯s survivability when living under a really tight budget, like Create Food.


    Ruffians like these would not be trusted to deliver goods alone. No, there was probably a mercenary taking the lead and cowing them.


    He found one such mercenary a few seconds later. The man was standing at the front of the carriage, looking like a bog-standard mercenary. Such a person would probably have four or more combat skills. Mercenaries usually had four skills that were standard, with the other two something else according to individual preference.


    Instant Slash ¡ª a single slash that was hard to follow with the eye.


    Hyper Parry ¡ª for the next second, deflect all attacks at a one-folder¡¯s speed, although what that standard exactly entailed Claud didn¡¯t know. Magic could be cut, but it wouldn¡¯t block the effects of an explosion.


    Heightened Senses ¡ª for the next thirty minutes, the user could detect any movement in a thirty-metre radius.


    Heightened Response ¡ª for the next thirty minutes, the user¡¯s reflexes would be enhanced.


    These four skills were the basics of the mercenary profession; lack one of them and you would be considered substandard. Of course, the more famous ones didn¡¯t use the standard get-up either, but the mercenary Claud was staring at looked like an average one.


    The only uncertainties lay in the mercenary¡¯s exact skills. It would be for the best if he could dispatch his target with a single strike, which was how Presence Nullification would be used. If, however, he had some less common skill that enabled him to avoid attacks, it would probably be a bit of a problem.


    There was no two ways around it, however.


    Tearing up one of his few skillstrips that had Presence Nullification, Claud walked in a diagonal direction to intercept the moving caravan. Within minutes, he was within arm¡¯s length of the mercenary, and Claud clenched his fist.


    The sword wasn¡¯t needed here.


    His armour glinted as Claud punched out. His fist landed onto his skull, and as the mercenary opened his mouth to scream, he stuffed a wad of cotton into his mouth. Smacking him on the head a few more times for good measure, Claud caught the fellow as he fainted, before rolling him out of the way.


    That was easy.


    Before that thought vanished, the ruffians guarding the small carriage shrieked and bolted for it. They were probably spooked by his sudden appearance, which was nothing short of convenient. Claud looked at their departing figures, and then hurried over to the caravan. Huge boxes were stuffed inside it, but those weren¡¯t his targets. Money was no issue to a master thief ¡ª walking around for an afternoon would fatten his wallet.


    No, what he wanted were lifestones and lifestones only. He only had 104 years of life left; that wasn¡¯t a lot, no matter how one cut it. In fact, he¡¯d heard rumours that lifestone mines were drying up ¡ª if he didn¡¯t brave the Moons now, the opportunity might never come again.


    Scanning around furiously, Claud soon located the treasure box that was described to him. Decorated ornately, the box was the size of his chest, only to be emptied a moment later as he poured the contents into a sack. It was less classy, but far more convenient.


    His ears twitched.


    Someone¡­a lot of someone-s, even, were headed his way. Without hesitating, he activated his Presence Nullification and walked out of the caravan, where an encirclement of unkempt men and women had formed around it. Their eyes were filled with greed ¡ª Claud clearly wasn¡¯t the only one who had access to this intel.


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    Keeping a wide berth from them, he slipped through the encirclement easily. There would be enough food and goods in that caravan for everyone here; this little¡­offering had prolonged their lives by a few days. As for whether they would be captured and executed a few days later, no one knew, but taking the risk to rob people was infinitely preferable than dying from starvation.


    Casting one last look at the caravan, which was now being ravaged by a host of desperate people, he retraced his steps to Licencia, prize in hand.


    For him, it was an average heist, but the same couldn¡¯t be said for the people there. Given that the robbery had occurred just a few hundred metres away from the city, it was possible that the ruffians who had deserted their post earlier had ran for help; soldiers, mana-users and opportunists were probably on their way here now.


    Glancing back at where he came, Claud suppressed his desire to warn them. It would not do; if he was to return, he would almost definitely be caught up in the fight to come. Far better to be a coward¡­


    ¡°Coward¡­¡± His eyes lit up. The caravan was still in sight, which meant that something straight could pass through from here to there. Raising his hand, he aimed the Windburst at the large target. The blue lines that adorned the wristguard darkened, and a burst of blue light shot out.


    Seconds later, the caravan exploded. Screams rent the air, and Claud, who had ducked into the bushes, stopped his breathing as he spotted a small crowd appear on the main road. He had no choice; the moment the Windburst caused panic, his skill had stopped working.


    A second volley of shouts followed as the looters, having awakened from their looting spree, noticed the same thing as he did. Scattering like ants, the small crowd of desperate people fled in all directions, prompting the pursuers to follow suit.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope that most of them get away,¡± he muttered. ¡°They should, right? I can¡¯t imagine someone with Quick Sprint not escaping from guards.¡±


    Something twitched in his pocket, and Claud rolled his eyes. Crown probably agreed with him, but since he couldn¡¯t tell if the little fellow was jiggling or doing some weird movement¡­


    Taking the time to hide the lifestones he¡¯d stolen into little nooks inside his clothes. Claud rolled around in the bush and looked up at the sky. Tonight, Plota, the blue moon of wisdom, was the only one visible. Legend had it that such a night was the most suitable for training the mind¡­and for opening it to new possibilities.


    Like learning a skill.


    Legend had it that nights like these were where old skills could be forgotten, even without new ones to prompt it. As for how to do that¡­well, Claud didn¡¯t quite care about it.


    Most importantly, the blue moonlight was nice on the eyes.


    After lying on his back for an hour or so, Claud finally got up and stepped onto the main road. More than once, soldiers escorting boxes had walked past him; either the stolen goods had been tossed aside by the looters, or those looters had been killed on the spot.


    He¡¯d tried, at least.


    Activating his other artefacts to erase any suspicious bits of mud or dirt, he walked over to the city gates.


    ¡°Halt,¡± one of the soldiers said.


    Claud took a small card ¡ª his proof of residence in Licencia ¡ª and the guard¡¯s face softened. ¡°Why are you out this late into the night?¡±


    ¡°I was delayed. Saw soldiers chasing some people, so I decided to stay out of their way and not interfere with their work,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°He¡¯s telling the truth,¡± a soldier by the guard¡¯s side said, and Claud smiled inwardly. What he¡¯d said was correct; he¡¯d intended to return, but since he saw soldiers chasing some people, he decided to lie down low and not interfere.


    ¡°You used a skill on me?¡± Claud asked, interested. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°There was a robbery earlier on,¡± the guard replied. ¡°I apologise for my rudeness.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Keep up the good work. You uphold Count Nightfall¡¯s good name.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your praise.¡±


    Exchanging a few more niceties, the guards let him through, and the familiar streets of Licencia sprouted before him again. The streets were rather devoid of people, save for some small-fry criminal elements squatting around and making their dastardly plans. Pairs of soldiers hung around lights, chatting over some smokesticks and drinks.


    Once in a while, a dog would bark, drawing everyone¡¯s attention there. And that, was about as exciting as an average night in Licencia went. No one wanted to offend Count Nightfall, who was an implicit partner in the darker occupations. Thieves and other elements restrained themselves in his city; they didn¡¯t want to change his mind.


    The hairs on his neck prickled as he walked past an alleyway.


    ¡°Hold.¡± A voice spoke from behind him.


    Claud turned around. Four¡­people, each of them looking as if they were related to each other, were looking at him.


    ¡°You need something?¡±


    ¡°One-folder, right?¡± The woman in the lead, sporting black hair that reflected the blue moon perfectly, tilted her chin. ¡°You¡¯re a local. Mind giving us a tour?¡±


    ¡°¡¯Fraid not. I¡¯ve been delayed by events earlier. Can¡¯t miss my appointment. And besides¡± ¡ªhe gestured at the random assortment of ruffians and soldiers¡ª ¡°they¡¯re better people to ask.¡±


    The four exchanged looks.


    ¡°What if we insist?¡±


    ¡°Then you can follow me,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m not going to spend my time bringing strangers ¡®round town. But I can bring you to a place where others will be happy to do so.¡±


    He produced a small coin and flipped it. ¡°Heard of the best bar in town?¡±

 Chapter 19: Adopted?

    With a team of quadruplets behind him, Claud walked over to Triple-D. For some reason, these women looked particularly familiar to him, but there were many lookalikes of famous people hoping to use their appearance to make a quick buck. A team of four mana-users definitely had to have some fame behind them, which an enterprising fellow might use to leech some cash off fools.


    ¡°You¡¯re a local, right?¡± The first one, who looked the more experienced of the bunch, asked. ¡°Right, my name¡¯s Isolde.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Claud,¡± Claud replied. ¡°What brings you to the City of Trades?¡±


    ¡°We came to look for a scamp wanted by Emperor Grandis,¡± Isolde replied.


    ¡°Ah, the famous Tot?¡± Claud replied. ¡°But he¡¯s here?¡±


    ¡°Apparently,¡± Isolde replied. ¡°Of course, the rogue might have fled the City of Trades already; we can¡¯t be sure. By the by¡­are you leading us to Dragon Drinking Desserts?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Claud stopped. ¡°You went there already?¡±


    ¡°Obviously.¡±


    ¡°In that case, it would seem that you didn¡¯t get anything good out from there. What did you do? The master there¡¯s an easy-going fellow; grease his palms a bit and you¡¯ll¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh. You must have acted all high and mighty.¡± Folding his arms, Claud gestured off to the side. ¡°I won¡¯t send you off, then.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± The quadruplet beside Isolde asked, her voice carrying a displeasure that Claud associated with people used to authority. ¡°Are you telling us to leave?¡±


    ¡°You insult a friend of mine,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And you expect me to help? Do you think that I don¡¯t have dignity?¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°In fact,¡± Claud continued, ¡°you¡¯ll be hard-pressed to find anyone willing to help you, once they learn that you¡¯ve offended the master at Triple-D. You might as well end your search in Licencia. My advice would be to stake out the city¡¯s entrance peacefully¡­there are powers here that can take one-folders into custody with ease.¡±


    Their eyes flickered. The arrogant quadruplet, the one wearing a gown that looked entirely unsuitable for combat, asked, ¡°Vanillas taking us into custody?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The four looked at him, and Isolde nodded. ¡°Very well. We¡¯ll take your words into account. Please forgive us for disturbing you. We shall think of other ways instead.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you do, at least rein in the kinds of arrogance we often get used to,¡± Claud replied. ¡°This is Licencia, a city where mana-users don¡¯t walk out from if they offend the wrong people. Especially if they happen to be rather¡­charming women.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Right, how did you tell I was a mana-user? I had the impression I was hiding it rather well.¡±


    ¡°Are you a mana-user from common origins?¡± Isolde asked, clearly intrigued.


    ¡°Yeah, I burned my mana circuits around a month ago,¡± Claud replied, lying through his teeth. ¡°Without any teacher¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Her eyes flickered. ¡°I need a guide to this town. And you need a guide in training mana. I see a deal to be made here.¡±


    Claud¡¯s eyes drifted over to the arrogant quadruplet. ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but¡­I¡¯ll help you do the information gathering. If I bring you guys into Triple-D, and you guys are still as arrogant as ever, I won¡¯t be able to help. I can always find another teacher with money. But friendships, once broken, will never be the same.¡±


    ¡°¡­you have conditions?¡±


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    Claud nodded. It was nice to talk to people who were smart, which unfortunately for this group of four, seemed to have only one person. ¡°Even if you want to make a deal with me, there¡¯s only two ways going forward. Either I act as a middleman for your information gathering, or I act as a bridge to reconcile you with the bartender. You could try the latter yourself, but given your group, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll work.¡±


    ¡°And what,¡± said the quadruplet in a gown, ¡°do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°That your attitude stinks,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°Farah, enough,¡± Isolde said. ¡°In a way, your attitude¡¯s really not suitable for bounty hunting. He¡¯s telling the truth here.¡±


    A complex light shone in Farah¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡­also think that way.¡±


    ¡°Not as a personal insult, but my honest opinion,¡± Isolde replied. ¡°He¡¯s not lying. In fact, if he¡¯d said anything else, I would have been suspicious, but he¡¯s really telling the truth.¡±


    One of the other two quadruplets spoke. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to change, then at least take a step back during Isolde¡¯s interactions with other people.¡±


    ¡°You also think that way, Lily?¡± Farah breathed out and turned to the last quadruplet. ¡°How about you, Risti?¡±


    ¡°Do you really want my input on this?¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll take a step back, then.¡±


    Claud nodded in approval. ¡°Well, as to whether you want to work with me¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do it under your arrangements,¡± Isolde replied. ¡°Having a local like you help us would be far better, given that we don¡¯t know how the undercurrents of this city works.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Isolde asked.


    ¡°Are the four of you actually quadruplets? Or were you picked up and adopted into the family?¡± Claud asked, curious. ¡°Or is it Miss Farah who was adopted? I really can¡¯t tell¡­¡±


    ¡°Your whole family¡¯s adopted,¡± Farah shot back. ¡°We¡¯re just¡ª¡±


    ¡°Why did you stop?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I really want to know which family can have such beautiful children.¡±


    ¡°B-beautiful?¡± Farah twisted. ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop teasing her, Claud.¡± Isolde rolled her eyes. ¡°Anyway, where did you get enough lifeforce to burn a mana circuit into your body? I didn¡¯t think commoners could actually get that many lifestones to fuel the burning process.¡±


    ¡°Struck a huge vein of lifestones while walking around,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I just used it all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Isolde asked. ¡°How¡¯s that possible?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± Claud thought back to the times where he ¡°struck¡± huge amounts of lifestones by ¡°walking around¡±, and then nodded twice. ¡°You just need an absurd amount of luck to do it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like catching Tot while he¡¯s drunk,¡± Isolde muttered.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Claud smirked. It was a tad interesting to be with a group of mana-users who wanted to catch him; in many ways, this was the safest place to be. ¡°Anyway, do we have a deal? Do you want me to help you out with the bartender?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll compile some tips and tricks for you as to how a mana-user should train and progress,¡± said Isolde. ¡°Plus some interesting news about them.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. Come on, let¡¯s go. It¡¯s the middle of the night, and this is when the bartender¡¯s most amenable to things,¡± said Claud. Beckoning them to follow once more, he slipped to Isolde¡¯s side and asked, ¡°So, what did you guys ¡ª or rather, she ¡ª do to piss off the bartender? He¡¯s a pretty nice guy, so I cannot imagine it most of the time.¡±


    ¡°She took out a sword and pointed it at the bartender.¡±


    Claud slapped his face. ¡°That¡¯s a personal offence. So? What happened next?¡±


    ¡°The two argued, and then in the end, Farah stormed off,¡± Isolde replied. ¡°We chased after her, talked about the whole thing a bit, and then we saw you, a mana-user and a local, come in from the city gates.¡±


    Claud shook his head. ¡°I thought you were randomly calling out to people at that time.¡±


    ¡°We were looking for the first mana-user who would produce identification papers of a local at the gates,¡± Isolde replied.


    ¡°She was the only one looking for that,¡± the quadruplet named Lily piped up.


    ¡°I actually wanted to sleep,¡± said Risti. ¡°It¡¯s midnight¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, if someone gets Tot while we¡¯re sleeping, that¡¯ll be it,¡± Farah replied. ¡°We¡¯ll never get the rewards.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really care, I just want him brought to justice,¡± Isolde muttered. ¡°So why am I putting in the most work here? Now I have to write some tips for this stranger I just met.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll chip in,¡± said Lily, ¡°so don¡¯t feel that bad.¡±


    ¡°Besides,¡± said Farah, ¡°it¡¯s his honour to help the four of us.¡±


    ¡°You do know that I¡¯m still here, right?¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit rude to say these things in front of me? You really need to take a class in diplomacy or something.¡±


    He turned to Isolde. ¡°Are you sure your parents let you guys run around like this without any help? She looks like the kind who would bring trouble to the rest of you with just her words alone.¡±


    ¡°Listen up, punk, you¡ªmm!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­I can see it.¡± Isolde flashed a professional smile, releasing Farah¡¯s mouth only when she stopped talking. ¡°But she has that kind of pride, you see?¡±


    ¡°Just make sure that she shuts up when we reach Triple-D, got it? She might need to make a sincere apology too, so you guys go prepare her for that,¡± Claud replied. ¡°The master¡¯s a pretty easy-going guy; show him respect and he¡¯ll show you yours. Pissing him off is really, really hard. I¡¯m astounded at how your¡­sister managed it.¡±


    Shrugging, he continued to lead the way to Triple-D.

 Chapter 20: Triple-Ds ultra-pure, flammable water

    ¡°Hello, master.¡± Claud let out a mysterious grin as he entered. ¡°I¡¯m back. And there are some people behind me.¡±


    ¡°Some people?¡± the bartender asked. His eyes turned into slits a moment later as they registered the newcomers, before turning towards Claud. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this? Why do you bring fearless fools into my life-loving establishment?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll like to make an apology,¡± Claud replied.


    The bartender froze. ¡°I thought you said apology, but might you repeat what you just said?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t hear wrongly.¡± Claud sat down on his usual seat. ¡°Apple juice, please. You ladies should order something too. Or else you¡¯ll make the good master worried. Here¡¯s the menu.¡±


    He stuck a tongue out at the bartender, who had a grin on his face, and then slid the menu over. Most of the drinks in cheap shops were made with some questionable elements and then watered down with expired grape juice. The bartender, who he had helped with a little errand years ago, had told him the truth about those drinks, which was why he drank apple juice and apple juice only.


    ¡°What will you ladies have?¡± the bartender asked, his face a mask of neutrality.


    ¡°A¡­peach cocktail.¡±


    ¡°A glass of champagne.¡±


    ¡°A glass of water.¡±


    Claud inwardly winced at that last order, and then said a prayer to the Moons for that poor woman¡¯s tastebuds. The only water that was sold in places like these were the kind that was flammable and nothing else. In fact, it had so much alcoholic content that even the tongue would be numb from simply coming into contact with it. Whispering a few heartfelt condolences in his mind to the woman named Risti, he turned his face to the left and tried to hide a smile.


    ¡°Whoa, why you are here?¡± Claud asked.


    Isolde had appeared on his left side at some point in time, and her face was rather close to his. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She looked at the bartender, who was staring at her too. ¡°I¡¯ll have apple juice.¡±


    Claud felt the bartender¡¯s gaze fall on him, and then shook his head.


    ¡°Alright, apple juice for this little missy. Coming right up.¡± Shaking up two cocktails, he slid them over to Farah and Lily, before pouring out a glass of unbelievably pure water for Risti, who inspected it a few times with interest.


    The trio¡¯s face changed after taking a sip, only for the bartender to look at them with a polite expression.


    ¡°Is it to your liking?¡± he asked.


    Farah slammed a fist onto the table. ¡°To the Moons with¡ªmmmh!¡±


    A hand shot out to cover Farah¡¯s mouth, and Isolde smiled at the bartender. ¡°There should be no issue. My sister here has been spoiled, so I must really apologise for her very rude behaviour. She has never been disciplined for mouthing off to the elders, and this has carried over to her adulthood. I humbly ask your apology.¡±


    Farah struggled for a few more seconds, before she went limp. Lily, who was eyeing her glass with a rueful smile, took the chance to pour the contents of her glass into Farah¡¯s mouth, before placing it back onto the counter with a smile.


    Claud and the bartender stared at her for a moment, before the duo broke out into laughter.


    ¡°You, girlie, are one very interesting person.¡± The bartender leaned forward. ¡°You behave like someone in my trade. What family do you four come from?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a ¡ª hic ¡ª secret.¡± Risti slid off her chair, walked over to Isolde, and then stuffed her face into Isolde¡¯s rather ample chest. Snoring followed a few moments later, and while the others were distracted, Claud moved his head closer to the bartender.


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    ¡°Master,¡± he whispered, ¡°I never really asked, but how pure is that ¡®water¡¯ of yours?¡±


    ¡°Ninety-eight percent,¡± he replied proudly. ¡°Only the strongest people can drink it without issue. Wimps like you that get off on apple juice need not apply. I must say, though, that lady¡¯s really brave¡­¡±


    ¡°She went for what she saw the safest option,¡± Claud whispered back. ¡°Don¡¯t delude yourself, master. She definitely saw through the dangers of the other drinks, but she didn¡¯t expect the water to be of the intoxicating, flammable kind.¡±


    ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Isolde asked.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± The bartender pulled back, returning a few moments later with two glasses of apple juice. Claud took one of them, and under the suspicious gaze of Isolde, downed it in one gulp, before smacking his lips.


    ¡°Not bad. Right, I ran out of apple juice. Send some barrels to my apartment.¡± Claud took out a small lifestone and tossed it at the bartender, who caught it on the spot.


    ¡°Sure. Looks like you got a good harvest today,¡± the bartender replied.


    ¡°I was out prospecting the whole day and got lucky,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Then I came across a disturbance at the gate¡­did you know what happened? I heard a robbery happened, but I¡¯m not sure about the details.¡±


    The bartender¡¯s eyes glittered as Claud mouthed at him to play along.


    ¡°Well,¡± said the bartender, ¡°I heard that a mob assaulted a caravan mere minutes after it left Licencia. Soldiers and mercenaries were dispatched, but not much of the goods were recovered, since most of the looters had Quick Sprint.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, it¡¯s a tad shocking to hear about news like this happening right outside our doorstep,¡± Claud replied, a knowing smile on his face. ¡°Was there anything interesting about the looting?¡±


    ¡°No, not really.¡± The bartender yawned. ¡°Right, about that apology. Apology accepted. But please don¡¯t pull a sword on me next time. I have a weak heart.¡±


    ¡°My apologies,¡± Isolde said, while freeing herself from Risti. ¡°Like I said, my sister is a spoilt brat.¡±


    Farah muttered something, and then rolled her face around the counter. Claud didn¡¯t have the heart to tell any of them that the counter¡¯s surface was roughly as dirty as the road outside; the ash-grey surface was made from hardened dirt, vomit, tears and dust.


    ¡°Alright, then. Now, most customers who come here usually have other things beyond a drink,¡± said the bartender. ¡°What do you want to know?¡±


    Isolde looked at the others. Only one of her sisters, Lily, was left, and Claud didn¡¯t have much of an impression about her. What was she like? The four of them had very amus¡ª interesting personalities; the master thief didn¡¯t believe, even for a moment, that this Lily was just a normal little flower.


    To his disappointment, however, she hadn¡¯t said anything. Rather, Isolde was the one to respond to the bartender, and while the two exchanged openings, Claud wondered if he should also get some flammable water for Isolde.


    After deciding that doing such a thing would go against his suave, dashing image, Claud returned his attention to the ongoing conversation.


    ¡°¡­that Tot is in this city?¡± the bartender asked. ¡°I can mobilise my people, but it¡¯ll be a waste of your money if you aren¡¯t entirely certain.¡±


    ¡°Money¡¯s not an issue to us,¡± Isolde replied. ¡°In fact, the more you can mobilise, the better.¡±


    ¡°Are you in a hurry?¡±


    ¡°In a way, yes. The longer we take, the more possible it is for bi-folders or even tri-folders to make a move, at which point our time¡¯s going to be wasted,¡± she replied. ¡°This is a lucky break for us; there¡¯s no point in such rewards going to say, a tri-folder.¡±


    ¡°True. But it¡¯s not like we know what this Tot is like. From the news so far, he¡¯s probably a vanilla, but that doesn¡¯t discount his threat,¡± the bartender analysed. ¡°In fact, he¡¯s probably capable of killing a one-folder if given ample preparation, so even information gathering needs to be done carefully. And we still don¡¯t know much about him so far, so you should be prepared to face even a mana-user.¡±


    ¡°Which means that we must be prepared to kill him¡­but I can¡¯t have that happening,¡± Isolde mused.


    Huh? What, do you want to capture me alive and parade me through the streets? Woman, you¡¯re scaring me! Claud suppressed his urge to gulp and waited for the bartender¡¯s inevitable question.


    ¡°Why would you want him alive?¡±


    ¡°I need him alive, or else I cannot show that there were other pure-rank lifestones on the day he struck,¡± said Isolde. ¡°There are people who can read memories, and some of them are on the Emperor¡¯s personal panel. They can show the truth.¡±


    The bartender leaned forward. ¡°Who are you, exactly?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know who we are,¡± Isolde replied. ¡°Just know that I want him alive.¡±


    Making a mental note to investigate noble families with quadruplets, Claud continued to listen. It didn¡¯t take all that long for both sides to reach an arrangement, and Claud kept his ears peeled, memorising the bartender¡¯s arrangements. He¡¯d always known that there would be tracks leading towards Licencia, but the bartender was someone with a lot of experience in information gathering.


    Against such an old hand, he couldn¡¯t guarantee that if he didn¡¯t know the bartender¡¯s arrangements, he wouldn¡¯t slip up. Now, the only issue remaining was the fact that the bartender didn¡¯t know about him being a mana-user. What Claud needed to do was to let him know after this, and then cover his tracks a bit more.


    But for now, avoiding discovery was the name of the game.

 Chapter 21: The ultra-weird Licencia

    It was the wee hours of the night when Isolde finally concluded her negotiations with the bartender. From what Claud could see, the lady was the worldliest of the bunch ¡ª which wasn¡¯t all that hard; that woman named Farah had set a very low bar. Of course, it didn¡¯t help that the quadruplet named Lily had wandered off somewhere half-drunk, before slamming her face into Isolde¡¯s chest after returning.


    ¡°Do you have rooms here?¡± Isolde asked. ¡°There¡¯s a bunch of embarrassments that I need to get into a bed urgently.¡±


    ¡°Rooms are all filled,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°I recommend that you head over to the inn opposite.¡±


    ¡°Besides,¡± Claud added, ¡°you get all kinds of weird people in this place. Like the old man who drags a giant sword past all the rooms at three in the morning, or the Monochromatic Twins, who break into rooms whose occupants are snoring and draw panda eyes on them.¡±


    The bartender took a swipe at Claud, who dodged out of the way. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t go telling those stories to anyone who comes into the bar.¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Claud shrugged. ¡°He¡¯s not denying it.¡±


    ¡°Our establishment caters to all kinds of people,¡± said the bartender. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped if there are one or two weirdos out there, although you should know that the twins you mentioned are now in jail.¡±


    ¡°Jail?¡± Claud asked. ¡°What did they do?¡±


    ¡°Count Nightfall was snoring in his castle,¡± the bartender replied.


    Claud blinked, and ran through the line of logic. Since the bartender said that, it could only mean that the twins had drawn panda eyes on Count Nightfall, who had obviously thrown them into jail after he discovered their great deed.


    ¡°Wait,¡± he said. ¡°How does that even work? The two buggers need to hear him snoring in the first place, right? Doesn¡¯t that mean that they were in the count¡¯s castle? And close enough to his room to hear him snore? And that they somehow broke into his room?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes and yes. Don¡¯t ask me how,¡± said the bartender, ¡°but rumour has it that the count was really angry when he woke up the next morning¡­although the sight of two children staring at him from beside his bead made him wet his pants first.¡±


    ¡°What was their formal charge?¡±


    ¡°Breaking and entering, as well as intimidation of nobility,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°A ten-year sentence in prison.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll be out in days,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Even the count¡¯s bedroom doors can¡¯t keep them out; jail¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re already out.¡± The bartender shrugged. ¡°They were arrested ten days ago, and then broke out three days later. Only the news of master thief Tot had drowned out their antics, but Count Nightfall was enraged at the Monochromatic Twins¡¯ escape.¡±


    ¡°By the way,¡± said Isolde, ¡°are the Monochromatic Twins rather short, and wear an eyepatch on their left eyes?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said the bartender, ¡°but how did you know?¡±


    ¡°They just walked past me,¡± Isolde replied.


    Claud looked at the three women sleeping at the counter and slapped his face. ¡°They didn¡¯t just walk past you; they also gave your sisters some good makeup.¡±


    The bartender rolled his eyes. ¡°Well, at least you¡¯ve met one of the urban legends that reside in Licencia.¡±


    ¡°Welcome to Licencia,¡± Claud added. ¡°Home of weirdos.¡±


    It was a really good description, all things considered. For instance, their ruler, Count Nightfall, was universally regarded as a weirdo for formally enshrining protections for all professions ¡ª including criminal elements. In fact, one reason why the City of Trades was also the home of thieves was because bounty hunters needed to process a lot of paperwork before they could even catch anyone.


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    The overly-complex, corruption-prone process meant that it was far better to identify one¡¯s mark in Licencia, and then apprehend them outside the city, before escorting them to one of Licencia¡¯s satellite towns. Of course, whether this protection extended to Claud, the thief that was universally wanted by the entire continent, was debatable.


    Whether the four women here knew about Count Nightfall¡¯s eccentricity or not, therefore, had no bearing on their capture of Tot. In fact, from what Claud knew about that crafty count, he would probably join in if his traces were ever revealed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said Isolde, ¡°one of my sisters¡¯ a real weirdo. Those twins or whatever are nothing compared to her.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Claud asked, interested. ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°A secret.¡±


    Claud felt his heart crack slightly. ¡°What¡¯s the point of bringing that up, then? If you aren¡¯t going to tell us anything, then just mentioning it is going to make us all cry and whatnot, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m weird like that,¡± Isolde replied, before picking up her untouched glass of apple juice, which had been sitting in the air for so long that Claud felt some pity for it. She stuck a silver needle inside, stirred it around twice, before removing the needle to examine it.


    ¡°That¡¯s outdated,¡± said the bartender. ¡°Nowadays, using artefacts or skill-storing items to detect poison is more reliable.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Isolde tilted her head. ¡°This doesn¡¯t work anymore?¡±


    ¡°It still does,¡± said the bartender, ¡°but against metal-repelling poisons, you¡¯ll fail utterly. You should learn from Claud instead; see that ring he wears?¡±


    ¡°Why are you talking about my equipment?¡± Claud asked. ¡°You owe me a drink.¡±


    ¡°Shut up and let me score points with her, got it?¡± The bartender rolled his eyes and returned to Isolde. ¡°Now, like I was saying, that ring he wears is a ring of Poison Resistance, which nullifies the first instance of poison he ingests every twenty-four hours. It also doubles as a poison detector; if it lights up, it means that the charge is used and therefore there¡¯s poison in his food.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Isolde¡¯s eyes blurred over for a moment. ¡°That sounds really useful.¡±


    ¡°It is. Even without a mana-user, it can recharge on its own every day,¡± the bartender replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s really nothing much to mana-users to recharge too,¡± Isolde muttered. ¡°Do you have little artefacts like these for sale?¡±


    ¡°He brought the last one I had in stock earlier today,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait for the next shipment.¡±


    ¡°Pity.¡± Isolde shook her head. ¡°Alright, I should get the others to bed.¡±


    She took a deep breath and turned to her three sisters, who were snoring away happily. After struggling with herself for a moment, she turned back with an ashen face.


    ¡°Can you guys help me?¡±


    ¡°Thought you¡¯ll never ask,¡± said the bartender, ¡°but I have a counter to run. If you trust me, you can get Claud to help you out. You¡¯ll have to make two round trips, but the inn is just on the opposite side of the street. Won¡¯t take you much time.¡±


    Isolde sighed. ¡°Just a word of warning, we¡¯re all mana-users. If a customer of yours tries anything funny¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said the bartender, ¡°I¡¯ll break their craniums first. My establishment prides trust and customer confidence; we don¡¯t condone stupid actions like these.¡±


    He waved a metal stick around. The stick had faded crimson stains on it, and from how some parts of it where dented, Claud could tell that it had seen quite the violent history.


    ¡°Err, okay.¡± Isolde sighed. ¡°Mind giving me a hand, Claud?¡±


    ¡°Anything for a lady¡­other than fighting.¡± Smiling, he picked up the super rude Farah, hoisted her up like a sack of potatoes, and followed Isolde out of the bar. She was carrying Lily, who was now latching on to Isolde¡¯s chest, and for a moment, Claud wanted to thank the unconscious lady for the visual treat.


    His gaze, however, didn¡¯t go unnoticed, but by then, Claud had already brought up a new topic smoothly.


    ¡°Your sisters are all very different from each other,¡± said Claud. ¡°Why is that the case? I¡¯d imagine that quadruplets behave very similarly, right? And yet, from how you guys dress alone, it seems that your upbringings are so varied that you four might as well be from different families and territories.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a good description.¡± An enigmatic smile appeared on Isolde¡¯s lips, creating a sight that made Claud somewhat dazed. ¡°You could put it that way, I guess.¡±


    ¡°What family are you even from, for such a weird thing to happen?¡± Claud shook his head, shooting a gaze at Farah, who was slung over his shoulder. He couldn¡¯t quite believe that a family could produce a supremely haughty person and a street-wise one at the same time, but truth was sometimes stranger than fiction.


    ¡°That¡¯s a secret.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s annoying.¡±


    Entering the inn that the bartender had pointed out, Isolde soon settled the arrangements for a giant room. Making their way there, Claud dumped Farah onto the bed, stretched his shoulders, and then followed Isolde out.


    The sounds of a squabble filled the air when they stepped into the street. Exchanging looks, Claud exchanged looks with Isolde, and then broke into a sprint together. The source of the disturbance was coming from the inn.


    It would seem that the beauty sleeping at the counter had attracted attention.

 Chapter 22: Natural Selection in Licencia

    Three men were yelling at each other by the time Claud and Isolde stormed into Triple-D. One of them was the bartender, who had stepped out of the counter and was protecting the sleeping Risti. He was waving the metal stick in his hands around, and as the two entered the bar, Claud could spot relief flash through his face.


    ¡°Is that your support, huh?¡± One of the two men staring down the barkeeper hiccupped. ¡°One chick and one playboy, huh? If that¡¯s all, you should stand aside and let me make this sleeping chick here happy! Get out of the way!¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± The man standing beside him added. ¡°Little bartender, scram to the side! My master wants this chick tonight!¡±


    Before Claud could say anything, Isolde had stepped forward. Drawing a sword from her side, a pale blue light wrapped around the blade. Claud¡¯s eyes widened for a moment ¡ª he recognised that particular energy wrapped around the sword!


    It was mana. The ability to manifest mana was a hallmark of mana-users and people with the Mana Manipulation skill or its derivatives, except that the latter allowed for very complex operations with mana to create spells.


    For mana-users, however, mana was used to deliver a beatdown to their target, and nothing else. For this reason, their skills tended to be very weird, since they had inherently high combat power.


    Claud licked his lips. Once again, a good show looked like it was unfolding.


    ¡°A mana-user?¡± The first man who had spoken took a few steps back. ¡°What, you her guard or something? You must be nothing much, then. My bed can fit five people, so why not join us?¡±


    Blue light flashed, and a solid tremor shook the bar. Isolde had moved, but surprisingly enough, her attack had not drawn blood. The second man, the one who called the first one his master, had blocked the attack with a sword¡­which was also alight with blue light.


    ¡°A dog like you dares to attack¡ª¡±


    A glass cup slammed into the back of his head, and the man wobbled. Before he could do anything else, utensils of all kinds shot over, breaking apart into sharp fragments. Claud hid a smile; the other patrons of this bar never took kindly to actions and attitudes like these, and now that Isolde had made the first move, they didn''t hesitate to pile on.


    Before Isolde could even slash out a second time, the mana-user that had stood in front of his master had crumpled over. His head was bleeding all over, and from his shallow breathing, Claud could tell that the idiot was on the verge of death. Mana-users had incredible advantages, but they were very much human.


    ¡°Isolde,¡± said Claud, ¡°remember my conversation with you earlier on? Yes. This is what I mean when I said that one-folders can be taken into custody by uh, vanillas. Of course, in this case, he¡¯s probably dead meat, but that¡¯s kinda beside the point.¡±


    He grinned and turned to the first man, whose face was now whiter than a bedsheet. ¡°So¡­who are you anyway?¡±


    ¡°I-I am the son of Baron Aoro! If you don¡¯t beg for forgiveness¡ª¡±


    Claud winced as a white plate broke on his head. The big idiot stumbled, but before he could do anything else, Isolde had closed the gap. Grabbing him by the neck, she raised him to the air, and his face grew purple within seconds.


    Isolde looked around. ¡°Do you mind if I deal with this?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± said the bartender. ¡°Count Nightfall hates fools like this anyway. Kill him, castrate him, whatever. The count will put his foot down if Baron Aoro sends someone over¡­of course, if everyone here doesn¡¯t say anything, it¡¯ll be even more interesting.¡±


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    ¡°Interesting?¡± Isolde asked.


    Claud shook his head. ¡°That baron would storm up to Licencia, asking for an explanation, only to be captured and executed by Count Nightfall. It¡¯s happened a few times before.¡±


    ¡°Apples don¡¯t fall far from the tree,¡± Isolde replied. ¡°Might as well uproot the whole thing entirely.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait! Don¡¯t kill me! My father¡¯s Baron Aoro! You won¡¯t die a good death, you¡¯d¡ª¡±


    Isolde lowered the man, and then whispered something to him. Claud couldn¡¯t quite hear what she said, but her words had provoked a panicked reaction, more than enough to chase the drunkenness away. Before the son of Baron Aoro could do so much as a kick, however, Isolde had twisted her right arm furiously, and a sickening crack followed.


    The man¡¯s head hung at an unnatural angle, and Claud shivered at the sight.


    ¡°Where should I dispose of him?¡± Isolde asked, her face a mask of impassiveness. ¡°Do I put him in the trash pile?¡±


    ¡°Just bring it to my counter,¡± said the bartender. ¡°I¡¯ll settle the rest.¡±


    He clapped his hands twice, and two people raced out. Sweeping up the shattered fragments of cutlery and whatnot, they soon restored Triple-D to its lively state, but not before the bartender sent out a round of drinks for everyone present.


    ¡°Two less scum in this world, I guess.¡± Claud stretched his back. ¡°Just your everyday sight in Licencia.¡±


    ¡°Everyday?!¡±


    ¡°Well, since Licencia is the City of Trades,¡± said Claud, ¡°some people think that professions¡± ¡ªhe made some air quotes¡ª ¡°happen to include murderers, rapists, blackmailers, profligates and cheaters. So things like these happen every so often.¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°On average, we have some fools like this once every week. Sometimes, they come from baronies, other times from small business empires. But it just doesn¡¯t work like that here.¡±


    ¡°Just how many such people have died here?¡±


    ¡°Too many for me to care about,¡± Claud replied, stifling a yawn. ¡°Well, that little scuffle¡¯s interesting, but it¡¯s really late. I¡¯ll probably wander off for sleep now. Remember that you owe me a manual or whatever. If you can¡¯t find me here, just leave it with him.¡±


    Rubbing his neck, Claud waved goodbye to the bartender, and then left the bar.


    For better or worse, he¡¯d found out details about just how these quadruplets intended to use the bartender¡¯s network to find out about Tot, which was an unexpected harvest. Fortunately, of the four of them, only one looked like she was a professional bounty hunter; the less time they spent together, the better.


    For one, beautiful women attracted lots of attention. If they weren¡¯t in Triple-D, where the patrons had long learnt to deal with fools together, a fight would definitely have broken out. Count Nightfall¡¯s soldiers would be involved, he would be dragged into a bothersome affair, and they might be having prison food for the next three days while the authorities sorted out the mess.


    ¡°Hey!¡± A voice called out from behind him.


    Claud turned to Isolde. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Where can I find you?¡±


    ¡°At Triple-D, but I might not show up for the next few days,¡± Claud replied.


    Or, he added in his mind, until this whole Tot mess is forgotten. I give it a month or so, when someone else is caught and framed. This sudden idea of mine to check on how the search for me proved to be a lot more troublesome than I thought.


    ¡°I¡­see.¡± Isolde frowned. ¡°I was intending to ask you for more help, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not all that interested,¡± Claud replied. ¡°If I caught Tot, I¡¯d just be doing a service for the nobles. I won¡¯t be able to claim the prize anyway. More importantly, it¡¯s too much trouble for someone as lazy as me.¡±


    Isolde sighed. ¡°Well, if you ever change your mind, you can find me.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the offer.¡± Claud yawned again, making sure to act as natural as possible. It didn¡¯t seem possible for Isolde and her sisters to track him down, but it was better to be as cautious as possible. Besides, two-fold mana-users were probably on their way to the City of Trades too; it wouldn¡¯t be long before more and more experts showed up here. A single suspicious word or action to Isolde and company could spell his end.


    Waving goodbye, he headed back to his apartment. Behind him, Isolde pulled a sleeping Risti along to the inn, and as he turned the corner, Claud could only hope that they would never see each other again.


    Now that he¡¯d personally witnessed the first few mana-users arrive in Licencia, Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel wary about the future. Was it a better idea to just hole up in his home and never walk out? Or to flee Licencia while the big shots were stirring?


    He wasn¡¯t quite sure yet.


    However, there was one thing he knew for certain, and that was that he¡¯d secured a nice trove of lifestones on this excursion today. Even if he wanted to leave his house, he would only do so after absorbing all of them¡­which meant that he wasn¡¯t going to see this Isolde for quite some time.


    Looking up into the night sky, where only one moon was shining, he doubled his walking speed and made for home. This was Licencia, the City of Trades...and the city where anything could happen.


    It was best to hide for the next few weeks.

 Chapter 23: Planning a barons end

    Princess Dia was sitting down and sipping at a nice cup of tea when three women, looking exactly like her, came down from the staircase. She had whiled the night away writing a small book, the item that she¡¯d promised that fellow yesterday. It was a nice surprise for her to meet someone whose price was something she didn¡¯t need to lose, so she had taken to this task in high spirits.


    Of course, the more important reason behind why she didn¡¯t go and sleep through the night was because there were no more beds. Now that the three idiots had come down, it was their turn to write and add some tips for the fellow named Claud. And while they were busy working here, Isolde would take the chance to explore Licencia without the fear of offending other people.


    She hadn¡¯t forgotten about Farah''s performance last night, after all. Taking out swords and sticking them on someone''s neck was bad.


    ¡°Morning.¡± Stifling a yawn, she indicated the other seats around the table.


    ¡°What happened last night, Isolde?¡± Farah asked. ¡°I had a feeling something horrible happened to me.¡±


    ¡°You had a drink.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± The countess rubbed her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m never going to drink anymore commoner sludge from now on. That was disgusting.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that place,¡± Dia replied. ¡°And calling it commoner sludge won¡¯t endear you to anyone whatsoever.¡±


    Smacking the countess on her head, she turned to Risti. ¡°Next time, don¡¯t go sleeping at a bar or whatnot. Some arrogant fools tried to bring you along into a room for some fun time without your consent. If not for the bartender, something would definitely have happened to you. You must remember that men have not been taught about self-respect, so don¡¯t rely on their kindness.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll kidnap a sleeping man, though,¡± Risti replied, a small frown creasing her forehead. ¡°Society¡¯s at fault for this one.¡±


    ¡°It is, but until more of us actually make it so that women and men have the same rights, you should be a bit more careful.¡± Dia paused. ¡°Or you could kill them and teach them the hard way.¡±


    ¡°So how did I get away unscathed?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Did you intervene? What happened to that punk? Do you know his name? I¡¯m going to get dad to smack him a few times!¡±


    Given that her father was the leader of the Folder¡¯s Association, the largest gathering of mana-users, Dia had a feeling that it was actually a good thing for the man when he was killed by her. With a single rallying cry, Risti¡¯s father could gather all kinds of mana-users. Who knew what types of weird skills they would have?


    And that wasn¡¯t even talking about vanillas who didn¡¯t have the resources to become a mana-user. If one of them with special, torture-oriented skills were to offer their services in hopes of gaining an opportunity¡­well.


    Right, I should write down some things about the Folder¡¯s Association¡­wait, I should leave that to Risti, who has a better understanding of the place. After all, he did help her¡­I guess?


    Clearing her throat, Isolde said, ¡°Well, there¡¯s no need. The son of Baron Aoro¡¯s dead. He had a mana-user as a bodyguard, but that fellow died too, killed by Triple-D¡¯s patrons. Their bodies should be feeding the fishes by now.¡±


    ¡°Killed by what?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°A bunch of ordinary people,¡± Dia replied promptly. ¡°He was taken by surprise; a whole bunch of plates and whatever were thrown at him by everyone else present. His head was smashed into pieces and everything.¡±


    Everyone present, not just the three Dia-lookalikes, winced. Looking around the first floor of the inn, Dia reminded herself that this was a quieter place than Triple-D, and therefore she should learn to speak softer. After a while, the awkward moment passed, and she resumed her words.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Well, in other words, the son of Baron Aoro is dead,¡± Dia replied. ¡°And from what I hear, the baron¡¯s definitely going to suffer a loss if he makes his way here to seek an explanation¡­Risti? What are you doing?¡±


    Risti, at some point in time, had produced a small piece of paper and a wooden pen, and was busy writing on it right now. ¡°I¡¯m just going to write to dad. Someone who can have children who doesn¡¯t respect us is probably a bad egg too. This Baron Aoro doesn¡¯t need to exist anymore¡­by the way, who is he?¡±


    ¡°Remember that Pletsville we left a few days ago? That¡¯s his territory. More importantly, he¡¯s someone related to Duke Istrel, so¡ª"


    ¡°So he¡¯s nothing much, then. Some small fry I can squash.¡± Risti paused and turned to Farah. ¡°Farah, what kind of bodyguards would an extremely rich and important count have?¡±


    Did you just say someone connected to Duke Istrel is nothing much? I mean, he is nothing much, but that connection is a lot more important, right? Stewing over her internal thoughts, Dia watched as the two continued to plot ¡ª no, arrange ¡ª the downfall of Baron Aoro.


    ¡°Extremely rich and important?¡± Farah tilted her head. ¡°If we¡¯re talking about personal guards for a count of such a nature, something like ten one-folders and one bi-folder.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­well then, I¡¯ll have dad send out three bi-folders to deal with Baron Aoro and end his bloodline.¡± After scribbling a few more words onto the piece of paper, mana poured out of her hand and surrounded the letter for a few moments, in a manner that reminded her of fire. Withdrawing the mana a few seconds later, she folded the letter up and stuffed it into a bag.


    ¡°So,¡± Dia muttered, ¡°this is how a noble family is destroyed, eh? Can¡¯t say that I¡¯ve never seen this before.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just offer some condolences to Baron Aoro first,¡± Farah muttered. ¡°What kinds of manpower does your father have, Risti?¡±


    ¡°Every single mana-user in Grandis,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I mean, he just needs to put up a reward of around fifteen minutes of personal guidance for people to offer their lives to him.¡±


    ¡°And I thought that I had a huge background,¡± Farah replied. ¡°You seem far more important than me, with all these resources and people at your command.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just using dad¡¯s name to help,¡± Risti replied. ¡°It¡¯s different from you, since you¡¯re a¡± ¡ªshe lowered her volume¡ª ¡°countess in your own right. You could mobilise troops if you really wanted to, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll need the permission of Count Nightfall if I need to bring more than fifty soldiers along, though,¡± said Farah. ¡°And it¡¯s also good manners to tell a lower-ranked noble if you¡¯re bringing troops through their domain.¡±


    ¡°Since you aren¡¯t the paramount power in this place, it¡¯s probably not a good idea to act this recklessly,¡± Dia said. ¡°Sending three bi-folders to level Baron Aoro and his family is more than enough, but what will you do after that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let my father handle it.¡±


    Dia blinked twice. ¡°So carefree! Wouldn¡¯t Pletsville be in chaos within¡­within¡­¡±


    ¡°My point exactly. It was a mess from the very start, so that¡¯s how it is.¡± Risti shrugged. ¡°Besides, anyone else would be a better ruler than that Baron something, from the looks of his domain.¡±


    Dia couldn¡¯t help but think that this Risti, when she was talking about serious business like offing an entire noble family, was a lot more agreeable to the eyes. It was far better than the hyper-stalker Risti, who was unreasonably aware of everything in her life up until now.


    She had a feeling that there was something rather wrong with that sentiment, but literally anything else was better than Risti¡¯s original settings, so she rolled with it a moment later.


    Lily, who had been silent the whole time, mumbled some words and then flopped over on the table.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with her?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°She was sleeping on me when I woke up, so I gave her a rather violent awakening,¡± Farah replied. ¡°In hindsight, I should have been a bit gentler, but¡­¡±


    Her voice trailed off.


    ¡°Well, whatever.¡± Dia got up from her seat and pointed at the small book she had been writing in. ¡°I¡¯m going out to do some stuff. Farah you stay here and fill up this manual with any helpful tips for folders. We should at least put some effort into teaching that Claud fellow for all his help.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s boring.¡±


    ¡°Either that, or I force-feed you some drinks from Triple-D,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Make your choice.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll write some.¡±


    ¡°And make sure you do them properly,¡± Dia added. ¡°As for Risti¡­why not write useful tips for the Folders¡¯ Association? Might help him too.¡±


    ¡°Sure, although I don¡¯t think he¡¯s the kind to join the Folders¡¯ Association.¡± Risti shrugged. ¡°Or even if he did, he¡¯ll be like one of those members who come by once a year to claim their benefits.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really none of my business, though,¡± said Dia. ¡°I just don¡¯t like owing people things, especially if they were sincere ones. Alright, that¡¯s all. I¡¯m going to poke around Licencia and see if I can find traces of Tot. Alright, Lily, let¡¯s go. Risti, make sure to keep an eye on Farah.¡±


    Dragging a sleepy Lily up, Dia pulled her out of the inn and into the bright sunlight.

 Chapter 24: The exciting streets of the city and a story-teller

    An awkward silence prevailed as Dia and Lily walked down a random street of Licencia. Truth be told, Dia didn¡¯t really know what Lily was like; she was apparently heiress to the Julan Barony, daughter of Baron Julan. However, in the greater scheme of things, a baron was normally a character of little interest to Dia, who had a far greater background.


    This attitude was coming back to bite her, however.


    ¡°Erm, so what¡¯s the Julan Barony like?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a rather small place, an agrarian barony,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯s under the administration of the Schwa Dukedom.¡±


    The Dukedom of Schwa was the third and last duke under the Umbra Sovereignty. Occupying the westmost territories of the Umbra Sovereignty, Dia knew very little about it, since the Dukedom of Lustre was at the east of Istrel and of Umbra in general.


    ¡°So¡­what¡¯s it like?¡± Dia rephrased her question slightly, which made Lily pause.


    ¡°It¡¯s at the coastline, so there¡¯s many beaches there. It¡¯s a pleasant place to go on a vacation, and most of my people make a living through catching fishes and other aquatic life,¡± said Lily. ¡°There¡¯s three medium lifestone mines in my territory, but one is about to be fully depleted.¡±


    She paused and shook her head. ¡°Nothing much to look at, in general.¡±


    ¡°Now, now. You¡¯re only thinking of it that way because you¡¯re looking at it as a ruler,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Once you look from the ground, there has to be something charming about the place. For instance, Licencia has lots of peace-loving people¡ª¡±


    ¡°You looking to die, punk?¡±


    Two men exploded into action after bumping into each other. Within seconds, they charged at each other, swords and daggers stabbing at each other. Everyone stopped moving to watch these two men fight each other, and it was only after an arm flew into the sky that the two stopped fighting.


    ¡°Sorry, were you saying something?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t quite catch that last bit.¡±


    ¡°I was saying that Licencia has some friendly¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll dig your eyes out!¡± One woman, who looked as harmless as a kitten, shrieked as she ran towards another woman drinking her tea peacefully. Before the latter could even respond, the first tiger-like woman had flipped her entire table, knocking the tea-drinking one out.


    ¡°That¡¯ll teach you to stare at my husband!¡±


    The husband in question trembled as he was being dragged away by the cattish woman.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± said Lily, ¡°but I thought you said friendly.¡±


    ¡°Not at all!¡± Dia forced a smile out. ¡°I was saying that Licencia has lots of law-abid¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop, thief! Get back here!¡±


    Dia glared at the thief running towards her, and then kicked out. Her legs left afterimages, and the masked fellow reeled backwards as three successive kicks slammed into his abdomen.


    Without waiting for the victim to show up, Dia unleashed a few more punches at the befuddled thief. ¡°That¡¯ll teach you to contradict me! Was it nice making me eat my words? Huh? Speak! Was it nice?¡±


    The ground shook a few times as Dia sent fist after fist into the thief¡¯s chest. After her third punch, the damned fellow fainted, and Dia grabbed him by the shirt, dragging him back to Lily.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s Tot, but we might get something out of catching him.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes. O-of course.¡± Lily took a few steps back, and then pointed at the distance. ¡°Look! There¡¯s the victim.¡±


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    After settling the small incident, in which the victim, a burly man with a giant chopper, thanked them with some silver coins, they continued on their tour of the less than peaceful, friendly and law-abiding city. After seeing the extent in which the Moons decided to play with her words, Dia had resolved not to open her mouth beyond necessary.


    Given the events that had just transpired, if she were to talk about famous tri-folders of Grandis right now, it was entirely possible that one would really show up. Instead, it would be better to talk about Tot, who was someone she was actually looking for.


    ¡°So,¡± said Dia, ¡°about Tot¡­what do you think he¡¯s like?¡±


    Lily perked up. ¡°I think he¡¯s a great fellow. See all that mess he made? He even made Emperor Grandis issue a royal decree! If I could be just a tenth as famous as him, it would be nice.¡±


    ¡°¡­that wasn¡¯t what I was expecting,¡± said Dia, ¡°but okay. Since you came with the others, you must have some confidence in capturing Tot, right? What kinds of preparations have you made?¡±


    ¡°Quite a bit,¡± Lily replied. ¡°My skills are geared towards creating interesting things. Things like sweets, food, medicine, explosives and poisons¡­there¡¯s really a lot. If I were to spot the master thief, I¡¯ll set up some traps, and then force-feed him all my poisons.¡±


    ¡°Well, that at least explains why you were so familiar with the process of force-feeding alcohol to Farah.¡± Dia rubbed her head, selectively tuning out some items in her head. ¡°Just what were you doing before you left on this journey to catch Tot?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I was listening for the latest developments regarding Dia. Oh, and I was making some nice sweets to sell,¡± Lily replied.


    Why do I get the feeling that the first one¡¯s more important than making sweets to sell? Dia rubbed her head again. She didn¡¯t really know how to deal with Lily, who was an ardent fan of Princess Dia.


    ¡°What kinds of sweets do you make?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Oh, rather normal ones. Things like Devil¡¯s Bite, or Drunken Cocoa¡­little confectionaries that children love.¡±


    ¡°Why are the names so scary, then?¡±


    ¡°Children love scary names,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Give them something that¡¯s called Rainbow Spice and they¡¯ll ignore it. Call it Folder¡¯s Poison, and they¡¯ll eat it without any hesitation.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I, uh, see.¡± Dia cleared her throat. ¡°How¡­intriguing.¡±


    ¡°I know, right? And they also like more exciting sweets,¡± said Lily. ¡°Normal sweet stuff just isn¡¯t cutting it anymore. My most popular item was an Inferno Candy, which numbs the tongue through sheer spiciness upon consumption. It ran out of stock in a day.¡±


    ¡°Am I out of date, or is it just that the children of Julan Barony that¡¯s weird?¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Did you say something?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± lied Dia, ¡°I was thinking that you should make the others try out that Inferno Candy too. Unfortunately, I cannot eat too many sweet things, so I¡¯ll have to pass. And besides, Risti and Farah are probably experts are confectionaries. They¡¯ll be able to give you expert advice in no time.¡±


    ¡°Now, why didn¡¯t I think of that?¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°You should try it out. Anyway, I¡¯m going over to Triple-D. I heard that there¡¯s a storyteller there during the afternoon, so that¡¯ll be our destination for today.¡±


    ¡°A storyteller?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m intending to see if there are any clues about Tot being a native of Licencia,¡± Dia replied. ¡°A city like this should have some rather good stories and songs. And some about thieves too.¡±


    ¡°Is there any point to this?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re grasping at straws now. The guy we¡¯re seeking out ¡ª the one who brought some herbs ¡ª was obviously prepared for anyone pursuing him,¡± Dia replied. ¡°And that name he left behind was definitely fake too, or another person¡¯s name.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯re stuck.¡±


    ¡°Yes, to put it bluntly. We can only wait for the bartender to gather the intelligence we need, but we can do some listening of our own too,¡± said Dia. ¡°And it¡¯s good to have a local understanding on the City of Trades. What legends does it have? Who should we look out for? Are there any things we shouldn¡¯t do?¡±


    ¡°And we can learn all these from storytellers?¡± Lily asked, incredulous. ¡°Don¡¯t take offence, but I don¡¯t think singers of folk tales are a good source of information. Back in Julan, we would hire lots of them, plus some bards, to sing about our lush fields and great beaches, but we didn¡¯t even put in effort to make them look nice.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a scrap of truth in even the wildest of rumours,¡± Dia replied. She couldn¡¯t help but think about those things that the others talked about regarding her as she said this.


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s our only choice¡­but in that case, why aren¡¯t we heading to the bar directly?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Well, the storyteller¡¯s coming at around three, so I want to take this chance to familiarise myself with the streets of Licencia. Get a rough understanding of the terrain, things like that.¡±


    ¡°You really are bent on catching Tot, huh?¡±


    Of course! My life literally depends on it! Why else did you think I¡¯d spend time walking outside? I also want to sleep! Forcing out an enigmatic smile, Dia said, ¡°I have reasons that compel me inexorably to capture Tot. That is the purpose of my excursion, my sole purpose.¡±


    ¡°Looks like your¡­family was really affected by Ruler Umbra¡¯s death,¡± said Lily. ¡°Am I not wrong?¡±


    Dia knew what she was referring to, and smiled. ¡°You aren¡¯t that off the mark. But enough of small talk for now. Let¡¯s go get an understanding of this city, and then we¡¯ll go over to Triple-D.¡±

 Chapter 25: Rumours of her escape have been greatly exaggerated...

    There weren¡¯t too many people when Dia and Lily arrived at Triple-D, which was to be expected. Most work had to be done under the sun, because the Moons were unpredictable, and had tremendous effects on the night. For instance, if the red moon of strife, Percuti, was the only one shining on that day, people would be more prone to conflict when in groups. Things like construction just wouldn¡¯t work, and even essential people like guards would have to operate alone.


    Of course, if their work already involved bloodshed to begin with, like soldiers or bandits on a raid, then it would be far easier. However, the main point was that as a rule of thumb, no one wanted to work at night, under the light of the Moons¡­or lack thereof. Even if one was indoors, the Moons¡¯ light still had some effect, but it was far less problematic than say, if someone was outside.


    Incidentally, this was the origin of scholars parading themselves under Plota, the blue moon of wisdom, while making really profound statements about society.


    Finding a nice seat near the bar, Dia greeted the barkeeper. ¡°Hello, master.¡±


    ¡°Good afternoon to you. My men are working day and night for the intelligence you need, but as expected, Tot is a crafty one.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I¡¯m here for a different purpose today.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to learn about the legends and stories of Licencia. The storyteller¡¯s going to come today, right? It¡¯ll be great for me to focus on things like that,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Besides, I always wanted to learn more about the more¡­romantic sides of things.¡±


    ¡°Ah, a woman after my heart.¡± The bartender poured out a cup of apple juice and slid it over to Dia. ¡°On the house. As for you, do you want a drink?¡±


    Lily shuddered.


    ¡°Get Lily some apple juice, then.¡±


    ¡°Isolde?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Dia replied. ¡°The master¡¯s apple juice is really nice. You should spend some time savouring it.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t lying to me, are you?¡± Lily asked. ¡°If it tastes bad, you¡¯re going to drink it, got it?¡±


    The bartender laughed. ¡°The sober love my apple juice. The saddened love my alcohol. And the wise love my food.¡±


    Dia raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are you saying that your chef¡¯s cooking is great? Now that¡¯s a challenge I don¡¯t mind trying.¡±


    ¡°Isolde?! Did he put anything in the apple juice?¡± Lily asked, placing a palm on her shoulder. ¡°I can dispel it! Purification!¡±


    Before Dia could do anything, Lily had already used one of her skills. The bartender winced as the light faded, and Dia reached out to her ears. ¡°I obviously tested the drink for poison, right? I¡¯m not an idiot.¡±


    She took a silver needle and a thin glass rod, before rolling them at Lily. ¡°See? There¡¯s nothing on it!¡±


    The bartender drew close. ¡°True. Such an arrangement would complement each other. You can consider using some wood from the Elysia tree to test for mana-based poisons too. Small strips. If you see some inscriptions on them, it means that there¡¯s mana in your food. That said, this method''s less useful, since some meals and drinks use mana to taste better.¡±


    ¡°And does your apple juice have mana inside?¡±


    ¡°Nope. A hundred percent pure apple juice, of the most premium apples one can get in the Umbra Sovereignty¡­although I think the name might change to ''Istrel Sovereignty'' very soon.¡± The bartender shrugged. ¡°Duke Istrel must be really happy, all things considered.¡±


    ¡°Well, he is the son of Ruler Umbra, after all. I¡¯m not sure if happy¡¯s the right word to use, though.¡± Dia shook his head.


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    ¡°Well, their father-son relations were rather strained, so¡­¡± The bartender shrugged. ¡°But Ruler Umbra only had one child, so no matter what, Duke Istrel was bound to inherit his territories in the end. Emperor Grandis has already set the succession in stone too.¡±


    Dia murmured something in agreement, and then sipped from the glass. The velvety apple juice slid down her throat, a cooling sensation that was more than capable of beating the heat.


    ¡°See?¡± she said, after seeing Lily empty her glass in one gulp. ¡°Nice, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Lily made a little gurgle, and Dia turned away from her. ¡°I suspect she wants another glass. For me¡­get me your signature dish. I¡¯m interested in seeing if the wise truly love your food.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason why my bar¡¯s always packed at night, missy.¡± Turning to the door inside the counter area, he yelled, ¡°One signature!¡±


    ¡°Coming right up, boss!¡±


    Turning back, he drummed his fingers on the counter. ¡°I wonder what mister Colidra¡¯s going to bring back for us. I heard he went out to find stories regarding the local thieves four days ago. He¡¯s probably going to touch on a few well-known legends, and then some of the newer thieves that recently made a name.¡±


    ¡°All in response to Master Thief Tot, right?¡± Dia rubbed her neck. ¡°Seems like he¡¯s a really hot figure now.¡±


    ¡°Of course. It is tradition to thank whoever gave you intel if you capture your target. For someone as important as Tot, only something like a small barony would be a suitable gift,¡± said the bartender. ¡°Or you risk the Moons¡¯ curse.¡±


    ¡°The curse of ingratitude, right? It¡¯s quite the legend¡­¡±


    ¡°What curse of ingratitude?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Three thousand years ago, the predecessor to Duke Lustre ¡ª the dukedom to the east of Istrel ¡ª attained the blessings of the Moons. With skill, wisdom and luck, Duke Tsuku defeated all other claimants to the position of Duke, even defeating Emperor Grandis¡¯ chosen. The Emperor, who was gracious even in defeat, let it slide, but warned Duke Tsuku that he should honour his promise to the Moons.¡±


    Dia closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°But Duke Tsuku was arrogant. Having perceived his victory against the other claimants as a victory against Emperor Grandis himself, the duke took Emperor Grandis¡¯ words as an order, which he wanted to defy.¡±


    ¡°And so he defied it,¡± said the barkeeper. ¡°On the day of his ascension, he did not thank the Moons for their blessing, and even reviled them. Within the next week, his dukedom crumbled from within, as key personnel all over were possessed by madness. Thus began the Period of Warring Fiefs.¡±


    Lily exhaled slowly. ¡°What happened in the end?¡±


    ¡°Wars between minor warlords broke out. Within their number was a warlord who, before embarking on his journey, prostrated to the Moons and pled for forgiveness.¡± The bartender smiled. ¡°He won. And with it, created a law within his dukedom that promises to the Moons are also promises made to his person.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°That man was the first-generation Duke Lustre. And from then on, all from his lineage were blessed with incomparable talent and beauty.¡±


    ¡°Like Princess Dia! I see, I see.¡± Lily nodded. ¡°Thank you, Isolde. Your words earlier on were truly correct. I can¡¯t wait to share this with Risti and Farah.¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it,¡± said the bartender, ¡°all of you look like¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we know,¡± said Dia. ¡°We¡¯re fans of hers.¡±


    ¡°Huh. And here I thought you guys were quadruplets¡­¡± The barkeeper shook his head dejectedly. ¡°I heard that Princess Dia¡¯s in the Istrel Dukedom now, though. She escaped arrest and everything. Apparently, she cleaved through the Lustre army, crushed every gate in her way into tiny stones, and slaughtered her way through the Emperor¡¯s men.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably a lie, right?¡± Dia asked. She couldn¡¯t quite believe how her very peaceful escape had been twisted into a battle of epic proportions, especially since she definitely didn¡¯t leave any carnage in the wake of her escape.


    ¡°Who knows? But the rumours about Duke Lustre going into shock¡¯s definitely a lie, though.¡± The bartender nodded his head sagely. ¡°After all, he made an appearance for the next three days looking very healthy, while denouncing his daughter.¡±


    ¡°Denouncing?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Basically, it was a statement that said that it was her negligence, and therefore his, that the last Pure Life Gem of the Sovereignty was stolen by Tot. Apparently, she was guarding a vault of strategic resources and all, but she fell asleep on the job,¡± said the bartender.


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible,¡± said Lily.


    You tell him, girl! In fact¡ª


    ¡°In fact,¡± continued Lily, ¡°she was still in the Lustre Dukedom at the time of the theft. I don¡¯t know who it was, but I know that she was patronising some cake shops when the theft occurred.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± the bartender asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m never wrong when it comes to her,¡± said Lily. Pulling out a piece of paper, she slid it over to the bartender. ¡°She was at¡­¡±


    Dia peeked over Lily¡¯s shoulder, and her eyes widened. Even she herself didn¡¯t remember all the shops she had went to on that day, but¡­this was¡­


    Shivering slightly, she edged away from Lily. This wasn¡¯t the first time something as inane as this had happened in front of her, but on the bright side¡­


    On the bright side¡­


    Well, on the bright side, there was at least someone who could testify about her innocence. She had little doubt about whether those trails would be covered up or not, but if the Shadows of Grandis ever caught her, these things could at least count for something to Emperor Grandis, who was clearly sincere in rooting out Ruler Umbra¡¯s murderer.


    She sighed and looked around, just in time to see a familiar face enter Triple-D.


    Claud.

 Chapter 26: Tales of Tot

    Claud, a mana-user native to Licencia, had left quite the striking impression on her. She had a feeling that this man wasn¡¯t as honest as he looked; he seemed to have an evasive personality by nature.


    ¡°I thought you said that you were going to hide at home,¡± Dia said.


    The man jumped slightly, and then took a step back. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you.¡±


    ¡°Who did you think I was?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°No one. Normally,¡± Claud replied, ¡°people don¡¯t approach me. It was surprising to see someone walk up and say hi, to say the least. Anyway, I was thinking of napping at home, but I heard that the storyteller was coming to town today.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re also interested?¡± Dia asked, curious. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t care about his bounty.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t, but any story¡¯s literally better than my everyday life,¡± Claud replied, a hint of fatigue in his eyes. ¡°Mine¡¯s really, really dreary. Something about thieves and whatnot is great for the mind, right?¡±


    ¡°You should take a vacation,¡± said Dia. ¡°Like in the Dukedom of Schwa, at an agrarian territory like Julan.¡±


    ¡°Julan?¡± Claud rubbed his eyes. ¡°Pray tell, what kind of place is that?¡±


    ¡°Sea, wildness, farms¡­err¡­¡± Dia turned to Lily, who was busy sharing some life stories about Princess Dia that she didn¡¯t want to hear about, and tapped her shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s good in Julan?¡±


    ¡°Beaches, forests, farms and people,¡± Lily promptly replied. ¡°The local specialties are usually barbequed there, so if you enjoy barbequed food, you should head over.¡±


    ¡°W-wow.¡± Claud cleared his throat. ¡°You¡¯re quite knowledgeable about this Julan, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Well, it is my home, after all.¡±


    Claud¡¯s eyes seemed to glitter. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of that place, which has to mean that it¡¯s quite far away. Why, then, did you come here?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was doing¡­a small tour of Istrel where news about Tot came in,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And so I decided to embark on this lifechanging quest to capture him and bring glory to my home.¡±


    Dia had a feeling that her story seemed to have changed a tiny bit, but again, Lily was dealing with some stranger that she didn¡¯t quite know. After exchanging a few more words, Claud slid into a seat at the bar, ordered a glass of apple juice, and then entered a daze of his own.


    ¡°Alright, missy,¡± said the bartender, ¡°your signature¡¯s ready. What sauce would you like? We have black pepper, glaze, brown sauce and cream sauce.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with brown sauce,¡± Dia replied, giving the hearty meal of meat and potatoes a good once-over. The aroma rising from it was making her stomach rumble. Giving the utensils provided a good wipe, her first scoop was a nice mix of mashed potato and sausage.


    A small explosion of flavours burst in her mouth, bringing with it the richness of meat roasted to perfection.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that nice?¡± Lily asked. ¡°C¡¯mon, give me a bite!¡±


    Before Dia knew it, she was soon squabbling with Lily over ownership of the plate. Fighting tooth and nail to eat more than her opponent, Dia¡¯s face soon grew messy. It was only after the plate was licked clean when she came to her senses, and heat rushed to her face.


    ¡°Why did you steal my food?¡±


    ¡°But it smelled so nice¡­¡±


    Dia was about to smack Lily¡¯s head when a middle-aged man strolled into the bar. The way the bartender and Claud regarded the newcomer with a sharp gaze instantly told her that this man was the star of today, the storyteller who¡¯d been out looking for stories about thieves.


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    The others in the bar noticed a moment later, and in silent accord, turned to face the middle-aged fellow, who fixed a pair of glasses to his nose in response.


    ¡°Hello there. There seems to be quite a lot of people today,¡± said the storyteller.


    ¡°Everyone wants to hear about this Tot, that¡¯s why!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re talking about a dukedom here!¡±


    ¡°Hurry up, mister Colidra! Every second here is an extra second our competitors get!¡±


    Mister Colidra laughed, and then adjusted his rather shabby robes. Removing the hat on his head, he tossed it onto the table in front of him, and then cleared his throat. ¡°Very well. We¡¯ll start with Master Thief Tot, then. To be honest, I had been following a particular thief for the past few months. Rumours about a thief who broke into the treasuries of nobles big and small had been sitting around for quite some time.


    ¡°What was so surprising about this thief was that of the items stolen, most of them were found to be resold in black markets, with the funds redistributed to the slums in the form of food. More than once, I¡¯ve had slumdwellers and beggars tell me about how a masked man appeared at the middle of an alleyway and give out food.¡±


    He cleared his throat, and then took out a small file. ¡°Everyone here will be interested to know that most of these cities happen to be around Pletsville, which is the town closest to Duke Istrel¡¯s personal villa. It is not just limited to thefts against nobles and their treasuries. More than once, convoys that are headed towards nobles have also been intercepted.¡±


    The storyteller¡¯s words raised a small storm.


    ¡°Like what happened last night?¡± someone asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Colidra. ¡°However, last night¡¯s incident seems to be done by someone else, given that traces of mana were detected on the scene. One might say that this¡­chivalrous thief has inspired a mana-user to follow in his footsteps.¡±


    He chuckled for a few minutes. ¡°But that¡¯s beside the point. What¡¯s more important is how Tot carried out his thefts. How do you think he did it?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he scales the walls of mansions?¡± someone suggested.


    ¡°A deep tunnel into the nobles¡¯ estate?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he or she pretends to be a worker!¡±


    Colidra looked around a bit more, in which time Dia also threw in a suggestion of her own. It was fun to join things like this, and even more exciting to see whose answer was correct.


    ¡°Well, ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you the answer.¡± Colidra¡¯s eyes glittered. ¡°And the answer it¡­no one knows.¡±


    A small uproar broke out, which the storyteller waved down immediately. ¡°Surprising, isn¡¯t it? No one knows at all! So many investigations have been done, so many people dispatched, but there¡¯s been absolutely no sign of anything whatsoever! It¡¯s as if the fellow teleported into the treasury, moved lots of things out, and then vanished!


    ¡°The only reason why that¡¯s impossible is because there¡¯s a dimensional anchor in Count Lucid and Duke Istrel¡¯s treasury! In other words, either the thief used a skill to teleport in and out of their treasuries, or he did it through a way no one could understand!¡±


    ¡°Wait, a thief that can teleport?¡± Dia murmured. ¡°Now that¡¯s troublesome. We¡¯ll never catch him if that¡¯s the case.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Tri-folders can use short-distance teleportations, but mana-based teleportations are impossible under a dimensional anchor,¡± said Dia. ¡°It has to be a skill, in that case. How troublesome.¡±


    She rubbed her head and returned her attention to the storyteller.


    ¡°However, this is an opportunity,¡± said Colidra. ¡°Eyewitness reports of Master Thief Tot tell us that when he escaped, he did it on foot. What this means is that Tot, right now, may not have enough teleports to stave off pursuers. Furthermore, the fact that multiple famous prophets have narrowed his destination down to Licencia a week ago¡­¡±


    Colidra didn¡¯t complete his sentence, but Dia already understood what the old man meant. It was possible that Tot didn¡¯t have that many skill-storing items that had his teleport skill in it. Of course, now that a week had passed, he might have regained some, but a concerted search would deplete his supply rapidly.


    Murmurs filled the room as more and more people came to the same conclusion. Bronze and silver began to arc into the storyteller¡¯s cap, interspersed with the occasional shine of gold, making the middle-aged man smile widely.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you!¡±


    A gold coin flew into the cap. ¡°Coli, any suggestions for us bounty hunters?¡±


    The story teller laughed. ¡°Of course, of course! It¡¯s a secret, what I¡¯m about to say next, so don¡¯t let word leave this place, got it?¡±


    Everyone laughed.


    ¡°Stop acting so mysterious!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll keep a secret, okay? Swear to the Moons!¡±


    After another round of laughter, Colidra made a shushing gesture. ¡°Apparently, in the pursuit of Tot, Duke Istrel authorised the use of ritual magic, and this one was even backed by the White God.¡±


    Silence fell immediately.


    ¡°Yes,¡± said the middle-aged man. ¡°Tot survived ritual magic backed by a god. Some of the scouts spotted him ignoring a divinity-empowered Grand Cross like it was nothing. Nothing whatsoever. Think about that for a moment.¡±


    Dia felt a chill run down her spine. All of a sudden, her pursuit didn¡¯t seem like that much of a good idea. Without skills, anyone below a penta-folder would be killed or heavily injured by normal ritual magic. Furthermore, to ignore ritual magic backed by a god¡­how many folds would such a mana-user have? Six? Seven? To begin with, was that even possible?


    And¡­what exactly would such a folder, who was essentially on the level of Emperor Grandis, need to steal from someone like a duke? The rumours from the Lustre Dukedom had made their way here, but there were so many now that she didn¡¯t quite know what to think.


    She exchanged looks with Lily, who had also clearly worked out the implications behind the storyteller¡¯s words, before gulping nervously.

 Chapter 27: Survivor of a past era?

    Dia hadn¡¯t gotten over the implications of the storyteller¡¯s words when Claud scooted over.


    ¡°Hey, hey. What¡¯s the big deal about surviving ritual magic?¡± Claud asked, curiosity on his face.


    ¡°Do¡­you not know what ritual magic does?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re super powerful magic, right? What¡¯s the big deal?¡± Claud replied. ¡°Can¡¯t other defensive skills block them?¡±


    ¡°Normal ritual magic can be blocked by skills,¡± said Dia. ¡°But if you¡¯re invoking a god¡¯s might in ritual magic, skills will fail. Mortal moira can be overcome by mortal miracles; divine destiny must be defied by divine deed.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Dia rubbed her forehead. This Claud didn¡¯t seem to have much knowledge about what skills were in the first place¡­but it couldn¡¯t be helped. Commoners were not privy to the greater secrets of Grandis as a whole.


    ¡°Skills are¡­blessings from the Goddess of Learning and Water. The activation of a skill creates a model, a model that then absorbs all surrounding mana to generate whatever miracle is transcribed,¡± Dia explained slowly.


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s the official explanation?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [You have met the requirements to learn ¡®Instructing¡¯. Learn it?]


    Hmm, I think I saw some variant of this pop up before, Dia thought. Right, I did ignore ¡®Teaching¡¯ before¡­anyhow, this Claud seems to have a rather interesting idea of what skills are.


    ¡°Just curious, but since you talked about an official explanation¡­what¡¯s the unofficial explanation?¡± Dia asked, curious.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Claud rubbed his chin. ¡°Well, they¡¯re blessings that are targeted at enhancing one¡¯s specialties. Some people find it easier to pick up and train certain skills, right? That¡¯s because they have talent in those areas. In contrast, if you aren¡¯t talented at say, swordplay, you¡¯ll take longer to see that box pop up. And even if you learn it, your levelling speed for those skills will take longer too.¡±


    ¡°Interesting take,¡± Dia replied. ¡°But in that sense, doesn¡¯t that mean that it also enables one to pick up specialties that they don¡¯t have a talent for?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how some of us think of skills as, yes.¡± Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°For maximum survivability, these people learn skills that they cannot do by themselves. For instance, if someone has no talent for lock-picking, then learning it as a skill is a viable technique. In a sense, it is a miracle.¡±


    ¡°That last bit does account for why things like Sword Fall exists,¡± Dia murmured, impressed with how close an unofficial explanation had come. ¡°It does also explain why the levelling rate of a certain skill varies from person to person.¡±


    ¡°Correct. But if these skills are essential to your survival, having access to them once every sixteen hours isn¡¯t an issue, is it?¡±


    Dia couldn¡¯t help but think about her overly-specialised skill set. As a mana-user, she already had an intrinsic advantage in combat. Her skillset just accentuated that advantage even more.


    Was it a problem? She didn¡¯t think it was, but Claud¡¯s words also had their own merits. She was about to debate with him on the pros and cons on specialisation when he walked towards the storyteller, who was using some of money he¡¯d earned to buy a drink. She exchanged glances with Lily, who had been watching their earlier exchange with interest, and then followed him over.


    ¡°Coli, old buddy!¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t seen you around for a long time, Claud. Thought your body was rotting away or something,¡± the storyteller replied. ¡°Glad to see you¡¯re still up and about. You have a special request for me today?¡±


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    To Dia¡¯s surprise, Claud beckoned her and Lily over. Lowering his voice, he said, ¡°I want to hear more about Tot. The juicy stuff, the things you didn¡¯t tell everyone about.¡±


    ¡°And what makes you think that I have something like that?¡±


    ¡°You always do,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Besides, didn¡¯t you leave a hook for the discerning to follow up on? How much is this¡­insider news of yours?¡±


    ¡°A good drink,¡± Coli replied.


    ¡°A very fair price.¡± Claud turned to the bartender and flipped a coin at him. ¡°Master, bring out your special for him.¡±


    Catching the gold coin, the bartender nodded, a grin on his face. ¡°Big spender, eh? Did these two missies move your heart?¡±


    ¡°Or are you interested in Tot, the Thief of Time?¡± Coli completed.


    ¡°Thief of Time?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s the new moniker for Master Thief Tot. This name was derived from the true object of his heists; Tot has, without fail, targeted lifestones of high quality and beyond. He scatters the spoils of his art to the wind, benefitting all who are poor, but he keeps the lifestones.¡±


    Dia clicked her tongue, having thought of a possibility. ¡°Is it a five-fold mana-user on the verge of death? Or even an old monster that surpasses even Emperor Grandis in age?¡±


    ¡°Possible. Emperor Grandis himself only came to power six thousand years ago, in the aftermath of the Third Godsfall. It is possible remnants of the previous era still remain,¡± said the storyteller. ¡°And only such remnants, old powerhouses of an ancient era, would be able to face ritual magic backed by the gods with no issue.¡±


    Colidra lowered his voice. ¡°For all we know, such a personage might even have something of the gods. The previous era was a mess; the skies fell and billions died. Who¡¯s to say that an old monster of the Third Godsfall won¡¯t have something rivalling the gods themselves?¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°This thing is too dangerous. If he¡¯s still in Licencia, I think it¡¯s time for me to leave this city.¡±


    ¡°Nothing much is going to happen yet,¡± said the storyteller, ¡°so hold your horses. Tot¡¯s probably going to leave this city soon, anyway. Didn¡¯t you hear the reports? Tetra-folder Zulan Patra just left his meditation. He¡¯s the first Named to start moving. If this Tot¡¯s half as crafty as the rumours make him out to be, he would have left for another city by now.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°That¡¯s probably going to be the case. After all, if such a mighty being were to fight¡­Emperor Grandis would probably make a move.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said the storyteller. ¡°In fact, there¡¯s a theory that the only reason why there¡¯s such high value on Tot¡¯s capture is because Emperor Grandis knew that no one could capture him.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Dia, however, couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of hopelessness. It was a bit belated, but now that this¡­enormous task had been presented to her, she knew that simply leading the others to seek out Tot would be a one-way trip. Beings of such power just needed to wave their hand, and only ash would remain. Only the fact that Tot was apparently the benevolent sort had spared Istrel from destruction.


    In that case¡­it would be far more important to stay uncaptured, until Tot¡¯s true might entered public consciousness. If Emperor Grandis could be convinced that no one could have posed a threat to the Thief of Time, then whatever crime the guards present had been accused of would be pardoned altogether.


    There was one prerequisite, however. And that was for her to remain at liberty. If she was captured, whatever punishment that came next would leave her, at best, hanging on to life. Even if she were to be pardoned, her body would be broken beyond repair.


    ¡°We should talk to the others before we decide on our next course of action,¡± said Dia.


    ¡°Mm. There¡¯s no point in us all dying if Tot is this terrifying,¡± said Lily. ¡°Even if he¡¯s sleeping right in front of us, we can only kill him. Capturing an old monster like him will be impossible and foolish; we¡¯ll die the moment he wakes up.¡±


    ¡°Quite bold of us to assume that we can kill him at all, though.¡± Dia sighed. ¡°Such a mana-user would have defences stronger than a city wall. Even stabbing through it will be impossible. We¡¯ll have to poison him or something.¡±


    ¡°A master thief, poisoned¡­¡± Colidra shook his head. ¡°You ladies sure dream big. If a master thief can be poisoned, they would just be a common thief. If you really want to try your luck, you can follow where the conflict goes, and hope that you find a random injured person lying around. That might be your perp.¡±


    Chuckling, Colidra turned back to Claud, who was whispering something to him. Dia, however, wasn¡¯t in the mood to hear about what the fellow had to say, and since she wasn¡¯t invited to this particular bit, she was going to let them carry on in peace. Besides, it wouldn¡¯t be nice for a half-stranger to be this inquisitive in the first place.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Isolde?¡±


    ¡°Just feeling a bit dejected.¡± Dia wanted to lie down on the bar counter, but it was too grimy for her to consider it.


    ¡°It¡¯s related to your¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She let out a small sigh. ¡°But I don¡¯t really have a choice in this, do I? It¡¯s a matter of life and death for me.¡±


    After staring around the bar for a few more minutes, she got up from her seat. The sun had not yet set, but Dia was feeling extraordinarily tired. Faced with such an opponent, she didn¡¯t quite know what to think. The military and bureaucratic might of the Grandis Empire was one of her opponents. And on the other was the Thief of Time, a being suspected to predate even the Third Godsfall.


    And in the middle was a little one-folder. The best thing she could do was to hide somewhere until everything blew over.


    Well, on the bright side, those three stalkers should lose interest in me over time¡­

 Chapter 28: The Spear of Fate

    Claud heaved a sigh as the two ladies left the bar. The one named Isolde was abnormally sharp¡­well, Isolde was an oddball in so many ways to begin with. For starters, she behaved quite like a noble lady new to society and the darkness within, but oftentimes, she would act like a professional abruptly. It was as if she had a bounty hunter¡¯s instinct inside her noble facade or something, which put her mannerisms and actions at odds.


    Either way, it was good that she had talked herself into thinking that Tot was too much of a target. In fact, Claud couldn¡¯t quite believe how Colidra and presumably other investigators had managed to come up with such an incredible conclusion, but imagination was an almighty tool.


    One could lead a mundane life, but with the correct tools, create a story that would astound the world. Similarly, the thief could have been of very common origins, but with Colidra¡¯s work, become an unparalleled master of an entire era. Long had he wondered how such exaggeration was possible, but now that he¡¯d witnessed it himself, the process didn¡¯t seem to be too far-fetched.


    For some reason, being mistaken as an ancient one who preceded the Third Godsfall made him feel rather chuffed. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t run into the streets and yell about it ¡ª that was idiotic ¡ª but being thought of as such a being did wonders for the ego.


    Beyond that, however, the news that a Named ¡ª someone with enough exploits under their belt to be recognised throughout Grandis ¡ª was making his way to the City of Trades was enough to make him very worried. It wasn¡¯t just their martial might; most of the Named got their reputation for deeds that would have been impossible for the weak-willed and simple-minded.


    Their minds were as incisive as their strikes.


    Some of them, rumour went, had been embroiled in less than honourable professions prior to become famous. Any storyteller worth their salt, however, would probably know about it.


    Claud tossed a gold piece to the storyteller. ¡°Tell me about the tetra-folder on the way here. The guy called Zulan Patra.¡±


    Colidra caught the coin. ¡°Never knew you had an interest in powerhouses outside the Istrel Dukedom.¡±


    ¡°Well, he is coming over to Licencia. If I know about his past, his likes and dislikes, I¡¯ll at least be able to avoid rubbing him up the wrong way,¡± said Claud. ¡°I still value my life a lot. Don¡¯t want a day when some monster breaks my house into tiny pieces and whatnot, right?¡±


    ¡°True. Survival tip number two: never piss off the experts.¡± Colidra rubbed his chin. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll give this coin some face and tell you all about Zulan Patra, the Spear of Fate. Before that, though, get me a nice drink. I¡¯m thirsty.¡±


    Rolling his eyes, Claud passed some money over to the bartender, who immediately responded with two glasses of apple juice. Sliding one over to the storyteller, Claud took a sip and gazed at the middle-aged man expectantly, ignoring the usual pop-up that appeared whenever he bribed anyone.


    ¡°Were you always this eager?¡± Colidra scratched his balding head, and then shrugged. ¡°Anyway, Zulan Patra is a Blessed of the White God, the Holy of Holies, Schizel. Raised as a zealot by the White Church, he rose to fame three hundred and eighty-one years ago, when he single-handedly took down a county for killing a priest of his faith.¡±


    ¡°A county?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°One with two tetra-folders as their trump cards,¡± Colidra added. ¡°If the records are to be believed, he killed them with a single blow each with his namesake skill, the Spear of Fate, and then moved on to the count they were protecting themselves.¡±


    ¡°So¡­what does this Spear of Fate do?¡± Claud asked.


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    ¡°It¡¯s simple, and deadly. When activated, Zulan Patra can reduce the lifespan of anyone who is hit by his next strike to zero,¡± replied the old storyteller. ¡°Rumour has it, however, that Zulan Patra only has talent in his spear and nothing else. You can probably call that a weak point, but he is a Blessed of the White God, so no one¡¯s probably going to try anything.¡±


    Claud¡¯s lips tightened as he understood the hidden implications behind the storyteller¡¯s words. ¡°His emergence this time will not be alone. He will definitely be attended by guards, especially those that can cover the areas that he lacks. So I¡¯ll just need to not offend anyone in the vestments of the White God. Not that hard. What does he like? And what does he dislike?¡±


    ¡°Now, those are rather hard questions. As a youth, Zulan Patra was said to be a rather reckless fellow who loved to challenge anyone to a duel. But very little personal information has leaked out about him. Ever since he crushed the county and returned to seclusion, information about him has dried up.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Once again, Claud found himself at a loss. He never got all that well with zealots, although his ability to bootlick anyone or make himself sound pleasing usually covered that up. ¡°Did he crush that county of his own volition, or did the White Church ask him to?¡±


    ¡°Again, a very good question. The circumstances surrounding the destruction of the Clause County remains a mystery; the Schwa Dukedom didn¡¯t open an investigation to the destruction of Clause.¡± The storyteller took a swig from his glass. ¡°Whether they were bribed by the White Church, or yielded to their threats, no one really knows.¡±


    ¡°What a bother. No one¡¯s going to roam the streets if such a malefic star¡¯s in town, right?¡± Claud turned to the barkeeper. ¡°Master, are you going to close down shop while he¡¯s here?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­is what I¡¯d say, but I get a feeling that I might be forced to open it if the Spear of Fate wants to get a drink anyway,¡± said the bartender, a wry smile on his face. ¡°It is dangerous to interact with beings like him, but taking the risk is better than making him angry.¡±


    ¡°On the plus side, Licencia¡¯s security is going to be really safe,¡± said the storyteller. ¡°Bet tons of merchants are going to send their largest haul out while he¡¯s around.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bet on that,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We¡¯ve quite a few mana-users here, but a robbery happened right outside the town last night.¡±


    The bartender¡¯s eyes lingered for a moment on him, which Claud ignored.


    ¡°Such a thing happened?¡± the storyteller asked.


    ¡°Yeap.¡±


    ¡°Must be the work of a mana-user,¡± Colidra mumbled.


    Claud turned his eyes to the bartender. ¡°And you¡¯ll be right about that.¡±


    For a moment, the bartender didn¡¯t have much of a reaction. His eyes widened immediately afterwards, before mouthing out some words that Claud couldn¡¯t decipher.


    He nodded his head anyway, and then turned back to the storyteller. ¡°By the way, do you know what the item Tot stole was? I heard all kinds of rumours about it, but there really isn¡¯t much for me to write¡­uh, think about.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re recording this event?¡± Colidra¡¯s eyes glittered. ¡°Promising fellow. Well, it¡¯s said that the item the Thief of Time stole was something called¡­uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Called?¡±


    Claud felt the little box hidden in his clothes twitch, as he pressed for an answer.


    ¡°Strange. I can¡¯t seem to remember its name,¡± said Colidra. ¡°How odd. Well, I do know that it¡¯s capable of purifying lifestones. For some reason, I know that it also has other functions, but I can¡¯t place them down right now.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should eat more fish or something,¡± said the bartender. ¡°Improves your mind.¡±


    ¡°Must be my age,¡± Colidra griped. Sighing a few times, he downed his glass fully and hiccupped. ¡°What kind of fish do you have?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we have quite a few¡­take this menu and look at it.¡±


    Turning his attention away from the counter, Claud closed his eyes and sighed. A tetra-folder, a Named, had begun to move against him. Would the possibility of facing a monster from the Third Godsfall deter the Spear of Fate? Claud had a feeling that the answer was no.


    Fortunately, even the mightiest of folders were still very much killable. If Zulan Patra¡¯s skills were centred around his spear, using underhanded tactics to kill that fellow was still on the table. Traps, poisons, plots, hidden weapons¡­things like these served to equalise the table.


    In theory, anyway.


    However, much planning was required. Preparing for the descent of such a personage would need time and resources, neither of which he had in excess¡­unless he undertook the risk of stealing things in this environment where any thief was assumed to be Tot.


    Taking a few deep breaths, he turned to the storyteller, who was busy scoffing down a hearty meal of fish and chips. It was somewhat astounding to see how the bartender had prepared a meal this quickly, but again, he was a man of miracles and¡ª


    Shaking his head, Claud watched the middle-aged man clear his plate in silence. It didn¡¯t take long for Colidra to finish eating, which was the cue for Claud to ask the last question in his mind.

 Chapter 29: Odd skills, odder times

    ¡°You have another question?¡± Colidra asked.


    ¡°You can think of it that way,¡± said Claud. ¡°All this talk about monsters from another era has made me very curious about things I used to not care about."


    After Claud heard about how surviving ritual magic backed by gods was a really big thing from Isolde, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder just what exactly Absolute One was. That¡­status window he¡¯d obtained, when he became a mana-user, had only served to deepen his confusion further. It couldn¡¯t even name Absolute One properly, and to make matters worse, it wasn¡¯t the only odd skill either.


    He muttered a word in his mind, and a window popped up.


    Name: Claud Primus


    Lifespan: 104 years


    Active Skills: Presence Nullification (8), Flight (5), Binding Order (7), Cleanse (6), FiBoD;E??? (0), FiBoD;E??? (0)


    Passive Skills: DiL???C, Mana Organ


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 1.0


    Mana Control Proficiency: Intermediate


    Comments: Like I said, your skillset¡¯s a mess, but that really can¡¯t be helped. You should really at least work on consolidating your mana circuits, though. They haven¡¯t improved at all. Right, if you need help with those weird skills, you can consider approaching any of the gods¡¯ Blessed. They¡¯ll help you¡­or dissect you. It¡¯s kinda a coin flip, yeah?


    Claud looked at the status, confirmed the two odd skills on them, and then rolled his eyes. Placing a suitably nervous expression on his face, he cleared his throat.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Colidra slid his emptied plate over to the bartender, who caught it expertly. ¡°You seem rather¡­nervous.¡±


    You¡¯d be, if the Goddess of Learning¡¯s system is expressing concern for you. Smiling wryly, Claud lowered his voice and said, ¡°Well, I read about something odd a few days ago¡­you can even consider it a secret that none of us can afford to leak.¡±


    ¡°A secret that none of us can afford to leak?¡± Colidra asked, his eyes glittering. ¡°Go on, go on!¡±


    ¡°Consider it payment for my question, I guess.¡± Claud purposely gulped, and then drew a line across his neck. ¡°This awaits us if anyone ever finds out. If you want to tell other people, at least make sure not to mention me.¡±


    ¡°I swear it on the Moons¡­now hurry and tell me!¡± The middle-aged man sidled closer, his glittering eyes seemingly on the verge of bursting in to flames. ¡°Don¡¯t keep me waiting!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Claud looked around, surveying the area slowly for dramatic effect, and then nodded. ¡°So, a source ¡ª a reliable one ¡ª told me that there are actually some people who ¡ª and you won¡¯t believe this ¡ª have skills that take up two skill slots!¡±


    ¡°Two skill slots?!¡± Colidra whispered back. ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said, but¡­do you know anything about things like these?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Apparently, it¡¯s said that these skills are¡­¡±


    ¡°Are?¡±


    Claud lowered his voice even further, running through the lies in his mind. ¡°They¡¯re said to be skills that predated the Third Godsfall.¡±


    Colidra¡¯s eyes turned into slits. ¡°Interesting. In fact, now that you talk about odd skills like these, I can¡¯t help but recall a tale I heard about years ago, when I was still a newcomer to the story plying trade.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°It was actually a story to warn us storytellers, really.¡± The storyteller chuckled. ¡°Thousands of years ago, when Emperor Grandis first took the throne, everyone wanted to know about him. What did he like? What did he dislike? What skills did he have? Things like this that everyone wanted to hear about. So, a bard took it upon himself to pay a visit to his palace at Grandia, and intruded into his royal court. Emperor Grandis smiled, and told the bard that he was open to answering three questions, but only if they were phrased accurately.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°And so, the bard put forth his request. He asked Emperor Grandis what he liked, what he disliked, and what his six skills were. And Emperor Grandis replied. He told the bard that he liked clever and honest men. He told the bard that he disliked insincere fools. And then he told the bard that he had five skills, not six, and therefore, he wouldn¡¯t answer that last question.¡±


    Colidra paused, rubbing his nose.


    ¡°Go on,¡± Claud prompted. ¡°What happened after that?¡±


    ¡°The bard tried to ask, but Emperor Grandis had promised to answer three questions and three questions only. Therefore, for challenging his royal words, the bard was sentenced to death through immolation.¡± Colidra shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s a morbid tale, but one that tells us storytellers some rules.¡±


    Even though that story¡¯s conclusion wasn¡¯t all that related to Claud¡¯s original question, he still shot an inquisitive gaze at Colidra, who grinned in reply.


    ¡°Rules¡­well. Never ask for more than a noble offers. Never be specific with your question. And never seek out fame through taking risks.¡± Colidra pushed his pair of glasses up his nose. ¡°It is a cautionary warning for all who seek out nobles for stories.¡±


    ¡°Warning, eh?¡± Claud let out a slow hiss. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind at all times.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you will. After all, you place self-preservation above all. How many times have you hid away in your own room when some mana-user came to Licencia?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about that, and we¡¯ll still be friends.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. Calm down. Why are you sensitive about this anyway? It¡¯s not like you¡¯re going to change your nature anytime soon, right?¡± Colidra tapped the counter twice. ¡°Well, anyway, doesn¡¯t this myth actually show us something?¡±


    ¡°Something?¡±


    ¡°Look,¡± said Colidra, ¡°if skills that take up two skill slots exist, it means that such a person would only have a total of five skills, right? Emperor Grandis definitely isn¡¯t the kind to lie, which means that either he has a blank skill slot ¡ª which is unlikely ¡ª or¡­¡±


    ¡°He has a skill that takes up two skill slots?¡± Claud bobbed his head thrice. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be¡­¡±


    ¡°I came up with this hypothesis on a whim, however.¡± The old storyteller yawned. ¡°Besides, there could be other reasons why he said that he only had five skills at that point in time, right?¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Still, why would he delete one and do nothing about it?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he just likes the number? Who knows what Emperor Grandis¡¯ thoughts are like anyway?¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    Sliding off his seat, Claud wriggled his body and stretched it out. ¡°Say, do you have an idea of when that Spear of Fate guy is coming?¡±


    ¡°Two or three days later,¡± Colidra replied. ¡°I guess I won¡¯t be seeing you in town anymore, would I? You¡¯ll just be sitting at home and waiting until that timebomb leaves¡­well, at least someone¡¯s rich enough to not do that.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to deliver lots of apple juice to your place?¡± the bartender asked. ¡°Maybe some delivered meals too?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just go with the apple juice, thanks.¡± Producing a low-ranked lifestone, he tossed it at the bartender. ¡°I¡¯m probably going to look for some lifestones veins though.¡±


    He glanced at the bartender, a small smile on his lips. ¡°With a pickaxe or something. Maybe I might get lucky or something.¡±


    ¡°Is your mining map updated?¡±


    ¡°Any big changes from six months ago?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°If I tell you, wouldn¡¯t you not buy the maps I have on hand?¡± The bartender smirked. ¡°I¡¯m not dumb.¡±


    Claud clicked his teeth. However, there was little he could do. If he wanted to convince the bartender that the following spates of lifestone thefts had nothing to do with him, he needed to make a small investment. Besides, it wasn¡¯t all that expensive, so he tossed a few silvers at the bartender.


    ¡°Get me some skillsticks too. Ones for prospecting.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, bub.¡± The bartender jingled the coins in his hand. ¡°Anything else? Do you want to hire a bunch of people to carry any ores you might find?¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°That confident, are you?¡± The bartender rolled his eyes. ¡°Well, every time you do honest work, you never seem to need any help. Do you have a storage skill or something?¡±


    ¡°If I did, I would have been making big bucks off trading, not mining.¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°Right, which shops should I avoid when I sell lifestones?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, surely you can tell me that for free, right?¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine. Come closer, I don¡¯t want some freeloaders to overhear my words,¡± said the bartender, producing a map of the city.


    Claud looked down at it, raising his eyebrows slightly. ¡°How are there this many lifestone shops in Licencia? Weren¡¯t there like ten before last month or something? How does double that number pop up over such a short duration?¡±


    ¡°Apparently, it¡¯s some policy that the Istrel Dukedom set up. I¡¯m not too sure about the details, and nor do I care, but every lifestone shop worth their salt is trying to buy lifestones like their life depends on it,¡± said the bartender. ¡°They¡¯re also offering rather odd¡­deals to entice customers into selling.¡±


    ¡°Deals?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to see it to believe it.¡± Clearing his throat, the bartender began to point out the shops that offered the best benefits for selling.


    As he rattled on, Claud couldn¡¯t help but wonder about the policy in question¡­and why the Istrel Dukedom was placing such a premium on lifestones. Was it related to him?

 Chapter 30: The lifestone markets

    ¡°A middle-ranked lifestone for one thousand gold¡­¡± Claud stared at the dangling signboard outside one of the many shops that were buying lifestones now, and then felt a touch of absurdity. Normally, such a lifestone would go for around five hundred gold, ten times the price of a low-ranked lifestone, but since low-ranked lifestones were now a hundred and three gold each¡­


    ¡°Customer! You looking to sell lifestones?¡± A woman, dressed in lots of scarfs, walked out of the shop. ¡°We offer one of the best deals in Licencia! Sell a lifestone to us, and receive two skillsticks!¡±


    ¡°Skillsticks?¡± Claud asked, intrigued. ¡°What kinds of skills do you have?¡±


    ¡°We offer five different skills: Detect Falsehood, Clairvoyance, Fool¡¯s Fortune, All-Seer and Future Sight!¡± The woman grinned. ¡°This is a deal of a lifetime; you usually won¡¯t get to see such skills being put up on sale!¡±


    Claud let out a quiet whistle. ¡°True. Skillsticks with these are really rare. Still, if I¡¯m selling something, I should get the best value for it, right? Tell me, why should I choose your shop over the others? I mean, they¡¯re nice and all, but some of the others are offering things like memberships and whatnot.¡±


    ¡°Are you the kind to use these memberships?¡± The woman grinned. ¡°And, well, we also offer great discounts to anyone who buys artefacts with lifestones.¡±


    ¡°So does virtually every other shop around here.¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t compare us with the motley crew. The artefacts we offer are really good ones. Possession of even one is equivalent to having a level five skill!¡± The woman rubbed her hands. ¡°You must see it to believe it!¡±


    ¡°Level five skills, eh? Impressive, but I think I¡¯ll check out the others first.¡± Claud nodded at the woman, who smirked back in return.


    ¡°Come ask for Anthea once you return to this shop. I¡¯ll give you great discounts!¡±


    Waving goodbye to the polite staff, Claud made his way to a tree and leaned on it. This was the seventh lifestone shop he¡¯d visited, and just as the bartender said, all of them were particularly¡­keen on buying up lifestones for some reason.


    That woman, Anthea, seemed to be a bit more enthusiastic than the others, though. If, all things considered, Claud wanted to make a choice, he would go with Anthea¡¯s shop, for the sole reason that she was the first person to not treat him like a bug at first sight. His clothes weren¡¯t doing favours for first impressions, as far as things went, but it did help him make a choice.


    Looking up at the sky, Claud¡¯s mouth thinned out slightly. Someone was flying above the city, circling around the centre of Licencia in what looked like a search for a good landing spot.


    Amateurs.


    Once one flew enough, they would know how to land without needing a wide-open space, but in the first place, the Flight skills was rather rare. After all, there were two conditions to learn it.


    The first one was to be in freefall.


    And the second one was to be lucky enough.


    There were some ways to game the system, as usual. One could prepare a huge net underneath a tall tree and try to fall over and over again. Something like this would, with some luck, guarantee that they would learn the skill within a year or so, if one were to spend their whole time climbing and falling.


    It was a skill that was learnt through luck, which placed it as a rather rare skill. Skills that could be picked up through repetitive actions, like Cleaning or Spearplay, could be picked up quickly. And when skills like these levelled up, their effects were more pronounced too. Skills that defied conventional logic needed unconventional ways to even learn, which, other than odd ways like learning Flight or Water Breathing, included skills conferred through bloodlines and divine blessings.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Usually, however, simply being blessed by one of their priests or a Blessed was enough. Gods weren¡¯t that free to hand out skills every day.


    One reason behind why Claud was so impressed with the shop he just left because of the skillsticks they offered. Future Sight, for instance, was a skill that only a Blessed of the Blue God had. It was somewhat unbelievable that a tiny shop would have such a thing, but that was beside the point.


    Of course, some were more mundane, like Detect Falsehood, which someone like a gambler or a guard would probably have the option to learn after a while. But that didn¡¯t make it less valuable either; few people picked those skills because they were mundane, but their effects were incredibly useful.


    Claud looked down on the map, and then frowned. He didn¡¯t really feel like paying a visit to every lifestone shop in town and be treated like some beetle that had crawled in, but he had no choice. The shops in Licencia probably had their storage full of lifestones; if he didn¡¯t take this chance to replenish his remaining life, he would be an idiot.


    This naturally meant that he had to scout these shops out, and then pick on the easiest one. The shop that offered some skillsticks, the Brilliant Green, was an easy picking¡­if not for the fact that Future Sight had been offered as a skillstick. Claud had no intention of messing with a Blessed of any god beyond what was inevitable and necessary, so he would give that shop a wide berth.


    There were other shops, so he would make do with them instead. Furthermore, the fact that the shops he¡¯d visited up until the Brilliant Green didn¡¯t use skillsticks as a freebie hinted at the types of backing they lacked, which were people with odd or rare skills. People like these had a tendency to be part of a larger organisation, or be head of such an organisation themselves.


    Slapping his cheeks twice, Claud pushed off from the tree and made his way to the eighth lifestone shop on his list. After enduring an unfriendly gaze, he looked through their offered price, heard their offers, before patting his butt and leaving.


    The same process repeated over and over, and by the time the sun was setting, Claud had found his self-esteem to be at an unprecedented low. It was even lower than the many times he found himself tossing aside his dignity to bootlick some noble or their guards, which was saying a lot.


    Beyond that, however, he had accomplished his initial goal, which was to scout out his viable targets. He would spend the next few hours narrowing down his target selection, and then spend the next day observing his targets¡­and when night fell, he would strike.


    But first¡­I think it¡¯s good if I get some insurance. Making his way to Brilliant Green, he stepped into the shop and asked the guy on duty for the woman named Anthea. Doing so wouldn¡¯t cost him anything, and it would also improve his relationship with someone who was going to buy a lifestone from him.


    The young man bowed and led him to a private room. Moments later, a woman who looked younger than twenty-five entered, carrying two cups and a jug full of some bubbly drink. Claud mentally compared himself to her, and wondered if being twenty-six automatically marked one as an old person.


    Sweeping her pink hair over her shoulder, she bowed, filling the cups up. ¡°Hello, customer. Told you you¡¯d be back.¡±


    ¡°Not because of the deals, though.¡± Claud let out a wry grin. ¡°It¡¯s because you treated me like a customer.¡±


    Anthea winced at those words. ¡°The problem with the newer shops is that they treat anyone who isn¡¯t wearing silk or satin as some rapscallion. But you also received the same treatment from the older ones?¡±


    Claud shrugged. ¡°Pretty much. Well, enough about me. Let¡¯s get down to business. I have a small batch of middle-rank lifestones here, five of them.¡±


    ¡°Five? That¡¯s quite a lot, considering that you don¡¯t seem to be from a noble family.¡±


    Claud said nothing, and after a moment of silence, Anthea rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Did you strike a vein by yourself or something?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Claud picked up one of the cups, and downed it in a single gulp. Obviously, his Ring of Poison Resistance didn¡¯t activate, but it was always better to be safe. ¡°Anyway, what offer would you make?¡±


    ¡°Five thousand gold, ten skillsticks and a twenty percent discount for up to five selected artefacts.¡±


    Claud leaned forward. ¡°That¡¯s the baseline you¡¯ll offer for usual customers, right? What about me, who asked for you?¡±


    ¡°A thirty percent discount for up to five selected artefacts, each of them with a ten-hour period of recharging in between.¡±


    ¡°Do you have anything that can be used for a set number of times before needing to recharge?¡± Claud added. ¡°I¡¯m looking for artefacts like them.¡±


    ¡°Why does everyone always want an artefact like that?¡±


    ¡°Ten hours between every use isn¡¯t going to be all that helpful, compared to five uses every ten hours,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Of course, I know that their value will be higher, but that¡¯s something I can afford.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Anthea downed her own cup. ¡°Sit tight here, while I bring out artefacts that would fit your requirements. Don¡¯t get your hopes up, however. Artefacts like these are rather hard to come by in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Bring out your goods.¡±

 Chapter 31: The thiefs hobby

    ¡°Miss Anthea, thank you so much for your help,¡± said Claud, who was clutching a small wristguard. ¡°You cannot imagine how much something like this means to me.¡±


    ¡°You too cannot imagine just how important being able to secure this sale is to me either,¡± Anthea replied. ¡°The boss has turned desperate, even mad, I¡¯d say.¡±


    ¡°Right, what¡¯s with this sudden drive for lifestones?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Why are all these shops collecting them like mad?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­can you keep a secret?¡± Anthea asked, playing with her pink hair.


    ¡°As well as the Moons,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°You do know you just made an implicit vow of sorts, right?¡± Anthea asked.


    ¡°What of it?¡± Claud grinned. ¡°I have to show you my sincerity, right?¡±


    She mulled on it for a moment, and then shrugged. Beckoning Claud to come over, she leaned into his ear and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s apparently Count Nightfall¡¯s order.¡±


    ¡°Order?¡±


    ¡°Something like that. He¡¯s offering the rights to run the trade route between Licencia and Lostfon. Shops that contribute more lifestones will be given a bigger share of the profits,¡± said Anthea.


    Lostfon¡­a city in the north, run by a count of the same name. Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°Why would a count offer such a prize¡­oh. Right. Count Nightfall must be preparing to become a tri-folder. But wasn¡¯t he quite happy to be a bi-folder up until now?¡±


    Anthea drew back from her posture. ¡°Well, if you think about recent developments¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh right, Tot.¡± Claud heaved an exaggerated sigh. ¡°Can he just leave this city already? I¡¯ve heard that the Spear of Fate is on his way here. We¡¯ll all be doomed if they start fighting.¡±


    ¡°¡®We¡¯ll all be doomed¡¯? Do you¡­know something we don¡¯t?¡± Anthea asked, her eyes glittering. ¡°Share it, share it!¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s something I heard from a bar,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Apparently, the Thief of Time is someone from a previous era. The storyteller who came earlier today said that Tot survived ritual magic backed by the White God. Only someone like a monster who came from the Third Godsfall could have survived that.¡±


    She let out a small whistle. ¡°By the Moons¡­well, I think I¡¯m going to take a nice extended break from this city when this Spear of Fate guy drops by. Still, that title sounds really familiar¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a Blessed of the White God,¡± Claud helpfully replied.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m totally taking a week or two off.¡±


    ¡°Funny, I was thinking of leaving town too.¡± Claud hadn¡¯t quite decided on what he would do after the Spear of Fate and other bigshots gathered at Licencia. From the hints that Anthea had dropped, Count Nightfall didn¡¯t particularly like the prospect of having so many mana-users gathering in his city, which was why he was snapping up lots of lifestones.


    For normal mana-users, becoming a one-folder took a hundred years of lifespan, while becoming a bi-folder from a one-folder took around two hundred. Burning three hundred years of life was quite the turnoff for even many smaller nobles, which explained why bi-folders were a lot rarer.


    Tri-folders¡­well, Claud wasn¡¯t going to think about them too much.


    Of course, every ascension brought with it huge benefits too, although for the life of Claud, he couldn¡¯t quite tell what else could having huge amounts of mana be useful for, other than making the act of killing easier. Increasing the number of mana circuits didn¡¯t give any returns in the form of lifespan, so¡­


    Just how many lifestones did Zulan Patra waste in pursuit of more mana? Claud didn¡¯t want to know.


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    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Anthea asked.


    Claud jumped. ¡°Sorry. I was just thinking about something related to the Spear of Fate. Just how many lifestones did he use to even get that much lifespan to become a tetra-folder?¡±


    ¡°Lots of pure-ranked lifestones, that¡¯s for certain. Probably emptied out a small county¡¯s mines or something.¡± Anthea sighed. ¡°What a waste! That¡¯s so much money burned, just to make killing people easier.¡±


    ¡°Well, at least we agree that it¡¯s a waste.¡± Claud sighed. ¡°And now, people capable of burning whole cities into the ground are coming along to a piddling county capital to search for some monster from the Third Godsfall. Count Nightfall¡¯s probably going to have his hair turn white anytime soon.¡±


    ¡°Oh, a bit of it is already white, according to my boss.¡± Anthea rolled her eyes. ¡°I wonder why.¡±


    That last bit was tinged with enough mockery that it would make one of those ostentatious, run-of-the-mill nobles give a thumbs up. Claud patted the wristguard he was wearing and filled up his empty cup. Eyeing the bubbly liquid he¡¯d just poured out, Claud finished the whole cup and licked his lips.


    ¡°Right, where did you get this drink from?¡±


    ¡°From Lostfon. It¡¯s a relatively new invention, something called a fizzy drink,¡± Anthea replied. ¡°It¡¯s sold at a premium right now.¡±


    ¡°Lostfon again?¡±


    ¡°Some gentleman with a rather rare skill moved into Lostfon recently, which is why trade¡¯s been picking up in the past year. He¡¯s churning out fun stuff every month or so,¡± said Anthea. ¡°A key reason why trade with Lostfon is proving to be more and more profitable.¡±


    ¡°And a testament to how desperate Count Nightfall is now, eh? If he¡¯s letting someone control the trade route, that¡¯s a whole bunch of revenue gone,¡± said Claud.


    ¡°He¡¯s making up for it by imposing a higher tax on all businesses here. It¡¯s not a big deal to the businesses who moved here recently; they don¡¯t have all that much money invested, so they can pull out immediately. But to the ones like Brilliant Green, it¡¯s quite a serious matter.¡±


    ¡°¡­Why are you working as a lifestone shop¡¯s assistant?¡± Claud chuckled. ¡°You would probably become famous if you joined Count Nightfall and his administration.¡±


    ¡°I already did, but I didn¡¯t like the culture there,¡± said Anthea. ¡°This little shop is a lot more familial to me.¡±


    ¡°Well, to the gifted goes the choices.¡± Claud rubbed his neck. ¡°I suppose you have a vested interest in keeping Brilliant Green afloat, eh?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you can get me more artefacts like the Windwall Wristguard, I might patronise your shop more,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Your boss seems to have rather good connections.¡±


    ¡°We have a wide variety of customers, who each have needs that transcend items that can be purchased with mere gold.¡±


    ¡°A very fancy way of telling me that pure-ranked lifestones are sold not through gold, but with items that you can resell at a marked-up price.¡± Cluad filled up his cup again, and savoured the bubbly sweetness it contained. ¡°Would you take a middle-ranked lifestone for a lifetime supply of this drink to my apartment?¡±


    ¡°That, customer, is probably the most extravagant way of doing me a favour.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was a favour to anyone, but really, this drink is great. I could spend days drinking it, and not get bored. So, what do you say?¡±


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re serious?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss Anthea.¡± Claud finished his drink. ¡°I want a lifetime supply of this beverage for the cost of a middle-ranked lifestone. That should be more than enough, no? I know how shops operate quite well.¡±


    ¡°Given the current situation¡­well, if you really aren¡¯t kidding with me, I can call out the boss. We can draft an agreement and all, but customer, are you serious about this deal?¡±


    Claud thought back to the lifestones he hadn¡¯t finished absorbing, and then nodded. ¡°Anything for a good drink.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d splurged on drinks, anyway. Barrels of apple juice were still sitting around in his house, but that didn¡¯t mean that he couldn¡¯t get other drinks either. Besides¡­would mixing apple juice and that thing called a fizzy drink produce a beverage that was greater than the sum of its parts?


    ¡°You sound like a professional at this. Do you do this often?¡±


    ¡°Not enough to be called a professional, regretfully.¡± Claud sniffed. ¡°If I had enough money, I wouldn¡¯t limit this to just drinks only. My dream is to live forever, with good food and drinks at the side.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very admirable dream.¡±


    ¡°Admirable?¡±


    ¡°Definitely better than people who dream about ruling the world, or killing Emperor Grandis¡­violent things like that. Can¡¯t we all get along?¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t quite know how to reply that, so after fobbing her peaceful dreams off with some grunts, he downed another cup of the fizzy drink and got up. ¡°When will your next batch of artefacts come in?¡±


    ¡°Depends, I guess. It¡¯s not something I have control over, regretfully.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pity, but I¡¯ll just drop by once in a while to see if there¡¯s anything nice.¡± Claud looked at the wristguard he¡¯d gotten, before fixing it on his left wrist. Keeping the skillsticks he got as a freebie ¡ª five of them were Future Sight, while the other five were Fool¡¯s Fortune ¡ª he nodded at Anthea.


    ¡°Yes, please do.¡±


    Leaving the shop, Claud headed back to his apartment, which was still a mess from the aftermath of becoming a mana-user. Cleaning himself up with the Refresher, he sat on his bed ¡ª which was now just a mattress and nothing else ¡ª and began to narrow down his targets.


    The little box rolled out, spinning on a corner with glee.


    ¡°Good job staying quiet, Crown.¡±


    It jiggled happily and rolled over his hand, before nuzzling it twice.


    ¡°What a cute little pet¡­¡±

 Chapter 32: A quick and easy heist

    Under the light of the three moons, Claud spent a night to plot out potential targets and prepare his equipment. He had chosen his first target after a few rounds of deliberation.


    The shop that was going to have the honour of being paid a visit by Master Thief Claud Primus was called Times and Banks. It was a medium-sized shop that had only brought gems at higher prices; there weren¡¯t any indications that a mana-user or someone with an odd skill was backing it. From the observations he carried out yesterday, it was a middling lifestone shop that came from another city recently.


    Claud didn¡¯t expect it to have any significant backing; it was a good target without any catches whatsoever. As far as easy targets go, this was the textbook example. The only problem was getting inside shops in general was when it was locked up; when it came to thieving, getting into a locked area with only one entrance was the hardest.


    Which was why he was going to do it in broad daylight, when the shop was open. It would be the best use of his skills anyway: Presence Nullification was practically made for daylight theft. Furthermore, there were some¡­extenuating circumstances that would make this run an easy one.


    Checking through his skillstrips once more, Claud tickled the little box, and then told Crown that they would be heading out. As usual, it got the message, and after settling into a snug corner of his clothes, Crown stopped made itself comfortable and ¡ª if Claud didn¡¯t get it wrong ¡ª fell asleep.


    Wowsers. A box falling asleep. With a regular breathing pattern at that. What can I say? After spending a moment to stare into his trouser pocket, Claud smiled and got up from the mattress. Pulling a set of normal clothes on, he went around the ruined furniture in his house and headed out onto the streets.


    It was a very simple job.


    Walk in, steal items, walk out.


    Making his way into the northern part of Licencia, Claud blended into the crowd. Many people were making their way to work, which usually consisted of two types in the city. The first one was ad-hoc work, where people who didn¡¯t like the regimented lifestyle of a regular job would head over to a guild. There were many guilds in every city, each of them specialising in a particular occupation, and these guilds would post requests for help every day.


    The second, naturally, was full time work. There was nothing much to be said about this one, but Claud had nothing but respect for people who could stick to an honest lifestyle. How they were able to endure their low wages was beyond him, especially since anyone had the ability to see how long their own lifespan was. Did they just not like living?


    Claud couldn¡¯t quite tell. At least the people who did ad-hoc work could earn more money, or even rewards that transcended money. Full time workers didn¡¯t have that kind of luxury, especially if they were low level staff.


    Continuing to slip between small groups of workers that were heading for work, Claud looked around the area, checking for other ladies and gentlemen who looked like they were mana-users. Since virtually all mana-users were nobles of one kind or another, they were easy to tell from their clothes and actions.


    Well, most of them, anyway. Once in a while, you do see oddballs like that Dia, who acts like both a noble and a seasoned bounty hunter at the same time. Claud rubbed his nose, before continuing to survey his surroundings. He didn¡¯t want to be blindsided, even if it was an incredibly easy job.


    And with the storm brewing around Licencia, he couldn¡¯t afford to be, either. It didn¡¯t take long for him to arrive at Times and Banks, where its ebony double doors were already open to the public. Two guards flanked the door. One of them was holding a sword, and the other a spear, and from the looks of it, they were definitely experienced.


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    It was possible that one or even both of them were mana-users. After all, even becoming a one-folder took away a hundred years of lifespan; after such a transformation, most mana-users would have a shortened life. Other than seeking appointment under a noble family, businesses that dealt with lifestones were also a viable option.


    Unfortunately, discerning whether someone was a mana-user or not was not an easy task. Unless they showed it off openly ¡ª which was nothing short of idiocy in Claud¡¯s opinion ¡ª no one would know, unless they were already famous people to begin with.


    Heading over to a nearby bakery, where the fragrance of freshly-made bread was wafting into the air, Claud brought a small bag of buns. Popping himself down on one of the many seats near the bakery, Claud chewed through the buns slowly and methodically, surveying the terrain around Times and Banks slowly.


    Since he wasn¡¯t planning on making the theft a violent one, the only thing he was looking out for was things that could affect his entry and exit. For more complicated targets, it would be securing multiple exit routes and potential guard posts.


    Of course, Presence Nullification would render all these preparations moot, but it was good practice nonetheless. After all, he had been forced to navigate strongholds more than once while Presence Nullification and his other skills were all on cooldown; without constant practice, he would have died long ago.


    Practice was the key. Skills, mana¡­everything else was a convenience, and in the interests of time, Claud would use those conveniences.


    However, there was a time and place for everything.


    Finishing off his last bun, Claud produced a skillstrip and tore it. As a rule of thumb, whenever he went on a heist, he would use skillstrips first; it was far easier to activate a skill with one¡¯s mind than by tearing pieces of paper.


    If something happened, it would be good if he could activate his lifesaving cards with a thought.


    Pulling on a full mask and slipping on a pair of gloves, Claud headed towards the open entrance of Times and Banks. Walking past the two guards, who treated him like air, Claud looked around at the interior, and nodded at the sight of the open vault door. There were eight men standing around the area, each of them leaning against the wall.


    One of the most crucial factors behind why he chose Time and Banks was due to this.


    The vault that stored their lifestones couldn¡¯t be closed. The door¡¯s lock was broken when he visited yesterday, and at that time, he¡¯d seen people laying down all kinds of detection artefacts. They would only do that if the vault could not be repaired in a short period of time and they didn¡¯t want to close shop; clearly, this shop was also aiming to control the trade route Count Nightfall had put up for the competition.


    It was bad luck and greed, if nothing else.


    ¡°Gideon,¡± said one of the guards, who was holding a book.


    ¡°What? We¡¯re on the job. Don¡¯t talk.¡±


    ¡°Do you know where the boss is?¡±


    ¡°How would I know?¡± Gideon replied. ¡°Just stand still and keep up appearances. We¡¯re getting paid for standing in front of a door, and you still want to talk?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s boring!¡±


    ¡°You have a freaking book in your hands!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve finished reading it!¡±


    ¡°Why is a scholar playing as a guard again?¡±


    Claud listened to the two men banter back and forth. It was clear that they were just hired on the spot to guard the open vault, so there wasn¡¯t much he could glean from them. Navigating past the eight men slowly, he headed over to the vault door, where a bucketload of lifestones were sitting around peacefully.


    He stared at the ground, where a few artefacts had been installed. He didn¡¯t quite know their exact names, but from the looks of things, they were designed to alert anyone who stepped into them. He wasn¡¯t going to try and see if Presence Nullification could bypass such artefacts here; Claud wanted to just make a killing and nothing else.


    Tearing up his Flight skillslip slowly, he floated above the artefacts and entered the vault proper. The lifestones had been demarcated into four separate groups for convenience, and without much ado, he took the small pile of pure-ranked lifestones.


    Since it barely filled a tenth of his bag, Claud turned to the pile of high-ranked and swept them up too. After depleting that pile, and half of the middle-ranked lifestones, he turned to leave, but that was when the little box in his pocket began to jiggle.


    Claud had a feeling that it was ogling the unwanted low-ranked lifestones, but taking the little fellow out now would definitely be an issue. And besides, it was his policy to leave some bits behind. Without much of a choice, he fished out the little box, placed it in his bag of loot, and floated out of the vault.


    It didn¡¯t take long for him to skirt by the guards inside and around the entrance of Time and Banks.

 Chapter 33: Mana for the masses

    Making his way to the bakery he patronised earlier, Claud fished Crown out of his bag and placed it on his palm. The small box jiggled happily, before rolling up his arms and cuddling into his neck.


    ¡°Such a cute little fellow,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°What exactly are your origins?¡±


    The box jiggled in reply.


    ¡°Oh, that was a rhetorical question. Don¡¯t stress yourself over worrying about it.¡±


    [You have met the requirements to learn ¡®Babysitting¡¯. Learn it?]


    ¡°Urgh. This is the third time I¡¯ve seen this already. Is there any way I can stop these things from showing up?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°They keep obstructing my vision. Can¡¯t I just ignore it or¡ª¡±


    A new textbox appeared in his vision.


    [By saying ¡®Ignore¡¯, you can permanently close any prompt to learn a skill once you see it. To learn a skill whose prompt you¡¯ve ignored, recall the skill name three times in a row. Conveniences of a mana-user discovered: 2/5]


    Claud stared at the translucent blue screen. He wasn¡¯t quite sure which one was better ¡ª the fact that he¡¯d spent most of his life on damn screens that closed after some arbitrary time, or the fact that he now wouldn¡¯t see the same familiar sight anymore.


    ¡°Crown.¡±


    The little box jiggled.


    Claud grinned. ¡°Do you see it? Can you see this notification? A blessing from the gods? That I don¡¯t need to have random screens clutter up my view every so often? This is unbelievable.¡±


    The box jiggled once more. Maybe it wasn¡¯t sure why Claud was so emotional, but as someone whose vision had been obstructed over and over by useless prompts, Claud wasn¡¯t going to let that happen.


    ¡°For most of my life,¡± said Claud, ¡°I¡¯ve been living a life where blue popups would appear at the most random of times. These blue popups would vanish after minutes, hours or even days. And they can overlap with other prompts. There was one time that I was effectively blinded by so, so many screens. Couldn¡¯t see anything.¡±


    He clenched his fist. ¡°And now, I¡¯m free. Ignore.¡±


    The screen vanished. ¡°It¡¯s a great feeling. Maybe you don¡¯t get it, but¡­it¡¯s great to be free of these things!¡±


    Crown rolled over to his neck and nuzzled it. Since its exterior was made out of some soft and velvety material, Claud found the sensation soothing, even more so when he took into account the occasion, and let the little guy nuzzle him more.


    Only the Moons knew that he deserved it.


    ¡°That was a rather touching story,¡± someone said from behind him, ¡°but who are you talking to?¡±


    Claud froze, and then turned to face the person behind him, stowing away Crown smoothly at the same time. ¡°Isolde? What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I came here to grab some bread.¡± She sniffed twice. ¡°So¡­who were you talking to?¡±


    Claud was about to tell her to mind her own business, but it wouldn¡¯t suit his persona. In this city, he was a smooth talker, a quick thinker. He had many flaws, that was for sure, but being unadaptable wasn¡¯t one of them.


    ¡°I was talking to myself,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Just now, I just unlocked the function to ignore skill learning prompts. It got me all emotional.¡±


    ¡°Emotional?¡±


    Claud frowned. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, how old were you when you became a mana-user?¡±


    ¡°I was around six years old,¡± Isolde replied.


    ¡°You had over a hundred years of lifespan at six?¡± Claud asked. ¡°How¡­¡±


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Oh. I began to burn my mana circuits at the age of six,¡± Isolde clarified. ¡°I only reached full completion at eighteen.¡±


    ¡°You started to burn¡­?¡±


    ¡°How in the name of the three Moons did you become a mana-user?¡± Isolde asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m new to this, okay?¡±


    Isolde slapped her forehead. ¡°I¡¯ll get the manual to you as soon as the others are done with it. Okay, first off, mana-users open that Status thing once they¡¯ve burned ten percent of their first mana circuit. You¡¯ll see it there, labelled as ¡®Mana Circuit Superimposition. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so it can be opened once ¡®Mana Circuit Superimposition is at 0.1?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. I¡¯m not sure why you don¡¯t know that, but you get the privilege of seeing your status with that much of a mana circuit complete. This is the reason why even butlers and maids of noble families have some mana in them,¡± Isolde replied.


    ¡°Oh, they have some mana inside them?¡±


    ¡°I mean, to even learn Mana Manipulation, you need to have some amount of mana, right? That¡¯s common knowledge¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no.¡± Claud bobbed his head. ¡°This is something new to me¡­although someone with your origins will definitely think of this as common knowledge.¡±


    ¡°It is common knowledge!¡±


    ¡°Then explain to me why isn¡¯t everyone in Licencia emitting some small amounts of mana,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m quite sure ten years of lifespan is nothing compared to having the prospects of being a mage or something.¡±


    It was Isolde¡¯s turn to freeze up. She looked around the place slowly, her brows furrowed. For a moment, her eyes glowed blue, and an expression of shock surfaced on her face. ¡°You¡¯re¡­right.¡±


    ¡°I know I¡¯m right,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt your words either, though.¡±


    ¡°What are you getting at?¡±


    ¡°Can you guess?¡±


    Claud¡¯s field of vision was narrowed, but the half-baked bounty hunter was clearly no slouch in thinking things through either. The moment he began his rebuttal, Isolde had already shown signs of deriving the conclusion he¡¯d arrived to a few seconds ago.


    It was just her common sense getting in the way.


    ¡°Someone¡­someone¡¯s preventing this from becoming common knowledge in Licencia. And from how information like Mana Manipulation can be learnt is being suppressed¡­¡± Isolde breathed out slowly. ¡°Let me ask you one thing, Claud.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s below a one-folder?¡±


    Claud¡¯s mind blanked out for a moment, and on instinct, he replied, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°That means that you, and probably most of Licencia, do not know what a mana-user exactly means,¡± Isolde replied. ¡°One-folders have a mana circuit superimposition level of 1.0. Below that number is what we call sub-folders. Sub-folders enjoy the same benefits as a one-folder, but they lack the ability to shape mana.¡±


    Her lips curled into a wan smile. ¡°The weakest mages you see out there are just sub-folders with Mana Manipulation, as an illustration. However, the fact that you don¡¯t know that is¡­worrying.¡±


    Claud clicked his teeth. ¡°If I am unaware of such distinctions, it would not be a stretch to say that in general, most commoners would be the same too. I don¡¯t see why you need that question to help me come to this conclusion, though.¡±


    ¡°I needed it,¡± Isolde replied, before closing her eyes. ¡°Say, what do you think might happen if I were to go around and let this secret out to everyone else?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that just yet, if I were you,¡± Claud replied. ¡°You should go around to other sovereignties, and see if the situation is still the same. Umbra Sovereignty doesn¡¯t have this knowledge on sub-folders; it isn¡¯t just Licencia and the smaller towns.¡±


    The rookie¡¯s eyes flashed, and Claud nodded in satisfaction. It would seem that she was beginning to see the message behind Claud¡¯s words. From her initial analysis, Claud could tell that this noble-born bounty hunter had a rather discerning eye, and a functioning ability to reason things from a different point of view.


    It was, frankly speaking, a rather fresh change from the usual snobs he saw. If he had to guess at why she was such a breath of fresh air, the most likely reason was her upbringing.


    Getting up from the table, Claud ordered two bags of meat buns.


    ¡°Here, catch!¡±


    ¡°Meat buns?¡± Isolde asked.


    ¡°The best in this city,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Behold the greatness of buns with a solid chicken filling, marinated in lemon juice and pounded to softness.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like a gourmet meal.¡±


    Claud smirked, and then bit into his own bun. Relishing the meaty goodness, he tore through three buns in rapid succession, only to see Isolde poking at every bun with a silver needle.


    ¡°You know,¡± he said, ¡°you should really get something that defends against poison, or at least detects it automatically. Testing for poison that overtly is just going to make the chef really sad.¡±


    Fortunately, the bakery¡¯s owner was engaged in other pursuits, so he didn¡¯t quite see this heart-breaking display of distrust. Shifting his chair to block her from the baker¡¯s view, Claud took out another bun and scoffed it down.


    ¡°You might have a point, but where do I get such artefacts?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your budget?¡±


    Isolde paused. ¡°For the purposes of this conversation, let¡¯s just say¡­one platinum.¡±


    ¡°Ten thousand gold, eh? That can get you something better than my own Ring of Poison Resistance. If you want to be even surer, go to the town centre and look for a place called¡ª¡±


    ¡°Are you free now?¡± Isolde asked.


    ¡°What, me?¡± Claud, taken aback, nodded. ¡°Nothing much for me to do but to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then go with me,¡± Isolde replied. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you whatever I get too if you do so.¡±


    Claud eyed the bounty hunter. ¡°If you buy yourself a Ring of Poison Resistance, does that mean that you¡¯ll buy one for me too?¡±


    ¡°My words exactly. It¡¯ll be in your interest to give me the best choice.¡±


    ¡°So, that¡¯s how one uses money the right way.¡± Claud bobbed his head. ¡°Fine. You have a deal. Shake on it?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±

 Chapter 34: Shadows that strike

    Getting a pretty girl as a walking partner who was willing to buy you something nice and expensive was a rather rare treat for Claud, who, in his utmost sincerity, had decided to put aside his caution of the noble-born bounty hunter called Isolde.


    Artefacts that warded against poison were things he really desired too. His Ring of Poison Resistance, though great, didn¡¯t guarantee full protection. It could only fend off up to five toxins at once, which meant that anyone who knew math and his anti-poison preparations would have a field day. Of course, he could wear ten rings, which would defend up to fifty poisons at once, but another issue would be that all ten rings would activate at once.


    What if the side dishes had poison too? Or if he was ambushed by arrows with poisoned tips? Or what if the air he breathed in had poison?


    That was not something Claud wanted to see at all. He didn¡¯t gather and ingest that many lifestones just to die from a well-placed ambush. In fact, Claud didn¡¯t even dare to test if Absolute One could be used against poison, because he couldn¡¯t imbue the skill into a skillstrip. If he could, he wouldn¡¯t have been this worried¡­


    He sighed.


    ¡°Why are you sighing?¡± Isolde asked.


    ¡°Just thinking about how hard my life is,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it.¡± Claud waved his hand airily. ¡°You rich people will never understand just how hard it is to secure good equipment to protect your life. Maybe you don¡¯t care, or maybe they just grow on trees.¡±


    ¡°Uh, okay. You¡¯re weird.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Claud thought about the loot on his back, and shook his head. High-ranked lifestones were too valuable to be sold. No, he would use them, so that he could live forever and ever and ever and¡ª


    ¡°Are you alright? You have a weird grin on your face,¡± Isolde asked. ¡°Did you think of something good now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I just thought of my dream, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your dream?¡± Isolde asked.


    ¡°To live forever!¡± Claud thumped his chest. ¡°If you work hard enough, you can get enough lifestones to live until a few thousand years old! Isn¡¯t that great?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah. I guess.¡± Isolde didn¡¯t seem to quite agree with Claud, however.


    ¡°What? You don¡¯t think my dream¡¯s a good one?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°How do I put it¡­why do you want to live forever?¡± Isolde asked. ¡°There has to be a reason, right? You don¡¯t just want to live forever for the sake of living forever, no?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Claud replied. ¡°Look, there are some great things in life. Eating! Watching the sunrise! Talking to new people! Having fun! But you can¡¯t do all these once you¡¯re dead, right? Once the Moons claim your soul, that¡¯s it. Over! Done! Only by living forever can you do all these!¡±


    ¡°But you can be killed easily, right? And wouldn¡¯t becoming say, a tetra-folder, make it easier for you to gather more and more lifestones?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    It was Isolde¡¯s turn to get excited. ¡°Look, if you¡¯re someone really strong, you¡¯ll be able to create an organisation with you at the helm! You can get people to bring you lifestones!¡±


    ¡°And how would I create an organisation that would do precisely that?¡±


    ¡°¡­we¡¯re starting there? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be, like, someone really clever? What happened to the intelligence I saw from you? Gone with the buns?¡±


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    Claud had the feeling that Isolde just insulted him three times in a row, but he didn¡¯t really mind. An organisation that was centred around feeding him lifestones sounded great, so after nodding his head rapidly, he pressed Isolde to continue with her explanation.


    ¡°From what I know, you don¡¯t normally show this level of liveliness¡­¡±


    Claud turned on his ¡®act cute¡¯ eyes and gazed at Isolde until she turned away, embarrassed. ¡°Fine, fine. Let me teach you the basics of running an organisation, until we arrive.¡±


    Nodding his head, Claud focused on Isolde¡¯s words.


    ¡°Okay, so the basics of an organisation can be enunciated with three words. Loyalty, interest and hierarchy. The core of an organisation is loyalty; only by inspiring it within your followers will they follow you wholeheartedly. However, this is an ideal; you must first rope people in with benefits. Money! Protection! Reputation! Things like these. Got it so far?¡±


    Claud, under her overly-eager speech, nodded.


    ¡°Good. When everyone shares a common interest, it is easy to work together. What you want, however, is for everyone to work for you. It¡¯s a step harder. For that reason, you need hierarchy. And the person above must be able to provide something the person below cannot get.¡± Isolde folded her arms. ¡°For instance, a landowner is capable of creating an organisation, because he or she is able to provide land.¡±


    Claud thought about gangs, and how they designated certain areas as their territory. ¡°It seems like the easiest way.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like the easiest way,¡± Isolde replied. ¡°It is the easiest way. Land and properties are the best way to create an organisation. As long as you control your own plot, and that plot has hard-to-replicate benefits, an organisation would form quickly.¡±


    Claud really wished that he could take down notes, since Isolde was teaching him things that he never understood.


    ¡°Now, once you have the basis of interest ¡ª land, other money-earning ventures and the like ¡ª you must create a hierarchy. A formalised system of exchanges. What do you give? And what do they get?¡±


    ¡°So like rent, eh? Or protection money!¡±


    Isolde reached over and rubbed his head. ¡°You¡¯re a good student, Claud. Yes. Exactly. An exchange of benefits. If they disrespect the hierarchy, they should also be punished. Like, uhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Gangs beating up shopkeepers who can¡¯t pay?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Uh, yeah. Something like that. But I wasn¡¯t thinking of such a violent example¡­but you get the point.¡±


    ¡°So what about loyalty?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Loyalty¡­is a rather nebulous concept. It is hard to nurture, yet exceptionally easy to foster at times. According to my father¡± ¡ªher words faltered slightly¡ª ¡°the fastest way is a crisis. An external threat that threatens to crush the organisation. Resistance creates¡ª¡±


    Claud¡¯s instincts screamed a warning. Throwing himself at Isolde, the two of them rolled onto the ground, just in time to dodge a lightning-fast arrow. Before he could draw breath, another arrow whistled towards his current location.


    The wristguard on his left hand ¡ª the Windwall Wristguard ¡ª lit up, and the area in front of them warped, a trick of the light caused by the hardening of air. An arrow smashed into the defence a moment later, creating a minor earthquake. Screams came from all around Claud, and the random passerbys Claud had ignored so far began to flee, leaving them alone.


    Cursing, Claud checked on Isolde, who was staring at the direction where the arrows came from. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Shopping trip¡¯s over! We need to flee!¡± Without any hesitation, Isolde grabbed Claud¡¯s hand and broke into a sprint. ¡°Go, go! Get into shelter! They¡¯re coming for me!¡±


    ¡°For you?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Go! Find a shop and get inside. They won¡¯t pursue you.¡± Turning a corner, Isolde pushed Claud into the first open shop she saw. ¡°Don¡¯t go out and get yourself killed. Your dream is a great one. Don¡¯t let it die here.¡±


    Before Claud could respond, she had vanished, turning into a streak of blue light. Mana was emanating off her body and shooting into the skies, creating a pillar of light.


    A declaration of battle? Why else would she try to make herself so conspicuous?


    Shadows darted past the doorway of the shop he was in right now, none of them sparing him a glance. None of them looked like an opponent Isolde was preparing to face; for starters, those grey clothes and masks didn¡¯t exactly point at them being the kind of people to fight in honourable single combats. Furthermore, the arrows that had been fired at them earlier also hinted at the same thing: these people weren¡¯t warriors.


    They were assassins.


    ¡°Damnit,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Damnit. Isolde, who did you anger? Why are assassins after you?¡±


    He took a few deep breaths, and then left the shop. Tearing up a skillstrip, he followed after the assassins unnoticed, as they took up positions all around the street. In the middle was the bounty hunter, who had drawn a sword. Her face was calm and tranquil, but the occasional quiver of the blade¡¯s tip gave her fear away.


    Claud ran through her thought process. If she was confident enough to stand here, she probably was someone who had skills for fighting in close-range. The only issue came from the fellows with bows, throwing knives and whatever other ranged weapons they had.


    They were probably tinged with poison too.


    Working with that assumption in mind, it would be pointless for him to go and help Isolde directly. He had a few working options here, and as someone who didn¡¯t like violence¡­

 Chapter 35: A non-violent end to a violent confrontation

    Claud knew full well that if it was anyone else who had been in his position, they would probably try to kill off some of the assassins after Isolde. They would probably take out the enemies with bows or something, in order to increase her chances of winning. Some of the more heroic ones might even jump into the fight, take on some of her assailants.


    To Claud, however, these actions were just going to shorten his lifespan. No, he had a better idea. Producing a skillstick that held Presence Nullification, he jogged towards the town square, where Isolde was clashing with four assassins, who were all dressed in grey.


    As he neared the battle, Isolde parried a glowing strike. Her leg lashed out a moment later, sending the unbalanced attacker flying, but before she could land a killing blow, arrows flew in once more, forcing her to back away. The sound of bows firing in unison rang out once more, harsh and unpleasant to the ears, and Isolde¡¯s blade flashed wildly to form a silvery screen.


    Up close, he could tell that her defence had been effective, but he could also tell that the arrows were glowing blue. In other words, they had been enhanced with mana.


    So many mana-users¡­what¡¯s the force that¡¯s after Isolde? Claud clicked his teeth. He owed her a great debt, since she had imparted to him the ways of creating and running an organisation, so he couldn¡¯t just stand by idly and let her get killed by a bunch of rapscallions.


    Another volley of arrows came in, which Isolde deflected with masterful skill. Before she could draw breath, however, the four assassins pounced onto her from all directions. In that moment of crisis, Isolde¡¯s sword seemed to come alive. Twirling on the spot, her blade drew peculiar, impossible arcs that deflected the assassins¡¯ assault, drawing blood at the same time.


    The four of them flew back and slammed into the ground hard. Bleeding off the force by rolling, the assassins exchanged glances with each other, and then vanished from view.


    Claud paused. The assassins had clearly activated a skill of sorts. Maybe it was Presence Nullification, like his, or a skill that rendered them invisible. Either way, it was bad news for Isolde, who was clearly a regular fighter¡­and the best news that Claud could hope for.


    Arrows began to shoot towards her in earnest, as the supporting archers fired over and over to make openings for their undetectable brethren. By all accounts, unless Isolde had something that could help her perceive those unseen foes, she would most likely die here.


    That is, if Claud wasn¡¯t around. Stopping at a few metres away from Isolde, he gripped the skillstick in his hand. Right now, the bounty hunter was on edge; she was going to attack anything she saw as a threat.


    This was the reaction Claud was hoping for.


    Throwing out the skillstick at Isolde, he watched in satisfaction as her sword crushed the little fragile thing into splinters. Immediately afterwards, her lithe form began to fade away, and Claud nodded with satisfaction.


    She had activated the skillstick he¡¯d tossed out with that slice, and in a way that left little evidence behind too.


    For a moment, the battlefield fell silent. The archers had stopped firing, clearly confused by the sudden departure of their quarry from the battlefield. The sensation of activating a skill was rather distinct; even a fool would know that they had activated something.


    ¡°She¡¯s gone!¡±


    ¡°Use your detection skill, fools!¡±


    Shouts filled the square, and in the ruckus, someone had the bright idea to use a searching skill. A ring of nebulous power ebbed outwards from a random spot in the street, and Claud¡¯s body lit up with an emerald green, along with three other green outlines. Arrows flew at them a moment later, and three men in grey rematerialized as they blocked the incoming attacks, scattering the arrows.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    The last assassin appeared a few seconds later.


    ¡°Darn it. She¡¯s gone,¡± said the burliest assassin. ¡°What happened? Did you guys see it?¡±


    ¡°She was deflecting the arrows when she randomly vanished,¡± another assassin replied. ¡°What manner of escape was that?¡±


    ¡°I suspect that she teleported away,¡± said the earlier speaker. ¡°Or else she would have shown up when I used Life Search.¡±


    ¡°Ausch, use Mana Search too. She might be using mana tools to hide.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    Power coursed out of him, making Claud and the others glow blue, but the burly assassin named Ausch shook his head. ¡°No dice, Luthor. Looks like a teleport skill, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it even possible to learn teleport skills nowadays?¡± Luthor asked.


    ¡°Beats me, but that¡¯s the only explanation we have for this. Nothing can hide from Life and Mana Search,¡± Ausch replied.


    You¡¯re right about that, Ausch. Claud let out a grin. I mean, it worked. You just couldn¡¯t notice the two of us. We could be in bright pink and dancing on a ball, and you¡¯d never notice us. All hail Presence Nullification!


    ¡°Moons take her. How did she learn a teleport skill?¡± Luthor looked around, irritated. ¡°Can we mobilise someone with Dimensional Anchor? How much does the Emperor want her?¡±


    Emperor? Emperor Grandis? Who are these guys?


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but we¡¯ll find out soon. For now, fall back and reconvene at the count¡¯s palace.¡± Ausch flashed a few hand signals at the archers, who began to meld with the sky. Evidently, they had also activated their invisibility skill, which was important for missions and cool exits¡­although the four on the ground had to scramble away in a less dignified way.


    Wiping a bead of sweat of his brow, Claud returned to the shop where Isolde had shoved him in. That encounter had been scary. That Isolde definitely had more secrets than she cared to let on, given the strength of her pursuers. If he had intervened with a conventional method, there would just have been one more dead body on the streets.


    It was sobering to think about it, but against that many mana-users, each with their own skills, Claud really didn¡¯t have the confidence of making it out that easily. Just who did Isolde provoke? And, if he didn¡¯t hear things wrongly, why would Emperor Grandis want her dead or alive?


    There were so many questions he wanted answers to, but¡­


    Shaking his head, he waited near the shop, whiling away the skill¡¯s duration. He could forcibly deactivate it by making contact with someone, but that had a high chance of making someone faint from fright. It would be better to wait it out naturally, unless there was an urgent need to communicate.


    More importantly, no one would notice anything odd if Presence Nullification wore off on its own. People would just notice one extra person standing around, and that would be it.


    Squatting on the ground under a tree, Claud began to draw small circles on the ground with a stray tree branch he¡¯d picked up. Other than the gems in his bag, the master thief now had a new target in mind for a night visit ¡ª Count Nightfall¡¯s palace. The masked men earlier had talked about meeting back up at a ¡®count¡¯s palace¡¯, and there was only one place that could only be referred to as such.


    If he played his cards right, the count might not even notice that a bunch of lifestones were missing, or at least he wouldn¡¯t suspect a thief.


    After all, there were some rather good suspects at his place, weren¡¯t there?


    Presence Nullification wore off ten minutes later, at which point he stood up and entered the shop that Isolde had pushed him into earlier. It was likely that Isolde would be waiting for him there, if only to give him an explanation¡­and to hear about why everyone seemed to ignore her all of a sudden.


    He closed his eyes for a few more minutes, opening them when he felt someone appear in front of him. Claud didn¡¯t quite have the words to explain how he felt when he saw the effects of Presence Nullification wear off, as usual, but it was an intriguing sensation nonetheless.


    ¡°Isolde.¡± A small smile graced his lips.


    She grunted. The expression on her face was somewhat delightful to savour, as a mix of gratitude and guilt, and Claud found it a pity when her face returned to a mask of neutrality.


    ¡°Was that you earlier?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Two lifesaving skillsticks, gone like that.¡±


    He made a point on the word ¡®skillsticks¡¯, since most people used their more ephemeral counterpart to store their own skills. Although both skillsticks and skillstrips were considered as trump cards of a sort ¡ª the former was regarded with far more value, since the skills stored on them had no time limit. It would not do him any favours if anyone found out that one of his skills was Presence Nullification, after all.


    ¡°How much did they cost?¡± Isolde asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to know,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I am happy to see that you¡¯re safe, but I think you need to disguise yourself better if your enemies have tracked you here.¡±


    She mulled over his words for a moment, and then nodded.


    ¡°Well, those assassins have retreated for now,¡± said Claud. ¡°I think it¡¯s a good idea to get you some artefacts that could save your life if they attack again. Shall we?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, then. I¡¯ll need another artefact. Mind introducing something that can disguise me?¡±


    Her words, for some reason, seemed a bit odd to Claud, but after thinking it through for a few moments, he couldn¡¯t quite pinpoint the issue. Tossing it to the back of his mind, he began to lead the way.

 Chapter 36: The thief flaunts with a borrowed purse

    With such a huge ruckus, the count¡¯s men had to be both blind and deaf to not take action. Working under such an assumption, Claud had no issues with leading the target of an assassination into the city centre, since it was unlikely for these fellows to strike. Isolde¡¯s assassins weren¡¯t going to come back for round two anytime soon, unless they really wanted to strike up a conflict with Count Nightfall.


    Unless, of course, they had Emperor Grandis¡¯ written orders to allow this.


    After getting Isolde to at least show some respect for her pursuers by wearing a mask and a cloak, Claud finally broached the topic that Isolde had been consciously avoiding for the past fifteen minutes.


    ¡°So, why was a team of mana-users after you?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to know,¡± Isolde replied, repeating Claud¡¯s words with the exact same intonation. Granted, his intention when he brushed off her implicit desire to make reparations was because he would feel bad cheating her, but the chances of her having that exact sentiment in mind when she said those words were probably lower than one percent.


    ¡°I got involved in this,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m not going to discount the possibility that those grey fellows might find out about my butting in. I need to know who they were, at least, so that I could make some preparations if retribution for being nosy ever comes by.¡±


    ¡°In the first place, why did you even come to help?¡± Isolde paused. ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡±


    ¡°No issue.¡± Claud waved his hands airily. ¡°It¡¯s natural for you to be emotional after an attempt on your life. Anyone would be.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± She looked away.


    Claud breathed out slowly. ¡°Look. Even if you don¡¯t want to tell me why they were after you, you should at least let me know who these people were, and who they worked for. I believe that¡¯s the minimum someone who saved the target of an assassination should know.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re¡­Claud. Can you keep a secret?¡±


    ¡°The word ¡®secret¡¯ is my second name,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯ll be safe with me. I swear this to the Moons.¡±


    Isolde nodded, satisfied by his vow. ¡°They¡¯re probably the Shadows of Grandis.¡±


    For a moment, Claud¡¯s mind turned blank. The three words ¡®Shadows¡¯, ¡®of¡¯, and ¡®Grandis¡¯ carried meanings of their own, but he couldn¡¯t quite put them together for some reason. The three words vanished from his mind a moment later, and the master thief was forced to ask her to repeat her answer.


    ¡°They should be the Shadows of Grandis,¡± Isolde repeated.


    ¡°Shadows of Grandis? Emperor Grandis¡¯ personal spooks?¡± Claud asked numbly. ¡°Those fellows, the hounds of the Emperor himself?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Claud closed his eyes for a moment. Sure, he had somewhat expected this possibility when he overheard the assassins¡¯ conversation, but the Shadows of Grandis were¡­well. They were the stuff of nightmares in the Grandis Continent; the personal knife of Emperor Grandis himself.


    A single Shadow could be the main antagonist of a storyteller¡¯s work, and no one would blink an eye. They had a fearsome reputation, and for a single reason ¡ª the Shadows of Grandis was beyond the law. Any actions done to preserve the Empire¡¯s peace or to execute Emperor Grandis¡¯ order would be exempted from all laws save for the Emperor¡¯s words.


    Actions that were exempted included rape, mass murders, coups, systematic extermination, slavery¡­anything and worse, legality be damned. It was something commoners like Claud knew and feared, but so far, the master thief had the pleasure of not meeting one.


    ¡°By the Moons, Isolde. What did you do? Did you, I don¡¯t know, steal the underwear of Emperor Grandis? Why would his personal killers pursue you like this?¡± Claud rubbed his head.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything at all,¡± Isolde replied. ¡°And I don¡¯t think Emperor Grandis cares about me personally. It¡¯s probably Duke Istrel; dukes have the authority to command a small number of his Shadows. If the Emperor himself really cared, I wouldn¡¯t have made it out.¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    Claud eyed her, and then sighed. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re pretty much harmless. Won¡¯t even harm a fly, even. So? With enemies like this, what are you planning on doing?¡±


    ¡°I wish I knew the answer to that question too,¡± Isolde replied, her voice quivering. ¡°But I myself have no idea. I need to catch a person to prove my innocence, but that person just so happens to be someone who predates the Third Godsfall. What am I supposed to do?¡±


    ¡°What does Tot have to do with your current dilemma?¡± Claud asked. ¡°As far as I know, the only thing he took was a Pure-Life gem and some treasure, right?¡±


    ¡°I need him to testify that there were pure-ranked lifestones that he didn¡¯t steal,¡± Isolde replied. ¡°Right now, the Emperor¡¯s anger is directed at the fact that Tot indirectly caused Ruler Umbra¡¯s death by stealing the¡­only pure-ranked lifestone the Istrel Dukedom had.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t Emperor Grandis doubt that angle first?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Pure-ranked lifestones aren¡¯t, by any means, rare for someone like Ruler Umbra, right? There¡¯s gotta be lots of tax and resources flowing to him, given that he¡¯s the overseer of Istrel, Lustre and Schwa.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the point. The Emperor should be aware of the truth, but¡­¡±


    Claud clicked his tongue. ¡°Politics.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s making it sound too simple, but you¡¯re probably right,¡± Isolde replied. ¡°Politics. What¡¯s going on at the highest levels of the Emperor¡¯s court? And how did Ruler Umbra die? He had to have thousands of years remaining, right?¡±


    Claud licked his lips at the incredibly long lifespan the late Ruler Umbra had. ¡°What a waste of so many lifestones.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Ruler Umbra used so many lifestones, but he didn¡¯t even get to live out his natural lifespan. What a waste, what a waste.¡±


    Isolde glared at him, speechless. ¡°Why are you focusing on that bit?¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, hehe!?¡±


    ¡°It is a waste. I¡¯m just stating a categorical truth,¡± Claud replied, a smile on his face. ¡°If he had that many years of life, why didn¡¯t he become the Empire¡¯s next penta-folder? Look at all that life energy, now gone with his corpse.¡±


    ¡°You¡­don¡¯t really know much about Ruler Umbra, do you?¡±


    ¡°Well, I know that his son is Duke Istrel,¡± Claud replied, glancing down at his clothes. Everyone was sporting the same white armband on their left forearm; it had become a mandatory part of their clothes to the point that clothes with a white strip on their left sleeve was in fashion. Even though this was Count Nightfall¡¯s territory, the count was a subordinate of Duke Istrel, which meant that his decree about mourning also held in this county.


    The guards, however, probably didn¡¯t care about the decree unless they wanted to earn a quick buck by selling white armbands to those who weren¡¯t wearing them, at which point the decree suddenly became a fundamental law. Of course, anyone who looked like nobility wasn¡¯t a target for extortion, but this Isolde was giving off mixed signals regarding her heritage.


    ¡°Well, Ruler Umbra is a penta-folder,¡± Isolde replied. ¡°Which is why his murder was such a big deal to begin with. Didn¡¯t you know?¡±


    ¡°A penta-folder?¡± Claud¡¯s chain of thoughts shattered. ¡°A penta-folder was killed?¡±


    The two stared at each other helplessly. Isolde let out a helpless sigh. ¡°I see details really aren¡¯t your forte.¡±


    ¡°I am very detail-oriented when it comes to issues regarding my life and my future,¡± Claud corrected. ¡°Anything else can go and sulk in the corner while I make myself satisfied. I don¡¯t even know where Grandia is, other than some vague place in the centre of the Grandis continent.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s at¡­no, never mind. I get a feeling you really aren¡¯t into information regarding things like these anyway.¡± Isolde rolled her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to reach an understanding with you,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway, the shop I talked about is here. You do have enough money on you, right? The artefacts here aren¡¯t cheap at all.¡±


    He stopped in front of a tower. Made out of purple glossy bricks, it stood out like a sore thumb in the drab cityscape. ¡°Welcome to the Artisan¡¯s Adherence, home of the finest artefacts in Licencia.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t they do the promoting?¡± Isolde asked, casting a glance at the guards standing by the entrance.


    ¡°They¡¯re guards,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Let them do their guard thing.¡±


    He felt two separate gazes fall on him as he spoke, but other than that, they didn¡¯t show any indication that they had heard his words.


    ¡°I-if you say so, then. Do you get a cut or something if you bring people to buy from this place?¡± Isolde asked. ¡°You seemed oddly enthusiastic earlier.¡±


    ¡°You do remember your promise, right?¡± Claud replied. ¡°You said that you would buy me anything you brought. Of course I¡¯ll be enthusiastic. There¡¯s some artefacts I¡¯ve had my eyes on for a long time, something that was too expensive for me to buy.¡±


    The smile on his face vanished. ¡°And I¡¯ve been feeling threatened in recent times. Today is a good day to drop some money.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Isolde nodded. ¡°Expensive, eh? I like that word.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t quite know how to respond to that overblown display of personal wealth, so he made do with the basics of communication ¡ª flattery. After laying just enough praise to not seem obnoxious, he called over a staff member, who was just overjoyed to see a customer willing to splurge.


    ¡°How can I help you, sir and ma¡¯am?¡±


    ¡°We want to see the best artefacts you have for poison resistance and disguises,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°What¡¯s your budget?¡±


    Isolde eyed Claud, and then coughed. ¡°We¡¯ll go with¡­a total of eight platinum.¡±


    ¡°Very good, ma¡¯am.¡±


    Claud exchanged stares with the staff member, who was probably wondering about his showboating when the wallet didn¡¯t belong to him in the first place, and then chuckled.


    ¡°I just wanted to try showing off, okay?¡±


    Isolde shrugged. ¡°Well, you can try holding my money, then. If that makes you feel better.¡±


    ¡°Why do I get the feeling of being pitied?¡±

 Chapter 37: Creative applications

    ¡°So, what¡¯s the difference between this Ring of Poison Warding and this Pendant of Poison Immunity?¡± Isolde asked. ¡°Both can be used five times every day, and their effects seem similar.¡±


    The staff member was clearly flummoxed by that question, and his eyes shifted to Claud, who was whiling away the time by looking at a bunch of one-use artefacts called Life Cloaks. Once activated, detection artefacts and skills that relied on detecting life would not work on the user for thirty minutes, but Claud was wondering if he could get a reusable variant of such an artefact.


    ¡°Claud, do you know what are the differences between these artefacts?¡± Isolde asked once more, directing the question to him.


    ¡°One prevents poison from entering the body, the other prevents poison from taking effect on the body,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It is reasonable to assume that the ring has an effect similar to Cleanse, a skill one can learn from the Green God¡¯s clergy and Blessed. The pendant is closer to Detoxify, a skill that nullifies the effects of poison in the body.¡±


    ¡°Great, but which one¡¯s better?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask how the ring works, then. Does it cleanse poisoned items that come into contact with the wearer?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how it works, sir.¡±


    ¡°In that case¡­I advise you choose the Pendant of Poison Immunity,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Most people say that prevention is better than cure, but with your skills, you¡¯re most likely to be poisoned by tainted weapons, where you just can¡¯t choose not to partake of the poisonous element.¡±


    ¡°Partake of the poisonous element. What an odd way of phrasing it.¡± Isolde raised the pendant to the light. ¡°Well, I accept your advice. We¡¯ll take two pendants, then.¡±


    ¡°Very good, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll conclude the purchase before we choose our second artefact,¡± said Isolde. ¡°I need to keep an eye on the budget. Claud, can you handle the payment? I¡¯ll go check out the other artefacts in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°Sure, okay.¡±


    While he made his way towards the counter, Claud couldn¡¯t help but think about a kid who had been authorised by his parents to make payment. With an odd look on his face, he paid for two Pendants of Poison Immunity, and then returned to where Isolde was.


    ¡°Having fun?¡±


    ¡°Rarely do I get to touch a platinum coin,¡± said Claud, passing her the second Pendant of Poison immunity, ¡°so it was a novel experience.¡±


    He was telling the truth here. Although high and pure-ranked lifestones were valued in platinum, the rarity and utility of these objects made it so that he would never sell them for money. Furthermore, selling lifestones of such quality was usually a reason for trouble; their value was enough for the less scrupulous lifestone shops to send out some¡­investigators.


    The kind of investigators who carried swords. Claud, who was more averse to conflict than a sleeping baby, wasn¡¯t going to risk his life for some money, even if it paid out in platinum coins. Besides, as it stood right now, high and pure-ranked lifestones increased his lifespan far more than middle-ranked ones, and low-ranked lifestones had no more effect on him.


    ¡°We rarely deal with platinum here,¡± said the attendant accompanying Isolde. ¡°Usually we get dealings done with gold coins, or notes worth a hundred gold each.¡±


    ¡°Notes?¡± Isolde asked.


    ¡°As part of the banking reforms,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It rolled out here last year, but hundred gold is still a lot of money.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    The attendant nodded. ¡°Furthermore, the cost-effectiveness of more expensive artefacts is lower than their cheaper counterparts, even if they have features like more uses and whatnot.¡±


    ¡°We pay a premium for security, after all. I got my Ring of Poison Resistance from this shop for ten gold, which is really a small price to pay, considering that it only has one-fifth the uses of the pendant we just brought,¡± Claud supplied.


    Incidentally, the deal Claud had closed with Brilliant Green was done in gold notes too, which was one reason he wasn¡¯t literally weighted down by money.


    ¡°I did ask for the best, after all.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Given the nature of your...circumstances, I recommend that you spend some money to buy some lower quality artefacts too. Things that can create solid defences and obstructions, offensive artefacts that can replicate attacking skills¡­the more you have, the better.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°We do have a batch of such defensive artefacts, sir.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Claud paused, and then controlled himself. ¡°We should settle her requests first, however. She needs an impeccable disguise artefact. Is there any in the selection you brought out?¡±


    ¡°Impeccable disguise?¡± Isolde asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be costly, but basically, it¡¯s a term given to artefacts that can maintain a disguise permanently, as long as mana is supplied. The effects of these artefacts will not be dispelled upon contact with other people or objects, only when the Dispel skill or some variant of it is used,¡± Claud explained. ¡°It¡¯s the best type of artefact one can have if they want to maintain a long-term disguise.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t have explained it any better,¡± said the attendant. ¡°Sir, are you looking for a job? You seem very knowledgeable about artefacts.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that I love them for their utility,¡± Claud replied, glancing at his nametag. ¡°Thank you for your offer, Holtman. But your boss asked me that question before, and my answer¡¯s the same: I¡¯ll consider it if I ever am unemployed.¡±


    ¡°Someone as gifted as you probably won¡¯t be unemployed, however.¡±


    Claud chuckled, and engaged in a few rounds of flattery with the attendant, before turning his attention onto two artefacts the attendant produced.


    ¡°The Umbral Undershirt. A specialty product of Ruler Umbra¡¯s personal production team,¡± Holtman explained. ¡°It has massive utility; one can adjust the five main identification factors with it: appearance, voice, scent, mana and life signature.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s one downside, though.¡± Holtman smiled. ¡°Have you heard of anyone willing to wear an inner shirt for the rest of their disguised days?¡±


    Isolde shuddered. At the same time, a phantom itch assaulted Claud¡¯s mind, and the master thief scratched his neck. Wearing the same thing without removing it, even if he had the Refresher, was somewhat gross to Claud, and if a seasoned master thief as great as himself felt that way¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s the other artefact?¡± Isolde asked, her eye on the bangle. Claud could see hope in those eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Band of Duplicity. Wearers can change their identification factors to that of someone in their vision, while making some minor adjustments,¡± the attendant answered. ¡°This obviously presents some issues of their own, notably the fact that you¡¯ll be using someone else as a base template. You might end up in unwarranted trouble, or vice-versa.¡±


    ¡°It is better than wearing the same thing all the time, though.¡±


    Claud nodded his head. ¡°How much is the Band of Duplicity?¡±


    ¡°Four platinum.¡±


    Isolde¡¯s mouth fell open for a moment. Turning to Claud with a sheepish expression on her face, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t think I can get one for you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Forty thousand gold, right? I think I actually have that much,¡± Claud forced out. ¡°I¡¯ll take one.¡±


    ¡°You have that much?¡± Isolde asked.


    ¡°Call it my life savings,¡± Claud replied, his voice strained. ¡°I¡¯ll be surviving on apple juice from now on. But it¡¯s crucial to preserve my life.¡±


    ¡°O-okay.¡± Isolde patted his shoulder, a hint of guilt on her face. ¡°Stay strong.¡±


    ¡°Mm.  I still have a thousand gold left, but I¡¯m going to splurge on more defensive artefacts.¡± Claud gritted his teeth. It was okay to survive on apple juice, or failing that, he could ¡ª very reluctantly ¡ª sell some of his newly-obtained spoils at Brilliant Green.


    Even if that resulted in some suspicion on him.


    On me¡­For a moment, Claud had the makings of an inspired idea, but he couldn¡¯t quite grasp it. After struggling fruitlessly to revive that moment of inspiration, he gave up. Making their way to the counter, Claud passed four stacks of hundred-gold notes, while Isolde watched on.


    ¡°Incidentally, what¡¯s on the higher floors?¡± Isolde asked, once the transaction was complete.


    ¡°The cheaper artefacts,¡± Claud replied. ¡°You get personal service on the ground floor. The higher floors, however, you¡¯ll need a professional.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m all too happy to help, however,¡± said the attendant. ¡°You two are, after all, valued customers.¡±


    ¡°Is there something like a membership for Artisan¡¯s Adherence?¡± Claud asked, curious.


    ¡°Unfortunately, no,¡± Holtman replied with a shrug. ¡°But I believe that good service from me would prompt customers to return here if they ever have the need for service.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting philosophy.¡± Isolde looked down on the Bangle of Duplicity. ¡°Right, how do I tell if an artefact¡¯s effects and the number of charges? Do I need to use it myself?¡±


    ¡°Look for someone with an Appraisal skill,¡± said the attendant. ¡°Of course, at our famous establishment, we naturally provide skillstrips with Appraisal. I was about to pass you two some of them when I found the opportunity to do so.¡±


    ¡°Let me try, let me try!¡± Isolde, all eager, took the skillstrip and tore it into two. Claud mirrored her actions, and his vision took on a shade of purple.


    [Appraisal activated. For ten minutes, you can learn the effects of mortal tools by looking at them.]


    He¡¯d used it before, so after checking that the two items were indeed the same, Claud got bored and started examining everything around him. Most of them were rather mundane, unless he was staring at an artefact, in which case lots of words would appear on the pop-up panel.


    [Dress: covers the skin of someone usually of the female gender.]


    [Door: Prevents and allows entry into a designated area]


    [Mana Blaster: Fires a concentrated beam of mana that can only be stopped by a mana barrier of equivalent power or a stone wall three metres thick. Charges: 5/5. Time to fully recharge: 18 hours]


    One had to be careful when using Appraisal, as sweeping a gaze across a shop full of artefacts would trigger a whole lot of panels to show up. It was easy to tell if someone was currently blind, as¡ª


    Something smacked into his nose, and Claud stumbled. ¡°Isolde, what are you¡ªoh, crap. You there, help me hold her down!¡±


    Restraining the blinded bounty hunter with the attendant¡¯s help, Claud forced her onto a sitting position. ¡°Don¡¯t move. Just relax and wait for ten minutes to pass. The panels in your vision will vanish once that happens.¡±


    She nodded.


    Exchanging helpless looks with the attendant, Claud sighed. How did this bounty hunter seem so experienced and na?ve at the same time? He couldn¡¯t quite tell.

 Chapter 38: Shopping, safety and surpluses

    Dia, who had been blinded by the pop-up of over a hundred blue screens, couldn¡¯t help but feel some fear when Claud and the attendant with them made her sit down on the floor. A small fear had taken root in her heart at this moment of helplessness; it was a vulnerability that she had never experienced, especially a vulnerability in the public eye. If someone were to fire an arrow at her or something right now, she would be unable to stop it at all.


    Forcing herself to remain calm in this sudden incapacitation, she regulated her breathing, casting out her senses to feel the world around her. Claud, who had saved her by using two valuable skillstrips, was now pacing around her warily, presumably worried that someone would strike in her moment of weakness.


    Her heart was still pounding when the deluge of screens vanished. Like snow in the spring sun, they melted away a few minutes later, revealing the world around her once more.


    ¡°Done?¡± Claud asked.


    Dia looked at the mana-user, and then accepted the hand he extended. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    As she got up, Dia couldn¡¯t help but notice that Claud¡¯s nose was bruised and bleeding. ¡°What happened to your nose?¡±


    ¡°It kissed the back of your head very hard,¡± Claud replied, a faint ¡ª if pained ¡ª smile on his face. ¡°Can¡¯t say that I enjoyed the experience. Well, I suppose this will be a good object lesson for you, either way. Be careful of someone trying to kill you with this method; the wrong skill activating at the wrong time might just end you.¡±


    Dia considered his words for a moment. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡±


    She knew what he was referring to. Earlier, when the assassins had abruptly vanished and she was fending off a storm of arrows, Dia had destroyed a skillstick that Claud had tossed at her. He had done it with good intentions in mind, but she wouldn¡¯t be that lucky all the time.


    ¡°Good that you know.¡± His face took on a hint of excitement. ¡°Let¡¯s go up into the middle areas. I rarely go on a shopping spree; I might as well spend my remaining gold on gearing up.¡±


    For some reason, Claud was oddly enthusiastic about buying equipment. It reminded of those¡­friends she¡¯d made when she was still the princess of the Lustre Dukedom; the way they took to any new developments or trends was similar to Claud.


    At the thought of home, her chest hurt slightly. Despite the way her father acted, he probably had found it hard to take action too. That would explain the half-hearted measures he took to apprehend them ¡ª now that she had enough time to think through the whole thing, the idea that he had allowed her to escape to seek out the real culprit was very possible.


    But¡­


    Father, I don¡¯t think I can do it after all. Tot is a monster from before the Third Godsfall. How am I supposed to capture such a person? Dia took a deep breath, before dispelling whatever worries she had. There was, of course, another road of survival available to her ¡ª a life of fleeing from the Shadows of Grandis. Her brother was safe, this much was already a given; so long as she remained alive and at liberty, there was still hope.


    ¡°Say, Claud.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the most important thing when it comes to pursuing one¡¯s hope and dreams?¡± Dia asked.


    For a moment, Claud paused, clearly thrown off by the sudden non-sequitur. Wiping the blood on his nose off, he smiled. ¡°Easy. The most important thing is to stay alive. And free. With life comes hope, and all else follows. Why do you think I¡¯m so eager to spend on defensive artefacts? Because they help in ensuring that.¡±


    ¡°With life comes hope¡­¡± Dia nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go up and check out those defensive artefacts.¡±


    ¡°Mind leading us?¡± Claud asked.


    The attendant nodded. ¡°I must really thank you for the sales. I gain a commission of them, and today¡¯s sales have been very, very fruitful.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Claud replied testily, ¡°I knew that from like last year, Holtman. Right, what happened to the boss?¡±


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    ¡°Off searching for Tot.¡±


    Dia could see Claud¡¯s nostrils flare, as if he was reprimanding the absent person for his recklessness. A moment later, he shook his head and lowered his volume. ¡°Tell him to abort the search. The latest intelligence we have tells us that the Thief of Time is a monster from before the Third Godsfall. He is capable of taking on divine-backed ritual magic and emerge unharmed. Oh, and he does charity.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Holtman asked, leading them to a small room. Dia had seen rooms like these before; they were called elevators, a composite artefact that allowed rapid vertical movement. Punching a few buttons, the door closed behind them, which was when Claud saw fit to continue his words.


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Worry clouded his face. ¡°You can check with the master at Triple-D. He¡¯s likely to have more information coming in too.¡±


    ¡°A monster from the Third Godsfall engaging in charity? That¡¯s something right out of a folktale,¡± said Holtman.


    ¡°Colidra¡¯s stories are rarely wrong, though.¡± A hint of bitterness flashed across Claud¡¯s face. ¡°I wish he was wrong for this part about the Third Godsfall bit, but¡­¡±


    Dia could understand why he felt that way. The Third Godsfall was an age of unprecedented strife, a millennium of war and death. Seven thousand years ago, nine mortals stepped into the ranks of ennea-folders ¡ª nine-fold mana-users ¡ª and waged a war against the heavens.


    Over a thousand years, the Six Gods of Virtue ¡ª Hope, Kindness, Diligence, Temperance, Patience, Humility ¡ª were defeated, their Divine Kingdoms scattered into the winds, in the same way these six gods conducted the Second Godsfall to usurp the Primordial Pantheon.


    But that was history best explained later. In the course of the Third Godsfall, the Coloured Gods recruited the strongest folders of their age, beings second only to them in power, and tore through the heavens. Most of them died, their sacrifice reciprocated by the newly-ascended gods through a bloodline benefaction, but some of them had made it through that epochal period.


    After the great battle, the surviving eight-fold mana-users became the Chromatic Lords, guardians that cut down any who would pose a threat to the new order¡­or so legend went.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send word to my boss,¡± said the attendant. ¡°Thanks for the warning.¡±


    ¡°Empty words don¡¯t do me much good. Tell him to prepare some fun artefacts for me to buy, and I¡¯ll be happy.¡±


    The attendant rolled his eyes. ¡°Boys will be boys, I guess. Always loving those new toys.¡±


    The elevator doors slid open a moment later to reveal a considerably more packed area. A few customers were milling around a silvery wall, where swords of all shapes and sizes were hanging on.


    ¡°Why are so many people looking around at that wall?¡± Dia asked, curious.


    ¡°Swords are the mainstream weapon of this age,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And besides, they look cool. Even if you don¡¯t use them, having one hanging off your side is great.¡±


    Dia thought through his words. ¡°That sword hanging off your belt¡­by chance, is it for show?¡±


    ¡°Not really, although it¡¯s not as good as my trusty knives,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Knives?¡± Dia noted the plural form of the word. ¡°How many knives do you have on you?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to know,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°R-right.¡± Dia cleared her throat. ¡°Anyway, what did you want to buy again?¡±


    ¡°Defensive artefacts,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Something you should definitely invest in, given your dreams and aspirations.¡±


    ¡°Right away. Please, follow me.¡± Holtman gestured to his left, and then led the way down a rather spacious aisle, where he began his explanation. ¡°We stock ten different defensive artefacts here, which¡ª¡±


    His words were interrupted by Claud, who had grabbed one of each artefact. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t listen to my explanation.¡±


    ¡°Barrier, barrier, localised wall, wind wall, skin-level barrier, barrier, barrier, barrier, anti-projectile field and a projectile deflection field.¡± Claud paused. ¡°Did I get that right?¡±


    ¡°How do you know all that?¡± Holtman asked.


    ¡°I did my research.¡± Claud rubbed his neck. ¡°What were you expecting?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re so worried about your own safety,¡± Dia found herself asking, ¡°why did you only choose to buy defensive artefacts now? You could have done that a lot earlier, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, that was before I heard news about the Spear of Fate making his way here,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And before those guys came for you. What were you expecting?¡±


    Shaking his head, he wandered off towards the counter on this floor. Dia watched his silhouette retreat, and then turned her attention towards Holtman. ¡°Tell me about those artefacts.¡±


    ¡°Of course, ma¡¯am. This here is the¡­¡±


    Pointing and gesturing, the attendant soon completed his explanation of the ten types of artefacts sold here. It didn¡¯t take long before Dia settled on getting three artefacts ¡ª a Blooming Petals Ring, an Armguard of Projectile Deflection and a Spherical Sentinel. The first one created a wall of mana, the second diverted any arrows and weak attacks off at an angle, and the third created a shield that covered all directions.


    It was quite an excessive line-up, in Dia¡¯s opinion.


    That opinion was retracted a moment later when she saw Claud return. The enigmatic fellow was now surrounded by multiple barriers, enough to make him look like a walking moon or something.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this great?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I feel more secure than ever now.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t know how to reply to that, so she made do with making payment at the counter. After forking over three hundred and ninety gold, she followed the others down to the ground floor.


    Trouble, however, seemed to be waiting for them there.

 Chapter 39: Protection rackets and plans

    Trouble, it seemed, always came in pairs and groups. To Dia, it seemed that the assassination attempt on her earlier had drawn away the soldiers stationed around the city, which was probably a good theory for just why there were so many nasty-looking people crowding around the entrance now. All of them had a roaring lion on their chest; it was probably their insignia.


    Most of them were shouting slogans that she couldn¡¯t quite understand, but she at least knew one thing.


    Gangs. An organisation that relied on fear and intimidation to extort money out of honest folk and businesses, like the Artisan¡¯s Adherence. She had read tales about them, and just how hard it was for even counts and barons to catch their tails ¡ª they were like weeds. Pluck one up, and three would grow in their wake.


    Claud, however, wasn¡¯t showing any signs of wanting to interfere.


    ¡°You don¡¯t plan on stepping in?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, Isolde.¡± Claud had a placid expression on his face. ¡°They¡¯re from the Arch Lions, the largest gang in Licencia. Unless you¡¯re ready to eradicate everyone, you shouldn¡¯t interfere. Besides, this is not a place we have a say in.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Gangs in Licencia typically operate on the basis of a protection racket,¡± Claud explained. ¡°You pay them money, and they don¡¯t bother you, while making sure that other gangs don¡¯t bother you either.¡±


    A wan smile appeared on his face. ¡°These gangs are relatively tame, compared to the largest protection racket in the city.¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡±


    ¡°Count Nightfall¡¯s guards,¡± Claud replied. ¡°You see, to them, any business that doesn¡¯t have a gang protecting them has got to have an even bigger backer. But what backer can be bigger than Count Nightfall on their own turf? So they waltz in, make proposals you can¡¯t refuse, and then hand over more money than other gangs would have demanded.¡±


    ¡°How does that work?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Then what¡¯s the point of letting gangs extort others for protection fees in the first place?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a seedy underbelly here,¡± Claud replied. ¡°The gangs control territory through¡­¡±


    His voice trailed off, and Dia frowned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing. As I was saying, the gangs control territory based on the shops that buy into their racket. As a result, they also pay off the guards or promise them certain concessions so that the city guard doesn¡¯t interfere in their operations. It¡¯s not just about the resources for them; it¡¯s also about prestige,¡± Claud concluded.


    Dia couldn¡¯t quite wrap her brain around such a convoluted way of doing things, which was a first for her. ¡°So¡­are we not going to interfere?¡±


    ¡°No point. Even if we do step in now, nothing¡¯s going to stop them from coming back,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Besides, they¡¯re the lesser of two evils. The city guard typically target foreign-owned businesses and shops too, in service of Count Nightfall¡¯s benefits.¡±


    ¡°Again, that¡¯s a really roundabout way of doing things.¡±


    ¡°You need to be a bit more thorough with your contemplations and considerations,¡± Claud replied. ¡°What you see as acts that are reprehensible usually have a deeper meaning to them.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t know how to react to that, so she made a grunt. Since Claud had gone to the extent of explaining so many things to her, it wouldn¡¯t be good if she just went ahead and butted into the ongoing mess anyway.


    Slipping out of the shop with Claud, Dia looked back at the entrance, where the rowdy men and women had come into an agreement with the staff at Artisan¡¯s Adherence.


    ¡°See?¡± Claud asked. ¡°That¡¯s pretty much it. A show and dance for the observers in this city. After a while, they¡¯ll shake on it, make some small talk, and then leave with smiles.¡±


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    ¡°Was it just a coincidence that the guards aren¡¯t around?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°You can put it that way,¡± Claud replied. ¡°The gangs and the guards are pretty much in the same trade. The city guard isn¡¯t huge enough to cover most of the city efficiently, so that¡¯s where the gangs come in¡­although, between you and me, they don¡¯t seem to do much either.¡±


    ¡°What a mess.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a succinct way of putting it.¡±


    Dia sighed. ¡°Right, I owe you a guide on being a mana-user, right? I¡¯ve compiled a small book for you. Do treat it well.¡±


    Reaching into her clothes, she took out a small palm-sized book, which was filled with lots and lots of information that were relevant to mana-users. Things like burning a new mana circuit, the Folders¡¯ Association and how to use mana were written inside.


    ¡°With this, our agreement is fulfilled,¡± said Claud. ¡°I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavours, whatever they may be.¡±


    Dia was about to reply to him with some niceties, when she thought of something. ¡°Claud.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I recall that my instructions about running an organisation was disrupted earlier on by the assassination, right?¡±


    Claud froze for a moment, and then nodded, a hint of eagerness entering his eyes. ¡°Are you going to continue your lesson?¡±


    ¡°In a way, yes. Let¡¯s see¡­where was I before we got interrupted by the Shadows of Grandis?¡±


    ¡°You were talking about the three parts of an organisation. Loyalty, interest and hierarchy,¡± said Claud. ¡°I think you got interrupted when I asked about fostering loyalty.¡±


    ¡°That should be correct,¡± said Dia. ¡°But I just thought of some organisations that you can take over with absurd ease. You won¡¯t need to create one from the ground; you just need to take over some of them. Can you guess what organisations I¡¯m thinking about?¡±


    Claud shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me hanging, if you please.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the gangs!¡± Dia replied. ¡°Think about it. Most people in gangs aren¡¯t going to be mana-users, right? So, if someone like you were to wrest for control, most of them would give in on the spot. And from there on, you can control a gang and then subdue the others, forming an organisation capable of rivalling Count Nightfall!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­insane.¡± Claud bobbed his head up and down. ¡°But I like it. How should I proceed?¡±


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s make a deal, shall we?¡± Dia asked. A sudden inspiration had hit her while they were chatting. Right now, she wasn¡¯t in a very good place. Wanted by the Emperor, alone in a foreign city and looking for a monster of the Third Godsfall, she couldn¡¯t quite envision herself in succeeding in her quest¡­or even surviving, for that matter.


    With the help of a local ¡ª one who placed emphasis on survival and longevity at that ¡ª her goal didn¡¯t seem all that hard.


    ¡°What deal do you want?¡± Claud asked, his eyes alight with an enigmatic light.


    ¡°That we work together. This¡­whatever organisation we create, both of us have a share in it,¡± said Dia.


    Claud pondered over her words for a moment, and then, with a gentleness that defied his rugged features, asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that my quest is something I can achieve within a short period. Not with Tot as he is. Not with the Shadows of Grandis after me. If, however, I have a base of power in Licencia¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be better able to resist the Shadow of Grandis.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    For a moment, Dia could swear to the Moons that she saw darkness flicker across Claud¡¯s face, before he breathed out slowly. ¡°What about the others? Your companions? You should at least ask them about this, before you embark on this new course of yours.¡±


    ¡°Right. I forgot about them.¡± Dia took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ll get back to you on that.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t go and burn your bridges,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Never do that to anyone. It just turns around to bite you on the ass when you least expect it. Granted, I think your friends aren¡¯t going to pursue the issue either, given what we know of Tot so far, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you have any suggestions?¡± Dia asked, concerned.


    ¡°Easy.¡± His eyes glinted. ¡°A gang headed by two mana-users isn¡¯t as impressive as a gang headed by five, right?¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Just rope them in, yes.¡± Claud licked his lips. ¡°I¡¯ve somewhat forgotten it, given that mana-users are flocking to Licencia every day, but a force of five folders is indeed a rather impressive line-up in everyday life.¡±


    ¡°Is that really the case?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Trust me. Normally, only Count Nightfall has three to four folders with him,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Most of his hired folders are more interested in not appearing in the public eye for reasons I don¡¯t really care about. Besides, as a bi-folder, the Count isn¡¯t going to want another bi-folder near him, in case unforeseen accidents happen.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you put it that way¡­¡±


    ¡°So? What say you? With this, our chances of controlling Licencia¡¯s underworld increases drastically.¡±


    ¡°And by extension, my safety.¡±


    Claud smiled. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But what¡¯s in it for you?¡± Dia asked. ¡°What do you want from controlling Licencia¡¯s underworld?¡±


    ¡°Lifestones. Lots of lifestones,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I don¡¯t have a very long lifespan, and I want to change that fact. I lend you my expertise and my connections, you give me lifestones.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not alone in wanting them, though,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Which is why I¡¯m not saying that I¡¯ll take all of them,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway, our discussion is theoretical until we get the little bits ironed out. You should let your friends know who¡¯s after you too, just to get it out of the way.¡±


    After exchanging a few more words, Claud walked off. Dia looked at Artisan¡¯s Adherence, then at the people at the entrance, before nodding to herself.


    It was time to lay out the cards.

 Chapter 40: A very roundabout method

    ¡°Running the underworld of Licencia sounds fun,¡± Lily murmured. ¡°Anything to get away from my stupid family. I¡¯m in.¡±


    ¡°That was¡­fast.¡± Dia didn¡¯t expect to convince anyone that quickly, but the old saying about how expectations were made to be broken looked like they held true. ¡°Did you not hear about how I¡¯m being chased by the Shadows of Grandis earlier or anything?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a risk, true,¡± said Countess Farah, who was stabbing at a sausage with a fork. The others were having dinner when Dia had returned, but she was the first to clear the plate. ¡°But why would the Shadows of Grandis be after you?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you the reason from the very start?¡± Dia replied. ¡°I¡¯m Dia, the ex-heiress of the Lustre Dukedom. For very complicated reasons, I was made a scapegoat for Ruler Umbra¡¯s murder and was forced to escape from Lustre.¡±


    It was a bit chilling at how easy her quiet confession was, but now that she got it out, she felt a lot better.


    ¡°Wait. You¡­weren¡¯t kidding?¡± Farah asked, glancing at Lily and Risti, who were now paying apt attention to Dia. ¡°How can you prove your identity?¡±


    ¡°How do you want me to prove my identity? You¡¯ve covered virtually every single possibility with the explanation that I¡¯m my number one fan,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Should I demonstrate all my skills or something? I didn¡¯t bring any identification along with me when I fled, so that¡¯s a problem.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re the one with the most experience as a bounty hunter,¡± said Farah. ¡°And that can¡¯t be faked. Look, maybe you¡¯re trying to help Princess Dia by being a really good fake, but you can¡¯t just lie to your companions that you¡¯re her. You¡¯ll make everyone doubt their senses.¡±


    ¡°This is precisely the attitude¡ª¡±


    ¡°The fact that the Shadows of Grandis are coming after you is making me so much more certain that you¡¯re trying to help the princess,¡± Farah continued. ¡°If you were really her, you¡¯ll be in disguise by now. You¡¯re probably drawing pursuers away from her, and I appreciate that. But you just can¡¯t go claiming that you¡¯re her, alright?¡±


    Dia opened her mouth, and then shut it bitterly. The Experiential Potion she drank was now doing her a disservice of a magnitude she had rarely experienced before.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll just play along, since you are so dedicated to your duty,¡± said Risti, who had been silent the whole time. ¡°We¡¯ll call you Dia. The more assassins that come your way, the better, right?¡±


    For some reason, Dia didn¡¯t quite like the assumption that she was making, but her performance as a bounty hunter was clearly too exemplary for them to even entertain the possibility that she was the real deal. Having them address her with her real name, however, was at least a small improvement¡­even if they still didn¡¯t believe that she was Dia.


    How did she end up in such a situation? Dia didn¡¯t quite know the answer.


    ¡°So, you intend to control Licencia¡¯s underworld, eh?¡± Farah brooded over Dia¡¯s original suggestion. ¡°You¡¯re trying to pit Licencia against the Shadows of Grandis, and buy more time for the princess¡­interesting. Bold. Brave. You¡¯re truly quite the exceptional person, to be chosen as the princess¡¯ doppelganger.¡±


    Dia really wanted to say that she was an expert at over-reading into a situation, but this was going the way she wanted¡­in a sense. Choosing to remain silent, she turned to Risti, who immediately beamed.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯ll be happy to help! So, what¡¯s the plan? Who do we beat up? How are we going to take over Licencia¡¯s underworld?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do it with the help of a local,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Remember that mana-user we met a few days ago? I¡¯ve come to a preliminary agreement with him. He¡¯ll work together with us to take over Licencia¡¯s underworld, before any of the other folders get the same idea.¡±


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    ¡°Is that feasible?¡± Farah asked, a small smile on her face.


    ¡°Apparently, a force of five one-folders can actually dominate the underworld of a count¡¯s city,¡± Dia replied. ¡°As a side note, you should probably check if there¡¯s also a one-folder ruling over the dark side of your territory.¡±


    Farah nodded. ¡°Among the few of us here, I¡¯ll probably be the strongest¡­wait. That might not be the case. Iso¡ª ahem. Dia, what¡¯s your skillset like?¡±


    It was a bit eerie, how Farah adapted to her new form of address without believing that she was the real deal, but Dia shrugged it off. ¡°Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t had a chance to check my status. Help me keep a look out while I open it.¡±


    A text box popped up as she murmured the word in her mind.


    Name: Dia Lyceria de Lustre


    Lifespan: 72 years


    Active Skills: Sword Dance (5), Sword Sense (6), Sword Roar (4), Fated Sword (2), Sword Fall (2), Domain of Swords (1)


    Passive Skills: Heightened Senses, Fighter¡¯s Instinct


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 1.88


    Mana Control Proficiency: Intermediate


    Comments: Hey! Welcome back! I haven¡¯t seen you around for quite some time. I was beginning to wonder if you forgot about me. You seem to be slacking off in training recently. Did something happen?


    Dia glanced at the comments and then rolled her eyes. Something big really did happen, but it was unlikely that she could communicate to whoever was on the opposite site of the status screen.


    ¡°What¡¯s your superimposition level, uh, Dia?¡±


    ¡°1.88,¡± she replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s just a bit lower than mine,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Good enough.¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it, Count Nightfall¡¯s a bi-folder,¡± said Lily. ¡°How are you able to control your own county as a one-folder? Or does the Emperor really protect you and everything?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Farah County¡¯s quite a rural place. It¡¯s called a county due to the wide swath of land it has, but it has little resources of value,¡± the countess explained. ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯d probably be dead by now.¡±


    ¡°Or imprisoned,¡± Risti added.


    ¡°And that too, yes.¡± Farah frowned for a moment. ¡°Since you¡¯re playing the role of Princess Dia¡¯s double, you probably have the same batch of skills as her, right? Does that also include Sword Fall and Fated Sword?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you make a guess?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Wait, seriously?¡±


    ¡°Is it that hard to believe that I¡¯m the real Dia? I have Sword Fall and Fated Sword too. Do you want me to demonstrate?¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­we believe you.¡± Farah laughed. ¡°Right, guys?¡±


    Dia felt the urge to use Sword Fall on Licencia, just for the sake of it, and then ask them the same question again afterwards. Fortunately, her urge to do so vanished a few moments later, leaving behind a vast gulf of fatigue and self-doubt. For some reason, talking to them had tired her out a great deal, especially since they still didn¡¯t believe that she was the real Dia.


    ¡°So, are we in accord?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Shall we take over Licencia¡¯s underworld to help Princess Dia¡¯s double?¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    ¡°Seconded.¡±


    Dia looked at them, touched, and then reminded herself that they were helping an imaginary Princess Dia that they had set as an idol to follow and emulate. It was a very odd reason to help her with, and to be honest, she wasn¡¯t sure why they were so keen on helping either.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious,¡± said Dia, ¡°but why are you three so willing to help¡ª¡±


    The three of them glanced at Dia.


    ¡°¡ªher in fighting off the Shadows of Grandis?¡± Dia completed lamely, having been scared by the three fervent lights in their eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t think she helped you in person or anything, right? In fact, when we first met at Pletsville, that was the first meeting between us.¡±


    ¡°So¡­you¡¯re asking why we¡¯re her diehard fans?¡± Farah cupped her chin. ¡°For me, it¡¯s because she¡¯s the symbol of gender rights in Grandis. I was able to become a countess because there was precedence of women who were nobles. She wasn¡¯t just any noble; she is a noble who exemplifies both ability and nobility in the truest sense of the word.¡±


    ¡°Uh.¡± Dia thought back to her past. ¡°Any¡­concrete examples?¡±


    ¡°All those charity drives she ran? Her stellar performance in handling diplomacy between the Istrel Dukedom and the Lustre Dukedom? The fact that when she took over the helms of Lustre¡¯s economy, it grew at fifteen percent every year?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s really impressive, isn¡¯t she?¡± Risti chimed in, before Dia could explain away the flukes. ¡°My father told me about how she vanquished bandit gangs alone too!¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t quite know how to respond to that, but it was nothing praiseworthy. The bandits were normal people. Vanillas who mostly had lifestyle skills. Any mana-user worth their salt would have defeated them with their eyes closed, so she did understand why it was an issue of praise. The economy thing was her being a rubber stamp; that as it. That diplomacy bit¡­the less said, the better.


    Everyone turned to Lily, who blinked. ¡°Oh, are we sharing why we¡¯re all fans of Princess Dia?¡±


    Nods followed.


    Lily closed her eyes, a nostalgic look on her face. ¡°Ten years ago, when my brother was still alive, the two of us went off into a nearby forest. And then¡­¡±

 Chapter 41: The spear hanging above the City of Trades

    Dia was dabbing at her eyes by the time Lily was done, but that was the most subdued reaction of the listening audience, who had grown to three other mana-users, one crying waiter, three sobbing men and 5 wailing women.


    Sniffling, she wiped her eyes on her clothes.


    ¡°Lily! We¡¯re so sorry for making you relive this memory!¡± Farah cried, rubbing Lily¡¯s head over and over. ¡°Your brother was a hero¡­¡±


    She broke down into utter crying a moment later.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll get my father to crush those monsters!¡± Risti wiped her tears. ¡°I¡¯ll get him to level the Julan Forest!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Dia wiped her eyes once more, and then downed her glass of water. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡±


    Lily¡¯s story was a rather heartbreaking one. When she was a child, she wanted to pick some flowers for her mother¡¯s birthday, so she got her brother to follow along. However, in the course of her little quest, they encountered monsters ¡ª animals mutated by mana ¡ª and her brother stayed back, buying some time to help her.


    She found a small troop of Lustre knights on her way back, who had been apparently dispatched to the far-flung Julan Barony to harvest the Julan Flower. Now that Lily had mentioned it, Dia did recall getting some knights to harvest a Julan Flower for her mother¡¯s birthday, and it was these knights who had upheld her name to save her.


    They arrived on-scene, just in time to see her brother, Sorrel, mortally injured by the pack of mutated monsters. He had done well in fending off so many monsters, but tragically, those knights were too late to preserve his life. They could only extend his life long enough to for him to whisper his dying words, words that Lily didn¡¯t let any of the listeners know.


    Of course, Lily¡¯s recount was far more personal, far more heart-breaking. The way Dia memorised it wasn¡¯t going to carry one-tenth of just how horrible their eternal parting was.


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for her knights, I would never have gotten to hear my brother¡¯s last words. Nor would we be able to bury him,¡± said Lily, her eyes full of a distant emotion.


    Dia looked up at Lily. Her expression hinted at the sheer number of times she had relived this traumatic memory for her, but at the same time, Dia was glad that she had ordered her knights to get Julan flowers.


    Otherwise, Lily could have been a broken person by now. Granted, it was a sheer coincidence that something like this happened, but as one wise man once said, ¡°Coincidence is but a miracle made fate.¡±


    Refilling the others¡¯ glasses with water, Dia sighed, an action that was promptly emulated by everyone else who was listening in. After a few minutes of patting shoulders and wiping tears, the impromptu audience eventually dispersed, leaving Dia and the others alone once more.


    ¡°So that¡¯s it,¡± said Lily. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m a supporter of the princess. Someone as nice as her definitely wouldn¡¯t harm an old man like Ruler Umbra.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t quite know what to make of Lily referring to Ruler Umbra as an old man, but that little joke did lighten the atmosphere somewhat. After Farah and Risti got over their tears, the group returned to the discussion at hand, which was regarding the collaboration between them and Claud.


    ¡°He is rather mysterious, though,¡± Risti murmured. ¡°I get a feeling that in this city, he¡¯s probably one of the few people with lots of startling mysteries.¡±


    ¡°Which other people do you think have startling mysteries?¡± Farah asked, curious.


    ¡°For starters, we have the bartender at Triple-D,¡± Risti replied. ¡°That man¡¯s really intriguing. Controlling the information networks of a count¡¯s domain is an incredible achievement, and he can even guarantee their accuracy to boot. Just who is he?¡±


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s Tot?¡± Farah asked, before laughing.


    ¡°That¡¯s possible, but do you really want to confront him about his so-called true identity?¡± Dia asked. ¡°If he turns out to be Tot, we¡¯ll be slapped to death or something. Not a fun fate.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­Iso¡ªDia, does your Fated Sword work on him?¡±


    ¡°If he can resist the power of the White God, I don¡¯t think my skills are going to work at full effectiveness,¡± Dia replied. ¡°And just stick to one name. Calling me Iso¡ªDia is just going to make me sad.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get better, I promise,¡± Farah replied. ¡°We need to keep up the act, after all. If we give away your true identity, the Shadows of Grandis will stop targeting you, and your mission would have failed.¡±


    Dia decided not to say any more about her true identity at those words. There was no point in trying to get through to the others, since they were hellbent on their fantasy that she was playing the role of Dia¡¯s double. It was astonishing how far they would go to assume that she wasn¡¯t the Princess Dia they looked up to, and at this point, she was getting really tired of it.


    ¡°Yes, thank you very much.¡± Rolling her eyes, Dia scraped at her empty plate miserably. ¡°So, are we going to work with Claud?¡±


    ¡°What does he want from all this?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°You will not believe me, but Claud is a very¡­survival-oriented person. He wants to live forever. Therefore, the only thing he is interested in is presumably lifestones and defensive artefacts,¡± Dia replied. ¡°When we went to get some artefacts earlier, he didn¡¯t hesitate to splurge on every single defensive artefact the shop had.¡±


    ¡°What a weird person,¡± Farah muttered. ¡°Well, if he¡¯s the cautious, life-seeking kind, he shouldn¡¯t have any ulterior motives, since that would put him at risk of conflict.¡±


    Dia thought back to the time he had saved her. ¡°Yes. He has a very unique way of saving people. When I was attacked by the Shadows of Grandis earlier, he threw a skillstick that hid me from everyone¡¯s eyes. He didn¡¯t do anything to kill my assassins; nor did he help clear a way for my escape. He just tossed a skillstick at me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a really unique way,¡± said Risti. ¡°But you should also not go around using random skillsticks people throw at you. If he wanted to do something like an Appraisal Blind, you could have died there and then.¡±


    ¡°It was a reflex, okay?¡±


    ¡°Just keep that in mind from now on,¡± Risti replied. ¡°If you die, the real princess will be in trouble. We can¡¯t have that at all. But from how you¡¯re still alive, we can assume that Claud really has no reason to harm you.¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Lily added. ¡°Maybe he wants to get close to one of us?¡±


    Dia smacked Lily¡¯s head lightly. ¡°I think the only interest he has is in living forever. He¡¯s all about prospecting for lifestones and keeping himself safe. Not really an ideal hero or knight, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, he does have his priorities right, though,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Anyway, so are we going to collaborate with him to take over Licencia¡¯s underworld?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be interesting.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll set up a meeting to discuss the details,¡± Dia concluded. ¡°Anyone has anything they want in particular?¡±


    ¡°Me,¡± Risti replied. ¡°We should also rope in the bartender of Triple-D. Someone with such an information network is definitely a useful person to have on our side.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    Lily was about to add something on when a silent quake shook the city, a quake that seemed to reach deep into Dia¡¯s soul. As one, everyone stood up and rushed out of the shop. High up in the orange sky, stained by the setting sun, stood a single person, a spear in hand. There wasn¡¯t anything particularly impressive about the newcomer, but there was this¡­gravity to him that made it impossible for Dia to look at anything else.


    ¡°Count Nightfall,¡± said the man. ¡°Are you not going to welcome me?¡±


    A spark of blue appeared in the air in front of him, and a long-haired woman appeared. ¡°Count Nightfall is in seclusion. Please pardon his absence, Lord Patra.¡±


    ¡°I will pay a courtesy call when he exits seclusion, then.¡± The light around the newcomer seemed to darken. ¡°Tot! Thief of Time! Monster from the Third Godsfall! I, Zulan Patra, have come to challenge you! Do you dare accept my challenge?¡±


    Dia¡¯s head pounded a moment later, and she raised her hand to cover her ears. She could hear the Spear of Fate¡¯s words clearly, as if the man himself was talking a metre away from her, but his words were infused with a peculiar quality, one that seemed to stab into her ears.


    Her fingers were stained with blood when he stopped talking.


    A pregnant pause followed, one in which Dia found herself holding her breath. What did Tot look like? What skills did he have? And how would he respond? She, like everyone else on the streets, scanned the skies over and over, looking for the next person to show up.


    The silence continued to billow, one that pressed down on everyone present. Somehow, the atmosphere had coagulated into a sombre silence, a formless pressure that threatened to crush her heart.


    Up high, two small stars of azure light began to shine.

 Chapter 42: The Legend of Tot

    Claud peeked out of his window, stole a glance at the two brilliant stars high in the sky, and resumed his shivering. A blanket was pulled tightly around him, but he knew full well that the chances of it actually doing something of use was slightly lower than the chances of finding a pure-ranked lifestone on the streets. It was purely for his psychological well-being; nothing else.


    He wasn¡¯t the only one shivering in his boots either. On his left, a little box was also jiggling and shivering, clearly intimidated by the awesome aura that was leaking from the Spear of Fate, who had finally arrived at Licencia. A small handwritten book sat in front of him, the pages fluttering like flowers in the wind.


    ¡°Moons¡­¡± Claud felt his nails bite deep into his skin. ¡°What am I supposed to do? That¡¯s the bloody Spear of Fate floating above us, looking down and yelling out a challenge to me! He wants to kill me! To kill me!¡±


    Crown, who had apparently felt his distress, rolled over and nudged his hand. Claud restrained his fear and picked up the little box, who was jiggling like one of those jelly desserts he tried a few months ago. It wasn¡¯t feeling better either, but at least Crown didn¡¯t need to deal with the overwhelming fear of death that had occupied a good half of his brain.


    Taking a deep breath, he forced aside his fear to look at Crown.


    ¡°You alright there, little fellow?¡± Claud rubbed the top of the box. Before he could add another sentence of comfort for Crown, the air quaked again.


    ¡°Thief of Time!¡± Zulan Patra¡¯s roar echoed out into the evening sky. ¡°Is this how you belittle me? Am I not worthy for you to even show your presence? Come out! Let us fight! I would rather not dirty my boots with the filthy soil here!¡±


    Claud gripped his fist so tightly that blood began to leak out. Staring up at the two stars in the orange sky, he pulled out the bag of lifestones he¡¯d stolen from Times and Banks. His vision was tinted with a shade of red, and his hands trembled as he picked up the handful of pure-ranked lifestones he¡¯d stolen and stuffed them into his mouth. An exhilarating current of life surged through his veins, flooding his body and revitalising it ¡ª but he didn¡¯t have it in him to enjoy the sensation.


    Picking up the small handwritten book Isolde had passed to him, his eyes fixated on a certain page. Steeling his resolve, he reached into the bag full of lifestones and forced another handful into his mouth, where they melted away again.


    ¡°Crown,¡± Claud murmured. ¡°I am going to draw a second circuit. Help me.¡±


    The box shivered, and then clambered onto his shoulder.


    ¡°Moons take you, Zulan Patra.¡± Claud forced down another handful of gems. ¡°You¡¯re forcing my hand¡­¡±


    Another mouthful of sweet life ran down his throat.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t kill anyone!¡± Claud took out the last of the high-ranked lifestones and stuffed them into his mouth. There was a dull pain in his mouth, but he had no desire to think about that. What he needed to do was to gather as much life as possible; he had learnt from Isolde¡¯s little book that mana-users could use not just mana, but also life. More importantly¡­using one¡¯s life would unleash attacks of an incredible magnitude.


    He was not a fool. Skills could still fail. If his Presence Nullification couldn¡¯t succeed in blocking off the Spear of Fate¡¯s pursuit, then it would come down to a fight. And Claud was not the kind of person to roll over and die.


    That just wasn¡¯t him.


    Claud picked up the bag and dumped the contents onto his lap. There were no more high or pure-ranked lifestones there; whatever left was but middle and low-ranked ones. The middle-ranked lifestones could still provide more life force, but it was too little, too late.


    ¡°Crown. Help.¡±


    The little box began to glow. Within seconds, the glittering emerald stones came apart, turning into a stream of green light. The emerald radiance began to darken visibly, thinning out to form a long strand of blue light.


    Normally, a mana-user would change the lifeforce in their body into mana, not draw them out like this. Claud, however, had spent an hour or so experimenting with Crown after he received the small book from Isolde. Given that he was utterly inexperienced with the concept of drawing even just one mana circuit on his body, it would be far better to let Crown, who had long conveyed to him its intention to help, take over.


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    The box paused, and then did a backflip. Somehow, Claud understood what it meant, and within moments, his body began to glow blue. Lines of mana were showing on his body, and in a practiced motion, Claud stripped off the clothes on his upper half to reveal a complex web of mana conduits. A dense nexus of blue lines was drawn on his right chest, above his heart, their radiance ebbing and growing with his heartbeat.


    Crown bounced twice.


    ¡°Do it,¡± Claud spat. Mana swirled around him, creating hundreds of blue lines that seemed to centre around his heart.


    He glared at the spearman high in the sky, and was once more overcome with both fear and fury. If the folk tales were true, a tetra-folder like Zulan Patra could eradicate an entire city with a few swings, and then pay some pathetic restitution to the Emperor to get off scot-free. If that really happened¡­


    A small mound of dust shot to the skies, interrupting his chain of thoughts. The Spear of Fate had stabbed out casually at a random part of the city. Screams rent the city, only for them to be silenced by the unnatural pressure that had been pressing down on Claud ever since he arrived.


    ¡°Tot! I grow weary of waiting games like this! Monster from the Third Godsfall! Do you truly dare not face me? Or am I, Zulan Patra, Blessed of the White God, really unworthy of your attention? Must I massacre this city to get your attention? Or do you not care about them either?¡± The Spear of Fate whipped his weapon around in a pretentious manner, and then raised his hand. ¡°Very well! If you¡¯re not coming¡­then let me find you!¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t quite know what Zulan Patra was about to do, but from the looks of it, he clearly had an investigative skill at the ready. At that sight, Claud got to his feet, and clenched his fist. The defensive artefacts he¡¯d purchased earlier activated a moment later, and the air around him warped slightly as his defences came to life. He could feel mana and life churn within him, ready to unleash the strongest blow in his entire life if his final defence failed.


    The blue light weaving around Claud began to intensify. It was evident that Crown had detected something, something that Claud felt a second later.


    It was the feeling of being locked on by a predator. It wasn¡¯t something the Band of Duplicity could contend with; Claud¡¯s instincts were telling him that it worked on more nebulous principles.


    Like destiny. Or fate.


    Claud, however, didn¡¯t budge an inch. Such a sensation definitely came from the Spear of Fate¡¯s skill. He could feel the blood coursing in his ears ¡ª if Zulan Patra discovered his current location, he was at least going to put up a fight.


    However, when it came to concealment, this was his battlefield.


    Just as the feeling of being eyed was about to reach its peak, Claud clenched his fist and tore up a skillstrip. The feeling of being stared at vanished ¡ª no, it was diverted at something else that was and wasn¡¯t him at the same time ¡ª and he clenched his fist in victory.


    A roar split the skies. ¡°Don¡¯t think you can elude me!¡±


    At that cry, Claud bared his teeth and fought the urge to laugh. The feeling of being so close to a pack of searching guards doubled, tripled, but Claud knew that he was safe. Presence Nullification had, as expected, countered the Spear of Fate¡¯s searching skill. Zulan Patra would give up a few seconds later, and then slink into the night, defeated.


    Or he would, if fate didn¡¯t have other plans.


    Without warning, the strands of azure mana flowing around him erupted into a prismatic radiance. The unsettling feeling of being eyed winked out entirely, a sensation that was swiftly followed by an anguished cry from the skies.


    The web of mana all around him crumbled away a second later as the sudden, anguished scream shook the city and pierced through his eardrums. Forcing himself to ignore the pain, Claud gritted his teeth and looked out of the window.


    Zulan Patra¡­didn¡¯t look that good. Even from the ground, Claud could tell that he was gravely injured; his doubled-over posture, one that reminded him of a cooked prawn, gave it all away.


    A second cry erupted from the Spear of Fate as Claud squinted at the flickering azure star. ¡°Thief of Time! You would injure me so? Without even looking at me? Are you telling me that I¡¯m unworthy of your attention?¡±


    Claud removed Crown from his shoulder, and then glanced at the little box, who had rolled over in a dead faint when the strands of mana flared. Clearly, the little fellow had done something, something that had injured the Spear of Fate so.


    The self-proclaimed master thief patted the box appreciatively. What would Zulan Patra¡¯s expression be like, if he found out that it was a box that had somehow stopped his investigative skill and injured him badly at the same time?


    The Spear of Fate let out another roar, one tinged with bitterness this time, before a faint red fog flew out of his mouth. The mana writhing around him faded away, and Zulan Patra began to fall.


    Claud let out a sigh of relief.


    For now, it was a stay of execution. The man who had taken it upon himself to challenge what most knew as a monster from the Third Godsfall had been grievously injured. A four-fold mana-user had been defeated in the public eye, without the other party moving at all.


    For all intents and purposes, the legend of Tot had been set in stone. The utter defeat of Zulan Patra and how he fell from the sky would be seared in public consciousness, haunting Licencia and sung in ballads for decades to come. For now, however, Claud could only be thankful that Presence Nullification had worked.


    Perhaps no one but Claud himself would know the truth about the Thief of Time, and how he nearly died long before his allotted lifespan.


    He patted the little velvet box, and then flopped over on his bed. He didn¡¯t know what the future had in store, but one thing was for certain ¡ª Licencia was not going to be at peace for the foreseeable future.


    Not with what happened today.


    [End of Book 1: The Legend of Tot]

 [Book 2: The Moon Lords’ rise] Chapter 43: The shocked city

    [Book 2: The Moon Lords¡¯ rise]


    After spending a few minutes to get over the shock, Claud picked up the little violet box. Zulan Patra had fallen from the skies, but some people ¡ª probably his followers ¡ª caught him before gravity could end his life. It was a pity that the Spear of Fate didn¡¯t die from whatever Crown did, but the world wasn''t a perfect one.


    He eyed the little box, who jiggled and rolled around in a manner that made him think that it was drunk. Extending a finger, he prodded its top. ¡°Hey.¡±


    The box jiggled.


    ¡°Was that your doing earlier?¡± Claud asked.


    Crown rolled over to the side.


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­take that as a yes. Is that something you can do every time someone wants to lock on to me?¡±


    Crown rolled back to its standing position, giving off a rather non-committal reply. Claud didn¡¯t quite know what to make of that answer, so he gave it a pat before poking his head out of the window again. Hundreds of people were on the streets, trying to make their way to the place where Zulan Patra fell at.


    As for why they were doing that, Claud couldn¡¯t be bothered to find out. In fact, he had a feeling that a bloodbath was approaching; the Spear of Fate would probably lash out in both anger and embarrassment at the audience. Count Nightfall would be forced to make an appearance, the Church of the White God would intervene, Emperor Grandis would make a public statement¡­


    Moons, this thing just blew up. All for this imaginary person called Tot. Now that the danger had passed, Claud found himself reflecting on his performance earlier. It was a rather shameful one; stricken by fear, he had decided to embark on the perilous course of drawing mana circuits.


    Granted, there was no other way. If Presence Nullification had failed, he would have to face Zulan Patra, a battle he would almost certainly lose. The only way he could win was if the Spear of Fate came close to him, at which point he would have to use Absolute One and hope that his target didn¡¯t dodge his attack. Drawing his second mana circuit would improve his desperate move ¡ª it was a waste, but Claud would not have it any other way.¡±


    ¡°Still, what are the chances of letting someone glowing and all punch you?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°If only it was more low-profile.¡±


    Skills couldn¡¯t be adjusted easily, so there was no point. More important, being wary of any unknown skills was the first key lesson for virtually everyone, since skills that could grievously wound or kill someone did exist. The Spear of Fate, as a wielder of one such skill, would be very wary of potential holders of such skills.


    Flopping onto his bed, Claud tried to sleep, but his subconscious was busily creating what-if scenarios for him to see, each of them scarier than the last. After failing to clear his mind for ten minutes in a row, he got up, moped for a few minutes, and then placed Crown on his shoulder.


    The little box jiggled, and then rolled over to his face to nuzzle it. Claud let it nuzzle him for a couple of minutes, and felt a bit more relaxed throughout the little treatment. For some reason, he was seriously treating Crown as a pet, a pet that understood its owner.


    He raised his fist to it. ¡°Fist bump?¡±


    Crown rolled over and bumped it, to his satisfaction.


    ¡°Thanks, Crown.¡± Leaning back, he stared up at the ceiling and finally opened his status.


    Name: Claud Primus


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Lifespan: 110 years


    Active Skills: Presence Nullification (8), Flight (5), Binding Order (7), Cleanse (6), FiBoD;E??? (0), FiBoD;E??? (0)


    Passive Skills: DiL???C, Mana Organ


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 1.36


    Mana Control Proficiency: Intermediate


    Comments: Your lifespan increased by quite a bit earlier, but it hurts my heart to see you burn seventy-two years of time in one shot shortly after that. Either way, you¡¯ve drawn quite a bit for your second mana circuit; good job! Your improvement is pleasing to the eyes. Right, as a friendly reminder, if you ever want to find out about those odd skills, do consider approaching the gods or their Blessed. They should be able to help.


    Claud scanned through his status, quirked his lips up at the comment attached, and then frowned. There was something odd about the words here, and it was the fact that he definitely didn¡¯t use seventy-two years¡¯ worth of lifeforce to draw his second mana circuit. That was not his doing; it was Crown¡¯s¡­and apparently, the impurities of middle-ranked lifestones didn¡¯t seem to affect the process.


    He took a deep breath, but before he could confirm his hypothesis with Crown, the little box had fallen asleep¡­and it wasn¡¯t like it could speak anyway. There was this regular breathing coming off it, and Claud couldn¡¯t bring himself to wake the little guy up. Shaking his head, he gently placed Crown into a snug pocket of his clothes, and then got up from his bed.


    The remedy for insomnia was alcohol, but since Triple-D used ingredients he didn¡¯t quite want to learn about in their drinks, Claud would settle for something less dangerous. More importantly, he wanted to hear what the bartender thought about all this¡­while trying to influence his intelligence operations on the side.


    It was dirty, yes. But necessary for him to live. If that meant that he had to lie and cheat his way through, Claud would not bat an eye. He had already come up with a few ways to lead his friend onto a wild goose chase, even if he didn¡¯t like it all that much.


    Slapping his cheeks twice, he stepped out of his house, where an extra-large din immediately flooded his ears. The streets of Licencia were incredibly lively tonight ¡ª in fact, it was the first time he¡¯d seen the streets this lively. Zulan Patra¡¯s arrival and challenge had already galvanised the residents of Licencia earlier, but the events that followed made it even worse. Now, most of the city was fervently discussing about the seemingly casual counterattack by the Thief of Time, which was more than enough to injure the Spear of Fate.


    His ears continued to twitch as Claud took in the torrents of wonder and praise from all over the place. Most of the discussion was centred around how Tot had injured Zulan Patra without even showing up, but quite a few were talking about how Grandis was going to change.


    Change? Change how? The real Tot is a tiny one-folder who just got absurdly lucky, that¡¯s all! Claud rubbed his head and decided not to listen to the chatter on the street. The more he heard, the worse he felt ¡ª what if Emperor Grandis was to arrive personally to put down the alleged monster of the Third Godsfall?


    Zulan Patra was a tetra-folder, a four-fold mana-user. But Emperor Grandis himself was a hexa-folder, someone with two more mana circuits than the freaking Spear of Fate. Even though either of them could theoretically be killed by enough preparations and the right conditions, there was realistically speaking no way for that to happen.


    At all.


    Muttering darkly in his heart, Claud plodded down the streets of Licencia, his target being Triple-D. Dodging small groups of chattering men and women on the way, he soon arrived at the familiar bar and headed for the counter.


    ¡°Good evening, Claud.¡± The bartender raised a glass. ¡°Need some alcohol? I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to get any sleep otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Good evening to you too, master, but I¡¯d rather stay awake than have that piss in my system,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Give me my apple juice.¡±


    ¡°Stop calling it piss. It¡¯s alcoholic piss,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Claud repeated. ¡°What do you mean, so?¡±


    ¡°What brings you here?¡± he asked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be quaking in your bed? The Spear of Fate just arrived at Licencia, only to get crushed by Tot somehow. Knowing you, you should be hiding under the blankets and quivering.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, once you get too scared, you tend to run out to find people,¡± Claud replied darkly. ¡°It¡¯s a first for me too, but I suppose fear is as fear does.¡±


    ¡°How philosophical.¡± The bartender slid a glass of apple juice over. ¡°I wonder what it feels like to look down on an entire city and yell at a wanted man from high up.¡±


    ¡°Just get a Flight artefact,¡± Claud replied, picking the glass up and downing it in one shot. ¡°And you¡¯ll get to try it for yourself.¡±


    ¡°And get beaten into the ground after that?¡± The bartender shook his head. ¡°No thanks.¡±


    Claud shrugged, and then prepared to move on to his main goal for coming here. ¡°So, master, what¡¯s the deal with Tot now? How did he injure¡­¡±


    ¡°Lots of speculations from everyone. You interested?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    The bartender raised five fingers, and Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a Profiteer, remember?¡±

 Chapter 44: The master thiefs new life

    After rolling out five gold coins for the bartender, Claud slid his empty glass of apple juice for a second refill. ¡°So? Mister Profiteer, bartender of Triple-D, lord of information in Licencia, what has your mighty mind have as an opinion for this incident?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something I¡¯m interested to know too,¡± said a familiar voice. ¡°Oh. Hello, Claud.¡±


    Claud turned to look at the source, and narrowed his eyes as he saw Isolde. ¡°Evening to you, Isolde. And uh¡­what were your names again?¡±


    Isolde rolled her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s Farah, Lily and Risti.¡±


    ¡°You all look quite alike to me,¡± said Claud, measuring the four ladies up and down, ¡°so do forgive me if I cannot remember or mess up your names. Other than your clothes, the four if you look like you¡¯re almost the same person, save for certain¡­uh, areas.¡±


    ¡°Where were your eyes looking at when you said that last bit?¡± Isolde asked.


    ¡°At the colour and shape of your pupils,¡± Claud replied, keeping a straight face. He wasn¡¯t even going to admit that his eyes wandered to the same place ninety percent of men would look at when it came to women ¡ª it was disrespectful, and more importantly, he had been trying to kick the habit.


    He had heard of many situations where a thief was caught because he paused a second too long to look at beautiful women; it was a personal failing that would make Claud contemplate suicide if he ever was caught due to it. And more importantly, there were enough scumbags in the world. It wouldn¡¯t do if a handsome chivalrous thief like him were to fall into the same habits; the world would be a darker place if that really happened.


    ¡°Hmm. I suppose that is a rather useful way of telling us apart,¡± said Isolde.


    ¡°It is,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Albeit limited. Your eyes are in varying shades of brown and black, so it wouldn¡¯t work well in low light conditions. If not for the fact that this pub is nicely cleaned and lit up, I wouldn¡¯t even be able to see your eye colour probably, Isolde.¡±


    Isolde nodded. ¡°Right, you should call me¡­Dia from now on.¡±


    ¡°Dia?¡±


    ¡°Princess Dia of Lustre Dukedom,¡± Farah added. ¡°Do you not know of her?¡±


    Claud frowned and tried to rack his brain for any memories, but there wasn¡¯t much he could recall at this juncture. For one, the recent focus on Tot had turned him somewhat neurotic about his current situation ¡ª anything not related to the personage everyone knew as the monster of the Third Godsfall didn¡¯t exactly register in his mind. Secondly, he didn¡¯t really care for matters outside the Istrel Dukedom yet; there were still more than enough rich fellows for him to steal from.


    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t trouble him with this,¡± said the bartender. ¡°Claud has always been the cowardly kind. If someone strong comes over to Licencia, he would hole up somewhere and refuse to come out. This Tot business has gotten him quite on edge, see?¡±


    Claud shot a glare at the bartender, but he didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Well, for¡­reasons, you should call me Dia from now on,¡± said Isolde.


    Farah leaned in, and in a low voice, she said, ¡°Isolde¡¯s acting as a body double for Princess Dia, who¡¯s wanted by the Shadows of Grandis.¡±


    Claud glanced at the group of four, and then rubbed his nose. He had a feeling that there was something off with the whole deal ¡ª his thieving instincts were tingling ¡ª but for him, anything related to the nobles were bottles of poison that had ¡®Not My Business¡¯ labelled on it.


    ¡°Alright, uh, Dia.¡± Making a mental note to ask the bartender about who this rather familiar-sounding personage was later, Claud took his glass of apple juice, which had been refilled, and took a sip from it.


    ¡°Anyway, master,¡± said Dia, ¡°what happened at the end? Why did the Spear of Fate fall from the sky? What did Tot do?¡±


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    ¡°At this point, I assume that you¡¯re wise enough to know that you five have no chance whatsoever, but I suppose hammering in the point home might help a bit more,¡± said the bartender. ¡°Over the past few days, I¡¯ve been reviewing the Third Godsfall, since Tot might just come ask me for help.¡±


    Claud fidgeted in his seat, before covering up the moment smoothly by taking another gulp from his cup, and he regained the ability to listen properly once more.


    ¡°¡­probable identities. First, a familiar spirit who served under the Six Gods of Virtue, who had escaped the battle back then. Second, a Chromatic Lord. Third¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hold up,¡± said Claud. ¡°What¡¯s a Chromatic Lord?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a position granted to the ten octo-folders who followed the Coloured Gods during the Third Godsfall,¡± Isolde ¡ª no, Dia ¡ª replied.


    Claud¡¯s eyes turned into saucers immediately. ¡°Octo-folders? Like, eight-fold mana-users?¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± Dia nodded her head. ¡°They are charged with killing off any seven-fold mana-users, should they appear in Grandis or in the other continents, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hold up, hold up, hold up. What do you mean, other continents?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Grandis isn¡¯t the only continent in the world.¡±


    Claud swallowed. ¡°Really? Wow. I¡­I feel like an idiot or something. Um. So, what other continents are there?¡±


    ¡°I also asked my fath ¡ª teachers that question,¡± said Dia. ¡°But he didn¡¯t know the answer to that. Whatever goes on in the other continents and Grandis is only for the bigshots in the three sovereignties to deal with, apparently.¡±


    Narrowing his eyes, Claud took another swig from his glass. Once again, something about her words had stirred his mind lightly, but since it wasn¡¯t related to him, he ignored it in favour of thinking more about the theories regarding Tot.


    ¡°Right, master,¡± said Claud, ¡°what¡¯s the third identity?¡±


    ¡°A familiar spirit of the Coloured Gods,¡± said the bartender. ¡°From what I and some of my¡­peers could tell, Tot had retaliated against the use of Zulan Patra¡¯s skill directly. And if you recall that snappy soundbite about divine deed and mortal moira Iso ¡ª ahem, Dia ¡ª told you, you will realise that activating a skill to counter his shouldn¡¯t have injured him.¡±


    ¡°Zulan Patra activated a skill, only to be injured,¡± said Dia. ¡°Since mortal miracles cancel each other out, a sound, logical explanation would be that a divine deed was at work.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said the bartender. ¡°Dia, you truly are well read.¡±


    ¡°Only for things I¡¯m interested in,¡± she replied. ¡°Otherwise¡­¡±


    Putting aside his worries about any new troubles that were probably on their way here, Claud let out a long sigh. ¡°If a bunch of one-folders and a bartender could come up with this conclusion, I¡¯m almost dead certain that virtually every other bigshot could have too. What¡¯s going to happen to Licencia?¡±


    ¡°Beats me,¡± Dia replied, ¡°but it¡¯s good that I met you here.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Remember that thing we talked about earlier? The one about making an alliance to rule Licencia¡¯s underworld?¡± She looked at the others, who had been eyeing the menu during the conversation, who nodded back. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve decided to take you up on the offer. But on one condition.¡±


    ¡°What condition?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°That we rope the master into this too. His information network is too useful to pass up, and too deadly to be an opponent.¡±


    Claud thought about it, and then nodded. Spending a minute or two to explain the whole thing to the bartender, he asked, ¡°So, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°You want me, a normal person, to be part of your little game?¡± asked the bartender. ¡°Are you sure? I¡¯m a Profiteer, remember? I¡¯m definitely going to get my money¡¯s worth from helping you.¡±


    ¡°Iso¡ªDia has a point, though.¡± Claud glanced at Dia. ¡°Do you have any particular reason for asking him to help, other than what you mentioned?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, so you do. Just spit it out.¡±


    Dia took a deep breath. ¡°Well, if we were to work together, he won¡¯t charge that high if I need information from him, right? My ultimate goal is to at least last until Tot is captured. The bartender can help me get some clues about Tot out into the public sphere. Maybe someone might capture him and¡­aa¡±


    Claud took a long, deep breath. I¡¯m literally getting the bartender onboard so that he can provide low-cost intelligence to help people capture me. This is my life now, isn¡¯t it?


    ¡°I¡¯ll let the good master decide. We¡¯ll need to work out the division of labour from our side, although I think we just need to stroll into the headquarters of every minor gang in the city and get their leader to obey us,¡± said Claud.


    ¡°Before anyone else does,¡± said the bartender.


    ¡°If you¡¯re saying that, do I take it that you¡¯re joining us?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Yeah, count me in!¡± He grinned. ¡°After all, it is an easy venture with little work required. For you and that Dia body double, it¡¯ll fulfil your security needs. I¡¯m not sure what the other ladies want from this, but with a group of five mana-users, it¡¯s probably going to be free money from the sky.¡±


    ¡°When should we start, then?¡± Dia asked, turning to look at Claud, along with the others.


    ¡°Whenever the bartender¡¯s ready,¡± Claud replied. ¡°For our first takeovers, we should all be present. And besides, everyone knows the bartender of Triple-D. With him around, even if he doesn¡¯t speak¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be a lot easier?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Because no one wants to be forcefed his special mix.¡±

 Chapter 45: To lead, conquer and overawe

    Dia didn¡¯t quite understand what Claud meant by ¡®special mix¡¯, but she was beginning to get some suspicions when the patrons inside the bar turned into statues the moment the bartender took out ten silver flasks. Buckling them onto his belt, he shouted, ¡°I¡¯m going out to take over the underworld. Anyone wants to join me?¡±


    Murmurs filled the place, only to be replaced by a mass of wood scraping on wood as everyone in the bar stood up.


    ¡°About time, master!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never liked those upstarts anyway! What gives them the right to collect protection fees? It¡¯s unjust and unethical! We should be the ones doing it instead!¡±


    ¡°Can we beat them up? Can we? I¡¯ve always wanted to try punching some of these lowlife scum!¡±


    The bartender and Claud let the whole scene play out for a while, before the latter clapped his hands. ¡°Alright, guys. We¡¯re all patrons of the master¡¯s great bar, so we should unite! Our goal is simple; we¡¯ll be relying on our beautiful friends here¡± ¡ªhe gestured at Dia and the others¡ª ¡°to force them to follow our lead! Do you know why we¡¯re going to rely on them?¡±


    ¡°Nope! I don¡¯t really care either, I just want to punch them with a bunch of other people!¡±


    ¡°Hurry up, Claud! My fists are itching!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll buy you a drink, okay? Just hurry up and get over with it!¡±


    Claud cleared his throat pretentiously, something that Dia couldn¡¯t quite imagine the lowkey fellow to do, and then said, ¡°These four ladies are ¡ª and you¡¯ll find it hard to believe ¡ª mana-users!¡±


    There was a moment of frozen silence, and then cheers began to break out. Anyone who was still sitting in their seats previously was now standing with the others, and in this mad atmosphere, the bartender let out an ear-piercing whistle.


    Silence fell as everyone, including Dia, the others and Claud, turned to look at him. There was this air of leadership around him, one that made Dia think about her father for a moment, and the feeling only intensified as he drew out a shortsword.


    ¡°Today,¡± said the bartender, ¡°we shall take over the underworld. Once we succeed, I will turn everyone present into an honorary Profiteer, or even better. I didn¡¯t expect to be part of this takeover today, but since I¡¯m involved, I shall protect everyone with the name of the Profiteers.¡±


    Dia sidled over to Claud. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear about this part.¡±


    ¡°But he has a point, though,¡± Claud whispered back. ¡°Didn¡¯t you ¡ª oh, right. You didn¡¯t rope him in because he¡¯s a Profiteer¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a Profiteer anyway?¡± Lily joined in. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard this name before.¡±


    ¡°If I recall correctly,¡± said Farah, ¡°the Profiteers refer to a group of loosely-affiliated traders and merchants, each of them with extreme wealth at their disposal. They have their own code, but it essentially boils down to profiting ethically.¡±


    ¡°Basically good people, then,¡± Dia concluded, thinking about the old lady, Pheles, that she had met in Pletsville.


    Claud glanced at the crowd of riled-up people. ¡°That¡¯s a very optimistic reading. But at least the master¡¯s a good person.¡±


    Dia turned to look at him, before returning her gaze to the bartender, who was laying out their battle plans for the night for everyone to hear. It was, all things considered, an easy one ¡ª they would storm into the headquarters of every gang in Licencia and demand their subservience. If there was any resistance, Dia would, along with the others, cow them into submission, and that would be it.


    The success rate of this plan was probably slightly more than a hundred percent, but Dia had the feeling that Claud and the bartender would smack her on the head if she voiced that out for being too optimistic.


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    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s set off!¡± The bartender turned to Dia and the others. ¡°Let¡¯s go. By the way, have you thought of titles for your position? As mana-users who are leading this gang, you should have a title to differentiate yourself from the common rabble like me or Claud.¡±


    ¡°Claud?¡± Dia asked. ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that makes sense,¡± Claud interrupted. ¡°You four need a separate title to distinguish yourself from the others.¡±


    A hand landed on Dia¡¯s shoulder as she tried to press the issue about Claud being a mana-user, and she turned to see Farah shake her head slightly. She turned back to Claud, whose face was impassive and emotionless. It was clear that he didn¡¯t value the fame and respect that came with being a mana-user, but it was entirely possible that he had his own reasons.


    ¡°What do you think about the Fated Four?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s a¡­very, um, inspired name,¡± Dia replied. ¡°What do you guys think?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pretty lame name,¡± Risti said. ¡°It¡¯ll be better if it sounds rather close to a Named¡¯s title. Give me some time to think about this ¡ª I have lots of references for this.¡±


    ¡°References?¡± the bartender asked, his hand patting Claud¡¯s shoulder, who had staggered when Risti gave her honest opinion.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just believe her,¡± Farah said. ¡°She has a rather illustrious background.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± said the bartender.


    ¡°Risti, do you mind¡­?¡±


    ¡°Sure, go wild, countess.¡± Risti smirked.


    Claud blinked. ¡°You¡¯re a countess? Well, that at least explains why you¡¯re so¡ª¡±


    ¡°Complete that sentence, and I will smack you into the middle of next week,¡± said Farah.


    ¡°I was about to say ¡®dignified¡¯,¡± Claud replied. ¡°What did you think I was about to say?¡±


    The two exchanged glares for a moment, and then Claud sniffed. Turning away to finish his glass of apple juice, he slid out of his seat and followed the bartender out, where the others had already formed up into a nice, orderly group. Dia emulated his actions a second later, and the group shifted to gather around her and the others.


    ¡°This feels great,¡± Lily whispered. ¡°Being surrounded by a group of people and being seen as their leader is fun.¡±


    ¡°Fun, eh?¡± The smirk on Farah¡¯s face vanished, replaced by an expression that made Dia feel somewhat nervous. ¡°The weight of responsibility, of the lives that you support, is not something that can be described as fun. I¡¯m not being a spoilsport here, but once we take everyone in, we also bear responsibility for their safety and their lives. That cannot be described as anything fun. Believe me.¡±


    The others trembled at those words. Even Claud turned to look at her, a complex light in his eyes.


    ¡°Well said,¡± the bartender murmured, turning to look at the countess. ¡°Farah¡­of course. Countess Farah of the county by the same name. I would like to visit your territory one day. For its ruler to be this enlightened, your lands must be thriving.¡±


    ¡°You flatter me,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°Our first meeting may be acrimonious in a sense, but your words earlier are ones that would put even the most rebellious of subjects at ease,¡± said the bartender.


    The countess chuckled. ¡°I think that was entirely my fault, though.¡±


    ¡°There is some dissonance in how you can be both noble and rude at the same time,¡± said Claud, ¡°but from what I can tell, you¡¯re a good person overall. I think this field trip might have done you some good, Countess Farah.¡±


    Farah fidgeted slightly.


    ¡°Are you, by chance,¡± said Dia, ¡°unused to praise?¡±


    The tips of Farah¡¯s ears turned red. ¡°N-no! What makes you say that?¡±


    Everyone laughed, and she let out a little sniff, before walking to the front of the group. Dia wasn¡¯t sure where they were headed ¡ª a few brave men and women were already leading them to their first destination ¡ª but it didn¡¯t take long before they came to a halt.


    Dia looked around the area cautiously. The shops that lined most of Licencia¡¯s streets had been replaced by long lines of warehouses and other storage facilities. If she had to harbour a guess, this was probably where most headquarters of Licencia¡¯s gangs were settled at.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go deal with the closest ones,¡± said the bartender. ¡°Can one of you guys help make a dynamic entry for us?¡±


    Dia exchanged looks with the others.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± said Farah. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to try it out anyway. Come, Delphinus!¡±


    A blue light appeared in her hand, and she walked up to the metal door that blocked her way.


    ¡°You already have a soul-bound weapon?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve met the minimum requirements for it,¡± Farah replied, taking up a stance for an overhead slash. A faint sheen of mana wrapped around the blade, and everyone else retreated a few steps away from her.


    With an azure flash, the metal door fell apart, cleaved into two. Surprised shouts followed a moment later, but the others had already streamed into the warehouse with weapons drawn.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± A scarred, burly man jumped down from the upper floor of the warehouse. ¡°Are you trying to make enemies out of ¡ª Moons!¡±


    He had clearly seen the blue light around Farah¡¯s greatsword, and a moment later, the burly scarred fellow fell to his knees. ¡°Y-your Excellency. D-did one of my men somehow offend you?¡±


    ¡°B-boss?¡±


    ¡°Shut up! Her Excellency¡¯s a mana-user!¡±


    A small tremor ran through the others assembled, which was a small crowd around twenty people strong, before they followed suit and fell to their knees.


    Dia looked at the sight and stifled an urge to laugh.


    ¡°Y-your Excellency¡­¡±


    Farah cleared her throat as she took in the sight. ¡°You wanna take over, master?¡±


    The bartender smirked. ¡°Sure.¡±

 Chapter 46: Clearing the field

    ¡°Gentlemen of this gang, whose name I care not about,¡± said the bartender, ¡°do you know who I am?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­Triple-D¡¯s master?¡± the burly man, who was clearly the leader, asked. Dia couldn¡¯t help but note that the fear in his eyes was far more intense than when Farah revealed herself. She already knew that the bartender wasn¡¯t a simple person ¡ª anyone with a modicum of instinct could tell that ¡ª but just what made this burly man so fearful?


    ¡°The one and only,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°And we¡¯re here to offer anyone who is willing the biggest opportunity of their lives. Do you guys want to listen?¡±


    A bitter smile flashed across the gang leader, before he prostrated to the bartender. ¡°There¡¯s no need to explain your plans, master. Me and the boys will listen to you.¡±


    ¡°Boss?!¡±


    ¡°Not me anymore,¡± said the gang leader. ¡°That¡¯s him, or whoever he¡¯s supporting.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± said the bartender. ¡°What¡¯s your name, mister?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Lou.¡±


    ¡°Lou, eh?¡± The bartender laughed. ¡°Fear not. Our little group is headed by the largest force to sweep Licencia¡¯s underworld in the last five centuries. With us are four mana-users, each of them with their own specialties and abilities.¡±


    ¡°Four?¡±


    ¡°I trust that you¡¯ve already made your acquaintance with Miss Farah here,¡± the bartender replied, prompting Farah to wave her greatsword around by way of greeting.


    The others flinched as the bartender swept a glance at Dia, who got the message immediately. Blue light wreathed around her, an action mirrored by Risti and Lily a moment later, and for a moment, the silent warehouse was lit up by mana alone.


    ¡°That¡¯s the basis of our confidence,¡± said the bartender, before gesturing to the crowd standing behind him. ¡°And these are our initial members.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll join,¡± said Lou.


    ¡°Good decision,¡± said Farah. ¡°Follow us. We¡¯ll sweep this place out and recreate Licencia¡¯s underworld. I hope you people are prepared.¡±


    Dia covered her mouth to hide a giggle. The countess was ¡ª if her expression was of any indication ¡ª having the fun of her life. There was probably some charm in cowing everyone into submission, especially one as thorough as this, but Dia could also sense that Farah was also equally serious about recreating Licencia¡¯s underworld.


    If Count Nightfall ever found out who the ringleaders behind this hostile takeover of Licencia¡¯s underworld was, Dia wanted to be nearby to see the look on his face. This could be brought up to Duke Istrel as a hostile act ¡ª they were essentially attempting subversion in a fellow noble¡¯s territory.


    Dia had a nagging feeling that a reason why Farah had agreed to this was because she was also eyeing the opportunity to profit at Count Nightfall¡¯s expense. The count was in no position to take care of any waves happening in insignificant places like the city¡¯s underworld, not with the mana-users flocking towards his city.


    It would not be a problem for her, since she had been¡­disinherited by her father. The only people who would face the greatest pressure if things were ever revealed would be Farah and Lily. She didn¡¯t quite know what the former wanted to do, but Dia knew that Lily didn¡¯t care for her position as the heiress of Julan.


    Now that I think about it, everyone doesn¡¯t really have much to lose in such acts of subterfuge. Whoever killed Ruler Umbra is probably making far bigger waves in a greater political arena, though.


    She dispersed her thoughts as the group of around eighty people stopped in front of yet another warehouse. This time, however, five armed men had stepped out to block their way¡­


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    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this, Boss Lou?¡± one of the guards asked. ¡°Are you declaring war on us?¡±


    ¡°Not my call, bub,¡± Lou replied. ¡°It¡¯s just ¡®Lou¡¯ from now on. The Iron Bars have been eaten by¡­by¡­¡±


    He turned to look at the bartender. ¡°What¡¯s the name of our gang?¡±


    Everyone froze for a moment, before Claud abruptly raised his voice. ¡°The Deadly Dangers. Triple-D, yeah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m quite sure the first word starts with ¡®T¡¯, though,¡± said someone in the crowd.


    ¡°I¡¯m just improvising,¡± Claud replied loudly, ¡°so get off my back. We¡¯ll think of something else once we sweep all the gangs.¡±


    He turned back to the five men blocking their way. ¡°You wanna throw down with us? Or you want to let the bosses speak instead?¡±


    The five men looked at each other, and then one ran off into the warehouse. Ducking into a side door, he soon reappeared, a rough-looking lady in his wake.


    ¡°Boss.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Stand aside, Lein, the rest of you.¡± Eyes narrowed, she walked up to the bartender. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this, master? Are you declaring war?¡±


    ¡°In a sense, yes, Miss Julianne.¡± The bartender smirked. ¡°But before we start hacking away at each other, you might just want to see our line-up. Ladies?¡±


    Dia channelled her mana once more, and four different sources of blue light appeared. In the orange light of the setting sun, the others looked particularly surreal, like mysterious beings that had descended upon Grandis.


    The moment was broken by Julianne, who tossed a dagger on the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t kill my people, and I¡¯ll listen to your arrangements.¡±


    ¡°Good enough. Come,¡± said the bartender. ¡°Let¡¯s finish up the rest of the gangs.¡±


    ¡°Be careful, master. The Arch Lions have a mana-user as their backing too,¡± said Julianne. ¡°They¡¯ve been absorbing the smaller gangs over the past two days. The city guard doesn¡¯t want to tangle with them either.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± said the bartender. ¡°A one-folder. A nice set-up; he would have been the boss if not for a few Moon-grown heroes of justice.¡±


    ¡°Is he talking about us?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Who else would he be talking about?¡± Farah replied. ¡°Come on, keep that fierce look up. We¡¯re going to take down everyone and extract as much advantages as we can.¡±


    Claud chuckled. ¡°We¡¯ll handle it, Miss Julianne. No worries.¡±


    Farah took the lead once more.


    It was in such a fashion that Dia and the others stormed through the street full of warehouses. In fact, calling them warehouses were actually a misnomer; most of these facilities that purportedly housed excess trade goods actually housed every single minor power in Licencia¡¯s underworld. This was not so much as a street of warehouses, but rather a street of ¡®gang-houses¡¯.


    Percuti, the red moon of strife, was shining down on the street by the time everyone stopped at the headquarters of the Arch Lions. Dia could remember Claud talking about how they were the largest gang in Licencia, and the state of their headquarters reflected that fully.


    Instead of the usual rundown warehouse, a small mansion served as the base of operations for the Arch Lions. It wasn¡¯t anything impressive by any means, but the caution she could sense off Claud and the bartender didn¡¯t seem to concur with her assessment of things.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°This mansion is a rather new development,¡± said Claud. ¡°But there are building codes for the streets of Licencia. To circumvent them requires some¡­connections with the city administration.¡±


    ¡°Which means that it is possible for this less-than-polite takeover to come to the attention of Count Nightfall,¡± the bartender continued.


    ¡°But the good count¡¯s attention seems to be focused elsewhere, isn¡¯t it?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The bartender eyed the group of twenty angry-looking men at the entrance of the mansion. ¡°Ladies, are you up for some good old-fashioned fighting?¡±


    ¡°Hmph. And I thought it was going to be peaceful all the way,¡± said Farah. ¡°Master, should I aim to kill? Or to disable?¡±


    ¡°To disable,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°There is value in prisoners and hostages, even if they¡¯re normal people. Beat them down, and then slowly force out everyone inside. Be careful not to fall for sneak attacks and traps; there are many ways mana-users can be killed.¡±


    ¡°Got it, master. Fortunately, there¡¯s a blunt edge on this thing, or else¡­¡± Farah smirked and hefted her sword. ¡°Let¡¯s begin, then.¡±


    The ground shook slightly, and a huge wave of air swept outwards. Farah had closed the distance at a speed that only Dia ¡ª and probably the other mana-users present ¡ª could have seen, before sweeping out with the flat part of her sword.


    She¡¯s quite the softy, isn¡¯t she?


    Silence fell in the wake of Farah¡¯s brutality, even from those behind the bartender, and she could very well guess why. It was a stark reminder that Farah ¡ª and the other mana-users ¡ª could crush vanillas with ease.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    A sharp voice broke the silence, and three robed fellows floated down from the upper floors of the mansion. Blue shapes floated around them


    ¡°Be careful,¡± said Claud. ¡°They¡¯re mages. They¡¯re really pesky. I don¡¯t like them very much.¡±


    ¡°What did they do to you?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Alright, let me handle this. Sit back and let me beat them up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t have that,¡± another voice cut in. Its owner, wreathed in blue light, jumped out from the upper floors of the mansion to join the mages. ¡°But it seems that you want a fight, eh?¡±


    Dia rubbed her neck and grinned. ¡°Farah, you beat up the small fry. I haven¡¯t had a good exercise for some time.¡±

 Chapter 47: The blade, the chain and the one that was spared

    Dia¡¯s words were light-hearted, but there was a more important reason behind why she had stepped up to fight. From what she could tell, of the four of them, the one with the most experience in fighting was her ¡ª and more importantly, her skills were chosen for the express purpose of fighting.


    ¡°You?¡± The unknown mana-user took a step back. ¡°Hold on. How many of you guys are mana-users?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you make a guess?¡± Dia replied. ¡°I make you this offer once. Leave. And you won¡¯t be killed.¡±


    ¡°Tch. Lirac never runs from a fight. You want my land? Show me that you¡¯re strong enough to have it!¡± The sounds of metal dragging on stone wormed into her ears as the newcomer brandished two chains around. ¡°Missy. Don¡¯t expect me to go lightly on you.¡±


    Dia snorted, before unsheathing her sword. A gift from her mother; the sword was an unusual one; the hilt itself was larger than most other swords, but nothing had stopped her from winning duels with it.


    Some of the squares at the top-left of her vision ¡ª she had shifted them to a place she liked better ¡ª began to wink out, as she activated skill after skill. At the same time, her sword, which she had trained with for upwards of a decade, began to shimmer with a faint blue glow.


    Chains flew towards her as she took a step forward, arcing towards her in a way that should have been impossible. Repelling the incoming chains with a soft, curving stroke, Dia slid towards Lirac, her blade poised to land a glancing blow. Pirouetting on the spot, her body dodged the chains, which had once again dived in from an unnatural angle to strike her back.


    By now, Dia could tell that her instincts and the effects of Sword Dance had melded. In such a state, she was a master at the sword, matched only by peers who had the same level of training and a similar skill as hers.


    Unfortunately, Lirac here did not fall into that category.


    The chains flew once more, stabbing towards her. She responded with a complex set of footwork, waltzing over to Lirac with her sword pointed at her. Her weapon came to life a moment later, sweeping out slowly and gently at her enemy¡¯s arm.


    From the light in Lirac¡¯s eyes, Dia could tell that the man before her was confident that such an attack would do no harm. His muscles shifted, and air howled as the chains behind Dia stabbed down at her unprotected back.


    She could sense them coming, but Dia didn¡¯t need to care, her eyes focused on the sword and the sword alone. Her dance partner reached out lightly, the point of the sword like a finger pointing out, and a drop of blood flew.


    Lirac froze.


    Her skill, Fated Sword, had activated.


    The rattling of the chains creeping up on her stopped. At the same time, blood burst out from Lirac like a flower blooming under the light of the three Moons, and the mana surrounding him scattered.


    [Fated Sword has levelled up.]


    As the Goddess of Learning¡¯s words echoed in her ear, Lirac dropped to a knee, a movement serenaded by the sounds of chains falling onto the floor. A puddle of blood expanded outwards from him rapidly, staining the dull stone underneath him red.


    ¡°What¡­have you done to Lirac?¡± Lirac raised his right arm, only for even more blood to spurt out.


    ¡°The battle¡¯s over,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Surrender.¡±


    ¡°Over?¡± Lirac¡¯s eyes flashed, and the chains began to move once more. Dia leapt back as the two chains charged through where she was a moment ago, and stone chips flew. As they smashed into the floor. Instead of falling to the ground lifelessly, the chains coiled up a moment later, in a manner reminiscent of a snake.


    Dia¡¯s eyes flickered at those chains. Evidently, this was his main attacking skill ¡ª the earlier strikes were just Lirac using the chains without any help. However, he clearly hadn¡¯t expected her to all but cripple his body with a light touch.


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    Lirac let out a crazed grin, and the chains flanking him began to glow with a sickly green light that lit up his face unevenly. ¡°It¡¯s not over until Lirac kills you!¡±


    He coughed, and even more blood flew. The chains, however, did not seem to be affected by his current state, and they began to dart out at Dia. Her sword danced once more, blocking the rapid jabs and stabs. Placing strength in each of her swings and strikes, the metal links that made up the chains began to shatter.


    Dia continued to track the shortening chains, dancing with her sword. Once again, her lithe form drew close to Lirac, and blue light lit up the darkening streets as she brought down her sword onto her foe¡¯s chains.


    His eyes flashed as the chains grinded against her sword. ¡°Explode!¡±


    The chains that had been blocking her attack shattered entirely, creating tens of metallic shards that flew at her. The blade in her hand weaved out a silvery net, but Lirac¡¯s counterattack had been too sudden for her to react properly.


    Searing pain ran through her nerves as three metal shards stabbed into her left arm. A barrier of blue light separated her from Lirac, but by then, the damage had been done. Dia glanced down at her left arm, where a numbness was spreading. She had been careless. Falling for such an attack borne from desperation was the mark of an unskilled fighter, of a novice in battles.


    Did her instincts dull? Or was it the fact that she had been used to upright duels? Dia couldn¡¯t quite tell, but mistakes had been made here.


    And yet, there were always ways to make up for mistakes. The pendant around her neck emitted a wave of power, and the chilling numbness vanished a moment later.


    ¡°Did you enjoy my Mana Poison skill? Enjoy your last moments!¡± Lirac cackled, and more blood dribbled out from his wounds. He slumped onto the ground a moment later, and Dia turned her attention to the metal fragments embedded in her arm. None of them had done any lasting damage; that attack was clearly meant to maximise the chances of drawing blood.


    ¡°Dia, are you alright?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Dia replied, without looking back. Walking over to his unmoving form, she flipped the unmoving Lirac with her toes, so that his eyes would face the sky.


    ¡°You¡­how?¡±


    Dia looked down on Lirac emotionlessly. As her foe laid there, unable to resist, she gripped the sword in her hand tightly. What did she want to do with this foe of hers? The two of them had their own goals, their own dreams. This Lirac was by no means a heinous criminal.


    Yet, it would be stupid to let someone with a grudge go. Dia had read all about how the heroes of stories let a defeated enemy go, only for them to strike at a better time. Only a fool would let them leave.


    Dia exhaled slowly. Blue light flew as she stabbed the sword in her hand downwards, and a minor tremor erupted outwards, with her as an epicentre. Stone chips flew as the sword stabbed into the ground, a few centimetres away from Lirac. She stared at her helpless foe for a moment, and then turned to the bartender.


    ¡°Heal him.¡±


    The bartender looked at her evenly, and then unbuckled a silver flask. Everyone, save for Farah and the others, backed away from him, but the bartender didn¡¯t seem to mind that as he walked towards the fallen Lirac.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°A stone in my path doesn¡¯t need to be crushed,¡± Dia replied. ¡°It can be shifted to the side. I cannot bring myself to kill someone defenceless, someone whose only crime was being in my way.¡±


    ¡°Good answer.¡± The bartender uncorked the flask, sending out a stench that made her mind reel, and Dia¡¯s sense of smell stopped working immediately. Before she could even back away, he poured the contents onto the defeated Lirac, and the wounds began to heal before her eyes.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Lirac pushed himself up.


    ¡°You just happened to be in my way. Not an enemy. Go,¡± said Dia. ¡°This place is ours now. I will show no such mercy a second time. Farah?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re alive too.¡± Farah¡¯s voice was odd, distorted. It was probably the result of their sense of smell malfunctioning, but Dia didn¡¯t really care about that right now. Her eyes were fixated slowly on Lirac, who had gotten up. Most of his wounds had closed, even those inflicted by her Fated Sword, but whatever hostility her foe might have had no longer existed, replaced with a blend of emotions she couldn¡¯t quite name.


    The three mages, who were sprawled on the ground, got to their feet too. In silence, the four of them walked out of the mansion, followed by the twenty others that Farah had knocked down earlier.


    Dia sighed as they vanished from sight. ¡°Say, am I a fool?¡±


    ¡°I think you should have killed them,¡± said Risti.


    Lily grunted.


    ¡°As long you know it¡¯s your choice,¡± said Farah, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth having second thoughts about it.¡±


    ¡°You have your own set of principles,¡± said the bartender. ¡°I respect that.¡±


    Dia¡¯s eyes drifted over to Claud. She couldn¡¯t help but remember how he had gotten her out of a fight so easily, without drawing bloodshed. A moment later, Claud noticed her stare, and he smiled.


    ¡°Iso¡ªDia. I think you just saw yourself in them. That¡¯s all.¡± He smiled. ¡°No need for regrets. If they come again, we¡¯re always here.¡±


    Dia nodded.


    ¡°Well, now that we¡¯re done, let¡¯s get down to the hard stuff,¡± said the bartender. ¡°We¡¯re taking over operations, so we should set down some good old rules, as well as the hierarchy. Let¡¯s enter the mansion and talk there.¡±

 Chapter 48: The Moon Lords

    It didn¡¯t take long for Dia to realise why most of the gangs here preferred using warehouses ¡ª mansions weren¡¯t the best places to hold meetings. Further compounding this issue was the nice furniture inside the mansion, and after some deliberation, everyone walked back out, forming up in nice little blocks in the mansion¡¯s garden.


    ¡°Everyone here?¡± the bartender asked. ¡°Excellent. Now that we¡¯ve swept the area, I hereby proclaim the establishment of this gang. The name Claud gave us sounds bad and is bad, so I¡¯m open to suggestions that sound nice.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Shut it, Claud. You have no naming sense, so find some place and watch the proceedings,¡± the bartender shot back.


    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Claud slipped out of the crowd and sat on a small rock.


    Dia glanced at him for a moment, and then hid a smile as the mysterious fellow began to draw circles on the ground, before turning back to the bartender.


    ¡°For now, I¡¯d like everyone to coordinate with me,¡± said the bartender. ¡°Get your maps, mark your territory, and see what shops aren¡¯t under our protection yet.¡±


    ¡°Are we going to wrest with the city guards?¡± Lou asked.


    ¡°Glad you asked,¡± said the bartender. ¡°We aren¡¯t going to do that yet. No, we¡¯re going to look for shops that have somehow slipped under the radar. That¡¯s part one.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s part two?¡± Lou pressed on.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be extending our influence in this city. Open small gambling dens. Create a safe haven for thieves to peddle their unwanted goods¡­at lower prices, of course. Basically, we¡¯ll be uniting to create a real underworld of Licencia, not the previously-fragmented mess you guys had before that.¡± The bartender grinned. ¡°Of course, in exchange for such riches, we must embrace moderation.¡±


    ¡°Moderation?¡± Julianne asked.


    ¡°Yes. No killing where possible. Keeping on good terms with the guards, and better ones with the people. The underworld cannot be recognised as an underworld if we are to prosper.¡±


    ¡°Are you¡­trying to make this whole underworld thing a business?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Legitimacy, power, recognition¡­¡±


    ¡°Keen eye,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°Let¡¯s face it. No one is interested in fighting and killing every day. We all want good food on the table. Lifestones to use. People to drink with. Buddies who we protect. What better place can we have than a kind underworld?¡±


    ¡°Is that possible?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°With you four around, very much so.¡± The bartender chuckled. ¡°Strength inspires confidence. And confidence is the bedrock of all things ingenious. Believe in me. We shall rule the other side of this city, and turn it into a beacon for all who cannot step into the sun.¡±


    ¡°In that case,¡± said Julianne, ¡°let¡¯s call ourselves the Moon Lords. We offer a gentle light to those who burn under the sun.¡±


    ¡°Moon Lords?¡± The bartender nodded to himself. ¡°Nice name. Better than Claud¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Claud looked up from the circles drawn on the ground. ¡°But that¡¯s not wrong¡­¡±


    ¡°Moon Lords we shall be then. Any objections?¡± asked the bartender.


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a great name!¡±


    ¡°Can we call ourselves the Moon Coddles instead?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, about that last bit¡­no. Just no. Anyway¡­¡± The bartender jumped onto a rock. ¡°Leaders of the old gangs, stay behind. We¡¯ll need to do some reorganisation and restructuring, so that none of you will be in conflict. The others, work together and find opportunities we can exploit. Tomorrow night, gather those who are absent, and we¡¯ll begin our first meeting here.¡±


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    Chatter filled the air as the ordinary members of the Moon Lords began to disperse, while talking to each other animatedly. There were at least a hundred people here, but Dia knew that by this time tomorrow, the number would balloon to at least three times that number.


    ¡°For some reason,¡± said Farah, ¡°I feel that we just handed a huge business opportunity to the bartender.¡±


    ¡°Bit rich coming from a countess,¡± Risti replied. ¡°But I think he¡¯ll be good friends with my father if they ever met.¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°The Folders¡¯ Association is run as a business, made up of people whose main call to fame is strength. This new underworld is going to be run as a business, whose people are largely the underprivileged and the downtrodden. See the pattern there?¡±


    Farah tilted her head. ¡°They¡¯re both businessmen?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And they¡¯re businessmen in complementary fields. In fact, I suspect the bartender would be thrilled to have the Folders¡¯ Association as his customers, specifically the darker ones.¡± Risti smirked. ¡°The Association can¡¯t deal with stolen and robbed goods. But I¡¯m willing to bet that our Moon Lords can.¡±


    ¡°No kidding,¡± Lily added. ¡°The bartender might make a killing in Julan. Almost everything the baronets in Julan have are stolen. Like their tiny holdings. Or their titles.¡±


    Dia winced at Lily¡¯s scathing words.


    ¡°It¡¯s that bad?¡± Farah asked. ¡°I heard a report or two about how Julan is run, but I had dismissed them as hearsay.¡±


    ¡°Which ones did you hear about? Like the young men who come for a Julan flower rarely come back? Or how women on tours there are routinely kidnapped, with their families killed?¡± Lily asked. ¡°My family even takes part in that, so I can tell you that it¡¯s all true.¡±


    ¡°How has Julan managed to stay untouched so far?¡± Farah asked, shocked.


    ¡°Moderation. And a robust target selection,¡± Lily replied, her words taking a bitter turn. ¡°This heiress position of mine¡­I don¡¯t even want it. Countess, if you have the time, please send an army to purge Julan of its nobility.¡±


    ¡°Even your family?¡±


    ¡°Especially my family.¡± Lily shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s a reason why I fled from that Moon-damned place.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a cold-hearted one.¡±


    ¡°Anyone would be if they paid a visit to the cellars of the Julan manors,¡± Lily replied. ¡°In fact, countess, I suspect that you might be commended if you sent your men there and reported what you saw to Duke Istrel, or whoever his successor is. Even Emperor Grandis himself might grant you a merit or something.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that bad?¡±


    Lily replied with a smile devoid of humour.


    Before Dia could press the topic, the bartender raised his voice. ¡°Everyone, please follow me into the mansion. Claud, stop drawing circles and follow us in. You¡¯ve been slacking off, considering your part in the whole thing.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯m coming.¡± Claud rolled off the rock and got to his feet. He paused as he went past Lily, and asked, ¡°Right, Julan is the easternmost territory of the Schwa Dukedom, right?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Uh, yes. Why?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Oh, nothing much. I was just thinking about the place, that¡¯s all.¡± Claud smiled brightly, and then walked into the mansion. ¡°The maps that depict the territory of you nobles are very confusing.¡±


    Dia watched him enter the mansion, and rubbed her nose. Clearly, he had overheard their conversation, but what did he mean by asking Lily about the directions there? Was he intending to do something there?


    ¡°What a nice person,¡± Lily murmured.


    ¡°And how, pray tell, did you even arrive at that conclusion?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°He was reminding me that there¡¯s a big world out there. Someday, an ally of justice would show up at Julan and save the poor people there,¡± said Lily.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s even trying to encourage you to be that ally of justice,¡± Risti added.


    Dia blinked thrice.


    ¡°Sounds reasonably,¡± said Farah. ¡°Or maybe, he was hinting at me to do something about the place. Right?¡±


    ¡°You guys are¡­¡± Dia swallowed her next words.


    ¡°Are?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Incredibly perceptive of other people¡¯s true intentions,¡± Dia forced out. ¡°As expected of you guys. How¡­perceptive.¡±


    Or rather, delusional. Moons, how are you three reading that deeply into Claud¡¯s words? Didn¡¯t you get the impression that he wanted to do something huge there? No? Or am I actually the odd one?


    Lost in thought, Dia followed the others into the mansion. The world of social interaction was growing more and more foreign to her by the day, and she couldn¡¯t help but lament at how the others had such innovative minds.


    Filing into the living room, she made herself at home on a squishy chair called a sofa. There were a few of them in the Lustrel Palace, her father¡¯s home, but the sheer craftsmanship required to make them meant that such furniture went at a premium.


    The value of gold had a tendency to fluctuate, but on average, one such sofa would cost six hundred gold. It was worth a lot more than normal artefacts, but again, nobles were spendthrifts.


    Most of them, anyway. Dia¡¯s little palace only had seats worth around fifty gold. It wasn¡¯t really extravagant.


    Patting herself on the back mentally, she continued to look around the mansion, and felt a bit disappointed when she realised that the things inside really couldn¡¯t compare to her room or the sofa earlier. Evidently, the previous occupant ¡ª the fellow called Lirac ¡ª had been strapped for cash, even as a mana-user.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± The bartender cleared his throat. ¡°Alright, what we¡¯re going to do next is to consolidate our economic base. Everyone, report your assets. Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t need them. I intend to have each of the eight gangs work on a specialised aspect of Licencia¡¯s new underworld¡­and then we¡¯ll be rolling in riches.¡±


    He grinned, showing off a flawless set of teeth. ¡°Now that I have your attention, I¡¯m going to lay down some regulations for our new world. Disobey them at your peril. First¡­¡±

 Chapter 49: From one who understands another

    ¡°Hey, hey.¡± Risti nudged Dia in the ribs, and then turned to Farah. ¡°How many times has the bartender said the word ¡®regulations¡¯? I just lost count.¡±


    ¡°One hundred and eighty-eight times,¡± Farah replied, stifling a yawn.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to ask Farah, why did you nudge me? I was on the verge of falling asleep,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Let me get a good rest, okay? Fighting is hard work.¡±


    The sofa underneath her trembled as she tried to find a more comfortable position. Serenaded by the background noise that was the bartender¡¯s droning, it didn¡¯t take long before the comfortable drowsiness she was feeling earlier began to return, but before she could fall asleep, the bartender¡¯s speech ended.


    ¡°Geh.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s over?¡± Risti got up from the sofa and glanced at Claud, who was talking animatedly with Lily. From what Dia could tell, he was asking about the Julan Barony and the ills it had perpetuated over the years, although she couldn¡¯t quite tell what he intended to do with that information.


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Farah, whose greatsword had vanished into parts unknown, stretched her limbs. ¡°Even though the good master brought up a lot of great ideas, I wish he could have done this in the morning, when I¡¯m not yet sleepy. Took me all I had just to stay awake.¡±


    ¡°Well, you at least seemed used to it,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°I never had to do this before.¡±


    ¡°To be fair, only the real Princess Dia would spend hours sitting and listening into the needs of her people. If her double were to be present too, wouldn¡¯t there be an issue?¡± Risti asked.


    Dia eyed Risti, and wondered why her intelligence gathering didn¡¯t show that Princess Dia didn¡¯t really concern herself with petty things like meetings and speeches.


    It didn¡¯t take long for her to come up with an answer ¡ª Risti was probably cherry-picking the good parts of her idol and ignoring the less-than-ideal reports. After all, from how Risti portrayed the princess of the Lustre Dukedom, an ignorant passer-by would assume Princess Dia to be an unparalleled beauty who boasts of wits, will, skill and a heart that showers all under the heavens with love. It was an ideal that Dia couldn¡¯t ever hope to actually live up to ¡ª she was as lazy as the next person. And as for kindness¡­


    She decided not to go there. As much as she didn¡¯t want to admit it, she wasn¡¯t really a kind person.


    Just a pragmatic one.


    Either way, it was clear that she wasn¡¯t the kind of person Risti made her out to be, but it did feel somewhat nice to be worshipped in such a manner. Still, it came with its own fair share of pressure, one that Dia hadn¡¯t expected to face at all.


    The pressure from people who idolised her.


    It was a kind of pressure she didn¡¯t know how to react to ¡ª Dia knew that she couldn¡¯t live up to their expectations. Yet, she felt bad whenever she heard Farah, Risti and Lily talk about the Princess Dia in their hearts ¡ª if, one day, they found out about her true identity¡­what would happen to them?


    Dia got up from her sofa and walked over to a small table of drinks. The bartender had poured some out before his absurdly long speech on regulations, and these cups were beginning to look a bit pitiful for being ignored for so long.


    She downed one cup, and the sour taste combined with her worries made her let out a heavy sigh.


    ¡°Why the long face?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, it¡¯s you, Claud.¡± Dia picked up another cup, and then chugged it. The bartender had shown some conscience ¡ª the drinks here weren¡¯t as¡­indescribable as whatever he served in Triple-D.


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    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Claud pick up a cup of his own. Sniffing at it experimentally, he held it up to eye-level, before taking a cautious sip.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Dia asked. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be worried about poison, right?¡±


    ¡°Just because I have a Pendant of Poison Immunity doesn¡¯t mean that I should drink whatever I like,¡± Claud replied. ¡°You only get ten chances a day. If you use them all up, that¡¯s it. Besides, for the master¡¯s case, I¡¯m not really thinking about poison. I¡¯m thinking about the kinds of piss he¡¯s mixing inside.¡±


    Dia¡¯s stomach did a backflip. ¡°Not literally, I hope.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, he doesn¡¯t use actual piss. But it might be better if he did. His alcohol is so pure that more than fifteen people have died from drinking it,¡± Claud replied. ¡°The worst of it all is that his drinks don¡¯t really taste all that great either. In fact, the lower the alcohol, the better it tastes when it comes to his drink.¡±


    Dia thought back to the reactions the others had when they tried his drinks for the first time, and then nodded. ¡°He should be a normal drinks vendor.¡±


    ¡°All men have a dream,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s just unfortunate that he¡¯s horrible at his. Anyway, what¡¯s with that super long sigh of yours? Even hearing it makes me sad.¡±


    Taking a long, measured gaze at Claud, Dia swirled the contents of her third cup and let out another sigh. ¡°How do I put it¡­I just feel a bit pressured. You know, to live up to my reputation and everything. How would you react if people were to ascribe false praise onto you, and you¡¯re in earshot?¡±


    Claud¡¯s eyes lit up for some reason. ¡°You too? Moons! I¡¯ve finally found a kindred spirit!¡±


    He trembled for a few seconds, before steeling his face properly. ¡°My apologies. It¡¯s just that I was overcome with emotion. Ahem. Anyway, I know how it feels too, but there¡¯s really nothing you can do about it.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Trust me. I believe that you should live for yourself, with the values of only your own choosing,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Did that work for you?¡± Dia asked.


    Claud¡¯s face cramped. ¡°Yes¡­is what I really want to say. Unfortunately, I have long felt that the¡­false reputation heaped upon me is beyond that of a normal person¡¯s comprehension.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you¡¯ve been living a low-profile life?¡± Dia asked, curious. It was the first Claud had actually opened up about himself ¡ª the man was a mysterious one, who didn¡¯t like to talk about himself much ¡ª so she was perfectly happy to listen on. It was like reading a good novel, although she had a feeling that her favourite novel, if it was sentient, might be a tad peeved if it ever knew that Dia was comparing Claud with it.


    ¡°You¡­could say that.¡± Claud¡¯s face was expressionless, but Dia could tell that he was still hiding a lot of things.


    She chuckled in response. Given that they had forged a bond, there would be time for Dia to figure Claud out. Besides, Risti was someone who had lots of information-related skills. If Dia ever found herself unbearably curious, she could approach Risti for some help, and that would be it.


    ¡°Uh, Dia?¡± Claud frowned. ¡°I still can¡¯t get used to this new term of address. I¡¯ve been calling you Isolde for so long that suddenly asking me to use the name of the person you¡¯re protecting is¡­¡±


    ¡°Just call me whatever you like,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°I have to respect your mission, though. Please forgive me if I make any little slip-ups like that one.¡± Claud took another sip from the cup, and grimaced. ¡°How bracing.¡±


    The bartender walked up and slapped his back. ¡°What a pansy.¡±


    ¡°Done with your final instructions already, master?¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°Just call me Schwarz. We¡¯re not in the bar now.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine. The lack of apple juice is disturbing, however. Poor service. Thumbs down.¡± Claud yawned. ¡°Right, I¡¯m heading to Julan in a few days¡¯ time. I heard that there¡¯s some uh, very suitable business opportunities there. Can you hold the fort here?¡±


    ¡°Immediately after we established the Moon Lords? Why are you a founding member again?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Claud replied, ¡°I¡¯ll share my profits.¡±


    ¡°What are you planning to do?¡± Dia asked, curious. ¡°You seem certain that it¡¯s going to be a profitable venture.¡±


    ¡°Time-sensitive high efficacy fetterless trading,¡± Claud promptly replied.


    ¡°Time¡ªwhat?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Dia.¡± He winked. ¡°I¡¯ll be back with lots of resources once it¡¯s over. Just sit tight and count the money flowing in here for the next month or two.¡±


    ¡°How are you that confident?¡± Dia shook her head and turned to the bartender, whose name she had finally learnt. ¡°So, uh¡­Schwarz.¡±


    Schwarz beamed. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What should the others and I do? I mean, everyone has their own work, but we haven¡¯t received anything,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°As I understand it, you guys have your own things you want to carry out in an organisation like this, right?¡± Schwarz took out a bottle and drank from it. ¡°I¡¯ll just deal with the profits. You guys do what you want, and I¡¯ll offer support. In turn, the four of you just need to look really menacing. Show off some power or something once in a while.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°Well, what else do you want?¡±


    Dia paused. ¡°That¡¯s actually a good question¡­¡±

 Chapter 50: The master thief on a shopping trip

    Claud¡¯s preparations for his long trip to Julan Barony had taken him more than a week, but some things were a lot harder to track down than others. It was Yellowgott ¡ª the third day of the week ¡ª by the time he found a shop that sold Aura-boosting talismans, but the products had¡­some issues, to put it mildly.


    Letting out a small sigh, he made to turn away, but the attendant that had been asking him repeatedly for the past three minutes grabbed his arm and pulled it to her chest. Claud forced down a gulp, pulled away from her, and held up his hands.


    ¡°Those talismans are too strong,¡± Claud said for the fifth time in three minutes. ¡°I¡¯ll be disturbing the forests and the mountains if I were to use them ¡ª do you really want me to die?¡±


    Aura-boosting Talismans were designed to enhance one¡¯s presence by an entire mana-fold, enabling even vanillas to walk through the wilderness without being accosted by low-level monsters and hungry wildlife. However, there was a limit to its use ¡ª bi-folders and beyond using them would, apparently, trigger apex predators to assault them, since they were essentially projecting a threat. Claud had heard horror stories about how people new to crossing the lands thought using multiple Aura-boosting talismans were the best way to guarantee their safety, only to get swatted down by monsters with three or even more mana circuits.


    Of course, for professionals like him, this was nothing of concern. Keeping count of how many Aura-boosting talismans one was currently using was a simple job for old hands. However, the Aura-boosting talismans the attendant was trying to offload on him were¡­too good at their purpose.


    Instead of raising one¡¯s presence by one mana-fold, it amplified users¡¯ presence by three. Even normal people would be faced with the threat of being hunted down by monsters that felt threatened upon using it, let alone bona-fide mana-users like Claud.


    ¡°There¡¯s definitely a way you can use them, sir! Please buy them off me! If I don¡¯t sell them by tomorrow, my salary will be cut!¡±


    Claud caught a glimpse of some intimate apparel as she grabbed his arm once more, and then took a step back involuntarily. ¡°Look, they¡¯ll be useless, and¡ª¡±


    He could deal with women working their appeals to boost sales, but against someone who was doing something like this innocently, Claud found himself helpless. This attendant ¡ª Luna ¡ª was really just desperate, and for some stupid inane reason, Claud couldn¡¯t quite exactly extricate himself from her desperate pleas.


    ¡°Wow, this is a really awkward time to buy items.¡± A familiar voice from behind him. ¡°Am I interrupting anything?¡±


    Claud froze at those words, and then turned to see Dia, who was observing him with interest. ¡°She¡¯s just trying to sell me those defective Aura-boosting talismans really desperately, that¡¯s all. I¡¯m not doing anything, D-Dia.¡±


    It had taken him a while to internalise Isolde¡¯s so-called real name, but he had no choice. Farah had privately told him about her true mission, and Claud had nothing else but respect for her drive. Learning to think of her as the real Princess Dia was the least he could do.


    ¡°You¡­aren¡¯t going to say ¡®This is a misunderstanding¡¯?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°At which point you¡¯ll run off, and I¡¯ll have to chase you, and then after a sweaty fifteen minutes, I finally catch up and clarify myself?¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think I want to re-enact the misunderstandings I see in novels. They¡¯re amusing to read, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, you read them too?¡± Dia asked. ¡°What do you like?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Sellsword¡¯s the first on the list, and Legend of¡ªgah! Please, stop grabbing my arm like this!¡± He looked at the attendant and shook his head. ¡°Please, spare me!¡±


    ¡°Were you always this weak to women?¡± Dia asked.


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    ¡°No, I¡¯m not, but this is simply too¡­too¡­never mind!¡± Claud extricated himself from Luna, before patting down his shirt and trousers to make sure that Dia didn¡¯t spot anything. ¡°What do you want to sell? I¡¯ll buy!¡±


    Inwardly mortified, Claud took a few steps away from the attendant, who now looked like she had been granted a stay of execution, or even an imperial pardon from Emperor Grandis himself.


    ¡°¡­You seriously don¡¯t strike me as someone who¡¯s easily pressured,¡± Dia noted.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not! It¡¯s just that¡­¡± Claud let out a sigh. ¡°Never mind. Men things.¡±


    Luna sauntered over happily, a box in her hand. ¡°Here, sir Claud! Our whole stock of extra-strong Aura-boosting talismans! Please check the receipt!¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah. S-sure.¡± Claud passed over ten gold, his heart in shambles. ¡°I¡¯m never coming here anymore.¡±


    ¡°But this is the only shop that sells extra-strong consumables! To write me off like this¡­boss is going to kill me!¡± Luna closed in on Claud, her eyes teary once more. For a moment, Claud wondered if she was actually faking it, but one look was enough for him to realise that it was just her personality. ¡°Look, I¡¯ll throw in this Area Compulsion skillstrip! It¡¯s been specially treated to last one month! Twenty of them!¡±


    ¡°What am I supposed to do with it, hypnotise myself?¡± Claud asked, helpless. While he tried to push Luna away, Claud was also trying to use his eyes to ask Dia for help, but she was actually just observing him with a great deal of amusement.


    ¡°No one wants to buy from us,¡± Luna replied miserably. ¡°I don¡¯t know why they don¡¯t like consumables that have double efficacy! Boss keeps saying that it¡¯s my fault, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright! I¡¯ll do anything! Stop crying!¡± Claud wriggled out of her hands and hid behind Dia, who only stifled some laughter in return. After making a note to get some petty revenge on her afterwards, Claud peeked out from Dia¡¯s shoulder, where Luna¡¯s eyes were now shining.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, so just¡­stand there. Okay? Just stand there.¡±


    After surrendering his personal information to Luna, Claud left the shop with as much speed as he could muster without making it look like he was running away, box in hand.


    ¡°What should I do with this?¡± Claud mumbled.


    ¡°That¡¯s a very good question,¡± Dia, who had been following him closely during his flight, replied.


    ¡°Bit rich for you to say, seeing how you didn¡¯t help me earlier.¡±


    ¡°And how did you expect me to help?¡± Dia asked, a small smile on her face.


    Claud opened his mouth, tried to think of an idea, and then shut it begrudgingly. ¡°Good point.¡±


    ¡°See? Unless, of course, you want me to get physical, but why would I do that?¡±


    Dia¡¯s words were sounding more and more reasonable by the second, and Claud dipped his head to mutter an apology, before ambling over to a tree.


    ¡°So many useless talismans.¡± Claud let out a sigh.


    ¡°What do these talismans do?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I know about skillstrips and skillsticks, but talismans¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what they are?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Seriously? Go look it up when you have time.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°I only use skillstrips and skillsticks¡­but I just can¡¯t be bothered to make them. It¡¯s too tiring.¡±


    This right here, to Claud, was probably the epitome of laziness. It wasn¡¯t like she had anything else more important to do ¡ª she was rich, she was a mana-user, and she was one of the Moon Lords¡¯ leaders.


    ¡°You should at least make as much skillsticks as possible,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about your skills, and they¡¯re all trump cards for battle. It¡¯s a waste if you don¡¯t turn them into skillsticks. They are permanent, after all. Won¡¯t hurt for you to at least use up any Elysia wood you have in hand.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    ¡°Please pay more consideration to your trump cards. You know as well as I do that skills are really important,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Seriously, what have you been doing in your free time?¡±


    ¡°Reading, talking to the others¡­look.¡± Dia took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m new to this¡­commoner thing, so I¡¯m putting in effort on that bit. You know, bodyguarding and normal life don¡¯t go well together.¡±


    ¡°Even with the Shadows of Grandis after you?¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°If they can find you once, they can find you again. The creation of the Moon Lords can help you, but you aren¡¯t protected at all times, right? Being able to at least use your skills a few more times would definitely help you.¡±


    Frowning at Dia¡¯s response, Claud decisively launched into a thorough explanation of why she should always prepare herself, until his throat dried up. It was somewhat sad to see someone who didn¡¯t believe in preparing themselves, and with that thought, Claud coughed twice to clear his throat.


    ¡°Got it?¡± Claud shook his head.


    ¡°O-okay.¡± Dia had a tearful look on her face.


    ¡°It¡¯s for your own good,¡± Claud replied. ¡°If you were captured or killed because you made inadequate preparations, everyone would feel sad, but that¡¯ll be it. However, if you got someone else killed or captured because you made inadequate preparations¡­¡±


    Claud leaned forward slightly, narrowing his eyes. ¡°It¡¯ll be all on you.¡±


    His words seemed to strike a chord in Dia¡¯s heart, for she looked away a few seconds later.


    ¡°Think about it for a moment, m¡¯kay?¡± Claud cleared his throat once more, and then picked up his box. ¡°I¡¯ll be heading off first. Going to leave soon.¡±


    Bobbing his head at the thoughtful Dia, he walked off.

 Chapter 51: Moon Street

    As night fell, Claud ran through the information Isolde ¡ª ahem, Dia ¡ª had given him, which was in the form of a little guide for mana-users. Most of them dealt with etiquette, the finer sides of things, but since Claud wasn¡¯t a fan of snobbish arrogance, these bits weren¡¯t all that useful.


    No, what he found more useful was the explanation of mana. For the most of his twenty-six years, he hadn¡¯t given it much thought, since there was literally nothing he could do with it. Of course, if he knew that simply burning some life to draw one-tenth of a mana circuit would have prevented prompts to learn new skills from sticking around....


    Anyway, like skills, one¡¯s body drew mana from the soul, which in turn drew from the world. One¡¯s connection to the world would affect their affinity for skills, mana and affinities, which could be summed up in one word ¡ª talent. Burning mana circuits served three functions in that regard; it served to increase the physical capacity of mana, the transmission rate of mana to body, as well as the ability to control mana better.


    Most relevant to him, however, was that skills that identified others through their target¡¯s soul could also work on mana. For Claud, this meant that he could now leave his city, and not have his departure linked with Tot¡¯s sudden absence from the City of Trades. Granted, no one would probably link him ¡ª a nobody ¡ª to the personage that had struck down Zulan Patra without seemingly making a move, but Claud always liked to play it safe.


    There was no point in endangering oneself.


    His heart bled slightly as he took out a low-rank lifestone. Tossing it into a bottle, he poured mana into the lifestone inside. Green and blue melded with each other, and the stone seemed to melt away into a pale purple mist. Claud bottled the mist up, and then nudged the box sitting on his bed.


    Crown turned to regard the bottle for a moment, and then rolled over to face Claud once more, making him smile. He could tell that the little fluffy thing was confused by the bottle, which could only mean that he had succeeded in creating an item that would help throw bounty hunters off his trail.


    He had been wearing the Band of Duplicity ever since he got it, but instead of using someone else as a base template, Claud had hit upon a brilliant idea.


    Mirrors.


    He then modified his own appearance to not look that outstanding ¡ª Claud knew that being too handsome was a crime ¡ª and let the artefact automatically adjust his other identification factors; appearance, voice, scent, mana and life signature.


    He didn¡¯t quite understand why Dia was interested in disguise artefacts, though. After all, she was clearly trying to be the real Dia¡¯s body double, to draw attention from her pursuers, so disguising herself slightly didn¡¯t seem to help her in that regard. He¡¯d brought that up a few times over the past few days, but she had fobbed him off with a smile.


    Seriously, that Isolde ¡ª ahem, Dia ¡ª should learn to take the advice of ultra-skilled professionals like me. And why am I thinking about her anyway? Is it because she¡¯s so unprofessional at times? There¡¯s an entire Grandis after me, and I¡¯m thinking about random people¡­I must be crazy.


    Preparing another ten bottles, which depleted whatever low-rank and middle-rank lifestones he had scourged up from his backpack, Claud hung them around his body and prepared to leave. At this time of night, Dia would be at the Moon Lords¡¯ base; he would ask her to uncork the bottles every three to five days. She would naturally understand what these bottles were for, since their use was mentioned inside the manual, but she would not connect them to Tot.


    No, she would connect them to his help, back when she was attacked by the Shadows of Grandis. With a bit of well-placed persuasion, Dia would help him maintain the illusion that the Thief of Time was still hanging around the City of Trades, even when he arrived at Julan Barony.


    Running over his plans one more time, he shuttled through the shadows and soon arrived at Moon Street ¡ª the new designation for the street of warehouses that had previously housed the gangs of Licencia. At this time of night, the streets were supposed to be deserted, due to a curfew put in place by Count Nightfall, but some palm-greasing had taken place to make Moon Street the new place to go to for nightlife.


    This was the beginnings of Schwarz¡¯s plan to diversify their income revenues. The bartender, using his extensive clientele, had spread the news about a place where under-the-table services could be done at night, in a secure place with neutral arbitrators ¡ª the Moon Lords. At the same time, he had gotten the underworld of Licencia to take part in legitimate ventures like food stalls and equipment peddling on the street itself, while reserving the warehouses for more shady issues like fencing.


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    At the top of it all stood the Moon Lords¡¯ Lunar Ladies, which was a great elegant title for Dia, Farah, Lily and Risti. They had moved to act four times, crushing anyone who tried anything funny with non-fatal, but painful, prejudice. After showing that there were indeed four mana-users backing the Moon Lords, law and order finally settled into Moon Street for good.


    Incidentally, Claud had suggested the Furious Fierce Four, but his awesome title had been shot down three seconds afterwards. He didn¡¯t quite know why, but he did at least wrangle out a promise to name some little group that from Schwarz.


    With a mask on his face, Claud headed straight to the Moon Mansion, while buying a bag of tuna sandwiches in passing. Moon Street was patrolled by twenty teams of five people, each of them wearing a mask. Those masks were artefacts that obfuscated one¡¯s identity for thirty minutes, and each of them had three uses every day.


    The main goal in hiding their identities was to prevent customers from making use of personal connections. As Schwarz explained it, personal connections between customers and members of an organisation would eventually create conflicts of interest. Claud didn¡¯t quite understand what he meant, but the bartender was an expert in this, not him.


    Claud drew up at a small, transparent booth right outside Moon Mansion, which was actually now enclosed inside a transparent dome that reached to the sky. This booth, some three metres wide and tall, was made of soundproof, ultra-tough glass, and was the main method of entry for people. The three pairs of guards outside would scrutinise all visitors inside, to make sure that they didn¡¯t do anything funny, but the booth would also prevent anyone outside from hearing conversations that happened inside.


    ¡°Halt.¡± A mechanical voice spoke. ¡°Purpose?¡±


    ¡°To rule from the dark,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Purpose affirmed.¡± A grinding noise followed as a black square emerged from the booth. ¡°Remove all disguise artefacts, and place your hand on the designated area. Non-compliance will be dealt with on the spot.¡±


    Claud removed his Band of Duplicity and his mask, before pressing down on the glowing palmprint.


    ¡°Administrator confirmed. Master Claud, welcome. May the Moons light your way.¡±


    ¡°The Moons light my way,¡± Claud replied.


    The booth began to move through a track built into the walls of the mansion compound. It was a very short trip, but this was the only way people could get into the headquarters of the Moon Lords. These arrangements were created by Claud, with the bartender providing the necessary artefacts.


    Claud¡¯s expertise in less-than-legal entry had made him paranoid about the headquarters of the Moon Lords, which was bound to be heavily scrutinised by everyone else in the city. To that end, his ideas had been very drastic.


    First, a dome would be constructed to prevent people from climbing, flying or dropping in. It would be followed up by a single method of entry, which would make use of every identification factor, as well as a passcode. The latter would be impossible to hear, while any attempts to record or tamper with the booth¡¯s equipment would be noticed by the guards immediately. Furthermore, only one person was allowed entry at a time, unless authorised by the Lunar Ladies, the bartender, or Claud.


    Even Claud himself would not be able to think of ways to enter Moon Mansion easily, without relying on his Presence Nullification skill. Even with it, Claud would have to rely on the human factor ¡ª the guardhouse, and spend quite some time. The only other way he could think of was to use either the mansion¡¯s staff or the founding members of the Moon Lords.


    Things like coercion or blackmail was the best way to go, but that would really be out of his expertise. Other than that, there were all kinds of defences he¡¯d built; the most egregious of which was a set of ballistae designed to shoot down siege engines¡­which could be operated remotely. Supposedly, it could even harm up to tri-folders, and if Claud had a choice, he would have gotten weapons that could even harm Zulan Patra¡­but it was too expensive.


    Fortunately, the money for those renovations came from the bartender¡¯s pocket, not his.


    The booth doors opened once more, and Claud stepped into Moon Mansion proper. The interior was brightly lit, with all kinds of artefacts working at full blast to ensure a super comfortable environment. It was somewhat astounding to see how Schwarz had managed to create a stronghold of this level within a few days, but again, the bartender had immense reserves of money, lifestones and connections.


    To tell the truth, Claud had the feeling that the bartender could have usurped control of Licencia¡¯s underworld anytime, if not for the fact that there weren¡¯t mana-users backing him up.


    ¡°Claud?¡± A voice floated over. ¡°What are you doing here, punk? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be leaving tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Master Lunar Lord,¡± Claud replied, an exaggerated, flattering smile on his face. ¡°Tis great to see you!¡±


    ¡°Alright, stop. I¡¯m getting the goosebumps.¡± The bartender rolled his eyes. ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Just making some preparations for my departure.¡± He took out a small stack of envelopes. ¡°Here¡¯s a bunch of instructions and contingency plans, in case I¡¯m not back and something happens.¡±


    The bartender took them, glanced through the labels Claud had pasted on them, and nodded. ¡°Thanks for your hard work. Are you sure these would work?¡±


    ¡°If you follow the instructions and keep in mind that the information inside is time-sensitive, yes,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Right, where¡¯s Dia?¡±


    ¡°At the back, why?¡±


    ¡°I have something for her to do while I¡¯m gone,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°I see. Well, don¡¯t let me hold you up.¡± He paused. ¡°Good luck for your next time-sensitive high efficacy fetterless trade.¡±


    The two of them exchanged grins at that, before Claud headed to the back of Moon Mansion.

 Chapter 52: Moon Phase — a game of personality and luck!

    Dia was sitting around and playing a game of Moon Phase with herself. Moon Phase was a simple, yet popular game. It was played on a gameboard eight spaces wide and four pieces long, with circular pieces that represented the phases of the Moons; every player had eight new moon pieces, two crescents, two half-moons, two gibbous moons, and one full moon.


    The rules were simple: players would choose a colour, and then turn all their pieces face down. They would then scramble their pieces, and then place their facedown pieces on any of the thirty-two spaces on the board, taking turns to place four pieces at once. Once done, there would be two vacant spaces on the board, as a way to reduce issues stemming from bad luck or judgement.


    Every turn, a player could either flip a piece, or move a revealed piece of their own to either an empty space, or to capture a revealed opposing piece in any direction. There was a hierarchy of pieces too ¡ª full moons could capture everything except for new moons and their opposing number, gibbous moons could capture anything but a full moon, half-moons could only capture crescents and new moons, while crescents could capture new moons.


    As for new moons, they were simultaneously the weakest and the strongest pieces on the board. After all, the objective of the game was to capture the opponent¡¯s full moon with a new moon. Losing all new moons also meant defeat, and to make it worse, new moons could capture their opposite number.


    There were games that were decided even before the full moons were revealed, and the mere thought of it was enough to remind Claud about how politics and fights were like in real-life ¡ª people could be killed before they could use their trump cards.


    He sighed and walked up to Dia.


    ¡°Hi, Claud.¡± Dia¡¯s eyes were still fixed on the board.


    ¡°Playing a game by yourself?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dia replied.


    She was playing a variant of Moon Phase; instead of choosing where individual pieces went on the board, Dia had arranged the pieces randomly, placing all the pieces down without looking for them. This variant was highly-dependent on luck; if a full moon opened beside an opposing new moon in such a mode¡­


    Well, Claud, on a personal basis, would recommend that person to stay at home the whole day.


    This aspect, incidentally, made it a popular game to gamble upon in Moon Street. It was entirely possible that Dia wanted to play Moon Phase today because she had been influenced by the motif of the Moons; when he was walking to Moon Mansion earlier, he had spotted a few games going on.


    He plopped down on a seat and watched as Dia continued to play Moon Phase by herself. Since she was juggling two sides, it was easy to screw up the piece counting, but¡­


    Dia¡¯s hand moved to an unopened piece and flipped it to reveal a red round circle.


    The red full moon that represented Percuti had been revealed, but unfortunately, it was too close to Plota¡¯s new moon for comfort, which was a black disk with a blue star in its middle. Within a few rapid moves, the game was over, and Dia made a sad noise.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been playing Moon Phase for the past hour, and almost every resolution has a full moon show up within two steps of a new moon,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Can¡¯t help but feel worried.¡±


    ¡°About your luck, eh?¡± Claud nodded. ¡°But since you¡¯re playing against yourself, you cannot be that certain.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Is that a challenge?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Do you want a game too?¡±


    Claud thought about his request, and then figured that Dia would be more amenable if he humoured her for a moment. ¡°Sure. But I won¡¯t hold back.¡±


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    Functionally, all three moons were actually the same, but as a thief, Claud found himself more partial to the yellow moon, Gelb, which represented the material side of the world.


    To put it more crudely, it represented wealth and resources. Dia cocked an eyebrow as Claud continued to take out Gelb¡¯s pieces, before flipping them over and messing them up. The latter action was just custom, to generate more noise, since a normal round of Moon Phase would have players choosing where to place pieces.


    Claud gestured. ¡°Ladies first.¡±


    ¡°I will take you on that offer, then.¡± Picking out four pieces, she placed them down on Claud¡¯s side of the board. Claud glanced at the unusual opening, narrowed his eyes at Dia, and then decided to build his pieces far away from her opening. After three more back-and-forth exchanges, the board set-up was complete, and they began to play in earnest.


    Moon Phase, generally, had three stages. The first one was the flipping phase, one in which both sides either flipped their own pieces or their opponent¡¯s. Since only flipped pieces could move and capture, revealing the enemy¡¯s non-new moons placed them at a movement advantage. Generally, the flipping phase revolved around seeking out the enemy full moon and new moons, and once that was done¡­


    The second stage was the capture phase, which usually occurred when half of either side¡¯s new moons were revealed. Of course, oddballs like Dia ¡ª who was currently moving her revealed crescent moons to surround Claud¡¯s unrevealed pieces ¡ª existed, but by and large, this was when most of the new moons were captured.


    ¡°Jackpot,¡± Claud muttered, as Dia revealed his full moon. It was sitting right at where her half and gibbous moons were pushing into, rather than hiding behind a safe formation of pieces. Earlier on, she had taken two of his half-moons, flipping them over in one turn and attacking in the next.


    ¡°Why is your full moon at the front?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°The most capable have the greatest responsibility, right?¡± Claud replied, his full moon glinting under the false lighting. Within moments, Dia had lost both her gibbous moons, which had been eating up his new moons aggressively, tilting the balance in his favour. From how he read it, Dia had assumed that the outermost layers of his set-up were going to be crescent or half-moons, but he had one-upped her by placing the strongest piece at where he predicted the clash was going to be.


    Her playstyle really resembled her character, no matter how Claud looked at it. Straightforward, aggressive¡­


    It just so happened that Claud was the sneaky type.


    Claud paused at thought. Wait, sneaky¡¯s a bad word. Ingenious sounds far, far better. Yes. This master thief here is the ingenious type.


    The third phase was end-game, where the losing player would try to maximise attrition. Due to the luck-based and deduction aspects of Moon Phase, it was customary to play three rounds. The winner of each round would gain eighteen points, with the loser gaining one point for every enemy piece captured. At the end of three rounds, whoever had a higher point total would win.


    Dia, however, had lost her strongest pieces in the game, and so, the usual end-game scene of the loser opening as many pieces as possible began to play out. On his part, Claud played cautiously and slowly, and to Dia¡¯s growing frustration, the game ended with eight pieces lost on his part.


    ¡°Again?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m an utterly bad match for you,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°True. They say that one¡¯s playstyle matches their character, after all.¡± Claud hid a smile. ¡°But don¡¯t you want to try a different style?


    ¡°I¡¯ll never adjust well. More importantly, are you implying that I fall into traps easily?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m implying that you often take the direct approach,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Nothing else. Against players who like to gather their strength, your playstyle has a far higher chance of winning.¡±


    ¡°¡­True.¡± Dia rubbed her nose. ¡°Right, you didn¡¯t drop by here to play Moon Phase with me, did you?¡±


    ¡°Actually, no. I was intending on asking you for a favour,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°A favour?¡± She narrowed her eyes slightly.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m going to leave Licencia for a while, but I¡¯m worried that the people after you might chase me for some stupid reason,¡± said Claud. ¡°So I prepared these things.¡±


    He revealed a whole bunch of bottles, each filled with purple mist, and nodded as Dia¡¯s eyes lit up in understanding. ¡°Just help me release the contents every three days or so, and that¡¯ll do.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Yeap.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t asking me for money or anything?¡±


    ¡°What do I look like in your eyes?¡±


    ¡°Someone who always wants to buy defensive artefacts?¡± Dia rubbed her nose. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I really admire your drive to stay safe.¡±


    ¡°For some reason, I can hear a ¡®but¡¯ somewhere in that last bit,¡± Claud replied, annoyed.


    ¡°You must be dreaming.¡± Dia chuckled in an annoying fashion, and the self-proclaimed master thief felt an eyebrow twitch.


    ¡°Fine, whatever.¡± He got up from his seat. ¡°I¡¯m going off now. You better be safe and sound when I return from my time-sensitive high efficacy fetterless trade run.¡±


    ¡°Again, what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Think about it yourself,¡± Claud replied. ¡°You better be in one piece when I return, or else.¡±


    Smirking, he raised a hand and left.

 Chapter 53: An unexpected guest joins the one-man party!

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know we were close enough for you to warrant sending me off,¡± Claud uttered, looking at the person waiting at Licencia¡¯s city gates.


    Lily Julan, the heiress to the Julan Barony, shrugged. Her¡­adoration of Princess Dia was still on full display, however, judging from her get-up. ¡°I¡¯m not sending you off. I¡¯m coming with you.¡±


    ¡°To Julan.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lily fiddled with the hood of her travelling cloak. ¡°I¡¯m heading there, like you. You can either go with me, or go separately.¡±


    ¡°And¡­why would you want to go there?¡± Claud asked, incredibly conscious of the attention she was drawing. Many people were looking at her, and Claud could understand why; she was exuding a charm that could very well blind his eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re planning on doing something to Julan,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I think my aid will be useful here.¡±


    ¡°¡­and you probably figured that drawing the Shadows of Grandis with you to Julan would help in screwing over your family, right?¡± Claud rubbed his head, having come to that conclusion on his own. ¡°Fine. On the condition that you listen to my words while we¡¯re travelling.¡±


    ¡°Good enough.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t bother asking what Lily intended to do. Nor did she ask Claud about his own plans. That, however, was fine to him. The implicit agreement was for him to help escort her to Julan, which, considering his expertise in wilderness survival, was nothing much. In return, she would provide him with information enough to do whatever he wanted to do.


    He gestured at the city gates. ¡°Let¡¯s go, then.¡±


    Walking past the city guards, who ¡ª to his irritation ¡ª made rude whistles at Lily, they stepped out of the City of Trades.


    ¡°Right,¡± said Claud, ¡°how were you intending to go to Julan? Were you intending to go on foot?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡± Lily replied. ¡°How about you?¡±


    ¡°Suits me.¡± Claud took out four skillstrips. ¡°These skillstrips hold Flight. I procured them from certain people. They¡¯re as fast as horses, and don¡¯t suffer from geographical issues. We¡¯ll conduct a fast march until our supplies begin to drop, and then use Flight to get to the nearest town to top up.¡±


    ¡°You have skillstrips with Flight?¡± Lily blinked. ¡°Haven¡¯t you forgotten¡­right. You¡¯re a new mana-user.¡±


    ¡°Go on,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I get a feeling you¡¯re about to say something useful.¡±


    ¡°Do you know about boosting the effects of skills with mana?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Our Dia gave you a book, right? There should be something about mana infusion inside. If I recall, it¡¯s on page thirteen.¡±


    Under her clear eyes, Claud took out the booklet. Flipping the pages, he stopped at the page labelled ¡®Mana Infusion¡¯, before looking up at Lily.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lily asked.


    Claud handed the book over to her silently. Her brows furrowed a moment later, and she let out a small ¡®Ah¡¯.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying anything, but whoever wrote this¡­needs to improve their penmanship,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Well, since you¡¯re here, maybe you can give me a low-down on how to do this Mana Infusion thing.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Lily waved a skillstrip around. ¡°Do you know how imbuing skillstrips work? Or do you just do it as instructed?¡±


    ¡°Mostly the latter,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I do know some bits, though.¡±


    Like how, for instance, Absolute One didn¡¯t have a spiritual structure.


    ¡°I¡¯ll start from the beginning, I guess.¡± Lily looked around, before pulling him into the shade of a tree. ¡°Basically, when you activate skills, they create a spiritual structure. Residue bits of your soul. When mana passes through that structure, a unique effect is created, which is the effect of the skill. Got it?¡±


    ¡°I knew that but, but I do have some questions, though.¡±


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    ¡°Don¡¯t bother asking me, I¡¯m just repeating from my lessons.¡± Lily cleared her throat. When you imbue skills into paper or Elysia wood, you¡¯re effectively replicating that structure. And when you destroy the medium holding this structure, the spiritual structure draws mana in and activates. Usually, skills activate based on ambient mana, but if you can manipulate mana, the effects of activated skills intensify. That¡¯s mana infusion.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Claud cleared his throat. ¡°I wish I knew that a few days earlier, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Farah¡¯s handwriting really isn¡¯t decipherable by most of us,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Not something I could help with.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, though.¡± Claud passed a skilstrip over. ¡°In that case¡­how fast can I go if I infuse mana into a skillstrip?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­a good question.¡± Lily examined the skillstrip. ¡°Care to find out?¡±


    At these words, Claud and Lily tore their skillstrips together, and this time, he made sure to feel for that thing Lily called a spiritual structure. A second later, he could¡­sense it stick onto his body, and Claud followed Lily¡¯s instructions. Blue light began to glow around his chest, taking up a very complicated pattern, and the next thing Claud knew, he was soaring towards the west.


    [By infusing mana into spiritual structures, you can intensify their effect. This works on all skills, except skills that generate mana. Conveniences of a mana-user discovered: 3/5.]


    He glanced at the screen that had popped up in his vision. He had a feeling that this was directed at skills like Absolute One, which granted unlimited mana and¡ª


    ¡°Say, Lily.¡± His voice came out oddly in the high-speed flight, but since the Flight skill also included a small barrier of compressed air to protect the user, Claud could still speak.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Does the output of the skill improve if I force more mana into the spiritual structure?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Yes, but you¡¯ll drain your mana reserves faster. Once you empty your mana circuits, you¡¯ll have to wait a whole day before we can move at such speeds,¡± Lily replied.


    Claud licked his lips. He could already see it in his mind; with his Absolute One, he could supercharge his flight speed for ten seconds. Running away from enemies, even people like Zulan Patra, had never seemed easier.


    He would need to find some free time to experiment first, however.


    ¡°Take note, however. Even if you have artefacts that store mana, you¡¯ll need to be skilled at controlling them too,¡± Lily carried on. ¡°Simply pouring out the mana in your storage artefacts won¡¯t do the job; if you wanted to boost your speeds to incredible levels, you¡¯ll need to channel everything properly too.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Claud felt like wilting, but since he was travelling at an incredible speed, he had to restrain himself from doing anything that was remotely dangerous. ¡°So I¡¯ll need to work on control.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been talking about Flight so far, but what happens if you infuse mana into other skills?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Like Dia¡¯s Sword Dance, or Fated Sword.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the specifics, unfortunately.¡± Lily mulled over her thoughts for a moment. ¡°However, I can tell you that when it comes to skills that produce items, infusing mana increases the speed of creation, as well as the quality of the items produced.¡±


    ¡°You have skills geared towards making items?¡± Claud asked. ¡°What kinds of items are we talking about, specifically?¡±


    ¡°General items like weapons, armour, food and bombs,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Unfortunately, I cannot yet make artefacts. Most artefact schools are rather¡­exclusive. Someone like an heiress of a rundown barony won¡¯t qualify to enter.¡±


    ¡°Wait, if a noble can¡¯t enter, who can?¡± Claud asked, smashing through a small cloud a moment later. For a moment, he thought he had heard something odd in them, but maybe he was a bit¡­fatigued.


    ¡°People of certain lineage, apparently.¡± Lily¡¯s smile evoked sadness within Claud himself, a feeling that lasted until she turned away. ¡°There are bloodlines for many skills. Artificing happens to be one of them.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you learn it by yourself?¡± Claud asked. ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a skill granted by the Coloured Gods, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy¡­never mind. I don¡¯t feel like talking about it.¡± Lily¡¯s speed increased, and Claud soon found himself working hard just to supply mana towards his chest.


    The fields continued to roll past them, but Claud eventually got Lily to descend. Flight only lasted for thirty minutes, and there wasn¡¯t any buffer time to let the user land. Once it ran out, that was it. Claud, as a death-fearing individual, naturally kept track of Flight¡¯s duration, but even he himself was prone to doubting his timekeeping.


    Touching down on a well-trodden patch of grass, Claud took out a map and began to look for his current location. From the looks of it, they were around ten kilometres away from a small town, Nachtville. Off at the side, Lily was examining the naturally formed path beneath her feet curiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s what some bounty hunters call a bootleg trail,¡± Claud said out loud. ¡°When people constantly tread on a similar area, the vegetation begins to change and adapt.¡±


    ¡°I know that much,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I¡¯m just wondering why such paths would form here of all places.¡±


    ¡°Probably because it¡¯s most efficient,¡± Claud replied, dismissing her worries. Closing his eyes, he tried to gauge the remaining mana he had left, which didn¡¯t amount to all that much. More than three-fourths of his mana had been consumed in the past thirty minutes, and after posing a few more questions to Lily, he learnt that she was roughly in the same condition as him too.


    It would take around a day before his mana reserves returned to full. Unfortunately, now that he¡¯d experienced high-speed flight, the remainder of their journey to Nachtville was a bit too slow for his liking, a feeling clearly shared by Lily.


    Their slow march to Nachtville, therefore, was peppered by requests to use another Flight skillstrip, which Claud had to reject over and over, despite his own inner thoughts.


    His ear, heart and soul were stinging by the time the gates of Nachtville came into view.

 Chapter 54: In the same bedroom?

    Unlike Licencia and Pletsville, Nachtville had been passed down from heir to heir for quite some time. Count Nightfall had wrested control over Licencia through the business side of things, while Pletsville¡¯s original owners had been¡­dealt with by Duke Istrel, and then given out as a means to exile the useless Baron Aoro.


    That was everything he knew, however.


    Minor towns like Nachtville didn¡¯t really stoke his interest ¡ª he rarely went to the areas that weren¡¯t north of Licencia, since that meant they were further away from the continent centre. As a rule of thumb, the closer a territory was to Grandia, the Emperor¡¯s place of power, the more prosperous it was.


    ¡°If you consider lots of flowers to be unexploited resources, you¡¯ll be right,¡± Lily, who was discussing with him the small towns that had sprouted in the vast wilderness, replied. ¡°Julan also makes a good tourist spot, but that¡¯s just a trap to kidnap people.¡±


    The two stopped right at the gate, where two unkempt guards were playing a game of cards with each other.


    ¡°Hold on a second, will ya?¡± said the thinner of the two. ¡°We¡¯re in the middle of a really good game.¡±


    A vein in Lily¡¯s temple throbbed, but Claud stopped her. Shaking his head lightly, he glanced at the rising blue and yellow moons, and craned his neck to observe the on-going game. The two guards were playing a game of bluff; it used a standard deck of poker cards, a popular and oft-produced relic from some ancient time.


    ¡°Why did you stop me?¡± Lily whispered in his ear.


    Pulling her away from the two, Claud found a nice rock to sit down on. ¡°The guards in any town seem rather useless, but they¡¯re the first line of intelligence and defence. Pissing one off might be the difference between leaving town the next day normally, and leaving it while gagged and blindfolded.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re mana-users,¡± she replied.


    ¡°And, pray tell, are mana-users all-powerful and undying? Are mana-users unequivocally good people that won¡¯t partake in shady practices?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°In the past¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªYou got lucky,¡± Claud interrupted her words. ¡°You just need to be unlucky once. And that¡¯ll be it. Safety first, Lily. Besides, they could make your entry a rather¡­unpleasant experience, if they really feel motivated to do it.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°As guards of a city, they have the authority to search anyone. It is a right bestowed upon them by Emperor Grandis themselves, in the name of law and order. Normally, they wouldn¡¯t take their duties all that seriously, but give them a reason to, and they¡¯ll go all out,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Even if they¡¯re not doing their duties properly.¡±


    ¡°Even if,¡± Claud affirmed. ¡°Alright, they¡¯re done. Let me show you how to get entry into a foreign city easily. Follow me.¡±


    Walking back to the two guards, Claud nodded at them with a smile. ¡°Good evening, sir guards.¡±


    The thinner of the two smiled back. ¡°A good evening to you too, sir, as well as your lovely partner. What is your purpose here?¡±


    ¡°I apologise for distracting you from your honourable duties, but we are travellers that are seeking out board and lodging in this fine city,¡± Claud replied, producing a small silver coin, sliding it over with his and Lily¡¯s identification documents. ¡°Would you mind instructing us on the best place to stay in Nachtville?¡±


    He returned the papers immediately, without looking at them. ¡°Certainly. Just go to the Bronze Fork, the inn closest to the city gate. Don¡¯t let its exterior fool you; it¡¯s the safest place in town.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir guard.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Clance, open the gates. They¡¯re fine.¡± Flipping the silver coin over at the other guard, he beckoned for them to follow him through the small gate built beside the main city gate.


    Claud could feel a questioning gaze from Lily, but to her credit, she didn¡¯t say anything. Following the guard through the side entrance, they went through some narrow passageways.


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    ¡°You two should be careful,¡± said the guard. ¡°Recently, many people have gone missing in Nachtville. Reports about missing people in other cities have increased too. We are on general alert.¡±


    ¡°Missing?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Yes. Citizens, visitors, all kinds of people,¡± said the guard, before lowering his voice. ¡°In fact, one party from the Folders'' Association even came by recently to investigate. Seems like something big is happening.¡±


    Claud shot a few glances at Lily, who had narrowed her eyes. Both of them were clearly thinking the same thing ¡ª were those disappearances related to her family?


    ¡°Thank you, sir guard.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my job,¡± he replied. ¡°We¡¯re here. The Bronze Fork is the safest inn in town, but even then, be careful. There¡¯s no telling if the culprits would attack the Bronze Fork next.¡±


    Bringing them over to the inn, he waved goodbye at Claud and Lily. Once he was gone, Claud turned to her and asked, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very huge scale, compared to when I left,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°If you put it like that, either there¡¯s another group in the game, or they somehow gained the ability to expand their operations.¡± Claud narrowed his eyes as he recalled the reason why Lily left Julan Barony to begin with. The Julan family was involved with systematic kidnapping of tourists and visitors, but Lily hadn¡¯t managed to find the reason behind these deeds before she left.


    She then joined Claud, under the assumption that he wanted to mete out justice¡­even though he only intended to empty out their treasury. However, since they had drawn a clear line, Lily¡¯s only motive in tagging along was to support Claud¡¯s unstated goal through intelligence.


    His imagination began to drift. It was possible that the Julan family had come across some great treasure of the Third Godsfall, or decided to conduct some bloody ritual for inexplicable purposes. Either way, it was bad news for the people around these parts, if the Folders¡¯ Association had come calling.


    It would probably be a while before they homed in on Julan Barony, however. Claud wasn¡¯t a hero in the traditional sense of the word, but if the intensity of their crimes were indeed ramping up, there had to be a lot more resources sitting around the Julan family than he¡¯d expected.


    Resources used on crime were resources wasted, but stealing money wasn¡¯t as easy as stealing lifestones. The latter was far more compact than coins or notes, and could be consumed on the spot to boot. Depleting the Julan family of funds in a single night would be far harder.


    ¡°We need to stop them,¡± Lily said, her fists balled up.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Claud replied. ¡°However, Julan is too far from any major territory to enforce justice over, and we don¡¯t even know where the investigators dispatched by the Folders¡¯ Association are.¡±


    ¡°But you have an idea, right?¡±


    ¡°I was planning on sabotaging their operations from the root by cutting their funding,¡± Claud replied. ¡°They can¡¯t hire goons to do dirty work if they don¡¯t have money. However, if they¡¯re able to ramp up operations like this, your family must have a lot of money in reserve.¡±


    ¡°You¡­make a point.¡±


    Claud shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s go get a room first.¡±


    ¡°A room?¡±


    ¡°Of course, if you prefer to stay the night alone, under the threat of kidnappings, we can have two rooms,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m a gentleman through and through.¡±


    Lily eyed him, but Claud knew that his heart was pure. Sure, she looked great, but he was a person who could appreciate beauty without the influence of his lower half. Survival was paramount; satisfying anything else would take a backseat until he felt safe.


    Nachtville right now, however, was anything but safe.


    It didn¡¯t take long for them to arrange their lodgings, which had drawn some appraising eyes from the receptionist working the counter. Her gaze was a bit too piercing for Claud, who scooted away once he was done with the payment.


    Lily joined him a moment later, her expression clearly one of suppressed laughter.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°She was worried about me,¡± said Lily. ¡°That I was being forced.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Claud replied, the irritation in him draining away. ¡°But I¡¯m a really good-looking person. Why did she assume that¡­that¡­what am I even trying to say here?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s enter our room first.¡±


    Dumping their bags onto the ground, Claud took off the outer layer of his clothes, before preparing his usual nightly precautions. After placing lots of tripwires, bells and nets around the doors and windows, he stretched his neck, only to notice Lily¡¯s stare.


    ¡°What?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Is that¡­what you do every night?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Uh-huh. Why?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing.¡±


    Claud, tired out from his trap-setting, decided to flop onto the bed after using his Refresher. After stuffing down some dry rations, he picked up the blanket and prepared to divide the bed with it. It was designed to fit a couple comfortably, but as mature adults, there were ways to share a bed without a prerequisite advancement in relationship statuses, so¡ª


    ¡°Do I sleep on the floor?¡± Lily asked, interrupting his thoughts.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Claud rubbed his eyes. ¡°I mean, if you want to, sure. I was thinking of using a blanket to divide the space, though.¡±


    Her eyes went round. ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to sleep first.¡± Claud yawned, before turning over to his side. Rolling up the blanket to make a small wall, he placed the makeshift boundary into the middle of the bed. After making sure that Lily wasn¡¯t looking at him, he took a small fluffy box from his clothes, and placed it by his side.


    ¡°Alright, this should be more comfortable,¡± Claud whispered. ¡°Go and sleep.¡±


    Crown tilted over to its side, and then snuggled up to the rolled-up blanket.


    ¡°Did you say something?¡± Lily, who was taking out some clothes from her bag, asked.


    ¡°Nope.¡± Claud yawned again, and then laid down properly on his bed. ¡°Let¡¯s talk tomorrow. I¡¯m a bit too tired.¡±


    The pillow knocked him out three seconds after his head touched it.

 Chapter 55: Odd incidents, and odder ways of flying

    As the first rays of sunlight broke through the horizon, Claud stirred awake. He looked around, before locking onto the little box snuggling up to him, and for a moment, he frowned. Claud could remember placing Crown at the makeshift boundary, but for some reason, the little fellow had rolled over to him sometime in the middle of the night.


    It was somewhat disturbing that he didn¡¯t wake up when such an obvious movement occurred, leading Claud to assume that he had grown soft after Zulan Patra¡¯s unexpected defeat. The mana-users in Licencia had restrained themselves after the Spear of Fate fell from the sky, and Claud had probably lowered his guard as a result.


    To think that the Spear of Fate had placed so much pressure on me, pressure that I didn¡¯t even know existed. He let out a small sigh, before picking Crown up and placing it on top of his backpack, where it rolled over to continue its nap. After making a mental note to make a comfortable, spacious holder for the little guy, Claud looked around the bed, where a stunning woman was sleeping on the other side of the bed.


    The first thing he noticed was that Lily had ditched her Princess Dia disguise, as evidenced by her violet hair. Unfortunately, her face was turned away from Claud, but the master thief could tell that she was a beauty in her own right too. Claud stole a few more glances at her enchanting posture, before reminding himself that he was a chivalrous master thief. Such people could not have lust in their hearts ¡ª if he ever fell to the temptation that was beauty, the women of Grandis will never know peace.


    He still took a few more glances at her anyway. The purple dressing gown she had on was really well made, and Claud found himself appreciating the beauty of the scene for a minute or so. Eventually, however, he snapped out of his daze and walked over to the door, where he started to remove the traps laid around the entrance.


    A small groan came from the bed when he was three-quarters done with trap removal. ¡°Had a good rest?¡±


    Lily yawned. ¡°Yes, thank you very much.¡±


    She didn¡¯t seem all that flustered by Claud¡¯s presence or gaze, and then made her way to the washroom. The sounds of running water filled his ears for a few minutes, and when she came out, Claud had finished taking down the last tripwire.


    ¡°Good morning, Claud.¡± Lily¡¯s hair had returned to a raven-black colour, and she was now wearing more practical clothes. ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t disturb you when you were sleeping.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I had a good nap, but I suppose that¡¯s a given when your bed mate is someone like you.¡±


    ¡°Are you hitting on me?¡± Lily asked.


    Claud chuckled in reply. ¡°Sorry, did I make you uncomfortable?¡±


    ¡°Nope. I¡¯m just surprised.¡± Lily folded the robe in her hands, placing it in her bag. ¡°Most of us thought that you were someone without much desire. How could you stay unmoved when faced with four beauties?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, you four looked very much alike,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Can¡¯t praise one without feeling like I¡¯m trying to flirt with four people at the same time.¡±


    Lily laughed. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°I wonder what the others look like,¡± Claud wondered out loud. ¡°Don¡¯t blame me for having overly-optimistic expectations, though, after seeing your true appearance.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Erm, thanks.¡± Lily blinked, a hint of red on her face.


    The atmosphere was a bit odd, so Claud made a bit more noise as he stuffed the little bits and pieces of his nocturnal safety set up into his backpack, making sure to keep Crown in his pocket while he was at it. Once done, he tidied up the bed and stretched twice.


    ¡°You wanna do one last check?¡±


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    ¡°No need,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Let¡¯s check out, then. We should be able to get to Lansville by the evening, if we use another set of Flight skillstrips.¡± With that, Claud shouldered his backpack and walked out of the room.


    He stopped a moment later, and Lily let out an annoyed grunt as she walked right into his back.


    ¡°Why did you stop?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I smell blood,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Lots of it. We shouldn¡¯t move out yet, or else we¡¯ll get needlessly implicated.¡±


    ¡°It might be related to¡­¡± Lily didn¡¯t complete her sentence, but Claud understood her words immediately.


    ¡°All the more we need to wait for someone else to get on the scene first, and then we¡¯ll join in,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But I see you¡¯re anxious. Fine. We¡¯ll wait five minutes, and if no one raises the alarm, we¡¯ll have to do it ourse¡ª¡±


    Screams interrupted his words.


    ¡°There we are.¡± Claud beckoned for Lily to follow, only to grimace when he saw two bodies at the counter. Both of them were adult men, the rugged kind that Claud associated with mercenaries. Blood was pooling underneath their bodies, and the person who had just screamed was the receptionist who had processed their room last night.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Claud walked over to the receptionist as other people arrived on the scene.


    ¡°I went out to get some essential supplies for an hour, but when I came back just now¡­¡±


    Claud frowned. He hadn¡¯t heard any fighting when he woke up either, and he knew that he was the kind of person who would have woken up at any sign of conflict.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get the guards first,¡± said a young man, before leaving the inn. Before long, two armed men returned with him, their faces heavy. Their gazes swept through the room, before one of them, who had a scar on his cheek, took a step forward.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to trouble everyone to stay here first, while we record your statements. I apologise for the trouble, but this is absolutely necessary.¡±


    Claud let out a small sigh. There was nothing he could do about it, so he found a seat and made himself comfortable. Lily followed suit a moment later, her eyes narrowed slightly.


    With such an example set, the other customers followed suit. Since there wasn¡¯t any opposition to the guards in the execution of their duty, their interrogation was swiftly carried out, and before long, they came to Claud and Lily.


    ¡°Name?¡± Scarcheek asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m Claud.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m Lily.¡±


    ¡°Are the two of you travelling together?¡±


    The two of them nodded, and the questioning began in earnest. After telling Scarcheek about their arrival last night and whatnot, the guard seemed to lose interest and went on to interrogate the receptionist. A few minutes later, the guards went another round to check their names and documents one last time ¡ª if any of them needed to be called back for further investigations, they would send letters or even people to their place of residence.


    On the surface, anyway.


    The chances of anyone complying, or even a follow-up investigation on someone from a different city, was very low. Which was fortunate for Claud, since most of his heists were forgotten after a while. This, however, meant that murders whose perpetuators were from another territory usually went unsolved, unless there was heavy pressure from multiple important personages.


    It was a problem that had existed in Claud¡¯s memory from even his childhood. Claud didn¡¯t like it, but reality was reality. This problem would likely persist until a day existed in which rulers of different territories could cooperate and communicate with each other easily.


    After whispering a wish to the Moons, Claud and Lily left the Bronze Fork in silence, along with most of its customers. No one wanted to stay in a place where murders had happened, even if Lily wanted to know if these murders were related to her family. Claud had to even dissuade her from pursuing the issue, since showing too much interest could possibly result in her being¡­treated to a nice cup of tea and hard bread.


    Only after leaving the town gates did Claud finally talk. ¡°So, what do you think? Is this murder related to your family?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, fortunately.¡± Lily frowned. ¡°Wait, ¡®fortunately¡¯ isn¡¯t the right word to use here, is it?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t,¡± Claud replied, ¡°but I get your point. Either way, what makes you say this?¡±


    ¡°My family has a fixation on abducting people,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Not killing them.¡±


    ¡°I kinda figured that part out,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And to tell the truth, the fact that there were abductions going on in Nachtville tells me that there really isn¡¯t a motive to engage in murder.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably an unrelated incident, then.¡± Lily let out a sigh. ¡°Maybe a quarrel or something?¡±


    ¡°Who knows.¡± Claud looked back at the town gates, which were mostly out of sight by now, before taking out two Flight skillstrips. ¡°I don¡¯t have a lot of these things, but they¡¯re going to expire in a few days.¡±


    ¡°Are we going to have to walk back?¡± Lily asked, aghast at that prospect.


    ¡°I have Flight skillsticks too, but only I¡¯ll be using them,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Ten gold for three,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Fifteen.¡±


    Claud heaved a sigh. ¡°These things are hard to get, do you know that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to walk back,¡± Lily replied.


    Claud thought about it for a while. ¡°How about I give you a piggyback ride on the way back? That way, I save my valuable skillsticks.¡±


    ¡°A piggyback ride?¡± Lily thought about it for a while. ¡°That¡¯s¡­actually rather inspired.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Lend me your ear for a moment¡­¡±

 Chapter 56: Cooking outdoors...

    If anyone headed towards Julan Barony were to look up right now, Claud reckoned that they would run helter-skelter towards the nearest branch of the Folders¡¯ Association. Said person would probably be cursing and screaming for help, as what seemed like an aberration ¡ª nay, a monster ¡ª streaked through the skies.


    ¡°Still, flying in this manner does make me feel a bit¡­weird,¡± said Claud, ¡°for lack of a better word. Fortunately, you¡¯re light, but still, I can¡¯t help but feel like a mount.¡±


    Lily, who was sitting on his back, said, ¡°This is definitely a breakthrough in personal transportation, though. I already had the makings of an idea when I noticed that Flight doesn¡¯t care about what posture or baggage one had.¡±


    ¡°One mana-user riding another,¡± Claud murmured. For some reason, this particular phrase made him feel¡­odd, but it was probably a product of having a beautiful lady sit on his back. It was possible that he might awaken to something.


    Claud cleared his throat forcefully, expelling that thought out of his mind. ¡°If we do it like this continuously, we¡¯ll be able to reach Julan by nightfall. However, my mana has limits, so¡­¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be helped, I guess. We are already way ahead of our original schedule.¡±


    After a few more minutes of flying¡­and of Lily sitting on his back, Claud was forced to descend.


    ¡°Your turn,¡± said Claud.


    ¡°Touch the wrong parts of my body, and I¡¯m going to roll over,¡± Lily warned.


    ¡°I¡¯m quite sure someone¡¯s hands were roaming around my body earlier, though,¡± Claud mumbled. Lily had been rather insecure for the first half of their short flight, and he had to endure quite a few probing hands as she reached around for a good handhold. Eventually, she had settled on his belt, but not before Claud had stifled his instincts more than five times.


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Right, where¡¯s a good place for me to hold?¡±


    It was Lily¡¯s turn to mumble something.


    ¡°Sorry, what?¡±


    ¡°My hips,¡± she replied. ¡°There¡¯s no belt there, but it does at least provide a firm handhold.¡±


    Claud eyed her hips, and then agreed.


    He didn¡¯t have much of choice to begin with, so there was no point in dragging out the process. Putting on the backpacks that Lily had been wearing earlier, he watched as she tore up the skillstrip.


    She floated in mid-air for a moment, before shifting her body into a horizontal position.


    ¡°G-Get on, then.¡± Lily glanced at Claud. ¡°Hurry up.¡±


    He clambered on.


    Now that he was the one riding, Claud couldn¡¯t help but note the sheer absurdity and suggestiveness of their current pose, but his instincts ¡ª which usually only triggered when it came to matters of life and death ¡ª warned him to not say anything stupid for the duration of the trip. Placing his trembling hands on her hips, Claud took a deep breath.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    It was a simple word, but before it even had a chance to disperse, Claud¡¯s vision had turned into a blur. His heart lurched as an unprecedented force assailed his senses, a force that had been notably missing whenever he flew on his own, and it was all he could do to not scream from fear.


    Or to tighten his grip on the lithe body below him.


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    Under the noon sun, Claud and Lily flew on for another twenty-five minutes, surprising all sorts of birds as they tore through cloud after cloud. They had passed the third town on their way to Julan, halfway through Lily¡¯s Flight, and it was in a deserted clearing that they landed.


    Claud¡¯s heart was still beating madly, from a fear he didn¡¯t know existed. Lily, on the other hand, was looking rather refreshed, and by now, the master thief knew why. The use of Flight freed the user from all sorts of attendant forces, which meant that they wouldn¡¯t feel gravity or the wind. However, anyone hitching a ride had no such luxury, which meant that they were subject to the full power of ascending and descending violently.


    ¡°You feeling alright?¡± Lily asked.


    He dry-heaved twice. ¡°Never better. Let¡¯s take a break first, before we continue our trek to Julan.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t look so good¡­why don¡¯t you lie down for a moment? I¡¯ll make some food for you.¡± Lily eyed Claud¡¯s face, which was probably a stark white, and then rummaged through her backpack. It didn¡¯t take long for her to start a fire, but in that time, Claud had thrown up last night¡¯s dry rations.


    He hadn¡¯t dared to strengthen his grip on her hips, which meant that the ascent and descent portion of the trip had been rather¡­taxing on his psyche. Further compounding this issue was his readiness to activate his Flight Skill at the moment¡¯s notice, since he didn¡¯t quite know if she had taken umbrage to the way he shifted his butt halfway through their trip.


    After making a mental note to think up suggestions on how to improve the trip back home, he thumped his chest twice and covered up the small patch of soil that had been dirtied by vomit. Taking a few sips of water to assuage his heaving stomach, he returned to Lily, just in time to see a roaring blaze, as well as a pot of stew suspended above.


    ¡°Your doing?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°I always liked cooking outdoors,¡± said Lily.


    ¡°Good for me, but where did that pot come from?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an artefact,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It can take on a more compact form, and helps cook meat faster.¡±


    ¡°Such an artefact exists?¡± Claud asked. ¡°But how can it have two separate functions? Artefacts are only supposed to have one skill embedded inside, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a composite artefact. A pot capable of shrinking, as well as an internal source of heat.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Claud lost interest immediately. ¡°I thought there was some breakthrough in artificing or something.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­keep dreaming. Simple artefacts with multiple functions or abilities are pretty much relics from the gods.¡±


    Claud blinked twice. ¡°From the gods?¡±


    ¡°It was said that of the Coloured Gods, the Indigo God had only one artefact in his mortal life,¡± said Lily. ¡°A small simple baton, one that could create lightning, ice, fire, water and wind.¡±


    A small hiss escaped Claud¡¯s lips. ¡°Such an artefact exists?¡±


    ¡°Supposedly, anyway. The Rod of Ages apparently went with its owner when the Coloured Gods toppled the Gods of Virtue,¡± Lily replied.


    A nice herbal fragrance burst out from the pot, and Lily fell silent. As Claud watched her add some seasoning inside, his mind wandered over to Crown, who had fitted the description of what Lily had called ¡®something from the gods¡¯. The little guy could nurture Pure-Life gems, aid its owner with mana-burning with a fifty-percent discount, and most importantly, was a great pet without much maintenance required. No matter how he sliced it, Crown was probably indeed a product of the gods¡­not that he was intending to return it to them, however.


    Crown was too cute to give away.


    The box in his pocket quivered at that very moment, as if it could read Claud¡¯s thoughts, and the master thief let out a chuckle.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I was just reminiscing about my youth,¡± Claud replied, lying through his teeth. ¡°When I went out into the field for the first time. Back then, I remember eating the oddest things when I went hungry, which was why I now bring dry rations with me at all times.¡±


    ¡°Those biscuits you were eating last night?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Right, you didn¡¯t share them with me, did you?¡±


    ¡°I thought you had your own,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t have, I don¡¯t mind sharing with you, though. Just a word of warning; they¡¯re not exactly food anyone with a normal palate would find appealing. For eat-on-the-spot rations, I have hardtack, biscuits, cheese and dried potato slices. If you want something that can be cooked easily, there¡¯s salted meat.¡±


    ¡°No vegetables?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°No vegetables,¡± Claud replied. ¡°They spoil too easy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pity. Still, you really are prepared for anything, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t reply to that comment, choosing to fish out a piece of dried meat from his backpack. ¡°Mind if I toss this in?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    The pot bubbled merrily on as she slid the slab of dried meat inside, adding a meaty fragrance to the herbal mix.


    ¡°This mix smells great,¡± Claud noted with a smile, before bustling around to hide some traps in the area around them. ¡°You¡¯re a great cook.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be a great cook to make some nice-smelling stew,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Do you want to learn the basics?¡±


    ¡°Sure, why not? Just give me a few seconds¡­¡± After setting up some simple nets and knives, Claud sat down on the ground and crossed his legs. He looked up at her a moment later, in an attempt to emulate the students he saw whenever he passed a school.


    Lily chuckled. ¡°I like your display of sincerity.¡±


    ¡°Teachers deserve respect,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Do begin!¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine. So, when it comes to cooking herbal soups, there are some things you need to take note of.¡± She took out a small notebook. ¡°For instance, when dealing with leafy greens¡­¡±

 Chapter 57: ...can attract lookalikes that demand food.

    Despite the sweltering heat, Claud sat on his bum docilely, nodding and making notes as Lily lectured on about cooking and ingredients. She had even begun to delve into ingredient seeking in the wild, which she apparently started doing as a teenager. Claud¡¯s own experience as a teenager was far more¡­muted, to put it mildly.


    When coupled with some short stories of how she went into Julan Forest to hunt wild animals and beasts, Claud had a feeling that this unassuming Lily had far more depths than her usual lack of an expression hinted at. However, the master thief had enough run-ins with sayings like ¡®still water runs deep¡¯ and ¡®the smallest Moon is the brightest¡¯, so he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she turned out to be a seasoned hand at fights or something.


    Wiping a bead of sweat of his nose, Claud sniffed the air hungrily. The stew was coming along nicely, to the point that even the lecturing Lily was already getting distracted from her own teachings.


    ¡°Should we take a break for a moment?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Definitely! Oh, I mean, uh. Yes. Of course we should.¡± Lily cleared her throat. ¡°Other than Risti, this is a first for me, teaching someone these things. No one seems to appreciate them much to be that interested.¡±


    ¡°And the men just act interested to hit on you?¡± Claud ventured.


    ¡°Well, at least someone¡¯s actually aware of these issues,¡± Lily replied, a nonchalant expression on her face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I really found your lecture useful. You won¡¯t waste your effort on me,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Wilderness survival is dependent on food. Starve, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, we just need to get storage artefacts, and we¡¯ll be set. It¡¯s just that they¡¯re quite rare. There are three aspects ¡ª minimisation, spatial control and time-freezing.¡±


    ¡°Gotta force them to work together,¡± Claud mused out loud. ¡°I don¡¯t know the theory, but is that possible?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty much how it works. Most storage artefacts tend to be compound ones,¡± said Lily. ¡°But either of these skills are very rare. Anyone with either a storage skill or a time-freezing skill would be in great demand by all sorts of occupations and nobles.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Claud let out a small sigh, and wondered if he should move on to plunder the houses of mana-users. Nobles had lots of lifestones, true, but the famous mana-users were acknowledged to be filthy rich too, with artefacts taking up a significantly larger proportion of their wealth. As a cleaner of vice, it was Claud¡¯s responsibility to clean up some of their filthy riches in secret ¡ª kind deeds should be kept under wraps, after all.


    He hadn¡¯t dared to do that before, since he was not a mana-user. However, now that he found out how mana could be infused into skills, and had gained control over mana as a whole, Claud felt that tangling with famous bi-folders and one-folders was relatively doable.


    Besides, after spending quite a few days with the ladies in the Moon Lords, Claud had a feeling that mana-users were very¡­blas¨¦ when it came to security. Their inherent sense of superiority, coupled with the fear many held towards these superhumans, meant that there were few who actually dared to eye their homes and publicise any successful act of burglary.


    It was as if they thought themselves immortal or something.


    ¡°One gold for your thoughts,¡± Lily said.


    ¡°Oh, I was just thinking about people who might have storage artefacts,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Most of the songs and stories I hear don¡¯t really talk about these things, though.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is hard to tell whether a folder called on their soul-bound weapon or used a storage artefact,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Remember Farah? She summoned her greatsword from the inn, since it was too bulky to carry around while walking.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t quite understand what she was getting at, so he conveyed his confusion by pulling a leaf out of Crown¡¯s book and tilted his head.


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    ¡°Basically, storytellers and bards can¡¯t tell the difference between soul-bound weapons and storage artefacts,¡± Lily clarified.


    ¡°Ah. Most of them talked about soul-bound weapons too, now that I think about it,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Still, what¡¯s a soul-bound weapon?¡±


    ¡°When your mana superimposition reaches 1.8, your mana nexus¡± ¡ªshe indicated her heart¡ª ¡°becomes dense enough to act as an anchor for your spirit or soul. By severing part of your soul and attaching it to your weapon, you can summon it by calling upon your mana nexus.¡±


    ¡°How does that even work?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°I only know the theory,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Would you understand it if I told you that it was the fifth convenience of a mana-user?¡±


    A moon lit up in Claud¡¯s head. ¡°Now that makes more sense.¡±


    ¡°Should have went with that explanation from the start,¡± Lily muttered. Taking a sip from the bubbling pot of stew, she pried apart the dried meat and nodded to herself.


    ¡°Lunch¡¯s done?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Just let me get some utensils out of the backpack.¡±


    Claud got up from the ground, and then began to lay out traps. There weren¡¯t going to be any dangers from wildlife when cooking, since both of them were mana-users. The true dangers came from humans ¡ª to be exact, from assassins. Eating was a time when one¡¯s guard was lowered, and while normally assassinations don¡¯t happen in eating establishments, the same couldn¡¯t be said for outdoors.


    After all, a makeshift camp where cooking was going on would be a figurative oasis in the hostile wilderness. People were bound to let their guard down, unless they were overly paranoid or cautious.


    Claud¡¯s high-profile actions were deliberate, a message for any would-be assassins that he was on guard. In fact, to say that he was laying down traps was inaccurate. Rather, he was reinforcing the perimeter, creating highly-visible active defences that would make any self-respecting assassin think twice.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite excessive,¡± Lily noted.


    Claud, who was in the middle of scattering some caltrops, looked up. ¡°Nothing can be called excessive when it comes to self-preservation. To survive, good men have turned into monsters. I¡¯m trying to make it so that we don¡¯t need to consider the ¡®to survive¡¯ bit, thereby avoiding the fate of being a monster.¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s a blessing to travel with you, I guess.¡± She paused.


    ¡°You can thank me by cooking more food. Although I do want to try my hand at outdoor cooking too, so¡­¡± Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll shamelessly freeload off you for now.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    Claud activated some of the defensive artefacts he¡¯d just brought, and then manipulated them to protect their current area, leaving only a small gap for ventilation. There was no telling if some monstrous archer dropped by and decided to kill them on a sick whim, so¡­


    As a plus point, it also trapped the smell of the fragrant stew. Other than making his surroundings smell nice, it also meant that wildlife was less likely to drop by.


    After wondering what Dia would think about if she saw how the artefacts he brought were used in this way, he turned his eager eyes to Lily, who was now serving food. It was a rather novel feeling to eat cooked food out in the wild; other than the rare occasions in which he ate within a large convoy, Claud rarely did something this extravagant.


    ¡°So excited. How cute.¡± Lily chuckled, and then filled two bowls with the stew. ¡°Well? What are you waiting for? Dig in!¡±


    A rustling sound entered his ears as he picked up a spoon, and Claud turned to regard the newcomers. Four people, who looked like they were a fair hand at a fight, were standing right outside their layered defences and traps.


    For some reason, all of them looked like quadruplets, in a manner that made Claud think about Isolde and the others. The hair colour was the same, their clothes were all too similar¡­all these made Claud think about the first time he came across Lily and the other Princess Dia fans.


    Both sides looked at each other in silence.


    Eventually, Claud began to speak. ¡°Need anything from us?¡±


    The blue-haired man at the front snorted. ¡°Hand over some of that stew.¡±


    Claud eyed the fellow and took a few steps back to whisper in Lily¡¯s ear. ¡°That guy¡¯s arrogance makes him either a noble, a scion of some huge family or a mana-user. Do you know who he is?¡±


    ¡°He looks familiar,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I think I saw him before.¡±


    ¡°Someone important, then. Do you want to handle this, or should I?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re the professional.¡±


    Claud grunted. ¡°Well, looks like we might have to share, then. Take out some bowls, preferably bowls you won¡¯t mind missing.¡±


    ¡°I hope they don¡¯t mind wooden bowls, then.¡±


    After passing four bowls over to the hungry-looking group, Claud hung around for a moment. ¡°What are you guys doing here in this wilderness?¡±


    The rude guy looked up, but before he could reply, a more mellow-looking person said, ¡°We¡¯re heading to Julan. For some official business. Thank you for the food.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Claud rubbed his nose, and then returned to Lily, who was enjoying her soup blissfully. ¡°So, what kind of official business would have four important people heading over to Julan?¡±


    ¡°Beats me. Maybe some news about the Julan family¡¯s shady business leaked out?¡± Lily filled her bowl up again, an action Claud emulated a few seconds later.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Claud eyed them as they continued to drink from their bowls slowly. ¡°We¡¯ll probably find out soon.¡±

 Chapter 58: Exchanging intelligence with one of the lookalikes

    Claud was having fun with his third bowl of soup when Mister Mellow ¡ª the name he''d given to the fellow who had thanked him for the food earlier ¡ª waved his hand to grab his attention. The master thief immediately understood what that gesture meant; they were done with the food.


    It would seem that Lily¡¯s bowls would live to see another day in her backpack after all.


    Stepping out of the thick dome of defences he¡¯d erected, Claud nodded at him.


    ¡°Once again, thank you for the food.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Claud nodded back. ¡°Still, are you really okay with getting food like this?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Consider this a word of advice, I guess.¡± Claud lowered his volume. ¡°Demanding food and eating it like that is probably not a very good way of staying alive. Things like poison exist, right?¡±


    Mister Mellow chuckled. ¡°Countermeasures for poison exist. We are very at ease in that regard.¡±


    ¡°Even then, it¡¯s better to avoid scenarios where poison might come into play,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Alright, my little lecture ends here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Your words were chosen to help us, so I won¡¯t take offense.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Right, are you also headed towards the Julan Barony?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Claud replied.


    Despite his calm exterior, however, Claud was expectant on the inside. The master thief wanted to confirm who these people were; making guesses ¡ª even good ones ¡ª were qualitatively inferior to knowing the truth. Furthermore, these four were most likely mana-users, people who had the capability to influence the outcomes of actions on a greater magnitude.


    Claud didn¡¯t want the Moons to crash down on his plans.


    ¡°You should be careful, then.¡± Mister Mellow narrowed his eyes somewhat. ¡°We¡¯ve been dispatched to investigate cases of kidnapping and murder in the region, and most of them point at a rogue folder organisation operating out of Julan.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re being dispatched to investigate a rogue folder organisation¡­does that mean that you are mana-users?¡± Claud asked, putting on an appropriately awed expression.


    He grinned, clearly gratified by Claud¡¯s expression. ¡°Naturally. We¡¯re the Dusk Daggers, a team of three one-folders and a bi-folder.¡±


    Claud sucked in a breath. This time, however, it wasn¡¯t an act; he was truly impressed by the fact that there was a bi-folder. To become one such personage, a total of two hundred years¡¯ worth of life force had to be burned. That was a lot of lifestones, no matter how Claud cut it.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the bi-folder¡­oh.¡± Claud grinned. ¡°It¡¯s¡­him, right?¡±


    His eyes fell on the blue-haired fellow, and Mister Mellow grinned back. ¡°Yes. He¡¯s Hulid, the Edgeless Night. Leader of our party. We¡¯re all his fans, in case you were wondering.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t really need to know that last bit, since it was way too obvious.


    ¡°What kinds of accomplishments does your party have?¡± Claud asked. Once again, he wasn¡¯t faking his excitement ¡ª the master thief wanted to know if becoming a bi-folder opened up more avenues to gain lifestones. If there were¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s classified.¡± He paused for a moment or two. ¡°Or you could listen to the bards. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s some songs about us floating around. And after this case, there¡¯s definitely going to be even more songs.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep an ear out, then.¡±


    ¡°See you around, friendly stranger. Do be careful in Julan.¡±


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    Claud collected the four bowls. ¡°You too.¡±


    With that, he returned to his party, and left the area shortly afterwards. It didn¡¯t take long for them to leave his sight, and once they were out of his vision, Claud returned into the makeshift barricade and handed over the wooden bowls.


    ¡°Here, they¡¯re back. Safe and sound.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much.¡± Lily picked up the bowls and began to clean them with some sort of artefact. ¡°So, who were they?¡±


    ¡°From the sounds of it, mana-users sent by the Folders¡¯ Association to check up on the missing people in Julan,¡± Claud replied. ¡°They reported their strengths as three one-folders and one bi-folder, but for safety¡¯s sake, we can assume them all to be bi-folders.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Anyone who sounds particularly special?¡±


    ¡°If we go by what Mister Mellow just said, it¡¯ll probably be their leader. The rude guy. His name¡¯s Hulid, goes by some title called Edgeless Night.¡±


    ¡°A Named, then.¡± Lily began to pack up her bowls. ¡°Ah. I now know why he seems so familiar to me. I¡¯ve seen him before, back in Pletsville.¡±


    Claud narrowed his eyes. ¡°Pletsville?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We were chasing after Tot at that time, and early intelligence said that he was most likely at Pletsville.¡±


    It was good that Lily didn¡¯t know that the so-called Thief of Time was talking to her right now, but he still felt uncomfortable at how her ¡®early intelligence¡¯ had pinpointed his location back then.


    ¡°What kind of early intelligence was that?¡± Claud asked, trying to sound as off-handed as possible.


    ¡°Came from the Istrel Dukedom,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I¡¯m also not sure how they knew, though. But we¡¯re taking about a duke here, so¡­¡±


    ¡°I see, I see.¡± Forcibly changing the topic, Claud said, ¡°Anyway, the Folders¡¯ Association is apparently thinking that there is a rogue folder organisation in the area. What¡¯s that about?¡±


    ¡°Basically mana-users who are committing very overt crimes,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But if their attention is on such an organisation, they might cooperate with the Julans.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s going to be very troublesome for us, who are trying to take down that family.¡± Claud smirked a moment later. ¡°However, if we expose their wrongdoings, there might not even be a need for a follow-up investigation ¡ª that bunch, the Dusk Daggers, would handle clean-up for us. We¡¯ll need to play it safe, however. Other than just crippling their financial resources, we¡¯ll also need to expose evidence of their¡­acts.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a tall order. But from how you¡¯re looking at me¡­¡±


    Claud chuckled, and then turned his gaze away. ¡°Well, it¡¯s going to be hard to bring down a Moon in its mountain, right? You¡¯ll just work on that; I¡¯ll go screw with their finances my way.¡±


    ¡°And how are you planning to do that?¡±


    ¡°With highly illegal means that will net me some prison food if I get caught,¡± Claud replied, ¡°so don¡¯t probe any further. I don¡¯t intend to have an accomplice in this.¡±


    ¡°Are you intending to wage economic warfare?¡± Lily rubbed her nose. ¡°Is that what time-sensitive high efficiency trading means?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying anything now,¡± Claud replied. It was great that she had come up with her own explanation, although he had the feeling that trying to use ¡®theft¡¯ as an acronym was a bit too obvious.


    ¡°You do know that¡¯s punishable under the Istrel Dukedom by ten years of hard labour, right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Lily.¡± Claud started to stow away his artefacts, returning them to his body. ¡°I never get caught.¡±


    ¡°As expected of Claud, I guess.¡± With a wave, Lily shrank the pot into a fist-sized ball, before turning it upside down to drain any water. ¡°It¡¯s really convenient, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Claud watched water drip out. ¡°Gotta admit that. Where did you get this from?¡±


    ¡°I stole it when I left,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Besides, no one else was going to use or miss it anyway; other than me, only three more members of the family have left the barony over the last thirty years.¡±


    ¡°Left?¡± Claud tapped his feet and retrieved his traps, returning the area to normal.


    ¡°Yep. I don¡¯t know what happened to them,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But from how the Julan Barony is still standing, we can assume that they didn¡¯t leak anything about my family¡¯s sins. Or they didn¡¯t know. I¡¯m not sure which is the correct answer here.¡±


    ¡°Makes no difference to me,¡± Claud replied.


    As Lily checked the map, he went off to examine the area the Dusk Daggers had been sitting at, just in case they left some unpleasant surprise behind. Of course, the chances of them doing that was infinitely close to zero, but it was always better to be safe.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m ready,¡± Lily called out eventually. Her backpack was now sitting on her back, a reminder to Claud that they had to start walking sooner or later.


    ¡°There¡¯s one more Flight skillstrip left,¡± said Claud. ¡°Do you want me to ride you, or the other way round?¡±


    It was a really odd way to phrase things, but the master thief couldn¡¯t quite think of a milder-sounding alternative.


    Lily, to her credit, didn¡¯t add on the embarrassment by pointing it out, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll sit on your back.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Claud passed his backpack over to her, somewhat relieved. He had no issues with how Lily was going to secure her position, but he had no way of telling if the reverse was true. Besides, whoever was doing the flying had more security, and Claud had a feeling that she was accommodating for his own proclivities.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Claud. He tore up the skillstrip a moment later and stuffed the remains in his pocket. ¡°Get on, then.¡±


    A light weight fell on his back, shifting somewhat as Lily made herself comfortable. ¡°Ready.¡±


    ¡°Taking off,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Next stop, some part of the forest!¡±

 Chapter 59: Bombs count as general items?

    ¡°We¡¯re finally here.¡± Plucking out some leaves from his hair, Claud looked around, stifled a yawn, and then rubbed his back and legs.


    ¡°Technically, we¡¯re only at the territory called the Julan Barony,¡± Lily replied. ¡°The capital itself is still an hour or so away.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Claud looked down on the ground and frowned. ¡°I still can¡¯t really understand how these territory things work.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too hard about it. The city¡¯s what matters.¡±


    Lily¡¯s carefree attitude was slightly worrying, but it also served to put him at ease.


    ¡°So, what plans have you come up with?¡± Claud asked.


    Lily raised an eyebrow. ¡°What, you want to help?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been asking how I intend to turn your family into paupers, so me asking a question in return only seems fair. Besides, if my plan were to clash with yours, it might have some rather unpleasant outcomes. I would avoid that where possible,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Huh. You can adjust your plan to avoid overlaps with mine, eh?¡± Lily rubbed her chin.


    Claud bobbed his head. It wasn¡¯t all that hard, given that he was going to plunder their vault, loot it of anything valuable, and then burn up whatever remained. It was a rather simple operation, all things considered. He just needed to find their vault, and then work out a way inside. According to their discussion some time back, the treasury was, as usual, located far from the Julan main house, and in Lily''s words, the Julan treasury was a sight to behold.


    ¡°You can think of it that way,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Okay, then.¡± Lily rubbed her nose. ¡°It¡¯s not much of a plan, actually. I intend to blow up my family¡¯s home.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, blow up?¡±


    ¡°Boom,¡± Lily replied. ¡°You know, explosions?¡±


    ¡°Okay, but how and where do you intend to get some explosives from?¡± Claud eyed the innocent-looking Lily. ¡°What, are you going to make them from scratch?¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Wait, really?¡± Claud looked around him, and then lowered his volume. ¡°How do you make such things?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that most of my skills were geared towards making things?¡± Lily replied. ¡°General items like weapons, armour, food and bombs, remember?"


    Claud processed her words, and then spent another two minutes to re-process them.


    ¡°Claud?¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± The master thief looked up at the rising moons. ¡°Did you just say that explosives ¡ª bombs ¡ª fall under the category of general items?¡±


    ¡°Yes. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Lily asked. ¡°They¡¯re used for construction, demolition and mining. I don¡¯t see why they don¡¯t fall under the category of general items.¡±


    For a moment, Claud wanted to shake the person who taught her this faulty logic, and see if there was any water in his or her brain. How on Grandis did bombs count as general items? And who taught her to think this way? Or was it self-taught?


    Forcibly clearing his throat, he asked, ¡°What kinds of bombs are we looking at?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a secret,¡± Lily replied. ¡°They¡¯re also my backup weapons, in case I ever get surrounded. If push comes to shove, I¡¯ll just take everything out and blow them away.¡±


    ¡°You have explosives on you?!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Lily replied, her hands on her hips. ¡°You also have all sorts of knives on your body, right? If you can have knives tucked all around you, I don¡¯t see why I can¡¯t have bombs all around my clothes.¡±


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    ¡°¡­Point.¡± Claud looked away. ¡°But if you¡¯re not careful, you¡¯re going to blow me up too, right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Lily replied. ¡°The last time a bomb went off on accident was a year ago.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay?¡± Claud forced down a gulp and took a few steps away from her.


    ¡°Well, that someone was a bad guy,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Tried to attack me on a dark night by surprise, and I dropped a small bomb by accident. It rolled over to him, and he stomped on it for some reason. As a result, it exploded, taking his lower body with him.¡±


    Claud winced. ¡°I¡¯m never going to step on anything that falls out of your clothes. But you do sleep in them or something, right? How do they not blow up? If you fall down and land on your face, what happens?¡±


    ¡°The newer ones have no such issue,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Now you have to twist a small pin and pull them out. This way, you won¡¯t run into issues that normally happen if you have a force-based bomb. In summary, it¡¯s safer.¡±


    ¡°I-if you say so.¡± Claud assessed her nonchalant expression and took a deep breath. ¡°Well, since we¡¯re on this topic, could you spare me some of your bombs? I think I could use a few of them too.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re conducting economic warfare. I don¡¯t see why you need bombs.¡±


    ¡°Pretty please?¡± Claud blinked twice, and tried to look cute. It was a tough task, considering that he knew himself to be on the cool and handsome side, but the master thief knew that he too could make googly eyes.


    Lily breathed out. ¡°Fine. Here, have five of them. To use, twist, tug and toss. Got it?¡±


    Claud took out a small ball. It looked like one of his delayed arsonists, just that it was ten times more elegant. The ball was smooth to the touch, with a small heart sticking out of it. The heart was presumably the pin Lily had mentioned earlier, the device preventing it from blowing up prematurely.


    ¡°Thanks, Lily.¡± Attaching the bag to his belt, he looked around his body for a moment, before settling on some of his delayed arsonists. ¡°In return, take this.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re called delayed arsonists,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Remove the cap and press the red button in the middle, before placing it down somewhere. Five minutes later, you¡¯ll get a good blaze going.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh.¡± Lily swivelled over to look at Claud. ¡°Are you¡­a kindred spirit of mine? An associate in annihilation?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with that shady title?¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°No! Look, when it comes to preserving my life, I have to be prepared for anything! For instance, if I¡¯m escaping into the forest, tossing a delayed arsonist into a random direction is bound to take some heat off me when it ignites. If I want to make a distraction, it¡¯s also very useful!¡±


    ¡°Oh. How dull.¡± Lily tossed a grey ball up and down.


    ¡°Well, do your explosives react to flame? If so, just place a whole bunch of them at one place, and then¡ª¡±


    ¡°I obviously have my own bombs to do that,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll just keep it. It¡¯ll be a problem if I hurt your feelings, right?¡±


    Claud felt his eyelid twitch twice, and eventually decided not to pursue the matter. In silence, they trudged on westwards, under the backdrop of the rising Moons. As they continued on, he could see more and more people. These people were lifestone prospectors, hoping that they would chance upon a stray lifestone at dusk or dawn.


    The creation of lifestones were quite random. Other than lifestone mines, which were aggregations of mana that had mutated just enough to become lifeforce, it was possible to find lifestones just sitting around in the middle of a field. Granted, they were largely low-rank lifestones, but for normal people, a single low-rank lifestone was enough to live in an ordinary inn with food for a year or two.


    All things considered, lifestone prospecting was a lucrative enough profession that there were enough people who had started a small business by making use of capital obtained from a low-ranked lifestone or two.


    ¡°Is this a common sight in Julan?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°It was when I left,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t bode well for your territory, then,¡± Claud replied.


    Lily nodded heavily. ¡°I know.¡±


    The number of lifestone prospectors in a territory was usually inversely proportionate to the territory¡¯s economic ability. Ad-hoc prospectors were typically driven by economic woes, which meant that they were a good marker of how well a territory¡¯s economy was functioning.


    Claud, who had fallen on hard times years ago, could attest to that fact.


    ¡°We¡¯re close to Julan itself,¡± Lily murmured, referring to the territory¡¯s capital. ¡°Do you want to split up before we enter?¡±


    ¡°No need. You¡¯re a local here. I¡¯ll need your guidance if we want to settle this fast,¡± Claud replied. ¡°You do want to return to Licencia as soon as possible, right?¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯ll try to settle this as quickly as possible, then. Give me a list of the wealthiest members of your family after we find a room,¡± said Claud. ¡°I¡¯ll go do something about these people.¡±


    ¡°Do what?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you after we¡¯re done,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Pinky promise!¡±


    ¡°What are you, a child?¡± Lily shook her head, but they made the promise anyway.


    ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re drawing close to the city gates. Let me show you the third persona one can adopt when entering,¡± said Claud. ¡°We¡¯ve done inferiors and equals already. Now we¡¯re left with superiors.¡±


    ¡°I think I know what you¡¯re about to do,¡± said Lily. ¡°Act like Farah, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Claud wilted. ¡°I suppose you of all people would know how to act this way.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking to a bona fide noble,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Let me show you the fruits of a noble¡¯s upbringing.¡±

 Chapter 60: The distinction between guards

    When it came to making a grand entrance and things like that, Lily was definitely more skilled than Claud. By the time she was done abusing the guards who had so foolishly blocked her way, the two of them were staring off into the distant Moons. From their glazed eyes, which were also misted over with the beginnings of teardrops, Claud could tell that they were questioning their purpose in life.


    As expected, the guards had tried to chat up Lily, but her rebuttals were savage. Claud didn¡¯t even want to recall the kinds of veiled, yet obvious insults that she had delivered so offhandedly, so it was with some dread that he finally caught up to Lily.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Claud?¡± Lily asked, as he fell in line with her footsteps.


    He shot some gazes in the direction of Julan¡¯s city gates. ¡°Just wondering if every noble has the same witty tongue as you. I was listening to you, and even I felt like my life had no meaning.¡±


    Her words had hit him quite hard; Lily had unloaded a barrage of insults aimed at insulting their self-worth and everything, but these guards weren¡¯t the only ones who had issues with their character.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s just me,¡± said Lily. ¡°The lower you are on the nobility totem, the sharper your tongue needs to be. There¡¯s a qualitative difference between me and Farah; she won¡¯t be able to use her tongue the way I did.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Claud patted his chest. ¡°What a relief. I thought everyone was like you. Now that¡¯ll be a scary thought.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I mean, your ability to demean others,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Other than that, you¡¯re a swell person.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Your praise in this aspect does sound sincere,¡± Lily noted. ¡°Fine, you¡¯re off the hook.¡±


    ¡°Great, thanks.¡± Letting out a small sigh of relief, the master thief began to survey the capital city that belonged to Lily¡¯s family. There was a sordid air to it, with all kinds of shady deals going on in broad moonlight. Sleezy men roamed the streets, cat-calling at whatever women they saw. At such a sight, Claud was struck by the impulse to buy a mask for both him and Lily, even though they were both in disguise.


    ¡°A horrible place, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lily asked quietly. ¡°The poorer folk of Julan have abandoned hope for a better life. There is no value in living honestly; why not seize the day and act out one¡¯s desires? After all, the only enforcement that goes on is on that enforces pilfering and plundering.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°The guards here don¡¯t do anything, unless they themselves want something,¡± Lily replied. ¡°They¡¯re low-level criminals that make use of Baron Julan¡¯s power. In fact, these guards have to pay a certain amount of money every month to the administration, or else they get fired.¡±


    Claud found that notion somewhat amusing. ¡°Even those guards at the gate?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s slightly different. The guards at the gate are the city guards, who are bankrolled by Emperor Grandis¡¯ administration,¡± said Lily. ¡°No, I¡¯m talking about these guys, the Julan personal guards. Here, there¡¯s a clear separation of ruler and vassal authorities; somehow, the Julan city guards are only allowed to interfere in cases of injury and death.¡±


    ¡°The Julan personal guards handle everything else?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Yes. Everything else, from city security to patrolling,¡± Lily replied, her voice one of sadness. ¡°It is not an uncommon sight to see these guards breaking into houses and¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t complete her sentence, but Claud got her meaning anyway, and a small fire burned in the pit of his stomach. ¡°And this is allowed?¡±


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    ¡°Yes.¡± Lily¡¯s facial expression was contorted. ¡°Some time ago, I asked Farah to do something about this place, since its rulers and its administration is beyond redemption. Of course, she took it as a jest, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I knew that this wasn¡¯t a good tourist destination by any means, but this is¡­unbelievable,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°What are your plans?¡±


    ¡°You keep asking that,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll tell you the gist of it. By crippling the barony and the administration, the city guards here will be able to take over the city. As a rule of thumb, city guards are empowered to take control over any city if law and order breaks down completely.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Claud tapped his feet. ¡°You intend to purge the corruption at its source.¡±


    ¡°I cannot imagine a worse set of rulers than my family,¡± Lily replied. ¡°No matter what family takes the helm.¡±


    The master thief shuddered at the coldness that accompanied her words. Lily had written off her family, as one that was nothing but toxin to the people of Julan. However, could someone really plot to kill their own family members this easily? The fact that he could sense a lingering reluctance within her words told him otherwise. Perhaps she wanted Claud to dissuade her, to tell her that there were other methods to save the innocent people of Julan.


    Claud cast around for some ideas, and then settled on a straightforward approach. ¡°Is there no other way to topple them without resorting to murders? The law and order bit sounds like a good avenue to approach from.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve tried thinking about it, but it¡¯s a lot harder to instigate riots without toppling the Julan personal guard,¡± Lily replied.


    Claud tapped his feet. ¡°The personal guard, eh?¡±


    ¡°What of it?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Are you intending to¡­¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Claud chuckled. ¡°No, obviously not. But the personal guards probably are heinous criminals through and through. If they were to be neutralised, the denizens of Julan might not be as¡ª¡±


    ¡°Most of them join up because they were poor folk,¡± Lily replied. ¡°The Julan personal guards are highly contested positions amongst the poorer folk, since any such person would be able to legally extort funds and resources from their fellows. Remove a hundred of them, and another hundred would pop up tomorrow, each of them eager recruits.¡±


    Claud clicked his teeth. ¡°This is a troublesome issue.¡±


    ¡°Caused by endemic poverty,¡± Lily replied. ¡°More importantly, extortion has become a custom of the personal guards here. To be one of these guards is to be able to live their desired life. Rape, robbery, pillaging, bribery¡­these sordid acts are enabled by simply being employed.¡±


    ¡°And even if we somehow kill off every member of the Julan personal guard, a nasty precedent has been set.¡±


    ¡°Yes. And the Julan family has a vested interest in maintaining such a system. They provide authority to those people, who in turn pay a certain quota of resources every month,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯s a wicked system that encourages robbery and all sorts of crimes.¡±


    ¡°But you don¡¯t like the idea of killing your family.¡±


    ¡°Who does?¡± Lily replied. ¡°But there is no choice, is there? So long as my father does not end his coercive policies, this cycle will never end. In fact, commoners are not even allowed to leave the territory now. Anyone found leaving outside the small cities and towns of Julan executed on the spot.¡±


    ¡°To prevent people from fleeing.¡± Claud clenched his fist. ¡°Damn th¡ª¡±


    The master thief paused. He had forgotten that the target of his anger was Lily¡¯s family, and no matter how much she disliked them, hearing other people curse her family had to hurt too.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± said Lily. ¡°They deserve it; it¡¯s something they deliberately chose. In fact, remember those kidnappings I told you about? It¡¯s the Julan personal guards that carry these things out too.¡±


    Forcibly taking a deep breath, Claud tore his eyes away from Lily¡¯s dispassionate face. ¡°Let¡¯s¡­go find some place to rest in first, and then we¡¯ll think up of a plan. For now, we¡¯ll go with yours.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Under Lily¡¯s lead, the two went over to an inn near the middle of Julan, before bunking in the same room. Claud had insisted on it; he hadn¡¯t forgotten the kidnappings that had occurred in Nachtville.


    ¡°I apologise if this arrangement poses problems,¡± said Claud, ¡°but given what I know, I would prefer it if nothing untoward happened to you. The others are very scary people.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± said Lily, whose demeanour was still one of freezing ice. ¡°Even without your prompting, I would have asked to stay in the same room. Apparently, laying out traps provides one with a great sense of security at night.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you do understand me.¡±


    The two chuckled in unison, and for a moment, the troubles that had plagued Lily¡¯s mind seemed to fade away. She looked like the usual adventurous young woman one could find anywhere in Licencia, free of all sorts of concerns and considerations. Naturally, Claud preferred this side of her, but to dismiss her concerns and worries was not something he would do.


    As the sounds of running water entered his ear, Claud got up and started to lay out his usual nightly preparations. There was no time to waste, after all, and the more time he spent on protecting himself and Lily, the better.


    After all, this was Julan.

 Chapter 61: The epic clash in the middle of the street

    The longsword in Dia¡¯s hand flickered wildly, fending off a shower of arrows, and the erstwhile princess of the Lustre Dukedom swore never to step out of Moon Mansion again, not until Tot was captured. That promise she made with Claud could wait.


    It hurt to think about it any further back then, so she decided to go out for some fresh air and to run an errand. Sure, the others had told her to stay inside Moon Mansion, but the Shadows of Grandis couldn¡¯t be watching the same place day in and day out, like what those stories about them had claimed. Furthermore, she had promised Claud to open some of those bottles he¡¯d passed over, so she had a reason to go out.


    As it turned out, the stories weren¡¯t all that wrong after all.


    A masked man wearing black blocked her way, and once again, Dia danced with her sword. Silver flashed out and a dozen glinting lights flew at the masked man, who parried them with an equally natural ease.


    Dia clicked her teeth. The Shadows of Grandis were all skilled trouble-shooters and trouble-slashers; even the weakest of them, sub-folders without a complete mana circuit, could put up a really hard fight against a one-folder. She knew that all too well.


    A single Shadow had the best skills for their specialisation.


    Mind¡¯s Eye ¡ª predict the trajectory of all incoming projectiles and attacks for the next thirty minutes.


    Shadow Blade ¡ª for the next thirty minutes, their sword would be nearly untraceable.


    Shadow Save ¡ª Designate a location. For the next thirty minutes, taking lethal damage would return them back to the designated area. Returning was also possible by reactivating the skills.


    Dia didn¡¯t know what were the other three skills, but these three were enough to justify the Shadows of Grandis¡¯ fearsome reputation. They weren¡¯t killing moves by any sense of the word, but when placed together, they became the ultimate harassing force.


    With Sword Dance and Sword Sense activated, she could meet the enemy¡¯s attacks with ease. Killing the Shadow in front of her, however, was far harder. It was inconceivable that such valuable personnel wouldn¡¯t have their own defensive skills, and even without that, their Mind¡¯s Eye made overpowering them through sheer martial skill impossible.


    Besides, they had Shadow Save, a skill of absurd utility.


    She frowned as the sounds of incoming assailants entered her ears, and her sword slashed down onto the Shadow directly.


    Her sword spun in her grip as the two locked blades for the sixth time, letting out a metallic screech. Enduring the horrible sound forcibly, Dia kicked out, the mana circuits on her body illuminating the black robes of the Shadow. The sounds of glass cracking followed in its wake as her boot slammed into the Shadow¡¯s chest.


    The Shadow froze for a moment, before flying backwards, away from Dia. Before the black-robed figure could hit the ground, it had turned into shadowy smoke that streaked away at a speed the fatigued Dia couldn¡¯t catch up to.


    A silver flower bloomed, deflecting and knocking away another shower of silent arrows ¡ª her Sword Sense had alerted Dia to incoming projectiles. Before Dia could catch her breath, a second round of arrows came, followed by a third.


    Her breathing began to grow disordered as her sword parried and blocked the arrows. There was no time for her to even think, let alone dodge, and within moments, an overpowering fatigue had set into her bones.


    There was only one way out, and blood began to run in rivulets as Dia split off part of her attention to gather mana. In such a situation, small applications of mana would amount to nothing. The archers besieging her had definitely used multiple skills, which would account for how heavy each of their shots were. Any barrier she erected with piddling amounts of mana would be shredded in a second.


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    The storm of arrows lightened, and Dia felt stifled. They too could tell that she was gathering her mana to erect a mighty defence. Evidently, they had a good grasp of her fighting patterns; her original intention was to unleash a devastating slash in the direction of the arrows, deflecting the incoming projectiles and hopefully scattering the archers.


    However, they had chosen to take this time to change to light harassment. The old Dia would have unleashed that strike anyway.


    The Dia right now, however, was a new and improved version. Her interactions with the sneaky and cautious Claud had opened up some possibilities for her. Her right hand began to glow with a small blue sun, and the rain of arrows stopped entirely. The world seemed to be holding its breath at that moment, a scene that reminded Dia whenever she faced off against a worthy opponent during the Swordmaster Tournaments.


    It was probably where the Shadows of Grandis got their information from too.


    However, after everything she went through, Dia had picked up some tips. The cautious, life-loving Claud had given her some ideas, and it was a really simple one.


    Her right hand touched the chest plate she was wearing, and a piercing purple globe enveloped her. In the stunned silence that followed, Dia forced whatever mana she had left into her legs and lungs, before making a break for it.


    Arrows fell like rain once more, but this time, Dia was focused entirely on running. Solid thuds rattled her body as the Shadows displayed their marksmanship, but these impacts only served to increase her movement speed. Weaving and bobbing through the alleyways of Licencia, Dia finally entered a main road, at which point the shower of arrows stopped.


    Dia didn¡¯t pause, however.


    The fact that the thick barrier around her had shrugged off the Shadows¡¯ arrows easily had prompted them to take a second course.


    Bashing through the crowd with the giant purple ball around her, Dia continued to flee in the direction of Moon Street. An ominous threat was gathering from her back, and the feeling of being stared at was so unnatural that it had to be a skill.


    She knew for certain that the next arrow to come would be the deadliest one she had ever faced in her whole life, and Dia forced herself to calm down. There was no point in running anymore, not with such a threat painted at her back. Her Sword Sense was telling her that if she were to continue running, she would never muster up enough strength to deflect the coming blow.


    In the middle of the bustling street, where a path had been cleared by her reckless charge, Dia stopped and turned to face the unknown archer. Mana was gathering from afar, a mass of mana that could only be made possible if more than one Shadow contributed.


    ¡°Fated Sword.¡±


    Her silvery blade lit up with a blinding light. The people on the street scattered and fled at that sight; even the smallest of children were taught to run from shining weapons in someone¡¯s hand.


    As she faced off against the unseen archer, prepared to witness the greatest clash of her own making, Dia couldn¡¯t help but think about the novels she had read. The protagonist was supposed to face off against the monster king in the latter¡¯s majestic lair, but here she was, preparing the greatest strike she would ever unleash in the middle of a random street in a random city. Her opponent was perching somewhere on a building, pulling back a bow while other black-robed fellows were pumping mana madly.


    It was an absurd, funny scenario that proved that novels couldn¡¯t be believed. Epic clashes were made in the middle of the street, like her and like Zulan Patra, not in some dank dark castle where only foolhardy idiots went.


    Dia breathed out slowly. Mana that had been gathering around her legs was now diverted into her arms, and for a moment, she even considered using Sword Fall and Domain of Swords.


    At this pivotal moment of her life, the princess of Lustre found herself in a contemplative mood. Effectively, she only had four useable skills. Sword Fall would turn her into a criminal of criminals; four-fold and five-fold mana-users would take her head a day or two later for the destruction of a county¡¯s capital. Domain of Swords¡­


    Dia decided not to think about it too hard, only wondering what her father was thinking when he forced Domain of Swords onto her. All her skills were passed down from her father, save for Fated Sword, and all of them were of great value. This was the first time she felt so restrained by her one-track skillset, but only fools and desperate people changed skills.


    Especially rare ones.


    Taking in a deep breath, Dia looked down the main street, which was now completely deserted. Her glowing sword, coupled with the purple sphere around her, had scared everyone away. Coupled with the overwhelming mass of mana that was pointed at her¡­


    As it turned out, this was actually a good spot for a showdown.


    ¡°Come.¡±


    Her single word seemed to shatter the frozen moment, and an arrow howled towards her in an azure radiance.

 Chapter 62: A shattered memento

    Time seemed to slow as an icy-blue streak of light closed in on her. Her mana circuits, which were already lit up, coloured the world and dyed it in her own shade of blue, blotting out both the sun and the incoming attack.


    Whirling on the spot, she focused whatever mana she had left onto the blade and her arms, throwing out the mightiest slash she had ever mustered in her life. The purple sphere protecting her crumbled away a heartbeat later, as the horrifying arrow loosed at her smashed through seamlessly.


    Two words reluctantly left her lips, tinged with bitter regret. ¡°Sword Roar.¡±


    Her sword, which had accompanied her for many years, shattered right before it came into contact with the falling, Moon-like attack, leaving behind a translucent spectre. Dia felt her heart twist as the blade of her weapon ¡ª a gift from her late mother ¡ª turned into a stream of ceaseless light, drowning out the streak of ice.


    The air shrieked as the arrow, which was only half a metre away from her, struggled against the river of energy that surged against it. A moment later, her spectral blade slammed into the icy light¡¯s side, smashing it away from her, and the ground shuddered as the fatal projectile plunged into the soft soil.


    The tops of Licencia¡¯s buildings crumbled away as the river of energy she unleashed blew everything in its path away, but Dia was in no condition to watch or to mourn the lives lost.


    All that remained in her mind was an endless expanse of regret.


    Her sword ¡ª a gift from her mother ¡ª had been destroyed. It was the effect of Sword Roar; when activated, the currently-wielded sword would destroy itself to unleash a ranged attack, leaving behind a spectral form that would last five minutes.


    The reason why the unleashed attack was so strong was because its strength scaled with the duration of ownership. This was a gift to her when she was thirteen; she had trained with the nameless blade for over ten years. It was the one sword that she thought she would never use Sword Roar with, but again, she had never thought that the Shadows of Grandis would muster up this much manpower against her either.


    She knew, deep down, that there was no one at fault but her.


    ¡°If only I hadn¡¯t gone out¡­¡±


    Was her disbelief ingrained in her status as a mana-user, and as a scion of nobility? Dia didn¡¯t know, but as she regarded the spectral sword in her hand, which was flickering in and out of existence, she had a feeling that it was that way. Despite all that time spent as a bounty hunter, along with people like Claud and Schwarz, she had been looking down on them, assuming that they were just too cautious.


    The price she paid for her arrogance, her carelessness, had been one too dear.


    Grasping the dying weapon in her hand, Dia looked at the ruination her sword¡¯s parting blow had wrought. Without a doubt, her attack had either grievously wounded or killed her enemies; that last strike combined the effect of Sword Roar and Fated Sword.


    Yet, she could derive no joy from the utter annihilation of her pursuers.


    ¡°Mother¡­¡±


    Suppressing her grief, she left the place. It would not do if she dallied around any longer; that would make the sacrifice of her nameless blade moot. Her mother would scold her if she wasted time to mourn. There was a time and place for everything.


    Picking up her pace, she darted into Moon Street, where the members of the Moon Lords were already peeking out at where she came from, and the sight made her heart twist up again. If she had managed to escape here, Dia would never have to use Sword Roar.


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    She slapped herself mentally. Moon Street would have been a river of blood if she had fled here. That arrow was powered by multiple mana-users ¡ª it was not a force that vanillas could contend against. She didn¡¯t want to massacre the city too, despite everything, which was why she hadn¡¯t used Sword Fall or Domain of Swords.


    ¡°Dia?¡± The bartender, who was now clad in a shimmering suit of armour, walked up towards her.


    ¡°Master.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not in the bar.¡±


    The bartender¡¯s snappy reply brought back some sense of normalcy for Dia.


    ¡°Right.¡± The spectral blade in her hand winked out a moment later, leaving nothing but a bladeless hilt behind. Her breathing stumbled for a moment, but Dia managed to control her emotions.


    ¡°I saw what happened,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°And I know what skills you probably had at your disposal.¡±


    Dia grunted and walked in the direction of Moon Mansion.


    ¡°Thank you for not using them here,¡± the bartender said. She could feel him bow in her direction, but that action just worsened her mood. It was a reminder that if she hadn¡¯t stepped out of Moon Mansion, the battle wouldn¡¯t have happened, and there would have been no need to use any skills at all.


    Behind her, Schwarz continued to issue instruction after instruction, and Moon Street began to return to normal. Clearly, the bartender and the others had intended to lead the Moon Lords out to support her, but now that she had returned¡­


    She walked into the entrance booth, and a harsh mechanical voice spoke.


    ¡°Purpose?¡±


    ¡°To rule from up high.¡±


    ¡°Purpose affirmed.¡± A black square emerged from the booth. ¡°Remove all disguise artefacts, and place your hand on the designated area. Non-compliance will be dealt with on the spot.¡±


    Dark thoughts continued to swirl around her mind as she followed through with the other procedures. There were so many ¡®ifs¡¯, and the fact that she had them was proof that she still hadn¡¯t learned the valuable lessons Claud and Schwarz had imparted to her over and over.


    ¡°Dia.¡± Farah approached her, her face one of concern. ¡°I heard that the Shadows of Grandis attacked you. We were preparing to move out in support.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Dia gripped her broken weapon, and then hung it on her belt. Without a blade, her sheath was useless, and the unease she felt in doing so just worsened her feelings. What was supposed to be a carefree stroll had turned into a desperate fight, and her anger towards the murderers of Ruler Umbra intensified.


    By now, she had accepted that there was no point in chasing Tot. The Thief of Time had proven his overwhelming might by slapping down the Spear of Fate without even doing anything, and Dia even found the initial intelligence of Tot laughable from hindsight.


    She couldn¡¯t hate Tot, who was probably a victim of machinations from up high, like her. No. What she now hated was the fact that she ¡ª along with a few other luckless ones ¡ª had been turned into scapegoats for the murder of Ruler Umbra.


    And anything else, herself. For failing to stamp out her noble-born arrogance. For looking down on people who had her best interests in mind. Fortunately, no lives had been lost on her side, but¡­


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem fine to me,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Does she, Risti?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Dia was silent for a moment, and then patted her belt, where the bladeless hilt was hanging at. ¡°My sword was something my mother gave to me. I was forced to use Sword Roar, which destroys the weapon when wielded.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Dia shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s my fault. Should have done every single thing Claud and Schwarz suggested before I went out, but somewhere deep down, I thought he was being overly excessive.¡±


    ¡°He is extreme at times,¡± said Farah, ¡°but I think you were just being dumb here.¡±


    ¡°Farah¡ª¡± Risti began, but the countess cut her off.


    ¡°It might be a bit weird, coming from me, but you ¡ª as someone whose life is at risk ¡ª should have taken all due precautions. This is irresponsibility on a massive scale. If you were one of my generals, I would have you flogged after this,¡± said Farah. ¡°Leaders ¡ª and make no mistake, you are a leader of the Moon Lords ¡ª have a responsibility to their subordinates. Death? Injury? Even simply being exposed to the threat of either one without a justifiable reason is nothing short of letting your subordinates down.¡±


    Dia took an involuntary step back. Countess Farah seemed¡­different. There was a heavy pressure radiating off her, one that she had felt when watching her father conduct his morning court long ago.


    It was a sovereign¡¯s dignity.


    ¡°I-I understand.¡±


    The countess¡¯ eyes flashed. ¡°See that you do. Risti, take care of her for me.¡±


    She swept out of the area, leaving Dia and Risti behind. The latter patted her head in a consoling manner. ¡°Farah has your wellbeing in mind, so¡­¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Do you?¡± Risti narrowed her eyes slightly. ¡°Regardless, you have paid a dear price for it, so make sure that you at least learn your lesson. The real Princess Dia wouldn¡¯t have done this, but I suppose not everyone can be as perfect as her.¡±


    Messing up her hair, Risti got up and left.


    Her words, however, continued to echo in Dia¡¯s mind, along with that of the countess.


    It would seem that she had much in the way of reflection to do.

 Chapter 63: The true memento

    ¡°You carry a very heavy burden.¡±


    Dia looked up to see the bartender, who had a small tray in his hand. There were two cups on it, and none of them were apple juice.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°As I understand it,¡± said the bartender, ¡°you currently bear the role of acting as decoy. The safety of the real Princess Dia, who has escaped to parts unknown, is contingent on you remaining alive and well. As long as you¡¯re here, you will continue to draw away pursuers from your liege.¡±


    Dia really wanted to tell the punk ¡ª and the others ¡ª that she was the real freaking Dia, but at this point, she had given up hope. They would simply claim that she was just perfecting her role, and to be honest, it felt great not bearing so many expectations of her role.


    For some reason, the prospect of unveiling her true identity ¡ª that is, with adequate proof and preparation ¡ª felt scary to her.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Dia replied, playing with the hilt in her hand.


    ¡°That sword¡¯s something from your family, right?¡± the bartender asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are you just going to keep it in its broken state? Or do you have a better plan for it?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Sword Roar. Destroys the currently wielded sword to unleash a ranged attack. Strength of the attack scales with duration of ownership. For the next five minutes, a spectral, indestructible form of the sword is generated. After that duration passes, the sword vanishes from the world,¡± the bartender recited. ¡°Here¡¯s a question ¡ª is this sword truly destroyed?¡±


    ¡°The blade¡¯s shattered, master,¡± Dia replied bitterly. ¡°What else can it be?¡±


    ¡°Or so you say.¡± Schwarz smiled. ¡°The last bit of the skill¡¯s description, however, begs to defer.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Here, take this.¡± The bartender picked up a glass and passed it to her, prompting Dia to glare at him.


    ¡°Alcohol?¡±


    ¡°High-quality, personally-brewed stuff.¡± He picked up the second glass and took a sip from it, smacking his lips a moment later. ¡°See? Don¡¯t be like that pansy Claud, who drinks apple juice like his life depends on it.¡±


    Dia eyed him, before taking the glass. She sniffed at it experimentally, and then took a small mouthful. Unlike what the others had described, this particular drink was smooth and velvety, in a manner reminiscent of his apple juice.


    A sour aftertaste, just strong enough to fit her mood, followed as she swallowed the alcohol in her mouth.


    ¡°What¡¯s this brew called?¡± Dia asked, licking her lips.


    ¡°It¡¯s Douleur De Amore,¡± the bartender replied.


    ¡°What language is that?¡±


    ¡°Beats me. I was following an old recipe some punk from Lostfon allegedly dug out from the Celestia Ruins,¡± Schwarz answered. ¡°It tasted great, but the fellow would only sell the recipe at five hundred gold.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a lot.¡±


    ¡°You have a very warped sense of money, miss.¡± Schwarz rolled his eyes. ¡°Anyway, your sword¡­isn¡¯t destroyed. I checked the records of Sword Roar; by all rights, you shouldn¡¯t even have a hilt to look at sadly.¡±


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    Dia looked up from the glass, her movements jerky. ¡°Explain.¡±


    ¡°Whoa. Chill. There¡¯s no need to direct killing intent at me.¡±


    Dia looked at the terrified Schwarz, and then remembered that she was a mana-user. One that had just blown off the tops of a few buildings, while turning a few Shadows into pulpy flesh. It was¡­inevitable that anyone ¡ª especially vanillas ¡ª that knew about her ¡®glorious¡¯ deed would be scared.


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Do smile more, though. That expressionless face of yours is making me really antsy,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Anyway, hand me that hilt for a moment. I think your sword is a tad¡­special.¡±


    Dia looked at the hilt. There was nothing to lose, either way, so she passed it over to him. ¡°Damage it, and¡­never mind. There¡¯s no way you can damage it any furt¡ª¡±


    Her heart stopped a moment later.


    Under the bartender¡¯s ministrations, the hilt had split open. Dia¡¯s breathing stopped, and before she knew it, her right hand was blazing with blue light. A searing rage had filled her stomach, and she desired nothing less than to punch¡ª


    ¡°Wait, wait!¡± The bartender took five steps back. ¡°Moons¡¯ love, listen to my explanation first! Your parents didn¡¯t give you a sword, they gave you a hilt!¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to insult my mother¡¯s gift?¡± Dia asked, her voice cold.


    ¡°No, no!¡± Schwarz took a deep breath and then walked towards her. ¡°Take a close look at the hilt, and you¡¯ll see what I mean!¡±


    Dia reined in her anger and took the hilt back, which had been split open. ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°It seems that your parents had designed this hilt with Sword Roar in mind,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°Sacrificial skills aren¡¯t popular, since it mandates the destruction of a weapon that people have trained with over long periods of time. And well, weapons tend to be a very personal thing.¡±


    Dia nodded.


    ¡°Your parents, however, had planned for this. Take a look.¡± He pointed at the hilt interior. ¡°See this bit here? For normal swords, it¡¯s meant to hold the blade¡¯s tang. However, your hilt isn¡¯t meant to hold a blade¡¯s tang; it¡¯s meant to encapsulate an entire sword hilt.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying¡­¡±


    ¡°With the right model, your sword will be back to normal,¡± said the bartender. ¡°Of course, it¡¯ll count as a new sword, but this was meant to prevent a drop in your fighting capability after using Sword Roar.¡±


    Her hands trembled slightly at those words. ¡°Y-you aren¡¯t lying, are you?¡±


    ¡°Tch. Do I need to lie to you?¡± Schwarz got up. ¡°The specifications of the inner sword ¡ª I¡¯m calling it that now ¡ª seems to be a standard imperial blade. Grab one of them, fit it in your hilt, and you¡¯ll be as good as new.¡±


    Turning on his heel, he began to walk away, his tray one glass fewer.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Dia called out.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, this is my job as a bartender.¡±


    Dia, who was about to thank him, felt somewhat stifled. Taking a deep breath, she skipped the first sentence and said, ¡°I still need to thank you. Is there anything I can do for you?¡±


    ¡°For me?¡± Schwarz turned back, surprised. ¡°Few ever offer to do anything for me. Do you mean it?¡±


    ¡°So long as it¡¯s within my means.¡±


    The bartender blinked. ¡°Well, once all this about Princess Dia being framed blows over, can you recommend me as her personal bartender?¡±


    ¡°Personal bartender?¡± Dia repeated.


    ¡°Yes. Or alcoholic-drink-mixer. She pays her staff generously and has a thick welfare package, right?¡± He grinned. ¡°I want in on that.¡±


    It was a rather odd request, but this was indeed something she could grant. ¡°Well, if her name¡¯s cleared, I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯ll be ¡­her bartender or something similar.¡±


    ¡°You said it.¡±


    ¡°I never go back on my word,¡± Dia replied, her heart considerably lighter. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s my job.¡± Schwarz nodded at her. ¡°Gotta listen to everyone grousing, you know. Or else I might as well be a caf¨¦ owner. Alright, now that you¡¯re all cheered up and happy once more, I hope you¡¯ve learnt your lesson. Don¡¯t go out unprepared, make sure to have your disguise on at all times and if possible, stay at home until everything¡¯s blown over.¡±


    ¡°About that¡­¡±


    ¡°What? More bad news?¡±


    ¡°The Shadows of Grandis were probably gathering manpower earlier,¡± said Dia, her face scrunched over as she tried to recall the events back then. ¡°They were probably going to siege Moon Mansion within the next week or so.¡±


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t show up, eh?¡± The bartender frowned. ¡°Just so you know, I¡¯m not going to condone you walking around unprotected like that, but if you really think that they¡¯re gathering manpower, then we¡¯ll treat it that way. I¡¯ll take care of the information front for now, and we¡¯ll beef up our defences. That battle earlier was¡­earth-shaking. This place wouldn¡¯t have blocked that shot.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°For this issue, there¡¯s really no need to thank me. We had an agreement,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I¡¯ll go find Countess Farah to discuss some things. You¡­you just sit there and think about anything else that might help. Draw some circles or anything, but just stay here, hear me?¡±


    It had been some time since anyone had treated her like a child, but Dia could only nod.


    ¡°Great. I¡¯ll send you a bunch of swords ¡ª they should be here in an hour or so ¡ª and then you can have your weapon back.¡± The bartender scratched his head. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it. Alright, I¡¯m going off.¡±


    He paused. ¡°No need for thanks.¡±


    Forcibly keeping her mouth shut, Dia picked up her glass and downed the contents inside.


    Schwarz was evidently someone who took pleasure in stifling others to death.

 Chapter 64: Novelties, news and national natters

    Three days had passed since the Shadows had attacked Dia. Nothing much of note had happened in these days, other than the fact that she had started reading the news.


    Usually, town criers would head to the town square in the morning and evening to yell out news. From what she learned from Schwarz, it was possible for them to visit places where people gather, like Triple-D, and disseminate news there, if they were paid for it.


    There, however, was a more¡­sophisticated option. And by sophisticated, Dia actually meant posh; it was something people of power and wealth usually did.


    Newspapers.


    One day, some bright person said, ¡°Instead of having people gather news and then tell us about it, why don¡¯t we pay people to collate information and events and write them down? We¡¯ll call it a newspaper.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s how newspapers were created?¡± one of Moon Mansion¡¯s staff, Lichl, asked, her tiny hands clutching today¡¯s news.


    ¡°Yes, that is the correct answer,¡± Dia replied. ¡°For common folk, they do cost quite a bit, but everyone will get to read the news from now on, so long as they¡¯re part of Moon Mansion. Moon Lord Risti¡± ¡ªshe struggled to not laugh at that title¡ª ¡°has kindly offered to pay for the expenses.¡±


    The little child nodded twice eagerly, clutching the newspaper closely. ¡°Sis Dia, how can I thank her?¡±


    With one hand supporting her chin and the other rubbing Lichl¡¯s head, Dia mulled for a few seconds or so. ¡°Aha.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, you have an idea?¡±


    ¡°Naturally. Who do you think I am? Of course, I¡¯ll have an answer, hohoho. Run along to the kitchen and ask for something nice and cold. I hear that the master¡¯s intercepted Claud¡¯s supply of, uh, fizzy drinks. Get her one of these things.¡± Doubling down on the head rubs, Dia said, ¡°Run along now.¡±


    ¡°Okay! Thank you, Sis Dia!¡±


    Lichl scuttled off, leaving behind today¡¯s newspaper. Dia took a look at it, but before she could do anything beyond a cursory scan, Farah walked up to her.


    ¡°Anything interesting?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Dia glanced at the newspaper, ¡°apparently Zulan Patra fell out with Count Nightfall today.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, as expe¡ª wait, what?¡± Farah reached out and pried the newspaper from her grip.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the professional at state affairs, not you,¡± said Farah. ¡°Besides, you haven¡¯t handed your analysis on Licencia¡¯s economy to me yet. If you can¡¯t do something this simple, ¡®specially after I saved you the trouble of gathering data yourself, there¡¯s no point in reading the latest news for you. You¡¯ll just waste others¡¯ time.¡±


    ¡°Did you miss the part where I told you that I spent most of my childhood in waving weapons around?¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s no excuse. You¡¯re supposed to stand in for Princess Dia, the wisest administrator in Lustre. If you can¡¯t even do something as easy as this¡ª¡±


    ¡°But¡ª!¡± Dia paused. She didn¡¯t quite know how to rebut her. Originally, she had wanted to say that the real Dia ¡ª that is, herself ¡ª never did much in the way of state affairs to begin with. However, by saying ¡®the real Princess Dia¡¯, she was directly admitting that she was just a stand-in, something she wanted to avoid where possible.


    On the other side, if she began by saying ¡®I¡¯, Countess Farah would not get her intended meaning.


    After struggling for a moment, Dia compromised by saying, ¡°I, the real Dia, have never studied the ways of state administration, since the original heir to Lustre was my brother, not me. And by the time I was made heiress, I was already an adult who spent most of her life swinging swords.¡±


    Farah glanced at her, an odd light of approval in her eyes. Lips twitching, she said, ¡°Even if I take your word for that ¡ª and I don¡¯t ¡ª the fact remains that our Princess Dia is a genius at governance. You, as her double, must live up to that expectation to protect her.¡±


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    By the Moons.


    Suppressing the curses that followed that thought, Dia took a deep breath. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll¡­get it done. Soon.¡±


    ¡°See to it. Now, let me finish reading this, and then we¡¯ll return to our usual schedule,¡± said Farah.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been sparring for three days straight,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Is your body fine?¡±


    ¡°Naturally. What do you think I am? A todd¡ª ow!¡±


    Dia, who had poked her biceps lightly, raised an eyebrow, and then moved in for the kill. Within moments, she had poked just about every single significant muscle group on Farah¡¯s body, and the result was a quivering mess sliding out from the chair and onto the ground.


    ¡°¡®Fine¡¯, eh?¡± Dia picked up the newspaper. ¡°Just because you¡¯re using mana to move normally doesn¡¯t mean that you¡¯re fine, get it?¡±


    ¡°R-return me my newspaper!¡±


    Dia poked her in the sides, and Farah quivered.


    ¡°Stop! We¡¯re in the garden!¡±


    Ignoring her protests, Dia continued to poke her muscles, until Farah¡¯s robes were all dishevelled. The panting countess tried to roll away from her, but there was no way for her to escape.


    After administrating a few more bouts of gentle torture, Dia lugged her back to her seat.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you get for acting tough,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°There, feeling better? Your muscles should be loosened up by now.¡±


    Farah whimpered, which gave rise to a refreshing feeling in Dia¡¯s heart. After making a mental note about her fellow Moon Lord¡¯s weakness, she scanned through the newspaper.


    Baron Aoro killed by team of mana-users; Folders¡¯ Association claims responsibility. Promoted article: new beverage taking Licencia by storm! Count Nightfall hiring folders, warns against armed groups in the city. Mysterious explosion remains mysterious; corpses of men in black spotted ¡ª some say they¡¯re the Shadows of Grandis.


    She blinked as she flipped to the second page. ¡°Tot¡¯s presence abruptly increases, reports dedicated trackers.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Farah looked up. ¡°What, Tot¡¯s regaining strength?¡±


    ¡°Seems like it,¡± Dia frowned. ¡°Apparently, for the past few days, Tot¡¯s aura has enveloped the entire Licencia. Preliminary reports from famous trackers are saying that Tot is finally using the divine treasure he stole from Duke Istrel to regain his strength.¡±


    She scanned through the rest of the article, which was mostly speculation about Tot¡¯s true identity. To her disappointment, however, there was nothing about Emperor Grandis¡¯ acknowledgement of Tot¡¯s true power, which would wipe off the crimes she had been framed for.


    Probably.


    After the huge battle three days ago, it was entirely possible that the rosy scenario she had been hoping for would not materialise. Granted, there wasn¡¯t anything official or whatnot, but her final strike had probably killed off some of these Shadows. If Emperor Grandis happened to learn about that¡­


    Disabusing herself of that notion with a shake of her head, she flipped through the rest of the newspaper. The Shadows of Grandis were a huge organisation, from what she knew about it. Other than things the Emperor himself was personally paying attention to, it was unlikely that he would care about the deaths of some low-level peons.


    It was callous, true, but such was the realities of running a huge organisation. People died every day in the line of work. For now, the Moon Lords was small enough that deaths would affect everything, but once Schwarz¡¯s plans were underway¡­


    ¡°Divine treasure, eh?¡± Farah mused out loud, breaking her train of thoughts. ¡°I wonder what kind of treasure was exactly stolen from Duke Istrel.¡±


    ¡°The new Ruler Umbra.¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s probably going to be a huge mess in the next few months, once the funeral rites are underway. Power shuffles and all. I foresee smaller wars being fought, under the supervision of Emperor Grandis, as Istrel tries to install his children into the various counties.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Nervous?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°You won¡¯t believe me even if I said no, right?¡± Farah shook her head. ¡°Oh, wow. This really works. Anyway, I am nervous. Worried. My county¡¯s an easy target, on paper. Of the weaker nobles, my territory looks like a particularly juicy one.¡±


    ¡°And the truth?¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s a military willing to fight to the death,¡± Farah replied. ¡°But there¡¯s still going to be widespread death. Events that will bring great suffering to my people and my trading partners.¡±


    ¡°But you have us.¡±


    ¡°As part of our contract¡­but I must wonder how much four one-folders can bring to the table,¡± said Farah. ¡°And besides, Licencia is most likely going to be involved in this war too. The Moon Lords will be implicated in this redistribution of power.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t quite like that term. It was too¡­innocent, too unassuming, to refer to the upcoming turmoil. In fact, now that she thought about it, the death of a duke had led to a Period of Warring Fiefs. But now, with the death of a ruler¡­


    ¡°An Era of Warring Lands?¡± Dia murmured.


    ¡°What¡¯s that about?¡±


    ¡°Just thinking about history,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Remember that bit about Duke Tsuku? And the Period of Warring Fiefs that followed his death? Whatever comes next is going to be a huge show. Duke Lustre and Schwa are going to fight it out with Istrel¡¯s successor.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be a huge mess, that¡¯s for sure.¡± Farah shook her head and began to tidy up her clothes. ¡°How unfortunate.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunate indeed.¡±


    Letting out a few more sighs, Dia tucked the newspaper into its new home ¡ª above a stack of its kin ¡ª and headed over to find Risti, to conduct her daily training.


    They would deal with things one step at a time.

 Chapter 65: The dirtiest of bar counters

    For the past few days, Claud had been busying himself with gathering information on the Julan treasury. The Julan treasury, like most other treasuries he routinely paid a visit to, was situated far from the Julan main house.


    This odd phenomenon could be chalked down to the fact that nobles had a weird conception of security. To them, the threat of being stolen from by commoners was far lower than having a family member sneak in and filch some treasures, so to them, it was common sense to build the treasury away from living areas. If Claud¡¯s memory didn¡¯t fail him, no one from the family was allowed to reside within a half-kilometre radius of the treasury.


    It was odd, like most noble things, but this fact had always worked in Claud¡¯s favour. This meant that in case something happened, the nearest reinforcements would always be a few minutes away, even if they moved in a full sprint.


    ¡°How are your preparations?¡± Claud abruptly asked, without looking up.


    ¡°Darn.¡± A voice came from behind him. ¡°How did you know I was sneaking up on you?¡±


    ¡°Instinct, naturally. So? How goes your bombs?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve managed to plant a hundred and forty-two of them within all structural supports of the Julan main house,¡± Lily replied. ¡°They can all be detonated remotely, when you need it.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Claud looked down on the floor plan of the Julan treasury and smirked. He had managed to get a near-complete picture of the place, which was really impressive. The guards there had very loose lips, and after some drink-sharing ¡ª in which Claud used the alcoholic piss from Triple-D ¡ª they had blabbed about everything.


    In fact, Claud had even gotten a manifest of the items there, and he was pleasantly surprised to see that there was a modest amount of lifestones, most of them high-quality ones. It was a pity that there weren¡¯t pure-ranked ones sitting around, but this was a barony, after all.


    ¡°Right, is there any great treasure that isn¡¯t mentioned on this list?¡± Claud asked. ¡°It¡¯ll be a shame to destroy it, so I intend to grab anything that sounds useful.¡±


    ¡°Great treasure¡­¡± Lily¡¯s chin fell on his head ¡ª an action she had taken a liking to for some reason ¡ª and she began to sway from side to side. ¡°Hmm. I think there might be rather useful artefacts for your¡­time-sensitive high efficiency fetterless trading. I¡¯ll make a list for you later.¡±


    Claud chuckled. Clearly, she had figured out that these words formed an acronym for the word ¡®theft¡¯. To be fair, however, anyone watching him bustle around for information would immediately get the feeling that he was a professional at breaking into houses. No, what he was relieved about was the fact that Lily didn¡¯t mind that he was a thief¡­especially a thief that was stealing from her family.


    ¡°Still, don¡¯t you mind that I¡¯m in this trade?¡±


    ¡°And why, pray tell, would I do that?¡± Lily asked back. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m standing on any moral high ground. Moons, I¡¯m planning on destroying my ancestral home with lots of explosions. I¡¯m relieved that you aren¡¯t even judging me from that.¡±


    ¡°Why would I do that? Explosions sound cool. They¡¯ve been the subject of many novels, right?¡± Claud bobbed his head, and Lily moved with it. ¡°Real men don¡¯t look at explosions! Go out with a bang! Couples should blow up!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with that last one?¡±


    ¡°Something Schwarz came up with after a couple threw up on his bar counter,¡± Claud promptly replied. ¡°He was quite pissed, but it was his fault. He let the vomit dry on that thing out of rage, and only wiped it down after a few hours. The stench was horrible for the next few days.¡±


    ¡°He¡­didn¡¯t clean his counter after someone threw up on it?¡±


    ¡°Kinda sorta?¡± Claud tilted his head.


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    Lily made a gagging sound.


    ¡°Throw up on me, and I¡¯ll string you up by the ankles,¡± Claud warned.


    After a few deep breaths, the gagging stopped. ¡°Can I ask a question?¡±


    ¡°You may.¡± Claud observed Lily, who was now sitting beside him, and chuckled inwardly. ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°¡­How dirty is Triple-D¡¯s bar counter?¡±


    Claud chuckled out loud. ¡°This is a mystery that reaches to the highest heavens, a question that even the Coloured Gods might not be able to answer. Are you sure you want to know the answer to that question?¡±


    ¡°What, are you better than one of the Coloured Gods?¡± Lily punched his elbow lightly. ¡°Spill it, or I¡¯ll blow you up.¡±


    Faced with an unreasonable threat, Claud decided not to hold back. Stowing away the documents in front of him, he cleared his throat pretentiously and said, ¡°So, you probably can guess that I¡¯m a regular visitor of Triple-D, right? A tavern that doubles as a bar is a great place to pick up information. Lots of things flit in and out on a regular basis. I¡¯ve been there for over ten years.¡±


    ¡°Ten years? How old are you now?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m around twenty-six.¡±


    ¡°So around as old as us, then.¡±


    ¡°I wonder how the others would feel if they knew that you leaked out their age to me,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll blow them up if they complain,¡± Lily replied.


    For a moment, Claud bemoaned the passing of the quiet, unobtrusive Lily. This new model probably had some mana circuits burned on wrongly, from how she was now threatening to blow up anything and everything.


    ¡°Go on,¡± Lily prompted.


    ¡°Where was I?¡±


    ¡°You were talking about ten years and all.¡±


    ¡°Right. Okay. To be more exact, I¡¯ve been sitting there and watching Schwarz take over from his father as bartender. Now, his father was a fastidious fellow; he loved to clean his counter. Did you know that it used to be a rich golden-brown? The wood was maintained in such a great condition that it could rival the centerpiece of a count¡¯s living room.¡±


    Given that Claud had indeed paid nocturnal visits to some counts, he was well-placed to attest to that fact. Lily, however, didn¡¯t need to know the details.


    ¡°Golden-brown?¡± Lily blinked. ¡°Did the master change the bar counter after he took over? Right now, it¡¯s grey, right?¡±


    ¡°Mm. I¡¯ll get back to that later.¡± Claud grinned. ¡°Schwarz, back then, was the rebellious kind of guy. If his dad said one thing, he would do another. His father was a messy fellow at home, so the Schwarz today always made sure that his house was nice and neat. The same logic applies for the bar counter.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    Claud could practically hear the gears in her mind spinning, and then he began to laugh madly as her face twisted into one of revulsion.


    ¡°He¡­hasn¡¯t cleaned it. At all.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Claud replied through his mirth. ¡°Schwarz doesn¡¯t make it a point to clean his freaking bar counter. At all. That ash-grey colour? It¡¯s the natural result of dust, puke and blood wiped down without much care.¡±


    ¡°I am going to slaughter that fellow.¡±


    ¡°You have a contract with him, sworn under the light of the Moons,¡± Claud reminded her.


    Lily made an odd sound, and then got up her chair.


    ¡°On the bright side, however, you weren¡¯t the one who rolled her face on it when drunk,¡± Claud added. He glanced at her uncomprehending face. ¡°On the night we met.¡±


    ¡°That at least explains why Farah¡¯s face was itching madly when she woke up.¡±


    Claud winked back in reply, before taking out the floor plans once more. He hadn¡¯t quite told her everything ¡ª Schwarz didn¡¯t just not clean the bar counter because he felt like being contrary, but it was because he didn¡¯t want to be reminded of some things.


    This, however, wasn¡¯t something Claud would share. It was the good bartender¡¯s own private issues, his own Moon to bear. Perhaps, in the years to come, Lily would eventually learn about everything from the bartender himself, but whatever it was, this wasn¡¯t for Claud to talk about.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been looking at this for the past day,¡± Lily abruptly said.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I normally do,¡± Claud replied, re-committing the layout to his memory. ¡°Only when one is assured of oneself can they remain undefeated.¡±


    ¡°Who came up with that?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I did,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing.¡± She searched around her pockets, and then took out a small box, one that reminded him of the sleeping Crown. Unfortunately, its exterior wasn¡¯t the fluffy velvet Claud was used to, nor did it have an ¡®act cute¡¯ function. Most crucially of all, her box clearly wasn¡¯t alive.


    ¡°Why am I getting the feeling of being looked down upon?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Claud blinked twice. ¡°You must be dreaming. Give me a reason to look down on you first.¡±


    ¡°Erm.¡±


    After a few seconds of thought, she shrugged. ¡°Anyway, this box is an activation device for the explosives I¡¯ve placed in the Julan main house. I¡¯ll leave it to you to detonate as and when you see fit.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°Anything to stop my family.¡± Lily made a sad smile. ¡°After all this¡­I wonder, what should I do?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re contractually obligated to return to Moon Mansion and spend your days there,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°¡­Right.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Anyway, remember to use this. I didn¡¯t spend the past few days under disguise for nothing.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha.¡± Claud looked through the floor plans once more and ran a mental simulation of his break-in. After assuring himself that it was perfect, he nodded slowly. ¡°I¡¯ll make my move tonight.¡±

 Chapter 66: The master thief strikes!

    All three moons were shining brightly when Claud moved out, clad in grey from head to sole. Normally, such a sight was associated with a peaceful night, but the master thief couldn¡¯t help but think that tonight was rather special. For Julan, tonight was not fated to be a peaceful night, but rather, one in which strife and wisdom combined together to yield loads of wealth for one particular individual.


    Flitting from cover to cover, Claud crossed from shadow to shadow, and before long, he had left the main residential districts. There was little point in using Presence Nullification here; it would be nothing but a waste of a skillstrip.


    The Julan treasury was located in the middle of a vast plain. Other than four watchtowers built three hundred metres around the three-storey building, there was nothing else there.


    Literally.


    The trees near the area had been cleared out, along with any vegetation that dared to poke its head out of the soil. Claud was beside himself with appreciation when he first found out about such measures; such drastic methods were rarely seen when it came to the treasuries of other nobles. To be honest, this was the first time he¡¯d seen a landed noble adopt so many anti-theft methods; most other nobles would not take the extra mile in clearing the local shrubbery and trees.


    In contrast, unlanded nobles ¡ª baronets, knights and gentries ¡ª took their financial security far more seriously, something Claud learned shortly after picking up the thieving trade. Hundreds of them existed in the Istrel Dukedom alone, most of them only owning the land their houses were built on. Therefore, their treasuries were a lot smaller¡­and a lot more guarded.


    As a trade-off, retribution from unlanded nobles usually didn¡¯t exist. Since they couldn¡¯t even mobilise village guards without permission from their local baron, thieves trying their luck at these places would rarely face any repercussions.


    ¡°Still,¡± Claud murmured, ¡°the Julan Barony should have become a county long ago, no matter how I look at it.¡±


    Most barons ruled only a village, like that poor Baron Aoro, whose son was now pushing up the moonflowers. To Claud, however, Julan looked something closer to Licencia, and from his initial gauge, probably had the military might to be a county.


    Stopping at the sterilised perimeter of the Julan treasury, Claud reached into his pocket. A little box nuzzled his fingers, and he made a small smile. Clearly, Crown had realised that tonight was an important night, and was suitably worried.


    ¡°No worries, little guy,¡± Claud whispered. Retrieving two skillstrips, he tore them up and stuffed the remains into another pocket.


    Clad by Presence Nullification and Flight, Claud crossed the cleared area around the Julan treasury within moments, slipping past the watchtowers with absurd ease. His heartbeat slowed down as he approached his target, and the master thief continued to keep his eyes peeled for any artefacts.


    Presence Nullification, though utterly useful when it came to shielding oneself from all forms of perception and detection, did not have its limits tested yet. What kinds of artefacts could it deceive? What properties did it work on? Claud wasn¡¯t sure, but he didn¡¯t want to brave any risks while working.


    After matching the structure of the treasury with the floorplan he¡¯d memorised, Claud got to work. Other than the two guards that were at the entrance, and presumably four more at the perimeter, there wasn¡¯t anyone else. No patrols, nothing.


    It was understandable why the Julans saw no need for a patrol; these measures would have been enough to sniff out most people. Claud was quite sure that these guards were equipped with appropriate measures to sense out invisible people, but Presence Nullification went beyond mere invisibility. It hid him from the world itself, which meant that even if his mana leaked out or he made a sound, Claud would theoretically go unnoticed.


    Making his way to the rear of the treasury, Claud pulled out some tools, thieving tools key to making an entrance. The first was a bladeless hilt, a highly desired artefact by warriors and thieves alike. Formally, it was called the Formless Sword, but it was called, by those in this trade, the Box-opener.


    The Box-opener looked like a hilt with only a missing blade. It looked rather useless at first glance, but when activated, mana would surge out from the slit where the blade would normally extend from. For warriors, this was a very portable weapon that didn¡¯t need maintenance.


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    For thieves, however, it had a more useful function.


    Placing the Box-opener against the treasury, such that the slit was facing the treasury¡¯s wall directly, Claud activated the artefact and waited, keeping an ear out with bated breath.


    After two minutes, a blue light lit up on the Box-opener, and Claud nodded with satisfaction. The light indicated that the formed blade had reached a point of sharpness, and Claud began to carve out a line that was half a metre tall. Once done, he deactivated the Box-opener and repeated the process of carving out another line.


    It didn¡¯t take long before a solid block of wall had been carved out entirely. Of course, it was impossible to pull it out by hand, but Claud had, as usual, come prepared.


    The next thing he needed to do was to pull out the loosened block, which could be done with an adhesive called the Devouring Plate.


    The Devouring Plate was a dull-looking metal plate. There was a handle on one side, with the other side completely flat. Placing the flat bit against the loosened bit of wall, Claud activated the Devouring Plate, before pulling it out entirely.


    Stale air gushed out in its wake, and Claud heaved a sigh. Fortunately, the treasury wall wasn¡¯t as thick as the length of his Box-opener, or else he would need to do even more things. Granted, he had already estimated the thickness of the treasury wall, but not all walls were built fairly.


    Inserting himself into the opening feet first, Claud pulled the loosened block of bricks as he entered the treasury, closing the entrance he¡¯d just created.


    Infiltration successful. Now, time to grab my loot¡­


    He played around with the remote detonator for the explosives Lily had set up around the Julan main house. It was meant to be used as a distraction, if Claud faced any trouble with entry, but it would seem that he would use it as their farewell fireworks instead.


    Snapping out of his thoughts, Claud started to look around the place. His careful planning had paid out; he was in one of the deeper chambers of the Julan treasury. The walls, which matched the colour of his robes well, looked like they were welcoming him, and Claud began to follow the path into the main storage area.


    It didn¡¯t take long for him to strike jackpot.


    The main chamber of the Julan treasury was illuminated by multiple artefacts, which meant that its walls were covered by a gold sheen.


    The master thief¡¯s eyes, however, weren¡¯t interested in the gold light.


    Claud was only interested in one thing ¡ª lifestones. Not only did they prolong his lifespan, they also carried the greatest value for weight and space. Since Claud didn''t have the leeway to grab as many things as possible, he had to be selective with his targets.


    Taking out the numerous flammable items from his bag, Claud looked around for his favourite green glow, and his eyes didn¡¯t disappoint.


    Making a beeline for the Julan Barony¡¯s lifestones, which had been sorted out by pile, Claud began to stuff the pure-ranked lifestones into his mouth. He trembled as the sweetest of lifeforce, unspoiled by any impurities, flowed through his body.


    Unfortunately, there were only so many pure-ranked lifestones in the vault. He had to leave the rest for the others; high-rank lifestones would yield quite a tidy sum for their operations. Schwarz, who knew him well, would give him the stink-eye for days if he returned with just middle and low-rank lifestones.


    Grumbling in his mind, Claud swept the others into his bag, and then started to look elsewhere. The gold coins were useless, as was the jewellery, but the same couldn¡¯t be said for the gold notes. Each note was worth a hundred gold, and they were easy to carry away to boot, so Claud grabbed every single note he could lay his hands on too.


    Stifling a chuckle, Claud moved on to the artefacts.


    Normally, he wasn¡¯t that heartless. Even when he broke into the treasuries of other nobles, he didn¡¯t go so far as to wipe out their gold notes entirely, since that was nothing short of crippling them. Just as how farmers didn¡¯t deplete the soil through over-farming, Claud too did not want to exhaust his source of lifestones.


    Lily, however, had made a special request, so¡­


    Claud looked at the artefacts that was sitting on a shelf, and grabbed everything Lily had written down on his list.


    There was still some space left in his backpack, however. Claud didn¡¯t quite like the idea of wastage, but he didn¡¯t want to bring back useless junk either.


    ¡°Now what?¡±


    His pocket twitched, and a small velvet box fell out of it. Claud caught the little fellow before it could hit the floor, before bringing Crown up to his face.


    ¡°Wait, did you find something?¡±


    Crown did a backwards roll, and Claud raised his head to see another small shelf, one that looked similar to the shelf that had held the artefacts sitting in his backpack. He had looked at it earlier, and other than a bunch of diamonds, there was nothing else of interest.


    ¡°There¡¯s something there?¡±


    Crown jiggled.


    At that sight, Claud headed over to the shelf. ¡°Which one?¡±


    Crown opened a moment later to reveal a Pure-Life gem, which Claud had placed inside a few days ago. Ejecting it onto his palm, in a manner that reminded Claud of spitting, Crown rolled over to a small dull pearl, opening and closing in an excited manner.


    Faced with such a surreal sight, Claud could only take the pearl and place it in the opening where his precious Pure-Life gem had been sitting on earlier. Once done, Crown jiggled twice, and then slid down his body to enter his pocket, leaving a baffled master thief behind.

 Chapter 67: Theft, arson and eavesdropping

    After taking ten or so seconds to get it out of his mind, Claud turned back to the shelf. He didn¡¯t want to take the other items there, but on the off-chance that the items on it survived the inferno that was going to strike this place, it was possible that the absence of that dull pearl would be noted.


    Claud was not going to have the carpet pulled out from under him due to some intrepid investigator¡¯s wild guess. If someone knew that there was a connection between that pearl and Crown, its conspicuous absence could lead to a great deal of unforeseen consequences.


    Like his unwanted second identity as Tot, for instance.


    Muttering darkly to himself, the master thief swept the contents of the shelf into his bag. Fortunately, most of them were jewellery of one kind or another, which meant that he wasn¡¯t exactly taking a loss. More importantly, they were more efficient when it came to weight; a bag of fifty gold coins weighed more than these items.


    With that, his backpack had been filled, which was a load of his mind. Smiling wryly to himself, Claud began to assemble the set-up in which the Julan treasury would burn.


    As a thief, learning how to commit all sorts of petty crimes in a manner that was both light-weight and devastating was crucial. In that sense, Lily had the potential to be Master Thief Lily, since she had those devastating bombs. Of course, she would need years of practical, on-the-job training before she could even come close to that appellation, but her interests had given her a good foundation.


    Committing petty crimes like vandalism, arson and conflict incitation was key to creating distractions and wiping away evidence.


    It was an art of sorts.


    After arranging the usual arsonist setup ¡ª a backpack¡¯s worth of flaregrass, a bunch of delayed arsonists and flour ¡ª Claud licked his lips and checked that there was nothing else he¡¯d forgotten.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°That should be it.¡±


    Tearing up a skillstrip with Presence Nullification on it ¡ª his current application was due to expire in around thirty seconds ¡ª Claud gazed at the pile of gold coins. He didn¡¯t care about them, but it was possible that there was a small trap door underneath that pile. It was a common habit of nobles, but his bag was already full of artefacts, gold notes, lifestones and jewellery.


    Steeling his heart, Claud picked up a delayed arsonist and triggered it, before making his way back to the treasury¡¯s unofficial second door with ease. For professionals like him, leaving behind a small loophole was something normal; Claud had revisited treasuries more than once over years of time-sensitive high-efficiency trade runs.


    Leaving behind no evidence that anyone had entered and left the treasury, Claud tore up another skillstrip for Flight and took to the skies. Speeding past the sentries, who were staring out into the blank void that was their lives, Claud felt his body relax.


    As it turned out, the Julans were nothing impressive. The fireworks that Lily had prepared, in case an explosive distraction was required, would therefore be repurposed as their farewell gift instead.


    With that thought in mind, Claud sped back to the inn they had stayed in for the past few days. There was, however, no point in exposing the fact that he had Presence Nullification to Lily, so the master thief decided to sit around for a moment and listen into the guards who were manning the city gate.


    These guards, as people under the payroll of Emperor Grandis, were likely to have far looser lips when they were far-flung territory like Julan.


    ¡°¡­a one-folder feels like.¡±


    ¡°I think you should just go into a brothel and get your urges checked.¡±


    Claud raised an eyebrow as the contents of the gate guards¡¯ conversation entered his ears, before stifling a giggle.


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    ¡°But even fantasising about it feels awesome, right?¡± the younger guard asked. ¡°Imagine this scene: someone with so much power and influence underneath you, moaning¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re on the job, you idiot.¡± Metal clinked as the older guard smacked his junior¡¯s helmet. ¡°Wanna fantasise, you do it in a private setting.¡±


    ¡°Tch, you just don¡¯t want to be tempted while working.¡±


    ¡°We are on the Emperor¡¯s bankroll. Didn¡¯t you hear what happened to Rambda a few weeks ago?¡±


    ¡°Corporal Rambda?¡± the younger guard asked. ¡°I heard something happened to him when he was on tour at Pletsville.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just Rambda now. He was fired for talking smack on the job; some countess overheard him gossiping about the brothels there and took umbrage at his words. You know how he¡¯s like; all kinds of abusive and horrible words come out from his mouth when he talks about women.¡± The older guard shook his head. ¡°At the countess¡¯ request, an investigation into him was run, and all kinds of shady things came out.¡±


    For some reason, all this reminded Claud of a particular countess who was presumably sitting around in Moon Mansion right now.


    ¡°So?¡± the younger guard asked. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Claud listened in closely ¡ª he was also interested in what came next.


    ¡°Under the scrutiny of that countess, Rambda¡¯s investigation turned out lots of really nasty things, and he was soon sent to Grandia,¡± the older guard replied. ¡°But he was killed on the way there.¡±


    ¡°Killed?¡±


    Claud blinked at the sudden turn of events.


    ¡°Yeah. No one knows why, but¡­¡±


    The older guard looked around and lowered his volume. ¡°I think he was bribing Baron Aoro to look the other way when he did all these crimes. And since he was caught, the baron would naturally want to silence him. It¡¯s just a conjecture, though.¡±


    Silence followed for the next few seconds.


    ¡°A-anyway, what do you think the Dusk Daggers are doing here?¡± the younger guard asked, in what looked like a very blatant attempt to change the subject. ¡°They¡¯ve been poking around the city for the past few days.¡±


    ¡°Beats me, but the barony seems to be on edge. The Julan personal guards have all reined in their behaviour too,¡± said the older guard, who was clearly eager to play along. ¡°Sergeant¡¯s given some orders too ¡ª apparently we are to steer clear of them. Heard that they¡¯re here on some request by the Folders¡¯ Association.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if we can get some benefits from them,¡± said the younger guard. ¡°They¡¯re all mana-users, right? Like, real ones! Do you think they¡¯ll give me some lifestones if I kneel and beg?¡±


    The older guard chuckled. ¡°You and your funny ideas.¡±


    Claud rubbed his nose. It was good to walk around and listen to what Dia called vanillas ¡ª people who weren¡¯t mana-users ¡ª speak. Other than picking up interesting information, it also reminded him that there were all sorts of ways to gain resources¡­


    He wasn¡¯t going to beg, though.


    Probably.


    However, it didn¡¯t mean that other people were above such things. As someone whose actions tonight would drive the Julans into desperate straits, Claud was well aware that they would not stop at anything to seek out the thief.


    Shaking his head, he floated off the ground and headed back for the inn. There were still ten or so minutes before both skills wore off, but Claud had to find a place to appear inconspicuously before that happened. Sure, he would just seem to be someone who had escaped other people¡¯s notice when Presence Nullification wore off, but what if there was someone who was very sensitive to abrupt appearances like these?


    That would be trouble through and through.


    Due to the possibility of off-chances, exceptions and aberrations existing, Claud would not place full confidence in the effects of Presence Nullification when it was about to wear off. It was too risky for him.


    Right, the mounds of gold coins should be melted down by now. Claud made a small smirk as he sat in the shade of a tree, one of the better locations to naturally appear. From the schedule he obtained from some loose-lipped guard, the Julans would not be aware of the severe loss until the last day of the week ¡ª Violetgott ¡ª came around.


    Flaregrass was the best fuel for the job when it came to producing ultra-hot flames, after all. These things were rather expensive; he had to pay seventy-three gold to fill up his backpack. After all, it was usually used in smelting metals and refining them, which was a lucrative business.


    Thieves rarely used flaregrass, since it went against some of their tenets. If they wanted more visible fires, there were far cheaper alternatives on the market; his profession was one that prided itself on sustainability.


    As he dwelled on the benefits of his profession, Claud felt the effects of Presence Nullification and Flight wear off. The master thief lazed around for a few more minutes before he got up, making sure to look like someone who had enjoyed a good nap, before heading into the inn proper.


    Lily, who was looking at a bowl of thick soup, glanced at him as he sat opposite her.


    ¡°Already done?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m a professional.¡±


    ¡°Right you are.¡± She scooped out some soup and drank it. ¡°Shall we leave after this?¡±


    ¡°Naturally. We can watch the flowers bloom atop the mountain.¡±


    ¡°I look forward to that.¡±


    Calling over a waiter, Claud ordered some apple juice, and enjoyed the peace that would soon be shattered.

 Chapter 68: The end of a barony

    ¡°Are we all set?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Set,¡± Lily replied. ¡°The Dusk Daggers are sitting in a shop not too far away from the Julan main house now.¡±


    ¡°And how did you get that to happen?¡± Claud asked, curious. He hadn¡¯t been paying much attention to Lily¡¯s plotting, since he was busy making his own preparations for the past few days.


    ¡°I sent a letter and told them to wait at a certain location, if they wanted to find out the true culprits behind the recent kidnappings,¡± Lily replied, a smirk on her face.


    ¡°Devious. Are you sure those¡± ¡ªClaud brought two closed fists together and then opened them up¡ª ¡°flowers would reveal their targets of investigation?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ninety percent sure,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯ll be a good way to thank them for taking the trouble to come down to Julan. I know a bit about how the Folders¡¯ Association works, and generally, the bigger the scoop, the better the rewards.¡±


    ¡°Lucky them, eh?¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for the two of them to get up and leave, and once they were outside the inn, Claud reached into his pockets and took out a skillstrip for Flight.


    ¡°What, are we flying back?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I figured that we might want a nice view before we leave,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Of course, it¡¯ll be nice to reach the next town before midnight, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Do I get to be the passenger?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know where to hold when I¡¯m on top anyway.¡±


    After enduring some light smacks for his ambiguous words, the two nodded goodbye to the city guards, who had been very helpful in providing some juicy bits of information to Claud, before scurrying away into a nearby patch of undergrowth. Handing his backpack over to Lily, Claud tore up the skillstrip, and took to the skies once she was seated on his back firmly.


    Hovering high above the city, Claud took out the detonator-thingy and gave it to Lily. ¡°Here. I figured that you should do the honours.¡±


    Lily let out a sigh and shook her head, a sound somehow evoked sorrow and relief within Claud. ¡°What a gentleman.¡±


    She pressed down on it.


    A monstrous roar shattered the silence of the night as the entire freaking mansion shot to the skies, propelled by an earth-shaking explosion. As it continued to rise, the building crumbled away, turning into a cloud of dust at its highest point. It didn¡¯t end there, however.


    Moments later, a pinprick of scintillating light pierced into Claud¡¯s eyes, ballooning into preposterous proportions. A heartbeat later, the mansion grounds themselves vanished from view, and Claud was forced to look away as the blinding light turned night into day for a few moments.


    ¡°By the Moons¡­Lily, how long did it take to prepare all these?¡±


    ¡°A year or so,¡± she replied, her eyes fixated on the blooming flower of heat and light. ¡°It¡¯s pretty, isn¡¯t it? With that, everyone from my family, every last one of these monsters, are dead.¡±


    Claud felt a chill run down his spine. He could sense a relief mired with sorrow in those words, a feeling that he had felt earlier, only far more pronounced this time. Just what did Lily see and experience? He wasn¡¯t quite sure, but it couldn¡¯t be anything healthy for a child or a teenager ¡ª and Lily wasn¡¯t all that old, from the looks of it.


    He turned back to watch the flower of flame wither away, leaving behind a huge swathe of land where the Julan main house used to be in, and a question came to mind. ¡°How did you ensure that nothing happened to the cellars of the Julan mansion?¡±


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    ¡°My explosives were designed to project upwards force and momentum,¡± Lily replied absent-mindedly. ¡°That way, it would only destroy the ceilings of the cellars, while clearing away every obstacle that could have prevented access. If my calculations were perfect, the explosion should reveal the foundations of the Julan mansion without destroying the¡­bodies within.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Claud took a deep breath. ¡°You must have prepared for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lily replied. ¡°You just so happened to give me a reason to come to Julan, that¡¯s all. And since you wanted to help me make sure that these murderers would never recover from my attack, I was more than happy to offer you every bit of help you wanted.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you want me to keep this a secret.¡± Claud didn¡¯t refer to the group he was supposed to keep this a secret from, and Lily also didn¡¯t need him to say it out loud.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± She shifted around on his back. ¡°Can you?¡±


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t say anything about the true nature of my trading runs,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Right, about those¡­do you want a sidekick?¡±


    ¡°You mean, like those sidekicks from novels like Red Cowl?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I mean, it¡¯ll be nice if I had a bomb or two, but your talents are more explosive than stealthy.¡±


    ¡°I can make other things too, though.¡±


    ¡°Keeping that a secret from the others will do,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡­well, I like working alone. And I don¡¯t do these runs often either. This is the only one I did this year; most of the time, there¡¯s better ways to get lifestones.¡±


    Claud found himself lying naturally once more, but he wasn¡¯t ever going to tell anyone about the number of times he embarked on such journeys this year. Colidra, the old storyteller, already knew the exact number through his sleuthing; Claud wasn¡¯t going to let someone who had access to both sets of information smoke him out.


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s a pity.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Besides, we¡¯re now part of the Moon Lords. Resources flow in on the regular. Why do I need to risk my life to steal things? It¡¯s only because I think we need some start-up funds that I actually decided to head over to Julan.¡±


    ¡°Right. If you say so, then.¡±


    For some reason, Claud had the feeling that she didn¡¯t quite believe his words, but he didn¡¯t press the subject. After all, backing down was also a good way to convince others; only someone who was anxious about being outed would try to deny any connection whatsoever.


    It was possible that she was suspicious about him being Tot, but it would not go beyond a passing thought. After all, the Thief of Time was supposedly someone from the Third Godsfall; there was no way under the Moons that a piddling one-folder by the name of Claud could be him.


    ¡°Do you have anything else you want to do?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°None. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Nodding, Claud infused mana into Flight¡¯s spiritual structure, and the two zipped off into the dark sky. Behind them, the fires that ravaged the southernmost part of the capital city continued to burn, but that was nothing of Claud¡¯s concern. Passing by cloud after cloud, the master thief looked up at the three Moons, before letting out a sigh.


    Lily had essentially destroyed her own family by her own hands. Granted, she had a reason, but having done it herself, instead of using due procedures, had to have an effect on her psyche. Claud, on his part, could not imagine killing his own family, even if they did the greatest wrongs, but Lily¡­


    What had exactly driven her to this? What exactly did she witness?


    With such thoughts stewing in his mind, Claud continued to fly towards the north.


    Halfway through the duration of Flight, Claud looked up. ¡°Hm?¡±


    Lily, who had been silent the whole time, had patted his shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s¡­something ahead of us. I think it¡¯s a monster or something, I¡¯m not too sure. But I can sense a¡­rather significant presence.¡±


    Claud tried to sense the huge presence Lily had mentioned, and felt a small chill run down his spine as he felt it a moment later.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a tri-folder. To be more precise, it¡¯s a monster that has three mana circuits,¡± Lily whispered.


    Claud considered her words for a second, and then beckoned at her to follow him in a retreat. Taking slow, cautious steps, the two gradually distanced themselves from the overwhelming presence.


    ¡°We¡¯ll camp here for the night, until that monster leaves,¡± Claud whispered. ¡°Do you need a tent?¡±


    ¡°You have a tent?¡±


    ¡°I have a small sleeping bag,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But it¡¯s dangerous to sleep on ground at night, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s better to sleep on a tree, but for obvious reasons, sleeping bags don¡¯t exactly go well with that.¡±


    Lily made an odd sound. ¡°¡­Can you teach me how to do that?¡±


    A guttural roar came from the direction of that ominous presence, and Claud nodded hurriedly. Locating a nice big tree in the forest around them, the master thief briefly explained about what kinds of branches were suitable for sleeping on ¡ª broad branches that still had leaves ¡ª and then directed her to one of them.


    Lightning tore through the night sky, and clouds began to gather.


    ¡°Get close to the trunk,¡± Claud whispered. ¡°And make sure to keep a hand on it at all times. I think something¡¯s about to happen.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Lily whispered back.


    Barely seconds after she replied, rain began to fall.

 Chapter 69: Witness to a robbery

    As a rule of thumb, monsters generally didn''t attack cities; rocks didn''t taste nice, humans weren''t delicacies, and Emperor Grandis had made it a point to exterminate any monster who dared to attack a city with extreme prejudice. As a certain storyteller put it, only the Emperor or his authorised personnel had the authority to destroy entire cities. To infringe on that sole right was challenging the Emperor himself.


    That last bit had left landmarks that many devotees of the Emperor paid homage to. As for what kind of landmarks they were¡­well, they usually took the form of an entirely smooth patch of land, which had turned into marble and glass from extreme heat. Marble lakes like these numbered in the hundreds through Grandis, which, according to rumour and Colidra, which were the aftereffects of the Emperor squashing any monster who dared to attack even the smallest of settlements.


    Claud didn''t like Emperor Grandis, but he could respect the fellow for keeping even tiny towns safe¡­even if the reasoning behind it was debatable.


    Unfortunately, this protection didn''t extend to intrepid travellers trekking through the wilderness. There, all sorts of things were possible. Meeting a random monster with one mana circuit? Three circuits? Five? Anything was possible. However, since human meat wasn''t apparently a beloved staple dish of monsters, there were ways of surviving the encounter.


    One of them was just flopping over and playing dead.


    The second was to hide and play dead.


    The third was to sleep in a nice place.


    "Got all that?" Claud whispered to Lily, who was on the branch above his.


    "Is that why we''re trying to sleep now?" Lily whispered back.


    "Exactly, genius."


    Rain continued to fall in droves. Lightning tore through the sky every so often, and the clouds were whirling madly. In fact, if Claud didn''t get it wrong, those clouds were congregating around the area in front of them, where the stupendous presence was. It was a pretty surreal sight, and for a moment, the master thief thought about the various novels he had read in his free time.


    If there was any hint of truth in the novels he had read, these clouds, lightning and whatever other weird phenomena gathering around the area in front of us could only mean one thing: a treasure was being born.


    Of course, Claud wasn''t going to stick his nose into it. Even if he had Presence Nullification, stealing something that a tri-fold monster had its eyes on was simply volunteering to become the meat dish for the monster''s next cooking recipe.


    "I can''t sleep," Lily stated matter-of-factly, breaking Claud''s random thoughts.


    "To be fair, nor can I." Claud frowned as raindrops continued to batter at the tree. Right now, the leaves and branches higher up were soaking up the raindrops, but it wouldn''t be long before the two of them were drenched.


    "Mm. How about you talk about yourself?" Lily asked. "You know quite a bit about me, so I think it''s fair that I know something about you too."


    "Me?" Claud asked.


    "Yes, you. It''ll be good to pass the time, so¡­"


    "There''s nothing much fun about me, though," Claud lied. "You know my personality; I''m a coward. In fact, I''ve spent hours hiding at home whenever some big-shot mana-user shows up in Licencia, so¡­"


    "I know about that," said Lily. "But why are you so¡­cowardly to begin with? I mean, I understand that life is important and everything, but your sense of security is perverted. Extreme. That''s unnatural, right?"


    "Is it?" Claud found this conversation quite familiar.


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    "Isn''t it?"


    The master thief tapped his chin. "Can I ask you a few questions? It''s about how you grew up, so they might cause you some distress."


    Lily paused for a moment, and the branch above Claud shook as she nodded. "Go ahead."


    "What were your living conditions like when you were growing up?"


    "That''s¡­quite broad."


    "In terms of safety, then," Claud replied. "Did you have bodyguards? A walled-up fence that kidnappers wouldn''t enter lightly? People whose explicit job is to protect you?"


    "You''re¡­trying to tell me that your actions are natural for someone in an underprivileged upbringing?" Lily asked.


    Claud blinked. "That''s about it. You''re fast, eh? Not bad, not bad. But yes. What I do here is simply a heightened form of cautiousness most slumdwellers and lower-class people have at night. We cannot guarantee that our houses won''t be broken into, nor do we have assurance that there will be people looking for us if we ever go missing. After all, the latter was a reason why the Julan barony was able to kidnap so many people, right?"


    It was a cheap shot, bringing up the family that Lily wanted to tear herself away from, but Claud felt no shame in using it. As a fellow founding member of the Moon Lords, Claud had a vested interest in ensuring that Lily made adequate preparations for her security. Mana-user or not, there was never any harm in being overly-cautious.


    It was good that she had been enlightened¡ª


    Claud nearly fell off his branch as ear-splitting roars shattered the silence of the night.


    A moment later, a familiar, obnoxious voice said, "Monster, you deem yourself worthy to consume a mana herb of this quality? Such foolishness! I''ll be taking it for myself. You, little worm, can have the roots."


    In response to that voice, a stream of blue light shot up into the skies, lighting up the entire area. In that moment, Claud saw for himself what the huge presence was ¡ª it was a three-headed snake that was around twenty or so metres long. He didn''t know what it was, or what it was capable of, but the master thief knew that it was bad news that was capable of slithering.


    The problem wasn''t the bad news in the form of a three-headed snake, however. The real problem was the arrogant-sounding fellow that had suddenly shown up at the scene. As a whole, humans were the apex predators of Grandis, and their food selection was so encompassing to the point that killing other people weren''t ruled out from their menu.


    ...It was unlikely that they would eat human corpses, though.


    Taking a deep breath, Claud shimmied up the tree trunk.


    "Yes, I know," Lily whispered. "Really bad news. What suggestions do you have?"


    "Play dead," Claud answered.


    She nodded in reply, and the master thief returned to his branch.


    Beams of blue light continued to shoot skywards, scattering the clouds that had gathered.


    "How pathetic," the voice spoke. "Try harder next time, fool."


    Cackling madly, an airborne figure, illuminated by the three-headed snake''s attacks, shot towards the north. As he left, Claud felt an urge to beat the arrogant fellow up; for some reason, his every word and action made the master thief infuriated.


    It was a rather odd urge, but since it wasn''t like he could act on it to begin with, the master thief didn''t do anything. On Lily''s part, she was apparently more interested in playing dead or something, so the irrational antagonism Claud felt towards that fellow was probably a trick of his mind.


    Letting out a few more roars, the three-headed snake slithered furiously after the guy who had robbed its mana herb, whatever that was. After waiting for fifteen minutes, Claud sat up.


    "Lily?"


    A gentle, rhythmic breathing entered his ears, and the master thief rolled his eyes. Who was the one who claimed that she couldn''t sleep just now? Shaking his head, Claud was about to lie back down on the branch when some words echoed through his mind.


    "Roots¡­" Claud swallowed.


    What was the value of a mana herb? Claud had never heard of something like that before, which could only mean that it was probably something pretty darn expensive and rare. Even if the herb itself had been taken away, there were some roots left behind, according to the robber.


    After spending three seconds to think about it, Claud slid down the tree and activated Presence Nullification. Right now, this was a prime opportunity to stake a claim on something both the monster and the robber probably didn''t want. Just because they didn''t find it valuable, however, didn''t mean that Claud would do the same.


    It was a matter of perspective. What one saw as trash could be treasure to another.


    Navigating through the undergrowth, Claud soon found the place where that mana herb had grown. It wasn''t too hard; enough lightning had struck the place to the point that there were still small fires burning. Furthermore, that three-headed snake had cleared out the trees and plants around the mana herb, creating a clearing with it at the centre.


    The master thief felt disappointment well up as he approached the small plant. It wasn''t just fruitless; it was leafless as well. From the looks of it, that earlier thief probably wasn''t joking when he talked about leaving the roots behind.


    Producing a small knife, he dug out the roots.


    With his prize in hand, Claud returned to the giant tree, and began to climb back up to his branch. He was, for some reason, quite sleepy, and he really didn''t feel like travelling overnight after that little heart-pounding encounter.


    As for Lily, she was still sound asleep.

 Chapter 70: The odd box and a brand new day

    Moments after Claud returned to his tree branch, something in his pocket began to jiggle, and the master thief reached inside to pluck out an excited Crown. He didn¡¯t need to see it spin around to know why the little fellow was so excited; clearly, the plant that bore the mana herb were something Crown wanted.


    There was just a small problem, though.


    The whole thing could wrap around Crown ten or so times with ease.


    ¡°You do know that this plant¡± ¡ªClaud shook the whole thing up and down¡ª ¡°is a few times bigger than you, right? Sure, it¡¯s like stems and roots, but are you even able to do anything about it?¡±


    The little velvet box rolled to its left, before tossing itself up. Completing three backflips, Crown landed with a gentle plop, and then spun around on an edge.


    Claud blinked three times, and then felt a dull pain assault his head. Crown was something that defied common sense, this much he knew. That, however, didn¡¯t mean it should be capable of gymnastics. Or feelings. Or thought, to begin with.


    ¡°Alright, fine.¡± Claud gave in, offering the plant in his hand to the box. At the same time, he leaned forward, interested in seeing just how the tiny Crown could use the plant he dug up.


    Crown did a backflip, and then opened up. In the middle was the small dull pearl that it wanted so badly, and before his very eyes, the pearl began to glow. The plant in his hand crumbled into ash, turning to wispy green and blue strands of energy that surged into the pearl.


    His mouth fell open for a few seconds as small little inscriptions began to surface on the pearl, and Claud picked up the little guy for a closer inspection.


    ¡°Meep.¡±


    The master thief jumped in shock.


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    Claud rubbed his eyes, before digging his ears. ¡°Did you just make a noise?¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m about to lose it,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Alright. You can meep. Why should I be surprised? Is it because you theoretically shouldn¡¯t be able to make any sound? Or am I just easily rattled after seeing a plant in my hand turn into dust?¡±


    Crown made another ¡®meep¡¯, and then closed up. Rubbing its velvety surface against his palm, the little fellow rolled off his hand and into his pocket.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be¡­¡±


    Claud decided not to think too hard about that odd event. There were so many mysteries in Licencia alone, like the phenomenon of empty bottles making their way across roads at three in the morning, so Crown being Crown really wasn¡¯t all that surprising when framed in such a dimension. After all, the little fellow had warranted an excessive pursuit response by Duke Istrel; it was apparently a divine artefact or something.


    Being able to turn plants into ash, now that he thought about it, was probably par for the course.


    Claud felt better once that thought flashed through his mind, and he let out a good, long yawn. Presence Nullification hadn¡¯t worn off yet, which was fortunate. After all, if Lily saw him talking to a box, she would probably think he was crazy or had a dependence on a particular little box, neither of which was a good impression.


    Yawning loudly, Claud closed his eyes and felt the cold night wind caress his face. The rain had stopped, along with the lightning and thunder, but in their wake, a cooling breeze had sprung up. It was the perfect environment to sleep in, and Claud saw no reason to go against nature itself.


    His consciousness grew hazy a few seconds later, and the master thief felt sleep hold him tightly. Within what felt like minutes, the branch beneath him had seemingly turned into a fluffy cloud, but before Claud could indulge in that feeling, a set of hands were already shaking him.


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    ¡°¡­ake up. Claud, it¡¯s already morning!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± The master thief forced his eyes open at these words, just in time to see Lily sitting on his torso. He looked at the blue sky behind her, and then rubbed his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s already morning?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°You seemed rather tired, so I let you sleep for another hour or so, but we really need to get going.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Um. Thanks.¡± Claud looked at her, and then belatedly noted that she was sitting on him directly. Lily probably didn¡¯t see any issue with her current position, considering that she had been sitting on his back or vice-versa when they were travelling with Flight, but it was somewhat¡­exhilarating to have this happen to him when he just woke up.


    Before long, they were both on solid ground once more.


    ¡°Still, it feels like I only slept for ten minutes,¡± Claud grumbled.


    ¡°You do know that¡¯s a rather common experience, right?¡± Lily chuckled. ¡°Alright, enough whining.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± After dismantling the impromptu obstacles he¡¯d set up, Claud took out a skillstrip for Flight. ¡°This is the last one I have, so we¡¯ll be walking for the rest of the journey back.¡±


    ¡°Can we use it later instead?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s about to expire.¡±


    This time, Claud wasn¡¯t lying whatsoever. In order to maintain his fa?ade, he had specifically designated some Flight skillstrips to be used within a week. It was easier to keep everyone in the dark if he made sure that the conditions to do so were all met, which included keeping things straight.


    Even if it meant some minor inconvenience along the way.


    A few days¡¯ sacrifice was nothing compared to the tactical advantages that hiding his skills had. He didn¡¯t quite understand why some mana-users wanted to be so famous; what good would it do if everyone and their mana circuits knew what skills these people had? It would just help their enemies and everything.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lily had a crestfallen look on her face.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped,¡± Claud replied. ¡°That¡¯s the last one in my pile. If I had my choice, I would also want to return to the safety of Moon Mansion as soon as possible, but¡­¡±


    Lily looked at him, and her face softened. ¡°True. You¡¯re really afraid of death, so even coming out here must have been¡­¡±


    For some reason, the master thief felt that she was looking down on him. ¡°Like I said, I wanted to make some contributions to the Moon Lords. And you provided a target for me. Even people who fear death will step out if they are utterly confident in themselves.¡±


    He reached out and patted her head. ¡°Thank you for providing me with information and everything.¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re welcome.¡±


    Tearing up the Flight skillstrip, the two took to the skies once more. Under the clouds and Lily¡¯s silence, Claud entered a contemplative mood.


    There were lots of things that she would probably need to settle when she returned to the Moon Lords. The destruction of the Julan family would definitely create some waves in the Umbra Sovereignty, as a vassal of the late Umbra. A perfunctory investigation would be launched, but what the sovereignty thought of as ¡®perfunctory¡¯ was probably something most normal people wouldn¡¯t be able to escape from.


    He was quite confident that they would be overlooked, given that a personage that was far more important had died recently. The new sovereignty, when Duke Istrel formally ascended to it, would not have time to care about the little things, so nothing untoward would happen.


    ¡°Say, are you intending to contend for whatever inheritance your family might have left behind?¡± Claud asked, knowing that not every member of the Julan family had been killed.


    ¡°Hmm? No, I have no intention in continuing on their¡­legacy, or their inheritance,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Wise. I was intending to dissuade you if you insisted on claiming it¡­well, I had a feeling that you didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with it to begin with,¡± Claud replied.


    A few light thumps fell on his back. ¡°Do I look like an idiot to you?¡±


    ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t be offended. People, when confronted with the possibility of massive gain, deviate from their original plans very easily,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I had to make sure that you weren¡¯t tempted. Let¡¯s be honest. Were you really not tempted?¡±


    Lily was silent for a moment. ¡°To be frank, I didn¡¯t consider this far. My mind¡¯s still a mess after all this. I didn¡¯t even think that it was this easy to destroy my family¡¯s main home, and especially to reveal the cellars underground. But when I went with you, and tried to execute my plans in earnest, I realised that it wasn¡¯t all that hard.¡±


    Claud grunted. ¡°Some things seem hard because you¡¯re looking at them from the wrong height.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Once I began to seriously ponder my plan of attack, I found lots of weaknesses. No one, for instance, questioned my presence. I could walk around freely, and no one would say anything.¡±


    ¡°Arrogance, I guess.¡± Claud had heard of stories like these, where local rulers felt so secure in their area of influence that they weren¡¯t cautious or even worried about their security. When one of their oppressed citizens inevitably snapped, a river of blood would flow, and the sun would shine on a slaughtered home of a minor noble.


    ¡°Arrogance¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one reason behind Moon Mansion¡¯s method of entry,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Believe me, the more impersonal the process, the better. People are inherently flawed, lazy. Any vetting process that¡¯s people-centric will inevitably be flawed.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Well, let me explain¡­¡±

 Chapter 71: The trouble-maker and a new contract

    Men and women, dressed in the same grey robes, moved their swords around, their actions coordinated and in-sync as they moved from form to form with deliberate slowness. Eerily enough, the only thing that could be heard from such an incredible display of synchronicity was that of air parting; other than that, the entire area was deserted.


    Their foreheads were lined with beads of sweat and their arms were trembling, but their merciless trainer, who was also executing some slow slashes, showed no signs of fatigue.


    Dia completed another agonisingly-slow slash, and then returned her sword to her sheath. A heartbeat later, metal scraped against wood as one, and the fatigued trainees, who had been completing sword forms as one entity, fell apart and collapsed onto the ground in a variety of ways.


    Her lips twitched at that sight, but she didn¡¯t rebuke them.


    After all, not everyone could hold a training sword that weighed five kilograms with ease, especially in one hand. The people she was training right now were already the cream of the crop in that sense; they were highly motivated individuals who signed up to become the Moon Guards. Rebuking them was nothing short of idiocy; it would just detract from their motivation.


    ¡°Not bad, everyone,¡± Dia spoke. ¡°Today¡¯s exercise is complete. Go back, get some rest, and then use your own swords to feel your increase in strength¡­after you guys find enough strength to get up first.¡±


    The others replied by groaning together.


    Dia¡¯s lips twitched once more. The table a few metres behind her creaked in protest as she placed her own training sword on it. It was a hundred and ten kilograms; a one-folder¡¯s training apparatus had to be far heavier if the user wanted to see results.


    Of course, if she wasn¡¯t channelling mana throughout her body, Dia would never be able to lift that sword up either. The only reason why Dia used such a sword was to hone her mana control while maintaining her bodily strength; the concept of being efficient during training was crucial to growing stronger in a short period of time.


    Massaging her right arm, Dia appraised her clothes, nodding with satisfaction when she noted that there wasn¡¯t any trace of sweat. In return, however, her body felt somewhat hot, but that wasn¡¯t anything a good cold glass of apple juice couldn¡¯t deal with.


    Leaving behind a bunch of tired fellows, she headed towards Moon Mansion. The training of the Moon Guards was done at the mansion¡¯s backyard, which was far enough that the sounds of sparring and grunting wouldn¡¯t disturb Risti and Schwarz, who were handling the issue of intelligence.


    A few days had passed since the Shadows of Grandis had attacked her, and in that time, the Moon Lords ¡ª with the help of Farah ¡ª had officially been allocated positions. The reason why she was training a bunch of people earlier was due to her role in the Moon Lords; she was the captain of the Moon Guards, a highly-skilled private force (theoretically, anyway) that was essential to the operation of the Moon Lords.


    Pushing the door to Moon Mansion open, she cast a glance at two people, who were sitting around a round table large enough for ten people. The fine mahogany glinted as she took a seat around the table, and Dia leaned back on the chair, her eyes closed.


    ¡°Hello, Dia,¡± said the bartender. ¡°How was your training?¡±


    ¡°Easy as usual.¡± Dia opened one eye, took in the sight of a mountain of papers, and then closed it as fast as possible. ¡°You chose a very motivated bunch of people.¡±


    ¡°Well, the Moon Guards draw quite a lot of gold,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°Still, I can¡¯t believe the countess is actually this skilled at running things.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unbelievable, rather.¡± Risti giggled. ¡°That greatsword of hers made me think she was the muscle-headed type, especially considering how high-and-mighty she was a week or two ago.¡±


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    ¡°First impressions can be deceiving,¡± Dia replied, before opening her eyes. ¡°Right, master. One apple juice.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m not at work now.¡± Rolling his eyes, Schwarz produced a small bottle from nowhere and slid it to Dia. ¡°Right, if you want the good stuff, better raid Claud¡¯s house. I¡¯ve been delivering the best stock I have over to his place for the past few days.¡±


    Dia decided to ignore the bartender, who was clearly egging her on to break into that fellow¡¯s house to steal drinks. After downing the silky-smooth drink, she let out a contented sigh and said, ¡°Anything interesting today?¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s been reports of a three-headed snake running around the area in anger,¡± said Risti, who was pouring over papers with Schwarz. ¡°One of its heads are dead, though.¡±


    ¡°So¡­a two-headed snake?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s a three-headed one, minus one head.¡±


    Dia had a feeling that this conversation would continue on for an hour if she insisted on her terminology, so she decided not to press that matter. ¡°So, what¡¯s the deal with that three-headed snake?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a tri-folder.¡±


    For some reason, Dia felt that she had lost a battle that was simultaneously of great and little importance at the same time. Shaking herself mentally, she pressed on and asked, ¡°What about it?¡±


    ¡°Well, it seems that a spear-user had attacked it,¡± said Risti, who was clearly pleased with the effect of her earlier sentence. ¡°Reports state that there¡¯s a rather intricate spear stuck on the dead head. Seems to be an artefact too, but for obvious reasons, no one dares to take it.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s the culprit?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s someone that has been rather famous recently,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°A certain spear-user who fell from the sky after provoking a monster from the third Godsfall. Bugger fell out with Count Nightfall after he came to blows with the Shadows of Grandis, and then he left the city.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Breaking news, he¡¯s coming back.¡± Schwarz chuckled. ¡°With the snake on his tail. As a tetra-folder, he has the ability to lose that snake anytime, but it seems that the Spear of Fate¡¯s as hot-tempered as ever.¡±


    ¡°Is it going to affect us?¡± Dia asked, worried.


    ¡°I¡¯d be lying if I said no.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything we can do about it?¡±


    ¡°We can take a leaf out of Claud¡¯s book and stay out of trouble,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Just sit tight and let the big uns fight it out. We¡¯ll stay here and sip elegantly at glasses of apple juice. After the dust blows over, we¡¯ll take our share of the profits.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at us like that,¡± said Risti. ¡°That¡¯s Farah¡¯s plan.¡±


    ¡°Okay, got it.¡±


    The countess was in charge of organising small things and making big moves; that was her specialisation. To be honest, Dia had the feeling that having her here was doing a disservice towards the people of her county, but as it turned out, the contract that bound her to the Moon Lords granted her one-fifth of the Moon Lords¡¯ overall earnings.


    Farah wanted to make use of Licencia¡¯s disproportionately strong earning power to enrich her own territory, and from the recent luxury foods they were enjoying, it looked like her plan was well underway. It was a pity that Count Nightfall wasn¡¯t expecting a countess to take over Licencia¡¯s criminal underground, and Dia had a feeling that by the time he noticed something was amiss, it would be too late.


    ¡°Any other interesting news?¡±


    ¡°Duke Istrel is planning on reshuffling the territories and their ownership after he takes over the position of Ruler,¡± Risti said. ¡°We¡¯ve received lots of news regarding his personal guards and family; the highly-regarded children of his have already moved to take over the territories under Ruler Umbra¡¯s control.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s consolidating power, in other words,¡± said the bartender. ¡°Nothing to do with us, but the other dukes aren¡¯t going to roll over and let him take them.¡±


    ¡°War?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Lustre and Schwa are mobilising their troops as we speak. The moment Duke Istrel becomes Ruler Istrel, war is going to break out. And, from the looks of it, the new Ruler Istrel will have support from Emperor Grandis,¡± Schwarz stated. ¡°It will be a bloody war.¡±


    Dia felt her heart clench up in worry. Her father, Duke Lustre, was probably going to take to the battlefield, if something like this really happened. However, he was old¡­too old for that.


    ¡°Is there anything we could do to influence this war?¡± Dia asked.


    Risti frowned for a moment, and then her eyes lit up. ¡°Right, the princess¡¯ father is Duke Lustre. Since you were chosen as her double, you must know Duke Lustre. Maybe as a surrogate father?¡±


    Resisting the urge to rebut her nonsensical explanation, Dia nodded. There was no point in trying to convince Risti, who had gone so far down the rabbit hole regarding her ¡®doubles theory¡¯, so she decided to roll with it.


    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible,¡± said Risti, ¡°but if you intend to influence the war on a scale significant enough to tilt the war into Duke Lustre¡¯s favour¡ª¡±


    ¡°Economic warfare will be the only way,¡± completed another voice.


    Everyone turned to look at Countess Farah.


    ¡°You have a plan?¡±


    ¡°I have one,¡± the countess replied. ¡°But...on the condition that four-tenths of the profits made goes to me. What say you?¡±

 Chapter 72: The mansion that took to the skies

    The sounds of paper scribbling filled the air as Farah wrote down a contract. Given that all members of the Moon Lords had a share in the profits, which had to be equally distributed save for the countess¡¯ larger share, Dia had to negotiate with the countess and use her own share as payment.


    In the end, they reached a satisfactory conclusion. Farah, obviously, wasn¡¯t actually expecting that she would get four-tenths of whatever rewards that the Moon Lords would reap from engaging in economic warfare with the Istrel Dukedom; she just wanted to get a better bargaining position.


    Having recognised that standard tactic at first glance, Dia played along and let Farah dictate the price. In the first place, asking the countess to help was already pushing it; Dia¡¯s contract in joining the Moon Lords was one that guaranteed her personal safety, not one that asked them to protect her brother, father and the rest of her extended family. More importantly, she had no say in deciding how much the others should receive, which was why she was essentially paying out of her own pocket.


    The way Farah adapted to this change of events was a bit too fast, though.


    ¡°This alright with you?¡±


    The others watched as Dia picked up the contract, which had been rewritten for the fifth time. Personally, Dia would have been fine with the earlier editions, but Farah had stopped her from signing them at the last moment. She would then lower the price Dia was supposed to pay for her help, as if her conscience wouldn¡¯t allow it.


    Scanning through the document for what was hopefully the last time, Dia noted that she was now just paying thirty percent of her share to Farah, which was quite a drastic drop from fifty.


    ¡°It is, but isn¡¯t it treating you a bit too lightly?¡± Dia asked. ¡°From half to one-third¡­¡±


    The countess waved her hand impatiently. ¡°Don¡¯t think too hard about it. Knowing myself, if I didn¡¯t do this, I would have incrementally lowered your payment by five percent each time anyway, and I don¡¯t really want to rewrite this thing anymore. If you don¡¯t have an issue, re-read it once more, and then we¡¯ll hand this over to Schwarz.¡±


    Dia scanned through the contract again. It was a simple statement of responsibilities; Farah would ¡®take necessary steps to enrich the Moon Lords with the Istrel Dukedom as the target¡¯. The countess had phrased her words in such a manner, so that she wouldn¡¯t be implicated if it ever got out.


    The chances of something like this happening was zero, so Dia could only assume that this wasn¡¯t the first time Farah had engaged in shady activities spanning entire territories. Normally, this was a cause of alarm, but the countess was her ally through and through.


    Producing a small seal and an inkpad, she pressed it down on the document. Silence continued to reign as she handed it over to Schwarz, who eyed the complicated pattern with interest, before he scuttled off to keep it in the safe.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Dia asked, suddenly very aware of the deafening silence.


    ¡°That seal¡­that¡¯s Princess Dia¡¯s, right?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Can I take a look at it?¡±


    It was disappointing that they didn¡¯t ask why she had it, but Dia knew that even if she told the truth, the others would just assume that she had been entrusted with it. In fact, she could even feel their deepening trust by virtue of holding the seal ¡ª the ¡®real¡¯ Princess Dia clearly trusted her body double enough to let her make decisions that had consequences.


    Dia found the fact that she could predict the next minute or so quite unnerving. It was a testament to how well she understood the two, as well as how devoted the two to their idol.


    In a sense, they were friends.


    As the two ¡®oohed¡¯ and ¡®aahed¡¯ over the intricate little seal, Schwarz returned from storing the agreement. The bartender raised a nice little eyebrow as he took in the sight, and his lips twitched.


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    Dia felt her own lips twitch in reply, as she struggled to hide her laughter.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    She glanced at the bartender¡¯s expression. Did he realise something was off? Granted, she was already different from the others to begin with ¡ª for one, unlike the others, she didn¡¯t wax and wane about the great qualities of Princess Dia. One part was because she didn¡¯t like bragging, but more importantly, she didn¡¯t recall doing anything that actually warranted adoration from others.


    As far as she could remember, the Princess Dia of yesteryear was just an administrator, as well as an avid swordswoman who loved her chocolate and grilled meat.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Schwarz asked, his clear eyes fixed on her.


    ¡°N-no, nothing.¡± She smiled. ¡°I¡¯m just wondering when they¡¯ll return the seal ¡ª Farah and Risti seem to be on the verge of treating it as a Moon.¡±


    Schwarz chuckled. ¡°True, very true. But the chances of you getting it back in the next five minutes is less than zero, given that Risti apparently feels like stamping it on the back of her hand.


    Dia looked back in alarm, and then reached out to grab the seal before Risti could land her into trouble by stamping a proof of ownership on her body. The Emperor had outlawed slavery sometime back; anyone caught engaging in the practice would be sentenced to death on the spot.


    ¡°Wait, let me stamp it on my hand!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to land someone in trouble, dolt!¡± Slapping aside Risti, Dia stowed her seal. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that stamping someone with a seal is an old way of marking out slaves? Slavery is a capital crime now!¡±


    Farah jolted. ¡°Oh, right. Risti, you¡¯ll get Princess Dia into trouble if you really stamped that on your hand.¡±


    ¡°Why are you scolding me? Didn¡¯t you want to stamp it on your chest just now?¡±


    Dia eyed the countess, who began to frantically deny that accusation. For some reason, she didn¡¯t quite buy it, but since she had at least a level of self-awareness that Risti lacked, she decided not to press the topic.


    ¡°A refill, master.¡±


    ¡°Call me that once more and you¡¯re going to pay for the drink,¡± Schwarz replied. Despite his words, however, the bartender filled up her empty glass, and Dia shivered in delight as the apple juice went down her throat. She could see why Claud liked it so much; it reminded her of ingesting lifestones.


    ¡°Thanks, Schwarz.¡±


    Dia felt a sense of peace, having gotten Farah¡¯s help in dealing with a threat to her father. Sure, she might have parted ways with her father on bad terms, but Dia had a feeling that he had intended to let her flee to begin with. As a duke, how was it possible that a one-folder could even escape that easily? In fact, over the past few days, she had a feeling that those rumours about how she squashed an army or two was something her father spread deliberately to help her by deterring small fry.


    A small part of her mind, the pessimistic part, told her that their efforts were nothing much in the face of Emperor Grandis¡¯ support, but Dia didn¡¯t want to listen to that bit. Anything was better than nothing, no matter what, and perhaps their little efforts could be the thing that tipped the scales.


    That same bit once again accused her of being overly optimistic, but Dia didn¡¯t pay that part any attention, choosing to partake of her apple juice instead. Downing the remainder in one go, she enjoyed the velvety texture.


    ¡°Is it really that good?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a gift from the Moons,¡± Dia replied. ¡°You should really give it a try¡­¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten the last time I tried one of his drinks,¡± Farah replied, her face darkened with annoyance. ¡°My face still stings whenever I think about it.¡±


    ¡°Schwarz, pour her a cup. Maybe she¡¯ll see the need to set up the Apple Juice Fund out of her profits,¡± Dia said.


    ¡°Yeah, keep dreaming.¡±


    While the bartender busied himself with persuading Farah to try a sip, Dia turned her attention to Risti, who was looking at a bunch of documents. Normally, she didn¡¯t have the habit of asking about work, but the amused look on Risti¡¯s face was enough to make her curious.


    ¡°What¡¯s so interesting about that?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s about Julan. I¡¯m afraid Lily and Claud won¡¯t be able to do whatever they were planning on doing there,¡± said Risti. ¡°The whole barony¡¯s on lockdown now.¡±


    ¡°What happened there?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°You will not believe it,¡± said Risti, plucking out a document. ¡°Apparently, eyewitnesses saw the entire Julan Mansion fly last night.¡±


    ¡°Fly?¡±


    For a moment, Dia tried to imagine a mansion with wings, but her imagination wasn¡¯t up to snuff.


    ¡°Yes. Well, something launched the mansion moonwards, and it shook itself to pieces as it flew. There weren¡¯t any survivors,¡± said Risti.


    ¡°Is it possible that Claud did that?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Lily¡¯s a good girl, and Claud was intending to head there in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Him? The chances of Tot being the culprit is far higher,¡± Risti replied. ¡°It seems that the cause of the disaster was lots of explosives, and I don¡¯t think Claud uses explosives. I can¡¯t picture that death-fearing fellow using it.¡±


    For some reason, Dia had a nagging feeling that they were missing something out, but after thinking through it for a while, she decided to let it pass.


    ¡°True¡­¡± Dia nodded.


    ¡°Anyway, details are still quite sketchy, and¡­¡±

 Chapter 73: The trump cards of the dukedoms

    It was interesting to see Risti talk about a diplomatic rift between Istrel and Schwa, since Dia rarely saw this side of her. The hyper-stalker was actually putting her talents to good use in this area; from the looks of it, having her learn from the bartender was an excellent idea.


    Dia didn¡¯t really want to consider the possibility of this biting her in the posterior when Risti turned her finely-honed ability to keep track of her idol¡¯s every movement. On the bright side, however, there was little she already didn¡¯t know.


    The fact that Dia found that fact to be a bright side felt a bit absurd on second thought, but since it was imperative to remaining sane, the stalked princess didn¡¯t really care about that anymore.


    One might say that she had given up.


    Besides, she really couldn¡¯t do anything either¡­


    ¡°Still,¡± said Farah, ¡°isn¡¯t this an excellent pretext to screw Duke Istrel over before his inauguration as a ruler?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± said Schwarz, who was examining another set of papers. ¡°As we speak, Lustre and Schwa have already mobilised their troops. At the same time, their best diplomats are already on the way to the Istrel capital. The Lustre delegation is protected by the Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings, while the Schwa delegation is protected by the Incandescent Smiler.¡±


    Dia twitched at a very familiar name, and for a moment, a woman wearing a white mourning robe entered her mind. Her face was devoid of any sharp angles, her body small and seemingly frail. Other than her weapon, she looked very much like a priestess belonging to the churches of the Coloured Gods.


    More importantly, she was a tetra-folder.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know much about the Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings, but the Incandescent Smiler is quite a famous person,¡± the bartender continued, oblivious to Dia¡¯s sudden twitch. ¡°Mystle, the Incandescent Smiler, is best known for his chakrams. The defining act that made him a Named folder was his defence of Schwa¡¯s Chi county. Faced with a monster rampage led by a tetra-fold monster, a newly-promoted Earth Dragon, Mystle walked into their path alone, a smile on his face.¡±


    Schwarz took a sip from his cup. ¡°¡®His chakrams burned a brilliant orange as they sliced through the air, parting and carving monsters wherever they went. With a smile, he bisected the Earth Dragon, bowing as the rings orbiting him turned all into mush.¡¯ So says the report.¡±


    ¡°It seems that he has a penchant for showing off too,¡± said Risti. ¡°He is reportedly fond of dressing as a street performer who has a perpetual smile on his face.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a villain from the Slasher Opera House series,¡± Dia quipped. The Slasher Opera House series of books were stories focused around a detective as he pursued a killer, who operated around the area of a famous opera. Interestingly enough, none of the opera singers were the culprit; as it turned out, a street performer was the serial killer.


    ¡°He¡¯s the one who inspired that series,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°Wha¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait, do you mean he goes around killing people randomly?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he be a wanted person by now?¡±


    ¡°Other than that bit,¡± said Risti. ¡°The real Mystle just loves to perform on the streets.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°You sound disappointed for some reason,¡± said Risti.


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking too hard,¡± Dia replied. ¡°So the fellow¡¯s harmless?¡±


    ¡°Theoretically, yes. But who knows?¡± Schwarz shook his head. ¡°People as exalted as him have all sorts of likes and dislikes. Behind every tetra-folder is a huge organisation. With their support, even things like systematic murder and other crimes can be carried out. Best not to place trust in their character.¡±


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    ¡°That sounds like something Claud would say,¡± Dia pointed out.


    ¡°I copied it from his words a few years back.¡± Schwarz shrugged. ¡°But he has a very good point, no? Who knows what kind of dark things they do? So long as they keep it under wraps, the Folders¡¯ Association won¡¯t find out easily. Even if they catch wind of some oddities, if it¡¯s not too extreme¡­¡±


    Dia turned to Risti, whose dad was apparently the leader of the Folders¡¯ Association. ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Regretfully, yes.¡± She closed her eyes for a moment, and once again, Dia found herself struck by just how different she was from the usual Risti. ¡°The Folders¡¯ Association is an organisation that has branches throughout Grandis, empowered by the Emperor himself. However, his subordinate territories see our presence as an affront to their sovereignty. Therefore, we must balance our expenditure of political capital carefully.¡±


    ¡°I can see where the nobles are coming from, though,¡± Farah mused. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t like it if some organisation started a manhunt in my organisation. It wouldn¡¯t look good on me.¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s far easier to secure their cooperation if the nobles themselves ask for help. By then, however, the damage is usually too severe to keep under wraps.¡±


    Dia shook her head. She didn¡¯t quite understand, but again, she used to be an administrator of Lustre, not its ruler. Things like influence and reputation were centred around her father and her brother, not Princess Dia. To her, it was rational to get the Folders¡¯ Association for help, but to a noble concerned about his or her standing and reputation, that might not be the case.


    ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ve digressed from the topic,¡± said Risti. ¡°Where were we?¡±


    ¡°We were talking about the possibility of war before Duke Istrel becomes Ruler Istrel,¡± said Farah.


    ¡°Right. And the people sent there.¡± Risti fell silent.


    ¡°We can¡¯t be sure if the two dukedoms are willing to actually start a fight at this juncture, though,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°For all we know, they might just be trying to milk the destruction of Julan for all it¡¯s worth. Sap away at Istrel¡¯s strength, so that when the real war begins, they¡¯re actually prepared.¡±


    ¡°Possible.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Dia found herself nodding along too, and for a moment, she felt relieved.


    ¡°Well, no point thinking about that. Still, if it¡¯s become such a big hoo-ha, what happened to Lily and Claud?¡± Risti asked. ¡°It¡¯s likely that the recent visitors to Julan are the most suspicious, right? They might be held captive or something.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s Lily alone,¡± said Schwarz, ¡°that¡¯s possible. But we¡¯re talking about Claud here. That guy will never enter a jail cell or be restrained, since the chances of being killed is a lot higher once that happens. And he¡¯s not the kind of guy to abandon a friend.¡±


    ¡°So¡­are they going to be alright?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°They should be. For all we know, they might already be outside the city the moment the explosion happened. I can see Claud carrying Lily with an underarm grip, running towards the city gates like a madman, while Lily struggles in his grip.¡± Schwarz chuckled. ¡°He¡¯ll probably be beaten up by Lily later, but he¡¯ll still have that annoyingly smug face on.¡±


    ¡°Why can I picture it so well?¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°He does give off that impression,¡± said Risti.


    Farah nodded along. ¡°That guy speaks nasty but has a good heart¡­I think.¡±


    ¡°Best not to tell him that to his face, though,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°He¡¯ll get all uppity for the next few days, and that¡¯ll be disappointing. I made the mistake of praising him while he was in earshot, and that fellow rubbed it in my face for the next few weeks.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Making a note to never praise Claud in his presence, Dia rubbed her nose and got Schwarz to pour out another cup of apple juice. The more she drank it, the better it felt, but she still couldn¡¯t get the others to try. It was a pity, but on the bright side, if the others decided to try it out too, it was likely that her share of the great beverage would go down.


    ¡°In that case,¡± said Farah, ¡°where might be the two of them now?¡±


    ¡°Camping out in the wilderness,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°Claud¡¯s probably set up a small fort in the middle of nowhere. Full of traps and well-defended, if he intends to carry out what he came for. If he¡¯s going to beat a retreat, he should be halfway back by now.¡±


    ¡°But other than that, they should be alright, no?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Safe and sound.¡±


    ¡°Alright, good enough.¡± She got up. ¡°Well, in accordance with our contract, I will now exe¡ª prepare a plan to engage in economic warfare and sabotage with the Istrel Dukedom. The effects may not be obvious for some time, so please have patience.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The others began to get back to work too. The sounds of paper rustling made Dia a bit self-conscious, so after sneaking away with one last cup of apple juice, she went back to the small backyard, where most of the trainees had already gone home. Picking up her own sword, which had been disturbed slightly, she began to practice some forms once more, carving out some slow arcs with blue light.

 Chapter 74: Nachtville once more

    ¡°Truly, we are standing on the shoulders of giants,¡± said Claud, as he and Lily followed a path through the wilderness. The path in question was five metres wide, flanked by dense trees and vegetation and there was nothing but hardened soil beneath their boots.


    ¡°We¡¯re just standing on the path carved out by a raging monster, though,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s a turn of phrase,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But you cannot deny that this straight road to Licencia is definitely going to improve the movement of people and goods between Schwa and Istrel. I give it three weeks before some bright fellow turns this fake road into a real one.¡±


    For the past few days, Claud and Lily had been following the three-headed snake¡¯s trail as it chased after the thief that had stolen its mana herb, which was a term that referred to any and all plants that had benefited from the Moons¡¯ benefaction. The monster had bashed through the undergrowth and other obstacles in its anger, clearing the path for any intrepid travellers who were on the same road.


    As a small trade-off, this meant that both of them hadn¡¯t stopped at a town so far, since both of them were more interested in treading the really beaten path. At the same time, Lily had taught Claud how to mana-walk, which was simply running with the use of mana.


    Claud didn¡¯t quite understand why the process of doing so wasn¡¯t called mana-running, but Lily had given no explanation when he brought up that fact. From the looks of it, the name was just kept for logistical reasons, but still¡­


    ¡°Three weeks?¡± Lily tutted. ¡°You really are optimistic. Do not underestimate the inefficiency of local governments.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking about private entrepreneurs, though¡­¡±


    ¡°And why would they invest in public infrastructure?¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t?¡± Claud tilted his head. ¡°I remember reading things like how some enterprising businessman would build a road and charge anyone using it.¡±


    ¡°Things like that don¡¯t happen often, despite what your novels say.¡±


    ¡°Bah.¡±


    Picking up a stray apple, Claud sniffed at it. For obvious reasons, however, he wasn¡¯t planning on biting down, but having something like an apple to clutch at while walking was something like a crutch of his.


    ¡°What¡¯s with that apple?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I like holding something in my hand when I walk,¡± Claud replied. ¡°You know, as a kid, you¡¯d clutch your mum¡¯s hands and follow her as she walks around the market, right?¡±


    ¡°I cannot say I have that experience, but it does sound nice.¡±


    Mouth, meet foot. Claud had forgotten that Lily didn¡¯t grow up in what one might call a normal family, but again, not many people had the luxury of even spending a childhood with loving parents. Such an experience, in a sense, was both a blessing and a curse.


    The former was obvious. The latter, however, was the inevitable sorrow of a final parting. Only with possession could one feel loss.


    Before Claud could delve deeper into that mental rabbit hole, he stopped himself and turned to Lily. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not any fault of yours,¡± said Lily. ¡°But if you¡¯re really apologetic, you can try testing out this confectionary of mine. I made it last night, when some owls woke me up.¡±


    ¡°Confectionary?¡± Claud blinked twice. ¡°Like a sweet?¡±


    ¡°You could say that,¡± said Lily. ¡°Here, catch!¡±


    Claud caught a small package, wrapped with brightly coloured paper. ¡°Is it dangerous?¡±


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    ¡°It might not taste nice, but that¡¯ll be it. Remember to give me feedback when you¡¯re done,¡± Lily replied. Her expectant eyes made it hard for Claud to turn her down, so he reluctantly unwrapped the tiny little parcel with his free hand.


    A small, green cube entered his eyes. It didn¡¯t look particularly dangerous. Besides, there was no reason for Lily to harm him, so¡­


    Taking a deep breath, he popped the cube into his mouth. A tangy sweetness assailed his tongue, but before he could savour its texture or anything else, the cube melted into a sweet liquid, which he swallowed by accident.


    ¡°So?¡± Lily asked. ¡°How was it?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even get a chance to taste it at all,¡± Claud replied, a small frown on his face. ¡°It melted in my mouth within seconds.¡±


    ¡°Again?¡± She sighed. ¡°Back to the drawing board.¡±


    ¡°Well, you could just eat it yourself without giving it to me, though,¡± said Claud. ¡°I think it¡¯s nice and sweet, from the few seconds it lasted in my mouth. That said, what¡¯s the point of letting me try it?¡±


    ¡°My tongue is less sensitive to sweet foods,¡± Lily replied. ¡°What I consider sweet might make you gag or throw up, and I can¡¯t have my prospective customers sick.¡±


    ¡°Before you consider sick or not, do consider whether those sweets would spoil your customers¡¯ teeth.¡± Claud used his tongue to scrub his inwards, inwardly thankful that he had a flexible tongue. The sweet had melted into a liquid that was somewhat sticky, and the inwards of his mouth was getting a bit uncomfortable.


    ¡°Any other feedback?¡±


    ¡°The aftertaste is icky. The liquid sticks to my teeth, and I don¡¯t like how it feels,¡± Claud made an odd face.


    ¡°Anything else? Any more?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    The two continued to talk as they followed the makeshift path. They had spent the morning mana-walking, so there wasn¡¯t much they could do to speed up their travels in the afternoon. Nonetheless, they still made good time, and by the time the sky turned orange, they had arrived at Nachtville, the first stop of their initial journey.


    The small town, however, was clearly on alert, and Claud saw the reason why immediately. The three-headed snake had clearly passed by the area, making a detour to avoid the city during the chase. On one hand, Claud was relieved to see no one hurt, but on the other hand, this showed that the three-headed snake had not been entirely enraged.


    ¡°Should we take a look?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Well, I do want to wash up.¡±


    ¡°Remember to take a cleanliness-related artefact next time,¡± Claud replied. ¡°You keep staring at me whenever I use my Refresher.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡±


    The two walked towards Nachtville¡¯s city gates, where a rather modest contingent of guards were standing at attention. Unlike the last time they dropped by, the guards today were clearly high-strung and worried; they were looking around every so often.


    ¡°Visitors?! Come, hurry!¡± One of them, a burly, weather-worn man, ushered Claud and Lily over the moment he saw them. ¡°We don¡¯t know if that snake will return, so don¡¯t dally outside! Some of the townsfolk were killed when they were foraging!¡±


    That was enough of a motivation for Claud to hurry into the city. Unfortunately, this also meant that they couldn¡¯t really gather much in the way of information from the guards, who were likely to be the most well-informed of the situation.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head to an inn,¡± said Claud, whose eyes had swept past an absurdly crammed tavern. He wasn¡¯t going to step into anywhere that was too crowded, especially with a monster on the loose, since a panicked stampede would probably occur if the snake decided to pay a return visit.


    Based on his luck recently, the latter was probably going to occur if he even stuck his nose inside.


    ¡°We¡¯re staying here for now?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Besides, we¡¯re ahead of schedule anyway. Knowing the bartender, he should have heard about the explosion at Julan now. He would probably assume that the first thing I would do is to carry you on my shoulder and flee the city, and then abort the time-sensitive high efficacy fetterless trading run.¡±


    ¡°You could have dropped that last bit, and I would still understand,¡± said Lily.


    Ignoring that last bit, Claud approached a scared old lady for directions. The master thief didn¡¯t want to visit the Bronze Fork, given the events that had transpired when they stayed there for a night.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t think you would actually take the time to comfort her, though.¡±


    ¡°Anyone would if they saw how shaken she was,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Still, it is rare to see tri-fold monsters running around to begin with, so¡­¡±


    Cursing the fellow who stole the snake¡¯s mana herb, the two of them stopped outside the inn, which was rather full. The people inside were armed and ready, but by the looks of it, they were probably mercenaries who had dropped by the city for some reason.


    The officious air around them hinted that they weren¡¯t here to sightsee, and judging from how they seemed to be victims of the sudden rampage of the three-headed snake, Claud could only think of one incident that needed their presence.


    Making sure to keep his gaze straight, he marched right into the inn the old lady had recommended.


    ¡°Do you want to share a room?¡± Claud asked. ¡°It¡¯ll be safer that way.¡±


    ¡°And cheaper,¡± Lily added.


    ¡°Then we are in accord.¡±


    After booking a room for two days, Claud looked around the inn, whose first floor followed the standard practice of doubling as an eatery.


    ¡°Hey, did you hear?¡± said someone. ¡°Apparently, they say that Tot¡¯s behind this monster rampage!¡±


    Claud¡¯s jaw fell open.

 Chapter 75: Mercenaries in motion

    It took all of his self-control to not launch a retort at the fellow who said that, which was probably a testament to just how disciplined his mind and mouth was. There was an old saying that loose throats sink boats, and the master thief knew that he was just a hair¡¯s breadth away from revealing his so-called secret identity.


    Forcing himself to maintain a regular breathing pattern, Claud glanced at Lily. ¡°It¡¯ll be a really fine surprise if we met Tot here.¡±


    His chilly words made Lily chuckle. As expected, she had already established expectations for how he would react when an alleged monster of the Third Godsfall came along, and Claud was thankful that he was actually a darn good actor. Making sure to keep his face dark, he motioned at an empty table, a silent question of whether she wanted to eat or not.


    She nodded, and at that, the two headed over to the second counter, which was handling food-based requests.


    ¡°Garlic bread and mushroom soup,¡± said Claud.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have breaded chicken chunks,¡± said Lily. ¡°Do you mind if I dip some of them into your soup?¡±


    ¡°Sure, go wild.¡±


    Five minutes later, the two collected their food and found an empty table. Unfortunately, Claud couldn¡¯t quite pinpoint the fellow who had spoken earlier, which meant that he could only rely on random bits and pieces of conversation.


    ¡°You¡¯re really worried, aren¡¯t you?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Was it that obvious?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Well, you really didn¡¯t look good when you heard about Tot¡¯s presence here,¡± said Lily. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re scared, but¡­¡±


    His mind churning, Claud raised his volume just high enough that others would hear, while not being suspicious at the same time. ¡°Master Thief Tot is probably an old powerhouse from the Third Godsfall. Only idiots wouldn¡¯t be scared.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Still, what would such a being want with a mana herb?¡±


    Someone stood up at those words, heading towards their table. Claud repressed the urge to grab Lily and run, and looked at the newcomer instead. It was one of the mercenaries. Tall, burly and considerably well-equipped, he looked like a good fight. He didn¡¯t seem like a mana-user, but that didn¡¯t affect the master thief¡¯s judgement to not get into a conflict with him.


    After all, Claud didn¡¯t seem like a mana-user either.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°You, woman. You talked about a mana herb, right? Why do you say that?¡± the newcomer asked.


    ¡°Is that how you demand things from people?¡± Lily asked.


    The man paused, and then shook his head. ¡°My apologies. The recent events have left me on-edge.¡±


    His buddies, who had joined up a moment later, chimed in and said the same thing. Upon seeing how this little group was acting all nice and polite, Claud nodded slightly, and Lily eased up.


    ¡°Well, if you buy us a drink,¡± said Claud, gesturing at the open seats of his table, ¡°I don¡¯t see why I can¡¯t share with you guys what we saw.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Someone like us. Well met, friend.¡± The burly man sat down on an open seat without much preamble, and then produced a bottle and some cups. ¡°You have a cup of your own?¡±


    Claud produced two metal cups and slid it forward. Within moments, the cups were all filled to the brim with a bubbly beverage, and the burly mercenary passed them out once more. However, before Claud and Lily could reach for their own, he had downed his own cup with a single gulp, and the master thief nodded approvingly.


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    It was a display of goodwill.


    Claud could feel Lily¡¯s eyes on him as he removed a ring from his left hand, before taking a gulp from his own cup in return, an action that elicited smiles from the other mercenaries.


    Just as how the man had displayed his goodwill, Claud had demonstrated his trust by removing his Ring of Poison Resistance. Of course, he still had his Pendant of Poison Nullification, but that was something these men didn¡¯t need to know about.


    The others chuckled along, and from the corner of his eye, Claud could see Lily drink from her own cup.


    ¡°Excellent alcohol,¡± said Lily. ¡°When was it brewed?¡±


    ¡°5701,¡± the man replied.


    ¡°Three hundred and twenty years¡­¡± Lily nodded, impressed.


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine someone actually let such good brew stay untouched for three hundred years, though,¡± said Claud. ¡°I, for one, would have started chugging away if it met my standards.¡±


    The others laughed.


    ¡°Now that we¡¯ve shared your brew,¡± said Claud, ¡°we¡¯re friends. Let us introduce ourselves. I¡¯m Claud.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m Lily. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Same here, same here.¡± The burly man chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m Leon.¡±


    To his right was a man with an eye-patch. ¡°Name¡¯s Gard.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m Dee,¡± said the woman on Leon¡¯s left.


    After a round of handshakes, Claud picked up his cup and took another sip from it. ¡°We were travelling from Julan when we were forced to stop our journey. A few hundred metres away from us was a three-headed snake, and since it was night, we didn¡¯t want to bash through an area few people went into.¡±


    ¡°So we got ourselves comfortable on a tree,¡± said Lily. ¡°While we were waiting out the night, someone ¡ª a mana-user with multiple folds ¡ª came along and taunted the snake. As it turned out, the monster was watching over a mana herb, which the mana-user took from the monster¡¯s very eyes.¡±


    ¡°A mana herb¡­well, the chances of us getting it very low,¡± said Leon. ¡°Friends, thank you very much for telling us these things.¡±


    ¡°Anytime,¡± said Lily. ¡°Participating in a quarrel like this one is near-fatal; good people like you don¡¯t deserve to die like that.¡±


    The others laughed heartily, before Dee lowered her voice and leaned forward.


    ¡°Something wrong, Dee?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°To be honest, I was paying attention to you two when you two talked about Tot,¡± said Dee. ¡°We¡¯re people who, like so many other moths, are drawn to the flame of fame and riches. We arrived here a few days ago, intent on heading to Licencia, but since that three-headed snake screwed our schedule up¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Claud took a deep breath. ¡°Well, since we¡¯re friends, telling you about what we know about Tot is no issue. To be honest, the two of us aren¡¯t even going to pursue the Thief of Time; it¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    Lily nodded rapidly. ¡°We¡¯ve been gathering intelligence about him in the City of Trades.¡±


    ¡°I guessed as much,¡± said Leon. ¡°But what¡¯s this about an old powerhouse from the Third Godsfall?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an inference we made,¡± said Lily. ¡°Apparently, the Thief of Time survived ritual magic backed by the White God¡¯s power with absurd ease.¡±


    Dee whistled at those words, while Gard fidgeted with his eyepatch.


    ¡°Hot damn,¡± Leon murmured. ¡°That¡¯s insane.¡±


    Gard nodded. ¡°Tell me about it. What should we do?¡±


    ¡°We rethink our strategy,¡± said Leon. ¡°But our trip isn¡¯t complete. Count Nightfall has been opening up recruitment for skilled fighters; apparently, the top three teams will be given substantial wealth in his personal guards.¡±


    ¡°Why would the count do that?¡± Claud asked, interested.


    ¡°Beats me, but word is that they¡¯re preparing for war. Duke Istrel apparently intends to start a massive war with the other two dukedoms, so¡­¡±


    Leon trailed off, leaving much to the imagination. Claud could make a few good guesses at why Count Nightfall would do such a thing, but until he got concrete information, they would remain as guesses.


    ¡°Do be careful then, friends.¡± Claud narrowed his eyes slightly. ¡°I believe you know how Duke Istrel operates, in his dukedom and in the territories that belong to his children. A count is nothing in the consideration of a ruler.¡±


    ¡°We know, but that¡¯s what we do, right?¡±


    Claud paused, and then nodded. ¡°Stay safe. May the Moons shine on you, even in the darkest night.¡±


    ¡°The same to you, friend.¡±


    The three of them got up. Watching idly as they mingled into their own group, Claud and Lily exchanged sad smiles, before turning to look at their food. From the looks of it, the three of them weren¡¯t going to be dissuaded by his warning, but there was really nothing Lily and Claud could do about that.


    Dipping a slice of garlic bread into his soup, the master thief nibbled the garlic bread. He could hear the three of them telling their companions what they had learnt earlier, and Claud heaved a small sigh of relief. The more people believed in the falsehood that was Tot¡¯s strength, the better it was for him. After all, sometimes, it wasn¡¯t the bigshots that did someone in ¡ª history, time and time, had shown that a little piece, at the right time and the right place, was often the key variable in deciding outcomes of massive events.


    Like Master Thief Tot, an alleged monster of the Third Godsfall.


    The more Claud could clear out the board, the greater the space he had to hide.

 Chapter 76: Mornings, mists and meetings

    The sunlight streamed into the small room that Claud and Lily were sleeping in, and the master thief got up without much fuss. Gathering his wits , he dimly noted that it had been quite a few days since they left Licencia. It was Orangegott, the second day of the week, and if they had been on schedule, the two of them should have been at home by now.


    Peering out of the window, Claud squinted his eyes and tried to look for any tints of orange in the sunlight-hewn air. Legend had it that the Coloured Gods would bless anyone who saw the day¡¯s colour during sunrise with lots of luck. It wasn¡¯t something Claud did everyday ¡ª most of the time, he was either not in a good place to look at the area outside the window, or he was fast asleep.


    He gave up after a while. For one, orange mist was hard to locate under the sunlight, and second, he had never seen the thing for himself.


    Washing up with some water, he began to dismantle the usual array of traps and bells that had been fixed around the door. The events of the previous night had been very uneventful; other than their conversation with the mercenaries, nothing else had happened. Most conversation at that time also revolved around the three-headed snake, which was now running around with a spear stuck in one of them, as well as the spreading rumour that Tot was a really dangerous fellow.


    Other than that, it was a nice night. Claud had spent it on making some skillstrips, while Lily pulled a book out of somewhere and began to read it. It was the first time he¡¯d seen her do that, but in his defence, this was the first time they actually had free time.


    The fact that Claud had spent his free time to imbue skillstrips was indeed lamentable, when he thought about it.


    Popping the last spring-triggered bola into his backpack, Claud returned to his bed and sat down on it. The two-person bed had been divided by a rolled-up blanket, but for some reason, Lily had actually suggested just sharing the blanket, since the nights were cold.


    It was a display of how much she trusted him, but the problem was that Claud didn¡¯t trust his sleeping self to not fidget and accidentally touch some sensitive bits. Therefore, the two of them had to brave a blanketless night. Unfortunate, but it was the safer option for Claud.


    Once again, Lily had discarded her Princess Dia get-up, revealing a head of silky violet hair. Legend had it that when the Coloured Gods overthrew the Six Gods of Virtue, something fundamental changed within all life; one such change was the inexplicit additions to the ranks of natural hair colour. Apparently, long ago, the range of natural hair colour was actually really limited.


    It was one of those many stories that Colidra had shared, but other than his verbal explanations, there really wasn¡¯t much proof that those who predated the Third Godsfall had fewer natural hair colours.


    ¡°Still,¡± Claud murmured, ¡°I don¡¯t usually see violet hair around these parts.¡±


    At those words, Lily rolled over to face him. Rubbing her eyes, she yawned and stretched in a manner that reminded him of a kitten. Her eyes, which were clouded over with the customary fog that followed a nice nap, cleared out within seconds, and she yawned again.


    It was astounding just how much people stopped caring about their image after prolong co-existence, but Claud liked how genuine it felt.


    ¡°Did you say something about violet hair?¡± Lily asked, her languid voice making Claud himself sleepy.


    ¡°Tis one of those days, when I feel contemplative and thoughtful,¡± said Claud. ¡°Pay no heed to it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re awfully formal for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, one of those days.¡± Claud snuck a few glances at her dressing gown, but he didn¡¯t quite understand why he felt guilty when he was appreciating beauty. It wasn¡¯t the same one that she had worn a few days back, but it was still well-made all the same.


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    ¡°I got this from an apparel shop in Pletsville,¡± said Lily.


    Claud jumped. ¡°Sorry. Was I that obvious? Did I make you uncomfortable?¡±


    ¡°If my dressing gown was capable of thinking, it would probably be uncomfortable,¡± said Lily. ¡°But it¡¯s not like you had any designs on me, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say that your hair has a nice colour, though.¡± Shaking his head, Claud eyed the gown, but he had a feeling that reaching out to touch it might be crossing a line he didn¡¯t quite understand.


    ¡°Aww, shucks.¡±


    ¡°Still, you brought this at Pletsville?¡± Claud asked, painfully aware that the small town was the first place he¡¯d hidden at after the bungled heist at Duke Istrel¡¯s treasury.


    ¡°Yeah, I was journeying around when I heard about Tot. A small group of folders had formed up within hours of his bounty being announced, and one of them claimed that she had located Tot,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Are you referring to Farah and the others?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Different group. For some reason, most of them changed direction halfway, but since I was running out of food, I decided to head to Pletsville. On the way, I came across Farah and Risti, who were fighting a bear, and then chipped in to help.¡±


    ¡°A bear¡­¡± Claud could vividly see Farah slapping the poor animal with her greatsword, and then chuckled at just how realistic it was.


    ¡°What are you chuckling about?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just my imagination. The image of that Farah slapping a bear with a greatsword under a forest canopy is so realistic I can¡¯t help but chuckle,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Give it a try, and maybe you¡¯ll see what I mean.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°Sorry, but I keep thinking about how she smashed down a door.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Claud said, ¡°What about Iso¡ªDia?¡±


    ¡°Dia¡­uh, when the three of us were eating together in an inn, the innkeep led her to us. I guess it was quite obvious, since the four of us were wearing the same disguise.¡±


    ¡°Birds of a feather stick together¡­¡± Claud glanced at Lily, who was busy thinking about the first meeting. ¡°Now that I think about it, she was actually quite odd. She had the makings of a professional and everything, but she was clearly someone of a high status too.¡±


    ¡°I guess being a double necessitates learning things like this,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Among the four of you, she was indeed the best person to lead the search, but I did get that odd feeling of incongruity at times too.¡±


    He thought about it for a while. It was probably because Isolde herself was affected by the sudden change in events. Her mistress had turned into a criminal, escaping the Lustre Dukedom overnight, leaving her without any instruction.


    It was by no means an enviable position.


    ¡°You too?¡± Lily chuckled.


    ¡°Even though she¡¯s a double, Iso¡ªDia probably lived a good life too. Being put in a position where she had to use skills and knowledge that were taught on the theoretical level resulted in why her behaviour felt odd to us,¡± said Claud. ¡°Although she¡¯s still in a better position than you, Risti and Farah.¡±


    Lily bobbed her head, and then stretched once more. ¡°What¡¯s our plans for today?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think travel¡¯s a good idea at this point,¡± said Claud. ¡°We¡¯ll just sit back and have a few days of free time to ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good. There¡¯s some books I haven¡¯t read yet, and I do need to practice my swordplay¡­¡±


    ¡°Practice your swordplay?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I thought you liked to use bombs and everything.¡±


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t tell her that bit,¡± Lily replied. ¡°So Dia thought I didn¡¯t use any weapons¡­and she was particularly excited to train me in using one.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t turn her down?¡±


    Lily widened her eyes and grabbed Claud¡¯s hand, pulling it to her chest. ¡°Do you want to learn how to use a sword?¡±


    The master thief jumped and tried to retreat, only to feel the wall behind him. Lily broke down into laughter a moment later and released his hand. ¡°That¡¯s what she did. Could you say no to that?¡±


    Claud muttered some choice words, and then said, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Trying his hardest to not relive that sensation he felt earlier, the master thief took a few deep breaths. ¡°What did she ask you to do, then?¡±


    ¡°Well, she wanted me to find a sparring partner and practice. She then said that since you carried a sword, one that was used at that, you were a good partner for me, and that I should get you to train with me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure where she got that idea from, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Pretty please?¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose it can¡¯t hurt to get my arms moving,¡± said Claud. ¡°And it¡¯s not like I have anything else to do anyway. But you must lend me your book. I saw you reading First Light yesterday; I haven¡¯t bought my own copy.¡±


    ¡°But I haven¡¯t finished reading either!¡±


    ¡°No sparring with you, then.¡±


    Lily pouted, and then eventually gave in, to Claud¡¯s glee. After basking in his newfound joy for a moment, the master thief took out a piece of paper and started to write in it.


    ¡°Are you mailing the others a letter?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just me working on some things¡­¡±

 Chapter 77: The letter that came from the count

    Dia was lounging around Moon Mansion¡¯s living room with a glass of apple juice when the bartender walked inside, a letter in hand. The unusually officious air around him was somewhat startling; Schwarz was someone who was generally laidback.


    Risti and Farah, who were playing Moon Phase, noticed the anomaly seconds later and gathered around the large table in the middle.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± the countess asked.


    ¡°It seems that we¡¯ve finally gathered the attention of Count Nightfall.¡± The bartender¡¯s face was grim. ¡°I knew that the day would come, but wasn¡¯t it a bit too quick? My estimations had placed it around the first week of the new year, but¡­¡±


    ¡°A nasty new year, eh?¡±


    ¡°Better a nasty new year than things turning nasty in the middle of this year,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°By that time, we would have gathered enough people and strength such that we wouldn¡¯t need to show our faces. However, it seems that fate has a nasty plan for us.¡±


    ¡°What exactly does that letter say?¡± Farah asked.


    The bartender cleared his throat. ¡°To the rabble gang that calls itself the Moon Lords, the master of Licencia hereby orders you to present yourself before his palace by Greengott, lest he be forced to move his forces.¡±


    ¡°Greengott¡­is there some point of asking us to meet him on the fourth day of the week?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Some noble thing?¡±


    ¡°There is. We¡¯re not important enough to visit on the weekends, nor are we such an unimportant group that he can put it off to the first day of next week. At the same time, tomorrow¡¯s too hasty for either side,¡± said Farah. ¡°That¡¯s why he decided to host us two days later.¡±


    Dia glanced at the countess, whose words had once again reminded her that Farah was someone used to ruling a territory. Indeed, even something as simple as scheduling in and of itself was an art of its own, designed to maximise one¡¯s use of time, as well as to convey attitudes. In fact, the way Farah had interpreted it made Dia wonder if she had scheduled meetings improperly.


    It was a worrying thought.


    ¡°How complicated,¡± said Risti. ¡°Just find some free time and invite whoever you want to over. Why do you nobles like to be this convoluted?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called etiquette,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Everyone knows that the most important meetings are always on the weekends proper. Inviting a duke or a count on any other day is just utter disrespect.¡±


    ¡°Is that why the nobles get all mad when Dad gets them to come on a Redgott?¡±


    ¡°Your father¡¯s gutsy, I¡¯ll give you that. No one wants to have important meetings on the first day of the week.¡±


    As the two bantered back and forth about the issue of dates, Dia turned to Schwarz. ¡°What should we do?¡±


    ¡°I was about to ask you guys that. By the looks of it, Lily and Claud won¡¯t be able to make it back within two days, so it¡¯s down to us,¡± said the bartender.


    ¡°What would Claud do, if such an invitation fluttered in while he was here?¡± Farah asked. ¡°I believe his response would be the most appropriate one¡­or at least one conducive to our survival.¡±


    ¡°Knowing him, he would probably hole up in Moon Mansion and beef up the defences here,¡± said the bartender. ¡°That punk has the habit of setting traps around any and all points of entry right before he sleeps. A threatening letter like this would probably set him off.¡±


    Dia found herself nodding along. That was so in-character with Claud that she couldn¡¯t imagine anything else either.


    ¡°Is that a good idea?¡± Risti asked.


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    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a good idea or not, but the actions he takes is probably the most conducive towards survival and liberty,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Of course, this will probably harm our interests outside Moon Mansion, so I had to ask you guys about this.¡±


    ¡°We should think on our feet for now,¡± said Risti. ¡°For one, we¡¯re just making assumptions ¡ª lots of them ¡ª without seeing the situation for ourselves.¡±


    Farah thought about her words for a moment, and then bobbed her head. ¡°You¡¯re right. Let me go and do some analysis for a moment. Master, do you have any information on the count¡¯s military strength?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not in the bar now,¡± Schwarz replied, before taking out some papers. ¡°But I had a feeling that you wanted things like that anyway, so here you go. It¡¯s rather up to date, inclusive of recent additions to his troops, so it should be of great use in helping you understand what he has.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, master.¡±


    ¡°Like I said¡ª¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t a countess have her fun?¡± Farah rolled her eyes, before retreating into her own room. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in an hour or so, hopefully.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± said Risti, ¡°knock yourself out.¡±


    After the door slammed shut, the bartender cleared his throat. ¡°For now, I¡¯ve already issued a general summons to our members. At the same time, I¡¯ve already retrieved the instructions that Claud left to us if an enemy army wanted to siege us.¡±


    ¡°He left instructions?¡± Dia asked, surprised.


    ¡°He left instructions for all kinds of contingencies,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°We¡¯ll open it now and see what they say.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you keep Farah back, then?¡±


    ¡°I wanted her to make her own judgement, independent of Claud¡¯s instructions. After all, he¡¯s not here right now. As much as I respect that punk¡¯s ability, I cannot quite believe his plans can account for the myriad changes that occur around us now,¡± said the bartender.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Risti.


    Dia nodded, expressing her agreement. ¡°We¡¯ll weigh them both, and see what they say.¡±


    Taking out a small brown envelope, Schwarz passed it over to Risti and Dia. There were some instructions written on it, as well as a heading that read ¡®If we are threatened by Count Nightfall¡¯.


    ¡°Instructions,¡± Risti read out loud. ¡°Do not open unless described scenario plays out or is at hand. Do not look at other branching options until you reach an initial decision. Do remember to save some apple juice for me.¡±


    Dia felt her lips twitch. Claud, as the person who had designed the various mechanisms and defences of the Moon Lords¡¯ headquarters, had some rather¡­odd priorities.


    ¡°Incidentally,¡± said Risti, ¡°how many of these letters are there?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to know,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°The guy can devote hours to writing weird things like these, even though he also spends hours on imbuing skillsticks and skillstrips. He has lots of free time when it comes down to it; I¡¯m betting that the bugger¡¯s busy writing more of those letters right now.¡±


    ¡°Not if Lily had her way,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Well, I told Lily to learn swordsmanship, and since she needed a partner, Claud was a good one. His sword¡¯s not for decoration, and he does look like a good fighter,¡± said Dia.


    ¡°Him? A good fighter?¡± The bartender chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of swordswoman you wanted Lily to be, but if she¡¯s sparring with Claud, she¡¯s going to become a dirty fighter who resorts to the lowest of tricks to win. But enough about these two for a bit.¡±


    Dia, who was beginning to feel worried, placed aside her feelings and turned to the brown envelope. ¡°I¡¯m opening it, then.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± said Risti.


    Paper rustled as Dia opened the envelope, and a bunch of envelopes ¡ªgreen, red and orange ¡ª fell out, along with a small piece of paper.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s his first instruction,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°Read it.¡±


    Dia glanced at the bartender and cleared her throat. ¡°Consult Farah, and ask her to measure up the forces Count Nightfall has at his disposal with ours. If our chances of making it out safely are lower than half, mail the green envelope to Count Nightfall. If it is higher, give the orange envelope to Farah. After she reads it, take the red one and mail it to the count.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Wait, there¡¯s a postscript,¡± said Dia. ¡°Ahem. ¡®Do not open the red envelope under any circumstances whatsoever. I¡¯ll force-feed Triple-D style pure water to anyone who does.¡¯ That¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s awfully specific. But what¡¯s in the red envelope?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Knowing Claud, it¡¯s probably a way to enrage the count in such a way that he would charge into Moon Mansion,¡± said the bartender. ¡°I remember that punk asking me for blackmail material on the count a few years back; this envelope might have it.¡±


    ¡°Should we open it and see what¡¯s inside?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°You do it,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°Not me.¡±


    ¡°¡­I won¡¯t, then.¡±


    Dia turned to Schwarz. ¡°But it¡¯s your drink. Why wouldn¡¯t you open it? At most, you¡¯ll just need to drink your own creation. What? Do you not have faith that you can¡¯t stomach your own brew?¡±


    The bartender bristled. ¡°What gall¡­is what I should be saying, but I will not be goaded by you. If you¡¯re so interested, open it yourself!¡±


    Making a sad little noise, Dia tore her eyes away from the dangerously-red envelope and took a few deep breaths. For some reason, her heart was telling her that Claud would make his threat true if she dared to open that red envelope.


    ¡°So¡­all in favour of waiting for Farah?¡± Risti asked.


    Dia grunted, and closed her eyes.

 Chapter 78: The little harmless envelopes

    The next hour that followed was probably the tensest hour Dia had ever experienced in her entire life. In fact, her debut ball was probably not as nerve-wracking, which probably said something about how scary it was to wait for someone with a bunch of equally scared grapes. It didn¡¯t help that the four statues standing around the living room seemed to be alive at this moment.


    In the silence, Dia found herself reflecting over and over about what it meant to be threatened by a noble, and then wondered if she had done anything similar in her whole life. She was quite certain she hadn¡¯t, but she couldn¡¯t quite say the same for her father, or the previous Duke Lustre.


    If even an organisation with a few mana-folders were feeling worried, what of the commoners, the vanillas? With only six skills that were largely lifestyle-centric at their disposal, could they even pose a threat to any military force?


    That was, to be honest, a rather stupid question.


    Sighing, she watched as Risti and Schwarz played a few rounds of Moon Phase, but the former was also clearly affected by how the current situation. Schwarz, to his credit, was still mopping the gameboard with his opponent, but even the bartender was giving off the impression that he was nervous.


    The door to Farah¡¯s room creaked open right before he could win his third successive game, revealing a haggard Farah without a disguise. Three pieces of paper the length of her forearm was clutched tightly in her hand, and her green hair was fairly unkempt, as if she had run her fingers through them over and over during the course of her deliberations.


    Risti was the first to move. ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°No need for thanks,¡± the countess replied. ¡°This is as per our contract.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°What conclusion did you arrive at?¡±


    ¡°If your intelligence holds true, we actually have a sixty percent chance of making it out of this confrontation unscathed,¡± said the countess.


    Dia noted her rather subtle phrasing, which said absolutely nothing about winning, and frowned slightly. More importantly, the phrasing she used was incredibly similar to that of Claud¡¯s instructions, which also talked about ¡®making it out safely¡¯. It could be a coincidence, but Dia didn¡¯t quite believe that herself, and she glanced at the bartender and Risti, who were clearly thinking the same thing.


    ¡°What?¡± Countess Farah asked. ¡°Do I have something on my forehead? I know I look like a mess, but there¡¯s no need to glare at me like this.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t glaring,¡± said Risti. ¡°Rather¡­how do I put it?¡±


    ¡°Let me handle it,¡± said the bartender. ¡°Countess, you should take a look at this piece of paper. Claud left a bunch of arrangements behind. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell you earlier, but I didn¡¯t want to influence your decision-making.¡±


    ¡°He left arrangements behind? But we¡¯re talking about a complex situation here,¡± the countess replied. ¡°Never mind, let me take a look at it.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡±


    Her expression changed as she scanned through the instructions inside. ¡°Is this a coincidence?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re referring to the exact term Claud used ¡ª ¡®making it out safely¡¯ ¡ª I don¡¯t think so,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°Claud wasn¡¯t someone obsessed with winning; he prioritises survival.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m somewhat disturbed by the fact that we¡¯re using the same terms, but I suppose I should take a good look at the orange envelope before we decide on what to do next,¡± said Farah. ¡°Besides, we can mail the red envelope later.¡±


    ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡±


    Opening the orange envelope, Farah pulled out a letter. It was a nice and long piece of paper, which cut a stark contrast with the small, palm-sized note that had been slid inside the brown envelope. Curious, Dia tried to peek, but the countess wasn¡¯t having any of it.


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    ¡°Sit, the three of you,¡± said Farah. ¡°Let me look at this in peace.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Schwarz called out. ¡°Just read it here and now. If you go back into your room, our hearts won¡¯t be able to take it.¡±


    ¡°Weaklings.¡± The countess rolled her eyes, before placing the letter and her papers side-by-side. Her eyes flitted from the letter to her notes over and over, with each pass making her expression darker. For some reason, Dia had a feeling that Farah was displeased or even angry, but Claud wasn¡¯t the kind of person who would insult anyone in something as important as security.


    After ten minutes of silent reading, in which time Dia tried to make her breathing as unobtrusive as possible, Countess Farah rubbed her temples and let out a sigh.


    ¡°So?¡± Schwarz asked, curious.


    ¡°I think his plan is rather feasible, but you guys should also take a look at what he wrote and compare it to my own thoughts first,¡± said the countess. Sliding it over to Schwarz and Risti, she rubbed her shoulders and curled up like a cat. Within moments, her breathing had deepened, and a calming air spread out from her napping form.


    ¡°We should keep our voice down,¡± said Risti. ¡°Come over, Dia, and read this with us.¡±


    Shifting over to the duo¡¯s position, Dia looked through the countess¡¯ notes first. Farah¡¯s analysis could be boiled down to the listing out the prevailing conditions around Licencia, which numbered three, and then possible conclusions that could be drawn from them. The first was the presence of Tot, the second was the presence of the Spear of Fate, and the third was the sudden build-up of troops.


    Under these three headings, Farah had drawn an arrow that led to the same bit: Count Nightfall was worried for his security. Little needed to be said about the Thief of Time, a being from the Third Godsfall. As for Zulan Patra, the Spear of Fate, he had a track record of demolishing a county.


    The sudden build-up of troops was rather good evidence of his current insecurity, and although Farah noted that this could also be due to the upcoming duchy-level war, it was by no means an outcome exclusive to either cause.


    A reasonable deduction would be that Count Nightfall was fearful of his security. According to Farah¡¯s following analysis, if they simply holed up and showed no signs of retaliation or hostility, the count would eventually withdraw his troops. The countess believed that by display a ¡®live and let live¡¯ attitude, Count Nightfall would eventually withdraw whatever sieging forces around Moon Mansion.


    All that, however, was predicated on Moon Mansion¡¯s defences remaining impregnable.


    Most of her analyses were echoed by that of Claud¡¯s, although the latter didn¡¯t talk about the recent build-up of Licencia¡¯s military. Rather, he had focused on how Count Nightfall was gathering lifestones to becomes a tri-folder, something that Farah had only mentioned in passing.


    ¡°But what¡¯s with that envelope?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°If we¡¯re simply holing up, what good would enraging the count do?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it isn¡¯t blackmail material,¡± said Risti. ¡°But the only way we can find out is to open it.¡±


    ¡°Well, who¡¯s willing to?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°You.¡±


    ¡°You.¡±


    Even Farah, who had been sleeping, opened her eyes for the briefest of moments and pointed at the bartender, before returning to her nap.


    Schwarz¡¯s eyes turned into little Moons. ¡°You-you-you¡­you lot set me up!¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s your brew,¡± said Risti. ¡°Surely you¡¯d dare to drink it, right? Unless, of course, you¡¯ve used unmentionable ingredients while making it.¡±


    ¡°Rubbish! It¡¯s pure alcohol! I can¡¯t say the same for the mixed brews and cocktails, but my water¡¯s ultra-pure! It can even be set on fire!¡±


    ¡°So what¡¯s the issue, then?¡± Dia asked.


    The bartender shuffled his feet, before rocking back and forth for a few seconds. However, under the curious eyes of Dia and Risti, he eventually turned away and mumbled, ¡°If I drink anymore, I might suffer from some health issues.¡±


    Dia blinked. ¡°Health issues?¡±


    ¡°Drinking too much does harm the body,¡± Risti mumbled. ¡°It¡¯s something you see amongst the older one-folders, who think their body is infallible due to having a mana circuit.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°If a bartender can¡¯t drink when he really needs to, what right does he have to call himself a bartender? Might as well close shop or something. I need to ensure that I can last for at least sixty years, or else my patrons won¡¯t have a watering hole anymore.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Never mind. Forget it. I give up,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°You two can¡¯t even hold normal drinks. Give me that.¡±


    Reaching out for the red envelope, the bartender examined it. However, it was a different kind of envelope, and the bartender had to tear it open instead. Dia''s eyes vision blurred for a moment as a small strip of paper fluttered out, along with a letter that looked rather important. The bartender glanced at the strip of paper, his expression turning weird a moment later.


    ¡°Well, it seems that there¡¯s a reprieve for me¡­although I couldn¡¯t say the same for the two of you.¡±


    He tossed the slip of paper at them.


    ¡°Enjoy a glass of pure water from the bartender of Dragons Drinking Deserts,¡± Risti read out loud.


    Her face blanched, and Dia found herself shivering.


    ¡°Wait,¡± said Dia, ¡°there¡¯s still more!¡±


    Risti glanced at the small line of words at the end. ¡°After this, give the bartender there a lifestone, and get him to buy Claud Primus a barrel of apple juice.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have lifestones,¡± Dia replied automatically.


    ¡°Nor do I.¡±


    ¡°I sold them off already.¡±


    The three glanced at each other, and Dia said, ¡°Let¡¯s focus on who¡¯s going to drink the pure water first. On the count of three. One, two¡­three!¡±


    Three fingers pointed at the sleeping countess, who was a moment too late to respond.

 Chapter 79: Of events in motion

    A clear liquid was dribbling out of Farah¡¯s mouth as she napped away on a very soft seat. The room was somewhat disordered, but there was no proof that a mighty struggle had happened inside.


    Dia, who was leaning on the countess¡¯ chair, held her head and sat up. She could vaguely feel an incredibly cooling drop of water running down her face, but she had regained enough awareness to not lick it. On the other side of the chair, Risti was retching softly, in a manner that reminded Dia of someone trying to purge toxins from their body.


    Pushing herself up slowly, she wiped off the chilly drop of liquid on her cheek. As she hobbled over to the table, her eyes drifted over to four empty cups, each of them giving off a light mist as the remaining¡­water inside continued to evaporate. Their owner, Schwarz, was sprawled on the table and giggling.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Did a gale rip through this room or something?¡±


    The events of the previous hour flashed through her mind as she caught sight of a red envelope.


    ¡°Moons, my head¡­¡± She walked over to the red envelope, which had been opened, and then abruptly remembered the horrific punishment that monstrous Claud had forced upon them. ¡°Right. That nasty fellow said whoever opened the red envelope had to drink a cup of pure water.¡±


    Originally, they had decided to give that privilege to the sleeping countess. However, she woke up immediately, and suggested that everyone should split up the glass of water into four tiny portions, which was somehow something acceptable to everyone. After all, Claud didn¡¯t say anything about a single person drinking it.


    She wasn¡¯t sure what happened after she downed that tiny bit, but from the looks of it, a minor bout of drunkenness had probably followed.


    The only thing she remembered was a splitting headache.


    A small groan came from Risti, and she picked herself up later. The two were shortly joined by the bartender, and the three of them stood around the table, glancing at each other.


    ¡°Feels like I¡¯m waking from a long dream,¡± Risti murmured. ¡°Master, do you have some normal, plain drinking water?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s some at the back,¡± Schwarz replied, his words slurred. ¡°Give me a moment. I¡¯ll get it to you.¡±


    Staggering off into the depths of Moon Mansion, he returned a moment later. Despite his tottering gait, the tray laden with cups of water was absurdly steady, and before long, Dia and the others were sipping at the cups of water.


    Well, other than Countess Farah, who was smiling and laughing in her sleep.


    ¡°Come to think of it,¡± said Dia, ¡°why were we so insistent on obeying his penalty anyway? It¡¯s not like he can verify it, and even if we didn¡¯t do it, what can he do? Smack us?¡±


    Lightning seemed to strike in that moment, as Dia asked the question she had been harbouring for the past minute or so.


    ¡°Yes¡­that¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it?¡± The bartender rubbed his nose. ¡°Did he do something to the envelope? This has got to be a skill or something. No way under the Moons would I be so insistent on obeying his words otherwise.¡±


    Reaching out for the red envelope, he took out the letter enclosed inside, before frowning. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with this letter. Odd. Maybe it¡¯s¡­¡±


    Schwarz began to dismantle the torn envelope, at which point his eyes widened. ¡°That asshole. He turned a skillstrip into an envelope and then used it! Damnit, and I was wondering why I felt so giddy when I tore the bloody thing!¡±


    ¡°The envelope was a skillstrip?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Yeah, and by the looks of it, it¡¯s either Mass Hypnosis, Area Compulsion or some skill like that.¡± The bartender clicked his tongue. ¡°But he¡¯s been away for more than a week. How are those skillstrips still functioning?¡±


    ¡°Area Compulsion?¡± Dia blinked twice. That name was oddly familiar, and as she leafed through her memory, she realised why a moment later. ¡°These skillstrips were apparently specially treated. Before he left for Julan, that fellow was buying some talismans. The staff was begging him to buy, and then tossed in a small stack of Area Compulsion skillstrips as a bonus. If I recall¡­they were specially treated, made to last a month.¡±


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    ¡°Darn it. Now I see why. Those coercion skills entice anyone affected to obey the next instruction that comes in.¡± Schwarz raised the letter. ¡°And do you know what¡¯s written in here, the letter that we were meant to mail?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a request to burn this letter and envelope, grievously injure a Shadow of Grandis in his home, and then forget all about the Moon Lords,¡± said the bartender. ¡°Clearly, Claud must have intended to use the moment when Area Compulsion activated to neutralise the count as a threat.¡±


    ¡°What about the piece of paper that fluttered out?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Probably some backup plan of his. If Count Nightfall or his aide came over to my bar after sending us such a threatening letter, you can bet that I¡¯m going to make him drunk and then truss him up here,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°How devi¡ª ahem, conscientious of Claud.¡±


    Shaking his head, he picked up the torn red envelope. ¡°Look! He actually used two skillstrips. One at the front, and one at the back. No matter how you tear the envelope, Area Compulsion¡¯s bound to activate.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Dia murmured. Sliding the second, undamaged skillstrip out, she held it up and examined it. ¡°Seems like it¡¯s a special kind of paper.¡±


    ¡°Paper made from the Elysia tree, which can retain spiritual structures better,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Still, who can be that bored? The only reason why we use skillstrips is because imbuing skills that way is easy and convenient. One month, one week¡­doesn¡¯t really matter.¡±


    ¡°It does make for better quality paper, though.¡±


    ¡°Now I know why that fellow banned the presence of envelopes in Moon Mansion,¡± said the bartender. ¡°He¡¯s really taking security seriously.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s his job, after all.¡±


    After a round of laughter, Schwarz let out a sigh. ¡°But what now? Claud clearly intended for us to send this booby-trapped envelope to Count Nightfall, but now that it¡¯s destroyed at our hands¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to remake them from scratch,¡± said Risti.


    ¡°And how do we do that? We can¡¯t even open the other envelopes, or else we¡¯ll fall under Area Compulsion again,¡± said the bartender.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal,¡± said Dia. ¡°We just need to prepare some words for us to follow, and not look at the contents inside the envelope. That way, we can fulfil both the compulsion, while making sure only one skillstrip is torn.¡±


    ¡°Good thinking!¡±


    After a bit of scribbling, Dia placed her suggestion down on the table. ¡°Clap your hand twice. That acceptable?¡±


    ¡°It is, but I thought you were going to make it a more thrilling compulsion,¡± said Risti. ¡°Like¡­ ¡®swing your sword fifty times¡¯ or something.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a good¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no. That¡¯s going to be troublesome, and I hate trouble.¡± The bartender rolled his eyes and snatched the small piece of paper. ¡°Alright, now we just need to decide which envelope we need to cannibalise.¡±


    ¡°What a harsh word.¡± Risti shook her head.


    ¡°Fine, recycle. Happy?¡± The bartender shook his head and cleared the table, leaving only Dia¡¯s words there. ¡°Personally, I think we can just use the skillstrips embedded inside the green envelope, since it¡¯s also meant to be mailed to Count Nightfall. Any objections?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°None.¡±


    Schwarz glanced at the napping Farah. ¡°Sleepers have no opinions. Therefore, we are in accord. Okay, I¡¯m tearing this envelope open now. Brace yourselves.¡±


    Once again, a wave of fatigue swept through Dia, and she glanced at the small strip of paper sitting on the table. Before she knew it, her hands were moving by themselves, and claps resounded within Moon Mansion.


    This time, however, she had caught the exact moment in which Area Compulsion had activated. Resisting the urge to clap like the others, Dia struggled with the desire to bring her hands together loudly, and eventually, the compulsion faded.


    ¡°It¡¯s not so hard if you¡¯re aware of it,¡± Dia said, suddenly aware of everyone¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°Not so hard?¡± Schwarz clicked his tongue. ¡°Your lips are bleeding as we speak.¡±


    Dia rubbed her lips. They were indeed bleeding, but it wasn¡¯t anything dangerous or overly painful. As the others tried to replicate Claud¡¯s setup by embedding two skillstrips into a new envelope, she turned her eyes to the letter that had been in the green envelope, before picking it up.


    She let out a small, awed whistle moments later.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Claud¡­can be quite the madman,¡± Dia murmured. ¡°Take a look at the contents of this letter. If we mailed this over to the count and he falls for it, he would have been screwed over big time.¡±


    Schwarz craned his neck, and cursed a moment later. ¡°That¡¯s insane. Kill off all the Shadows? Publicly denounce Duke Istrel? We¡¯ll be up in arms in minutes.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Dia took a deep breath. ¡°Claud is a lot more ruthless and cunning than his harmless exterior hints at. What hole did he pop out from? More importantly, wouldn¡¯t the letter in the red envelope work either way? Why do we need to care if our chances of surviving are higher or lower than fifty percent?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± The bartender mulled over it for a while. ¡°Maybe he has his reasons. Who knows? But based on my knowledge of him, it would have been in-character if Claud used the green envelope as a standard catch-all measure. But since he didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°He has his considerations, I guess.¡± Risti tilted her head. ¡°It is a destructive measure, after all. If we really used it, Licencia would be in trouble.¡±


    The three glanced at each other, and then shrugged as one.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go settle this letter first, at least. I¡¯ll mail it at night,¡± said Schwarz.


    ¡°Okay.¡±

 Chapter 80: Bringing siege weapons to a two-man fight

    The regular clacking of Moon Phase pieces filled the room as Schwarz faced off with Farah. The bartender had mailed the letter over to Count Nightfall an hour ago, but like everyone else, he couldn¡¯t sleep.


    Dia couldn¡¯t blame him. If this envelope was opened and the count wasn¡¯t around, Claud¡¯s plan would fail catastrophically. She couldn¡¯t quite believe just how much faith the Moon Lord in charge of their security had in the arrogance of nobles, for him to be relying on it to such a fault.


    Everyone, not just Dia, was aware of this issue. It had been discussed to death, right after Schwarz left to mail it, but no one could quite understand why Claud chose such an approach. However, as Farah pointed out, few nobles ever assumed that commoners would dare lay a trap for them. It was a point that Dia would grudgingly concede, but would Count Nightfall, someone who was overwhelmingly concerned about his safety right now, really behave that way?


    No one could say for certain.


    Anyway, since no one could sleep and everyone had finished their work, the only thing to do left was to play Moon Phase with each other. Fortunately, Schwarz came up with a tournament.


    Somehow, everyone could read her like a book, but they couldn¡¯t notice that she was actually the real Princess Dia.


    Stewing over her successive losses and her title as the worst player, she watched on as the two top players moved on into the capture phase. From her viewpoint, both sides weren¡¯t employing any particularly intricate strategies ¡ª in fact, it seemed like they were actually moving on haphazardly. They were exchanging piece for piece, but somehow, both sides hadn¡¯t revealed their trump card, the full moon.


    Risti let out a low whistle as an odd symmetry revealed itself. Both sides had forced their greatest battle strength ¡ª a gibbous moon ¡ª into the middle of their opponent¡¯s unrevealed pieces. The other gibbous moon remained unopened; both sides were keeping them in reserve.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t think you were a player like me,¡± said Farah.


    ¡°Colour me surprised too.¡± The bartender smirked. ¡°Still, to think you also moved without trying to expose my own full moon.¡±


    ¡°And give you a movement advantage? Dream on.¡±


    ¡°But it seems that we¡¯ve reverted to the flipping phase once more, no?¡± The bartender licked his lips. ¡°Can you read my mind? Or will I read yours first?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s find out, shall we?¡± said Farah. Her hand reached out for the unopened piece in front of her own gibbous moon, poised to reveal it. If it was a full moon, her gibbous would remain safe; there was a new moon protecting it. If it wasn¡¯t¡­


    Schwarz said nothing, and that was enough to make the countess hesitate. Without warning, her hand drifted to the piece that was to the right of her original choice and flipped it.


    ¡°Bad choice,¡± said the bartender, his eyes alight with glee.


    At the sight of the opened gibbous moon, Farah placed her hand down. ¡°I concede.¡±


    ¡°That makes two rounds in a row, then.¡± The bartender chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m the best player, then.¡±


    Farah reached out to her original choice and flipped it. A full moon sat there snugly, and she turned her eyes to Schwarz.


    ¡°What? I didn¡¯t even say anything. You took a step back yourself, countess. I didn¡¯t say anything. Neither did anyone else,¡± he replied. ¡°That¡¯s how it is.¡±


    ¡°I just lacked confidence?¡±


    ¡°You could say that,¡± Schwarz replied. Producing a small bottle, he poured out a cup of orange juice and handed it to the countess. ¡°Mildly alcoholic, pure goodness. Try it out.¡±


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    ¡°It would have been a lot easier if you didn¡¯t say ¡®pure¡¯ in promoting it,¡± Farah muttered. "But since it''s mild..."


    Dia watched as the two bonded over a nice small glass of orangey alcohol, and then turned to Risti, who was eyeing Schwarz¡¯s own pieces. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m wondering where his own full moon is, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very good¡ª¡±


    A thunderous roar shattered the silence of the night as a blue pillar of light shot out from the direction of Count Nightfall¡¯s palace. The ground trembled slightly as metal smashed against metal, upsetting the gameboard. As one, everyone shot to their feet and raced into the courtyard, where the transparent dome surrounding Moon Mansion afforded them an unimpeded view of the skies above.


    ¡°Nightfall!¡± A roar surged out. ¡°How dare you kill a Shadow of Grandis! Are you rebelling against the Emperor? Are you going against his agents now?¡±


    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s begun,¡± said Schwarz.


    ¡°The count¡¯s that efficient?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°What other reason can there be for this to happen?¡± Farah shook her head. ¡°But¡­it seems that Count Nightfall is already a tri-folder. There¡¯s no way he would have been able to fight like this otherwise.¡±


    Risti nodded. ¡°Can we approach the battle to take notes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°That¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    Another pillar of blue light shot into the skies, and Dia frowned. ¡°Mana¡¯s erupting. It¡¯s something only tri-folders and above can do.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯re giving off different mana signatures,¡± said Risti. ¡°Interesting. It seems that a certain count has fully burned his second mana circuit, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Equally surprising is the fact that there¡¯s a tri-folder fighting him,¡± Schwarz murmured. ¡°He must be¡ª¡±


    ¡°Rickens, what I do is none of your business,¡± a cold voice replied. ¡°As a count empowered by the emperor, I am well within my rights to be judge and executioner of any sentence! Blame your Shadow for disrespecting mine and the Emperor¡¯s authority!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s trickery, and you know it!¡±


    As the two men shouted and fought with each other, Farah turned to Schwarz. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Didn¡¯t we make the count cripple one of those Shadows? Why did a death occur?¡±


    ¡°Something probably went wrong,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°Maybe the count was too heavy-handed in crippling the unfortunate Shadow.¡±


    High screams followed as a building crumbled into stone. Blue pillars of light flared skywards once more, but they were far closer this time. Clearly, the battle had moved into the residential district, and Dia found herself frowning. Both sides evidently held little regard for the lives of the normal people, and¡ª


    ¡°Should these deaths be pinned onto us?¡± Risti asked, her voice small.


    ¡°They had the choice to fight in the Nightfall Palace,¡± Schwarz replied, his words one of rebuke. ¡°In fact, the Count had the initiative, but he chose to not fight in his palace, where he¡¯ll have a homefield advantage. It¡¯s clear that he doesn¡¯t want to damage his home.¡±


    He gestured at yet another pillar of blue light. ¡°This is the result.¡±


    After a short silence, Farah nodded. ¡°He¡¯s right. Even my own palace has defences meant to augment my fighting ability. From this, we can tell that Nightfall is confident about his chances, which is why he has no desire to bring the fight into his palace. That''s his choice, not ours.¡±


    Risti¡¯s face softened at those words, but Dia ¡ª and probably the others ¡ª were quite aware that the casualties that occurred this night was partially caused by them. The bartender was just trying to soften the blow for Risti.


    A nice fiction, in other words.


    Two figures darted into the sky at that moment. One was holding a halberd, while two discs orbited around the second figure. Both of their weapons were blazing with an intense blue light, one that was painful to stare at.


    ¡°Flight, or an artefact that has it,¡± Risti murmured.


    ¡°It¡¯s an artefact for Count Nightfall. He doesn¡¯t have Flight,¡± Schwarz said. ¡°Those discs around him are controlled by one of his skills, I think.¡±


    Before Dia could ask the bartender any further about the count¡¯s skills, the two discs shot towards the halberd-wielding figure. Metallic shrieks followed as the halberd fended off the discs in rapid succession, with each strike releasing an arc of blue light that ploughed the land below.


    ¡°Arms Master?¡± Dia breathed in sharply. ¡°This Shadow of Grandis sure is vicious.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s called Arms Master¡­¡± The bartender took a deep breath. ¡°Everyone. I have a proposition.¡±


    Serenaded by distant, dying screams, Schwarz¡¯s words seemed a lot more ominous.


    ¡°Say it,¡± said Farah. ¡°How do you intend to solve this situation?¡±


    ¡°We can shoot him down,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°The Moon Mansion has some siege weapons installed. Specialised ones for defence. We can use them, but we will almost certainly draw the count¡¯s attention.¡±


    ¡°Which is the reason why all these happened to begin with,¡± Farah noted.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Schwarz closed his eyes. ¡°But if we are all in accord¡­¡±


    ¡°Do it,¡± said Risti.


    Farah glanced at Dia, and the two of them nodded.


    ¡°Use the ballista,¡± said Farah, ¡°and let me see if tri-folders can stand up to a siege weapon!¡±


    A warm smile appeared on Schwarz¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m glad we¡¯re all the same types of people. We¡¯ll just need to explain to Claud why we used it later, but he¡¯s the type to understand¡­I hope. Come on, follow me. I¡¯ll show you the marvels of compound artefacts.¡±


    The warm smile turned into a predatory grin. ¡°That tri-folder will make for a good first demonstration.¡±

 Chapter 81: Flowers in the red moons night sky

    Dia had never heard of a house that had siege weapons installed, even if the house in question was actually Moon Mansion, but all things evidently had a first.


    ¡°Come,¡± said the bartender, ¡°head over to those statues. There are four, right? Each of you choose one.¡±


    ¡°Statues?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Yeah, the four here.¡± The bartender pointed at the four separate statues that had been creeping Dia out earlier. They were modelled after an average adult, and other than their eyes, which were socketed with some green gems, they looked very much alive. ¡°Just stand behind them.¡±


    Dia did as she was told, positioning herself behind the statue. There was nothing much to look at, save for a small blue button. If she hadn¡¯t been standing right there, she would probably have missed it, but now that she noticed the button¡­


    Another set of dull quakes rocked the mansion as she resisted the urge to press the blue button.


    ¡°Everyone see the blue button?¡± Schwarz asked, his words somewhat rushed. ¡°Press it, but don¡¯t be surprised at what happens next.¡±


    Dia exchanged glances with the others, and then pushed down on the button. For a moment, nothing happened, before a sensation of being jerked upwards assailed her mind. Her vision changed dramatically; instead of the interior of Moon Mansion, she was now staring down on the streets of Licencia. There were multiple grey squares all over the place, each of them placed around one person.


    ¡°What the¡ª¡±


    ¡°Like I said,¡± Schwarz¡¯s voice echoed out, ¡°don¡¯t be worried. Right now, your mind is acting as the target selector for the ballista under your control. Everything else is done automatically.¡±


    ¡°That convenient?¡± Risti¡¯s voice echoed out.


    ¡°Yeah, well, Claud went a bit too wild with the security budget,¡± Schwarz replied, his voice somewhat bitter. ¡°Ate into my own share. Heck, the ballistae are built into the support structure for this dome, which cost so much money that¡­never mind. Anyway, just look for a target ¡ª in this case, the halberd-wielding fellow ¡ª and uh, squint your eyes.¡±


    The grey square in the skies turned red, while its edges began to smoothen out.


    ¡°It should turn red,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°Now, once the square turns into a red circle, you can shoot it. Just say ¡®fire¡¯, and¡ªwhoops.¡±


    Moon Mansion shook as a streak of silver, illuminated by Percuti¡¯s light, slammed into the halberd-wielding figure. An anguished howl filled the skies as Schwarz¡¯s unfortunate target was stabbed by a rather thick stake. The halberd fell from his hands as the skewered figure hung in the air, stunned.


    Dia stared at that sight, dumbstruck, before Schwarz¡¯s voice slammed into her ears.


    ¡°What are you waiting for? Finish him!¡±


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    Dia¡¯s voice harmonised with the others, and three more long stakes embedded themselves into the Shadow¡¯s body. Rickens ¡ª the name of their unfortunate target ¡ª shuddered, before raising a finger at his opponent.


    ¡°Nightfall¡­¡± His voice, though weak, carried in the silent night. ¡°You Moon-damned coward.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t me,¡± said the count, his voice cold. ¡°But from how you killed so many people with Arms Master, I¡¯d only say one thing to those people: good job. And good riddance.¡±


    ¡°So it was you, then.¡± The Shadow¡¯s body trembled. ¡°In that case, die! Die, along with your city!¡±


    His body began to glow with a blue light, a phenomenon Dia immediately understood. The Shadow was intending to collapse all his mana-circuits, at which point he would detonate, turning a huge area into an explosion.


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    ¡°Schwarz!¡± Dia yelled. ¡°Activate whatever defences we have!¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± the bartender¡¯s cool voice replied. ¡°Look!¡±


    The blue light, which had been intensifying a moment ago, was already fading out. A decapitated body was falling from the skies, one that was skewered by four separate stakes. As the body fell, the two chakrams followed, darting around and shredding the corpse into strips of minced flesh. Blood burst out like flowers, scattering droplets that gleamed a brighter red under Percuti.


    The shocked silence that followed soon gave way to uproarious cheering from Licencia¡¯s residents. Count Nightfall hovered in the night sky, his figure one barely illuminated by Percuti¡¯s light. The red moon of strife seemed to shine down on him, and for a moment, Dia had the feeling that it was blessing the count. The two chakrams returned to him moments later, orbiting around his waist slowly.


    Count Nightfall looked down on the city. ¡°Citizens of Licencia. Those who have been affected by the Shadow of Grandis¡¯ reckless use of Arms Master should head over to the nearest government office to claim compensation. Deaths. Injuries. Loss of life and limb. I ¡ª no, Ruler Istrel ¡ª will compensate for the deplorable state of events today.¡±


    Brushing his shoulder, the count flew back to Nightfall Palace, leaving behind the damaged city. Before he flew back, however, Dia could swear to the Moons that he had sent a glance over to Moon Mansion, and it didn¡¯t seem like anything good.


    ¡°Well,¡± Schwarz¡¯s words echoed in her head, ¡°it seems that tonight¡¯s events are over. I can¡¯t say for sure if the outcome¡¯s favourable to us, but we can definitely assume that the count¡¯s forgotten all about the organisation called the Moon Lords, if the compulsion worked well. Yay¡­yeah, no. We just reminded him about us again. Joy.¡±


    ¡°Nice and all,¡± Farah¡¯s voice echoed, ¡°but how do we leave?¡±


    ¡°Just press the button,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°You can still control your body.¡±


    Dia did as he instructed, and her vision returned to that of Moon Mansion¡¯s living room. Glancing at the others, who were displaying varying shades of surprise, she headed over to a chair and sat down.


    ¡°Looks like the problems with the Shadows of Grandis can be said to be temporarily solved,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°From the count¡¯s words, I believe that none of them would be left alive¡­or at least free enough to disturb a certain body double.¡±


    ¡°Other than that, he has also been tied up effectively,¡± said Farah. ¡°I¡¯ve never really come into contact with the Emperor¡¯s personal enforcers, but a loss of someone as important as a tri-folder is probably going to take up a great deal of Nightfall¡¯s attention and resources.¡±


    She chuckled. ¡°That bit about how Ruler Istrel¡­well, the soon-to-be Ruler Istrel, anyway. From the sounds of it, it seems that Istrel is the one moving those Shadows around, rather than the Emperor himself.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± said the bartender. ¡°From my understanding, the Shadows of Grandis are empowered to act independently. It would seem that ¡®independently¡¯ here meant in collusion with Istrel, at least. Count Nightfall might be in some trouble.¡±


    ¡°With Istrel?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Yes. Tri-folders aren¡¯t all that common too; the Emperor would probably find out in a day or two.¡± Schwarz drummed his fingers on the statue in front of him. ¡°An inquiry might follow, and then they would investigate the exact circumstances surrounding the Shadow¡¯s death.¡±


    Dia let out a sigh. ¡°Fortunately for us all, this Shadow had his own skills. From the looks of it, he deleted the Shadow Save skill, or else he might have managed to escape after we poked some holes in him. That would be really troublesome.¡±


    Schwarz froze, and then shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t think about that bit. Looks like we got lucky this round, then. If he escaped, Moon Mansion would probably not know a single day of peace.¡±


    ¡°Or make it past a single day,¡± said Dia.


    ¡°That too, yes.¡±


    ¡°Right at the end,¡± said Risti, ¡°when he left, I could swear that he looked at us. Is that going to be a problem? Didn¡¯t we make him forget all about us?¡±


    ¡°Can we not talk about that for today?¡± Schwarz shook his head, a helpless look on his face. ¡°Of course he would notice us. Why wouldn¡¯t he take note of a house that has four ballistae installed in it? If he didn¡¯t, that would have been far odder.¡±


    ¡°What is he going to do then?¡±


    ¡°To be honest,¡± said the bartender, ¡°I would seriously want to get some sleep before I ponder the consequences of what we just did.¡±


    ¡°I know that feeling,¡± said Farah. ¡°Normally, I would admonish you for doing that, but it¡¯s not like this is something we can affect. Unless, of course, you want to flee this city.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably not going to come down to that,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°So all in favour of sleeping?¡±


    Farah glared at the bartender. ¡°I know that I just said that, but please don¡¯t drag other people down in your sloth.¡±


    ¡°Come on,¡± said the bartender. ¡°It¡¯s easier on my conscience if everyone falls asleep together¡ª¡±


    ¡°Thereby making everyone pick up the same habit,¡± the countess completed. ¡°A bad one. And when something like this happens again, we¡¯ll all decide to go nap it out, and then get killed the next morning. Genius.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on. It¡¯s not going to happen like that,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Besides, there¡¯s literally nothing we can do. I bet word has already spread around the town, and I don''t feel like running. Let''s just face it head on. Besides, what if Count Nightfall decides to award us with one of his Good Citizen Awards tomorrow? If we don¡¯t get enough sleep, we¡¯ll look like a laughing stock.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think you¡¯re asleep already,¡± said Farah. ¡°Keep dreaming. If that happens, I¡¯ll call you master.¡±


    ¡°Come on, a man can dream, right?¡± Schwarz stifled a yawn. ¡°Whatever. I¡¯m going to nap first. You three should do the same. Goodnight.¡±


    He ambled off.


    Farah looked around and shook her head. ¡°You two¡­forget it. Go get some rest too.¡±


    Dia waved her hand, and then headed back to her room.

 Chapter 82: The Moon Lords Rise

    ¡°You look like a mess,¡± said Farah.


    Dia arched an eyebrow at the countess¡¯ pale face and dishevelled clothes, before stifling a yawn. After what happened above the skies of Licencia last night, there was no way anyone could have anything remotely resembling a good rest. She herself had tossed and turned on her bed, wondering what the tri-folder Count Nightfall would think about their tiny little organisation, and whatever she could come up with was the stuff of nightmares.


    ¡°You¡¯re one to speak,¡± Dia replied, reaching out for a jug of water. Pouring out two cups, she slid one over to Farah and sipped at her own, but it was nowhere comparable to Schwarz¡¯s apple juice. ¡°So? What did you think about as you rolled back and forth last night?¡±


    ¡°I was contemplating the chances of running from Licencia,¡± said Farah. ¡°I¡¯m one of the weakest countesses out there. If Nightfall ever realises who I am, there¡¯s going to be many problems.¡±


    ¡°Then hurry and complete your second circuit,¡± Dia replied. ¡°What¡¯s holding you back?¡±


    ¡°Lifestones?¡± The countess shook her head. ¡°Prices in this city are at an all-time high.¡±


    Dia clicked her teeth. ¡°I forgot.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± said a relaxed voice, ¡°you can try asking Claud for some. Knowing that punk, he probably has some lifestones here or there. They¡¯re low-ranked or middle-ranked ones, though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not really useful,¡± Farah replied, an odd tone in her words. ¡°None of them have any effect on me now, since I relied on them heavily to get to where I am right now.¡±


    Dia narrowed her eyes. ¡°Farah¡­how many years do you have left?¡±


    The countess smiled, while the bartender turned to Dia, confused.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Explain.¡±


    She closed her eyes for a moment, choosing her words carefully. ¡°Absorbing low and middle-ranked lifestones to the point of saturation gives one around 125 years of life. A human¡¯s average lifespan is around seventy years. Add them together, and you get 195 years. Deduct a hundred as the cost of burning one mana circuit, and another hundred and eighty for her nearly-complete second mana circuit.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t add up,¡± said the bartender.


    ¡°The remaining were probably filled up by high-ranked lifestones,¡± said Dia. ¡°But from the state of your finances¡­you don¡¯t really have all that much time left, do you?¡±


    ¡°How long have you known this?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°I had my suspicions earlier,¡± Dia replied. ¡°And when you told me about how you were unable to afford lifestones, it was easy to come to a conclusion. Farah¡­how many years do you have left?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to know. If all goes well, I should be able to stave off my impending doom for a bit of time.¡± The countess smiled. ¡°We made a contract. I have no desire to break it by dying.¡±


    ¡°I can help you secure some lifestones,¡± said Dia.


    ¡°At a disadvantageous cost? I don¡¯t think so,¡± Farah replied. ¡°You¡¯ll also need them too. But let¡¯s put this aside for a moment, shall we? It¡¯s too heavy a topic for a nice Yellowgott morning.¡±


    ¡°What else do we have, then?¡± Dia asked.


    Bells rang at that moment, and everyone instinctively looked in the direction of Moon Mansion¡¯s entrance. The chimes that had interrupted the bartender¡¯s words only sounded when an important visitor showed up, and with some unease, the three of them headed out.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­Count Nightfall!¡± Schwarz stared at the person on the other side of the transparent dome. ¡°Son of a¡­he actually came down in person!¡±


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    ¡°Since he did,¡± said the countess, ¡°it¡¯s entirely possible that he isn¡¯t here to sanction us. Rather¡­¡±


    Her eyes widened a moment later, and she turned to the bartender. ¡°Hey. You. Uh, Schwarz.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± the bartender replied.


    ¡°Is your mouth a gift from the Moons?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Have you forgotten what you said last night, when you wanted the others to sleep?¡±


    ¡°That rubbish about a Good Citizen Award¡­¡± The bartender blinked. ¡°Moons, no.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well. From the looks of things, it¡¯s either that or he¡¯s coming in person to subdue our asses,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I think it¡¯s the former, though. Look at that crowd behind him, all waving banners and cheering madly.¡±


    The bartender quivered. ¡°Where¡¯s Risti when I need her?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s snoozing away, as you instructed,¡± Farah replied. ¡°So? What should we do? Run back into the house and try to kill him with whatever other defences Claud left here for us? Or do we poke our head out and see what Nightfall wants?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s be honest here,¡± he replied. ¡°Who wants to see what Nightfall has in mind?¡±


    Silence followed as the three of them ground to a halt. Fortunately, the dome that made up Moon Mansion was only transparent when viewed from within; people outside would just see an opaque dome.


    ¡°Well?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Anyone?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not really a choice at this point,¡± Farah replied. ¡°But given the crowd, he isn¡¯t probably going to murder you when you poke your head out. If you ask me, it¡¯s some kind of publicity stunt. Therefore, you¡¯re up, Schwarz.¡±


    ¡°Darn it. Why me?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m a ruler of a county, and Dia here is the body double of a fugitive. As for Risti, her father is the leader of the Folders¡¯ Association, who has branches throughout Grandis.¡± Farah bobbed her head up and down. ¡°Therefore, you are the best choice if we are to be inconspicuous.¡±


    ¡°Inconspicuous? Are you kidding me? Furthermore¡ª¡±


    Farah¡¯s eyes flashed. ¡°You have an objection?¡±


    For some reason, the countess looked particularly intimidating. Dia could sense a mighty will behind those words, and she couldn¡¯t help but sidle away from the stony-faced Farah. Her opinion was clearly shared by Schwarz, who didn¡¯t offer up any words of resistance whatsoever.


    ¡°Good. Now get moving, before the count gets mad and blows down the dome,¡± Farah muttered. ¡°Move it!¡±


    Under her unceasing words, the bartender walked up to the entrance of Moon Mansion. Right now, they were still not visible from outside, which meant that the look of dread on everyone¡¯s face wasn¡¯t exposed to Count Nightfall and the crowd gathered outside.


    He paused at the entrance, before flicking some switches. ¡°The passcode¡¯s disabled for now.¡±


    ¡°Good thinking,¡± said Farah.


    Dia found herself nodding. After all, most of the passcodes were tailored around ruling from one form or another; if the count misinterpreted those passcodes as proof of nefarious designs on his territory, it would be a problem.


    ¡°Try not to let them in, though,¡± said Dia. ¡°Claud would nag our ears away if we ever did.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t need to tell me twice.¡± The bartender took a deep breath and stepped into the booth that governed entry and exit into Moon Mansion. Behind him, from the other side of the dome, Dia and Farah watched on in silence as he approached the count and exchanged words.


    For a few, heart-stopping seconds, the two men didn¡¯t move, simply staring at each other.


    The moment was broken by a set of uproarious cheers, a sound so physical that Dia took a step back. Before her eyes, the count gave Schwarz a hug, and then presented him with something.


    Gritting her teeth, Dia took a few steps forward and tried to listen to the count¡¯s words.


    ¡°Anything?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Can¡¯t hear it. This dome¡¯s preventing us from eavesdropping. How does it even work?¡± Dia complained, annoyed. ¡°Come closer. Maybe you can.¡±


    ¡°Never mind. He looks rather okay out there anyway. We can press him for the details later,¡± said the countess. ¡°Right, did I make any grandiose bet with him last night, regarding a possible award?¡±


    ¡°Not that I can remember.¡± Dia placed her ear against the booth. ¡°Ah, I can hear.¡±


    With her ears to the glass panel, Dia could now tell that the tall man, clad in a set of midnight blue robes, was in the middle of a speech.


    ¡°¡ªour lives to him. If not for his sudden intervention, many more would have died from the wanton attacks of the tri-folder Rickens. For that reason, I confer upon him the Hallowed Citizen Award, the highest of decorations within my territory.¡±


    A round of applause followed, and Dia took the chance to relay his words as-is to the countess.


    ¡°To be honest, I have paid attention to the rise of the Moon Lords,¡± continued the count. ¡°Reports about how they have brought order to the chaos of the night have made their way to my desk. Although I have not taken the liberty to approach them, today, here and now, I will confer the status of Associated Power to them.¡±


    Dia froze at those words, as did Schwarz.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Farah asked.


    She clenched her fist. ¡°He got us.¡±


    ¡°¡ªstake in the governance of Licencia, with all due privileges and responsibilities. They will have a say in all affairs related to security and economics, with a standing only lower than my own. This is the reward for their kindness, their heroics. From here on out, the Moon Lords will rise.¡±


    Count Nightfall began to ascend, a sight that drew more applause and cheers. Bowing at the bartender, he said, ¡°There will be an official ceremony to celebrate this unexpected benefaction to my city, on this coming Bluegott. Sir Schwarz, I hope everyone will be there.¡±


    With a gentle smile, he flew away, leaving Schwarz to face the applause alone.


    [End of Book 2: The Moon Lords¡¯ Rise]

 Chapter 83: Spear from the sky

    [Book 3: Murders under the Moons]


    As far as counties went, Licencia was a rather remarkable one. That was something that Claud had accepted from young, given its rather unique policies and its equally odd ruler. Under the rule of Count Nightfall, the city had turned into a safe haven for criminals, who in turn respected the count for his policies. In fact, bounty hunters had it hard; unlike most other cities, arrests by bounty hunters had to go through the city administration first.


    There were a whole host of other procedures, and simply sending in an application to apprehend was the first of the lot. The process was so convoluted that it was common knowledge for bounty hunters to ambush their targets outside the city¡­even if it meant doing underhanded deeds to lure them out first.


    ¡°Still,¡± said Claud, chewing on some hardtack, ¡°I, in my entire life, did not expect to hear about a battle between two tri-folders in Licencia. If only we knew more, though.¡±


    Lily took a graceful sip from her little teacup. It was filled to the brim with iced jasmine tea, something that Claud found himself liking after being persuaded to try a cup. Of course, as a master thief, a teacup was too dangerous for him; Claud had taken out his own cup instead. Other than satisfying his urge to stay safe, the cup was also larger than most others; there were few things in life as fulfilling as downing a large glass of ice-cold beverage.


    ¡°Maybe we can accost¡­uh, approach the town crier for more information,¡± said Lily.


    ¡°Not going to work. He¡¯s about as clueless as us regarding this matter,¡± Claud replied. ¡°At least we know that the Moon-damned snake is still on the loose, though. We¡¯ll have to sit here for another few days if we want to be safe. Are you in a rush, Lily?¡±


    ¡°Not in particular,¡± Lily replied, before she lowered her voice. ¡°What disturbs me is the lack of official response regarding Julan, though.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Usually, for an incident of such a scale, many people would be called on to investigate. As this is technically a crime of disrespecting the Emperor, for targeting his representative, even Duke Istrel would have to send in some people to check on the situation, even though Julan is under the Schwa Dukedom.¡± Lily rubbed her nose. ¡°Especially since Julan is on the border. Normally, Duke Istrel would block off the border, but¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s such a thing?¡±


    ¡°Well, the fact that you don¡¯t know about anything shows that either Duke Istrel authorised a covert investigation, or he couldn¡¯t be bothered to at all,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Why spend resources to investigate a foe¡¯s internal affairs?¡± Claud shook his head. Lily, like him, had already caught wind of the upcoming war between the dukes. Rumour had it that the day Duke Istrel became Ruler Istrel would end an era of peace.


    Claud was never one to follow and believe in rumours blindly, but the way so many things seemed to make sense when approached from that angle did hint at war.


    The past few centuries had been one of relative peace, so the master thief could only chalk it down to bad luck, since such an event had happened in his lifetime.


    ¡°Still, the cause of all this is Ruler Umbra¡¯s death,¡± Lily murmured. ¡°Funny how an old man¡¯s death is going to lead to so many more.¡±


    Taking a sip from his cup, Claud leaned back on his chair and sighed. ¡°Truly a waste of so many lifestones. Just how many pure-ranked lifestones did Ruler Umbra consume, to live so long? And how many years were wasted from his untimely death?¡±


    ¡°You have a very odd fixation,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°That''s a hundred percent you, though.¡±


    Rolling his eyes, the master thief looked around the first floor of the inn. It was fairly crowded, which was natural, given that most of the people here were currently unwilling to step out of the city. Monsters, especially intelligent ones, respected and feared Emperor Grandis¡¯ decree, but his decree did not extend to the protection of those who were like bold or strong enough to step out alone.


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    ¡°Murder!¡±


    A shrill scream shattered the peaceful scene, and a ripple ran through everyone present. On instinct, Claud got up and followed the crowd out of the inn, Lily close on his heels, and his stomach churned as everyone stopped at a brutal murder.


    On a cottage¡¯s doorstep was an adult man, whose torso had been nailed to the doorstep with a thick spear. The spear had impaled the victim with extreme force, creating a gory collage of blood and flesh onto the walls of the cottage.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°He started screaming, and then a spear just flew down from the sky!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s dead!¡±


    ¡°Murder! Call the guards!¡±


    After listening to the words and sentences bandied around, Claud soon got a rough idea of what happened. Just a minute ago, the victim was locking the entrance to his cottage when he broke down into hysterics, which lasted for around ten seconds before a spear fell from the sky, killing him on the spot.


    The others chattered away, but the distrust and fear in their eyes were very much noticeable. Claud had no doubt that if the sounds of spears flying were to enter their ears, everyone would either duck or flee¡­and the latter would induce a stampede of rather fatal proportions.


    Backing away slowly, he pulled Lily along, taking slow steps back so as to not trigger any unfortunate events. He couldn¡¯t help think about the Spear of Fate, who had tossed a spear at the monster, but that fellow had vanished into parts unknown.


    Was it him? And if so, why?


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Just playing it safe,¡± said Claud. ¡°This whole setup looks like one ripe for a stampede. If anything happens¡­¡±


    After retreating a safe distance away from the crowd, he heaved a small sigh of relief. ¡°I must have been mad to follow the others along.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s human nature to be curious,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°And it¡¯s the prerogative of cold-blooded murderers to make use of that very nature,¡± Claud replied. ¡°If the killer was someone who simply revelled in murder, tossing a second spear into that crowd would probably result in even more deaths.¡±


    He narrowed his eyes. ¡°But it seems that the victim¡¯s death probably had some motivation to it. Or maybe he wants us to think that, so that the local authorities would spend resources and manpower on investigating the deceased, freeing him to commit more murders at night.¡±


    ¡°You sound quite experienced,¡± said Lily. ¡°You don¡¯t happen to be one such killer yourself, do you?¡±


    ¡°Rubbish. These people are the very antithesis of my existence,¡± Claud replied coldly. ¡°I yearn for eternal life. But as a corollary, living alone is boring at times. Unfulfilling, even. Every life lost, therefore, is the cessation of a possibility.¡±


    ¡°Do you know that you sound like a philosopher now?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s my largest passion, living forever with other people.¡± Claud smiled, somewhat proud of himself. ¡°It¡¯s natural that I would speak with an eloquence I rarely exhibit.¡±


    ¡°O-okay.¡± Lily sighed. ¡°Still, spears¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you thinking the same thing as me?¡± Claud asked. ¡°You know, that punk who stole the mana herb and left a spear in that three-headed snake while he was at it?¡±


    ¡°A tetra-folder killing vanillas,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Doesn¡¯t bode well for anyone.¡±


    ¡°Why would such a person do that?¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°The motive just isn¡¯t there. Did that poor sod offend him somehow? I doubt that either.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°Most people are more than eager to please the moment they encounter a mana-user¡­or at the very least, wise enough to not anger them. I cannot really see any vanilla trying to antagonise a mana-user without a really compelling reason.¡±


    ¡°Should we investigate, then?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Are you?¡±


    ¡°Given a choice, naturally not.¡± Claud tapped his feet. ¡°We¡¯re talking about a potential tetra-folder here, and even if our guess is wrong, the perp is someone strong enough to hurl spears with this much deadliness.¡±


    ¡°In that case, why are you asking?¡± Lily questioned.


    ¡°On the off-chance that the two of us are his targets,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And you might have some obscure sense of justice that I would need to account for. In that case, rather than having you run off on your own in silence, having me to help you seek out the killer would be infinitely more palatable.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t have that kind of complex,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But it is possible that the two of us might be in danger. In fact, if we didn¡¯t investigate, we¡¯ll have to be careful from here on out. The killer might expand his area of operations¡­and Licencia isn¡¯t all that far off.¡±


    ¡°From all this¡­are you in favour of investigating?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°I am, but unfortunately, Risti isn¡¯t here,¡± said Lily. ¡°She has the relevant skills. I don¡¯t. Do you?¡±


    Claud shook his head.


    After debating the issue for a while longer, Claud and Lily agreed to keep an eye out. They wouldn¡¯t be investigating personally, but they could at least keep an alert eye out for any spear-wielding murderer.


    Setting up some traps once they returned, Claud pulled out a small piece of paper and began to imbue yet another skill.

 Chapter 84: Investigators arrive!

    The sun was setting by the time Claud was done with his daily activities. Unfortunately, given that Lily was in the same room, he couldn¡¯t interact with his utterly-adorable Crown all that much, so he could only rely on little pokes and pats while he was imbuing skills and reading books.


    Fortunately, Lily was engrossed in reading her own stuff too, which mitigated the risk of her asking some really awkward questions.


    Sitting up, Claud peered out of the window, where the local authorities were still investigating the murder. However, instead of gathering around the cottage doorstep, they were now spread out.


    Wide enough to cover the area, but just enough to stay within eyeshot and any shouts of alarm. From the looks of it, Nachtville¡¯s guards were already experienced ones¡­but that was to be expected, after all. The city had been beset by odd murders for quite some time; a murder had happened when he visited the city with Lily a few days ago. If they had caught the culprit, Claud would have heard of it by now.


    ¡°Disturbing, isn¡¯t it?¡± Claud turned back to his room. ¡°Everyone¡¯s on edge now. You can see it as they walk through the streets, looking back and forth, all around them. If I were to shout, they¡¯ll probably all break into a run.¡±


    Lily crawled over from her side of the bed and looked out of the inn.


    ¡°It¡¯s been festering for some time, if you ask me.¡± Lily¡¯s words were sad. ¡°I remember a scene like this, back when I was still in Julan. People went missing every few days, vanishing without a trace. The personal guards would march up and down, telling everyone that they would find a murderer.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± said Claud, ¡°they didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°It would have been better if they didn¡¯t,¡± said Lily. ¡°They were using that as an excuse to extort the people of Julan. Men and women alike were designated as suspicious, and then marched off into the depths of the Julan main house under the guise of interrogation.¡±


    Claud felt shivers run down his spine, and his next words were a whisper. ¡°None returned?¡±


    ¡°For every five, only three returned,¡± Lily replied, her voice haunted. ¡°A few days later, a whole list of crimes ¡ª made-up ones ¡ª would be announced. The Julans put it out there: a huge conspiracy that aimed to destabilise their town by killing people and spreading fear. Some believed them. Others didn¡¯t. But for a time, everyone who went on the streets looked around fearfully.¡±


    ¡°What happened afterwards?¡± Claud asked. ¡°That wasn¡¯t the case for Julan when we came over a few days ago, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what my family was doing either,¡± said Lily, ¡°but after a few months of constant disappearances, these abductions abruptly halted. At the same time, people began to notice that tourists had a nasty tendency to vanish, but no one dared to say anything.¡±


    ¡°One thing for another,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°If you ask me, it wasn¡¯t because my family was being nice,¡± said Lily. ¡°Rather, people were trying to flee the city. I remember a few days in which the streets outside only had ten or so people. Very few farmers, miners, loggers¡­this was probably why the family shifted their targets.¡±


    Claud could get behind that. ¡°But what was their motive?¡±


    ¡°I wish I knew too, but I think it¡¯s best if no one ever found out.¡± Lily closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°Besides, I destroyed the Julan main house, only revealing the evidence of their deeds. That should be enough.¡±


    Claud thought about it for a moment, and then shook his head. The person before him had lived a life marred by her conscience; in no uncertain means could she even claim to have a happy childhood.


    ¡°What do you think the motives behind Nachtville¡¯s recent murders and disappearances are?¡± Claud asked.


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    ¡°My opinion?¡± Lily asked. ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s as opaque as Julan¡¯s case. I don¡¯t know why people are going missing or murdered; there¡¯s no pattern observable to me. If we really want to pursue this case seriously, we¡¯ll need to look through the records.¡±


    ¡°Unless the victims are chosen randomly, at which point it¡¯ll be a fruitless endeavour.¡±


    ¡°Well, you do have a desire to at least do something, right?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I do, but you must remember that we¡¯re foreigners to this little city,¡± said Claud. ¡°As much as I want to get rid of any murderers that might strike the next time I¡¯m in these parts, I really doubt that the guards here would respond favourably to a stranger¡¯s offer to help.¡±


    ¡°True. We¡¯re back to square one.¡± Lily let out a sigh. ¡°Right, are you hungry? Want to grab a bite?¡±


    Claud¡¯s stomach rumbled at those words, and he grinned. ¡°Seems like my stomach likes that idea very much. And it¡¯s far safer to be eating in a group than by yourself.¡±


    The two got up from the double bed. After straightening his clothes, he followed Lily down into the inn¡¯s first floor, where a small crowd was already beginning to form.


    ¡°So many people,¡± Claud murmured.


    ¡°From how some of them are dressed, they seem like locals,¡± said Lily. ¡°Have they all flocked to eating areas to find safety in numbers?¡±


    ¡°Like what we¡¯re doing?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Naturally. The weakest are the most aware of death. Like rabbits, we group together and huddle around when wolves are around.¡±


    ¡°Poetic, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Only when it comes to things like this,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯m your average smooth-talker.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not mutually exclusive¡­¡±


    Ordering a simple meal, Claud and Lily found a seat by the window. He had been somewhat conflicted over his choice of seating, since walls offered a better defence, but anything that could overcome his artefacts would probably chew a wall for lunch too.


    ¡°Still, do you really have to use a defensive artefact while eating?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s basic caution,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Statistically speaking, most assassinations happen while someone is either in the middle of eating, sleeping or travelling. Therefore, it makes sense to have defences up when doing any of the three.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Why would I lie to you about this?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Besides, what do you have to lose?¡±


    Lily thought about it for a while. ¡°Well, the others are looking at us oddly.¡±


    ¡°They can continue to look when they¡¯re dead,¡± said Claud. ¡°Point is, they might care if you¡¯re using an artefact to protect yourself while eating, but they definitely won¡¯t do anything when you¡¯re bleeding out. Besides, we¡¯re in a village where multiple murders have already happened. Heck, the previous one was a spear hurled in broad daylight.¡±


    Claud rubbed his neck. ¡°Only idiots would think that they¡¯re safe while eating.¡±


    Lily winced at those words, a reaction that left the master thief nodding in satisfaction. It was times like this that everyone should be more vigilant, cautious. Even the food that they were eating could be poisoned, so it made sense to wear poison-detecting and resisting items¡­or even the very air they were bringing in.


    She would eventually work it out, by Claud¡¯s estimation, but until then, he didn¡¯t mind teaching her the basic stuff.


    ¡°Order¡¯s here,¡± said the waiter. ¡°Two simple house specials.¡±


    Claud glanced at his plate, which was some noodles with sauce-splattered meat on top. It looked miserable compared to the lustrous sample provided on the menu, but that was just how eateries operated.


    Slurping his noodles, Claud glanced around every so often, checking for anyone who was showing undue interest in the two of them. Other than the obvious implication that anyone doing such a thing could be the murderer¡­or murderers, Claud was also looking out for any signs of trouble.


    People were on edge, and when people were on edge, anything could happen. Random emotional outbursts, phases in which people gave in to their darker urges, heightened aggression¡­Claud had seen all this throughout his life. They also had a nasty tendency of affecting innocent bystanders like a certain master thief.


    If the murders kept up, it wouldn¡¯t be long before the village entered a state of open paranoia.


    ¡°At some point in time,¡± Claud murmured, ¡°we¡¯ll have to stop mingling with the crowd.¡±


    Lily, who was slurping merrily at her noodles, looked up. ¡°What¡¯s that about?¡±


    ¡°It just seems like the crowd here might turn violent and panicky at the slightest sign,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Remember what I told you about stampedes? This is, once again, a good place for something like that to happen.¡±


    She looked around and gulped. ¡°I see what you mean.¡±


    The two doubled down on their slurping speed, clearing their plates in record time. Before Claud and Lily could return to their room, an abrupt, hushed silence fell as a small party entered the inn.


    Blue light characteristic of a mana-user danced around them.


    Most importantly, however, was the fact that Claud knew who these four people were. They were the Dusk Daggers, a party sent by the Folders¡¯ Association to investigate Julan¡­and perhaps, Nachtville as well.


    At any rate, outside help had finally arrived.


    As Claud returned to his room with Lily, he could only wonder if that was a good thing or not.

 Chapter 85: Suspicious points and sorrowful partings

    Claud was sitting around and fiddling with a set of knives when someone knocked on the room¡¯s door. Lily, who was lying on the bed and reading a book, glanced at him.


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± The master thief got up and dismantled the small web of traps around the door. This was the third time he had done that since dinner ended; for some reason, the guards of Nachtville had stepped up the frequency of their interrogations and interviews. Claud and Lily were already considered lucky; the room next to theirs had been visited ten times in the past three hours.


    Opening the door slightly, Claud glanced at the armoured guard. ¡°How may I help you, sir?¡±


    ¡°Not us this time,¡± the guard replied, a hint of apology on his face. ¡°The Association¡¯s investigators are administering this interview instead. Can we go in this time?¡±


    ¡°Can you not?¡± Claud asked. ¡°No offence, but this recent spree of murders has made us somewhat nervous. Letting a bunch of armed people into a small room just doesn¡¯t gel well with me now.¡±


    The guard breathed out slowly, his nostrils flaring. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll convey your words to the investigator.¡±


    Shortly after the guard retreated into the darkness, a hurried discussion carried out in murmurs entered Claud¡¯s ears. He wasn¡¯t sure about the contents, and before he could focus on those words, the guard had returned with a rather familiar face.


    It was someone Claud had dubbed Mister Mellow. Unlike his party leader, who was orders of magnitude ruder, Mister Mellow was a pleasant fellow to be around¡­or so his first impressions went, anyway. The self-proclaimed one-folder looked at Claud, and surprise flickered through his face.


    They all looked the same, but why was the copycat more pleasant to interact with?


    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± Mister Mellow exclaimed. ¡°What a coincidence!¡±


    ¡°Hello there,¡± said Claud. ¡°You¡¯re the investigators for the murders here, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s us, yes.¡± He turned to the guard. ¡°He and his friend are safe. We met on the road while travelling to Julan a few days back. It is very unlikely that they were behind these murders¡­or rather, impossible.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? My apologies for disturbing you, sir.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just doing your job, sir guard.¡± Claud turned to Mister Mellow. ¡°How¡¯s the investigation going so far?¡±


    ¡°Just between you, me and your friend¡­well, it hasn¡¯t revealed anything of importance,¡± Mister Mellow replied. ¡°Previous murder cases in Nachtville weren¡¯t done by a spear or anything, which can mean that this man¡¯s death was unconnected to the earlier murders. We cannot be certain, however, and it¡¯s possible that the culprit is just trying to mislead us.¡±


    ¡°The latter¡¯s quite possible,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Mister Mellow asked.


    ¡°We were travelling back to Licencia when we came across a tri-folder snake guarding a mana herb,¡± Claud replied. ¡°The Spear of Fate stole the herb and injured the monster, and it chased him furiously.¡±


    ¡°The Spear of Fate did that? I didn¡¯t hear about that bit,¡± said Mister Mellow. ¡°But I did hear that someone had left a spear in that monster¡¯s mouth¡­is there any connection between him and the person behind today¡¯s murder?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that bit, unfortunately. But it¡¯s possible that the person behind today¡¯s murder knew that there was a spear-wielding mana-user around those parts and used a spear to make us think the culprit was that mana-user,¡± said Claud. ¡°Either way, you should be careful when pursuing any clues.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Mister Mellow replied. ¡°In fact, we only just found out that Tot¡¯s probably a being who predated the Third Godsfall. We were intending to travel to Licencia, since everyone wants to be a duke, but now¡­¡±


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    ¡°Good choice,¡± Claud encouraged. ¡°Still, didn¡¯t you hear that our primary suspect, the Spear of Fate, was defeated in a confrontation against Tot? Why were you still headed to Licencia?¡±


    Mister Mellow blinked. ¡°He was defeated?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡± Claud frowned. ¡°It¡¯s old news, relatively speaking. Anyway, the poor fellow didn¡¯t even get to see Tot; Zulan Patra was shouting a challenge when he was abruptly injured for no obvious reason. He then fell from the sky and everything.¡±


    ¡°¡­How have I not heard of this?¡±


    That, actually, was a rather good question. Claud frowned as he pondered that fact; now that he thought about it, how was it that news about two tri-folders fighting above Licencia had made it to Nachtville, but nothing about Tot¡¯s inexplicable victory over Zulan Patra had? He hadn¡¯t quite forgotten his interaction with a bunch of mercenaries a few days ago; they clearly didn¡¯t know about Tot¡¯s recent¡­achievements.


    Not like they were actually true or anything, but Claud had a feeling that dissociating himself from the public expectations and understanding of ¡®Tot¡¯ was a very good idea for his mental well-being and safety. For him to keep up a believable lie, he must stay as Claud; ¡®Tot¡¯ had to be a separate being that had no relations to the person called ¡®Claud¡¯.


    ¡°Is it possible that someone¡¯s suppressing the news on purpose?¡± Claud wondered out loud.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Mister Mellow looked distracted, and Claud saw no reason to keep him from running off with the unexpected news.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± said Claud, ¡°you and your party should be quite busy, so don¡¯t let the need to keep up with a passing acquaintance keep you here.¡±


    ¡°True. I suppose I just wanted to talk to a familiar face,¡± said Mister Mellow. ¡°I¡¯ll run off now. May we meet under a better moonlight.¡±


    ¡°The same to you,¡± Claud replied.


    The guard, whose face was now white with what probably was fear, followed Mister Mellow as he went on to the next room. Claud could even hear the guard explain to Mister Mellow that they had interrogated the inhabitant inside ten times, and the master thief shook his head in sympathy as what seemed to be the eleventh prepared to unfold.


    Claud closed the door behind him, just in time to avoid the unfortunate sight.


    ¡°You seem rather interested in spreading the truth about Tot,¡± Lily observed, her violet hair on full display. ¡°Why?¡±


    The master thief tilted his head, before replying with an answer he¡¯d prepared some time ago. Granted, he didn¡¯t expect Lily to be the one who asked him that question, but it would seem that he had either made her suspicious or curious.


    Or both.


    ¡°Well, the last time someone came to challenge Tot, some buildings went down,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Did you forget that the Spear of Fate decided to destroy some buildings while he was challenging the Thief of Time?¡±


    Lily blinked twice, and then looked away. ¡°I forgot.¡±


    ¡°Forget it. At least no one was harmed,¡± said Claud. ¡°As a Blessed of the White God, Zulan Patra probably had enough awareness to actually not kill innocents. We can¡¯t say the same for the next challenger, though. That¡¯s why it¡¯s best if we spread the news about Tot.¡±


    ¡°You have a point,¡± Lily conceded. ¡°And, now that I think about it, the more the people know, the better the chances of Isolde¡¯s mistress being forgiven are. If we can help Princess Dia by spreading the truth¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s another plus point, I guess,¡± Claud replied. ¡°If that ever comes to pass, she¡¯ll probably leave with her mistress, right?¡±


    ¡°Probably. We would all miss her, but nothing can compare to the safety of Princess Dia. Isolde would also be able to return to her normal life.¡± Lily chuckled. ¡°It¡¯ll be rather disappointing if she doesn¡¯t let us visit the Lustre Palace, though. I want Princess Dia to sign on my handkerchief! Oh, and a book, I guess.¡±


    ¡°You lot really are ardent fans of the Lustre princess, eh?¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°Why are you such a fan of hers?¡±


    ¡°Well, Princess Dia saved my life long ago,¡± said Lily.


    ¡°How?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Well, long ago, when I was a kid, I brought my brother into the forests of Julan¡­¡±


    The story that followed was a depressing one. Lily had recounted the story of an exploration gone wrong, one in which Lily herself had almost failed to make it out alive. Her brother, however, had intervened in the last moments to let her escape, and that was when Lily came across a bunch of knights executing a request for the princess.


    The monster was slain, but her brother had been mortally wounded. Nonetheless, without those knights, Lily would never have gotten to hear her brother¡¯s parting words. Ever since then, Lily had held gratitude towards Princess Dia, as her knights had at least allowed her to hear her brother¡¯s parting words.


    It was a coincidence, true, but who was Claud to criticise the reason behind Lily¡¯s support?


    Offering some words of consolation, the master thief wondered about the reasons the others had, and then made up his mind to ask the others when time permitted.


    Yawning twice, he picked up the small strings and nets that he¡¯d used to lay down some traps for any intruder. However, before he could set them up, an uproar burst out from the room next door.


    As the inn stirred into motion, Claud exchanged glances with Lily, and then began to barricade the door.

 Chapter 86: The interrogation next door and the undercurrents below

    ¡°Why am I not surprised by that reaction of yours?¡± Lily asked.


    Claud, who was busily bolting up the door, glanced up at her. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because you¡¯ve seen how I operate over an extended period of time. Safety first, curiosity killed the cat, and there¡¯s always a tomorrow.¡±


    He glanced at the wall. It didn¡¯t seem too sturdy, which meant that if Mister Mellow actually attacked, it would probably shatter after one or two hits. The first impact alone would probably send lots of fragments flying over; an unlucky fellow could die from it.


    Using one of his many defensive artefacts, he placed a barrier over the wall that divided his room from the next.


    ¡°Is that truly necessary?¡± Lily asked. ¡°The chances of the wall going down doesn¡¯t seem all that much.¡±


    ¡°You would be right. The chances of them fighting, of the wall breaking, and of a flying fragment inflicting a fatal wound, are all very low. But sometimes, the Moons just feel like frowning. And when they do, even fatal coincidences might just appear.¡± Claud took out another artefact and reinforced the rest of the walls. ¡°This is extreme, and it detracts from the available usage tomorrow, but I find it an acceptable trade-off.¡±


    ¡°So¡­the only reason why you didn¡¯t barricade the door with a barrier earlier was because it wasn¡¯t an acceptable trade?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And how do you compute that?¡±


    ¡°Do I need to?¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Yes! Of course! Using artefacts to block off the door just needs you to press a single button! You spend fifteen minutes setting up the whole thing, and then tear them down in a hurry if people drop by. You then spend another ten minutes untangling, before setting it all up again.¡± Lily clicked her teeth. ¡°That¡¯s an epic waste of time.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m rushed for time, though,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We¡¯ve been staying in this room doing whatever we want.¡±


    That reply took the wind out of her sails.


    ¡°Still, if I get enough artefacts, I wouldn¡¯t mind dedicating one to the explicit purpose of securing the windows and doors,¡± Claud added. ¡°But until I become rich enough, we¡¯ll have to make do with strings and knives.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t a certain someone spend lots of gold in buying all kinds of artefacts?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Come on, you¡¯re not as poor as you claim to be. Even a fool can see that. Besides, no one buys this many defensive artefacts as you do! And they don¡¯t even help you to earn money better!¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t?¡± Claud, who had just fortified the ceiling and the floor, looked up. ¡°That¡¯s dumb.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª¡±


    ¡°Look, anyone who is richer than me has got to have a longer lifespan, right? Why aren¡¯t they acting appropriately to protect it?¡± Claud asked. This was a question that had bugged him time after time. There was absolutely no loss for mana-users and nobles in enhancing their defences; if Lily¡¯s extended family had invested appropriately in emergency defences, they wouldn¡¯t have been obliterated with a well-placed bomb.


    ¡°Why would we do that? It doesn¡¯t help them in getting stronger offensively, nor does it enhance their ability to make more money,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Nobles are most concerned with improving their strength ¡ª mana circuits, offensive weapons, money. Defensive artefacts that preserve one¡¯s life do not enhance one¡¯s ability to improve their strength.¡±


    ¡°And how did that work out for your family?¡± Claud asked.


    Lily cleared her throat. ¡°That¡¯s cheating, and you know it. Besides, how would you have defended against a blast of such magnitude? They can¡¯t have their defences on at all times, right? They¡¯ll still die if they were caught off-guard.¡±


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    ¡°If they had done everything I said, they would never be off-guard,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Subsequently, they would have been prepared to use all their life-preserving methods at a moment¡¯s notice, thereby saving them.¡±


    ¡°For some reason, I really doubt that. But enough about us for a moment. What¡¯s going on over there?¡± Lily asked.


    The two looked at each other, before Lily went over to place her ears on the barrier Claud had called up. After a few seconds, she glared at Claud.


    ¡°Your barrier¡¯s making it hard to listen through,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Can you take it down?¡±


    ¡°Some weapons are known to penetrate wood and stone with absurd ease,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And there¡¯s at least one mana-user in there. I would really prefer knowing less over running the risk of getting killed by a weapon or wooden splinter.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°No buts,¡± Claud replied. ¡°That¡¯s how it is. Do you really want to run the risk of getting offed due to a set of unlucky coincidences?¡±


    ¡°Come on, that¡¯s too extreme.¡± Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°Seriously, no one in Grandis is as cautious as you.¡±


    ¡°Which is regrettable,¡± Claud replied, ¡°but it does make for good politics. After all, since people die so easily, upheavals happen more often. If Ruler Umbra had invested in as many defences as I did, he probably wouldn¡¯t have died this quietly.¡±


    ¡°Never mind, forget I asked.¡± Lily sighed. ¡°You¡¯re really fixated on your safety.¡±


    The master thief eyed her as she placed her ear back onto the barrier, before doing the same. The thin layer of mana did impede his hearing somewhat, but it was more than enough to at least pick up on any audible conversations¡­which was an adequate description of the conversation next door.


    ¡°How did this impede you from hearing?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°They were talking in near-whispers earlier, okay?¡± Lily replied. ¡°Shush. Go focus on the conversation.¡±


    After making a mental note to bop her on the head later, Claud returned his attention to the conversation next door.


    ¡°¡­three days ago,¡± said a gruff voice.


    ¡°In the earlier interrogations, you said four,¡± Mister Mellow replied. ¡°Why this discrepancy?¡±


    A low murmur filled the room at those words, which was probably the peanut gallery making some sounds of distrust as they prepared to lynch the poor fellow.


    ¡°I forgot,¡± the gruff voice replied. ¡°I¡¯ve been stuck in this town for the past few days. It¡¯s natural that I forgot about a day or two.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an acceptable excuse, but why did you not say anything initially when the guards asked if you were a mana-user?¡± Mister Mellow went on. ¡°What exactly are you afraid of, sir?¡±


    ¡°People are scared of us. If I said I was one, everyone would think I¡¯m the murderer,¡± the gruff voice replied. ¡°Look around you! All these insects are thinking the same thing! If you didn¡¯t come here as an investigator, they would fear you!¡±


    The murmurs vanished.


    ¡°See?¡± the gruff voice continued. ¡°And then, to prove my innocence, they¡¯ll make me go hunt down the murderer. Even though I have no obligation to. Isn¡¯t it the same for you?¡±


    The voice paused, its quality changing somewhat. ¡°The Dusk Daggers are here for the explicit purpose of hunting down a murderer, or a group of them. But how many among you have approached his party, seeking out a chance to make use of them? Huh?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not irrelevant,¡± the gruff voice cut Mister Mellow off. ¡°I¡¯ve already said my piece over and over. One tiny discrepancy and my status is enough for those guards to knock on my door ten times! Ten Moon-damned times! What, am I too nice to bully? Should I act like a stereotypical mana-user? Should I have killed him for even trying to question me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not¡ª¡±


    ¡°And it isn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t cooperate. But you¡¯ve disturbed my sleep one too many times! If you want to fight, I¡¯m more than willing to!¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you.¡± A new voice spoke, one filled with arrogance. If Claud didn¡¯t get it wrong, it belonged to the leader of the Dusk Daggers, Hulid. A Named, whose title was apparently ¡®Edgeless Night¡¯. They had met before in the wilderness; having demanded a bowl of soup from Lily and Claud within moments of their first meeting.


    ¡°Leader?¡±


    ¡°What a fine mess you¡¯ve created. Being nice just means that other people can crawl over you, Haber.¡± A snort followed those words. ¡°Useless fools watching the show. Scram, or I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    The sounds of hurried footsteps filled the air, and the floor shook as people fled.


    ¡°You there. I don¡¯t know, and I don¡¯t care who you are. We¡¯ll ask a few questions, and we won¡¯t bother you anymore,¡± said the arrogant voice.


    ¡°You said it,¡± the gruff voice replied. ¡°Ask.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your cooperation.¡± Hulid paused. ¡°Haber, handle the rest. Don¡¯t keep us waiting.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Footfalls followed as the Edgeless Night left the room. Claud glanced at the closed door as he swept by, his mind pondering the dynamics within the Dusk Daggers.


    It would seem that Hulid was a rather¡­overbearing party leader. Was there something he could exploit from this fact? Claud didn¡¯t quite know, but it was interesting to find out.


    ¡°¡­here to capture Princess Dia.¡±


    Claud, whose attention was currently divided, shook as he heard a familiar name. He glanced at Lily, whose eyes were also full of shock, and then turned his full attention to the room.


    ¡°The fugitive princess?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Word on the street is that she¡¯s at Licencia, but¡­¡±


    Licencia?

 Chapter 87: The benefits of being forced...

    The seven-day week that Grandis and the other nations used were named after the Coloured Gods¡­or at least those that made up the rainbow. Bluegott, therefore, was the fifth day of the week, in accordance with the order of the colours in any given rainbow. It was generally a day that many looked forward to, as it signified the last day of the working week and the beginning of any revelries that might take place.


    For Dia and the others, however, this particular Bluegott wasn¡¯t a good one. Count Nightfall had formally extended an invitation to the Moon Lords to attend a ceremony; details had come in a day ago. An investiture of the Moon Lords as the underworld protector of Licencia, in charge of maintaining law and order of the city¡¯s dark side.


    There were many benefits in doing so; the list Farah had created was around two pages long. For instance, with the official backing of Count Nightfall, their status as the ruler of the underworld was guaranteed. Organisations of all kinds, so long as they wanted a stake in the city, would have to pay attention to them and offer them benefits. This was an excellent means in which wealth and strength could be generated.


    Other things included the ability to mobilise the city guards, in case some passing folder took a fancy to their wealth, as well as a tax-free promise by Count Nightfall. Beyond that, benefits like first dibs on trade routes and others were also on the table.


    Yet, Dia and the others didn¡¯t quite like the idea of being tied to Count Nightfall. That man was now very aware of the fact that there was an organisation of mana-users sitting around, and from the discussions that had gone on for the past few days, it would seem that he wanted to absorb them into his personal troops.


    It wasn¡¯t as if the count didn¡¯t have mana-users of his own, so his overly-generous recruitment package had made Farah wonder if there was a trap or something within them.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Dia?¡± Farah, who was reading the newspaper with a cup of iced tea in her hands, asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m just wondering if I should get you guys to use ¡®Isolde¡¯ instead,¡± Dia replied. She didn¡¯t want to bring up the topic that had given the countess a major headache, and more importantly, Schwarz wanted to accept the count¡¯s offer.


    That last bit was something Farah didn¡¯t know about, though. Schwarz had gathered Dia and Risti for a clandestine meeting while Farah was having a bath; he wanted to accept the count¡¯s offer to help Farah. Everyone knew that the countess¡¯ lifespan was drawing to an end, and he didn¡¯t quite like the idea of their contract coming to a premature conclusion.


    Therefore, while Farah was enjoying herself in the bath, the three of them had come to an accord that they would join up with Count Nightfall to secure a steady channel of lifestones.


    As for Claud and Lily, well, the bartender was quite certain that they would approve of his choice, and Dia agreed. The only problem was Farah¡¯s problematic personality; if she ever found out that they were agreeing to bind themselves to Licencia for her sake, she would throw a fit and probably point out that doing so was superfluous. In fact, the bartender had done a squeaky impersonation of Farah if she ever found out about the true reason; that was the deciding factor behind Dia and Risti¡¯s support.


    Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t like they had much of a choice, a fact that had been communicated to Farah over and over.


    ¡°Your name, eh?¡± Farah mulled over Dia¡¯s thoughts, clearly unaware of what she was actually thinking about. ¡°True. If you look like this and call yourself Dia, Count Nightfall might just decide to arrest you instead. In a sense, you would have failed your task really successfully.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°What should I do?¡±


    ¡°¡­Do we really need to call you Isolde again?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not, honestly.¡± Dia frowned. ¡°It¡¯ll just be a mess.¡±


    ¡°Actually, we already have a plan. We actually have quite a lot of funds lying around now,¡± said Farah. ¡°Therefore, we can get some rather nice artefacts for you to change your appearance with; didn¡¯t Claud get a Band of Duplicity? There¡¯s one on the way to Moon Mansion now; you can use it once it arrives via courier.¡±


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    ¡°Do we even have forty thousand gold?¡±


    Farah chuckled. ¡°We have a bit more than that. In fact, the bartender also had the same concern, since you¡¯ll be appearing in public. He was also worried that you would be drawing attention you couldn¡¯t handle; it¡¯s one thing to be a double of Princess Dia in an underworld organisation, but another to be a double in public.¡±


    ¡°What, did Schwarz gather you and Risti for a private talk?¡±


    Farah blinked twice. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    For a moment, Dia wanted to ask if the bartender also made a high-pitched impersonation of her, but refrained from doing so in the end. Farah was a sharp-witted one; if Dia ever said that, she would immediately connect her words to the possibility of the bartender meeting the others behind her back.


    ¡°Just a lucky guess,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I should thank him later.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Aren¡¯t you going to refuse or something, while making some odd sounds?¡± Farah asked.


    That son of a¡­Dia kept her face pleasant. ¡°Now, why would you think that? To refuse help from well-meaning friends does not reflect well upon the individual. It would be infinitely better to thank them for their help, and then make a note to repay them where possible. That¡¯s the true way of nobility.¡±


    ¡°I-is that so?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Of course. Emperor Grandis didn¡¯t dither when Rulers Umbra, Distancia and Roza offered him command of their forces, did he? In fact, if I remember correctly, he simply accepted their help in silence,¡± Dia replied. ¡°And when the Third Godsfall ended, he thanked them by making them second only to him.¡±


    ¡°You have a point,¡± Farah mused.


    Dia nodded, satisfied that her words were probably to have some impact on Farah¡¯s personality. ¡°That¡¯s the true way of a noble. To be like an ocean; accepting all and returning more.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, I think you might be the true Dia yourself,¡± said Farah, a smile on her face. ¡°Didn¡¯t she say that at a social function three years ago?¡±


    I did? That was probably why those words rolled off her tongue, then. Dia rubbed her nose. ¡°She did? If she did, I¡¯m probably just parroting them to you, hahaha.¡±


    ¡°But she didn¡¯t use your illustration,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I didn¡¯t quite understand what she meant when she said true nobility was like an ocean, until you gave me the example of Emperor Grandis. You¡¯re lucky, I guess. To be able to hear her words of wisdom and interpret them correctly is a benediction from the Moons.¡±


    Getting up from her seat abruptly, Dia headed over to the nearest window.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing.¡± Dia still couldn¡¯t get used to the sincere, heartfelt adulation that came from Risti and the others, which meant that the glass window was suddenly a very fascinating object to examine.


    ¡°Really? You¡¯ve been acting oddly today,¡± said the countess. ¡°Ah. You must be worried. You should get some rest. Just sit down and wait for the item to be delivered.¡±


    Since Farah herself had provided a good reason, Dia listened to her words obediently and returned to the table.


    ¡°What are the others doing?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Risti and Schwarz are busy pouring through the intelligence we¡¯ve gathered. Remember that three-headed snake in the news?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s haunting the only routes that Claud and Lily can take to return home. Other than that, it seems that there¡¯s also a spate of unsolved murders ongoing in the area.¡±


    ¡°Murders?¡±


    ¡°Nothing to do with us, but if the culprit isn¡¯t brought to justice, the route to Julan won¡¯t be a safe one,¡± said Farah. ¡°We won¡¯t be able to develop our income infrastructure this way.¡±


    ¡°What suggestions do you have?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Well, since we¡¯re going to align ourselves with Count Nightfall, Schwarz intends to get the count to interfere in the area,¡± said Farah. ¡°Send some troops to police the area and all¡­while charging every village on the way for the expenses.¡±


    ¡°Devious.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said. Anyway, the two of them are busy thinking up ways to better gather money,¡± said Farah. ¡°After all, if most resources are concentrated in Licencia, there¡¯s going to be far less sitting around for Duke Istrel to use, right? In fact, we¡¯ve already made encroachments into the capital of Istrel itself, just that we haven¡¯t reared our head yet.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that too fast?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Not really, no. Licencia always had trade routes open to Istria. We¡¯re just making use of them now,¡± said Farah. ¡°We¡¯ve been very low profile in doing so, however. It¡¯s technically treason.¡±


    ¡°It is treason,¡± a voice corrected. ¡°But we¡¯re earning quite a bit from it.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Schwarz.¡± Farah glanced at the owner of the voice. ¡°Looking quite dapper, aren¡¯t you? Isn¡¯t it too early to be in such a getup?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t worn anything formal for a very long time,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Thought I might need to get used to it.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Farah patted her own cheeks and puffed herself up. ¡°Just a few hours to go, then. Why don¡¯t you pour us a drink?¡±


    Schwarz rolled his eyes. ¡°Fine, fine.¡±

 Chapter 88: Irony and responsibility

    After a while, Risti came in with a little package in her hand. Without much ado, she passed it over to Dia, who glanced at it. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the Band of Duplicity we got for you,¡± said Farah. ¡°Be thankful, okay?¡±


    Dia smiled at everyone. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Well, we can¡¯t have you failing at your task when we¡¯re about to be revealed to the public, right?¡± Schwarz, who was mixing two liquids together, looked up and replied. ¡°Farah, have you come up with a backstory and name yet? Knowing Nightfall, your true identity¡¯s might just come to light tomorrow if you still go by ¡®Farah¡¯ or lack a backstory.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s that formidable?¡± Farah asked, her brows furrowed. ¡°No one but you people know who I am, though.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about that? Are you certain that no one called you Countess Farah while we were outside, or when people that weren¡¯t us were around?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Never think something¡¯s impossible. No one expected us to shoot down a tri-folder, but here we are.¡±


    ¡°¡­Point taken.¡± Farah closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°What do you suggest, then?¡±


    ¡°Assuming that you want us to continue using your name¡­well, you¡¯ll have to maintain your Princess Dia disguise, at least. During the ceremony, there¡¯ll be some people that¡¯s probably going to approach you and ask about your motivations for joining the Moon Lords. Count Nightfall might even do it himself.¡± The bartender thought for a moment. ¡°You ¡ªand the same goes for everyone else here¡ª must answer with a fact that doesn¡¯t reveal the truth. No matter how you answer those questions, you must be honest in doing so.¡±


    ¡°Lie detection, then.¡± Risti puckered her lips. ¡°How crass.¡±


    ¡°Crass, yes. But effective. That¡¯s all that matters, really.¡± Schwarz¡¯ smile was cold. ¡°Lies tell as much as facts. If someone lies enough, and those lies are picked up by a discerning one, what remains can only be the truth.¡±


    The bartender wasn¡¯t wrong. Dia had heard and seen one or two interrogations; the best way to not leak out anything was to not speak. Those who were inexperienced, yet steadfastly loyal, would yield to pain and spout out falsehoods. Egged on by the receptiveness of his or her interrogators, the poor sod would help cross out possibility after possibility, until the truth remained.


    Many a rebellion or crime had been put to an end that way.


    The experienced ones would tell truths that were overall lies, while suffering little to no repercussions for it. Those who were resigned to death, would just bite their tongue and never speak again.


    Such was the power of truth-seeking skills.


    Putting on the Band of Duplicity, Dia cast around for a model to emulate¡­only to realise that the others were Dia-lookalikes. Using them as a model would do little for the physical appearance.


    Risti giggled. ¡°Dia, why don¡¯t you modify the other identification factors first? We can deal with appearance while we¡¯re on the streets.¡±


    Rubbing her nose, Dia focused on the other Moon Lords and activated the Band of Duplicity. It didn¡¯t take long before her scent, voice, mana and life signature had been altered, which would be enough to convince most pursuers that she really wasn¡¯t Princess Dia.


    Still, how did it come to this? She had to not seem like the real Dia, and yet, to play her claimed role well, she had to be a satisfactory double. However, with an upcoming public ceremony, she had to now distance herself from any hints that she might be the real deal to prevent capture, which was her original goal to begin with.


    ¡°What a mess,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Did you say something?¡± Schwarz asked.


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    ¡°No, nothing.¡± Dia did a twirl and looked at her reflection in a nearby window. She seemed the same, but there was something now profoundly different about her. ¡°Would the Shadows of Grandis still track me when I¡¯m like this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very good question,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°But since we don¡¯t know how they operate, it¡¯s not something we can answer so far. Still, if they¡¯re using the conventional identification factors, they¡¯ll never lock on to you again. But they should be aware of artefacts that enable changes to these things, so you must still be on your guard.¡±


    ¡°Claud would probably be more excessive, though,¡± Farah added. ¡°He¡¯ll probably say that one¡¯s not enough, or there¡¯s probably ways to wear the Band of Duplicity without it being obvious.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about those, but he¡¯s definitely going to warn Dia about things that detect artefacts,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Remember the entrance into Moon Mansion? Yeah, he got me to install artefact-detecting artefacts in them. Disguise artefacts will be highlighted if you¡¯re wearing them inside.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that going to be a problem for me?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just need to adjust it later. Gotta wait for Claud, though. Only he has the rights to change the artefacts¡¯ settings.¡± Schwarz rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°Well, it¡¯s almost time for the ceremony.¡±


    ¡°You mean the pre-ceremony negotiations,¡± Farah corrected.


    ¡°They¡¯re the same thing, really. Come on, let¡¯s get cracking. The count¡¯s waiting for us with lots of benefits,¡± said Schwarz.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t get tangled up by them.¡± Risti got up and followed Schwarz out. Exchanging looks with Farah, Dia followed the others as they left Moon Mansion. Although the ceremony would start at dusk, Count Nightfall had requested for their presence, to iron out some kinks and ensure a harmonious cooperation¡­even if it was just on the surface. Hosting the public ceremony after the negotiations was a display of his goodwill and lack of ill intent; if something did happen to Dia and the others during the negotiations, the citizens of Licencia would know about it.


    That, according to Farah, was why she didn¡¯t see this cooperation as that much of an issue, compared to Schwarz. As for how correct or wrong she was, Dia had no idea, but her words made a lot of sense.


    The bartender did agree that nothing was probably going to happen to them during the negotiations, but as a friend of Claud¡¯s, he was naturally prepared for as many contingencies as possible. Dia could foresee an amusing scene at the entrance of the Nightfall Palace, but despite her words, the bartender wasn¡¯t having any of her warnings.


    Walking out into the main streets of Licencia, Dia found herself struck by the extent of destruction. The tri-folder that had fought with Count Nightfall had used the skill Arms Master, or something similar. The effect augmented the user¡¯s attacks, turning even basic swings into life-reaping strikes that had a huge area of effect.


    And it showed.


    Ruined buildings dotted the place, and construction efforts were still on-going. Unlike the ultra-rapid renovation of Moon Mansion, which had cost several times the usual amount, the count was taking the repairs slowly, probably due to the cost. All kinds of relief stations were open, with makeshift shelters and food dispensaries for those affected by the sudden disaster.


    Life had to go on, no matter what.


    Dia burned the scene into her eyes. It wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯d visited disaster sites, but all of them were natural ones. This was the first time she¡¯d seen a man-made calamity fall upon innocent lives, and she couldn¡¯t help but think that it was their fault.


    After all, they were the ones who had sent the letter that had started it all.


    ¡°Dia?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Are you feeling guilty about all these?¡±


    Dia turned to look at the countess, who had a placid expression on her face. ¡°How can you remain so calm, in the face of so much destruction?¡±


    ¡°When you consider that a very possible alternative is a protracted battle between us and Nightfall, one that we have almost no chance of winning, it¡¯s not that hard,¡± Farah replied. ¡°And those deaths cannot be blamed on us. If the tri-folder didn¡¯t have Arms Master, or chose not to use it, nothing would have happened. We are responsible for the direct consequences of our actions, not the intentions of others in doing so.¡±


    Tearing her gaze away from Farah, Dia looked around. She knew what Farah meant. Grandis¡¯ law held only consequential actions accountable. Things that occurred due to one¡¯s choice. It did not account for actions taken be affected individuals, especially ones that were destructive and criminal in nature. Dia knew the theory very well.


    And yet, she didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°We can¡¯t do anything about it,¡± Farah went on. ¡°But we can at least strive to ensure that the conditions that created this tragedy will never happen again.¡±


    ¡°All this happened because Count Nightfall had his eye on us,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°In a way, yes.¡± Farah looked around impassively. ¡°But whatever happened next was never within our control. Chaos cannot be controlled. You know that as well as I do. The moment we chose to send that letter, things were going to happen.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°Therefore, stop beating yourself up for it. Besides, we also authorised such a course of action. Not just you.¡±


    Schwarz doubled back and shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were the leader of the Moon Lords. Until you are, this guilt isn¡¯t yours alone. If you want to blame yourself, you have to include us too. Oh, and Claud. Especially Claud.¡±


    Chuckling, he went on ahead.

 Chapter 89: Reactions

    Farah and Schwarz¡¯s words were probably the reason why Dia stopped feeling too guilty, but there was no helping the sorrow she felt whenever she looked at the uncovered bodies. Count Nightfall was offering those affected help in the form of food and shelter, but there were some people who were unlucky enough to have never made it out.


    The bodies of such people were still being unearthed, even three days after the disaster. It wasn¡¯t just her either; the others had also lost the spring in their step as they neared the town square, which was full of bodies laid out in neat lines. These bodies were covered by blue sheets with three emblazoned moons on them; it was said that the light of the three moons would appease and calm the souls of the vengeful dead.


    After all, having died in such a fashion, what could those people be if not vengeful?


    The town square, which was also home to centralised medical and administrative services, was crowded by both the living and the dead. The former stood in lines, hoping to gain some form of reimbursement or aid to continue their shattered lives. The latter laid in lines, their family and friends grieving their eternal departure and seeking closure.


    Forcing herself to take in a deep breath ¡ª which stank of both death and decay ¡ª Dia followed the others in forging onwards. She, like Risti, Farah and Schwarz, did not look around more than necessary. Whether they felt pained or not Dia had no idea, but she could tell that they too didn¡¯t want to confront the aftermath of the happenings three nights ago.


    Guards posted to keep order stared at Dia and the others as they soldiered on to the Nightfall Palace, which was now in view. Dia herself had never seen it up close, and this was a rare opportunity to observe the place up close.


    The Nightfall Palace was a typical castle. Walls connected four towers, creating a medium-sized compound in which a mansion was built in. These towers were manned by soldiers standing around the battlements at their roof, and Dia could faintly see huge ballistae installed there. The mansion, like those towers, were painted with a coat of azure paint, one just pale enough to not seem obtrusive.


    Right now, in the backdrop of this disaster made by the Shadows of Grandis, the colour scheme of the Nightfall Palace seemed rather appropriate.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re almost here,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°Remember what to say and what not to say. In doubt, let me or Farah handle it.¡±


    His gaze was directed at Dia for some reason, and she bristled inside. However, instead of proving his point by questioning his words, Dia let it slide and nodded along with the others. After all, the bartender didn¡¯t know who she was; a person who had been trained to be a body double wasn¡¯t supposed to know how to approach something as delicate as this.


    Schwarz was probably thinking something along those lines when he looked at her. Dia wasn¡¯t quite sure, but for him to be thinking of something this sweeping, it could only mean that he was very much on edge.


    Normally, the bartender was a lot more nuanced.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t linger around the front gates for too long,¡± said Farah. ¡°His guards are beginning to feel uneasy. Let¡¯s go report our arrival to them, lest they ¡ª and their master ¡ª get the wrong impression from us.¡±


    After saying those words, she took the lead, Schwarz beside her. Farah, in her Dia disguise, was quite a striking person, and the guards around the gate seemed to wobble slightly as she closed in on them.


    ¡°P-purpose?¡± said one of the guards, who was sporting a helmet that was slightly more embellished than his fellows.


    ¡°We¡¯re from the Moon Lords,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Invited here at the behest of Count Nightfall.¡±


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    ¡°Do you have a document to that effect?¡± the guard asked.


    Schwarz reached into his pocket and took out a piece of paper that had been neatly folded. The guard took it with both hands and unfurled it gingerly, and his pupils turned into blurs as he looked through the paper. Seconds later, he folded it back and returned it to Schwarz with both hands, before turning to the others.


    ¡°You lot open the gate and then stand guard. I must escort the count¡¯s important guests into the castle. Don¡¯t let anyone pass unless they¡¯re also valued guests,¡± said the guard.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Turning to Schwarz and Farah, he dipped his head and said, ¡°Please, follow me. The count is expecting your presence.¡±


    Dia liked how the guard wasn¡¯t the sycophantic type, unlike some of the flattery-prone guards she¡¯d seen guarding the entrances of other nobles. Interestingly enough, the latter kind of guards were most prominent among the unlanded nobles ¡ª gentries, knights and baronets liked those kinds of guards the most. It was an observation she had made during her incognito travels around the Lustre Dukedom, which was definitely for official purposes and not to try out snacks and confectionaries.


    It did hint at Count Nightfall¡¯s nature and the type of person he was. One¡¯s personality was very much separate from their mana circuits; just because the count was a tri-folder didn¡¯t automatically mean that he was a good person.


    ¡°Lords and ladies,¡± the guard abruptly said, ¡°thank you for saving my liege¡¯s citizens.¡±


    ¡°You know what we did?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t?¡± the guard replied. ¡°Everyone knows how the Moon Lords, despite the illegalities surrounding the installation of siege weapons in civilian zones, chose to step up and shoot down the person threatening the lives of everyone in Licencia.¡±


    Dia froze. The assortment of messy, disordered flowers around them ¡ª they were in an enormous garden ¡ª seemed to mock them for a second or two.


    ¡°The¡­illegalities?¡± Schwarz asked. His body jerked once or twice, before turning to look at the others in fright. ¡°Right, I forgot about that. It was a tense moment, after all, and we were just thinking about how to help.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± The guard waved his hands frantically. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, my liege has no intention of pursuing this incident! The fact that you chose to expose the siege weapon to save his people has touched Count Nightfall greatly, and he is prepared to thank you the best he can!¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Risti murmured at Dia¡¯s side, ¡°this does account for the very excessive reception we got from the count.¡±


    Dia nodded. It didn¡¯t seem like a ploy, if they operated by this logic, but they were making a rather bold assumption that the count was indeed using such a line of thinking. Although it did account for the count¡¯s broad and thorough support of the Moon Lords, such a line of thought was not necessarily exclusive to other reasons too.


    More importantly, it was possible that this guard had been placed here precisely to mislead them.


    ¡°I see,¡± said Schwarz. His neutral tone ¡ª which, to Dia and the others, implied that he was guarded against the little guard¡¯s words ¡ª was reassuring, and she could see the others relax somewhat. From what she heard about the count, Dia knew that he was a crafty one; she, along with the others, didn¡¯t really believe that Count Nightfall was going to be sincere in his dealings with a bunch of one-folders.


    Of course, he could very well be sincere too, regarding his citizens, so the general consensus was that they weren¡¯t going to go in with too much of a pre-conceived notion.


    Leading them past another set of gates, the guard led them over to a gazebo, where a rectangular table made of rich oak had been set out for them. Drinks and food, each a treat in its own right, were laid out on both sides on the table, with one more set at the end.


    The servants that were standing around the table pulled out the chairs in a single coordinated movement, and then retreated ten steps away from the gazebo. Only one of them remained, the one who was standing behind the chair at the head of the table, and she bowed slightly a moment later.


    ¡°Members of the Moon Lords, my lord bids you welcome, hospitality and safe passage.¡± Her dark red hair fluttered in the windless afternoon as she spoke, her eyes a pool of placid darkness. ¡°Count Nightfall will be arriving soon. Some¡­unpleasant matters pertaining to the battle a few days ago have tied him up.¡±


    Was that a hint? Dia didn¡¯t quite know, and judging from the looks the others were sporting, neither did they.


    ¡°No matter,¡± Schwarz eventually replied. ¡°It is our honour to be here in the first place. And Count Nightfall is a busy person. For him to be late is very natural.¡±


    That reply elicited a little smile from the woman.


    ¡°Your words are very kind, Sir Schwarz.¡± A voice came from above. As it echoed into the surroundings, a subtle pressure began to weigh down on Dia¡¯s shoulders.


    A seemingly young man, clad in a cloak and uniform that seemed to be cut out from the twilight sky, took the seat at the head of the table. His lips twitched as he looked at Dia and Risti, but he didn¡¯t comment on how they looked very much like a certain princess.


    ¡°Welcome, Moon Lords, to my Nightfall Palace.¡± Count Nightfall smiled. ¡°Shall we dig in?¡±

 Chapter 90: Cornering and cooperation

    Dia ran through the instructions Schwarz had provided for all of them, in the hopes that they could deceive the count, and forcibly went against her usual eating habits that had been drilled through years and years of formal dining. It was especially hard, since all the usual tools of the trade was placed on the table, and she found herself fixating on the fork and spoon in order to ignore the other utensils.


    She could feel the keen gaze of Count Nightfall and his companion sweep past her and the others. Did they notice the habits that high nobility exhibited at a formal dinner in her? Dia didn¡¯t know, and nor did she dare to let out any hint that she was paying attention.


    Separating out a large chunk of salmon, she raised it to her mouth and used that opening to look at the others. Schwarz and Risti didn¡¯t have much problems fitting in; they were eating without any reserve. Farah, however, was fumbling magnificently with her food; if Dia didn¡¯t know any better, she would have thought that the countess didn¡¯t actually know how to use the finer, more specialised utensils.


    It didn¡¯t take long before they were done, since none of them was eating slowly with the kind of grace that should have been afforded to luxurious food. Dia didn¡¯t quite like that fact, but they didn¡¯t have all that much of a choice. Schwarz and Risti clearly weren¡¯t all that trained in fine dining, while she and Farah were acting like normal people with all their might.


    The clinking of utensils on plates stopped, and


    Count Nightfall chuckled as he picked up a glass of red wine and raised it in their direction. ¡°A toast to the saviours of Licencia.¡±


    Like the others, Dia mechanically raised her own glass and sipped at it.


    ¡°Cheers!¡±


    ¡°Cheers!¡±


    After a round of toasts, the Count cleared his throat. Setting down his glass, he leaned back on his chair. ¡°Once again, thank you very much for your aid a few nights back. Folders with Arms Master are natural disasters in a city, and I did not even know that Rickens had that skill. If he did¡­¡±


    His face darkened for a moment, and the count turned away. ¡°Either way, the Moon Lords have helped to save the population of Licencia. By the time you acted, over two hundred had died; if you hadn¡¯t extended your assistance when you did, the number of deaths could have easily been ten times of that. Assuming, of course, I managed to put him down.¡±


    ¡°No need for thanks,¡± Schwarz replied, his voice brusque and yet as smooth as butter. ¡°This is my city too. I live here. Helping out when disaster strikes is something anyone would do.¡±


    ¡°But you did more than that,¡± the count replied. ¡°And that bit more is so much more deserving of thanks than anything else. Thank you. On the behalf of my citizens.¡±


    Dia felt a bit uncomfortable at those words, and she had to push herself slightly to maintain what everyone had deemed to be the appropriate expression for today¡¯s events: solemn, with a touch of melancholy. It wasn¡¯t all that hard, considering that they had just witnessed a scene of grief.


    Accepting the count¡¯s heartfelt thanks was the harder bit.


    ¡°Think little of it,¡± said Schwarz.


    ¡°Very well.¡± The count smiled. ¡°Now, I¡¯ve extended an invitation to alll here to discuss what I deem as a suitable reward for the Moon Lords. You might have come here with the intention to reject any benefaction I bestow, but I cannot have that. The hearts of the people will grow cold, even if the Moon Lords explicitly lay it out that they rejected it of their own volition.¡±


    Dia stopped herself from narrowing her eyes. The count was, essentially, cutting off any last route of retreat that she and the others might have been harbouring. Of course, since they were intending on cooperating with Count Nightfall to begin with, it wasn¡¯t that big of a deal, but the way the count had insisted on their partnership was somewhat fishy.


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    ¡°Pardon me for asking,¡± said Farah, ¡°but is this truly the only reason? I cannot help but think that you have some ulterior motives in strongarming such a partnership.¡±


    Her words were brash. This wasn¡¯t something anyone had agreed on, but Farah wasn¡¯t the kind to act rashly in situations like this. She could be insensitive, and she used to be quite condescending towards normal people, but Farah had mellowed out over time.


    If she acted like that, it could only mean that the countess saw a straightforward question as the best way to move forward. Dia, who was no newcomer to diplomacy, could vaguely understand why Farah did what she did, but¡­


    It wasn¡¯t just her who was shocked, either. The others were showing varying degrees of surprise and fear, even the woman that was standing behind Count Nightfall.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Count Nightfall slapped the table and guffawed. ¡°Fascinating, fascinating! So many people have come before me, but you are one of the rare few who dare question my intentions.¡±


    Wiping his eyes, the count patted tapped his forehead, an action that drew everyone¡¯s gaze to his face. Now that Dia was looking at the count directly, she couldn¡¯t help but note that his eyes were a dark purple, a purple that stared at Farah with an incredible intensity.


    ¡°I apologise if I have offended you.¡±


    ¡°No, you haven¡¯t. It¡¯s just¡­I haven¡¯t been questioned directly to my face by a social inferior for a very long time,¡± said the count. ¡°Nostalgic, really. As for the answer to your question¡­well, I shall be frank, then.¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡± the woman behind him asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you about¡ª¡±


    ¡°Drop that,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°Whatever that happened is all under the bridge now.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts,¡± the count replied, before turning back to Farah. ¡°So. My intentions. Grandis is undergoing a period of unrest. For the first time since the Empire¡¯s founding, a Ruler has died. Murdered, perhaps. I dare not seek out the truth. But war is on the horizon. Duke Istrel will become Ruler Istrel.¡±


    ¡°Count, are you referring to the rumours of war?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°So, you know. As expected of the Moon Lords, who have already moved to install ballistae, military ones at that, before the price shot up.¡± The count smiled. ¡°Yes. I am referring to the rumours of war. The future ruler¡¯s vassals have already been informed to mobilise for war, one without precedent. And I, as a tri-folder and as a count anointed by Ruler Istrel, must join the war.¡±


    ¡°You want us to take part?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°What? No. No. Rather, what I need are people who see and place the needs of my citizens above their own considerations,¡± Count Nightfall replied. ¡°You dared to expose your ballistae in order to stop Rickens. I believe you lot qualify.¡±


    Dia glanced at the others, their eyes full of shock.


    ¡°Are you sure about that? What if we had nefarious intentions?¡±


    The count chuckled, and then grinned at the woman behind him. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s say you have nefarious intentions. What can you do against me, a tri-folder?¡±


    Blue light, one so intense that it physically hurt to look at it, danced around his finger. The burst of mana vanished seconds later, leaving behind a harmless-looking count. ¡°Children have the right to be wilful, but recognise that none of you can qualify to harm me whatsoever. And besides, it¡¯s not an easy job.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°The dukedoms of Umbra are mobilising their troops and the troops of their vassals,¡± said Count Nightfall. ¡°This presents an incredible opportunity for nobles with expansionist desires; as we speak, I have sent out agents to nearly every single county and barony in Istrel. My peers are doing the same; the region west of Licencia is full of folders and vanillas hoping to disrupt law and order there.¡±


    That open, candid admission of Nightfall¡¯s own ambitions left everyone else speechless, and the count chuckled at that sight. ¡°My main point, however, is that this city would, like every other city, be a battleground wreathed in shadows. As independent folders, the Moon Lords are not expected to take part in the upcoming war¡­which frees everyone present to secure the city from unscrupulous folders.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you want us to do?¡±


    ¡°In a way, it is but a logical extension of what you have done. Even if I did not say anything, the moment I bring my subordinates out for war, Licencia¡¯s underworld would see multiple incursions by one-folders,¡± said Count Nightfall, his voice filled with fatigue. ¡°Consider this invitation a blessing and license from me. Enforce order for me. Protect my people. And you shall be duly rewarded.¡±


    ¡°A contract to that effect has already been prepared,¡± said the woman behind him. ¡°It is a very generous one.¡±


    The count smiled. ¡°Truth be told, I have no intention of forcing the Moon Lords into this. It was something she made me say. I prefer giving people a choice where possible.¡±


    The woman behind the count smacked his head, and then turned to everyone else. She didn¡¯t say anything, but intuitively, Dia understood that this was the crossroads of choice.


    She glanced at the others, and as one, they gave their reply.

 Chapter 91: Of thieves and time

    ¡°What in the name of the Moons were the others thinking?¡± Claud uttered, his eyes on the newspaper.


    ¡°I told you that you¡¯d be interested. See? Money well spent.¡± Lily stirred her bowl of porridge, before scooping up a spoonful. Puffing on it lightly, she swallowed the spoon¡¯s contents gingerly, before wincing.


    ¡°Well spent, yes. Very well spent.¡± Claud stared at the headlines. It was news about a ceremony two days ago, one in which Count Nightfall officially inaugurated a group of meritorious mana-users as the defenders of Licencia. That news was nice and all¡­if not for the fact that those mana-users were actually Schwarz and the others.


    It was such big news that it was placed on the front page of the newspaper, only below the ongoing emergency that was the three-headed snake. Last night, while Claud and Lily were just lazing around in their rooms, that snake had fought a battle with an unidentified mana-user. The latest reports from the scouts of Nachtville were that there was now an extra axe embedded on the second head of the snake.


    ¡°What happened to the others, though?¡± Lily wondered out loud. ¡°And what about us?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a darn good question,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We¡¯re part of the Moon Lords, but I have a feeling that Schwarz left that detail out on purpose, so as to not involve us.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a nice guy.¡±


    ¡°Dude¡¯s a bartender,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Being nice and considerate is part of his job description. If he wasn¡¯t, Triple-D would have closed long ago. There¡¯s a reason why his place is so popular, even though the drinks are trash.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen that side of him, though. When we were at his bar, he would just wipe his cup absent-mindedly, talk to customers for a few minutes, and then get them their drink.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s where you¡¯d be surprised. The master uses those few minutes to sieve out their troubles, offer excellent advice, and then promote his drink, all in that order.¡± Claud glanced at his baked potato and took a tentative sniff at it.


    ¡°All that in what, three minutes?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why he¡¯s a bartender and we¡¯re his patrons,¡± Claud replied. ¡°That guy, I swear, he can actually read minds. Or your thoughts, anyway. Unhappy? He¡¯ll note it immediately. Lonely? He¡¯ll lead you over to other lonely people and provide a conversation starter to boot.¡±


    Lily had an odd expression on her face, which turned into a contemplative one as she ate more porridge. Claud didn¡¯t quite get what she was thinking about, and he wasn¡¯t one to ask, so he finally decided to get started on the potato. As usual, none of his poison warding artefacts activated, which meant that he was as safe as could be.


    Scoffing down his potato, Claud was about to start on the skin when Lily glanced at him. ¡°Don¡¯t eat the skin.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, potato skin¡¯s poisonous,¡± Lily replied. ¡°My mother said so.¡±


    ¡°Your mother¡­¡± Claud cupped his chin. ¡°Come to think of it, you never did mention your family.¡±


    ¡°My mother and my brother,¡± Lily replied, her voice flat. ¡°That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°If I remember correctly, your brother¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lily replied. ¡°My mother too. My¡­birth father killed her for no reason. He was always a bloodthirsty man. Hot tempered, vicious. He deserved to die at my hand, along with the family that made him that way.¡±


    Claud shivered slightly, but Lily, who was now engulfed in memories of the past, didn¡¯t notice. ¡°One morning, my mother had been strung up in the air, a spear through her throat. She was just hanging there, in front of my door. No one said anything. Just a small, simple funeral.¡±


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    The smile that followed was an emotionless one. ¡°It would seem that my father found out that I was investigating his family, and the missing cases. Perhaps he decided to let the me back then live because my mother¡¯s body was enough to satiate his bloodthirst.¡±


    Claud reached out and patted her on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t be.¡± She nodded her head slowly. ¡°It¡¯s a reminder to me that I did a good deed in killing off my family. Without it, I might have gone insane eventually. How about you, Claud? What was your family like?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    Her words dredged up some memories. A woman, whose face was lined with age, lying down on a bed in a darkened room. Her feeble cold hands, which transmitted the warmth of family when they touched his face. Her quiet wish for her son to live forever.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who my father is,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Customary, really. Debts, grudges, vendettas¡­all these make up the underbelly of Licencia. My mother¡­she was a sickly one. Never had much of a lifespan. Passed away peacefully when I was a teenager. She liked playing very intellectual games. Taught me a lot of things.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for bringing up those memories,¡± Lily replied, and Claud couldn¡¯t help but note that it was her turn to apologise. He had a feeling that if they went on down this route, they would just keep taking turns to apologise, turning this bright Violetgott morning into a dismal one.


    ¡°It¡¯s just fair,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Come to think of it, how did we even get into this topic in the first place? It¡¯s too dark for a nice morning.¡±


    The two racked their brains for the answer, only to drop their search after a few minutes of silent contemplation. Returning their attention to the newspaper, Claud and Lily looked through the article on Licencia together, picking out the details of what exactly happened two days ago.


    After scanning it for the third time, Claud leaned back on his chair, his head throbbing painfully. There was absolutely no clue as to why the others accepted his offer; Schwarz was one who took his plans seriously. The stack of contingency plans and measures he¡¯d created before he departed from Julan had a very high chance of working, if all the conditions were fulfilled, so why did the Moon Lords submit to Count Nightfall?


    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily asked. ¡°You don¡¯t look so good. Are you alright? Did you not rest well last night?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s just that I¡¯m wondering what exactly happened. I left a set of very thorough plans behind when we departed; this was not an outcome I¡¯d expected. Something that I couldn¡¯t foresee must have happened, and I¡¯m worried about the others.¡±


    ¡°Plans?¡±


    ¡°Very thorough ones, yes. They came with a surprise too. I¡¯m all out of them now.¡± Claud chuckled as he thought about the stack of extra-strong Area Compulsion skillstrips he¡¯d included in the envelopes.


    ¡°What surprise?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much, really.¡± Claud felt the smile slide off his face ¡°So long as they followed my plans to the letter, everything should have been fine. However, since something like this happened¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll know when we return, wouldn¡¯t we?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Let¡¯s not think too hard about this for now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the right mentality to adopt,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s precisely because we don¡¯t know anything, that we need to overthink things and plan for as many scenarios as possible. We only have one life. It would be a pity if we wasted it because we didn¡¯t want to think too hard about it.¡±


    Lily paused at those words, and then looked away. ¡°You have a point there.¡±


    ¡°By nature, we are all lazy people,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We try to put off as many things as possible, preferring to laze around and do nothing. But that¡¯s just doing a disservice to ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you¡¯re always working?¡± Lily asked. ¡°You¡¯re always making things like skillstrips, skillsticks, tools¡­how far have you even gotten into the novel I lent you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m at chapter fifty,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Nearing the end.¡±


    ¡°Where did you get all that time from?¡± Lily asked. ¡°That¡¯s not possible!¡±


    ¡°Making tools and imbuing skills aren¡¯t particularly tough things to do,¡± Claud replied. ¡°After a while, you learn to multi-task. There are many things you can do while making a bola or some caltrops, you know. It¡¯s not like you need both hands for that, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re unreasonable,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Alright, fine. I get your point. But what kind of plans should we be making?¡±


    ¡°Well, broadly speaking, there¡¯s a few possible reasons why Schwarz agreed to be Count Nightfall¡¯s subordinate,¡± said Claud, producing some writing utensils. ¡°First, it¡¯s possible that the contract between the count and him is one that is overly advantageous to us. Second, everyone¡¯s been controlled or compelled in a manner that would facilitate their subordination.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there any middle ground?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°If there is, it¡¯ll just be a mix of the above. However, if Schwarz and the others really entered into an agreement due to an advantageous contract, there won¡¯t be an issue. However, if they were coerced or compelled to do so, our return trip would be a dangerous one.¡± Claud closed his eyes for a moment. ¡°We will return to Licencia and hope that it¡¯s the former case, but we must make preparations for the worst-case scenario.¡±


    ¡°And how would we do that?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Using some pieces of paper,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We¡¯re going to do some shopping today.¡±

 Chapter 92: The commotion at the east gate

    Talismans. A derivative of skillstrips that produced a far weaker effect, but due to the low load on them, had an infinite lifespan. As a rule of thumb, talismans were the cheapest to procure, since the only skills that could be imbued on them were skills that improved or weakened certain stats of their target. Furthermore, only one skillstrip could be imbued at any given moment, but for talismans, it was possible to make thirty of them with a single skill.


    Claud, whose wallet was depleted after going on a spending spree not too long ago, was currently holding on to a solid stack of talismans, thumbing through them to check their numbers.


    ¡°Are these talismans really all that useful? Their effects are so weak, I don¡¯t even know what to think about them,¡± Lily griped. ¡°Using even one gold to buy up their entire stock is nothing short of a waste.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know when we¡¯ll arrive at Licencia, so standard skillstrips are no good,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Besides, you can use the whole stack together to create an effect rivalling a skillstrip.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not pulling your leg here.¡± Claud took out a batch of Aura-boosting talismans. ¡°These talismans are Aura-boosting talismans, designed to enhance one¡¯s seeming might. However, the original skill they came from was actually Intimidation; anyone who uses that skill would have an overwhelming presence. If you stack these talismans together, you get that effect.¡±


    Lily eyed the talismans in his hand. ¡°You only have ten of them, though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, these ones are defective,¡± Claud replied darkly. ¡°One of these talismans turn your presence into that of a tri-folder. Walking into a forest with them on is a death sentence through and through.¡±


    ¡°Why did you buy it, then?¡±


    ¡°Look, I didn¡¯t take it out just for you to ask me questions I don¡¯t want to answer,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway, if you tear open all ten at once, you¡¯d turn into a walking zone of fear and dread.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s useful, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t want to make friends, then it is,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s just a trade secret. Talismans, when used together, can actually replicate the original skill. Granted, they only work on skills that boost or weaken a particular aspect or ability, but it¡¯s nice to have skillstrips that don¡¯t expire at times.¡±


    Unfortunately, his skills weren¡¯t the kinds that could be boiled down into more mundane bits. Presence Nullification would be weakened, which took away the main point. The others¡­well, they just didn¡¯t work. Flight, Binding Order, Cleanse and Absolute One were all skills that did something, rather than enhancing a certain aspect of their target.


    He¡¯d tried it before, and the end result was lots of Presence Weakening talismans to sell. They were quite popular with thieves, from what he knew, but they couldn¡¯t be sold for much. Good control and awareness could do the same, and more.


    Of course, one more reason was that it was impossible to tear thirty pieces of paper within a few seconds. Otherwise, Claud would have been walking around with stacks of Presence Weakening talismans in his pockets, since they didn¡¯t have a use-by date.


    ¡°So, for what reason did you buy so many Protection from Projectiles talismans?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Well, when used in sufficient numbers, the Deflector skill activates,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s a skill that¡¯s very effective against projectile weapons like arrows and throwing knives. Makes projectiles miss you entirely.¡±


    ¡°And why arrows and throwing knives specifically?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot harder to guard against arrows and sharp projectiles, compared to a sword-wielding bunch of fellows,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Sneak attacks are the hardest to deal with in my book. Swords? Yeah, nothing that dangerous.¡±


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    ¡°For some reason, I get the feeling that you¡¯re looking down on me,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too hard about it.¡± Claud gave her a playful wink, and then checked through the next stack of talismans. The ones here were known as Hardening talismans, which made one¡¯s skin stronger. Using thirty of them would result in the Ironflesh skill, which was quite self-explanatory.


    All in all, the master thief had procured lots of defensive talismans, all to coordinate with his defensive artefacts. He would give some to Lily right before they entered Licencia, in case a small army of enemies decided to shower them with sharp gifts of love and subordination.


    ¡°We still can¡¯t quite hit the road yet, though,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Damn that snake. If I ever see it, I¡¯ll give it a¡ª¡±


    The town bell rang at this moment, interrupting his words. Startled, he looked around the place as a frantic clanging penetrated the relative silence of Nachtville.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Soldiers, each of them gripping a spear and a shield, were dashing past them, into the direction of Nachtville¡¯s eastern gate. Moments later, mercenaries burst out of the inns and taverns of the little town, weapons all drawn.


    ¡°That Tri-Head Snake has been spotted! Don¡¯t let it get away!¡±


    ¡°It only has one head left! Kill it and we¡¯ll be rich!¡±


    All kinds of shouts and roars filled the city as the mercenaries charged over to the city gate, hot on the soldiers¡¯ heels. The fervent atmosphere was incredibly contagious, and Claud found himself on the verge of following the others. Before he could move, however, a chill spread out from his trousers, and the ardent blaze in his heart extinguished.


    That presence¡­Crown?


    His trousers twitched at that thought, a movement that cleared up the fog in his mind. A lethargic feeling had settled down in his head at some point in time, something that Crown¡¯s sudden movement had dispersed.


    Shaking his head, he stretched out his right hand and placed it on Lily¡¯s shoulder. Cleanse activated a moment later, causing a look of befuddlement to float onto her face, and like him, she had to clear her head slightly.


    ¡°Wow. They¡¯re quite high-spirited, aren¡¯t they?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Either that,¡± Claud replied, his eyes narrowed at the odd phenomenon, ¡°or a skill to rile everyone up was used. We weren¡¯t all that affected, given our proximity, but still¡­¡±


    Lily frowned. ¡°That¡¯s possible too, isn¡¯t it? In that case, have they actually thought through their next actions? Or are they just charging for the sake of doing so?¡±


    ¡°Good question,¡± Claud replied, his mind drifting back to the little box. ¡°Fortunately, I was wearing some artefacts that protected the mind.¡±


    That was a lie, of course. Such things were were fairly rare ¡ª Claud had done his research on resisting mental skills ever since he received Area Compulsion skillstrips; but this was the first time he¡¯d directly felt such skills being used on him.


    Whatever skill that had been used on those mercenaries was clearly a potent one. Simply by being on the periphery of the excitement, Claud had already considered the thought of joining in to be natural. If skills that affected the mind were actually this subtle¡­


    Claud trembled. He couldn¡¯t help but think about a conversation he¡¯d shared with Dia a while ago. A conversation regarding the existence of sub-folders, and their conspicuous absence within the common folk. Were the common folk also affected by a similar skill?


    He didn¡¯t know.


    Nor did he dare to think about that. He was too small, too weak. If something this huge was forced upon the people of Grandis, the Emperor probably knew.


    It was possible that the Emperor had to approve of it too.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the east gate,¡± said Claud.


    ¡°What?¡± Lily stared at him. ¡°Are you alright? Is that skill working on you?¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t.¡± Claud narrowed his eyes. ¡°But I¡¯m worried about something. Let me ask you: who will benefit the most if the mercenaries in this town overestimated themselves and died to kill a three-headed snake that was just passing by?¡±


    ¡°The person behind those recent murders!¡± Lily narrowed her eyes. ¡°Maybe¡­the person who used that skill earlier?¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking. Besides, vanillas against a tri-folder monster¡­it¡¯s going to be a massacre. We might be able to do something if we¡¯re there.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± said Lily. ¡°And it¡¯s not like we¡¯re the only folders out there either, right? We might not even need to step up. Still¡­I didn¡¯t expect you to have a heroic side too.¡±


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s a hero until their life is threatened,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m no exception. If things go bad, I¡¯m probably going to make a break for it. Just a word of warning.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d probably try to bring me along, though. There¡¯s no need to warn me, is there?¡± Lily asked. ¡°After all, you did help Dia when she was attacked last time.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t know that I was helping her until the whole thing blew over,¡± Claud replied. ¡°If you refuse to run, what can I do? Knock you out and carry you to a safe place? Point is, if I have instructions, you should follow them no matter what.¡±


    ¡°Okay, got it.¡±


    ¡°Really? Well, whatever.¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s go see what¡¯s exactly happening at the eastern gate, shall we?¡±

 Chapter 93: Awakened

    Nachtville¡¯s east gate was full of mercenaries by the time the two arrived. The crowd was stoked with fervour, with mercenaries all yelling and roaring as they squeezed through the gate. Claud shuddered as he took in that sight ¡ª it was one of the best hunting grounds for anyone who wanted to kill people. Other than the ease of access towards targets, a simple, well-placed shout would easily create a stampede.


    ¡°Stop,¡± said Claud, holding out his hand.


    ¡°Why?¡± Lily asked, skidding to a halt behind his outstretched arm.


    ¡°You promised to listen to my instructions,¡± Claud replied, ¡°but I suppose I should teach you about ways to avoid stupid deaths. See that huge crowd there? In general, huge and packed crowds are really bad. An assassin can slip close to their target and their target wouldn¡¯t even notice, because it¡¯s natural to be in close proximity to other people in such crowds.¡±


    Lily frowned. ¡°Holding a weapon in such a crowded area¡¯s going to draw suspicion, though.¡±


    ¡°Would you notice someone who¡¯s holding a small knife in the crowd?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. You don¡¯t need to use an unsheathed sword to kill someone. A knife at the neck or other sensitive bits would work as well. And no one¡¯s going to notice. By the time your body hits the ground, the assassin would be long gone.¡±


    Suppressing a shiver or two, Lily took a deep breath.


    Claud snorted. ¡°Good that you can see that. And there¡¯s a second reason for my hatred of big crowds.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that reason?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Stampedes,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Imagine if someone were to shout ¡®murder¡¯ in that crowd. What¡¯s going to happen?¡±


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s going to flee¡ªoh. Oh! I get it now!¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Claud replied. ¡°This is a good hunting ground for those warped murderers. That¡¯s why we aren¡¯t stepping in. See those who are hovering around the gate? They¡¯re also aware of the danger. Unfortunately, it would have been better if there were more of these people, though.¡±


    ¡°Stampedes caused by a false alarm¡­sounds like a horrible way to die.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Claud replied, looking down at the ground. There were lots of footprints there, and¡ª


    ¡°Claud?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± the master thief asked. ¡°I¡¯m looking at footprints.¡±


    ¡°Put that aside for a moment! We have a huge problem! A huge scaly one!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Claud looked up, and his eyes widened moments later. ¡°Moons¡­Lily, follow me slowly. We¡¯re taking steps back. Lots of steps back.¡±


    He had just been thinking that the rumour of the three-headed snake¡¯s sighting was just a red herring, meant to distract the others as the murderer offed someone, but now¡­


    As they backed off slowly, the snake roared, its uninjured head looking down on the city gates. The pebbles around Claud shook from the mere sound of it, and the mercenaries stuck at the gate froze up. The master thief couldn¡¯t blame them; even at a distance, both him and Lily had stopped moving from that roar.


    Forcing his legs to move, Claud grabbed her hand and pulled her away physically. That seemed to do the trick; Lily¡¯s legs began to move after a baby step or two, and they continued to retreat back. The three-headed snake hadn¡¯t shown any aggression yet, presumably due to its fear of the Emperor¡¯s decree.


    However, Emperor Grandis was far, far away. There, in front of it, within striking distance, were a bunch of mercenaries. Claud knew that to monsters, human meat wasn¡¯t appetizing at all, but what if someone decided to provoke it by attacking?


    Like, say, a bunch of very scared people?


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Lily asked. ¡°You look horrible.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t answer her. Right now, he was occupied by an incredibly primal urge to kill that thing, and he didn¡¯t know why. The prospect of people dying was not something he found palatable, true, but the urge to kill this snake was¡­different. Crown wasn¡¯t responding to it either, and he¡¯d even snapped a Cleanse skillstick to no avail.


    ¡°This is bad,¡± said Lily.


    Claud nodded. ¡°They look like they¡¯re on the verge of firing a few arrows. Lily, do you have those bombs that you used to blow up your family with? I think we might need them very soon.¡±


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    ¡°I don¡¯t have the required materials,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Darn it.¡±


    Instead of struggling with the compulsion, Claud decided to go against his rational desires and obey his instincts, and the stifling agony faded. After all, the snake probably wasn¡¯t all that much of a big deal if he could punch it while Absolute One was activated. Combining that with Presence Nullification would ensure the snake¡¯s death through and through, but there was a problem.


    Lily was by his side. She was an intelligent person; if he abruptly vanished and the snake died a horrible death, she would probably harbour a suspicion or two. It wouldn¡¯t be an issue in the immediate future, but the same couldn¡¯t be said for the next few months and years. Suspicions would pile up in her mind, and eventually, the right piece would fall in.


    She would then wonder about the kind of skill Claud had used to create such a miracle, and then ask questions he didn¡¯t want to answer. In return, he would have to lie or something, which would leave gaps.


    Sometimes, the easiest way out is to leave¡­and then return.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to leave for a moment,¡± said Claud. ¡°Left a bunch of items in the inn. We might be able to help Nachtville put up some resistance if I get my hands on them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going back to get artefacts?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t take all of my defensive artefacts with me earlier, since I thought we were going for a simple walk. If I have them, we¡¯ll be able to mount up some defences if that snake tries to attack the town.¡±


    That, naturally, was a lie. Claud wasn¡¯t the kind of person that would leave even a single artefact that could help in the preservation of his life behind, but he¡¯d given Lily enough reason to think otherwise. After all, they were indeed walking around randomly; the chances of there being a danger to their lives wasn¡¯t all that high.


    He would return to her after dealing with that damned snake with a bunch of artefacts he was already wearing in the first place. Since the gate was in a different direction from the inn they were staying in, it was unlikely that she would notice anything.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep watch for you here, then,¡± said Lily.


    ¡°At the first sign of trouble, what should you do?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Run,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Good.¡± Claud repressed his urge to take a deep breath, and then returned in the direction of the inn. After turning a corner, he tore two skillstrips ¡ª one for Presence Nullification and the other for Flight ¡ª and then took to the skies. From his vantage point, he could see the snake stare menacingly at the city gates for some reason, and Claud felt his skin crawl.


    He didn¡¯t quite understand why he felt the urge to interfere. Was it because he knew that his life would be in danger if the snake committed to an attack? Or was it because he feared that the killer would make use of the ensuing chaos to kill more people and get away with it? Or was it that nagging feeling deep in his heart, a surreal understanding that he had something to gain from making a move?


    He had a feeling that it was something far more¡­nebulous, but if it had anything to do with the gods, there wasn¡¯t anything he could do at the moment. Taking a deep breath, he soared towards the scaly beast, ready to activate Absolute One at a moment¡¯s notice.


    Some part deep within him couldn¡¯t help but note that this was really out of character for him, but Claud knew that at times, going against one¡¯s desires was the only way to go onwards. His instinct was telling him that only by getting rid of this snake could there be progress in seeking out the true danger ¡ª the culprit behind those murders.


    It was also possible that he just wanted to use Absolute One, after so many days of not using it.


    His speed shot up by many folds as the square that represented Absolute One, the square in the top right of his vision, winked out. Mana raged around him, and in that instant, Claud could finally feel what it was like to use that skill as a mana-user.


    [Your skill, FiBoD:E??? has changed into FiBoD:A???!]


    A screen opened for the barest of moments as Claud luxuriated in what felt like pure power.


    The sensation of unlimited mana springing out from deep within him flooded his nerves with ecstasy comparable to eating lifestones, and his fist shone as it bore down upon the snake. No one would see him, right until the moment he struck, and the snake¡¯s visage expanded rapidly as he drew close.


    He could see the spear and the sword embedded in two of its three heads, the glistening scales under the sunlight. Up close, Claud could see for himself the beauty of such a monster and appreciate its incredible size, but that wasn¡¯t going to spare it from a good punch.


    A small Moon gathered around his fist as it fell onto the three-headed snake¡¯s last head.


    Time seemed to slow as it landed on the head, and a massive shockwave coursed down its neck. Claud could see every bit of the monster tear itself apart from the aftermath of his punch. Like a bubble popping, the huge snake came apart a heartbeat later, splattering the ground behind it with fine drops of flesh and blood.


    A torrent of mana gushed out from his outstretched fist, and Claud, acting on instinct, swept it at the remains of the snake. The enormous carcass vanished as the ground beneath took on a fine glassy sheen, leaving behind no evidence that a three-headed snake ever existed.


    The torrent of power from Absolute One began to fade away, and Claud shot to the skies once more, before activating Presence Nullification again. There was still some time before Lily got suspicious, but he was always the kind to play it safe.


    He glanced at his status as he left. Claud could remember the small screen that had popped up as he used Absolute One; it had something to do with the odd skill.


    Name: Claud Primus


    Lifespan: 117 years


    Active Skills: Presence Nullification (8), Flight (5), Binding Order (7), Cleanse (6), FiBoD;A??? (0), FiBoD;A??? (0)


    Passive Skills: DiL???C, Mana Organ


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 1.36


    Mana Control Proficiency: Intermediate


    Comments: A letter changed in that odd skill of yours. What did you do to it? Did anything happen? If you need help, contact a church of the Coloured Gods. They¡¯ll probably assist.


    The person in charge of his status was clearly concerned for him, and Claud felt touched at that fact. Shaking his head lightly, he examined his status. Indeed, the only thing that had changed was how Absolute One, represented on his status as ¡®FiBoD:E¡¯ had changed into ¡®FiBoD:A¡¯, but that was it.


    What was going on?


    He stared at the string of letters as he fled the scene, but there was nothing he could think of.

 Chapter 94: The aftermath

    An agog Lily was staring at the eastern gate with shock when Claud, stumped by the insignificant change, returned to her side. His skill deactivated as he patted her shoulder, and to no one¡¯s shock, she didn¡¯t say anything. Claud couldn¡¯t blame her. The three-headed snake had been obliterated with a single good punch of his, and no one knew what had just transpired.


    Patting her shoulder again, Claud said, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Lily hiccupped, and then turned to him. ¡°You know those artefacts you ran off to get? Yeah, there¡¯s no need to use them anymore.¡±


    She let out another hiccup, and her cheeks flushed lightly.


    ¡°Why? Claud asked, trying to look suitably curious. ¡°And¡­right, where¡¯s that dang snake?¡±


    ¡°Um. Well.¡± Lily shuffled her feet, and Claud wanted to laugh at her response. It was nice to see someone ¡ª and the tens of someone-s at the eastern gate right now ¡ª try to internalise what he had done just now, and it helped that he was in the very position to actually ask her about it without being too suspicious.


    ¡°Go on,¡± Claud prompted, hiding a smile.


    ¡°Well, that snake just exploded, a minute or so after you left.¡± Lily shook her head. ¡°Like, bang. Whoosh. Bam!¡±


    ¡°Very descriptive, eh?¡± Claud chuckled. ¡°Who did it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing. It just exploded out of nowhere. I wasn¡¯t paying all that much attention, but I¡¯m quite sure it just turned into minced meat out of nowhere,¡± Lily replied, her forehead scrunched up. Her current expression was a rather hilarious one, and as she rambled on about how the snake just vanished into thin air or something, Claud found himself wondering if he should make more mysterious phenomena happen around her.


    To be honest, however, it had been out of character for him to act this directly. The emotions and thoughts whirling around his head had reached its peak, along with the unnatural compulsion that had consumed him earlier. Had he waited for another time, or went off to find and finish that snake by himself, Lily might have gotten suspicious.


    The crowd at the gate began to dwindle as the ones right in front ran out of the city to check the murder scene. Claud remembered the scene quite well, since it was still fresh in his mind. There was probably no proof left behind, given that he¡¯d pulverised the snake, and then burned the surrounding area into fine glass with an immense amount of mana.


    He had to check to see if he¡¯d left any glaring clues behind, though. He¡¯d done the above in a second or so, and while the chances of anyone actually capturing his appearance in detail in the half-second of Presence Nullification being deactivated from that attack were really low, Claud might have left some clues behind.


    ¡°Want to check it out?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Check what out? The carcass has vanished. There¡¯s nothing much to look at,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I wish I could have seen that snake explode all over again, though. That was satisfying. The reason why we were even stuck in this town dying such a death felt so good, I want to give that person behind that a good long hug.¡±


    For a moment, the master thief wanted to cash in that hug, a thought he promptly dismissed. Revealing that he had the ability to punch anything into oblivion was by no means a bright move, and being starved of physical intimacy wasn¡¯t really a need he had to fulfil by all means necessary either.


    He was struggling for an excuse that would convince her to check the area out without making himself look suspicious when the crowd now assembled outside the gate made a ruckus.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on now?¡± Claud asked.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°It seems that they discovered something,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Let¡¯s go check it out, then!¡±


    Now that the danger had passed, with the possibility of a frenzied stampede nearly zero, Claud didn¡¯t mind joining in the fun. Of course, he and Lily still made a wide berth around the crowd, and it didn¡¯t take long before he realised that the ruckus was actually about the shimmering, shiny ground he¡¯d scorched out when he attacked earlier.


    ¡°Moons above,¡± Lily muttered, her eyes on the glassy patch of land. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about this legend before!¡±


    ¡°You and everyone else, young lady,¡± said a nearby mercenary, whose eyes were practically glowing. ¡°It seems that Emperor Grandis has heard our prayers!¡±


    Claud stifled a smile, and then went to admire his handiwork. To be fair, it did resemble the Emperor¡¯s warning to all monsters; even the glassy ground resembled the description bards and storytellers gave whenever they sang or talked about the Emperor¡¯s warning.


    Looking around the place, which was smoking hot, Claud tried to locate any clue that he might have inadvertently left. Fortunately, the sudden onset of the crowd as they cooed over the glassy land had probably destroyed anything he might have left behind, assuming he did in the first place, and the master thief returned to Lily¡¯s side shortly afterwards.


    ¡°If only I can be this strong too.¡± Lily squatted down and stared at the glassy ground. ¡°The ground became like this from absurdly high temperatures. A lot of mana was probably directed onto the ground over a very short period of time, thereby creating such a sight.¡±


    Her analysis drew some nods from the mercenaries around her, and Claud found himself inwardly alarmed by Lily¡¯s words. Still, to be honest, it was probably quite obvious that a lot of power had gone into the sudden destruction of the poor snake. Even the sword and spear that had been embedded into the monster¡¯s other heads were missing, although Claud didn¡¯t know if that came from his punch or the clean-up he did.


    Either way, punching that snake had been very therapeutic for him.


    ¡°Right,¡± said Claud, ¡°how many folds must a mana-user have to output such high temperatures?¡±


    ¡°How many folds?¡± Lily repeated.


    Claud nodded. It was a good chance to see if Absolute One could really grant him infinite mana, or if it was gated by something. Skills didn¡¯t have a description, and his own personal claim that it was infinite came from his observation. His earlier use hadn¡¯t shed much light into the true power of his skill, but Lily was an experienced mana-user.


    It was possible that she might be able to give a good estimate of Absolute One.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­actually, I have no idea.¡± Lily shrugged. ¡°If I saw the whole thing up close, I might be able to give a good estimate, but as it is, I¡¯ll just be lying if I said I have a good guess.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Claud felt something in his body deflate.


    ¡°Well,¡± said a rather irritating voice, ¡°scram aside and let the big boys check, girl.¡±


    Claud and Lily turned to the source, a blue-haired fellow who went by the name of Hulid. The fellow had a title, a Named. Claud didn¡¯t know the particular exploits that this Edgeless Night had done to be conferred such a title, but he knew that each and every one of them were not people to be trifled with.


    Placing a hand on Lily¡¯s shoulder, he gently steered her back. He had a feeling that she was on the verge of losing her temper, and the master thief couldn¡¯t blame her. In fact, he was beginning to feel some regret at using his Absolute One earlier; it would have been even more therapeutic to blast this arrogant Hulid into smithereens.


    Dispelling that impossible fantasy of his, Claud cleared his throat gently, so much so that only Lily could hear it. Her shoulders trembled, and she took a step back. The Edgeless Night had quite some space to walk through to begin with, but apparently, his personality was the kind that sought to create trouble anywhere he went, through the worst kinds of words possible.


    In essence, he was the exact antithesis of Claud himself.


    ¡°Hmph. It¡¯s just a lowly snake,¡± Hulid snorted. Behind him, his party members were apologising and sliding through the gaps, but the damage had already been done. ¡°Let¡¯s see here. What exactly happened¡ª¡±


    A choking cry cut the rest of his sentence off, and the man crumpled over, white foam dribbling out and spilling onto the ground. Fortunately, Hulid didn¡¯t fall over onto the shimmering patch of land, or else he would have suffered burns, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that he had been incapacitated for some reason.


    ¡°Hulid?¡±


    ¡°Leader!¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    The rest of his party ran over and turned him over to face the sky. Hulid¡¯s eyes were glazed over, and Claud couldn¡¯t help but glance at Lily.


    The person Claud had dubbed as Mister Mellow stood up and looked around. ¡°What happened to him? Did anyone see it?¡±


    Everyone shook their heads, and the mercenary that had spoken earlier stepped up to recount the events that had occurred earlier. After a while, however, nothing came out of it, and Claud watched as the Dusk Daggers carried their leader back.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s enough for one day,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    To his side, Lily bobbed her head up and down quickly.

 Chapter 95: Homeward

    As the two returned back to the inn, Claud went through the sudden incapacitation of Hulid earlier. The man had dropped like a sack of potatoes right after trying to investigate the cause of the glassy ground, which hinted at the possibility of him using unusual means to do his own investigation.


    Hulid probably had an investigation skill or two. Claud knew that most people liked to say some wiseass quip before they used a skill ¡ª it was human nature to try and act cool right before they pulled out minor miracles for everyone to wow at.


    The problem was the fact that he¡¯d fainted at the moment he presumably used the skill. What did Hulid see? Claud was both curious and worried. For one, this was the first time he¡¯d used Absolute One in a manner that left some traces behind ¡ª on second thought, not scorching the ground would probably have been a better move. More importantly, however, was the express fact that he fainted.


    Claud walked through the city gates with Lily, and then turned to look at her. ¡°Say, do you know what just happened?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°Well, I¡¯m quite sure the culprit behind these recent murders had nothing to do with Hulid¡¯s abrupt loss of consciousness, at least.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°If the murderer could do that, killing him would be as easy as flipping a palm. Why make it so convoluted?¡±


    ¡°Therefore, there¡¯s only one other possible scenario,¡± said Lily.


    ¡°One other?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Why so specific?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­something I heard from Risti. Investigation skills are very powerful, aren¡¯t they? They can pinpoint people¡¯s locations, reveal secrets¡­all sorts of things, depending on the exact skill.¡±


    Claud nodded. In fact, that had been a persistent worry for him, which was why he had made preparations to scatter traces of his lifeforce and mana throughout Licencia. During the bungled heist at Istrel¡¯s treasury, Claud had been forced to use skills in full view of the pursuers. That was the key reason why they had managed to trace his location easily.


    ¡°They are very useful,¡± Claud admitted.


    ¡°Exactly. However, would the gods tolerate such skills being used on them?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Evidence about their deeds remain all over the continent, and it is possible that investigating these pieces of evidence would lead to secrets being revealed.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°That hasn¡¯t happened at all, because there are means to guard or even retaliate against investigative skills,¡± Lily replied. ¡°From what I can tell, the person who killed that Tri-Head Snake probably had such means available to him. That¡¯s the only plausible reason as to why Hulid would faint at such a juncture, in front of our eyes.¡±


    Claud ran through her words for a moment, and his thoughts drifted over to Absolute One again. From the looks of it, that particular skill was designed to guard against anyone inquiring into it, rather than the user in general. The master thief had come to such a conclusion due to the fact that his location had been pinpointed over and over, but there was nothing about the means the Thief of Time employed to survive ritual magic backed by the White God.


    He had wondered about that. Colidra¡¯s words had made some assumptions many people took for granted, that people who predated the Third Godsfall were able to disregard such ritual magic with ease. The mechanism behind such a feat, however, wasn¡¯t mentioned at all, but everyone had automatically assumed that to be the case.


    It was a convenient explanation, but Claud didn¡¯t quite believe that the nobles would take that assumption for granted too.


    After all, nobles were people who pursued power and earning ability first, weren¡¯t they? Lily had attested to that for him, providing a very logical explanation as to why most nobles didn¡¯t invest in defensive artefacts and items. It would stand to reason that these people would be very interested in knowing just what aspect of Tot enabled him to stand against divine-backed ritual magic.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    However, what if they failed to gather any information about his Absolute One?


    That would account for all the vague rumours going on; since there was nothing concrete, all kinds of wild fantasies naturally came into being.


    A whirlpool of thoughts roared in his head, and Claud turned his attention back to Lily, who was looking around the city cautiously. ¡°So¡­you¡¯re saying that Hulid used his skill, and was counterattacked by the person who killed that monster.¡±


    ¡°Essentially, yes.¡±


    ¡°How would one do that?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°And what makes you think that I would know such a method?¡± Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°Just because I know a bit more doesn¡¯t mean I have all the answers, right?¡±


    ¡°Right. Sorry.¡±


    It was a disappointing reply, but as Lily said, that was to be expected. Being able to counterattack someone who was using their skill was apparently something really awesome ¡ª Lily¡¯s current strength was anything but ¡®really awesome¡¯.


    ¡°Claud,¡± Lily abruptly said. ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡±


    ¡°Go on,¡± the master thief replied.


    ¡°Well¡­do you remember the reason why we¡¯re stuck in Nachtville to begin with?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I mean, now that the snake¡¯s pushing up the daisies, shouldn¡¯t we check out and begin our journey home?¡±


    ¡°Right! I forgot!¡± Claud patted his body and checked that the talismans he brought earlier were still on him, before giving a few stacks over to Lily. ¡°Take this first, lest I forget all about them in my anxiety.¡±


    ¡°Just tear them, right?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Effective period of thirty minutes, as per the norm,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s hurry up and check out of the inn. I want to get out of Nachtville as quickly as possible.¡±


    With the leader of the Dusk Daggers incapacitated and his party members presumably in a fluster, this would be the best moment for the killer to strike. He did not want to be caught up with such issues, which were likely to happen in the next hour or two. Furthermore, it would be the best testament to his and Lily¡¯s innocence ¡ª how could people who had left a town kill its inhabitants?


    Hurrying her along, Claud and Lily ran back to the inn and grabbed their stuff. Checking out with as much haste as possible, the two of them scuttled over to the city gate. Fortunately, virtually no one else had the same idea as the two of them, and as the guards waved them past, the master thief heaved a small sigh of relief.


    ¡°Good,¡± said Claud. ¡°We¡¯re out.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Lily. ¡°No more living in inns! We can finally go back home!¡±


    She pumped a fist up, her long black hair dancing in the wind, and the sight made him sigh somewhat. Claud, for some inexplicable reason, found himself lamenting the fact that he wouldn¡¯t be able to wake up to the sight of Lily¡¯s violet hair. As a fan of Princess Dia, Lily would naturally try to look as similar as possible to her idol, which meant that she would rarely return to her true appearance outside of her room.


    Claud sighed once more. He hadn¡¯t asked her about how she treated her hair for it to retain such a great quality yet, and he hadn¡¯t found a good time to either.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Lily asked, her eyes blinking twice.


    ¡°I¡¯m just overcome by emotion,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We¡¯re finally going back home. Proper bathrooms! Huge beds¡­ahem. I mean, I didn¡¯t mind sharing that bed with you. No offence.¡±


    Lily laughed, before smacking his shoulder lightly.


    The master thief winced as a mild pain assailed his body, and then broke into laughter too. This whole trip, from start to end, had been a very wild one. Lily had blown up her family¡¯s house, while Claud robbed her family¡¯s stash of lifestones. They then witnessed a shameless mana-user steal some mana herb from a Tri-Head Snake, and while they sheltered in a town, murders occurred in rapid succession.


    At times, they were spectators.


    In others, the two of them had played a minor role in all this. To Claud, this was a good memory of their time spent together, and he would be lying if he said that he wouldn¡¯t miss the little moments he spent with Lily.


    ¡°This whole trip has been one long and weird ride, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Were you satisfied with its outcome?¡±


    Lily looked at a tall tree to her left and picked up a brown leaf. Staring at it intently, she said, ¡°My goals were all met. To kill one¡¯s own family, no matter how distant and monstrous they may be, is a¡­depressing act. Sometimes, I wondered if I did the right thing. Was there any chance for them to see the light? Could they have repented and turned their powers towards goodwill and kindness?¡±


    She tossed it aside. ¡°I denied them that particular possibility. And yet, I find myself satisfied with what I did.¡±


    Claud considered her words for a moment, and then picked up the leaf she¡¯d discarded. ¡°Sometimes, to save others, one must take up the heaviest of sins. You are in that precise, unenviable position, Lily.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But no matter how others might judge you, know that I approve of your actions,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Even if others find you reprehensible as a result, I will understand and sympathise. Don¡¯t give up on yourself. Live on.¡±


    His words made Lily chuckle. ¡°What are you, one of the Moons? But well¡­thank you.¡±


    ¡°I was in the mood for a nice, stirring speech. That¡¯s all.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°Now, shall we be going?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lily looked up to the sky. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±

 Chapter 96: The Moon Lords first assignment

    ¡°An assignment.¡± Dia eyed Schwarz, and then rolled her eyes. ¡°Barely two days into our new position as problem-solvers for Count Nightfall, and we¡¯re already given work to do? I thought we were supposed to, you know, take care of the city after he departed for the war, not before?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll like this next bit, then.¡±


    Risti, who was enjoying a bowl of mushroom soup, tilted her head. ¡°What¡¯s this next bit you¡¯re talking about?¡±


    ¡°This assignment takes place outside of Licencia,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°Hooray.¡±


    That last bit was said in such a dead voice that a corpse couldn¡¯t have done it better, but after Dia was done badmouthing Schwarz in her mind, she did a double-take.


    ¡°Outside Licencia?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Regretfully, I am very serious. It¡¯s on a peripheral territory, some small town called Nachtville. According to the count, more than fifteen people have been murdered there,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Petitions for aid have been apparently pouring in for the past few days, especially after the group dispatched by the Folders¡¯ Association was rendered useless.¡±


    ¡°And pray tell,¡± said Farah, who had just walked into the room, ¡°what kind of folders are we talking about here? If it¡¯s an investigative group dispatched, I¡¯m fairly certain that they¡¯re of a rather high calibre.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re¡­¡± Schwarz hesitated. ¡°Bi-folders. From what I know, the dispatched team¡¯s leader did something he shouldn¡¯t ¡ª that last bit¡¯s literally stolen from the count¡¯s words. He exhibited incredible levels of terror, before passing out on the spot in broad daylight.¡±


    ¡°What in the name of the Moons was he doing?¡± Farah asked.


    The bartender shrugged. ¡°Investigating how a Tri-head Snake died. From what happened to him, the count says that it¡¯s probably a Blessed of the Coloured Gods, but there¡¯s no concrete proof. Anyway, since the rest of his team is keeping guard over his unconscious form, they are in no shape to actually do any investigation of their own.¡±


    ¡°And the count¡¯s personal guards?¡±


    ¡°Preoccupied with the upcoming war,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? More than ten thousand young men and women joined the Nightfall Army over the past three days, and his personal guards are overwhelmed by the prospect of training alone.¡±


    ¡°What a mess,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Trust a murderer to strike at the best possible timing.¡±


    Risti grunted. ¡°And you¡¯re sending some of us there. Can we refuse?¡±


    ¡°In a sense, yes. I¡¯ll just go over by myself,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°I was intending on getting you and Dia to go along, since you two would make a good pair for investigating and apprehending criminals. However, if you two are willing to take over my jobs while I¡¯m off, I don¡¯t mind taking a break.¡±


    A mountain of papers flashed through Dia¡¯s mind, an image that was swiftly replaced by a bar full of unruly people, and she held her palms. ¡°Now hold on. I didn¡¯t say we weren¡¯t going to do it, right?¡±


    She nudged Risti, who glanced at her in surprise. The latter edged over and said, ¡°Have you already forgotten what happened a week ago?¡±


    ¡°Well, it would be a problem if we mess up his work,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Besides, didn¡¯t you guys get me a Bangle of Duplicity just a few days ago? I can use that, and no one¡¯s going to know.¡±


    Risti tapped her feet. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no getting out of this one. Just look at his face, and you¡¯ll understand.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that bitter, middle-aged man look¡­true.¡± Risti shook her head.


    ¡°Hey! I find that offensive!¡±


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    The two giggled and then turned to Farah. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll head out this evening. Make sure to not let him lay his grubby paws on you, okay?¡±


    ¡°He can try,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I¡¯ll smack him around with a sword.¡±


    ¡°You three are going to make me spew blood one day,¡± the bartender replied, a helpless look on his face. ¡°That said, thank you for stepping up to the plate. I¡¯ll make sure you two get the lion¡¯s share of the rewards after this. The count promised quite a bit of gold and even some lifestones for this.¡±


    Dia had a feeling that Schwarz took up this assignment for that last bit, though. From how Risti was looking at her, it was clear that she was thinking the same. Everyone was quite aware of just how much Farah had left, and pure-ranked lifestones were quite hard to get given their current status.


    She could sense an odd gaze from Schwarz, and she immediately played along. ¡°I don¡¯t really need pure-ranked lifestones now, though. It¡¯ll be better if I got money at hand.¡±


    ¡°Same here,¡± Risti added. ¡°I heard that the Profiteers have some rather interesting artefacts for collecting information. Is it possible to get one or two for me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you two aren¡¯t interested in the pure-ranked lifestones either?¡± Schwarz asked. With a flash of inspiration that should have been faked, he turned to the countess and said, ¡°Right, didn¡¯t you need some pure-ranked lifestones? You could buy them off us, and we¡¯ll place the money in our shared funds.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± The countess blinked. ¡°I was under the impression that Claud would have first say on pure-ranked lifestones, though. In fact, I¡¯m quite surer that it¡¯s under his contract.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a corollary attached,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°But if you don¡¯t need it immediately, we can wait for him to come back. That way, we can make it more official and stuff.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine with me,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°What¡¯s important is openness here,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°And Claud doesn¡¯t have a pressing need to extend his lifespan. In fact, I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s his lifespan like at all.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll¡­go with that arrangement for now, then,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°Great. Thank you so much.¡± Schwarz took a deep breath. ¡°Risti, Dia, come here for a moment. I¡¯ll brief you on the situation so far, and after that, you two should get ready.¡±


    Dia and Risti nodded.


    ¡°Go ahead, then,¡± said Risti, taking out a small writing implement. It was called a pen, something that was very popular with the nobles. Apparently, the first pen was a relic from the previous era, dug out from some ruins, but she¡¯d digressed.


    ¡°First, do you still remember those reports about a three-headed snake? Yeah, it was running around Nachtville,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°There¡¯s no need for alarm, though. Someone killed it two days ago, but the way it died was rather¡­problematic. We ¡ª that is, the count and his officials ¡ª believe that a tetra or penta-folder had struck¡­and that¡¯s also why the folder I talked about earlier fainted. Don¡¯t be like him; don¡¯t investigate the snake¡¯s death.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll refrain from doing that. And we¡¯ll make sure to be extra polite to anyone we see.¡±


    ¡°Glad you got that point,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°More importantly, however, the very presence of this snake probably meant that Claud and Lily¡¯s journey back had been delayed. It¡¯s possible that they might arrive at Nachtville after you, but¡­I need Claud back here as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that the case?¡± Risti asked. ¡°And what about Lily?¡±


    The bartender paused for a moment, his eyes flickering over to Farah. ¡°And her too, naturally. For good reasons.¡±


    Dia placed a hand on Risti¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Got it. Don¡¯t let them take part in this commission.¡±


    ¡°Yes. For one, they haven¡¯t been briefed, and more importantly, the two of them might be fatigued,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Getting them to help out in a murder investigation will place their lives in extreme danger. Get them back, and I¡¯ll brief them on the ongoing situation.¡±


    ¡°Noted,¡± said Risti. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Yes. First, there¡¯s already a team there, who has the backing of the Folders¡¯ Association. For the duration of this assignment, the two of you should consider them as the leaders; report any information and let them handle things as much as possible,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Furthermore, your presence there is simply to help Count Nightfall uphold his reputation and obligations ¡ª do not feel pressured to solve the mystery.¡±


    Dia frowned. ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°In the first place, none of this would have happened if nothing happened to the team sent by the Folders¡¯ Association,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°The count expects us to simply support the Dusk Daggers. By no means is he expecting two people with no professional background in meting out justice to do anything of actual substance.¡±


    Risti and Dia winced at those words. It was great that they weren¡¯t expected to do much, but the fact that such an expectation even existed was also painful to think about, in a sense. For some reason, Dia had the impression that Count Nightfall wasn¡¯t expecting anything when he made that request¡­so why did he even bother to do that in the first place?


    Dia naturally knew the answer, but the heart and the brain were separate organs to begin with.


    ¡°Anyway, my main point is that you two just need to go there and show your face. Risti might be of greater use there, given her skills, so you just need to focus on protecting her, got it?¡± Schwarz tapped his chin. ¡°Claud tells me that you have good foundations as a bounty hunter, so she should be safe in your hands.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Excellent. Go pack up, then. We don¡¯t have that much time either,¡± said the bartender. ¡°And remember to use your Band of Duplicity.¡±


    The two nodded, and returned to their rooms.

 Chapter 97: The investigators, onward

    Dia bustled around the room, picking up every single skillstick and skillstrip she¡¯d produced in the last few days. She had gotten into the habit of imbuing skills after that close shave with death against the Shadows of Grandis, and the habit had only doubled down when the Moon Lords became the second defenders of Licencia.


    It would be foolishness to assume that her life would be a peaceful one from now on, but everything was secondary to survival.


    ¡°Tch. I¡¯m thinking like Claud now, aren¡¯t I?¡± Dia spoke to herself. ¡°I must be insane.¡±


    Checking that all the artefacts she¡¯d brought at Artisan¡¯s Adherence were on her, she stuffed a week¡¯s worth of clothes into her backpack, compressing them with liberal use of mana to make lots of space for other things. It didn¡¯t take all that long before a great deal of her belongings was now crammed into her backpack, and she began to pull on a sensible combat outfit.


    Metal armour at the joints, at the forearms, at the shins, and at the torso. With this much, only mana-powered arrows would be able to injure the more vulnerable bits of her body. For a moment, she pondered on the feasibility of wearing a helmet, but she didn¡¯t like the feeling of it.


    ¡°Never mind,¡± said Dia. ¡°Besides, for me, being unimpeded is more conducive to my survival than heavy armour, right?¡±


    The silent air seemed to agree, and the princess of Lustre buckled four swords to her belt. Sword Roar, as a skill, was incredibly devastating, but the cost of doing so was equally prohibitive as well. It would destroy her sword, no matter what, which meant that carrying spares was better.


    Granted, the hilt her mother gave to her as a present was the only thing that mattered. That said, Dia would use other swords first ¡ª it was the principle of the thing.


    With that, her preparations were done. After one last customary check, she headed down into Moon Mansion¡¯s living room, where all kinds of provisions had been laid out for them.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Risti, who had emerged at the same time, pointed at a stack of small bars.


    ¡°High energy, large portion servings,¡± Schwarz, who was placing a small bar down on the table, replied. ¡°HELPS, for short.¡±


    ¡°Did you come up with that?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Nah, that was all Claud. Bugger likes to play with acronyms,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°Anyway, the name¡¯s quite self-explanatory. These foods are emergency rations. They¡¯re designed to give you energy and nutrients when you can¡¯t find any.¡±


    ¡°That useful?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t recommend eating them all at once, though.¡± Schwarz made a rueful grin. ¡°There¡¯s a reason why the body prefers high volumes of low-energy food, over small bars chock-full of nutrients. Eat this for more than three days in a row, and you¡¯re going to end up with constipation.¡±


    ¡°Noted,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°We¡¯ll try not to eat too much, then,¡± Risti replied. ¡°How do they taste, though?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re very sweet. Kids will love them, as an example. If you¡¯re feeling sad, a bite or two might just cheer you up in a way no other foods can.¡± Schwarz gave a thumbs-up. ¡°Other than that, here¡¯s some portable mushroom soup for Risti ¡ª just add hot water ¡ª and a flask of my best apple juice for you, Dia.¡±


    After taking the offerings from him, Dia exchanged a glance with Risti, and then headed out of Moon Mansion. Slipping on the Band of Duplicity at the entrance booths, Dia made use of Farah¡¯s identification factors as a template and changed her lifeforce and mana signature.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m done,¡± said Dia.


    Risti nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go earn our keep, shall we?¡±


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Waving goodbye to the two in Moon Mansion, Dia and Risti proceeded down the streets of Licencia. All kinds of construction crews thronged the streets ¡ª the city was in the middle of restoration in terms of infrastructure, but Dia could tell that Licencia¡¯s spirit had recovered.


    All kinds of streetside stalls had popped up, especially around the streets that were undergoing the most repairs.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Risti murmured.


    ¡°Wow indeed.¡± Dia resisted the urge to visit one of the many alluring stalls and steered Risti towards the city gates. ¡°But we have a job to do, so wipe that drool off, okay?¡±


    ¡°I wanted a skewer, though.¡± Risti sniffed miserably.


    ¡°What are you, a kid? Listen, real adults can walk down a street full of delicacies and make it out without spending a dime,¡± Dia replied. ¡°That¡¯s just not how you¡¯re supposed to behave, you know?¡±


    Risti made a sad little sound, but to her credit, she didn¡¯t deviate from her route. Forging onwards to Licencia¡¯s city gates, the two fought against tantalising aromas and delectable scents, and by the time Dia arrived at the city gates, the corner of her lips was really wet.


    Licking the drool away, Dia forced herself to join the lines leading out, Risti in tow.


    ¡°See?¡± Dia said, her hand shifting upwards to wipe away any traces of her own saliva. ¡°That wasn¡¯t so hard, was it?¡±


    ¡°Says the person wiping her mouth,¡± Risti replied. From there, they devolved into a minor squabble, which only ended when the two of them stepped out of the city gates.


    There was a reason for this. A city was considered the protected territory of Emperor Grandis; anything that happened in there could be easily construed as an affront to the supreme ruler of the continent himself. Unprovoked murder on the streets fell into that particular category, which was probably why Count Nightfall had to send some people there to at least show his attitude.


    Unfortunately, minor crimes didn¡¯t exactly count as that, but again, if it did, the Emperor and his administration would probably be handing out severe punishments all the time.


    ¡°You ready?¡± Dia asked, her hands activating a persistent defensive artefact, which would create a barrier that protected the user at all times until they were destroyed. They were great for protecting against surprise attacks, since no one could take the user by surprise if they had such defences.


    That said, they provided less protection than their activated counterparts. A strong enough arrow could probably penetrate the barrier, which was a rather reasonable trade-off.


    Incidentally, Dia had a feeling that Claud had persistent defensive artefacts activated at all times, to the point that it was second nature to him. The fact that he never spared much thought to his safety when walking around the city seemed counterintuitive¡­unless, of course, he had been using such defences the whole time.


    ¡°Done,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I have top-down vision of the area around us now. We¡¯re in the clear.¡±


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s go, then.¡± Mana began to course through her body as she broke into a light jog, and the two of them began to mana-walk towards Nachtville. Fortunately, there was already an established footpath, albeit an informal one, and the two made good progress. Tree after tree flashed by as the sun continued to rise, but before it could reach the peak, Dia made a signal to stop.


    Veering off the footpath, the two of them entered the shade of a particularly large tree, panting lightly. Leaning on the bark, Dia looked up and let out a slow sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s wait out the afternoon. Want to have some lun¡ª¡±


    Risti placed a finger on her lips, and Dia fell silent immediately. Sliding over to her side, Dia whispered, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s someone within three hundred metres of us,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Heavily protected with very thick barriers. We should move.¡±


    Dia blinked, but obeyed Risti¡¯s words anyway. Inching away from their current position slowly, the two soon repositioned themselves on the other side of the footpath, far away from the place Risti was cautious about.


    After ten or so minutes, the two found a small clearing, and Risti let out a long breath. ¡°We should be good here.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Dia asked, confused.


    ¡°Well, according to Claud, people who have lots of defences up while they¡¯re resting are rather dangerous people,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Other than those defences, he also said that there are likely to be many traps around the area, so it¡¯s better to avoid being in the vicinity where possible.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Dia rubbed her nose, and then sat down. ¡°Well, we should be fine here, then. We¡¯ll wait out the noon sun and get some food into our tummies while we¡¯re at it.¡±


    ¡°That sounds great. I¡¯m starving.¡± Risti rubbed some sweat off her forehead. ¡°Still, to think there¡¯s someone who would throw out so many defences just for a break¡­I suppose that¡¯s living proof that there are other people like Claud out there.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°The world¡¯s quite a dangerous place, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Now, why would you say that?¡± Risti asked. ¡°People like Claud probably won¡¯t do things like murders and whatnot. That¡¯s too dangerous for them, right?¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Shaking her head, Dia pondered on their lunch. ¡°What should we have for lunch? Do we go with one of those¡­uh, pre-packed meals?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one of his new inventions, right?¡± Risti asked. ¡°It should be fine.¡±


    She produced one such pre-packed meal and glanced at the instructions on it. ¡°Huh. I don¡¯t even need to start a fire, eh?¡±


    ¡°No cooking needed? Well, that¡¯s a first¡­¡±

 Chapter 98: Getting to know each other

    Nibbling on a very odd mix of dried mix and gooey mush, Dia couldn¡¯t help but reminisce about the great meals she had back in Moon Mansion, and in her old life. Granted, it didn¡¯t taste all that bad, but there was so much salt and lemon juice in her pre-packed meal that it drowned out the meatiness of her lunch.


    It was definitely a step-up from trying to kill, skin and butcher an animal, though. Dia had theoretical knowledge on how to do that ¡ª courtesy of a few Experiential Potions she¡¯d drank quite some time ago ¡ª but she hadn¡¯t done it physically.


    The princess was somewhat keen on trying, though. However, like most people, she had a healthy desire to keep herself clean as much as possible ¡ª staining her hands with animal blood and innards wasn¡¯t what she would call clean. In the wilderness, where drinking water was a premium, this would necessitate a visit to a nearby stream¡­but that was, naturally, assuming that said stream was actually clean too.


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad,¡± said Risti. ¡°It¡¯s too sour for me, though. What did Schwarz use? Lots of lemon and orange? Even the Moons themselves might dim from eating such sour food.¡±


    Sticking out her tongue, she made some odd noises and gulped down some water. ¡°The dried meat¡¯s quite nice, though.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± said Dia. ¡°It¡¯s not roasted, though. Steamed meat, I guess?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s steamed, yes. And then seasoned with liberal applications of salt and lemon juice,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Still, Schwarz could have gone easy on the glutinous rice. There¡¯s really no need to spray so much lemon juice on them, right?¡±


    Folding up the packet of food, Risti stuffed it in a small component of her backpack. ¡°You should hurry up too. And remember not to leave anything behind; some monsters might follow.¡±


    Dia nodded. Finishing off the odd ration, she folded the packaging and stuffed it in her own backpack. For some reason, Risti was quite fixated on not leaving any traces behind, something that Dia herself hadn¡¯t paid much attention to. It was an odd blind spot for Dia, now that she thought about it, but it was equally odd that Risti would place so much attention on something like that.


    I don¡¯t know all that much about her, though¡­maybe this is a good chance to know her better? Dia rubbed her nose. Given Risti¡¯s supernatural skills at gathering information related to her target, Dia, who was that very target, had been loathe to interact with Risti anymore than was necessary. Part of that was her fear of being exposed; another part laid in how she really didn¡¯t like that someone was a fanatic follower of hers.


    That said, Risti hadn¡¯t actually done anything bad with all that information she got. Her fixation on Princess Dia could be easily reinterpreted as someone who was just a fan of some prominent figures ¡ª famous Named who were especially charismatic and charming.


    In sum, Dia felt a bit bad for judging someone who was essentially a fan in such a manner. After all, she, as a semi-public figure, was naturally subject to the public eye. People paying attention to people like her was the norm, and gossip of her deeds were fodder for the dinner table.


    Clearing her throat, Dia said, ¡°Right, I don¡¯t know that much about you, do I?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Well, I¡¯m quite a boring person, so beyond what you know about me¡­there really isn¡¯t much to talk about, you know?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you think,¡± Dia replied. ¡°But in truth, everyone¡¯s more interesting than they give themselves credit for. What you think is a small hobby might be really interesting given the right audience, no?¡±


    Dia was living proof of that, having felt that her life as an heiress of the Lustre Dukedom had been very boring. Day in and day out, she would sit at a table and look over policies, making rectifications and changes where needed. After she was done, those corrected proposals would be sent to her father, who would then give his own input for her to learn from.


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    Occasionally, she would go and visit her peers within the dukedom. They would make some small talk, savour the other¡¯s favourite tea, and then return with a bit more information. Other than that, she would head into town once in a while, either in her official capacity ¡ª which would be chaotic ¡ª or incognito, which was far better for her sanity.


    All things considered, Dia saw nothing much of interest in her life. Nothing in the way of sweeping romances had happened ¡ª mysterious princes who made her heart skip a beat or two never showed up, nor were there any old men or women who were actually Chromatic Lords in disguise. Her whole life, prior to her escape, was entirely about paperwork and swordplay, with some little social interactions thrown inside.


    It was positively dull, even from her own point of view.


    Yet, against all odds, defying her conventional grasp of logic, there existed a few people who were so interested in her life, to the point that they would disguise themselves as her.


    The same logic, therefore, applied to one of her own stalkers. Making sure to look as eager as a newborn puppy, Dia gazed at Risti, until the latter¡¯s expression changed into a contemplative one.


    ¡°Fine,¡± said Risti. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­I¡¯m the daughter of Neo Cadenza, better known as the Blinding Apex.¡±


    ¡°Right, that¡¯s your full name, no? Risti Cadenza.¡± Dia mused over that fact for a moment, and then nodded. ¡°I just never got around to drawing that connection, even though I knew a bit about your background.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t go throwing it around,¡± Risti replied, a little blush on her cheeks. ¡°I am my own self; I don¡¯t exist as my father¡¯s daughter alone. That¡¯s why I never introduce my full name ¡ª people just go ¡®oh¡¯ when they ask me about my background, and then forget about the full thing.¡±


    ¡°Is that how it works?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°You could give it a try¡­or not.¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°I keep thinking you¡¯re the real Princess Dia at times, but the princess has been missing for quite some time. Do you have any way of contacting your mistress?¡±


    Dia held back her urge to laugh, and then said, ¡°She¡¯s quite fine. No injuries and things like that.¡±


    Letting out a small sigh of relief, Risti looked into the forest canopy. ¡°It¡¯s great that she¡¯s safe¡­right, can you send a message to her?¡±


    Eyeing Risti with a steady gaze, Dia shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s a very hard request¡­¡±


    And a very easy one, given that the person in question is right in front of you. However, Dia wasn¡¯t going to reveal her identity until Emperor Grandis officially pardoned everyone who was implicated in the death of Ruler Umbral. This was a secret she was never going to reveal until then.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Risti hung her head, before perking back up once more. ¡°If everything blows over, can you get me into her palace? I want to express my thanks and everything.¡±


    ¡°That¡­I can do,¡± said Dia. ¡°Yeah, I think so. Besides, the princess would be very pleased to meet someone who helped her¡­body double. You¡¯ll probably be rewarded too, along with the other members of the Moon Lords.¡±


    ¡°Nice.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, what do you like to do?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I know you¡¯re a specialist in information gathering, but other than that, what hobbies do you have?¡±


    ¡°Me? Collecting and filing information¡ª¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t count,¡± Dia interrupted. ¡°Something unrelated to that. I know Lily likes to read novels, for instance, while Schwarz loves to try out the drinks from other taverns. Things like these, okay?¡±


    Risti frowned. Pushing aside a low-hanging branch, she looked up at the sky and muttered, ¡°Bird-watching.¡±


    ¡°Bird-watching?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Risti took out a small cylinder from her pocket and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s how I got into this information-collecting hobby to begin with. When I was a child, I would follow dad around, and then¡­sit in a hut alone. He would leave some toys behind, and I came across this thing. It¡¯s called a telescope.¡±


    ¡°A telescope?¡±


    ¡°Lets you see distant things easily,¡± Risti explained. ¡°Try it out. See that fruit over there? Look at it through the telescope.¡±


    Curious, Dia picked up the little tube and peered through it. The apple, which had been nothing more than a red speck earlier, was now brought up close. It was so close that she half-believed that she could grab it by extending her hand, and for a moment, a new world seemed to open up before her eyes.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± Risti asked, her tone now a warm one. ¡°It¡¯s so cool! But yeah, I spent years watching birds with my telescope, and that¡¯s how I got into the information-collecting business. After a while, you don¡¯t just want to see the appearance of your subject, you want to understand it. Empathise with it. And¡­be it.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you¡¯re dressing up as Princess Dia?¡±


    ¡°Guess!¡±

 Chapter 99: A fathers love is as silent as a mountain

    The rest of the day was spent walking on foot, but Dia had gotten closer to Risti with that short interlude. As expected, what Risti felt was boring was actually incredibly interesting to Dia ¡ª there was so much she learned from talking to her about wildlife, especially when it came to birds. Risti had indexed lots of wildlife animals, taking her time to sketch them as they gingerly approached any bait she left out.


    Her home, apparently, had a garden that was designed to feed random wildlife that came by, especially birds. Nuts and seeds were Risti¡¯s choice of feed; apparently, her garden would be full of birds during the colder parts of the year.


    As they found a nice tree to rest on, Risti took out a small sketchbook. ¡°There¡¯s lots of wildlife here.¡±


    ¡°Nice, thanks!¡± Dia took the book eagerly and flipped it open, only to see a rather familiar dress drawn on it. It was a rather exquisite drawing, complete with a very familiar background¡­and the reason behind its familiarity was because that was her own room.


    That dress that took centre stage in that drawing? That was the dress she wore to her debut hall.


    ¡°Oh, sorry!¡± Risti grabbed the book and took out another book instead. This time, she flipped through it, and then handed it over to Dia with both hands. It was dark, so Dia couldn¡¯t quite see her face, but she had a feeling that Risti was probably blushing right now.


    ¡°That drawing¡­I¡¯ve seen that dress before,¡± Dia said quietly.


    ¡°Well, of course you would. That was Princess Dia¡¯s dress for her debut ball. Other than that, though, she also wore it three more times for very formal occasions,¡± Risti replied, her eyes somehow shimmering in the night. ¡°It¡¯s quite expensive; it went for around twelve platinum.¡±


    Dia, as usual, was somewhat terrified at how Risti had memorised these details of her life, to the point that she could recite the relevant details without much preparation. However, since Dia had gotten some immunity to it, she could finally respond with a little chuckle, before flipping the sketchbook open.


    Fortunately, that particular sketchbook was all about birds and tiny, furry critters. Dia smiled as she went through the pictures slowly. With Risti¡¯s commentary, Dia could even imagine herself in the shoes of the Risti back then, as she laid down on grass and spied on little birds pecking at seeds.


    In fact, Risti had even added some sound effects to them. The only thing lacking was the ambient temperature; Dia¡¯s mind wasn¡¯t so imaginative that it could conjure up a sunny day at night.


    ¡°Your memory¡¯s really great, though.¡± Dia flipped to the last page, which had a drawing of an adorable little sparrow hopping around.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I took up intelligence work,¡± Risti replied.


    By now, the light of Plota was shining down on the world, casting the world into a mysterious shade of blue light. The blue moon of wisdom, when it hung in the sky alone, exerted an incredible amount of influence on one¡¯s memory and cognitive capability. Legend had it that under the blue moon, skills could be forgotten, enhanced and evolved.


    Unfortunately, Dia wasn¡¯t in the possession of such knowledge. She was too unimportant to learn such crucial things. The general details had been spread out for one reason ¡ª it was to impress on those who did not know the details and causes of such an enhancement that the long-lived powerhouses of this world had strength far surpassing the norm.


    After all, these powerhouses would have had the luxury of enhancing and evolving their skills for every full moon that passed by. They were true monsters, in every sense of that word¡­like¡­


    ¡°Like¡­¡± Dia murmured. ¡°Tot. Right. I¡­¡±


    ¡°Dia?¡±


    The hopelessness in her heart intensified. Tot, who was a monster from the Third Godsfall, had lived for at least six thousand years. How many blue moons occurred every year? Even if it was a number as low as five or six¡­


    Her heart clenched up. Would she ever capture Tot? Would the Emperor ever pardon her for a crime she never committed? Why did her father¡ª


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    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Dia? Why are you crying?¡± Risti swung up from the branch and sat in front of her. ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not crying,¡± Dia replied, turning her face away. ¡°Don¡¯t look. Please. I beg of you. I¡ª¡±


    A small hand patted her shoulder, lending her cold body some warmth. All around her curled-up frame, blue light trickled through the leaves and the forest canopy. The blue moon was that of wisdom¡­and introspection.


    Her rational will and her emotions had melded together in this blue night.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± a gentle voice spoke. ¡°We¡¯re all together with you. You¡¯re not alone. This night¡­is one for thoughts. It¡¯s easy to lose yourself in emotions. Regulate your mind. I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re sad, but many people lose themselves in such nights. Don¡¯t worry. Nothing¡¯s happened.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not affected?¡± Dia, despite herself, turned her head up to look Risti in the eye.


    ¡°This is my usual state of mind,¡± Risti replied, her eyes alight with a faint blue glow. ¡°Call it a gift, or my talent. I know how it feels to be in introspection. Uncontrolled, your thoughts go wild, and you begin to extrapolate dark possibilities. But every shadow needs a source of light. Take a deep breath, and see for yourself what that light is.¡±


    Risti¡¯s words were uncharacteristically solemn, and it was for that very reason that Dia found herself following her instructions. As the former continued to issue small instructions, Dia distanced herself from her mind¡¯s racing thoughts. Under Risti¡¯s continued persuasion, she controlled her thoughts, and redirected them to productive deductions.


    The moon continued to rise, and eventually, Risti herself dozed off. Dia, who had reinforced her conclusion that her father wanted to help her on the day of her escape, found her thoughts stalling. It was, as Risti explained, a sign that she didn¡¯t have enough clues to piece together the person behind the murders.


    As for Tot, she hadn¡¯t quite forgotten how Zulan Patra had fallen from the sky, after botching his attempt to locate the Thief of Time. It was very possible that the legendary thief had a means to evade and retaliate against all forms of deductive and investigative skills¡­and perhaps even good old-fashioned brainwork. Therefore, as a puny one-folder who was twenty-four years away from becoming a bi-folder, Dia herself was not going to do anything at all.


    That gap between her and the Thief of Time was never going to close. However, although she didn¡¯t know who Tot was, Dia at least knew that the Thief of Time was probably meditating under the light of the blue moon, growing stronger every minute.


    Letting out a small sigh, she made sure that Risti was nice and secure in her seated posture, before lying down on the branch. The cool night wind was nice, and before long, Dia nodded off.


    Her dreams were muddled and messy, but in all of them, she could see an ever-silent figure, standing vigil and watching over her silently. Wrapped in a violet cloak, her father would always stand and watch over her, making sure that she was safe at all times.


    When she was practicing in the fields.


    In front of her mother¡¯s gravestone.


    During her debut.


    And at the very end, when she was fleeing the Lustre Palace. He would stand and watch, no matter what. If she had a choice¡ª


    ¡°It¡¯s morning, Dia!¡±


    A pair of hands shook her body gently, and she opened her eyes to see a bright and cheery Risti in front of her. Gripped in her hand was a telescope, and before Dia could say anything, Risti pushed the telescope into her hands and pointed in a certain direction.


    ¡°Take a good look there, Dia! There¡¯s actually a red-billed hummingbird! It¡¯s a tiny one, so make sure to take a good long look at it!¡±


    Befuddled, Dia followed her instructions, and before long, the image of a tiny little bird hopping around a flower entered her eyes. She stared at it, mesmerised, and then turned to look at Risti.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it cute?¡± Risti asked. ¡°These little fellows are very hard to draw, since they don¡¯t stay for long. In fact, they¡¯re rather rare; you normally see them in areas that have other seasons.¡±


    ¡°Not in Grandis, then?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rare for them to appear in Grandis, yes.¡± Risti looked at her sketchbook, where a little bird had been drawn in it. ¡°Since there¡¯s no set pattern to flowers blooming, red-billed hummingbirds don¡¯t like this continent all that much. In contrast, Nihal and Lacheln see them a lot more often.¡±


    Dia stared at Risti. She hadn¡¯t quite noticed earlier, but Risti¡¯s words had just hinted at her true extent of knowledge¡­and the position that came with it. There were indeed other continents, other than Grandis, but few knew the official names for them. Even Dia herself had only learnt those names from her father after her debut, but¡­


    Risti winked, a mischievous action that made the black-haired girl look a lot more sprightly. ¡°Do you think the others know about Nihal and Lacheln?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I think not,¡± Dia replied. After all, she, the daughter of a duke, only knew about those names and practically nothing else. It was somewhat unbelievable that the others would know, save for Risti.


    ¡°Wait,¡± said Dia. ¡°Maybe Schwarz. Right?¡±


    Risti clicked her teeth. ¡°Why did you think of him? I¡¯m curious.¡±


    ¡°Well, he does seem quite knowledgeable, right?¡± Dia rubbed her nose. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m going to freshen myself up. Won¡¯t take too long.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    Five minutes later, the two were on the road once more, ready to continue their long journey to Nachtville.

 Chapter 100: The duo from afar returns to rest

    ¡°Ah, home sweet home.¡± Claud stretched his back and peeked out from behind the tree. From what he could tell, there was nothing shady going on at Licencia¡¯s city gates, but given the developments that had struck the Moon Lords a few days back, it was better to be safe.


    ¡°So long as we aren¡¯t apprehended or killed on the spot when we walk through the gate,¡± Lily added. She was in her Princess Dia disguise, as usual, so Claud was suitably nervous of her being targeted by the Shadows of Grandis. Those guys were rather reckless, after all; he had heard all kinds of horror stories where a lookalike had been attacked and killed.


    Why else would they attack a body double?


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Taking out a thick stack of talismans, Claud passed them over to Lily. Unlike his very rational self, Lily didn¡¯t have much in the way of defences, so those talismans would have to do. ¡°Here¡¯s a stack of Protection from Arrows, and here¡¯s one for Hardening; you¡¯ll enjoy the effects of Projectile Protection and Iron Skin after applying thirty.¡±


    Lily looked like a walking mess after pasting on sixty talismans ¡ª she didn¡¯t feel like tearing sixty pieces of paper ¡ª but it was a small price to pay in exchange for protection. Staring at her own reflection in a nearby puddle, she shook her head and let out a sigh. ¡°I look like a lunatic.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can remove them after we get past the city gate with no incident. After all, any law-enforcement or bounty hunter would strike at the gates,¡± Claud replied. The inside of a city was complex terrain; a good predator would never allow their prey to slip inside. Instead, attacking at the gates, where their prey¡¯s attention would be drawn by necessary procedures, yielded a far better chance of success.


    ¡°The problem is getting past the city gate while looking like¡­this.¡± Lily gestured at the talismans pasted all over her arms.


    ¡°I¡¯ll handle the talking, okay?¡± Claud replied. ¡°No biggie. Let the professional smuggle the suspicious-looking girl with lots of talismans pasted on the arms through the city gate.¡±


    ¡°When you phrase it like that, I don¡¯t really feel confident,¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°Have I ever failed you?¡± Claud rolled his eyes, and then checked on his artefacts. Other than the ones that were perpetually active, the rest were primed to be activated at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go. Standing around here ain¡¯t going to get us anywhere.¡±


    After spending another ten minutes to check that there were no ambushes or anything, the two headed towards the city gate.


    ¡°We just literally spent a few minutes checking out the area, though,¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°Huh? Did you say something?¡± Claud, who was staring at a new flower pot placed to the side of the road that led to the city gates, looked up. ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t catch that last bit.¡±


    ¡°Never mind.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, it seems that Licencia is undergoing some interesting stuff,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Check this out! Lots of flower pots, and the road out of the city¡¯s been paved. I wonder what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°You remember things like this?¡± Lily asked. ¡°How do you even do that?¡±


    ¡°Well, I do use this road once in a while. It makes sense to pay attention to great scenery, right?¡± Claud scuttled over to a particularly vibrant flower and sniffed it. ¡°Nice.¡±


    ¡°We should really be heading over to the city gates,¡± said Lily. ¡°The talismans only last thirty minutes, right?¡±


    Reluctantly, Claud tore himself away from the flower and headed over to the city gates. There was quite a group there, with ten armoured men and women standing around the gate alone. Counting the five people who were usually stationed at the top of the gate, today¡¯s single shift would have fifteen people.


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    Since each day had a total of three shift groups, it could only mean that forty-five guards were mobilised today.


    That was a lot of people for this one gate alone.


    ¡°Halt,¡± said the lead guard, a burly fellow who looked like he did push-ups whenever he was free. ¡°Purpose?¡±


    Claud glanced at Lily, and the two of them produced their residency cards. ¡°We¡¯re returning home from a long trip. I believe our exit should have been recorded some time ago.¡±


    ¡°Very well, sir, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± said one of the guards behind him. On closer inspection, his uniform was a lot more ornate, and there were some decorations pinned on his chest. ¡°I¡¯m the sergeant of this guard, sir, ma¡¯am. I¡¯m going to ask you two some questions.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Where did you go?¡±


    Earlier on, Claud had made some arrangements with Lily; he would handle the speaking if the guards wanted to ask them further questions. He was a professional at telling half-truths; it would be better for him to handle the socialising bit.


    ¡°The two of us went to Julan to handle some family issues,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Family issues, eh?¡± The sergeant narrowed his eyes for a moment. ¡°Okay. Louis, they¡¯re clear. Make sure the details check out, and then they¡¯re free to enter.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sergeant.¡±


    As the burly man busied himself with checking off their names, Claud looked around the city gates, which was cleaner than he last remembered it.


    ¡°Say,¡± Claud began, ¡°what happened recently? There are flowers planted beside the main road, which itself has been paved over nicely. And, well, the city gate looks a lot cleaner than I last remembered it. Is someone important coming?¡±


    The sergeant glanced at Claud, and then thought for a few moments. ¡°You could say that, I guess. Did you hear about the recent news? Where the count fought against a tri-folder? That battle destroyed lots of buildings.¡±


    Claud felt his heart skip a beat. ¡°Anyone dead?¡±


    ¡°Quite a few.¡±


    To his side, Lily fidgeted uneasily. That said, the two of them had seen the news about the Moon Lords joining up with Count Nightfall, and given that the news had mentioned the others, he was sure that they were fine. However, knowing that people were dead was still¡­


    ¡°Alright. Thank you for letting us know.¡±


    Everything¡¯s fine. Everyone¡¯s okay. Nothing much would have changed. That¡¯s all there is to it.


    Taking a deep breath, Claud glanced at the burly guard and felt some irritation at just how slowly he was checking through the records, but it would not do for him to snap at the fellow to hurry up. It wasn¡¯t like the guard could be quicker about it anyway; the records were handwritten and many people left and entered the city every day.


    Claud glanced at Lily, who was portraying a serene calmness, and felt a tad ashamed of himself. He had already heard about the battle some time ago, so to feel panicky now was just his psyche at fault. Hearing about such things through word-of-mouth clearly had a greater impact on him than reading about things like that on the news; he didn¡¯t feel this lost when he read about the battle a few days ago.


    ¡°Sergeant,¡± said the burly man, cutting his thoughts off, ¡°the two of them are clear.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Welcome home, the two of you,¡± said the sergeant, before giving a small wink. ¡°Enjoy your night together.¡±


    Before Lily could understand the meaning behind those words, Claud pulled her through the gates. Fortunately, the huge scale of construction going in front of their eyes was enough to make her forget about that random innuendo; Lily¡¯s expression was solemn as she looked at the ongoing works.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of construction going on,¡± Lily said quietly.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Claud looked around. All kinds of street stalls had popped up, while workers carrying construction materials thronged the main road. From afar, the master thief could see that many buildings had been evacuated, with boundaries marking out dangerous areas.


    He turned his attention to the smaller streets, and let out a small sigh of relief when he saw that they were largely unscathed. The relief only grew as they headed towards Moon Street, which was lacking the trappings of repair and reconstruction that had draped the shoulders of Licencia¡¯s main streets. As expected, the others had gotten off without any injuries, but it was still a load off his chest anyway.


    ¡°Right, I don¡¯t think you need those talismans anymore,¡± said Claud. ¡°And it seems that no one¡¯s really paying attention to the number of talismans on your arms too, so all¡¯s well that ends well.¡±


    Rolling her eyes, Lily began to peel off the talismans. The last piece came off as they drew up to Moon Mansion, which didn¡¯t look any worse for wear.


    ¡°We¡¯re back. Finally.¡± Claud stared at the dome that covered the real thing. ¡°Can¡¯t wait to get back into safety.¡±


    ¡°Soft beds, good food¡­we¡¯re back!¡±


    Walking up to the booth, which had two bored guards watching over it, the two of them took turns to enter Moon Mansion. There, in the front garden, was Countess Farah, who stared at them with an uncomprehending gaze right until they stopped in front of her.


    ¡°You two¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re back, yep.¡± Lily grinned.


    ¡°We¡¯re back!¡±


    The countess rubbed her eyes. ¡°Quite early, I guess. But welcome home.¡±

 Chapter 101: The thiefs debriefing

    A tired Schwarz popped his head out of Moon Mansion as Farah led Claud and Lily inside. His mouth, which was on the verge of spouting out some words, began to flap in the wind, opening and closing silently for a few seconds.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re back. I know, we¡¯re early. Things happened, but we¡¯re all right.¡± Claud paused. ¡°Did I miss out any other question?¡±


    The bartender¡¯s face cramped up, and it took another ten seconds before he could speak. His chest visibly expanding, Schwarz took out a small flask ¡ª the bartender had five such flasks tucked around his belt ¡ª and handed it to Lily.


    ¡°Hey, where¡¯s mine?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s here, you penny-pinching miserly coward.¡± Schwarz punched his shoulder lightly, before pulling Claud into a hug. ¡°Welcome back, fool. How did your trade go? Lily, did you settle your issues?¡±


    ¡°It went well,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ve settled them thoroughly,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I think it was on the news or something.¡±


    ¡°You really blew up your family home?¡± The bartender turned to Claud. ¡°When did you dabble in explosive artefacts? I thought you had a very healthy fear of them. Whatever. No explosives in the mansion. If a room blows up, you¡¯re going to pay for it.¡±


    ¡°Hold your horses, old man.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°Why did you automatically assume that I have anything to do with explosives? Like you said, I¡¯m a coward. Why would I deal with such awesomely dangerous items?¡±


    ¡°Are you telling me that it¡¯s Lily? C¡¯mon. Don¡¯t lie to me. Why would she play with such dangerous things?¡±


    Claud rolled his eyes and turned to Lily, feeling a touch of outrage as he moved. Shrugging, he gestured at the equally-amused explosive expert. ¡°I¡¯m not carrying that label. You explain.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s really me,¡± said Lily.


    ¡°You?¡±


    Farah and Schwarz shook their heads as one entity.


    ¡°Look,¡± said Farah, ¡°I don¡¯t know what this Claud did for you to be so cooperative, but there¡¯s a limit such coddling can go to. Is it anything shady? You can speak up, you know! I have a greatsword with his name written on it.¡±


    Claud¡¯s mouth fell open, but before he could protest, Schwarz had jumped in to speak too.


    ¡°Lily, don¡¯t worry. This guy won¡¯t put up a fight. If he really took advantage of you, you don¡¯t need to give in to his blackmail. We¡¯ll beat the stuffing out of him until you¡¯re satisfied, okay? What, did he not allow you to speak? Well, you can still keep your promise by nodding or shaking your head; we¡¯ll still beat the stuffing out of him.¡± The bartender took a deep breath. ¡°Claud, you¡¯ve disappointed me.¡±


    The master thief opened his mouth, before clamping it shut, his mind racing the whole time.


    ¡°Look,¡± said Claud, ¡°how about this? I go into my room for a moment, and then you two ask her about the whole thing once more. Sheesh. What¡¯s with your hyperactive imaginations?¡±


    Schwarz eyed him for a moment, and as Claud stared back, he could see the former¡¯s lips twitch.


    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± Claud muttered, his eyes narrowed. ¡°You boorish bartender. You were just making fun of me, weren¡¯t you? And you, countess, did you literally just play along in trying to tease me?¡±


    ¡°Oops.¡±


    ¡°Run!¡±


    The two bolted off into two separate directions, and after sparing a moment to think about which quarry would net him the most satisfaction, Claud chased after Schwarz.


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    ¡°Get back here, you boorish bartender!¡±


    ¡°Go chase the countess!¡±


    ¡°Do I look like a fool? Why would I chase a mana-user? You¡¯re the easier target!¡±


    The chase continued for a few seconds, before Claud reached out and grabbed the bartender¡¯s shirt. Yanking him back, Claud walloped the prankster with some light blows, before pulling him back into Moon Mansion, where Lily and Farah were having some tea.


    Tossing the prankster onto the floor, Claud found a seat and poured out some tea for himself. ¡°So, what¡¯s with the very odd news recently? A tri-folder fought with Count Nightfall, you guys suddenly becoming heroes¡­what gives?¡±


    Raising his head weakly, Schwarz pushed himself up from his prone position. ¡°It¡¯s partially your fault.¡±


    ¡°My fault?¡± Claud asked, his eyes wide open. Glancing at Lily, he said, ¡°I didn¡¯t provoke anyone while we were out there, did I? What does a tri-folder running over to attack Licencia have to do with me?¡±


    ¡°No, the tri-folder was already in Licencia to begin with,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°And I¡¯m involved how?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a rather long story. Remember those letters you prepared for us, in case something happened while you were away?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Those envelopes with lots of options and things?¡±


    ¡°Yes, what of it?¡±


    ¡°Well, we did receive a threat from Count Nightfall some time ago. He wanted to meet us, and¡­¡±


    For the next fifteen minutes, the bartender explained in detail about the events that had occurred. The count had apparently noticed their little organisation. Desiring to absorb it, he sent the Moon Lords ¡ª which was everyone except for him and Lily at that time ¡ª a letter, inviting them to a dinner or something. Schwarz and the others felt threatened by that invitation, and then they remembered the letters that Claud had spent a few hours writing out.


    ¡°Which letter did you send, then?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°The one where he would grievously injure a Shadow of Grandis,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°Ah, the less drastic option for situations like that,¡± Claud noted. ¡°What happened next?¡±


    ¡°An hour or so later, Count Nightfall and the tri-folder who were leading the Shadows came to blows,¡± Farah replied. ¡°The latter used Arms Master, which was a skill that released energy waves for every slash the user released, which resulted in great damage to the city.¡±


    Claud blinked. ¡°That¡¯s probably on me, I guess.¡±


    ¡°And on everyone else here,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Therefore, we decided to help the count.¡±


    ¡°And how, pray tell, did you do that?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Well, good Claud here thought that it would be nice to install ballistae in Moon Mansion. Remotely-controlled ballistae that could puncture a wall and break it down.¡± Schwarz glanced at the master thief.


    ¡°You used the ballistae?¡± Claud asked. ¡°You do know that it¡¯s illegal, right? Why would you go and use it in front of the count himself of all people? Fine, whatever. What¡¯s done is done. So? You shot down that bugger, and the Count came over to conscript everyone as punishment?¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re actually working in a collaborative agreement. We control the underworld, defend the city while he¡¯s off fighting with his bi-folders, and we earn some sweet loot in return,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you had much of a choice, I guess,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Fine. It¡¯s not like I can berate anyone; we¡¯re all equals here, as per the contract.¡±


    ¡°Glad you see it that way.¡± Farah turned to Lily. ¡°Any objections?¡±


    ¡°None in particular, but would you like to purchase some bombs from me?¡± Lily asked, an impish grin on her face.


    ¡°Right, what about your side?¡± Farah asked. ¡°I heard that there was a huge commotion about murders and a Tri-Head Snake that blocked off the road to Licencia.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll never believe it.¡±


    As Lily talked about the events that had transpired on their side, Claud found his mind wandering to the future of the Moon Lords. Now that they had joined up with Count Nightfall, they were actually safer, since the ruler of this city was backing them. However, the hearts of nobles, especially ruling ones, were fickle. If Count Nightfall ever found out about his identity as Tot, or even his Absolute One¡­


    The master thief decided to make some plans. There was no helping it; even if he had to go behind the backs of everyone else, ensuring a route of survival was the least he could do. As the person responsible for everyone¡¯s security, Claud was prepared to burn the midnight oil and work hard.


    Still, how would I go about it? This is quite the thorny issue¡­


    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily asked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    The master thief glanced up, to see three sets of concerned gazes fall on him, and he smiled. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just lost in thought. Things like this happen all the time to me, so don¡¯t be worried.¡±


    ¡°You sure? You didn¡¯t do anything stupid, did you?¡± Schwarz asked.


    Lily, who was aware of the true nature of Claud¡¯s time-sensitive high efficiency trade runs, glanced at Schwarz, and Claud found himself stifling a smile. ¡°I¡¯m really fine, yes. Nothing big happened to me, so it¡¯s all fine.¡±


    ¡°Right, what resources did you get?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Enough to fund our operations for a while,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Why? Do you want to help me deal with them?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be more profitable for us if I did,¡± Schwarz answered, before making some odd movements with his eyes. Claud immediately recognised those movements as a request to speak privately later, so he just nodded along. After apologising to Lily for interrupting her words, he returned to his thoughts and let her expound on the small bits of their journey.


    For the first time in a few days, he felt safe.

 Chapter 102: The reason behind the emperors anger

    As Lily went on to talk about the murders that were going on at Nachtville ¡ª for some reason, Farah and Schwarz were very interested in hearing about them ¡ª Claud got up and left the living room after making some random excuse. For the first time in a few days, he was truly alone, without anyone at his side.


    This was his default state of being, but he had a feeling that this trip had made him more susceptible to bouts of loneliness forever. Was it a good change? Considering that he had envisioned his long life to be one of loneliness, it didn¡¯t seem like a good development, but he had joined up with the others to begin with.


    ¡°A silver for your thoughts,¡± Schwarz said from behind him.


    ¡°You know that I have the tendency to reflect on every journey I take, right?¡± Claud replied, eying the bartender. ¡°Also, I want apple juice.¡±


    ¡°Your home has at least five barrels of them, plus a bunch of drinks that I don¡¯t know about,¡± he replied. ¡°I don¡¯t see why you feel entitled to my remaining barrels of apple juice.¡±


    ¡°Remaining barrels? What, you can¡¯t get anymore?¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s about it. Most of the major cities are beginning to restrict trade of essential foodstuff,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°That unfortunately includes apple juice.¡±


    ¡°And the reason?¡±


    ¡°Preparing for war. The nobles under the three major dukedoms have received standing orders to prepare for war. They will arrange their own logistics, which includes food and equipment, and are expected to carry out their personal supply train,¡± Schwarz replied.


    Claud looked at the bartender, who seemed a lot older than he last remembered. Clearly, Schwarz had overworked himself in the past few days, which could account for why the poor fellow looked so tired.


    ¡°It¡¯s that bad?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Yes. The coronation of Ruler Istrel is around the corner,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°The first day of the new year, to be exact. The New Moon months are clearly destined to be one of great strife.¡±


    ¡°Or a herald of change,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Why not both?¡± the bartender asked, before shaking his head. ¡°New Moon won''t just be one of crops, it will also be one of blood. And when the harvest of blood ends, Grandis will see sweeping changes once more.¡±


    ¡°The whole of Grandis?¡± Claud narrowed his eyes. That didn¡¯t make sense; this inter-dukedom war shouldn¡¯t have much effect on the other sovereignties. However, from the way Schwarz put it, the next few months or years were going to result in sweeping changes throughout the entire continent. ¡°Why?¡±


    Schwarz stared at Claud evenly. ¡°How much do you know about the three sovereignties? Specifically, things in common?¡±


    The master thief thought about it for a moment, and then shook his head. ¡°Not much. I know that the other sovereignties are also as huge as Umbra, with a great deal of subordinate territories under them. They¡¯re all also under the direct command of Emperor Grandis, but he doesn¡¯t exercise that authority much.¡±


    ¡°Good enough,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°It¡¯s not like I expected much from a hermit like you.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°What, am I wrong? I¡¯ll let you bite me if I¡¯m wrong!¡± The bartender chuckled. ¡°Anyway, the key point behind Emperor Grandis¡¯ rage is the fact that the rulers he appointed ¡ª Umbra, Nihila and Voidum ¡ª were¡­¡±


    His voice trailed off, and one of Claud¡¯s eyelids twitched. ¡°Go ahead and leave me hanging. It¡¯s fine, really. I can exercise my metaphorical arm muscles to deal with cliff hangers like those. Totally fine.¡±


    ¡°Shut up and stop being obstreperous.¡± Schwarz lowered his volume. ¡°The three rulers are said to be childhood friends of the Emperor himself, friends who survived the Third Godsfall with him.¡±


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    ¡°Friends?¡±


    ¡°Real friends. Not the fake-ass ones we hear about in Triple-D the whole time. I¡¯m talking about life-and-death friends; the kinds that would take an arrow to save their buddy,¡± Schwarz replied, his voice still very quiet. ¡°That¡¯s why Emperor Grandis was so angered at Umbra¡¯s death.¡±


    ¡°Then he should know that Ruler Umbra did not die because he was missing a Pure-life Gem or two,¡± Claud replied. ¡°What is he playing at?¡±


    ¡°Sniffing out the true killer, probably.¡± Schwarz shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about that bit, though. The Profiteers aren¡¯t yet able to hear the thoughts of the other rulers and Emperor Grandis himself yet.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that your buddies can hear the inner thoughts of almost anyone else?¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°Well, whatever. Anyway, it¡¯s good that you came out. I wanted to show you the spoils of, uh, war.¡±


    ¡°War. Right. You have the weirdest words for things at times, do you know that?¡± Schwarz looked around the garden, before plonking down on the lawn directly. ¡°So, what did you get?¡±


    Following suit a second later, Claud unslung his backpack and took out a smaller bag for it. The smaller bag was full of lifestones that varied from low to high-ranked ones, and after sparing a sad glance at those baubles, he handed the bag over to Schwarz.


    ¡°No pure-ranked ones?¡± the bartender asked.


    ¡°One or two,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I stuffed them down my throat, though.¡±


    ¡°I mean, you are entitled to such a course of action. No need to be this defensive,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Bummer, though.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Claud asked. ¡°High-ranked lifestones in this quantity should be enough to fund our operations for the foreseeable future, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± The bartender sighed. ¡°It¡¯s about Farah. Her lifespan¡¯s drawing to a close, but middle and low-rank lifestones no longer have an effect on her.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Schwarz had a troubled look on his face. ¡°She doesn¡¯t want to tell us, but from the way she¡¯s acting, I¡¯m reasonably certain that Farah has at most a year or two.¡±


    Claud narrowed his eyes. Lifestones were items that increased one¡¯s lifespan by a fixed amount when ingested, with the exception being Pure-Life Gems, which were capable of growing. In an ideal world, a pure-ranked lifestone would yield one month¡¯s worth of lifeforce. However, impure lifestones yielded lower amounts of life. Furthermore, the yielded life, by virtue of being impure, would be less accepted by the consumer, and future applications of similarly-impure lifeforce would be less effective.


    Therefore, for low and middle-ranked lifestones to be ineffective on her, Countess Farah must have done the same thing Claud did ¡ª she probably consumed low and middle-ranked lifestones to the point of satiation. However, the fact that her life was coming to an end could only mean that she didn¡¯t consume many, or even any, pure-ranked lifestones.


    Furthermore, she didn¡¯t have the support of Crown during the process of burning mana circuits. With all these factors in play, it was natural that the countess was nearing the end of her lifespan.


    Claud thought about it for a moment, and then took out a Pure-life Gem. It was the one Crown had spat out two weeks ago, when they were busy raiding the Julan treasury.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°I picked it up when I was having fun inside the Julan treasury,¡± Claud lied. ¡°It¡¯s a Pure-life Gem. I¡¯m not sure how old it is, or how much life it has inside, but giving it to Farah will definitely help her out greatly. If she eats it right before her time is up, that¡¯ll be the most efficient use of it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s worth a lot of gold,¡± Schwarz replied quietly.


    ¡°Would probably yield lots of lifeforce too, given enough time,¡± Claud added. ¡°But what can I do?¡±


    More importantly, Crown could apparently make lots of those Pure-Life Gems. Giving one to Farah wasn¡¯t that big of a deal, considering that the little violet box had no requirements on the base product¡¯s quality.


    His pocket twitched at that point, prompting Claud to roll his eyes. The little fellow had been rather sedentary for the past two weeks; it had been napping away in his pocket and making ¡®meep¡¯ sounds when he was far enough from Lily.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Yes, I am. You know what? Follow me. I¡¯m going to give this to her personally, and then have her owe me some favours or whatnot,¡± Claud replied. Puffing himself up, he returned to Moon Mansion, where Lily and Farah were talking things over tea, before striding right up to the countess.


    ¡°Need something?¡± Farah asked, blinking twice.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Claud replied, just as Schwarz caught up with him. ¡°Here, catch.¡±


    Tossing the small gem over to Farah, Claud cricked his neck. ¡°Heard that you don¡¯t have much time left. I found a Pure-Life Gem when travelling with Lily, and decided to give it to you.¡±


    ¡°To me?¡± Farah repeated, before rubbing her eyes. ¡°A Pure-Life Gem? What are you playing at?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a valued member of our team,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And a lot of people will be sad if you pass away. Therefore, I¡¯m giving this to you. Keep it until the last moment, and then ingest it for maximum efficiency¡­efficiency¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Claud?¡±


    The master thief didn¡¯t know who asked that, but there was a very good reason for his sudden stutter. A sudden thought had struck him when he was handing Farah his gift, a thought he couldn¡¯t quite dispel.


    Is it possible that¡­Ruler Umbra had been nurturing a Pure-life Gem for a very long time, only to have it stolen at the last moment? Or rather¡­replaced with the one I later stole?


    Taking a deep breath, he took his leave once more and returned to his room.

 Chapter 103: Wrong process, right answer

    That sudden revelation was still whirling in his head when he pushed the door to his room open. His room was dust-free and well-aired, but the first thing that truly caught his attention was a humming little artefact placed on his bedroom table. Claud soon recognised its use ¡ª it was an artefact that generated small gusts of wind, which was probably why his room was in a rather dust-free state.


    A small frown appeared on his face as he thought about his apartment outside Moon Mansion, but Claud soon dismissed that thought. He had enough things on his mind; there wasn¡¯t a pressing need to add small troubles to the mix.


    Still, I think I have quite a lot of drinks over there. Should I move them into Moon Mansion? Claud pondered on that idea for a moment, and then shook his head. Doing so would be no different from inviting the freeloaders here to partake of his very treasured stash of drinks¡­probably.


    Dusting the back of his pants ¡ª he had sat on the lawn earlier ¡ª Claud laid down on his bed and looked up. He didn¡¯t quite know what to think of the whole thing; granted, he did find it suspicious that the Pure-Life Gem he stole from the Duke had scant amounts of lifeforce. However, if this was actually a replacement for a Pure-Life Gem that had been sitting around for years, then what happened to the original?


    Claud thought about it for a little while more. The town-criers, in the days that followed his burglary, also talked about a divine treasure, which referred to little old Crown. It was possible that they had found out about its ability to create Pure-Life Gems, but he hadn¡¯t seen much movement from that front after that.


    In fact, save for mercenaries and bounty hunters, the Duke had pretty much done nothing of substantial proof. Even that the body double of Princess Dia had even more attention paid to her ¡ª was it proof that the Thief of Time¡¯s apparent background had worked?


    ¡°Gah.¡±


    Crown rolled out of his pocket at his exhalation of abject frustration. ¡°Meep?¡±


    Claud stifled a smile. ¡°Meep.¡±


    The little box rolled around the bed for a while, and then started to bounce happily on it. For some reason, the tiny fella had missed his bed at Moon Mansion, and before he knew it, Crown was snuggling happily into his pillow.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    ¡°I want to sleep, you know.¡±


    ¡°Meep¡­¡±


    Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°Never mind. I¡¯ll go wash up first, maybe chat with the others a bit. You make sure you don¡¯t run anywhere, got it?


    The following meep made him a bit worried, so Claud hid the little velvet box underneath the pillow. Crown didn¡¯t seem to mind its new position, and after warning it to stay put for the third time, Claud got up, grabbed a bunch of new clothes and headed off towards his room¡¯s bathroom.


    Washing up with all due haste, he dumped the worn clothes into a small tub that he¡¯d filled up earlier. He would clean them later¡­although there really wasn¡¯t much to clean. The Refresher had done wonders in maintaining his cleanliness; taking a shower was more for his mental health than anything else.


    Pulling on an unworn set of clothes, he stepped out of the bathroom. Crown had edged out from under the pillow, wobbling around giddily and rolling from side to side.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, little guy?¡± Claud asked, curious.


    ¡°Meep¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, not helpful.¡± The master thief thought about it for a while, and then produced a mid-rank lifestone. ¡°This what you want?¡±


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    Crown rolled up to it, and with a speed that little boxes shouldn¡¯t be able to move at, nabbed it from his palm and swallowed it. Bouncing twice on the bed, it then rolled on his palm and scrambled up his arm somehow, before coming to a rest on his shoulder.


    After giving the little guy one last poke, Claud sat down on his bed. For a moment, he was tempted by the urge to lie down, but there were still things he wanted to know. As a core member of the Moon Lords, it would be very inappropriate if he decided not to pay attention to whatever they were doing now, especially since everyone was now a subordinate of Count Nightfall.


    Popping Crown back into his pocket, Claud returned to the living room, where Lily was chomping down on an apple. By the looks of things, she had finished explaining to the others about what happened in Julan and in Nachtville. Judging from how Farah wasn¡¯t staring at him or making any remarks about a thief, it would seem that Lily had kept the nature of his time-sensitive high-efficiency fetterless trade runs.


    He was grateful for that, but eventually the others would have to know too.


    Putting aside the random thought, he walked up to the dining table, where a jug of fruity juice had been set out, and poured himself a cup.


    After a while, Schwarz spoke up. ¡°Need something?¡±


    ¡°Just wondering where the others went,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m quite sure you¡¯re a semi-mentor to Risti, and as for Isolde ¡ª ahem, Dia ¡ª she shouldn¡¯t be roaming around outside of Moon Mansion; it¡¯s not safe for her.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­¡± Schwarz shook his head. ¡°Remember that bit about how we and the count are now in a collaborative relationship? Well, yesterday, he wanted us to investigate those murders in Nachtville that you talked about earlier. Turns out that the mana-users sent there has been incapacitated, in a manner of speaking.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Despite that question, however, Claud suddenly felt that he knew where this whole thing was going, a sentiment that was clearly shared by Lily.


    ¡°Well, the leader of the mana-users sent there fell into a coma, so the others aren¡¯t doing their investigating stuff,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°Looks like that Hulid¡¯s been in a coma ever since we left, then,¡± Lily observed quietly.


    ¡°You two know something of this matter?¡± Schwarz asked, his eyes turning to the two of them. Farah, who was lounging around on an armchair, also did the same thing, and Claud exchanged glances with Lily, who nodded by way of reply.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lily replied. ¡°On the day we left, the Tri-Head Snake came up to the gates of Nachtville. Before it could do anything ¡ª assuming it even did anything to begin with ¡ª an incredibly powerful folder dropped by and wiped it out of existence. Hulid, the leader of the Dusk Daggers, tried to investigate the attacker with a skill, only to be knocked out by some unknown means of retaliation.¡±


    ¡°Knocked out¡­¡± Schwarz rubbed his nose. ¡°This sounds very familiar to a particular legendary thief, doesn¡¯t it? I mean, a certain Spear of Fate did try to seek out a particular Thief of Time, only to fall from the skies.¡±


    No! That¡¯s entirely different! Zulan Patra failed because Crown intervened! As for that Edgeless Night fellow, he probably tried to investigate Absolute One and the owner through it, so¡­ Claud, however, didn¡¯t dare to voice those thoughts out loud, but the look of shock on his face was enough to set the others laughing.


    ¡°You two¡­¡± Schwarz rolled his eyes. ¡°You might have just witnessed the Thief of Time make a move, and you two didn¡¯t know that?¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t know what to make of this utterance. The bartender had the conclusion right; the so-called Thief of Time did make a move against that three-headed scaly fellow, but the means in which Schwarz had arrived to that conclusion was wrong to anyone who knew the actual inside story.


    That said, the only people who knew the actual story was him and Crown, so it wasn¡¯t actually unreasonable for Schwarz to actually come up with such a conclusion. After all, drawing parallels between the Thief of Time and the, uh, mysterious attacker that had shown up at Nachtville wasn¡¯t all that hard, if someone knew about their two appearance and the familiarities between them.


    The only thing that irked him was how Schwarz had actually arrived at the correct conclusion, despite having it entirely wrong.


    ¡°Nope,¡± said Lily. ¡°I should have thought of it earlier, shouldn¡¯t I? With all this evidence presented in front of me¡­¡±


    Claud nodded vigorously. He didn¡¯t need to play along for this round; he hadn¡¯t noticed the possibility that someone would connect the death of the three-headed snake to how the Thief of Time. Since he was the progenitor of both incidents in a way, they had been very distinct to him, but to others who saw only the surface¡­


    ¡°Anyway,¡± said the bartender, ¡°Risti and Dia have been dispatched to Nachtville to investigate those murders. At the time, they were our best choices; Risti¡¯s a brilliant investigator, while Dia has the highest combat strength of everyone present. They¡¯re unlikely to be in danger, and their presence there is but a symbolic one.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s where they went to, eh?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Hopefully, they¡¯ll be back soon. I¡¯ve told them to return as soon as the dispatched mana-users are able to carry out their duty.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope that nothing happens, then,¡± Lily murmured.


    For some reason, Claud didn¡¯t quite like the sound of that.

 Chapter 104: Mental Assault

    It had been three days since Dia and Risti set off for Nachtville, and as the Moons began to rise, the silhouette of a city crawled up from the ground. It went without saying that this was a welcome sight for her; travelling on foot, even when mana-walking, was by no means preferable to more relaxing activities like sitting on a chair and reading random things.


    The two had gotten to know each other better over the past few days, but most of their interaction was mostly talking about nature. Unlike Dia, Risti was more than happy to run around the woods and inspect any interesting flora and fauna she saw. In the process, Dia had also familiarised herself with some basic plants that were actually edible even when uncooked.


    Uncooked edibles weren¡¯t something she hoped to ever consume in her life, but Dia had committed that information to her mind anyway. The Experiential Potions she had ingested was more attuned to the ideals of adequate preparation and supplies, so there was very little information on procuring emergency supplies from the wilderness.


    Given the way her life had changed in the past month or so, she wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she found herself out in the wild without any source of food. Anything was apparently possible, and she didn¡¯t want to lose her life because she didn¡¯t know what plants to nibble at.


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re finally here!¡± Risti, who was peering at a crushed flower earlier, did a little jig. ¡°Finally. I can¡¯t wait to have a proper bed and everything!¡±


    Dia nodded fervently. The two of them had been sleeping on trees the entire journey. While that was the safest option, it also meant that they woke up with sore, aching backs. Sleeping on soil or soft vegetation would have been a far better course of action, but neither of them deemed the slight comfort an adequate reward for taking the risk of sleeping on the ground.


    A bed sounded like paradise to her right now.


    The Moons continued to climb, and as the two closed in on the city walls of Nachtville, the world around them was blanketed by an ominous red light. Percuti, the red moon of strife, was exerting its full might on the world today.


    ¡°How many times has this sight appeared?¡± Dia frowned. Single Moons were supposed to be very rare, so the fact that such an astrological phenomenon had occurred over and over again within a short span of time was really disturbing.


    ¡°Three in the past two months,¡± Risti replied. ¡°For Percuti alone. If we take into account the other Moons, as well as Lunar Harmony¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it an omen of things to come?¡± Dia wondered out loud.


    ¡°Probably. A war between three dukedoms is about to break out. Maybe that¡¯s the reason why the Moons are behaving oddly,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that an inter-dukedom war is a huge event,¡± Dia replied, ¡°but is it so huge that the entirety of Grandis is affected by it? It shouldn¡¯t affect Nihila and Voidum, right?¡±


    Risti pondered over her words for a moment, and then furrowed her brows. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s something entirely different, then. I don¡¯t know, really. Maybe the Chromatic Lords are fighting or something?¡±


    ¡°The Moons affect and are affected by mortal moira,¡± Dia mused out loud. ¡°You might be right. Still, I wonder what kind of event must occur for Percuti to be shining alone this many times. Maybe one of the Coloured Gods insulted another?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something that is indeed worthy of a red moon, but¡­¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°Come on. I don¡¯t feel safe right now. Do you have some mana? Let¡¯s rush over as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t rush there,¡± Dia replied. ¡°It would be a problem if we arrived at a killer-stalked town without much mana left.¡±


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    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts.¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°Withstand your fear. Keep moving normally. My trainers, those who taught me how to use a sword long ago, said that one should never enter or exit a place when they¡¯re at their weakest.¡±


    ¡°Well, if the trainers of the princess¡¯ body double said that¡­¡±


    That wasn¡¯t the reasoning Dia wanted to hear from Risti, but the outcome was still the same. Patting her on the back silently, the two continued to trudge onwards to Nachtville.


    The apprehension within Dia mounted as they drew close to the small town. She didn¡¯t quite understand why the feeling of a predator eyeing them intensified for every step they took, but Dia didn¡¯t have any choice in the matter. They had to enter the town, no matter what, but that thought didn¡¯t stop her from wiping off beads of cold sweat that had popped up on her forehead.


    An audible gulp broke Dia¡¯s reverie, and she looked up to see Risti¡¯s face. Even under the red light of Percuti, she could tell that Risti¡¯s face was abnormally pale, and her body was trembling visibly.


    ¡°Are you¡­also feeling fear?¡± Dia asked.


    Risti nodded silently, and her steps faltered. At the same time, an intense chill assaulted Dia¡¯s own mind, as if a giant monster with multiple mana circuits had abruptly appeared in front of her to give her a good look. Her movements were also beginning to falter, but before her muscles could freeze up entirely, she grabbed Risti and activated every single defensive artefact on her body.


    Light rippled as a solid bulwark formed around them. Unlike Claud, she had only purchased barrier artefacts, but together, they were enough to provide comprehensive cover. Without skipping a beat, she began to infuse mana into those artefacts, willing her mind to overcome the intense, foreign terror bubbling up inside her.


    ¡°Take a deep breath and calm down,¡± Dia forced out. ¡°I believe we¡¯re under attack. This fear is probably from a skill or an artefact.¡±


    Risti trembled, but she obeyed her words anyway. The sounds of deep breathing soon filled the air, a sound that Dia herself found calming. The terror was still gnawing away at her mind, but she now at least had the awareness to look at her surroundings.


    They were still a few kilometres away from the city walls. That said, since Dia had no idea what kind of skill had been used on the two of them, it would be foolish to make any assumptions. Of course, it was reasonable to assume that the source of their terror was the city of Nachtville itself, given that the abnormality had set in, but¡­


    Taking a deep breath, Dia forced herself to keep an eye out on the surroundings. Most artefacts and skills lasted for thirty minutes, tops. This abnormal fear would probably pass soon, at which point Dia would forge onwards.


    However, if whatever skill or artefact that was behind her fear deactivated in around thirty minutes from now, it could only mean that it had been activated in response to their approach. It went without saying that the user was almost certainly the person they were looking for, the murderer behind the scenes.


    In silence, the two of them forced themselves to remain calm. More than once, Dia found herself on the verge of breaking out into a panicked escape, only to come to her senses when Risti touched her shoulder. Other times, she found herself pulling Risti back, when the latter was on the verge of leaving the defensive boundary she had set up.


    Percuti continued to rise. Time seemed to coalesce into a gluey mess, and before long, Dia had forgotten how much time had passed. After what felt like an eternity, the fear that had paralysed them both faded away, and the first thing Dia did was to drop on the ground and pant heavily.


    Taking deep breaths, she rolled onto her back. Her skin was covered by a sheen of clammy sweat, while Risti looked like some skin product had been applied on her face liberally.


    ¡°That was definitely a skill,¡± Dia muttered, after a few minutes.


    ¡°Was it activated in response to our approach?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Or¡­¡±


    Dia looked at Risti evenly. She had also considered the same thing as Dia herself, which spoke volumes about her wits. Granted, she probably didn¡¯t have the luxury of training under masters of the sword, but¡­


    ¡°Why are you staring at me in such a weird way?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just impressed that you thought of that bit,¡± Dia replied. ¡°But I lost track of time¡­¡±


    ¡°You might have lost track of time, but your artefacts didn¡¯t.¡± Risti sat up and examined the rippling air around them, reaching out a hand.


    Barely seconds after making contact, the defences around them vanished with a pop, and both of them narrowed their eyes. Dia had activated those artefacts shortly after she noticed the abnormality, but the fear had been present sometime before then.


    ¡°Looks like someone is indeed trying to scare us off¡­or worse,¡± Dia noted grimly. Her heart palpitated a moment later. ¡°Something might have happened in the town too. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Risti took a deep breath and nodded. Dia took the lead, heading towards the city gates, which now seemed like the maw of a monster.

 Chapter 105: The opening move

    Nothing happened as they approached the gates of Nachtville. It was as if the fear that had assailed them minutes ago had never existed, but Dia didn¡¯t dare to let her guard down. If that skill strengthened with distance, a point-blank activation could directly drive them insane.


    Which, now that she thought about it, was actually a really good reason to stay really far from the city. After examining why she thought approaching was a good idea, Dia came to the realisation that she was basically assuming that the skill used on them earlier strengthened over time, rather than range.


    It was probably too late to back off now. If the enemy had a skillstrip with that ability, and decided to use it on them¡­


    ¡°Risti,¡± Dia muttered quietly, ¡°do you have any artefacts or skills that can ward off abnormal states of mind?¡±


    ¡°If I had, I wouldn¡¯t have frozen up earlier,¡± Risti replied bitterly. ¡°In the first place, skills that have adverse effects on the mind are very rare.¡±


    ¡°So we got unlucky?¡±


    ¡°Really unlucky,¡± Risti replied, stressing the latter half of her two-word sentence. ¡°And I don¡¯t know how this skill works either. At first glance, it seems that this skill could be an area-of-effect skill, but in that case, the city shouldn¡¯t be this quiet. Mass hysteria should have broken out long ago.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a risky assumption to make,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Their short conversation came to an end as they drew up to the city gates. The squad of guards milling around the gates were looking around every few seconds, but they weren¡¯t hysterical or anything. Furthermore, no signs of being affected by a debilitating, abject fear could be seen on their face ¡ª the guards¡¯ expressions were one of slight apprehension and nothing else.


    ¡°Halt,¡± said one of the guards. ¡°State your purpose.¡±


    Dia took out a letter and handed it to the guard silently, who eyed her in return. Those eyes widened three seconds later, and after taking a few steps back, he whispered something to his colleague and ran off into whereabouts unknown. At the same time, the squad protecting the gates straightened up, their weapons at the ready.


    Were they guarding against something? Dia didn¡¯t know, but the silent exchange had left her and Risti on edge too.


    After a painfully slow minute, the guard returned and bowed, before saying, ¡°Follow me.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t see much choice in that particular manner, so the two of them followed in silence. The guard led the two of them into the small guardhouse built by the city walls, where a stern-looking officer was busy leafing through documents.


    The officer looked up at the two of them as they entered. Adjusting her uniform¡¯s top button, she said, ¡°Your Excellencies, I apologise if I¡¯m being rude, but the situation has changed in the past three days. What Count Nightfall has briefed you no longer holds.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Dia asked.


    In response, the officer took out a small stack of files. ¡°Each file documents every case that has happened in the past three days.¡±


    Risti breathed in sharply, and Dia couldn¡¯t blame her for that. There were at least thirty such files, which could only mean that thirty people had died in the past three days. On average, ten died every day, but the fact that the officer hadn¡¯t said anything about the killer could only mean that there weren¡¯t any leads.


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    ¡°Who¡¯s the administrator of this town?¡± Dia asked. ¡°What opinion does he have on this?¡±


    ¡°Baronet Nacht went out of town last week, when news of the Julan main house came in,¡± the officer replied. ¡°Right now, most of the major decisions are being made by the captain of the city guards, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But you guys aren¡¯t experts,¡± Risti completed. ¡°What of the team dispatched by the Folders¡¯ Association? Have they not done anything?¡±


    ¡°As stated previously, the leader of the Dusk Daggers is currently incapacitated. The rest of his party has cut off all forms of contact, even food, and are currently maintaining a strict perimeter around their current premises,¡± the officer replied. ¡°We have received no instructions from them either.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Dia rubbed her head. ¡°Never mind. Can you give me a summary of your findings so far? With the number of murders per day increasing, there has to be some findings or commonalities that you guys have spotted, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Excellency.¡± The officer took out a file and gave it to them. ¡°We¡¯ve compiled all of our observations here.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Moments after flipping the file open, Dia and Risti¡¯s face changed. The first observation that was listed there was the fact that the eyewitnesses for every single victim in the past few days stated that those victims broke down hysterically and exhibited other fear-induced actions, before being stabbed by a flying spear.


    Dia couldn¡¯t help but think about their own experience earlier on.


    Most disturbing, however, was the fact that these murders had occurred in the public eye. She could see the scene in her mind; a person abruptly screamed and breaking down into a terrified mess, scaring anyone around him or her, before a spear flew in and nailed them to the ground.


    If she hadn¡¯t set up defences earlier¡­


    Dia gulped. She didn¡¯t want to think too hard about it, but it would seem that her decision to use her defensive artefacts was a good one. That said, there was nothing about mana traces being left on those spears, which probably meant that the murderer either didn¡¯t use mana, or wasn¡¯t a mana-user to begin with.


    ¡°Just to check, since your reports didn¡¯t mention it,¡± said Dia, ¡°but were there no traces of mana left behind on those spears?¡±


    ¡°None, Your Excellency.¡± The officer shook her head. ¡°We inspected those spears and checked for mana, but nothing. We even tried to find any hint of skills being used, but there was no proof in that department too. Either the killer threw those spears by hand, or the skill used to throw such a spear wasn¡¯t based around the spear itself.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Dia tapped the table for a moment. There really wasn¡¯t much she could work with, but the same couldn¡¯t be said for Risti. ¡°Thank you, officer. Can you leave us for a moment? I need to discuss certain aspects of this case with my partner.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Excellency.¡± Bowing crisply, she turned on the heel and left the room, closing the door behind them. Risti glanced at Dia, an eyebrow raised, but Dia didn¡¯t elaborate on why she wanted the officer to leave.


    ¡°Do you have any ideas?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the professional at information-gathering, not me,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I¡¯m just muscle here.¡±


    ¡°You are indeed rather useless in this particular department, but why do you seem experienced with investigations like this?¡± Risti paused. ¡°Oh, right. You must have seen your fair share of cases as Princess Dia¡¯s double. Figures.¡±


    The way Risti answered her own question was convenient, so Dia decided not to comment any further on it. ¡°Anyway, what ideas do you have?¡±


    ¡°From the looks of it, the last moments of the dead aren¡¯t going to be helpful, since those murders don¡¯t seem to have any commonalities between the victims. I can¡¯t use Last Words here,¡± said Risti. ¡°However, I do have other skills that might work, but to be very safe¡­¡±


    She muttered to herself, and then looked up at Dia. ¡°I have a foolproof plan, but I¡¯m not sure if you would like it.¡±


    ¡°Say it,¡± Dia replied. ¡°No harm hearing it, at least.¡±


    ¡°Well, the best way to nab the target would be to acquire proof right when he or she strikes, right? I have a skill that allows me to sp¡ª ahem, survey ¡ª pretty much an entire dukedom¡¯s capital If I were to use it here, I should be able to find the murderer.¡± Risti frowned. ¡°It¡¯s just that this plan gives the murderer a lot of initiative; if we use it, people are bound to die. I can dedicate the whole day to looking down on Nachtville, but that means I cannot investigate with my other skills.¡±


    Dia took a deep breath. This plan would probably be a very successful one, but the price¡­


    Effectively, they were using lives as bait. Were the murderer¡¯s next targets probably going to die?


    Yes, they would. Whether or not Risti¡¯s plan was put in motion or not, whoever the murderer targeted would probably be killed. It was possible that the two of them could actually find out who the murderer was before he next struck, since Risti had chosen such a plan to bring up first, she was probably not confident in hunting down the murderer through the scant traces left behind.


    In reality, there wasn¡¯t a choice, but for her¡­


    Stifling her superfluous considerations, she took a deep breath. ¡°We¡¯ll go with that monitoring plan of yours.¡±

 Chapter 106: Preparations in the night

    After ironing out the details of their monitoring plan, which included grabbing a map of the city and turning them into grids, Dia called the officer back in and asked for the two of them to be stationed in the middle of Nachtville. It didn¡¯t take long for the officer to arrange their accommodations and after a few minutes, the two of them were walking down the streets of Nachtville.


    The streets were unusually deserted. After asking the nervous guards that were escorting them to a suitable house, Dia found out why ¡ª an advisory to stay at home and lock the doors had been issued. It was a measure that essentially asked everyone to bury their heads in the sand and hope that they wouldn¡¯t be targeted, but it did seem to be effective; no murders had happened at night.


    Somehow, Dia had the feeling that the fact that the murders happened in broad daylight were very important, but there was too little from that angle. In the first place, what was the point of killing this openly? Was the murderer someone who simply had a compulsive desire to shock the world by killing in front of other people?


    Or did the killer harbour a darker motive?


    Troubled by those thoughts, Dia let her legs move on their own. Before long, the small group arrived at a rather shabby house. It had a small, overgrown garden, and the garden gate itself was hanging off the hinges at a very crooked angle. The small fences around it could be traversed with a simple jump, and¡­


    ¡°My apologies, Your Excellencies,¡± said one of the guards. ¡°Nachtville has been troubled by cash flow issues for the past year, which is why most of our lodgings for professionals have been neglected.¡±


    Dia had a feeling that the interior of the house was equally neglected too, but with Percuti¡¯s light falling on them, she didn¡¯t quite want to make any comments that could potentially stir their anger. Placing a hand on Risti¡¯s shoulder, the two of them pushed the gate open ¡ª which proceeded to fall apart at their touch ¡ª and entered the premises of the small house.


    The two guards stared at the broken gate, before trying to fix it. After a few feeble attempts to reattach the garden gate, which only served to turn the thing into splinters, they made some excuses and left, the blush on their faces obvious even under the light of the red moon.


    Shaking her head, Dia returned her attention to Risti, who was pushing the door open slowly. However, aside from the very ominous creaking that followed, the interior of the house was at least¡­passably clean. Sure, there were a few mounds of dust here and there, but it was at least better than sleeping on the streets.


    The two got to some preliminary dusting ¡ª Dia¡¯s father didn¡¯t believe that his children should be spoiled rotten by not giving them any chores to do ¡ª and after wiping down any surface they intended on using, the two flopped over to the newly-cleaned table, which proceeded to creak under their weight.


    ¡°Well, at least we did secure a base of sorts.¡± Risti took out some writing materials.


    ¡°What are you writing down?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°My observations of Nachtville,¡± Risti replied. Her voice was especially devoid of any emotions when she said those words, and for a moment, Dia thought that the person before her had been possessed by a jaded old man. It was a surprising comparison, given that Risti was essentially a lookalike of herself, but that impression was particularly hard to shake off.


    This is Risti when she¡¯s truly invested¡­Dia¡¯s initial impression of Risti as an obsessed admirer had been weakened over time, but this particular side of her was particularly striking. She was giving off a weighty aura right now, an air similar to something that radiated off Farah when the latter was saying something serious.


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    In fact, Dia had the feeling that disturbing Risti right now was an incredibly bad idea. It was something her instincts told her, but as a swordswoman, her instincts were usually very on-point. Therefore, instead of going through the plan with her, Dia chose to take her sword and move to another room.


    She was tired, but after today¡¯s scare, Dia knew that sleep wasn¡¯t going to be easily obtained. Doing a few practice forms to calm her nerves, Dia switched from style to style, her sword moving at a slow, leisurely pace. Her stiffened muscles loosened up slowly, and before long, whatever fear that had hidden within her was forced out, and her heart felt all the lighter for it.


    With Risti doing her work, and no one else to talk to, Dia found herself bored. While she was in Moon Mansion, there was always someone to talk to, to relax with. Other times, she would be training the lower-level members of the Moon Lords, acting as a combat instructor for the vanillas. If push came to shove, she would just borrow a book or read a newspaper, but¡­


    ¡°This is really boring,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°What should I do?¡±


    For some reason, Claud¡¯s exhortations to stay prepared echoed inside her mind, and to her displeasure, she couldn¡¯t get them out. After letting herself be tormented by his echoing words for a few minutes, she sat down and pulled out some skillstrips.


    Claud had a point. However, of her six skills, only Sword Dance and Sword Sense were worth duplicating; the rest¡­she didn¡¯t dare to duplicate them. If someone else obtained skillstrips with her last three skills on it, a disaster could follow. To begin with, Sword Fall and Domain of Swords were very rare skills, skills that she was only able to learn due to her being the daughter of Duke Lustre.


    Of course, because she favoured fighting over administration, the more important skills to running a dukedom had gone to her brother. Before this Thief of Time business went down, Dia had envisioned herself to be Lustre¡¯s sword and shield, fending off enemies for her brother, who would handle the finicky issues of administration.


    In a sense, that vision had come true, since she had been implicated in Ruler Umbra¡¯s murder in place of her brother, but¡­


    Shaking her head, Dia sheathed her sword and wandered over to an unused bed, which had been cleaned by the two of them. Sitting on it, she closed her eyes and began to condition her mind with a bout of meditation. Her lifespan was long enough that furthering her second mana circuit wasn¡¯t going to kill her anytime soon, and given the danger that stalked Nachtville, it seemed appropriate for her to continue burning her mana circuits.


    Blue and green light intertwined with each other. Statistically speaking, it was far better to use lifestones to improve one¡¯s mana circuit, but since she had no lifestones on hand¡­


    Making a mental note to ask for some lifestones when she got back, Dia focused on her mana nexus. The mana nexus was a term to refer to where superimposed mana circuits were linked, which accounted for dense networks of mana on that particular area.


    They usually appeared on the heart too, which was rather fitting, considering that the mana nexus was quite similar to the abovementioned organ.


    Time stretched into a blur as Dia began the long process of drawing a mana circuit. Drawing a second mana circuit required two hundred years of life; even though her second circuit was almost complete, she didn¡¯t want to take any risks. Twenty-four years were a lot, and given the recent trend of drying lifestone mines, Dia had a feeling that judicious use of her current lifespan was the way to go.


    Furthermore, the threat of being attacked by that devastating terror still remained. Dia would rather complete her second mana circuit at a snail¡¯s pace, in case something interrupted her session and the lifeforce she withdrew went to waste.


    Extracting another year¡¯s worth of lifeforce ¡ª the minimum unit of conversion ¡ª Dia willed it to become the purest of mana, before etching it on the extremities of her second mana circuit. This was another reason why progressing in the hierarchy of life was so hard; for a mana circuit to be complete, it had to cover the entire body, even the fingertips. As a rule of thumb, burning mana circuits into fingers and toes were the hardest jobs to do; a single lapse in concentration and the pure mana would deteriorate and become unusable.


    The sun rose as Dia finished burning four years of her life, bringing her Mana Circuit Superimposition level to 1.9. It was a small increase from her previous superimposition level of 1.88, but every 0.1 was a minor boundary. Her mana reserves had expanded once more with that, but as to how useful it was¡­


    Dia glanced at Risti, who was snoozing away in her chair, and decided to wake her up gently.


    The sun was up, and it was time for work.

 Chapter 107: Settling in

    Barely three seconds after daybreak, Risti¡¯s eyes flicked open. Dia, who was reaching out a hand to wake her up, froze on the spot, before reminding herself that she wasn¡¯t playing any prank on Risti. As such, there was no point in feeling anything close to guilt; she had nothing but the purest intentions in mind.


    ¡°You¡¯re up,¡± said Dia, hiding an ink-stained finger. ¡°It¡¯s time to get to work.¡±


    ¡°Let me wash up a bit first,¡± said Risti. Vanishing into the depths of the house, the sounds of rushing water filled the air for a moment. Dia, who had been up the whole night, didn¡¯t feel particularly sticky or anything, and instead opted to take out one of the processed meals Schwarz had prepared for them.


    A set of polite knocks sounded out before Dia could pull those premade meals out, and she muttered some words her father would have smacked her on the head for saying, before getting up from her chair. Heading over grumpily to the door, she pulled it open to reveal a pair of young guards.


    Ones that couldn¡¯t be a day older than eighteen. Furthermore, they were pretty much identical twins, save for the hairdo. Brown eyes, brown hair¡­both of them sported little delicate features that looked like they had been painstakingly crafted by one of the Coloured Gods.


    ¡°What are you two little fellows doing here?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Are there any updates you need to brief us on?¡±


    ¡°No, Y-your Excellency.¡± said the twin in front. Her hair was cut short, and Dia¡¯s eyes wandered over to the nametag on her chest, which read ¡®Olivia¡¯.


    ¡°We¡¯re here to deliver your rations, Your Excellency.¡± said the other twin, who was sporting fairly long hair. Her name was Sophia, and unlike her short-haired sister, there was a look of interest on her face.


    Both twins were carrying a bag of food each, and after declining Dia¡¯s offer to take them herself, they skipped into the recently-cleaned house. Olivia was keeping her eyes down, in contrast to her livelier sister, who was looking around the place without any semblance of restraint whatsoever.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Dia asked, as Sophia took in the scene for the tenth time. ¡°Does this house have an issue?¡±


    The twins jumped. A heartbeat later, Olivia¡¯s hand flashed out and smacked Sophia¡¯s head really loudly. Pressing Sophia down into a full bow, Olivia followed suit and wailed, ¡°We¡¯re very sorry, Your Excellency! Please don¡¯t do anything to us!¡±


    ¡°Dia?¡± Risti walked out at that very moment, only to pause at the odd sight. ¡°What, are you in the middle of punishing them?¡±


    ¡°Where did you get that impression from?¡± Dia asked, rolling her eyes at Risti. ¡°Do I look like such a bad person?¡±


    ¡°Oh. True. So your mistress¡¯ charm must have rubbed off on you, then¡­¡±


    ¡°Why is that your default conclusion of all things? And how does that make any sense?¡± Dia rubbed her forehead. ¡°Anyway, stand straight, the two of you. I¡¯m not going to do anything, alright? Big sister here is a good person! Just ask Sister Risti over there!¡±


    The two bowing twins straightened their spines cautiously, as if any fast movement would trigger an unstoppable rage from Dia or even Risti. It took them ten full seconds to complete that simple movement, which was simply proof that these two adorable twins feared Dia for some unknown reason.


    Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m standing up straight? Dia rubbed her nose. She could vaguely recall that squatting down when talking to children was better for them, since the speaker would come across as less threatening that way.


    That was for children, though.


    Dia struggled with herself for a moment, and then made do by sitting on a chair instead. To her relief, the twins didn¡¯t seem to have any panicked reaction when she sat on her chair, so Dia leaned back and relaxed.


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    ¡°Now, where was I? Right. The house. Any issue with it?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Why would you keep looking around it otherwise?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re¡­¡± Olivia paused.


    ¡°Just curious,¡± Sophia continued the sentence. Pulling away from her nervous sister, Sophia set down the two bags of what presumably was food, she stretched her arms.


    ¡°Sister?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Sophia replied. ¡°Her Excellency¡¯s friendly!¡±


    She turned to look at Dia. ¡°Right?¡±


    Her confidence would have been very reassuring if not for the fact that she too was trembling. It was a false bravado, but normally, people didn¡¯t react to mana-users with this much fear. Unless¡­


    Dia glanced at Olivia. Did she come into contact with mana-users that were¡ª


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Risti, interrupting her thoughts. ¡°We¡¯re good people. Good mana-users. Be at ease, the two of you. Okay?¡±


    Risti glided over and rubbed their heads with one hand each. A gentle smile adorned her face, but Dia could sense a deep sorrow in that expression of hers. Clearly, she knew something that Dia could only guess at.


    ¡°Y-yes, Your Excellency,¡± said Olivia.


    Sophia made a little snort, before rolling her eyes at her twin.


    Dia sent an exasperated look at the smug twin, an action that was mirrored by both Risti and Olivia. Time seemed to freeze for a moment, as everyone save for Sophia noted that everyone else ¡ª again, excluding Sophia ¡ª was giving off the same expression and thoughts, before the three of them turned away and made some polite noises.


    To Dia¡¯s satisfaction, that little moment had probably helped to convince Olivia that Risti and Dia weren¡¯t bad people after all, although the very salient possibility that Olivia had suffered at the hands of mana-users had dampened that little glow.


    ¡°Thank you very much for sending the food over,¡± said Risti, who was the earliest to recover. Her expression a careful mask of neutrality, she rubbed the twins¡¯ head once more. ¡°The two of you shouldn¡¯t return, though. The murderer has struck in broad daylight for the past few days. If you two go out, you might be at risk.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your sentiment,¡± said Olivia. ¡°But, uh¡­we should really be going. Don¡¯t want to get in your way. And we might get punished, even if you say something¡­¡±


    Risti pondered over her words for a moment, and then nodded. ¡°True. You two should hurry up and return then.¡±


    Ushering them out with all due haste, Risti sat down on the ground and produced a small stack of skillsticks and skillstrips. Tearing apart one of the skillstrips, she said, ¡°Prepare to move at my command.¡±


    Dia nodded mutely. Once again, her instincts were telling her that offering any resistance would probably make Risti angry, but she could understand where Risti was coming from this time. Risti herself knew that their current course of action would almost certainly result in the death of their bait, but now that one of those baits included the little pair of twins¡­


    This wasn¡¯t the time to be wondering about Risti¡¯s thoughts, though. Making sure that her equipment was ready and present, Dia prepared to move out at any time. Fortunately, the twins at least knew what the recent murders were like; if one of them were stricken by abject terror, the other should know.


    Furthermore, none of the guards had been targeted by this murderer. The fact that they were guards were probably the biggest protection against things like murderers ¡ª the city guards were technically the Emperor¡¯s people. To harm them was to oppose Emperor Grandis himself, which was why no one dared to cross them seriously.


    The above aspects were quite theoretical, however. That said, her father did have an explicit policy that anyone ¡ª even family members ¡ª who tried or did harm the city guards of any city were to be disowned and exiled. Duke Lustre did not want to risk angering the Emperor. The rulers he appointed were not dispensable, but that same protection did not extend to dukes.


    Risti¡¯s expression softened slightly as Dia walked over to the bags of rations that the two had carried over. From the looks of it, the two twins were probably safe in the guardhouse by now, which was why she had eased up slightly.


    Dia glanced at her once more, and then began to sort out the rations that had been given to them. Most of the rations were meat that had been cooked, before being liberally dried and salted. It was a staple fare for bounty hunters, thieves, or generally anyone who wanted to travel without the need for cooking.


    Unsealing a packet of dried meat, she placed it in Risti¡¯s hands, before grabbing one packet for herself. Chewing on their breakfast, which was probably also going to be their lunch and dinner, Dia prepared herself to move at any time.


    To be honest, they didn¡¯t need to go this far. Schwarz had laid it out explicitly; they were there for the sake of being there.


    It could have been a lot easier if they chose to abide by Schwarz¡¯s suggestions, but the two of them, in the middle of their travels, had reached a silent accord to help. Dia did not know what Risti¡¯s motivations were, but for her, it was quite simple.


    She couldn¡¯t stand by and watch as people died.


    That was all.


    The others might laugh at her for that childish thought, but¡­


    Dia shook her head and finished off the last of her breakfast. That act was seemingly a cue, as Risti¡¯s eyes flicked open a moment later. ¡°Dia, C-Three. Go!¡±

 Chapter 108: Clairvoyance and countermeasures

    Leaping over the broken garden gates, Dia ran through the morning crowd ¡ª which wasn¡¯t all that many people ¡ª and flickered through them. Immediately after she rounded a corner, terrified screams made by a single person entered her ears, and Dia doubled down on her mana-walking. There, not too far away, was a young man frightened to the point of making ear-piercing shrieks and wails.


    Dashing over to the young man, Dia raised her sword and activated Sword Sense. A heartbeat later, a sharp object appeared in her extended senses, and her sword flicked out to intercept the incoming spear. A horrifying strength slammed through her arm as she met the weapon, throwing her backwards in an uncontrollable spiral.


    Spitting out some blood, Dia struggled back up. In that single exchange, she had failed to detect any form of mana or spiritual structures whatsoever. The most likely conclusion one could derive from the former was that the murderer wasn¡¯t a mana-user, but this was not conclusive by any means. The latter point pointed at the absence of a skill directly applied to the spear; that spear didn¡¯t have skills like Unerring Projectile or similar, never-miss skills.


    How could an arching spear be thrown with such strength and accuracy? Either way, it was clear that the killer was a master at throwing spears, but Dia couldn¡¯t think of any notable people who could hurl spears.


    Shaking her sore arm, she looked down at the frightened young man and exhaled slowly. Dia had managed to save his life by diverting the trajectory of the spear ever so slightly, but she was in no condition to pursue. Tracking down the murderer was Risti¡¯s expertise; by now, she should have an area for her and the city guards to search.


    Her sudden movement jolted the fearful spectators to life, and under a storm of applause and thankful words, Dia ran back to their base of operations, ditching anyone who tried to follow them with sheer speed alone. She was naturally in a rush, since whatever clues that had been generated would rapidly go cold over the next minute or so.


    Only a fool would stay at their current location.


    Pushing the door open, Dia asked, ¡°Where next?¡±


    Risti looked up from the piece of paper in her hand. ¡°There¡¯s¡­no ¡®where next¡¯ for this one. The spear came from beyond the city walls. The culprit ran the moment he threw the spear, without leaving anyone behind.¡±


    Dia frowned. ¡°What now, then?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­not sure. But from what I can tell, the culprit has a very complimentary set of skills. First, he seems to have a skill capable of increasing his strength by a great deal for a few seconds. Second, he should have a skill like Clairvoyance to survey the local area. Third, he should have a skill that can induce fear, and this skill works on any target in visual range.¡± Risti tapped the table beneath her. ¡°There¡¯s no way we can apprehend the thief, unless I can provide you with real-time updates on his location.¡±


    ¡°The city guards should have some methods,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Maybe. But this does at least account for why the murderer usually strikes in the daytime. In complex terrain like cities, looking for people from a top-down view at night is a very hard task,¡± said Risti. ¡°When we were attacked earlier, it was because we were very noticeable targets, as travellers in the desert. Without your defensive artefacts¡­¡±


    ¡°This might be trouble, then.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Very troublesome. The enemy is apparently capable of inducing fear from afar, and then finish off the scared target with incredibly accurate spears. My initial suspicions pointed at Zulan Patra, but I don¡¯t think he needs to scare anyone¡­¡±


    ¡°I have an idea,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Right now, it would seem that the murderer¡¯s entire modus operandi revolves around the use of some Clairvoyance-like skill. If we get the city to mandate the use of items like a parasol when going out, or a notice for people to stay inside shelter where possible, we might be able to nip his current plans in the bud.¡±


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    Risti paused. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s one of Clairvoyance¡¯s weaknesses. It¡¯s a sensible one, since it does allow for one to still maintain their privacy. Moons know how many times I¡¯ve been unable to spot the princess due to her being in a building¡­ahem.¡±


    Dia made a silent resolve to never step out from underneath shelter where possible, before placing a smile on her face. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll go inform the city guard. You should continue to keep a lookout.¡±


    What the two of them didn¡¯t mention was the very salient possibility of someone being attacked while Dia was out and running about, but no one wanted to talk about it. Instead, Dia hurtled out of the house again and sprinted towards the guardhouse, hoping that she would get the message out before anyone else was attacked.


    It didn¡¯t take long for her to reach the guardhouse, where the two twins were chatting away with the other guards.


    ¡°Your Excellency, is there something wrong?¡± Sophia asked.


    ¡°Bring me to your commanding officer,¡± Dia replied, wiping off a bead of sweat. ¡°I have a way to prevent those murders from happening; hurry!¡±


    Without waiting for Sophia¡¯s reply, Olivia dashed into the guardhouse and began yelling out for the commander, whose name was apparently Lucia. The din she created was effective, and after a minute or two, Olivia had dragged her boss out.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on¡ªYour Excellency!¡± The officer stiffened up. ¡°Is there a new development on the case?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dia replied. ¡°We managed to intercept one of those spears and traced its origin. The origin of the thrown spear came from outside Nachtville¡¯s walls, and it is my friend¡¯s opinion that skills that allow one to have a top-down view of the world is being used to facilitate those murders.¡±


    ¡°What? From outside those walls?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Taking a deep breath, Dia continued to explain the other findings she had made, including how there was no residue mana or spiritual structures. Those findings weren¡¯t all that important, compared to their discovery, and before long, Dia moved on her proposed solution.


    ¡°No going out of shelter, eh?¡± Lucia rubbed her chin, before turning to one of her guards. ¡°Lance, do you have any ideas?¡±


    The guard named Lance rubbed his chin. ¡°The issue is about being seen from high up, right? What if we get everyone to block out the sky with cloth or something? Create some sort of artificial shade? That way, business can continue as usual and people will be safe.¡±


    Lucia and Dia considered his words for a moment.


    ¡°I think that could work,¡± said Dia. ¡°That said, if life continues as normal, it¡¯s possible that the murderer might feel compelled to enter Nachtville or something. It¡¯s quite possible that the murderer intends to disrupt Nachtville¡¯s daily life or something, since there are virtually no connections between his victims.¡±


    ¡°Well, that does at least account for why we couldn¡¯t find any traces of the murderer. For murders like this, virtually no one would have the strength of mind to actually track where the spear came from, since they fly so fast,¡± said Lucia. ¡°We didn¡¯t even know that they were coming from outside the city in the first place; our assumption was that the killer was operating within the walls.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t blame you for that. Who can throw spears with such accuracy? What kind of skill even allows that to happen?¡± Dia rubbed her nose. If there was someone capable of actually doing such a thing, she would have heard of it. Even if that person was a vanilla, being able to throw spears with such accuracy needed decades of experience and superhuman strength.


    ¡°Maybe someone with an Unerring Projectile skill?¡± Lucia suggested.


    ¡°Can¡¯t be,¡± Dia replied. ¡°No traces of skill use were found on the spear.¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    Skills that affected items, like her own Fated Sword, would definitely leave residues of spiritual structures on those items. This could literally only mean that the thrower was a master at, well, throwing spears, which was something that had puzzled Dia.


    ¡°Either way,¡± said Dia, ¡°we should definitely do something about the sky, and quick. The faster we cover up the sky, the better.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course.¡± Lucia turned to the others. ¡°You lot stay here. I¡¯ll turn out the other guards and get them to inform the rest of the city. We¡¯ll mobilise everyone and block out the sky until the culprit is captured.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll provide support with my colleague,¡± said Dia. ¡°She¡¯s on standby, ready to inform me whenever anyone exhibits extreme terror, at which point I would make my way to the intended target and deflect the incoming spear.¡±


    ¡°Please do that,¡± said Lucia. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll turn out the guards now.¡±


    Bells rang moments after she vanished into the guardhouse, and a contingent of guards formed up in front of the building. Within a minute, Lucia had elucidated her orders, and the guards ran off into the city, bringing with them an official conscription notice for everyone they encountered to help out in covering up the sky.


    The speed in which people covered up the sky when their lives were at stake was really astounding.

 Chapter 109: The investigators and the reinforcements

    Before long, the main streets had been covered up. The tailors of Nachtville had risen to the challenge magnificently, with most of the cloth covering the city belonging to them. Officially, the city had bought just about every roll of cloth that those tailors had, which meant that these tailors had also made a good killing.


    From the muted celebrations these tailors were currently having in their shops, Dia could tell that those rolls of cloth had been marked up and sold to the city. It was a good move in the short term, but she had a feeling that the administration of Nachtville wasn¡¯t going to forget how they had been fleeced.


    ¡°Thirty minutes,¡± Dia looked up at the cloth-covered sky and found herself impressed. Thirty minutes was all it took for the main streets to be covered up, and for the news about how the murderer was using a Clairvoyance skill to spread.


    ¡°Impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lucia looked up. ¡°People can do anything if their lives are at stake. Now that we¡¯ve partially settled the issue of security, we need to handle another pressing issue ¡ª the possibility that the murderer might enter town.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably something you would have to settle by yourself, though.¡± Dia paused. ¡°Right, regarding the mana-users sent here by the Folders¡¯ Association¡­where are they now? Now that we should be safe, if temporarily, it¡¯s time for us to talk to them. We should be able to get some good intelligence from them or something.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Of course. I¡¯ll send one of my guards to lead you there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be greatly appreciated,¡± Dia replied.


    After a minute or so, Sophia and Olivia stood in front of her. The former¡¯s eyes had a light of excitement in them, while the latter was in a dark mood. Risti hadn¡¯t said anything about what Olivia had probably encountered vis-¨¤-vis mana-users, but from her overblown reactions, Dia could guess that she had a fear of them.


    Considering that there were so many horror stories about mana-users floating around, her guess didn¡¯t seem far off. Moonlight and lunar mirages came hand-in-hand; there was no smoke without fire. Olivia was probably one of the unlucky many who had suffered at the hands of her self-entitled brethren, who thought having power made them a big deal.


    She was probably a fan of stories that saw vanillas take out mana-users. Smiling wryly at that thought, Dia took a step forward and said, ¡°Relax, the two of you. I¡¯m not going to do anything bad, okay?¡±


    Her words were primarily directed at Olivia, but to prevent that particular utterance from being seen as an accusation, she had phrased it to address the both of them. It went without saying that the guarded expression of Olivia only wavered slightly, but for Dia, that was enough. Her actions would prove that she carried no ill-intent and that she wasn¡¯t a nasty person who had let the prospect of mana get to her head.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Sophia grinned.


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Olivia bowed her head deeply, in a manner so perfect that it would warrant full marks from Dia¡¯s etiquette tutor.


    Dia nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll return to the house first, and then I¡¯ll bring my friend along to talk to the team dispatched by the Folders¡¯ Association. Is that alright with you?¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    ¡°We will obey.¡±


    Olivia¡¯s very proper and polite response left Dia somewhat stifled. The way she was acting reminded Dia of her childhood, when everyone and their parents would greet her with a stifling politeness, save for her brother. Fortunately, Sophia was a lot less restrained in her responses, which was enough to alleviate the stiffly feeling in Dia¡¯s chest.


    Under the cover of cloth, the three made their way back. It was astounding just how much cloth had been used to blot out the sky, though. From the looks of it, the tailors in Nachtville had probably emptied out their warehouses to complete this undertaking.


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    They had probably emptied the treasury of Nachtville too while they were at it, but that was their own problem.


    ¡°How fast did this whole thing take ¡ª yeowch! What was that for?¡± Sophia rubbed her left arm and glared at Olivia.


    ¡°Don¡¯t disturb Her Excellency,¡± Olivia replied quietly.


    Dia had not missed that little exchange; halfway through Sophia¡¯s words, Olivia had pinched her arm so hard that Dia herself wanted to wince and rub the poor thing. Forcing herself to not notice, she replied, ¡°Around thirty minutes. Really impressive effort, but I suppose miracles happen when you tell people that they can be killed anytime.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Sophia frowned at those words.


    ¡°It sucks. I don¡¯t know what type of person would kill people in such a manner, but¡­¡± Dia bit her lips, before shaking her head. ¡°The two of you should still keep a lookout, though. This countermeasure is something Risti and I came up with, but we could very well be mistaken or something.¡±


    The two nodded, but they were already looking around vigilantly to begin with. Dia had only brought that up to smooth over the twins¡¯ dispute, and in silence, they returned to the house Dia was currently living in.


    Risti opened the door as they closed in. ¡°Good job out there, Dia. What are we going to do next?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be heading over to liaise with the team the Folders¡¯ Association sent here,¡± Dia replied. ¡°They came here earlier, so they might have discovered something or made some observations we missed out. Other than that, I want to see if we can get them up and ready once more; we still need to seek out the murderer and bring him to justice.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Risti patted her pockets for a moment, before nodding. ¡°I¡¯m ready. We can directly go over now.¡±


    Dia, who had originally wanted to take a short rest after running around for the whole morning, shelved her desire and nodded. Gesturing for the two twins to lead the way, she fell into step with Risti, who was looking up at the impromptu ceiling that had blocked out the sky.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t use Skyward Eye here.¡± Risti paused. ¡°That¡¯s a very powerful form of Clairvoyance, in case you were wondering. If anything happens, even if I¡¯m using Skyward Eye, I won¡¯t be able to direct you. That can be quite the problem.¡±


    Dia nodded. The murderer had showed his or her capability in killing people from beyond the city walls, so long as the targets were in the culprit¡¯s vision. Entering the city wouldn¡¯t affect the killer all that much, save for a heightened chance of being seen and pursued. Therefore, Risti wouldn¡¯t be able to provide Dia with instant guidance if a murder were to happen now¡­and of course, none of them really wanted to think about the possibility of their assumptions being flawed.


    Lucia had taken that into account, fortunately. Right before Dia left, she had dispatched lots of guards to various locations around the city. If spears still flew in from beyond the city to kill innocents, she would know immediately.


    Proceeding down the streets, Dia and the others navigated through a veritable crowd, who had all left their homes once the impromptu ceiling of cloth had been erected. From the snippets of conversation that she managed to pick up, Dia could tell that the crowd was rushing to stock up on food.


    Nachtville¡¯s provision shops were stuffed with people, as proof.


    Shaking her head, Dia continued to follow the two twins as they led them into a very crowded inn. Despite the huge numbers of people sitting around on the first floor, the inn was unnaturally quiet, and Dia didn¡¯t quite dare to ask why. Within the pervasive silence, the group of four made a beeline to the stairs, heading up to the second floor and stopping at the staircase landing.


    The entire second floor was apparently sealed off. Standing at the only opening that allowed access to the rooms was a blue-haired young man, with a dagger held in his hand. The young man, who was leaning against a wall, glared at them with incredible caution upon noticing their presence.


    ¡°This place is off-limits. Scram, or I¡¯ll get nasty.¡±


    Olivia trembled slightly as she took a step forward. Producing a badge, she said, ¡°We¡¯re with the city guard. The two behind us are one-folders who have been dispatched by Count Nightfall to assist you. These are the relevant documents.¡±


    Her voice was somewhat shaky, but that was it. Dia found herself impressed at how she had said the whole thing, despite the near-absolute certainty that the man before them was a mana-user too. The blue-haired man leafed through the documents for a moment, before nodding.


    ¡°You two are our reinforcements, then?¡±


    ¡°In a sense.¡±


    ¡°Then the scene outside must be your doing. Very well. Follow me. We¡¯ll share our information, and then work out something from there,¡± he replied. ¡°Is that acceptable to the two of you?¡±


    Risti glanced at Dia, before saying, ¡°That¡¯s fine with us. Sophia, Olivia, the two of you find a random room here and take a rest. We¡¯ll call for you when we¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Acceptable.¡± The blue-haired man eyed the twins. ¡°But do anything funny¡­¡±


    Shaking his head, he gestured for Dia and Risti to follow him.

 Chapter 110: The lookalikes cross paths

    The first thing Dia thought when she stepped through the door was that blue hair might not be that rare after all. In the room, including the guy that had led them through, were three blue-haired guys. All of them looked rather similar to each other, but more importantly, they were all standing around a bed.


    To no one¡¯s surprise, the person lying in the bed also had blue hair. By now, Dia had seen enough of what exactly was going on ¡ª this party of mana-users were all fans of the same fellow, and from the looks of it, that particular fellow was the one lying in bed right now.


    ¡°Hulid, right?¡± Dia muttered. She had seen this overly-arrogant mana-user before, back when they were in Pletsville. Of course, he was alone back then, or else she would have definitely remembered him a lot better. As for the three lookalikes around him¡­either they were brothers, which seemed like quite the coin toss ¡ª four, in fact ¡ª or they were fans of his, which was more likely somehow.


    Dia glanced at Risti, before proceeding to strike off the word ¡®somehow¡¯ from that thought earlier. She, and the others, were living proof that people did wear the clothes of their idols and try to look like them. Fortunately, Dia didn¡¯t fall into that category¡­but it wasn¡¯t like she could convince anyone who saw the four of them that.


    ¡°You know of him? Nice!¡± The blue-haired lookalike who had led them in perked up, as if he had found a peer. His mellow features seemed to glow too, and Dia looked upon him a bit more favourably. Compared to the arrogant Hulid she recalled in her memory, this lookalike was a lot more pleasant to see and hear.


    ¡°I saw him once before,¡± Dia replied. ¡°At Pletsville.¡±


    A small Moon seemed to light up above Risti¡¯s head. ¡°Ahh! That¡¯s why he seemed this familiar. But I only saw him there, though. Where were the rest of you guys?¡±


    ¡°We were one of the first few parties to seek out the Thief of Time when we heard the news,¡± the mellow lookalike replied. ¡°As such, we had separated to check on the small villages near Licencia.¡±


    ¡°I see, I see.¡±


    Dia cleared her throat. ¡°We should get around to exchanging our information first. Since you guys came earlier, you should have gathered more information; do you want to share first?¡±


    The mellow doppelganger nodded. ¡°Right, I guess we should introduce ourselves. I¡¯m Haber.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Lucid,¡± said the doppelganger standing to the left of the bed.


    ¡°And I¡¯m Extoth,¡± said the doppelganger at the bed¡¯s right.


    ¡°Together,¡± said Haber, ¡°we¡¯re the Dusk Daggers, a two-star folder party under the Folders¡¯ Association.¡±


    ¡°Ah, they rolled out the new scheme already,¡± Risti muttered.


    ¡°Scheme?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Nothing important, just some Association business.¡± Risti cleared her throat. ¡°Your leader should be one of the bi-folders, then. Who¡¯s the other one?¡±


    The entire party froze.


    ¡°Oh, come on. Stop playing around. Who doesn¡¯t know that half the party must have the same number of folds as the number denoted in the party¡¯s rank?¡± Risti rolled her eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t the Association¡¯s clerks tell you about that when they ranked your party?¡±


    The others opened and closed their mouths, like goldfish. Personally, Dia didn¡¯t understand what the fuss was about, since she had immediately understood what Risti had said. For some reason, the others here had been struck dumb through and through, as if her earlier words were a Moon-shattering revelation.


    ¡°Wait, they didn¡¯t?¡± Risti eyed the entire lot. ¡°Or did you guys not actually bother to ask when you received your rank?¡±


    After a few seconds of fidgeting around, Haber said, ¡°Well, we were thrilled when they told us we were one of the only fifty two-star parties in the entire continent. We didn¡¯t actually stop to ask them after that.¡±


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    ¡°By getting drunk.¡±


    ¡°How did you know that?¡± The three blue-haired guys looked at each other uneasily. ¡°No wonder you guys are the reinforcements from Licencia. As expected of Count Nightfall, I guess.¡±


    ¡°No, you guys getting drunk is pretty much par for the course¡­¡± Risti cleared her throat. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get down to business first, shall we? Report. What happened to the Edgeless Night?¡±


    For some reason, Risti looked like she was in her element right now. Instead of cutting in and looking like a fool, Dia shifted over to a chair and sat down on it. Risti was giving off the vibe of an absolute professional right now, unlike a certain half-baked mercenary-slash-bounty hunter that had gotten her credentials through money.


    ¡°We¡¯re starting from there first? It¡¯s not really related¡­¡±


    ¡°On the report that was sent along, Hulid was said to be suffering from symptoms of extreme terror,¡± Risti replied. ¡°The person behind those murders recently is suspected to be a user of a skill that induces incredible terror in its target. There is a connection there.¡±


    Before they left for Nachtville, the bartender had said that the leader of the Dusk Daggers, Hulid, had apparently done something he shouldn¡¯t have done. The Tri-Head Snake was apparently killed by a Blessed of the Coloured Gods. According to the report they received, Hulid was in his current condition because he tried to investigate a skill passed down by the gods.


    The above was all conjecture, however. Given what she and Risti had experienced, it was very possible that the extreme fear Hulid had experienced was actually the doing of the murderer.


    ¡°A connection, huh¡­¡± Haber rubbed his forehead. ¡°I¡¯ll explain what happened on that day, then. It was in the morning, and we were in the middle of our investigations when someone shouted that the Tri-Head Snake was at the gates of Nachtville. The alarms sounded, and we rushed out to confront the snake.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°We ¡ª that is, everyone assembled at the gate ¡ª were waiting for any signs of hostility when the Tri-Head Snake abruptly died. It was pulverised by some odd force, and the mana that followed turned the ground into glass,¡± said Haber.


    ¡°Glass?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Um, like those legends about Emperor Grandis personally making a move,¡± Haber clarified. ¡°His attacks apparently scorch the impurities of the ground away, giving it a glassy texture. The ground at that time looked like what the legends said, so everyone crowded around to take a look.¡±


    ¡°Did your party leader do anything special? Eye-catching?¡± Risti pressed on.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Haber narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible that the murderer was probably looking for, uh, outstanding people. People that would take the lead when there was danger or uncertainty, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Well, Hulid is an outstanding person, but I really don¡¯t think he was targeted by that fear skill. For one, he was just talking to the others, and second, he was frothing at the mouth moments after he activated his investigative skill,¡± Haber replied. ¡°After that, we had to carry him away.¡±


    ¡°So the murderer really didn¡¯t target him, then¡­¡± Risti tapped her feet. ¡°Well, that¡¯s that, then. Either way, he¡¯s probably not in danger right now, since the murderer targets people walking around the streets.¡±


    ¡°What are you getting at?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for so much manpower to guard your party leader,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Look, we came all the way from Licencia to act as your reinforcements and back-up. If you tell us that we¡¯re to continue your task, the two of us aren¡¯t going to be very happy.¡±


    The three blue-haired men exchanged glances. A non-verbal conversation followed, one in which gestures were liberally used. The flurry of gestures and signs ended thirty seconds later, but the fact that they had actually come to a conclusion with some random waving within half a minute was more than enough to impress her.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do a shift system, then. But first, we should continue on the information exchange.¡± Haber looked around. ¡°After that, we¡¯ll come up with a joint action plan together.¡±


    ¡°Acceptable.¡± Risti¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Shall we continue, then?¡±


    ¡°Very well. When we arrived in Nachtville, a few murders had already taken place. Some of the earlier ones, however, weren¡¯t as¡­unique as spears from the sky. As an illustration, there was a double murder at an inn called the Bronze Forks around two weeks ago.¡± Haber had an odd expression on his face. ¡°These spears only came later, shortly after the Tri-Head Snake went on a rampage.¡±


    He went on to talk about the interviews the Dusk Daggers had conducted, which yielded nothing much of interest. Most of the strangers they had interviewed were taking the city as a place to rest and resupply; they were all headed to Licencia to capture Tot or something.


    No falsehood could be found, although a few people were concealing the fact that they were mana-users. That, however, was perfectly normal. One-folders made up the vast majority of mana-users, and they were still very much killable. Dia hadn¡¯t forgotten how some baron¡¯s son and his bodyguard had died a sad death¡­


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s all we did.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a lot, and it did help me to narrow down many things,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Like I said earlier, the murderer is out of the city right now. I managed to track his trajectory somewhat, narrowing down the search area, but unless you guys want to help, there¡¯s no way the two of us alone can catch the culprit.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll listen to your arrangements,¡± Haber replied immediately.


    ¡°Very well. Now, this is what we¡¯re going to do¡­¡±

 Chapter 111: Counter-measures and commencing capture

    Risti¡¯s plan was rather simple. Right now, since the murderer was unable to actually kill anyone, it was possible that they would try to sneak into the city. Given the very careful tactics employed, however, Risti was reasonably certain that the murderer was probably still hesitating on actually entering the city.


    ¡°So we¡¯re going to head out and search for a very cautious murderer?¡± Dia asked. ¡°If the murderer is half as cautious as Claud, we¡¯ll be in deep trouble.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an outlier. Besides, Schwarz could have been making fun of him when he told us that Claud sets up traps in his own house when sleeping,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°I get a feeling that he¡¯s not pulling our leg, though. Well, we¡¯ll just need to ask Lily or something when we get back.¡± Dia took a look at the three doppelgangers of Hulid, who were still trying to work out their shift system. All of them wanted to be around when Hulid recovered, but since there was no sign of him waking up anytime soon, the three of them were naturally apprehensive.


    ¡°Come now,¡± said Dia, ¡°wouldn¡¯t it be better if he woke up and heard that one of you caught the murderer?¡±


    Her words fell like lightning bolts, and the three blue-haired fellows trembled from them. For some reason, that sentence seemed like a divine revelation from the Coloured Gods to the three of them, and before long, the three had settled on who was going to stay behind.


    Exthoth sat down on the chair and gave everyone else a thumbs-up. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of him here first.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Besides, what are the chances of us catching the murderer on the first try?¡± Dia muttered. ¡°I think he¡¯s the super-lucky one.¡±


    The two other doppelgangers wavered.


    ¡°But he¡¯s essentially giving up his chance to be there when Hulid wakes up, since Hulid isn¡¯t probably going to wake up in the first shift either,¡± Risti observed.


    The wavering, uncertain expressions on the others weakened, and Dia exchanged amused looks with Risti. It was fun seeing them trying to weigh what was best for them individually, and after a few more minutes of non-verbal conversation, nothing much had changed.


    Exthoth was still seated on his chair and everything, so Dia couldn¡¯t quite see the point of them actually having the discussion earlier. Nonetheless, the three of them were really ready this time, so it was with some trepidation that she followed Risti along with Lucid and Haber down the inn. Tens of eyes fell on them as they stepped onto the ground floor, and the silence that had permeated the area earlier deepened even further somehow.


    It was a bit uncomfortable to have so many eyes fixed on them, but Dia was somewhat used to it, given her upbringing. Risti, on the other hand, was completely fearless, despite being the evident leader of their little group.


    ¡°We¡¯re going out of the city to look for the murderer,¡± Risti murmured, her quiet voice carrying through the tavern. ¡°Right now, the people in this town and you guys are very safe. We¡¯ve managed to stop the murderer from using his or her skills with the countermeasures draped outside, but it would be a problem if the killer slipped through the city gates.¡±


    Her words stirred up some whispers, but Risti didn¡¯t care about them. Walking past them to the door, her every step seemed to echo in the silent tavern and radiate dignity at the same time.


    Farah clearly wasn¡¯t the only one who gave off such an air. For some reason, Dia was beginning to feel both pressured and a bit inadequate; she didn¡¯t think herself to be capable of giving off such an air. Where did they learn it from? Or was it a natural result of the responsibilities the two of them had?


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    After all, Risti was the daughter of the Folder Association¡¯s president. She had been quite evasive about the actual job title of her father, but in one of their conversations, Risti had revealed the actual title of her father ¡ª Association President. Dia didn¡¯t quite understand what a ¡®president¡¯ was, but it was probably a nice-sounding term for ruler. There were all kinds of words to replace ¡®leader¡¯, anyway; her working title as Lunar Lady was one of them, as an illustration.


    Anyway, Risti probably had quite a bit of experience in ordering mana-users around, which was why she had handled negotiations so smoothly. Behind Risti, to Dia¡¯s right, she could see Lucid and Haber stare at Risti, their expressions varied yet united in expressing surprise.


    Her presence had definitely startled them, and Dia couldn¡¯t blame them for reacting in such a way. Who could have guessed that Risti, who was devoted to seeking out every tiny bit of information about Princess Dia, could give off such an air?


    As a group, they continued to head down the main street, which had been cast into shadow. From the small gaps between the hastily-created ceiling of cloth, they could vaguely tell that it was late afternoon; their little discussion had taken up quite a bit of time.


    ¡°It might be dangerous to move around at night, though.¡± Dia looked up at the sun.


    ¡°Yes, but that might also be a loophole in the murderer¡¯s thoughts. For one, skills like Clairvoyance are a lot harder to use at night, since the Moons¡¯ light aren¡¯t that strong. If we keep a low profile and move carefully, it¡¯s unlikely that the killer would spot us. More important, the culprit might also think that we won¡¯t search for him at night, and would be more relaxed as a result.¡± Risti rubbed her chin. ¡°But that¡¯s making some assumptions, so¡­¡±


    She thought for a moment. ¡°We¡¯ll make a show of returning to the city when night falls, and then we sneak out again. How¡¯s that sound?¡±


    ¡°Sneaky,¡± Dia appraised. ¡°I like it.¡±


    ¡°What about the two of you?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Sounds like a good idea. If we can actually catch him today, it¡¯ll be great for us!¡± Haber rubbed his hands, the mellowness in his features slightly muted. ¡°That¡¯ll show him for choosing the best timing!¡±


    The two fans of Hulid seemed particularly fired up, so Dia found herself issuing a warning to be more careful. She didn¡¯t want to face a Hulid enraged by the very unfortunate deaths of his fans, especially since they were also his party members. Even if they were innocent, would the Edgeless Night let them off that easily?


    They soon arrived at the city gates, where Lucia was humming to herself in a relaxed fashion. The guards standing around the gates were noticeably at ease too, and everyone smiled as they stopped at the gates.


    ¡°Your Excellency, the murders have stopped.¡± Lucia¡¯s smile was so wide that her face now looked like a little Moon. ¡°Your idea really worked! Thank you!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s her idea, actually.¡± Dia gestured at Risti, who shuffled her feet awkwardly. ¡°You should thank her, not me.¡±


    ¡°Moons! My most sincere apologies, Your Excellency!¡± Lucia turned to face Risti and bowed. ¡°Thank you for your invaluable suggestion!¡±


    ¡°N-no issue, really.¡± Risti cleared her throat. ¡°Anyway, the four of us are going out of the city to hunt down the murderer. I need your help to facilitate some things for us while we¡¯re at it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll give you anything you need!¡±


    Dia¡¯s eyes glittered. ¡°Well then, I want three hundred pure-ranked lifestones.¡±


    ¡°¡­that we have,¡± Lucia added on lamely.


    ¡°It was worth a try, I guess.¡±


    The others laughed at Dia¡¯s words, and the atmosphere turned even more cordial. After playing it off, Dia told her about Risti¡¯s sneaky little plan and requested some dark cloaks for them to wear when they went out at night later. To absolutely no one¡¯s surprise, Lucia loved the plan, and immediately went off to find some suitable clothes for them.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Risti muttered, ¡°did she just abandon us in her efforts to help?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t really need her help to leave the city, though,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Either way, it¡¯s good that she¡¯s so keen on helping out. There¡¯s no need to take any offence.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What offence?¡±


    Everyone stared blankly at each other, and then rolled their eyes in an unprecedented display of synchronicity. Stepping out of the city together, Dia winced at the sunlight streaming down onto her body, before feeling a touch of apprehension. The murderer had killed many people with the sky as a medium; what was once a tranquil peaceful sight now filled her with a fear of death.


    The enemy¡¯s method of killing was insidious. Dia didn¡¯t dare to claim that she would be alright if she was targeted by the murderer; what had happened to her last night was enough proof. If she had been a bit slower to set up defences¡­


    Shaking her head, she patted her defensive artefacts. ¡°Remember to use your artefacts if you feel threatened or scared at any moment in time.¡±


    The others nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯ll scout the periphery of the marked-out area first,¡± said Risti, ¡°and then we¡¯ll explore the marked-area directly at night later. Remember to return to the city gates when night falls. Any questions?¡±


    That last bit was directed at Lucid and Haber, who shook their heads in reply.


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s go, then.¡±

 Chapter 112: Traitor?

    A few days had passed since Claud returned to Licencia. It should have been a normal morning, one that didn¡¯t brook concern, but unfortunately for him and a whole lot of people, this morning was anything but normal.


    Jogging through the alleyways of Licencia, Claud controlled his mana expenditure gently. The City of Trades, like any other city, had a darker side, but with the establishment of the Moon Lords, this darker side should have been suppressed and controlled. All sorts of policies had been enacted to allow for even illiterate people to function in their artificial paradise, with charity events like food handouts full swing in their territory.


    These little things didn¡¯t come easy to the administration of Licencia, but to its lawless underbelly, it was but a flip of a palm. While the Nightfall Palace needed accountability in everything it did, the same couldn¡¯t be said for the Moon Lords, which gave the latter a formidable advantage in being¡­nice people.


    He actually hadn¡¯t known all that much about those charity events, save for the fact that they were already being planned for a launch by the time he got back.


    Claud shook his head as he rounded a corner. They were doing good things, so why did people see the need to sabotage their kindness? Granted, he should have taken a more intimate role in helping to plan those events, but why would anyone do such a thing?


    Why?


    He couldn¡¯t quite get over the image of a sobbing Farah as he continued his chase. The countess was kneeling in front of a crowd of poisoned people, trying to administer aid the best way she could. Fortunately, he was actually around, and had immediately removed his Pendant of Poison Warding for these people to wear, but there was only so many he could save.


    Schwarz and Lily had dragged her away to protect her, and a runner had been sent to Count Nightfall to ask for help. Lily, Moons bless her decisive heart, had immediately gathered everyone on duty for an interrogation, but one of their subordinates had broken into a mad dash away before the investigation could actually begin.


    Claud could not risk losing that person, and so he gave chase.


    Clutching the pendant, which had been depleted of all its charges today, Claud whirled past more listless people, who were lying down on their backs and staring up at the sky. He could see a figure fleeing from him, and as Claud continued to chase, a rational part of him noted that he could very well be running into a trap. This was clearly a pre-planned poisoning, and at the end of the road, there were probably going to be people waiting for him there.


    To carry on was suicidal. Dangerous. Crazy. Words like these flitted through his brain, but Claud could not forget both the earnest plea in Lily¡¯s expression as she looked at him and the anguished sobs of Farah. It didn¡¯t gel with him, not one bit. If doing good led to negative outcomes, he would be the first one to stand up against such a world.


    Touching the mask on his face, Claud took a deep breath and began to reach out to his mana circuits. Blue light flashed, and the wind howled as his body began to move at speeds impossible to normal people. At the same time, the world seemed to slow around him, enabling Claud to narrowly avoid anyone in his way.


    This was the first time he¡¯d used mana openly in the city. Fortunately, he had taken the liberty to wear a cloak and change his identification factors before he used mana, but such an action definitely had its risks. However, Claud knew that if he failed to catch up to his target, he would almost certainly walk into a trap.


    ¡°Necessary, eh?¡± Claud mocked himself. The fact that he chosen not to pursue with mana until he changed his identification factors was indicative of his cowardice. ¡°But I am a coward. Always then, always now.¡±


    Leaving those words to linger in the wind, Claud closed the distance rapidly. Within seconds, he had all but caught up to the target, but before the master thief could strike, a shadow flashed towards him.


    One of his innumerable defensive artefacts lit up, deflecting the small dagger. The sound startled his quarry, and the man he was pursuing turned back on reflex.


    Time froze as Claud looked at the man.


    He was one of the Moon Guards, someone Dia had trained to fight. They were generally entrusted with maintaining security around Moon Street, but the last time Claud checked, none of the Moon Guards had such an¡­expression on their face.


    If he could even call it an expression, that is. A mask of granite looked back at him, and for a moment, the master thief couldn¡¯t help but wonder if his quarry was actually alive. There was nothing ¡ª absolutely nothing ¡ª in those eyes of his, and as Claud faltered from the sheer shock, his target lashed out with a roundhouse kick, following up with multiple spear jabs that left afterimages in its wake.


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    Bones cracked as the kick bounced off his persistent defences, but the shock that followed rattled Claud. The rebound from the kick had broken both his target¡¯s legs and left him reeling despite his defences, which was a testament to just how mighty that strike was. What was more alarming, however, was the fact that the man had ignored his broken leg to suppress Claud with his spear, as if pain was nothing to him.


    ¡°Is it possible for someone to be this strong?¡± Claud wondered. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s Super Strength or something, but¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t have much time to think about the whole thing, however. Despite the man¡¯s clearly broken right leg, he was still able to stand and brandish his spear expertly. Claud¡¯s barriers held fast under the assault, but the enemy was so skilled that he couldn¡¯t quite do anything with his many knives.


    ¡°Rodrio,¡± Claud murmured. ¡°Why are you doing this? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    The abnormal way the Moon Guard was acting right now made him uneasy. Vacant eyes, a super-human ability to withstand such crippling pain¡­this clearly wasn¡¯t the vanilla Rodrio he knew about. Mana-users were far better equipped to handle pain than normal people, and yet, Rodrio could stand normally, despite having a broken leg.


    Rodrio did not reply, but the will to kill him was ebbing out of Claud. His intuition told him that there was something completely wrong with one of their Moon Guards. Killing him would not do anything whatsoever.


    As the emotionless man drew a sword, Claud took out a small ball, which was attached to a stick. The small ball ignited and shot upwards as he broke the skillstick, detonating a few seconds later in the sky. With this, he would be able to summon reinforcements from both Count Nightfall and the other members of the Moon Lords.


    However, if he let Rodrio get away, all this would be wasted.


    With a practiced motion, Claud took out one of his barrier artefacts, called the Dome Shield. Its effect was to project a dome all around him, but like skillstrips and skillsticks, one could actually amplify the effect of such artefacts by infusing mana into them. The master thief hadn¡¯t expected to do such a thing with a defensive artefact anytime soon, however, but that was how life went.


    Infusing half of his mana into the artefact, Claud tossed it skywards. The man¡¯s eyes tracked the flying artefact, but to Claud¡¯s relief, he didn¡¯t move to attack it. The Dome Shield activated in mid-air, and with its enhanced strength, the dome it projected became a lot larger.


    Something like a jolt ran through Rodrio as the artefact landed. The dome shield it projected now covered the two of them, in a manner that made Claud think about a food cover to protect against flies. With this artefact, Claud had trapped himself with the abnormal Rodrio ¡ª while this meant that it was going to be a one-on-one fight, the problem was that this was a one-on-one fight.


    ¡°I must be crazy,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°To fight with someone, without a homefield advantage¡­¡±


    Checking that all his defences were up and running, he withdrew a short baton. Claud had gone to all this trouble to trap Rodrio with him; using a knife would run counter to just about everything else he wanted to do. It would not do for him to kill the perp through blood loss or something.


    Rodrio charged him a moment later, forcing Claud to defend. The advantage of using a more solid and shorter weapon was its greater manoeuvrability, and as a mana-user, his reflexes were far more solid. Even if his strength couldn¡¯t match up, the master thief could at least parry the incoming strikes.


    There was a terrifying, blank focus in those eyes of Rodrio¡¯s, however. Paired with Rodrio¡¯s spearmanship, Claud found himself perpetually on the backfoot, but for opponents like these, there were always ways to make an opening.


    Mana surged into his right arm, and with an empowered swing, Claud smashed aside an overhead slash. Claud swiftly followed up on that small opening by kicking out with his right leg.


    Rodrio met Claud¡¯s kick with a kick of his own, and a sickening crunch followed as both legs smashed into each other.


    The master thief didn¡¯t know what his opponent was thinking, but that was probably the stupidest thing Rodrio could have done. In that instant where leg met leg, Rodrio was forced to take a step back, but his right leg, which had been completely shattered, couldn¡¯t bear his weight anymore. He fell backwards a moment later, his right leg at an unnatural angle.


    Rodrio¡¯s spear clattered onto the ground, marking the end of the fight.


    Clearly, whatever had made Rodrio able to ignore pain had also deprived him of his ability to actually think properly. For that, Claud was thankful, but it would have been better if whatever abnormality that had driven Rodrio to poison the food used in the charity drive hadn¡¯t occurred to him in the first place.


    Letting out a small sigh, Claud walked over to Rodrio. A sword flew directly at him as he approached, but his supernatural reflexes enabled the master thief to dodge it entirely.


    ¡°Don¡¯t resist¡­is what I¡¯d say, but you can¡¯t hear me, can you?¡± Claud murmured. He looked up at the edges of the impromptu barrier, where hooded figures were standing at the edge. One of them raised a hand slowly, and Claud flinched as an icy chill ran down his spine.


    For a moment, he had the feeling that those hooded fellows were going to attack this impromptu arena of his, but before they could act, what sounded like an army came charging towards him.


    Those fellows slunk away at that sight. Claud wanted to chase, but a Moon alight was better than three in the night. Rodrio was their main clue for this entire fiasco, so it made absolutely no sense to abandon him to chase after shadows.


    ¡°Right, my disguise¡­what now?¡± The master thief did not want to expose the fact that he was a mana-user to more people than was necessary, so instead of dispelling his disguise, he racked his brain and waited for the reinforcements to arrive.


    It was time to put on a good show.

 Chapter 113: Dark clouds upon the mind

    Within his Dome Shield artefact, Claud stayed motionless as what seemed like every single capable fighter in Licencia surged towards him. All of them stopped outside the hemisphere that surrounded him and the twitching Rodrio, their eyes glaring daggers at him.


    Like little Moons.


    For a moment, the master thief wanted to flee on the spot, such was the intensity of the gaze. He didn¡¯t get why everyone was staring at him so hard ¡ª Claud could swear that he had changed his appearance and was even wearing a mask. No trace of his overpowering good looks should have remained. Therefore, why was everyone staring at him and not, say, Rodrio?


    The silent crowd continued to stare at him, but Claud stayed rooted to the spot. He didn¡¯t know if he could trust those people ¡ª anyone with a working set of eyes could see the signal he had sent out, not just the Moon Lords. The best course of action was to wait for someone he knew to arrive on the scene, before making a graceful exit.


    ¡°Coming through! Get out of the way! Official business by the Moon Lords!¡± A clamour came from the back of the crowd, along with the regular cadence that Claud associated with the city guards. Like water, the mass of people that had surrounded the hemisphere parted into two, revealing Schwarz and¡­Count Nightfall.


    The count himself had arrived. It didn¡¯t make sense for Count Nightfall to actually be here, but again, things were barely making sense nowadays. Claud didn¡¯t have the brainpower to ruminate on unexpected changes and actions that didn¡¯t make sense to him, so he opted to remain impassive instead.


    City guards and his personal guards flanked him alike, but they were literally of no threat compared to the tri-folder in front of him. Count Nightfall, as a tri-folder, boasted of extensive physical might; it was possible that he could shatter the dome of energy around him with a punch or two. A normal human would not be able to withstand such an attack¡­in fact, Claud had a feeling that as he was right now, an unblocked attack would turn him into mush.


    Claud could feel a faint oppression radiating off his youthful countenance, in stark defiance of his ordinary looks. It wasn¡¯t all that much compared to Zulan Patra¡¯s presence, though, and Claud ignored the towering presence to look at the count directly.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Schwarz took a step forward and asked.


    ¡°A, uh, passing passer-by who helped at someone¡¯s request. This person here was the one that fled from the charity event that led to the poisoning of quite a few people,¡± Claud replied, his voice extra-gravelly.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Claud, then?¡±


    ¡°We split up,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Fair warning. This man seems to be¡­odd in the mind. It would be better to restrain him or something; he knows not pain or fear.¡±


    At those words, Claud deactivated his Dome Shield artefact.


    ¡°Friend,¡± said Count Nightfall, ¡°I would like to invite you to my palace for¡ª¡±


    ¡°My apologies, Count Nightfall,¡± Claud replied, making sure to add as much subtle posing as possible into his words and tone. The more overbearing he seemed here, the less likely anyone would suspect him. More importantly, he was planning on never using this persona again, so being arrogant here wasn¡¯t going to bite him¡­probably.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Allow me to take my leave, then.¡± Activating both Absolute One and Flight, Claud dumped his infinite mana into the latter¡¯s spiritual structure. A thunderclap followed as he shot up into the skies, stirring up a huge cloud of dust in his wake.


    In the opening moments of his incredible ascent, Claud activated his Presence Nullification, before cutting off his ascent by turning sharply. With a control that could only be borne from years of training, he touched down in a nearby alleyway


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    The alley was dank and stank of all kinds of human waste, but Claud didn¡¯t quite care for that right now. Removing his mask and the cloak that had covered his clothes earlier, Claud folded the latter up and stuffed both items together, in his shirt.


    Fortunately, the cloak was made of a thin fabric, which meant that no one would notice it unless they were as observant as Claud himself. Once done, Claud reverted his identification factors to his default, semi-disguised state, before tapping a random drunk on the back to dispel his Presence Nullification.


    All these had been done in less than a minute. There was a very good reason for his rush ¡ª he did not want to be outed as the person who left earlier. If less than a minute separated his persona¡¯s departure and his arrival, no one would suspect him of anything whatsoever. The less people thought of him, the better.


    Breaking into a run, Claud returned to the alleyway in which he had fought Rodrio in. The crowd of warriors were still milling around the area curiously, but Schwarz waved at him before he could slip into the crowd, forcing Claud to approach him.


    Count Nightfall glanced at Claud a moment later. At the same time, his personal guards took up a wary stance ¡ª clearly, none of them actually knew who he was, at least by appearance.


    ¡°He¡¯s one of ours,¡± Schwarz stepped in. ¡°Count Nightfall, this is one of the Moon Lords¡¯ leaders, Claud Primus.¡±


    ¡°I am flattered to be in your presence, Count Nightfall.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t extend his hand, however. He didn¡¯t know what proper etiquette for meeting nobles were like, and he had a feeling that Lily and Farah had been very informal when it came to talking.


    Count Nightfall chuckled, and the master thief felt his spirit lift. Few things were more effective than flattery; it would seem that this axiom still held even for a tri-folder and a noble to boot. With some luck, the count might just consider him to be a sycophant or something, and therefore assume that he was some small fry.


    Which he was, in the grand scheme of things. However, Claud knew that in the City of Trades, he was considered half a bigshot or something, but if he played his cards right, the count shouldn¡¯t think all that much of him.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard witness testimony about the sordid affair at your gates,¡± said Count Nightfall. ¡°This is¡­unfortunate, to say the least. However, judging from the state of the culprit, it would seem that there are other forces at work.¡±


    ¡°Other forces?¡± the bartender asked.


    ¡°Yes. Other forces.¡± Count Nightfall narrowed his eyes. ¡°This person¡­seems to be under a very strong mental compulsion. His will has been completely overridden, replaced with a staunch fanaticism.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Schwarz asked, his words quiet. ¡°And how can we guard against it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very good question.¡± The count narrowed his eyes. ¡°For something like this to happen so close to Ruler Istrel¡¯s investiture¡­this does not look good. I believe that my investigations will make this even clearer in the days to come. Schwarz.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    It was odd to see the bartender being so direct in his speech, but maybe that was what the count liked. Either way, Claud played his part as a pebble excellently, putting in his absolute best to look very unimportant.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be taking this¡­person back,¡± said the count. ¡°Rest assured, master, that I will make a public announcement to absolve you and your people of any crimes.¡±


    From how Count Nightfall called him ¡®master¡¯, Claud knew that the count was apparently now a patron of the bartender¡¯s pub, although what Night saw in those overly-potent drinks was beyond Claud¡¯s comprehension.


    ¡°He¡¯s that important?¡± Schwarz asked.


    The count smiled, and for a moment, Claud could swear that flowers bloomed all around him. The hallucination vanished after he shook his head, but the dumbstruck looks from everyone else around him probably meant that those flowers weren¡¯t a trick of the mind.


    ¡°V-very well, then.¡± The bartender cleared his throat. ¡°You can have him¡­although I at least want to know what exactly caused Rodrio to become like this. I will not stand by and let my employees be harmed.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Count Nightfall furrowed his brows briefly, as if he was confused by something, and then relaxed. ¡°Very well. I will invite you and anyone else you deem of importance to my palace three days from now. Is that acceptable?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Grace.¡±


    ¡°It is the least I should do,¡± the count replied. ¡°And besides, I fear that you and your people will play an integral part in the years to come. Best for me to prepare you for it. I will be leaving now. A messenger bearing my invitation will come by tomorrow morning, latest.¡±


    With that, the count took to the skies before Claud or Schwarz could ask him about his ominous parting words. At the same time, his personal guards picked the unmoving Rodrio up by the limbs, ferrying him away into depths unknown.


    The two men glanced at each other, and then at the crowd.


    ¡°Brave warriors of Licencia,¡± said Schwarz, raising his voice, ¡°thank you for coming to my summons. By way of thanks, I hereby invite you to my establishment, Triple-D¡­where a round of drinks will be on the house.¡±


    Amidst the roars and cheers, Claud found himself deep in contemplation.


    It would seem that trouble was coming.

 Chapter 114: The first foray

    The terrain around Nachtville was mostly made up of flat grasslands, which eventually gave way to an increasingly-dense forest as one continued to travel away from the city. Fortunately, the area that Dia, Risti and the two members of the Dusk Daggers were going to scout wasn¡¯t all that far out. From what they could tell with their eyes and from the map, the undergrowth in that particular area wasn¡¯t all that dense.


    It was probably a calculated choice on the part of the murderer, though. Throwing spears from within a dense forest canopy would definitely have an effect on their accuracy.


    Birds sang and insects made all sorts of noises as the duo trekked onwards. As discussed, the two groups of searchers would not head directly towards the target location; Risti and Dia felt that their chances of success would be higher at night, when they returned under the cover of darkness. This round of searching was to simply lower the murderer¡¯s guard, which was probably raised by now.


    After all, the chances of being spotted the moment Clairvoyance or some other reconnaissance skill was used was very high in the day, especially since none of them were actually hiding their approach. That said, Dia was ready to use her artefacts at any given moment; their current method of approach was literally asking for the murderer to try their luck.


    ¡°What¡¯s the chances of us being attacked?¡± Dia wondered quietly.


    ¡°Less than ten percent, unless the murderer isn¡¯t actually as cautious as I thought he or she would be,¡± Risti replied, in an equally quiet voice. ¡°I¡¯ll let you sit on my head if that happens, though.¡±


    ¡°Better not.¡± Dia rolled her eyes. ¡°Still, being sent out on an assignment is kinda fun. I feel like I¡¯m actually a member of the Folders¡¯ Association or the Mercenary Guild.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a member of the Mercenary Guild?¡± Risti asked.


    Ah. Oops. Dia cast around quickly for a good answer, before deciding to fob her off. ¡°Well, I was attached to a mercenary for lessons, but I never really got around to registering.¡±


    Or rather, the mercenary was attached to her in the form of an Experiential Potion, but Risti didn¡¯t really need to know that. The fact that she had gained lots of valuable experience and skills from downing some liquid was not one she wanted to tell anyone, lest they somehow connected some dots and figured out her true identity.


    ¡°Well, I guess it would look bad if a bodyguard was to become a mercenary¡­¡± Risti shrugged. ¡°I think I said this before, but the Moon Lords do feel like a complementary organisation to the Folders¡¯ Association. The fact that we¡¯re actually carrying out assignments is really neat, and we also get some form of legitimacy.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we can transform our Moon Lords into a branch of the Folders¡¯ Association.¡± Dia chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. I¡¯m quite sure there¡¯s a reason why the Folders¡¯ Association only has branches in dukedom and sovereignty capitals.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there is. But it¡¯s nothing you need to care about. The Association and the dukes are supposed to mutually restrain each other ¡ª both parties are appointed by the Emperor, and they ensure that the other doesn¡¯t try anything funny.¡± Risti shrugged. ¡°Nothing like that has ever happened, though. We¡¯re too fat and lazy to actually plot against the masters of plots.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t quite know what to say in response to this sudden self-abasement, so she decided to check her equipment instead. Her defensive artefacts were all ready to be used at a moment¡¯s notice, and a quick examination of her psyche showed that she was ready for a fight. After all, every single scrap of evidence thus far had showed that the killer wasn¡¯t a mana-user, just someone whose skills and training had coordinated together to form a terrifying combination.


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    In fact, she couldn¡¯t even begin to fathom just how throwing spears could be honed to such an aspect. Throwing spears was, to Dia, an art of exquisite perfection. Unlike swords, the moment the spear left one¡¯s hand, she could not conceive of any method to change its trajectory. The moment the spear was thrown out, its accuracy was guaranteed.


    How was such a thing possible? Sure, reconnaissance skills and skills to disable the target had been used, but even scoring a perfect hit against unmoving targets across a long-distance was improbable to her. In fact, one would probably either need Moon-shaking talent in throwing spears or decades and centuries to train up such a feat.


    ¡°Decades and centuries¡­¡± Dia repeated that last bit out loud.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Risti, who was looking around carefully, glanced at Dia. ¡°What of decades and centuries?¡±


    ¡°I was just wondering about how such spear-throwing skills came to be,¡± Dia replied. The beginnings of an answer were taunting her, floating just beneath the surface of her conscious mind. Before she could grab hold of it, however, that particular idea scattered, and she made an annoyed noise.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Lost my train of thought,¡± Dia replied, miffed. ¡°Anyway, is it really possible to be so accurate with bows and spears? I can¡¯t fathom being actually able to do that, though.¡±


    ¡°Just as how they can¡¯t fathom wielding a sword like you,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Everyone has their specialties, right? I can¡¯t even think to use the sword the way you do. That¡¯s just how it is.¡±


    The two walked to the edge of the forest. To be honest, calling it that was a misnomer; Dia couldn¡¯t quite identify where the grassy plains ended and the forest began. The means in which she distinguished between plain and forest was the feeling that had abruptly set itself on her, a feeling of danger. It was the danger that felt whenever she entered a forest, when the threat of wild monsters imprinted themselves on her mind.


    ¡°So, as planned, we¡¯ll head straight, check for any signs of life, and then¡± ¡ªRisti lowered her voice¡ª ¡°prepare a path for us to enter the marked-out area.¡±


    Dia nodded. Right now, under the forest canopy, it was unlikely that the murderer could spot them properly. However, if he or she had been watching, the culprit would probably arrive at the conclusion that the two searching groups would not stumble upon the culprit¡¯s hiding spot.


    All these, however, was something Risti had thought of. Everything, in order to lower the culprit¡¯s guard¡­as expected, virtually every member of the Moon Lords had a schemer in their hearts. If she hadn¡¯t left on this assignment with Risti, Dia would never have found out about this side of her.


    Passing by trees and shrubbery alike, Dia noted other traces of life around the place. All sorts of animals had clearly passed by the place, leaving all sorts of tracks behind. As they moved, Dia shifted branches and bushes aside with her drawn blade, cutting off anything in her way.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Making a small track for us later on,¡± Dia replied quietly. ¡°Since our second foray here is supposed to be a stealthy one, removing anything that might give away our position ¡ª like random leaves and branches. Besides, we¡¯re not supposed to be stealthy for this first exploration.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­makes sense.¡±


    The two continued to move on in the straight line. Dia glanced at the right, where their true target was. However, stepping into them would probably alert the murderer, so the only thing they could do was visually make sure that there weren¡¯t any nasty traps around.


    Pushing on for a few hundred metres, the two of them stopped at a nice large tree and looked around. There was nothing much special about the tree, save for the fact that it was probably the best landmark for their expedition at night.


    ¡°This place looks good enough,¡± said Risti. ¡°We¡¯ll head here again later on, and then go straight into the suspected area.¡±


    She took out a skillstick and snapped it into two. Her eyes seemed to see through everything for a moment, and after ten seconds, she pocketed the two halves of the stick and nodded. ¡°Yes. We can get to our destination from here.¡±


    Dia wanted to ask what she just did, but it would be rude to enquire. ¡°Are we done here for this afternoon, then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are.¡± Risti rubbed her shoulders and looked behind her. ¡°Well, at least we have a very obvious track right now. Good job, I guess? I¡¯m just worried that the murderer might notice it¡­but again, we didn¡¯t really hide our long walk, did we?¡±


    She thought about it for a moment. ¡°I really want to check out the wildlife here, but we should be returning now. Let¡¯s go look at the birds here after we settle this entire murder thing, okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh. Sure, I guess.¡± Personally, Dia wanted to return as soon as possible, but she too was a bit interested in learning the ins and outs of observing animals. After all, whatever Risti did to observe animals probably wasn¡¯t going to be too different from what she did to observe Princess Dia.


    The fact that she was comparing birds to herself was an odd thought, but Dia couldn¡¯t be too choosy about things.

 Chapter 115: Last preparations

    To Dia¡¯s relief, everyone had reconvened at the city gates just fine. The members of the Dusk Daggers looked a tiny bit worse for wear, but other than that, they were as sprightly as ever. Save for some leaves and twigs that adorned everyone¡¯s clothes, everyone looked as dandy as ever.


    ¡°Great, everyone¡¯s nice and safe,¡± said Haber, whose mellowness had clearly taken a small hit in the earlier trek. ¡°Right, uh, were we supposed to be as flashy as possible in our earlier search?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t recall saying that,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°Nor do I,¡± Dia added. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, we thought we were supposed to be drawing attention to us, so we were a bit ¡ª how do I put it ¡ª obnoxious.¡± Haber cleared his throat. ¡°But we didn¡¯t get attacked or anything, so I¡¯m not sure how that falls in your plan.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t get attacked, huh.¡± Risti ruminated over his words for a moment. ¡°Well, that¡¯s totally fine. But did you feel like you were being watched or something?¡±


    ¡°And how does that feeling feel like?¡± Lucid replied. ¡°Didn¡¯t feel anything out of the ordinary for me, at least. In the first place, being able to detect when someone¡¯s watching is an ability that may or may not exist, so I wouldn¡¯t put much stock in it.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Risti acknowledged. ¡°Well, I suppose we should get some grub first. The night¡¯s going to be a very long one. If we¡¯re lucky, we might even be able to end it all.¡±


    She didn¡¯t quite say it out loud, but Dia had seen through her intentions. Risti wasn¡¯t hoping for luck to be on their side; rather, she was actually intending to capture the perp on the first night. If Dia wasn¡¯t wrong, the only reason why Risti didn¡¯t tell the others that was because she didn¡¯t want a repeat of what had happened earlier when the Dusk Daggers were splitting roles.


    Glory hounds would only be an impediment to actually capturing the culprit.


    Dia peered at her with a sideways gaze, assessing Risti as she continued to chat with the other members of the Dusk Daggers. Her words were mostly talking about how they were going to use a process of elimination to eventually uncover the murderer¡¯s hideout, but the more she spoke, the more certain Dia was. That said, it would be better if she actually confirmed her hypothesis later, just in case her thoughts were all wrong.


    ¡°Welcome back, Your Excellencies.¡± Lucia walked up and bowed to the four of them. ¡°A sumptuous spread has been prepared for everyone here, by way of thanks.¡±


    Dia instinctively moved to decline, but the memories of eating rations overwhelmed her mind before she could enunciate those words. By the time she had regained control, Risti was already thanking Lucia for their hospitality, along with the others.


    Licking her lips, Dia decided to go with the flow. For some reason, she had the feeling that accepting food here was a bad idea, given the nature of their following expedition. However, that was just her subconscious talking, which had been frightened into absurd levels of caution by Claud¡¯s constant warnings and the assassination not too long ago.


    As Dia followed them in, she checked that her Pendant of Poison Immunity was still on. That action itself, however, had surprised her. This wasn¡¯t the first time she had checked that her anti-poison artefact was on her, but for some reason, she was really taking notice of it.


    ¡°Looks like the upcoming search is really getting to me,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Risti turned to her. ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t catch that.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing much. Just a bunch of random thoughts dancing around in my head, that¡¯s all.¡± Dia patted her pendant as they continued on into one of the many rooms inside the guardhouse. A delectable scent wafted into her nose moments later, and she turned to look at the huge spread of dishes that had been laid out of the table.


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    ¡°Thank you for the meal,¡± said Lucid.


    The others followed his lead, and Lucia chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s the least we can do for Your Excellencies. Please, enjoy your meal.¡±


    She left the room after bowing. After a short pause, everyone grabbed a seat and started to dig in. Unfortunately, the kinds of utensils provided didn¡¯t match the rather luxurious spread of food, and Dia couldn¡¯t help but feel some incongruity as she took a few cautious bites.


    On hindsight, it should have been obvious that there was no poison, but Dia still let out a small sigh anyway. Mocking herself inwardly, she ladled a bunch of diced potatoes on her plate and turned to the sausages, where the others were fighting a silent and deadly war over. Her fork flashed, and the skirmish above the sausages turned into a full-blown war as everyone competed with each other over meat.


    Stabbing through three sausages at once, Dia deposited them on her plate and returned to the battle. Her action had reduced the number of sausages to three, which dropped to two as Haber¡¯s fork artfully dodged Lucid¡¯s own to spear a sausage.


    Knocking aside Lucid¡¯s fork, Dia said, ¡°Did you guys notice anything important while you were checking out the area?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Haber replied. His fork spun rapidly, knocking aside Risti¡¯s as it descended onto the last two sausages. Lucid moved to intercept a moment later, and a minor shockwave followed as the two Hulid-lookalikes clashed with their utensils.


    That was the cue for Dia and Risti to use mana too, and the two began to fight with glowing forks. Although Risti was no slouch, Dia¡¯s hands were too quick for her, and with a triumphant stab, she retrieved one more sausage.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Haber said. ¡°There¡¯s so many dishes. Why are you guys fighting with me over sausages?¡±


    ¡°The rest are mostly vegetables or meat with bones,¡± Risti replied, her fork flashing out over and over again. Haber¡¯s fork turned into blinding silvery arcs, protecting the last sausage from both Lucid and Risti¡¯s assault, but under the two¡¯s silent cooperation, the silver arcs began to dull.


    The same light flashed in the eyes of both accomplices as they abruptly struck out for the last sausage, and a shockwave of blue light followed. The last sausage had been severed into three pieces, with the middle piece making a break for freedom.


    Haber¡¯s hand flashed out and stabbed through the last piece.


    ¡°Darn it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your fault.¡± Risti rolled her eyes at Lucid. ¡°Ahem. Anyway, I think Dia needs to be a bit more specific. First, did you two spot any signs of human habitation?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lucid thought about it for a moment. ¡°Well, there was some tracks within the target area, but we chose to purposely overlook that. In the area we were supposedly scouting, no signs of traps and life were visible.¡±


    ¡°Okay. That¡¯s good enough.¡±


    Silence fell as everyone focused on their food. For some reason, Dia had the feeling that Haber was guarding his sausages really jealously, but other than that, the dinner went on smoothly. It didn¡¯t take long before the plates that were once laden with food was empty, and after spending a few minutes to rub their tummies and complain about how Haber got the most sausages, everyone got up.


    The Moons were rising, and it was time to work. Stretching her limbs, Dia and the others headed for the door, where Lucia was already waiting for them.


    ¡°Your cloaks are here, Your Excellencies,¡± said Lucia. ¡°My shift ends in four hours, but I will brief the incoming officer about the ongoing situation to prevent any issues. Is there anything else you need?¡±


    Risti and Dia glanced at the others, who shook their heads.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing I need.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re always prepared for anything,¡± Lucid added. ¡°We are a two-star party, after all. Even if there¡¯s only two of us actually out and working on this, there¡¯s nothing we can¡¯t overcome.¡±


    Their confidence was infectious, and Dia found her spirits lift from their confidence and professionalism. Even though they probably believed that their search wouldn¡¯t come to fruition on the first night, that awareness wasn¡¯t going to put a damper on their spirits.


    ¡°Really professional.¡± Risti nodded. ¡°Not bad. Maybe your evaluation should be bumped up or something.¡±


    ¡°Bumped up?¡± Haber repeated. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to sound condescending, but you¡¯re just a one-folder, right? How can you bump up our evaluation?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rather easy, actually,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Wasn¡¯t there an assessment component or something that follows after a task is completed? That¡¯s where other people can give you evaluations, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±


    Draping the dark-green cape over her body and hair, Dia unsheathed her sword and did a few practice swings with it. There was some encumbrance, but since she was intending to discard her cloak once she encountered the murderer, it didn¡¯t matter.


    Checking her equipment one last time, she nodded at the others. The sky outside was dark, and with any luck, even if the murderer was busy looking down from the sky, the four of them wouldn¡¯t be spotted. Everyone had their own defences at the ready, if they really did come under assault, but¡­


    Haber pulled on his cloak¡¯s hood, covering his blue hair. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 116: The inhuman spear-user

    Under the light of both Plota, the blue moon of wisdom, and Gelb, the yellow moon of wealth, the two groups headed out of Nachtville once more. The cloak everyone wore blended in with the ground, and with the faint moonlight shining down, everyone else looked indistinguishable from the terrain beneath them.


    Placing a hand on her sword, Dia nodded at the others, and scuttled into the depths of the forest. From what she knew, most people would drop their guard from around eight to ten, after the sun fully went down. Their guard would rise as the night deepened, since the deep night was when carnivorous animals and monsters became the most active.


    Eight to ten was the best time for them to strike, when most people were full from their dinner.


    Dia¡¯s heartbeat began to slow down as they closed in on the forest. Haber and Lucid had split up from them, as agreed, and were heading down the route they took in the afternoon. The same went for her and Risti, and before long, they had entered the undergrowth. The silence was extra-deafening; the insects and birds that had been making sounds in the afternoon had fallen silent, while the predators that created small rustles were still resting.


    Sliding through the gaps in leaves and branches alike, Dia led the way. She had cleared out the path this afternoon, taking extra care to shift aside anything that would make loud noises when stepped on or brushed against. Risti stuck to her like a shadow, displaying movements that were almost as good as her.


    It was clear that her experience at observing animals and stalking a particular personage alike had done her wonders in being really stealthy. In contrast, Dia knew that the only reason why she was this proficient in navigating the forest at night was due to her Experiential Potions; if she hadn¡¯t taken them, she would have been dead weight here.


    Proficient¡­That word lingered in Dia¡¯s mind. She didn¡¯t quite understand why such a word was stuck there, but this was not the first time something like this had happened. Restraining the urge to growl in frustration, Dia clamped down on her emotions and let the thought slip through her conscious mind for now. Once again, she had failed to capture the burgeoning stroke of inspiration, but given that they were closing in on a deadly murderer, there wasn¡¯t much of a choice.


    Darting through gap after gap, it didn¡¯t take long before the two of them arrived at the huge tree that they had stopped at earlier. Immediately afterwards, Dia raised a hand, and the two of them halted their movements.


    Risti gestured. I¡¯ll take the lead from here.


    Dia nodded and stepped aside. As Risti took the lead, she took out a skillstrip. With a gentleness that Dia had only seen when parents carried their babies, Risti tore the skillstrip into two and gazed out into the dark forest. Her head turned slowly, the careful way in which she scanned the forest an exact replica of her movements this afternoon.


    She nodded and beckoned for Dia to follow.


    Dia¡¯s heartbeat slowed down even more, as she fought to control her breathing. They were now entering an area where they didn¡¯t explore during the day, and her instincts were tingling. The forest was home to all sorts of animals and dangers, but the previous time they were here, it was daytime. Furthermore, unlike their journey to Nachtville, they weren¡¯t relying on footpaths created through use; they were literally pathfinding.


    The pseudo-mercenary within her didn¡¯t like the prospect of that at all.


    Restraining her desire to back away, Dia followed Risti carefully, her eyeballs swivelling from side to side. Turning heads quickly would create a motion that could be captured with an attentive eye, and predators were trained to jump on jerky movements.


    After what felt like fifteen minutes, Dia could hear the faint crackling of a fire, and she reached out to Risti¡¯s shoulder. Risti paused, and then turned a pair of enquiring eyes to Dia, who gestured in return.


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    Moving her arms slowly, she pointed at a small rock. A fire was burning behind it, a fire that would have been hard to spot for people and animals that weren¡¯t on the lookout. In fact, the glow from the fire was so muted that the scant moonlight streaming down through the forest canopy had drowned it out.


    Risti stared at the rock for a good few minutes, and then turned to Dia, her expression of disbelief barely visible under the faint moonlight.


    Dia rolled her eyes and pointed at her sword.


    Risti nodded. Retreating into the shadow of a tree, her entire body seemed to vanish a moment later, and Dia began to move. The plan was simple; when either team located the target, one of them would move to assault the murderer, while the other would fire a projectile of mana that would explode a few seconds later, illuminating the forest.


    Creating a projectile bright enough to light up the dark forest required some time, so one person had to stay behind. Ideally, Dia would strike when Risti released the mana flare, which would ensure that she had the advantage of surprise.


    Running the plans through her mind, she slithered through the forest and closed in on the rock. Now that she was up close, she could see a small fire and someone huddling around it. Most telling, however, was the ten or so spears that had been illuminated by the small fire.


    Without a doubt, this was their target.


    Unsheathing her sword slowly, Dia fixed her gaze on the target, who was leaning back on the rock. The fire was in incredibly close proximity to him ¡ª the murderer was almost certainly a man ¡ª but he seemed to be utterly confident that it wouldn¡¯t burn him.


    Lowering her body, Dia prepared to move at any time.


    Her heartbeat was now abnormally slow, her breathing so faint that Dia herself couldn¡¯t feel it. At the same time, her sword was readied; the moment light fell on her target¡­


    The man¡¯s neck jerked upwards as the area above him blazed a brilliant blue, and Dia moved, her predatory instincts on full display. Stimulated by that abrupt jerk, one that radiated both fear and surprise, a silvery-blue arc accelerated towards the target.


    An arm flew and blood gushed out as her sword bit into his arm, and Dia narrowed her eyes. At the last moment, before Dia¡¯s strike could bisect him from head to toe, he had managed to sidestep her slash at the cost of his arm. It was somewhat inconceivable how he had managed to react to her sudden attack, given the prevailing circumstances, and Dia raised her guard even more.


    She already knew that this man wasn¡¯t an ordinary murderer, from the sheer accuracy of his spears.


    Silver light flashed towards her as the man kicked the spears near him at her. Dodging the first two spears, Dia deflected the third one, before grimacing at the strength behind them. The man¡¯s accuracy at using spears, even with his legs, was top-notch; proof that he was almost certainly the culprit behind the recent murders.


    Her blade slowed as she smashed aside the fourth spear, but before the fifth one could reach her heart, mana gushed out of her, blasting Dia to her right. Ignoring the pain, Dia closed in by expelling mana from her back, freeing her arms from the cloak she had on at the same time.


    Dia shuddered as she drew close enough to see the man¡¯s features.


    His eyes were¡­hollow. Empty. His face was equally expressionless, even as he took in the sight of an incoming blade, and with an inhuman calmness, the man met her blade with his other arm.


    Blood gushed out in droves from the stumps of his severed arms, but the man didn¡¯t seem to care all that much. At the same time, a monstrous fear began to take root inside of Dia¡¯s heart, a fear that the rational side of her knew was a result of his skill.


    It was clear that he wasn¡¯t a mana-user, but this man, who couldn¡¯t be more than thirty, had mastered his spear skills, adding his own twist to it. As Dia sidestepped yet another spear, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she could win, had she not sliced off his arms.


    Blue flame danced around her as the others finally burst into the scene, surrounding the man from all directions.


    ¡°You alright?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Yes, but don¡¯t let your guard down,¡± Dia replied. ¡°This man is unbelievably skilled with spears. He can even kick them with pinpoint accuracy.¡±


    ¡°That formidable?¡± Haber asked.


    ¡°Yes. It would be troublesome if any of us got injured, so¡ªhmm?¡±


    Before Dia could complete her sentence, the torrent of blood gushing out of the man¡¯s arms thinned, and the murderer keeled over.


    ¡°Death from blood loss¡­¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°Looks like that¡¯s it, then.¡±


    She stared at the corpse, a corpse that belonged to an expert spear-user, and felt all kinds of mixed emotions. Driving them out a moment later, Dia said, ¡°Let¡¯s check the surrounding area out. Look for clues and things like that.¡±


    It was¡­quite an anti-climactic end to this case, all things considered, but for some reason, Dia had a feeling that he was but a part of a bigger game.


    Sighing, she joined the rest in their search.

 Chapter 117: The innocuous little bottles

    The immediate area around the small fire was full of small bits and pieces. Bones and animal skins were the most obvious; there was a bunch of them half-buried underneath a mound of soil. Spears of a standardised length and material were bound to a tree a few metres away, something that Dia hadn¡¯t noticed earlier. Small bottles that looked like they could contain potions or medicine were lined up in neat rows, glinting faintly under the torches everyone was carrying.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing about who this person is,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°No books, diaries or anything. Just a person living in the wild. For what reason would he decide to kill people?¡±


    ¡°Is there anything you can do to uncover his motives?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Give me a moment,¡± Risti replied, her words a faint murmur. ¡°Last Words.¡±


    A ball of mana appeared in front of her, one that swiftly unfolded into a piece of parchment. That sight drew everyone¡¯s eyes, and Dia found herself holding her breath as Risti read through the piece of paper.


    After a few minutes, Dia prompted her gently. ¡°So?¡±


    Risti shook her head ruefully. ¡°I¡¯m getting a very odd result here. The result of my skill, Last Words ¡ª which creates a piece of paper with their literal last words written on it ¡ª are showing multiple, unique strands of thoughts. They don¡¯t seem to belong to the same person, for one.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lucid asked.


    ¡°Well¡­it¡¯s the sort of result that would probably show up if lots of people, unrelated people, were talking in your head the minutes before your death,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Or, if you want a living example, you could try reading multiple books together at once in such a manner that the books¡¯ characters are speaking together. And at once.¡±


    ¡°So¡­is he a bit off in his head?¡± Haber asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s the conclusion I reached,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I don¡¯t think such a deed should be possible either, but unless someone can give a better explanation as to why I had such a result, that¡¯s probably what¡¯s going on in his head during his last moments.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Dia rubbed her nose. ¡°What about the rest of you?¡±


    ¡°Nothing from you?¡± Lucid asked.


    ¡°No such skills for me, I¡¯m afraid. I¡¯m just hired muscle here and nothing else.¡± Dia had an apologetic smile on her face, which dissolved a moment later. ¡°Still, the murderer¡¯s skill with a spear was beyond impressive. I can¡¯t wield a sword with my legs, but he could actually kick them at me with no issue.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what was that?¡± Haber squatted down to look at the dead man, whose face had been turned up. ¡°I don¡¯t recognise this guy, but anyone that good with a spear has no business being unknown, even if they aren¡¯t a mana-user. With skills like this, he should have been a top mercenary, but I don¡¯t recognise him at all.¡±


    Lucid nodded. ¡°It¡¯s as if he popped up from nowhere. Like a secret weapon of some noble family.¡±


    ¡°Which doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Why would a noble family reveal that they have a person capable of tossing spears like this just to kill a bunch of commoners in a small town? If he was sent to kill some bigshot, I would understand, but¡­¡±


    Silence followed as everyone stared at everyone else quietly, unable to figure out the reason behind these murders. Their investigations had revealed that there was absolutely no connection between the victims, save for the fact that they lived in the same town.


    The only possibility that remained was that this man wanted to take revenge on an entire town, but¡­


    ¡°We¡¯re not getting anywhere, I guess. Should we search the murderer¡¯s body?¡± Lucid asked. ¡°Or should we bring it with us?¡±


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    ¡°Pick up anything that might be important, and then bring the body back with us.¡± Haber looked around the place. ¡°I fear that this might be a conspiracy. A really skilled spear-user killing townspeople randomly, while having Clairvoyance and a skill that could cause fear¡­no matter what, it¡¯s clear that this man¡¯s skillset was customised for this purpose.¡±


    Dia nodded her head, as did the others.


    ¡°It¡¯d be better if we dump this messy matter on Nachtville and the Folders¡¯ Association,¡± said Lucid. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t have taken this assignment, eh?¡±


    ¡°Well, Hulid wanted to do something good,¡± Haber replied. ¡°And besides, it was on the way back from Julan, so¡ª¡±


    ¡°Julan?¡± Dia interrupted Haber¡¯s words. ¡°You guys came from Julan?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The Association was checking in on a spate of vanished people there, and we decided to take up that task,¡± Haber replied. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± For a moment, Dia wanted to ask if they did check the basements of the Julan mansion, but that could be pushing it. Doing so would be effectively an admission that she knew something they didn¡¯t, which could be a problem. ¡°I heard about the enormous explosion there.¡±


    ¡°Right, the explosion.¡± Lucid chuckled. ¡°It was kinda funny, now that I think about it. When we arrived there, we couldn¡¯t find anything related to those disappearances. No one wanted to talk; the Julan guards didn¡¯t seem to care about these disappearances, and the city guard was understaffed.¡±


    ¡°What happened next?¡± Dia asked, curious.


    ¡°Well, a letter came to us,¡± said Haber. ¡°It directed us to the Julan main house, claiming that if we were nearby, we would be able to find out clues regarding those missing people.¡±


    ¡°And the house exploded?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Right when we were waiting near the mansion. Gods. The house literally flew up into the sky, and that wasn¡¯t all. Blood and flesh fell like rain, and when we finally got to where the house used to be¡­¡± Haber grimaced. ¡°At the basements, which were unharmed, were all kinds of comatose people. Just lying there. Some were dead. Most were dying.¡±


    ¡°There were bones and rotting bodies there too,¡± Lucid added. ¡°Gods.¡±


    Dia felt revulsion churn up her stomach, and she restrained the urge to heave. All of a sudden, she understood why Lily had fled from her family ¡ª Dia would too, if her family did something as heinous as this.


    ¡°It was fortunate that the entire Julan family was wiped out with that explosion,¡± said Haber. ¡°Hulid was enraged at that sight. Ready to kill and everything. If there had been any survivors, dying from that explosion would have been a far better end for them.¡±


    He shivered.


    For a moment, Dia couldn¡¯t quite reconcile the way Haber had described Hulid to the arrogant bi-folder she had seen in Pletsville. Was it possible that he had some personality disorder, for him to act in such a way? Or was it because his party members weren¡¯t around? Either way, it was best not to provoke a mana-user where possible, so Dia chose not to press the topic. It would not be nice if she asked the question and they told Hulid about the questions she asked.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s going to happen next?¡± Risti asked. ¡°To begin with, is it appropriate for you to tell us all this?¡±


    ¡°No worries about that bit,¡± Haber replied. ¡°We¡¯ve already sent a letter to the Association branch in the dukedom capital; it¡¯s almost a certainty that they would publicise the crimes of the Julan family.¡±


    ¡°You forgot about the baron we deposed of at Pletsville,¡± Lucid added. ¡°I think we should call ourselves Bane of Aristocracy; other than this mission, every single one we took on ever since we enrolled under the star system has been about taking care of errant nobles.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a baron with an unimportant fief,¡± Haber replied. ¡°I think the news about how Aoro¡¯s dead already went out by now.¡±


    The name ¡®Aoro¡¯ sounded rather familiar to Dia, but she didn¡¯t pay too much attention to it. She was picking up anything that clearly didn¡¯t belong to the forest and placing them on the dead man¡¯s body. Even if they couldn¡¯t get any clues about the murderer and his motive for killing, it was possible that the guards at Nachtville might have their own means.


    A thought struck her as she picked up the small empty bottles that were lying around. These bottles clearly didn¡¯t hold water; there were residues of some mystery liquid lying around.


    Like potions.


    Experiential Potions¡­


    These two words echoed in Dia¡¯s mind over and over, and as she stared down at the empty bottles that had residues of some unknown liquid, everything began to make sense.


    Throwing spears with such accuracy, over immense distances, was something that only someone with years of experience could do. What if, however, someone was to ingest an Experiential Potion that contained knowledge and wisdom regarding the spear?


    Risti¡¯s use of Last Words, however, was the clincher. The many bottles hinted at multiple Experiential Potions; what if someone were to drink so many in rapid succession or even together? All sorts of newly-gained instincts would clash with each other, which accounted for why the man¡¯s last thoughts were so jumbled up.


    Dia stared at the potion bottles for a moment, and then stuffed them into the dead man¡¯s clothes. Now wasn¡¯t the time to bring up her hypothesis.

 Chapter 118: Bonding over the worst of topics

    After dumping anything that looked relevant or of interest onto the dead man¡¯s body, which included his severed arms, the four began to make the trek back to town, slinging a body between them. Dia could feel some predatory gazes aimed at their little troupe; the scent of blood had clearly drawn hungry predators over.


    She didn¡¯t care about those predators, however. From what she knew, predators in a forest rarely worked together. The environment was too individualistic for even predators of the same species to work together ¡ª perhaps, only animals like wolves do so here.


    Their distinctive howls were noticeably absent, however.


    ¡°Well, at least we actually caught the murderer. Even if there aren¡¯t clues about the murderer¡¯s purpose and identity, we¡¯ve solved this case. Our assignment is over and done,¡± said Lucid, breaking the silence. ¡°Exthoth¡¯s going to be really sad when he finds out about this, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Haber chuckled, and the mana shrouding his form shook with it. Everyone, save for Dia, was expending their mana to create light. It was one thing to approach a target in the dark, so everyone had come to the consensus that it was better to illuminate the path ahead with mana. Given Dia¡¯s efforts in putting out the deadly spearman down, the others didn¡¯t ask her to do the same.


    Dia had inwardly decided to act as an emergency light source, though, in case any of the others ran out.


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s going to be really disappointed. Punk thought he one-upped us by having the favourable slots, but who knew that Risti¡¯s plan was this good?¡±


    ¡°You flatter me, Haber.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth, though¡­right, would the guards be able to verify that this man¡¯s the killer?¡± Haber asked. ¡°I wasn¡¯t there the last time the others turned in a murderer.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mostly circumstantial evidence for this case,¡± said Risti, ¡°but there are methods to reveal someone¡¯s skills or past actions, even if the target is dead. The latter is infinitely preferable, but if the skills revealed align with how murders occur, that¡¯s good enough too.¡±


    Dia made a little sound in her throat. ¡°The former seems like it could be abused, though. Imagine someone teaching another person his or her skills, before committing crimes. The teacher¡± ¡ªDia made some air quotes with her hands¡ª ¡°then kills the student and turns the body in. Wouldn¡¯t that be a grave miscarriage of justice?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of that happening, though,¡± Risti replied. ¡°But¡­well¡­now that you put it that way¡­it does actually sound quite possible. In fact, such a person wouldn¡¯t need to teach every single skill, right? Just the ones involved in the murders would do.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll write a letter home when I have time, then.¡±


    ¡°A letter?¡± Haber asked, shifting aside a vine. ¡°What, can your family actually affect how such crimes are dealt with?¡±


    Risti shook her head quickly. ¡°No, of course not. I¡¯m just, uh, sending some ideas to my father. He¡¯s a¡­novelist. Plots like this would excite him a lot; he might churn out a bestseller or something.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    An elbow nudged Dia¡¯s ribs lightly, courtesy of Risti, but Dia already had no intention of revealing the fact that Risti¡¯s father was actually the biggest of big shots in the Folders¡¯ Association. For one, it wasn¡¯t hers to reveal, and more importantly, this wasn¡¯t the time and place to be playing a game of ¡®What¡¯s my background¡¯.


    ¡°Well,¡± said Dia, playing along, ¡°your father really needs to put his work out there. Writing but not publishing isn¡¯t doing him any favours. How many plots have you sent back to him? And how many books has he actually published for people to read? Less than one, for sure!¡±


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    ¡°Right?¡± Risti nodded. The flickering blue light that danced around her didn¡¯t do much to show her expressions, but Dia could tell that Risti had relaxed. ¡°I wish he would actually publish those books¡­¡±


    The two groused on for a bit, drawing Lucid into the conversation. As it turned out, the blue-haired lookalike of Hulid ¡ª which was a description that could also be attached to Haber ¡ª was an aspiring writer, but he was the kind to never get around to writing more than ten pages. Apparently, he had issues with commitment, and usually gave up on projects when he was halfway through them.


    Dia didn¡¯t expect their random fib to actually strike home, but she had read more than enough to talk about hot novels, though. She had made it a point to stock up on the latest works, and before long, she had engaged Lucid in a good long discussion about them.


    Glancing at Risti, who was busy trying not to look out of her element, Dia listened to Lucid complain about the prices of novels these days and smiled. ¡°Well, writers need to eat too, right? Not everyone can be a mercenary or a noble or a mana-user.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. At least Foredoomed to a Rendezvous wasn¡¯t all that expensive, though.¡± Lucid shook his head. ¡°I wonder when the next volume would release.¡±


    ¡°Who knows? But again, why are you complaining about the price? You¡¯re a mana-user. A member of the Dusk Daggers, whose leader is a Named.¡± Dia ducked underneath a low-lying apple. ¡°You can¡¯t be strapped for cash.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how much it takes to buy blue dyes for hair?¡± Lucid asked. ¡°A lot more than swords, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    ¡°You dyed your hair?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Why would you do that?¡± Risti chimed in. ¡°At most, just wear a wig or use a disguise artefact!¡±


    ¡°Wigs are itchy, and disguise artefacts are too expensive,¡± Lucid replied. ¡°Those things aren¡¯t cheap, you know. I¡¯d rather dye my hair every few days.¡±


    ¡°Disguise artefacts are far cheaper in the long run,¡± Risti replied. ¡°And you can change most aspects of your appearance. Why are you making it so hard for yourself? That doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    ¡°Go on, tell him that,¡± Haber replied. ¡°He freaking doesn¡¯t listen. Me and Exthoth keep telling him to use a disguise artefact like a normal person, but no! He says that the effort he puts in makes it all so much more worth it! While he does have a point, we aren¡¯t all that rich¡­¡±


    Dia had a feeling that he would have done the same had he the wherewithal to. More importantly, what did he mean ¡®like a normal person¡¯? Was dressing up as your idol actually normal? Dia wasn¡¯t sure, but from how the people who played dress-up were all mana-users so far, she couldn¡¯t quite give an answer.


    Risti turned to Lucid. ¡°You talk about the importance of effort, but I put this to you. Is discomfort not a proof of effort as well? You complain that wigs make you itch, but isn¡¯t this itch proof of your dedication? It is fundamentally the same principle as self-flagellation, the favourite form of worship by the White God¡¯s acolytes.¡±


    ¡°It is?¡± Lucid shook.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Risti replied. Dia didn¡¯t know why she looked this animated, but she didn¡¯t want to put one foot into this pool of crazy. As Risti chattered on, Dia was reminded that everyone she was working with right now were actually people who dressed up after their idols. Fans¡­or fanatics, depending on who one asked.


    She turned to look at the body everyone was lugging together. Risti was holding one leg, while Dia was holding the other. With the others holding the body and the head, the dead body wasn¡¯t a burden whatsoever, but since everyone else was talking about effort and dressing up¡­


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe we still aren¡¯t out ¡ª oh.¡± The forest came to an end as Dia muttered those words, but no one seemed to care about that fact. The three fanatics were now busily discussing what was the best way to show devotion, and the more Dia heard, the more she wanted to faint.


    For better or worse, however, Dia maintained an iron grip on her consciousness. Trudging along with the body, Dia endured the increasingly-ridiculous things these people were saying and followed them to the city gates. Fortunately, the three came to their senses as they closed in, and the disturbing conversation came to an end.


    ¡°Finally!¡± Dia let out a long sigh, placing so much emphasis on that particular word that the others eyed her. ¡°What? We¡¯re at the city gates now. Finally. I can¡¯t wait to clean myself off and sleep. Do you think the guards would let us borrow their hygiene artefacts?¡±


    And that conversation of crazy, Dia added in her mind. I really need to wash that from my mind.


    ¡°Oh, right. That is true.¡± Haber sighed. ¡°It¡¯s been an enjoyable conversation, but all good things must come to an end.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°We must definitely share more pointers when we have the time.¡±


    Dia wanted to stop them from arranging a meeting, but there was little to be done about it. On the bright side, if they had a conversation and Hulid was conscious, the Edgeless Night would probably be traumatised or something. How did the Named deal with three of his fanatics hanging around him all the time?


    Or were they more reserved when they were around him?


    Lucia approached them as they hung around the gate, forcing Dia to end that line of thought for now.

 Chapter 119: The odd status screen

    <div>


    ¡°I see you guys actually found the murderer on your first try.¡± Lucia nodded, a smile on her face. ¡°Good job.¡±


    ¡°Alleged murderer,¡± Dia corrected. ¡°I made a move based on the fact that there were ten visible spears, the make and design exactly the same as the murderer weapons. I did not have any other means of verification, save for very circumstantial evidence.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good enough evidence,¡± Lucia replied. ¡°And you brought his¡­body back. Along with two severed arms.¡±


    The way her lips twitched as she made the last observation was somewhat telling of her disgust towards severed limbs. As a guard, however, was such a disgust actually useful at all? It was probably a hindrance to Lucia¡¯s work, but Dia decided not to say anything about it.


    ¡°The killer was a skilled fighter,¡± Dia replied. ¡°If I didn¡¯t partially disarm him on my first attack, the fight could have gone either way.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Lucia blinked. ¡°But you¡¯re a mana-user!¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m immortal or something,¡± Dia replied. ¡°That person was a true master of the spear; even after I took one of his arms, he was capable of kicking spears at me with an impossible accuracy.¡±


    Lucia looked at the others, who shrugged and made various other gestures to show that they didn¡¯t know anything much about the fight.


    ¡°Nothing?¡± she asked.


    ¡°We were a bit late,¡± Haber replied. ¡°By the time we arrived on the scene, the murderer had both arms severed, and he bled to death shortly afterwards. But I could tell that she had a tough fight, so I¡¯ll leave you to interpret that for yourself.¡±


    ¡°I had that impression too,¡± Lucid added.


    ¡°As did I,¡± Risti chimed in. ¡°It¡¯s quite a shock to hear her say that, since Dia here is pretty much my¡­team¡¯s combat specialist. But let¡¯s put that aside for a bit. Is there any concrete way of determining that he¡¯s actually the killer? We would like to confirm that he doesn¡¯t have an accomplice or something.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°When I fought him, he didn¡¯t use the fear skill that had driven most of the victims into a crying mess. Maybe the skill needs time to ramp up or something, but it¡¯s possible that the fear skill belonged to someone else.¡±


    ¡°It would be troublesome if we were called back for round two,¡± said Haber. ¡°I would be really displeased, for one.¡±


    ¡°Is that a threat, Your Excellency?¡± Lucia asked.


    ¡°Did I phrase it in that way? You¡¯re overthinking it,¡± Haber replied, rolling his eyes. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to make return trips, you know? Like returning to the same vacation destination over and over.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lucia cleared her throat. ¡°Well, you¡¯re in luck, I guess. We actually have a very rare skillstick in our possession. With it, we can check anyone¡¯s skills. There¡¯s been many occasions when we wanted to use it, but most of them were solved with a more explicit method, like catching the thief or robber in the act.¡±


    ¡°A skill that can do that?¡± Dia thought for a moment. ¡°Wait, are you talking about True Analysis?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± Lucia replied. ¡°Wow. How do you know about that?¡±


    Dia cleared her throat, uncomfortably aware of the gazes directed at her. Fortunately, Risti didn¡¯t seem to give a hoot about that piece of knowledge, but it was indeed wasn''t something that people who weren¡¯t in certain circles should know about. As Dia fobbed the others off with some random excuse, she made a mental note to not be so eager to share her knowledge.


    A single slip-up and everything could fall apart.


    ¡°Follow me, Your Excellencies. I¡¯ll use the skillstick on the corpse and show you the results on the spot,¡± said Lucia, ending the small discussion between Haber and Lucid. ¡°I can only do this once, since there¡¯s only one skillstick, but I trust that everyone here will be satisfied with the results¡­probably.¡±


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    ¡°Probably?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s my first time using True Analysis too, so I only know how the theory works.¡± Lucia led them into a courtyard. ¡°Place the body here. I¡¯ll be getting some guards to act as secondary and tertiary witnesses too, so please don¡¯t mind them.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Dia replied. ¡°By the Moons. My legs are aching¡­¡±


    She looked around the place, but the courtyard didn¡¯t have anything to sit on, so she had to make do with the floor. Her act of sitting down seemed to trigger a chain reaction, and the others sat down too, creating a small square. Dia didn¡¯t quite understand why the others had chosen to sit together, but if she had to warrant a guess, it was probably because they had bonded over very odd topics.


    Before long, the guards filed in, but like any normal person who had heard overblown stories about what mana-users did in their free time, they gave Dia and the rest a wide berth. Most of them were whispering to each other, sticking to the walls of the small courtyard as much as possible.


    It was a sight that made Dia somewhat depressed. Back in Licencia, the vanillas of the Moon Lords were very friendly to her, especially since she was the Moon Guards¡¯ trainer. Back there, she didn¡¯t feel special or singled-out, but her small excursion here had seen lots of people backing away from her in fear, enough for an entire lifetime.


    The others, thankfully, weren¡¯t talking about ways to express their devotion here. Clearly, they still had a modicum of sensibility left in their heads; they knew what topics were appropriate and what weren¡¯t. Instead, the three were now talking about each other¡¯s idols.


    Dia felt her ears burn up as she listened to Risti¡¯s praise for Princess Dia. Risti¡¯s words were clearly overblown and ridiculous; for one, she didn¡¯t recall being such a paragon for virtuous governance. Yet, they were all wrapped around a kernel of truth, truths that no one else but Dia should have known.


    Murdering the desire to get up and flee, Dia hugged her knees and tried to tune out the ongoing conversation. At this point, she was fervently hoping for Lucia to come back, but the latter seemed to be taking her own sweet time.


    Did she misplace the skillstick or something? Dia wasn¡¯t sure, but the conversation about Hulid and herself was actually audible enough for the guards around to overhear. To make matters worse, those guards were somehow discussing the heroics of the trio¡¯s idols, without showing any doubt whatsoever.


    The absence of critical thinking displayed by those guards made Dia uncomfortable, but she didn¡¯t dare to open her mouth to refute them. It was natural for normal people believe the words of mana-users; as a whole, mana-users were richer and better educated, which lent them some credibility.


    After spending a minute or two dwelling on the guards¡¯ logical fallacy, Dia¡¯s thoughts were put out of their misery by Lucia¡¯s approach. The officer was holding on to a rather ornate box, a box that drew everyone¡¯s eyes. Without a doubt, this box contained the skillstick for True Analysis, a skill that could discern the status of anyone, alive or otherwise.


    It was a skill that would be very useful for all kinds of shady work, and Dia couldn¡¯t help but regard it with caution.


    ¡°This is it,¡± said Lucia. ¡°I¡¯m taking it out. All present, bear witness to the opening of RS-11.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t know what the formality was for, but she, along with the others, remained silent. The box opened without anything dramatic, but she couldn¡¯t tear her eyes from the small skillstick that was now in Lucia¡¯s hands. Lowering herself to the corpse, a small ball of blue light plunged into the corpse as she snapped the skillstick into two.


    A familiar, translucent blue screen appeared on the corpse a moment later.


    Current name: Number Twelve


    Lifespan: Not applicable


    Age of death: 29 years


    Active Skills: Super Strength (6), Clairvoyance (6), Mind¡¯s Eye (6), Black God¡¯s Gaze (2), True Butchering (7), Waterball (7)


    Passive Skills: Thrall of ThBoD:A???


    Comments: Not applicable


    Everyone stared at the blue rectangle in silence. The murderer¡¯s status was¡­abnormal, and that was putting it mildly. For one, the usual ¡®Name¡¯ now had ¡®Current¡¯ appended in front of it. More importantly, his name was of a slave¡¯s¡­and slavery had been outlawed long ago by the Emperor¡¯s decree. The only reason why she knew that this was a slave¡¯s name was due to the fact that some history books talked about slavery practices. Newborn slaves were often given names that were essentially numbers.


    Of course, it was possible that his parents were oddballs, but¡­


    ¡°Black God¡¯s Gaze¡­that seems to be the skill behind the victim¡¯s fear!¡± Haber clapped his hands together. ¡°Risti explained it to us; sight-based skills work with things like Clairvoyance, and the Church of the Black God is known for skills that affect the mind.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the murderer, then.¡± Lucia nodded. ¡°But¡­what¡¯s with the passive skill?¡±


    Dia was wondering about that bit too. If not for the fact that the first two words were ¡®Thrall of¡¯, Dia would have assumed that the person writing the murderer¡¯s status had a hiccup or something. That last word just didn¡¯t make any sense.


    Was it even a word?


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­really odd,¡± said Lucid.


    Haber and Risti grunted in agreement.


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to record this down,¡± Lucia replied. ¡°Maybe the dukedom capital might have an idea about what that passive skill was. For now, you guys can relax.¡±


    She got up and looked at the guards. ¡°The case is over. Everyone, good job!¡±


    The cheers that followed, however, didn¡¯t put Dia at ease.


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 Chapter 120: Names and notions

    After sending the guards away, Lucia returned to the status screen, which had been suspended in mid-air. Taking out a skillstick, she said, ¡°I¡¯m going to make a visual record of this, so step back, Your Excellencies.¡±


    The others complied with her words, and as she busied herself with the skillstick, Dia found herself deep in thought. From what True Analysis had revealed, the man himself was twenty-nine years old. Unless he was supremely talented and spent every waking moment practicing with his spear, there was no way he could be that skilled.


    It was possible that someone like him could exist, but the evidence from Risti¡¯s Last Words, plus her unique experience with Experiential Potions, told Dia that her hunch was far more likely to be possible. Experiential Potions were probably used liberally to make such a killing machine.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Lucia, brushing some hair away from her eyes. ¡°Done. I¡¯ll get it sent over to the Association later, after I¡¯m done with the report. Do Your Excellencies have anything else to add? Anything interesting that I should know and include in my report.¡±


    Risti cleared her throat. ¡°Well, his age and his skills, I guess. Twenty-nine and he¡¯s already a master of the spear? Especially since he¡¯s not famous¡­or rather, given that he¡¯s a slave.¡±


    ¡°A slave¡­¡± Lucia narrowed her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re assuming an awful lot based on a single name there, though. No self-respecting evildoer would call anyone that nowadays. It might be a ruse or something. Designed to make us look for some non-existent slaveowner. To begin with, slavery is something Emperor Grandis himself personally prohibited. Going against his order is¡­¡±


    Her words trailed off with a tremble, and Lucia shook her head. ¡°Anyway! I¡¯ll make a note of that and send it up, but it¡¯s not really something you need to make a mention of it. The people closer to the Moons would also note that bit the moment they saw the report. But thank you anyway. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Right, I think the man was drinking some potions,¡± Dia added. ¡°There were lots of small potion bottles near him, with some unidentified liquid in them. Maybe it¡¯s something like a narcotic? When I encountered him, he had a¡­how do I put it¡­hollow expression? Like he was empty inside.¡±


    ¡°Potion bottles?¡± Lucia squatted down over the body. ¡°Not just that, is it? You brought back anything that looked useful, but okay. Potion bottles¡­found it.¡±


    She got back up, a bottle in her hand. Of the dozen-odd bottles there, this was the only one with some residue left behind, but for obvious reasons, Lucia and the others didn¡¯t try to taste it.


    ¡°Empty inside, eh?¡± Lucid mused out loud. ¡°His face really doesn¡¯t have any expression on it. Nothing about pain, or hatred¡­just nothing.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t even shout or react in surprise when I charged him,¡± Dia added. ¡°Really creepy.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re suspecting that it¡¯s because of these potions?¡± Lucia asked.


    ¡°Precisely so,¡± said Dia. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to put it, but he showed none of the usual expressions or reactions that I would expect, especially since it was an ambush. In fact, it was odd how he was able to react without any surprise or fear at all. I¡¯m not sure how that¡¯s possible ¡ª I¡¯ve never heard even battle-hardened warriors doing such a thing ¡ª but it is what it is.¡±


    ¡°To add on to Dia¡¯s words,¡± said Risti, ¡°when I checked on his last thoughts with a skill, those thoughts were all jumbled up. As if lots and lots of people were speaking or something. It was such a mess that I couldn¡¯t discern anything of use, but such a phenomenon could only come from something like hallucinations.¡±


    Lucia, who was in the middle of holding up the bottle to the Moons¡¯ light, lowered the bottle immediately. ¡°Then I¡¯m never going to drink this.¡±


    ¡°Good plan, Lucia.¡± Haber crossed his arms. ¡°Still, now that I think about it, this person couldn¡¯t have acted alone. It didn¡¯t cross my mind earlier, but how did a single person carry so many spears alone? There were ten onsite, and there¡¯s been over thirty murders. That¡¯s a grand total of forty.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he made repeated round trips, but everything boils down to the issue of motive,¡± said Lucia. ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate that Your Excellencies failed to take him alive, but given the odd state of mind he was apparently in, this might have been for the best. In the first place, what drove him to kill people in such a manner anyway?¡±


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    ¡°Questions, questions.¡± Dia sighed. ¡°But I think everyone¡¯s ignoring the elephant in the room, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Which one?¡±


    That question made Dia chuckle. ¡°Right, there are actually more than one. Well, let¡¯s discuss the Church of the Black God and their apparent involvement in this murder.¡±


    Lucia froze. ¡°Lower your volume, Your Excellency! It¡¯s fine if you want to talk about the gods, but not that loudly!¡±


    Dia turned to look at the others, who had equally perplexed expressions on their face. Clearly, she wasn¡¯t the odd one out, which could only mean that Lucia probably had some nasty run-ins with the churches of the Coloured Gods.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Dia took a deep breath. ¡°I might sound impolite, but that¡¯s quite the reaction.¡±


    The officer rubbed her nose. ¡°Right. You guys are not from these parts¡­wait, I know those looks. What, you think my experience might be related to this case? That my drastic reaction hints at a bad experience with the churches?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°About that¡­¡±


    Lucia rolled her eyes. ¡°Well, sorry to disappoint, but all these happened years ago. Twenty-six years ago, when I was a kid, the churches of the Coloured Gods rolled into Istrel with full force, and interrogated every family. The ones in the counties and baronies apparently didn¡¯t have it so bad, but for us people who live in fiefs like this¡­¡±


    ¡°What did they interrogate those families for?¡± Dia asked, curious. Since she was from Lustre, it went without saying that she had no knowledge of something as ridiculous as this.


    ¡°Well, I was still very young then, so I don¡¯t really know much. And the older folks don¡¯t want to speak much about it either.¡± Lucia shrugged. ¡°But my main point in telling you all these is that my reaction earlier had nothing to do with the Church of the Black God.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    The others made similar noises of assent.


    Lucia nodded and lowered her voice. ¡°It¡¯s again fairly presumptive to think that the Church of the Black God has a role in this. It¡¯s possible that he was granted this skill at birth, only for disaster to strike. The name on one¡¯s status is mutable, after all. If someone kept calling him ¡®Number Twelve¡¯ over and over, and he internalised it¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, that can happen?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Weren¡¯t names fixed from birth? The books said that most slaves were numbered from birth, so...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­very rare,¡± said Lucia. ¡°Criminals are unlikely to subject themselves to the type of mental abuse and hypnotism required to change their name. In the past, prisons did something like this to make identification of felons easier, but apparently, that was from before the Third Godsfall.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that little morsel of information, then?¡± Dia asked. ¡°The Third Godsfall took place six thousand years ago.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s part of the history courses all guard officers need to take,¡± Lucia replied. ¡°But we¡¯re wandered off the main topic again.¡±


    ¡°We seem to do that a lot, yes.¡± Haber cleared his throat. ¡°So, the Church of the Black God¡ª¡±


    ¡°Is probably very innocent in this case,¡± Lucia replied. ¡°From what I can scarcely remember, their skills revolve around¡ª¡±


    ¡°Disabling opponents without killing them,¡± Risti cut in. ¡°Of the nine churches, their skillsets are probably some of the gentler ones. In cities where a good half of their guards are believers of the Black God, injuries and deaths are very rare.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah. That¡¯s about it, I guess.¡± Lucia had a little miffed expression on her face. ¡°We can¡¯t really pursue this trail, unless you want to get the bigshots into the picture. And it really doesn¡¯t help that the Church of the Black God isn¡¯t based in Grandis.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very good point. And I don¡¯t like the prospect of being horribly murdered.¡± Lucid shuddered. ¡°I like my life as it is, thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°Shh!¡± Lucia waved her hand rapidly. ¡°Don¡¯t say such things out loud! The Moons have ears! And eyes!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I know. Sorry. Now, can we move on to the really odd passive skill? I don¡¯t know about you, but I think the passive skill is really important.¡± Lucid folded his arms. ¡°Do you guys know what a thrall is? No, not you, Risti.¡±


    Risti, who was about to speak, clamped her mouth shut. ¡°Fine. You go ahead and show off.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the occult expert here, so there.¡±


    When did the two of them get so close? Dia didn¡¯t know, but it didn¡¯t seem like a combination that would be good for her mental health, if she ever regained her position as Princess Dia. It was bad enough to have the others behave like fanatics, but from how Risti was apparently broadening her horizons¡­


    She shook her and dispelled those irrelevant thoughts.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Lucid rubbed his hands. ¡°Thralls refer to beings that are under another¡¯s control. This entire murder thing¡­it¡¯s been done at the hands of a pawn. A small team of helpers probably came with a bunch of spears, and then left him there to execute his orders.¡±


    ¡°Control?¡± Lucia blinked. ¡°Like what, Mental Domination? That¡¯s a¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. That skill¡¯s forbidden. But I recall that those affected by Mental Domination have a passive skill that says ¡®Mentally Dominated¡¯.¡± Lucid narrowed his eyes. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that sound quite similar to that Thrall thing? It¡¯s just that there¡¯s an odd word at the end.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s really a person behind the scenes, then.¡± Lucia clicked her teeth. ¡°Alright, I think I better send the report up. I¡¯ll use a priority channel or something. You guys are free to leave.¡±


    She scuttled out of the courtyard, leaving Dia with some really driven fans of their idols for company.

 Chapter 121: A triumphant return

    ¡°Exthoth¡¯s going to be really disappointed, eh?¡± Lucid gloated, blue light dancing around his body. ¡°We caught the perp on our first try. That just goes to show that mathematical probabilities are not the most important thing in making decisions; it¡¯s luck!¡±


    ¡°If the Moons smile on you, anything is possible,¡± Haber replied, before breaking into a huge grin. ¡°Even if there¡¯s only a really small chance. Huhuhu!¡±


    The two men cackled madly, prompting anyone nearby to give them a wide berth. Fortunately, the two men either didn¡¯t mind or didn¡¯t notice, but anyone who had a modicum of intelligence would know that they were mana-users. It would seem that the townspeople would be talking about a bunch of crazy mana-users tomorrow.


    Dia rubbed her head. On the bright side, mana-users were already seen as a bunch of crazy and odd people, so this really wasn¡¯t going to add much. Besides, compared to how the churches of the Coloured Gods held mass investigations not too long ago, this really didn¡¯t seem all that important.


    The cloth-covered streets blocked out most of the moonlight. Clearly, the news of the murderer¡¯s death hadn¡¯t spread yet. Either that, or no one could be bothered to bring down the artificial ceiling. Putting it up in thirty minutes or so since their lives were at stake was one thing; taking it down now that there was no threat was another entirely.


    ¡°Is it really a good idea to lord this over your teammate of all people, though?¡± Dia wondered out loud. ¡°I mean, you guys are a team, so¡­¡±


    ¡°We do this all the time, so it¡¯s just a temporary victory. Sometimes, Exthoth wins. Other times, Lucid does.¡± Haber shrugged. ¡°Sometimes, we gang up on the winner. Sometimes, the winner trashes the combined forces of the other two. It¡¯s all fun and games.¡±


    ¡°You do know that the phrase goes ¡®It¡¯s all fun and games until something happens¡¯, right?¡± Dia rolled her eyes. ¡°Well, so long as you guys know what you¡¯re doing.¡±


    ¡°To a certain extent, competition is important for a party¡¯s growth,¡± said Risti. ¡°Comparing with team members, improving one¡¯s ability to outdo the rest, responding to growths in their strength¡­all these makes people stronger.¡±


    ¡°As long as we keep it friendly,¡± said Haber. ¡°Still, this really isn¡¯t a competition of skill, though. It¡¯s just pure luck.¡±


    ¡°I disagree,¡± said Lucid. ¡°I believed in Risti¡¯s ability to seek out the murderer on the first day, which was I agreed to go on the first day. Ability is absolute.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m quite sure someone was talking about luck a few moments ago, though,¡± Dia noted wryly.


    ¡°That¡¯s a figure of speech, okay? Figure. Of. Speech.¡± Lucid folded his arms. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go play around with Exthoth.¡±


    The others laughed, prompting Dia to roll her eyes.


    It didn¡¯t take long for them to arrive at the inn Hulid was staying in. The first floor was as crowded as usual, with all manner of mercenaries sitting around there. Food and drinks of all kinds filled up the tables there, but unlike the usual lively revelry that Dia was used to, the mercenaries here were sleepless, lethargic.


    Dia could guess why. The inn¡¯s second floor had been occupied by the Dusk Daggers forcefully; but everyone here wanted to take shelter from the possible threat of falling spears. Even though an artificial ceiling had been erected throughout the main street, no one here wanted to be the victim of bad luck.


    Heads tilted up at Dia and the others as they entered the inn, but no one said anything. It was late in the night ¡ª almost dawn, to be precise ¡ª and more importantly, there was a person standing at the staircase leading upstairs.


    A blue-haired fellow, who looked like the two beside them.


    Exthoth¡¯s eyes widened at that sight, and then waved twice, before approaching them.


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    ¡°You two alright?¡± Exthoth asked, his words quiet.


    Lucid and Haber looked around at the napping mercenaries and nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯re fine,¡± Lucid replied quietly. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s talk upstairs. We have news for you.¡±


    ¡°News?¡± Extoth echoed that word.


    ¡°News alright,¡± said Haber. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go upstairs. Best not to disturb these napping mercenaries.¡±


    Once they were safely tucked in Hulid¡¯s room, Exthoth folded his arms expectantly. ¡°So? How goes the status of the hunt? Did you guys manage to find traces of the murderer?¡±


    Haber and Lucid laughed, a sinister sound that made Dia¡¯s skin crawl. Cackling, the two began to pace back and forth in an evil, creepy manner, their movements so coordinated that they looked like reflections of each other.


    ¡°How goes, eh?¡±


    ¡°Traces, huh?¡±


    Dia took a step back from the two blue-haired evil-looking men. ¡°They look like villains or something.¡±


    Risti nodded. ¡°They are villains right now, actually. Wow. Funny how people have so many faces to them, isn¡¯t it? To top it off, Exthoth still doesn¡¯t understand why they¡¯re so cocky¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with the two of you?¡± Exthoth asked. ¡°The way you¡¯re behaving¡­did you two actually find the murderer or something? Come on, the chances of that are absurdly low. Stop trying to pull my leg, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Low, yes,¡± said Haber.


    Lucid cackled and completed Haber¡¯s sentence. ¡°But even the smallest of possibilities can bear fruit, if luck is smiling down on you. We found the murderer and got rid of him. Our job here is over. Done.¡±


    ¡°Wait. No way.¡± Exthoth looked at the two of them, and then at Risti and Dia. ¡°These two punks...ahem. You guys really succeeded? On your first try?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Risti had a faint smile on her face. ¡°As a rule of thumb, when I make plans, the first time has the highest chance of success. It went without saying that therefore, we managed to locate the murderer and take him by surprise.¡±


    ¡°¡­Moons take it.¡± Exthoth crossed his arms. ¡°Looks like you guys win this round.¡±


    ¡°Well, to be honest, neither of them played much of a part,¡± said Risti. ¡°I came up with the plans here, while Dia was the one to spot and engage the murderer. Before we could even assist, the murderer had died from blood loss. So¡­they literally didn¡¯t do anything, save for the easiest part.¡±


    ¡°Ack!¡±


    ¡°Gah!¡±


    Risti¡¯s words dealt critical damage to the two uppity Hulid-lookalikes, forcing them to take a few steps back. Both men¡¯s struggle to rebut those words were visible, but after a few moments of opening and closing their mouths in silence, they took a step back each and ceased their disgraceful display.


    ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Haber admitted. ¡°As much as I want to say that it was all us, I can¡¯t do that in good conscience. We only acted as hired muscle. If they weren¡¯t there¡­¡±


    ¡°True. We didn¡¯t really do much, even as an entire party.¡± Lucid sighed. ¡°Right, we should just mention this to the Association. Us Dusk Daggers shouldn¡¯t really steal the hard work of other people.¡±


    ¡°You two¡­¡± Exthoth looked at them. ¡°I mean, I can¡¯t really complain, since I literally did nothing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you can¡¯t. I¡¯ll explain this to Hulid when he wakes up,¡± said Haber. ¡°But we shouldn¡¯t take this credit.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to explain to me,¡± a brusque voice cut in, a voice that came from the bed. ¡°Ouch. My head. Tch. Damn my hands. And that snake.¡±


    Everyone froze, before turning to look at the bed in one single motion.


    ¡°Hulid?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Hulid asked grumpily. ¡°Not going to celebrate my awakening?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­awake?¡± Lucid asked.


    ¡°What does it look like to you? Dumbass.¡± Bones creaked as he tried to move. ¡°How long have I been lying here?¡±


    ¡°Nearly a week,¡± Exthoth replied. ¡°But¡­how are you awake?¡±


    ¡°Three comedians were performing right in front of me,¡± Hulid replied. ¡°Even the dead would wake up, let alone your boss here. Idiots. You guys couldn¡¯t even solve a murder case by yourselves?¡±


    ¡°We were worried¡ª¡±


    ¡°Worried my ass! Thanks to you, our reinforcements have solved the case! Even if I faint, you lot should always prioritise the mission first, got it? Gah.¡± Hulid shook his head slowly. ¡°Disappointing. Wait till I can move properly, and I¡¯ll teach you how to solve crimes all over again.¡±


    He looked at Dia and Risti. ¡°Thank you for helping us in our time of need. Rest assured. You will be given your credit. Hmph. Just know that you were able to finish this request because I was incapacitated and those idiots didn¡¯t know how to act without their leader.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t quite know what to make of those very prideful words, so she stayed silent.


    In response, Risti chuckled. ¡°Yes, of course. That said, if not for your preliminary ground work, we couldn¡¯t have done all that this smoothly. We can¡¯t take all the credit.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to pity us,¡± Hulid replied. ¡°I know full well what kind of information we gathered, and it¡¯s worth a tiny bit more than Istrel¡¯s underwear colour. Nothing we gathered could have helped you for that.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re the Dusk Daggers. We don¡¯t need charity or help.¡± Hulid paused. ¡°But we owe you one for this. You¡¯ll get your credit, and a favour from us. Don¡¯t treat us lightly.¡±


    ¡°Wait, we aren¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s late at night. You ladies should go find a room and sleep,¡± Hulid cut Risti off once more. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll handle the boring things. Once again, thank you for your help.¡±


    The last sentence would have been a polite one, if not for the fact that Hulid added a snort at the end of it.


    ¡°Think little of it, then.¡± Risti beckoned to Dia. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Rolling her eyes, Dia followed Risti out.

 Chapter 122: Webs of plans

    With the murderer dead and the incident resolved ¡ª to a certain extent, anyway ¡ª Dia and Risti saw no issue with returning to their temporary base of operations. The threat of innocents dying was over, as was the threat to their lives, and Dia couldn¡¯t help but smile as she stepped through the garden gate.


    ¡°I rarely see you smile like that,¡± Risti observed.


    Dia glanced at Risti, whose posture was light and free of worries. ¡°I rarely see you move like that too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what doing good deeds feel like,¡± Risti replied. ¡°We didn¡¯t just come here to fulfil the master-subordinate obligations of Count Nightfall; we came here to protect people.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a rather¡­good feeling,¡± Dia replied. Stretching her arms and body, which felt lighter than usual, she looked around at Nachtville, whose main streets were still covered by cloth. By tomorrow, the news about the murderer¡¯s death would spread, and life would return to normal.


    ¡°If only we had intervened earlier, however.¡± Risti sighed. ¡°What a senseless loss of life. In the end, what¡¯s with that passive skill?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still thinking about it?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Hard not to, considering that¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever seen such an odd skill. T-H-B-O-D, and three question marks. Oh, and not every letter is capitalised either, to add on to the confusion.¡± Shaking her head, Risti entered the house, with Dia close on her heels.


    ¡°Do you know any skill that has such a weird¡­I don¡¯t know, name?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Given your standing, you might have actually come across it before.¡±


    ¡°If I did, it probably wasn¡¯t very memorable,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I should write it down first, though. Just in case I forget about it or something.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t strike me as someone with a bad memory,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Just in case I forget what the passive skill looked like,¡± Risti answered. ¡°In fact, that skill¡¯s even more shocking that the fact that the murderer had the Black God¡¯s Gaze, which is already shocking enough.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s shocking about Black God¡¯s Gaze?¡± Dia asked, interested. She had been brought up on a diet of swordsmanship and the occasional statesmanship, which meant that she didn¡¯t have all that much time to herself. Being able to read novels and sneak out of the Lustre palace incognito was already the best she could do, so she didn¡¯t know that much about the churches of the Coloured Gods.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a rather¡­special skill,¡± said Risti.


    ¡°That much was a bit obvious,¡± Dia replied, rolling her eyes. ¡°I mean, how many skills have something like the words ¡®Black God¡¯ attached at the front?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I mean, that¡¯s precisely it.¡± Risti closed the door behind them both. ¡°It¡¯s a skill of the Black God himself, don¡¯t you get it? It¡¯s a skill created by the Black God and handed down to his Blessed and his apostles. It¡¯s a skill that he has, or used to have.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Risti¡¯s sudden barrage of words were making her head whirl. ¡°Black God¡¯s Gaze¡­is a skill that the Black God himself had?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s what making it this special. This skill can only be conferred by someone of incredible standing in the Church of the Black God onto someone equally prestigious, but somehow, he had been turned into¡­that.¡± Risti shook her head, shivering slightly. Wrapping her arms around herself, she looked out at the windows, where the Moons¡¯ light was grappling with the shadows, before covering them with the thin curtains.


    ¡°Is someone targeting the Church of the Black God?¡± Dia wondered. ¡°Such a person should have quite the status in the Church of the Black God, after all.¡±


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    ¡°Who knows?¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°It might be one of the other Coloured Gods. Or maybe some organisation who wants to stir up trouble. There are all kinds of possibilities, but we shouldn¡¯t involve ourselves in this any more than is required.¡±


    The foreboding tone in her words gave Dia pause, and after struggling with her curiosity for a moment, she decided to ask one last question.


    ¡°Risti, one last question.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± She looked at Dia. ¡°One more question?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Dia smiled. ¡°What¡¯s¡­going to happen in the next few years, or even decades? Are we going to be in danger?¡±


    For a moment, Risti froze up. Covering that movement with a seemingly-nonchalant glance, she asked, ¡°Why do you ask that question, of all things?¡±


    ¡°Why? Intuition, I guess,¡± Dia replied. ¡°The murderer had the Black God¡¯s Gaze. Like I said earlier, it¡¯s possible that he has a high status, and was subsequently targeted due to this status. It¡¯s possible that someone intended to frame the Church of the Black God by forcing him to act as a murderer.¡±


    ¡°Intuition¡­¡± Risti repeated Dia¡¯s answer slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But¡­well, there¡¯s a reason why I¡¯m out roaming Grandis. I suppose¡­well¡­umm. You are the bodyguard of Princess Dia, so I suppose telling you shouldn¡¯t be an issue. If you can get the news to her, all the better.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Ruler Umbra¡­had been plotted against many times over the past three decades,¡± Risti began slowly. ¡°Assaults by people like Tot, monsters from the Third Godsfall. These people were weak by the standards of the Third Godsfall, but now, save for the Chromatic Lords and hexa-folders, they are¡­invincible.¡±


    ¡°Why would they do such a thing?¡±


    ¡°If my father knew, he wouldn¡¯t have sent me out alone,¡± Risti replied. ¡°No one knows. Penta-folders of the previous era have appeared out of nowhere to kill Ruler Umbra, before overloading their mana circuits in a bid to take him out with them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­insane,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Why would they do such a thing? They¡¯re penta-folders. There¡¯s no reason to kill themselves like this!¡±


    She took a breath. ¡°So, a period of turmoil.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Risti¡¯s words were quiet, carrying through the silent house. ¡°That is almost certainly going to happen. This war between the dukedoms of the Umbra Sovereignty is already exceptional enough, but the Moon of Strife will shine bright for years to come.¡±


    For a moment, Risti looked like a total stranger to Dia, and the latter found herself trembling. It was as if she was proclaiming the end of the world or something, someone possessed by an apostle of the Moons or the Coloured Gods. A stranger of strangers, whose only purpose was to proclaim their prophecy.


    In a cold, distant part of Dia¡¯s mind, something clicked.


    ¡°Your father sent you away to protect you,¡± Dia stated calmly. It wasn¡¯t a question, just a simple sentence, and Risti looked at her evenly. A humourless smile tinged her face as she nodded, before turning away in silence.


    Risti had agreed to answer only one question, after all.


    Dia glanced at her silhouette as she vanished into one of the many, recently-cleaned rooms, before thinking about the warning she had presented. Was that a reason why she had joined up with the Moon Lords? To make use of the strength of an organisation? It was very possible, and the fact that her performance had been impeccable in this assignment would probably increase her value in everyone¡¯s eyes.


    In contrast, Dia knew that she was just an extra-powerful hired muscle. She didn¡¯t really bring anything to the table, other than a better-than-average ability to beat people down¡­and she herself was beginning to even doubt that. It was natural to doubt her own ability, seeing as how a one-armed person whose only selling point were crazy spear skills had cornered her.


    That, and probably a whole of other factors that she had no idea about.


    However, without any available channels to increase her exiting combat ability, Dia could only lament over her relative lack of power. Some time ago, while she was training the Moon Guards, Dia noted that she had reached a plateau; no matter what she did next, that elusive spark of improvement in her swordsmanship eluded her.


    It was possible that she had reached the natural limits of her swordsmanship talent. While nearly unrivalled, the encounter with the murderer had left her wanting; Dia had a feeling that if she hadn¡¯t taken an arm off in the sneak attack, she could have lost her life.


    The murderer had shown exquisite accuracy in throwing spears; his skill at wielding a spear directly could only be far above that.


    Dia frowned in the darkness, before heading into an unused room. All the rooms had been cleaned, but the musty smell that probably came with long periods of disuse was still here. Removing the outermost layer of her clothes, she unclasped her sword and placed it against the bed.


    It was long past her usual bedtime, but whenever she closed her eyes, all Dia could see were streaks of steely light, streaks formed from flying spears.


    Apparently, a small trauma had developed in her mind. There was nothing she could do about it, though, save for letting it play out over and over again until she got used to it. Rolling around on the bed, Dia¡¯s consciousness drifted in and out of focus.


    Her last nap in Nachtville was clearly going to be a fitful one.

 Chapter 123: Towards Nightfall Palace

    ¡°Can I not go?¡± Claud asked, his expression grumpy. ¡°I don¡¯t see why you need me to follow you along to the Nightfall Palace. And in a similar vein, I question your wisdom in not bringing Farah along. She¡¯s a smart one; anything to do with politics should be in her arena and everything, right?¡±


    ¡°Stop your whining,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°We can¡¯t have Farah going there, can we? Just because we¡¯re at home doesn¡¯t mean your brain can stop working or something. She¡¯s a countess, the ruler of Farah County. If we bring her along, Nightfall might just discover her identity and freak out.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°Right. I forgot. She hadn¡¯t talked much about Farah County before, so I kinda forgot after a while. What¡¯s the point, though? She was the one who spearheaded the establishment of the Moon Lords, so isn¡¯t it a bit pointless to hide her?¡±


    ¡°Dumbass,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Right now, she¡¯s busy looking like the princess of Lustre. The count won¡¯t notice her, unless we pull her into Nightfall¡¯s vision, at which point he would get suspicious about Farah. After all, how many one-folders are called Farah? Not many, that¡¯s for sure!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Really, really. Look, mimicking a noble or a Named is a hobby of the rich,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°For fringe cases, maybe. It¡¯s no secret that the Lunar Ladies are all fans of Princess Dia, but since mimicry is a rather¡­odd hobby, most people tend not to pay too much attention to these cuckoos.¡±


    ¡°I dare you to call Lily that,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Fine, but why are we bringing Lily along? She¡¯s the heiress to the Julan Barony; wouldn¡¯t bringing her along be an issue or something? The count would notice her, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we need to introduce ourselves with our full names,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Do you know my full name?¡±


    ¡°Of course! It¡¯s¡­eh?¡± Claud blinked. ¡°Huh. You make a very good point, actually. I don¡¯t know your full name¡­to begin with, is ¡®Schwarz¡¯ your first name or your last?¡±


    ¡°Or is it a name I made up?¡± The bartender grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to find out, okay? Have fun!¡±


    ¡°Damn the Moon that brought you here,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Now I¡¯ll spend sleepless nights wondering what your Moondamned full name is, shitty bartender.¡±


    ¡°Get back here!¡± Schwarz took a swipe at Claud. ¡°No one insults my alcohols!¡±


    ¡°What? Your alcoholic drinks are horrible! You should switch to apple juice!¡± Claud took a step back and dodged his swipe. ¡°I¡¯ll buy a barrel every day if you do!¡±


    ¡°One more word out of you, and I¡¯m raiding your stash of fizzy drinks. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know you¡¯ve quite the fine collection of these new baubles!¡±


    Dodging a few more swipes, the two exchanged a few more barbs about failed dreams and drinks stashed, before Lily popped out of Moon Mansion. Claud glanced at her, and immediately froze up at the backpack she was wearing.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Schwarz asked, having noticed Claud¡¯s abnormal behaviour. ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing much, really.¡± Claud turned to Lily. ¡°Um, just to make sure, but what¡¯s in that backpack of yours?¡±


    ¡°Some general goods, why?¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°You¡¯re capable of defining explosives and bombs as general goods,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Are you planning to blow up the Nightfall Palace too?¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s in your backpack, then?¡±


    ¡°Just contingency measures, in case something happens,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I mean, walking into the palace of a count doesn¡¯t exactly feel same to me. It¡¯s reasonable for me to make sure that I¡¯m able to escape, right? As I recall, there¡¯s no provision to disarm when entering the Nightfall Palace. Better to be safe than sorry; what happens if he doesn¡¯t want to let us leave?¡±


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    Claud nodded his head, convinced. Lily was right to bring bombs along; he hadn¡¯t been considering things from her point of view. To Claud, so long as his trump card was up, busting out of any building was no big deal, but he couldn¡¯t say the same for Lily and the others. ¡°Good point. I forgot to consider your point of view.¡±


    ¡°Hold up, the two of you,¡± Schwarz cut in and stared at Claud pointedly. ¡°Claud, have you led Lily astray? Why is she repeating the same drivel as you? It¡¯s good to have a paranoid person around, but two? I¡¯m going to go insane.¡±


    He turned to Lily. ¡°Backpack. Now.¡±


    Lily wilted under his intense gaze and handed her backpack over. Schwarz frowned as he opened it up, revealing a bunch of little packages. He picked up one such package by the edge, before turning to Lily. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°A one-use door-making artefact,¡± Lily replied.


    Schwarz¡¯s eyebrows twitched, before he took out a small globe. ¡°How about this?¡±


    ¡°The same thing, except it¡¯s for making a huge window,¡± Lily answered.


    ¡°And this¡ª wait. Let me. Skylight-making artefact. Cave-making artefact. Sound-making artefact.¡± Schwarz looked at the backpack full of little packages, before shaking his head. ¡°Lily, all these are explosives, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    Lily mumbled something in reply.


    ¡°Oh, come on. We¡¯re in Licencia. Count Nightfall isn¡¯t going to imprison us or anything. Didn¡¯t I tell you that he called us over to tell us about his examination of Rodrio?¡± Schwarz rolled his eyes. ¡°Place these artefacts somewhere safe. There¡¯s no need for them here, at least. The last thing we need is to be stopped at his security guards or something.¡±


    ¡°¡­Fine.¡± Lily stomped back into Moon Mansion. She came out a minute later, the backpack noticeably absent. Schwarz glanced at her, and then turned away, mollified.


    There was a small, suspicious lump in her trousers, however.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯ll blow a way out if we really get into trouble.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t do anything stupid,¡± Schwarz snapped. ¡°Hurry up. Better for us to be early than to be late.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    The two followed Schwarz out of Moon Mansion¡¯s compound. Once outside, Moon Street looked the same as ever. There was no indication that over twenty people had been poisoned to death a few days ago, during a food distribution for the poor.


    Claud looked around quietly, trailing behind Schwarz. Farah had been depressed for the next few days after the incident, which was probably a really good reason for Schwarz to not bring her along, now that he thought about it. To his side, Lily was also looking around, a sombre expression on her face. She hadn¡¯t been present when the poisonings occurred, but she too had seen the toil these events took on the countess.


    ¡°The count had better find the culprit,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Or I¡¯ll blow his palace up!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Farah would appreciate the sentiment,¡± Schwarz replied without looking back. ¡°But please keep your volume down whenever you¡¯re voicing such disturbing wishes. Got it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so cowardly,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°You¡¯re the last person who has the right to call me that!¡± Schwarz let out a sigh, but his gaze was still as resolutely straight as ever. ¡°Look, this is the count¡¯s territory. In the past, such remarks may go unnoticed, but we are counted as minor celebrities now. Our usual utterances will be scrutinised and looked at, over and over again.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m nervous or something,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve been a bit jittery ever since you wanted to drag me along to the Nightfall Palace. Am I losing it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve lost a lot of things in the past twenty-six years,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything to be concerned about.¡±


    ¡°That really hurt,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°I also felt it, even though your words were directed at me,¡± Lily added. ¡°Moons. You should consider putting your oratory skills to the test. It would be far better than your ability to make alcoholic drinks.¡±


    It was Schwarz¡¯s turn to stagger. ¡°Lily, did Claud corrupt you? Come back! Return the Lily I knew? Darn it. I knew I shouldn¡¯t have let you run off with Claud to Julan.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like we eloped back then,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway, you should really keep your volume down, whenever you voice such disturbing wishes. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Turn my words on me again, and I¡¯ll stuff my drinks down your throat. You will not like the experience,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°Well, at least someone¡¯s self-aware¡­wait! It¡¯s a respectable quality, so put down that bottle!¡± Claud slipped behind Lily. ¡°Put down that bottle! You¡¯ll kill someone with it!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t break on contact.¡±


    ¡°Who the heck cares about the bottle! I¡¯m talking about the drink inside! Stop! We can talk this out nicely!¡±


    The ruckus continued for a minute or two, before Lily finally stepped in. Folding her arms, she said, ¡°Alright, children. Let¡¯s just go to the Nightfall Palace and be done with it. Everyone knows who you are, Schwarz. You¡¯re going to end up remembered for the wrong reasons if you keep it up.¡±


    ¡°Fame is like a shackle¡­¡±


    Lily glared at Schwarz. ¡°Any more nonsense and I¡¯ll blow you to pieces.¡±


    Schwarz sighed. ¡°Just where did the quiet Lily run off to?¡±


    ¡°One more word, and I¡¯ll throw a door-making artefact at you!¡±

 Chapter 124: Count Nightfall

    The Nightfall Palace was gorgeous. Of all the counties and smaller fiefs Claud had been to, this was the most beautiful palace he had seen so far. The traditional castle motif had been touched up in ways that only connoisseurs like him would appreciate. Four walls around the main palace, with towers at the corners¡­and of course, a needlessly huge garden that flanked the path leading up to the main palace.


    He hadn¡¯t paid a visit to the count¡¯s palace yet, purely on the basis that Nightfall was the ruler of the city he currently resided in. That was the only thing preventing him from targeting the count.


    Guards, each of them wearing ornate pieces of armour, stood around the palace battlements. These walls were fortress walls, which seemed like overkill when it came to protecting a palace, but who was he to decide how others spent money? Besides, constructing such thick walls would only benefit the people who built them¡­somehow, anyway.


    The master thief did not harbour any delusions about how manual labourers were being exploited, however.


    ¡°It¡¯s huge,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it before, but it¡¯s a different story up close.¡±


    ¡°Of all the counts in Grandis, Nightfall¡¯s palace is probably the largest or the second largest,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Of course, this is nothing compared to the dukedoms, let alone the sovereignties. But this is as good as it gets¡­most people can¡¯t even get close to a dukedom¡¯s palace at all.¡±


    Claud glanced at the guards standing around the fortress walls, before discreetly shifting his vision to the innocent-looking men and women loitering around the place. He could tell that there were multiple disguised guards of the count sitting and chatting around the general area; they were probably there to assist if they saw suspicious individuals.


    In fact, he had the feeling that the invitation Schwarz had was just for show; their entry had been cleared long ago.


    ¡°You sound like you¡¯ve been to a dukedom¡¯s palace before,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Other than my first visit here, which was a nerve-wracking experience¡­well, I did go to the Schwa Palace before, as a Profiteer. Back then, I was a junior member, but thanks to my seniors, I was allowed inside,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°It¡¯s insane, the amount of security within.¡±


    Claud thought back to his experience at stealing from Duke Istrel¡¯s treasury. Duke Istrel had multiple treasuries, but Claud had targeted the one near Pletsville because it was the least guarded. As for why Crown was sitting there happily¡­maybe the Duke wanted to protect it by drawing more attention to his other treasuries? Either way, it belonged to him now.


    ¡°Security, eh?¡± Claud mused out loud. ¡°What kind of security does a dukedom¡¯s palace have?¡±


    ¡°Guards everywhere, for one. Not patrols. Guards literally everywhere,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Other than that, I also spotted automatons making rounds. They can see what normal eyes cannot.¡±


    Claud nodded. He knew very well what those automatons were. Automatons were the reason why his theft had been detected; he was a second too slow in trying to refresh his Presence Nullification when it wore off at the high point of his heist. If the automaton hadn¡¯t been there, the second in which he was exposed wouldn¡¯t have done anything to him.


    However, automatons were more vigilant, more aware, than their human counterparts. That momentary, passing exposure was more than enough for the alarms to be raised, and everything turned crazy from there. Most of the guards there, at the time, were mages, as well as devotees of the White God.


    It was unlikely for Count Nightfall to have such people as regular guards, though. His guards here, however, were clearly an elite bunch; they were probably top mercenaries that were hired by the count on a long-term basis.


    ¡°Automatons?¡± Lily asked. ¡°What are these things?¡±


    ¡°Um, they¡¯re mechanical lives. Created by the Coloured Gods in their war against the Six Gods of Virtue. In recognition of their service, on the day of the Coloured Gods¡¯ apotheosis, a decree to treat automatons as humans was handed down.¡± Schwarz paused. ¡°One might argue that they¡¯re treated better than most humans. Anyway, they¡¯re tireless labourers that are as intelligent as most humans.¡±


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    ¡°Intelligent, eh?¡± Claud didn¡¯t get the feeling that the automaton that had exposed him was all that intelligent, though.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± said Lily, ¡°how are automatons made?¡±


    ¡°My breadth of knowledge is wide, but it¡¯s not so deep that I would know how they¡¯re made,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Alright, you two should keep quiet. We¡¯re near the palace gates now. Look sharp!¡±


    The guards standing beside the gates nodded at the three of them as they drew close. Up close, Claud could tell that the ornate armour they were wearing was actually more luxurious than his initial impression. Judging from the visible amounts of velvety-smooth padding underneath the metal, it was clear that these suits of armour were meant for practical, long-term use.


    ¡°Sirs, madam, your invitation, please.¡±


    ¡°Here you go,¡± Schwarz replied, passing the invite over.


    The guard didn¡¯t even look at it before he waved them in, reinforcing Claud¡¯s belief that their arrival had been long accounted for. Walking through the lavish gate that was as tall as a regular inn, the trio entered the palace compounds.


    Flowers of all kinds danced in the windless garden. Oddly enough, all these different plants were planted in the same huge lawn. Nobles ¡ª or normal people ¡ª usually planted the same flower in any given lawn, so this mess was rather eye-catching. The scene was somewhat evocative, and as Claud continued to look at it, he began to think of Licencia.


    ¡°What a weird lawn,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°No sense of arrangement whatsoever.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to look down from a height if you are to appreciate the art drawn within it,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°Art?¡± Claud looked at the lawn once more. The chaotic lawn didn¡¯t seem too different from the City of Trades, considering that both things looked like a chaotic mess.


    ¡°Where do we go now?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t there be a guide?¡±


    ¡°Is a guide really needed when there¡¯s only one path?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°And this is not my first time here.¡±


    ¡°Philosophical,¡± Claud commented lightly. ¡°But you are a bartender, after all. There¡¯s a reason why everyone calls you master.¡±


    ¡°Master of philosophy, that¡¯s me.¡± Schwarz chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m not that old, though. Just the oldest of the Moon Lords.¡±


    ¡°Still a child compared to the count, however.¡±


    ¡°Everyone in Licencia¡¯s going to be a kid if their age is compared to the count,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°He looks young, but he¡¯s been here longer than everyone¡¯s lifespan added together.¡±


    ¡°That adds up to around a century or so. He¡¯s been the ruler of Licencia for this long?¡± Lily asked.


    Claud thought about the many urban legends the city had about their ruler. ¡°Not that long, I think. Maybe fifty years? I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ¡°Sixty-one,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°But enough that boring stuff. This lawn looks great. It¡¯s a new style from last year ¡ª if you look down from a height, it forms a nice piece of art.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yeah. You usually need a fairly large lawn to create such a piece of art, so we can¡¯t have one in Moon Mansion. I was a bit disappointed when we couldn¡¯t have one, since Claud has a really odd fixation with domes.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re the most intruder-proof structure,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Isn¡¯t it good that vision is one-way in Moon Mansion? We get to look out, but no one looks in! That¡¯s a stroke of genius, even if I do say so myself.¡±


    ¡°Only because I forked out more gold,¡± Schwarz replied, irritated. ¡°If not, we¡¯ll be wearing little Moons around our necks and wandering around in darkness. And don¡¯t even get me started on the other artefacts needed to¡±


    ¡°Well, you guys were the ones who took up the Moons theme really happily, so¡­¡±


    His words trailed off as they drew up to the palace. Men and women flanked the gold-rimmed double doors, each of them dressed to the nines. To its left was a small, private garden, one with a small gazebo at the centre. Apparently, that gazebo was where Count Nightfall met with the others last time, but for some reason, the venue had changed.


    In the middle of the steps leading up to the doors stood an ordinary man, but no one could deny his importance. There was an awesome air radiating off his average frame, drawing the attention of all who saw him.


    Claud¡¯s eyes drifted over to Count Nightfall, who was wearing a simple black top. It lacked the formal trappings of his subordinates standing beside him, but for some reason, the master thief found his current style of dress very fitting and formal.


    ¡°Sir Schwarz, members of the Moon Lords, I bid everyone welcome and extend my offer of hospitality and safe passage.¡± He inclined his head slightly, a faint smile on his face. ¡°You will be pleased to know that news about your fellows at Nachtville has come in. The murderer has been neutralised, thank the Moons.¡±


    The smile on his face faded slightly. ¡°Examining the murderer, however, has revealed certain¡­problems. For us all, us rulers of Licencia. To that end, I have called you here, Sir Schwarz, in order to prepare you for what might just come.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± the bartender asked, confused.


    ¡°Dark clouds on the horizon. Seemingly deranged men move with an insane unity, seeking to destabilise the world as we know it,¡± Count Nightfall replied. ¡°Disturbing ill-wishers have crawled out of the woodwork, linked by a singular purpose.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Follow. I shall disclose the results of our investigation inside the palace.¡±


    Turning on his heel, he raised a hand and entered the depths of the palace. Claud looked at Schwarz, who had visited the palace before, and followed his lead in silence.

 Chapter 125: A familiar-looking skill name

    ¡°Stop making little noises of wonder, can you?¡± Schwarz muttered, using the side of his lips. ¡°You¡¯re making me look like an idiot.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Claud and Lily asked. ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Both of you!¡±


    Count Nightfall chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, sir Schwarz. I¡¯m happy that the interior of my palace interests the two of you. If you want to, we can have a small tour around my palace after official business is conducted?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Lily asked.


    Claud pricked his ears up at that response. ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that offer then.¡±


    ¡°Me too, me too!¡±


    Claud had a feeling that her motive in asking was quite similar to his own, though. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to know what the layout of Nightfall Palace was like, just in case he actually needed to¡­borrow some items from it. For Lily, she probably wanted to look for places where she could conduct an efficient demolition job. In a sense, both objectives overlapped with each other.


    Whether the two of them would do anything like theft or blowing up the palace was really context-dependent, though.


    ¡°I apologise for the unruly members of my delegation,¡± Schwarz replied, his words neither subservient nor overbearing. ¡°These two kids love great art and interesting places; they will stop at nothing to see what they want.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s natural,¡± Count Nightfall replied, his simple black shirt rippling as he spoke. ¡°Ah. We¡¯ve arrived. I¡¯ll share with you the results of our investigation first, and then we can follow up with the tour and a small banquet.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°We¡¯ll abide by your arrangements. Once again, thank you for accommodating this unruly pair.¡±


    The count chuckled, before gesturing at the door they had stopped at. It was a simple black door, one that looked like every other door they had passed so far, and as they stepped it, Claud couldn¡¯t help but raise an eyebrow.


    The interior was minimalistic to a point. There was one bookshelf full of books, as well as a table and chair. Claud couldn¡¯t even bring himself to describe how the sparse furniture even looked like; it was as if his childhood idea of a brown table and chair had appeared. It would be far easier to describe the neat mountains of documents sitting on the table, as well as the black pen, inlaid with gold engravings, sitting in the very middle.


    ¡°It¡¯s not much,¡± Count Nightfall said quietly, ¡°but it gets the job done.¡±


    He cleared his throat as the two attendants following behind them earlier left the room. ¡°Now, findings. With such an unpleasant incident going on, we had to hold nothing back in interrogating Rodrio¡­or rather, the person who once used to be Rodrio.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that, count?¡± Schwarz asked, his voice a calm sea.


    ¡°The being you once knew as Rodrio has died,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°His mind has been shattered.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°This one supposes it would be easier if I were to show you.¡± The count retrieved a document from the huge piles on his table with absurd ease, before passing it over to Schwarz. ¡°This is his status. While he is still alive, in the physical sense of the word, he no longer has control over his body and mind.¡±


    The bartender looked through the document, before narrowing his eyes. Without a word, he passed it over to Claud and Lily, who looked at it together. It was a normal status, with skills that a guard should have, but a particular phrase had been highlighted.


    Claud¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he looked at it.


    The words ¡®Thrall of ThBoD:A???¡¯ were written there and underlined in bold. The first two words were nothing of interest to Claud; his eyes had been drawn over to the last one the moment he saw the Passive Skills section. He didn¡¯t dare to think too much, though. A single mistake, and the others would notice. Now was not the time.


    ¡°Count,¡± Schwarz began slowly, ¡°the passive skill is¡­¡±


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    ¡°Errors, apparently. I have no idea what that last word is. From our records¡­or really historical ones, anyway, the three question marks represent error points. Or an overflow, but I don¡¯t know what ¡®overflow¡¯ refers to.¡± The count tapped the wooden table lightly. ¡°There have been multiple occurrences when question marks appear in one¡¯s status, but all of them are very¡­problematic.¡±


    ¡°Problematic?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°They are¡­almost always linked to godhood. An odd choice of word, yes. But that¡¯s the closest approximation the historical records give.¡±


    ¡°Can we look at these records you speak of?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°I think a different perspective could be useful.¡±


    ¡°I agree, but regretfully, it¡¯s¡­not accessible to anyone but me,¡± Count Nightfall replied. ¡°Emperor Grandis has many wonders at his disposal. One of them includes a¡­shared world of¡­information that all nobles of a certain rank can access. My access to information there, however, remains limited.¡±


    His words came out stilted, but no one was going to comment on that. Claud was more interested in what the count meant when he said ¡®a shared world¡¯, but the chances of finding out were just slightly higher than him being the bastard daughter of Emperor Grandis.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to accept that information as true, then,¡± Schwarz noted. ¡°So, back to the main point. This passive skill is what¡¯s controlling Rodrio?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The control seems to be unbreakable¡­even absolute,¡± Count Nightfall replied. ¡°It¡¯s an incredible form of Mental Domination, capable of affecting multiple targets. It¡¯s able to turn people into completely obedient slaves, slaves that will do anything in their power to execute their mission.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s horrible,¡± Lily murmured.


    ¡°Yes. Skills that nullify free will are banned in Grandis; any possessor of them, once caught, is subject to the death penalty,¡± Count Nightfall replied. ¡°This skill, however, by virtue of being able to affect multiple people and command absolute loyalty of them¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°Count, how do you know that it can command multiple people?¡±


    ¡°Because the murderer haunting Nachtville was one such thrall too,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°My compliments to the Moon Lords dispatched there: they made an immense contribution to the process of neutralising the culprit. Suitable rewards have already been prepared for them.¡±


    ¡°The murderer¡­¡±


    Claud gulped. He had to make use of his mana and the dulled wits of Rodrio to overcome him earlier. The most important bit, however, was that Rodrio was a vanilla. Even as a normal person, Claud had been forced back over and over in that battle.


    ¡°An ambush,¡± Lily murmured. ¡°The others must have been worried that they couldn¡¯t defeat the murderer.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The spear-thrower at Nachtville was unbelievably skilled, according to the reports.¡± Count Nightfall crossed his arms. ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate that the person who immobilised Rodrio cannot be found in the city. I wanted to ask him about Rodrio¡¯s skills and see if there was a connection or something.¡±


    Rodrio¡¯s skill with a sword was indeed incredible, though. However, it was not something he could reveal¡ª


    ¡°Right, that person¡­Claud, didn¡¯t you know that person? The person who overcame Rodrio,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had such a personage as your acquaintance. Really impressive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more disturbed at the fact that a tetra-folder was in my city without my knowledge, though,¡± Count Nightfall muttered.


    ¡°A tetra-folder?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Who are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°The one who you got to help apprehend Rodrio?¡± Schwarz replied, confused. ¡°Oh. You didn¡¯t know he was a tetra-folder?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah. That about sums it up,¡± Claud replied, surprised. ¡°I¡¯m very surprised, really.¡±


    Unlike the others, who were surprised at the fact he didn¡¯t know about his ¡°friend¡± being a tetra-folder, Claud was surprised at how Schwarz and the others had cooked up a story of their own imagination. It was impressive how they had created such an explanation without any input from him at all.


    Was everyone in Licencia lacking in a stable outlet to release pent-up imaginations?


    That explanation would at least account for why so many people liked writing short stories in the city, though. There was even a Manuscript Festival held every year, which¡ª


    Claud shook his head, flushing the superfluous thoughts out of his mind.


    ¡°No chance of confirming things, then,¡± Count Nightfall mused out loud. ¡°Other than these two incidents, I¡¯ve been conferring with the administrations of the fellow counts under Istrel ¡ª Countess Farah and Count Boreas ¡ª who are also reporting similar incidents with these thralls. A huge storm is brewing up here, and I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°Especially with Duke Istrel¡¯s inauguration barely a month away,¡± Claud found himself subconsciously adding. Nightfall¡¯s mention of Farah had gotten him distracted enough to open his mouth.


    ¡°Yes. I am not sure what to think of this incident. Is it something the Duke did? Or are these incidents something by the other two Dukes? Maybe there¡¯s someone else trying to screw the entire sovereignty over.¡± The count folded his arms. ¡°Fortunately, there¡¯s at least a countermeasure. Anyone with the ability to command mana apparently cannot be controlled by this skill.¡±


    ¡°Wait, really?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Darn it. I need lifestones too, then.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve prepared enough to make you a sub-folder. That¡¯s just our hypothesis, though. The thralls encountered so far show no trace of mana; there might be a pattern there.¡±


    ¡°A sub-folder?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Yes. One of my servants will brief you on what a sub-folder is later,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°Or you can ask the Lunar Ladies. They should also know too.¡±


    The bartender turned to looked at Lily, his eyebrow raised.


    ¡°I¡¯ll handle it,¡± Lily replied. ¡°So please stop staring at me like that. it¡¯s scary!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s about it, then.¡± Count Nightfall exhaled slowly. ¡°For now, the murder cases have ended. A storm is brewing up, however. Moon Lords, let us continue to protect this city together.¡±


    He smiled, before getting up. ¡°Come. A banquet awaits.¡±

 Chapter 126: Absolute Domination?

    Claud had seen all kinds of food in his twenty-six years of living, having experienced the varied and innovative cuisines Licencia had to offer. With money came lifestones and food; sometimes, he would find himself longing for savoury dishes to counteract the gloriously-sweet lifestones he ingested. It was almost second nature for him to grab some rich food like sausages and spiced meat after a heist.


    Nothing, however, could have prepared him for the orange-brown hue of roasted meat that filled the plates laid out on the table.


    Count Nightfall, who had generously provided all these food in recognition of a job well done, and as part of his hospitality, sure knew how to win over the hearts of people.


    ¡°This is an incredible spread,¡± Schwarz forced out, his eyes fixated on the huge tracts of meaty expanse. ¡°The sauces¡­are they imported from another areas?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Count Nightfall replied. ¡°The tartar sauce here came from a small barony in a fa-flung area of the Schwa Sovereignty. I came across it when I went on a journey decades ago, and ever since then, I¡¯ve made sure that there¡¯s always a steady supply of them.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°There¡¯s so much culinary variety in our sovereignty alone too, or for that matter, even in just Istrel alone. Tens of territories, each of them with their own unique culture. It¡¯s a shame we have to fight a war now.¡±


    At the mention of war, Claud felt his mood darken. Once the three dukedoms went to war with each other, whatever surviving trade between these areas would dry up completely. It was fortunate that Emperor Grandis would watch over conflicts between dukedoms, preventing the loss of life to the civilian populace, but indirect deaths from things like famine and illness would definitely rear their ugly heads.


    Count Nightfall, along with most of his troops and personal retainers, would also depart from his demesne. Under the agreement the Moon Lords signed with the count, they would take over the issue of law and order, as well as ensuring that nothing untoward happened to the city at large.


    Of course, there would be rich rewards, but the recent revelation of thralls acting for some nefarious purpose had roused Claud from his rosy outlook. No one but him ¡ª and the person in-charge of dealing with statuses ¡ª knew that Claud shared a similar skill to whoever owned ThBoD:A???.


    He didn¡¯t know what the actual name of the skill was, but after cross-referencing and making extensive use of his mind, Claud had come up with a fitting name for the new, dangerous skill that had made waves in Licencia.


    Absolute Domination.


    It was a product of so many thoughts and considerations, and Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel chuffed at his naming sense after all. As it turned out, something as trivial as giving good names just relied on lots of proper referencing, research and solid logic.


    There was no such thing as talent for naming sense.


    Probably, anyway.


    Whether or not the skill¡¯s actual name was Absolute Domination would probably be something only the skill owner would know, though. People without a status ¡ª vanillas ¡ª would know what their skill named was called by simply thinking about it, but for skills like his Absolute One, it would seem that they could not be adequately represented on the status.


    He didn¡¯t know why it had to be that way, though.


    ¡°When will you depart from the city?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°We should conduct a proper handover between my subordinates and your men, so that things continue on smoothly when you leave.¡±


    ¡°Three weeks from now. A secret missive from Duke Istrel told us to mobilise before his inauguration; at the closing ceremony, he would declare a redistribution of the lands under him,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°Whatever happens next, know that your main job is to protect my city and its people. They take precedence above all.¡±


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    Picking up a teacup, he eyed its contents and sniffed it, which was the cue for Schwarz to ask a few more questions. Most of them were about the little important bits, like provisions and stockpiles. Clearly, the bartender already knew what parts of the city was he meant to manage, prompting the count to nod in appreciation.


    ¡°It¡¯s great that you¡¯re very enthusiastic about this,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°However, there is a time and place for everything. Besides, the stares from your comrades are digging huge holes into the meat. Best we start eating.¡±


    Schwarz turned to Lily and Claud. ¡°Really? You two only have food on the brain now?¡±


    ¡°What? You¡¯re the brains of this group. We¡¯ll just follow your arrangements,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯ll work out.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Have faith in the master, and your love will pass muster!¡±


    ¡°Is that an actual slogan in Triple-D?¡± Count Nightfall asked, curious.


    ¡°It is. Schwarz here has eyes that can peer deep into your soul. His tongue are like sharp knives, capable of carving away both darkness and burdens. Finally, his drinks can put people out of their misery. Together,¡± said Claud, ¡°they enable Schwarz to be the best counsellor in the entire city.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very high praise,¡± Count Nightfall noted. ¡°I should drop by your bar then, Schwarz. Maybe on the day before we depart.¡±


    ¡°You flatter me,¡± Schwarz replied, before glaring at Claud. For some reason, the latter abruptly found a certain plate of roast meat very enthralling, and decided to study it up close. The texture and colour showed the fine heat control of the dish, and the absence of the usual charred smell a testament to how perfect the chef¡¯s balance was.


    After running out of ways to mentally describe the dish, Claud glanced at Schwarz, who had thankfully turned his piercing gaze away.


    Fortunately, Count Nightfall took the first bite a few seconds later, freeing Claud from the shackles of hunger. The next few minutes were just them eating¡­or rather, nibbling ¡ª no one wanted to look crass in front of the count.


    His mind began to drift.


    If the murderer had been apprehended, it could only mean that Dia and Risti, who had been dispatched them to help, was safe. The only thing he was concerned about were the Dusk Daggers, the bunch of fellows who looked like Hulid. Their party leader had fainted shortly after trying to assess the cause of the Tri-Head Snake¡¯s death.


    Clearly, his skill had backfired catastrophically. Lily had mentioned that it was probably because Hulid had tried to peer into the secrets of the gods. However, just because he had been injured didn¡¯t mean that he had failed; the Edgeless Night could have actually discovered something.


    ¡°Is it possible to actually see someone¡¯s status?¡± Lily asked, placing her fork down with a gentle clink.


    ¡°There are some skills that do allow that, yes,¡± said Count Nightfall. ¡°However, and if I¡¯m not wrong, they only work on vanillas. From what I can tell, such sensitive information can only be accessed while the target hasn¡¯t unlocked their entire status.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that the case?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°I think I really should become a mana-user.¡±


    ¡°Something about, uh, viewing privilege? I¡¯m not sure. Anyway, you better become a mana-user soon,¡± replied the count. ¡°Mana is very useful. You can move things remotely, create a barrier¡­all kinds of creative applications are possible, provided you train your mana enough.¡±


    ¡°What kind of applications are we talking about?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be easier if I were to ask you about the things you could make, were I to give you some bread dough. What can you make with dough? You could probably make that with mana, and with far greater detail.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also a general increase in strength too, which increases even more if you¡¯re channelling mana within your body,¡± the count replied. ¡°Basically, it¡¯s very useful. More importantly, if you don¡¯t become a mana-user soon, you may very well be targeted by people, since you¡¯ll be seen as the weakest link.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Schwarz looked down on his plate. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, you don¡¯t need all that many lifestones to be a full-fledged mana-user,¡± the count added. ¡°With that settled, I¡¯ll send a trusted aide of mine to guide you in the process tomorrow.¡±


    Schwarz opened his mouth in shock, only to clamp them shut a moment later. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Think little of it. I would be severely disappointed if I return to see you dead or worse,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°You have proven to be a very capable colleague; did you know that crime is at a historic low now? The establishment of the Moon Lords have brought order to this city of mine.¡±


    He smiled.


    ¡°Licencia is a very unique city,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Does my order bring you any problems?¡±


    ¡°I support freedom, but that does not mean chaos. Yet, I cannot publicly go against the side effects of my actions, lest I open myself up to criticism by my peers.¡± He smiled. ¡°The Moon Lords are very useful in this regard.¡±


    ¡°Glad we¡¯re useful, then.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t just offer you an associate contract because you helped put down that tri-folder, though.¡± The count frowned. ¡°Still, I can¡¯t believe that I was actually that short-tempered that day. Bah. He had it coming, anyway.¡±


    Schwarz shot a burning glare at Claud, before turning back to Count Nightfall. ¡°We¡¯re flattered by your high evaluation of us.¡±


    The count laughed. ¡°Alright, alright, enough with the flattery. Eat up! No one¡¯s to leave until this table is cleared!¡±

 Chapter 127: Sub-folders

    ¡°Sub-folders, eh?¡±


    Claud found himself talking about that particular topic as they left the Nightfall Palace. Since it was the theorised bare minimum to protect oneself from being affected by that skill, which everyone else had tentatively named ¡®Enhanced Domination¡¯, he was naturally the most interested in making sure that he and the others weren¡¯t going to be affected by it.


    Incidentally, Claud didn¡¯t suggest his own chosen name for that skill because he didn¡¯t want to paint himself as a target. If, on the off-chance, someone knew about the existence of such skills and their full name, which could very well be in the pattern of ¡®Absolute X¡¯, he would be in trouble.


    It was possible that this skill of his, and that of Enhanced Domination, was actually part of a series. Some skills came in a series; Dia, for instance, apparently had a whole line of ¡°Sword X¡¯ skills. Given that his own Absolute One had just recently morphed into a form similar to that of ¡®ThBoD:A???¡¯, it was very likely that they were related.


    ¡°Never heard of them,¡± Schwarz replied, a doubtful look on his face.


    ¡°Really?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I thought you were lying about it earlier, but you don¡¯t actually know about them?¡±


    ¡°To begin with, being a sub-folder is really convenient,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I spoke to Dia about this before, and she was also equally confused as to why there weren¡¯t all that many sub-folders roaming the streets. You would think that everyone would at least try for the Mana Manipulation skill, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not as convenient as it sounds, though,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Ten years of your life, and you have to lose a skill that has accompanied you up until then. It¡¯s probably more useful for people who were hoping to become mages, but that requires a certain level of education.¡±


    ¡°Education?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Specialised ones, not the compulsory ones you see here,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And they can¡¯t match up to legitimate folders at all. Ten of them can¡¯t even beat a normal folder.¡±


    ¡°You dismiss them so easily¡­¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t play a particularly special role in society,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Sure, they can also play a part in ritual magic, like folders, but I would rather have ten one-folders focusing on evoking ritual magic than a hundred sub-folders. The chances of error are far lower, and the former is harder to kill.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Claud frowned. ¡°I was actually thinking of making all the guards of Moon Mansion into sub-folders.¡±


    ¡°By asking them to burn their own life?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I mean, there are enough low-rank lifestones from my earlier run to make a bunch of them,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And none of us need low-rank lifestones anymore, including Schwarz himself. I don¡¯t see why we can¡¯t give them out and make a bunch of sub-folders.¡±


    ¡°I thought you wanted to sell them,¡± Lily replied. ¡°You know, to ease our finances and everything?¡±


    ¡°True. The market price hasn¡¯t been dropping,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Well, someone apparently robbed Times and Banks a month or so ago,¡± Schwarz replied, forcing Claud to stifle an urge to twitch. ¡°But all this talk about sub-folders have finally made me understand why they¡¯re such a hot commodity. There¡¯s probably people who are busy trying to make a small army of sub-folders somewhere.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rather common for some nobles,¡± Lily noted. ¡°And sub-folders are generally stronger than normal people too, so it¡¯s not really wasted. A troop of sub-folders can be rather useful too, if they can execute ritual magic in the battlefield.¡±


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    ¡°Should we raise some then?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Schwarz yawned and rubbed his stomach. ¡°I don¡¯t feel particularly safe, not with the knowledge that a single skill might just turned me into a puppet without will. I think it¡¯s fair for us to extend this same protection to the people under us.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Lily looked around, before nodding. ¡°Still, Claud has a point. You¡¯d think that there¡¯ll be one or two sub-folders around, but so far, I haven¡¯t seen a single one.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a new development,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But we don¡¯t actually pay attention to sub-folders anyway, so maybe the city conscripted them while we weren¡¯t paying attention.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s possible.¡±


    The three continued to banter on until they reached Moon Mansion. An unprecedented sense of relief flooded Claud¡¯s mind as the small booth ferried them over into the safety of the place, and he let out a sigh. That small exhalation of air was proof that Claud had been under more stress than he was aware of in that short excursion to the Nightfall Palace.


    ¡°Sure feels like there¡¯s a weight off my shoulders,¡± Claud noted. ¡°I feel great and lively all over again.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s some odd pressure in his place,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°It¡¯s my second time there, but I still feel very, very intimidated. Is that from his presence? Or was there some artefact employed to pressure my soul?¡±


    ¡°Most likely the former¡­but I feel like blowing up his palace now,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Why didn¡¯t he restrain his mana while we were there? Was it really fun to have it press down on us or something?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t restrain his mana?¡± Claud asked, interested.


    ¡°If he did, you wouldn¡¯t be this tired,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Never mind. Anyway, he said quite a lot of things to us; from what I can tell, he probably wasn¡¯t holding many things back. For instance¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± a voice, lined with complex emotions, echoed through the air.


    ¡°Farah!¡± Lily ran over. ¡°You should be in bed, not talking to us outside.¡±


    ¡°Getting a cold from crying is nothing short of pathetic,¡± Farah replied, but she accepted Lily¡¯s support anyway. The countess had fallen ill in the days that followed the mass poisoning, clearly affected by a double whammy of what seemed like a betrayal and deaths at an event run by her. Lily and Claud had taken turns to nurse her, while Schwarz took over her duties at running the Moon Lords¡¯ finances.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean you can ignore it, though.¡± Claud folded his arm. ¡°Still, I don¡¯t think I can convince you to have a debriefing in your room, so let¡¯s do it around the table instead. I sweated enough to fill a whole cup from this visit.¡±


    ¡°A cup of tea does sound nice,¡± said Schwarz.


    ¡°Really?¡± Countess Farah glanced at the trio. ¡°Alright, you guys just change to something more comfortable first. I¡¯ll make the tea.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡±


    Claud smiled as the countess scurried away. If he didn¡¯t read her wrongly, the countess had probably been worried over the fact that her sudden bout of illness had made her a burden for the past few days. Giving her a small job was part and parcel of easing her back into the team.


    Schwarz chuckled. ¡°You can be very kind at times.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m usually kind, though,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°I believe I used an intensifier there, though,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that you would make a move faster than me, though. Did I rub off on you? Do you want to help run Triple-D too? I think you might be great at the job.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­actually flattering, coming from you.¡± Claud held his chin and pondered the matter. ¡°Maybe, I guess. It would definitely make your customers healthier, though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be doing the brewing.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the point of me going there?¡±


    ¡°To cheer up my patrons?¡±


    ¡°Bah.¡±


    ¡°Alright, boys. Enough bickering.¡± Lily produced a small package. ¡°Or I¡¯ll stuff this down your clothes.¡±


    Claud stared at the package and gulped. He hadn¡¯t forgotten the mystical scene of the Julan main house shooting into the skies like a rocket. Sure, he didn¡¯t know how many explosives Lily had used to create such a spectacle, but it was worth noting that she had carried nothing but a small backpack and some cooking utensils when she went to Julan.


    One small bomb could very well be dangerous.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Claud. ¡°We¡¯ll stop.¡±


    Just where did he go wrong? Or was that just Lily¡¯s personality to begin with? Did ending her family personally unshackle those quirky bits of her character? Claud didn¡¯t know, but he found this new facet of her to be very interesting.


    ¡°Nice. I¡¯m going to change my clothes; you guys should too,¡± said Lily. ¡°Wearing such clothes outside can be very tiring. And warm. And tiring.¡±


    Claud heartily agreed.


    Returning to his room, he took out Crown from his pocket. The little guy, as usual, had been sleeping away merrily, and as he placed it down on his bed, it rolled over ¡ª subconsciously, Claud would like to add ¡ª to his pillow.


    ¡°Sleepyhead.¡± Claud stared at his bed. The urge to sleep was strong, but it wouldn¡¯t feel right to take a nap now first. ¡°I¡¯ll be back, Crown. The briefing won¡¯t take too long.¡±


    Crown burrowed into his pillow in response.

 Chapter 128: Reflection

    It had been a few days since Dia and Risti took out the murderer, but they weren¡¯t allowed to leave Nachtville yet. The same went for the Dusk Daggers, who were more peeved at the fact that they were stuck in a small town than the fact that they were stuck at all.


    Dia sat up on her bed as the first rays of sunlight began to inch in. She had gotten used to this house ¡ª which, incidentally, had been given to them as a small reward. The city guards had forced it onto the two of them, and since it was a nice foothold for the Moon Lords to expand from, Dia had seen no issue in accepting the gift.


    This house was also partially an apology to them, for making them stay in Nachtville. Dia and Risti had only stayed at the city guard¡¯s requests, specifically that of Lucia¡¯s, in order to give another firsthand recount to the investigators on their way here. For some reason, the odd passive skill on the murderer¡¯s status, ¡®Thrall of ThBoD:A???¡¯ had spooked the people from the Folders¡¯ Association.


    They weren¡¯t really obligated to stay behind, though. However, since the real mastermind was out there, Dia couldn¡¯t help but feel worried. The mastermind had targeted someone from Nachtville; it was very possible that the next target could be someone from Licencia instead.


    She rubbed her eyes and yawned. Recently, Dia hadn¡¯t been able to get anything resembling good sleep at all. Her dreams were full of flying spears and impaled people in a grey town that resembled Licencia. Sometimes, she would spot someone who she knew or found familiar in them, but whenever she tried to confirm their identity, the dream would end.


    Either way, it was clear that her fight with the murderer had left an indelible mark on her psyche. Was it the spear? Or were the inhuman eyes that belonged to its wielder?


    She didn¡¯t know. Nor did she dare to find out.


    Her nightgown was drenched with cold sweat, so Dia had to change her clothes. After hanging up her wet sleepwear, she trudged out of her bedroom and headed over to the table in the middle, where a small teapot was emitting steam.


    Risti had, as usual, woken up early. With the threat of falling spears over, there was nothing stopping her from engaging in her second-most favourite pastime ¡ª bird-watching. As for Risti¡¯s favourite pastime¡­well, that sure didn¡¯t need any introduction. Unfortunately ¡ª or fortunately, depending on who one asked ¡ª the subject of her favourite pastime had vanished from the public eye for quite some time.


    Pouring out a cup of tea for herself, she downed the contents and wandered off in such of Risti. Her target hadn¡¯t left the house; for some reason, she was currently lying prone in the unkempt lawn outside.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Dia asked, curious. Risti usually used her telescope to observe birds and other wildlife, but she wasn¡¯t using it right now. Furthermore, they were in a town, and there was a fence blocking the view outside. Why would she be lying on the ground, prone?


    ¡°I¡¯m looking at the insects here,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°Insects.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Insects.¡± She looked up. ¡°Why? Do you think them as unworthy of notice? You should pay more attention to them, though. Insects can tell you about the kind of life people live in the vicinity.¡±


    ¡°We can get such information from these things?¡± Dia asked, curious.


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t believe me?¡± Risti chuckled. ¡°How about this. Go to the kitchen and grab a small chunk of meat, some bread, a tea leaf and come back here. Make sure that these items don¡¯t touch each other.¡±


    Since Dia had nothing to do, she decided to play along. She soon returned to Risti, the items in hand. ¡°What next?¡±


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    ¡°See this ant nest? Just place these three offerings separately. Make sure that they¡¯re equidistant, okay?¡±


    ¡°Equi¡ªwhat?¡±


    ¡°Equally far from the ant hole,¡± Risti clarified. ¡°Hurry up. Those little fellows will sniff out the treats in your hand if you dally. Unless you enjoy the sensation of ants crawling on you, do as I say now.¡±


    Her skin prickling, Dia did as she was told. ¡°Okay, done.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain to you, then. A way to tell the average prosperity of households within five hundred metres is to use ants, who are ubiquitous. As ants prefer going for more familiar foods, one can tell the staple diet of households in the local area by seeing what these little critters go for first,¡± said Risti. ¡°Ah, here they are!¡±


    Before Dia¡¯s eyes, a small line of ants popped up from the soil, like a little army. Without any hesitation, they made a beeline for the piece of bread. Within thirty seconds, the piece of bread had been covered by ants, who were now tugging and breaking off tiny pieces to bring back to their nest.


    Dia watched on, enthralled. She had never seen such adorable little things before ¡ª in the past, she had found it natural to ignore insects and the little creepy-crawlies that were everywhere. She didn¡¯t fear them ¡ª a mana-user scared of things like cockroaches would be pathetic ¡ª but she hadn¡¯t paid any attention to them either.


    They avoided her, and she was fine with that.


    Before her eyes, however, little ants were working together in concert to dismantle the piece of bread. None of them were slacking off or trying to steal a bite on the side ¡ª they were whole-heartedly devoted to dismantling the small piece of food.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Why would you be amazed?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be amazed? They¡¯re just ants, but they¡¯re capable of working together without any hints of selfishness,¡± Dia replied. ¡°It¡¯s an amazing work ethic. If everyone was like them, the world would be both peaceful and prosperous. We can all learn something from these guys.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot I want to comment on about that,¡± Risti replied, ¡°but I think it¡¯s good that Princess Dia¡¯s bodyguard is this innocent.¡±


    Dia eyed Risti. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Comparing ants to us humans would be an unfair practice ¡ª it¡¯s more accurate to compare an entire ant nest to the human body,¡± Risti answered. ¡°But that¡¯s not really important now. The whole point of this experiment was to demonstrate that ants in the vicinity are used to eating bread over other sorts of food. As you can tell, the people here tend to eat bread most of the time.¡±


    ¡°Which means that they aren¡¯t all that well off, right?¡± Dia glanced at the tea leaf. ¡°But what¡¯s with the tea leaf? I don¡¯t think ants would eat that normally to begin with.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s our control specimen.¡±


    ¡°And pray tell, what is a ¡®control specimen¡¯?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Something one must have when conducting experiments. It¡¯s profound stuff; most people aren¡¯t interested in it,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°H-huh¡­¡± Dia rubbed her nose. ¡°Well, if you say so, then. Still, ants can be this useful, huh.¡±


    ¡°Well, they are rather cute to boot, so¡­¡± Risti pointed at a stray ant, who had broken off from the main body. ¡°Look! It¡¯s examining the meat now. See how its feelers twitch!¡±


    Dia¡¯s eyes swivelled over to the ant in question immediately, who was as curious as a newborn baby. ¡°Oh, wow¡­¡±


    The two only stopped their experiment when the sun¡¯s rays were burning down on their backs directly. Dia, however, had gotten up with a new appreciation of these little critters, although she couldn¡¯t help but watch her step from now on.


    It would be sad if she stepped on one by accident.


    Risti laughed at that sight. ¡°Dia, you¡¯re too cautious. Ants¡­you may admire them, or find them cute. But don¡¯t let them dictate your steps or your heart. They are not like humans; it would be more accurate to regard an ant nest as a single entity instead.¡±


    Dia blinked. Risti¡¯s attitude was rather contradictory. She liked ants, but she wasn¡¯t going to go out of her way to avoid hurting them. No matter how Dia sliced it, she couldn¡¯t quite understand how Risti could have such an odd mindset.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that an odd mindset to hold?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°It does seem like it,¡± Risti replied. ¡°But it¡¯s a necessary contradiction. If you don¡¯t learn to live with such a contradiction, you¡¯ll have to change your life and your mindset. You¡¯re exhibiting the latter already, right? Being so mindful of your steps?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, but being mindful of my steps isn¡¯t really¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to draw as much attention to you as possible¡­probably, anyway. Your job is to remain free and unharmed,¡± said Risti. ¡°If you hesitated to run in a certain manner because of some ants¡­


    Risti had a point here. Dia had only one life. If those contradictions were to trip her up¡­


    She didn¡¯t quite like the idea of killing ants by accident, though.


    ¡°Well, maybe I can just improve my footwork and spatial awareness,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°For ants.¡± Risti rubbed her forehead. ¡°Well, it does sound like a good plan, anyway. You¡¯ve reached a limit in improving your skill with a sword, right? Might as well train your footwork or something.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a good idea, if nothing else.¡± Working herself up, Dia led the way into the house. ¡°Let me draw up a regimen...¡±

 Chapter 129: The Seekers of Truth

    By the time Dia was done with drawing up her regimen, it was noon. She had spent the better half of her morning trying to figure out a set of footwork that she could employ all day, as well as the prerequisite training to go with it. It was fortunate that she had been grounded in all things martial as a child, but even then, coming up with a set of footwork with her specific requirements would be impossible as a vanilla.


    Without mana, she wouldn¡¯t be able to execute it.


    ¡°Which makes the whole point moot, since your original intention was to have something you could use all day,¡± Risti observed wryly. ¡°If you¡¯re going to make use of mana to power this set of footwork¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m training my mana manipulation,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°But if you get attacked¡­¡±


    Dia frowned. Risti had a point in this regard. If she was attacked ¡ª granted, she had adjusted the less obvious identification factors to throw off the people tracking her through her lifeforce and her mana ¡ª she was certain to be at a massive disadvantage.


    ¡°Maybe I should rework this, then. But it¡¯s impossible to move in a way that won¡¯t harm ants without using mana,¡± Dia replied, troubled. ¡°Maybe I can use it while escaping¡­that way I won¡¯t harm ants on the way out.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re just going to watch out for ants normally,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Figures. Well, your initial goal has been met, at least. Yay?¡±


    ¡°I wish you could be a bit more enthusiastic about this,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Well, not like you¡¯re supposed to, but you know, whenever the protagonists come up with some new skill or improve on their abilities, everyone else is supposed to be happy.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a book, and you aren¡¯t a protagonist,¡± Risti replied, rolling her eyes. ¡°And besides, you just came up with this¡­what¡¯s it called? The ¡®Ant-avoiding Steps¡¯? It¡¯s great that you came up with it, but so long as you haven¡¯t actually tried them out, there¡¯s really no need to celebrate.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Iterations?¡± Risti replied. ¡°You¡¯ve laid down a foundation for some nice martial arts skill¡­or mana arts, as one might call it, but you¡¯ll have to research it over and over, right? It¡¯s unlikely that you¡¯ll get it right in the first few tries. So there¡¯s no need for me to celebrate or anything.¡±


    There was something odd about that argument, but it also made sense to Dia for some reason. ¡°So¡­nothing much worth celebrating until I¡¯m sure it is.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Risti looked at the small booklet that Dia was scribbling in. ¡°Mind if I take a look? I don¡¯t really have anything in the way of formal training, so having something like a proto-martial art would be nice.¡±


    ¡°Sure, go wild.¡± Dia got up and stretched her body. She had been sitting down in the same chair for the past few hours, writing and scribbling away. It would be nice to have someone else look at one of her works.


    Making another pot of tea, Dia rubbed her shoulder blades. Her muscles had stiffened up, a sensation she was profoundly aware of. For a warrior, this was a sensation that she couldn¡¯t stand any more than was necessary.


    ¡°I know I somewhat talked down on it earlier,¡± Risti began, her words hesitant, ¡°but this is really solid for a prototype. This isn¡¯t your first time, is it?¡±


    ¡°I was cross-referencing some martial arts I remembered,¡± Dia replied, ¡°which is why it seems rather solid. Besides, it¡¯s not as hard as people make it out to be. Anything can be a martial art. A single slash, delivered at a certain angle and speed, can be a martial art if trained enough.¡±


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    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°They do exist,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Things like ¡®Lightning Slash!¡¯ ¡ª by the way, there¡¯s an exclamation mark attached behind it, or ¡®Fist of Truth!!¡¯, which has two exclamation marks.¡±


    ¡°The exclamation marks represent iterations, though,¡± Risti replied. ¡°They don¡¯t actually represent emotions.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Wait, did you really think there was a point in having more than one exclamation mark?¡± Risti asked. ¡°For reference, there was this Wave-Treading Steps that had like fifteen exclamation marks. There¡¯s no way someone could infuse enough emotions into such moves, especially for one as boring as footwork.¡±


    Dia felt her face burn, and she coughed twice. ¡°Of course I know that. Why wouldn¡¯t I not know that? It¡¯s just easy to think about exclamation marks, since I saw people shout them out with lots of energy.¡±


    In the novels I read, anyway, Dia silently added.


    ¡°You must have met them when you were starting out as a bodyguard, then,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Novices are the only people who would actually shout out their moves, as if it helps them increase the strength or whatever they¡¯re aiming for. It¡¯s just a waste of one¡¯s stamina, really.¡±


    She paused. ¡°Either that, or they were showmen or something. It¡¯s great that these bad habits didn¡¯t rub off on you, but you are the princess¡¯ bodyguard, after all.¡±


    Risti clicked her teeth, clearly unaware that she had torn apart the protagonists of Dia¡¯s favourite novels. Suppressing the urge to make some sad noises, she turned her back to Risti and walked over to the windows of their little cottage. She could see the small town from within, along with families bustling around happily. Although people had died, this was surely proof that life had to continue on.


    ¡°I¡¯ve looked out of this window so many times, but I still feel happy whenever I see the busy town,¡± Dia murmured.


    ¡°Some of the more¡­empathic folders at the Association do that all the time,¡± Risti replied. ¡°It helps them to reinforce the reason behind their actions. A constant motivator, readily accessible at all times.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not alone, then.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re never alone in doing anything,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Take me, for instance. As it turned out, there were also other people who treated Princess Dia as an idol, like the others. There were also other people who idolised other people that weren¡¯t Princess Dia too.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t quite know how to rebut that bit, so she nodded. Dia was indeed surprised by the Dusk Daggers, a party that was full of Hulid-lookalikes. Speaking of which, how did he deal with them? Having this many people looking like him and at him all the time had to be taking a toil on his mental state. Looking bad would be a problem, for one, since anyone in his position would be entirely cognizant of the expectations people had of him.


    If not for his repugnant personality, Dia would have ran over to ask for advice.


    Sighing, she looked out of the window again. Nachtville was at peace, and¡ª


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Dia rubbed her eyes. A small group of people were heading straight towards the cottage. All of them were walking with a cadence that could only belong to that of a mana-user, but these people weren¡¯t the Dusk Daggers.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Risti, who was still sitting at the table, asked.


    ¡°There are people heading over, and I don¡¯t recognise them at all,¡± said Dia. ¡°They¡¯re mana-users too, if I¡¯m not wrong.¡±


    ¡°Mana-users?¡± Risti got up from the chair. ¡°Oh. It¡¯s them. Did they find out that I was here? No. Coincidence. They were just here to handle the questioning, it seems. The murderer¡¯s odd skill must have alarmed the higher-ups of the Association.¡±


    Her words had transformed into a monologue halfway through, but that was more than enough for Dia to know a few things. For one, Risti knew them well. Given her background, this was actually pretty significant ¡ª she was the daughter of the Association¡¯s current leader. Any of her acquaintances from before the establishment of the Moon Lords would probably be someone important in the Folders¡¯ Association.


    Second, these people were probably really important people in the Association, given that they were dispatched by those higher-ups that Risti mentioned.


    ¡°Who are they?¡±


    ¡°A Named party,¡± Risti replied. ¡°A group of tetra-folders, the Seekers of Truth. With me around, they shouldn¡¯t pry too much into your individual circumstances, but make sure to only answer the questions that are asked.¡±


    ¡°Tetra-folders? They can discern falsehoods?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Simply put, yes.¡± Risti mulled for a while. ¡°I¡¯ll cover for you, though. No worries.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Risti.¡± Dia took a deep breath. She hadn¡¯t heard of the Seekers of Truth before, but Named parties and individuals were given their titles for a reason. As a rule of thumb, these titles were very literal, or gave significant hints as to what these people were like.


    Claud probably wouldn¡¯t like that, though. He would say some rubbish like how these titles exposed their weakness or something.


    What would the others say? Farah would probably talk about how having such people would improve security in their vicinity. Schwarz might come up with some new drinks for them. As for Lily¡­


    Dia shook her head, clearing any homesick thoughts from her mind.


    Right now, they had to handle the Seekers of Truth. Anything else would have to wait.

 Chapter 130: The Verdant Interrogator

    The group of three knocked on the cottage, and Risti took the lead in opening the door.


    ¡°Miss Risti,¡± began the leader of the group, a black-haired woman. Her eyes were bright and piercing, not unlike that of the Moons in a particularly clear night. ¡°Your father enquires after your well-being.¡±


    ¡°I suppose my name was too obvious,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°Should I have changed it? No, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m running away from home or anything, and that would make father worry, no?¡±


    She paused. ¡°How many letters has he received?¡±


    The black-haired woman glanced at the man to her left, a faint smile on her face.


    He nodded, the cloak draped around him trembling. ¡°Six, milady.¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s missing, then.¡± Risti rubbed her nose. ¡°Well, I shouldn¡¯t keep you guys at the front door. Welcome to my temporary home, auntie.¡±


    The black-haired woman rubbed her hair, prompting Risti to scrunch up her nose. It was a look Dia had never seen before, but what had interested her the most was how Risti had called her ¡®auntie¡¯. It wasn¡¯t like Risti was the only one with a tetra-folder aunt ¡ª Dia had one too ¡ª but it was still interesting to learn new things.


    She shot an inquisitive glance at Risti, who was now invested in showing the woman around. Her party members hung back at that sight, and Dia felt some odd sense of camaraderie with them. They were all in the same boat, after all ¡ª people who were staring at two relatives interacting with each other.


    ¡°Come on in, you guys,¡± said the black-haired woman. ¡°And be very polite. This here is the president¡¯s daughter, so unless you don¡¯t value you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Auntie.¡± Risti¡¯s words were calm and quiet, but they were enough to make her quiet. ¡°You know I don¡¯t like that.¡±


    ¡°Right. Of course, sweet cheeks.¡±


    The formal attitude she had adopted earlier had vanished with the wind, as if it was all just a formality. Everything had changed the moment Risti had called her ¡®auntie¡¯, which could only mean that there was a divide between the public and private sphere.


    A divide that was usually restricted to nobility. Most noble families usually made use of certain words that denoted familiarity to trigger changes between private and public dialogue. Dia had her own experience with that ¡ª when she wanted to be spoiled by her father, she would call him ¡®dad¡¯, but when they were discussing important things or were talking in a formal tone, she would call him ¡®father¡¯.


    Of course, all this was in the past. Even if Dia wanted to, there was no way she could ever relive that anymore. Her identity had been all but abandoned, her family entirely distant. There was nothing she could do about it.


    Watching Risti interact with the black-haired woman brought her both joy and sorrow. It was a reminder of the pretty things in life¡­ and of the things that she could no longer touch. Stifling the urge to cry out, she turned to look at the city outside.


    ¡°Right,¡± said Risti, pulling the woman over. ¡°This here is my aunt, thrice removed.¡±


    ¡°Uh.¡± Dia tried to imagine the family tree, before remembering that she didn¡¯t really care about genealogy and whatever other stupid baggage that went with it. ¡°You definitely didn¡¯t tell me that bit, though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s awkward,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Anyway, this is Norn, my auntie. She¡¯s the leader of the Seekers of Truth, the Verdant Interrogator.¡±


    ¡°Pleased to meet you,¡± said Norn, extending her hand. ¡°These are my party members.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Hein, my assistant.¡± She gestured at the cloaked man who had spoken earlier, before indicating her other party member, a woman wearing a mask. ¡°And that¡¯s Skald. Together, we make up the Seekers of Truth, a party focused on discerning the veracity of facts and evidence.¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m¡­Dia. I¡¯m honoured to make your acquaintance.¡±


    ¡°Dia?¡± Norn repeated those words, her eyes shifting over to Risti a moment later. ¡°If not for the fact that my niece has told me about your circumstances, I would have believed it. Pitiful child, for your sense of self to be eroded in such a manner¡­but that¡¯s what a loyal bodyguard should be like, no? I see why Risti approved of you.¡±


    Dia wanted to ask what she was talking about, before abruptly understanding where Norn was coming from. If she wasn¡¯t wrong, Risti must have written letters about the friends she made, along with the Moon Lords. Included in those letters were probably information about the loyal bodyguard who was taking the heat for the fugitive princess.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Dia, who wanted to check if her guess was correct, asked.


    ¡°Nothing much. It¡¯s just that you truly believe yourself to be Princess Dia. It¡¯s admirable, but¡­¡± Norn shook her head. ¡°But it¡¯s equally unfortunate too. Your real self can¡¯t exist in such a case.¡±


    Coughing twice, Dia feigned a polite smile. Like her odd niece, Norn had clearly taken leave of her senses ¡ª she had probably used a skill to detect falsehood when Dia was introducing herself. Naturally, since that was her freaking name, Norn¡¯s skill had probably indicated that Dia was telling her truth.


    However, since Risti and anyone related to her through familial bonds or friendship had a hole or two in their brains, Norn had clearly thought up a very ridiculous explanation for why her skill was reacting that way.


    Was it really hard to acknowledge that she was Princess Dia of the Lustre Dukedom?


    Throwing that thought aside, Dia clicked her teeth and decided to just acknowledge reality. Even if she revealed the truth at this point, Norn would only chalk it down to her determination and nothing else. ¡°Lamentable, I guess. Duty is as duty calls.¡±


    ¡°Well said,¡± Norn replied, before taking a seat. ¡°Alright, you two probably know why I¡¯m here, right?¡±


    ¡°To ask about the murders that happened,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Yes, auntie. Still, doesn¡¯t father know that I won¡¯t lie about things like this? Why would he still need to send you over even after knowing that I¡¯m here?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t have much of a choice,¡± Norn replied.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Risti thought about those words for a moment, and then nodded. ¡°They¡¯re still trying to pull him down?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Dia narrowed her eyes. From those words, she could tell that there was probably something like a power struggle going on in the Folders¡¯ Association, and her father was in the middle of it. In that case, it would probably make sense why Risti left for somewhere faraway, like Licencia.


    The Folders¡¯ Association had its headquarters in the continent capital, Grandia. Few ever travelled out of it, but¡­


    Some things didn¡¯t quite make sense, though. Why would someone at the seat of power care about a princess from a dukedom? Lily and Farah came from territories that were ultimately under the same sovereignty, but now that she thought about it, Risti¡¯s hometown was the continent capital, Grandia.


    There were all kinds of talented personages there. Why would Risti think so highly of a duke¡¯s daughter?


    She dallied with those thoughts for a moment, throwing them aside a moment later to focus on the conversation. Their little talk had taken a serious turn while Dia was thinking about Risti¡¯s circumstances, veering off into the topic of power struggles within the Association.


    Apparently, there was someone eyeing the position of president in the Folders¡¯ Association. By itself, that wasn¡¯t a bad thing, but the perp was an unscrupulous one. Many of the current president¡¯s supporters had vanished without a trace, and there was only enough evidence to hint at the person behind those incidents.


    Dia turned her gaze to the others standing behind Norn instead. Hein and Skald had taken out a Moon Phase set without her knowing, and they were already in mid-game by the time she noticed their actions. From the sheer smoothness of their actions, she had a feeling that they were very used to doing this.


    ¡°Dia,¡± Risti called out, pulling her attention away from the exciting game going on. Dragging her feet over to the aunt-niece duo, Dia tried to look alive.


    ¡°Are we doing the interrogation bit now?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Risti replied, pulling out a chair. ¡°Come on, Dia, sit down. No need to be polite with my auntie; she¡¯s not here to take you in or anything.¡±


    ¡°That might not be the case,¡± said Norn. ¡°I might require you two to follow me for the time being, if¡­never mind. Just focus on telling me what you saw on that night first. Try not to miss out anything.¡±


    Dia nodded.


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s start with your assessment of the murderer first,¡± said Norn. ¡°Forget about your testimony ¡ª I¡¯m going to activate a skill, and you are to relive the memory of you confronting the murderer. Okay?¡±


    ¡°A skill?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Yes. With it, I can share your senses at that time; it¡¯s better to let us professionals note down the scene and the smaller details you might have missed.¡± Norn paused. ¡°Of course, if you don¡¯t want to¡­¡±


    Dia took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Norn locked gazes with her for a moment, and then nodded. ¡°Very well. Let us start.¡±

 Chapter 131: Memories and confirmation

    As soon as those words left Norn¡¯s mouth, Dia found herself sinking into those memories again. This time, however, the focus was on what happened before the battle, and she found herself staring down at those inhuman eyes against. Once again, she found her heart stilling at those cold eyes ¡ª they looked entirely devoid of any will.


    They didn¡¯t seem to register the loss of his arm¡­at all. Blood fell exactly in the same way as Dia remembered it, but the man showed no interest in stemming his injuries.


    ¡°Keep at it,¡± a voice echoed in her mind, and in that instant, the entire memory froze up. At the same time, a faint white fog had appeared at the edge of her vision, obscuring part of her sight. ¡°Focus. If I intervene too much, or if your mind rejects me, this skill would stop working.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this skill for interrogation?¡± Dia asked out loud. The moment Norn had spoken, the entire memory had frozen up. This was probably some really incredible skill¡­either that, or she had mastered her skill to an incredible extent.


    ¡°It is, but it¡¯s to prove one¡¯s innocence. Failure to cooperate with me when I use this skill can be treated as an admission of guilt,¡± Norn¡¯s voice echoed out. ¡°In which case, I use a more¡­destructive skill.¡±


    The feeling of having dodged an arrow assailed Dia at those words. It would seem that if she hadn¡¯t agreed to cooperate this easily, something bad would have happened. Norn would probably have used a more¡­¡¯destructive skill¡¯, as she had put it.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll resume the memory.¡± Norn¡¯s voice was strained. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to intervene for a second time without ending the skill shortly afterwards, so this will be the last time we speak in here. Take your time with the observation; your body will move in the same way you remembered it too, so don¡¯t worry about the fight.¡±


    Dia nodded.


    ¡°Three, two, one¡­¡±


    The battle played out as she remembered it, but Dia¡¯s focus was entirely on the enemy himself. She hadn¡¯t had the time to examine the murderer in detail back then, but her eyes had taken in the details unconsciously.


    There was nothing much to look at, in the end. From start to finish, the man had been emotionless ¡ª an inhuman fixation to get rid of the person who stood before him. Even as her body moved on its own to dodge the incoming spears, Dia could not spot any hint of independent thought in those eyes of his.


    Right until he slumped over.


    The white fog at the edge of her vision bloomed rapidly, and she woke up in the real world again. Norn, who was sitting on the opposite side of the table, had a disturbed expression on her face ¡ª she looked as shaken as Dia felt.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­scary,¡± Norn murmured. ¡°But it fits your testimony fully. Thank you for your cooperation, Dia.¡±


    She fell silent, which was the cue for her party members to whip out a bunch of small implements. Before long, a minty fragrance wafted into the air, and Dia found herself gulping. The tea they were preparing was far better than the low-quality stuff Dia and Risti had been drinking earlier.


    The woes of being poor, if nothing else.


    Fortunately, Hein and Skald had the sense to pour out some cups for Risti and Dia, and the chilly sensation in her veins began to recede. Simply reliving the past had made her fearful.


    It wasn¡¯t the murderer himself that made her scared. No, those inhuman eyes were the things that had frightened her. No one should be allowed to have such a set of cold, freezing eyes. Just what had happened? Was a skill truly able to deprive someone of their own free will?


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    Should a skill like that exist?


    As Dia took in the implications of such a power in full, she found herself worrying for everyone she ever cared about. Skills usually didn¡¯t need any in the way of preparation ¡ª a single thought was enough to use them. For Dia, this was the worst-case scenario.


    A single thought would be able to wipe out the minds of anyone she cared about.


    The tea swirling in her mouth lost all taste.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± a voice, filled with gentleness, spoke.


    ¡°I know,¡± Dia replied. Her words shook slightly. ¡°I can¡¯t just surrender to my fear here. The mastermind doesn¡¯t even care about me. It¡¯ll be pathetic if I lost my nerve after solving this incident.¡±


    She took another sip of tea.


    It wasn¡¯t as tasteless as the mouthful earlier, at least. After taking a few more sips, she looked up at Norn. ¡°So, was my memory useful? I hope it is. Reliving that is bad for my mental state ¡ª it had better serve a good purpose.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Norn replied. Her face was troubled. ¡°This skill is a major problem. Not just because of its effects, but also because of its name.¡±


    She took out a piece of paper. ¡°It¡¯s a legend that predates the Third Godsfall. Every millennium, a person of destiny would appear; he or she would possess an absolute skill. The name of such a skill would only be known to the user¡­but when represented on the status, it would take a form like this.¡±


    She pointed at three letters. ¡°¡®B-O-D¡¯. It stands for ¡®Bearer of Destiny. If we are to interpret the entire skill, it would say ¡®Third Bearer of Destiny: Awakened¡¯.¡±


    Dia repeated those words thoughtfully. ¡°It doesn¡¯t exactly tell us what it does, though.¡±


    ¡°No need for that. These skills are part of the ¡®Absolute¡¯ series,¡± Norn replied. ¡°Unbreakable in application. Omnipotent within their domain. If I had to warrant a guess as to what this skill is called, it would either be ¡®Absolute Domination¡¯ or ¡®Absolute Control¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Absolute¡­¡± Risti echoed those words. ¡°It¡¯s¡­like a skill that shouldn¡¯t exist. Things that are absolute don¡¯t belong in this world.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t,¡± Norn replied, before pointing upwards. ¡°They belong in that world. The Coloured Gods, before their apotheosis, had these skills too. Sixty Bearers of Destiny went up against the Six Gods of Virtue, and only nine remained to reap the rewards.¡±


    Those words seemed to trigger something.


    Without warning, red hammers slammed into the inwards of her skull. An overwhelming pain had her in its grip, and it was all Dia could do to not slide out of her seat and drop onto all fours. The others, save for Norn, were reacting the same way, and as she took in that sight, the pain burned even brighter.


    The pain burned for minutes. Or did it burn for hours? Dia didn¡¯t quite know ¡ª all she had on her mind was the searing pain that had enveloped her entire being. It hurt to think, but those words continued to slam into her skull over and over.


    An eternity, contained in a single moment.


    After an indeterminable amount of time passed, the blazing, burning pain eventually died away. Blood, sweat and saliva pooled together underneath her body, and her clothes were dripping with sweat when Dia finally found the strength to sit up. Risti looked as bad as Dia felt, but Norn¡¯s party members only had a pale face.


    ¡°What¡­¡± Dia¡¯s voice cracked, and she lost the ability to speak.


    ¡°The authority of the Coloured Gods,¡± Norn replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Mana-users are granted a derivation of divinity, which is why everyone here survived a revelation. It¡¯s just that the process might be a bit painful.¡±


    ¡°Not that bad,¡± said Hein, ¡°although I wonder why you didn¡¯t tell us about this earlier, milady.¡±


    ¡°It was a good time to do a comparison,¡± Norn replied. ¡°An experiment on the part of the Association. Could revelations be used as a weapon? If so, we could use them on hostiles¡­and we¡¯ll need to insulate our people against those revelations either.¡±


    ¡°Somehow,¡± said Skald, ¡°I feel that doing that might just anger the Coloured Gods.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to see it for ourselves,¡± Norn replied indifferently. ¡°It is a potent weapon. And there are other tests to be run too. How many secrets of the Coloured Gods can a person speak out before they are killed? How are such secrets defined in the first place?¡±


    ¡°Why,¡± said Dia, ¡°are you saying all these secret things in my presence?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Well, you¡¯re with Risti. Therefore, you¡¯re also considered a top echelon member¡­by association and a few times removed,¡± Norn replied. ¡°The same goes for the organisation called the Moon Lords, although I must gauge their worth by myself before I reveal such sensitive information.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re planning on making use of us¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll reward you guys richly, so don¡¯t worry. Besides, have you not wondered how Count Nightfall was able to maintain his rule despite being such an¡­eccentric?¡± Norn chuckled. ¡°Or why Risti chose to go to the Istrel Dukedom?¡±


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t tell me¡ª¡±


    ¡°Give the bodyguard a brownie, she got it.¡±


    ¡°The whole setup was the Association¡¯s doing?¡± Dia asked, just to check her guess.


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    Dia narrowed her eyes. ¡°In that case¡­did Ruler Umbra¡¯s death have anything to do with the Association?¡±


    The air froze at those words.

 Chapter 132: Stress

    ¡°We did not do it,¡± Norn replied, after a pause. ¡°That wasn¡¯t us. The Folders¡¯ Association has no desire to infuriate the Emperor. In fact, I can say, with a certain level of confidence, that none of the other two rulers had a hand in his death as well.¡±


    ¡°Then who did it?¡± Dia asked. ¡°The Thief of Time may have stolen a Pure-Life Gem, but it¡¯s impossible that Ruler Umbra died because there weren¡¯t any pure-ranked lifestones sitting around his treasury. That¡¯s a convenient fiction, and you know it.¡±


    ¡°We did not do it,¡± Norn repeated. ¡°In the first place, Ruler Umbra was one of the strongest beings in Grandis. None of us, save for Risti¡¯s father, could have put up an even fight with him.¡±


    Dia was momentarily distracted by that little morsel of information. It was one thing to hear about it from books, but for someone to tell her that her friend¡¯s father was this amazing¡­


    ¡°What?¡± Risti asked. ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know my father¡¯s the president of the Association. Didn¡¯t I tell you about it before?¡±


    Dia felt her face burn. She didn¡¯t quite know how to reply to Risti, other than the fact that she hadn¡¯t given much thought about her father before. She knew that Risti¡¯s father was the leader of the Association, but for some reason, she didn¡¯t quite register anything else.


    ¡°Uh.¡± Dia shuffled her feet. ¡°I knew that he was the president, but no one said that the president had to be amazing or something, right?¡±


    ¡°Are you an idiot?¡± Risti sighed.


    ¡°M-maybe.¡± Dia found Risti¡¯s gaze to be particularly painful. It was the look of disappointment she sometimes saw from her father, when she failed to live up to the expectations. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s to be expected, though. You aren¡¯t perfect,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°But the princess is?¡± Dia fired back.


    Dia found herself regretting it the moment those words left her mouth, but the damage had been done. Risti froze up at those words, her eyes alight with an odd light, before shaking her head.


    Norn and the others glanced at Dia, and then at Risti, clearly unsure of what to say next. Something inside her turned cold, and Dia also got up from her seat.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said. Dia didn¡¯t know who she was addressing, but she couldn¡¯t name the maelstrom of emotions she was grappling with right now. ¡°All this information must have set me on edge. I¡¯ll take a breather first.¡±


    Without waiting for the others to respond, she left the cottage. The sun burned down on her, a reminder of the morning she had spent with Risti earlier. Back then, both of them had been very open with each other.


    However, with those words¡­


    Dia gripped her fist. Risti hadn¡¯t said anything about the Princess Dia in her heart throughout the trip, but Dia could tell that she had been making comparisons. Expectations.


    As the princess¡¯ so-called bodyguard.


    She tossed a glance at the cottage behind her, unsure of what she should do next. Dia didn¡¯t want to shatter the others¡¯ fantasies. But she didn¡¯t want to live on with all these expectations heaped on her. Sometimes, it wasn¡¯t the big things that mattered.


    It was the small ones.


    Her feet began to move aimlessly. Dia didn¡¯t know where she was going. She didn¡¯t know what she wanted either. How many people could say that they could empathise with her?


    Dia knew the answer, and that knowledge only deepened the solitude within her.


    Maybe Hulid would know how it feels¡­but the entire process was different. They made assumptions, assumptions that I didn¡¯t dare to rebut. Now¡­I¡¯m stuck in this quagmire of my own making.


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    Shaking her head, Dia looked around the place. Her feet had brought her to the city gates, to the guardhouse there. Was it a reflection of her desire to escape? To escape from comparisons to her ideal self, the Princess Dia everyone wanted to see?


    ¡°Dia?¡± someone called out.


    She turned to the source of the voice, and felt some relief. ¡°Lucia.¡±


    ¡°What brings the saviour of Nachtville here?¡± Lucia asked.


    ¡°Just taking a walk,¡± Dia replied, fobbing her off. ¡°Nothing else, really.¡±


    ¡°You look like a mess. Did the interrogators do something to you? They arrived early this morning,¡± Lucia replied. ¡°You have the right to reject their interrogation, though.¡±


    Dia thought back to Norn¡¯s words. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can do that.¡±


    The conversation with Lucia had brought some semblance of calm to her. Talking to someone who didn¡¯t have the inclination to compare her with a fictionalised ideal had covered up some of her wounds, for better or worse.


    ¡°Really?¡± Lucia asked. ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°The investigator mentioned that if I wasn¡¯t cooperative, they would have to use a different skill on me,¡± Dia replied. ¡°According to them, it was a skill that I wouldn¡¯t like.¡±


    ¡°That sounds unpleasant.¡± Lucia folded her arms. ¡°Well, I see why you would want to take a walk or something. Want something warm? I have hot cocoa, just newly imported.¡±


    ¡°Cocoa?¡± Dia repeated. ¡°Sounds nice. Don¡¯t mind if I do.¡±


    ¡°Helps to cheer people up, or so its marketing slogan says.¡± Lucia beckoned her over. ¡°Besides, being the guard officer can be very boring in the afternoon. No one enters or leaves the city around this time, since the sun is so hot, so there¡¯s nothing to do and no one to chat with.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re frank, at least,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Come on, follow me. Hot cocoa¡¯s a treat. You¡¯ll feel better once you get a mouthful or two into your tummy.¡± Pulling her into the guardhouse, Lucia bustled around and poured out a small cup of brown, steaming liquid. A sweet smell wafted through the air, but before Dia could even get close enough to appreciate its scent, Lucia had stuffed the cup into her hands.


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    Under her firm gaze, Dia took up the cup and sipped at it. The warm, sweet liquid made her relax.


    ¡°Feeling better?¡± Lucia asked. ¡°There¡¯s more where that came from if you need it. It¡¯s quite popular with the soldiers recently.¡±


    Dia took a few more sips. ¡°Where did this come from?¡±


    ¡°Oh, some entrepreneur from Lostfon found a whole host of beverage recipes in the Celestia Ruins,¡± Lucia replied. ¡°He¡¯s been making a real killing recently ¡ª they¡¯re so popular that only early-bird customers like Baronet Nacht can maintain a supply.¡±


    ¡°Huh. But how did you get this, if Baronet Nacht was the one who ordered this¡­hot cocoa?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°He came by yesterday night and thanked us for our help,¡± Lucia replied. ¡°The baronet didn¡¯t look quite good, though. The reports were real ¡ª most of the Julan family has been wiped out. No survivors.¡±


    ¡°Wiped out¡­¡± This wasn¡¯t the first time Dia had heard about it. ¡°The main house was propelled skywards, right? What exactly caused that?¡±


    ¡°The baronet wasn¡¯t sure,¡± Lucia replied. ¡°If you want more details, you should find Hulid, though. His party was quite busy recently. They went to deal with Baron Aoro, then investigated the Julan barony for some odd reports, and then investigated their annihilation¡­¡±


    ¡°Sounds rough,¡± Dia replied. For a moment, she wanted to ask Hulid about the things he went through, but on second thought, Dia had no desire to poke her nose into whatever Lily was up to when she followed Claud for his time-sensitive high-efficiency trade thing. For one, she couldn¡¯t be bothered to, not after everything that had transpired so far, and secondly, Lily probably didn¡¯t need someone else poking her nose into her affairs.


    ¡°Yeah, they haven¡¯t returned to their home city for quite some time,¡± Lucia replied. ¡°They still can¡¯t leave yet, since the Seekers of Truth haven¡¯t taken their statement either.¡±


    ¡°You sound quite knowledgeable about this.¡±


    ¡°Hard not to, when Hulid runs over to chat me and the others up every so often. He¡¯s quite the playboy, according to rumours.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s a definite pass for me,¡± Dia replied. She lifted the cup, only to be surprised when she saw that it had been emptied. Her hand had been moving on its own to ensure that her mouth had a steady supply of the brown, sugary drink.


    ¡°Ah. That happens all the time.¡± Lucia smirked, before raising her cup. ¡°Oh. Me too¡­let me get you a refill, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Dia picked the cup and savoured the drink inside.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Lucia replied. ¡°Anyway, feeling better? Cocoa makes you nice and warm on the inside; hopefully that¡¯ll let you get over the shock of being interrogated or whatever.¡±


    Dia nodded. Now that she was nice and relaxed, she could clearly tell that her behaviour earlier had been out of line. The stress of having to face off with that inhuman murderer, the revelations that Norn was trying to weaponise¡­


    At its core, however, was the fact that Dia knew she couldn¡¯t live up to the picture-perfect image of Princess Dia.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Dia got up. ¡°Thank you for hosting me.¡±


    ¡°Least I could do for our saviour,¡± Lucia replied. ¡°If you can, send Risti along. There¡¯s a cup or two reserved for her too!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass down that message.¡± Dia nodded. ¡°See you around, and thank you for everything.¡±


    ¡°Friends don¡¯t need to be this formal, though¡­¡±

 Chapter 133: Exposed...

    That little cup of cocoa was indeed something miraculous, and Dia departed from the guardhouse with a small smile on her face. She indeed felt rather cleansed after two cups of cocoa, and the negative thoughts that had been swirling around her for the past few days had been bottled up once more.


    It didn¡¯t take long for her to return to the cottage.


    To her surprise, Risti was already waiting at the garden, and Dia hastened her steps. Stopping in front of her, Dia bowed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have said all this.¡± She looked up. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t function well under pressure. Please don¡¯t take my words to heart.¡±


    Risti blinked. ¡°That¡¯s not important, really. Are you alright? I should have realised that you were still affected by the interrogation and the revelation. I probably set you off by accident.¡±


    ¡°No, no. That was entirely my fault.¡± Dia brushed her off. She didn¡¯t dare to examine the true cause behind her outburst; but Risti was getting dangerously close to doing that. ¡°Anyway, Lucia wants you to go down to the guardhouse. There¡¯s something good waiting for you there.¡±


    ¡°Something good?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°A nice sweet drink called hot cocoa. It¡¯s something that came from another city, and it helps to sooth the nerves,¡± Dia replied.


    Risti glanced at Dia, and then nodded, understanding gleaming in her eyes. ¡°I see, I see. I think I should try it too, then. Auntie also used that skill on me¡­¡±


    Dia winced.


    Shaking her head, Risti darted off into the direction of the guardhouse. Dia chuckled at how fast she was moving ¡ª clearly, Risti probably had a hobby of sampling new drinks or something.


    Fortunately, nothing seemed to have changed between them.


    After spending a few more seconds to look at Risti¡¯s departing figure, Dia tore her gaze away and entered the house. The Seekers of Truth were still inside, but this time, the dinner table was full of dried food. Scores of paper wrappers were stuffed inside a particularly large bag; the dried food probably came from there.


    Norn glanced at Dia as she entered the house. ¡°Where¡¯s Risti?¡±


    ¡°She went off to get some hot cocoa,¡± Dia replied. ¡°The officer at the guardhouse told me to send that message to her.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Norn picked up a sausage. ¡°By the way, how¡¯s your father doing? Word has it that he was very agitated when you left.¡±


    ¡°Huh? No, nothing happened to me when I escaped¡ª¡± Dia froze.


    ¡°Huhu.¡± Norn glanced at her. ¡°Well, if you say so, Princess Dia.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Dia shivered. ¡°You knew?¡±


    For a moment, she wanted to do something, anything, but against a party of tetra-folders, Dia knew that there was little available to her. A fraction of their true strength would be enough to capture her.


    ¡°Relax, princess.¡± Norn leaned back on her seat. ¡°Interesting, though. I can see it in your movements. Your foundation as a bounty hunter isn¡¯t real. Illusory. Much like the murderer I saw in your vision, and the testimony from Risti herself.¡±


    She licked her lips. ¡°Do you know something that wasn¡¯t in your report?¡±


    Dia gulped.


    ¡°Ah, I thought so.¡± Norn slid the sausage down her throat. ¡°Interesting. You must have recognised or suspected certain issues, no? Tell me. And I shall keep this secret for you.¡±


    Dia looked at her other party members, who were lolling around the table. Norn followed her gaze, before rolling her eyes. ¡°They¡¯re drunk.¡±


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    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like I have much of a choice, then,¡± Dia murmured. ¡°But why aren¡¯t you going to capture me? I¡¯m a fugitive. It would be easy to extract information from me once I¡¯m inside a prison or something.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re innocent.¡±


    Dia¡¯s heart clenched up at those words. For a moment, she found it hard to breath, as if something was stopping her from inhaling properly. It was only two words, but these two words were more than enough to stop her from thinking properly.


    ¡°I¡­¡± She took huge gulps of air. ¡°I¡­¡±


    Norn got up from her seat. ¡°Relax. I¡¯m the Seekers of Truth¡¯s leader. I know what happened. You are innocent. Ruler Umbra did not die of old age. The Thief of Time didn¡¯t have a role in his death. You, along with a few others, have been cruelly framed.¡±


    With all her might, Dia stopped her hands from trembling. ¡°But what can I do?¡±


    ¡°We can only wait. No one knows what the Emperor is thinking. And unfortunately, you and the others who were framed are too unimportant for him to care about,¡± said Norn. ¡°Stay alive. Remain at liberty. This is all I can say. For a single person with little experience, you¡¯ve done really well.¡±


    Norn rubbed Dia¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t give up, princess. My niece looks up to you. She¡¯ll be heartbroken if anything happens. It is hard to live up to those illusory expectations Risti has of you, but do you best.¡±


    ¡°Do my best¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t dare to think about that, though. The look of disappointment in Risti¡¯s eyes earlier was too piercing, too painful. If Risti and the others ever found out about her true identity, Dia wouldn¡¯t know what to do. The disappointment that followed was bound to be immense; Dia had a feeling that her spirit would break from it.


    Growing up with such looks was bad enough. She didn¡¯t want any more reminders of her inadequacy.


    After patting her back for another minute or two, Norn returned to her seat. ¡°Feeling better?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thank you.¡±


    As it turned out, the hot cocoa really did work miracles. The knowledge that someone knew and understood her circumstances was more than enough for Dia to cheer up¡­even if the status quo for everything else remained the same.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Norn smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll be a bit honest here. I already know what you were looking at, and what knowledge you purposely withheld from the reports.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Because revealing your knowledge of Experiential Potions would only harm the cover story you created,¡± Norn replied. ¡°Yes. I believe this murderer, after being afflicted by the Absolute skill, was forced to ingest multiple Experiential potions.¡±


    ¡°You know about Experiential potions¡­¡±


    ¡°Why would we not? These potions aren¡¯t an issue¡­if they were made normally, that is. However, judging from the spearsmanship displayed by the murderer, it seems that the potions he drank are slightly different,¡± said Norn. ¡°Normal Experiential potions are made with memories as a core, which result in a theoretical, incomplete understanding of the knowledge inside.¡±


    Dia nodded. She knew what Norn meant; her movements and her instincts were off whenever she tried to emulate a thief or a bounty hunter. Furthermore, these¡­instincts were so deeply ingrained that they hampered her from trying to relearn the trade from scratch.


    ¡°However,¡± said Norn, ¡°there are ways to increase the effectiveness of Experiential potions. For instance, by using brain matter extracted from a living subject.¡±


    Dia¡¯s stomach flipped at those words. ¡°Brain matter¡­extracted?¡±


    ¡°Yes. From a living subject. The process is debilitating; it destroys the victim¡¯s ability to think or function.¡± Norn had a disgusted look on her face. ¡°And the same thing can be done to the victim over and over again as long as he or she stays alive.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be¡ª¡±


    ¡°But it is.¡± Norn narrowed her eyes. ¡°We¡¯ve been tracking multiple cases of missing people in the Julan Barony, but someone¡¯s done the work for us. The entire main house was destroyed, revealing an entire basement full of braindead people. There are so many clues that point at each other for us to make some very good guesses.¡±


    ¡°What guesses?¡±


    ¡°First, the Third Bearer of Destiny approached the Julan family and got them to help. The culprit then created multiple Experiential potions and fed them to his thralls, turning them into beings capable of killing with ease,¡± said Norn. ¡°These cases have been going on for years. Decades. The Third Bearer of Destiny is clearly up to something¡­in fact, Ruler Umbra¡¯s death might even be related to him.¡±


    Dia tried to calm herself, but the blow-by-blow account of all these had frightened her. What kind of madman would do such a thing? And why?


    ¡°It¡¯s one huge web, from what I can see. The Third Bearer of Destiny might even be just a front, from how¡­reckless all this seems,¡± Norm muttered. ¡°Be careful. You can¡¯t tell who¡¯s an ally¡­I might even be an enemy.¡±


    She chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. But you should really be careful. Ruler Istrel¡¯s inauguration is around the corner. Things are going to heat up. If I were you, I¡¯ll run straight back to Licencia and wait for the confusion to pass by.¡±


    ¡°How about you?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Me?¡± Norm smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll interrogate the Dusk Daggers and then turn in my report to HQ. I need a first-hand experience of what they saw at Julan, after all.¡±


    She sighed, before gesturing at the table laden with food. ¡°Want some? Don¡¯t stand on courtesy with¡ª¡±


    The door flew open before she could conclude that sentence, and Risti rushed in, her face flushed. ¡°Auntie, you didn¡¯t do anything weird to Dia, did you?¡±


    ¡°Rubbish. But good timing! There¡¯s a lot of food left. Help me eat the rest¡­¡±


    [End of Book 3: Murders Under the Moons]

 Chapter 134: A peaceful day

    [Book 4: In the Dark of the Moons]


    ¡°Claud, bring me yesterday¡¯s records of newcomers into Licencia,¡± Schwarz said out loud. ¡°Oh, and a cup of tea while you¡¯re at it. Right, there were some documents on mana-users entering last night too; bring them over too.¡±


    ¡°There you are.¡± Claud placed the desired documents onto Schwarz¡¯s table.


    ¡°Great, thanks.¡± Schwarz lowered his eyes and flipped open the file. His hands turned into a blur as they matched two lists, his eyes darting from paper to paper. The Moon Lords had turned into a secondary administration for Licencia sometime ago, which was why Countess Farah and Schwarz were now doing all sorts of weird paperwork.


    He could hear Farah bustle around in her own room too, as she asked Lily to bring document after document. This scene wasn¡¯t a stranger to him ¡ª Schwarz and Farah would work themselves in exhaustion into the morning, and then enjoy a hearty lunch afterwards. Claud didn¡¯t quite understand why these two were so eager to do things like these ¡ª the count paid well, sure, but what was the point of working this hard in the morning?


    More importantly, there were folktales about how people who worked harder usually died from stress or other complications. It didn¡¯t make sense to work this hard if one¡¯s life was not at stake.


    After delivering yet another set of documents, Schwarz shooed him away. His legs somewhat wobbly, he ambled over to his favourite sofa and sunk into it.


    ¡°They¡¯re so hardworking,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Lily said, before sitting down on a nearby sofa too. ¡°And they don¡¯t even want us to help either.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t do much, though. They¡¯re the professionals,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But I still don¡¯t understand why we can¡¯t have the general staff carry the documents for them. I feel like my talents aren¡¯t being used.¡±


    Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not like they could be used normally¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a figure of speech, alright?¡± Claud rolled his eyes. His talent lay in stealing things, being sneaky and acting on his paranoia, which really wasn¡¯t of much use in this workaholic environment right now. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not the only one here who isn¡¯t useful.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I really want to cook up something useful, but Schwarz isn¡¯t hearing any of it either. Isn¡¯t it good if I prepare more weapons and trump cards?¡±


    ¡°Seconded, motion passed.¡± Claud waved his hand lazily. ¡°If it was up to me, I would have worked with you to strengthen our defences. Doors that explode! Windows that explode! Arrows that explode! Even traps that explode!¡±


    ¡°I object to your reductivist view of my skills,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I also make good food, weapons and armour too.¡±


    ¡°Hm. Good point. In that case, why not make them, then?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think Schwarz forbade you from making these things, right?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing fun about making them,¡± Lily replied. ¡°You can¡¯t really see objective results or any signs of improvement, right? You can tell that your bomb-making¡¯s grown through a variety of assessments, but there¡¯s no way you can see visible improvement in making weapons or armour. It¡¯s demoralising.¡±


    Claud rubbed his ear. ¡°That¡­is probably one of the oddest reasons I have ever heard in my entire life, if not the oddest itself.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Lily answered gloomily. ¡°I¡¯m regretting the fact that I learned Smithing. It¡¯s a useless skill without resources, and I can¡¯t see whether I¡¯m actually doing well or not with my current skill level.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Claud didn¡¯t know what to make of that. ¡°In that case, why did you learn it to begin with?¡±


    ¡°I had nothing better to learn,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I¡¯m not good at fighting¡ª¡±


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    ¡°Liar.¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°Wasn¡¯t someone trying to train my skill with a sword?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s duelling. It¡¯s different.¡± Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°If the two of us were to fight with no holds barred, I would almost certainly lose. I can¡¯t win unfair fights.¡±


    ¡°Why do you assume¡­never mind. That¡¯s actually high praise,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Yeah, I fight unfair. What are you going to do about it?¡±


    ¡°Nothing?¡± Lily poured out a small cup of apple juice for herself, before looking down at the cup with a complex light in her eyes. ¡°Maybe I should try learning something like a beverage skill¡­but I would need to delete Smithing first.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a waste,¡± Claud replied.


    Lily made a little sound in her throat.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t like making weapons or armour, right?¡± Claud asked. ¡°It¡¯s just that you don¡¯t know whether you¡¯ve improved or something. In that case, why don¡¯t you create your own benchmark for measuring improvement? Like the number of slashes your armour can take from Dia before it falls apart?¡±


    ¡°Is that a good idea?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Turning Dia into a unit of measurement sounds somewhat insulting.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, it¡¯ll be fine.¡± Claud waved his hands airily. ¡°Besides, she¡¯ll probably have nothing much to do too, like the two of us. You can then get her to cooperate in your plan! We¡¯ll call it the, uh, Super Smith operation! How¡¯s that sound?¡±


    ¡°Claud, dear, just leave the names to someone else. That¡¯s just¡­¡± Lily paused, uncertainty in her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s just bad. It¡¯s boring and exaggerated. Names should be less emotive.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°There, there.¡± Lily looked around, before pouring out another cup of apple juice. ¡°Here! Your favourite drink!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I guess.¡± Claud decided not to think too hard about his naming sense. It was odd, though ¡ª he definitely came up with a good name for that odd skill earlier, so¡­


    Downing the cup¡¯s contents with a single gulp, he leaned back on the sofa and frowned. Crown was, as usual, fast asleep, so Claud couldn¡¯t bring himself to wake the little fellow up for some amusement. Schwarz and Farah were handling work that he couldn¡¯t quite comprehend, so it was best to stay out of his way. Lily, like him, was bored out of her mind, so she obviously didn¡¯t have all that much to do.


    ¡°I¡¯m bored,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Want to have a duel?¡± She paused, and then hurriedly added, ¡°With practice swords!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­no. I don¡¯t think so.¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°It would be better if I were to practice escaping instead. Fighting isn¡¯t good. Running is better.¡±


    More importantly, Claud had a feeling that his mindset had shifted slightly ever since the encounter with the Tri-head Snake, or even earlier. In fact, he had a feeling that ever since he became a mana-user, he had grown more fearless and less cautious, a trend that probably doubled down when Zulan Patra was driven away by little old Crown.


    ¡°Running?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I never really got around to understanding this bit, but how does one actually improve their ability to flee? It¡¯s not like there¡¯s anything you can do save for continuous exercise or something, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a mindset,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Staying alive doesn¡¯t just depend on one¡¯s ability to physically escape; it also looks at one¡¯s mental discipline and acuity. To flee, or to hide. When and where? Should you change your position or hunker down in your hiding place?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Lily cocked her head. ¡°I still don¡¯t quite get it, though.¡±


    ¡°Let me give you an example,¡± Claud replied. ¡°For instance, imagine you¡¯re in a giant mansion. Nightfall Palace, for instance. People are chasing you, and you manage to find a corner, which reveals multiple rooms and a hallway.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    ¡°If you want to escape, you¡¯ll have to make multiple decisions. First, are you going to hide? Or are you going to continue down the hallway? The longer you run, the more time the guards have to pinpoint your current location. Therefore, at some point in time, you must exit the stage. If you can¡¯t, your only recourse is to hide.¡±


    ¡°So¡­hiding is better?¡±


    ¡°If you can¡¯t flee the scene,¡± said Claud. ¡°You¡¯ll then need to know where to hide, when to leave, and how to escape. Some guards like to play games ¡ª they¡¯ll try to scare you into breaking out of your hiding spot, since searching creates blind spots for you to flee.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot more to escaping than it seems,¡± Lily mused. ¡°I assumed it was just about running.¡±


    ¡°Well, if there¡¯s more than one of you, and you guys don¡¯t really care about each other, escaping is simply running faster than the others,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Only really useful if the others are people you don¡¯t care about, though.¡±


    ¡°So not you guys.¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± Claud yawned. ¡°Anyway, learning to escape and to avoid enemies is a skill that will always serve you well. It¡¯s something I highly recommend, and it would also help your other skillsets¡­probably.¡±


    ¡°Definitely can see that, yes.¡± Lily looked around. ¡°Still, how does one train their ability to escape and hide?¡±


    ¡°Hide-and-seek¡­I¡¯m just kidding.¡± Claud bobbed his head. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s rather hard to do that. The psychological pressure of being hunted down is hard to replicate in a normal environment.¡±


    He looked around the place. ¡°Therefore, the only place to practice at would be something like a rich man¡¯s house, or a noble¡¯s residence. There are many small mansions in Licencia that act as holiday homes for nobles. Since there¡¯s only a bunch of guards and nothing important in them, forcing your way in and out won¡¯t be an issue¡­¡±


    Claud got up, excitement filling his veins. ¡°Let¡¯s get you started.¡±

 Chapter 135: Her first heist

    ¡°So, whose holiday home is this?¡± Lily asked.


    Claud looked at the mansion and the garden compound, which seemed a tad neglected. There was only one person manning the front gates, and that person looked very sleepy to him. This was the perfect place for Lily¡¯s training as an apprentice thief.


    ¡°It¡¯s a baronet¡¯s family home¡­a baronet whose name is quite familiar for the two of us,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Baronet Nacht,¡± Claud replied. ¡°This is his holiday home.¡±


    ¡°Nachtville¡¯s administrator¡­¡± Lily shook her head. ¡°Right, Risti and Dia was done with solving the murders there, right? What¡¯s keeping them? They should be back by now, but¡­¡±


    ¡°They probably needed to give testimony and things like that,¡± said Claud, who was more knowledgeable about icky issues like solving murders and whatnot. ¡°Something as big as this odd skill probably drew the attention of the Association and the various nobles.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense, but I really want to find someone to test my new sweets on,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°The one that you let me try some time ago?¡± Claud asked, looking around at the mansion. There was only one guard sitting down at a small booth in the front gate, and that guard in question had a vacant look in his eyes, as if he was ruminating on the meaning of life.


    Claud couldn¡¯t blame him either. Granted, that fellow probably had a fairly nice title, as the Chief Guard of Baronet Nacht¡¯s summer home, but there was no progression from there forward. That fellow was at the peak of his life...but it didn¡¯t look like much to him.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lily replied, unaware of his thoughts. ¡°I tried to make it so that it doesn¡¯t leave behind that sticky aftertaste.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind having another one to try,¡± Claud replied, his eyes still on the guard.


    ¡°Really?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll make a packet of them for you, then!¡±


    Claud wanted to say that a packet was too much, but her eager face was more than enough to stop him from saying so. Therefore, he settled by starting on a quiet analysis on how one should plan an incursion into private territory, a short lesson that lasted for around five minutes.


    It was the basics, but the one thing about breaking into private property was that one¡¯s skills played a huge part in enabling the process. Muscleheads like Dia, whose skills are all tied to violently eviscerating an enemy, would face problems in doing just about anything else. Therefore, after mastering the basics, one¡¯s path in the art of breaking in would be unique to a point. Not everyone could do the same as Claud, just as how he wouldn¡¯t be able to use the means of other colleagues in the same field.


    ¡°You make it sound very simple, though.¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°What happened to the practical lessons I¡¯m supposed to be having? You just tossed four words at me and explained what they meant.¡±


    ¡°Practice makes perfect,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Caution, calmness, care and courage. These four words are the art of infiltration distilled. Keep them in your heart as you infiltrate your target location and you will rarely fail.¡±


    ¡°Why rarely?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°You can¡¯t control the last factor that can make or break a heist,¡± Claud replied. ¡°The Moons. If you¡¯re lucky, you could block out all four words and still succeed, but if you¡¯re truly unlucky, even the strictest of adherence won¡¯t save you.¡±


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    ¡°So it boils down to luck?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, luck.¡± Claud thought about his own experience, back when he was robbing a certain treasury, and shook his head. Who knew that a small box, placed out of the way, would be so heavily protected? And why would Duke Istrel¡ª


    Claud shook his head, clearing his thoughts. ¡°Sometimes, you just get unlucky. Learning to cut losses or to abort an expedition is the only way you might be able to stay alive.¡±


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Lily asked. ¡°You seemed distracted just now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I was thinking about the poor guard there. He¡¯s the only guard here¡­and there¡¯s no way he can improve his position, since he¡¯s the chief guard of this place,¡± Claud replied. ¡°One might say that he¡¯s at the peak of his life, but it¡¯s a rather sad peak.¡±


    ¡°Only from your point of view, though,¡± Lily replied. ¡°He might be content with his life. Maybe he makes enough for his family to live comfortably. It¡¯s just a mundane life; by no means is it a sad or laughable one. Maybe it¡¯s because you¡¯ve been exposed to more things, but I don¡¯t think that gives you the right to be arrogant about it.¡±


    ¡°Arrogant?¡± Claud thought about her words.


    ¡°Yes. Isn¡¯t that just plain old arrogance?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Pride. Conceit. Snobbery. Whatever you want to call it. Didn¡¯t think you were that kind of person, though, considering how we first met.¡±


    ¡°Looks like I changed quite a bit over the past few months,¡± Claud muttered, before slapping himself twice. The sharp sounds drew not just Lily¡¯s attention, but also that of the guard, and the master thief immediately made a break for it. It was fine to embarrass himself in front of his friends, but another to do so in front of a stranger.


    ¡°Wait, I didn¡¯t mean to¡ª¡±


    Claud held up his hand, silencing her. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡­it¡¯s just that recent events have changed me more than I thought possible.¡±


    ¡°Recent events?¡± Lily asked, tilting her head.


    ¡°No, nothing much. Just some¡­personal issues, that¡¯s all,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to elaborate any deeper on that issue, but Claud knew that he had hit upon the right answer. How could he remain the same after taking out the Tri-Head Snake? Somewhere deep inside, Claud knew that he regarded himself as someone extraordinary, incomparable to the average person on the street.


    A dangerous mindset, if nothing else. Rodrio had proven that even vanillas could pose a threat to mana-users; if he continued to assume this mindset on his heists and in daily living, Claud could foresee a day in which he died to his carelessness and arrogance.


    The false reputation heaped upon him had definitely worsened his mental state too. Other than pressure, there was this sense of¡­smugness, a smugness that he had no right to enjoy.


    Yet, it was there to stay.


    ¡°I understand,¡± said Lily. ¡°You did help me to get rid of an entire family of corrupt nobles, after all.¡±


    It was unsettling to see how Lily referred to her family with such a distant term of address, especially just to console Claud. The master thief felt bad at that thought, but he didn¡¯t know what to say. No matter how impassive Lily looked right now, any mention of family had to sting¡­all the moreso if she brought it up herself.


    ¡°It¡¯s a really big undertaking,¡± Lily continued. ¡°It¡¯s natural that you¡¯ll have an inflated opinion of yourself after all this ¡ª I also sometimes think that I can crush more noble families with the same tactics.¡±


    She smiled, but Claud could spot the tiniest of sorrows hidden in her expression. He didn¡¯t know if it was just his imagination or not, but thinking about one¡¯s departed family would always be painful, no matter how one¡¯s relations were like with them in life.


    He was intimate with that fact, after all.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± Claud forced out. ¡°Anyway, now that the guard¡¯s somewhat awake, entering this place should pose a moderate challenge to you. Go in, check the place out, and then come out. Make sure not to leave any traces.¡±


    ¡°Now?¡± Lily asked, her eyes wide.


    ¡°Fifteen minutes to make some preparations, and then enter,¡± Claud replied, waving his hands lazily. ¡°One guard, no notable traps, and the guard himself is sleepy. Go in, observe the interior, and then come back out. Report to me what you see afterwards.¡±


    ¡°O-okay.¡± Lily nodded.


    ¡°Off you go. I¡¯ll head to some high point and watch your progress from there,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Remember to prioritise safety at all times. If you think you need to flee, do so, and then tell me why you wanted to flee afterwards.¡±


    Shooing Lily away, Claud climbed up a nearby tree and hid himself in the branches. Under the cover of leaves, only the observant would notice his presence, but he didn¡¯t really care if they did notice or not. After all, he wasn¡¯t doing anything illegal.


    Well, other than training and watching someone conduct a crime.


    That said, there was nothing of value in this mansion. Baronet Nachtville didn¡¯t leave anything of value behind here, since he probably expected thieves to drop by or something. It was a pity, no matter how Claud looked at it, and to add insult to injury, he even had a guard here.


    As for why there was a guard in the first place¡­who knew?


    Keeping an eye on the small piece of land, Claud waited for Lily to make her move.

 Chapter 136: Her own way

    Claud was in the middle of making his makeshift bed more comfortable when Lily sauntered right onto the scene, a small bag in hand. Fifteen minutes weren¡¯t yet up, so the fact that she had shown up earlier could only mean that she was exceptionally confident in getting into Baronet Nacht¡¯s holiday home.


    The master thief watched on in silence, but a small frown made its way onto his face a moment later.


    ¡°What is she doing?¡± Claud murmured. Lily had taken out a really small package, something like a small piece of candy. She didn¡¯t consume it, however. Instead, she snuck over to the booth where the bored guard was sitting at, before placing it in front of him.


    Was she trying to poison the guard?


    Claud shook his head. From what he knew of Lily, even if she did poison the guard, it wouldn¡¯t be fatal. For some reason, however, she had chosen to forgo the usual road of simply climbing through the low walls of this holiday house, which would have been far easier.


    Besides, no guard worth their salt would eat something unknown¡ª


    His thoughts came to a grinding halt as the guard abruptly noticed the little piece of wrapped candy in front of him, before opening it and popping it into his mouth. A contented smile appeared on his face, which was swiftly followed by a set of languid eyelids closing.


    His body began to move in a systematic, relaxed rhythm that indicated deep sleep.


    Claud didn¡¯t quite know what to think, but reality had been laid out in front of him. Apparently, bored guards had the tendency to eat whatever that was in front of them, without giving these little offerings much thought. How the guard failed to note that he didn¡¯t have any such sweet at the start was beyond the master thief¡¯s comprehension, so Claud didn¡¯t even bother racking his brain for the answer.


    After a minute of comfortable napping, Lily walked right up to the mansion gates. The mansion gates were more elaborately decorated, which meant that there were more footholds. Normally, any guard would have noticed someone breaking into a compound if said someone climbed the main gate itself, but that axiom obviously didn¡¯t hold true if said guard was fast asleep.


    Patting her clothes down, Lily vanished into the manor, and Claud lost any interest in watching. As far as he was concerned, Lily had completed his task requirement perfectly, but¡­she had done it with an approach so different that the master thief didn¡¯t even know what to say.


    How was he supposed to point out areas of improvement? Was he going to point out how Lily could improve her sweets or the chances of guards chowing down on them?


    Claud thought about it for a moment, and then shrugged. Lily clearly had her own conception of what it meant to enter another place illegally. Sweets addled with sleeping poisons was indeed a legitimate way of going about it ¡ª if she wanted to enter a place with more guards, Lily would just need to prepare a way to drug them en masse.


    After ten minutes or so, Lily walked out of the mansion and hopped over the gate.


    ¡°How did I do?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°My original intention was for you to practice your sneaking skills by having someone look for you in a real environment,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Instead, you just pulled out a sweet and knocked out the guard. I¡¯m not sure how to assess your performance, other than the possibility of you being more attuned to social-related crimes.¡±


    ¡°Social-related crimes?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Claud replied. ¡°To me, I believe that the weakest link in any security apparatus is the people. Throughout history, many big heists were enabled through not skill, but the glibness of one¡¯s tongue. Talking and interacting with important people in your target building has the tendency to review many security lapses that can be exploited over and over again.¡±


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    Lily cupped her chin. ¡°Does my candy fall in that category?¡±


    ¡°As a very rudimentary version,¡± Claud replied. ¡°If there were more than one guard, pulling this off would be hard. If the guard in question was an inherently suspicious one, or if he or she has an artifact that protects again poison, you would have been stuck, right? As a rule of thumb, the human factor should not be the main vector of entry; it should at most help you enter.¡±


    ¡°How complicated.¡±


    ¡°Since when was anything simple?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I mean, if you were to teach me how to make sweets or weapons, I would find them hard too. It¡¯s just that you have such a versatile skillset that I can¡¯t help but think you¡¯ll make a fine trespasser.¡±


    ¡°Trespasser¡­¡± Lily¡¯s face cramped up. ¡°Is that really the best term you could come up¡­oh. Right. That¡¯s probably the best term you can come up with.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t know what to say to that. He couldn¡¯t exactly say that he had come up with an accurate name for that odd ¡®ThBod:A???¡¯ skill, so the master thief could only stew in sorrow at his reputation for bad naming.


    Damn that Schwarz! My names are good, it¡¯s just that you can¡¯t accept them! Bah. I¡¯m going to steal your bestest wine one day, mark my words! Sniffing twice, Claud stuck his nose in the air.


    ¡°Come on, everyone has to have a weakness or two,¡± said Lily. ¡°No one¡¯s perfect!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, no one¡¯s ever going to ask me to name their children¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Lily replied, ¡°people generally don¡¯t ask strangers to name babies for them. I think you¡¯ve been reading too many stories.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I could swear that it was part of noble culture...oh, right.¡±


    He looked away. ¡°Sorry. Didn¡¯t mean to bring that up.¡±


    Lily shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t need to tread around me this carefully, you know. I have issues¡­I had issues with my family, but that shouldn¡¯t stop you from talking about families in general. Wouldn¡¯t that be unfair to everyone else?¡±


    Claud, however, had a feeling that she was just putting up a strong front. The pain of losing families, even if they were ideologically dissimilar, was not one that could be covered over in a few weeks. Especially since Lily was the one who had killed off her entire family by herself. There was no leeway for guilt-sharing in this one ¡ª the master thief knew that whether he went to Julan or not, Lily would have eventually returned there anyway.


    An awkward silence followed, one that Claud forcibly broke by asking about the piece of candy Lily had snuck onto the guard¡¯s desk. A small look of relief appeared on her face as she explained what the little confectionary was made of.


    ¡°Do you have any more of them?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Do they have an expiry date?¡±


    ¡°Those sweets just make one sleep, though. I don¡¯t really think it¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°You literally just used them on someone, Lily. It¡¯s useful, no matter how you cut it.¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°Besides, there¡¯s a better purpose for them! With those knock-out sweets of yours, tossing a few at monsters when they¡¯re chasing you will definitely make escaping easier.¡±


    ¡°Monsters?¡± Lily blinked. ¡°Like¡­¡±


    ¡°Imagine it,¡± said Claud, ¡°you¡¯re being chased by a bunch of ugly beasts, but instead of fighting them directly, you throw a bunch of sweets at them. They eat it, and then fall into a deep sleep a moment later. What can you do from there?¡±


    ¡°Capture those beasts¡­¡± Lily nodded.


    ¡°The moment you made these sweets, you should have thought of such an application,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Although¡­on second thought, you really shouldn¡¯t give these sweets to anyone else outside of the Moon Lords. Imagine what ruffians could do with sweets like these.¡±


    Light swam through her eyes, and Lily nodded, a rueful smile on her face. ¡°Kidnapping¡­Moons, I¡¯ve gone full circle.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Still, now I¡¯m worried. Is it possible for someone with your sweet-making skill to make something similar?¡± Claud frowned, having just frightened himself with the dangers of eating outside. ¡°How does your skill work anyway?¡±


    Lily cupped her chin. ¡°It¡¯s like my other creation skills. Put together the correct items in the correct proportions, let your skill guide you, and you¡¯ll end up with the product.¡±


    ¡°Sounds really convenient,¡± Claud observed.


    ¡°It is convenient,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And once you attain a certain level of mastery in smithing, through muscle memory, you can learn a new skill to replace it. So long as you keep practicing regularly, you don¡¯t need to have the skill to maintain your current abilities.¡±


    The more the master thief listened, the more tempted he was, but there was no way he could remove any of his current skills. It was sad, but that was what buddies and comrades were for.


    ¡°Pity.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°Right, we should get back to Schwarz. I think the two of them are done with this morning¡¯s paperwork. Didn¡¯t he have an announcement or something for us?¡±


    ¡°About our new role once the count leaves,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Then we better not be late.¡± Claud clicked his teeth. ¡°He might just forcefeed us with his alcoholic drinks if we do.¡±


    ¡°What are we standing around here for, then? Go!¡±


    Lily bolted off first, and as Claud followed suit, he didn¡¯t dare to wonder if she would ever make peace with her choices.


    Family was a sensitive affair, after all.

 Chapter 137: Yet another crime

    ¡°You get a drink, you get a drink, I get a drink¡­and you don¡¯t get a drink.¡±


    Claud glared at the empty spot in front of him, before turning his eyes to Schwarz. ¡°Hey! Why do I not get a drink?¡±


    ¡°You have an entire warehouse of fizzy drinks and apple juice,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I don¡¯t see the need to give you any of my beloved creations now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right. We¡¯re all supposed to be equals here. I demand a drink.¡± Claud rolled his eyes, before turning to Farah. The countess had largely gotten over the freak poisoning that had happened during a food handout a couple of days back, after Schwarz brought back the news about Rodrio being controlled by the real culprit. As for how the real culprit managed to dominate that fellow¡­


    Perhaps only the Moons knew.


    Right now, there was an ongoing investigation to look into who Rodrio came into contact with in the days leading up to the poisoning. The holder of the skill Claud had privately named Absolute Domination had turned Rodrio against them, but to do so, close contact was probably needed.


    Claud didn¡¯t expect much from this investigation, however. If Absolute Domination was truly similar to Absolute One, perhaps just a chance encounter or two would be enough to wipe Rodrio¡¯s mind.


    ¡°No,¡± Schwarz replied, drawing Claud¡¯s attention away from his own musings. ¡°Unless¡­well, there¡¯s a lot of fizzy drinks, right? I haven¡¯t had the chance to use one to brew some new novelties.¡±


    ¡°New novelties¡­that¡¯s redundant.¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°But more importantly, isn¡¯t your menu still full of incomplete research? What¡¯s the point of starting something new?¡±


    ¡°Come on, old bro.¡± Schwarz licked his lips. ¡°Imagine the power of apple juice and fizzy drinks combined.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s great, yeah,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Definitely going to ¡ª wait. You¡¯ve tried that already?¡± Schwarz leaned forward. ¡°That¡¯s cheating! I¡¯m supposed to be the only bartender around here! No one gets to mix drinks other than me here!¡±


    ¡°Alcoholic drinks,¡± Claud corrected.


    ¡°Oh. Right.¡± Schwarz cleared his throat. ¡°Point is, there¡¯s lots of potential in fizzy drinks. I want to research their manufacturing method.¡±


    ¡°Then go over to Lostfon and ask the supplier there,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Don¡¯t go hound me for my deserved supply.¡±


    ¡°Come on, you¡¯re receiving them every day. Does your house even have space? Last I checked, you only had enough for a¡­¡± Schwarz¡¯s words trailed off. ¡°Oops?¡±


    Claud glared at the bartender. ¡°I knew there was a rat sneaking around my place. Turns out it¡¯s you, eh? Now that I think about it, I did see a familiar barrel lying around in the kitchen¡­and a missing one from my house.¡±


    ¡°Wait, how did you know¡ª¡±


    ¡°I have receipts.¡± Claud rolled his eyes, before turning to Farah. ¡°Anyway, I thought you weren¡¯t going to drink anything from Schwarz¡­¡±


    ¡°Only his alcoholic brews, which should be dumped on the Moons or something,¡± Farah replied. ¡°The others are great. He should just give up on that particular dream and make fruity beverages instead.¡±


    ¡°Can you stop trying to slander my drinks?¡± Schwarz muttered, before slapping his face twice. ¡°Anyway, playtime¡¯s over for us. Let¡¯s talk about a serious topic now. Count Nightfall.¡±


    He rapped the table. ¡°The count¡¯s leaving Licencia in a few weeks. According to the terms of our contract, sworn beneath the Moons, we are to assist in the administration of Licencia. We can command the city guards and decide low-level policy. That said, his fianc¨¦e will be taking overall direction of Licencia. Any questions so far?¡±


    ¡°None.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good.¡±


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    Claud shook his head in silence. Everyone here knew these things. It was just a recap, just to set the overall mood. This was public information, meant for anyone and everyone in the city to know about. Even without the count¡¯s presence, there were still highly-skilled people that would hold the fort if anything nasty, like a monster attack, happened.


    The highly-skilled bit was rather debatable, though.


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Schwarz lowered his voice. ¡°Our true goal, however, is to establish a second armed force from the people here. A militia, capable of at least holding the town against a long siege. Discipline and preparation will be needed.¡±


    Farah nodded. ¡°This bit will be delegated to Dia and the Moon Guards under her. She will train a new batch of troops.¡±


    ¡°Correct. The next issue is related to mana-users. Recent intelligence from the borders have arrived at my table. Mana-users have departed from both Lustre and Schwa; their goal is to disrupt the daily life of territories belonging to Istrel.¡± Schwarz¡¯ voice lowered even further. ¡°Nightfall believes that the person who dominated Rodrio is behind this.¡±


    ¡°This task is of paramount importance,¡± Farah added, her voice unnaturally stiff. According to Schwarz, Claud has the most experienced in infiltration. Apparently, he¡¯s a specialist at spying or something.¡±


    She turned to Claud. ¡°Are you a specialist at spying?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Claud glanced at Lily and Schwarz, who looked away together in an impromptu show of coordination. ¡°I guess you can call me that. After all, I did design Moon Mansion. It takes one to know one, so you can definitely call me that.¡±


    The countess thought about it for a moment. ¡°Makes sense. You¡¯ll handle the city¡¯s security, then.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t ask me to build a giant dome around the city,¡± Schwarz added. ¡°I don¡¯t think the city has enough money to do that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think up of something,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Alright. The next thing is the cessation of trade from the other two duchies. Fortunately, trade from the other sovereignties is still going on well¡­in fact, they¡¯re improving,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°We need to ensure that nothing disrupts this arrangement, however.¡±


    ¡°I have a contract with Dia to help Lustre in economic warfare, so let me handle the city¡¯s economic policies,¡± said Farah. ¡°This is a good chance to screw with Istrel.¡±


    ¡°¡­are you really going down that route?¡± Lily asked. ¡°We are, after all, working for the vassal of Istrel.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Farah narrowed her eyes. ¡°They¡¯re not going to know what hit them. We¡¯ll enrich Licencia, and then hide away the excess resources. I¡¯ve been laying down groundwork for weeks. At the critical moment, the other territories are going to be starved for three days, enough to turn a tide or two.¡±


    Claud pitied Duke Istrel for three seconds, and then returned to gloating. The old duke and his family were jerks, so he didn¡¯t really mind Farah screwing with them. In the chaos of war, this was the best time to strike¡­and the countess indeed had a contract with the princess¡¯ bodyguard.


    Countess Farah, as an administrative-focused mana-user, had probably laid out a comprehensive trap from inside. Although most territories¡¯ administrations had similar skills and proficiencies, Farah was striking from the inside, from a privileged position.


    It would be interesting to see what she had planned.


    ¡°Very well. You¡¯ll handle that side. Just make sure not to leave any traces,¡± said Schwarz.


    ¡°No worries,¡± the countess replied. ¡°I¡¯m useless for just about everything, but administration? That¡¯s me.¡±


    Claud folded his arms. ¡°That just leaves the issue of intelligence, which also falls under security, right? Are you going to work with me on that?¡±


    ¡°Risti¡¯s going to handle domestic intelligence,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with the issue of information from outside. I¡¯m a Profiteer. Don¡¯t underestimate our trade channels.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you put it that way¡­¡±


    The others nodded along in agreement.


    ¡°So, are we all settled?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Is this meeting over and done with?¡±


    ¡°I wish,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°There are a few other things Count Nightfall wants us to do. First, regarding the Thief of Time. He wants us to locate and negotiate with Tot.¡±


    A wintry chill descended onto the room, and Claud felt his heartbeat speed up. He had been hoping that the approaching storm would make people forget about Tot, who hadn¡¯t made any movements after seemingly slapping down Zulan Patra with absurd ease.


    ¡°Why does he want us to do that?¡± Lily asked, her words quiet.


    ¡°Hmm¡­well. Zulan Patra¡­hasn¡¯t been seen for some time. He left Licencia in a huff after he recovered, heading down west. There, he stole a mana herb from a Tri-head Snake, but after all, all traces of Zulan Patra have vanished,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°Nothing much should have come out from that, but emissaries from the White Church have come knocking.¡±


    ¡°Knocking?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Oh. Now I get what¡¯s going on. Little wonder, then¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you know something I don¡¯t?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Count Nightfall was asking the other counts throughout the Umbra Sovereignty. He wanted to know if anyone spotted Zulan Patra.¡±


    ¡°Asking the other counts?¡± Schwarz blinked. ¡°You lost me at that point. How does one simply ask the other counts?¡±


    Farah pondered for a moment, and then nodded at no particular direction. ¡°Counts and above have a certain...something one might call an artefact, that allows for long-range communication.¡±


    Schwarz¡¯s eyes flashed with an odd light, but that light vanished seconds later as he slapped his cheeks twice. ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°No one has seen Zulan Patra either,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the current problem.¡± Schwarz cleared his throat. ¡°Anyway, Nightfall suspects that Zulan Patra has been captured by Tot for some nefarious reason. He wants us to see if we can do something about it.¡±


    Claud, who was already burdened by a stupid allegation, didn¡¯t know what to say to this crime that the idiot count had heaped on him.

 Chapter 138: Floating sky ruins

    Thankfully, Claud¡¯s little quivering heart wasn¡¯t affected by the next two directives that came spewing out of that Moondamned bartender¡¯s mouth. The second one was to locate and then ¡°politely ask¡± any foreign mana-users over for a cup of tea in the Nightfall Palace, where Nightfall¡¯s fianc¨¦e would handle the, uh, pleasantries. It was just an extension of his original duties, and more importantly, he was the best person for the job.


    So far, Claud hadn¡¯t met any privileged person who didn¡¯t like to be flattered.


    The third directive was investigating the owner of the Absolute Domination skill, but since Claud didn¡¯t want to let the others know about his own name for that thing, he had gone along with their previously-agreed on name, ¡®Enhanced Domination¡¯.


    That task was almost certainly a waste of time, however, since Claud was fairly confident that the skill needed less than a day to bring out its effect. That said, investigating anyone who came into contact with Rodrio was probably going to result in some discoveries anyway, so this matter would fall onto Risti and Schwarz.


    ¡°Anything else?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Right, the count¡¯s aide will be arriving at Moon Mansion soon. He¡¯ll be helping me to draw my mana circuits,¡± said Schwarz.


    Worried, Claud asked, ¡°Do you have enough lifespan for this? Are you aiming to become a one-folder or a sub-folder?¡±


    ¡°One-folder,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Apparently, one-folders can pump mana into skills to make them stronger. That¡¯ll be a great help to me.¡±


    Like him, Schwarz didn¡¯t reveal what his skills were. Generally, people who were in a close enough position to ask Claud about such things would refrain from doing so, since they understood enough about him to know that he wouldn¡¯t answer. For Schwarz, however, a terrifying legend about how people woke up with pounding headaches after asking a certain bartender about his skills had spread throughout Licencia¡­and arguably the Istrel Dukedom itself.


    ¡°Alright. We should stay here for the next few hours, then,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Just to watch over you.¡±


    The others nodded. Lily got up a moment later. ¡°Want to play some games? It¡¯s not like we have anything to do now, since the two of you worked hard this morning.¡±


    Schwarz tilted his head. ¡°Sounds like a good idea. You know what they say about all work and no play, after all. Turns Claud into a dull boy.¡±


    ¡°Why are you using me as an illustration?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re convenient?¡±


    ¡°Now that just sounds totally wrong¡­¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°But playing some cards might be fun. Didn¡¯t you order a rather interesting game called Old Maid from Lostfon? Those cards are a refreshing take on the usual hearts and clubs, and the instructions look fun too. After we¡¯re done with the usual bar games, let¡¯s try that out.¡±


    ¡°Old Maid?¡± Farah asked, sinking into contemplation a moment later. ¡°Never heard of it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something that was unearthed from the Celestia Ruins. Remember that punk from Lostfon? Yeah, he found a whole bunch of items there, including fizzy drinks and everything.¡± Schwarz clicked his teeth. ¡°He¡¯s part of the Profiteers, now that I think about it.¡±


    ¡°Celestia Ruins?¡± Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°That¡¯s like the fourth time I heard about it. What¡¯s that place exactly?¡±


    ¡°Huge, vast ruins from an old age.¡± Schwarz lowered his volume. ¡°They apparently predated the Second Godsfall.¡±


    Claud blinked. ¡°Uh. When was the Second Godsfall?¡±


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    ¡°Sixty thousand years ago, give or take a couple hundred. It¡¯s a really neat place, apparently. The ruins are¡­kinda free-floating, I guess. They move around and items randomly drop out every so often.¡±


    ¡°Drop out? Move around?¡± Claud tried to imagine the ruins through the bartender¡¯s description, but ruins that could move around just didn¡¯t make sense to him at all. ¡°How does that even happen?¡±


    Lily sauntered back into the room, a bunch of games in her hand. ¡°Would it make sense if I say ¡®Celestia, the floating sky ruins?¡±


    ¡°Floating¡ª¡± Something like an explosion shook his mind, and Claud found himself trembling. ¡°A floating ruin?!¡±


    He gestured randomly, making some wriggly motions with his hand.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯s a floating island that moves from place to place. It has been floating above Grandis for the past few decades, and when it moves, things can fall out.¡±


    ¡°Which is how some lucky fellow from Lostfon got his hands on lots of odd things,¡± Schwarz added. ¡°Simply being known as a relic from the past gives them so much value that I feel that my alcoholic drinks are under-priced.¡±


    ¡°You sound jealous,¡± Claud noted.


    ¡°How could I not? I¡¯ve analysed some of the liquors that fell from Celestia, and they¡¯re no different from my drinks. Why, then, do they command upwards of a few thousand middle-ranked lifestones, while mine are just around five or so gold?¡± The bartender sighed. ¡°I¡¯m jealous.¡±


    ¡°Hard not to,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Should we find some time to follow Celestia around when we have time?¡±


    He didn¡¯t mention anything about flying to the ruins, however. That was actually an option, and the more Claud heard about it, the more he liked that notion. However, the danger was equally huge ¡ª if he didn¡¯t guess wrongly, there were probably a bunch of incredibly strong mana-users in Celestia. After all, flight was not something any random person could learn ¡ª only the crazy or the privileged could take to the sky.


    Claud, as someone who knew that the best way to flee was up, was the former. For the likes of Count Nightfall and Zulan Patra, were the latter. Therefore, his trip to Celestia, if it ever happened would be fraught by overwhelmingly rich and thereby snobbish people, or insane fools like himself.


    It was not for the normal people sitting around him.


    His eyes fell on Lily, and he struck one name off the list of normal people.


    ¡°Are you thinking something rude?¡± Lily asked. ¡°You have a very punch-able expression on your face right now, and my fists are aching.¡±


    ¡°My face muscles cramped up for some reason,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Probably because Schwarz gave us very weird missions and directives. Like the one that tells us to find Tot.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Makes sense.¡± Lily glanced at the cards in her hand, before tossing it over to Schwarz. ¡°I¡¯ll forgive you.¡±


    ¡°Since when was having an odd expression on one¡¯s face a crime?¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t, but the crime for making me want to punch you is!¡± Lily laughed.


    ¡°You¡¯re just bullying me at this point.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, the two of you. Calm down.¡± Schwarz, who had been shuffling the cards expertly for the past minute, began to hand out the cards. Before long, the deck of fifty-two cards had been split into four. ¡°What are you, kids?¡±


    ¡°Not me.¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    Claud and Lily exchanged glances, and then looked away. Farah rolled her eyes at that sight, before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s play Bluff. I need to practice my diplomatic skills.¡±


    ¡°Um, sure. Go ahead.¡± The master thief decided not to think too hard about why bluffing and diplomacy were related to each other.


    Farah placed four cards, face down in the middle of the pile. ¡°Alrighty then. Four fives.¡±


    Everyone eyed her, but no one dared to call her out. After a while, Schwarz cleared his throat and placed down a single card. ¡°One five.¡±


    Claud blinked, as did Lily. Every deck only had four of the same number, so how were there five fives already? The two of them exchanged glances once more, but Claud was hiding some consternation in his face. He didn¡¯t have a four, a five or a six ¡ª players could only play cards that were plus one, minus one or equal to the previously played card.


    Steeling his expression, Claud said, ¡°One six.¡±


    ¡°Bluff.¡±


    ¡°Bluff.¡±


    ¡°Bluff.¡±


    The three of them called out the same time, and the master thief felt a vein in his head twitch. Without even waiting to show what card he had actually played, he grabbed the small pile and stuffed it into his hands.


    ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Claud examined the new cards. ¡°You two cheaters.¡±


    ¡°Not our fault if you didn¡¯t say anything, is it?¡± Farah had a shit-eating grin on her face, and Claud abruptly empathised with how Lily was probably feeling a moment ago. Farah had tossed down four random cards, each of them definitely not a five.


    Who the heck lies on the first round? Feeling aggrieved, Claud started by placing four random cards in the middle.


    ¡°Bluff!¡±


    As three voices yelled the same word in unison, Claud found himself doubting his entire life, of which half was definitely spent in really shady circumstances. He had ample experience in fooling others, so why?


    Muttering darkly under his breath, Claud decided to play it honest for now. One day, when Risti and Dia came back, he would be able to shine.


    Probably, anyway. However, from how this round started, he had a sinking feeling that he was going to place last¡­

 (Chapter 139) The trip back home

    ¡°Rise and shine, Dia!¡±


    Dia rubbed her eyes blearily. Faint sunlight trickled through the trees, and as the scent of the forest registered once more in her nose, she abruptly remembered her current location.


    ¡°Risti?¡± Dia rubbed her eyes once more, but that action was enough to dislodge her from a delicate balance. Leaves, twigs and her life flashed before her eyes, and pain shot up from her bum as she fell from her makeshift bed.


    ¡°Ow! That hurt!¡± Rubbing her sore posterior, Dia looked around the forest, which was faintly illuminated by light trickling in.


    Risti shimmed down the tree a moment later. ¡°That looked like it might leave a crack or two.¡±


    ¡°Whose bum doesn¡¯t have a crack?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Urgh. What am I even saying? Whatever. Let me wash up a bit, and we can be on our way.¡±


    After the two of them were done, they set off on their journey home once more. The journey from Nachtville to Licencia was two-thirds complete; Dia and Risti would soon arrive home. It would be an understatement to say that she was looking forward to going back.


    ¡°Ah, the joys of civilised life.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± said Risti. ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to do anything of actual substance ever since we left Licencia.¡±


    ¡°You helped solve a murder, and that isn¡¯t anything of actual substance?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I¡¯m useless, even as a, um, body double.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound all that worried for your mistress,¡± Risti observed. ¡°Do you know something we don¡¯t?¡±


    Dia froze. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that she¡¯s as safe as me right now, and leave it at that. While I remain at freedom, she will not be captured by the Shadows of Grandis or whatever.¡±


    ¡°What is she doing right now?¡± Risti asked, her eyes glowing.


    ¡°L-living a very ordinary life,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°An ordinary life¡­¡± Risti had a sombre look on her face, but she soon discarded it. ¡°Better that than being captured and everything. Still, how is she able to evade my scouring skills and networks? I don¡¯t really get it. I know she teleported away from Lustre, but even then, there should have been reports of a really rich person walking around in the next day or two, right?¡±


    Dia thought back to the chain of effects that had occurred shortly after her escape, and decided to toss out a morsel of truth. ¡°Something happened right after she reappeared at her destination.¡±


    ¡°Something happened?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dia replied. ¡°An unexpected turn of events that hid her well.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Risti tutted. ¡°Well, at least the Shadows of Grandis are barking up the wrong Moon. For some reason, Istrel dispatched another group of Shadows to Licencia yesterday, saying that the princess was in the city.¡±


    ¡°They must be after me,¡± Dia replied. It was unlikely for them to have figured out that she was the true Dia masquerading as a fake one, but since she had clashed with the Shadows a few times¡­


    ¡°An amusing thought just struck me,¡± said Risti. ¡°What happens if I, Lily and Farah were to go with you to face those Shadows? We¡¯re all bodyguards of the princess. They should then realise that they were just following a bunch of fans.¡±


    ¡°Amusing, yes.¡± Dia thought about Count Nightfall¡¯s face when she and Risti had gone over for a banquet some time ago. The count, back then, had probably thought them as some crazy, hardcore fans of Princess Dia, if his expression was of any indication.


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    Admittedly, however, she didn¡¯t know that there were actually other people who actually thought looking like someone else was a great idea. Before they met the Dusk Daggers, Dia had assumed that it was just the oddballs in the Moon Lords, but if it was a legitimate lifestyle¡­


    ¡°I should do more research on this phenomenon,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°On what?¡±


    ¡°On the, uh, Shadows! Why can Istrel move them around? Things like that,¡± Dia replied, in a voice that was just slightly smoother than velvet. ¡°Didn¡¯t Schwarz or someone say that the bunch I offed were actually under the command of the duke and not the Emperor? Where did he get a new batch of flunkies from?¡±


    Risti patted her back. ¡°Dia. You¡¯re thinking in terms of years. But Duke Istrel has been alive for sixteen centuries. Even if he made a contact in high places once every two years, that¡¯s around eight hundred such contacts. Sending a few Shadows to replenish his losses isn¡¯t going to be all that much.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Dia frowned. ¡°I thought something like that should be far more serious, though. An inquiry from Emperor Grandis, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, the tri-folder that was killed by Count Nightfall did elicit an enquiry, but judging from the state of the administration, he¡¯s probably going to be questioned next year or something.¡±


    ¡°Next year?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s how it¡¯s like in the continent centre.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it like in Grandia?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Don¡¯t try to hide it from me. You¡¯re someone from the continent capital.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s hiding anyone from you?¡± Risti replied, rolling her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s just to everyone, I¡¯m Risti, not the daughter of the Association President. A Moon Lord, not some high-class lady from the capital. Besides, I literally said that I was the daughter of the Association President, right? I said that from the very start. It¡¯s just you lot who think I was hiding something.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Dia looked around at the forest. ¡°It¡¯s just that I still find it very hard to take in. Our Risti, the daughter of someone awesome¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the way I want to be known by, though,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I don¡¯t like it, bluntly speaking.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Sorry.¡± Dia looked away, just in time to notice a low-hanging branch. Ducking under it, she straightened back up just to see Risti shrug.


    The two continued to mana-walk for three hours or so, until the first hints of exhaustion appeared on Risti¡¯s face. Her superimposition value was lower than Dia¡¯s, which was why she ran out of mana first. This was a usual sight to Dia, however, and it just so happened that it was lunchtime.


    ¡°The soles of my feet hurt,¡± Dia grumbled, before removing her boots.


    ¡°When do they never hurt?¡± Risti replied. ¡°Look, we are based in a city. We¡¯re not like the Dusk Daggers, who spend their whole life walking around the continent to solve issues. It¡¯s natural to grow soft after spending months lying around and everything.¡±


    ¡°At least I keep up my practice, though,¡± Dia replied. ¡°But the rest of you guys are deskbound most of the time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Risti took out a biscuit and nibbled on it. ¡°Want one?¡±


    ¡°Oh, thanks.¡±


    The dry, crumbly biscuit made Dia think about the sumptuous dishes that were waiting for her in Moon Mansion, but as they were right now, resting would increase their overall progress better.


    Nibbling on a second biscuit, Dia was about to lean on a nearby tree when the sound of hooves rang through the forest. It was a fairly large squad of knights, each of them bearing the insignia of the Istrel Dukedom on their chest. This was the third one that had passed them by so far; by the looks of it, a troop or two was gathering in Licencia.


    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s finally starting. Do you think the three dukes would go so far as to siege cities and towns?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Probably,¡± Dia replied, thinking about the history of Grandis. ¡°For the first time in millennia, Emperor Grandis hasn¡¯t sent out a supervising squad to oversee the entire war. This can only mean that he wants to see an unrestricted conflict. I wonder what brought up this change.¡±


    ¡°Maybe this war is too big for him to adequately supervise,¡± Risti suggested. ¡°After all, we¡¯ve never had a war between dukes before. The history of the Grandis Empire is too small for that, so he¡¯s being very cautious.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Dia nodded. ¡°Besides, the observers the Emperor dispatches are people who are well-versed in all laws. There can¡¯t be that many of them who are both able and willing to come over here. It¡¯s too big a conflict to moderate properly.¡±


    She thought for a few more seconds. ¡°In that case, why moderate at all? The Emperor could just wash his hands of the whole thing and be done with it. After all, the city guards will stop any atrocities from being inflicted on the common people.¡±


    ¡°Your theory makes sense, but there¡¯s one problem.¡±


    ¡°Problem?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Risti replied. ¡°And it¡¯s that the entire administration has to bend over backwards whenever he gives an order. Even the three rulers cannot do anything but obey. Therefore, whether he has enough people or not is not the issue.¡±


    ¡°He chose not to moderate this conflict on purpose?¡± Dia asked. ¡°What is the Emperor thinking?¡±


    ¡°My father wishes he knew too.¡± Finishing up the biscuit, Risti got back up onto her feet. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go. We¡¯re still some distance away from the city, and I don¡¯t like walking around at night.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Dia sent another gaze at the knights shrinking in the distance. Before long, they, the Moon Lords, would take over the defence of the city, and the safety of the ordinary people within.


    It would be their greatest test yet.

 Chapter 140: Back to the city

    It was late evening when they finally arrived at Licencia, and Dia¡¯s shoulders, which had been bearing some unknown burden, finally relaxed. The rest of the afternoon trip had been as uneventful as a tree¡¯s life. Other than another three groups of knights dashing past them while whistling lasciviously, there was nothing much of note.


    Risti had fallen silent after that conversation too, which meant that Dia could only bear the silence herself. She didn¡¯t dare to distract Risti, whose eyes weren¡¯t just dim, they were also clouded over with the burden of thought.


    Fortunately, after enduring five hours of abject silence, Dia finally found the excuse to rouse Risti from her deep reverie. After all, there was still an inspection at the gates, and inspections weren¡¯t friendly to absent-minded fellows.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of guards on duty right now,¡± Risti observed quietly. Her voice was somewhat hoarse, probably from disuse, but that didn¡¯t stop her from voicing out her thoughts. ¡°Did something happen? Or was all this in anticipation of something that might happen?¡±


    ¡°Somehow, I get a feeling that Claud¡¯s behind all this,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Look at the city walls. There¡¯s a¡­dome.¡±


    A hemisphere of fine wire nets was currently being raised. Long poles, each with a small nook attached at the end, had been propped up, towering into the sky. No matter how Dia looked at it, the whole structure was so evocative of Moon Mansion that Claud had to be behind it.


    ¡°Yeah, definitely Claud. Does he have a thing for domes?¡± Risti mused out loud. ¡°Maybe we should get him something like it as a gift.¡±


    ¡°Just stick to defensive artefacts, okay?¡± Dia rolled her eyes. ¡°Claud would love nothing more than these things.¡±


    ¡°Or lifestones.¡±


    Dia and Risti exchanged glances. Clearly, both of them were wondering the same thing ¡ª which was more important to Claud? Lifestones or defensive artefacts?


    ¡°I¡¯d say defensive artefacts are better,¡± said Dia. ¡°Claud¡¯s the kind that would forgo risk in favour of safety.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an element of recklessness in him. If there are enough lifestones, he might ignore or work around the danger to grab them,¡± Risti replied. ¡°That¡¯s what I think, anyway. Don¡¯t you sometimes get the feeling that he¡¯s crazy for lifestones? After all, it¡¯s said that lifestones are drying out. There¡¯s only so many left. He must know that too.¡±


    ¡°But if he had to choose between dying or lifestones¡­¡±


    The two ladies looked at each other, and after a while, Dia shrugged. ¡°I get the feeling that the answer to our question is context-dependent.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, me too.¡± Risti grinned. ¡°It¡¯s a fun exercise, though. What do you think Schwarz would like?¡±


    ¡°Recipes for¡ª"


    ¡°Recipes for¡ª¡±


    Dia gestured at Risti. ¡°Looks like we both thought that he would love recipes for new drinks. Still, where did you get that from? I based my answer off the time when I used Sword Roar. Schwarz brought over some really nice alcoholic brew for me, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Farah told me about that. I still can¡¯t believe my ears, though. The words ¡®nice alcohol¡¯ and ¡®Schwarz¡¯ shouldn¡¯t be associated with each other. How did that happen? And then, I found out that these things was due to¡­lost recipes.¡± Risti¡¯s eyes glittered. ¡°Isn¡¯t it cool? He can make good brews after all!¡±


    ¡°If he¡¯s not innovating them, yes.¡± Dia tilted her head. ¡°Are there any books that touch the subject of brewing?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there are,¡± Risti replied. ¡°He¡¯s not the only person with a high-class hobby. But I asked him about them before, but he didn¡¯t really like the idea. You know, the pioneer mindset.¡±


    ¡°Do we really need pioneers in this field?¡± Dia rolled her eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s move on to Farah, then. What would she like? Other than lifestones, naturally.¡±


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    ¡°Money. Or resources that we can send to her county.¡± Risti thought about it for a while. ¡°That should be it, shouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡±


    Unfortunately, the intriguing little conversation had to end here, since it was their turn to be inspected.


    ¡°Papers, please.¡± The young guard on duty yawned. ¡°Sorry, ma¡¯ams. It¡¯s been a long night for us.¡±


    ¡°No, no issue.¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s perfectly alright to be tired after so long. Thank you for keeping us safe.¡±


    ¡°Safe¡­¡± The guard yawned again. ¡°We get paid well for this, so some people might beg to differ.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Who might beg to differ?¡±


    ¡°Best I not name it, miss.¡± The young guard lowered his head. ¡°Entry has been processed. As the two of you left Licencia before the Tri-factor Authentication Plan was put in play, please head over to the guard office as soon as possible to register, or else roving squads from the Moon Lords may bring you in for questioning and fines.¡±


    ¡°Did you just say ¡®Moon Lords¡¯?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Yes, miss. In case the two of you are unaware, the Moon Lords were promoted as the top-ranking associate organisation in Licencia. While the count is away, they will work alongside his fianc¨¦e to govern the city.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Dia and Risti exchanged glances. This wasn¡¯t new information to them, but the count¡¯s proposal had seemed somewhat fantastical back when they heard it.


    ¡°Ah. I spent too much time. Please have a safe trip home, misses.¡±


    He waved them through.


    Making a beeline for the guardhouse, the two of them got their names down registered in the Tri-factor Authentication Plan. The plan, for them, took on the form of little tokens that had the nine colours of the Coloured Gods. If asked for proof of their identities, Dia would have to produce her papers, and then punch in the correct sequence of colours to create the corresponding proof.


    Incidentally, Schwarz had pulled some strings in registering her as a resident of Licencia ¡ª her identification papers, the ones that Schwarz had expertly pulled out after she settled her terms of employment at the Moon Lords, actually used her real name, Dia Lyceria de Lustre.


    Unfortunately, this set a rather nasty precedent. After all, Dia still had her original, honest-to-the-Moons identification documents. However, given these precedents, if she were to pull them out now, not many people would be convinced of her actual identity.


    Her spirits afflicted somewhat by the entire registration process, Dia followed Risti into the streets of Licencia. The familiar streets were darkening by the second, but the rising blue moon of wisdom wasn¡¯t going to let that happen easily.


    Dia¡¯s melancholy weakened as Plota rose. There wasn¡¯t much point in thinking about these useless things; her main concern was navigating the next few months as one of the Moon Lords. There were a few things she could do; for instance¡ª


    ¡°Please, I¡¯m begging you!¡±


    Dia jumped, and the plans whirling in her head scattered. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is some scumbag trying to force himself on a woman?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Risti replied, gesturing at two silhouettes. ¡°It¡¯s Claud, and he¡¯s doing something amusing right now.¡±


    ¡°Claud?¡± Dia rubbed her eyes and took a few steps closer. It was indeed Claud, but there was something odd in his right hand. It was an odd, stick-like gadget that ended at a set of blunt claws, and those claws were currently aimed at someone¡¯s head. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you two are back. Welcome home, Risti, Dia.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°I¡¯m busy testing out a countermeasure against a particularly pushy salesgirl.¡±


    ¡°Salesgirl? Oh. Oh!¡± Dia chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s the person who sold those useless talismans to you, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me! Hi! I¡¯m Luna, a salesperson for Extra-strong Exotics. We have¡ª"


    ¡°Right on the money,¡± Claud replied, cutting off her words. ¡°After coercing me into buying a stack of useless talismans, I had to come up with a countermeasure to deter clingy people. I was intending to making it look nicer when Luna here decided to ambush me; it was fortunate that I had my countermeasure with me when that happened?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s a countermeasure and not an instrument of revenge?¡± Dia asked, casting a critical eye at the two blunt claws pinching Luna¡¯s head. ¡°That looks painful.¡±


    ¡°She came to my house. Five times, each time selling some dubious product. I¡¯m not some na?ve fool in a story; the Moons look down on those who are fooled twice.¡± Claud grinned. ¡°And she even tried to ambush me on the way back.¡±


    ¡°But doesn¡¯t it hurt? You should release her or something,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°Whether it¡¯s painful or not is the least of my worries. If you want me to release her, sure, but only on the condition that you stop her from getting close to me,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Do you want to do that? She¡¯s desperate to sell her over-tuned junk; if you¡¯re willing to buy, then I¡¯ll release her.¡±


    Luna scrunched up her face at those words, before turning her adorably-cramped face to Dia and Risti. ¡°Do you two want to buy my Illuminators? They can create an area as bright as the sun for one hundred hours!¡±


    Dia froze. ¡°Sorry, one hundred what?¡±


    ¡°Hours!¡±


    ¡°Why would I ever need that?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Claud chimed in. ¡°Why would anyone need that? In the first place, how does something shine as brightly as the sun for a hundred hours?¡±


    ¡°Never mind,¡± said Risti. ¡°I¡¯ll buy your whole stock. How much?¡±


    ¡°My whole stock?¡± Luna froze. Her hands, which were trying to pry open the claws on her, burst into an abrupt motion. Metal shrieked as the pincers deformed, and as an anguished cry came from Claud, she closed in on Risti and held her hand. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Now, now. Why would I lie? I might be able to use it, after all.¡± Risti rubbed Luna¡¯s head with her free hand. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s discuss this trade¡­¡±


    Dia glanced at Claud, who was now kneeling and examining his broken invention, and felt her lower lip twitch.

 Chapter 141: Countermeasures against contact

    A man knelt over a metal stick, which had weird claws at the end. Those claws were broken, and from how the man was behaving, one would assume that he was in deep grief, as if that metal stick was a family heirloom that had been broken. To her left, the culprit behind Claud¡¯s abject grief was skipping up and down, as she reached an agreement with someone who had just returned home.


    Dia took a step back and appreciated the incongruity of the whole scene. The way Luna was behaving put her completely at odds with the general mood generated by Claud. In turn, Claud¡¯s sorrow felt unwarranted at first glance, since the thing he was mourning was a metal stick with two weird claws stuck at the end.


    ¡°Therefore,¡± Dia muttered, ¡°I should start by investigating that odd metal instrument first.¡±


    Taking a deep breath, she approached Claud. ¡°What¡¯s that you¡¯re mourning over?¡±


    Claud looked up, a look of utter fatigue on his face. ¡°I took half a day to make this, but now it¡¯s ruined. Rest in peace, old buddy. Thank you for saving me from that dastardly Luna. You will not be forgotten.¡±


    ¡°So melodramatic,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Can¡¯t you repair it?¡±


    ¡°I could, yes. But just because I could, doesn¡¯t mean I should forget its sacrifice. Let me mourn its passing for a bit longer.¡± Claud bowed his head for another ten seconds, before his hands began to move. Within seconds, the metal stick had been dismantled into a small pile of components, which then went into various nooks and crannies of his clothes.


    Dia, who was still moved by his earlier sentence about not forgetting its sacrifice, found herself speechless. ¡°You just dismantled it! That¡¯s horrible! What happened to not forgetting its sacrifice?¡±


    Claud looked up at her. ¡°Well, you did tell me to repair it, right? How exactly under the Moons am I supposed to repair it without taking it apart?¡±


    ¡°¡­Good point.¡± Dia endured the feeling of being looked down on, before saying, ¡°Why did you make such a tool?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I needed an anti-Luna countermeasure,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I was thinking about how she had managed to coerce me back then. Was it due to my weakness? Or was it something else? And then, it hit me. Since Luna was a salesperson, she probably had a skill or two to convince people to buy things, right?¡±


    ¡°Like Area Compulsion?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. She said it herself. These Area Compulsion skillstrips were probably made by her, no? How else would she know their use-by date?¡± Claud¡¯s voice trailed off. ¡°Hmm. Interesting.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s interesting?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°I just thought of something odd, but it¡¯s pretty much irrelevant.¡± Claud patted his clothes. ¡°Anyway, it seems that Luna has a skill or two to make people buy her products, and that skill probably triggers through contact. When that thought hit me, I immediately came up with a countermeasure.¡±


    ¡°A countermeasure¡­you really like being prepared, don¡¯t you?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Hmm. But I did hear of such a skill before, though. The ¡®Contact¡¯ skill family. Specifically, Contact Coercion. Now that you mention it, she probably did used Contact Coercion on you last time.¡±


    The ¡®Contact¡¯ skill family were skills that shared a constant theme ¡ª the need to be in contact. There were many different abilities under that particular label, like Contact Heating, Contact Cooling and Contact Sweating. The last one was particularly famous as a joke skill, since it made the person one touched sweat profusely.


    ¡°Oh, so it has a name. That, at least, does justify why she¡¯s been jumping people randomly.¡± Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°It probably didn¡¯t help that she was¡­never mind.¡±


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Dia glanced at Risti, whose hands were being held by Luna passionately, and then decided to bail her buddy out before she agreed to buy something even more ridiculous. It was one thing to buy something in a sound state of mind, but it was an entirely different one to buy something while in an abnormal state.


    ¡°Risti!¡± Dia raised her voice. ¡°We really need to be going!¡±


    She looked up, her eyes slightly dazed, before a small tremor ran through her. ¡°Right. Ahem. Sorry, gotta run.¡±


    ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t you want to hear about¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll find you if I ever see a need for it,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Remember to send me those Illuminators by tomorrow.¡±


    To Luna¡¯s credit, she didn¡¯t push it. Instead, she nodded and scampered off, a relieved smile on her face. It would seem that she was really desperate to sell her overtuned products, instead of trying to fleece her customers for the sake of doing so¡­


    Probably, anyway.


    ¡°So, why did you get those Illuminators?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°One hundred hours of sunlight is no joking matter,¡± Claud added. ¡°How bright is that thing anyway? She made it sound like it could illuminate the entire city, and¡­wait, the entire city?¡±


    ¡°Do you now see why I brought it?¡± Risti asked. ¡°The cover of darkness is the best stage for people to sneak into the city. But if Licencia is constantly illuminated by a sun-like source, wouldn¡¯t it be harder?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite the generalisation,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Such strong light would cast shadows for people to hide in. You¡¯ll have to fire off one illuminator in the middle of Licencia, and then four more outside each side of the city for it to¡­wait. Huh.¡±


    ¡°You just gave a perfect solution,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I hadn¡¯t even thought of it. As expected of our security expert. So? Is buying the entire stock a good idea now?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be¡­but does it produce heat? If so, having five of these things up at once would make everyone sweat buckets, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Risti, Claud, can we continue this conversation in Moon Mansion?¡± Dia cut in. ¡°We haven¡¯t eaten yet, we¡¯re dead on our feet, and I really want to rest.¡±


    ¡°Ah, crud. My apologies, Dia. Let¡¯s go, then. It¡¯s not like I can beautify my Picker-upper in its current state now, right?¡± Claud heaved a sigh. ¡°Where did all that muscle strength come from? She didn¡¯t seem like someone who could truss up a chicken, so how did she break it?¡±


    ¡°Your naming sense sucks, by the way,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°There were so many things to comment on, and you just had to pick up the name I gave to my little baby, huh?¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°Come on, you can do better than that. Anyway, the two of you¡­good job out there. And welcome home.¡±


    Dia smiled.


    Risti trembled, and then nodded slowly. ¡°Thank you, Claud.¡±


    Perhaps, for Risti, this was the first time she had felt this moved by a simple statement. Dia didn¡¯t know if that was the case, but there was decidedly a spring in her step as they walked back to Moon Mansion.


    Another formless weight seemed to fall off her shoulders as they turned into Moon Street, which was as lively as she last remembered it. Significantly more children were playing games of make-believe, while the streetside stalls that had popped up over the past few weeks were as highly-patronised as ever. Masked people moved together in small groups, mingling and interacting with children that gathered around them as they walked.


    ¡°Beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± Claud murmured. ¡°If there was such a Moon Street twenty years ago¡­many people would have had far better lives. Unfortunately, no one dared to unify the underworld. To turn it into a haven of peace, of order.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Risti. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful. So much has changed. It hasn¡¯t been all that long, but¡­yes. Schwarz¡¯s decision to use those ballistae wasn¡¯t wrong.¡±


    ¡°I would never blame anyone for that. You guys did the correct thing, even at the risk of exposure.¡± Claud chuckled. ¡°Why would I ever blame you? If Count Nightfall had wronged you over that incident, I would do something about it.¡±


    ¡°You?¡± It was Risti¡¯s turn to chuckle. ¡°You¡¯ll just hide away, knowing you.¡±


    ¡°Hey! We had a moment going there, and you had to spoil it!¡± Claud huffed. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m not going to blame anyone for using the ballistae. Sure, we exposed ourselves in the public eye, but plans were always meant to be adjusted. And¡­I think the lives of the innocent are worth protecting. We could just flee and start over in a new city, but the dead cannot return to life.¡±


    ¡°Still, why did you install those ballistae?¡± Dia asked, curious. ¡°It must have cost a fortune to install them on something as flimsy as the dome.¡±


    ¡°I have trouble sleeping at night when I feel unsafe, okay?¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°In fact, I have better naps in Moon Mansion than at my home, which has turned into a storage for apple juice and fizzy drinks.¡±


    Dia licked her lips. ¡°You could move some over to Moon Mansion. We have a nice warehouse that¡¯s quite empty, right?¡±


    ¡°And let you fellows steal from me every day?¡± Claud sniffed. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°Curses. Foiled again.¡±


    Claud laughed. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Hurry up. Let¡¯s go back already. Schwarz, Farah and Lily are all worried sick about you guys. Onwards! Homewards!¡±


    ¡°What are you, a homesick traveller?¡± Risti clicked her teeth. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s double up¡­¡±

 Chapter 142: The welcome party

    Under the half-transparent dome that surrounded Moon Mansion, Dia felt herself relax fully. The days of being on edge now seemed like a distant memory to her, and the urge to sink into a deep, senseless sleep tightened its grip around her.


    As she wriggled her toes, Claud dashed off into the mansion a moment later, saying something about a celebration in honour for their triumphant and unwounded return. Dia, unfortunately, couldn¡¯t match his pace, given that the soles of her feet were aching. It was the side-effect of having walked for three days on end, and unfortunately, there was nothing anyone could do about it.


    Even the memory fragments from the Experiential Potions she drank was telling her that the only way to be unaffected by such pains was to¡­walk more.


    ¡°Oi! Farah! Lily! Schwarz! They¡¯re back!¡± Claud yelled, his voice echoing merrily throughout the place. ¡°Whip up your best food, you alcoholic prick! It¡¯s time for a celebration!¡±


    ¡°Alcoholic prick?¡± Dia murmured, amused.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even want to ask,¡± Risti replied. ¡°But yes, we¡¯re back. Odd. I feel like I¡¯ve said that for the sixth time today already, for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because the whole place seems to be telling us ¡®Welcome back¡¯,¡± Dia replied, pointing at a small streamer that hung off the roof of Moon Mansion. ¡°I don¡¯t know, really. The only thing I know is that I¡¯m looking forward to a nice hot meal, a proper shower, and my bed.¡±


    ¡°Same, same.¡± Risti stretched her back and let out a huge yawn. ¡°But we should at least talk to them and tell everyone about that problematic skill. That¡¯s critical information. They should know it as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Aww, shucks.¡± Despite her words, however, Dia heartily agreed that the others should learn about the Third Bearer of Destiny, as well as the Absolute Domination skill. The Seekers of Truth had been very generous with their knowledge, even though such things should have been heavily guarded. Was it a way of showing appreciation to the Moon Lords, an organisation that was in part led by Risti? Or was it something else?


    She didn¡¯t want to think too much ¡ª Dia preferred swinging a sword and teaching people ¡ª but for the first time ever since she learned the truth, she found herself pondering about the motive behind those tetra-folders. Were they hinting at something? Did they want insignificant one-folders to investigate this thorny issue?


    Shaking her head, she sniffed the air. It was devoid of the sickly-sweet odour of blood that had stuck to her for some time, ever since she killed the spear-throwing fellow called Number Twelve. The nightmares still haunted her, waking dreams of her failure time and again.


    ¡°Sniffing the air?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Why, are you so happy to be back?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dia replied. ¡°It¡¯s¡­nice. To be safe. To feel so secure. I can partially understand why Claud is this¡­paranoid now. It is in this paranoia that he protects himself, and in this protection, he finds ease.¡±


    Risti nodded. ¡°Having a dome over my head¡­I never thought I¡¯d say this, but it¡¯s nice to have such a thing.¡±


    The two shook their heads. This trip, which would have been a routine one in the eyes of any party from the Folders¡¯ Association or a mercenary, had been a life-changing one for Dia. Whether Risti felt the same or not, Dia didn¡¯t know, but she had the feeling that Risti indeed did feel the same.


    Trudging towards the entrance of the mansion, Dia pulled open the door. There, the other members of the Moon Lords had gathered, huge smiles on their face.


    ¡°Welcome back, you two,¡± said Farah. ¡°I heard it was quite dangerous out there.¡±


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    ¡°Yeah, Schwarz was really worried about you two, especially Risti,¡± said Lily. ¡°He was dying from overwork, you know? The original premise was that you two would split up internal and external intelligence, but look at his hair¡­¡±


    Dia glanced at the bartender. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything wrong with it.¡±


    ¡°Now wait just one moment, miss Dia.¡± Schwarz pointed to an area above his left ear. ¡°There¡¯s a bald patch here! See? There¡¯s a tiny spot where there¡¯s no more hair!¡±


    ¡°No more hair?¡± Dia squinted her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t really see the difference.¡±


    Schwarz took a step back, crestfallen. As for why he was crestfallen, Dia didn¡¯t want to find out, a sentiment that was clearly shared by Risti. Maybe he had some preoccupation with his looks, which was probably par for the course for a bartender. Or maybe he had an abnormal attachment to his hair.


    Who knew?


    ¡°Putting that unimportant matter aside,¡± said Risti, prompting Schwarz to gag on the spot, ¡°we bring back quite bad news from Nachtville. We caught the person who was killing off civilians, but that person was actually under the control of someone else.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Lily, ¡°we know.¡±


    ¡°You know? Did the count tell you?¡± Risti asked, curious.


    ¡°Not just that. A similar incident happened in Licencia too,¡± Lily replied, her face the very definition of dourness. ¡°Dia, do you remember Rodrio? One of your Moon Guards.¡±


    Dia froze. ¡°Yes. Did¡­something happen to him?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­well, dead,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Not physically dead. But someone used the same skill on Rodrio, the same skill that was used on the murderer at Nachtville. Under the influence of that skill, Rodrio was made to sabotage one of Farah¡¯s food drives, killing thirty-three people.¡±


    The world seemed to spin for a moment, and Dia found herself holding onto the door for support. She hadn¡¯t interacted much with the Moon Guards, choosing to act as their stern and silent trainer, but that didn¡¯t stop her from knowing the faces of the people under her tutelage.


    At this news, she couldn¡¯t help but regret the fact that she had been so impersonal in her training.


    ¡°How is he now?¡± Dia asked, her voice quiet.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to put it,¡± said Schwarz, his voice flowing and gentle, ¡°but his mind¡­his previous self no longer exists. He is but a shell now.¡±


    Dia trembled, but before she could do anything else, a small hand had landed on her shoulder.


    ¡°Not now, Dia.¡± Risti patted her shoulder. ¡°There¡¯ll be time for you to avenge him. And you won¡¯t be alone either.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said Farah, ¡°you won¡¯t.¡±


    With a jolt, Dia remembered what Lily had said earlier. Rodrio had been turned into an instrument of murder, whose aim was to sabotage Farah¡¯s food drive. The fact that people had died¡­that couldn¡¯t have had any good effect on the countess whatsoever.


    ¡°We¡¯ll find the culprit together,¡± said Dia. ¡°And then¡­we¡¯ll bring him to justice. Truss the culprit up and drag whoever it is to the Folders¡¯ Association, and then have the people there pass judgement on him.¡±


    ¡°No need for such formalities,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I¡¯ll execute him myself, with the authority vested in me as Countess Farah. You can hold the blade.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Many thanks.¡±


    ¡°A-alright, the two of you. We¡¯ll help out,¡± said Claud. ¡°Make sure to tell us before you do anything, or if we find a lead. Such an enemy, who¡¯s targeting us, cannot be allowed to roam free. Or else we¡¯ll be in danger anytime.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said the bartender. ¡°We¡¯re all in this together, a contract bound by the Moons¡¯ light.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± said Lily. ¡°So no running off by yourself, got it? The same goes for you too, Farah.¡±


    Dia felt somewhat disgruntled, but that was the extent of it. They had a point, and more importantly, she could tell that they weren¡¯t actually paying lip service. Nodding in silence, she held her head and made a point to talk to the Moon Guards more.


    ¡°Anyway¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hold up,¡± said Claud. ¡°If you¡¯re going to tell us your findings, Risti, at least do it over food. It¡¯s hard to hear you speak when your stomach¡¯s rumbling the whole time.¡±


    Thunder rumbled at those words, and Risti flushed. Claud gestured at her with his left hand, as if he wanted to make a point.


    It probably didn¡¯t help that the smell of roasted meat and rich soups were wafting into Dia¡¯s nose now, and as her tummy growled, she followed the others into the mansion. A vast spread of meat, soup and other delicate delicacies had been laid out, precisely the kind of food that the two of them couldn¡¯t have eaten while on the road or in an inn.


    ¡°You two have it lucky,¡± said Claud. ¡°When Lily and I returned home, our spread was far smaller.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound like you ordered this spread for them,¡± Farah replied, rolling her eyes. ¡°You were intending on having this feast tonight; it just so happened that they happened to come back too.¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t click your tongue at me just because I ratted you out.¡±


    As the two broke into a minor squabble, Dia found herself smiling, despite all the sad news. She would mourn, yes, but she would never forget the bright things in life.


    Stuffing the desire for justice into somewhere deep within her heart, she followed the others inside.

 Chapter 143: A vast sea of doubts

    After washing up thoroughly, at Claud¡¯s behest, Dia and Risti took their seats at the table.


    ¡°Still,¡± said Risti, ¡°why were you so insistent on us washing our hands this thoroughly?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be bad if you two got indigestion or something?¡± Claud replied, wiping his hands slowly with an embroidered napkin. ¡°You don¡¯t want to come back in triumph, only to be laid low by some dastardly poison. That would not make a good day, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°He has a point,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°Besides, now that you¡¯ve washed your hands and all, you can do this.¡±


    He grabbed a chicken drumstick, golden-brown and glistening with meaty goodness, before biting into it savagely. There was this raw, unbridled air to him, and within moments, Dia found herself agreeable to the notion of just chewing down like this, manners be damned.


    ¡°That¡¯s a very, very appealing notion,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°Right?¡±


    Shaking her head, Dia joined the others using her hands directly. For the next few minutes, what seemed like a bunch of starving fellows demolished the huge spread together, using the most unrefined methods known to man. Fortunately, at least, none of them were interested in licking the plates clean, although from the ravenous look on Claud¡¯s face, Dia had a feeling that he was not far from it.


    Did something happen to him?


    Shrugging, she went off to wash her hands.


    ¡°Nice and full?¡± Farah asked, glancing at Risti.


    ¡°My tummy seems to be silent now, so yes,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Right, findings. Where do we start?¡±


    ¡°From the beginning, then,¡± Lily replied. ¡°We need the context anyway, and Count Nightfall didn¡¯t give us many details when it came to describing how you two solved the case.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± said Dia. ¡°From the beginning. Risti, do you want to do the honours?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Risti replied. ¡°We¡¯ll start from when we were about to enter Nachtville then. Three or so days after we left Licencia, we arrived at Nachtville¡­or rather, were about to arrive at Nachtville when an uncanny fear assaulted us. Thankfully, Dia had the sense to use a bunch of defensive artefacts¡­¡±


    Risti began to talk about the first night they were there, and as Dia heard Risti¡¯s recollection, she found it somewhat unbelievable that they had managed to do all that. It was as if the Dia then was an entirely different person from the her now.


    ¡°That was an inspired solution,¡± Schwarz said, rousing Dia from her reverie. ¡°True. Skills like Clairvoyance don¡¯t work in an indoors environment, and to begin with, those spears were arching over the city walls. It was a good countermeasure.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Claud. ¡°There are no invincible skills.¡±


    He glanced at Lily. ¡°Okay, maybe there¡¯s one or two.¡±


    Dia tilted her head. Claud was referring to something Dia didn¡¯t understand, but from the out-of-character smirk that Lily was sporting, she could tell that it was probably some inside joke that the two had developed over their previous expedition. After making a note to investigate what seemingly-invincible skill Lily packed, she leaned back and listened to Risti as she continued her recounting.


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    The more she heard, the more unbelievable she found the past to be. In particular was the portion about how they had ambushed the killer, and Dia shivered when she heard about it. Granted, she wasn¡¯t by any means a life-loving person, but was that really her?


    Of course, Dia knew that the only reason why she felt all this was because some trick of the mind. She was very capable of acting and killing when the situation called for it, but there was some mechanism that distanced her conscious self from all these things.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Lily asked, reaching out to pat Dia on her hand. ¡°You look out of it.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Thanks. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s just that when I hear Risti recount what we did, I find it rather unbelievable. Like a dream that I couldn¡¯t quite remember.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Trauma?¡± Schwarz wondered out loud. ¡°It¡¯s quite common amongst my patrons. Other than the braggarts, many people come over and ask me for help, even famous mercenaries. Most of them, when they look back on their deeds, wonder if they actually were out of their minds at that time.¡±


    ¡°How did you respond?¡± Dia asked, curious.


    ¡°Well, I told them that the reason why their mind blurs those memories is to stop them from making danger a routine thing,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Farah added. ¡°Normalising danger leads to an increased chance of death of injury. By making memories that contain elements of danger seem foreign, danger is maintained as a threat to be respected at all times.¡±


    ¡°Somehow,¡± Dia muttered, ¡°I get a feeling you stuffed some public administration theories into that explanation.¡±


    Farah covered her mouth and laughed. ¡°Now, now. Who knows? Anyway, do continue on your riveting tale, Risti. That stopping point, though good, is not one I would be happy to stop at for long.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you guys were the ones to interrupt me. Anyway, I was talking about the Seekers of Truth, right?¡± Risti yawned. ¡°Well, that¡¯s where I¡¯m going to have everyone here pay attention.¡±


    Everyone straightened up.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± said Schwarz, ¡°we¡¯re listening.¡±


    ¡°Alright. First, the Seekers of Truth told us about this skill that was used to control the murderer.¡± Risti pondered for a moment, and then scribbled down the words. ¡°This whole line stands for ¡®Third Bearer of Destiny: Awakened¡¯. It takes up two skillslots, and apparently allows access to a skill Norn calls ¡®Absolute Domination¡¯.¡±


    The table shook slightly at those words.


    ¡°Claud?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    Claud looked back at him, his expression settling into a grave, featureless mask. ¡°Absolute. Doesn¡¯t it mean that the skill cannot be lifted by any method whatsoever? What¡¯s the difference between it and death?¡±


    Dia felt her heart twist up. She hadn¡¯t thought about it all that much, but skill names were very descriptive. If, indeed, that skill was truly absolute, then there was no hope for Rodrio and whoever else that had been affected by it.


    ¡°Is there¡­any way to counter that skill?¡± Dia asked, her voice quiet.


    Everyone froze, and Schwarz took a deep breath. ¡°Preliminary analysis by Count Nightfall tells us that the people under the control of Absolute Domination have been normal people so far.¡±


    ¡°People like you, then,¡± Risti noted.


    ¡°People who used to be like me,¡± Schwarz replied, a sunny smile on his face. ¡°As it turns out, there¡¯s something magical called a sub-folder, which I forked out ten years of my life on immediately.¡±


    ¡°Magical¡­¡± Dia frowned. ¡°Come to think of it, why isn¡¯t being a sub-folder common knowledge for everyone? Being a sub-folder allows one to learn Mana Manipulation. They¡¯ll become mages, at the very least. Why aren¡¯t there more sub-folders walking around and trying to make use of that?¡±


    Schwarz tilted his head. ¡°More¡­well, it is ten years of one¡¯s life. But yes, I¡­I didn¡¯t know about sub-folders until Count Nightfall himself told me about them. Is it some sort of restricted information?¡±


    Everyone looked around, but as if on cue, their eyes fell onto Farah.


    ¡°Why are you guys looking at me like that?¡± Farah shivered, and then rolled her eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re the only one who is actually the ruler of a territory,¡± Claud replied. ¡°If there¡¯s any standing policy to prevent laypeople from knowing about sub-folders, you¡¯ll definitely know, right?¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Lily added. ¡°You¡¯re the administrator of Farah County. Heck, the county¡¯s named after you!¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine. You two have a point.¡± She paused. ¡°Wait, we¡¯re getting off-topic. Can¡¯t we deal with that sub-folder thingy after we hear more about this Third Bearer of Destiny shindig?¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s all we know, actually,¡± said Risti. Her face flushed a moment later. ¡°Now that I think about it, our discussion about Absolute Domination was derailed in a similar manner to what¡¯s going on right now.¡±


    ¡°Are you two idiots?¡± Farah rubbed her head. ¡°Never mind. Anyway, is that everything?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much,¡± Risti replied. ¡°You can continue on your fascinating policy about sub-folders now.¡±


    ¡°Guess that¡¯s out of the bag now,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Anyway, there is such a policy¡­¡±

 Chapter 144: Training the newbies

    After a few hours of tossing and turning, Dia found herself getting up at the crack of dawn, unable to sleep. Her mind was full of what Farah had said, regarding the policies that surrounded the concept of a sub-folder, and she didn¡¯t like them at all.


    Did her kind father, who showed benevolence to both commoners and nobles, really abide by such a policy too? Did he restrict information about sub-folders to discourage the common folk from using lifestones themselves?


    She didn¡¯t know what to think.


    Nor did she want to.


    Splashing some water on her face, she pulled on her training gear and went out of the mansion. Virtually no one else was awake at this point of time, so training in her room might just rouse the others from their own rest as well.


    She glanced at her sword¡­or rather, the specialised hilt that her mother had given her, before setting it aside. Instead, she picked up her training blade, one that was meant to strengthen the muscles that dealt with swinging, stabbing and other sword-related movements, and then began her practice.


    The passage of time turned into a blur. Beads of sweat ran down her face, and whatever fatigue she felt numbed her thoughts. Right now, she just wanted to train her skill at the blade, making use of slow, flowing movements to deal with the incessant nightmares of flying spears.


    It would not do if the only way she handled those flying spears was through her mana circuits. The murderer, a vanilla, had managed to match her abrupt strike with pure reflexes alone, even when taken by surprise. Therefore, it stood to reason that her foundations were not fully developed yet; there was much more she could learn.


    Deep down, she had a feeling that her Sword Sense was integral to the whole thing. That skill boosted her reflexes, judgement and overall ability to assess the situation when used; if she could enter such a state without using Sword Sense, Dia had a feeling that she would reap an unexpected benefit.


    Letting the silence envelop her, Dia stayed as still as a statue, calculating and recreating a mental model of the world around her, with her weapon as the focal point.


    Twenty metres behind her, the air trembled. Restraining the urge to dodge, she lowered her blade and noted the rising sun. A small bunch of people, radiating trace amounts of mana, were heading over. It was the daily practice session for the Moon Guards, but their numbers were far smaller now.


    Apparently, some time ago, the others had gathered the Moon Guards and told them about becoming a sub-folder. Of course, the rest of the Moon Lords didn¡¯t tell them anything about a sub-folder directly, instead stating that their pay would increase if they forked over ten years of their life. Those that weren¡¯t willing could join the general members instead, which most of them did.


    The ones that remained, however, had been brought into the fold as sub-folders. In the wake of the threat posed by Absolute Domination, Claud and Schwarz had apparently found it a necessity to ensure that the Moon Guards, the elites of the Moon Lords, were immune to the effects of Absolute Domination.


    Even then, however, neither of them was at ease simply because these people were now sub-folders.


    ¡°Instructor.¡± The five people took up positions in front of her. ¡°Welcome back.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m back,¡± said Dia. ¡°How is every¡ª¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°No, that¡¯s wrong. No one¡¯s fine. No one could be fine, after what happened to Rodrio. Therefore, I will not ask that question. Ladies, gentlemen, let us resume our training, but for today, I shall talk about the use of mana in fighting.¡±


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    The others stiffened up, and Dia nodded to herself. ¡°Mana is a mutated form of lifeforce. Capable of passing through your blood vessels and flesh, if you learn to manipulate it well, you can increase your strength and reflexes, or even move in ways impossible to vanillas.¡±


    Changing her stance into a one-handed grip, Dia channelled her mana and slashed out. Two arcs of light seemed to bite down on the air in front of her, stirring up a small gust of wind that swept their hair.


    ¡°Does anyone recognise what I just did?¡± Dia looked around, and then shrugged. ¡°It is a classic, beginner move for most mercenaries, the skill ¡®Twin Bite¡¯. Of course, there are many differences, including the fact that a fake Twin Bite like what I did would lose in power when faced with the real deal.¡±


    The group of five whispered amongst themselves.


    A teenager stepped out. ¡°Instructor, then what¡¯s the point of learning such a skill?¡±


    ¡°Not everyone has the leeway to become a sub-folder, Garen.¡± Dia frowned. For some reason, she had unconsciously subscribed to Farah¡¯s explanation about policies regarding sub-folders. It was a rather simple policy too ¡ª to discourage people from using lifestones they picked up. If they didn¡¯t know about sub-folders, common folk would be more likely to sell any lifestones they found, since having a longer life meant nothing much to most people.


    ¡°Is that all?¡±


    Dia blinked twice, and then returned her attention to the ongoing conversation. ¡°No. More important, skills are¡­well, I wouldn¡¯t say absolute in nature, but once used, they cannot be stopped easily. Even if you were to faint right after activating the Twin Bite skill, your body would still carry out these movements to the end.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re inflexible, then.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like a disadvantage. But yes, such a skill is inflexible, which is why most mercenaries don¡¯t actually have this skill. It is a rudimentary skill for mercenaries-in-training; most of them prefer enhancement skills like Heightened Response and Heightened Senses,¡± Dia explained, calling on her imperfect understanding of mercenaries.


    She moved on to telling them about channelling mana, which for them, could only be done while Mana Manipulation was activated. It was somewhat sad to see that they had to resort to a skill to reach their peak state, but being able to expend a hundred years of life for increased combat ability wasn¡¯t something anyone could do.


    It didn¡¯t take long before they broke up to conduct their individual practice. Dia, who had grown used to teaching a rather huge class, felt a bit lost at the small group of five swinging away, but that was just how life was.


    Things had to change.


    ¡°Dia.¡± A voice called out to her from behind. ¡°Huh. You sure are hardworking. Not even a full day back home, and you¡¯re already training the Moon Guards.¡±


    Rolling her eyes, Dia turned around to look at Schwarz. ¡°There¡¯s nothing much I can do anyway. You and Risti take care of intelligence, Farah¡¯s the administrator of this city, Claud¡¯s busy handling security, and for some reason, Lily¡¯s acting as his student.¡±


    ¡°True, that. Still, there is nothing much I can do now. Why not teach me? I just became a one-folder, but I¡¯m still the weakest of you guys. Heck, Farah can lift a giant sword and swing it around with ease.¡±


    ¡°And you can¡¯t?¡± Dia squinted at Schwarz, who looked like he worked out often. To be fair, everyone in the Moon Lords had a pretty good physique, so it was probably an issue of him not knowing how to make use of his newfound strength.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I think I¡¯m the most qualified person here to train you,¡± said Dia. ¡°Be honoured. I¡¯m going to teach you the way my instructor did, and she was a tetra-folder.¡±


    ¡°Wait, hold on. Can I¡ª¡±


    ¡°No can do. Second thoughts don¡¯t exist in the mind of a warrior.¡± Dia handed her sword to Schwarz, who promptly fell over upon receiving it. ¡°Get up. It¡¯s time to teach you how to fight properly.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait!¡± Schwarz struggled to his feet. ¡°What in the name of the Moons is up with this sword? Why is it so heavy?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only a hundred and ten kilograms,¡± Dia replied, her tone severe. ¡°If I can lift it, so can you. You want to learn, right? Then pick up that sword and start moving your mana!¡±


    She paused. ¡°Or, you know, you could let the others look down on you.¡±


    ¡°You monster¡­¡± Schwarz placed two hands on the sword handle, and lifted it up. Blue light leaked out from his arms, prompting Dia to poke them twice.


    ¡°Wrong, wrong. Restrain your mana output. If your hands are shining from just lifting something up, you¡¯re not doing it properly!¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°Come on. Control your mana. You don¡¯t need to dump one-fifth of your mana reserves into lifting this sword. Feel the strength coursing through your veins, and synchronise them with your muscles.¡±


    ¡°Looks like I need to get hands-on, then.¡± Dia stretched her fingers. ¡°You better be prepared for a long day, Schwarz!¡±


    The bartender whimpered, but the only response Dia had to give was a small pinprick of blue light in her index finger.

 Chapter 145: The broken spear

    ¡°Ah, that felt great.¡± Dia looked at the bartender, who was busily imitating a cooked prawn. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that watching people improve this much over one session can be this gratifying. What is with this inordinate sense of gratification?¡±


    Schwarz twitched. ¡°I¡¯m sure the only reason why you¡¯re feeling this gratified is because you spent the past four hours tormenting me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t use the wrong words, okay?¡± Dia raised a finger. A faint blue light burned on her finger. It didn¡¯t look like much, but the sight of the faint light was enough to make Schwarz hobble back onto his feet again.


    ¡°N-noted.¡± Schwarz rubbed his muscles. ¡°Man, they hurt. Is it normal for mana-users to swing around weapons that weigh around a hundred kilograms?¡±


    ¡°Only in training.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of making me suffer through all this, then?¡± The bartender raised the training sword in his hand. Now that he had gotten the hang of it, his muscles weren¡¯t leaking blue light anymore.


    ¡°Check your status,¡± said Dia. ¡°You might be able to see a change in something.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Schwarz took a deep breath. ¡°Lyceris, Goddess of Learning, Fount of Knowledge¡ªhuh? What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s what?¡± Dia asked. ¡°You look shocked.¡±


    ¡°A textbox just appeared in front of me. What¡¯s this? By saying ¡®status¡¯, I can¡­huh. Interesting.¡± Schwarz cleared his throat and placed the training sword down. ¡°Let¡¯s try it out. Status.¡±


    ¡°Did you not check your status after you became a one-folder?¡± Dia rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re weird.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t use your standards to judge other people.¡± Schwarz examined the air in front of him, interest written all over his face. ¡°Huh. There¡¯s so much detail in this status. It¡¯s as if¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re no longer like the common folk,¡± Dia completed his sentence. ¡°What¡¯s your Mana Control Proficiency? With this set of training, it should be at Initiate now.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, it is at Initiate,¡± said Schwarz replied. ¡°Wait, are you saying that it¡¯s because I did this training that it¡¯s at Initiate?¡±


    ¡°Correct. There are five levels to Mana Control Proficiency ¡ª Novice, Initiate, Intermediate, Expert, Master. Without this specialised training, you would have been stuck at Novice. Of course, your talent plays a part in it too, since most people take a few sessions to advance.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­how do these classifications work?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°For instance, what¡¯s the difference between Novice and Initiate?¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s a concrete example,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Someone who is ranked Novice can manipulate a mana strand that contains one percent of their current mana like a third arm. In contrast, someone who is ranked Initiate can output ten percent of their overall reserve with ease.¡±


    Schwarz nodded. ¡°I see. The greater one¡¯s Mana Control Proficiency, the more mana they can control skilfully.¡±


    ¡°Correct. For someone with Intermediate proficiency, like me, I can manipulate one-fourth of my overall mana without any leakage whatsoever,¡± said Dia. ¡°Once it goes above that, I start to leak blue light and everything from my arms or legs.¡±


    ¡°Oh. So that¡¯s why there was a focus on not letting blue light out, eh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Incidentally, the reason why epic clashes and showdowns always see two people emanating blue light is because they¡¯re manipulating mana above their proficiency levels,¡± Dia replied. ¡°The books mostly get it wrong. Letting out light and heat in battle is a mark of using too much mana. The brighter the light, the greater the waste.¡±


    ¡°I feel disillusioned for some reason.¡±


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    ¡°Feel free to cry or something, I guess. But the light from activating certain skills can¡¯t be blocked out, so it¡¯s not really a blanket criticism of the whole shining bit and all.¡± Dia thought for a moment, and then began to slash out over and over. ¡°If I want to, I can increase the amount of mana I¡¯m manipulating to improve my strength.¡±


    The sounds of air parting intensified as Dia channelled more and more mana into her arms. The sword, which was a hundred and ten kilograms, was now like a feather to her.


    ¡°See? I¡¯m still controlling my mana perfectly, which is why there is no light so far. Once I go overboard, however¡­¡±


    Hundreds of afterimages followed as her arms began to glow faintly. Wind howled all around her, and even Schwarz began to stand back. The best way to train one¡¯s Mana Control Proficiency was to hover around the limit, which was indicated by the fact that only the blood vessels were glowing. Too bright, and it was essentially a loss of control. If there was no light, one wasn¡¯t pushing their limits.


    A hollow fatigue gripped her body, and the faint lines around her arms began to darken.


    ¡°So yes, that¡¯s about it,¡± said Dia, wiping off her sweat. ¡°For someone like me, whose talents lie in combat, this is what we try to do every day. Of course, since your talents lie elsewhere, you don¡¯t need to worry about this too much. The others also rank Initiate in mana control, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Schwarz rubbed his arms. ¡°I¡¯m going to go back now. There¡¯s a bunch of documents lying around for me to examine.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing.¡± Dia yawned. ¡°Maybe I should go back to sleep or something, though.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Farah give you another assignment yesterday? You should hurry up and work on it. Remember to use the Band of Duplicity when you¡¯re out there walking, got it?¡± Schwarz waved a hand. ¡°See you at lunch or something, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Right, an assignment.¡± As Schwarz vanished off into the distance, Dia thought about the various things the others had gotten her to do. Risti and Farah wanted her to gather data on Licencia¡¯s inns, while Claud wanted her to try breaking into Licencia at night, through the city¡¯s defences.


    After checking up on the Moon Guards, who were now running laps around the mansion, she returned the training gear to their original locations and headed into the house, where Farah was reading a newspaper.


    ¡°Anything interesting?¡± Dia asked.


    Farah nodded, her expression sour. ¡°There is. In fact, it¡¯s so interesting that Lily and Claud have went over to check it out, with Risti acting as their support.¡±


    ¡°Bad news, then.¡±


    The countess nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve found Zulan Patra.¡±


    ¡°The Spear of Fate? Didn¡¯t he leave Licencia angrily a few weeks back after some disagreement? Why would he come back?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Bold of you to assume that he had a choice in coming back,¡± Farah replied. ¡°No, we¡¯ve found his dead body. From the state of decay, he has been dead for some time.¡±


    The world seemed to shake for a moment. ¡°Dead?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Deader than a doornail. Kicked the bucket. Pushing up the moonflowers. Yes. He¡¯s dead. Here. Read the news and see for yourself.¡±


    Dia looked at the newspaper.


    Apparently, after repeated reports of a horrible smell by residents, the Licencia¡¯s administration had dispatched some of the city guards over to check out the place. What they saw, however, was not for the eyes of the faint-hearted. Zulan Patra¡¯s decaying, half-liquid body sat in the middle of the living room, a dull spear at his feet.


    The corpse was chained down heavily, but the most terrifying of all was how he died. The top half of his skull was nowhere to be seen, and initial analysis by the city guard revealed that his brain had been dug out by some perverted murderer.


    By their estimation, the Spear of Fate had been dead for weeks. The owner of the house wasn¡¯t any better too ¡ª his equally-decayed body was found not too far away.


    ¡°For such a thing to happen¡­¡±


    ¡°Especially since the count has departed for Istrel¡¯s inauguration,¡± said Farah. ¡°We¡¯ve been asked to investigate the Spear of Fate¡¯s death by the administration, to give an accounting to the Church of the White God.¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s been dead for weeks, right? And he had ostensibly left Licencia too,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Now that I think about it, after that Tri-Head Snake incident, the Spear of Fate hasn¡¯t been in the public eye. He must have been killed at that time, and¡ª¡±


    A horrifying thought as memories of her discussion with Norn floated to the forefront of the mind.


    Brain matter.


    An abnormal proficiency with the spear.


    Experiential Potions.


    As those terms floated around in her mind, Dia found herself connecting the dots.


    ¡°No way,¡± Dia murmured. ¡°This can¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°Dia?¡±


    ¡°They were using Zulan Patra¡¯s brain to create Experiential Potions,¡± Dia murmured. ¡°To create enhanced versions of these potions.¡±


    Farah froze. ¡°Wait. What are you saying? What do you know?¡±


    Dia shivered and hugged herself. What kind of person did it take, to treat others as materials to be harvested? As ingredients to cook something? She didn¡¯t know, but such a person could only be a monster and nothing else.


    ¡°Dia?¡± Farah grabbed her shoulder. ¡°Do you know something about these things?¡±


    Dia hesitated for a moment. It was possible that the others might guess that she had used Experiential Potions to build up her foundation as a mercenary, but¡­


    This wasn¡¯t the time to think about superfluous things.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dia replied. ¡°The party leader of the Seekers of Truth, Norn, had a little discussion with me in private¡­¡±

 Chapter 146: Murder most foul

    Licencia, the City of Trades. Home to tens of thousands of residents, the city could be called a regional capital of sorts in the dukedom of Istrel, with lots and lots of streets. These streets were usually full of people, but for one particular nameless street, a certain house had been given a wide berth.


    Claud didn¡¯t need to sniff too hard to know why.


    The stench of a dead body was hanging around the air. Judging from the nauseating smell, the body had been rotting for upwards of a week, which begged the question of why no one had noticed it earlier.


    Or did people notice, but not bother themselves to report upwards until the smell was too great? Claud didn¡¯t know.


    To his side, Lily scrunched up her nose.


    ¡°Is the smell too strong for you?¡± Claud asked. ¡°If it is, you should consider breathing through your mouth instead. It¡¯s better¡­although I did hear of soldiers complaining about ingesting the wrong thing while digging a latrine.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re getting close to the house in question,¡± Lily replied, her voice stilted. ¡°If I open my mouth now, I might catch something nasty.¡±


    Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°You could ask me for help, though. The moment I heard it was a murder case, I searched through my little trove of artefacts and found something.¡±


    ¡°What did you find?¡±


    ¡°Some one-use tools.¡± Claud fished out two masks. They weren¡¯t the normal masks that offered full face coverage, however. The masks he had only covered the nose and the mouth, which meant that one couldn¡¯t quite use it to actually do any dark deeds.


    ¡°One-use?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They can only be used once. I think I brought them a year or two ago for some reason I can¡¯t quite remember.¡± Claud handed a mask over to Lily, and then pulled on the other. The stench immediately receded, replaced with a fragrant herbal scent that made Claud relax. ¡°See? Is this better?¡±


    Lily nodded.


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Claud touched the mask on his face gingerly. Now that he was wearing one of these masks, he felt surprisingly comfortable. At ease, even. Was this a sign that he preferred wearing masks where possible? Claud didn¡¯t know, but it sure felt that way.


    Before long, the two of them arrived at their destination. It wasn¡¯t too hard to spot, considering that an investigation by the city guards were well underway. Clad in the usual drab brown, two sentinels stood at the small garden gate at the side, their eyes alight with caution.


    ¡°I¡¯m Claud, and this is Lily.¡± Nodding at the two guards, he produced the small seal that Count Nightfall had issued to the Moon Lords. ¡°We¡¯re here to assist in the investigation.¡±


    ¡°I understand, sir.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡± Claud nodded at the two guards.


    ¡°Captain Blake is already investigating the murder inside,¡± said one of the guards. ¡°A word of warning. Announce your presence before entering, or else the consequences might be a bit painful.¡±


    ¡°Painful?¡± Claud tilted his head. ¡°Alright, thank you for your advice.¡±


    Stepping through the gate, the two headed for the house¡¯s front door. Wild weeds flanked the only path there, twirling around any little flowers that were still struggling to eke out a living.


    It was a sad sight to see, a notion made especially poignant given Claud¡¯s knowledge of what they were about to investigate later.


    Knocking at the door, Claud identified himself and Lily as investigators from the city administration itself, before stepping in. He was very aware that there was a difference between the city guards and Licencia¡¯s administration itself ¡ª the people investigating earlier belonged to the former, while he and Lily belonged to the latter. It would not do to start off on the wrong foot, at the very least.


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    A nauseating sight entered his vision as he stepped into the living room. He had read the initial reports, along with Lily, but the reports had been¡­underwhelming.


    In the centre of the living room was a man strapped to a chair. Chains of all kinds tied him down to it, and he was missing his feet and hands. The top half of his head had been neatly severed, in a way that reminded Claud of his own Box-opener when it cut through the Julan treasury walls, revealing the gory inwards of Zulan Patra¡¯s skull.


    Or it would have, if not for the fact that there was nothing there. The entire upper half of Zulan Patra¡¯s skull was gone, leaving behind a gaping hollow and an agonised expression on Zulan Patra¡¯s face, which was the only part that hadn¡¯t rotted. It was a stomach-churning sight, and to his right, Lily swayed on the spot lightly.


    What kind of monster would do something like this? It was one thing to kill someone, but another to subdue a four-fold mana-user, bind him in such a manner, and then cut off part of his head to extract the brain inside. The murderer had even preserved the dead man¡¯s facial expression at the time of his death.


    Even if Zulan Patra was an arrogant prick, no one deserved to die in such a manner.


    ¡°Moons¡­¡± Claud murmured.


    A small hand grabbed his own, and Claud turned to look at the pale, white-faced Lily. Patting her shoulder with his free hand, he guided her gently along to the person who seemed like the commander of the whole investigation, a burly man that was staring at the corpse.


    ¡°Captain Blake.¡±


    The man grunted, and then got up. ¡°Claud, Lily. Thank you for taking the time to come down here.¡±


    ¡°It is us who should be thanking you for your hard work,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But I fear this isn¡¯t the time for pleasantries.¡±


    ¡°My thoughts exactly,¡± the captain replied. He turned back to the mutilated corpse that once used to be Zulan Patra, before making a small grimace. ¡°This is one of the worst ways to die. I¡¯d rather be blown up on the spot, rather than being strapped to a chair and sliced open.¡±


    ¡°Sliced open?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He pointed at the putrefying torso of the corpse. ¡°The murderer took out most of the internal organs for some inane, incomprehensible purpose. It¡¯s not obvious at first glance, but you can see the fine slit here. If I tug on it, you two will have a graphic lesson on what the human body looks like from the inside.¡±


    Claud wanted to throw up, but since he was wearing a one-use mask, he could only suppress the urge to vomit. Taking a deep breath ¡ª which was fortunately still herbal-scented ¡ª he stared at the corpse and looked at it properly. This was no time to reminisce about how this man had nearly sniffed him out, but he couldn¡¯t help but have mixed feelings about Zulan Patra¡¯s death.


    Would anyone link it to the Thief of Time? The chances of that happening weren¡¯t zero by any chance, after all. How many people could cripple and capture Zulan Patra in such a fashion?


    ¡°Anyway,¡± continued Captain Blake, who was unaware of Claud¡¯s deliberations, ¡°I suspect that this whole thing was done to facilitate a skill¡¯s acquisition condition.¡±


    ¡°Acquisition condition?¡± Lily asked.


    Claud nodded. ¡°Some skills cannot be obtained through inheritance or observation, only purely through act and deed alone. There are some famous examples, like Water Breathing, which allows you to breath in water¡­but the acquisition method is ridiculously convoluted.¡±


    Another such skill was Flight, whose acquisition conditions were being in freefall and a helpful dose of luck. However, choking on water and falling through the air was nothing compared to killing someone and taking out their organs, before chopping off half their head to take out the brain inside.


    ¡°What kind of monster would do that? To do all¡­¡± Lily¡¯s words cut off for a moment, and she gestured randomly. ¡°Just for a skill? Is the life of someone worth less than a skill?¡±


    ¡°My sentiments exactly,¡± Claud muttered.


    It went against everything he stood for. Claud loved life. To be alive and conscious like he was right now was a miracle of miracles. The fact that he had a body that was capable of understanding the beauty of the world was nothing but a wonder.


    Why would anyone want to cruelly crush such a phenomenon? To deprive others of their lives? This wasn¡¯t the first time Claud had felt this indignant ¡ª such feelings were why he had headed over to Julan, despite the risk of venturing out ¡ª but he had never seen such a flagrant demeaning of life for a long time.


    He gripped his fist and turned to the corpse, inclining his head ever so slightly.


    ¡°We might not be able to find the culprit,¡± Captain Blake muttered. ¡°That bastard¡¯s trail has gone cold long ago. Moons take the killer, whoever it is.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not the only one either too, right?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yes. The owner of this house¡­probably, anyway.¡± The captain grimaced once more. ¡°He¡¯s been dead for at least ten days. There¡¯s nothing much left to look at, but at least his head is complete.¡±


    ¡°Why is there such a difference?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Maybe there¡¯s a skill whose acquisition conditions is plucking out the brains of a mana-user,¡± Captain Blake replied. ¡°I hope to the Moons that there¡¯s no such skill, but if there is, the killer might just have nabbed it.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like good news.¡±


    ¡°Well, the killer would have to lose a skill to learn it,¡± the captain replied. ¡°And besides, what kind of distorted, perverse skill would one learn from doing such a thing?¡±


    After sighing in accord, Claud and Lily joined Captain Blake in looking for more clues.

 Chapter 147: The hollowed head and the murderers motive

    There wasn¡¯t much to look at. Other than the bedroom that contained the corpse of the house¡¯s owner, the rest of the rooms were in a general state of disarray. Only the kitchen was relatively cleaner ¡ª someone had lugged in a cauldron to cook some stew or whatnot, judging from the marks.


    ¡°Some diabolical brain stew or something, perhaps,¡± Captain Blake said. ¡°Why else would someone specifically bring a giant heavy pot into the house with two corpses?¡±


    ¡°I hope you meant that as a joke,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°I wish it was. However, how else would you explain the fact that the murderer saw the need to bring a giant cauldron into the house? The stove is still working, last I checked.¡±


    Claud stared at Captain Blake, but doing so didn¡¯t help him refute that particular possibility.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it seem like quite the possibility? Someone ambushed Zulan Patra and dug his brains out, before making some¡­¡± The captain didn¡¯t continue his sentence, but his grossed-out face was more than enough to finish his sentence. ¡°You guys, found anything of use?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much, sir.¡±


    ¡°No, captain.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯m not surprised. But if that¡¯s all we have going for us, we¡¯ll have to apply for help from the headquarters. There¡¯s someone who can replay the scene of a crime there, and I think the bloody, gruesome murderer of a tetra-folder is enough to get them moving,¡± said Captain Blake.


    ¡°There¡¯s someone with such a skill?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Once they arrive, we¡¯ll be able to figure out what roughly happened, but it can take months for someone to mana-walk their way from Grandia to this far-flung county,¡± said the captain. ¡°We¡¯ll have to report to the Church of the White God and get them to help out too. They won¡¯t be happy about this, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t know all that much about the Church of the White God, but given its influence in the Istrel Dukedom, they probably had their headquarters in the dukedom capital. It would indeed be a lot faster to get them to come down here instead.


    ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll vent their anger at Licencia?¡±


    ¡°Probably. But the death of a zealot won¡¯t be easily compensated, that¡¯s for sure.¡± Captain Blake had a sour look on his face. ¡°They¡¯ll probably force the city to open up a local parish for them or something.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem that bad,¡± Lily noted.


    ¡°No, not for now. But this opens the floodgates for the other churches to come in too. And then we¡¯ll see small squabbles between the priests stationed here¡­even though the Coloured Gods are actually a team.¡± Captain Blake shrugged.


    ¡°You sound experienced in this.¡±


    ¡°Hard not to, when the nine churches swept through the Umbra Sovereignty twenty-six or so years ago. I was like twelve at the time, and my family had to stay indoors the whole time, since there was so much fighting on the streets. Count Nightfall had to evict them personally, and he never let them in ever since.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± said Lily, ¡°did you hear about those murders that were going on in Nachtville?¡±


    ¡°What of it?¡± Captain Blake asked, before his eyes widened slightly. ¡°Right. Right. I know what you¡¯re getting at now. Yes, the Church of the Black God should be dropping by Nachtville anytime. After all, the murderer was one of their priests.¡±


    ¡°Priests? I sure didn¡¯t hear about that bit.¡±


    ¡°Just came in.¡± The captain shook his head, before making his way out. ¡°And I can¡¯t believe I got used to this mortifying smell. Follow me, the two of you. We¡¯ll go to the city administration, and then send a letter to the Church of the White God.¡±


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    Lily and Claud glanced at each other and followed the captain out. It didn¡¯t take long for them to cordon off the area properly, and other than leaving behind an unfortunate guard to watch the area, everyone departed from the area.


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to bury the corpse?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said Captain Blake. ¡°I¡¯ve preserved the crime scene with a skill. Nothing will change for the next ten days. Besides, if we stayed any longer, we¡¯ll stink for the next few days.¡±


    ¡°A skill?¡± Claud asked, interested.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a skill that the clergy of the Indigo God can give out,¡± said Lily. ¡°If it¡¯s anything to do with time, that¡¯s the god we¡¯re looking for.¡±


    ¡°Bingo, missy. The skill I used is ¡®Indigo God¡¯s Canvas¡¯. It preserves a user-defined area for ten days, preventing it from being affected by environmental changes,¡± said Captain Blake. ¡°Dust, rot¡­natural processes, in general, will be frozen.¡±


    ¡°Frozen¡­¡± Claud tried to imagine a scene in which he was frozen in time by some guard, and then shivered slightly. ¡°Is there a version that could freeze someone in time?¡±


    ¡°If there is, I imagine such a skill would only be learned by the highest echelons of the Indigo Church. Maybe their Holy Child or something.¡± Captain Blake replied. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s a really useful skill. I use it every few days at home, so that there won¡¯t be any dust or dirt.¡±


    ¡°Talk about a mundane use,¡± Lily observed wryly. ¡°But it does sound nice, having a perpetually clean home.¡±


    ¡°Not perpetually clean. I still have to wash my plates and everything after eating. But dust and general wear and tear has nothing on my house anymore.¡± Captain Blake grinned for a few seconds, and then let the smile on his face slide off. ¡°Alright. Thank you for accompanying me in small talk.¡±


    ¡°The pleasure is ours,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re not the only person who feels out of sorts right now.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°The bartender of Triple-D did say it before. If something traumatic happens, our memories and perception of that event is more fuzzy than usual.¡±


    ¡°Traumatic¡­yeah, that might be it. Maybe I¡¯ll give them a few days off after the people from the White Church arrives.¡± Captain Blake rubbed his head. ¡°Bartender, eh? When is his bar open?¡±


    ¡°Used to be the whole day, but now, it¡¯s at night,¡± Claud replied. ¡°The bartender has a second day job now.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Is he hiring? I could quit this job and open the bar for him in the daytime,¡± said Captain Blake. ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough insanity to last my whole life; quitting sounds great now.¡±


    ¡°Quitting, huh¡­well, you can ask him about it,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know if he has vacancies or anything.¡±


    ¡°Me neither,¡± Lily added.


    ¡°Okay then.¡± Captain Blake turned to look at the three city guards following him. ¡°Disillusioned by your captain? He¡¯s a quitter now, if nothing else. It sucks to be a guard in those chaotic times.¡±


    ¡°No worries, sir. If you quit, I might be able to take over your position.¡± One of the guards grinned brightly. ¡°Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°You and your ambitions. Well, just wait for me to secure a new job first.¡± The captain chuckled. ¡°How many times have I said this already, guys?¡±


    ¡°This is your thirty-third time, sir.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t know what to make of that little conversation, so he chose to think about the murder that had happened so far. The two of them were essentially witnesses to the last time Zulan Patra appeared in public ¡ª the Spear of Fate had stolen a mana herb from a Tri-head Snake. What happened after that? How did he end up dead?


    Who killed him, and brought his corpse back to Licencia? Or was he captured and then smuggled into the city?


    Claud didn¡¯t know which possibility was better, given that smuggling a captive into the city was no mean feat. Either way, it had to have happened before Claud pushed out a bunch of methods to improve security, since there was no conceivable way someone could have snuck a corpse into the city.


    Unless, of course, they had inside help.


    ¡°This is insane,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Say, Lily. When do you think Zulan Patra was captured?¡±


    ¡°You think he was captured, and then murdered afterwards?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Correct. I get a feeling that he was tortured and everything before his death. And we haven¡¯t quite identified a direct cause of death yet. It¡¯s possible that he died from the torture itself, but why would anyone risk torturing a tetra-folder? They can apparently blow themselves up too, right? Why didn¡¯t that happen?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just leave this to the Church of the White God to handle,¡± said Lily. ¡°I get a feeling that all this is too dangerous for us right now.¡±


    ¡°I agree, but¡­¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°There¡¯s a dangerous, insane murderer on the loose. If we don¡¯t do anything about that person¡­well, who¡¯s to say that the next victim won¡¯t be me? Or you? If the killer can take down Zulan Patra, no one in this city is going to be a match.¡±


    ¡°But you can¡¯t do it, can you? Neither you, me or the Moon Lords together can possibly hope to triumph in a direct confrontation,¡± Lily replied. ¡°We¡¯ll have to rely on trickery if we are to disable or kill the murderer outright.¡±


    Claud, despite himself, nodded.


    No one would believe him if he said he could theoretically kill the murderer, after all. The master thief had no intention of letting anyone know about Absolute One ¡ª his intuition was warning him of untold dangers in that regard.


    ¡°In that case,¡± said Claud, ¡°we¡¯ll¡­let the Church of the White God handle this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for the best, I guess.¡±


    Claud glanced at the chattering guards in front of him, and then wondered if they constantly lived under the same fear he was feeling now.


    That could not have been an enviable lifestyle.

 Chapter 148: The interim ruler of Licencia

    Nightfall Palace¡­or not, actually. The city administration for Licencia was actually a small building to the left of the glamorous palace itself. Claud was surprised to hear about how everyone ¡ª including Nightfall himself ¡ª went over to the small dull building to work every day, but on hindsight, it did make sense. Being surrounded by luxury would probably distract even the most focused on individuals over time.


    That didn¡¯t stop Claud from wanting to go in, though, but he wasn¡¯t thick-skinned enough to enter the palace when everyone else was walking over to the drab flat that was adjacent to the Nightfall Palace.


    ¡°Yeah, no chance of going in unless we get an invitation,¡± said Captain Blake. ¡°Pity. Well, on the bright side, we can at least handle most of the issues in a small space.¡±


    ¡°You sound familiar with this place,¡± said Lily. ¡°Do you visit the administration often?¡±


    ¡°Every time some case that makes me want to retire shows up,¡± Captain Blake replied. ¡°There¡¯s always something big happening every few months or so, but I didn¡¯t expect us to be saddled with the search for Tot and Zulan Patra at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Claud bobbed his head. ¡°Tot. We were told to look for him. Nightfall was of the opinion that the Thief of Time might have held Zulan Patra in custody, but I suppose the truth¡¯s scarier than fiction, eh?¡±


    ¡°Why would an old monster from the Third Godsfall do anything like that?¡±


    ¡°Beats me, but maybe the count knows something we don¡¯t,¡± Lily replied.


    Claud could only roll his eyes, because there was absolutely no way he was capable of doing something as stupendously idiotic as holding Zulan Patra captive. If push came to shove and he came to blows with the Spear of Fate with no way out, he would activate Absolute One, and then all his skills at once, before rushing out to give the bugger the biggest smack of his life.


    If it worked, great. If it didn¡¯t, there wasn¡¯t anything else left to lose in the first place, so all was fine. Letting a hostile tetra-folder live was not something he could risk. It was one thing to spare vanillas, but another to spare such a terrifying opponent.


    More importantly, though, all this was just him speaking out of his hat.


    It was just him being brave.


    ¡°I really doubt that,¡± said Claud. ¡°I think he¡¯s just trying to shift the¡­huh. Maybe he knew about Zulan Patra¡¯s death and wanted to shift it to Tot?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t make sense. If Tot got mad, that would be the end of the count,¡± said Lily. ¡°I think the murderer¡¯s the one who wants to shift it to Tot, though. I mean, Zulan Patra crossed the Thief of Time before, and everyone knows that the latter¡¯s presence has been intensifying in Licencia recently. The murderer killed Zulan Patra and dumped his corpse here to make everyone think that it¡¯s Tot.¡±


    ¡°Huh. That¡¯s very plausible, yes.¡± Claud nodded. ¡°I could totally see that.¡±


    After all, back when they arrived at Nachtville to take shelter from the Tri-Head Snake, quite a few people had assumed that Tot was the person behind the Tri-Head Snake¡¯s rampage. Fortunately, nothing substantive had come out from it back then, but Claud had the sinking feeling that his other persona, elevated to mythological levels, was about to be framed for yet another crime again.


    ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°Alright, the two of you. Enough with the conspiracy theories,¡± said Captain Blake. ¡°I, for one, don¡¯t buy this theory. Think about it logically ¡ª the difference between Zulan Patra and Tot has to be at least three mana-folds. Why would such an exalted being kill a measly tetra-folder in such a grisly way? Anyone with half a mind would be suspicious to a point.¡±


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    Claud couldn¡¯t help but wryly note that the captain was actually right about the difference in strength. Indeed, the difference between Tot and the Spear of Fate was three mana circuits ¡ª just that it was flipped.


    A bunch of butlers and maids accosted Claud and the others as they walked into the wide-open door, a sight that truly epitomised the arrogance of the nobles. Their doors were open purely because they believed that no one would dare to barge into the place¡­and well, also because there were more than enough guards around the area.


    It was quite the contradictory setup, now that Claud thought about it. Either way, however, this was a place completely accessible to him, who had Presence Nullification¡­but it was better to be careful anyway.


    The foyer of the building was a lot more luxurious than its drab exterior suggested, although the luxury mainly came from the quaint, minimalist interior. Other than a lavish reception table in the middle, there was virtually nothing else of note.


    ¡°The doors you see everywhere on the first floor belong to that of the guards stationed here. It¡¯s a living space for them,¡± Captain Blake explained. ¡°I must say, though, the Nightfall guards get better treatment than us city guards.¡±


    ¡°Why not just join them, then?¡±


    ¡°Please. The commander of any city¡¯s guards has to be a mana-folder. I¡¯m just a step away from being furnished with lots and lots of lifestones, you know,¡± Captain Blake replied. ¡°These guys here have it easier, but that also means that they¡¯ll never be provided enough lifestones to become a one-folder.¡±


    Claud briefly debated about the utility of telling him about a sub-folder, but if he didn¡¯t know that¡­either way, it would draw attention to himself. If it ever got out that he told normal people about the existence of sub-folders, it was possible that some noble might be displeased by his actions. Sure, he didn¡¯t quite care for them, but pissing off people had a nasty way of biting one¡¯s ass in unexpected ways at the worst of times.


    The captain waved at the receptionist. ¡°Morning, Cindy.¡±


    ¡°Good morning to you¡­or not. Bad morning, then.¡± The receptionist glanced at Claud and Lily, before nodding. ¡°From the Moon Lords, no? I recognise your faces. You¡¯re¡­Lily, and you¡¯re Claud.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s us!¡±


    ¡°Right on the lifestones.¡± Claud nodded at her.


    ¡°I wish you three could have made your acquaintance under more pleasant circumstance,¡± said Blake, ¡°but I¡¯m afraid the pleasantries must wait.¡±


    ¡°So¡­horrible morning?¡± Cindy asked, the bun of her hair quivering with what seemed to be curiosity.


    ¡°Worse.¡± The captain let out a sigh. ¡°Once again, our little city will be beset by the people of the White Church, demanding to know about the death of their Blessed.¡±


    ¡°Yeowch. Who died?¡± Cindy asked.


    ¡°Guess.¡±


    ¡°A priest of theirs? Wait, I didn¡¯t know we had priests from the White Church actually around, though.¡±


    ¡°If only it was a priest who died,¡± Captain Blake replied. ¡°No. The freaking Spear of Fate had to die in this bloody city. He couldn¡¯t have died outside, no. By the Moons, no. He was killed in a horrible way. Half the head¡¯s gone, along with the brain, and his inwards were taken out for some gruesome, perverse reason.¡±


    Cindy winced. ¡°What kind of morning is this, then?¡±


    ¡°A Moondamned one, that¡¯s what. We can add to that the scale of mornings from now on,¡± said Blake. ¡°I want to retire¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the twenty-second time I heard you say that, ever since I became a receptionist.¡± Cindy took out a sandwich and offered it to Captain Blake. ¡°Want some?¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your kind intentions, but the smell of the murder case is still burning brightly in my brain,¡± the captain replied. ¡°I might throw up if I eat your delicious sandwich now, and that¡¯s going to be a real waste.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Well, good luck, then! I¡¯ll save this sandwich for you. Maybe you¡¯ll feel up to eating it after you return.¡±


    ¡°¡­Thank you for your concern.¡± The captain inclined his head. ¡°Unfortunately, yet another onerous task awaits. Is Her Grace in?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Cindy replied. ¡°Thankfully.¡±


    The two exchanged knowing looks, before sighing. From the looks of it, the stand-in for Count Nightfall¡¯s fianc¨¦e if she was ever absent, wasn¡¯t a nice person or anything. However, his abundant years of living on the street and keeping an ear out for any treasures or traps told him it was a good idea to shut up at this juncture, lest the walls grew ears.


    ¡°Huh,¡± said Lily. ¡°What do you¡ª¡±


    Claud felt his heart skip a beat, and he hurriedly interrupted Lily by saying, ¡°Right, we¡¯ve been wearing our masks for a few hours. We should take them off now; we might be able to reuse them if we¡¯re lucky.¡±


    ¡°Reuse? What, are we going to go back there again?¡± Lily asked.


    It was good that she had been distracted by that sudden injunction, but Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for the other guards that had followed them in, whose faces were now as pale as paper.


    ¡°M-maybe. Maybe not.¡± Claud cleared his throat. ¡°Well, we should really be reporting to the count¡¯s fianc¨¦e¡­what¡¯s her name, though?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, buddy. Leave it all to me.¡± Captain Blake thumped his chest. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s not keep her waiting.¡±

 Chapter 149: The fiancée from Lostfon

    Count Nightfall¡¯s office was, as per tradition for the high and mighty of Licencia, situated on the highest floor of the building. After climbing up multiple flights of stairs, Claud and Lily stopped in front of the only door on that floor, with Captain Blake at the front. The other two guards that had been accompanying him had been instructed to help with some filing ¡ª apparently, there were all kinds of paperwork that came with murders.


    Who knew?


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of having a single room to the entire level, though?¡± Claud wondered out loud. ¡°What, is his office really big?¡±


    ¡°You could say that, I guess,¡± Captain Blake replied. ¡°I mean, the entrance is three metres away from the staircase¡­¡±


    ¡°Why would a single person need such a big room?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out once we enter,¡± said Captain Blake. ¡°Alright, look sharp.¡±


    Straightening his uniform, Captain Blake puffed himself up and knocked on the door. Claud, who wasn¡¯t sure what pose he should adopt when talking to the count¡¯s fianc¨¦e, decided to look like a stone instead. That was something he was great at ¡ª looking like some ignorable small-fry came second nature to him.


    As for Lily, she reverted to the pre-Julan Lily, looking like a little quiet flower. After quite a bit of interaction with Lily, Claud had gotten a rough read of her character ¡ª she would only revert to her chatty self when the people around her were those she trusted. Of course, she had been improving over time, but the eye-catching sprightliness she exhibited was only reserved for her friends.


    A clear soprano floated out of the door. ¡°Who¡¯s there? What do you need me for?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Captain Blake, the vice-commander of the city guards. I¡¯m here to report to you about a certain murder that happened earlier this morning.¡±


    There was a pause. ¡°Come in!¡±


    The door knob let out a small snap, and the captain twisted it. Gesturing for Claud and Lily to stay silent ¡ª not like Claud had any intention to speak and stand out ¡ª he led the two of them inside.


    At first glance, the interior looked like Farah¡¯s office in Moon Mansion. Bookshelves lined both sides of the room, each of them with filled with books that clearly had been read multiple times. The corners of the room, however, resembled Schwarz¡¯s working space more ¡ª there were four filing cabinets, each of them labelled with stickers that had esoteric scribblings on them. There were other doors that led out of the room, but those doors were dull, compared to the one at the entrance.


    In the middle of the room was a rather luxurious desk and chair. The back of the chair was facing the three of them, hiding the occupant from view.


    ¡°Your Grace,¡± said Captain Blake, lowering his head, ¡°Captain Blake of the city guard reporting in, along with two representatives of the associate organisation, the Moon Lords.¡±


    The chair turned around to reveal a blue-haired woman, which, when coupled with the blue sky that served as the backdrop, made a rather striking scene.


    ¡°Please, be at ease, captain.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Grace.¡± Captain Blake raised his head.


    She nodded her head, and then turned to Claud and Lily. ¡°I am Caroline Lostfon, representatives of the Moon Lords. As you might have guessed, I¡¯m from the ruling family of Lostfon County. Pleased to meet the two of you.¡±


    Claud blinked. He had done a bit of research after hearing about a particular entrepreneur from Lostfon. Lostfon itself was situated north of not just Licencia, but also of the Umbra Sovereignty in general. It was actually in the Nihila Sovereignty, which was pretty much a distance Claud couldn¡¯t quite fathom.


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    ¡°Pleased to meet you too,¡± Claud replied, taking his cue from Lily, who had shifted closer to him. ¡°I¡¯m Claud, and this here is Lily.¡±


    ¡°Claud and Lily¡­well met. I would like to exchange a few more pleasantries, but the anxious look on Captain Blake¡¯s face tells me that this murder is going to bring lots of trouble to Licencia. Aran¡¯s busy out there, so I must handle this to the best of my ability. To that end, I request your aid.¡±


    Claud, however, found himself distracted by a different issue. ¡°Who¡¯s Aran?¡±


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s Count Nightfall, I guess.¡± Caroline frowned. ¡°My apologies. He tends to be very formal, even with people he works closely too ¡ª I only learned his first name a year into our engagement.¡±


    ¡°Your Grace, Count Nightfall doesn¡¯t like you to tell that story either¡­¡±


    ¡°His subordinates need to know that his coldness is not because he looks down on them or something,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°It¡¯s just his nature, and not because he thinks they¡¯re doing a bad job. As his fianc¨¦e, it¡¯s my job to help clear up any misunderstandings he might have made.¡±


    ¡°I-is that so...¡±


    Caroline giggled, and then straightened her face. ¡°Alright. Tell me about this murder, captain.¡±


    Captain Blake nodded. ¡°Yes, Your Grace. Early this morning, a few residents of Street 33 came down to the guardhouse and reported a horrible stench. One of my men went with them to track down the source of the stench, which turned out to be a dead body in¡­¡±


    The stand-in ruler of Licencia paled when the captain told her about the identity of the deceased.


    ¡°Zulan Patra¡­yes, I see why you had to brief me in person.¡± Caroline clicked her teeth. ¡°Moons above. What Moondamned person would kill anyone else in such a manner?¡±


    ¡°Your Grace, we need to contact the Church of the White God.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we do. But we need to make sure that nothing bad happens to us, although I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible at this point.¡± She drummed her fingers on the table. ¡°How distressing. What recommendations do you have, captain?¡±


    ¡°I recommend that we contact the closest branch of the White Church. Or we can contact their headquarters with the direct line. Personally, I¡¯m in favour of the latter choice, since it shows that we didn¡¯t dally in this incident, but you might need time to prepare.¡±


    Claud was interested in what the captain meant by ¡®direct line¡¯, but instead of asking right now like a tactless fool, he sidled over to Lily and tried to hide behind her. Lily, fortunately, didn¡¯t seem to notice that he was using her as a shield of sorts, and she continued to stare at the table in silence.


    ¡°¡­Yes, I think your second recommendation¡¯s a better idea.¡±


    ¡°The White Church is bound to send out a huge delegation, either way. If we delayed in informing them, it¡¯s possible that the delegation might decide to make trouble for the count in passing, given the past animosities between them,¡± said Captain Blake.


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Caroline sighed and got up. ¡°Please follow me, everyone. We¡¯re going over to the Nightfall Palace.¡±


    The three obeyed her words in silence. As they went down the many flights of stairs, Claud couldn¡¯t help but think that their earlier climb up had been wasted. They hadn¡¯t even stayed for more than ten minutes on the top floor before they had to leave it ¡ª in fact, there really wasn¡¯t a point in getting him and Lily to tag along to begin with.


    Claud paused for a moment, but he forced himself to smooth over that random stop by moving his right leg onwards.


    Now that he thought about it, there really wasn¡¯t a point in getting the two of them to tag along. In that case, why did Caroline request for them to follow along? Clearly, she probably had her own motives in doing so, and after a bit of thinking, the master thief settled on a conclusion.


    She probably intended on getting the two of them to be the direct liaison between the White Church and Licencia. He didn¡¯t know the ins and outs behind such a choice, but Claud knew that such a course of action would put the Moon Lords ¡ª and by extension, himself ¡ª into quite the quagmire.


    ¡°Your Grace,¡± said Claud, ¡°can we request to be excused from this conversation you intend to hold with the Church of the White God? We have private, extenuating circumstances behind this refusal, circumstances that we are not at liberty to share.¡±


    Caroline paused. ¡°Ah. Is that so? I was intending to have you two testify about what you saw, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Our words won¡¯t be as useful as an in-person examination by the investigation dispatched here,¡± said Claud. ¡°Captain Blake has preserved the crime scene. It will serve as far better proof than our words.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Caroline mulled on her words. ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate, but if you two do have your reasons, I suppose I can¡¯t compel you. Why, do you have some animosity with the White Church?¡±


    Claud thought for a moment. ¡°No, nothing of that sort. Please rest easy. It¡¯s just something¡­personal.¡±


    Caroline eyed him for a moment, and then shrugged. ¡°Well, if there¡¯s no other choice, then. Still, I¡¯ll like you two to come along so that I can tell you about some important points you two should know. Is that acceptable?¡±


    ¡°Okay. That should be fine.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±

 Chapter 150: Contacting the higher ups

    As they headed towards the palace, Caroline tried to elicit more information from Claud, only to be skilfully deflected at every turn. She was clearly under the impression that there was some grudge between the Church of the White God and Claud, although the only reason why he didn¡¯t want Lily or himself to give testimony was because it was likely to create more dangers for them both.


    There were many reasons why she would want to know such a thing, but given his eternally paranoid nature, Claud wasn¡¯t going to tell her anything. It would be better to keep her guessing on and on about the nature of this non-existent acrimony between him and the White Church for multiple reasons, which included the fact that no such grudge existed.


    If the White Church came to look for trouble with him, it would be a tell-tale sign that Caroline didn¡¯t harbour goodwill towards him or the Moon Lords. Furthermore, since there actually wasn¡¯t any grudge, nothing untoward would happen if he played his cards right. Telling her this, therefore, would serve as a means of identifying her disposition towards this new associate organisation that had been appointed by Count Nightfall, as well as a means in which he and the others could skip out on dangerous work.


    The last thing he needed were orders to hunt down the murderer, especially from people and organisations the Moon Lords couldn¡¯t refuse. It was one thing to refuse an order from the Nightfall administration, but another to refuse any church of the Coloured Gods.


    After a few minutes of walking, they passed through the palace gates. The familiar, breath-taking sight of flowers everywhere entered Claud¡¯s eyes, and even Lily found herself perking up at that breath-taking landscape.


    ¡°As pretty as ever,¡± Claud mumbled.


    ¡°Amazing how a random arrangement of seeds can yield such a wild, yet ordered field of flowers,¡± Captain Blake observed.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t this ordered when we first randomly scattered seeds, though. Flowers died and bloomed over multiple iterations to create something like this,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°Come on, we can admire this from higher up if you guys want to do so later.¡±


    Passing through the guards with absurd ease, Caroline led them into the mansion in the middle.


    ¡°Every territory that is ruled by a count has an artefact that can connect to this¡­shared information space. There are other organisations that have such an artefact, like the Folders¡¯ Association or the churches of the Coloured Gods,¡± said Caroline. ¡°That¡¯s how we¡¯re going to contact the Church of the White God.¡±


    ¡°Are we also going to report to the Istrel Dukedom?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Yes, naturally. To prevent us from being bullied by one side, contacting multiple parties at once will help to restrain their behaviour.¡± She paused. ¡°Yes, bullying takes place even in noble society. Have I disillusioned you two?¡±


    ¡°No, not really.¡±


    Claud glanced at Lily, who was still maintaining her silence. She had been quiet ever since they entered Caroline¡¯s presence ¡ª normally, she would have warmed up to Caroline by now.


    ¡°I see.¡± Caroline chuckled. ¡°Seems like you already have your own experiences.¡±


    Leading them down a long hallway, the group of four stopped at the very end. A metal door had been built into the end, in stark contrast to the earlier doors made from rich oak that they had passed by earlier.


    ¡°This door looks very¡­special,¡± Claud observed.


    ¡°Yes, it is¡ªhmm?¡±


    The metal door opened, and two short children walked out of the room, sporting an eyepatch on their left eyes. Together, they bowed to them, before jumping out of a nearby window without skipping a beat.


    ¡°Who were they?¡± Lily asked.


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    Claud glanced at her, and hid an urge to smile. Somehow, the appearance of two random, eyepatch-wearing children was enough to coax her out of her shell, and¡ª


    ¡°Ah. I think I know who these fellows are,¡± said Claud.


    ¡°Who?¡± Lily asked, glancing out of the window. The sound of guards running were in an odd cadence with the bells that were ringing frantically, but if his guess wasn¡¯t wrong, those two little kids wouldn¡¯t be easily caught.


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re kinda an urban legend,¡± Claud replied. ¡°The Monochromatic Twins. These two fellows actually paid a nocturnal visit to the count some time ago, and then drew panda eyes on him, since he was snoring. Incidentally, they also drew panda eyes on you, Farah and Risti at Triple-D.¡±


    ¡°That was their doing?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Claud was about to chuckle when he noticed the petrified expression on Caroline¡¯s face. ¡°I-is there something wrong?¡±


    ¡°This city is really scary! I thought Aran was just kidding when he told me about two kids who drew on his face!¡±


    ¡°Your Grace, be at ease. These children are relatively harmless, and¡ª¡± Captain Blake stuttered as Caroline pointed at the metal door in silence. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know how they got inside, since I¡¯m not one of the palace guards, but I think they might like the cold environment inside.¡±


    ¡°This is unbelievable.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I believe so too,¡± the captain replied. ¡°You, however, should question the palace guards about their security policies and see what went wrong there. I, unfortunately, am not in a place to comment about His Grace¡¯s security arrangements.¡±


    ¡°This is unbelievable,¡± Caroline muttered. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll question the guards later. Let¡¯s handle the issue at hand first.¡±


    Claud shivered as he followed the count¡¯s fianc¨¦e and the vice-commander of the city guards into the room. The interior of this particular room was actually lined with metal, and save for a single, odd looking metal box in the very centre, there was virtually nothing else.


    ¡°What¡¯s this place?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s no name for this place,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°But this here is an artefact that is issued by Emperor Grandis and Emperor Grandis only. It holds value beyond anything else that might exist in a county or even a dukedom, and is the means of formal communication between the higher nobles.¡±


    Claud eyed the artefact, which was the only thing in the room. ¡°Why did you show us this? I don¡¯t think commoners like us are meant to know about this artefact, right?¡±


    ¡°I was using Sudden Inspiration this morning, and the hunch that I should be a bit more trusting of my allies came to me,¡± Caroline replied.


    ¡°Sudden Inspiration?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a skill from the Church of the Blue God. The user gets suggestions related to issues that might crop up in one''s destiny. That is, after all, the Blue God¡¯s domain.¡± Caroline smiled. ¡°I might not trust many people, but I do, at least, trust myself. It has saved me many times in ways I never expected, like avoiding a robbery by delaying my ride by an hour, or bringing extra guards to fend off a determined kidnap attempt.¡±


    Claud licked his lips. ¡°That sounds really useful.¡±


    Caroline grimaced. ¡°It is. It¡¯s a shame that buying this skill cost me ten platinum. But anyway, I had a hunch that letting the Moon Lords know about this room would help me or Aran down the line.¡±


    Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°Captain Blake, you heard her. Please don¡¯t lock us up for knowing the secrets of Licencia, since she¡¯s the one who told us about all this.¡±


    ¡°¡­that¡¯s out of my job scope, which is limited to security and safety of Licencia¡¯s people,¡± Captain Blake replied. ¡°We are the city guards, not the personal guards. Our loyalty is to the Emperor, not to the count.¡±


    He paused. ¡°My apologies, Your Grace.¡±


    ¡°N-no, it¡¯s fine, really. You aren¡¯t on our payroll, after all, and doing all this is already going the extra mile for us,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°Alright, enough idle chitchat. Take a deep breath, me, and just contact the Church of the White God¡­¡±


    She paused. ¡°Right, you two should stand over there, since you don¡¯t want to be implicated in this. Captain, might I trouble you to come over here, so that they can see your rank properly¡­¡±


    After bustling around for a few more minutes, Caroline took another deep breath, before pushing the only button on the metal box. The glass panel on the metal box immediately lit up with a white light, and a faint humming filled the room.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Claud whispered. ¡°This thing looks like¡­I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t have words for it.¡±


    Lily swallowed. ¡°Does this thing really allow for people to communicate through entire counties and whatnot? I wonder if I can make one¡­¡±


    ¡°You could give it a try, but we might need to dismantle this one first,¡± Claud replied with a grin.


    ¡°¡­never mind. It¡¯s probably a compound artefact or something. We¡¯ll need many people to make something like this,¡± said Lily. ¡°Forget it. My day is ruined, and my sorrow immeasurable¡­¡±


    While Lily wallowed away in the knowledge that the chances of the Moon Lords becoming the Sun Lords were higher than her making this little box, Claud turned his attention back to Caroline, who was now touching the glass screen with her fingers.


    ¡°Moons,¡± Claud muttered, ¡°there¡¯s someone inside the box!¡±


    Indeed. On the glass panel, there was actually two someone-s. Claud, who had never seen such trickery before, couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this box actually trapped someone¡¯s soul inside.


    ¡°Do you think Caroline will be alright?¡± Lily asked, worried. ¡°What if the box takes her soul or something too?¡±


    ¡°¡­you ask me questions I cannot answer, Lily.¡±

 Chapter 151: The deacon and the secretary

    There were two people depicted on the glass panel. One of them was a middle-aged man clad in the vestments of a priest, while the other was a young woman, whose eyes boasted of a depth that seemed to transcend Claud¡¯s understanding.


    The priest cleared his throat. ¡°This is Deacon Gates of the White Church. Representative of Nightfall County, for what reason have you contacted us?¡±


    ¡°I am Secretary Lisa, second secretary to Ruler Istrel. What manner of emergency has occurred in Nightfall County?¡±


    As the two spoke in concord, Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel some resistance to the name those two people had given Licencia, but now that he thought about it¡­


    Shaking his head, he and Lily continued their impersonation of a little pebble, which was incidentally how he picked up the inferior variant of Presence Nullification long ago. Of course, the time and place were a lot more different, but the concept remained the same.


    ¡°Deacon Gates, Zulan Patra has been murdered in Licencia. His body was discovered not too long ago by the city guard,¡± Caroline replied.


    ¡°Zulan¡¯s dead?¡± The deacon¡¯s voice, though as impassive as ever, carried a chilling edge to it. Claud could feel a figurative knife trailing on his back from these two words alone, and it took him everything he had to not move a muscle.


    ¡°Yes, Deacon Gates,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°Captain Blake of the Licencia city guards was the primary officer onsite.¡±


    She nodded at the captain. ¡°Early this morning, some residents came to the local garrison to report a foul odour. One of the guards on duty responded to the complaint immediately, reporting upwards on the spot when the dead body of Zulan Patra was discovered. He was chained down to a chair and killed, but there were too many plausible reasons of death to make a certain judgement.¡±


    ¡°Elaborate, captain.¡±


    ¡°The upper part of his skull¡± ¡ªCaptain Blake indicated the area above his eyebrows¡ª ¡°was missing, along with his brain. His torso was torn open too, with his internal organs missing.¡±


    ¡°Missing?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Deacon Gates. ¡°A preliminary search yielded no hint as to where the missing organs went to, but I believe that the murderer intended to make use of Zulan Patra¡¯s corpse to fulfil skill acquisition conditions.¡±


    ¡°A heretic, then. In that case, I will request the Elder Council to dispatch an inquisition squad to assess the circumstances surrounding the Spear of Fate¡¯s death.¡± Deacon¡¯s voice, wintry as it was already, took on a freezing slant. ¡°Secretary Lisa, do you have an opinion on this?¡±


    ¡°¡­A Bearer of Destiny has been discovered in the general area. I believe Ruler Istrel sent a missive to your church regarding that, no? Either way, if you do see it fit to check it out, my master has but one word for the squad dispatched there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m all ears, Secretary Lisa.¡±


    ¡°Moderation,¡± the secretary replied. ¡°His Grace does not want to see another repeat of what happened twenty-six years ago. He paid a dear price to appease Emperor Grandis after that mess. He will not do it again.¡±


    ¡°We will take your advice to heart, Secretary Lisa,¡± Deacon Gates replied. There was the slightest subservience in his words, which intrigued Claud. Was it a sign of some hierarchy here and there? He had heard rumours about how close the Istrel Dukedom was to the Church of the White God, to begin with, so it did make sense if these two groups were actually associated with each other.


    ¡°Thank you very much, deacon. Caroline, right? Your report has been duly noted. Thank you for your prompt alert regarding this thorny issue.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, miss Caroline. Thank you for reaching out to us, despite the possibility of incurring our¡­displeasure. Honestly, I have no idea where some of our ill repute comes from.¡± Deacon Gates clicked his tongue. ¡°We will send out a squad post-haste; expect the squad to arrive in two days from now.¡±


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    ¡°Very well.¡± Caroline inclined her head. ¡°That is all.¡±


    The glass panel that depicted the two people dimmed, and Caroline swayed on her feet. As Claud and Lily raced over, her wobbly stance straightened up.


    ¡°Well. That was unpleasant,¡± Caroline murmured. ¡°That secretary was really scary, if nothing else. Did you see her eyes? They were like pitfalls!¡±


    ¡°I have nothing to comment on that subject, Your Grace,¡± Captain Blake replied, before wiping off some sweat. ¡°Unfortunately, this seems like a turbulent year. The Full Moon months have been this crazy, and I don¡¯t think the crazy is going to abate as we move on to next year.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Both months of the New Moon are definitely going to be filled with war and whatnot too,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°Not fun at all, if you ask me. Geez. Aran has to be out for that stupid war too! Can¡¯t he just say no and come back home? We¡¯re supposed to be married this winter! And he has the nerve to say ¡®When I come back, we¡¯ll get married¡¯. Doesn¡¯t he know that¡¯s just going to lead up to a tragedy?¡±


    ¡°Well, His Grace is a fortunate person, so nothing¡ª¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean he should tempt fate!¡± Caroline fumed, and then turned to Claud and Lily. ¡°I want to commission your Moon Lords to head over to the battlefield and drag him back here.¡±


    ¡°Please do not be impulsive, Your Grace,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Besides, Count Nightfall is a tri-folder. The chances of us dragging him back to your side is slightly higher than Zulan Patra¡¯s murderer being a little rock.¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°You could at least entertain me. How about you, Lily?¡±


    Lily squirmed under her stare. ¡°I-I think so too.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you put it that way, I can¡¯t really say anything, right?¡± Caroline let out a sigh. ¡°The next few days are definitely going to be fun, though. The White Inquisitors aren¡¯t the most gentle of folks. Right, for you two¡­I suppose I should give you some immunity against those fellows.¡±


    She took out a small plaque. ¡°This here is something you should hang on the front door of your organisation. The squad of White Inquisitors won¡¯t bother you once they see that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s useful¡­probably.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me with that doubtful expression, Claud.¡± She shook her head. ¡°The inquisitors of the churches are quite the, uh, thorough lot when it comes to seeking retribution and sniffing out heresy.¡±


    ¡°Incidentally,¡± said Claud, ¡°what does that Bearer of Destiny thing have to do with those inquisitors? I thought the Third Bearer of Destiny would be chased by the city guards and everything, not people from the churches.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. There¡¯s a very complex set of relations between those guys and the Bearers of Destiny. I¡¯m not too sure about it myself, but the Third Bearer of Destiny is probably far away by now, so there¡¯s really no point in egging the deacon on.¡± Caroline paused. ¡°Wait. How do you know of¡­oh, right. You guys were the ones who handled that Absolute Domination case.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s us.¡± Claud replied, before frowning in his mind. Clearly, the Absolute family of skills was only a secret from the masses. In that case, what was with the odd remarks on his status? Did the entity that settled the status screen not know about them? If so, why?


    ¡°I keep forgetting about little details like this. My apologies.¡± Caroline shivered, clearly unaware of his thoughts. ¡°Let¡¯s go out. The cold is really getting to me, and we¡¯re still in the middle of summer.¡±


    In silence, the others followed her out of the room, which was the cue for the soldiers assembled outside to enter and search the place. These soldiers were probably investigating the Monochromatic Twins ¡ª did they come here to just enjoy the cold, or did they have something else in mind?


    Either way, that wasn¡¯t Claud¡¯s business. It was best to let urban legends lie ¡ª he didn¡¯t want a nocturnal visit by those twins, which would probably give him a panic attack or something.


    ¡°Do you need us for anything else?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°No, thank you. That said, it¡¯s possible that I might call on the Moon Lords to help out with the investigation, once the inquisitors from the White Church arrive. Do prepare yourselves adequately.¡±


    ¡°You do know that Zulan Patra is a tetra-folder, right?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°That¡¯s why I don¡¯t think he was defeated in outright combat. No, he was probably schemed against. Tetra-folders are still very much human ¡ª they can be poisoned, schemed against, backstabbed and worse. Given the Spear of Fate¡¯s martial ability, I can only assume that underhanded means were used to dispose of him.¡±


    She paused. ¡°It¡¯s easier to investigate things from this angle. Let the inquisitors handle anything else. I am told that the origins of the Moon Lords are that of the criminal world; you people might be able to sniff something out.¡±


    There really wasn¡¯t a choice regarding this, so Claud and Lily could only reluctantly nod their heads. Making a mental note to mention this bit to the others, Claud and Lily made their excuses and hurriedly left.


    Claud clicked his teeth as they passed through the palace gates. ¡°My life has been rather eventful, but now that I look back, all that seems rather small compared to the events of the past few months.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Lily had a rueful look on her face.

 Chapter 152: Case Consolidation

    Four people sat around one of Moon Mansion¡¯s many garden tables, their faces lined with worry. Dia had told them all about the Experiential Potions, and how one could make use of brain matter to create more potent variants. The others, who were all great at drawing connections, had immediately linked Zulan Patra¡¯s grotesque death to the creation of Experiential Potions, like she intended.


    Dia¡¯s earlier reports about how the murderer named No.12 boasted of overwhelming skill with a spear probably had a part in it too, along with how spears thrown from outside the city had killed more than people.


    ¡°It¡¯s been two hours,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°We should move out and look for them before anything bad happens. The murderer might have set their eyes on the two of them, and since he could kill Zulan Patra¡­¡±


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be the case,¡± Farah replied, cutting him off. ¡°The bodies were in an advanced state of decay. It is unlikely that the murderer is still here, especially given the possibility of a furious retaliation by the elites of the White Church.¡±


    ¡°Better to be safe than sorry, though,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Besides, the culprit killed¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you ask me,¡± Risti interjected, ¡°I don¡¯t think Zulan Patra was killed through brute force. I think it¡¯s possible that he was schemed against. Wasn¡¯t there a report about him stealing a mana herb from some monster? After ditching his pursuer, he must have tried to ingest the herb immediately. From the arrogance he displayed above Licencia, it was entirely possible that he didn¡¯t see the need to secure his surroundings.¡±


    ¡°Sneak attacks, then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Shortly after Zulan Patra vanished, the first victim of those spear attacks came, right? In fact, he never showed up after that single tussle with the Tri-head Snake, no?¡± Risti drummed her fingers on the bench. ¡°The timing fits quite well, if you ask me.¡±


    ¡°So Zulan Patra robbed a mana herb, fled somewhere to ingest it, and was subsequently ambushed and everything. His brain was popped out to help create a whole bunch of Experiential Potions, and a few were given to the murderer behind the Nachtville cases.¡± Schwarz clicked his tongue. ¡°In that case, what was the point of bringing his corpse here, into Licencia?¡±


    Everyone fell silent.


    Indeed, if everyone went by that theorised timeline, Zulan Patra would have been long dead. Why, then, would anyone see the need to lug a corpse to Licencia, secure a house, and then do all kinds of perverse actions to it?


    ¡°Maybe¡­he was alive?¡± Dia ventured.


    ¡°Ah, Dia. So adorable.¡± Farah chuckled. ¡°If I ever laid my grubby hands on a hostile tetra-folder, you can bet my whole county that I¡¯m going to kill him off first, and then think about other things later. Why would anyone leave him alive, and then cart him into a place with city guards?¡±


    ¡°M-maybe Zulan Patra was still alive when they began to use his brain?¡± Dia ventured. ¡°In the first place, how much brain matter is required to make an enhanced Experiential Potion?¡±


    ¡°We just had breakfast,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°There¡¯s no need to bring stomach-churning topics like this up, okay?¡±


    ¡°If I throw up, I¡¯m aiming the contents at you, Dia.¡± Risti pretended to heave in her direction, and then rolled her eyes. ¡°I suppose I could ask my aunt that, though. She might know something about those enhanced Experiential Potions, although drinking bits of brain matter isn¡¯t really helping my imagination.¡±


    She got up. ¡°Let me write a letter to her.¡±


    Moments after she entered Moon Mansion, two familiar figures popped up at the booth, and the two of them entered sequentially. Dia let out a small sigh at that sight, as did everyone else. Nothing bad had happened to them in their little jaunt outside, contrary to just about everyone¡¯s expectations here.


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    No one could blame her for those thoughts either ¡ª the last time Dia stepped out to open a bunch of bottles, she had been attacked by the Shadows of Grandis. However, now that she was using the Band of Duplicity to hide her lifeforce and mana signature, things were a lot more peaceful.


    She was expecting them to be attacked or something, though. Dia hadn¡¯t forgotten how their foray in Nachtville had gone ¡ª being assaulted by a fear-inducing skill even before they entered the city made for very¡­vivid memories and expectations.


    ¡°Lily!¡± Crowding around her with Farah, the two of them checked her from head to toe. There weren¡¯t any injuries or whatnot, although her skin was oddly cold.


    ¡°Are you shivering?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Did Claud dump some ice on you?¡±


    ¡°Wait, hold up. Why did you jump to that conclusion of all things?¡± Claud, who had been shoved away, protested. ¡°Besides, if I did dump ice on her, her clothes would be wet, right?¡±


    Dia glanced at Lily¡¯s outfit, which was as dry as a bone, and then tilted her head. ¡°In that case, why is her skin this cold?¡±


    ¡°We went inside a very cold room.¡±


    Farah directed a wintry smile at Claud. ¡°And pray tell, what kind of room was that?¡±


    ¡°Not one that a mind in the gutter might conjure up, that¡¯s for sure.¡± Claud rolled his eyes, before a touch of seriousness settled on his face. ¡°Captain Blake, the vice-commander of the Licencia city guards, wanted us to follow along while he reported the murder to the count¡¯s fianc¨¦e, Caroline. After some twists and turns, Caroline got us to enter this really cold room with an odd, box-like artefact in the middle, and then activated it.¡±


    ¡°The Comms Console¡­¡± Farah narrowed her eyes. ¡°Why did she bring you two there? It¡¯s a top-level secret for counties, meant for confidantes and stand-ins to contact other people.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that was precisely Claud¡¯s question,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Caroline used this skill called Sudden Inspiration this morning, and then found out that it would be to her benefit if we knew about that odd box¡­even if we don¡¯t actually know how to use it.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how to use it?¡± Claud asked.


    The way Farah squirmed at his question was somewhat interesting, and after muttering to herself for a while, she said, ¡°W-well, counts like me or Nightfall won¡¯t see the need to use it, though. I think I told some of you guys before, but us nobles have a shared information space we can use to talk to the others¡­although I haven¡¯t used it ever since I arrived at Licencia.¡±


    This was the second time Farah had mentioned this shared information space, and Dia found herself growing curious. If a countess like Farah had access to this space, whatever it felt like, her father would definitely have access too, no? Could Farah contact her father and¡­


    Dia arrested that line of thought and cut it into shreds. Such thoughts were self-defeating ¡ª it would only bring disaster onto her, Farah and the others if the countess really agreed to her request. She just needed to hang on and let the Emperor work out that no one could have stopped the Thief of Time, and therefore no one should be at fault.


    She was beginning to lose hope, though.


    A small tap fell on her shoulder. ¡°Dia?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Dia looked up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°You looked troubled,¡± Lily replied. The others nodded, but fortunately, none of them accosted her with questions she couldn¡¯t answer.


    Farah rested her hand on Dia¡¯s other shoulder. ¡°Did those murders scare you? If you can¡¯t sleep, or if you¡¯re suffering from nightmares, I can double your workload. Once you¡¯ve tired yourself out, you should be able to sleep soundly.¡±


    ¡°Stop trying to offload your work on Dia,¡± Schwarz¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°But I came up with some new drinks. You can try them ¡ª you¡¯ll be fast asleep in minutes.¡±


    ¡°Stop trying to offload your failed creations on Dia,¡± Farah shot back.


    ¡°Failed? How dare you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. Enough, the two of you.¡± Claud rubbed his head. ¡°What are you, children? Farah, might I trouble you not to speak of his alcoholic experiments? The good master is overly-protective of his failed creations, and though it might displease you so, do spare him thought for his innumerable failings.¡±


    Dia stifled a giggle. Whether Claud was actually defending Schwarz or not was up in the air, but the way he had abruptly broken into some flowing prose was rather indicative of which side he leaned to.


    ¡°Which novel did you pick that up from?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Learning to be a smooth talker is key to getting past guards,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Didn¡¯t I show you my skill back then? Come on. I know that I might act like a ruffian at times, but don¡¯t ever look down on people¡¯s ability to speaking smoothly¡­¡±


    The anxiety-filled atmosphere had scattered at some point in time. Maybe it was the relief that everyone felt upon seeing the two of them returning back safely, but Dia found herself smiling faintly at the peaceful sight.


    Even if this peace was a transient one.

 Chapter 153: Taboos and inquisitors

    ¡°The inquisitors of the White Church?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Claud replied. ¡°They¡¯re going to be the ones investigating the murder. Captain Blake suspects that this very ritual-like murder is for the sake of acquiring a taboo skill.¡±


    Dia winced at those words. Taboo skills were essentially skills that, if found to be in one¡¯s status, were grounds for imprisonment and death. Most of these skills shared a bunch of commonalities that made them so deadly and repugnant enough to be banned in the civilised world today.


    There were a bunch of rules.


    First, skills that completely negated one¡¯s free will without a set endpoint. Skills like Enticement or Area Compulsion had a set endpoint, and they didn¡¯t completely negate one¡¯s free will, which meant that they were still relatively safe. However, something like Mental Domination, Mind Crush, Enthrallment and that Absolute Domination didn¡¯t have a set endpoint, negated one¡¯s free will, or both.


    Second, skills that were explicitly fatal without a wind-up. Things like Gaze of Death, Fatal End and Damning Gesture relied on one¡¯s eyesight, an ill-meaning thought or a single action to kill their target immediately. These skills were taboos to an extreme, purely because anyone could be killed with a thought. The acquisition methods of these skills, thankfully, were lost to time.


    Finally, skills that interfered with cause and effect. Dia, however, had no idea what kind of skills could interfere with causality; even dukes wouldn¡¯t know about the specific details of such skills.


    ¡°Taboo skills, huh.¡± Risti, who had finished writing her letter, drummed her fingers on the garden table. ¡°What kind of taboo skill would require one to kill someone in such a horrific manner?¡±


    ¡°Moons take me if I know too,¡± Farah replied. ¡°But we are at least reasonably sure that someone was making enhanced Experiential Potions with Zulan Patra¡¯s brain. But until we know what taboo skill the murderer was after, we should not poke our nose in this affair.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± said Claud. ¡°If we are to stand a chance, we need to at least know what kind of skill the murderer was after. If we can¡¯t find a way to nullify or counter it, we¡¯ll just be sending the murderer more warm bodies.¡±


    ¡°Seconded, motion passed.¡± The bartender clicked his teeth. ¡°Still, there¡¯s no need to lock everyone inside Moon Mansion, Claud. The murderer should be long gone by now, so telling everyone here to stay at home and lock their doors is pointless.¡±


    ¡°How did you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Come on, buddy. Your first reaction to any form of danger is to simply hide at home and wait out the disaster,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Your second reaction would be to think up ways to get rid of the danger, since you can¡¯t be at ease while it¡¯s at large.¡±


    Dia chuckled. From the look on Claud¡¯s face, it was clear that the bartender had read him like a book, which was just a testament to how well the two knew each other.


    ¡°Was I that obvious?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Wait, let me guess your third reaction. How much money do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°Money?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yes, Lily.¡± Schwarz turned to her, a grin on his face. ¡°He¡¯s already thinking to renovate the defences of Moon Mansion. For one, we revealed our trump cards ¡ª ballistae capable of piercing through a tri-folder¡¯s mana barrier at full force. Secondly, since we don¡¯t know how Zulan Patra was killed, he¡¯s assuming the worst, naturally. Right, Claud?¡±


    ¡°¡­So can we get better defences?¡±


    ¡°Not unless you can get me a permit to obtain, transport and install weapons that can kill tetra-folders,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°There¡¯s a limit to what I can obtain, buddy. And a single one¡¯s going to set us in the red for the next five years.¡±


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    ¡°What?¡± Claud tilted his head. ¡°Why? The ballistae didn¡¯t cost this much!¡±


    ¡°No duke in their right mind would want to sell weapons that can kill them,¡± Schwarz. ¡°Even if they¡¯re old and unlikely to ever use their mana circuits ever again.¡±


    ¡°But by that logic, no counts would allow¡­hmm.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s different. Tetra-folders and tri-folders are very different from each other, apparently,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Remember that tutorial everyone has to go through when they become a folder? Yeah, there¡¯s apparently a second tutorial of sorts when one tries to become a tetra-folder.¡±


    ¡°A second tutorial?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Or so the legend goes.¡±


    Dia thought for a moment. She did recall hearing something along these lines long ago, but becoming a tetra-folder was something two centuries or so later, if she went by her original schedule. Therefore, other than just having a very barebones understanding of the second tutorial¡¯s existence, she knew nothing else.


    ¡°It¡¯s not actually a second tutorial,¡± said Risti. ¡°It¡¯s a test. A tribulation that has existed since the dawn of time, whenever anyone tries to surmount their position in the hierarchy of life.¡±


    Everyone turned to look at her.


    ¡°A test?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yes. The contents of the test vary from folder to folder, but it¡¯s one of the reasons why there are very few tetra-folders, as compared to tri-folders,¡± Risti replied. ¡°That¡¯s why I found the death of Zulan Patra very surprising. Tetra-folders and beyond occupy the top ten percent of strength, so¡­¡±


    ¡°The more you speak,¡± said Claud, ¡°the more worried I am. I didn¡¯t know tetra-folders were this awesome, though. Do they gain any new things?¡±


    ¡°I could ask my father about them, if you want me to,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Do the three of you have any requests?¡±


    Farah nodded. ¡°I do. There are some things I would like to know. For instance, the average strength of¡­¡±


    Dia felt a bit useless at this sight. Unlike Farah, who was already the governor of her county, she didn¡¯t have the kind of information she had. Risti, on the other hand, had no restraints in asking for help or information from her father or her family, which made her the real treasure trove. With their natural gifts for administration and information-gathering respectively, Dia herself couldn¡¯t help but feel very useless.


    There was little to be said about Schwarz, who was the guy in-charge of the networking, while Claud¡¯s paranoia over remaining safe made him the best person when it came to handling emergencies. Dia hadn¡¯t forgotten how he had managed to direct an entire play without being in Moon Mansion, and from how the bartender trusted his words, it was clear that he had proven experience in handling emergencies.


    It was the same back at home. Her brother always did a better job in just about anything related to the dukedom. He was also multi-talented to boot; the only thing Dia was better at was swinging her sword and beating people in tournaments.


    Her mood sank slightly. Combat was something anyone could pick up after a while; she didn¡¯t really bring any real value to the table.


    Dia stole a surreptitious glance at Lily. On her ranking of who was the most useless, Lily would rank second from the bottom, while Dia herself would rank at the very last. That said, Lily had to be feeling pressured too ¡ª but how did she deal with the pressure?


    Lily, who was watching everyone else, stifled a yawn, before approaching Claud and Risti in their discussion. She didn¡¯t say anything, however. For some reason, being able to listen in to their conversation was apparently enough to put her at ease.


    The sight somewhat reminded Dia of her own childhood, when her brother stuck close to her in school back then and listened into conversations she had with the other noble scions.


    ¡°One gold for your thoughts,¡± a voice came from behind her.


    ¡°Schwarz?¡± Dia turned to look behind her. They had all been sitting around the same table, but at some point in time, the bartender had slipped out of his seat without anyone knowing.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s your local friendly counsellor,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°You look troubled. Anything wrong?¡±


    Dia pondered for a moment, and then decided to be candid. ¡°I find myself rather¡­useless in the Moon Lords. I don¡¯t really have a useful specialisation or anything like that.¡±


    ¡°Well, you are our best hired muscle,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I think that¡¯s quite irreplaceable.¡±


    ¡°A vanilla nearly bested me in a close fight,¡± Dia replied. ¡°It¡¯s hard to claim that I¡¯m useful when something like that nearly happened, no?¡±


    ¡°You were up against someone who theoretically imbibed Zulan Patra¡¯s prowess at a spear,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I think the fact that you won is actually more commendable than anything else. Claud and I keep emphasising on this ¡ª mana-users are just humans with the ability to make blue light. They can still be killed, no matter what.¡±


    Dia heaved a sigh. ¡°Yes, I know. But the mind and the heart are different, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°¡­Want some apple juice? It¡¯s the usual drink when it comes to me counselling others properly.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside, then. Did you see the new bar counter I made in the living room? There¡¯s actually drinks there¡­¡±

 Chapter 154: The bartenders counsel

    ¡°I think you¡¯re just underselling yourself,¡± said Schwarz, who was nodding sagely over a glass of apple juice. ¡°It¡¯s quite common for people to diminish their own talents and exalt others. Heck, even I do it myself!¡±


    Dia glanced at her empty cup, and that little action immediately prompted Schwarz to fill it to the brim once more. ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°Yes, me.¡± The bartender made pulled out a small bag of crackers and tore it open. ¡°Want one? Crispy snacks and apple juice always goes well together.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thanks.¡± Dia nibbled at the thin biscuit. ¡°But I can¡¯t really imagine you underselling yourself, though. Your contributions are so meaningful, so¡­¡±


    ¡°They are?¡± Schwarz chuckled. ¡°Alright. Tell me, what are my contributions?¡±


    ¡°You go around and gather intelligence about the happenings, along with Risti. You also have lots of channels to purchase things from, like the ballistae installed here. You handle paperwork that Farah hands down, completing in ways that doesn¡¯t make her sigh or anything,¡± Dia promptly replied. ¡°All this are things I can¡¯t do.¡±


    ¡°Well, to me, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m doing all that much,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Look here. At the heart of it all, I consider my work to be easy; I go around talking to people, I pay them money to write their observations, and then I process these observations quickly, before sending them to Farah. I don¡¯t think I have an irreplaceable role in all this.¡±


    Dia found herself lost for words. Schwarz found himself replaceable? That just didn¡¯t fit her observations, though. If there was anyone that really wasn¡¯t useful, it should have been her.


    ¡°See what I mean?¡± The bartender took a swig. ¡°I think my work isn¡¯t all that important, but you have a different opinion. Likewise, I think your job in handling the training of the Moon Guards is important, but you said it yourself ¡ª to you, it¡¯s just an extension of your morning training.¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s just how it is. Most people have a tendency to downplay their importance, because they don¡¯t consider their duties hard. It¡¯s the same for you, me and just about everyone here. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask even Farah; I believe she¡¯ll say the same about how she thinks she isn¡¯t all that useful.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. But she probably thinks the same way too, right? In fact,¡± said Schwarz, ¡°if you go around asking everyone if they¡¯re useful, they¡¯ll all probably say no. When you have time, you should try it out.¡±


    Dia mulled over the bartender¡¯s words for a moment. ¡°Okay then. Maybe I¡¯ll find some time to talk to the others.¡±


    ¡°Do that. You¡¯ll feel better after a while. It¡¯ll also help everyone get over their self-inflicted sense of inferiority,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°Wait, since you¡¯re already aware of this issue, why do you still think of yourself as useless then?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°The mind knows one thing, but the heart thinks another,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Drinking too much is obviously bad for one¡¯s health, but why do people still indulge in it? They can¡¯t control themselves, that¡¯s why. Logic and emotions just don¡¯t like to roll together at times, you know. It¡¯s natural that you would doubt yourself, given the events at Nachtville.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t refute him. It was true that her confidence had been affected by the murderer¡¯s skill at arms. Even if she knew the truth ¡ª the murderer had drunk Experiential Potions made with Zulan Patra¡¯s memories ¡ª that didn¡¯t do anything to lift her spirits. What did all her hard work amount to, if it could be matched by someone by merely ingesting a bunch of potions?


    ¡°Anyway, you should work on regaining your confidence,¡± said the bartender. ¡°Each of us here plays an irreplaceable role here; other than Risti and I, there¡¯s nothing much in the way of overlapping responsibilities.¡±


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    He made a rueful smile. ¡°Some part of me still thinks that Risti alone could handle all the work, though¡­and the fact that I¡¯m actually thinking that is proof of what I said about the natural tendency to undersell oneself.¡±


    Shrugging, Schwarz downed the rest of his drink. ¡°I¡¯m going to head out and chat with the others for a bit. You should go out soon too. Being alone with negative thoughts can drive people thinking and doing bad things.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a bartender, not a caf¨¦ owner. Trust me on this, if nothing else.¡± He smiled. ¡°Right, remember to wash that cup after you¡¯re down mulling over drink. This here is Moon Mansion, not Triple-D.¡±


    Chuckling, he stepped out of the room, leaving Dia to her own thoughts. Schwarz made a very good point, but she still couldn¡¯t quite get rid of her own feelings of inadequacy.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Dia swirled the glass apple juice around, before noting that Schwarz had left the little bag of crackers behind. ¡°Didn¡¯t he encourage me to go out and talk to the others? What¡¯s the point of leaving some crackers for me?¡±


    ¡°Maybe because he asked me to talk to you, I guess,¡± a sweet voice wafted in from outside. ¡°Need something, Dia?¡±


    ¡°Lily!¡± Dia smiled. ¡°I was just feeling troubled about some issues, but let¡¯s put that aside for a moment, okay? I haven¡¯t had the chance to talk to you ever since you left for Julan. Are you feeling alright? I heard about the general gist of things¡­if you¡¯re free, let¡¯s go out to get some sweet stuff when you have time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice of you, Dia, but I can¡¯t put you in danger because of this,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But I tested some new creations a few days back; you could help me try them out and see if they¡¯re any good.¡±


    ¡°¡­the ones with odd names, right?¡±


    ¡°Exciting names,¡± Lily corrected. ¡°I¡¯ve been improving them with the help of some friendly tastebuds. Adding yours to the mix is just going to make them even better! I mean, as the princess¡¯ bodyguard, you must have had your fair share of sweets and high-class delights, right? Your tongue must be one of a kind!¡±


    Lily¡¯s focus on Dia¡¯s tongue was a bit unnerving, but it was nice to know that at least some bit of her was useful.


    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll look forward to it,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Nice.¡± Lily smiled, although it felt a bit forced to Dia. ¡°So, uh¡­Schwarz told me that you were feeling down and everything.¡±


    ¡°What exactly did he tell you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it, really. He didn¡¯t say all that much,¡± Lily replied. ¡°He just wanted me to come and talk to you.¡±


    For a moment, Dia wanted to fob her off by saying some random nonsense, but she really was curious about what Lily thought about herself. Was it pure coincidence that Schwarz asked Lily of all people to come in? Or did he already have a grasp of what Dia herself had thought earlier?


    ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t mind me offloading some of my thoughts, then.¡± Dia took a deep breath. ¡°I felt that I was rather useless in the Moon Lords, really. There¡¯s nothing much I can do, other than waving a sword around and talking about random news at large. So¡­¡±


    ¡°Useless, huh.¡± Lily pointed at the cup. ¡°Can I have some?¡±


    ¡°Sure, go ahead,¡± Dia replied. ¡°It¡¯s apple juice, in case you were wondering.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, that¡¯s the only Triple-D beverage you and I are ever going to drink. Didn¡¯t really need an explanation,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Schwarz actually has pretty good brews, though.¡± Dia paused. ¡°What? Why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    ¡°Did you just praise his alcohol?¡± Lily asked, agog. ¡°Does he have a handle over you? Or did you spoil your tastebuds? Which is it?¡±


    ¡°¡­Neither,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I guess I should be a bit clearer. Schwarz¡¯s brews, when following a recipe to the letter, are great. It¡¯s just that most of his drinks are homebrewed with no regard to the drinker¡¯s health and taste.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Okay.¡± Lily patted her chest and heaved a sigh. ¡°Good. Anyway, if we¡¯re comparing utility, I¡¯m quite sure that I rank the bottom. But what of it? It¡¯s not about what you feel, it¡¯s about what you do that matters. Even if you think you¡¯re useless, as long as you live up to your promises and your ideals, such thoughts will never last. Got it?¡±


    For some reason, Lily looked really distant at this juncture, which set off alarm bells in Dia¡¯s head. Her mind raced as Dia cast around for another topic, which immediately settled on her travelling buddy.


    ¡°Right, right. Did Claud bully you while you two were travelling?¡± Dia asked.


    Lily¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°No, he didn¡¯t bully me at all!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Well, if you say so. But what was travelling with such a paranoid person like? Did he really set up traps when sleeping and everything?¡±


    ¡°It felt safe, I guess.¡± Lily smiled. ¡°He did set up all kinds of traps and artefacts when we were sleeping, or even when we were cooking outdoors.¡±


    Dia had a feeling that there was something odd about that reply, but since she couldn¡¯t quite place her finger on it, she moved on to ask about other things related to Lily¡¯s trip.


    It didn¡¯t take long for them to forget about the original topic.

 Chapter 155: Mana Control Proficiency: Intermediate

    The blue light dancing around Claud¡¯s skin faded as the first rays of dawn crept into his room, and his vision cleared up slightly. A small velvety box rolled down his shoulder a moment later.


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Crown.¡± Claud rubbed the little fella, and then poked his head out of the window. It was a Bluegott, which meant that he was now looking for any traces of blue mist, but as usual, there just weren¡¯t any.


    He was dead certain that the thing about spotting the day¡¯s colour in the morning was pretty much a myth, but since Claud liked to admire the mornings, this really wasn¡¯t all that much of a bother to him. For the past few days, he had gotten into the steady routine of meditating to control his mana for the latter half of the night, with Crown around to keep him company.


    The grotesque murder of Zulan Patra was more than enough to motivate him to at least hone his fine control over mana. It helped that he had a little buddy at his sight to keep him company; the way Crown rubbed against his cheek was enough to keep him entertained in even the dullest of training.


    Speaking of training¡­


    At some point before dawn, the sounds of wood smashing onto wood had permeated the air. It was by no means any exaggeration ¡ª those sounds were sharp, piercing and more than enough to make Claud wince whenever he heard it. Before moving into the house he¡¯d won from Schwarz, Claud had lived ¡ª in a manner of speaking, anyway ¡ª near the Licencia guardhouse, so he knew what the sounds of people sparring with wooden swords were like.


    Those insane cracks were not what spars with wooden swords sounded like. Of course, since he was scared that Dia, Schwarz and Lily would decide to beat him up if he told them to keep it down, Claud didn¡¯t say anything. There was no point in enduring pain because of little things like insane spars.


    ¡°Still, that spar sounds intense, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Meep!¡± Crown bounced on his bed once in agreement.


    ¡°Right? You¡¯ll think that they¡¯ll be scared of breaking a finger or something, with the way they¡¯re fighting.¡±


    The little box tilted over to its side, before rolling over to his thigh. Nuzzling it twice, it made a happy little noise, and then opened up.


    ¡°Why did you open up for?¡± Claud picked up the little guy and examined the little pearl in its middle. This pearl was something Crown had requested adamantly, back when they were in the Julan treasury, but ever since it ate the pearl up, nothing of note had happened.


    He examined the pearl, which was now glowing faintly. A green light, one that reminded him of a lifestone, was emanating outwards from the little thing.


    ¡°This definitely looks like a lifestone or something to me,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Save for the odd geometric patterns floating around it, I guess. So? What¡¯s with this thing?¡±


    Crown returned to normal, and then rolled three times around him. Claud could faintly get the feeling that the little box just wanted to show off its achievement or something, so he obliged by patting the little guy and commending its efforts.


    ¡°Alright, you sit tight while I prepare for the day.¡± Getting up from the bed, Claud washed up and pulled on some working clothes, which were a drab grey from head to toe. After pulling on his coat, which had multiple artefacts hanging on its inside, Claud checked through his equipment and returned Crown to an unused pocket, where it promptly fell asleep.


    He had been spending the past few mornings walking around the city perimeter, returning only when the sun got nasty. It wasn¡¯t just checking the little things that he¡¯d set up; he was also making mental plans on overcoming the city defences and security, after it had been augmented by his input.


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    Lily and Schwarz came in halfway through his fourth glass of apple juice.


    ¡°Morning, Lily, Schwarz.¡± Claud eyed them as they rubbed their muscles. The bartender was wincing with every action, which probably meant that he had received a few blows with his body. ¡°You look like a mess, Schwarz.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, Dia really doesn¡¯t hold back during training. And since I¡¯m the weakest of the lot, she zeroes in on me whenever I reveal a single opening,¡± the bartender grumbled.


    ¡°He¡¯s bad,¡± Lily added.


    As the bartender took visible mental damage, Claud shot out some mana from his fingers, before curling it around a nearby glass. With a gentle effort, he brought the cup over to him, before filling it up with the nearby wagon of apple juice.


    ¡°Here,¡± said Claud. ¡°For you. Training is tough and everything, so always keep yourself hydrated and happy.¡±


    Lily smiled, accepting his little offering with both hands.


    ¡°What about me?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°I also want you to pour some apple juice for me.¡±


    ¡°You?¡± Claud wanted to brush him off, but since the supply of apple juice was controlled by him, only a fool would do that. ¡°Fine.¡±


    Another strand of mana surged out of his finger, coiling around an unused glass, before bringing it over slowly. Claud could feel his head heat up slightly as he exerted fine control over the dang thing, but to his relief, the glass didn¡¯t break or fall down.


    ¡°Phew. Second time¡¯s a lot harder than it seems,¡± Claud murmured.


    Previously, Claud had insinuated to Schwarz multiple times that he was a mana-user, but he never really got around to laying it out on the table. It didn¡¯t seem all that important back then, but now that Schwarz himself was a mana-user¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s your Mana Control Proficiency?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can do that, not without breaking a whole bunch of glasses.¡±


    ¡°Intermediate,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Yeah, I was practicing for the past few days, but I still can¡¯t move mana like my right hand. It¡¯s getting me pissed off.¡±


    ¡°Intermediate, I see. That¡¯s¡ª¡± Lily paused. ¡°Sorry, did you just say intermediate?¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°How can I improve it?¡±


    ¡°Improve what? You¡¯re asking me to help you improve?¡± Lily blinked thrice. ¡°I think there¡¯s no one you can ask help from here at this point.¡±


    The master thief frowned. ¡°Are you saying that there¡¯s no one else who has a higher proficiency than me in Moon Mansion?¡±


    ¡°Exactly my point,¡± Lily replied. ¡°So¡­um. How did you get your Mana Control Proficiency this high?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Claud pondered for a moment. Was it safe to tell them that it was pretty much a reward he obtained from overcoming the first two enemies he saw in the tutorial? How would they interpret it?


    Or should he fob them off with some hasty answer?


    Since this concerned the existence of Absolute One, he had to be very careful. Telling the others that he took down a mana-user was not going to fly with them. It was one thing to let them know about the true nature of his time-sensitive high efficiency trade runs, but another entirely when it came to Absolute One.


    ¡°Well,¡± Claud began, ¡°as a person who dabbles in the finer areas of the dark night¡ª¡±


    Lily and Schwarz chuckled.


    ¡°What?¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°But the skills that I developed as an, uh, agent of the night probably served me well in this regard. Fine muscle control is a very transferable skill, as Dia might attest to.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how it works?¡± Lily¡¯s eyes shone. ¡°I see, I see. Fine muscle control and fine mana control¡­true. The body¡¯s a medium for mana, so it stands to reason that¡­¡±


    As Lily drifted into a quiet monologue, Claud downed the last of his apple juice. ¡°Schwarz. Is there anything about the White Church¡¯s inquisitors? They seemed to be delayed for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Word came by last night; they dropped by Nachtville three days ago to investigate the murders there. However, the tetra-folders of both Schwa and Lustre were there, so they got into a minor scuffle and left the same night,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°They should be here today or tomorrow morning, if nothing goes wrong.¡±


    ¡°Got it. That¡¯s the end of our peaceful days, if nothing else.¡± Claud sighed. ¡°Right, the count¡¯s fianc¨¦e must have known about their movements too, but why didn¡¯t she inform us about it? What a problematic ally.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re probably a footnote in their grand scheme of things,¡± Schwarz replied cheerily. ¡°Suck it up, buddy.¡±


    ¡°Are you heading out later?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Soon, after I finish this,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Gotta do a round or two, check on some things.¡±


    ¡°Wait for me,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I want to come along and learn some things.¡±


    ¡°I know I did teach you some things, but¡­well, fine.¡± Claud shrugged.


    He didn¡¯t mind teaching her about security and things, if it helped to take her mind off things. Lily had been busying herself incessantly for the past few days, and although the others didn¡¯t really seem to notice, it was clear to Claud that she wanted to distract herself from the reality that she¡¯d ended her own family.


    Even if it was out of necessity, for the sake of saving more people and for justice, this had to be a hard Moon to bear.


    As Lily scurried off, Claud heaved a sad sigh for the hard choices she chose to make.

 Chapter 156: The cowards way of fighting

    As a general rule of thumb, the battlements of Licencia¡¯s city walls were a restricted area, accessible only to guards and other authorised personnel. Claud and Lily, who were one of these newly authorised personnel, were currently standing on the battlements and busy observing something.


    The skies around Licencia had been blocked off by metal nets, in a fashion similar to the dome that protected Moon Mansion. Unlike the dome, however, these nets weren¡¯t taut ¡ª they were somewhat saggy to trouble potential attackers who intended to cut those nets. It was a suitable measure against people who were fond of aerial methods, if nothing else.


    ¡°What a beautiful sight,¡± said Lily, who was holding on to a bag of candies. ¡°Want one?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I do,¡± Claud replied.


    The two of them were talking a stroll around the battlements. Claud wanted to check on some of his stealthier arrangements, which included sneaky ways to detect equally-sneaky actions done against his painstaking arrangements, as well as the backdoors he¡¯d set for himself here.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that the nets do block part of the view, though,¡± Lily noted. ¡°Also, we can¡¯t exactly shoot arrows through these nets, can we?¡±


    ¡°We still can,¡± Claud replied, ¡°and our archers would enjoy the advantage too. They just need to come really close and shoot through the net directly. Incoming arrows might be deflected by the webs here.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°¡­Probably, anyway.¡± Claud tapped his head. ¡°It¡¯s all theory until a hostile army rolls up to test our defences, at which point a few mana-users or skills might just tear the whole thing apart. But this is a cheap way of preventing sneaky fellows from coming through the sky.¡±


    After teaching Lily how to check those nets, the two of them left the battlements. There wasn¡¯t much to do there, save for the daily checks that nothing was amiss, and the guards saluted once more as he returned to the guardhouse to sign out.


    ¡°That¡¯s about it, really,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Normally, I would take a walk around the perimeter too, but apparently the guards have already done that today for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Why did they do that?¡± Lily asked. ¡°That sounds suspicious. Maybe you should check it out. I mean, they didn¡¯t do that yesterday or for the past few days, right?¡±


    Claud, who was about to go back, paused. For some reason, he had found it natural back then, when the guards told him that they had patrolled the perimeter, but now that he thought about it¡­


    ¡°Huh.¡± His eyes flickered from point to point. ¡°You do have a point. That is suspicious, now that I think about it. Why did they decide to do that? It¡¯s not like they gave me a good explanation or anything, and the fact that they didn¡¯t is indeed equally suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they were using a skill like Hypnosis or Compulsion,¡± Lily suggested. ¡°The way you did it to the others. Is it possible?¡±


    Claud thought about it for a moment, but his mind was a tad foggy. ¡°Give me a moment.¡±


    He produced a skillstrip that contained Cleanse, before tearing it into two. The fog in his head ¡ª which he hadn¡¯t even noticed right until Lily brought it up just now ¡ª cleared immediately, and Claud forced down a gulp.


    Something had been done to him mentally. Artefacts that guarded against mental attacks were really rare ¡ª he¡¯d tried looking for them after the whole hoo-ha about Absolute Domination to no avail ¡ª which was a fatal opening for him. Therefore, he had tried to limit interaction with outsiders as much as possible, but to think that something like a compulsion skill had been used on him earlier on at the guardhouse¡­


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    ¡°Well, I feel better, that¡¯s for certain.¡± Claud grimaced. ¡°There¡¯s clearly a spy or two amongst the guards in Licencia. Some rapscallion, even. To think that I didn¡¯t notice my oddity¡­thanks, Lily.¡±


    When they arrived at the guardhouse earlier, Lily had chosen to remain outside to observe the guards and their training. However, that didn¡¯t automatically exclude the people outside from guilt. If that mental skill could be used once, it could be used again and again, and even with a proxy. Influencing a person to control another person wasn¡¯t something only a genius would come up with.


    ¡°How troublesome,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°That said, they¡¯ve left us an opening. The perimeter of the walls, right?¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°At the risk of being exposed, the enemy tried to dissuade us from checking the base of the city walls. There¡¯s probably something that¡¯s¡­time-sensitive.¡±


    The expectant gaze she gave Claud was enough to let him know that her words were chosen on purpose, prompting him to roll his eyes. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on.¡±


    The two bantered for a few seconds, before Claud let the smile slide of his face. ¡°However, there¡¯s one thing you¡¯re wrong about, and that¡¯s your suggestion to investigate.¡±


    Lily¡¯s face fell.


    ¡°By the two of us, that is,¡± Claud added hastily. ¡°You did a great job in letting me know that there was something wrong with me, so thank you for that!¡±


    Her face lit up like a moon, and after sparing a moment to muse on how readable Lily was, Claud said, ¡°We shouldn¡¯t do this alone. We¡¯re the Moon Lords, and there¡¯s some Moon muscle for us to use.¡±


    ¡°Dia?¡± Lily tilted her head.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Claud replied. ¡°She¡¯s our best fighter; what¡¯s the point of not getting her to come along if we¡¯re going into danger? Maybe we should call Risti along too. She¡¯s good at investigating things, and¡­¡±


    Lily held up her hand and cleared her throat. ¡°I have a better suggestion. Instead of dithering on who to bring, why not just take everyone along with us? The more the merrier, and there¡¯s safety in numbers.¡±


    Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°That¡¯s an awfully good suggestion, but for Farah¡¯s sake, I suggest we leave her out of this. She¡¯s already overworked to the bone, what with trying to sneak some dough outta Istrel¡¯s plate and whatnot.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯ll work fine too,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go back and give those buggers a nice surprise! That¡¯ll teach them to use a skill on you!¡±


    For some reason, she seemed more peeved than Claud himself at the fact that he had been attacked by some mental skill, which made him feel all warm and cosy inside. After indulging in that sentiment for a few minutes, Claud thanked her again, before returning back to Moon Mansion.


    Dia and Schwarz were sparring with each other once again in the small garden. The difference in skill was so painfully obvious that Claud felt bad simply by spectating; Schwarz was an ordinary bartender and nothing else. Getting him to face off with a mana-user trained in the sword as a child was nothing more than physical abuse, and he found himself wincing whenever wood met flesh.


    Heck, Schwarz was emitting blue light all over his body, but he still couldn¡¯t react to Dia¡¯s assault properly.


    Another resounding crack blew past his ears, and something brown arced across the sky. Schwarz, whose hands were now empty, was staggering and heaving heavily.


    ¡°Lost control of your mana at the end there, eh?¡± Dia said. ¡°Don¡¯t push your limits too much, since it¡¯s just a waste that way. You¡¯ll deplete your mana a lot faster too, if you go above your controllable limits.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Schwarz straightened his body slowly. ¡°Thank you for your guidance.¡±


    ¡°Remember to practice your control at all times,¡± Dia replied, her voice emanating a stately, solemn quality. ¡°Can you go for a fifth round?¡±


    ¡°Not today, I¡¯m afraid.¡± The bartender¡¯s words were formal, much like a student addressing his teacher, which was a novel sight to him. ¡°There¡¯s something they need, and I¡¯m not in a good condition to fight another round.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Dia¡¯s imposing presence deflated like a punctured ball as she turned around. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you two! Did you need me for something?¡±


    Claud felt his lips twitch at how her demeanour had diminished, but only fools would point that out. Instead, he said, ¡°Yeah, we need some combat power. Right. Did something good happen today? You¡¯re in a good mood for some reason.¡±


    Dia thought for a moment. ¡°Am I? You must be overthinking things.¡±


    Claud exchanged glances with Lily, who looked back with a little smile on her face. He didn¡¯t quite get what she was trying to convey, but he knew that she didn¡¯t want him to press the topic. ¡°Maybe I am, then. Now, we¡¯ve come across something odd, so we were looking for you and the others to swing by ¡ª Schwarz, don¡¯t even think of skipping this one out.¡±


    The bartender froze. ¡°Wait, I just finished training!¡±


    ¡°So did Dia,¡± Claud replied, ¡°and she looks fine and dandy. Besides, I¡¯m not expecting you of all people to fight; it¡¯s just that I think I might need your input on whatever we see later.¡±


    ¡°¡­Fine.¡±


    Claud nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Now, where¡¯s Risti?¡±


    ¡°Busy as usual¡­¡±

 Chapter 157: The master thiefs influence

    ¡°How, in the name of the Moons, did you manage to secure so many skillsticks that deal with the removal of ailments?¡± Schwarz stared at the pile of wooden sticks. ¡°Even by eyeballing it, there has to be more than a hundred here.¡±


    ¡°Well, they are very useful,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And that¡¯s not all.¡±


    He placed a small bag onto the table. ¡°Here. A bunch of artefacts that deal with the removal of abnormal effects too. They¡¯re not that expensive, since they can only be used once a day, but that¡¯s still better than nothing.¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, someone¡¯s prepared.¡±


    ¡°Someone had the guards to hypnotise me,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And I don¡¯t like it. As expected, I should use one of them after I talk to someone¡­¡±


    Lily, who was standing to his right, tilted her head. ¡°Now that I think about it, it¡¯s odd that you weren¡¯t doing that all along. Any particular reason why?¡±


    ¡°Reason¡­I found it a hassle, I guess.¡± Claud thought about it for a moment. He did do that long ago, but unlike his physical precautions, these preparations hadn¡¯t proven to be useful. After all, mental skills were rare, and back then, he had been training his Cleanse skill too by using them every day.


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t find setting up a hassle?¡± Lily blinked. ¡°That just doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    ¡°I used to do it,¡± said Claud. ¡°But since no one ever thought to use skills that inflicted abnormal effects on me, the lack of any discernible outcomes eventually made me stop doing it.¡±


    Also, Crown probably had the ability to ward off some mental ailments, but this looked like a not-so-alike twin that managed to slip by.


    ¡°¡­I have a lot of questions,¡± said Lily, who was stealing peeks at him as he spoke, ¡°including the worrying implication that your paranoia actually saved you multiple times, but we should leave that for later.¡±


    Claud thought about the multiple incidents in which muggers and ne¡¯er-do-wells had tried to do something bad to him, only to be fended by his ample preparations. These incidents had showed him the utility of being physically prepared, and as for today¡­


    ¡°Right. Our plan.¡± Claud cleared his throat. ¡°So, someone hypnotised me into thinking that I didn¡¯t need to patrol the base of the city walls earlier this morning, while I was doing my usual rounds. Lily, however, pointed out the anomaly, and I realised that my thought process was abnormal.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Schwarz tapped his fingers on the table, before picking up three skillsticks. ¡°Well, that¡¯s really fishy, isn¡¯t it? Glad Lily picked up on it. Solo operators can have it tough at times¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we should investigate it,¡± said Dia, who had been staring silently at the pile of skillsticks on the table right until now. ¡°Definitely.¡±


    ¡°Something on your mind?¡± Claud asked, curious.


    ¡°Just wondering. Skills that affect the mind¡­I¡¯m wondering if we should take preparations from now on,¡± said Dia. ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten that poor fellow back then, and how suicidal he was. If one of you guys turned into that¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to take it, if nothing else.¡±


    Slapping her face lightly, she perked herself up. ¡°That¡¯s why we should check out what they¡¯re hiding, and make sure to be a lot more cautious from now on. Right?¡±


    Claud found her words very agreeable.


    After divvying up the equipment ¡ª Risti and Farah were too busy to come along, unfortunately ¡ª Claud and Lily led the way out of Moon Mansion, masks on and all. Usually, they would remove their masks after finding some cover to prevent random pedestrians from identifying them with ease, but this was different.


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    This was them moving out in an official capacity.


    Of course, none of them were going to put on airs; if they did, it would be no different from yelling out their true identities. It was better to stick together and move unobtrusively, like a normal patrol from the Moon Lords.


    Caution was needed in this regard. Although only a small part of Licencia knew about the Moon Lords¡¯ appearance and identity, Schwarz was too famous to enjoy this benefit. Triple-D was a well-known place, with an equally well-known bartender, which meant that everyone would be paying attention whenever he stepped out of Moon Mansion.


    ¡°Right, I still need to deal with the issue of people watching over the entrance directly,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°What about that?¡± Schwarz asked, his voice equally quiet.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s only so many people who stay in Moon Mansion,¡± Lily replied.


    Claud, who was about to say something along his lines, nodded.


    ¡°Hmm. Makes sense, Cla¡ªwait. Huh. Well, Lily, it seems that your little trip with him has given you insight into how he thinks and acts. It¡¯s definitely a valuable skill, if nothing else.¡±


    ¡°That also does explain why you¡¯ve learned to use the environment when sparring,¡± Dia chimed in. ¡°Why, I didn¡¯t expect you to be the kind to toss up sand with your sword, or to use all kinds of little tricks. Seems like someone¡¯s been a bad influence on you.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡± Claud eyed Dia, but it was unfortunate that she couldn¡¯t quite see him roll his eyes through a mask. ¡°I take offence to that characterisation. Lily¡¯s not going to fight in a tournament, right? Being upright and all is nice, if you¡¯re facing opponents in a tournament, but this world isn¡¯t run on such ideal rules.¡±


    ¡°Placing one¡¯s attention on little tricks only detract from the pursuit of perfection,¡± Dia shot back. ¡°Instead of focusing on cheap tricks to overcome the opponent, focusing on defence would be far better. Using tricks only create openings for your enemy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only if you¡¯re sufficiently skilled to the point that your defence is perfect,¡± Claud shot back. He had heard enough of such stories to know that no one could actually maintain a perfect defence. Fights were about making the opponent slip up, and then exploiting the holes that appear.


    ¡°Yes, and Lily is skilled enough to maintain a perfect defence for fifteen minutes. She has the focus and the skill to do that, unlike a certain bartender.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Ignoring Schwarz¡¯s indignant outburst, Claud said, ¡°Given a choice, I am of the opinion that ending the fight as soon as possible is for the best. If you cannot defeat the opponent in a short period of time, running is infinitely better.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not fighting, then.¡± Dia crossed her arms.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t, but what¡¯s the point of tiring yourself out? Even if you win, the resulting commotion would probably have drawn other people over, people without good motivations. You¡¯re weakened, out of trump cards¡­easy pickings.¡± Claud turned his gaze to Dia, and then to Lily. ¡°Live on. Anything else can wait. Revenge, whatever. Live on first, and then anything else.¡±


    ¡°Claud¡­¡±


    Lily placed a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll do that, so¡­don¡¯t be this sad, okay?¡±


    ¡°S-sad?¡± Claud jerked. ¡°I¡¯m not sad. I¡¯m not. I¡¯m not. Okay?¡±


    He took a deep breath. There were some things he couldn¡¯t quite control, and for that, he was thankful that a mask was currently on his face.


    Schwarz glanced at him. ¡°There¡¯s some apple juice always waiting for you, buddy.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I have my own stock of fizzy drinks, though. You wanted some, right? Y¡¯all should hop over to my place and grab a barrel or two. There¡¯s too many now.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I¡¯ll take you up on that offer then,¡± Schwarz replied. Claud couldn¡¯t see it through the mask, but he was willing to bet that the bartender actually wasn¡¯t wearing his usual grin, but rather, something more morose.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Dia turned to look at him.


    ¡°What?¡± Claud shivered. He couldn¡¯t see Dia¡¯s piercing eyes, but he could easily imagine them in his mind¡¯s eye. Did she notice something?


    ¡°No, nothing.¡± She turned back. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s make haste. We¡¯ve wasted quite a bit of time arguing over little things like this¡­Lily, you make your own choice as to what to do. Maybe act according to context or something.¡±


    ¡°¡­That wasn¡¯t what you just said, was it?¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°I changed my mind, alright?¡± Dia sighed. ¡°Yes, your points are very valid. This is not a kind world. I¡­should lay down some of my old ideals. I should have known that from the start, but I guess old habits die hard.¡±


    With that, she hastened her pace. After a few more minutes of walking, they arrived at the base of the city walls. Claud¡¯s planned route usually took them to the guardhouse first, but since there were probably some bad guys there, they were going to avoid getting spotted by them.


    ¡°So, we¡¯re looking for any hints of tunnels or secret passages, right?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Correct. Of course, if you see anything else suspicious, we can also check it out,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m not all-seeing. And there might be something that I didn¡¯t expect. That¡¯s why the more, the merrier.¡±


    He looked around the city walls ruefully. ¡°I imagine Count Nightfall would have a lot to say if someone tunnelled through the base of these walls.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope that nothing of that sort happens, then.¡±

 Chapter 158: Suspicious personnel sighted

    ¡°That looks plenty suspicious,¡± Claud muttered, his eyes on a small pyramid of barrels, which had been stacked against the wall. Simply casting his gaze around the area revealed three sentries, who were too much of amateurs to actually hide their true calling properly.


    ¡°That sweeper¡¯s been sweeping the same area over and over, and there isn¡¯t a dustpan,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°That woman there isn¡¯t actually carrying a baby,¡± Lily added.


    ¡°And that man looks around the area too many times to actually be a drunkard,¡± Dia completed.


    ¡°Three out of three, well done.¡± Claud clicked his teeth. ¡°I¡¯m not sure whether it¡¯s because their covers were too badly done, or was it because you guys are fairly observant.¡±


    ¡°Considering the fact that they all averted their eyes from us, I¡¯d say the former,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°What should we do?¡±


    Claud frowned under his mask. That was a good question. If the enemy could spare three sentries to guard this place and warn against any incoming investigator, it wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say the enemy had numbers on their side. Even if everyone here was a folder, some well-chosen skills and tricks could easily turn the tide. Being able to call upon mana was nothing in the face of schemes and traps.


    ¡°We should not engage first,¡± said Lily. ¡°Right?¡±


    Claud could feel her expectant gaze fall on him, and he smiled. ¡°That¡¯s right. We shouldn¡¯t do this alone¡­although I get the feeling I¡¯ve said this the second time.¡±


    ¡°But if we increase our numbers, the enemy would know,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Like it or not, we are unlikely to get a second chance.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct, Claud.¡± Schwarz let out a small mouthful of air. ¡°We¡¯ll have to take the risk. The sentries have already seen us; it¡¯s likely that they¡¯ll try to cover their tracks once we leave this area. They spooked themselves too much for anything else to happen.¡±


    ¡°So, no choice, eh?¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°Well then, what should we investigate next?¡±


    ¡°We stand here and wait for Caroline¡¯s people to come running along,¡± Schwarz replied, a hint of wickedness in his words. While we¡¯re here, they won¡¯t do anything. If we pretend to hang around in this area under the guise of inspecting the walls, we can stall for time.¡±


    ¡°Instead of calling for even more help, we wait for help to come while playing on their fears¡­as expected of our scheming Schwarz. Truly, a brewer of drink who doubles as a specialist in manipulating people.¡±


    ¡°You make me sound like a villain,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°One of the six heads of Licencia¡¯s underworld.¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°If that setting isn¡¯t villainous, then nothing is. You meet all the requirements as the man being the throne too; unassuming, kind¡­and a schemer through and through. I could write you into a book and people would love it.¡±


    ¡°R-really?¡± Schwarz hummed. ¡°Wait, no. That¡¯s not what I meant. Putting this aside for now, we should really work on looking busy. Claud, did you bring writing materials? We¡¯ll need to seem busy and all.¡±


    ¡°I did bring some,¡± Claud replied, pulling out a bunch of papers. ¡°There. Things for you to hold, while looking up at the sky with a majestic pose. Would you like anything else? Like a top hat, for instance?¡±


    ¡°What am I, someone from Istrel?¡± Schwarz tutted. ¡°Go entertain the others.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Claud turned to Lily and Dia, who were talking about swords. He didn¡¯t know how to join this rather foreign conversation, since Claud was of the belief that being attached to one weapon wasn¡¯t of much use in a real fight. It was rather interesting to hear about the two ladies talk about such¡­nebulous concepts, however.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Dia asked, her head turning slightly as she presumably glanced at Claud.


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    ¡°Yes?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°You seemed very intent when you were listening to us talk,¡± Dia replied, ¡°so I thought you might have an interesting thought or two.¡±


    ¡°No, nothing about that.¡± Claud glanced at the sword hanging off his belt. He had quite a few copies of the same sword, around ten or so, just so he wouldn¡¯t need to get used to a new weapon whenever his current one was lost, destroyed or discarded.


    ¡°Speaking of swords, I was under the impression that you were the kind of guy who would have two swords on you at all times,¡± said Dia. ¡°The second one as the spare, naturally.¡±


    ¡°I used to carry three around,¡± Claud replied, ¡°but that proved to be cumbersome.¡±


    Lily pumped a fist. ¡°I win!¡±


    ¡°Darn it.¡±


    ¡°Win?¡± Claud tilted his head. ¡°Win what? A bet?¡±


    ¡°While we were practicing with each other earlier this morning, we were talking about the number of swords you would bring around,¡± Lily explained. ¡°Dia said you would bring two, but I bet with her that at some point in time, you probably brought more than two swords around.¡±


    ¡°And what was your reasoning?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°One as a main weapon, one as a spare and the last one as the spare for the spare,¡± Lily replied.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty much it, yes.¡± Claud chuckled. ¡°Of course, now I rely more on small weapons. If my sword¡¯s broken or I¡¯m disarmed, I¡¯m probably no match in skill of arms, so I would switch to other plans.¡±


    ¡°What plans¡­never mind.¡± Lily shuffled her feet. ¡°That¡¯s private information, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeap. Thanks for understanding,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Those plans, however, probably bear a passing semblance to your favourite tools.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    The two exchanged knowing glances for a moment, and Dia cleared her throat. ¡°What are you two on about?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much important, really,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Back to the main topic¡­or not. Looks like our reinforcements actually did rush over to us. But observe the sentries, who have been taken in by Schwarz¡¯s serious acting.¡±


    He paused and eyed the bartender, who had produced a bunch of string at some point in time, before correcting himself. ¡°Very serious acting. In fact, the sentries are probably assuming that these people are here because of this stretch of wall. Phew.¡±


    Making a mental note to himself that Schwarz had a Moon-given gift for acting, Claud watched as the reinforcements from the city administration drew close, and then narrowed his eyes as he recognised someone in the middle.


    For some reason, Count Nightfall¡¯s fianc¨¦e had showed up.


    ¡°You have got to be kidding me,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Why did she come by? Is she really that bored?¡±


    ¡°Do we need to protect her and everything too?¡± Lily added.


    ¡°Nightfall would truss us up by the legs if anything happened to her,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We¡¯ll take care of her. Schwarz and Dia will join up with the main force to suppress whatever motley crew that¡¯s holed up here. Any issues with this?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Why me? Why not you and Dia? I think she¡¯ll need the protection that being around you affords more, given that she¡¯ll be moving to attack with the rest.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, I don¡¯t want to take the lead where possible,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°But fine. You¡¯re not useful as a combatant anyway. You and Lily watch over Caroline and be on alert at all times. Lily had some lessons from me, so you guys should be fine.¡±


    ¡°You do know he had some training with me, right?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t stop him from being fairly useless in actual combat,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Hmm. He does have a belt full of¡­uh, drinks, though. That could prove to be useful after we neutralise those rapscallions.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, stinky ones.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Claud. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve settled that bit¡­let¡¯s go welcome miss Caroline.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for the remaining personal troops of Count Nightfall ¡ª which numbered around a hundred or so ¡ª to approach them. Earlier on, before they moved out, the Moon Lords had kindly informed Caroline that there was something suspicious about the city walls, before attaching their planned route to the letter.


    The rest was easy.


    ¡°Claud, Lily.¡± Caroline walked up to them, her vision drifting from person to person. ¡°Is something suspicious here?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Claud replied, ignoring the fact that she was probably making some wild guesses. As he relayed the observations the others had made, making use of this chance to introduce Schwarz and Dia, he examined her expression, watching for any hint he could use.


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s indeed rather suspicious.¡± She took a step back and then nodded at the soldiers behind her. ¡°Arrest the people he spoke about, and then deal with that bunch of barrels there. There should be an opening or a passage; follow his instructions at all times.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    The soldiers behind her dispersed, leaving only five people behind as they spread out. Their gait was slow and unhurried, as if they were taking a leisurely walk, and before Claud knew it, they had drawn close to the sentries. Without missing a beat, these sentries were captured and gagged, before being brought back to Caroline.


    All in a matter of three minutes.


    ¡°¡­wasn¡¯t that too easy?¡± Claud mumbled.


    ¡°That¡¯s the power of the establishment,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Get enough numbers, and anything¡¯s easy.¡±


    Claud looked at the soldiers behind Caroline and made a small sigh. Little groups like the Moon Lords had nothing on the Nightfall administration, this much was clear.


    With a shake of his head, he cleared his mind of such thoughts and glanced at Schwarz. ¡°Mind handling the interrogation?¡±


    The bartender shrugged. ¡°Sure.¡±

 Chapter 159: Schwarz-style interrogation techniques

    Three emptied bottles and a dead sense of smell later, the three perps spat out the information Schwarz wanted to know, before fainting with the most disgusting retch Claud had ever heard in his life. The four of them had removed their masks, as a show of courtesy to Caroline, but Claud¡¯s stomach was churning with both nausea and regret from doing such a pointless thing.


    Especially since Caroline herself had activated multiple skills too. Claud could do the same, but something told him that doing so might just slight the count¡¯s fianc¨¦e for some reason.


    ¡°So¡­a kidnapping ring, eh?¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°They¡¯re just bounty hunters,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°I call them bounty hunters if they aren¡¯t evil people,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyone else can go take a hike in Kidnapper County.¡±


    ¡°Is that how it works?¡± Lily mused out loud. ¡°Also, I think I can¡¯t smell anything now. What exactly are in those bottles, master?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Schwarz to you, Lily. Anyway, that¡¯s my personal mix for enemies, arrogant scions and caf¨¦ owners,¡± Schwarz replied.


    One of them didn¡¯t seem quite like the others, but Claud knew enough about the bartender to not bring this up, much like everybody else. Ignoring his irrational hate for caf¨¦ owners, Claud said, ¡°So, what do you think of that very odd piece of intelligence?¡±


    ¡°About the princess of Lustre in Licencia?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Come on. You can¡¯t be serious. Why would she be in here of all places? Sure, Licencia¡¯s quite unique in Istrel, but it has set an example for just about every dukedom in the Umbra Sovereignty. There are other cities that close one eye to shady deeds in the other dukedoms too.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Claud asked, curious.


    ¡°You bet it is. Besides, their intelligence was outdated,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°And the bounty for Princess Dia is like what, two hundred gold? It¡¯s not worth much, especially since Duke Lustre wants to focus on the upcoming war. They¡¯re still thinking it¡¯s two thousand gold. Idiots.¡±


    ¡°Well, the only trouble that might happen is the possibility of them targeting Lily and Dia here,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Right,¡± said Caroline, ¡°what¡¯s with her?¡±


    She pointed at Dia. ¡°She looks quite like the missing princess of Lustre, and don¡¯t even get me started on the name.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s just a double,¡± Claud replied dismissively. ¡°Meant to draw the attention of pursuers, although I think Dia can really drop that now, given the low bounty on her mistress.¡±


    ¡°A double¡­right. That makes sense,¡± Caroline muttered. ¡°How about Lily? Is she a fan of the real princess?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s about it, yes,¡± Schwarz answered. ¡°Right. Is it something like a noble fad? I¡¯ve never paid much attention back then, but now that I think about it, I actually know quite a few instances in which a bunch of lookalikes popped up. Or is it just to make use of reputations and appearances to protect themselves?¡±


    ¡°Not a fad,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°It should be the latter.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so my original intelligence still holds, then.¡± Schwarz frowned. ¡°Miss Caroline, given what we know, what are your orders now?¡±


    She glanced at the hole in the city wall, which had been hidden earlier by the gratuitous pile of barrels, before letting out a small sigh. ¡°These people here are unlikely to know the identities of those who snuck through using the tunnel here, and they¡¯re not important enough to know who their employers are, as well as the location of their base. What are the chances of finding their hideout?¡±


    ¡°Not high, given the ruckus we¡¯ve made,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Any smuggler worth their salt would have fled the moment your soldiers arrested the sentries. There¡¯s nothing much we can do about this, at any rate.¡±


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    ¡°I see.¡± Caroline looked around the place. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll just have to draft new laws. Also, the letter you sent talked about Claud being hypnotised, right? I¡¯m going to deal with that too. A specialist with Area Cleanse is with me; let¡¯s nip that problem in the bud too.¡±


    ¡°About the solutions I offered¡­¡±


    ¡°Impractical on a large scale,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°We don¡¯t have enough manpower to guard the walls and to use cleansing skills all the time.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Claud took a step back. It was a pity that his new suggestions had been rejected. If Caroline had accepted them, his workload and risk would have been drastically lessened, but one couldn¡¯t have everything. As payment, however, Claud received a regular salary of high-ranked lifestones from the Nightfall County, while the others received other bonuses.


    Since he had Crown with him, he didn¡¯t mind trading with Farah for her low-ranked lifestones. The little fellow could create Pure Life Gems from these little baubles, and Farah¡¯s life was indeed drawing to a close¡­


    Dia clicked her teeth. ¡°Turns out that I didn¡¯t really need to move out, eh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sorry to bother you,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But this is how we should act where possible, so treat it as a learning experience.¡±


    ¡°It would have been a better learning experience if I didn¡¯t need to go near such a stench,¡± Dia replied, before directing a glare at Schwarz.


    ¡°What?¡± the bartender asked. ¡°These three bottles proved to be very useful, right? We got them to confess without any torture. That¡¯s one Moon of an achievement, buddy.¡±


    ¡°Right you are.¡± Caroline chuckled, a sound that tinkled in one¡¯s ears. ¡°Might I purchase information about its composition? I suspect that we might find a use for it in the weeks to come.¡±


    ¡°The composition¡¯s no secret,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°You¡¯ll still be renumerated for it.¡± Caroline smiled in response.


    Schwarz paused for a moment. ¡°There is a non-zero chance that getting someone else to make this solution, even if the steps are followed perfectly, would result in a less-than-ideal product, however. It might be the equipment that¡¯s the problem, as well as the creator themselves. If that happens¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t blame. Besides, it¡¯s not a really rare recipe, right?¡± Caroline asked. ¡°Small losses mean nothing to us. Come. Let us discuss the details on the way to the guardhouse.¡±


    As the two continued to walk and talk about transferring a certain formula that would produce a dog¡¯s worst enemy, Claud and the others exchanged glances and followed behind. They, in turn, were followed by Caroline¡¯s personal guards, who were dragging their three captives along merrily.


    It didn¡¯t take long before they arrived at the guardhouse, and as the head of Caroline¡¯s personal guards handled the security and verification protocols, Claud found himself looking around for Captain Blake. He wasn¡¯t here this morning, but it was entirely possible that he might have been out doing something and would only return later.


    ¡°Can¡¯t spot him, though,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Yeah, me too. Maybe he¡¯s on a rest day or something. Or he¡¯s out for the whole day,¡± Claud replied.


    While the three of them chattered away, Caroline had gotten the city guards to form up outside in a tight formation. With another gesture, a non-descript young man appeared by her side, and before anyone could respond to his sudden appearance, a wave of formless energy gushed outwards like water.


    Quite a few guards wobbled as the energy washed over them, their eyes turning vacant for a minute or two.


    Claud narrowed his eyes at that sight.


    ¡°Looks like the guardhouse has indeed been compromised, one way or another,¡± Claud murmured.


    ¡°Men, bring the unaffected guards to me. Get the affected guards a place to rest, and call for the standby shift to take over.¡± Caroline folded her arms. ¡°Interrogate the unaffected guards. Leave nothing out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±


    Claud nodded approvingly.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± said Lily. ¡°Yes, the ringleader is unlikely to have hypnotised themselves, so this is indeed the best approach to take, no?¡±


    ¡°But, and hear me out, but what if the culprit was expecting this line of thought?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Not impossible, but the hypnotised guys will probably be watched closely,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But more importantly, I think we should back off more. Schwarz seems like he¡¯s about to break out the good old stink.¡±


    Claud glanced at the three unconscious fellows, who had been abandoned immediately after they arrived at the guardhouse, and shrugged. ¡°I see no difference, really. There¡¯s a stink here, and there¡¯s a stink there¡­we¡¯re still going to gross out anyone that walks past us on the street, right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have an artefact that can clean you up?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Hmm. You remembered. Fortunately for everyone here, I got one with four charges a day,¡± Claud replied. ¡°That¡¯s enough for the four of us. If I didn¡¯t buy a new one after returning¡ª¡±


    Schwarz¡¯s voice happened to drift over at this moment. ¡°This here is a concentrated version of what I used earlier. Are you sure you want to use it?¡±


    Time seemed to slow as everyone turned to look at Schwarz, who was holding onto a bottle marked with a skull.


    Caroline¡¯s response, however, was drowned out by a single word, one that everyone here had bellowed in concert.


    ¡°No!¡±

 Chapter 160: Inquisitors!

    Fortunately, Caroline had the sense to heed Schwarz¡¯s warning, and so everyone resorted to the second-best option, which was simply interrogating them in a more normal fashion. After getting the guards to head into the guardhouse for separate interrogations by her personal troops, Caroline rubbed her nose and motioned for Claud and the others to follow her into a lonely corner.


    She looked around at everyone. ¡°So, what do you guys think? There is proof that the city guards have been partially controlled or affected by some skill that targets the mind, and I haven¡¯t quite forgotten Absolute Domination skill just yet.¡±


    Claud thought for a moment. Quite a few city guards had been affected by the same skill, which meant that there had been a concerted effort to subvert the guards there.


    No one would put in this much hard work for no good reason, after all.


    ¡°We should ask the hypnotised guards,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°If the enemy put in this much effort to turn them against the city, there must have been some goal in mind. At the same time, asking the unaffected guards about any odd obsessions by the hypnotised fellows might yield more clues too.¡±


    Claud nodded. Since Schwarz had said everything he had thought about, there wasn¡¯t much of a point in doing anything else. Besides, since they didn¡¯t know what the exact skill used on these guards were, having too many preconceived notions might just misdirect the investigation.


    ¡°The hole in the city walls definitely is important to the culprit, though,¡± said Lily. ¡°Why else would he try to stop Claud from walking around the walls?¡±


    ¡°It must have been important enough for the culprit to risk the chance of being caught too,¡± said Dia. ¡°What were the chances of Claud noticing it, had nothing happened to him?¡±


    Claud was suddenly aware of the fact that the others were staring at him, and he placed a thoughtful expression on his face.


    ¡°I would have noticed the oddity, yes,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Even before we arrived at the scene itself, I had already noticed the sentries doing a really sloppy job. Furthermore, that pyramid of barrels wasn¡¯t there yesterday; if they were, I would definitely have investigated.


    ¡°Did you check the city walls from the outside?¡± Caroline asked. ¡°Or do you usually just check it from the inside?¡±


    ¡°Only from the inside,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°I see. Well, unless there exists a skill that can make a hole in the city walls with a single use, it is safe to say that the enemy had been making that hole over the past few days. It¡¯s also possible that the culprit had been using his or her skills on the city guards in that same period too.¡± Caroline closed her eyes. ¡°Anyone who enters and leaves the city every day for the past few days is therefore a suspect.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of people.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m betting we¡¯ll be able to flush out quite a lot of people from this batch,¡± said Caroline. ¡°This is my city. No one makes holes in my walls and gets away with it.¡±


    Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel that there was something off about that statement, but he couldn¡¯t quite pinpoint the issue. After mulling about it for a moment, he shrugged it off and watched as she returned to her personal troops.


    ¡°Quite the character, isn¡¯t she?¡± Schwarz muttered.


    ¡°Yeah, the way she called this place her city was kinda inspiring,¡± Dia replied. ¡°A solid head on her shoulders too. Where did she come from anyway?¡±


    ¡°She came from a city that has been hitting the headlines recently,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Lostfon.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s apparently from the Lostfon family itself too,¡± Lily added.


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    ¡°Hmm. Well, that does explain about the expansion of trade between the two cities recently, although Nightfall¡¯s marital affairs had been painstakingly concealed from the public eye in general,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I knew that guy had a fianc¨¦e, but I didn¡¯t know who she was or her background.¡±


    ¡°Alright, enough chatting,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We should head over before she gets angry at the sight of us slacking off.¡±


    Mana pulsed outwards from the guardhouse as they approached it, forcing everyone back by a step or two. A horrified scream followed a moment later, and before they could run over to see what had happened, the door of the guardhouse came apart as a bloody body smashed through it.


    Caroline stepped out a moment later, her body surrounded by a rippling blue barrier.


    ¡°What happened here?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Someone tried to kill me,¡± Caroline replied casually, before tossing a knife onto the ground. ¡°He bounced off my mana barrier. Nice try, but maybe he should at least do some proper research on his target. Men. Tie him up and bring him back into the dungeons. Make sure he has no secrets left by the time I return.¡±


    The few remaining personal troops around her saluted, before carrying the unconscious, blood-soaked man away.


    ¡°My apologies,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°Our negligence¡­¡±


    ¡°No, not your fault,¡± Caroline replied, her voice as light-hearted as five minutes ago. ¡°Things like this are going to be a lot more common in the months to come, so do prepare yourself. Aran did tell you about what to expect, no?¡±


    ¡°Up to and including assassinations, eh?¡± Schwarz nodded. ¡°He did tell us what to expect.¡±


    Claud could almost hear the unspoken second sentence that followed ¡ª that he didn¡¯t give them, the Moon Lords, a choice in whether they should participate in this chaos. Of course, the way Schwarz phrased it back then, when he explained the ins and the outs of the events that day, wasn¡¯t as forthcoming as the way Claud phrased it, but the gist remained the same.


    They didn¡¯t have a choice.


    ¡°Good. Keep up your excellent work.¡± She paused for a moment, and her head tilted to one side. ¡°Ah. They¡¯re coming. The four of you¡­follow me to the city gates. As the city¡¯s mistress, I must be escorted at all times when facing people of a certain stature.¡±


    She issued a few more orders, before gesturing for Claud and the others to follow her. Since the guardhouse was right next to the city gate, they didn¡¯t really need to walk far, but for some reason, Caroline took the chance to arrange her clothes.


    ¡°Is it the inquisitors of the White Church?¡± Claud found himself asking.


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯ve right. It is precisely them,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°Right. You four should get rid of their lingering stench, lest our visitors faint on the spot.¡±


    Her nose scrunched up a moment later, and Claud watched on with amusement as Lily made a sad face. Pulling out his Refresher ¡ª a better one that the one he used to have prior to joining the Moon Lords ¡ª he activated it, before passing it on the others for their own use too.


    ¡°Is that better?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Much better, yes.¡± Caroline smirked. ¡°If you still feel embarrassed, hand me one of those bottles. I¡¯ll dump it on them by accident somehow.¡±


    ¡°Surely you jest.¡±


    ¡°I am. Dumping bottles of liquid on visitors is not very diplomatic behaviour,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°In that case, I will just arrange for an accident that won¡¯t be traced back to us.¡±


    Claud wanted to know how she intended to do such a thing, since it was good reference material for anyone hoping to do dark deeds without being discovered. Unfortunately, Caroline didn¡¯t see it fit to share any of her intended plans with them, and Claud didn¡¯t want to be perceived as being too nosy about her thoughts.


    That label would not do him any justice whatsoever.


    ¡°They¡¯re coming,¡± said Dia. ¡°Look sharp!¡±


    A heartbeat later, three people dressed in the purest of white stepped through the city gates. There was something otherworldly about these three people; they had a unique air to them, as if they didn¡¯t quite belong in this world itself.


    Time seemed to freeze as their leader, a petite young woman, locked eyes with Caroline.


    ¡°You must be Countess Nightfall.¡± The woman smiled, but the only emotion Claud could gather from that expression was an infinite pity, as if the people before her were people who were suffering inconceivable agonies. ¡°I am Clarissa, the Holy Daughter of the White God. I have come at the request of Deacon Gates, to investigate the death of the Lord¡¯s Blessed. We thank you for your hospitality.¡±


    ¡°Please, do call me Caroline.¡± She nodded her head in return. ¡°We will cooperate with your investigations to the fullest.¡±


    The woman¡¯s smile remained constant, but the light in her eyes shifted slightly. ¡°We thank you for your cooperation. Let us talk in a more secluded location, while my guards carry out the initial inspection.¡±


    ¡°That will do. My escorts will lead the way.¡± Caroline glanced at Claud and Lily, before turning back to her conversation partner. ¡°We have a residence fitting of your stature; we can have a discussion about the Spear of Fate¡¯s passing there. Please, follow me.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    Casting another glance at Claud, Caroline turned away from them and led the imposing young woman away by the hand.


    Claud cleared his throat and glanced at the two men that had accompanied their mistress. ¡°If there is nothing else, we will lead you to the crime scene.¡±


    The man on the right nodded. ¡°Please do.¡±

 Chapter 161: The Cord of Cause

    Claud peeked at the two men trailing behind Captain Blake, who had shown up shortly after Caroline and Holy Daughter Clarissa left the guardhouse. The poor guy was clearly not on duty, judging from his clothes, but he had been called down regardless.


    The two guards of the White Church¡¯s Holy Daughter were nothing to be scoffed at, despite being in a seemingly low position. Claud¡¯s instincts were warning him that both of them were nowhere weaker than Count Nightfall ¡ª by no means should they attempt to cross either one of those men without ample preparations and a resolve to die.


    ¡°They look really scary,¡± Lily whispered in his ear.


    ¡°Well, guards are supposed to look scary,¡± Claud whispered back. ¡°But these guys are seriously scary, though. Some part of me thinks it¡¯s better to drink some of Schwarz¡¯s alcohol than to actually fight them.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I heard that.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be grateful that I¡¯m comparing your drinks favourably?¡± Claud muttered, before returning his attention to the two guards before him.


    He appraised the two guards¡¯ back view. Unlike most thugs, these two had a medium-sized build. Their muscles weren¡¯t excessively bulky either; they were mean, lean and had a lifestone-like quality to them. This was proof of their training; instead of trying to look intimidating to the common person, these two guards had trained in such a way that they were intimidating to professional mercenaries and other fighters.


    Dressed in white from head to toe, Claud really couldn¡¯t see much of a difference. They looked like brothers or even twins from their backs alone, and to make matters worse, none of them had named themselves.


    In this stifling atmosphere, the little party continued on in relative silence, which was only broken by the occasional whispered conversation. Everyone had the good sense to not annoy the two men walking just behind Captain Blake, since they would probably lose in a straight fight.


    Claud felt his nose scrunch up as they approached the murder scene, but since he had been exposed to Schwarz¡¯s nose-numbing solutions not too long ago, he didn¡¯t feel the need to retch or anything.


    ¡°W-we¡¯re here,¡± said Captain Blake. ¡°I have preserved the crime scene with ¡®Indigo God¡¯s Canvas¡¯. Do you want me to dispel the skill?¡±


    The two guards shook their head in silence, before the one on the right produced a skillstrip. With a deliberate, practiced motion, he tore up the piece of paper, and a white sheen gathered around him.


    At the same time, the other guard produced a small bell. White light, soft and gentle on the eyes, gathered into a string as he rang the bell once, a string that extended from Zulan Patra¡¯s corpse and through the roof directly, arcing into the sky.


    Nodding to himself, the guard rang the bell five more times, and with each chime, the white string doubled in thickness. By the time the guard stowed the bell away, the string that extended out from Zulan Patra¡¯s corpse was now as thick as a mercenary¡¯s arm.


    The guard that was covered in the white sheen bowed towards the corpse, and then reached out for the white sheen. With a gentle tug, he separated the string from its origin, before producing a small white knife, which he handed to his bell-wielding companion.


    ¡°Lord,¡± the glowing guard murmured, stepping forward to touch Zulan Patra¡¯s corpse. ¡°Thy servant has fallen in the land of the profane. May thine mercy lift him into thy Divine Kingdom, and bring him into your embrace everlasting.¡±


    The white sheen around the guard drifted over to the Spear of Fate, and his corpse began to burn with a pure white flame. Claud could not feel any heat from it, even as it raged on, and within seconds, all that was left behind was an empty chair.


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    In unison, the two chanted, ¡°May his karma burn true.¡±


    The two guards let out a small sigh. ¡°Zulan¡¯s last rites have been performed. The five of you bear witness to this.¡±


    Captain Blake cleared his throat. ¡°M-my apologies, but can I speak?¡±


    The knife-holding guard nodded. ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Your Excellencies were summoned here to investigate the Spear of Fate¡¯s murder, but if you performed his last rites¡­¡± The captain¡¯s words died away, but there wasn¡¯t any need to complete that sentence.


    ¡°Do not worry, captain.¡± The white-robed, knife-wielding man smiled, gesturing at his companion, who was holding on to the white strong. ¡°Our leads are here. The White God, the Holy of Holies, the Lord Schizel, is the God of Karma. All deeds incur karma. The death of his Blessed, doubly so.¡±


    ¡°Is it that¡­string thing?¡± Captain Blake asked, clearly intrigued.


    ¡°That is the Cord of Cause, a manifestation created by the Bell of Beginnings. At the other end is the murderer of the Lord¡¯s Blessed. The faithful will soon know that attached to one such Cord is a murderer of a Blessed.¡± The guard inclined his head slowly.


    Claud felt his heart skip a beat. From the looks of it, if such a means was employed against him, the only thing he could hope to do was to use Presence Nullification as this Cord thing sought him out. Being attached to it was probably a death sentence.


    ¡°Can the Cord of Cause be severed?¡± Captain Blake asked.


    ¡°Anything can be severed. Even karma. But it will not be easy,¡± the guard replied placidly. ¡°The Lord is merciful. A way out is provided for all who seek to repent ¡ª and that is to experience what the victim felt. Should the penitent accept his punishment, the Cord will fall apart.¡±


    Claud glanced at the brutal way in which Zulan Patra died, and stifled a grin. The guard noticed his expression, and then grinned back.


    ¡°Right. Since Zulan is a Blessed of the Lord, the murderer¡¯s penitence will be¡­doubled.¡±


    Captain Blake cleared his throat. ¡°Despite the solemn occasion and the gruesomeness of the murder, I really feel like laughing or something.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said the guard holding on to the knife. ¡°It is good to laugh at the comeuppance of some wrong-doer. It pulls them down from their pedestal of fear, and makes them smaller in one¡¯s mind. Laugh, if you want to. The Lord will approve.¡±


    As the three chattered away, Claud wryly noted that these guards didn¡¯t seem all that different from the likes of Captain Blake and the others. It was possible that they were only that solemn earlier because they wanted to discharge their duty first and foremost, but now that they had sent off the Spear of Fate, their personality had returned to normal.


    ¡°There¡¯s another victim, but¡­¡±


    ¡°We can call out the Cord of Cause once again,¡± said the knife-holding guard, whose smile had disappeared. ¡°But his last rites¡­¡±


    He glanced at his buddy, who shook his head.


    ¡°We can¡¯t carry it out. You should arrange a civil funeral for the second victim, or a funeral from the Coloured God he follows.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Captain Blake took a step back.


    Once again, bell chimes filled the room, and before long, there were two such cords leading out of the room. The only thing Claud now wanted to know was what that knife did, since the two of them hadn¡¯t done anything with it so far.


    After doing a few more routine things, like filling up forms and getting everyone to sign it, the two were done with the investigation. Leading everyone out of the house, the knife-holding guard stopped at the street outside and looked towards the house.


    ¡°Clear,¡± said his companion. ¡°You may begin, Alf.¡±


    ¡°Noted. Beginning.¡± Blue light began to glow around him, wrapping around the knife. A luminous blade extended out of the knife hilt, and before Claud could admire it for more than three seconds, the piercing white light split into two and shot skywards, following the cord to its end.


    ¡°That looks dangerous,¡± Captain Blake noted


    ¡°It is dangerous. I just launched an attack that cannot be evaded at the murderer. The culprit definitely won¡¯t like it, that¡¯s for sure.¡± Alf glanced at the two cords. ¡°Hmm. The murderer is still very much alive. We¡¯ll try again every day until the cord vanishes. At the same time, we will send out word to the nearby territories, to look for someone with two Cords of Cause attached to them.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we just follow these two and see where they lead us?¡± Schwarz asked, curious.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work that way. The sky is the medium in which the Cord of Cause is based on,¡± the second guard replied. ¡°The Cord of Cause goes to the sky, and then it comes down from the sky.¡±


    ¡°¡­How complicated.¡±


    ¡°It is a miracle of the Lord. If mortals could understand easily, it wouldn¡¯t be a miracle, right?¡± The guard smiled. ¡°We don¡¯t need to know how miracles work. We just need to know miracles exist. That, I think, is good enough.¡±


    It was, all things considered, a rather philosophical way of ending the conversation.

 Chapter 162: The Knife of Karma

    After ten minutes of walking, the two men in white stopped in front of a small mansion. The two guards of Holy Daughter Clarissa had some sort of link to their master, which was why Claud and the others didn¡¯t question them when they took the initiative to lead the way.


    Still, Claud found the sight of the two guards rather amusing, since they were holding on to one Cord of Cause each. It reminded him of the nobles who liked to walk their pets, although in this case, the pets were the two guards, and as for the nobles¡­


    Claud decided not to think too hard about who the nobles were in this analogy ¡ª he had more than a hundred years of life to go, and he was planning on increasing that number too. It would be sad if the gods decided that he was being too insolent and had to go.


    ¡°Your Grace, your servants have arrived,¡± the two of them chanted. ¡°We seek your permission for our profane bodies to enter your presence.¡±


    ¡°Permission granted.¡±


    Those two words seemed to sap out the last remaining bits of personality from the two guards, and Claud felt somewhat dejected at that realisation. He now knew why these two gave off an eerie vibe back when they were entering the city; the Holy Daughter¡¯s guards were not meant to be anything beyond a guard. Their lives were centred around the protection of their mistress; it was their reason for living.


    The master thief shuddered at that realisation, and then recalled how they had addressed themselves as profane bodies. Did they see themselves as alive? How about the people around them? Would their perception differ when they were executing their mission, and when they weren¡¯t?


    There were a lot of things he wanted to know, to ask, but in the end, Claud didn¡¯t dare to speak. Whatever amicability that had surrounded them earlier had been frozen over the moment these two men caught sight of the mansion ¡ª they were now unsheathed knives with shining, naked blades.


    A reverent air drifted around the two as they entered the mansion, with Claud and the others bringing up the rear. Like him, the others had complex looks on their face, although it was very possible that they had different considerations from him. For instance, Schwarz was eyeing the mansion¡¯s interior itself, while Dia¡¯s gaze lingered on the various pieces of furniture. Lily¡¯s expression was completely uniform, to the point that Claud couldn¡¯t tell what she had on her mind.


    Before Claud could think about anything else, the two men fell onto one knee. ¡°Your Grace, we have returned from our investigation.¡±


    ¡°Well done.¡±


    ¡°We are unworthy of your praise,¡± the two chanted.


    The Holy Daughter swept her gaze at Claud and the others, before a wave of white light swept out from her. His pocket quivered slightly as the ripple of light swept through them, and her features creased up slightly.


    ¡°An odd existence.¡± Her eyes, which was unfocused, blinked once. ¡°It¡¯s gone. Alf, Dio, you two may have been trailed.¡±


    The two guards lowered their heads at those words. ¡°We accept our punishment.¡±


    ¡°It is no fault of yours. That existence is¡­odd. Even I cannot track it down. If I had not caught it by surprise¡­¡± Holy Daughter Clarissa smiled gently. ¡°Rise, my two protectors.¡±


    The two men rose to their feet. ¡°We thank you for your mercy.¡±


    Claud suppressed a quiver. The ease in which they submitted themselves to this so-called grace was unnerving to him, as if they were more than content to demean themselves. People like him could lower their stature if it fitted their purposes, but for these two men, he could tell that they were truly sincere in their belief.


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    Zealots.


    Reining in his breathing ¡ª it would not do to forget that these three people were tri- and tetra-folders ¡ª Claud emptied his mind of those thoughts. Rumours about tri-folders were really scary; it was said that their senses were very well developed. If his heartbeat was too fast, or if his breathing changed¡­


    His head ached. Did he also need to invest in equipment to hide those changes?


    Clarissa chuckled gently, a lilting sound that shook Claud¡¯s mind. ¡°There is no need for thanks. The two of you have done a splendid job today. The Cords of Cause are well-formed. Truly, you two are blessings from the Lord.¡±


    ¡°Your praise is wasted on us.¡±


    Caroline cleared her throat. ¡°Are those the clues that you were talking about earlier?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Caroline.¡± The Holy Daughter took the two white strings and fiddled with them. ¡°It has been a few decades since someone dared to kill a Blessed of the Lord. It would seem that the world has chosen to forget about cause and effect, no? I am very interested in finding out who is this brave, in fact.¡±


    Her eyes, filled with boundless pity for all life, brightened. ¡°As is the Elder Council. Zulan was someone we had hopes for, having mastered an artefact of the Lord, but to think that someone could overcome him, in a rural part of the continent¡­I must confess: I am very interested.¡±


    The Holy Daughter¡¯s words were gentle, but the only thing Claud could feel was an icy chill in the pits of his stomach.


    ¡°How do you intend to proceed on?¡± Caroline asked.


    ¡°The Knife of Karma will do,¡± the Holy Daughter replied. ¡°Alf. The knife, please. To simply kill such a person can be quite a waste. For someone who dares to profane the Lord, death is but succour. There are many ways we can compel the sinner to approach us.¡±


    A faint shimmer descended onto the knife¡¯s edge, and she ran it slowly across the white thread. The Cord of Cause quivered madly, as if it was alive, but Clarissa held onto it without showing any particular effort, running the edge of the knife along the thread like a child playing some twisted game.


    ¡°That¡¯s all for this hour,¡± she eventually replied. ¡°Alf, Dio, you two shall do as I demonstrated every hour for the next few days.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Grace.¡±


    Receiving the knife and the Cord of Cause reverently, Alf and Dio took a few steps back and blended into the background.


    ¡°So, now that the culprit is under our tracking, our first goal is complete here,¡± said the Holy Daughter. ¡°However, it is possible that the culprit who killed Zulan was just a pawn of the real mastermind. Your reports about the Third Bearer of Destiny is rather alarming, and I do not believe in coincidences.¡±


    ¡°What do you intend to do, Holy Daughter Clarissa?¡±


    ¡°We shall investigate the whereabouts of the Third Bearer of Destiny. Whether the Third is guilty of murdering the Lord¡¯s Blessed is irrelevant. After all, under the Lord¡¯s rule, there is no need for new Bearers of Destiny. If he or she does not submit to the Lord, we will simply dispose of that person,¡± she replied.


    Claud felt a chill run down his spine. He wasn¡¯t the Third Bearer of Destiny, but Holy Daughter Clarissa had made it very clear ¡ª the Coloured Gods and their followers did not want to see any such people in the first place.


    Once again, however, Claud found himself curious. He had pondered about it before, but why did the existence behind the status screen not know about the Bearers of Destiny? Why were there skills that had weird question marks on them? And why were the Coloured Gods hostile to the Bearers of Destiny?


    Asking these questions, however, weren¡¯t probably the best of ideas. The last thing he needed was to draw attention to himself.


    ¡°Well, guys, you heard the Holy Daughter.¡± Caroline shrugged. ¡°Maybe you can help me and her in locating the Third Bearer of Destiny. As I understand it, both sides have a grudge against each other, no? I am told that the Third enthralled one of your men and used him to disrupt some event.¡±


    ¡°Hold,¡± said the Holy Daughter. ¡°I have a question, the four of you. Why would the Third target your organisation?¡±


    Claud paused. Now that he thought about it¡­why did someone enthral a low-level member of the Moon Lords, and then subsequently get that purpose to sabotage something like a charity drive?


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Schwarz looked around at the others, and then took a step forward. ¡°We have no idea either. But if I were to warrant a guess, it would be to weaken us in general. Count Nightfall had assigned us to the general defence of the city in his absence in a public ceremony.¡±


    A slightly bitter expression appeared on his face. ¡°Making such a thing public is definitely going to make us a target for the more ambitious, no?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± The Holy Daughter closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°Yes. That lines up. It seems that this city is the target of a very problematic troublemaker, making use of the period in which the count is gone. Istrel¡¯s coronation will only last this long, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Any chance that this war he has in mind will be postponed?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°To focus on the Third?¡± Holy Daughter Clarissa leaned back on her chair. ¡°That would be interesting, no? It depends, really. After all, the Third must be en route now. To kill us.¡±


    ¡°We need to prepare for the Third¡¯s arrival,¡± said Caroline.


    Claud didn¡¯t like the sound of that.

 Chapter 163: The Holy Daughters thoughts

    Claud was beginning to regret his decision to overlook the others¡¯ choice back then, when they agreed to work with Count Nightfall. Sure, they didn¡¯t really have much of a choice to begin with, and the unforeseen accident with Arms Master had forced the others into showing their hand, but he still couldn¡¯t help but feel peeved about the whole thing.


    Now they were embroiled in this hot potato called Licencia¡¯s defence, and to make matters worse, there really wasn¡¯t much they could do about it.


    ¡°Still, wouldn¡¯t the enemy be on guard at all times?¡± Schwarz asked, disrupting his train of thought.


    Caroline nodded. ¡°Considering that there¡¯s two white lines stuck on the killer¡¯s body, that¡¯s pretty much a given. However, the culprit must come to us eventually, since they would suffer unspeakable agony whenever the Knife of Karma is used.¡±


    She glanced at the Holy Daughter, who had seemingly fallen asleep, before saying, ¡°The only issue is that we¡¯re wary of the true enemy pulling the strings. I agree with Holy Daughter Clarissa ¡ª the Third must have had a role in Zulan Patra¡¯s death, one way or another. There are ways to handle him that would just require a well-placed thrall or two; the Spear of Fate did not arrive at Licencia alone.¡±


    Claud took a deep breath. He hadn¡¯t noticed it, given that the man was skilled at being the centre of attention, but Zulan Patra had indeed arrived with a bunch of aides. What happened to them?


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°So far, every thrall that has been identified is a non-folder, right?¡±


    ¡°Which makes them disposable pawns,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°And just because we¡¯ve never seen any enthralled folders doesn¡¯t mean such beings don¡¯t exist, right? In fact, if not for the fact that nothing had happened ever since the unfortunate poisoning event during one of the Moon Lords¡¯ charity drives, I would have suspected that one of you were a thrall or something.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Dia asked, confused.


    ¡°Remember that event of someone ruining Farah¡¯s charity event?¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Rodrio ran away, prompting us to chase, but now that I think about it, it could have been a ploy to turn one of us into a thrall."


    He paused. ¡°Is that what you were getting at?¡±


    Caroline nodded. ¡°There¡¯s probably a limit to Absolute Domination. After all, they had Zulan Patra dead to rights, but they didn¡¯t turn him into a thrall and killed him instead. Why would anyone do that?¡±


    The Holy Daughter opened her right eye. ¡°I would say that the culprit did not want to alert the Lord to the presence of a subverted pawn and by extension, the existence of Absolute Domination. However, that is rather unlikely, given that we already know about it. Therefore, Caroline¡¯s explanation is the more likely one.¡±


    She closed her eyes once more.


    For some reason, her mannerisms reminded Claud of Farah, although Holy Daughter Clarissa had this shininess that the countess lacked. The former was a lot colder too, and Claud really hated that light in her eyes. He could vaguely tell that she was pitying them as a lower lifeform, like a slug on the streets or something.


    The way she treated her guards was no better too; it felt perfunctory, and they clearly weren¡¯t treated as equals either. It was as if they were inferior beings whose only purpose was to exalt their mistress, and Claud didn¡¯t like it.


    If he had to give a reason why he disliked Clarissa, it was because this particular Holy Daughter ¡ª Claud wasn¡¯t sure how many Holy Daughters, Sons and Grandchildren of the White Church existed ¡ª treated all life with a mercy from up high, rather than empathy for the masses. Claud had a feeling that she could kill off the whole city if a justified cause was present, and she wouldn¡¯t even bat an eyelid.


    What would such a person do, when threatened with the lives of an entire city? Claud didn¡¯t need to think too hard for an answer.


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    ¡°¡­come to us, then. What do you think, Claud?¡± The voice paused. ¡°Claud?¡±


    A hand fell on his shoulder, and Claud looked up with a jerk. ¡°Sorry. What did you say?¡±


    ¡°You seem distracted,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°I was deep in thought about something,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway, what were you asking again?¡±


    ¡°We were talking about the possibility of an ambush,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°The culprit must make his way into the city, if he or she wants to get rid of the Cords of Cause. However, a stealthy approach is impossible, since we¡¯ll be able to see the Cords approaching the city from afar too.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± said Claud. ¡°That¡¯s very possible too. Therefore, it must stand to reason that the killer has full confidence in winning¡­or is already a thrall and intends to end our trail.¡±


    ¡°That can be done anytime, though,¡± Schwarz noted. ¡°Death would do, no? Since the killer is a thrall, killing themselves shouldn¡¯t be hard. Even if there¡¯s heavy resistance to that notion, a thrall cannot put up much resistance against their master.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m getting a headache,¡± Claud muttered.


    He glanced at Dia, whose expression was contemplative, before turning to Lily, who was just staring at the ceiling in silence. ¡°What do you guys think?¡±


    Lily turned to look at him, before scrunching up her face. ¡°I think the reason why everything seems to be problematic is due to the fact that we don¡¯t know what Absolute Domination exactly does. What limits does it have? How does it work? If there¡¯s a record of the Absolute skill family, shouldn¡¯t we peruse it for some hints?¡±


    The Holy Daughter twitched on her seat, before opening her eyes.


    ¡°Theoretically possible, yes. But based on what I know, skills in the Absolute family never repeat. From the past, present and future, only one person will have a certain skill with an Absolute prefix,¡± Clarissa replied slowly.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°But given that the White Church seems to have compiled a list of Absolute skills, some commonalities can be identified, right?¡± Dia asked.


    Clarissa¡¯s eyes flickered with some negative emotion, before returning to its usual, overpowering mercy. ¡°Yes. Very well. I suppose I can share some of the Lord¡¯s wisdom to the profane. First. Absolute skills cannot be embedded into skillsticks or skillstrips. Second. They occupy two skillslots. Third, these skills cannot level up conventionally. Fourth, these skills can evolve once their conditions are met.¡±


    ¡°Two skillslots?¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°That sounds like a huge disadvantage. I prefer my six skills, thank you very much.¡±


    Claud played along. ¡°Imagine being unable to create skillsticks of not one, but two skills. While the average person has six skillsticks, these Bearers of Destiny can have what, four?¡±


    ¡°Put that way, they don¡¯t seem all that intimidating,¡± Lily chimed in.


    Chattering with the others, Claud thought about that last condition ¡ª the bit about evolving. Now that he thought about it, back then, when he first infused the mana he got from Absolute One into another skill, the skill had changed slightly. However, he hadn¡¯t had the chance to test it out anywhere; since there were so many mana-users in Moon Mansion, using a skill that granted him infinite mana would be an elaborate way of revealing one¡¯s secrets.


    Maybe being roped into this ¡®Protectors of Licencia¡¯ gig wasn¡¯t so bad after all. Without it, Claud had a feeling that it would be a lot harder to learn about the secrets behind his Absolute One. It was horrifying to see just how much people of privileged knew about the Absolute skill tree, though ¡ª this was enough to convince Claud that keeping his head low was definitely the best approach for now.


    After all, the churches of the Coloured Gods didn¡¯t seem to like any Bearers of Destiny, number be damned.


    ¡°Any other limitations or weaknesses we can make use of?¡± Claud asked slowly.


    He shuddered as that cold gaze fell on him.


    ¡°Nothing else. But a warning. Absolute skills can evolve. Records claim that there are four levels to these skills, as represented by the last letter before the three question marks. E for Emergent, A for Awakened, and O for Order. Every level brings about a new functionality.¡± The Holy Daughter paused. ¡°We can be certain that the enemy¡¯s Absolute Domination is of the Awakened form. Therefore, do not simply assume that the Third¡¯s Absolute Domination could only create a thrall. There are likely to be other functions too.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the last one?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know. It¡¯s the secret of the¡­¡± The Holy Daughter¡¯s words trailed off, but there really wasn¡¯t a need to finish the sentence.


    As Claud nodded along with the others, he couldn¡¯t help but think about his Absolute One. What was the new function that came with its evolution? Absolute One represented the concept of invincibility, from what his instincts told him, but what functions could such thing give rise to, other than well, being invincible?


    After exchanging a few more words, Caroline promised to make some detailed plans with them tomorrow, and then sent them off.


    Claud, however, was now singularly focused on what this evolution of his Absolute One entailed. What exactly did he gain, when the skill evolved? And why did the skill evolve to begin with?


    Directing his legs to trail behind the others, his mind continued to process all these new details in silence.

 Chapter 164: Clauds influence

    A spirited cry burst out of Lily¡¯s mouth as her blade swung downwards, and Dia intercepted it with a casual flick of her own sword. Gliding to her right a moment later, a current of air skimmed past her left as Schwarz tried to stab her from a blind spot. Smiling gently, her right leg swept upwards in a fan kick, striking the bartender¡¯s weapon hand with a force that belied the kick¡¯s low speed.


    The sword fell with a clatter, and Schwarz let out a grunt. Without missing a beat, Dia exploited his little opening and slammed her left elbow into his chest. She followed up by sweeping his legs out from under him, and then poked his exposed throat with the training sword in her hand, before turning to look at Lily, who had just recovered from the recoil of Dia¡¯s casual flick.


    ¡°One down.¡± Dia smiled. The meeting she and the others had with Holy Daughter Clarissa and Caroline Lostfon had stressed her out, which was why she had enthusiastically agreed to this little spar the two neophytes had requested. It was good stress relief for her ¡ª this was one of her favourite pastimes as a child, other than reading novels, sneaking out for sweet treats and playing with her¡­


    She shook her head, and then focused on Lily, who was watching her intently. Like Schwarz, who had grown up on barfights and street brawls despite his occasionally elegant manners, Lily was no stranger to unfair fights. Her fighting style was rather interesting, however. Dia could sense that she had a solid foundation of duels, but like water exposed to some food dye, Lily¡¯s approach to battling had grown less formal and more¡­pragmatic.


    Especially after that expedition with Claud.


    She gritted her teeth. That fellow had undone all her hard work in trying to teach her about formal combat theories. Sure, she only had time for a session, but Lily was a fast learner. If she had spent a few more days to teach Lily, this promising student would have made even more progress, but that punk just had to teach her all kinds of tricks.


    His worst sin, however, was how he had influenced Lily down onto the path of defence and evasion. For some reason, Lily was now a staunch believer in wearing the opponent out, instead of going for a quick kill. In fact, Dia had a feeling that Lily¡¯s purpose in asking for a spar was to train her footwork, not her bladework.


    ¡°How scary,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°A single mistake, and Schwarz¡¯s been taken out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a sword master for you,¡± said a voice from above.


    The two looked up, where Risti and Farah were looking down on them.


    ¡°Oh, you two actually took a break from your work,¡± Dia commented. ¡°Good thinking. If you sit at a desk the whole day, you¡¯ll get rusty and slow.¡±


    ¡°And whose fault was that?¡± Farah tutted. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t blame you, though. Doubles don¡¯t really get a chance to formulate policy¡­well, you do whatever you¡¯re best at, okay?¡±


    Dia rolled her eyes at Farah. She could do some paper-pushing, but whatever work Farah and Risti were doing wasn¡¯t anything she could handle. The countess had busied herself with economic sabotage on the eastern territories of the Istrel Dukedom, to weaken the forces that were gathering to march on Lustre. As for Risti, she was doing things that Dia couldn¡¯t even comprehend.


    ¡°Alright, Farah, stop talking.¡± Claud¡¯s voice came from a window adjacent to theirs. ¡°Or else they won¡¯t be able to fight. The sun¡¯s rising, and breakfast is nearly done, so let them do their thing.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Do your best, Lily!¡±


    ¡°Are you assuming that I¡¯ll lose?¡± Lily pouted. ¡°I¡¯ll show you!¡±


    ¡°Fight, then!¡±


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    Dia glared at Claud, who was the reason why she had such a headache. Her sparring partner had changed into a target dummy, and the cause of that change was yelling and encouraging Lily even more.


    Claud met her eyes for a moment, and then coughed pretentiously. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°You better well be,¡± Dia muttered under her breath. Turning to Lily, she pointed her sword at her. ¡°I¡¯m attacking, then. Prepare yourself.¡±


    Sword Sense was already activated, as was Sword Dance, but against the scrub that was Schwarz, she hadn¡¯t actually used their effects much. Against Lily, however, that was a different question. She had picked up some bad habits from that punk, and Dia was going to teach her that defending was never the way to go.


    Her vision sharpened as she flickered forward.


    Lily¡¯s form glowed with a weak, faint blue, one that was barely visible to the eyes, before turning into a blur. Dia¡¯s sword, which had missed its target, turned at an impossible angle and swept out again. Once more, Lily dodged that sudden attack, and the same cycle repeated over and over again, until a sharp crack filled the air.


    This was something she¡¯d come up with after so many dreams of the murderer at Nachtville. The way he had managed to kick so many spears at her was contingent on his ability to forcibly return a moving body part to its original position with a preternatural ease. She couldn¡¯t quite do the same for her basic slashes and stabs, but layering her strikes over and over was quite doable, if somewhat tiring.


    The faint blue shimmer around Lily had vanished, which meant that she was no longer fast enough to dodge Dia¡¯s strike. The clash lasted for a second or so, before Dia pumped some mana into her arms, and a second crack echoed out as Lily skidded backwards.


    Dia didn¡¯t give her any time to react, however. Her legs glowed with blue light, and she slid into melee range once more, before sweeping Lily¡¯s feet out from underneath her, like what she had down to Schwarz earlier.


    ¡°Match¡¯s over,¡± Dia replied, before extending a hand out. ¡°Good try.¡±


    ¡°How can you even move your sword like that so many times without using much mana or getting tired?¡± Lily complained. ¡°That¡¯s plain cheating.¡±


    ¡°When you¡¯re on the defence,¡± said Dia, ¡°you spend more mana and stamina than me, the attacker. It makes sense when you think about it ¡ª I move my arm, but you move your whole body. Sure, I¡¯m swinging a weapon, but that¡¯s nothing compared to moving an entire body, right?¡±


    Lily glanced at her sword, and then at her feet. ¡°Good point.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± The sword in Dia¡¯s hand danced around for a few seconds, before she lowered it. ¡°You can¡¯t win fights, and being on the defensive is simply giving the enemy unlimited attempts at breaking your defence. You just need to slip up once, and that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lily had a contemplative look on her face.


    ¡°Of course,¡± said an annoying voice, ¡°that only holds true if you¡¯re fighting in a formal duel. However, formal duels aren¡¯t things people get into every single day, right?¡±


    Restraining an urge to beat up Lily¡¯s corrupting influence, Dia turned to Claud, who had gone down for some reason. ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s wholly false either. If you¡¯re attacked by a single person, going on the offensive would be for the best, right?¡±


    ¡°Depends,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But unless you are absolutely certain that you can get away scot-free with murder or grievous hurt, running is always the best option. Killing someone who accosted you might feel great, but there¡¯s always some risk attached.¡±


    Dia wanted to ask what kinds of risk were attached, but on second thought, it was obvious. If a commoner were to kill someone important, or if a one-folder were to kill another one-folder with some backing, bad things were bound to follow, right?


    ¡°You¡­have a point,¡± Dia replied, conceding grudgingly. It was probably this sort of logic that had corrupted Lily, but unless she found a way to counter this argument, Dia had a feeling that she wouldn¡¯t be able to convince Lily much. After all, she had indeed heard of cases in which some noble made use of light injuries to enact revenge.


    In that sense, by simply not fighting back¡ª


    ¡°Hold on,¡± said Dia. ¡°We were having a spar earlier, and Lily was more than happy to take the initiative, though!¡±


    ¡°Well, you said it. It¡¯s a spar,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Our argument was in the real world. In a spar or a battle like this, I don¡¯t really have an opinion. After all, only fools seek out battles. Where possible, it¡¯s more desirable to either be the mastermind behind the battle for concrete gain, or be a hermit and avoid the troublesome issues.¡±


    ¡°Alright, enough. The two of you are never going to stop arguing at this rate.¡± Schwarz cut into the conversation. ¡°Harmony, okay?¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t kids that will argue at the drop of a hat,¡± Dia replied. ¡°But okay. I¡¯ve worked up an appetite now, so let¡¯s go get some breakfast instead.¡±


    ¡°Good idea,¡± said Schwarz, glancing up at the now-empty windows. ¡°We should start planning the ambush on the murderer too.¡±


    ¡°After breakfast,¡± Claud replied.


    Dia eyed the gluttonous fellow for a few seconds, and then reluctantly conceded when her tummy rumbled.

 Chapter 165: The visit inspired by a skill

    After a nice, fluffy breakfast, which was a well-cooked omelette with some onions, Dia leaned back on her chair and sighed. The warm breakfast, when coupled with the destress session earlier, had gotten her into a comfortable mood, and the urge to curl up on her bed and nap away nibbled away at her insides.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said the bartender. ¡°Let¡¯s get down to business, okay?¡±


    Some choice thoughts popped up in Dia¡¯s mind, but she didn¡¯t voice them out loud. It wasn¡¯t Schwarz¡¯s fault that she was peeved, and besides, he had stated earlier that they were going to have a meeting to deal with Zulan Patra¡¯s murderer, who may or may not be the Third Bearer of Destiny.


    ¡°Pour us some apple juice first,¡± said Claud.


    ¡°You and your apple juice.¡± Schwarz rolled his eyes. ¡°What happened to the barrel of fizz? You said you¡¯d bring some over, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Claud tilted his head. ¡°Alright, give me a moment while I lug it into the room.¡±


    As he left the room, Risti made a small yawn. ¡°Right, Schwarz, how did you and Claud know each other? You two seem like rather close friends, rather than just bartender and patron.¡±


    ¡°Is this really the right time to ask about things like this?¡± Schwarz replied, rolling his eyes.


    ¡°Okay, then, what¡¯s the right time to ask?¡± Farah chipped in.


    ¡°You too?¡± Schwarz glanced at the countess. ¡°Why so curious?¡±


    ¡°Hard not to be, considering how that punk managed to nearly solve our conundrum without actually being present at that moment,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Ordinary people don¡¯t have that breadth of planning and analysis. Don¡¯t you think that Claud¡¯s a bit¡­shady?¡±


    ¡°Shady?¡± Schwarz laughed. ¡°Who here isn¡¯t shady? You¡¯re a countess of another county, hoping to leech off resources to build up your impoverished territory, Lily just came back from enacting vigilante justice, I¡¯m not sure what Dia¡¯s goal in all this is anymore, and Risti¡¯s being Risti.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The bartender grinned at Risti. ¡°You have so many skills dedicated to observation and intelligence that I want to kneel down and beg you to teach me¡­if not for the fact that my own skills are important too.¡±


    Dia tapped her nose. Indeed, the threat of the Shadows chasing her had abated, with the Moon Lords now an Associate Power of the Nightfall administration. It was understandable why Schwarz was confused, since she wasn¡¯t actually drawing attention away from her alleged mistress anymore.


    Probably, anyway. Dia herself was somewhat confused, but her overall purpose ¡ª to stay safe until Emperor Grandis issued an amnesty for the guards ¡ª remained the same. It was possible that Ruler Umbra¡¯s death would be soon forgotten too, as a footnote in the annals of history, and she would be able to sneak back into the Lustre dukedom.


    Assuming the dukedom wasn¡¯t destroyed by Istrel.


    And well, immortal beings like Emperor Grandis had a very different definition of ¡®soon¡¯ too. It was very possible that the Emperor would close the case on Umbra¡¯s murder after a century or two.


    Furthermore, her father was three and a half centuries old, a relatively young duke in the greater scheme of things. It was only recently that he decided to have a bunch of kids, and there was a non-zero chance that Dia would have a bunch of younger siblings by the time the Emperor decided to end the pursuit.


    She glanced at Schwarz and Risti, who were now talking about some twins or whatnot, and then idly noted that the original conversation topic ¡ª how Schwarz and Claud knew each other ¡ª had been forgotten. Fortunately, Farah and Lily were now talking about the treatment of commoners in Julan and Farah County, which meant that the only person mourning over the change in topic was Dia herself.


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    After a minute or two, Claud returned to the living room, a heavy barrel on his right shoulder. Dia examined his body closely, but she couldn¡¯t see any blue light on him. Either he didn¡¯t need mana to carry something that was probably as heavy as her training sword, or his mana control wasn¡¯t all that bad.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Claud replied, setting down the barrel with a resonant thump. ¡°I¡¯m back. So¡­how do we pour out drinks for everyone?¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me, bub.¡± Schwarz produced a small ladle, before walking over to a nearby cupboard. He rummaged in it for a few seconds, and then brought back six dazzling cups.


    ¡°Are these cups made of pure gold?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Cost me quite a bit, but having a set of ten gold cups is something good for the ego,¡± he replied, before turning to the barrel. Little, odd crackles that made Dia lick her lips played in her ear as he undid the barrel, revealing a bubbly, purple beverage. A sweet scent wafted in the air, and Dia found herself gulping.


    Smiling at the others, he produced a small ladle and filled up the cups, before sliding them over to everyone present. Dia picked it up immediately, before sniffing at the foreign beverage.


    A bell rang before she could take a gulp.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Everyone looked around.


    ¡°There¡¯s a visitor,¡± Dia noted. ¡°Who¡¯s going to¡ª¡±


    Everyone pointed at her before she could complete her sentence, even Lily.


    ¡°Really?¡± Dia ran her hand through her hair. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go.¡±


    She glanced at the barrel, which was full to the brim. There really wasn¡¯t much point in stealing her cup, since there was an open barrel right beside the table, so she got up without much complaints. Making her way to the booth that governed entry in and out of Moon Mansion, Dia ground to a halt as she saw who the visitor was.


    The count¡¯s fianc¨¦e, Caroline, was waiting outside with a sunny grin.


    Fortunately, the dome was opaque from the outside, which meant that Dia could see Caroline, but not the other way around.


    ¡°Guys?¡± Dia called out into the house. ¡°The count¡¯s fianc¨¦e just visited, and I think she¡¯s selling boiled eggs.¡±


    ¡°Did you just say ¡®count¡¯s fianc¨¦e¡¯?¡± Schwarz called out from inside.


    ¡°Yes, I did,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Now what?¡±


    There was a moment of silence, and then Claud¡¯s voice came out from inside. ¡°Process her entry via the booth ¡ªset the entry procedure for visitors. Make sure that she¡¯s the real thing and not some lookalike, and then disarm her if she¡¯s bringing anything nasty.¡±


    Dia blinked. ¡°Is that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Do it,¡± Schwarz added. ¡°You can explain to her with the excuse of recent affairs.¡±


    After thinking it through for a moment, Dia nodded and returned to the booth. There was a small control panel that governed the modes of entry, and after flicking the lever to what Claud specified, Dia headed over to the booth and relayed her instructions.


    Somehow, Caroline was more than happy to comply, and after a minute, she crossed into the dome.


    ¡°This is so cool,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°So, erm. You must be the double, right?¡±


    ¡°D-double?¡± Dia blinked, and then ran through her whole cover story in her mind. ¡°I¡¯m the real thing!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, of course you are. And the same goes for the er, countess of Farah County.¡± Caroline grinned. ¡°Still, you guys are really hardcore. Aran was actually wondering why the Lustre princess was so popular ¡ª did you know he actually got depressed when he found out that she had fans in here? I mean, her home¡¯s an entire dukedom away, and yet¡­¡±


    She cleared her throat. ¡°Right. Sorry. I¡¯m just so excited to see real fans like you four. Why do you guys idolise her so much?¡±


    Because the others felt that my so-called deeds were worth their fanaticism? Dia rubbed her nose, but decided not to think too hard about it. She had asked them before, but¡­


    Caroline glanced at her face. ¡°Sorry. I mean, being her double is your job and all, so it really doesn¡¯t apply to you. But the other three ladies¡­and they¡¯re mana-users to boot too. I wonder what¡¯s going through their heads.¡±


    Dia¡¯s expression had probably been misinterpreted by Caroline, judging from that answer, but she wasn¡¯t too keen on correcting anything. Smiling gently by way of reply, she led the way into Moon Mansion.


    For some reason, her first impression of Caroline seemed quite inaccurate. Back then, when she was talking to Holy Daughter Clarissa, her words and actions carried a sort of gravitas, which went well with Claud and Lily¡¯s assessment of Caroline as a no-nonsense person.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Caroline blinked her eyes. That sensation of incongruity doubled down with that gesture, and Dia wondered, if only for a moment, if she was actually the real thing.


    ¡°N-no, nothing.¡± Dia forced out a smile. ¡°We were just surprised to have you visit us, considering the important personage in town now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Sudden Inspiration told me that it would be good if I were to visit you guys today, so I did,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Why would we?¡± Dia forced out another smile, and then ushered her into the house, where the others were waiting to receive her. ¡°This way, then.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±

 Chapter 166: Countermeasures against the Third

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    The others were standing politely when Dia escorted Caroline into the living room, and after a round of greetings, she immediately zeroed in on the opened barrel.


    ¡°Is that what I think it is?¡± Caroline asked. ¡°That¡¯s from my home, right? Fizzy drinks manufactured in Lostfon? Man, those things are so popular that even my family doesn¡¯t get more than a barrel every month. Where did you guys get this from?¡±


    Dia looked at Claud, as did everyone else, and the punk chuckled. ¡°I made a little deal with a supplier some time ago.¡±


    ¡°Ohh.¡± Caroline rubbed her hands. ¡°Can I have a cup?¡±


    Schwarz got up and retrieved a golden cup for her. ¡°Here, Your Grace.¡±


    ¡°People who share drinks with me don¡¯t need to use titles or honorifics,¡± she replied. ¡°Caroline will do.¡±


    ¡°Very well, mi¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ca.Ro.Line.¡± She smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t go throwing random prefixes or titles on me. You don¡¯t do that to buddies who share drinks.¡±


    She turned to Claud. ¡°Thank you for sharing this treasure trove.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, really,¡± Claud replied smoothly. ¡°You are our colleague, in a sense. Sharing drinks like this is pretty much part of the package. If you like, I could sell a barrel to you.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Caroline¡¯s eyes glittered. ¡°Five middle-ranked lifestones, then.¡±


    ¡°What¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, too low?¡± Caroline thought for a moment. ¡°Right, of course it would be too low. One high-ranked lifestone then. That should be more than enough, and then some.¡±


    Claud opened his mouth, clearly torn between the desire to be honest and his desire for lifestones, and then nodded meekly. Dia stifled a smile at that sight ¡ª clearly, that barrel had cost far less than one high-ranked lifestone ¡ª and she continued to eye him expectantly.


    How would he react?


    ¡°Your¡ª¡±


    ¡°Nuh-uh,¡± Caroline interrupted. ¡°It¡¯s Caroline to you.¡±


    ¡°Caroline,¡± said Claud. ¡°Three barrels. For one high-ranked lifestone. I¡¯ll be a bit honest here. It feels like I¡¯m making a small gain here at your expense, even at this price.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a noble. Letting people make gains at my expense is something reserved for my friends. And you guys, who shared a drink with me, count as friends, right? Besides, you even offered a fairer deal to me.¡± She leaned back. ¡°That¡¯s good enough for me. Here, catch.¡±


    She tossed a lifestone to Claud. ¡°Remember to send three barrels over!¡±


    ¡°Will do, Caroline.¡±


    Dia¡¯s intuition, however, informed her that Claud had still profited massively at Caroline¡¯s expense. To be honest, it was somewhat expected, since drinks and food usually didn¡¯t go for even a middle-ranked lifestone, but Caroline had upped the ante by tossing a high-rank lifestone out.


    It was nice to be rich, if nothing else.


    Dia¡¯s childhood wasn¡¯t an opulent one ¡ª the fact that she learned swordplay and had to help in pushing papers was fairly indicative of that. Frugality ¡ª for a noble, anyway ¡ª was the name of the game, and other than treating herself to some little snacks whenever she snuck out into town, Dia generally didn¡¯t splurge on anything.


    Besides, there were only so many occasions one could wear a dress in, and as Duke Lustre¡¯s daughter, who was going to scorn her for wearing the same thing all the time?


    Schwarz filled up everyone¡¯s cup once more, and then cleared his throat. ¡°Caroline, to what pleasure do we owe this visit?¡±


    ¡°Sudden Inspiration told me that I should sit down in this meeting,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°See? I get three barrels of fizzy drinks, and I get to sponge off this currently open barrel. That¡¯s reason enough for me, if nothing else.¡±


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    Her smile faded slightly. ¡°More importantly, I really wanted to discuss the murderer. At the rate in which the Knife of Karma is used, the murderer will probably arrive here in the next two days or so. We should be adequately prepared for someone who is capable of killing Zulan Patra, if nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the Holy Daughter¡¯s job?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°She and her guards will do the actual killing, yes. And I will, too. You guys can enjoy some snacks at the side.¡± Caroline cleared her throat. ¡°But we should still prepare for his arrival somehow. Ambushes and things like that. Maybe a way to keep an eye out ¡ª if Zulan Patra¡¯s murderer is actually a thrall, we must keep an eye out for the Third, who will likely make a move on the Holy Daughter.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll handle that bit,¡± Risti volunteered.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­Risti, right? I¡¯ve heard about your skillset,¡± said Caroline. ¡°They happen to be really useful for this situation, so let me thank you in advance. Right. As this is an ad-hoc job, it¡¯s actually different from your regular employment contract with Aran, so there¡¯ll be renumeration simply by being involved in this whole thing.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more to this, right?¡± Farah abruptly asked. ¡°There¡¯s also extra payment for being involved in handling threats stronger than us too. Is that already factored in?¡±


    Caroline smiled. ¡°Right. I¡¯ll add that in, then.¡±


    After haggling over payment for a few more minutes, Caroline plopped six high-ranked lifestones on the table and smiled. ¡°Keep the change. It¡¯s a tip, okay?¡±


    ¡°Many thanks for your generosity,¡± Claud replied, a grin on his face.


    Caroline chuckled for a moment, and then straightened her face. ¡°Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have any records about the Third so far. However, the possibility of there being an ambush on Holy Daughter Clarissa is very high, given the methods that had been employed by the Third in the past. A report sent by Isolde ¡ª I mean, Dia ¡ª suggests that Zulan Patra died some time ago, and his brain was used to make enhanced Experiential Potions. We don¡¯t know how many such potions can be created in such a fashion, but it will be safe to assume that if there¡¯s an ambush, spears falling from the sky would make up the bulk of it.¡±


    Everyone thought over her short speech for a moment.


    ¡°Wait,¡± said Dia. ¡°Back then, the only reason why the murders were so successful was due to the use of Black God¡¯s Gaze. Hitting a target paralysed by fear is far easier, and it also hints at the limitations such a method has.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t rule out the use of Black God¡¯s Gaze yet,¡± said Caroline. ¡°For all we know, this might be one of the many battles between the Coloured Churches. And there¡¯s probably a bunch of skillsticks with Black God¡¯s Gaze lying around too.¡±


    ¡°How troublesome,¡± Risti noted. ¡°Back then, we dealt with the combination of Clairvoyance and Black God¡¯s Gaze by blocking off the skies, but if it¡¯s a direct confrontation, mere eye contact will do, no? What a troublesome skill.¡±


    ¡°Why else would it be called ¡®Black God¡¯s Gaze¡¯?¡± Caroline replied. ¡°It¡¯s a skill the Black God has magnanimously imparted to his flock. Skills of the Coloured Gods are incredibly versatile in use and potent in effect. Going up against the Coloured Churches without making ample preparation is simply asking for it.¡±


    ¡°How overpowered¡­¡±


    Dia let out a small puff of air. She essentially had two skills that couldn¡¯t be used, now that she thought about it. However, if she was outside of a city, really far away from trees and other vegetation, using Domain of Swords wasn¡¯t entirely out of the question. It was better than Sword Fall, anyway. That skill could devastate any structure, and if used on flat ground, probably create a pit huge enough to render a trading route inoperable.


    Huh. Maybe I could cut off trade to the Istrel capital by launching Sword Fall a few times around it. Wouldn¡¯t that solve most of my problems? After spending a minute or two to entertain a thought that would probably burst a blood vessel in Claud¡¯s head, she grabbed her cup and sipped from it.


    ¡°Anything?¡± Caroline asked. ¡°Suggestions welcome, really. I¡¯m quite stumped too. How do we deal with such a skill? In fact, how does it even work?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question. Still, would a mirror work?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°If it does, we could get the inquisitors to wear something nice and reflective, so using Black God¡¯s Gaze would affect the users too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be a very sad weakness of all eye-based skills if your suggestion works, but I suppose it¡¯s worth a shot.¡±


    ¡°We can also get them to equip artefacts that deals with abnormal mental states. Or skillstrips that have such skills ¡ª that should work too, right?¡± said Claud.


    ¡°I know,¡± said Lily. ¡°Why not prepare an arena of sorts, one that is hard to look into from the outside, and lure the murderer to fight inside?¡±


    ¡°We have a bunch of ballistae here too,¡± said Farah. ¡°Just get them to fight in the air, and we can shoot them down with it.¡±


    Suggestions continued to spill forth, and as the sun continued to labour on through the blue sky, Caroline eventually decided on the more passive method of equipping the inquisitors with a bunch of skillstrips that would hopefully protect them.


    ¡°That¡¯s all for now, then,¡± said Caroline. ¡°I¡¯ll update you guys once we see the target. Have a good day!¡±


    With a small sigh of relief, Dia watched on as Schwarz led Caroline out of Moon Mansion, before rubbing her throbbing head,


    Who knew plans were hard to come up with?


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 Chapter 167: The bar that opens for the new year

    The next day passed by without much incident. According to Risti and Schwarz, Caroline and the Holy Daughter of the White Church had holed up together in Nightfall Palace, presumably to make their own plans and what not. Dia, however, was not concerned with that, since the actual operation to take down the murderer of Zulan Patra did not include the Moon Lords.


    ¡°Full Moon¡¯s almost over, eh?¡± Dia murmured, looking up at the rising Moons. ¡°The past four months have been really insane, now that I think about it.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Schwarz, who was rubbing the inside of a glass, looked around at inside of Triple-D. Dia had decided to tag along with the bartender as he went off to his tavern, since there was nothing else for her to do. Farah, as usual, was buried in paperwork, while Risti was getting her fill of Dia-ium by pouring over any news about the missing princess.


    For obvious reasons, any news about Princess Dia operating outside of Licencia was fake news, but Dia hadn¡¯t seen fit to inform Risti about that.


    As for Claud and Lily, they were hanging out together as usual. Apparently, Lily wanted to make some new sweets in the style of the fizzy drinks Claud had brought along, so after badgering that punk for an hour or two, he eventually relented and brought her over to his apartment outside Moon Mansion, which had been converted into a fizzy drink repository. Dia had wanted to come along to check out the other flavours that allegedly existed, but Schwarz had mentioned something too irresistible for her to pass up.


    ¡°Right, when is Colidra coming along?¡± Dia asked. ¡°You said he was dropping by today, right?¡±


    ¡°He should be here in an hour or so,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°He has informants around the city too, so whenever he drops by Licencia, the old man usually goes around gathering news about the latest events in town.¡±


    ¡°What story is he telling today?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Well, given that it¡¯s going to be the new year soon, I think he¡¯ll talk about the all-time favourite: The Moon Masters.¡± Schwarz picked up a cup and raised it to a nearby lantern. ¡°It¡¯s a seasonal tale with so many variations that you must have heard about it.¡±


    ¡°The Moons and the Makers?¡± Dia blinked. ¡°Isn¡¯t it the Musings of the Moons?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, many variations. In other cities, we have O Maidens of the Maddened Moons, as well as Moons and their Mistresses.¡± Schwarz smiled. ¡°They¡¯re all retellings of a similar story.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Incidentally, what was Musings of the Moons about?¡±


    Dia slid her empty cup over the Schwarz and cupped her chin. ¡°Uh. Give me a moment while I try to recall it. My fa¡ªteacher told me about it long ago. Let¡¯s see¡­it was a poem allegedly written by the Moons themselves, long before the advent of the Primordial Pantheon.¡±


    ¡°The Second Godsfall was around sixty thousand years ago, no?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°But if it was before the advent of the Primordial Pantheon¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it predated the First Godsfall. Something about how the Moons regretted their actions or something,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I can¡¯t remember much of it now, sadly.¡±


    ¡°There are lots of legends that claim to depict the pre-Primordial era, though, each of them as wild as the next.¡± Schwarz chuckled.


    ¡°The only thing that we definitely know about that period is the Celestia Ruins. We should really go there some day.¡± Dia licked her lips. ¡°If things like fizzy drinks came from that place, it might be a gourmet paradise.¡±


    ¡°I got my wine recipe from there too,¡± Schwarz agreed. ¡°Still, I wonder why no bigshots have claimed the place yet. It¡¯s full of treasure, right? Who wouldn¡¯t want it? And yet, Emperor Grandis seems to ignore that place or something.¡±


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    He slid Dia¡¯s cup back. At some point in time, during their little conversation, the bartender had somehow filled it up without her noticing, despite the fact that she hadn¡¯t looked away from the counter at all. How did he do it?


    Dia took a sip from it and smiled.


    ¡°Thanks, master.¡±


    ¡°Tis my job, Dia.¡± Schwarz filled up a cup of his own and took a sip from it. ¡°Now that I think about it, it¡¯s almost the new year. Sixteen years¡­I suppose I can finally put it down, eh?¡±


    ¡°Put what down?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°A promise,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I finally fulfilled it, thanks to everyone. It¡¯s time for me to move on. My old pops would smack me if I didn¡¯t, since this promise¡¯s been fulfilled.¡±


    ¡°Move on? How?¡± Dia took another sip.


    ¡°Do you want to help me with it?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Won¡¯t be much trouble, and Colidra seems to be rather preoccupied with piecing together a new story anyway. We have a bit of time before he arrives.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Dia. ¡°How can I help?¡±


    He grinned, before taking out a handful of clean cloth. Producing a pail of bubbly water with his next action, he set it down on the counter. ¡°Well, just help me clean the surface of this counter.¡±


    ¡°Cleaning?¡± Dia raised an eyebrow. ¡°What kind of promise did you make to your father exactly?¡±


    ¡°Not today, Dia.¡± Schwarz grinned. ¡°Not today. Anyway, let¡¯s start cleaning, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Cleaning?¡± Dia glanced at the counter, which was painted in a rather rustic shade of grey. ¡°Hmm. I would expect the other staff here to do that, though.¡±


    ¡°Nah. The guys who do the check-in and everything know enough not to touch this counter,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°If they must touch it, they do it with gloves.¡±


    ¡°Gloves?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Schwarz levelled an appraising look at Dia. ¡°You haven¡¯t touched the counter ever since you got here. Is it your instincts warning you subconsciously, or is it just pure luck? I wonder what¡¯s the answer.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Dia looked down at the counter, but Schwarz shook his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. You¡¯ll understand why in a moment.¡± Wrapping some cloth around his nose and mouth, he passed a clean handkerchief to Dia. ¡°Well, before we start, you should put that on. If you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll regret it afterwards.¡±


    With such an ominous warning, Dia decided to play along with his words, covering her nose and mouth with the handkerchief, which smelled of roses and oranges.


    Schwarz glanced at her, before dipping the cloth in the bucket of soapy water. Without much ado, he rubbed a patch of the rustic, grey counter with the cloth, and before Dia¡¯s eyes, the patch of grey turned brown.


    ¡°Eh?¡± The little exclamation that came out of her mouth was muffled.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Schwarz chuckled. ¡°This really nice grey coating you see here, which is as smooth as glass, is actually the result of not doing actual cleaning for sixteen years or so. I wipe off any blood or stains, but in the flickering light of the lanterns, it¡¯s hard to see any stains or dirt.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± said Dia, ¡°after a while, you stopped caring?¡±


    It sounded suspicious to her, since even if he didn¡¯t clean properly, his patrons should have noticed it.


    ¡°Yeah. And besides, my patrons are the rough-and-tumble kinds of people. You have to be, if you enjoy my brews.¡± Schwarz shrugged. ¡°Some dirt was nothing to these fellows, and it wasn¡¯t like they were conscious enough to actually notice them either.¡±


    ¡°Perks of selling alcohol, I guess,¡± Dia mumbled.


    Schwarz shrugged, and the two of them got down into cleaning. Fortunately, whatever solution that had been dissolved into the water was strong enough to eradicate the layers of dust, blood and other icky bits, although Dia found the loss of the nice grey layering somewhat saddening.


    Funnily enough, the solution didn¡¯t do anything nasty to her skin, which was odd, given that it had been effective in removing sixteen years of accumulated unmentionables. After fifteen minutes of scrubbing, the two of them had somehow returned the counter¡¯s top into a boring old oak brown, which smelled like apples now.


    ¡°Thanks, Dia.¡± Schwarz ran a finger across the counter. ¡°Man, doing this¡­yeah, I remember why I liked the dirtier version. It¡¯s not as smooth.¡±


    ¡°Smooth?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. For sliding drinks over stylishly.¡± He glanced at the pail of water, which had taken on a muddy quality. ¡°Let me dispose of this first, and then open up the bar for business. Colidra might be here early or something, and I need time for the patrons to arrive.¡±


    Dia nodded. Looking around at the empty bar, she tried to imagine Schwarz¡¯s childhood. She knew that he had inherited this position or something along these lines from his father, but the details were sketchy as usual.


    ¡°I should really make a note to ask both guys about their past, but there¡¯s never really a good time to bring them up,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Claud and Schwarz both aren¡¯t really fitting my idea of normal¡ª¡±


    She cut her words as Schwarz returned, with a familiar-looking man following behind him.


    ¡°Mister Colidra!¡±

 Chapter 168: The Moon and the Makers

    ¡°Hello there, missy.¡± The middle-aged storyteller waved at her. ¡°I am told that you came here just to listen to my stories, and that makes me happy.¡±


    Dia nodded eagerly. Reading books was great, but being told about legends and stories by a professional had this unique feel to it. From their tone, from their choice of words, from how they phrased things, one could interact with nuances that may have been missed if read directly from the written word alone.


    ¡°How long have you been doing story-telling for?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Me?¡± Colidra chuckled. ¡°A good four decades. And I think I¡¯ll be telling them for another sixty or so. You will not believe how much one can get by telling stories and legends.¡±


    ¡°Well, storytellers do get invited to teach the children of nobles,¡± Dia replied. ¡°And they¡¯re sometimes invited to parties and balls for entertainment, since some nobles prefer listening to talking.¡±


    ¡°Pretty much that,¡± Colidra replied. ¡°And Schwarz here hires me with some good drink every time I¡¯m in town.¡±


    ¡°Good drink?¡± Dia repeated. Was it Colidra¡¯s taste that was a problem? Or was the old man referring to apple juice or something? She wasn¡¯t quite sure, so she glanced at Schwarz, who obviously knew what she was thinking.


    ¡°He¡¯s like me,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°He used to drink lots of alcohol, until he realised that beer bellies and trekking the lands don¡¯t go well together. So he now drinks the lighter versions of my brews, as well as apple juice.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Colidra, meet another apple juice convert.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Missy, you have very good taste indeed. Apple juice is indeed the best thing in this bar,¡± Colidra replied. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to convince the master to switch to apple juice only, but he is vehemently insistent on making bracing brews. Granted, they do taste good, but¡­¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re knocked out before you could actually taste them,¡± said Dia, ¡°how do you know that they actually taste good?¡±


    ¡°Ah. You assume that everyone¡¯s knocked out by the first sip.¡± The storyteller grinned. ¡°Not everyone is knocked out. Those who have hardened livers and stern minds can resist the incredible pressure for five seconds, long enough to appreciate the flavours inside these brews.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass on the hardened livers bit, thanks,¡± Dia replied with a shudder.


    ¡°Yeah, you should. His brews aren¡¯t good for the body¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you guys done yet?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Stop badmouthing my works of art. Don¡¯t you feel sad for them? You haven¡¯t even tried them, and they¡¯re already vilified.¡±


    ¡°I think their first order of business, should they ever gain sentience, would be to flee the fate of being drank,¡± Dia pointed out. ¡°Not to mope over people who don¡¯t want to drink them.¡±


    Colidra nodded along. ¡°You should seriously consider lowering the alcohol content in your brews, master.¡±


    ¡°Shut it, you two.¡± Schwarz poured out a cup of apple juice and placed it in front of Colidra brusquely. ¡°Here, your drink. It¡¯s apple juice. Enjoy.¡±


    ¡°You sound like you¡¯re cursing me, though¡­¡±


    As Dia and Colidra sipped from their cups, the bartender busied himself with lighting up the rest of the lanterns and opening for business. There was a kitchen behind the bar, but from how Schwarz was ignoring it, it was clear that there weren¡¯t going to be any food today.


    ¡°Come to think of it,¡± said Dia, ¡°ever since you joined up with us, you haven¡¯t had much time to man the counter, right? Isn¡¯t this going to affect Triple-D¡¯s business?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°I¡¯m only one of the stakeholders here. The rooms are still open for people to book, and the chef went off for a holiday some time ago anyway. There are other staff who handle the issue of lodgings here.¡±


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    ¡°It¡¯s just a lot quieter, since the master isn¡¯t opening the bar that often,¡± Colidra added. ¡°More peaceful too, if you ask me.¡±


    ¡°Not for long, though.¡± Schwarz wiped the last table and flung the doors open. ¡°Your return isn¡¯t a secret, and everyone wants to hear about the latest news. Plus, it¡¯s nearly the new year. Have you uncovered any fun secrets about the Moons?¡±


    ¡°Yes and no,¡± Colidra replied, a smile playing on his face. ¡°But you¡¯ll have to wait. Your customers are coming in, after all.¡±


    A muscular man, with a hammer hanging off his belt, walked in at that moment. ¡°Master! It¡¯s good that this place is open! I was beginning to despair when you hadn¡¯t opened for the past three days.¡±


    Schwarz chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m open now, so it¡¯s fine. What will you have?¡±


    ¡°One Fire Dragon, please.¡±


    ¡°Coming right up!¡± Schwarz returned to his counter and started to mix things around. Dia watched on, fascinated by his swift movements that were clearly absent when he was practicing the sword this morning.


    Before she could say anything, however, a steady stream of people had walked into the bar, each of them yelling out their own orders. Within moments, some sort of ordered chaos had settled into the bar, and Dia had lost track of who had ordered what.


    In the middle of the storm, Schwarz continued to take and make orders calmly.


    ¡°Impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡± Colidra murmured. ¡°This sight is rather rare; usually, he opens in the morning, which means that there aren¡¯t this many people yelling orders at once. Once the initial bustle is over, customers enter in a rather even manner, so you seldom get to see him work within the storm.¡±


    Dia nodded, but she didn¡¯t dare to speak.


    As it turned out, not all impressive sights had to be made by lots of mana and glittering metals. Even simple, everyday tasks like taking orders and making them could be honed to such a degree, and Dia found herself wondering how she would fare if she was in his place.


    After three orders were yelled out in a single second, Dia came to the conclusion that she was not cut out for this.


    ¡°Everyone has their own talents,¡± said Colidra, who was eyeing her with an amused look on his face. ¡°Mine was storytelling and gathering information. The master is talented at handling people. Since we¡¯re all built differently, don¡¯t go judging yourself with the standards of others. You¡¯ll just make your life darker.¡±


    Dia rubbed her nose. ¡°How did you know¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, please. I¡¯ve seen enough people watch him handle a storm like this,¡± Colidra replied. ¡°Some of them aspired to be like him, and then applied their aspirations into their occupation. Others wanted to know how he could be so steady and firm, and asked him about his secret.¡±


    ¡°Secret?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He was quite happy to share them too,¡± Colidra replied.


    ¡°What¡¯s his secret, then?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°To take things as they come. Fifty orders? No problem. He¡¯ll work from the first to the last, without any fluster or haste.¡± Colidra chuckled. ¡°After all, he¡¯s the master here. Who¡¯s going to complain? And who are they going to complain to?¡±


    ¡°It does sound like him,¡± Dia replied. She hadn¡¯t forgotten how Schwarz had handled the aftermath of shooting down the tri-folder Shadow back then; his first suggestion was for everyone to rest, since there was no point in worrying too hard about it.


    ¡°He¡¯s a really calm type, if nothing else.¡± The storyteller gestured at Schwarz, who was already calling people up to the bar. The system he employed was rather simple, making use of numbered chits to track orders, and before long, he had worked through everyone¡¯s order.


    ¡°Impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    As chatter filled the bar, Schwarz served another order and then wandered off to Colidra. ¡°Everyone¡¯s waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°They seem extra polite for some reason,¡± the storyteller noted. ¡°Usually, they¡¯ll be shouting my name off the bat and asking for a certain story.¡±


    ¡°You already know the reason why, though,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Alright, all yours!¡±


    Colidra took out a pair of spectacles and stuck it on his nose, eliciting cheers from the patrons, who were now sipping from their drinks and watching intently. A few of them were already asleep, knocked out by the extra-powerful brews, but those that were awake were staring at the storyteller with glittering eyes.


    ¡°I see everyone¡¯s already waiting for the story.¡± He smiled. ¡°Very well. Presenting the seasonal legend ¡ª the Moons and the Makers, remastered for the modern audience today.¡±


    He paused for a moment, and then glanced at everyone. ¡°In the era before the gods, three Moons hung in the void, surrounding the seed of a world. Charged they were to nurture the seed, to protect it from ill. Their little ward grew over eons, eventually dwarfing its guardians in size. In the dark between the stars, the three Moons saw naught, but felt the little lives on their charge all the same. Plota, distraught at its ignorance, bade the others to shine with all their might.¡±


    Colidra pushed his spectacles up, his actions carrying an odd gravitas. ¡°With their radiance, humans no longer feared the dark, for they now knew the light. Humans no longer hid away, for they now knew the world. Humans no longer cursed their weak, wretched forms, for they now knew the beauty of their bodies.¡±


    ¡°Illuminated in mind, body and soul, the humans set off into the great unknown, and returned to their home, ambition in their hearts.¡± Colidra finished his drink. ¡°And so began the First Godsfall.¡±

 Chapter 169: A story for the new year

    Dia wiped the corners of her mouth, incredibly conscious of the gazes that were directed her way, before glancing at a sopping wet Schwarz and his bar counter. Colidra, who had just insinuated some very disturbing words, was chuckling away, rocking back and forth on his heels.


    ¡°Erm.¡± She fidgeted, before pulling out a handkerchief. ¡°Here?¡±


    ¡°Clearly, you never heard the original before,¡± Schwarz muttered, before wiping his face. ¡°I¡¯ll have to take a bath, before the ants decide I¡¯m something worth nibbling.¡±


    ¡°S-sorry.¡± Dia looked away. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that was possible.¡±


    ¡°Neither did I,¡± Schwarz replied, before grimacing. ¡°I¡¯m going off for a moment. Ladies, gentlemen, my apologies. I¡¯ll be back in fifteen minutes. Mister Colidra, do continue on with me, although do try to make sure that my companion doesn¡¯t launch another barrage of apple juice wantonly.¡±


    The storyteller chuckled. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll pause dramatically whenever I arrive at any mind-blowing sentences, okay?¡±


    Laughter swirled around the bar, and Schwarz drifted out with the dying laughter. Without much preamble, the middle-aged man cleared his throat and continued his story.


    ¡°The first of the primordial humans, Helios, was dissatisfied with the Moons¡¯ light. ¡®O Moons,¡¯ said he, ¡®ye lights art feeble, and deprivest us of our heritage. Shine, O Moons, and banish the darkness, lest ye brook our displeasure.¡¯


    ¡®Nay,¡¯ said Plota. ¡®Thine race dost not live alone. Thou art not the master of the world; begone, I entreat thee. Thy ambition is boundless, but thou livest in a bounded world.¡¯


    ¡®In that case, O Moons,¡¯ said Helios, ¡®this meeting shalt be our last as kin. Thy light art likest fireflies, that which flickers and fades in the howling Dark. We shalt not bow to neither the Dark nor your feeble light. Witness truest courage ¡ª we, the chosen children ¡ª will raise our swords and fight!¡¯¡±


    Cheers erupted from the assembled patrons, with some of them even acting out the two characters. From the looks of it, this was a regular event, to the point that even Colidra even took the chance to sneak a few sips from his own cup. Dia glanced at the middle-aged old man and followed suit. For some reason, her instincts were telling her that this was a story that had truth to it, and her mind¡¯s eye began to conjure up images of the war that followed.


    As the patrons played around with mock swings and shouts, Dia pondered over the legend again. The words used sounded very close to the archaic language commonly seen in ritual magic dedicated to the gods, although such language was also employed to fit the mood in opera houses and other similar establishments. After pondering over the issue for a grand total of three seconds, she held herself back from asking Colidra about her doubts first.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Colidra placed down his cup and stood up once more, and a deathly hush fell over the bar. ¡°Helios, despite his words, knew that fighting against their mothers were impossible. Defeating the Moons would not light up the world; this much he knew. As such, even as he drummed up the other humans for a war, Helios summoned his courage and snuck into the five grand skies, where the Moons lived.¡±


    Dia blinked.


    Colidra, whose eyes were now closed, said, ¡°The Moons, who were watching the humans closely, failed to notice Helios, who only had one goal ¡ª the transcendent light in which they lit up the world. Percuti, the red moon of change, was the bearer of the faint, gentle light that illuminated all life in perpetuity, a sun seed, sealed and restrained by ever-lasting change.¡±


    ¡°A thief,¡± Dia mumbled. ¡°It¡¯s somewhat¡­¡±


    Lost for words, she tried to take another sip, only to notice that her cup was empty. For obvious reasons, Schwarz wasn¡¯t back yet, so she could only extinguish the odd emotions within her with some cool air.


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    ¡°Helios eventually saw an opening and struck. Diving into the heart of Percuti, he wrenched the source of the Moons¡¯ light and tore it out, bringing with him four other sources of elemental might. Enraged, the red moon of change chased Helios as he leapt out of the skies, but tragedy struck.¡± Colidra smiled. ¡°For you see, Percuti had shared light with the other Moons to weaken the sun seed. Now that Helios had stolen it in its entirety, the embodiment of light had regained its true glory, burning the thief to death.¡±


    Dia shuddered at the simple way in which Colidra described Helios¡¯ death.


    ¡°Cutting a swathe of golden light through the five grand skies, the sun seed consumed Helios and turned into the sun we know of today,¡± said the storyteller. ¡°At the same time, the Moons lost the ability to shine in perpetuity, forever reliant upon the sun for light. And so, for the first time since creation, humanity knew the harsh light of the day¡­and the Moons in both their darkest and their brightest, the five phases of the Moons.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Mister Colidra!¡±


    The storyteller smiled at the crowd with a knowing grin. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the lesson behind this legend?¡±


    ¡°Humans are thieving traitors,¡± Colidra promptly replied. ¡°They denounced the Moons, injured Percuti to the point that its sole goal changed into inciting death, and most crucially of all, created the sun.


    Everyone laughed at those words, but from how some of them were already chanting along with Colidra¡¯s reply, Dia could tell that this was a yearly skit that came by whenever the four months of the Full Moons drew to an end. She couldn¡¯t help but agree with Colidra, though.


    ¡°Right,¡± said Dia, ¡°what happened to the four sources of elemental might that Helios stole?¡±


    ¡°The Moons couldn¡¯t retrieve them, but the humans could,¡± Colidra replied. ¡°Wresting away the sources of divinity the Moons jealously guarded, four humans, each exceptionally¡­traitorous in their own right, became the beings we now call the Primordial Gods; the gods of the four elements.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so what did the First Godsfall exactly refer to?¡± Dia asked, confused.


    ¡°The whole thing,¡± Colidra replied. ¡°The theft from the Moons, the gruesome battles as humans killed each other for a small ball of coloured power, the advent of the Primordial Pantheon, everything. The godlike humans that fell back then was probably the reason behind the name. That said, there¡¯s a particularly special theory behind about why it was called the First Godsfall, though.¡±


    ¡°What theory?¡± Dia picked up her empty cup, and then set it down for the second time.


    ¡°Know you the Celestia Ruins? A popular theory has it that the battle to become the Primordial Gods tore up space, severing a piece of paradise from another world. Beings that called themselves gods surged out of the severed piece of paradise and fought a bloody battle to the death as vengeance. Hence the name.¡±


    ¡°Which one¡¯s more convincing?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°The non-nonsensical explanation, naturally,¡± Colidra replied. ¡°That said, the nonsensical one does at least account for the Celestia Ruins, so¡­¡±


    He mumbled something under his breath, and then pulled off his hat. ¡°Right, I forgot. Tips.¡±


    The bar patrons broke out into cheers once more as Colidra tossed his hat onto the table, and metallic glints arced through the air. Pleasant clinks echoed in Dia¡¯s ear as the hat began to fill up at a visible rate, although they were mostly bronze coins.


    Dia produced a small silver coin and tossed it into the hat, before looking around furtively. The fact that she had tipped such a paltry amount for Colidra¡¯s hard work was probably going to be one of the blackest stains in her history.


    Fortunately, Schwarz came in at that moment, drawing everyone¡¯s eyes to him.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Schwarz patted his damp hair, and then sighed. ¡°I missed it¡­never mind. I¡¯ll just replay it from memory or something.¡±


    He tossed a piece of gold into Colidra¡¯s hat and smiled. ¡°Thanks for coming by, buddy. My patrons love it whenever you drop by, you know.¡±


    Colidra patted his full hat. ¡°I can see it.¡±


    Everyone laughed, and a few more coins fell into the hat.


    ¡°Alright, I guess I should talk about the recent events that has happened around town,¡± said Colidra. ¡°As well as some¡­very problematic deaths that occurred in the past month. Which one do you good people want to hear about first?¡±


    ¡°The problematic deaths!¡±


    More and more support piled up behind those words, and Colidra nodded. ¡°Sure. In recent days, someone of grave import has been killed. His body was discovered in Licencia, and¡­¡±


    Dia gulped. The only person Colidra could be talking about was Zulan Patra, the Spear of Fate, and the enamoured audience broke out into surprised cries as the storyteller revealed the Spear of Fate¡¯s grisly end.


    Stealing a glance at Schwarz¡¯s face, Dia couldn¡¯t help but note that the smile he had on earlier had vanished. The two of them had heard the story from Lily and Claud first, and they had even visited the scene itself, but that didn¡¯t stop her from feeling uneasy at Colidra¡¯s words.


    Reflecting on the events of this year alone, Dia thought about the huge upheavals that had irrevocably changed her life, before staring down at her¡ª


    She glanced at Schwarz, who had a knowing smile on his face, and then nodded at him in thanks. Raising her full cup, she gave Schwarz a toast, and downed the contents in one bit.


    Even though the Moons would soon be dark, there were always pinpricks of light to be found anywhere.

 Chapter 170: Preparing the encirclement

    Claud placed the last of the defensive artefacts into a box and stretched his body. ¡°All done. We¡¯re just missing the bows and arrows.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Caroline sent word over to us about that,¡± Schwarz replied, without looking up. The bartender was poring over the maps of the local area one last time, comparing it with the notes he had the lower echelons of the Moon Lords gather for him. ¡°The troops will bring their own weapons along. We¡¯re expecting a hundred and eighty-eight archers.¡±


    ¡°What a specific number¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s all we can fit underneath those canopies, though. Too much, and we¡¯ll be obvious too,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°Clairvoyance is too useful a skill to not store, after all. Right, Risti, how¡¯s the surveillance going?¡±


    ¡°The target is around six hours away, hiding in the nearby forest.¡± Risti, who was leaning back on a chair with clouded eyes, let out a small groan. ¡°My eyes hurt. This Cord of Cause is too painful to look at directly.¡±


    ¡°Too bright?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Too bright, yes.¡± Risti rubbed her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll check on the progress again an hour later. Let¡¯s hurry up and haul those things over to the Holy Daughter, shall we?¡±


    Dia got up from her chair and grabbed the box full of artefacts and weapons with seeming ease. ¡°I¡¯ll haul this over, then.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that we get to stay on the sidelines,¡± Claud commented idly as Dia left the room. ¡°Is this what it feels like to be protected?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Can¡¯t say that I know the feeling, though.¡±


    She paused. ¡°Oh, come on. I¡¯m just pulling your leg, okay? There¡¯s no need to put on that ¡®Oh, Moons¡¯ face whenever I bring up such a topic.¡±


    The brilliant smile on her face only served to make Claud roll his eyes. ¡°Stop playing with my heart. It¡¯s fragile, you know.¡±


    ¡°You spoil her too much,¡± said Risti. ¡°What happened to your bold claims that no one was ever going to get any more fizzy drinks from you? So much bluster, and see what happened next.¡±


    Claud cleared his throat. In Moon Mansion¡¯s stores were three barrels of his drinks, which had been wheedled over by Lily¡¯s constant pestering. To be fair, his room was about to be overrun by these barrels, and it wasn¡¯t like he was giving them away for free either. And besides, he didn¡¯t like to see Lily sad. She had chosen to end her family, doing it in a personal fashion, and Claud respected her for that.


    He couldn¡¯t help her walk out of her deeds, but he could at least keep her happy. Eventually, enough time would pass, eroding both her emotions and the memories of the incident, but before then¡­


    ¡°Oh, shut it.¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°Besides, I was running out of space. And Lily volunteered to help me carry them here, so I don¡¯t really see the issue.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Risti chuckled. ¡°So, what¡¯s his house like? Did he do anything funny there, Lily?¡±


    Lily shook her head. ¡°His house is¡­cramped. Too many barrels.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason why I¡¯m sleeping in Moon Mansion every day,¡± said Claud. ¡°Although I should really tell the suppliers to send these drinks to a warehouse or something. Do we have an empty one open?¡±


    ¡°Only if I get to experiment with your fizzy drinks,¡± said Schwarz.


    ¡°Deal, but whatever results you serve to us must not contain alcohol,¡± Claud fired back.


    ¡°Gah. You drive a hard bargain.¡± Schwarz made a little growl. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll create some results that don¡¯t have alcohol. Commercially¡ª¡±


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°A quarter of the cost price is mine,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s a very reasonable price; don¡¯t even think about haggling. I trust that you won¡¯t sneak bites out of my pie, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Schwarz let out a small noise. ¡°Still, you sure know your bargains well.¡±


    ¡°Stop complimenting yourself,¡± Claud replied, rolling his eyes. He had picked up those little tricks from Schwarz, so any praise lavished actually went to the bartender¡­in his head, anyway.


    ¡°You two aren¡¯t making much sense,¡± said Risti.


    ¡°It¡¯s an inside joke.¡± Claud looked around the room. The countess was hard at work, as usual. From what he knew, she was doing lots and lots of brainwork ¡ª Farah and Schwarz had been entertaining merchants and other important people in a smaller building of the Moon Lords for the past two days. Decent-looking merchants, shifty ones, clever, spectacle-wearing fellows¡­all sorts of businessmen had entered and left the new building, called Moon Mind.


    As for why Moon Mansion wasn¡¯t used, it was due to his insistence once more. Now that almost everyone was sleeping and living in Moon Mansion, it made little sense to expose their living area to any possibility of harm. Therefore, rather than the headquarters of the Moon Lords, Moon Mansion had turned into the living quarters of the Moon Lords.


    Any official functions would have to be moved off-site. Naturally, Schwarz was peeved by these suggestions, but Lily was a living example of why work and personal life should be separated. One reason why she could access the Julan mansion so easily was due to the fact that anyone with a modicum of money and a drought of compassion could waltz in and try to sell someone for a good amount of money.


    Of course, the stereotypical noble pride also played a huge part, since it blinded them to the possibility of reprisal, but Claud¡¯s point remained as persuasive as ever. The risk of someone doing something in their house was too salient for Claud to bear, and Schwarz was also keenly aware that Moon Mansion was pretty much a favourite target.


    Unfortunately, this also meant that there was a short window for harm to occur, when traveling from Moon Mansion to Moon Mind. The chance, however, was low enough that simply leaving the house for some food probably had a higher risk.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Farah?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s busy working out a theorem or something,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what it is, but she¡¯s cackling madly and cussing out Istrel at the same time, as if afflicted by some supernatural glee.¡±


    ¡°H-huh. Okay, then.¡± Schwarz glanced at Claud, who wriggled his shoulders by way of reply. ¡°She seems very engrossed in intellectual work recently, so let¡¯s lower our volume.¡±


    ¡°You seem abnormally considerate,¡± Claud replied. The bartender, ever since last night, had taken it upon himself to be more proactive in bringing out the dishes and making small talk. Maybe it was because Colidra came along last night for the usual stories and information-sharing, prompting Claud to bring Lily over for a visit. Given that she had willingly tossed aside her own peace of mind for the sake of the people in Julan, Claud was willing to offer some little bits of aid here and there.


    That said, there were many issues that came with a direct plea for help, so maybe asking the old storyteller about stories and legends about Grandis¡¯ selfless heroes would have to suffice.


    ¡°Do I?¡± Schwarz tilted his head. ¡°You must be overthinking it. Bartenders are supposed to be abnormally considerate to begin with, and it so happened that I was running the place until two last night.¡±


    ¡°How was business?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Booming, as usual. Everyone misses my really intense drinks,¡± Schwarz replied, his face as bright as a Moon. ¡°I knew you guys were just overexaggerating it.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Lily made a little sound. ¡°I don¡¯t really buy it, though. Most of your patrons look too out of it to actually pass judgement on the taste.¡±


    ¡°True, but those that don¡¯t pass out like it enough to order a few more tankards,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I¡¯ve been told that for the past week, some of my patrons have been unable to sleep well due to a lack of drinks from my bar.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like addiction,¡± said Lily. ¡°Right, Claud?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Maybe they got addicted to the deadly levels of alcohol you dish out all the time. Aren¡¯t you scared that your patrons might pass away early from ill health?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just exaggerating at this point,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Right, Risti, are you done with the skillstrips for Skyward Eye?¡±


    ¡°Almost,¡± she replied. ¡°Just waiting for the skill to be off cooldown once more. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m giving out a bunch for free, though. Do you know that a single skillstrip for Skyward Eye can cost up to five gold?¡±


    ¡°A skillstrip that¡¯s worth five gold?¡± Claud whistled. ¡°Moons. How about a skillstick? How much would that cost?¡±


    ¡°As a surveillance skill that¡¯s essentially a trump card, I¡¯d say fifty,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you selling skillsticks, then?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Selling a bunch of them would make you wealthy. Incidentally, how do I learn such a skill?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Well, my father found a really, really rare object that allowed me to learn it,¡± Risti replied. ¡°A Skill Crystal.¡±


    ¡°Alright, forget I asked,¡± said Claud. ¡°That thing sounds really expensive.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Three tri-folders died for it.¡±


    ¡°Three Count Nightfalls, huh.¡± It was Schwarz¡¯s turn to whistle. ¡°Well, thanks for giving them to us, though.¡±


    ¡°Think little of it,¡± Risti replied. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can use it for my hobbies now, after all.¡±


    She mumbled something under her breath, and then sighed heavily.

 Chapter 171: Irrational Aggression

    Rubbing his hands, Claud attempted to calm the impulsiveness within him. He didn¡¯t know where it was coming from, but two hours into the wait, a burgeoning urge to head out and fight had gripped him tightly. Even after using Cleanse once, he couldn¡¯t extricate himself from such an urge, as if there was a fated enemy or something he had to kill.


    Where was it coming from?


    Rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, Claud made an excuse and returned to his room, before pulling out Crown. The little fellow had been wobbling and quivering the moment the abnormality struck him, in what felt very much like worry to him.


    ¡°Meep!¡± Crown bounced off the bed and onto his arm, before clambering up into his hair. Claud could feel Crown trembling madly as it nuzzled him over and over again.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Is it that desire to fight in me that¡¯s worrying you?¡±


    Crown hopped on the spot once.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you do something about it? I remember you snapped me out of some mental skill not too long ago,¡± said Claud. ¡°After receiving that pearl or the roots, now that I think about it.¡±


    Making a little sideways motion, Crown rolled back down onto his shoulder and sidled up to the crook of his neck. The velvety, cool texture on his neck was directly at odds with the desire to fight with whoever came along, a contrast that only served to heighten his sense of frustration. By all reasonable accounts, such an irrational desire shouldn¡¯t exist within him, given his history and character.


    Therefore, it had to be an external influence, but what kind of influence was it?


    Letting out a little grunt of frustration, Claud buried himself under his blanket, with Crown cuddling close a moment later. The little guy had probably tried its best to dispel this abnormality within him, only to be stopped in its tracks.


    ¡°There, there. It¡¯s not any fault of yours,¡± said Claud. ¡°Besides, I didn¡¯t pick you up because you could return me to a default state; I picked you up because you were adorable.¡±


    He was fibbing about that bit, but unless the Coloured Gods came down to refute that personally, no one would ever reveal that little lie.


    ¡°Meep¡­¡±


    ¡°There, there.¡± Claud curled up underneath the blanket and tried to examine the foreign desires within him. It was evident that they didn¡¯t belong to him¡­or to the person called Claud, at any rate. This was the second time that he had felt such an impulse; the first one was¡­


    His thoughts stopped for a moment.


    ¡°Absolute One?¡± Claud murmured. ¡°Is that the cause?¡±


    He got up from the bed slowly, running through the memories of the day he took down the Tri-head Snake. The compulsion to strike and kill the monster was at the forefront of his mind, but above all, Claud had wanted to infuse the infinite mana Absolute One granted him into a skill of his.


    The skill evolved shortly afterwards.


    Now that he was looking back on it, Claud was fairly certain that the abnormal state he had been back then, as well as the one he was in now, had to do with his skill.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s an urge to fight or something,¡± Claud said out loud. ¡°Like a competition or something. Enemies, maybe?¡±


    Crown bounced twice on his bed, and then scooted onto his thigh. Clearly, the little guy agreed, but even if they found the cause, Claud didn¡¯t know how to deal with it. Absolute One was too powerful for him to let go off, and to begin with, the skill couldn¡¯t actually be replaced by another. He had tried it, long ago, when he saw no point in having such an odd trump card, only to notice that he couldn¡¯t replace the skill with another one.


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    He rolled around on his bed for a while, staring up at the ceiling. Claud didn¡¯t dare to do anything that could potentially strengthen his irrational urges, which meant that the next best thing he could do was to pull out a book and plop Crown onto his chest or something.


    Someone politely knocked on the door three minutes later, and Claud immediately placed the book down, before covering his body with a blanket.


    ¡°The door¡¯s not locked,¡± said Claud. ¡°Come in.¡±


    Lily poked her head into his room a second later, her eyes looking around warily. ¡°I don¡¯t happen to be disturbing you, do I?¡¯


    ¡°Disturbing me from?¡±


    ¡°Anything?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Ahem. Well, Schwarz told me to be careful. Something about urges and desires.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Claud nodded. He hadn¡¯t kept it from the others, since they could help restrain him if he acted oddly or irrationally. ¡°Yeah. I was troubled by my urge to go out there and fight.¡±


    ¡°Like, bloodlust?¡± Lily asked. ¡°You? And fighting?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Maybe it¡¯s a phase or something,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And that¡¯s why I¡¯m lying down in the most comfortable place I can think of. I¡¯m probably not going to view the battle or something, lest my impulses run wild and I head to a battlefield that¡¯s too big for me.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lily approached the bed and sat down at the foot of it. ¡°Well, at least you¡¯re fine. I thought you were sick or something, since¡­¡±


    ¡°Nah, whatever happened yesterday had nothing to do with my current condition,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Right, sorry for not being able to serve you drinks¡­but there is a barrel full of fizz over at the corner, though. There¡¯s a set of cups and a ladle over at the cupboard in the opposite corner¡­no, not that cupboard. That¡¯s the one with my clothes and artefacts. The other one.¡±


    Lily thoughtfully prepared a cup for him, and after thanking her, Claud forced himself up and took a sip. To his surprise, the aggressive thoughts riling up his mind seemed to weaken from the lovely sweetness, and Claud took another sip from his cup.


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Something right, rather.¡± Claud licked his lips and downed the whole cup. ¡°Somehow, I managed to weaken my bloodthirst or whatever you call it with this.¡±


    ¡°With fizz?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. With those fizzy drinks,¡± Claud replied, licking his lips. Filling his cup up once more, he downed the drinks and tried to track the moment in which the bloodthirst weakened. ¡°Odd. It seems that drinking tasty things can help to curtail one¡¯s aggressive impulses.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you found a solution,¡± said Lily. ¡°But those impulses that you¡¯re troubled by¡­might they not be a sign of something?¡±


    ¡°A sign?¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°When I learnt what my family¡­what they did, I found myself thinking about what to do all the time. It occupied most of my waking hours. Like you, the impulse to do something ¡ª anything ¡ª to stop my family from continuing their deeds consumed my minds. In part, my search for Tot and the Moon Lords was to stop myself from engaging in such a rash act.¡±


    Claud reached out a hand and patted her shoulder. Lily had forced herself to bring up the topic of her family to tell him something. While he still did not know the reason, the fact that she had brought up one of her eternal regrets was something that touched him.


    Lily smiled, an expression that told him that she understood his thoughts, and in that moment, the pieces fell together. She was trying to tell him that these impulses had to have a reason. Even if it was his skill trying to make him undertake certain actions, these actions had to have some logic.


    Somehow, the two of them had gained an odd understanding of each other, but it was one that Claud would not trade for anything in the world.


    ¡°Thanks, Lily.¡± Claud took another sip of his cup. ¡°For everything.¡±


    ¡°Happy to be of help.¡± Lily rubbed his head, before getting up. Claud tilted his head at that very maternal act, and then rapped the barrel lightly.


    ¡°Have another cup before you go, Lily,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°I was waiting for you to make that offer,¡± Lily replied, a grin on her face.


    The two laughed. Moments later, Lily ambled out of the room with a full cup, and silence fell once more as the door closed behind them.


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    Crown rolled out from underneath the blanket, and then tilted in the direction of the door.


    ¡°She¡¯s Lily,¡± Claud replied. ¡°A¡­friend of mine. I guess?¡±


    Crown returned to its usual pose.


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Claud narrowed his eyes. He didn¡¯t quite understand the emotion behind that particular utterance earlier. The box paused, before its top popped up. Claps followed as it opened and closed itself in rapid succession, and an absurd notion crawled into Claud¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Wait,¡± said Claud. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want to let her know of your existence. Please don¡¯t, dear ancestor. You¡¯re still very much in the public eye. If she knows about you, it wouldn¡¯t be too hard for her to draw the link between me and Tot.¡±


    The box wilted visibly, somehow, and Claud felt bad simply looking at Crown.


    Rubbing his temples, Claud sighed and said, ¡°If I find her really, absolutely and totally trustworthy, I¡¯ll tell her about you. Okay? You¡¯re with me all the time, so you can be the judge. Just don¡¯t let her know about your capabilities, got it?¡±


    The box perked up once more, and Claud sighed.


    Just what was Crown thinking?

 Chapter 172: Cause, effect and destiny

    After putting aside little Crown, who was beside itself at the prospect of meeting a new friend, Claud examined Lily¡¯s words once more. Yes. She was right. Everything had a reason. Even things that could be completely explained away by luck had a very long chain of cause and effect that eventually led to manifestations of fortune or disaster.


    Things like a raging desire to seek out battle had to come from somewhere, and given that neither Cleanse nor Crown had succeeded in extinguishing it, Claud could only say that it was probably something that came from within him.


    In that case, why did it come from him?


    The only reason he could think of, given the events the last time he heeded such unnatural compulsions, was his skill. It had to be his skill, driving him onwards to meet the possessor of Absolute Domination in battle. If he won, it was likely that something good would happen to him.


    ¡°Still,¡± Claud muttered, ¡°it¡¯s not like I know how to even use the evolved version of Absolute One, right?¡±


    Crown bounced once on the bed, and he regarded the little guy thoughtfully. ¡°So you think so too?¡±


    Crown bounced again, and Claud smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll have to be very careful, though. I¡¯m not sure how this impulse thing works. Am I feeling the urge because I know that the Third Bearer of Destiny approaches? Or is it because the Third is approaching?¡±


    Crown rolled onto one side.


    ¡°Well, the latter means that people like me can sense each other,¡± said Claud. ¡°But that shouldn¡¯t be the case. I¡¯m fairly certain that I only feel this impulse because I know that someone like me is approaching, and nothing else.¡±


    Rolling back up, Crown bounced twice to convey its enlightenment, and then hopped onto his head.


    ¡°Like master, like pet, eh?¡± Claud sighed. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll have to interfere in this. The problem is that the others are going to be using Skyward Eye. How do I make sure that they don¡¯t know who I¡ª¡±


    Crown hopped down from his head and landed on his wrist, which had the Band of Duplicity on. Claud had been using it to change his mana and life signature, since he had a feeling that some very annoying fellows were using them to track him down, and it worked.


    Probably, anyway. The effects of getting Dia to spread a bunch of bottles with his original mana and life signatures had helped too, turning Licencia into Tot¡¯s current haunt.


    All that was somewhat beside the point, though. The fact that he was still at liberty was proof that the Band of Duplicity worked. Even if Skyward Eye was really as incredible as Risti made it out to be sounded, if Claud modified all his identification factors, there would be no way for them to trace it back to him. Furthermore, Presence Nullification would turn him into a ghost; he just needed to be a bit more meticulous about things for this round.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Perking himself up, Claud began to make some plans. Unfortunately, the urge to step forward and horribly murder the Third had only come to him at this point of time, which meant that his plans wouldn¡¯t be perfect.


    Slapping his face, Claud poked his head out of the door and looked around. Given that he¡¯d told Schwarz and the others about his urge to go out and fight, they were going to restrain him if he didn¡¯t give a good reason or acted oddly.


    He didn¡¯t have much of a choice, though.


    Claud nodded to himself. Now that he was making the conscious decision to interfere, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit irked at the cautious him that had been pacing around an hour or so ago.


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    A Moon lit up in his head as he stumbled onto an idea, and he walked out into the living room. Schwarz, who was nibbling on a biscuit and examining a cup of something, glanced at him in equal parts surprise and caution as he entered.


    ¡°I thought you were feeling impulsive,¡± said Schwarz.


    ¡°Yeah, I was,¡± said Claud. ¡°But Lily told me that these impulses had to have a reason, and I know why I have those impulses now.¡±


    ¡°Go on,¡± said Schwarz.


    ¡°It¡¯s because I feel uneasy when we¡¯re all looking down from the air,¡± said Claud. ¡°There¡¯s something we probably missed out, and I don¡¯t think the count¡¯s soldiers are going to be very useful in this regard. Something tells me that I must go down and see the place for myself, to prevent any accidents from happening.¡±


    Schwarz placed his biscuit down. ¡°You¡¯ve changed somewhat, Claud.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You used to just hide whenever any bad news like this came down, but over the past few months¡­¡± He smiled. ¡°I think this is an improvement. You¡¯re not just actively paranoid now; you¡¯re also proactively paranoid.¡±


    ¡°I feel like you¡¯re mocking me or something for some reason.¡±


    ¡°You must be overthinking it, buddy. Here, apple juice.¡± Pouring a cup out for him, Schwarz tried to send it through the air with some mana, only for Claud to intervene with his own manifestation.


    ¡°You still need practice,¡± said Claud.


    ¡°You monster. How did you even train your Mana Control? You couldn¡¯t have gotten that big of a head start, right?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Dia¡¯s been a one-folder for upwards of a decade, but you definitely weren¡¯t one for more than a year.¡±


    ¡°Talent?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Really?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°That sounds real dodgy to me, though. Tell me the truth.¡±


    Claud pondered for a moment. It seemed like ancient history to him, back when he first became a mana-user and went through the tutorial. A cursory examination revealed that it would be fine if he told Schwarz about how he screwed the tutorial over and blasted the bi-folder to bits, but¡­


    ¡°Well, I got lucky,¡± said Claud. ¡°Do you still remember the tutorial that happened when you became a one-folder?¡±


    ¡°Tutorial?¡± Schwarz¡¯s eyes glazed over. ¡°Right, yes. I died three seconds after getting in.¡±


    ¡°You suck,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I dodged the first attack, and then whatever person that was behind the tutorial felt happy about it, so I woke up with a splitting headache, since it directly enhanced my sensitivity to mana.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± The bartender frowned. ¡°That¡¯s¡­damn it.¡±


    Claud chuckled. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s pretty much about it. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t know how to start up the tutorial once more, nor do I think that¡¯s actually possible.¡±


    The bartender let out a small groan. ¡°Lucky punk.¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    Schwarz straightened his face. ¡°So, you¡¯re going off now? Have you prepared what you need?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve pulled out my personal artefacts,¡± said Claud. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, though. I¡¯m just going to make sure that there isn¡¯t anything shady on the ground itself. I¡¯ll probably hide myself from sight too, and make sure to stay out of the way the moment fighting starts.¡±


    ¡°Spoken like our Claud,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°By chance, if you spot the puppetmaster hiding in a thicket of something, remember to run away instead of fighting. I don¡¯t want you to be controlled by that dreadful Absolute Domination. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Claud walked over to him and picked up the map sitting on the table. ¡°Want anything while I¡¯m out?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­I haven¡¯t had skewers for some time,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°Skewers, got it.¡± Claud folded the map and stuffed it into his clothes. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    ¡°See you later, then.¡±


    After downing his apple juice, Claud nodded at Schwarz in thanks, before heading out of the mansion. Before he could step into the booth, however, Lily showed up.


    A single glance was more than enough for them to understand what the other was thinking, and Lily smiled. There was a complex touch to it, and intuitively, Claud understood what was behind that smile of hers. Lily was simultaneously happy and distressed; both emotions stemmed from the fact that he was taking her advice, which would set his heart at peace while exposing him to danger.


    How adorable. A smile floated onto his face, and Claud said, ¡°Want anything from the streets?¡±


    Lily blinked, before breaking out into a smile. ¡°Get me a small cake. Any flavour will do.¡±


    ¡°A cake, got it.¡± The two looked at each other once more, and then Claud stepped into the booth. ¡°I¡¯ll be back before you know it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to stay up, since cakes left overnight don¡¯t taste good,¡± said Lily.


    Claud could almost hear the second, unspoken sentence, and then patted her head. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m going to wake you up if you¡¯re asleep, you hear me?¡±


    ¡°What am I, a child?¡±


    The two laughed, and Claud stepped into the booth.

 Chapter 173: The thiefs own ambush

    Ducking into a corner, Claud tore up a skillstrip for Presence Nullification, before commencing his long walk out of town. The plans he laid out couldn¡¯t be perfect, so he had to take matters into his own hands. Although he did have a skillstrip for Skyward Eye on him, Claud knew that spotting anyone who was hidden from above was a lot harder than it seemed, as long as the right precautions were taken.


    Claud surveyed the streets of Licencia. People were walking with huddled shoulders, with the more experienced hands using only the corner of their eyes to survey the area. Like him, most of the people on the streets right now were ready to make a break for it anytime, while the ones that were more confident would occasionally pat that pockets or some part of their torso.


    ¡°Meep.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. It¡¯s so sharp,¡± Claud murmured. ¡°People glancing around in fear, trying to look as innocent as possible¡­word must have gotten out somehow.¡±


    His pocket jiggled once more, and a sense of worry flooded Claud¡¯s mind. There was nothing much Claud could do to lift the little guy¡¯s spirit, save for nudging the pocket Crown was in.


    ¡°Looks like I can¡¯t really get skewers or cake for Schwarz and Lily, though.¡± Claud eyed the street stalls, which were closing up before his eyes. Most of the shops were already closed too, with their owners bolting up the doors with some hastily employed labourers.


    His lip twitched at that sight. Their actions were something that people would do when a huge storm was on the way, but even a fool would know that a fight between tetra-folders would not be stopped by the likes of some iron rods. This was the textbook definition of a placebo, if nothing else.


    Shaking his head, he hurried down the main streets of Licencia, completely hidden from the world. As he trotted through the city, Claud couldn¡¯t help but note that there were hints of a few shadows doing the same thing. Clearly, there were some people who wanted to see for themselves the impending showdown between the inquisitors of the White Church and the murderer of Zulan Patra.


    The city gates were manned by a lot more guards than usual.


    As Claud ducked through some worried guards, he arrived at a clearing. The clearing was occupied by Caroline, who was sitting on a table that had been brought out from somewhere and drinking from a cup.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Caroline looked around as Claud glanced at her, her gaze sweeping past Claud¡¯s location.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Your Grace?¡± asked one of the city guards.


    Without a word, Caroline tore up a skillstrip, before sweeping the area with her gaze again. On instinct, Claud held his breath and continued on his way slowly. From how she reacted only after Claud glanced at her, Caroline was probably quite sensitive to people looking at her, but as for how this was possible, he didn¡¯t quite know.


    Maybe it was a passive skill or something.


    Walking around her slowly, while taking care not to look at Caroline, Claud slipped through the city guards and left Licencia in silence. His shoulders lightened as he stepped through the city gates, which was simply proof that the tense atmosphere inside had affected him in ways he didn¡¯t quite know.


    Taking a deep breath, Claud tore a skillstrip for Flight and took to the skies. Within seconds, he was high above the ground, allowing him to take in the area around Licencia easily.


    ¡°Well, someone did at least listen to our advice.¡± Claud glanced at the Cord of Cause inside Licencia. The plan was simple ¡ª the person affected by the Cord of Cause could sense where the Knife of Karma was at, and vice-versa. However, given the knife¡¯s ability to inflict pain on a one-sided basis, there was a very strong incentive for the murderer to actually approach the knife¡¯s owner.


    It went without saying that an ambush would be prepared for the murderer¡¯s approach.


    The moment the sounds of battle were heard, one of Holy Daughter Clarissa¡¯s guards inside the city would use the Knife of Karma and torment the murderer over and over again, thereby creating huge opportunities for his colleague and his master to finish off the unfortunate fellow.


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    It was a delightful strategy, and when coupled with heavy support from the city¡¯s archers¡­


    However, the approach of Zulan Patra¡¯s murderer could only mean one of two things. Either the murderer was sane and driven to end this near-hourly torment, or the puppet master was confident of winning or saw some advantages in sending his pawn towards Licencia.


    The former was obviously less alarming than the latter, but given the recent confluence of coincidences, Claud was certain that there was a mastermind behind the scenes.


    Plus, his Absolute One was also stirring up some very odd emotions in him. Even if he ignored all these nasty omens, it was undeniable that he had felt an unnatural urge to hunt down the Third and finish off that fellow.


    Life was tough at times.


    Shaking his head, he flew over to the planned ambush site, and what he saw nearly made him fall out of the sky.


    For some reason, the Holy Daughter and her bodyguard had seen it fit to simply stand in the middle of the road, as if they were trying to block a bunch of carriages or something. There were just a few problems in that ¡ª first, they weren¡¯t so much as on a road than in a wide-open space in which any murderer hoping to escape capture could easily spot them.


    Second, the enemy had killed Zulan Patra, who had a skill capable of killing anyone his spear touched. Either they were more than enough to overcome Zulan Patra with ease, or the murderer had plotted meticulously to kill their target. If it was the former, ambushing would yield far higher chances of success, while if it was the latter, the murderer would obviously notice something off.


    In other words, the inquisitors of the White Church were probably idiots.


    ¡°What are they doing?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Why are you guys throwing away your advantages? Did your parents drop you on the head as a kid? Or are you trying to prove something? If so, why don¡¯t you just face the murderer alone?¡±


    After cursing the two idiots for abandoning their tactical advantages, Claud turned his eyes to the soldiers lying in ambush. Unlike the two idiots standing in the middle of an open field, the archers were actually disguising themselves by tossing some green cloth over their bodies and hair.


    ¡°Now what? I know I said I was going to do some walking, but that was just some excuse I cooked up.¡± Claud looked around. He hadn¡¯t quite thought about what he was going to do next, once he stepped out of the city. Tracking wasn¡¯t his strong spot, especially when he was acting on his irrational desires like this.


    Tapping his nose, he landed on a nearby outcrop, before pulling out his trusty Box-opener. Pushing what looked like a bladeless hilt into the ground, Claud activated the artefact and cut out a bunch of small square cubes, before prying them out one by one. Hopping into the newly created cubical space, Claud took out a small sheet of brown cloth, using it to cover both the displaced cubes and the space he had created.


    Once done, Claud retrieved the skillstrip that contained Risti¡¯s Skyward Eye and examined it closely.


    Like most skills, it only had a duration of thirty minutes, which was why the others back at Moon Mansion were going to take shifts in examining the place once the battle started. Claud, however, was more interested in using the skill now. After all, if there was a puppeteer like him, they were almost certainly going to arrive early, like he did.


    Claud paused for a moment at that thought, and then produced a second Presence Nullification skillstrip. Tearing it into two, he took a good long look at the Skyward Eye skillstrip, and then took a deep breath.


    The sound of paper tearing entered his ear.


    His vision changed a moment later, as he looked down upon the world. It wasn¡¯t all that different from the view he had when he was flying earlier, but there was something special about the world he saw now. All sorts of things had been outlined by a rather specific colour; people were outlined in red, rocks in brown, man-made objects in blue and flora in green.


    ¡°Tis a pity you can¡¯t witness this,¡± Claud said, uncomfortably aware that his body was still on the ground, despite having such a viewpoint.


    Crown, who was idling away in his pocket, tilted to the side unsuccessfully, and Claud smiled. Patting his thigh, Claud focused on the new world in his eyes, outlined and coloured by the skill.


    Other than the two fools who were standing heroically ¡ª or foolishly, depending on who one asked ¡ª he could also make out the soldiers hiding on a nearby hill. Although they were fairly covered by some form of camouflage, the camouflage itself had been highlighted by a blue outline, and the occasional leg or arm that stuck out was highlighted in red.


    All things considered, Skyward Eye was truly a trump card in the field of surveillance. After making a mental note to ask Risti about this skill, Claud began to look through the area in general, before focusing on the outcrop he was in. Unlike the soldiers, his little hidey-hole was¡ª


    ¡°Wait. Moons take me. Are you serious?¡± Claud narrowed his eyes and fixed his eyes onto a particular spot not too far from his own hidey-hole. A small chill ran down his spine as he noted the fact that there was actually someone like him, already spying on the area.


    A raging urge to storm over to his target and put him down violently tingled in his brains, but Claud fought the urge by counting prime numbers¡­and by cooking up ways to kill the Third Bearer of Destiny.


    Whipping his frantic breathing into shape, he gripped the hilt of a small knife and focused on making a plan to approach his target.

 Chapter 174: The ominous proclamation and a deluge of screens

    As he tried to figure out the best vector of approach, Claud noticed a couple of stragglers making their way into the local area too. None of them inspired a desire to fight within him, unlike the fellow around two hundred metres away, which was more proof that his current target was probably someone Absolute One wanted dead. That target in question was almost certainly the Third Bearer of Destiny, someone who had tried to do something to him and the others.


    Killing was not off the cards.


    Claud generally didn¡¯t kill anyone as far as possible, but people who tried to harm the people in his orbit were fair game.


    Taking a deep breath, he continued to memorise the contours of the surrounding area, his eyes fixed onto the outlined spot that was the Third¡¯s own hideout. It was unfortunate that he didn¡¯t have the time to set up complex traps, but he would have to make do with the current circumstances.


    Now, when should I strike? Something tells me that I should kill the Third before the murderer and the inquisitor cross blades. Letting that person watch the battle can be dangerous, in and of itself. After all, we don¡¯t know what the Awakened form of his Absolute Domination does.


    Nibbling on his lips, Claud checked the area once more. Like him, there were already some busybodies already hunkering down not too far from the city walls. It was unlikely that they would notice anything until the moment in which he burst out with Absolute One.


    A little blip of mana rose out of his finger, and Claud glanced at it. Did he trust himself to turn such a weak little mana pellet into something capable of killing a mana-user, a mana-user that he had no details on?


    The answer was evident.


    He didn¡¯t trust himself to do it.


    ¡°Time to get down and dirty again,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°There¡¯s not much time before they finally meet.¡±


    He took a deep breath. No one who came from an underprivileged background was a stranger to death, but if given a choice, he would rather kill someone from a few dozen metres away, instead of getting up close and personal.


    Staring at the terrain of the arena he had just designated in his mind, Claud committed the details to memory once more, and then got up from his little hidey-hole. Tearing another skillstrip that contained Presence Nullification, Claud began to approach his destination, keeping a lookout for any nasty traps or weapons that might have been left lying around.


    With gentle, measured steps, he closed in on the area he had identified. Without Skyward Eye, it would have been impossible for him to spot the Third, since that bugger¡¯s hiding spot was well-done. If not for the fact that Skyward Eye highlighted any and all man-made objects, Claud wouldn¡¯t have been able to notice it at all.


    Muttering some choice words in his mind, Claud walked right up to the area outlined by Skyward Eye. The true mastermind, the owner of Absolute Domination, had simply opted to lie down on the ground and cover himself with lots of cloth and other camouflage tricks. Unfortunately for the true mastermind, he hadn¡¯t taken shelter underneath a tree or some other natural cover, or else Skyward Eye would not have spotted him.


    There were so many what-ifs, but unfortunately for this Moondamned murderer, he had messed with the wrong opponent.


    I¡¯ll grant you the mercy of a swift death, at most. Rest in peace.


    ¡°Absolute One,¡± Claud muttered.


    A sky-shaking might burst out of his very being, and Claud straightened his right hand, turning it into a knife of sorts. Gathering an awesome amount of mana around his right hand, he moulded it to form a blistering edge of blue light. Within three seconds, the undulating azure blade had calmed down, forming a mirror-smooth line that enveloped his right forearm.


    ¡°Die.¡±


    Claud brought his right hand down, and a blinding blue light filled his vision. A high-pitched hum followed, engulfing the horrified scream that doubled as the murderer¡¯s last words. He didn¡¯t know what that murderer thought in his or her last moments, nor did he see the need to do so. All Claud could feel was a touch of relief as his foe turned into ash and died.


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    Without warning, colour fled from the world, and the ground crumbling beneath his feet ceased to move. The howling wind, the rumbling world¡­all sound had ceased, and Claud found himself unable to even move.


    A small screen popped up in front of him a moment later. Unlike the translucent blue he was used to, the small window was a bloody crimson, with the words written on it a ghastly black. Instinctively, Claud understood that this window was addressed not just to him, but to other people¡­perhaps even every single mana-user in existence.


    <The Third Bearer of Destiny has fallen, his killer wreathed in life and light.>


    <As decreed by the five grand skies, the great Dark will descend in a year.>


    <Time, frozen in an interlude, shall once more take flight.>


    <And may the Moons preserve those they hold dear.>


    The four stacked screens winked out, and colour returned to the world once more. However, at the top left of his vision, Claud could now see an hourglass at the top left of his vision, just big enough for him to make out its details.


    At the same time, the outcrop and the soil around the area crumbled away, but the feeling of weightlessness lasted only two seconds before Claud activated both Fly and Presence Nullification, using his skills this time. As his vision began to recover, Claud looked down on the ruined landscape, only to note that his sneak attack had been absurdly successful.


    There was no need for a showdown, or a confrontation.


    Just a single attack, timed when the enemy least expected one to come.


    Before he could think of anything else, translucent blue screens appeared in his vision, popping up at such a pace that he felt giddy.


    [<Hidden Quest: Dominator¡¯s Downfall>, has been completed. Calculating result grade]


    [Results: Grade 1]


    [With your masterful stroke, you took the Third Bearer of Destiny by surprise and executed him with a tranquil fury. For your skill and grace, you have been awarded 72% of his lifespan.]


    [FiBoD:A??? has absorbed one Fragment of Fate. Evolution requirements: 1/2]


    [Mission Function unlocked]


    [Mission available: For the light of the Moons]


    [Mission available: For the Dark beyond the stars]


    [Mission available: For the Glory of the Gods]


    [Mission available: For a Transcendent World]


    [You have failed <Mission: For the light of the Moons>.]


    [Alignment locked in. The passive skill, <Omen>, has been revealed.]


    [You have been awarded the passive skill: Understanding!]


    Claud shook his head as the translucent blue screens clouded his vision. ¡°What in the name of the Moons is going on here?¡±


    His pocket jiggled, reminding him that he was still at the scene of the, uh, crime. Shaking his head lightly, he stacked the blue screens on top of each other and moved the resulting abomination to the side. This wasn¡¯t the time to take a break and examine things.


    Not now. And most certainly not here.


    Flying away from the scene of the crime, Claud turned to look at the inquisitors, who were staring at the ruined outcrop blankly. Without waiting any further, he called upon his mana and empowered his Flight, cutting through the skies and hurrying back home as soon as possible. With the true threat ¡ª the Third Bearer of Destiny ¡ª taken care of, Claud couldn¡¯t care less about the battle between the murderer and inquisitors, assuming that there was even a battle in the first place.


    It was an anti-climactic end, but this was the kind of end Claud preferred. After all, had Claud not given into the compulsion of Absolute One, a gigantic battle would have unfolded. The Third, making use of his absolute advantage, would probably have succeeded in his plan. Licencia would probably face a bloodbath, or a fate worse than death.


    Killing the root of all these early, through a sneak attack, was a far more palatable alternative.


    Descending in front of the city gate, Claud sidestepped a bunch of soldiers, and then hurried into town. From the scattered orders that entered his ears, he knew that the absolute destruction he had wrought on the clueless deceased mastermind had been so overt, to the point that even the people at the city had seen it.


    ¡°Your Grace! You must not go!¡± A frantic voice slipped into Claud¡¯s ears.


    Caroline, who was struggling with some of her bodyguards, stamped her feet. ¡°Four blood-red boxes just popped up in our vision, and the cause is almost certainly that explosion over there. And you¡¯re telling me not to go? This city belongs to Aran! I am expected ¡ª no, obligated ¡ª to know any and all possible threats to his home!¡±


    Claud watched on as she tussled with her bodyguard. It didn¡¯t seem like much, but the cracks spreading out from beneath their feet as they struggled with each other told an entirely different story.


    The unfortunate city guards could only step away from the widening cracks beneath the guards and their master, and Claud took the chance to slip through them. Fortunately, since so many people were staring at her, Caroline didn¡¯t notice an extra set of amused gazes, and he returned through the gates of Licencia without any disturbance.


    ¡°It¡¯s this quiet, huh.¡± Claud took a deep breath, and then reset his Band of Duplicity, returning his identification factors to the ones he had before he departed the city.


    The other Moon Lords must have noticed this change too, and he would have to work hard to remain undetected.


    After a murder came a bout of lies.


    Such was his life, it would seem.

 Chapter 175: Legend reborn?

    Puffing himself up, Claud messed up his clothes as he made his way towards Moon Mansion. The streets of Licencia were mired in an eerie silence, a silence that was somehow even deeper than the city when he had left it earlier, and Claud doubled his pace.


    It didn¡¯t take much of a genius to guess that the city had probably witnessed the aftereffects of his sneak attack. For all his focus on stealth, the only reliable method of killing someone off was so flashy that Claud wanted to curl up in a hole. He could still remember the aftermath of the attack; the ground he and the target were on had been completely destroyed, creating a crater large enough to bury fifty or so bodies inside.


    Mustering his courage, he continued on down the deserted, silent streets, heaving a small sigh as he arrived at Moon Street. Fortunately, the Moon Lords¡¯ patrols were still in full force, which meant that there was a good chance of gaining information via eavesdropping.


    He didn¡¯t need to approach them, however. Presence Nullification was still in effect, and Claud made full use of it by drawing close to one of the patrols openly.


    ¡°¡­glad when I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it. We should totally ask for double pay, though. Patrolling Creepy Street isn¡¯t something on my pay grade.¡±


    Claud glanced at the pair of masked patrollers, and then rolled his eyes as they fell silent. Fortunately, he encountered a few more patrols as he neared Moon Mansion, and the fourth patrol he met was discussing the frightening bolt of lightning that had fallen from the sky.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s not just normal lightning,¡± said one of the guards, his tall and lanky frame preoccupied with scolding his stouter buddy. ¡°Even from here, that lightning bolt was as thick as your plump ass, so don¡¯t even think of leaving this bloody city to check out what happened.¡±


    ¡°Come on, it can¡¯t be that bad, right? There¡¯s a whole bunch of strong people in this city. The inquisitors of the White Church can stop any¡ª¡±


    ¡°To save your ass? I don¡¯t think so, bub.¡± Mister Lanky folded his arms. ¡°Fortunately, you were at the toilet when that flash of light struck. Otherwise, you would have gotten a set of brown and wet pants.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you aren¡¯t the person with brown pants? There¡¯s an odd stink around you.¡±


    ¡°Wait, really?¡± Mister Lanky made a face. ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to get a change of clothes.¡±


    The tall fellow scurried off, leaving behind his buddy, who had a scrunched-up nose.


    Putting aside the amusing little skit, as well as the heroically suicidal stout guard there, Claud was now assured that the entire city had probably seen the mighty attack he had unleashed. Its impact was probably greater than that flying fist he¡¯d delivered to the Tri-head Snake a month or so ago, due to the amount of time he spent on controlling that attack. It was pure concentrated mana, refined a few times over ¡ª it would have been weirder if it didn¡¯t produce a better result.


    The stout guard sniffed disdainfully a few more times, and then began to fiddle with his weapon, prompting Claud to continue on. After dodging a few more patrols and listening to their gripes, it was clear that there were more patrols than usual.


    Why did Farah or Schwarz see the need to activate more patrols today? He didn¡¯t know, but it was definitely something he approved of. Sidestepping yet another complaining duo, Claud ducked into a corner and deactivated Presence Nullification, before making a beeline for Moon Mansion.


    Some of the patrols that passed by him stared at Claud curiously, but since he was walking with purpose in his step, none of them actually had the thought of stopping him and asking about his identity. While it was good, such an act was clearly a lapse in security, prompting Claud to make a mental note about stepping up on security and patrol behaviours when he had free time.


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    The reassuring black dome of Moon Mansion came into view, but to his surprise, Schwarz and Farah were standing outside the place. The former was sporting three belts full of bottles, while the latter was leaning on her great sword. The booth that governed entry had been opened for some reason, and their faces twitched slightly in unison as Claud drew up.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Request from Caroline just came in. We¡¯re to prepare to receive her if an enemy attacks Licencia. She won¡¯t withdraw to Nightfall Palace; she¡¯ll take shelter in Moon Mansion instead.¡± Schwarz had a helpless look on her face. ¡°Couldn¡¯t say no to that, unfortunately.¡±


    ¡°She must have been referring to that attack,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Right, you were heading over to check out the ambush site, right?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Barely five minutes after I snuck out of the city ¡ª took me some time, mind you ¡ª something like a blinding thunderbolt fell from the sky. A huge pillar of light and everything, and I turned back upon seeing it.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°That was scary. And then, and then, the world seemed to stop.¡±


    ¡°You also saw them, then.¡± Farah shook her head. ¡°The others saw it too, but when I asked the staff and the vanillas, they didn¡¯t.¡±


    Schwarz grunted. ¡°It¡¯s abundantly clear that mana-users were the only ones that saw the odd epithet.¡±


    ¡°Something huge¡¯s about to happen,¡± said Claud. ¡°But what the heck was that poem about?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very special too,¡± said Farah. ¡°You just need to think about that particular memory, and the poem will reappear too. Fortunately, it¡¯s now in a less ominous font and background, but still¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Claud focused on his memory, and the words appeared in his vision once more. This time, however, time didn¡¯t freeze, and the four screens were now in blue boxes.


    [The Third Bearer of Destiny has fallen, his killer wreathed in life and light.]


    [As decreed by the five grand skies, the great Dark will descend in a year.]


    [Time, frozen in an interlude, shall once more take flight.]


    [And may the Moons preserve those they hold dear.]


    He read the poem out slowly, and then shivered. It wasn¡¯t just a poem, now that he had the chance to examine it slowly. It was a prophecy, a warning.


    ¡°I know. Ominous as heck, right?¡± Schwarz let out a small sign. ¡°¡®As decreed by the five grand skies, the great Dark will descend in a year¡¯. I find this sentence the most troubling of the four.¡±


    ¡°Why is that the case?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°¡­Do you still remember Colidra¡¯s yearly tradition?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Uh¡­some recital of some old legend, right?¡± Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°I think it was called Moons and the Makers. Why?¡±


    ¡°I was listening to it a few days back,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°And this phrase, ¡®the great Dark¡¯ reminded me of his story. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the same, but my instincts tell me that it is linked. Somehow.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to make preparations for that, then,¡± Claud replied. ¡°If you say it¡¯s linked, it¡¯s probably linked.¡±


    Farah eyed Claud. ¡°You guys really have quite the shared history, don¡¯t you? How much do you exactly trust each other, that you would simply trust Schwarz¡¯s instincts?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re long-time buddies,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Besides, when it comes to security and safety, it¡¯s always better to be safe than sorry. Even if Schwarz is mistaken, taking all these precautions will help our safety in the long run. After all, defensive artefacts don¡¯t grow legs and run away, right?¡±


    ¡°For some reason, your words make sense...¡± Farah frowned. ¡°But buying defensive artefacts don¡¯t exactly make economic sense, though. They don¡¯t enhance one¡¯s ability to project power, nor do they help to produce resources.¡±


    ¡°But they preserve one¡¯s life, no? I think that is what counts,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anything that protects one¡¯s life won¡¯t be a waste, right?¡±


    Farah shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not going to argue with that, but it¡¯s really inefficient.¡±


    ¡°I know, but better than being dead.¡±


    ¡°As long as you cling to that, we can never truly debate on the same level,¡± Farah noted. ¡°Well, let¡¯s just agree to disagree, and end this topic on that note. Can we return to that ¡®great Dark¡¯ thing? It sounds really ominous.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I know, though. Mister Colidra might know more about this term, but like any sensible person right now, he¡¯s staying at home.¡±


    Claud grinned. ¡°Heh.¡±


    ¡°That triumphant look on your face is irking me,¡± Farah muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯m just smirking for the heck of it,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Don¡¯t read too much into it, alright? It¡¯s really nothing much, heh. Heh. Heh.¡±


    ¡°What are you two, children?¡±


    Claud clicked his teeth. ¡°Pot, meet kettle. Right, the streets were all closed, so I couldn¡¯t get you your skewers¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Schwarz waved a hand airily. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re safe, and that¡¯s all that matters.¡±


    After fooling around for a few more minutes, Claud made his excuses and entered Moon Mansion. Lily was sitting on a sofa, kicking her legs back and forth.


    ¡°I¡¯m back, Lily. Sorry, but I didn¡¯t get your cake, since all the shops were closed.¡±


    She looked up, rubbed her eyes, and then looked up again. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I am back¡ªouch! Why did you hit me?¡±

 Chapter 176: Missions and Bearers

    After reassuring Lily that he wasn¡¯t going to go anywhere, Claud promised to bring her out for some cake, which cheered her up considerably. At the same time, he made a mental note to be a bit more subtle in his movements from now on. He wasn¡¯t quite sure what to make of Lily¡¯s affection and worry, since it was very possible that Lily had developed a little dependency on him.


    Such a dependency wouldn¡¯t be healthy in the long run, so he would have to help Lily get over or at least internalise the fact that her actions had saved some people. Whether that necessitated another trip to Julan, however, was a pretty good question.


    ¡°Your eyes look haunted to me,¡± Lily said, cutting off his thoughts. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Me? Haunted?¡± Claud thought about it for a moment. ¡°M-must have been the giant beam of light, yeah.¡±


    ¡°Do you need me to do anything?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°No, not at the moment.¡±


    He took a deep breath. Claud hadn¡¯t really come to terms yet, but essentially, he had killed someone. While this wasn¡¯t the first, he had always hoped that he would no longer need to take someone¡¯s life personally, but he could not have stepped aside and let the Third Bearer of Destiny roam free. He hadn¡¯t quite forgotten how the Third¡¯s machinations had led to a tragedy outside Moon Mansion, and the latent threat of Farah rushing after the Third for bloody vengeance couldn¡¯t be ignored either.


    Claud stopped his hand before it could reach out and rub Lily¡¯s head, before leaning back.


    ¡°You look really troubled, though,¡± said Lily. ¡°Was it those odd messages?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Claud replied. ¡°They just sound like bad news through and through. This year is screwed up, I swear.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°This great Dark thing sounds very ominous.¡±


    ¡°Right? Sounds like one of those novels where some nasty fog descends and all caught it in won¡¯t ever see the light of day again,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Talk about creepy. I think I¡¯m going to hide in my room wherever possible.¡±


    ¡°Not a lot, then.¡± Lily smiled. ¡°You owe me cake.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a one-time thing,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Eating cake all day will make me fat. I prefer my slim, handsome self, thank you very much. And no, I will not take part in those gruelling spars you guys call practice.¡±


    Lily directed teary eyes at Claud, and he fidgeted in response.


    ¡°¡­Fine. Maybe a few times. I do need to train up some close combat skills after all. It¡¯s for my sake, got it?¡± Claud shook his head and mumbled something under his breath.


    Claud had been thinking about the applications of Absolute One for some time. A fist was nice and dandy, but he had seen Dia wrap mana around her sword before. If he could do the same, under the infinite, unrestrained output of Absolute One, would it have a better effect than simply punching or chopping out with his bare hands?


    Above all, using a weapon was naturally safer than using fists.


    ¡°Okay, for your sake it is!¡± Lily made a little happy noise, and Claud rolled his eyes. While they were alone, Lily had a tendency to be a bit more expressive, which made him more expressive at times too.


    Steering the conversation back to the topic of the four ominous proclamations, Claud asked, ¡°Are you planning on becoming a bi-folder before the end of next year?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Lily rubbed her nose. ¡°I guess I must, right?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Claud thought for a while. His vision was still cluttered by the announcements that had popped up when the Third was killed, and it didn¡¯t take long for him to find that one particular announcement that said that his lifespan had increased. Claud wasn¡¯t keen on checking out how much, not with someone else nearby, but that meant that he could spare some lifestones for Lily.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Or rather, trade his high-ranked lifestones for her low and middle-ranked ones. Since Crown could change these baubles into Pure-Life Gems ¡ª he already had quite a few ¡ª it would make economic sense for him to offer such a deal.


    He would have to check all these changes later, though.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Lily asked, tilting her head.


    ¡°Just a bit tired. And scared.¡± Claud patted her shoulder and got up. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a rest first. Today has been one heck of a day, if nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Rest well!¡±


    Nodding in reply, Claud returned to his room and began to store all the equipment on him. Now that he thought about it, it was a good thing that he hadn¡¯t set up any traps after carving out that small hiding spot earlier ¡ª he hadn¡¯t had the time nor the presence of mind to actually cover his tracks after killing the Third.


    The inquisitors of the White Church were bound to check the surrounding area after that stupendous blast. As for whether the surrounding area actually survived, that was another question all together.


    Stowing away the last knife on his body, Claud sat down on his bed and began to sift through the multiple rectangles in his vision.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see this one first, then,¡± Claud muttered.


    [<Hidden Quest: Dominator¡¯s Downfall>, has been completed. Calculating result grade.]


    [Results: Grade 1]


    [With your masterful stroke, you took the Third Bearer of Destiny by surprise and executed him with a tranquil fury. For your skill and grace, you have been awarded 72% of his lifespan.]


    [FiBoD:A??? has absorbed one Fragment of Fate. Evolution requirements: 1/2]


    This was quite a lot to parse. First, it was possible that the impulse to kill the Third was due to this so-called Hidden Quest. Second, quest results had grades, which was apparently linked to how he had solved these quests. Third, he had actually gained rewards from this, but was it something he obtained from completing the quest? Or was it obtained when he killed the Third?


    After mumbling some rubbish about the need to assuage his headache, Claud dismissed these three rectangles with his mind. The next few ones that followed all started with the same word, which was far easier on the mind.


    [Mission Function unlocked]


    [Mission available: For the light of the Moons]


    [Mission available: For the Dark beyond the stars]


    [Mission available: For the Glory of the Gods]


    [Mission available: For a Transcendent World]


    [You have failed <Mission: For the light of the Moons>.]


    ¡°Missions, eh?¡± Claud clicked his teeth. ¡°How do I open the Mission Function¡ªoh.¡±


    A rectangular box, far bigger than he was used to seeing, appeared in his eyes. It was quite quaint; the five quest names were listed there, and with a single thought, he could access any given quest.


    [Faction Mission: For the light of the Moons


    Mission introduction: The great age of change has come. The Moons and the Dark have struggled with each other to gain influence over <insufficient authority>. Should the Dark succeed, great changes inimical to the Moons will follow.


    Mission requirements: Neutralise the Dark-aligned Bearers of Destiny.


    Dark-aligned Bearers of Destiny neutralised: 0/3


    Mission rewards: 1000 years of lifespan, 1 Fragment of Fate


    Additional remarks: This quest has been failed upon receipt.]


    [Faction Mission: For the Dark beyond the stars


    Mission introduction: The great age of change has come. The Moons and the Dark have struggled with each other to gain influence over <insufficient authority>. Should the Moons succeed, their hold over fate will strengthen. Sweeping changes will occur.


    Mission requirements: Neutralise the Moon-aligned Bearers of Destiny


    Moon-aligned Bearers of Destiny neutralised: 1/3


    Mission rewards: 1000 years of lifespan, 1 Fragment of Fate


    Additional remarks: Doing this quest will invalidate all Moon-aligned faction quests and increase their hostility towards you.]


    [Faction Mission: For the Glory of the Gods


    Mission introduction: The great age of change has come. By the agreement of the five grand skies, the Moons and the Dark will soon make their advent. However, the Coloured Gods will not stand idly by as new powers seek to topple their throne. A calamity will occur should the Coloured Gods fall.


    Mission requirements: Neutralise the Moon-aligned and Dark-aligned Bearers of Destiny


    Moon-aligned Bearers of Destiny neutralised: 1/3


    Dark-aligned Bearers of Destiny neutralised: 0/3


    Mission rewards: 2000 years of lifespan, 2 Fragments of Fate]


    Additional remarks: This quest allows you to take on another faction quest, but harming their Bearers of Destiny will fail the relevant quest immediately, if it has not been completed.]


    Claud stared at the three missions, and took a deep breath. There was so much information in these three little rectangles that he didn¡¯t even know where to start. From what he could guess, however, it was clear that the Moons and the Dark were enemies, although he didn¡¯t know what kinds of enemies they were. Maybe they were acrimonious lovers or something, but whatever the case, this was just more proof that things were going to get hairy after a year.


    More importantly, Claud had a feeling that he wasn¡¯t the only one to have received these three quests, but before he could act on impulse and accept the obvious route, he took a deep breath and looked through the other bits.


    His jaw fell open a moment later.

 Chapter 177: Omen and Understanding

    [Omen Mission: For a transcendent World


    Mission introduction: The great age of change has come. By the covenant of the five grand skies, the Moons and the Dark will soon make their advent. However, the Coloured Gods will not stand idly by as new powers seek to topple their throne. War is inevitable. You, however, are different. End the strife and suffering, and usher this world to a great age.


    Mission requirements: Neutralise all current Bearers of Destiny


    Moon-aligned Bearers of Destiny neutralised: 1/3


    Dark-aligned Bearers of Destiny neutralised: 0/3


    Colour-aligned Bearers of Destiny neutralised: 0/7


    Mission rewards: Enhances your authority level, unlocks <Omen Mission: ??????>, 3000 years of lifespan, 5 Fragments of Fate


    Additional remarks: This mission is only open to you, the Omen. If <Faction Mission: For the Glory of the Gods> is completed and turned in, this mission will be invalidated instantly. You can take on other faction missions, but harming that faction¡¯s Bearers of Destiny will fail the mission immediately if not complete.]


    ¡°Wow.¡± Claud took a deep breath. This particular mission was a bit insane, but considering the rewards, this was somewhat expected. Since it was a mission that was clearly open to only him, there was no point in not accepting it. He could just reject it later anyway, if push came to shove.


    Some parts of this mission didn¡¯t make sense to him, though. Why would this mission be in conflict with the Coloured Gods? From the earlier missions, he could tell that it was possible to act as a double agent of sorts ¡ª for him, he would just need to complete the Dark-aligned missions first, and then deal with the Bearers of Destiny of that faction. Second, there were nine Coloured Gods, but only seven Bearers of Destiny. Why didn¡¯t two of them have their own bearers?


    ¡°Yeah, no.¡± Claud chuckled, but his laughter was bereft of any humour. The whole thing with lifespan and whatnot was nice, but he had only taken out the Third Bearer of Destiny because the latter decided to come early too. Claud knew that if he didn¡¯t have certain specific skills or didn¡¯t take certain skillstrips, such an abrupt victory wouldn¡¯t have started.


    Or was it karma for the Third¡¯s vile deeds? Claud didn¡¯t know, but either way, he didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with the whole thing. It wasn¡¯t his fault that all these things abruptly started, and there were so many things he didn¡¯t know about either.


    He took a deep breath, and then stared at the boxes that announced the two passive skills he had obtained. Other than the name, there was nothing else¡ª


    [Skill: Omen


    Skill effects: This skill is awarded to the first person who kills a Bearer of Destiny. The skill owner is made a Bearer of Destiny, if not one yet. The skill owner can access the Omen Missions. The skill owner will be shielded from divination, prophecy and prying powers. The skill owner¡¯s Bearer of Destiny and Omen skill are hidden from all other viewers.


    Additional remarks: Upon the skill owner¡¯s death, this skill will be transferred to the killer.]


    Claud opened his mouth, and then closed it. He didn¡¯t know what to say about this really eerie event. After all, the terms on one¡¯s status screen weren¡¯t explained on the spot; people found out about their skills only after research and asking the right people.


    He looked at the last skill.


    [Skill: Understanding


    Skill effects: The skill owner can interpret their own status screen]


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    It would seem that this paranormal event was due to this simply described skill, and Claud took a deep breath. This skill was both valuable and useless at the same time. For those with odd skills, skills whose knowledge was obscure or lost, this skill was probably a lifesaver. For those who walked on the straight and proper, this skill was just a neat decoration.


    ¡°There are so many things that I¡¯m feeling a bit giddy now.¡± Claud stared at the two boxes, and then dismissed both notifications, clearing his vision of boxes. ¡°But I must soldier on, right? Status.¡±


    Name: Claud Primus


    Lifespan: 292 years


    Active Skills: Presence Nullification (8), Flight (5), Binding Order (7), Cleanse (6), FiBoD;A??? (0), FiBoD;A??? (0)


    Passive Skills: DiL???C, Mana Organ, Omen, Understanding


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 1.36


    Mana Control Proficiency: Intermediate


    Comments: <Skill: Omen> detected. Adjusting in progress¡­


    Naturally, the first thing that caught his eye was that fact that his lifespan had shot up by an unbelievable number. His lifespan was now nearly three times of his original, and Claud couldn¡¯t help but take a long, long breath. How many people could claim to have this much time?


    Not many, that was for certain. Furthermore, if he did complete the faction missions available to him¡ª


    Claud extinguished these thoughts on the spot. It was one thing to let the other Bearers of Destiny fight amongst themselves, since he had a feeling that they too had received their own faction missions. It was another, however, to actively participate in the fighting, since he was bound to be the weakest one in their ranks.


    If the White Church¡¯s Holy Daughter were already a tetra-folder, how strong would their Bearer of Destiny be? A penta-folder? Claud didn¡¯t know, and until he knew more things about what was to come, it would be infinitely preferable to stay hidden in the shadows. In fact, his Omen skill was even implicitly encouraging that ¡ª apparently, no one would be able to discover his Absolute One skill from now on.


    He quite liked the idea of letting everyone fight. As a thief, one of the easiest infiltration methods was through the hearts and minds of people. The right nudge, the correct whisper, and things would fall into place. This didn¡¯t seem all that different from his extra-special mission, and more importantly, there was apparently no need to actually deal the killing blow.


    The other Bearers of Destiny just needed to die; whether he participated or not wasn¡¯t the point.


    ¡°Time to check the other odd skills,¡± Claud muttered.


    [Skill: Absolute One (Awakened)]


    [Skill effects: Grants immunity to all injury and abnormal effects for ten seconds. User gains access to an endless source of mana at the same time.


    Awakened bonus: Mana Control Proficiency is raised by two ranks for the same duration. This increase can transcend limits.


    Evolution requirements: Acquire 2 Fragments of Fate.]


    ¡°The gift that keeps on giving, huh.¡± Claud looked at the description of his ultimate trump card, and then rubbed his nose. It was scary how powerful this skill was¡­and how specialised it was for killing. This also explained his finer control over his mana a few hours back, and now that he relived the sensation, Claud had the feeling that he could actually bring that impossibly devastating attack to greater heights.


    After all, an increase of two ranks in Mana Control Proficiency was not a joke.


    He was about to examine his other skills when someone knocked on his door.


    ¡°Claud?¡± Risti called out. ¡°Schwarz is calling for a meeting. Can you come down here?¡±


    ¡°A meeting?¡± Claud frowned. ¡°What happened? Oh, Holy Daughter Clarissa came back with the prisoner? And we¡¯re the hosts for this round?¡±


    ¡°Huh. How did you guess? I didn¡¯t think our discussion was this loud.¡±


    Claud frowned. After chatting with Lily, the rest of the time had been spent examining his true gains from the battle with the Third Bearer of Destiny. Not too much time could have passed, so how did the Holy Daughter finish the battle and then arrive this quickly?


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Claud. ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Schwarz tells you not to force yourself, though. He doesn¡¯t want you to break down from fear or stress, so if you don¡¯t feel up to it, you can just stay in the room,¡± Risti added.


    Claud muttered a single word and rolled off his bed at Risti¡¯s sentence. Without much ado, he left the room and followed her to the living room, which had seen some¡­changes.


    He quirked his eyebrow at the bundle in the middle, which had been wrapped up in some white cord, and then looked at Schwarz at the others. The bartender, who had been watching him closely, shrugged helplessly at Claud¡¯s quizzical expression, and then winced as the bundle coughed out some blood.


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s here, then,¡± said Caroline. ¡°We caught the murderer¡­or so I would like to say, but the murderer fell unconscious after that overwhelming blast. We can presume that the Third Bearer of Destiny is dead. As a result, the Third¡¯s Thralls have been released.¡±


    ¡°Who killed the Third?¡± Schwarz asked.


    Holy Daughter Clarissa, who had been standing on the side, said, ¡°That, I do not know. What I do know was that the killer boasted of incredible might. Hasn¡¯t there been a particular personage of such power stalking your Licencia in recent days?¡±


    A bad feeling crawled up Claud¡¯s spine.


    ¡°Oh. Are you saying that the Thief of Time did it?¡± Caroline asked, an enlightened expression on her face. ¡°That¡¯s actually quite possible, right? But what should we do about Tot?¡±


    ¡°Capture, interrogation, and if necessary, execution.¡± The Holy Daughter closed her eyes. ¡°The White Church will assume that the Thief of Time is one of the older Bearers of Destiny and act accordingly.¡±


    Claud, who was busy exercising self-restraint, could only curse in his mind.

 Chapter 178: A wild Holy Son appears

    It¡¯s Tot again.


    Dia trembled as Holy Daughter Clarissa laid out the facts. The spectre of Licencia. The being who struck down Zulan Patra off-handedly. And now¡­the person who had split the sky into two.


    Unlike the others, who were waiting around and waiting for the signal to use Skyward Eye, Dia had chosen to do some practice outside. There was nothing much for her to do anyway, and reading or having fun when under threat didn¡¯t exactly tickle her fancy.


    Therefore, she had seen it for herself. That moment, when the sky itself parted, torn into two by an impossibly huge amount of mana. That moment, when the Thief of Time¡¯s true power was unleashed. With that much mana at Tot¡¯s disposal, Dia could see for herself just how immense the gap between her and her target was.


    At the point where the sky split into two halves, she had already, if subconsciously, understood the source of such might.


    Taking a deep breath, she looked up, and immediately felt better at the fact that the others were completely gobsmacked by the Holy Daughter¡¯s revelation. Schwarz was regulating his breathing like a professional bartender, Lily was struck dumb, Farah was frowning, and Risti was, well, bored.


    Risti, who was the best-informed of everyone present, was probably already aware of the truth.


    As for Claud, he was trembling in his boots. The poor guy, who placed safety first, was definitely overcome by the fact that someone this destructive lived in the same city as him. She couldn¡¯t help but pity the poor guy, whose innate desire to stay safe was probably nibbling away at him right now.


    Before she could delve deeper into her newfound pity, Holy Daughter Clarissa got up from her seat. Her stainless white dress rustled as she closed in on the man bound by a thick white thread and withdrew two skillstrips.


    With a slow, languid motion, she tore the skillstrip into two, and then pointed at the unconscious, bound person. Without waiting, she tore the other one, and a faint sheen of light gathered around her.


    The results were instantaneous, and with a faint moan, the man let out a groan.


    At the same time, the Holy Daughter¡¯s guard subtly shifted his stance. To the untrained eye, no one would notice anything special, but Dia could tell that the guard was ready to protect his mistress at a moment¡¯s motive. With a simple move, he could easily move into position and bear the brunt of any attack.


    Unfortunately, it would seem that no one else here understood the guard¡¯s firm resolve to sacrifice himself.


    ¡°Urgh.¡± The man let out another groan, and then looked around slowly. ¡°What¡¯s going on here? Why am I captured?¡±


    ¡°It would seem that his status is accurate, then,¡± Caroline noted, before getting up too. ¡°Holy Son of the Black God, I am the stand-in ruler of Licencia, Caroline Lostfon. You are currently under our custody.¡±


    ¡°Licencia?¡± The man blinked. ¡°Where¡¯s that? And what did I do?¡±


    Dia felt a bubbling urge to laugh. There was some absolute sincerity in that man¡¯s words; she could somehow tell that his confusion was genuine. The way Caroline and Clarissa exchanged glances just intensified her desire to giggle, and she had to calm herself down.


    Surprise sank in a moment later, but Dia was too shaken by the unbelievable outsurge of mana she had witnessed earlier to actually care that much. The same couldn¡¯t be said for the rest, however, and Dia decided to enjoy the dumbfounded expressions of Schwarz and the others.


    ¡°How troubling,¡± Clarissa murmured. ¡°I recall that the Church of the Black God is based in Nihal.¡±


    ¡°Nihal?¡± Caroline asked.


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    ¡°Yes.¡± The Holy Daughter chuckled, and then snapped her fingers. The white cord that bound the man fell apart, and she squatted down. ¡°First, allow me to verify some facts. You are the Holy Son of the Black God, no? Or did you pick up that insignia from somewhere?¡±


    ¡°I am Holy Son Nero, yes.¡± He glanced at the thumb ring on his right hand, and then cast a quizzical glance at Caroline, who emulated his actions by tugging at her own thumb ring, which lit up faintly with a white light.


    For some reason, it didn¡¯t budge, but Holy Son Nero seemed to find that acceptable. He took a deep breath, and then said, ¡°You are¡­the Holy Daughter of the White Church, then.¡±


    ¡°Precisely so.¡± She smiled, and an odd, uncharacteristic motherly air swirled around.


    Holy Son Nero twitched at those words, and an awful shade of green crawled up his face. ¡°As I recall, the White Church is based in Grandis.¡±


    Those two words echoed in Dia¡¯s mind over and over again, and the implication of what his words actually meant began to sink in.


    ¡°Yes. This is my territory,¡± Clarissa replied. ¡°You, Holy Son Nero, are currently in Grandis. Do you still recall what you were last doing?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± The Holy Son scrunched up his face. ¡°I was chasing after a criminal¡­right, where¡¯s that murderer?¡±


    ¡°Answer the question,¡± the Holy Daughter replied. ¡°What happened afterwards?¡±


    Holy Son Nero got up into a sitting position, and then scratched his head. ¡°Uh. Nothing. I can¡¯t quite remember what came afterwards, for some reason. I only remember chasing someone through a forest, and then my memory cuts out there.¡±


    ¡°There you have it,¡± said Caroline. ¡°It¡¯s obvious what came next, right? He was ambushed by the Third¡¯s helpers, and then turned into a thrall. Just to check, though, what year is it?¡±


    ¡°What year is it?¡± The bemused Holy Son blinked. ¡°It¡¯s 6019, right?¡±


    Dia winced, along with everyone else. He had been unconscious for two years, and a tingle ran down her spine at that thought. So many things could happen in a year, and for the poor Nero, he had lost two years of his life without knowing.


    ¡°It¡¯s 6021 now,¡± Caroline gently replied.


    ¡°Six¡­¡± Holy Son Nero took a deep breath. ¡°Alright. It seems that I was schemed against. Let¡¯s forget about that bit first. Why am I under your custody?¡±


    ¡°Know you the Cord of Cause?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the God of Karma¡¯s specialty,¡± Nero replied. Something struck him a moment later, and he looked at the white cord that bound him. ¡°Wait. What did I do?¡±


    ¡°You killed a Blessed of the White God,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°While under the control of the Third Bearer of Destiny. The Third Bearer of Destiny was killed just hours ago, right before we ambushed you, rendering you unconscious.¡±


    ¡°That crazy bastard.¡± The Holy Son looked up at the White God¡¯s Holy Daughter, and sighed. ¡°Alright. Take me in. I¡¯ll cooperate or whatever.¡±


    Clarissa laughed, and for some reason, Dia could sense a trace of nervousness inside. ¡°That¡¯s alright. You aren¡¯t at fault. A knife cannot be blamed for murders. And you¡¯re also a victim.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a victim alright.¡± He looked around the place, and Dia felt a faint oppression as his gaze swept through everyone present. ¡°Still, the Third Bearer of Destiny? What skill did he have?¡±


    ¡°Absolute Domination,¡± Clarissa replied. ¡°It was with that skill that the Third was able to control a tetra-folder like you.¡±


    ¡°Well, that explains how he got someone to try to assassinate¡­never mind.¡± Holy Son Nero cleared his throat. ¡°But he¡¯s dead, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I could bring you to the site of his death,¡± Clarissa replied. ¡°It¡¯s apparently a bottomless pit or something. His killer had one Moon of a grudge against the Third.¡±


    ¡°So, I was working as the pawn of the Third, huh? Well¡­that¡¯s pathetic. Also, aren¡¯t you the Holy Daughter of the White God? How can you use that word?¡±


    ¡°Oh, please. It¡¯s not my fault that the fundamentalists are the ones in-charge of your life. Anyway, you can rest assured that we won¡¯t be prosecuting you for our Blessed¡¯s death, although we¡¯ll need your cooperation on future investigations. We will brief you on the relevant details later.¡±


    As the Holy Son of the Black God and the Holy Daughter of the White God continued to exchange words, Dia couldn¡¯t help but note that the latter seemed more human than usual. It was as if she was actually talking to real people, unlike the ¡®salvation-for-all¡¯ vibe she gave out whenever she interacted with the Moon Lords and even Caroline herself.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Caroline cleared her throat. ¡°Holy Daughter Clarissa, how do you intend to solve this issue?¡±


    A faint frostiness settled on Clarissa¡¯s face and words. ¡°That is indeed a problem. The Third Bearer of Destiny is dead, his body completely annihilated. While it is an acceptable result, we had further plans. And we have Holy Son Nero to deal with too, but we cannot quite deal with him.¡±


    She paused. ¡°The Moon Lords will host him while we contact the Black Church. Is that acceptable to you, Holy Son Nero?¡±


    Nero chuckled awkwardly. ¡°Considering that I¡¯m penniless right now, anything goes.¡±


    Dia, however, couldn¡¯t help but note that the Holy Daughter hadn¡¯t even bothered asking for their opinion, even as a courtesy. The others didn¡¯t show any emotion, but she knew that they had to be displeased.


    ¡°Well then, I will take my leave first. More instructions regarding how to deal with the Thief of Time will come down in a few days.¡±


    As Schwarz escorted Clarissa and her guard out of Moon Mansion, the Holy Son of the Black God turned to look at them.


    ¡°So, erm¡­hi?¡±


    Dia, as well as everyone else, had to hide their smile.

 Chapter 179: In the aftermath of the beginning

    Dia examined the Holy Son of the Black God as everyone surrounded him, curious about this foreigner. With the introductions done, the Moon Lords were naturally very curious about such a personage, so Schwarz and the others hadn¡¯t held back on stuffing him full with little treats; they were bribing him for information.


    She couldn¡¯t quite blame them for resorting to such a means, however.


    To begin with, few people knew that there were actually other continents; as an illustration, Dia herself only knew about their existence and not their names. Therefore, other than Risti, the others were all¡­dumbfounded, to say the least, when Holy Daughter Caroline revealed that Holy Son Nero was actually from another continent.


    It didn¡¯t seem all that different, though. To Dia, being from a different continent and being from a different sovereignty were almost the same thing, but the others clearly had their own opinions about it.


    ¡°¡­ruler of Nihal is First Lady Cecily.¡±


    ¡°First lady?¡± Schwarz rubbed his nose. ¡°So, uh, what¡¯s the difference between a first lady and an emperor? The Emperor issues orders, the First Lady issues orders. The Emperor faces resistance, the First Lady faces resistance. The Emperor¡¯s basis of rule is by might, the First Lady¡¯s basis of rule is probably by might too. They all look the same to me, really.¡±


    Holy Son Nero paused at that question. ¡°You do bring up a rather good point, mister Schwarz.¡±


    The bartender grinned at that particular term of address, and then pulled out a bottle. ¡°Want some booze?¡±


    Dia slid away from Schwarz immediately, as did everyone else, but unfortunately, Holy Son Nero didn¡¯t exactly know that the bartender¡¯s drinks were¡­poisonous. With that guileless smile still on his face, he accepted the bottle, downed its contents¡­and licked his lips.


    ¡°This is great drink.¡± Holy Son Nero licked his lips. ¡°Wow. Did you brew this yourself, sir Schwarz?¡±


    The bartender fluffed himself up. ¡°You enjoyed it?¡±


    ¡°Of course! It¡¯s a masterpiece!¡±


    His last three words echoed in Dia¡¯s mind over and over again, slamming against the walls of her mind and expanding her worldview in the process. This was the first time she had seen someone take on Schwarz¡¯s drink without fainting on the spot, and it was nothing but insane.


    As she feebly tried to reach out for her jaw, which had fallen on the metaphorical floor, the others twitched in surprise. Risti, for instance, was blinking so quickly that Dia¡¯s slashes would probably pale in speed. Farah¡¯s eyes were just¡­open. Completely open. As for Lily, she was tugging on Claud¡¯s ears for some reason, and Claud himself had been struck dumb.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you enjoyed it,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°As it turns out, only the truly cultured can appreciate my booze. Sheesh. Is everyone in the Church of the Black God like you? If they are, I think I might want to move over.¡±


    ¡°That would be lovely,¡± Holy Son Nero replied. ¡°Your drinks are stupendous. It is one thing to overcome my passive skill, but it is another to turn the traditionally painful taste of pure alcohol into a sweetness without parallel.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, mister Holy Son,¡± said Risti. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, what passive skill are you referring to?¡±


    ¡°Fortitude. It¡¯s a skill that grants me high resistance to all mental afflictions.¡± He paused. ¡°Not high enough, though, since I was actually enthralled into acting as a murderer. I even killed a Blessed of the White God. Man, what a mess.¡±


    ¡°A right mess, yes.¡± Schwarz shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s just hope that the Holy Daughter manages to deal with what came next, and we¡¯ll be fine¡­¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± said the holy son.


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°Farah, remember? F-A-R-A-H. We just told you our names thirty minutes ago!¡± The countess sighed.


    ¡°S-sorry. Ahem.¡± Holy Son Nero, at this moment, looked quite different from the aloof Clarissa, and Dia bobbed her head. ¡°Anyway, trouble¡¯s looming. The Third Bearer of Destiny died, which means that¡­well, things about to change.¡±


    ¡°You refer to the ominous proclamation, no?¡± Schwarz asked.


    Dia shivered as she thought about the blood-red rectangles, and the four lines popped up in her vision once more. Dismissing with them with another thought, she focused at the top left of her vision, where an hourglass continued to tick down. Even if she didn¡¯t want to care so much about issues that were clearly beyond her power, the hourglass couldn¡¯t be dismissed, reminding her of the impending event.


    ¡°From your words, you sound like you know something about it,¡± Farah added. ¡°Mind filling us in with the details?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Considering that I¡¯m currently leeching off you, I don¡¯t really have a leg to stand on. Besides, the news is going to leak out anyway.¡± A troubled expression settled on his face. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be an issue, but I suppose I should give you some explanation, no?¡±


    Schwarz got up, grabbed some biscuits from a nearby cupboard, and then started handing them out.


    ¡°What am I, some entertainer? Oh, for me? Gee, thanks.¡± Holy Son Nero did a double-take at the fact that he had accepted the biscuit, and then sighed. ¡°Forget it. Now, as for what everything¡¯s about¡­well, from a historical perspective, we have been living in alternating periods of tranquillity and turmoil. The transition between tranquillity and turmoil itself is marked by the death of the first Bearer of Destiny in every era or epoch.¡±


    Dia frowned. ¡°But since when was there ever an era of tranquillity, Holy Son Nero?¡±


    ¡°Nero will do, thanks. As for your question, you are only questioning tranquillity from a limited viewpoint. What might seem to be a hectic era is actually peaceful in the grand scheme of things,¡± Nero answered. ¡°Consider this in terms of power structures, if nothing else. A province changing hands in Nihal is nothing. But if the entire Senate is killed off, or the political system is overhauled with blood, that¡¯s probably a lot closer to what I¡¯d call turmoil.¡±


    ¡°Like the death of Ruler Umbra, then.¡± Schwarz¡¯s words carried a faint chill.


    ¡°Ruler Umbra¡­uh, someone in that position controls a third of Grandis, right?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say that would qualify. But beyond that, however, true periods of turmoil are announced by the Goddess of Learning¡¯s status. Everyone has a small fragment of Lyceris in their soul, which helps them to pass judgement on their current direction in life. These fragments happen to act as relays for divine covenants.¡±


    ¡°Divine covenants¡­did something like this proclamation happen during the Third Godsfall?¡±


    ¡°Close, yes,¡± Nero replied. ¡°A prophecy was made at that time too, but given that almost no mana-users survived that era, no one knows what was said back then. But with the Third¡¯s death, we can assume that the coming years will be full of messes, until something finally reaches a head. As an illustration, the Third Godsfall ended four hundred or so years after the Twenty-fifth¡¯s death back then.¡±


    ¡°¡­Just how many Bearers of Destiny were there back then?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°More than fifty,¡± Nero replied. ¡°That¡¯s all I know, though.¡±


    There was so much Dia wanted to know, but from how Nero clammed up after those words, it was clear that the intricacies behind the rise of the Coloured Gods were a secret through and through. She knew that the Coloured Gods were all Bearers of Destiny, due to Risti¡¯s aunt divulging such a secret, but nothing else beyond that.


    Now that she thought about it, not talking about these circumstances did make sense. After all, the Coloured Gods were mortals at the very start. Their rise to godhood couldn¡¯t have been clean, which was definitely a weakness that could be exploited. Therefore, their believers would definitely stop knowledge of the Coloured Gods and the Third Godsfall in general from entering the hearts and minds of people.


    Once Dia approached the issue from this particular angle, more and more things began to make sense. In a sense, Holy Son Nero¡¯s refusal to answer anything about the Coloured Gods and the Third Godsfall in general had awakened her to this particular fact.


    After fending off a bunch of questions, Holy Son Nero yawned. ¡°It¡¯s been one hectic day. Where am I going to be staying at?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Well, we, the Moon Lords, have quite a few properties on Moon Street,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°Let me give you a tour, and then you can pick and choose which one you want.¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­but is there any place as secure as this?¡±


    Claud, who had been watching silently the whole time, twitched. Dia watched on, interested, but she sank back in her seat as he controlled his impulse to speak up on the spot.


    It was a tad disappointing, but it would seem that Claud was cautious of their new tenant. As Schwarz and the Holy Son of the Black God continued to talk about the latter¡¯s residency issues, Dia looked up at the ceiling and pondered about today¡¯s events so far.


    Truly, what a mess.

 Chapter 180: In the Dark of the Moons

    A strange light filled the courtyard of Moon Mansion. The light of the setting sun mingled with that of the rising Moons, but something like a grey shadow had been cast onto the world, a foreign touch that made Dia shiver. Instinctively, she understood that this pale grey was probably the result of the Third¡¯s death. It was a physical phenomenon that transcended her imagination, a grey hue that muted even the light of both the sun and the Moons.


    The tip of her sword trembled. There was something incredible about this grey hue that had dominated the period, not unlike the head-splitting pain that had assailed her when Risti¡¯s aunt, Norn, revealed the origins of the Coloured Gods.


    It didn¡¯t seem to care about her, though. Or anyone else, for that matter.


    Taking a deep breath, Dia forced herself to concentrate. She had stepped out of the mansion to practice some sets, since she couldn¡¯t bring herself to relax. Too many things had happened today, and the only thing she wanted to do was to clear her mind with some proper swings.


    Reading books just didn¡¯t cut it today.


    The blade of her sword was shimmering faintly with a pale blue. It was a sign of her weakened control, but Dia knew that the only way to progress was to push her limits incrementally. If the sword was blazing with blue flame, she was either about to unleash a decisive blow or her mana was out of control. Neither of these scenarios were really helpful in controlling her mana, however.


    No, what was truly helpful was dancing on the borderline. Once her sword was glowing with a faint sheen of blue, all Dia needed to do was to maintain her output of mana and execute a few sets. Eventually, the glow would fade away, which would mean that she would be able to fully control that much mana.


    She would then increase her output slightly, before repeating the whole thing.


    It was slow progress, but there was at least progress.


    Faint blue arcs sliced through the air over and over, and as she sank herself into the single-minded pursuit of greater control, Dia found herself replaying the events of today in her head. Those memories seemed distant, as if she was looking at pictures in a book, rather than reliving them directly. Her emotions muted, Dia¡¯s consciousness sifted through the events of today slowly.


    ¡°Claud¡­¡±


    A name rose to her lips, and Dia frowned. His behaviour was somewhat odd. From what she had understood from Lily¡¯s words, Claud¡¯s behaviour today was the result of some deep-rooted trauma. It was somewhat obvious that his unnatural, abnormal fixation on security stemmed from some childhood trauma, but could it account for his odd behaviour?


    Her sword stabbed out once.


    Now that she thought about it, Claud was quite a mysterious person. She hadn¡¯t forgotten how he had all but plotted against Count Nightfall, making use of the assumptions and weaknesses of nobles. The man himself was quite the master at exploiting loopholes, but such a talent had to be honed from young.


    Was he actually plotting something when he made the excuse to leave? After all, he had talked about his worries more than once. Everyone was expecting the Third Bearer of Destiny to do something in this very obvious trap; Claud could very well have tried to ambush the Third.


    A small Moon lit up in her mind, and she sheathed her training blade.


    ¡°Schwarz?¡± Dia called out. ¡°I thought of something, and you might like to hear it.¡±


    The bartender popped out from a bush a moment later. A bunch of weeds were in his left hand, while his right was holding on to a pair of scissors. ¡°I thought I was being sneaky. How did you find me?¡±


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    ¡°How could I not?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I had Sword Sense on for the past thirty minutes. Even if I didn¡¯t notice your approach back then, once I used it, your crawling figure was painfully obvious. Anyway, I thought of something.¡±


    ¡°About?¡±


    ¡°Claud¡¯s odd behaviour,¡± Dia replied. ¡°He was distracted the whole time, no? After he came back from outside. I think he isn¡¯t telling us the whole thing.¡±


    Schwarz eyed her, and then got up from his unbecoming position. ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°He went out to check the inquisitors and their preparations, right?¡± Dia asked. ¡°What if he, in the course of making sure that there weren¡¯t any loose ends, came across the sight of Tot killing the Third?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Schwarz closed his eyes. ¡°It does seem plausible, yes. Claud was indeed distracted when he returned. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I would have said that it was he who killed the Third, but if I situate his mindset in light of what you said¡­it does make sense.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    The two stared at each other, before Schwarz nodded firmly. ¡°I think Claud has been traumatised from witnessing the Third¡¯s death. I trust his abilities ¡ª he definitely managed to sneak out of the city. He would go to any lengths to ensure his and our security, so he wouldn¡¯t simply give up when faced with a lockdown of the city gates.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very him, yes.¡± Dia closed her eyes for a moment. It didn¡¯t take much for her to conjure up the image of an ashen Claud stumbling away from the scene of the Third¡¯s death, cowed by the sheer power Tot had used. ¡°Shaking in his boots as he scrambled for safety, fearing for his life and everyone¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s an unlucky fellow, to be sure.¡± Schwarz sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised he¡¯s still sane, to be honest,¡± Dia replied. ¡°If I had seen that attack up close, I might have just gone insane. An attack that split the sky into two¡­and the crater seems to have no bottom either.¡±


    ¡°You saw it for yourself, right?¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°No person should have that kind of power. Even my skills have nothing on an attack of such might.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if we can help Claud somehow,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°He¡¯s improved over the past few months, but I fear that witnessing such an attack would have set back his progress and more. It might just worsen his paranoia.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m quite sure he¡¯s already more paranoid now,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Is there any way we can help him out?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Well, he¡¯s probably not going to listen to my advice in this regard,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°But what if we get Lily to help. Those two are quite close now. Maybe she can do something.¡±


    ¡°Lily, huh?¡± Dia nodded. ¡°Makes sense, yes. Those two are quite alike, if you ask me. Each with their own issues to work out.¡±


    She paused for a moment, and then set down the training sword in her hand.


    Schwarz raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re not going to ask? I had a feeling that you were going to ask me about Claud and his history, really.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to explain. And if I wanted to know, I would just ask the person in question directly,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Maybe, at some point in time, everyone would open up to each other, but such a time could only come naturally.¡±


    She smiled. Every single person had their own stories, their own history. Dia, naturally, wasn¡¯t any different from the rest. However, if she asked about other people, she would open herself to questions too. Dia had no desire to lie about her past where possible, which meant that the only way out was for her to never broach the topic.


    ¡°That would be for the best, right?¡± Schwarz sighed. ¡°Right, should I open Triple-D today? I think I might just make a killing.¡±


    ¡°Or you might end up wasting your time. I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s going to be on the streets of Licencia today. Maybe the foolhardy ones, but that¡¯ll be it.¡± Dia shook her head and took in the world, which had taken on a grey hue. ¡°After seeing someone split the sky into two, would there be anyone in the mood to even drink in the first place?¡±


    ¡°Probably not, true.¡± Schwarz clicked his teeth. ¡°And there¡¯s this odd grey colour overlaid on the world. Gives me the creeps.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Dia stretched her aching arms. ¡°If there¡¯s ever a time to do some training, it would be this year. After all, the ominous prophecy tells us that next year¡¯s going to be a huge mess. Better to strengthen ourselves and prepare for whatever chaos that¡¯s coming, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. We do not have much time left, if we go by this little hourglass.¡± Schwarz got up. ¡°Let¡¯s make training mandatory for everyone, then. Wake up in the morning, spar with each other for a few hours, and then get started on work.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s bring this up later, then.¡± Dia rubbed her hands, and then looked up at the rising Moons. ¡°After all, we should always prepare ourselves in the face of danger.¡±


    ¡°Ruler Istrel, the inter-dukedom war, and now this great Dark.¡± Schwarz snorted. ¡°What a fine end to this year.¡±


    ¡°What a fine end indeed¡­¡± Dia nodded with a pained smile.


    [End of Book 4: In the Dark of the Moons]

 Chapter 181: New Moons Eve

    [Book 5: Moonlit Tides and Darkened Seas]


    A tide of shadows arrayed themselves against the blinding walls of Licencia. Within the sea of absolute shadow, pinpricks of blue glittered as they channelled mana skywards, forming a gigantic globe of blazing death. Claud looked around at the blurred faces of the other Moon Lords, and his heart twisted as the ritual spell launched itself towards the fragile walls of his home.


    Before he could take a step forward, the entire world twisted and faded away, driven away by a sound too cute for the situation right now.


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    Claud shot up from his bed, the vivid dream scattered to the winds. He looked around the place, and then heaved a small sigh. Pulling off a thin shirt, which had been drenched with cold sweat, he hung it up.


    ¡°Just a dream, then.¡± Claud let out a small sigh. It had been a few days since the Third Bearer of Destiny had died at his hands. Peace and tranquillity had returned to Licencia, as a result, but no one dared to be complacent. Even if the ominous warnings hadn¡¯t appeared, the fact that Duke Istrel was about to ascend was more than alarming enough.


    War was on the horizon.


    ¡°It¡¯s New Moon¡¯s Eve,¡± said Claud. ¡°But I just had to have a bad dream anyway. Thanks, Crown. For waking me up.¡±


    Crown hopped onto his hands happily, and then spat out a Pure-Life Gem.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s done?¡± Claud examined his loot, and then stashed it away in a small locked box, which he carried on his person at all times. There were already ten Pure-Life Gems in that box of his, all spat out by Crown at some point or another. ¡°Thanks, buddy.¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    ¡°You want another one, huh.¡± Claud reached for something underneath his bed, and then undid the lock on it. Producing a low-ranked lifestone, he rolled it over to Crown, who immediately pounced on it gleefully.


    He watched on idly as Crown spun on its edge happily, and then left to wash up. It didn¡¯t take long for him to be done, and after hiding the little fellow in his pocket, he made for the gardens of Moon Mansion, where the others were already assembling at.


    With the grave prophecy and the threat of war, Schwarz had suggested for everyone to meet up every morning for some training. Swords, which were the most common weapons that could be picked up at even the lousiest of smiths, were naturally their object of training, and it therefore went without saying that Dia was the leader of just about every session.


    Risti and Schwarz were already chatting in the garden when he arrived, while Lily was looking up at the dawn sky, an absent-minded look on her face. As for Dia¡­she was already holding a sword.


    ¡°You¡¯re just in time,¡± Dia noted. ¡°But you look like a right mess. What happened to you?¡±


    ¡°A nightmare,¡± Claud replied, before trying to pat down his hair. Sidling over to Lily a second later, he asked, ¡°Do I really look like a mess?¡±


    For some reason, Lily had a sympathetic look in her eyes, and an odd feeling welled up in Claud¡¯s heart as she rubbed his head tenderly. The overflowing affection he was sensing from her now, however, was not something he could bring himself to brush aside easily, so Claud simply let Lily do whatever she wanted.


    It was great that she was expressing her emotions in front of the others, after all.


    ¡°You¡¯re late, Farah.¡± Dia¡¯s voice echoed out mercilessly, and Lily¡¯s hands stopped moving. Claud felt a bit disappointed, but he didn¡¯t have much time to think, as Dia shifted into her fearsome instructor mode.


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    ¡°Sorry,¡± said the countess. ¡°Had a stomachache.¡±


    ¡°Drink some water,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Not too much, and if you don¡¯t feel well, stop immediately.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes.¡±


    Claud found the sight of see the authoritative Farah being instructed by Dia very refreshing. The countess, who was a master at handling issues Claud seriously didn¡¯t want to care about, usually dictated the overall direction of their meetings. Rarely did she ever give others cause to instruct her, but this was one of these really rare occasions.


    ¡°Good. Take your place, then.¡± Dia turned to the members of the Moon Guards, whose numbers had fallen drastically. The remaining Moon Guards were all actually sub-folders, and each of them all had the Mana Manipulation skill. If need be, they could actually contend against the weaker one-folders for thirty minutes, or even defeat them if the circumstances permitted.


    ¡°Good,¡± said Dia. ¡°We¡¯ll now start off with a hundred repetitions of basic overheads. Go.¡±


    Mana enveloped Claud¡¯s training sword ¡ª which weighed a hundred kilograms ¡ª as he picked it up from the ground, and the sounds of air parting followed as everyone practiced the basic repetitions. A single repetition consisted of two overhead slashes, with a parry inserted between those slashes. The parry was meant to be instinctive, to cover up for the natural tendency for the body to rest after an overhead lash.


    Dia had demonstrated the pinnacle of such a basic repetition four days ago, when the training first started. She could slash and parry continuously on for fifteen minutes without any flaws, over and over without fail. They weren¡¯t just slow slashes either; she could strike out at blinding speeds, unleashing a force that Claud himself didn¡¯t want to take where possible.


    In a one-on-one battle, this would have led to a complete suppression of the target.


    After three minutes of painful slashes, Dia called for a stop, and Claud lowered his blade immediately. His muscles weren¡¯t the only things that were burning up; the insides of his head were throbbing madly too. After all, the whole time, everyone was expected to push their limits of their mana control too, and no one was dumb enough to cheat Dia, whose hawkish eyes were sweeping through everyone with an icy light.


    ¡°Two minutes rest, and then we¡¯ll do a hundred repetitions of basic laterals.¡±


    Claud was about to get up from his position for some water when an evil voice slashed through the silence. ¡°Five seconds to get back to your places, everyone, or I¡¯ll add another fifty repetitions.¡±


    At these words, Claud rushed back to his position. His mind, which was still painfully clear, sunk into the depths of sweet inattentiveness as the monstrous training continued on through the dawn. His instinctive self-defence mechanism had finally kicked in, insulating his conscious mind from the worst of the it.


    ¡°¡­over.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± a sweet voice spoke in his ear.


    ¡°Oh, it is.¡± Claud glanced at Lily, enduring the scorching sensations in his body. He could only vaguely recall the crazy repetitions that Dia had put them through, and Claud could only hope that Lily didn¡¯t remember them, for the sake of her mental health. ¡°Are you feeling alright, Lily?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Anyway, pass me your sword. I¡¯ll deposit it back in the stand.¡± Claud looked at her trembling hands. ¡°In the meantime, can you get some water for me? I don¡¯t think my fingers are up to the task of opening bottles right now.¡±


    Claud opened his palm, where the webs of his fingers were currently bleeding.


    ¡°Oh my.¡± Lily nodded. ¡°Okay. Here. I¡¯ll be back, so don¡¯t go running around, got it? Of the six of us, you¡¯re the one with the least training. It¡¯s definitely going to hurt.¡±


    ¡°I wish I could get a break, though. There isn¡¯t enough time for my fingers to heal up,¡± Claud moped. ¡°Oh well. Thanks, Lily.¡±


    Passing him her training sword, which wasn¡¯t all that heavy when Claud channelled his mana, Lily zipped off to pick up some water for him.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Claud looked around. ¡°Where are the others?¡±


    He looked around the garden, and then shrugged. The others had probably deemed it appropriate to return first, and in his befuddled state, Claud hadn¡¯t noticed their departure. Lily had probably volunteered to stay behind to check on him, now that he thought about it.


    After a minute or so, Lily returned, with an opened bottle of water in her hands. ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Lily.¡± Enduring the burning sensation in his palms, Claud raised the bottle slowly and sipped from it. The others had been training under Dia for a longer period, which was why he was currently the most¡­troublesome student.


    Flashing a small smile, Claud said, ¡°Sorry to trouble you for all this. Thanks, though. For staying to help me.¡±


    ¡°My pleasure.¡±


    Silence fell as Claud took a few more gulps. It wasn¡¯t anything like an awkward silence, though, and Claud found himself loosening up from Lily¡¯s presence.


    ¡°I hear that the Holy Son of the Black God¡¯s going to visit us today,¡± Claud abruptly said. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably bad news,¡± Lily promptly replied. ¡°Has there ever been any good news when a noble or something of importance came over to Moon Mansion?¡±


    Claud thought about it for a moment, and nodded. ¡°Makes sense, yes.¡±


    ¡°Then we should brace ourselves,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get some food.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of food, I still owe you a cake¡­¡±

 Chapter 182: Odds and ends

    ¡°I know you said that he¡¯s probably going to bring bad news, but did you really need to take out a bomb?¡± Claud asked, staring at the little package in Lily¡¯s hand. Rectangular and coloured by an eye-catching red, the only way anyone would miss it would be if they were literally looking away from Lily.


    ¡°It¡¯s just some chocolate, really,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But I just repackaged it to look like a bomb. Do you think the others would freak out if I bring this into the mansion?¡±


    ¡°Do you really need to ask such a question?¡± Claud replied. ¡°But they won¡¯t just freak out. They¡¯ll probably make a break for it, leaving you, me and a very confused Holy Son behind. And then they¡¯ll scold you afterwards and confiscate all your bomb-making supplies.¡±


    ¡°Bah.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Claud took the little package away from her. ¡°Let¡¯s just eat it later, right before Holy Son Nero comes. I hear chocolate makes you happier, so it might help in lessening our depression when he inevitably talks about the bad, bad news.¡±


    ¡°I have some more chocolate, so you can keep that,¡± said Lily. ¡°Remember to give me feedback later, okay?¡±


    ¡°Sure, will do!¡±


    With that agreement set in stone, the two of them entered Moon Mansion. The first thing Claud noticed was Dia, who had returned to normal ¡ª her stern instructor¡¯s demeanour had given way to a blob-like person who was staring at a plate of fluffy pancakes.


    Claud rubbed his eyes. The super-deformed version of Dia was clearly a product of his mind, since she looked quite normal, but the master thief could swear that for a moment, she had turned into some oddly adorable pet.


    ¡°Must be my imagination,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Did you say something?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Dia¡¯s changed mode.¡± Claud sat down at the table and inhaled deeply. ¡°For a moment, I thought she looked like a toddler or something.¡±


    ¡°A toddler, yelling at us?¡± Lily giggled.


    Claud closed his eyes and tried to imagine a little child holding to a toy sword. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s one good mental image. She¡¯s been raised as a double from young, right? Just when did she start her training?¡±


    ¡°Four years old?¡±


    Claud and Lily exchanged glances, and then shrugged.


    ¡°Still,¡± said Lily, her voice quiet and conspirational, ¡°she does kinda resemble a toddler now. The way she¡¯s staring at those fluffy pancakes¡­I mean, she doesn¡¯t really need to wait for everyone else, right? But she wants to. At the same time, she also wants to dig in badly. You can see the conflict in her eyes!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a nice person, that¡¯s for sure.¡± Claud glanced at the pancakes. ¡°And I think we should give a pay rise to the cook or something.¡±


    ¡°Mister Chandler is a good cook, yes.¡± Lily sniffed at the pancakes. ¡°He also gave me good suggestions on my sweets.¡±


    ¡°He gave you suggestions?¡± Claud curled the corners of his lips up and took a small, controlled breath. ¡°That¡¯s good. That¡¯s good. A perennial desire to advance and improve is mandatory to the pursuit of perfection. I look forward to your marvellous creations.¡±


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re speaking oddly,¡± Lily noted.


    ¡°T-the pursuit of perfection is a passion of mine, yeah,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Tis natural that I speak with due eloquence and grace ¡®pon this matter.¡±


    Lily giggled. ¡°You sound like some wannabe noble now.¡±


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    ¡°Gotta pick up these little habits, right?¡± Claud replied with a wink. ¡°Learning to adapt to any situation is a strong point of mine, but it also does help in impressing people. If you act like a noble and behave as such, under certain circumstances, you will enjoy some advantages.¡±


    He continued to act out some more personas, ranging from a street bard ¡ª regretfully, he had no talent in singing ¡ª to a up-and-coming businessman, turning breakfast into an impromptu comedy show for Lily, Dia and the others, who were trickling in slowly.


    Once he was done, Claud settled back onto his seat. ¡°Tada. I hope you enjoyed my performance.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I sure did,¡± said Schwarz, who had arrived halfway into Claud¡¯s performance of a man who had been scammed of his life savings. ¡°Hmm. As I recall, you once entered Triple-D by trying to pass off as a cleanliness inspector, right?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, now that I think about it. You must have learned it by watching the inspectors¡­and then you had the gall to demand a bribe from me,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°If I wasn¡¯t acutely familiar with your mannerisms, I really would have fallen for it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Claud chuckled. ¡°Man, you were shivering like a twig when I ran my hand across your counter. And you were the one who tried to bribe me, remember? I was just pulling your leg, and you pulled out lifestones!¡±


    It was Schwarz¡¯s turn to let out a small noise. ¡°Ehe.¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Claud looked around at everyone. ¡°His first reaction to an inspection is to bribe the inspector. What am I to say about that? Right?¡±


    ¡°Hey, you were the one who knocked out the real inspector and took his clothes,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°How am I supposed to know that you were a fake? You looked like the real deal!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a bartender, I¡¯m not.¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°You said you could recognise all your customers!¡±


    ¡°Which I did!¡±


    ¡°Only after offering a bribe!¡±


    After poking fun at each other for a few more seconds, Claud laughed. ¡°Well, there¡¯s a reason why no one goes to inspect Triple-D nowadays. Schwarz simply forces his best drink down their throat, and their schedule goes out of the window. To be honest, I think it¡¯s easier that way.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I cleaned my bar counter a few days back.¡±


    ¡°Hah, that¡¯s what you always¡­eh?¡± Claud blinked. ¡°Sorry, can you repeat what you just said?¡±


    ¡°I said I cleaned my bar counter,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Rubbed off the ashen-grey coating and all.¡±


    Those words seemed to echo in Claud¡¯s mind over and over, like a bell that wouldn¡¯t stop ringing. For a moment, he couldn¡¯t quite comprehend the master¡¯s words, but¡­


    ¡°You¡­cleaned them?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did. While you were off grabbing your fizzy drinks, I got Dia to help me with cleaning the bar counter,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Claud felt the smile on his face slip off, and then he nodded slowly. ¡°Good. Excellent.¡±


    He looked at the others, who were unsurprisingly confused about the whole exchange, and then laughed. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s just dig in first. Okay?¡±


    The others exchanged knowing looks with each other, and then started to slice up their pancakes. The fluffy little darlings melted away the fatigue from the training earlier, and for a time, Claud found himself simply occupied in internalising the great chewiness in his mouth, shivering from the sweet syrup and the exquisite cream hidden inside.


    After an indeterminate amount of time, Claud leaned back on his chair. ¡°This is worth living for.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­pay raise?¡±


    ¡°Pay raise.¡± Claud agreed dreamily. ¡°This was great. We should get him to do lunch and dinner too. Can he come full time? Where did you even poach him from anyway?¡±


    ¡°Oh, a nearby caf¨¦. That¡¯s all, really,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Right, since we¡¯re on the topic of good food, let¡¯s just pour out some of my new creations. Apple juice blended with your fizzy drinks.¡±


    Everyone leaned forward at those words. Without a sound, the bartender took out his favourite golden cups and filled it up, but before he could distribute them to everyone else, a set of familiar chimes filled the air.


    ¡°A visitor¡­it must be Nero, then. Good timing.¡± Schwarz placed the unlabelled bottle that contained his new creation down. ¡°I¡¯m going to receive him. You guys pick and choose a cup or something.¡±


    He sauntered out of the room.


    ¡°Well, looks like someone¡¯s happy. I imagine finding someone who actually has the qualifications to comment on Schwarz¡¯s drinks is a really rare phenomenon,¡± said Dia.


    ¡°Right?¡± Farah added. ¡°Good for him, but he should still consider toning down the alcohol content. The way Holy Son Nero puts it, his drinks are actually great, but it¡¯s just that there¡¯s simply too much alcohol for us to taste it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been telling him that for years,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Nothing¡¯s changed. Nothing probably will change.¡±


    ¡°Well, if we keep trying,¡± said Lily, ¡°we might just be able to convince him, right?¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°He does have some not-so-alcoholic variants, but it¡¯s a shame that he keeps them to himself most of the time.¡±


    The five of them mourned over that fact, but barely three seconds into their little silent vigil, the door opened. Schwarz walked in with Holy Son Nero¡­as well as Holy Daughter Clarissa. The little cheerful atmosphere vanished immediately as Schwarz led the two inside dispassionately, his face one of granite.


    Claud, who was watching their expressions closely, suddenly felt that Lily¡¯s suggestion earlier was a really great one.

 Chapter 183: The inquisitive Holy Daughter

    Claud sipped at the golden cup and shivered, but even the delightfully luxurious taste of Schwarz¡¯s new creation wasn¡¯t quite enough to raise his spirits, which went for just about everyone else too.


    The bartender glanced around, presumably checking that everyone had the same dazed expression on their face, before clearing his throat. ¡°Holy Son Nero. Holy Daughter Clarissa. For what reason do we owe the pleasure of this visit?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was going to try out more of your drinks,¡± said Nero, ¡°but Clarissa here just happened to arrive at the entrance at the same time at me.¡±


    The Holy Daughter eyed Nero, and then said, ¡°I¡¯m here to inquire about the personage locally known as the Thief of Time.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t quite believe their words, but this wasn¡¯t the time to call their bluffs anyway.


    ¡°You need to ask about the Thief of Time¡­¡± Schwarz pondered, and for a moment, Claud could see the question ¡®Why?¡¯ hanging off the tip of his tongue. ¡°Very well. Do you need the relevant files?¡±


    ¡°Files, no. From what Caroline tells me, the Moon Lords is the premier underworld ¡ª well, it doesn¡¯t really seem like one anymore, but sure ¡ª organisation in Licencia,¡± said Holy Daughter Clarissa. ¡°I want to hear your opinions about the Thief of Time. Not the rumours that popped up around him. Your opinions.¡±


    ¡°What opinions could a bunch of one-folders have about the Thief of Time?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Anything, really. Anything odd, anything your gut tells you. I¡¯m interested in these things,¡± the Holy Daughter replied quietly.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay you. And everyone here. Handsomely.¡± She produced a bunch of green rocks, and then slid them to everyone else present with some mana. ¡°Good enough? I do not understand the thoughts of most people, so feel free to tell me if it¡¯s not enough.¡±


    Claud picked up the clear-green lifestone floating in front of him, his lip twitching. For some reason, he seemed to be entering the phase in which lifestones felt increasingly less valuable¡­and for good reason too, since the lifestone in front of him was a high-ranked lifestone.


    Other than Pure-Life Gems, all lifestones granted the same amount of lifespan, which was one month. However, the actual yield depended on quite a few factors, especially their purity and the consumer¡¯s saturation rate, which was why there was no given standard for how much lifespan one gained from nibbling on lifestones.


    For that reason, high-ranked lifestones were really expensive. Sure, he had been gobbling a bunch of them down in a certain vault not too long ago, but using them to pay for some words were¡­very extravagant, to put it mildly.


    Especially since lifestone mines were drying up.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s good enough,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°More than enough, actually.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re useless to me now,¡± said the Holy Daughter. ¡°If I can exchange them for information that might net me opportunities for pure-ranked lifestones, I consider such a trade worth it.¡±


    ¡°Useless¡­saturation?¡±


    ¡°Saturation.¡±


    Claud bobbed his head up and down as the others expressed their amazement in varying ways. Reaching saturation for high-ranked lifestones was harder than it sounded. Unlike the low and middle-ranked lifestones, whose impurities meant that reaching saturation was easier, the purity of high-ranked ones were such that attaining saturation with them was a lot harder.


    How long was Holy Daughter Clarissa¡¯s lifespan?


    He glanced at her white garment and white hair, before noting that she was almost certainly older than her looks suggested. It was the same with Caroline and Nightfall; both of them were actually old monsters in the shape of youths, and¡ª


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    ¡°So, I take it that you are willing to share your thoughts, then?¡± the Holy Daughter asked, interrupting Claud¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°¡­They are probably going to be quite off the mark, though,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°Me and everyone else here.¡±


    ¡°No issue,¡± she replied. ¡°I just want to hear your opinions. The Lord governs cause and effect; I will make use of your words to seek out the truth.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t quite like the sound of that.


    ¡°Okay then.¡± Schwarz thought for a moment. ¡°Anything that comes to mind, right?¡±


    She nodded, before silently gesturing for him to carry on.


    ¡°Well, I thought that this whole thing about Tot felt a bit odd, really. How do I put it? If one were to objectively assess the recent events that he almost certainly participated in, it¡¯s clear that the entity we call Tot is profoundly dangerous. The Thief of Time is a very powerful folder, no? But¡­Tot¡¯s goals seem a little scattered.¡±


    ¡°A little scattered?¡± Holy Daughter Clarissa asked. ¡°Elaborate.¡±


    ¡°Tot¡¯s first appearance, according to the famous storyteller Colidra, was in a slew of thefts executed against the nobles and rich people in this region,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°The Thief of Time would pilfer lifestones, and then distribute riches to the poor in need. But other than these thefts, as well as the one against Duke Istrel, no other incidents that involved himself have actually involved thefts. I¡¯m not sure what to think of this, but maybe it¡¯s important.¡±


    ¡°Colidra¡­do you know where I might be able to find him?¡± Clarissa asked, flicking a high-ranked lifestone at Schwarz at the same time.


    ¡°He should still be in town. I think he¡¯ll be at the small restaurant called Cat¡¯s Paw tonight,¡± Schwarz replied immediately. ¡°He¡¯ll be at my bar three days from now.¡±


    Claud couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes at how readily Schwarz had given up the storyteller¡¯s location.


    ¡°Okay. Anything else?¡± Clarissa prompted.


    ¡°Nothing at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Moving on, then.¡± Clarissa¡¯s eyes roved around the table for a moment, before settling on Dia. ¡°How about you, miss¡­Isolde? What thoughts or opinions do you have about Tot?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Dia¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Did I stutter?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­Tot¡¯s really scary,¡± Dia mumbled. ¡°I don¡¯t have much opinions on him other than that part. Uh. Maybe Tot¡¯s recovering his past strength or something. That¡¯s the feeling I get.¡±


    ¡°Recovering¡­what makes you think that?¡± The Holy Daughter pressed on. ¡°Are you implying that his mana circuits were initially damaged and everything?¡±


    ¡°Well, as Schwarz said, the Thief of Time didn¡¯t seem to be that strong at first, right?¡± Dia replied. ¡°So¡­¡±


    She trailed off, and Claud frowned. He didn¡¯t quite understand why she wasn¡¯t taking this chance to talk about her own suspicions. After all, Dia herself must have been gathering clues and everything; wouldn¡¯t it be a good time for her to communicate her thoughts and opinions to the people who could possibly do something?


    He decided not to think too hard about it.


    ¡°Regaining strength¡­¡± Clarissa nodded slowly. ¡°Makes sense¡­but that must imply that the Thief of Time must have been far stronger long ago. Which such personage would fit the bill?¡±


    She shook her head, and then moved on to the others. Lily and Farah didn¡¯t have much to add on, since their opinions were largely consistent with that of Dia¡¯s. As for Claud, he had simply done the same, which was pretty much the best way for him to avoid lying. He had a feeling that Holy Daughter Clarissa was intending to do something with the information she gleaned ¡ª she had hinted at that, after all.


    ¡°Hmm. How about you?¡± The Holy Daughter of the White God gestured at Risti. ¡°Anything?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any opinions on this issue,¡± said Risti, ¡°but I do have a suggestion. According to eyewitness reports, the Thief of Time was capable of taking on ritual magic backed by the White God. I think your investigation should look into how such a thing is possible.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that a rumour?¡± Clarissa asked.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Verified sources of information can attest to that fact, although I think you might want to find the involved parties themselves instead.¡±


    ¡°You sound like you have a list.¡± The Holy Daughter took out a lifestone. ¡°Can I buy it?¡±


    ¡°You make a very tempting offer, but there¡¯s no list,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I believe you should be able to obtain the relevant intelligence by asking a certain department in the White Church. They should be able to provide ample evidence and their own thoughts.¡±


    ¡°¡­Have we met?¡±


    ¡°Me? No, I don¡¯t think so.¡± Risti smiled gaily. ¡°But I believe that investigating the means behind Tot¡¯s ability to resist a divinity-backed evocation of Grand Cross should be your first and foremost priority. It might just yield more insights into the Thief of Time¡¯s true nature.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± She got up, and Schwarz followed suit. ¡°Thank you for your time and cooperation, everyone. I would like to commission everyone present in helping me search for the Thief of Time, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re currently employed to look after this city,¡± Schwarz cut in. ¡°While we cannot afford to divert valuable manpower into looking for this highly dangerous person, if we do come across evidence pertaining to Tot, we can send them to you.¡±


    ¡°Please do.¡±


    As Schwarz escorted the Holy Daughter out of Moon Mansion, Claud felt the tense atmosphere ease up, before stealing a peek at Holy Son Nero, who was nibbling on a biscuit. For some reason, his presence was a lot less scary.


    Was it due to a difference in personality?


    He wasn¡¯t too sure, but that had to be a key reason, if not the main one.

 Chapter 184: Blind cats and dead mice

    ¡°Phew.¡± Schwarz let out a sigh as he closed the door behind him. ¡°Man, that was tiring.¡±


    ¡°Which one? Interacting with the Holy Children of the Coloured Gods, or just Holy Daughter Clarissa?¡± a voice piped up.


    ¡°Obviously it¡¯s the latt¡ª¡± Schwarz clammed up a moment later, having realised that Holy Son Nero was still in the room. In fact, he was actually the one who had brought up that question, a fact that Claud had noted with some amusement.


    Holy Son Nero was quite the breath of fresh air, compared to the stuffy personality that was the Holy Daughter of the White God.


    The bartender eyed Nero with a long-suffering expression, and then decided not to pursue the topic. Instead, he pulled out a small, palm-size bottle from his jacket, making it float above his hand with some mana. ¡°See this?¡±


    Nero gulped.


    Claud breathed in really slowly, controlling every single reaction his body might have had produced with sublime focus. This was probably not how such a distinguished personage should act, but to say that out loud was simply courting trouble. He glanced at the others, who were all somehow managing their emotions better than him, and then mocked himself inwardly.


    It was natural that the others were better. All of them were either nobles or important people that had been exposed to the profound ways of etiquette, so¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll pour out some for you later,¡± said Schwarz.


    ¡°Looking forward to it,¡± said Nero. ¡°So. Right. Today¡¯s agenda¡­let me take out my notes for a moment. I haven¡¯t exercised my brain for three years, so do pardon me.¡±


    He had a sad smile on his face. It was the kind of smile that would only surface in times of deep grief, when one thought about their deceased friends and family. The Holy Son was mourning someone, and it didn¡¯t take much for Claud to draw the dots.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Claud found himself asking, his words abnormally gentle.


    ¡°Just thinking about my guards,¡± Nero replied, a touch of loneliness adorning his sorrowful smile. ¡°They¡­probably aren¡¯t alive anymore.¡±


    Schwarz stared at him, and then poured out a cup of alcohol, before sliding it to him. Lily had an understanding expression on her face, while Farah and Dia were clearly uncomfortable with this topic. Risti, however, was completely emotionless, her eyes seemingly fixed onto something distant.


    Claud lowered his eyes a second later. Risti, at this moment, somewhat reminded him of Holy Daughter Clarissa, save for the nauseating pity that was near-omnipresent in the latter¡¯s eyes. What was she thinking at this moment? Was there something he didn¡¯t know?


    Suppressing his curiosity, he returned his attention to Nero, who was drinking from his cup and babbling uncontrollably. The Holy Son of the Black God looked very much like an ordinary person right now, like one of Schwarz¡¯s patrons drinking their sorrows away. It was a sight that resonated with Claud, a sight that he couldn¡¯t tear his gaze away from.


    Sobbing incoherently, Nero slumped over onto the table, eventually falling silent.


    ¡°I¡¯ll settle him down in a nearby room,¡± said Schwarz, his words slow and measured. ¡°Happens sometimes. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m a professional.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Farah. Her tense face had loosened up. ¡°It¡¯s a bit uncomfortable. The death of friends and family is not something I want to confront, not when I¡¯m this young. It¡¯s painful to think about.¡±


    Dia nodded in silence.


    Claud glanced at Lily, who had a sad smile on her face, and then sighed. ¡°The sorrow of a final parting is proof of your bond. Those tears that fall from your eyes are the petals of the flower you planted with the bereaved. The pain in your heart is the joy you spent with them. Treasure your time with those you care about.¡±


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    ¡°Poetic,¡± said Risti. ¡°But these feelings hurt, no? If you stray by the sea, your feet will eventually get wet. Other than a few friends, it¡¯s best to give passing lives a wide berth.¡±


    She turned to look at Schwarz. ¡°Being a bartender can be very painful, if you ask me.¡±


    Claud instinctively understood that she was talking about Schwarz. Of the Moon Lords, he alone probably had more emotional connections than the rest of them combined.


    ¡°But¡­what¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Claud asked, his words slow and measured. ¡°His life is more painful, but it is also more vibrant for it.¡±


    Risti looked at Claud, her gaze piercing and sharp. ¡°Well, of everyone here, your personality will help you go far. It¡¯s possible that you¡¯ll understand a century or two down the road.¡±


    Before Claud could question Risti on that very cryptic comment, Schwarz came back into the room. ¡°Holy Children are very troublesome to deal with.¡±


    ¡°I think Nero¡¯s troubles are quite normal, though,¡± said Lily.


    ¡°Hmm. Maybe you¡¯re right.¡± The bartender rubbed his forehead. ¡°I was hoping to elicit some information from him, regarding Nihal. And anything he might remember about the Third Bearer of Destiny.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still hung up on that?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Hard to not be. The Third Bearer of Destiny¡­I get a hunch that he isn¡¯t working alone. I¡¯m almost certain that he¡¯s a mana-user too, and most mana-users are part of an organisation. And it makes sense too, since he was able to brew up Experiential Potions and everything. Furthermore, the mystery behind Zulan Patra¡¯s death has not been solved yet. Did Holy Son Nero kill him? Or was it someone else? We still need to figure that out.¡±


    Claud froze. ¡°Right. We¡¯ve been so bothered by this whole thing that¡­we¡­forgot.¡±


    His words trailed off as thoughts rushed through his mind. It was fortunate that the others hadn¡¯t noticed it, and as they began to discuss the truth behind these murders, Claud found his mind racing. Controlling his emotions, he activated his status and checked on the Mission Function.


    [Faction Mission: For the Dark beyond the stars


    Mission introduction: The great age of change has come. The Moons and the Dark have struggled with each other to gain influence over <insufficient authority ¡ª redacted>. Should the Moons succeed, their hold over fate will strengthen. Sweeping changes will occur.


    Mission requirements: neutralise the Moon-aligned Bearers of Destiny


    Moon-aligned Bearers of Destiny neutralised: 1/3


    Mission rewards: 1000 years of lifespan, 1 Fragment of Fate


    Additional remarks: Doing this quest will invalidate all Moon-aligned faction quests and increase their hostility towards you.]


    He looked at the mission requirements, and breathed in deeply. Claud had tried to put all these new things out of his mind, for fear that he would be tempted by the very high rewards, but these missions also provided¡­information. The Bearers of Destiny was split into multiple factions, for one. Secondly, one of the three Moon-aligned Bearers had died.


    Even a fool would know that only one Bearer of Destiny had perished, and that was the Third. In a way, this interface was proof that the Third Bearer of Destiny had some buddies who shared the same goal. Still, what exactly was this alignment? How was it determined? When was it determined? Before he knew the answer, making assumptions off this information would be dangerous.


    Claud, who was acting alone the whole time, didn¡¯t know if there was any way for Bearers of Destiny who belonged to the same alignment to identify each other, but it would be the height of foolishness to simply assume that this wasn¡¯t the case.


    In fact, it could very well be a passive skill, like his Omen.


    Claud took a deep breath.


    Somehow, Schwarz had probably hit upon the right answer. Whether it was by design or by chance¡­well, he did seem to be right quite a few times.


    Was it a skill of his? He didn¡¯t know, but it was a reminder to Claud to guard his second identity well. If Schwarz could figure things out based on just words and rumours along, there had to be someone else capable of doing the same thing.


    And that someone else would probably not be friendly to him.


    ¡°¡­to sneak an attack on Zulan Patra, then,¡± Dia was saying.


    ¡°Probable, yes. From what I can tell,¡± said Risti, ¡°there should be two types of thralls. So far, we¡¯ve encountered folders and non-folders. The latter is a servant that whole-heartedly follows the orders given. However, it¡¯s possible that thralls that happen to be a mana-user have the ability to act naturally.¡±


    ¡°Considering that Zulan Patra was guarded by other mana-users, this hypothesis does somewhat make sense. If he was betrayed by one of his turned followers or something¡­¡± said Schwarz. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s an unknown skill. We don¡¯t have the details about it at all. Anything¡¯s possible.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the Third didn¡¯t need to work together with anyone,¡± said Lily. ¡°Just turn them all into thralls, and order them to make potions and gather materials. Wasn¡¯t there a report about people acting oddly in other territories?¡±


    ¡°Such an enviable skill¡­but it looks like it¡¯s explicitly made for evil, though,¡± Claud muttered.


    He didn¡¯t dare to speak on, however, since the next sentence was a question that, if he voiced out loud, would almost certainly draw suspicion onto him.


    ¡°Evil, eh?¡± Schwarz mulled over his sentence. ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t see how anything good could be done with this. Turning someone into your slave cannot possibly be a good thing.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Farah. ¡°Right, wasn¡¯t there an instruction from Caroline this morning?¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°Guys, regarding Ruler Istrel¡¯s inauguration¡­¡±

 Chapter 185: Unwelcome visitors to a foreign county

    ¡°There¡¯s absolutely no precedent for the ascension of a new ruler, so he¡¯s trying to scale up the whole thing,¡± Claud observed wryly, after Schwarz finished his little introduction. ¡°Is that it?¡±


    ¡°Dukes visit the three counts and a few selected baronies, so Ruler Istrel intends on visiting the three dukedoms and a few selected counties,¡± Farah replied. ¡°And guess what?¡±


    Everyone glanced at her.


    ¡°I just received information. Farah County¡¯s one of the selected areas.¡± Farah held her head. ¡°Two weeks for me to ensure his safety in a pastoral territory. My head hurts.¡±


    ¡°How did you receive any information?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s something all counts and above have to facilitate the transfer of information. A certain artefact that connects our minds to a shared information space. That¡¯s why Nightfall doesn¡¯t mind letting us take care of Licencia; he will know instantly if there¡¯s anything big,¡± said Farah.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Could we get something like that?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°You could, but it is said that there¡¯s only a single manufacturer in Grandia who can make such an artefact,¡± said Risti, her voice carrying a hint of liveliness. ¡°Furthermore, unauthorised ownership of such an artefact is tantamount to high treason, punishable by the complete annihilation of one¡¯s family.¡±


    Claud, who had been wondering about the prospects of a time-sensitive high efficiency trade run, immediately discarded that notion.


    ¡°Bummer. But is there anything that we can use to replicate such an effect?¡± Schwarz asked, his attention temporarily diverted from the onerous task that was Ruler Istrel¡¯s coronation. Claud couldn¡¯t blame him either; Istrel was literally creating trouble for the heck of it. Who didn¡¯t know that he was eyeing the two dukedoms and hoping to redistribute their territory? And yet, he dared to announce that he was going to visit their capitals.


    It was as if he was asking to be assassinated.


    ¡°Similar artefacts¡­well, if we can downsize the scale, there are such artefacts for sale, yes,¡± said Risti.


    ¡°Downsize?¡±


    ¡°The information space used by the high nobles encompasses the whole of Grandis. Perhaps even beyond it,¡± Risti explained. ¡°There¡¯s a locus in which such a space is maintained, a whole set of artefacts that extend the range in which users can connect to said space, and finally, artefacts that can connect their user to the space itself. If we limit the number of users, the size of the space, or the range of the space¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Schwarz nodded. ¡°Looks like being the daughter of the Association President really is awesome.¡±


    An odd light flickered in Risti¡¯s eye. ¡°I¡¯m not relying on that where possible, though. Besides, I¡¯m here to make my own name, not my pops. I¡¯m Risti. Got it?¡±


    ¡°I still find it odd that you chose to join up with us, though,¡± Farah chimed in.


    ¡°I want to make an organisation that can rival the Folders¡¯ Association,¡± said Risti. ¡°Call it ambition or whatever, but I want to prove that I can do it.¡±


    ¡°Figured as much.¡± Schwarz smiled. ¡°Anyway, are there any ways of procuring such an artefact? Where can we buy them? If we can create a small information space for the six of us, we can react to situations better.¡±


    His eyes flickered to Claud, and the master thief rolled his eyes. Schwarz had already predicted his request to such a point ¡ª he derived pleasure from predicting and stealing words from other people.


    ¡°I could hook you up with some suppliers,¡± Risti replied.


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    ¡°Great, thanks.¡± Schwarz rubbed his nose. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ve diverged from our topic somewhat, no? So, Farah, do you need to return home to take care of Ruler Istrel¡¯s visit?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do,¡± Farah replied, her eyes sullen. ¡°Well, I suppose it¡¯s better than Nightfall. Poor guy was singled out to, uh, contribute his troops to Istrel and to join as a general of his army. Istrel can strut around my territory if that means I don¡¯t need to take part in his mad war.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you¡¯re too strong, I guess,¡± Dia commented. ¡°Poor him. Marriage had to be postponed too.¡±


    An impromptu moment of silence followed, as everyone mourned the unfortunate circumstances behind Nightfall and his family. His life and death were not guaranteed either, since Istrel had all but announced his desire to redistribute the territories of the other dukedoms. Lustre and Schwa were already recruiting and preparing for a nice alliance too.


    Idiot.


    ¡°Well, Emperor Grandis is going to preside over this war,¡± said Risti. ¡°Us normal civilians shouldn¡¯t be that affected. Probably, anyway. Bearers of Destiny, the Holy Children of two Coloured Gods, a new ruler who wants to redistribute power¡­this is kinda a shitty year.¡±


    Farah slid her empty cup to Schwarz, who filled it up with a neat gesture. ¡°Hear, hear.¡±


    ¡°And we are kinda like traitors too,¡± Schwarz added, sliding the cup back to Farah. ¡°We¡¯ve already diverted one-tenth of the usual trade away from Istrel.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s regretfully a soft limit for us,¡± said Farah, her face turning into a frown. ¡°Dia, this is as much as I can do for your mistress and her family. Any more, and we¡¯ll put ourselves at undue risk.¡±


    ¡°Nuh-uh. It¡¯s good enough,¡± Dia replied, a touch of sorrow in her words. ¡°The rest is up to them. Knowing¡­Duke Lustre, he would eventually concede a bunch of useless territories to Istrel, and then enjoy some compensation in return. Essentially a sale of territory and pride to the new ruler.¡±


    ¡°What about Schwa?¡± Farah asked, curious. ¡°Do you know anything about him?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say for him,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Alright, I have something to do. Please don¡¯t mind me. My apologies for leaving this conversation early.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°Sure, no problem.¡±


    After sending Dia off with some variant of ¡®No problem¡¯, Farah stretched her neck, while Lily giggled. Risti was humming happily, and for a moment, Claud and Schwarz exchanged bemused glances. There was some inside joke there, and neither of them quite understood what it was about.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Schwarz cleared his throat. ¡°Farah, when you leave, take someone with you. I recommend Dia, actually, since she¡¯s the strongest combatant amongst everyone here. We don¡¯t need her to protect us for now, since there¡¯s a whole lot of high-level folders here.¡±


    ¡°Why not¡­oh. Right.¡±


    For a moment, Claud could have sworn that Farah was looking at him, but her glance, if he didn¡¯t actually mistake it for something else, was so fleeting that he couldn¡¯t even quite grasp it.


    ¡°Yeah, true,¡± Risti chimed in. ¡°You said it yourself; your territory¡¯s closer to that of a barony than an actual county. Dia might be of great use there, and I¡¯m sure she¡¯s willing to go the extra mile to help.¡±


    ¡°Dia!¡± Risti yelled into the house. ¡°Can you go along with Farah when she returns to her territory? It¡¯s better if you have a bodyguard!¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± A voice yelled back.


    Risti shrugged. ¡°See? Done. Now you just need to come up with some plans for us or something, so we don¡¯t go bankrupt while you¡¯re away.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overexaggerating,¡± Farah replied, sipping from her cup. ¡°Besides, all the relevant documents are left on the desk, and I¡¯ve been getting Lily to help me out here and there.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s nice,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Still¡­you¡¯ve really turned this little hodge-podge gang into a legitimate power, no?


    ¡°If everyone chose the same skills as me, it won¡¯t be that hard, really,¡± Farah replied, shifting aside Risti¡¯s praise smoothly. ¡°Rather, Lily¡¯s doing those calculations and considerations with her mind alone. Now that¡¯s talent.¡±


    Lily squirmed at those words, and everyone laughed.


    Claud stole a glance at Lily, before giving Farah a mental thumbs-up. With how he was training Lily in the art of staying very safe, Lily was going to become a very well-rounded person. And more importantly, the more she had to do, the less she would think about the things she¡¯d done.


    Time would heal all wounds.


    And Lily, who had been driven in desperation, was someone who truly needed such a healing. If that meant teaching her about more things, Claud knew that the others would be more than happy to help out.


    ¡°Is there anything else we need to discuss for today?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Hmm, no, not really,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Other than other usual work and all, really.¡±


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Claud slid his cup over to the bartender. ¡°Apple fizz, please. Or whatever nice name you¡¯ve given to it.¡±


    ¡°Coming right up, buddy.¡± Schwarz passed a full cup back, and then peered at him. ¡°You look stressed, though. What¡¯s up with that? Did all these omens finally fry your brain?¡±


    Claud sipped from the cup and felt the soothing mix run down his throat. ¡°You could say that, I guess. Bearers of Destiny, some eerie prophecy, a war¡­it¡¯s getting me worried. And stressed. And very stressed. It feels like imminent doom is upon us or something.¡±


    The bartender sighed. ¡°Get some rest, Claud. You look like you really need it.¡±


    For a moment, Claud wanted to refuse, but everyone¡¯s glares were too piercing for him to say no. With a metaphorical tail between his legs, he slunk back to his room¡­and promptly fell asleep on the bed.


    So much for acting tough¡­

 Chapter 186: Preparations to depart

    Dia flipped through the newspaper, nibbling on an apple at the same time. It was a habit she had picked up after some time, because nibbling on cakes while relaxing was not what she would exactly call healthy. Apples, which had been vigorously promoted by Schwarz and Claud both, were therefore her main pastime snacks¡­unfortunately.


    ¡°Anything interesting on today¡¯s news?¡± Schwarz asked, his eyes drifting through a stack of reports. Dia had glanced through them earlier, and they were all about new arrivals to Licencia in recent days.


    ¡°The self-organised manhunt for Tot is still going on,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Uh, eggs are at a premium. As well as meat.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re already lucky, compared to Istrel and some of the smaller territories,¡± Farah, who was working on a table next to Schwarz, raised her head and replied. ¡°Food prices are soaring, since everyone¡¯s stockpiling them. In fact, families that have a mana-user are throwing everything they have in buying food, because of that ominous announcement a week ago.¡±


    ¡°That great Dark thing.¡± Dia looked at the top left of her vision, which had an hourglass stuck to it. Once the sand in the top half ran out, the great Dark would descend and whatnot. That said, she was a bit tired about automatically thinking about that Moondamned thing whenever everyone talked about the future.


    This year was going to be a hectic one.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Farah grimaced. ¡°All non-perishables are now ten times their original price, while small skirmishes have broken out in the Istrel capital, since the duke¡¯s direct vassals fight over food, water and lifestones. Fortunately, we¡¯re already rationing food to everyone in Licencia, but still¡­¡±


    Her voice trailed off.


    ¡°Well, at least Claud has it under control,¡± said Risti. ¡°For now, anyway. I didn¡¯t expect him to step up and organise the riff-raff, though.¡±


    Dia knew what she was talking about. Merely the introduction of rationing measures had gotten the poor quite worried. They knew that the administration was rationing food to prevent the rich from hoarding and reselling, but the heart and the mind were two separate organs.


    On the bright side, however, Claud had seen success in marshalling those worried people into patrolling the city. Now, other than a half-depleted standing army, the city also had quite the large militia, paid in bread, some meat and salt.


    City security had increased, as a result.


    However, the stress on the worried Claud had doubled, since he now had to control the small mob under him. The poor guy wanted to help the anxious crowds to release their worry in a controlled way, instead of rioting and beating up the rich and the strong, but¡­


    ¡°Better that than an all-out riot,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°But he didn¡¯t really need to dump the actual work on me, right? Gosh. He¡¯s just teaching everyone to patrol the streets, but I¡¯m the one handling the logistics.¡±


    He muttered under his breath for another minute, and then looked up. ¡°Right, speaking of logistics¡­have the two of you packed your things yet? You¡¯ve already delayed your departure long enough, so¡­¡±


    ¡°No worries. My territory¡¯s already handling the little issues. I just need to show my face during the ceremony ten days later.¡± Farah paused. ¡°And the two of us have already packed our stuff. We leave at night.¡±


    ¡°At night?¡±


    ¡°Claud¡¯s suggestion. Don¡¯t ask me why,¡± said Dia.


    ¡°Oh. Okay. At night, then. Hmm. Might as well cook up a nice feast,¡± said Schwarz.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a bit too trusting of Claud?¡± Farah asked. ¡°The moment you heard that it was his instruction, you immediately agreed. Is there something about him that we don¡¯t know? Is he, for instance, a top strategist of Emperor Grandis who fled to Licencia after being attacked?¡±


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    ¡°Moons, stop. What kind of rubbish backstory are you giving him? Claud¡¯s as old as you guys.¡± Schwarz rolled his eyes. ¡°He¡¯s just really paranoid. Lots of plans. You should check on him when he¡¯s working next time. You¡¯ll be surprised.¡±


    ¡°Is that all?¡± Farah asked, her brows furrowed. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t quite make sense for you to place that much trust in him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll eventually understand,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°This is a good place for him to show his skills. Sure, he has a very twisted personality and is very excessive, but trust me. You¡¯ll never come to much harm if you follow his words.¡±


    ¡°Just what kind of shared history do you two have?¡± Farah pressed on.


    ¡°Not my place to say,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°And he¡¯s probably not going to share it that easily either. But well, you could make your own plans too. Claud believes in many ideals, but free will¡¯s one of them. He¡¯s not going to blame you¡­but if anything happens, he¡¯ll have that ¡®I told you so¡¯ expression on his face.¡±


    That last bit was spoken with some vehemence, and Dia covered her mouth. Clearly, Schwarz had been on the receiving end of that expression more than once, for him to look this disgruntled when talking about it.


    ¡°You sound very experienced in that regard,¡± Farah noted, and Dia turned away for a few seconds to hide her grin. ¡°Why? Happened to you before, eh? Hmm. More than once, then. Oh. Quite a few times.¡±


    ¡°Stop reading my expressions,¡± said Schwarz.


    ¡°I rarely see you lose control over your face,¡± Farah replied, chuckling. ¡°Right, guys? You usually have that stoic, gentle expression, but now it¡¯s a tomato. It¡¯s like some rare weather phenomenon.¡±


    ¡°Stop likening me to a hurricane or something,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Sheesh.¡±


    Everyone laughed, and then returned to their work. Dia, however, couldn¡¯t help but note that Farah hadn¡¯t said anything about refuting Claud¡¯s suggestion, which could only mean that she was going to obey his words.


    ¡°What¡¯s that I hear?¡±


    A black-haired man strode into the room, and Dia jumped. She had forgotten about Holy Son Nero after Schwarz placed him in an unused room. The poor guy had entered a catatonic state after drinking, and hadn¡¯t woken up for two days. However, since mana-users were fairly hardy, no one had paid much attention to him¡­or rather, Dia had forgotten about his existence entirely.


    By the surprised expressions on everyone¡¯s faces, they too had probably forgotten about Holy Son Nero too.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, guys?¡± Nero asked cheerily, the sorrow that ravaged him a few days back completely gone. ¡°Is there something wrong with me?¡±


    ¡°N-no,¡± Schwarz forced out. ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong. Right, are you feeling good? You might be hungry, but if I were you, I¡¯ll drink a bit of water and eat only a bit of bread.¡±


    The Holy Son tilted his head. ¡°Well, I do feel very hungry, but why do I need to limit my intake?¡±


    ¡°Unless you feel like getting a stomach ache, you¡¯ll be better off listening to my words.¡± Schwarz got up and headed into the kitchen, returning a few seconds later with a small piece of bread. ¡°Here, take it. Nibble it slowly. You should feel better within fifteen minutes.¡±


    He pulled out a small bottle. ¡°After that, drink this and wait for lunch, got it?¡±


    ¡°What are you, my mother?¡± Nero muttered, but he took the bread anyway. Nibbling on it like a little squirrel, he walked over to Dia and pointed at the newspaper. ¡°Can I have it?¡±


    ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Passing him the newspaper, Dia took the chance to leave the room too. She had packed most of her items, but Claud had nagged at the two of them to prepare more things before leaving. Now that she had nothing to do, his words sounded quite sensible, so Dia reluctantly decided to stock up on some equipment.


    Heading over to a small shed outside, she pulled the dull door open, and then ducked under the sign that said ¡®Under Construction¡¯. Walking down a hallway that led to a brown wall, she turned at the third door on her right, and opened the dull door.


    A faint glow entered her eyes as Dia stepped into Moon Mansion¡¯s artefact storage room.


    There was now a common pool of generally useful artefacts in Moon Mansion, artefacts that the six of them could take and contribute to. It went without saying that the paranoid fellow was the one who donated the most, although his contributions were rather¡­suspect.


    ¡°I did take a look at this before,¡± Dia muttered to herself, ¡°but why are there so many flawed artefacts here? Did Claud seriously dump all his trash here?¡±


    It was still useful trash, though. Most of them were artefacts that could only be used once every day, but they still had useful effects. Dia, who didn¡¯t have that many artefacts to begin with, could only look through the descriptions attached on them slowly. There were multiple lifestyle artefacts, but these numbers paled in comparison to the one-use-per-day barrier artefacts here.


    ¡°So many barrier-type artefacts.¡± Dia picked up a small crescent stone. ¡°How many normal artefacts does he have, then?¡±


    The artefacts that had been separated by their functions and annotated fastidiously didn¡¯t reply, but she already knew the answer long ago.

 Chapter 187: The changing night

    As Dia gazed out into the dark, moonless night, the only thing she could think about was the profound sense of fear she held towards the darkened sky. The three Moons were now discs of darkness, and even the streetlights of Licencia, which had tripled in number and coverage ever since Claud took over security, seemed feeble under the swath of shadows.


    She had been waiting there for an hour or so, simply watching as the night deepened. Some frightened screams had entered her ears, but she didn¡¯t quite know if these sounds were just a trick of her mind or something else entirely.


    ¡°It¡¯s scary.¡± Schwarz, who was standing at the entrance of Moon Mansion with her and Farah, shook his head. ¡°Why at night, Claud?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s safer,¡± Claud replied from behind them. ¡°My initial analysis has revealed that most clandestine activity has stopped in the night. I sent some people to check it out, and it would seem that the spies and other ne¡¯er-do-wells don¡¯t see a point in trying to do anything in such a deep darkness. For the thieves, everyone¡¯s at home, while for those trying to spy on developments, it¡¯s too dark to actually ascertain any useful information.¡±


    ¡°Geh, you scared me,¡± said Dia, turning around to glare at the Moon Lord who was in charge of security. Under the artificial lighting of Moon Mansion, his face seemed a tad foreign. Most of his facial features were wreathed in shadow, casting the visible bits into stark relief.


    For a moment, he looked like a bird of prey.


    ¡°I¡¯m on your side,¡± said Claud. ¡°Right, Lily?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be scared of him,¡± Lily, who was hiding in Claud¡¯s shadow, stepped out. ¡°Also, do these visual effects look good?¡±


    ¡°Visual effects?¡± Dia stared at Claud and Lily, and then widened her eyes. ¡°Wait a minute. Little wonder that these shadows looked so unnatural. You could definitely scare a whole bunch of people if you were to prowl around at dusk or dawn like this.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Claud asked, dispelling the deep darkness around his face. ¡°We got this from some nice artefact store. You two should take one. Use it when you¡¯re walking out, and anyone who sees you will start doubting their sanity.¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s your plan?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a second plan,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°The third,¡± said Lily, ¡°are these chains. If there¡¯s still people following you, just drop the chains on the ground and drag them along. Almost everyone would flee once this happens; we tested it out earlier.¡±


    Dia thought back to the terrifying screams she had heard earlier, and then glared at Claud and Lily, who passed her the chain and a little ring.


    ¡°See that button there?¡± Lily asked, pointing to a black circle on the grey ring. It was subtle enough that no one could spot it without any prior knowledge. ¡°Just press it, and for the next thirty minutes, you¡¯ll be disguised!¡±


    ¡°By darkness and fear,¡± Claud added.


    The two handed the same items over to Farah, who accepted them helplessly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to say anything much,¡± said Risti, who had just arrived on the scene, but good luck to you guys. I¡¯ve made a skillstick for Skyward Eye, so do use it if you ever see the need to.¡±


    Schwarz passed Farah a small bag. ¡°Full of apple juice. Make sure not to let Dia drink it all.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    After everyone else offered a bit more advice, as well as some more little snacks and a bunch of HELPS ¡ª which was short for ¡®High Energy, Large Portion Servings¡¯. It was as if they didn¡¯t actually have enough, and after Dia and Farah refused some of their more excessive offerings, the two of them left Moon Mansion.


    Dia glanced back at the sturdy dome of her home, and then sighed.


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    ¡°You could still turn back now,¡± said Farah.


    ¡°Yeah, no. I owe you many things. Protecting you is the least I can do,¡± said Dia. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re in need of good fighters, right? I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to get ordinary people to protect Duke¡­Ruler Istrel when he comes along.¡±


    ¡°I might have to, if push comes to shove. We don¡¯t have many mana-users there, and there are restrictions on sub-folders.¡± Farah rubbed her head.


    ¡°Restrictions?¡± Dia picked up on that word.


    As they turned onto the main street, Farah nodded. ¡°Yes. Restrictions. While sub-folders are not that different from full-fledged mana-users, sub-folders have a tendency not to do any manual work. They¡¯ll rather search for a territory to hire them as mages, or, failing which, try to trick a bunch of foolish idiots into working under them and become an outlaw organisation.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s how it is,¡± said Farah, her voice quiet. ¡°It is said that around four thousand years ago, the phenomenon of there being too many sub-folders roused the ire of Emperor Grandis, due to general unproductivity, and in his rage, he ordered a purge of these people.¡±


    ¡°A purge?¡±


    ¡°Killing them or enslaving them all,¡± Farah replied. ¡°After that, he did something to wipe out the knowledge of sub-folders from the common masses, before decreeing that knowledge about sub-folders are to be restricted. Any noble that defies this decree will be stripped of their title and executed on the spot upon discovery.¡±


    ¡°By the Shadows of Grandis?¡± Dia asked, guessing the first organisation that came to her mind.


    ¡°By the Shadows of Grandis,¡± Farah replied, affirming her guess with a nod of her head. ¡°As for organisations with mana-users, they¡¯ll be completely destroyed if such knowledge were to proliferate.¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s why you got me to screen out a whole bunch of Moon Guards?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Farah. ¡°The Shadows of Grandis are especially merciless in this regard. Even the Emperor¡¯s children and descendants are not spared from this decree. The Emperor is very thorough in preventing the proliferation of such information. Schwarz knows about it ¡ª we brought this up in passing some time ago ¡ª but it¡¯s not really something that would affect us.¡±


    Dia nodded her head slowly. ¡°True. That said, I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°Well, your mistress might,¡± said Farah. ¡°It¡¯s meant to protect the existing power structures of nobility, as well as to ensure a stable flow of resources upwards and downwards.¡±


    Their conversation paused as they approached the city gates. The guards there were very familiar with the Moon Lords, and after some conversation and verification, the two of them passed through the gates without incident.


    A sea of shadows was all they could see.


    ¡°¡­Can we just go in the morning?¡± Dia asked. ¡°This is really scary. I don¡¯t think the previous years were this dark.¡±


    ¡°Dark, great Dark¡­you know.¡± Farah chuckled nervously. ¡°Now I see why they were looking at me with such an odd light in their eyes. Well, don¡¯t worry. We can make our way there easily. There¡¯s already a nice track for us to walk on, so just don¡¯t step away from it.¡±


    ¡°I must have been addled when I agreed to Claud¡¯s suggestion,¡± Dia mumbled, but she obeyed Farah¡¯s words anyway. It didn¡¯t take long for Farah to work out her bearings, and after a while, the two of them had started on their journey proper.


    ¡°So, what were we talking about again?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s talk about more cheerful things instead,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Purges, Shadows of Grandis¡­these conversation topics aren¡¯t really what I want to talk about right now.¡±


    ¡°Cheerful topics¡­well, there is an ongoing festival in Farah County right now,¡± said the countess. ¡°Unlike Licencia, the City of Trades, my territory is an agricultural one. It¡¯s harvest time for moonwheat, and my people are rejoicing.¡±


    ¡°Moonwheat?¡±


    ¡°A local produce of Farah¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, hold up,¡± said Dia. ¡°I¡¯m getting a bit confused now, since you and your territory share the same name. Is there another way I could call you or something? It¡¯ll be a pain if I have to call you Countess Farah all the time.¡±


    ¡°Is it really that bad?¡± The countess made a little sound. ¡°People usually call me Farah, so I might not respond to you in time. And I didn¡¯t think there was a problem back then, even in my territory.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite impersonal, so¡­¡± Dia patted her shoulder, a touch of pity in her heart. ¡°You should have told us. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure everyone knows to call you by¡­by¡­¡±


    Her voice trailed away. ¡°Yeah, you didn¡¯t kinda introduce your full name, did you?¡±


    ¡°Ehe.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®ehe¡¯ me,¡± Dia replied, rolling her eyes. ¡°Anyway, what should I call you?¡±


    ¡°Farah¡¯s my first name,¡± she replied.


    ¡°What?¡± Dia scrunched up her face. ¡°But your territory¡¯s named Farah. How does that work? It doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡±


    ¡°Long story. How about you?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Your original name and your current name¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, you can just treat me as the real thing,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Please keep doing that. Just think of me as her, and everything will be fine. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Acting as a scapegoat is not an enviable job,¡± the countess murmured. ¡°Still shouldn¡¯t your pursuers all already know that you¡¯re a fake? Why do you still keep up the pretence?¡±


    ¡°There are many reasons,¡± Dia replied, ¡°one of which is, uh, how the revelation of my true identity will prompt Princess Dia to resurface in Grandis. It¡¯s a signal, see?¡±


    She wasn¡¯t lying in that regard ¡ª once Dia revealed that she was actually not a double and was the real thing, the personage everyone knew as Princess Dia would obviously reappear in society.


    It still hurt to lie, though.


    Fobbing off any further questions, Dia began to ask about moonwheat, venturing deeper into the darkness altogether.

 Chapter 188: A very foggy outlook

    ¡°It¡¯s bad enough that the Moons are in slumber,¡± said Dia, ¡°but now we also have to wander through this misty bank of shadow. Our voices are muted too, and our lanterns can only illuminate five metres around us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Saying that for the twenty-fifth time isn¡¯t really going to help, though,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Besides, the darkness isn¡¯t all that scary once you get used to it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not that scary,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Quite calming, other than¡ª


    ¡°¡ªodd cries by animals as they rutted merrily¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªthe eerie chirping of insects we can¡¯t see¡ª"


    ¡°¡ªand the monkeys staring at us crazy people,¡± Farah finished, before nodding in satisfaction. ¡°Hmm. Good coordination, I¡¯d say. If you ever grow sick of acting as the princess¡¯ bodyguard, consider joining an acting troupe or something. You¡¯ll make it big.¡±


    Dia, who had been acting ever since she arrived at Pletsville, felt her lips twitch. That was a rather accurate assessment of her skills, for some reason. In fact, now that she thought about it, Dia had managed to portray herself as a double who was failing at her job so well that she was beginning to feel confused at her layers of deception.


    After making a mental note to examine all these layered identities, she replied, ¡°I¡¯ll consider it. But what kind of troupe¡¯s going to hire me?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­well, locally speaking, we have the Moonlight Mirth,¡± said Farah. ¡°They¡¯re a group of actors based in Farah County.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they comedians?¡± Dia asked, curious. ¡°What¡¯s with that designation?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re good actors, but they have really bad jokes,¡± the countess replied. ¡°Can¡¯t be helped, really. They registered their name while coasting on old but gold jokes, but as it turned out, they sucked at making their own comedy routines. After a while, they stuck to more normal plays, but they did like their improvisation acts.¡±


    ¡°Pity,¡± Dia noted, before concentrating some mana onto her right hand. A brilliant azure glow lit up their surroundings, dispersing the shadows in a twenty-metre radius. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s make ourselves comfortable. It¡¯s the deep of night now, and we should rest until the morrow.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Want a late-night snack first?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Definitely. Set up a fire too while you¡¯re at it,¡± said Farah. ¡°It¡¯s a bit cold out here, and fire doesn¡¯t just warm up the body, but the heart too.¡±


    Dia nodded. Pulling out one of the many lifestyle artefacts Claud had donated to Moon Mansion, she carved out a metre-wide pit with her sword and placed the little plate at the centre.


    Pressing the button at the very centre of the plate, Dia withdrew her hands. A cheerful blaze appeared a few seconds later, and both of them snuggled up close to it. The writhing tentacles of shadow, which had been held at bay, danced around the small dome of vermilion light, as if they were alive.


    ¡°How creepy,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°They seem almost alive, no?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll turn into monsters when the year is up and attack the cities,¡± Farah replied, drawing on the ground with the tip of her greatsword. ¡°The more I see this, the more I think that¡¯s possible.¡±


    Dia couldn¡¯t quite deny that possibility. Those tendrils seemed like plants given sentience, and they weren¡¯t the beautiful, serene ones either. If anything, these tendrils resembled the killer vines she had read about in some rather absurd novels¡­which didn¡¯t seem all that absurd now. After all, in the dark, could one really tell if those bloodsucking vines were green or black?


    The answer was fairly obvious, really.


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    ¡°What a scary mental image,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Not just that, though. It¡¯s possible that there are monsters made out of those tendrils alone. No teeth, no skin, just¡­ropes and vines and sinuous shadowy mists.¡±


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s change the topic, shall we?¡± The countess shifted closer to the small blaze. ¡°Incidentally, I¡¯m glad that we didn¡¯t need to chop firewood and pick up kindling. Claud really knows what the wilderness life is like, eh?¡±


    ¡°¡­How many times have you travelled alone?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Never?¡± Farah replied. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous. I¡¯m still counted as a newbie to this mercenary thing, you know. Had to leave my county to find some good opportunities. Other than selling food, there really wasn¡¯t much Farah County offered. If I, the best-equipped person in the territory, didn¡¯t leave to search for new ideas and opportunities, we would have remained stagnant.¡±


    ¡°Well, you did find a lot of opportunities in Licencia,¡± Dia replied. ¡°But what were you exactly hoping for anyway? I don¡¯t think there are many resources that can benefit a territory if found outside.¡±


    ¡°Connections, primarily. As well as talents,¡± Farah replied. ¡°In that sense, I did find a bunch of talents and connections in the Moon Lords, so all¡¯s well ends well.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that something anyone could do?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°No, not really.¡± Folding her arms, the countess looked up into the moonless sky. ¡°The nature of an agricultural county creates families that generally see no point in venturing out of their safe spaces. After all, just about every aspect of farming requires lots of manpower; people tend to stay home and help out. And to prevent issues from arising, my administration handles the trading of food, to prevent the innocent people from being taken advantage of. In fact, prior incidents in which my people were taken advantage of by scheming outsiders have led to a general distrust of strangers, as well as the territories outside Farah.¡±


    Dia took a few seconds to process her words, and a strange expression crawled up her face. ¡°Wait. So¡­your people just like staying home?¡±


    ¡°¡­That was your takeaway from all that?¡± Farah rolled her eyes. ¡°Fine, whatever. Yes, my people like staying home. Deal with it. Hmm¡­but you should be fine, though. You¡¯re with me, after all.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t like going out, prefers staying home to farm¡­hmm. Anything else I should know?¡±


    ¡°Nothing else of interest, I guess.¡± The countess yawned, before pulling out one of the bartender¡¯s HELPS. ¡°Right, how do I cook this? You¡¯ve used it before, right?¡±


    ¡°You can eat them without cooking,¡± Dia replied. ¡°But if you want to eat it warm, you just need to stick it in an open flame for a minute or so, and it will taste just nice.¡±


    Taking out her own packet of HELPS, she drew out some mana and carried her own supper into the flame. ¡°Just like that.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Right.¡±


    ¡°¡­You do know that you¡¯re a mana-user, right?¡± Dia glanced at Farah, before shaking her head. ¡°That¡¯s like our schtick. The thing that makes us extra-special.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been doing paperwork for the past few months,¡± she replied slowly. ¡°I kinda forget after a while.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s no excuse,¡± Dia replied sternly. ¡°And you¡¯ve been training with me for some time¡­oh, food¡¯s done!¡±


    Slicing open the packet, she sniffed at the aroma that wafted out of Schwarz¡¯s little creation.


    ¡°What¡¯s inside?¡± Farah asked, curious.


    ¡°Meat and rice.¡± Dia pulled out a spoon and scooped a bit of the mix out. ¡°A bit squishy, but I suppose there¡¯s no two ways around it. Don¡¯t worry about the food, though. It won¡¯t give you a stomach ache or anything.¡±


    Farah, who had opened her own packet of HELPS, sniffed experimentally, and then scooped some of the mix out too. Dia chuckled as the countess eyed the mashed food ¡ª clearly, the aesthetics of Schwarz¡¯s handy little invention didn¡¯t go down well with her.


    ¡°Just get over the appearance,¡± Dia prompted. ¡°Hurry up, before it gets cold.¡±


    Farah took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m going after Schwarz if it doesn¡¯t taste nice.¡±


    ¡°¡­Why is it his fault? Besides, food that¡¯s this convenient is bound to not taste that nice,¡± Dia replied. ¡°It¡¯s good enough already, so don¡¯t go breaking the poor master¡¯s heart.¡±


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve been betrayed for some reason,¡± Farah muttered. ¡°After we became really close friends too!¡±


    ¡°Now, now.¡± Dia rubbed her head. ¡°That¡¯s not how it is, right? It¡¯s just that we should really appreciate how nice it is to be able to eat a meal this easily and quickly. Look all around you ¡ª do you really want to pick berries or spend an hour cooking food in such a gloomy, eerie environment? I would rather just finish eating and then start sleeping!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t we need a night watch or something?¡±


    Dia chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ve got that covered too. Claud donated lots of useful things. Other than barriers¡­he sure knows how to live well outdoors.¡±


    ¡°What kinds of artefacts are we talking about here?¡±


    ¡°Well, we have a perimeter artefact, a camouflage artefact, and a weather artefact. Plus the Pyro-Plate I used to make the fire. There¡¯s also one to cut through grass and thin trees, plus¡ª¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Farah waved her hands. ¡°I get your point. Lots of artefacts. Claud is crazy-prepared. Anything new?¡±


    ¡°¡­never mind.¡± Rolling her eyes, Dia polished off her meal, before setting up the alarm artefact she had borrowed from Moon Mansion¡¯s store.


    Yawning once, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t stare at the food for too long. Get some sleep. We need to get there in four days, right?¡±


    Without waiting for a response, she laid down on the ground and closed her eyes.

 Chapter 189: The countess and her past

    ¡°I can¡¯t sleep.¡±


    In the darkness, Dia tried to look for any sign of the Moons, but there was nothing whatsoever. Normally, even during the New Moons, they weren¡¯t fully darkened out; there was usually a ring of light that enclosed a black core. However, ever since the months of the New Moons started, these rings had been conspicuously absent.


    Dia didn¡¯t bring it up back then. Nor did anyone else. It was, however, something that everyone probably had noted once or twice, even if they didn¡¯t say it out loud. To make matters worse, even the small pinpricks of light that usually hung around at night had been completely blotted out by some unknown power, something that Dia had never seen before.


    Farah grunted. Sitting up slowly, she said, ¡°Maybe we should make a detour. Or sleep during the evening, when the sun¡¯s still up.¡±


    Dia turned to look at Farah, whose eyes were glowing faintly under the flames. The two of them were sleeping quite close to the small fire created by the Porta-Pyro, since neither of them felt good closing their eyes in the darkness. ¡°A detour?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll take a longer road. There are also three baronies under Farah County, and each of these baronies have a few small villages too. If we change our route to accommodate these villages, two-thirds of our trip can be spent in doors, in an inn.


    ¡°Do we have enough time?¡± Dia asked. ¡°We¡¯re already cutting it close, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°No, when I said that we would take nine days to get there, I meant that in terms of walking.¡± She paused, and then said, ¡°Normal walking, like what we did earlier.¡±


    ¡°I was wondering why we were walking,¡± Dia mumbled. ¡°So we were just taking it easy?¡±


    The countess cleared her throat. ¡°Well, I was intending on sneaking in when everyone¡¯s at their busiest. Otherwise, we would take an entire day in talking to my people, who, in their infinite love for staying home, are very hungry for stories about the outside world. And I can¡¯t really bring myself to reject them either.¡±


    ¡°Well, you must have a disguise for sneaking in, right? Surely you weren¡¯t thinking of waltzing into your home territory, where everyone presumably knows you by sight¡­wait.¡± Dia eyed her lookalike, and then scoffed. ¡°Aren¡¯t you already in disguise? You¡¯re disguising as m¡ªmy mistress! What do you think was going to happen when you walked in?¡±


    Farah jumped. ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°¡­Judging from your reaction, you¡¯ve forgotten that you¡¯ve been disguised as m¡ªmy mistress for a very long time. Do you even take that off when you¡¯re sleeping?¡± Dia asked, curious.


    ¡°¡­Changing hair colours is quite troublesome.¡±


    ¡°I hear that Lily changes out of her disguise, though,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Who said that?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Claud?¡±


    ¡°And how would he know that?¡± the countess pressed on. ¡°What, were they sleeping¡­yeah, they were sleeping in the same room, now that I think about it. Phew. You¡¯d think that Claud would make a move or something, but now that I recall their recount¡­hmm.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Dia nodded, her thoughts directed towards the two. ¡°But we shouldn¡¯t do anything about them, though. Pushing them together might not be a good idea. Let things take their course, okay?¡±


    ¡°¡­Fine.¡±


    ¡°That pause sounds awfully suspicious,¡± Dia noted. ¡°Anyway, do you have a partner? Now that I think about it, if Nightfall has a fianc¨¦e, I don¡¯t see why you don¡¯t have one.¡±


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    ¡°The count is three hundred or so years old,¡± Farah replied. ¡°He¡¯s at the upper bound of the marriageable age for a mana-user. He¡¯s had three vanilla lifetimes to fool around with, as does his fianc¨¦e. In contrast, I¡¯m just twenty-seven. I¡¯m not in any particular rush, really.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were kidding about being twenty-seven,¡± Dia replied, somewhat humbled. ¡°In that case, you¡¯re an abnormally wise ruler. Most nobles ¡ª well, those from the other sovereignties, anyway ¡ª like to play around for the first two hundred years or so¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, they didn¡¯t get an entire county dumped on their laps, you know,¡± the countess replied, her narrowed eyes staring at the flame. ¡°Nor did their parents see it fit to run away and let a five-year-old rule the area with the help of some maidservants. If they had fired my butler back then¡­¡±


    Dia winced inwardly. As expected, the countess of Farah County also had her own growing up troubles, but she didn¡¯t expect these troubles to be in the form of abandoning one¡¯s territory. Usually, if a noble inherited the title this young, it was usually because their parents met an untimely end, so this was really something new to her.


    ¡°They fled.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Farah chuckled. ¡°Depressing, isn¡¯t it? Fortunately, if my people and my helpers didn¡¯t unite and guide me, we would have probably collapsed from the debts they left behind long ago. We did eventually get back up on our feet, though. Paid the debt off and expunged my parents from the records, last name and all. I even changed the name of the county to Farah, using my given name as the foundation.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t know where to begin, so she spent the next minute or so staring at the fire instead. Farah didn¡¯t look like she was expecting a reply either, which meant that Dia was completely fine with staying silent.


    ¡°I think I did a good job,¡± Farah concluded.


    Reaching out a hand, Dia patted her head. ¡°Yeah, you did. Good job out there, Farah.¡±


    ¡°It was funny, really, when I removed all traces of my surname from the county and the records. My useless parents heard that I cleared their debt and made the territory profitable once more, so they tried going back.¡± Farah had a nostalgic look on her face. ¡°Their surprise when they learned that I expunged their surname from my name and my territory¡¯s name was excellent.¡±


    Dia wanted to ask about Farah¡¯s last name, but decided against that after a second of thought. Given that this was something that only she knew so far, and especially given the events that Farah had recounted in a light-hearted manner, Dia knew that these memories were definitely not pleasant ones.


    ¡°What happened afterwards?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Farah replied with a grin, ¡°they had brought along one of the Emperor¡¯s officials to wrest back control of the territory. I was scared back then, but it turned out that Emperor Grandis had heard about the mismanagement back then, as well as my efforts. After I verbally affirmed that I was willing to fight it out in a court of law, Sir Agni got his soldiers to arrest my parents, before stripping them of all lawful claims and then exiling them into the swamps of Voidum Sovereignty.¡±


    ¡°That sounds harsh.¡±


    Farah shook her head. ¡°It was a mercy, actually. Out of consideration for me. Emperor Grandis personally consigned my parents into what could be described as a nursing home for deluded nobles, and then conferred me with the full rights and privileges of a count.¡±


    Dia looked up and smiled. The Emperor was a scary person, but Farah¡¯s story, when she recounted it in this fashion, felt like a fairy tale through and through. The noble and just Emperor, who intervened to save the poor girl¡­


    ¡°You should tell your story to an acclaimed writer,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°What? Why? What for?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll sell like moonpies!¡± Dia rubbed her hand. ¡°Your story is about Emperor Grandis, who saved the day for a young maiden! And it¡¯s real to boot! Publishers are going to snap it up. Everyone wants to butter up to Emperor Grandis, but you can¡¯t falsify deeds of the Emperor. You, however¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not appropriate,¡± Farah replied, shooting her suggestion down. ¡°And besides, the Emperor saved me. It would be unbecoming of me to use him as a channel of profit, no?¡±


    ¡°You make a point there,¡± Dia conceded begrudgingly, before letting out a yawn.


    ¡°You¡¯re tired?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Well, what do you know. You¡¯re not the only¡ª¡±


    She yawned, cutting off her words.


    ¡°Seems like all we needed to do was to share some gossip, eh?¡± Dia chuckled.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Farah replied. ¡°But how did we even arrive at this topic to begin with? What was our original¡­¡±


    Dia scrunched her brows together for two seconds, before promptly deciding that it was too much hard work for her sleep-addled state. ¡°We were talking about mana-walking, I think. And then we moved to Lily and Claud for some reason, before derailing onto a conversation about your age. After that, you shared with me how you became a¡ª¡±


    A gentle, rhythmic breathing entered her ears at this point, and Dia smiled gently. Stretching slightly, she laid back down and closed her eyes. Now, after a good talk, the darkness around her didn¡¯t seem all that dangerous any more.


    Or perhaps, she was just too tired to actually care all that much.


    Yawning once more, she was about to sleep when the sound of someone walking entered her ears.

 Chapter 190: The Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings

    According to Claud, in dangerous situations, the people who were the most casual fell into three types. The first one was people who had water in their brains ¡ª people who ignored all the potential, life-reaping dangers that lay in their surroundings. The second one was people who were utterly arrogant. Confident in their own strength, they found it a hassle to take necessary precautions and forged ahead fearlessly.


    As for the third, they were a mix of both. People who were supremely arrogant in their abilities and ignored the potential dangers inherent in their surroundings.


    Dia couldn¡¯t tell what the newcomers were like, however. Furthermore, during one of Claud¡¯s paranoia sessions, he had stressed that the second and third types had to have a measure of strength to be this nonchalant about the potential dangers in travelling. When encountering these people, assuming that they were Type-1 fools would be a grave danger; it was better to respect the enemy and assume that they were Type-2 fools instead.


    The footsteps slowed down, and a familiar person entered Dia¡¯s vision. Her heart seized up for the faintest of moments as she looked at the woman garbed in a white mourning robe. Her smooth skin, her sorrowful expression, the way she walked with such ethereality¡­


    Dia knew this person.


    The Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings. A tetra-folder, a trump card of Lustre Dukedom.


    What was she doing here?


    ¡°Dia?¡± A gentle voice, replete with sadness, whispered through the wind. ¡°Is that you, my niece? I heard your name, and so I came. Child, you have suffered.¡±


    Dia gulped, her mind whirling madly. Would it be better if she dropped the lies that surrounded her identity for the briefest of moments? Farah was in a deep sleep now, and if she couldn¡¯t trust her aunt, she couldn¡¯t trust anyone.


    More importantly¡­she had lived months of lies. Dia didn¡¯t think she could bring herself to lie to her own family; she was already at a tipping point.


    ¡°Aunt Lumine,¡± Dia whispered.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± The Lamenter of Sorrowful Parting stepped closer to the light. ¡°Goodness me, child. You have travelled far from home. I understand your plight. Your secret is safe with me¡­although I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going with you exactly.¡±


    She glanced at Farah. ¡°Fan of yours? Or someone you hired?¡±


    ¡°I wish it was the latter,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Uh. Let¡¯s see¡­um, I¡¯m currently disguised as a double of myself, who is currently leaking clues that I¡¯m not actually the real thing, but is a double.¡±


    Aunt Lumine tilted her head, and Dia could see the gears in her brain spin. ¡°That explains why your mana and life signature are different, at least. Still, you lead a very convoluted life right now. You are acting as a double of yourself, but you¡¯re trying to seem like you¡¯re not too good at it by conveniently changing the deeper identification factors.¡±


    She paused. ¡°Does your head not hurt at times?¡±


    Dia yawned once. ¡°Aunt, what are you doing out here? It¡¯s late at night, and the only way this road leads to is Farah County. There¡¯s nothing there, save for¡­save for¡­¡±


    ¡°Ruler Istrel¡¯s visit. I wanted to¡­warn him about something,¡± Aunt Lumine replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Nothing big¡¯s going to happen, and even if it does, I¡¯m here.¡±


    She yawned.


    ¡°You must be tired, aunt. Do you want to rest?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s precisely why I approached the first source of light and human activity I noticed,¡± she replied, her voice still holding on to that sorrowful, ethereal quality. ¡°But I suspect that we will be facing very awkward questions when your friend wakes up. We should prepare for them, at least.¡±


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    Dia nodded.


    It didn¡¯t take them too much time to come up with a proper backstory. As the double of the princess, it would be easy to say that Dia too claimed the same relations with a relative of the princess. There was nothing much to it, especially since Farah and the others had a very idealistic ¡ª that is, impossibly perfect ¡ª view of how the princess had been raised as a child.


    Even if funny questions like how her upbringing was like were brought up, Dia had full confidence that her aunt would be able to handle it. From what she knew, Risti had only started her full-fledged stalker behaviour only from around six to eight years ago, which was honestly a good thing for all parties concerned.


    Yawning once, Dia bade her aunt goodnight, and then laid down on the ground. Enquiring about her actual purpose here or asking about the recent ominous events that had taken place could take a hike until tomorrow morning.


    ¡°Sleep well, child.¡±


    Her aunt¡¯s words seemed to carry some soothing power, and Dia¡¯s head began to swim. Darkness fell for what seemed like a few minutes, before Farah¡¯s voice echoed in her ear.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Dia rubbed her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s already morning? Good morning, Farah.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Good morning ¡ª wait, that¡¯s not what¡¯s important! Who¡¯s she? Is that a ghost? Or is it something from the great Dark?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Dia stifled a yawn, and then looked at the small mound of white robes. ¡°Oh. Well, that robe is actually rather special. It repels all dirt and flutters majestically even if there isn¡¯t any wind. Handy, right?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Wait, no, that¡¯s not what I meant either. Like, who¡¯s she? Why is she sleeping here? What¡¯s she doing so close to us? When did she show up? How did the alarm artefact not trigger? Where did she come from?¡±


    Dia ticked off her fingers for every question Farah asked, before flashing a thumbs-up at her. ¡°Nice. You got the five ¡®W¡¯s and 1¡®H¡¯ with that single outburst; you have talent as an investigator.¡±


    Farah cast a withering look at Dia, who coughed twice. ¡°Anyway. Uh. Okay, so this is my aunt. She¡¯s sleeping here because she came across us last night. She wanted to sleep near a light source. She came by shortly after you fell asleep. I don¡¯t know how she avoided tripping the alarm artefact. She came from Lustre, presumably.¡±


    Dia tilted her head. ¡°Did I miss out anything?¡±


    ¡°N-no.¡± Farah slapped her cheeks lightly. ¡°So, your aunt?¡±


    ¡°My aunt,¡± Dia replied. ¡°My mistress too. I¡¯ll do the formal introductions later, so just look sharp. Or don¡¯t. She doesn¡¯t really mind, really. Just be yourself.¡±


    ¡°Just be myself?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Well, you do you. Pass me one of those HELPS. I want to heat it up before eating.¡±


    ¡°They can be eaten cold, though,¡± Dia replied, before rolling over to the Porta-Pyro. ¡°And the Porta-Pyro needs to recharge. I can only use it once every twenty-four hours.¡±


    ¡°Bah. Cold food it is, then.¡±


    ¡°Since we¡¯re not cooking, you should try out the original HELPS,¡± Dia replied, tossing a small packet of food at Farah. ¡°It¡¯s a very sweet and filling bar of food, handmade by Schwarz. Don¡¯t eat too much of it, though. It¡¯s very sweet.¡±


    ¡°You said that twice.¡±


    Three seconds after Farah tore open the packet, the sounds of someone sniffing filled the air, and Dia turned to look at the source automatically. The Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings had woken up, stirred away by the sweet aroma of Farah¡¯s breakfast, and before long, her wet eyes were staring at Farah.


    Dia slapped her own face.


    Where did the dignity of a Named, the dignity of a mighty tetra-folder, fly off to? Why was the usually solemn, sad-looking Aunt Lumine now behaving like a little child pining after food?


    For a moment, Dia wondered if her twenty-six years of knowing her aunt was a lie. That impression only deepened further as she watched Farah move the little bar around, only for her aunt¡¯s head to follow the treat around like a pet.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Dia took out another bar. ¡°Aunt, I have another bar, so please don¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Really? Thanks!¡± The sad atmosphere around her dispersed entirely as she broke into a smile, which made Dia suspect that her aunt had been replaced by someone else entirely.


    Watching in silence as her fan and her aunt munched on the little bar, Dia felt a headache well up. Rubbing her head twice, she pulled out one bar from her backpack.


    ¡°Aunt, so why are you going to Farah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to teach Istrel that there are people he cannot afford to offend, child.¡± Her aunt¡¯s signature sad smile returned. ¡°On behalf of your¡­mistress¡¯ father. A stern warning, if you will. With turmoil on the ascendent, killing other people senselessly is something lamentable.¡±


    ¡°Right, I haven¡¯t actually introduced you two,¡± said Dia. ¡°Aunt, this here is Countess Farah of Farah County. Farah, this here is my aunt, the named mana-user, the Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings.¡±


    ¡°Pleased to meet you,¡± said Aunt Lumine.


    ¡°Pleased to meet you¡­Your Excellency, Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings?¡± Farah took a deep breath. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t expect to meet Your Excellency in such a, uh, state.¡±


    ¡°Think little of it, child.¡± She smiled. ¡°Come, let¡¯s begin our trek to your home, shall we? I have heard many good things about it.¡±


    Dia, who had intended to enjoy a sweet snack while sitting down, decided to have her breakfast while walking instead.


    After all, it was her aunt who suggested it¡­

 Chapter 191: A long-awaited chat with family

    Dia¡¯s ears were twitching as they mana-walked towards the northeast, where Farah County was situated at. The reason for that was fairly simple; Farah herself was busy plying her aunt with lots of questions, each of them asking about Dia as a child. Of course, Aunt Lumine had taken the necessary precautions by pretending to call her Isolde once more twice, before being suitably reminded that Dia was in disguise as herself.


    The whole set-up, however, was more than enough to make Dia doubt herself over and over.


    ¡°Aunt Lumine¡± ¡ªFarah had taken it upon herself to claim familial relations with her aunt and thereby Princess Dia¡ª ¡°who was more skilled at a sword? Princess Dia or our Dia?¡±


    A flicker of amusement crossed Aunt Lumine¡¯s face, and the sorrowful visage she had up almost all the time weakened for a few seconds. ¡°Well, erm¡­both of them are equally matched?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Wow. The princess sure is talented, if she can match up to Dia in her sword skills.¡±


    Dia wanted to roll her eyes at Farah¡¯s serious countenance. It had been sometime since the object of her worship had vanished, but for some reason, the countess still remained a diehard fan. Even if she liked the princess and what she represented, there had to be other people of importance, right?


    Rubbing her head, Dia watched on as Farah continued to ask questions. Most of them were about comparisons between Dia and the, uh, real thing, which made it incomparably easy for Aunt Lumine to reply. By the time noon rolled around, Countess Farah had been suitably convinced that Dia and the real princess were equally talented, which, in the countess¡¯ own words, was why Dia was the princess¡¯ double.


    Settling into the shadow of a nice tall tree, Dia busied herself with setting up some rudimentary defences. She hadn¡¯t had the chance to display those habits back when she was travelling with Risti, but now that she had so many spare artefacts on hand, tossing out a few to ensure that their lunch wouldn¡¯t be disturbed was nothing much.


    At the same time, Farah started setting up a small fire, gathering some firewood and creating a small flame to cook some stew. The food and utensils used here all came from Aunt Lumine ¡ª she had a storage artefact that contained all the necessities for travelling.


    That storage artefact was also why she could wear a flowing robe and look ethereal the whole time; if she had to wear a backpack, the effect just wouldn¡¯t be the same.


    ¡°Child, why are you busying yourself with such trinklets?¡±


    Dia, who was placing the last of her artefacts, looked up. ¡°Why not? It¡¯s safer, and if animals are attracted by our stew, we don¡¯t need to waste time chasing them away.¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s your reason? Granted, it is a fairly good reason, but might not be it troublesome?¡±


    ¡°Not at all, aunt,¡± Dia replied. ¡°And it¡¯s also safer when we¡¯re sleeping or resting. See? Farah¡¯s just humming away and pouring all sorts of meat into her stew now.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Well, in that case¡­¡± Multiple artefacts appeared in her hand. ¡°Here, dear child. All yours, for you to play with. They were lying down unused anyway. You¡¯ll make better use of them after a while. Just set them down on the ground and press the button here. You can use them ten times a day, and they can block quite a few attacks from bi-folders too.¡±


    ¡°Bi-folders?¡± Dia gulped.


    ¡°Weaklings, yes,¡± Aunt Lumine replied dismissively. ¡°They might be of a threat to you, but with these artefacts, you can at least sleep at ease outside. Now that I think about it, it¡¯s a rather good use for one-folders like you two.¡±


    Chuckling, she walked over to Farah, before giving her the same gifts. Dia didn¡¯t quite understand why her aunt had ten of the same artefacts, but the minds of important people were hard to fathom. After setting up the new artefacts, Dia returned to the stew that was currently boiling. It was a rather nice pot, and the surrealness of eating well-cooked food elegantly outdoors made her head light for a moment.


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    ¡°Heh heh.¡± Farah rubbed her hands together. ¡°How nice to have an actual proper meal outdoors. One less day of eating barbequed food and preserved meat.¡±


    ¡°You kids should get a storage artefact,¡± said the Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings. ¡°Really useful for you kids.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of ¡®should¡¯, aunt,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t want one? But those things are so rare nowadays. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s even possible to make them anymore.¡±


    Aunt Lumine ladled some stew onto her own bowl, before sniffing at it. ¡°Well, you could make do with compound artefacts. There should be some that can shrink the size of items inside, while removing the issue of weight. If you combine them together, you get an approximation of a spatial storage artefact. Of course, it won¡¯t be as convenient as the real deal, but it still will improve you camping life outdoors.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hoping that I won¡¯t need to camp outdoors that many times, though,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°I am a Named folder, and I still camp outdoors all the time.¡± Aunt Lumine began to take a few sips. ¡°That¡¯s just how life is, if you want to become someone strong. You¡¯ll have to leave your safe spaces, venture into the wild, earn a keep suitable for your needs¡­things like that, if you don¡¯t want to be a pawn in the approaching great game.¡±


    The air crackled at those words.


    ¡°Aunt Lumine?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you know what I¡¯m referring to, no? Six hundred thousand years ago, the Primordial Pantheon overthrew the ancient ones. Sixty thousand years ago, the Six Gods of Virtue ripped the Primordial Pantheon from their thrones. Six thousand years ago, the Coloured Gods crushed the Six Gods of Virtue.¡± The Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings smiled. ¡°Soon, the Coloured Gods will understand the inevitability of destiny. In less than a millennium¡­¡±


    The stew¡¯s aroma weakened as her voice died away, but those words continued to bounce off the inwards of Dia¡¯s head. The familiar sensation iron hammers pounding on her skull descended once more, and Dia braced herself, but before she could sense anything, a thunderclap drowned out the rest of her aunt¡¯s words.


    The echoing utterances of her aunt began to dissipate, and the torrent of pain Dia was expecting ebbed away, like ice in the sun.


    ¡°Sorry, child.¡± The Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings bowed her head, a broken skillstick falling from her hands. ¡°My musings have exposed you to certain¡­unsavoury influences. You are a one-folder. There are many things you cannot come into contact with yet.¡±


    Dia winced. ¡°Things I cannot come into contact with yet? What does that have to do with being one-folder?¡±


    ¡°Many things,¡± Aunt Lumine replied. ¡°That¡¯s just how it is, so don¡¯t glare at me like that. Burning one¡¯s lifespan isn¡¯t just for power, it is also for authority. Continue on your path. You¡¯ll understand eventually.¡±


    After leaving these annoyingly cryptic words behind, the stately Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings returned her attention to the bowl of stew in her hand, digging in without a care in the world. Dia felt her lip twitch randomly, and then decided not to pay too much attention to her aunt¡¯s image.


    It was good enough that she had managed to escape the mind-shattering pain earlier ¡ª as for her aunt¡¯s image¡­forget it.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Aunt Lumine placed her empty bowl down, and as Dia goggled at the speed in which she had finished her meal, she said, ¡°You seem experienced. As if you¡¯ve encountered a similar pain before. What happened?¡±


    ¡°The¡­¡± Dia glanced at Farah, who was clearly trying to listen in, and hurriedly paraphrased her next words. ¡°The true identities of those who challenged the Six Gods of Virtue, and how many remained.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Her aunt stretched her arms. ¡°Yes, that is not a secret you should be privy to. But that implies you have been in contact with minimally a tetra-folder. What happened?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was travelling with a friend of mine, and she also had an aunt¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t feel that special anymore, for some reason.¡± The sorrowful aura around Aunt Lumine deepened. ¡°But by all means, do go on. Still, just what have you been up in the past four months? How did you make so many friends?¡±


    ¡°Long story,¡± Dia replied, before picking up her bowl, which had been neglected through and through. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything over the next few days. It should make for a good distraction.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± She lowered her voice. ¡°About your father¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone about me yet,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Shadows are chasing.¡±


    ¡°Still chasing?¡±


    ¡°Not sure.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Very well. He isn¡¯t that worried; no news is good news. Make sure to stay out of news. News is bad.¡±


    Farah, who was listening to their conversation, had a weird look on her face. Stifling an urge to laugh, Dia forced her face to remain impassive and nodded in reply, before turning to eat.


    Dia had a feeling that if she spoke anymore, Farah might just pick up on some hints. It was best to stop her here before her aunt gave the game away, which manifested in the form of one of those absurdly sweet bars.


    As Dia watched her aunt stuff her face with those HELPS, she took a long breath. This trip to Farah County was going to be a very long one.

 Chapter 192: Daily Life of the Holy Son

    A man with jet-black hair and pasty-white skin fell onto the ground, his face reflecting utter despair. Little pieces with moons carved on them fell around him, their clattering one of utter despair. The culprit behind the Holy Son of Black God¡¯s despair stood up, before reaching out to a bottle that had been placed on a slightly elevated table, and another despairing moan crawled around the room.


    ¡°So, five games, five losses. Per person. That makes it a grand total of fifteen losses in a single day.¡± Claud, who was watching the match with Lily and Risti, placed down his notebook. ¡°No changes to the Moon Phase rankings for the three of us, although we can definitely put him at first place for mental fortitude.¡±


    Nero, whose eyes were fixed on the bottle in Schwarz¡¯s hands, twitched. ¡°You guys are monsters. I¡¯m the best Moon Phase player in the Black Church. If you could beat me, you definitely can beat everyone else there.¡±


    ¡°You do know you are the Holy Son of the Black God, right?¡± Risti pointed out. ¡°Even if they could win, I don¡¯t think they would dare to. You¡¯ve been spoiled through and through.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Did you play with them openly? Did you hide your identity before challenging them?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Or did you just sit down and demand a game?¡±


    Nero twitched. ¡°The latter.¡±


    ¡°My point exactly,¡± Risti replied. ¡°If you¡¯re someone really important, no matter what you want to do, other people will give way to you. That¡¯s just how it is. You must hide your identity, hide it under multiple layers, and have an identity that seems just important enough to be treated seriously and nothing else. Otherwise, your friends and elders would just lose to you; it¡¯s no skin off their back anyway.¡±


    ¡°But we were betting¡ª¡±


    ¡°Let me guess. Money and lifestones, right? Anything that¡¯s really important isn¡¯t included,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Am I right?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Nero shook. ¡°How?


    ¡°They can just claim their losses from your caretakers afterwards,¡± Risti cut in. ¡°Man. You¡¯re a tetra-folder. You¡¯re like what, two hundred years old? Three hundred?¡±


    ¡°¡­Twenty-two, actually.¡±


    ¡°Oh, twenty-two? That actually makes more¡ª¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°Did you just say twenty-two? Twenty-two hundred years old? Man, that¡¯s actually¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just twenty-two,¡± said Nero.


    Claud, who was busy slapping his ears, felt the world¡¯s unfairness crash all around him. Other than his self-proclaimed good looks, there was absolutely nothing he could compare with the kid before him. Not only was he younger, he had a far longer lifespan, far greater strength, and a very enviable position.


    ¡°How could the world be this unfair?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Kid, you¡¯re twenty-two. But a tetra-folder? Really?¡±


    ¡°Ehe.¡±


    The master thief felt the muscles in his face twitch wildly. As Lily patted his head in an oddly maternal fashion, Risti and Schwarz gave Nero a good once over, and then shook their heads.


    ¡°The world is truly unfair,¡± said Schwarz.


    ¡°D-don¡¯t think too hard about it,¡± said Risti. ¡°Well, this does at least explain why you fell into a trap this easily. I was wondering how an old monster a couple of centuries old had been turned into a thrall this easily, but if you were actually twenty-two, that does explain it.¡±


    ¡°In that case, how old is Holy Daughter Clarissa?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Three hundred and fifty-three,¡± Risti promptly replied.


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Fifty-four,¡± Schwarz corrected. ¡°You forgot to add the new year inside.¡±


    ¡°Alright, she¡¯s the real thing,¡± Claud concluded. ¡°Makes sense, given their temperaments. Keep staying young, kid. Makes your mind faster and quicker.¡±


    ¡°Am I just immature?¡± Nero asked, a touch of worry on his face. ¡°I know I can¡¯t be compared to the stately Clarissa, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°N-nothing.¡± He looked at the pieces around him, before picking them up, cutting a sorrowful air with his movements. ¡°I¡¯m not really what you¡¯d think of when you think of a Holy Son, right?¡±


    Schwarz tilted his head. ¡°I don¡¯t really understand the churches of the Coloured Gods. But you¡¯re a Holy Son. I would expect you to act like a teenager or a kid. Now, if you ask me, Holy Lord or Holy Lady sounds far more solemn. I would expect these people to be more stately, stable and composed. Not you, really. You¡¯re still a kid.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Nero looked up, before gulping. ¡°Holy Lord¡­that sounds cool.¡±


    ¡°Right? Three hundred years later, remember to call yourself Holy Lord Nero. While you¡¯re at it, establish the position too. Don¡¯t let teenagers like you grow up into cold, distant people,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°Isn¡¯t it too sad if they must suppress their emotions and thoughts at such a young age?¡±


    Claud, who had recovered from his shock with Lily¡¯s help, gave Schwarz the stink-eye as he tried to convince the kid to stay young. He didn¡¯t know what kinds of benefits the bartender would obtain from doing so, but if he had to guess, it was probably related to securing a test subject for his deadly brews. After all, there was a young man with an abnormal tolerance for alcohol in front of him right now.


    If the Black Church didn¡¯t hurry up and reclaim their lost Holy Son, said Holy Son would soon become a Holy Drunkard, which would¡ª


    His thoughts stopped, and Claud looked at Nero. ¡°Nero. Hey, Nero.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, sorry! Is there anything you need?¡± the Holy Son asked with a small jerk.


    ¡°Yeah, there is. Just asking, but when is the Black Church going to fetch you home?¡± Claud asked. ¡°You¡¯ve been living with us for like two weeks. Shouldn¡¯t there be someone contacting you already? I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be letting someone as important as you, especially since you¡¯re a tetra-folder, run around on a foreign continent.¡±


    ¡°Clarissa is dealing with it,¡± said Nero. ¡°But isn¡¯t the great Dark descending? I don¡¯t think any cross-continental travel can occur.¡±


    ¡°The great Dark¡­¡± Claud gulped. It was the first time Nero had directly referred to it. As a Holy Son of the Black God, he probably knew a lot about what was t come. ¡°What exactly is it?¡±


    ¡°A period of strife,¡± said Nero.


    ¡°We know that much,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°No, what we¡¯re asking is¡ª¡±


    ¡°The four of you are not tetra-folders yet,¡± said Nero. ¡°If I tell you, the four of you will die on the spot. Please forgive me for not telling you.¡±


    Claud twitched. The Holy Son had linked their number of mana circuits to their eligibility in learning about such information, which could only imply that¡­


    ¡°Why do we need to be tetra-folders?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Is there something like¡­¡±


    ¡°Authority.¡±


    Nero¡¯s single word rattled Claud¡¯s head, bouncing back and forth inside his skull. Alone, it shouldn¡¯t have done anything, but it wasn¡¯t just alone. The word had somehow linked up to the inferences his mind had automatically made, roiling and crushing everything in his¡ª


    [Your passive skill, Understanding, has activated.]


    The agony, which had been in its nascent form, abruptly vanished, and Claud found himself completing the inferences, which had been on the verge of clearing up. His instincts kicked in at this very moment, and Claud continued to feign agony with the others, and the sounds of everyone else groaning lasted for five minutes or so.


    Other than him, Risti was the first one to recover. Schwarz and Lily followed suit a second later, and Claud found it appropriate to join in too. The four of them gazed ruefully at Nero, who had an apologetic expression on his face.


    The Holy Son of the Black God bowed his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But you should understand what I mean by now. If I tell you even more confidential things, your head will literally explode. I don¡¯t know why, nor do I know how, but that¡¯s just things actually work. Be careful. Your authority is commensurate with your position on the hierarchy of life. Overstep your boundaries, and¡­¡±


    ¡°T-thanks, Nero.¡± Schwarz pulled out two small bottles, and then slid one to him. A refreshing orangey scent burst out as he opened the bottle in his hand and poured out the contents for everyone else. ¡°This should alleviate the pain. Drink it.¡±


    Claud took it without complaint, making use of the chance to glance at Lily, who had a pained look on her face. Everyone else also had the same agonised expression too, but for the first time, Claud didn¡¯t know who to blame for this.


    Downing half the cup, he passed the rest to Lily, who seemed a bit more affected by the whole ordeal. ¡°Here. Take mine.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you need it?¡± Lily asked.


    Uncomfortably aware of Risti and Schwarz¡¯s gazes, Claud shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m stronger than you think. I¡¯ve been through worse, after all.¡±


    It was actually his passive skill, Understanding, at play, but he didn¡¯t see the need to tell everyone else about it. He didn¡¯t know how something like it was obtained, so telling other people about it could be a huge problem.


    Claud rubbed his head as Lily took his cup. He had actually forgotten about his newly obtained passive skill due to all the fuss, but he hadn¡¯t had the time to check on his other skills¡­and the last, oddly-named passive skill he had. He would do that later, if nothing else.


    As that thought floated into his mind, a certain corner of his pocket twitched.

 Chapter 193: Of the three continents

    ¡°Anyway, you must be careful,¡± said Nero. ¡°Many people have died from being exposed to the wrong types of information. Yelling the right words in battle can do as much harm as a well-timed skill¡­you will not believe how many people have died from being exposed to the wrong information at the worst of times.¡±


    ¡°Information as a weapon?¡± Claud asked, interested.


    ¡°I had a feeling that you of all people would be interested in asking,¡± Lily chimed in. ¡°Glad to see that I¡¯m not wrong.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to see that someone understands me to such an extent,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Yeah, I had a feeling you wanted to learn some sneaky move too,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°I just fear for the lives of your enemies.¡±


    Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°Have you ever seen me make an actual enemy before? I don¡¯t make enemies. That just doesn¡¯t make sense. Everyone tries to be good friends with each other; isn¡¯t our soon-to-be Ruler Istrel visiting the dukedom capitals of Lustre and Schwa? Even for someone as important as him, he still has to give these two areas respect by placing them last on the visiting list.¡±


    ¡°Only because they¡¯re all penta-folders,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°But still, you do make a good point. He¡¯s not snubbing Duke Lustre or Duke Schwa, so I presume that it¡¯s a signal that things haven¡¯t quite gone past the point of no return yet. Maybe the two of them would just throw some benefits at Ruler Istrel and be done with it.¡±


    ¡°Sure doesn¡¯t feel like it, though,¡± Risti mused out loud.


    ¡°Politics is the same everywhere, huh?¡± Nero bobbed his head. ¡°Rulers, Dukes¡­it¡¯s not too different from the politics of Nihal. Just different names and things.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, which is why your First Lady is unlikely to get along with our Emperor,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°And the same¡¯s likely to hold for Lacheln too.¡±


    ¡°Lacheln¡¯s worse,¡± Nero replied. ¡°The current Supreme, Supreme Saran, holds total sway over his continent. The people complain about the high-handedness and callous disregard for human will and life by the Nihal Senate, but that is nothing compared to the Saran Supremacy¡¯s institutionalised slavery.¡±


    ¡°Slavery?¡± Everyone stared at Nero.


    ¡°Yeah. They don¡¯t let us know too much, though. Apparently, a lot of senators believe that if their people learn about the problematic way of life the people of the Supremacy are forced to endure, the people would band together and demand for the Senate to take action.¡± Nero shrugged. ¡°No one knows, though. After all, I¡¯ve been told that the Grandis Empire is an antiquated system propped by on the basis of power alone. Neo-slavery in the form of fiefs and nobles isn¡¯t all that better than the Saran Supremacy.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s an unfair characterisation of our Grandis, though,¡± said Schwarz.


    ¡°I agree,¡± said Nero. ¡°For one, the booze here is awesome, unlike those fake watered-down piss that Nihal taverns serve, yet dare to call number one under the skies.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Schwarz nodded eagerly. ¡°Disappointing. It seems that there¡¯s not going to be much I can learn about alcohol from Nihal. But do they have good non-alcoholic drinks there?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. Definitely. Nothing as good as your fizz, though,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I¡¯m going to be sad when I have to return home. I¡¯ll definitely miss your fizz.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a barrel before¡ª¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Claud cut in. ¡°You¡¯re just going to bug me for one barrel and give it to him, right? At least give me credit where it¡¯s due.¡±


    ¡°Who said I wasn¡¯t going to give you credit?¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Besides, he¡¯ll be stuck here for some time. Nero¡¯s going to find out that you¡¯re the guy with the fizzy drinks, not me.¡±


    ¡°Actually, Clarissa told me to get a barrel from you,¡± said Nero. ¡°She¡¯s willing to pay six high-ranked lifestones for it, the same price the count¡¯s fianc¨¦e paid.¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°You do know that¡ªnever mind. Sure,¡± said Claud. ¡°I¡¯ll get you a barrel later. Still, you¡¯re acting as her gofer? That¡¯s a sound idea. She has lots of experience as the Holy Daughter. But don¡¯t emulate her frozen face, though.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll smack you if she found out you said that,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°It¡¯s a point of pride for her, do you know that? She¡¯s actually really expressive too, but due to the many devious elderly men and women in the White Church, she has to be very stoic.¡±


    ¡°And your Black Church isn¡¯t any different?¡±


    ¡°The Lord places emphasis on the domain of emotions and feelings,¡± he replied. ¡°Why would we stifle our true thoughts and emotions? Only by being liberated in spirit and mind can we face the trials and tribulations sent by the five grand skies.¡±


    ¡°The five grand skies¡­¡±


    ¡°Not telling,¡± Nero replied hastily. ¡°You will die a horrible death. So no. Not now. Your authority increases when your mana folds increase, so work hard and get there quickly.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound easy¡­¡± Rolling his eyes, Claud got up. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m going to mull on some things for a moment, and then do my usual checks on the city gates. You lot have fun.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°Have fun, I guess.¡±


    Lily stood up. ¡°How long do you need to mull for?¡±


    ¡°Around thirty minutes or so,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯ll see you at Breads and Buns.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°Remember to bring some money, okay?¡±


    Claud smiled. It was her treat yesterday, so it went without saying that it was his turn to stuff her full of little savoury foods. Even though he wasn¡¯t all that rich, this was something he could at least do. ¡°Of course not.¡±


    Smiling, he returned to his room and locked the door, before taking out little Crown, who had been twitching and nudging his thigh ever since Claud thought about checking the rest of his skills.


    His status popped up a few seconds after he sat down.


    Name: Claud Primus


    Lifespan: 250 years


    Active Skills: Presence Nullification (8), Flight (5), Binding Order (7), Cleanse (6), FiBoD;A??? (0), FiBoD;A??? (0)


    Passive Skills: DiL???C, Mana Organ, Omen, Understanding


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 1.78


    Mana Control Proficiency: Intermediate


    Comments: <Skill: Omen> detected. Adjusting in progress¡­


    With Crown¡¯s help, he had burned forty-two years of his life to complete another forty-two percent of his mana-circuit. Normally, burning a second circuit required two hundred years of lifespan, but thanks to Crown, that number had been cut down to half. Whether it would stay the same for the next few folds Claud had no idea, but this was yet another reason why he was so incentivised to stay alive. As long as he stayed alive, becoming a truly mighty folder would be around the corner; he had an unparalleled advantage in this regard.


    Still, what exactly was Crown?


    The little box bounced onto his knee as that question came to mind, and Claud focused on the skill that he had forgotten about after a long time.


    [Skill: Divine Life Companion


    Skill effects: You are the lifebound partner of a Divine Life Existence.]


    Claud stared at the small rectangle, and then frowned. There was nothing else to it. Just a small description that did absolutely nothing at all.


    ¡°Say, Crown.¡±


    The box hopped once and turned to him, before tilting to one side. ¡°Meep?¡±


    ¡°Well, I am told that you are something called a Divine Life Existence,¡± Claud continued. ¡°I, unfortunately, have no idea what a Divine Life Existence is, although it does sound related to the gods.¡±


    Crown spun on an edge for three seconds, before falling onto its side. ¡°Meep¡­¡±


    ¡°Not useful, eh?¡± Claud frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll keep searching. There¡¯s got to be something about this.¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    Claud laughed, before scooping up the little box and placing it on his shoulder. ¡°Still, I¡¯m your lifebound partner, eh? How does that work? You¡¯re so awesome, so why didn¡¯t anyone try to be your lifebound partner in the past?¡±


    He tried to recall the circumstances in which he got Crown, but the memory of the whole thing felt a bit off. Back then, when he was sneaking into Duke Istrel¡¯s treasury, his Presence Nullification seemed to have worn off at a bad timing. Although he made up for it a moment later by snapping a skillstick, one of the automatons on guard had noticed him in that infinitesimal moment in which he was exposed. Therefore, he was forced to flee with the little Crown and the Pure-Life Gem, which he had to ingest to prevent anyone from tracking him down with it.


    From that, it was possible that someone had noticed the ability of that non-descript box to nurture Pure-Life Gems. However, that assumption was problematic; no one would have left Crown there if they knew that it possessed such an ability. In that case, the newly-formed Pure-Life Gem¡­


    ¡°Urgh. Did someone really steal an old Pure-Life Gem and stuff a new one in its place?¡± Claud rubbed his head. ¡°That was supposed to be a fricking rumour, but it¡¯s come full circle now? My head hurts.¡±


    Crown hopped onto his head and rolled around on his scalp, which was, to be honest, a rather useful remedy. Before long, his headache had subsided, but Claud had lost all interest in checking his other skills. He had a feeling that if another stupid mystery popped up, today¡¯s work could be called off.


    Placing Crown back into his pocket, he got up and left Moon Mansion, heading towards that little shop that he had agreed to meet with Lily at.

 Chapter 194: The distress caused by a generous Holy Daughter

    ¡°Do you actually read the names of the pastries you buy?¡± Claud asked, looking down at the vast assortment of breads with different condiments and fillings. ¡°I just find myself just pointing at anything that looks interesting or delicious, so¡­¡±


    Lily waved her hand. ¡°Nuh-uh, it¡¯s totally fine.¡±


    Her long sleeves, which had some out-of-place frills on it, flapped around elegantly with that motion, and Claud smiled. The two of them preferred functional clothes ¡ª long-sleeved clothing with trousers, with a cloak or a coat ¡ª but it was the first time he had seen cute frills on what outdoor attire.


    Claud glanced at his outfit, which was the same, save for the frills, and then replied, ¡°It¡¯s a bad habit, though. What if there¡¯s something that¡¯s actually icky and I didn¡¯t notice it?¡±


    ¡°You have your anti-poison artefacts, so I don¡¯t really see the problem¡­alright, maybe I do.¡± Lily picked up a sugar-covered donut and bit into it, liberating a dollop of jam that promptly splattered itself on her cheek. ¡°Something like mustard filling or something probably won¡¯t go well with me.¡±


    Making a mental note of that particular dislike, Claud nodded along. They had spent around thirty minutes talking about random events that had occurred in Licencia while sharing a plate of little treats. For instance, Miss Caroline had issued an arrest warrant for the Monochromatic Twins, apparently for trespassing on her bedroom and doodling panda eyes on her. That, incidentally, meant that she was a snoring sleeper, although it would seem that no one around her had pointed out that little caveat yet.


    Another amusing story was the developments between Holy Daughter Clarissa and the famous storyteller Colidra. Mister Colidra had been scared out of his life when the Holy Daughter strode into Triple-D, offering to book him for an entire year with one pure-ranked lifestone. The absurdly high price offered freaked the poor man out, and he tried to flee the city at night, having assumed she wanted to create a pretext in which he could be arrested for nefarious reasons.


    Unfortunately, the city gates had been closed at night by order of the city administration, and by the time the sun was up, the Holy Daughter had caught wind of his attempts to skip town.


    ¡°Miss, I think you must have gotten the wrong idea about me! My services don¡¯t need pure-ranked lifestones!¡±


    Claud felt his lips twitch as the person he was just thinking about earlier showed up on the street. The Holy Daughter of the White God was pestering him like a jilted lover, and he exchanged stifled grins with Lily.


    ¡°Not enough?¡± the dignified voice of Holy Daughter Clarissa asked. ¡°Fifty pure-ranked lifestones.¡±


    Claud, who was initially smiling in glee, felt something sour in his mouth, and Lily broke into laughter.


    ¡°Is it really that funny?¡± Claud muttered darkly.


    Lily took a deep breath and stopped her giggles. ¡°The look on your face was. You should have seen the look on your face. I don¡¯t even know how to put it.¡±


    Claud reached out and flicked her nose lightly, causing her face to scrunch up. Picking up a little biscuit, he glanced at Colidra, who was trying to extricate himself from a potential crime of scamming a Holy Daughter who couldn¡¯t read the mood. The storyteller didn¡¯t accept her offer out of fear, since it was possible that the White Church would eventually learn that he had told their Holy Daughter some folktales in exchange for pure-ranked lifestones.


    It was unfortunate that Holy Daughter Clarissa didn¡¯t actually notice the dilemma the poor guy was in.


    ¡°Maybe we should help the Holy Daughter out,¡± said Lily, who was rubbing her nose with a rueful expression on her face. ¡°Tell her to lower her price.¡±


    ¡°We could try that,¡± said Claud, ¡°but I get a feeling we¡¯ll be embroiled in something troublesome again.¡±


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°The nature of our work means we will get into contact with troublesome things anyway,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Didn¡¯t you uncover a smuggling ring two days ago? Or the serial killer four days back? Or how there was a bribed guard a week ago? I don¡¯t really think you have much in the way of an excuse¡­¡±


    ¡°Urgh.¡±


    ¡°Come on!¡± Lily got up and grabbed his hand, dragging him towards the beleaguered storyteller. Claud, who by now was aware that he had a soft spot for her, could only allow himself to be led on.


    Colidra¡¯s face brightened up as he spotted a potential helper, and with an agility that belied his age, he darted towards Claud and hid behind him.


    ¡°Help me tell this insane profligate that I¡¯m not interested in receiving fifty pure-ranked lifestones for a story!¡±


    Claud felt his eyelids twitch.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s you,¡± said the Holy Daughter. ¡°Good. This is the person the Moon Lords recommended, no? Why is he so obstinate about not telling me the stories I want? Does he dislike the faithful of the White God?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m quite sure you asked him that question too,¡± said Claud, incredibly aware of the burning gaze on his back. Clearly, Colidra had pegged Claud as the person who betrayed him to the Holy Daughter, but there were no two ways about it. Fluffing himself up, Claud said, ¡°He doesn¡¯t mind telling you stories, but your payment is too high.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just an excuse to not serve a particular customer?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re offering fifty pure-ranked lifestones for his services. If the bigshots at the White Church heard of it, wouldn¡¯t they get angry? They¡¯ll then chase him down and demand for a refund. Maybe they¡¯ll break a limb or two, or cut out his tongue and toss him out of the city.¡±


    Colidra trembled.


    ¡°They won¡¯t do that,¡± said Holy Daughter Clarissa. ¡°That¡¯s not how we operate.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you can speak for your people in that regard,¡± said Claud, taking a glance at the two bodyguards that had been trailing her in the shadows the whole time. If he remembered correctly, they were called Alf and Dio, although he didn¡¯t quite know who was who.


    ¡°Are you questioning my words?¡±


    ¡°Am I not allowed to do that?¡± Claud asked mildly, tilting his head. ¡°Anyway, if you want him to speak, just lower your price. Something like silver, or a bottle of booze will do.¡±


    ¡°How profane,¡± said the Holy Daughter.


    The sincerity and devoutness in which she said those words was somewhat disturbing, and once again, Claud was reminded of that nauseating pity that she had whenever she talked down to others. Oddly enough, however, that pity had weakened, as if she had mellowed out through her interactions here.


    For an old monster who was someone in the same era of Count Nightfall, this timing felt a bit odd. Either that, or she rarely ventured out of the White Church for such a long time.


    That also felt odd in its own right, given her age, but Claud wasn¡¯t dumb enough to bring up such a question.


    ¡°Sometimes, being excessive in generosity can harm others,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Even if the White Church doesn¡¯t do anything, once the news that Colidra has obtained fifty pure-ranked lifestones from you gets out, he¡¯ll be in danger unless he uses them on the spot, and even then¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Colidra poked his head out. ¡°So¡­a silver or two?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll treat you to a good meal,¡± said Holy Daughter Clarissa. ¡°Will that suffice?¡¯


    The storyteller let out a sigh. ¡°Yes, of course. That is good enough, really.¡±


    ¡°All this drama could have been avoided if you had properly articulated your thoughts to Holy Daughter Clarissa, though,¡± Lily pointed out. ¡°Now the entire city knows about this little affair, even though it just started last night. Do you want to know about the more savoury rumours?¡±


    ¡°¡­No, thank you.¡± Colidra shivered. ¡°Never bring that up again.¡±


    Lily giggled. ¡°Alright, now that we¡¯ve helped someone in passing, we should also get going. There¡¯s something we need to do now, so we can¡¯t stay for¡ª¡±


    ¡°You guys can come along too,¡± said Holy Daughter Clarissa, before hurriedly saying, ¡°If you want to, of course.¡±


    Claud and Lily exchanged glances. They had things to do, and it wasn¡¯t like they had all the time in the world. However, the prospect of freeloading a meal didn¡¯t sound all bad, so he wasn¡¯t quite sure of what to think of this offer.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Claud asked, directing his question at Lily.


    ¡°We have work to do, but I want to listen to a story,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And I think we might be able to learn more about this great Dark thing too¡­Mister Colidra, do you have stories about the great Dark?¡±


    ¡°Not many,¡± Colidra replied. ¡°Mostly a collection of folk tales and old, old legends. Nothing substantive. I¡¯ve been brushing up on that ever since the bigshots started asking about the great Dark.¡±


    ¡°Business is booming, I take it,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Yeap.¡±


    He nodded at Lily, who nodded back.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Lily, ¡°we¡¯ll be imposing on you, then. Thanks, Clarissa!¡±


    The Holy Daughter of the White God blinked thrice, and then nodded. ¡°My pleasure.¡±


    Claud stole a glance at the imposing guards behind her, who were definitely more than just bodyguards. None of them seemed to have any opinions of this impromptu development, which was good news for the two of them.


    Within moments, their little party was headed towards the poshest restaurant in town.

 Chapter 195: A discreet restaurant and a promise of secrets

    Bells tinkled as Holy Daughter Clarissa pushed open the doors to a simple-looking building. She had a small frown on her face as she looked around, before turning to raise an eyebrow at Mister Colidra.


    ¡°I thought I said ¡®fanciest restaurant in Licencia¡¯,¡± said the Holy Daughter. ¡°Did you mishear me?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± said the middle-aged storyteller. ¡°This is the fanciest place if we¡¯re talking about quality alone. Never judge a place by its coat of paint, Holy Daughter. I hope you brought enough gold coins, though. This place is really expensive.¡±


    ¡°It better be, or else I¡¯ll take it that you¡¯re looking down on me,¡± she replied.


    Claud and Lily, who was watching the entire exchange in silence, glanced at each other and stifled a smile. This right here was the definition of a profligate child; never mind her stupendous offer to hear a story or two, but even in simple acts like treating a meal would provoke her to waste as much money as possible. It went without saying that such an extravagant bearing needed a particular kind of upbringing ¡ª Claud could tell that the White Church was probably loaded. If their Holy Daughter could be this prodigal, it probably meant that the higher-ups were also the same.


    In other words, people of the White Church were walking sacks of gold and treasures.


    Suppressing his urge to ask about the headquarters of the White Church, which was supposedly in the Istrel capital, Claud glanced at Mister Colidra, who was already talking to a crisply dressed waiter. Clean-shaven, with his clothes and uniform cutting stark angles, the waiter gave off an air of professionality. Another such waiter stood a half-step behind the first, but there was an alert, vigilant air to him as if¡­


    He was a bodyguard for the first waiter.


    From the corner of his eye, Claud could see the Holy Daughter¡¯s bodyguards glance at the second waiter, caution written all over their faces. They hadn¡¯t taken a combat stance yet, but from how they were ready to lower their posture at any given moment, it was clear that they were feeling threatened.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that the waiter gives off the same vibe as her bodyguards?¡± Lily leaned towards Claud and whispered. ¡°They all have this air of seriousness, like they¡¯re chosen elites or something.¡±


    Claud blinked twice. Now that she brought it up¡­these three did seem like they were in the same industry. Which made sense, since this was apparently a top-of-the-line restaurant. If its waiters were¡ª


    ¡°Yeah, who am I kidding?¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°No, just scolding a random part of my brain for trying to escape what might just look like trouble,¡± he replied. ¡°Yeah, this doesn¡¯t make sense. I give up. In this line of work, you always come across trouble, even if you don¡¯t want to. There¡¯s always something going on, and I think my salary needs an increase.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re free to negotiate with Caroline on that regard, though. Judging from how easily she hands out lower rank lifestones with ease, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be that hard,¡± said Lily. ¡°But it¡¯s good, isn¡¯t it? You get first dibs on the spoils of any criminal you capture, and it stops you from staying cooped up in your room all day. Don¡¯t you get bored?¡±


    ¡°Bored?¡± Claud felt the corners of his lips rise. ¡°Even without my job, this year has proved itself to be very exciting. It¡¯s so exciting that I had to stop my¡± ¡ªClaud lowered his volume¡ª ¡°nightly adventures to help the poor. Now, I just send some funds and food to trusted contacts in surrounding little villages.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s safer¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Claud conceded in a whisper, ¡°but I have a feeling my little jaunts at night back then were a lot safer than whatever mess that¡¯s going on right now.¡±


    Lily tilted her head, and then, with a hint of unwillingness, conceded. ¡°True.¡±


    ¡°Right? And¡ª¡±


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    ¡°Alright,¡± said Colidra, who was done speaking to the first waiter. ¡°We¡¯re all set for today¡¯s booking.¡±


    ¡°Sirs, and miss,¡± said the first waiter, ¡°do follow me.¡±


    Claud glanced around as he and Lily followed the others, but the place remained as sparsely decorated as its nondescript exterior. Other than brown, wooden walls that were just glossy enough to indicate that they underwent regular wipes and nothing else, the furniture and fixtures of this nameless restaurant were coated in a smooth shade of matt grey.


    Triple-D, before Schwarz and Dia cleaned it up, was more eye-catching than this, which was an awfully low bar to clear.


    For some reason, however, Holy Daughter Clarissa hadn¡¯t said anything about the dull interior d¨¦cor. Her two bodyguards didn¡¯t seem to exhibit any disapproval either, which prompted Claud to keep his mouth shut and not say anything. If there was anything he knew about these three, it was that they definitely had been exposed to the heights of luxury.


    To speak now would be to expose the heights of his own ignorance.


    Lily was also gazing around curiously, although the amount of attention she paid to certain things ¡ª which Claud didn¡¯t notice anything funny about ¡ª was a bit too obvious. Unfortunately, since no one was in a speaking mood, Claud wasn¡¯t going to bug Lily about what she knew.


    After around a minute or two, the two waiters stopped in front of a door and waved them in.


    The room, unsurprisingly, was as dull as the area outside.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± Holy Daughter Clarissa murmured. ¡°How did you know of this place, mister Colidra?¡±


    ¡°The owner of this restaurant liked my stories,¡± he replied. ¡°But that¡¯ll be a tale for another day. I apologise in advance, but I¡¯ve already helped everyone order their dishes. This restaurant has a very unique menu, so instead of waiting for you guys to eat your own words, I¡¯ve taken the liberty to order a standard table¡¯s worth.¡±


    ¡°Eat our own words?¡± Claud asked, curious.


    ¡°Yes. Meals here are very pricey, and there have been stories of customers being blacklisted after trying to threaten the staff present,¡± the old man replied. ¡°I would rather not have you guys go through such an experience, and the best way would be to convince your stomachs.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t know what Colidra was getting at, but since he and Lily weren¡¯t actually the ones paying, the two of them were more than happy to go along with him. From the sounds of it, however, the two of them were in for a treat.


    ¡°Do you want to start talking about the great Dark now?¡± Holy Daughter Clarissa prompted.


    ¡°Now¡¯s a good time as any, I guess.¡± Colidra cleared his throat. ¡°First, what exactly is the great Dark? The first time I heard this term mentioned is in the old legend, the Moons and the Makers. Certainly, back then, Helios spoke thus to the Moons, ¡®Thy light art likest fireflies, that which flickers and fades in the howling Dark. We shalt not bow to neither the Dark nor your feeble light.¡¯¡±


    ¡°The Moons and the Makers¡­¡± Holy Daughter Clarissa glanced at one of her bodyguards. ¡°Dio. Take that down. I recall seeing one such text before.¡±


    ¡°The Church of the White God has professionals in analysing texts, so I shall not delve into an in-depth analysis,¡± said Colidra. ¡°Knowing your ways, I suspect that your people will come up with a far better explanation and hypothesis¡­if only I could take a look into your library!¡±


    ¡°Well, you could come with us,¡± the Holy Daughter replied. ¡°How does that sound?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± said Colidra, his words measured and careful. ¡°I am honoured by your invitation, however.¡±


    Claud couldn¡¯t help but note that the two bodyguards had stiffened up upon Colidra¡¯s refusal, only to loosen when Colidra expressed his gratitude. The two guards had been conditioned to think that way, and as for the reason why¡­well, they were probably fanatics.


    The religious kind, not the kinds that emulated their role models and idols.


    Lily nudged him in the ribs.


    ¡°What?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything!¡±


    ¡°That denial sounds suspicious,¡± Lily whispered back, before nudging him a few times with her elbow. Claud wanted to dodge, but squirming around like some insane fool didn¡¯t bode well for his handsome image, so the master thief could only endure Lily¡¯s little nudges.


    It helped that they were more of pats than jabs, so Claud could easily endure it while Colidra moved on to the next few texts. As a whole, the storyteller hadn¡¯t encountered many texts about the howling Dark or the great Dark ¡ª which apparently referred to the same entity ¡ª but there was one thing for certain, and that the great Dark referred to an entity that existed beyond the world.


    As for what that entity was¡­


    ¡°Well, no one really has a clue,¡± Colidra replied. ¡°That¡¯s just how it is, Claud. We¡¯ve lost many valuable records over the course of history. In fact, we¡¯re in a great age of decline; eons ago, tetra-folders would have been more common than cabbages.¡±


    He paused. ¡°I¡¯m somewhat exaggerating, but my point still stands. No new septa-folder has emerged in the past six thousand years, for instance.¡±


    ¡°I would tell you the answer,¡± the Holy Daughter replied, ¡°but I am afraid that you will die on the spot.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said the storyteller. ¡°I know.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°There are many secrets, many things that we have taken for granted. But now, even recognising what we have taken for granted can be¡­dangerous. But never mind that for a moment. Our food is here.¡±


    On cue, the door opened. Trolleys trundled into the room, each of them laden with silverware, but Claud wasn¡¯t going to care about that.


    No.


    What truly drew his attention wasn¡¯t the fact that the dishes on them were glowing, but the otherworldly, mouth-watering fragrance that had wafted into the room.


    As one, stomachs rumbled.

 Chapter 196: Foodfights and poems from antiquity

    ¡°What is this fragrance?¡± Claud, despite having stuffed himself with some pastries earlier, gulped. The mouth-watering smell had stimulated the inwards of his digestive system, sending it into overdrive as it worked to digest whatever he¡¯d eaten earlier.


    Incidentally, there was no need to worry about Lily, who claimed that she had a separate stomach for sweets and pastries. Claud didn¡¯t quite know what she meant, but the healthy appetite she boasted every day was probably good proof that she was more than enough to handle the spread before them.


    He glanced at Lily. ¡°Drool¡¯s leaking out.¡±


    She rubbed the corner of her lips, her eyes fixated on the food. ¡°The food¡¯s glowing, right? A faint, golden sheen¡­¡±


    Claud stared at the glowing food. He wanted to figure out the principles behind such a divine sight, but his mind, which was more interested in eating, didn¡¯t feel like responding all that much. The dishes were fairly simple; most of them were staple homecooked dishes, but there was some incredible compelling force that made them simply irresistible to the five senses.


    ¡°C-can we start eating?¡± Lily asked, her eyes turning into little round balls.


    ¡°Finally. Someone asked a sensible question.¡± Colidra patted his chest. ¡°Go on. Don¡¯t wait for¡ª¡±


    A mad clatter interrupted his words, but Claud wasn¡¯t interested in checking out his expression. Mana, shaped in the form of threads, surged out of his hands a second later, taking the others by surprise as they curled around sausages and meatballs and took them back to his plate.


    His actions inspired everyone else to do the same, and an awe-inspiring presence burst out of Holy Daughter Clarissa as hundreds of wriggling threads burst out of her hands. As for Lily, she was simply scooping up entire trats of golden rice with two hand-like structures of mana, dumping them on her plate before doing the same to some cream stew.


    ¡°That¡¯s too much!¡± Colidra yelled. ¡°Spare a lot for this normal storyteller!¡±


    Everyone paused.


    ¡°Dude has a point,¡± Claud begrudgingly conceded.


    The old storyteller glared at him. ¡°You¡¯re the one who started it! Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t see this! Damn it.¡±


    ¡°Well, mister,¡± said one of the two waiters, ¡°we did tell you not to bring mana-users if you weren¡¯t one yourself.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know this was the reason!¡±


    ¡°Now you do,¡± the waiter replied, a hint of amusement in his words. ¡°It¡¯s impressive, isn¡¯t it? The sight of such miraculous powers used just to get more food¡­this is one reason why you should become a mana-user, mister Colidra.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t have many years to use. And it feels like a waste. Mana-users are simply better killers than normal people,¡± said the storyteller.


    ¡°I hear that there¡¯s some Holy Daughter offering you fifty pure-ranked lifestones for a story. If you convert that into low-ranked lifestones and consume them to the point of saturation, you¡¯ll gain fifty years of life. You¡¯ll have some leftovers to boot, too.¡±


    ¡°Done that already.¡±


    ¡°Oh. But that¡¯s kinda beside the point. As you have just seen, mana-users happen to be better at snatching food too¡­¡±


    The waiter¡¯s reply hit a particular sore spot, and Colidra let out a small growl. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. Alright, let¡¯s just eat what¡¯s on your plate first. Everyone has a small mountain already¡­especially you, Claud. Why would you have so many sausages and meatballs? Moons, there aren¡¯t even sausages left! Do you like them this much?¡±


    Under the blazing glares from nearly everyone ¡ª fortunately, Lily at least wasn¡¯t one of those giving him the stink-eye ¡ª Claud placed some sausages back sheepishly.


    ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± Colidra picked up a sausage, and then looked around. ¡°Please, do keep eating. Within reason.¡±


    Dishes clattered once more, but unfortunately, the golden rice that had caught Claud¡¯s eye had been depleted while he wasn¡¯t paying attention, and Claud returned his gaze to his own plate. Lily¡¯s fork, which had already stabbed through one of the sausages on his plate, paused in mid-air as he looked at it, before zipping back to its owner.


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    He couldn¡¯t quite blame her, since those sausages had been cooked to utter perfection. Juicy and meaty, simply chewing on them was enough to make Claud forget about the troubles of his everyday life. Lily probably needed a few more of these sausages, now that he thought about it.


    Placing some of his ill-gotten bounty on her plate, Claud pointed at her rice in silence, to which Lily gestured for him to go ahead. With that little transaction done, Claud leaned back and enjoyed the fluffy rice slowly.


    Being able to just communicate with hand gestures was exceptionally handy when one¡¯s mouth was full with chewing.


    It was a pity that there wasn¡¯t any gravy to go along with the golden fluffy rice, but this was a perfect treat in and of itself. Letting his consciousness drift, Claud polished off his plate, and started claiming bits and pieces of whatever that was left behind. He wasn¡¯t paying too much attention to what he was eating, and before long, everyone was simply scraping at the emptied plates.


    ¡°I hope you enjoyed your meal here,¡± said the waiter, rousing everyone from their mindless attempts to produce more food out of emptied plates. ¡°We will send the bill over shortly.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Luis.¡± Colidra nodded at him.


    ¡°Send my compliments to the chef,¡± said Holy Daughter Clarissa. ¡°Incidentally, tell him that there¡¯s a place for him in the Church of the White God if he or she so wills it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll convey your message, miss, but do not hold high hopes. Our chef hasn¡¯t been moved by any offer so far, even ones that offered an invitation to the Grandis Palace itself,¡± the waiter replied.


    The Holy Daughter twitched.


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Colidra chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s his usual reply, really. Anyway, now that we¡¯re all nice and full, I¡¯ll go ahead and talk about two more sources that touch upon the great Dark. The first one is, once more, a line in a very obscure poem, The Moons I cried for, written in year 39338 in the era of the Six Gods of Virtue. Here is the entire stanza. ¡®O Moons up high/whenceforth my bloodied cry/I howl to great Dark/and may ye howl hark!¡¯


    ¡°As for the interpretation¡­I suppose your literature experts can probably do a better job than me.¡± Colidra smiled. ¡°It is almost certainly a song of hate, though. Do read it with other people, preferably in the daytime when you¡¯re happy and full.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably sound advice,¡± Lily noted.


    ¡°The Moons I cried for. Got it. Do you know where one might read this poem?¡± Holy Daughter Clarissa asked.


    ¡°The original poem was inscribed on a ruined temple of the Six Gods. The temple itself is located in Exner Barony, which is in turn situated within the Nihila Sovereignty, under Cava County,¡± Colidra replied. ¡°Copies, however are available in the Courts of Culture; there is a branch in almost every dukedom capital throughout Grandis.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± said Holy Daughter Clarissa. ¡°Right, I want to ask ¡ª do you know anything about the great Dark descending? Or about this phrase ¡®By the decree of the five grand skies¡¯. It¡¯s really important.¡±


    ¡°The five grand skies?¡± Colidra blinked. ¡°Do you not know about them? You are the Holy Daughter of the White Church, after all.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s obscure lore that I never read up on, and I don¡¯t have time to go back,¡± Clarissa replied. ¡°It¡¯s possible that the Thief of Time is related to either the great Dark or the five grand skies, and I can¡¯t afford to let such a person escape.¡±


    Claud withstood the urge to twitch on the spot.


    ¡°Escape?¡± Colidra blinked. ¡°Young lady, Tot has been at large for many months now. The moons have changed, but we haven¡¯t caught hide nor hair of Tot at all. But to address your original question¡­no, I do not have anything on the five grand skies. The phrase is in my memory, but there is nothing I associate with it.¡±


    ¡°Nothing?¡±


    ¡°The five grand skies are said to be the ultimate heights that anyone can conceivably hope to reach,¡± Colidra replied. ¡°But I have never heard anything related to a so-called decree. What exactly is going on here? Why is everyone hung up on information related to the Moons, the Dark and the five grand skies?¡±


    ¡°Something happened,¡± Holy Daughter Clarissa replied. ¡°And I don¡¯t know if I can tell you more without your head exploding on the spot.¡±


    ¡°¡­I see.¡± He closed his eyes. ¡°I apologise for being this useless.¡±


    The door opened at this point, and the waiter that Colidra had been talking to earlier walked in. ¡°Which is a very good argument to justify why you should be a mana-user¡­but anyway, here¡¯s the bill.¡±


    ¡°Pass it on to her, please. It¡¯s on her tab.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    The Holy Daughter took a glance at the bill, and then did a doubletake. Taking a deep breath, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t eaten the food here, I would have thought that this was a robbery or a setup.¡±


    ¡°Best we skip that phase,¡± said Colidra. ¡°Less embarrassment, more satisfaction.¡±


    As Claud exchanged curious glances with Lily, he made a mental note to ask Colidra about the bill later.


    ¡°Well, then¡­I suppose today¡¯s session ends here,¡± said the Holy Daughter. ¡°Thank you for introducing us to this restaurant, mister Colidra, and as well as for telling me important information.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your treat, miss.¡±


    After a round of pleasantries, everyone got up and left, with waiters leading the way out. Despite having filled himself with lots of good food, Claud couldn¡¯t quite bring himself to go back home to sleep.


    There was, unfortunately, still work to do. Sneaky little assassins, people with ulterior motives, and people who were hunting a non-existent princess and an alleged monster of the Third Godsfall¡­all this were a day¡¯s work for the security chief of Licencia.


    With Lily at his side, he slowly made his way towards the city guardhouse, where the day¡¯s inspection would begin.

 Chapter 197: The countess, inbound

    Dia took a few deep breaths, and then leaned against a tree. Thin, flimsy fences could be visible from her vantage point, and after taking a swig of water, she stepped on to the dirt road, ignoring Farah, who was sprawled onto patches of lush grass.


    They had indeed reached Farah County in ten days by mana-walking, but the reason why the countess was sprawled onto the ground was due to the fact that Farah hadn''t assumed that they would be running whenever their mana ran out. Farah, whose stamina was completely dependent on her mana, hadn¡¯t taken well to the realities of a body unused to exercise after weeks of just sitting and dealing with paperwork.


    Aunt Lumine, who had so much mana that she could mana-walk without seeing the need to pause whatsoever, sniffed the air. ¡°Be careful, children. There is something nasty in the air, and I don¡¯t like it. Countess, your territory seems to be plagued by some ne¡¯er-do-wells. Best you get someone to handle it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m here for,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°You¡­alright. You seem good enough. You should be able to handle a bunch of rogues and thieves yourself, no? The friend who taught you how to secure your perimeter should have given you good advice on how to deal with bandits.¡±


    Dia thought back to the small booklet Claud had given the two of them before departure, and nodded. ¡°There¡¯s a small booklet.¡±


    ¡°May I take a look at it?¡± Aunt Lumine asked.


    Dia blinked. It took around half a minute of her patting her body and searching her backpack, before she located the palm-sized booklet, which drew raised eyebrows from the Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings.


    Tutting, she took the booklet. ¡°Clearly, you haven¡¯t found it in yourself to actually read your friend¡¯s hard work, no? You need to work harder in things that don¡¯t quite interest you, child. A one-track mind you have, but at least do make an effort to appreciate the hard work of other people.¡±


    Dia felt her face burn. ¡°I was intending to read it after we hunkered down somewhere safe. Mana-walking and jogging for hours on end made me too tired to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Is that really the case?¡± Aunt Lumine walked over and patted her head. ¡°You¡¯re my niece. I know you quite well. But if you claim that you were simply too tired¡­then I shall not press you on it. The Moons can illuminate running streams, but they can¡¯t make horses drink from it.¡±


    Suppressing the urge to fidget, Dia tried to look sincere, prompting her aunt to sigh. ¡°You¡¯re all grown up, so I can¡¯t really do anything or tell you that you need to do something. But your friend, the paranoid one who gave you this absurd playbook, is probably a good role model to learn from.¡±


    Dia briefly considered the life of Claud, who had all kinds of defensive artefacts and weird plans, and then shivered. That was a lot of hard work, and¡ª


    ¡°You¡­well, at least put in some work, okay?¡± Aunt Lumine reached out and bopped her head lightly. ¡°I¡¯m done reading it ¡ª don¡¯t even ask how ¡ª and it¡¯s well-written¡­in a sense, anyway. You should just focus on the relevant bits, instead of the idiotic bits the author added in.¡±


    ¡°Idiotic bits?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± The mighty Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings had a peeved look on her face. ¡°He spent half the book on fifty ways to die while travelling outdoors, and I didn¡¯t know half of them.¡±


    She took a deep breath. ¡°For instance, did you know that lying down on lush patches of grass kills an average of five hundred people a year?¡±


    Farah, who was gasping, rolled off the patch of grass immediately. ¡°What?¡±


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    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what your friend claims. According to this book, lush patches of grass are favoured homes of venomous insects and snakes. Many travellers die from being bitten, without having had an antidote or a relevant skill on hand.¡± Aunt Lumine shook her head. ¡°Wow. Talk about unfortunate. There¡¯s more. For instance, some trees actually emit slow-acting poison into the air, paralysing anyone who takes a nap on them. Eventually, death follows from heart failure, starvation and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright!¡± Dia took a deep breath. ¡°If you continue to read all these things out loud, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have the courage to walk out of town anymore.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, don¡¯t worry about that!¡± Aunt Lumine¡¯s words took on an annoyed tone. ¡°He also included ten most common ways of dying while in a town, which includes, but is not limited to, falling victim to a new sickness, collateral damage by powerful mana-users, buying contaminated food, scratching yourself on a rusted nail¡­¡±


    Dia muttered some choice words under her breath, before lugging Farah onto her feet. ¡°Let¡¯s go in before my aunt decides to narrate more things.¡±


    At the same time, Dia retrieved the booklet from her aunt and stuffed it into her clothes, making a mental note to review the book later. For some reason, there was this odd emotion in her aunt¡¯s eyes, although it vanished a moment later. Perhaps she was interested in knowing the person who led such a warped life or something along those lines, so it was possible that Claud might just get some little artefact for his trouble.


    People like Aunt Lumine were the kinds who liked to bestow little benefits on those who seemed pleasing to their eyes. Claud seemed to be meeting this bill, if nothing else, and¡ª


    Hold up. Why am I assuming that Aunt¡¯s definitely going to be visiting the Moon Lords? What am I exactly preparing for? Dia tilted her head, confused. The way that thought had popped into her mind was entirely uncalled for, and besides, Aunt Lumine was one of the trump cards behind her father. Given that a war was on the horizon, there was no way she would be able to make time to visit her little niece and her ragtag gang of buddies, so¡­


    She shook her head. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go already. I can¡¯t wait to see what¡¯s your palace like, Farah.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nowhere as impressive as Nightfall¡¯s, so don¡¯t put much stock in it,¡± the countess replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    The Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings let out a snicker, before clearing her throat, and a dignified air began to emanate from her. Her aunt rarely let her guard down, unless she was with close kin, but once she did, it was hard to view her dignified form as normal.


    As for why her aunt was laughing¡­


    Well, that was a story best left for later. Patting Farah¡¯s back, Dia urged her forwards ¡ª the prospect of having proper amenities, food and bedding was too much of a temptation now.


    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± said Farah. As the three of them proceeded to the flimsy fence, Farah¡¯s hair began to change, from jet-black to a nice emerald. At the same time, her features shifted subtly, and a self-assured, confident smile emerged on Farah¡¯s face.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in your true appearance for some time,¡± Dia noted, giving the countess a once-over. ¡°A refreshing sight, if nothing else.¡±


    Farah¡¯s hair flapped dramatically, despite the absence of any wind whatsoever, but Dia couldn¡¯t bring herself to smile or laugh. An imposing air had spread out from the countess, something very close to what the Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings had, and as Dia stared at her two companions, her heart twitched with envy.


    The two of them had this special presence to them, and Dia had a feeling that this presence had nothing to do with their mana circuits. If she had to peg it somewhere, it was¡­probably their mental state. A profound synchronicity with their mental image and their true self.


    Dia calmed herself down. It wasn¡¯t the first time she had encountered it, after all.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± said Farah, her voice rich and strong. ¡°Follow me, the two of you.¡±


    Without waiting for their response, she walked on, her gait swift and certain. Within minutes, they had approached the small fence that Dia had spotted earlier, but before Dia could say anything, Farah had leapt over the fence with a feline grace.


    Dia watched as Aunt Lumine did the same, before following suit a heartbeat later.


    It was just a mere fence, but when Dia hopped over it, a sense of relief washed over her. There was something to be said about invisible, mental boundaries that divided the wilderness and safe areas, as well as their effects on the mind, and Dia found herself relaxing.


    They were in the civilised parts now, and Dia, with her muscles loosened to an unprecedented degree, finally regained the presence of mind to look around. The three of them were on a sandy path, flanked by pastures of tilled soil¡­as well as people cutting down luscious strands of wheat.


    Time seemed to freeze as the farmers stared at the newcomers.


    ¡°People,¡± Farah replied, her voice now a strident baritone. ¡°I, your Countess Farah, has returned!¡±


    The farmers surged forward a second later, shouting and screaming madly.

 Chapter 198: The high-spirited countess

    ¡°Really gives you a sense of her popularity, huh?¡± Dia¡¯s eyes tracked Countess Farah as her people tossed her up and down, cheering madly the entire time. Her name, roared to the five grand skies, resounded across the entire territory, and as the mob brought their beloved ruler away, more and more people ran over to join the rejoicing people of Farah County.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Aunt Lumine chuckled. ¡°So adorable.¡±


    ¡°Still, didn¡¯t she say something about wanting to keep a low profile?¡± Dia tilted her head. ¡°Why did she decide to start shouting out her identity then?¡±


    ¡°Maybe some part of her identity decided to reassert itself,¡± said Aunt Lumine. ¡°Like a dormant part of her personality, awakening under the right stimulus. Sometimes, people do things that seem a bit out of character, right? It¡¯s possible that those actions were actually part of their character back then, only to be repressed due to outside influences.¡±


    Dia wanted to ask if her usual sorrowful aura was part of that, but she was a few hundred years too young to actually ask such a question. It was possible that a spanking would follow if she ever voiced such an impertinent question to her aunt¡­and her father probably would approve with applause to boot.


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± said Dia, having murdered the urge to ask stupid questions. ¡°Farah was quite the arrogant person when I first met her. She had to be taken down a peg or two by the others, and eventually mellowed out.¡±


    ¡°I get a feeling that the scene before us probably has a part to play in that, though,¡± Aunt Lumine replied. ¡°Being the subject of such adulation cannot be good for the psyche after a long while.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Would I lie? There¡¯s a reason why your father doesn¡¯t show his face in public often. It is easy to be drunk off adoration, and once that happens, your rationality is affected,¡± the Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings replied. ¡°You might not think this is important, but as you continue to burn more mana circuits, you will eventually understand why¡­never mind.¡±


    ¡°Do continue your sentence!¡±


    ¡°Not now. You¡¯re too weak.¡±


    Dia twitched at that reply. The patronising attitude that had been put on full display there was a bit too painful for her to take in, but she did have a point. Taking a deep breath, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t have enough lifestones yet.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. They are in short supply nowadays, true.¡± Light flickered in her aunt¡¯s eyes. ¡°Well, just keep training. And besides, I believe you have more than enough years, right? Take it nice and slow, but do become a bi-folder before the great Dark descends.¡±


    Dia¡¯s mouth moved on its own. ¡°Aunt, do you know what¡¯s going to happen when the great Dark descends?¡±


    ¡°You asked me that yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Nothing new, then.¡± Dia sighed, and then glanced at Countess Farah, who was still being tossed up and down madly. The two of them had been following the mob and their helpless ruler, towards a nice little palace. Farah County, as an agrarian territory, lacked the kinds of built-up places Dia had seen in Lustre, Licencia and the other duchies. From the looks of it, the usual household here boasted of a vast swath of farmland, with a fairly large house at the middle, and there were hundreds or even thousands of such households.


    With such a backdrop, it was natural for the Farah Palace to stand out.


    Following behind the mob, Dia noted the existence of very lustrous wheat, as well as slightly more built-up areas that were closer to the Farah Palace. Dia didn¡¯t have much experience with territories that were mainly agrarian in nature, but she did at least know that these areas had buildings that were specialised for storing and processing food.


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    ¡°It¡¯s so calm,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°A nice place to retire in, if nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Too nice, if you ask me. There¡¯s probably a few eyes staring covetously at this territory, which doesn¡¯t have much of a military presence,¡± said Aunt Lumine.


    A bad feeling crawled up Dia¡¯s spine. ¡°Aunt, do you know something? Anything?¡±


    ¡°Well, one of the many plans brother ¡ª your father ¡ª has is to send a few troops over to this county and cripple it by killing the farmers here,¡± Aunt Lumine replied, her words solemn.


    ¡°What? Since when did we target the innocent?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Oh, dear child. We haven¡¯t had a war of this scale before, not under Ruler Umbra. If your father is pushed into desperation, you can expect him to do anything necessary to protect his own interests,¡± said Aunt Lumine. ¡°The deaths of people in a county of an enemy dukedom will not make him lose any sleep.¡±


    ¡°Aunt, can you¡ª¡±


    The Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings reached out and rubbed her head. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that tearful look. It¡¯s not becoming of you. Don¡¯t worry. That¡¯s one of the worst-case scenario plans. If Ruler Istrel just wants to exert his authority, your father isn¡¯t going to do anything. It¡¯s only if the new ruler wants to¡­take things to an extreme.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, dear. Killing civilians is a point of no return. And he¡¯ll definitely be punished by Emperor Grandis for doing so too.¡± She smiled. ¡°This upcoming war, if it truly happens, will be watched closely by the Emperor himself. Your father is unlikely to do such a thing, unless things really go to a head.¡±


    Dia scrunched up her face as her aunt rubbed her head once more. ¡°You aren¡¯t lying, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh goodness me. No, of course not. And I¡¯m here to do something important. If it works, Lustre would be safe and sound from Ruler Istrel.¡± Aunt Lumine chuckled. ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t stand around moping.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Placing her hands onto Dia¡¯s shoulders, her aunt ushered her over to Farah, who had been respectfully set down onto solid land once more. The countess herself was already busy telling her people to return to work, a hint of her old high-and-mighty self in her demeanour.


    ¡°¡ªpeople! It is this seat¡¯s joy to have such adoring citizens, but you must absolutely worry about your food first! Archie! Yes, you! Don¡¯t look away! Know your place! You have a family! Three daught ¡ª oh, four now? Nice. But that¡¯s exactly the point! You need to work harder, not come and throw me in the air! And you, Pauline! Why did you bring your babies here? Oh, a cuddle for these two little fellows? If you want me to do that, you have to send in a request to the Farah Request Bureau; I¡¯ll hug them all day!¡±


    Dia felt her lip twitch at those words. ¡°How do I even begin to describe her behaviour?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t,¡± said Aunt Lumine, holding up a little teapot¡­a glowing one, anyway. ¡°But you can use something like this.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a rather cool artefact. You can store memories and events with this teapot, and then replay them by pouring out water from the spout. The water itself will then display the event that you specified.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­a very weird artefact.¡± Dia thought back to the last time she had seen an artefact that could store images, which was back at Nachtville, when Lucia had made a record of a certain status screen.


    ¡°But it¡¯s handy,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯ll just store this scene for future posterity¡­right, do you know it can also store and replay sounds? It¡¯s really handy.¡±


    ¡°Still, a teapot?¡± Dia eyed the artefact, and then turned back to Farah, who was still busy telling everyone to get back to work. After around fifteen minutes of calling out names and telling them why they needed to go back to work, the other members of the mob got the hint and finally dispersed.


    Farah tottered over to the gates of her palace, and then beckoned for the two of them to come over.


    Smiling, Dia obeyed her summons and walked over to the exhausted countess. ¡°Well, you sure had fun¡­¡±


    ¡°Some water, please.¡± Farah¡¯s voice was a bit hoarse.


    ¡°Here.¡±


    Mumbling her thanks, Farah took a swig, and then glanced at the two guards who were staring back at her. ¡°This seat praises your self-control. Worthy of my trust, you two are.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your praise, Countess Farah.¡±


    ¡°Your praise is wasted on us, Countess Farah.¡±


    ¡°My praise is rarely dispensed. Be proud that I have extended my approval to both of you,¡± the countess replied.


    Dia watched as the countess thanked her guards once more, the smile on her face widening the whole time. It was refreshing to see Farah act in a manner, and Dia couldn¡¯t help but wonder what the others would do had they seen and heard Farah¡¯s current style of speaking.


    After lavishing some veiled praise, Farah walked back to the two of them. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting. My people are¡­very¡­lovable.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Dia replied, making sure to keep her face straight.


    Farah let out a puff of air. ¡°Come on, follow me. We¡¯ll have proper beds to sleep on tonight!¡±

 Chapter 199: The countess extraordinary means of raising money

    Dia looked around curiously as she followed Farah into her titular palace. Indeed, it was far smaller than Nightfall Palace, but given the state of her territory, Dia didn¡¯t find it really that odd. She had also heard some of Farah¡¯s history ¡ª her parents had financially ruined the territory, before dumping the responsibilities onto her.


    ¡°It¡¯s small, isn¡¯t it?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Around the size of Moon Mansion, if we count the dome that Claud put up.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Dia. ¡°It¡¯s one of the smallest palaces I¡¯ve ever seen¡­not that I¡¯m looking down on you, though. I feel that the Lustre Palace is too pointlessly large. Most of the rooms there are left unoccupied, but the servants still need to clean them every day.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Having big places can be a problem,¡± said Dia. ¡°Do you know why Claud didn¡¯t want to increase the size of Moon Mansion? It¡¯s because he didn¡¯t want to increase the number of vulnerabilities. If we made Moon Mansion any bigger, we would have needed more staff. There would also be more blind spots.¡±


    ¡°This Claud person was the one who wrote that little book?¡± Aunt Lumine, who had been hanging behind to look around at random things, abruptly asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Dia. ¡°Wasn¡¯t too hard to guess, huh?¡±


    ¡°Well, considering that the person who wrote the book and the person you just described sound equally paranoid, I didn¡¯t really need to think too hard,¡± she replied. ¡°Anyway, that is true. Still, did you knock down the old palace?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the first thing I did, yes.¡± Farah took them onto a path flanked by small flower beds. It was a stark contrast to the vast sea of flowers Dia had seen in Count Nightfall, and to palaces as a whole, but she didn¡¯t find them any less beautiful. If anything, the meticulous care afforded to each and every flower had given this little garden a very unique charm. ¡°Knocked it down, built a little building half the size of Moon Mansion, and then sold off the remaining materials to an enterprising trader.¡±


    ¡°You knocked the old palace down?¡± Dia asked, her eyes turning wide.


    ¡°Don¡¯t sound so surprised,¡± said Farah. ¡°Look at it from my point of view. I was a kid back then. The palace was so huge that I took thirty minutes to go from my bedroom to just about anywhere functional. The last straw was when my legs were so tired that my butler had to carry me to the dining hall.¡±


    ¡°What happened afterwards?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°I wanted to throw a tantrum,¡± said Farah, a smile on her face as she rapped on the double doors that were at the end of the flower-flanked path. ¡°But my butler gently reminded me that I was the ruler of this whole place, and that I didn¡¯t need to throw a tantrum. If I wanted anything, I could have it done.¡±


    As the double doors swung open, Farah said, ¡°And so, by the end of the day, I had the palace demolished. My people were more than happy to help out, since I promised them that they could take a few pieces home, to do whatever they liked it with. The rest is history.¡±


    Dia chuckled. ¡°And after that, you sold almost everything that was of value, thereby increasing your credibility to debtors by showing your commitment to reform and austerity.¡±


    Farah blinked twice. ¡°That¡¯s¡­roughly it, yes. Inherently, any county with such natural resources is bound to turn valuable. Those useless meatsacks whose only merit was birthing me didn¡¯t understand that, nor did they want to sacrifice their overly-pointless lifestyle, so they eventually got into debt and fled from fear.¡±


    The double doors opened at this point, and an old man poked his head out. His eyes brightened a moment later, his wrinkly face turned into a smile. ¡°Milday!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m back, Lloyd.¡± A smile that tugged at Dia¡¯s heartstrings itself appeared on her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have troubled you.¡±


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    ¡°Not at all, not at all!¡± The old man laughed. ¡°And those two must be your guests. Milady, let us not keep your friends waiting at the door. Ladies, do place your baggage down and follow Milady into the dining room. I¡¯ll settle your luggage into the best guestrooms we have to offer.¡±


    Dia glanced at Farah, who nodded back in return.


    ¡°We will impose upon your hospitality then,¡± said Dia, before glancing at her aunt.


    Aunt Lumine, whose belongings were all packed into her storage artefact, was more interested in examining the old man. She noticed Dia¡¯s glance a moment later, and then patted her head. ¡°Silly child. I don¡¯t have luggage, so don¡¯t keep her marvellous butler waiting.¡±


    ¡°A storage artefact, miss?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Aunt Lumine smiled.


    ¡°Very well.¡± The old man bowed reverently, and then picked up Dia¡¯s backpack, which was no mean feat, considering that her backpack weighed at least thirty kilograms.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the accommodations to you then, Lloyd,¡± said Farah. ¡°Thank you so much.¡±


    ¡°My pleasure, Milady.¡± The old man bowed. ¡°I have instructed the kitchen to prepare light snacks befitting of this joyous occasion, as well as a homely spread for dinner.¡±


    ¡°Very good, Lloyd.¡± Farah paused. ¡°Might I trouble you to prepare the documents I need to look over too?¡±


    ¡°Already done, Milady.¡± The old man chuckled. ¡°It should be ready after you polish off the last sponge cake.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Farah smiled. ¡°For everything.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha! Milady, there¡¯s no need to be so formal with this sack of old bones!¡± The old man laughed. ¡°Alright, Milady, your guests are starving. Their faces tell me that they can¡¯t wait to savour actual hot food, and I¡¯m afraid it would be an egregious breach of courtesy were you to make them wait any further.¡±


    On cue, Dia¡¯s stomach rumbled. Blushing, Dia punched her own stomach twice, but that particular part of her wasn¡¯t quite receptive to the concept of social norms.


    ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean it.¡±


    Her stomach growled again.


    ¡°It is said that people have a second stomach for sweet snacks,¡± said Lloyd. ¡°While that is almost certainly a saying popularised by nobles, it is also a testament to how much one looks forward to them. I hope our chefs will not disappoint you. Now, Milady, put on your best conduct and show your guests to the dining room. I shall be there shortly.¡±


    Turning around with a crisp snap, the old man walked away, his back straight and majestic despite his old age.


    ¡°He is not just any ordinary servant,¡± said Aunt Lumine. ¡°You are lucky to have him as your butler, Farah.¡±


    ¡°I think so too,¡± said the countess, a gentle smile on her face. ¡°He has been teaching me for a very long time. But enough about me for a moment. Dia looks like she wants some fluffy pancakes and sponge cakes.¡±


    ¡°As do I,¡± said Aunt Lumine. ¡°I look forward to the snacks of your chefs.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t disappoint you,¡± Farah promised. ¡°Come, follow me.¡±


    The double doors closed behind them as Farah led them down a carpet-covered hallway. The walls weren¡¯t made of any particular material, and the warm orange light made the whole place seem like an actual home over a palace. For that reason, Dia felt a measure of ease inside, although part of it was almost certainly due to the fact that they had returned from the wilderness.


    It didn¡¯t take long before the three of them arrived at a dining room. A woman was offloading trays from a trolley, while a young man poured out tea from a flower-print teapot. Both of their movements had a grace that came only with conscientious practice and execution, in a manner that reminded Dia of a master at swords.


    Even their arrival didn¡¯t faze the two artists, and they continued to move with an ethereal grace as Dia and the others sat together at the table.


    Retreating with an equal amount of elegance, the two of them bowed, and them pushed the trolley out of the room.


    ¡°Impressive,¡± said Dia, watching as the pair closed the door gently behind them. ¡°Their movements were refined and elegant. They must have undergone strict training.¡±


    ¡°I took Felix and Felicity eighteen years ago, on a stormy night. Two little bundles, set in a basket, were placed at the palace gates,¡± said Farah. ¡°If Felix didn¡¯t start crying, we might not have known that there were two babies abandoned at our doorstep.¡±


    ¡°¡­Usually, no one abandons babies on a noble¡¯s doorstep.¡±


    ¡°To be fair,¡± said Farah, ¡°at that time, all kinds of reforms were ongoing. No one in their right mind could describe me as an actual noble, especially since I hadn¡¯t gained approval from Emperor Grandis yet. Anyway, I took them in¡­¡±


    ¡°And troubled me to feed them.¡± Lloyd poked his head through a door and completed Farah¡¯s sentence. ¡°They were quite the obedient little pair, though. Sure, diaper issues here and there, but they were babies. Of course, little Farah decided to have her studies with both Felix and Felicity, so for the next four years, her teachers had to pacify and amuse babies too.¡±


    ¡°Studying all day was boring,¡± Farah replied. ¡°But no one abandons babies nowadays in Farah County. While that¡¯s a good thing, it does have an effect on my psyche¡­¡±


    ¡°You only say that because you¡¯d just dump the hard work on me, Milady.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re smiling.¡±


    ¡°True. I am indeed smiling. But for a different reason.¡± The old butler picked up the tray covers. ¡°Welcome home, Milady. We have missed you greatly.¡±


    The countess quivered, and then relaxed. ¡°It¡¯s been some time, but I¡¯m finally back.¡±

 Chapter 200: Daily life in the new county

    Chewing on a pancake, whose fluffiness rivalled that of a pillow filled with down, Dia leafed through a novel, which she hadn¡¯t had the time or ability to read so far. They had to travel in the day, and the night was too dark to actually do any reading, so the book had lain untouched the whole time.


    It felt nice to have paper in her fingers.


    Farah was also holding some paper in her hands. Unfortunately, the papers she was holding had everything to do with the nitty-gritty bits of administration and absolutely nothing to do with relaxation whatsoever. One could say that she was a hardworking person¡­or that she was a workaholic.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to take a bath and lie down somewhere?¡± Dia asked, curious.


    ¡°I could, yes.¡± Farah leafed out a piece of paper from the pile and started looking through it. ¡°But these are things that only I can approve. In the time I use to take a bath, someone¡¯s life could have been ruined or improved. For me to not handle these urgent matters would be no different from letting them down.¡±


    ¡°Such is the burden of a responsible noble,¡± said Aunt Lumine. ¡°I approve.¡±


    ¡°Your approval fills me with delight,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Why don¡¯t the two of you wash up or something first? It¡¯s¡­right, both of you stayed quite fresh throughout the journey, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still sour about that?¡± Dia asked, a small smile on her face.


    ¡°Hard not to be, when I¡¯m the only one feeling dirty the whole time. Comparisons are nasty¡­¡±


    Dia, who had been using something called a Refresher the entire journey, coughed twice, unsure of what to say. It was not her fault that Farah didn¡¯t prepare adequately for a comfortable journey, and to make matters worse, there was a small stash of artefacts that Claud didn¡¯t mind lending to anyone. Sure, they were defective artefacts that could only be used once a day, but it was far better than the alternative¡­


    Of course, she was probably peeved at the fact that Dia hadn¡¯t thought to share the artefact. Whoops.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Dia, ¡°I¡¯ll go wash up first. Aunt Lumine¡­?¡±


    ¡°You go on ahead first,¡± her aunt replied. ¡°I¡¯m currently invested in admiring a particular flower.¡±


    ¡°Flower?¡± Dia looked around the dining room, only to see Aunt Lumine fixated on the small vase of flowers in the very centre of the dining room. She didn¡¯t know what was so interesting about it, but against, the Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings was a tetra-folder. It was possible that she had seen some grand theory of life in that flower or something.


    The butler opened the door for her as she neared it.


    ¡°Dear guest,¡± said Farah¡¯s butler, ¡°do follow me. Your belongings have been all placed into one of our best guestrooms.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Dia.


    The door closed behind them, and she trailed behind the old man. The silence persisted for around ten seconds, before he said, ¡°Miss, how is Milady doing? Was she happy outside?¡±


    ¡°Happy?¡± Dia tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯d¡­say yes, I guess. She has delicious food every day, shares a fun-filled conversation with me and the others, and loves doing her job. I think she¡¯s happy.¡±


    ¡°If I may enquire¡­what job is she doing?¡±


    ¡°Paperwork,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Things like administration and whatnot.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± said the old man. ¡°And yet, she has grown up suitably. It is a blessing that she has matured, but it is also a mark of our failures too. Nonetheless, what matters is that she is happy.¡±


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    The old man stopped, and then took a knee. ¡°Miss, if I may be so presumptuous¡ª¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Dia, shocked, tried to get him up, but she didn¡¯t dare to exert force on a frail set of bones. ¡°Mister, please get up!¡±


    ¡°It might be presumptuous of me,¡± said the butler, heedless of Dia¡¯s words, ¡°but please, do help Milady. She has grown up in situations that no child should ever have to face.¡±


    ¡°I will, so please get up!¡± Dia let out a sigh as the old man got up to his feet slowly. ¡°Me and Farah are friends, so there¡¯s really no need to worry about anything. We¡¯re taking care of her and everything too, including her lifespan.¡±


    The old man froze, and then inclined his head. ¡°So you know.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her. Many people are giving her the lifestones she so desperately needs,¡± said Dia.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, friends.¡± Dia smiled. ¡°That¡¯s what friends do, right? Right. Incidentally¡­don¡¯t tell Farah about what we are doing. She won¡¯t accept it if she knew.¡±


    ¡°I will keep this secret with my life.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to go that far,¡± Dia muttered, ¡°but okay. Farah is lucky to have a family member like you, though. To think that you would kneel for her sake. Can¡¯t say that I¡¯m not jealous.¡±


    Dia extinguished the small thought about her brother and her father with a shake of her head, and then followed the old man to her room.


    ¡°This is your guest room, miss,¡± said the old man. ¡°And here are the keys to it. There¡¯s only one such copy, so try not to lose it, okay?¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± said Dia.


    The old man smiled once, an expression that carried various emotions, and then ambled away. There was something striking and poignant about his departing figure, one that radiated a profound sense of relief, like a parent gratified at their child¡¯s current state.


    She watched as the old man left, and then opened the door to her room. The insides of the guest room were lined with beautiful ceramic tiles, each of them reflecting the light slinking in from the violet window frames. The desk beside her bed, which had been folded and arranged neatly, was made out of a rich, dark wood, as was the chair.


    Clearly, much thought had been given to the interior decoration of the guest rooms, and Dia smiled. Taking out a few clothes, she walked towards the attached bathroom and started to take a good long bath.


    After around thirty minutes or so, she left the bathroom, a set of fresh clothes on her. Dia didn¡¯t really need new clothes, given that the Refresher was a very useful piece of equipment, but it was more of a mental thing than anything else. In the same vein, she really didn¡¯t need to wash up either, but¡­


    ¡°Ah, feels great to be clean.¡± Yawning once, Dia glanced at the luxuriously soft bed, but decided not to lie down on it just yet. The possibility of her falling asleep immediately after lying down was too large to risk it, and there was still her aunt and Farah waiting outside.


    Locking the door behind her, Dia returned to the dining room, just in time to see Farah putting down the last of her papers. A small stack of plates sat next to her completed papers, proof of the sacrifices that had been offered up to Farah over and over.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back,¡± said Farah, stifling a yawn. ¡°The Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings just left for her own room too. She¡¯s probably not going to come out until tomorrow morning or something.¡±


    ¡°Sleepy?¡¯


    ¡°Very sleepy, yes,¡± said Farah, her nose twitching. ¡°I see you used a specialty product of our county.¡±


    ¡°The soap, right? Yeah, it has a very soothing scent,¡± Dia replied.


    Farah nodded. ¡°It¡¯s something new. You know Princess Dia quite well, right? Would she like this? What about the other nobles?¡±


    ¡°I think they might like it,¡± said Dia.


    ¡°Commercially viable, then.¡± Farah nodded, before pulling out a piece of paper. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll just commission a trial batch and see if the market out there likes it.¡±


    ¡°You should really put down your work for now,¡± said Dia. ¡°Most of it is done, right? Take a break. You need to wash up and refresh your mind.¡±


    ¡°Did my butler say something?¡± Farah asked.


    Dia shook her head. ¡°Just asked about how you were like out there. I imagine he asked Aunt Lumine the same question too or something, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, he probably didn¡¯t ask her anything,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I do write letters home, you know, and I did describe you and the others a bit.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­wait. Don¡¯t think of using this chance to read through more papers!¡± Dia folded her arms. ¡°You should take a break! Get yourself comfortable, and then look through them!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with you and bre¡ª¡±


    Farah¡¯s voice trailed off as she quailed under Dia¡¯s glare. ¡°A-alright. A small break it is, then. A small break.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, go wash up or something.¡±


    Dia yawned. ¡°I also want to sleep, but first¡­¡±


    ¡°You just want to devour every last pancake here, don¡¯t you?¡± Farah rolled her eyes. ¡°Well, whatever. I¡¯m going to take a bath first. Don¡¯t mess up my papers, okay?¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    Dia turned her eyes to the hapless pancakes as Farah left. There was a small mound before she left to wash up; most of that had been demolished by Farah and her aunt. It was somewhat impressive that her aunt actually had the presence of mind to leave behind some pancakes, and Dia decided to finish off the rest before her aunt came back for seconds.


    ¡°Time to dig in, then!¡±


    ¡°Without me, dear child?¡±


    Dia froze, turning her head slowly to her aunt, who was now standing in the doorway, and then made a mad scramble for the remaining pancakes.

 Chapter 201: Gluttons, guards and gifts

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    ¡°You freaking glutton.¡± Farah, whose green hair was glistening with water, placed her hands on her hips and glared at the two of them. ¡°You literally finished every last pancake meant for me, Dia!¡±


    ¡°But that was Aunt Lumine¡¯s doing¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s staring out of the window, and she ate quite a few earlier. Come on, Dia. Really?¡± Farah sighed. ¡°Never mind. I¡¯ll get Lloyd to make more. He¡¯ll definitely be happy to know that there are people who love his food this much. Do you want more?¡±


    Lumine¡¯s voice floated over. ¡°I¡¯ll like some, thank you.¡±


    Dia, who had only nabbed a single pancake in that high-speed pastry scuffle, nodded. ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°You gluttons.¡± Rolling her eyes, Farah sat back into her own seat, and started leafing through papers. ¡°Right, there¡¯s actually a small festival held later at night. Do you two want to go?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± said the Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings. ¡°Child, you should go. Understand what the common people are like. It should broaden your mind a bit.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Dia blinked. ¡°But you¡¯re not going¡­¡±


    ¡°Something dark is afoot here,¡± said Aunt Lumine. ¡°Best for me to keep an eye out on the area around here. If I¡¯m busy stuffing my face with delicacies, there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll be able to do that.¡±


    ¡°Something dark?¡± Farah replied. ¡°What do you mean, dark? Are you referring to¡­?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Maybe not.¡± The tetra-folder turned back from the window, and the orange light danced around her figure. For a moment, Dia could swear that her aunt had turned into a being of mist, but that had to be a trick of the light, because she looked the same a moment later. ¡°But since I¡¯m here and partaking of your hospitality, I will help you protect your territory in the time that I¡¯m here. Many currents are whirling around the destinations chosen by Ruler Istrel¡¯s tour, and you can never be too careful.¡±


    ¡°In that case, allow me to thank you in advance,¡± said Farah, before turning to Dia. ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be nice if I had a bodyguard with me, so¡­¡±


    Dia perked up immediately. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m in.¡±


    ¡°That was fast¡­¡±


    ¡°You, who have always been useful to the Moon Lords, can¡¯t understand the feeling of being utterly useless. Other than training a few people, I literally laze around the whole day. Even Claud and Lily actually do some proper work. I¡¯m just waiting for something to happen so that I can beat it down.¡± Dia folded her arms. ¡°I¡¯m just happy to be useful.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite the simple person, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Are you insulting me?¡± Dia rolled her eyes. ¡°No, it just feels like I¡¯m freeloading off you guys, so¡­¡±


    ¡°You understate the importance of your work,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Look. The military is generally useless most of the time. Other than providing some guards, there is literally no reason to have a huge army all the time. However, every territory would still maintain a professional force, even though it takes up resources. Do you know why?¡±


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re getting at,¡± said Dia. ¡°And I naturally understand the reason why. It¡¯s just that there¡¯s a divide between what the heart feels and what the mind knows. My mind understands that I¡¯m doing probably important work by training you guys up, but my heart isn¡¯t saying the same thing.¡±


    ¡°What a conundrum.¡±


    ¡°This child has always been this odd,¡± said Aunt Lumine. ¡°Please, do not give her much heed. There is a tendency for her mind to think one thing, her heart to feel another, and her mouth to spout something completely different.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ve stopped doing that recently, aunt.¡±


    ¡°So it seems. But you just stopped yourself from vocalising it,¡± said Aunt Lumine, before turning back to Farah. ¡°But yes, you should really get a bodyguard. Or a whole bunch of them.¡±


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    ¡°I don¡¯t have that much money, unfortunately. It¡¯ll just be the two of us.¡± Farah stretched. ¡°Well, time¡¯s running out on us. Do let me finish this bunch of papers first, and then we can discuss the other, smaller details. Is that fine?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± The dignified Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings sniffed the air. ¡°Pancakes are here, it seems!¡±


    Dia wanted to slap her forehead, but the soothing scent of pancakes carried by the two twins made her think otherwise. There were more important things to do, after all, and before long, the aunt and niece pair were nibbling on their own sweet pastries.


    The minutes began to meld into a nice, long blur, and before Dia knew it, night had fallen.


    ¡°Right,¡± said Dia. ¡°Night has fallen. Are your people really going to hold a festival under this abnormally dark night? Really?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s harvest festival. They¡¯ve already made preparations for it too,¡± said Farah. ¡°I am told that a lot of lamps and torches have been lit up for the past two days, banishing the shadows and keeping the dark at bay. It should be safe enough.¡±


    Dia took out a few artefacts that were hanging off her person and handed them to Farah. ¡°Here. Use these.¡±


    ¡°These are¡­¡±


    ¡°Lent to you for the purposes of your protection. You now owe me a favour,¡± Dia replied, placing an emphasis on the word ¡®lent¡¯. Farah was a proud person, and rightfully so, given her achievements. However, this meant that she was unlikely to accept charity from anyone easily, unless things came to a head, so exchanges like these were necessary.


    ¡°Thank you, Dia.¡± Farah smiled. ¡°I owe you one.¡±


    ¡°You two kids have fun outside,¡± said Aunt Lumine. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. With me around, everything will be fine. But do be careful out there. I can¡¯t help you if you happen to be the first victim of something nasty.¡±


    ¡°You sound certain that something¡¯s definitely going to happen.¡±


    ¡°In the Dark, all is laid bare,¡± she replied. ¡°This is the time when the darkest thoughts find liberation, when good men, once suppressed, turn to evil. Countess, turn your mind to the Nobility Information Space and take a look at the reports in Nihila.¡±


    ¡°The what?¡±


    ¡°None of your business¡± ¡ªAunt Lumine lowered her voice to a small whisper¡ª ¡°yet.¡±


    Dia, however, could guess that the Nobility Information Space was the thing that high nobles used to communicate across vast differences. Her father had talked about it more than once in a veiled manner, and in the Moon Lords¡¯ discussions, there had been discussions about these information spaces too.


    They just didn¡¯t bring up the official name. That was all.


    ¡°She¡¯s now accessing the Nobility Information Space,¡± said the Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings. ¡°You can tell by how her eyes are glazed over, as well as how she doesn¡¯t seem to be paying attention to the surroundings.¡±


    Dia grunted. ¡°At times like this, I should be paying lots of attention to my surroundings.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You pick up on things like these fast, dear child.¡± A faint light flickered in her aunt¡¯s life. ¡°Your adaptability has served you magnificently thus far.¡±


    ¡°Saved my life a few times, probably.¡± Dia looked down.


    ¡°Your family would be proud if they knew.¡± Aunt Lumine glanced at Farah, verified that she was still accessing the information space, and then murmured, ¡°They had no choice in that matter. Your brother could flee, but everyone knew he had Future Sight. They would never let him get away, and in the off-chance he did, your father would suffer for it. But you weren¡¯t particularly outstanding. They could fob a lie, tell the Emperor¡¯s investigators that you hid some talents and treasures that belied their expectations.¡±


    Dia lowered her head. ¡°The Emperor¡­¡±


    ¡°Is still angered. He is attempting to draw out the true murderer by acting on the false clues given, waiting for an opening to appear.¡± Dia¡¯s aunt sighed. ¡°Fortunately, he is currently concerned with hunting down the true murderer of his sworn brother.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Do not lose hope,¡± said Aunt Lumine, her voice now a whisper. ¡°Your father had to make do with whatever was available to him at that moment. Please, do not blame him for it. He has an entire dukedom relying on him.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Dia took a deep breath. She knew. After so many clues, she had roughly guessed it, but her father truly had no choice.


    ¡°Stay alive, and well. That¡¯s all you need to do. Treat this as a vacation, and learn more about being a normal person.¡± Her aunt patted her shoulder, before placing a small ring in her hand.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your last resort. Use this only after you¡¯ve exhausted every other skill and means.¡±


    ¡°Including¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Including those two.¡± Aunt Lumine patted her shoulder. ¡°Only when you face an enemy that you truly cannot defeat are you to use this.¡±


    ¡°What does it do?¡±


    ¡°Upon activation, you will gain the mana reserve of a penta-folder for ten minutes. It would also raise your Mana Control Proficiency by an entire rank, although you probably won¡¯t need that need that.¡±


    ¡°Penta¡ª¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Aunt Lumine smiled. ¡°After that, you¡¯ll have to fill it up, although you¡¯ll probably take an entire century. The ring¡¯s what really matters, though. It¡¯s an artefact from the Third Godsfall, so I can¡¯t give you a second or a third one.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s plenty already,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Good that you have such a mindset.¡±


    She glanced at Farah, who was on the verge of stirring. ¡°Well, I shall take my leave now. Do enjoy your tour of Farah County.¡±


    With that, she left the dining hall.


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 Chapter 202: The county at night

    Darkness fell upon the world, but the blazing lights that were set around the perimeter of Farah Palace kept the shadowy fog at bay. Hundreds of stores lined the area, and a huge perimeter, surrounded by troves of crimson flame, had been marked out for people to dance and make merry in. They were visible even from the Farah Palace¡¯s dining hall, with the orange glow turning everything it touched inside into a surreal mirage.


    ¡°Still, to move everything this quickly¡­that¡¯s amazing,¡± Dia noted. ¡°How did they do it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that hard, really,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Most of the stalls are empty and hollowed out; they¡¯re usually filled up and loaded an hour before moonrise. The only things that might take a bit more time to move would be the lights and the fire pits, but you saw how enthusiastically they welcomed me this afternoon¡­¡±


    ¡°Nice to be this loved.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Farah replied. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m obligated to protect them to the best of my ability¡­which isn¡¯t much, unfortunately. Even with so many administrative skills, I still find myself troubled a fair bit.¡±


    Dia made a little sound in her throat. ¡°You put yourself down too much. And besides, I think you¡¯ve done your part well so far. Not many can resolve a huge debt this easily, after all.¡±


    ¡°You give me too much credit. Lloyd definitely helped. Sir Agni ¡ª the investigating official the Emperor sent ¡ª had a good impression of my work so far too, and reported back to Emperor Grandis accordingly,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Farah County, in part, is prosperous due to a tiny bit of the Emperor¡¯s support. It¡¯s probably nothing for him, but his regular demand for moonwheat has helped us greatly. Today, my county is known for its high-quality agricultural products, with a rare breed of wheat as its cornerstone.¡±


    She paused and started to pace back and forth. ¡°The Emperor liked the dishes made with moonwheat, and included them in his banquets, which got people asking around.¡±


    ¡°Moonwheat, huh?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never heard of it?¡± Farah asked, curious. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not that popular in Lustre.¡±


    ¡°I only learned about moonwheat from you. The most popular ingredient in Lustre is sunrice, imported from Daybreak County.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where sunrice came from?¡± Farah asked. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d hear the near-forgotten third county under Istrel to be brought up in the context of popularity.¡±


    ¡°To be fair, Daybreak County is pretty much in perpetual isolation. In a sense, I suppose that¡¯s why sunrice is so popular, since that¡¯s the only thing Daybreak bothers to promote¡­¡± Dia cupped her chin. ¡°Still, if the Emperor liked it, it must be good. Now I look forward to this harvest celebration. Are we going to take part in it anytime soon?¡±


    ¡°Not as we are. If we need to sneak out, we¡¯ll need to disguise ourselves. Or else, we¡¯ll end up mobbed and everything.¡± Despite her words, however, Farah had a gentle smile on her face. ¡°Your hands would be positively full of every product that has moonwheat inside.¡±


    ¡°That sounds tempting, but it would be rude of us to take their food without paying for it, right?¡± Dia eyed the countess, whose green hair was too eye-catching and distinctive.


    ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡±


    ¡°Then you should get changed or something. Drop that high-and-mighty persona too. Be the Farah you were at the Moon Lords. That should do the trick, if you ask me.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really, really.¡± Dia stretched her arms. ¡°Trust me on this. Your personality is so unique that if you don¡¯t change it, any random person on the street will know that you¡¯re the countess. Few people speak with as much pomp as you do, after all.¡±


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    ¡°¡­I feel like I¡¯ve been insulted for some reason,¡± Farah muttered. ¡°Is it a bad thing? Is it? Is it?¡±


    ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t forgotten the first time we met, and how you strode into Triple-D,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Not what I¡¯d call a good first impression, really. You should continue to separate your life as Countess Farah and Moon Lord Farah¡­there¡¯s a time for each Farah, right?¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    ¡°Put on your disguise, then,¡± said Dia. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to try out your specialty products¡­right, were the pancakes today made with moonwheat too?¡±


    ¡°They were made with flour ground out of moonwheat, yes,¡± replied Farah, her green hair turning black. ¡°It¡¯s Lloyd¡¯s favourite pastry for a reason. You liked it too, right? Moonwheat products have this fluffiness to them; the soft roundness that makes one think of the full Moons is one of the reasons why moonwheat was named that way. Of course, the small, tri-coloured orb you see at full maturity also contributed, and¡ª¡±


    Farah caught herself, ending her ramble in its cradle. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m a bit¡­proactive when it comes to promoting moonwheat.¡±


    ¡°Never saw that part of you before, though,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Well, I was Moon Lord Farah at that time.¡± The countess winked. ¡°Anyway, we can bring some products home for the others to sample. They¡¯ll fall in love in a blink of an eye. I¡¯m sick of Claud and Schwarz strutting around and showing off their exclusive consumables.¡±


    ¡°How petty.¡±


    ¡°I had to be petty when scrounging up money and materials to pay off the county¡¯s debt. It¡¯s natural to me,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Dia checked her attire, which didn¡¯t have anything out of the ordinary, and then shook her shoulders. ¡°Let¡¯s go, then. Is there any way to sneak out of here without being detected?¡±


    ¡°No need. We can just use the side gate,¡± Farah replied. ¡°It¡¯s dark out, so once we leave through the side gate, we can blend into the surroundings.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t the sidegate guarded?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Oh. Well, the guards have standing orders to let anyone who shows up at the gates out. We have quite a few staff here, so that¡¯s a given,¡± Farah replied.


    Dia frowned. ¡°The walls aren¡¯t that high, and there are quite a few ways of entering stealthily. Such a standing order¡¯s quite¡­dangerous, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Farah chuckled. ¡°Typically, no one steals from a noble, right? And besides, if anyone can find some stray money or valuables here, they probably deserve it. After all, most of our assets are intangible, and those that aren¡¯t are locked securely away.¡±


    ¡°Claud would definitely smack you on the head for that,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Yeah, well, he¡¯s one of a kind when it comes to paranoid,¡± Farah replied.


    Dia rapped Farah¡¯s head. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being a bit too relaxed here? Your walls aren¡¯t even that high, and you don¡¯t have the comprehensive kinds of defences that Nightfall has. If someone intended to harm you or your people, it¡¯ll be too late for you to regret. Sure, Farah County might be a bit weak, but it¡¯s still profitable territory nonetheless. Even if you don¡¯t care for yourself, spare some thought for the people working for you.¡±


    Farah twitched. ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re used to these things, but you¡¯ve been at the Moon Lords, right? I feel more secure there; I can¡¯t say the same for you. Do you not get that feeling too?¡±


    The countess lowered her head. ¡°How should I¡­¡±


    Dia pulled out a small booklet. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s a bit hypocritical for me to lecture you on this, but after my aunt scolded me for not reading it, I flipped through the pages and found something.¡±


    ¡°¡­Claud¡¯s a weird person.¡± Farah stared at a certain page. ¡°Why does he have suggestions on improving the security of a small compound?¡±


    ¡°You ask questions I have no answer to,¡± Dia replied. ¡°But I suppose this might give you a direction.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll work on it tomorrow,¡± said Farah. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go to the side gate first.¡±


    With Farah at the lead, the two informed Lloyd of their little departure, and then slipped out of the house, weapons by their side. Making a beeline for the side gate, which opened as they neared it, the two of them left through it, and then immediately blended into the ground.


    ¡°Phew,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°That was, for some reason, nerve-wrecking and exciting.¡±


    She looked around. Now that the two of them were outside, she could feel the festive atmosphere. It wasn¡¯t just the sounds and the sights; there was something sublime in how everyone¡¯s smiles seemed to meld together. It reminded her of the times she snuck out of the palace when she was younger, especially during festivals or bazaars, and an unprecedented feeling of nostalgia took hold of her.


    ¡°Sneaking out is always great, but I rarely had the chance to.¡± Farah had a faint smile on her face. ¡°Lloyd would always look at me with those eyes once he found me, and then lead me out of the main gate instead. Back then, he was a lot more agile.¡±


    ¡°People grow old,¡± Dia replied. ¡°That¡¯s just how it is, really.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Farah gestured at the stalls. ¡°Shall we begin our exploration?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Thank you for showing me around,¡± Dia replied.


    With that, the two of them began to explore the stalls. Despite the deepening darkness, the light was more than enough for them to feel assured, and before long, they were mired in the swamp of delicious breads.

 Chapter 203: Monsters in the market

    Strolling through the impromptu street of stalls, Dia and Farah munched on all kinds of bread and toasted bread, as well as other assorted pastries. Other than food, there were also things like game booths for the children and those who were young at heart.


    There were a lot of booths that catered towards ball-tossing and slingshots, however, and Dia couldn¡¯t help but ask the countess why.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite simple, really. Since our territory is more geared towards simple farming, hunting really isn¡¯t a thing,¡± Farah replied. ¡°And besides, hunting requires natural forests; such things don¡¯t really exist in Farah County save for a single area.¡±


    ¡°That sounds surreal.¡±


    ¡°It is surreal,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice that our dishes and our culinary specialties generally do not include much meat? That¡¯s because there aren¡¯t much in the way of monsters or animals in our territory. We¡¯re mostly plant eaters, and when it comes to animal husbandry, we only rear cows for milk and chickens for eggs.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°We still do eat meat if the occasion warrants it, however. Or if everyone¡¯s really peckish. But as a rule of thumb, we stick with eating moonwheat products, which are cheaper and healthier,¡± Farah replied.


    Dia nodded along. ¡°But is this a result of your parents abandoning the county?¡±


    Farah glanced at her evenly, and then nodded slowly. ¡°That¡¯s a succinct way of putting it, yes. Back when we were still rich, my people did make it a point to import animals for slaughter and for food in general. But once I took the lead and instituted austerity measures, we eventually changed our palate to that of moonwheat products. In fact, some of the children have never tasted meat before.¡±


    Blinking twice, Dia looked around at the children playing with each other. ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Farah sidestepped a screaming child, fleeing from another, equally loud child. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make them any less feisty, apparently.¡±


    Watching as the two children dashed off into the distance, Dia nodded, a smile on her face. ¡°Children will always be children, it seems. Still, how about traders and merchants? Do they need to go a few days without meat?¡±


    ¡°The unprepared ones do, yes. But a few days without meat, even for someone whose diet is generally based around meat, is never an issue,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Although¡­I must confess ¡ª roasted meat is a great invention.¡±


    ¡°We have toasted bread here, so it¡¯s not so bad,¡± Dia replied,


    ¡°Anyway, enough about food for now, glutton.¡± Farah pointed at a line of stalls and pulled her over. ¡°Let me show you some of our cultural treasures. Every territory tends to have a special artform or a symbol, and in Farah, this is our special artform.¡±


    Dia picked up a small metal square, where a single stalk of wheat had been engraved on it. At the crown of the little plant was a small Moon, which seemed to keep the darkness at bay. ¡°An insignia of moonwheat, huh?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Farah replied. ¡°In fact, if you were to pay attention to just about every piece of memorabilia from my county, you¡¯ll probably find that there¡¯s always a carving of moonwheat somewhere. It might be big and obvious, or it could be hidden to all but the most discerning of eyes.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a treasure hunt,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Looks like your county really takes pride in moonwheat.¡±


    ¡°Considering that it¡¯s the key factor behind our economy, it¡¯s really hard not to be. Besides, this entire festival was held to celebrate the harvesting of moonwheat. What else would we carve if not moonwheat? My face?¡±


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    Dia picked up another piece of metal, and then gave it to Farah in silence. The countess stared at it in silence, and then muttered darkly under her breath.


    ¡°Seems like they do carve your face,¡± Dia noted, amusement dripping from her words. ¡°How lucky.¡±


    Farah took a deep breath. ¡°True. I can¡¯t criticise them for that. After all, there are many artworks and little trinkets that depict Princess Dia too. If I, a collector of such pieces, criticise my people for making pieces of me, it¡¯s just hypocrisy.¡±


    ¡°¡­There are carvings of m¡ªmy mistress?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Duh.¡± Farah rolled her eyes. ¡°What, you didn¡¯t know?¡±


    Dia wanted to tell Farah that she would have been better off not knowing, but there were just some things that one could never forget. Taking a deep breath, Dia said, ¡°Well, I thought that these rumours were just exaggerated or something.¡±


    ¡°Moons, no. There¡¯s a thriving industry for portraits and little drawings of nobles,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Incidentally, I think this carving of me is pretty well done. I¡¯m just going to buy one; give me a moment.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for her to make payment, and before Dia knew it, they were going through the other culture stalls. Other than moonwheat and reliefs of Countess Farah, there were also the common things like sculptures of lifestones and panoramic models of the Moons shining down upon Farah. The latter were particularly impressive; Dia had spotted a scenic piece that was five by five metres, with the three Moons hovering off the ground majestically.


    ¡°That piece¡­¡± Dia pointed at the five-by-five model.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about buying that, though.¡± Farah folded her arms. ¡°This piece was a piece left behind by Sir Agni; it¡¯s actually a showcase rather than a stall.¡±


    ¡°Sir Agni, eh?¡± Dia noted that name down. Farah had mentioned this person more than once; it was clear that she felt indebted to this particular official of the Emperor.


    ¡°Yeah. We owe him quite a debt,¡± Farah replied. ¡°But he hasn¡¯t been here ever since. Maybe, when we¡¯re stronger, I¡¯ll travel to Grandia and look for him to pay my respects. My people and I owe him a great deal, after all.¡±


    ¡°Maybe after this war is over, then,¡± Dia replied. ¡°And it¡¯s possible that he might come down to check on things once this inter-dukedom war is over, right?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t put too much stock in that.¡±


    The two left the cultural area and headed to the last area of this impromptu festival, which was a stage. Right now, two people were battling it out with wooden swords, and Dia felt her blood heat up.


    ¡°A competition?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Seems like it.¡± Farah tilted her head. ¡°Lloyd was the one who handed the event registration, so I¡¯m not really sure.¡±


    Under the flickering, orange light of the torches, the two shadows struck out at each other over and over again, parrying their foes¡¯ strikes with imperfect movements. Dia watched the fight for a few seconds, and then felt bored. Even Farah could do a better job with a greatsword, but mercifully enough, both of them weren¡¯t that skilled that a fight would drag out.


    As a sword clattered off-stage, Farah turned to Dia. ¡°That was bad.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it was,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I hope these two weren¡¯t the best mercenaries here, or else you really need to consider hiring some instructors.¡±


    ¡°You do know that you¡¯re expected to console me, right?¡± Farah rolled her eyes. ¡°Well, whatever. I guess you¡¯re bored, though. The standards of my mercenaries and soldiers aren¡¯t really all that high, so don¡¯t feel bad about being bored.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong about being bored,¡± Dia replied, waving her hand airily. ¡°Better to be bored than to be busy with¡ª¡±


    At that moment, shrieks and screams filled the air, cutting off her words.


    ¡°Murder!¡±


    ¡°Someone¡¯s dead!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a monster! Be careful!¡±


    As a ripple ran through the crowd, Dia held her head. ¡°You have got to be kidding me. A murder? A monster?¡±


    ¡°Enough nonsense,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Follow me. It¡¯s uncommon, but since we don¡¯t really have much in the way of walls and other defences, monsters do show up. Bad luck happens once in a while, and in this darkness¡­¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    The two of them broke into a sprint, tracking down the source of the scream. It didn¡¯t take long for them to arrive at the murder scene, which was already chaotic. Three guards, armed with polearms, were driving a shadowy, wolf-like monster, forcing it back with coordinated jabs.


    A body, dressed in the uniform of the Farah city guards, lay face down on the ground. A huge chunk of his neck had been ripped out, the source of the blood pooling beneath his body.


    Dia felt her stomach churn, but before she could say anything, mana had rippled out of Farah.


    ¡°Come, Delphinus.¡± Farah¡¯s words, low and deadly, echoed through the air, and a greatsword appeared in the countess¡¯ hand. The fearful crowd rippled once more, but before they could utter anything beyond a cry of surprise, Farah reappeared before the shadowy wolf, leaving glowing afterimages in her wake.


    Clad in a blinding sheen of mana, Farah brought down the greatsword, slicing the shadowy monster into two. The ground cracked where the sword landed, and a small shockwave of dust and wind whipped outwards from where it landed.


    The monster fell apart a moment later, sliced into two by Farah¡¯s maximum output of mana.

 Chapter 204: Monsters in the dark

    Farah stowed away the greatsword, her eyes fixed upon the shadowy monster, before turning away to kneel at the side of the fallen guard. She stared at the body for a moment, and then clenched her fist. Dia took in that sight in silence. Clearly, Farah was hoping that the man wasn¡¯t quite dead, but¡­


    The countess turned to the other guards. ¡°What happened here?¡±


    ¡°Milady, Countess Farah, we were on patrol when we heard someone scream, and when we came, that monster had bitten a huge chunk out of Fisher¡¯s throat,¡± replied one of the guards, who was spotting a red armband. ¡°We were trying to kill it, but it was too strong to be killed, so we could only drive it away from any nearby innocents.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Farah looked at the monster. ¡°Any idea what this monster is?¡±


    ¡°No, milady.¡±


    His partner nudged him. ¡°Lui, didn¡¯t they¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just a rumour, Jack.¡± Lui rolled his eyes. ¡°And this is the first time we¡¯ve seen this¡­monster. Monster dog. Or something.¡±


    ¡°What rumour are you talking about?¡± Farah asked.


    Lui glared at his friend, as if to say ¡®We just wasted the countess¡¯ time, happy?¡¯, before turning back to Farah. ¡°Reporting to milady, it is said that ever since New Moon, some people have heard monstrous howls and cries within the darkness. Animals turned feral, scratching and barking away in the darkness.¡±


    ¡°In the darkness, huh?¡± Farah turned to look at the deep darkness, worry in her eyes. ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a preposterous rumour,¡± Lui replied, ¡°but I suppose the darkness does make people more scared. There is nothing to¡ª¡±


    A bloodcurdling howl came from the darkness, and he shook like a leaf.


    ¡°Acting all mysterious!¡± Farah raised her greatsword and hefted it above her shoulder. ¡°Guards, to me! Bring torches along and move in groups! We¡¯ll show them what we do to monsters!¡±


    A cheer rang out, and the city guards assembled in front of Farah, who had jumped onto the roof of an emptied stall. ¡°People, my apologies, but today¡¯s celebration ends here! However, my staff will be preparing a nice meal in my palace ¡ª everyone is invited! Stay inside, keep a lookout, and be careful at all times! We¡¯ll handle those monsters!¡±


    The crowd tittered in chirps of what sounded like agreement, and then marched into the palace in orderly lines. At the same time, Farah began to split up the assembled guards into groups of four, before handing over command to the guard officer.


    ¡°You¡¯re not taking command?¡±


    ¡°Let the professional do it,¡± Farah replied, fire blazing in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going to hack through every last one of those damned monsters, before they do too much damage.¡±


    ¡°Your territory is too big to properly defend, though,¡± Dia pointed out. ¡°No city walls, nothing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, I didn¡¯t expect that there would be monsters showing up here,¡± Farah replied. ¡°The guards do regular sweeps of the place, so it¡¯s almost inconceivable that monsters actually popped up inside the territory itself. It must have crossed over from somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe,¡± said Dia, ¡°it¡¯s the darkness.¡±


    Her voice was quiet enough that only Farah could hear it, but the twitch the countess gave in response was more than enough for Dia to know that she was indeed thinking that the rumour actually had some relevance to this incident. Considering the shadowy, misty motif that the monster had been sporting, even the most unobservant of people would think that it had some connection with the all-pervasive darkness that had descended recently.


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    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I¡¯m¡­going to have to relocate everyone or something. What a pain.¡±


    ¡°Do they fear light?¡± Dia asked, glancing the corpse that was being hauled away.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to find out. After all, no one was focusing on the lighting when they were dealing with the monster,¡± Farah replied. ¡°We¡¯ll need to institute a lighting policy if there¡¯s such a weakness.¡±


    ¡°And don¡¯t go out at night.¡±


    ¡°Preferably that. Lock the doors and make sure the walls are sturdy too.¡± Farah¡¯s lip twitched. ¡°Lucky me. I came back with a few thousand gold. Surely we can do something about my people¡¯s homes.¡±


    ¡°Where did you get all that money from?¡±


    ¡°Well, I sold off a few mid-ranked lifestones,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Schwarz gave them to me and told me to sell them.¡±


    ¡°And you accepted?¡±


    ¡°No, he wanted to buy my analysis of the market for the next two months,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Since I won¡¯t be in Licencia for some time, Schwarz got worried and wanted me to do two months¡¯ work in advance.¡±


    Dia tilted her head. She wasn¡¯t quite sure if Schwarz was just making use of any excuse to give her some charity, but either way, Dia felt a bit bad that she hadn¡¯t thought of it on her own part. ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Right? I¡¯m lucky I put in some real good work,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Analysis of the markets usually become fairly inaccurate after a week, but Schwarz said he believed in the abilities I had displayed so far. Hard work really is the best.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Anyway, you go back and do something about your people. I¡¯m heading out too.¡±


    ¡°Alone?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯ll be great if we can get a few more monster corpses to dissect,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me; it¡¯ll take five Farahs to defeat me.¡±


    ¡°¡­Am I the smallest unit for combat ability now?¡± The countess flicked Dia¡¯s forehead. ¡°Go on then, you shameless poseur.¡±


    ¡°Oh, now you¡¯re piling on the insults, huh?¡± Dia grinned. Over the past few days, Farah had slowly dropped the semi-polite demeanour she usually had when interacting to anyone that wasn¡¯t Claud or Schwarz, although Dia had a feeling that she didn¡¯t use such an attitude for another reason altogether. Either way, however, it was proof that she was now treating Dia not just as the princess¡¯ double, but also as a person in her own right¡­


    Which, when Dia considered it rationally, made absolutely no sense at all.


    ¡°Yeah, what of it?¡± Farah patted her shoulder, and the smiley expression on her face vanished. ¡°Anyway, stay safe out there. Thank you for offering to help too.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be best if there¡¯s a mana-user ready to provide aid, right?¡± Dia asked. ¡°It¡¯ll prevent needless injuries, at the very least. Now go. Your people are getting worried, and I don¡¯t need people envious at how I can talk to their beloved Countess Farah so freely.¡±


    Dodging a light smack, Dia rolled her eyes at Farah and held out her hand. ¡°Get me a light source.¡±


    ¡°Is a lantern good enough?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s plenty,¡± Dia replied.


    Taking a nice little lantern, which was decorated with a nice portrait of Farah, Dia followed the trail of the guards that had been dispatched into the darkness. Other than searching for any monster that might have been in the darkness, these guards were also setting up impromptu lamp posts at regular intervals, lighting up the vicinity of the palace.


    Those lanterns themselves were made of glowstone; the people in charge of the city guards were guarded against the possibility of starting a fire. However, even though they were nice and bright, these glowstones did not emit any hit whatsoever, which meant that Dia was shivering slightly as she followed the guards ahead.


    Without a roaring fire by her side, the cold light of those glowstones just added to the eeriness of the scene. Back at the little impromptu festival earlier, the torches and flames had heated up the atmosphere, but here¡­


    ¡°Be careful!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t stray too far from your buddies! You don¡¯t know where another monster might just strike!¡±


    Shouts like this rang through the ankle-high fields as Dia stepped into them. This was a place where nasty critters could hide easily, and as she followed a small part, Dia found herself wishing that she had worn some armour on her legs.


    To her displeasure, Dia found herself slowing down as she continued walking down the path; her mind was warning her to watch where she stepped on. It was one of the disadvantages of being in a combat state, and Dia didn¡¯t want to numb herself to such issues by forcibly ignoring them.


    As a result, she was now trailing far behind.


    ¡°Great,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°How am I to provide support when I¡¯m worried about my ankles?¡±


    A monster growled behind her, answering Dia¡¯s question.


    ¡°Oh, you have got to be kidding me,¡± Dia muttered, dropping the lantern as she turned around. ¡°Is today a bad day for me?¡±


    A bear-like monster, clad in shadow, bared its teeth at her, its claws glinting with the promise of murder under the cold lights. Standing only on its two hind legs, the bear drew its front paws back, ready to lash out at a moment¡¯s notice. Clearly, the bear-like monster had seen it fit to attack her, since she was ostensibly the slowest person out of the search party, which by extension probably meant that she was the weakest.


    As a deafening roar split the night, Dia drew her blade. Reinforcements were on their way, but Dia didn¡¯t quite need help for this particular enemy.


    Measuring the opponent, Dia licked her lips. ¡°Here I go, then.¡±


    The world turned into a blur at those words.

 Chapter 205: Changed by the Dark

    Two claws swept out at Dia¡¯s neck, and she took a step back, dodging the attack narrowly. Her right arm darted out a moment later, stabbing into the armpit of the huge shadow, eliciting a howl from the monster as black fluid spurted out. The shadow, however, didn¡¯t step back, opting to throw itself at her instead.


    Dia narrowed her eyes at the incoming wall of shadowy flesh, and time seemed to slow at that moment. The enemy, despite its wispy appearances, actually had mass and strength; getting hit by this was no different from being smashed by a wagon or a carriage.


    Darting to the right, Dia brought her sword down low and hacked viciously at the legs of the monster, drawing more black blood from the monster. The sinewy mass of shadows, however, had prevented her from severing off its leg entirely, but that was pretty much par for the course.


    As the monster howled once more, Dia slashed out a few more times at the bear¡¯s legs, mana lining the edges of her sword this time, but as she had expected, they only served to enhance her damage somewhat.


    Farah might not be that experienced of a combatant, but there was probably a reason why she had used half of her mana reserve in executing that wolf.


    Those things were tough, even with mana.


    Letting out a guttural howl, the bear lowered its stance. Now that it was aware that Dia knew its weak point ¡ª the legs ¡ª the shadow wasn¡¯t going to give her a few more shots at it that easily.


    ¡°Sword Sense,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Sword Dance.¡±


    Her vision changed subtly, as a relaxing wave of heat ran through her body. Bursting into motion a moment later, Dia glided into range, twisting her body to dodge the next two frenzied strikes. Making use of the momentum, she turned twice, the edge of her blade tearing out small pieces of sinewy shadow.


    Making a mental note to inspect the odd flesh of the bear, Dia abruptly stilled herself, and a claw fell on the area where her right hand would have been had she continued to move. She retaliated a second later, hefting the sword in a reverse grip and drove it backwards and downwards, looking away from the enemy the whole time.


    Blue light flooded out of her sword, which had been embedded into one of the bear¡¯s knees. The monster fell onto its left side a moment later, howling madly, as the outburst of mana tore away one of its feet. With the tactile sensation of having severed the opponent¡¯s leg, Dia whirled around, withdrawing her sword and slashing it through the bear¡¯s neck in one smooth motion.


    Silence fell as she lopped off the monster¡¯s head, ending its deafening howls forever. Sheathing her blade, Dia turned around to look at the decapitated monster, which was emitting black smoke and bleeding black blood.


    ¡°She¡­killed that bear.¡±


    ¡°A mana-user!¡±


    The earliest arrivals burst onto the scene, just in time to see Dia pick up her lantern. The group of four guards glanced at each other, and then approached her gingerly.


    ¡°Your Excellency.¡±


    Dia grunted. ¡°Take this corpse and¡­well, do whatever you guys are supposed to do with it. Are there any other such monsters out there?¡±


    ¡°Reporting to Your Excellency: no other such monsters have been found so far,¡± the guard replied.


    ¡°Okay. You guys do what you need to do. I¡¯ll continue to patrol and provide support as necessary,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Excellency.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so formal.¡± Dia watched as the four guards picked up the dead monster, head and all, and scurried towards Farah Palace. Ever since she was young, Dia knew that it was commonplace to call mana-users ¡®Your Excellency¡¯, although she didn¡¯t quite understand why. Wasn¡¯t the difference just the ability to use mana?


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    Dia thought about it for a moment, as she walked along the path. Her footsteps were once again slow and halting, but that was probably for the best. Unlike the soldiers, who had some measure of protection for the legs, Dia was lightly armoured, so¡­


    Well, it was a decision that would make Claud proud, if nothing else.


    She continued her slow patrol, her ears pricked up for any sign of distress. However, she had a hunch that there probably wasn¡¯t much to worry about for today, and after walking idly for around an hour or so, Dia decided to turn back.


    Her work was done today, and more importantly, she hadn¡¯t had the time to sleep yet. Of course, Farah was probably doing her hardest to stay awake too, given the peculiarities behind today¡¯s attack, so Dia couldn¡¯t really complain here.


    Jogging back lightly ¡ª her combat instincts had fallen silent ¡ª Dia returned to the palace with all due haste. The two monsters that had been slaughtered were laid out in front of the city gate, with lots of people standing around and looking at the corpses curiously.


    A bunch of city guards were busy taking the body apart. The city guards ¡ª which were trained by the Emperor¡¯s own people ¡ªweren¡¯t all that different from mercenaries; both of them were supposedly trained to take apart monsters and spot anything valuable from their remains.


    Other than this foundational information, however, Dia didn¡¯t know anything else. Clearly, the owner of those memories and experience that had been used in Dia¡¯s Experimental Potion were one of those ¡®supposedly trained¡¯ in taking apart monsters, rather than being actually trained.


    ¡°You look quite interested in this,¡± said Farah. ¡°Bodyguard training doesn¡¯t include taking apart monsters, then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dia replied.


    There had to be a limit to how convenient this explanation was, but Dia was getting really tired of even taking note of these things at all. Therefore, she simply craned her neck and watched as the guards continued to pluck out the bones.


    ¡°Those organs¡­¡±


    Farah pointed at the heart of the bear, and Dia squinted. She could tell that there was an underlying layer of actual heart muscle, red and all, under a shadowy film. The same went for the wolf¡¯s heart, which had been split into two to reveal a dark red interior.


    ¡°¡­So, these aren¡¯t monsters. Just animals that have been changed,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°By the darkness, perhaps?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very good question,¡± Farah replied. ¡°In that case¡­well, this won¡¯t affect us that much if we act appropriately. We¡¯ll need to cull the large, predatory animals to prevent them from turning into this aberration. The small ones and the useful ones can be brought back and experimented on.¡±


    ¡°That sounds doable,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to ignore the ones hiding on the outskirts of the territory, though,¡± Farah muttered. ¡°The animals that are close to the farms don¡¯t number that much, but this approach isn¡¯t possible in dealing with the many animals hiding in the wilderness.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll probably need to wall in the farmlands from now on,¡± Dia replied. ¡°And not using those flimsy fences either. Is money an issue for you right now?¡±


    ¡°Yes and no, I guess.¡± Farah tilted her head. ¡°Well, I can just bill the Istrel Dukedom for the construction fees. I¡¯ll tell them that we upgraded our walls to improve security for Ruler Istrel¡¯s visit, but since we are a weak territory, they can help in the funding or something.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Do you think Ruler Istrel will mind?¡±


    ¡°Please, he can buy fifty counties with his money. A bunch of gold to build up walls around the farmland here is absolutely peanuts to him,¡± Farah replied dismissively. ¡°Right, I forgot, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    Farah cleared her voice. ¡°People of my county! The person beside me, Dia, is the one who slew that giant bear you see on the ground now! We owe her a debt of gratitude! Therefore, I will confer upon her a decoration of my county tomorrow evening! All are welcome to join in the feasting!¡±


    ¡°She did?¡±


    ¡°I was the one who carried the bear back; I saw her just slice the head off!¡±


    ¡°She was standing at the very back to bait the monster out!¡±


    As all kinds of praises came from the assembled masses, Dia eyed Farah, who grinned in return. For a moment, she wanted to ask the countess the reason behind this proclamation, but knowing her, she probably was trying to kill multiple birds with one stone.


    ¡°That¡¯s awfully nice of you,¡± Dia eventually forced out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look down on me,¡± Farah replied. ¡°A noble¡¯s decoration is worth something; you should know that very well.¡±


    ¡°But it just feels weird to be conferred a decoration by a friend,¡± Dia replied, her lips twitching. ¡°Like¡­there¡¯s a sudden change in our relative positions or something.¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t sweat it,¡± said Farah. ¡°I¡¯ll still mock your gluttony every so often, so there¡¯s no fear in that regard.¡±


    ¡°¡­Really?¡± Dia rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going to mock you when I can too, then. Sheesh.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Come on. Let¡¯s go back to the palace.¡± Farah yawned. ¡°Wash up and go to sleep. I¡¯ll wake you up in the morning.¡±


    ¡°How about you?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Gotta handle some things. You¡¯re the guest here, so don¡¯t make me feel awesome. Go. Shoo. Get some rest.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay.¡±

 Chapter 206: Courtesies and obligations

    The regular clacking of Moon Phase pieces filled the room as Claud nibbled on a chicken pie. The delectable smell was more than enough to draw the others¡¯ attention, but it was not his fault that they had finished off their own chicken pie this quickly, so¡­


    ¡°Say, if I win, can I have the rest of that pie?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°What?¡± Claud glanced at her. ¡°What does my pie have to do with you winning? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m putting it up at stake and playing against you, right?¡±


    She pouted, and Claud found himself somewhat uncomfortable. The judgemental glances from Risti, who was reading the newspaper, and Schwarz, who was Lily¡¯s opponent, was quite painful to bear, and Claud found himself giving in. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll let you have a bite or something.¡±


    Lily¡¯s eyes shone at those words, and Claud found himself sighing. Well, it wasn¡¯t anything much, since it was just some pie, and Lily had, on more than one occasion, seen it fit to stuff some of her favourite treats into his mouth.


    The two of them continued to play, but Claud had to set down the chicken pie reluctantly, just in case he felt the urge to finish it off and Lily actually won. Placing it by her side, Claud drifted over to Risti, who was reading today¡¯s news.


    ¡°Oh, hey.¡± Risti looked up. ¡°You worried about them too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Claud replied. It had been a week or so ever since Farah and Dia departed for Farah County, but a couple of days ago, a disturbing development had occurred. Official news hadn¡¯t reported on it yet, but apparently, animals left in the darkness outside could actually turn mad or something.


    There were too many such pieces of news that Claud was already convinced that something nefarious was underfoot. Subsequently, it also meant that travelling out of cities and built-up areas were dangerous, since the darkness was the deepest outside of civilisation.


    It was possible that most of the wildlife had been turned insane.


    ¡°Under the cover of the deep darkness,¡± said Risti, ¡°I can¡¯t really lock on to anything. It¡¯s too dark for me to visually identify something; even Skyward Eye can only highlight little silhouettes.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°That said, there¡¯s probably a link between the absence of such monsters in the day and their origin, right? The reports that trickled in all talked about encountering these changed animals at night. I¡¯ve paid a visit to the local areas outside in the day, and there¡¯s no sign of mad monsters then.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re definitely not going out at night, right?¡±


    ¡°Not right now,¡± Claud replied.


    The abnormally dark nights were a dent to his thieving enterprise, which had stopped for quite some time. Other than taking Lily and sneaking in and out of homes and courtyards, he hadn¡¯t quite done anything else that resembled his original occupation, which could lead to a stagnating of his skills.


    ¡°Yeah, figured. But have you put in place any measures to guard against the possibility of a monster tide?¡±


    ¡°A monster tide?¡± Claud tilted his head. ¡°Never heard of one.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a rather old term,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I guess you not hearing of it is natural, now that I think about it. Well, long ago, monsters had a tendency to group up and attack cities and settlements. But after Emperor Grandis smashed any uppity monsters that had sentience into paste, monster tides faded away.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, you have lots of mad animals that are essentially monsters, right? What happens if all these monsters decide to charge the city?¡±


    ¡°That,¡± said Schwarz, who had just finished off Lily by taking her full moon piece, ¡°would be indeed rather scary. Still, monster tides?¡±


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    ¡°You two should read some history,¡± Risti muttered.


    ¡°I would rather read a book, though,¡± Lily replied. ¡°More interesting.¡±


    ¡°You feel that way only because you haven¡¯t read the good history books. Look, my point is that we are on a verge of a new age. You guys might not have internalised that yet, but the moment we saw that announcement about the great Dark¡¯s descent, it was clear that something like a Fourth Godsfall was going to happen.¡±


    Everyone froze at those words.


    Claud took a deep breath. He had indeed wondered about such things before, but they had seemed too distant, too high up for him to care about. After all, surely the gods wouldn¡¯t bother ordinary people, right?


    ¡°Does something like a war against the Coloured Gods seem a bit too distanced from everyone here?¡± Risti asked. ¡°It does, right? But if you have read certain books, you would realise that the Six Gods of Virtue and the nine beings that would become the Coloured Gods had conscripted the ordinary masses and forced them to fight.¡±


    She paused, and raised her voice. ¡°Isn¡¯t that so, Nero?¡±


    The Holy Son of the Black God popped his head into the room a second later. ¡°Ah, you got me. Yeah. I suppose the Elder Council of the Black Church is already ramping up their recruitment, what with this great Dark thing.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have any idea what this great Dark is?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°He won¡¯t know,¡± said Risti. ¡°The reasons behind the First, Second and Third Godsfall are all unique, different.¡±


    ¡°What she said, basically.¡± Holy Son Nero eyed Risti. ¡°Who are you, really? Why do you know so much? Is it because you read lots of books?¡±


    ¡°¡­How else would I know so much?¡± Risti rolled her eyes. ¡°Point is, we all have to get stronger over this year. Grab lifestones, become bi-folders, maybe nab some neat artefacts and trump cards like super-powerful skillsticks. Not just lie around, nibble on chicken pies and play games.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, we can¡¯t travel out of the city easily now,¡± said Claud. ¡°Monsters at night, remember? And lifestones are at a premium now. Count Nightfall raised the price artificially, but it hasn¡¯t come down ever since.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re stuck¡­¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°But since we can¡¯t prepare in terms of items and mana circuits, we should at least do our due diligence by reading history books and learning about the past.¡±


    ¡°Okay, assuming that we accept¡­what books do you recommend?¡± Claud asked. ¡°And it¡¯s not like we have that much free time either...¡±


    Risti rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll get some books for you guys to read, then. Like, do at least bring them around. They might be useful as reference material, if you¡¯re outside of the city or if I¡¯m not around.¡±


    Everyone nodded.


    ¡°Why did you nod along?¡± Claud asked, directing his question at Nero.


    ¡°Oh, come on. Surely you aren¡¯t going to kick poor little me out soon, right? My people haven¡¯t responded for some reason¡­and well, I¡¯m a tetra-folder! Surely you guys could treat me with more respect, right? Why, when I was at the church, the vanillas would call me Your Excellency and everything!¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll be surprised to know why vanillas engage in such formalities, though,¡± Schwarz replied.


    Claud nodded along. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason behind this too?¡± Nero asked, curious.


    ¡°Fair warning. If I or Claud were to say the reason out loud, the three of you here ¡ª you, Lily and Risti ¡ª would probably never look at people the same way again,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°You¡¯re just scaring them at this point,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Just explain to him.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Schwarz rolled his eyes and got up from his table, leaving behind Lily¡­who was eating Claud¡¯s pie anyway, despite having lost.


    For a moment, Claud wanted to protest, but Lily¡¯s smiley face was enough to make him shut up. Besides, if he didn¡¯t spoil her, who would? The others weren¡¯t as close to her as he was, anyway. And¡­well, she didn¡¯t really have the benefit of a functional childhood.


    ¡°Well, vanillas call mana-users ¡®Your Excellency¡¯ to create an obligation. In showing respect,¡± said Schwarz, ¡°they oblige the recipient of such respect to do them no harm. Mana-users are beings that cannot be measured in the same breath as regular people, even if they share the same weaknesses and form. It is not respect, but fear of injury and death, that drives vanillas to use such terms to tie down mana-users.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kinda horrible,¡± said Nero.


    ¡°You¡¯re too young and inexperienced. It¡¯s natural, really,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°But for people like me and Claud, who only recently became a folder, we lived our lives in fear. Mana-users were stronger, faster and had so many more means of killing other people. If they had a bad day, people could be killed.¡±


    The kid looked a bit sad, and Claud patted his shoulder. ¡°Well, now you know why we don¡¯t address you formally. We don¡¯t think you¡¯re the kind of person that would kill us horribly on a whim, that¡¯s why.¡±


    ¡°The same goes for everyone else here,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°It¡¯s a mark of friendship to not use ¡®Your Excellency¡¯.¡±


    He produced a small bottle. ¡°Here, have a swig.¡±


    As the Holy Son¡¯s face lit up, Claud took a few steps back from Schwarz. The alcohol in the released vapour alone was too deadly; it was far safer to be at a distance.


    Heaving a small sigh of relief, Claud stretched his back. Their relaxed morning was over, and it was time to do some work again.


    ¡°Lily,¡± he called out. ¡°Time to go!¡±


    She stuffed the last of the pie into her mouth and promptly got up.

 Chapter 207: A little assignment...

    Slipping out of Moon Mansion, Claud and Lily made a beeline for the city guards. The recent news about mad monsters with black mist shrouding their bodies had alarmed Caroline, who was too bogged down with work and recent reports of bi-folders in Licencia. As a result, this nasty assignment had been passed down to the Moon Lords, which meant that Claud had to go out and check on those beasties.


    Given the lack of sightings in the day, Claud had a feeling that they were going to go back empty-handed, though.


    ¡°Still, if there¡¯s probably going to be no danger, why did we bring so many artefacts along?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Well, there might be a few mana-users who¡¯ve set their eyes on the Moon Lords,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Even if we aren¡¯t facing a bunch of nasty beasts, we still need to be careful and everything. Only the Moons know just how many people want us dead or at least disabled.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re the good guys, right?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re probably the good guys.¡±


    ¡°Probably?¡± Lily repeated the word.


    ¡°I can¡¯t be certain. Perhaps Count Nightfall is hiding some deep, dark secret under his palace, and those infiltrators are trying to bring the truth to justice. In that case, we¡¯re the bad guys, right?¡± Claud chuckled. ¡°But well, it¡¯s never wrong to protect the peace of this place.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve been reading too many novels.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on¡­¡±


    The two of them approached the guardhouse, where the guards on duty waved upon seeing them approach. Claud waved back with Lily ¡ª the guards in general had gotten familiar with the two of them ¡ª and then walked into the guardroom, where Captain Blake was on duty today.


    ¡°Hey there.¡± The captain looked up as they strode in, a big grin on his face.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Claud squinted his eyes. ¡°You look particularly happy. Why, did something good happen? Did Schwarz hire you at last?¡±


    ¡°Shh!¡± The captain looked around. ¡°No, it¡¯s something else. This captain you see here is now the permanent leader of the guards of Licencia. Apparently, the big shots in the White Church wrote to the City Guard in Grandis and commended my work, so they promoted me up to becoming the permanent guard captain of this city.¡±


    ¡°Nice.¡±


    ¡°You bet. I now get a salary of five low-ranked lifestones, and one middle-ranked one. I¡¯ll become a mana-user soon enough!¡±


    Claud thought back to the sheer amount of low and mid-ranked lifestones he had to ingest for saturation, and then decided not to say anything. The ability to dream and to be happy was something crucial in remaining sane and focused, so the master thief wasn¡¯t going to reveal that over two hundred low-ranked lifestones and the same number of middle-ranked lifestones were required to hit the saturation point.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t need to hit the saturation point, but only by doing so could one increase their lifespan by 125 years, which would fund the construction of the first mana circuit for most people.


    ¡°Congratulations in advance, then,¡± said Claud.


    ¡°Yeah, well done on your promotion!¡± Lily added. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re here to check on the reports about black monsters.¡±


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    ¡°The darkened animals?¡±


    ¡°Is that the term we¡¯re using?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Yeah, orders from above. Apparently, we aren¡¯t alone. A few days back, multiple territories throughout Grandis were attacked by darkened animals. Some of the smaller towns lost a quarter of their people overnight, since something like a¡­monster tide formed.¡±


    ¡°Monster tide, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Never thought I¡¯d see them, since they¡¯re supposed to be ancient history, but¡­¡± The captain shrugged. ¡°Anyway, Licencia has nice huge walls. We¡¯re unlikely to come under attack, and there¡¯s a sizeable regiment of archers here anyway.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll still need to investigate, though. What if something like a horde of darkened bears come knocking? We¡¯ll be screwed in that case,¡± said Claud. ¡°Better pre-emptively strike at any forming hordes¡­well, the two of us are just going to report their locations to Caroline, though. Let the tri-folder lay the beatdown on the darkened animals; we¡¯ll cheer on the side-lines.¡±


    ¡°Sounds very much like you, I guess,¡± said Lily.


    ¡°Alright, enough horsing around,¡± said Claud. ¡°Can we have a look at the reports?¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Captain Blake fumbled around in his desk, and then pulled out a file. ¡°Want some tea to go with it? We have freshly-baked bread too, complete with cheese sauce to dip in.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t mind¡­¡±


    Lily nodded along. ¡°That sounds great to me.¡±


    ¡°You two are helping us solve problems that might appear in the future,¡± said the captain as he got up from his seat. ¡°I think feeding the two of you is pretty much the least we can do.¡±


    Within a minute, Claud and Lily were sitting together and munching on bread, their bodies hunched over a bunch of documents. Most of them were reports of growling from outside a lit perimeter, although there were cases of people vanishing after they walked into the darkness to relieve themselves.


    ¡°A few deaths here and there, then,¡± Claud muttered, letting out a depressed sigh.


    Lily patted his head. ¡°It¡¯ll be best if the city guard issues warnings about staying together in a lit area.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re already doing that,¡± said Captain Blake. ¡°Still, Claud, do you know these people personally? Why are you so down?¡±


    ¡°No, just¡­¡± Claud cast around for an excuse. ¡°You know, sad at how fragile life is.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, true.¡± The captain sighed. ¡°I knew one of the missing merchants. Name¡¯s Nash. Transported sunrice. I usually bought a few kilograms from him, but now¡­well, someone else is probably going to fill the gap. Mark up the price too, or something.¡±


    Captain Blake shook his head. ¡°Well, if you need help, we¡¯ll be there to assist. Find those damn monsters. We¡¯ll do the stabbing. Free of charge.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave that decision to Caroline, though,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And besides, everyone here put together probably can¡¯t rival a few mana blasts or whatever from here, right?¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    Claud turned his attention back to the report about those darkened animals. First, the observation that they didn¡¯t appear in the daytime and had a nasty reaction to bright lights agreed well with each other. Second, they made more appearances on the eastern side of the city, where a lush forest stood.


    ¡°Let¡¯s check out the forest,¡± said Lily.


    ¡°That sounds like a solid plan, yes.¡± Claud returned the documents to the file and handed it over to Captain Blake. ¡°We¡¯ll drop by and tell you any findings, and then you can liaise with Caroline.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± said the captain. ¡°Good luck, buddy.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± said Lily. ¡°Hopefully we¡¯ll bring back some news of these monsters or something.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Maybe we might be able to find out the truth behind this darkness or something.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll probably be invited as a very esteemed guest of the Coloured Gods if that happens,¡± said Captain Blake. ¡°How you want to interpret my statement is entirely up to the two of you, though.¡±


    The three laughed, before Claud followed Lily out of the guardhouse.


    Waving goodbye to the guards, the two of them made their way out of the gate, before heading east. Licencia only had two gates, in the north and in the south. Given the volume of trade with the territories to the north, the guardhouse was situated there, with most of the guards familiar with the common trading goods that passed through the gate everyone so often.


    A dense forest appeared in their vision after walking for around half an hour or so, and Claud felt something in him tingle. His hackles rose as they continued towards the forest; his instincts were warning him of some danger hidden in the forest.


    Or was it his skills?


    ¡°Let¡¯s check our equipment one last time first,¡± said Claud. ¡°I¡¯m getting a feeling that we¡¯ve hit the jackpot here.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Ten Barrier Rings, three Warding Bracelets on each arm, a Pendant of Poison Immunity, an Early-warning Armguard and an Armguard of Projectile Deflection.¡± Lily looked up. ¡°All set. Did you bring the Road-Maker?¡±


    ¡°Good. You¡¯ve remembered the basic explorer kit. And of course I did,¡± said Claud, who had just gone through his thirty or so artefacts in that same time. ¡°Now that we¡¯re set¡­¡±


    He took out a machete. ¡°Let¡¯s get down to business.¡±

 Chapter 208: The problematic forest and a heart-to-heart talk

    Monkeys stared at Claud as he cleaved a way through the undergrowth of the forest. Unlike some of the unluckier forests, this nameless one was not a shortcut to anywhere, which meant that people had little incentive to forge a path through it and then charge users for a nice fee. As a result, the forest had grown uncontrollably, with bushes the height of Lily a rather common obstacle.


    At least the trees weren¡¯t clumped together, though.


    ¡°It stinks of death here,¡± Lily muttered.


    Claud sniffed curiously, but he couldn¡¯t pick out the stench of decay that he associated with dead bodies. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Trust me on this.¡± Lily¡¯s words carried a weight to them. ¡°I can smell it. Dead bodies that have been buried deep underground. It¡¯s not obvious to many people, but you just need to turn up some soil and the stench will burst out.¡±


    ¡°What the heck is in this forest?¡±


    ¡°Not just those darkened animals, that¡¯s for sure.¡± Lily¡¯s face twisted in a fashion that Claud had never seen before. ¡°We should retreat. This place isn¡¯t for us. Get Caroline and raze this forest to the ground.¡±


    Leaves and twigs rustled at those words, and Claud felt his face twist. Without a word, he pulled Lily away. A set of claws fell on her previous position a moment later, tearing the ground apart upon impact.


    ¡°Run!¡±


    Pulling Lily along, he bolted through the undergrowth, inwardly thankful that he had taken the time to cleave through a path. If he hadn¡¯t, the two of them would have been forced to fight in hostile terrain. The monkeys bolted along with them, swinging from tree and tree and jumping down on the path when necessary.


    A choir of roars rose from the depths of the forest, blotting out the frightened shrieking of the monkeys, and the ground began to shake. The larger monsters had awakened, but as for what type of monsters they were, Claud had no idea.


    When did so many monsters hide inside this forest?


    Claud had no idea, but he definitely knew that one wrong move would probably tie them down in combat, which probably wouldn¡¯t end all that well.


    ¡°We¡¯re close!¡± Lily yelled.


    ¡°Prepare to toss the flare!¡± Claud yelled back. ¡°Use more mana too! Get more distance! These monsters aren¡¯t going to let us escape this easily!¡±


    Throwing on a burst of speed, the two of them dashed past the monkeys and broke out of the forest. A deafening roar shook the world as Lily took out a tube-like object and aimed it at the sky. A small ball shot out of it, bursting into a huge blue cloud high above them a second later.


    Without waiting for the city¡¯s response, Claud and Lily bolted off in the direction of the city gates, running madly as the roars and shrieks continued to spread. The sounds of clanging bells filled the air as the two of them made a mad dash towards the city ¡ª the defenders of Licencia were already on the alert.


    ¡°Slow down, but keep moving,¡± said Claud, who was taking the chance to inhale deeply after opening up some distance between them and the forest of dangerous monsters. ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re just going to slink back into the forest, now that they¡¯ve been exposed.¡±


    Another ear-splititing roar drowned out Lily¡¯s reply, and on instinct, the two of them turned to look at the forest that they had just escaped from. There, a giant reptilian creature had just burst out of the undergrowth, roaring madly.


    There were blackened streaks on it.


    ¡°Moons¡­¡± Claud muttered. ¡°What is that?¡±


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    ¡°I wish I could tell you the answer to that,¡± Lily replied, her face white, ¡°but I do know something about that monster, and that it¡¯s something we should run from. Right now.¡±


    The ground shook again.


    ¡°No, not yet. Don¡¯t move too quickly,¡± Claud replied. ¡°In fact, we¡¯re still quite a distance away from the city. It¡¯s possible that if the monster spots us ¡ª which is easily done by moving quickly ¡ª it might just be able to chase us down and turn us into food. No.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°Follow what I do,¡± Claud replied, before lowering his body slowly. His eyes were fixed on the reptilian, house-sized monster, who was busy surveying the area with its beady eyes. ¡°Get down slowly, and lie down on the ground.¡±


    ¡°Lie down?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yes. It seems that this monster still quite remembers its fear of Emperor Grandis, but we are outside the city,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Therefore, it¡¯s likely that this huge reptile thing won¡¯t attack Licencia¡­but if it spots us running to the city, that¡¯s a different question.¡±


    As he continued to speak, Claud laid down on the ground, pulling Lily along for the ride while he was at it. He didn¡¯t know how good the monster¡¯s eyesight was, but lying down was a far safer choice than simply making a break for it now.


    ¡°What do you think that monster is?¡± Lily asked, pulling out a small package.


    ¡°No bombs, Lily,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But I think it¡¯s called a crocodile? I¡¯m not sure. Big head, huge body, talons¡­we¡¯ll just call it Tugly. You know, talon plus ugly.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡± Lily unwrapped the package, pulling out a small square pastry. ¡°Also, that¡¯s not a bomb, that¡¯s a small apple cube.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s an apple cube?¡± Claud asked, pulling out his small machete, which he had sheathed while running away madly.


    ¡°An apple pie, just that it¡¯s in the shape of a cube,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Are you digging a hole?¡±


    ¡°With mana, even a branch can be a shovel,¡± Claud replied. The air around the blade of his machete shimmered faintly ¡ª Claud didn¡¯t use too much mana, after all. He didn¡¯t know if monsters were attracted to the azure blue light characteristic of using too much mana, but Claud wasn¡¯t going to take any chances here.¡±


    Within minutes, his mana-empowered pseudo-shovel had produced a small pit, large enough for the two of them to shelter in. Unfortunately, the open terrain around Licencia meant that there really wasn¡¯t any way to make a shelter, which, when combined with the hot sun burning down on the two of them¡­


    ¡°Alright, now just lie down on your back and get something to cover your eyes,¡± said Claud. ¡°This monster¡­is really angry.¡±


    He snuck a peek out at the monster he¡¯d named Tugly, who was still roaring and looking around for any free food. Fortunately, no caravans or trade convoys were going past the vicinity ¡ª either that, or they had seen the house-sized monster, prompting them to make a detour.


    ¡°Cover my eyes?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re going to sleep in the sun or something for a while,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Fortunately, our clothes were meant for navigating rough terrain, so it won¡¯t be that uncomfortable. Heck, you might get addicted to sleeping under broad daylight.¡±


    Lily shifted closer to Claud, before tugging at his clothes.


    ¡°S-something wrong?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Come a bit closer,¡± Lily replied. ¡°You always maintain this distance between you and everyone else, even me. I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°Distance?¡± Claud thought for a moment, and then shifted to his right. ¡°This better?¡±


    ¡°Yeah ¡ª wait, that¡¯s not what I meant!¡±


    It was obvious that Lily had been affected by the forest. Claud wasn¡¯t going to doubt her words earlier; if she said that there were lots of corpses buried in that forest, there probably were lots of corpses. Of the Moon Lords, Claud had a feeling that she had seen and smelt the most bodies; today¡¯s discovery had probably opened up some old wounds of hers.


    He reached out and patted her head once. ¡°It¡¯s all in the past. Don¡¯t dwell too much on it, okay? You¡¯ve ended your family¡¯s wrongdoing ¡ª that¡¯s something that people with a conscience will do.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realise you had the Telepathy skill,¡± Lily replied, shifting somewhat on the spot.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need it,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We¡¯ve been running around the place for the past few months. I think I have a reasonably good understanding of your character.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t have a good understanding of you,¡± said Lily.


    Claud kept his breathing steady. ¡°Really? What part do you want to know more about? I¡¯ll tell you what I can.¡±


    ¡°Really? Lily tilted her head. ¡°Then¡­tell me about why you are so paranoid.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very long story,¡± said Claud. ¡°Are you sure you want to hear about it?¡±


    ¡°We have time now, right?¡± Lily asked, her eyes a bit too bright for Claud to overlook.


    As if on cue, Tugly roared once more, and the archers at the city wall trembled visibly. The two of them snuck another peek at the ugly reptilian thing, who was still looking around for presumably the two humans that had fled its forest. From the looks of it, the ugly fellow was going to be here for the next few hours or so.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess. Well, since that ugly thing isn¡¯t going to move too far from its sheltered spot, I suppose we¡¯ll have to wait it out or something. Once it gets bored, we can make our way out easily.¡± Claud slunk back into the pit. ¡°So, about my paranoia, huh?¡±


    ¡°Is that fine?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I suppose.¡± Claud made himself comfortable, and then looked at a particular white cloud. ¡°Let me start with my childhood, then.¡±

 Chapter 209: A quiet recounting

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­I was born in this very city.¡± Claud looked up at the sky, which was beginning to cloud over. ¡°Didn¡¯t have a father, only had a mother. She worked hard at being a maidservant and tried to make sure that I had some decent education. Worked out for the first fifteen years, and I grew up like a normal child.¡±


    He smiled. The memories of his childhood, which had been tucked away like some of his first toys, were pleasant to relive.


    ¡°Life was rather simple back then. I would go to school, learn something new, and then go home and have Mum take care of me. We liked to play games. Moon Phase, Domination¡­my previous home used to have many games like them.¡± Claud looked up. ¡°But well, my mum was getting old. On the first day of Half Moon, ten years ago, her lifespan finally ran out. And then she told me that her greatest wish was for me to never die. To keep living on and on, so that she could live through me.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have much of a lifespan back then,¡± Claud continued. ¡°Around¡­thirty years, or even shorter. I didn¡¯t realise it back then, but one reason why my mum worked so hard was to buy me low-ranked lifestones, which she told me to eat. Green candies, she said. She didn¡¯t buy any for herself, in trying to make sure that my lifespan could be prolonged, but one day, the prices of low-ranked lifestones shot up, and we no longer had enough money.¡±


    Claud sighed. ¡°I only knew all this when I left school. She never said anything. Just a wish for me to keep living.¡±


    Lily looked at him, unsure of what to say.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said Claud. ¡°But yes. That¡¯s the reason why I am so paranoid. My mum did everything in her power to make sure that I lived. I won¡¯t go throwing that away.¡±


    ¡°Now I feel bad for thinking you¡¯re weird,¡± Lily replied.


    She paused, and then clarified, ¡°At the start, anyway. Being paranoid is a good way to live. Makes things so much more exciting. Your mind is always active and aware of any potential threats ¡ª even a simple walk can be reforged into the opening of a grand story!¡±


    ¡°¡­That isn¡¯t exactly the reason why being cautious is good, but whatever floats your boat, I guess.¡± Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°That¡¯s about it, I guess.¡±


    ¡°First day of Half Moon, huh.¡± Lily turned to look at Claud. ¡°If you are going to commemorate her passing at that time, can I come along?¡±


    ¡°You?¡± Claud blinked, taken aback by that request. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Besides, you¡¯ll probably be mentally shaken whenever that time comes. It¡¯s dangerous to be in such a state, especially given that this year is going to be one full of turmoil. If I¡¯m with you, I can help watch over you.¡±


    ¡°What am I, a child?¡± Claud smiled. ¡°Fine, if only to stop you from making those googly faces. Thank you for your consideration.¡±


    He paused as a thought struck him. ¡°Right, about your family¡­¡±


    ¡°No news about what happened to them so far,¡± Lily promptly replied. ¡°It seems that the Emperor and his officials either don¡¯t care or are flummoxed by the events that occurred.¡±


    ¡°To be fair, I¡¯d be equally confused if reports about a house shooting into the five grand skies reached my table,¡± said Claud. ¡°So¡­nothing? Who¡¯s ruling over the territory now?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Overseer Agni. A five-fold mana-user.¡±


    ¡°Overseer?¡± Claud repeated, confused by that term of address. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


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    ¡°It¡¯s one of the Emperor¡¯s men,¡± Lily explained. ¡°Looks after any territory that has been abandoned or left ungoverned. None of my business, though. He¡¯s probably looking for some of my brothers or sisters who escaped the mess and get them to rule over the area. Failing that, he¡¯ll just promote a baronet family into the position and be done with it.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to fight for the position?¡±


    Lily laughed. ¡°You dummy. Why would I? I didn¡¯t blow up the whole place just so I could rule over it, you know. I¡¯m not interested in that. Following you is more exciting, and¡­and¡­and¡­¡±


    Claud sighed. ¡°It¡¯s been hard on you.¡±


    Ending one¡¯s own family, even if they were heinous murderers who had killed hundreds, wasn¡¯t something that could be forgotten easily. Lily, who was around his same age, was naturally going to think of her own deeds time and again, which was why Claud wanted to make sure that she didn¡¯t do anything stupid.


    She nodded mutely.


    He had to bring this topic up, however. Letting someone bottle it up on their own wasn¡¯t healthy, and Claud had learned enough from Schwarz to console and counsel someone. Besides, the two of them were friends and perhaps even more, so he wasn¡¯t going to hold back on making sure that Lily was fine.


    She just needed to talk it through every so often. Lily, like most other people, had a tendency to bottle up the things that really mattered, and that was fine. It just needed to be let out once in a while.


    After a while, Claud patted her head. ¡°Feeling better?¡±


    ¡°¡­You really like patting my head, don¡¯t you?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s what my mum used to do,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And it¡¯s been proven that headpats make people happier.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see you doing it to Schwarz, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, Schwarz used to do it to me. Learned it from his dad.¡±


    Lily tilted her head, prompting Claud to smile.


    ¡°When I started sitting in his bar, his dad would pat my head every so often.¡± Claud paused. ¡°Well, my mum knew his dad, which meant that he knew of her passing. Got free drinks for the first month or so I was there, and then eventually convinced me to pick up some new trades.¡±


    ¡°Like?¡±


    ¡°Being a mercenary, a bounty hunter and other dark professions,¡± Claud replied. ¡°A pity he passed away not too long afterwards too, but that¡¯s a story for Schwarz to share. But yeah, the two of us have a nice habit of patting heads, although Schwarz is very restrained. Usually does that to the piss-drunk fellows crying about love or whatnot. Moons know that they really need some compassion and whatnot.¡±


    ¡°I really want to see that one day,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°We just need to sit in his bar when it opens and narrate some sob story,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s a deal, then!¡±


    Claud smiled. It was good to see that Lily was capable of getting her spirits back up this quickly; this was proof that she was eventually coming to terms with her actions.


    He looked up at the sky, which was now cloudy, and then realised that the monster that had popped out of the nameless forest nearby had fallen silent. The soldiers, however, were still there on the city walls, which was probably why he hadn¡¯t noticed anything much.


    Poking his head out of the shallow hidey hole he had dug, Claud turned to look in the direction of Tugly, who was now staring at a single person walking towards it.


    ¡°Caroline¡­¡±


    His low hiss caught Lily¡¯s attention. ¡°She¡¯s here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Claud replied, his eyes narrowed and focused on Caroline, who had a huge sabre in her right hand. ¡°Looks like she¡¯s pissed off too, from the sheer amount of mana in her hand.


    Tugly, who had stopped roaring, was now regarding the newcomer with beady eyes. Claud could sense that it was fearful of her, to the point that it didn¡¯t dare to strike first.


    A cold snort rang through the air. ¡°Foolish, pitiful monster. You could have stayed inside, but to think you¡¯d eat my husband¡¯s people. You are beyond redemption.¡±


    Azure light flared, colouring the overcast sky above. Claud took a deep breath. Such a sight could only mean that she was getting serious, since such obvious signs of light was proof that the mana she was mobilising was far greater than her Mana Control Proficiency.


    Tugly was in for a bad time.


    With a ceremonial gesture, Caroline pulled out a skillstrip and flung it in front of her. The sabre in her hands flashed once, tearing apart the piece of paper, and an enormous crescent of blue light flashed through the air, leaving afterimages in its wake.


    The scaly monster roared once, and then spat out a black torrent of energy at the incoming attack. However, the crescent of energy simply tore through the stream of energy, splitting it into wispy strands of energy like it wasn¡¯t there, before cleaving through Tugly itself.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t known you for long,¡± Claud whispered, ¡°but have a good journey.¡±


    ¡°Die in peace, Tugly.¡±


    The monster fell apart into two pieces in silence, which was proof that one should never alarm the bigshots of Grandis. The ease in which Caroline had killed a monster that posed a sizable threat to the two of them was a bit sobering, and as the soldiers on the wall let out a cheer, Claud let out a sigh.


    ¡°Claud?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just too weak,¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

 Chapter 210: Mages in the military

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    The shocking ease in which Caroline had gotten rid of poor old Tugly was an eye-opener for Claud. He had roughly guessed what had happened; Caroline had infused mana into the skill stored inside the skillstrip, to the point that the amount used was far in excess of her maximum control. After that, she unleashed a single decisive strike, ending the entire battle.


    ¡°That sounds about right,¡± said Lily. ¡°I wonder what¡¯s her Mana Control Proficiency, though.¡±


    ¡°Should be like mine, I guess,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°¡­Right. I forgot, O agent of the dark night.¡± Lily giggled. ¡°Intermediate, huh. How do I train it anyway? Do you mind demonstrating some of your mana control?¡±


    ¡°Here? Now?¡± Claud blinked. ¡°At least pay attention to the time and place, really.¡±


    He got up and extended a hand to Lily, who took it.


    ¡°What now?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Should we go and say hi to Caroline and report our findings? I mean, she is here anyway. Might as well close the job or something and burn down the forest.¡±


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s be honest, you probably just want to try bombing the forest, right?¡± Claud asked, eyeing her suspiciously.


    ¡°What? No, of course not!¡± Lily waved her hands vehemently. ¡°Who would do such a thing? That would be utterly horrible!¡±


    ¡°That grin on your face tells me otherwise, though.¡± Lily¡¯s face scrunched up as Claud bopped her on the head lightly. ¡°And I don¡¯t think blowing the forest up now is a good idea, considering the countless eyewitness reports about the explosive ascent of the Julan main house. You might end up having to sip tea with the Emperor¡¯s men¡­¡±


    ¡°Eek.¡± Lily looked down for a moment, only for her face to brighten up. ¡°But I wasn¡¯t planning to use bombs! I made something new not too long ago. It can set a huge area on fire upon simply tossing it!¡±


    ¡°¡­How many of those things are currently sitting in Moon Mansion?¡± Claud asked.


    She puffed herself up. ¡°None!¡±


    ¡°¡­They¡¯re all here? On you?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Lily smiled. ¡°You said not to leave any in the house, right? So I took them all with them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s marginally better, I guess, but still¡­it¡¯s dangerous.¡± Claud sighed. ¡°And I¡¯m feeling a bit scared now too, since they¡¯re all on you, but if they don¡¯t malfunction, that¡¯s good enough. And I have lots of artefacts, so it¡¯s¡­fine. Sort of.


    He rubbed his head. ¡°If I ever have the chance, I¡¯m going to get you a storage artefact. If things explode, at least it won¡¯t explode on you, me and anyone else that¡¯s close by. While I¡¯m at it, I¡¯m going to buy a few more and stuff all the equipment on me¡­as well as my fizzy drinks inside.¡±


    ¡°How much space is there inside?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question, really,¡± Claud replied, before making his way to Caroline. ¡°But I¡¯m positive that we can stuff a bunch of weapons inside easily. Definitely going to make travelling easier and¡ªhuh.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Can we place your bombs inside that magical pot of yours?¡± Claud asked. ¡°You know, the one that we cooked stew together in.¡±


    ¡°It can only shrink itself, so that¡¯s not really possible,¡± Lily replied, patting his head. ¡°But good try, though.¡±


    ¡°I feel like a student getting praised by his teacher for some reason,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°But well, it¡¯s nice to get headpats. I wish I can get more once in a while. It¡¯s usually me doing the patting, after all.¡±


    He cricked his neck. ¡°Yep, Caroline definitely spotted us. Come on, let¡¯s speed up.¡±


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    After a few minutes of walking, which somehow seemed far shorter than the time they spent fleeing away from the forest, the duo arrived at Caroline, who was picking apart Tugly with her sabre. Her face was grim and overcast, much like the sky, and it didn¡¯t take much in the way of observation to know why.


    The monster had a nasty-looking dark sheen in its innards. Red and black meshed together, giving the monster a half-decayed look. At first glance, Claud could tell that this alteration was completely unnatural; something that made him shiver.


    ¡°Claud, Lily.¡± Caroline continued to look down on the slain monster. ¡°What do you make of this?¡±


    ¡°I think this monster is related to the recent disappearances that have plagued convoys here and there,¡± said Lily. ¡°We came to this forest for the express purpose of looking for the source of those disappearances, after all.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    As Lily briefly narrated the deduction that had led them here, Claud squatted to examine the dead Tugly slowly. Putting aside the odd blackness that had eaten into its flesh, blood and bones, the master thief had never seen such a monster before. If it was so huge, its approach here would have been noticed, no?


    In that case, it was possible that this monster was a native of this forest and then grew up on its own, but that would not explain the corpses that were ¡ª according to Lily ¡ª buried there. Affected by the pervasive darkness and whatever other nonsense that was stuck inside the ominous mist, the monster probably changed over time and grew more aggressive.


    ¡°I see. This forest is a danger, then,¡± said Caroline.


    Lily nodded rapidly, but before she could suggest her own method of taking the forest out, Caroline had let out a long sigh. ¡°I am inclined to trust the instincts of our professionals. Furthermore, this forest is indeed a place for darkened monsters to hide in. Therefore, we¡¯ll destroy it. Flatten it and replant the area with trees and crops. It¡¯s destructive, but there¡¯s not much of a choice here.¡±


    ¡°Flatten it?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Yes. By means of ritual magic,¡± said Caroline. ¡°I brought a small group of mages along with me when I arrived at Licencia. They¡¯ve been sitting around and playing cards; they¡¯ll be happy to have something to do.¡±


    ¡°M-mages, huh?¡± Claud eyed the forest. ¡°I¡¯m not looking down on them, but are they really useful?¡±


    ¡°Well, most mana-users would think that they are fairly useless, but that¡¯s because they don¡¯t know what the Mana Manipulation skill actually does,¡± said Caroline. ¡°It enhances their Mana Control Proficiency to Intermediate for thirty minutes and more importantly, converts their mana in their body into a more universal form of mana. With Mana Manipulation, one could transmit the mana in their body to another person easily.¡±


    Claud blinked. ¡°That sounds really useful.¡±


    ¡°It is. That¡¯s why mages are indispensable. They can replace single-use trump cards and all-out attacks by lower-level folders, and also top-up mana reserves of other folders if need be,¡± said Caroline. ¡°They¡¯re quite the military resource, if nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Huh. I didn¡¯t know that,¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°Of course. Such information is generally limited. If normal organisations catch wind of such information, they could potentially upend the status quo and everything,¡± said Caroline.


    ¡°So why are you telling us all this?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°You two are very cautious, paranoid. I don¡¯t think you two are the type to share these things around and cause me and my darling alarm, right?¡± Caroline asked. ¡°The Moon Lords aren¡¯t that ambitious too.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t quite know what to think about this candid admission, but he wasn¡¯t going to put complete faith in it. At any rate, raising mages was clearly a no-no for them ¡ª he could at least discern this much.


    ¡°I was going to ask about Mana Manipulation,¡± said Claud, ¡°but I think I¡¯m going to drop that idea instead.¡±


    Caroline chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m glad you understand. With people like you in the Moon Lords, I can foresee a long period of partnership. We don¡¯t ask for much, and we pay quite a bit. We just expect your cooperation and acknowledgement.¡±


    Grunting once, Claud turned to the forest. ¡°So, ritual magic, huh.¡±


    ¡°The Thief of Time apparently survived ritual magic that invoked the White God¡¯s divine power,¡± said Lily.


    ¡°So I¡¯ve heard,¡± said Caroline. ¡°And you can cancel the word ¡®apparently¡¯. He did survive Grand Cross, which was indeed backed by the White God. I¡¯m not sure how, but if he shows up in Licencia¡­¡±


    She paused dramatically, and the two of them leaned forward.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to treat him to a drink and ask him how he did it,¡± Caroline completed, before turning around to look at the two of them. ¡°What? Do you think I¡¯m stupid? Tot came by and smacked Zulan Patra into the ground, and then crushed the Third Bearer of Destiny. He might be still around here. I¡¯m not uttering anything stupid.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®oh¡¯ me, young lady.¡± Caroline rolled her eyes. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go grab the mages and have them turn this place into arable farmland. Have the two of you seen ritual magic before?¡±


    For obvious reasons, Claud wasn¡¯t going to show off his record of surviving ritual magic ¡ª which currently stood at seven regular instances and one instance backed by a god ¡ª so he simply shook his head.


    ¡°Excellent.¡± She glanced at Lily, who also shook her head. ¡°It¡¯ll be an eyeopener, then.¡±


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 Chapter 211: Burning down a forest

    Fifteen mages, clad in hooded robes ¡ª Claud didn¡¯t know why hooded robes were the standard attire for mages, since that was something only people in the darker trades needed ¡ª trudged out towards Caroline after around thirty minutes of waiting. Their hoods, which was pulled over their eyes for some baffling reason, revealed only their mouths, creating a situation in which these weirdoes looked like peas in a pod.


    ¡°Come over,¡± said Caroline, beckoning at Claud and Lily. ¡°These men and women are my mages. Disciplined, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°You brought them along from Lostfon?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Correct,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°Had to prepare something for Aran, after all. Anyway, they¡¯re really good, so just sit still and watch them.¡±


    The mages marched up to Caroline, before stopping five metres before her and kneeling on a leg. ¡°Your highness. We await your orders.¡±


    Caroline pointed at the forest. ¡°Turn this forest into farmland.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your highness.¡±


    The mages got up, and then arranged themselves into a circle. It was standard procedure for mages using ritual magic to arrange themselves into a nice circle, although the theory behind doing so wasn¡¯t something Claud knew the answer to.


    Mana started to dance above the little circle, as a chorus of voices swept out into the air.


    ¡°Fire, the sea of destruction. Water the earth with the fuel of life. Flood the land with your formless form. Plough the soil with your burning vigour. Till the dirt with your fiery fingers.¡±


    The azure mana above them turned red, and the temperature began to rise. As the density of mana continued to increase, Claud pulled Lily away from the assembled mages and edged closer to Caroline.


    ¡°Flame, the ferryman of rebirth. Liberate the formless from the formed. Tear down their mortal coil. Escort the dying to their next life.¡± The second verse rumbled through the air, low and sonorous. Claud could feel his hackles rising, as the mana they built up began to take shape and glow. The ritual spell was on the verge of completion; what remained was the last verse.


    ¡°Flare, the spark of life.¡± The chanting grew louder, rising to a booming roar within seconds. ¡°Grace the world with life and light. Call forth the new evergreen. Power the circle of reincarnation! Descend, Light of Life!¡±


    The mana above the mages collapsed into a single point, before arcing over to the forest. The vermilion dot of radiance bloomed like a gigantic flower a moment later, a flower that had thousands of petals. The blue sky turned red as the blazing petals began to fall, turning all it touched into blackened ash.


    The nameless forest near Licencia was being burned down, but there was no sound whatsoever. Just a silent show of heat and light, made of falling petals whose beauty carried danger.


    Within three minutes, the forest, which had taken up a huge part of Claud¡¯s vision, had been reduced into drifting ash. Whatever monsters and animals that had been hiding inside had suffered the same fate. It was a chilling sight, despite the high temperatures involved, and for a moment, Claud felt that the defences around Moon Mansion was not enough.


    ¡°Good work, mages,¡± said Caroline. ¡°You may return now. On the way back, call the city guard and tell them to come over.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your highness!¡±


    The mages bowed and retreated as a single entity, and Claud watched them back away slowly, before turning around to walk away after ten steps or so.


    He had never underestimated the power of ritual magic, but since he had survived every single one directed at him so far, it didn¡¯t really seem that impressive in his memory. It didn¡¯t help that he didn¡¯t have all that much to appreciate the colleteral damage, but¡­


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°An entire forest was destroyed just like this¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not destroyed. The mages simply fertilised the soil here by burning down the trees and whatever wildlife that was here. Now we just need to wall this off and send some enterprising farmers to secure our food supply.¡± Caroline chuckled. ¡°Once news of this gets out, food prices are going to drop. We might even see some of the agricultural businesses bidding for the right to farm this place too.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s so good, why didn¡¯t Count Nightfall burn it down?¡±


    ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t here previously. Furthermore, a forest like this didn¡¯t really catch our attention earlier. If it wasn¡¯t for the giant monster, I wouldn¡¯t have cared too much either.¡± Caroline chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s just how it is, really. There¡¯s not much in the way of personal gain, and it¡¯s not like Licencia has its own mages to raise.¡±


    She paused. ¡°If there were any, they probably weren¡¯t all that good at ritual magic either. You have to remember that mages are a military resource. Duke Istrel is a paranoid person. Gathering a mage corps could alarm him and result in stupid things.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Licencia¡¯s blessing to have you, then,¡± said Claud.


    ¡°You¡¯ve quite the smooth tongue,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°But I like it. Anyway, now that we¡¯ve settled the forest, we just need to wait for the guards to come. Bodies, eh? Maybe we might be able to locate something. It¡¯s a pity that we had to burn down the forest, but I¡¯m not going to waste lives trying to seek out some psychopath¡¯s little hut in the forest.¡±


    Claud nodded, but he couldn¡¯t help but think about some issues. Was it possible that Zulan Patra¡¯s murderer had a base in the forest? He hadn¡¯t thought of it earlier, but Caroline¡¯s mention of a psychopath had triggered that memory in him.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yeah, actually.¡±


    The two of them turned to him, their eyes brimming with an expectant light.


    ¡°W-well, I just had a thought. What if Zulan Patra¡¯s murderer had used this forest as a base?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Since Caroline said something about a psychopath¡¯s little hut and all, you know.¡±


    ¡°That could explain how the Third Bearer of Destiny was observing the battle between the enthralled Nero and the Holy Daughter of the White Church,¡± Lily mused out loud. ¡°This forest is not too far, after all. The only issue is how he got in and out of the city, but that can be answered by digging holes in walls.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Claud nodded. Digging holes in the city walls had become more rampant ever since he implemented some measures at the city gates, which mandated a trip every so often around the city perimeter by the two of them or a bunch of patrols.


    ¡°I¡¯ve received reports on a weekly basis about how people like digging holes into my walls,¡± Caroline acknowledged. ¡°Maybe we should layer the inner side of the walls with iron or something. Dig through that, criminal scum!¡±


    Everyone laughed.


    ¡°I¡¯d be surprised if they managed to dig through iron,¡± said Claud. ¡°Or alarmed. Not sure which one¡¯s better.¡±


    After chatting for a few more minutes, with the three of them complaining about work ¡ª being an administrator of Licencia also had its own fair share of problems, like devious merchants and overbearing overseers from the Istrel Dukedom ¡ª the city guards arrived.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am,¡± said Captain Blake. ¡°The city guards are formed up and ready for your orders.¡±


    ¡°There should be some bodies buried under the soil,¡± said Caroline. ¡°See if you can locate them and identify the dead. At the same time, get some of your guards to drag this beast back. Conduct some research on it and report your results to me and the City Guard headquarters in Grandia.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Captain Blake saluted, and then started issuing orders. Within moments, a bunch of men started to dissect the huge corpse of poor Tugly, taking it apart and leaving it without a place to rest.


    At the same time, the other city guards started to look for any signs of corpses, and to Claud¡¯s satisfaction, Lily didn¡¯t disappoint him. Soldiers groaned as a horrible smell spilled out into the air, and everyone reeled collectively from a concentrated stench of death and decay.


    ¡°Smells like the cellar at times,¡± Lily muttered.


    Claud looked at her, and then patted her shoulder.


    ¡°This stench is horrible.¡± Caroline stepped back from the ash-covered soil. ¡°City guards, fall back and let the smell disperse. Ugh. Captain Blake, identify the corpses or something after the smell becomes bearable, and make sure to sanitise yourself after returning back to base.¡±


    Claud and Lily, who were also covering their noses, followed Caroline as she bustled back into the city.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably quite a few bodies,¡± said Claud.


    ¡°Ten or so, I think,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell how long bodies have been buried underground, though. Decomposition can slow down under certain circumstances and everything.¡±


    ¡°Lily, do you happen to be the Moon Lords¡¯ expert on murder cases?¡± Caroline asked, clearly intrigued. ¡°You know quite a bit about this, apparently.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just read a lot of books,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Authors tend to include these details when writing, and to do so, they need research.¡±


    ¡°Authors? Like what, storywriters?¡±


    ¡°Something like that, yes.¡±


    Caroline pondered on her words for a moment. ¡°I see. Well, maybe I should consider fostering our own specialists for crimes¡­¡±

 Chapter 212: Musings, Meatballs and Mysterious Ruins

    Farah stamped her seal down on a sheet of paper, popped it on a huge pile of similar-looking papers, and let out a long, tired sigh. ¡°We need someone who can investigate crimes really badly.¡±


    Dia, who was testing her sword¡¯s balance, glanced at the countess. After the shocking incident in which one of the city guards had been killed, the two of them had spent the next few days holed up in the palace. Farah was busy handling paperwork, and judging from the complaints about needing an investigation specialist that she had been saying the whole morning, it was clear that she was currently handling the issue of crime.


    Even for an agrarian territory, it would seem that there was still crime. Granted, they seemed like petty things, although Farah would occasionally talk about a missing person or so.


    ¡°But you¡¯d need someone from the City Guard headquarters to come down to train a bunch of such people, right?¡± Dia asked, recalling some of the little details she had come across. ¡°And you need to pay money too¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Farah rubbed her head. ¡°We¡¯re building walls now, so we don¡¯t exactly have the kind of spare gold to invite an Eye of Grandis over. If we could invite one to work here, that would be even better.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only something really rich dukedoms do, though. Most of the Eyes don¡¯t even show their faces. Other than the fifteen official Eyes¡­¡± Dia shrugged. If there had been an Eye of Grandis overseeing Ruler Umbra¡¯s death, the chances of her being framed would be pretty low. However, enough time had passed; the culprit, with their prodigious might and resources, had almost certainly cleaned up the scene entirely.


    ¡°Right, you follow the princess all day long. You definitely know about them!¡± Farah perked up. ¡°Is it true that most of the hidden Eyes of Grandis have been investigating the Celestia Ruins?¡±


    Dia blinked. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard about that rumour before, though. Where did you hear it from?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s what Lloyd said two days ago, when I was talking about an expedition to check out the Celestia Ruins,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t given up on that?¡± Dia chuckled.


    ¡°We all have to be young at some point, right?¡± Farah replied. ¡°I¡¯ve been working hard for the past twenty-odd years. I want to act my age for once. Now¡¯s the time for me to explore and adventure, not sit in a palace and moan over a lack of money. If I have enough money, I won¡¯t need to moan; everyone will be able to lead a nice life!¡±


    ¡°Money, huh?


    ¡°Yeah. Moonwheat is great, but it¡¯s not going to sell at an extraordinary price. But if I manage to grab something like those fizzy drinks that came from Lostfon, my people are going to make merry all day long,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Dia flipped her sword around and sheathed it in one smooth motion. ¡°But like I said, it¡¯s best if we wait out this year.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we have the leeway to wait, though,¡± said Farah. ¡°Today, when I was staring out of my bedroom¡¯s window, I saw a mirage. I get a feeling that huge changes will soon come. This year might be the last year of peace we¡¯ll ever get.¡±


    ¡°Last year of peace?¡± Dia straightened her back. There were rumours about things, like how seeing the day¡¯s colour meant a great day ahead, but a mirage? ¡°Elaborate.¡±


    ¡°Well, I saw lots of darkness and fire. Of course, it might just all be a dream or something, but¡­¡± Farah sighed.


    ¡°That¡¯s a scary dream, not to mention a mirage.¡± Dia rubbed her head. ¡°If everything¡¯s going to fall to chaos, what¡¯s the point of working this hard? Best not to dwell on visions too much.¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°True.¡± Farah picked up a new document and looked through it. ¡°Oh. Another missing case.¡±


    Dia thought back to Lily¡¯s explanation about Julan Barony, and how people went missing them for some odd reason. ¡°Say, Farah, is it possible that someone¡¯s kidnapping your people for some insane purpose? Like what happened at Julan Barony?¡±


    ¡°I thought of that too, but my people aren¡¯t rich. They don¡¯t really have much to offer in the way of ransom, and if we were talking about making enhanced Experiential Potions, the only experience my people have is about farming,¡± said Farah. ¡°Why would anyone need an Experiential Potion for that?¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Dia frowned. ¡°But missing people¡­maybe there¡¯s some nefarious group hoping to make use of them somehow. Like, I don¡¯t know, drawing out their lifeforce or something.¡±


    ¡°Eh? That¡¯s scary!¡± Farah looked at Dia, her brows furrowed. ¡°Has that happened before?¡±


    ¡°Officially, no, but Istrel Dukedom has a record of mysterious disappearances. After all, all kinds of skills exist; who¡¯s to say that there isn¡¯t one that can draw out lifeforce or something?¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°¡­Now I¡¯m not going to get any sleep at night,¡± said Farah.


    ¡°I¡¯m just pulling your leg,¡± said Dia. ¡°It¡¯s just that there are certain processes that can make use of living people as a power source; it¡¯s just a simple substitution of mana with life. After all, anyone can become a sub-folder, so¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to look into it a bit more, then.¡±


    ¡°You do that.¡± Dia walked over to the window and looked out of it. Now that she was back in a familiar element ¡ª a palace where administrative work had to be done ¡ª things like this came to her more easily. It was hard to think with such cold precision when surrounded by warm people like Schwarz, Lily and the others. Here, however, in an atmosphere that never failed to remind her about her past duties, exploring and pushing the boundaries of logic was a lot easier.


    After all, administrators of territories were usually removed from the people they ruled. It therefore stood to reason that they didn¡¯t abide by what usually was common sense either.


    ¡°If you¡¯re looking for your aunt, she¡¯s sampling some meatballs in the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°But breakfast was three hours ago,¡± said Dia. ¡°How can she still be there?¡±


    ¡°Tell that to my unfortunate meatballs,¡± said Farah. ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll show some sympathy and deny your words. Incidentally, we ran out of whipped cream last night, since she decided to help herself to our rather short supply of them. In addition, the brown sugar Lloyd uses to make pancakes has gone missing too¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll pay for them,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Oh, she left a bag of gold coins behind, no biggie,¡± Farah replied. ¡°My point is that we¡¯re out of sweet pastries, which is why meatballs were for breakfast today.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was actually wondering about that,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Mystery¡¯s cleared up, at least. I¡¯m going to look for my aunt now. See you for lunch.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still meatballs, though.¡±


    Dia felt her lips twitch, and then wandered off. Her mind was filled with Farah¡¯s suggestion, though. Heading over to the Celestia Ruins actually did sound like a good idea, since the possibility of finding something really useful there was high. Given that the great Dark was going to descend by year¡¯s end, having something like that would be really handy.


    She had a feeling that Claud, for all his paranoia, would agree too. With the restraining bolt of the Moon Lords taking such a stance, even if Dia didn¡¯t say anything, Claud would almost certainly head over to the Celestia Ruins within the year.


    It was just a matter of when, and once Farah brought it up, it would be a set matter.


    ¡°Well, he and Lily are probably going to go together, though,¡± Dia said out loud. ¡°I¡¯m just going to continue my training or something.¡±


    Directing her feet down a flight of stairs, Dia eventually arrived at the kitchen, where her aunt was busy squatting down and examining meatballs.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Dia asked, curious.


    ¡°Just comparing two meatballs.¡±


    ¡°¡­Why are you comparing two meatballs, then?¡± Dia asked, rubbing her forehead. No one around her was normal, it would seem. The others were fans of the person called Princess Dia, Schwarz had some odd obsession with making ultra-alcoholic drinks, and the less she thought about Claud, the better.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m bored. Can¡¯t Istrel hurry up and move his ceremony ahead by one day? I¡¯m totally fine with that, really.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just tomorrow, and he¡¯s going to come by two days from now,¡± said Dia. ¡°And besides, Farah is a good host. Are you in a rush or something?¡±


    ¡°You do know that I¡¯m a Named, right? A mana-user with quite a few achievements and deeds under my belt?¡± Aunt Lumine asked. ¡°Of course I have things to do. Lots of jobs and requests. Duke Lustre wants me to send a very strong message, but after that, I need to hunt down this rogue tri-folder off in Voidum. The Emperor¡¯s also asking Named folders to help in the exploration of the Celestia Ruins and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Celestia Ruins?¡± Dia pricked her ears up. ¡°Why? Is there anything going on there?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re interested?¡± Lumine returned to her standing position. ¡°Well, some lucky fellow from Lostfon found a passage leading to another fragment of Celestia. Everyone now wants to explore it. Full of treasures, or so I hear.¡±


    ¡°Another what?¡±


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s start from the beginning.¡±

 Chapter 213: An explanation about the ruins

    A small pyramid of meatballs sat on a plate, obediently awaiting their fate of being munched on by the Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings. One might say that it was those meatballs¡¯ honour to be eaten by a Named tetra-folder, although Dia would just call anyone who said those words a blithering buffoon.


    Those meatballs should be positively begging to be eaten by her aunt.


    ¡°Alright, Celestia.¡± Aunt Lumine popped a meatball in her mouth and chewed on it. ¡°So¡­the Celestia Ruins currently hovering above Lostfon is just a small piece of the real deal. Beyond this world, this¡­dimension¡ª¡±


    ¡°Dimension?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Like Dimensional Anchor?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­right, we¡¯re starting from there.¡± The Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings leaned on her chair¡¯s back. ¡°Wow. Where do I start? Okay, do you know the geography of this world?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s Grandis, Nihal and Lacheln, separated by a huge ocean,¡± said Dia.


    ¡°That¡¯s about correct, yes.¡± She picked up a meatball and pointed at it. ¡°The three continents are approximately here, here and here on the planet. Got that so far?¡±


    Dia blinked at the meatball. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°What are you all confused for?¡± Aunt Lumine asked. ¡°Oh, I see. Yes, the world we live on is shaped like a ball. You just didn¡¯t know that bit. Not many do, but again, not many actually seek to question these issues.¡±


    ¡°¡­If this was common knowledge, shouldn¡¯t people know more about it?¡± Dia asked. Those words felt a bit surreal. The world was a ball? But when she thought about it, the Moons were in the shape of a ball too. There had to be something in common for them to be in a ball-like shape.


    ¡°People rarely ask the correct questions, my little Dia.¡± She chuckled. ¡°And most people would snort in disbelief if someone were to tell them that everyone lived on a ball of earth and water. Anyway, a dimension is¡­well, consider a tank of water and a meatball floating in it. That¡¯s a dimension. Celestia¡­these fragments of Celestia came from an adjacent tank of water.¡±


    Dia rubbed her head. It wasn¡¯t hard to visualise it, and before long, she was already nodding her head. ¡°Still, how did a meatball move from one tank of water to another?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a mystery for the Coloured Gods,¡± said her aunt. ¡°And it wasn¡¯t a whole meatball that arrived in our tank of water. It was tiny shreds of meat. One of them happened to float above Grandis. That¡¯s all.¡±


    Picking up a meatball with a fork, Dia glanced at it. ¡°Can something like that happen to us too? The meatball that¡¯s¡­torn into shreds and scattered over many different tanks of water. Is that possible?¡±


    ¡°For us?¡± The Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings sighed, and a profound air of sorrow whirled around her. ¡°Believe me. I really want to say no. I really do. But Celestia is a ruined meatball. Maybe it¡¯s even a broken tank of water, and what we see are just shards. I¡¯m sorry, child. Maybe it¡¯s too early for me to say these things.¡±


    Dia looked down. ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t. Just that I think we should prepare for this.¡±


    ¡°Prepare for?¡±


    ¡°If something tries to tear our meatball into pieces,¡± Dia replied. ¡°We at least need to fight back, right?¡±


    ¡°Dear sweet child¡­that¡¯s not something the two of us are qualified to say,¡± said Lumine. ¡°Leave that to the Coloured Gods and the Moons. And besides, it¡¯s just a hypothetical issue. I don¡¯t think meatballs are shredded this easily or on a regular basis, after all. You just need to live with the knowledge that reality as we know it may end at any time.¡±


    Poking a little meatball, Dia let out a puff of air. ¡°I guess that¡¯s the only way, really.¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m glad you understand. Anyway, the Celestia Ruins that are floating above Lostfon is just a fragment of the real thing. It¡¯s full of treasures and things from another dimension, but at the same time, we¡¯re somewhat limited inside. The most egregious example is how our status seems to malfunction there.¡±


    ¡°Malfunction there?¡± Dia replied. ¡°But the status is a creation of a Primordial God¡­¡±


    ¡°Lyceris has been dead for a very long time, reduced to innumerable shadows that operate her last legacy,¡± Aunt Lumine replied. ¡°There¡¯s not much power left to do anything else.¡±


    ¡°Yikes.¡±


    ¡°Which is why Named mana-users and the Eyes of Grandis are sent there instead. They¡¯re the most confident of the bunch, after all,¡± said Lumine. ¡°The gains are great and many treasures can be found there, but there are also many dangers lurking inside.¡±


    ¡°What are the others?¡±


    ¡°Well, you get monsters and echoes of the dead attacking you, for starters. There are also rips in space that would suck you in and spit you out somewhere else. Weird traps. All kinds of traps. There¡¯s also this grey border that appears in places. If you step through that border, you¡¯ll cease to exist.¡±


    ¡°Cease to exist?¡± Dia gulped. ¡°What does it look like?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll recognise it immediately. It would seem like the air in front has a tint of grey, and you can feel some resistance upon approaching it. Don¡¯t fight that resistance; it¡¯s a warning for you to not cross over, since you¡¯ll never come back.¡± She picked up a meatball with her fingers. ¡°This makes Celestia a prime place for betrayals, since simply pushing someone across the border is a foolproof way of killing them.¡±


    ¡°Killing?¡±


    ¡°Well, I presume that everyone that stepped across it is dead. Considering how no one has claimed to return from the other side, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a far-fetched presumption,¡± Lumine explained. ¡°Anyway, why are you suddenly so interested in Celestia? Do you want to visit it?¡±


    ¡°The great Dark is descending,¡± said Dia. ¡°Farah has a point in saying that we should check the place out. There might be some unparalleled treasure in its depths or something. Would be useful.¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    ¡°And besides,¡± said Dia, ¡°someone from Lostfon got really lucky with their explorations. Found recipes for an amazing drink there and got rich off it. Farah needs the money, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Just give her some of yours, then. I¡¯m quite sure you had some platinum stored away when you fled,¡± said Aunt Lumine.


    Dia twitched.


    ¡°You spent them all? On what? Some great weapon?¡±


    ¡°Experiential Potions and some artefacts,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Someone from the Profiteers was selling Experiential Potions to me, since I wanted to learn the ways of a thief and a bounty hunter.¡±


    ¡°To track down Tot.¡± The Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings kneaded her head. ¡°A platinum can go a long way, and you decided to buy some dodgy potion with it. Wow. Well, at least it¡¯s actually effective, if you managed to fool a lookalike¡­okay, fine. What artefacts did you buy?¡±


    ¡°I bought a Band of Duplicity,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Good choice. Alright, you weren¡¯t wasting your money after all. Good for you.¡± She patted Dia¡¯s head with her clean hand. ¡°In that case, yes, I think treasure hunting in Celestia¡¯s probably the best way to go. Although you and your companions have a steady source of resources, it¡¯s never wrong to get more, especially when it comes to chances and opportunities.¡±


    Dia nodded.


    ¡°Well then, I suppose I can help you out a bit here. Most people have heard of the Celestia Ruins, but to enter it requires some luck. You¡¯d need to enter the Marsh of Remembrance and find a floating red rectangle and step through it. If you¡¯re lucky, it¡¯d bring you into the ruins, but if you¡¯re not, you¡¯d end up somewhere deep inside the marsh. You¡¯ll have to keep trying, but some people just never get inside,¡± said Aunt Lumine. ¡°Alternatively, if you can fly, you can make your way there yourself.¡±


    ¡°Fly, huh.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Flying artefacts are really rare, and the Flight skill¡­yeah, let¡¯s not talk about it. You¡¯d need to be insane to learn that one.¡± The Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings popped the last meatball into her mouth. ¡°As usual, be careful, never trust anyone, and make sure that you¡¯re well-prepared. You¡¯re not a tetra-folder, and we can¡¯t access the status there, so make sure to bring a huge bag. You¡¯ll need it.¡±


    ¡°What does being a tetra-folder have anything to do with a huge bag?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll understand in time. Anyway, remember to prepare well,¡± said her aunt. ¡°The Celestia Ruins are dangerous for many reasons. It¡¯s a lot bigger than I made it out to be, since I was calling it a fragment, but it¡¯s essentially the size of a city. To make matters worse, things shift in and out of existence there, and things randomly appear. That¡¯s why there are so many treasures to be found there, despite decades¡¯ worth of explorations.¡±


    Dia noted that bit down in her mind.


    ¡°Well, if you want to play it safe, you can just explore the Marsh of Remembrance. Things fall out from Celestia every so often, even important treasures. If you¡¯re lucky, you could literally pick some great tool off the ground.¡±


    Her aunt chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s all for the little explanation.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, aunt.¡±


    ¡°No problem. I¡¯m going back to my meatballs now. Have to prepare for the next few days, after all.¡±


    Nodding, Dia took the hint and left the kitchen. There wasn¡¯t much to do for today, but the same couldn¡¯t be said for tomorrow¡­

 Chapter 214: Ritual magic, Theatro Animi

    A day came and went, and as the good old sun drove away the deep, misty darkness around the Farah Palace, Dia picked up a meatball ¡ª yes, meatballs had been served for every mealtime since yesterday morning ¡ª and popped it into her mouth.


    ¡°Thankfully, it¡¯s served as steamed meatballs,¡± Dia commented idly. ¡°Having them fried all day was taking a mental toll on me.¡±


    ¡°But steamed meatballs and sauce dips don¡¯t go well together,¡± said her aunt, who was using mana to feed herself with meatballs. ¡°I prefer fried ones.¡±


    ¡°We ran out of sauce last night,¡± Farah replied, her eyes falling on the Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings. ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to tell anyone present the reason why, no?¡±


    ¡°I paid five gold for them,¡± Dia¡¯s aunt replied. ¡°I think that¡¯s around a hundred times the actual value, but of course, if you want the sauce back¡­¡±


    The countess chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding, of course. That said, my territory needs more gold. Building a stone wall to prevent monsters from lingering in has taken its toll on my territory¡¯s finances. If someone like you could extend some help, we¡¯ll be eternally grateful.¡±


    ¡°You¡­can be rather shameless,¡± said Lumine.


    ¡°For my people, I can be anything. Heck, I¡¯m a boss of Licencia¡¯s underground world, in complete defiance of my station and position. Asking someone for a bit of their cash isn¡¯t that much of an issue to me,¡± said Farah.


    ¡°You are a very odd person, do you know that?¡± Lumine folded her arms. ¡°Fine. Say I invest four platinum in your¡ª¡±


    ¡°P-P-P-Platinum?¡± Farah gulped.


    ¡°Yeah. Forty thousand gold. That¡¯s a lot of money. How will you use it? And you better not tell me that you¡¯re going to buy artefacts with it.¡± Lumine glanced at Dia, who looked away immediately. ¡°


    ¡°There are some areas in which we need funding for,¡± said Farah. ¡°For instance, we have a few wheat mills that are in urgent need of repairs, and¡­¡±


    Dia¡¯s mouth fell open as the two of them actually engaged in discussions about funding and territorial needs over breakfast. She had assumed that her aunt was just patronising Farah with that proposal of hers, but from the looks of it¡­


    Wiping away a bead of imaginary sweat, Dia finished off her little bowl of meatball soup. The two of them were seriously discussing the issue of investment, and she didn¡¯t want to disturb them. After all, Farah really needed the money, and it would be a problem if her continued presence here stopped any deal from going down.


    After pondering for a moment, she headed back to her guest room. Farah was going to return to Licencia once Ruler Istrel completed his visit to Farah County, since it was the best place to earn money for now. Therefore, it would make sense to start packing slowly, rather than treating it as a last-minute effort.


    Besides, she had nothing to do. Practicing her sword didn¡¯t sound like a good idea, since her training blade was at home. Her real sword would be too dangerous to swing around, which meant that the only thing she could do was¡ª


    ¡°Right,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°I forgot about my footwork.¡±


    She had created a set of steps when journeying out with Risti. After she returned to Licencia, she practiced it occasionally, but since there wasn¡¯t a chance for her to use it for real, Dia had eventually forgotten about it. And when the chance came ¡ª when she was fighting with the monster bear ¡ª she had instinctively defaulted to using guidance from her Sword Dance.


    Life was just hard at times.


    Shaking her head, she tossed some stray odds and ends into her bag, and then went into the palace garden. It wasn¡¯t a big place, but there was definitely more than enough space for her to practice some footwork.


    The light of the rising sun created a pleasant atmosphere, and as Dia continued to work out a standard map of steps for herself, she couldn¡¯t help but feel that she was actually making progress in her work. Of course, what really mattered was that this was a set of light steps designed to be used with mana; if everything came together, she would be able to replicate the effects of Sword Dance with her physical body and mana alone, while being so light on her feet to the point that stepping on ants wouldn¡¯t kill those guys.


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    Minutes turned into hours, but before noon, Dia found herself stopping. Her mana had been depleted from all that practice, but as things stood, she now had a better way of moving around, without relying on bursts of mana to jolt her body around.


    To begin with, forcing out mana to jolt herself around was a very wasteful act, which was why no one rarely used it much. Furthermore, there was a substantial risk to sustaining damage, since the body wasn¡¯t meant to be pushed around at high speeds.


    Either way, however, a movement technique that could replace explosive bursts of mana had been born. It would take decades of hard work to improve and master it, but the fact that it existed was already a joyous enough moment.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s about time I wrapped up anyway,¡± said Dia. ¡°The investiture is about to begin, after all.¡±


    Activating her Refresher, she returned to the palace and made her way to the dining hall, where the others were already waiting. Istrel¡¯s official inauguration as Ruler Istrel would begin at the stroke of noon, and everyone throughout Grandis had been warned to stop whatever they were doing.


    In the depths of Grandia, the continent capital, a massive ritual spell was probably already underway. That ritual spell, courtesy of the Church of the Black God, was already beginning to have an effect on Dia¡¯s mind, and the same woozy look began to surface on the faces of everyone present.


    A litany surfaced in Dia¡¯s ears at that moment. ¡°¡­holy of holies, the great god Origo, he who touches upon the landscape of the mind. Us, your faithful, seek your help in our time of need, and plead that you bestow upon us the miracle of connecting thoughts. O Lord, your will is mine. Let our devotion shine everlasting. Let our hope stand tall. Let our faith take form¡­¡±


    The chant continued on, unabated, and Dia felt darkness lap away at the edge of her mind. Strength fled her body as she slumped back onto the back of her chair, the words growing in volume and intensity the whole time.


    ¡°Link the thoughts of the people. Display the strength of the heart. Call forth the landscape of the mind. Witness and behold, the Black God¡¯s might.¡±


    Darkness fell, as a phrase, filled with a steely strength, burst into her mind. ¡°Theatro Animi.¡±


    The darkness fled, and a grand hall, one that resembled Lustre¡¯s Grand Harmony, appeared in her vision. A comforting chill touched her shoulders a moment later, and Dia breathed in sharply as she took in the fact that she was wearing a ball gown. A mask adorned her face for some reason, its presence reassuring.


    ¡°We¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°In the Black God¡¯s ritual spell, the spell that links all minds,¡± said a voice beside her. ¡°The gown looks good on you, but I¡¯ve never seen you wear it.¡±


    ¡°Aunt?¡±


    A figure clad in white from head to toe stepped into her line of sight. ¡°That¡¯s me. And Farah¡¯s to your left.¡±


    ¡°Where are we?¡± Farah, who was wearing a suit of armour for some really odd reason, looked around and asked. ¡°Also, nice gown, Dia. Something the princess gave you?¡±


    Dia looked at her gown, which looked like it had been made from the starry night sky, and then shrugged. It was light and thin, but no one looking at her would think that way. ¡°Nope. Never seen it before. How does this work?¡±


    After devoting a second to think about it, she shrugged and looked around the venue. The hall was simultaneously crowded and empty; she could see innumerable shadows all around the place, but there was a sense of distance between them. The hall itself was even more miraculous ¡ª it was so huge, and yet, the stage seemed so close to them.


    ¡°This place is a landscape of the mind,¡± Lumine replied. ¡°We¡¯re still in your palace, Farah. Don¡¯t worry. Anyway, this ritual magic seems to have encapsulated the entire Grandis; no one can resist it, unless we¡¯re talking about Tot or something along those lines.¡±


    Farah took a deep breath, and then nodded slowly. ¡°It¡¯s like the information space the upper nobles share, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be right about that,¡± said Lumine. ¡°Anyway, this is an unprecedented chance for you to talk to anyone else you know. Just think of that person in your mind, and you¡¯d be able to talk to them if they approve your request.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Farah¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Let¡¯s go find your mistress, Dia!¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t.¡± Dia waved her hand. ¡°If we do that, it might be a problem. This is wholly unexpected. I ¡ª my mistress must be doing something to protect her now. Don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Farah closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°I should tell the others to come along.¡±


    With a pop, Risti, who was wearing something like a military uniform, appeared on the spot. The two of them glanced at everyone else, but instead of speaking, the rest of the Moon Lords and Nero appeared all around the place, and Dia found herself lost for words. Everyone¡¯s hair colour had returned to normal; and after noting with some amusement that Lily¡¯s hair was violet, while Risti¡¯s hair was red, Dia shook her head.


    This ritual spell had the ability to dispel disguises, apparently.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Schwarz, who was wearing a suit and tie, looked around in shock. ¡°Why did you two pop up all of a sudden? And who¡¯s that?¡±


    Farah looked at Claud, who looked like he was clad in the night itself, and Lily, who was wearing a set of mourning robes like Aunt Lumine, and then cleared her throat. ¡°Guys, relax and listen to me. We just called you over for a talk. That¡¯s all. Dia, about her¡­¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Dia jolted. ¡°That¡¯s my aunt. A Named tetra-folder, the Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings.¡±


    ¡°A tetra-folder?¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes, save for Risti, went round.


    ¡°Yeah, and¡ª¡±


    An incredible energy rippled out from the stage, and Dia¡¯s voice cut off.

 Chapter 215: Ruler Istrel and Emperor Grandis

    Virtually everyone in Grandis knew who its ruler was. The legendary Emperor Grandis, the only hexa-folder in the continent. Save for the gods and the Chromatic Lords, he was undisputedly the most powerful man on the continent. Everyone heard of his name, knew the numerous legends and laws he passed down to protect them all.


    Few, however, had seen his appearance.


    That statement, however, was now about to be inaccurate.


    A slender man, wearing a gold crown, had appeared on stage. Instinctively, everyone knew that this man was Emperor Grandis, the ruler of his namesake continent, but Dia couldn¡¯t even make out his appearance. Some mighty power was clouding her senses, preventing her from actually making out the Emperor¡¯s true appearance. She could only make out the nine-coloured robes he wore and nothing else.


    The Emperor stood on-stage for a few seconds, his gaze sweeping across the infinitely vast hall. Dia trembled as his gaze swept past her, but fortunately, the Emperor didn¡¯t seem to notice her.


    After a minute of hushed silence, the Emperor turned on the spot and vanished. The repressive presence that he brought along faded at the same time, but no one dared to speak anymore.


    Her heart beating madly, Dia forcibly calmed her mind. It would not do for her to break down or lose control on the spot, even if she wanted to scream at him. It would do nothing to prove her innocence, while inviting a catastrophe upon her family and the Moon Lords. Besides¡­it wasn¡¯t indignation she was feeling ¡ª it was utter dread, through and through.


    The Emperor was a man to be obeyed.


    ¡°Was that Emperor Grandis?¡± Nero asked, breaking the silence.


    Dia stared at him, scandalised, as did everyone else, but the only thing he did was to roll his eyes at the others.


    ¡°What? The Emperor¡¯s gone. Why are you all staring at me like this?¡± Nero shook his head, before a touch of seriousness infused his next words. ¡°But we shouldn¡¯t oppose that man. At all.¡±


    Schwarz nodded. ¡°I suppose the Emperor¡¯s still lingering here, though. In disguise this time, perhaps. After that stupendous showing, no one¡¯s going to associate him with some low-profile fellow.¡±


    ¡°You sound experienced,¡± said Farah.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not too different from the things that happen in Triple-D, whenever a merchant drops by. Some guy walks in, all huge and imposing, before trying to purchase something at a low price. Naturally, he¡¯s denied, so he leaves, changes his outfit, and returns looking like an entirely different man. He then offers his actual price, which becomes more palatable to the merchant.¡±


    ¡°It would be best if you do not compare ruffians to the Emperor,¡± said Lumine. ¡°You might make a habit out of this.¡±


    Schwarz glanced at Dia¡¯s aunt, and then composed himself. ¡°Thank you for your advice.¡±


    ¡°You are a promising child, to take my advice this easily.¡± She chuckled. ¡°It seems that you are also a leader of sorts in the Moon Lords. I find that reassuring.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your praise.¡±


    ¡°It is me who should be thanking you and everyone else present,¡± Aunt Lumine replied. ¡°My little niece has been living a¡­life of a body double from young. She isn¡¯t experienced with the outside world, so¡ª¡±


    ¡°It was nothing, really,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Claud chimed in. ¡°The four of them are great learners. It didn¡¯t take long for them to pick up the basics. Nothing much to us, really. Just some noble arrogance at the start, but we smoothed that over quickly enough.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear, good to hear.¡±


    The maternal smile on Aunt Lumine¡¯s face was a bit disturbing to Dia, but there was no way she could turn away from that or do anything else to distract her mind.


    ¡°It¡¯s starting,¡± Farah abruptly said. ¡°Shush.¡±


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    A tall, well-built man appeared on stage, and Dia narrowed her eyes. As usual, the duke was clad in his favourite golden suit of armour, which was inlaid with all kinds of precious gems. An embellished sword hung at his left, a red cloak billowing dramatically in the windless hall.


    ¡°As crass as usual, eh?¡± Aunt Lumine chuckled.


    Her remark made everyone¡¯s lips twitch. It was clear that the others thought the same, but it was likely that the others didn¡¯t know that this was actually the Duke¡¯s preferred style of dress. It was indeed crass and emanating an air of opulence, but Dia had been told by her father that all this was just a disguise.


    The real duke was a schemer through and through. In fact, this attire of his, which made him look silly, was designed to lower the guards of others. By dressing himself up as a wealth-chaser, his political opponents ¡ª even if they knew about his true nature ¡ª would be more inclined to lower their guard somewhat. It was a cheap and effective way of disguising himself in plain sight¡­and it also helped that this armour was actually a very powerful artefact.


    Reportedly, this whole get-up could allow him to trade blows with even penta-folders for a few minutes, buying him enough time to call for support and reinforcements. No one knew the true details, but Dia was reasonably certain that this rumour had some truth to it¡­especially since it was her father who told her that himself.


    A resonant baritone rang out through the hall. ¡°Today marks the day I take up my father¡¯s mantle. Though it might seem like a joyous occasion, the reason behind it is anything but joyous. My father passed away from old age, the hope for renewing his lifespan stolen away by a despicable knave.


    ¡°He was a giant, who left behind huge footsteps that I have to now fill. He was a great man who oversaw an unprecedented peace in his reign. He was a great father, who now leaves behind a grieving family. Today, I swear, here and now, to continue his great legacy of protecting the Istrel Sovereignty, and may the Moons smite me if I fail. Today, I declare myself Ruler¡ª"


    The blurred figure of Emperor Grandis abruptly appeared to Duke Istrel¡¯s side, and his words cut out. Wheeling to his left, Istrel fell onto one knee, lowered his head and faced the ground.


    Emperor Grandis glanced down at the prostrating Istrel as two shadows appeared behind him. With a jolt, Dia realised that these two shadows were almost certainly the other two rulers, Voidum and Nihila, and she recalled some old rumours. It was said that the three rulers and the Emperor were close brothers that had fought together at the end of the Third Godsfall; their appearance here was probably proof of that and more.


    Dia didn¡¯t know what to make of this interruption, but this was definitely not something Istrel had planned for.


    The Emperor raised his left hand once, and all eyes turned to him. ¡°Umbra told me, long ago, that he had no wish to pass down his family name, which is why his children all bore their maternal surname. Now, I shall fulfil that vow in its entirely. Henceforth and forevermore, the name Umbra shall only refer to my brother, Elysis Umbra, the first and only of his name.¡±


    Dia¡¯s head dipped on its own accord, and words forced themselves out of her mouth. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    The same thing happened to the others too, and when she next looked up, the Emperor and the two rulers had vanished, leaving behind Istrel, who was now on his feet. A spotlight had fallen on him alone, the rest of the stage dark.


    ¡°Today,¡± said Istrel, his words noticeably deflated, ¡°I declare myself to be Ruler Istrel, first of my name. My position as Duke Istrel will be handed down to my eldest son¡­in-law. A ceremony will soon be held for his ascension.¡±


    He took a deep breath. ¡°My courtiers. To me.¡±


    Farah abruptly vanished, reappearing on stage with more than thirty other people and forming a circle of people around the newly-inaugurated Ruler Istrel. She knew quite a few faces there. From the Istrel Dukedom, there were Count Nightfall, Countess Farah, and Count Daybreak. From Lustre, there were Count Stadtfield, Holtman, and Countess Clause, and¡­


    Her thoughts blanked out at that moment, as she caught sight of her father. She hadn¡¯t internalised it back then, but this gathering had made it clear to her. Things had changed.


    The blood rushing in her ears drowned out the perfunctory words Ruler Istrel spat out next, and Dia found herself clenching her fist. Once all these was over, a war would follow, and¡ª


    A hand fell upon her shoulder.


    ¡°Aunt?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, dear child.¡± Aunt Lumine patted her gently. ¡°There will be no war. Trust me on this. Ruler Istrel will not be able to do anything funny to your home¡­and if Schwa¡¯s cards are as numerous as Lustre¡¯s, the same thing will happen too. Besides, Emperor Grandis is very displeased. That sudden interruption¡­carries a lot of meaning.¡±


    Dia forced down a lump in her throat and turned back to the stage, where Istrel was concluding his first decrees in his capacity as Ruler Istrel.


    ¡°¡­a manhunt for the Thief of Time.¡±


    The nobles around him bowed, their voices ringing out as one. ¡°Yes, my liege.¡±


    ¡°Good. Dismissed.¡±


    That last word rang out through the hall, which began to quake on its own. The sensation of falling gripped Dia firmly, and before she could say goodbye to the other Moon Lords, her awareness had returned to the interior of Farah Palace, where they had been seated at earlier.


    This ceremony, which was the first of its kind, had concluded. There were many irregularities to it, but before Dia could pick out any implications from it, her thoughts were disrupted by Farah.


    ¡°It¡¯s done, then,¡± said Farah, whose face was pale. ¡°Ruler Istrel¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s visiting tomorrow evening, no?¡± Lumine abruptly asked.


    ¡°Y-yes.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± She smiled. ¡°I must prepare for it. You two¡­go and sleep or something. You guys look like a right mess.¡±


    Patting Dia¡¯s head, she got up from her chair and left.

 Chapter 216: Fears for the future

    ¡°What decrees did Ruler Istrel pass down?¡± Dia asked.


    Farah, who was the only other person in the room, rubbed her shoulders. ¡°The usual bullcrap. Weren¡¯t you listening?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Dia poured out a cup of water for herself. ¡°Aunt Lumine was telling me some things when he was speaking, and I figured that he was going to spout some nice-sounding crap anyway.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s about it. Verbal promises of peace, something like ¡®I¡¯ll try to fill up my father¡¯s position¡¯, and an edict to chase down the Thief of Time. You¡¯d think that we would know who actually did it, if the Emperor announced that particular edict, but oh no. Someone else who was not the Emperor announced it, and I wonder why.¡±


    Dia took note of her phrasing and chuckled wryly. That was quite the roundabout way of Farah saying that she didn¡¯t believe Tot was behind the late Ruler¡¯s passing, and it also conveniently highlighted her own suspicions as to who might have had a hand in it.


    The Emperor¡¯s abrupt interruption probably had a role in all this too. Whatever the case, it was clear that Emperor Grandis was angered by this whole thing, to the point that the already-unprecedented ceremony was made very unnatural.


    ¡°Poor Ruler Istrel,¡± Dia commented.


    ¡°Yeah. The other nobles aren¡¯t going to find working with him a palatable choice,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Not with the Emperor¡¯s implicit meanings. Of course, we might have all read it wrong, so I¡¯m just going to keep my head down and go where the Moons shine. One must read the wind, if they are to survive¡­¡±


    Dia recalled the sight of her father, who had been summoned on stage, and then at the unobtrusive Schwa, who were both kneeling to the same man. What plans did they have to avert the gathering storm? Nightfall and most of Istrel¡¯s subordinates as a duke had been gathered, along with their armies ¡ª Dia could not conceive of any means in which war could be avoided. To do so would be an utter humiliation for the newly-inaugurated Ruler Istrel; even if the Emperor was displeased at him, he would have to see the whole thing through.


    The Moons must rise and fall, after all. If Ruler Istrel backed away at the last moment, he would lose a great deal of his authority. He had to know that. Why, then, was Aunt Lumine this confident?


    In the first place, what was she even doing here to begin with?


    The two of them sighed.


    ¡°Sometimes,¡± said Farah, ¡°even with all my skills, I cannot predict or guess what might happen next. The Emperor himself personally displayed his displeasure at Istrel. How do I factor that into my calculations?¡±


    ¡°Maybe with some meatballs, Milady.¡± An old, pleasant voice came from the door.


    ¡°Lloyd.¡± Farah smiled. ¡°Yes. That¡¯d be lovely.¡±


    ¡°The next batch of brown sugar should be here next week latest,¡± said the old butler. ¡°But you¡¯ll be gone by then, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± A sigh escaped from Farah¡¯s lips. ¡°I need to keep working hard. Don¡¯t worry, Lloyd. I have good, trustworthy friends. Who knows, one of them might know how to make a pancake like this.¡±


    ¡°Maybe Lily? She¡¯s been making sweets as a hobby.¡± Dia tilted her head.


    ¡°Sweets and explosives.¡± Farah rubbed her nose. ¡°She¡¯s a weirdo.¡±


    Dia eyed Farah, who went out looking as the person everyone called Princess Dia, and briefly wondered where she found the authority to call other people a weirdo.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s relative?¡± Dia muttered, confused. It was possible that the three of them had their own indices for people who dressed as their idols and people who didn¡¯t, so¡­


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    ¡°What¡¯s relative?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°No, nothing,¡± Dia replied hastily. ¡°Just a random thought about how¡­uh, the nobles are going to view Ruler Istrel. Like, if the war is over or averted or something.¡±


    ¡°Considering that the three rulers usually stay out of politics that would affect a county, you ask a very good question. I don¡¯t personally have any expectation of the rulers. After all, I pay my taxes to the duke above me, who¡¯s now the new Duke Istrel, in exchange for their protection and exclusive economic benefits.¡±


    ¡°The rulers don¡¯t affect you much, huh?¡±


    ¡°Unless they have some all-encompassing law, nope. It¡¯s the same for the dukedoms, but again, the three rulers don¡¯t really care,¡± said Farah. ¡°I suppose the new Duke Istrel will probably make a fuss or two, so we just need to keep him happy and what not.¡±


    ¡°You sound like you¡¯re pacifying a child,¡± Dia noted.


    ¡°Well, you generally want to pacify your superior.¡± Farah laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t think the new Duke Istrel will shake things up, so that¡¯s alright. If he had any intention to, it¡¯s probably gone now. The Emperor¡¯s showing would probably force them to re-evaluate their entire game plan.¡±


    ¡°Even the upcoming war?¡±


    ¡°¡­Maybe not that,¡± Farah replied, before patting her shoulder. ¡°Relax. Let your mistress deal with the war and everything. It¡¯s not something you need to care about. Focus on staying alive. Things will work out in the end¡­and besides, you did sign a contract with me, you know. If push comes to shove, I¡¯ll be able to cripple the Istrel Dukedom or whatever new name it¡¯s going to take on for a few days.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope it doesn¡¯t come down to that, then.¡± Dia forced out a smile.


    Unfortunately, Farah was sorely mistaken about one thing, and it was the fact that she was actually the real deal. Whether Dia liked it or not, this whole war thing was intimately tied to her and her family. Even if she didn¡¯t want to worry about it¡­


    Holding her head, Dia got up from her chair. ¡°I¡¯m going back to my room. My head¡¯s hurting. It might be from that ritual spell or something.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay. Sure you don¡¯t want some of those meatballs?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°If you find them too bland, I have some sour cream as dips,¡± Lloyd added. ¡°Adds a whole new kick to it.¡±


    ¡°Tempting, but I¡¯ll probably have them when I wake up or something,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I¡¯m very tired for some reason. Might skip dinner too. Mind relaying that message to my aunt?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Farah paused. ¡°But before you go off, why not grab a cup of tea? Lloyd¡¯s chilled teas are a treat.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t want to seem impolite, so she nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll have a cup, then.¡±


    Ice cubes clattered merrily a few seconds later, as the old butler set down a cup emitting faint white mist in front of Dia. Dia sniffed it and smiled. ¡°This is nice.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your praise.¡± Lloyd smiled, and then returned to Farah¡¯s side. ¡°It is a good beverage for those who have many considerations on their mind. Sometimes, all one needs is simply to distance themselves from the situation at hand¡­and this cup goes a long way in doing that. Farah has benefited from this a lot, but it¡¯s a shame she has to leave¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you go with her?¡± Dia asked, curious. ¡°Given her stature, it¡¯s natural for her to have an attendant when travelling.¡±


    ¡°Well, someone needs to hold the fort here,¡± said the old man. ¡°And I am indeed getting on in years. Although I want to meet the rest of her friends, I am simply too old to be moving around much. I couldn¡¯t even muster up any thought for the duration of Theatro Amimi earlier.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s getting on in age,¡± Farah replied, her voice sad. ¡°And we don¡¯t have many lifestones¡­¡±


    Dia thought for a moment. She didn¡¯t have any either, but she had a hunch that either Claud, Schwarz or both of them actually had quite a few low and middle-ranked lifestones.


    ¡°Have you asked Claud or Schwarz for some help? I think they might have some low and middle-ranked lifestones.¡±


    Farah twitched, and then turned to her butler. ¡°Lloyd, have you reached saturation for low and middle-ranked lifestones?¡±


    ¡°This old sack of bones hasn¡¯t had any, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s decided. Call in my council. We¡¯re going to shuffle things around You¡¯re going back with me.¡± Farah lowered her head. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard for a very long time too. It¡¯s time you took a break or something. Licencia is a great place. You¡¯ll like it there too.¡±


    ¡°¡­Milady, you aren¡¯t abandoning your responsibilities, right?¡± The old butler eyed his master.


    ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s easier to earn money there. Why don¡¯t you come over and take a look?¡± Farah laughed.


    ¡°Yes, milady.¡±


    At those words, Farah¡¯s shoulders visibly loosened, before turning to Dia. ¡°Truly, the bystander sees best. I was so involved in this that I didn¡¯t think about the lifestones Claud and Schwarz probably has.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll definitely give you a good price, so don¡¯t be stubborn,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to be proud,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Man, am I glad I offered you that cup of tea.¡±


    Dia laughed, and then set down the empty cup. ¡°I¡¯m going off now. A sleep sounds nice after all this. I¡¯ll probably be¡­up tomorrow morning. Or afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll tell your aunt about it.¡±


    Getting up from her chair, Dia returned to her room, where she promptly plopped onto her bed.

 Chapter 217: The rulers imminent arrival

    ¡°You missed breakfast and lunch.¡±


    Dia, who had just slept for a day and a night, rubbed her eyes blearily, before turning to Farah. ¡°I think I was tired out by that ritual spell or something. I rarely sleep for this many hours on end. It¡¯s nearly twenty-four hours.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I went to check on you. If not for the fact that you were tossing and turning, I would have thought that something happened to you,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I hope you had a good rest, at the very least.¡±


    ¡°Kinda.¡± Dia rubbed her nose. Having all kinds of nightmares about a burning city wasn¡¯t really reassuring; it would have been better if she hadn¡¯t had any dream at all. ¡°It¡¯s almost dusk, right? Shouldn¡¯t you be preparing for Ruler Istrel¡¯s visit?¡±


    ¡°The preparations are done,¡± Farah replied. ¡°We¡¯re just waiting for Ruler Istrel to show his face.¡±


    ¡°What preparations did you make?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Oh, my staff paid a whole bunch of people to stand at the sides of the planned route. They¡¯re going to cheer madly, toss confetti and clap madly.¡± Farah tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s something new, but Lloyd told me that this is a method that can butter up to nobles very high up on the totem pole.¡±


    Dia tried to imagine the sight of her walking down a decorated, brightly lit road, which was flanked by rows and rows of cheering people. Her imagination spun in overdrive a moment later, as the scene came to life. Surrounded by families that were holding bouquets and babies, she drifted through the road, a floral scent in the air.


    ¡°Dia?¡±


    The mirage popped like a bubble, and Dia found herself back in the dining room. The only things that could even come close to flanking her were two plates of food; the one on the right had meatballs, while the one on the left had two pieces of toasted bread.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Farah prompted.


    Dia thought back to the nice, cozy feeling she had when she imagined the scene of been cheered for, and then made a wry smile. ¡°Yeah. Maybe I found my goal in life or something.¡±


    ¡°Your goal in life?¡± Farah tilted her head.


    Dia glanced at the countess, and then abruptly remembered that she had three fanatic followers. Being cheered on meant that this number was likely to increase, and she definitely didn¡¯t need an official Dia fan club or whatever was super popular nowadays.


    The feeling of being cheered on, however¡­


    ¡°Meh. I¡¯ll think about it if we ever actually get close to that,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Farah reached out and placed a hand on Dia¡¯s forehead. ¡°Hmm. No fever. Or is it something in the mind? Did Theatro Amimi affect your mind or something? Or did that long nap addle your mind?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you very much.¡± Dia extended out some mana and tossed a meatball into her mouth with it. ¡°I just thought of something unimportant. That¡¯s all. So, everything¡¯s ready?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, pretty much.¡± Farah closed her eyes for a moment, and the air seemed to hum. Opening her eyes once more, she said, ¡°We should start preparing. Ruler Istrel will be teleporting to the designated area in thirty minutes.¡±


    She paused. ¡°Sorry. Did I say ¡®we¡¯? I meant ¡®I¡¯.¡±


    ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t you just say that all preparations were complete?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°I need to look the part, right?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Can¡¯t go around meeting the new boss¡¯s new boss looking like a random mercenary or someone who just woke up. Like it or not, showing off the impeccable side of me will be for the best.¡±


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    ¡°Alright, have fun,¡± Dia replied. ¡°This should be the last stop for Ruler Istrel, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s returning home after this visit. He¡¯ll continue his tour in the other two dukedoms tomorrow and the day afterwards,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was thinking it would be nice if he encountered one of those darkened monsters, you know,¡± Dia replied. ¡°If they gave him a jump or two, we might just see a sovereignty-wide initiative in hunting down those buggers.¡±


    ¡°Keep dreaming.¡± Farah looked out at the window. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m going up to change. See you after this bothersome task.¡±


    ¡°Bothersome¡­¡± Dia rolled her eyes as Farah ambled out of the dining room. She didn¡¯t need to be there, nor were the people of Farah County required to show up for Ruler Istrel¡¯s little tour. However, she had a feeling that Aunt Lumine was going to do something today¡­or rather, the Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings had made it clear that the day Ruler Istrel arrived at Farah County would be the day that something big happened.


    Returning to her own room, she picked up a bunch of artefacts, before sheathing her sword. Given that she was armed, Dia knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to get up close to the ruler, but she didn¡¯t need to be in close proximity to keep an eye on the surroundings. At the same time, her aunt was definitely going to practice some restraint, so escalation was unlikely.


    Probably, anyway. Dia didn¡¯t even know what her aunt was going to do, so all she could was to speculate from afar.


    After equipping herself moderately, Dia informed Farah¡¯s old butler that she was going out, before leaving the small Farah Palace. She looked at it from head to toe, and then wondered if the ruler would grant Farah some funds after seeing how small her palace was.


    As she headed towards the small clearing that Istrel was going to appear in, Dia found herself wondering about the wisdom of her actions. After all, Istrel was probably the person that had gotten her into hot soup ¡ª the Shadows of Grandis were probably moved by the ruler too. Given that so many had fallen at her hand, and that Istrel was probably stewing from her resistance, was it really wise to approach the area the ruler was going to appear in?


    ¡°If you want to watch the show, make sure to do so from afar,¡± a voice spoke from behind her.


    ¡°Aunt Lumine. So, um¡­you¡¯re going to do something later, right? How dangerous is it?¡±


    ¡°Not dangerous for anyone at all,¡± her aunt replied, before turning her around. ¡°It¡¯s something a political scientist from a different era called ¡®deterrence¡¯. I¡¯m just going to dissuade Ruler Istrel from pursuing his expansionist agenda here. A shame, really. He put so much focus into spreading his seeds, he forgot to raise the crown of the forest.¡±


    Dia couldn¡¯t quite wrap that utterance around her head. ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°It means, silly child, that schemes and tricks are nothing in the face of power,¡± Aunt Lumine replied. ¡°But don¡¯t worry your little head over these things too much. See that building there? Just sit on the roof and pull out some snacks when the ruler shows up. I¡¯m going to direct the best performance you¡¯ll ever see from Ruler Istrel.¡±


    Her mouth opened for a moment, and then Dia shut it reluctantly. Something inside her was incredibly certain that no matter what Dia said next, her aunt would not be dissuaded from her plan. Therefore¡­


    ¡°The Moons go with you, aunt.¡±


    ¡°Silly child. Do, at least, understand what you are saying¡­but I appreciate your intentions.¡± Dia scrunched up her face as her aunt rubbed her head. ¡°It is time for you to behold the way I end this war in its cradle.¡±


    Dia wanted to ask, but she had a feeling that her aunt would fob her off anyway. And yet, she didn¡¯t feel worried. Her aunt was radiating a confidence that only someone supremely sure in themselves would emanate, like her father right before a gleeful revelation of where the Full Moons piece was in Moon Phase.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll wait for you at the roof, then,¡± said Dia.¡±


    She chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t wait for me. Once I carry out my plan, I¡¯m going to leave the place. After all, we wouldn¡¯t want Ruler Istrel to think that Farah is in league with me, right? It would bring trouble onto her. That¡¯s why I won¡¯t be coming back here for the foreseeable future.¡±


    ¡°Aunt Lumine¡­¡±


    ¡°Your father will be glad to know that you¡¯re alive and well. He would have been proud of you for coming this far, on your own power. You¡¯ve made your own friends, found your own place, created a home. No matter what happens in the years and decades to come, always look back to these moments, when you were truly you.¡± The Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings gripped her shoulders gently. ¡°It is time for us to part. Let this not be a sorrowful parting, but a new door to hope.¡±


    Dia nodded.


    ¡°All I do, I do to prevent sorrowful partings.¡± She smiled. ¡°As such, it would be a problem if our parting here turns sorrowful, no? Don¡¯t worry about me. No one in this continent, save for the Emperor himself, will be able to kill me.¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s one Moon of a boast.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see why soon, so just enjoy the show.¡±


    Dia nodded.

 Chapter 218: Intimidation

    Perched on a roof that had vision of Ruler Istrel¡¯s route, Dia modified her appearance and made herself comfortable. Fortunately, the owner of the house she was currently using as a platform was out, which was why the chimney was unused. It was possible that the owner was one of those that had been hired to cheer madly for Istrel, but whatever the case, it was extra-convenient for her right now.


    As the sun rolled down the horizon, an odd air of tension filled the city. The lamp posts began to shine, and people either returned home or lined up at the flanks of the decorated path that Ruler Istrel would take through the county.


    The minutes ticked by, and just as Dia was about to take out a small packet of peanuts ¡ª she had filched them from the palace earlier ¡ª multiple presences appeared in her senses. She didn¡¯t need to see them; Dia could literally feel them, after all. It was no different from sensing someone else who was sitting on the same bouncy mattress; the new arrivals were bending the fabric of reality somewhat, if she had to give a reason to it.


    Whatever the case, the newly inaugurated ruler had no intention of concealing his imposing presence. This, however, spoke about how Istrel and her aunt handled things, though. Although Ruler Istrel was in no way any stronger than her aunt in terms of mana circuits, Aunt Lumine had been a lot more circumspect in her actions.


    Power could be loud at times, and quiet in others.


    Rambunctious cheers rang out a moment later, and flower petals ¡ª undoubtedly released on purpose ¡ª began to dance through the air. Under the evening sky, the floating petals took on a surreal, orange sheen, and Dia couldn¡¯t help but let out a smile.


    Perhaps, one day, she could be on the receiving end of those petals¡­although, of course, she would want it to be a sincere thing, rather than something cooked up by a quick-thinking host. How did Ruler Istrel feel, when he was surrounded by a seemingly sincere crowd?


    A bout of hearty laughter, tinged with joy and appreciation, spread through the evening sky. Istrel, although he had his problematic sides, was a man who splurged on his emotions. When he was pleased, he would be pleased to an extreme; when angered¡­


    Dia gulped. She could only pray that whatever her aunt did, it wouldn¡¯t affect Farah, and¡ª


    A sudden hush fell at that moment, and Dia found herself staring at the petal-lined road once more. Someone had appeared in the middle of it, clad in a mourning robe of pure white. The flitting petals seemed to still for a moment, before whipping away madly from the person in white, dispersed by a raging torrent of overwhelming might.


    The Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings had blocked Ruler Istrel¡¯s way, but the pressure she was emanating, the sheer volume of mana that was raging out of her invisibly¡­


    At one glance, Dia instinctively understood that her aunt had become a penta-folder at some point in time.


    She had stepped into the ranks of Grandis¡¯ mightiest beings.


    Wind howled madly as she stood in the path of Ruler Istrel, and the people that had flanked the path twitched in fear, as two fearsome presences smashed into each other. However, instead of making a move, her aunt simply curtsied once, and then turned to her right. With light, flighty steps, she seemed to step across a door of sorts, and her frightening presence evaporated like snow in the sun.


    There was no grand fight, nothing.


    Just a simple greeting with no holds barred.


    As her aunt vanished, the cheers redoubled and petals fell in far greater volumes. It was a phenomenon that Dia could easily interpret ¡ª a bigshot had appeared just to pay her respects to another bigshot ¡ª and before long, the crowd had whipped itself up into a frenzy, cheering madly and yelling things like ¡®The ruler is mighty!¡¯ and ¡®Even the vaunted come from afar to pay respects!¡¯.


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    Dia had a feeling that Farah had planted some people in the crowd to¡­wait, the whole crowd was assembled by her in the first place. Therefore, she probably had a few leaders in place to lead the shouts and cheers, adapting as needed in case something happened.


    The cheers continued through the evening, as the small procession continued on without a hiccup. Farah had designated a particular route that would take Ruler Istrel the whole way, but whether Istrel actually managed to take in the sights after that surprise confrontation and revelation of her aunt¡¯s true depths was another question altogether. Whatever the case, the rest of the evening continued without incident, and after a monster-free loop around a particularly lush field of moonwheat, the procession returned to the spot where Ruler Istrel and his people had teleported to.


    As the sun vanished beneath the horizon, the oppressive presence emanating from Ruler Istrel vanished, as did those of his escorts. The crowd that had adulated the ruler dispersed rapidly too, which was the cue for Dia to slide off the roof and make her way back to Farah Palace.


    Farah was sipping away at some alcohol when she returned.


    ¡°How was it?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Well, I kinda expected that to happen,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Luckily, I had the foresight to stuff some bright fellows into the crowd, or else things might have gotten problematic.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know my aunt was going to confront Istrel,¡± Dia replied. ¡°But I apologise anyway.¡±


    ¡°Nuh-uh. Not your fault. If you weren¡¯t here, she might have gone ahead with it stealthily, causing my huge problems as a result. Besides, I think she held back or something too, since she didn¡¯t even speak. She just curtsied politely, and then vanished seconds later,¡± said Farah.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t say anything?¡±


    ¡°Did they need to?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Your aunt wanted to tell Ruler Istrel that she was a penta-folder, and if she¡¯s her aunt, she¡¯s definitely affiliated to the Lustre Dukedom. Therefore, it was a warning to Istrel to not go ahead with whatever plans he had in mind after he became Ruler Istrel ¡ª if he was to do so, she would intervene.¡±


    Dia paused for a moment, and then nodded. ¡°Truly, power doesn¡¯t need to speak at times.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only possible because she was a penta-folder,¡± Farah replied. ¡°From what I know, it¡¯s near-impossible to close the gap in power as the number of mana circuits involved increases. For Ruler Istrel, the fact that Lustre has a penta-folder will almost certainly end all his plans regarding invasion and whatnot.¡±


    ¡°War¡¯s over?¡±


    ¡°Depends on Duke Schwa and what his countermeasures are. Will they prove sufficient enough to deter the new ruler¡¯s ambitions?¡± Farah took another sip from her glass. ¡°But either way, it seems I can rearrange the people I¡¯ve dispatched into the Istrel Dukedom. They can now lie low there now.¡±


    Dia took a deep breath. ¡°My aunt must have wanted to end this crisis on her own terms.¡±


    ¡°Impressive, yes.¡± Farah rubbed her head.


    ¡°So, how was the ruler?¡± Dia asked, curious. Elevations in one¡¯s stature and position often led to changes in one¡¯s mental state and personality. The humble could become arrogant, and the arrogant could be humbled by the sheer weight of their position. She didn¡¯t dare to hope too much, but surely Emperor Grandis¡¯ anger had done something to Ruler Istrel, no?


    And if that wasn¡¯t sufficient, how about the fact that a penta-folder was a trump card of a dukedom under him? Would that be enough?


    ¡°Well, he was¡­not quite like the rumours said he was. I never actually met him in person,¡± said Farah, ¡°ever since I became the Countess here. Even when my¡­parents abandoned me, it was the Emperor¡¯s officials that came to help me and everything, not him.¡±


    She tilted her head. ¡°Like¡­well, he definitely has a receding hairline, though. I think he¡¯s balding.¡±


    ¡°Pfft.¡±


    ¡°What? It was hard not to laugh, did you know that? The light from the lamp posts made his shiny bald head so freaking obvious I had to bite my lips to stay calm,¡± Farah replied, a grin on her face. ¡°Well, going bald made him look more like an old grandfather, if you ask me. But well¡­he was nice, I guess. Kinda like an old man now.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°Was he condescending to you or your territory?¡±


    ¡°Rather, he liked it a lot,¡± Farah replied, a grimace on her lips. ¡°I had to promise him a nice scenic spot to build a small holiday villa here.¡±


    ¡°¡­Ouch.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Farah shrugged. ¡°I suppose now that he¡¯s at the peak of all life, he¡¯s beginning to feel a bit contemplative about his deeds and actions so far. Things like how people would remember him, the legacies associated¡­when you¡¯re so high and so close to death, you tend to be very reflective.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s changed for the better then.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Farah let out a long, burgeoning yawn. ¡°Man. I¡¯m tired. I¡¯m going to sleep now. We¡¯ll depart for home tomorrow after I get Lloyd to handle the hand-over procedures. He¡¯s going with us now.¡±


    ¡°Sounds great!¡± Dia stifled a yawn. ¡°You know what? I¡¯m just going to get another nap too.¡±


    ¡°You woke up not too long ago, though¡­¡±

 Chapter 219: Quirks and questions

    ¡°Alright, pass me the extract of lupiagrass.¡± Lily, hunched over a little flask, spoke with an air of authority. Claud, who was pounding on a bowl of hemlock grass with a pestle, paused his work and handed a little vial over, which Lily uncorked without turning to look at him.


    Straining the mix through a small web, Claud caught the juice that was forced out into another flask and corked it, before placing it on a stand. He turned his attention to a bunch of berries, and the pestle descended ruthlessly on to the little poor things.


    ¡°Well, those berries aren¡¯t exactly poor things; they¡¯re poisonous,¡± Claud muttered, turning the nightshade berries into mush.


    ¡°I also get the urge to spare those little things once in a while,¡± Lily replied, ¡°but don¡¯t go feeling any pity for them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Stirring the end product rapidly, he smoothed out the gloopy mix and then poured them through the web that acted as a strainer, before discarding the fleshy bits. ¡°I¡¯m done with the nightshade extraction.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. Leave the rest to me.¡± Lily took the little flask of hemlock extract and poured it into the pot boiling before her, which was coloured in bright red. Multiple labels on it read ¡®Poisonous substances ¡ª do not use for cooking or sweet making¡¯. Stirring the mix once more, she adjusted her mask, and then took the nightshade extract and dumped the contents inside.


    A black cloud of smoke burst out of the pot a moment later, shooting up into the clear sky. There was a reason why Lily didn¡¯t want to do poison-making at home, and as Claud stared at the rising cloud of poison, he grasped one of the relevant reasons. Fortunately, the two of them were outside the city, sitting on a random patch of grass, which meant that this smoke wasn¡¯t going to kill anyone by accident.


    The frenzied bubbling of the mix died away a moment, despite there being no change to the fire burning underneath, and Lily let out a sigh. ¡°Done. You can remove your mask now. The mixture is now inert.¡±


    ¡°In-what?¡±


    Lily removed her mask and tilted her head. ¡°It won¡¯t kill you when you breath the air nearby. Don¡¯t go touching it with your hands, though. I think some of these substances can seep through your skin.¡±


    ¡°Eep.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one way of putting it, yes.¡± Lily took out a bunch of special needles. The top half of those needles were a bit thicker, with what looked like a lid on top. ¡°Okay, so you just open the top here, pour a drop or two inside, and then close it. Do the same for everyone else.¡±


    Claud nodded. It wasn¡¯t anything hard or complex, and people like him needed to have steady hands in the first place.


    ¡°Where did you learn all this from?¡± Claud asked, as the two of them busied themselves with filling up the little needles. Lily had requested for him to help, in the evening after Duke Istrel became Ruler Istrel, and Claud happened to be bored that day.


    ¡°Well, I was trying to get creative back then,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Pop some poison in my family¡¯s food, and then watch them all die. I aborted the test after I found out that virtually everyone actually didn¡¯t eat food cooked in the family; like me, no one dared to trust a cook who administered sedatives to the captives via their food.¡±


    Claud winced.


    ¡°And the library had a section on poison too. While I learned most of the things from there, I also became very aware that everyone in my family probably flipped through a few books that talked about poison too,¡± Lily added. ¡°I¡¯m a weird person, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that. Besides, everyone¡¯s weird. Schwarz has a fascination with making obscenely alcoholic drinks, Risti is Risti, Dia has some odd obsession with the sword and practice, while Farah¡¯s a workaholic.¡± Claud shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know what your metric for weirdness is like, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯re weirder than me and the others.¡±


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    ¡°¡­Is that supposed to be reassuring?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s supposed to tell you that weirdness is subjective. One could say that I¡¯m weird because I forgo many pleasures to protect my little life. I don¡¯t get dead drunk, when I¡¯m out, I¡¯m always on high alert¡­things like that.¡± Claud shrugged. ¡°I know I¡¯m weird too.¡±


    After a few minutes, they filled up the little needles, but there was still quite a bit of poison left. Lily, however, simply poured the remaining liquid into a bottle, pasted a bunch of skull-shaped stickers on it and stuffed it into her bag. ¡°Done.¡±


    ¡°Poison, huh. What can one dosage do?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°It should be able to kill a bear in five minutes,¡± Lily replied. ¡°The meat obviously becomes inedible as a result, but no one is going to eat darkened animals anyway.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Claud frowned. Darkened animals ¡ª animals that had been¡­changed by the darkness ¡ª yielded disgusting meat that would make anyone vomit the food they ate yesterday. It didn¡¯t stink badly¡­and it would have been better if it did, in all honesty.


    ¡°We just need to make more of these needles now,¡± said Lily. ¡°I get a feeling we¡¯ll be needing them in due time.¡±


    ¡°A monster tide, huh?¡± Claud glanced at the east, where a nameless forest once stood. Men and women, clad in masks, were overturning the soil there. Bodies, hundreds of them, had been discovered in the past few days from the excavation efforts here. Some of these bones had been investigated, and according to the reports sent by Caroline, a few of these bones had been rotting away for two decades. Claud didn¡¯t know how they discovered such disturbing facts, but he wasn¡¯t going to question the competency of Caroline and her experts.


    ¡°I know it sounds weird, since there really aren¡¯t any forests near us now, but¡­¡± Lily tilted her head, clearly trying to put her thoughts into words. ¡°Um, intuition?¡±


    ¡°Intuition?¡± Claud nodded slowly. ¡°Yeah, if you feel that way, it¡¯s better to be prepared.¡±


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d understand!¡± Lily laughed, and then laid down on the grassy patch. ¡°Ah. It¡¯s such a good day for a picnic, but I was too engrossed with the poison.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We can always have one on another day. Right, for that poison you made¡­is there any antidote to it? I don¡¯t quite like the idea of anyone carrying poison without any countermeasures to it. What if you poisoned yourself?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have some antidotes ¡ª the common serums and a lot of activated charcoal.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t activated charcoal meant to stop orally-ingested poisons?¡± Claud asked. ¡°You carry needles laced with poison around. Not sure if that¡¯s actually useful¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where the serums come in,¡± Lily replied, ¡°but don¡¯t worry. Those needles need to be activated by a certain mechanism for them to become poisonous,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I have a launcher at home that can fire these needles at targets up to twenty metres away; that¡¯s how I¡¯m using those needles.¡±


    Claud blinked. ¡°That sounds magical.¡±


    ¡°It is!¡± Lily puffed herself up. ¡°I made it myself!¡±


    ¡°You made it yourself?¡± Claud asked.¡±


    Under his stare, Lily fidgeted slightly. ¡°I copied the schematics from one of those books I told you about earlier. I didn¡¯t get to use it much, though. It¡¯s still sitting around in my room somewhere.¡±


    As Claud eyed Lily, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that her childhood at the Julan main house had inadvertently raised a master assassin or something. Poisons and explosives¡­those two were enough to turn her into a being capable of killing people with ease. Lily hadn¡¯t realised that yet, but Claud had a feeling that the expression she would make when that revelation descended upon her would be something he didn¡¯t want to miss.


    ¡°¡­Why are you patting my head?¡± Lily asked. ¡°And what¡¯s with that sorrowful look in your eye?¡±


    ¡°Just¡­overcome at emotion,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And I thought I had a rough childhood. Can¡¯t imagine a childhood where I learned to make poison and explosives.¡±


    ¡°The explosives came from my skill,¡± Lily corrected. ¡°And anything can be a poison. Even little berries. Don¡¯t be that surprised. Besides, you are perfectly capable of making poison too. Crushing brightly coloured leaves and straining the result gives you poison. Feeding people soil is no different from feeding them poison. My point is that there¡¯s all kinds of poison, so it¡¯s nothing special.¡±


    ¡°Nothing special, huh.¡±


    ¡°The only thing that¡¯s special is my needle launcher!¡±


    Claud smiled. ¡°Yeah. Other than that, it¡¯s really nothing special. Now that I think about it, Schwarz has been poisoning people with his drinks.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°¡­Just don¡¯t tell him I said that.¡±


    Lily laughed. ¡°Alright, alright.¡±


    ¡°Well, now that the fun stuff is over,¡± said Claud, ¡°I hate to break this to you, but we¡¯re going to do some work now. Caroline told me to investigate the forest¡­or where the forest once used to be anyway. Coming along?¡±


    ¡°Did you really need to ask?¡±

 Chapter 220: The field of bones

    Claud felt his spirits dampen as he looked at the field of bones. How many had been buried here? A hundred? Two hundred? He didn¡¯t know, but the number of rotting corpses was more than enough for him to look down in sorrow. How many families had grieved in silence, when one of their loved ones vanished one sad day, never to be found again? He didn¡¯t know, but even one family was one family too many.


    ¡°Lots of half-rotten bodies,¡± Claud observed quietly.


    ¡°There¡¯s something in the soil that has slowed the rate of decomposition down,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Hopefully, Caroline¡¯s people can uncover some clue to capture the bastard.¡±


    ¡°The Third Bearer of Destiny¡¯s dead, though,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Do you really think the Third worked alone?¡± Lily asked. ¡°The reports we got all said that these people had their crown of their heads severed; no trace of their brain could be found. And Julan¡­my family was almost certainly part of this cabal too. Perhaps there are other families involved in this too.¡±


    Claud closed his eyes. The whole thing behind Zulan Patra¡¯s death was very problematic. First, the killer was Nero, who had been mentally dominated by the Third Bearer of Destiny. Due to all the extenuating circumstances, the White Church had essentially given up on prosecuting Zulan Patra¡¯s death, especially since the Third Bearer of Destiny had been killed. However, someone who was essentially a mindless servant needed clear instructions, and Claud had a feeling that the Third couldn¡¯t be taking care of him all the time.


    After all, Farah had said that there were multiple such incidences of people being controlled throughout the continent in the past year or so. It was clear that the Third¡¯s goal was to create lots and lots of chaos, but without the necessary people in place¡­


    ¡°Huh. Yeah. If they were causing chaos in Nachtville, there must have been people stationed there to take advantage of the chaos, right?¡± Claud muttered.


    Lily tilted her head. ¡°¡­so we were brushing shoulders with some of the Third¡¯s accomplices and we didn¡¯t know it?¡±


    ¡°Seems like it.¡± Claud felt a rueful smile crawl up his face. ¡°In fact, we also caused quite a lot of chaos, remember? The Julan main house blew up, which drew Baronet Nacht away from the town. But if the baronet wasn¡¯t there, would the attacks have taken place?¡±


    ¡°My head hurts,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Funny, me too.¡± Claud rubbed his head. ¡°So, is Baronet Nacht an accomplice? Or is he not an accomplice? Would his second-in-command benefit from the chaos more?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s hard to tell.¡± Lily stared at a particular body, and then shook her head. ¡°We don¡¯t know the internal politics of Nachtville. Furthermore, Dia and Risti arrived a few days after we left, and these odd deaths had been made known to the count. Anyone angling for power would have been noticed immediately, unless the Third intended to use his Absolute Domination on someone, but that¡¯s also a problem.¡±


    ¡°Anyone who¡¯s been afflicted with Absolute Domination would probably seek help after the Third died and the skill lost effect,¡± Claud replied.


    The two stared at each other for a moment.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just do what we came for instead,¡± Claud eventually said.


    ¡°That sounds a lot better, true,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Shall we ask the workers here first? Maybe we can get an idea of what exactly happened here.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The two of them looked around for a moment, before spotting the rare Captain Blake, who had been promoted to Licencia¡¯s guard captain. From the dead eyes the captain was sporting, however, Claud could tell that he was beginning to resent his new post.


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    ¡°Captain Blake,¡± Claud called out. ¡°Nice day, ain¡¯t it?¡±


    The captain eyed him and shook his head. His mouth and nose had been covered by a cloth mask, and a decaying, stinking stench wormed its way into Claud¡¯s nose as Captain Blake came over.


    ¡°Nice of you to drop by this place,¡± Captain Blake replied, his voice muffled. ¡°Boss lady sent you here, I see.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Gotta earn our keep, right?¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°There¡¯s almost certainly more than one person behind these deaths,¡± Lily added, ¡°so we came by to see if we could figure out more clues.¡±


    ¡°It would be easier if we could work without this Moondamned stench,¡± Captain Blake replied. ¡°Everyone¡¯s running off to heave yesterday¡¯s breakfast every three minutes or so¡ª¡±


    Retching that made Claud¡¯s stomach flip slid into his ear, and Claud had to discipline his mind. Normally, he would take a really deep breath, but considering that Captain Blake smelt like death itself, Claud wasn¡¯t going to even breath any more than necessary.


    ¡°We should have gotten an artefact to disable our sense of smell,¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°Seconded, motion passed.¡± Claud pinched his nose, but there was no delaying his body¡¯s need to breath. ¡°Yuck. You, captain, are definitely not paid enough for this. Last I checked, Schwarz is still looking for someone to man his bar the whole time. You interested in taking up that job?¡±


    ¡°All this will pass in good time,¡± the captain replied. ¡°Probably. I think.¡±


    Considering that there was a really ominous proclamation about the great Dark, Claud had a feeling that the good captain would be very, very busy in years to come, assuming that he managed to stay safe the whole time. On a plus point, Captain Blake was now a one-folder, which meant that he at least had the minimum qualifications to protect himself.


    Probably, anyway.


    ¡°Putting your hopes and dreams aside,¡± said Claud, ¡°do you have any new discoveries to share with us?¡±


    The captain glared at him, and then cleared his throat. ¡°Yeah, some unpleasant ones. We found proof that there were a substantial number of people living in this forest. Like a little village of murderers.¡±


    ¡°How did you guys not notice them?¡± Claud asked, disturbed.


    ¡°Why would we?¡± Captain Blake asked. ¡°This place has been bandit-free for the past few decades. Presumably, these people simply entered Licencia, brought whatever supplies they needed, and then left at night to return to the forest. Since they didn¡¯t commit any crime that we knew of, even if we knew that there were people living in the forest, we wouldn¡¯t have cared about them either.¡±


    ¡°The murders were hard to trace too,¡± Lily muttered.


    Claud took a deep breath. This den of murderers had been operating rather close to Licencia the whole time. If he had been a bit unlucky, he could very well have been one of the bodies buried in the forest too. He and his mum had been living in the lower echelons of society; Claud had a feeling that if they had been targeted, no one would have noticed.


    ¡°What was the point of killing so many people?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s the hardest bit.¡± Captain Blake shook his head. ¡°The relative lack of attention to these people means that they couldn¡¯t have been anyone important. Of course, it¡¯s possible that the corpses were moved around and shunted here, but I also cannot fathom why anyone would do such a thing, unless¡­¡±


    Captain Blake¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Unless it¡¯s a skill acquisition condition! A skill that somehow requires lots of corpses to learn!¡±


    ¡°Like Zulan Patra?¡± Claud asked. ¡°The unnecessary torture and all that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± The captain took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m going to report this to Caroline. Want to come along?¡±


    ¡°Are you allowed to do that?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Feels like you¡¯re trying to make use of this chance to get away from this stinking place, though.¡±


    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t expose me like that,¡± Captain Blake replied. ¡°And this is important enough news¡­why didn¡¯t I think of this earlier?¡±


    ¡°Well, you probably weren¡¯t in the right state of mind to organise information in such a way that makes sense,¡± said Claud. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t think obtaining a certain skill is a common motive to commit a crime. It¡¯s natural that you didn¡¯t really think in that direction.¡±


    ¡°It makes sense when you say that, but do remember that I was the one who brought up that very motive for Zulan Patra¡¯s murder, though¡­¡± Captain Blake rubbed his head. ¡°Well, whatever. Let¡¯s go find Caroline for a good talk. She definitely needs to know this, and I think she might be able to tell us just what skill needs such a twisted condition.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°It¡¯s probably a skill with very powerful effects too. Why is everything crashing down this year? The great Dark, murders and more murders, Ruler Umbra¡¯s death¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Claud replied. ¡°What happened to our everyday lives? The past few months have been an absolute riot. It¡¯s insane, and I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°You think you have it rough, wait till I tell you what us city guards have to deal with now,¡± said Captain Blake. ¡°All sorts of instructions are coming down from up high; I¡¯m beginning to understand why they decided to make me the guard captain.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Go on, I¡¯m all ears.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±

 Chapter 221: The undercurrents that surface

    ¡°So, about that bartender job¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tough it out. Licencia needs its guard captain,¡± said Captain Blake. ¡°Been doing all these things for years. If I resign, I¡¯ll leave pretty huge boots to fill. Can¡¯t have that on my conscience, especially during trying times.¡±


    ¡°You should at least ask for a pay raise, though,¡± Claud replied.


    The captain straightened his uniform and dusted his shoulders. ¡°Maybe. But hey, I¡¯m not alone in solving the many and varied problems of Licencia. I have two good friends here toughing it out with me, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait, are you referring to us?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Just so you know, this is kinda a contract thing, you know. We have the absolute right to refuse and everything. If we don¡¯t want to do it, we can choose not to do it.¡±


    ¡°True, but will you guys not do it?¡± Captain Blake asked. ¡°That¡¯s the more important question.¡±


    Claud and Lily glanced at each other.


    ¡°You¡­probably have a point there. For me, anyway, I¡­well, knowing that I can stop people from dying might be a reason why I¡¯m helping and everything,¡± said Claud, before adding, ¡°but I¡¯m doing it primarily because Caroline asked us too, and the Moon Lords have a contract with the city. I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll help if I don¡¯t have to. I value my life a lot, see?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± The captain looked up and down. ¡°Sure doesn¡¯t seem that way to me, but if that¡¯s what you say, I won¡¯t question you¡­yet. How about you, Lily?¡±


    Lily hummed. ¡°Well, I¡¯m here to help Claud¡­and well, I also think one of the reasons why I¡¯m so eager to help is because¡­I want to help people. Do I need a reason to, really?¡±


    Claud stole a glance at Lily, restraining the urge to pat her head. The acts of her family had a huge impact on her personality, and right now, she saw the opportunity to atone for those actions, even if it wasn¡¯t actually her fault. Claud wanted to tell her that she didn¡¯t need to do anything, that it wasn¡¯t her fault, but this was also a way in which she could move on.


    It was possible that Lily would never forgive her family, and by extension, herself. However, if she found a way to alleviate her guilt, even if it was just a temporary measure, Claud would help her with all his might. It wouldn¡¯t be much; it would just be literally more work like this, but if it helped, it helped. Claud wasn¡¯t going to be too choosy about the specifics.


    Besides, from how things were going, it was likely that they would be stuck dealing with more cases of nasty murders, and¡ª


    A scream tore the lazy afternoon silence apart.


    ¡°Murder!¡±


    ¡°Again?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°What¡¯s going on now?¡±


    Claud tossed up a flare to call for Caroline¡¯s help, before the three of them ran to the source of the sound, which was a few streets away. There, in the middle of a road, was a man clutching a knife in his left hand. Another man lay bleeding on the ground below, his body torn into multiple pieces. His right hand was gripping the neck of a woman, and as the three of them burst onto the scene, the murderer¡¯s right hand jerked once.


    The woman burst apart into a bloody mist.


    Claud felt his stomach churn. Red flickered through his eyes, and mana surged through Claud¡¯s hands, forming little spikes that shot at the knife-wielding man. The projectiles of mana crossed the distance between him and the murderer a moment later, but instead of the shower of blood that Claud expected to see, the man¡¯s knife flickered, leaving behind afterimages that cleaved Claud¡¯s attacks into two.


    The three of them stopped at this sight.


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    ¡°Barriers up!¡± Claud roared, his fingers reaching for the artefacts all around him. The air around him and Lily hummed a moment later, and the two of them drew their swords as one. ¡°I don¡¯t know what this guy is, but we have to kill him and get answers later.¡±


    ¡°Do it,¡± Captain Blake replied.


    ¡°Ah,¡± a raspy voice leaked out from the murderer. ¡°Law enforcement. A fitting sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°Sacrifice?¡± Claud narrowed his eyes. ¡°What, did the destruction of your little murder nest in the forest render the efforts of you and your organisation pointless? Pathetic.¡±


    ¡°Did you send those monsters there? No, probably not. But you know something.¡± The rasp turned into a hiss, and the man kicked aside the corpse at his feet. Blue light crept up his arms a second later, and the murderer lowered his stance. ¡°And I don¡¯t like it when people know something. Therefore¡­¡±


    He vanished.


    ¡°Die.¡±


    Claud felt the hairs on his neck tingle, and a terrific force blasted him forwards as the man somehow reappeared behind him and landed a casual punch at his back. The numerous barriers had taken the hit easily, but¡ª


    Activating Flight, Claud arrested his fall and flipped around. Before the man had a chance to react to that sight, Claud activated one of his less-used skills, Binding Order, and the murderer stiffened up.


    Lily¡¯s blade turned into a blur a moment later, as she exploited the massive opening Binding Order had forced onto the murderer. Blood bloomed madly a second later as she severed the limbs of the murderer, leaving behind an intact torso and head.


    The murderer screamed madly two seconds later as Binding Order wore off, but it was too late. Even if he had something like a short-range teleportation skill, the price for his carelessness had been one too dear.


    He had been crippled, literally.


    ¡°Claud!¡± Lily rushed over to him a moment later. ¡°Are you alright? Do you need help? I¡¯m so sorry! I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Lily. I didn¡¯t see that coming either. It¡¯s good that your training took over when it did,¡± said Claud. ¡°I¡¯m just winded. There¡¯s no way he can break through so many barriers.¡±


    He looked at Lily and let out a sigh of relief. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re safe.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Lily looked at him, worried. Claud patted her head, before turning his attention to Captain Blake, who was already slapping on some sealing bandages or whatever they called them nowadays. The man was screaming madly, but Claud felt something¡­artificial in his feeble cries.


    He reached out a hand and stopped Lily from coming over.


    ¡°Claud?¡±


    ¡°Captain Blake! Run!¡±


    The captain froze as he heard those shouts, and then flung himself backwards. At the same time, Claud threw a Dome Shield artefact at the abruptly silent murderer, projecting a thick dome around the maimed and crippled man.


    The murderer stopped screaming and stared at Claud, as the Dome Shield surrounded on his bloody frame. ¡°You saw through it, then.¡±


    Blue lines rippled into view around the murderer, and Claud felt his heart tense up. He had seen this before, when the Shadow of Grandis tried to overload his mana circuits. Doing so would release all the mana stored in the body and convert it into an explosive force. Clearly, the murderer had intended to blow himself up once Claud and Lily drew closer, when Captain Blake was done patching him up.


    ¡°Yeah. You looked like a madman. A zealot. Someone willing to die for his beliefs.¡± Claud took a few steps forward, and then pulled Captain Blake away from the murderer. ¡°Killing yourself doesn¡¯t seem all that hard, in comparison.¡±


    ¡°Death is not the end,¡± said the man. ¡°Not for me, at any rate.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think any of the Coloured Gods dealt with resurrection,¡± Claud replied. ¡°You sound very deluded there.¡±


    ¡°Those false gods can¡¯t resurrect people,¡± said the man, ¡°but the Moons can. Fools. You could have died normally, but I suppose you want to do things the hard way.¡±


    Blood dribbled out of his body as he began to float. Mumbling something Claud couldn¡¯t make out, blue light flowed out of his broken, bloody form, and within seconds, a chilling chant entered Claud¡¯s ears. The first few words were indecipherable, but¡ª


    Claud felt his stomach flip as the limbs of the murderer began to float, connecting themselves to the severed stumps of the man¡¯s body. ¡°This world extols the false light of usurpers. Sealed are the true rulers. O Moons, I, your devoted, dedicate this transient life to your servants¡¯ descent.¡±


    The mana surging around the man began to shine. Azure gave way to red and yellow, and a pressure that Claud had felt from Count Nightfall began to press down on him.


    ¡°Ritual magic.¡± Claud stared at the glowing man, his nerves numb and his muscles feeble. The man before him, someone who had just murdered two innocents, could somehow call upon the might of the Moons. Claud didn¡¯t understand why, or how, but this wasn¡¯t the time to think superfluous things.


    His mind, however, was blank, filled by the chanting of the murderer alone.


    ¡°¡­O Moons, your will is mine. May your hatred burn. May your light cleanse the unworthy. May your Bearers stand tall¡ªurgh!¡±


    The raging, tri-coloured light abruptly stilled, and the Dome Shield fell apart. An arrow, tinted with a sharp blue hue, had torn through the shield and the man¡¯s throat.


    ¡°¡­Blake, the two of you, leave the body,¡± Caroline¡¯s voice echoed through the street. ¡°There¡¯s something more important than what¡¯s going on here now.¡±


    Her firm voice brooked no delay.

 Chapter 222: Moon Emissaries

    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve ever heard Caroline say something so seriously,¡± Captain Blake mused out loud as they raced towards Caroline¡¯s office building, which wasn¡¯t too far from the palace itself. ¡°She¡¯s quite the relaxed boss, all things considered, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Bad news, then.¡± Claud rubbed his head. ¡°Man, I get a feeling I nearly died just now.¡±


    ¡°You, me and the rest of the city,¡± Captain Blake replied. ¡°Still, that ritual magic was linked to the Moons, right?¡±


    ¡°Almost certainly so.¡± Lily turned to flick Claud¡¯s forehead. ¡°You nearly died, dummy.¡±


    ¡°We nearly died,¡± Claud corrected. ¡°It¡¯s fortunate we didn¡¯t need to see what that ritual spell did, though. Phew. Still, we seem to be encountering them rather often nowadays. First was Caroline¡¯s mage troop, and then we had Theatro Amimi, and now this. My head hurts, and I want to cry.¡±


    ¡°There, there.¡±


    In the moment of silence that followed, Claud thought back to one of the missions that he had unlocked. To date, it would seem that no one else had unlocked such a function, although it was probably something specific to the Bearers of Destiny.


    [Faction Mission: For the Dark beyond the stars


    Mission introduction: The great age of change has come. The Moons and the Dark have struggled with each other to gain influence over <insufficient authority ¡ª redacted>. Should the Moons succeed, their hold over fate will strengthen. Sweeping changes will occur.


    Mission requirements: neutralise the Moon-aligned Bearers of Destiny


    Moon-aligned Bearers of Destiny neutralised: 1/3


    Mission rewards: 1000 years of lifespan, 1 Fragment of Fate


    Additional remarks: Doing this quest will invalidate all Moon-aligned faction quests and increase their hostility towards you.]


    The Third Bearer of Destiny was a Moon-aligned Bearer of Destiny. This much was clear. However, now that there was so much proof about the Moons¡¯ agents operating in the region, Claud had no choice but to face the issue squarely. First, the Moons almost certainly had a stake in the chaos to follow. Second, the great Dark, which was going to descend in a year, was an enemy of the Moons. These two factions were probably going to fight against each other, and it was quite possible that Licencia was going to be one such battlefield. Caroline, who was privy to information that Claud didn¡¯t have, probably already had her own guesses about the whole thing, and the events that happened so far had probably confirmed a few of her hypotheses.


    It didn¡¯t take long before they arrived at the small building that served as the actual headquarters of Licencia. The guards on duty were clearly informed about their arrival, and Captain Blake led the way up to Caroline¡¯s office without any impediment whatsoever.


    A prickly, uncomfortable silence followed as the three of them stood in front of Caroline, who was flipping through a book in silence. A few papers had been laid out in front of her.


    ¡°Thank you for coming here at such short notice,¡± said Caroline. ¡°I have a few things to announce. First, the upcoming war between the three dukedoms has been aborted. Lustre and Schwa have hidden their cards very deeply; both sides have penta-folders. Ruler Istrel is hopping mad right now, but he doesn¡¯t dare to act, since he was censured by Emperor Grandis for backing down.¡±


    Her lip curled. ¡°Rulers, apparently, don¡¯t break their word.¡±


    Claud coughed twice. From the sounds of it, the emperor was probably taking the chance to take Istrel down a peg or two. At any rate, however, the news that there were actually penta-folders in the employ of both Duke Schwa and Duke Lustre was making Claud somewhat alarmed. With such individual combat power¡­


    He had to become a bi-folder. He had more than enough lifespan to do so, especially since he had Crown.


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    ¡°But that¡¯s all the good news.¡± Caroline took a deep breath. ¡°I just received a report. Throughout the entire Istrel Sovereignty. Counts are reporting that multiple Moon Emissaries have descended upon the area, summoned by enormous, large-scale rituals that seem to be powered not by mana but by lifeforce. Furthermore, as we speak, the information space that we nobles share has been restricted by some immense power. We have no idea what¡¯s going on outside the sovereignty, and vice-versa.¡±


    ¡°An immense power?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yes. A tri-coloured barrier has blockaded the border between the Umbra¡ª sorry, Istrel ¡ª Sovereignty from the other two sovereignties. That¡¯s all I know, unfortunately,¡± Caroline replied.


    ¡°So we¡¯re screwed.¡±


    ¡°Succinctly put, yes.¡± Caroline rubbed her nose. ¡°If only Aran was here. I don¡¯t know what to think. And I¡¯m cut off from my family. If we¡¯re lucky, they¡¯ll place some pressure on the Nihila Sovereignty, but it¡¯s just a county. On the bright side, we have two penta-folders, in the region, so the death of Ruler Umbra isn¡¯t that big of a deal.¡±


    She paused. ¡°Probably. Anyway, Moon Emissaries. You guys probably don¡¯t know what they actually are, short of a few folk stories and everything.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Well, I got distracted by the more disturbing news of being imprisoned,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Me too,¡± Lily added.


    ¡°Me three.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Moon Emissaries. Uh. They¡¯re¡­servants of the Moons. We don¡¯t know the frequency of their appearance, their full powers, their goals and the means they can use.¡±


    ¡°So, basically nothing then,¡± Captain Blake noted.


    ¡°Yeah. We do at least know that they manifest in tri-coloured light ¡ª red, yellow and blue ¡ª and their escorts have been killing anyone in sight. It seems that around fifty or so deaths are required for an uninterruptable descent, but in cases where the ritual to summon them were powered with mana, interruption is possible.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to be vigilant, then,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Lots of patrols, and patrols with lots of people.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Martial law is already in place; everyone is to stay at home.¡± Caroline tapped her desk. ¡°It¡¯s hard to kill so many people this quickly, but don¡¯t forget that there were hundreds of bodies near Licencia.¡±


    ¡°Is that related to what¡¯s going on now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Maybe it was meant to summon a super-strong Moon Emissary or something,¡± said Caroline.


    ¡°That might be possible,¡± said Lily. ¡°The murderer said something about Claud finding out his plans.¡±


    ¡°Glad we nipped that in the bud, then.¡±


    Claud had a feeling that wasn¡¯t the case, though. The man had said something about sending the monsters there ¡ª monsters could only refer to the now-dead Tugly and whatever other monsters that had taken up residence in the forest. And more importantly, the great Dark, which was the most likely source of these monsters, were enemies of the Moons.


    If anything, the actual problem had been solved by those monsters, which had probably attacked those murderers in the forest when the great Dark set in. Their great enterprise of a few decades probably ended there, and if it didn¡¯t, Caroline¡¯s mages had definitely brought a real end to that bloody deed.


    Of course, Caroline wasn¡¯t going to believe him at face value, but Lily would. Schwarz and the others too.


    ¡°So, why did you call us here?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Not just for news, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s actually more news. I¡¯ve consulted all the sources at hand and conferred with the other counts and dukes in the region. A few of the older records¡­the really old records, note a hostility between the Moons and the great Dark. Duke Lustre suggests that there might be a war between these two groups, and that this¡­barrier is the first battleground for this conflict.¡± Caroline frowned. ¡°Alternatively, the Istrel Sovereignty has become the Moons¡¯ stronghold, and they¡¯re building up forces in the area.¡±


    ¡°Not sure which one¡¯s better,¡± Captain Blake noted. ¡°Lots of people die to summon Moon Emissaries, or lots of people die when the great Dark fights with the Moons. I¡¯m not sure how the latter¡¯s going to happen, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe the three Moons fall on us or something. I¡¯m not sure.¡± Caroline shrugged. ¡°Again, never happened in history. We¡¯re just extrapolating from ancient records that can be mistranslated or misinterpreted. Most of the great nobles have been doing research on this subject, but there are many competing theories.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t know what to expect, save for the hostility between the two godlike entities, so he simply nodded along with Lily.


    ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll be beefing up our defences and everything. Aran¡­er, Count Nightfall, is on his way back too, since the war got cancelled and everything,¡± said Caroline. ¡°I¡¯m glad nothing happened, but it looks like we won¡¯t have peace either.¡±


    ¡°Emperor Grandis¡­is he going to dismantle this barrier?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s a really good question I cannot quite answer.¡± Caroline held her head. ¡°Anyway, to summarise what I just said: a bunch of psychos are killing people and are somehow making use of these deaths to call down Moon Emissaries to possess them. These are very strong, but the indiscriminate murders tend to end after the descents occur. Second, we¡¯re stuck in the Istrel Sovereignty with no way to contact the Emperor and the other Sovereignties. Third, we don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen.¡±


    ¡°Really reassuring,¡± Claud noted.


    ¡°Right?¡± Caroline shook her head. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll be stepping up security. I thought you two would like to know this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kinda our job,¡± said Lily. ¡°So we needed to know this.¡±


    ¡°Good, good.¡± Caroline held her head. ¡°Anyway, you two should return. Schwarz should be worried. Captain Blake, I¡¯ve sent you a new plan for patrol duties. Take a look at it and adjust as necessary.¡±


    She let out a sigh. ¡°Okay, go. My head hurts.¡±


    Claud let out a sigh as they left.

 Chapter 223: Introducing Crown

    ¡°This year keeps getting better and better, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Let¡¯s drop by the bakery first. My mind demands cake and other suitable sacrifices. I think it ran out of food a few hours ago.¡±


    ¡°Funny, I was thinking the same thing,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°¡­Why did I feel so much pride at being the captain of Licencia¡¯s guard, when I can¡¯t even spare a few minutes to eat some food?¡± Captain Blake let out a long sigh, the kind of sigh one would only unleash when they were doubting themselves and the world. ¡°I¡¯m going back to the guardhouse. Lots of work to do. Enjoy your date.¡±


    Without waiting for Claud or Lily to respond, he took a hard turn to the left and vanished into a small alleyway. It probably led to some shortcut or something, which made sense ¡ª save for ruffians and thieves, guards were the next most likely people to learn the little routes of Licencia¡¯s underworld. Even if they didn¡¯t make an effort to learn it, chasing after pickpockets and investigating shady murders would teach guards, old and new alike, routes in which distance could be covered quicker.


    ¡°Poor guy.¡± Claud watched as Captain Blake vanished from view. ¡°His work ethic is great, though.¡±


    ¡°Well, you also make it a point to patrol and check on your duties every afternoon. Considering that you don¡¯t really answer to anyone, that also shows that you have a very good work ethic!¡± Lily smiled, a hint of pride in her face.


    Claud wasn¡¯t sure why she was proud about that fact, but if it made her happy, he definitely wasn¡¯t going to complain. His mind spinning rapidly, he said, ¡°You tag along the whole time too, so you also have a great work ethic. And, well, it¡¯s nice to walk around the city with you¡­even if it¡¯s actually for work.¡±


    Lily made a rueful face. ¡°True. If you weren¡¯t doing all this, I don¡¯t think you¡¯d step out of the house all that much, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­yeah.¡± Claud coughed twice. ¡°Going out is dangerous.¡±


    Something in his pocket shifted at those words, and Claud rolled his eyes internally. Clearly, Crown disagreed with those words¡­or was it disagreeing with that the fact that it was Claud himself who said those words? He wasn¡¯t sure, but¡­


    Now that he thought about it, Crown had wanted to make its own existence known to Lily for quite some time. The many recent events had made Claud forget all about it, but it would seem that the little fella was eager to make a new friend.


    ¡°Right, I forgot, but I wanted to introduce someone to you today,¡± said Claud.


    ¡°Someone?¡± Lily blinked. ¡°Whenever you left the house, I was with you. I¡¯m not sure how you intend on introducing anyone to me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­a long story.¡± Claud tilted his head. ¡°Let¡¯s get some takeaway, find a nice, shaded area, and I¡¯ll introduce you to this really nice friend of mine.¡±


    ¡°¡­A nice, shaded area? If you¡¯re introducing someone, it should be at a shop.¡± Lily folded her arms. ¡°And the way you put it was so whimsical that I¡¯m not sure if anyone else is actually going to show up. If not for the fact we¡¯ve been hanging around in more suspicious circumstances than this, I would have gotten suspicious.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good habit, yes. Always be suspicious¡­although I seem to be breaking that rule when it comes to you and the others. Especially you.¡± Claud laughed. ¡°But no worries. This friend of mine is a bit special¡­why are you staring at my pants?¡±


    ¡°N-no reason in particular?¡±


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    He didn¡¯t sense Crown moving at all, but clearly, Lily probably had some sort of sixth sense. Maybe it was a passive skill or something, like Dia¡¯s finely honed combat instincts.


    ¡°Okay then. Come on, let¡¯s get some food.¡± Putting aside his thoughts, the two of them made their way to the bakery and got some cream puffs. It didn¡¯t take long for them to find a nice tree, and the two of them sat down in the shade.


    ¡°So, uh, your friend.¡± Lily looked around the place. ¡°Did you tell your friend that you¡¯ll be waiting for him or her here?¡±


    ¡°Oh, this little friend has been with me all the time,¡± said Claud, and to his shock, Lily directed her gaze at his trousers once more. ¡°Darn, it was that obvious? You have got to be kidding me¡­alright, the game¡¯s up.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Lily let out a surprised gaze as Claud took Crown out of his pocket. ¡°Oh. A box. Phew. A box is fine, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Anyway, this little guy has begging me to introduce you to it,¡± Claud replied, somewhat bemused at Lily¡¯s adorable reaction. Maybe it was because she was expecting something a bit more humanoid, but sentient boxes were miracles too.


    ¡°Begging you?¡± Lily repeated.


    ¡°Yeah. Ahem. Lily, this little guy is Crown.¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    Crown tilted on its side at those words, and Lily¡¯s eyes turned round. Taking a few deep breaths, she rubbed her eyes and said, ¡°Did it just¡­meep at me?¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Anyway, this guy is a companion. A really close friend of mine,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s a pet box, for lack of a better word.¡±


    Crown rolled around a few times merrily, bouncing the whole time. He could sense a profound sense of joy from it, and Lily let out a lovely smile on her face. Without knowing it, she had extended her left hand to the little fella, and Crown promptly hopped onto her palm.


    ¡°It¡¯s so adorable!¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Claud agreed. ¡°I bring him along all the time. When I¡¯m in my room, it usually rests on my head or on my shoulders, but he can¡¯t be displayed this openly when I¡¯m with anyone else. But since you¡¯re with me all the time¡­¡±


    Lily didn¡¯t seem to be paying attention to him, however, and Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit jealous over the care she was lavishing on the little guy. It was more adorable than anything else, though, and Claud felt his smile widen as Lily¡¯s stress seemingly vanished.


    ¡°So cute.¡± Lily let out a contented sigh as Crown bounced back to Claud and shimmied up his shoulders. ¡°So, what¡¯s Crown¡¯s origin?¡±


    Claud had come up with a reply long ago. ¡°This little guy was sitting on my pillow one nice night. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°¡­Damn.¡± Lily rubbed her nose. ¡°No wonder you can stay in your room all day. You have a nice friend to play with. Okay, that¡¯s it. I¡¯m going over to your room from now on.¡±


    ¡°Is that appropriate?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Do¡­you not want me to?¡± Lily lowered her eyes, before perking up. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s unfair that you get to have Crown all the time. I also want to watch him snooze on your pillow or something.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Claud gave in. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Drop by whenever, but I take no responsibility for what the others say, okay?¡±


    ¡°Why would I care about what the others say?¡± Lily laughed. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s settle the more pressing question. Does Crown eat food?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Crown eats food,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But let¡¯s find out. Place a cream puff near the little guy, will you?¡±


    Crown sniffed at the box, and then bounced once. Claud watched on with interest as the little guy rolled around the foreign object and bumped up against it a few times, but after a while, it rolled away. For some reason, Claud could sense that Crown was depressed and lonely, as if it thought the cream puff was like him.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Lily¡¯s lips had taken on an O shape. ¡°Crown¡¯s sad, because the cream puff didn¡¯t react to him.¡±


    ¡°You can tell?¡± Claud asked, amazed.


    ¡°Yeah, kinda.¡± Lily patted the little box. ¡°This cream puff is actually meant for eating, though. It¡¯s not going to animate itself and be your friend.¡±


    ¡°Meep¡­¡±


    ¡°Now I feel sad,¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°Come on, Crown, cheer up! You met a new friend today, so don¡¯t be down due to this!¡± Claud encouraged, before picking Crown up. Placing the little guy on Lily¡¯s head, he picked up the offending cream puff and held it up to Lily¡¯s mouth. ¡°Say aah.¡±


    ¡°A-aah.¡± Lily¡¯s face was a bit red after she finished off the cream puff, and Claud found himself smiling. The combination of Crown ¡ª who was currently rolling around on her head ¡ª and an embarrassed Lily was more than enough to create a warm, fuzzy feeling in his heart.


    ¡°It¡¯s lucky there¡¯s not many people,¡± Lily mumbled, before picking up another cream puff.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can feed you all I want¡ªmmpf!¡±


    Lily abruptly stuffed a cream puff into his mouth, holding on to the other half with her right hand. ¡°Right? Alright, now chew up slowly and don¡¯t choke.¡±


    As she fed Claud slowly, Crown nestled itself into Lily¡¯s hair, before seemingly falling asleep. With no help whatsoever, Claud could only resign himself to the fate of being fed gently¡­


    He could get used to such a sensation, though.

 Chapter 224: Sweeping developments

    A blazing white light descended upon Licencia, and screams filled the air as the blinding light turned all caught in it into charred bodies. Beings of pure radiance rippled into view a moment later, scattering the dark night and illuminating the crumbling walls of the city.


    Dia watched on in horror, her hand reaching out as she watched from the sky. It was a feeble gesture, and¡ª


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± said an annoyed voice, ¡°but where do you think you¡¯re touching? I know we¡¯re the same gender, but that doesn¡¯t mean sexual harassment isn¡¯t a thing in such a case.¡±


    At those words, the nightmarish scene fell apart, revealing the dawn sky. With a jolt, Dia realised that her hand was stretched out and holding onto Farah¡¯s chest lightly. ¡°S-sorry.¡±


    ¡°Well, at least you didn¡¯t squeeze, but still¡­¡± Farah rubbed her right breast. ¡°Nightmare?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Licencia was burning. Spirits of light were marching on the city. Horrible all around.¡±


    ¡°You should freshen yourself up,¡± said Farah. ¡°You¡¯re still slurring and all.¡±


    Dia, Farah and her butler, Lloyd, had left the city the day after Ruler Istrel visited Farah County. Farah herself had set many affairs in order, up to and including the handover of her amazingly competent butler¡¯s duties. After that, she told the next person she could find that she was leaving the county once more, before the three of them fled the county. The haste involved in the departure was to prevent a situation in which Farah¡¯s citizens would grab her, sit her down on a platform and presumably worship her or something.


    And if they could do all that to make sure their beloved countess wasn¡¯t going to run away, Dia had no illusions about what they would do to her seeming abductor ¡ª the imposter of Princess Dia who was actually the real deal ¡ª and her enabler, Countess Farah¡¯s loyal butler.


    Therefore, the three of them had to cover a lot of distance in the first three days; it was only yesterday that the three of them finally had more than ten hours to sleep in.


    Splashing some water on her face, Dia rubbed her neck and body, which were aching badly. Walking for more than sixteen hours in a row was a tiring affair through and through, but it wasn¡¯t all that bad, since their pace wasn¡¯t impossibly demanding. After all, Farah¡¯s old butler was with them.


    ¡°Dia, there¡¯s news,¡± Farah, who was tossing some branches onto the fire they set up last night, called out.


    ¡°News?¡± Dia repeated. ¡°What kind of news?¡±


    ¡°Both good and bad. I¡¯ll spare the cliched question and just give it to you straight. The good news is that Ruler Istrel¡¯s war has been aborted. I¡¯m not sure what Duke Schwa did, but apparently, two days ago on the ruler¡¯s last visit, another penta-folder showed up, greeted Ruler Istrel deferentially, and then vanished.¡± Farah chuckled. ¡°And then after he called off the war, Emperor Grandis issued a personal summons in the nobles¡¯ information space and reprimanded him. Apparently, he was displeased that Ruler Istrel broke his own promise.¡±


    ¡°Promise?¡±


    ¡°Not too sure what promise it was, considering Istrel didn¡¯t exactly vow to purge the old ruling families of the two families,¡± Farah replied. ¡°More likely, the Emperor was angry at how Istrel mobilised a whole bunch of nobles and soldiers, only to dismiss them before they could do anything.¡±


    ¡°¡­the latter¡¯s a perfectly reasonable reason, though,¡± Dia noted.


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    ¡°I know, but don¡¯t go saying this out loud. The Emperor can be quite unpredictable, so let us not pass judgement on his august choices.¡±


    Dia let out a small, contented sigh. Somehow, the inter-dukedom war that had been building up for the past few months had been ended in such a farcical manner. Granted, it stank of the slick politics that she had witnessed and read about in the Grandis Empire, so she shouldn¡¯t have been really surprised by all this.


    Still¡­


    Shaking her head, Dia asked, ¡°What¡¯s the bad news, then?¡±


    ¡°Bad news, huh. Yesterday afternoon, multiple large-scale rituals took place in almost every single county in the Istrel Sovereignty,¡± said Farah. ¡°Fortunately, Farah County was spared from this.¡±


    ¡°What about Licencia?¡±


    ¡°It seems that the original preparations for the ritual in Licencia were disrupted. As a result, a fanatic of the Moons embarked on a rampage and tried to kill people to forcibly start it, only to be stopped by Claud and Lily. The fanatic tried to activate the ritual with his blood and life as a sacrifice, but due to the lacking preparations, Caroline was able to interrupt the ritual.¡±


    Farah paused. ¡°From what the others are saying, it seems that preparations are required to make the ritual to call down¡­Moon Emissaries. Huh. I thought they were legends.¡±


    ¡°Moon Emissaries?¡± Dia blinked. ¡°That term sounds familiar. I think I read about it in a book before.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°Something about dispensing justice and granting boons,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m sure I read it in a book, and people do know about them in the same way we cry out ¡®Moons¡¯ whenever we¡¯re surprised. But that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so not useful.¡± Farah rolled her eyes and raised her voice. ¡°Lloyd?¡±


    ¡°Milady.¡± The old butler scuttled into view. ¡°Regretfully, I don¡¯t know much about these Moon Emissaries, although I think you forgot to mention one last piece of bad news to Dia.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Right. Stupid me. Okay, so there¡¯s a huge barrier that¡¯s blocking off the Istrel Sovereignty from the other two sovereignties. This barrier also extends to the information space I¡¯ve been using, which means that the Emperor and the other two rulers have no idea what¡¯s going on right now.¡± Farah breathed out slowly. ¡°At last count, seven Moon Emissaries have appeared. Three each from the Lustre and Schwa Dukedoms, one from the Istrel Dukedom.¡±


    Dia took a deep breath and forced herself to focus. ¡°That one Moon Emissary is from¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­The county that no one seems to think much about. Count Daybreak. Funny. I thought you knew him for his county¡¯s sunrice.¡± Farah shrugged. ¡°We aren¡¯t sure what to do now, though. There wasn¡¯t any ensuing slaughter after the Moon Emissaries were summoned; for all we know, they might have regarded those murders as just a cost to summon them.¡±


    ¡°Like¡­they aren¡¯t hostile?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Count Nightfall has a rather bold claim; these Moon Emissaries are here to set up a base of power, from which the great Dark can be fought back from,¡± said Farah. ¡°It¡¯s just that they don¡¯t really care about the people who die in this fight. The other theory is that the Moon Emissaries intend to purge the darkened monsters here, spreading their influence to drive out the darkness.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t seem mutually exclusive,¡± Dia noted.


    ¡°It can be both, but it¡¯s only been a day since these Moon Emissaries descended. At any rate, however, we have confirmed that their sense of morality and justice is alien to our own concepts, so a general order to give them a wide berth has been sent out.¡± Farah rubbed her nose. ¡°And these Moon Emissaries seem to be making their way to the sovereignty capital.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°To speak with the top dog. At least they are actually aware that the best way to achieve their goals is to speak with Ruler Istrel, although I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going to happen when they finally arrive.¡±


    ¡°When will they arrive?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°This evening. Not hard to track, since they¡¯re walking pillars of silver light,¡± Farah noted. ¡°We just need to stay out of their way, and that would do.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Milady,¡± said Lloyd. ¡°I¡¯ve already prepared for this. When you told me that you were bringing me along, I went ahead and purchased a Boundary Crossing skillstick with my personal stash. With it, we can return to Licencia anytime.¡±


    ¡°That miraculous?¡± Farah asked. ¡°It¡¯s a waste, though.¡±


    ¡°Given the prevailing circumstances, milady, we can¡¯t afford to be in the wilderness right now. The presence of these Moon Emissaries may very well create more abnormal phenomena,¡± Lloyd replied. ¡°We had darkened monsters. It is possible that something like moonlit monsters might exist too.¡±


    ¡°¡­Point taken.¡±


    ¡°In that case, milady¡­let us return to Licencia now.¡± Lloyd took out the skillstick and passed it over to Farah.


    ¡°Very well.¡± Farah gazed at the skillstick, and then snapped it into two.

 Chapter 225: Back home

    Farah¡¯s brows furrowed up as the skill unfurled before her, and Dia found herself curious. For some reason, she had the impression that Farah was struggling to use the Boundary Crossing skillstick, which didn¡¯t quite make sense. After all, for teleportation-type skillsticks, one just needed to imprint an image in their mind and¡ª


    ¡°Done,¡± Farah said, cutting off Dia¡¯s thoughts. At the same time, a vast scroll, one that showed the interior of Moon Mansion, unfurled before her. The activation of Boundary Crossing had, in this instant, linked two areas together spatially, and it was through this scroll that they could return to Licencia with a single step. ¡°Let¡¯s go, before something stupid happens.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Nodding, Dia and Lloyd followed Farah through the scroll, but instead of stepping over to the other side, the three of them had paused in an expanse of darkness. Wind howled a moment later, and a nebulous force rippled through the dark passageway they were in.


    Before any of them could react, the dark passageway came apart, and the three of them found themselves directly outside Moon Mansion. Bells clanged madly a second later, and the other Moon Lords rushed out, along with a harried-looking Nero.


    ¡°Intruders!¡±


    The Moon Guards and the lower-level members of the Moon Lords flooded out of Moon Street at that cry, and Dia found herself yelling for everyone to calm the heck down. Bedlam ensued, as all shouts of yells and battle cries rang out, and for a moment, Dia thought she was in a battlefield.


    With a dull explosion, a small sun lit up the skies above Moon Mansion, and everyone fell silent. Claud wormed his way out of the crowd, stared at Dia and Farah, and hollered, ¡°False alarm! Go back! Claim drinks from Triple-D later!¡±


    As the tide of people surged back to wherever they had been, Claud turned to look at Farah and Dia herself, his eyes full of resignation. Lily appeared behind him a moment later, took a look at the three of them, and then slapped her forehead.


    ¡°That just about sums my feelings up, yes.¡± Claud took a deep breath. ¡°You guys tried to use some spatial method to return back to Moon Mansion, right? What made you think that would work, when up against me?¡±


    ¡°¡­You even had defences against spatial skills?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°I did not put up this nice dome just for people to pop inside randomly,¡± Claud replied. ¡°There¡¯s a bunch of artefacts preventing spatial travel from working. After all, things like Teleport and Ground Shrink exist, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡­are crazy prepared, buddy,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Oh hi, everyone else. We¡¯re back.¡±


    She looked at the others, who were all armed and defended by a bunch of artefacts. ¡°I see an alarm also went off when we tried to use Boundary Crossing, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Schwarz replied, lowering his weapon. ¡°It¡¯s called Boundary Crossing, eh? What does it exactly do?¡±


    ¡°It links two areas together, acting as a doorway of sorts,¡± Farah replied, before gesturing at Lloyd. ¡°My butler brought the skillstick as an emergency measure. Right. This is Lloyd, my butler. He¡¯ll be staying with us for the time being¡­is that fine?¡±


    ¡°No problem there,¡± said Schwarz.


    Claud nodded, and Lily, who was sticking close to him, said, ¡°I knew we were lacking someone!¡±


    Risti chuckled. ¡°So, why the use of a spatial skillstick?¡±


    Farah nodded at her, before the smile on her face faded away. ¡°Yesterday, nearly every single county was attacked by fanatics of the Moons. It happened here too, right?¡±


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    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Claud. ¡°Me, Lily and Blake of the city guard were at the scene. We stopped the bugger from killing enough people, which allowed the ritual to summon the Moon Emissary to be disrupted by Caroline.¡±


    Dia had a sneaking suspicion that the whole thing had involved their local paranoid expert, Claud, when she heard about how the Moon Emissary failed to descend, and she couldn¡¯t help but feel rather chuffed at how she had seen it coming.


    ¡°Dia?¡± Farah asked, waving her hand in front of her eyes. ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, nothing. Just thinking about something, that¡¯s all,¡± said Dia.


    ¡°Well, you had this really odd grin on your face,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I thought some mental skill hit you or something.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask if I¡¯m fine or something?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Boundary Crossing was the reason behind that odd face of yours,¡± Farah replied, before turning to the others. ¡°Anyway, can we go in first? We¡¯ve been out in the field for three days, and I really want a shower.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± said Dia.


    ¡°If it¡¯s not too much, I too would like to wash up,¡± Lloyd added.


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Schwarz clapped his hands. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go. It¡¯s still morning, so I suppose we¡¯ll hold the welcome back feast for lunch instead. Phew. You guys stink.¡±


    Everyone glanced at him.


    ¡°You do know that you¡¯re the only person who hasn¡¯t travelled out of Licencia ever since the Moon Lords were created, right?¡± Claud asked. ¡°You¡¯re not entitled to say those words.¡±


    ¡°Bah. I¡¯ve no reason to travel, and do you really want to take over what I¡¯m doing? I don¡¯t mind, really.¡±


    Claud clammed up at those words.


    Laughing, Lily said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you give it a try, Claud? It¡¯ll be fun, I think.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What if I were to help you out with it? Besides, if you¡¯re handling the little issues that Schwarz usually handles, you might be able to improve security or something. Wouldn¡¯t that be nice?¡± Lily pressed on.


    ¡°Urgh!¡± Claud locked eyes with Lily, and for a moment, Dia wondered if it was lightning or hearts that were connecting the two. It didn¡¯t sound like bad-natured teasing; it was closer to the kind she associated with romance books. Was there something going on between the two of them?


    She appraised the situation, and then shook her head. These two hadn¡¯t quite gotten there yet, but within the next few months¡­


    It was none of her business, though.


    ¡°Anyway, Farah, you haven¡¯t quite answered our question yet,¡± Risti reminded quietly. ¡°I don¡¯t think the appearance of the Moon Emissaries are enough to send you into a flutter.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be a bit wrong about that,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I was travelling with Lloyd, who had purchased the Boundary Crossing skillstick with his own money. He¡¯s old, and well, didn¡¯t the great Dark create darkened monsters? We didn¡¯t want to run the risk of moonlit monsters or whatever adjective we want to append on them showing up.¡±


    Risti considered her words slowly, and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a fair judgement.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Anyway, the Moon Emissaries are headed towards the sovereignty capital right now,¡± said Farah. ¡°Things are about to get spicy there, and fast.¡±


    She sniffed twice. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re going in. Claud, Lily, if you¡¯d move to the side¡­¡±


    Lily, who had been tempting Claud with the promise of being able to make some reforms to ensure the security of the city, had to stop, and Dia rolled her eyes when she saw Lily¡¯s pouty face. Claud, who was staring at that face dumbly, just made the scene even more comical, and Dia had to hide a laugh.


    Fortunately, Farah was already leading the way inside, walking at a pace that only someone who had been out in the field and looking forward to a nice long bath would have. It was something Dia fervently felt too, but more importantly, under the nice, comforting dome of Moon Mansion¡­


    She felt safe.


    ¡°We¡¯re back,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Yeah. One can¡¯t look down on the feeling of being truly secure,¡± Farah replied, her words equally quiet. ¡°It¡¯s indeed nice to be back. No darkened monsters, no pesky rulers trying to make their will known to their social inferiors¡­just a bunch of misfits in a very safe home.¡±


    Farah took in a really deep breath, and then gagged. ¡°Man, I stink.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you do. Too bad my Refresher only works once every twenty-four hours,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go and wash up as quickly as possible. The two of you don¡¯t smell good, and I really want a change of clothes.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all germaphobes on this day,¡± Farah noted, amusement in her words. ¡°Lloyd, don¡¯t stand around waiting for us ladies to poke fun at each other. Get washed up, and we¡¯ll settle you in later.¡±


    ¡°Very well, milady. I¡¯ll leave my baggage here, then.¡±


    ¡°You do that. The others will help you settle into a room or something,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. We¡¯re all equals here.¡±


    ¡°Even you, milady?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t look at me like that; even the Holy Son of the Black Church has a guest room, and we all do the same chores.¡± Farah paused. ¡°I think.¡±


    ¡°That is¡­rather reassuring, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, enough talk already. I¡¯m going back to my room. You two should hurry up and wash up too, before we stink up the whole house.¡±


    Dia rolled her eyes at Farah¡¯s departing figure, before heading back to her own room.

 Chapter 226: Terra Jewels

    Dia¡¯s hair still retained some dampness when she sat down at the dining table. Schwarz and the others glanced at her once, and then returned their attention to Farah¡¯s ongoing recount of the things that had happened during their visit to Farah County.


    However, given that they had already caught up a few days ago when everyone appeared together in the ritual spell Theatro Amimi, Farah¡¯s recount mostly focused on what happened after Ruler Istrel¡¯s investiture. The plot twist of Lumine actually being a penta-folder made everyone¡¯s eyes go round, with the terrific, blow-by-blow account of what happened during the short confrontation enough to make Lily break out a small packet of peanuts for everyone to chew on.


    ¡°Dayum.¡± Claud placed a shell into the ever-growing pile of discarded peanut shells. ¡°Walking and bowing once, and someone stops his plan to wage a war. How many people can actually do that?¡±


    ¡°Not many, for sure.¡± Schwarz reached out for a peanut. ¡°How did Istrel phrase his turnaround?¡±


    ¡°Oh, he said this.¡± Farah cleared her throat. ¡°¡®In view of the ongoing crisis related to the great Dark, all territories are to refrain from making aggressive moves against each other. From today onwards, until as such time I deem fit, there will be a moratorium on military actions between all territories great and small¡¯. In other words, war will not be a thing for now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pretty good way of backtracking on his words without actually saying it that way,¡± Lily noted. ¡°Still, the Emperor called his bluff, right?¡±


    ¡°I think Emperor Grandis just used it as an excuse to punish Istrel,¡± said Farah. ¡°But I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on either. Istrel probably didn¡¯t murder his father, or else the Emperor would have just executed him on the spot. And if he was an accessory to Umbra¡¯s death, Istrel wouldn¡¯t have become a ruler at all.¡±


    ¡°In that case, what¡¯s going on?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Moons if I knew.¡± Farah sighed. ¡°Anyway, Nero, mind if I ask you something?¡±


    Nero glanced up from his pyramid of peanuts. ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Those Moon Emissaries. What do you know of them?¡± Farah leaned forward. ¡°What¡¯s their relationship to the great Dark?¡±


    Nero closed his eyes for a moment. ¡°Do you know what happens if you hear information that you aren¡¯t qualified to hear? Agony. In severe cases, disability. In extreme cases, your head blows up. No one-folder can hear information about them.¡±


    ¡°A divine restriction.¡± Risti nodded, her words slow and measured. ¡°But there are ways to overcome them, no?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I could speak in hypotheticals. However, do you truly want to know? These are things that the common people should not know. It is possible that everyone present will lose the ability to sleep soundly at night from now on.¡± Holy Son Nero looked down. ¡°I would not wish such a fate on even my worst enemy. We, the servants of the Coloured Gods, are the final guardians of peace. Not the common people. Not my friends.¡±


    He looked up. ¡°It is not yet time for me to say those things. However, you can rest easy knowing that the churches of the Coloured Gods are doing everything they can. According to Clarissa, the churches have already found most of their own Bearers of Destiny.¡±


    ¡°What does that¡ª¡± Claud began to speak, before cutting his own words off.


    ¡°Anything. Everything.¡± The Holy Son lowered his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I cannot tell you everything. Not now.¡±


    ¡°I hate this,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°At the very least, however, will all this affect Licencia? Are we talking about a great war between the Dark and the Moons? A mad melee between these two and the Coloured Gods?¡±


    Nero took a deep breath and nodded.


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    ¡°In that case, this whole thing about the isolation of the Istrel Sovereignty¡­is it as we guessed?¡± Schwarz pressed on. ¡°Are the Moons intending to use this place as a basecamp, to gather their forces against the Dark?¡±


    ¡°Possible, yes,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Clarissa tells me that the White Church is scrambling their top combatants. The Moons have three Bearers of Destiny, as do the Dark. Unfortunately, the parish of the White Church is the only one with a Bearer of Destiny now. We¡¯re outnumbered.¡±


    Claud shook at those words, and Dia glanced at him. Evidently, he didn¡¯t quite like the ominous forecast Nero had for everyone here.


    ¡°What happens if the White Church is defeated?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but there¡¯s precedent. That said, this entire sovereignty wouldn¡¯t be murdered outright. Rather, I believe that the Moon Emissaries present will do some sort of working to consecrate every death that occurs to the three Moons.¡± Nero smiled wanly. ¡°No need for a massacre. Just make use of natural deaths to power their ritual spell.¡±


    ¡°And to do that,¡± said Risti, ¡°they presumably require something from Ruler Istrel. Something that symbolises the core of the territory, its spirit. A Terra Jewel.¡±


    ¡°How do you¡ª¡±


    ¡°How do you¡ª¡±


    Farah and Nero exchanged glances, and then shook their head.


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s indeed something like that,¡± said Farah. ¡°I, Countess Farah, do indeed hold something that symbolises my territory. It¡¯s quite symbolic, though, but I was told to never lose it. It¡¯s always on my body, as a result.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Nero. ¡°And if something happens to the holder, the Terra Jewel will return to the Emperor¡¯s hands. Right now, however, there¡¯s this huge isolation thing going on. If they were to kill Ruler Istrel, what will happen to the Terra Jewel? Once the Moon Emissaries obtain it, they¡¯ll be able to direct their working towards the entire sovereignty.¡±


    ¡°Can we stop them?¡± Claud asked, his voice quiet.


    Schwarz glanced at him, and then got up from his chair.


    ¡°Stop them?¡± Nero laughed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the specifics, but there are seven Moon Emissaries and three Bearers of Destiny against us. The latter are going to be very well protected by the Moon Emissaries too, or else their working would fail.¡±


    ¡°Fail?¡± Claud latched onto this word with a vehemence that frightened Dia. The others also fixated their eyes on him, varying hints of worry and concern all over their face.


    Nero took a step back, and then nodded. ¡°I believe that only Bearers of Destiny can act as the core for fate-changing actions, but I¡¯m not sure about that.¡±


    Dia noted the evasive, hypothetical-laden means in which he gave his answer, which could only mean that he was telling the truth. A convoluted method of thinking, to be sure, but it was great that Nero had clarified beforehand about how he would reveal classified information.


    ¡°If they¡¯re killed or driven away¡­¡±


    ¡°The Moon Emissaries will probably get rid of the offender and then retreat to preserve their forces,¡± Nero replied. ¡°That happened in the opening moves of the Third Godsfall, after all. The God of Humility¡¯s Bearer of Destiny died in the opening stages of the war, forcing Humility himself to withdraw from the important resource areas. Due to that, his part in the war was minimal, and Humility eventually died from a besiegement of his Divine Kingdom, outnumbered and whittled away.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something that could potentially happen to any of the Coloured Gods, if their Bearers of Destiny were to fall,¡± Nero completed Claud¡¯s sentence. ¡°It is my personal opinion that Bearers of Destiny are heralds of a new age. Those that survive will define the new world that follows.¡±


    ¡°Not mana-users?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re close. But not on the level of those favoured by the five grand skies. One could say that mana-users try to emulate the way fate seems to curl around the Bearers themselves, but I¡¯ll leave you guys to figure that out yourself.¡±


    Schwarz returned at this moment, a tray of cups in his left hand. Distributing them, he said, ¡°Apple juice for everyone. All the better to digest Nero¡¯s little revelations with, right?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t beat apple juice, yeah.¡± Dia picked up a cup and took a swig. ¡°Did you add some of Claud¡¯s fizz to it? It¡¯s nice and bubbly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°How¡¯s it?¡±


    The bartender, however, had his eyes on Claud. Although Dia had been gone for a few weeks, she knew that Claud was violently overprotective of his stash of fizzy drinks, something that everyone else knew too, but¡­


    Claud didn¡¯t seem to care about that little fact whatsoever. In fact, his demeanour had changed drastically, compared to that of an hour ago. Clearly, he had been badly affected by Nero¡¯s words. Considering his personality, however, Dia knew that he probably had a hard time trying to digest¡ª


    ¡°It¡¯s great,¡± said Claud, and everyone jumped. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    His eyes flickered to Lily. ¡°I must have worried everyone with how oddly I was behaving earlier. For that, I apologise. It¡¯s a bit hard for me to accept this, so¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± said Schwarz.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let my odd behaviour affect you, Nero.¡± Claud looked the Holy Son in the eye. ¡°Make no mistake. You have my sincerest gratitude for revealing these to us, since I can make countermeasures. It¡¯s just that¡­I¡¯m a coward at the best of times.¡±


    ¡°Well, as long as you don¡¯t hold a grudge against me¡­¡± Nero chuckled nervously.


    Claud held up a cup. ¡°Cheers?¡±


    ¡°Cheers!¡±

 Chapter 227: Contemplations and consultations

    Everyone knew that Claud had a fixation with safety and staying alive. Granted, Dia didn¡¯t know the reason behind this particular fixation, but now that Claud had clarified his position, everyone simply overlooked it in their own way. For instance, Schwarz was currently pouring out a second round of drinks for everyone, creating a merry fizzling sound that tickled Dia¡¯s ears.


    At the same time, Farah busied herself with some quiet conversation between herself, Risti and Nero, which made sense, considering that these three people had the most access to restricted information.


    Dia turned her attention to Lily and Claud, but the two of them were currently talking about a crown or something. Since she didn¡¯t quite know what the actual conversation topic was ¡ª maybe Lily was extoling the benefits of wearing a crown or something ¡ª Dia decided not to join their little conversation.


    As a rule of thumb, any conversation that didn¡¯t revolve around the subject of looking like a certain idol or person had to be good conversation, but that didn¡¯t mean she had the wherewithal to join any discussion.


    Still¡­


    Dia looked around the venue a few times, before getting out of her seat. Being in Moon Mansion conferred a sense of safety, especially since today¡¯s demonstration of her home¡¯s anti-spatial defences proved that nothing could beat it in terms of security.


    The only thing that bugged her was the loneliness she felt. Dia didn¡¯t need to think too hard about why she felt so lonely ¡ª her time with Aunt Lumine had been one of the few rare times when she didn¡¯t need to care about her so-called double identity. The Verdant Interrogator, Norn, had also provided her with an environment where she could speak her mind and not be worried about her disguise.


    Everything simply led up to one conclusion ¡ª Dia didn¡¯t want to live a life full of lies and disguises. However, she had dug herself in too deeply; Dia couldn¡¯t see a way out that didn¡¯t require a shattering of their illusions.


    After another sip from her cup, Dia decided to not think about things too hard. Besides, if everyone was unlucky, the entire sovereignty would become the basecamp for the Moon Emissaries. Once that happened, no one would give a hoot about who was who and who wasn¡¯t who, making her life so much easier. From how things seemed to be escalating from an inter-dukedom war to a war for destiny or whatever, Dia could vaguely tell that this year¡¯s theme was conflict escalation.


    ¡°A penny for your thoughts.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you pouring out drinks for the others?¡± Dia looked back at Schwarz with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°It is the responsibility of all bartenders to talk to their troubled customers,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°So, my patron, what ails you on this fine morning?¡±


    ¡°Just troubled in general,¡± Dia replied. ¡°All this talk about Moon Emissaries and Bearers of Destiny have made me lose hope. My survival forecast tells me that we are all screwed, and should therefore just lie down and wait for our deaths.¡±


    ¡°That pessimistic?¡± Schwarz asked, his bartender persona abruptly broken. ¡°Ahem. I mean, that¡¯s indeed a problem, yes. However, it would be sad if you were to give up at this juncture. Didn¡¯t Nero say it himself? Us mana-users are simply weaker imitations of the Bearers of Destiny, when we look at the fabric of fate. Sure, we might not have overpowered Absolute skills, but we can definitely influence how our own story turns out.¡±


    ¡°What do you suggest, then?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Have a drink and live for tomorrow instead. You aren¡¯t the kind to think and plan long-term,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°We¡¯re all a family of misfits here. There¡¯s me, and Farah for long-term planning, so don¡¯t stress yourself out. Just train us well.¡±


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    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯d rather train Lily, who has more talent in the sword than the two of you combined.¡±


    ¡°Claud¡¯s already seduced your star pupil.¡± Schwarz paused. ¡°And by that, I mean in the art of fighting dirty. Lily now has small bombs and other little cheap tricks in her arsenal, ready to unleash on anyone who is idiotic enough to challenge her to an honest fight.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. And the two of them have been getting closer and closer too,¡± Schwarz noted. ¡°I¡¯m wondering if I should encourage the two of them. I think they¡¯re cute together, but I¡¯m going to start muttering some curses if I see the two of them flirt without restraint.¡±


    ¡°Flirt, huh?¡± Dia tilted her head. ¡°Have they got that far?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? I only see them in the morning and at night, but Lily has been dropping by Claud¡¯s room recently,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°Everyone¡¯s aware of it, naturally, but no one¡¯s going to say anything about it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Is she going to come for my morning practices now?¡± Dia wondered out loud.


    ¡°Good question.¡± Schwarz chuckled. ¡°And that¡¯s it for interesting things that happened while the two of you were in Farah County. Risti and I just spend the afternoons reading intelligence reports and grunting at the appropriate timings.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you came here just to tell me these things?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Yeah, you seemed rather lonely,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°One of the best ways to make you feel integrated once more is to help you get up to speed with any changes, socially speaking.¡±


    ¡°What if there¡¯s¡­a secret? That because I¡¯m hiding something, I feel¡­alienated from the others?¡± Dia asked, choosing her questions carefully.


    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t have a secret?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°For instance, none of you know my full name. I don¡¯t make a point of talking about it either. Is it important? Maybe. Maybe not. How about Risti? Why is she, the daughter of the Folder Association¡¯s president, here? She doesn¡¯t tell us, nor do we ask. How about Claud? Have you wondered about his evasiveness at times?¡±


    Dia considered those words, and then shook her head.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Some things seem really important to us, and rightfully so. But to the others, they might just seem like a footnote. Maybe I¡¯m a prince of a long-destroyed empire, and Claud is the last survivor of the Third Godsfall. But none of that bothers you, right? It¡¯s all hypothetical, especially since it¡¯s hard to fathom what secrets our friends and family might be hiding.¡±


    He took out a bottle and offered it to Dia.


    ¡°I¡¯m good, thanks,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Pity.¡± Schwarz uncorked the bottle, and a nice fizzy sound filled the air. After taking a gulp, he said, ¡°Point is, when you worry about your secrets, you tend to be wasting your time. No one thinks that hard. The world doesn¡¯t revolve around you. What matters is that you aren¡¯t lying, and that you have the courage to speak up when these secrets are critical to the situation. In this case, however, my full name isn¡¯t going to do anything, so¡­¡±


    His voice trailed off.


    Dia thought for a moment, and nodded. Did the truth about her identity matter? It probably did. And yet, no one would think hard about it. Whether she was Dia the bodyguard or Princess Dia would only matter under a specific set of circumstances, so¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t force yourself this directly,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°I¡¯m just offering a suggestion. What the mind wants, the heart might not be able to do.¡±


    ¡°Why did you even say all that, then?¡±


    ¡°You seem to be alienating yourself pointlessly, so I¡¯m telling you that there isn¡¯t really a point to it. No one¡¯s going to mind much, unless you¡¯re keeping a secret that goes along the lines of ¡®I killed your dad and your mum¡¯. If it¡¯s nothing harmful or something they need to know¡­what¡¯s wrong with keeping it?¡±


    The bartender licked his lips. ¡°I¡¯m extra-chatty today. Must be because you two came back. It¡¯s nice to have more people in the house.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Nero¡ª¡±


    ¡°Nero¡¯s been taking all my drinks,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°He also hogs the bar and pays top money to nab every single extra-strong brew from my hands.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that great?¡±


    ¡°It is, but everyone else wants their booze too. A few fights nearly broke out since some of my patrons couldn¡¯t get their hands on my brews.¡±


    ¡°Wow. You should work on increasing supply. Or make an appeal to Nero. I think he¡¯ll understand.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say no to that kid, though. That earnest expression when he asks for a drink¡­it makes the artisan spirit in me burn.¡± Schwarz folded his arms. ¡°It is what it is, I guess. But I can¡¯t really say no to my customers, until push comes to shove and I¡¯m outta booze.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you can limit the number of bottles per customer,¡± Dia suggested.


    ¡°But they¡¯ll just wheedle me for one more bottle. Bah.¡± Schwarz sighed. ¡°Ah well. I¡¯ll think about it. Maybe I won¡¯t need to even think about it. After all, the Moon Emissaries are heading towards the sovereignty capital. If we¡¯re unlucky, one of them might flatten the city while passing by.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s one of them passing by?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. I¡¯m not too sure either.¡± The bartender shrugged. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s return to the others. Lunch should be ready or something.¡±

 Chapter 228: Emissary Imminent

    Silence was busy enforcing its rule and dominance in the dining room when Dia followed Schwarz in. The two of them immediately located the source of the oppressive silence ¡ª Farah, who had shut her eyes so tightly that her facial muscles were straining.


    ¡°Something wr¡ª¡±


    Everyone made a shushing gesture, and Dia fell silent. Minutes crawled by in silence, a silence that grew heavier and heavier. She didn¡¯t know what was going on, but from the look on Farah¡¯s face, Dia had a feeling that she was currently accessing the information space that the nobles had.


    Farah¡¯s eyes flew open as that thought flickered through her mind, and her lips twisted into a wan smile. ¡°Well, everyone. I have good news and bad news. Let¡¯s start with the good news first, shall we?¡±


    She looked around. ¡°The good news is, that from the nice smell wafting into the room, it seems that lunch is ready. Unfortunately, it seems that we might not be able to enjoy it slowly. A Moon Emissary ¡ª the only one to appear in the dukedom, with its origin as Daybreak County ¡ª is currently headed in our direction. While one might say it¡¯s just a coincidence¡­¡±


    Farah took a deep breath. ¡°Count Daybreak just sent a report. His county is currently home to a bunch of white light, in the shape of humanoids. Those light forms have already seized control over the city.¡±


    ¡°Milady,¡± said Lloyd, ¡°what about your home?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re¡­fine. It seems that these beings are only interested in securing territories that have lots of people. To disarm them, I guess. Prevent them from rising up and everything.¡± Farah took a deep breath. ¡°On the bright side, Count Nightfall is about to return.¡±


    ¡°Not sure how good of a bright side that is,¡± said Claud. ¡°How strong is a Moon Emissary?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d wager it¡¯ll be a match for me, and then some.¡± said Nero.


    ¡°A tetra-folder? If you team up with Holy Daughter Clarissa and the two rulers of Licencia, we should be able to take it down...probably,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°But what then? There are still six other Moon Emissaries, and if all of them come here¡­¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°But that¡¯s something Caroline and Nightfall would need to work out on their own.¡±


    ¡°Not just that, but they¡¯re entirely different beings. We have six trump cards; six skills, but Moon Emissaries are beings of the Moons. What can they do? What can¡¯t they do? How strong are they?¡± Nero leaned forward. ¡°It would be best for us if we were to assume that they are beings with superior physical capabilities and a high mana capacity ¡ª assuming they even use mana to begin with.¡±


    ¡°And let¡¯s not get started about the issue of skills,¡± Claud added. ¡°Do Moon Emissaries use skills? What kind of skills? How many do they have? Are they all level one?¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯re blinded, imprisoned and completely clueless about how the enemies are,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°Great. Just great.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s putting it rather mildly. We also don¡¯t know what their common foot soldiers are like,¡± said Farah. ¡°We need to be concerned about them too. Daybreak has no idea how the Moons¡¯ foot soldiers are being summoned, but he¡¯s already probing them. For now, it¡¯s clear that they don¡¯t need food or water. They¡¯re also¡­like automatons. Dedicated to whatever they¡¯re doing.¡±


    ¡°¡­So, not alive?¡±


    ¡°Maybe not,¡± Farah noted. ¡°Daybreak¡¯s busy trying to abduct one now for¡­err, testing. I¡¯ll tell you the results when he releases them.¡±


    ¡°Testing?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Yeah. I think he intends to cut them up and learn about their traits,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Icky and very unethical, but we aren¡¯t playing on the same field to begin with.¡±


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    ¡°Let¡¯s put that aside for now,¡± said Nero. ¡°The more important thing is to deal with the incoming Moon Emissary. If they¡¯re targeting areas with significant populations, that Moon Emissary is definitely going to swing by here in the next few hours and raise an army while it¡¯s at it.¡±


    ¡°Are we going to deal with it?¡±


    ¡°¡­Good question.¡±


    Everyone mulled over the tricky question. If they fought the Moon Emissary, even if they killed it, the other Moon Emissaries would probably congregate on the spot. If they didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait. Do we even have the ability to deal with the Moon Emissary? At most, it¡¯s Nero.¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°And it¡¯s not really something someone from Nihal is obligated to participate in either. You have an obligation to stay alive for your own people too.¡±


    Dia found herself surprised by Claud¡¯s words. She had expected him to persuade Nero into fighting, especially since Nero was one heck of a protective charm. However¡­


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Schwarz asked, shooting a glance at Claud. ¡°That sure doesn¡¯t seem like something you would say.¡±


    ¡°Nero has family and friends at home. It will not do for him to die here, especially after what he went through the past few years as a thrall,¡± Claud replied. ¡°He has a responsibility to make it back alive and console his family. Dying here is not his job.¡±


    ¡°¡­Family, huh?¡± Nero nodded. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s more important than family. And to be honest, I don¡¯t think the Moon Emissary¡¯s arrival is going to affect us directly, unless it attracts a horde or something,¡± said Claud. ¡°It sounds like a dereliction of duty, I know. Maybe I lost my nerve. Either way, however, we weren¡¯t formed to fight monsters like this.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re backing down?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°No. We¡¯re leaving the decision to Nightfall and Caroline,¡± Claud corrected. ¡°It¡¯s not in our place to make decisions for the people of Licencia. This is Nightfall¡¯s home. He must choose his own course of action. And Nero isn¡¯t part of the Moon Lords, strictly speaking.¡±


    ¡°Even though he¡¯s been living with us,¡± Risti quipped.


    Schwarz chuckled. ¡°And joining in our conversations.¡±


    ¡°While providing some input,¡± Dia added. ¡°Seems like he¡¯s actually part of the Moon Lords, just that he doesn¡¯t have a role.¡±


    ¡°How about mascot?¡± Lily suggested.


    ¡°Me, a mascot?¡± Nero blinked. ¡°Do I need to look cute or something? Or should I dress up like the Pontiff of the Black Church?¡±


    Claud slapped his forehead, a sound so audible that everyone else found themselves laughing at it.


    ¡°What?¡± Claud said, irritated. ¡°You guys are just bent on opposing me, right? Sheesh. I¡¯m giving Nero an out here, and you guys just turn everything on its head. Fine, whatever. Do what you want. I¡¯ve spoken my piece here.¡±


    He made a few little huffs, before closing his eyes. Everyone else laughed once more at the little tantrum Claud was throwing, which lasted for half a minute or so, before Farah cleared her throat.


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll just leave the strategic thinking up to Caroline and the others, then.¡±


    ¡°Fine with me,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°We¡¯ll also prepare the other members of the Moon Lords, in case the Moon Emissary decides to do anything funny. I checked the armoury a few days ago; we have enough weapons to arm everyone. Our fixed defences, like the ballistae are also functioning perfectly, and we have some onagers ready to go at any time.¡±


    ¡°What are we, a private army?¡± Risti muttered. ¡°Why do we have siege weapons? Onagers are mobile catapults, right? Next thing you¡¯ll tell me is that we have a few battering rams too.¡±


    ¡°How did you know that?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Claud got it, in case an enemy decided to blockade Moon Street by building a few fortifications there. I¡¯m not sure why he saw the need for a battering ram, though¡­¡±


    Claud opened an eye. ¡°Well, in case the target proved to be too sturdy for projectiles to break through. Battering rams are better in that regard, and besides, it¡¯s always better to have one of everything.¡±


    ¡°Always prepared for anything, I guess. But only one?¡± Risti asked. ¡°I thought you would get three. One for use, one as a backup, and one as a backup for the backup.¡±


    ¡°I would, but there wasn¡¯t enough stock. Nightfall was buying everything the city had, and he wasn¡¯t keen on sharing either,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Bah. I¡¯m wondering if we can nail that Moon Emissary with a well-placed ballista, though.¡±


    ¡°That would be a long shot,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Pun intended.¡±


    ¡°Get out of here,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Right, is lunch done? I¡¯m starving, and I swear your chef just finished cooking a few minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s being sensitive, you twat,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Can¡¯t bust into a room with people talking about important things, right? That¡¯s what professionalism is.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    Dia watched the two of them as they bickered over random issues, and then found a smile crawling up her face. Despite the bad news headed their way ¡ª literally, she might add ¡ª there was always joy to be found in some places. The days never seemed to go by peacefully, and there were always things she would be afraid of, but at the very least¡­there were still little specks of light here and there.


    Taking a deep breath, she gathered her resolve¡­and the aromatic smell of roasted chicken.


    Lunch was served.

 Chapter 229: His quiet desperation

    Claud watched on in silence as everyone enjoyed their meal, his own plate spick and span. The smiles on their faces belied the grim reality that was about to descend upon everyone in Licencia, the fact that a Moon Emissary was arriving. Were they faking their cheerfulness? Or did he actually manage to convince them that they shouldn¡¯t be worried?


    Claud didn¡¯t know.


    He turned his gaze to Lily, who had a content look on her face as she munched down on her food. She had gotten over the most difficult part of her ordeal, and her actions were now but a bygone memory, something that she lamented, but found necessary to do. If anything happened to him at this juncture, she would be sad, but Claud knew that she would understand.


    ¡°I¡¯m going back to my room,¡± said Claud. ¡°Thanks for the meal.¡±


    The others glanced at him, but they didn¡¯t say anything else.


    Claud preferred it that way.


    Washing his dishes and utensils, he returned them to the dish rack and headed back to his room. Closing the door behind him, Claud sat on his bed, his legs crossed.


    ¡°Say, Crown. I¡¯m probably going to do something stupid again.¡±


    A velvety box rolled out of his pocket, before tilting its head. Claud could almost hear ¡®Why are you doing this?¡¯ from the little guy, and he smiled in response. ¡°I don¡¯t quite know. There¡¯s something inside me, telling me that I¡¯ll regret it if the Moon Emissary makes it to Licencia. It¡¯s odd, since I¡¯ve already argued that we shouldn¡¯t do anything, but¡­¡±


    He looked up at the ceiling. ¡°The mind wants one thing, but the heart wants another. I suppose this is the best use of the phrase, right?¡±


    Crown hopped onto his thigh. ¡°Meep.¡±


    ¡°I know. But I can¡¯t just drag Lily into this.¡± Claud closed his eyes and ran through the information. The Moon Emissary would arrive at Licencia in a day, according to Risti. If Claud used his mana, he could intercept the foe and smack it once with Absolute One.


    ¡°Meep¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Can you take care of her? I¡¯ll put you in her care. If nothing happens to me and I return safe and sound, it¡¯ll be great. If not, watch over her for me, okay?¡±


    The box jiggled a few times frantically, but Claud simply patted it twice. ¡°I need your help, Crown. I need to become a tri-folder. Can you help me with it? It won¡¯t take too long, and with it, my chances will be higher. Far higher.¡±


    Crown stopped jiggling around in protest, before tilting itself backwards. It reminded Claud of a person looking up at someone, and his lips curled on its own. Crown was, as always, a cute little thing.


    ¡°Divine Life Companion, huh.¡± Claud rubbed its head. ¡°Can you help me?¡±


    ¡°Meep.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± He took out a skillstrip for Presence Nullification and tore it into two. Throwing the remains aside, Claud closed his eyes and reached out to his lifeforce. With Crown¡¯s help, the green light that represented his life began transforming into a blue flame that drew long lines on his limbs. At the same time, his previous mana circuit lit up at the same time, combining with the new one under construction. The patterns on both circuits were special, unique, and as Claud examined the two circuits closely with his mind¡¯s eye, he understood why it was called ¡®Mana Circuit Superimposition¡¯.


    Both mana circuits were interacting in a way, combining to grant him a mana pool that transcended the sum of its parts. The synergy between both circuits as the newer one neared completion grew stronger and stronger, and as the final two years of life burned itself onto his body and soul, something fell into place.


    With a small crack, the invisible barrier that divided both mana circuits fell apart, and a burning pain assailed Claud¡¯s mind. The two mana circuits were melding together, making use of the synergy to become one, to become something greater.


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    The sounds of blood rushing through his head grew louder and louder, in concord with the escalating brilliance that his mana circuit was giving off. Claud could now only see a vast gulf of darkness before him, and yet, he could tell what was around him. His room, Moon Mansion, and even Moon Street. His awareness seemed to have grown in a way that shouldn¡¯t have been possible, an awareness that extended out not from his mind nor his heart, but his spine.


    [Your Mana Circuit Superimposition has reached 2.00]


    [Authority increased.]


    [Your skill, Mana Organ, has changed into Mana Hub!]


    [Your Mana Control Proficiency has increased to Expert!]


    The burning pain fled as four separate rectangles appeared in his vision. Claud looked at them, and nodded. He was now officially the strongest person in the Moon Lords, save for Nero, but¡­he wasn¡¯t going to stop there. With Crown¡¯s help, he just needed to spend half the lifespan anyone else would need to burn their next mana circuit. For a one-folder to become a bi-folder, they would need two hundred years.


    Claud just needed one hundred. For a bi-folder to become a tri-folder, they needed three hundred.


    He, in turn, just needed a hundred and fifty years.


    Claud took a deep breath. He now knew why the lifespan required increased every level by a hundred ¡ª he wasn¡¯t just drawing one mana circuit; the process also involved redrawing the other previous mana circuits to synergise with the new one.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move on,¡± said Claud. ¡°I have 228 years of life left. Once I¡¯m through with this, I¡¯ll become a tri-folder.¡±


    Crown quivered. Claud could taste the anxiety the little guy exuded, and he reached out to rub the box once. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, little guy. I¡¯ll still have seventy-eight years of life. More than enough time for me to regain whatever I¡¯ve lost. Don¡¯t worry, okay?¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Claud closed his eyes. ¡°Help me with this.¡±


    Once again, the emerald light that represented his lifeforce turned into a scorching azure, branding itself onto his body and soul without hesitation. Something, however, seemed to be very smooth during this process, as if his efforts a few minutes ago had stimulated the current process. Before long, at a far faster speed than the previous round, the third mana circuit had taken form, melding with the underlying circuit and integrating itself inside without much fuss.


    ¡°This is¡­unbelievable,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Of course! My mana control¡­the increase must have helped drive the process along!¡±


    As those words left his mouth, the two blurred circuits sharpened into focus once more, turning into a complicated set of blue light. Once more, an enormous power surged through his body, and Claud felt his awareness expand once more. He could now¡­feel the city, but fortunately, all the sensations he felt were being rerouted to his spine, which made sense of it for him.


    Another set of rectangles popped up in his vision.


    [Your Mana Circuit Superimposition has reached 3.00]


    [Authority increased]


    [Quest function unlocked!]


    [You have not met the requirements to increase your Mana Control Proficiency to Master.]


    [You have not met the requirements to evolve your Mana Hub skill.]


    Claud stared at the rectangles in consternation. He understood them, but there were a few things that he hadn¡¯t wrapped his mind. What requirements were needed to increase Mana Control Proficiency and to evolve his skill?


    After a while, he decided to drop the thought. There were many mysteries in the world; one more wouldn¡¯t matter to him. And besides¡­at the rate things were going, he might just find out anyway.


    ¡°Meep¡­¡± Crown rolled onto its side, before jiggling happily. ¡°Meep!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Claud picked the little guy up. ¡°Thanks. You¡¯ve worked really hard.¡±


    ¡°Meep. Meep!¡±


    Claud blinked. ¡°Wait, you were benefiting from the process?¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    ¡°¡­I should keep burning my lifespan and lifestones, huh?¡± Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°It¡¯s nice to be the man in the middle.¡±


    Crown bounced onto his knee once more. It was a pity that he couldn¡¯t loan Crown out for use ¡ª he¡¯d tried to have Lily make use Crown¡¯s miraculous ability to cut lifeforce expenditure by half, but it didn¡¯t work for her. He hadn¡¯t expected it to work, but still¡­


    Reining in the immense volumes of mana inside him, Claud took a deep breath. He had pushed himself to far greater heights, elevating himself into a powerhouse of a region¡­a paper one, anyway. He had a feeling that he missed out on quite a few things, like the journey and the milestones within, but he now had lots of mana.


    Stilling his mind, Claud watched in silence as the effects of Presence Nullification wore away. No one would probably believe the sheer amount of strength he had attained in the past thirty minutes, but¡­


    That was fine. Claud was more than content to serve as the final trump card of the Moon Lords, in the event that someone tried to plot against them. With his strength, his Mana Control Proficiency and his Absolute One, he could walk freely in the region without much fear.


    Clenching his fist, Claud got up. He was never an indecisive person, and the time had come to end this threat in the making. ¡°Crown, stay here until I get back. If not¡­treat Lily well, okay? Look after her.¡±


    ¡°Meep¡­¡±


    Patting the little guy, Claud opened the door.


    He had no intention to return, though. Crown would understand, and...and...

 Chapter 230: From one heart to another

    Lily appeared as he opened the door, and Claud felt his heart skip a beat. For some reason, she was in her true appearance, and there was an emotion that felt like worry in her eyes.


    ¡°Lily¡­¡± Claud took a deep breath. ¡°What¡¯s up? Looking for Crown?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Lily replied, taking a step into his room. ¡°I¡¯m looking for you.¡±


    ¡°Is there something you need from me?¡± Claud asked, taking a step back. Lily was close ¡ª too close ¡ª and his emotions weren¡¯t quite stable yet. There were many things that came to mind at this sight, and none of them were particularly¡­ gentlemanly. However, given that there was a huge threat making their way towards Licencia, even if the two of them were willing parties¡ª


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Lily asked. ¡°You have this odd look on your face.¡±


    ¡°Just thinking that you looked particularly¡­pretty,¡± Claud replied, his eyes on her violet hair.


    Her eyes brightened up. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Claud shook his head, and then took a step backwards. The ability to look at anyone with such a lovely smile was cheating and bad for his heart, so he needed to distance himself. ¡°So, what brings you here to my humble abode?¡±


    The smile on her face weakened. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Me? Of course. Never better, in fact.¡± Claud forced out a smile. ¡°Why? Did something make you think otherwise?¡±


    Lily entered his room, making full use of the space Claud had yielded with his second step back, before closing the door behind her. In silence, she grabbed Claud¡¯s hand and led him to his bed, before sitting down on it. Pulling him down, Claud felt a touch of bemusement as she sat him properly on the squishy mattress, before reaching out a hand to feel his forehead.


    ¡°Hmm. No fever.¡±


    ¡°When was the last time you heard of a mana-user falling sick?¡± Claud retorted.


    ¡°None, but you could be the first one.¡± Lily placed her forehead on his. ¡°But that¡¯s just me making an excuse. You¡¯re¡­going out, right? Somewhere, far in the distance. Maybe you¡¯ll return tomorrow, and the news that the Moon Emissary abruptly died a horrible death reaches the city three days later. Or you never return, and the city¡­well, something happens to it.¡±


    Claud forced himself to remain calm. ¡°Surely you jest, Lily. What does my leaving have to do with the Moon Emissary vanishing?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me?¡± Lily asked, shifting closer to him. He could now see her clear eyes and count every eyelash on them. ¡°Tot.¡±


    ¡°You¡ªwhat are you saying?¡± Claud asked, his mind buzzing madly.


    ¡°You never said it out loud, but I¡¯ve been by your side all this time,¡± said Lily. ¡°When you helped me. When you accompanied me after I¡­killed my family. When I was alone. You¡¯ve been doing all these things by my side. You vanished, and shortly afterwards, the Tri-Head Snake died. You vanished, and a passing tetra-folder appeared to apprehend Rodrio. You vanished, and the Third Bearer of Destiny died.¡±


    ¡°Coincidence. Besides, Tot had to be a super-strong folder, right?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I¡¯m not strong. If I had been, Caroline wouldn¡¯t have interfered with¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered something,¡± Lily abruptly cut in. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen much of your skills. In fact, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen any at all. You¡¯ve been very careful to hide them, but I did my own checks a few days ago. Asked some questions here and there.¡±


    ¡°Q-questions?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I went to every shop that sold skillstrips. I tried to look for any that had Flight, but apparently, this skillstrip hasn¡¯t been sold for a very long time. Decades.¡±


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    ¡°Well, I got them from¡ª¡±


    ¡°Schwarz?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Are you really sure you want to tell me such an answer? We¡¯ve been together for so long. I know you have many secrets. One of them should be Flight.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a secret,¡± Claud mumbled.


    ¡°Yeah, it isn¡¯t. But that super-strong folder that captured Rodrio knew how to fly. Was that you? However, the aura he exuded was beyond compare. Therefore, if that folder was you, I¡¯m sure that you have some means of increasing your strength temporarily.¡±


    ¡°Even if I had one,¡± Claud conceded, ¡°Tot survived ritual magic. That¡¯s impossible for me.¡±


    Lily rubbed her nose. ¡°Well¡­no one actually knew if it was Tot who killed the Third Bearer of Destiny, though. So it¡¯s not really important if you aren¡¯t Tot, but you¡­you killed the Third, right?¡±


    Claud opened and closed his mouth dumbly.


    ¡°And you¡¯re intending to head out right now. Despite not knowing the strength of the Moon Emissary.¡± Lily took a deep breath. ¡°Why do you insist on doing all these things on your own? You have me!¡±


    Crown bounced over at those words. ¡°Meep! Meep. Meep!¡±


    It jumped up and down for a few seconds, a movement that tried to convey Claud¡¯s intentions to Lily, and then rolled over to her right hand. Pushing it to Claud¡¯s right hand, the little fellow bounced twice, and then made one last meep.


    ¡°Crown¡¯s really cute, huh?¡± Lily glanced at the little guy, between slipping her fingers through Claud¡¯s own. ¡°Looks like you were really intending on finding that Moon Emissary.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t know what to say, and to make matters worse, Lily¡¯s fingers had tightened around his own, preventing him from withdrawing them. The warmth transmitted to his hands wasn¡¯t helping either, and¡­


    ¡°Yeah. I was.¡± Claud lay down on his bed. ¡°Happy?¡±


    ¡°Just worried, dummy.¡± Lily rapped his head. ¡°You¡¯ve been going off a few times to beat threats we can¡¯t kill, and you don¡¯t even let me know about it. That¡¯s just unfair. We¡¯re supposed to be¡­¡±


    Her voice trailed off.


    ¡°Be?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Are you trying to make fun of me?¡± Lily asked, her adorable face scrunching up. ¡°We¡¯re beyond friends already. Unless you don¡¯t think of me that way, I guess.¡±


    ¡°What? No! Of course not! It¡¯s just¡ª¡±


    He never got to complete his sentence.


    In one swift motion, Lily bent over and closed the distance between their faces. A soft, warm sensation assailed his lips, and his vision seemed to cloud over for a moment. He didn¡¯t have the right words to describe how a kiss felt, especially since it was his first time, but¡­it was definitely good.


    Good, yes. Some corner of Claud¡¯s mind promptly noted that his intelligence and vocabulary had probably been affected by the kiss, but the rest of his mind promptly ganged up on that offending bit and beat it into submission.


    In what seemed like frozen time, the two of them held the kiss for a minute or two, before Lily fell onto Claud. His arms closed around her a moment later, and the master thief found himself marvelling at the soft bundle of warmth in his embrace.


    ¡°That¡¯s the first time I ever did that,¡± she said, her voice quiet. ¡°Take responsibility.¡±


    Claud held her tight. He hadn¡¯t intended on¡­well, making it clear, given that he was going to embark on what might just be a suicide mission, but she had made it clear. He would not be able to look at himself in the mirror if he didn¡¯t tell her his thoughts.


    ¡°You¡¯ve put me in a tight spot.¡± Claud sat up, making sure to not break the embrace. ¡°But I suppose I¡¯ll just have to return alive, right?¡±


    ¡°I want to come with you¡­is what I want to say, but I¡¯ll probably be a burden, right?¡± Lily asked.


    Claud simply covered her lips with his own once more. He didn¡¯t want to say those words out loud, since it would make her feel bad. And¡­well, there was this competitive spirit burning in him now.


    As Crown rolled away sneakily, the two broke the kiss again. Lily rubbed her nose, and her ears, which had gone red, was quivering slightly. She didn¡¯t give up, though. A set of warm hands touched his face, and Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel that their roles had somewhat changed. For some reason, he was the one being patted now, and although he enjoyed the feeling, there was some sense of incongruity in being hugged like this.


    They cuddled for a few seconds, before Claud rubbed her head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there and back in a jiffy,¡± said Claud. ¡°You know me well, right? Do you still remember what happened to that snake? It exploded, and nothing else. If my¡­explosion fails to kill it, I¡¯ll flee immediately. I promise.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Lily asked. ¡°You promise?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Claud, holding her hand. ¡°I promise you. I don¡¯t have much to swear on, but I suppose my life will do, right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that, dummy.¡± Lily looked at him with her clear eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you, then. Tell me everything when you return.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure if that¡¯s possible,¡± Claud replied, ¡°but I¡¯ll tell you as much as I can.¡±


    He made to get up, but without warning, Lily pulled him back down on the bed, her eyes a palm¡¯s width away from his own. ¡°We belong to each other now. So¡­don¡¯t hold anything back, okay? Don¡¯t keep secrets from me. I want to be part of your life, just like how you¡¯ve been in my life the whole time.¡±


    ¡°Lily¡­¡±


    She giggled once as her name left his lips, and Claud decided to worry about the Moon Emissary later.


    There was still time, after all.

 Chapter 231: The duos resolve

    ¡°You¡­aren¡¯t going to put on your disguise?¡± Claud asked, his eyes gazing at Lily¡¯s violet hair, which was wet from a shower. ¡°Still, it does remind of the time when we first went out together.¡±


    ¡°Well, it didn¡¯t make sense to look like the princess when I¡¯m alone,¡± said Lily, reaching out to hold his hand. ¡°And I¡¯ll be annoyed if I spent my time with you looking like the princess from now on. I¡¯ll feel that you¡¯re cheating on me with myself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­a very odd way of putting it,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But I¡¯m somehow able to understand that particular sentiment, oddly enough.¡±


    Lily laughed. ¡°That¡¯s because we¡¯re quite alike.¡±


    Leaning her head on his shoulder, she took a deep breath. ¡°Since we used the same shampoo and soap, I suppose we smell alike too now.¡±


    ¡°I was expecting something more romantic when you said we¡¯re quite alike,¡± Claud replied, ¡°but this takes the cake, I guess. So¡­how are we going to tell the others? Are we going to tell the others?¡±


    ¡°We just need to walk out of the room and they¡¯ll get it,¡± Lily replied brightly. ¡°After all, I¡¯m not going to let go of your hand that easily.¡±


    ¡°How am I supposed to go after that Moon Emissary then?¡± Claud asked.


    Lily eyed him. ¡°Do you have a reason to go after that Moon Emissary?¡±


    Taking in a deep breath, Claud met her gaze directly. ¡°¡­Do you believe in instinct? That there¡¯s something within you, something that seems to guide you? I¡­my instincts tell me that I¡¯ll regret it if I let the Moon Emissary approach Licencia. I don¡¯t know why, but that¡¯s just how it is.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll regret it?¡± Lily repeated.


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s almost the same thing that drove me to go after the Third Bearer of Destiny back then,¡± Claud whispered. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Am I insane? Is some higher power using me as a chess piece?¡±


    ¡°Or is it your mind recognising the danger behind all this?¡± Lily held his shoulders. ¡°I believe you. In that case, we should work on killing that Moon Emissary. But how were you intending to kill it?¡±


    ¡°With a lot of brute force,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re still hiding many things from me, right?¡± Lily asked.


    Claud nodded in silence.


    ¡°You can¡¯t tell them to me?¡± Lily pressed on. ¡°Or do you not know how to tell them to me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried that you can¡¯t hear them,¡± Claud replied. ¡°That by simply saying those things out loud, I¡¯ll harm you. Remember what Nero said? Some words, when spoken, can potentially kill anyone who hears it.¡±


    Lily rubbed her nose. ¡°Then¡­I¡¯m going to ask questions, and you reply yes or no. No lying.¡±


    Claud blinked. ¡°Would that work? It feels like a cop-out, right?¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re not speaking, and I¡¯m just asking some questions. In fact, we should be a bit safer about this. Do you have any paper? I¡¯ll write my questions on them, and you just shake or nod.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work that way.¡± Claud jumped a moment later, but it was as if there was something forcing him to spit the next few words out. ¡°Most minds cannot withstand the implications of certain information. It is not the act of speaking, but the act of retaining the information, that is unbearable to weaker minds.¡±


    The impulse to speak faded a moment later, and Claud gripped his head. Red-hot drumsticks were bashing out a mad solo in the inside of his skull, and it took everything he had to not howl in pain and make a fool of himself in front of Lily.


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    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily asked, her expression one of worry. ¡°Are you¡­alright? You didn¡¯t seem¡­well, you.¡±


    Claud nodded.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he forced out. ¡°That wasn¡¯t really me speaking. My instincts, maybe. But it freaking hurts. It feels like my head is about to blow up, and I¡¯m quite sure my Authority¡¯s already increased twice.¡±


    ¡°Authority?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud laid his head on Lily¡¯s lap, and the agony seemed to subside. Lily, who had been surprised for a moment, immediately started to rub his head with her smooth fingers, and the pain decided to beat a retreat. ¡°I burned enough lifespan to become a tri-folder just now, and whenever I completed a new circuit, I would receive a notification that my authority increased.¡±


    Lily¡¯s fingers paused. ¡°Sorry, can you repeat that again?¡±


    ¡°Well, I received two notifications that my authority increased.¡±


    ¡°No, not that. The first part of the sentence,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Oh. I burned enough lifespan to become a tri-folder earlier on¡­Lily?¡± Claud opened his eyes at the sudden stillness of her fingers, before looking up. ¡°Oh no. Did I do something wrong? Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you happened to me! That¡¯s a lot of lifespan! Did you really have to go this far for some Moon thing?¡± Lily asked. ¡°How much time do you have left? Do you need more lifestones?¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait! I have enough seventy-eight years! I¡¯m not going to drop dead just yet!¡±


    ¡°Seventy-eight?¡± Lily¡¯s eyes went round. ¡°Wow. Where did you get so much lifespan from?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been following me around for so long, but you couldn¡¯t guess?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Why, just the other day, I brought you around the city to sneak into random homes, and well, there were some awesome lifestones in your family vault.¡±


    Claud really wanted to tell her about Absolute One and Crown¡¯s true ability, but his instincts told him that she couldn¡¯t accept such knowledge yet. So, although it did hurt to not tell her everything, Claud had no choice but wait for her to get stronger.


    ¡°Oh. Well, I suppose they did do at least one good thing,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Still, tri-folder¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°I¡¯m now the silent protector of the Moon Lords or something, I guess. Don¡¯t go telling the others, okay?¡±


    ¡°A secret between us?¡± Lily perked up. ¡°Yeah, that sounds fun. Something a couple will do.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s us, really.¡± Claud smiled. The pain had ebbed away. ¡°Still, I¡¯m not sure what I should do. The Third was acting alone, and there was no body to speak of, but I¡¯m not sure if I can instantly turn a Moon Emissary into ash. Even if I do, can the other Moon Emissaries track me down? If so¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to leave the others for the time being,¡± Lily completed.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud looked at Lily. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to leave you, now that we¡¯ve made things clear. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°No. I trust your instincts. If it tells you that you¡¯re going to regret it, then act in a way that you won¡¯t regret,¡± Lily cut in. ¡°And it so happens that we should take a trip on our own. Like, you know, a¡­a honeymoon. Or something like that.¡±


    ¡°A trip for the two of us only?¡± Claud asked. ¡°We haven¡¯t gone through the marital rites yet, so I wouldn¡¯t call it a honeymoon¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a stickler for things like this.¡± Lily laughed, before tweaking his nose. ¡°So adorable. But we should take a trip together. We¡¯re linked in a very special way, right? They say that the fates of lovers are intertwined, and I haven¡¯t forgotten how Holy Daughter Clarissa used the Cord of Cause.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Now, now.¡± Lily smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t be. I was already prepared for all this the moment I entered your room. I want to be part of your life, just like how you were part of mine. Maybe you don¡¯t know, but when you were with me¡­nothing else seemed to matter all that much. When I felt sad, you were there. When I felt troubled, you always showed up.¡±


    With some effort, she pushed Claud back up, to a sitting position. ¡°Back then, when you were agonising over the issue of the Third, I couldn¡¯t do anything. No more. I want to do something. Not out of duty or gratitude.¡±


    She ran a hand through his hair. ¡°But for you.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t have any words to say to that, but there was nothing a kiss couldn¡¯t solve.


    ¡°We should get moving, though,¡± said Lily, after the two of them separated. ¡°And we just took a bath.¡±


    ¡°R-right.¡± Claud rubbed his nose, before getting up. Extending a hand to Lily, who took it happily, the two of them got down to packing the things for their hastily decided trip. It was early in the afternoon, and if everything went as planned¡­


    The two of them would be fleeing from a murder scene come evening.


    ¡°Hmm. Where should we go, though? Can we even leave the sovereignty?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°How about Lustre? I¡¯ve always been curious about the birthplace of your idol,¡± said Claud. ¡°Or do you have another place in mind?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking of the Celestia Ruins, since you could fly,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But there¡¯s a barrier that¡¯s preventing us from entering Nihila, right?¡±


    Claud thought about it for a moment, and then nodded firmly. Although he couldn¡¯t directly fulfil Lily¡¯s wish of knowing everything about him, he could show her his Absolute One¡­even if he couldn¡¯t quite speak of it.


    ¡°Maybe we can,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll understand once I give that Moon Emissary the good old one-two.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m now worried.¡±

 Chapter 232: The duos duplicitous departure

    ¡°Wait. Wait. I¡¯m confused.¡± Schwarz stared at Claud and Lily. ¡°You two decided to pledge your lives to each other. That much I understand. But are you really so eager to run off for some two-person lovey-dovey time when there¡¯s a bunch of Moon Emissaries on the loose? That doesn¡¯t seem very you, Claud.¡±


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s been sleeping badly recently,¡± said Lily. ¡°I thought getting him to some place where the Moon Emissaries definitely won¡¯t pass by would be good. You know how the two of us are like.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°And I suppose you two really want a break, right? After running yourself ragged from all these investigations.¡±


    ¡°Ehe.¡± Lily shuffled her feet. Claud knew that she was acting ¡ª Lily was bolder than her usual behaviour gave her credit for. She was used to all kinds of things, which was almost necessary given her background, but Claud still felt a bit bad for getting her to do this.


    For some reason, though, everyone didn¡¯t look surprised at the sudden revelation that he had gotten together with Lily ¡ª they were more surprised at how the two of them seemingly wanted to elope at the worst possible timing.


    ¡°I somewhat expected this day to come,¡± said Dia, who was chewing on an apple. ¡°But I didn¡¯t expect this day to come so soon. So¡­who did it? Who popped the question?¡±


    Lily and Claud glanced at each other, and in accord, they pointed at each other.


    ¡°¡­Wow.¡± Dia chuckled. ¡°Alright, you two clearly don¡¯t want to share. How dull. Still, where might the two of you be going?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be going to Lustre for a while,¡± said Claud, his outstretched hand pulling Lily close to him. ¡°Preferably after the three Moon Emissaries there pass the city.¡±


    ¡°Do you have anything you want us to pass on?¡± Lily added. ¡°Your friends and your fellow bodyguards. People like that?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Dia took a step back. ¡°Nope. No one in particular, unfortunately.¡±


    She fell silent. Claud could feel Lily¡¯s gaze on him, but he also didn¡¯t know how to approach this particular situation. After all, she had lived her life as the princess¡¯ double. It was possible that she never actually made any friends or acquaintances outside of the princess¡­who was still missing.


    Somehow.


    Speaking of that topic, Claud really wanted to pay his respects to the hidden princess. She had somehow managed to stay at liberty so far, despite being someone who couldn¡¯t have had any experience living as a normal person. Their Dia had lots of problems fitting in due to her entire life experience revolving around her mistress; the real deal had to have faced the same problems, or worse.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lily fidgeted. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Now, now,¡± said Dia. ¡°Anyway, from how you two have already packed your bags, I get the feeling that you two aren¡¯t going to be dissuaded by us, right? In that case¡­Claud, you better take really good care of Lily. If any hair on her head is harmed ¡ª that¡¯s a really pretty violet, by the way ¡ª I¡¯ll shave you bald.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°No wiseass quip from you. Wow.¡± Schwarz shook his head. ¡°Looks like love really does change people. Now, before you make the rest of us jealous, please be on your way. Have a good journey.¡±


    ¡°When will you two be back?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°A few months later,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s very vague.¡± Farah folded her arms. ¡°And who¡¯s going to take over your job?¡±


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    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, almost every arrangement can support themselves autonomously. The only thing that¡¯ll stop are the patrols, but considering the dangers arrayed against the city, I don¡¯t think our daily patrols are going to help anymore,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be back once we¡¯re done,¡± Lily added.


    ¡°¡­Alright, alright. Still, what¡¯s the point of grooming a successor if you¡¯re going to abduct her anyway?¡± Farah muttered. ¡°Alright, the two of you. Go. I¡¯m sure Dia can pick up the slack anyway, if it¡¯s just patrolling.¡±


    Dia looked around wildly. ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a good choice,¡± Claud piled on. ¡°She can tackle the threats head-on and everything, unlike me and Lily, who can¡¯t fight for nuts.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then. Now that¡¯s settled¡­I suppose you two are going to be leaving, right? Don¡¯t make us wait too long,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°Also, I¡¯m going to take as many barrels as I please from your fizzy drink stash. Think of it as payment.¡±


    ¡°Like you haven¡¯t been filching a barrel or so every week.¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll be leaving now.¡±


    ¡°Tell Nero we said bye.¡±


    The others walked them out to the front door. Perhaps it was out of their own considerations or something, but they didn¡¯t follow Claud all the way to the entrance booth, and as the two of them made their way to the only entrance into Moon Mansion, Lily said, ¡°Emotional?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud stopped and looked back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. It would have been horrible if I just waited and waited and you never came back,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to stay low for a few months. Maybe move from town to town at the same time.¡± Claud touched his Band of Duplicity. ¡°It¡¯s a shame we don¡¯t have enough money for another Band of Duplicity, though. I¡¯m worried that they might track you down.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope that isn¡¯t the case,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I¡­are you really prepared for this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to regret anything,¡± Claud touched her hair, letting it run through his fingers. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of people I care about dying. The Moon Emissary¡­I just know that I must stop this particular Moon Emissary from reaching Licencia. I don¡¯t know why.¡±


    ¡°We should work on that bit too.¡± Lily smiled.


    ¡°Yes. And more.¡±


    The two of them stopped at the booth, and watched as it ferried them outside of the dome. The two guards that stood beside the only entrance to Moon Mansion paused as they took in the sight of Lily¡¯s true appearance, only to look away when they saw a displeased Claud beside her.


    Taking a deep breath, Claud held her hand and started to walk away from Moon Mansion. The familiar sights of Moon Street drifted past the two of them slowly, the air full of vibrant scents and fragrances from cooking food. Now that he was facing the possibility that he would have to spend months or even a year on the run with Lily, Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel rueful. That little haven that he had created with the others couldn¡¯t be used for a prolonged period of time, for their sake.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get some hotdogs,¡± Lily suggested. ¡°I raided the larder earlier, before the others could notice, but it¡¯ll be nice to have some of Licencia¡¯s street food one last time.¡±


    ¡°Hotdogs?¡± Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°I thought you would prefer pastries.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been eating loads of them recently,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I thought you might prefer a change here and there.¡±


    After making some purchases, the two of them headed out towards the city gates, hotdogs in hand. It didn¡¯t take long for them to arrive at the city¡¯s south gate, which was chosen because it didn¡¯t have a guardhouse. A few guards stood sentry over the place, checking on incoming travellers and their baggage mechanically.


    A few of them waved at Claud as the two of them left through the gate, but for some reason, none of them recognised Lily. Sure, she removed her usual make-up, and her hair was now violet, but¡­


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it make you feel a bit sad?¡± Claud asked. ¡°About how they didn¡¯t recognise you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been strutting around looking like someone else for a very long time,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯s natural that they won¡¯t recognise me. And that¡¯s fine, really. And besides, it feels good to be myself once more. As Lily, Claud¡¯s partner in love and crime. Not as a fan of Princess Dia, nor as the wayward daughter of the heinous Julan family. Just Lily.¡±


    Claud rubbed her nose with a finger, and then reached into his pocket.


    ¡°Crown,¡± he called out. ¡°Take a good long look at our home.¡±


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We won¡¯t be returning to it for the next few months,¡± Claud replied, his eyes on the city gate. The guards were too far to see him talking to the little box, which meant that he was free to pop it on Lily¡¯s head, which made her laugh.


    ¡°Meep¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Claud took out a bunch of skillstrips and handed them to Lily. ¡°These skillstrips contain Presence Nullification. When used, you¡¯ll be completely non-existent to anyone. No one will be able to find you, no matter what they do; you won¡¯t exist in their perception.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°One of my skills. I never had the chance to experiment with it, since it¡¯s a secret of mine, but I think we can do a few experiments now,¡± Claud replied. ¡°If we¡¯re holding hands when we activate this skill, we should still be able to perceive each other. There¡¯s also a few Flight skillstrips. We¡¯ll be using them to reach the Moon Emissary at the fastest speed possible.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°Do I still sit on you?¡±


    ¡°We could just hug each other, you know¡­¡±

 Chapter 233: The singular strike

    ¡°How does this even work? It¡¯s illogical¡­¡± Lily, who was holding on to Claud, muttered for the third time. The two of them were soaring through the clouds at a phenomenal speed, through a mana-infused Flight skill. With his Mana Control Proficiency at a new level altogether, Claud could directly improve the speed at which they travelled at; at such a speed, they could reach Julan with three Flight skills.


    ¡°Well, my Mana Control Proficiency is at Expert,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°You¡¯ve rubbed that into my face for the third time this flight.¡± Lily punched Claud with a cottony force, and he smiled. ¡°But it still doesn¡¯t explain how we can fly while standing up straight like this. I¡¯m sure it goes against some natural laws here and there.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Claud conceded. ¡°Then¡­uh, something from the gods? In the first place, why does a label on our status get to dictate our abilities and specialties? How does that even work?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to ask the long-dead Goddess of Water and Learning for that, I¡¯m afraid. But shouldn¡¯t you open your status or something? You don¡¯t seem to have opened it ever since you became a tri-folder.¡± Lily peered up at him, her adorable eyes blinking twice. ¡°I¡¯d have opened it, if I was in your place.¡±


    ¡°I was intending on checking it out when I had time,¡± Claud replied, ¡°but I¡¯ve been spending the past few minutes talking to you¡­which is frankly better for me. I¡¯m¡­scared.¡±


    At that word, Lily¡¯s smiley face faded away. ¡°It does feel that you¡¯re embarking down a point of no return.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m dragging you with me.¡± Claud looked into her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being this troublesome. We¡¯re still a small distance away, so you can actually choose to¡ª¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m staying with you.¡± Lily patted his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re not going to be alone. Not with me here. You know, you should really consider what the others think. You¡¯re doing all this for them, but you don¡¯t even let them know about it. If I were to find out one day, I would come after you, stuff a bomb into your pants, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s horrible!¡±


    Lily giggled in reply. ¡°Well, it¡¯s one way to make sure you stay faithful.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me? I¡¯ve been living with four Dia-lookalikes. If I wanted to be unfaithful, there would have been ample opportunity.¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°That said, everyone was in disguise, so¡­eh.¡±


    ¡°Right, how do you like this look of mine?¡±


    ¡°Love it, naturally. You should be you. Stop idolising the princess¡­is what I¡¯d say, but everyone has a right to their hobbies,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Besides, your bomb-making really is useful. Since you know the basics of sneaking around, you could join me for a nice moonlit heist one day.¡±


    ¡°You and your Time-sensitive High-Efficiency Trading,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Yeah, I worked that out after a while. The acronym was a bit too obvious.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t intending to hide it that much,¡± Claud replied. ¡±I¡¯d been going around and robbing the rich, using the money I got to buy food for the poor. Not often, but enough to make a difference. But¡­well, maybe I wanted someone to recognise me.¡±


    ¡°And that someone did,¡± Lily replied. ¡°So¡­you are Tot after all.¡±


    Claud remained silent, only jerking his head once.


    ¡°You tried to lie to me again, but knowing you, it¡¯s for my own good. You probably aren¡¯t going to tell me how you survived ritual magic or struck down Zulan Patra for that reason either, right?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t tell you, yes.¡± Claud nodded. He had seen the small screen that said ¡®Authority increased¡¯, and given the secretiveness of just about those who actually knew concrete stuff, it wasn¡¯t too hard to guess what this authority referred to. ¡°But I can show you, right?¡±


    ¡°Show me?¡± Lily took a deep breath. ¡°Yeah. I suppose that works.¡±


    The two continued to zoom through the clouds. The ground was now a complete blur, but Claud¡¯s eyes were scanning for the pillar of bright moonlight that the Moon Emissaries apparently emitted.


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    Sometimes, anyway. Most of his attention was focused on hugging Lily; he didn¡¯t dare to exert too much strength in holding onto her. She felt like a soft bundle in his arms, and Claud feared that exerting too much strength might injure her.


    Also, she had this pleasant scent to her.


    Shaking his head mentally, Claud ran a hand through her hair.


    ¡°Claud? Something wrong? You look very emotional,¡± Lily asked.


    Claud blinked, and then smiled. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­I haven¡¯t had a real family for a very long time. You¡¯re the first one to intrude into my life and stake a bold claim on it.¡±


    ¡°Not even Schwarz?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Schwarz? He¡¯s a good friend, but he has his own baggage too. We¡¯re quite alike in that regard, and¡­well, I¡¯ll tell him tell you about it if we ever get the chance.¡± Claud played with her hair. ¡°Point is, you¡¯re now the most important person to me. So¡­¡±


    ¡°That makes the two of us, then.¡± Lily smiled. ¡°But I don¡¯t think this is the time to be exchanging lovey-dovey words, right? What a romantic.¡±


    ¡°Me? Romantic?¡± Claud chuckled. ¡°Maybe. And¡­.oh. We¡¯re here.¡±


    A pillar of white light stood at the distant south, making itself manifest despite the fact it was bright daylight. Claud could sense a massive threat there, with the ambient energy that exuded warping light and space around them.


    The tide of light at the horizon could only be the Moon Emissary and its armies of white death.


    Claud stopped, and as the world returned into focus, he nodded his head slowly. Lily did have a point. His Flight skill really didn¡¯t make sense, the way he came to a halt this easily. What happened to inertia and physics?


    Chuckling, he took a deep breath and took out three skillstrips. He tore the first one, and the Flight skill refreshed itself. Presence Nullification activated a moment later as he tore the second one, masking his and Lily¡¯s presence from the world itself.


    He passed the last one to Lily, who was also protected by Presence Nullification.


    ¡°Once I attack,¡± said Claud, ¡°tear this and hold on to me really, really tight.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Claud looked her the eyes once more. ¡°You sure about this? Once I strike, things will change. The Moons aren¡¯t going to let us live here anymore. We¡¯ll have to start a new life outside for a long period of time. You¡¯ll perhaps never get the chance to return here again, to see the others. Whether I succeed or not, this will be it.¡±


    Lily flicked his nose. ¡°Dummy. If I didn¡¯t want to accompany you, I wouldn¡¯t have waited for you at your door. The face you had when you heard the news about the Moon Emissary¡­I knew that you were going to pull another Third on it. And that you probably had no intention of coming back.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± Claud rubbed his nose on hers gently. ¡°Thanks. Okay, then. I¡¯ll be generating an incredible attack. Once I throw it and it hits, tear that skillstrip and hold on really tight. I¡¯ll bash out of the barrier that separates the Umbra¡­err, Istrel Sovereignty from the others and flee to the closest city in Nihila.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°You can really say more things, though¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just eager to see you at your strongest, my love.¡± Lily smiled gently, and Claud felt his heart flip.


    ¡°How unfair.¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then. Prepare yourself.¡± Claud closed his eyes and stilled himself. He could sense Lily hug him even tighter, and he rehearsed his motions one last time.


    Absolute One would last ten seconds. He would spend three to gather up mana, one to fire it in the general direction of the Moon Emissary, one more to hold Lily really tightly, and the rest to empower his Flight to ridiculous proportions. He had done a single trial back then, when he fled from Count Nightfall right after dealing with Rodrio, but the him at that time and the him now was completely different.


    ¡°Receive this blow as one about to die, O bane of my peace,¡± Claud muttered. Only Lily could hear him, but he couldn¡¯t feel any shame whatsoever ¡ª just a vague reassurance that he was doing the right thing.


    Absolute One.


    The blue colour of the afternoon sky and the lush green colour of the vast prairie before him fled, as a burning azure light surged out of him. A truly limitless mana poured out of his body, but with the effects of Absolute One, Claud easily took control of it and compressed the boundless light into a spear the length of his arm. A fraction of that insane energy flooded his right arm, and Claud drew his arm back.


    The arrow was notched¡­or rather, the spear was ready.


    Considering the faction that had done the Spear of Fate in, this seemed like a rather fitting shape.


    The three seconds he had allotted to prepare the attack were about to pass. The blood vessels in his right arm burst from the sheer amount of mana coursing through them, but the only thing in his eyes was the lunar tide at the distant horizon.


    With a mighty shout, Claud hurled the azure spear at the distant horizon, and the mana contained in it immediately began to unravel. Claud, however, had no time to admire the sight, and he flung his arms around Lily.


    ¡°Hold on to me!¡± Claud roared.


    As the luminous spear hurtled forward as a gigantic lance of death and destruction, Claud forced the bottomless mana welling out of him into the spiritual structure of Flight and blasted himself northwards, Lily in his arms the whole time.


    The world turned into a blur as Claud and Lily fled towards the northern extremes of the Istrel sovereignty, wrapped by a renewed Presence Nullification. Only the vast spear of azure light remained clear, its all-destructive might annihilating everything in its way.


    How would the Moon Emissary react to such a deadly attack? Claud didn¡¯t know, and nor did he care.


    The only thing he cared for now was getting him and Lily out of the Istrel Sovereignty.

 Chapter 234: Ones Order

    Hexagons of red, blue and yellow light appeared in Claud¡¯s vision as he and Lily charged northwards. He only had a single moment to take in that stupendous sight, before the tri-coloured wall shattered into pieces, broken by the sheer force of his charge.


    With that, Claud left the former Umbra Sovereignty for the first time in his life, the awesome shockwaves of the attack he¡¯d just launched shaking his innards the whole time. Behind him, however, the all-encompassing light of destruction continued to wreak havoc on the immense prairies that separated Licencia and the Daybreak County, and his heart jerked once as a set of bloody notifications appeared in his vision.


    Lily, who was holding onto him with a set of scrunched-up eyes, shook once too, and Claud didn¡¯t need to think hard to know why.


    <The Fourteenth Bearer of Destiny has fallen, her life annihilated by purest light.>


    <With the scales tilting, the great Dark will descend in a season.>


    <Time, frozen in an interlude, shall once more take flight.>


    <And may the Moons preserve their reason.>


    ¡°Claud¡­¡± Lily murmured, her hug tightening. ¡°There was¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud took a deep breath. ¡°A Bearer of Destiny there too. Little wonder I felt so scared, so jittery. So, this is the reason why I would regret things. But have you figured out the nature of the skill I used to annihilate the enemy?¡±


    ¡°Lily nodded. ¡°Yeap. That was intense.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud rubbed her head. ¡°And¡ª¡±


    His words cut off as another set of screens appeared in his vision.


    [<Hidden Quest: Agitator¡¯s Annihilation> has been completed. Calculating result grade.]


    [Results: Grade 1]


    [Calling upon a transcendent fury, you unleashed an infinite might upon the Fourteenth Bearer of Destiny and an Emissary of the Moons. Your singular blow will pass on into the annals of history as an attack like no other, and for that, you have been awarded 80% of her lifespan.]


    [FiBoD:A??? has absorbed one Fragment of Fate. Evolution requirements: 2/2]


    [Personal Quest: <One¡¯s Order> unlocked. Complete this mission to evolve FiFBod:A???]


    ¡°Lily?¡± Claud called out, his eyes still fixed on the azure rectangles before him. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you can hear this, so brace yourself somewhat.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what a quest or a mission is?¡±


    Lily shook violently, and Claud held her tight. He had heard about the time Dia and Risti¡¯s aunt exchanged words, and she had apparently been afflicted with an intense headache when she learned about some secrets. Dia chose not to disclose these secrets, citing the horrible pain that she felt when those words entered her mind.


    ¡°I do know what a quest is,¡± said Lily, holding on to his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my head isn¡¯t in pain. It¡¯s just¡­I didn¡¯t expect those words to come from you. A quest¡­is something personal. What you believe in. To fight for it.¡±


    She looked away. ¡°It¡¯s a crystallisation of your obsessions.¡±


    ¡°Great. It seems that every single Bearer of Destiny might just be an obsession of mine, then, if we go down by this established pattern,¡± Claud replied. He didn¡¯t want to ask why Lily knew such a thing, and simply pressed on by saying, ¡°I just received a¡­notification. That I completed a quest, when I unleashed that attack.¡±


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    He paused. ¡°Right. Did that attack scare you? Do I no longer seem human?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°It was pretty and awesome. Maybe someone on the receiving end would fear you, but me? I¡¯m not going to be afraid. I¡¯ll be sleeping peacefully every night, knowing that you¡¯ll be able to overturn the earth if you really wanted to.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to ask about what I just did?¡±


    ¡°I can guess,¡± Lily replied brightly. ¡°And I don¡¯t care.¡±


    The two of them chuckled, and in silent accord, looked back at the Istrel Sovereignty. The giant breach in the tri-coloured wall of honeycombs had been repaired in a few short minutes after Claud forcefully breached it, leaving no evidence that it had been destroyed before. Once again, the sovereignty had been severed from the world, locking down the people inside.


    ¡°It¡¯s up to them now,¡± said Lily. ¡°You¡¯ve done everything you could.¡±


    ¡°I know. Thanks, Lily.¡± Claud tweaked her nose. ¡°You¡¯re the best. Give me a kiss?¡±


    Lily blushed. ¡°Not now. It¡¯s unsafe to do that while flying.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Right.¡± Claud looked around the place. There were a few things he wanted to check, like the odd personal quest that had been unlocked and his lifespan, but these things could wait. The only thing that caught his eye was how the fairly full hourglass at the top let of his vision was now half-empty.


    Clearly, the death of yet another Moon-aligned Bearer of Destiny had expedited things. Claud had the feeling that the world would change irrevocably if the last Moon-aligned Bearer of Destiny were to perish, but he knew that this was information he couldn¡¯t relay to Lily just yet.


    Dia and Risti had suffered from a pounding headache when the latter¡¯s aunt revealed some secrets. Claud, however, had a feeling that Lily would be killed on the spot if he revealed the secrets of the three alignments the Bearers of Destiny fell into.


    ¡°That hourglass,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°It¡¯s half-empty now. Did the passing of the Fourteenth have something to do with it?¡±


    Claud simply hugged her tighter in reply. Lily, to her credit, simply hugged back and stopped her questions.


    ¡°There, there,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°I¡¯m here, okay? Don¡¯t be scared.¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s not why I hugged you, but you can spoil me more,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway, we should get to Lostfon as soon as possible. I¡¯m not sure what the aftermath of my attack will be like, and I don¡¯t have any artefacts that could protect me from skills related to karma, so we should hide in a nice, crowded place.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity we never did go to Lustre,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And¡­I don¡¯t know when we¡¯ll be back either. If we break down that barrier once more, they¡¯ll definitely chase us down, right?¡±


    ¡°If ¡®they¡¯ refers to the remaining six Moon Emissaries, you¡¯d be absolutely right,¡± Claud answered. ¡°But with some luck, the moonlight barrier will disintegrate when the great Dark falls, so¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m quite sure the great Dark¡¯s going to be really dangerous too.¡± Lily tugged his ears lightly. ¡°Will my beloved hero save us from them too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°Count on it. I¡¯ll save you and the others, if push comes to shove. I¡­don¡¯t have many people dear to me, so I must protect my small world with all the fangs I can muster.¡±


    ¡°¡­Thanks.¡±


    ¡°What are you thanking me for?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Like it or not, our futures are intertwined now. And¡­I should be thanking you. Or else I¡¯ll be in Lostfon all by my lonesome or something. Now that we¡¯ve killed off a Bearer of Destiny that¡¯s presumably a buddy of the Moons, as well as a Moon Emissary too, we¡¯ll never be able to live in peace in the Istrel Sovereignty.¡±


    ¡°Both of us, yes.¡± Lily tilted her head backwards and tried to look arrogant. ¡°We¡¯re so badass, the Moons now feel like killing us.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if they¡¯ll let it go if I told them that it¡¯s their fault for settling here,¡± Claud wondered.


    ¡°Probably not,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And I¡¯m never gambling again. We¡¯ll be unlucky for a very long time.¡±


    ¡°Unlucky?¡± Something seemed to ripple in Claud¡¯s mind, and a cool shiver ran down his back. The feeling that he had overlooked something strengthened rapidly, and a heartbeat later, Claud made a wry smile and shook his head. ¡°Maybe not.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lily asked, tilting her head. ¡°Did you not flee because you were scared of the Moons hunting you down? They govern many things, and one of them is luck. If they wanted to target you¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud gulped. ¡°Well. Um. We should find some nice place to sit down at first. Let¡¯s land or something, and¡­well, I¡¯ll tell you something.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for them to find a nice clearing. The two of them sat on the same rock, and Claud took the chance to hold her hand once more. He didn¡¯t know if Lily would smack him on the head or call a moratorium on skinship once he told her about his honest mistake.


    He had, after all, forgotten a particular skill that had appeared on his status not too long ago. In his defence, he was scared witless and jittery, and the skill hadn¡¯t appeared on his status for a significant amount of time, but¡­he did have a certain skill that could protect him.


    Omen.


    ¡°Lily, don¡¯t get mad at me,¡± Claud began slowly, ¡°but I actually have a passive skill that¡­shields me from prophecy and divination.¡±


    Lily¡¯s lovely eyes froze, and Claud could see her mind churning rapidly. ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    She ran her hand through her violet hair. ¡°In that case, did we just flee from home for nothing?¡±


    Nodding once, Claud lowered his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I only obtained that passive skill not too long ago, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°And you weren¡¯t in the right state of mind either.¡± Lily shifted closer to him, comforting him with her warmth. ¡°I forgive you. And¡­well, I always wanted to check out the Celestia Ruins, so it should be fine, right?¡±


    Claud twitched once, and then smiled. There was no need for thanks here, or anything pointless. Instead, he raised her hand and placed his lips on it, before hugging her once more.


    ¡°Shall we go, then?¡± Lily asked. ¡°To Lostfon?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Claud broke the hug and held her hand. ¡°Onwards, to Lostfon!¡±


    [End of Book 5: Moonlit Tides and Darkened Seas]

 Chapter 235: Coincidence?

    [Book 6: Secrets in Shadow]


    Dia stared at a bunch of screens in her vision, her hands clutching onto a nice, cool cup of fizzy alcoholic goodness. The brew was one of the better-tasting commercial ones that Schwarz was pushing out in Triple-D recently, although she still felt his personal brews were the best.


    Needless to say, Nero had thrown a fuss when he tasted those new fizzy alcoholic drinks, since they weren¡¯t as strong as the original brews that Schwarz made. Now, the two men were on a quest to make the strongest fizzy alcoholics¡­apparently, anyway.


    ¡°Is it me,¡± Dia eventually said, ¡°or are Bearers of Destiny dropping like flies recently?¡±


    ¡°That is a really good question,¡± Risti replied. ¡°What do you think, Farah?¡±


    Farah, who was swirling her own glass of drink around, placed it onto a tray that Lloyd, her old butler, was holding on to and hummed lightly. ¡°Moons if I know. Still, Lily and Claud couldn¡¯t have chosen a worse time for a honeymoon¡­but with something like this happening, will they simply turn around and call it a day instead?¡±


    Schwarz walked into the living room at that moment, a letter in his hand. ¡°It¡¯ll be nice if that happened, but unfortunately, those two probably aren¡¯t coming back here for the time being. Apparently, they¡¯re trying to avoid Count Nightfall for some reason.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°A letter that Claud left in my room,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°It¡¯s pretty much what he told me, except that there¡¯s a small emphasis on the fact that they¡¯re not going to return to Licencia. Apparently, their idea of a honeymoon is touring every single small town and village to sample things there, and I¡¯m told that the two have vowed not to return until every last village is visited.¡±


    ¡°How long will that take?¡± Risti wondered.


    ¡°Your guess is, unfortunately, as good as mine.¡± Schwarz shook. ¡°Still, their timing in which they left is quite suspicious¡­I would have thought that they killed the Fourteenth, if not for the fact that they literally left an hour ago. Claud¡¯s the kind of guy who would do something in silence and not tell anyone about it, after all.¡±


    ¡°Oh please. The Third was killed by a being of the Third Godsfall. Lily and Claud? Yeah¡­let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves.¡± Farah rolled her eyes. ¡°Now, we¡¯ll need to settle the gaps that Claud and Lily¡¯s departure left behind. Those two were filling really huge boots; both of them were responsible for ensuring the city¡¯s security.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Fortunately, Nightfall¡¯s returning in the next three days, so he can have the administration of the city back. We just need to make sure that nothing happens in the next three days,¡± said Risti. ¡°But who¡¯s going to pick up that responsibility?¡±


    ¡°Let me nominate Lloyd,¡± Farah replied. ¡°My butler.¡±


    The old man by her side took a step forward. ¡°I was in-charge of security and the general administration of Farah in milady¡¯s absence. I should be able to fill in for the gaps¡­although, if what Dia and milady said was true, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much to fill. The person called Claud is apparently meticulous and paranoid. This departure might seem hurried, but I believe he has adequately accounted for this.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Schwarz acknowledged.


    ¡°Still, for them to depart for a two-person lovey-dovey trip with such haste¡­either it¡¯s a massive coincidence, or they know something we don¡¯t,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°I mean, look at it this way. They left around an hour ago, and then the Fourteenth Bearer of Destiny kicked the bucket. Does Claud or Lily have some connections to super-strong folders that might be able to do such a thing?¡±


    Schwarz breathed in sharply. ¡°Yeah¡­now that I think about it. Claud does. You and Risti weren¡¯t here at that time, but during one of the charity drives, Rodrio poisoned the food and fled to parts unknown. He would have escaped, if not for the interference of mysterious man that Count Nightfall identified as a tetra-folder. Claud denied any knowledge of the man, but I wouldn¡¯t put it past him to lie to Nightfall.¡±


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Does that mean he¡¯s part of a secretive organisation that we don¡¯t know about?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Should we be worried?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but Claud hasn¡¯t done anything against our interests so far. Besides, I¡¯m part of the Profiteers,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°If you ask me, I think he has an intelligence channel that rivals mine or yours.¡±


    ¡°An intelligence channel that rivals yours and mine?¡± Risti whistled. ¡°Sounds like a really influential group, then, if Claud could get a tetra-folder to do things for him. Now that I think about it, Nightfall wasn¡¯t even aware that such a being had entered his territory. If it¡¯s Claud, who has intimate knowledge on security¡­I could see the tetra-folder entering Licencia without anyone knowing.¡±


    ¡°So¡­Claud and Lily found out something and tried to leave¡­but that doesn¡¯t make much sense either. Why wouldn¡¯t they tell us? That¡¯s not how they act,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Ah. Yeah.¡± Schwarz clicked his teeth. ¡°That¡¯s also a key point too. Maybe¡­ah! Maybe these two are carrying out a secret mission?¡±


    ¡°Okay, but how did Lily get involved?¡± Risti asked. ¡°What, were both of them involved in this hypothetical secret organisation? Or did one of them pull the other in? If that¡¯s the case, why didn¡¯t they try to pull us in?¡±


    She paused. ¡°Okay, I didn¡¯t receive an offer to join their hypothetical secret organisation. Not sure about you guys.¡±


    ¡°Not me either,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°Claud would have told me about it, knowing him. But he didn¡¯t, so¡­¡± Schwarz rubbed his nose. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Dia, ¡°I¡¯m now back at lovey-dovey couple meets coincidence. Anyone has better ideas?¡±


    ¡°Maybe that tetra-folder decided to tell his friends about his impending assault on the Bearer of Destiny, and one of those people happened to be Claud,¡± Risti replied. ¡°After that, Claud decided to enjoy whatever peace he had left, stole away our Lily and brought her away from major cities to hide from danger. Maybe when they come back, they¡¯ll have a baby in their arms or something.¡±


    ¡°A tetra-folder, killing a Bearer of Destiny.¡± Schwarz bobbed his head. ¡°We¡¯ll need to know if that¡¯s possible.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­that is indeed a point we should note,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Where¡¯s Nero? It¡¯ll be nice to know if a tetra-folder can kill a Bearer of Destiny.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s at Triple-D and using my brewery,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°We can ask him about it tonight¡­or even sooner, since he should be making his way here soon.¡±


    ¡°Milady, have your drink back,¡± said Lloyd. ¡°Lest you harm your voice.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Lloyd.¡± Farah received the drink, and then glanced around at the others. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I wish I had a butler, though. Never had one.¡±


    ¡°You? That¡¯s a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°Dad didn¡¯t believe in me living a pampered life, so there you have it,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I mean, the Association President has his own super standards for his offspring, and Mum was also super-strong as well¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeowch.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be the right term, yes.¡± Risti chuckled. ¡°Anyway, what¡¯s Lloyd¡¯s best dish?¡±


    ¡°Lloyd¡¯s best dish?¡± Farah asked, puffing herself up. ¡°Why, it¡¯s¡ª¡±


    She paused for a moment, and her eyes went out of focus. Her sudden stillness drew everyone¡¯s eyes, and Dia found herself controlling her breathing for some reason.


    Farah¡¯s face took on a very interesting expression seconds later, as the abrupt stillness surrounding her vanished. ¡°Oh dear.¡±


    ¡°That was the nobles¡¯ information space, right?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Alright. Everyone, stay calm for a bit.¡± Farah took a deep breath. ¡°It would seem that the Moon Emissary headed our way is dead. Deader than a doornail. Initial investigations by Count Daybreak¡¯s scouts revealed that something like an immense manifestation of power fell upon the Moon Emissary and its army, annihilating everything there. It would seem that the Fourteenth Bearer of Destiny was included in that number.¡±


    ¡°Immense manifestation¡­¡±


    ¡°Hexa-folder, septa-folder¡­we don¡¯t know. The scouts can¡¯t tell. A gigantic swath of land has been turned into glass. Nothing survived the aftermath.¡± Farah held her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think a tetra-folder has anything to do with this, if they aren¡¯t exaggerating the scale of the attack.¡±


    ¡°Alright, so we¡¯re back to total coincidence,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°Maybe they haven¡¯t caught wind of the news yet. After all, the Bearers of Destiny are all over the world¡­but it seems that our assumption that the Fourteenth was close by has come true after all.¡±


    ¡°Maybe Claud has something like a danger detecting skill,¡± said Farah. ¡°And when Lily got him to go on a nice long trip, he immediately agreed.¡±


    ¡°He would have told us, though,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Claud might be a coward, but he¡¯s never one to abandon his friends. If he found out about any danger, he would tell us immediately.¡±


    ¡°You two¡­are quite close friends, huh?¡±


    ¡°Despite the little tussles like that, we are indeed good friends.¡± Schwarz chuckled. ¡°And in the same vein, if Lily discovered anything, I¡¯m sure she would have told everyone too. I¡¯m almost certain that their departure is just a coincidence. Maybe they want to make a child, and don¡¯t want us hearing about¡ª¡±


    Dia picked up a nearby cushion and hurled it at the bartender¡¯s face, cutting his words off. ¡°Pervert!¡±

 Chapter 236: The killers identity

    Risti and Farah were picking up the cushions they had hurled at Schwarz when the doorbell rang. Schwarz, eager to make amends, promptly bounced off his chair and sprinted out towards the booth, where they had just sent a particular couple off for their honeymoon not too long ago.


    ¡°Well, he sure runs fast,¡± Farah noted. ¡°Still, maybe he did have a point. Maybe Claud and Lily don¡¯t want us playing gooseberry and everything. Should we get them a bigger room from now on?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m quite sure their rooms are big enough,¡± said Risti. ¡°After all, Lily has been spending long periods in Claud¡¯s room for the past few days. Those two must be having the time of their life hugging, making out and doing whatever couples do best.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s good for them, if you ask me,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I think they¡¯re a good match. Claud¡¯s been watching over Lily and sticking by her ever since they returned from Julan. And Lily¡¯s been helping Claud too. If you ask me, that¡¯s a good foundation for a relationship.¡±


    ¡°You sound experienced.¡±


    ¡°From reading novels,¡± Dia clarified. ¡°I haven¡¯t had a chance to find the person of my dreams yet.¡±


    ¡°Bodyguard duty sucks,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°Are you in urgent need for an understanding partner?¡± Farah asked. ¡°There are plenty of men and women in my county that are looking for a soulmate. If you like¡­¡±


    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need,¡± Dia hurriedly replied. ¡°I¡¯m totally fine. Being in love with someone sounds like a pain. You have to run away with them, fight your in-laws, get over numerous tribulations, and then, at the end of it all, you realise your partner¡¯s your sibling.¡±


    ¡°What in the name of the Moons have you been reading?¡± Farah asked, disturbed. ¡°I¡¯m quite sure love isn¡¯t that problematic. At most, you just need to duel your love¡¯s own admirer for the right to be with him or her, nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Risti asked. ¡°When some hotshot adventurer tried to go after me, I simply got my dad to deal with it. He never showed up again.¡±


    The three of them stared at each other, and then sighed.


    Dia picked up her cup and finished the remaining fizzy alcoholic juice off, before saying, ¡°I guess finding someone really is tough. For both sides. But again, the marriageable age for nobles is a couple of hundred years, so maybe Claud and Lily decided to mature in advance.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Farah acknowledged.


    ¡°Be that as it may, milady, I strongly suggest that you find a fianc¨¦ for the sake of an heir,¡± Lloyd replied. ¡°I might sound stuffy, but an heir would absolutely set your people at peace. I¡¯ve received many strongly-worded protests from your people that demand that you hurry up and find a, and I quote, stud that¡¯s of acceptable moral fibre.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡±


    ¡°A stud, milady. I am told it refers to a good-looking man, which I interpret to be proof of your people¡¯s desire for a presentable lord and hopefully, child,¡± Lloyd replied. ¡°Incidentally, your people have also compiled a dossier on the reputable young nobles and personages of your age for your perusal. I have brought it along with me.¡±


    Everyone, save for Farah, broke out into laughter. Farah scanned the room with a displeased look, and then dismissed Lloyd¡¯s words with an airy wave of her hand. ¡°Did you really find that important enough to bring it with you? Just¡­I don¡¯t know, toss it. I¡¯m the master of my own fate. My county needs no heir as long as I stay alive, got it?¡±


    ¡°Milady.¡±


    ¡°Enough! There are visitors here. Drop this topic,¡± Farah ordered, her words shaking the very fabric of the room.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Somehow.


    ¡°Y-yes, milady.¡±


    ¡°And you two better not let Schwarz or Claud know about this discussion,¡± Farah replied, her face turning into a tomato. ¡°I¡¯ll bury myself if they find out about this. I won¡¯t put it past that shameless Schwarz to offer up his body or something.¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t, I think,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Not that kind of guy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a big if there.¡± Farah folded her arms.


    ¡°Schwarz, huh?¡± Lloyd murmured, in a voice so quiet that Dia had a feeling it was only her who heard it. Glancing at the others, Dia rubbed her nose. Now that the bartender, who was admittedly both good-looking and caring ¡ª she hadn¡¯t forgotten the wise counsel Schwarz had provided to her more than once ¡ª had fallen into Lloyd¡¯s awareness, she had a feeling something interesting was going to follow suit.


    In addition, wasn¡¯t Schwarz the one who helped channel some high-rank lifestones to Farah by working behind the scenes? The fellow was a caring one, if nothing else. Like a silent guardian, watching over the night¡­


    However, Dia decided not to interfere. She had a feeling that Lloyd was quite a master at his crafts, and that her participation might just make things take a wrong turn.


    Schwarz returned to the room a moment later, with Caroline, Nero and Holy Daughter Clarissa trailing behind him. ¡°Visitors, guys. They¡¯re here to talk about our next moves.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t really have next moves, though,¡± said Farah, who had gotten up to pour out some cups of drink for everyone. Nero took a sip immediately, while Caroline and Clarissa took the time to examine the inwards of their cups. ¡°The person who should have prepared some next moves has run away for a romantic getaway with the person he was training to be his successor in such endeavours.¡±


    Three sets of ears twitched.


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± said Caroline, ¡°Claud and Lily?¡±


    ¡°¡­It was obvious, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Farah muttered.


    ¡°Well, they weren¡¯t here,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°And besides, if you asked me about romantic engagements within the Moon Lords, I would have pointed these two out immediately. They never seem to leave each other. In fact, I was surprised to find out that they were sleeping in separate rooms in this place.¡±


    ¡°Separate rooms in this place?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, Aran and I usually are quite vigorous and¡­eager.¡±


    ¡°Ahem.¡± The Holy Daughter of the White Church cleared her throat. ¡°Caroline, we are here to discuss about the abrupt death of the Moon Emissary, not the nightly hijinks you and your fianc¨¦ get up to every night. Besides, I¡¯m quite sure the act of heir-making is best left to after the wedding, not before it, to prevent succession-related complications from arising. Are the two of you using protection?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah.¡±


    ¡°Make sure that you two both use them; I¡¯ve heard all sorts of stories that forced a more rushed wedding and¡­¡±


    Holy Daughter Clarissa rattled on for another five minutes.


    ¡°¡­got it?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, Clarissa.¡± Caroline looked at her cup, which was empty, and then froze. ¡°Wait, weren¡¯t we supposed to talk about the abrupt death of the Moon Emissary? How did it get to birth control, pregnancy tips and child-raising?¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± The holy daughter flushed. ¡°S-sorry. It¡¯s just, you know, uh¡­White God stuff, yeah?¡±


    As Clarissa fumbled to make some excuses, Dia smiled. The Clarissa who dove into the little intricacies of bedroom life seemed more human, more relatable than the high and mighty Holy Daughter of the White Church. Maybe she was looking forward to having a child, or maybe it was a social-centric doctrine of the White Church she liked. Either way, however, Clarissa now seemed closer, like a friend of sorts.


    After messing around for a while, which included the spectacle of Schwarz pouring out his new brews with some exaggerated poses, everyone finally got down to the main deal.


    Clarissa, who had been speaking for five minutes on end, took a sip from her cup. ¡°We¡¯ve confirmed the death of the Moon Emissary at the boundary of Daybreak County, as well as the Fourteenth Bearer of Destiny¡­that is what I would like to say, anyway. In actual fact, we¡¯ve confirmed a vast swath of ruined wasteland, and traces of the Moon Emissary there.¡±


    She pulled out a sheet of paper. Glassy ground stood alongside lush green fields, creating a crisp contrast that seemed divine. ¡°The Moon Emissary and its army was completely destroyed. That much we know. From the ominous announcement everyone here received a few hours ago, it¡¯s almost certain that the Fourteenth Bearer of Destiny was present¡­and died a tragic, unfortunate death.¡±


    Clarissa sure didn¡¯t sound like she was mourning the Fourteenth¡¯s death, though.


    ¡°It¡¯s not Tot. Or at least, Tot hasn¡¯t released power on this scale before,¡± Clarissa continued. ¡°Or maybe this is his true might.¡±


    ¡°Maybe this scene was caused by a Chromatic Lord,¡± Nero abruptly suggested.


    ¡°A Chromatic Lord?¡± Clarissa echoed. ¡°Or maybe¡­the Thief of Time is actually one of the Chromatic Lords. We¡¯ve been present when Tot struck in this region multiple times, right? And¡­well, those that were killed by Tot so indeed pose a threat to the order established six millennia ago. It makes sense that he or she is a Chromatic Lord.¡±


    Dia thought about it for a moment. It did make sense¡­but why would a Chromatic Lord break into Duke Istrel¡¯s treasury?

 Chapter 237: Yet another assignment

    After debating for three minutes on the thorny issue of whether the Thief of Time was actually a Chromatic Lord or not, Clarissa cleared her throat and put an end to the topic.


    ¡°There¡¯s something else I came here to do, actually,¡± said the Holy Daughter of the White Church. ¡°We need to investigate the site of the Moon Emissary¡¯s death, but none of us can make it save for Nero. And Nero¡¯s new to this continent. So we need a guide. A local one.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go, then,¡± said Farah. ¡°I¡¯m¡ª¡±


    ¡°No you don¡¯t,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°You have things and duties to do. And besides, you¡¯re the weakest of us all.¡±


    ¡°What do you propose, in that case?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Who do we send?¡±


    ¡°Dia.¡± Schwarz turned to her. ¡°I apologise, but your talents are sorely needed here. When it comes to surviving in the wild, you¡¯re pretty much the best person here now. I would have asked Claud, but¡­well, he¡¯s up and vanished.¡±


    ¡°Me again, huh?¡± Dia rubbed her forehead. ¡°I don¡¯t mind, really. And besides, we really need to teach Nero how to live in the wild, after all.¡±


    ¡°You do that, then.¡±


    ¡°Can someone ask me for my opinion?¡± Nero muttered. ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to go? It¡¯s as if everyone¡¯s made the decisions for me, and I don¡¯t like it. At all.¡±


    ¡°¡­Are you not going to go, then?¡± Schwarz tilted his head. ¡°You¡¯re the best person to investigate the Moon Emissary¡¯s death, since Caroline is tied up with the city¡¯s administration and Holy Daughter Clarissa¡¯s busy with her duties to the White Church.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I was going to go, but you should really ask me for my opinions first. It¡¯s a matter of principle here, okay?¡± Nero huffed, and then turned to Clarissa. ¡°Um¡­you do know that I¡¯m like twenty-three years old, right? I won¡¯t even know what to look for.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Clarissa bent over and whispered in his ear. Dia couldn¡¯t hear what she said, other than some hushed whispers and whatnot, but from the dawning light in his eyes, it was clear that she had said something that would help him complete his duty of seeking out clues.¡±


    ¡°Got it?¡± the Holy Daughter asked.


    ¡°But is that what it¡¯s used for?¡± Nero asked. ¡°Never heard of it before.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re twenty-three. I¡¯m around ten or so times your age,¡± Clarissa replied. ¡°Trust me when I say that works.¡±


    After mentally calculating Clarissa¡¯s age, Dia stored that intriguing little morsel of information into her mind. She was younger than Count Nightfall and Caroline, who were around three centuries old, and yet¡­


    Ahem.


    ¡°So, bring Nero into the wild and escort him to the site of the Moon Emissary¡¯s death, huh? It¡¯s going to be dangerous, right?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I mean, the other Moon Emissaries must be making their way now, and I¡¯m not sure if the two of us can kill it.¡±


    ¡°Surprisingly enough, the Moon Emissaries are still headed towards the Umbra capital¡­er, Istrel capital,¡± Clarissa replied. ¡°They have, however, dispatched some of their ground troops. If you make haste, you two should be able to arrive there three days before the closest ground troops arrive.¡±


    ¡°What do we know about the ground troops?¡±


    ¡°Each of them seems to have the strength of a one-folder,¡± Clarissa replied. ¡°Just a basic one, without any further mana-burning. Nero should be able to slap every single one into dust with alarming ease. Of course, there¡¯s strength in numbers, so don¡¯t dally.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not even a week,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go and pack up. You should get ready for the trip too, Nero.¡±


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll also prepare some equipment for you two to speed up your travels,¡± said Caroline. ¡°Remember, survival comes first. If you sense any danger, try to do some reconnaissance from afar. Nero¡¯s a tetra-folder, so he can venture into the destroyed area, but you shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Also, when it comes to fighting, let Nero handle it. Just stay back and provide support,¡± Caroline added. ¡°Don¡¯t lose your life there.¡±


    Dia, who had nothing in the way of support skills, could only wince. However, if they did their jobs swiftly, there wouldn''t be any need to fight. ¡°Got it. I¡¯m going back to pack now. You said something about speeding up our travels, right? Do you have any skillstick that can bring us back home instantaneously, like Boundary Crossing?¡±


    Caroline took a deep breath. ¡°I do have some Teleport skillsticks¡­alright, I¡¯ll lend it to you guys. However, if there isn¡¯t any danger, please don¡¯t use it. I don¡¯t have much of those trump cards either.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should buy more of them,¡± Schwarz suggested.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be hard,¡± Risti replied immediately. ¡°Spatial skills are very rare, and can only be picked up at with lots of luck. No one can teach them.¡±


    ¡°Wait, serious?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Then how do people learn them?¡±


    ¡°Under the light of the blue moon,¡± Risti replied. ¡°You¡¯ll need to be frighteningly lucky to gain some sudden inspiration, however. It has very harsh acquisition conditions too, and even then, the notification about a mutating skill can lead to random outcomes.¡±


    ¡°Random outcomes¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Risti. ¡°Spatial skills are completely down to luck. You¡¯ll be better off learning Flight or something.¡±


    ¡°¡­And how do I learn Flight?¡±


    ¡°Well, just keep throwing yourself off the cliff and into the sea. After around three years, you might get lucky, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be dead by then,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Genius.¡±


    Dia shook her head at the duo¡¯s banter, and then returned to her own room. Stuffing her bag with clothes and other essentials, Dia glanced at the small pile of artefacts that Claud had donated to Moon Mansion. Equipping some on her and placing the rest into her bag, she gazed at her bed, and then left the room.


    ¡°That was fast,¡± Farah noted. ¡°Heck, Nero hasn¡¯t even come out yet.¡±


    ¡°Well, most of my stuff was still inside, and we did clean them at¡­you know.¡± Dia shrugged, unwilling to say ¡®Farah County¡¯. It was still a secret that Farah was actually the countess of the titular country, and she didn¡¯t want to leak that out to Caroline, who was still in the room. ¡°We used Boundary Crossing to return, after all.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Farah yawned.


    ¡°Right, the two of you left Licencia for a while, right?¡± Caroline asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Dia. ¡°But anyway, what type of equipment would help to boost our travelling speed? We¡¯re already mana-walking, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, you won¡¯t be mana-walking. You can¡¯t keep up with Nero if you do,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°Therefore, I¡¯m loaning you a mana wagon. You two just need to supply mana to it, and it would cover fifty kilometres every hour. It¡¯s slower than mana-infused movement skills, to be sure, but it¡¯s far more reliable.¡±


    ¡°A mana wagon?¡± Dia tilted her head. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an invention I used to travel here. Lostfon is really far from Licencia, after all. It would have taken me an entire month to get here if I and my people mana-walked.¡±


    Dia gulped. ¡°Do you have¡­more of them?¡±


    ¡°Once the blockade of Istrel Sovereignty ends, I¡¯ll send some over. My fianc¨¦ has been interested in those things for a very long time, after all. At that time, I¡¯ll allocate some to the Moon Lords.¡± Caroline grinned. ¡°How¡¯s that as a reward?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be really great,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°My reward¡¯s pretty nice, I know.¡± Caroline turned to Clarissa. ¡°But how about you, Clarissa? Shouldn¡¯t you offer up something great too? It¡¯s a bit unfair if I¡¯m the only one providing rewards.¡±


    ¡°You seem to be seeking out trade partners, rather,¡± Clarissa muttered. ¡°But fine. I¡¯ll offer a bunch of pure-ranked lifestones. How does¡­say, a hundred and twenty sound?¡±


    ¡°A hundred and twenty?¡± Dia found herself gulping. That was ten years¡¯ worth of lifespan. Considering the amount of time spent¡ª


    ¡°Per person, yes.¡±


    ¡°¡­How rich is the White Church?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Are there openings for a bartender?¡±


    ¡°Schwarz?¡±


    ¡°S-sorry.¡± The bartender glanced at Farah, apology written all over her face. ¡°Just that I¡¯m, you know¡­really tempted. Most people don¡¯t go beyond one-fold for a reason, you know.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, we don¡¯t pay people with lifestones,¡± said Clarissa. ¡°It¡¯s a stipend for people of a certain importance. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s less than a thousand pure-ranked lifestones. I¡¯ll be able to pay you easily.¡±


    ¡°¡­easily?¡±


    ¡°On the spot, even,¡± Clarissa pondered for a moment, and then pulled out a bunch of lifestones. ¡°For you, Dia. You¡¯re braving danger, and I can tell that you¡¯re quite close to becoming a bi-folder. With this much, you should be able to make it.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more than a hundred and twenty inside,¡± Dia noted.


    ¡°Yeah, you need twenty years of lifespan for that final hurdle,¡± Clarissa replied. ¡°Although you can clear it with your own lifespan, I figured that giving the person who¡¯s actually heading out a bit more is a rather good idea.¡±


    ¡°T-thanks.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much to me, really.¡± The Holy Daughter of the White Church chuckled. ¡°Believe me.¡±

 Chapter 238: The mana wagon and the threat of death

    ¡°Uwah.¡± Dia looked at the metal carriage. It looked like any old carriage, save for the fact that there weren¡¯t any horses to pull it. Rather, at the back of the carriage, there was a small, box-like device that was linked to its rear wheels. To the sides, four seats had been lined up against the carriage walls, and adorning the top of the bronze carriage was a cheery, yellow canvas. ¡°So this is a carriage that can move on its own?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°Nero, you just need to sit here.¡±


    She pointed at a seat in the very front, a seat placed behind the odd object that looked like a wheel on stilts. ¡°That¡¯s the steering wheel. Once there, you sit down here and channel your mana. The seat will suck it out of you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that drumstick like thing?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother about it. That¡¯s the speed setting. But too fast, and you can¡¯t react in time. I¡¯ve set it at the optimal setting for new drivers like you,¡± Caroline rattled on. ¡°Don¡¯t touch that. Next, to move forward, press down on the right pedal with your right leg. To bring the carriage to a halt, press down on the left pedal, the one painted in bright red. Be aware that if you step down on the halting pedal while you¡¯re travelling really fast, the carriage is likely to flip over, and then I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    ¡°The carriage is going to kill me?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°No, I will kill you,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°This thing is expensive, so I¡¯ll kill you and sell your corpse to someone who has an interest in dead young men.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay. I won¡¯t damage it. Sheesh.¡± Nero shook his head. ¡°Even for a joke, that¡¯s too dark.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not joking. Clarissa has personally promised to help kill you if you damage my mana wagon,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°It better be in one piece when you drive it back, or I¡¯ll use you as a power source, and then sell you off to some lonely person who wants a dead young man for company.¡±


    ¡°Stop mentioning that last bit!¡± Nero jumped onto the wagon. ¡°I get it, okay? Don¡¯t damage your mana wagon.¡±


    ¡°You better.¡± Caroline made a little snort, and then slipped to the side of the mana wagon. She murmured something, and Dia drew just close enough to hear her praise the chunk of steel and everything.


    ¡°Uwah,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°We have a mana wagon fanatic here. Is there anyone who¡¯s not a fanatic of something?¡±


    She looked around. The two Holy Children were obviously off the list ¡ª they were zealots of their respective gods. Schwarz was devoted to his pursuit of profit and making booze, while Farah and Risti were fanatics of Princess Dia. Farah¡¯s butler took care of Farah the way a servant would treat a god, so he was no good either.


    Lily was either devoted to the princess or to Claud. Judging from how Claud decided to go on a honeymoon despite it being unsafe outside, it was clear that he was also devoted to Lily.


    Therefore, and in a most startling conclusion, Dia came to the realisation that she was the only person that wasn¡¯t devoted to something fanatically.


    She caressed her sword gently, wondering if she had cleaned it today, and then shook her head. It sucked that she was the only sane person in this little house of lunacy, but at least everyone was devoted to something that wasn¡¯t so bad. The Moon Lords needed someone with a clear vision and objective mind ¡ª it would seem that person was her.


    ¡°Alright, enough screwing around,¡± said Clarissa. ¡°Nero, you understood my instructions, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°Good boy,¡± Clarissa replied, rubbing his head. Nero squirmed, but Clarissa¡¯s hands continued to pat his head, unabated. The oddly maternal sight made Dia think about her own mum for a moment, who would have been around the same age as the Holy Daughter of the White Church if she were still alive.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Letting out a small sigh, she climbed up the small steps at the right of the wagon and settled down on one of the seats. Her bag had been stuffed with Schwarz¡¯s HELPS ¡ª his High Energy, Large Portion Servings ¡ª as well as some of the super-sweet energy bars that Dia had fed her aunt with. Other than that, there were also a few slabs of salted roast meat and some biscuits.


    This was enough food for an entire week, but their expected trip was at most two days. Apparently, Nero had enough mana to operate the mana wagon continuously without any break for the whole journey, but Schwarz had prepared more anyway.


    ¡°In that case, you two should prepare to move out. Time is of the essence, and the White Church is the closest church to the appearance of the Moon Emissaries. Anything we detect could help us interpret the situation and relay essential information to the other churches.¡± Clarissa closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°The Coloured Gods¡¯ Bearers of Destiny will soon make a move; whether we can protect the peace from the Moons and the Dark might very well rest on this matter.¡±


    ¡°It will,¡± said Caroline. ¡°Sudden Inspiration told me so. Why did you think I took out a whole bunch of skillsticks for Nero?¡±


    ¡°Hopefully. For the sake of peace¡­¡± The Holy Daughter of the White Church let out a long sigh. ¡°You two should go now. Take this chance to get familiarised with the mana wagon and everything too.¡±


    Nero took a look at the wagon and gulped. ¡°Okay. I won¡¯t spoil it¡­promise.¡±


    Looking like a soldier that was headed off to the frontlines, he hopped onto the wagon. A lot of people were staring at the two of them ¡ª the mana wagon was left at the booth that governed entry into Moon Mansion ¡ª and Dia felt a bit conscious from all the attention directed at her.


    Fortunately, Nero¡¯s seat proved to be more prominent, and the mana wagon began to move as the odd, box-like machine at the back of the wagon hummed to life.


    ¡°Whoa,¡± Nero¡¯s voice came from the seat at the very front. ¡°This is cool.¡±


    ¡°Better wave goodbye while you can,¡± Dia replied, her left hand waving at the others.


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m fine. This is really cool,¡± Nero replied. ¡°So, I just need to keep stepping down on this pedal, right? Okay, gotta be careful, me. I don¡¯t want to be killed and sold to some shady fellow¡­¡±


    The streets turned into a nice blur, but Dia could still easily make out the details of every shop. Within moments, they had turned out of Moon Street, and the mana wagon clattered on merrily to the north gate. For a moment, Dia wanted to ask the guardhouse if they did see Claud and Lily leave and if so, in which direction. It was possible that they could still catch up to them with this neat mana wagon, if they went along the same route, but Dia dropped that idea a few moments later.


    For one, Claud wouldn¡¯t bring Lily southwards, since there used to be a certain Moon Emissary waiting in that direction. Second, the huge gate meant for horse carriages had already been cleared ¡ª presumably by Caroline, who had probably suspended all entry by horse carriages until the mana wagon left ¡ª which meant that Nero had sped through the gate in a blur.


    Whoops.


    Either way, however, the two of them were now trundling on the main road south. Their route onwards was simple ¡ª travel to Farah County first, and then head further south from there. The area in which the Moon Emissary was killed lay between Daybreak and Farah, a vast prairie that was now apparently a ruined place.


    Incidentally, Farah had intended to sabotage Daybreak County in the event of war, but it would seem that the Moon Emissary had done the job for her¡­and then doubled down, since whatever power that had struck it down had also destroyed the roads leading out of Daybreak.


    On the plus side, the white humanoids that had occupying Count Daybreak¡¯s territory had left the city. Apparently, the foot soldiers of the Moons had departed the county to the attack, but since the attack had covered an enormous area, Dia was confident that they could make it there, have Nero do whatever he was supposed to do, and then scram back home before anything else happened.


    ¡°Wow, we¡¯re travelling at unimaginable speeds,¡± Dia noted. ¡°What¡¯s it like on your end?¡±


    ¡°Thrilling,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Can I whoop out loud? I really want to yell and scream. This thing travels faster than a leisurely mana-walk, and I like it. It¡¯s fast enough, it¡¯s not a drain on my stamina, and I get to sit back and things fly past me.¡±


    ¡°Now I feel like trying it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll drain your mana within two hours. Go and digest the pure-ranked lifestones Clarissa gave you and become a bi-folder. Once that happens, you¡¯ll be able to operate the mana wagon for eight or so hours.¡±


    ¡°What happens if I damage it?¡±


    ¡°¡­Never mind. Let me continue to operate it. I get a feeling that she won¡¯t believe me if I told her that it was you who damaged it,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Just¡­go and focus on becoming a bi-folder. It¡¯ll be good if you become one before we arrive at our destination.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Dia took out the small sack of lifestones that Clarissa had given her and focused her mind.

 Chapter 239: How to raise a Holy Son

    Drawing the final tenth of her second mana circuit was a long and tiresome process. Dia had to feel each and every path down to its roots, drawing them out with her very lifeforce. Her original mana circuit started to shake too, as her new one neared completion, and she could vaguely sense an attractive force trying to bring the two together.


    Dia deepened her focus. The less talented faced problems at this juncture. The last touch, the last 0.05 of the second mana circuit, had to be drawn while withstanding the attractive force of the first. On no account could both mana circuits meld together while one was incomplete ¡ª that would harm the body and set her progress back.


    She had to keep them apart during this delicate process. However, keeping them apart seemed to be far harder than it sounded. In her mind¡¯s eye, Dia could sense the flickering green flame that represented her life force waver, torn between both mana circuits for some reason. It was taking every ounce of her mental strength to control both the pen of her lifeforce and the two mana circuits.


    ¡°Remember, Dia,¡± said a warm, loving voice. Gruff, yet tender, the voice played on from deep within her memory, and her shaking body stilled. ¡°The process of drawing new mana circuits involves the resonance between both the old and the new. If you are struggling to keep them apart, keep an eye on your original mana circuit. It will guide you through the dark night.¡±


    ¡°Keep an eye on my original mana circuit?¡± Dia murmured. ¡°What will that do, father?¡±


    No one replied to her question, but somehow, she could see something glint in her original mana circuit. The most complex part of her original mana circuit was glinting¡­or rather, some nodes in her mana nexus was glinting in parallel with the mana nexus of her near-complete second mana circuit. The force that was pulling both mana circuits together came from these nodes, but¡­


    When did those nodes appear? She didn¡¯t remember seeing any.


    And yet, now that she had embarked on the final stretch of becoming a bi-folder, so many such nodes had suddenly lit up.


    How intriguing.


    Keeping an eye on her original mana circuit, Dia began to etch yet another line, only to pause a moment later. Her original mana circuit had also reproduced the same line she had drawn on her second mana circuit, and her heartbeat quickened.


    Was that why it took her double the lifeforce as a bi-folder?


    Dia took a deep breath and continued to etch on her second mana circuit. This time, however, she took special care to avoid established nodes with her second etching, and before she knew it, the second mana circuit had been completed. Both mana circuits pulsed once in sync, rippling into two blurs that melded and meshed with each other.


    The mad oscillation weakened a few seconds later, and a single mana circuit appeared in her vision. Complex lines that created a river of lights lined her skin, and a long-awaited message appeared in her vision.


    [Mana Circuit Superimposition has reached 2.00]


    [Authority increased!]


    [You have learned the passive skill: Foreseer¡¯s Eye!]


    ¡°Eh?¡± Dia tilted her head at the two messages that followed. She looked around a moment later, and then remembered her current situation. Right now, she and Nero were travelling to the site of the Moon Emissary¡¯s death via a mana wagon. Nero was providing the necessary mana to power the metal carriage, while steering it as needed.


    Given that Nero was quite busy right now, Dia didn¡¯t want to disturb him. After casting a gaze at the whistling man at the extra-special seat in the front, she calmed her breathing and opened her status.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Name: Dia Lyceria de Lustre


    Lifespan: 80 years


    Active Skills: Sword Dance (6), Sword Sense (7), Sword Roar (5), Fated Sword (2), Sword Fall (2), Domain of Swords (1)


    Passive Skills: Heightened Senses, Fighter¡¯s Instinct, Foreseer¡¯s Eye


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 2.00


    Mana Control Proficiency: Intermediate


    Authority: 2


    Comments: ¡­You must have been really busy. Congratulations on becoming a bi-folder. Your authority ¡ª your license to hear secrets and damning words ¡ª has increased. Right now, your authority is 2, as can be seen above. As such, you are entitled to learn about Clearance-2 secrets.


    Her lifespan had increased, due to her chomping down on some of these things while working at the Moon Lords. Other than that, Sword Dance and Sword Sense had increased in level, but the three changes that mattered the most was from the upgrade from Mind''s Eye to Foreseer''s Eye, her official status as a bi-folder and her comments.


    ¡°Authority?¡± Dia muttered. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Congratulations on becoming a bi-folder.¡± Nero¡¯s voice wafted in from the front of the carriage. ¡°I see you¡¯ve read your status.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Dia replied, a touch of formality in her words.


    ¡°I imagine you have many questions, right?¡± Nero asked. ¡°Like, for instance, authority. You probably have guessed it already, however. Yes. Authority here refers to your ability to listen to secrets without pain, death or a painful death.¡±


    ¡°Why does such a thing exist?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°You can¡¯t hear the reason yet,¡± Nero replied. ¡°But you are, at least, entitled to hear about the classifications behind these secrets. Clearance-2 secrets refer to information that concern the Third Godsfall. Clearance-3 secrets refer to information related to the Era of Virtue, while Clearance-4 secrets refer to the Second Godsfall.¡±


    ¡°What about Clearance-1?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Information of the current era. Generally, things like rumours and the like. The movement of the Chromatic Lords and the Coloured Gods¡¯ familiar spirits, for instance,¡± Nero explained. ¡°Beyond Clearance-5¡­I¡¯m not too sure myself. It¡¯s probably related to the Primordial Epoch, of the Moons and the Dark.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Right, I didn¡¯t want to disturb you earlier, but should we come to a stop for now? I¡¯m hungry,¡± Nero said, rubbing his stomach, which growled a moment later. ¡°¡­Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. I¡¯m peckish too,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I brought a few rolls of dried meat. That good?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Toss it over, if you please.¡±


    Dia was about to use her hand to toss it over when she paused. Blue light welled out of her arm a moment later, forming a disembodied hand that picked up the slab of meat. ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°¡­You know it¡¯s almost evening, right? Doing something like this might just scare other people into running away,¡± Nero replied. ¡°You could probably scare the common folk into wetting their pants.¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to try it out,¡± Dia replied. ¡°My mana looks more solid, and that didn¡¯t do much to my reserves. Feels like I¡¯ve more than double, actually.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the point of becoming a bi-folder, right? A mana pool greater than the sum of its parts. Through resonance and synchronisation, one becomes a supreme being,¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°What was your experience like, as a Holy Son of the Black Church?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I mean, you¡¯re a tetra-folder despite being twenty-two.¡±


    ¡°Twenty-three,¡± Nero corrected. ¡°Well, I spent the whole time just using mana, really. And reading the scriptures of the Lord. Let¡¯s see¡­I drank an Experiential Potion to pick up basic knowledge and the skills needed to function in society at two or three years old, and then started working on the concept of mana from then on.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Dia stared at Nero. ¡°An Experiential Potion?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Most of the Holy Children are raised this way. They¡¯re given a massive headstart in life through Experiential Potions. Through them, we pick up language, the things we need to know about Nihila ¡ª or in Clarissa¡¯s case, Grandis ¡ª and how to move mana. After that, I spent the rest of my childhood using mana and drawing my mana circuits.¡±


    ¡°How long did it take you?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°I was reasonably talented, and with sufficient guidance, I became a tri-folder at the age of ten,¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°Ten?¡± Dia blinked.


    ¡°If I were to redo the whole process now, it would probably just take me a few months. But you know how children are like,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I would make one line, and then think about food. Even Experiential Potions can¡¯t fully blot out a child¡¯s adorable qualities.¡±


    ¡°Then, for your fourth mana-circuit¡­¡±


    ¡°When I was nineteen. The year I was kidnapped by the Third.¡± Nero shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s a¡­trial of sorts that one needs to pass. I only got by due to lots of help and many, many tries, and¡­¡±


    He paused. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll get to it eventually.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Dia took note of his eyes, which were focused on the slab of meat in his hands, and decided to stop asking questions. In silence, the two of them chewed on the dried, salted meat, which was still nice and springy, and Dia found her mind wandering.


    What did it feel like to live such a life? Nero hadn¡¯t said anything about it, but for the likes of him and Clarissa to have such a childhood¡­


    Dia couldn¡¯t help but pity the Holy Children.


    No one deserved to lead such a life.

 Chapter 240: Conversations on the road

    After their short dinner, Nero started up the mana wagon again. This time, however, Nero showed a lot of self-restraint ¡ª the lights attached to the mana wagon weren¡¯t all that bright. To drive too quickly would probably result in a scenario where Caroline flayed the living daylights out of the Holy Son of the Black Church.


    ¡°So, how does it feel?¡± Nero asked. ¡°To be a bi-folder. I never got to experience it much, since¡­ well, you know. Accelerated circuit building and all.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­it doesn¡¯t feel particularly special,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Sure, I feel a lot lighter and a lot faster, but it¡¯s not what I¡¯d call an achievement. Fundamentally, I still need to do something good, right? All that power has to do something. I haven¡¯t done that something yet.¡±


    ¡°To do something, huh?¡± Nero pondered on her words. ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t done anything great or of importance either. I mean, I got knocked out, enthralled and probably murdered a few dozen people without any knowledge of it. The only reason why I¡¯m not locked up yet is probably due to my status as Holy Son.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it hurt to say things this bluntly?¡± Dia eyed the seat Nero was sitting on. She really wanted to try her hand at the mana wagon, but if she damaged it, Caroline probably wouldn¡¯t let it go. As much as she talked about holding Nero completely responsible for any damage, Dia knew that Caroline would definitely do something to her if she broke the mana wagon.


    Since there was a willing and able scapegoat here¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m just twenty¡­three this year,¡± said Nero. ¡°I spent the past three years unconscious. And the people who died at my hands probably won¡¯t mind if I felt sad or had my heart hurt.¡±


    The vehemence in that last sentence made Dia flinch. Now that she thought about it, the self-loathing in Nero¡¯s words didn¡¯t seem particularly illogical. He had, after all, been used as a tool for murder and death, a knife in the hands of the Third Bearer of Destiny.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Who could resist Absolute Domination? Heck, it¡¯s even stated in the skill name itself. If you could do something about it, it wouldn¡¯t be Absolute Domination, it would be Half-assed Domination instead.¡±


    ¡°Well, at least I feel better. Still, I should at least do something¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you remember who you¡¯ve killed?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Names, faces, things like that. Maybe some particularly twisted face that cursed your lineage to the Moons and back as you reaped their life?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­no?¡±


    ¡°Okay, do you know who died at your hands?¡± Dia pressed on. ¡°Were there any records of these people? Maybe some sick to-kill list that you vaguely remember?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Do you know about the families of those who died at your hands?¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m beginning to see the pattern here,¡± Nero replied. ¡°It¡¯s a rather compelling argument, but that doesn¡¯t mean I shouldn¡¯t at least try to make amends or do something.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can¡¯t make amends for something you had no control over,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°I know,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Schwarz kept counselling me on that fact. Stressed that I wasn¡¯t at fault over and over.¡±


    ¡°How did he find out?¡±


    ¡°Same way as you. He guessed.¡± Nero made a sad noise. ¡°Now I miss his alcohol. Do you have some on you right now?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re driving that mana wagon, you better not drink,¡± Dia replied. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be funny if you ran it right into a tree or a rock; Caroline will bind you up and do something really nasty to you.¡±


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°True.¡± Nero sighed. ¡°And besides, you probably don¡¯t have drinks on you, right? Just water?¡±


    ¡°And Claud¡¯s fizzy drinks,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I took a few bottles to enjoy on the road. Hopefully we¡¯ll be back tomorrow night, because I don¡¯t think my supply¡¯s going to last long.¡±


    ¡°Claud, huh?¡± Nero extended a hand backwards. ¡°Can I have a bottle?¡±


    ¡°Did you not hear what I just said?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Well, I want some,¡± Nero replied. ¡°And I did hear you. Just that I want some too. Surely you won¡¯t deny a sad person some sweet drinks, right? I can already hear the fizzling from here!¡±


    Dia grumbled under her breath and took out a bottle. Passing it to Nero, she said, ¡°You better be thankful for this dispensation I bestow upon you, you hear me? I wanted to drink that before I fell asleep tonight, but I¡¯ll have to ration the remaining five bottles now.¡±


    ¡°Five bottles? Really? You¡¯re just sitting here and I¡¯m the one powering the mana wagon. Under such circumstances, you won¡¯t even drink that many bottles of water!¡±


    ¡°You do know I just came back from another expedition, right? The fact that I¡¯m coming out barely three days after this¡­sheesh.¡± Dia folded her arms. ¡°I wanted to enjoy my soft bed, but now I¡¯m out in the wild again.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Nero fell silent for a moment. ¡°Right, so where did Claud go? Did he really go out on a romantic getaway with Lily?¡±


    ¡°How bored are you?¡± Dia asked. ¡°You weren¡¯t that chatty earlier. And yes, the two of them came down this morning, holding hands and everything, and then announced their intention to go out for a romantic getaway somewhere.¡±


    ¡°And you guys just let them go like that?¡± Nero asked. ¡°Really? I swore Claud was the really paranoid, hunker-in-the-bunker kind guy.¡±


    ¡°Well, in his defence, he apparently had trouble sleeping, after hearing about those Moon Emissaries. Also, I¡¯m told that whenever mana-users used to visit the city, he would hole up in his house and quiver like a leaf,¡± Dia replied. ¡°The two of them probably went to some place that had no Moon Emissaries sitting around and plotting nasty plans.¡±


    ¡°Huh. So¡­with the Moon Emissary deader than a doornail, will the two of them come back?¡±


    ¡°You know, that¡¯s a very good point,¡± Dia replied. ¡°But that depends on whether they know about it or not. I mean, for all we know, the Fourteenth Bearer of Destiny might have died elsewhere, in a different part of the world. The only reason why we¡¯re sure that the Fourteenth died with the Emissary was because both events occurred really close to each other. Claud and Lily couldn¡¯t have known that, unless they had the same connections as Caroline and the others.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Nero rubbed his nose. ¡°True. Depending on how far this news spread, and how swift it does, they might never know about it.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Dia leaned back. ¡°And I was looking forward to grilling those two too. Reading about romance is one thing, but to see two people we know well holding hands and other lovey-dovey stuff is another. I wonder who started it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± Nero hummed lightly. ¡°Maybe Claud?¡±


    ¡°Nah. Claud¡¯s too¡­passive, if you ask me. Why, when we first met him, he was more than eager to ditch us and return to his little status quo.¡± Dia smiled and thought back to the circumstances surrounding the Moon Lords¡¯ formation. Somehow, they had rocketed through the ranks really quickly, to the point that they were now a really trusted partner of the city administration.


    How many organisations had the Count¡¯s fianc¨¦e dropping by for visits this often? Not many, that was for certain.


    ¡°Passive?¡± Nero latched on to that word. ¡°Sure didn¡¯t seem that way to me, though. I feel that he¡¯s the very proactive kind.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Dia frowned. ¡°I can¡¯t see that. Sure, his paranoia does make him proactive, but he¡¯s proactive in maintaining the status quo, his current life. From what I know, he generally protects his current way of life. He doesn¡¯t actively shape it.¡±


    It was Nero¡¯s turn to mull over things. ¡°Maybe we need to understand him a bit more. What about Lily?¡±


    ¡°Lily¡­well, she sticks with Claud a lot. Ever since they returned from a trip together, they¡¯ve been together like glue.¡± Dia rubbed her nose. ¡°It¡¯s hard to sound her out.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t want to talk about Lily¡¯s role in the end of the Julan family ¡ª it wasn¡¯t exactly a story that she had the right to share. Furthermore, it would feel like a betrayal of trust if she were to spread that around; everyone else felt the same too. Therefore, Lily¡¯s actions had never spread beyond Moon Mansion.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, if you wanted to know more about the others, you should talk to them more,¡± said Dia. ¡°Schwarz can help in that regard. He¡¯s a really qualified bartender.¡±


    ¡°Right? Bartenders are really the hidden heroes of society.¡± Nero nodded. ¡°Did you know¡ª¡±


    His words cut off, interrupted by a faint, tri-coloured glow that the encroaching darkness didn¡¯t seem to like. The dark mist had weakened ever since the Moon Emissaries descended, but it was the first time Dia had seen a mist-less night.


    ¡°We¡¯re close, then.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll leave the storytelling for later, then,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Okay, listen up. Here¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do, okay?¡±


    Dia leaned in and listened to Nero¡¯s plans.

 Chapter 241: Recreating the attack

    ¡°A skillstick that allows one to peer back into the past, huh?¡± Dia closed her eyes and tried to sift through her memory. ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called Bygone Mirage,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I¡¯m told that this skill comes from some really important person from the Grandis capital, a skill that the Lord Protector of the Grandis Empire has. What¡¯s a Lord Protector?¡±


    ¡°The top guardsman of the Grandis Empire,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°Top guardsman of an entire nation, huh?¡± Nero chuckled. ¡°Not sure why such a personage would have a non-combat skill like Bygone Mirage, though.¡±


    Dia laughed, her mind whirling. She, obviously, had heard of Protector Albarea¡¯s name before, but she didn¡¯t know about him possessing such a skill. Like Nero said, why would the foremost protector of the Emperor have a non-combat skill? Or was it a skill that could be called unique, one of its kind? Whatever the case, Nero¡¯s plan was rather simple. He would empower Bygone Mirage with his overwhelming mana pool and force out the clearest mirage of the devastation that had happened hours ago.


    She glanced at the shimmering field of dying lunar light and shivered. The death of the Moon Emissary had resulted in the contamination of a huge area with the fey, tri-coloured light of the three Moons. Dia didn¡¯t know what the light did, but her senses were screeching at her to not step into the illuminated areas. If she did¡­something would change forever.


    ¡°Don¡¯t step in that,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Nero stared at the rippling, tri-coloured field of light. ¡°Caroline told me so. The scout sent by Count Daybreak stepped into that¡­and that¡¯s why we¡¯re here now.¡±


    ¡°What happened to that scout?¡±


    ¡°Moons if I knew,¡± Nero replied. ¡°But from Caroline¡¯s tone, it didn¡¯t seem pretty. She warned me five times to not enter it, and told me that if you showed any signs of wanting to enter, I¡¯m allowed to break your limbs.¡±


    ¡°¡­You could have left that last bit out, really,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m an honest person,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Alright. Just watch over me and prepare to drive the mana wagon away if anyone comes after us in a hurry. My Mana Control Proficiency is only at Initiate. I¡¯m going to leak out a lot of mana.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, show-off.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not looking down on you, okay? You¡¯re younger than me. And besides, other than Claud, none of the others have an Intermediate Mana Control Proficiency either. There¡¯s really nothing for me to look down on, since I¡¯ll be looking down on the others too.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re treating us all equally,¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°Well, you are one of the Moon Lords,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Right? That¡¯s why you¡¯re here and doing fieldwork with me today.¡±


    ¡°¡­True.¡± He stuck his nose in the air. ¡°I¡¯m the most powerful member of the Moon Lords, hoho. In times of crisis, I¡¯ll smack the offending parties into meat paste. Be thankful!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s totally not you.¡±


    Nero shivered a moment later. ¡°I think I need to down some of Schwarz¡¯s alcohol first before I do anything as showy as that.¡±


    ¡°Not now,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Complete your job and we¡¯ll go back. Once we¡¯re back in Moon Mansion, you can drink to your heart¡¯s content. Schwarz will even pour out the booze for you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± The smile on Nero¡¯s face vanished. ¡°Time to get to work.¡±


    He took out a skillstick and a skillslip. ¡°With my enhancement, the mirage we see will have a far greater range and far greater clarity. It won¡¯t reproduce the damage, but it will recreate the atmosphere, the oppression that one would feel when vast amounts of mana are mobilised. Do not be alarmed.¡±


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    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m done reading the script.¡± Nero took a deep breath. ¡°Ready yourself. I¡¯m activating the skill now.¡±


    Dia nodded, her body poised to take the frontmost seat of the mana wagon if necessary. If the foot soldiers of the Moons responded to Nero infusing mana into Bygone Mirage, she would drive the mana wagon away and let Nero continue to record the scene.


    That was her job.


    Mana poured out of Nero as he activated both the skillstick and the skillstrip, and Dia felt her heart skip a beat. The enormous amount of raw energy flooding the area could easily tear apart paper just by moving, but fortunately, most of the energy was directed into the skillstick. Nero¡¯s body was shimmering faintly, a sigh that he just mobilising a bit more mana than he could wield skilfully, which was why the mana pouring out of him wasn¡¯t dealing any damage to Dia yet.


    ¡°It¡¯s beginning!¡± Nero shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, whatever happens next! And be on the look¡ª¡±


    Night changed to day. The sun illuminated the area all around her, and for a moment, the grass seemed to take on a second layer, as Bygone Mirage projected their appearance in the daytime over their current appearances. At the spot where the tri-coloured field of light shimmered were a sea of tri-coloured beings, small yet threatening.


    A gigantic, tri-coloured knight stood in the middle. A pillar of light emanated upwards from its very form, and Dia could keenly feel its quiet, heavy presence, which reminded her of a still lake.


    The aura emanating from the Moon Emissary rippled a moment later as the air from beyond the horizon seemed to ripple and contort. Even in their current location, Dia could feel the aberration, the oscillating mass of energy, but when she looked towards the western horizon, there was nothing once more. That overpowering presence that demanded obedience had vanished in that infinitesimal moment of its descent, but¡­


    ¡°Impossible!¡± Nero muttered. ¡°There¡¯s something building up, but I can¡¯t feel it!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s there, and yet not there.¡± Dia felt shivers crawl down her spine. ¡°What¡¯s going on ¡ª watch out!¡±


    Without warning, a sky-spanning lance of azure light appeared out of nowhere, a lance so huge, so wide that it blotted out half the sky. Cutting a perfect arc, the deadly spear shot directly at Dia and Nero¡¯s current location, hissing past them narrowly.


    The air hissed as the lance passed by, and the ground rumbled madly a second later. Dia and Nero turned to look at the Moon Emissary and its forces, which was now drowning in a conflagration of silvery azure light.


    ¡°The Moon Emissary¡­¡± Nero gulped.


    The giant spear had torn through the Moon Emissary, in a manner that reminded Dia of the murders back at Nachtville. However, the sheer thickness of the spear had completely obliterated its upper half, leaving behind its lower body, which fell to its knees and exploded in tri-coloured light a moment later.


    ¡°O Lord.¡± Nero clasped his hands together. ¡°Who did this?¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t answer his question¡­and she had a feeling that Nero wasn''t asking her either. The azure spear, which had been embedded into the ground, began to evaporate, and within seconds, it had vanished from existence, leaving behind no evidence that an incredible being had killed an Emissary of the Moons.


    ¡°Nero?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright,¡± he replied, clutching on to a crystal. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­¡±


    He raised his right hand, which was trembling madly. ¡°I¡¯m scared. What manner of being could do that? It¡¯s funny. I, the Holy Son of the Black Church, a tetra-folder¡­I¡¯m supposed to be courageous and dauntless, but against this¡­what am I?¡±


    Dia gripped her fist. ¡°If that attack was directed at Licencia¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll probably perish like the Moon Emissary,¡± Nero replied. ¡°We¡¯re all ants in front of that power. That power¡­it shouldn¡¯t exist. Not even penta-folders can wield that energy, and if they tried¡­¡±


    ¡°On what basis do you make that claim?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Are you patronising me?¡± Nero shook his head, storing the crystal away. ¡°No, I simply saw a penta-folder make an all-out move before. That¡¯s why I have a basis of comparison.¡±


    He hugged himself. ¡°How can the light of the firefly contend against the sun?¡±


    Dia looked at Nero. She too was shivering, but to her, both a tetra-folder and that sky-spanning lance of light could swat her into non-existence either way. This was the benefit of not knowing, in other words.


    ¡°Y-you take a break fast,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Don¡¯t you need to preserve that visual recording? You can work on that. I¡¯ll bring us back home.¡±


    Nero nodded, his movements wooden and numb. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m quite useless after all, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Well, you had the disadvantage of knowing more,¡± Dia replied, plopping down on the frontmost seat. Her mana began to stir a moment later, and as she stepped down on the pedal to move, it started to trickle out of her body bit by bit.


    For some reason, she could sense her mana more keenly now. Was it the shock of watching that lance descend? She didn¡¯t know, but something in her seemed more vigorous, more sensitive.


    Checking on Nero once more, she focused her mind on driving the mana wagon. The night was long, and the things they had witnessed had shocked the two of them to the bones.


    Driving back in a safe manner seemed like the minimum requirement to sooth their nerves now.

 Chapter 242: Nihila

    ¡°Keep to the fires! Stay away from the mist!¡±


    ¡°If you hear any growling or any darkened animals, do not move to engage! Instead, call for one of the guards nearby! Don¡¯t go near the mist, you there! Stick to the lit areas!¡±


    ¡°You there, remember to tell the foreman to release you guys earlier! You miners always hog up the queue!¡±


    Claud and Lily, who were in the hastily checked queue to enter the town, glanced at each other, their fingers interlinked. After getting rid of the Moon Emissary, Claud had taken Lily and escaped from the Istrel Sovereignty, crossing over to Nihila in the process.


    ¡°Still, how can we get identity papers?¡± Lily whispered. ¡°We can enter, but unless we get some documentation¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Claud replied, a flower aroma entering his nose as he whispered back. ¡°Everything becomes a lot easier once you enter a town. You¡¯ll see what I mean, m¡¯kay?¡±


    Pecking her forehead once, Claud thought back to the events that had happened once they entered Nihila. The two of them had scouted out five different towns, and Monsville just happened to be the town with the most relaxed standards. These towns were under the jurisdiction of Baron Inanis, who in turn followed the lead of Count Cava.


    Those names, which were utterly unfamiliar to the two of them, just reinforced the harsh reality that they were no longer in their safe little Moon Mansion.


    ¡°How much did you bring?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Maybe we can buy a house here, instead of staying in an inn.¡±


    ¡°I was intending on doing that, yes,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s common custom for nobles to buy property under a different name; to thank the nobles for patronising their businesses, some realtors actually assist with obtaining the new, false identity for them.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Apparently, anyway. I saw a few instances of this back when I was out and about,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And there aren¡¯t that many cultural differences across the sovereignties anyway. The Emperor saw to that personally.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Lily leaned her head on his shoulder. ¡°Still, to think that we fled from home because of your mistake¡­you better spoil me good, okay? Don¡¯t even think of ditching me at all. I¡¯ll be sticking by you like glue.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t dream of it,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re all I have here. I¡¯ll be hugging you all day long, mark my words.¡±


    ¡°The same goes for me, so I¡¯m not sure what point you¡¯re trying to make here,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And your hand is already in mine. I won¡¯t let it go.¡±


    Claud continued to exchange mushy words with Lily as the queue shortened. Fortunately, the two of them had the presence of mind to keep their words quiet, and after a while, the two of them drew up to the city guards.


    ¡°Bringing in anything dangerous?¡± the guard asked.


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Purpose?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re¡­¡± Claud intentionally glanced at Lily, before pulling her hood down a tiny bit more. ¡°Here to buy a good property to live in. Preferably under a different name.¡±


    The guard smiled at those words, and Claud smiled back.


    ¡°Good sir,¡± said Claud, producing a gold coin, ¡°do you happen to know any such realtors that could assist in such a service? For, say, a noble who wants to escape his dreary life and experience quiet days in a peaceful, quaint home?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see. The best property manager we have in town is Sir Nicolas. You can find him in the best inn¡­well, the only inn in town at night,¡± the guard replied, pocketing the gold coin. ¡°If you approach him and tell him it was me, Guard Jude, who recommended his services, he¡¯ll take care of things perfectly.¡±


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    ¡°Ho?¡± Claud nodded. ¡°Thank you kindly, dear sir. I suppose you won¡¯t say no to a good tip for excellent service, yeah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure we boys keep a look out for you, then.¡± The guard accepted another gold coin. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He waved them through.


    Claud held Lily¡¯s hand formally, the way a gentleman might escort a princess, and led her through the door. As he passed through the gate, the guard winked at him once, and Claud winked back at the same time.


    With that, they entered Monsville. Lanterns hung everywhere, banishing the darkness and shadows into small crevices. Claud would have deemed such a sight as romantic¡­if not for the fact that people had hung those lanterns to drive back the mist.


    The great Dark had far greater influence in Nihila. The absolute darkness had somehow grown even more absolute. Maddened, darkened monsters rampaged in the wilderness without restraint, occasionally attacking small villages at times. To make matters worse, this situation was actually the default; the great Dark possessed a far tighter grip over Nihila than the Istrel Sovereignty.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find that realtor first,¡± said Claud.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lily¡¯s fingers tightened around his. ¡°Still, that was really easy, though.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can roughly guess how amenable the guards are by looking at how they dealt with other people, right?¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Lily had an adorably thoughtful look on her face. ¡°While we were spying on them, we saw some of the guards accept rocks. I¡¯m not sure why they would do such a thing, but that had to be a bribe, right?¡±


    ¡°One big bribe, from the looks of it. Monsville is a small, undeveloped town. Mining seems to be big here, but accepting raw ore as a bribe is kinda¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lily completed, before tilting her head. ¡°Still, you¡¯re establishing yourself as a noble now?¡±


    ¡°Gotta match your status, right?¡± Claud asked, before pecking her cheek. ¡°My dear Lily.¡±


    ¡°Did you get addicted to kissing?¡± Lily muttered, before turning her other cheek to him. ¡°Here too, please.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure why you¡¯re criticising me, really¡­¡±


    After a while, Claud located the best inn in town¡­which was only the best because there wasn¡¯t any other competition. Like the other buildings, lanterns of all shapes and sizes had been placed around the area, creating a space where the darkness couldn¡¯t encroach.


    ¡°We should be careful,¡± said Lily. ¡°The great Dark here is different from the one in Istrel, if those lanterns are of any indication. Maybe it¡¯s because the Moons¡¯ influence is centred around Istrel, but the darkness here is a lot stronger.¡±


    ¡°Good eye, Lily.¡± Claud thought back to Licencia. There, darkness wasn¡¯t that much of a problem. However, the fact that even this tiny town was making an effort to light up every nook and cranny had to mean something. ¡°Perhaps, the darkness is lethal. Truly dangerous, and not because it can create darkened animals.¡±


    ¡°In that case, we should find an inn first, and then buy our house and identity tomorrow,¡± Lily replied. ¡°How does that sound?¡±


    ¡°I like that idea,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s possible that there might not be enough lanterns to decorate our new home.¡±


    He looked up at the tavern¡¯s second and third floors. The windows were all lit up, which didn¡¯t do anything to disprove his ominous hypothesis whatsoever. After all, there wasn¡¯t anything special going on in this small town that would entice visitors, which meant that not every room was occupied. And yet, lights were burning away in each and every room.


    Something was definitely up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and get a room first, then.¡± Claud rubbed Lily¡¯s head gently, before leading her into the tavern. His nose wrinkled up a moment later, as smoke and pungent alcohol vapours wafted into his nose, but that was all. Making their way to the counter, Claud cleared his throat gently, and a middle-aged man looked at him.


    ¡°Need something?¡±


    ¡°A room,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be one silver,¡± the innkeeper replied. ¡°Or one silver and ten bronze if you want breakfast with it¡­wait, you¡¯re here with your partner, right? That¡¯ll be twenty bronze.¡±


    Claud took out two silver and slid it to the man. ¡°Bring up dinner for two while you¡¯re at it.¡±


    The man did a double-take at those two coins, and then nodded slowly, a subservient air to his actions. ¡°Yes, sir. Do you need anything else?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m told that I can buy a house here by looking for Sir Nicolas, who is supposedly in the best inn in town. Do you know where I can find him?¡±


    ¡°Ah. He just left, sir.¡± The man lowered his head. ¡°Do you need me to convey a message when I next see him? I am sure he¡¯ll be delighted to learn about such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Please do. We¡¯ll be here for the next day, so do inform him about our request.¡± Claud paused. ¡°You can keep the change, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± The man fumbled around in a drawer, and then took out a gold-plated key, which he presented to Claud with both hands.


    ¡°Anything else I should know?¡± Claud asked, trying to keep his words as nonchalant as possible. ¡°Like the issue of lights and whatnot.¡±


    ¡°Baronet Mons has decreed that every room is to be lit up to prevent monsters from taking form,¡± said the innkeeper. ¡°I understand that it might be an inconvenience to sir and lady, but all lights are to be kept on.¡±


    ¡°Well, looks like we don¡¯t have a choice, then,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We¡¯ll keep them on.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡±


    As the two of them climbed the stairs, Claud couldn¡¯t help but worry about the great Dark, who gripped Nihila and its many cities in a claw of shadowy mist.


    What would await them in this new land?

 Chapter 243: The undercurrents that surface briefly

    Lily leafed through a book, a sparkly light in her eyes. Under the bright lights hanging around the room, Claud found himself distracted time and time again from her relaxed manner, which didn¡¯t really help much in his attempt to create some useable tools.


    Sweeping aside a bunch of black powder, Claud created yet another smoke bomb and decided to call it a day. He was too tired, and other than Lily being a welcome sight for his eyes, there was also something else he wanted to check up on.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re done?¡± Lily asked, as Claud sidled up beside her in bed. Her violet hair, under the bright light, rippled once with an enchanting shimmer, and Claud found himself shaking his head a bit more vigorously than usual.


    ¡°Too tired. I¡¯ll make more tomorrow instead,¡± Claud replied. ¡°What¡¯s that you¡¯re reading?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I picked up the next book of this series I was reading.¡± Lily showed him the title, The Unravelling World. ¡°Feels a bit like an autobiography, but otherwise, it¡¯s a good fantasy.¡±


    ¡°You can tell me about it when we have time, then.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re checking on something now?¡± Lily asked, having picked up the implication behind his reply. ¡°Your status?¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°I received some rewards from slaying the Bearer of Destiny¡­even though it¡¯s completely by accident.¡±


    ¡°Quest rewards, yeah.¡± Lily¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how they work, but they actually award lifespan. You burned a lot during when you became a tri-folder, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Only had seventy-eight years of life left. But I apparently gained four-fifths of the Fourteenth¡¯s remaining lifespan when I obliterated the Moon Emissary.¡±


    ¡°Obliterated¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there something wrong with my choice of word?¡± Claud asked, tilting his head. The sight of Lily repeating his words was somehow adorable to him, but since she was reading a book, he wasn¡¯t going to do anything.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a good way of summarising the Moon Emissary¡¯s end,¡± Lily replied, before she stuck a bookmark into the book in her hands. Setting it aside, she turned an expectant gaze to Claud. ¡°Go on, open your status!¡±


    ¡°Alright, then.¡±


    Claud hadn¡¯t opened his status at all, since he was too busy fleeing the sovereignty and finding their current location. He didn¡¯t want to run the risk of distracting himself until a suitable time arose, and while he knew that a certain bartender might call him inefficient or similar¡­


    Focus and discipline held a dear place in his heart for a reason.


    With his left arm monopolised by Lily, Claud called out his status and gave it a good, long look.


    Name: Claud Primus


    Lifespan: 305 years


    Active Skills: Presence Nullification (8), Flight (5), Binding Order (7), Cleanse (6), FiBoD;A??? (0), FiBoD;A??? (0)


    Passive Skills: DiL???C, Mana Hub, Omen, Understanding


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 3.00


    Mana Control Proficiency: Expert


    Authority: 3


    Comments: Not all things are as they seem, Omen.


    ¡°How is it?¡± Lily asked, worry in her words. ¡°How many years do you have now?¡±


    ¡°Three hundred and five years,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s good, right? Should I try to become a tetra-folder? With Crown¡¯s help, I can directly grow stronger once more.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be better able to protect yourself, true,¡± Lily replied.


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    ¡°And to protect you too,¡± Claud added. ¡°You¡¯re now as important as me in my scales.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­quite the honey-tongued rogue, aren¡¯t you?¡± Lily asked. Despite the disapproval in her words, she had a happy smile on her face, and Claud tweaked her nose a bit.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Sorry. Can¡¯t resist.¡± Claud rubbed her hair.


    Lily smiled. ¡°That said, you shouldn¡¯t do it just yet. There¡¯s something like a trial when one becomes a tetra-folder, right? You should at least learn what that trial is about, in case you put yourself into danger.¡±


    ¡°Good point.¡± Shelving that thought, Claud glanced at his status again. Other than the disturbing set of comments, something new had been added to his status, something called ¡®authority¡¯. This time, however, he had absolutely no intention of forgetting about his second skill, Understanding, and he took a deep gaze at that particular area.


    [Authority]


    [Certain pieces of information have a processing load. <Category name: Authority> is a quantifier of the hearer¡¯s ability to process such pieces of information. Information of such a category is linked to the secrets of this world.]


    ¡°You mentioned something about authority, right?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud eyed Lily, who looked perfectly fine, and nodded to himself. ¡°I checked it myself. Authority is¡­err, to put it simply, the ability of your mind to process certain pieces of information, information linked to the secrets of the world.¡±


    Lily spent a minute to mull over his words for a moment. ¡°I wonder what happens if someone hears information that is beyond them to process. Would it just be limited to headaches? Or is Nero telling the truth?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s assume he¡¯s telling the truth,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Can we weaponise such things, then?¡± Lily wondered. ¡°Imagine shouting out something like the Black God¡¯s love life in battle. That might actually do something to tilt the scales in your favour, right?¡±


    Claud blinked. ¡°That¡¯s a really good idea. But what kind of information are we talking about here? And¡­I suspect that something bad might just happen if we actually do that. I mean, you can¡¯t be the first person to think about it, right?¡±


    Lily rocked back and forth. ¡°Well, maybe it¡¯s because doing so is pointless.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Think about it,¡± said Lily. ¡°If your authority is higher, doesn¡¯t that mean that you have more mana folds? A difference in mana folds creates an overwhelming advantage. Maybe it¡¯ll be useful when there are twenty or so bi-folders confronting a single tri-folder, but¡­that¡¯s not really likely.¡±


    ¡°Considering the population size¡­¡± Claud let out a small sigh. ¡°Yeah, it is indeed pointless, now that you mention it.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Lily pulled out a small canteen of water and sipped from it. ¡°Want some?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡±


    Claud looked through his status as he took a sip, his eyes focusing on ¡®Mission¡¯ and ¡®Quest¡¯. One of them contained the various faction quests, for the Moons, the Dark, the Coloured Gods and the Omen, while the other had a bunch of question marks and hidden names.


    ¡°That¡¯s odd. It isn¡¯t like there¡¯s nothing there, but why the question marks?¡± Claud muttered under his breath.


    ¡°What question marks?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°¡­I am definitely going to forcefeed you with lifestones until you become a tri-folder too. I really want to explain things, but I don¡¯t dare.¡± Claud grumbled for a minute or so, before lying down on Lily¡¯s lap. ¡°This is infuriating.¡±


    ¡°There, there.¡± Lily ran her fingers through his hair. ¡°Oh, wow. Your hair is really smooth and soft.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you like it, you can go ahead and touch it¡­also, I want to play with your hair too. Long, silky¡­just my cup of tea,¡± Claud replied. ¡°You don¡¯t mind, right? Also, I want to wash your hair. I bet it¡¯ll be fun.¡±


    ¡°Only if I wash yours first.¡±


    ¡°In that case, we better choose a house with a big bath. The one here is too small for the two of us,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Fortunately, I brought lots of money with me¡­my private savings, in case you were wondering.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t go around using official funds for a private trip, right?¡± Lily chuckled. ¡°But I also brought my own stash! We¡¯ll be able to live like kings or something for the next few decades if we really have to.¡±


    ¡°I do want to establish myself as a noble first, though,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Or at least as someone important. The¡­special person here seems to have the connections required.¡±


    ¡°A noble¡­well, you are one, technically. We just need to officiate our bond,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I mean, I am still¡ª¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m not going to put you through that nonsense with your family name again. We¡¯ll start from the bottom, as the Primus nobles!¡± said Claud. ¡°Or so I would like to say, but I think we can achieve that easily when we return to the Moon Lords. If we ask really nicely, Nightfall might sponsor us as knights or even a baronet.¡±


    ¡°Is that possible?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yea¡ª¡±


    A shudder took hold of Claud and Lily at the same time, and a screen appeared in his eyes. Unlike the bloody red or the azure blue ¡ª two colours he had gotten used to in the past few months ¡ª the rectangle that appeared this time was a tri-coloured patch of red, blue and yellow ¡ª the colour of the Moons. The words were written in pure white, a blinding white that stabbed through his eyes.


    <The Fifth Bearer of Destiny has fallen, his flame extinguished by bloody steel.>


    <By covenant of the five grand skies, the Moons will descend in a year.>


    <Fate, sundered by the quiet night, shall hence congeal.>


    <And under the howling winds, may the Dark protect those it holds dear.>


    Claud stared at the poem. ¡°What in the name of the Moons?¡±


    Lily rubbed her eyes. ¡°So, uh¡­ Claud three, Bearers of Destiny zero?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t me this time, sweetheart.¡± Claud shook his head. Before he could do anything else, however, yet another rectangle had appeared in his eyes. Fortunately, it was the usual azure blue, but¡­the contents on it were awfully familiar.


    [<Hidden Quest: Mastermind¡¯s Murder> has been completed. Calculating result grade.]


    ¡°Eh?¡±

 Chapter 244: Ones Order (2)

    Claud stared at the screen, struck dumb by this unexpected windfall. He didn¡¯t recall doing anything whatsoever, so why¡­


    [Results: Grade 5]


    [Your recent actions of taking down two Moon-aligned Bearers of Destiny have alarmed those who know and those who see. As a portent of fate itself, those who cast their gaze wide are unable to see you, and were forced to redress the balance through a destructive act. As such, you have been awarded 20% of his lifespan.]


    [You have been awarded a Fragment of Fate]


    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily waved her hand in front of his face, and Claud jumped. ¡°Oh, great, you¡¯re back. Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. Something definitely happened,¡± Claud replied. ¡°You see, apparently, the death of two Bearers of Destiny that triggered similar messages alarmed some people watching over the world, who were forced to even out the playing field by brutally murdering another poor Bearer of Destiny.¡±


    ¡°Two factions, then.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Well, that announcement thing was different. And there¡¯s a second hourglass now, right? At the top left, there¡¯s two hourglasses now. One has a black background, while the other is coloured with the three Moons,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice?¡±


    ¡°I was distracted by something else,¡± said Claud. ¡°Oh, wow. There are two hourglasses now. Hmm. What kind of game is this supposed to be?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. So¡­Bearers of Destiny are split into allegiances. The Dark and the Moons?¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°And¡­well. Look out of the window. The darkness seems to have weakened.¡±


    The absolute shadow had indeed grown a little less dense ¡ª anyone with a working set of eyeballs could tell that. In fact, Claud could even hear the people downstairs marvelling at this miracle, although only mana-users would know the reason behind such a miracle to begin with.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± said Lily, ¡°what was that something else that distracted you?¡±


    ¡°Remember how I told you about quests and missions?¡± Claud asked. ¡°As it turned out, the death of the Fifth Bearer of Destiny¡­well, the quest awarded me a bit of his lifespan. Not much, just twenty percent, but even twenty percent of a hundred years is a lot of lifestones.¡±


    ¡°Whew. Sounds like you have it really lucky, then,¡± Lily noted. ¡°Still, isn¡¯t this a bit too convenient? There are at least ten-odd Bearers of Destiny, and even if you just gain a small fraction of their lifespan, you¡¯ll be a penta-folder easily.¡±


    Claud pondered over her words. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a free lunch, and you know the saying. In fact, now that I think about it¡­¡±


    Omen. That odd skill he had obtained after finishing off the Third Bearer of Destiny. No matter how he sliced it, that skill had to be related to this unexpected boon. For one, that skill was incredibly convenient for his current circumstances. It ticked all his boxes and provided him with the necessary protections against the weirder skills. Secondly, the mission that came with it, <Omen Mission: For a Transcendent World>, encouraged the annihilation of the other Bearers of Destiny.


    It sounded somewhat narcissistic for him to even think of such things, but for the first time, Claud felt that the world was intentionally trying to strengthen him.


    Either that, or he had somehow struck the most insane of birth lotteries. Whatever the reason, Claud had many reasons to be cautious¡­but there wasn¡¯t much he could do either. The status was attached to everyone from birth, and apparently no one could do anything about it.


    ¡°Be careful, okay?¡±


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    Claud nodded, and then turned his attention to his quests. He had somewhat forgotten about it, given his fear and everything. But now was a good time to consolidate a bunch of things. He navigated to the list of quests ¡ª three of them had been revealed, with the remaining eleven still as question marks ¡ª and located the newest entry at the very bottom.


    [Personal Quest: One¡¯s Order]


    Quest introduction: To hold fate in one¡¯s hand requires both knowledge and wisdom. Rediscover yourself, and recreate your conviction that drives your order.


    Quest requirements: Impose order upon your tribulation.


    Quest rewards: FiBod:A??? evolves, 300 years of lifespan


    Additional Remarks: Trigger a tribulation by bringing your Mana Circuit Superimposition to 4.00.]


    Claud looked at his quest, and question marks popped up in his head. What did ¡®impose order on your tribulation¡¯ mean? What world within? Rubbing his head, Claud decided that today was not a good day to interpret his status and stopped thinking altogether.


    With the death of the Fifth, his lifespan had increased by another fifty-three years, bringing him up to a nice total of three hundred and sixty-eight years of lifespan. With this much lifespan, along with his nice store of lifestones, he could directly complete his fourth mana circuit. However, Lily had brought up a very salient point ¡ª something like a tribulation would fall upon him the moment he became a tetra-folder.


    He had to be very careful; if something happened to him here, Lily would be all alone.


    ¡°The world has lots of secrets, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°What brought that up?¡± Lily asked.


    Claud laughed. ¡°When you think about it, doesn¡¯t it feel that our status and all these things¡­they feel somewhat unnatural? I mean, the Goddess of Water apparently made it for us back in the Primordial Era or whatever, so it is unnatural, but we¡¯ve all learned to treat it as part of our life.¡±


    ¡°It is rather convenient, though. Knowing when your body will give way and everything,¡± Lily replied. ¡°You could prepare for that. Forestall a natural end by putting in effort. I like to think that the Goddess of Knowledge wanted to install in us the importance of effort and hard work.¡±


    ¡°By walking around the whole day, looking for random lifestones,¡± Claud replied. ¡°What? That¡¯s the only way you get can lifestones for free now. The mines are always controlled by bigshots, and the shops sell them for exorbitant prices.¡±


    ¡°Earn time by wasting time, huh.¡± Lily had a sad expression. ¡°I wonder what the goddess would think if she knew the state of things today.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll be disappointed by the greed of humanity,¡± Claud replied. ¡°A bunch of people monopolising lifestones for wealth¡­fortunately for everyone, she¡¯s long dead. I mean, if someone were to abuse my legacy for nasty purposes, I might just throw a tantrum and destroy everything.¡±


    ¡°That would be bad.¡±


    ¡°Yes, to put it mildly,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Man, my head¡¯s tired. I don¡¯t want to look at all these things. I just want to lie down.¡±


    ¡°You could examine everything else tomorrow if you want to,¡± said Lily. ¡°And I agree that you should take a long rest. Today has been a really crazy day. You killed a Moon Emissary and the Fourteenth, then someone killed the Fifth¡­oh, and you made a mistake and left the sovereignty on a one-way trip with me.¡±


    Claud flipped over and buried his face into the pillow.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Claud replied, his voice muffled.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Everyone, even someone as meticulous as you, makes mistakes sometimes,¡± said Lily. ¡°And besides, it¡¯s a real holiday for us now. No more annoying things happening in town. We can now explore new things!¡±


    ¡°Like Celestia, yeah.¡± Claud shifted his position. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to explore it, ever since I heard some guy in Lostfon got rich from it.¡±


    ¡°Once we get an identity, we¡¯ll head to Lostfon and check it out,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t take us too long, right? We¡¯ll look for nice things and then sell them for good money.¡±


    Claud licked his lips. Now that he and Lily had left the Istrel Sovereignty, there were a lot of things he could do. The Thief of Time moniker couldn¡¯t be attached to him here any longer; everyone knew that Tot operated in what used to be Umbra. Claud could hold his head up high and start filching lifestones for Lily now.


    It would be a bit hard, but no one would expect a tri-folder thief. And if something bad really happened, Absolute One would solve these problems easily. Even the Moon Emissary couldn¡¯t stand against a full-powered blast; tri-folders were definitely going¡ª


    Claud shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m growing arrogant again.¡±


    ¡°Arrogant?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Just moments ago, I was under the delusion that I could solve any and all enemies by turning them into ash,¡± Claud replied. ¡°That world-destroying lance of light¡­but I can¡¯t do that all the time, right? I¡¯ll end up killing innocents or something. And everyone would immediately¡­¡±


    ¡°Know that Tot is here,¡± Lily completed his sentence. ¡°What? Come on, there¡¯s too many coincidences. I believe you can survive ritual magic. There¡¯s no proof to the contrary.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Claud gave up. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to lie to you, okay? Yes, you saw it for yourself. I¡¯m him, okay?¡±


    Lily did a cute fist pump. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to seal this memory away, though. Don¡¯t you go telling anyone else! It¡¯s our secret! Two people!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Claud rubbed her head, before yawning. ¡°I¡¯m sleepy.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to bed, then. I demand my fair share of the blanket!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Whatever you say, okay?¡±


    Covering their heads with the blanket, Claud closed his eyes and let sleep claim him.

 Chapter 245: The bundled package of house and identity

    The morning sun charged into the room with high morale, and with a small jerk, Claud woke up. At the same time, the reassuring warmth in his embrace shook once, and his hands immediately moved to rub Lily¡¯s head gently.


    Lily¡¯s breathing pattern, which had been somewhat disrupted by his movement, calmed down after a while. Claud found himself relaxing at the same time too ¡ª patting and playing with her hair had this calming, special charm to him.


    He sat up slowly and looked around the room. His arrangements were no more special, no more thorough, so he didn¡¯t quite understand why he had slept so soundly last night. Was it Lily¡¯s influence?


    Poking her cheek gently, Claud leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. For the first time for many years, he had woken up not at the crack of dawn, but in mid-morning.


    ¡°Thanks, Lily,¡± Claud muttered, before tracing her jawbone with his finger. Getting out of the bed slowly, he covered her with the blanket, before making his way to the bathroom. It didn¡¯t take long for him to wash up, and shortly after he stepped out, Lily stirred with an adorable little yawn.


    ¡°M-m-morning.¡± Lily covered a mouth. ¡°Had a good rest?¡±


    ¡°The best I ever had so far,¡± Claud replied. ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°Having someone to hug is the best feeling ever.¡± Lily tried to fix her hair, before deciding to wash up first instead. As the sounds of running water filled the room, Claud dismantled the many traps and security measures he¡¯d laid around the place. Popping the last string into its rightful position, Claud tidied up the bed and headed to the window.


    They had woken up a bit too late to look for any colourful mist, but watching the people of this quaint town mill around and do their own things made Claud smile. The day before could only be described as crazy and unbelievable, but no matter what happened, life still went on. People still woke up, bought groceries, chatted with other people and ate food.


    Such was life.


    A set of dainty hands covered his eyes as that thought flashed through his mind. At the same time, a floral scent entered his nose, and Claud smiled.


    ¡°You know, this would be more interesting if there were other people in the room,¡± Claud commented, before prying Lily¡¯s hands away gently. He turned to look her in the eyes a moment later, and the urge to nibble something flooded his head for a moment.


    Lily had completely abandoned her Dia-lookalike disguise, in favour of her own, more stunning, visage. Of course, one might argue that Claud¡¯s feelings had an inordinate influence on his judgement, but Claud also knew that he would probably not see eye to eye with anyone who suggested such a thing.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s the act that matters,¡± Lily replied, before hugging him. ¡°You know, some part of me thought that the previous day was just a dream when I woke up just now. You don¡¯t know how happy I am to know that all this wasn¡¯t a dream.¡±


    Claud considered her words for a moment, and then held her close. ¡°Yeah. This isn¡¯t a dream. We¡¯re together¡­and we¡¯re outside of Istrel. That¡¯s the one part I wish was a dream, though. Now that I think about it, I wouldn¡¯t have been this troubled if I remembered that particular skill.¡±


    ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t have worked up my courage to follow you all the way,¡± said Lily. ¡°So I think it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t mad?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I mean, I took you out of Moon Mansion, and due to my mistake, we¡¯re now in foreign territory with no way back. You should be mad, you know.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve said that quite a few times,¡± Lily replied, rapping his nose gently. ¡°And I wanted a nice honeymoon. I don¡¯t see the problem. At worst, you¡¯ll take me back home, right? If you can break the barriers back then, I don¡¯t see why you can¡¯t now.¡±


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    ¡°Good point.¡±


    ¡°And I really want to go to the Celestia Ruins anyway.¡± Lily beamed. ¡°Now, you should really get over your mistake, okay? No more talking about that.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you say so.¡± Claud smiled, pecking her on the cheek. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go down for breakfast. We did buy some, after all, and wasn¡¯t there some dude we needed to meet to buy a house?¡±


    ¡°And an identity, yes.¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°Uh, I think he¡¯s called Nicolas or something.¡±


    ¡°Sir Nicolas, right.¡± Claud nodded. ¡°Should I prepare more money?¡±


    ¡°I think you won¡¯t need more than three thousand gold, from the state of Monsville,¡± Lily replied. ¡°What I¡¯m concerned about is the identity faking thing Sir Nicolas has going on.¡±


    ¡°That might be pricey, or that might be complimentary.¡±


    ¡°¡­How free and easy.¡±


    After packing up their items, Claud and Lily went downstairs and headed to the counter.


    ¡°Claiming our breakfast,¡± said Claud, producing his key.


    The innkeeper nodded once and turned to the kitchen behind him. ¡°Two breakfast specials!¡±


    ¡°On it, boss!¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡± the innkeeper asked.


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re looking for Sir Nicolas,¡± Claud replied. ¡°You said he¡¯ll be here today, right?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s always here during the day. Over there, at the corner,¡± the innkeeper replied, shifting some grey hair out of his eyes. ¡°Hmm¡­he seems a bit occupied, though. Maybe someone made an appointment? Best if you ask him if he¡¯s free before sitting down.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± said Claud.


    Lily took out some bronze coins and placed it on the counter. ¡°Get him his favourite drink, please. Say it¡¯s on us.¡±


    The innkeeper eyed Lily once, an odd light in his eyes, and then smiled. ¡°Very thoughtful of you. Your husband is very lucky!¡±


    ¡°He knows that very well,¡± Lily replied with a grin, leaning on Claud lightly. ¡°Don¡¯t you, dear?¡±


    Claud simply grinned.


    The innkeeper rolled his eyes and took out a small bottle of what looked like milk. ¡°Youngsters. Just sit tight. I¡¯ll deliver the food to you when it¡¯s ready. In the meantime, you two should take this, talk to Sir Nicolas and ask him about a house.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Nodding once at the innkeeper, Claud and Lily approached Sir Nicolas, who was reading a newspaper and adjusting his spectacles. The skin in the middle of his eyes crinkled up as he flipped to the next page, adding to the dour expression on his face.


    Sir Nicolas looked up as Claud and Lily approached.


    ¡°For you, sir,¡± said Claud.


    The dark expression on the middle-aged man¡¯s face vanished a moment later, and Sir Nicolas smiled, a genuine smile that made Claud and Lily smile back. ¡°Good morning. And thank you for the treat. I¡¯m Nicolas, and you two are¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± Claud paused, and decided to use his last name instead. ¡°We¡¯re the masters of a reclusive family, the Primus family.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Lily raised her left hand, which was intertwined with Claud¡¯s right hand. ¡°We¡¯re here to inquire about buying a house, as a noble that does not want to be disturbed.¡±


    The two of them had spent a minute or two going about the exact phrasing, and fortunately, Sir Nicolas took the hint immediately. ¡°I see. Recluses. Lord Primus, Lady Primus, what type of house are you two looking for?¡±


    ¡°A holiday home,¡± Claud replied. ¡°A place that we might return to every once in a while, stay in for a year or so, and then return elsewhere. Monsville is a lovely town, a place practically made for quiet stays. I¡¯m hoping that the house you have in mind for us is of such a quality too.¡±


    ¡°Then I have the perfect place,¡± said Sir Nicolas, uncorking the bottle. ¡°When are you free for the viewing?¡±


    ¡°Preferably today,¡± Lily replied. ¡°After our breakfast, maybe?¡±


    ¡°Very well. In the meantime, I¡¯ll have your¡­means of staying hidden prepared. Lord, Lady¡­ what ranks should the two of you be?¡±


    ¡°One rank below¡­uh, baronets, then,¡± said Lily. ¡°Is that possible? Honestly, if not for the fact that we nobles have many conveniences, I would choose to forgo such an identity entirely.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we just go without it? It¡¯ll be a pain otherwise.¡± Claud played along. ¡°I¡¯ve went incognito enough times as a commoner. It should be¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re living in a house here,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But¡­how about knights, then? Knights have no obligations and are non-hereditary. That should be fine.¡±


    Claud faked a look of intense contemplation for a moment, and then nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll go with that, then. Knights. Can you manage that for us?¡±


    ¡°Easily done,¡± said Sir Nicolas. ¡°I¡¯ll have it drawn up and linked to the house as a resident, but I suggest that the actual process be delayed for a moment. It¡¯ll be better after you choose your residence, after all.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We¡¯ll trouble you to tie up those loose ends after we purchase a holiday home, then.¡±


    The two of them got up, and Claud nodded at him. ¡°Thank you, Sir Nicolas.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have our breakfast first,¡± Lily added. ¡°Please, do get back to what you were doing.¡±


    Smiling at each other, Claud and Lily found a new, open table and set down together.

 Chapter 246: Cover identities

    ¡°These are your requested documents,¡± said Nicolas, the fingers on his right hand curled elegantly as he slid a folder over and a set of keys over. ¡°Lord and Lady Primus. Since you¡¯ve purchased Dandelion House, I¡¯m happy to waive the cost for this little service ¡ª think of it as complimentary.¡±


    Claud chuckled and leaned back, trying his hardest to portray what an upstanding noble looked like. ¡°A pleasure doing business with you.¡±


    ¡°We are very satisfied with this service of yours,¡± Lily added. ¡°Especially since we didn¡¯t need to get down to the onerous business of refurbishing it. We do not intend to have servants here, after all. It would go against our point of establishing a nice home in this charming Monsville.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± said Nicolas. ¡°Many nobles purchase homes but seek not the trouble of furnishing it. Of course, my charges are slightly higher as a result, but you are paying for convenience and privacy.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, indeed.¡± The three of them stood up.


    Nicolas paused. ¡°Right. A word of caution. Those two identities are real identities. The obligations that come with it are very real too. Therefore, do try to keep a low profile.¡±


    Claud had absolutely no idea what kind of obligations Nicolas was referring too, but he simply nodded in reply. Making a mental note to ask Lily about it later, the two of them shook hands with the realtor of many means and left the inn, luggage in tow.


    The noon sun was blazing down on them, but Claud wasn¡¯t affected by it. The same went for Lily, but she still took out a parasol and unfolded it. Squeezing together under the portable shelter, the two made their way to the house they had checked out earlier.


    Dandelion House was a small, walled estate, which couldn¡¯t be compared to Moon Mansion in terms of scale. However, only two people were going to live inside to begin with, and neither of them were superficial fellows who looked for opulence first.


    Small houses and low-profile were terms that went hand in hand together.


    ¡°A living room, two bedrooms, a kitchen¡­and a cellar.¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°What¡¯s the point of having two bedrooms, though?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a guestroom?¡±


    ¡°Then that room will almost certainly never be used at all,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Ah well. It¡¯s a good house anyway. Nice and out of the way, yet connected to plumbing systems. I can¡¯t believe Monsville actually has something like plumbing too. Kinda impressive.¡±


    ¡°What were you comparing against?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°The smaller towns around Licencia,¡± Claud replied, leading the way in. The house had been left as-is during their viewing, and after popping their stuff down in the bedroom ¡ª Lily wanted to use the one whose windows faced the back garden, rather than the front ¡ª Claud went over to the kitchen.


    The icebox ¡ª crates with Freezing Talismans pasted on them ¡ª rattled as Claud placed little cubical moulds filled with water inside. Unlike Schwarz¡¯s super-strong icebox, the one here would probably take a few hours to create some ice cubes, but late was, as always, better than nothing.


    Heading over the sofa Lily was sitting at, he sat down next to her and leaned his head on her shoulders.


    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°You have this contemplative air around you.¡±


    She set aside her book. ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Just feeling some accomplishment,¡± Claud replied. ¡°My first home was won from Schwarz, who lost it in an utterly embarrassing manner. I never really bought one.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Lily rubbed her nose. ¡°That¡¯s¡­true for me too, now that I think about it. This is my first house too. Now I feel all puffed up and everything! This is my home!¡±


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    ¡°Right? You understand where I¡¯m coming from, right?¡± Claud chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s really funny, no matter how you slice it. Our first home is outside our hometown, outside the sovereignty we¡¯ve lived in all our lives. We¡¯re inhabiting it as semi-nobles, knights of the Emperor, and we don¡¯t even have a single person to invite here for a party due to our very specific cover story.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all screwed-up, but I like it!¡± Lily made a languid sigh. ¡°Still, this means I can¡¯t really experiment with my explosives. It¡¯d be sad if I blew the roof off or something.¡±


    ¡°You sound rather¡­ experienced.¡± Claud eyed her.


    Lily looked away. ¡°Things tend to go badly when you¡¯re starting out. Accidents happen. That¡¯s just how it is.¡±


    Claud raised an eyebrow at her statement, which was full of absolute unrepentance, and decided not to push it.


    More importantly, Lily¡¯s unabashed face was, as always, really adorable, and Claud gave in to his urge of squishing her right cheek. It didn¡¯t help that Lily turned her face to present her left cheek a few seconds later, and the two of them lost themselves in what was pretty much flirting for the next few minutes.


    After a while, Lily batted his hands away, in a manner that reminded Claud of a kitten playing with a ball of yarn. ¡°So, what¡¯s our next plan?¡±


    ¡°We wait for the ice cubes to be done and then enjoy a cold drink,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°That sounds lovely.¡± Lily paused. ¡°Wait, no, that¡¯s not what I was asking.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Claud played with her long hair. ¡°Celestia, right? Let me handle the information gathering on that place. It sounds romantic, but we¡¯re talking about floating sky ruins here. There¡¯s got to be something dangerous there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. We have to be really careful,¡± said Lily. ¡°That said, I want to come along when you do your information gathering. Yes, it¡¯s dangerous. Yes, they¡¯ll be suspicious. But I really do want to do more, okay?¡±


    Claud opened his mouth, but the objections he had been about to raise were already acknowledged by Lily. His mouth opened and closed over and over again, but once he took in her blazing eyes, Claud¡¯s intuition ended any attempt to dissuade her whatsoever.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Claud said. ¡°But the same rules apply. Number one, listen to me. Number two¡ª¡±


    ¡°Run when I tell you to run,¡± Lily completed, a smile on her face. ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Of course you would,¡± Claud replied, before letting out a small sigh. ¡°Rather, I would have been worried if you didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m your ace student and lover. It would be a problem if I didn¡¯t remember your rules, right?¡± Lily smiled. ¡°We¡¯re each other¡¯s knights. I must, of course, know everything about you!¡±


    Claud tweaked her nose for a few seconds, and then he abruptly remembered something. ¡°Speaking of knights, what kinds of obligations was Sir Nicolas talking about? They sound like a pain.¡±


    ¡°Well, nobles are empowered by the Emperor to enforce law and order if they¡¯re capable of doing so. So, for instance, if a riot is going on, all nobles present are supposed to help their affected peer quell it,¡± said Lily. ¡°If you don¡¯t help, you become a pariah of sorts, and the Emperor might even censure you.¡±


    ¡°So if many people know that we¡¯re knights, and something bad happens, we¡¯ll have to help or be punished?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s about it, yes.¡± Lily brushed a stray lock of hair over her shoulder, and Claud lost himself for a few moments. ¡°Claud? Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°N-no, nothing.¡± Making a mental note to get Lily to play with her hair more, Claud cleared his throat and said, ¡°You just look good, playing with your hair like that. Got distracted by it.¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡­you¡¯re honest, at least.¡± Lily placed her hands on her lap, to Claud¡¯s disappointment, and then said, ¡°But that¡¯s why we should try to make it such that few people know about this status of ours. It would be a problem if we came under scrutiny from the Shadows or something.¡±


    ¡°Shadow? Are you referring to Shadows of Grandis?¡±


    ¡°Are there any other Shadows, to begin with?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Maybe? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a law that forbids names like ¡®Shadows of Istrel¡¯ or something along those lines, right?¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°I bet every noble¡¯s busy copying the Emperor somehow.¡±


    ¡°Copying does seem to be in vogue among our circles,¡± Lily noted.


    Claud found the way she said it rather ironic, but he still wanted his skinship privileges, so he held it in and rubbed her head instead.


    ¡°Why are you patting me?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°You looked adorable,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway, what¡¯s the deal with the Shadows of Grandis?¡±


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re supposed to make sure that the nobles don¡¯t do anything nasty or whatever,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But maybe, at some point in time, their purpose changed. Or else¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t complete her sentence, but Claud knew what she was getting at.


    ¡°Maybe they were bribed,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m quite sure Istrel bribed or subverted the Shadows sent to the Umbra Sovereignty too, since they decided to spend their efforts hunting down the princess rather than Tot or whatever.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if our Dia is alright, though,¡± said Lily. ¡°Now that the Moon Lords¡¯ paranoia specialist is gone, security¡¯s bound to relax, right?¡±


    ¡°It should hold steady until around a year,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I introduced enough of a rotation that people shouldn¡¯t fall or lapse into bad habits for that long.¡±


    ¡°On what metric did you use to base that on?¡±


    ¡°My intuition?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to sound like I¡¯m insulting you, but generally, people don¡¯t use intuition for things like this¡­¡±

 Chapter 247: Warnings

    ¡°What¡¯s up with Licencia now?¡± Nero muttered, tapping his foot impatiently.


    ¡°Security checks and everything,¡± Dia replied, poking her head out of the mana wagon. ¡°Still, did we need that many papers to leave and enter the city before? This seems very, very redundant. We have really important news, and here we are, stuck outside the city.¡±


    Caroline popped out of the city gate moments after Dia closed her mouth, making a beeline for the mana wagon. Hopping on it, she looked around for a few seconds, and then nodded to herself, satisfied. The trip there and back had been short, which probably contributed to the absence of any damage¡­hopefully.


    ¡°How was it?¡± Caroline asked. ¡°Did you get what I asked for?¡±


    ¡°Obviously,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Reached into the past and took down the moment when the disaster happened. Be careful, though.¡±


    ¡°Careful?¡± Caroline repeated. ¡°What, was it scary?¡±


    ¡°Really, really scary,¡± Nero replied. ¡°The attack that killed the Moon Emissary tore the sky into two and turned the ground into a smoking mess.¡±


    ¡°Those words aren¡¯t doing it justice,¡± Dia pointed out.


    Nero nodded. ¡°I suggest looking at it outside the city, far from any prying eyes. I ¡ª and I¡¯m certain when I say I speak for Dia ¡ª would not want to witness that heart-stopping view again, if given the choice. I¡¯m too young to have my spirits doubly broken.¡±


    ¡°The fact that you¡¯re focusing on this issue, rather than the death of the Fifth Bearer of Destiny, is quite telling, yes.¡± Caroline rubbed her head. ¡°I¡¯ll take that advice in mind. Now, Nero, get off the driver seat and let me take the steering wheel. We¡¯ll skip the queue entirely this way.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay.¡± Nero got up obediently, vacating the seat for Caroline. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I drove it really careful. Nothing happened to it.¡±


    ¡°I can tell,¡± Caroline replied.


    As the mana wagon went through the city gates, Dia asked, ¡°What¡¯s up with the city security today? It seems that entry and exit has become rather troublesome, and I don¡¯t know why.¡±


    ¡°Claud¡¯s final instructions, apparently. Something about shaking up the usual routine by adding some new things and extra supervision,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°Schwarz ran it past me, but if it keeps the city safe, I¡¯m in.¡±


    Her tone of voice had an odd touch to it, and Dia narrowed her eyes. ¡°Did something happen last night?¡±


    ¡°Two Bearers of Destiny died, with a Moon Emissary as a sidenote. I¡¯m now staring at two different hourglasses in the top left of my screen. A lot of things happened last night.¡± Caroline patted her shoulder. ¡°Well, some one-folders tried to sneak into the city, only for our guards to spot them at the last moment. I made a move, capturing all three of them. Schwarz and Risti are currently debating on what to do with them.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Dia exchanged glances with Nero. ¡°That sounds rather¡­eventful.¡±


    ¡°From how you said that last word, I have a feeling that your own experience kicked it up a notch. So, tore the sky into two, eh? What type of attack does that?¡± Caroline rubbed her nose. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve been following the story of Tot. If what you say is true, it¡¯s evident that the Thief of Time has regained a great deal of his strength. From surviving ritual magic invoked with the White God¡¯s name and escaping, to something as¡­well, you know. We might be in for a nasty surprise if he regains his full power.¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°You do know that there are still six other Moon Emissaries on the loose, right? Sure, the Istrel dukedom doesn¡¯t have any Emissaries, but what¡¯s stopping one Emissary from the other two dukedoms from coming over?¡± Caroline shook her head. ¡°Clearly, Tot has some beef against Moon Emissaries. If they come here, they might die again.¡±


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    ¡°Beef, huh?¡± Dia looked at the familiar streets once more, and then bobbed her head. ¡°What kind of beef would Tot have with the Moon Emissaries, then? Why would Tot kill them?¡±


    ¡°That is a question that probably even I cannot hear the answer to,¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°And how, exactly, do you know that?¡± Dia asked.


    Nero looked at her directly. ¡°Why, Dia, just think about the question for a moment, and behold the fear that follows.¡±


    ¡°The fear that follows?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Caroline. ¡°Hm. Bi-folder, right? Yes, you indeed can now¡­feel things for yourself. Just think about the question in your heart, and feel what the world tells you in return.¡±


    Dia glanced at the two of them, and then closed her eyes. Why would anyone want to kill the Moon Emiss¡ª


    A chilling touch ran down her spine, a touch that reminded her of an icy blade. Somehow, her intuition was telling her that if she ever dared to hear the answer to the question, to keep it in her head, her heart will give way. Her head would literally explode, blown apart by the weight of the information.


    Freezing drops of sweat appeared on her forehead, and Dia gasped for air. The sensation of death overpowered her senses a moment later, and she started to retch over and over again. Falling out of the seat, Dia coughed over and over again, nausea gripping her tightly.


    ¡°Hah, hah, hah.¡± Damp hair fell all around her face as a blue screen appeared in her vision. She hadn¡¯t seen it for a very long time¡­or if at all, even. Dia couldn¡¯t remember the previous time she saw such a thing.


    [By thinking of a question, you can roughly tell the information load of the answer required. Conveniences of a mana-user discovered: 4/5.]


    ¡°What is this?¡± Dia got back up slowly. ¡°Why does this even exist?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t dwell on that question either,¡± said Caroline, offering her a handkerchief. ¡°Go and tidy yourself up a bit. You look like a right mess. There are some things we mortals weren¡¯t ever meant to know. Or at least, until we grow strong enough. As it is, however, I suspect only a penta-folder, or the Emperor himself, might have the full answer to that question.¡±


    ¡°Information has its own price,¡± Nero added. ¡°You cannot carelessly speak of it either. To voice out certain things, the speaker¡¯s Authority must be sufficient, or injury awaits. In severe breaches, death follows¡­but thankfully, that is never the case.¡±


    Dia rubbed her head, willing the pounding hammers inside to scram. ¡°Why¡¯s that the case?¡±


    ¡°If you can listen to information without dying, you can tell them to others without dying too,¡± said Nero. ¡°Isn¡¯t that basic knowledge? If you could withstand the penalty for hearing secrets that are higher than your authority, you can withstand the penalty for saying them. The same applies to death¡­but again, it¡¯s a stupid premise. If you¡¯re dead, you¡¯re dead.¡±


    ¡°Maybe someone has a skill to cheat death,¡± said Caroline.


    ¡°I won¡¯t put it past a Bearer of Destiny to have such a skill, to be honest,¡± Nero replied. ¡°But who¡¯s going to use a skill that can cheat death to relay sensitive information? And what¡¯s the point of doing so?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that would make absolutely no sense at all,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°Besides, who would such a person say that to? If it was to someone stronger, there¡¯s really no point in that Bearer of Destiny to act as a message courier. Or to at least speak. Why not just write it down or something?¡±


    ¡°Still, why would such a thing exist?¡± Dia let out a small breath. ¡°My head¡¯s hurting, I¡¯ve lost my appetite, and all my joy from becoming a bi-folder is now ruined. I¡¯m going for a hot shower and straight to bed.¡±


    ¡°No can do, Dia,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°The others will want to question the two of you. Clarissa¡¯s definitely going to ask you for your opinion. And you should really get down to creating a soul-bound weapon. I checked with the others last night, and you somehow don¡¯t have one yet. Better get one done soon.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Why not? It¡¯s more convenient, after all. Being able to summon a weapon at will, distance be damned, is a really important thing for you guys now,¡± said Caroline. ¡°Our enemies will be waiting for us in our greatest moments of weakness. Being able to summon a weapon can serve many things.¡±


    ¡°Go on?¡±


    ¡°Claud has listed quite a few ways, which is rather surprising, considering he hasn¡¯t had a soul-bound weapon yet either. For instance, you guys could support a bell with your soul-bound weapon, in such a manner that summoning the soul-bound weapon will make the bell fall onto the floor,¡± said Caroline. ¡°It¡¯ll alert the others to the fact that the summoner is in danger.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really inspired,¡± Nero noted. ¡°Now that I think about it, it¡¯s a really useful failsafe, huh?¡±


    ¡°Of course, he made sure to note that this wasn¡¯t a foolproof method, but that¡¯s not really the point,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°Besides, being able to summon a soul-bound weapon at any time is very important. If you¡¯re locked up, having something sharp is going to be¡­¡±


    As Caroline nagged on about making a soul-bound weapon, Dia felt her head hurt. It would be great if the mana wagon moved a tiny bit faster¡­

 Chapter 248: Murkier and murkier

    The lecture about a soul-bound weapon lasted for the entire trip back to Moon Mansion, which thankfully lasted for around ten or so minutes. Drawing up at the entry booth of Moon Mansion, the three of them hopped off the mana wagon and entered.


    ¡°So,¡± said Caroline, ¡°how was your ride there? Far faster than good old-fashioned mana-walking, right? Was it more comfortable?¡±


    ¡°Dia fell asleep,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Although having a cushion under your bum sounds like a good way to make the ride less painful. Granted, it¡¯s better than anything we have right now, but I suspect that driving that mana wagon for more than a week or so would damage your posterior.¡±


    Caroline nodded. ¡°Good point. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Well, from what I can tell, the seat is the one absorbing mana, right? But if someone loses control of their mana and a huge volume floods out, it¡¯ll damage the seat and the mechanisms behind it,¡± said Nero.


    ¡°Yes, that is a problem.¡± Caroline eyed Nero. ¡°Any suggestions?¡±


    ¡°Rather than absorbing the mana directly from the driver, why not have the driver and other people pour mana into a storage medium? That way, you can standardise the output, let vanillas drive the mana wagon, and prevent overloads if someone sneezes while sitting on the driver¡¯s seat,¡± said Nero.


    ¡°We¡¯re already working on that,¡± said Caroline as the others approached. ¡°Other ¡ª oh. I¡¯ll ask you later.¡±


    ¡°Welcome back, Dia, Nero.¡± Schwarz nodded at them, before passing two bottles over. ¡°Fresh out of the icebox. Thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°Are you a bi-folder now?¡± Risti asked, looking at Dia. ¡°What does it feel like?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a bi-folder, yes, and it feels rather good to be this strong,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Sorry to make you guys worry about me. Nothing much happened, though. Went there, saw a soul-shattering sight, and then went back.¡±


    ¡°Nothing much? Did you not say ¡®soul-shattering sight¡¯?¡± Schwarz rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to think of your ability to downplay things.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk later. For now, we¡¯ll wait for the Holy Daughter of the White God, and then see the recording for ourselves,¡± said Caroline.


    ¡°Here?¡± Nero asked. ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do the full experience if need be,¡± said Caroline. ¡°Time is of the essence. If the truncated version can let us figure out the reason behind the Emissary¡¯s death, as well as that of the Fourteenth¡¯s, we won¡¯t need to go that far.¡±


    Dia had no idea what the two of them were on about, but before she could get her brain to make sense of their little dispute, a bell rang once more. Schwarz glided into motion, and before long, the Holy Daughter of the White Church stood before them.


    ¡°Good job,¡± said Clarissa, directing a glance at Nero. ¡°Pass it over, please.¡±


    Nero nodded, before handing a familiar crystal over to her. The two exchanged nods once, before Nero took a step back. At the same time, Caroline slid up to the Holy Daughter, and a screen two metres wide and long appeared in mid-air.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s the army the Moon Emissary had raised,¡± Clarissa murmured. ¡°And that¡¯s the Moon Emissary.¡±


    Dia took in the giant tri-coloured knight. Back then, the incredible presence it emanated, even as a bygone mirage, was enough to dull her mind, but now, she could appreciate it calmly. Faint patterns engraved on its armour shimmered and twisted, like snakes in a nest, but Dia could make no sense of these engravings.


    The screen turned to the horizon a moment later.


    ¡°Where were you looking at, Nero?¡± Clarissa asked.


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    ¡°No, I felt an enormous burst of energy in that direction,¡± said Nero. ¡°So I turned to look at that direct¡ª ah, it¡¯s here.¡±


    An enormous azure lance shot through the sky, blotting out the sun and the sky. Crossing the distance in an instant, the spear slammed through the Moon Emissary, erupting into shimmering blue flames that engulfed the entire army.


    The screen winked out a moment later, leaving behind a set of fearful faces.


    ¡°What in the name of the Moons was that?¡± Schwarz asked, his face pale. ¡°If that thing had been aimed at Licencia¡­what monster can produce such a thing?¡±


    ¡°Overkill, I think,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°The killer was clearly sending a message to the Moons, right? Such an attack¡­what¡¯s the point of making it this devastating, when a bit of the energy harnessed in that attack could have done the same?¡±


    ¡°Message, huh?¡± Caroline had a complicated look on her face. ¡°I suppose this at least accounts for why the other Moon Emissaries were a lot more docile after this. Clarissa, what¡¯s your assessment?¡±


    Everyone turned to look at the Holy Daughter of the White Church, who shook her head. ¡°Based off this viewing alone, I would assume a hexa-folder. Maybe a septa-folder. But without gaining a full experience, I cannot give a definitive answer. Nero, what do you think?¡±


    Nero glanced at the picture. ¡°It should be one of the Chromatic Lords.¡±


    ¡°Octa-folder?¡± Clarissa eyed Nero.


    ¡°Or even stronger,¡± the Holy Son of the Black God replied. ¡°You¡¯ll want to experience the full thing, if you want to know why I gave such an answer. Visually, it¡¯s impressive, but just sight alone won¡¯t let you feel the true power behind that strike.¡±


    Clarissa pondered for a moment, and then shook her head. ¡°Better to be safe than sorry. We¡¯ll assume the killer was an octa-folder first.¡±


    She paused, and then let out a long sigh. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I would say this, but I¡¯m feeling really small right now. A tetra-folder has nothing on that attack, at the very least. If the killer was indeed the so-called Thief of Time, then the comparison between his strength back then and his strength now can only mean one thing.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s getting stronger?¡± Caroline asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s reclaimed a great deal of his strength,¡± Clarissa clarified. ¡°However, he seems to have an attachment towards this region, at least. As long as we keep our heads down in Istrel, nothing untoward should befall anyone, Moon Emissary or otherwise. I presume he found out about the massacre in Daybreak County, which drove him to act.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain why the other Moon Emissaries are still alive, though.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he just wanted to make a point to the Emissaries in general?¡± Clarissa pondered. ¡°Point being, he doesn¡¯t seem to be hostile to us humans. Yet, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Still, someone capable of turning a huge patch of land into a sea of fire¡­I can¡¯t quite imagine that person stealing something from Istrel,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°Besides, why are we so adamant that it¡¯s Tot? Tot might be innocent in this.¡±


    ¡°True. We can¡¯t lock ourselves into false assumptions. At least, however, we can be fairly sure that such a devastating attack won¡¯t be aimed at any human city,¡± said Clarissa. ¡°Which, in my book, is a win.¡±


    ¡°Tell that to the Moon Emissaries.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve gotten a lot more docile after their fellows¡¯ death,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°Their approach to the sovereignty capital has slowed down too. Remarkably enough, no casualties have been reported from this point onwards. It seems that the Emissaries and their foot soldiers are exercising a lot of restraint in their current actions.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Clarissa held her head. ¡°For now, Licencia can operate as normal. Or rather, get ready to receive more people. The City of Trades is not menaced by Moon Emissaries; this will draw a lot of people over. Be careful.¡±


    ¡°Aran¡¯s returning tomorrow. I¡¯m not going to think too much.¡±


    ¡°The count¡¯s returning tomorrow?¡± Dia asked, before letting out a sigh. ¡°Good, good. He can handle this mess. We¡¯re just civilians. Let the professionals do the jobs.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Risti chimed in. ¡°Finally, I can sleep at a reasonable hour.¡±


    ¡°Hear, hear. I can finally go back to a regular schedule of bartending,¡± Schwarz added. ¡°My workers are complaining that I don¡¯t have a regular schedule, and the customers are always complaining.¡±


    Farah simply yawned.


    ¡°Wow. You know you guys are getting paid really well for doing these jobs, right?¡± Caroline asked.


    ¡°And we do it with all our might. I suppose that¡¯s why we¡¯re feeling tired and everything,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°But it¡¯s also because everything¡¯s going mad. The great Dark descending in two seasons? The Moons doing so in a year? Zulan Patra¡¯s death? Moon-freaking-Emissaries? Absolute Domination? Yeah, running a city in times like this is insanity inducing.¡±


    ¡°So, our renumeration isn¡¯t enough?¡± Caroline tilted her head.


    ¡°You could say that, yes. But we haven¡¯t had a break. Things just keep happening and happening on end. We¡¯re exhausted.¡± Schwarz paused. ¡°Which is why, I think, Claud and Lily decided to use a good excuse to skip town.¡±


    ¡°Claud hasn¡¯t been sleeping well, true,¡± Farah chimed in.


    ¡°I¡¯m more interested in knowing how Lily knew that, though,¡± Risti added. ¡°But yes, we¡¯re tired of handling security for an entire nation. It¡¯ll be nice to have a break, especially with the count¡¯s people back in town.¡±


    Everyone turned to Dia, whose mouth promptly moved on its own. ¡°I¡¯m just going to create a soul-bound weapon.¡±


    Nero and Caroline burst out into laughter a second later, while the others looked at each other, mystified.

 Chapter 249: Collective seclusion

    As Caroline, Clarissa and Nero huddled together and talked about things that would probably make the heads of everyone else in the room explode, Dia looked at her sword. It was a sword that wasn¡¯t quite a sword; instead, it was a hilt that could fitted above a standard imperial blade.


    The weapon was designed in this manner for a reason ¡ª it allowed Dia to make use of her Sword Roar over and over again without needing her to adjust. As for the power¡­she didn¡¯t know that much about it, however. She hadn¡¯t had the chance to test out its power.


    Everyone looked at the sword as she moved it around, their eyes deep in thought.


    ¡°So, a soul-bound weapon¡­if we soul-bind your sword, would it bind the hilt? Or the whole thing?¡± Schwarz eyed the blade. ¡°And if you were to call it over, would the hilt appear, or will the whole weapon appear?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very good question,¡± said Farah, who was now examining the weapon up close. ¡°We can¡¯t exactly try it either. Everyone can only have one soul-bound weapon. Even if it¡¯s destroyed beyond recognition, you¡¯ll never be able to create a second soul-bound weapon.¡±


    ¡°If I happen to bind only the hilt and not the sword inside¡­¡± Dia looked around for something to drink, and Schwarz slid a small cup over. Catching it with her left hand, she took a sip from it, and then pondered over her next move. ¡°I think more testing is required.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. What constitutes a weapon?¡± Risti muttered. ¡°What¡¯s the exact definition?¡±


    ¡°Still, do we need to go that far?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Soul-bound weapons are, by nature, somewhat indestructible. Even if you completely shatter your blade or whatever, calling it over will cause them to reassemble. Just run your mana through it later to hold the pieces together, and it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Schwarz. ¡°That¡¯s really convenient.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a reason why many soul-bound weapons tend to be cherished ones. You can actually repair them, given a skilled blacksmith and a forge. My Delphinus has been cracked more than once. A few pieces broke off too. But instead of searching for it, I simply summoned it back, and all the pieces returned.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really convenient,¡± said Schwarz.


    ¡°You know what''s really convenient? Archers usually have a particular arrow that they like a lot. Maybe it¡¯s made out of a rare metal or something, and they make it their soul-bound weapon, so that arrow can be retrieved after firing,¡± said Farah. ¡°You know those legends about inexhaustible quivers? Actually, the guy is firing the same arrow over and over.¡±


    ¡°Still, we should look into the definition of a weapon,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°What if I have a small folding fan that fires out twenty throwing knives? If I turn it into a soul-bound weapon, does that make these throwing knives soul-bound too?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure quite a few people have thought about it, but things like these are kept within organisations and noble families. For fairly obvious reasons, I don¡¯t know the answer to that.¡±


    ¡°But you¡­¡± Schwarz glanced at Caroline, before shutting up.


    ¡°Even if you¡¯re saying that,¡± Farah replied, stressing the last word, ¡°I really don¡¯t know. My¡­parents were horribly irresponsible, and they definitely never bothered to think too hard about inheritance and knowledge. We¡¯ve lost many things in this one generation.¡±


    Schwarz eyed her. ¡°Dia was quite silent about this issue, but I did hear a few things from Lloyd. I didn¡¯t expect it to be this¡­terrible.¡±


    As the two of them continued to talk, Dia wondered about Farah¡¯s identity. From what she could tell so far, Caroline hadn¡¯t quite noticed Farah¡¯s actual identity, or she couldn¡¯t be bothered to think about it too hard. Lloyd, Farah¡¯s butler, had also stayed out of the way while Caroline was around, but sooner or later, someone would probably find out.


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    What would Count and Countess Nightfall think about the whole thing when they found out? That would be an interesting question. Risti didn¡¯t make it a point to advertise the identity of her father too, and few people knew that Lily was once the heiress to a now-destroyed barony.


    Save for Schwarz and Claud, everyone else had their own, special identity.


    ¡°Dia?¡± Farah waved her hands in front of Dia¡¯s face. ¡°You alright?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, did you say something?¡± Dia shook her head slightly. ¡°Just thinking of something. Anyway, I think I should actually check on the definition of a weapon before doing anything else. It¡¯ll be nice if it was actually the whole thing, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Put that way, a bow loaded with as many arrows as humanly possible would also be a weapon. The arrows would return with a single calling,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Fortunately, we have three people who certainly have an answer.¡±


    She paused. ¡°Probably, I hope.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound all that confident,¡± Dia muttered, before placing aside her weapon. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this for the moment, then. What are we going to do next? Nightfall¡¯s coming back, which means no more troublesome things.¡±


    Schwarz laughed dryly. ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten what happened back then, when the Moon Lords were first formed.¡±


    Dia twitched. ¡°Please, no.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± The bartender produced a few more bottles. ¡°So, assuming that we have free time, I think we should focus on procuring more lifestones. We have enough money to buy a whole bunch of high-ranked lifestones. With them, we should all be able to become bi-folders eventually.¡±


    ¡°Is there enough for everyone?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°With the war averted and everyone trapped inside the Istrel Sovereignty, trade between the three dukedoms has resumed once more. We should be able to get enough lifestones to make us all bi-folders. The only issue is time,¡± said Schwarz.


    ¡°Time¡­¡± Risti nodded. ¡°Yes. Other than lifestones, our ability to control mana is very important. We can actually set back our progress, if we do things haphazardly.¡±


    ¡°If only there¡¯s a way to automatically draw our mana circuits,¡± Farah mumbled. ¡°I don¡¯t really fancy my chances of getting it right on the first time.¡±


    ¡°More training is required, everyone.¡± Dia let out a nasty chuckle, and everyone flinched.


    ¡°Well, I must admit that your training is effective,¡± Schwarz conceded. ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts.¡± Dia let the smile slip off the face. ¡°Everyone here can feel it, right? We are witnesses to an era of great change. If we aren¡¯t strong enough, we will die with the tide.¡±


    ¡°Even we tetra-folders won¡¯t be exempt from that axiom,¡± said Clarissa, and everyone jumped. At some point in time, the three of them had finished their discussion. Nero had a glass in his hand, while Caroline was looking at a folder and reading it.


    ¡°Even you?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Even me,¡± Clarissa replied. ¡°You¡¯re right about one thing. The winds of great change are blowing. The White Church is recalling nearly everyone back to the Istrel capital ¡ª the one that used to be Umbra. I¡¯ll be leaving shortly after Nightfall arrives too.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± Schwarz looked at her. ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°The issue of Tot or whoever it was is not something I should have been dabbling in. The Chromatic Lords will do it in my stead, in their own way,¡± said Clarissa. Most of them have awakened too, and will act as buffers against the Moon Emissaries.¡±


    ¡°Octo-folders as buffers?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve received some good estimates about the Moon Emissaries¡¯ strength. Of the six present, four of them are tetra-folders, and two of them are penta-folders,¡± said Clarissa. ¡°The Chromatic Lords can put them down easily, really easily. However, we have reason to believe that killing anymore would incite a nasty reaction.¡±


    ¡°Like?¡±


    ¡°The forceful summoning of a far greater Moon Emissary. My people have dug out some old records. Legends, if you will. The bulk of Moon Emissaries have strength comparable to the weaker Chromatic Lords, septa-folders.¡± The Holy Daughter of the White Church shook her head. ¡°Stronger than Emperor Grandis¡­or what he lets on, anyway. We have reason to believe that Emperor Grandis isn¡¯t as weak as he seems.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re telling us that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on. It¡¯s a conjecture.¡± Clarissa smiled, her stern, business-like demeanour crumbling away. ¡°But stay safe. We¡¯ll try to protect you people and vanillas as much as possible, given all the help, but¡­¡±


    ¡°How about Nero?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Until someone figures out how to breach the walls of energy around the sovereignty, he¡¯s staying here.¡±


    ¡°No biggie,¡± Nero added. ¡°The booze here is better than the ones in the Black Church, anyway. No one makes them as strong as Schwarz.¡±


    He raised a fist, which Schwarz bumped.


    ¡°Alcoholics,¡± Farah muttered. ¡°Well, you could help us out by giving us a cart or so of high-ranked lifestones when you finally leave. You have no use for them, right?¡±


    Nero nodded. ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Let me chip in some too,¡± Clarissa added. ¡°I don¡¯t use them anymore. Pure-ranked lifestones are hard to come by nowadays, though. So¡­I apologise in advance.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more than plenty, really,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°Time to practice, then¡­wait, we have questions regarding soul-bound weapons!¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Clarissa replied. ¡°Fire away!¡±

 Chapter 250: The old trade

    Claud¡¯s eyes, narrowed to a slit, tracked a guard as the poor fellow prowled along a passageway. Quite a few weeks had passed since the Dark-aligned Bearer of Destiny had fallen, and New Moon was almost over, revealing little specks of moonlight here and there. As such, darkness didn¡¯t pose a problem to anyone now, but the general reluctance of any sane person to step outdoors at night was still in full force.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m not sane after all?¡± Claud mocked himself inwardly, before watching the guard amble away. There were two towns and a barony within an hour¡¯s worth of mana-walking from Monsville, and now that he was free of that annoying Tot moniker, Claud saw it fit to return to his old trade.


    Glancing at his wrist, where a small box with a purple button was strapped to, Claud pressed the button twice. A moment later, the box shook twice too, and Claud nodded himself. Lily, who had absolutely no intention of letting him do dangerous things alone anymore, was currently perched on a tree and scouting the area out for him. Normally, he would have done that himself, but Lily wanted to be involved, so¡­


    At any rate, she had spotted two guards so far. While Claud himself could find one, and he could easily find a few more by flying with Presence Nullification, he wanted to use this chance to polish the more technical aspects of stealing things, his stealth. He had been relying on his gifts a bit too much, and Claud knew that this was dangerous.


    Darting from shadow to shadow, Claud trailed behind the first guard. As a rule of thumbs, guards usually moved in regular patterns. The second guard, which was out of his sight, definitely was on the other side of the mansion.


    This was Baron Inanis¡¯ actual home, where he lived in. The baron and his private troops were out oppressing a bunch of people at a nearby lifestone mine, something that the two of them had come across by accident, so Claud promptly decided to enact some karmic retribution by looting his largely defenceless home. Otherwise, he would have to plan a lot harder¡­but this was a target of opportunity.


    He glanced at the mansion walls and tracked his entry vector. The walls had spikes on them, but a part of them had been ruined for some reason. Claud intended to use that to enter, and from there on, it would be smooth-sailing. The baron¡¯s family would not be on alert, unlike their diligent guards, and with a flip of his hand¡­


    Taking a few more cautious steps, Claud shimmied up the wall and entered the mansion compound. The Link Bearer on his wrist shook once, and he smiled. Lily was wishing him good luck, and that she would be watching in the same place until he left the mansion.


    Baron Inanis had rather bad taste. All sorts of jewelled, ostentatious furnishings lined the mansion grounds, and Claud winced at the visage of a corpulent man cast in gold.


    He wouldn¡¯t steal that, even if someone paid him money to.


    Making his way to an open window, Claud peeked into the room. A cat, or rather, a fluffball of fat and fear, was snoozing away peacefully there, and Claud decided not to risk it. Even if he wanted to hone his skills, there was a time and place for everything.


    His fingers tore a skillstrip into two, and energy washed over him. Presence Nullification had activated¡­which, interestingly enough, also prevented the Link Bearer from actually working. It was as if the paired artefacts could no longer locate each other, and Claud found himself missing Lily all of a sudden.


    Despite the fact she was just close by, waiting for him to return.


    With that as a motivator, he entered the house and made his way into the cellar. Nobles had some obsession with hiding treasures underground, and as he located the stairs that led underground, Claud smiled.


    For some reason, the idiotic baron had saw it fit to label the place for everyone to see. Was it to show off or something? Claud had no idea, but again, nobles could be very weird. And idiotic.


    Descending into the basement, Claud faced off with a mighty vault. He could blast it to ashes with Absolute One, but a tried and tested method existed to bypass vault walls. Pulling out his trusty Box-opener, Claud placed the hilt against the wall and channelled his mana through the artefact. Within seconds, the newly formed blade had carved a nice straight line, and Claud repeated the process multiple times.


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    His mana had grown a lot stronger in virtually every aspect, and after carving out a solid block of stone, he pulled out the second essential item of a thief, the Devouring Plate. Sticking it onto the loosened block, he pulled the whole thing out with ease, before entering the newly formed passage. Closing the impromptu door behind him, Claud got up to see an entire treasure trove.


    ¡°Lots of gold here. Useless.¡± Claud looked around, before pulling out Crown. ¡°If there¡¯s anything good for you here, just take it. I¡¯ll busy myself with the lifestones.¡±


    The box spun on its edge and hopped off his palm. Claud took that as a cue that Crown understood his words, before making his way to the lovely green glow that lit up an entire corner.


    ¡°Nice.¡± Claud rubbed his hands, before dumping every single lifestone into his backpack. Given his actual strength, they didn¡¯t affect him one bit, and after leaving behind some low-rank lifestones, Claud grabbed a few stacks of notes and filled up his backpack. He couldn¡¯t see any useful artefacts¡­or any artefacts, for that matter, which was fairly disappointing.


    Crown nudged his foot a second later.


    ¡°Anything?¡± Claud asked, picking Crown up.


    ¡°Meep.¡± Crown tilted backwards, reminding him of a person sticking their nose into the air, and Claud chuckled. ¡°Alright. Nothing, then.¡±


    He glanced at the low-rank lifestones, but decided not to be too greedy about things. Taking absolutely everything would be too much of a provocation.


    Probably, anyway.


    Popping Crown back into his pocket, Claud left the way he entered, and then took to the skies. Before long, he had returned to the tree Lily was hiding in, only to see her looking at Baron Inanis¡¯ mansion anxiously. A faint warmth gathered in his chest at that sight ¡ª Lily¡¯s worry had touched him.


    Landing beside Lily, Claud dispelled his Presence Nullification by kissing her forehead, and she took his lips by way of reply. They separated a few seconds later, and Lily glanced at his backpack. ¡°Good haul?¡±


    ¡°Yeap.¡± He held her close, and then kicked off from the ground gently. The air parted before him as Claud infused mana into the spiritual structure of Flight, and he took in the warmth of Lily¡¯s body as they soared back home.


    On the way back, he pulled out a pyramid. He looked at the markers on the sides once, confirmed that they weren¡¯t matching, and then placed it back into his backpack. Lily looked at him quizzically, but Claud simply pointed up once.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too hard about that,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just to prevent¡­people from hearing us.¡±


    ¡°You keep doing this for me,¡± said Lily. ¡°I feel a bit bad about everything.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. I¡¯m also growing stronger myself,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And we are sharing everything together, right? It¡¯s not like you aren¡¯t doing things for me too¡­wait, don¡¯t try to nibble me right now, I¡¯ll start laughing.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°You always do that when you¡¯re embarrassed.¡± Claud rubbed her head. ¡°Besides, for me, you¡¯re even training your Smithing, even though you hate it. I can¡¯t ask for more from you, right? And you also give me a whole bunch of explosives, even though you¡¯ll want nothing more than to test them out every day.¡±


    ¡°¡­I really hate you. How do you know that?¡±


    Claud prodded her cheeks. ¡°Say that again, I dare you. And besides, it¡¯s my job to know everything about you.¡±


    ¡°I also know more about you than anyone else,¡± Lily replied, her cheeks puffed up in pride.


    ¡°What, are we making this a competition?¡± Claud looked at the ground, which had turned into a blur. This lovely, romantic flight would only need to carry on for another three minutes before they arrived, at which point they would have to get down to business again.


    Lily laughed. ¡°I¡¯m kidding. Still, how are artefacts made? Even with Smithing, I still can¡¯t create an actual artefact. Am I missing something?¡±


    ¡°Well, we could check that out when we next go to the library,¡± said Claud.


    ¡°But we need to travel to the Vacuos County for that,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And you know that I prefer just sitting in bed and reading with you at my side.¡±


    ¡°What are you, a child? We haven¡¯t gathered enough material on the Celestia Ruins yet, so we¡¯ll need to head there anyway. And the overdue fees are frightening to boot,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Still¡­thanks.¡±


    Lily looked at him with clear eyes, and then buried her face in his chest. ¡°Dummy.¡±


    Patting her head, Claud caught sight of Monsville and started their descent. The small town was nice and bright, with the houses packed close together, unlike the Inanis Barony. ¡°It¡¯s pretty at night, don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    She looked up. ¡°Looks the same to me.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s always a bit different,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Look, the lanterns there had been moved three metres away. Under that shop, there¡¯s an extra torch, while the fire pits surrounding the town walls were shifted slightly. I think they¡¯re repairing something, and¡­¡±


    ¡°How do you notice all this?¡±


    ¡°Witnessing life is what I like,¡± Claud replied. ¡°These little changes can mean nothing, or everything. But most importantly, they show us life in its illogical, chaotic fashion. It¡¯s a¡­kind of beauty.¡±


    ¡°Beauty?¡± Lily echoed that word. ¡°Beauty in life¡­yeah, that¡¯s very you, my little coward.¡±


    ¡°Only by staying alive can you witness all sorts of things, right?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Even if the Dark and the Moons descend, if we are lucky, we¡¯ll be able to see new sights. Grander sights. Isn¡¯t that worth living for?¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not sure if we¡¯ll be able to see anything if a blanket of utter darkness covers us all, though.¡±


    ¡°Okaaaaay, maybe there¡¯s an exception here and there,¡± Claud replied, and the two of them touched down on their own little home.


    It was time to sort out some loot.

 Chapter 251: The events that day

    ¡°So many lifestones.¡± Claud eyed the nice pile of glittering green on the black tablecloth, and then chuckled at the brilliant contrast. Baron Inanis¡¯ nice pile of lifestones, which numbered over five hundred at first glance, was proof of just how much he had extorted the local mines. More importantly, the number of high and pure-ranked lifestones were not that different from the number of middle and lower-ranked ones, which meant that the baron and his cronies hadn¡¯t been picky with their choices¡­which left quite a few implications here and there.


    Lily gulped. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of money here.¡±


    ¡°Right? The local price for even a low-ranked lifestone is even higher than Licencia too, at sixty gold, and it gets pricier from there on,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But don¡¯t worry about money. I snatched quite a bit of notes too.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re set for life¡­is what I want to say, but you¡¯re going to force those lifestones down my throat, right?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°The others will glare at me if you¡¯re still a one-folder when all this blows over. And it¡¯s going to put you at risk too. Knowing Schwarz, he¡¯s definitely pushing for everyone to become a bi-folder or even a tri-folder. He¡¯ll laugh at me all day long if I can¡¯t raise you, a single person, to that level.¡±


    Lily looked at him, and then tossed a high-ranked lifestone into her mouth. ¡°Thanks, Claud.¡±


    Claud smiled back. ¡°Take what you need. Might as well take in your quota of mid-ranked lifestones too. Use it to the point of saturation.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you need them too?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I can process the low-ranked ones,¡± Claud replied.


    Crown popped out of his clothes at those words, before turning the pile of low-ranked lifestones into green light that surged into Claud¡¯s body. With the demonstration done, the small box hopped back into his coat, and Claud shrugged. ¡°See? He¡¯s so adorable.¡±


    Lily picked up another lifestone and sighed. ¡°You¡­really are lucky, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    The smile on her face vanished. ¡°Claud. You need to be careful, though. It¡¯s too¡­easy. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I would have thought that there was some peculiar force guiding you, leading you to a certain destination. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s really the case, nor do I know what¡¯s the best response to offer, but¡­don¡¯t get cocky, okay?¡±


    Her serious words made Claud nod once. Instead of replying with a standard snarky response, Claud reached and held her hand. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You should also give this more thought too,¡± Lily pushed on. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t quite believe in coincidences. And you said it yourself, right?¡±


    ¡°Said what myself?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°When you were telling me about how you met Crown,¡± said Lily. ¡°The details of your presence in the duke¡¯s treasury¡­you told me that the details were a bit blurry.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, due to my adrenaline. My first time in a duke¡¯s treasury, you know,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Why do you bring that up?¡±


    Lily looked at him, and then eventually shook her head. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m just paranoid. It¡¯s late at night, my Claud just busted into a house for me, and there¡¯s a pile of green life in front of me.¡±


    ¡°You make that last bit sound off,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s just a bunch of gems, alright? And you need to be stronger too. Come on, open your mouth.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll do it myself,¡± Lily replied, before picking up a lifestone, Unlike Claud¡¯s favourite way, which was popping them a few at a time, Lily¡¯s method was more refined, more elegant, and Claud pondered on her style of consuming lifestones. Was it something her upbringing taught her? Or was it societal expectations for women rearing its head here?


    Claud didn¡¯t know, but after making a mental note to tell Lily to eat those gemstones however she liked, the master thief gazed at Lily as she stuffed one lifestone after another down her throat. The look on her face made him smile, and before he knew it, a wave of drowsiness had washed over him.


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    Lily shifted closer to him, and without a word, pulled him in such a way that Claud was partially leaning on her shoulders. Patting his head, she held one of his hands, and then resumed the boring task of eating one lifestone at a time.


    He tried to speak, but the drowsiness was too strong. As her body lit up with green light once more, the warmth enveloped his mind, and Claud felt asleep.


    The darkness behind his eyelids seemed to last for only a few minutes, before the chirping of birds entered his ears. Claud¡¯s eyelids opened slowly, and his memory of a dark living room, lit up by green light, was replaced by a living room illuminated by the rising sun.


    Dawn had come.


    A nice warmth slept away on his lap, and Claud smiled as he looked down. Lily had finished swallowing every last lifestone, as evidenced by the cleared table. Her long violet hair, which was sprawled messily, was too enticing for Claud not to play with, and he spent the next hour or so toying with it, while thinking of Lily¡¯s words last night.


    She had a point there. For some reason, Claud couldn¡¯t quite remember the details of his heist in the duke¡¯s treasury. He could recall a few things, but they were more of¡­facts, than things he actually remembered occurring. His mind told him that the person named ¡®Claud¡¯ had broken into the duke¡¯s treasury, and then picked up a small box. Unfortunately, a trap activated, a trap that somehow removed all active skills, and while Claud managed to activate Presence Nullification a second time¡­


    ¡°Urgh.¡± Claud shook his head. Things didn¡¯t quite match up. His memory of his escape and before the escape had too many oddities, now that he thought about it. Why on Grandis did he use Absolute One a day ago? Who was he trying to show off too? That didn¡¯t make sense. His mind told him that he was trying to win a bet or something, but Claud knew that he would never use Absolute One on a whim. It was his trump card, something that he definitely never let anyone know about, so why would he do such a thing?


    Second, he could vaguely recall that he used Presence Nullification when it first wore off. In that case, why did it wear off during his escape? He hadn¡¯t done anything that would make it stop working back then, right?


    The master thief let out a sigh. He had, for some reason, chosen to ignore all these red flags back then. If Lily hadn¡¯t brought it to the forefront of his mind¡­


    ¡°Mind, huh.¡±


    Lily stirred in her sleep, letting out a sad noise, and Claud patted her head gently. She shifted once more, and then made a small smile. His hand patted her head on a regular rhythm, a method that Claud hoped would drive away whatever malignant nightmare that had affected her just now.


    After making sure that she was nice and happy again, Claud looked up at the ceiling. He was reasonably certain now. Something had happened during the heist. Or even before it. Something that didn¡¯t just change his personality and character somewhat, but also obscured the details of doing so. In addition, that person or whatever had made it such that the events of that night would not pop up in Claud¡¯s consciousness as much as possible.


    ¡°Thanks, Lily.¡± Claud squished her cheek gently. ¡°What would I do without you?¡±


    ¡°Thank you too, Claud. I love you,¡± Lily mumbled, before burying her face into his stomach.


    Massaging his chest, he looked down on his sleeptalking lover, before sighing. Lily didn¡¯t like to say those words out loud, as a rule of thumb, but clearly, she had no qualms vocalising her ardent passion while asleep.


    This odd contrast had its own charm, though, and Claud leaned back. For now, however, he had no idea what that person¡¯s aim was or anything related to that¡­person at all.


    Heck, it might not even be a person.


    Either way, Claud now knew that he had been manipulated that night. How far did the manipulation carry on? So many events had fallen into place to make a scenario in which growing stronger for Claud was far easier, compared to just about anyone else.


    Whatever the reason, little old Crown was his Divine Life Companion, and no one was going to change that fact. In fact, if this person¡¯s machinations were the reason behind why he made such a friend, Claud had half the mind to thank that person.


    Assuming, of course, that Lily¡¯s suspicions were right and that there was actually something or someone directing his every movement so far. The possibility of everything being just pure coincidence also existed too, and unfortunately for Claud, this felt like one of those situations where things could just line up nicely. Without more details, Claud had a feeling that this could very well remain an unsolved mystery, which meant that there was no more point thinking about it. Therefore, Claud devoted the rest of his attention to patting Lily¡¯s head gently, which seemed to make her relax.


    The sunlight was halfway through its conquest of his room when Lily finally stirred awake.


    ¡°You¡¯re up, my sleeping beauty.¡± Claud rubbed her head. ¡°Good morning. I hope you had a good rest.¡±


    ¡°I had a good dream, I think.¡± Lily smiled. ¡°One in which my mum patted my head while I slept.¡±


    Making a mental note to do that every day, Claud held her hand. ¡°Good job last night. I¡¯m sorry to make you work that late, though. And¡­well, we need to go to the library today. Shall we wash up?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Lily smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go, then!¡±


    Guiding her by the hand, the two of them returned to their bedroom, and the sounds of running water soon filled the room.

 Chapter 252: The status screen from another world

    A bunch of people glared at Claud as he placed a bunch of books down on the mahogany table with a bit too much force, and he hid behind the impromptu wall of paper and words. The Vacuos County Library held great attraction to many scholars; known as the City of Learning, it hosted many, many books and stores that catered to books.


    From what Lily and Claud had gathered from listening to the Vacuos city guards talk, it would seem that this city outstripped even the continent capital when it came to knowledge, which made their thirty-minute flight actually worth it. After all, Monsville was under the overall jurisdiction of Count Cava; in other words, Claud and Lily had travelled to another county just to read books.


    If this city hadn¡¯t lived up to its reputation, Claud had a feeling that he might have just pulled another Tot by scaring the lights out of everyone in the city. Absolute One gave its user an awesome, immense presence, which would be more than enough to make everyone else need a change of underwear.


    ¡°There¡¯s not a lot of books on the Celestia Ruins,¡± Lily whispered, as she joined them with few books in hand. ¡°Most of them simply talk about the items that fall out every so often too.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t be needing those, I think,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But I suppose information on the actual experience inside will be very scarce.¡±


    ¡°Because not many people can fly.¡± Lily smiled. ¡°It¡¯s great that you¡¯re special!¡±


    ¡°Not that special,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I heard that Count Nightfall can fly with an artefact. And besides, you need to be really familiar with pain and fear to actually pick up such a skill.¡±


    ¡°But thanks to that, we can get here in half an hour,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Not many can do that.¡±


    ¡°Stop praising me. I¡¯ll get conceited.¡± Claud chuckled. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s look through these books first and write down our observations.¡±


    Lily pouted, but followed his instructions anyway. The sound of pages turning filled the air as Claud started to look through the many books, and the minutes began to drift by after he made his choice.


    No one knew just how old the Celestia Ruins were. The Coloured Gods didn¡¯t know. Nor did the Six Gods of Virtue. And in the Primordial Era, when humans wrested in the sky and carved out many, many gullies with a single swipe of their weapon, a set of floating sky ruins didn¡¯t particularly stand out either.


    The book Claud was reading had records of four floating cities powered by the mightiest of mortal folders, each of them an ennea-folder. With nine mana circuits embedded in them, these five folders had reached the limits of mortal might, and in their floating city, they were almost always invulnerable.


    The author raised a fairly popular theory ¡ª the Celestia Ruins were one of those floating cities, or at least a piece of it. Those cities had been destroyed in the First Godsfall, although Claud couldn¡¯t find much material on it either.


    Claud placed the book down, since the rest of the books were mostly introductions about the items that fell from Celestia once in a while, which didn¡¯t really make sense. The First Godsfall occurred six hundred thousand years ago. Even if the Celestia Ruins dropped something tangible and distinct once every year, there should have been nothing left by the Second Godsfall. And yet, things still fell out at irregular times.


    It didn¡¯t make sense to him, so he picked up another book and leafed through it.


    ¡°Just a catalogue,¡± Claud muttered, before setting it aside. He picked up another book, which simply detailed the many theories related to Celestia. They made a good read, but after looking through the same rehashed formula for the fifth time, Claud picked up another book instead.


    ¡°Psst!¡± Lily nudged him. ¡°Look! I found something important! I think this book is the one we¡¯re looking for! This bit in particular!¡±


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    Claud turned his attention to the book in her hand, which was display someone¡¯s status. At first glance, it looked like any other status, but there were¡­quite a few different bits.


    [Name: Lucien Lostfon (NPC)


    Race: <Error: Not in Library>


    Class: <Error: Translation Failure>


    Class Mastery: <Error: Translation Failure>


    Energy Rank: C?


    EXP to next rank: <Error: Translation Failure>


    EXP stored: <Error: Translation Failure>


    Physical modifier: ??? (<class_mod = ?> * <rank_mod = 350>)


    Energy modifier: ??? (<class_mod = ?> *<rank_mod= 350>)


    HP: ?/? (??? * <class_mod = ?> * <rank_mod = 350>)


    Energy: ?/? (??? * <class_mod = ?> * <rank_mod = 350>)


    Active Skills: Foreseer¡¯s Eye, Projectile Nullification, Prophecy, Intuitive Strike, Intuitive Guard, Intuitive Riposte


    Passive Skills: Intuitive Impulse, Alarm


    Tale????: ???


    Comments: <Error: Translation Failure>]


    ¡°What in the name of the Moons is this supposed to be?¡± Claud furrowed his brows. The status screen of this person, who had to be related with Caroline, was showing things he had never seen before.


    ¡°That¡¯s a really good question,¡± Lily replied. ¡°This seems to be a mutated status screen. Did the Goddess of Learning try to do something inside the Celestia Ruins?¡±


    She pointed at the title of the picture and narrated it out loud. ¡°This status takes the place of our regular status when we enter the Celestia Ruins.¡±


    ¡°The author entered the ruins, then,¡± said Claud. ¡°This seems like what we need. Next page?¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    The next few pages detailed the findings of the author and his team. At first glance, the Celestia Ruins were actually a huge city, a city with many automatons in huge, huge buildings. These automatons would build odd gadgets. Some of these gadgets could be used with mana, while others just stayed silent. After they were done, those gadgets would be shifted to an ever-growing pile of metal and other things, and sometimes, some of those things would roll off the edge and fall through the sky.


    This sounded miraculous enough, and yet, there was more.


    The author was of the opinion that the Celestia Ruins belonged in a different world ¡ª literally. When one entered a certain area around the Celestia Ruins, the sky and land would change. The skies that everyone was used to would change to a vast, starry sky, while far below them was a huge globe. To make things worse, the ruins themselves would physically change every century or so; apparently, the Celestia Ruins used to be a physical city on an alien world, bounded only by the physical constraints of the ruins themselves.


    To get out of the unfamiliar sky, one just needed to put enough distance from the Celestia Ruins, and the old sky and land would return.


    ¡°No mentions of any traps, though.¡± Claud tutted. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to prepare.¡±


    They flipped through the next few pages, which detailed their explorations as they trekked through the ruins. Nothing dangerous happened, apparently, and the more he read, the more he felt that this was just a treasure trove for people who knew how to fly.


    ¡°Still, it¡¯s quite luck-based, though.¡± Lily folded her arms. ¡°There¡¯s a huge pile of artefacts that may or may not be useful.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud looked at the specimens closely. ¡°Can¡¯t tell much from here. But if the place doesn¡¯t have any danger, the danger must stem from another source.¡±


    ¡°Another source?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Humans,¡± Claud replied. ¡°People are capable of great good and great evil. In times of danger, they can band together to form bonds that transcend friendship. In times of great gain, they can forsake their closest friends for profit and hope.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t do that,¡± said Lily. ¡°We live and die together.¡±


    Claud looked at her. ¡°In the past, I wouldn¡¯t be happy to say that last bit, but that¡¯s before I met you.¡±


    ¡°Claud¡­¡±


    He held her hand. ¡°But I would like to make a correction. We will not die together. No. We will not die. We¡¯ll go in there, paranoia at full blast, ready to flee at a moment¡¯s notice. It won¡¯t be dignified. We won¡¯t feel like explorers. But we¡¯ll be safe.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll follow your every word.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that,¡± said Claud. ¡°I might be controlled or something, or I might be inattentive. You have to look out for yourself, see? Look for things I might not catch. I¡¯m human. I make mistakes all the time. Did you forget about the time I bashed through that wall?¡±


    ¡°¡­Maybe that isn¡¯t a mistake, though,¡± said Lily.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°They couldn¡¯t find you, but I was by your side.¡± Lily smiled. ¡°They might have used me to find you instead. Therefore, now that I think about it, taking me and leaving the place was the best plan.¡±


    ¡°You tickled me for an hour unjustly, then.¡±


    ¡°You can tickle me back anytime,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But we should finish this book first. Do you think we can buy a copy of it? I think it¡¯ll be useful to have around there.¡±


    ¡°We should,¡± Claud replied. ¡°This is a snapshot of the Celestia Ruins then. If there¡¯s any changes, we¡¯ll have a handy reference point at hand. The other books¡­we might as well look through them, though. Might be useful.¡±


    Lily fiddled with his fingers and nodded. ¡°But can we read together?¡±


    ¡°What are you, a child?¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s read together.¡±

 Chapter 253: Discussing professions

    For a city whose moniker was ¡®City of Knowledge¡¯, the primary means of entertainment didn¡¯t differ much from the other cities and towns Claud had seen so far. People still sought information about anything or anyone interesting, and the latest one to smack Vacuos County ¡ª or, as the locals called it, Litera ¡ª was a certain baron¡¯s anger.


    ¡°Hmm. Guess he didn¡¯t take well to the emptying of his coffers.¡± Claud picked up a glass of apple juice and took a sip from it. ¡°Bleh.¡±


    ¡°Bleh?¡± Lily took his cup and sipped from it. ¡°Yeah, bleh. Doesn¡¯t taste as good as his.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m beginning to miss home,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And all because of apple juice. Those guys probably raided my home too. Now that I¡¯m out and roaming with you, they¡¯ll use that as an excuse to empty my home of fizz.¡±


    ¡°Better that than having your drinks spoil, though. And your contract was a lifetime supply, right? By the time we¡¯re back, your house will be full again,¡± said Lily. ¡°And on the bright side, Schwarz should have come up with some perfect drink that blends both apple juice and your fizzy drinks.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope that¡¯s the case,¡± Claud replied, before picking up the cup once more. Bracing himself, he took another gulp from it, forcing himself to ignore the sour taste of badly-made apple juice. ¡°Next time, let¡¯s go to a more expensive place.¡±


    ¡°Seconded.¡± Lily finished off the rest of his cup with a grimace, before shuddering at her own glass. ¡°So, Baron Inanis¡­I wonder how he found out it was a theft and not an in-family theft.¡±


    Claud lowered his voice. ¡°I cut out a piece of wall and used it to enter the vault. I moved it back shortly afterwards, but clearly, someone must have noticed that small crack by accident.¡±


    ¡°Cut out a small piece of the wall?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Like what you did in Julan?¡±


    ¡°Yeap,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Would they link that to you?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I mean, you did the same thing there, right?¡±


    ¡°For one, I don¡¯t think anyone discovered what I did in Julan so far. I don¡¯t think records about the treasury¡¯s items there remained, after that explosive departure. And besides, it¡¯s a common technique. Doors are for suckers; walls are where it¡¯s at.¡±


    ¡°Walls?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Think of it this way ¡ª doors are explicitly made prominent in a security sense, to draw the attention of thieves and robbers. They, in turn, are usually reinforced and well protected, to the point that they¡¯re often thicker and stronger than the walls themselves,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Have you seen elite soldiers before?¡±


    ¡°Elite soldiers?¡± Lily shook her head. ¡°Are you referring to the best private troops of the various nobles, or the military under the direct command of Emperor Grandis?¡±


    ¡°Both, really,¡± Claud replied. ¡°If you¡¯ve seen either of them, you should know that there¡¯s a prominent pattern painted on their chestplate, right? It¡¯s meant to draw the eyes of enemies, especially archers and mana-users, enticing them to fire on the symbol. The chestplate, however, is specially modified to shrug off even small ballistae, although the person struck will probably be out of it for the next few minutes.¡±


    ¡°The treasury doors serve a familiar function?¡± Lily bobbed her head. ¡°I see what you mean now!¡±


    ¡°Yes. A lot of seeming weak points are used to draw our attention too. The hinges and the locking mechanism are kept obvious to draw the eyes of people,¡± Claud explained. ¡°However, most people don¡¯t know that the area around the hinges is often strongly protected with the hardest of metals, while the locking mechanism¡­well, let¡¯s just say that the nobles pay top money for a reason.¡±


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    Lily took a sip from her own cup and grimaced. ¡°That¡¯s why cutting the walls are the most favoured method.¡±


    ¡°Yeap. Most nobles don¡¯t know that, though. And unfortunately, having a sturdy door often predisposes these nobles to think that the walls are even harder to breach for some reason. I don¡¯t really get it, but until they get the point, it¡¯s easy to pop in and out of a noble family¡¯s treasury.¡±


    Pushing her glass of yucky apple juice to Claud, Lily folded her arms. ¡°So, now that Baron Inanis has discovered the method of entry¡­¡±


    ¡°The walls should be harder to cut through now,¡± Claud completed. ¡°We¡¯ll have to look for a brand-new target¡­or not, since you¡¯re quite close to a bi-folder now. How much more?¡±


    ¡°I actually have more than enough lifespan to cross the gap,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯s just that I¡¯m having difficulty drawing my mana circuits.¡±


    ¡°Difficulty drawing your mana circuits?¡± Claud tilted his head. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just pump and dump?¡±


    ¡°How do you draw your mana circuits?¡± Lily asked, perplexed. ¡°You make it sound too easy, you know. Go on, enlighten me, my Claud.¡±


    ¡°Well, Crown just does the job for me, really.¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright.¡± Lily rubbed his head. ¡°Forget I said anything, okay? Look. Normally, the closer you are to completing your mana circuit, the harder it becomes. Once you hit point-nine-five, you can fail to draw your mana circuits for that tiny fraction left behind, and your progress would be set back. Some people just can¡¯t cross that final barrier for decades, or even their entire life.¡±


    ¡°Their entire life?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. From a bi-folder and onwards, luck and one¡¯s ability to wield mana become very important. Not just resources. Someone who¡¯s both lucky and skilled enough might make it to 2.00 in one go, while other people might spend decades trying to improve.¡± Lily gazed at Claud. ¡°You¡¯re lucky, do you know that? You went all the way to a tri-folder in a single shot.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m probably going to leave it at 3.99,¡± Claud added. ¡°It¡¯ll be a waste if I didn¡¯t. And that extra bit will make me all so much stronger too, right?¡±


    ¡°You are the only person who can proclaim that with ease,¡± Lily replied with a chuckle. ¡°Can you do it tonight? I want to watch you grow stronger.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Claud picked up the glass and forced the shady facsimile of Schwarz¡¯s masterpiece down his throat.


    With that promise given, Lily snuggled up to him, the light in her eyes dancing. Claud rubbed her head for a moment, and then picked up their newspaper, which had been abandoned on the inn¡¯s table. Other than the headlines, which was Baron Inanis¡¯ declaration of war against the handsome and intelligent thief that had raided his treasury, there wasn¡¯t much to look at on the first page.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Lily asked. ¡°What are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°Anything about the great Dark, as usual,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m hoping that the information agencies here might know more than those agencies at Monsville, but¡­¡±


    He set aside the paper. ¡°Maybe we need to ask them directly. Grease their hands a little with a silvery shimmer, if you get my drift.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lily picked up the paper and leafed through it. ¡°Yeah, we should do that. Might as well get some supplies too, for our trip, and it¡¯ll be nice to experience the culture of the City of Knowledge. Do you think we can find a statue of the Water Goddess here?¡±


    ¡°Lyceris?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lily placed the newspaper down and got up from her seat. ¡°This is the City of Knowledge; there might be a statue dedicated to the Goddess of Knowledge.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s long dead, though. What, are we going to present some offerings to her statue?¡± Claud asked, curious.


    ¡°Huh? Of course not,¡± Lily replied. ¡°We¡¯re going to look for some of her faithful. I mean, there has to be a few people who like her a lot, right? Scholars and old, eminent people who like the concept of learning and knowledge. If we can talk to a few of them, we might learn more about Celestia.¡±


    Claud got up immediately. ¡°You¡¯ve convinced me.¡±


    ¡°¡­I thought I would need to work harder, really.¡± Lily rubbed her nose. ¡°Let¡¯s go walk around the city, then. Keep an eye out for some distinguished-looking scholars!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get scammed, though,¡± said Claud, as he returned the glasses to the innkeeper¡¯s counter. ¡°In the City of Trades, conmen pass themselves off as experienced thieves, assassins and mercenaries by simply looking and behaving the part. Given that we¡¯re in a similarly named City of Knowledge, I¡¯m sure there are some scammers who intend to peddle knowledge for unfair prices or even sell misinformation to the unwary.¡±


    ¡°¡­Does that usually happen here?¡±


    ¡°You ask me, but who do I ask?¡± Claud shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m new here too. I¡¯m just raising the possibility. And besides¡­¡±


    He lowered his voice. ¡°Did we not do it to a certain Nicolas too? We just acted the part and got ourselves a knight¡¯s identity. When you think about it, most of it just boils down to your portrayed personality and how you carry yourself.¡±


    Claud had a feeling that he was guiding Lily onto a different path, and he could faintly hear Schwarz and the others scold him¡­but since they weren¡¯t here, it was up to him to equip Lily with all the skills and knowledge she needed.


    ¡°As paranoid as ever.¡± Lily clutched on to his hand. ¡°But I like it. You take charge here, okay? Don¡¯t get scammed!¡±


    ¡°¡­Wait, I¡¯m doing the hard work now?¡±

 Chapter 254: Equals, not followers

    A statue that was apparently styled after the late Goddess of Water and Learning, a god from the Primordial Era, did actually exist in the City of Knowledge. In Litera or, depending on who one asked, the Vacuos County, a small following dedicated to her ideals of lifelong learning and other intellectual philosophies existed.


    ¡°You¡¯d expect to see more devotees here, though,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Bummer.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s gotten you so down?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Did you want to find them for something?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be nice to talk to believers in a long-dead god,¡± Lily replied, looking around the place. Three old people sat around the statue, with two of them playing Moon Phase and one of them spectating the game. Claud didn¡¯t feel inclined to disrupt the serious business of Moon Phase by talking to them, so the two of them simply spectated for a bit, and then moved on to examine the statue itself.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Claud frowned and looked at the statue, which was wearing a long, flowy robe. ¡°I¡¯m not sure of a few things. For instance, how do we know that this status actually depicts the Goddess of Learning? I mean, there really isn¡¯t any authority that can tell us that for sure, right?¡±


    ¡°Wait, that¡¯s your main point? I thought you were going to comment on how impractical her clothes are or something. I mean, they look really flappy to me. If she needs to run through a forest, they probably get caught on something, right?¡±


    ¡°For one, we¡¯re talking about gods here,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And besides, there¡¯s a reason why she was killed in the Second Godsfall, right?¡±


    ¡°Eh? She died from being caught in a forest?¡±


    ¡°I love it when you take me literally, but no. I¡¯m not sure how she died, but something bothersome probably dragged her down and contributed to her actual death,¡± Claud replied, his voice lowered. ¡°That era¡¯s Bearers probably trapped her in something and killed her.¡±


    ¡°¡­You sound very certain.¡±


    ¡°I was talking outta my ass, so buy it with a pinch of salt or something,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s a bit hard to accept that this random statue depicts a god, especially since there really isn¡¯t much in the way of verification. For all we know, this woman might just be a person who wanted her visage sculpted years ago, and then fell into ruin with the rest of her family.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s awfully specific.¡± Lily chuckled. ¡°Well, I suppose we¡¯ll never be able to tell for certain. In fact, texts about the Six Gods of Virtue don¡¯t really exist either, and I¡¯m told that those that do¡­are problematic. Half of them are forgeries, the other half are works that take the Six Gods¡¯ teachings and reinterpret them through their own knowledge.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the result?¡±


    ¡°Oh, statements that depict the Six Gods of Virtue as gods that championed things like slavery, for instance,¡± said Lily. ¡°But anyone with some modicum of education knows that the current anti-slavery policies are simply a continuation of the Six Gods¡¯ own anti-slavery slant.¡±


    ¡°That¡­I didn¡¯t know.¡± Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°Modicum of higher education, I guess?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah.¡± Lily shuffled her feet. ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean anything by that.¡±


    ¡°I know. And besides, you¡¯re right. I don¡¯t have the benefit of higher education. Maybe that¡¯s why I like reading,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Well, you¡¯re going to guide me around, okay?¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me!¡±


    The two of them examined the statue from head to toe once more, but neither of them could reach a verdict on whether this statue actually depicted the real deal or not. After around ten minutes, they gave up, and were on the verge of leaving when the old woman spectating the match of Moon Phase ambled over and cleared her throat.


    ¡°Younglings.¡±


    The two of them jumped, and Claud exchanged glances with Lily. After around a second of blinks and winks, the two of them turned back to the old woman, having worked out a game plan.


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    ¡°Ma¡¯am.¡± Claud nodded his head politely. ¡°How may I help you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, dearie. You¡¯re quite the polite one!¡± The old woman chuckled. ¡°No, no. I just overheard your conversation about the Goddess of Learning. Your mindset is something she would love, yes.¡±


    ¡°My mindset?¡± Claud pointed at himself. ¡°Who, me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you, dearie.¡± The old woman shuffled over to the statue. ¡°She wanted mortals and gods alike to doubt everything. Their senses, their world, their beliefs, their knowledge. To doubt is to live. That is what she believed.¡±


    ¡°To doubt is to live.¡± Claud repeated that statement with a slow, mechanical precision. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­keep that in mind. Pardon me, though. It sounds like a really exhausting way to live.¡±


    Lily¡¯s burning gaze fell on him, but there was a difference between his way of living and the lifestyle that this woman claimed to be the Goddess of Learning¡¯s doctrine.


    ¡­He was already doing it, apparently.


    At any rate, his attention span and energy had limits. Claud knew that he would be sapped of energy if he started questioning anything and everything, so unless he had absolutely nothing to do ¡ª which sounded like what a god might experience after a while ¡ª doubting literally existence itself was an exercise best saved for a nice sunny afternoon with nothing on the mind.


    ¡°Very well,¡± said the old lady. ¡°Now, were you looking for scholars?¡±


    Lily nudged Claud gently, and he nodded. ¡°Yeah. People versed in ancient legends and things like that. Ma¡¯am, do you know where I can find such people.¡±


    ¡°Ancient legends. Like the great Dark, I presume. Or the Celestia Ruins. Oh, don¡¯t look so shocked.¡± The old woman chuckled. ¡°Of course you would. In recent days, many people have been looking for information related to the Celestia Ruins, the great Dark and the descent of the Moons. Some, like you, have found their way to the Goddess of Learning¡¯s statue, hoping to find some of her believers in there.¡±


    Claud and Lily nodded like little chicks pecking on rice.


    ¡°Unfortunately, you will not find believers in the Goddess of Learning here,¡± said the old woman. ¡°Just her adherents. We find her ideals admirable, but we do not seek to worship her. In our mind, we hope to be her intellectual equal; that is all.¡±


    ¡°But she¡¯s¡­long gone,¡± said Claud.


    ¡°Does death invalidate someone¡¯s ideals? Society in general practices a mutated form of survival of the fittest, but ideas are things that transcend the border of life and death.¡± The old woman patted the statue. ¡°I believe that her mindset, her way of living, will result in a more robust outlook on life.¡±


    ¡°How would it help me?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Well, for starters, you¡¯ll be able to see things from a different angle. I would recommend that you start with this question. Why is something that way? This is a good question for understanding the world around you, young man. Or at least, learning to handle the world around you.¡± The old woman chuckled. ¡°Now, young ones tend to be busy, so I will not bother the two of you much. Let me leave you with this one question, however.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all ears,¡± Lily replied, dipping her head lightly.


    ¡°Why do we people have a status?¡± The old woman patted the statue of the Goddess of Learning once more, and then ambled off. ¡°Farewell, young ones. May you live a fulfilling life. If you need a scholar, I recommend that you head towards the Hall of Erudition, in the city centre.¡±


    Claud and Lily looked at her soundlessly as she returned to the two old men playing Moon Phase, and as one, tilted their heads.


    ¡°Status, huh.¡± Claud chewed over these two words, and then bowed once in the direction of the old woman. Lily followed suit a moment later, and the two headed towards the city centre. The old lady¡¯s questions and suggestions bore their own merits; Claud bowed once because he felt that there was something¡­worth pondering in there.


    Now that he was a tri-folder, Claud knew that his every action could result in devastating outcomes. He couldn¡¯t just be paranoid anymore. He had to be thorough, to consider things from many angles.


    ¡°¡­I never thought of it that way,¡± said Lily, after Claud told her about his tiny epiphany. ¡°But you¡¯re right. Especially¡­for your true level of strength, right?¡±


    Claud nodded. He had the ability to destroy an entire city, if he so willed it. And to make matters worse, he also had the passive skill, Omen. If he destroyed a city the way he killed the Emissary¡­


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud grimaced. ¡°Stop me, if I ever go mad.¡±


    ¡°You? Go mad?¡± Lily shook her head. ¡°Listen to your own words, alright? Don¡¯t be silly.¡±


    She took a look at his face. ¡°Alright. I promise. I¡¯ll grab onto your arm and not let go if you ever think of doing something as stupid as that.¡±


    Claud rubbed her head. ¡°Thanks, Lily.¡±


    ¡°You sure can lapse into weird moods at times,¡± said Lily. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go to the Hall of Erudition.¡±


    ¡°Wait. I hear someone.¡± Claud narrowed his eyes. ¡°And I think it¡¯s the town crier.¡±


    The shrill, piercing shrieks of a man trained to do exactly that slipped into his ears, producing clear, painful words. Claud tried to parse them the best he could, and his face paled a moment later.


    The Moons had their minions.


    Therefore, the great Dark should have their own too. Proper minions, not just darkened animals. Unfortunately for Claud and Lily, these minions had, in the darkness last night, abruptly overrun one of the three dukedoms of the Nihila Sovereignty, the neighbouring Quies Dukedom. The count¡¯s personal troops were already moving out, and an emergency summons to all mana-users had been issued by the Lacuna Dukedom, which governed Cava, Vacuos and Lostfon, to assemble at Lostfon itself.


    The Lacuna Dukedom was under attack, and Lostfon was the first real battleground.


    Claud took a deep breath. ¡°You have got to be kidding me. What¡¯s wrong with this year?¡±


    ¡°Everything, it seems.¡± Lily patted his shoulder. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get more details.¡±

 Chapter 255: The invading shadows

    ¡°Out of the wok and into the fire, huh.¡± Claud looked at the door-sized board that had been erected in the city square. Lots of bespectacled fellows, each of them clutching onto books like a mum would do to her cherished baby, stood around the board and flipped through papers and other things. ¡°Looks like madness all around here.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Lily squeezed up to Claud even more. ¡°I¡¯ve been jolted around on and on.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Claud had a rueful face. ¡°I hate crowds.¡±


    ¡°Funny, me too.¡±


    Squeezing their way out of the crowd, Lily pulled him over to a nearby mobile stall, which was selling iced fruit juice. The two of them had initially wanted some apple juice upon seeing it for sale, but Lily had wisely reminded him that their expectations would make the drink unpalatable, so they settled for orange juice instead.


    ¡°Ah, this is the life.¡± Claud looked up at the sky. ¡°Just you, me and some chilled drinks.¡±


    ¡°You literally just complained about this year fifteen minutes ago,¡± Lily replied. ¡°You¡¯d understand if I don¡¯t quite believe your words, right? How temperamental.¡±


    The muscles that were helping Claud smile slackened at those words. ¡°We have to keep our spirits up in trying times like this, Lily. Being alive is a good thing, but it being a good thing is not inherent. It¡¯s something we must do all the time.¡±


    ¡°But what if something really bad happens?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Like, say, I got killed.¡±


    Claud felt a cold chill run down his spine. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say ominous words like this. But¡­I¡¯ll look for a way to revive you. Somehow. And if I can¡¯t, I¡¯ll exact revenge on whatever killed you, and then¡­¡±


    ¡°What if I died because I ran out of lifespan?¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°Nothing to exact revenge on. And if I died peacefully?¡±


    Those words rampaged through his mind for a moment, and then Claud drew a deep breath. ¡°I don¡¯t know I¡¯ll do, I guess. I don¡¯t like the idea of people dying. I hate the fact that people can die. What happens when everyone around me dies? I¡¯m happy that this world has lifestones, but if I¡¯m the only one still alive¡­¡±


    Lily looked at him, and then squeezed his cheeks. ¡°Sorry. But this is, in a way, a necessary question, right? Times like this, anyone can die. Zulan Patra died. A whole bunch of innocents died. Some Bearers of Destiny died. I¡­won¡¯t know what to do if you died.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll fight my hardest to stay alive, so you better do the same,¡± Claud replied.


    Lily looked him in the eye. ¡°It¡¯s a promise, okay? You better stay alive, or I¡¯ll go after you.¡±


    Despite her ominous words, Claud couldn¡¯t help but smile, only for his face to scrunch up as Lily messed with his hair.


    Picking up his cold, paper cup of orange juice, Claud took a sip and offered the rest to Lily. He knew why she had asked such a question; the forces of the great Dark had already taken out an entire dukedom. Since dukes and duchesses usually were tetra-folders, this could only imply that the great Dark had multiple minions of such strength, and maybe even a penta-folder.


    After all, the Quies Dukedom had been overrun in a single night. From the announcement pasted on the board, preliminary intelligence indicated that a massive force of shadowy beings was already attacking the Lostfon County, which was the major territory closest to Quies.


    ¡°Right.¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°It¡¯s¡­kinda problematic, but can you help out the war effort a bit? With your ability, you¡¯ll be able to help Lostfon County out a bit.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± said Claud. ¡°If I can obliterate a Moon Emissary, I sure can blast out a huge swath of the battlefield, and then flee like a beaten dog afterwards.¡±


    ¡°The ¡®Once-a-day¡¯ mysterious saviour?¡± Lily blinked. ¡°Sounds nice, but that¡¯s a bit pushing it, right? I¡¯m not asking you to¡­well, blow up an entire army or something. Just¡­help the county capital.¡±


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    ¡°I could do that, but are you sure? I have an anti-divination passive skill, and Presence Nullification.¡± Claud paused. ¡°Still, you do have a point. Maybe I¡¯ll only go all out if Duchess Lacuna¡¯s forces are losing or something.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good enough, I think. Caroline¡­has a family there too. If they¡¯re all killed there¡­and besides, there¡¯s a lot of people we can help, right?¡±


    ¡°Family¡­¡± Claud looked at her, and then understood her eagerness to help. ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll help. No skin off my back, anyway. I¡¯ll just launch one giant spear of light every day at the monsters there until they give up. That should be enough to put a dent into their forces, and if a Bearer of Destiny happens to die there¡­¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t possibly happen again, right?¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± Claud rubbed his head. ¡°Still, it¡¯ll definitely be dangerous. Anyone¡¯s who capable of flying might be able to spot us, and even the smallest traces can be dangerous. We¡¯ll have to be careful.¡±


    ¡°If Duchess Lacuna¡¯s forces prove to be good enough, we won¡¯t need to help at all,¡± Lily added.


    ¡°But the problem lies in the fact that we¡¯re on the side that had been taken by surprise. By the time Duchess Lacuna can reinforce Lostfon¡¯s main positions, a lot of people will have died, unless¡­¡± Claud got up.


    ¡°Claud?¡±


    ¡°Unless we strike a lethal blow first,¡± said Claud. ¡°I¡¯ll obliterate the first wave of enemies. That should give the Duke¡¯s forces, as well as the mercenaries heading there, some precious time. Come on. No time to lose. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Pulling her close, Claud tore a skillstrip containing Presence Nullification, and then tore another containing Flight. Without any hesitation, he took her up into the skies, and then headed northwards.


    Air whistled in his ears as Claud checked through his equipment. His skillstrip and skillstick stores were still going strong, since he made it a point to keep making more where possible. The only issue was Absolute One, which couldn¡¯t be made into a skillstrip or a skillstick, but¡­


    ¡°I never really appreciated it, but Lostfon is actually really far from Licencia, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lily looked to the north. ¡°It¡¯s two dukedoms away, and is the northernmost territory of Duchess Lacuna to boot.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a bit like the Istrel Sovereignty, just that we rotate it to the right once. The closest dukedom is the Liquet Dukedom, which we entirely ignored in our flight here, and then a bit up north, we get Lacuna. After that, it¡¯s Quies.¡± Claud paused. ¡°I suppose the fact that we didn¡¯t really notice an entire dukedom flashing before our eyes as we fled from the Istrel Sovereignty is a bit problematic, right?¡±


    Lily nodded as Claud pumped in more mana into the spiritual structure of Flight. ¡°Well, when we¡¯re flying this quickly, things tend to become quite¡­blurred. And a huge portion of Liquet was just forest, wasn¡¯t it? We didn¡¯t really see a town or anything until we arrived at Monsville.¡±


    ¡°True. In that case¡­it isn¡¯t a problem after all.¡± Claud cackled, and then focused his attention on flying.


    The distance between counties were generally considerable, and even at his maximum speed, he used almost the entire duration back then to travel from Monsville, which was under the overall jurisdiction of Cava County, to the Vacuos County capital.


    Judging from the map Lily was holding onto right now, he would also need to fly for that long too, while using his mana the whole time. Fortunately, his reserves were huge, and the rate at which his mana regenerated was a lot higher now. Cutting a trail across the sky, Claud felt his heart skip a beat as a floating island came into view.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°The Celestia Ruins, right?¡± Claud completed her sentence. The urge to explore it bubbled inside him, but he shook his head once to dispel that thought. Dealing with the forces of the great Dark took priority; he knew that Lily would not be able to focus if the menace that was the enemy were rampaging in Lostfon.


    He didn¡¯t want her to be distracted or worried; those two mental states led to careless mistakes easily. The fact that the two of them were here, in the Nihila Sovereignty, was probably proof of that¡­


    As they zoomed past the Celestia Ruins, Claud felt Lily¡¯s arms, which were wrapped around him, tighten slightly. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t quite rub her head in response, which was somewhat sad, but he could always do it when they arrived at their destination.


    Shooting past a nice, wispy cloud, the two of them eventually arrived at a huge city, one as big as Licencia.


    ¡°They haven¡¯t arrived yet, I think,¡± said Lily. ¡°We¡¯re probably faster than Duchess Lacuna¡¯s army.¡±


    ¡°Us one, duchess zero.¡± Claud narrowed his eyes. ¡°And I think we came just in time too.¡±


    As they came to a stop some distance away from Lostfon, the two could see a black pool at the horizon, an encroaching ocean of darkness. Under the sunlight, the uniform army of shadows seemed particularly menacing, even from afar, and an eerie chill ran down Claud¡¯s spine.


    ¡°Spooky.¡± Claud took a deep breath. At such a distance, he couldn¡¯t quite see if there were any civilians or soldiers making a break for it, but there was a slightly different target available for him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll target the middle of that entire ocean of shadows,¡± said Claud. ¡°Lily, mind helping me prepare another Presence Nullification?¡±


    ¡°On it.¡±


    As Lily readied herself to tear the skillstrip, Claud took a long, deep breath. Now that he had done it once... ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem that hard to do it again, right?¡±


    Two words rang out in his mind a moment later, and the world began to shake.

 Chapter 256: The lull caused by an explosive lance

    No one, save for Lily, who was enshrouded in the same Presence Nullification skill, could feel the sky-shaking mana that had formed a javelin. This time, however, Claud had forcibly condensed the sky-spanning spear into a normal-sized one, compressing the explosive mana over and over. Mana Hub, which was an upgraded passive skill from his Mana Organ, actually allowed him to manipulate mana remotely, which meant that he didn¡¯t need to throw anything. He hadn¡¯t used it last time, but now that he had time to examine his status¡­


    A nexus of mana. That was him, Claud.


    Lily trembled at the man-sized spear, which had now turned silver entirely. Claud didn¡¯t know why the colour had changed, but whatever the case, he could tell that the attack on the Moon Emissary had nothing on this single spear. Immense mana had been bound tightly, compressed and condensed into a projectile that would not unravel this time.


    His heart trembled at this moment. For some reason, Claud had the feeling that he was about to do something really, really wrong, but his reason took over and extinguished that sentiment immediately. The great Dark were monsters, weren¡¯t they?


    Spending another second to suppress that sentiment, Claud took a deep breath and hardened his resolve.


    The spear floated out of his hand a moment later, before propelling itself forward madly. At the same time, Lily¡¯s hands moved, tearing apart another Presence Nullification skillstrip. A cool wave of energy fell upon them as the hurled, compressed lance of explosive mana crossed the distance instantly, covering them just as the attack landed.


    Claud and Lily turned their eyes away, just in time to avoid the emergence of a second sun. Silvery light dyed the entire world, forcibly banishing any other colour at the same time. The wind fell silent a heartbeat later, drowned out by a monstrous roar. From the corner of his eyes, Claud could tell that a giant hemisphere had bloomed, like a sunflower in a room of darkness. Lightning crackled and roared, creating little tendrils that swept out eagerly over and over again.


    Below them, the ground bucked and trembled, an earthquake that shook even the Lostfon county capital itself. Far behind him, he could hear the walls tremble and quiver, but fortunately, the city was far enough from the point of impact that the walls still shook.


    ¡°Moons¡­¡± Lily¡¯s awed voice entered his ear. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it once, but it¡¯s still scary. I see why they kept calling you a monster from the Third Godsfall.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not, okay?¡± Claud replied. ¡°And I¡¯m sure that after I downed the Moon Emissary, they would have upgraded me to a monster from the Second Godsfall.¡±


    Lily stifled a giggle.


    ¡°It¡¯s not funny! I¡¯m what, just twenty-odd years old? Being described as an ancient relic does not please me in any way whatsoever,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°But you¡¯re smiling.¡±


    ¡°Am I?¡± Claud felt his face, before feeling a touch of absurdity in his chest. Normally, people would have been staring at the giant ball of silvery death that was spitting on lightning in the distance, but being the one to launch such an attack twice in the same moon phase had definitely detracted from the shock and awe factor.


    ¡°Yeaap.¡± Lily, who was unaware of his thoughts, poked his cheeks. ¡°Definitely smiling. You tell me that you don¡¯t like attention, but you¡¯re pleased by this new nickname anyway. Not sure what to think of all this.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s because I¡¯m overcome with flattery,¡± Claud replied. ¡°You¡¯d start smiling if I heap praises on you, right? Even if you don¡¯t like it, you¡¯ll still be smiling because that¡¯s how it is.¡±


    He paused. ¡°I know that¡¯s a flimsy argument, though, but¡­oh hey, look.¡±


    Claud gazed at the gigantic crater, the only proof that an entire army of dark shadows had been there just a minute ago. From their vantage point, the depth of the hemispherical pit seemed to be the same as the hemisphere¡¯s height back then, and Claud intuitively understood that his attack had resulted in the creation of a ball of silvery annihilation.


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    ¡°Enemy routed, it seems,¡± Lily reported. ¡°And you created a huge blockade between the Lostfon County and the Quies Dukedom. Your mission to buy some time has been executed perfectly, although I shudder to think about the costs to level the whole area.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯ll be a problem.¡± Claud narrowed his eyes. ¡°I think I annihilated all the dirt and ground there. I didn¡¯t dislodge it like a regular explosion, that attack literally turned everything to dust.¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it, we didn¡¯t have much of a chance to examine the previous crater you made,¡± said Lily. ¡°I wonder what it looks like. Do you think I¡¯ll be able to recreate such an attack with the right explosives?¡±


    ¡°Well, I dumped lots of mana into that single spear. If you can replicate the condensation of mana on that scale, it should be possible,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I mean, I had your advice in mind when I was condensing all that mana, after all.¡±


    ¡°My advice?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Back when you came over to my place for some fizzy drinks?¡± Claud asked.


    Lily tilted her head. ¡°Oh. Right. I was teaching you how to make some basic explosives, right? And then we talked about increasing power.¡±


    ¡°Yep, yep. I was looking back at my attack from that day. Sure, the giant spear of light looked awesome, but it lacked that kind of oomph.¡± Claud forced out some mana from his body, which immediately formed a small sphere. ¡°But if I make it smaller, I could make it release power at a far greater intensity.¡±


    Lily chuckled. ¡°You do know that I¡¯m the explosives expert here, right? But to think that this can be applied to mana too. I¡¯m shocked.¡±


    ¡°I think that attack was more shocking, though. I can see the crater from here, and that¡¯s saying a lot,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But let¡¯s put that aside first. What should we do now? We can¡¯t land at Lostfon now, since that¡¯ll be too suspicious. And to be honest, I don¡¯t want to enter the Celestia Ruins right now, since we don¡¯t have enough tools yet.¡±


    Lily stared at the city below. ¡°Why can¡¯t we sneak into Lostfon? We can disguise ourselves as someone who made their way here two days ago for a holiday. As knights of the Primus family. Don¡¯t worry. My acting skills are good.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not doubting that, but¡­hmm. Why did I not think of that?¡± Claud frowned. ¡°What, did I turn into a law-abiding citizen or something?¡±


    ¡°You are the leading security officer for Licencia. Maybe that title made you reluctant to sneak in?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Or maybe something inside you is assuming that Lostfon also has nets that prevent people from flying in?¡±


    ¡°¡­Makes sense. Must be some occupational tic I picked up in my time there,¡± said Claud. ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, why didn¡¯t you think the same way?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m your assistant,¡± Lily replied brightly. ¡°There¡¯s a difference.¡±


    ¡°There is?¡±


    ¡°There is, there is.¡± Lily nodded. ¡°For instance, I¡¯m not actively considering the city¡¯s security every day. My job back then is to help you help the city, so I¡¯m only thinking about you every day, not the city.¡±


    ¡°¡­Thanks, Lily.¡±


    She grinned back. ¡°Anyway, where should we land?¡±


    ¡°A place with lots of people,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It might seem counterintuitive, but escaping into the crowd right after an event occurs is often the best way to seem innocent. I don¡¯t like crowds, but we all have to be a bit¡­adaptive.¡±


    He glanced at Lily¡¯s face, which betrayed a hint of dislike, and then patted her. ¡°We¡¯ll land at the edge of the crowd, and I¡¯ll hug you the whole time. Is that better?¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°There, there.¡±


    The frightened crowds in Lostfon were still staring blankly at the distant horizon as they landed. As for the soldiers that were gathering up to defend the city, most of them were shaking in their boots, clearly awed by the gigantic attack that had wiped out the army of shadows. Bolts of lightning arced skywards every few seconds, and the deafening roar had been replaced by a howling wind.


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s scared,¡± Lily whispered.


    Claud held her close, as promised, and then edged away from one of the many crowds. Claud nudged someone and felt Presence Nullification wear off prematurely, but as usual, no one noticed.


    A lot of people were hugging someone else too, as Claud took a quick look around the place. Lily buried her face into his neck a few seconds later, if only to make their act a bit stronger, and Claud had to stop himself from giggling.


    Her breathing was making his neck somewhat ticklish, but laughing out would be a bad idea here. Enduring the nice warmth that made him twitch every few seconds, Claud pricked his ears and waited for everyone¡¯s common sense to resume operation. No matter how stunning that explosion was, life had to go on.


    Life indeed went on a minute later, as some fellow with ornate armour shot to the skies. ¡°Everyone! Don¡¯t just stand there! That attack must have come from one of the Chromatic Lords! We must take this chance to fortify our defences and wait for reinforcements to come!¡±


    The crowd bubbled in excitement, and the soldiers broke out of their stupor with renewed vigour. Claud, however, had no idea what the civilians¡¯ role here was, and after exchanging glances with Lily, decided to ask someone nearby.


    Her answer was a bit surprising.

 Chapter 257: Conscription and confiscation

    As the woman walked towards the city walls, where a table had been prepared, Claud and Lily exchanged glances.


    ¡°Treasures, huh?¡± Lily licked her lips. ¡°And a whole lot of them too.¡±


    ¡°Just by defending the wall, one can get food and other essentials. A contribution system that replaces the established monetary currencies, huh?¡± Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°Fortunately, we don¡¯t need to stay in Lostfon overnight, since we can¡¯t stay in an inn with money now, but this also means that we can get items with just fighting and carrying out missions.¡±


    ¡°You probably don¡¯t intend on helping out, but I suggest we check out their list of treasures and whatever first,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°True. There¡¯s no harm in looking at what¡¯s available.¡± Claud looked up at the floating island far above the city. ¡°And maybe there¡¯s something useful there too. Information, or artefacts geared towards the Celestia Ruins in general. We might have to end up killing some of those shadowy things.¡±


    ¡°Alright, since we¡¯re in accord¡­¡±


    The two of them joined the queue, where discussion about that giant explosion was busy making its rounds around the crowds. The soldiers had taken this chance to rush out of the city; Claud could see them building smaller fortifications from outside the city gates. All sorts of weapons had been pulled out, with mounted crossbows to even the same ballistae that Claud had installed on Moon Mansion.


    ¡°Are those ballistae¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yeap.¡± Claud looked at the soldiers handling the thirty-plus ballistae, as they pulled the contraption onto elevated platforms. Barricades with spikes facing outwards had been erected, their metal pointy ends glittering with the promise of a nasty end. The soldiers were presumably making the same preparations all around the city walls, providing an all-around defensive line.


    ¡°Most of these civilians look excited, for some reason,¡± Lily noted. ¡°But they are quite tight-lipped about the exact reason. Everyone keeps talking about that explosion¡­¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they talk about that attack?¡± Claud whispered back. ¡°That was an awesome display of power, and everyone wants to brag about seeing a Chromatic Lord in the flesh. It¡¯s his fault for being too awesome.¡±


    Lily nudged him lightly in the ribs for his own self-praise.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Rolling her eyes at him, Lily accepted a small flyer. She glanced at it for a moment, and then handed it to Claud. ¡°This is for everyone in the line.¡±


    ¡°What, a flyer to tell us about what to expect when we volunteer?¡± Claud asked. ¡°That said, I was indeed wondering how everyone knew about such a thing¡­¡±


    He looked at the rest of the queue, who were comparing two flyers to each other. While both had the same colour scheme, he could tell that the newer one ¡ª the one they just received ¡ª had a few more words on them, as if the author wanted to add something they forgot.


    ¡°Hmm. Let¡¯s see.¡± Claud cleared his throat. ¡°Conscription notice. All able-bodied people above the age of eighteen are invited to help with the defence of Lostfon City. Complete missions and man certain defence points to earn contributions. Contributions can be exchanged for a wide variety of things, including lifestones, services, territory, property and artefacts.¡±


    ¡°You forgot the postscript,¡± Lily added. ¡°While the Order of Conscription is in effect, goods and services will no longer accept gold and other financial currencies as payment. The only payment available in Lostfon is through contributions.¡±


    ¡°Sign up today!¡± Claud added, throwing a cheery tone into his words, and Lily nudged him in the ribs again. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Stop trying to make me laugh,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯ll be odd if we laugh, you know. Straighten your face!¡±


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    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Claud flipped the flyer over, but there was nothing on the other page. ¡°Still, it¡¯s just a fancier way of saying ¡®Help or get out¡¯, right? Since you can¡¯t conduct business with money here. I¡¯m sure families that escape will return to see their homes ransacked too, with food and valuables confiscated and added to the pool of rewards.¡±


    ¡°¡­Won¡¯t put it past them,¡± Lily replied, as a bunch of soldiers tugged a wagon full of pretty clothes and sacks of rice past them. Other wagons followed suit, but Claud could tell that many gazes were on the lead wagon, which had lots of embellished dresses displayed prominently.


    ¡°I know that dress,¡± said a voice. ¡°That one at the front was what the Cliffens¡¯ eldest daughter wore during a party last year. And the green and silver dress was her attire for the New Moon festivities three years ago.¡±


    ¡°What about that corset, the one that¡¯s at the very top?¡± someone else asked.


    ¡°She wore that last month once, when going out with her friends.¡±


    ¡°Nice to know¡­but how did you know that?¡±


    Lily snickered as the crowd went wild at that question. ¡°Turns out that there¡¯s always a fanatic here and there. Still, this family sounds like a noble family, a barony or something. What are they doing here? Shouldn¡¯t they be running their own territory?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re asking me?¡± Claud chuckled. ¡°Maybe they¡¯re a live-in noble. Or a fief-less noble family, if that¡¯s possible.¡±


    ¡°Those actually exist?¡± Lily muttered. ¡°And I thought those were rumours.¡±


    She muttered under her breath for a moment, and then pricked her ears once more. Restraining the urge to nibble at them, Claud returned his attention to the ongoing chatter, which had now centred around the interesting spectacle of the Cliffens¡¯ properties being carted into the building behind the registration booth.


    The fact that the building had a sign that read ¡®Treasure House¡¯ probably didn¡¯t help either.


    Putting that aside, the sudden appearance of these wagons had fortunately turned the people¡¯s attention away from the alleged attack by the Chromatic Lord ¡ª which was actually Claud ¡ª but he found it a bit unnatural at how quickly they forgot about it.


    ¡°They sure forgot about that attack really quickly,¡± Lily noted, barely a second after that thought flashed through his mind. ¡°Oh, were you thinking the same thing?¡±


    ¡°How did you guess?¡± Claud asked, surprised.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m number one when it comes to studying your expressions,¡± Lily replied. ¡°You usually have this odd, bemused look when you think that something doesn¡¯t make sense, and it just appeared.¡±


    Claud felt his face and squished his cheeks. ¡°Really? But I swear my expression was as straight as ever, though.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a me thing?¡± Lily asked. ¡°And sometimes, you also seem to read my mind quite easily.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Claud pondered on that subject as the queue dwindled. ¡°I think it¡¯s a lovers¡¯ thing, if you don¡¯t mind me calling it that.¡±


    ¡°Now, why would I?¡± Lily clutched his hand a moment later. ¡°Anyway, it seems that they¡¯re indeed confiscating the properties of people who flee Lostfon. It¡¯s an inspired move, when you think about it. They won¡¯t have the face to come back after the whole thing is over, and this confiscation just doubles down on that particular fact.¡±


    ¡°A social death.¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°I wonder if they¡¯re going to hammer it in by announcing their flight? Still, one must admire the ability of the Lostfon family in orchestrating this. Even with the threat of enemies closing in, they didn¡¯t forget to make an example out of any deserters, and even used one of their peers as a demonstration.¡±


    She paused. ¡°I¡¯m feeling a bit cold.¡±


    Claud considered her statement for a moment, and then hugged her lightly. He had a few guesses about that abrupt statement, but what really mattered was that Lily needed someone.


    ¡°Noble society can sure be cold,¡± Claud muttered.


    They stayed together in this position right until it was their turn to register, and the clerk had to cough lightly to get their attention.


    ¡°Excuse me, sir, ma¡¯am.¡± The young man rapped his table gently. ¡°But I can¡¯t process you two if you keep hugging each other this tightly. I need your identification papers.¡±


    Claud cleared his throat, and Lily took out their documents. His pockets had too many items to put something as crucial as these documents inside, so he had left the job to Lily, whose pockets were also quite stuffed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­knights?¡± The clerk froze up, and a bad feeling welled up in Claud¡¯s heart. Before he could stop the punk, the latter had produced a bell.


    Ringing it madly, the clerk proclaimed, ¡°The knight family of Primus has joined us in our defence! From an entire county away, the husband-wife duo of knights has pledged to aid our defence! Everyone, please thank them!¡±


    Under the rain of applause, Claud only had one thought, and from the expressions on Lily¡¯s face, she clearly had the same choice word too. Within seconds, the clerk had stamped on his paper, before calling someone else to take his place. Under his constant urging, he shepherded the two of them into a rather fortified house, and sat them down in what looked like a reception.


    The clerk was laying out drinks when the unmistakeable aura of a mana-folder followed a stately man into the room.


    ¡°Sir Primus, Lady Primus.¡± The man walked up to them and sat down on the opposite sofa. ¡°I¡¯m Count Lostfon. We thank you for your aid.¡±


    At those words, Claud really wanted to cuss. This, unfortunately, wasn¡¯t the time for it.


    They had to face the patriarch of the Lostfon family first.

 Chapter 258: Count Lostfon

    The blue-haired, middle-aged man¡¯s grip was firm as they exchanged handshakes. ¡°Once again, Lord and Lady Primus, thank you for helping out my city in our time of need¡­or so I would like to say, but do you not have territories that need looking after either?¡±


    Claud had absolutely no idea how to answer, but Lily, ever his trusty partner, was already in her alternate mode.


    ¡°Do not worry about us, good count,¡± Lily replied. ¡°We¡¯re vagrant knights, wandering the land. I know you must have been perplexed by our family name, but we are just wanderers of the land, knighted only due to happy happenstance. Far be it from us to have sway over land and life; free spirits we are, unbound to fief and fame.¡±


    ¡°Wandering knights.¡± The count nodded. ¡°It must be the Moons¡¯ blessing that you two are here today. And the Chromatic Lord¡­we owe that Chromatic Lord a big, big favour. Without that attack, we would have been in more desperate straits by now.¡±


    Claud really wanted to say something about that entire utterance, considering the circumstances behind their presence here and that massive attack, but Lily was already holding his hand and squeezing it at regular intervals. This was their prearranged means of saying ¡®Let me handle it¡¯, a method that the two had used multiple times in the Nihila Sovereignty.


    He squeezed back, reaffirming his trust in her professional ability.


    ¡°Praise be to the Moons, yes. But actually, we had originally come here to explore the famed Celestia Ruins.¡± Lily flashed a smile. ¡°The winds of freedom blow strongly in our hearts, and what better to reinforce our flighty selves than with treasures of a mysterious origin?¡±


    Count Lostfon paused for a moment, and Claud had a feeling he was trying to parse that sentence. He wasn¡¯t alone in that too; the master thief himself was having fun trying to decipher Lily¡¯s words. This side of hers was awesome through and through, and Claud found it a shame that he couldn¡¯t whip out some snacks to chew on whenever she spoke like this.


    Nibbling on imaginary grapes, Claud watched on as Count Lostfon¡¯s expression took on an interesting slant.


    ¡°I see. The Moons must have really been shining on us today, then,¡± said the count. ¡°That said, I will offer you two some of the best artefacts we¡¯ve found from the ruins so far, and¡ª¡±


    Lily squeezed Claud¡¯s hands again, making him curious. Squeezing back to affirm his commitment to not speaking, Claud grew interested in Lily¡¯s next words, and¡ª


    ¡°We¡¯ll be flying there ourselves. There¡¯s no need.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Count Lostfon looked at them closely, shock written all over his face. His eyes clouded over with many, many thoughts a moment later, and Claud found himself interested in Lily¡¯s reason for revealing that. ¡°Flying there?¡±


    As Lily nodded her head with a stately air, Claud linked the count¡¯s shock to the fact that they would be flying there.


    ¡°We¡¯ll make multiple trips, probably,¡± Lily continued on, as if the count¡¯s earlier interjection never happened, ¡°so it¡¯ll be better if you paid us with information pertaining to the ruins. The sages oft acclaim the spirits of bravery, but what they praise more is the blue moon¡¯s wisdom and caution. We ascribe to that very ideology.¡±


    Count Lostfon had to take a small pause again, before he nodded slowly. Somehow, Claud could sense that Lily had taken the advantage in the conversation, although he didn¡¯t quite know how she had done that. Experience-wise, she was far inferior to an old geezer pretending to be young, so it had to be the information and implications, so¡­


    He decided not to think too hard about it, since Lily could clear all his doubts later.


    The count, apparently, thought the same way too. ¡°This conversation has been pleasant, but I¡¯m afraid we all have pressing matters to attend to. Take this badge. It¡¯ll be proof of your mission completion rates.¡±


    ¡°Please hide our identity, Count Lostfon,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And perhaps, try to keep our presence here a secret. Many things move at the right names.¡±


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    The count took another deep breath and nodded.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Lily replied. ¡°There is no need to see us out.¡±


    Claud raised his right hand slightly, in a manner that Lily had drilled into him as part of their preparations, and escorted her out of the room. He could feel a burning gaze on his back, but if anything, that was proof that Lily had succeeded in throwing the count off.


    Still, would it be worth it? The two of them would probably be quite prominent in the count¡¯s eyes from now on. Claud, however, had a feeling that Lily had succeeded in doing something, although he wasn¡¯t quite sure what that something was. That something, however, definitely outweighed the disadvantages of being a prominent fixture in the count¡¯s mind, in Lily¡¯s opinion.


    After putting some distance between them and the house, he leaned over to Lily. ¡°What was all that about?¡±


    ¡°Are we in a rush?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Might take some time to explain, so¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. And I want to drink something nice too.¡± Claud wiped the corner of Lily¡¯s mouth. ¡°And I don¡¯t know what that made you drool somewhat.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s cute, though!¡± Claud added hurriedly, before her face could turn into an apple.


    Lily pouted and flicked his nose. ¡°But no apple juice.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be touching that until we¡¯re back home,¡± Claud replied. ¡°My tastebuds have been spoiled, and they¡¯re threatening to overthrow the brain if they ever taste an amateur¡¯s rendition of apple juice. Still, isn¡¯t this place the source of his apple juice?¡±


    Lily forced down a gulp. ¡°Did he import them as-is? Or did he buy apples and make juice from there? If it¡¯s the former¡­¡±


    Claud¡¯s mouth felt very dry for some reason. ¡°Then we should check out the apple juice here. But it¡¯s risky.¡±


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go with iced water instead.¡± Lily pointed at a small, mobile stall that was selling drinks. ¡°Oh, right! There are your fizzy drinks here too. We could get that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll probably be watered down, and a gold or so to boot.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re rich. It won¡¯t be a problem.¡± Lily blinked at him. ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°True. And I suppose I deserve a reward after all that heavy work,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get some!¡±


    In high spirits, Claud and Lily approached the mobile stall and paid a few gold coins for two huge metal bottles that were radiating an intense chill. Unfortunately, while water and liquid refreshments weren¡¯t covered by the emergency provisions, food could only be brought with contributions, so they couldn¡¯t buy any of the food hanging off the place.


    The two of them did bring some food, but they hadn¡¯t prepared to stay the whole day.


    ¡°Fortunately, the missions available now all promise free food upon taking them,¡± Claud noted, ¡°or else we might have to ration our food.¡±


    ¡°Or you could¡­¡± Lily made a squiggly motion with her hands. ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t do that to poor people, though,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Hmm. Where did I go wrong?¡±


    That little joke of his was repaid with a small flick to the forehead, before the two of them wandered over to an empty, out-of-the-way bench. Popping the caps off in a single fluid motion, Claud and Lily took a nice long swig and then placed the bottle back down at the same time.


    ¡°So, what was all that about?¡±


    Lily tapped on her bottle. ¡°Let me establish some things first. For one, the count would probably investigate any noble who offered aid, especially those whose names aren¡¯t that familiar. It¡¯s standard procedure, nothing much to nobles he knows, but for people like you and me, it¡¯s going to be a bit more thorough. The problem, however, lies in our identities. I¡¯m not sure, but if he finds out that we are freshly-registered knights, all sorts of complications can occur.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with freshly-registered knights?¡±


    Lily took a deep breath. ¡°My family apparently registers knights and sends them out to look for¡­people. To¡­help.¡±


    Her hands made air quotes around that last bit. ¡°Generally, infiltrators from other territories tend to assume the identity of a knight or a mana-folder. They aren¡¯t exclusive either, but of the many people we¡¯ve caught sneaking into Licencia, I think at least a third of them are freshly-registered knights.¡±


    ¡°Being made a knight makes it easier to do things without being questioned?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Yeap. But to protect the dignity of the nobles and the system that supports it, spies that reveal themselves to be a knight are silently disposed of. Most guards won¡¯t know about it either, and those that do already know to not make a fuss out of it.¡± Lily shrugged. ¡°By revealing our status as knights and communicating this openly with the count, we can stave off a lot of unwarranted and unwanted suspicion.¡±


    ¡°Then the fact that we¡¯re making repeated trips¡­¡±


    ¡°To elevate our actual status,¡± Lily replied. ¡°We aren¡¯t commoner spies that have been turned into knights for nefarious deeds; we¡¯re knights of a certain stature and strength. The proof? Our ability to fly, which we implied to be due to an artefact. And artefacts of such a nature are very¡­rare.¡±


    ¡°Nobles are very complicated.¡± Claud picked up his bottle and offered it to Lily. ¡°It¡¯s nice that you¡¯re here, or else everything would have been a problem.¡±


    ¡°The problem came when that clerk shouted our titles out,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Everything else was damage control from there on.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Lily.¡± Claud rubbed her head. ¡°You¡¯re the best.¡±


    ¡°Praise me more¡­but we should go and pick up a mission. I¡¯m starving.¡± Lily smiled. ¡°I think I saw a really boring mission, one that involves us standing guard over some place. Let¡¯s do that.¡±


    ¡°Standing guard?¡± Claud chuckled. ¡°More like sitting down and watching the scenery.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±

 Chapter 259: The world adrift and the peace within

    Birds chirped in seeming enjoyment as Dia supervised Schwarz, Risti and Farah, who were practicing their forms and drilling basic movements. In her right hand was a training sword ¡ª whose weight had been doubled ¡ª and an apple sat at the tip of the blade, wobbling every so often. The air around her sword warped every now and then, a product of her mana.


    Nero, who had adamantly refused to practice the sword and other forms of fighting, was busy toasting bread with mana. Dia had a feeling that the others would prefer such a way of training, but unfortunately for them, Dia wanted those lazy bums to improve their fitness. As people who spent hours sitting down at the desk, it was easy to not only experience a drop in combat ability, but in general fitness levels too.


    It would suck if they were panting after running for a hundred metres, and it would be a death sentence if they ran out of stamina when things inevitably collapsed into a mess.


    Dia lowered her right foot, and then lifted her left. Bringing it up to a right angle, she felt her abdominal muscles contract once more. The apple, which had been perched on the point of her training sword, wobbled twice, only to steady itself once another pulse of mana straightened her swaying blade.


    Beads of sweat ran down her neck and into the clothes, but Dia didn¡¯t change her stance until five minutes went by. As the others moved on to repeating sets of overhead slashes, she placed her left foot down, a half-step behind her right, and in a slow, graceful manner, executed a slow, forward stab.


    The apple split apart as her stab extended, releasing two crossed waves of azure light that dissipated moments later. Catching the apple slices with some mana, Dia lowered her sword and stabbed it into the ground.


    ¡°We¡¯re done for the day,¡± Dia announced, and the others promptly lowered their weapons. To her satisfaction, none of the trio had dropped their blade or anything; they either placed it down nicely or stabbed it into the ground like she did.


    ¡°So,¡± said Nero, ¡°what¡¯s the point of all that training?¡±


    ¡°To give us a fighting chance if we run out of mana,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Those Moon Emissaries have a huge army. I¡¯d prefer it if we can still fight well after we inevitably run out of mana.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re really going down hard on the invasion thing, aren¡¯t we?¡± Risti noted.


    ¡°All the clues gathered so far point that way,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°And in times like this, it¡¯s best to have a little Claud in everyone¡¯s hearts, reminding us to be ever-vigilant and paranoid. Disasters may fall from the sky, but a prepared person would have dug holes in the ground.¡±


    ¡°Did he say that?¡± Dia asked, curious.


    ¡°Nope, I did. He¡¯s not the really poetic type, unless you catch him in the gardens when the light of Plota is shining down,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°But that applies to nearly everyone, so¡­eh. Anyway, now that we¡¯re done, I¡¯m going to wash up and get my breakfast.¡±


    Dia watched as the others followed Schwarz in, before picking up the training swords. The others weren¡¯t as strong as her, physically speaking, and they had been drained from doing all these practices over and over.


    Storing the training swords away, she went to wash up too.


    The others were already scoffing down a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs when she went down, and to no one¡¯s surprise, Caroline was already at their table.


    ¡°Morning, Caroline.¡± Dia slipped into an empty seat. ¡°When¡¯s the boss coming back?¡±


    ¡°Aran? Today,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°I came here to invite you guys over, but from how you guys are moaning over your arms¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Dia¡¯s fault. She insists on having us train every two days,¡± Farah. ¡°Do I look like a warrior to you? I¡¯m more interested in numbers and graphs. Swords? Bah.¡±


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    ¡°I think she has a point,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°You must have heard about it already, but the Moon Emissaries are currently in negotiations with Ruler Istrel. Unfortunately for us, Ruler Istrel is still a tetra-folder. He hasn¡¯t received the resources necessary to grow, since a giant barrier popped up and stopped the shipment and mentors that would have pushed him to complete his fifth mana circuit.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Farah froze. ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°Unless the Chromatic Lord that killed the Moon Emissary appears, we¡¯re probably going to bow down to the Moons. Ruler Istrel would likely yield control of the Terra Jewel to the Emissaries. Of course, most of us are probably going to resist a bit first, which pretty much means war for the time being. Enemies made of moonlight would charge at our cities and attempt to take control of the smaller, subordinate jewels too.¡±


    ¡°The Terra Jewel¡­¡± Dia recalled the small explanation Nero had given them, and then shivered. ¡°It¡¯s still in your possession, right?¡±


    ¡°Aran handed it over to me when he left. I¡¯ll be returning it to him today,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°Unfortunately, I can¡¯t go home or anything, since there¡¯s a huge barrier blocking the way. I¡¯m stuck here until it breaks.¡±


    Schwarz looked at her. ¡°Your family¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll be worried, but I¡¯m sure there¡¯s something nasty going on in Nihila too,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°And besides, the penta-folders of the Schwa and Lustre Dukedoms have tried their hand at breaking it, only to fail. Maybe the Emperor himself would have to pay a visit for this war to come down.¡±


    She played with some scrambled egg, and then scattered some pepper over them. Her actions, however, emanated a deep sorrow, and Dia wondered if there was anything she could do to help.


    Her mind helpfully informed her a moment later that there was nothing she could do, so Dia focused on her scrambled egg instead.


    Breakfast carried on after that little interlude, and before Dia knew it, everyone was sitting around a table and lounging around a barrel. Somehow, a tap had been installed at the very bottom, and Schwarz was busy pouring out Claud¡¯s barrel of over-priced bubbly fizz for everyone.


    ¡°Is it really a good idea to steal from his house?¡± Caroline muttered, as she downed her fifth cup of drink. ¡°I feel bad doing it.¡±


    ¡°Your hands tell me a different story, though,¡± Schwarz noted. ¡°Anyway, my arms are too tired to write and flip through papers today, so let¡¯s go welcome your fianc¨¦ back home. I¡¯ll also take this chance to bill him for a whole bunch of costs.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s coming back home and the first thing you do is to bill him?¡± Caroline eyed him. ¡°What are you, a monster?¡±


    ¡°That net Claud put up cost eighty platinum in terms of manpower and production costs alone. Thankfully, we¡¯ve been claiming the maintenance funds from you guys directly, but the Moon Lords need those funds back,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Ask Farah, if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±


    ¡°Urgh.¡± Caroline shook her head. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the count would allow anyone to approve transactions this huge,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°True.¡± Caroline frowned. ¡°And it¡¯s not like the net is useless. There¡¯s always an infiltrator or two who tries to hop over the wall every week or so.¡±


    ¡°Right? In terms of preventing illegal entry, it¡¯s very successful,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I still don¡¯t get why they don¡¯t want to go through the main gates, though. I mean, if they really wanted to infiltrate the place¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s kinda a secret, but we do have professionals in the guardhouses looking out for suspicious people,¡± said Caroline. ¡°We¡¯ve identified a lot of suspicious people, and my people catch them on the spot whenever they do anything problematic.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound easy.¡±


    ¡°Well, the biggest tells are freshly-appointed knights that don¡¯t have an actual reason to be here. These people are flagged immediately,¡± Caroline explained. ¡°After that, we look for odd behaviours and other tell-tale signs of fear and nerves. We send a pair of people to conduct surveillance on them for the next three weeks, and they usually get caught at that point.¡±


    ¡°This meticulous?¡±


    ¡°The city guards are professionally trained,¡± Caroline replied.


    ¡°They have to be,¡± said Risti. ¡°The honorary principal of the Guards¡¯ Academy is Emperor Grandis himself. He visits the Guards¡¯ Academy every year during the intake.¡±


    Dia blinked. ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    She wasn¡¯t alone in this either. Just about everyone else had turned to Risti at this unexpected revelation, and Risti herself chuckled. ¡°Surprising, right? It¡¯s not really well-known, and the city guards tend to keep it quiet out of some odd pride, but if you ask around¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make a point to ask Captain Blake about this,¡± Caroline muttered. ¡°Damn, the Emperor? Whew. Aran¡¯s going to have a fever when he hears this. Ahem. So, are you guys going to come with me? He should be arriving soon, and while the people haven¡¯t been told, I saw a small crowd already gathering at the northern gate.¡±


    She paused. ¡°All kinds of food stalls have been set up there too.¡±


    ¡°What are we waiting for, then?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t feel like doing work today. Day off, guys! Let¡¯s get some good food and bask in a festive spirit!¡±


    Caroline grimaced. ¡°It¡¯s just Aran returning home¡­¡±

 Chapter 260: The triumphant return from an aborted war

    Petals danced in the wind, tossed out by women standing on the balcony buildings, while men paraded around with giant banners that celebrated the safe return of Count Nightfall. While Dia had seen scenes like this in her studies, they were usually reserved for people who returned from war victorious, not for¡­well, a war that didn¡¯t actually materialise.


    From their vantage point, they could see everything, and the more Dia saw, the more disturbed she felt. For some reason, there was something off.


    ¡°No matter how I look at this scene,¡± Farah muttered, ¡°I get the feeling that something¡¯s off, and I think I actually know why.¡±


    Caroline buried her face in her hands at those words, while Risti patted her on the shoulder. ¡°There, there.¡±


    ¡°I also feel that something¡¯s off,¡± said Schwarz, ¡°but what exactly is it?¡±


    Dia glanced at Farah, who shrugged back. After communicating with glances and gestures for around three seconds, Dia, who had lost a round of rock-paper-scissors, cleared her throat. ¡°Well, scenes like these are reserved for victorious armies returning from the frontline. You probably feel odd because there actually wasn¡¯t a frontline whatsoever, so you¡¯re not sure what they¡¯re actually celebrating.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Schwarz rubbed his nose. ¡°Yes, indeed. All these banners that read ¡®Welcome back¡¯ or a similar variant feel a bit perfunctory, now that I think about it. Count Nightfall didn¡¯t really suffer out there, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Dia folded her arms. ¡°Still, what possessed these people to actually come up with something like this? It¡¯s not like Nightfall actually did anything, since there wasn¡¯t even a war.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s always a fanatic for everyone, which means that any occasion is a good occasion for them,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Look. I think these two men are Nightfall lookalikes. How impressive. I swear, these people never existed before¡­where did they pick this up from?¡±


    Caroline let out a little whimper, and everyone else laughed. Nero, in particular, was guffawing so loudly that people were staring daggers at him, but as a tetra-folder, he wasn¡¯t going to care about the opinions of just about anyone.


    Except for his alcohol supplier, probably.


    Without warning, someone hollered, ¡°The count¡¯s coming!¡±


    The crowd began to bubble and froth. Even from up high, Dia could spot activity and movement from all over the place, and two sonorous sentences whirled around the whole of Licencia.


    ¡°Banners up and high! Wave those babies around, soldiers!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s coming back! Everyone, positions! Prepare your petals! Take out your clothes!¡±


    Dia stared at the two groups. The men had broken out into an utterly embarrassing dance, while the women were pulling out odd clothes. The rest of the crowd had started to line up the Nightfall lookalikes, and the stalls closest to the city gates were frying things in their pans, sending blazing fires up.


    Music blared, a triumphant anthem that hammered Dia¡¯s ears, and Caroline, who had looked up at the first shout, grew increasingly mortified. In fact, the entire getup had stopped her ¡ª and everyone else ¡ª from actually going down to enjoy the food there, which was the original premise of their trip out, due to her sheer shame. Instead, she had brought them to Nightfall Palace¡¯s highest tower for both the view and in a futile attempt to distract herself.


    Dia could understand where she was coming from, and by Schwarz¡¯s expressions, he probably could too, but for Farah and Risti¡­


    Heh.


    Wiping off a bead of imaginary sweat, Dia focused her attention on the approaching convoy, hoping to capture a few dismayed and embarrassed gazes by the count. Schwarz was doing the same thing too, while Farah and Risti had taken out notebooks to scribble in them.


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    As for what they were scribbling about, Dia didn¡¯t want to know.


    At all.


    Her hunch informed her that she wouldn¡¯t be sleeping well tonight if she actually found out the answer. Ignorance was bliss, as a rule of thumb, and rather than worrying over an overly-glamorous welcome ceremony if she was ever acquitted of whatever crimes she had been assumed guilty of, Dia would infinitely prefer it if she could be acquitted in the first place.


    Heck, if that ever happened, Dia had a feeling that she could look past whatever embarrassingly prominent stunt those two just dreamt up.


    The marching music grew to a crescendo as the convoy stepped through the gate, and the people began to cheer. In silent coordination, people started to wave their hands up and down rhythmically, turning the sides of Nightfall¡¯s planned route in a human sea of sorts, with waves of hands going up and down.


    Petals began to fall in earnest as the convoy entered the city, producing a rhythmic chant.


    ¡°Nightfall! Nightfall! Nightfall! You shield us from the ravages of sunlight! You confer the blessings of rest! You¡­¡±


    The ridiculous chant, which ascribed all sorts of feats that Dia felt that only the Coloured Gods could have done, continued on and on as the procession carried on through the streets. By now, Count Nightfall had brushed off his fifth head of flowers ¡ª albeit stylishly ¡ª while his personal troops had no such luxury. They had been swamped with so many flowers that some of them had slipped into the chinks in their armour, and as the song continued on to mythical proportions that could rival the Third Godsfall, Dia swore that she could see Count Nightfall¡¯s face twist in fear for a moment.


    ¡°This is utterly embarrassing,¡± Caroline muttered, crouching over and covering her face. ¡°Aran is bloody amazing. How is he not curling up yet?¡±


    ¡°Truly a question for the ages, yes.¡± Dia made a mental note to see if he trained his mental fortitude, and if so, how. It would probably serve her purposes very well and all that.


    Caroline took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m going down to meet him.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll stay here,¡± Schwarz immediately replied. ¡°It¡¯s your reunion. We¡¯ll chill up here and laugh at your embarrassing little antics. Claud and Lily fled before we could observe the ways of a couple, but you two¡­heh.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll get the servants to bring out some good wine for you guys to enjoy in the dining room, so please follow me.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re talking. But the only ones who will be really tempted by wine is me and Nero, so¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a feast that¡¯s prepared. I¡¯ll get them to bring out the appetisers.¡±


    A wicked grin popped up on Schwarz¡¯s face. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s give the two lovebirds some privacy later¡­but there¡¯s like an entire army following you two. Not sure what to think of that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re just potatoes and tomatoes.¡±


    ¡°Vegetables?¡± Farah shook her head. ¡°What, is that your way of dealing with stage fright? How cute.¡±


    ¡°Never mind. Just wait here, okay?¡± Caroline leapt over the ledge and bounded down the windows, step by step. Within moments, she had landed on the ground, and started to arrange her silky dress.


    ¡°What the¡ª¡±


    ¡°That was fast¡­and she didn¡¯t even lead us to the dining room.¡± Risti tilted her head. ¡°Maybe she¡¯s decided to treat us as vegetables too.¡±


    ¡°That wine must have been really expensive,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°To think that she decided to let us watch her make out and what not instead.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she¡¯s going to rein in her affection?¡± Schwarz suggested. ¡°I mean, there is an army over there. There¡¯s only so many vegetables she can replace them with.¡±


    Their eyes followed Caroline as she walked slowly over to the open gates, where Count Nightfall just appeared at. Cheers broke out from the soldiers assembled behind him as she took his offered hand. Escorting his fianc¨¦e to the palace, the army behind them dispersed as the couple entered Nightfall Palace proper.


    ¡°Bah.¡± Schwarz folded his arms. ¡°Those two must be displaying their affection inside the palace now. Shame. I was hoping to observe this particular bit. Bartenders and couples are kinda in a complementary distribution, but many, many bachelors seek me out for romance advice.¡±


    ¡°You?¡± Farah laughed. ¡°Nice joke.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Schwarz shook his head. ¡°If I could observe Count Nightfall in his natural habitat, I might be able to come up with some solutions for those poor fellows. For instance, manners, mindset, morals¡­I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a few more words I could give them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really dedicated to your job, aren¡¯t you?¡± Farah eyed him. ¡°Well, if you ever want a¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t continue her sentence. Nero hadn¡¯t been informed of her actual situation yet, although he had probably made a few guesses, and Dia knew that the others had been urging her to tell the truth eventually.


    Farah was making it a big deal for some reason, though, something that Dia couldn¡¯t quite understand. She could just drop it casually or something; heck, Nero already knew that Risti was the daughter of the Folders¡¯ Association President.


    After making a point to poke her nose into the matter, Count Nightfall emerged from the tower, his hand in Caroline¡¯s.


    ¡°Moon Lords, thank you for looking after my fianc¨¦e and this city.¡± He bowed once. ¡°Your aid is highly appreciated. I will not begrudge my rewards. Come. Follow me. We¡¯ll have a feast, and then I¡¯ll let you pick out an item from my vault.¡±


    ¡°Vault?¡±


    Everyone gulped.

 Chapter 261: A small feast

    The feast started, and amid the lavish food, Count Nightfall started to talk about his time in Ruler Istrel¡¯s encampment. Dia, who knew quite a few things, felt her ears twitch as Count Nightfall started to complain about his time in the gathered army, along with other things like the lack of penta-folders in the Istrel Dukedom, which was also slated for a name change too.


    ¡°Ruler Istrel and Duke Istrel ¡ª his first son ¡ª are fairly skilled combatants, but they can¡¯t do anything else.¡± Count Nightfall picked up a glass of wine and chugged it down. ¡°Their adjutant told us ¡ª me, Daybreak and the little barons ¡ª to put on armour and come down to the training field in ten minutes, fully armed. Guess what? We ended up waiting for two hours. Sitting there, looking up at the blue sky¡­¡±


    He pushed his cup to a servant, who promptly refilled it. After taking another swig, he said, ¡°Rush to wait, and wait to rush. This is not how an army should be run. Troops shouldn¡¯t rush to the frontlines, and nor should they wait at a theatre for too long. Thirty minutes is the maximum.¡±


    Count Nightfall sighed. ¡°And then the two Istrels didn¡¯t even know what to do when the other dukedoms revealed their trump cards. Are they dumb? They should have guessed or something.¡±


    As the count groused on and on, Dia couldn¡¯t help but feel that the count had dropped all formalities with them. In fact, the way he talked to the Moon Lords were no different from how Caroline did it ¡ª other than showing that couples were quite similar in temperament, it also showed that he agreed with Caroline¡¯s assessment of the Moon Lords as trusty partners.


    To be fair, if they weren¡¯t trusty partners after so much turmoil, Dia would have felt a bit depressed.


    ¡°Right, I must thank you guys. Not as the ruler of this city, but as friends.¡± Count Nightfall smiled. ¡°Caroline has gotten used to Licencia, thanks to everyone present¡­hmm. Two people are missing.¡±


    ¡°You¡­didn¡¯t realise?¡± Caroline asked.


    The count cleared his throat. ¡°Well, I was busy ranting. My apologises. And you are¡­¡±


    His gaze was directed at Nero, who was sampling some wine too. At that question, Nero jumped, and then cleared his throat. ¡°I¡¯m Nero, the Holy Son of the Black Church.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. Caroline mentioned the incident with the Third Bearer of Destiny.¡± The light in his eyes flickered. ¡°I hear you¡¯re staying with the Moon Lords now?¡±


    ¡°As a member or something, I guess. Claud likes to say that I¡¯m their final trump card against the Moon Emissaries.¡± Nero grinned.


    ¡°Yes, indeed. Still, initial intelligence suggests that these Moon Emissaries are far stronger than you and me,¡± said Nightfall. ¡°It¡¯ll take you, me and Caroline to take down the strongest of the Moon Emissaries that showed up¡­but fortunately, we haven¡¯t had the need to yet.¡±


    Everyone nodded.


    ¡°Right. This is not the time to be talking about problematic things. Eat up, everyone! Drink to your hearts¡¯ content. Schwarz, I¡¯m going down to your bar later, so you better open it after we¡¯re done with the vault.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bring out some new creations for you to try, then.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m coming along too,¡± Nero added.


    As the three men started talking about drinks, Dia moved onto the rest of the feast. Within minutes, she had scoffed down quite a few nice-tasting morsels ¡ª the food here had to be well-made, after all. Although some parts might have been lacking compared to the Lustre palace cooks, she hadn¡¯t eaten luxury food even since her escape, so Dia didn¡¯t hold back.


    The same went for Risti, who had lived in the capital before. From the speed of her devouring ¡ª which was comparable to Dia¡¯s own ¡ª Dia could tell that she too had missed good food, and a small alarm bell rang in her head. If she didn¡¯t pay attention, Risti would probably finish off half the food on the table herself. Farah, on the other hand, was more interested in tasting the intricacies behind the luxurious dishes, and as for Caroline¡­


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    Well, she was just watching Dia and Risti in horror, as they cleared up plate after plate. After watching Risti finish an entire plate of prawns on her own, she gritted her teeth and started eating too, which meant that by the time Schwarz and the others were done talking, most of the dishes were finished.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Count Nightfall looked at the dishes. ¡°Where¡¯s my food?¡±


    Dia, who was placing the last piece of lemon-flavoured chicken in her mouth, immediately swallowed down that morsel without spending the usual half-second to savour it. At the same time, Risti lowered her utensils subtly, distancing herself from her meal. Farah, who was still chewing slowly, hadn¡¯t noticed his exclamation, but Nightfall¡¯s gaze ignored her anyway.


    ¡°Wait,¡± said Nero, ¡°did we eat while talking?¡±


    The three men stared at their plates, which were clean, and then tilted their heads. Caroline, fortunately, came in at that moment and said, ¡°Three of us really ate quickly, huh? I was watching the whole thing¡­we¡¯ll just bring out seconds.¡±


    Clapping her hands once, servants soon poured out to add some dishes. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t bring out a lot this time around, and Dia¡¯s skin wasn¡¯t thick enough to continue eating under Caroline¡¯s gaze.


    Before long, the feast ended, and Count Nightfall got up, letting out a hearty laugh at the same time. ¡°Come, friends, follow me. I have treasures to give out. They¡¯re not useful to me, a noble who runs a city, but to my treasured companions and colleagues, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be of use.¡±


    Dia¡¯s ears twitched.


    ¡°That¡¯s too polite of you,¡± Schwarz hurriedly replied.


    ¡°They don¡¯t come with obligations,¡± Count Nightfall replied. ¡°Rather, think of them as ways to preserve your life. In recent months, I¡¯ve realised that the world is becoming more dangerous. I have some life-preserving trinklets that one-folders and bi-folders will find really useful. Please, don¡¯t turn me down.¡±


    With those words, he ushered everyone out of the room. After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at a thick, black door. The metallic sheen on it radiated strength and sturdiness, and Dia had a feeling that she would have to spend a few hours to cut it down normally, but there were a few obvious weak points on it.


    The hinges and the knob didn¡¯t look particularly sturdy to her, for one. If she struck at them¡­


    Wait, why would I do that? Rolling her eyes, she held her breath as the count walked over to the door and gripped the knob. Mana pulsed out from him, and thousands of azure lines appeared on the gigantic, near-featureless door.


    With a groan, the door swung open, revealing a black maw. Before they could do anything else, however, two children burst out of the door with happy, playful screams, zipping past everyone present in three seconds.


    ¡°What the heck?¡± Nero asked. ¡°Count Nightfall, you keep children in there?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not!¡± The count scratched his head. ¡°How did they get in there? That¡¯s ridiculous! Who are they, anyway!¡±


    ¡°They look familiar,¡± Caroline muttered. ¡°Oh! Claud told me about this before! When we were contacting the White Church about Zulan Patra¡¯s death, these kids burst out of the room that contained the Comms Console! I think they¡¯re called the Mono-something Twins.¡±


    ¡°The Monochromatic Twins?¡± Schwarz blinked. ¡°They¡¯ve been here the whole time. No wonder they didn¡¯t plague my bar.¡±


    ¡°Guards, guards!¡± Count Nightfall called out, and as they assembled in front of him, he ordered, ¡°Go and capture those Monochromatic Twins! Two children! They should still be in the palace grounds!¡±


    He held his head as the guards scuttled off. ¡°Those kids are scary!¡±


    Clearing his throat, he stepped across the threshold of the room, causing azure lines to flare up through the floor. The treasury lit up a moment later, revealing a room full of treasures¡­and a corner with lots of rubbish. Clearly, the Monochromatic Twins had been living in this place, but¡­


    ¡°How did they go in and out?¡± Nightfall muttered, before calling over a servant to clean up the room.


    Dia took this chance to look around. Like her father¡¯s treasury, the items here had been placed into many, many shelves, divided according to categories. Gold, silver and other precious metals took up the eastern shelves, while all kinds of weapons were placed on the west. The north, however, had both lifestones and artefacts.


    ¡°Come over.¡± The count pointed at the northern shelves. ¡°The artefacts here are specialised in defences.¡±


    ¡°Defences?¡± Schwarz asked, his expression weird.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± The count picked up a small helmet. ¡°When I was out in the field, I could distinctively feel so many ways to die. I realised that my performance was affected due to that awareness, and I rectified that flaw by buying many defensive artefacts.¡±


    He clapped his hands once, and a servant pulled a small chest into the vault. ¡°After that, I realised that my people should be equipped with peace of mind too. Therefore, and as thanks for your aid, everyone here is free to take defensive artefacts from both the vault and this chest here, until you¡¯re satisfied.¡±


    He guffawed. ¡°From now on, you guys will walk the streets with no fear!¡±


    Dia liked the sound of that.

 Chapter 262: Pandemic of paranoia

    ¡°I know I said feel free, but taking everything seems a bit overkill.¡± Count Nightfall rubbed his head. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t think too hard about it. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re exactly in a master-subordinate relationship, are we not? And I won¡¯t need so many artefacts either.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll probably be lying unused in the treasury anyway,¡± Caroline added. ¡°You guys might as well make full use of it.¡±


    Count Nightfall shrugged. ¡°Still, what¡¯s more important is investigating how the Monochromatic Twins actually got inside. They got inside my treasury, a top-secret room and even my bedroom. I don¡¯t want them to show up in my toilet.¡±


    Everyone laughed.


    ¡°Yes, that is a mystery,¡± Schwarz wondered. ¡°Maybe they have some special skill?¡±


    ¡°Like the ability to walk through walls?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Okay, but how do we counter that?¡± Farah folded her arms. ¡°What, do we need Boundary?¡±


    ¡°What does that do?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Oh, Boundary designates a set of lines that cannot be crossed for thirty minutes,¡± Farah replied. ¡°It¡¯s quite the useful skill, but it¡¯s a shame I don¡¯t know its acquisition condition. The more useful skills have very esoteric conditions, now that I think about it.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be a problem if you picked up powerful skills by breathing, right?¡± Count Nightfall replied. ¡°Why, I had to spend months to acquire my individual skills too. And then spent even more using them every day for no good reason.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°But if it lasts only thirty minutes, I don¡¯t really see the point in learning such a skill.¡±


    Caroline laughed. ¡°If we¡¯re lucky enough to come across a Bearer of Destiny who has something like Absolute Boundary, we could consider asking that fellow about it.¡±


    ¡°Considering how Bearers of Destiny seem to be troublemakers, I¡¯m not going to. At most, I¡¯ll find holders of the Boundary skill and get a smith to forge an artefact with that skill. I¡¯m sure that¡¯ll be useful.¡± Count Nightfall cupped his chin. ¡°I¡¯m going to draw up an edict or something.¡±


    ¡°S-sure, you do you,¡± Schwarz replied, before stifling a yawn. ¡°Man, the food¡¯s too good. I¡¯m really sleepy now.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± The count chuckled. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t keep you guys here any longer. Caroline, can you help send them off? I also feel really sleepy, and I think I know why too.¡±


    Yawning loudly, the count promised to visit Moon Mansion tomorrow, before ambling off unsteadily. Caroline looked at him with some worry, and then ushered everyone out of the castle at top speed, before bolting back. Dia could tell that she was probably worried about Count Nightfall, and for a moment, she wondered how two fellows three centuries old could be this¡­passionate.


    Her father seemed a lot more distant, and he was just a hundred years older.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Well, they kinda behave like us, even though they¡¯re far older,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure what to think about this. Like, if I hadn¡¯t consciously reminded myself of their actual age, I would have thought that they were in their mid-twenties too.¡±


    Schwarz blinked. ¡°Hmm. Maybe they lied about their age?¡¯


    Everyone eyed him, and the bartender laughed sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. But given that many nobles live for a long time, it¡¯s safe to say that the usual things that make people mature like the passing of a loved one don¡¯t occur early in their youth. Rather, I¡¯m more impressed at the fact that they¡¯re getting married this late. Phew.¡±


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    ¡°Oh, right. True.¡± Farah laughed. ¡°Normally, nobles marry around twenty-five to forty, but again, unless someone volunteers the information or you do some sleuthing, everyone looks like a young adult.¡±


    ¡°How about you, Farah?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Any lucky fellow caught your eye yet?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a family pressing me for an heir, so no,¡± Farah replied. ¡°And to be honest, in these troubled times, finding love seems to be a huge chore. I¡¯m busy with all sorts of things, and so is everyone else.¡±


    She turned to Nero. ¡°How about you, Nero? Which Holy Daughter are you going to be attached to?¡±


    The Holy Son of the Black Church jerked once. ¡°What? Well, we, uh, haven¡¯t had that talk yet. No one had marriage in mind when I became the Holy Son, and well, I vanished. I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on in the Black Church now; did they find a replacement Holy Son? If not, am I to resume my post and everything?¡±


    ¡°True. The giant barrier around the Istrel Sovereignty isn¡¯t making things easy for us either,¡± Risti nodded. ¡°Both Schwarz and I can¡¯t receive any information from the outside world at all, but if the Moons are moving¡­¡±


    ¡°Then the Dark is likely to be moving too,¡± Schwarz completed. ¡°Do you know if these two groups are active on the Nihal Continent?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Nero replied. ¡°To be honest, it feels like we¡¯re watching a legend unfold right now. The Moons and the Dark descending, the darkened monsters and the foot soldiers of the Moons, and even the Emissaries.¡±


    ¡°Watching a legend unfold, huh.¡± Risti folded her arms. ¡°Considering that this might just be the age of the Fourth Godsfall or whatever, you might be right. If you follow the patterns closely, the years leading up to such changes see the mobilisation of the world¡¯s strongest beings making a mark. Other things include an increase in instability, as well as massive political upheavals.¡±


    She closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°In the years before the Second Godsfall, the Heavenly Kingdom of Three Realms crumbled apart, as the administrators of what would be known as Grandis, Nihal and Lacheln declared independence and struck at the royal family back then.¡±


    ¡°But the only political upheaval we¡¯ve seen so far is the death of Ruler Umbra,¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°True, but this can just be a sign, right? What about Lacheln and Nihal? Did anything huge happen there?¡± Risti pressed on. ¡°I¡¯m willing to bet that something happened in the past year in the other continents too.¡±


    Nero twitched.


    ¡°The Holy Son of the Black Church went missing, a Blessed of the White Church died¡­there¡¯s probably other incidents too, right?¡± Risti folded her arms. ¡°Things are going downhill really quickly, and that¡¯s why I took so many artefacts from Count Nightfall.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to justify it in that manner,¡± Dia replied, rolling her eyes. ¡°But everything¡¯s unfurling before us. The Moon Emissaries and how they¡¯re going to snatch the Terra Jewel of the Istrel Sovereignty, for instance, is a pretty huge thing. The only reason why the Emperor hasn¡¯t blown his top yet is due to this barrier, but when it comes down¡­¡±


    ¡°The Coloured Gods probably won¡¯t stand by as the Moons and the Dark duke it out either,¡± Schwarz added. ¡°And¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait!¡± Farah rubbed her nose. ¡°Can we not speak of such sensitive matters outside the mansion? I don¡¯t want to draw attention! And to be honest, there¡¯s nothing we can do about these changes, unless you want to dig a bunker half a kilometre below ground and shelter there for the next millennium.¡±


    ¡°¡­Claud might like that,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I can actually see it in my mind.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Risti chimed in. ¡°Now that I think about it, it¡¯s quite the good idea. Why should we care about what happens outside? We should just dig a deep bunker and maybe even build a small city in the depths of the earth. Did you not see how the Moon Emissary died? A giant spear of light washed the surface clean of any lives. If we¡¯re underground, we might be able to make it through lots of disasters.¡±


    ¡°What about the budget?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Who cares? If the entire city is destroyed, no one will press us for debts,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Schwarz, I recommend that we dig nice and deep. Bring in some artefacts, find a way to produce water and sunlight down there, and then plant some food.¡±


    ¡°I was somewhat kidding,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°How are we going to dig that deeply anyway? Farah said a kilometre deep, but that¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°Find a professional builder,¡± said Risti. ¡°And how many attacks can dig that deep into the ground anyway?¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should get Count Nightfall to join us in this set of preparations,¡± Farah wondered. ¡°But are we really going to do this?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? But it does sound like a good idea,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°An underground city is likely to stay safe, more so than on the surface.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s equally impractical, though. If you ask me,¡± said Schwarz, ¡°I think a bunker ten or so metres underground is good enough for the few of us. We¡¯ll just need to make space, store lots and lots of food, and occasionally go up to the surface to fight. Artefacts can be quite convenient¡­but the cost of digging something this big and preparing the architecture can be rather prohibitive.¡±


    ¡°But we aren¡¯t really lacking money, if you think about it¡­¡±


    Schwarz and Farah sighed, and the latter hung her head. ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll think of something. Is everyone catching Claud¡¯s paranoia or what?¡±


    No one answered her question.

 Chapter 263: Moments of contemplation

    The scenery outside Lostfon didn¡¯t look all that different from Licencia. Roads led in to it, there weren¡¯t any forests nearby ¡ª Caroline had turned the one near Licencia into a nice farm ¡ª and the city itself was located in the middle of a nice vast field.


    Other than say, the ocean of shadows that were creeping their way forward, as well as the vaguely visible dent in the ground far, far away, the terrain didn¡¯t look all that different from Licencia. In fact, it felt a tiny bit like home.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t know home was made out of four translucent barriers and fluffy cushions of mana,¡± Lily replied, her words carrying objection in them.


    ¡°Meep!¡± Crown, who was twirling around on her outstretched palm, paused to bounce up and down twice, before resuming its leisurely spin once more.


    ¡°See?¡± Lily looked at the little velvety box. ¡°Even Crown agrees!¡±


    ¡°You know what they say, right? Home is where the heart is,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Even if our current lodgings are made out of a transparent cube and some fluffy clouds of mana. Besides, it¡¯s nice to just lie down at this early-warning site and get food from runners. It¡¯s free, it¡¯s convenient¡­ I guess the only issue is not being able to wash up, but that¡¯s what the Refresher is for.¡±


    Lily mulled over his words for a moment. ¡°True. Also, monologuing in the middle of a game doesn¡¯t make sense. It¡¯s been your turn for ten minutes.¡±


    Claud returned his attention to the game of Moon Phase they had going on. Most of their pieces had been revealed; they knew each other too well to actually read each other¡¯s moves and piece placement. What remained was just pure tactical ability, and Claud had been on the backfoot for some time.


    At those words, he decided to move anyway, and as Lily started chewing him apart piece by piece, Claud found himself assessing his partner once more. Over the course of the past year, she had experienced loss, gotten over it, learned a lot from him, turned around and won his heart with it, and then decided to follow her heart.


    It was a growth that not many would envy, but Claud found himself admiring her strong heart that had weathered these storms. Even now, she remained as sprightly as ever, and¡ª


    ¡°Ah, I lost.¡± Claud rested his head on the rock behind them. ¡°Nice game, Lily.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re just tired out or something,¡± Lily replied. ¡°You don¡¯t look that good.¡±


    ¡°Do I?¡± Claud frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t feel the urge to brutally murder a Bearer of Destiny, and we¡¯re just slacking off and watching the army of the great Dark squander their advantage. How can I not be anything but good?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because our enemies are so close that you can¡¯t exactly relax,¡± Lily replied, flicking his nose. ¡°I know you well.¡±


    Claud grinned, and then pulled her over gently. Pieces spilled around as they held each other, and Crown took the chance to hop onto Claud¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Claud?¡±


    ¡°Guess what I¡¯m thinking now,¡± Claud replied, the ends of his mouth rising even higher. He hadn¡¯t done it much. Coupled with the fact that the atmosphere and his actions were quite suggestive, Lily was bound to get the wrong idea, at which point he would tease her or something.


    Lily tilted her head, and then brightened up. ¡°I know.¡±


    Without a word, she laid her head down on his lap and looked up at him. ¡°Did I get that right?¡¯


    ¡°I only did that twice to you, so how did you guess?¡± Claud asked, annoyed, before smoothing out her hair. ¡°That¡¯s just plain unfair.¡±


    Crown nodded along, and then hopped onto her stomach. The little fellow bounced off her armour a moment later, and Crowd emanated a feeling of sorrow.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go jumping onto us,¡± Claud replied, placing Crown on Lily¡¯s forehead. ¡°We¡¯re fully armoured.¡±


    ¡°Crown¡¯s really silly at times,¡± Lily noted. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s quite obvious, right? If you wanted to get frisky with me, both of us would have to remove our armour. There¡¯s no way that¡¯s going happen outside, especially with an enemy. And you¡¯re the type who values our privacy.¡±


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    ¡°¡­Fine, you win.¡± Claud squished her cheeks gently. ¡°Am I that easy to read?¡±


    ¡°No, actually. It¡¯s just that I knew how you¡¯d think and everything. You always place safety first,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And you¡¯ll probably think along the lines of ¡®We can do it in a more comfortable place¡¯ too. I haven¡¯t forgotten your alarm back then¡­¡±


    ¡°Let us not speak of that,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And to be honest, I didn¡¯t know everyone would feel pain on their first time¡­¡±


    Crown, who was spinning around on Lily¡¯s nose now, stopped and tilted to the side at the word ¡®pain¡¯.


    ¡°N-no, it¡¯s nothing to do with you,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And spinning on her nose is probably a bit uncomfortable.¡±


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    ¡°Meep,¡± Lily replied, and Crown spun back up to her forehead once more. ¡°Is Crown the only one of its kind? Sometimes, I feel like he¡¯s lonely or something. It makes me feel bad, especially since we have each other.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to actually do anything about it,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Duke, uh, Ruler Istrel will definitely feel suspicious if I saunter up to him and ask about that divine treasure I ran off with. And besides, I don¡¯t think he knows much about it either.¡±


    ¡°What does he know about it?¡±


    ¡°That it¡¯s a divine treasure?¡± Claud cupped his chin. ¡°Maybe he knew it was able to create Pure-Life Gems. But I¡¯m not sure. If he knew about such a thing, he probably wouldn¡¯t have left Crown there, but I¡¯m not him. I don¡¯t know what he was thinking.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the first time he had wondered about Crown either, and his suspicions and thoughts had turned into a muddy mess. Pure-Life Gems grew on their own; Claud had a whole bunch of them on him, but how quickly they grew he didn¡¯t know.


    The couple and the box mulled over the issue for a moment, before the low call of trumpets shattered the comfortable silence. A huge army, tens of thousands in number, marched out towards the south, surging towards the city of Lostfon.


    Duchess Lacuna¡¯s army had arrived on the scene, and Claud breathed out a small sigh. His attack had bought Lostfon enough time, having forced the shadows of the great Dark to reorganise after that devastating strike.


    ¡°You know, I think I deserve a few accolades for my heroism,¡± Claud muttered, stroking Lily¡¯s head at the same time. ¡°I destroyed an entire army of the Moons and the great Dark. And two Bearers of Destiny. Someone should really give me a pat on the back and a medal.¡±


    Lily looked at him, and then held his hand. Bringing it to her lips, she said, ¡°I can¡¯t give you a medal, but what about a kiss?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s definitely better than a medal, yes,¡± Claud immediately replied.


    A small entourage broke off from the army and headed into the city directly, while the main body skirted around the city and made their way to the makeshift defence lines. The sounds of clanging metal soon filled the air as small towers appeared, with shiny, small ramparts filling the gap between these towers.


    It would seem that these fortifications had been prepared in the march there, but Claud didn¡¯t understand why they would do such a thing. If he hadn¡¯t fired off such an attack, having so many clunky things¡­


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Lily and Crown turned to him, and Claud cleared his throat. ¡°I was simply wondering why they brought prebuilt fortifications along, since, you know, the shadows might have overrun the city while they were travelling here.¡±


    Lily¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°They were going to build a small stronghold to block off any further encroachment from Lostfon, if Lostfon fell.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud took a deep breath. ¡°It sems that they don¡¯t have any intention to actually recapture lost territory yet. I think they intend to gather their strength here, and then, after a successful counterstrike, force them back into the Quies Dukedom. But¡­is that advisable?¡±


    Lily shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know too. But at any rate, we aren¡¯t professionals. It¡¯ll be hard for us to make an appropriate judgement.¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    ¡°You do know that I can¡¯t quite discern your complex thoughts, right?¡± Claud asked, patting the little fellow on its head. ¡°But our time here is over, I think. Now that the duchess is here, with a whole bunch of soldiers, the situation where contributions are the only currency should have been suspended.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be able to purchase supplies normally.¡± Lily smirked. ¡°A shame for those who fled the city, though. They probably never knew that a Chromatic Lord took action, and lost their property as a result.¡±


    Claud eyed Lily, and then sighed. ¡°Stop making fun of me.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s cool, right? Thief of Time! Chromatic Lord! Are you going to add another title to your collection soon?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope that won¡¯t be the case,¡± Claud replied, before the smile he was suppressing broke free.


    ¡°You enjoy being called those names too, I see.¡± Lily got up from his lap, catching Crown as the little fellow rolled off her forehead. ¡°I can totally see the appeal. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame we can¡¯t recount your new titles to the others,¡± Lily replied.


    Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°Lily, dear. Knowing Schwarz and the others, they¡¯ll almost certainly tease me. And a certain princess lookalike might decide to haul me over to Ruler Istrel.¡±


    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Probably. I think she wouldn¡¯t, anyway.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not very reassuring.¡± Claud gave her a hug. ¡°But thanks for the thought anyway. I¡¯ll believe in you, who believes in her.¡±


    Lily hugged him back. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Breaking the hug, Claud got up and eyed the sky. ¡°It¡¯s noon, now that I think about it. And you know what that means? Our mission is over! Let¡¯s go back and prepare for our foray into Lostfon!¡±


    ¡°Why do you sound this happy?¡± Lily asked, her eyes narrowed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want some fresh food too?¡± Claud asked. ¡°And we can get a room and wash ourselves properly too. The Refresher is useful, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Uwah. True¡­¡±

 Chapter 264: Preparing for the ruins

    The sun was setting by the time Claud and Lily stumbled out of their room, a nice scent wafting from them. Claud, in particular, couldn¡¯t help but sniff himself a few times, pleased at the floral soap that Lily pulled out for their shower. There was something about her soap that made his mind more peaceful, more relaxed, and as they left the inn, he could ¡ª for the shortest of moments ¡ª forget about the looming crisis the Lacuna Dukedom was about to face.


    ¡°How long do you think we¡¯ll be spending in Celestia?¡± Lily asked, looking up at the sky. New Moon would end in either today or tomorrow, and Crescent Moon would soon begin. After two months of absolute darkness, the lunar light would wash across the world once more. How would that affect the world?


    Claud didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily prompted. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I was just thinking about the Moons,¡± Claud replied. ¡°How would the other Moon Emissaries be affected by the appearance of the Moons? And what about the great Dark?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question,¡± Lily replied. ¡°We can only wait to find out, though. Don¡¯t worry. You always have a good plan to save our skins.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about those we left behind,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t abandon them,¡± Lily replied, her voice stern. ¡°You had to flee because you killed a Moon Emissary. Don¡¯t go making yourself feel bad just because of this. If anything, I¡¯m the only one who fled.¡±


    ¡°Now that¡¯s rubbish if I ever heard it.¡± Claud flicked her forehead. ¡°You only came with me because you were worried that I would vanish, not because you wanted to run from the Moon Emissaries. Don¡¯t go confusing cause and effect, got it?¡±


    The two looked at each other, and eventually, Lily turned away. ¡°Fine¡­¡±


    Tugging at her earlobes gently, Claud smiled. ¡°But¡­thanks. I wouldn¡¯t have gotten this far this quickly without you. It¡¯s just a shame that the two of us, who knew the most about the city¡¯s security, happened to run off into another sovereignty altogether.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t have it any other way!¡± Lily placed her hands on her hips proudly, posing for Claud to see. ¡°Anyway, what should we be doing in Celestia?¡±


    ¡°¡­You know, I never really thought too hard about that. I was thinking about the treasures and everything,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Picking up useful things and not-so-useful things, and hope that there¡¯s some divine treasure in them.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if the Celestia Ruins have lifestones?¡± Lily mumbled.


    ¡°We¡¯ll soon find out,¡± Claud replied, before tugging at her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go to their treasure house and turn in our contributions. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to need them for basic necessities after all, right?¡±


    With the arrival of Duchess Lacuna, the contributions from doing missions were no longer the sole currency accepted in the county. Gold and the usual currencies could now be used, but these contributions could still be used to exchange for treasures and other, rarer items.


    The only things Claud intended to trade for was information, however. He had spotted a collection of information relevant to Celestia, as well as a set of artefacts that had been branded as the ¡®Ruins Explorer Set¡¯. As for Lily¡­well, she was free to choose whatever she wanted.


    ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll see Duchess Lacuna on the way there?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Probably, but why do you ask?¡± Claud asked. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to start dressing up as her, are you?¡±


    ¡°¡­No?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Claud rubbed her violet hair and started playing with it. ¡°I prefer you as you are now. Also, your hair is really smooth¡­how do you do it? You don¡¯t seem to apply anything special when you were bathing.¡±


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    ¡°Really?¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because you¡¯re washing my hair for me.¡±


    ¡°Is that how it works?


    The two of them pondered over that particular question for a moment, and then Claud shrugged. ¡°Well, if you like it, I¡¯ll do it every day.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be spending hours in the bathroom in that case,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I think not. We¡¯ll just limit it to once every two days or so.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much of a difference if we do that, though.¡±


    Lily shook her head and looked up at the dark skies once more. ¡°You just want more excuses to do whatever you like. Just because you have more mana circuits¡­¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s that relevant?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Right, speaking of mana circuits. You¡¯re on that last 0.01, right? Maybe there¡¯s some special item that might help you cross that last hurdle. If there is, you better get that.¡±


    ¡°Something that miraculous belongs in the realm of fantasy, Claud. You¡¯ll be better off with hard work and¡ª¡±


    She fell silent as Claud took out Crown, who immediately woke up from its nap. The little guy was quite the lazybones, and whenever Claud placed Crown into a pocket, it would just nap away happily. More importantly, however, Crown happened to be one of those special items that had indeed helped him cross a few last hurdles, so¡­


    Lily opened and closed her mouth, and then raised her hands. ¡°Fine, I surrender. Maybe there is such a thing in the treasury after all.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe there¡¯s some really useful artefact. Who knows?¡± Claud asked.


    Holding hands, the two continued on to the treasury. As they moved on to a deep discussion about miraculous items one often found in novels, the two of them also took the liberty to shop at some nearby food stands. Meat skewers were the mainstay of Loston street stalls, and before long, the two of them were snacking on well-cooked meat and some sliced potato pieces, fried to perfection.


    After a while, they arrived at the treasury, where a group of people were already queuing up to enter the treasury. Only one person or a group could enter at a time, and Claud was in the middle of stealing some of Lily¡¯s food by the time it was their turn to enter the treasury.


    ¡°Sir and Lady Primus. You may proceed,¡± said the clerk, his eyes looking at the skewers clutched in their hands. ¡°Um, you two might want to wash your hands first. There¡¯s some oil on them.¡±


    ¡°Oh, bother,¡± Lily replied, her words stuffed full with an exaggerated fuss. ¡°Pass me the artefact.¡±


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s clean up as we walk there,¡± Claud added.


    After removing the oil through their ultra-useful Refresher ¡ª which, honestly, was a waste of their daily attempts ¡ª the two of them entered the treasury. Lily wandered off a moment later, her eyes looking at the bright and shiny items that lined the walls, while Claud chose to approach the counter directly.


    ¡°Hi, sir. How may I help?¡±


    Clark nodded at the clerk. ¡°I want information on the Celestia Ruins.


    The clerk froze for a moment, and then took out a file from underneath the counter. Flipping through it, she said, ¡°We have three types of information about the Celestia Ruins. First ¡ª the possible treasures, as well as the list of treasures gathered so far. Second, we have dangers recorded. Third, we have the history and speculations about the ruins.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have the first two pieces,¡± Claud replied, before producing his identification documents.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­Claud Primus. Forty-eight contributions¡­with this much, you can only choose one piece of information,¡± the clerk replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± Claud asked, before clicking his tongue. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go with the dangers of the Celestia Ruins.¡±


    ¡°Very good, sir.¡± The clerk ducked underneath the counter, and the sounds of paper rustling filled the air. After a while, she popped back out with some dishevelled hair, a small packet of papers in her hand, and then handed it to Claud. ¡°Your purchase has been recorded. Information on every single danger ever recorded in the Celestia Ruins has been purchased for thirty-six contributions.¡±


    Claud turned his eyes to a certain bag, and frowned. The Ruins Explorer Package needed forty contributions, and he had been confident that the information he wanted would cost far less than that back then.


    ¡°Anything else?¡± the clerk prompted.


    ¡°N-no. I¡¯m just waiting for my partner,¡± Claud replied, before drifting towards Lily.


    ¡°Did you get what we needed?¡± Lily asked as Claud approached.


    ¡°Only got the information,¡± Claud replied.


    Lily paused. ¡°Let¡¯s buy the package first with my contributions.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Look,¡± said Lily, clamping her hands on his shoulders. ¡°We do this as a couple. Also, there isn¡¯t any miraculous item that would make my life easier, in case you were wondering.¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°¡­What made you think there was?¡± Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m sure no one would give something that will magically fill up that last 0.1 that easily. Therefore, let¡¯s just head over and get that package too, before someone else grabs it.¡±


    ¡°Still, before we do that,¡± said Claud, ¡°we¡­should actually check what¡¯s in the package first.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t check?¡± Lily asked.


    Claud looked away and started whistling, prompting Lily to roll her eyes.

 Chapter 265: The Celestia Ruins Exploration Package

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to know that this ruins explorer package has artefacts I¡¯ve never seen before,¡± Claud muttered, before rubbing his eyes, ¡°but they could at least tell us what they do, right? What¡¯s a Sea-Queller? What does a Mapping Beacon do? Is a Dimensional Cleaver really a cleaver? Can I use it for other things?¡±


    He looked at the description of the item with Lily, and the two of them frowned.


    ¡°Maybe there¡¯s an explanation included with the artefacts when you buy them,¡± Lily replied. ¡°After all, if there¡¯s a description publicly available, some people might be able to bypass buying this package by simply buying items that fit that profile.¡±


    ¡°So it might just be a waste, huh.¡± Claud looked at Lily.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that,¡± Lily replied, her little nose quivering. ¡°Like I said, we¡¯re doing this as a team. Both of us will make sacrifices here and there over and over again.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Claud took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m a bit used to doing everything myself, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Lily considered his words for a moment. ¡°True. Even when I was following you around, you didn¡¯t¡­really need me there, did you? You just gave me things to do to make me feel involved.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Being paranoid is my specialty. Besides, you also have your strong points that I can¡¯t replicate. Your explosives, for instance, are really handy. I feel a lot safer with them on hand now.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Would I lie to you?¡± Claud replied, before showing her the inside of his coat. ¡°Take a look. Lots of smoke bombs, delayed explosives, sticky bombs...and you know who made them, right? I just never had the chance to use them yet, but feeling safe because I have them on me is really important too.¡±


    He stared at the wrapped package for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s all in the mind sometimes.¡±


    Being able to feel safe wasn¡¯t something he usually experienced. Ever since his mother passed away, Claud never managed to feel truly safe, not until he started living in Moon Mansion. When he was planning to murder the Moon Emissary and flee back then, Claud knew that he would never be able to feel safe, and yet¡­


    Lily had somehow filled up that void. Claud had many things to thank her for, too many for her to know.


    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°Did you think of something good?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking of you,¡± Claud replied, a serene smile on his face. ¡°Thanks for being here.¡±


    She twitched and turned away. ¡°I¡¯m going to buy that package! You stay here and look for something that costs twenty contributions!¡±


    Claud chuckled as she fled the scene from sheer embarrassment. Lily needed that too, in his opinion. She sometimes lapsed into the opinion that she didn¡¯t bring anything to the table, that she somehow wasn¡¯t special enough to help or contribute to anything in a meaningful way. He didn¡¯t know if this was related to her family issues or her personality, but Claud wanted her to know that she was important.


    In fact, whether someone was important or not was subjective and therefore an exercise in pointlessness, but trying to communicate that as he was right now might lead to complications.


    Such an epiphany was best arrived at together and naturally.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been hogging the treasure house for fifteen minutes,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Best to speed up.¡±


    He started to look through the place seriously. Right now, they had lots of defensive artefacts, enough to make an entire enemy army cry, so Claud wanted to get a nice weapon for Lily, whose offensive capability was somewhat lacking.


    ¡°Hmm¡­a sword, I guess.¡± Claud narrowed his selection to a bunch of one-handed swords. ¡°Lily likes them, and Dia has been teaching her how to use one well too¡­¡±


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    Deciding that the risk of her pestering him for a spar everyday was quite worth it, he picked out a sword called Twilight Shower. According to the description on it, Twilight Shower was a weapon that increased the user¡¯s attack speed by lowering air resistance somehow. More importantly, however, it was simple and pragmatic, and the blade looked really sturdy to boot too.


    Returning to the counter, he handed the sword over to Lily. ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°You picked it for me?¡± Lily asked. ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Your ability to inflict damage leaves much to be desired,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And you don¡¯t have a soul-bound weapon yet.¡±


    ¡°Where do you get off lecturing me on that particular bit?¡± Lily muttered. ¡°You don¡¯t have one either!¡±


    ¡°We can do it together,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be nice?¡±


    Lily twitched once more. ¡°O-okay.¡±


    She turned to the cashier and handed the sword over without looking at the person in question, who handled it with quite the tact. ¡°Thank you, sir and lady Primus. I wish you a good day.¡±


    Stowing their purchases into her backpack, Lily grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the store, all without looking at the cashier.


    ¡°You¡­can be quite shy at times,¡± Claud panted out, after they stopped in the shade of a tree. ¡°How cute.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing,¡± Lily muttered, before turning to look at him. ¡°But¡­it also makes me feel warm inside. I¡¯m not sure what to feel, okay? That cashier was staring at me too, so¡­¡±


    ¡°There, there.¡± Claud patted her head. ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, I won¡¯t do that anymore.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I hated it,¡± Lily mumbled. ¡°And this is probably good practice too. Doing things like these together, in front of other people. It¡¯s not like I care about normal people, but when we return to the others¡­I don¡¯t want to distance myself from you.¡±


    ¡°The others, huh?¡± Claud pondered for a moment. ¡°We ran away shortly after going out of the room together, so they never really got the chance to tease us, but knowing Schwarz...¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°Might as well get used to it.¡±


    She took a deep breath. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be nice if we started kissing each other in front of them, and made them all uncomfortable?¡±


    Claud flicked her nose slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t do that, okay? I mean, I think a little peck is good enough, but anything beyond that is bad. They¡¯ll start cursing me or something.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡¯


    ¡°Yeah. Back when I hung out in Schwarz¡¯s bar, people always cursed the couples that made out passionately, even if they did it in a corner of the room. You¡¯d hear creative things like ¡®Explode, damn couple¡¯, or ¡®Stop showing off the life I never had¡¯. Things like that.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°Now that I think about it, those were peaceful times.¡±


    He sat down on the grass, before patting the area beside him.


    ¡°It¡¯s already dark out, though,¡± said Lily. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be going?¡±


    Claud paused. ¡°Yeah. True. We¡¯ll have to check those artefacts in the inn, then. I keep forgetting about the dangers of being in the dark. We can¡¯t even flirt in the shade of a tree at night now.¡±


    ¡°Is that really worth pouting over?¡± Lily asked, tilting her head.


    ¡°Well, who knows?¡±


    After purchasing some food, the two of them returned to the inn and locked themselves in the room. Putting aside the meat skewers, Claud and Lily sat down on the bed and took out the bag that contained artefacts that were apparently important to exploring Celestia.


    The contents of the bag surprised both Claud and Lily as they rolled onto the bed. Instead of judging them by appearances, however, the two of them simply opted to read the instruction manuals that were included.


    And well, if they weren¡¯t included, Claud would probably have taken it up with the city administration.


    ¡°So,¡± said Lily, ¡°the wristwatch is the Sea-Queller, the cube that looks a bit like Crown is the Mapping Beacon and the knife ¡ª to absolutely no one¡¯s shock ¡ª is the Dimension Cleaver. Uh, how to use¡­¡±


    Crown popped out of Claud¡¯s clothes a moment later, before rolling over to the fist-sized cube. ¡°Meep?¡±


    ¡°Meep,¡± Claud replied back. ¡°You¡¯re still as special as ever, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Lily looked at Crown thoughtfully. ¡°Best not to mix the two of you up, though. I¡¯ll carry the Mapping Beacon and you carry Crown.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for the best, to be honest,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway, what does the Mapping Beacon do?¡±


    ¡°It helps the user to locate points where spatial traversing is possible,¡± Lily read out from the booklet. ¡°Locate a spatial node with the Mapping Beacon, use the Dimension Cleaver to cut a path and stabilise the rift with the Sea-Queller.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Claud picked up the knife, which was actually the length of Lily¡¯s forearm. ¡°I wonder if this can be used offensively¡­¡±


    ¡°Better not try it here, though.¡± Lily kept the artefacts and flopped back on the bed. ¡°Can I sleep on your lap? We¡¯re leaving for the ruins tomorrow, and I¡¯m a bit nervous.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. I¡¯ll read out the dangers we¡¯ll face there as a bedtime story, then.¡± Claud fished out a folder. ¡°How does that sound?¡±


    ¡°On second thought, we¡¯ll go through that first.¡± Lily sat up hurriedly. ¡°And then you can hug me to sleep.¡±


    Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°Fine, fine¡­¡±


    Lily made a little sound and said, ¡°If I have any nightmares, we¡¯re going to postpone our trip there by a day, okay?¡±


    ¡°¡­That is probably actually the best course of action, though.¡± Claud rubbed his head. ¡°The same goes for me, I guess.¡±


    Flipping through the folder, the two of them began to read about the dangers other people had faced in Celestia.

 Chapter 266: Dreams and Ruins

    Three shrouded figures, their very presence warping the fabric of reality, tore apart the night sky. The world began to shake a moment later, crumbling away into a hollow emptiness. Reality was ending, and Claud was powerless. Something had bound him tightly, holding on to him and preventing him from even moving a finger.


    As the world burned on and on, Claud noticed an abnormality in the crumbling world.


    The Moons were missing, their light completely absent. Moments after that thought forced its way into his mind, Claud¡¯s eyes flicked open, and the tight, solid restraints that had held him down the whole time turned out to be a blanket.


    A nice warmth was hugging him tightly, and he had to forcibly restrain himself from moving after remembering that Lily was right beside him. Instead, his right arm snaked out, and with a dexterity that came with years and years of artful, slick movements, he captured the papers all around the bed. At the same time, he took a few deep breaths, banishing the nightmare that came from learning about the dangers of the Celestia Ruins.


    That nightmare earlier had been his personal rendition of how the Celestial Ruins ended up in its current state.


    After stacking the papers responsible for his nightmare into a neat pile ¡ª a deed a lot harder with only one free arm ¡ª he placed them on the floor and wondered if he should just sleep in today. They had spent the previous night reading through the many odd dangers and sightings that Celestia had, and while it was relatively safe, reading these papers had simply reinforced a single tenet: curiosity killed the cat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go near that,¡± Lily mumbled. ¡°There¡¯s a trap there too¡­why can¡¯t you see that?¡±


    Claud looked at Lily, who was almost certainly dreaming about Celestia, before patting her head. Playing with her cheeks, Claud squished her face gently, hoping to ease her out of those bad dreams. He could remember how his mother had did it long ago, and it involved gentle, soothing movements that were antithetical to the nasty contents of many a nightmare.


    Humming gently, he patted her head slowly, and before long, her murmured words had turned into a hum. That was a sign that the nightmare she was experiencing was beginning to unravel, and Claud called her name slowly, waking her up.


    Letting out a small groan, she took in the sight of his face, and then flung her hands around him without any warning.


    ¡°I won¡¯t go near traps,¡± Claud replied gently, ¡°so you can let go of me now, okay?¡±


    Hugging her back, he got up from the bed. ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t be reading these things right before we sleep next time. I had a nightmare too.¡±


    ¡°A nightmare?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Share, share!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about one of these things,¡± Claud replied, fishing out a particular piece of paper. ¡°The visions of the end that some unlucky soul saw.¡±


    Lily looked at the piece of paper. ¡°With a single strike of his knife, one of the three destroyers tore apart the entire world, cleaving it into two. Someone appeared in thin air a moment later, and one of them grabbed the newcomer. Plunging his hand into the newcomer¡¯s chest, he extracted an orb, and the world completely shattered.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the one,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But the guy who saw this survived, or else we wouldn¡¯t be reading this now.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°The fact that all these things have been recorded shows that everyone who saw them survived without any injury, since there¡¯s nothing about being crippled here.¡±


    ¡°On the flip side, that can also mean that there were some dangers that went entirely unrecorded because no one saw them,¡± Claud replied. ¡°At any rate, we should memorise how these people got out of these dangers and follow suit if we ever encounter similar things.¡±


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    ¡°That¡¯s how you use them?¡±


    ¡°Tried and tested method is what I want to say, but the sample size is too small,¡± Claud replied. ¡°For instance, to survive the vision of the three gods destroying Celestia, we need to stand and watch the whole thing. That¡¯s what all the claims here say. But what¡¯s more disturbing is that there¡¯s absolutely no one that claimed running away worked.¡±


    Lily breathed in sharply. ¡°Because there¡¯s no such incident¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. We can assume that running away will kill us. After all, there¡¯s so many people. Some of them must have tried to flee when they saw the vision, right? If they did and survived, one of them must have recorded that fact down,¡± Claud replied, before pausing. ¡°Wait, did I go through this line of thought last night?¡±


    ¡°You did, but we were too sleepy to think that hard,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Should we wash up first and determine the best course of events to take?¡±


    ¡°That sounds nice.¡± Claud got up and extended a hand to Lily, who took it.


    Lily smiled. ¡°Thanks for tidying the place up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what a thoughtful thief does,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s freshen up and get back to work. I think we¡¯ll have to delay our departure for a few hours, while we work out the best responses to take.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the professional, I¡¯ll just nod along. Race you to the bathroom?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re on the side closer to it, though¡­¡±


    By the time they were done, the sun was blazing down with full force, a sight that made Claud and Lily glad that they were heading to the ruins in the late afternoon. Although flying under the hot sun wasn¡¯t all that bad, it definitely took a toll on one¡¯s mental health, and the last thing Claud wanted was to explore a set of dangerous ruins with a somewhat peeved face.


    ¡°That reminds me. I¡¯m going to try for my second mana circuit one last time today,¡± said Lily. ¡°I think it might be useful, and I just had a feeling that I would succeed this time.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Claud took a towel and made her sit down. Wiping her long hair dry, he nodded. ¡°In that case, go and push for it. I¡¯ll be fine on my own, so do you best.¡±


    Tying her hair up into a stylish ponytail, he assessed for from head to heel, and then gave her a hug. ¡°Do your best! We¡¯ll go down and get some rich stew after you¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°I want some strawberry cake,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Does Lostfon still have that?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°I¡¯ll try, anyway.¡±


    Lily grinned, and then climbed onto the bed. Settling into a comfortable position, she closed her eyes, and blue light started to shimmer faintly. Claud looked at her quietly, and then pulled out Crown. Although the little fellow couldn¡¯t help her in any way whatsoever, Claud still wanted someone to watch over Lily as she tried to complete her second mana circuit; Crown was the best person.


    Taking a deep breath, he deposited the small stack of papers on a small table and started to scan through these papers once more. This time, however, he was more focused on making notes on what might have happened and what other people did when they encountered these dangers.


    It was long, hard work, and the more Claud read, the more he understood why this report was so highly priced in the treasury. Given the circumstances last night, where they were going through a cursory, surface reading, he hadn¡¯t given it too much thought, but¡­


    This was a record that had to be older than Count Nightfall.


    While some of the occurrences weren¡¯t all that common, the remarkable thing was the uniformity in the solutions provided. For instance, in a scenario where one faced a spatial fracture that looked like a five-petaled flower, there were only two people that witnessed it and survived to tell the tale. Both of them chose to channel their mana and saturate the area around them with it, rather than fleeing or anything.


    Whether it was a common occurrence or not, Claud didn¡¯t know, but by now, he had understood that Celestia was probably a pretty dangerous place after all. The book he had read at the library, though informative, wasn¡¯t as detailed and thorough as the explorers¡¯ notes, and if he didn¡¯t get it wrong, the author probably didn¡¯t venture too deep. Keeping that in mind, Claud immersed himself into his work once more, and the passage of time blurred.


    A wave of power swept out from the bed as he recorded down yet another solution, and Claud turned to look at Lily. Her presence had abruptly intensified, and her lithe frame seemed more real than before.


    She looked at Claud, smiling, and then at little Crown, who was meeping cheerfully and incessantly. Putting down the papers in his hand, he got up and hugged her.


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°Get used to your new status and the change first,¡± Claud added. ¡°I¡¯m almost done¡­let¡¯s go out and get some lunch after that, shall we? My treat!¡±


    ¡°We share our money anyway, so what¡¯s the point of saying that?¡± Lily pointed out, before smiling. ¡°But I gratefully accept.¡±


    Rolling his eyes, Claud patted her hair, and then got her to sit by his side.

 Chapter 267: Celestia Ruins and a weird graveyard

    After a satisfying lunch and a few hours for Claud and Lily to complete their final preparations, the two of them checked out of the inn and stared at the afternoon sun. High above them was a floating island, and Claud took a deep breath as he ran through the many different hazards and the best way to deal with them in his mind once more.


    Lily patted his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared.¡±


    ¡°Easier said than done, really,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But I¡¯ll consider that piece of advice very thoroughly.¡±


    He closed his eyes.


    The Celestia Ruins were generally hard to access. Either one flew there, or went to the Marsh of Remembrance, where there were portals that would either bring one to the ruins or to somewhere deep inside the forest. Since the books he had read were mostly focused on people who had directly chosen to fly there, neither Claud nor Lily knew what these portals were like, other than the fact that they were red doorways.


    Incidentally, those red doorways would also randomly appear in Celestia too. For those who didn¡¯t have a way of landing from a high height safely, this was their only ticket off the place.


    ¡°Well, we can¡¯t stand here forever,¡± said Lily. ¡°People are beginning to look at us oddly.¡±


    ¡°Right. Let¡¯s leave the city first, and then begin our flight to the ruins.¡± Holding Lily¡¯s hand, the two of them made their way to the gates of Lostfon, only to realise that the city perimeter had been surrounded by multiple lines of fortifications.


    Duchess Lacuna¡¯s forces exemplified the definition of efficient, if nothing else.


    ¡°No choice,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We¡¯ll just hide ourselves and then fly away directly. It¡¯s a waste of a skillstrip, though¡­¡±


    Taking to the skies, the two of them looked towards the doomed Quies Dukedom. Now that a few days had passed, they could actually see, if only vaguely, the outline of an incredibly large dome at the border between both dukedoms.


    ¡°Um¡­is it me, or is someone copying you?¡± Lily asked, her eyes fixed on the dark dome at the distant horizon.


    ¡°¡­I demand my royalties,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°You are absolutely free to knock on that thing and ask for them.¡± Lily blinked innocently, an impish grin on her face. ¡°I¡¯ll eat some cake and watch.¡±


    Claud clicked his teeth. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to dissuade me from doing something this dangerous, Lily.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t going to do that in the first place, so I don¡¯t really see the point in making my tongue tired.¡±


    Claud found himself speechless for a moment, and then rolled his eyes. ¡°Fine. You¡¯re the boss. Still, why is the great Dark fortifying such a small place? I mean, the Moons literally blocked off an entire sovereignty. The great Dark¡¯s response seems a bit pathetic when we look at that.¡±


    ¡°One side has three times the territory.¡± Lily bit her lip. ¡°When you put it that way, you do make a lot of sense.¡±


    ¡°As a rule of thumb, I usually make sense¡­¡±


    Claud knew that the Moons¡¯ forces wanted to gain control over the Terra Jewels in the Istrel Sovereignty, which would allow the Moon Emissaries to turn the entire area into the base in which grand workings and rituals could be conducted on. The same probably went for the great Dark, but to be honest, the disparity was a bit too large¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s not waste time on that, though. Between the Moons and the Dark, I naturally support the former more,¡± said Lily.


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    ¡°I think both are bad for us,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Hang on tight. We¡¯ll be ascending really quickly now.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Wind howled as Claud channelled his mana into the spiritual structure of Flight. Charging towards the floating sky ruins, Claud hurtled onwards madly, increasingly cognizant that this was the first time he had flown at such heights. Although Flight made it such that the two of them could ignore many things, Claud hadn¡¯t quite accounted for the issue of it being freaking cold at such heights, and their teeth began to clatter.


    ¡°S-stop!¡± Lily called out. ¡°I¡¯m freezing!¡±


    ¡°M-me t-too.¡± Claud stopped in mid-air, once again very aware of the fact that the ground was far, far below them. ¡°Any ideas?¡±


    ¡°Let me make a flame first. We¡¯ll have to slow down,¡± Lily replied, and a flame burst into being. ¡°Fortunately, we¡¯re quite close.¡±


    ¡°Next time we go to this place, we¡¯ll align ourselves right underneath first, and then shoot up with all our strength.¡± Claud huddled close to Lily, taking in the comfortable warmth and hugging her at the same time.


    After warming themselves for a little bit, the two of them continued on. Once again, Claud infused mana into Flight and surged towards the ruins madly. The biting chill assaulted his skin, but both Claud and Lily knew that it would be a sad waste if he had to use another Flight skillstrip.


    ¡°Endure it, endure it¡­¡±


    ¡°The air in front is different!¡± Lily called out. ¡°I think we¡¯re closing into the ruins¡¯ sphere of influence!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Encouraged by that good news ¡ª there were no records of the ruins being horribly cold ¡ª Claud bit his lips and continued their mad flight onwards.


    ¡°There! Hurry!¡±


    ¡°Hold on tight!¡±


    The chill gave way to a soothing warmth as Claud charged through the rippling, distorted air. At the same time, the world changed. The ground below them had been replaced with the backdrop of the night sky, with a gigantic globe hanging below.


    The two stopped for a moment, before Lily cleared her throat. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to admire the scenery. You don¡¯t have much time left on Flight, right?¡±


    ¡°Crap.¡± Speeding up once more, Claud brought Lily to the ruins quickly, only looking around the place when they finally landed.


    The Celestia Ruins looked like a city. Lots of tall, tall buildings could be seen peeking out from towering walls, each of them made out of what seemed to be glass. Giant, ballistae-like weapons lined the top of the walls, each of them giving off glints that sent chills down his spine.


    Whatever those things were, they were incredibly dangerous.


    Metal carriages littered the place the two of them were standing on. On closer inspection, Claud could see leather seats and¡­what seemed to be dried blood on them.


    ¡°So, people sat in those things?¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°And then they died. Or maybe because they died, that they were seated here. Like coffins.¡± Claud examined one of those metal carriages. They reminded him of a coffin, just that they were larger or something, which served to bolster his earlier suspicions.


    ¡°Coffins that can seat a lot of people at once? But why leave them out here? Usually, we bury them underground, right?¡±


    ¡°Lily, dear, this is another world. Who knows what those people have as their culture?¡± Claud looked around the place. ¡°Look. There are lines¡­no, rectangles arrayed on the ground nicely. I bet they¡¯re for those tombs to be placed nicely on. I know Caroline was working on making the new graveyards more orderly.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Lily looked at the lines. ¡°Well, it is more space-efficient. Look! There are even squares stacked up together, and if we look over there, there¡¯s three of those coffins stuck on the same¡­rack or whatever.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Claud looked around the place. ¡°So much metal or something. Should we push the empty coffins off the ruins and collect them when we go down?¡±


    ¡°¡­Really?¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°Putting aside the fact that these things will kill anyone they land on, I¡¯m sure all of them had a body loaded inside at some point in time. Look at that wheel-like thing in the front seat; it has blood on it.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Claud grimaced. ¡°Alright then.¡±


    They took another long gaze around the weird graveyard. It was surrounded by a small wall, like most other graveyards, with only a gate in and out of the place. Perhaps, in a more peaceful time, this place would have been more orderly, but whatever disaster that had struck this graveyard¡­


    Walking out of the gate, Claud turned back to look at the sad place, and then sighed.


    ¡°Feeling pensive?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I hate it when people die in general,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s¡­the end of potential. Of possibilities.¡±


    Lily pondered over his words for a moment. ¡°¡­Me too.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Claud fiddled with her right hand. ¡°If only everyone had pure-ranked lifestones forever.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wishful thinking.¡± Lily poked his cheek, and then looked at the gate. ¡°Odd. The language used here is the same¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, some sources claim that our language came from Celestia, so I¡¯m not really surprised.¡± Claud looked at the rusting sign. ¡°Uh¡­ISV Carpark 1A? Not sure if I got it right, though. What''s that anyway?¡±


    ¡°Parks, huh? I suppose greenery is quite a good place to place tombs in¡­maybe the grass withered away or something.¡± Lily sighed. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    As the two walked towards the city, Claud remembered something. ¡°Right, our status! Let¡¯s see if it really changed!¡±

 Chapter 268: Cross-referencing statuses

    One of the things Claud had remembered the most when he was perusing the library was how their status had changed. Now that he was here to visit this place, checking out one of the most fundamental things of life was a no-brainer.


    Rubbing his hands, Claud called out his status, and a screen appeared in his eyes.


    [Name: Claud Primus (NPC)


    Class: Omen (Tier-9, Innate),


    Class Mastery: 23%


    Energy Rank: D-


    EXP to next rank: <Error: Translation Failure>


    EXP stored: <Error: Translation Failure>


    Physical modifier: 300000 (<class_mod = 1000> * <rank_mod = 200>)


    Energy modifier: 300000 (<class_mod = 1000> *<rank_mod= 200>)


    HP: ?/? (??? * <class_mod = 1000> * <rank_mod = 200>)


    Energy: ?/? (??? * <class_mod = 1000> * <rank_mod = 200>)


    Active Skills: Presence Nullification, Flight, Binding Order, Cleanse, FiBoD;A??? , FiBoD;A???


    Passive Skills: DiL???C, Mana Hub, Understanding


    Tat????: ???


    Comments: <Error: Translation Failure>]


    ¡°Ooh.¡± Claud looked at his status and made a few noises. ¡°It really changed! Let¡¯s compare our statuses! Did you bring the book along?¡±


    ¡°Sure did,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Let me pull it out.¡±


    She took a while to pull it out, since her bag was also full of really useful items. Like Claud¡¯s own backpack, she carried a full suite of every possible countermeasure to any given situation recorded so far, just in case the two of them got separated.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see,¡± said Lily. ¡°Found it. Lucien Lostfon¡¯s status here¡­¡±


    Claud craned his neck and took a long look. ¡°That¡¯s odd. His class has ¡°translation failure¡±, right?¡±


    ¡°The same goes for me,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Wait, do you have your own class?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud took a glance at the relevant tabs. ¡°It¡¯s called ¡®Omen¡¯, and there are brackets that read ¡®Tier-9, Innate¡¯. On the next line, there¡¯s something called Class Mastery, and it¡¯s at twenty-three percent. Also, my physical modifier here, unlike the question marks, is actually three hundred thousand, the same as my energy modifier.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Lily examined her status. ¡°So, the class has something to do with the part that¡¯s called class mod¡­seems to be that way, right? What¡¯s your class mod?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­yeah. It¡¯s one thousand for me, but there¡¯s no numerical representation on Lucien Lostfon¡¯s status.¡± Claud frowned. ¡°Nice to know, but what does this number represent?¡±


    Lily looked around the resting area for Celestia¡¯s people, the ISV Carpark 1A, and then smiled helplessly. ¡°I don¡¯t think testing that out in a graveyard seems to be a good idea, even if it¡¯s already ruined.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, true.¡± Claud raised his hand and examined it. He had a feeling that he just needed to exert energy to find out, but the number scared him. ¡°I¡¯ll feel bad if I destroy these things by accident. Still, I can roughly guess. I mean, this new status must have a standard force for an attack, right? If we take the standard mana circuit as one, then my attacks will have three hundred thousand times the strength of that.¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s horribly scary if true.¡± Lily cupped her chin. ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, maybe that explains the tremendous power behind your single-shot attacks all the time. I mean, that¡¯s destruction that probably three hundred thousand mana circuits can put out, right?¡±


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    ¡°True. Right, what¡¯s your energy rank? I¡¯m D-,¡± said Claud. Assuming that this corresponded to his three mana circuits...


    ¡°I¡¯m E+,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Hmm. I can see a pattern here, I guess. One-folders should be E-, then. And tetra-folders would be D+, I suppose? Or is there an intermediary, like a D without any symbol behind? If there¡¯s an intermediary, then¡­"


    ¡°If it''s the former, Lucian Lostfon''s C- makes him a penta-folder. If it''s the latter...he''s a hexa-folder,¡± Claud completed. ¡°Wow. That said, doesn¡¯t Celestia feel really scary then? What¡¯s A+ supposed to be?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not ask that question,¡± Lily replied with a shiver. "The Emperor sounds pathetically weak, when compared to the pattern we can infer from this."


    Laughing nervously, the two wondered about their odd statuses once more, and then gave up after a while. Without any more references, their guesses could only go so far before they became rehashes of repeated stuff, and it was with some trepidation that they continued on towards the ruined city.


    More of those metallic coffins dotted the road. Some were flipped over, while others had been stripped down into their basic frameworks. Fresher blood, however dotted the areas around those coffins, and Claud grimaced. ¡°Be careful.¡±


    ¡°Careful?¡±


    Claud pointed at the bloodstains that stained the nearby coffins. ¡°These are fresher than the ones left by the original inhabitants. It¡¯s possible that disturbing these tombs will kill us.¡±


    ¡°No records exist, though,¡± Lily replied. ¡°So¡­it¡¯s fatal, I suppose?¡±


    ¡°Yeap.¡± Claud narrowed his eyes. ¡°So many death traps lying out in the open. We¡¯ll need to be more vigilant. Have you activated your defences yet? Are the artefacts from the package accessible?¡±


    ¡°Already done!¡± Lily puffed out her chest, emanating a ¡®Pat me!¡¯ aura, which Claud promptly obliged. After playing with her hair a few times, Claud remembered that they were in a set of dangerous ruins, and reluctantly lowered his hands.


    Lily had a sad look on her face, but they had to focus here.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll pat you for an entire day when we go back, okay?¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°You really like that, huh.¡±


    ¡°Well, you remind me of my mother when you do that.¡±


    Claud immediately made a resolution to pat her head more often, before forcing himself to suppress his smile. Instead, he nodded in silence, and then continued on the road.


    Three minutes later, their vigilance paid off.


    ¡°To our left,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°It¡¯s that¡­ghostly thing.¡±


    ¡°The best way to deal with it is no interaction,¡± Claud replied quietly. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about something and ignore it.¡±


    Nodding once, Lily said, ¡°What artefacts do you want to get here?¡±


    Claud ignored the ghostly fellow dancing at the side of his vision and said, ¡°Preferably something that allows me to do things without sending my body there physically.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re talking about the Second Shadow, right?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I also want that!¡±


    ¡°Right? We can send out a bunch of shadows to do things while we sit in the safety of our home!¡± Claud hummed lightly. ¡°Let¡¯s hope we can find a few of them and everything.¡±


    The spectre made some threatening movements at the corner of his eye, but the only thing Claud did in response was to poke Lily¡¯s cheek, which netted him a small poke back. Before long, the two of them had seemingly immersed themselves into a game of poking each other, and before long, the spooky thing vanished.


    ¡°Phew. It¡¯s gone.¡±


    ¡°My cheeks feel like they¡¯ve been reinvigorated or something,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s tender now!¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s what continuous poking does,¡± Lily replied. ¡°My cheek¡¯s springy ¡ª wait, stop poking!¡±


    Claud grinned, and then stopped on the spot. After allocating two minutes for the two of them to stabilise their mood, Claud and Lily made their way towards the city once more, which was actually further than their eyes told them.


    After around an hour or so, the two of them arrived at the huge, imposing city walls. They were far taller than anything Claud had ever seen, only losing out to the incredible barrier that surrounded the Istrel Sovereignty. The dull sheen on these walls made them look weak, but Claud knew better than that. For walls to be this tall, they had to be immensely sturdy, or they would collapse under their own weight.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need a fake identity to enter this place, right?¡± Lily asked with a wink.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be scared stiff if we do, but ¡ª oh.¡±


    Claud¡¯s words died as an illusory crowd appeared in front of him. Floating figures, blurry and transparent, had filled a moving road with lots of seats, which was equally transparent. Above them, those coffins left and entered the city, and Claud immediately recalled the hazard involved here.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to join the queue and sit down. Wait for us to move through the city gates automatically, and we¡¯ll be fine,¡± said Lily. ¡°If we barge in, illusory guards will fire on us. They¡¯ve killed penta-folders before.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a waiting game again.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re together, so it¡¯s fine. Any place is good, as long as you¡¯re by me.¡± Lily gripped his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t ever let go of me.¡±


    ¡°How mushy.¡±


    Those words earned him a weak bop on the head, and the two of them walked over to join the queue. Even penta-folders had to obey this rule, so for the two of them, whose total mana-circuits equalled one of those dead idiots, there really wasn¡¯t much to be said. After all, even bigshots had died here, and to make matters worse, the Celestia Ruins felt like a place where actual bigshots probably had an energy rank of B or A, which placed them as septa-folders and onwards.


    Claud was very happy with his life, so he didn¡¯t really see the need to prove himself or something. The only one he cared about was Lily, and she was too much like him to actually get him to do something dangerous.


    ¡°Did you bring a Moon Phase set along?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Seems like we might be in for a long wait.¡±


    ¡°I brought some card games too,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I really want to snack on something while we¡¯re playing, but¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to ration our food.¡± Lily rubbed her tummy. ¡°Can¡¯t help it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    Taking seats on the moving road of chairs, the two pulled out some games and started to play.


    All things considered, this was quite the honeymoon.

 Chapter 269: Deeper into the ruins

    As Claud flipped open a game piece, waiting for their turn to cross through the illusory checkpoint, his mind detected something enormous on its way, and he stood up in alarm. An enormous wave of power descended upon the place a moment later, reducing the blurry, transparent people in the vicinity to drifting ashes. The moving belt with seats turned into powder at the same time, and their game pieces clattered onto the floor.


    Claud¡¯s hand shot out and held Lily, preventing her from falling.


    ¡°¡­Is that how these people died?¡± Lily murmured, her face pale.


    ¡°Seems that way.¡± Claud took a long, deep breath and pulled her up. ¡°Come on. Some people did record this instance, so it¡¯s fine for us to go through the gate now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Packing up their scattered game pieces, the two of them made their way through the city gate. Now that the illusory echoes of the past had vanished, Claud could see that the place wasn¡¯t just in disrepair; a good half of the infrastructure had been ruined. The tall buildings that towered to the night sky were missing entire chunks, and looked as if they were on the verge of falling apart at any moment.


    ¡°It¡¯s not called the Celestia Ruins for nothing,¡± Lily observed quietly. ¡°Just what manner of disaster struck this city?¡±


    Claud looked at the ground. The metallic floor had also taken a beating, with some places completely obliterated to reveal a burning globe below. He pointed at the burning globe, which had reminded him of what the lands below looked like when he and Lily charged skywards, and said, ¡°Maybe the same one that destroyed this world.¡±


    ¡°This world?¡±


    ¡°I believe this is the true appearance of our world,¡± Claud replied. ¡°When we were flying here, I looked down a few times. It seems that it¡¯s actually a ball, our world.¡±


    ¡°A ball?¡± Lily repeated those words.


    ¡°I know it sounds ridiculous, but it¡¯s really a ball.¡± Claud paused. ¡°Aren¡¯t the Moons and the sun round too?¡±


    ¡°Point. Still¡­¡± Lily craned her neck. ¡°This¡­scenery. The disaster that struck this place also turned the world below us into a flaming expanse? What kind of power could do that? That¡¯s insane.¡±


    ¡°I know, but the evidence has been laid out for us. Whatever destroyed this city probably destroyed that too. That world is probably Celestia, now that I think about it.¡±


    ¡°Celestia¡­¡± Lily took a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. May the disaster that destroyed this world never occur in ours,¡± Claud murmured.


    ¡°Maybe only the Coloured Gods could do something like this.¡±


    ¡°Is it better if they could, or if they can¡¯t?¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°Sorry. I got a bit introspective.¡±


    ¡°Considering that this disaster killed off an entire world and tore it apart, it¡¯s not really surprising,¡± Lily mumbled. ¡°I thought your all-out attack was the strongest thing possible, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think I can top that,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And I don¡¯t want to either. I mean, look at the size of the explosion. That attack set Celestia on fire, and this thing, which was floating high up like one of those magical castles, also got screwed over. If I were to fire off such a blast, I¡¯ll be roasted on the spot.¡±


    ¡°Would you smell nice roasted?¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°What?¡± Claud blinked, and through some leap of logic, added, ¡°Do I not smell nice normally?¡±


    ¡°You smell like flowers,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But sometimes, when I¡¯m a bit hungry, I want some roasted food¡­¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s a good idea to ask your partner to smell like roasted food, Lily.¡± Claud flicked her forehead. ¡°Come on. Enough staring at this roasted world.¡±


    ¡°See? You¡¯re in the mood too!¡±


    ¡°The only thing I see is that you¡¯re hungry¡­¡±


    Lily took a little nibble at his ear after those words, forcing him to laugh and nibble back. Before long, the sorrowful air that had emerged from their previous conversation had vanished, but before their mood could turn jovial, Claud put a stop to it.


    Celestia was brimming with dangers, after all.


    As they walked on, Lily said, ¡°Let¡¯s head over to the centre of the ruins. I remember that the Second Shadow was found there. If we¡¯re lucky, we might be able to get some for ourselves.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a really useful artefact. We should grab as many as possible,¡± Claud added. ¡°It¡¯s a pity we don¡¯t have a spatial artefact, though. There¡¯s only so many things we can take with us¡­¡±


    ¡°I want to take the ruins back,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°And turn into Public Enemy Number One? I don¡¯t think so,¡± Claud replied. ¡°If you want to do that, you need to leave behind an illusion first. And also disable the teleport thingies that allow access to the ruins. With any luck, people would think that the magical ruins are vanishing from this world, and they¡¯ll soon get used to it being a mirage.¡±


    Lily leaned her head against Claud¡¯s own and whispered, ¡°You really live up to your Thief of Time moniker, huh.¡±


    ¡°Please never mention that in my presence,¡± Claud whispered back. ¡°I don¡¯t know what those idiots in the bars and taverns are doing, but making me sound like some kind of godly thief is the last thing I need. How am I going to get more lifestones if everyone is watching out for a legendary thief?¡±


    Lily pondered on that point for a moment, and then nodded. ¡°Still, you aren¡¯t that famous outside of the Istrel Sovereignty.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I won¡¯t be so sure about that.¡± Claud grimaced. ¡°Chromatic Lord. Remember?¡±


    Lily stifled a giggle. ¡°Right! My own personal Chromatic Lord, saving people one giant explosion at a time!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s distressing. And if, by any chance, we were to head towards the Voidum Sovereignty, there¡¯s a non-zero chance that I might pick another nickname there again,¡± Claud added. ¡°Fortunately, only you and I would know the truth, but it¡¯s still quite distressing, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°There, there.¡±


    Lily was about to pat his head when she froze up. ¡°Eyes out. Another¡­¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Claud analysed the new phenomenon as it materialised. Tens of wheeled carriages, carriages that weren¡¯t all that different from the coffins outside, appeared in the grey road to their left. There was no visible means of propulsion, but Claud was more concerned with the dangers they posed. He didn¡¯t know what they were, but the records of this particular phenomenon stated that getting hit by one of those odd carriages were fatal.


    ¡°Any ideas?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Well, I thought of flying, but I remembered that flying in some places is equally fatal. We¡¯ll need to slip in and out of them¡­or follow the ghostly pedestrians that just showed up.¡± Claud glanced at the blurry, transparent figures that were walking past them. ¡°There¡¯s apparently some rules to how these weird carriages can move, like the traffic rules we have in Licencia, so we just need to obey them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something to do with these lights, I think. We can cross the road with them.¡±


    Claud nodded and observed those carriages. They resembled those coffins, other than the fact that they had wheels on the bottom, which immediately hinted at their use in transportation. The coffins from earlier had odd-looking cylinders that pointed downwards and to its back; these were probably the means in which ceremonial coffin-bearers lifted them around.


    ¡°Still, to think that vehicles and places where the dead are left in share such a remarkable semblance,¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°Right?¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°I won¡¯t be surprised if those things happened to double as coffins as well. Look at the speed they move. If two of those carriages ran into each other¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeowch. But wouldn¡¯t those carriages be completely destroyed?¡± Lily looked at the grey road, where these carriages zoomed around at speeds that would put a normal horse to shame. ¡°You¡¯d think that a city would have limits on speed.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they like to live dangerously,¡± Claud concluded. ¡°Their carriages look like their own coffins. I don¡¯t see any issue, culturally speaking.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s scary how you insult their entire culture in such a backhanded manner.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one of my strengths, I think,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway, we just need to move with those people, right? It¡¯s just a game of patience¡­who would die to this?¡±


    ¡°I hear the souls of the impatient deceased screaming at you,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Not literally, I hope. C¡¯mon, let¡¯s follow those guys¡­¡±


    Following behind the ghostly illusions, Claud and Lily crossed the road and continued on to the city centre. More and more little phenomena popped up, sometimes overlapping with the previous ones, while others died off after the two of them reacted appropriately. Before long, a cylindrical building that dwarfed all others in both height and grandeur drew up towards them, and Lily took a deep breath. Fittingly enough, there was a splendid plaza in front of the grand entrance, and the two of them rested there for a moment or so.


    ¡°The records state that the Second Shadow artefacts are at the very top, in some grand office,¡± said Lily.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to be careful. Something this useful¡­it¡¯s probably guarded.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Prepare to run at a moment¡¯s notice.


    Nodding at each other, the two of them entered the building.

 Chapter 270: Breaking and Entering

    Cold, cold air stroked Claud¡¯s face as he entered the building, and mana danced around him in response. Only after looking around the place a few times did he loosen up ¡ª clearly, the owners of this building didn¡¯t share the same shameless sense as him.


    If he had free reign over this building, the entrance would be blocked off with tens and hundreds of traps. Also, it wouldn¡¯t be lit up by impossibly bright lights; those bright lights would instead be directed at the entrance, blinding anyone who dared to enter.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like a fortress.¡±


    ¡°This seems to be the administrative centre of the city, rather than its main defensive fortress,¡± Lily observed. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯ll be any traps here.¡±


    ¡°But if you look at Nightfall Palace and that nameless building the Nightfall couple work in, you can see all kinds of defences too, right?¡± Claud replied. ¡°And besides, there are many warnings about this place. It¡¯s quite the phenomena-ridden building. Given its importance, there might be mechanical traps here too.¡±


    ¡°Maybe in the restricted area,¡± replied Lily, tilting her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll see any such things here, at least. There weren¡¯t any records of such traps either.¡±


    Claud thought back to the records, and then shook his head. ¡°We can¡¯t be certain that there aren¡¯t traps here, just because no records about dangerous traps, remember? Best to keep a look out. You know what they say, right?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Lily smiled. ¡°But I want a backrub when we go back.¡±


    ¡°Ambitious, aren¡¯t you?¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°A backrub, fine. Would you like me to rub anywhere else?¡±


    ¡°My soles!¡±


    The two fooled around for a bit, before returning to their serious, cautious stance once more. Making sure to follow the described route to the Second Shadow, Claud readied himself to strike at any moment. Other than a sword, he also had multiple daggers that could be tossed out, but his best weapon was now his mana.


    However, since there was a non-zero possibility that some trap which forbade the use of mana existed, Claud had also prepared for a physical fight. If it came down to it, he would toss out a bunch of expendable artefacts, pick Lily up and flee with all his might.


    Of course, this would mean that their first expedition had come to an end. Claud hoped that this scenario would only pop up after they attained the Second Shadow, since the two of them would then get their shadowy avatars to explore the place risk-free, but anything could happen.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s my line!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯m ready,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Let¡¯s go up and see if we can nab some of those babies. I swear, those machines seem to be made for the likes of you and me.¡±


    ¡°If you think about it, though, a city administrator would love to have Second Shadows too. They¡¯ll be able to inspect multiple places at once, depending on their mana control proficiency, all in the safety of their home,¡± Lily replied. ¡°What¡¯s not to love?¡±


    ¡°Only their mana expenditure?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to test it out to know. And even if it¡¯s high for me, you¡¯re a tri-folder!¡± Lily beamed. ¡°We¡¯ll at most take turns to operate the shadow.¡±


    ¡°Is that how it works?¡± Claud cupped his chin.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s how it works. We create an avatar with the artefact, and then control it with our mana and our mind,¡± said Lily. ¡°It¡¯s really useful! I can make explosives without having them blow up in my face, for instance, and I can also experience their power firsthand without fear of injury.¡±


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    Claud nodded as they climbed up the stairs. ¡°Imagine stealing something as a shadow. Sure, I can¡¯t use my usual tricks, but it¡¯s also good training. Plus, it¡¯s a hundred percent safe.¡±


    As they arrived on the second floor, the world wobbled, and Claud felt his heartbeat speed up. ¡°Sea-Queller, now!¡±


    ¡°On it!¡± Lily aimed her wrist at the black rift, and with a mighty groan, the rift collapsed on itself and vanished. ¡°Hurry, third floor!¡±


    Picking her up, Claud made a break for the third floor, before the artefact on Lily¡¯s wrist beeped once. The Sea-Queller could stabilise space for around ten seconds, forcing an artificial calm in the local area. It drained quite a bit of mana, but the Sea-Queller was better than trying to force the rift to close with mana alone, which was apparently an impossible feat.


    ¡°My turn,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Pass it over to me.¡±


    ¡°Here you go,¡± said Lily. ¡°Phew. It really happens, huh.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The presence of people foreign to the ruins can trigger rifts like this. And since I¡¯m hugging you all the time, it¡¯s probably going to happen more¡­wait, I¡¯m just kidding. Hugging has nothing to do with it.¡±


    Lily eyed Claud. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Would I lie about dangerous things?¡± Claud asked back.


    ¡°True.¡± Lily looked down. ¡°Then hug me more. Or a piggyback ride! I haven¡¯t had one for a long time.¡±


    ¡°You really treat this as a honeymoon, huh?¡± Claud patted her head. ¡°Sorry, but it¡¯s too dangerous to give you a piggyback ride while we¡¯re climbing the stairs, nor to mention in Celestia.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Later, then?¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to have one while flying. That doesn¡¯t count. I was sitting on you back then.¡±


    Claud racked his memories for instances in which she just sat on him and nothing else happened, and then recalled the time when they went to Julan Barony. A smile appeared on his face.


    ¡°Back then, we were just going there together because it was convenient, weren¡¯t we?¡± Claud asked. ¡°And now¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re on what seems to be a honeymoon,¡± Lily completed. ¡°Thank you, Claud. For everything.¡±


    ¡°The same goes for me,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s¡­nice to have someone with me, someone I can give my heart to. I thought I would be alone when I made that choice that night, but¡­¡±


    ¡°If I let you have your way, I might have never seen you again,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of final partings.¡±


    Claud took a deep breath. ¡°Thank you, Lily.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Right, we should continue on upwards.¡±


    The next few levels were uneventful, with nothing much happening. Claud, however, didn¡¯t really care about that particular fact for two reasons. First, nothing uneventful meant that everything was safe and danger-free, and secondly, having Lily around was more than enough for him.


    The two of them looked around the building as they climbed up. The cylindrical building, on the outside, looked like a palace that could probably rival that of a duke, but the insides were even more exquisite. Every level had twelve doors facing towards the centre of the building, in an exact, impossible symmetry. In the middle of every level, there was an exquisite, symmetrical pattern that looked like a twelve-pointed star on the tiles, each end pointing at a door.


    Simply looking at it revealed the fact that the architects behind this divine piece of work surpassed any craftsmen Claud knew, and¡­


    ¡°Wow.¡± A word slipped out of Claud¡¯s mouth as the two of them stopped at the highest floor. A crystalline dome occupied the central plaza, taking the place of the usual twelve-pointed star, glimmering faintly in the artificial lights.


    Where did those lights come from anyway?


    After pondering on that question with Lily, the two decided to set that aside.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to be very, very careful now,¡± said Claud. ¡°There¡¯s an unavoidable phenomenon at the door. Quite a lot of people have died here.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Lily replied, her voice tense.


    Claud clenched his fist. The phenomenon that they were just about to view was suspected to be the last moments of the city itself. It would display the city ruler¡¯s point of view as the world came to an end, as well as the three silhouettes that brought it down.


    His hand trembled slightly. This was indelible proof that beings capable of destroying an entire world existed, if nothing else, and¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m scared,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°We just need to face that phenomenon head on,¡± said Lily.


    ¡°No, not that,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m scared of acknowledging the fact that there are beings that can essentially turn my home into molten rock. I¡­should such a being exist?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but¡­¡± Lily looked at him and held his hand tightly. ¡°But we can¡¯t avert our eyes to such a danger, right? The Moons. The great Dark. The gods. The Emperor. Each of them can lay waste to vast swathes of land. We can only grow stronger if we want to stop them from doing that. If, for some reason, they turn insane¡­¡±


    She took a deep breath. ¡°People need to step up and stop it.¡±


    ¡°Would one of these people be me?¡± Claud asked quietly.


    ¡°You can call up power that might just rival the Coloured Gods,¡± said Lily. ¡°Let¡¯s not speak about the world. It¡¯s abstract. Would you use your immense power to protect me?¡±


    Claud froze, and then relaxed. ¡°Yes. And I see what you mean now. If these people try to destroy the world, they¡¯ll probably kill you. And the others. I¡­¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Lily smiled. ¡°So you¡¯ll interfere anyway. So why are you scared? People like them exist. It¡¯s a fact of life. Don¡¯t go shying away from it.¡±


    Claud closed his eyes for a moment, and then nodded firmly. ¡°Thank you, Lily. Let¡¯s go and witness the end of Celestia.¡±

 Chapter 271: Celestias final moments

    The door to the crystalline dome shimmered faintly as Claud and Lily approached it in silence. It seemed harmless from every angle, and in a sense, it was indeed a benign object. However, upon pushing it opon, every single record stated that a grand vision of an alien world would rise upon them, a vision of visions. The building would vanish, replaced with a panorama of the three beings that had struck down a world.


    To flee was to die. As long as one knew that, the way forward was simple ¡ª simply watch the grand spectacle to gain access to the treasure trove beyond. One, however, couldn¡¯t be too greedy either; although there were many, many sets of the Second Shadow, only so many could be taken out by a single person. The rest would vanish.


    That, to Claud, was quite the terrifying show of power as well.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud held her left hand, before reaching out with his own. Resting his palm on the door, he pushed once, and the world fell apart.


    The absolute darkness weakened as speckles of light appeared all around him, gathered together in a brilliant, glittering river. With a single glance, he immediately pinpointed those speckles as stars, the stars he sometimes saw when the world was darkened to a point.


    All around him, in the distant reaches of the absolute dark, sat thousands upon thousands of little speckles. However, what caught his attention the most was the gigantic sun in the middle. It had to be a sun; there was no other ball of fire that could be this huge. What was most terrifying about the sun, however, was a huge, silvery ring that ran around it. On the inside of the ring, he could see blue waters and green grass, but Claud knew that this gigantic ring was far bigger than his senses told him.


    ¡°Claud.¡± Lily¡¯s fingers tightened. ¡°What is this? Why was this never mentioned?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Claud whispered back. ¡°But¡­¡±


    Tens of thousands of fish-like structures crossed past the sun in the middle, revealing a metallic sheen. Like that enormous ring, Claud understood that these fish were actually made by people, and the feeling that a single one of those fish would be enough to annihilate Grandis filled his mind.


    And yet, those metallic fish¡­or whales, which seemed like a more appropriate comparison, were taking up formation. Like unmoving sentinels, they drifted to a spot. Hundreds of cylinders surged out of those whales, and these cylinders surged forward to take up their own formation too.


    Before long, a silver sphere had been formed, surrounding a particular point in this black, deep sea.


    ¡°They¡¯re waiting for something,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Someone. Like guards, waiting with crossbows primed at a door.¡±


    ¡°To ambush that something?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    He took a deep breath, and his mind cleared slightly. At the same time, he could see a small red dot blinking at the top right of his vision, along with the words ¡®Live Broadcast¡¯. Claud didn¡¯t quite understand what those words meant, however, and he didn¡¯t want to agitate Lily by asking her such a question. After all, if Lily were to ask him something he hadn¡¯t noticed¡­he would probably freak out in fear too.


    A visible ripple ran through the absolute dark ¡ª somehow ¡ª and Claud felt his heart seized up. His fingers closed on Lily¡¯s own and the two of them squeezed together.


    Just in time, too.


    A moment later, the small gaps between the silver sphere turned into a blinding white. In that instant before his eyes closed on their own, Claud saw those cylinders fire out piercing lances of prismatic might, lances aimed at destroying the source of that odd ripple earlier on.


    His eyelids flew open of their own accord as another formless quake shook his heart, just in time to see grey light lash out once. The piercing lances of white vanished, along with the cylinders that had fired them, in a manner that reminded him of a child wiping away a drawing in the mud.


    The grey light winked out, revealing three shimmering figures. Their figures were indistinct, the colours they gave off changed with every passing instant, and yet, Claud could feel his hackles rise. The abrupt appearance of these three beings drew his eyes in a way that nothing else could, as if they were the centre of this world.


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    ¡°World¡­¡± Claud trembled. ¡°No. Celestia isn¡¯t that molten world. It¡¯s not any world.¡±


    ¡°Claud? Are you alright?¡± Lily looked at him, somehow tearing her gaze away from the captivating sight. Her voice was tinged with worry, and Claud squeezed her hand once.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. But¡­I know what Celestia is now,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°It refers to this place. This sea of black. The innumerable stars that inhabit it. The countless worlds that float within. And these three beings¡ª¡±


    His words cut off as the silvery whales launched a multi-coloured display of light beams. A solid wall of green, red and blue surged towards the three beings, and yet, despite the overwhelming visual difference, Claud knew that the ending was already set in stone. These whales, whatever they were, were trying to take out the three beings, to stop them from destroying Celestia.


    Claud felt his heart skip a beat as one of the three figures moved. Another mysterious ripple swept through the sea of black, and the incoming beams of light vanished. The silvery whales belched out what looked like flame and smoke, but before they fell apart entirely, thousands of silhouettes burst out of the heaving hulks of metal. Charging towards the three beings, all sorts of weird lights burst out of them, and yet¡­


    Like smoke, they vanished.


    The three prismatic gods ¡ª Claud could think of no other word to describe them ¡ª turned to the giant ring around the sun. Amidst the drifting ash of the destroyed army that had mounted one last desperate charge, the one that had stepped out earlier raised a hand and pointed it at the sun.


    Rings of fire lashed outwards madly, like an octopus flailing, and the sun began to shrink. At the same time, the ring that had surrounded the sun cracked. Explosions tore through its majestic exterior, and it started to break apart.


    One last golden light shot out of the crumbling ring, in a trajectory that would take it far, far away, and the three shadows glanced at it once. Without warning, the one that had moved earlier reappeared right in the golden light¡¯s path.


    As that moving god struck out at the golden light, blinding pain shot through Claud¡¯s head, a pain that was swiftly accompanied by an incredible chill.


    Without warning, nine different memories played in front of him, overlapping like pictures placed over each other. Each of them showed a different place, but the story was the same. The prismatic god in the middle of the trio had captured someone. Each of the captured people differed in terms of the light they gave off, be it intensity or colour, but the outcome was the same.


    That particular god would plunge a hand into that person¡¯s chest, before withdrawing a small orb. A fist would clench a moment later, a brilliant shockwave would erupt outwards, and an utter darkness would tear through the place.


    The overlapping images returned to one a moment later, and once more, Claud and Lily were floating in a sea of black. However, like the dying sun, Claud could tell that the entire¡­sea was dying. The three beings had disappeared, and enormous cracks were running through the sea.


    Cracks blacker than black.


    The stars began to wink out a moment later. At the same time, a howling wind picked up ¡ª Claud had never heard any sound in this memory prior to this ¡ª and a true blanket of darkness covered the world.


    Only the blinking red dot and the words ¡®Live Broadcast¡¯ remained.


    Claud closed his eyes, and colour returned to his face. They were back in the crystalline dome now, and the warmth of Lily¡¯s hands were registering on his nerves once more.


    ¡°We¡¯re back,¡± Claud whispered.


    Lily looked at him, and then looked at the room. ¡°That was¡­a scary¡­vision. Memory.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lily trembled once, and Claud pulled her close.


    After holding her close for ten or so minutes, Claud felt himself calm down. Lily¡¯s heartbeat had returned to normal too, prompting Claud to escort Lily into the inwards of the crystalline room. There, in the middle, was a posh brown table, shaped in a solid disk. Golden words, which were partially tarnished, embellished the front of the desk.


    ¡°Secretary-General of the Misul Star Domain,¡± Lily read out loud, her voice filled with an artificial cheer. ¡°In smaller print¡­the Continuum of Beauty pledges eternal adherence to the Inwards Star Council.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? What¡¯s a Star Domain? What¡¯s the Inwards Star Council?¡± Claud asked.


    Lily shrugged. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s an organisation¡¯s name. I¡¯m going to look for those Second Shadows. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a few here¡­Claud, you poke around the place a bit more and find some answers.¡±


    ¡°Why me?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re more cautious than me?¡± Lily smiled. ¡°Go on! And I can tell that you¡¯re dying of curiosity.¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    He looked around the place, and then saw an odd, translucent board. The board itself was larger than the dinner table in Moon Mansion, and to add to its oddness, it was literally floating in air.


    Of course, since it was made of light, Claud figured that it being a floating object didn¡¯t quite matter. Besides, if it hadn¡¯t been made of light, Claud knew that someone would probably try to take this thing home.


    Upon closer examination, he noted that the black screen was subdivided into hundreds of small grids. These grids, in turn, had different colours, forming areas of solid gold, white, red and blue. The golden area labelled in the north was called the Mortal Light Ascendancy, the white one to the south the Penitent Assembly, the red one to the east¡ª


    ¡°Oh, hey,¡± Claud called out. ¡°I found what seems to be a map with the Inwards Star Council written on it.¡±


    Lily, who was prodding around the desk with a few black boxes in hand, glanced at him and walked over. ¡°Coming!¡±

 Chapter 272: Cosmic Geography

    ¡°Let¡¯s see here,¡± Lily leaned forward. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s quite the detailed map, actually.¡±


    ¡°Detailed map?¡± Claud echoed her words. From his viewpoint, he could only see four different botches and the many, many squares that made up the map, so in what world was it detailed?


    Lily stepped back and forwards, before nodding to herself. ¡°The map becomes more detailed if you take a few steps forward. In fact, the closer you get, the more detailed it becomes!¡±


    Claud blinked, and then took two steps forward. Instantly, the four blotches of colour shimmered once. The Mortal Light Ascendency and the nation on the west, the Court of Majesties, remained uniform in colour, although hundreds of different landmarks ¡ª assuming that was what those stars were ¡ª had popped up. The Inwards Star Council, however, had been split into three varying shades of red. Three different names popped out there, with one of them being the Continuum of Beauty.


    The other two were the Exalt of Melodies, which occupied the place called the Ying Yue Star Domain, and the Harmony of Consensus, which occupied the Reiwa Star Domain. All in all, the Star Domains were named in a rather weird style, and Claud couldn¡¯t even place a finger on why he felt that way.


    ¡°Hmm. So, the Inwards Star Council is made up of three powers, which have their own territories or something,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°And this segment of the Celestia Ruins¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lily rubbed her nose. ¡°What are these Celestia Ruins exactly? What exactly is this¡­universe?¡±


    ¡°Universe?¡± Claud repeated. ¡°What does that word mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s over there.¡± Lily pointed at the small legend attached to the bottom right corner of the map. ¡°Map of the Celestia Universe. Scale: one centimetre to¡­what¡¯s this number? There¡¯s an odd symbol attached to it.¡±


    Claud glanced at the legend, where a smaller number had been placed to the top right of a larger number. No matter how the two looked at it, it was a number that they didn¡¯t understand, so after a while, they gave up.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably a freaking huge place, though,¡± said Claud. ¡°I mean, this whole city and planet apparently belongs to a subordinate power of the Inwards Star Council, if this little blip really is us. I¡¯m going to wager that it¡¯s a really big deal or something.¡±


    ¡°True. And¡­you have another thing on your mind, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Claud glanced at Lily and smiled. ¡°You sneaky mind-reader. You¡¯re right. Now that I think about it, our language, numbers and even units of measurement have been very close to that of the ones used in the ruins. Does that mean that our culture and education came from this place? If so, how?¡±


    Lily¡¯s cheeks puffed up as she tilted from right to left and left to right. ¡°Uhm¡­let¡¯s find an expert on this matter and ask them. But I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll get a definitive result, though. From what I know, we¡¯ve been using the same language for entire eras. Maybe up to and including the First Godsfall.¡±


    ¡°Which doesn¡¯t make sense at all,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Is it possible that the Celestia Ruins had a hand in shaping our culture and language?


    ¡°Probably,¡± Lily replied.


    The two looked at each other for a while, and then decided not to think too hard about this matter. Claud had witnessed too many ground-shaking truths earlier; it would be fine to let other truths lie around for a few moments. Lily probably had the same thought too, since she took the initiative to change the topic.


    Jiggling the items in her hands, Lily said, ¡°Oh yeah. Bag, please. I found a bunch of Second Shadows. We¡¯ll be able to create copies of ourselves from now on!¡±


    ¡°Nice.¡± Claud grinned. ¡°We can now go to some safe area and use it to explore the rest of the city. Still¡­¡±


    His grin faded. ¡°We need to be really careful, though. If the three gods or whatever destroyed Celestia, how did this place end up in our world? And what are those visions?¡±


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    ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t ask me questions I can¡¯t answer either,¡± Lily replied, before tweaking his nose. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ve obtained our goals for today. Should we leave the place now? Or do you want to check other places? We can, after all, use the Second Shadow for that now.¡±


    ¡°Better not be too reliant on it, though,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I won¡¯t put it past them to be able to trace us down through this artefact or something.¡±


    ¡°True. We¡¯ve seen the Cord of Cause and the Knife of Karma,¡± said Lily. ¡°I think this is the perfect attitude to take.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m quite sure I¡¯m the professional at being cautious, though,¡± Claud replied, rubbing his nose. It felt a bit odd to have Lily say those kinds of words to him, since he had been the one dispensing advice so far.


    ¡°It¡¯s proof of my growth!¡±


    Claud felt his lips twitch. ¡°I wonder what Dia would say if she heard you say those words. Last time, she complained that I was corrupting you and everything. Now¡­I¡¯m quite sure she¡¯ll run after me and demand a fight. Yikes.¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t do that,¡± Lily replied, puffing out her chest.


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Claud asked, curious.


    Lily reached out and patted his head. ¡°If she wants to do that, I¡¯ll fight her first. I¡¯ll protect you!¡±


    Popping his own hand on his head, Claud smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    After flirting for a bit, Claud and Lily started to poke around the room. From the sounds of it, the entire ruins had some sort of measure to prevent people from taking too many things at once, so they had to be careful in choosing the items they wanted. Apparently, the way the ruins measured things were through weight, but the records were uncertain.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing else here,¡± Lily reported. ¡°Lots of documents made out of light floating around, but there isn¡¯t a drawer or a compartment.¡±


    ¡°In that case, where did you get the Second Shadow from?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°From the cupboard behind the chairs,¡± Lily replied. ¡°That one. It¡¯s full again, somehow.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it replicates itself or something,¡± Claud replied. ¡°The ruins have a place churning out lots of artefacts, after all. This cupboard might not be ordinary; it could very well produce more of those Second Shadows.¡±


    Lily tilted her head. ¡°In that case¡­can we take it away?¡±


    Claud paused. ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t catch that.¡±


    ¡°I was wondering if we could just take this cupboard and leave the Celestia Ruins,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But that¡¯s probably going to be very dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Insanely dangerous, if you ask me. Didn¡¯t the reports say something about not moving furniture?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I¡¯m sure this counts as furniture, no matter how you look at it.¡±


    Pouting, Lily turned away from the cupboard. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Come now. It¡¯s a good idea, but¡­hmm.¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°Why don¡¯t we use the Second Shadow to test the waters?¡±


    ¡°After what you just said a couple of minutes ago, I don¡¯t really think we should do that either,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°So¡­we¡¯ll just leave it here, then,¡± Claud concluded. ¡°Still, leaving such a useful item lying around here doesn¡¯t gel with me. Let¡¯s inspect that cupboard more closely and see if we can find out how it replaces any Second Shadows we take.¡±


    Lily pondered over his words for a moment, and then nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±


    The two of them reached out to take another few black boxes, which Lily placed in Claud¡¯s backpack. The whole time, however, their eyes were staring at the cupboard closely, waiting for the moment when the cupboard replenished the missing artefacts.


    Minutes ticked by, but nothing happened.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Claud. ¡°I don¡¯t think the previous time took this long, right?¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s broken or something. What should we do? Do we put them back or something?¡±


    ¡°I suppose we should leave some for the other people, then,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Go on. Put some of them back. We won¡¯t be using this many anyway.¡±


    Sighing, she placed the first box back onto the cupboard. Lily was about to return another three when Claud¡¯s eyes widened ¡ª the cupboard had abruptly vanished. In its place was a fist-sized silvery globe, which then proceeded to hover around Lily like a curious animal.


    ¡°The heck?¡± Claud reached out to the sphere, but the silvery sphere smacked his hand away and cuddled up to Lily¡¯s hair. ¡°Hey. What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    The odd globe paused. For a moment, Claud could swear that it had done the silvery-globe-equivalent of staring at him, and he rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Lily, on her part, had been completely dumbfounded by the sudden appearance of what seemed to be a pet sphere, and she turned a set of confused eyes to Claud.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°¡­You found a sentient object, I guess.¡± Claud rubbed his eyes. ¡°Uh, silvery sphere, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    The sphere hopped onto Lily¡¯s head at those words. ¡°Meep!¡±


    Claud and Lily froze at that sound.


    ¡°That sounds very familiar,¡± Lily forced out. ¡°Claud, take Crown out and see if they know each other.¡±


    ¡°Not now,¡± Claud replied. He was very tempted to, but this was a dangerous place. ¡°We¡¯ll check them both when we¡¯re outside¡­assuming that your pet can go outside.¡±


    Lily lifted the sphere off her head and looked at it. ¡°Can you go outside?¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±


    The way Lily understood that utterance was probably proof that the silvery sphere and Crown shared the same origins. Casting one last gaze at the cupboard-less table, Claud nodded at Lily, and the two left the crystalline dome.


    The silvery sphere, naturally, came along with them, and as Claud watched the fist-sized fellow make itself comfortable on Lily¡¯s shoulder, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder one thing.


    What exactly was going on?


    Considering that every single question he had so far hadn¡¯t been satisfactorily answered, Claud didn¡¯t harbour much hope for this one to be answered either.

 Chapter 273: A new companion and a new warning

    Claud took another glance at the silvery sphere as they walked out of the large, glamourous building that served as the city centre. He had no idea what that sphere was, nor the reason behind its sudden appearance, but it seemed as benign as his little Crown.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Lily, ¡°nothing¡¯s happened so far.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud raised his index finger and placed it close to the sphere, and it immediately rolled over to Lily¡¯s other shoulder. ¡°Although it doesn¡¯t seem to like me much.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡± Lily smiled. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just scared of you.¡±


    ¡°Of me? But I¡¯m so good-looking,¡± Claud replied.


    The sphere trembled as he said those words, and an odd look crawled up on Lily¡¯s face. Claud didn¡¯t need her to interpret either; he could tell that the little ball was laughing at him.


    Clicking his tongue, Claud decided that looking down on a ball was beneath him and turned to look at the rest of the ruins. ¡°What should we do now? Should we call it a day?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I¡¯m tired. And I just want to hug someone to sleep. Today¡¯s events have been both surprising and scary. I don¡¯t think I can handle anymore shocks.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°I¡¯m glad you feel that way. I also want to go back home and sleep. We can spend the next few days lounging in our house and eating the supplies on us. How does that sound?¡±


    ¡°Lovely.¡± Lily¡¯s smile faded slightly. ¡°But maybe we should spend a few days in Lostfon first. I¡¯m worried about the situation on the warfront. If you¡¯re there, anything can be resolved with a single blow.¡±


    Claud thought through her words for a moment, and then smiled. ¡°Sure. Still, they won¡¯t know it¡¯s us, though.¡±


    ¡°Well, if we wanted to tell the others that we¡¯ve been here, we would have used our full name,¡± Lily replied. ¡°As it stands, we¡¯re Mister and Mrs Primus¡­which, now that I think of it, it¡¯s a not-so-rare surname.¡±


    ¡°I presume some old geezer who¡¯s now a set of rotten bones got to the down and dirty with many, many ladies as a young man,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It can very well be the commoner family.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason why quite a few people in Licencia use their first names,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway, if you want to stay in Lostfon for a while, I don¡¯t mind. Someone there has the recipe for making fizzy drinks anyway; I could do with a daily drink.¡±


    ¡°Which will cost a lot,¡± Lily added. ¡°They¡¯re in hot demand now, after all. But¡­we aren¡¯t going to sign up with Duchess Lacuna¡¯s forces, right? We¡¯ll just be normal tourists that¡¯ll poke around the place for fun, yeah?¡±


    Claud patted Lily¡¯s head. ¡°Yeah. Unless, of course, you want to use our newly discovered tools to do the touring instead.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Lily licked her lips. ¡°Well, the ability to look around the place without being bothered by adverse weather conditions is indeed rather reassuring, yes. We could just sit in the inn and look around the place as shadows¡­well, we should check what kinds of other us-es we¡¯re producing first, though.¡±


    ¡°True. Maybe it¡¯s actually something like the divine clone of the Coloured Gods. That¡¯ll be awesome,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m actually feeling really optimistic too, since the Second Shadow came from the Celestia Ruins.¡±


    Stopping once to let a bunch of illusory metal carriages past, Claud stared at the weird items zipping by. ¡°Maybe the copies we create look like those carriages. Seems quite possible, does it not?¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°The possibility is quite high, yes.¡±


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    She picked up the silver sphere, which had been sitting obediently on her shoulder, and lifted it to the sky. ¡°What are you, anyway?¡±


    The ball jiggled once and hopped off her palms. Once again, it flew a few laps around Lily, and then rubbed up to her neck, like a pet begging its owner not to abandon it. Claud felt his heart twist at the sight, despite the fact that there would probably be a fellow that would spoil their lovey-dovey time together.


    ¡°Maybe you should verbally promise to keep him or something,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Or drip some blood.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know why that last part came out, but those words seemed very natural to him, as if he¡¯d done it before.


    Regardless, the silver sphere whirled to face him ¡ª he could tell that it was looking at him, despite the absolute lack of any features to indicate the position of any eye or something along those lines ¡ª and then bobbed over slowly.


    It nudged his hand a moment later, and Claud could sense a profound gratefulness for some reason.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Claud reached out a finger slowly, and the silver sphere rubbed it gently. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you a good kid. You should keep this fellow. Maybe give him or her a name too.¡±


    ¡°Do you even have a sex or gender?¡± Lily muttered, before tilting her head. ¡°You have Crown. I don¡¯t know why you called that little guy Crown, but with such a predecessor¡­how does Throne sound?¡¯


    ¡°Throne?¡± Claud echoed. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s a good name, yes.¡±


    The two of them glanced at the silver sphere, which was now flying in figures of eight for some reason.


    ¡°Blood left, huh.¡± Lily took out a small knife and pricked her thumb. The sphere froze up immediately afterwards, before fixing its¡­gaze, or whatever that passed for it, onto Lily¡¯s thumb, and then did a little roll.


    Like a poodle asking for permission. Claud found Lily¡¯s expression utterly entertaining a moment later, and he cleared his throat slightly. ¡°Go on. Press your thumb down. Keep a look out for a skill or something.¡±


    ¡°You sound very experienced at this,¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°Yeah, well, remember my Crown?¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°You can call me a professional when it comes to sentient objects that are absolutely adorable.¡±


    Lily eyed him once, and then shrugged. ¡°Well, if I can¡¯t trust you, then I can¡¯t trust anyone.¡±


    She pressed her bloodstained thumb down on the sphere. Without warning, the sphere shrank into the size of Crown. At the same time, Lily froze up, her eyes glazed over as they looked at something he couldn¡¯t see. Claud didn¡¯t need to think too hard to know what she had seen; a notification must have popped up, informing her of an acquisition of some weird passive skill.


    ¡°What skill did you get?¡± Claud asked, prompting her out of her daze.


    ¡°Artificial Life Contractor,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Claud blinked. ¡°Uh, do you, by chance, have a skill called Understanding too?¡±


    ¡°No, why?¡± Lily paused. ¡°You seem to be skipping a few very important steps. Why not start from the beginning?¡±


    The sphere bobbed up and down. ¡°Meep!¡±


    ¡°You too?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Is it a given that all sentient objects make meeping sounds, or are you two just extra-special?¡±


    Lily found herself stumped by the sphere¡¯s sudden utterance too, but like him, she too clearly had no knowledge on the very niche topic of the language sentient objects used.


    ¡°We¡¯ll deal with that later,¡± Lily decided. ¡°Anyway, like I said, let¡¯s start from the beginning, okay?¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. Anyway, when Crown somehow bonded with me, I gained this really odd skill. It had three letters and a bunch of question marks. D-i-L, three question marks, and C.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°It didn¡¯t make sense to me back then, so I thought that it would be the same to you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what you meant,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Hmm. Interesting. So Crown is an anomaly?¡±


    ¡°Shh. The little guy¡¯s sleeping now, but if he hears that, he¡¯ll probably be sad or something,¡± Claud replied.


    The sphere spun in circles for a few seconds, and Lily glanced at it. In a weird voice, she said, ¡°Throne wants to know who Crown is, and why we keep talking about Crown.¡±


    ¡°Go on, tell Throne about¡­you know what?¡± Claud shook his head, and then addressed the sphere. ¡°I¡¯ll wake the little guy up once we¡¯re safe and sound. I don¡¯t want to do it here.¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± said Lily, ¡°you¡¯ve been oddly resistant to waking up Crown here.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Where did that come from?¡± Claud asked. ¡°We never even broached that topic until just now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the point,¡± said Lily. ¡°The Claud I know would have pulled Crown out the moment he saw Throne. Either your instincts are warning you not to do that, or something in this place is trying to make you ignore that possibility.¡±


    It was Claud¡¯s turn to freeze up. ¡°Like¡­¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°At that time, when we were patrolling.¡±


    They exchanged glances as Claud ran through his thought processes. Yes, more than once, he had thought about Crown, but never did the idea of taking the fellow out to interact with Throne enter his mind.


    Why?


    However, the mere thought of taking Crown out here was generating a sense of danger within him. In fact, now that he thought about it, Crown had been silent ever since the two of them arrived at the Celestia Ruins. Did the little guy have something to do with this place?


    He glanced at Lily. ¡°We¡¯ll go back first. I think this is a warning. Or something. But I get the feeling that I really shouldn¡¯t wake Crown up here, at least.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°Alright.¡±


    With some trepidation, the two of them and one silvery ball hurried out of the city.

 Chapter 274: Returning from the ruins

    Contrary to Claud¡¯s expectations, the Celestia Ruins didn¡¯t send out monsters or automatons as they left the place, nor did the ruins blow up or anything. In fact, the departure of little shiny Throne had absolutely no impact on the ruins, thereby proving that most novels about exploring ruins were absolute lies.


    ¡°Either that, or Throne actually isn¡¯t an important keystone,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Don¡¯t go abusing those novel authors; they work really, really hard to finish their work. There¡¯s also a great deal of research thrown into their work too.¡±


    The two of them floated in mid-air, at the boundary that divided the ruins from the world outside. A small movement would take them out of this interesting and dangerous world, returning them to a sane and comparatively simpler world.


    ¡°Yeah, okay. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Why are you apologising?¡± Lily shook her head. ¡°Still, those names sound rather similar to something I¡¯ve read.¡±


    ¡°What names are you talking about?¡± Claud asked, mystified.


    ¡°Oh, the members of the Inwards Star Council. I swear, I¡¯ve come across words similar to them somehow in one of the many novels I¡¯ve read.¡± Lily pouted. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go. We should really check up on the situation, and Throne¡¯s been bumping my neck and demanding to see the little fellow we keep talking about.¡±


    ¡°Throne¡¯s quite cute, I guess. But I¡¯m also worried. Crown has been sleeping peacefully the whole time, and I¡¯m scared something happened to the little guy.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s leave this place entirely, then.¡±


    The burning sphere below them vanished as Claud and Lily crossed the border between Celestia and the world outside. Now that Claud thought about it, the place he kept referring to as ¡®the world¡¯ and whatnot was quite the clunky way of speaking; why didn¡¯t this world have a name?


    However, he didn¡¯t voice that thought as they left. Instead, the two of them began to descend rapidly; the freezing temperatures that came with such heights had dissuaded them from doing absolutely anything else.


    Claud and Lily were hugging each other for warmth by the time the temperature had risen to acceptable levels.


    ¡°It¡¯s so freaking cold high up,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Y-yeah.¡± Lily¡¯s teeth chattered, and Claud rubbed her back. ¡°Let¡¯s get some warm food in Lostfon. Do you think stew¡¯s a good idea?¡±


    ¡°Stew, yes.¡±


    Shivering, the two of them continued to Lostfon. After a while, Claud had warmed up enough to take out Crown, who was snoring deeply¡­somehow, anyway. The velvet box rolled around a few times as Claud poked it gently, and with a miffed meep, it rolled awake.


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    Before Claud could say anything, the little silver ball had hopped off Lily¡¯s neck and landed on his opened palm. The two began to exchange little meeps immediately afterwards, prompting Claud to exchange looks of consternation with Lily. For one, the two of them couldn¡¯t understand the meaning behind those meeps, and more importantly¡­


    ¡°They sound like they know each other,¡± Lily noted.


    ¡°They at least share the same language system,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I can¡¯t understand what Crown is saying, but I can feel some confusion from its little meeps.¡±


    ¡°Same for Throne.¡± Lily stared at the box and the silver sphere, and then tilted her head. ¡°But isn¡¯t it great? I remember you told me that you wanted to find out Crown¡¯s origins and everything, right? This is a huge step in the right direction.¡±


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Claud nodded, and then looked up at the distant Celestia Ruins. The sense of danger he felt whenever he entertained thoughts of taking out Crown also meant that Crown was related to the Celestia Ruins, but what exactly was that particular relation? And why did he feel danger?


    ¡°If I became stronger, I might return to the ruins and take out Crown there,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°I¡¯m sure the sense of danger I felt was because I am still too weak. If I¡¯m the level of a Chromatic Lord, taking out Crown there shouldn¡¯t be an issue, right?¡±


    ¡°You could use your super-strong skill there,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Would that work?¡±


    ¡°It only lasts for a few seconds. Not enough time for even the prelude,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And¡­the forces governing that place might just chase me down or something. I don¡¯t want to wake up any nasty, slumbering forces.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lily shrugged. ¡°Okay then.¡±


    The two little fellows were still exchanging meeps, although from how Crown was meeping in long sentences, it would seem that their conversation had taken a new turn. Maybe they were explaining to each other how they got here or something.


    ¡°Wonder what these two guys are saying now,¡± said Lily.


    ¡°Well, maybe Crown was telling Throne about how I became his master or something,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Sure does give off that vibe, doesn¡¯t it? But since they¡¯re friends, how are we going to carry them around? Throne likes to sit on your shoulder, while Crown wants to sleep every day in my pocket.¡±


    ¡°Put the two of them into your pocket?¡± Lily suggested.


    ¡°Throne¡¯s your contracted pet, though.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°Never mind. Anyway, if we stay indoors, they¡¯ll probably bounce around the bed or something the whole day. Crown¡¯s going to teach your pet how to laze around.¡±


    ¡°Better than a pet animal, eh?¡± Lily smiled. ¡°No need to clean up, no need for food¡­just show affection to it and let it bounce around for a while.¡±


    ¡°What a nice slogan.¡± Claud turned to the two sentient objects. ¡°Crown, Throne, you two should continue your meep-versation in my pocket or in Lily¡¯s. We¡¯re going to be entering Lostfon ¡ª a town ¡ª and showing you guys off isn¡¯t how we roll.¡±


    Crown bounced on his palm once. ¡°Meep. Meep-meep! Meep.¡±


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    After that short, yet confusing conversation, Claud assumed that the two of them were fine with having a conversation in his pocket, and he placed the two little fellows inside.


    He let out a sigh of relief a moment later. ¡°Man, that was scary.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s scary?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Carrying you, Crown and Throne with me at once. I know it¡¯s hard to notice at times, but we are flying high in the sky,¡± Claud replied. ¡°If my hand slipped once, those two guys might be injured.¡±


    Lily flinched. ¡°Maybe we need to sew a special home for these two guys. Having them on your palm or in your pocket doesn¡¯t sound so safe anymore.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    The two of them glanced at each other.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do the sewing¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do the sewing¡ª¡±


    Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°Alright, we both have the same idea. Let¡¯s do it together, then. Still, it can¡¯t be too bulky either, and one advantage of placing them in my pockets is the ease and convenience. What do you suggest?¡±


    ¡°Now?¡± Lily shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s think it over properly when we return.¡±


    She turned her attention to Lostfon, which was now visible, along with the defence lines created by Duchess Lacuna¡¯s forces. Further north was a vast sea of black; that gigantic attack Claud had unleashed not too long ago clearly failed to inflict losses that were irreplaceable.


    One good thing about the current situation was the absence of any conflict whatsoever. From up high, Claud could already tell that Duchess Lacuna¡¯s forces hadn¡¯t seen any combat yet; both sides were just shooting nasty looks at each other or something.


    ¡°Are they waiting for something?¡± Lily wondered. ¡°Like, say, the great Dark¡¯s counterpart to the Moon Emissaries?¡±


    ¡°The Dark Emissaries?¡± Claud guessed. ¡°Who knows? That said, we should check if the Nihila sovereignty has been isolated too. The Istrel sovereignty was isolated only after the Moon Emissaries appeared, right?¡±


    ¡°Not too sure about that,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But the city looks normal to me, anyway. Are we still covered by your Presence Nullification? I lost track of time while we were shivering.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost over,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We should hurry up and land too, since we¡¯ll also fall out of the sky when that happens.¡±


    Channelling some mana into Flight, it didn¡¯t take long before the two of them landed in the city. Claud felt a weight roll off his shoulder as he felt solid ground between his legs, and he sighed. Flying was fun, convenient and fast, but it was also dangerous.


    Now that he was back on land, Claud could also tell that he had been on tenterhooks for the entire journey. Even though he didn¡¯t need to fly in the Celestia Ruins itself, the fact that it was a floating ruin had never left his mind at all. And besides, the place was full of dangers.


    ¡°What a nerve-wracking journey.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°And I¡¯m still shivering.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get some stew or hot soup, then,¡± Lily replied. ¡°My treat!¡±


    ¡°Both of us pool our money together, so is there really any point in saying those words?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s fun, alright?¡±


    Claud looked at her smile, and then nodded. ¡°True.¡±

 Chapter 275: Vast changes

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    The stew did wonders in warming them up. After downing the last bit of their meat stew, the two of them got up from the table and left, nodding in thanks to the chef who had afforded them the respite of warmth. Only the Moons knew how much they actually needed it; flying around at high altitudes really needed lots of preparation.


    ¡°That was nice,¡± Lily rubbed her hands as the two of them left the restaurant. Business had resumed, despite the looming threat of a battle. Or whatever that was currently passing as a battle, anyway. Neither side had moved at all; both Duchess Lacuna and the commander of these shadows were more than content to stare at each other.


    ¡°Reminds me of the time when we first went out. We also had meat stew, remember?¡± Claud replied, before pulling out a small pyramid. After checking that it was misaligned, he stored it away a moment later and said, ¡°I like those warm-in-the-stomach kind of dishes the most. Makes me feel happy and protected.¡±


    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t like to be protected?¡± Lily chuckled.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure there¡¯ll be someone who would tell you otherwise.¡± Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°We only feel that way because we have similar circumstances.¡±


    He looked down for a moment, and then shook his head. Changing the topic, he said, ¡°Anyway, Crescent Moon should begin today, right? If the Dark and the Moons are diametrically opposed, we should expect the shadows assembled outside to weaken in strength.¡±


    ¡°Crescent Moon, huh?¡± Lily raised her free hand to the sky. ¡°In the past, the Moons used to bring me comfort, but now I don¡¯t know. They¡¯re¡­protectors, to be sure, but they¡¯re the kind of guardians that don¡¯t seem to put us humans in their eyes. Like¡­¡±


    ¡°The gods?¡± Claud completed her words. ¡°I¡¯m sure Nero and Clarissa will have a lot to say about that. Still, while the Dark wanes, the Moons wax. The situation in Istrel¡­it¡¯s definitely going to worsen.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should go back there?¡± Claud suggested. ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t. Breaking the barrier to escape makes us hard to track, but if we were to break into the sovereignty, the Moons can find us easily,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Recently, I¡¯ve been getting a feeling that you would have been in danger had you stayed in Istrel. You have a skill that blocks many ways of finding you, but what if something like karma was involved?¡±


    ¡°I think it should work too,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But¡­yeah, to be safe, leaving was the best choice.¡±


    He closed his eyes for a moment. Now that he thought about it, he found the fact that he couldn¡¯t verify the effect of Omen distressing, along with how he couldn¡¯t test its limits and everything.


    Also, it had also become his class back then, in Celestia. How did that work? Shaking his head, the two of them strode over to a park bench and sat down. While they could get a room at an inn right now, the two of them had agreed in silent accord to sit on a bench and survey Lostfon. It was something that the two of them occasionally did after they grabbed some sweets from a good day¡¯s patrol in Licencia; old habits died really hard, as a rule of thumb.


    ¡°Omen, huh?¡±


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to check it again,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Right, did I tell you about my passive skill, Understanding? I got it when¡± ¡ªhe raised three fingers¡ª ¡°died. Allows me to interpret my status.¡±


    ¡°That sounds¡­rather pointless, but I suppose that when it comes to you, it¡¯s probably rather useful.¡±


    Claud smiled, and then opened up his status. ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Lily¡¯s question, this time, carried some panic. ¡°Something happen to your status, right?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah.¡± Claud took a deep breath and looked through the whole thing again.


    Name: Claud Primus


    Class: Omen


    Lifespan: 368 years


    Active Skills: Presence Nullification (8), Flight (5), Binding Order (7), Cleanse (6), FiBoD;A??? (0), FiBoD;A??? (0)


    Passive Skills: DiL???C, Mana Hub, Omen, Understanding


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 3.00


    Mana Control Proficiency: Expert


    Authority: 3


    Comments: The Moons rise and the Dark wanes. But the seasons turn and turn and turn. The only constant is the grand catastrophe. Omen, be careful.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°There¡¯s a new section in my status now,¡± Claud reported. ¡°Class. Omen. Oddly enough, it¡¯s also in my passive skills too. I don¡¯t really know what¡¯s going on right now.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it stuck or something. You have question marks in your status, right?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°You¡­don¡¯t sound all that surprised.¡± Claud thought back to Lily¡¯s question, and grimaced. ¡°You even expected something odd to happen to my status. What made you think that way?¡±


    ¡°Well, I had a feeling that something was going to happen, when you reported that you actually had an entry in ¡®Class¡¯,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And besides, lots of funny and odd thing happen around you all the time.¡±


    ¡°I swear, it only started after that botched heist and the moniker of Tot,¡± Claud replied, his voice quiet. ¡°I¡¯m quite sure I lived quite a normal life before that happened.¡±


    He fell silent at those words. Something had stirred in his memory, but before he could capture that thought, it had slipped through his figurative hands, like a person trying to scoop up water. A little flame of frustration burned in the pit of his stomach as that feeling of not quite being able to sneeze assaulted his mind, and he made a little noise.


    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily patted his head. ¡°You look angry. Or something. Did I do something wrong?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t get angry at you,¡± Claud replied. ¡°When you see my face like this, it¡¯s usually me getting angry at myself. And in this case¡­it¡¯s a memory I can¡¯t quite recall. Gah.¡±


    He mumbled under his breath a few more times, and then decided to toss it aside. There was no point in getting angry, after all.


    ¡°So, about your status¡­¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°I checked my own, and it seems to have reverted to its original state. There¡¯s an extra passive skill there, but that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Artificial Life Contractor¡­¡± Claud sighed. ¡°If only I can look at your status¡­but even then, I can only interpret my own status screen.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how life is, really.¡± Lily smiled, and then sidled up to him. The two of them began to talk about random people passing by, passing judgements based on their attire and demeanour. Most of the people in Lostfon were quite rich, from their clothes alone, and the practiced, confident gait that many of them sported reminded Claud of Schwarz, an opinion that Lily agreed with.


    ¡°Last day of New Moon.¡± Lily looked up at the darkening sky. ¡°Do you think the shadows or the great Dark would do anything today?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here and waiting for a reason, aren¡¯t we?¡± Claud replied, an enigmatic smile on his face. ¡°I know something¡¯s going to happen. I can feel it in my bones. Perhaps¡­¡±


    Something shook the world, and the two of them turned to look at the north. Far behind the assembled army of shadows, beyond the gigantic dome that had surrounded the Quies Dukedom, he could vaguely sense a huge amount of energy.


    ¡°Something big is happening,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°In Voidum Sovereignty. Maybe the Dark is erecting a huge wall to isolate it from the rest of the world. So, the part about how both sides might be using a sovereignty as a base of operations might just be true, huh?¡±


    Claud looked at Lily. Like her words, her eyes were calm and placid, and he smiled at her composure.


    ¡°You don¡¯t feel¡­scared?¡± Claud asked. ¡°That huge amount of energy is definitely more than a tetra-folder. Heck, maybe even a penta-folder or Emperor Grandis himself.¡±


    ¡°I watched you hurl two lances of pure destruction up close,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Nothing fazes me now, really.¡±


    Claud chuckled. ¡°Yeah. Seems like this year really is a screwed-up year.¡±


    He looked up at the darkening sky, and then thought about a particular mission. The Coloured Gods would probably not stand idly by as the two powers waged war¡­or perhaps they would, and play the role of the intruding third party when both¡ª


    A screen appeared in his vision, a screen that was coloured by the rainbow. At the same time, an hourglass appeared in the top right of his vision, and Claud looked at the words that had popped up in shock.


    <The Eleventh Bearer of Destiny has fallen, his life ended through moonlit steel.


    < In compact with the five grand skies, the Trial of Aeons shall commence in a year.>


    <Destiny, chained by karma and reason, shall break free once more.>


    <And may the gods find their reprieve.>


    Claud felt a thousand horses run through his mind as the ominous proclamation, inlaid in a seven-coloured rectangle, unfurled before him. He hadn¡¯t quite expected this development; in fact, the Coloured Gods¡¯ Bearers of Destiny should have been the last to get involved, and yet¡ª


    His heart jumped a moment later, as even more screens appeared, superimposing upon each other.


    <The Eighth Bearer of Destiny has fallen, his life ended through a moonlit arrow.>


    <With the tides of fortune writhing, the Trial of Aeons shall commence in a year.>


    <Destiny, chained by karma and reason, shall break free once more.>


    <And may the gods find their reprieve.>


    <The Second Bearer of Destiny has fallen, his life ended with moonlit might.>


    < With the scales tilting, the Trial of Aeons shall open to two lives.>


    <Destiny, chained by karma and reason, shall break free once more.>


    <And may the gods find their reprieve.>


    ¡°Three Bearers of Destiny, dead like this? The Trial of Aeons?¡± Claud stared at the three shining screens, a shiver running down his spine. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°The Moons,¡± Lily whispered, her eyes staring up at the night sky. ¡°Early. By one day.¡±


    As those words escaped her lips, light leaked out from the once-shadowed Moons, drenching the ground with their chilling radiance. Claud watched in silence as the black mist that surrounded the area writhed and fought back, before taking a deep breath.


    Bells began to ring a moment later, shattering the peace of the night. As soldiers idling away in the town immediately stood up and made their way towards the city gate, Claud felt the desire to escape and head to Monsville keenly, but this was the home of a friend¡¯s family. Like Lily, the idea of escaping without even putting in any effort to help their friend didn¡¯t gel well with Claud, and he took a deep breath.


    ¡°To the walls,¡± said Claud, ignoring three new notifications about complete quests. ¡°Let¡¯s see if they need our help.¡±


    Lily looked at him, and then nodded. ¡°That¡¯s all we can do for Caroline¡­and perhaps, Licencia itself.¡±


    Squaring his shoulders, Claud and Lily got up together, and then headed for the towering battlements, where shadows marched onwards. Giving off wisps of smoke under the moonlight, they surged onwards, like soldiers marching to their death.


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 Chapter 276: Lostfons resistance

    An authoritative soprano issued orders as Claud and Lily hurried past to the recruiting station they had signed up at a few days ago, before making their way to the city walls. The clerk at the recruiting station had directed them there after a brief query; rather than getting in the way of professional soldiers in the arts of infantry combat, mercenaries and travelling folders would be better used when placed on a wall and told to fire arrows ceaselessly.


    ¡°Only aim at the rear of the enemy troop!¡± The soldier briefing everyone on the battlements pointed at the moving mass of black. ¡°Don¡¯t hit friendlies; when it turns chaotic, lower your bows and listen to instructions! Anyone who doesn¡¯t will not be awarded contributions!¡±


    ¡°I can use mana!¡± someone shouted.


    ¡°Then use it to make your arrows hit harder,¡± the soldier replied, before pulling out a bunch of bows. ¡°If you want to join the fray, only do it under a few conditions ¡ª when a rout on either side occurs, or when there¡¯s no visible infantry formation! To join the fray physically, start from the flank and pressure them there.¡±


    ¡°I think not,¡± Lily whispered to Claud.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just keep shooting arrows first,¡± Claud agreed. ¡°If anything happens or if the Duchess¡¯ army can¡¯t hang on, cover for me.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°Of course. Come on, let¡¯s pick an arrow and start shooting.¡±


    Under the cover of night, even with the weak light of the Moons burning down on the world, no one could accurately discern if their arrow shots had actually hit or not. Therefore, contributions for this impromptu mission were given based on attendance and compliance to instructions. As a result, due to these lax standards, the thousand-odd bows that had been provided vanished in an instant.


    As the shadowy mass of enemies drifted closer to the city, the soldier pulled out a conical item and spoke into it. ¡°Everyone, into your positions! Bows up, and notch!¡±


    The same shout echoed through the city walls as the other soldiers helping to direct the volunteers yelled the same thing. Joining the others as they spaced themselves out evenly across the walls, Claud nocked an arrow to the bow in his hands, and then eyed the approaching army.


    ¡°Pull!¡± the soldier shouted. ¡°Aim at the back! Breath in!¡±


    Everyone¡¯s chest puffed up, and Claud began to infuse mana into his arrow. To his right, Lily did the same, and throughout the wall, the blue glow of mana seemed to contend against the weak light of the Crescent Moons.


    Arrows tore through the sky, but without waiting to see the result, the soldier drew a deep breath again, and then shouted, ¡°Release! Bows up! Notch! Pull! Aim at the back! Breath in!¡±


    Arrows fell like rain, and those empowered with mana illuminated the vast sea of shadows as they smashed into the ground and blew up. The bombardment continued to smash onto the shadowy troops as they charged towards the defence lines that Duchess Lacuna had painstakingly built up, and after releasing one last volley of arrows, the soldier ordered them to lower their bows and wait.


    The shadows had arrived at the defence line, spreading out to do battle with the soldiers stationed there. Thanks to the effort of massed archers ¡ª although Claud had seen more than one-third of the arrows missing ¡ª the army of humanoid shadows had been cut down to a shadow of its original size, thereby proving that tactics and basic strategy still had their place in warfare.


    ¡°Still, isn¡¯t this a bit too easy?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°It feels like the shadows didn¡¯t have much of a choice but to charge at us.¡±


    ¡°Probably because the Moons were out earlier than intended.¡± Lily pointed at the round dome that had blocked off Quies Dukedom. ¡°That dome is smoking, dissolving under the moonlight. But that giant wall that seems to isolate the Voidum Sovereignty isn¡¯t. Maybe that¡¯s why the shadowy fellows here were forced to assault the city; their home was burning up.¡±


    ¡°Then retreat into Voidum,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°You assume they can.¡± Lily turned around and leaned on the battlements, before lowering her voice to a whisper. ¡°But we never did find out if the Moon Emissary could pass through the barrier, right?¡±


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°True.¡± Claud stared at the dissipating dome of darkness. At this rate, the Quies Dukedom, which had been forcefully occupied by the shadows, would be freed or whatever once more. It was good news to the people here, but to the two of them¡­


    ¡°So, this place is the battleground between the Moons and the great Dark.¡± Lily took a deep breath. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to think about it. And what of the gods? What is the Trial of Aeons?¡±


    ¡°You ask questions I cannot¡ª¡±


    ¡°Everyone!¡± the soldier shouted. ¡°Once more, into your positions. Bows up! Notch!¡±


    Claud directed his eyes to the battlefield once more, where another gigantic mass of shadows had emerged from the dome in the horizon. ¡°That was way too easy, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°The enemy¡¯s called the great Dark for a reason,¡± Lily replied, notching an arrow to her bow. ¡°Still, you¡¯d think that they would have thrown all these troops at us together, right?¡±


    ¡°Ye¡ªincoming!¡±


    Black streaks arced through the sky, their origin the rear of the shadowy mass.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± the soldier bellowed, his colleagues shouting the same thing at the same time. ¡°The city has defences! Follow my instructions and fire only on command!¡±


    Azure screens of light appeared between the battlements and the city¡¯s exterior, and the black streaks ¡ª which were both faster and more accurate than their arrows ¡ª splashed onto the barriers.


    ¡°Pull!¡± the soldier shouted. ¡°Aim at the enemy archers! Breath in! Release!¡±


    The barriers vanished as the last shout split the air, and arrows sliced through the night. Plunging into the contingent of enemy archers or whatever they were, the soldier continued to bark out commands. The regular, systematic way in which they released arrows and barriers appeared to block out the enemy¡¯s retaliation was impressive, and Claud made a mental note to follow up on queries regarding this method.


    Before he knew it, the second wave of attackers had either died to arrows or were utterly annihilated by the defenders holding the line. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t have time to take a break; as the last shadow crumpled over at the defence lines, another bunch of shadows appeared. This time, however, Claud could spot a bunch of extra-large shadows, which reminded him of¡ª


    ¡°Mounted infantry?¡± Lily muttered, her words tinged with surprise.


    ¡°Y-yeah.¡±


    The soldier looked at the extra-fast shadows, and then shook his head. Barking out the same sets of orders, everyone atop the battlements loosed their arrows at the rear of the enemy soldiers again. This time, however, barriers of darkness had appeared, intercepting their shots. As Claud took in the sight, a bad feeling welled up in him.


    The forces of the great Dark were watching¡­and learning.


    ¡°From now on,¡± said the soldier, ¡°listen to me exclusively. We will be suppressing the enemy with continuous fire, rather than a single volley. Their barriers cannot be as sturdy as ours; they will soon break.¡±


    He swept his gaze around Claud¡¯s length of the wall. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just listen to my individual command.¡±


    Blue screens of light faced off against their dark counterparts, with a few of them winking out individually at any one given moment. Since both sides couldn¡¯t fire through the barriers, the city¡¯s way of ensuring a continuous hail of fire meant that the enemy archers ¡ª or what passed as archers anyway ¡ª couldn¡¯t even fire a shot.


    While this was by no means an ideal situation, Claud could vaguely tell that there had been a change in goals; they, the archers, now had to place their attention on preventing the enemy from firing, rather than causing attrition.


    As that thought coursed through his mind, something changed at the battlements below. Duchess Lacuna¡¯s troops had broken away from the shieldwall formation they had been used earlier. The screens of light that had protected them from ranged attacks had vanished, and small groups of soldiers scattered into the battlefield.


    ¡°Crossbowmen!¡± Lily drew a deep breath. ¡°Crossbows are harder to make, but anyone can use them with high accuracy!¡±


    The shadowy army¡¯s defences were directed upwards, to guard against the archers on the walls, but now¡­


    Soldiers wielding crossbows nibbled away at the front of the enemy troops. They would close in, fire a direct shot at their targets, and then retreat to a safe distance to reload. Within ten minutes, the entire infantry line had been cut down, and the crossbowmen scattered as the enemy archers gained the leeway to directly fire on them.


    Regular infantry, bearing huge shields, charged at the remaining shadows and routed them directly.


    ¡°Fourth wave?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Or no?¡±


    ¡°Even if there¡¯s a fourth wave, from how efficiently Duchess Lacuna¡¯s forces cut the enemy down, I don¡¯t think there¡¯ll be an issue. Rather¡­¡± Lily pointed at the troops below. ¡°I think they¡¯re going to take this chance to counterattack now. Fight their way into the Quies Dukedom and force out the invaders.¡±


    Claud watched the duchess as her troops took up formation once more. As they headed towards the black dome, towards the boundary that divided Quies from Lacuna, the two of them exchanged glances.


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Claud looked up at the Moons.


    Lily looked back at him, a helpless look on her face. ¡°Maybe we should at least be ready to help if something goes wrong.¡±


    Claud took a deep breath. ¡°Alright.¡±


    Watching the soldier as he dismissed every volunteer with sincere thanks, Claud stifled the ominous feeling that an apparent Chromatic Lord would make an appearance tonight, before activating Presence Nullification to conceal their presence.


    The night was still long, after all.

 Chapter 277: Secrets in Shadow

    ¡°Form up! Onto the flowing mana! And now, fast march!¡±


    Claud and Lily watched on as a road of blue light carried the armies of Duchess Lacuna northwards, towards the border between Lostfon County and Quies Dukedom. He and Lily had no idea what that skill was, but the speed at which the duchess¡¯ heavy infantry units were moving was comparable to that of a fast carriage. Travelling alongside the azure road were metal carriages that didn¡¯t have horses attached to them, presenting yet another mystery to the world.


    ¡°Should we chase?¡± Lily asked, a concerned expression on her face.


    Claud paused. ¡°We could. But¡­there¡¯s no point in chasing them. What matters for the duchess now is that she retakes Quies. But that barrier, though it¡¯s burning, isn¡¯t what I would call ordinary. Perhaps something else might happen. Or the great Dark might succeed in securing Voidum as their base of operations and send troops into Nihila to¡­¡±


    ¡°To?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the problem.¡± Claud ran some fingers through his hair, before looking up at the three Moons. ¡°In the first place, Emperor Grandis should be handling this issue. He has strong folders at his command, right? How about his capital city? Is he not afraid of the Moons or the Dark attacking it? From what I can tell, this place is probably going to become a battleground between the two huge forces, and the Emperor is just sitting on his throne and twiddling his thumbs.¡±


    ¡°Shh!¡± Lily looked around, frightened. ¡°Don¡¯t say that out loud. Anyway, the Emperor might be busy or something. Maybe there¡¯s a third or fourth threat that we haven¡¯t noticed yet; I don¡¯t know. Besides, the Moons and the Dark can¡¯t be fighting over the Grandis continent alone, right? What about Nihal and Lacheln? There has to be a war there too.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Claud found the concept somewhat hard to imagine. ¡°Fighting a war across three continents¡­still, two of the Moons¡¯ Bearers of Destiny defintely died at the hands of the great Dark.¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit obvious?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Those ominous notifications. If the Moons¡¯ Bearer of Destiny dies, the deadline for the Dark¡¯s descent shortens.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. So the Bearers of Destiny for both sides are restraining bolts?¡± Lily nodded to herself. ¡°True. Whoever descends first has an advantage, right? It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t quite envision the great Dark descending. What, like a horribly dark night? We already had that.¡±


    The two thought about it for a while, before Lily shook herself. ¡°Right, what should we do now?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Claud fell silent. ¡°I wanted to launch an empowered attack at the dome, but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯ll happen when you do that?¡±


    ¡°The dome is destroyed?¡± Claud replied. ¡°No, I¡¯m not talking about that. I¡¯m talking about the possibility that the Moons might discover me. Their light is shining upon the world now; they might just be able to locate me in the few moments when I attack.¡±


    ¡°The Moons can¡¯t do that¡ª¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t know that the Moons and the great Dark could descend until the announcement came in,¡± Claud replied. ¡°In fact, we need to assume that they are capable of knowing everything at night, much like the great Dark itself.¡±


    He paused, since that was very much a scary thought. ¡°I know, I¡¯m crazy.¡±


    Lily giggled. ¡°But that¡¯s my type of crazy. At least you aren¡¯t crazily confident. Most people with that power of yours would have turned into power-hungry fellows or something, right? The ability to threaten entire territories with a single blow is a very good bargaining chip.¡±


    ¡°Good thing it¡¯s me, then.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°Maybe¡­I have that skill because I¡¯m me.¡±


    ¡°Philosophical thought. So, are you going to bring down the barrier for them?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Or are you going to let them do it themselves?¡±


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    Claud pondered on the matter for a moment, and then shook his head. ¡°The Chromatic Lord doesn¡¯t need to show his face in non-emergencies. And besides, I only wanted to help Lostfon. Quies is none of my business.¡±


    He smiled. ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t disappoint you with my answer.¡±


    ¡°You put our safety first. How can I bring myself to even be disappointed?¡± Lily looked up at the Moons. ¡°And unexpected developments did occur.¡±


    Claud felt for the two sentient objects in his pocket and looked at the three crescents in the sky. ¡°I wonder if the Moons came one day early because we took Throne out from Celestia.¡±


    Lily eyed Claud once. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think we can provide a definitive answer to that one, nor do I want an answer either.¡±


    ¡°We might need the answer if we want to find out their origins. Those two little fellows are definitely of some grand origin¡­although they are indeed fast asleep right now.¡±


    ¡°Asleep?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud cast another glance at the horizon, where Duchess Lacuna had led her army to, and then shook his head. ¡°We¡¯ll turn in for the night. Maybe stay in the city for a little while more. If nothing bad happens, we can return to Monsville. Besides, if I do anything, the little fellows will wake up and start meeping at each other again.¡±


    Lily stifled a yawn. ¡°I do feel rather tired.¡±


    ¡°This night has been another eventful one, and we just came back from the ruins,¡± Claud replied. ¡°In fact, we haven¡¯t even had the chance to examine our loot yet. If we can use that Second Shadow and have one of those clones or whatever stay here¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll work too, yes.¡±


    The two left the battlements, descending from the city wall. On the way, Claud reflected on the waste of the skillstrip he had used, but at least he had the presence of mind to think his decisions through and everything. In the end, the skillstrip had been wasted, but perhaps¡­


    Taking in the picturesque view of the faint, tri-coloured moonlight as it fought with the dark fog, Claud found himself somewhat fearful of the vast powers that he had provoked. Sure, he didn¡¯t have much of a choice in the matter ¡ª he was on the brink of a mental breakdown and everything ¡ª but the Moons definitely wouldn¡¯t give a hoot about that.


    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily asked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, so how can you tell such things about me?¡± Claud wondered.


    ¡°I was looking at your face,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Claud poked his own cheeks. ¡°I was just scared, see? Of the powers that are poised to clash with each other. It¡¯s dangerous when mana-users fight, right? They might lose control of their mana, their missed attacks might harm some innocent passer-by¡­it¡¯s the same for the Moons and the Dark.¡±


    ¡°As well as the Coloured Gods.¡±


    Claud twitched. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on with their announcement, but this Trial of Aeons thing is almost certainly harmful to the Coloured Gods. That¡¯s how it is. Their Bearers of Destiny died, and the Trial of Aeons¡­¡±


    ¡°How does one even get into the Trial of Aeons? Or is it something else?¡± Lily bobbed her head. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve never heard of the Moons or the great Dark descending, so I don¡¯t think we should use that standard,¡± Claud pointed out. ¡°More importantly, if it¡¯s an opportunity for mortals to become gods, what should we do? Should we go for it?¡±


    ¡°¡­What exactly is a god anyway?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Claud¡¯s brain whirled. ¡°A super-strong folder? Someone that surpasses nine-folds?¡±


    ¡°Alright, we aren¡¯t getting anywhere.¡± Lily took a deep breath, before exhaling slowly. ¡°We should find Nero and ask him about the Coloured Gods. Funny how we don¡¯t seem to think about them too much, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Speaking of the Coloured Gods,¡± said Claud, ¡°when the three fellows died earlier, I actually received three notifications. About complete quests.¡±


    Lily, who was on the verge of entering the inn, held up a hand. ¡°Wait. Let¡¯s talk after we get a room. I¡¯m beginning to feel a complex set of emotions. If you complete that sentence here¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Claud quailed a moment later as Lily sniffed, before clamming up. Following her obediently, she got a room and pulled Claud along, before settling down on a bed.


    ¡°So¡­free lifespan?¡± Lily asked, curious.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud glanced at the three complete quests once more, and then smiled sheepishly.


    [<Hidden Quest: Fabricator¡¯s Fall> has been completed. Calculating result grade.]


    [<Hidden Quest: Sunderer¡¯s Slaying> has been completed. Calculating result grade.]


    [<Hidden Quest: Day¡¯s Death> has been completed. Calculating result grade.]


    All of them were Grade 5, which gave him a small fraction of their lifespan and a Fragment of Fate each. Not too much, but¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be needing lifestones for now,¡± Claud dismissed the notifications and turned to Lily. ¡°You can have my share too.¡±


    ¡°Still, are you the only one who receives lifespan when Bearers of Destiny die?¡± Lily asked. ¡°If not, and if someone else also has such a quest, we might see the appearance of an ennea-folder in millennia.¡±


    Claud sat down on the bed and activated his Refresher. Tossing it to Lily, he pulled out Throne and Crown, settling them onto the nearby table. ¡°But that¡¯s something I shouldn¡¯t need to care about, right? I mean, I don¡¯t hate the Bearers or anything, really. Those that died to me were in the wrong place at the wrong time. That¡¯s all.¡±


    Lily smiled, and then climbed onto the bed. ¡°You say that, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud let out a puff of air. ¡°I know. But that¡¯s for the future, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Lily snuggled up to him and didn¡¯t reply.


    [End of Book 6: Secrets in Shadow]

 Chapter 278: The Trial of Aeons

    [Book 7: Reddest Rage]


    Dia stared at the three notifications in silence. Like the others, her muscles had locked up, and she had to set the mug in her hand down slowly. The seven-coloured rectangle in front of her¡­no, the three sets of rectangles floating in her vision¡­


    <The Second Bearer of Destiny has fallen, his life ended with moonlit might.>


    < With the scales tilting, the Trial of Aeons shall open to two lives.>


    <Destiny, chained by karma and reason, shall break free once more.>


    <And may the gods find their reprieve.>


    There were two other similar messages, each of them proclaiming the death of a Bearer of Destiny.


    Schwarz set his bottle down on the table. ¡°Three died. Is this a good thing? Or is there something greater that we don¡¯t know about? Someone who can kill three Bearers of Destiny this effortlessly?¡±


    Dia felt something run down her spine as the Moons peeked out of the shadowy disk that covered their grand visage, one day before schedule. Crescent Moon had arrived one day early, and from the announcement that had cruelly proclaimed the death of three Bearers of Destiny, she could tell that the murderer was someone who had the Moons¡¯ blessing. At the same time, the others followed suit, their eyes peering up at the early arrival of Crescent Moon, and then turned to Caroline and Nightfall, who were sponging off free food from Moon Mansion when the disturbing notifications smacked their faces.


    ¡°Do you know what is going on?¡± Count Nightfall asked, reclining on his chair as he directed a question to Nero. For all his poise, however, Dia ¡ª and everyone else ¡ª could see his pale, shaken face, which detracted from the air of confidence he was trying to give off.


    That, and the crumbs on his clothes, which he had coughed out just moments ago.


    ¡°The Dark, the Moons and the Coloured Gods.¡± Nero, whose face was shaken, took a deep breath. ¡°What a mess.¡±


    ¡°Before that, though, what exactly is this Trial of Aeons?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°The Trial of Aeons¡­¡± Nero shook his head. ¡°Apparently, it marks the beginning of a new era. I do not know much about it, but the prophecies state that the qualifications to become a deca-folder lie in the Trial of Aeons. Anyone who succeeds will be, regardless of their current strength, be qualified to scale the heights to true power.¡±


    ¡°A deca-folder¡­does that even exist?¡± Risti asked. ¡°The records I know of speak of ten-folders as a legend, as a fabrication of fantasy.¡±


    ¡°They do exist. In fact¡­¡± Nero paused. ¡°Well, in the previous era, before the Coloured Gods existed as they are now, there were nine deca-folders. Forgive me for being this roundabout, but you¡¯ll have to work out what I said yourself.¡±


    Dia narrowed her eyes. The insinuation here was that the Coloured Gods only became the Coloured Gods by becoming a deca-folder. In other words¡­


    ¡°The qualification for divinity.¡±


    ¡°Yes. And once the Trial of Aeons is over, the survivors may gain the qualification to become a deca-folder,¡± said Nero. ¡°As for what that entails¡­it¡¯s a bit obvious, I guess. They¡¯ll wrestle against the existing regimes and struggle for power, bringing about a new age.¡±


    He paused. ¡°The Fourth Godsfall, in other words. However, this Trial of Aeons is not something that occurred before. We only know this because of prophecies and revelations leading up the Fourth Godsfall.¡±


    ¡°Will that happen?¡± Farah asked. ¡°The Fourth Godsfall.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but probably in a manner that won¡¯t follow precedent.¡± Nero paused. ¡°But before I can assert why, I need everyone who is not a bi-folder and above to leave the room¡­which just leaves Caroline, Nightfall and Dia.¡±


    ¡°Discrimination, I say.¡± Schwarz got up, before grinning. ¡°Come on, guys. This is business.¡±


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    ¡°Yeah, we know.¡± Risti and Farah left the seats. ¡°Remember to tell us again when we¡¯re bi-folders, alright?¡±


    ¡°Only if you get me a strong drink,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Shoo. And remember, unless you want to die a horrible death ¡ª literally ¡ª don¡¯t eavesdrop.¡±


    He turned to Dia. ¡°It¡¯ll hurt for you. You might feel like dying.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Dia grimaced. ¡°I¡¯ve had the experience once. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll hurt to have another set of molten iron hammers bashing at the insides of my head.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Nero turned to the two rulers of Licencia. ¡°It won¡¯t be that bad for you two, but you know. In case one of you has a hidden side that really, really fears pain.¡±


    He took a deep breath and raised his voice. ¡°Schwarz, don¡¯t even think of trying. Just get out of here. I¡¯ll tell you lot about it once you guys become a bi-folder.¡±


    ¡°Damn it,¡± a voice replied from outside the door.


    ¡°Told you. Just move first. Nero¡¯s stuck here anyway,¡± Risti replied. ¡°And he¡¯s not lying. Knowledge can kill. Your head will explode, and you¡¯ll turn into gooey chunks of flesh and¡ª¡±


    ¡°I just had dinner, Risti,¡± Farah cut in. ¡°You two, move.¡±


    Nero waited for a while, and then nodded. ¡°Great, they¡¯re gone. First, I¡¯m going to address a few things. In recent times, you might have noted a drop in lifestones, right? Lifestone mines drying up, whatever. This usually occurs at the end of an era. However, after the Trial of Aeons, resource distribution will shift and grow, creating a generation of powerhouses. They¡¯ll usher in a new era where snatching and killing over resources is a thing.¡±


    Dia gritted her teeth as she processed this information. Those words seemed to carry a mind of their own, and her head throbbed as they wreaked havoc inside. For a moment, her eyesight took on a bloody hue, and viscous liquid ran down her face.


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    ¡°You alright?¡± Nero asked.


    Dia nodded. ¡°Get it over with. This isn¡¯t the kind of pain I want to be exposed to over any longer than necessary.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Just stop me if it hurts too much, okay?¡± Nero shook his head. ¡°Seriously, you probably didn¡¯t need to know these things either, but I suppose you do need to look out for your mistress. Alright. Second, the Trial of Aeons will force the Coloured Gods to descend, if their own Bearer of Destiny is dead. That¡¯s the true purpose of the churches ¡ª to protect their master if they¡¯re forced into a vulnerable state. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the Moons and the Dark, who are the challengers of this round. Given how this whole thing is shaping up¡ª¡±


    The burning pain in Dia¡¯s head intensified rapidly, and she began to groan. The agony ran down her body, scorching her muscles and flesh, and it took everything Dia had to not scream. As she writhed around, a corner of her mind dimly noted that the others weren¡¯t reacting well either, right before her vision turned white.


    After an indeterminate amount of time, she got back up slowly. The floor was wet with sweat, and after glancing once at her clothes, Dia shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can listen to the last bit.¡±


    Nero, who was averting his eyes from her, nodded. ¡°Sure. Go and rest or something¡­well, these two can¡¯t take it either. I guess the secret-telling session will have to end here for today.¡±


    ¡°I get a feeling that death awaits me if I continue on,¡± Count Nightfall forced out, his face pale. ¡°You guys also get that feeling, right?¡±


    The two of them nodded. Dia could feel a hint of danger, as well as a great deal of resistance from her subconscious, the moment she entertained the thought of listening to Nero speak once more. Was that last secret something that she couldn¡¯t hear? Or was it the result of having been weakened multiple times by Nero¡¯s revelation of prior secrets?


    Whatever the case, it would seem that she had to space it out a bit. Making a mental note to ask Nero about it tomorrow or the day after, she got up off her chair.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to wash up,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°See you guys in a while.¡±


    Staggering off to her room, she grabbed a new set of clothes and had a quick wash. That single story-telling session had been so painful that she had sweated out every drop of water and fizz in her body, and before long, her throat was crying out for more drinks.


    Pulling on a dry set of clothes, she headed downstairs. Count and Countess Nightfall had left, citing a bloody headache and other related ills, and Dia couldn¡¯t blame them either.


    Risti supported her slowly as she appeared at the doorway, helping her to a seat. ¡°Feeling better?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Dia paused. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Nero. I¡¯m quite fine.¡±


    ¡°I-is that so?¡± Nero had a guilty look on his face. ¡°I overestimated your Authority, so¡­¡±


    ¡°I think you underestimated something, rather.¡± Dia forced a smile onto her face and turned to Schwarz. ¡°Can I have a drink?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get you a classic nerve-number,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Hang on for a moment; I¡¯ll be right back with the magic drink. It¡¯s one of my personal, weak brews.¡±


    He ran off, spent ten seconds to do something, and returned with a small bottle. ¡°Here. Have a painkiller.¡±


    Dia downed the strawberry-flavoured drink, and her crying nerves began to shut up. ¡°Wow. It works like magic.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear that. It¡¯s something I made on the off-chance a kid runs past the tavern and trips over something there. Stops their crying and their bleeding,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Anyway¡­what should we do with this Trial of Aeons?¡±


    ¡°All Bearers of Destiny will enter,¡± said Nero, ¡°so unless you guys are supremely confident your own skills, I suggest that we stick to the underground base plan we had going on and not meddle in the whole thing.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Risti sighed. ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s how it is.¡± Nero shook his head. ¡°We can reasonably expect traitorous Chromatic Lords and monsters of the previous era to contest for entry, at least. Your Emperor Grandis will too. I¡¯m not sure about Nihal, though. And as for Supreme Saran¡­haha. Maybe we might see an epic showdown between the two antiquated continents.¡±


    ¡°I get a feeling you¡¯re mocking us, really.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. Definitely not.¡±


    Everyone eyed Nero as one, and he shivered.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± said Nero, his voice infused with artificial cheer, ¡°what should we do about the army of Moon footsoldiers headed our way?¡±


    ¡°So, about that¡­¡± Schwarz took a deep breath. ¡°Let¡¯s head to the walls first.¡±

 Chapter 279: Nightfalls Terra Jewel

    Tri-coloured light illuminated the city of Licencia, creating a picturesque sight for Dia¡¯s eyes as she and the others appeared on the city walls. The dark, gloomy night had been banished by the tri-coloured army surrounding the city, but Dia couldn¡¯t sense any hostility from them.


    Just a quiet, burning fervour.


    Of course, it was possible that the army before them never saw the city as a threat to begin with; from the presence that the ensemble of Moon soldiers gave off, it was clear that all of them were minimally bi-folders.


    Little Dias, in other words.


    Even if they tried to resist, it would be impossible for them to do anything about it. The ratio of allied to enemy folders here were odds even a mad gambler wouldn¡¯t even think about betting on.


    ¡°I thought you guys weren¡¯t going to care about this,¡± said Caroline, as everyone popped up on the walls. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you guys here.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you left earlier before asking our opinion,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound like it¡¯s our fault.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, something like this shouldn¡¯t be in your purview.¡± Caroline smiled faintly. ¡°That¡¯s why Aran didn¡¯t get you guys to come here. And¡­well, we nobles have our own pride to. Times like this is why we exist.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Count Nightfall?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Where do you think he is?¡± Caroline replied, before turning back to look out of the city. ¡°He¡¯s there, talking to the leader of those footsoldiers. They¡¯re here for something, it seems. And from the looks of it, that something seems to be very negotiable.¡±


    ¡°Something?¡¯


    ¡°The Terra Jewel for this area.¡± Caroline frowned. ¡°Odd. I thought they would have just snatched it from him, but they do seem to actually be negotiating in good faith. I wonder what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the Moons realised that they need sincere collaborators,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°A Moon Emissary died with a Bearer of Destiny¡­one of the Moons¡¯ Bearers of Destiny. Based on those announcements, it¡¯s clear that the Bearers of Destiny right now belong to different camps. The Moons, the Dark and the Coloured Gods.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. And the Moons have lost two of them. The Coloured Gods three. And the Dark one.¡± Schwarz took a deep breath. ¡°I feel a bit scared, having made these inferences on my own.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Farah forced out a chuckle. ¡°Maybe the Moons have been pressed enough to the point that they¡¯re negotiating with us little mortals as equals.¡±


    ¡°No need for uncertainties here,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°They¡¯re leaving.¡±


    The tide of tri-coloured light receded at those words, leaving behind Count Nightfall and a tri-coloured person. Unlike the foot soldiers, who only had one colour each, the person talking to Nightfall was coloured by red, yellow and blue. A set of white eyes completed its features, and for a moment, Dia felt that this person embodied the beauty of the Moons.


    The two people stepped back together and bowed once, before walking away from each other. As the tri-coloured special soldier melted into the army and followed them away, Count Nightfall took to the skies and landed on the battlements, before doing a double take at the presence of the Moon Lords.


    ¡°You guys¡­¡± Count Nightfall sighed. ¡°Thanks. Caroline, I¡¯m back. Told you. Safe and sound.¡±


    ¡°Shut it,¡± Caroline muttered. ¡°You already knew, right? That those guys won¡¯t attack? That¡¯s why you decided to listen to my words and came down to Moon Mansion, instead of preparing for a battle. Now that I think about it, you must have known something from your spy network.¡±


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    ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t be that agitated¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sleeping on the couch tonight!¡±


    Everyone watched on for a minute or two as Count Nightfall started to wheedle for Caroline¡¯s forgiveness, before Schwarz cleared his throat. ¡°Sorry, you two, but I think there¡¯s something more pressing right now, right?¡±


    ¡°Right. As most of you might have guessed, the Lunar Lord ¡ª the tri-coloured guy that I was talking to earlier ¡ª wanted me to lend out my Terra Jewel.¡±


    ¡°Lend out?¡±


    ¡°A guarantee on the names of the Moons itself,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°In return, they would protect the city, banish the encroaching Dark from the local area as well as designated trade routes and pay the city an astonishing two hundred pure-ranked lifestones every week.¡±


    ¡°Two hundred pure-ranked lifestones to borrow your Terra Jewel.¡± Dia felt a bit light-headed. ¡°A week.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡± Schwarz took a deep breath. ¡°Pure-ranked lifestones. Where are they getting them from?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? But you guys need it. The two of us need it. In turbulent times, being able to hold our own will grow increasingly important.¡± The count¡¯s eyes flickered towards Nero, who had been silent the whole time, and then hardened. ¡°Besides, Ruler Istrel has already traded his Terra Jewel for some rather good stuff. I don¡¯t see the need to resist their overtures.¡±


    He spread his hands. ¡°Both parties walk away happy, and we¡¯ve avoided a battle. Besides, the leader surrendered first. Not going to let you guys suffer.¡±


    ¡°But what would they use the Terra Jewel for?¡±


    ¡°The Lunar Lord said that the Moons intend to transform the whole of Istrel Sovereignty into a base camp to summon their forces. Similar camps have appeared in the other two continents too; two base camps and a battleground. And¡­¡± He looked at Caroline. ¡°The Dark, naturally, chose Voidum Sovereignty as their basecamp.¡±


    Caroline let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t be relieved,¡± Nightfall muttered. ¡°The battleground, therefore, is Nihila. As we speak, an army of the great Dark are marching upon your home. Quies Dukedom has fallen to the Dark. The Moons have taken Liquet Dukedom, north of Istrel Sovereignty. For now, Lacuna remains neutral ground, but it will soon become a battlefield if things go south.¡±


    ¡°Caroline?¡± Schwarz called out.


    Everyone turned to look at Caroline, whose body was trembling visibly.


    Nightfall sighed. ¡°The Lostfon County is a territory under the Lacuna Dukedom. We can¡¯t do anything for them. We can only leave it up to the¡­well, I¡¯d say Moons, but I don¡¯t think they can decide this matter alone.¡±


    Caroline took a deep breath. ¡°They¡¯ll make it through. I know it. Aran. Continue about the Terra Jewel. What happens if the Moons use it?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much from us, from what the Lunar Lord told me. It seems that what they¡¯re doing is gathering the ambient life scattered from the dead, as well as those that exist naturally, and using it as fuel to summon their people. The by-products happen to be solid pieces of pure life, which is their payment for borrowing our Terra Jewels.¡±


    Dia glanced at Farah, who had an uneasy look on her face.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± said Count Nightfall, ¡°thank you for showing up here and supporting me in spirit. I won¡¯t forget this.¡±


    ¡°Aye. A drink?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°I was going to open my bar today.¡±


    Nightfall twitched once. ¡°Drinks, eh? After a nerve-wrecking conversation, that would be more than welcome. Sure. Thank you for your offer, master.¡±


    ¡°Drinks? That sounds lovely.¡± Nero joined in. ¡°Count me in.¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯re talking about something that¡¯s not so alcoholic,¡± said Risti, ¡°then I don¡¯t mind joining you guys too.¡±


    ¡°How about you two?¡± Schwarz asked, turning to Dia and Farah.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, thanks.¡± Farah smiled, but Dia could sense an element of falsehood from it. Clearly, she had something on her mind, and Dia could actually guess what the issue was. Rejecting Schwarz¡¯s little offer, the two of them watched as Nightfall pulled his fianc¨¦e along, before heading towards Triple-D merrily.


    ¡°Farah,¡± Dia called out. ¡°The Terra Jewel in your possession¡­¡±


    ¡°As expected of her double, I guess.¡± Farah rubbed her forehead. ¡°I¡¯ll have to get Lloyd to represent me. It¡¯s a shame, but I did procure another skillstick for him to go back home instantly.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Well, like Nightfall said, even Ruler Istrel already acceded to their request. And they were asking nicely too.¡± Farah shrugged. ¡°Two hundred pure-ranked lifestones are too good to pass up. And I know you guys have been giving me more than my fair share of lifestones.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®eh¡¯ me,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Why else would Claud offer to take my low and middle-rank lifestones in exchange for high-ranked ones? That guy fears death. I bet you anything that he won¡¯t be at ease until he has a few thousand years under his belt, and even then¡­¡±


    ¡°You caught us, I guess.¡± Dia shrugged. ¡°But that¡¯s what friends do. You¡¯d do the same for me or anyone else, right?¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Farah rubbed her nose. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go and send Lloyd back. You should go with the others or something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m turning in early,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Tired. And¡­well, the first summoning of the Moons¡¯ soldiers might be tomorrow. Best for me to be bright and sprightly for the next few days, in case something happens.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t jinx it,¡± Farah mumbled.


    ¡°Better to be safe than sorry.¡± Dia yawned. ¡°And I think today¡¯s been shocking enough. I just want to take a rest now, alright?¡±


    Waving goodbye, Dia hopped off the city wall and made for home.

 Chapter 280: The tri-coloured toddlers

    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Dia gritted her teeth and held Farah in an arm lock. ¡°Just stay down and stop struggling! None of you are going down there, and that¡¯s final!¡±


    Her head throbbed as the others clamoured about the adorable kids that were popping out from the esoteric circle that was glowing red, blue and yellow. By now, anyone who knew this colour scheme would know that the Moons were behind this odd phenomenon, so the fact that both the Moon Lords and the rulers of Licencia had gone ga-ga over those little babies of doom was perplexing Dia. Sure, it was something novel, but really?


    ¡°But those little fellows are adorable!¡± Farah protested. ¡°Why can¡¯t I go down and play with them?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re the soldiers the Moons summoned,¡± Dia replied, her voice tired from repeating the same thing over and over again. ¡°Don¡¯t go and disturb them.¡±


    ¡°But she¡¯s right, you know. Those babies look absolutely adorable. I want to squeeze their cheeks or something.¡±


    ¡°You too ¡ª wait, Count Nightfall?¡± Dia took a doubletake when she saw the speaker, and then slapped her own face. ¡°Come on, count. Caroline, your fianc¨¦ is going to do something really stupid, so stop him!¡±


    ¡°He looks besotted with them, so I¡¯m not even going to try.¡±


    ¡°Moons take me.¡± Dia took a deep, deep breath. ¡°Are you guys nuts? If you want to fawn over kids, go and adopt a baby! And you two shouldn¡¯t even think too hard about it; just pop out a mini-Nightfall! What is wrong with you lot? These guys are the reinforcements the Lunar Lords summoned!¡±


    Dia let out a breath. ¡°Also, anyone feel like our organisation¡¯s name is a bit too dangerous now? Calling ourselves the Moon Lords sounds a bit¡­uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Schwarz froze. ¡°Yeah. I can see that. Moon Lords, Lunar Lords¡­they¡¯re too similar. Should we change our name after all? I don¡¯t want to risk divine punishment¡­this name was thought up in a time of peace and sanity.¡±


    ¡°Should we consult the missing duo before we go ahead with this change?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°No point. They¡¯ll say the same thing as us,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°We just need to send out the word that the Moon Lords have rebranded themselves to not sound this absurd, and that would be fine, really. The two of them have the habit of reading the newspapers; as long as we disseminate this news to the entire Istrel Sovereignty, we¡¯ll be fine and dandy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that should work,¡± Risti replied. ¡°We don¡¯t know where those two clowns are, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°And I know those babies are cute, but can you guys stop staring at them while the other caretakers are bringing them away?¡± Risti asked.


    The others shuffled their feet awkwardly. After making a mental note to ask the others about the prospect of bringing back a little wee baby from a nearby orphanage to raise, Dia cleared her throat and said, ¡°Mind continuing your words, Risti?¡±


    ¡°Last words. Right.¡± Risti glanced at Count Nightfall, Farah and Schwarz, who were staring at the last little baby being carried away, and then shook her head. ¡°Sorry, I kinda lost track of the conversation.¡±


    ¡°Something about us not knowing Claud and Lily¡¯s location,¡± Dia reminded her patiently.


    ¡°Oh, we don¡¯t know where they went, and they would approve of this change anyway.¡± Risti continued, after spending a few seconds to think through her words. ¡°As long as they know, it¡¯ll be fine. Hopefully, they aren¡¯t living under a rock or something.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, we need a new name,¡± said Farah.


    Count Nightfall made a little noise in his throat. ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°You have an idea?¡± Schwarz asked.


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    ¡°Well, you guys have been acting as the guardians of my city, the City of Trades. Why not call you guys the Trade Guardians?¡±


    ¡°Generic, lame and overly-descriptive,¡± Risti replied.


    Schwarz nodded. ¡°It makes us sound like heroes, when we aren¡¯t. Guardians are for people who stay in the spotlight; that¡¯s not something we aspire to by any means.¡±


    ¡°Furthermore, the name sounds like it¡¯ll obligate us,¡± said Farah. ¡°Guardians have the connotation of protecting. We aren¡¯t protectors of any kind.¡±


    The triple blow, especially Risti¡¯s blunt words, made the count stagger backwards, and he fell back onto the wall. Dia turned away to hide her smile, but now that she thought about it¡­what indeed was a good name for them now? Using ¡®Moon Lords¡¯ was indeed dangerous, considering what it might mean, and the last thing they needed were some of those Lunar Lords getting angry at a good name chosen at a bad timing.


    ¡°There, there,¡± said Caroline, patting his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s a good name for a knight order, but it¡¯s really not suitable for them.¡±


    Nightfall twitched once, and then pulled out a flask. Pouring the contents into his mouth, he got back up and straightened his face. ¡°Well, that¡¯s something you guys settle on your own. Clearly, I¡¯m not good with names.¡±


    ¡°Stick to the ones you¡¯re used to,¡± Schwarz advised. ¡°Leave the weird organisation naming to me. But¡­well, it¡¯s hard to come up with any new names now. All the cool ones are gone, and I don¡¯t want to sound like a copycat. Shadows of Licencia? Yeah, no.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, those little kids¡­do you think we can visit them or something?¡± Farah asked. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to pick up a baby made of moonlight. White moonlight too! I wonder how that works.¡±


    ¡°Well, you could ask really nicely,¡± Count Nightfall muttered, before turning to Caroline. ¡°Maybe we should try for a child after all.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound easy,¡± said Caroline. ¡°Next time Clarissa comes around, I¡¯ll have you ask her all the questions related to raising a kid, and watch you squirm. And besides, we¡¯re tri-folders. Research shows that the more mana-folds one has, the harder it is for me to get pregnant.¡±


    ¡°Crap, really?¡± Nightfall took a deep breath. ¡°Alright. Got it.¡±


    Dia really wanted to ask what he got, and judging by the looks on everyone¡¯s faces, they also had the same question, but everyone had the tact to not open their mouth and ask the question burning in their heads.


    ¡°So, those little babies¡­where did the Lunar Lords carry them off to?¡± Schwarz asked, bringing the topic to something more manageable.


    ¡°They wanted to borrow a small mansion,¡± said Nightfall. ¡°Should we visit them?¡±


    ¡°Moon babies. Sure. Why not?¡± Schwarz had a peaceful smile on his face. ¡°Given that the cause of our stress is the Moons and the Dark, I find it fitting for us to de-stress by interacting with those little adorable fellows.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think babies are for de-stressing,¡± Dia pointed out. ¡°Alright, guys. Just give up, okay? If you get attached to those little fellows, when they grow up and die on the battlefield, your hearts will shatter. Even though they¡¯re cute, their fate is to fight in this grand war or something. Just¡­ignore it, okay? For your sanity¡¯s sake.¡±


    Schwarz looked at Dia. ¡°You sound like you have prior experience at this.¡±


    ¡°Double, trained as a warrior¡­did you forget?¡± Risti shrugged. ¡°Did veteran soldiers train you?¡±


    Dia simply looked back at her and Risti flinched. ¡°Maybe. Anyway, it¡¯s best if you don¡¯t think too hard about many things. While those little guys are cute¡­well, if you really want to interact with a kid or something, go and adopt a baby from the local orphanages. They probably have a few babies dumped on their doorstep.¡±


    She turned to Nightfall. ¡°If you really want to help adorable little babies, increasing funding for orphanages or opening one yourself would help a lot more than just, you know, wanting to cuddle them or something.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should look into that,¡± Nightfall mumbled. ¡°But if I open an orphanage, can I give the kids cuddles?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the ruler of this city,¡± Dia replied. ¡°You decide.¡±


    ¡°Wow, way to pass the buck.¡± Nightfall sighed. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll hold off my burgeoning paternalistic instincts and do some serious work for the needy children. Thanks for the suggestion.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Dia heaved a sigh of relief after noting that everyone else had dropped what Claud would have called a stupid idea. For some reason, those fellows had all been taken by the prospect of hugging little Moon babies, and she didn¡¯t even understand why. Only her and Risti hadn¡¯t been affected, so it really wasn¡¯t the issue of gender.


    Maybe they just had different conceptions of cuteness.


    ¡°Well, whatever. Maybe they really, really love kids or something,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Still¡­it¡¯s odd.¡±


    She glanced at the others, whose attention had been diverted to the prospect of starting an orphanage too, and then decided not to think too hard about it. Besides, it was a good thing too; helping orphans and making sure they had food and the funds to study was good for both their reputation and the city.


    Letting out a small sigh, she looked up at the sky. New Moon had passed. Licencia was now under the protection of the Moons, and the darkened monsters that once terrorised the Istrel Sovereignty had been killed. Other than the war that was going to happen in Nihila, their world seemed to be at peace¡­for now, anyway.


    Right now, in this peaceful period, what really mattered was their emergency underground shelter and burning their next mana circuits. Their training would also need to be kicked up a notch, and¡­


    Before long, she had lost herself in planning.

 (TOT) Chapter 281: Dividends and discussing age

    ¡°Right, I¡¯m handing out the first batch of pure-life gems to Schwarz,¡± Count Nightfall announced, as Dia settled her training plans for the others. ¡°The next week¡¯s batch will go to Risti, Farah and then Dia, who¡¯s already a bi-folder. Right, where¡¯s Nero?¡±


    ¡°He left earlier, while you guys were fawning over the little babies,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°I think he might have left to bring one of them home,¡± Nightfall muttered.


    ¡°Hey, do I look like a kidnapper to you?¡± Nero asked, popping into the scene. ¡°Also, nice timing, I guess. I suppose the only time when I¡¯m actually talked about is when I¡¯m missing nowadays. How depressing. Master, I want a drink.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re calling me that, you better be prepared to pay for it,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°Yeah, I know. A bottle of that super-strong, super-secret brew, thanks.¡± Nero tossed some green stones over.


    ¡°Lifestones. Really?¡± Schwarz rolled his eyes. ¡°Well, whatever.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re mid-ranked lifestones. Not useful for us, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s payment enough,¡± said Nero.


    ¡°Well, before Claud ran out for a honeymoon with Lily, he had been focused on collecting middle and low-ranked lifestones. I¡¯ll store these for him and trade for his own high-ranked ones,¡± said Schwarz.


    ¡°Collecting middle and low-ranked lifestones?¡± Count Nightfall repeated.


    ¡°Sounds odd,¡± Caroline added. ¡°Is he raising a small private force of his own? There¡¯s not much reason to collect them otherwise. Heh. The idea of a small private force¡¯s leader raising another small private force¡­sounds interesting.¡±


    ¡°Not too sure about that,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, though, but he always does things for damn good reasons. Maybe he¡¯s trying to prepare for a day in which we need lots of one-folders. Like, you know, when a war breaks out. I can see him stocking up enough lifestones to raise a hundred people to one-folders and then pressing them into service.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of that?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°To provide an unprecedented boost in power that the enemy cannot predict,¡± Count Nightfall replied. ¡°One-folders, even those untrained for combat like most of you guys, boast of speed and strength that non-folders and sub-folders cannot hope to match. In addition, if push comes to shove, you can also convert lifeforce into mana to sustain your strength. Even a troop of mages ¡ª sub-folders ¡ª can turn the tides of battle, let alone a troop of the real thing.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well, trust Claud to think up of something like this, yeah,¡± Risti mumbled. ¡°How sneaky.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯ll definitely be dangers, though.¡± Count Nightfall had a grim smile on his face. ¡°Ordinary people, when asked to choose between power and lifespan, typically choose the latter. When forced to take on power, however, their personality will change. Subtly, perhaps. Or drastically. Either way, the aftermath of creating so many one-folders would result in societal upheaval.¡±


    Caroline emulated his smile and then gazed skywards. ¡°People with power will seek to want more. That is their nature.¡±


    ¡°Is it me,¡± Nero whispered, ¡°or are those two fogies finally behaving their age?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re three centuries old,¡± Schwarz whispered back. ¡°It¡¯s natural that they¡¯ll have their own philosophy about life. In fact, it¡¯s admirable that they haven¡¯t gone about spouting philosophy and their own life experiences so far.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡± Caroline glared at Schwarz. ¡°I can hear you two.¡±


    ¡°Why are you only glaring at me?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Because we can¡¯t defeat Nero?¡± Caroline replied, in a manner so natural that Dia was caught off-guard. ¡°Duh.¡±


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    Schwarz clutched his chest and glanced at Nero, who had an awkward expression on his face. ¡°Damn this realist couple.¡±


    ¡°Now, now.¡± Caroline looked up. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that we¡¯re eternally sixteen. Not three hundred and twenty-six years old, or three hundred and twenty-four. Get that into your head, okay?¡±


    ¡°Uwah, three hundred and twenty-six.¡± Nero looked at them. ¡°Old fogies.¡±


    ¡°Well, for the record, Holy Daughter Clarissa is like three hundred and fifty-ish,¡± Caroline observed. ¡°I¡¯m sure she would be absolutely delighted to know that you¡¯re including her in the realm of old fogies.¡±


    ¡°She can¡¯t find out if I beat you two into submission,¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m just kidding.¡± Caroline rolled her eyes. ¡°Sheesh. Can¡¯t a maiden crack a few jokes here and there?¡±


    ¡°Still, you two really don¡¯t act your age,¡± Risti observed. ¡°At times, anyway. When we¡¯re in an informal setting, you two are like young adults or something, not the old geezers I would expect. Only when you two are doing work do I get that impression.¡±


    ¡°Well, age is a weapon. Cuts in many ways,¡± Count Nightfall replied. ¡°It can be used to influence many, many things. Anyway, I think we got a bit off-track here and there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Dia. ¡°I¡¯m quite sure we were talking about lifestones and the one-folders here. What about them again?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s something of a thank-you gift rather than an obligation, so don¡¯t feel bad about using them. That said, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be easier to raise your strength if I give everyone two thousand high-ranked lifestones in place of the pure-ranked ones, since the yield is far bigger.¡±


    ¡°Two thousand¡­gosh.¡± Schwarz swallowed. ¡°How many years is that?¡±


    ¡°A hundred and sixty-seven years, but we¡¯ll lose some to purity issues. Fortunately, the inefficiency tapers off at a ninety percent loss and never lower,¡± said Count Nightfall. ¡°Push comes to shove, every high-ranked lifestone will yield three days of lifespan and nothing else.¡±


    ¡°With two thousand, it¡¯s like twenty years or so,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°That¡¯s a long time.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Caroline asked. ¡°Doesn¡¯t really feel like it to me.¡±


    Nightfall nodded. ¡°Twenty years pass by in an instant at times. Why, I remember reading a really thick book for every morning for three decades. Least productive period of my life ever.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother talking to them,¡± Nero whispered. ¡°They¡¯re lost in their old age things again.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you have that much time,¡± said Nero, ¡°go and become a tetra-folder already. With so much time in your hands, you must have gathered lots of information on the Second Tutorial, right?¡±


    ¡°I just became a tri-folder, though,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°Last year. And I¡¯m already very close to a tetra-folder. Shouldn¡¯t take long.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Nero rubbed his head. ¡°I thought you two were old hands at this or something. I mean, you two give off the air of a veteran or something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a veteran, yes,¡± said Caroline. ¡°But Aran isn¡¯t. My family told him to become a tri-folder before he could invite me over, which is why I¡¯m also here. They¡¯re old-fashioned, but he just complied with their demands anyway.¡±


    ¡°Anything for you, really,¡± Nightfall replied.


    ¡°Aww.¡±


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Nero cleared his throat. ¡°Anyway, other than the lifestone announcement, what else are we gathered here for? The little Moon babies have been carried away and there¡¯s no threat to the city now. Is there anything important we need to know next?¡±


    ¡°Mostly about that, but¡­¡± Nightfall paused. ¡°Never mind. I¡¯ll tell you lot about it when I get more concrete details. For you, it¡¯s best if everyone here focuses on increasing their strength. The Moons have provided us with lots of resources, so we should make full use of it.¡±


    ¡°After all,¡± said Caroline, ¡°when divine beings give out lots of freebies, it can only mean that our strength will be needed. Like it or not, our current ruler is not Emperor Grandis or Ruler Istrel. It¡¯s the Moons. And if they want us to fight¡­it¡¯s probably best to cooperate and get more resources from them in passing. That¡¯s the only way we can get stronger.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re now mercenaries?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°In a sense, yes.¡± Nightfall had an interesting look on his face. ¡°I can pay you guys a lot of lifestones. Consider it an investment into your fledging team.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you actually need those resources, though?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°You¡¯re very close too¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll understand once you reach 3.95 in your Mana Circuit Superimposition,¡± Nightfall replied.


    Caroline nodded. ¡°There¡¯s a huge difference between a tetra-folder and a tri-folder for a reason, you know. But you guys aren¡¯t even qualified ¡ª literally ¡ª to know what that difference is yet, so we cannot say anything.¡±


    ¡°Bah.¡±


    ¡°Discrimination.¡±


    ¡°Looking down on us¡­¡¯


    The count stared at everyone, and then flicked his middle finger at them. ¡°Oi.¡±


    Dia broke into laughter, and the others followed suit. For a time, the only thing that could be heard was everyone laughing madly, without any restraint whatsoever. It was, perhaps, proof that a turbulent time had passed ¡ª if only temporarily, anyway ¡ª and that everyone¡¯s spirits had been raised by the pleasant turn of events.


    However, Dia ¡ª and everyone else ¡ª knew that this was just the calm before the storm. The news about how the Dark had seized control over the Voidum Sovereignty in Nihila still rang clear in her mind. In addition, they hadn¡¯t heard anything about the other continents, but something similar had to be occurring in both Nihal and Lacheln too.


    Was their laughter intended to distract their minds from the looming chaos? Dia didn¡¯t know.


    Nor did she want to find out.

 (TOT) Chapter 282: The ongoing hostilities

    ¡°Out of the pot and into the Moon-damned fire,¡± Claud muttered, after spending a few minutes to read through the newspaper. The morning sun illuminated the headlines plastered boldly on the piece of paper ¡ª Moon-led forces occupy the Liquet Dukedom, while the great Dark occupies Quies. Lacuna the battleground? Experts weigh in.


    Lily, who was training her mana control by controlling ten balls of mana, looked up and reached out for the newspaper. One of the little blue balls pounced onto the newspaper and enveloped it, before bringing it over to her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see here¡­¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Whew. At least we¡¯re well-stocked.¡±


    ¡°Enough for a year¡¯s worth of nibbling,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Maybe we should go back home right now. With both sides crowding around Lacuna, small towns are unlikely to be noticed. And Duchess Lacuna would probably state that she¡¯ll attack whoever attacks her people.¡±


    ¡°She can retreat to her own territory at any moment, though. It¡¯s out of the way, right? It¡¯s only the counties under her that are threatened.¡± Lily flipped through the paper. ¡°If we¡¯re lucky, rationing might not be in full effect in Monsville and the smaller towns yet. We can swing by them and grab more preserved stuff.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that cauldron of yours already full?¡± Claud asked. ¡°There¡¯s only so much it can fit, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It can hold a bit more,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°How convenient¡­¡± Claud got up and slathered some bread with butter, before heating it up with some mana. Charring it nicely, he retrieved it and started taking small bites from the side. ¡°Anyway, at how things are going, it seems that Grandis will be divided from Vacuos onwards. The Emperor isn¡¯t moving, the two ancient forces are consolidating their power¡­do you think this dukedom will remain untouched?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Either it¡¯ll be wrecked by war or Lacuna submits to one power,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I¡¯m sure the Dark and the Moons will start conscripting people too, before long.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t really have a choice in this matter, though,¡± Claud mumbled. ¡°The Moons probably hate me. If they know I was behind so many of their problems¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t scare yourself like that. If they wanted to find problems with you, they would have, long ago.¡± Lily folded her arms. ¡°But we should still be cautious.¡±


    ¡°Spoken like my star student,¡± Claud replied, a grin on his face. ¡°Given what¡¯s probably going to happen, are we still going to stay here? Or should we just return home?¡±


    ¡°If anything, I think we should probably join the Dark¡¯s forces,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a¡­not so good idea?¡± Claud looked at Lily. ¡°Why the Dark? I¡¯m sure that they¡¯re kinda the world¡¯s enemies, aren¡¯t they? From how they¡¯re positioned and everything.¡±


    ¡°You said it yourself¡­but if you¡¯re uncomfortable with that, we can just hide in Monsville or even in the forest,¡± Lily replied. ¡°You don¡¯t feel comfortable staying in the vicinity of the Moons, right? It¡¯s bad if you¡¯re living in fear every day. Therefore, we should just find a place where you won¡¯t feel scared.¡±


    Claud fell silent. Such a place would inconvenience the two of them, and while Claud knew that he deserved it, Lily didn¡¯t. She had chosen to go with him; at the very least, he wanted to make sure that her time with him was a pleasant one.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re right.¡± Claud took a deep breath. ¡°We¡¯ll stay in Lostfon. When the Dark takes over, we¡¯ll continue on as usual. You don¡¯t want to abandon Caroline¡¯s family, and you don¡¯t want me to live in fear. Therefore, we should stay here and wait.¡±


    Lily looked at him. ¡°You dummy.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re right. If we go by logic and the presented facts, it¡¯s clear that staying with the Dark is the best. And I don¡¯t think they¡¯re actually killing people, right? Back then, Risti said that the Moons wanted the Terra Jewels of Istrel and its subordinate territories. The same should hold for the Dark. We¡¯re not going to be escorted out into some execution ground and killed.¡±


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    ¡°Are you convincing me, or are you convincing yourself?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Both,¡± Claud replied. ¡°At any rate, I think you¡¯re right. We should stay. We¡¯ve made enemies out of the Moons already. Staying in territory marked out by the Dark will at least protect us, even if we don¡¯t join their forces or something.¡±


    He eyed his finely toasted bread, and then shrugged. ¡°The only thing I¡¯m scared of is indiscriminate attacks on entire territories, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope that doesn¡¯t happen,¡± Lily replied.


    She flipped through the newspaper a few more times, and then got up from her bed. Approaching the table, she sat down next to him and opened her mouth.


    Claud complied with her unspoken demand to be fed some toasted bread immediately, and then smiled as she chewed slowly. Days like these were slow and unassuming, but those were the very days that one needed to work hard. Chaotic times had descended; those rare breaks were precisely what he needed to raise his strength.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to raise my Mana Circuit Superimposition value,¡± said Claud.


    ¡°Crown¡¯s been bumping Throne for the past few days, though,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Are you sure you can stop him from doing that while you¡¯re burning your lifespan?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Crown can. Still, a box and a sphere making friends like that really gives off a surreal feeling,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Aren¡¯t they just the cutest buddies ever?¡±


    The two of them glanced at a small, padded box. A silvery sphere and a velvety box were cuddled up together, snoring away with a peace Claud envied.


    ¡°One day, when all this is over, I¡¯ll hug you to sleep for a few days,¡± Claud uttered. ¡°And play with your hair until it¡¯s super-soft and smooth. Maybe nibble your ears too.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t nibble my ears,¡± said Lily. ¡°I get ticklish.¡±


    ¡°But you like it when I do that, right?¡±


    ¡°Okay, maybe when I give you permission,¡± Lily replied, before looking at the little fellows snuggled up together. ¡°It¡¯s nice, though, watching them cuddle like this. You can see Throne shifting to enjoy Crown¡¯s fluffy exterior and everything.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that they don¡¯t eat anything.¡± Claud shook his head and tried to imagine the sight of those two fellows at the dinner table.


    ¡°Would one call such a phenomenon cute, or terrifying?¡± Lily wondered. ¡°I mean, if you look at it objectively, a sphere and a cube biting down on meat and chewing down vegetables can look rather scary, right? It¡¯s like those ghost stories where the table sprouts a mouth and bites off someone¡¯s hand.¡±


    Claud glanced at the table instinctively.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Lily rubbed her nose, embarrassed.


    ¡°You better be,¡± Claud replied. ¡°So, I was reading a book, and someone¡¯s chair became a giant mouth that snapped someone¡¯s torso off¡­¡±


    As Claud and Lily messed around with each other, a small corner of his mind noted that they still had the capacity to have fun. It was, all things considered, a good sign of their ability to maintain their morale in the face of so many drastic changes and ominous happenings. Dark portents, Moonlit omens¡­and yet, despite all that pressing down on them, who knew too much to be at peace, Claud found his own resilience, and that of Lily¡¯s, incredibly impressive.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Claud rubbed Lily¡¯s head and took her hand, before pulling her to the bed. ¡°Let¡¯s get to drawing more mana circuits now. We don¡¯t have much time left. You can use my lifestones.¡±


    ¡°How about you?¡±


    Claud grinned. ¡°Well, the death of three Bearers of Destiny has provided me with quite a few years of lifespan. Turns out that the churches¡¯ Bearers of Destiny are quite long-lived, so I don¡¯t really need lifestones now. Rather, it¡¯s disturbing to see how I keep getting freebies like this, even when I¡¯m absolutely innocent.¡±


    ¡°But are you innocent?¡±


    Claud paused. ¡°I think I am, anyway. The world and my status think otherwise, though. Something about me being the herald of a new chaotic era. I swear, it seems that the world is bent on giving me more freebies.¡±


    ¡°And the more they give, the more suspicious it gets.¡± Lily bounced on the bed, her face scrunched up. ¡°Hmm. Maybe they¡¯re trying to make you happy?¡¯


    ¡°Me?¡± Claud laughed. ¡°Now that¡¯ll be a funny joke. Anyway, you should try to burn a third mana circuit with the lifestones at hand. Now is the time for us to burn our lives.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s something like a tribulation for you, right?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I know, but I can stop at 3.99 and I won¡¯t trigger it,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I still gain more mana from doing that, although that last step¡¯s the most crucial bit.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Lily took a deep breath. ¡°Bring it on, I say!¡±


    Settling down in peace, Claud woke up the little sleeping fellows and got Crown to help him out. For the next few hours, blue and green light intertwined in the room, proof that the two of them were working really hard at growing stronger.


    Unfortunately, Claud¡¯s hopes for a bit more time were dashed when the armies of the great Dark arrived at night, flooding the open fields in a black ocean that far outnumbered Duchess Lacuna¡¯s forces.

 Chapter 283: Negotiations and reappearing legends

    ¡°Everyone, lower your weapons! Don¡¯t point them at the shadows and fire them on accident! Curb your fear and let the negotiations between that extra-large shadow and Duchess Lacuna occur without incident!¡±


    Similar shouts like these were echoing through the city wall battlements by the time Claud and Lily reported to the emergency assembly summons, which was a never-ending jangle that stirred the whole city awake. The soldier looked nervous and fearful, a state of mind that Claud hadn¡¯t seen in them before, and then completely sympathised with him when he looked out of the city.


    ¡°A mass of writhing shadows.¡± Lily had an odd look on her face. ¡°And I thought that was a description reserved for novels.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t those fellows burning under the moonlight?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Why aren¡¯t they affected now?¡±


    ¡°They probably prepared for the moonlight or something,¡± Lily replied. ¡°The early appearance of the Moons caught them by surprise, but if some light is enough to defeat them, I don¡¯t think they deserve to be a threat. More importantly, they had some time to adjust. It¡¯s been a few days, after all.¡±


    Claud cupped his chin. ¡°True.¡±


    The two of them looked back out at the sea of writhing shadows, shimmering faintly under the three crescent moons. All three Moons had been out in full force for the past few days, a sight that somehow reminded Claud of a restaurant¡¯s chefs not taking any off days to compete with a newly opened competitor. The resulting scene, where tri-coloured light reflected and diffused off the shiny shadows that filled the lands far and wide, was one that seemed to carry an archaic air to it.


    Maybe, eons ago, the first battle between the Moons and the Dark looked like this.


    A soldier walked up to them, and with a jolt, Claud realised that he was the fellow that had commanded them a few days ago.


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, I remember you two,¡± said the soldier. ¡°The cute couple who just flirted the whole time while firing arrows.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m quite sure we weren¡¯t flirting then, though,¡± Claud replied back. ¡°And besides, isn¡¯t this a bit rude?¡±


    ¡°It is?¡± The soldier pondered for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m just stressed out. All the arrows in the city wouldn¡¯t even get rid of more than a fifth of the shadows here. And we might be asked to fight anyway, despite knowing this fact.¡±


    He looked at the city gates, where a burly shadow was already negotiating with Duchess Lacuna. ¡°Funny how they¡¯re so civilised right now, considering that they wanted nothing more than to rip out our hearts just a few days back.¡±


    ¡°Is it really that bad in Quies?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I mean, you¡¯re using that as a reference¡­right?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not sure. But I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll kill everyone there on purpose, right?¡± The soldier took out a knife and fiddled with it. ¡°Maybe they just wanted to secure some land for themselves, and now that they had it, they¡¯re willing to talk it out. But until we know what¡¯s going on in Quies and Voidum¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, a huge barrier has isolated the Istrel Sovereignty too,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Sounds like both sides are more concerned with each other than us, if they¡¯re throwing up huge barriers,¡± the soldier muttered.


    ¡°Why?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Well, there are more efficient ways of keeping us humans in and out of a place than a giant dome that blots out the sun,¡± the soldier replied.


    For some reason, Claud felt as if someone had insulted the very root of his being, but that ephemeral feeling vanished like the morning dew as the soldier pointed at the shadow negotiating with Duchess Lacuna. ¡°The barriers are guarding against sneak attacks by these special shadows.¡±


    Claud looked at the extra-large shadow talking to the duchess. A good half of its body was dyed in an intense, intense black, a black that far surpassed the darkness of just about any other shadow in attendance. In fact, he even felt that the anomalous shadow was standing out in a way like the Moon Emissary, and¡ª


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    ¡°The counterpart to the Moon Emissary,¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°Yeah, I was thinking along these lines too,¡± said Claud.


    ¡°The what?¡±


    ¡°The Moon Emissary,¡± Claud replied obligingly.


    ¡°Uh, the ones that we sometimes talk about? The emissary of the Moons?¡± The soldier blinked. ¡°I thought that was an urban legend.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the newspaper say something about the the Quies County being occupied by the Moons?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Today¡¯s newspaper. There was a mention of the Moon Emissary there.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t read that one yet,¡± the soldier replied. ¡°So, we¡¯re seeing yet another legend pop up. Wow. We live in wondrous and scary times.¡±


    As those words left his mouth, the sea of shadows rippled once, and began to turn into black fog. Entire contingents of shadows vanished, each one the size of the waves that had assaulted the county just a few days ago, and the extra-large and extra-dark shadow took a step back. Nodding once in a very human-like fashion, the Dark¡¯s version of the Moon Emissary scattered into fog like its compatriots and vanished.


    Within moments, no trace that entire hordes of shadows once stood here existed. The duchess was too far for them to examine her expression properly, but everyone could see her stare into the distance for a moment.


    Another silhouette appeared in front of her seconds later.


    A silhouette that looked like her. Rippling faintly, the mirage melded into her body, and she shook her head slightly.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Good question,¡± Lily replied, before pulling him aside. Tugging his ear close, she whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t you think it looks a bit similar to the Second Shadow? That looked like her, right?¡±


    Claud pondered for a moment. ¡°True. I mean, it is really convenient for administration, right? But it feels different from when we ourselves were using it, though. The mirage is there, but it feels like her mirage is taking independent action or something.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s an enhanced version or something,¡± Lily pondered. ¡°But where did that mirage come from? It appeared out of nowhere, right?¡±


    ¡°Like one of those legendary ghosts,¡± the soldier replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention the word ¡®legendary¡¯,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Huh?¡± The soldier stared at him. ¡°Why not? It¡¯s a good term to use, and it sounds awesome, the way it rolls off my tongue.¡±


    ¡°If you haven¡¯t realised, lots of legendary things have been showing up in recent months.¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°I¡¯m hoping that there aren¡¯t that many legendary things left, or else things are going to get more and more messy. What if spirits of the dead and gone start showing up?¡±


    Everyone else laughed, and Claud felt a bit annoyed at how even those listening into their conversation weren¡¯t hiding the fact that they were doing so. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m being serious about this! It¡¯ll be bad if more things crop up, alright?¡±


    ¡°There, there.¡± Lily reached out and patted his head. ¡°It¡¯ll be alright, see?¡±


    Claud grumbled under his breath and decided not to dignify her maternal attempt at comforting him by giving a reply. However, that turned out to be a bad choice, since Lily simply continued to pat his head, prompting everyone watching to turn away or mutter under their breath about how some people should read the mood and get a room.


    ¡°Alright, alright. It¡¯ll be fine, okay?¡± Claud graced her headpats with a reply, and her hands stilled. ¡°Thanks for comforting me.¡±


    Everyone else sniggered, but before Claud could say anything, a bell rang once, and the soldier, who had been watching him with an entertained expression, straightened up. ¡°That¡¯s the assembly bell. Come on, let¡¯s go down. The duchess probably wants to address us and the count.¡±


    Herding them down the city walls, Lily clutched Claud¡¯s hand and placed it on her head.


    ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡± Claud asked, surprised. ¡°You want one too?¡±


    Lily nodded.


    ¡°Oh, you¡­¡± Claud obliged by patting her head, the same way she had did it to him earlier, and smiled. Now that not many people were looking at him ¡ª and also because he was the one being patted earlier ¡ª Claud found himself enjoying the process immensely.


    Maybe Lily also felt the same kind of enjoyment in rubbing and patting his head too, and as that epiphany struck him, Claud found his resistance to being doted and coddled on ebbing away. The kind-hearted enjoyed doing good deeds because they enjoyed the feeling of being kind; if he applied the same principle here¡­


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Lily looked at him, her adorable eyes glittering under the light of the Moons. ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Just wondering if you would¡­never mind. I¡¯ll tell you about it when we get back later.¡± Claud cut himself off, before he could give her the mistaken impression that he was fine with being patted and spoilt in public.


    She tilted her head as the two of them stepped off the staircase and headed towards the city square, where the other volunteers were already gathering at. Duchess Lacuna was floating above the ground majestically, cutting a grand figure as she surveyed the crowd slowly.


    The two of them found a less deserted area in the city square and occupied a small spot in it. Pulling out a small strawberry tart from her backpack, Lily broke it into half and passed a piece to Claud. ¡°Here! I made it myself!¡±


    ¡°When did you make it?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Weren¡¯t we mediating on the bed this entire afternoon?¡±


    ¡°You fell asleep after you were done, remember?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

 Chapter 284: Establishment of neutral ground

    The crowd continued to gather under the elevated platform that Duchess Lacuna was standing on. For some reason, however, the duchess was abnormally still, as if she wasn¡¯t quite alive.


    ¡°Like a doll, even,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°A doll?¡± Lily followed his line of sight and then nodded. ¡°I see what you¡¯re referring to. Maybe she¡¯s zoning out or something right now. I mean, who wouldn¡¯t? A bunch of shadows just rolled up to the city gates and talked to her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be freaked out too, true.¡± Claud looked at the still duchess and admired her stoic demeanour. ¡°Truly, those groomed for leadership are exemplary to the extreme.¡±


    ¡°Is that some regret I hear?¡±


    ¡°I never regret things,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But I do wonder how things would have changed if I did a few things differently. Perhaps I might not be here today, as I am now. Maybe I might have been sitting in a house and wondering what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°What things would you have wanted to do differently?¡± Lily asked.


    A barrage of images forced their way into his mind at those words, and Claud winced. ¡°I should have been a more attentive child. Always took my mother for granted back then. Wish I didn¡¯t do that.¡±


    Lily looked at him. ¡°Your family¡­you only had your mother, right? You told me that you were pretty much abandoned and everything.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± Claud looked up at the skies. ¡°From my point of view, it was weird. Why did the other kids have a father too? Why did I only have a mother? At times, my curiosity would get the better of me, and I would ask her about it, but she would never say anything. She would just rock me gently on her lap, and when I grew older, she would come back from work and play some small games with me. Never once did she complain.¡±


    Another rush of memories followed, and for a time, he could hear the shuffling of small game cards, the clacking of game pieces, and his own, delighted squeal whenever he won.


    Lily patted his head, a gentle smile on her own face. ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful memory, isn¡¯t it? I know that smile on your face. It¡¯s all too familiar to me. A smile filled with memories of a bygone childhood, when you still had someone to protect you, to guard you. When she watched over you and hummed a lullaby. When she placed you on her lap and patted you to sleep. I know that smile.¡±


    ¡°That makes the two of us, then.¡± Claud looked down. ¡°And yet, if I had been a bit more attentive¡­¡±


    He sighed. ¡°I know it¡¯s not my fault. And yet, I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I just paid a bit more attention to my mother.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how things are,¡± Lily murmured. ¡°But you were a child back then. How could you have done anything?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. If only the me right now could go back¡­¡±


    Lily paused. ¡°I do wish I could do that too.¡±


    She took a bite from her half of the tart, which had been neglected when Claud found himself thinking about the past, and then raised an eyebrow. ¡°You sure eat quickly.¡±


    ¡°The sugar got me,¡± Claud replied.


    Lily looked at her half of the little treat, and then offered it to him. ¡°H-here.¡±


    Claud chuckled. ¡°I can see your emotions. It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just make more with you later! And besides, you did promise to teach me how to make these little things. And those sweets.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t stand on courtesy, then.¡±


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    As Lily chewed on whatever remained of her strawberry tart, Duchess Lacuna finally stirred to life.


    ¡°People of Lostfon, my beloved citizens, brave soldiers who answered my call to arms, a time of great change is upon us all. The Moons and the entity we call the great Dark has awoken. Within two seasons, they will descend upon the world and extend their influence in our lives proper. Today, we have but seen a fraction of their true might, and while we have backbone, I must consider your lives and the reason we fight.¡±


    The duchess shook her head. ¡°For reasons unknown to us, the Nihila Sovereignty has turned into a battleground. Istrel and Voidum has been occupied by the Moons and the Dark respectively, and to be honest, I don¡¯t know if being occupied or being a battleground is better or not.¡±


    She paused. ¡°Ruler Nihila has left the sovereignty to seek an audience with the Emperor, and with the recent actions of both powers, the last neutral ground will soon be in Vacuos County and the Lacuna Dukedom capital.¡±


    Murmurs broke out in the area.


    ¡°What about Lostfon?¡±


    ¡°The Dark Herald has requested for Count Lostfon to cede his Terra Jewel, promising upon its progenitor¡¯s name that nothing will happen to the residents of Lostfon. Similarly, the Moon Emissary has requested for Count Cava to cede his Terra Jewel too, swearing on the Moons that nothing will happen to the people there. The occupation will begin the morning after tomorrow.¡±


    Duchess Lacuna paused. ¡°To prevent needless conflict, and to establish neutral ground, I have agreed on their behalf. Anyone who wishes to leave for Vacuos County or my personal territory is welcome, and will have their migration subsidised. That said, their guarantees that no one will be harmed will almost certainly be upheld, so this is a choice of your own choosing.¡±


    She nodded once, and then stepped off the stage. As the crowd seethed and bubbled, Claud turned to Lily. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Lily shook her head. ¡°On a personal basis, given such a promise, we¡­should probably stay here. Cava County has been occupied by the Moons, right? It¡¯ll be a problem if something actually happened when we went back.¡±


    ¡°No change to our plans, then.¡± Claud assessed the crowd. ¡°But we can¡¯t say the same for those fellows. They¡¯re probably going to flee the county together and head to the dukedom capital itself.¡±


    ¡°The latter might be a problem, though. The dukedom capital isn¡¯t as large as a county; it¡¯s usually a very well-maintained and regulated city with the best trained troops sitting around. As for the sovereignty capital¡­¡±


    ¡°Follows the same pattern, right?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Got that right. A smaller city where only two kinds of people exist ¡ª the upper-class and the servants that serve them. It¡¯s worse than your average dukedom capital,¡± Lily replied. ¡°The two of us won¡¯t even qualify to get through the gate.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re challenging me, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No. And it¡¯s too dangerous, so don¡¯t even think about it,¡± Lily replied, a hint of rebuke in her words.


    ¡°Fine¡­¡±


    Claud had a feeling that she would insist on coming along if he insisted on going to pay a visit to the exclusive city of Ruler Nihila, which was a perfectly reasonable response if he had to be honest, and therefore, to pre-empt her from doing such a thing, he had to give up on the idea itself.


    ¡°That¡¯s better. We¡¯ll just pass the time here, okay?¡±


    Claud nodded. Besides, only an idiot would try to break into the home of a penta-folder, especially the actual home of said mana-user. His attempt at breaking into a fairly unused treasury of the then-Duke Istrel had gone badly enough; there was no need for Legend of Tot ¡ª Remastered or whatever.


    ¡°Yay.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound that enthused, though,¡± Claud pointed out.


    ¡°Well, this city would soon be in the territory of the great Dark,¡± said Lily. ¡°And there¡¯s still lots of things that we don¡¯t know about yet. The Trial of Aeons, for instance. What exactly is that?¡±


    ¡°Moons if I know,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But it¡¯s probably a bad thing.¡±


    ¡°You state the obvious with the loveliest tone ever,¡± Lily replied. ¡°So, this year has three really bad things descending, and then a really bad war occurring. What did we do wrong?¡±


    ¡°Maybe we didn¡¯t celebrate the previous year correctly,¡± Claud joked. ¡°Should have spent the last day of Full Moon bashing drums and ringing bells in every single city in Grandis. Maybe in the other two continents too.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I wonder if the other two continents are also affected by this,¡± Lily wondered.


    ¡°Probably. Grandis isn¡¯t special enough to have two legendary entities wage war in it alone,¡± Claud replied. ¡°A war to unite the whole world! Or something like that, I guess. I haven¡¯t forgotten about the Celestia Ruins, after all.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°An empire that transcends the dark sea and spans the stars...is that even possible?¡±


    ¡°To be fair, we didn¡¯t think that the Moons or the Dark descending was possible either, but we already have a warning in our minds about this event,¡± Claud replied. ¡°At this point, I¡¯ll say that anything and everything is possible.¡±


    He glanced at the stragglers making their way out of the city square and followed suit, motioning at Lily to follow. As they made their way to the inn, Claud stretched and said, ¡°Who knows? The Dark might even decide to hand out free food and items tomorrow morning, once they fully settle into Lostfon.¡±


    ¡°And they might even be polite about the whole thing too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

 Chapter 285: The quiet city

    Claud sat up from the bed. Lily, who had taken most of the blanket for herself, didn¡¯t notice as he glided over to the window and peered out at Lostfon in the morning. He could see families leave the city with wagons in tow, trickling out like a leaky teapot, and for a moment, he felt his decision waver.


    People were fleeing Lostfon. He could understand why, of course. But if he wanted to be truly safe, it would be better to live in the territory of the great Dark for now. Who could guarantee that the Moons couldn¡¯t track down or identify the asshat who slew two of their Bearers of Destiny and a Moon Emissary?


    He had good reasons, but against the anger of beings as old as the world itself, they weren¡¯t going to fly.


    Stealing another peek at the streets outside, he took a deep breath and faced the burgeoning fear within him directly. Whether he liked it or not, they had to make a choice. There wasn¡¯t a leader figure that either he or Lily could follow, nor was there someone to fend off any problems that followed, other than the two of them. As always, he needed to take responsibility for his decisions and see them through.


    It just happened that these decisions were beginning to scare him.


    Claud raised his trembling hand. Too many things had happened, and he had a feeling that someone or something was acting in the background to make sure that things fell in place in a particular manner.


    ¡°Claud?¡± The bedsheets rustled, and Claud turned around to see Lily sitting up slowly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Just scared.¡± Claud looked out of the window once more. ¡°They¡¯re all leaving the city. I¡¯m doubting myself now. Am I making the right decision?¡±


    ¡°Are we, indeed.¡± Lily stretched once, letting out a little yawn that reminded Claud of a kitten waking up, and then rubbed her eyes. ¡°But you¡¯re also scared, right? That the Moons would somehow make their way into this so-called neutral territory anyway.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°I suppose we should hear about how the great Dark treats the people in Quies first. Surely Duchess Lacuna brought that up in her negotiations with the Dark Herald, right? And if it¡¯s really bad¡­maybe we can move to the Celestia Ruins.¡±


    ¡°The ruins?¡± Lily¡¯s eyes widened, her back straightening up entirely. ¡°That¡¯s really dangerous!¡±


    ¡°Only if the great Dark uses humans as fuel and murders them horribly. If they aren¡¯t all that bad, I suppose we can just sit in this inn and live here for some time,¡± Claud replied hurriedly. ¡°But if there¡¯s no difference between Count Lostfon and the Dark¡¯s rule¡­¡±


    ¡°We can stay here, although that¡¯ll also be another issue on its own, right?¡± Lily completed. ¡°But I don¡¯t think we should visit the count or the duchess to ask them about that.¡±


    ¡°What do you have in mind, then?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Should we hire someone to do the asking for us?¡±


    ¡°No. No need.¡± Lily brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes. ¡°Count Lostfon will issue a proclamation via town-crier about the actual state once he receives information or a visitor from Quies. It¡¯s an entire dukedom, and if the great Dark really wants the people here to stay, they¡¯ll probably bring a bunch of people along to testify.¡±


    Claud ran through the logic behind her words. ¡°Makes sense. Still, what would the great Dark want to do with those Terra Jewels?¡±


    ¡°Probably summon an army with it or something.¡± Lily shrugged. ¡°Who knows?¡±


    She rolled off the bed. ¡°Let¡¯s wash up and get some breakfast. I¡¯m starving!¡±


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    It didn¡¯t take long for them to wash up, and after pulling on a fresh set of clothes, Claud turned to Lily, who was tying her hair together. ¡°Do you think the innkeepers will stay or leave?¡±


    ¡°For our sake, let¡¯s hope they stay,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Otherwise, we¡¯ll have to find a new place to stay in. To be honest, I think many people are going to leave. People were willing to stay back when the city was still putting up a fight, but now that the higher-ups capitulated, there¡¯s really no point in staying here. But if what the duchess said was true, then I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything to fear.¡±


    She straightened her clothes and took his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s not think about this for a while and get some food instead, alright?¡±


    Claud looked at Lily and smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    A little smile crawled up her face. ¡°You¡¯re very welcome!¡±


    The crowd that they had seen for the past few days had vanished when the two of them went down. Over two-thirds of the tables were unoccupied, and a fretting old man ¡ª not the middle-aged couple that had served them a few days back ¡ª was sitting at the counter.


    ¡°Hey, innkeep,¡± Claud called out.


    ¡°Hullo.¡± The old man looked at them dully. ¡°Here to checkout?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here to extend our stay, actually. And to get some food,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Unless you¡¯re closing the inn¡­¡±


    ¡°Close the inn? Grand skies, no. No. I¡¯m still running this little place. It¡¯s my own property, after all,¡± said the old man.


    ¡°Eh? But you weren¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, that was my son and his wife. They were feeling scared, so they wanted to leave. I told them to leave without me,¡± the old man replied. ¡°That¡¯s just how things are. The old ones stay behind. Let the young, strapping ¡®uns have a chance to live on without us broken fossils holding up the line.¡±


    Claud looked at the old man, who probably didn¡¯t have much in the way of lifestones to use, and then felt a bit sad. Unless one had a mana circuit, their body would deteriorate over time. If this old man had been a mana-user, he would probably have gone with the younger generation, but alas, there weren¡¯t many what-ifs in the world.


    Although he and Lily had quite a lot of lifespan to burn, the same couldn¡¯t be said for the common people. For the old man, given his age and body condition, it was very possible that he would perish without ever seeing his child again. This war would last a very long time, and travelling would be dangerous. How could a normal person who fled Lostfon return to it while circumventing the flames of war?


    ¡°I see.¡± Claud lowered his head. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll be staying here for the foreseeable future, so please do take good care of us.¡±


    ¡°Young¡¯uns, go and leave this place. Don¡¯t stay here,¡± said the old man. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    Claud smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    With the two of them around, unless the Dark Herald or its mightier soldiers came here for a fight, nothing would happen to the inn. After all, save for Duchess Lacuna, her personal guards and Count Lostfon, no one else here was a tri-folder. And when coupled with his natural awareness of danger, any place he was in would be generally safe.


    The old man shook his head. ¡°Young¡¯uns. Always so confident.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll like to have some breakfast, please,¡± Lily asked. ¡°Something nice and warm.¡±


    ¡°How does porridge sound?¡± the old man asked.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be nice, thank you.¡±


    After forking over a few bronze coins, Claud asked for a newspaper. The two of them peered at the headlines after taking a seat, and to absolutely no one¡¯s astonishment whatsoever, Duchess Lacuna¡¯s words had been printed on it. There was more detail about Quies Dukedom and the Voidum Sovereignty on it, however.


    ¡°So, the Dark didn¡¯t massacre everyone inside.¡±


    ¡°Or anyone,¡± Lily replied, ¡°for that matter.¡±


    ¡°So, what are we humans to these powers?¡± Claud wondered out loud. ¡°Are we livestock to be herded? Or is there some benefit into keeping us around these parts?¡±


    ¡°Or maybe there¡¯s no point in wondering about us puny flies,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Nobles don¡¯t really care about the commoners, since both sides usually lead very different lives. Their ambitions and aspirations are usually quite different too. And normally, they don¡¯t clash.¡±


    She looked up at the ceiling. ¡°Do we care about ants normally? No, but it¡¯s a pain if they crawl onto our food. So we take measures to prevent them from crawling onto our food, right? Use tables. Maybe we dump some food by their colony when we eat. It¡¯s the same principle. It¡¯s too troublesome to kill humans, but they happen to need the land for some reason.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯re insignificant. Joy.¡± Claud paused. ¡°No, I really mean it. The nail that sticks out gets brutally smashed and melted done, so it¡¯s good if we¡¯re insignificant.¡±


    ¡°You have a way with words,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Always had a talent, I know.¡± Claud was about to add more, but the old man rang the bell at that moment, and the two of them got up. As they brought their bowls of porridge back to the table, Claud found himself wondering something.


    If humans were insignificant, why would something like a Bearer of Destiny exist? What was the role of humans here?

 Chapter 286: Transient peace within lasting turmoils

    Carriages continued to flow out of the city, while families pulled carts and wagons behind them. From afar, Claud could tell that these carts and wagons were filled with food, clothes and necessities for living. In the end, despite so many reassurances, the people of Lostfon were fleeing their home, making their way to safer areas.


    ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll come back?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°The frontlines are in this very dukedom. I suspect they won¡¯t even have a home to return to,¡± Claud replied quietly. ¡°I¡¯m sure this city will be destroyed or damaged in the war that is bound to follow.¡±


    The only thing stopping them from venturing into neutral territory was the threat of the Moons hanging over Claud¡¯s head. Lily wasn¡¯t going to abandon him either, so, in the end, the best possible ally that Claud could ask for was the great Dark right now.


    Fortunately, at least, he hadn¡¯t killed a Dark-aligned Bearer of Destiny yet, or else they would be fleeing to the wilderness or something.


    The two of them fiddled with the emptied bowls of porridge for a moment, before getting up together. The old man nodded at them in thanks as he received their cutlery, and then let out a sigh. ¡°You two¡­are you two really staying here? It¡¯s dangerous. See all these people leaving the city? They¡¯re clever people. And you said it yourself earlier, boy.¡±


    He pulled out three cups. ¡°Want some? On the house.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll pay for it,¡± said Lily. ¡°Running a place like an inn when the city¡¯s bleeding people is going to be tough.¡±


    ¡°Nah.¡± The old man poured out some orange juice. ¡°Young¡¯uns, Count Lostfon has waived all tax and rent costs for anyone who chooses to remain here. That¡¯s why there¡¯s profit to be made here, but who dares to make it?¡±


    Claud took a sip and licked his lips on instinct. The orange juice was well made; the pulp had been strained out and he could tell that there had been a conscious effort to make the whole things slide down his throat. ¡°Merchants in debt? This is good orange juice, by the way. Have you considered mixing the famous fizzy drink with it? Turn it bubbly and everything.¡±


    The old man raised an eyebrow. ¡°What does that taste like?¡±


    ¡°This,¡± Lily replied, ¡°but with a nice kick.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should get some here,¡± Claud commented, his eyes on Lily¡¯s drooling lips. Reaching out to wipe the corner of her mouth, he finished off his drink before she could reach out for it, and Lily looked at him with a sad light in her eyes.


    ¡°You two are cute,¡± the old man replied. ¡°I suppose the young missy here would want another cup, yeah?¡±


    Claud took out a silver coin and handed it to the old man. ¡°A few more, I think.¡±


    ¡°A man of good taste!¡±


    ¡°Comes with good drinks,¡± Claud replied smoothly, before plucking the newspaper out from Lily¡¯s hands. ¡°Is there any¡­uh, unofficial news from the Quies Dukedom?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re asking me this?¡± The old man eyed Claud once. ¡°I don¡¯t really care about what goes on in the neighbouring county, let alone a dukedom, but if you really want to know¡­there¡¯s a Profiteer friend of mine still staying in the city.¡±


    ¡°Oh, a Profiteer?¡± Claud felt his spirits rise. The Profiteers were a guild dedicated to the enterprise of earning lots of money; they had a network that spanned the entirety of Grandis¡­and if Schwarz was to be believed, the entire world too. ¡°Where is the Profiteer?¡±


    ¡°You two know of them, huh.¡± The old man blinked. ¡°Funny. Usually, people blink three times and ask me what¡¯s a Profiteer, but I suppose people with good taste also have a good swath of knowledge. Anyway, if you want to find her, she¡¯s currently staying in this very inn.¡±


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    ¡°Lucky us.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s quite the heavy sleeper, though,¡± the old man replied with a chuckle. ¡°Might have to wait for the afternoon or when her stomach rumbles. You two younglings go make out in a corner or something; if you need a curtain, I can pull one out for you.¡±


    ¡°Innkeep¡­¡±


    The old man laughed at the two of them. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s good to be young.¡±


    After messing with the two of them for a little while longer, the old man sent them away, with the excuse that he was too old to watch youngsters flirt.


    ¡°Still, if he saw Count Nightfall and Caroline, would he still say the same thing?¡± Claud wondered, before stopping beside a bed of flowers. The city square was mostly deserted, and many mobile foodstalls had been arranged neatly in the middle of the place. The juxtaposition of wheeled foodstalls and an empty area was enough to make Claud worried once more, but before he could voice his doubts yet again, Lily took out a small sweet.


    ¡°Here.¡± Lily unwrapped the sweet for him. ¡°Open wide!¡±


    A nice, chocolatey taste filled his mouth, and Claud felt the inside of his mouth water up immediately. It wasn¡¯t just sweet; sweetness could be nauseating at high enough levels, but this was just right.


    ¡°You¡¯ve improved,¡± Claud forced out, before returning his tongue to the more important duty of savouring that little ball in his mouth. Regretfully, however, the thing began to melt after a while, and a sour aftertaste followed.


    ¡°How does it taste?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a sticky and sour aftertaste,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Might clog up the throat if someone¡¯s unlucky.¡±


    ¡°Aftertaste¡­it might be the core, then.¡± Lily took out a notebook and scribbled in it. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go with the next one, then. How about this?¡±


    They spent the next two hours testing sweets. It was nice to see Lily keeping with her ambitions and hobbies even in trying times, especially since he didn¡¯t have much in the way of hobbies himself. Claud¡¯s ambition was to live forever and admire whatever random flowers he saw on the way ¡ª which was a metaphor for anything interesting ¡ª but with the dark clouds right about to let loose a torrent of rain, that didn¡¯t seem quite possible right now.


    While a part of Claud was angry at how they were seemingly wasting time, another rational part of his mind was already pointing out that his Mana Circuit Superimposition was already at 3.95; Crown had stopped him from advancing any further.


    As for the reason¡­until Claud learned how to interpret fifteen meeps in a row, there was no way he would know the answer. It probably had something to do with the tribulation, but until Claud learned what exactly this so-called tribulation was, he wasn¡¯t going to go near it with a kilometre-long pole.


    If only Crown could be a bit more¡­articulate.


    His pocket stirred a moment later, and Crown rolled out from it, falling onto the bench with a little thud. ¡°Meep?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even say anything!¡± Claud replied hastily, his voice quiet and hushed. ¡°How did you wake up?¡±


    ¡°Meep.¡±


    ¡°Shhh! Before Throne wakes up too!¡±


    Lily laughed. ¡°We should just go back to our room. Throne¡¯s stirring awake, and I can have you do my tests there instead.¡±


    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t feel like a date when we¡¯re in the room. I feel pressured to make more tools, and you¡¯re going to continue burning your mana circuits,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I want today to be a rest day for the both of us, especially since tomorrow is going to be insane.¡±


    ¡°I wish I know what¡¯s going to happen next,¡± said Lily. ¡°What happens when the great Dark descends? They¡¯ll launch an immense offensive against the territories held by the Moons, right? What happens during that offensive? Will we humans be slaughtered when the Dark gains control over the outer areas? And will that barrier fall?¡±


    ¡°You sure give this more thought than me,¡± Claud mumbled.


    ¡°Which is quite unlike you, really,¡± Lily replied.


    Claud paused, and then lowered his head. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m just frightened, really.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t just frightened of the enormous dangers that would befall the world; this much he knew. The fear within him was also directed at something else, but he himself didn¡¯t know what that something was. If he had to liken it to something or someone, it would be a shadow, lurking in the corners of his eyes.


    Something.


    Someone.


    Claud didn¡¯t know what that thing was, but he knew that it existed.


    Lily shook him gently, and then offered him a bottle of water in silence. Patting his shoulder slowly, she hummed, a lilting tune that her mother sang to her when she was a child. He had heard it quite a few times in the past few days, whenever he couldn¡¯t sleep.


    Despite himself, Claud laughed. ¡°I¡¯m not a child.¡±


    ¡°But you definitely want to lie down on my lap and rest,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re afraid of, and it¡¯s because I can¡¯t hear it. I wish I can become stronger, better able to share your burdens, but¡­¡±


    With a little leap, Crown hopped onto Claud¡¯s lap and spun on an edge. ¡°Meep!¡±


    Lily glared at Crown and flicked its top, knocking Crown over. ¡°Hey! Way to spoil the moment!¡±


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    ¡°Urgh.¡± Lily picked up the little box and then patted it. ¡°Fine. I can¡¯t even get angry at you, can I? Claud, pop this guy back before Throne wakes up and they start meeping together.¡±


    ¡°I think we should just go back and let them meep away happily, rather,¡± Claud replied, amused at how she had taken up his position from earlier. ¡°We also need to make plans for tomorrow too. I think it¡¯s too dangerous to observe the armies of the great Dark in person; we should put our spoils to good use¡­¡±

 Chapter 287: The Profiteers

    ¡°Hey, young¡¯uns!¡± The old man called out as they entered the inn. ¡°Cassie, these two the little chicklings I¡¯m talking about. They want to know about the situation in Quies.¡±


    A middle-aged spritely woman popped up, her eyes glittering. ¡°Business, eh?¡±


    ¡°Go lightly on them. They¡¯re staying here for a long time,¡± the old man replied.


    Claud nodded. ¡°Around two seasons or so. This is¡­probably the best place for us to be. And the food here is excellent.¡±


    ¡°You two have a story, I see.¡± The woman brushed her crimson hair back, toying with a stray strand as she looked at Claud from head to toe. Directing that same, prying gaze at Lily, she hemmed and hawed a few times, and then folded her arms. ¡°Interesting. And you know about us, apparently.¡±


    ¡°Friends in places,¡± Lily replied.


    It would not do for them to talk about Schwarz to her, or for that matter, to any Profiteer. Neither Claud nor Lily had the intention of letting the others find out that they actually fled to Nihila Sovereignty, and they couldn¡¯t quite discount the possibility of the Profiteers having a way to communicate across the barrier of the Moons. If they found out¡­


    ¡°We¡¯re travelling nobles,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s natural for us to find out many, many things.¡±


    ¡°Nobles?¡± Cassie¡¯s eyes glittered, and then turned to the old man. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me that.¡±


    ¡°Ah, damn it.¡± The old man poured out a cup and handed it to her. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to milk em, is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°With this cup?¡± She downed it with one gulp, before closing her eyes. ¡°Nope, totally fine. We¡¯re all cool here. Right, do you two want to be Profiteers too? There¡¯s an introduction fee, sure, but since we¡¯re all friends now, I¡¯ll lower it a bit.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still a fee?¡± Claud asked, his eyelid twitching.


    ¡°We¡¯re Profiteers, not a charity organisation. But I like the way you think, little noble.¡± The woman nodded. ¡°Thrifty, always ready to bargain, someone in high places¡­I¡¯m wondering why your Profiteer friend didn¡¯t bring you in.¡±


    Probably because we kept forgetting about it. Claud, however, didn¡¯t bring up that point and simply shrugged.


    ¡°Anyway, what are the benefits of being a Profiteer?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I know that you people have a huge network and ability to monitor occurrences all over the continent, but in troubled times like this, that ability must have been curtailed, right?¡±


    ¡°You are a person after my own heart,¡± Cassie murmured. ¡°Yes, you are right. Our ability to operate has been affected. Effectively, us Profiteers have been split into eight groups right now; the divisions created by the great Dark and the Moons have severed distinct territories in Grandis, Nihal and Lacheln.¡±


    ¡°Wait, there¡¯s a war going on in the other areas too?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Nihal and Grandis have been split into three, while Lacheln is bisected into two halves.¡± Cassie fell silent. ¡°But that¡¯s all I can tell you.¡±


    Lily paused for a moment, and then nodded to herself. ¡°How much would this information cost?¡±


    ¡°Money, if you two aren¡¯t Profiteers. Information will suffice if you two are, however,¡± said Cassie. ¡°Us Profiteers have many ways of making money. One of them is through selling intelligence; we exchange intelligence with other Profiteers, and then sell them to the people who want it. It¡¯s an easy way of making money¡­and a reason why so many of us run taverns, inns and bars.¡±


    She turned to the old man and grinned.


    ¡°You¡¯re also a Profiteer?¡± Claud asked, eyeing the old man.


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    ¡°Moons take me if he were,¡± Cassie replied. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to rope him in and everything, but he doesn¡¯t want to pay the introduction fee. We can¡¯t accept people without money; that¡¯s how it is.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Claud asked, curious.


    ¡°Why, you ask¡­well, putting aside the fact that this is a transaction on the informational level, I myself am not too sure. It¡¯s a tradition!¡± The woman smiled. ¡°Anyway, if you want to ask about old traditions, Crone Pheles is the person to go to. Too bad she¡¯s stuck in the Istrel Sovereignty, though.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Claud rubbed his nose, more concerned about the fact that she had brought up another Profiteer in the Istrel Sovereignty.


    ¡°Something wrong, little chickling? I have all kinds of remedies for headaches; they¡¯re very effective!¡±


    ¡°And expensive,¡± Claud completed. Ignoring Cassie¡¯s laughter, he said, ¡°What kind of introduction fee are we talking about here?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re interested. Nice. One thousand five hundred gold,¡± Cassie replied. ¡°And that¡¯s the discounted price already.¡±


    Claud shifted his eyes to the old man, who nodded subtly back, but that motion hadn¡¯t gone unnoticed by the Profiteer, who slapped her thigh.


    ¡°Yes, yes. You will make a perfect Profiteer, you money-grabbing little noble. Such a habit is good, good. To double-check, to be sure, to be cautious and paranoid¡­yes, yes. This is fine.¡± She produced a small metal plate and showed it to them. ¡°Now, to pre-empt your question¡­this is an exclusive tool of the Profiteers, the Trading Board. It¡¯s a communication tool that we exclusively use to exchange information and other commodities at cheaper prices.¡±


    Claud, who was about to ask Cassie how she could induct them into the Profiteers, clamped his mouth shut.


    ¡°I know your reactions very well,¡± she replied, before turning her eyes to Lily, who looked as stifled as Claud felt inside. ¡°Anyway, this is the key item for Profiteers. With it, you can transact information and arrange trades for unique, specific resources in other regions for similarly rare resources in yours.¡±


    She paused. ¡°However, providing information¡­you must be absolutely sincere in your knowledge. This artefact can read your heart. Any attempts to exploit this system by providing inaccurate information will be dealt with. Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s a credibility system assigned for information like this.¡±


    ¡°Can read my heart?¡± Lily tilted her head.


    ¡°Or so I¡¯m told.¡± The Profiteer grinned. ¡°So? How about it?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re interested, but can we pay with lifestones?¡± Claud replied. ¡°They¡¯re more convenient to carry around than coins and notes.¡±


    ¡°Six of them for the two of you,¡± Cassie replied.


    He took out six low-ranked lifestones and handed it over to Cassie. Most of Claud¡¯s own stash was low and mid-ranked lifestones, since he could get Crown to filter out the impurities. Unfortunately, Lily¡¯s little silver orb had no such function, so he had given her all the high and pure-ranked ones.


    ¡°Ooh. They¡¯re in really high demand now, especially with the impending war. I¡¯ll take it. And since you two are one of us now, I¡¯ll throw in some free service.¡± She took out three metal plates and handed one each to Claud and Lily. Launching into a quick explanation of the Trading Board, she demonstrated the various functions and helped them bind their identity to those artefacts. Apparently, there was this account function, which apparently served as their identity in this network of Trading Boards.


    ¡°And that¡¯s it. Any questions?¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Is there any way to make contact with Trading Boards in the areas blocked off by the barriers?¡±


    ¡°¡­No. Unfortunately. Right now, our news is coming from the battlegrounds in the three regions, areas like this,¡± she replied. ¡°Are you worried about friends and family?¡±


    Claud and Lily nodded.


    ¡°There¡¯s no two ways about it, but from what we can tell so far, neither the great Dark nor the Moons have done anything like indiscriminate slaughter,¡± Carrie replied.


    ¡°The sacrifice to summon Moon Emissaries¡­¡±


    ¡°Sacrifice?¡± Carrie echoed.


    Lily nodded. ¡°But there¡¯s a price involved, right? Can you tell us about something?¡±


    ¡°Ah, we¡¯re now getting down to business.¡± She looked at Lily and Claud. ¡°I think I chose you two well. Alright, let¡¯s use the Trading Boards instead. Might as well walk you through the function. While it isn¡¯t anything particularly impressive, you must remember that your information has to be accurate, or else your credibility will drop. Every successful trade would increase your credibility too, so I suppose I¡¯m going to raise you two up a bit.¡±


    After a simple demonstration how to initiate an exchange, Claud found himself wondering something. For some reason, the Trading Board looked a bit familiar to his Status, especially when it notified him of something like extra lifespan, dead Bearers of Destiny and new skills. He didn¡¯t know why he thought that way, since one was metal and the other was¡­whatever intangible blue rectangles were made from, but the more he used it, the stronger that odd connection.


    He glanced at Lily, whose brows were also furrowed up, but after a while, he decided not to say anything.


    There would be time to ask things, especially in a more¡­anonymous fashion. Right now, they had to be careful with their identity. A single lapse, and the others might find out after six months that the two of them had arrived at Nihila.


    He didn¡¯t want to face such an awkward situation.


    Turning his attention back to Cassie¡¯s little lecture, Claud pricked his ears and paid full attention to the practical demonstration that was ongoing.

 Chapter 288: Information-gathering and Dark-awaiting

    As day broke, Claud was woken up by Lily shaking the bed. This adorable phenomenon was caused by her tapping away on the Trading Board; she was talking to someone on the other side of the artefact or whatever somehow. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up slowly and hugged her.


    ¡°Morning.¡±


    Lily rubbed her face against his own. ¡°Did I wake you up?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you were tapping rather hard on the Trading Board.¡± Claud stretched his body. ¡°What are you up to?¡±


    ¡°Just exchanging more information,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Still, this artefact is quite revolutionary. It can link two distant individuals and allow them to exchange messages¡­I see why the Profiteers charged so much money to join them. This artefact alone is worth it.¡±


    ¡°Too bad there¡¯s a limited usage every season, though,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Only thirty messages of a hundred and forty characters long every season. We¡¯ll need to be very judicious in our use of it.¡±


    ¡°And apparently, some of the Profiteers are real nasty pieces of work too.¡± Lily fiddled with her Trading Board, before setting it aside. ¡°Anyway, I was exchanging intelligence regarding the Dark and the Moons; there was a megathread asking for some information.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t trust everything on it either, so be careful,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And¡­well, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s really any information we don¡¯t know about the current huge events going on.¡±


    He fell silent for a moment. ¡°When you become a tri-folder, I¡¯ll try telling you what I know. I don¡¯t know how much I can tell you, since authority and the value information has is a bit nebulous, but I¡¯ll try.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll know you will. I¡¯m working hard too, okay? Right, I went around asking people about this tribulation a tri-folder faces when they become a tetra-folder. While no one has news on it yet, I¡¯m sure someone will contact us eventually,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Oh? Why?¡±


    ¡°I collated all the information we have on the Moons and the Dark,¡± Lily replied, pulling out a piece of paper. ¡°Thought people would be interested to learn about it.¡±


    ¡°Let me take a look,¡± Claud replied.


    He glanced at the paper once and intuitively understood that the words written here could only be properly deciphered by someone who had sufficient authority. Words and information apparently carried their own weight, to put it as a metaphor, and one¡¯s authority corresponded to their ability to process such an informational load.


    This paper could be used as a weapon, if left lying around randomly. Still, the information it contained was simply an inference Lily made from her own observations, so why did it carry such a load? Or was it the knowledge¡¯s affiliation that really mattered? Did anything related to the Moons, the Dark and the Coloured Gods innately require authority to listen to, accuracy be damned?


    Making a mental note about this aspect, Claud read through her paper. Lily¡¯s summary of the current events went like this: the Moons, the great Dark and the Coloured Gods had Bearers of Destiny. The Bearers of the Moons and the Dark mutually suppressed each other; when one of them died, the opposing entity would be allowed to descend, or have its time to descent lowered. As for why and how that worked, Lily didn¡¯t know. As for the Coloured Gods, it seemed that the Trial of Aeons ¡ª again, she had made a note that she didn¡¯t know either ¡ª was being suppressed by their own Bearers of Destiny.


    ¡°I wonder if I can add something to this,¡± Claud said, thinking about the introductions to the faction missions lying around in his interface.


    ¡°As an experiment?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yeah. It might hurt if you look at them, but if you can control your rate of reading¡­¡±


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    Lily nodded eagerly. ¡°Try it out, try it out!¡±


    ¡°S-sure.¡± Claud added the faction mission descriptions, which roughly talked about how a great age of change had come, and the Moons and Darks struggling to gain influence over what presumably was fate.


    Unfortunately for him, his authority was still too low to know what they were trying to gain influence over, so he left that blank. He added a bit about the five grand skies, and how the Coloured Gods wouldn¡¯t let the Moons or the Dark take their position, but¡­


    No matter how he looked at it, shouldn¡¯t the two ancient entities have an advantage over the Coloured Gods?


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it if you can read the information on this paper safely,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Okay. Bring it on!¡± Lily pumped a fist¡­and then asked for the paper with her two hands obediently. The juxtaposition between her excitement and her politeness brought a smile to his face, and he handed the paper over to her.


    A groan leaked out of her mouth as she looked at it, but before Claud could snatch the paper away, she raised a hand to stop him. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just hurts.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    Lily pointed at her own head, and Claud got her to lie down immediately. Placing her head on his lap, he massaged her temples slowly, and before long, the agonised look on her face faded away.


    ¡°Feels like being beaten by a hammer or something,¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Claud continued to rub her head, wiping off some beads of cold sweat that had popped up on her face.


    Lily sat up slowly and shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s something I need to go through if we are to live in the same world. You have secrets that you want to share, but if I can¡¯t accept them, you can¡¯t tell me everything. It¡¯s just a price I have to pay.¡±


    Claud felt his heart twist up, but he didn¡¯t want to deny her efforts. ¡°I¡¯ll probably feel the same if the roles were reversed.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Lily beamed. ¡°Right, how do you have such knowledge? Did¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, we have a Status, right?¡± Claud began, choosing his words carefully. ¡°And do you still remember that time I asked you about a quest and a mission? Both quests and missions have introductions.¡±


    ¡°I know what a quest is,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But a mission¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s my source.¡± Claud paused, ready to massage her temples once more if any signs of pain appeared, but nothing happened. ¡°Phew. Well, at least this seems to be okay.¡±


    ¡°How does this authority work anyway?¡± Lily rolled around on his lap. ¡°It¡¯s so painful. Can I get it out of my head? I don¡¯t want to be controlled by it!¡±


    She whined for a little while more, pouring out complaints that Claud agreed with, and for a time, he rocked her back and forth slowly. It was refreshing to see her let her inner child out ¡ª Claud had a feeling that this was an incredibly therapeutic state that could only be achieved through sheer coincidence ¡ª so he simply played along and hugged her for all he was worth.


    He could spot a silvery sphere and its velvety box buddy peeking out to look at them, prompting Claud to turn his back on them and hog Lily to himself.


    After a while, she returned to normal, her face the shade of a bright tomato.


    ¡°Feeling better?¡± Claud asked.


    She made a little noise in her throat.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine to let out your inner child, so don¡¯t feel embarrassed.¡± Claud poked her cheeks. ¡°And I got to see an extremely cute side of you, so I think it¡¯s a win-win. So adorable¡­¡±


    Lily glared at him, before burying her face into his chest.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a bully.¡±


    Claud cleared his throat as those faint words leaked out, and he patted her head. The bed, which had been messed up when Lily had started complaining, had a faintly inviting feeling, but there were many factors working against that.


    Praising himself for his self-control, Claud said, ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s wash up. The great Dark is coming soon, after all. We should observe with the Second Shadow after that, while eating from the safety of our room.¡±


    Lily rubbed her cheeks, which were still a pale pink, before rolling off his lap with an air of reluctance. Despite her words, Claud could tell that she too found the experience rather liberating.


    It didn¡¯t take long for them to wash up, and after a while, the two of them went down for breakfast. The inn was deserted, save for the two of them, and the old innkeeper manning the counter waved at them as they descended the stairs.


    ¡°Morning, younglings.¡± The old man looked around. ¡°Fancy any food?¡±


    ¡°A hearty breakfast for two, please,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Still, you¡¯re still hiring chefs?¡±


    ¡°Well, the boy needs his pay, and I can chat with him while waiting around here,¡± the old man replied. ¡°Jarvis, two breakfast specials!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so deserted here,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Makes me feel a little sad.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like an empty nest,¡± the old man replied. ¡°I never expected to have this feeling ever since I abandoned the hobby of birdwatching, but here we are. Oh well. You two take a seat. I¡¯ll head to the back for a while.¡±


    Claud and Lily moved over to a window seat, their eyes gazing out at the empty streets in silence. Before long, the forces of the great Dark would occupy the town, and Count Lostfon would hand his Terra Jewel over. Once that happened¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope we made the right choice,¡± Claud murmured, holding Lily¡¯s hand tightly.


    She nodded in reply.

 Chapter 289: The Second Shadow

    The forces of the great Dark descended like a black tide. Marching slowly and in order, they approached the city in silence. The sun itself seemed to retreat from the city, and before long, only a hollow radiance illuminated Lostfon.


    Battle lines had been drawn. Vacuos County and the Lacuna Dukedom in general would soon become the frontlines of the war. While both sides had pledged to not harm the puny humans, this was predicated upon their neutrality. And when the great Dark descended¡­would the shadows pouring into the city still hold on to this promise?


    Claud hoped so, at least.


    He peeped at the shadows pouring through the city gate. Under the hollow, feeble light of the sun, these shadows seemed surreal, like they didn¡¯t quite exist. He turned to his side, where a slightly-more-real shadow was staring out of the window, and then compared Lily¡¯s puppet to the real deals striding around under the sun.


    ¡°Hmm. I think ours look a bit more real.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡± Lily replied, removing a thick metal band from around her head. Covering the nose, eyes and ears, Claud had to resist the urge to laugh whenever he looked at Lily when she had the Second Shadow on.


    The metal band collapsed into a small box a moment later, and the shadow vanished. Lily looked at the box, and then poked it. ¡°And this is one really odd artefact. How does this work? I can¡¯t even disassemble it!¡±


    ¡°Moons if I know.¡± Claud returned to the bed and pulled out a Second Shadow, which in its stored mode looked like a box. It unfolded after Claud pressed a button, and he placed the contraption on his head.


    His vision changed a moment later.


    ¡°Man, I look stupid,¡± Claud commented, referring to the sight of his own body wearing a metal band around his head.


    ¡°Get used to it already,¡± Lily replied, before reaching out to his body and prodding his sides. The sensation of being poked had been dulled, but it was still ticklish nonetheless, and his actual body squirmed a few times.


    ¡°I thought we agreed not to do that!¡±


    ¡°Aww, come on.¡±


    ¡°Stop playing around,¡± Claud unclenched his right hand ¡ª the gesture to deactivate the Second Shadow ¡ª and his world turned into a solid patch of black. Pushing up the metal band, he took a sip of water and said, ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s observe the proceedings with the Second Shadow. We just need to be a bit careful when talking.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    For the Second Shadow, clenching the right hand was key to controlling the shadow produced. If one wanted to move around or communicate as the shadow, the so-called Second Shadow ¡ª the user needed to clench a fist. Otherwise, they would regain control over their own body and senses.


    Without any further ado, the two of them slipped the metal band onto their heads, and his vision changed once more. Their first movement, to slip through the window, wasn¡¯t so much as hard, but rather odd.


    The process of controlling a shadow felt somewhat surreal; there weren¡¯t much in the way of sensory feedback, and Claud felt rather weak. Compared to his actual body ¡ª which, by the way, was thoroughly protected right now ¡ª the shadow¡¯s movements felt clumsy and slow, like he was wading through water or something.


    It was the safest way of observing things without putting his main body at risk, however. Fortunately, nothing happened, and Claud controlled the shadow to enter the streets.


    Wind whistled down the deserted streets as the two of them moved from point to point boldly. The soldiers of the great Dark ¡ª the shadows pacing around the city aimlessly like a man without a job ¡ª had filled up the area, standing around without any discernible purpose.


    Making a small sign with his Second Shadow¡¯s left hand, Claud headed over to a nearby wall and stood there, before unclenching his left hand and pushing the metal band up. ¡°What are those shadows doing?¡±


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    Lily lifted the Second Shadow from her eyes too. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. But I don¡¯t think they¡¯re doing anything yet. Also¡­maybe we should take turns doing this. It¡¯s a bit scary when you aren¡¯t talking to me.¡±


    ¡°Scary, huh?¡± Claud reflected on the odd sensation of being dislocated and nodded. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go first and you keep talking to me. It does make me feel odd or something. I get the feeling I might go insane if I use this alone.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Lily¡¯s voice was noticeably more jovial, and Claud smiled. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll activate the Second Shadow now.¡±


    Pushing the metal band back down, Claud immersed himself in the view of his shadow. Making sure to keep his left hand open, he said, ¡°It seems like they¡¯re just waiting for something to happen.¡±


    Clenching his right fist, Claud glanced to his side and then nodded once. Lily had probably deactivated her own Second Shadow, since there wasn¡¯t a shadow there anymore.


    ¡°Waiting for the handover, I guess.¡± Lily¡¯s voice carried a distant quality to it, but it was more than enough to keep these odd sensations he felt from disturbing his mind too much. ¡°Are you still standing there?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Gotta blend in with the other shadows, right? Still, they really don¡¯t mind boredom or something,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Right, place me on your lap. Sitting up and doing this feels a bit tiring. The Second Shadow is quite heavy.¡±


    ¡°Can you even feel its weight when your left hand is clenched?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure my body does,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯m laying you down now, happy? Sheesh.¡± An odd feeling of being patted assailed Claud¡¯s senses a moment later, and he immediately understood that Lily was playing with his hair.


    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re doing something.¡± Clenching his fist, Claud observed the other shadows, and then followed them to their destination. From the looks of it, everyone was gathering back at the city square¡­but if they were going back there, what was the point of spreading out?


    A few shadows looked at him ¡ª probably, anyway ¡ª as he followed them, but if they detected anything off about him, they didn¡¯t show it. Still, did this mean that the shadows were capable of independent thought?


    He voiced his thoughts after steering his vessel to join the other shadows.


    ¡°I think they should be capable of independent thought,¡± Lily replied, her words slow and contemplative. ¡°But maybe they can¡¯t exhibit it freely. Have they said a single thing so far?¡±


    Claud pricked his ears and waited for a few moments, but the city square was so silent that he really wanted to just stop his surveillance instead. ¡°No, and it¡¯s scary.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s scary?¡±


    ¡°The thick silence there,¡± Claud replied. ¡°The shadows are all standing in neat rows and not moving at all. Like, I don¡¯t know¡­corpses laid out after a disaster or something.¡±


    ¡°That description is a bit too graphic, alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still going to take a break, though,¡± Claud replied, before lifting up the Second Shadow from his eyes. His senses returned in full a moment later, as well as the sensation of his original body. Wading through what seemed like oozy, sticky liquid was a very tiring sensation; now that he was back, Claud found himself appreciating the world around him.


    ¡°My turn?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°If you want to, really,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯ll be anything big happening for now. The shadows don¡¯t seem to be doing anything extra-odd, and a few of them were looking at me oddly too. I think we should just use the Second Shadow for communication and scouting.¡±


    ¡°But we already have the Trading Board for the first bit, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, it won¡¯t hurt to have more ways of communicating,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Besides, anyone can use it to communicate. They just need to wear it, clench a fist and write. Far less troublesome than the convoluted verification measures that the Trading Board uses, right?¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    Other than scouting and risky activities, the Second Shadow was also used by nobles to issue orders to distant territories, if the records were accurate. This usually entailed activating the Second Shadow at a designated location to create a shadow, and then taking the metal headband without ever folding it back up. When there was a need to issue an order across huge distances, the noble could simply place the headband back on and they would possess the shadow left at that location.


    It was something that Schwarz might just fall onto his knees and buy.


    ¡°Would using this allow for communication across the barriers put up by the Moons and the Dark?¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°That would be too easy, right? And besides, we¡¯ll need to see if those shadows created can pass through the barrier,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s worth a try, but I also think it¡¯ll take a really long time,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We can¡¯t use mana in that form, after all. And not to mention the fact that the Second Shadow creates shadows¡­¡±


    ¡°Getting disintegrated or hunted down when we cross that barrier is quite likely, yes.¡± Lily cradled his head. ¡°But should we give it a try anyway?¡±


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s not. We¡¯ll just hand them to Schwarz when the barrier falls or something. Won¡¯t take too long, I think.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a war about to break loose,¡± said Lily. ¡°I think that barrier¡¯s going to stay up for quite the long time.¡±


    Without warning, green light flooded the skies, illuminating everything it touched. Claud looked at the window once, before picking up the False Self. ¡°Going back in now.¡±


    Lily took a deep breath. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Placing the metal headband around his head, Claud¡¯s vision changed once more.

 Chapter 290: Rituals and shadows

    A brilliant green light, one that blazed brighter and stronger than any lifestone Claud had even seen, was currently spilling out from the floating gem in the middle of the city square. Count Lostfon, who had revealed the startling, soul-shaking sight that was his Terra Jewel, looked at the shadow that stood beside him, his deep eyes scanning through the crowd of shadows as they passed.


    Claud watched on in silence. In this form, there was no way for him to interfere¡­assuming he wanted to in the first place. The great Dark wanted the Terra Jewel; if he were to snatch it right now and flee, there wouldn¡¯t be a place for him to go.


    Fortunately, at least, there wasn¡¯t this insane urge within him to snatch the Terra Jewel, unlike the previous times when he¡¯d targeted the Moons¡¯ Bearers of Destiny.


    ¡°Keep your promise, Dark Herald.¡± A sonorous voice rolled out from Count Lostfon, directed at the shadow beside him.


    The shadow nodded once, and the Terra Jewel floated over. Black light spilled out from the Dark Herald, binding it and encapsulating it in a black globe. Within seconds, the darkness deepened into a void that seemed to suck in all light, before releasing the trapped, writhing shadows up into the sky.


    The hollow sunlight that was struggling to illuminate the city weakened further, as an enormous symbol appeared above the city. Black geometric patterns unfolded over and over, and shadows began to materialise all over the city.


    Claud¡¯s clenched fist opened up, and the vision he saw faded away, replaced by the smooth interior of the metal band around his head. ¡°The Terra Jewel¡¯s handed over. The Dark Herald is summoning shadows from the sky with it.¡±


    ¡°I can see that,¡± Lily¡¯s distant voice replied. ¡°But why can the Terra Jewel do that in the first place?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll probably need to ask someone who knows for the answer,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Alright, going back in.¡±


    Clenching his fist once more, Claud observed as Count Lostfon left the venue slowly, making sure to keep his head very still like the other shadows in attendance. Fortunately, the shadows here hadn¡¯t noticed him, or they didn¡¯t think he was any different, which allowed him to watch them without any issue whatsoever. Cheering in his mind mentally, Claud prepared to copy whatever the other shadows did.


    His hopes, however, were shattered a moment later, as every single shadow in existence turned to look at him. The synchronised tide of turning heads chilled his blood as countless gazes fell upon him, and the urge to flee flooded his mind.


    For some reason, however, his body seemed to have grown some roots, and with a jolt, Claud remembered that he was currently using the Second Shadow. His panic faded, and his mind began to whirl.


    Wait, they actually knew that I¡¯m not one of them? Then why did they let me stand here with the others? Or was it because this was a public ceremony, and they assumed that I was one of the remaining people here? What should I do now? Should I stay and watch? Or¡­


    Before he could decide his next course of action, one of the shadows gestured with its arms. The watching crowd of shadows returned to normal a heartbeat later, as if they had forgotten about him.


    Eh?


    The action was soon picked up by a few nearby shadows, who did squiggly motions with their hands too. For some reason, they seemed quite human; Claud could feel a measure of curiosity from them. However, prolonged interaction would definitely be problematic, which was why Claud simply waved goodbye, unclenched his fist and then removed the Second Shadow from his head, before shutting it off decisively.


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    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°You look horrible.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, because the shadows actually knew that I wasn¡¯t one of them.¡± Claud wiped his forehead.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud got up and wiped his forehead. ¡°They all turned to stare at me like some freak after Count Lostfon left. Have you seen a crowd look at you in silence, without any warning whatsoever? I haven¡¯t, but now I have. Freaks, I say.¡±


    He shivered once. As a thief, being the centre of attention was something against his very being ¡ª Claud knew that his reaction was intense and out of the norm, but it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    ¡°There, there.¡± Lily patted his head. ¡°Odd. I get the feeling I¡¯ve been doing this a lot recently. Have I been doing this often?¡±


    ¡°Not so much that I would have noticed,¡± Claud¡¯s mouth replied.


    Lily tilted her head. ¡°Putting that aside, how did the shadows react? Did they tear your body apart and stab you with nearby implements?¡±


    ¡°No, surprisingly enough.¡± Claud cupped his chin. ¡°For some reason, the ones near me started gesturing with their hands and everything, like they were trying to talk or something. I freaked out at this point and shut the whole thing off.¡±


    ¡°Gesturing with their hands?¡± Lily rubbed her nose. ¡°Interesting. Maybe they were actually talking, and then wondered why you were so silent. Or something along these lines.¡±


    Rolling off the bed, Claud peeked out of the room¡¯s window, and then heaved a small sigh as he observed nothing out of the ordinary. Flopping onto the bed a moment later, he looked at the ceiling and said, ¡°Maybe. But I don¡¯t know how they noticed me, and why they ignored me a moment later.¡±


    Lily folded her arms. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go through the whole thing with me again? They¡¯re shadows and everything. Maybe they could read your mind or your emotions.¡±


    ¡°Emotions?¡± Claud found himself repeating that word, and then thought back to the events leading up to that alarming turn of events. Narrating his thoughts and observations out loud, Lily stopped him at the point when he cheered his useful disguise, and then mulled on the issue for a moment.


    ¡°So, they turned to look at you after you cheered in your mind.¡± Lily tapped the bed. ¡°Like, I¡¯m reminded of a situation, like say, a noble¡¯s funeral, and someone in the crowd cheers and laughs loudly during the burial. Everyone looks at that person oddly, because it¡¯s inappropriate. Make sense?¡±


    ¡°Well, if you put it that way¡­¡± Claud played with the mattress streets. ¡°Yes, that would explain why my outburst of cheering was deemed as odd, but does that mean those shadows have the concept of societal appropriateness?¡±


    ¡°Probably. And then after you stopped, the other shadows lost interest, except for the ones that were directly in your vicinity,¡± Lily continued on. ¡°And, like humans, they asked you about why you did that¡­okay, I¡¯m just guessing randomly at this point. Why would they gesture at you?¡±


    The two of them mulled on this point, but seeing as how the city was still peaceful, there really wasn¡¯t much for them to guess. After bouncing ideas off each other for ten or so minutes, the duo gave up, and Claud skedaddled over to his pillow.


    ¡°You¡¯re tired?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud yawned. ¡°I know, it¡¯s early, but I think my poor heart can¡¯t take it anymore. Being stared at by an entire crowd is really terrifying, even if they didn¡¯t actually notice that I was faking it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still just a theory,¡± Lily added.


    ¡°A very reasonable one,¡± Claud rebutted. ¡°Your words make a lot of sense. Right, where are those two little fellows? Are they still napping away?¡±


    ¡°Crown and Throne?¡± Lily nodded. ¡°They were meeping a few times earlier while you were watching the green light¡­wait, you forgot to tell me what happened during that green light thing.¡±


    Claud tried to remember the scene back then, and then pondered on a suitably dramatic rendition of the visual experience. It was a scene that he couldn¡¯t forget; there was something sublime about how the shadows mingled with the Terra Jewel, as well as¡ª


    ¡°Claud?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. Count Lostfon handed the Terra Jewel over, the Dark Herald covered it in shadow, and the resulting product shot darkness into the air and created some odd circle,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Odd circle?¡± Lily rubbed her nose. ¡°Claud, don¡¯t ever become a storyteller. The way you narrated it was so dry, I think you just made a new desert.¡±


    ¡°Hey! That¡¯s mean! I racked my brain to think of a good description!¡±


    ¡°That just makes it worse, okay?¡± Lily patted his head. ¡°Next time, leave the descriptions to me.¡±


    ¡°Normally, I do it a lot better, okay?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°I don¡¯t seem to recall you retelling grand events that colour the sky another colour. Or if there were indeed such instances, they were so bland that I forgot.¡±


    ¡°Ouch.¡±


    ¡°Ouch indeed. You should read more books, okay?¡±


    Claud¡¯s stomach rumbled, and Lily¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°When I was younger, I liked to read books while eating. Wanna give it a try?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m quite sure I¡¯ll end up dirtying the book¡­¡±


    Lily pulled him up. ¡°Come on! Give it a try. Who knows? Maybe you might end up liking it!¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­¡±

 Chapter 291: A new name?

    The last of the lifestones crumbled away as Dia got up from her bed, and the mix of blue and green light faded away. Mana surged through her veins, stronger and thicker than ever, and she stretched her fingers. Crossing over to the window, she placed a hand on the glass and looked out at the bustling roads.


    Her attention drifted to the most depleted hourglass in her vision, the one that represented the amount of time left before the great Dark descended. It was a quarter full, while the hourglass that represented the time left before the Moons descended was three-quarters full. When the first hourglass finally depleted, huge changes would sweep the world, and bring with it a new beginning.


    Shaking her head, Dia stifled a yawn. Burning a new set of mana circuits was harder than she had expected. It wasn¡¯t so simple as the first one; she needed to layer the mana over the existing circuit without damaging it, and then get both parts to cooperate. It was an endeavour that required days of quiet concentration; she now knew why bi-folders and stronger folders spent entire days to draw a bit of their mana circuits.


    Those stories about someone drawing a circuit in an hour?


    Lies, all lies.


    Metal clinked as she attached her sword to her belt. She didn¡¯t really need to, since her favourite sword had been turned into her soul-bound weapon, but there were still movements one could make with the act of sword-drawing. Other than that, her overall physical ability had been improved. Even Dia herself found it hard to follow her own strikes when she went all out, but that usually also meant that some of their training swords would be disintegrated.


    As a result, after a few stern talks by Schwarz regarding the excessive use of force and the equally excessive replacements of broken weighted wooden swords, Dia had to seal up her own ability, limiting herself to a quarter of her actual speed and strength. Although the others had also become a bi-folder, this handicap didn¡¯t stop Dia from beating them up easily; mana circuits were a force multiplier. The greater one¡¯s physical ability, the stronger the result.


    Stretching her arms one last time, she headed out of her room and made her way to the living room, where Schwarz was sipping on a cup and reading a copy of today¡¯s newspaper.


    ¡°Thought you¡¯d spend a bit more time in your room.¡± Schwarz raised a cup at her. ¡°I hope your short seclusion was fruitful.¡±


    ¡°0.3 in eight days,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­probably one heck of a record.¡± A touch of frustration twisted Schwarz¡¯s face. ¡°How are you doing it?¡±


    ¡°With a light touch and lots of patience.¡± Dia yawned. ¡°A glass, please.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky I was the first to come out.¡± Schwarz rolled his eyes and poured out a cup of sparkling, bubbly apple juice for Dia. ¡°But again, I stopped after six hours. Couldn¡¯t concentrate, since everyone else was busy burning mana circuits. In the absence of Claud, I¡¯ve grown to become the paranoid one.¡±


    ¡°I wonder where our little lovebirds flew off to,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Haven¡¯t heard a single word from them. How long has it been already?¡±


    ¡°Nearly three months,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°And how have you forgotten the time?¡±


    ¡°You do know I¡¯ve been burning my mana circuits over multiple short seclusions, right?¡± Dia yawned. ¡°It¡¯s easy to lose track of time, especially since I haven¡¯t ventured out of my room for the past few days.¡±


    ¡°If I ever become a god, the first thing I¡¯m going to make is a calendar onto our statuses,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°At least you¡¯ll be able to tell the date with that, right?¡±


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    ¡°Of the many improvements one could come up with, you started off with something not in the list.¡± Dia sipped from her glass and shivered as the fruity goodness slid down her throat, bubbling merrily the entire time. ¡°Anyway, anything on the news?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­well, news of the Moon Emissaries¡¯ opposite number have appeared on the battlefield in Vacuos County,¡± Schwarz read out loud. ¡°Apparently, they¡¯re called Dark Heralds. They¡¯re armoured fellows¡­and no prizes for guessing what colour their armour is.¡±


    ¡°Red with green dots?¡± Dia replied, a grin on her face.


    ¡°You¡¯re screwing with me, aren¡¯t you?¡± Schwarz shook the newspaper once. ¡°The strongest one seen so far is a penta-folder, anyway. There¡¯s nine of them too, compared to our seven Moon Emissaries.¡±


    ¡°Our?¡± Dia repeated. ¡°What, do these guys belong to you?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re on our side.¡± Schwarz paused. ¡°I think.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re on anyone¡¯s side but their own,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°I dare you to say that in the city square.¡± Schwarz snickered. ¡°Anyway, have you really not given thought to the issue of raising a little wee Moon baby? They¡¯re really adorable!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no. They grow up in a month, alright? Within a month, we¡¯ll have an adult-sized soldier ready to kill us at a moment¡¯s notice,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to fill up the missing tanks of paranoia after Claud left? How are you this supportive of babies destined to become soldiers?¡±


    ¡°Come on, they¡¯re cute!¡±


    ¡°Then adopt a baby from the many orphanages in this city,¡± Dia shot back. ¡°No one¡¯s stopping you and Farah from doing that.¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t get the same feeling from orphans¡­but we should do our part too, I guess.¡± Schwarz poured another cup for himself. ¡°Maybe build another school?¡±


    For some damn reason, Count Nightfall, Schwarz and Farah were totally in favour of stealing one of those little babies and raising them up here. More than once, Risti had asked Dia about this odd phenomenon, which certainly reeked of some subtle mental manipulation.


    The question was how this manipulation worked. What exactly did Nightfall, Schwarz and Farah share in common? Birthplace definitely was ruled out, since Farah wasn¡¯t from Licencia, so¡­


    Dia had a feeling that she was close to the answer, but no matter how she tried to fish the remaining pieces of the puzzle up, all she got was a haze of fogginess.


    Shaking her head, she said, ¡°I think having one for the Moon Lords is good enough. And are we still going to keep that name?¡±


    ¡°What name?¡±


    ¡°You know, the Moon Lords?¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°We never really did get around to having a proper meeting over the decision of a new name.¡±


    ¡°Well, one of us is always in seclusion, so it really can¡¯t be helped. Free lifestones are very good incentives.¡±


    ¡°But you just pop into your room for a single day and give up on the next, so I don¡¯t really think you have a leg to stand on for that particular argument.¡± Dia leaned back and took another sip of Schwarz¡¯s new brew of fizzy drink and apple juice. For obvious reasons, however, the former was running out ¡ª the deliveries had stopped when the gigantic barriers that isolated the Istrel Sovereignty from the rest of Grandis popped up.


    This was literally a commodity that would soon run out of stock, and Dia wasn¡¯t going to let anyone else drink more than her.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Another voice entered the room. ¡°You two are out! How rare.¡±


    Dia turned to look at Countess Farah, who was rubbing her eyes. ¡°Did you come out of seclusion or a good long nap?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I stopped burning my circuits last night, and then went to sleep for a while,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Anyway, what were you guys talking about?¡±


    ¡°Uh, our new name,¡± Dia replied immediately, making a mental note to not bring up Moon babies in front of those two idiots. ¡°I¡¯m worried that the Lunar Lord and its Moon Emissaries would look at us the wrong way when they discover the name of our organisation.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yeah, we¡¯ll probably turn to moon dust or something,¡± Farah agreed. ¡°But Risti is still burning her¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m done too,¡± said another voice, and everyone turned to her.


    ¡°Me too, me too!¡± Nero¡¯s head popped out. ¡°It¡¯s been boring around here recently, since you fellows were all so hardworking, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be like this for as long as possible, though,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°We¡¯re all trying to grow stronger before the great Dark descends and begins a full-out assault on the Moons. The period after the great Dark descends and before the Moons follow suit are the most dangerous; if we don¡¯t prepare ourselves, we might be swept away by the enemy.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like that¡¯s not going to happen,¡± Farah noted.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to keep morale up, alright? Telling everyone that this city has a lower chance of surviving than a fish in front of hungry cats isn¡¯t a good idea.¡± Schwarz shook his head. ¡°Anyway, anyone wants a drink? We do need to think of a new name, and we should do it now.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    Dia slid her empty glass over and smiled. ¡°Seconds, please.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Schwarz took her glass. ¡°Fine¡­¡±

 Chapter 292: The Seekers of Life

    Names. Since time immemorial, all humans had taken on names for a myriad of reasons. At the very core, however, was the need to identify someone without poking or nudging them physically; it also served to help the poor, misguided humans in forming their own identity. As for the choice of name itself, many children were named for various reasons, like luck, lineage and well wishes.


    Of course, one could change their own name in the future for a variety of reasons too. Like say, for instance, to avoid calamity.


    Schwarz rapped the table with a wooden hammer ¡ª Moons knew where he got that from ¡ª and cleared his throat. ¡°Ladies, gentlemen¡­it¡¯s time we settled the issue of our name. The Moon Lords. We chose this name without giving it too much thought back then, since no one could have expected the Moons to actually freaking descend. While it sounds majestic, awesome and now serves to identify the few of us here and outside as the key movers of Licencia, it¡¯s also a ticking time explosive.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Despite the fact that Lily isn¡¯t here.¡±


    Everyone laughed. Schwarz allowed a small grin to grace his face for a moment, and then rapped the table again. ¡°For obvious reasons, the Moon Lords is a really problematic name. Fortunately for us, Claud isn¡¯t around to suggest bad names, but unfortunately for the two of them, they might not know that we changed the name of our organisation.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we disseminate the news?¡±


    ¡°And risk the offending name entering the Moons¡¯ ears? I think not,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Anyway, we need to think of a nice catchy name. One that probably won¡¯t impinge on the Moons and the Dark.¡±


    Nero hummed. ¡°The Good Guys?¡±


    ¡°One, half of us are ladies. Second, that sounds lame. Every single fake goods peddler I¡¯ve met calls their shops Honest Joe, Goodman Grey and Candid Cathy, so let¡¯s not use that really dodgy name,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°How about the Paranoid League of Commerce and Combat?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s drop the word ¡®Paranoid¡¯. League of Commerce and Combat¡­¡± Risti scribbled something on a piece of paper. ¡°That¡¯s a bit acceptable, but if we want to make it sound catchy¡­¡±


    Farah hummed. ¡°Licencia¡¯s League of Commerce and Combat? Does that sound good? We can abbreviate it to LLCC too!¡±


    Dia found herself bobbing her head, but she didn¡¯t chime in. While it sounded good, it felt a bit¡­off. For some reason. After a little dithering here and there, everyone turned to Risti next, who looked like she already had an idea.


    ¡°Risti?¡± Schwarz prompted gently. ¡°What do you have?¡±


    Risti rubbed her nose. ¡°Well, it¡¯s just a little thought. I mean, we don¡¯t really do all these things because we have some grand intention to, right? What was our original intention in creating the Moon Lords?¡±


    Everyone fell silent, and Dia found herself contemplating. How did it happen? She remembered teaching Claud about the strength of an organisation, and then Claud flipped it over and suggested that she and the others join up with the two locals, him and Schwarz. Farah, who had caused a scene, apologised, and then¡­


    Hmm. Did I get some events wrong? Dia tilted her head. Either way, their little group had been established for various reasons that everyone of their own had. For Dia, it was to protect herself¡­of course, to the others, it seemed like the lookalike just wanted to safeguard herself while being fairly obvious, although that goal had probably tripped into a wayside ditch at some point.


    Now, Princess Dia of the Lustre Dukedom was a thing of the past. Ever since the Moons and the Dark took the stage, Ruler Umbra¡¯s murder was no longer on everyone¡¯s mind. The coronation of Ruler Istrel¡­


    ¡°Speaking of names,¡± said Dia, ¡°is the Istrel Dukedom still called the Istrel Dukedom?¡±


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    ¡°Last I checked, yes.¡± Schwarz guffawed. ¡°The Moons¡¯ barrier severed all connections to the outside world, so there¡¯s no way that Emperor Grandis¡¯ plans for the old Istrel Dukedom would make it in. One could say that the Istrel Sovereignty ¡ª the actual core territory ¡ª is now ten times the size of every other sovereignty¡¯s core territory.¡±


    ¡°How confusing.¡±


    ¡°Right? Anyway, what name did you come up with, Risti?¡±


    Risti cleared her throat. ¡°Seekers of Life.¡±


    Schwarz opened his mouth, and then slammed it shut. His voice polite, he asked, ¡°Why did you choose such a name?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t laugh at me, okay?¡± Risti took a deep breath. ¡°We all joined because we wanted to find this thing called ¡®life¡¯. Sure, it¡¯s different for most of us, and Claud was very literal in his pursuit, but all of us joined for some reason or some variant of ¡®life¡¯. Farah sought a lifeline for her county by joining up with you guys. Dia sought a lifeline for her and her mistress, drawing attention as a tough target. Schwarz is Schwarz.¡±


    Dia ran through those words slowly.


    ¡°Life, huh.¡± Farah nodded. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a descriptive name, but one that is mystical enough that no one would know what we exactly do.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that far,¡± Risti admitted, her eyes shifty. ¡°but yeah.¡±


    Dia saw an opportunity to end it here and jumped in. ¡°I think it¡¯s a good name too. Seekers of Life.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Schwarz. ¡°This is a majority vote, and since Claud and Lily aren¡¯t here, we¡¯ll tentatively rebrand ourselves as the Seekers of Life. I¡¯ll make the necessary arrangements. Once our lost lovebirds return home, we¡¯ll tease them a bit and then ask them for their opinions on our new name. Sound good?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Dia replied, and the others nodded. Nero, who was sipping at his own apple juice, raised his cup and said nothing.


    In Dia¡¯s opinion, he actually was entitled to a say in this matter, but again, Nero hadn¡¯t quite joined them of his own volition. He had been awakened in very damning circumstances; only the fact that the Third had been revealed to be the one responsible had saved him from many nasty fates.


    ¡°What?¡± Nero looked at her. ¡°I¡¯m not going to say anything here, alright? And I can¡¯t think of any names either. Besides, I like the mystical aspect of it. It sounds good.¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright, then.¡± Dia shrugged, and then filled up her cup for the eighth time. For a moment, she had the feeling that someone was glaring at her angrily, but when she looked up, everyone, especially Schwarz, was immersed in their own drink.


    The bartender¡¯s cup shook the table a moment later, and he cleared his throat. ¡°Since Nero has no objection, I hereby declare that we¡¯re called the Seekers of Life. This name may be changed depending on Lily and Claud¡¯s impression when they return, but for now, we will call ourselves that. I will work on rebranding our image with the people. Farah, you handle the necessary procedures with the Nightfall Palace. Risti, you deal with our contacts, and Dia, you handle the guards at the gates. Any questions?¡±


    Everyone raised a thumb.


    ¡°What about me?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°Uh¡­just continue to be our mascot,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°A tetra-folder holding the fort is no joke. There¡¯s a reason why crime has dropped so drastically, and it¡¯s not because Claud did a good job.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so good, I scare off criminals with my presence alone¡­¡± Nero grinned. ¡°Sounds great.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    Everyone fooled around and chatted for the next few hours. It was rare for them to be in attendance like this, given their hectic schedule of burning mana circuits over the past few months, so they weren¡¯t holding back on the drinks and chatter.


    Schwarz¡¯s lips would tremble every so often, though. Especially when Dia refilled her cup. Was it a sign of a dwindling supply?


    Dia shook her head and smiled.


    They were pouring out another round of drinks when a bell chimed, and everyone jumped. The sound of someone requesting entry was so foreign to them nowadays, especially since the Moon Lords ¡ª er, Seekers of Life ¡ª had retreated into Moon Mansion.


    Their home probably needed to be renamed too, now that Dia thought about. As well as the Moon Guards and other Moon-themed things.


    Shaking her head to clear it of random thoughts, Dia watched as Risti got up. ¡°I¡¯ll go and check out who¡¯s at the booth. Haven¡¯t stepped out for some time anyway.¡±


    ¡°Sure, go wild,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°Just remember to greet them nicely,¡± Farah added.


    Risti rolled her eyes and left the room. Before Dia could even finish her drink, however, Risti had returned with two visitors in tow, and everyone stood up on instinct.¡±


    ¡°What are you guys doing?¡± Count Nightfall asked. ¡°Sit down. We haven¡¯t met for a few months, and you¡¯ve all reverted to this formal way of treating me. Really?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll break our hearts,¡± Caroline added. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s good that you guys are out. Trouble¡¯s brewing.¡±


    ¡°And you two can¡¯t deal with it?¡±


    ¡°In short, yes. We need capable agents that can act in an unofficial capacity,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°You guys are it.¡±


    ¡°¡­I want to say no,¡± Schwarz replied, ¡°but you guys are going to make an offer we can¡¯t refuse.¡±


    Count Nightfall cleared his throat. ¡°There¡¯s a stash of medium-ranked lifestones sitting around. You guys might find a good use for it.¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Schwarz shook his head.


    ¡°Take a seat,¡± said Farah. ¡°Let¡¯s hear what we¡¯re up against¡­¡±

 Chapter 293: The counts own petty mission

    Count Nightfall played with the cup in his hand as he settled down on his seat. ¡°Right, my apologies. We haven¡¯t met for a few months, and the first thing that comes rolling out of my lips is a request to do something in return for payment. I probably sound like a scumbag or something.¡±


    ¡°No worries, count,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Besides, isn¡¯t this an indication of how bad things are?¡±


    Count Nightfall and Caroline fidgeted together, and Dia had to hide a grin. For some reason, the duo¡¯s actions were quite similar, as if they had somewhat changed to make things that way, and she wondered if couples invariably converged together in terms of mannerisms and actions.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call them bad,¡± Count Nightfall mused.


    ¡°Nothing the Moon Lords can¡¯t handle,¡± Caroline added.


    The count cupped his chin. ¡°It¡¯s just an issue of station and position. Too many people are watching us, so we really can¡¯t act effectively.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we came to you guys, who are already our agents in all but name.¡± Caroline took a sip from her cup. ¡°We¡¯ll pay you handsomely, of course.¡±


    Risti sidled over to Dia as Schwarz helpfully informed the duo about the change in the Moon Lords name, and as the couple made little noises and tittered about the meaning behind ¡®Seekers of Life¡¯, Risti said, ¡°Is it me, or are these two very, very in sync? I swear, they seem to be the same person saying the same thing! It¡¯s a bit scary.¡±


    Nero nodded and joined the conversation. ¡°Would Claud and Lily be the same when they come back? That¡¯ll be rather tiring. Imagine talking to one of them and the other starts helping. And they¡¯ll be stuck at the arms too.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Incidentally, I¡¯m a young and eligible bachelor. Anyone here interested in me?¡±


    ¡°Is this really the right time to bring that up?¡± Risti asked. ¡°And no, I don¡¯t really get that love-struck feeling when I think about you. You¡¯re like that kid brother who needs some help to get rid of an alcoholic addiction.¡±


    ¡°D-do I actually drink that much?¡± Nero asked, and then turned to Dia. ¡°How about you?¡±


    Dia blinked. ¡°Uh, a kid brother, I guess. Sure, you¡¯re eligible and everything, but you don¡¯t move hearts for some reason. Like there¡¯s a barrier between you and me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s odd. I did at least go out with you for two days to handle the investigations back then,¡± Nero mumbled. ¡°Didn¡¯t I seem reliable or anything?¡±


    ¡°¡­Do you want me to put it nicely, or say the truth?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°I think my heart can¡¯t take it,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Never mind.¡±


    ¡°What brought this on anyway?¡± Risti asked, curious. ¡°What, did the news of Claud and Lily as well as the lovely coordination between Count and Countess Nightfall move your heart or something? You weren¡¯t this anxious, last I checked.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just something I thought of randomly,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Don¡¯t think too hard about it. Still, I do need to get closer to you guys. I don¡¯t know you guys all that well.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same for us all?¡± Risti asked. ¡°We don¡¯t exactly know what your life experience was like. You were a bit distant earlier because you didn¡¯t know anything behind our formation, right? You simply joined us because there wasn¡¯t exactly a better place to go.¡±


    ¡°And Schwarz¡¯s brews were good too.¡±


    ¡°I really want to check your judgment on that,¡± said Risti, ¡°but I realise that you¡¯re a hardcore drinker that would prefer his crazy alcoholic brews over his finely-made non-alcoholic fruity fizzy drinks.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°He has normal alcohols too, but he doesn¡¯t bust them out.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Go on, tell me more¡­¡±


    While Farah and Schwarz handled the issue of their name change, Dia launched into a short description of the brews that Schwarz busted out the last time she needed some counselling, and by the time she was done, Risti had a contemplative look on his face.


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    ¡°So, why doesn¡¯t he use those normal brews?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°You ask questions that perhaps only the Moons can answer,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Maybe we should get him to cough up the answer. Weren¡¯t we talking about how we should all get closer or something?¡±


    ¡°We were?¡± Nero asked, confused.


    ¡°Probably. It¡¯ll be nice if we found some time to talk about little fun issues like that,¡± said Dia. ¡°Never had one ever since you came around and joined us, after all. Wouldn¡¯t that be fun?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be interesting to learn about the life of a Holy Son and his upbringing, yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it really that interesting?¡± Nero asked, perplexed. ¡°It¡¯s quite boring, in my opinion.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what many people would say,¡± Schwarz abruptly cut in, ¡°but in truth, everyone¡¯s life is interesting. It just depends on whether the speaker is willing to be in-depth about an explanation of his or her lives after all.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°Trust me on that, buddy.¡± Schwarz patted his shoulder. ¡°Sorry to break up the nice socialising atmosphere here, but Count Nightfall needs to talk about the issue threatening the city.¡±


    Everyone turned to the count, who nodded at Schwarz. ¡°Thanks. Once again, I extend my apologies, and¡­well, I¡¯ll skip the pleasantries. Now, with the barrier isolating the sovereignty from the rest of Grandis, some of the other nobles are feeling a bit¡­frisky. Knight families who see an opportunity to dispose of certain baronets or barons and take their place, for instance, have started to make their moves. In the same vein, some subordinate barons, who have been gathering power and resources, want to claim a pie of their boss¡¯ territory.¡±


    He took out a dossier and handed it over to Schwarz. ¡°And of course, fellow colleagues who want nothing more than to suck some resources away from the city. Countess Farah has been mediating in seclusion for over a year already; I suspect she¡¯s going to become a tetra-folder.¡±


    Remarkably enough, Dia managed to muster up enough willpower to not burst out laughing or look at the actual Countess Farah. Somehow, the others also managed such a superhuman feat too, and Dia forced herself to focus on Count Nightfall.


    ¡°Count Daybreak has been reeling from the impact of having a Moon Emissary summoned in his city; a blood sacrifice was conducted there, after all,¡± Count Nightfall continued, unaware of the fact that everyone from the Moon¡ª Seekers of Life had just withstood the urge to laugh or make an odd noise. ¡°He won¡¯t go after Countess Farah¡¯s territory, since it is small and the countess might emerge as a powerhouse of this era. The only target, therefore, is us.¡±


    ¡°What has he done so far?¡± Schwarz asked, smoothing over any display of awkwardness by them with that question.


    ¡°He has, to date, tried to assassinate me and Caroline five times,¡± Nightfall replied.


    ¡°In the past month,¡± Caroline added. ¡°The way he did it was rather¡­questionable too. People would show up at the gates, yell a bunch of insults, and then challenge us to a duel. Halfway during the duel, something would happen, like a bunch of arrows or energy projectiles flying towards us. Immediately afterwards, the challengers would immediately surrender and claim that they had been forced to do such a thing.¡±


    ¡°So we have to stuff them in our dungeons, but we¡¯re talking about folders and trained mercenaries here. It¡¯s possible that there¡¯s a scheme revolving around the huge numbers of trained killers in my dungeons, and to make matters worse, we can¡¯t exactly kill them.¡±


    ¡°What will you have us do?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Return to what you guys did previously. Intercept any folders and force them to stay away from the Nightfall Palace,¡± the count replied.


    ¡°Claud was the one doing that the whole time, though,¡± said Dia. ¡°I don¡¯t know how he did it, and he didn¡¯t leave arrangements that would help us set such a function up.¡±


    Inwardly, Dia felt a bit tired. This would mean that she would need to make a trip out to the guardhouse. So far, nothing problematic had come up, so most of Claud¡¯s arrangements had been running on their own, but¡­


    ¡°Can you guys do it?¡± Nightfall asked, his words blunt.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need some manpower,¡± Dia asked, her mind running through the arrangements Claud had left behind. She didn¡¯t want to disturb them at all, and since the count¡¯s personal guards had returned, using them instead would work fine too. ¡°And I think a squad of trained archers would be very useful in convincing any newcomers.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± The count¡¯s eyes glittered. ¡°We¡¯ll do it your way, then. We won¡¯t affect the current arrangements and bring a new batch in. Okay, now that¡¯s settled, we have a few more issues. We need some people to cause trouble in Daybreak County too, but we can¡¯t do it as sloppily as Count Daybreak. It¡¯ll be best if a few of you guys went there in person and¡ª¡±


    Schwarz cleared his throat. ¡°Dia, leave the planning to me. You take Risti and Nero with you, and do some troublemaking at Daybreak County. That fine?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Risti pondered for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s probably one of the best ways to allocate manpower, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°That makes it the third time I went out, though,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, though, it¡¯s better than handling something like security.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s decided,¡± Count Nightfall replied. ¡°I¡¯ll give you guys a bunch of lifestones to make sure your time there is a bit more productive. Remember, for bi-folders and beyond, it¡¯s alright to take things slowly. Don¡¯t think drawing mana circuits will be easy.¡±


    ¡°No rush. Count Daybreak is a tri-folder, but he can¡¯t really fight,¡± Caroline added.


    The two added a few more warnings, and eventually, Count Nightfall got up.


    ¡°We must be going,¡± said Nightfall. ¡°I really want to stay, but there¡¯s a lot of work to be done.¡±


    Caroline nodded, but before they left, they took a nice tankard of fizzy apple juice with them, leaving behind a peeved Schwarz, whose eyes had turned into daggers.


    There were just some people one couldn¡¯t say no to¡­

 Chapter 294: Qualifications to cause trouble

    Schwarz got up a few minutes after the duo left. Incidentally, he had spent those few minutes in storing away the drinks, preventing Dia and the others from taking any more from him.


    ¡°What?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Y¡¯all should drink some water once in a while. Sweet drinks and alcoholic drinks all day aren¡¯t good for your health.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s really applicable to us,¡± Nero pointed out. ¡°I¡¯m a flipping tetra-folder. Even if I drink your entire cellar, it won¡¯t even give me anything beyond a hangover.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t count, okay? And I¡¯ll have you know that you haven¡¯t tested my extra-concentrated pure water before,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to try it out, although that¡¯s definitely going to harm your body.¡±


    ¡°Why would you make such a drink, then?¡± Farah asked. ¡°No one¡¯s going to buy it. And if someone buys it, you¡¯re going to lose a customer within a year. I don¡¯t really get where this is going.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s to allow me to make drinks on the fly. Instant alcohol! Just add water.¡± He paused. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s to allow me to create lots of alcohol at a moment¡¯s notice, in case someone wants to hold a party on the streets and is out of alcohol. I would then swoop in, sell them at a high price¡­see where I¡¯m going?¡±


    ¡°How much can you create anyway?¡± Farah asked, curious.


    Schwarz stuck his thumb up. ¡°This much creates a barrel¡¯s worth of my Raging Dragon Drink. Three cups are enough to make someone drunk, easy.¡±


    ¡°And how many of them do you have?¡± Farah pressed on.


    ¡°Why so interested?¡± Schwarz cupped his chin.


    ¡°Well, alcohol is a drink with lots of energy. It can be used as an emergency source of sustenance. If I have a few of those little concentrates, I¡¯ll be able to sustain an army during an emergency,¡± Farah replied. ¡°And you sound like you have lots of them.¡±


    Schwarz nodded. ¡°We can draw up an agreement, yes. Don¡¯t mind selling to you at a friend¡¯s price.¡±


    Farah grinned. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going off to handle the enhanced security measures, right?¡± Dia asked, directing her question to Schwarz. ¡°Let me pass you some documents Claud left behind¡ª¡±


    ¡°I have them,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I mean, he was the one who worked it out with me and Risti in the first place, since we¡¯re the guys he consulted. So the two of us also have a copy.¡±


    ¡°¡­So in total, four of us have a copy of his arrangements.¡± Dia rolled his eyes. ¡°Talk about redundancy. Anyway, if you have them¡­good luck, at any rate. May you find more success at this job than I can create.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a matter of perspective¡­you guys should prepare to move out soon. Can¡¯t let Count Daybreak twiddle his thumbs and cause trouble for us, can we?¡± Schwarz paused. ¡°You guys should plan your expedition thoroughly, though. I suggest striking the lifestone mines in his territory, so that you guys can grow through plunder. It¡¯s a method that won¡¯t leave much proof behind, since you can deal with the evidence on the spot.¡±


    ¡°By eating every lifestone we come across?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°¡­I won¡¯t talk too much about my needs, but I¡¯ll act as a protector for this round,¡± said Nero, his eyes flickering with a faint light. ¡°Lifestones don¡¯t really work well for me now. You guys will understand once everyone touches the border of a tetra-folder, and as usual, I can¡¯t really tell you much here.¡±


    ¡°Bah.¡±


    ¡°That Authority thing again,¡± Farah muttered.


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    Everyone had come into contact with the idea of Authority after burning their second mana circuit, although the definition of what Authority exactly meant was a bit hazy. It was a cautionary measure to prevent people without the necessary mana circuits to hear important secrets, but who was the person who did the categorisation of these secrets? Why was there a need to do such a thing?


    Dia¡¯s first assumption would be the Goddess of Water and Learning, who created the status system, but unless there was more proof and documentation about why she did such a thing¡­


    ¡°Anyway, you three better think of some way to disturb Count Daybreak.¡± Schwarz paused. ¡°Nightfall dropped off a package before he left. It should contain the necessary details for you fellows to do some preliminary planning.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll handle that bit,¡± said Farah, taking the package from Schwarz¡¯s hands and giving it a critical eye. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to do anyway. You guys take a break. Crack open Schwarz¡¯s barrel and drink or something.¡±


    ¡°I just closed it, so don¡¯t even think of doing that,¡± Schwarz replied, his voice irritated. ¡°Now, if you¡¯d excuse me, I¡¯ll take my leave here.¡±


    Nero rubbed his nose. ¡°I¡¯ll pack up. See you guys around.¡±


    Risti watched him as he scampered off, and then shook her head. ¡°Sure feels like old times all over again, doesn¡¯t it? I still remember that time when the two of us went to that little town¡­what town was it called again?¡±


    ¡°Nachtville,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Right, Nachtville.¡± Risti smiled. ¡°And we were just one-folders back then. Now? We¡¯re already burning our third circuit and making good progress on it. We¡¯re qualified to cause trouble for Count Daybreak now!¡±


    ¡°Why are you so proud of that particular achievement?¡± Dia rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to think of you now. What, do you have a little trouble-making spirit hidden in your heart, willing to make some turmoil if provided the opportunity? You should be worried, alright? We¡¯re talking about a count here, someone who should be a tri-folder.¡±


    ¡°Not all counts are tri-folders, right?¡± Risti replied. ¡°Look at Farah¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an exception to the rule, and Count Daybreak is indeed a tri-folder,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°Yeah¡­although I don¡¯t think the others actually know that, do they?¡± Risti cupped her chin. ¡°How did you mask your weakness when you were talking to them in person?¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s something called an Aura-boosting Talisman,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I stuck two of them on me and gave off the presence of a tri-folder, that¡¯s all.¡±


    That talisman sounded somewhat familiar to Dia for some reason, but she couldn¡¯t quite place a finger on them. After racking her brain futilely for a moment, she tossed it aside and returned to the topic at hand.


    ¡°So, other than stealing a bunch of lifestones from his mines, what else can we do?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Do what a normal criminal would do, I guess. Kidnapping, robbery, arson and vandalising Count Daybreak¡¯s home,¡± Farah replied. Dia had a feeling that one of the options included were very weird, but she didn¡¯t have the presence of mind to actually give voice to her thoughts.


    ¡°Besides,¡± she continued, ¡°the Moon Lords were originally founded to control and rule the underworld of Licencia, but it¡¯s a bit odd that we never actually got around to doing anything illegal. Even the black market under Schwarz is quite reputable and isn¡¯t really shady. Feels odd¡­¡±


    ¡°Only because Count Nightfall noticed us really early, right?¡± Risti replied. ¡°That letter and all¡­right, he still hasn¡¯t noticed what we did to him. Skillstrips are really deadly, aren¡¯t they? He didn¡¯t even realise something odd happened to him back then.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to spend more than a few thoughts on thinking back. Besides, our ability to memorise things is the one thing that doesn¡¯t improve with mana circuits,¡± Dia replied, before getting up. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to start packing too.¡±


    ¡°Same here,¡± Risti added.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Farah replied, opening the package. Other than a bunch of maps, there were also some reports, although given recent events, they were unlikely to be up to date. ¡°Leave the planning to me; you two should go and prepare for your trip to Count Daybreak. Do consider leaving me some lifestones, though!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll bring a backpack¡¯s worth,¡± Dia promised.


    ¡°After we stuff our faces with them,¡± Risti added.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go putting words into my mouth, alright?¡± Dia rolled her eyes at Risti and headed for her room. ¡°Pack, take a small break, and wait for Farah to call us. We can leave in the evening, now that the eerie darkness has vanished from Istrel altogether.¡±


    ¡°A silver lining, I guess¡­¡±


    Thanking Farah once more, Dia retreated to her bedroom and started packing up. The usual lifestyle artefacts entered first ¡ª they were actually a must when staying in a room for a prolonged period of time ¡ª plus some weapons, defensive artefacts and water. Food wasn¡¯t all that important now, since bi-folders didn¡¯t have such a strong need to eat.


    After making a few more arrangements, Dia decided to bring some food anyway. Count Daybreak¡¯s domain was quite distant, and none of them talked about bringing Caroline¡¯s little Mana Wagon. To be fair, however, bringing such a thing and committing crimes with it would be a bit too obvious, but¡­


    ¡°What a pain,¡± Dia muttered, before stuffing yet another barrier artefact into her bag.


    Flopping onto her bed, she closed her eyes and waited for Farah to call everyone out.

 Chapter 295: Departing for Daybreak

    Little shining children waddled around Licencia as Dia, Nero and Risti left the Moon Mansion, and it was with some relief that she remembered that the three of them didn¡¯t have some odd fixation with the extreme cuteness of these little fellows. Therefore, there wasn¡¯t any delay with their departure, although Dia had a feeling that Schwarz was already distracted by those little toddlers walking around the city unsupervised.


    After all, it had been six hours since he left for the guardhouse. Anyone with half a working brain could have drawn up a plan in half that time, and Schwarz, who was the second voice of paranoia after Claud, definitely could draw up a well-functioning plan in an hour or so.


    Therefore, it stood to reason that Schwarz, whose brain had probably addled due to long periods of burning mana circuits, was probably sitting on a bench and feeding one of those Moon toddlers with biscuits.


    ¡°Ugh.¡± Risti shook her head as a group of children, who were glimmering with yellow light, dashed past them. ¡°Those fellows are indeed adorable, but I already know why Schwarz isn¡¯t back yet.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s probably playing with them or something,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I think we¡¯ll find him near the guardhouse.¡±


    ¡°Oh well.¡± Nero patted his backpack. ¡°Let¡¯s hope he has another stash of drinks outside Moon Mansion, or else it¡¯ll just be torture.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re addicted to alcohol,¡± Risti replied. ¡°How about you cease drinking it for the journey? That¡¯ll make the drinks in Daybreak County a lot tastier.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Nero blinked. ¡°How does that work?¡±


    ¡°Look at it from this angle. Schwarz is a miser, right? He won¡¯t give you much alcohol, yeah? Maybe, if he¡¯s feeling generous enough, he¡¯ll give you enough for the trip there. But what next? Your tastebuds have long been spoilt by his brews. The drinks in Daybreak County will seem like plain water, and you¡¯ll be crying.¡±


    Nero breathed in sharply.


    ¡°Exactly. We¡¯ll be staying there until Half Moon. You¡¯ll be stuck drinking plain water. How can you take it?¡± Risti pressed on. ¡°However, if you abstain from alcohol for the entire trip there, your tastebuds will reset. Not only will you find some joy from drinking inferior brews, but Schwarz¡¯s drinks will also taste even better when you return!¡±


    ¡°So¡­I should not drink at all for the trip there.¡±


    ¡°Precisely,¡± Risti replied. ¡°This is the concept of scarcity, applied to your memory and desires. The more you abstain, the sweeter the final fruit. You¡¯ll be able to relive the first time you tasted his drinks once more!¡±


    Nero twitched violently, and after breathing in and out creepily for a few seconds, he straightened his body. ¡°Now that I think about it, I¡¯ve been troubling Schwarz for drinks too many times. I suppose I shouldn¡¯t leave behind a bad impression right before going out for a job, right?¡¯


    Dia eyed the Holy Son of the Black Church, who was probably abandoned because he was too shameless, and found herself unable to muster any strength to retort. Instead, she healed her mental state by reaching out to a nearby Moon toddler, and to the little kid¡¯s surprise, patted it and squished its cheeks.


    ¡°Ah, this is really relaxing.¡±


    Risti looked at her. ¡°Drop the kid before the two of us start squishing his cheek too.¡±


    ¡°F-fine¡­¡± Patting the surprised little toddler, Dia dusted the kid¡¯s clothes off and set the little fellow back down. ¡°But those kids are really cute!¡±


    ¡°I wonder if they have a gender,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°Was the little fellow you picked up a boy or a girl?¡±


    ¡°Does that really matter? I mean, you can only tell through their hairstyles, but they don¡¯t seem to have any hair at all.¡± Dia rubbed her hands. With thousands and thousands of little lunar babies running around the city, it had become a crime to kidnap them¡­although one probably needed to mention that these little toddlers were one or bi-folders. Furthermore, the Lunar Lord stationed here had a telepathic connection to the waddling children, and more than once, the Lunar Lord had crushed entire gangs who had managed to tie up a little baby.


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    Given the sheer cuteness of these little kids, everyone felt equally outraged at the crime, and it probably helped that the Lunar Lord compensated Count Nightfall with a bunch of lifestones, which prompted him to hand out a bunch of gold to the people in the city.


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re utterly adorable either way. I can see why Schwarz wants to bring one back, I guess. But they¡¯ve completely gone gaga over them. Somewhat extreme,¡± Risti noted.


    ¡°Maybe there¡¯s some factor that¡¯s making the cuteness factor irresistible to them,¡± Nero posited. ¡°Caroline and the three of us aren¡¯t that affected, but Count Nightfall, Farah and Schwarz are particularly taken by them. I can see a common pattern between them, but¡­¡±


    ¡°A pattern?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Yeah. You two aren¡¯t from the Istrel Dukedom, right? If my guess is correct, Lily and Claud will also find those little babies too cute to not play with,¡± Nero replied, his eyes alight.


    ¡°Are you saying that it¡¯s because they¡¯re all from the same dukedom?¡± Risti frowned. ¡°How does that even work? I mean, the other dukedoms also surrendered their Terra Jewels, and even Ruler Istrel himself did so. I don¡¯t see why those little babies¡¯ charm would differ based on geography.¡±


    ¡°But it makes sense,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Schwarz couldn¡¯t resist going out to play with them¡­yeah, he¡¯s right by the city gates. Farah at least could control herself. And as for Nightfall¡­I think there¡¯s a few Moon children touring his palace every day.¡±


    The three of them mused on this issue as they approached Schwarz, who was looking like a doting parent right now. Seated on the ground, the second voice of paranoia for the Moon¡ª er, Seekers of Life ¡ª was currently juggling a bunch of sweets for his adorable little audience.


    ¡°Schwarz, what exactly are you doing?¡± Risti asked.


    Adding another three sweets to his juggling routine, Schwarz said, ¡°I¡¯m enjoying my free time.¡±


    Risti opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. ¡°Well, at least you don¡¯t look like some child predator. Rather, you look like some retired circus performer trying to make children smile.¡±


    ¡°Performer? Really? I don¡¯t think I gave off such an impression¡­¡± Schwarz shook his head and continued juggling. ¡°And besides, Count Nightfall has passed new legislation regarding the treatment of those adorable children. More importantly, I don¡¯t think anyone can hold ill-intent against them. They¡¯re too adorable.¡±


    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t help but think you¡¯re making this based off some very odd assumptions,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Tell me that again after you stop patting that kid in your hands,¡± Schwarz scoffed.


    ¡°Ahem. We¡¯re going to leave, so I want to pat them a few more times. Is there a problem?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Unlike you, who gets to play with them anytime, we¡¯re going to a distant county.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s probably going to be a few Moon children there, so don¡¯t feel that bad,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°And besides, they¡¯re all over the sovereignty now. I bet you¡¯ll see a few of them walking around the area and playing.¡±


    Nero cleared his throat. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know about you guys, but shouldn¡¯t you guys be wondering why little kids of the Moons are wandering around Istrel Sovereignty? I know they grow up to be soldiers, but they seem a lot more intelligent than the soldiers we¡¯ve observed so far.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s some new policy of the Moons,¡± Schwarz replied, his words dismissive.


    ¡°I was thinking of that too,¡± Dia replied, before returning her attention to the little kid that was clutching her finger. The toddler¡¯s hands could grip her finger with some difficulty, and the tenderness behind that grip was making her smile.


    Rubbing the little fellow on the head once more ¡ª this particular child seemed to like that for some reason ¡ª she wondered if Claud and Lily would return with a baby. If something like that happened, she wouldn¡¯t mind taking care of their newborn child.


    ¡°Dia?¡± Risti called out. ¡°Oh no, she¡¯s fallen to the children¡¯s charm too¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that far gone, okay? I¡¯m just thinking that I¡¯ll volunteer to take care of Claud and Lily¡¯s child, if they bring one home.¡± Dia smiled.


    ¡°Just go bring a child from an orphanage back,¡± Schwarz replied, and then paused. ¡°Hold on, those words seem to be rather familiar¡­anyway, you guys should go soon. I¡¯m going back too. My hands are tired.¡±


    The spectating children immediately made sad noises.


    ¡°Alright, alright, how about I stay for another hour?¡±


    Nero sighed. ¡°Will everything be alright while we¡¯re at Daybreak County? I¡¯m scared he¡¯ll neglect his work or something. Why not just bring one of those kids into Moon Mansion? If he asks the count, Nightfall should probably give him the go-ahead¡­¡±


    Schwarz looked at Nero. ¡°You insane genius. I¡¯m going off now.¡±


    Dia patted the kid¡¯s head one more time and then looked at Nero. ¡°You¡­I wonder if that¡¯s a good thing. Never mind. I only hope that the house won¡¯t be overrun by Moon children when we return.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡±


    She paused. ¡°Right, I forgot to pass you guys this. It¡¯s a book written by our absent paranoid security guy. I figured you guys would like to read it too, and there were a few copies lying around.¡±


    ¡°By Claud?¡± Risti asked. ¡°What¡¯s it about?¡±


    ¡°Dangers and everything when travelling,¡± Dia replied, with as much off-handedness as she could muster. ¡°It¡¯s a bit paranoid, but it¡¯ll be quite useful regardless.¡±


    ¡°¡­Really?¡±


    ¡°Really, really.¡±


    Dia continued to persuade the others to read as the three of them left the city, where a horse-drawn carriage had been prepared for them.


    They would have to go back the hard way, though.

 Chapter 296: The little shadowy toddlers

    Claud stared out of the window, his eyes fixated on the little shadows¡­waddling about. As for the reason behind his choice of word for those little fellows, it was due to their tendencies to act like a toddler.


    In fact, they might actually be toddlers.


    ¡°Maybe we should bring one back here and examine it,¡± Lily suggested, swaying side to side and nudging him every few seconds. ¡°How does that sound?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too dangerous,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯ll rather use the Second Shadow and interact with them that way.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Actually, that¡¯s a rather good plan, isn¡¯t it? A lot of people must have examined those little shadow children with similar methods before, and the fact that Count Lostfon sent out a decree regarding interaction between us and those little shadows proves that the great Dark is at least open to the idea of us playing with them.¡±


    ¡°In that case, is using the Second Shadow actually necessary?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I think going as our actual selves wouldn¡¯t be a problem at all. In fact, being too paranoid might raise the Dark¡¯s guard.¡±


    Claud knew what she was referring to; sometimes, when the two of them mustered enough courage to have food in the tavern downstairs, a few shadowy children could be seen occupying the seats and swinging their legs like normal children.


    ¡°I suppose we can go down into the tavern as ourselves,¡± Claud acknowledged. ¡°Besides, using the Second Shadow downstairs is odd. It¡¯ll scare the poor old man and it¡¯s pointless to boot.¡±


    After all, the Dark had seen them in the tavern a few times already. If two shadows took their place, the entity known as the great Dark might just piece together two and two, thereby figuring out that the two of them could create shadows.


    Not fun.


    ¡°And I suppose we can expand our range of movement now,¡± said Lily. ¡°The great Dark doesn¡¯t seem to care about us. Other than using this place as a venue to increase their forces, there¡¯s virtually no limitation on us.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t leave the city, though.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to?¡± Lily eyed him. ¡°It¡¯s a war out there.¡±


    In the one month that had passed, Claud and Lily had seen troops of tri-coloured lunar light duke it out with shadowy soldiers. The soldiers of the Moons were far greater in number, compared to that of the Dark, but every battle had always ended in the utter annihilation of both sides. Was he looking at the design philosophy of both sides, or was it just their opening strategy? Claud didn¡¯t know, but the fact that the war in Vacuos County was still a statemate was very welcome news.


    In fact, given that the Dark was going to descend first, Claud had the feeling that the balance of power would tilt soon. The hourglass that represented the Dark had slightly less than one quarter left, and if he concentrated hard enough, something in his heart told him that it would descend shortly after Half Moon started.


    ¡°A season, huh.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°I was just thinking of that odd method of measuring time,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Usually we split the calendar into the phases of the Moons, right? And we don¡¯t really have the four seasons, unlike the other continents.¡±


    Nero had mentioned that fascinating fact one fine day over drinks, which had only resurfaced today when he abruptly thought of the intriguing choice of words behind this proclamation. From what he could tell, every two or three ¡ª it was hard to tell ¡ª phases of the Moons were equivalent to an entire season. He had a feeling that this was actually rather important for one reason or another, but he couldn¡¯t place a finger on it.


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    ¡°Why do you think it¡¯s important?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m struggling with an answer to that question right now,¡± Claud replied, before poking her cheek. The springiness of her cheek was nice to the touch, but that little pout she created in response stopped him from poking her other cheek; the last time he did that, Lily had nibbled at his finger.


    Therefore, to prevent himself from dying from cuteness overload, Claud opted to pat her head instead.


    ¡°Hmm. So it¡¯s your instincts?¡± Lily asked, tilting her head. ¡°We should definitely look into that.¡±


    Claud opened his quest list and shook his head. Other than a bunch of question marks that were almost certainly personal quests asking for the immediate violent pacification of the remaining Bearers of Destiny, there was nothing else on them. As insurance, he even counted the remaining Bearers against the number of entries, and they matched perfectly.


    ¡°Nothing to do with a personal quest,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Those things are obsessions personified.¡± Lily¡¯s eyes carried a hint of distance as she said those words. ¡°It¡¯s natural that we thought that it was a quest of sorts.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to think of the fact that my personal quests all revolve around the Bearers of Destiny.¡± Claud¡¯s vision flickered once. ¡°And I have a feeling that something was messed up in the process too. From what you said, the quest log and one¡¯s personal quests appear together, right? It definitely wasn¡¯t the case for me.¡±


    ¡°Your Status is being manipulated?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°It took me quite some time to come to that conclusion,¡± Claud admitted. ¡°You¡¯re a lot faster than me.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re quite the normal person, a few quirks aside,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Hah! Isn¡¯t that true for everyone?¡± Claud asked, flicking her forehead. ¡°Everyone¡¯s normal till they¡¯re not normal, so I don¡¯t really see the issue here. Anyway, should we check out the little shadow babies? My instincts tell me that they¡¯re actually important.¡±


    ¡°Of course they¡¯re important, dummy.¡± Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re stating the obvious here. In my opinion, though, they represent a deeper layer to the great Dark¡¯s plans, whatever those plans are. If we play with them, get them some food¡­we might learn something.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think those little fellows communicate the way we do,¡± Claud replied, ¡°but they sure carry an odd charm to them. Like babies and toddlers. Do you get the urge to feed them once in a while?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not alone in that regard?¡± Lily paused. ¡°Silly me. Of course we¡¯ll have similar thoughts. But what would these little fellows like?¡±


    ¡°Your sweets!¡±


    ¡°You just want more chocolate pies, right?¡± Lily eyed him. ¡°You¡¯ve never stopped badgering me about them ever since I baked a few.¡±


    Claud immediately put on his best ¡®pretty please¡¯ face, which made her laugh. Turning away from the window, she made a little noise in her throat and said, ¡°I bake chocolate treats for you alone, though. Are you sure you want me to break this rule and share them with a bunch of unknown little shadows?¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Claud reeled back from the window. ¡°Never mind. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be happy with some raspberry biscuits and small sweets, right?¡±


    ¡°Right you are,¡± Lily replied, playing along. ¡°And guess what? I¡¯ve some here¡­oh, wrong one, sorry.¡±


    She stuffed a red packet marked with the word ¡®Danger¡¯ back into her backpack, before pulling out a light red packet. Opening it a moment later to reveal a bunch of spheres, she tossed one into her mouth and handed another over to Claud, who popped it into his mouth immediately.


    While he savoured the gentle tangy sweet, Claud said, ¡°Maybe you should use a different colour to wrap your sweets.¡±


    ¡°I ran out of blue paper, okay?¡± Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°Besides, all my explosives now have stickers on them. I¡¯ll have to be crazy to open the wrong package, and even if I do, I think I can survive the¡ª¡±


    ¡°Nope, nope, nope. Don¡¯t say that,¡± Claud replied. ¡°That¡¯s called tempting fate, okay? I¡¯ve seen lots of cases where someone said things like ¡®I won¡¯t need that¡¯, only to end up needing it in the last minute. Proof? Me.¡±


    ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°Well, back when I was paying a nocturnal visit to Duke Istrel¡¯s treasury¡­¡± Claud paused. ¡°My memory is a bit hazy, but if I remember correctly, I took on a dare to show off that certain skill, and I ended up having no access to it during the heist itself.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°That¡¯s totally unlike you.¡±


    Claud fell silent, and then hugged Lily once. He could feel his body trembling uncontrollably as he muttered, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I thought so too.¡±


    Lily breathed in sharply at those words, and soft hands patted his back for a moment. The memory of that heist was quite the blur to him, which was once again unlike him. All this pointed at the possibility that someone or something had indeed tampered with him at some point in the heist, because he could only remember vague details and his first and only haul from it.


    He glanced at Crown, who was chilling away with Throne, and then shrugged. There was no point thinking about it now anyway. Unless he could peer into the past, any time spent on this optic would be better used with having fun with Lily.


    ¡°Come on,¡± said Claud. ¡°Let¡¯s check those little fellows.¡±

 Chapter 297: The hollow sunlight

    Little shadows had filled up the seats of the tavern when Claud and Lily went down, each of them drinking what Claud hoped wasn¡¯t alcohol and swaying from side to side. They weren¡¯t drunk; the old man had pulled out some stringed instrument to play, and the shadows were swaying in tune to the pleasant melody.


    The two of them took the impressive sight in for a while, and then settled into an open table. Not every single table was filled up, naturally, but as the two of them sat down, a few child-sized shadows slid off their own seats and ran over to Lily.


    ¡°Uh, Claud?¡±


    ¡°I think the kids like you,¡± Claud replied, glancing at a particularly brave shadow. The shadow in question had reached out its hands, like a child wanting a hug, and Lily scooped the little fellow up.


    ¡°So soft,¡± Lily muttered, patting the shadow¡¯s head.


    Another shadow clambered onto Claud¡¯s knee, and the master thief looked at the featureless little kid, who was somehow giving off a sense of cuteness that shouldn¡¯t quite have been possible.


    ¡°Odd. Why do I find these little kids so cute?¡± Claud muttered, picking up the brave kid that had climbed on his knee and raising the little guy to eye level. There were no discernible features or anything; these little toddlers were just the height of his knee and waddling around in silence. And yet, their mannerisms were more than enough to make him smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s how they act and behave,¡± Lily replied, placing the toddler-shaped shadow she¡¯d carried back down on the ground. ¡°Let¡¯s see if they respond to sweets¡­uwah!¡±


    The shadows lined up in orderly queues the moment Lily pulled out some of her sweets, and the old man manning the counter guffawed. ¡°Lord and Lady Primus, I¡¯ve trained them to line up when they see food. Adorable, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit quiet, though.¡± Claud poked the cheeks of the little guy on his knee. ¡°How¡¯s business today?¡±


    ¡°Silence, with lots of shadow babies,¡± the old man replied. ¡°Want anything?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, one lunch special.¡± Claud glanced at Lily once. ¡°Make that two specials, sorry.¡±


    ¡°Apple juice?¡±


    Claud nodded his head. ¡°Apple juice.¡±


    Smiling, the old man continued to play the stringed instrument in his hands ¡ª Claud didn¡¯t know what that instrument was ¡ª while Lily gave out her sweets. The little toddlers waddled back to their table after they received a sweet, which meant that their chances of winning the most well-behaved children award was really high.


    ¡°Ah, the joys of raising children without needing to think about the messier bits,¡± Claud commented, watching the last shadow toddler return to its seat.


    ¡°Discovered anything?¡± Lily asked, her voice quiet.


    ¡°They don¡¯t have organs, apparently,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Used my mana to scan the little fellow that climbed onto my knee, but they¡¯re like solid blocks of some odd power given sentience.¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Claud looked at the child-sized solid shadows occupying the seats. ¡°They are really different from us.¡±


    He found the fact that these little guys would soon be caught up by the fires of war somewhat depressing too, although he wasn¡¯t going to bring that up right now. It would just worsen Lily¡¯s mood and bring back the fact that the two of them weren¡¯t living in a vacuum.


    What would these little kids be doing a year from now? Heck, when the great Dark descends? Would they be made to grow up overnight and sent to fight? Was that how the armies of the great Dark were born?


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    ¡°Are they even alive to begin with?¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°What¡¯s your definition of alive?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think they have a heartbeat or share the same organs as us, to begin with, so we can¡¯t use that category. And¡­well, we bandy that term around quite freely, since everyone has an unspoken definition of life to begin with.¡±


    He looked at the children swaying in tune with the old man¡¯s playing. ¡°What about them? Do you think they¡¯re alive?¡±


    Lily pondered for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I think that they are indeed alive. Or feel, as the case may be. What does the great Dark plan to do with these children?¡±


    ¡°Raise them as soldiers, possibly.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed? Most of the adult-sized shadows have vanished. The ones here are now little toddlers waddling around and everything. Presumably, the adults have gone off for war.¡±


    ¡°Right you are,¡± said the innkeeper, bringing a tray over to them. Two sizzling black plates sat in front of them a moment later, giving off a smoky aroma that made his mouth water. The lunch special for this inn was a hotplate dish, so named because the plate could still cook the food while it was being served.


    The innkeeper had recommended it once when Claud was lamenting about food long ago, and he had never looked back since. Lily liked it a lot too, especially after cold nights, and last night had been quite chilly.


    To be fair, almost every night in Lostfon had been rather chilly, so this was practically saying that the two of them ate hotplate chicken with spiced rice every afternoon.


    ¡°You saw them leave?¡± Lily asked, and Claud pricked his ears. The two of them had focused on the arduous task of burning new mana circuits, and while Claud had run smack dab into the unofficial limits of 3.95 for his Mana Circuit Superimposition, Lily¡¯s rate of increase could only be described as a crawl.


    Therefore, while Lily had focused on burning her mana circuits, Claud had chosen to drill with his mana. Barely a year had passed, and he was already infinitely close to being a tetra-folder. However, he had no intention of stepping into the next boundary without the complete understanding of what the so-called Second Tutorial or tribulation was.


    Whatever scant pieces of information he¡¯d gleaned from the Trading Board hadn¡¯t been that illuminating either, but in its defence, there weren¡¯t that many tetra-folders in the world. How many tetra-folders were Profiteers too? Claud didn¡¯t know, but he had a feeling that the number couldn¡¯t be more than the fingers on either of his hands.


    ¡°Oh yes,¡± said the old innkeep. ¡°They marched out three weeks ago. Never saw them after that. And from then on, when more shadows descended from the sky, they would form up into neat contingents and march out of the city.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean that those little children aren¡¯t actually raised to be soldiers?¡± Lily wondered. ¡°I mean, the soldiers of the Dark simply appear from the sky.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. They¡¯re a lot more intelligent and curious too,¡± the old man added. ¡°I can think of a few possible reasons behind the presence of these little children. They¡¯ll make good officers, capable of independent thought and judgement, for instance.¡±


    ¡°Or they¡¯re civilians of a sort, the kinds that will eventually grow up to be capable enough of running a town,¡± Claud replied. ¡°They look intelligent enough to do that, for sure.¡±


    One of them slipped off its seat as Claud said those words, plopping onto the floor and shaking its head. For some reason, the master thief felt his face smart at that sight, and he had to tear his eyes away.


    The little toddler got back into its seat a few seconds later, but the damage had been done.


    ¡°Alright, putting aside comments on their intelligence,¡± said Lily, ¡°why else would the Dark send down those adorable little babies? Are they, perhaps, trying to win us over with sheer cuteness?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably the least likely possibility.¡± Claud looked at the little toddlers, who were now stretching their little adorable limbs. Were they going to have a nap here, of all places?


    ¡°Really?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°P-probably.¡± Claud tore his eyes away from the little fellows, who were placing their heads down on their tables. ¡°Who knows?¡±


    ¡°Well, you two can keep discussing, but any longer, and your food is going to cool down,¡± the innkeeper replied.


    ¡°Right.¡±


    He hobbled away a few seconds later, which was the cue for the two of them to start digging in. For a few minutes, nothing could be heard save for the clinking of cutlery on metal ¡ª silence was of no issue to the two of them ¡ª and Claud savoured the flavourful mix of rice, spice and grilled meat.


    This was their usual peaceful day whenever they had nothing to do, but since both of them had worked up the courage to step out of the inn to look around today, they had come to a non-verbal agreement to leave the speaking and interactions for their foray outdoors.


    After finishing their meal, Claud and Lily stepped outside. The hollow, feeble daylight that had covered the city on the day of the Dark¡¯s arrival still covered the city, illuminating the deserted territory slightly better than the Moons. If Claud really had to compare it with something, it would be an overcast sky, but even the light that made it through had some¡­life.


    The radiance that lit up Lostfon was dead.


    Hollow.


    Perhaps it would be better to use the Second Shadow instead, but the two of them had been cooped up for far too freaking long.

 Chapter 298: A startling thought

    The hollow light that illuminated Lostfon, though somewhat depressing at first glance, did have a nice benefit.


    ¡°Feels like an extra-cloudy day, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Claud commented, putting away a misaligned pyramid.


    ¡°Sure does.¡± Lily looked around the place. ¡°It¡¯s like some deserted town at twilight, between the junction of night and day, where all hope is lost and no one turns back.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have used a better metaphor?¡±


    The two continued down the street, heading for the city square. No one, shadow or otherwise, noticed their approach; Claud had used Presence Nullification to hide their approach. Since they were going to take a walk around the city without making use of the Second Shadow, which actually carried far more dangers than they¡¯d guessed at first glance, using Presence Nullification was the basic countermeasure.


    ¡°Too bad we can¡¯t pick up those little guys, though,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Watching them waddle down the street is really adorable, but I wish they¡¯ll make noise while doing that too.¡±


    ¡°Make some noise, eh?¡± Claud thought about it for a moment. ¡°It¡¯ll be livelier. Or deafening. Children can be very loud at times, you know.¡±


    He thought back to his younger days, when he ran around with kids his age in alleyways and played make-believe games with them. Pretending that they were the legendary mana-users, capable of shooting out blue light and saving people¡­eventually, however, those days came to an end. The kids stopped coming one by one.


    Some would stay home to look after their ailing parents or kin, supporting them by working madly or engaging in illegal means. Others simply vanished entirely without warning, an absent gap in their little assembly that would fill up the next day. In the end, one generation of laughing children vanished, replaced by a new generation. And some of the luckiest ones¡ª


    ¡°Tell me more,¡± Lily prompted.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Claud paused. He could swear that he¡¯d been thinking so far, so what was with that particular prompt from Lily?


    ¡°When you have that faraway look in your eyes, you¡¯re always thinking about the past,¡± Lily replied. ¡°What memories did you recall?¡±


    Claud eyed Lily, who truly knew him like the back of her hand, and then smiled. Even the saddest memories of his family had turned into a source of support, a groundswell of strength, so he didn¡¯t mind talking about it, especially to someone really close to him.


    ¡°You know about my family, right? Dad never appeared, mum took care of me¡­well, she needed to work. When she was working, I would go out and play with the other children like me.¡±


    ¡°Like you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud paused. ¡°The family lacks money, so the parents go out and work. They tell their kid to look after themselves while playing with the older ones, and hope that nothing happens while they¡¯re struggling to put food on the table. Most of the young kids and the toddlers that play together share the same set of circumstances; most parents have no choice but to let something like that happen. It¡¯s good protection, but when kids band together, they turn fearless.¡±


    Lily chuckled. ¡°I can see that happening, yes. And they¡¯re susceptible to bad influences too. Like delinquent students coming across a new batch of students and things like that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you get the rough idea.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°When I grew old enough for school, things changed, but one thing remained constant.¡±


    ¡°What was that constant?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Her hard work,¡± Claud replied. ¡°No matter what happened, she kept working and working. When I came back from school, when I was younger and came back from the alleyways and streets¡­she would return in the evening, pick me up and place me on her lap.¡±


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    He closed his eyes for a moment and recalled the sensation of his mum giving him pats and putting him to bed. ¡°Sorry. Just lost myself for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Happens to me sometimes too, really.¡±


    There was a distant light in her eyes too, and Claud found himself understanding Lily¡¯s emotions. Wrapping his hand around her shoulders, Claud drew Lily close to him, a gesture that she reciprocated immediately. Fingers intertwined, the two of them continued towards the city square in silence. Some things didn¡¯t need to be said, after all.


    After a while, the two of them stopped outside the entrance of the city square. A translucent grey barrier surrounded the venue, and Claud didn¡¯t need to press his hand against the screen to know that the screen wasn¡¯t going to let two humans into the venue. After all, the bunch of circles floating above the city square were spitting out tall, dark shadows that were holding onto equally featureless weapons.


    Even a fool could see that this was where the Dark was producing more and more soldiers, although Claud really wanted to ask how such a thing was possible. Making soldiers that could fight in formation sounded like a huge investment of mana; even artefacts that were free to activate ran on ambient mana.


    This thing, however, clearly worked on some really esoteric principles, since it was producing lots of combatants that could work together and everything. And if what he¡¯d seen during Count Lostfon¡¯s surrender of the Terra Jewel was right, these fellows were very much sentient and thinking too.


    ¡°How does one exactly create these soldiers?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°They can fight, they can think, they can react to odd happenings¡­it just doesn¡¯t make sense. The amount of mana or whatever energy is used to make those guys can¡¯t be shabby at all, and yet the Dark is producing them this easily and quickly.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they aren¡¯t being produced,¡± Lily suggested.


    ¡°Like one of those legendary portals?¡± Claud asked, thinking about how Farah and Dia had returned to Moon Mansion some time ago.


    ¡°Yeap. I mean, it sure doesn¡¯t feel like they¡¯re mindless soldiers who can only fight rigidly,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Maybe the Dark has a few oceans of soldiers that are pouring out slowly into the continent, and they need the Terra Jewels to increase the pouring rate.¡±


    There were a lot of possibilities, but for some reason, Claud had a feeling that Lily¡¯s words were accurate. That opinion was backed up by the shadows inside, who were doing a whole bunch of different things. For instance, a few of them were doing push-ups in sync, their presumably muscular frames rising and falling as a single entity. Other shadows were sparring with each other with various weapons, but the most egregious display of individual will was how a whole bunch of shadows were arm wrestling.


    ¡°My eyes.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that sums up how I feel too,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Shadows arm-wrestling¡­¡±


    His heart sank a moment later as the full significance of this particular event slammed into him like a runaway carriage. For a moment, the world seemed to spin, and Lily caught him as he staggered backwards, his heart pounding madly.


    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?


    ¡°When I see them like this, I think they¡¯re like us.¡± Claud looked at the shadows having fun inside, a sharp barb in his chest churning and turning. ¡°If these shadows are sentient, alive and came here through that portal, they probably have families too, right? In that case, I¡­I¡­¡±


    Lily looked at him, before placing her hands on his shoulders. ¡°It would not be a stretch to say that the soldiers of the Moons aren¡¯t all that different. Did I get that right?¡±


    Claud lowered his head. ¡°You¡­yeah. You guessed it. I¡­¡±


    To assuage his fear, to get rid of that nagging feeling in his heart, Claud had killed a Moon Emissary, a Bearer of Destiny and an entire army of Moon soldiers. He¡¯d done the same to an entire army of shadows too, wiping them out to protect the city. If they all had their own families, their own emotions, then the mass destruction he¡¯d caused over and over again would have sent lots of people into the same circumstances as his own childhood.


    Reason told him that they were effectively his enemies, and that he should feel no remorse for destroying anything that would have harmed the people he valued, but¡­


    His head spun again, but this time, Lily held him tight.


    She ran her fingers through his hair slowly, in what seemed like an attempt to comfort him, but even that failed to stop his heart from twisting. He had fought to protect those who were dear to him, but in doing so, Claud had ended up destroying an entire army. They were different, true, but the evidence he¡¯d seen so far suggested that these armies were no different from the armies raised by the nobles.


    The soldiers here were alive, in the truest sense of the word. They could think, feel, form relations, react to stimuli¡­and, if the myriad clues that pointed to this particular direction weren¡¯t wrong, they also had families.


    ¡°It hurts,¡± Claud muttered.


    Lily looked at him, and with a jolt, Claud remembered that they were still outdoors. Even if he wanted to address the whirling madness in him right now, this was not the right time or place.


    ¡°Come on,¡± said Lily, her eyes glittering with an emotion Claud couldn¡¯t quite put a finger on. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the inn first. We can work out the issues later.¡±


    Holding her hand tightly, Claud submitted to her prodding and let her pull him to their room.

 Chapter 299: The dangers of power

    ¡°¡­all about perspective. Got it?¡± Lily puffed up her cheeks.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I crossed a line or two somewhere, though,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Perspective or not, annihilating sentient beings that probably had their own family when they hadn¡¯t actually arrived at the city is probably bordering on psychopathic pre-emptive mass murder.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t cared much about it back then, since Claud had assumed that the army of shadows were like the darkened monsters, animals whose sole purpose was to kill people. However, if he had allowed the army crossing the border to approach, would they have negotiated with the defenders of Lostfon back then? Did his intervention result in a pointless battle and hostilities that could have been avoided?


    ¡°Yeah. We didn¡¯t really check the intentions of the army crossing over, did we?¡± Lily muttered.


    Claud nodded. He could feel the weight of having annihilated a whole bunch of people who might not have hostile intentions ¡ª while he could at least justify the thorough annihilation of the Moon Emissary and its escorts, there was no such argument for the armies of the great Dark back then.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­dangerous,¡± Claud whispered. ¡°At the end of every tale, the villain is always defeated, brought down by someone who had been wronged. When I annihilated the army back then, I might have very well sowed the seeds of my own destruction. Sorrowful offspring who desire vengeance. Grieving spouses that take up arms. I¡­it¡¯s karma, in a sense.¡±


    He hugged his knees. ¡°Maybe I should never have interfered in events like these. Avoid being the cause of an effect. If I do that enough, far fewer things will affect you and me, right?¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s not living, is it?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find a workaround,¡± Claud replied. ¡°From now on, we¡¯ll only act after we know the situation on both sides. I¡¯ll avoid making assumptions about those we automatically peg as an enemy.¡±


    ¡°Claud¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I can make up for what I did. Retribution may very well be on its way too, in one form or another.¡± Claud closed his eyes. ¡°But at the very least, I will never repeat this mistake again.¡±


    He paused. ¡°At the core of it all, I was drunk on my own power. Having defeated a Moon Emissary, having torn apart the barricades between the sovereignties, I never stopped to think about what I was doing. I perceived a city in need and intervened without gathering information. I should have done that thoroughly, at least.¡±


    Lily hung her head. ¡°I¡¯m at fault too. I didn¡¯t stop you, nor did I think too hard about what you were about to do. Like you said, we simply assumed that the great Dark was going to slaughter the people of Lostfon, and I egged you on accordingly.¡±


    Claud looked up at the ceiling. He¡¯d become the very person he hated the most, and it hurt to recognise that fact. How would he make up to the family of those he had struck at? Could he even do such a thing?


    ¡°Is there anything I could do?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Anything at all?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got it wrong,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯s ¡®we¡¯. We did it. I am as guilty as you, if not more. But¡­I don¡¯t want you to die. I won¡¯t let you turn yourself over to the Dark. There must be ways we can try to make amends, even if we cannot bring the dead back.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re talking about what essentially is a different race from a different world. What can we do?¡± Claud asked. ¡°What can we even accomplish? I don¡¯t want to take sides in this war anymore. There are innocents on both sides. People with their own families and aspirations. And you saw the power I can wield. A single mistake, and a whole bunch of people die.¡±


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    The two looked at each other for a moment, and then Lily nodded. ¡°Maybe we can¡¯t help for now, but as the war progresses, there might be things we can do. Deserters on both sides, for instance. Right now, the soldiers of both the Dark and the Moons might seem to be loyal to a fault, but the nature of war always creates deserters. It¡¯s a natural law.¡±


    ¡°Natural law¡­¡± Claud took in those words, and then rubbed his nose.


    ¡°Or we could venture into the place those shadows came from. Track down the families of those we killed and try to help them somehow,¡± Lily suggested. ¡°But that¡¯s dangerous, so¡ª¡±


    ¡°We could do that.¡± Claud took a deep breath. ¡°But you¡¯re right. It¡¯s dangerous to enter like this. Still, is there a possibility that the Dark would let humans enter that place? The world where those shadows came from?¡±


    Unfortunately, that was a question that neither of them could answer. For the time being, however, Claud knew that there was no way for him to make up for what essentially was an unprovoked attack. And even if he did, there was no denying that the dead could never come back.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to work harder from now on.¡± Claud got up.


    He didn¡¯t add on the second sentence in his mind, though. Given that he had killed an entire army without even affirming if they were enemies, it was a mathematical certainty that someone would probably seek him out for revenge. Their only saving grace lay in how he had taken all due precautions during and after the attack, but still¡­


    ¡°I think we¡¯ll be safe for now, though.¡± Lily let out a sigh. ¡°You have this skill that prevents divination and everything, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Om¡ª¡±


    An abrupt chill ran down Claud¡¯s spine, and in that instant, the premonition that Lily would perish if he completed the word under this particular context filled his body with dread. In fact, Claud had a feeling that he would be wiped out in both body and soul if he dared to utter that word.


    A small cry leaked out of his lips, and cold sweat ran down his face as strength fled his body. This abnormality didn¡¯t go unnoticed by Lily, who caught his body a moment later.


    ¡°Claud?¡±


    Fighting to control his trembling body, Claud wiped his sweat-ridden forehead gingerly, before sitting back up slowly. ¡°I-I¡¯m¡­fine. I¡­just had an awful premonition of our deaths. That skill¡­I can¡¯t say its name out loud, and neither should you.¡±


    Lily¡¯s eyes flickered, before she nodded rapidly.


    ¡°It¡¯s the same word as the class on my status in Celestia,¡± Claud replied slowly, fearful that he would trigger something. ¡°But never, ever say it out loud. You will be erased from existence¡­that¡¯s what my instincts tell me.¡±


    ¡°But you could say it previously, right?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Only in the Celestia Ruins.¡± Claud took a deep breath and tried to steady himself. The sudden revelation that those shadows were actually living beings had been bad enough, considering what he¡¯d done, but this¡­


    ¡°Does it mean that this¡­world is rejecting that?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Very possible.¡± Claud looked down. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on. I¡¯ve never felt such danger before.¡±


    His head started to throb. Why did his skill, Omen, elicit such an incredible sensation of death? And in turn, what had generated that particular sensation? After all, if speaking out loud would kill him and Lily, it could only mean that the world or its overseers were looking for the bearer of that particular skill. Why, then, would he receive sensory feedback so similar to when he engaged with secrets above his Authority?


    ¡°Ugh. My head hurts. Can you¡­lend me your lap for a while?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how it¡¯s possible, but today sure feels like one of the worst days of my life.¡±


    Lily looked at him and patted her lap. ¡°I¡¯ll watch over you.¡±


    Claud nodded and shifted his head to rest on her thighs, and silence ruled for the next few minutes. Her hands rubbed his temples slowly, granting his pounding head a measure of comfort, but for some reason, Lily had a complicated expression on her face.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Claud asked, after mustering up enough willpower to speak.


    ¡°I¡¯m wondering which part I should comfort you about first,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I¡¯m accustomed to only having one issue to deal with at a time, but my desire to tell you that we can¡¯t do anything about the Dark is clashing with my desire to comfort you and tell you that the world isn¡¯t rejecting you.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t do anything about the latter, but at least we can never speak about it again,¡± Claud replied, his voice tired.


    Lily paused for a moment, and then nodded slowly. ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Just forget it ever happened, or I had such a skill,¡± Claud added. ¡°It¡¯ll only harm us both and everything. We should focus on what we can improve. And for us¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lily patted his head. ¡°We¡¯ll be even more cautious from now on.¡±


    ¡°We cannot make up for our mistakes, ever,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°But we definitely can prevent them from happening again, if we put in the effort.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±

 Chapter 300: Count Lostfons visit

    Night had fallen by the time Claud recovered from his pounding headache. Lily, on the other hand, had been afflicted by a bad case of sore hands, which had given her the quality of teary eyes when she looked at him.


    ¡°There, there.¡± Claud blew on her hands and massaged them slowly. While mana-folders were stronger and tougher in general, there were some things that could never grow any stronger, like one¡¯s tendons and joints. In fact, legend had it that a tetra-folder had retired from active fights after taking an arrow to the knee, so everyone had a tendency to be cautious against attacks targeted at this weak point.


    For some odd reason, the outlines of Lily¡¯s eyes had turned into blurry, wavy lines, which made him feel bad. Maybe it was his conception of the situation before him or something, but he couldn¡¯t help but rub her cheeks too, and¡ª


    ¡°Damn it, you¡¯re too adorable.¡±


    After pampering her for a bit, Claud took a deep breath. Now that he had recovered full control of himself, he recognised that there were some things he could never redo. Therefore, to dwell on them unnecessarily was pointless. What he needed to do was to apply the lessons he¡¯d learned and face whatever came next in stride.


    ¡°Claud?¡± A set of cool hands rubbed his cheeks, and he laughed.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine.¡± Claud tweaked Lily¡¯s nose. ¡°Let¡¯s go down for some dinner. I feel a bit better, and I feel extra-hungry too. Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m recovering from that nasty headache.¡±


    ¡°Should we get the old man to send food up instead?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s go down. We can read the news while we¡¯re at it too,¡± said Claud. ¡°Do you think the little babies are still milling around the area?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I¡¯ll bring some sweets with me.¡±


    Claud laughed. ¡°Sure. It¡¯ll be interesting, to say the least.¡±


    The two of them rolled off the bed, Claud making sure to pose dramatically at the end, before leaving the room. To his disappointment, however, the little toddlers had vanished entirely, but there was nothing he could do about it unless he intended to snatch one of them and turn the little guy into the object of their affections.


    For obvious reasons, that was a very bad idea.


    ¡°Lord and Lady Primus!¡± The innkeeper beamed as the two of them approached the counter. ¡°Let me guess. Two dinner specials, right? And apple juice?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right,¡± said Lily.


    ¡°Is your husband fine now? He looked really out of it when you two returned to your room in the afternoon,¡± said the innkeeper.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± said Claud. ¡°Didn¡¯t feel that well earlier and everything. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Alright. You have to watch your health here. The apothecary fled with the others, so there¡¯s no way you¡¯re going to get stitched up,¡± said the old man. ¡°And as for the military doctors¡­best not to rely on them. They¡¯re providers of battlefield remedies, which means that long-term results aren¡¯t their concern.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Lily asked, curiosity evident in her words.


    ¡°They¡¯ll pee on someone¡¯s wound if need be,¡± the old man replied. ¡°Especially if there¡¯s no water available to wash their wounds.¡±


    Lily¡¯s face took on an interesting colour a moment later, and the urge to throw up infused Claud¡¯s mind. His appetite, which had been roaring and demanding for a sacrifice, fell silent, as if someone had dumped some pee into its mouth.


    ¡°Do you know I feel like cancelling that order now?¡± Lily muttered.


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    ¡°Totally didn¡¯t need to know such details.¡± Claud shivered. ¡°Pee on my wound¡­yikes. Doubly so.¡±


    The two exchanged grossed-out glances. Possession of such knowledge would definitely affect his perception of soldiers on a fundamental level; Claud had a feeling that from now on, whenever he laid eyes on a soldier, a part of him would wonder if someone had washed his or her wound with a generous helping of yellow, stinking water.


    It wasn¡¯t a nice mental image by any means, but reality liked to make people recall the more disgusting bits of life over and over again.


    ¡°Were you a soldier?¡± Lily asked, after a minute or two.


    ¡°Used to be, yes,¡± said the old man. ¡°Then I took an arrow to my elbow, so I became an innkeeper.¡±


    Claud and Lily observed his elbows slowly. One of them looked deformed; something had smashed into it and it never healed well.


    ¡°So, was that the elbow that a military doctor peed on?¡± Claud asked. ¡°It does look bad, yes. But isn¡¯t it more of the injury caused by the arrow itself? Pee shouldn¡¯t be an issue, right?¡±


    The innkeeper laughed. ¡°Sometimes, at night, I can still smell the stale, musty scent of that dehydrated ass of a doctor. Maybe it¡¯s my imagination. I hope it¡¯s my imagination. But you know¡­maybe a bit of it seeped into my wound and never got out ever since.¡±


    Claud and Lily swore once and stormed over to the table, leaving behind an innkeeper roaring with laughter. Unfortunately, before they could stew in their anger for more than three minutes, the grinning old man had called them back to take their food, and as Claud supported two trays with his mana, his nose couldn¡¯t help but pick up a transient, foul odour.


    From how it vanished a moment later, Claud had a feeling that it was his imagination¡­but was it really his imagination?


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lily asked.


    Claud immediately resolved to never talk about it. For one, it was almost certainly his imagination screwing his perception over, and more importantly, it would definitely throw a second damper on Lily¡¯s appetite. Lily had thousands of good points, but whenever she got hungry while asleep, she would nibble his arm.


    Sure, it felt good whenever Claud was lucky enough to be awakened by her adorable nibbling, but in the morning, her jaws would hurt, so¡­


    ¡°Just thinking about how much food the inn has left,¡± Claud waffled. ¡°The inn might not have much left, right?¡±


    ¡°We should indeed ration our food.¡± Lily sniffed at the dinner special, which was boneless chicken with black pepper sauce and potato slices. ¡°Wait, forget I said that.¡±


    Claud rolled his eyes at her, before working on his food. The old man had at least thoughtfully left the newspaper nearby, which they would look through after their dinner.


    Flavour burst in his mouth like one of Lily¡¯s crackling sweets, and Claud found himself enthralled by the flavourful sauce that had covered the grilled chicken slab. The potato slices were no slouch either; they were taking in the sauce the way a mana-user would take in mana, brimming with mildly spicy goodness the way he liked it.


    Picking up another potato slice, Claud was about to toss it into his mouth when his senses tingled. He could vaguely sense a thick globule of mana approaching the inn; while high in mana circuits, the owner probably didn¡¯t have much in the way of Mana Control Proficiency.


    Lily looked at him, her eyes equally concerned. After all, the approaching fellow was a tri-folder, and neither of them were in the business of underestimating anyone else.


    The mana source approached the inn a few seconds later, and Claud froze.


    Count Lostfon.


    The blue hair that seemed to be a hereditary indicator of his family danced merrily in the wind, although Claud had seen quite a lot of cases for blue hair. For some reason, however, the stately demeanour he had when they first met had been whittled away; Count Lostfon now looked a bit like a certain someone begging a certain bartender for drinks.


    ¡°He looks a bit like Nero now,¡± Lily observed.


    Truly, great minds thought alike. Stifling a giggle, Claud watched on in rapt attention as the count swaggered over the counter, thumped it once, and then took out a bunch of notes. In response, the old man pulled a long face, explained a few things, and then shook his head.


    As for the content¡­


    ¡°Hmm. Didn¡¯t think Caroline was a heavy drinker, though.¡± Lily folded her arms. ¡°Maybe it runs only in the male line of the family?¡±


    ¡°Possible, but I¡¯m sure everyone enjoys a good drink here and there. I know one thing, though.¡± Claud grinned.


    ¡°One thing?¡± Lily echoed. ¡°What is it, my dear Claud?¡±


    ¡°That if Count Lostfon ever drank Schwarz¡¯s brews, he would never ever touch any other alcohol again, unless he has absolutely no choice in the matter.¡±


    ¡°You two are really close friends, aren¡¯t you?¡± Lily smiled. ¡°Yeah, I believe that too. It¡¯s a shame that they¡¯re in two different sovereignties, really. At most, we can get her to send a crate of his brews when all this blows over¡­¡±


    Claud wanted to compliment her on that excellent, nasty idea, but before he could open his mouth, Count Lostfon noticed the two of them.


    ¡°Sir and Lady Primus!¡± Count Lostfon walked over to the two of them. ¡°Fancy meeting you here!¡±


    ¡°C-count Lostfon.¡± Claud nodded at him once. ¡°You look like you¡¯re under the weather. Here for a drink?¡±


    ¡°Why yes. Of course.¡± The count sighed. ¡°I¡¯m actually a bit troubled, but Sudden Inspiration told me to come here at this point of time. It seems that there¡¯s a reason.¡±


    Claud felt his lips twitch. Clearly, Caroline had learned quite a few things from her father¡­

 Chapter 301: The Dark Herald

    As Claud fiddled with his near-empty plate, Lily looked the count in the eye and said, ¡°What ails you, Count Lostfon?¡±


    ¡°Many things, I guess. However, given the nature of the troubles heaped onto my plate right now, there¡¯s only a few things that you two can help me in,¡± said the count. ¡°I¡¯ll naturally recompense you two handsomely, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Before we make any rash promises here and there, I think it would be prudent for us to know what problem you¡¯re exactly facing. It would be a problem if we agreed and the deed you asked us to do is beyond our ability,¡± Claud replied. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    The count¡¯s eyes flickered once, and he leaned on the back of his chair. ¡°Now, how should I start? Hmm. Okay. Not too long ago, on a day as dismal as this one, the Dark Herald visited me at my palace and asked for a cup of tea.¡±


    ¡°Wait, the Dark Herald grabbed a cup of tea at your place?¡± Lily asked, intrigued. ¡°Are you two friends?¡±


    ¡°Considering how neither of us made the other¡¯s life hard, you can say that, I guess,¡± Count Lostfon replied. ¡°After I reassured him that I had nothing to do with the total destruction of their pioneer forces, who were actually coming forward to present their initial terms of negotiation, the Dark Herald dropped his anger.¡±


    Claud felt his heart lurch at that nonchalant revelation, but he didn¡¯t let it show on his face. Remorse and a desire to survive didn¡¯t necessarily contradict each other, and to smooth over the light jolt in his heartbeat, Claud asked, ¡°So you two have been talking to each other for some time, then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you can say that. In the end, the Shadow Soldiers are just like normal soldiers, told to obey the instructions of their superiors. All of them have their own lives and free will, or so I¡¯m told.¡± Lostfon smiled. ¡°They¡¯re not all that different from us.¡±


    Those words were clearly intended to reassure Claud and Lily that the Dark wasn¡¯t so bad as the rumours made it out to be, but to him, the only thing these words did was to make him feel even more worse somehow. Once again, Claud fought to control his expressions and emotions, and he forced out a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s reassuring,¡± Claud said. ¡°How about food?¡±


    ¡°They also eat too,¡± said Count Lostfon. ¡°Like I said, they¡¯re not that different from you and me. Sure, they don¡¯t speak with words, but that doesn¡¯t mean that they¡¯re incapable of communication or have a lacking culture. Rather, they communicate through thoughts alone; thinking thoughts backed with one¡¯s will and emotions are more than enough to talk to them.¡±


    He paused for a moment. ¡°Regretfully, we can¡¯t do the same thing, and not many people of the Dark are capable of speaking to us, since they lack the correct organs. It¡¯s understandable why people get spooked this easily.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± said Lily. ¡°So, what did the Dark Herald ask of you?¡±


    Count Lostfon grimaced. ¡°Apparently, there¡¯s some low-key resistance in the county territory. Not within the city itself, but reports of people trying to hamper operations out in the territory. The Shadowed Ones have their hands tied in this matter; they can¡¯t act against us humans.¡±


    ¡°Shadowed Ones?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°The general term referring to the people of the great Dark,¡± Lostfon replied. ¡°Anyway, both the Dark Herald and I made a contract, and that contract is preventing them from doing anything substantial to the people who have been harassing the armies of the great Dark. The Dark Herald tells me that his boss, whoever that being is, is starting to regret entering such an agreement.¡±


    ¡°How strictly bound are they by it?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°They¡¯ll need to return the Terra Jewel and depart the city if they intend on being able to harm our people,¡± said Lostfon. ¡°And once they return a second time, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to enjoy such a privileged position.¡±


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    Claud fell silent for a moment. ¡°Give us a day. We¡¯ll give you an answer to your request after that.¡±


    ¡°A day?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Claud glanced at Lily, who nodded her head slightly. She had probably guessed why he¡¯d made such a request, instead of outright accepting the count¡¯s plea for help. ¡°We want to investigate these claims first, and then make our own call afterwards. We cannot afford to harm the wrong people, and you probably know that there are quite a few people from this city that are living in the wild right now.¡±


    ¡°The wild? Really?¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should pay attention to the gates or something,¡± Claud suggested. ¡°Besides, can¡¯t the Shadowed Ones capture those troublemakers and then see if they¡¯re from this region? They might not be natives of Lostfon, right?¡±


    ¡°Possible, yes,¡± said Count Lostfon. ¡°But the Dark Herald didn¡¯t provide me with many details either. Would you like to meet him and talk about it? It¡¯ll be better than me giving you an extra day, after all.¡±


    Claud fell silent. He could vaguely tell that the count was trying to get the requestor in person to handle the details. Maybe Count Lostfon wanted to remove himself from this matter at hand. Other possibilities included having a scapegoat unconnected to him if things went south¡ª since all he¡¯d done was to act as a contact bridging two people ¡ª as well as an attempt to absolve himself of any responsibility due to errors in the provided information.


    Whatever the reason, it was clear that they wouldn¡¯t continue on in this matter if the two of them chose not to meet the Dark Herald.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you guys think about it for a while,¡± said Count Lostfon. ¡°I¡¯m going to chat with some old people."


    Was that also a threat? Claud looked at the count as he ambled back to the counter, and then pondered on the entire situation in silence. There were too many things he had to look out for, but he knew that he wasn¡¯t in quite the best state of mind either.


    ¡°Lily,¡± Claud called out. Before he could continue with his request, however, Lily had held up a hand, a small smile on her face.


    ¡°You take a rest. I¡¯ll make the decision for the two of us, okay? Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Her eyes twinkled as she spoke. ¡°Give me a minute or two first, though. I want to run through the entire thing.¡±


    Claud nodded and busied himself with eating the rest of his food in silence. Cutting small pieces of chicken and dipping them in the black pepper sauce, Claud tried his best to think, but the off-handed method in which Count Lostfon revealed the details and circumstances of the people that Claud had killed wasn¡¯t helping him much.


    If the choice had been left to him, Claud knew that he would have agreed. He owed the Dark¡­or rather, the family of the Shadowed Ones that he¡¯d killed, too much. He would probably disregard the risk or try to nullify it with a wasteful expenditure of trump cards.


    Therefore, Lily was the best person to make the call and in deciding how they would proceed.


    After around three minutes, Lily looked up and said, ¡°I think we should take Count Lostfon up on his offer.¡±


    Claud took a deep breath. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because the count made a good point¡­but we can consider it from a different angle. The great Dark and its children are ancient entities. How could they tolerate being tripped over by mortals like you and me?¡± Lily made a sad smile. ¡°The greater the person, the greater they react to actual insults. If push came to shove, the scenario Count Lostfon envisioned would almost certainly come to pass. We¡¯ll be in trouble then.¡±


    ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll do it your way.¡± Claud closed his eyes for a moment. ¡°You¡¯ll handle this operation; I¡¯ll be your faithful supporter to the end.¡±


    ¡°That last bit sounds very ominous, do you know that?¡± Lily rapped his head lightly. ¡°Well, let¡¯s call the count back and tell him to set up a meet¡ª¡±


    Count Lostfon turned his head to their table. ¡°I heard you two. A meeting, then. Any special requests?¡±


    ¡°Bring out your best chef for us,¡± Lily replied. ¡°We expect a full course meal complete with delicacies and fine drinks. That¡¯s par for the course, right? And we¡¯ll also need to talk about renumeration in detail, so maybe you can prepare a few legal specialists.¡±


    ¡°Is the latter really necessary?¡± Count Lostfon let out a visible sigh. ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll go through a formal contract with you two. Sheesh. How does a formal lunch tomorrow sound like?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go with that, then,¡± Lily replied.


    Since the two of them didn¡¯t really have much to actually do, any time was fine with them, but Claud could vaguely recall that intruding on a noble¡¯s dinnertime was a bad idea. Lily had probably gone with Lostfon¡¯s proposal of lunch due to that fact¡­either that, or she preferred the dinner special here over the lunch special.


    After confirming their little appointment, Count Lostfon made his excuses and left, his gait a tiny bit lighter than when he first entered.


    Lily looked at Claud a few seconds later. ¡°Let¡¯s go to bed a bit earlier, alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m done with my food anyway,¡± Claud replied, reaching out to pat her head. ¡°Thanks for everything.¡±


    Poking her cheeks lightly, the two of them returned their plates and went upstairs.

 Chapter 302: Meeting the great Darks herald

    ¡°This way, sir and ma¡¯am.¡± The servant bowed once, before leading Claud and Lily into the Lostfon Palace. A faint chill invaded his bones as he stepped into the palace proper, but it wasn¡¯t a chill that came from low temperatures.


    ¡°Seems like the mission-giver came a bit early,¡± Claud observed quietly. ¡°Looks like this is quite the big deal after all, isn¡¯t it? I think something serious might be up here and there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit obvious, okay?¡± Lily grabbed his hand and sighed. ¡°It seems that your condition has become a bit serious.¡±


    ¡°Condition? What condition?¡±


    ¡°The need to explain everything to me, who¡¯s your intellectual equal,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Don¡¯t go explaining everything, okay? It¡¯s a bad habit. If you keep this one, you¡¯re going to be explaining your master plan to our worst enemies one day, right when they¡¯re at your mercy, and by some fluke, they escape from us.¡±


    ¡°That only happens in stories, alright? No one¡¯s dumb enough to do something like this,¡± Claud replied. He thought about their first and only true adversary so far ¡ª the now-dead Third Bearer of Destiny ¡ª and immediately felt that the fellow had been a true threat. If he hadn¡¯t taken a Skyward Eye, Claud knew that he wouldn¡¯t have noticed the true culprit lying in wait just a few dozen metres away from him.


    If he hadn¡¯t headed out back then...


    Claud once again felt the enormity of that day¡¯s actions¡­his actions. When he killed the Third, he had triggered off a mass of reactions. Today¡¯s meeting with the Dark Herald was something he alone had enabled, but Claud had no regrets about anything.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Claud asked, glancing at Lily. Her gaze had grown very intense, as if she had discovered something of incredible interest, and it was making his face warm.


    ¡°You look really suave when you¡¯re thinking deeply!¡±


    Before Claud could flirt back, the servant leading the way stumbled and tripped over his own feet, instantly ruining the moment. Holding back his displeasure, Claud let out a long sigh, which was more than enough to prompt the eavesdropping servant to get up with a set of complicated movements that involved whirling legs and loud exhalations he associated with training.


    ¡°He¡¯s quite energetic.¡± Lily rubbed her nose. ¡°Maybe we should train our combat skills a bit more. I¡¯m feeling like a slob right now.¡±


    ¡°Hold on, shouldn¡¯t we be complimenting his excellent performance?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Why should we waste time doing that? I believe that whenever we encounter a stimulus like this, we should make use of it to improve our life habits and arrest the problematic ones,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯s the best way to become a better person!¡±


    Claud looked at her eager eyes and swallowed down his retort that he preferred the hours of slacking and hugging her. It was nice to see her this spirited, especially since her progress at drawing her third mana circuit had slowed down significantly.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll play around with swords when we have time,¡± said Claud. It was also a way to show off his own skills ¡ª which were roughly that of Lily¡¯s ¡ª and more importantly, clothes clung on to skin when people got sweaty¡­


    Claud slapped his own face lightly, dispelling that thought. There was a time and place for everything, even for lewd thoughts, but there was no scenario in which such thoughts were appropriate in a count¡¯s palace, especially when they were about to meet a mythical being.


    ¡°Claud? Something wrong?¡± Lily asked, her eyes alight with concern. Something seemed to melt in his heart at that sight, and Claud rubbed her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just thought of something that¡¯s not appropriate.¡±


    Lily cleared her throat. ¡°Time and place, okay?¡±


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    He decided not to rebut that statement.


    Their footsteps sounded down the empty palace as they followed the servant, who had the presence of mind to at least not disturb their bantering earlier, and Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit sad. Before the great Dark took over, this palace was probably bustling with life and activity, along with the city in general. Now, however, Lostfon Palace was a good microcosm of the city at large ¡ª pretty, glamorous¡­and deserted.


    He shifted closer to Lily, who squeezed his hand in reply. An exchange of glances was enough to make him know that she too was feeling a bit sad at the current state of the lifeless palace, and vice-versa.


    ¡°It¡¯s lonely, isn¡¯t it?¡± Claud commented. ¡°You can drop the formalities with me. In this city, there¡¯s really no division. We¡¯re all just humans in a conquered land.¡±


    The servant laughed once, a hollow laugh that echoed painfully down the deserted palace. ¡°There¡¯s nothing much I can think about, really. The count chose to let us leave, but I was the only one who stayed.¡±


    ¡°You stayed?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Why¡­well, Count Lostfon promised to increase our wages, that¡¯s why.¡± The servant took out a bag and jingled it once. ¡°But the others had family. I didn¡¯t.¡±


    Claud fell silent. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be,¡± the servant replied. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s been interesting, staying by the master¡¯s side. I¡¯m a close aide now, and I get to hear and interact with the rest of his family. Do you know Countess Lostfon makes a great potato stew? You two should try that when you have a chance.¡±


    ¡°Really now?¡± Lily licked her lips. ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I do, really!¡±


    As Claud and Lily engaged in the business of asking about the count¡¯s homemade fare, a part of him marvelled at the wonders of fate. Even in the midst of what undoubtedly was a disaster for humanity, there were always small doors of light everywhere. This man, who had lost everything, finally had the chance to experience what having a family was like.


    Fate truly was unpredictable.


    Before long, the three of them entered a rather posh chamber. Unlike the vast hallways and deserted rooms he¡¯d seen so far, this chamber was well-lit and well-maintained; the place was dust-free and evidently cared for.


    At the very middle was a small round table that could fit six people. Count Lostfon occupied one half of the table, while a shadowy being occupied the other half.


    The Dark Herald.


    The count rose to his feet as the servant waved Claud and Lily forward. ¡°Thank you for taking the trouble to come here. Come on, follow me. I¡¯ll make the introductions.¡±


    Leading them to the Dark Herald, whose long flowing hair danced in the windless room, Count Lostfon said, ¡°Dust, these are the two people I mentioned. Husband and wife of a knight family. They¡¯re called¡­uh¡­right, you two never did mention your full names.¡±


    ¡°Just call us Mr. and Mrs Primus,¡± Lily replied gently. ¡°There¡¯s no need to use our actual names, since we¡¯re still travelling incognito.¡±


    The count looked at the two of them, a quizzical light in his eyes, before the Dark Herald cleared its throat. ¡°The male¡¯s mana reserves are higher than yours. I am told that one¡¯s reserves of mana are proportionate to their rank in this nation¡¯s noble hierarchy, so it seems that they are rather important people.¡±


    Her voice was gentle, but it carried quite a few implications.


    Lostfon twitched once as Claud looked at the Dark Herald, who had clearly picked up on the level of his Mana Circuit Superimposition. Given his Mana Control Proficiency, which was ranked at Expert, there was no way he could have leaked out any hint of his strength, which meant¡­


    Claud fell silent for a moment, and then focused his attention on his mana circuits. Something twigged a moment later, and the Dark Herald looked at him directly. ¡°Seems like you realised something.¡±


    Lily nudged him a moment later, and Claud looked at the Dark Herald. ¡°Can you still see it now?¡±


    Up close, Claud could tell that the Dark Herald had the same features as a human being, just that her skin and facial features seemed a bit misty and foggy. The way she narrowed her eyes a few seconds later only reinforced his opinion that she wasn¡¯t all that different from them, and Claud relaxed slightly.


    In the end, the Shadowed Ones weren¡¯t indecipherable beings that humans couldn¡¯t communicate with.


    That realisation made his heart twist up in guilt once more, but Claud had gone through that enough to not let it show on his face. Looking at the Dark Herald, Claud forced out a smile.


    ¡°Well done,¡± said the Dark Herald. ¡°I am Dust, one of His heralds. My pleasure to meet you.¡±


    She extended a hand to Claud, who shook it briefly, and then to Lily. After a bout of pleasantries, the two of them took up their seats, and the atmosphere relaxed.


    ¡°Once again,¡± said Count Lostfon, ¡°thank you for coming. Our friend here needs some help, especially since she cannot act against the humans without breaking the pact. This pact is what guarantees our safety, so your aid here will be of paramount importance.¡±


    ¡°Let us listen to her story and her information first,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Whether or not we act is another issue, however.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± said the Dark Herald. ¡°For the likes of you and me¡± ¡ªshe gestured at Claud¡ª ¡°we begin to understand the importance of karma, and the god who wields it. It is natural that you are cautious.¡±


    Claud stilled his guilt once more, before directing his full attention to the Dark Herald.

 Chapter 303: A new assignment

    ¡°Humans with nefarious intentions and unknown purposes have been operating in the region,¡± began the Dark Herald, ¡°instigating other people to strike at the neutral zone in Vacuos County and at our forces in this place. However, due to the nature of our agreement, we cannot deal with them. This situation cannot continue. We do not want to break our word, so if the situation escalates, we¡¯ll be forced to withdraw from the agreement and the city itself, temporarily ceding control of neutral territory over to the Moons.¡±


    The Dark Herald paused, and in that moment, Claud could swear that she had a faint smile on her face. ¡°We will return after that, and you can be sure that we will not offer such nice conditions after this.¡±


    Claud took a deep breath. He could tell that their choice was irrelevant. What mattered was the outcome here. If the situation continued to worsen here, the Dark Herald would simply abandon this territory to withdraw from the agreement made with Lostfon and Duchess Lacuna.


    This was both a threat and a reminder that this agreement cut both ways. If the two of them refused to do, or if they or anyone else failed to stop these people, the Dark Herald would act on what was best for them.


    It would be a lose-lose situation, if nothing else.


    ¡°Do you have more details?¡± Lily asked, her eyes set and firm.


    The Dark Herald turned to her. ¡°You¡­speak for your mate in this regard? Odd. Your mate and the count are quite similar in this regard.¡±


    ¡°Dust, don¡¯t say anything unnecessary. And I¡¯m just being a nice person when I let my wife decide things, okay? I¡¯m not henpecked or anything; just so you know, I do not sleep on the couch after a night of drinking with my mates, okay? Don¡¯t over-imagine things.¡±


    Everyone, including the Dark Herald, turned to look at Count Lostfon, who had given a bit too many details in that suspiciously specific denial. Claud felt his lips twitch a moment later, and then cleared his throat. ¡°To clear things up slightly, I¡¯m not in the best state of mind. Therefore, I¡¯ve ceded any decision-making to my, uh, mate here.¡±


    ¡°To Madam Primus, then.¡±


    Claud wanted to laugh at that address, which made Lily sound older than she actually was, but he knew not to do that. While he didn¡¯t know Lily¡¯s attitude towards age and he hated the idea of generalising, pressing about the topic of age was generally rather distressing to men and women alike. The former, for instance, was especially represented in the balding demographic, and¡ª


    Arresting his thoughts right there, Claud withdrew from his considerations altogether.


    ¡°To me, yes.¡± Lily shot a long-suffering look at Claud, who looked back at her and made his lips wobble randomly by way of reply. ¡°And yes, he is currently afflicted with intense emotions that render him incapable of making a sound judgement, so I¡¯m in charge of the decisions right now.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± The Dark Herald looked at Claud oddly, and then shrugged. ¡°Details of the commission, then. We entreat you two to put an end to this harassment by any means necessary, or at least to lower the frequency.¡±


    She pulled out a map that highlighted the vicinity of Lostfon City. ¡°Traps and ambushes are frequently laid out in these areas. Simply walking around there should draw their attention, and while we cannot harm or do anything to those people, the same cannot be said for you two. Therefore, we will leave the task of neutralisation up to you, through any means necessary.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remain to guard the city,¡± said Count Lostfon, ¡°in case unsavoury elements take the chance to sabotage the Realm Bridge. And Dust is completely useless in dealing with us humans, so she¡¯ll provide information support. Does that sound acceptable?¡±


    ¡°Do we need to kill them?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Or can we just knock them up and toss them into a jail cell for interrogation?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not adverse to killing, right?¡± Count Lostfon asked, prompting Lily to shake her head. ¡°In that case, you believe that there¡¯s someone behind this.¡±


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    ¡°Yeap.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll prepare interrogators too, then,¡± said Count Lostfon.


    Lily patted Claud¡¯s knee a moment later, and Claud nodded back. This little clarification was probably for his sake, since he was already squeamish about making more ties of karma. Dust, the Dark Herald, said nothing about this condition too, as if she had already predicted it to come up.


    ¡°Now, renumeration,¡± said the Dark Herald. ¡°What do you two want as a reward? Be greedy here. I need to set a perfect example for more collaborators.¡±


    ¡°Lifestones?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Very well. Enough lifestones for you to catch up with your mate,¡± Dust replied, her voice unruffled and neutral. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    Claud raised his hand. ¡°Information on the tribulation for a tetra-folder. The so-called Second Tutorial. I want everything.¡±


    ¡°Everything?¡± The Dark Herald looked at him. ¡°Everything?¡±


    ¡°No need to repeat it twice, really,¡± Claud replied. He hadn¡¯t dared to move on from that last 0.05 for his fourth mana circuit, since he had felt a tremendous sense of danger emanating from it. He didn¡¯t know what or where that danger came from, so he didn¡¯t dare to take that last plunge until he found out.


    ¡°You two are quite special.¡± The Dark Herald paused. ¡°I will commune with Him regarding this reward. I beg my leave for two minutes.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± said Count Lostfon, and the Dark Herald faded from view. He turned to Claud a moment later, his expression something Claud saw on Schwarz whenever the bartender had something on his mind, and then said, ¡°You¡¯re this far ahead, eh? Why did you come here, then?¡±


    ¡°The Celestia Ruins,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I believe we talked about that particular tourist attraction in our first meeting.¡±


    The count tilted his head, and then jumped. ¡°Right, right! Man, that felt like months ago, what with so many things happening.¡±


    ¡°It was indeed a couple of months ago,¡± Lily replied, rolling her eyes. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m just going to take some food. It¡¯ll be a real shame if it got cold, right?¡±


    ¡°Do you have any fizzy drinks around here? There was this fellow who found the recipe for it from the ruins, right?¡± Claud added. ¡°It¡¯ll be nice to taste that legendary specialty.¡±


    ¡°What am I, your waiter?¡± Count Lostfon grumbled, before getting up. ¡°I¡¯ll call in the actual waiter or something, then. Sheesh.¡±


    The waiter came with a tray just as the Dark Herald returned, and the poor guy hurriedly set down the drinks and fled. Claud watched with interest as the Dark Herald looked at the fleeing servant, dejected, and then noted down this very interesting reaction for future reference.


    ¡°He has agreed. We will not hold back in granting you our understanding of the Tribulation should you fulfil our request adequately,¡± said the Dark Herald.


    ¡°Your understanding?¡±


    ¡°It is hard to explain, but even the Great One is not all-knowing. Though the Dark lies beyond the stars, not everything is visible. There are forces in this universe that we cannot comprehend by virtue of their origin or progenitor.¡± The Dark Herald paused. ¡°As an illustration, the place called the Celestia Ruins is one such example. The laws that govern the place are different, independent of this world.¡±


    A certain word popped into Claud¡¯s mind at this piece of information, and he worked to suppress it immediately. Lily shifted her eyes to look at him discreetly a moment later, and Claud blinked twice as a response.


    That little exchange had gone unnoticed by everyone else, but to prevent the count and the Dark Herald from getting suspicious, Claud said, ¡°In that case¡­what do you think, Lily?¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°We have a deal, then. We take out the trash for you, and you help us out here. Do we need a contract?¡±


    ¡°If you think that¡¯s going to make you more secure,¡± the Dark Herald replied.


    Lily pondered for a moment, and then shook her head. ¡°I believe in the name of your master and of you yourself. No need for a contract.¡±


    The Dark Herald eyed her once, and then nodded. ¡°It seems you¡¯ve figured out a few things. Very well. May we have a happy cooperation, one as pure as the lightless sky itself.¡±


    ¡°Well, now that¡¯s settled,¡± said Count Lostfon, ¡°it¡¯s my turn to offer you rewards too.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lily blinked. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Why, you ask¡­well, you two are doing me a favour, after all.¡± Count Lostfon smiled. ¡°Is there anything you want from me?¡±


    ¡°What you have, we probably have,¡± Claud replied slowly, trying to impress upon him their fake position. ¡°How about three favours, to be used when the need arises?¡±


    ¡°Favours?¡± Count Lostfon tilted his head.


    Lily chuckled. ¡°Things like helping someone who comes to you with a certain symbol, for instance. Maybe I have a friend who needs your protection, and I get him to help you with it.¡±


    ¡°The noble way, eh?¡± Count Lostfon folded his arms. ¡°Very well.¡±


    He took out three emblems. ¡°One emblem for one favour. Anyone with it can get me to help them¡­within reason, of course. I trust this is acceptable?¡±


    ¡°I think three is a bit too much,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Let¡¯s just go with one.¡±


    Claud had no idea what Lily was thinking about here, but since she was the professional and he¡¯d ceded his decision-making portion to her, he was more than content to just nibble at his food.


    Dust, the Dark Herald, was clearly of the same opinion too, and while Lily and Count Lostfon exchanged pleasantries, Claud made a new bond with the otherworldly Dark Herald over the all-important business of food.


    Maybe he might benefit from it somehow.

 Chapter 304: Daybreak County

    ¡°So, this is Daybreak County¡­¡± Dia looked around the border that divded Farah County from Daybreak. The grass wasn¡¯t greener on the other side, but rather, golden.


    Like the sunrise itself.


    It seemed like its name, but again, many territories were named in a particular fashion because of certain traits. Some of them, of course, retained ancestral names, but it was customary for territories to be renamed when they were wrested from their original owners. Nightfall and Daybreak were counties that had changed hands multiple times, as an illustration, while Farah County had been renamed to highlight the titular leader¡¯s contribution in spearheading reforms.


    Of course, one key reason why Daybreak County was named Daybreak was due to the mass cultivation of sunrice, which was a popular staple in her home itself. Legend had it that the plants producing these soft and fluffy grains were a brilliant gold, and from the look of the wild grass here¡­


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this grass a bit too fantastical?¡± Risti asked, rubbing her knees. The three of them had mana-walked all the way here from Farah itself after they arrived there, at which point they got one of the inns there to take care of the carriage and the horses that came with it.


    ¡°It¡¯s all glowy and everything,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s a natural light source¡­do you think Schwarz would like it?¡±


    ¡°Grass as interior decoration?¡± Dia pondered on how it would look like in the Moon Mansion, and then shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know about him, but if you want more wine from him, I¡¯m sure handing him a bottle of Daybreak County¡¯s specialties would be a better idea.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Nero took a deep breath. ¡°Let¡¯s go, then!¡±


    Other than vast pastures of golden grass, there were multiple built-up areas visible from even the border; these areas were probably the three baronies that helped to administer small regions.


    Farmers ploughing the fields noticed their approach, glancing at them curiously.


    ¡°Why are they all looking at us?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re clearly foreigners in a land without many foreigners,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Remember, our task is rather problematic. We need to trouble the count without bringing things to a head.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, don¡¯t worry about this,¡± said Nero. ¡°I¡¯m the professional at stirring unrest, with skills tailored towards the mind.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it works? Like you said, you haven¡¯t done anything for a few years.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. After all, the Lord¡¯s Gaze is always a potent tool in frightening the weak of heart.¡± Nero grinned. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry and check in. Between you and me, we¡¯re going to rock this place and harass Count Daybreak until he cries for his mummy.¡±


    One had to admit that the owner of Skyward Eye and Black God¡¯s Gaze was an incredibly potent one. Dia could still remember how someone had killed over and over again with a mixture of Clairvoyance, which allowed one to view things from afar, and Black God¡¯s Gaze, which frightened anyone who the user looked at. The murderer at Nacht would follow up by hurling a spear across the walls of the city, killing the frozen, rooted target.


    Shivering at her own memories, Dia followed the others as they approached one of the built-up barony capitals.


    ¡°Dawn Barony,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°Probably renamed too, I guess. It seems that something violent happened here decades ago, changing the landscape irrevocably.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s too¡­in sync with the naming style here,¡± Dia observed.


    ¡°Can I raise a point?¡± Nero asked. ¡°I think you guys are very, very weird when it comes to names. I¡¯ve been thinking about it ever since I settled down at Moon Mansion, but what¡¯s with all these abstract names? For instance, everyone knows that the sun is but a derivative of the Moons. Why is there an entire county dedicated to it, then? Might as well just call themselves Moonset County, right?¡±


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    ¡°Tourism, probably.¡± Risti paused. ¡°Besides, there¡¯s a lot of places and names that glorify the Moons. It¡¯s a bit boring.¡±


    Dia nodded, thinking about some counties under the Lustre Dukedom. ¡°Something has to break the mould for people to remember it well.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Nero had a puzzled look on his face. ¡°Ah well, whatever.¡±


    The three of them continued on cautiously, attracting the attention of the farmers along the way. Like Farah County, this place was also quite the agricultural territory, and forests had been cut down in favour of more farmland. In fact, no matter where she looked, there weren¡¯t many trees, other than the ones that seemed to surround the endless fields of old.


    Dia ran through the plan with the others one last time. It was a rather simple one, something that had been tailored to their plans after Dia remembered that Nero was a Holy Son of the Black God¡­well, an abandoned one, anyway. No one had news about Nihal, so whether he was still a Holy Son or not was quite up the in the air.


    ¡°Still, booking a room and relying on you two makes me feel a bit pointless,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Not going to complain, though. It sure beats watching two workaholics gaze at my idle self every so often.¡±


    ¡°Then start doing more work,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°You¡¯re also slacking off, now that the Moons are roaming the lands here,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Pot, kettle¡­¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Risti acknowledged. ¡°Still, I¡¯m glad we got here without incident. I¡¯ve been receiving reports about the Moon-Touched stopping travellers and trying to abduct them or something.¡±


    Dia thought about the tri-coloured fellows that the little babies might grow up into, and then cupped her chin. ¡°Are the Moon-Touched different from the little babies in our cities?¡±


    ¡°I think so. I hope so, anyway. It¡¯ll be sad if those adorable little fellows turned into pricks that bar our way or something.¡± Risti looked around. ¡°But we won¡¯t be disturbed for now.¡±


    ¡°Most of the Moon-Touched are in the county and dukedom capitals, after all,¡± Nero replied. ¡°That¡¯s why we chose to operate out of a barony to begin with.¡±


    The three picked up their pace as night began to fall. Darkness, however, had been largely expunged from the place; moonlight and sunlight took turns to illuminate the Istrel Sovereignty, constraining shadow and darkness.


    Risti let out a sigh as the three of them stopped to line up for entry into the Dawn Barony. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to find a bed.¡±


    ¡°You and everyone else,¡± Nero replied, before lowering his voice. ¡°Anyway, we can go all out with our spending, so we should pick the best rooms. No one¡¯s going to suspect the three guests who ordered the best rooms, right?¡±


    ¡°Sneaky, but true.¡±


    ¡°Do we actually need three rooms, though?¡± Dia wondered. ¡°I can bunk in with Risti just fine, and I think it¡¯ll be better if fewer of us are left alone unattended. You¡¯re a tetra-folder, so you should be fine alone.¡±


    Nero twitched. ¡°I heard that Claud and Lily bunked in together¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, they liked each other or something,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°No, no. When they went out for their first mission or something,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Schwarz was complaining about the, and I quote, ¡®lucky fellow who found a good partner by sleeping in the same room¡¯.¡±


    ¡°¡­I think there¡¯s more to that than sleeping in the same room, really,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m inexperienced at this sort of thing, so don¡¯t ask me.¡±


    ¡°Me too, me too.¡± Dia looked at Nero. ¡°Just stay in your room and come over when we¡¯re going to start our operations. That should be fine.¡±


    ¡°F-fine¡­but I do get to go out, right? I¡¯ve been thirsting for alcohol, ever since you guys told me about the concept of scarcity,¡± Nero asked. ¡°Or at least let me order some and bring them into my room.¡±


    ¡°Both¡¯s fine, really. Besides, do we look like evil people to you?¡± Risti asked.


    Dia wanted to question Risti¡¯s portrayal of people who restrained others from drinking as evil, but it didn¡¯t really fit the atmosphere right now. Rubbing her nose, she ignored the comment and let Risti continue her gentle persuasion of the person who could already be described as a slave to Schwarz¡¯s brews.


    ¡°Anything to declare?¡± the guard asked as they moved to the gate.


    Nero smiled. ¡°None, guard.¡±


    He turned his eyes to the other guard and smiled once. ¡°Do let us through with all due haste, if you please. Time runs against us on this fine night.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± said the first guard. ¡°Please, sir and ma¡¯ams, this way.¡±


    Waving them through, Dia followed Nero and Risti as they entered Dawn City without even being searched. Neither she nor Risti said anything, however; they had already arranged for Nero to use his skills to make their lives a bit easier.


    As the Holy Son of the Black God, the skills he had were far stronger and far more subtle than most other mental interference skills. If one weren¡¯t prepared to resist them, they could be very devastating in the right hands.


    ¡°So, which inn should we go to?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go with the biggest one. I¡¯m sure the bar there is better, right?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Words of a sage, truly.¡± Nero nodded at her. ¡°Onwards, to the largest inn in town!¡±


    Dia watched him move forward in high spirits and smiled.

 Chapter 305: Petty pranks...

    The Holy Son of the Black God hiccupped as he finished his fifth bottle of booze, but other than that, there were absolutely no hints of any inebriation whatsoever. ¡°Still, are we really going to send you there alone?¡±


    Dia nibbled at the fried prawn and nodded. ¡°That was what I was thinking, but to be honest, we can all just move together. Huddle around a nearby rock and have you use both skills, and after you¡¯re done turning everyone into a trembling mess, the two of us would then swoop in and grab the carts.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but why aren¡¯t we using that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit too suspicious, to be honest,¡± Dia replied, thinking of the many eyes that had been staring at them. ¡°Three people walk out of the inn, and a few hours later, a mine has been robbed, with its workers scared. And it¡¯s harder to move in a group than when alone.¡±


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t the problem still persist if you move alone and something happens afterwards?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but the crux of the matter lies in how my departure does not necessarily equate to an outbreak of mass hysteria in the lifestone mines,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I can walk out every day and stay in the public eye while mass hysteria breaks out, thereby proving that I had absolutely nothing to do with it. However, if the three of us go out, it¡¯ll be a bit obvious to anyone paying attention to how you¡¯re using skills in conjunction.¡±


    ¡°In other words, we can¡¯t all go out to create an alibi,¡± said Risti. ¡°Is that what you¡¯re trying to say?¡±


    ¡°Kinda, I guess.¡± Dia rolled onto the bed and yawned. ¡°In fact, we can start making a few waves now. We create a few incidents and everything, and make sure that I¡¯m apparently innocent while people go mad with fear.¡±


    ¡°Now?¡± Nero asked. ¡°But I haven¡¯t finished my drinks yet!¡±


    ¡°Fine, after you¡¯re done. Tell me when you¡¯re ready, so I can go and create an alibi for myself,¡± said Dia. ¡°Risti, you come along too. I want there to be rumours of hysteria that aren¡¯t linked to us. Something like ¡®You travellers came at a bad time¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we then have hung around outside to conduct a few sessions first, then?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°But we¡¯ll be uncomfortable that way,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if we start now, it won¡¯t affect us. As a rule of thumbs, the bad guys don¡¯t strike until the day after their arrival.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re the bad guys now?¡±


    ¡°All in perspective, really,¡± Dia replied. ¡°At least we aren¡¯t throwing spears to seal the fates of those who have been totally frightened. We¡¯re just exploiting this opening to steal lifestones.¡±


    ¡°We should also target the convoys that are carrying lifestones back to the barony or the county,¡± Nero suggested.


    ¡°True. Since it¡¯s you who¡¯s using the Black God¡¯s Gaze, the skill affects all in your vision, rather than a single target,¡± Risti mused. ¡°And a convoy is indeed smaller than an entire mine, plus you don¡¯t need to see underground.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. You two can head out and then rob the convoy with ease, right? I think it¡¯s a lot easier than trying to rob an entire mine too,¡± said Nero. ¡°And attacking a convoy would mean that those lifestones have been sorted out for you two.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s better than attacking a mine.¡±


    ¡°Besides,¡± added Nero, ¡°if we need to cause an incident that would draw Count Daybreak, I can incapacitate every mine worker I see¡­if we keep this up for a few months and disable a mine every day, we should have fulfilled Count Nightfall¡¯s request.¡±


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    ¡°It¡¯s quite the petty request, now that I think about it.¡± Risti folded her arms. ¡°Harass Count Daybreak and his territory¡­you¡¯d think he would ask us to assassinate that fellow for all he¡¯s done, right?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he doesn¡¯t want to flip the tables just yet,¡± Dia replied. ¡°And besides, we¡¯re doing all this to lure the count out of his palace, and enrich ourselves in the process. I¡¯m sure a few good minutes of being frightened into subservience will count in Nightfall¡¯s book as a perfect harassment.¡±


    She cackled.


    ¡°¡­Did the stress get to her?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°She has been spending her entire life as Princess Dia¡¯s double. Do allow her some slack¡­a few bouts of villainous laughter here and there is fine, really.¡± Risti sighed. ¡°Besides, didn¡¯t you notice? She¡¯s very keen about playing the bad guy.¡±


    ¡°Wait, really?¡±


    ¡°I am?¡±


    Risti looked at Dia. ¡°I think you¡¯re using this chance to blow off some stress, right? Schwarz says that doing bad things generates a thrill of sorts, and clearly, the thought of simply doing all these things is enough to increase your excitement.¡±


    Folding her arms, Dia pondered on Risti¡¯s words for a moment. Sure, she was a bit proactive about discussing their plan ¡ª okay, quite proactive, but that was beside the point ¡ª but to equate that as subscribing to the thrill of being bad was a bit too presumptuous.


    ¡°You¡¯re overanalysing my mentality,¡± Dia replied. ¡°It¡¯s just our first time carrying out something like this, so I¡¯m understandably nervous. Even if we have Nero here, we¡¯re trying to stir up trouble against a count ¡ª a tri-folder ¡ª and there are likely to be more of them sitting around.¡±


    ¡°Very possible, yes.¡± Nero clicked his teeth. ¡°The gulf between a tri-folder and a tetra-folder is vast. It¡¯s hard to put it in words, but you can consider it to be a true evolution away from regular human beings.¡±


    ¡°Everyone keeps saying that nowadays,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°Like it¡¯s going outta style or something. At any rate, though, there shouldn¡¯t be a tetra-folder sitting around here. If there was one, Farah County would probably be swallowed up by now.¡±


    Dia narrowed her eyes. ¡°Well, for insurance¡¯s sake, I suppose we should do something to impede the sudden appearance of tetra-folders from Daybreak County.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re already doing that¡­anyway, the two of us are going to listen to a few rumours,¡± said Risti. ¡°You take this skillstrip and cause some mass panic here and there. It¡¯ll be a daily routine for us from now on.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Nero smiled. ¡°It¡¯ll be fun to try this out too. Debilitating everyone in a huge area of effect sounds really awesome, and it¡¯s not something that would cause many problems either.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Can you lower the intensity of the fear?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Lower the intensity?¡± Nero grinned. ¡°Right, you guys did find yourself on the receiving end before. How bad is it?¡±


    Risti forced out a smile. ¡°It was quite horrifying.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We nearly died too. We were paralysed by fear and everything, and if I didn¡¯t use a defensive artefact¡­¡±


    Dia fell silent. It hadn¡¯t seemed like much back then, but if the two of them had indeed died that night, they wouldn¡¯t have caught the murderer this easily. The likelihood of someone discovering that it was the Third Bearer of Destiny would have fallen, and perhaps no one would have taken this many precautions against the enemy back then.


    What would have happened next?


    ¡°Dia?¡± Risti poked her arm. ¡°You looked distracted. Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°I was simply wondering what would have happened if we were killed back then,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Somehow, I get the feeling that us stopping the murderer back then led to the Third¡¯s death, one way or another.¡±


    ¡°And with it, the current situation?¡± Risti rubbed her nose. ¡°While there¡¯s really no point in revisiting the past, I suppose it¡¯ll make for a good conversation topic while we¡¯re building an alibi.¡±


    She got up. ¡°Let¡¯s go down and talk about this fascinating alternate history while Nero does the hard work.¡±


    ¡°That makes me really sad, for some reason.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to bring some booze when we¡¯re done,¡± Risti added.


    ¡°And now I¡¯m really happy, even though I could buy more bottles by myself easily,¡± Nero replied. ¡°What¡¯s with this odd state of fluctuating emotions? A lesser man than me could have died from this!¡±


    ¡°Stop this melodrama.¡± Risti yawned and rolled her eyes. ¡°Now, if you please, we¡¯re going off to make up a good alibi. We¡¯ll bring a few bottles back for you, although you seem to prefer the idea of someone buying you drinks over drinking itself at times..."


    ¡°There¡¯s value in the act, okay?¡± Nero got up. ¡°I¡¯ll be in my room. You two can come back in thirty minutes or so; I¡¯ll be done by then.¡±


    ¡°Might stay out a bit longer to order some food and drinks for you,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m definitely going to work a bit harder.¡± Nero licked his lips. ¡°I¡¯m going to scare those miners into not working for the next few days!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it¡­¡±

 Chapter 306: Oddity in Daybreak County

    ¡°Is it me,¡± Dia whispered, ¡°or are the people here a bit odd?¡±


    She looked around the tavern, her eyes taking in the people around here. They were giving off an odd chilly air that Dia found familiar, but she couldn¡¯t quite pinpoint where that particular memory came from. In addition, she could spot some odd, wooden movements here and there, like moving puppets, but whenever she tried to look for the source, there was nothing to look at.


    ¡°You noticed too?¡± Risti sipped at her drink. ¡°That said, only some of the people here are indeed a bit weird, but they¡¯re blending in well enough that we¡¯re ascribing the odd atmosphere to everyone present instead. You must be careful not to generalise a bit too hard here.¡±


    Dia grunted.


    ¡°For instance,¡± Risti continued, ¡°the shopkeeper isn¡¯t behaving oddly. It would draw eyes, after all, if his movements were stiff. Whatever power is affecting people here is being very selective with their choice of target.¡±


    ¡°Not sure what to think about that,¡± Dia replied, sinking a fork into a nice helping of meat, ¡°but it¡­might not be an issue to our mission.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re supposed to annoy Count Daybreak, after all. And if he¡¯s busy sending assassins to Nightfall, I¡¯m sure he¡¯d have done the same to other people,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Maybe this is just his comeuppance or something.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t like how this might potentially result in the loss of life,¡± Dia replied. ¡°And those people that are moving oddly¡­they¡¯re pawns. To be discarded once their purpose is spent. It¡¯s deplorable. I don¡¯t like it. In fact, I hate it. No one should be turned into something like that.¡±


    Risti looked at her for an entire minute, and then smiled gently. ¡°You¡¯ve grown somewhat, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Hehe. When we first went out, your convictions weren¡¯t this firm,¡± Risti replied. ¡°It seems that the events at Nachtville and the mess that never ended has toughened your character.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Dia thought about it for a moment, and then shook her head. ¡°Really doesn¡¯t feel like it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you think. Your common sense has improved by leaps and bounds too,¡± Risti added.


    ¡°That¡¯s only because you saw me trying to stop those idiots from kidnapping Moon babies and bringing them back home,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Those idiots don¡¯t really think too hard about what they¡¯re doing¡­or they were influenced for some reason.¡±


    After categorically shutting down Risti¡¯s assertion of growth, Dia pondered on her future. Now that Grandis had been split by huge barriers, Dia knew that she could return home anytime, and no one would probably stop her. The person that could ¡ª Ruler Istrel ¡ª was still a tetra-folder, and he didn¡¯t have a penta-folder trump card lying around.


    If she returned now, Aunt Lumine would definitely protect Dia with her full might, and her father would do the same thing too. The original charge would be reinvestigated and everything, since the Istrel Sovereignty couldn¡¯t abuse the Emperor¡¯s authority. The charge she was on would be washed away¡­and to be honest, no one would care about that at all in the current climate.


    She sipped from her glass and smiled. For now, however, she was content with her current life. Lustre wasn¡¯t in any danger now or anything, and all three dukedoms were roughly the same distance away from the battlefront between the Dark and the Moons. And¡­this was the first time she¡¯d made real friends.


    Dia didn¡¯t want to give up everything she had wrought with the others.


    ¡°Dia?¡± Risti poked her cheeks. ¡°You have this serious look on your face. Is everything fine?¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Just thinking about a few things, that¡¯s all.¡±


    She paused for a moment. ¡°My mistress, in particular. She can probably return home now, and nothing would happen. No one would care about a crime of implication in such troubled times, especially when the person involved has a tetra-folder duke as her father.¡±


    ¡°Princess Dia, huh?¡± Risti smiled. ¡°She¡¯ll probably return soon, I guess. Family¡¯s important. I also want to return to Grandia and find my old man for a hug. I wonder if I can convince him to retire and come back here, though.¡±


    ¡°Convince him to retire?¡± Dia asked, curious. ¡°He¡¯s the Association President, right? Wouldn¡¯t the Emperor be mad if he retires to join a two-bit half-criminal group?¡±


    ¡°The Emperor can bite my ass,¡± Risti replied. ¡°He hasn¡¯t shown his face ever since the Dark and the Moons started to shake their rear ends around the place. I doubt he¡¯s going to go after my father.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but how are you going to convince him?¡±


    ¡°Crying?¡± Risti asked. ¡°I¡¯ll force a tear or two, and with quivering shiny eyes, ask him to come with me to meet my friends.¡±


    She paused. ¡°¡¯Dad, come with me! Please protect my friends and my hard work!¡¯ Something like that. His heart would melt from that.¡±


    Dia wondered if she could do the same to her father, before saying, ¡°Well, it¡¯s definitely a good place to retire in. Look at Nero; most of the time, he¡¯s like a retired old man with nothing to do most of the time. Just asking for drinks or sharing stories about his own life¡­although he¡¯s younger than everyone present.¡±


    Risti laughed. ¡°True, true. I¡¯ll convince my father to retire when the barrier opens up. Maybe he might find a new love in Licencia too, and before I know it, there might be a younger sibling to hug and coddle.¡±


    ¡°¡­How strong is your father?¡±


    ¡°Right, good point.¡±


    As a rule of thumb, the higher one¡¯s mana circuits, the harder it was to pop out kids. Dia knew that very well; her parents had been trying for years before Dia and her brother were born.


    Brother¡­heh. I wonder how he¡¯s doing now, come to think of it.


    She hadn¡¯t thought much about her brother ever since that great escape, but again, they didn¡¯t have the chance to interact much. Her brother was slated for greatness for young; he had the skillsets for governing and was therefore groomed appropriately. Dia, on the other hand, was groomed as the sword of the Lustre Dukedom; their conflicting education meant that they rarely came into contact with each other.


    She could vaguely remember her brother trying to carry her when she was really, really young though¡­although she only remembered that instance because her brother tripped over on the way to the cot.


    ¡°Ah well.¡± Risti shrugged. ¡°Anyway, what about you? When your mistress returns¡­¡±


    ¡°I might go back for a visit, but only when she returns,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Not too sure, really. This is the first time in my life I¡¯ve gotten to do something on my own terms, of my own choice. I don¡¯t really want to throw all this away just yet.¡±


    Risti looked at her once, and then nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a shame for your mistress, though. Well, if she comes back, maybe you can return a few days later and introduce us all.¡±


    ¡°If she comes back¡­¡± Dia bit back a laugh. There was no conceivable way Princess Dia would show up at the Lustre Dukedom before her, since they were the one and the same.


    ¡°Dia?¡±


    ¡°Ahem. Just thinking of something funny, that¡¯s all.¡± Dia smiled brightly for a moment, and then returned her attention to the surroundings. By now, Nero was probably scaring the living moonlights out of everyone in a select mine, all while the two of them were eating and showing their faces at the ground floor. Most of the normal people here had taken note of the two twins here ¡ª Risti was looking like her, but Dia had stopped caring about that long ago ¡ª especially since they were good-looking and¡­


    Dia decided to cease her mental self-praise before she became too conceited from it. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get back to eating. I don¡¯t want to stay here under the public eye for too long; there¡¯s this¡­eerie, familiar chill I can¡¯t quite pinpoint for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Chill?¡± Risti shivered. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s a chill indeed. And it¡¯s indeed quite familiar too¡­¡±


    ¡°You also can¡¯t remember it?¡± Dia asked, concerned.


    ¡°I feel like I should,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Just one more push, but¡­I can¡¯t seem to nail it either.¡±


    She fell silent. ¡°Maybe something big is brewing here.¡±


    Dia let out a sigh. ¡°Of course something big has to be brewing here. Since when was there never anything big brewing for the past year or so? I¡¯m sure there are conspiracies and dark, evil plans being hatched throughout the continent. And I¡¯m¡­¡±


    A thought ran through her mind at this moment, and Dia smiled weakly. ¡°Of course. The agents of the great Dark. How could I have forgotten?¡±


    Risti breathed in sharply, and then nodded, her eyes flashing the whole time. ¡°It seems that the enemy has sent in a few spies to wreak havoc in here. What should we do? Should we ignore it and everything?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure who¡¯s the good guy and bad guy in this primordial squabble,¡± Dia replied, ¡°but it might affect us, right?¡±


    ¡°You know what? Let¡¯s just discuss it with our resident expert after this,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Done.¡±


    Dia nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s probably for the best, really¡­¡±

 Chapter 307: Prana mines

    ¡°And here I thought you guys would never notice.¡± Nero leaned back on his bed and swirled a bottle around. ¡°But what does it matter to us?¡±


    Risti looked at him. ¡°If the Dark does something here¡ª¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t affect us. We¡¯re in the territory of the Moons. Even if Daybreak County burns, that¡¯ll be the extent of things. The Moons will act swiftly and prevent whatever they¡¯re doing from spreading beyond the county,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate either side. The Moons will not permit any shenanigans in their territory, and the same goes for the Dark.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Most importantly, neither side are against us humans yet. If we act against either side out of fear, it can be interpreted in many, many ways. It¡¯s best if we stay out of this war. Of course, if the Moons show up and ask us to help, we can¡¯t really decline it, but that would mean many things are at stake.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Dia asked. ¡°You sound very confident.¡±


    ¡°Probably, anyway.¡± Nero took a swig from his bottle and let out a nice huge sigh. ¡°And the only reason why I sound and look very confident is due to this little baby in my hands. I¡¯ve mixed your purchases with Schwarz¡¯s brews, and the effect is extraordinary.¡±


    ¡°Well, as long as you don¡¯t touch my apple juice,¡± Dia replied, ¡°anything goes.¡±


    ¡°As well as my fizzy drinks,¡± Risti chipped in.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Nero cricked his neck. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve scared an entire mine into rioting. Just gazed at them from up high, and all of them simply freaked out. They tossed aside their baskets of lifestones and fled really quickly.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame we can¡¯t be there to pick up the spoils, though,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°And while we¡¯re on this topic, would the Moons interfere with what we¡¯re doing?¡±


    ¡°Probably not,¡± Nero replied. ¡°It¡¯s a conflict between mortals. It¡¯s beneath them to care about people picking up clumps of weak lifeforce. You should see what my church uses to feed me and other outstanding folders.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh, go on,¡± Dia replied. ¡°What do they stuff into your mouth?¡±


    She glanced at Risti, who might have some knowledge regarding the issue, and wasn¡¯t disappointed by that lackadaisical look on her face at all.


    ¡°Oh, you think Risti knows?¡± Nero asked, curious, before turning to Risti. ¡°I¡¯m told that your father is the leader of the Folders¡¯ Association¡­do you know what we Blessed and Holy Children eat to increase our lifeforce?¡±


    ¡°Just keep showing off, won¡¯t you?¡± Risti muttered, before yawning. ¡°Let me guess. Prana jades, right? The primordial form of life force, impervious to all forms of impurity and contamination from the dust of the mortal world.¡±


    Nero pouted. ¡°Oh, so you do know. Why didn¡¯t you tell the others then?¡±


    ¡°Prana mines aren¡¯t harmless places,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Look at Dia¡¯s shining face; she¡¯s close to shaking the location of the closest prana mines out of me. You¡­never mind. I was intending on revealing the existence of prana jades and prana mines after pure-ranked lifestones started to run out.¡±


    Nero shivered at the razor-sharp gazes Risti was sending his way, but Dia wasn¡¯t going to care about that. From what the two said, it was clear that eating prana jades was another method used by tetra-folders to increase their lifeforce. That, and pure-ranked lifestones.


    ¡°Does that mean prana jades are more common than pure-ranked lifestones?¡± Dia finally asked.


    ¡°Tch. She figured it out.¡± Risti sighed. ¡°You deal with it. If she decides to go hunt for a prana mine, I¡¯ll cut your head off and use it as a seat from now on.¡±


    Nero twitched. ¡°Fine¡­¡±


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    Dia found Nero¡¯s compliance to be somewhat interesting, but she could tell that prana mines, whatever they were, probably ranked quite high on the danger scale. Claud, her basic unit to measure danger, would probably scream bloody murder if he learned about the existence of prana mines, as well as the presupposed fact that she was intending on making her way there.


    ¡°I won¡¯t do that,¡± said Dia, before folding her arms. ¡°It¡¯ll take us quite some time before we¡¯re done with our third mana circuits, and there¡¯s a Holy Son of the Black God that would let us freeload off his resources once the barriers fall and sea travel resumes.¡±


    ¡°Bold of you to assume I¡¯m still the Holy Son after all this,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Well, since you aren¡¯t going to poke your head into the issue of prana mines, telling you should be fine¡­probably. Prana mines are located in areas of great providence. The churches of the Coloured Gods all have one each. I¡¯m not sure about Grandis, but there¡¯s a prana mine in the Nihal Senate¡¯s resource capital. They¡¯re all heavily guarded, so there¡¯s no way thieves can sneak in or something.¡±


    He played with the bottle in his left hand for a moment, and then smiled. ¡°Fortunately for you plebians ¡ª and perhaps me ¡ª there are also prana mines outside in the wild. Small ones form when folders who have passed their second tribulation die, while larger ones can be found in ancient ruins and battlefields.¡±


    ¡°I kinda get the first one,¡± said Dia, ¡°but why would ruins and battlefields hold prana mines?¡±


    ¡°Prana, the primordial force of life, is produced through the catharsis of mortal moira,¡± Nero explained, sounding a bit like an actual Holy Son at the same time. To the side, Dia also noticed that Risti¡¯s ears had pricked up; this was something new to her too. ¡°In other words, death. Death is the source of prana. Ruins are usually cities and towns destroyed by some immense force; in that moment of collective death, the released lifeforce melds together and expels impurities.¡±


    Nero flipped his palm up, and a full bottle of booze sitting on his bed hissed as the liquid inside turned into vapour. Blue light surged out ¡ª Nero was handling mana beyond his Mana Control Proficiency ¡ª and the vapourised alcohol recondensed into liquid, but the volume had been cut into two.


    ¡°Purified alcohol,¡± Nero explained. ¡°The concept remains similar.¡±


    ¡°And it seems to use a lot of mana too,¡± Risti observed. ¡°Is it as pure as Schwarz¡¯s brews?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how that man makes all these miracles, but his brews are purer than even this one,¡± Nero replied. ¡°It¡¯s a good approximant of his shoddy works, but the masterpieces I¡¯m used to are far, far purer.¡±


    ¡°His brewing method is that miraculous?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s that miraculous.¡± Nero nodded with all due seriousness. ¡°In fact, if there should come a time that truly pure alcohol is needed for some economic reason, the first one to strike it rich would be him. His method is far better than me, even when I¡¯m going all out with my mana. The purity is higher, the yield is higher¡­¡±


    He cleared his throat. ¡°Ahem. We¡¯ve digressed somewhat, I see. Anyway, prana mines are formed through death. The stronger the individual, the more drawn-out the process, or the greater the number, the higher the quality of prana produced. Of course, deaths on the scale needed to produce prana hasn¡¯t happened for a very long time, which is why ruins are the places to head to if you need prana.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but why are you so adamant on not approaching these places?¡±


    ¡°¡­These places are always fraught with danger. The catharsis of death brings about not just pure life, but also frees the involved people from the negative emotions of their final moments. These emotions coalesce and gather. Will given form.¡± Nero paused. ¡°They turn into monsters that are hard to kill and even harder to escape. Tetra-folders¡­a good number of would-be tetra-folders die during the Second Tutorial.¡±


    He took a gulp from the bottle. ¡°And even more die for that little bit of prana.¡±


    His words carried some desolation in them, and Dia shook her head. She didn¡¯t know what to say to that, but she could tell that he was sympathising with those dead people. She could understand where he was coming from too; every dead tetra-folder was a huge waste of resources, and they probably had families too¡­


    The three of them sat around and talked about other things, but nothing seemed to stick after that disquieting discussion over prana and how it was formed. To Dia, this world simply seemed to grow more and more complicated for every passing hour and every single snippet of information that came from Nero and Risti.


    To be fair, both of them were vast repositories of information, but¡­


    I should only be learning these things when I¡¯m three hundred years older, right? That¡¯s the median age for tetra-folders!


    Unfortunately, the oddness of this era had sank its nasty fangs into established traditions, since Dia and the other Moon L¡ª er, Seekers of Life ¡ª were already close to becoming tri-folders, what with all that resources channelled to them. This oddness had clearly carried over to the age in which one learned about certain pieces of information, and¡ª


    Dia got up from the bed, and the sudden rush of blood made her head throb. Raising a hand to pre-empt any concerned queries, she said, ¡°I¡¯m feeling a bit tired and overwhelmed, so I¡¯m just going back to sleep. You two have fun or something.¡±


    ¡°S-sure,¡± said Nero.


    ¡°Do you need me to support you back?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Just tired.¡±


    Shutting down any further queries, she returned to the adjacent bedroom and went to sleep.

 Chapter 308: The thief and the bandits

    ¡°¡­Will people really fall for this?¡± Claud rubbed his nose as he sat on a wagon with Lily. A nice strong horse pulled the wagon laden with two people and some goods along without any complaint at the same time, thereby proving the pecking order amongst all life on Grandis.


    ¡°You¡¯ve heard what Count Lostfon said,¡± Lily replied. ¡°They¡¯re probably going to rob anyone who has the emblem of the great Dark stuck on them. We¡¯re only two people, one horse and lots of goods. We¡¯re an easy mark.¡±


    ¡°Too easy,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Considering how everyone knows about them, two people and a wagon have to be a trap, right? Only the confident would do such a thing now.¡±


    Lily flicked his forehead. ¡°Silly Claud. Not everyone is as cautious as you, alright? Many people are desperate for food and money, while others simply just don¡¯t think that hard. In fact, some people don¡¯t actually think when they act!¡±


    ¡°Impossible,¡± Claud refuted. ¡°How can anyone not think when they do something? That¡¯s not possible!¡±


    ¡°You should walk the streets a few more times¡­there are really people who don¡¯t think things through, or even at all.¡±


    Claud shook as the first half of the sentence slapped him merrily. Usually, he was the streetwise fellow, the guy who knew everything about common sense. Today, however, he had been told to walk the streets a few more times¡­


    What was this odd feeling in his heart?


    ¡°I mean,¡± Lily pressed on, ¡°there are some people who act according to instinct, right? They do things without thinking things through, and they go to places at the drop of a hat. The only thought that pops into their head at that very moment is probably going to be somewhere along the lines of ¡®I want to go there¡¯ and absolutely nothing else.¡±


    She folded her arms. ¡°Can that be counted as thinking too?¡±


    Claud fell silent. Her words indeed held merit, but if people didn¡¯t spend all their time thinking about what to do and how they should approach their goal, what did they think about?


    He voiced that question out loud.


    ¡°Dinner, probably,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I¡¯m a good example, right? We¡¯re still on a job, but I¡¯m already thinking about what we should have when we return and everything. Anyway, what I¡¯m trying to say here is that these attackers probably aren¡¯t thinking in really long terms. Think about it! They actually dare to attack convoys outbound from Lostfon itself. There¡¯s probably nothing they won¡¯t dare to do.¡±


    Claud puffed up his cheeks, but Lily made a ton of sense here. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll just bring this wagon over to the next city then. If it fails, we can sell the goods there¡­I bet we¡¯ll make a profit anyway.¡±


    ¡°I know the two of us just became Profiteers, but you don¡¯t really need to be that eager about it, alright?¡±


    The dark fog swirled around them as they left the city, clashing against the tri-coloured moonlight that illuminated the world. The darkness, however, didn¡¯t cover their wagon or the two of them; it simply remained swept past them like how a river would ignore a few stones here and there.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably the emblem, right?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Lily asked. ¡°The reason why the dark fog is avoiding us?¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Quite mystical. I mean, I just hung this emblem on, but I didn¡¯t expect it to have such a potent effect.¡±


    Claud and Lily looked at the complex insignia, which was made out of multiple hexagons overlaid on each other. Complex words that didn¡¯t have anything related to the letters and words Claud knew should have been scribbled in the small spaces, but he didn¡¯t know how to draw them well enough to make good copies.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Folding her arms, Lily said, ¡°I think it¡¯s more of the flag, though. We¡¯re carrying Count Lostfon¡¯s flag, and the count is already an ally of sorts to the great Dark. Isn¡¯t it natural that the fog would avoid the Lostfon county and the people allied to it?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be a bit too easy for people to abuse?¡±


    ¡°Probably. Which is also a reason why these robbers haven¡¯t been captured by the forces of the Dark, right? Our targets probably wore something that identified themselves as people from Lostfon, which hampered and tied up any possibility at retaliation by the Dark.¡± Lily sighed. ¡°That¡¯s why they¡¯re more than willing to break down this alliance, since it¡¯s hampering them.¡±


    ¡°No wonder they wanted us to capture these people alive,¡± Claud replied, thinking about the secret add-on that had been tossed onto them at the last moment. It would seem that the count and the Dark were preparing to make examples out of these people. ¡°What can I say to that? They¡¯re unlucky?¡±


    ¡°They knew what they were doing, alright?¡± Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°These people knew what they were doing when they attacked the convoys of the great Dark and the merchants heading out. They were taking advantage of a good-faith contract and dire circumstances through and through.¡±


    Claud still had a few doubts. After all, the Dark Herald, Dust, had phrased it in an intriguing way. Apparently, the root of this incident lay in ¡®humans with nefarious intentions and unknown purposes¡¯ instigating other people to act, so it was possible that they would encounter enemies with actual strength and everything.


    He didn¡¯t voice them out loud, however, and simply got Lily to check through her equipment. On the off chance that there was actually someone stronger hidden in the little fishes, that someone and their friends would definitely go after the weaker party first, which would apparently be him.


    Lily was still leaking out some mana, due to her inadequate control over it. Considering that it had only been a month or so since she became a bi-folder, this wasn¡¯t particularly surprising, but right now, anyone closing to around ten metres of her could sense a formidable presence.


    The horse neighed a few times as it pulled the wagon the two of them sat on, and Claud took this chance to cuddle up to Lily. His days here, though peaceful, were still very capable of generating lots of stress, and this mission was one of the many reasons why. Claud was very aware that the outcome of this mission would affect how the great Dark and its Heralds would engage with Lostfon henceforth, and while he didn¡¯t feel any particular affection for the man himself, his daughter had helped them quite a bit.


    Claud hoped Caroline and her husband would protect the Moon Lords; this was but the only way he could manifest that little wish of his.


    That was all.


    The horse abruptly whinnied, and Claud straightened his body. A few seconds later, ten or so rough-looking men appeared on the road, their eyes blazing with malice and other dark feelings. Catcalls followed as the men at the front laid eyes on Lily, and Claud felt something hot bubble in the pit of his stomach.


    ¡°Hey you.¡± The leader of these men, a burly fellow who looked like he had been through a few fights, ¡°that wagon is mine now. And that woman too¡ª¡±


    Blue light flashed once, and the burly man fell onto his bum as fine needles of blue light stabbed into his body. He screamed for two seconds, before falling back into a dead faint. Claud lowered his hand and slipped off the wagon, taking long deliberate steps as he approached the trembling group.


    ¡°This would have been a lot less painful if you guys didn¡¯t cast designs on my Lily.¡± Claud tilted his head. ¡°They told me to bring you back alive, but¡­¡±


    He looked at the man at the very front, and then at those that had catcalled. Did he really need to keep these people alive? They seemed very experienced with what they had done, and it was possible small merchant convoys had been devoured entirely by them.


    By the look on this fellow¡¯s face, the captured men had probably been killed, and the women dragged away. That realisation made him shake once. If these people had been tri-folders, or if Claud and Lily really were just merchants and nothing else¡­


    His stomach twisted.


    He was lucky to have this kind of strength, but what about the common people? The merchants that had met these people?


    In that moment, Claud found himself thinking that killing them was actually fine, despite all his misgivings about karma and other things. He looked at the nine other bandits, who had fallen to their knees and were currently begging, and felt a bit sick.


    Before he could raise his hand, however, Lily held on to his arm and shook her head. Claud trembled once, and then let strength drain out of his left hand.


    ¡°If you want to live,¡± said Claud, restraining his anger, ¡°bring me to your hideout.¡±


    Lily placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled sadly. ¡°It¡¯s not your place to do this. There are due processes. Don¡¯t burden yourselves with anymore deaths where possible.¡±


    He accepted Lily¡¯s intentions with a small sigh, and the bandits trembled. One of them mustered the courage to stand up, and with a trembling voice, bade the two of them to follow him.


    Lily took Claud¡¯s hand and guided him along, and the other bandits followed in silence.

 Chapter 309: The "bandits"

    ¡°Where are the people?¡± Claud asked, his voice low and guttural as he surveyed the caves in front of him.


    ¡°W-what people?¡± one of the frightened bandits asked.


    ¡°You guys have been doing this for some time, yes?¡± Claud asked, glaring at the speaker. ¡°Where are those you brought back?¡±


    ¡°Why would we bring anyone back?¡± The bandit shivered once. ¡°We didn¡¯t bring anyone back!¡±


    ¡°So after you had your way with the women, you killed them?¡± Lily asked, unsheathing her sword with a metallic hiss. ¡°Might as well just kill¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait!¡± The bandit fell onto his knees. ¡°We didn¡¯t do no woman! We¡¯re good people! Good bandits! We don¡¯t do things like that! We¡¯re innocent! We don¡¯t take women or children or men! We also have our wives helping us in this! Even if we want to, they won¡¯t let us!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Claud blinked, and the raging anger in his stomach cooled down lightly. He motioned at the still-unconscious fellow who had spoken just now. ¡°Then what¡¯s with this guy asking me for my wife?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just easier to get them to surrender that way,¡± the bandit replied in a small voice. ¡°We tell them that we want everything, and then pretend to show mercy by letting their family off. We don¡¯t want no trouble. We just tell them to never come back home.¡±


    Claud fell silent, a whirl of complicated feelings in his heart. It was great that he actually reined in the urge to kill earlier, since if this were true, he would have killed people that didn¡¯t quite deserve it. And on the other side of the balance¡­


    He narrowed his eyes and calmed down. ¡°You said your wives are here, right? Lead us over. We¡¯ll interrogate them.¡±


    The kneeling bandit nodded over and over again, before getting up. Trembling, he said, ¡°F-follow me, sir and madam.¡±


    Lily glanced at the other trembling bandits once, her chilly glance making them all freeze up. ¡°Run, and we¡¯ll break your legs. All three of them.¡±


    None of them dared to speak back, and Claud followed the trembling fellow, Lily at his side. He took the chance to observe the intricate network of caves as he entered, and after going through two caves, they stopped at a communal area, where women were working on some food with kids.


    ¡°Kids too?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Family,¡± the bandit replied. ¡°And¡ª¡±


    ¡°Papa!¡± A little boy ran over and hugged him. ¡°Welcome back! Who are these people? Are they going to join us?¡±


    The bandit was about to reply when Lily stepped forward and squatted down. ¡°Hey, buddy. Does your papa bring people back?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s boring¡­I wish he¡¯d bring some people back.¡± The boy pouted. ¡°It¡¯s boring here. Papa tells us to study and study, and it never ends. He doesn¡¯t let us play outside either.¡±


    Claud narrowed his eyes. By the looks of it, the other kids also faced the same issue of being stuck here¡­but why would they be? He turned to the women standing around, and then immediately noted traces of living in the rough.


    ¡°Ladies,¡± said Claud, ¡°do your husbands bring people back after their¡­work outside?¡±


    The women looked at each other, and then replied in the negative. From the looks of it, it was possible that they didn¡¯t quite understand what was going on so far, which made their reply more credible. He surveyed the area once more, and then shook his head twice at Lily.


    Passing a little chocolate over to the surprised boy, Lily stood back up and motioned at the cave entrance. Within moments, the two of them had reconvened with the other bandits, who had wisely chosen to remain here. Lily¡¯s face had lost every single bit of that freezing chill earlier, and she was now looking at them with as much confusion as Claud himself felt.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°You guys decided to become bandits¡­and nearly died, really.¡± Lily glanced at the bandits. ¡°That was probably the stupidest line we¡¯ve ever heard.¡±


    ¡°Mana-folders don¡¯t become merchants,¡± mumbled the bandit that had brought them in.


    Schwarz¡¯s face popped up in Claud¡¯s head immediately, and he had to hide a smile. Lily, on her part, simply raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯d be surprised. Anyway, you guys should count yourselves lucky that my husband didn¡¯t kill everyone off the bat.¡±


    She closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°Now, we¡¯re here on orders of Count Lostfon. You guys have been hampering the supply routes of his people and the Dark. Surrender and return with us, and nobody gets hurt. And if there¡¯s a good reason behind all this, you might even be spared.¡±


    Claud remained silent. That second bit definitely hadn¡¯t been said earlier, but he was confident in Lily¡¯s ability to negotiate with the Dark Herald and Count Lostfon. Besides, killing them wasn¡¯t necessary at all. If they swore off their bandit work, that would be perfectly fine too.


    ¡°They¡¯ll kill us, right?¡± someone asked.


    ¡°Not on my watch,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Or so I would like to say. However, why did you resort to doing such things? If you give a good motive, and swear never to do this again, I¡¯m sure your city lord will spare you.¡±


    The bandits looked at each other. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll stand on your side if they try to do anything to you,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And there¡¯s a critical manpower shortage in Lostfon anyway. Might be able to live there without any black mark¡­by the way, what happened to the stolen goods?¡±


    ¡°Someone took them.¡±


    ¡°Someone?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Did that person have a part in making you guys bandits? Are there any more of you guys doing the same thing?


    The bandit trembled once, and then took a deep breath. ¡°A rainbow. And¡­I don¡¯t think so. Not yet.¡±


    Claud narrowed his eyes a moment later as he took in the implications of these two words. The rainbow was an informal way of referring to the Coloured Gods, although one would assume that the Black God and the White God weren¡¯t included in this particular imagery. However, mixing paints of the seven different colours formed black paint, while shining lights of the seven different colours on the same place created white light instead.


    Therefore, the rainbow also included the Black God and the White God. The more pertinent question, however, was the reason behind their interference here.


    ¡°¡­We should have this talk in a safer place,¡± Lily replied. ¡°If I were you guys, I would try to make the Dark Herald and Count Lostfon promise to spare you in return for information, housing and resources integral to living here.¡±


    The bandit nodded once.


    ¡°Then go. Get your families out. We¡¯re returning to Lostfon.¡± Lily folded her arms. ¡°Hurry.¡±


    The bandits got up and rushed into the cave with all due haste, leaving behind the unconscious fellow on the ground. Trusting that his comrades would bring him along, Claud turned to Lily. ¡°Do you think Count Lostfon will spare them?¡±


    ¡°If they did as I suggested, he¡¯ll probably spare them. And the city needs all the people it can get right now too,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And the Dark Herald probably won¡¯t give a crap about the fate of these people as long as they stop holding up the supply lines.¡±


    ¡°The only question lies in the people instigating them to rob these supplies,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And the intelligent fellow earlier implied that they were currently the only group. There might be others in the next few days.¡±


    ¡°There can¡¯t be that many,¡± Lily replied. ¡°The flight from Lostfon happened in a very short window.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see. For now, we can escort them back and sit in on the investigations. Given that their entire families are returning, they shouldn¡¯t be too keen to lie¡­and Count Lostfon probably won¡¯t be too keen to punish either.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the line of logic I was going with too,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Anyway, aren¡¯t you glad that you didn¡¯t just kill all of them earlier?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud fell silent. ¡°Funny, I guess. I couldn¡¯t bear the thought of¡­¡±


    ¡°Us being actually forced into such a predicament, right?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Turned out that the guy didn¡¯t actually mean it. But that was probably dumb. Like really dumb.¡±


    ¡°Right? He nearly died.¡± Claud closed his eyes and thought to the near-death escape the idiot shouting had. If he had been a bit tougher, a bit more forceful, those needles he sent out would have killed that fellow.


    It would have been too harsh a punishment.


    ¡°Here, we see the importance of saying the right things at the right time, I guess.¡± Lily patted his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m glad you restrained yourself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough guilt. I¡¯m happy I didn¡¯t¡­¡± Claud shook his head and hugged Lily. ¡°Thanks. For stopping me.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like the idea of killing, and you¡¯ve been forced to confront the idea that those you¡¯ve already killed might not actually be guilty.¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°Then don¡¯t. If they are really killers, there¡¯ll naturally be avengers aiming for them.¡±


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re speaking from experience, right?¡± Claud asked, looking at Lily.


    ¡°I confirmed my family¡¯s guilt over and over. Everyone who died that night was guilty,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I don¡¯t regret that.¡±


    Claud mulled over those words thoughtfully, holding Lily close the whole time.

 Chapter 310: The Count and the Herald

    Back at Lostfon, a shadowy figure and an ornately dressed man stared at a motley crew of shivering men, who were currently on their knees, their faces contemplative.


    Claud let out a small sigh when he noted the lack of any intense emotion directed at the poor crowd, and he nudged Lily. ¡°Seems like they¡¯ll be fine now, I guess. The count doesn¡¯t seem too interested in killing them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad we don¡¯t need to fall out over something this small. And as for the Dark Herald¡­well, she¡¯s just completely disinterested, right?¡± Lily had an odd look on her face. ¡°I guess Dust¡¯s the type that doesn¡¯t care as long as the job¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°Probably. Either that, or the two of them have more pressing things on their mind.¡± Claud leaned against the wall and watched the proceedings.


    ¡°Like the possibility of the Coloured Gods trying to start something.¡± Lily bobbed her head. Right now, the bandits-turned-civilians were thanking the count profusely for sparing them and for welcoming them back to the city, which was a rather heart-warming sight.


    Claud already knew it, but not all nobles were wolves that had a questionable taste for blood and gruesome murders.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s the information I hear from up high¡­¡±


    ¡°What information?¡± Lily asked, cottoning on to his self-reflection.


    ¡°Oh, my innate bias against male nobles of a certain rank and higher,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I used to think that all counts were bloodsuckers who prowled the night and preyed on unsuspecting townfolk. Of course, that impression was remedied when I grew a bit older, but I¡¯m sure those storybooks affected me somewhat.¡±


    Lily tilted her head, before her eyes lit up. ¡°Baron Bloodsucker?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! And Count Crimson too,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I remember the artwork. It was an elegant setting. Chandeliers, silky clothes, posh manners¡­and blood draining from corpses and trickling into glass cups.¡±


    ¡°Uwah. I remember reading the Nasty Nobles series now.¡± Lily let out a small sigh. ¡°The author never got around to releasing the following books, though. I¡¯m kinda pissed.¡±


    ¡°Now that you think of it?¡±


    ¡°Now that I think of it.¡± Lily eyed Claud. ¡°Really needed you to bring that up.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Claud rubbed her head. ¡°This better?¡±


    ¡°What am I, a child? Well, this does feel good¡­you have a talent for headpats.¡± Lily closed her eyes and leaned against him. ¡°Up a bit higher¡­and there, yes. I like that spot the most.¡±


    Committing that specific part of her head to his eternal memory, Claud carried on with the very entertaining task of cheering up Lily, and in silence, the two of them watched the pardoned families scamper out of the palace. Guided by guards, the entire bunch soon vanished into parts unknown, and Claud had to reluctantly end his pampering of Lily.


    ¡°Come on,¡± said Claud. ¡°Time to go back.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Lily looked like she was chewing on a lemon or something, but not a word of complaint escaped her mouth.


    Count Lostfon looked at them as they approached, a small smile on his face. ¡°Good job, the two of you. I wasn¡¯t aware that those dastardly bandits that had been screwing us over were just families that had been instigated and tempted to rob our convoys. Moons know¡ª err, sorry ¡ª that I need more manpower around here to begin with.¡±


    ¡°It seems like the good count¡¯s trust in you two was not unfounded,¡± said the Dark Herald, who didn¡¯t seem to care that Count Lostfon had swore to the Moons. ¡°Once again, thank you for preserving the sanctity of this covenant between my master and you humans.¡±


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°You flatter us,¡± Lily replied, her endearing tone of voice replaced with a business-like alto. ¡°We did what we were requested to do, for the sake of the people here.¡±


    ¡°It might not seem like much,¡± the Dark Herald replied, ¡°and to me, your intentions are immaterial. What matters is the fact that you have prevented any unwelcome incidents that could have potentially arose from the cessation of the covenant between my master and the Duchess Lacuna. That is all.¡±


    ¡°To decline your praise further would be discourteous,¡± Lily replied, her words an implicit acceptance of the Dark Herald¡¯s praise.


    Dust looked at Lily once, and then turned to Count Lostfon. ¡°Disturbing elements indeed have encroached upon the soil on which the two of us stand. The current overseers of this mortal realm¡­whether this is their doing or not is not something we can discern for now.¡±


    Count Lostfon nodded. ¡°Bandits capable of discerning the origins of their instigator? The instigator might have just let a few words slip here and there. But we find ourselves in a predicament here. The two enemies your master faces are older than me and almost everyone alive. The number of considerations put into this matter cannot be underestimated.¡±


    ¡°Layers of conspiracy.¡± Dust turned away from them. ¡°In essence, we currently face a recursive trap that¡¯s bent on paralysing us with indecision and considerations. It will do not to dwell on it.¡±


    Claud listened attentively. For some reason, his instincts were telling him that this was probably the only way he could complete the Omen Mission on his mission list. Tricks like this to exhaust the three sides would be the only way he could remotely stand a chance in complete that mission, and¡ª


    His mind ground to a halt. Why did he have to complete that mission anyway? It wasn¡¯t like failure would mean anything, and¡­


    He took a deep breath and decided not to think about it just yet. There were things that he wasn¡¯t qualified to think about or to examine in detail just yet, even if they were very relevant to him on a personal basis.


    Like the name of a particular passive skill, for instance.


    ¡°What will you do now, Dust?¡± Count Lostfon asked.


    ¡°Now?¡± The Dark Herald paused for a moment. ¡°Let¡¯s move to somewhere more hospitable. You should dispense your rewards, just as I should dispense mine.¡±


    Claud perked up at those words. He had somewhat forgotten about it, but they did make an agreement with both Count Lostfon and the Dark Herald. The former was insurance, something Lily had foreseen in the future, while the Dark Herald was going to help them with the thing that had been weighing down on Claud for a long time.


    ¡°True. This isn¡¯t the place to talk about secrets,¡± said Count Lostfon. ¡°Come on. Follow me. Would you three like some drinks too? I¡¯ve managed to secure a few barrels of our specialty drink, and it would be nice to share it around with you guys.¡±


    As the Dark Herald agreed, the impression that these two fellows treated the other as a peer and equal flitted through Claud¡¯s mind again. Despite Dust¡¯s incredible origins, she was treating the count normally, unlike a certain Holy Daughter of the White Church.


    It was rather intriguing, to say the least.


    ¡°Is your madam still awake?¡± Dust asked.


    ¡°My lovely wife?¡± Count Lostfon blinked. ¡°What, you want supper? No, no. No more. She¡¯s busy trying to touch up her mana circuits. How can you disturb her like this?¡±


    ¡°Then you cook.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Count Lostfon stared at the Dark Herald. ¡°Me, cook? Dude, hold up. I¡¯m a count. I¡¯ve never touched a freaking pan before. Lighting a fire? Really?¡±


    ¡°You can do it. Go, Lostfon.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t use deadpan words to cheer me on and call that encouragement, alright?¡± The count ran his hands through his hair. ¡°That¡¯s just crap, alright? I don¡¯t know how to cook, and¡­¡±


    As the two quibbled over the issue of supper, Claud sidled over to Lily, who immediately produced a small bag of chocolate balls. Taking turns to pick up a delicious snack stuffed with energy, the two watched the little drama play out, occasionally sharing glances full of amusement and interest. Who knew that these two were not that different from close friends? No one could have guessed, and from the conversation between the two, it would seem that the Dark Herald was a regular freeloader ¡ª err, visitor ¡ª of Count Lostfon¡¯s home.


    ¡°Would you look at that.¡± Lily tossed another chocolate ball into her mouth.


    Claud felt a bit conflicted, however. This was just more proof that the people of the Dark, the Shadowed Ones, were no different from regular humans. They too had their own thoughts, considerations, worries and emotions.


    And yet¡­


    A hand slipped into his own, and Lily placed her forehead against his own. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Don¡¯t think about that, okay? We¡¯ll face whatever comes together.¡±


    Claud forced himself to smile, his chest heating up slightly. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    A cough broke their little moment.


    ¡°Time to go, lovebirds,¡± the count muttered. ¡°After this, I¡¯m going home to hug my lady for three hours. And if she complains, I¡¯ll blame you two.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make single people curse you,¡± Dust added. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Clearing their throats awkwardly, Claud and Lily followed behind.

 Chapter 311: Information on the Second Tutorial

    Claud chewed on something called a hamburger, a dish that had apparently come from a recipe obtained from the Celestia Ruins. Clutching on to two roasted buns of bread that had meat and vegetables inside, he stuffed his mouth eagerly, savouring the exquisite blend of flavours with delight.


    Like him, Lily had also forgone any semblance of elegance whatsoever, and she gave off a childlike delight while chomping down on the hamburger too. Only Count Lostfon and Dust were eating their own hamburgers elegantly; one hand holding the two buns perfectly while the other swirled a glass of wine around.


    They looked really cool, but Claud wasn¡¯t going to admit that out loud.


    ¡°Ah, children.¡± Dust looked them the two of them. ¡°So adorably in love and in their actions.¡±


    Claud swallowed the bit of hamburger in his mouth. ¡°Uh, are you talking about us?¡±


    ¡°You two are roughly twenty-six years of age,¡± said Dust. ¡°Aren¡¯t you two children?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too hard about it,¡± said Count Lostfon. ¡°To her, anyone below one hundred is a child. Seems to be a Shadowed One thing.¡±


    ¡°Uh, how about babies then?¡± Lily asked, having swallowed the food in her mouth too. ¡°Like the ones waddling around the street.¡±


    ¡°They look like three,¡± said the count, ¡°but their age is actually one to ten years old. They grow a bit taller every ten years, and look like a teenager at the age of hundred. The Shadowed Ones undergo their coming-of-age ceremony at two hundred.¡±


    Claud felt his mind go blank for a moment as surprising facts stormed into his mind and took his common sense hostage. For a moment, the world seemed to spin around him, and he shook his head in a daze.


    ¡°W-wow,¡± Claud forced out. ¡°And I thought you were an old man, count.¡±


    ¡°By human standards, I¡¯m around five hundred. I¡¯m plenty old, yes.¡± Count Lostfon shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve been staying alive due to a generous helping of pure-ranked lifestones so far, though. Even if they¡¯re not useful in burning a fifth circuit, they still give me life.¡±


    ¡°Wait, lifestones don¡¯t help in burning the fifth mana circuit?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°They do, but¡­just a moment.¡± Dust cleared her throat. ¡°Ahem. I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m the one who¡¯s supposed to do the explanation. While I appreciate your assist in leading up to this topic, attempts to fulfil the Great One¡¯s promise in his stead is nothing short of an insult.¡±


    ¡°Oh, crap. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t done anything yet, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°You two are quite close friends, huh?¡± Lily observed. ¡°It¡¯s¡­amazing.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really see why it¡¯s amazing. A relationship between different races isn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not that,¡± said Lily. ¡°I¡¯m referring to the age gap. You must be millennia old, right? And yet you interact with him and us like equals and everything. That¡¯s really cool!¡±


    ¡°How am I supposed to behave, then? I¡¯ll have you know that the elders have eight to nine children on their knees everyday,¡± said Dust. ¡°Age, as a measurement of maturity, is quite pointless. It does not reflect one¡¯s virtues and strengths.¡±


    Lily opened her mouth, but she was clearly stumped by that quiet assertion from Dust. After taking the time to think it through, Lily lowered her head. ¡°You¡¯re right. I apologise.¡±


    Claud tilted his head. He didn¡¯t get why she was apologising, but again, Lily was always far better at reading between the lines than him. She could figure out his alter egos easily anyway, so something like this really wasn¡¯t all that surprising. Making a mental note to ask her about that, Claud picked up his abandoned hamburger and bit into it once more.


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    ¡°I¡¯m glad you understand,¡± said Dust. ¡°Anyway, now that we¡¯re at a good point, I suppose I should hand out my rewards. Information on the Second Tutorial¡­or the tribulation, as some might call it, and enough lifestones for you, Lily.¡±


    Claud finished off his burger and gazed expectantly at the Dark Herald, who was pouring out another glass of wine, to Lostfon¡¯s irritation.


    ¡°So, the Second Tutorial.¡± Dust, a Herald of the Great Dark, swirled her wine glass slowly. ¡°I will not mystify my words, nor try to confuse everyone present by adding in information from my own world, so I¡¯ll keep it as simple as possible.¡±


    She clapped her hands once, and the world around Claud seemed to change slightly. The colours looked off by a hue or two, and the quiet night had been silenced entirely. The light shining down on them reminded him of the daylight in Lostfon; it felt weak, faint and hollow.


    It was as if they were in a different world of sorts.


    ¡°Okay. We¡¯re now safe. Your authority levels will not restrict you two now.¡± Dust paused. ¡°This is a very rare privilege, by the way. Only with the intervention of the Great One himself can something like this happen, or in the right place.¡±


    ¡°Like Celestia,¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°¡­The ruins of another universe. Yes.¡± The Dark Herald looked at the two of them. ¡°I suppose we can go there for in-depth discussions, if push comes to shove and we run out of time. But let¡¯s get this out of the way first.¡±


    She took a sip from the glass. ¡°The Second Tutorial is designed to filter out anyone who is weak in will. Upon its commencement, the trial-taker will fall unconscious, their mind transported into an illusory world of their own making. The rules of this world are aligned to the regrets and ideals of the trial-taker.¡±


    ¡°Regrets?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Yes. People are complex beings. Their desires, their interactions with each other¡­all of them produce a huge net. When two ideals conflict, or when one¡¯s past regrets clash with one¡¯s goal for the future¡­all this creates a vulnerability in one¡¯s heart.¡± The Dark Herald set down the glass in her hand, and then looked at Claud. ¡°The more vulnerabilities one accrues, the more prone they are to insanity.¡±


    ¡°And¡­this is bad, because?¡±


    ¡°Insane tetra-folders will cause a lot of damage, no matter where you are,¡± said Dust. ¡°Therefore, this Second Tutorial is a pre-emptive measure to weed out those who are clearly incapable of holding on to such power and using it wisely.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very complex, huh.¡±


    ¡°A lot of people take the first tutorial. The world would be overstraining itself if the first tutorial is one-tenth the complexity of the second,¡± Dust replied. ¡°Power has a price. On both sides.¡±


    Claud pondered for a moment, but decided not to ask his question in the end. He had a feeling that asking about his Personal Quest would lead to an incredibly bad chain of events, and even if they were in an area where Authority wasn¡¯t an issue, he couldn¡¯t trust Dust or Count Lostfon this much.


    Opening his status mentally, Claud glanced at an entry.


    [Personal Quest: One¡¯s Order]


    Quest introduction: To hold fate in one¡¯s hand requires both knowledge and wisdom. Rediscover yourself, and recreate your conviction that drives your order.


    Quest requirements: Impose order upon your tribulation.


    Quest rewards: FiBoD:A??? evolves, 300 years of lifespan


    Additional Remarks: Trigger a tribulation by bringing your Mana Circuit Superimposition to 4.00.]


    What exactly did the quest want from him? Or would something change the moment his Second Tutorial start?


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Count Lostfon asked.


    ¡°Just¡­wondering about what happens if one fails their tribulation,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Yeah. Is it possible to retake it again?¡±


    ¡°Failure, huh? Your lifespan is directly lowered by fifty years,¡± said Count Lostfon. ¡°Considering that the only things that should work for you or me now are pure-ranked lifestones, it¡¯s a very hefty price. Lifespan doesn¡¯t grow on trees, after all. And I¡¯m told that there¡¯s sometimes very significant mental trauma involved.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better than death, I guess.¡± Claud took a deep breath. He couldn¡¯t say that he was entirely sound; Claud knew better than anyone else that he was somewhat off his rocker. The amount of caution he used when doing anything was not natural, to say the least, and¡­


    He shook his head. This wasn¡¯t the right time to think about that.


    ¡°That¡¯s all about the second tribulation I can tell you. Anything else, like how it¡¯s generated, is beyond my knowledge and everything,¡± said Dust. ¡°To sum it up, it¡¯s a tribulation that sieves out those who have weak wills. That said, it¡¯s not as easy as saying that you¡¯ll never give up. To truly succeed, you¡¯ll need to smooth over the contradictions in your mindset.¡±


    She waved once, and the world returned to normal. Picking up the glass, she leaned back and said, ¡°It¡¯s about carving out your own path.¡±


    With that cryptic statement, she got up. ¡°I¡¯ll be sending two chests of pure-ranked lifestones tomorrow. Make good use of it.¡±


    ¡°You two should rest now,¡± Count Lostfon added, a hint of dismissal in his voice. ¡°I need to discuss something with Dust.¡±


    Bidding farewell to the two of them, Claud and Lily got up and left.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Lily asked.


    Claud glanced at the gates behind them, and then smiled helplessly. ¡°I¡¯ll try to prepare for anomalies in my Second Tutorial.¡±


    ¡°Anomalies?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it if we visit Celestia again.¡±


    Lily eyed him once, and then smiled. ¡°You better not forget that, okay?¡±


    Claud rubbed her hair in reply.

 Chapter 312: A small break and a weeks wait

    Claud rolled around on the bed, an act designed to evoke his own childhood, and then looked up at the lightening sky. ¡°It¡¯s great that everything turned out fine in the end.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Lily bounced on the bed. ¡°Also, is it me, or are you in a nostalgic mood today?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? How can you tell?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Just me rolling on my bed isn¡¯t exactly proof that I¡¯m thinking of my childhood and my time as a child, right?¡±


    ¡°Call it a gut instinct,¡± Lily replied, creating ripples on their squishy bed as she continued to bounce up and down on the springy mattress. Crown made a delighted meep a few seconds later and joined them on the bed, an action that the little orb, Throne, swiftly copied.


    The next few minutes were bounced away in such a fashion, and Claud found himself smiling. It was great to be young, especially when Crown and Throne were making things more lively with little meeps. Eventually, however, Lily and Claud grew tired, and with one last bounce, Lily backed herself into his embrace.


    ¡°Whoa there, steady¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a horse, alright?¡± Lily grinned. ¡°Ahh. The joys of just fooling around like children. We should do this more whenever we have a bed. Adult stuff is great, but rolling and bouncing around a bed is fun too.¡±


    Claud straightened her clothes out. ¡°Yeah, true. And yes, I was feeling nostalgic.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not surprised,¡± Lily replied. ¡°You and me¡­we probably have regrets about not spending more time with our loved ones. I wish I had more time with my mother, you know.¡±


    Something twisted in Claud¡¯s heart, and he reached out to hold her. ¡°I wish¡­no one I know and care about will ever die.¡±


    ¡°I know. I know.¡± Lily took a deep breath. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re always looking for lifestones. You never hesitated to give them to me for that reason.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a coward, I guess.¡± Claud looked back on his actions so far, and then shook his head. ¡°And greedy too. When I could only protect myself, I yearned to live forever. Now that I¡¯m stronger, I want everyone around me to live forever. I suppose we humans are insatiable.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s sweet.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go praising me like that, I¡¯ll get embarrassed.¡±


    Crown hopped onto Claud¡¯s head a moment later. ¡°Meep, meep! Meep!¡±


    Claud tried to determine the little fellow¡¯s words by following the tone, but since he couldn¡¯t exactly tell what Crown was saying word for word, he didn¡¯t grow embarrassed from all that praise.


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    ¡°Meep. Meep¡­¡± Throne bounced twice and rolled to Lily, who picked it up. She made a little amused smile, and then popped the silvery ball on her head too, where it nestled into her violet hair.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell what those fellows are saying at times,¡± Claud observed.


    ¡°We can get a rough idea, but the exact words remain a mystery.¡± Lily laughed. ¡°But that makes them extra-cute, right? Like pets.¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    ¡°I think they also like this language barrier too,¡± Claud translated, an odd look on his face. ¡°Would you look at that. You two will live forever, right? Don¡¯t go leaving the two of us one day.¡±


    Crown rolled off his head and landed on his thigh, before bouncing twice on it with little meeps. Claud smiled. ¡°Yeah, I haven¡¯t forgotten. We¡¯ll find out your origins¡­we should really return to Celestia if we want to do that, though.¡±


    Cupping the little Throne in her hand, Lily raised the silvery globe to eye-level. ¡°I wish I knew where you came from and everything. Who exactly are you anyway?¡±


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    ¡°Throne can only make meeping sounds, so there¡¯s no way we¡¯ll get an explicit answer,¡± Claud replied with a laugh. ¡°Alright, you two have fun or something. It¡¯s almost morning, and the two of us are going to wash up. Don¡¯t make a mess of the bed, though.¡±


    ¡°You first?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re still sleepy, huh.¡± Claud flicked her nose gently. ¡°I¡¯ll wake you up when I¡¯m done, then.¡±


    ¡°That just means that you¡¯re going to take your own sweet time,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s go in together. I get the feeling that you¡¯re going to fall asleep too inside if I let you go alone.


    As the two washed up together, Claud had the feeling that he wasn¡¯t the only one who dreamt of their family and of bygone days last night, but he was sensitive enough that he didn¡¯t broach the topic directly. Instead, he simply paid a bit more attention to Lily and tried to synchronise his movements with her, a little act that got Lily to poke his cheeks.


    They did spend thirty minutes fooling around, though, so when Claud and Lily stumbled out of the bathroom, he couldn¡¯t help but think that going in one by one would have been faster.


    ¡°Aww, they¡¯re asleep,¡± Lily whispered, before cupping the two little fellows onto her hands. Bringing them over to a velvet-lined little box that they had brought some time ago, she lowered them onto the fluffy bed, where they made a few drowsy meeps in reply.


    ¡°They¡¯re like baby birds or something, I swear.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°Come here. Let me dry your hair.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been doing that every time I shower, though.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s fun.¡± Claud patted her hair dry with a violet towel. ¡°So, I think I¡¯ll try to complete my fourth mana circuit by the end of this week.¡±


    Lily froze, and then nodded. ¡°I kinda guessed, really. Are you sure you¡¯re going in this early? Is there anything I can do? Or any preparations we can make?¡±


    ¡°Preparations¡­¡± Claud chewed on that word slowly. ¡°It¡¯s all about the mind. Maybe some introspection, I guess. But that¡¯s it. I¡¯m not sure what I can do. And¡­¡±


    The quest was still bugging him too. Its requirements, however, were too ambiguous for him to actually understand what it asked for. How could an examination candidate dictate the exam itself?


    Students in Licencia never had the chance to do that, and Claud didn¡¯t think himself smarter than those weasels.


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Well, I did tell you about my personal quest. It¡¯s related to this whole Second Tutorial thing, but I¡¯ve no idea what it actually wants.¡± Claud paused. ¡°And to add insult to injury, I can¡¯t even ask you for advice.¡±


    ¡°Unless we go to Celestia,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Yeah, but I would very much prefer to be stronger before we return there,¡± Claud replied. ¡°That place is another world, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°We already went there once,¡± Lily cut in. ¡°And¡­well, I was thinking Celestia might be a better place for you to take your Second Tutorial. Perhaps it might not even trigger there or something!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t have that either.¡±


    ¡°¡­My husband can be very troublesome,¡± Lily muttered, before flicking his nose. ¡°I still think you should tell me about everything in Celestia, though. It¡¯s better than doing it alone. And¡­you¡¯ve been doing everything so far with me. I¡¯ll feel left out at this rate.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an unfair card to play, and you know that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do anything if that means you aren¡¯t doing it alone.¡± Lily¡¯s eyes gave off a brilliant, piercing light. ¡°You already knew this from the start, so don¡¯t go complaining about it now.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not complaining.¡± Claud rubbed his burning cheeks and looked away. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re mumbling under your breath there,¡± Lily reminded, her voice jolly and full of life. ¡°Go on!¡±


    ¡°¡­touched, alright?¡± Claud tried to adjust his face, but that stupid grin kept forcing its way onto his face. ¡°This is¡­I¡¯m not supposed to be, you know¡­it¡¯ll spoil my image.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen every part of you, so no, it¡¯s not going to.¡± Lily smiled. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll go to Celestia tomorrow or something. You¡¯ll be able to tell me more there, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose we can do that.¡± Claud looked at the floor for a moment. ¡°I think it¡¯ll be better if we wait a week or something, though. I think there¡¯s something brewing.¡±


    ¡°Brewing?¡±


    ¡°Call it an instinct or something,¡± Claud replied, trying to pick out the many tangled lines in his subconscious. The moment Lily suggested Celestia, Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel a touch of danger or something. Was it possible that someone was waiting for them there? He had a feeling that something was guiding their movements; if he went there now, something bad would happen.


    After a while, Claud rested his head on Lily¡¯s back ¡ª he was still drying her hair up to that point ¡ª and then let out a long sigh. ¡°I feel like someone¡¯s guiding us. Something¡¯s making us want to go there.¡±


    ¡°¡­The Dark Herald all but told us that the ruins were the only place that we can communicate freely at,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Maybe she has a plan in all this.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe the power behind her prodded her that way.¡± Claud clenched his chest. ¡°Either way, I think it¡¯ll be prudent if we wait for something else to distract everyone first.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to put off your ascension?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± Claud grimaced. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Lily tilted her head. ¡°What for? You¡¯re not doing me any injustice!¡±


    ¡°I just felt like saying it?¡± Claud resumed his task of drying her hair. ¡°Anyway, I guess we¡¯ll just slack off for now. Something has to happen soon, right? I don¡¯t believe this world can be at peace for more than a week.¡±


    Lily leaned back against him and tilted her head up to show a smile. ¡°What kind of prophecy is that supposed to be?¡±


    ¡°Mine!¡±

 Chapter 313: The dome above Daybreak County

    ¡°It¡¯s been nearly a week since we arrived, right?¡± Nero asked. ¡°Are we going to make a big move soon?¡±


    He tossed a small chunk of fried chicken into his mouth, and Dia reached out for the bowl full of popcorn chicken a moment later. This little treat, which were sold by the packets, were prime material to dip into all sorts of sauces, or enjoyed by itself.


    ¡°I think we can, but I¡¯m increasingly of the opinion that there¡¯s really something odd going on in this county,¡± Risti replied. ¡°And it¡¯s not just the great Dark either. Like something else screwing around with us.¡±


    Dia nodded. Over the past seven days, Nero had reported a drastic decrease in the number of people in Daybreak itself. In fact, Dia could see the drop herself; the streets, which had been brimming with people, were growing more and more deserted for each passing day. The miners that had thronged the lifestone mines had dropped in number too, and Nero¡¯s original job of scaring the living daylights out of them had become easier with each passing day.


    In fact, Dia had the feeling that they didn¡¯t actually need to do anything or even go to Daybreak County at all. At this rate, the county would soon be devoid of people¡­and what was most creepy of all was how no one else seemed to notice the decrease in people at all.


    ¡°Should we just leave and report the results to Count Nightfall?¡± Nero suggested. ¡°It feels dangerous. Like something¡¯s about to happen here. It¡¯ll be best if we aren¡¯t caught up in it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a tough question, but it¡¯s undeniable that the number of people here really has decreased,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Today was particularly drastic.¡±


    ¡°Which is why I brought up such a suggestion.¡± Nero frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve tried to convince people to leave with me, but whenever I bring it up, my words seem to be ignored. It¡¯s as if the people can only respond to certain questions or requests.¡±


    ¡°You got that feeling too?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Seems like we all concur on the same thing, then,¡± Risti replied. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s put it to a vote. Who wants to abandon this mission and report our current results to the count?¡±


    Dia raised her hand, along with everyone else.


    ¡°Then we are in agreement,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Let¡¯s pack up and leave before whatever brewing disaster strikes.¡±


    Nodding, Dia got up with the others and headed upstairs, returning to their rooms. It didn¡¯t take long for her to pack up her items, and before long, the three of them had checked out of the inn¡­or rather, simply left the money on the inn, since the innkeeper didn¡¯t seem to be able to recognise the fact that they were checking out.


    That just intensified the spookiness more, incidentally.


    ¡°We should hurry. I get the feeling that we¡¯ve triggered something by checking out like this. Maybe we¡¯ve alerted the mastermind or whatever, but¡­¡± Nero shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s mana-walk out of this place before anything really bad happens.¡±


    The surroundings turned into a blur as the three of them left the city, but a single glance at Nero¡¯s face was more than enough to make Dia worry. Fear was the only thing written on his face now; the Holy Son of the Black God had an expression Dia had never seen him make before.


    Neither she nor Risti was going to bother bringing that up, though.


    The sunlight that illuminated the Daybreak County seemed a bit hollow at this point, as if something or something had placed a piece of translucent paper against the sun. The noises of work that came from the few people that were still tilling their fields were abnormally weak too, and as they left the city gates, Dia saw a few of them start in surprise.


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    ¡°They¡¯re¡­awakening?¡± Nero narrowed his eyes. ¡°The people here¡­indeed, something has been done to them. However, if this something is being undone, it can only mean that the mastermind behind all these is already ready to add the finishing touches.¡±


    ¡°¡­We should have left a few days ago, then.¡±


    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be possible,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you two, but there was something hindering our thought processes. There was something that stopped us from thinking about leaving the place; I myself only managed to overcome this restriction yesterday.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hindering our thought processes?¡± Dia asked, a chill running down her spine. ¡°What manner of being can actually do such a thing?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t there two prime suspects?¡± Risti snorted. ¡°The Moons and the Dark. Either one of them could do such a thing easily, right?¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Nero bobbed his head. ¡°And the Moons did conduct a blood sacrifice via their Moon Emissaries and mortal devotees not too long ago. I won¡¯t put it past the Moons to vanish the people here and then perhaps do something to the entire county¡­but why would they do that? They already have the Terra Jewel for Daybreak County, after all.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s the great Dark.¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± The air around Nero began to warp. ¡°Hang tight. I¡¯ll be wrapping you two in a bubble of mana. Try your best to not trip over.¡±


    Dia felt her insides lurch, and the blurred surroundings turned into splotches of colour. Wind howled, but she didn¡¯t feel anything much from the way Nero charged onwards to the border of the county, and¡ª


    ¡°Damn it!¡± An awful, nauseating force ran through Dia a moment later, and the blurred surroundings returned to normal. Immediately afterwards, she understood why Nero had cursed; the area outside Daybreak County had completely vanished. In its place was a shimmering grey border that extended towards the skies and arced inwards into the centre of the county, much like the dome in Moon Mansion.


    ¡°This¡­¡± Risti straightened her body. ¡°It¡¯s like the Entrapment skill, just that it¡¯s far stronger!¡±


    ¡°Entrapment¡­Absolute Entrapment?¡± Dia shook once. ¡°Is it possible that a Bearer of Destiny is operating here? Why? And for what?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Nero, ¡°but if it¡¯s really an Absolute skill, then we¡¯ll need to be very careful. Absolute skills represent the pinnacle form of a certain skill, amongst many other things. I don¡¯t think anything short of another Absolute skill can break this dome now.¡±


    ¡°Divine intervention, maybe.¡±


    ¡°No, not necessarily.¡± Nero paused, and in a deliberate tone, said,


    ¡°It is theorised that the foundation of the Coloured Gods lies in their own Absolute Skills when they were still mortal. It¡¯s possible that they cannot break it, if they¡¯re using their own power.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like the possession of Absolute skills is what makes a god a god,¡± Risti noted.


    ¡°Maybe. Anyway, we¡¯re stuck here, but it seems that the county is waking up now,¡± said Nero. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on here, or if there¡¯s a relation between this theorised Absolute skill and the awakening of the people here to their actual circumstance, but I think we need to change of strategy.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°I recommend that we¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªFind Count Daybreak¡ª¡± Risti continued.


    ¡°¡ª and get him to help.¡±


    Everyone looked at each other, and then shrugged. As Dia held back an inappropriate urge to laugh, Nero said, ¡°It seems that working together has synchronised our thought processes slightly. Yes, we should offer our services to Count Daybreak and rip him off or something.¡±


    ¡°But what can we do? I don¡¯t think we can find the skill-user this easily,¡± said Dia. ¡°We could track murderers who threw spears across a city¡¯s wall since there¡¯s a direction, but our target could be anyone. They can be hiding inside the city, for instance. And don¡¯t forget that there¡¯s people vanishing everyday too.¡±


    ¡°¡­Put that way, it does seem like we won¡¯t be able to do anything,¡± Risti conceded. ¡°But this verdict is too premature. Don¡¯t underestimate the power of artefacts, alright?¡±


    She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a small can with a needle of sorts at the end. Walking right up to the shimmering grey wall, she placed the tip of the needle against the grey light and held it there for a minute, before withdrawing it.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°A method in which people tried to locate your mistress with,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I¡¯ve captured the mana signature of the user. As long as the Bearer of Destiny doesn¡¯t adjust his mana signatures, we¡¯ll be able to use it to track him down. We¡¯ll need to come back every day, in case he does change his mana signature, but I know how people with power behave.¡±


    ¡°Go on,¡± said Nero.


    ¡°They¡¯re supremely confident.¡± Risti narrowed her eyes. ¡°And I¡¯ll prove it to you.¡±


    Smirking, she stored the odd-looking can into her backpack. ¡°Come on. We¡¯ll head to the Daybreak Palace and scare the count there a bit. Nero, we¡¯ll be counting on you.¡±


    ¡°What am I, hired muscle?¡± Nero sighed. ¡°Fine. Can¡¯t believe that the Holy Son of the Black God has been reduced into hired muscle to intimidate a tiny count¡­¡±


    Casting one last look at the shimmering grey dome, Dia and the others ventured into the depths of the county once more.

 Chapter 314: Preparing for the enemy

    An overcast grey light, shimmering with light, blotted out both the sun and the sky. The ominous sight was more than enough to make Dia feel a touch of trepidation and fear, but she knew that indulging these emotions would simply worsen their current situation.


    ¡°Right now, we¡¯re in deep trouble,¡± Nero muttered, his words punctured by his regular, firm steps.


    ¡°The fact that you, a tetra-folder, is saying that, just drives it home,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Mind explaining?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re like fish in a barrel,¡± Nero replied. ¡°The enemy is probably more than ready to wipe out the rest of this county, and we aren¡¯t even at the starting line. Other than a trace of the culprit¡¯s mana, which could be disguised, there¡¯s nothing we can move on from.¡±


    ¡°Do you think the count has been compromised?¡± Risti asked."


    ¡°I hope not,¡± said Nero, ¡°which is why we¡¯re heading there to begin with. We¡¯ll need to be very careful, though. Infiltration isn¡¯t my strong suit, and I¡¯m sure none of you guys are experts in sneaking around either.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a fighter,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I can¡¯t sneak around for nuts.¡±


    ¡°And you can think of me as a means to scout from afar,¡± Risti added.


    ¡°Unfortunately, most of my skills deal with persuading people and tricking them.¡± Nero paused. ¡°We¡¯re all quite useless in this situation¡­well, I suppose Dia can at least cleave a way out for us if we¡¯re ever surrounded by enemies. Uh, how good are you?¡±


    ¡°If need be, I can lay waste to a division of conventional infantry,¡± Dia replied, thinking about the shieldbearer phalanxes that the Grandis Empire used. ¡°I have two skills that can wipe out an entire city and an entire army respectively too, even on the offensive.¡±


    ¡°No preparations needed, then.¡± Nero narrowed his eyes, a sign that he had picked up on the last three words. ¡°I assume that they¡¯re all level one or something, then.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right there,¡± Dia replied. ¡°They¡¯re all level one¡­I don¡¯t get the chance to use them much.¡±


    ¡°Any skillstrips or skillsticks?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve made a few skillsticks, but not too many,¡± Dia replied. ¡°These skills are designed to wipe out entire cities and armies. I can¡¯t make too many in case they fall into the wrong hands.¡±


    ¡°¡­I hate to say this, but I think the two of us should carry one skillstick each, in case something happens to you,¡± said Nero. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll return them to you after we make it out of this damned place.¡±


    Dia nodded and took out two skillsticks. ¡°This one here contains the Sword Fall skillstick. When used, it summons a giant sword that will destroy everything and everyone that is not a tetra-folder upon impact. The radius is five hundred metres, but if you empower it with an entire mana circuit, you can increase the resulting radius to three-thousand and thirty-three metres.¡±


    She handed it to Nero, and then passed the second skillstick to Risti. ¡°This skillstick contains Domain of Swords. When used, thirty-three thousand illusory swords will appear high above the sky. Anyone not designated as an ally through your thoughts will be targeted by these swords, which carry the destructive power of a tri-folder using three mana circuits¡¯ worth of mana.¡±


    ¡°¡­Just going to put this out here,¡± said Nero, ¡°but these two aren¡¯t normal skills, are they?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re ultimate skills of the Sword family,¡± Risti replied, using a term that rarely, if ever, was used in everyday conversation.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Dia didn¡¯t elaborate much. ¡°Don¡¯t use them randomly, and Risti, the control method for Domain of Swords is not that different from your Skyward Eye. You should be able to use it to its fullest potential, although you can also let it auto-target enemies.¡±


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    Risti looked at Dia. ¡°Does the princess also have Domain of Swords?¡±


    ¡°Yes, her sixth skill that no one knows about is precisely Domain of Swords.¡± Dia smiled and told the truth.


    ¡°You really do have the same skills¡­¡± Risti grinned. ¡°Now I¡¯m pumped up. Incidentally, can I focus all the swords on the same target?¡±


    ¡°You can try, but¡­uh, you know. It¡¯s probably hard to do that,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Hard?¡± Risti echoed. ¡°What, you¡¯ve never used it before?¡±


    ¡°Once. Never had a reason to after that. It¡¯s one of those skills that you can¡¯t dispel. Once it activates, you need to designate a target, or it¡¯ll do the designating itself. Using this in a city is pretty much massacring them,¡± Dia replied. ¡°And to make matters worse, the target zone is huge¡­you¡¯ll understand if you ever got around to using it.¡±


    She thought about Risti¡¯s Skyward Eye. It was basically the same thing, except that every single lifeform highlighted by the skill would be shortly torn to pieces by an attack that carried three mana circuits¡¯ worth of power. Since there was no way Nero could rehearse using the skill, Dia had opted to give the skillstick for Domain of Swords to Risti instead, since she was used to Skyward Eye.


    ¡°Risti,¡± said Nero, ¡°do you have any trump cards for combat too? Skills that can do something other than looking at things from afar?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a professional spy,¡± Risti replied. ¡°So no. I am a reasonably good swordswoman, though.¡±


    ¡°The only thing going for me is the innate power of a tetra-folder, some complimentary training by a church knight, and my many skills designed to beguile the mind.¡± Nero clicked his teeth. ¡°If it comes down to it and Count Daybreak is compromised or an enemy, I¡¯ll forcibly retire his current consciousness and force one more friendly to us out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s scary.¡±


    ¡°The Lord has powers beyond human imagination,¡± Nero replied. ¡°His Gaze is the weakest skill in His repertoire; the others are more and more¡­reality-defying.¡±


    Dia found herself at her loss, unsure of what to say. Telling him that she looked forward to his performance was implicitly hinting that she wanted to see some trouble; dismissing the whole thing by saying that it would be best if they didn¡¯t need to bust those trump cards out might come off as a bit dismissively.


    Fortunately, she didn¡¯t need to answer.


    ¡°You should tell us more about them, then,¡± said Risti. ¡°It¡¯ll be best if we know what you can do and what you can¡¯t do.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Nero folded his arms. ¡°I suppose this is a good place to take a rest at anyway. Let¡¯s get some meat broth going for lunch.¡±


    The three of them had decided that returning with depleted mana circuits was a bad idea, so they had been walking back to the cities ever since. They hadn¡¯t had a chance to eat something yet, so meat broth sounded good too.


    ¡°Alright, I suppose we should do that,¡± said Risti. ¡°Dia, go make a pot with that rock over there.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Dia unsheathed her sword and approached the rock Risti had pointed out. Cooking implements were large and unwieldly; other than the magical pot that Claud and Lily told her about, she had never come across something designed for outdoor cooking on a large scale before.


    Therefore, they usually resorted to carving nearby rocks with Dia¡¯s swordplay. By coating mana around her sword, Dia could easily carve through normal rock, but neither Risti nor Nero had the mana control needed to do such a thing.


    Nero, in particular, had blown up a few rocks the first few times he tried.


    Before long, Dia had finished carving out the pot, just as Nero got a fire going. Risti took a little while to return with a waterbag, and without much ceremony, she dumped it into the makeshift pot, which was already heating up above the fire, after scouring the insides clean with mana.


    ¡°Done. Let¡¯s get cracking on the food, then.¡± Dia took out a slab of dried meat from her backpack and slid it into the pot, an action the others mirrored. A salting and spicing session followed as they tossed pepper, other spices and even more salt into the pot, and then waited for the mix to boil.


    ¡°While we¡¯re waiting for this to boil, I suppose I should talk about my skills.¡± Nero looked at the pot, before licking his lips. ¡°All of my skills are from the same family; they¡¯re given by the Black God, and they specialise in affecting one¡¯s emotions and reasons.¡±


    He paused. ¡°I want to highlight that they do not actually override someone¡¯s free will, alright? The Church of the Black God respects the free will of others, something that some¡­people try to attack us on.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t pick on you for that one,¡± Dia added.


    ¡°Great. We¡¯re on the same page, then. Okay, other than the customary Spirit Clone Descent, the first skill is Black God¡¯s Gaze, which is pretty much an intimidation skill with extra effects. Like the Gazes of the other Coloured Gods, this has a suppressive effect on those in my vision, and then adds ramping fear to it,¡± said Nero. ¡°The next one is Black God¡¯s Words, which¡­¡±


    Dia listened on intently, memorising these details and committing them to mind.

 Chapter 315: Entering Daybreak

    Daybreak City. Unlike its thematic opposite, Nightfall County, it didn¡¯t have a local name¡­which was actually closer to tradition than many would think. As a capital of a county, one would expect that there would be tons of people milling around the place, but a blood sacrifice to call down a Moon Emissary had recently occurred here.


    It was the only Moon Emissary that had emerged from the Istrel Dukedom, incidentally. Farah County was a bit too small or something, and Dia knew that Count Nightfall had ended the summoning before it could truly begin.


    She wasn¡¯t too sure about the details, but again, history was only examined in times of peace. In eras of turmoil, history could be rewritten over and over again by the winners, since no one was going to raise any complaint.


    ¡°How¡­sunny.¡± Risti noted.


    ¡°Not really, considering how hollow the sun-themed decorations look now,¡± Dia replied, her answer conceived purely on instinct. Most of her mind was preoccupied with Nero¡¯s little lesson on his skills, although they were just a general description.


    Of course, Nero definitely had reservations on telling them the ins and outs of his skills, so Dia wasn¡¯t going to think about those reservations for too long. Rather, she was intrigued by two things ¡ª how these skills corresponded to an action specific to a body part, like Black God¡¯s Step and Black God¡¯s Grip, and how they had incredible effect and coverage.


    ¡°You¡¯re definitely still thinking about Nero¡¯s skills,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°You¡¯re rarely this distracted.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not thinking about them in the strictest sense,¡± Dia replied, glancing at Nero once. ¡°I¡¯m just pondering about how overpowered they are.¡±


    ¡°Keep thinking that, I feel really good.¡± Nero grinned. ¡°The more admirers I have, the better¡­would you like to learn more about our Lord?¡±


    ¡°No proselytising here, please.¡± Risti paused. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s something that prohibits proselytising in general too, so you¡¯re probably breaking a rule or something around those parts.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there is.¡± Nero chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding about that. After all, why would a supreme god require people to spread his or her words? His majesty is more than enough to bring people salvation, after all. The ban on proselytising is just to stop conflict from breaking out between the nine churches, since we¡¯ll probably get into arguments about who¡¯s stronger or better.¡±


    ¡°True. The only ones who would be affected by such proselytising are the mortals who try to use the Coloured Gods for their own gain,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°Which is why¡­¡±


    ¡°Divine punishment is administered,¡± Nero completed. ¡°In fact, the same thing goes for the Moons too; to promote faith in the Moons by mortal hands is to disrespect them. After all, you¡¯re treating them as a tool for influence, and it also demonstrate the sentiment that the Moons actually need a mortal to promote their influence. Therefore, divine punishment follows.¡±


    This intriguing topic, however, had to come to an end, since they arrived at the city gates itself. People were clustering together and discussing things in hushed voices, while the city guards sent pointed gazes at the people lining up outside the gates.


    At the foreigners¡­like Dia and the others.


    Nero released a wave of intense mana as the guards approached them, and their faces changed. Before they could do anything else, Nero said, ¡°There¡¯s an emergency. Bring us to Count Daybreak; we bear news about this new phenomenon that¡¯s covering the county.¡±


    The intense mana radiating off him left the guards unable to reply for a few seconds, and when coupled with the half-scared, half-awed gazes sent their way, Dia found a new impetus to become stronger¡­although she definitely wasn¡¯t intending on abusing this to scare off guards.


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    It just looked cool, that was all.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± said their leader. ¡°We¡¯ll bring you and your companions to see the count, then.¡±


    The crowds waiting outside and inside the city parted ways as the guard led the way through them. He didn¡¯t need to shout or anything; for some reason, everyone was paying the guard a great deal of respect.


    ¡°Are you someone important?¡± Nero asked. ¡°If you are, you can call someone else to lead the way, really. We won¡¯t be offended or anything.¡±


    ¡°Where did that come from?¡± the guard asked.


    ¡°Well, the people sure gave you a lot of respect just now,¡± said Nero. ¡°Usually, you guys need to shout before they give way, but it seems like they were staring at you the whole time.¡±


    As he spoke, they jogged into a street that apparently sold foodstuffs first and foremost, and Dia found herself taken aback by the long queues that had formed there. The shoppers also didn¡¯t hold back either; adults carried huge sacks of potatoes and other hardy ingredients on their backs, while children pulled carts of similar ingredients away.


    ¡°They¡¯re preparing for the long haul, huh.¡±


    ¡°Well, people have been vanishing as of late,¡± said the guard. ¡°Everyone¡¯s scared. And the count just passed down a curfew order that will begin tomorrow. Everyone¡¯s stocking and keeping an ear out for any updates in fear.¡±


    ¡°And no one¡¯s bothering to look at the sky?¡± Nero asked.


    The guard looked up, and a puzzled expression formed on his face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the sky? It¡¯s just overcast.¡±


    ¡°¡­Never mind. Anyway, the other cities have seen huge disappearances,¡± said Nero.


    Dia nodded. ¡°We were at Dawn Barony for the past few weeks, and in the last week or so, the number of people on the streets have dropped to a third or so. I¡¯m not sure where they went, and people weren¡¯t even aware of the disappearances until today.¡±


    The light in the guard¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Dawn Barony was affected too, huh. We only became aware of this incident this morning too, and the count was alarmed by the number of missing people cases that were filed.¡±


    ¡°How many were filed?¡±


    The guard paused. ¡°Lots. Enough to fill up the guardhouse three times. We don¡¯t even know where they vanished too, or when they vanished. It seemed to be a sudden realisation, and the mass cases was enough to get the count to set down a curfew.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea, to be honest.¡± The guard paused. ¡°Best not to speak ill about my own boss, though.¡±


    Steering the conversation away from that topic, the guard talked about the deluge of panicked family members filling up the guardhouse and asking for help about missing relatives. The sight of so many other people doing the same thing simply escalated the panic, and even after reporting those disappearances, the general populace hung around the guardhouse.


    All sorts of sentiments like the disappearances being linked to the lower-class citizens ¡ª those who didn¡¯t live in Daybreak City itself ¡ª and foreigners from afar rampaged through the gathered people, and before long, something like a mob had formed. Thankfully, the guard had apparently dispersed the mob with force and a bit of mana, shouting down the agitated fellows and getting them to scram from the guardhouse¡¯s vicinity.


    ¡°Which probably accounts for why they¡¯re all looking at you with equal parts respect and fear,¡± Nero noted.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯ll do it.¡± The guard smiled. ¡°Behold, Daybreak Palace. Stay here for a bit and don¡¯t cross that line unless you want to fend off arrows and spend a day in jail.¡±


    He pointed at a line, which had a sign next to it.


    ¡°Crossing this line without permission absolves the Daybreak administration from all responsibility and liability arising from defensive measures taken,¡± Nero read out loud. ¡°Uh, is this supposed to be legal ¡®round these parts?¡±


    ¡°Other than a few absolute laws, the ruler of a domain is free to set local laws, and¡­¡± Dia paused. ¡°Just take my word for it. It¡¯s legal.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just too lazy to explain it, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll need to explain local, super-local, territorial, super-territorial and Crown laws, so unless you want me to give a three-day lecture on these things, just take my word for it,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good Nero.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll report your presence and news first,¡± said the guard. ¡°Just sit tight here and twiddle your thumbs. I¡¯ll be back in five minutes to bring you through the twenty-six security procedures.¡±


    ¡°Twenty-what?¡±


    ¡°Twenty-six,¡± said the guard. ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. You three are from a neighbouring county, after all, and you¡¯re even a strong folder. These checks are necessary. Don¡¯t worry, they won¡¯t take up too much time.¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡± Nero heaved out a sigh. ¡°Maybe we should just turn around and leave. This isn¡¯t our county anyway, and we¡¯re just trying to be good people.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll see what I can do,¡± the guard mumbled. ¡°Wait here!¡±


    As he jogged into the palace, Dia eyed the duplicitous Nero, who had just strongarmed the poor guard into¡­well, something. It wasn¡¯t something she could approve of, but again, a long check at security sounded like pain.


    Risti simply flashed a thumbs-up. ¡°Nice going, buddy.¡±


    ¡°Thank you kindly, my lady.¡±

 Chapter 316: The back and forth with Daybreak

    ¡°Protocol dictates action, but when we can¡¯t break protocol, we just move the target around¡­probably.¡± Her lips twitching, Dia looked at the man in front of her, who had the emblem of a yellow circle on his armour. ¡°Nice to meet you, Count Daybreak.¡±


    ¡°My guard decided that bringing me out here was the best course of action.¡± Count Daybreak glanced at Nero. ¡°I see he had a very good reason. So, unnamed tetra-folder, what news do you bring me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story. Can we go in and talk?¡±


    Count Daybreak let out a long sigh, and eyed the energetic guard. ¡°You could have brought them inside, right? It¡¯s not like they were exuding any hostility. Never mind. It¡¯s indeed more polite for me to receive such a distinguished guest at the doors.¡±


    He gestured once. ¡°I¡¯ll skip the formalities. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Leading the way into the palace, Count Daybreak made for the nearest set of tables and chairs, before sitting down on it. ¡°So, what bad news do you guys bring? Is it related to the random disappearances, the impenetrable sky above us or something else?¡±


    ¡°Both, as well as the presence of the great Dark,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Uh, Risti, you¡¯re the professional here.¡±


    ¡°Risti, huh. Right, names. Who are you guys?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­Nero.¡± Nero paused. ¡°Hmm. Any issue with reporting our origin? I mean, we were here for a different set of business, after all. It might be a problem if we report our origin.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°It¡¯ll be a problem if we end up creating even more chaos somehow. What do you think, Dia?¡±


    Dia shrugged. ¡°Names are fine, in my opinion.¡±


    ¡°¡­For some reason, the names of you ladies are quite familiar to me,¡± Count Daybreak muttered. ¡°Are either of you the princess of the Lustre Dukedom?¡±


    The conversation about names and origins stopped right there, at those words. Once again, someone had discovered the truth, which was a good thing. Dia really, really wanted to say yes and put an end to this charade, but this would be the dumbest place for a reveal, given the circumstances and events going on right now. Therefore, she simply forced out a smile and a simple ¡®No¡¯. Risti did the same thing too, although she was a tiny bit gleeful at how someone had mistaken her for the real deal.


    Who was incidentally standing right beside her, but that was a detail that no one needed to know at present.


    ¡°So, hardcore fans¡­I¡¯ve heard of them, but I also want some too. How unfair.¡± The count shook his head. ¡°Anyway, do continue your recount.¡±


    Risti nodded and started to narrate their observations so far. Skilfully leaving out the bits where they were supposed to cause trouble at the lifestone mines of Dawn Barony, she talked about the missing people and the near-impenetrable dome that covered them, which was tentatively named Absolute Entrapment. The count, who had evidently heard of the Bearers of Destiny and the Absolute skills they wielded, paled slightly when Risti touched on that bit, and once Risti was done with her short narration, the count held his head.


    ¡°What bad luck.¡± The count brought his fist down on the table lightly. ¡°First, we have a blood sacrifice, and then that Nightfall asshole decides to ramp up his export, and now this. Do the Moons want my territory ruined? At this rate, we¡¯ll all be done for.¡±


    He paused and looked at them. ¡°Speaking of territory, there¡¯s not much that will interest you in my measly Daybreak. That damned City of Trades is a vortex of trade and trade; there¡¯s little for me here. Why would the three of you come here?¡±


    Dia cleared her throat, pre-empting the others. ¡°We¡¯re on a trip to check out your sunrice. It¡¯s famous, and it¡¯s said that the Lustre Dukedom loves it. So we decided to go down to the area of production personally.¡±


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    ¡°Like a pilgrimage,¡± Risti chipped in.


    Nero¡¯s lips simply twitched.


    ¡°Hmm. How boring. And here I thought you three wanted to spruce up your sex life by going into some farflung county, enter the wilderness and give voice to your inner desires there,¡± Count Daybreak replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s awfully specific,¡± Nero replied, his face a touch of red.


    ¡°You have no idea how many people treat my county as the default place to do the down and dirty in the wild. In fact, my people have even capitalised on it; there is a plot of sunrice faraway from the others that¡¯s left uncut and unharvested.¡± The count chuckled. ¡°Which is a good thing, since no one wants to eat sunrice that¡¯s been potentially fertilised by the wrong species.¡±


    Dia shifted on her chair, but after hanging around Schwarz¡¯s bar a few times when she was free, such talk didn¡¯t really disturb her that much. It was a tiny bit of a shock to note that Count Daybreak was a lot more open with his carnal desires, but Nero was far more vulnerable to such speech than her and Risti for some reason.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Nero rubbed his face. ¡°Please pardon me. Conversation of such a nature isn¡¯t really¡­my thing.¡±


    As the Holy Son of the Black God, Dia would have been surprised if he was¡­although now she wanted to see Count Daybreak¡¯s face at the precise moment in which he learned about Nero¡¯s true identity. She had a feeling that the face, if viewed by anyone who was in the know, would delight them for the entire day to follow.


    ¡°Anyway, back to our main topic,¡± said Risti. ¡°We¡¯ve captured the mana used in the invocation of the skill suspected to be Absolute Entrapment or something similar. We¡¯re hoping to use whatever artefacts you might have in your possession to seek out the culprit.¡±


    ¡°¡­You three are familiar with Nightfall County.¡± Count Daybreak narrowed his eyes. ¡°Specifically, the Nightfall Palace.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Maybe you three came here for some reason¡­and then decided to drop it because worse things are happening here right now.¡± The count mulled. ¡°Yes, let me guess. That old coot is angered at my blatant provocations and decided to send people to provoke me back¡­am I right?¡±


    Dia forced herself to remain still, but Nero had narrowed his eyes on instinct, an action that didn¡¯t escape Count Daybreak¡¯s eyes. The count clicked his tongue, and then folded his hands. ¡°Nailed it, then. The only thing I can¡¯t figure out is why a tetra-folder is here.¡±


    ¡°How did you guess?¡± Nero asked, having realised that his reaction was the part that gave it away.


    ¡°That young lady¡¯s words. Nightfall Palace does have a tool that can lock down mana signatures. Other than that, however, only really big powers have them, like the churches of the Coloured Gods, the Folders¡¯ Association and some important names.¡± Count Daybreak shrugged. ¡°And I was just testing you three. I can¡¯t believe I really nailed it.¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡± Nero folded his arms. ¡°Be at ease. We did nothing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks for that.¡± The count paused. ¡°No, really. I really meant that. Things are bad enough here without you guys doing anything. Ever since the Moon Emissary descended, people have been fleeing.¡±


    ¡°¡­Maybe we should have just not come after all, then,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°You guys would have collapsed or died out on your own, and Count Nightfall would have been free. Instead, we¡¯re now stuck here with you.¡±


    ¡°We can probably protect ourselves well,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I grabbed Claud¡¯s emergency toolkit right when we left, since you guys didn¡¯t see fit to take it. It¡¯ll come in useful. We can build a shelter, hide out in the wild for up to a month without stepping out of said shelter, and then leave when the Bearer of Destiny is done.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Dia replied. ¡°But what¡¯s in that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please wait!¡± Count Daybreak called out. ¡°I need help. And you guys are probably the best people now. The people will be soothed if they know that a tetra-folder is holding down the fort!¡±


    ¡°Since you know I¡¯m a tetra-folder, you should be aware that lifestones don¡¯t carry that much charm now, right? Just putting it out there, but I have over a thousand years of life to go.¡±


    ¡°¡­There¡¯s some prana jades sitting around in my treasury.¡±


    ¡°Excellent.¡±


    ¡°And some lifestones for your lovely companions.¡± Count Daybreak let out a sigh. ¡°Please lend me your aid.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Nero asked, turning to Risti. ¡°Should we, or should we not?¡±


    Risti frowned. ¡°To be honest, if I really needed prana jades, I think my dad can get some for me.¡±


    Count Daybreak blanched.


    ¡°But he¡¯s absolutely sincere right now, and we weren¡¯t really intending on extorting him to begin with. I mean, we did come to offer help in the first place.¡± Risti smiled. ¡°I think we can help him. What do you think, Dia?¡±


    ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡± Dia grinned. ¡°But ever since I arrived here, I¡¯ve always wanted to see something.¡±


    ¡°Something?¡± everyone else echoed.


    ¡°Risti, Nero, can you two state your origins? I want to see Count Daybreak¡¯s face when he hears them.¡±


    The two of them eyed Dia, and then laughed at the same time.


    ¡°So it¡¯s like that, huh.¡± Nero grinned. ¡°Very well. Allow me to introduce myself. I¡¯m Nero, Holy Son of the Black God.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m Risti Cadenza.¡± She paused. ¡°You should know that last name very well, right?¡±


    Count Daybreak¡¯s head lolled backwards a moment later, revealing the white of his eyes.

 Chapter 317: A short rest before the storm

    After shaking the fainted count back to life, the Holy Son of the Black God decided to extort the poor, trembling fellow for fizzy drinks, good food and lots of alcohol. It wasn¡¯t a really outrageous request...normally, anyway. Nero, however, had kindly requested the count to be the server of the next meal as a way of showing penitence to one of the Coloured Gods¡¯ chosen.


    Also included in the bill was a request to dress up as a butler, but whether Count Daybreak was happy or not was anyone¡¯s guess, really. On one hand, he got to make amends for his choice of words and general disrespect to the Holy Son of the Black God, but on the other hand, his dignity as a count had been thrown aside in favour of being the absolute best attendant in the Daybreak Palace.


    One might argue that it was a step-up, and as an extra, Risti produced an Image Crystal to record down the proceedings of their dinner for posterity and for Count Nightfall to admire.


    Daybreak, naturally, didn¡¯t dare to say anything about that.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Nero, patting his stomach. ¡°That was a nice meal. Thanks, Daybreak.¡±


    ¡°Do call me Lucius,¡± the count chirped.


    ¡°Alright, Lucius.¡± Nero glanced at Risti. ¡°Uh, you want to do anything? I think he¡¯s made up for his general disrespect to me, but nothing has been done to you yet.¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s fine, really. Maybe he can just up the number of lifestones or something. He has lots of mines in his territory anyway.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can definitely do that, Miss Risti! Is there anything else you¡¯d like?¡±


    ¡°Some artefacts useful for this mission, I guess,¡± Risti replied absently. ¡°Maybe some of your records and books too¡­do you have a carriage? You should prepare one for us, with a coach of course. After we¡¯re done here, we¡¯ll go back home, and walking is a pain.¡±


    ¡°Your mercy is very much appreciated.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Dia clapped her hands, annoyed at the blatant abuse of power. It was downright galling to see the two of them abusing their authority and station, especially when Dia herself couldn¡¯t do the same, so she had to put an end to it before things escalated.


    That thought process was probably a bit odd, when Dia examined it on hindsight, but she wasn¡¯t going to care too much about the process at this point.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Count Daybreak turned to look at Dia. ¡°You really remind me of the princess of the Lustre Dukedom.¡±


    ¡°Well, duh. She¡¯s her double.¡± Risti rolled her eyes. ¡°The real princess has vanished entirely. No one¡¯s seen her for months.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know she had a double, though.¡± The count folded his arms. ¡°Well, whatever. It¡¯s not like doubles are common knowledge, after all.¡±


    Dia, who was a bit nervous about this particular topic, cleared her throat. ¡°Now that we¡¯re done with this, can we move on to the actual topic? We¡¯ve wasted quite some time on this¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. While we were having fun and relaxing here, I got Lucius to send out his people. Daybreak County doesn¡¯t have the mana sensor that Count Nightfall has, but they have small, portable versions that work off a limited range. They¡¯re already out and checking the city,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°Is there any way we can expand the range?¡± Nero asked. ¡°This place is so darn huge that I don¡¯t think the guards can cover it fast enough. What¡¯s the range of those artefacts anyway?¡±


    ¡°Two kilometres.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll be stuck here for some time,¡± Nero concluded. ¡°Count Daybreak, do you have children? I feel like babysitting a kid for some reason.¡±


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    ¡°Right, speaking of children, there aren¡¯t any Moon babies waddling around here. What¡¯s with that?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I thought these little walking packets of cuteness and adorability were everywhere.¡±


    ¡°We did kinda forget about that, yes.¡± Risti paused. ¡°Must be the atmosphere here. Count Daybreak probably didn¡¯t govern his county well enough, so it¡¯s innately predisposed to doom and gloom. Ai. What a pity.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s capital and talent flight, alright?¡± Count Daybreak asked. ¡°And for some reason, neither Nightfall County nor Farah County had a Moon Emissary show up. So everyone¡¯s now whispering that my Daybreak is the funnel for ill luck.¡±


    He sighed. ¡°And not long after that, did you know the Moon Emissary that descended here was killed? We were all freaked out when the giant explosion bloomed between the borders of Farah County and my territory. The armies of Moon soldiers were completely flattened and everything, and the aftershocks even shook some nearby towns.¡±


    Dia pricked her ears. ¡°You saw it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It was incredible, in fact. A lance of prismatic light just came from the north. It fell upon the armies of the Moons and scorched them ashes. Not even the Moon Emissary could withstand a blow from that strike.¡± Fear flickered across Count Daybreak¡¯s face. ¡°A tenth of the power in that would have killed us all. If it hadn¡¯t been concentrated on that area, the excess mana would probably have washed across the county and murdered us all.¡±


    ¡°Lord preserve us all,¡± Nero muttered.


    ¡°What did it feel like, being so close to death?¡± Risti asked, an odd curiosity lining her words. ¡°When so much power fell close to your domain?¡±


    ¡°¡­It was cold.¡± Count Daybreak lowered his head. ¡°In that moment, I felt myself reliving my life. All my regrets, all my sorrows¡­everything that I wanted to redo, appeared in my head.¡±


    ¡°Based on your judgement, how many mana circuits would be required to launch such an attack?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°¡­Seven? Eight? Nine? I have the feeling that not even the Emperor himself could have done it. I don¡¯t know.¡± The count shivered. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this now. I¡¯m feeling very scared right now. Imagine if that thing was aimed at my city. Everyone would die.¡±


    With that, the intriguing topic of the Moon Emissary¡¯s death was closed. Dia found it a pity, but such an evaluation¡­would the Thief of Time really need to rob anything with such power?


    ¡°Probably a passing kind-hearted person¡­ah! Maybe it¡¯s one of the Chromatic Lords,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°Won¡¯t put it past them to do something about the Moons¡­but why stop at one?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°We¡¯ll have to leave this morsel of information behind first. Count Daybreak, we¡¯re going to take a rest first. Do inform us once more information is discovered. We¡¯ll act swiftly and contain the suspected Bearer of Destiny.¡±


    The count grunted. ¡°I¡¯ll send people to bring you over to your quarters. How should your arrangements be like?¡±


    ¡°Me and Dia will bunk together,¡± said Risti.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have a room to myself,¡± Nero added.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be this cautious here, you know...¡± Daybreak shrugged, before clapping his hands. A middle-aged woman, dressed in the frilly robes of a traditional head maid, appeared. She swept her gaze around the room once, curtsied to Count Daybreak, and then approached the three of them.


    ¡°Please,¡± said the head maid, ¡°follow me to your lodgings.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the esteemed guests to your hands then, Lisa.¡± Count Daybreak took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ll be monitoring the situation from my study. If there¡¯s anything, just tell it to my head maid. She¡¯s the most capable person in my castle.¡±


    ¡°O-okay.¡±


    Dia nodded at the maid, who smiled back at her. After reciprocating the non-verbal greetings the others also gave, she led them into a glittering passage. Golden stones were inlaid all around them, and their gazes didn¡¯t go by unnoticed.


    ¡°Sunstone,¡± said the head maid. ¡°It¡¯s a local produce that can illuminate hallways after absorbing sufficient light in the daytime.¡±


    ¡°Sunstones, huh.¡± Dia examined the golden gems. ¡°Not particularly useful for anything else, but I¡¯m sure a certain paranoid person would love them.¡±


    ¡°Why would Claud like them?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s all about banishing the shadows and everything, right? I figured something like this would make him smile.¡± Dia paused. ¡°I wonder how Lily and Claud are spending their lives now.¡±


    ¡°More importantly, when are they coming back?¡± Risti asked. ¡°I¡¯m going to rough Claud up if he bullied Lily or something.¡±


    ¡°Heh. Count me in.¡±


    ¡°I wonder how they actually got together, though.¡± Nero folded his arms. ¡°I mean, two people don¡¯t go swearing their lives together easily, you know.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just press them for details once they come back. They can¡¯t be staying out for that long, right?¡± Risti grinned. ¡°And we¡¯ll tease them the whole way. Maybe ask about babies and everything. I wonder if they¡¯ve picked up a Moon baby or something.¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯re going by the established patterns so far, yes. I¡¯m sure the two of them would have picked up a Moon baby¡­or they¡¯re busy restraining themselves from doing that.¡±


    Their conversation stopped shortly afterwards as the maid led them to two rooms.


    ¡°Please,¡± said the head maid, ¡°do call for me if there¡¯s anything you need.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Dia bobbed her head once more, and then chose a room.

 Chapter 318: Sudden changes

    Dia was snoozing away happily when someone knocked on the door rapidly. ¡°Count Daybreak¡¯s men found something!¡±


    She jolted awake immediately, as did Risti, and the two of them pulled on their clothes in a hurry. Strapping a few swords onto her belt, along with a cloak that had loops and pockets which held a bunch of artefacts, she pushed the door open and entered the doorway.


    The sounds of assembling guards filled the air, with a steady, slow chime above the din.


    ¡°Good,¡± said Count Daybreak, ¡°you two are up. Now, where¡¯s the Holy¡ª¡±


    The door to Nero¡¯s room opened a few seconds later, and Nero popped out. Like them, he had a cloak draped around him, but this time, a club was hanging off his back. The rough-and-tumble weapon seemed a little at odds with his overall elegant pose, but Dia wasn¡¯t in the mood for aesthetics right now.


    More importantly, where had that club come from?


    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± said Nero, glancing at the count once. ¡°What¡¯s the situation like right now?¡±


    ¡°Three of our guards discovered the target some twenty kilometres north of the city, almost at the area where the Moon Emissary died,¡± said Count Daybreak. ¡°I was intending on heading there with you guys.¡±


    ¡°Well, we did tell you to inform us immediately,¡± said Dia, ¡°so I won¡¯t complain about the rude awakening just now. Still, it¡¯s really dark out. Wouldn¡¯t t be a problem to pursue our target under such conditions?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped,¡± Count Daybreak replied. ¡°We¡¯re still waiting for Half Moon, after all. And besides, even in the day, we probably couldn¡¯t have seen much. The dome surrounding this place grows ever darker by the passing minute; it¡¯s possible that we¡¯ll be plunged into darkness before long.¡±


    Risti nodded. ¡°Still, it¡¯s quite dangerous to charge in without proper planning. We don¡¯t know what the enemy is planning, nor do we know what¡¯s this dome for. What¡¯s the point of all this?¡±


    Before anyone could reply to her question, a bout of screams tore through the night.


    ¡°Edward just vanished!¡±


    ¡°I saw it too! Someone find the count! Hurry! Never mind, I¡¯ll do it myse¡ª¡±


    ¡°Bruce vanished too! Hurry and find the co¡ª¡±


    Count Daybreak looked at the hallway¡¯s end, and then broke into a sprint. Dia and the others followed suit a moment later, and the four of them crossed to the end of the hallway and burst through the double doors there.


    ¡°Silence!¡± Count Daybreak hollered, before pointing at a pale guard. ¡°You there, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Two of us just vanished into thin air!¡± The pale guard pointed at two places. ¡°Bruce and Edward were just¡ª¡±


    A chill ran down Dia¡¯s spine a moment later, as the scared guard simply vanished from existence.


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­gone.¡± Dia stared at the place where the guard had been standing at earlier. ¡°Moons. What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s almost definitely something to do with the culprit¡¯s plans tonight.¡± Nero gestured once, prompting blue light to surround the four of them. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how this works, but there¡¯s something in the air. Like poison, but different. I¡¯m guessing that after breathing in a certain amount of this thing, it¡¯ll vanish you.¡±


    ¡°What, some kind of dust-based teleportation that works after enough is accumulated in the body?¡± Count Daybreak asked.


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    Nero nodded. ¡°Something along these lines, I guess. Look at the boundary. It¡¯s covered with some silvery dust, just fine enough that they¡¯ll need to be in small clumps for you to see. From how we and my barrier isn¡¯t teleported yet, it seems like there¡¯s a second trigger ¡ª I think it¡¯s probably contact with a living thing.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re safe here, then.¡±


    ¡°Only because I¡¯m using mana to filter off these particles. At the same time, the four of us might have some of these particles in our body already, so it¡¯s possible that we might teleport at any time,¡± said Nero.


    ¡°That¡¯s scary.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Nero acknowledged. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of the palace. We need to ascertain the scope of this attack, and its purpose. Maybe it¡¯s an agent of the great Dark trying to screw everyone over or something with a blood sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°Another blood sacrifice?¡± Count Daybreak cursed under his breath. ¡°Let¡¯s handle the asshole before something else happens, then. I understand that there¡¯s a risk here, but it seems that my entire county will be wiped out come sunrise.¡±


    He took a deep breath and bowed. ¡°Please. If not for me, at least help my people. They don¡¯t deserve to die like this.¡±


    Nero glanced at Risti, and then at Dia, before sighing. ¡°We don¡¯t know who the enemies are, nor their number or their strength. The only thing we know is that there¡¯s at least one Bearer of Destiny running around. I don¡¯t think this¡­current situation is from an Absolute skill, since Absolute skills probably don¡¯t need conditions to trigger. This dust thing is probably from an artefact.¡±


    ¡°So we need to figure out where this artefact is, where people affected are being teleported to, and then defeat the people responsible.¡± Risti rubbed her head and then glanced at the bowing count. ¡°So? What should we do?¡±


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know about you,¡± said Dia, who was staring at the clouds of dust that was stuck on the film of mana surrounding them, ¡°but I think one of the fastest ways to deal with this situation would be to walk into the trap.¡±


    ¡°The trap?¡±


    Dia let out a sigh. ¡°Please get up, Count Daybreak. Let me ask you, how much of a risk-taker are you?¡±


    The count straightened his body. ¡°Risk-taker?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Dia pointed at the clumps of grey dust. ¡°You¡¯ll be teleported there in an instant if you¡­I don¡¯t know, breath in all this dust.¡±


    ¡°I think splattering them on his body would do,¡± said Nero. ¡°Of course, the dangers are very real. It might not just be teleportation; it might be one that¡¯s designed to fracture the body or kill the people in transit outright. Either way, however, that¡¯s the fastest way of getting to the culprit.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Are we going to head north, or use this dust-based teleportation-slash-suicide method? Your call, count.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay you three times the agreed amount,¡± Count Daybreak muttered. ¡°We¡¯ll use the dust.¡±


    ¡°It seems that you¡¯ve made a decision¡­but I can guarantee safe passage for a higher sum,¡± said Nero. ¡°I can protect everyone¡¯s body and mind in transit with a certain skillstick, but we¡¯ll be down by one trump card, and that skillstick is not cheap at all.¡±


    ¡°...How much do you want?¡±


    ¡°How much do you think the lives of your people and yourself is worth?¡± Nero asked back. ¡°Ponder on that question, and then give me an answer when we¡¯re done with the problem. For now, let¡¯s get down to business.¡±


    He let out a long sigh and retrieved a skillstick. ¡°This here is a skillstick that contains a skill that will get us out of this pickle. It¡¯s expensive¡­and it¡¯s from a skill family that everyone knows quite well¡­¡±


    Nero paused, and then looked at the three of them. ¡°Any discomfort?¡±


    Dia blinked. ¡°No, why?¡±


    ¡°Please continue,¡± said the count. ¡°And make it quick.¡±


    Dia glanced at the silent Risti for a moment, but before she could think about it more, Nero had continued his words.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± said Nero, ¡°this skillstick contains Perfect Integrity. It¡¯s the second highest derivation of the Integrity skill line, and¡­never mind. I¡¯ll talk about the Perfect prefix later. Anyway, this thing will protect us with the strength of an octo-folder for thirty seconds.¡±


    ¡°An octo-folder¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, an octo-folder.¡± Nero eyed the count. ¡°You better think about the right price when we¡¯re done with this. Anyway, once we arrive, we¡¯ll be in tip-top condition. Don¡¯t be surprised, kill anyone who¡¯s obviously an enemy, and then if we¡¯re separated, try to group up. I¡¯m not sure how, but causing a huge commotion should work.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± said Dia.


    ¡°The two of you¡­just try to survive.¡± Nero rubbed his nose. ¡°Prioritise ending whatever nasty ritual is underway. Me and the count will try to find the culprit.¡±


    ¡°Roger.¡± Risti let out a long sigh. ¡°Fair fortune be with you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Nero toyed with the skillstick. ¡°Get ready, then. I¡¯ll release this barrier, and once I see the teleportation begin, I¡¯ll snap the skillstick. Everyone else, place your arms on me somewhere, so I can spread the effect out.¡±


    The odd sight of three people placing their hands on Nero¡¯s shoulder followed, but the discomfort didn¡¯t last long as the blue boundary rippled and vanished. The dust that had been separated from them immediately settled onto Dia¡¯s shoulder, and a force began to tug at her.


    ¡°See you on the other side, then,¡± said Nero, discarding a broken skillstick. Nine-coloured light covered their bodies, right before the pulling force strengthened by over a hundred times.


    The world around Dia vanished a moment later.

 Chapter 319: The dead and the living

    Dia mediated on the concept of being passed through a rubber tube as the space around her rippled and squashed her onwards, but the light shimmering around her warded off any harm and damage done to her flesh. In fact, she couldn¡¯t feel anything around her, even as wind howled around her.


    The light began to wane as the journey continued, but before it could flicker out entirely, the black world spat her out, and Dia landed onto something squishy. The sickly-sweet stench of blood filled her nose a moment later, and a chill ran up her spine as Dia realised that she was standing on a mound of flesh.


    ¡°Moons,¡± Dia muttered.


    At the same time, she saw the others get up in a hurry too. They too had realised that they had landed onto a mountain of torn flesh and blood, and in silent concord, the four of them left the stomach-churning landscape of flesh in a hurry.


    It didn¡¯t take long before they reunited, but even under the low light conditions, Dia could tell that the others weren¡¯t in a good state of mind. Count Daybreak, in particular, had a shaken expression on his face, and he turned to Nero.


    ¡°Holy Son¡­help me send my people off.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Nero asked. ¡°Here, of all times and places? They will leave, and the living will never see them again.¡±


    Count Daybreak nodded. ¡°We have no choice. All this must be prepared for something, whatever that something is. We must end the mastermind¡¯s plan.¡±


    ¡°¡­Very well.¡± Nero looked at the expanse of flesh, blood and bone slowly, before raising his left hand. The ring that symbolised his identity glinted once, before releasing visible ripples that stirred up the world itself. A stirring silence fell upon the world, and the wind and rustling leaves died.


    The Holy Son of the Black Church took out a small, black bell and rang it once, before walking back into the field of flesh.


    ¡°A toll to calm the raging ones,¡± Nero muttered, his voice soft, yet carrying throughout the world. ¡°A toll to comfort the grieving ones. A toll to guide the lost ones. Gather, O souls, and follow the chimes to the next world.¡±


    An incredible pressure fell for a moment, and Dia felt something run down her spine as the expanse of crushed bodies quivered. Before her very eyes, the bodies reformed, turning back into complete corpses. Black light shrouded their faces and their bodies, holding them together as they stood in a column of the dead.


    The bell chimed once more, and Nero fell on his knees. ¡°On this day, I, Holy Son of the Lord, do request that a path be opened to the stars beyond.¡±


    Black light gathered around him, surging upwards with reckless abandon. At the same time, the grey firmament that covered the world seemed to crack at that moment, and a column of black light fell from the skies.


    In that instant, the sky and the earth was connected by a bridge of black light.


    He began to float, unsupported by mana. The bell began to chime at regular intervals, each of them growing deeper and deeper by the passing second. Each toll made the gathered corpses tremble, and they began to moan and wail. Nothing, however, seemed to drown out the tolling bell, and black light poured out once more.


    Silence fell as a huge circle opened up above Nero, a portal that led to a swath of endless night. Nero rang the bell once more, and the animated corpses looked up at the circle, longing radiating off their body.


    ¡°From the land of life to the fields of divinity. From the land of troubles to the sea of eternity. From the land of ambitions to the sky of stars. Soiled spirits, lay down thy burdens and proceed on the road beyond.¡± Nero¡¯s chant stilled the crowd of the dead, and he raised his hands to the sky. ¡°O Lord, grant the fallen eternal tranquillity. Bestow them the mercy of a dreamless rest. Gift them the gift of unperturbed night. Open the path beyond, and grant them salvation.¡±


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    Black light surged madly, connecting the ground to the circle beyond. The dead began to rise, and Nero landed on the ground. He paused for a moment, his eyes taking in the unquiet dead around him, and Nero raised his hands to the skies. His head following suit, he bellowed, ¡°Spirits of the restless dead, go! Why stay in troubled lands when the stars beyond await? Spirits of the restless dead, go! Bloody beings of merciless minds seek to scatter you! In the fate they bring you a million needles tremble, weapons fall like rain and mana flows in rivers! Spirits of the restless dead, go! Linger not in the land of troubles and escape your suffering!¡±


    He stamped his right foot once, and a black ripple surged out of it. The ascending dead shook once, and then shot skywards, into the shimmering world above. The circle rippled, much like a pond when raindrops fell on it, and with a jolt, Dia realised that the bell tolls were still resounding throughout the place.


    The last toll echoed into nothingness as the portal closed, leaving behind Nero, who was kneeling over. Leaves fluttered around him, some of them touching his cheek and rubbing his head, before falling onto the ground in the windless night.


    He looked up with a peaceful grin as the three of them approached, before opening a vial of shimmering violet and pouring it into their throat.


    ¡°We¡¯re done here,¡± Nero replied, radiating an extreme serenity. ¡°The ritual you just saw ferries the dead into the stars beyond, rather than into the divine kingdoms of the Coloured Gods, so don¡¯t be surprised if you see other Holy Children use it. It¡¯s not that different from a regular burial, but this sends the dead, their grudges and their karma off, leaving behind nothing.¡±


    He took the handkerchief that Risti offered and wiped his forehead. ¡°Thanks. And this nothing is precisely what we need. The ritual that should be happening in five minutes probably needs the residual emotions of the anguished dead, as well as their blood, flesh and lifeforce.¡±


    ¡°Nice¡­wait, did you say five minutes?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Sure did, Risti.¡± Nero smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go and witness the Bearer of Destiny fumbling his ritual.¡±


    Dusting himself off, he accepted Risti¡¯s hand and got up, before turning to Count Daybreak. ¡°While this is by no means the best result, the dead have been granted salvation. Be at peace, Count Daybreak.¡±


    The count nodded his head, his face sombre. ¡°Thank you, Holy Son.¡±


    ¡°It is my duty.¡± The Holy Son of the Black God nodded once. ¡°Now¡­let us deal with the great murderer behind all this, shall we? Follow me.¡±


    As Nero led the way, Dia asked, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the murderer be aware of the ritual¡¯s destruction?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t destroy the ritual,¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°Okay, but you created quite the commotion,¡± said Dia. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t, you know, the person behind all this be alerted?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. My Lord is mighty in the ways of the mind,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Follow me outside, and you¡¯ll see.¡±


    ¡°Outside?¡± Count Daybreak asked. ¡°Outside where?¡±


    Nero smiled, but said nothing. In silence, he led them northwards, and after walking for a few seconds, an odd ripple ran through Dia.


    ¡°Turn around and take a look,¡± said Nero.


    Dia did as she was told, and her eyes opened and closed a few times of their own accord as the nightmarish scene reappeared before her. ¡°An illusion?¡±


    ¡°Correct. It¡¯s a skill of mine¡­I wonder if anyone was paying attention to my briefing?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°The Black God¡¯s Steps,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°Bingo! Have a cookie or something.¡± Nero grinned. ¡°No one noticed us¡­but we should move stealthily from here on out. I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on, but we should play safe where possible.¡±


    Dia nodded with the others, and the four of them began to flit from tree to tree. She could feel a growing presence as they continued on in silence; it was that of gathering mana and lifeforce. Far ahead, a fey, red glow shimmered, snapping away at the black mist that threatened to engulf it.


    The great Dark¡­but that little pathetic tendril wasn¡¯t giving off the sense of danger that Dia could keenly feel. No, it was that fey red glow that was the actual danger here.


    Nero held up a hand, his face awful as he turned to the others. ¡°Guys¡­it¡¯s not the Dark. It¡¯s¡­¡±


    He turned back to the red light. ¡°It¡¯s the Red Church¡¯s Bearer of Destiny behind this. If we press on¡­things will happen. And if he dies here, we¡¯re all going to be the enemies of the Red Church and the Red God.¡±


    Nero shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why this fellow just popped up here, to be honest. The Red Church is based in the Saran Supremacy, in Lacheln. There¡¯s no business for them here¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless,¡± Dia muttered, ¡°he had something to do with the other Bearer of Destiny that happened to be here not too long ago.¡±


    ¡°¡­The Third, huh.¡± Nero took a deep breath. ¡°Well, as long as we get to the White Church first, they might not find out who did it. The White God can shield us¡­and considering how their Blessed died, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be happy to help.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go cut him down after he suffers a backlash.¡±

 Chapter 320: Red lights and grey domes

    ¡°Can you see it?¡± Nero whispered. ¡°That red light that carries divinity.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if we should even call it divinity, if the user was going to use a whole bunch of people to fuel whatever he wants to call down,¡± Dia replied. ¡°What¡¯s going on anyway? What is that person trying to with so much lifeforce?¡±


    ¡°Did you not see it before?¡± Nero asked. ¡°The Moon Emissary, the Dark Herald¡­¡±


    ¡°A representative of the Red God. Maybe one of the Red God¡¯s familiar spirits,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to think about it, to be honest. Why now? This land is dominated by the Moons. A familiar spirit would simply be extinguished by the Moons, no matter what happens.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s the act of summoning itself,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I mean, everyone would be able to feel it, right?¡±


    ¡°What, do you think this is a heist?¡± Nero laughed. ¡°A timely distraction to make off with some grand treasure? Even if it¡¯s true, I¡¯ll be predisposed to assume that the Moons are the entity being burgled¡­but do they have anything that can be stolen in the first place?¡±


    ¡°Maybe their light, heh.¡±


    ¡°Alright, enough screwing around.¡± Nero readied some mana and peeked out of the tree once more. ¡°We need to be ready. We¡¯ve foiled the basis of his summoning, and when the cost of summoning without a sacrifice bites back, he¡¯ll be vulnerable and close to death.¡±


    Everyone else nodded, weapons and mana at the ready.


    Minutes ticked by in silence as the red glow intensified. Dia could make out someone chanting, but the words were too indistinct for her to actually make sense of the whole thing. What she could hear, however, were words spoken in a perfect cadence, increasing in crescendo and intensity.


    Thunder rumbled, and Dia found herself tensing up. Something intense was building up, a pressure so intense that she could feel it in her bones.


    A mighty roar burst out a few seconds later, and the intense presence burst out, increasing by an entire order of magnitude in that very instant. Dia¡¯s vision turned white, but before it could devolve any further, the imposing existence crumbled away.


    The mighty roar weakened at the same time, and the red light died out.


    ¡°Now!¡± Nero shot out of the tree, mana blazing all around him. Dia and the others followed suit, but before they could close in on their weakened target, a shimmering grey light blocked their path. It was the same shade of shimmering grey as the dome above, and Nero¡¯s attack simply bounced off the grey light. The grey wall extended rapidly, turning into a dome that sheltered their target.


    ¡°Moons.¡± Nero drew out a blazing sword and hacked it downwards, only for the blade to bounce off again. ¡°What manner of trickery is this?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason why it¡¯s an Absolute skill,¡± Dia replied, before alarm bells rang in her head. Her sword flickered out a moment later, cutting down a bunch of masked fellows that had jumped out from the sides. Count Daybreak¡¯s surprised squeals only came after she disposed of his would-be assassins, who had appeared at a timing so appropriate that only Dia herself had managed to react in time.


    Nero glanced back a moment later, and then hardened his eyes at the corpses lying around Dia, which turned into fragments of mana a few seconds later. His eyes flickered towards Dia, but she was already on guard, and Nero turned back to the small dome.


    A set of mad laughs, interspersed with painful coughs, came from the dome itself. ¡°Looks like they weren''t enough. Tch. Don¡¯t worry, though. Don¡¯t think you¡¯ve won. While I¡¯m here, you won¡¯t be able to sleep easy. I¡¯ll slaughter everyone here sooner or later.¡±


    At those words, Nero smashed the dome again, with a club this time, and then took a few steps back. ¡°This thing¡­is it unbreakable? Even with a full-force blow from all my mana circuits, it¡¯s not even cracking. Where is the energy needed to offset this attack coming from?¡±


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    ¡°Up there.¡± Risti pointed a finger. ¡°I don¡¯t know how this works, but the dome above is weakening. There¡¯s probably some special modification that allows this Absolute skill to create a derivative and power it. Didn¡¯t they say that the Absolute skill has multiple effects?¡±


    ¡°You sure know a lot, missy,¡± said the person inside the dome. ¡°Save your efforts, though. I¡¯m running¡­and I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    The sound of tearing paper filled the night sky, and the dome disintegrated. A torn piece of paper fluttered by, leaving behind an empty spot that was drenched in blood.


    Nero walked over immediately and ground his feet against something on the ground, squishing whatever it was into pieces. Dia wasn¡¯t sure what was up with that, but she wasn¡¯t in too good of a condition to ask either.


    That thought faded away as Risti pulled out wads of cotton and dabbed the bloodstained ground with it. ¡°Well, he¡¯s hurt, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    ¡°What are you two doing?¡± Count Daybreak, who had been watching the entire thing in silence, finally spoke up.


    ¡°I¡¯m gathering blood samples that we might be able to use to track down the enemy. Nero¡¯s taking care of a trap of sorts,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re going to track this guy down. The enemy has a very troublesome ability. For now, it seems that the Absolute skill the enemy has creates an impenetrable dome that provides a measure of defence for the user within the dome itself.¡±


    Risti continued to gather more blood samples, while Nero squished every last bit of white slime into pieces, gathering them into a pile to burn. ¡°And when that secondary defence is destroyed, the Absolute Entrapment weakens.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean that the Absolute Entrapment might have an infinite duration?¡± Dia wondered. ¡°That its weakness is the user?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have enough information on it, sadly.¡± Nero looked around the place. ¡°At least we¡¯re safe, though. And whatever plans the asshole had for the evening has been put to a stop.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s just it,¡± said Dia, looking around the place. She could keenly feel the touch of death lingering around the area, a clammy feeling that had a nature that was the complete opposite of the remaining divinity that the fellow had exuded not too long ago. ¡°The enemy could return and do that again, over and over. And this time, we might not even be there.¡±


    ¡°What should I do?¡± Count Daybreak muttered. ¡°The enemy isn¡¯t lying. He could return at any moment. I¡­don¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    Dia looked at the distraught count. Perhaps, if Claud or Lily were here, they might have thought up of some very solid plans to protect everyone, and¡ª


    ¡°Artefacts,¡± Dia whispered. ¡°We can use artefacts to protect your people. Didn¡¯t Nero do the same? This teleportation method can be fended off by a barrier. If we need to deal with mental afflictions that might lull people into a sense of security, regular activations of artefacts that can use Cleanse on a large scale. Step up on security, consolidate living areas, and keep regular checks on disappearances.¡±


    Count Daybreak looked at Dia. ¡°Are¡­you¡­a professional?¡±


    Dia shuffled her feet. ¡°Nope. The true professionals fell in love and ran off, leaving us behind to deal with the mess. I¡¯m sure the two of them would probably have better ideas than those I gave.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pretty good start.¡± Nero bobbed his head. ¡°Don¡¯t look down on yourself. I think all this time you spent at the guardroom has been rather useful¡­¡±


    ¡°What would you know?¡± Dia eyed the Holy Son. ¡°You¡¯ve been slacking off the whole time.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I was busy observing things,¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°And nibbling on food,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°While bugging Schwarz for ultra-pure water,¡± Risti added. ¡°If you¡¯re actually observing us, that¡¯s really impressive, considering the amount of alcohol you pour into your system on a daily basis over and over.¡±


    ¡°Alright, enough of the insult sessions.¡± Nero shook his head, before looking at the sword in his hand and the club in his other. ¡°Still, that thing really is hard. I can¡¯t even put a dent in it. How unfair.¡±


    He swung his sword a few times, a displeased expression on his face. ¡°Why do people get such a strong skill like this?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± said Risti, ¡°these skills can¡¯t be transcribed onto a skillstrip.¡±


    ¡°And they take up two skillslots,¡± Dia added. ¡°Stop thinking about what you have and what you might not have. Anyway, we¡¯re done here for now. You should return and send out search squads to look for any other anomalies like this, and then put an end to them.¡±


    ¡°Wait, are you talking to me?¡± Count Daybreak asked.


    Dia blinked, and then glared at the count, who had apparently forgotten about his responsibilities and domain. ¡°Obviously. Go and do your damn work, Count Daybreak. And don¡¯t forget our payment and everything. You should beef up your security more. How did you not realise the need to beef up your defences and protection from the very start?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think anyone was going to target Daybreak County,¡± the count replied. ¡°You know, after the disaster that happened not too long ago, I didn¡¯t think anyone would care about this place. I was going to wait it out, especially since the Moons were ruling this place now. But¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not fool-proof, apparently,¡± Nero completed.


    Dia shook her head. It was too foolish to assume that everything was alright; even Licencia had beefed up security by a few magnitudes after the great Dark descended. Licencia was now a pain in the ass to enter and leave without the right permits; Count Nightfall was scared that the Moons would try to go against their word and had taken countless preparations.


    Risti clapped her hands. ¡°Let¡¯s return. You have enough time to prepare for his next visit.¡±


    ¡°¡­I suppose we should indeed rest.¡±

 Chapter 321: The God of Precision

    In the end, Dia found it a bit sad that they never got the chance to get rid of the offending Bearer of Destiny. In fact, now that the few of them had intervened, it was certain that they were now enemies of that person, and she didn¡¯t like the fact that there was a loose end running around in this region.


    She sat down at the table and looked at the breakfast the count¡¯s people were serving. ¡°How troublesome.¡±


    ¡°If only we could have killed him,¡± said Risti. ¡°And to make matters worse, we only have blood and mana as identification factors. I don¡¯t think the Bearer of Destiny will be showing up in public anytime soon.¡±


    Dia bobbed her head. ¡°What can we do with that?¡±


    ¡°Moons if I knew.¡± Risti looked out. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can send soldiers after him, especially since he teleported away with a skillstrip. You¡¯ll need the Moons or something to get rid of him now.¡±


    ¡°In other words, there¡¯s a hidden knife waiting to strike at any time.¡± Dia grimaced. ¡°Not fun at all.¡±


    Nero walked into the dining room as she spoke, sitting on down on the table. ¡°Agreed. But again, I¡¯m not sure what my role is supposed to be now. As a rule of thumb, the people of the Coloured Gods are supposed to be allies. Now that I¡¯ve identified his affiliation, I¡¯m not supposed to raise a hand against him unless given the right reasons.¡±


    ¡°Your hands are tied here, then,¡± said Dia.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Nero nodded, before looking at the table. ¡°Oooh, scrambled eggs and porridge. Not bad.¡±


    The three of them fell silent for the next few minutes as they stuffed themselves with food. Dia let the enjoyment she derived from the well-made breakfast to flood her mind for a moment, and the worries about revenge faded away for the next few minutes. Unfortunately, escapism only worked for so long, and those worries came flooding back in the moment her stomach announced.


    Other than the Absolute Entrapment skill that had been displayed, the three of them plus one useless Count Daybreak had encountered what seemed to be another skill of the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny. No one had talked about it much, but right after Nero¡¯s strike had glanced off the barrier, a bunch of masked, odd figures had flanked them from the sides. From how these bodies turned into mana, it was clear that they were either a skill or an artefact, and Dia found herself predisposed to the former.


    ¡°I wonder what skill was that,¡± Dia finally spoke. ¡°You know, the one that created a bunch of assassins that went after the poor, helpless count. They didn¡¯t seem too strong, but at the right time¡­¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t seem to be particularly strong,¡± Nero replied. ¡°In fact, if I¡¯m not wrong, they¡¯re probably as strong as a normal adult and nothing else. Maybe a trained assassin that¡¯s not a folder.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯re not people,¡± Risti replied. ¡°People don¡¯t turn to mana when they die. In that case¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a skill, a skill called Red God¡¯s Squad. It sounds innocuous, but it¡¯s a skill that creates mana entities at the best possible time at the best possible place within the next thirty minutes to achieve a certain objective. After all, the Red God is the God of Precision. Like his authority, the people of the Red God aim for maximum utility and absolute timing,¡± said Nero. ¡°In this case, it seems that the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny activated the skill as a precaution, and the effect triggered when I was recovering from that failed attack.


    ¡°But they aren¡¯t strong, so what¡¯s the point of having a bunch of weaklings?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I mean, I took them down with ease, right?¡±


    ¡°Does it matter how someone dies, as long as they do?¡± Nero asked. ¡°In fact, if we twist it around a bit, your presence was vital to Count Daybreak¡¯s survival. What this skill does is to create disposable beings that will strike at the most perfect timing. At the right place, at the right time. That is the essence of the Red God.¡±


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    ¡°At the right place¡­¡± Risti grimaced. ¡°That¡¯s the worst kind of enemy, then.¡±


    ¡°Which is why I¡¯m troubled,¡± Nero replied. ¡°The Red God and the Red Church isn¡¯t particularly famous amongst the Coloured Churches as a whole, but they get things done. They can be showy, but don¡¯t ever estimate their ability to get things done. You can tell from how this entire ritual was set up. No pomp, no ceremony. Just a flawed teleportation process to bring the necessary fuel over. The timing was kept to a minimum too, and was very adaptive to changes.¡±


    ¡°Did he act alone?¡± Dia wondered.


    ¡°Not in the truest sense of the word.¡± Nero tapped his head for a few seconds. ¡°I bet he had Red God¡¯s Squad activated whenever he was out doing his stuff, and the skill would automatically activate whenever he needed help the most. Maybe someone uncovered the circle he was drawing, but before they could do anything, his skill would activate and that person would be killed. It¡¯s the ultimate skill to create timely saves.¡±


    ¡°Much like a hero, huh,¡± Risti noted.


    ¡°Very much like a hero, yes.¡± Nero folded his arms. ¡°Now that his skill is ready to activate, even if we track him down somehow, there¡¯ll be entities ready to hamper our pursuit and everything.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Like people dropping rocks into a narrow path to block us off?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re fast, huh. Basically things like that, yes. The right person who happens to come by with the perfect solution,¡± Nero replied. ¡°He¡¯s a tricky opponent, even without the Absolute skill. And Absolute Entrapment just doubles down on that aspect too, to add insult to injury.¡±


    He cursed for a few minutes, using words that Dia knew her mother would smack her head for, and then shook his head.


    ¡°Uhh¡­something wrong?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Yeah, actually. Remember what I told you about? How I ended up becoming a Thrall of the Third Bearer of Destiny?¡± Nero asked. ¡°Now that I think about it, there were too many timely coincidences that happened. I didn¡¯t really think that hard about random people who just happened to have a couple¡¯s quarrel in my path while I was chasing the Third, but now that I was looking back¡­damn it. That asshole definitely was in league with the Third, right? How else did so many stupid things happen to me?¡±


    ¡°Sorry for the trauma,¡± Risti mumbled. ¡°Pretend that I never asked?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no. As it turns out, I have a bloody beef against this guy.¡± Nero worked himself into a rage. ¡°Do you know how annoying those little random occurrences were? That bloody fu¡ª¡±


    Count Daybreak entered at that moment, and Nero ate the other half of his words, before glaring at the poor count, who quivered.


    ¡°Erm,¡± said the count, ¡°bad timing?¡±


    Nero¡¯s face turned from red to purple, and then eventually returned to normal. ¡°I¡¯m just angry.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The count rubbed his nose. ¡°So, what were you guys talking about?¡±


    Dia replied before Nero could. ¡°We were talking about the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny and the assassins that came after you. We have good news and bad news on this regard, in fact.¡±


    ¡°Good news and bad news?¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Dia grinned. ¡°The good news is that your assassins weren¡¯t any stronger than trained, non-folder assassins. The bad news is that the enemy seems to be able to conjure them at the best timing to slice your neck.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± The count blinked in surprise. ¡°Wait, wait. What?¡±


    Risti looked at Dia. ¡°Can you actually give some context before you frighten the Moons out of someone?¡±


    Rolling her eyes, she explained the intricacies of Red God¡¯s Squad to the count, and Dia watched with interest as the count¡¯s face paled. Nero didn¡¯t talk about any range limitations, and from how he was raging about falling rocks, it sounded like the range of effect was rather huge.


    ¡°Mind clarifying how far these entities can be created from the caster?¡± Dia asked, after Risti finished her explanation of the skill.


    Nero shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s definitely huge. You need to be careful, Count Daybreak. It¡¯s possible that these assassins might be able to appear right next to you and give you a stab or two.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t he do that, though?¡± Dia wondered. ¡°It would have been easier to kill the count first, right?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because there are passive defences in the palace that were protecting him,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Things like that are very common, right?¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°I know Claud installed a bunch of artefacts in Moon Mansion that work that way too; I saw the invoice a few months back. Anyway, now that we know the enemy has Absolute Entrapment and Red God¡¯s Squad, we just need to figure out what are the remaining three skills, right?¡±


    ¡°True, only three skills remain.¡± Nero played with his porridge, before looking out at the palace. ¡°Hopefully, with such a blatant use of his Absolute skill, the Moons will be staring at this place. If he uses Absolute Entrapment again, he¡¯ll probably be killed on the spot.¡±


    ¡°Guys,¡± said Risti, ¡°I just thought of an idea.¡±


    ¡°An idea?¡± Dia echoed.


    ¡°Yeah. Scoot over here for a moment¡­¡±

 Chapter 322: Bringing in the Moons

    ¡°Still, to involve the Moons in a battle like this sounds a bit low,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°Doesn¡¯t really suit my tastes.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know how many mana circuits the enemy has, to begin with. You speak of fairness and your tastes, but they don¡¯t matter if the enemy''s alive and we¡¯re dead.¡± Risti played with her cup. ¡°And besides, we submitted to the authority of the Moons. It¡¯s their prerogative to keep us alive and kicking, right? Submitting their mana and blood to the Moons is the fastest way of covering our own rear ends.¡±


    ¡°I like that idea,¡± Count Daybreak replied. ¡°Normally, if something we can¡¯t handle pops up, we ask for help from our superiors. I would ask the new Duke Istrel, but the young duke is a bumbling fool who can¡¯t unsheathe a sword even if the handle is coloured in bright red and has a label that says ¡®Pull me¡¯.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one heck of an insult,¡± Dia noted, amused. She hadn¡¯t seen the new duke yet; in fact, Farah and Count Nightfall hadn¡¯t seen the new duke either. In that case¡­


    ¡°You¡¯ve met the new duke before?¡±


    ¡°Before he became the duke, yes,¡± Count Daybreak replied. ¡°Hunting trip. Let¡¯s just say that the guy wasn¡¯t the sharpest arrow in the quiver and leave it at that. With any luck, we can bypass a useless superior and use the Moons to deal with our problems from now on.¡±


    ¡°The way you say that¡­what, do you have a method to contact the Moons?¡±


    ¡°Hard not to, to be honest. The Moon Emissary popped up from my county, after all. Now that the barrier¡¯s gone, I should be able to call them for help,¡± Count Daybreak replied.


    ¡°Yeah, you do that,¡± said Nero. ¡°We should be going soon, I guess, but just in case¡­¡±


    ¡°Just in case?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll protect you while you contact the Moons and tell them about the Red God¡¯s Bearer of destiny,¡± said Nero. ¡°The enemy has a very troublesome set of skills that revolve around the most dramatic saves and the best timing for things to happen. For all you know, you might be killed a bit before you manage to make that all-important report.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. I¡¯m scared. People that can manifest out of nowhere at the worst possible timing¡­that¡¯s no joke.¡± The count shivered. ¡°Thanks for the protection. We should get started on it. Still, I didn¡¯t really think of such an idea. Relying on someone stronger means you¡¯ll be at their mercy¡­but it¡¯s a bit odd for me to say that, right?¡±


    ¡°Coming from you?¡± Dia chuckled, and then toyed with the floral-print cup in her hands. ¡°Absolutely. Someone who couldn¡¯t even prepare for something like this¡­¡±


    The count sniffed.


    ¡°Stop sniffling, old man.¡± Nero looked at him. ¡°You¡¯re a few centuries old. Anyway, we should get moving. While that Bearer of Destiny is unlikely to activate the Absolute skill again, we don¡¯t want to bet on that.¡±


    After rushing the count, the four of them headed into the depths of the Daybreak Palace. The sun motif, though tacky, made Dia¡¯s mood lift.


    It couldn¡¯t be helped, though. The Moons¡¯ influence over the Umbra¡­err, Istrel Sovereignty meant that the daylight was a lot weaker now. Seeing the bright suns inscribed in this place had an invigorating effect on her, especially after the creepy darkness of last night.


    ¡°Normally,¡± said Dia, ¡°such bright decorations would have been off-putting.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Risti chuckled. ¡°But I can say this with full certainty. Under the current climate, this is the best choice of inner d¨¦cor.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it, although we really didn¡¯t have much of a choice back then. I mean, it¡¯s called Daybreak County, so we had to live up to the name from the ancestors, right?¡± The count shook his head. ¡°Unlike neighbouring Farah, there was no reason for me to forsake the name¡­and therefore, the decoration had to fit it.¡±


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    ¡°So it¡¯s your ancestor¡¯s fault¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We¡¯re the true-blue long-lasting territory name.¡± The count was oddly proud about that. ¡°Never has our name changed once!¡±


    ¡°Mhm, impressive.¡± Dia nodded. ¡°Okay, moving on¡­what do you need to contact the Moons anyway?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re close. Don¡¯t rush old men, alright?¡±


    After walking past a huge picture with a five-coloured sun ¡ª which made no sense ¡ª the four of them stopped at a door. Cold air blasted out as the count opened it, and Dia shivered.


    ¡°Why is this room so cold?¡± Nero asked, wrapping himself with a layer of mana. ¡°Dude, something wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°Not my fault. It¡¯s the Cold Moon Jade Screen that¡¯s making it really cold,¡± Count Daybreak replied. ¡°Uh, it¡¯s the means of communication between me and the Moons, just so you know. Come on, before the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny decides to off us somehow.¡±


    Filing into the room, Count Daybreak approached the jade screen, which was a shimmering, tri-coloured mirror of sorts. It was a mesmerising sight to behold, and Dia wanted to reach out for it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± said Risti. ¡°It¡¯s going to freeze your fingers off or something. Maybe you¡¯ll become a vassal of the Moons just by touching it, and your skin would start glowing in three colours.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s scary¡­¡±


    ¡°Knock it off, kids.¡± The count took a step forward and touched the screen, which rippled. ¡°Moon Emissary, I, Count Daybreak, request an audience to inform you of news regarding Bearers of Destiny.¡±


    The screen rippled, and a simple full moon appeared. ¡°Speak.¡±


    Count Daybreak glanced around uneasily, and then produced the blood-soaked cotton and the mana instruments that Risti had sold for an exorbitant price. ¡°The Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny has appeared in my domain, attempting to conduct a blood sacrifice and to assassinate me.¡±


    ¡°Your news is welcome. We will hunt him down.¡±


    The full moon on the jade screen faded, and Dia blinked as the two items that Count Daybreak was holding vanished with it.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°What a letdown,¡± Risti muttered.


    ¡°Are you guys perhaps mistaken about something?¡± Count Daybreak asked. ¡°Look here. Normally, the Moon Emissary doesn¡¯t even respond to normal reports or whatever. I¡¯ve tried contacting them a few times, and they only ever respond if you tell them that you have really important issues¡­although you probably don¡¯t want to lie about the severity. It¡¯s rare that we actually got a promise, you know.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Dia asked. ¡°How many times have you tried talking to the Moons anyway?¡±


    ¡°Twenty-odd times,¡± Count Daybreak replied. ¡°They responded very rarely, but they do issue summons sometimes. Like when the second Moon-aligned Bearer of Destiny died.¡±


    ¡°Moon-aligned?¡± Dia asked.


    The count cleared his throat and turned away from the screen. Pushing the door open, he walked over to a nearby window and said, ¡°Let¡¯s see if there¡¯s any lightning bolts or moonbeams falling on certain areas, shall we?¡±


    ¡°You know, you¡¯re not doing a particularly good job of changing the subject¡­¡±


    ¡°Hush, dear child, and speak not truths.¡± The count looked out. ¡°Still, I suppose the Moons will be watching and waiting. Since they¡¯ve taken his blood and mana, I daresay, they¡¯ll act the moment the enemy screws up. The moment he lets out some blood or mana¡­¡±


    The count snickered like a stereotypical villain.


    ¡°Alright, enough of this villain-like act. The more we play into it, the more it feels like the Red God¡¯s Bearer is a hero or something,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Let¡¯s just move on to our next goal, which is going home. We¡¯re done here, and your county has been screwed over enough by an unfortunate turn of events, so much so that none of us feel like screwing you over anymore.¡±


    ¡°Of course, if Count Nightfall sends us here again because you sent assassins after him¡­¡± Risti smirked. ¡°We¡¯ll be very pissed. And you won¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°Finally, the issue of our payment.¡± Nero folded his arms. ¡°Bust out your treasury keys. It¡¯s time to take our rewards! Don¡¯t even think of weaselling out of it either.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. A noble never reneges on his words¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªuntil it¡¯s the right time to do so,¡± Dia completed. ¡°A person can tell their truth their entire life, just so they can tell the right lie at the right place. But I don¡¯t think the time to lie is now, is it?¡±


    The count looked at Dia. ¡°I have no idea how that little girl got a double as bright as you.¡±


    ¡°Just get a double yourself,¡± Dia replied, annoyed. The way the count put it insinuated that Princess Dia ¡ª which was actually herself to begin with ¡ª didn¡¯t deserve a subordinate of such quality, and she didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°Good doubles are hard to come by, alright? Not everyone can find someone like you.¡± The count shook his head. ¡°Still, I wonder how Duke Lustre is feeling. His daughter, to date, hasn¡¯t even sent a single sign back about her wellbeing. If you can contact your mistress, you should definitely tell her to write back or something.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t know whether she should feel pleased or not about that particular statement, but the second bit drew her attention somewhat. Of course, with Aunt Lumine already aware of her whereabouts, this didn¡¯t seem to be a problem, but her father probably wanted a letter.


    Still, how would she even send it?

 Chapter 323: The seeming end to a sidetracked mission

    ¡°Now to let the ink dry, I guess.¡± Dia stowed the freshly written letter, preventing it from blotting through a nifty application of mana, and then checked her items. There wasn¡¯t much to talk about their vault visit; the count had nothing impressive, and she had seen more impressive vaults anyway. If she had been sneaking into the vault to pilfer it, it would have been a more memorable experience, but¡­


    ¡°Meh.¡± Dia eyed the impressive collection of lifestones ¡ª the count had been very enthusiastic in paying them, in the hopes that he could lure them over to Daybreak County. While quite sincere, Dia preferred Moon Mansion; it had been her home for over six months.


    Popping one pure-ranked lifestone into her mouth, she shivered at the delightful taste and then headed out of her room. Risti, ever the hyper-efficient intelligence gatherer, had already packed her stuff and left some time ago to gather more information about this place, giving Dia the time and space she needed to write a letter or too. As for Nero, he was spending their last hours here packing up some local booze for his favourite bartender.


    That abstinence thing Risti had suggested before they set out for Daybreak County was going to be back in full force. In fact, Nero had no intention to guzzle down the local booze ¡ª he had more than enough of that during their stay here ¡ª he wanted to trade the local drinks for Schwarz¡¯s special brews.


    Like Pure Water Plus Ultra.


    Dia hummed as she draped her trusty cloak around her shoulders and left the room. Once everyone returned back to Licencia, she would send a letter to her family and let them know that she was safe. For some reason, she looked forward to sending that letter, and¡ª


    ¡°You look relaxed.¡± Risti smiled at her. ¡°Like someone who remembered about a promise and just fulfilled it.¡±


    Risti¡¯s words were rather close to the truth, but Dia wasn¡¯t going to show it on her face. Considering the conversations that had gone on not too long ago, agreeing might reveal a few things here and there.


    ¡°I¡¯m just overjoyed that we get to go back home.¡± Dia looked at the palace. ¡°This place is positively open, compared to our super-safe safehouse. I¡¯m not sure if I said this before, but Claud really knew what he was doing with that dome and booth.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    The two laughed, before Risti cleared her throat. ¡°More to the point, though, are you worried about your mistress?¡±


    Dia eyed her. ¡°Well, no one¡¯s heard about Princess Dia for some time.¡±


    ¡°Evasive as usual¡­¡± Risti shrugged. ¡°But she is doing a Moondamned job of hiding. I¡¯ve mobilised lots of people to look for her ¡ª I was thinking of offering her sanctuary in Moon Mansion, with the others¡¯ agreement of course ¡ª but no one¡¯s seen anything at all. Even the fellows with tracking skills all agree that the trail¡¯s gone real cold.¡±


    Worry crept on her face. ¡°Maybe something happened to her. Like a sick nobleman who wanted to enjoy her and keep her to himself¡­¡±


    Dia felt her face twitch once, and decided to put a foot down before Risti could produce the foundations of a well-narrated nightmare for her. ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen, alright?¡±


    ¡°But there are fanatics of the princess who would love nothing more than to vent their beastly desires on her,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°Enough.¡± Dia looked at Risti. ¡°Have faith in your idol, alright? For all you know, she¡¯s already close to being a tri-folder. There¡¯s no way someone like that would be captured.¡±


    Besides, the real deal was talking to her¡­


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    After spending ten minutes to assure Risti that Princess Dia was fine and dandy, Dia¡¯s own mood had plummeted. It was nice to have someone care about her, but like Risti herself had said, that was still a behaviour of a fanatic. At this point, she was beginning to worry that Risti and the others would distance themselves from her if Dia ever revealed her true identity.


    They had placed the person in their minds on too high a pedestal, after all.


    Letting out a sigh, she led the way out to the palace gates, where Count Daybreak and Nero were already waiting.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t keep you two waiting, I hope,¡± said Dia.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We were talking about booze,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s a good idea to invite Count Daybreak over to Licencia for a good drink, though. No one should miss out on the bottle-sized containers of pure bliss and intoxication that Schwarz creates.¡±


    ¡°There are all sorts of problems with that,¡± Dia replied, ¡°but the first one I¡¯m thinking of is an assault by the fianc¨¦ and fianc¨¦e duo who currently rule that place. This perp literally hired assassins and other people to harass the count. I¡¯m not even sure if Count Nightfall is going to accept our explanation about how this guy has been screwed over.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Risti folded her arms. ¡°Why not we just bring him back with us and let Count Nightfall deal with him?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Eh?¡± Count Daybreak looked at them. ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s actually a pretty good idea,¡± said Nero. ¡°Should we just kidnap him? I¡¯m sure it¡¯s going to be a rather fun trip. How did I not think of that? We get to avoid harming innocents, and we get to complete our mission at the same time. It¡¯s a really efficient solution!¡±


    ¡°This way, he won¡¯t tell us to go back either.¡±


    The trio looked at each other, and then at the sad count, who had come to the astute realisation that any plea would just backfire on them. Furthermore, the presence of Nero, a tetra-folder, was probably more than enough to deter him from doing anything.


    ¡°But I guess it¡¯s a bit nasty for us to do that,¡± Risti muttered.


    ¡°And if the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny is still in this place, I might have an excuse to come back for some revenge,¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°Revenge¡­¡±


    ¡°What, you think I wasn¡¯t going to get revenge for my retainers?¡± Nero snorted. ¡°I thought it was just the Third scheming against me, but it seems that the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny was having fun too! It¡¯s a grudge that I¡¯m not going to put down for some time.¡±


    He paused. ¡°It¡¯s been nice staying with you guys. No need to scheme. Every day¡¯s a blast, and I love it. But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not going to avenge my people.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said Risti. ¡°If you have such an attitude to your retainers, you¡¯ll definitely avenge us if we get killed for some stupid reason too.¡±


    Nero looked at her, and then grinned. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Heartwarming as all this is,¡± said Dia, ¡°I think we need to return to our main topic. What should we tell Count Nightfall? Now that I think about it, our initial excuse is really bad. But we don¡¯t want to screw this place over by kidnapping their ruler either.¡±


    Nero laughed. ¡°I think Nightfall just wants an apology.¡±


    ¡°An¡­apology?¡± Dia blinked. ¡°I was not expecting that answer, to be honest. I was thinking of, you know, getting Daybreak here to hand half the contents in his vault over or something.¡±


    The Holy Son of the Black God looked at Count Daybreak. ¡°Just a question. A really quick one. Do you guys¡­share a childhood? Like, I don¡¯t know, friends in the same noble school or something?¡±


    ¡°Most nobles are educated in their own domains, so¡ª¡±


    ¡°I did a few terms in Nightfall County before.¡± The count sighed. ¡°We were friends. If only for those few delightful years. Most nobles have the habit of having children at around the same time period to foster interactions within nobles of similar age and station. As part of that, I went to Nightfall and studied there.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re still as poor as ever, and no one really wants to invest in education here. Most of it comes out-of-pocket, and there¡¯s been a constant flight of talent and resources¡­¡±


    Dia began to feel a bit bad for demanding payment of their services ¡ª even if payment was an expected part of the due process ¡ª as Count Daybreak talked about his territory¡¯s lacking funds and other things.


    That wasn¡¯t going to stop her from bringing back lifestones though.


    ¡°¡­jealousy. I suppose.¡±


    ¡°You spent money to hire killers¡­money that could have been better spent to better your county?¡±


    ¡°Not killers,¡± Count Daybreak replied. ¡°Just troublemakers. They were actually people who were leaving Daybreak, and I paid them a bit more to cause some trouble there. From my point of view, stirring trouble in other counties is the fastest way of retaining talents here.¡±


    ¡°¡­Who¡¯s to judge?¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°Well, maybe you should pen an apology. That¡¯ll make our lives easier too.¡±


    ¡°An apology, huh.¡± Count Daybreak heaved a sigh. ¡°I suppose you guys are going to knock me out and bring me there if I refuse, right?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go back in for a moment, then. My study still has some paper for me to write on.¡±

 Chapter 324: Tri-coloured lightning and the reddest radiance

    In the end, their departure was delayed by Count Daybreak, who was now fervently writing a letter of apology and explanation to Dia¡¯s employer. While there was nothing in the way of a monetary apology or anything, the honesty in which Count Daybreak had written that letter was quite refreshing.


    It started off with a seasonal greeting, and then moved onto an explanation of Daybreak County¡¯s current circumstances, and then a full-out admission of Count Daybreak¡¯s own doings and why he resorted to them in the first place.


    ¡°Still, I didn¡¯t know you got a few wandering bards to sing about home and Daybreak County in Licencia, though.¡± Risti eyed the letter. ¡°And I don¡¯t think that¡¯s really something I would consider a wrongdoing.¡±


    ¡°Sincerity is for the best here, I think.¡± Count Daybreak sighed. ¡°Still, if I hadn¡¯t pissed off Aran, he wouldn¡¯t have sent you guys here. And my people would have been dead. Funny how fate works.¡±


    ¡°Fate, huh.¡± Dia pondered on that word. ¡°It¡¯s really funny, I guess. We ended up encountering the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny at the end of all that. Still, is that Bearer of Destiny not the Holy Son of the Red God or a Blessed?¡±


    Nero, who was eyeing a bottle of wine in the count¡¯s wine cabinet, looked up. ¡°The Holy Son is the true Blessed of the gods, but the Bearer need not be. I¡¯m told that the Bearer of Destiny comes from all walks of life, so I am fairly certain that none of the Coloured Gods¡¯ Bearers of Destiny were raised in the Coloured Churches from young. Rather, it¡¯s a contract of equals and everything.¡±


    He paused. ¡°I wish I can tell you more, but the role of the Coloured Gods¡¯ Bearer of Destiny and their influence on the Trial of Aeons is very impossible to explain to anyone without getting them killed.¡±


    ¡°Would it work if we got you drunk?¡± Risti wondered. ¡°You¡¯ll end up slurring all the information.¡±


    ¡°Information has two types of loads,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Entry loads and density loads. The former is like taxes to enter a city, while the latter are taxes based on how expensive one¡¯s property is in a city¡­the heavier the information, the more it drains from you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for that analogy, I guess. Still, even if you¡¯re drunk¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to be dead drunk, not me. If you can recall a fraction of the truths I speak while you were out of it, I suppose your head would blow up.¡± He paused. ¡°I can¡¯t even tell this to a tetra-folder...it¡¯s a perk of being a Holy Son.¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright, keep acting mysterious.¡± Risti scoffed once, and then started fiddling with an odd artefact that looked like a metal board or something. Nero, in return, turned back to look at the nice collection of booze the poor Count Daybreak had, and Dia felt a bit out of place.


    She didn¡¯t want to disturb Count Daybreak, who was reading through the letter over and over again, so she instead moved towards the window and peeked out at the county she and the others had saved.


    Thunder roared in the distance as tri-coloured lightning bolts streaked towards the distant horizon, and Dia took in the novel sight. As a rule of thumb, lightning bolts were white in colour, so to see lightning bolts that were red, blue and yellow was quite a novel sight...


    She didn¡¯t know that meteorological events also adapted to the Moons. In her opinion, however, black lightning looked far cooler than any other form of lightning, which meant that the Voidum Sovereignty had the coolest lightning storms in existence.


    For some reason, she could swear that someone was deriding her as edgy, but that was probably a corner of her own mind, who preferred the repressed, good little girl whose only identifying trait was utter perfection promoted by zealous fans and journalists.


    ¡°Still, tri-coloured lightning?¡± Dia tilted her head. It was seriously a first to see something like this though.


    Another bolt of lightning felt, striking at the horizon, and the ground shook as a monstrous roar swept the world. That sound stirred up Dia¡¯s heart, and for a moment, the urge to punch something assaulted her mind.


    The others shook at the same time, and a burst of mana surged outwards from Count Daybreak as a skill seemed to activate.


    ¡°Count Daybreak?¡±


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    ¡°The Moons! They¡¯re acting!¡± the count shouted. ¡°This is them administering divine retribution upon the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny!¡±


    On cue, ten strikes of lightning smashed down, their combined appearance creating a deafening crack that sliced through the silence of the peaceful morning.


    It didn¡¯t end there, though. Tri-coloured lightning bolts began to fall in earnest, and Dia¡¯s heart grew cold. The Moons were lashing out at their target ¡ª and there could only be one so close to Daybreak County ¡ª with a steady, unruffled cadence, like a chef chopping carrots and potatoes.


    ¡°Divine punishment¡­¡± Nero¡¯s voice was hushed. ¡°No, not punishment. It¡¯s just the Moons taking advantage of their supremacy in this domain to hunt down the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny. Today, it seems, a Bearer of Destiny might just die here.¡±


    As those words left his mouth, a red light burst out from the horizon, surging into the skies. An incredible presence swept outwards as a faint silhouette appeared, its giant stature holding onto a staff that drew Dia¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Impossible!¡± Nero smashed the wall, and the window¡¯s size tripled instantly. ¡°Impossible! That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Dia asked, ignoring the fact that a wall of Count Daybreak¡¯s study had been destroyed.


    ¡°Spirit Clone Descent¡­but you need to have compatibility on par with a Holy Child to even acquire the skill,¡± Nero whispered. ¡°Does this mean that the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny is actually His Holy Son too?¡±


    His fist clenched up. ¡°Is there no justice in this world?¡±


    The red figure smashed aside another volley of thunderbolts effortlessly, before forming a fist with his right hand. Punching out once, the Red God¡¯s spirit clone punched towards the tri-coloured clouds gathered in the sky, sending out a sky-shaking burst of might that aimed to scatter them.


    With a ripple, a tri-coloured screen took on the burst of power, and the resulting clash tore down forests and directly reduced the nearby mountains into drifting ash.


    Time seemed to freeze as both the Red God¡¯s spirit clone and the clouds above reeled from the impact, and in that very a moment, a pillar of red light fell. A person, gleaming with the Red God¡¯s light and sporting a pair of wings, took this chance to flee. Turning into a flash of red light, the Bearer of Destiny took off towards the west.


    ¡°Familiar Spirit Descent, Spirit Clone Descent¡­Red God¡¯s Squad and an Absolute Skill.¡± Nero toyed with a brick. ¡°That just leaves one more skill left, and¡ª¡±


    A tri-coloured wall of light appeared out of nowhere, and with a jolt, Dia realised that it was precisely the same wall of light that had isolated the Istrel Sovereignty from the other sovereignties. Her heart relaxed as she took in that sight; the Bearer of Destiny was definitely dead¡ª


    A majestic cry that sounded vaguely avian sliced into the surroundings, and another set of wings, one far larger and grander than the human-sized wings on the Bearer of Destiny¡¯s back, appeared. It didn¡¯t just stop there, though; within the span of a single second, a resplendent bird had materialised, its red-gold feathers glittering with the promise of annihilation.


    The wall held as the red-gold giant bird clashed with it, and the Red God¡¯s spirit clone began to shine. The ground abruptly shook, and huge fountains of lava burst out of the soil, solid pillars of crimson death that stabbed into the clouds itself.


    Dia shivered as a chilling gust of air blew past everyone, and the pillars of lava turned solid on the spot, before exploding with a vengeance. Grey fragments burst out with enough force, poking thousands of holes into the tri-coloured colours and preventing them from sending out more lightning bolts for a whole three seconds.


    That three seconds was, unfortunately, more than enough. A silvery dome ¡ª the Bearer of Destiny¡¯s Absolute Entrapment, had appeared in the first second, shrinking down to cover the crimson and golden bird in the next second.


    At the last second, as the clouds above hurled lightning bolts that tore the Red God¡¯s spirit clone asunder, the Bearer of Destiny shattered the screen that had held him back and turned into a solid lance of silver, red and gold that charged westwards.


    The surroundings shuddered as the resulting wave of air smashed into Count Daybreak¡¯s castle and tore half of it down.


    ¡°My castle!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the main concern now¡­¡±


    Dia looked towards the Schwa Dukedom, where the Bearer of Destiny had fled to. ¡°Do you think he can make it out of the sovereignty? Or would he hide in Schwa and plot a comeback?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll soon find out, I think. The Moons will definitely send down a decree,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Anyway, that giant phoenix materialisation should have come from a skillstick. A trump card of the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny. Other than that, though, we¡¯ve discovered most of his skills. Two descent skills, Red God¡¯s Squad, Absolute Entrapment¡­we¡¯re left with only one now. If we need to hunt him down¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be easier, right?¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°Considering that he has Spirit Clone Descent and Familiar Spirit Descent, I don¡¯t think so. Still, the nature of these two skills is similar to that of his Absolute Entrapment,¡± Nero replied, shaking his head. ¡°The Moons will notice immediately. If he uses them here, he¡¯s dead meat.¡±


    ¡°The Moons didn¡¯t kill him, though.¡±


    ¡°Almost. And to them, it was probably a fairly easy feat.¡± Nero had a sad look on his face. ¡°They won¡¯t let him run a second time.¡±


    The three of them, plus Count Daybreak, looked at the west one last time, and then turned to regard the ruined castle.


    ¡°¡­You definitely won¡¯t be causing trouble for Nightfall, at least.¡± Nero rubbed his nose. ¡°Silver lining?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll burn that lining if you continue on,¡± Count Daybreak muttered darkly. ¡°At least I¡¯m still a single dog, and my servants are largely staying outside of this cold and lonely place. I don¡¯t think anyone died from this collapse¡­and that¡¯s the true silver lining.¡±


    ¡°You do have a heart, huh,¡± Risti muttered.


    ¡°And pray tell, what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±

 Chapter 325: Watching the pursuit

    After clearing up the ruined palace, Count Daybreak stared at it sadly. Half of the damn thing had been destroyed, and apparently, the bedroom areas had gone down with it.


    ¡°Pack it up, pack it up!¡± The count¡¯s head butler harried the servants. ¡°Save what you can! We¡¯ll need to demolish this place and rebuild a new one, so hurry and take everything away!¡±


    Servants scurried back and forth, lugging carts full of books and food. Furniture followed, and with a great deal of fanfare, the golden, sun-themed decorations were carried out with dignity and respect.


    ¡°Wow,¡± said Risti. ¡°Your decorations are more respected than you, Count Daybreak.¡±


    The count, who was watching the whole thing, stiffened up.


    ¡°Right? You¡¯d think that these golden decorations are actually the real count,¡± Nero added. ¡°Like the person beside us is just the means in which these decorations are preserved from generation to generation.¡±


    Count Daybreak let out another odd noise.


    Dia decided not to murder the poor guy emotionally, since the dead-eyed count looked like he was on the hint of a mental collapse. Instead, she looked at the palace and said, ¡°Now that your home¡¯s ruined, why not follow us to Nightfall County? We can have the count take you in as a valued guest while your home rebuilds.¡±


    The shaking fellow swayed on his feet and fell to the floor.


    ¡°Did he faint?¡± Dia looked at the pale count. ¡°How troublesome¡­what? Why are you looking at me like that? I didn¡¯t even say anything related to the sunny decorations and how they¡¯re more valued and protected than their owner, alright?¡±


    ¡°¡­I think saying that would have been better on his heart, to be honest.¡± Nero picked up a nearby twig and poked the count¡¯s sides. ¡°Oi, wake up. I¡¯m going to keep poking until you awaken, you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Still, what brought that on?¡± Risti asked. ¡°I thought the premise of the count writing a letter of apology was, you know, to not visit Nightfall¡­¡±


    ¡°His palace was destroyed, so I figured it would be better if he took refuge in another palace. And it¡¯ll outsource the cost of his daily expenses to another territory too.¡± Dia looked at the crumbling palace. Half of it had been destroyed from the sheer backlash of the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny; given its height and size, the palace had been disproportionately affected by the sweeping winds and the shockwave that followed.


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t just the palace; most of the houses in Daybreak County had been affected too. Houses had been destroyed in that sudden burst of force, while street stalls had been blown away. Fortunately, there were no deaths and everything, and Count Daybreak had regained enough of his wits to send out disaster relief and subsidise a rebuilding to the affected residences.


    ¡°Yeah¡­and the county¡¯s so poor that I don¡¯t think he can rebuild the palace anytime. Might as well just use all that money for disaster relief,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Ditch the palace?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, keep it to the size of Farah County¡¯s palace,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Farah Palace is really small; it¡¯s like Moon Mansion, minus the dome. Unbelievable, I know, but I¡¯m told that it saves money and feels a lot more homely.¡±


    ¡°I can see that, yes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I suggested living in the Nightfall Palace for some time.¡± Dia grinned. ¡°Besides, wasn¡¯t Daybreak complaining about talent drain and capital outflow? Maybe he can coordinate with his schoolmate over there to create a complementary economy.¡±


    Risti bobbed her head and looked at Count Daybreak, whose sides were still undergoing the poking treatment by Nero. ¡°Competition won¡¯t help his county, true. Nightfall County has the best infrastructure and policies for trade, after all. The only saving grace that Daybreak has is sunrice and the fact that it is the neighbour of Schwa Dukedom.¡±


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    ¡°Sunrice?¡± Nero looked up. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a kind of rice that¡¯s super fluffy,¡± Dia replied immediately. ¡°It¡¯s really good. Lustre imports a lot of sunrice from the Daybreak County, because it¡¯s just that good.¡±


    ¡°Okay, we get it.¡± Nero drove the stick into the count¡¯s sides, and the latter shot up with a yell. ¡°Maybe we should buy a few carts and bring them back.¡±


    ¡°Can we?¡± Dia asked, her mouth watering immediately. ¡°I mean, we did bring some money. And in times of disaster, we can probably buy all their stock at a slightly lower price.¡±


    ¡°Thereby driving up demand from Lustre and increasing prices overall, huh?¡± Risti muttered.


    Count Daybreak, who was on the verge of losing his temper, calmed down immediately. Rubbing his sides and looking at Dia, he said, ¡°That¡¯s a very wise choice! Sunrice can last for years in storage, has a very good mouthfill and is very nutritious! In addition, it can also promote bloodflow, has strengthening effects and ensures a good night¡¯s sleep!¡±


    He clapped his hands. ¡°With sunrice, always get up in time to see the sun rise!¡±


    ¡°Ooh, a marketing slogan.¡± Nero bobbed his head. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll consider buying sunrice charity. I¡¯m sure your people need the money anyway, so¡­how much can we get with three hundred thousand gold?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get you in touch with the traders.¡± Count Daybreak straightened his face. ¡°Come on. They¡¯ll be pleased to hear about this. Our prices are low and fair, and since you¡¯re buying in bulk¡­¡±


    ¡°Looks like our departure will be delayed by a bit again,¡± Risti noted. ¡°But I really want to try out sunrice.¡±


    ¡°You should,¡± Dia replied. ¡°It¡¯s a staple of Lustre! Although it¡¯s really expensive, though. Duties, customs, road taxes, middlemen¡­¡±


    Count Daybreak looked at Dia. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m told that the retail price has to be very high, since we¡¯re selling across multiple territories. And it doesn¡¯t help that Farah County has moonwheat, which is excellent for pastries, while Schwa Dukedom already has established staple foods. Our only market is in another dukedom, and we need to rely on their people to trade in the first place.¡±


    Dia had no idea why the count was directing those words to her, but it did apprise her of the current situation this unfortunate county was facing.


    To make matters worse, the centre of economic power in Istrel Dukedom was actually in Licencia. Farah County, which occupied the enviable middle position of the dukedom itself, was still recovering from economic problems and was using agrarian methods to solve it. With its superior position as the dukedom¡¯s centre, it managed to marginalise Daybreak County, and things just snowballed from there.


    As for the dukedom capital, it was located between Farah and Nightfall, a small city that didn¡¯t have much of a presence. The old duke didn¡¯t bother developing the dukedom capital, since most of the Istrels¡¯ wealth came from the sovereignty capital¡­in other words, the huge spending power of a high noble had no effect on Daybreak County.


    ¡°So,¡± said Dia, her mind running through a whole bunch of information, ¡°what kind of people are your farmers anyway?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re a nice bunch, but you should see them for yourselves,¡± Count Daybreak replied. ¡°Also¡­about that offer, I think I¡¯ll take it up. You¡¯re right. This is no time to be building a palace, and I suppose I should actively move to coordinate with Count Nightfall. It¡¯s a pity that Countess Farah has been absent from the public eye for the past few years ¡ª it¡¯s said that she¡¯s training to become a tri-folder ¡ª or else I would have invited her along.¡±


    Dia exchanged glances with Risti and Nero, who tried their best to look as innocent as possible. Nero had discovered Farah¡¯s identity after a while ¡ª it wasn¡¯t too hard ¡ª but there was at least one truth to those words.


    Farah was indeed working hard to become a tri-folder.


    Resisting the urge to mutter cryptic words, Dia cleared her throat. ¡°About those traders¡­¡±


    ¡°Right. Follow me, I guess.¡±


    Leaving behind the ruined castle, Count Daybreak led them down the main street of the city. There were still some damaged areas here and there, but thanks to the prompt response, most of the rubble had been cleared up. Tents had been set up for those whose homes had been blown away, and a queue of people lining up for food could be seen in the city square.


    ¡°The Merchant Association is the best place to do business in Daybreak,¡± said the count. ¡°It¡¯s a place for sellers to showcase the best goods at the best prices, and¡ª¡±


    The world shook, and Count Daybreak looked up at the sky. Thousands of white-clothed soldiers streaked towards the west a moment later, their bodies alight with a violent, tri-coloured glow.


    A chill ran down Dia¡¯s spine as she took in the sight of these soldiers, who were evidently chasing down the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny. Had they located his whereabouts? Or did something happen?


    Dia didn¡¯t know, but as she looked at the soldiers, who looked completely different from the Moon soldiers she had encountered, she could sense that something had changed.


    Something¡­huge.


    [End of Book 7: Reddest Rage]

 Chapter 326: Resolution

    [Book 8: Darkness Descends]


    A sudden impulse seized Claud, and his head automatically turned to look at the southwest, in the direction of Istrel Sovereignty. His odd, jittery movement immediately caught the attention of Lily, who was tossing crumbs at birds, and she stood up.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Yeah. But I don¡¯t know how to describe it.¡±


    ¡°Try me.¡± Lily winked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. From how nothing ominous is popping up in the field of my vision, it probably isn¡¯t that urgent yet, so feel free to take your time.¡±


    Walking closer to Lily, he took some breadcrumbs and scattered randomly, and the feisty little birds hopped around in pursuit of their food. Those little sparrows were natives of Lostfon¡¯s Central Park, brave little things that weren¡¯t scared of humans, Shadowed Ones and monsters alike.


    ¡°How relaxing,¡± Claud muttered, his gaze sweeping the park once. He could see green everywhere, a green that was good for his anxiety, and a small candle lit up in his head as he realised why Lily had insisted on dragging him here.


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Lily pulled out a sweet. ¡°Here, more relaxants.¡±


    ¡°Is that medical term really appropriate to be used here?¡± Claud questioned, before unwrapping the little treat. Before his mouth could water in earnest, he tossed the little bead into his mouth and rolled it around with his tongue.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that sweet now, right?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s perfect.¡± Claud let the sweetness melt into his mouth and gave her a thumbs-up.


    Lily grinned. ¡°Feeling up to the immense, world-shaking task of telling me what¡¯s wrong now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on, though. I¡¯ll try to describe the feeling to you¡­¡± Claud pondered for a moment. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine and going as ordered in the world, but while you¡¯re walking on the streets, a shadow slides across the ground, orders some sausages, and slides away.¡±


    Lily paused, an odd expression on her face. ¡°A shadow slides across the ground, orders some sausage and slides away? What happened to the sausages?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the most important bit, yes. You know it ordered sausages, you saw the vendor prepare sausages¡­and then nothing. Nothing of that sort now exists. The shadow is gone, and the vendor seems to be sleeping as usual.¡± Claud paused. ¡°But you know you saw a shadow order a sausage.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­a very odd feeling, to be sure.¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°Basically, something happened. You know that something happened. But¡­¡±


    She opened and closed her mouth a few times, before a touch of irritation flickered through her face. After a while, she let out a sigh. ¡°I also don¡¯t know how to describe it. But that shadow and sausage analogy got rather close, I think.¡±


    Claud looked at the southwest once more. ¡°I think something changed in the Moons itself, but I don¡¯t know what. It¡¯s a fleeting feeling too.¡±


    ¡°If you can sense these changes despite being an entire sovereignty away, I¡¯m sure these changes are actually rather significant. It¡¯s just that¡­¡± Lily jerked once, and then looked at him with shining eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve forgotten the original frame of reference! Or rather, you never knew the original frame of reference to begin with!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Claud tapped his feet. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s probably it.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you give me a more spirited answer?¡± Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°Still, if it happened in Istrel¡­I wonder what happened to the others. We¡¯re still stuck outside, and I don¡¯t want you busting through the wall once more.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also the Trial of Aeons next year,¡± Claud added.


    ¡°Uhh¡­you¡¯re going to participate?¡± Lily eyed him critically. ¡°You know, despite all its dangers? I thought you were going to hide somewhere or something and wait the storm out.¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°I was going to, but whenever I think about the Trial of Aeons, I get a feeling that I¡¯ll be involved somehow,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll be forcibly teleported there to take the damn thing or something.¡±


    ¡°Then you definitely need to hurry up with become a tetra-folder,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m in a near-perfect state of mind,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But this change¡­well, I suppose I¡¯ll push it back by another day. Not today, at least. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°What are you apologising for?¡± Lily flicked his nose. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s continue to feed some sparrows. We can also find one of the shadow babies and play with them too.¡±


    Claud lowered his head. ¡°Sorry to trouble you with all this.¡±


    ¡°Pssh. No trouble, okay? And besides, I¡¯m sure I caused more trouble for you the whole time.¡± Lily looked at the southwest. ¡°All that trouble with my family and everything, and I made you worry about me too. Maybe I¡¯m being too clingy too.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not.¡± Claud grabbed a few more crumbs. ¡°I¡¯m happy that you came with me, even if I feel guilty for dragging you away from Moon Mansion, where it¡¯s super-safe.¡±


    ¡°Super-safe, huh? How safe is that place anyway?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been upgrading it constantly with all sorts of artefacts and things, but how much of a fortress is it?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Claud looked around. ¡°It¡¯s probably harder to capture than Lostfon itself? Other than its emplacements that can fire on its own, its defences are one of a kind. It can resist lots of attacks from tri-folders, and it should be able to stall tetra-folders on its own. If Nero chips in his strength, it should be able to counterattack with a terrifying might too.¡±


    ¡°¡­What exactly did you turn Moon Mansion into?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°A fortress?¡± Claud tilted his head. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve even gotten some people to dig out a solid space underground too, and Schwarz should be making use of it to make a liveable space. If push comes to shove, the entirety of Licencia can be destroyed, and the Moon Lords can still be living underground.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not really a fortress anymore, then.¡±


    ¡°Okay, genius. You can come up with a name, alright? I can¡¯t think of anything that you guys would approve of,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Most of my names are like ¡®Redoubt of Absolute Defence¡¯ or something like that.¡±


    ¡°Uwah. That¡¯s so¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s dramatic, I guess?¡± Claud shrugged. ¡°Maybe while I¡¯m handling my Second Tutorial, you can think of a cooler name or something. Give me something to look forward to.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure why a cooler name is your motivation when I¡¯m here, but okay.¡± Lily reached into the bag of breadcrumbs and tossed another handful of crumbs at the birds, revitalising them immediately as they scrambled for more food. One particularly smart sparrow, however, had simply approached Lily directly, flapping its wings and hovering in mid-air.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s asking for food. From you.¡±


    ¡°I thought birdbrain was an insult that denoted someone as stupid,¡± Lily replied, before holding out the bag. ¡°Maybe this is the exception that proves the rule.¡±


    The little fellow hopped onto the small bag¡¯s edge, perching on it precisely. Its head flickered back and forth a few seconds later, and Claud immediately thought about Crown and Throne, who were both sleeping in his pocket. Unfortunately, wild birds weren¡¯t good as pets, and unlike those little fellows, they had a nasty tendency to leave behind waste products.


    Setting down the bag of breadcrumbs, the two of them retreated from the area.


    ¡°Right, how¡¯s your mana circuits going?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Are you close to the next level yet?¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°Thanks to your selfless donation of lifestones, though.¡±


    ¡°Considering that I get free years from the mere act of Bearers of Destiny dying, it¡¯s not really an issue,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And as it turns out, some of those Bearers of Destiny are really, really old. A fraction of their lifespan is good enough to prop me up. And don¡¯t forget about little old Crown, who can make Pure-Life Gems and help me absorb lifestones without purity issues.¡±


    ¡°True. It¡¯s so convenient for you.¡±


    ¡°Too convenient.¡± Claud bit his tongue lightly.


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Lily had a serious look on her face. Playing with her violet hair, she said, ¡°Maybe the world has something for you to do. Like a huge role you¡¯re supposed to play or something.¡±


    Claud really wanted to tell her about the Omen Mission, but the mere thought of doing that was enough to make bells ring in his head. Smiling bitterly, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it if we can stop over at Celestia once more.¡±


    ¡°¡­So there is something planned.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡± Claud looked up at the sky. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t like the feeling of not knowing either. In the first place, what exactly is the Trial of Aeons for? What is it meant to do?¡±


    He didn¡¯t complete his sentence. If the three factions ¡ª the Moons, the Dark and the Coloured Gods ¡ª were backing a bunch of Bearers of Destiny, who was backing him? What entity would move him around on the board and pit him against the others?


    And what would happen if he succeeded?


    ¡°We¡¯ll soon find out,¡± said Lily. ¡°Don¡¯t think too hard about the future, alright? You always like to overthink things. It¡¯s not good for your health.¡±


    ¡°You know that¡¯s impossible,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°But I tried, at least!¡±


    Messing up her violet hair, Claud looked up at the sky, where something huge had just changed, but no one knew about it. ¡°Yeah, you did.¡±


    Lily held his hands, a smile on her face. ¡°Let¡¯s get some sausages. All that talk about sausages earlier gave me a craving for them.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure¡­¡±

 Chapter 327: The Second Tutorial begins

    The rest of the day drifted by without anything happening. Sure, a few sparrows had learned about the nice couple who liked to feed them with a bag full of bread, but other than the little spectacle of these birds lining up to receive their share of breadcrumbs, nothing extraordinary happened.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if birds learning to line up is an ordinary event, though,¡± Lily pointed out. ¡°But whatever you say!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a habit you should fall into,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long my Second Tutorial will take. It might take a day, or it might take forever.¡±


    Lily looked at him, hesitation in her eyes, and then sat down on the bed. ¡°I won¡¯t dissuade you from this. But¡­¡±


    She patted her lap. ¡°Want to rest here for a while before you start?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to.¡± Without any hint of shame, Claud climbed onto the bed and laid his head on her lap. ¡°To be honest, I would very much prefer to just be a normal person with lots of time, but I don¡¯t think we can afford to be normal people right now. The Third Godsfall saw the appearance of incredibly powerful mana-users, but few from their number remain alive. It¡¯s a lesson to us all.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Lily squeezed his cheeks. ¡°I¡¯ll watch over you first. I¡¯ll catch up soon enough too, so expect your legs to be numb!¡±


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re going to let me lie on your lap for the whole time? It might take weeks, you know,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m told that people sit cross-legged when they¡¯re tackling this Second Tutorial.¡±


    ¡°Forget them. All that matters is us,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to eat and everything, at least.¡± Claud held her hand and brought it to his lips. ¡°Please don¡¯t feed me, though. I don¡¯t think we¡¯re supposed to be eating while doing the Second Tutorial.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just slip a few sweets into your mouth.¡± Lily shook a bag. ¡°And don¡¯t worry about the eating part. I brought lots of rations here. If need be, I can stay here an entire year.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Claud rolled his eyes. There was still some noise from the first floor ¡ª the little inn had livened up ever since Claud and Lily had brought back the villagers that had intercepted Count Lostfon and the Moons¡¯ convoy ¡ª so he held off on that last step.


    The din would die away soon.


    ¡°Are your clothes comfortable? Is it too warm or too cold?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine as I am. You¡¯re the best pillow I can ask for,¡± Claud replied, taking slow, steady breaths. His heartbeat continued to slow down with every passing second, and he fixed his eyes on Lily¡¯s worried visage. Ever since his mother passed away, Claud had never expected someone to be this concerned about him, until he met Lily. While he did feel bad about imposing on her love and care, Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel happy that he was loved by someone.


    ¡°Lily,¡± Claud called out.


    Her hands, which were busy rubbing his hair, paused. ¡°Yes?¡±


    Claud sat up. Turning around, he held her hands and looked into her eyes. ¡°I love you. I¡­thank you for everything. You know, I never really expected to have someone care for me ever since I lost my mum, but¡­you¡¯re the first.¡±


    ¡°Why are you saying all this now?¡± Lily asked. ¡°You now sound like someone who¡¯s saying their last words and sending off his love for the final time. That¡¯s ominous, alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just scared that I¡¯ll never get to say that to you,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Sometimes, I feel that you¡¯re uncertain about me too, so I want to let you know that you¡¯re irreplaceable in my heart. You fill up a void that I never knew existed. You¡¯re important to me. And I¡¯m important to you. Therefore, I will never chase you away. I¡¯ll always care for you, hold you close and protect you. I¡ª¡±


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Lily placed a finger over his lips, her eyes glittering slightly. ¡°I know. But anymore, and you¡¯re going to disturb your mental state. Don¡¯t worry about me. Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m the person who avenged an entire town by killing her family. I¡¯ll always be here for you.¡±


    Something seemed to fall in place in his heart, and Claud relaxed. ¡°No matter what matters to me, I¡¯ll fight my way back.¡±


    He clenched his fist. ¡°After all, the Trial of Aeons is waiting. And when it starts, I¡¯ll bring you there and we¡¯ll trample our way to eternity.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a promise, then.¡± Lily lowered him back down onto her lap. ¡°Good luck, Claud.¡±


    At those words, a velvety box bounced onto his chest. ¡°Meep! Meep. Meep!¡±


    He looked at the box, and then exchanged glances with Lily.


    ¡°Oh, you little lovely fellow.¡± Lily rubbed Crown¡¯s top. ¡°Where¡¯s Throne? I want you guys to be sleeping on my love tonight. And I¡¯ll hold his sleeping frame and drift off to sleep with him.¡±


    A silvery sphere rolled over a few seconds later, bumping into Crown. The two of them burst out into little meeps of anger and outrage immediately, and they spent the next three minutes bumping into each other until Lily put her foot down.


    ¡°Such rowdiness,¡± Lily murmured.


    Her voice, though soft and gentle, carried a warning behind it, and the two squabbling shapes settled down.


    ¡°¡­When we have kids, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to teach me that trick.¡± Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°That was plenty awesome.¡±


    A hint of red coloured her cheeks. ¡°I-it¡¯s nothing much¡­anyway, the inn has fallen silent. Now¡¯s a good time.¡±


    Cradling his head, Lily whispered a few words of good luck in his ear, and then kissed him on the lips slowly. Breaking it a few seconds later, she took out a pure-ranked lifestone and offered it to him with two hands.


    Claud didn¡¯t say anything about that gesture. While he didn¡¯t need it, this was Lily¡¯s last way of showing her support, and he placed the lifestone into his mouth. Sweet, scintillating life flooded his body, and Crown lit up.


    [Your Mana Circuit Superimposition has reached 4.00]


    [You have achieved the qualifications to ascend in the hierarchy of life. Second Tutorial has been loaded. Start?]


    He looked at the azure screen floating in front of him. Something told him that if he refused, the seething mana within him would dissipate, and part of his fourth mana circuit would wither away. He had the feeling that it would not be a pleasant feeling to behold; it would likely involve a bout of wrenching pain.


    Making a mental note to tell Lily about it after he was done, he looked at Lily, whose eyes met his immediately. ¡°I¡¯m starting. Will be back soon.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°Good luck, my love.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve grown a bit more forward, haven¡¯t you?¡± Claud smiled. ¡°I like it.¡±


    The smile vanished. ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care, then.¡±


    Claud held her hands one last time, and then released them gently. Raising his arms, he placed his hands together on his chest, trapping Crown and Throne into a small, impromptu enclosure.


    ¡°Start.¡±


    His words echoed oddly in the air for a moment, and the world began to swim all around him. Lily¡¯s worried face, the little fellows as they quivered and shivered, the bed they had shared¡­everything in his eyes began to vanish, crowded out by a pure white light.


    [Checking qualifications. Qualification of being alive has been met. Qualification of a calm mind has been met. Qualification of an unperturbed heart has been met. Qualification of having mana circuits has been met. Qualification of having four mana circuits has been met.]


    [All qualifications have been met.]


    [Initialising Second Tutorial.]


    The white world shimmered and glittered as each sentence appeared in his vision, and wind began to whisper. Colours began to appear all around him, eating away at the white light, and Claud took a deep breath. He was conscious, but this body he was in right now wasn¡¯t his.


    His mana had vanished, for instance. His hands were far smaller, and a glance was enough to reveal that his frame was that of an undernourished teenager. Before he could confirm his hypothesis, however, golden light flashed through his eyes, and a screen appeared.


    [A Bearer of Destiny has been det¡ª]


    [Irregularity detected.]


    Claud only had three seconds to take in the two screens, before white and black dots washed across his vision. Like a flash flood, the monochrome wave vanished moments later, leaving nothing behind.


    A chill ran down his spine a heartbeat later.


    [The Omen has descended.]


    Claud gazed at the message, and at the box that these words had been written on. He couldn¡¯t discern the colour of the box. Nor could he do the same for the words. He just knew that they existed, just as how air existed. There was no questioning it. He knew that they were there, that this message was there, but he didn¡¯t know how.


    It simply existed. Without form or shape, nor colour and size.


    As he looked at the message, the white world began to burn. The colours that had been painted on this pure canvas began to run, flowing out chaotically into the false world around him.


    ¡°Entropy,¡± Claud murmured, his lips moving on their own, ¡°has set in.¡±


    All around him, the chaotic, runny world of colours began to solidify.

 Chapter 328: The Frozen Emperor (1)

    The patchwork of colours settled in his vision, and a cold chill ran down Claud¡¯s spine as he took in the new world before him. Without knowing it, he was now standing at a set of high city walls, looking at the sight of two armies clashing. From the colour scheme, he immediately knew that they were from the Dark and the Moons respectively, and anger flared to life in the pit of his stomach.


    They were disrespecting him.


    As that unbearably arrogant thought flickered through his mind, Claud felt his consciousness blur somewhat. Something seemed to tingle in the depths of his mind, but he wasn¡¯t quite sure what. At the same time, the odd judgement that being angered from how the Moons and the Dark disrespected him wavered, and then fell apart entirely.


    His reason now back to normal, Claud looked at the two armies that were biting away at each other. There was something repulsive about how both sides had ignored his existence, and he didn¡¯t like it.


    Mana¡­no, a greater form of mana began to flow out from him, and the soldiers behind him, the fools that could only cling to the strong, quailed. To their credit, however, none of the soldiers that were supposed to be defending this city had fled in the face of their emperor¡¯s might.


    Claud tilted his head. Emperor?


    That word echoed in his head for a moment, and the mana¡­no, the prana pouring out of him solidified visibly, condensing into a brilliant lance that hovered above his shoulder.


    ¡°Stop.¡± Like thunder at night, his voice rolled across the vast fields, and the two armies that were busy mixing into each other froze. Claud¡¯s left finger twitched a second later, and the enormous lance shot forward, bearing down into the middle of the battle with a pressure that scattered all in its way.


    The shadowed troops of the great Dark pulled away immediately, and the lance rippled once with menacing might, deterring the Moonlit soldiers that still dared to make a move.


    Another rush of anger assaulted Claud¡¯s mind, and the impertinent troops that had tried to move burst into tri-coloured light, destroyed by lightning that had flared out from the lance he¡¯d hurled. At that action, the rest of the troops fell to their knees immediately, too scared to move or take any other action.


    ¡°Kneel for an hour, and then leave.¡± Snorting a few times ¡ª which some part of his mind deemed overly pretentious for some reason ¡ª he turned around and walked away from the inspiring scene. The soldiers behind him all had awed looks on their face, and as he stepped off the wall to walk on the air, they bowed in his direction once.


    Claud ignored those gazes and took slow steps towards the floating palace at the centre, his nine complete mana circuits flaring up and hardening the air where his feet landed on their own. His tenth, incomplete circuit stayed unlit; it was missing that final spark to true transcendence.


    ¡°Ten?¡± Claud muttered, before looking at his body. For a moment, he had a feeling that there should have been only four complete circuits in his body instead, and the light in his body seemed to waver once. ¡°Odd. Maybe I drank too much. It¡¯s her anniversary, after all¡­I miss her.¡±


    An illusory spike of pain rammed into his chest as memories of the time he¡¯d spent with her floated into the forefront of his mind. It had been two hundred years since she had left, but he could never forget her gentle visage and her violet hair. Even until the very end, she had supported him, and yet¡­


    Hardening his heart, Claud dispensed with the slow walk and flew the rest of the way into the floating palace. It was modelled after some part of the Celestia Ruins, although he couldn¡¯t quite remember the exact thing in question.


    The Frozen Coffin.


    Having slain the Red God, the Blue God and the Violet Goddess with it, the Frozen Coffin had turned into a forbidden zone for the other remaining powers left in this chaotic world. Some of Emperor Grandis¡¯ children were also inside, along with the most talented of the humans, but this bastion was the last bastion of humanity. Everyone in his city had to be the best, the strongest.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Weakness was not tolerated.


    A bridge of light rippled into life as he flew into the palace, heading directly into his throne room. Unlike the Grandia Court, his throne room was not meant for other people to stand in ¡ª a freezing gale that only he could ignore blew in perpetuity around his throne.


    Anyone who could withstand the incredible chill to stand before him was qualified to speak their request. It was the greatest promise he offered to all of humanity, in a bid to eradicate weakness and to promote a drive to grow. Children who had lost parents to the Moon-Dark war and the wars that occurred after the Trial of Aeons had stood before him, pleading for him to take revenge¡­and take revenge he did.


    Everyone that had qualified all grew up into brilliant stars of humanity.


    The gale ravaged him as he neared the throne room, but Claud made no attempt to resist it. The pain he felt was a reminder of his own weakness, and how he had lost the person he cared most about.


    And yet, it would never kill him.


    She wouldn¡¯t have wanted that either, and to her last breath, she had made him promise to live as long as possible and protect the remnants of humanity.


    Breaking through the gale, he looked the frozen throne. A box and a sphere, two corpses of once-intelligent lives that had fallen with her, adorned the armrest. A five-pointed star that had a crack in the middle simply added to the poignant scene, and he looked at them in silence.


    ¡°Odd. Maybe I¡¯m growing too sentimental,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°It¡¯s her death anniversary, after all¡­¡±


    He shook his head. The details of why he had appeared at the city wall to begin with flickered through his mind once more as he sat down on the frozen throne. A young woman had managed to make it before his throne last night, begging him to save the small settlements that had popped out around his city, which were being used as staging areas for both the Dark and the Moons.


    He wasn¡¯t fussed about those settlements, since they were built by the weak to accommodate fellow weaklings. They lacked the qualifications to even enter the external areas; why would he care about them?


    Nevertheless, the fact that someone had the sheer courage and willpower to stand before his throne and plead for these ants was more than enough to make him move.


    Claud leaned back and felt the cold throne, which served as a means to chill the mad emotions in his heart. Nothing had been right ever since the weak him had lost her, and the only thing that could sooth his eternal grief was this throne.


    ¡°But where did I get it from?¡± Claud murmured, clutching his heart once more. For some reason, her touch was all too recent to him, so recent and so dear that the heart-numbing chill of his throne was unable to blot it out. He could feel her lips on his own, his hand on her, and her voice calling his name.


    ¡°Lily¡­¡±


    Something fell in place as he spoke that name, and a rush of memories flooded his mind. A few words came to mind immediately, and with a jolt, his mind, which had been preoccupied with eradicating weakness and promoting strength, broke free from those fetters.


    The freezing cold that had enveloped his body receded at the same time.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­taking the Second Tutorial. I¡¯m Claud. Not¡­this person.¡± Claud took a deep breath, and then clutched his chest. The setting of this trial had been well-crafted, and the entire introduction to this trial had been done so seamlessly that he¡¯d lost himself in this false world.


    ¡°But¡­¡± Claud looked down on his armrests. The trial had conjured up so many familiar elements, channelling a great fear of his to make it so real. If not for the fact that he could still vividly remember Lily¡¯s touch despite the setting desiring otherwise, Claud knew that he would have taken longer to extricate himself from this illusion.


    He shook his head once, and as the fog in his mind cleared, a set of notifications registered in his head.


    They had always been there, in fact.


    [Entropy has set in.


    has updated.]


    [Personal Quest: One¡¯s Order


    Quest introduction: The Frozen Emperor has awakened. His subjects, who have been training and awaiting this day, will be your sharpened blade, if used wisely. Now is the time for your entropy to cover that of the world¡¯s¡­but preparations must first be made.


    Quest requirements: In this illusory world, lay down an unerring foundation for the Frozen Emperor¡¯s forces to eradicate all other witnesses of the Aeon Span.


    Quest rewards: FiBoD:A??? evolves, 300 years of lifespan, your fifth mana circuit forms.


    Additional Remarks: Your order and the Frozen Emperor¡¯s order may be at odds.]


    Claud looked at the quest blankly, and then took a deep breath. He had no idea what all this was about, but there was one thing he was reasonably sure of.


    ¡°¡­I have quite the cool alias in this world, huh?¡±


    The throne quivered, seemingly in response to that pun.

 Chapter 329: The Frozen Emperor (2)

    Claud let out a breath slowly, which turned into a steady gust of white mist that poured out into the room. It was a superfluous action, one rendered inert by how he actually no longer felt the urge to breath or to do other acts required by a human to survive, but he did it all the same.


    After all, deep down, he was still a tri-folder.


    Touching the icy throne beneath him, Claud called out, ¡°Status.¡±


    Name: The Frozen Emperor ¡ª Claud Primus


    Lifespan: 998395 years


    Active Skills: Will of Solitude (11), Will of Freedom (11), Will of Captivity (11), Will of Purity (11) FiBoD:A??? (0), FiBoD:A??? (0)


    Passive Skills; Divine Life Contractor (Inactive), Energy Universe, Omen of Entropy, Omniscience (False), Aeon Fold ¡ª Omen (14), All-Life Nemesis, Cornerstone of Coincidence, Dealer of Destiny, Lord of Stillness, Weaver of Wisdom


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 9.9999


    Mana Control Proficiency: Transcendent


    Comments: We salute the Great One and hail his awakening. May the world serve as fuel to melt your frozen heart.


    ¡°Uwah.¡± Claud rubbed his eyes. His status looked like something out of a delusional child who wanted to rule the world. ¡°What the heck? I¡¯m practically invincible, right? Nearly a million years of life, damn. I don¡¯t think the world goes this far back. And there¡¯s level 11 for skills? And what are those skills supposed to be?¡±


    [Omniscience (False) has activated. Planned examination running now.]


    [Skill: Will of Solitude


    Skill effects: When used, shrouds the user from detection, karma, time and fate for thirty days.


    Passive effect: Attempts to pry into the user will passively fail if unbacked by a will, and the user will be made known to such attempts.


    [Skill: Will of Freedom


    Skill effects: The user can move freely in all directions, while ignoring all other physical forces, for thirty days.


    Passive effect: The user will never suffer from impaired movement and can never be trapped.]


    His other skills opened up of their own accord, revealing more information that dazzled his mind. From what he could tell, his current skills were effectively a supreme version of his original skills. For instance, Will of Solitude was an extreme form of his Presence Nullification, while Will of Freedom was an extreme form of his Flight. Judging from the naming style of these skills, Claud also determined that the endpoint of skills would generally be named ¡®Will of XX¡¯, where XX was an adjective that was related to the original skill. They also had secondary, seemingly permanent effects that focused on the concept of ¡®Will¡¯, whatever that was.


    His passive skills had been upgraded to versions with grand sounding names too, and their effects were rather scary. For instance, Energy Universe¡¯s effect was to increase his regeneration speed by sixteen times. In comparison, Mana Hub, the skill that used to be in its place, only raised his mana regeneration at four times the speed.


    That said, both were quite pointless to him, since Claud rarely fought, and those that he did fight in ended pretty fast.


    ¡°Divine Life Contractor, huh¡­¡± Claud looked at the revealed form of his original skill, and then felt his heart clench up at the word appended on the end. He looked at the bisected box that slept in his throne and clutched his heart.


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    In this Second Tutorial, something had happened to the Claud of this world. Throne, Crown and Lily had died at the same hand of some unknown entity.


    Claud shook his head. There were two hundred years¡¯ of memories he needed to sort out, but he had a feeling that there was only so much time he had in this world. He needed to get his bearings first, and then work on his Personal Quest, One¡¯s Order.


    A notification appeared in his mind as he scanned the next upgraded skill, Omen of Entropy.


    [The power of Entropy surges forth. Omniscience (False) has been forcibly deactivated.]


    Claud felt his eyelid twitch¡­which was a really odd feeling to him right now. Clearly, the him in this world was not used to moving his face muscles around. Would it be a problem when he had to interact with his nominal subordinates, who had simply built a city around his Frozen Coffin and sent up devotees every so often? In fact, he had no idea what was going on in the huge city around this palace his predecessor had made, but within the city of ice and snow, all things were revealed to him.


    Claud retracted his spiritual sense a few moments later. While his mind and body were probably unrivalled in terms of durability, the same couldn¡¯t be said for his soul, which had been brought into this realm. There was no way he could sense the entire city at once without suffering from immense pain, and¡­


    ¡°I could train it, though.¡± Claud thumbed through the rest of his status, but there was no response from his Omniscience. ¡°But it¡¯ll hurt.¡±


    A quiet part of his mind informed Claud that he never did care much about pain, a point that he heartily agreed with, and he promptly began to fortify his soul by increasing his range of detection. Training his mana control and his spiritual sense was a decision that came easily to him, just in case they could be brought out of the Second Tutorial.


    Of course, since he didn¡¯t have such a detection ability in real life, there was no way he could put it to good use this quickly. Even with his Omniscience skill forcibly deactivated, Claud could vaguely sense that this skill granted him all kinds of auxiliary abilities passively, although there was probably more nuance to it.


    Getting up, he stared at the throne for a moment, and then left the palace.


    ¡°Will of Freedom,¡± Claud murmured, desiring to test out his new skills. With a single thought, he¡¯d reappeared at the city walls, where the Moonlit soldiers were still kneeling. ¡°Will of Solitude.¡±


    No one noticed him as he drifted around the walls, before entering the city. Despite the cold climate, the city itself was alight with a comfortable warmth, and he couldn¡¯t help but liken it to staying by a fireplace while a storm was raging. The juxtaposition made the whole place seem very comfortable, and as his detection range continued to rise, Claud found himself content with the general development of things.


    Something flickered in his mind a moment later, and Claud immediately made his way there. Mockery and jeers filled his ears at that very instant, and he took in the sight of three red-haired teenagers taunting a scrawny fellow.


    ¡°Weakling, you failed again. How many times are you going to fail?¡± The teenager at the centre grinned, his words laced with malice and mockery. ¡°So pathetic. The Frozen Emperor would have beheaded you for being this weak.¡±


    The two laughed and spat at him.


    ¡°By this time next month, you¡¯ll be out of the city,¡± said one of his lackeys. ¡°Your mum died to bring you here, but you¡¯re completely useless. What a waste. You should have died instead.¡±


    The scrawny boy roared and charged at the speaker, only to be floored by a good, hard punch glittering with azure light. Blood flew, landing on the snowy ground.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Claud dispelled his Will of Solitude and caught the boy before he smacked into the floor. ¡°Three teenagers, ganging up together¡­really?¡±


    The three boys froze. They didn¡¯t seem to recognise him, but a single flare of his mana was enough to send them fleeing in fear.


    ¡°Hmph. Pathetic.¡± Claud turned his attention to the injured young man. ¡°You. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The injured young man looked at him. ¡°I¡¯m going to be chased out from Rimestar.¡±


    This city built around his Frozen Coffin was called Rimestar, but¡­


    ¡°Why would you be chased out?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m too weak,¡± the boy replied.


    ¡°¡­Help me out here,¡± said Claud. ¡°Why would weakness be a reason to chase you out?¡±


    ¡°My lord, are you¡­new here?¡±


    Claud paused and rubbed his nose. ¡°In a manner of speaking.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t lying. He was new to this world, and as for the Frozen Emperor, he had been sitting on that throne for a hundred and eighty years, after settling his revenge for the events two centuries ago. Therefore, the him back then could also be termed as new to the city.


    ¡°Oh. Well, to stay in the city, you must demonstrate a certain level of strength,¡± said the young man. ¡°The Frozen Emperor despises weakness. All with strength are welcome and groomed here, but the weak must die beyond those walls, out of his line of sight.¡±


    Claud froze. ¡°Really now?¡±


    He looked through his memory, which was full of the same image of staring out of his throne. If he didn¡¯t get it wrong, the Frozen Emperor had spent most of his time in dreams, indulging in fantasies where Lily and the little fellows were alive, so¡­


    Maybe it was an earlier policy or something that he¡¯d forgotten saying.


    Claud shook his head. ¡°Do you have any family with you now? If not, follow me. As repayment, I¡¯ll help you grow stronger.¡±


    The young man hesitated for a moment, complex thoughts flashing through his mind, and then nodded. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±

 Chapter 330: Rimestar and the Frozen Coffin

    Claud¡¯s mind whirled madly as he led the teenager down the road. His goal was simple; he was supposed to impose order upon this tribulation by, according to his quest description, laying down an unerring foundation for the Frozen Emperor¡¯s forces to eradicate all other contenders on the Aeon Span.


    It sounded neat and easy, to be honest, but a simple glance would reveal two problems.


    First, what did ¡®unerring foundation¡¯ mean? What defined an unerring foundation? Second, and more importantly, what exactly was this Aeon Span? This was the second time he¡¯d come into contact with that word; the first time he had come across it was during the death of three Colour-aligned Bearers of Destiny.


    Given the chronological setting of this world, it was clear that the Trial of Aeons had ended long ago. Perhaps it was something that followed the trial itself, but¡­


    ¡°My lord?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m new here,¡± said Claud. ¡°Strong, but still new. And you know what they say. The Moons up high can¡¯t outshine a candle at home. I need to know about this place, Rimestar. Tell me about this place.¡±


    The young man nodded. ¡°Yes, my lord. Rimestar City is the place built by the Seekers of Life following the abrupt appearance of the Frozen Emperor and his beloved¡¯s passing. Legend has it that the Frozen Emperor killed every single remaining Bearer of Destiny that had gathered around his home on that day, but even with all his power, he couldn¡¯t revive his beloved. He could only preserve her last breath, and then sought to become a god to bring her back.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­a lot to unpack.¡±


    The young man cleared his throat. ¡°It¡¯s an epic.¡±


    ¡°An epic¡­what, a play?¡± Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°This whole thing¡ªhm. It seems that there are people approaching us. A lot of people, in fact.¡±


    The young man blanched immediately. ¡°My lord, you must leave immediately. These people are probably Justus¡¯ backers!¡±


    ¡°Justus¡­?¡±


    The young man made a frustrated noise in his throat. ¡°That boy you scared away earlier! He must have brought reinforcements back! My lord, you should leave first. I¡¯ll delay them and lead them down another ¡ª ah!¡±


    ¡°Stay put here,¡± Claud replied, irritated. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯ll be better off choking on air if these fellows can even harm a single hair on my head. Now, do you mind going on with your story? Why did Rimestar become a place where strength alone was celebrated?¡±


    The young man looked at the alleyway, and then back at Claud. ¡°My lord, this isn¡¯t the time for legends and history lessons!¡±


    ¡°Urgh. You aren¡¯t going to tell me anything as it is now, right?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°What¡¯s your name, kid?¡±


    ¡°My lord! This isn¡¯t the time for that!¡± the young man protested again. ¡°In this city, the strong do as they please and the weak do what they must. And when you meddle with the kid, the elders show up! They¡¯ll demand that you kneel, break your arms and legs and crawl out of the place! You won¡¯t make it out in one piece!¡±


    ¡°Relax,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Chill.¡±


    He looked at the snowy ground. ¡°Which, when I think about it, is a very appropriate word to use given the weather.¡±


    ¡°My lord¡­¡±


    ¡°Like I said, relax.¡± Claud listened to the closing footsteps, which were hurried. ¡°What¡¯s your name, by the way? I¡¯ve been calling you ¡®scrawny boy¡¯ because of your size, but I would very much like to know your name.¡±


    Before the young chap could answer, the approaching bunch of people had arrived before Claud.


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    ¡°Kneel!¡±


    Before Claud could respond to that demand, three fellows had been thrown onto the ground, the dim streetlights reflecting their horrible wounds on their face. Claud looked at the sight for a moment, and then eyed the young man, who had been struck dumb by the surreal sight of three bruised faces kneeling before them.


    After a second or so, a young woman stepped out, moving with a grace that Claud associated with nobility. Stopping right behind the three kneeling bundles, she curtsied once. ¡°Sir, I am Aurelia Cadenza. I apologise for the unruly behaviour of our family scions and their misbehaviour.¡±


    Her black hair and overall appearance reminded him of Dia or Risti, who were both lookalikes of the same person, but that was it. The Moon Lords had been destroyed, from how their name had failed to spread, and Claud didn¡¯t know why.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Suppressing a touch of sorrow, Claud shot a mischievous glance at the young man, who was now completely stunned by the turn of events. ¡°I am told that it is usual practice for you people to demand that I kneel, break my arms and legs and crawl out of the place. What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡±


    The woman quivered once, and then steeled herself. ¡°Tales of certain families and how they deal with outsiders have been greatly¡­exaggerated. The Frozen Emperor himself would not condone such behaviour. While the strong are welcome, that does not justify killing or oppressing the weak, although some families do believe the latter.¡±


    ¡°Damn right he doesn¡¯t,¡± Claud replied.


    Everyone stared at him, shocked, but no one dared to say anything after Claud mobilised a bit of his mana. Unfortunately, that was pretty much all he could do. Ever since he regained awareness of himself taking the trial, Claud had noticed that he could stir nearly every single mana circuit at once, but nothing else. In actual combat, he would have only four mana circuits to use.


    In other words, he was just bluffing.


    That said, his Mana Control Proficiency was at the level of Transcendent. While he had no idea how good that was, Claud could tell that he could move his mana with overwhelming ease, to the point that every blip of his mana carried a far greater potency than normally possible.


    If it came down to a fight, he was still very confident.


    Wait, I should secure my own safety first, at least¡­where can I get more defensive artefacts? After making a mental note to procure the necessary artefacts, Claud let out a long sigh, and everyone froze up again.


    Was there something wrong with everyone?


    ¡°S-sir.¡± The woman took a deep breath. ¡°We would like to invite you over to show our sincerity in pleading for forgiveness. Of course, and Sir Luce too.¡±


    Claud pondered for a moment. He didn¡¯t expect the world generated by this scenario to be this realistic and comprehensive; he¡¯d thought that he would have to massacre a few families or something in this world before someone paid him his due respect as an ennea-folder ¡ªalbeit a fake one ¡ª and listened to what he had to say.


    Or was it this tutorial trying to give him some modicum of foundation to stand on?


    ¡°Alright. Very well. On account that you guys actually seem to be decent.¡± Claud shrugged. ¡°Come on, kid. Let¡¯s see those three get their comeuppance in a more comfortable place.¡±


    The young woman let out a sigh. ¡°Bundle those three imbeciles up. We¡¯ll let the family head deal with his own child later.¡±


    Claud raised an eye, but said nothing else. Instead, he turned to the stupefied young man, and then cleared his throat once.


    ¡°D-do you want me to continue, my lord?¡±


    ¡°Go on. You stopped at where the Frozen Emperor sought to become a god, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. Due to the nature of his grudge, he created something that would strike down anyone from the Moons, the Dark and the Coloured Gods,¡± the young man replied. ¡°And in time, the city ruled by the Seekers of Life became a safe haven for survivors of the Istrel and Nihila Sovereignty.¡±


    ¡°A safe haven, huh?¡± Claud thought about it. Clearly, the newcomers were just like lice that were hanging onto someone big and warm. In other words, the Frozen Emperor was just a figurehead, which made sense, since the previous him spent most of his time dreaming about better times.


    In other words, practically no one knew the Frozen Emperor and his personality. There wouldn¡¯t be any problems there, but the next course of action would require Claud himself to personally take the stage and lay down foundations¡­but here was where the largest problem came from.


    He had absolutely no experience in this sort of thing. Claud ran through the legend again, and then found himself stuck on three words.


    Seekers of Life.


    It was definitely an organisation, but¡­something definitely happened to the others, seeing as how the Moon Lords didn¡¯t rise to prominence. Maybe they managed to pass the torch down to a new generation or something, but something didn¡¯t quite add up.


    Claud shook his head, before thinking about the Seekers of Life. They were probably the best bet if he intended to turn this city into one that could truly stand up against the rest of the world.


    After all, what really mattered was that he laid down an unerring foundation.


    Nothing more, nothing less. Once this quest was complete, this illusory world would fade away, and he would return back to reality with a new mana circuit ready to be formed.


    In silence, he followed the trembling kids towards their home, a relaxed smile on his face.

 Chapter 331: The last of the original Moon Lords

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    Amidst the city of ice and snow, Claud found himself lost in the surreal beauty of the place. He had never encountered such an odd meteorological phenomenon before, so the dark blue sky that gave off drifting white specks and the cold, fluffy ground was something new to him.


    ¡°Ice and snow, huh.¡± Claud folded his arms. The cold never bothered him anyway, given the sheer amount of mana in his body, but it was something that he¡¯d been doing as a kid when storms broke. ¡°The Frozen Emperor has a lot to do with ice, huh?¡±


    Aurelia Cadenza, the woman who was leading the way, nodded. ¡°It is said that the Frozen Emperor swore to bring an eternal winter to the world when his beloved was killed. How he carried out that threat no one knew, though, but his vast powers and the spreading ice storm was finally halted by the Moons, the Dark and the remaining Coloured Gods after they banded together to defend against the Frozen Emperor.¡±


    ¡°No one dares to stand up against him, though,¡± Luce added. ¡°It¡¯s one thing to check his spreading influence, but the last time someone tried to invade, the Frozen Emperor nearly robbed the Green Goddess of her divinity and her Aeon Folds.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t work together?¡± Claud asked, taking note of the word ¡®Aeon Fold¡¯. It was probably something important, and his status also had a mention of it too. Given the circumstances in which they were mentioned¡­did the Coloured Gods, the great Dark and the Moons have such a thing each?


    More importantly, whatever power that once checked people¡¯s words had been removed entirely. In fact, now that Claud thought about it, his current status no longer had ¡®Authority¡¯¡­


    ¡°No, sir. The alliance to check the growing region of ice and snow was the only alliance that managed to actually materialise.¡± Aurelia¡¯s voice was still as respectful as ever, but unlike the freezing climate, her voice had warmed up slightly. Clearly, his relaxed conversation with Luce had made her more amenable to speaking, and she probably wanted to make a good impression of herself too.


    ¡°Why? There¡¯s precedent, right?¡± Claud asked.


    The small group took a left turn, and a huge mansion loomed into view.


    ¡°The second time an alliance was suggested to take down the Frozen Emperor, they ended up killing off half their own group on the way there,¡± said Luce.


    Aurelia eyed the little guy. ¡°For someone who¡¯s so scrawny, you know your history well.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really all I can do,¡± Luce replied. ¡°How do I become as strong as the Frozen Emperor? He¡¯s so cool¡­¡±


    Claud rubbed his nose. He wanted to know that too, especially since the Frozen Emperor couldn¡¯t have debuted that quickly. His previous self¡¯s memories only contained two centuries worth of sitting on a throne, and Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel frustrated at the absolute lack of anything.


    Where were the memories of the fights?


    At any rate, the timeline seemed to indicate the Claud of this world became the Frozen Emperor not too long after the Trial of Aeons concluded.


    The only question was how such a thing happened. Why this was definitely an imagined future, Claud had a hunch that all the events that had happened here so far was very much possible. If given the option and the opportunity, Claud knew that he would have done the same thing if Lily was ever killed, although the ice and snow bit eluded him.


    Just what did the him of this world eat to become this strong?


    Sighing mentally, he continued to follow Aurelia and her retainers, who were a lot more relaxed now. Luce, too, had dropped his guard for some inexplicable reason, but Claud knew that exporting his ideology here would be the definition of bad timing.


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    ¡°Come to think of it,¡± said Claud, ¡°where exactly is this place anyway? In which part of the old world did the Frozen Emperor set down the Frozen Coffin?¡±


    ¡°Old world¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh, the Grandis Empire, in terms of old maps,¡± Claud clarified.


    Everyone, including the nameless retainers who were dragging the three imbeciles back, looked at him oddly. After a period of awkward silence, Luce said, ¡°Sir, we actually don¡¯t know either. The Grandis Empire was destroyed long ago, and what we know is oral tradition.¡±


    ¡°Maybe my grandaunt does,¡± said Aurelia.


    ¡°Your grandaunt, huh?¡± Claud bobbed his head. ¡°I wonder if I¡¯ll get the chance to talk to her or something.¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± A hint of pride appeared on her face. ¡°She¡¯s one of the founding members of the Seekers of Life!¡±


    Once again, the Seekers of Life had come up in conversation, and Claud thought about it for a moment. The organisation name was something he really liked; it reflected his ideals and his goals very well. Of course, the him back then already had a new goal, but¡­


    He glanced at his lifespan and felt his lips twitch.


    Before he could ask about the Seekers of Life, the small group drew up to the gate of the mansion, where many people were waiting in silence. Unlike Aurelia, however, most of the others were sporting red hair, which only made Claud wonder if she was adopted or something.


    The three imbeciles were dragged out and tossed into the compound without any ceremony, before Aurelia turned to Claud and curtsied. ¡°Sir, we have arrived at my family¡¯s humble mansion. What do you want us to do next?¡±


    ¡°Give a good accounting to the boy here and lead me in. I have questions¡­err, general questions to ask,¡± said Claud, aware of the implications that might have arisen if he continued to speak bluntly.


    Aurelia let out a visible sigh and turned to the gathered people in the courtyard. ¡°Set up a family tribunal and place the three on trial for abusing the innocent. Give the young man his dues, or else.¡±


    Without waiting for their response, which was a set of respectful nods, she beckoned Claud to follow her into the mansion.


    ¡°They seem oddly respectful of you,¡± said Claud.


    ¡°It¡¯s the hair, I know. But few people are allowed to have this look in the Cadenza family,¡± Aurelia replied.


    A feeling that he should have caught something rippled in his mind, but Claud couldn¡¯t quite capture the memory that lay just below the surface. After struggling with it for a few seconds, he gave up and said, ¡°Is it a status symbol of sorts?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Claud wasn¡¯t dumb enough to talk about how odd this tradition seemed, since people were touchy about things like this. ¡°I see. You must be gifted within your generation.¡±


    ¡°T-thank you for your praise, sir.¡±


    After a while, they arrived at the mansion doors, which slid open to reveal a warm, bright interior. Claud stood at the entrance for a few minutes, and then inexplicably found himself thinking of Moon Mansion for some odd reason. He and Lily hadn¡¯t been back for some time, and the absence of security they had in the little inn was really getting to him.


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    Claud jumped. ¡°Sorry. Anyway, who is the most knowledgeable and the most influential people in your family? I would like to speak to them.¡±


    He figured that the fastest way to go about his quest was to enlist the important people here. Besides, in this frozen world, he had the most mana circuits; no one could probably come close to his apparent power.


    ¡°Very well, sir.¡± Aurelia gulped once as her eyes traced his face, and Claud tilted his head.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°N-no, sir. It¡¯s just that I found your features very familiar for some reason,¡± Aurelia muttered. ¡°Like I¡¯m supposed to know you.¡±


    ¡°Really now?¡± Claud decided to play dumb a bit. Fortunately, very few people apparently knew what the Frozen Emperor looked like, given the general non-reaction to him so far. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get going. I really need to get my bearings.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, of course.¡±


    Departing from the bright and warm reception room, she led him onwards into a twisting maze of opulent corridors and bright lights. Maids and manservants bowed at Aurelia as she passed, prompting her to smile or wave back in reply, and Claud nodded once more.


    There was at least one well-educated child in this Cadenza family.


    ¡°¡­I get a feeling I should know you guys too,¡± Claud murmured. ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe our families are fated or something?¡± Aurelia replied, before stopping at a room. The door was discreet and lacked many opulent decorations that the other doors had, but the best wine needed no gem-crusted bottle. ¡°Grandaunt? It¡¯s me, Aurelia! I¡¯ve brought someone very strong!¡±


    At the same time, Claud sensed something deep shift within the mansion itself, and a moment later, something seemed to lock on to him. The small quip about bringing someone strong to see someone important in her family died in his throat, and Claud bobbed his head in approval.


    It turned out that everyone was still quite cautious after all.


    ¡°Coming!¡±


    ¡°That voice¡­¡± Claud patted his ears, and as a familiar face entered his vision, he couldn¡¯t help but mutter, ¡°Risti?¡±


    ¡°Aurelia, you¡¯re dismissed,¡± said the voice. ¡°And as for you¡­come in.¡±


    Claud looked at her once, and then walked into the room.


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 Chapter 332: The dream that lasted two centuries

    ¡°So, you finally decided to come out of your shell.¡± Risti, who still sported that Princess Dia look and whose countenance looked no different from his memories, looked at him with eyes full of emotion. ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting for this day¡­although you might want to tell me what you¡¯re doing with my grandniece.¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s been two hundred years, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Claud took a deep breath.


    ¡°Yes, Lord Frozen Emperor. It sure has.¡± Risti trembled. ¡°Have you gotten over Lily?¡±


    Claud was about to reply when something deep in his soul seemed to tremble. A moment later, he lost control over his body, and emotions he couldn¡¯t even begin to fathom the depth of flooded his mind as his mouth said, ¡°I will never get over her. And death is not the end. If I succeed, we can set right what went wrong.¡±


    Risti let out a low hiss as the mighty presence receded. ¡°Claud¡­¡±


    She sat down on her bed. ¡°You¡¯ve finally awoken, but we''re all tired. Seeking life in darkness is an arduous process. No matter how many times we do it, no matter how many times we keep pushing, it¡¯s an upwards swim. The current of time washes through us, tears us down, and the only thing that keeps us alive are our memories. Humanity is teetering on the brink of ruin, and your Frozen Coffin is the only light left in the darkness.¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to get at?¡± Claud asked.


    She paused. ¡°Odd. The way you spoke¡­it¡¯s like you were back to your youth. Don¡¯t you get it? Most of us have given up on dreams. The sanctuary you created saved us, but it also doomed us all. No matter how much we emphasise on the importance of strength, the Moonlit and Shadowed Ones prove to be very successful at containing our efforts to break out of this place.¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s my fault now?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°So much energy. So much life.¡± Risti lay down on her bed. ¡°Can¡¯t you see? I¡¯m exhausted. I can see the others waving at me, you know. In the dark beyond the stars. Fortunately, I¡¯m the only one who had a family of sorts, which is why I¡¯m still here.¡±


    Claud felt his heart grow cold. ¡°What happened to the others?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Nero stayed back to buy us time, when Licencia was destroyed, stopping the enemy advance at the landbridge between Istrel and Nihila. We fought all the way to your Frozen Coffin, which had taken shape over Cava County, where Lily fell. Your residual thoughts slew the pursuers, but Farah held the rear until her own people stepped into your area of influence, at which point her mana circuits overloaded.¡±


    ¡°How about Dia and Schwarz?¡± Claud asked, his voice quiet.


    ¡°They were killed during that final battle between you and the Second Alliance of Divinities,¡± Risti replied. ¡°How did you forget? You were there! You hugged them and buried them yourself!¡±


    Claud fell silent. ¡°My¡­memories are beginning to fade away.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Risti took a deep breath. ¡°Look, I know the Trial of Aeons did a number on you and your sanity, but you just can¡¯t come out here, into this family of mine, and try to get me to do something. We¡¯ve all given up in our hearts somewhere. What I want now is for you to keep your Frozen Coffin ablaze and protect this piece of land.¡±


    She got up from her bed with difficulty, and Claud frowned. ¡°It¡¯s been only two hundred years. What¡¯s happening to you?¡±


    ¡°¡­Let me guess, you forgot that?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that my awakening was rather traumatic too,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I can¡¯t remember the last time I woke up from my dreams.¡±


    ¡°Dreams, huh?¡± Risti looked at him and fiddled with her hair. ¡°Apt, really. You created a place for the last of humanity to dream in. I¡­I don¡¯t know if you did the right thing or not, but you never asked for this power either. To be honest, none of us actually knew how you became the Frozen Emperor, but you were already broken by the time we arrived.¡±


    She paused. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. Trust me, you were completely broken. You had frozen Lily¡¯s body in an incredible volume of frozen mana, hugging that coffin and muttering unintelligible words over and over again.¡±


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    Claud decided not to contest that series of events, especially since he was definitely on the losing side.


    ¡°We were a bit too late, I suppose. Nero and Farah had stepped into the howling darkness, and the Frozen Coffin had been completely closed off when we and the survivors of the Istrel Sovereignty finally fled to your area of influence.¡± She paused. ¡°We couldn¡¯t get through to you, the you who had knelt there for months and months, hugging the coffin. Whirling ice and snow¡­¡±


    Claud felt his head hurt, but he racked his brains anyway. He needed to piece together the events that had happened in this super-realistic trial, if he were to stand a chance at completing this quest.


    ¡°So,¡± said Claud, ¡°the Trial of Aeons occurred. Something happened to me and Lily, and then she was k-killed. After that, I entered a catatonic state and created the Frozen Coffin somehow. Months later, you guys arrived at the border, into my sphere of influence, and then my residual will protected everyone. For some reason, a huge battle erupted with Rimestar at the centre, and I awakened long enough to kill off a few of the attackers.¡±


    Risti nodded. ¡°The Blue Moon of Wisdom, the Lesser Half of the great Dark, the Red God, the Blue God and the Violet Goddess were killed. The survivors were forced to retreat hastily, prompting you to massacre every single apostle of theirs and wipe out their armies, clearing out the way for us to properly build Rimestar. The Fourth Godsfall happened shortly afterwards, as the remaining divinities turned upon each other. It hasn¡¯t ended yet.¡±


    ¡°¡­Put that way, I sound pretty awesome.¡±


    ¡°You were crying crazily when you tore Plota apart, and you were cackling madly when you smashed the Red God¡¯s corpse with an icy mace over and over.¡± Risti eyed him. ¡°Not what I would call awesome. And did your mental age regress or something? You speak like you used to in those peaceful times.¡±


    Claud ignored that last bit, before steeling himself. ¡°Finally¡­who killed Lily?¡±


    ¡°The Red God,¡± Risti replied, her voice quiet. ¡°Having lost his only Bearer of Destiny, the Red God fell from the heavens when the Trial of Aeons began. This allowed him to execute his plan, which was ambushing the people who exited the Trial of Aeons, one of which was you. I¡¯m not sure what happened next, though. But that day, the Red God fled, covered in wounds, while Cava was covered in ice and snow and the Frozen Emperor went mad.¡±


    ¡°¡­At least I got my revenge, then.¡± Claud made a mental note to check out if any of this was real when he left the trial. ¡°But how did his Bearer of Destiny die?¡±


    Risti froze up entirely, and Claud looked at her. ¡°You know something.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Risti took a deep breath. ¡°Now that I think about it¡­well, we were at Daybreak County, and the Red God¡¯s Holy Son attacked him.¡±


    She paused for a moment. ¡°I can¡¯t remember everything, but we repelled him, while the Moons hunted him down. I think we killed him at Licencia? I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    A hint of fear flashed through her face as she completed her explanation, but the only thing Claud did was to take a deep breath. ¡°We, huh? Who else was with you?¡±


    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t remember,¡± Risti replied.


    Claud nodded. ¡°I see. Well, I¡¯ll give them a good scolding if I manage to knock the other gods and divinities down. Risti. Can you help me? I¡¯m sorry, but I need your help. As you can tell, I¡¯ve lost most of my memories. Not much remains. We need to groom the surviving humans into the sharpest knife and the sturdiest shield, and then launch a counterattack.¡±


    Risti looked at him. ¡°You¡­you don¡¯t show any mercy, do you?¡¯


    ¡°There¡¯s only two of us now, in the Moon Lords. If I show mercy to you¡­¡±


    She twitched. ¡°Moon Lords¡­yeah, we never did get around to telling you, now that I think about it. After you left for that honeymoon ¡ª and appeared in Nihila somehow, I might add ¡ª we called ourselves the Seekers of Life. It¡¯s a bit ironic, given what happened to everyone else, but at that time, we just wanted to not call ourselves anything related to the Moons.¡±


    ¡°So you¡­you were the one who created this might makes right tradition in Rimestar, huh,¡± Claud replied, recalling the thing about the Seekers of Life.


    ¡°It was necessary,¡± Risti replied. ¡°While the areas under your domain of ice and snow are protected, it¡¯s impossible to grow crops on a meaningful scale. We needed to venture out, to send people out into the area around Rimestar. The Moons, the Dark and the Coloured Gods knew that, so they simply surrounded the area to starve us out.¡±


    ¡°They failed.¡±


    ¡°Yes and no. We have people dying on the frontlines every day, either in battle or in expending too much mana to help crops grow,¡± Risti replied. ¡°We¡¯re trying to work out something that would grow in this freezing climate, though.¡±


    ¡°¡­Maybe I could lift it?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±


    His mind whirled madly in that moment, and Claud came up with a plan. Shaking his head, he said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not for you or me to decide. My awakening has created irrevocable changes to this frozen dream. For you, me and everyone else, it is time to wake up.¡±


    ¡°¡­Is the ice and snow dispelling?¡±


    ¡°It seems that I was using the power of the Aeon Span to power this immense domain,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s going to run out soon¡­perhaps, my awakening and return to sanity is an indication of that. Like it or not, we¡¯ll need to start gearing up for massive changes.¡±


    Risti glared at him. ¡°I can¡¯t even die now, can I?¡±


    ¡°On the plus side, nor can I.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°I have no idea how long this bout of lucidity is, but while I¡¯m awake and aware, we can set down an unerring foundation of the humans here to conquer the Aeon Span.¡±


    ¡°¡­Tch. Fine.¡± Risti approached the window and looked out of it. ¡°Let¡¯s start the planning.¡±

 Chapter 333: Outside the dream, and a newfound discovery

    ¡°In summary, you don¡¯t know how long this world of ice and snow will last, nor do you know when your consciousness will give out and you¡¯ll return to dreaming in eternity again.¡± Risti folded her arms. ¡°That right?¡±


    ¡°Essentially, yes. Therefore, whatever we do, we must ensure that you and the future of humanity has a way forward that does not depend on me,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Humanity must inherit part of the Aeon Span and the Cosmic Egg, and¡ª¡±


    Claud felt his head throb as he said those words. He couldn¡¯t remember what this Aeon Span or the Cosmic Egg was, but he knew that it was the final key to something important. The Fourth Godsfall would be complete once something happened to it, but as to what that something was, he had no idea.


    ¡°You alright?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Just¡­we might not have much time left.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°Who¡¯s the strongest folder we have, barring me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a hexa-folder,¡± Risti replied. ¡°There¡¯s a whole bunch of hexa-folders too, but that¡¯s pretty much it. None of us have completed our seventh mana circuit, and we¡¯re using our lifespan to help the younger ones.¡±


    ¡°Using their lifespan?¡± Claud asked, curious. ¡°Why would they do such a thing?¡±


    ¡°To pass the torch. The ones in my generation, like Daybreak, have restricted themselves to the last one hundred years of their life. Most of their lifeforce has been passed down to the most qualified person in their family,¡± Risti replied. ¡°To the people who still had the will to struggle and fight. It is an implicit rule that the moment someone loses the will to fight outside the city, they are to pass down the bulk of their lifespan and enter long-term hibernation.¡±


    ¡°¡­How do they pass down their lifespan?¡± Claud asked, glancing at his status.


    ¡°There¡¯s something that extracts one¡¯s lifeforce and channels it to other people,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Sadly, it¡¯s incapable of bringing back the dead, so don¡¯t think about wasting your lifespan on something like that. You probably only have a century or so left, after all.¡±


    ¡°Point,¡± said Claud. ¡°One thing, though. I actually have nearly a million years of lifespan.¡±


    ¡°I knew it¡­wait. Sorry. Did you say a million years?¡± Risti eyed him, patting her ears at the same time. ¡°I thought you said something as outlandish as a million years¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s actually nearly a million. To be exactly, it¡¯s 998395 years,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Nearly a million years¡­why, someone from the First Godsfall could persist all the way to the present era with more than enough to spare! What did you eat? Or did you come across some super-big lifestone that had so much lifeforce in it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve no idea how that¡¯s possible, but maybe I took in free lifespan from the other Bearers of Destiny,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Remember I lost my memory, alright? I¡¯m sure it has something to do with the Bearers of Destiny, though.¡±


    ¡°Bearers of Destiny, huh.¡± Risti had a nostalgic look on her face. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard about them ever since the great battle above Rimestar. It¡¯s¡­so nostalgic.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I thought they would be more active.¡±


    ¡°The surviving Bearers of Destiny vanished from the face of the world. The Moons and the Dark¡¯s Bearers of Destiny disappeared long before that, even¡­and the ones belonging to the Coloured Gods were wiped out by you,¡± Risti replied. ¡°If the rest died, it would all be over, right?¡±


    Claud pondered. If he were to rush out now and off the remaining Bearers of Destiny, that would also complete his quest, right?


    A spike of pain ran through his face as a primordial will surged out from his chest, and Claud grimaced. The Frozen Emperor ¡ª the him who had lived two hundred years in mourning and in pain ¡ª had taken a fancy to the bloody plan that he¡¯d thought about for a moment. Cautiousness, fear, planning¡­all this was nothing compared to the raw feeling of bloody vengeance for a loved one killed.


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    Claud wrestled with that primordial will, but the instant he came into contact with the Frozen Emperor¡¯s desire, he knew that overcoming the Claud hardened by two centuries of sorrow and bitterness was impossible. His mind raced madly, and Claud muttered, ¡°First, we don¡¯t know where the enemies. Second, they¡¯ve had two centuries to shore up their defences. Third, you can¡¯t be the only one who had the idea, but the other three sides haven¡¯t made a move. Fourth, even if we strike, we¡¯ll only be able to take out one side at most before the others are prepared.¡±


    The raging storm in his heart abated of its own will, but not before leaving a desire for vengeance behind.


    ¡°Claud?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Claud grimaced. ¡°These two hundred years have created a personality that hungered for violence. That¡¯s all.¡±


    He gasped once, and then took a breath. Refocusing on the main point, Claud said, ¡°I have nearly a million years of lifespan. Five thousand and five hundred years are needed to bring a non-folder up to their ninth circuit. How much lifespan do I need to give away?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that efficient. A fifth of the lifespan given through that machine would be disseminated into the surroundings. After some time, they¡¯ll recondense as lifestones, but the purity would be far lesser,¡± Risti replied. ¡°But for someone with this much lifespan¡­¡±


    As she mused on, Claud found himself wondering about this entire tutorial and the way it was set up. This was supposed to be a trial; there was supposed to be something of difficulty included in it. Sure, his own trial was extremely irregular, but¡­this felt like the whole thing was handed to him on a platter.


    The Omen has descended.


    Claud thought about that single message that had popped up right before his trial began, and then checked his status once more. The original skill, Omen, had been upgraded to Omen of Entropy.


    [Omniscience (False) has been forced into hibernation by the power of entropy.]


    A slightly different message popped up this time when he looked at his other skills. Clearly, Omen of Entropy was the reason behind one of his other skills malfunctioning, and to make matters worse, he didn¡¯t know what that skill did either. That said, he had never heard of a skill that actively disadvantaged its owner, but¡­


    ¡°Claud? You listening to me?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m listening.¡± Claud folded his arms and nodded. ¡°But are you sure you want the younger ones to take the trial instead? What if they fail to take on the Second Tutorial?¡±


    Risti paused, and then smiled. ¡°Claud, we can¡¯t. Me and the others of the same generation¡­there¡¯s a reason why we¡¯re so feeble and why we¡¯re passing down our lifespan to our successors.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the reason?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°We couldn¡¯t get past the Third Tutorial,¡± Risti replied. ¡°And that took a big chunk out of us. When one fails the Second Tutorial, they get to retry over and over again, but you only have one chance at the Third. Fail, and you¡¯ll be shut out forever. At the same time, your lifeforce will be hollowed out.¡±


    ¡°Hollowed out?¡± Claud repeated, curious.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to describe it to you, but I¡¯m essentially bedridden as a result,¡± Risti replied. ¡°My soul is spent, and my lifeforce a flickering flame on a huge candle. My lifespan is there, but I force myself to wake up day in and day out.¡±


    She paused. ¡°Am I dying? That¡¯s hard to say, to be honest. I¡¯m not, but living is a chore, and I really just want to close my eyes and let it go.¡±


    Risti repeated the last three words in a sing-song voice, before shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m tired. It¡¯s been a long time, and I¡¯ve been struggling to keep the light burning.¡±


    ¡°Hang on a bit longer,¡± Claud whispered. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­no, we¡¯ll set things right, the best way we can, and we can finally depart from this horrible life. I¡¯m sure the others will welcome you when you cross over, and¡­¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Me? I¡¯ll stay, until as such time my sorrow melts. I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll take, nor the outcomes of my actions.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°Maybe, when this bout of lucidness ends, I¡¯ll return to my throne and watch over her for all eternity. After all, as long as I remain alive, the Aeon Span cannot be complete.¡±


    ¡°Bearer of Destiny¡­¡±


    Claud nodded.


    ¡°What number are you anyway?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Only the Fourth, the Ninth, the Twelfth and the Thirteenth remain, so you have to be one of them.¡±


    Claud froze as that question echoed in his head over and over again. He checked his status, but unless there was a spelling error in the rendition of his Absolute Skill in his status, FiBoD, there was no way he was the Fourth.


    ¡°Fourteen Bearers of Destiny, but thirteen of them are bound to a divinity,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°But what number am I?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Claud looked around her room, and then decided to write on the air with his mana. ¡°This is the skill as it is named on my status.¡±


    FiBoD.


    The two of them stared at the acronym for a moment, and Risti shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s odd. Maybe the Fifth¡¯s the one that¡¯s alive? Or the First? Never mind. I¡¯ve forgotten, and none of us here are interested in keeping count. At any rate, this isn¡¯t that important. We¡¯ll need to get started on work¡­are you staying the night?¡±


    ¡°I suppose so.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get that Aurelia to lead you to your chambers, then. I¡¯ll only wake after noon, so feel free to laze around until then,¡± Risti replied, a hint of dismissal in her words.


    Claud nodded and turned to leave, only to pause a moment later. ¡°Right. Did you ever find out what happened to Princess Dia?¡±


    Risti looked back at him and shook her head.

 Chapter 334: Breakfast in Rimestar

    After a fitful night haunted by super-realistic dreams of a dying Lily in his arms, Claud woke up to a glowing, grey sky. In Rimestar, the only difference between day and night was the all-important question of whether the sky was glowing or not ¡ª the power of the Frozen Emperor had blotted out everything else.


    The other members of Risti¡¯s family avoided looking at him as Claud joined the rest of the Cadenza family at the dining table, and Claud wasn¡¯t one to impose himself on random people either.


    ¡°B-breakfast¡¯s here, sir,¡± said the young woman who had guided him yesterday.


    Claud eyed the rich bowl of soup and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Soup? I have the feeling something as savoury as this is better for dinner¡­¡±


    ¡°S-Soup¡¯s the staple dish for meals now,¡± Aurelia replied. ¡°It¡¯s hot, filling and fends off the cold more effectively than anything else.¡±


    She paused. ¡°What meals are eaten outside Rimestar?¡±


    That question drew everyone¡¯s attention, and Claud rubbed his nose. Clearly, none of these fellows had been out of Rimestar¡­but wasn¡¯t the setting for this trial a bit too well-done? The food, the populace, the backstory ¡ª why would a trial be this detailed?


    ¡°Well, mostly meat dishes.¡±


    ¡°We also have meat,¡± said Aurelia. ¡°But it¡¯s once a week. We don¡¯t get it much nowadays. Most of our diet is soup with soybeans and other, uh, healthy and good for us things.¡±


    ¡°Soybeans?¡± Claud had no idea what soybeans were, but they sounded like a vegetable. ¡°Where did soybeans come from? Last I checked, vegetables need sunlight to grow, and this place apparently hasn¡¯t seen sunlight for a long time.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an underground farm that¡¯s warm, and the light¡¯s provided for by some artefact called an Illuminator or something,¡± Aurelia replied. ¡°Riveting stuff. It¡¯s where most of our fast-growing crops grow, allowing us to feed the city.¡±


    ¡°What about the people outside the city?¡±


    ¡°Most of them hunt outside the Frozen Coffin¡¯s domain. A few of them even have farms beyond this place of ice and snow, but these places are protected by very powerful folders,¡± Aurelia replied. ¡°We get our weekly supply of meat from these farms and hunters by trading them with other things, like lifestones and skillstrips.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°I see.¡±


    He sniffed the soup. It was rich, and Claud could tell that he would probably have a comfortable little feeling of warmth in his stomach for the next few hours after drinking it. Like a little ball of fire, it would drive away the chill if he chose to walk around the city.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let me keep you from your daily dose of warmth.¡± Claud picked up his spoon and took a few sips, before smiling. The rich, savoury broth chased away his hunger in a way he never knew possible, and he was on the verge of licking his empty bowl by the time he was done.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s soybeans fermented with salt and koji, plus some barley,¡± Aurelia replied. ¡°Snowflakes, you don¡¯t know what they¡¯re made of?¡±


    Claud had no idea what she was talking about, but it sounded like some really cool stuff. Nodding, he licked his lips and said, ¡°This is really great¡­¡±


    He leaned back for a moment and closed his eyes, indulging himself in the savoury warmth that was emanating out from his stomach. Time transformed into a blur in that moment, and when he next came to, most of Risti¡¯s family members had dispersed.


    Claud, who was hoping to talk with them more, felt a bit disappointed, but before he could say anything to Aurelia, who was reading a book, she had already gotten up.


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    ¡°My grandaunt awaits. Follow me!¡±


    Stifling a comfortable yawn, Claud followed Aurelia as she led the way to Risti¡¯s room, and after knocking politely for a few seconds, she stood to the side and lowered her head.


    The bedroom door opened a few seconds later.


    ¡°I hope your stay here has been comfortable so far,¡± said Risti. ¡°Aurelia, today¡¯s soup was particularly good. Give the chef my compliments.¡±


    ¡°Yes, grandaunt.¡±


    Risti patted her head. ¡°Follow me. We¡¯re going to the conference room. The other members of the Seekers of Life are waiting for me.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± said Claud, ¡°didn¡¯t you say the Seekers of Life were¡­¡±


    ¡°New members,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Can¡¯t call myself an organisation if there¡¯s no one else around, right? Most of them are the remaining tri and tetra-folders from two hundred years ago, before¡­well, you get the point. My own aunt is part of the Seekers of Life too, which is why she doesn¡¯t come to this house.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see the problem there¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, since everyone here calls me grandaunt, they have to either call her great-grandaunt or ancestor,¡± Risti replied, an impish grin on her face. ¡°And she hates that with a passion. And¡­wait, never mind. No point introducing you to them. None of them will dare to speak to you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Claud complained.


    ¡°You know better than me why no one else would dare to speak to you, alright?¡± Risti replied, rolling her eyes. ¡°Come on, Claud, let¡¯s go scare the living daylights out of the others.¡±


    Claud couldn¡¯t remember if the original Risti was this mischievous, but he had an inkling that this illusory reality had done a damn good job at making the whole thing seem like the future.


    He shivered as a thought struck him. Maybe this trial was one of the many possible futures that could occur; from the way he saw it, there were too many things he didn¡¯t know that had been spelt out. For instance, in this trial, Risti had mentioned that the Moon Lords had renamed themselves to the Seekers of Life. While he did indeed worry about the name of their organisation, he wouldn¡¯t put it past the others to change the name, especially since the Moons were the current rulers of the Istrel Sovereignty.


    In fact, the entire backstory behind this trial seemed a bit too detailed to be made up. Other than his unbelievable strength, the rest seemed more like a portent of things to come, and Claud shivered.


    Maybe this trial was trying to show him something.


    As he followed Risti to the conference room, his mind wandered over to his Omniscience and Omen of Entropy. Was it a coincidence that the one skill that could likely tell him what he needed to know was sealed off indefinitely by his Omen of Entropy? Given that Omen of Entropy was almost certainly the culprit behind this sealing, there might be something at stake here.


    After all, everything had to have a reason.


    Either that, or his Omen of Entropy would seal any skill that attempted to peer into his secrets. After all, he had managed to look at his upgraded active skills and passive skills, but¡­


    Claud made an annoyed voice in his throat, and Risti turned to look at him. ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    He glanced to his side, and then noted with some surprise that Aurelia was gone. This particular turn of events suited him well, however, and Claud replied, ¡°I¡¯m just wondering how my skills all became level 11 and evolved to their pinnacle forms.¡±


    ¡°Level 11¡­¡± Risti shook. ¡°Damn. ¡°You must have been using them in your dreams or something, I¡¯m not sure. Or maybe something happened to you, and you inherited all that power. As for the evolved skills¡­I don¡¯t know. You¡¯ll have to find out yourself. You¡¯re the one who entered the Trial of Aeons after all; everyone saw you fighting with the Red God afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Everyone saw me?¡± Claud repeated.


    ¡°Yeah. Everyone.¡± Risti paused. ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡±


    Claud made a non-committal grunt, before changing the topic. ¡°So, what plan have you come up with? How are we going to lay down a foundation for the people here?¡±


    ¡°You seriously just intend on leaving the brain work to me, right?¡± Risti muttered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the way around here, and the only thing I can actually contribute is probably my lifespan,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Best to let the professionals handle the rest. Besides, I¡¯ve been dreaming for two centuries. A whole bunch of people will just feel displeased if I muscle in right here and try to establish power for myself.¡±


    ¡°At least you do recognise reality.¡± Risti shook her head.


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s best if I just portray myself as the guy who¡¯s giving out freebies and leaving the distribution to the people here, you know.¡± Claud rubbed his neck. ¡°You guys figure it out while I try to think of what else I can do here.¡±


    He had the feeling that giving out his lifespan wouldn¡¯t cut it. There had to be something else, and¡­


    ¡°Hmm. Maybe I should go and kill a few gods or something,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Or at least annihilate their places of power. A few good strikes would work, right?¡±


    He thought about it for a moment. It sounded like a viable plan, and since this was an illusory trial, murdering the footsoldiers of the enemy wasn¡¯t going to give him much guilt. Besides, they were definitely enemies through and through too; even in the real world, he wasn¡¯t going to think too hard for confirmed hostiles.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°You¡¯re talking to me, you know. And I repelled my fair share of gods, Moons and the Dark. I think I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Was there anything else that he needed to do? Claud racked his brains, but there wasn¡¯t anything else he could come up with for now.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Risti. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 335: The culture formed over two hundred years

    ¡°This doesn¡¯t look like a meeting room,¡± Claud muttered, eyeing the very odd place. It reminded him of the time when he went to report about Zulan Patra¡¯s death, when they went to some freezing room where there was an odd box and a mirror of sorts that allowed Caroline to speak to the White Church.


    ¡°What do you think this place is for?¡± Risti replied, with that familiar small smile on her face. He should see some deep fatigue in her expression, however, and Claud was once again reminded that she too failed in the Third Tutorial, whatever that was.


    ¡°Is there something like a Comms Console here?¡± Claud asked, thinking about the name Farah had given that odd box and glass screen set up.


    ¡°Bingo, frozen cupcake.¡±


    ¡°Frozen cupcake?¡± Claud echoed, raising an eyebrow.


    Risti laughed. ¡°In the past, most of our curses and expressions revolved around the Moons, but now it¡¯s the freezing climate. You¡¯ve officially the backbone of Rimestar culture, you know. Everyone uses your name, uses the cold and uses the Frozen Coffin for all sorts of things.¡±


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t like the sound of that.¡± Claud gulped, but he couldn¡¯t quite resist the urge to ask. ¡°But can you name me some examples?¡±


    ¡°Oh, the most famous one, then. It¡¯s a custom for men and women to swear their love upon the Frozen Emperor, condemning themselves to an eternal sleep on a bed of ice if they ever reneged on their love,¡± Risti replied. ¡°What else do we have? Oh, right. The classic ¡®If you don¡¯t finish your soup, the Frozen Emperor will take you away¡¯. In popular culture, we have ¡®The Girl who sought the Frozen Lord¡¯, and the super-famous ¡®Freezing¡¯, which is a legendary drama with singalongs that is very well-received by children.¡±


    ¡°Legendary drama with singalongs?¡± Claud tilted his head. ¡°What¡¯s the story even about?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s about a princess who ran away from her dukedom after being framed, and then ended up awakening a bunch of ice powers, casting the world into an eternal chill. Her friends work together to find the princess, racing against time to break that chill before everything ends,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°¡­Is that directed at me, or the long-missing princess?¡± Claud grumbled for a few seconds, and then decided to drop the topic. Other than the passing of the people around him, the fact that he was embroiled in many odd works and things were enough to make him conclude that this truly was a bad future.


    He fell silent at that thought. If this really was a possible future, did that mean¡­


    ¡°Claud?¡± Risti waved her hands in front of his face. ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°I actually want to ask some things. What exactly happened in the period between the Trial of Aeons¡¯ start and when me and Lily le¡ª¡±


    His words cut out a moment later, and Claud stared at a screen that had popped up of its own accord. Enduring the chill running down his spine, he gulped and said, ¡°Forget what I just said.¡±


    ¡°Forget what you just said?¡± Risti blinked. ¡°You didn¡¯t say anything, though.¡±


    Claud pondered on her words for a moment, and then grimaced. ¡°It¡¯s probably something wrong with my awakening or something. There are probably a few problems lying around here or there. Like I said, I don¡¯t really have much time left on the clock. I¡¯ll probably return to my slumber soon enough.¡±


    ¡°Claud¡­¡± Risti let out a breath. ¡°We¡¯ll do everything in our power to crush the other divinities. Not just for you, but for Lily and for our future.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just need to wait here for a while. I sent them all a message yesterday, shortly before I went to bed. They¡¯ll be showing up in a few minutes,¡± said Risti, making no indication that she was actually changing the subject. ¡°To recap, you¡¯ll let us handle resource distribution and everything, right? You just want to push up a whole bunch of people to become ennea-folders, and you don¡¯t care who becomes one, right?¡±


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    Claud nodded. ¡°That said, it¡¯ll be better if none of them are arrogant fellows who, having attained power, would try to charge out recklessly and get killed.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Generations of young men and women have dreamed of the day where they can march out into the rest of the world and force the other divinities back,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Rimestar is the place with the most tragic and heartwarming stories of how parents sacrificed their lives to buy their kids time to enter your domain. Even for us, the Seekers of Life, there are many such incidents where¡­forget it.¡±


    ¡°I hope I¡¯ll be able to do some good, at the very least.¡±


    ¡°Then you should maintain this frozen domain at all costs,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I can, though,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But I¡¯ll pave a way to a brighter future at all costs.¡±


    ¡°Normally, someone who has less than a year of lifespan left would say such things, not the demigod with nearly a million years of life,¡± Risti replied, before shaking her head. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that you didn¡¯t remember how you got those one million years of life, though. If you could remember it, we¡¯ll have a frozen well¡¯s worth of ennea-folders by now.¡±


    ¡°How much is a frozen well¡¯s worth anyway?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a figure of speech, Claud.¡±


    Before she could continue on, the metal boxes placed around the room began to light up, and translucent figures appeared above the box. Popping up like little rabbits, they looked around the place for a while, and then turned to look at Claud.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be!¡±


    Everyone jumped as they turned to a particular translucent figure. Claud looked at the speaker for a moment, since he didn¡¯t quite recognise that person, but a few seconds later, he spotted a few similarities between the speaker and Count Nightfall.


    ¡°¡­Nightfall?¡±


    ¡°Is that you, Claud?¡± The count¡¯s translucent figure rubbed his eyes. ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Risti rapped the table at the same time. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to make some introductions. This person here is the final founding member of the Seekers of Life, he who spent two centuries in between dreams and reality. I present to you the Frozen Emperor, Claud Primus.¡±


    An uproar broke out immediately as people sought to speak over each other. Claud ignored the noise and looked at what could be described as their spiritual successors, and immediately noted a single common point between all of them.


    Even through this translucent depiction of their bodies, it was clear that their vitality had been hollowed out. Claud somehow knew that everyone present was actually exhibiting the same symptoms as Risti; they had clearly tried their hand at the Third Tutorial and failed.


    After a minute or so, Risti rapped the table again. ¡°Silence. I imagine everyone has many questions, but we don¡¯t have much time. The Frozen Emperor has awakened from his slumber and, more importantly, is in a bout of lucidity. Right now, he desires to use his tremendous lifespan for the sake of the city¡¯s young and gifted.¡±


    ¡°¡­Lord Frozen Emperor,¡± said a seemingly-youthful young man, ¡°are you intending to use the Life Transfer Channel?¡±


    ¡°Is there a problem? With my lifespan, I should be able to foster a whole bunch of ennea-folders,¡± Claud replied quietly. ¡°I want a list of everyone who is capable, streetwise and of a good character. These are the people I want to raise as the next generation of shining stars, of humanity¡¯s flag of rebellion against the divine.¡±


    The assembly of translucent figures stared at him closely, but Claud simply met their gaze without any fluster. Before long, all of them broke the quiet challenge, and Risti chuckled. ¡°The distribution will be left to us, as is the personnel selection and everything else. That said, there is a downside.¡±


    Her amused demeanour vanished. ¡°It is very possible that the Frozen Emperor¡¯s world of ice and snow will soon vanish. Its protection would wane, perhaps even just shrinking to the Frozen Coffin. As evidence, the Frozen Emperor awakened from his waking dream; this can be said to be our one and only chance in surviving whatever happens next.¡±


    Everyone nodded, uttering words of assent of cooperation. After saying a few words of encouragement, Risti dispersed the meeting and turned to Claud. ¡°We¡¯re done here, I guess. They¡¯ll rush this out. I give it one day before they start begging us to start.¡±


    ¡°Start the procedure as quickly as possible,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯ll leave myself with two thousand years, just in case, and then tell the world about my awakening in the most drastic manner possible.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll return to her side, right?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°¡­Probably. I can¡¯t tangle with the divinities in their own places of power, but hurling a few dozen bolts of nine-fold mana across the world isn¡¯t that hard,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯ll need a map of their territories and everything.¡±


    ¡°Done.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Claud took a deep breath. He didn¡¯t know if these two things combined would be enough for this tutorial, but¡­


    Where exactly was his promised trial? How would one fail a trial to begin with? Keeping those questions in his mind, Claud exchanged some perfunctory words with Risti, before following her out.

 Chapter 336: The geographical shifts that occurred over two centuries

    Claud took one look at the map on the table and immediately knew that there was something really wrong.


    ¡°Was Grandis this big?¡± Claud asked, looking at the map. Choosing his words carefully, he said, ¡°Or did something change?¡±


    ¡°The descent of all the divinities created a very strong impetus to redraw the map,¡± Risti replied. ¡°And to make matters worse, this map was drawn thirty-eight years ago, the last time we managed to scrape up a force to explore the world forming around us.¡±


    ¡°Thirty-eight years ago?¡±


    Risti nodded. ¡°Only three people from the original forty-five made it back. While they did bring back a few things, the cost of losing so many penta-folders meant that no one would suggest an all-out reconnaissance mission ever again. Ever since that, we only bothered about the resource areas close to Rimestar and nothing else.¡±


    Claud pondered on this issue for a moment, and then decided on his first question. ¡°What exactly is the state of the world right now?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­geographically speaking, it seems that the three continents were forced together by some incredible force. I think that happened eighty-five years ago, since I recall lots of earthquakes in that period. It was nothing serious, but quite a few people were wondering if it was the Frozen Coffin shaking,¡± Risti replied. ¡°From the records that were brought back, Grandis is under the control of the Moons, Nihal is under the control of the remaining Coloured Gods, and the Greater Dark holds sway over the Saran Supremacy in Lacheln.¡±


    She pointed at the map as she spoke, her actions helping Claud to visualise three slices of a badly made pie. ¡°We¡¯re here, situated at the border between what used to be Istrel and Nihila. The closest Divine Battlefield is to our east, at the extreme reaches of what used to be the Lustre Dukedom, between Grandis and Nihal.¡±


    Risti spoke at length about what the important places that the ill-fated team had discovered, and Claud let out a small sigh when he learned that there was still humans in the rest of the world. However, Rimestar was the only place where humans were free to grow stronger and to do anything else that wasn¡¯t worshipping their masters.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a dystopia out there, then,¡± Claud noted.


    ¡°They¡¯re disposable cannon folder that can be sent onto the frontlines to die,¡± Risti replied. ¡°As long as babies are being popped out, groomed to believe in the divinities they serve and trained to become soldiers, that¡¯s sufficient. The team we sent out paid a huge price, because they didn¡¯t realise that the humans outside didn¡¯t know what freedom was.¡±


    ¡°¡­They sold out the reconnaissance team?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°You can¡¯t sell people out if you were never their ally,¡± Risti replied. ¡°It was a nasty wake-up call to some of these people, who were apparently harbouring the delusion that they could save people by killing some of the Moonlit and pulling them away from their homes. But it doesn¡¯t work that way.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Claud bit his lip.


    ¡°Okay, now that you know all this, what plan do you have? I imagine that your original plan of raining down super huge energy bolts isn¡¯t going to work, since we don¡¯t know much about the important areas,¡± Risti replied. ¡°In the first place, is it necessary to actually provoke a bunch of monsters like that? We¡¯ll be better off if you can just clear hostiles from areas closer to home.¡±


    She pointed at the former Istrel Sovereignty. ¡°Like this place, for instance. So that we can finally extricate ourselves from the problem of being surrounded.¡±


    ¡°Even if I clear Istrel of hostiles, wouldn¡¯t the Moons take it back?¡± Claud asked, curious.


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    ¡°They don¡¯t have that kind of strength right now, and perhaps for the foreseeable future. The forces stationed all around us are the actual threat; they are, in a sense, irreplaceable. If you kill them all, they¡¯ll never be able to recover from this attack. Either they need to draw forces from the frontlines, or they have to let us consolidate our hold over this place.¡±


    ¡°Rimestar is too small of a threat, but wouldn¡¯t the Moons be alarmed if I go out, slaughter their people in Istrel and go back to sleep?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Not if you act crazy,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I still remember your crazed face and mad laughter when you killed the Red God. I¡¯m sure the Moons won¡¯t dare to disturb you if you act madly while clearing out Istrel or something.¡±


    ¡°You remember it, great, but you do know that I don¡¯t, right?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I might be the Frozen Emperor, but I¡¯m not exactly the person who slumbered for two centuries.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on¡­¡± Risti rolled her eyes. ¡°Alright, let me think up something¡­I know! You just need to practice sad laughter. You¡¯ll go out there, prepare your attack, and then mutter on and on about Lily and how this was your present for your two hundredth anniversary. After attacking, you are to weep for an hour and then return to the Frozen Coffin. How¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°You thought up an entire script for me?¡± Claud sighed. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll try to do something like that. However, I think it¡¯ll be best if we settle the issue of lifespan first. It wouldn¡¯t be funny if they set up a trap or something and I walk right into it.¡±


    More importantly, Claud couldn¡¯t use six of his ten circuits, so he was actually a tetra-folder right now. His original plan was to use his Absolute One, create the strongest attacks possible, and then blast every single viable target into oblivion.


    For obvious reasons, this method wasn¡¯t going to work.


    Risti and the others, however, were completely unaware of his actual weakness¡­and assuming him to still capable of wielding the might of an ennea-folder.


    ¡°True. Like I said, the others will definitely come up with a list of their own. I won¡¯t bother looking through it, since you wanted the process to be quick, so I¡¯ll just tell them to all gather at the Rimestar Secret Hall tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Is the Life Transfer Channel located there?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Yeah. My aunt brought it here long ago, since my father¡­¡± Risti¡¯s voice trailed off. ¡°Yeah. It won¡¯t take too long, since the process has been automated.¡±


    ¡°Automated?¡±


    Risti smiled. ¡°The original iteration had cases where people gave a bit too much lifespan, since it depended on the donor¡¯s ability to control their lifeforce back then. After a while, however, my aunt felt that trusting people to be competent was hoping for too much, so she adjusted it.¡±


    Her peaceful smile deepened. ¡°It became a way to punish people too. Crimes could be made up for by giving up a portion of the criminal¡¯s lifespan, instead of tossing them in jail and wasting time. It¡¯s quite awesome.¡±


    ¡°Your aunt, huh¡­what¡¯s her name again?¡±


    ¡°Aunt Norn! She¡¯s still alive, by the way. Want to meet her? She¡¯s the most experienced folder of everyone from our generation,¡± Risti replied. ¡°She was in the meeting earlier, but she didn¡¯t want to draw everyone¡¯s attention by saying hi and all.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to check up on family, I say.¡± Claud rubbed his neck. ¡°And she sounds like an absolute genius, if she can make artefacts. Why, the only thing I can make are skillsticks and skillstrips. Maybe you can call Nightfall over too. Make it a little reunion or something.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be nice, true.¡±


    ¡°What about Caroline?¡± Claud asked, thinking about the time he moved to crush the Shadowed Ones that were attacking Lostfon. Did he do the right thing back then? Would the Second Tutorial offer him an answer to that particular question? It was a question he had long wondered about, but¡­


    ¡°Caroline? She¡¯s alright, why?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just that you didn¡¯t mention her much or anything the whole time,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I didn¡¯t see her with Nightfall just now, that¡¯s why.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a bit busy with running the itty-bitty bits of Rimestar and its city policies, that¡¯s all. Why? Did you think something happened to her?¡± Risti chuckled.


    ¡°Just wondering, that¡¯s all. She didn¡¯t go back home or something¡­wait, yeah. What happened to the huge barrier that covered Istrel two hundred years ago? How was it destroyed?¡±


    ¡°The barrier¡­oh! Oh!¡± Risti slapped her head. ¡°Man, that was so long ago I totally forgot about it. Now that I think about it, it seemed like yesterday when the barrier went up and the Moon Emissaries appeared. You and Lily ran off for a honeymoon, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Okay, but how did the barrier come down?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Risti asked, looking at Claud oddly.


    ¡°Am I supposed to?¡±


    She narrowed her eyes, and in that moment, Risti¡¯s liveliness faded away, replaced by the bone-deep fatigue that she had been exuding for the better half of the day. ¡°The Trial of Aeons. Shortly after the Trial of Aeons ended, a being who we later knew as the Frozen Emperor fought with the Red God, fired off a strike that smashed through the barrier blocking off Istrel and dismantled it entirely.¡±


    ¡°So, the Frozen Emperor, then.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to make it sound like you¡¯re not the party involved¡­¡±

 Chapter 337: The one who reminisces, and the one who experiences

    Breakfast was a generous helping of soup, but by now, everyone else who was sitting at the dining table was staring at Claud with a huge helping of awe and fear. Clearly, the fact that he was the Frozen Emperor in the flesh had leaked out, and even the children were looking at him with wide, wide eyes.


    Truly adorable.


    As Claud finished his soup, a tiny little toddler broke free from her restraints ¡ª a woman that sported a nice head of red hair ¡ª and wandered around the place. No one seemed to mind much, but again, she was just toddling around the place randomly.


    The tiny girl reminded him of the little babies that wandered the streets of Lostfon, and Claud smiled.


    That smile, however, seemed to attract the meandering child, and faces changed as she changed course to Claud. Before anyone could react, however, the little baby had waddled up to Claud, her arms open.


    ¡°Hug!¡±


    Claud glanced at everyone else, who had frozen up, and then rolled his eyes. From the way they behaved, one would think that he was a merciless tyrant who would kill even a baby. Reaching out for the little kid, Claud picked her up by the armpits.


    ¡°Upsy-daisy¡­here you go, kid. Whose child are you anyway?¡±


    The little kid squealed happily as she made a place on Claud¡¯s thigh, and he smiled again. Poking her cheeks, Claud leaned back and thought about his plan to wipe out the enemies that were situated in Istrel. For some reason, this little kid had triggered him to think about that particular bit, and Claud found himself hesitating.


    The baby on his thigh was more than enough to remind him that the Moonlit that had settled there were almost certainly civilians. If he really attacked Istrel with his full might, everyone there would die. Even if there wasn¡¯t anyone important in the list of casualties, which meant that the Moons who have to turn a blind eye, Claud knew that he couldn¡¯t do the same.


    Yet, another part of him, desired to put an end to this trial. This reality, where most of his friends were dead and the remaining were eking out a fatigued existence, was not a reality he wanted to stay in. If he could end this trial like this, he would very much want to do so.


    The voice that put forth this particular argument that all was illusory resonated in his mind, its cool touch contending against the fervent warmth of his own conscience.


    As the little baby clutched his finger, Claud found himself wavering again. This was an illusion; there was no doubts about that. Everything here was just an illusion. He should have no qualms killing off illusions to end this trial and this world, and yet¡­


    ¡°Auh!¡±


    The little toddler tilted her head, before opening her mouth. Fortunately, before she could chomp down on his finger, her caretaker had managed to overcome her fear and rescued his finger with a swift hug.


    Claud watched as the little baby zeroed in on her caretaker¡¯s shoulder and chewed on it happily. The red-haired woman grimaced once, before bowing to Claud and returning to her original position.


    He glanced at the baby, who was still chewing her caretaker¡¯s shoulder, and turned his face away. The absence of the little bundle made his cold heart feel even colder, but it wasn¡¯t like he could do anything about it anyway. Letting out a small sigh, Claud played with his empty bowl of soup and returned to thinking about the day after next.


    The darker half of his heart told him that there was no issue with slaughtering countless civilians, since nothing here was real. For one, everything here would end once he finished dealing with the people in Istrel.


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    Claud could tell this much, at least. His instincts and something even deeper were telling him that the unerring foundations for Rimestar to rise once more lay in two portions: the presence of nine-folders and enough space for humanity to regrow once more. By simply fulfilling this two, Claud could tell that he would meet the requirements to end the Second Tutorial. No one would be killed in reality, and he would return to the real world.


    It was a quick and easy solution. In a sense, this would be the ¡®order¡¯ that he and the Frozen Emperor decided upon, but¡­


    He got up from his seat and left the room, before leaning against the window. Right now, as he was right now, he hated the idea of killing innocents, even if this was against his very goal. But¡­


    The calming chill in his heart slowed his thoughts, and Claud decided to put the philosophical issues aside. No matter how his rational self looked at the situation, this was no time for ethics. Even if he ignored the fact that this world was an illusory world and therefore his choices didn¡¯t matter here, the people here needed all the help they could get. If he could secure more farmland, more space for people to live in and a place to get away from the cold, Claud knew that he had to put this conscience of his aside.


    Shaking his head, Claud wandered around the mansion and eventually stopped at a garden of flowers. Of course, they weren¡¯t real flowers ¡ª the climate was a bit too cold to support that, and the only form of artificial heating lay in the form of the warm soup that filled his stomach.


    Like the climate, the metal flowers transmitted a cold touch to his hands. There was nothing delicate about the flowers in his hands; they were shiny, hard and firm. They lacked the soft touch of life; they were mere imitations of the real thing.


    He looked at the flowers and drifted into a stupor as he felt the flower in his hand absently. Time seemed to flow past him in silence, and before he knew it, someone had called out to him.


    ¡°Claud?¡± Risti¡¯s voice spoke from behind him. ¡°It¡¯s nearly time.¡±


    He lowered his hand and released the flower in his hands. ¡°So it is.¡±


    ¡°I find myself doing that all the time too.¡± Risti laughed. ¡°On some days, I just look up at the ceiling and think about something for a few hours on end. Sometimes, I don¡¯t even think at all. I just let memories flicker past my eyes and enjoy them.¡±


    Claud looked at her. ¡°Dreaming of bygone times.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Risti sighed. ¡°The earlier years of my life were the happiest ones. Now, I can only think of those who have died, and those that will continue to die. If we don¡¯t do something, eventually, we will strangle ourselves to death. Eventually, if you were to ever awaken from your slumber again, you might just find an endless stretch of ruins where Rimestar used to be. A cold world, abandoned by its citizens who gave up both their hopes and dreams.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I awakened,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I do not have much left, other than my vast lifespan. This, I offer to the city.¡±


    Risti nodded. ¡°Come on. Let me lead you to the Rimestar Secret Hall.


    Following her out, Claud inquired about the name behind that hall, and she let out a heavy sigh. ¡°It¡¯s called the Rimestar Secret Hall because everyone¡¯s an idiot, that¡¯s why. The Frozen Emperor must have chilled their heads or something, since they couldn¡¯t remember the original name.¡±


    ¡°What do I have to do with them not remembering?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Ah, sorry.¡± Risti cleared her throat. ¡°But you better get used to it. You¡¯ve replaced the Moons in everyday conversation, and people regularly invoke your name to curse, as exclamations of relief and to make anguished declarations of love.¡±


    ¡°I really hate this city,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°You were the one offering them protection,¡± Risti replied. ¡°And don¡¯t think I can¡¯t see that sheepish, half-proud smile on your face, alright? You like it, even if your mouth says otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, maybe not.¡± Claud breathed in slowly. ¡°So, about this secret hall thing¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re close to it,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Just down this staircase¡­and we¡¯re out of the manor. The streets here were a replica of our original plan back then.¡±


    ¡°Original plan?¡± Claud asked. ¡°To do what?¡±


    ¡°It was shortly after you two left,¡± Risti replied, ¡°when we decided that we needed more security against the threat of the Moons and the Dark. We¡¯d seen some of the most insane attacks, and we knew that the city could be easily destroyed if someone decided to attack it with a huge, sweeping beam of mana.¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    ¡°The original plan was to build an underground city,¡± said Risti. ¡°Schwarz had already started on a prototype under Moon Mansion without us knowing, and he had expanded it to around half the city when everything turned mad. He led us and most of Licencia underground to wait out the mad war between the Dark and the Moons, which was why we survived the destruction of Istrel.¡±


    She let out a sigh as a huge open space came into view. ¡°It¡¯s just a shame a lot of us never made it to the Frozen Coffin.¡±


    Claud took in her words as the two of them approached the podium in the centre of the space. Around one hundred young men and women were seated around the place in deep mediation, their faces taut with expectation and fear.


    Risti produced a small bell and rang it. ¡°Announcing the arrival of the Frozen Emperor.¡±

 Chapter 338: One way to survive in a ruined world

    Claud really wanted to ask about the bell, but he decided to keep his mouth shut and not disturb the image that Risti had built up for him. Instead, he unleashed his mana circuits. While he couldn¡¯t use all ten of them, there was no issue with letting their mere presence emanate outwards from his body, and the hundred-odd teenagers in attendance shuddered.


    Risti, who was closest to that emanation of his near-divine might, had to visibly hold it in, but she didn¡¯t seem to blame him for that abrupt show of force. In light of that, Claud only unleashed his might for a second or two, before reining in his pants-wetting presence.


    Heads snapped to Risti¡¯s direction as she cleared her throat. ¡°Many of you here are wondering why you have been chosen. Compared to the ones who stand in the limelight and are the talk of the city, virtually everyone here does not have the family backing and resources necessary to stand at the forefront of your peers. But that is fine. You do not know this, but everyone present has been nominated by your family¡¯s true leader for many reasons.¡±


    She paced around slowly. ¡°Some of you show exceptional grit. Others are people who have stood up against injustice over and over again. Yet even more have displayed a tenacity that surpasses the rest of your cohort. In short, everyone present has the makings of a true powerhouse.¡±


    Claud narrowed his eyes. He remembered that the other Seekers of Life were only given one day to make their choice, and Risti wasn¡¯t going to care about who they were nominating. Why, then, did it sound like the demographics of the chosen were people who were marginalised for one reason or another?


    He hadn¡¯t quite expected those people to not show favouritism to their own lineage.


    ¡°Therefore,¡± Risti continued, unaware of his thoughts, ¡°the people who matter have found it a waste that you guys do not have the resources you should be given. I am certain that your nominators have tried to get some resources to you, but there¡¯s only so much that can be given at a time.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°That is, until today. The Frozen Emperor has regained a portion of his lucidity. In this short time he is awake, he will channel his lifespan to everyone here. Five thousand years of lifespan to everyone here.¡±


    The crowd breathed in sharply in a manner that was so synchronised and yet so impromptu that Claud had to stop himself from smiling by hardening his muscles. It was a good choice, given that the teenagers present immediately looked at him, only to lower their gaze a second later.


    Risti stepped back and nudged Claud, who got the message immediately.


    He took a step forward. ¡°For two hundred years, I have been sleeping, mired in my own dreams and regrets. It is clear that in this world, to be weak is a crime. Only the strong can uphold justice, protect the people they care for and bring us forwards to a bright future. Today, you people are sinners. Weaklings. However, with my blessing, I will turn everyone present into beacons of blazing light to illuminate the dark future beyond us.¡±


    He turned to the Life Transfer Channel, which was a small pedestal with an orb on it. It glittered with prismatic light, and on the globe was an outline of a handprint. Smaller buttons with a numerical display had been installed below the outline, which looked oddly out of place.


    With a small jolt, Claud recalled the provenance of the sleek display. It shared the same aesthetics as the place he and Lily had visited, the Celestia Ruins.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Risti, and his thoughts winked out. Claud attempted to gather them again, but something was blocking his mind from coming up with the name of that particular place. ¡°Let¡¯s begin, then¡­something wrong?¡±


    Claud grimaced. ¡°Nothing in particular.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Claud resisted the urge to hold his head. ¡°You do the setting up here. I¡¯m not in the right state of mind for anything else now.¡±


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    He looked around the Rimestar Secret Hall. ¡°Incidentally, how many people are here?¡±


    ¡°There are one hundred and forty-nine people waiting to receive your infusion of life,¡± Risti replied. ¡°If we add on the twenty percent loss rate, you will need to use 931250 years of your lifespan.


    ¡°That leaves me with around sixty thousand or so,¡± Claud replied. ¡°That¡¯s still very long¡­but I suppose choosing no one is better than choosing the wrong one, right? Start it up. I really want to finish as many things as possible here while I¡¯m still lucid.¡±


    Claud, obviously, couldn¡¯t say that he wanted to finish this trial as quickly as possible, and he had to hide a smile as he placed his right hand onto the handprint¡¯s outline.


    ¡°Just to check, but are you really sure?¡± Risti asked. ¡°You always feared death, you know. And yet, you¡¯re going to give someone else your lifespan. Are you¡­really you?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°It just feels like you¡¯re going against my conception of the person named Claud Primus. In my book, you were a cautious, death-fearing and life-seeking person. But now¡­¡±


    Claud hid another smile. He of course knew why she had that impression of him; no one, other than Lily, knew about him moving out on his own to strike down the Moon Emissary back then. While it was very true that all these traits applied to him, Claud also knew that humans were social animals. Like everyone else, once he formed bonds with people he cared about, he would be willing to sacrifice a few things here and there.


    Besides, Claud had the feeling that the Frozen Emperor wouldn¡¯t mind lowering his lifespan. After all, the palace in which the Frozen Emperor had resided in was called the Frozen Coffin. This was his deepest desire; he didn¡¯t want to live, but he couldn¡¯t throw away his life.


    Claud shook his head. ¡°Begin.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Risti checked through the numbers again, and then opened a glass cover. Taking a deep breath, she looked at Claud for confirmation one last time, and then pressed down on it as he nodded.


    The prismatic light the sphere was emitting began to hum, and Claud opened his status. His lifespan began to fall rapidly, surging out of his body and into the device itself. At the same time, the hundred-plus teenagers seated in front of him began to glow, and Claud could sense a faint connection between him and them.


    A faint touch of weakness began to set in, but Claud ignored it with ease and said, ¡°It¡¯s this simple, huh?¡±


    ¡°It is. It¡¯s a blessing, I guess. At least the process of handing down our lifespan isn¡¯t painful or drawn out,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done it before?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Back when I failed the Third Tutorial. You know, I was supposed to pass away quietly in my sleep. After all, I had done many things. I surpassed my¡­father, I became one of the leading figures in Rimestar, I saved tens of thousands of people, I¡­¡±


    She took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to be resting. A quiet death with hundreds of incredible deeds to my name. And then you came along, told me about your ambition, and gave everyone a new hope. I can¡¯t even rest now, thanks to you.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Claud lowered his head.


    ¡°I want to see everyone. Dad, mum, Dia, Farah, Lily, Nero¡­I¡¯m tired.¡± Risti smiled weakly. ¡°But if I were to go now and they find out, they¡¯ll tease me forever.¡±


    Claud stifled his laughter. ¡°Yes, I can definitely see that. But that¡¯s just how it is. And besides, don¡¯t you want a really solid achievement? You can guide the people mired in this age to a brighter day. Don¡¯t you want to do that? Show off to the others?¡±


    ¡°You really know how to charm people.¡± Risti laughed. ¡°Well, thanks to you, I now need to sail this ship onwards. All while you¡¯ll be busy dreaming. I don¡¯t even want to speak to you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. After this¡­¡± Claud hesitated. He still hadn¡¯t made up his mind. What exactly was the unerring foundation for the people here to retake the world? What was his conception of this foundation? Did it lie in killing millions and millions of civilian non-combatants? People who were from top to toe the enemy of humanity?


    Or did it lie in something else?


    ¡°Claud? Are you about to¡­slumber once more?¡± Risti looked at him.


    ¡°Yeah. Probably. Say, what do you think it¡¯s the most important thing needed to survive?¡± Claud asked. ¡°In this dark, horrible world. Part of my answer was strength. What should be the other part of my answer?¡±


    ¡°The other part of your answer?¡± Risti repeated. ¡°What, like cruelty or decisiveness?¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Something like that. An adjective or a quality required to live in this world. I¡¯m¡­a bit lost. I don¡¯t know what other answers are in my heart. We¡¯ve worked together for a year or so in the Moon Lords, so I figured you might know the answer.¡±


    ¡°You were always the paranoid person,¡± Risti murmured. ¡°You believed in making preparations, to create terrain where everything was in our favour. You believed in defence first and foremost.¡±


    She paused. ¡°At the centre of it all, I think, is wit and the bravery to see it through. The ability to scheme, and the will to scheme. All these things are needed for someone as paranoid as you. I don¡¯t know what answer you¡¯re talking about, nor do I know what you have in mind, but this¡­is the suggestion I offer.¡±


    Risti looked down at the ball emitting prismatic light. ¡°To survive in this world, you must be cunning and decisive.¡±


    ¡°Cunning and decisive¡­¡± Claud nodded, and something seemed to relax in his heart. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    In his mind, an answer began to form.

 Chapter 339: The present contemplating the future

    ¡°This¡­are you really sure you¡¯re going to do this?¡± Risti asked, looking at the map spread out on the table. ¡°If you provoke the Moons this openly, you might not succeed at all. They¡¯ll send interceptors. It would have been far better if you simply killed off everyone instead; at least the Moons can pretend that they didn¡¯t see you.¡±


    Claud drummed his fingers on the table. ¡°Yeah, well, I don¡¯t like the idea of killing innocent people.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re Moonlit. You can drop your moral compass and everything, you know,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°Really?¡± Claud narrowed his eyes. ¡°Then did the little Moonlit babies waddling around Licencia back then feel like monsters that needed to be killed? Or did you see them as normal children?¡±


    She twitched once. ¡°In that case, you must know that this may very well be a one-way trip, right?¡±


    Claud nodded, but this was the least of his concerns. This was his Second Tutorial, his tribulation. He hadn¡¯t really seen the tribulation bit so far, but he had a feeling that the actions he took in this illusion had to count for something. Everything had to have a reason; this choice of his, the extra-hard choice, was probably a result of him desiring to maintain his current state.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always been embarking on one-way trips, you know.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°That¡¯s the person I am, I suppose. Staying alive is important, but living as one¡¯s true self even more so.¡±


    Risti looked at him. ¡°Your true self, huh. You speak like you have that luxury at times. I suppose you have, though. You¡¯re the strongest mortal in the world. If you can¡¯t be your true self, I suppose no one can. In fact, with all this power, you¡¯ve had the privilege of breaking through tough choices by carving out a third road of your own, right?¡±


    For some reason, Claud had the feeling that she was alluding to something else. Then again, with his current level of power, this Risti had probably guessed that he was the one who took out the Moon Emissary and the Third Bearer of Destiny.


    He didn¡¯t confirm or deny it, however, and instead said, ¡°Perhaps.¡±


    Claud couldn¡¯t explain to Risti that this was a world generated for the Second Tutorial, since he would literally be killed for it, and this Risti wouldn¡¯t notice anything odd anyway.


    ¡°Alright, carry on being mysterious then.¡± Risti rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare die on me, though. I¡¯ll have nightmares of Lily scolding me if you do.¡±


    ¡°Do you still remember how everyone looks like?¡± Claud asked, his voice equal parts curiosity and caution. ¡°Or is it just a blur?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    As Risti thought about this issue, Claud calmed his drumming heart. In that moment he asked that question, a sensation of death had engulfed him. For some reason, the Second Tutorial that had flawlessly built this world from the bottom up had some issues with the appearance of everyone. It didn¡¯t make sense, seeing as how people that Claud had never seen before appeared in this tribulation with no issue, but¡­


    Why would the Second Tutorial react in such a way anyway?


    ¡°I guess I do,¡± Risti eventually replied. ¡°I can¡¯t quite remember everyone, though. Some of their finer details are busy and everything. Schwarz, for instance¡­I can¡¯t pinpoint that smile of his anymore.¡±


    Claud looked at her quietly. Even if this was an illusion, the emotion she was displaying here was so vivid, so realistic that Claud himself nearly forgot that this whole thing was an illusion cooked up for him. ¡°It happens. After not seeing their faces for a long time, everything tends to become blurry. That¡¯s why I dream and dream. I don¡¯t want to forget her.¡±


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    His mouth stopped moving for a moment, but Claud already knew that the Frozen Emperor had obtained control over this body, even if it was only for this instant. Driven to insanity with his grief, but acutely aware of the consequences of his inaction, the Frozen Emperor probably wanted to explain his actions to someone that would understand.


    This topic had provided the perfect opening.


    ¡°To never forget¡­but even in your dreams, your memory of Lily and the others is supplemented by yourself,¡± Risti murmured.


    ¡°I know,¡± the Frozen Emperor replied. ¡°I want to go back to sleep, but I¡¯ve been given this rare opportunity. I¡­don¡¯t want to waste this chance of setting right what went wrong. But I don¡¯t want to lose the memory of her smile and her touch either.¡±


    ¡°In that case, why do you insist on such a method?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Killing everyone would be f¡ª¡±


    Claud wrested back control of his body, and then shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve already lost many things. If I lose a bit more, I¡¯ll be an empty shell.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Risti nodded. ¡°True. If you lose your compassion for the commonfolk, you probably won¡¯t tolerate the existence of so many settlements around your Frozen Coffin.¡±


    Claud nodded. He didn¡¯t dare to speak now, not with a subliminal struggle occurring in the depths of his consciousness. The Frozen Emperor, as expected, didn¡¯t like his plan, which was death-free but time-consuming. In a sense, the Frozen Emperor represented a him that had given himself over to one extreme, but¡­


    What exactly was that extreme?


    Claud couldn¡¯t quite tell.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Or do you need help somewhere? Maybe you should rest. Giving up more than nine-tenths of your lifespan is probably not a very good feeling, is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit tired, yes.¡± Claud forced down the weakened, lingering will ¡ª or rather, a strand of the Frozen Emperor¡¯s will ¡ª and rubbed his eyes. With any luck, all this would end after he secured sufficient living space for the people here. While he didn¡¯t quite understand what the idea of imposing his own order was here, Claud knew that there was a key aspect of his plan that was truly the key to his order.


    Stifling a yawn, Claud said, ¡°Can I have another bowl of that soup first? I think I want to give a few more sips.¡±


    He also wanted to learn the recipe and exact make too. There was a reason why this odd, savoury soup had taken Rimestar by storm under the worst of circumstances. If he learned the recipe and spread it as far as possible in the outside world, he could potentially save quite a few lives.


    After all, this soup was now the staple of the resource stricken Rimestar. This meant that the base materials were probably fairly hardy and its production method easier than most.


    ¡°More Somi soup, huh?¡±


    ¡°Somi soup¡­that¡¯s its name, huh?¡± Claud bobbed his head. ¡°Can I have a look at the recipe? I wonder who came up with it.¡±


    ¡°Good luck finding out,¡± Risti replied. ¡°The recipe came from the same place as the recipe for fizzy drinks.¡±


    ¡°Celestia?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Right, what happened to the Celestia Ruins?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question. I don¡¯t know the answer, unfortunately. The team we sent out didn¡¯t chart that far into the Nihila Sovereignty, and the terrain changed drastically too. Maybe Celestia drifted off into areas that they couldn¡¯t check,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Anyway, what do you want with the recipe? I don¡¯t think dreaming Frozen Emperors can make soup, especially without the raw materials.¡±


    ¡°Just tell me the production method from start to end, okay?¡± Claud replied. ¡°And besides, I need to replicate the whole thing in my dream or something.¡±


    That last bit, naturally, was a lie.


    ¡°Is that how your dreams work?¡± Risti asked. ¡°I thought dreams are places where your desires are instantly fulfilled. Why do you need to know the production method?¡±


    ¡°The dreams I live in are realistic dreams,¡± Claud improvised. ¡°What¡¯s the point of dreaming if I can¡¯t make myself believe in it? I want to¡­¡±


    ¡°Let Lily know about this soup, huh.¡±


    Risti¡¯s voice carried a wistful quality. ¡°Some people may be dead, and yet they live forever in the hearts of others.¡±


    ¡°Is that meant to console me?¡± Claud muttered, before shaking his head. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯ll be great if I learned the way to make that soup, so do bring me around the place. Or at least get me someone to show me around the place. I still can walk.¡±


    ¡°¡­I suppose you¡¯d do anything for her, huh?¡±


    Claud, who knew that this whole thing was just an illusory reality, couldn¡¯t help but feel that Risti¡¯s praise for his apparent devotion to Lily, who was actually still alive in the real world, was a bit misplaced. In fact, he didn¡¯t quite know how to respond to her heartfelt admiration towards his actions, since they were standing on two fundamentally different viewpoints.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Risti muttered.


    ¡°Sorry?¡± Claud asked, before coming to a realisation. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. There¡¯s nothing you need to be sorry for.¡±


    Risti looked at him again, that troubling gaze full of praise in her eyes once more.

 Chapter 340: The end of the beginning

    Once again, breakfast was Somi soup, but this time, there were some unusual additions to it. Claud, who had spent the rest of yesterday touring the production facilities for the soybeans and the kitchens to learn the many variations of Somi soup, immediately knew that there were some special ingredients added into today¡¯s breakfast.


    ¡°What¡¯s the occasion?¡± Claud asked, glancing at Risti, who had actually got up for breakfast. He had never seen her do that, but again, he had only seen her in this false world for less than a week. It was too small of a sample size to make any generalisations, but Risti herself had already said she had the habit of sleeping in.


    ¡°You, obviously. We have a lot of new tetra-folders now. With the focus on purely increasing their mana circuits, we will soon welcome an enormous batch of hexa-folders, each mightier than the next.¡± Risti smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll just need some luck, and maybe we¡¯ll have our first or two ennea-folders.¡±


    Claud nodded, before grimacing. ¡°I¡¯m wondering if my own course of action will bring you guys bad luck, though. You¡¯re right; I¡¯ll be provoking the Moons¡­I¡¯m wondering how my actions will affect you guys.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re trying to make a point to people, right?¡± Risti smiled.


    A small chill ran up Claud¡¯s spine, and he looked at Risti. ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like the kill or be killed atmosphere in Rimestar, and you want to teach the next generation that there are things that are more important than just power. The will to use it, the importance of deception, and the usefulness of plots.¡± Risti fiddled with her soup spoon. ¡°Am I right?¡±


    ¡°I guess that conversation gave it away.¡±


    ¡°For someone who¡¯s lived for two hundred years, managing the little things and hidden messages, you¡¯re quite the open book. But again, you never did really live for the past two hundred years,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Just your hopeless dream for an ideal past. I envy Lily, you know. She lives in your heart¡­¡±


    Claud felt a bit uncomfortable, but he didn¡¯t show it. Turning away, he said, ¡°This should probably be the last time the¡­me here will be talking to you. Whether the Moons take umbrage, or this personality remnant from two hundred years ago vanishes¡­¡±


    He lowered his spoon and got up. ¡°I suppose this is farewell, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I suppose so. But perhaps for different reasons.¡± Risti mirrored his actions and got up too. ¡°The exhaustion I feel from waking up every day has me in its firm grip. I give it five years before I enter an eternal rest.¡±


    ¡°Even with the motivations I presented you?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Even with the motivations you presented to me,¡± Risti replied. ¡°You may not wake up for the next two hundred or so years, but I do hope that you will take care of my family when you eventually wake up. Claud, the Frozen Emperor.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make a note before I rest,¡± Claud replied, before looking at his emptied bowl. ¡°Walk me to the front door?¡±


    ¡°Always my intention.¡± Risti smiled. ¡°It¡¯s a shame you decided not to meet the other Seekers of Life, though. I know Aran and Caroline are dying to meet you.¡±


    Claud laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to disappoint them, so I¡¯m not going to meet them. After all, I¡¯m fast approaching my limit. It would only make them feel sad to see me¡­die all over again.¡±


    ¡°In terms of personality, right? Right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t intend to physically die,¡± Claud replied, following Risti out to the mansion door. ¡°Well then, I suppose this is it. Good luck, Risti.¡±


    Risti stared at him, seemingly committing his image and appearance to memory, and then nodded. ¡°To have talked to the Claud of the past, and not the Frozen Emperor of present day¡­I never thought the day when I could speak to someone from the Moon Lords would ever come again. I will never forget these three days in whatever time I have remaining.¡±


    She took a deep breath. ¡°Bon voyage, Claud.¡±


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    For a moment, Claud forgot that that this entire thing was just a trial, his mind moved by the sheer depth of Risti¡¯s longing and nostalgia. Risti ¡ª this Risti in his Second Tutorial ¡ª had truly missed the bygone days of two centuries passed, from the bottom of her heart. It was unbelievable how her emotions were this real, and Claud nodded.


    ¡°You too.¡± Claud inclined his head. ¡°You¡¯ve¡­done great. Given everything that has happened, you¡¯ve surpassed everyone else in your achievements leading up to today. Take pride in your accomplishments, Risti.¡±


    Her eyes glittered with tears, and Claud turned away. ¡°Goodbye, then.¡±


    Mana erupted out of him, only to wrap around him like a swirling cocoon without disturbing the grass. Claud indulged himself in the feeling of his Transcendent-rank Mana Control Proficiency ¡ª he had been acclimatising himself with this sublime control for the past few days ¡ª and then lifted off the ground.


    ¡°Have a smooth journey!¡± Risti shouted.


    Claud raised an arm and shot off into the distance. Ascending at speeds he never thought possible, he looked down at the snow-covered city of Rimestar. He had never seen snow before the Second Tutorial, and under the grey sky, the white snow covering the ground stood out.


    A necessary ill in order to receive his protection¡­or rather, that of the Frozen Emperor¡¯s.


    At such a distance, the Cadenza mansion was already indistinguishable from the rest of the quiet city. People, who seemed like ants from his vantage point, hurried across the streets and headed back home, walking in crowds to bask in the warmth of a shared lantern. Occasionally, some of them would break off to buy food from the few food stalls around the area, and Claud couldn¡¯t help but contrast this sight with the bustling cities of Lostfon and Licencia.


    This was the last true bastion of humanity, and yet, Claud could tell that the spirit of humanity was already withering slowly. To combat that, Claud had given them two glitters of hope.


    ¡°First, the gift of my lifespan to the people who could truly use them,¡± Claud murmured. ¡°Second, a grand spectacle and a light of hope that the Frozen Emperor is still alive and thinking.¡±


    The air rippled with those words, and Claud nodded. The Second Tutorial was about to end soon, but if Risti hadn¡¯t pushed him onto that path, he would still be dithering here and there.


    At the same time, Claud¡¯s intuition told him that failing the quest to evolve his Absolute One would cut off its advancement forever. While he would still be able to advance into a tetra-folder given a few more tries, his Absolute One would never be able to advance again.


    ¡°¡­Never advance again?¡± He twitched a second later as he understood the actual implications of that realisation, and Claud checked his status once more.


    [Name: The Frozen Emperor ¡ª Claud Primus


    Lifespan: 67145 years


    Active Skills: Will of Solitude (11), Will of Freedom (11), Will of Captivity (11), Will of Purity (11) FiBoD:A??? (0), FiBoD:A??? (0)


    Passive Skills; Divine Life Contractor (Inactive), Energy Universe, Omen of Entropy, Omniscience (False), Aeon Fold ¡ª Omen (14), All-Life Nemesis, Cornerstone of Coincidence, Dealer of Destiny, Lord of Stillness, Weaver of Wisdom


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 9.9999


    Mana Control Proficiency: Transcendent


    Comments: What was once frozen has now melted.]


    Claud ignored the comments and looked at his Absolute One skill. He didn¡¯t need his Omniscience ¡ª which was still inactive ¡ª to figure out that the Claud of this world had failed to evolve his Absolute One to the next level.


    He gulped once, and then ran through the whole thing as he increased his flying speed. What was this Second Tutorial trying to tell him here? Why did this setting exist? By all accounts, the Frozen Emperor was a godlike being, someone with virtually no equal, and yet, this little stain had been left there.


    Now that Claud thought about it, he hadn¡¯t bothered to look through his status other than the time he arrived. Given what he knew of himself, that shouldn¡¯t have been the case either!


    This Second Tutorial had, in essence, forbidden him from knowing beyond what was necessary. It had indeed interfered a few times to prevent him from gathering certain pieces of information, directly or otherwise.


    ¡°However,¡± Claud muttered, ¡°now that I¡¯ve already made my choice and am ending the trial, the Second Tutorial has released my mind. Isn¡¯t that the case?¡±


    He smiled once. ¡°Absolute One.¡±


    As those words rippled through the air, the world began to grow white. The bleak Rimestar, the giant, crystalline diamond that was his Frozen Coffin¡­everything that once filled this world came apart into huge banks of white fog. At the same time, the awesome power that he had grown to wielding in the past few days began to weaken, and before long, the vast, impossibly dense mana he had gotten used to wielding began to fade.


    The supreme rush of power, when contrasted with the feeling of growing weakness, was something he had never felt before. Something paradoxical, impossible.


    And yet, it was the most suitable sensation for the end of the Second Tutorial.


    The Second Tutorial was ending.


    In the end, it was never about what happened next. It was simply the decision he chose here. In that case, if the Frozen Emperor had failed in this Second Tutorial¡­why exactly did he fail? Did he take too long to think about his choice? Or did he pick another choice?


    What, in the first place, was the concept of failing here anyway?


    Was the Second Tutorial actually seeking to see if he had the wisdom and courage necessary to make a choice when faced in such complex situations? If so, why?


    He looked at the billowing fog and took a deep breath, watching as it engulfed him.

 Chapter 341: His resolution

    The fog in his eyes cleared, revealing a dark room. His head was still resting on a soft set of thighs, and Lily¡¯s sleepy yet worried face was looking at him. Their eyes met in that instant, and as her eyes widened in joy and surprise, Claud felt a pang in his heart.


    ¡°Lily,¡± he whispered, a luminous blue pattern settling into his skin.


    The sorrow and pain of losing her ¡ª no, the Frozen Emperor¡¯s sorrow and pain ¡ª had been ingrained into the very core of his being during the Second Tutorial. Now that he had returned to the real world, the way these emotions burst out directly took away his ability to breath, and for a few seconds, he could only gasp.


    ¡°Claud?¡± Panic flashed through her eyes for a brief moment, before a forced calm set in. ¡°Take a deep breath. Don¡¯t think about anything.¡±


    Her hands rubbed the temples of his head, bringing him cool relief. His frenzied gasps slowed down a minute or so later, and the emotions that he had brought out of the Second Tutorial trickled away. Reaching out for her hand, he placed it on his chest and stilled his trembling heart, before looking at the notifications that had popped out.


    [Tutorial complete. Mana Circuit Superimposition has reached 4.00. Authority has increased.]


    [Your Mana Control Proficiency has increased to Master!]


    [Your Presence Nullification has levelled up!]


    [Having met the requirements, your passive skill, Mana Hub, has changed to Mana Locus!]


    [You have learned the passive skill, Mastery of Permanence!]


    [


    has been completed.]


    [Your skill, FiBoD:A??? has absorbed two Fragments of Fate and changed into FiBoD:O???.]


    Claud looked at the deluge of notifications, before snuggling up to Lily, who was naturally bewildered by his sudden bout of clinginess. He held her in silence for a few minutes, before Lily finally broke the silence.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Lily asked, her voice gentle. ¡°Tell me about everything that happened in the Second Tutorial.¡±


    Claud took a moment to reorganise his thoughts. ¡°I¡¯m¡­just happy. You know, because you¡¯re with me and everything.¡±


    He sat up and hugged his knees. ¡°The Second Tutorial generated a world that seemed like the future, two hundred years from now. In that future, I had turned insane, you had died, the rest of the Moon Lords were mostly killed, and humanity had been forced into a corner.¡±


    ¡°The future, huh.¡± Lily took a deep breath. ¡°Do you want some drinks first? You¡¯re sweating. It¡¯ll help you organise your thoughts, and you¡¯re definitely thirsty too.¡±


    Claud nodded. With Lily¡¯s assistance, he got up from the bed slowly, and then looked around the room. ¡°How long did I take?¡±


    ¡°The Second Tutorial? Three hours.¡± Lily looked at him, and then threw her arms around his trembling frame. ¡°But it seems like you¡¯ve lived through a few days or so in that¡­dark future.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the future,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯ll never have that as my future, no matter what. Never. I¡¯ll never let that happen.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°I believe you, so do calm down.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Claud shook his head and felt the remaining fog in his head dissipate. ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s a bit hard for me to remain calm, since I still have the remnants of the Frozen Emperor¡¯s personality in me. Having lived with that reservoir of sorrow of regret for a few days, it¡¯s hard for me to remain calm right now.¡±


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    He paused. ¡°You can, however, hug me a bit more¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve definitely returned to normal,¡± Lily concluded. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get you a drink. Do you want some water? I also stored a few bottles of orange juice for you earlier, just in case you wanted some sweet after waiting up.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an odd request, but can you make some soup?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Soup?¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°Like, uh, mushroom soup or something? We¡¯ll have to wait for the morning or go downstairs.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t want his reunion with Lily to be marred by outsiders ¡ª even if it only seemed like three hours to her ¡ª so he shook his head. ¡°Water will do then. We can have soup later. I wonder if I¡¯ll also get that nice, warm feeling¡­¡±


    Lily tilted her head again. ¡°So, what happened in there?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure where to begin,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°From the start. Maybe you can shorten it or something. Like painting! Broad strokes, and then fill in the details later.¡± Lily pulled out a canteen of water and handed it to Claud. ¡°But take a nice long swig first¡­are you sure you don¡¯t want orange juice?¡±


    Claud felt his mouth water. He hadn¡¯t had any orange juice or fruit juice in the Second Tutorial ¡ª fruit trees and cold climates didn¡¯t mix ¡ª and his mouth was beginning to water.


    ¡°I¡¯ll feed it to you if you nod your head now.¡±


    Claud promptly nodded, and Lily raised the small bottle to his lips.


    ¡°Say ahh¡­¡±


    After ingesting the sweet, fruity mix, Claud shivered once and snuggled up to Lily, who simply held his hand and leaned on him again.


    ¡°Sorry for being this clingy,¡± Claud mumbled.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve always wanted you to rely on me more, you know.¡± Lily giggled. ¡°The whole time, it feels like you¡¯re protecting me. I wish I can be of more use, but my mana circuits aren¡¯t growing at the same, intense rate as your own.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know how to help with that one,¡± Claud admitted.


    ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I¡¯m not expecting you to help either, okay? I¡¯m just happy that I can finally do something for you, as twisted as it might sound.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve always been helping me the whole time.¡± Claud licked the last of the orange juice off his lips. ¡°Otherwise, I would have been alone here, having escaped the Istrel Sovereignty on my own. You barged into my life and occupied a place in it. That, for me, is worth far more than you might think¡­¡±


    He took a deep breath. ¡°So, the Second Tutorial.¡±


    Claud led Lily back to the bed and sat down on the edge. ¡°To shorten it for you, I woke up as the future me, who was a true powerhouse. Really bad things happened around this time in that future, and you were killed. I went mad, created a coffin of ice and snow for your body, and shut myself in there for two centuries. In that two centuries, the war between the Moons, the Dark and the Coloured Gods escalated. Grandis was pretty much destroyed, the Seekers of Life ¡ª err, Moon Lords ¡ª perished as they tried to make it to the area around your coffin, and they established a city called Rimestar there.¡±


    He took a deep breath. ¡°Humanity had been finished, though. Rimestar was simply a cradle of death for them; it was a haven that sapped them of their fighting spirit. And in that two hundred years, where countless tragedies unfolded, I ¡ª now known as the Frozen Emperor ¡ª simply dreamed and dreamed, heedless to the many dangers facing the last of humanity. It was under such a setting that the Second Tutorial took place.¡±


    Claud paused, took one look at Lily¡¯s uncomprehending face, and then placed his hand on her cheek. Since the feeling of her soft skin on his hand delighted him, he immediately placed a second hand on her other cheek, before squishing her face gently.


    Lily immediately obliged by puffing out her cheeks, but under that adorable expression, he could see her mind running through his words.


    After some time, Lily cleared her throat. ¡°I think I roughly get it, but you need to go into more detail. After all, in terms of a book, that entire experience could have spanned the entire first half and then some, right?¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll start on the first day¡­¡±


    Claud talked about what he could remember from the Second Tutorial, while writing down a bunch of things that he had tried his hardest to learn. His memories of the tutorial were beginning to fade at an unnatural pace, especially the emotions and thoughts of the Frozen Emperor.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Lily asked. ¡°You¡¯re speeding up.¡±


    ¡°My memories seem to be fading rapidly,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I still can remember the general settings of Rimestar, but the knowledge of the Frozen Emperor is beginning to vanish. I can¡¯t seem to recall his inner thoughts and emotions now¡­or whatever¡¯s left of them anyway.¡±


    His hand continued to race through the document, penning down whatever he remembered as he continued to narrate his meeting with Risti and the state of Rimestar.


    ¡°Risti was the only one left, huh?¡± Lily muttered. ¡°I wonder what she¡¯d say if she learned about this.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll probably be pleased, but the existence that the Risti in my tutorial had led wasn¡¯t a nice one either,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine what it¡¯s like to live in the way she mentioned. Tired and fatigued, as if she was hollow¡­it¡¯s hard to describe it, but I could vividly feel that she was on the verge of giving up on life at any moment.¡±


    Lily let out a sigh. ¡°I can only hope that this future is a fake one.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll never let that future come to pass,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Never.¡±

 Chapter 342: Rewards

    After cuddling for a while, Lily said, ¡°Right, aren¡¯t you forgetting something? You need to check your status, remember? All that fuss about increasing your mana circuits, and you forgot to check the most important thing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the most important thing to me, alright?¡± Claud replied. ¡°But you¡¯re right. I forgot.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡­¡± Lily patted his back. ¡°Go on! I¡¯ll amuse myself by watching your expressions, so don¡¯t worry about me at all. Also, I should pick up painting or something. It¡¯ll be nice to see your expressions change when you look at your status.¡±


    ¡°Painting, huh?¡± Claud nodded. ¡°Sounds fun. Maybe I¡¯ll do the same or something¡­anyway, time to get down to business. Status.¡±


    [Name: Claud Primus


    Class: Omen


    Lifespan: 639 years


    Active Skills: Presence Nullification (9), Flight (5), Binding Order (7), Cleanse (6), FiBoD;O??? (0), FiBoD;O??? (0)


    Passive Skills: DiL???C, Mana Locus, Omen, Understanding, Master of Permanence


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 4.00


    Mana Control Proficiency: Master


    Authority: 4


    Comments: Having cast off your second shackle, Omen, you are now on the river of understanding. Your actions and intentions will light the way ahead, but where will you stop? Not even the Axiom can see where it ends, but we will laud your awakening.]


    Claud looked at the comments in his status, and then narrowed his eyes. There were a lot of things to be surprised about, to be honest, but the most surprising thing of all was the comments in his status. He hadn¡¯t thought about it that much during the Second Tutorial, but his status back then had quite the comment too.


    Axiom. What exactly was the Axiom?


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Claud puffed up his cheeks and decided to not dwell too much on that statement. It wasn¡¯t an¡­omen; it was simply a statement about how some super entity had its eyes on him, but again, there were a bit too many coincidences that were falling into place for him nicely. Whether this Axiom was responsible for them or not, Claud didn¡¯t know, but he got the feeling that by showing him that particular future in his Second Tutorial, he had averted it.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Lily asked. ¡°You look worried.¡±


    ¡°¡­I suppose I can¡¯t really hide it, huh? The comments in my status have gotten quite scary recently,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Do you know what the Axiom is?¡±


    ¡°The fact that you can ask me probably means it¡¯s something the Coloured Gods, the Moons and the Dark aren¡¯t thinking too hard about,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But I don¡¯t know what the Axiom is, although I¡¯m sure I can tell you the dictionary definition.¡±


    ¡°So no luck, then¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you know that your disappointed face is quite adorable?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I rarely get to see that side of you, since you¡¯re usually quite upbeat.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t get any ideas, okay?¡± Claud wiped off a beat of imaginary sweat. ¡°I¡¯m going back to reading my status¡­I did tell you about the passive skill Understanding, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeap, yeap. Go on!¡±


    [Skill: Absolute One (Order)]


    [Skill effects: Grants immunity to all injury and abnormal effects for ten seconds. User gains access to an endless source of condensed mana at the same time.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Order bonus: Mana Control Proficiency is raised by two ranks for thirty minutes. This increase can transcend all limits. When used with any other skill, that skill¡¯s duration increases to seven days and has boosted effectiveness.


    Evolution requirements: Acquire 4 Fragments of Fate.]


    [Skill: Mana Locus


    Skill effects: Duration to regenerate one mana circuit cut down to thirty minutes. You can now detect sources of mana and prana within a kilometre around you.]


    [Skill: Mastery of Permanence


    Skill effects: Your resistance to incoming attacks and other forms of corrosion increases.]


    ¡°Hmm. Quite the gain, I suppose.¡± Claud looked at the three descriptions in his interface and nodded. His Absolute One now had a secondary element to it; it would raise his already monstrous Mana Control Proficiency to whatever came after Master for thirty minutes, rather than just being a ten-second wonder. It also augmented the next skill used after it, lengthening its duration to an absurd level¡­but it was completely useless.


    Why would he want to expose his current location just to improve a skill¡¯s duration to seven days?


    His Mana Locus had turned into a detection skill for some really odd reason, but fortunately, he had actually prepared for it in the Second Tutorial. Ever since he noticed his ability to take in details of the entire city, Claud had trained his ability to use his Energy Universe skill ¡ª which he had back then as the Frozen Emperor ¡ª as much as possible, which was why he wasn¡¯t rolling on the floor.


    His only complaint was for his Mastery of Permanence, which didn¡¯t really make sense to him. Passive skills were generally acquired after doing certain repetitive actions or after an intense stimulus, but he hadn¡¯t taken damage or anything at all for quite some time.


    ¡°Why did I even get such a skill?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Lily, do I look like the guy who actually gets injured or attacked?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Exactly! So why did I get such a skill?¡± Claud poked his skin. ¡°Still, doesn¡¯t feel like there¡¯s any change.¡±


    ¡°If there were, I would have noticed,¡± Lily replied, a hint of pride in her words. ¡°I mean, I poke your cheeks all the time¡­maybe that¡¯s what made your complexion better.¡±


    ¡°It works that way?¡± Claud touched his cheek, which indeed felt a bit more supple. ¡°True, my cheeks do feel softer. Like a baby¡¯s, I suppose. Remember the little Dark babies? Yeah¡­¡±


    Claud delved into the conversation over the possibility of softening one¡¯s skin at length for a few minutes with Lily, before returning to the issue of his status. Lily was pleasantly surprised to learn that his ultimate skill had been upgraded, and then completely stupefied when he told her that his Mana Control Proficiency was at Master-rank now.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that supposedly the limit?¡± Lily asked. ¡°How is your ultimate skill¡± ¡ªneither of them had spoken out the name of his Absolute skill, although Lily already knew about its existence long ago¡ª ¡°supposed to enhance your Mana Control Proficiency further?¡±


    ¡°Master isn¡¯t the limit,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Back during the Second Tutorial, when I was the Frozen Emperor with his ridiculous strength, my Mana Control Proficiency was at Transcendent. The control I had over my mana was even better than the control over my own body.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Lily¡¯s eyes went round.


    ¡°Really, really. I even took the chance to practice it too. I think with some luck, I might be able to increase my Mana Control Proficiency to whatever lies beyond Master soon enough,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯ll probably need some stimulation, though. Maybe I should try my luck at fighting a penta-folder¡­I¡¯m just kidding.¡±


    He let out a breath. ¡°Well, at least I¡¯m in the upper classes of strength now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really a cause for celebration.¡± Lily let out a sigh. ¡°I wish I can advance as quickly as you, thought. Maybe this Axiom thing really is watching over you and helping you. I don¡¯t think there are that many people who manage to become a tetra-folder in a year.¡±


    ¡°Not even Nero, I think.¡± Claud laughed. ¡°I can rub this into his face the next time we meet.¡±


    ¡°The next time we meet them, huh?¡± Lily¡¯s face flickered. ¡°Claud, be careful. If even small parts of the Second Tutorial turn out to be true, then you¡¯ll definitely meet danger in the Trial of Aeons. Maybe you can¡¯t even avoid participating in the Trial of Aeons to begin with, and that participation will lead to all kinds of danger for you.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Once it gets closer, I think we¡¯ll hunker down or something. In the end, I still didn¡¯t grasp the events that led to¡­the disaster. I¡¯ll have to prepare lots of artefacts for you, far more. I¡¯ll also need to research how the Coloured Gods killed the Six Gods of Virtue without being a god at that time, and then¡ª¡±


    ¡°Calm down.¡± Lily touched his shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s no rush. We just need to be more careful and more prepared. That¡¯s all. You don¡¯t need to be too scared. That might end up affecting you too.¡±


    ¡°The pupil has surpassed the master, I suppose.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°Thanks, Lily. You¡¯re right. I¡¯m going to deal with this in a composed manner. Haste makes waste, after all.¡±


    Lily beamed, and then adjusted his sleepwear. ¡°Shall we go back to bed then? We¡¯ve been up for quite some time, and I¡¯m a bit tired.¡±


    With a jolt, Claud realised that she had been watching over him earlier, and then made an apologetic smile. There were so many things he wanted to thank her for, but all of these reasons seemed to melt away as Lily snuggled up to him, before falling asleep a few seconds later.


    Looking at her fatigued, yet happy face, Claud murmured a word of thanks and patted her gently, willing her to fall into a state of deep sleep. Only when her breathing stabilised did he relax and close his eyes.


    No matter what came next, he would be prepared for it. That was the least he should do, now that he was aware of such a possible future¡­especially since he didn¡¯t know if it was just an imagined one.


    After all, everything had seemed too real.

 Chapter 343: Returning home

    ¡°We¡¯re finally back!¡± Dia let out a long sigh. ¡°I¡¯m tired. I want to wash up and then sleep. Sleep!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one monopolising the Purifier, though,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I don¡¯t see why you¡¯d feel the need to wash up that often.¡±


    ¡°I thought Nero would be the one to say that, though,¡± Count Daybreak muttered, before looking Licencia. ¡°Wow, security¡¯s strict here. And there¡¯s a¡­net? What¡¯s with that net? Aren¡¯t you guys afraid that birds won¡¯t set foot in the park again? And there are a lot of Moonlit toddlers around here¡­¡±


    ¡°You sound like a barony bumpkin or something,¡± Dia observed, thinking about the few times when scions from a barony visited the Lustre palace for the first time. Of course, she didn¡¯t call them that, but the many people who lived in Lustre sure didn¡¯t hold back when it came to calling them all kinds of derisive things.


    Her brother didn¡¯t like these kinds of people either, but unlike her, he was a bit more¡­proactive about things. After all, he had quite a few friends amongst the counties and baronies subordinated to Lustre, so he took these insults as insults to himself.


    And then¡­uh, there really wasn¡¯t much of ¡®and then¡¯ afterwards. Since they had lost her brother¡¯s favour, these fools who gave in to their desire to mock others were marginalised directly and became the subject of mockery themselves.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that I haven¡¯t been here for a long time,¡± Daybreak replied, looking around the place ruefully. ¡°It¡¯s changed. I can tell that Aran¡¯s actually taking security and everything seriously now. In the past, he was quite free and easy; that¡¯s how Licencia got its ¡®City of Trades¡¯ moniker to begin with. Now, however, there are so many inspections that it feels like a ¡®City of Law¡¯ now.¡±


    ¡°Well, crimes have indeed dropped to an all-time low. Come to think of it, bounty hunters and similar professions kinda stopped operating after a while too,¡± Risti muttered.


    Which, in Dia¡¯s opinion, was a really good thing, since it meant that no one was going to come after the obvious bait that was actually the real thing. Of course, she couldn¡¯t quite say that out loud, since she was supposed to be playing the bait, but in turbulent times like this, no one was going to care about a vanished princess that made the headlines a year ago.


    ¡°Oh?¡± The count cupped his chin, which had some stubble on it. ¡°What made this change?¡±


    ¡°Well, me and my companions took on the job of running the city for a bit,¡± Risti replied. ¡°When Count Nightfall was called by Duke Istrel to run a war that would be aborted later. Within our companions, there was one very paranoid person. He¡¯d only leave the house with tens of defensive artefacts and trump cards on his body, and he¡¯s the kind of guy who would flee rather than fight. That person happily took on the role of improving security, and the first thing he did was to prevent anyone from entering the city by flying or scaling the walls. After that, he instituted more efficient checks on incoming and outgoing people, which prevented the more thorough investigations from taking too long.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a talent,¡± Count Daybreak muttered.


    ¡°He is, but he¡¯s quite odd. He¡¯s focused on living forever and staying safe, heh.¡± Risti looked around the city. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s stop chatting around here and go in. Don¡¯t you want to live in a nice place? I¡¯m sure Nightfall has a few guestrooms you can hunker down in for the time being. And you two should catch up too.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, then. I can¡¯t wait to wet my throat with Schwarz¡¯s drinks again.¡± Nero licked his lips. The poor man had finished all his drinks within the first day, citing stress and other related issues, so he had no choice but to abstain from drinking after that. He didn¡¯t have a choice, unfortunately, but the Holy Son of the Black God was disciplined enough to not moan about not having booze.


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    ¡°How did you even cope with that, man?¡± Count Daybreak asked.


    ¡°How? I just hypnotised myself,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I¡¯m the Holy Son of the Black God. I don¡¯t need skills to hypnotise myself, and it¡¯s easy to do if the soul is willing.¡±


    ¡°Hypnotism, huh?¡±


    ¡°The mind is my Lord¡¯s domain,¡± Nero replied. ¡°His faithful are trained in placating disturbed minds, at the very least. For me, the Holy Son, I am an all-rounder in many tricks of the mind.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Count Daybreak bobbed his head. ¡°Do people say no to you often?¡±


    The Holy Son chuckled, a sound that made Dia wonder if she had been affected by Nero¡¯s ability to hypnotise and persuade other people in general. From the look on Risti¡¯s face, that thought had occurred to her too, but neither of them were going to pursue the topic.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I don¡¯t usually request things.¡±


    Risti snorted. ¡°Other than booze, I suppose!¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­well, I do pay Schwarz, you know. Pure-ranked lifestones and all. I still have a whole bunch of them, and he¡¯s the guy I¡¯m most worried about. He doesn¡¯t seem to have any particular talent in mana control, nor does he have the kinds of resources that you have. As for his talent in fighting¡­well, he ranks below me, and that¡¯s saying something.¡±


    He paused. ¡°I¡¯ve little talent in weapons, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we know,¡± Risti replied. ¡°The way you tried to smash the Absolute skill was a dead giveaway, to be honest. Right, Dia?¡±


    Dia, who hadn¡¯t really had the attention span back during their ambush on the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny, made a perfunctory grunt and nodded. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s queue up here¡­¡±


    ¡°Queue up, huh?¡± Count Daybreak mulled over that phrase. ¡°Haven¡¯t done that for some time.¡±


    ¡°Get used to it.¡± Dia glanced at the small queue. As the little princess of Lustre, she never really got to queue, which meant that the first time she came into contact with the concept of lining up with a bunch of people was when she ran out to play.


    Whether or not there were actually maids, butlers or mana-users clad in black following her was a good question, though. It was quite a shock to her, though, when she figured out that not everyone had the privilege of getting their turn when they wanted it.


    It made her feel like a child again.


    Time slipped by as she reminisced about her childhood. After a while, she had to stop recalling the pleasant times; it was their turn to be inspected. The process was quite simple, and after verifying that they were actually from the Seekers of Life ¡ª Count Nightfall had updated the dossier, clearly ¡ª they had been allowed in without much trouble.


    ¡°Clean and orderly¡­but parts of the main street look a bit new.¡± Count Daybreak narrowed his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s nice to run a rich city, I suppose. There are literally potholes in the roads of Daybreak¡­do you think I¡¯ll be able to get a loan from Aran?¡±


    ¡°You can also loan money from us,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I¡¯ll lend you a bunch of pure-ranked lifestones; the interest I want is booze from your county sent here until you¡¯re done repaying. You should know the market price of pure-ranked lifestones, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, five platinum¡­how many are you willing to lend me?¡± Count Daybreak swallowed once. ¡°That can buy a lot of food for the people in my county, you know. And get started on repairs too!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really need them¡­we can settle the details later, I suppose.¡±


    Dia knew that pure-ranked lifestones were really expensive, but for it to be laid out this openly made her very aware that she and everyone else from the Seekers of Life had been very extravagant recently. Of course, to bi-folders, the missions they took on and their businesses were usually very lucrative. However, since Farah and Schwarz handled the bulk of the money-making part, Dia never really got around to getting used to all that money being bandied around.


    After all, it was completely different from the policy papers she had read through occasionally. The figures written on the paper were just figures; seeing a pile of gold coins or a tower of gold notes had one heck of a visual difference.


    As Dia complained internally about how she never got the chance to grab some lifestones before she fled, the others headed straight to the Nightfall Palace. Dia wanted to see the look on Nightfall¡¯s face, although whatever stupefied expression he was likely to have probably wouldn¡¯t last all that long.


    It was a shame that she couldn¡¯t go back to sleep first, but professionals also had their own reputation to uphold too. Besides, the count would want to know about these changes immediately¡­


    ¡°Wait, hold up. How did Nightfall not know about your arrival? You have this information space thing, right?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Huh? Who said he didn¡¯t know?¡± Count Daybreak asked. ¡°I informed him when we left, you know.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t there be a welcome ceremony then?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably him expressing his displeasure¡­¡±


    Dia suddenly felt the urge to go home.

 Chapter 344: Clothes, counts and children

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re finally back. And you, Lucius Daybreak. Long time no see. What brings you here?¡± Count Nightfall stood at the gates of his palace, a grin on his face. Caroline was leaning against a wall and reading a book, only glancing up once when Nightfall spoke.


    Dia blinked thrice. This didn¡¯t really fit the image of Nightfall in her head, but again, he was indeed expecting an old friend and enemy. She glanced at the others, who were showing similar signs of surprise, and then turned to the count that was going to freeload off Nightfall for a while.


    ¡°It¡¯s been some time. Your fief is really prosperous¡­¡± Daybreak had a conflicted look on his face, and Dia felt a touch of pity for him. Even Farah County, which had been bankrupted due to Farah¡¯s parents, had more money than the poor count right now.


    ¡°Jealousy isn¡¯t a good reason to assassinate me, though.¡±


    ¡°I was desperate,¡± Daybreak replied. ¡°And besides, you were out of contact for nearly an entire year. I was already half-mad with poverty.¡±


    He shook his clothes. ¡°This set was brought four years ago, you know.¡±


    Caroline¡¯s book fell onto the ground at those words, and everyone glanced at her. Her face still a mask of granite, she bent over to pick up the book in silence and continued to read her book.


    Her message was a bit obvious, however, and Dia smiled uncontrollably when she saw the hint of pity in Nightfall¡¯s eyes. In the end, even Nightfall couldn¡¯t even fathom the idea of wearing clothes that were four years old; considering how quickly clothes frayed and turned ragged, Count Daybreak had preserved this particular set well.


    Eyes lingering on a few frayed parts of the poor count¡¯s attire, Dia slid over to Risti, who was also watching the exchange with amusement. Nero was a bit skittish ¡ª he probably wanted to zip off to find Schwarz ¡ª a sentiment that Dia could somewhat sympathise with, since there was a little Moonlit toddler wandering nearby.


    While she wasn¡¯t that affected by the little fellow, Dia still had to contend against the urge to pick up the little fellow. Controlling herself, she turned back to the interesting conversation between Nightfall and Daybreak, who were now talking about paying an official visit with gifts and everything.


    ¡°An apology, huh?¡± Dia noted.


    ¡°Seems like it. It¡¯s not that obvious, and besides, Count Nightfall was actually annoyed by the constant harassment from Daybreak, not vengeful,¡± Risti analysed, before turning to Nero. ¡°If we¡¯re lucky, they might invite us in for some booze too. What do you think, Nero?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be lovely,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I¡¯ll think of it as an appetiser before the real deal, I suppose. Unless, of course, the count breaks out the bartender¡¯s best works.¡±


    ¡°And give everyone else other than you alcohol poisoning? I don¡¯t think so,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s a bit absurd to place Schwarz¡¯s alcohol over the collection of a count, alright?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an individual thing.¡± Nero folded his arms. ¡°So there. It takes even better than prana, I¡¯m telling you. The rush of energy into your body is addictive, but nothing¡¯s better than the intoxication from Schwarz¡¯s drinks.¡±


    Risti frowned. ¡°Prana jades, huh. Their provenance is spooky, though.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t like how they were formed, just let them settle for a few dozen years,¡± Nero replied. ¡°They¡¯ll separate into multiple lifestones. They¡¯re the renewable equivalent of pure-ranked lifestones, remnant wills arising from moira that have been purified and condensed.¡±


    ¡°Remnant will?¡± Dia asked, intrigued. She had heard this before, but Nero had¡ª


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    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about this when everyone¡¯s assembled. Besides, this isn¡¯t a good place to talk about secrets and darkness,¡± Nero replied, before glancing at the two counts conversing. ¡°More importantly, I think we¡¯re done here.¡±


    Dia followed his gaze to see the two counts hugging each other like old friends, and then shrugged. It was common to see aristocrats who recently hired assassins to kill each other hugging like this, but at least there was actually sincerity in the way the two counts hugged.


    ¡°Maybe I should draw this or something,¡± Risti muttered, pulling out her sketchbook. ¡°Drawing wildlife does get a bit monotonous.¡±


    ¡°Right, I haven¡¯t finished looking through that sketchbook yet,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I¡¯ll return it when I can.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re studying it at the same intensity I drew it at, you¡¯d take months or even years, okay?¡± Risti rolled her eyes. ¡°Just keep it with you. Don¡¯t let it get damaged or anything, you hear? Hmph. I suppose it¡¯s better than just having the hobby of drinking¡­I¡¯ll draw more sketches for you next time.¡±


    Nero laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll keep it on me where possible, then.¡±


    After exchanging a few words of farewell, Dia, Nero and Risti decisively abandoned Count Nightfall and made for Moon Mansion. Crossing through the same familiar streets for the second time, Dia looked around and wondered if the two lovebirds had returned home yet. It had been quite some time since they left, and she was wondering if that Claud was bullying Lily or something.


    ¡°Do you think they¡¯re back?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°If they were, I think the security at the gates would have been amplified even further,¡± Risti replied. ¡°After all, Claud would definitely feel some insecurity from being out for a long time. And don¡¯t forget that Lily¡¯s also learning from him all sorts of useful and not-so-useful tricks too. They¡¯ll be a handful when they return.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they focused their efforts on making Moon Mansion even more impenetrable?¡± Dia suggested, before looking at a middle-aged man, who was squatting down and patting one of the Moonlit babies. The man was dressed in a very formal style, but it was one she didn¡¯t recognise. Instead of the opulent suits and long coats, the man in question wore a simple black set of pants and an odd cloak.


    He also wore a white, button-up inner shirt that could be formal wear in its own right, and a small ribbonlike thing was tied around his neck. Most catching, however, was the odd, black hat on his head. If Dia had to describe it, it looked like a black cylinder stuck to a black disc.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s¡­something wrong?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Just looking at that man there,¡± Dia replied, motioning at the oddly dressed man. ¡°What manner of dress is that?¡±


    ¡°Top hat, a suit¡­and a bow-tie.¡± Nero clicked his tongue. ¡°It¡¯s formal wear from the Saran Supremacy. What¡¯s someone like that doing here?¡±


    Dia blinked. ¡°The Saran Supremacy? The¡­name of the nation that rules Lacheln, right?¡±


    Nero nodded. ¡°That¡¯s odd. Supreme Saran laid down laws preventing travel out of his domain long ago. How did someone from Saran appear here?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just his clothes?¡± Dia wondered.


    The middle-aged man glanced at them once, and then patted the Moonlit baby one last time. Upon that sight, Dia felt that the man probably wasn¡¯t from the Supremacy, and the urge to yawn overcame her for a moment.


    Rubbing her eyes, she yawned again and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just go back. I¡¯m a bit tired. Still, that manner of dress is pretty cool¡­maybe we can adopt it or something. Imagine everyone wearing that! It¡¯s full of style, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for men only, though,¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°What do we wear, then?¡± Risti asked, curious.


    ¡°Normal gowns?¡±


    Dia thought about it for a moment, and then said, ¡°Well, this is not the Saran Supremacy. And who¡¯s going to charge us for wearing something that stylish? The fashion police? Besides, men wear dresses too¡­sometimes, anyway. And we women definitely can pull off wearing clothes designed for men too.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re bi-folders. We¡¯ll string up anyone that prevents us from wearing whatever we want, you hear?¡± Risti grinned.


    Chatting about clothes and whatnot, the three of them made a beeline to Moon Mansion. The stall owners and the residents of Moon Street did double-takes as they passed by, their hands usually occupied with the action of feeding Moonlit toddlers that had taken a liking to their food.


    While that might seem like a money-losing prospect, those stalls that were currently hosting Moonlit babies had more business. In fact, Dia even felt like queuing up to watch those little fellows eat, but it was just a whim, so¡ª


    ¡°Farah¡¯s buying some food,¡± said Risti. ¡°Over there! Let¡¯s go surprise her!¡±


    ¡°I think she¡¯s actually buying food to feed that Moonlit toddler,¡± Nero replied. ¡°And there she goes. From how practiced her actions are, I think she must have done the same thing a few dozen times already.¡±


    ¡°What happened to our thrifty Farah?¡± Dia muttered, before reminding herself that she too also wanted to watch those adorable kids nibble on food.


    ¡°The same thing that happened to you,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Now, we can only hope that Claud and Lily have a kid when they come back or something. At this rate, we¡¯ll all be very unproductive¡­¡±


    Dia really wanted to dismiss her words, but for some reason, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to disagree.

 Chapter 345: Back home

    ¡°Farah, what are you doing?¡± Risti asked, a mischievous grin on her face.


    ¡°Huh? I¡¯m just feeding a¡­wait, you¡¯re back?¡± Farah rubbed her eyes. ¡°Nice. How was your trip? Any dangers? Did Nero tell any interesting stories about his childhood that we can blackmail him for lifestones with?¡±


    Nero eyed her. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯m that dumb? Of course not. Anyway, what are you doing? Feeding Moonlit babies?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m contributing to the economy here,¡± Farah replied. ¡°And feeding Moonlit bab¡ªoh.¡±


    The toddler ambled away from her and moved on to the next stall. Farah and the stallowner exchanged looks of dismay as the queue there moved to follow the baby.


    ¡°¡­All these customers are really free, huh?¡± Risti muttered.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing much to do in recent times. And Moonlit babies are great for one¡¯s morale. Anyway, since you guys are back, let¡¯s hurry home first. You three must be bushed!¡± Farah rubbed her shoulders, before grimacing as she straightened her back, which gave off some cracking sounds. ¡°Am I getting old?¡±


    ¡°Not if you continue to take in more lifestones,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Anyway, you should fill us in about the situation so far. Did anything new happen in Licencia? Did you use my Skyward Eye?¡±


    Farah¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Sure did. There was an actual assassination attempt on Caroline, and Count Nightfall got us to use Skyward Eye to look for the culprit. We found her a few hours later, and the two lovebirds in the palace took flight and executed the assassin on the spot.¡±


    ¡°An assassination attempt on Caroline of all people?¡± Dia blinked. ¡°Crap, Daybreak! Count Nightfall might think that he was the one responsible for all this! When did the assassination occur?¡±


    ¡°Five days ago,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Dia relaxed. ¡°The count should be able to tell that it was someone else, then. Still, why would anyone want to assassinate Caroline? She¡¯s harmless.¡±


    ¡°A crime of passion?¡± Risti suggested. ¡°I mean, there are probably a few na?ve young ladies who are head over heels for the count. He is rather eligible too¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because Caroline came from Lostfon,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Maybe an enemy of the Lostfon family?¡±


    ¡°Or maybe it was something the Church of the Red God did,¡± Nero added. ¡°Won¡¯t put it past them, to be honest.¡±


    The four of them wondered about the assassination and the reasons behind it for a few minutes, and then decided to pay Caroline a visit tomorrow. There was no point in wondering this hard about things they couldn¡¯t quite grasp anyway.


    ¡°Anything else?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Not really. Most of us are now simply spending time with the Moon babies,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Not many of us have the heart to plot or scheme with the toddlers around.¡±


    ¡°I-I see.¡± Risti cleared her throat. ¡°So it¡¯s been peaceful save for that assassination, then. Any news from the outside?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing much new. The war between the Dark and the Moons is ongoing, but it¡¯s still a stalemate.¡± Farah shook her head. ¡°The barrier¡¯s still going strong. As for upgrades to Licencia and Moon Mansion¡­Schwarz has already expanded quite a few things.¡±


    She paused. ¡°You can ask him about it later. Anyway, how was your trip?¡±


    ¡°After arriving at Daybreak, we stayed there for a week and noticed a whole bunch of people disappearing. Unfortunately, a Bearer of Destiny attacked at that point, trapping us all in just as we were about to leave.¡± Risti paused. ¡°We were forced to head back and offer aid to Count Daybreak. After a bunch of events, we discovered the Holy Son of the Red God there and trying to start a blood sacrifice to summon presumably the Red God or His attendants.¡±


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    ¡°He escaped?¡± Farah asked. ¡°And what¡¯s with this trip of yours? Why did so many things happen on that short trip to Daybreak?¡±


    Dia rubbed her nose, having remembered that Farah¡¯s own trip out was also fraught with all kinds of troubles. She didn¡¯t know where she got this courage to produce such a righteous indignation


    ¡°What, we can¡¯t kill him?¡± Risti replied. ¡°You think we don¡¯t have the strength?¡±


    ¡°Well, if you guys killed him, we would have seen another ominous proclamation,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Everyone would be in fear once more¡­or at least the mana-users. The normal people are already aware of something brewing, but not everyone knows what exact issue is.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°The closer people are to a mana-user, the more aware they are of the true eye of the storm. The people in Daybreak County probably didn¡¯t even know that there was a huge barrier locking us in Istrel Sovereignty, but everyone here¡­you can see the fear and doubt in their faces.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped.¡± Risti sighed. ¡°It¡¯s hard not to notice when the rich families are stocking up on food, provisions and other things.¡±


    Farah laughed. ¡°Besides, Schwarz is going all out to hire people to expand the underground complex beneath Moon Mansion. People are wondering why he¡¯s beefing up security and trying to make an underground farm.¡±


    ¡°An underground farm?¡± Dia blinked. ¡°He¡¯s joking, right?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not,¡± Farah replied. ¡°He¡¯s also trying to work out what are the best crops to grow in such a space. I¡¯m not sure what got into his head, but he¡¯s saying that the Moons and the Dark will soon blot out the sun. Something about artificial lightning and farming underground being the future of humanity.¡±


    ¡°That sounds ominous,¡± Nero muttered.


    ¡°Anyway, you guys need to tell me everything about Daybreak County later,¡± Farah replied. ¡°The way you guys just summarised the whole thing isn¡¯t particularly useful, and I¡¯m dying to hear about this rather rich county. Maybe I can exploit it or something for my own people and things like that.¡±


    ¡°Exploit it?¡± Dia glanced at Risti and Nero, who hid their smiles. ¡°Hmm. I think we should all go back and rest. Dreams are nice and pretty, yes.¡±


    ¡°¡­Are you implying that Daybreak is even worse off?¡±


    ¡°Well, the Daybreak Palace has been destroyed, for one. And there isn¡¯t enough money to rebuild it, so the count has decided to freeload at Nightfall Palace for some time,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Apparently, Count Daybreak is broke.¡±


    ¡°What.¡±


    Risti laughed. ¡°Yeah, I know. Unbelievable, but that¡¯s how it is. The Holy Son of the Red God called upon His spirit clone and managed to hold out against lightning from the Moons themselves, before fleeing to the Schwa Dukedom. And in doing so¡­the Daybreak Palace was destroyed in passing and everything.¡±


    ¡°Ouch. Poor count.¡± Farah shook her head, and then stopped at the gates of Moon Mansion. ¡°At least you guys are safe and sound, though. Welcome home, the three of you. Schwarz should be at the basement, supervising the construction efforts of an underground farm. Be careful not to step on the crops.¡±


    The booth that governed entry and exit groaned a few times as it ferried them across the dome, and Dia once again felt a touch of relief as she entered the protection of the dome. It did, however, feel a bit fragile, after seeing the destruction of Daybreak Palace¡­


    ¡°Maybe we should make the dome stronger or something,¡± Dia suggested. ¡°I don¡¯t feel that safe anymore. Can we make it sturdier or something?¡±


    ¡°Just get washed up first and take a rest. We¡¯ll be busy soon enough¡­and as for the sturdier bit, I¡¯ll try to work something out,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I¡¯m sure I can dig up some money, but as for the actual thing, that¡¯s still very much in the air. We¡¯ll need to ask Schwarz about the fellows who built such a thing, and they might not be in this county anymore.¡±


    ¡°Alright, go for it!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Farah patted their shoulders. ¡°Welcome back, guys. We¡¯ll get the chef to whip out something nice. You guys go wash up and rest. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll have some visitors at night or tomorrow morning; Nightfall¡¯s going to come for some questions, after all. Might as well face him fully rested. He¡¯ll freak out if everyone else looks like a dead man walking, after all.¡±


    Dia yawned. ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll leave everything to you then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re counting on you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    The three of them walked past Farah, who had an odd look on her face. Dia, who had also felt like she was dumping the remaining work on her, wanted to walk it back or something, but the three of them didn¡¯t really do anything¡­


    After enduring the short session of awkwardness for a while, Dia decided to just ignore her thoughts and return to her room. It was as clean as ever; for some reason, Moon Mansion never seemed to get dirty, and after plopping down her luggage, she thought about the debriefing tomorrow and felt her face tingle.


    Count Nightfall definitely had more jobs for them, given that someone had actually tried to seriously assassinate his fianc¨¦e.


    Sighing, she entered the bathroom and went to wash up.

 Chapter 346: An assassin

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to be back on an actual bed and actually have the ability to wash up¡­¡± Dia patted her hair dry and laid back on her bed. Now that she didn¡¯t need to wake up early to resume their journey back, the idea of just flopping onto her bed and sleeping in became extra seductive.


    Rolling around the bed a few times, she picked up a pillow and hugged it. Going back to bed after washing up was one of the best feelings in the world; this was something she finally learned today.


    After bemoaning the fact that they lived a life where they couldn¡¯t sleep in until noon, Dia decided to slack off for a while. It wouldn¡¯t hurt for her to sleep in anyway, but¡­


    ¡°I think I actually skipped dinner¡­¡± Dia rubbed her stomach. ¡°I¡¯m hungry now. Great. I wonder if they¡¯ll look at me weirdly if I started stuffing my stomach at breakfast.¡±


    Peeking out of her room, she headed towards the good old dining table, and then did a doubletake when she saw two gluttons stuffing their face at the table.


    ¡°Nero? Risti?¡± Dia looked at the rapidly vanishing portions of food. ¡°Don¡¯t stuff your stomach this quickly. I also need some breakfast too, right?¡±


    The two gluttons looked up at each other, and in silent agreement, immediately sped up their pace of eating.


    ¡°Screw you guys¡­¡± Dia flung herself into a seat and started eating too. Unfortunately, she had started a bit too late, and she had only eaten two buns and a small fishcake by the time the others had finished off the rest. ¡°Damn it, you gluttons.¡±


    ¡°None of us actually ate last night, so it¡¯s to be expected.¡± Nero looked at his plate.


    ¡°You guys slept in too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Farah and Schwarz weren¡¯t really happy, though. Since they cooked a feast and everything for us, only for the three of us to sleep through the entire day.¡±


    ¡°Whoops, I suppose.¡± Dia rubbed her head. ¡°I¡¯m still quite tired, though. I want to sleep in and everything, but since the count didn¡¯t show up yesterday¡­he¡¯s probably going to show up today, right? What a pain¡­¡±


    Risti nodded. ¡°I want to sleep in the entire day¡­once all this is over and I have an entire week to myself, don¡¯t expect to see me anywhere. At all.¡±


    ¡°Same here,¡± Dia added. ¡°I can totally see myself doing that too. I want to see and slack off¡­¡±


    ¡°No chance of that,¡± Risti replied. ¡°The good count is coming soon enough to debrief us, or so I¡¯m told. We can¡¯t exactly sleep or anything now. Just look alive, gather your wits and be prepared for whatever dastardly mission he has come up with for us.¡±


    Nero sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to do anything¡­¡±


    The three of them laid their heads on the table and let out a tired sigh.


    ¡°You three punks sound like the same lazy bum who completed a single day¡¯s worth of work and decided to call it a day. Why, in Farah, you guys wouldn¡¯t be able to earn enough to eat at all.¡± Farah walked into the room. ¡°I hope you guys had a good rest, at least.¡±


    ¡°They definitely did.¡± Schwarz walked into the room, a bottle in his hand. ¡°Why, Nero didn¡¯t even look for a bottle of booze from me. He said something about wanting to finish his booze first before going for the higher-quality stuff, and then turned in for the day.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rare¡­¡±


    ¡°I was too tired,¡± Nero replied, raising his head weakly. ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep in for a little while longer. Call me when the count comes¡ª¡±


    Bell chimes echoed throughout the mansion, and everyone paused.


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    ¡°Gah.¡± Nero straightened his back. ¡°Why must they be so punctual? I don¡¯t get it. It¡¯s what, just sunrise! I don¡¯t freaking get it. Can¡¯t they just wait for a few hours? I want to sleep!¡±


    ¡°Hear, hear.¡± Risti raised her head lazily. ¡°Go call them in. I¡¯m too tired to move¡­¡±


    For some reason, Dia really agreed with her words. It seemed odd, since the last time they ventured out, Dia had bounced back after a few hours¡¯ worth of napping here and there. This time round, however, the fatigue seemed to be a lot more stubborn than usual.


    ¡°You guys¡­fine, I¡¯ll get the door or something.¡± Schwarz placed the bottle down. ¡°Nero, don¡¯t even think of taking¡­damn it. Never mind.¡±


    After casting a sad gaze at Nero¡¯s hands, the bartender stormed out of the room, muttering darkly under his breath. The door slammed twice in short order, and he soon returned with Count Nightfall and Caroline, who were looking at Schwarz with some caution.


    ¡°Someone stole his booze?¡± Nightfall asked, settling into a chair.


    Dia raised a hand and pointed it at Nero, who was already asleep, the unopened bottle in his embrace.


    ¡°Should have guessed.¡±


    Caroline looked at Dia and Risti, before turning her gaze to the asleep Nero. ¡°You guys look really fatigued, though. Was it that bad? We heard the story from Daybreak himself, but you guys really drive it in.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Count Daybreak?¡± Dia asked, rubbing her eyes.


    ¡°He¡¯s fast asleep in the palace,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°¡­Maybe we came at a bad time.¡±


    Yes, you did. Where¡¯s your common sense? Isn¡¯t it normal to do courtesy calls inquiring into the health of people who just returned at evening the next day? Not the morning?  Dia rubbed her eyes again, before shifting her head slightly. She was lying on a particular part of her arm, but that bit had gotten too warm for her, forcing her to shift.


    ¡°I told you so, Aran. They¡¯re too tired to do anything?¡± Caroline patted Risti and Dia on the head. ¡°Why don¡¯t you two go and get a nap or something? We can talk to Schwarz and Farah instead.¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯s fine.¡± Dia forced herself up and stifled a yawn. After slapping her cheeks twice, she turned to the couple and asked, ¡°Who do you need dead or captured?¡±


    ¡°The person who tried to kill Caroline,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°I¡¯m not sure who the culprit is, however, but we need more people on board. We¡¯re not going to let the killer get away.¡±


    ¡°You two are also going to participate?¡± Farah asked, surprised.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help with the information gathering,¡± Schwarz volunteered. ¡°Risti¡­well, she¡¯s asleep now, but she has Skyward Eye. We¡¯ll make use of that too. Dia¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hired muscle,¡± Dia replied, the fog in her head gradually dissipating. ¡°Nero¡­well, he can also join me, when he¡¯s finally awake. Is the assassin still in the city?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°This is my domain. My city. Assassins won¡¯t get away with trying to harm my people...although I might have been a bit too liberal with this City of Trades thing. I suppose I should double down on the quashing of shady businesses¡­wait, I¡¯m not referring to you guys.¡¯


    Dia, who was feeling a bit nervous about whether they fell into the category of shady businesses, relaxed. ¡°So, how strong is the assassin?¡±


    ¡°A tri-folder, but we have virtually no clue on where the perp actually works. Caroline was watching me play with one of those Moonlit babies when a random person passing by whipped out a sword and rushed her,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°The Moonlit baby responded immediately and intercepted the attack by shooting out an attack, and in the small opening that created, Caroline struck back and sent the guy flying with a kick to the¡­sensitive bits.¡±


    Dia glanced at the harmless-looking Caroline, her brain now completely awake.


    ¡°Wow. Didn¡¯t think you were that type,¡± Risti added, her face now brimming with interest.


    ¡°The assassin fled immediately afterwards, but there¡¯s no way the assassin will get out of the city this easily. We just need to sweep the city for someone who has only one arm,¡± said Nightfall. ¡°And we need to be quick too. The assassin will probably try to create more suspects by lopping off their arms; there are already eight such cases.¡±


    ¡°What are the details of the suspect?¡± Schwarz asked.


    Caroline took out a piece of paper and slid it over. ¡°That¡¯s what the suspect looked like, from what we could remember.¡±


    Dia looked at the young woman, who didn¡¯t have any distinguishing features at all. ¡°Brown hair, average build¡­hmm. Maybe it¡¯s a love debt.¡±


    Nightfall eyed her. ¡°Oi.¡±


    ¡°What? I¡¯m just wondering why anyone would attack Caroline,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Do you know her?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. Anyway, I want her captured as soon as possible,¡± said Nightfall. ¡°I hope you guys can join the hunt after you three get more rest.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡± Dia got up and stretched. ¡°Still, I would rather capture the assassin first. I don¡¯t want a killer running around this place, especially since there are so many little toddlers waddling around.¡±


    ¡°You do have a soft spot for them, then.¡±


    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t?¡± Dia got up. ¡°And besides, the urgency has roused me. We¡¯ll go deal with that assassin, and then return home for a week¡¯s rest or something. That cool with you guys?¡±


    Schwarz nodded. ¡°Sure. It¡¯s good if you¡¯re sleeping in more often anyway.¡±


    ¡°¡­You two haven¡¯t been skipping your daily training, right?¡± Dia asked, suspicious.


    Farah cleared her throat. ¡°Of course not. Right?¡±


    ¡°Right, right.¡±


    Eyeing the two fellows, Dia stood up and glanced at the two sleepy fellows. ¡°I¡¯m going out to help them. What about you guys?¡±

 Chapter 347: Planning a hit

    ¡°The three of us, plus the count and his fianc¨¦e, who are busy flirting behind us.¡± Dia looked at the couple locking arms, and then turned her eyes away from the dazzling sight. ¡°Super. And they¡¯ve run off to pick up a toddler¡­can¡¯t the two of them just get down to the baby business?¡±


    Risti eyed Dia. ¡°You say that now, but I¡¯m willing to bet that you wouldn¡¯t be pleased if Princess Dia had a child before her wedding and everything.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± Dia replied. ¡°You know that as well as I do.¡±


    ¡°¡­Maybe it¡¯s not that impossible,¡± Risti murmured, before sighing. ¡°At where we stand, I¡¯ve grown aware of a few things, you know. Like¡­perhaps I need to apologise to the princess.¡±


    ¡°Apologise?¡± Dia echoed. ¡°Did you do something wrong to her?¡±


    Nero raised an eyebrow. ¡°I thought the princess of Lustre has been gone for a very long time. How did you even wrong her?¡±


    ¡°Well, not literally,¡± Risti replied, before looking at the count and his fianc¨¦e. ¡°I¡¯m just acutely aware that I¡¯ve been¡­holding on to an idealised image of her. That she is not just the representative, but also the standard of all that is beautiful in this world. She is¡­exemplary, but I¡¯ve been using that very excellence and treating it as her natural state, when it¡¯s probably something done out of necessity.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not like you,¡± Dia noted. ¡°What brought that on?¡±


    ¡°Well, after you tussle with counts, Bearers of Destiny and the Spirit Clones of the Coloured Gods, you begin to be a bit more aware of yourself and the people around you,¡± Risti replied, before stopping at a street stall. Buying some food, she passed some to Dia and Nero, before nibbling on a fishball. ¡°You must have felt a bit uneasy after all that¡­forget it. Anyway, why are we just walking around the damn place? Aren¡¯t we looking for assassins?¡±


    Dia paused. ¡°That¡¯s a damned good point.¡±


    ¡°What are we supposed to be doing?¡± Nero turned around and asked. ¡°Feels like we¡¯re just strolling through Moon Street.¡±


    ¡°The two of us have a safehouse here,¡± Caroline replied.


    ¡°We use it sometimes, when the two of us want to get away from prying eyes.¡± Count Nightfall smoothed his clothes over. ¡°We¡¯re going to discuss things there. We already have a plan, after all. We just need hired muscle.¡±


    ¡°Me, basically.¡± Dia nodded.


    ¡°I definitely can contribute too,¡± Nero added. ¡°I have very powerful skills designed to incapacitate targets.¡±


    Risti cleared her throat. ¡°Why does it sound like you guys are singling me out? I have one of the best surveillance skills in the world, so I¡¯m definitely coming along.¡±


    ¡°You three can form a mercenary team on your own, to be honest,¡± Caroline assessed. ¡°Bounty hunters too. Not bad, not bad. I¡¯m feeling more confident now. What do you think, Aran?¡±


    ¡°I think the three of you should get more food to support my city¡¯s economy, that¡¯s what.¡± Nightfall stretched his body. ¡°Go and buy more food. We¡¯ll be using the safehouse for some time, and to make our lives easier, try not to go out.¡±


    Dia couldn¡¯t help but think that they were being unfairly extorted, but there was a reason for her to not complain either. For one, the two gluttons with her had left her with little for breakfast, and to make matters worse, their stomachs seemed to be bottomless holes that food entered but never left. In fact, they were still stuffing their faces with a mechanical cadence that was beyond scary.


    As Dia purchased a nice big box of something called popcorn chicken ¡ª chicken cut into small, bite-sized pieces ¡ª she couldn¡¯t help but think about the ongoing food crisis. While food prices were still under control, Dia had a feeling that this situation was just a fragile balance that would shatter at the right touch.


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    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Thinking about food prices and everything,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Count Nightfall, is your domain ready for any disruptions to food supply?¡±


    Count Nightfall looked at her, his eyes shimmering faintly, and nodded. ¡°We¡¯re naturally prepared for such a thing. This is my city. Everyone in these walls are my people. I will not let them starve. Don¡¯t worry, Dia.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re working with Schwarz to explore the concept of an underground food farm, as well as the best crops to grow. There are actually quite a few culinary dishes that are more ideal than the others,¡± Caroline added. ¡°Aran¡¯s really good at picking out dishes, and I¡¯m really good at eating them.¡±


    ¡°Only because you¡¯re too lazy to cook,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°You only ever cook on my birthday¡­I wish I can eat your food more.¡±


    ¡°Couples.¡± Nero muttered darkly.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite the eligible catch,¡± Dia pointed out. ¡°If you put your heart and mind to it, you¡¯ll definitely find your significant other sooner or later.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Nero asked. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. Opening myself to vulnerability is quite the scary prospect. I¡¯m a tetra-folder with hundreds of years to go. If my lover dies before me, I think I might just go insane or something. In that case, why should I give someone my heart, when the possibility of turning mad with sorrow exists?¡±


    ¡°I really, really want to say that this won¡¯t happen,¡± Dia replied, regarding the chunk of fried chicken in her hand thoughtfully.


    ¡°But it¡¯s not impossible, right?¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°After all, we just saw an entire city used as fuel for a blood sacrifice, as well as the many murders and kidnaps that happen all the time. Yet, these things usually go unnoticed by just about everyone.¡±


    The three of them sighed.


    In silence, the three of them plus a couple arrived at a small house. Other than a nice little garden, the house looked perfectly ordinary; there was no indication that this place was the hideout for Count and Countess Nightfall when they wanted to get hanky-panky.


    ¡°So, this is your lovenest,¡± Nero observed. ¡°Are you sure you really want us to know about this place? We might just drop by at bad times.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t answer the door if you guys do drop by at bad times,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°And if you force your way in, we¡¯ll have you spend the night in the palace dungeons, so that¡¯s perfectly fine. Any other stupid questions?¡±


    Nero forced out a laugh, and Nightfall turned away with a satisfied smirk on his face. ¡°Now, roll along in. Don¡¯t trip over anything, okay?¡±


    Before long, the five of them were seated around a very small table, which was definitely meant for two instead. Dia, however, couldn¡¯t find it in herself to complain, not with the count¡¯s eyes sweeping around like a hawk, waiting for the first idiotic rabbit to hop up to speak.


    The awkward silence was sporadically broken by the sounds of paper rustling. Fortunately, before the awkward silence could mature into really awkward silence, Caroline killed it off by clearing her throat.


    ¡°We¡¯ve already narrowed down the possible locations of our target,¡± said Caroline, unaware of her fianc¨¦e¡¯s roving eyes and her cowed audience. ¡°She is hiding near Moon Street, but I have no idea why. I mean, we found her really easily¡­how many young women only have one arm, a sword and a mask on her face?¡±


    ¡°Maybe she¡¯s trying to play that thing of how the shadow is darkest under the candle,¡± Risti suggested. ¡°Unfortunately, Claud has very robust arrangements for this city¡­it¡¯s nice to know that all temporary rentals must be reported, heh.¡±


    ¡°We also have our own secret police around the parts too,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°Mostly just informants that report to other people in my administration.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re fine with telling us that?¡± Dia asked, surprised.


    ¡°Are you guys going to do anything with that information?¡± Count Nightfall leaned back on his chair and gestured elegantly. ¡°No. A concealed weapon, while useful, may not be as useful as a sheathed one. Deterrence must be made known, with only the killing strokes hidden. That is the essence of maintaining security.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, by letting everyone know about the Shadows of Nightfall, everyone becomes aware of the need to stay on their toes and to remain good citizens. With the abundance of social welfare I offer, anyone who continues to partake in shady activities is almost certainly linked to dissidents to my rule.¡± Nightfall chuckled. ¡°And another benefit is the mental pressure they give to weak-hearted plotters. Some of them break from their own fear.¡±


    The relaxed smile on his face grew wider. ¡°There are, of course, other reasons¡­but let¡¯s not go into that for now.¡±


    He tapped the map of Moon Street. ¡°Anyway, the target is hiding in one of these three houses. We don¡¯t want to cause any disturbance, especially since the target is alone, so we¡¯ll have to seek out the target by sweeping these houses one by one¡ª¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Risti replied, cutting into his words with a confident grin. ¡°Leave the rest to me, the expert at spying on people.¡±


    Dia wanted to give her a thumbs-up, but considering how Risti had probably used her skills to spy on the Lustre Palace¡­

 Chapter 348: Reencountering the enemy

    ¡°Yeap, not your ordinary assassin.¡± Risti¡¯s eyes, which were shrouded with mana and other foggy clouds, cleared up as she looked at Dia and the others. ¡°As we speak, our target is sleeping against the ceiling. I have no idea how that is possible, so don¡¯t ask me.¡±


    ¡°Sleeping? She sure is relaxed,¡± Count Nightfall murmured. ¡°Wait, against the what? I thought you said ¡®sleeping against the ceiling¡¯. I did not catch that, sorry. Do repeat it again.¡±


    ¡°No, no. You heard me right. Your assassin is indeed sleeping against the ceiling. There¡¯s a pillow under her head and everything¡­sorry, above her head.¡± Risti had an odd look on her face. ¡°It¡¯s a bit confusing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an artefact of hers at play, if she¡¯s sleeping in such a manner.¡± Caroline drummed her fingers on the table in front of her. ¡°Now that I think about it, it¡¯s quite the ingenious method. You use the house, but sleep and rest in the conventional blind spots. No one would have looked up at the ceiling, after all.¡±


    ¡°How should we deal with her, then?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°We blast the entire roof off,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°Done. It¡¯s a quick and easy method. We just need to cordon off the area and then blast the roof to smithereens. As for compensation¡­I¡¯m rich. I¡¯ll pay anyone affected double the market price.¡±


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re rich, do whatever you like,¡± Dia forced out.


    ¡°You should raise your own surveillance and observation expert, Aran.¡± Caroline looked at the torn skillslip on the table. ¡°Otherwise, we¡¯ll have to keep asking the Moon Lords¡­err, Seekers of Life for help. We keep getting them to do odd jobs for us.¡±


    Oh, so you guys do know that much, huh? Dia rolled her eyes, but she didn¡¯t vocalise her inner thoughts. They were rude, after all, and it wasn¡¯t like the duo didn¡¯t compensate them well for their time. The latest batch of resources, according to Schwarz, was enough for everyone to become a tri-folder¡­well, assuming they didn¡¯t screw up enough times.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, but how do we start? Should I put out a notice looking for people with observation skills?¡± Nightfall wondered. ¡°Not many people have the kinds of proclivities that Risti has. We¡¯ll need to look for professional stalkers, spies and soldiers.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m none of those things, alright?¡± Risti replied, a hint of indignation in her words. ¡°I¡¯m just a fan of a certain princess.¡±


    ¡°Who apparently spies on her all day. I¡¯d categorise that as a stalker¡¯s behaviour,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°That said, the fact that she¡¯s eluded you despite your prowess at the stalker arts is really impressive. I wouldn¡¯t have expected a sheltered princess who hasn¡¯t been to the battlefield to do that.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Risti complained, annoyed. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s a good thing, though. I¡¯m sure I¡¯m the person who understands her the best. If I can¡¯t find her, no one can! She¡¯s safe and sound, and that¡¯s what matters.¡±


    Nero sidled over to Dia. ¡°Is she always like that?¡±


    ¡°Uh, sometimes?¡± Dia replied. ¡°Well, I suppose she was weaning off that particular habit of hers when you joined us, so you never really noticed. After all, Princess Dia fled Lustre nearly a year ago and vanished.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­well, that does explain her many skills that are used to observe people covertly.¡± Nero shook his head, and then turned back to the ongoing conversation between Risti and the lovebird couple.


    The three of them were currently talking about the kinds of people that would have multiple observation skills. It was probably the best way to start, after all; most skills could be picked up through sheer repetition of a certain activity. Still, was Risti fine with teaching the count how to raise a replacement for her? Doing something like that felt really odd, if nothing else.


    Nero cleared his throat. ¡°I think we need to shelve this conversation first, everyone. There¡¯s an assassin we need to handle now, right? She is asleep, and it¡¯s in the middle of the day now. The number of people that might be affected by our attack is probably at its lowest.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Count Nightfall got up. ¡°Let¡¯s settle this decisively. You three must be tired too¡­¡±


    ¡°Very tired, yes.¡± Nero yawned. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Alright, whatever the tetra-folder says,¡± Caroline replied, placing her hand on Nightfall¡¯s shoulder.


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    Dia took a long look at Nero¡¯s back as they left. It was sometimes hard to remember, but Nero was indeed the Black God¡¯s Holy Son and a tetra-folder to boot. His attitude towards things, however, didn¡¯t particularly reflect that status of his, which was a bit intriguing. Was it because of his young age?


    Of course, one could also argue that Nero should show more respect to the lovebirds who were more than three centuries old, but protocols regarding respect and pleasantries were very complicated. Dia could even remember her etiquette teachers telling her that the only way to play the politeness game was to be polite to everyone, no matter who they represented.


    After all, who knew if the random old man they passed by on the street happened to be a tri-folder or a trained assassin with taboo skills like Damning Gesture or Mind Crush? Being polite was the usual way to go, so to see Nero being this carefree when addressing Count Nightfall spoke volumes to his fatigue.


    Nero yawned a few more times as they made their way to the house, and Dia found herself yawning along too, with the others not spared either.


    ¡°Urgh. Now I¡¯m sleepy too,¡± Count Nightfall muttered, before letting out a deep breath. ¡°Best get this over and done with.¡±


    He took out two chakrams, which began to glow with light.


    ¡°That¡¯s our target,¡± Nightfall noted, pointing at an innocuous house. ¡°We¡¯ll surround it from all directions, launch our strongest attacks and try to annihilate everything inside. Aim to leave no debris behind. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t do such a thing, but it¡¯s the middle of the day, and Risti...¡±


    ¡°No one other than the target nearby. We¡¯re lucky this is a residential district,¡± Risti murmured. ¡°I¡¯ll continue to keep an eye on the target and the area around her, though.¡±


    ¡°Good. We¡¯ll use you as our signal to attack,¡± said Count Nightfall. ¡°We¡¯ll attack after you.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Picking a random direction, Dia hopped onto a roof and looked through her skills. Most of her skills were either too destructive or needed her to be in melee range, so the next best option she had was using her mana as a means of attack. It was a standard emanation of concentrated mana in a single direction, which would then blow up upon contact.


    Unsheathing her sword, she coated its blade with mana. It was something she rarely did, but with her mana control, sending an arc of light wasn¡¯t beyond her means. Besides, the others definitely had their own ways of attacking too; even if her ranged attack turned out to be a bit too subpar, they could make up for it.


    Shaking her head, Dia cleared her mind.


    She had been waiting for an entire minute when a small blob of light flew outwards in a parabola, and her arm stiffened. With a single smooth motion, she slashed outwards, releasing the mana that she had been gathering around the blade and sending it outwards. At the same time, a beam of pure, dense energy tore through the house¡¯s roof, while two huge discs of light fell from the skies.


    Dia¡¯s eyes closed on their own, blocking out the blinding light that followed from the combined attack. Oddly enough, however, she couldn¡¯t hear anything¡­except for the sound of whirling air.


    She opened her eyes gingerly to see a middle-aged man floating at the spot where the house used to be. A bubble of red light covered his body, as well as the woman behind him, and Dia narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°This mana...¡± Dia found the power emanating from the newcomer inexplicably familiar, and her mind returned to the events that occurred more than a week ago. ¡°It¡¯s that person¡­¡±


    The dust cleared as the bubble popped, revealing the man that Dia had taken a few extra glances at a day ago. That black headdress ¡ª a top hat, according to Nero ¡ª quivered as its owner looked around the place, before fixing his eyes onto a particular person.


    ¡°You look familiar! I¡¯ve seen you before, somewhere!¡± The suited man laughed, before raising his gloved right hand and pointing it at Caroline. ¡°Ah, well. I nearly killed you, didn¡¯t I, woman? But you¡¯re here, aren¡¯t you? Maybe you want to be a martyr after all? I don¡¯t know, but we¡¯ll find out!¡±


    The world seemed to spin around Dia in that moment as the hand hidden by the glove was revealed. Slimy maggots that were glued together by dollops of sticky fluid formed his right hand. Despite the distance between the two of them, Dia could hear his words and see the sickening maggots in excruciating detail ¡ª there was some supernatural force that seemed to eat away at her just by looking at it.


    Fortunately, the Holy Son of the Red God slipped on the glove a few seconds later, but her head was already spinning.


    ¡°Maggots¡­¡± Count Nightfall took a few steps forward. ¡°Why did you try to kill her?¡±


    ¡°Be honoured.¡± He turned to Caroline. ¡°You were going to be a blood sacrifice, along with the rest of this prosperous county. It¡¯s a shame that you just refused to be a martyr. I have to do it for you. Don¡¯t you feel ashamed?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t flatter your maggot-ridden self,¡± Caroline snapped back. ¡°And I think I know who you are now, Holy Son of the Red God.¡±


    Count Nightfall shook his head, a grand, exaggerated gesture that nabbed the hostile Bearer of Destiny¡¯s attention. ¡°What are you doing here? Weren¡¯t you busy being chased by a bunch of soldiers from the Moons?¡±


    ¡°How did you know that?¡±


    As Caroline and Nightfall continued to taunt the Holy Son of the Red God, who clearly hadn¡¯t realised that the same people who had foiled his plans a few days ago were here, Dia took a deep breath and focused her attention onto the enemy, fixing it with her mind. There was a huge gap in terms of power, and the enemy also had Absolute Entrapment, Familiar Spirit Descent and Spirit Clone Descent, plus two more skills of the Red God Himself. All of them were trump cards of extremely destructive proportions; a fight here would devastate the city.


    They needed to get him out of the place.


    As that thought flashed through her mind, she saw Nero from the corner of her eyes, who was now casting a long, drawn-out gaze at the Holy Son of the Red God. For some reason, the Red God¡¯s Holy Son seemed half-crazy, his focus completely on Count Nightfall.


    Would he chase if Nightfall fled?

 Chapter 349: Murder most foul

    The first anomaly popped up when the mad, ranting Bearer of Destiny¡¯s words began to slow down. Within seconds of that happening, the mad expression the Holy Son of the Red God wore began to twist with fear, and his words turned into incomprehensible utterances.


    Count Nightfall took a step back, his guard up, while Caroline shifted to a defensive position. Of the five of them here, he and Caroline were the only ones who didn¡¯t know about Nero¡¯s skill, Black God¡¯s Gaze, so the two of them had reacted accordingly.


    In that small pause created by these movements, however, the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny let out a horrified shriek and fled. His suit tore up at the seams as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop. Dia emulated his movements a moment later, but she was no match for Nero, who had already landed on a rooftop two seconds after the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny fled.


    The four of them chased after the fleeing, frightened fellow, bounding from rooftop to rooftop to save time and energy. The fear their target was emanating continued to increase with every passing second, and his escape turned more and more frantic.


    Before long, they arrived at the city walls, but the madman simply tore a hole through the net that covered the sky. Bells rang madly as the torn net shook and quaked wildly, and Dia jumped onto the ground.


    The guards rushing out of the guardhouse recognised her immediately. As the others jumped into the hole that the Red God¡¯s Holy Son had created, she looked at the guards and said, ¡°Count Nightfall and the Seekers of Life are chasing an assassin. Stay on guard and patch that hole up as soon as possible.¡±


    Without waiting for their response, she ran out through the city gates, chasing after the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny. Count Nightfall was flying through the air, exchanging blasts of raw mana with their target, while Risti and Nero were running after the duo on foot and doing absolutely nothing else. Caroline had stayed behind of her own accord, before taking over command of the guards that Dia had spent five seconds to brief.


    The explosions continued towards the north for a few seconds, but that delicate balance was soon broken as the Holy Son of the Red God unleashed three attacks that missed entirely. Two discs whizzed out with unerring accuracy, arcing through the sky and smashing their target into the ground.


    Dust surged to the heavens, and Dia made use of this time to catch up. She arrived just as Nero and Risti finished off two people, their figures turning into wisps of mana that scattered into the air.


    An unnatural calm followed as everyone looked at the dent in the ground. Count Nightfall had smashed the Holy Son of the Red God with that last hit, but Dia was almost certain that a barrier had taken the brunt of the damage.


    ¡°Black. God¡¯s. Gaze. I see. It¡¯s you.¡± A figure got up from the small crater, pointing at Nero.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me, Mendas. I¡¯m glad you finally remembered the person you attacked,¡± Nero replied. ¡°It¡¯s a shame you took so long. I mean, we crossed paths ten days ago, and you didn¡¯t even notice.¡±


    The Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny, who also doubled as His Holy Son, froze, and a mad expression appeared on his face again. ¡°I see. Is this retribution? Unfortunately, if you were there, you must know what skills I have, right?¡±


    He pointed a middle finger at Dia and the others.


    ¡°Familiar Spirit Descent, activate.¡± A red glow gathered around him, and a set of illusory red wings wrapped around his body. Mad laughter followed as a red sword appeared in his hands, and with another gesture, he said, ¡°Absolute Confinement.¡±


    A hemisphere rose from all around them, trapping them in an arena. At the very least, however, Dia did learn what the name of his Absolute skill was, but¡­


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    ¡°I¡¯m glad you people decided to chase me all the way here.¡± His left cheek rippled once, before bursting apart into clumps of maggots and other insects. ¡°Today, I can finish this sacrifice. Not just with you, but with your entire city after I¡¯m through with you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re mad¡­no. Whatever you are, you must be stopped,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°You¡¯ve been touched by that, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it great? You forced me into this state! I ran out of mana, suffered a backlash from the ritual you destroyed, and was chased by the Moons! I¡¯m so glad I¡¯ve turned into this abomination, because this thing is the last thing you¡¯ll see in your life!¡± The radiant crimson blade in his hands pointed at Nero. ¡°And now, you¡¯re done for. You, and the poor innocent people of this city. And it¡¯ll all be your fault.¡±


    Something seemed to freeze in Dia¡¯s heart, and she looked directly into his eyes. ¡°You done?¡±


    A wave of surprise stirred everyone.


    ¡°What¡¯s my monologue got to do with you, bitch?¡± The red light surrounding the mad Mendas rippled crazily. ¡°You want to die first?¡±


    Dia, who was not the sort to posture for more than one sentence, simply activated a certain skill. Without warning, thousands of swords appeared within the dome itself, with the rest appearing outside Mendas¡¯ Absolute Confinement, each of them glowing with a pale blue.


    Another icon on her top right dimmed a moment later, and the world shuddered as something impossibly huge smashed into the hemispherical cage that had everyone trapped. The ground buckled, sending everyone sprawling onto the ground, but that was no issue to Dia.


    Air whistled as the swords generated by one of her forbidden skills, Domain of Swords, locked onto the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny and charged at him tip first. Mendas screamed as he pushed off into the air, his hands a blur as he tried to ward off the incoming weapons, but each of them boasted of the mana of a tri-folder.


    Sharp fragments of solidified mana flew as the first wave of swords shattered or self-destructed, tearing into Mendas¡¯ body and drawing blood. The screams grew increasingly weaker as the following waves continued on without any hesitation whatsoever, and after twenty-two seconds, the familiar spirit that had joined up with Mendas had faded away, torn into pieces.


    Three seconds afterwards, two arms flew up in rapid succession, and the remaining weapons plunged themselves into the mad Holy Son. His body shook over and over again, but another wave of divine might swept out, blasting Dia and the others away from the fallen Holy Son.


    ¡°He still can conduct a Descent for His spirit clone?¡± Nero forced himself up. ¡°Impressive.¡±


    Dia spat some dirt out of her mouth. ¡°The remaining swords are all gone, though.¡±


    ¡°Thankfully, His spirit clone was forced to expire after healing Mendas back up, but he now only has one skill left. I doubt he had much time to gather skill media either.¡± Nero steadied his breathing. ¡°And his body can¡¯t take another descent anytime soon. He¡¯s on his ropes now.¡±


    The crimson glow around the mad Holy Son died away, and the sight that followed made Dia reel. The stumps that had Mendas¡¯ arms once were now growing out with slimy maggots, but¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s with those things?¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s what happens when one tries to use mana without any more mana left,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°Your body stops using mana on its own when it runs out, not because it can¡¯t draw anymore mana, but because of its self-preservation instincts. Mendas¡¯ current state is due to him consciously ignoring these limits.¡±


    Dia wanted to ask more, but there were more important things to deal with first. ¡°Kill him. Then get answers.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t let him live now,¡± Nero agreed. ¡°Nightfall, charge with us.¡±


    ¡°You, kill me?¡± The crazed Mendas laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll never let you have the satisfaction of killing me.¡±


    Something cracked, and an immense suction arose from Mendas himself. Dia could vaguely feel her mana tear away from her body in a mist of blue light, and she wasn¡¯t alone either.


    ¡°Mana implosion!¡± Nero yelled. ¡°Run!¡±


    Dragging Dia and Risti along, Nero fled away from the glowing Mendas, whose body was transmogrifying entirely into a mass of scales, squirming maggots, horns and other organs. Count Nightfall followed suit, his left hand snapping a bunch of skillsticks into two to conjure up a bunch of barriers.


    ¡°That madman,¡± Nero spat. ¡°Is the Red God¡¯s Church this crazy? What did his teachers tell him? By no accounts are we supposed to draw power from Limbo, nor cause a negative mana reaction! Clarissa would go insane when she finds out¡­I better tell her.¡±


    ¡°Limbo? Negative mana reaction?¡± Dia exchanged confused looks with Count Nightfall, and then jolted once as she took in Risti¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°Yeah¡­it¡¯s not supposed to be spread around willy-nilly,¡± Risti replied, nodding her head once. ¡°But there are indeed crazy people everywhere, I suppose.¡±


    A series of sharp, small explosions rocked the air, the mere sound of it shaking Dia¡¯s heart as they raced towards the edge of the grey dome. Piling themselves up against it, Dia took out all the defensive artefacts on her and activated them too, and a thick wall of distorted air surrounded them.


    ¡°Brace yourselves,¡± Nero warned. ¡°Three, two, o¡ª¡±


    Dia¡¯s eardrums shattered halfway through Nero¡¯s words, and the world turned dark.

 Chapter 350: Of maggots, madness and men

    Groaning, Dia rubbed her eyes and waited for her vision to recover. The acrid taste of soil in her mouth had gelled together with the sickly-sweet taste of her blood, and she spent the next ten seconds speaking out the stomach-churning mix from her mouth.


    The only reason why she dared to do that was due to the seven-coloured boxes that were burning in her vision, despite the fact that she couldn¡¯t see anything else in high definition.


    <The First Bearer of Destiny has fallen, his life ended through a bloody suicide.>


    <With the scales tilting, the Trial of Aeons shall descend in seasons three.>


    <Destiny, chained by karma and reason, shall break free once more.>


    <And may the gods find their reprieve.>


    Spitting out the last of the soil, Dia looked at the seven-coloured proclamation, unsure of what to feel. The Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny deserved to die, this much she knew. Her instincts, however, warned her that something had gone wrong with the process of killing him. In the first place, that thing with how maggots and other insects were growing and falling from his body was enough to strike fear in her to begin with.


    She didn¡¯t know anything about this Limbo or negative mana reactions ¡ª terms that Nero had spat out in his panic ¡ª but Dia had a feeling that the way Mendas died would leave behind lasting repercussions.


    Rubbing her eyes again, Dia squinted and made odd faces until her vision cleared up. The others were behaving the same way too; either they were spitting out soil and blood, or rubbing their eyes with a vacant, stunned expression on her face.


    Shaking her head again, Dia got up slowly. Her legs were still soft and wobbly, but it was better than just lying down on the ground.


    A ruined landscape entered her eyes. What had been a nice patch of grassland had turned into a huge crater. An odd clump of grey light ¡ª the same colour of those insects that were falling off Mendas earlier ¡ª rippled in the middle, and Dia trembled. There was something incredibly distasteful about that odd clump of light.


    Was it the granulated, grainy surface that sent shivers down her spine? Or was it the small random balls that looked very close to eyeballs growing from it? Maybe it was the half-holy, half-chilling red sheen on its granulated surface, like skin that was stricken with all sorts of afflictions. Dia wasn¡¯t sure, but she knew one thing.


    That thing was dangerous.


    Tearing her eyes away from the dangerous, enthralling sight, Dia fell to the ground. Somehow, the few seconds she had spent just looking at that thing had sapped her strength¡­or was it her will?


    Shaking her head twice, she crawled away from the sight and turned back to the others, who were in the middle of regaining their mobility and vision.


    ¡°You guys need a hand?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Nero replied, his voice terse. ¡°Keep looking around. You being on guard is the best thing we can ask for right now. Be careful and don¡¯t do anything stupid or reckless. Turn away from any sights you don¡¯t understand. They¡¯ll keep you up at night otherwise.¡±


    Dia looked up at the sky. The Absolute skill ¡ª the one they had erroneously named Absolute Entrapment ¡ª had vanished. Like the Third Bearer of Destiny, the skill had been deactivated upon the user¡¯s death, which was a far better alternative to being stuck in a dome with no way out.


    ¡°It¡¯s about to storm heavily,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°But it was all clear just no¡ªwhoa!¡±


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    A lightning bolt smashed onto the crater that contained that hair-raising clump of light, and as Dia reeled from the blinding pillar of debilitating light, hundreds of thunderbolts fell from the sky as a singular entity.


    ¡°Run!¡±


    Everyone began to retreat as what looked like divine fury poured down like rainwater, casting harsh shadows that flickered across the world. To stay there was foolish; if a stray bolt smacked them, there was no way they could get justice.


    As they hurried away, the blinding whips of the Moons¡¯ anger continued to lash out at whatever thing that clump of disgusting grey light was. This wasn¡¯t the right time to ask either; what really mattered was simply getting away with their lives. To begin with, the sudden reveal that the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny was actually the assassin had thrown everyone off-balance. However, the fact that everyone knew about his poor state and the damage that had carried forward from the previous battle was enough to redress that.


    It was a victory, albeit a spontaneous one.


    ¡°Ugh. Now is not the time to reflect over things, me.¡± Dia rubbed her forehead.


    ¡°Stop here for now,¡± Nero ordered. ¡°The Moons are reacting to that thing. We need to stay here and ensure that it doesn¡¯t get away.¡±


    ¡°That thing?¡± Nightfall asked.


    ¡°That idiot decided to implode the mana in his body,¡± Risti replied. ¡°That crater and what the Moons are attacking is a temporary passage that exists between our world and the vast sea beyond. That grey lump the Moons are attacking is a colony of parasites. Left untouched, an entire territory can be sapped of life.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of this before,¡± Dia muttered.


    Count Nightfall looked at the grey lump, which was already melting away. ¡°Neither have I. This thing¡­what the heck?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not knowledge we publicise. Since practically every mana-user doesn¡¯t know about the existence of Limbo, they are unable to draw from it when they run out of mana. If they knew, they would be more determined to live, and this world would have been long destroyed.¡± Nero narrowed his eyes. ¡°Only the Holy Children of the Coloured Gods, along with select personnel who have been taught to draw mana from Limbo to use against Limbo itself, know about such a thing.¡±


    He turned to Risti. ¡°Your father¡­you aren¡¯t lying to me, right? He is the Folder Association¡¯s President, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t lie,¡± Risti replied. ¡°And to be honest, you didn¡¯t need to be honest with us. You could have brushed all these occurrences off using the usual excuses, and I would have just stayed silent.¡±


    ¡°¡­Given that we¡¯re working together, I didn¡¯t want to lie to everyone either,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°But now that you guys know this¡­well, I only have one thing to say. Have the grace to die in dignity, at least. Don¡¯t create problems by pulling a Mendas.¡±


    He turned to the hail of lightning strikes, which had long destroyed the ball of light. ¡°That¡¯s the result.¡±


    Risti looked at him. ¡°Do you think that¡¯ll work? The moment you told them about these things, you can never expect them to¡­¡¯die with dignity¡¯, to use your own words. Best if you tell them how to safely draw power from Limbo.¡±


    ¡°You know there¡¯s no guaranteed safe method to do that,¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°They¡¯ll try it at their wits¡¯ end,¡± Risti hissed. ¡°You¡¯re young. You haven¡¯t seen the type of things people will do when they become desperate. Like that Holy Son over there. If not for the fact that he knows where our home is, I would have stopped you people from pushing him that far.¡±


    Nero took a step back.


    ¡°You could, however, erase their memory of the whole thing,¡± Risti replied, turning to Nightfall and Dia. ¡°What do you guys think? None of us wants to watch you become a monster whose only instinct is to destroy and destroy. And since none of you guys look like the kind that would die quietly¡­¡±


    ¡°You guys¡­aren¡¯t kidding, are you?¡± Count Nightfall murmured.


    ¡°Simply knowing makes you two a risk. And Nero doesn¡¯t want to teach you two about using Limbo correctly. What can I say?¡± Risti replied. ¡°Not much of a choice.¡±


    ¡°¡­Fine, I¡¯ll teach them.¡± Nero eyed Risti. ¡°Why me?¡±


    ¡°Because I already used up my quota,¡± Risti replied. ¡°The next one gets me a memory wipe, and that¡¯ll be it. You, on the other hand, are barely older than twenty. Not that many people to teach. Two and you¡¯re done.¡±


    Dia was beginning to feel a bit perplexed at the entire thing, but the way the Moons continued to administer their divine punishment on the grassland was more than enough to tell her about the importance the people that really mattered paid to this issue.


    By now, the lump of light had been completely destroyed, but the lightning bolts continued to fall anyway. To Dia, this was clear proof that the Moons wanted that thing to be completely eradicated, and would not hold back on expelling every bit of its existence from her world.


    Yet, as Risti continued to lecture Nero on about matters she never knew existed, a sinking feeling entered her heart.


    Was it just a coincidence that there the red sheen on that thing reminded her of the Red God¡¯s ceremonial colour? Or was it something else? Her mind kept returning to that singular instant of that thing¡¯s emergence, and the more she thought about it, the more fearful she felt.


    ¡°¡­Guys. Dia, Count Nightfall.¡± Nero¡¯s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. ¡°I¡¯ll need you two to follow me later. I¡¯ll tell you what you need to know¡­and what you need to avoid. I won¡¯t take no for an answer.¡±


    ¡°Do we have a choice here?¡± Dia asked, a half-smile on her lips.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Nero looked up at the storm clouds. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 351: Limbo and Logia

    The rain poured down endlessly as Dia and the others sat around a table, bowls of hot soup in their hands. Thunder roared every so often, shaking the table and creating distorted ripples all around the world.


    Caroline wasn¡¯t around, so it was just the four of them. Nero did not intend to let anyone know more about taboos ¡ª he had mentioned quotas, after all.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Nero asked. ¡°Soup in stomach? Nice and warm? Then let¡¯s get down to business.¡±


    He straightened his body. ¡°As of today, the two of you will be joining the very few people alive in a war for reality. Your knowledge of Limbo and the horrors outside make you the best soldiers. If you lose, the entire universe will be destroyed. That¡¯s the nature of this war.¡±


    ¡°War?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°The gods, the Moons, the Dark¡­the divinities of our world, though they war amongst themselves, do not intend to create a scene of mutual destruction. Their greatest enemy lies in a place beyond this world, in another fabric of reality.¡± Nero paused. ¡°The world outside our world, Limbo, or as others call it, the Eternal Sea. It is the sea of creation and corruption. The forest of life and death. The void of light and shadow.


    ¡°It is a place beyond mortal comprehension, where all contradictions meld together. To peer into it is to invite madness and suffering. I will not tell you how to reach out to Limbo. You will know nothing save for the ways you already know.¡±


    ¡°Not like we can either,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Death comes swiftly to those with loose lips. If you two can¡¯t keep a secret, then write a will or let Nero tinker with your brain. You¡¯ll walk away with a lot of missing memories, but that¡¯s better than nothing.¡±


    Dia wanted to laugh at her joke, but¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re serious, aren¡¯t you?¡± Nightfall murmured. ¡°That¡¯s not a joke.¡±


    ¡°Give the count a cup of booze, he got it.¡± Nero looked at him once. ¡°If you can¡¯t keep a secret, then lower the guards around your mind. It won¡¯t be that bad, probably.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bring it to my grave.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll end at the grave,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Whether you speak or not. If you keep it a secret, you¡¯ll naturally die with it. If you don¡¯t, it¡¯ll be the reason why people are lowering you into a hole. That¡¯s all.¡±


    Nero wasn¡¯t kidding either.


    ¡°Now that I¡¯m done warning you two, I suppose we can get down to business. I¡¯ll give you a rundown of what happened.¡± Nero filled up his bowl of soup again. ¡°First, Limbo. It exists beyond reality. Our scholars¡­well, the precious few who actually knew, have determined that it is an impossibly vast space that contains billions and billions of universes. Think of it like a huge ocean of water, holding little bubbles. These bubbles are realities that people live in¡­probably, anyway. No one is too sure about what the Eternal Sea looks like.¡±


    ¡°Bubbles¡­¡± Nightfall ruminated over that word.


    ¡°They pop easily,¡± Nero replied. ¡°That¡¯s why. At any moment, we can be destroyed if we¡¯re really unlucky. There are existences that transcend every conceivable notion of power itself all around our universe. We all might never wake up tomorrow.¡±


    Dia looked at Nero again, but she couldn¡¯t tell if he was uttering a lie. After staring at him for a few seconds, she turned back to her soup.


    ¡°Limbo is the primordial soup of creation. It is the premier reservoir of energy, in many senses. When one¡¯s body runs out of mana, but attempts to use it anyway, something close to a ¡­miracle happens. Your mana circuits immediately reach out to the closest form of power ¡ª Limbo ¡ª and then store it in your body.¡± Nero looked at the two of them, and Dia couldn¡¯t help but think about the weird emphasis he placed on ¡®miracle¡¯. ¡°Once you do that, you run the risk of degeneration.¡±


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    ¡°Why?¡± Nightfall asked.


    ¡°Good question.¡± Nero smiled. ¡°Essentially, the power in Limbo is one of prolific creation. It¡¯s like living poison; if not controlled, it¡¯ll mutate your entire body and turn it into those maggots and whatever you saw earlier. Taking such a power in any amount is not that different from drinking poison, and to make matters worse, you¡¯ll corrupt the environment too.¡±


    ¡°¡­So anyone who does that is doomed?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Yes. Fortunately, our world has its own defensive mechanisms. If it becomes too detectable ¡ª beyond the ability of the natural laws that deal with intrusions from Limbo ¡ª that happens.¡± Nero pointed outside.


    Dia felt a bit uneasy at those words, but the confidence on Nero¡¯s face was too hard to refute. ¡°Um, okay. So, how do we draw power from Limbo, then?¡±


    Risti snorted once, and Nero mumbled under his breath for a few seconds. Clearing his throat afterwards, he said, ¡°By using your mana circuits. Your mana circuits will attempt to draw mana using your body as a conduit to tear apart reality. Doing that, however, will expose you to too much Logia.¡±


    ¡°Logia?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what we call the little squirming maggot things. Anyway, there are two ways to die from drawing in energy from Limbo. The first way is to take it in and store it in your body, which is asking for it. The second way is drawing in too much or too quickly, thereby allowing the Logia to corrupt your body.¡± Nero paused. ¡°To draw power from Limbo, you must resist your mana circuits¡¯ urge to save themselves. They cannot draw it too much; you must skim from the surface of the river and take in trace amounts of energy and Logia.¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s abstract.¡± Dia noted.


    ¡°There¡¯s a good chance of screwing up, yes. At trace amounts, however, it¡¯s not an issue. Don¡¯t be an idiot, be cautious and temper your desire,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Be prepared to be bedbound for two days afterwards, though.¡±


    Dia narrowed her eyes and asked, ¡°Two days?¡±


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s a lot.¡± Nero shrugged. ¡°Any other questions?¡±


    He turned to Count Nightfall, who had been deliberating over the entire issue in silence. ¡°You seem to have something on your mind.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just¡­curious. See, this involves my city, so¡­well, Mendas must have known about the dangers too, right? Why did he end up corrupting himself?¡± Nightfall asked.


    ¡°The ritual he tried to use failed,¡± Nero replied. ¡°We prevented a whole bunch of lives from being used as sacrifices, so the ritual he was holding sapped his mana instead. Given the sheer power involved, his mana circuits were instantly emptied, prompting them to draw in power from Limbo. He must have taken in too much.¡±


    He sighed. ¡°If he had taken in a bit more, he wouldn¡¯t have made it here at all. Anyway, even if he managed to save himself, drawing in the power of Limbo and purifying it with mana circuits would have left him far weaker. It¡¯s essentially weakening your mana circuits for one last shot at life. And only tri-folders can even think of purifying entropy. Bi-folders can just shut up and cry.¡±


    ¡°Or don¡¯t be an idiot and get into dangerous circumstances,¡± Risti added. ¡°To use entropy is to court death. A single misstep, and you and everyone around you will probably die. But the benefits portion is over. Now it¡¯s time to talk about your obligations.¡±


    ¡°Obligations?¡±


    ¡°As a member of this war,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Once you make contact with Limbo, you¡¯ll be able to sense anyone else who recently channelled such powers too. Unless that anyone else is one of us, you are to kill them by hook or crook. Finally, since you¡¯re a peripheral member of the war, you cannot recruit anyone. Attempts to do so should be relayed to your immediate handler ¡ª Nero.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°What? They¡¯re your quotas!¡± Risti replied. ¡°Anyway, try not to get into a situation where you¡¯re degenerating. If it comes down to that, just kill yourself and suffer a painless death. I¡¯m serious.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s serious,¡± Nero added. ¡°Don¡¯t do that. Mendas self-detonated because he didn¡¯t want to die in pain, and the negative spirit reaction during the detonation was designed to screw us all over. If not for Risti¡¯s artefact, we¡¯ll all be maggots by now.¡±


    ¡°Wait, really?¡± Nightfall asked. ¡°Ugh. Now I¡¯m going to be worried. Imagine if my citizens became something like that too¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­You didn¡¯t need to mention that,¡± Risti replied, eyeing Nero once. ¡°But yes, Count Nightfall, that¡¯s why we kill anyone with entropy on sight. Now, we need to give you ways to identify yourselves to friendlies, just in case someone like us spots you two with entropy and offs you at the first possible moment. Nero?¡±


    ¡°¡­Give me a moment while I look for them,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Just a moment.¡±


    As he checked through his clothes, Risti said, ¡°By no accounts are you two to speak of this to the Seekers of Life or anyone else. Those words will kill anyone without sufficient Authority. The only reason why you two were able to use these words now is presumably due to seeing them in person first, and then hearing them from us under Absolute Confinement.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Nightfall replied.


    ¡°Good. I don¡¯t want to kill you or anything, so remember the warnings so far.¡± Risti took a deep breath. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re just left with the initiation¡­¡±

 Chapter 352: The omens of a horrifying future

    <div>


    <div>


    Claud stared at the message in front of him. From the seven-coloured box, he knew that the dead Bearer of Destiny was definitely one of the Coloured Gods¡¯ own, but the timing was a bit too coincidental, if his Second Tutorial was just one of the many possible futures in store.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny, right?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you sit on my head if it isn¡¯t,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll feel your weight, so I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Nice way of flattering me, but I wonder what happened,¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°Well, if I go by what apparently happened, the others ¡ª they¡¯re called the Seekers of Life now, by the way ¡ª cornered him and killed him afterwards,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Seekers of Life?¡± Lily asked, tilting her head in an impossibly cute manner.


    ¡°You know, since the Moons descended in the Istrel Sovereignty.¡± Claud waved his hands airily, using the motion to prevent himself from reaching out and squishing her cheeks. ¡°Can¡¯t disrespect the new rulers of the place, you know. So they decided to change the name to something more innocuous. It might account for why we heard nothing about the Moon Lords from the Trading Boards, since they¡¯re under a new name now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that the network of information the Profiteers set up should account for this change, though,¡± Lily pointed out. ¡°In my opinion, they probably can¡¯t actually transmit information across that barrier.¡±


    ¡°Possible, yes.¡±


    Claud and Lily mulled on the series of events that had occurred so far. The things that had occurred in the future that had played out for him were coming true piece by piece, and he didn¡¯t like it. At this rate, when the Trial of Aeons started and ended, the Red God would come for him and Lily.


    He knew how that would play out. If he did nothing here, the future that had played out once for a fictional him may very well come to pass; it would be something he would bitterly regret and hate himself forever and ever.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do here?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Now that I¡¯m made aware of such a possibility, I¡¯m supposed to come up with a plan, but I don¡¯t have any plan at all.¡±


    ¡°No one¡¯s expecting you to do everything, Claud.¡± Lily rubbed his head. ¡°The world shouldn¡¯t rest on your shoulders alone.¡±


    ¡°In the future I saw, that¡¯s what apparently happened,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I wasn¡¯t even conscious to boot. Just an automaton who attacked anyone who dared to come too close, or in response to wills strong enough to keep me awake for a few moments. It¡¯s a horrible future for both of us.¡±


    ¡°Claud¡­¡±


    After hugging him for a few seconds, Lily rolled off the bed and pulled him up. ¡°Don¡¯t keep thinking about bad things. You need to eat too.¡±


    ¡°I did eat,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Yeah, twenty-four hours ago. You skipped dinner to buy more artefacts, made skillsticks, trained your muscles, and then your endurance at night. As a result, you overslept and refused breakfast when I asked you to.¡± Lily looked at him, a stern expression in her eyes. ¡°I know you¡¯re worried, and I¡¯m more than comforted by how you¡¯re working so hard for my sake, but you need to care about yourself too. I¡¯m here. Don¡¯t leave me out of this. I¡¯ll get worried too, you know.¡±


    Claud lowered his head. ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡±


    ¡°I know you had the best intentions, so I won¡¯t blame you.¡± Lily smiled. ¡°I should be thanking you instead.¡±


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    With those words, Lily pushed him out of the room and down into the tavern below. Business wasn¡¯t as bad as it could have been; ever since he and Lily rescued a bunch of bandits by persuading them to return home, the old man manning the counter had a few regulars dropping by to talk and buy food. Over the past few months, the restaurant that doubled as a bar ¡ª not an innovative invention by any stretch ¡ª had turned into the centre of all things social.


    Considering that there were still children, Claud really wanted to question this sudden development, but there really wasn¡¯t anyone he could question regarding this.


    ¡°The usual?¡± the old man at the counter asked.


    ¡°That¡¯ll do,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Oh, you spoke first today. Interesting. Is he in a bad mood?¡± the old man asked. ¡°Or is he simply frustrated by something?¡±


    ¡°Worried, as usual.¡± Lily patted Claud¡¯s shoulder. ¡°He¡¯s always worried for me and the future. He¡¯s sweet. Anyway, do you have that calming tea you served us last night? We want some. He needs it.¡±


    ¡°Who, me?¡±


    ¡°Who else, silly?¡± Lily smiled. ¡°If you keep this up, you¡¯ll definitely suffer from being too anxious. I¡¯m going to make sure that you¡¯re nice and calm, no matter what.¡±


    The overwhelming amount of concern flowing out from Lily was so dazzling that Claud couldn¡¯t help but fall mute, which she immediately took as a sign of acquiescence. With a victorious smile, she sat him down on a chair and started fiddling with his hands.


    ¡°What are you doing with my hands now?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m massaging them, why?¡± Lily pressed down on a particular part of his right palm, and an odd sensation flowed up his arm. ¡°Making all these things and preparations must be tiring for you. We¡¯ll start with your fingers. After breakfast, we¡¯ll move on to your shoulders, which are harder than rocks, by the way, and then I¡¯ll figure out what¡¯s next.¡±


    ¡°I need to make preparations for the inevitable battle,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to return to your room eventually,¡± Lily replied.


    Claud looked at his enthusiastic partner, and the words of refusal died before they could leave his lips. He could roughly understand why Lily wanted to help so much; if he was in her shoes, he would have done the same too. Furthermore, he himself had awoken from a prophetic trial that directly foretold Lily¡¯s death.


    Lily herself probably wasn¡¯t doing all that well either. If he didn¡¯t get it wrong, this was the way she coped with all that pressure that came with a foretold death, and¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll protect you.¡± Claud looked at her. ¡°So support me with all your might, okay?¡± No matter what comes, I¡¯ll be here to protect you. Be it the Coloured Gods, the Moons or the Dark. This time, they¡¯ll need to step over my body to get to you. I¡¯ll never leave you alone.¡±


    Lily nodded once, his eyes abnormally bright, and then brushed her arm over her eyes. ¡°Silly me. Why are my eyes so itchy? It¡¯s morning. Nothing¡¯s supposed to happen to them.¡±


    Taking a deep breath, she looked away from Claud. ¡°It¡¯s a nice day outside. And you¡¯ve been cooped up for too long. Do you want to pick up one of those toddlers outside and feed them with substances of dubious origins?¡±


    ¡°¡­I know what you¡¯re referring to, but the way you phrase them sounds like a crime,¡± Claud replied, hiding a smile with his hands. ¡°I¡­suppose I do need to step out once in a while. And besides, we need to meet with Count Lostfon today. He owes me a bunch of favours. It¡¯s time to call them all in.¡±


    ¡°What do you intend to do?¡±


    ¡°All his artefacts, I suppose. While I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll do piddly-squat to the Red God if he ever comes calling, we can at least try to secure a way to escape or something. I¡¯m not sure why he came after me and killed you, but I¡¯m not about to lie down and let him have it.¡± Claud looked at the table. It was clean, but he could see some stubborn stains on it.


    ¡°Opposing a god, huh.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Happens, I suppose.¡± Claud shrugged. ¡°Why, back when I was directly hit by that Grand Cross ritual magic, I had already pitted myself against the power of the White¡­uh, I shouldn¡¯t be saying this here.¡±


    Lily giggled. ¡°So we¡¯re going to visit Count Lostfon later? You know, normally we¡¯re supposed to send in a nice polite letter to him and everything. Flattery, gifts, etiquette¡­things like that, really.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a tetra-folder now,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I know I don¡¯t act like the few examples we have, but I am indeed a majestic tetra-folder. Etiquette can go and sit in a corner when it comes to me.¡±


    ¡°How domineering.¡±


    ¡°A shame we still need to pay for our food, though.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°And speaking about food¡­¡±


    Before long, their breakfast ¡ª bacon with eggs and sausages ¡ª were sitting on the table, emitting a delectable smell. It was a good meal, considering what Claud was planning on doing next, but more importantly, it also signified the start of a new day.


    Every breakfast meant that the three promised dates were getting closer and closer. The Dark and the Moons were going to descend soon enough; whatever peaceful times he and Lily had left were drawing to an end


    Claud looked at the scrambled egg, his resolve to protect Lily strengthening once more.

 (TOT) Chapter 353: Visiting the Lostfon Palace again

    ¡°So, to what dubious pleasure do I owe this visit, Lord Primus?¡± Count Lostfon eyed Claud up and down. ¡°Last I checked, you two were busy in the inn and freeloading off the tavern.¡±


    ¡°We paid for food and lodging, so I¡¯m not sure why you¡¯re calling that freeloading,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway, we came here for information. Only someone with a status as exalted as yours would be able to answer our questions¡­and also, we came to cash in on favours owed.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I prepared some lifestones for you two, and¡­wait, are you a tetra-folder?¡± The count¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Pardon me for my discourtesy. I¡¯ll bring you some prana jades, then.¡±


    Claud wanted to tilt his head, but his intuition told him that it would be better if he just clammed up and nodded. While he had no idea what prana jades were, the fact that Count Lostfon had immediately substituted lifestones for these things was rather telling.


    As he ambled away, Lily whispered, ¡°I like it when people volunteer information for us. Don¡¯t you feel the same way?¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s nice that people are smart. The no-so-smart ones like us can just coast along¡­¡±


    Before long, the two of them were seated down in the reception room. This wasn¡¯t the first time Claud had visited the Lostfon Palace, but within the short few weeks the two of them had spent cooped up in their rooms, the entire thing had changed. For some baffling reason, the entire interior was now incredibly bright and cheery, as if its interior decoration was supposed to contend with the gloom outside the world.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s with this bright d¨¦cor?¡± Lily asked, posing her question to the butler busy laying out some refreshments.


    ¡°For morale, apparently. The master likes it bright, and for some reason, so does his esteemed guest.¡± The butler chuckled. ¡°Please, enjoy.¡±


    ¡°His esteemed guest¡­ah, Dust, the Dark Herald.¡± Lily bobbed her head. ¡°But why would a Dark Herald like sunny decorations? Is there something wrong with her? Or is this dark motif just a motif?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a question that we should find the answer to,¡± Count Lostfon¡¯s voice sounded from the doorway. ¡°It¡¯ll be instrumental to our understanding of the great Dark. Hopefully, a peaceful coexistence is possible with them and the Moons, but we need to understand the divinities more first.¡±


    He set a small bag down. ¡°As a congratulatory gift. I collected them for my own use, initially, but after I realised that I was having trouble with my mana control, I decided to take it really slowly. My wife says it¡¯s alright if I just settle down and use my lifestones for my lifespan instead, so¡­well, I¡¯ve been enjoying life as of late.¡±


    Sliding it over to Claud, Count Lostfon added, ¡°At some point, it¡¯s all about your talent over mana control. Training can only get you so far.¡±


    Claud opened the bag and saw a bunch of shiny oval rocks. They were green in colour too, but exuded a purity that seemed to be comparable with lifestones.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a lot, to be honest, but at least it¡¯s a renewable resource¡­anyway, once again, congratulations for ascending in the hierarchy of life. I¡¯ll make some time to ask you about your experience in the Second Tutorial, just in case I ever need a reference point.¡± Count Lostfon smiled.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Claud wasn¡¯t going to deny such a request, since there were many things he didn¡¯t dare to say anyway. The count was a tri-folder with a near-complete fourth mana circuit; if he really put his mind to it and had a lucky day, he would complete his fourth circuit and move on.


    ¡°Many thanks. Anyway, you said you wanted to cash in some favours and ask for information, right?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily in that order, but yes.¡± Claud picked up his cup. ¡°First, do you know anything about the Trial of Aeons?¡±


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    ¡°The Trial of Aeons? Yes, I did ask Dust about it. It seems to be the qualification process to attaining the tenth mana fold,¡± Count Lostfon replied. ¡°Beyond that, however, Dust wasn¡¯t quite sure either.¡±


    ¡°Did someone say my name?¡± Darkness rippled, and a shadow with long hair stepped out. ¡°I was busy talking to Countess Los¡ª oh, it¡¯s you, count. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Oh, crap, the summoning mechanism. Sorry, sorry.¡± Lostfon cleared his throat. ¡°I¡¯m explaining what you told me about the Trial of Aeons to them¡­uh, do you still remember them?¡±


    Dust looked at Claud, and then at Lily, before frowning. ¡°Jog my memory a bit, count.¡±


    ¡°They helped you deal with the bandits that were pillaging your logistics train,¡± Lostfon replied. ¡°Remember? They brought back the civilians and I settled them into the town, which is why all of them are busy pestering the babies of your race.¡±


    ¡°Did you really need to bring up that last part? I keep getting complaints, you know. Their parents keep saying that you humans stuff them with so much good food that you lot spoiled their tastebuds.¡±


    Claud froze. That sentence wouldn¡¯t have been that off if it was referring to humans. Exchanging glances with Lily, the two of them engaged in a non-verbal conversation about how different types of lifeforms seemed to be very similar, even if their appearances were very diverse. It was an eye-opener to Claud, but at the same time, he also felt bad.


    After all, this was further proof that the Shadowed Ones were not that different from humans after all. They were not monstrous enemies that he needed to kill, but¡­


    That said, the him in that future hadn¡¯t thought that way, or had given up on thinking that way. Claud wasn¡¯t sure what to make of this, but¡­


    Lily sent a sad smile in his direction, and Claud forced himself to recover. Fortunately, the two old friends were now gossiping about who fed which baby what, so none of them had noticed the anomaly in his emotions. Their conversation, however, was a stark reminder to Claud that he had probably killed off the parents of an entire generation for both the Moons and the Dark when he struck.


    Did he have any regrets? Claud wasn¡¯t sure, but if he knew all this, he would have at least used more caution in his approach to dealing with the enemy.


    He sighed.


    ¡°Something wrong, Lord Primus?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just thinking about the general state of affairs,¡± Claud flubbed, using the favourite tactic that low level government clerks liked to use. ¡°About what to do, and what not to do. Do you two not have regrets at times? When you did certain actions, only to realise that you should have been more meticulous, more cautious?¡±


    The two of them looked at Claud, and then pondered on his words.


    ¡°We all have regrets,¡± Dust replied, gesturing once. ¡°But you can¡¯t turn back time. I stopped thinking about them after a while.¡±


    ¡°True, true. Thinking about them damages your mental state. Why, whenever I remember how I tried to pursue my wife when I was a teenager back then, I feel like rolling on the floor and crying,¡± Count Lostfon chipped in. ¡°The adult me was a lot better in that regard, but it¡¯s these things that make me roll around¡­¡±


    Claud decided to stop asking them. Clearly, his troubles and their troubles were on completely different dimensions, not to mention the possibility of Dust chasing after him and screaming bloody murderer if she found out he was the fellow who wiped out an entire army.


    Lily, who had noticed his distress, cleared her throat. ¡°Right, do you guys have any defensive artefacts? The more, the better. And maybe some one-off artefacts that have incredible offensive and defensive capabilities too. We¡¯ll need that for the coming months.¡±


    ¡°Artefacts? Perfect. If you didn¡¯t know, Lostfon is actually a place with lots of artefacts. I was deliberating on what to give you, but if you guys need artefacts with extraordinary effects, this is easy.¡± Count Lostfon rubbed his hands. ¡°Right, are you guys going to travel soon? I have this very convenient artefact that can allow you two to move at extreme speeds without mana walking!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s comfortable to boot! You won¡¯t need to walk or anything; you guys need to sit down!¡± Lostfon added.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m in,¡± Lily immediately replied. ¡°So, what artefact is it?¡±


    ¡°You have such a thing?¡± Dust asked.


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s not useful now, since travelling is impossible¡­you do know that there¡¯s a war going on, right?¡± Lostfon asked. ¡°Right smack dab in the middle of Nihila. We¡¯re lucky this place isn¡¯t the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°The Moons are on the backfoot, so the warfront is shifting away from your county. Relax.¡± Dust yawned. ¡°We¡¯re slacking off here¡­anyway, why do you two need more defensive artefacts? It¡¯s safe here.¡±


    ¡°Things are probably about to take a turn for worse,¡± Claud replied, his mind spinning rapidly. ¡°Yes, the Red God might be going insane. Preparing ourselves for the worst is the minimum we should do.¡±


    ¡°The Red God?¡± Count Lostfon asked.


    ¡°Along with the other Coloured Gods who lost their Bearers of Destiny, presumably. Now that more than half their number have perished, I don¡¯t think the Coloured Gods can sit back and relax. Things are about to get very iffy,¡± Claud continued, coming up with a plan to rope the great Dark into resisting whatever the Red God would soon do to him and Lily.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s a good point,¡± Dust acknowledged.


    ¡°I think your bosses might know already, but better to be safe¡­¡±

 (TOT) Chapter 354: The expected and the unexpected visit

    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve been to your storehouse,¡± Dust noted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, this is my sixth or so time in the past century,¡± Count Lostfon replied. ¡°It¡¯s nothing much to look at, to be honest. Anyway, since we¡¯re here, I suppose you might as well pick a souvenir and bring it back too. I have all sorts of fun stuff here, not just weapons and defences.¡±


    As Count Lostfon pulled out a stick that had a bouncy end to play on, Claud looked around the storeroom, which was a huge, tall chamber that had hundreds of shelves.


    ¡°Do you know what I¡¯m thinking?¡± Claud whispered to Lily.


    ¡°What?¡± Lily whispered back.


    ¡°Your family¡¯s vault is nothing compared to this,¡± Claud answered. ¡°Man, this place is huge for a treasure vault.¡±


    ¡°How about Istrel¡¯s?¡± Lily asked, that last word extremely quiet.


    ¡°Comparable. Can¡¯t remember much of that fellow¡¯s, though.¡± Claud rubbed his head. ¡°My memory of that day is a bit off.¡±


    Lily looked at him, but before she could say anything else, Count Lostfon approached the two of them in high spirits.


    ¡°Come, come! Don¡¯t just stand around here and exchange sweet nothings. This place has all sorts of great items, so do look around. I¡¯ll permit you guys to take a total of three items each!¡± The count grinned. ¡°And earlier, you said something about one-use artefacts, right? I have too many to count, so just take as many as you can!¡±


    ¡°Your wealth is so dazzling,¡± Claud commented. ¡°I¡¯m half blind.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re the city of wealth, I¡¯ll have you know. Inventions and money go hand in hand; we earn impossible amounts of money from taxing inventors and estates who are getting rich off royalty payments,¡± Lostfon replied. ¡°Our taxes for inventors are very low, only ten percent, which means that virtually anyone with an enterprising mind comes over here for taxes.¡±


    ¡°And the rest are okay with that?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I thought that would trigger a race to the bottom or something.¡±


    ¡°Nope. The other cities are earning enough from their own inventor tax. To lower it would take a nice chunk out of their already guaranteed fortune. If they want to go lower, they would need to take a risk; like half of their current income and hope that the smaller inventions yield better pay outs.¡± The count grinned. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault if they¡¯re already entrenched in guaranteed earnings.¡±


    Lily rubbed her chin. ¡°What about¡­¡±


    Claud watched on as the duo debated about taxation policy, and found himself impressed at how Lily was talking as an equal to the count. Lily didn¡¯t really do much in the way of administration, especially since Farah and Schwarz were in charge of virtually everything in the Moon Lords, but her familiarity with these issues¡­


    ¡°Implies that she actually did study administration,¡± Claud muttered, an image coming to the forefront of his mind. In that image, he could see her poring over books, wondering about whether she would get the chance to rehabilitate her family. She was probably far younger at that point in time, full of hopes that she could bring everyone around, and then got disillusioned from the sheer impossibility behind rehabilitating her family.


    After a while, Lily returned from talking to Count Lostfon, who had an intriguing expression on his face.


    ¡°Welcome back,¡± Claud replied, before taking her hand and giving it a little squeeze.


    Lily blinked, and then squeezed his hand back. ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡±


    ¡°I felt like it.¡± Claud led her to one of the shelves. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s start looking. There¡¯s lots of things here, though, so this will probably take some time¡­¡±


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    ¡°Do you want to look together with me?¡± Lily asked. ¡°It¡¯ll be more interesting, right? I can¡¯t imagine going through shelf after shelf alone.¡±


    ¡°¡­You don¡¯t like shopping alone, huh.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s usually the default.¡± Claud closed his eyes. ¡°Whenever I brought things from Licencia¡¯s shops. Artisan¡¯s Adherence, my go-to shop, has lots of these shelves. I would just spend hours looking through them at times, especially when they had new stock.¡±


    ¡°Licencia, huh¡­¡± Lily picked up a bracelet and toyed with it. ¡°I wonder what it looks like now. Maybe Schwarz went full-on crazy and decided to make a military fortress or something.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he made an underground city, complete with a farm and artificial sunlight,¡± Claud replied. ¡°So, what¡¯s that bracelet?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called the Wrestler¡¯s Ring,¡± Lily replied. ¡°When tossed up, it will hover in the air and mark out a circle with light.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Interesting. And?¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Lily echoed. ¡°What do you mean? That¡¯s it. There¡¯s nothing else. It just creates a circle of sunlight, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s the point of having a ring of sunlight, then?¡± Claud muttered.


    Lily shrugged, and the two of them continued to pick up random items. Most of them weren¡¯t what Claud would call useful; their effects seemed to be effectively random, and there wasn¡¯t a system in place to organise them either. Rather than a storehouse, this place seemed like a well-decorated pit to dump useless artefacts into¡­


    After an hour, Claud and Lily finished looking through three shelves, but by then, they were too tired to continue.


    ¡°There¡¯s so many items and somehow, none of them are useful,¡± Claud muttered darkly, before sitting down on the ground. ¡°Phew. Still, I hear artefacts are permanent skillsticks of sorts¡­but why would anyone learn a skill that would create a circle of sunlight to begin with? There are so many better ways to dazzle your opponent that it looks like a complete waste.¡±


    ¡°Hear, hear.¡± Lily flopped down next to him. ¡°There¡¯s so much junk¡­¡±


    The two of them laid down for a few minutes, before Claud finally regained the strength to twitch his head. ¡°I wonder what Count Lostfon is doing.¡±


    ¡°Showing off his collection, I think,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I know! Why not get him to recommend some for us? Or we can get some things. I¡¯ve always wanted a storage artefact. He should have one, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right! We can just ask him directly!¡± Claud got up and hauled Lily to her feet. ¡°Why should we look around when we can ask him? Let him do the hard work.¡±


    The count was busy introducing a sword to Dust when the two of them walked over, and he looked at them. ¡°Need something?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we figured asking you directly would be the best. For our three artefacts, we would like a storage artefact each, and then maybe one that can allow us to traverse space or make a quick escape.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°Do you have anything like that?¡±


    ¡°Storage artefacts I do have, but traversing space¡­like teleporting? Things like that are really rare, you know,¡± said Count Lostfon, before frowning. ¡°Well, I did promise you, though¡­and a Lostfon never breaks their word.¡±


    ¡°I like your style, count,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Keep praising me, Lord Primus.¡± The count pondered for a moment. ¡°Ah! I do have a teleportation artefact I can give you. I apologise in advance, but it¡¯s the only one I can afford to give away, so either you take it or leave it.¡±


    ¡°One is better than zero, Count Lostfon,¡± Lily replied. ¡°We¡¯ll be very happy to have it, right?¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°What kind of artefact is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an artefact that can transport up to three people to a safe location five kilometres away. It can be used three times a day,¡± Lostfon replied. ¡°Alone, it¡¯s already a very valuable artefact, so don¡¯t complain that I¡¯m shortchanging you. The only problem lies in how it takes a minute to activate, and once activated, it cannot be cancelled. It¡¯s not good for combat, in other words.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°It¡¯s definitely good stuff, though. As expected of you, Count Lostfon. Your storehouse is like your city, full of good stuff and very rich.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! You sure are good at speaking, Lord Primus!¡± The count patted his shoulder. ¡°Wait here. I¡¯ll get the storage artefacts and the Traversal Glove for you.¡±


    He ambled off at those words, leaving Cland and Lily alone with Dust, who was now looking at the two of them.


    ¡°Erm, hi.¡± Lily took the initiative. ¡°It¡¯s a rather nice store, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Dust looked at Lily. ¡°It¡¯s alright for the three of us to remain silent if there isn¡¯t a topic of conversation, Lady Primus. Of course, I must apologise for forgetting the three of you, especially after your aid in dealing with our local problems.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, really.¡± Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°We¡¯re not really im¡ª¡±


    The door to the storeroom slammed open at that moment, and Count Lostfon¡¯s butler rushed in. ¡°Master, master! There¡¯s a visit from someone claiming to be the Red God¡¯s familiar spirit!¡±


    Count Losfton walked out of the storeroom a moment later, his hands holding on to a few things. ¡°What? The Red God¡¯s familiar spirit?¡±


    ¡°Yes, master.¡±


    The count looked at Dust, and then at the two of them. ¡°Mind if you three follow me out? I feel safer that way.¡±


    Everyone else nodded.

 Chapter 355: Istrel, the trade and the hunt

    The power roiling off the red-coloured fellow had filled the reception room by the time Claud and the others arrived. The Dark Herald and the Red God¡¯s familiar spirit locked eyes immediately afterwards, and the subsequent, silent clash of wills swept away any dust in the room.


    After three seconds, the face-off ended, and both Dust and the foreign familiar spirit took a step back each.


    ¡°So, done?¡± Count Lostfon asked, his whimsical tone of voice completely gone. ¡°What brings you here, familiar spirit of the Red God?¡±


    ¡°Passage to the sealed Istrel Sovereignty,¡± the familiar spirit replied, folding his hands. For some reason, that simple gesture seemed to fall into place perfectly, as if his body was made for it, and Claud held his head with his left arm, shaking it twice.


    ¡°And you¡¯re asking me for that?¡± Lostfon replied.


    ¡°The Lord is omniscient. You have a way,¡± the familiar spirit replied. ¡°Deny me not, and I shall depart peaceably.¡±


    ¡°All things come at a price. I am the lord of a territory. I will not debase my value so by handing out things to people with service.¡± Count Lostfon¡¯s words were slow and methodical. ¡°As we people of the gold coin do so say, let us have a trade.¡±


    ¡°A trade.¡± A pulse of power erupted outwards from the familiar spirit. ¡°Think you worthy of looking me in my eye?¡±


    ¡°Verily so, familiar spirit.¡±


    ¡°And lest you forget, I too am here.¡± Dust followed forwards. ¡°This place is, by covenant, under the greater eye and the lesser spark. Cease your rudeness at once.¡±


    The familiar spirit paused. ¡°A trade, then. What do you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°Now we are on speaking terms.¡± Count Lostfon sat down. ¡°Let¡¯s talk business, then. I hear that the familiar spirits of the Coloured Gods are mighty individuals, each of them paramount characters of an age. Just as how you seek a favour from me, there will come a time when I require aid of such an existence. Let a promise of your aid be my payment.¡±


    ¡°A promise for a favour. Caveat: the promise must not place me at conflict against my lord, and I do so reserve the privilege to retreat if my life is at risk,¡± the familiar spirit replied.


    ¡°Done.¡±


    ¡°Let the five grand skies witness our contract.¡± Power welled up from within the familiar spirit, and the world itself seemed to reply. The nebulous wave of power swiftly ebbed, leaving behind no proof that anything shocking had just happened not too long ago.


    The two continued to work out the details of the familiar spirit¡¯s passage to Istrel, but Claud couldn¡¯t hear anything of substance. After exchanging a few more words, the count drew out a letter and handed it to the familiar spirit, which gave him a small red circle in reply.


    ¡°The Lord thanks you for your assistance, Count Lostfon.¡± The familiar spirit patted the letter and pushed it into thin air, which opened up a red slit and swallowed. ¡°May your life be filled with precision.¡±


    He got up, prompting Lostfon to do the same. In silence, the count escorted the familiar spirit to the door, only for the red figure to vanish the moment he stepped out of the door frame.


    ¡°Efficiency,¡± Lily murmured. ¡°Everything about the Red God¡¯s familiar spirit screams that. Walking off to further engender politeness, but there was no point in walking to the palace gates. Is this the ideal of the Red God? His domain?¡±


    ¡°The God of Precision slinks in the shadows and tweaks the gears of the world,¡± Dust abruptly said. ¡°His mechanisms guide the future cleanly, intervening at strategic times for the best of outcomes. The silent guardian of progress, he abhors pointless issues, customs and pursuits, but acknowledges that they too can transform into rituals that encourage overall efficiency.¡±


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    Claud looked at the Dark Herald. ¡°The God of Precision¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. In the Third Godsfall, he played the role of an assassin, striking from the shadows. His most notable exploit was killing the Goddess of Humility, who had grown proud of her combat ability, at her lowest point of caution.¡± Dust paused. ¡°The new God of Precision, striking down the one of the inverted Virtues¡­will this happen again, when the gods are sullied by mortal dust?¡±


    Exchanging glances with Lily, Claud looked at the returning Count Lostfon, who had a relieved expression on his face. ¡°Turns out that it wasn¡¯t all that bad after all.¡±


    ¡°I personally agree, but Dust looks like she has a different opinion,¡± Lostfon replied.


    The Dark Herald grunted. ¡°This is against His nature. The dispatch of His familiar spirit does not carry the efficiency and perfection we have observed thus far for the past six millennia. By all accounts, He should already have cut out a route towards Istrel without needing to stop by this place.¡±


    Count Lostfon grunted. ¡°While he was right in that I still do have my quota to sending people into Istrel, it will take some time. I wonder what the cause was¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe His Bearer of Destiny died,¡± Claud suggested quietly.


    ¡°¡­That was pretty much the last Bearer I would expect to die,¡± Dust replied. ¡°If that is true, however, then the Red God will soon be a very troublesome opponent. If he does not have a Bearer, he will attempt to steal one¡­just like my masters and the Moons.¡±


    ¡°You can steal Bearers of Destiny?¡± Lily asked, her eyes turning into saucers.


    ¡°Or so I¡¯m told.¡± Dust shrugged. ¡°None of us knows what that means, though, but there¡¯s a reason why we pull out all the stops when we notice a foreign Bearer of Destiny.¡±


    Claud abruptly discovered the ability to sympathise with a cut of fine meat being auctioned at the local markets, and he had to summon his full strength to prevent his expression from warping.


    ¡°What happens after you capture them?¡± Lily asked, covering up for Claud.


    ¡°We deliver them to our masters. Not just us Dark Heralds, but the Moon Emissaries and the familiar spirits of the gods¡­they¡¯ll all do the same thing,¡± Dust replied. ¡°Since we are on this topic, I would like to ask if you guys know any Bearers of Destiny. If you do, do consider sending them my way. You two will be handsomely rewarded.¡±


    ¡°Not that we know of,¡± said Lily. ¡°But we did hear about the Third Bearer of Destiny not too long ago. Some super-strong guy killed him in one hit.¡±


    ¡°What a waste.¡±


    Claud rubbed his nose. While it sounded like a waste to Dust, he had benefited greatly from offing that bugger. Not only did he get a bunch of lifespan, he also had an anti-divination, prophecy and scrying ability, preventing anyone from seeing his Bearer of Destiny skill.


    Count Lostfon returned a moment later. ¡°I heard about the Third Bearer of Destiny too. My daughter told me about it. Absolute Domination¡­it¡¯s the Absolute version of a taboo skill. I¡¯m glad he¡¯s dead.¡±


    ¡°Domination?¡± Dust shook. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s good that he¡¯s dead, then. He wouldn¡¯t have lasted long anyway.¡±


    Claud looked at the Dark Herald. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because that¡¯ll be public enemy number one. Absolute skills can be described as a skill reaching the level of the divinities. The gods, the Moons and the Dark.¡± Dust looked at them. ¡°Once he started growing, his range of control would expand. He would probably have multiple Bearers of Destiny under his control, turning him into a force in its own right.¡±


    ¡°I think we dodged an arrow there, then,¡± Count Lostfon muttered. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a noble?¡± Claud asked. ¡°You should know these things!¡±


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t like history.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not an excuse to actually ignore the important things,¡± Claud pointed out. ¡°And I think learning history will help in the Second Tutorial. Or at least in understanding what happens there. After all¡­I had to dig up some old facts when it started for me.¡±


    ¡°Wait, really?¡±


    ¡°My own experience, naturally. Yours might be different,¡± Claud replied. ¡°In fact, it was history two hundred years ago.¡±


    What Claud didn¡¯t mention was that his Second Tutorial had taken place two hundred years into the future, but what the count didn¡¯t know wouldn¡¯t hurt him.


    ¡°Knowledge is indeed power,¡± Lily added.


    ¡°If you want someone to talk to about it, you can find us and everything,¡± Claud concluded. ¡°We¡¯re very free anyway.¡±


    ¡°You sound oddly proud about that, but okay, sure. I¡¯ll take you on your offer or something,¡± Count Lostfon replied. ¡°Want to join us, Dust? I¡¯ll call my wife and children along, so we¡¯ll all have a nice gathering. How does that sound?¡±


    ¡°That does sound nice, I admit,¡± said Dust. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll drop by if I¡¯m free.¡±


    ¡°You usually are quite free, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Who says that? Tell me their names. I¡¯ll make sure they¡¯ll give you guys a different answer tomorrow.¡± Dust folded her arms.


    ¡°N-never mind¡­¡±


    Claud rubbed his nose. Even the Dark Heralds were interesting fellows.


    He looked out of the doorway, and shuddered. The familiar spirit of the Red God was heading towards Schwarz and the others right now. If he had a choice, he would have intercepted them, but¡­


    Claud took a deep breath. ¡°Right, how does one even travel back to the Istrel Sovereignty to begin with?¡±

 Chapter 356: New strikes and new news

    Rippling afterimages of a sword slashing through the air multiple times flickered through the dawn sky, and Dia sheathed her blade. The clink of her blade¡¯s pommel as it touched the sheath seemed to trigger something, and blue gashes erupted from thin air once more.


    She let out a breath of air, and the gashes that hung in mid-air exploded outwards with a horrifying shriek. Schwarz cursed a moment later, his eyes flashing with fear, and the others weren¡¯t faring any better either.


    ¡°What the heck?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°How did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Lingering mana,¡± Dia explained. ¡°When I slashed out earlier, the mana shrouding the blade was left behind. There¡¯s two levels to that strike; an automated outburst from the outer layers of the mana slashes, and then an inner layer another few seconds later.¡±


    ¡°This is something you just came up with?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Dia didn¡¯t mention the inspiration, though. Of everyone here ¡ª her, Risti, Schwarz, Farah and Nero, Schwarz and Farah were unaware of Limbo and the concept of a negative mana reaction. What Dia had basically done in the third step was an attempt to emulate a negative mana reaction, but on a physical level.


    The core of her residue strikes would collapse upon themselves three seconds later, creating a deadly shockwave that could rupture flesh and bone.


    ¡°Cool, so how do we do it?¡± Schwarz asked, swinging his sword around.


    ¡°For you guys, y¡¯all can start by trying to leave behind mana residue when attacking,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Coat your swords with mana, and then, while preserving their structure, release them from your blade at the appropriate times. Incidentally, you can use them as traps as you¡¯re running too; create a few of them, and when the enemy comes across them, they¡¯ll just happen to detonate.¡±


    A shockwave rang out as Nero lowered his own sword. Another, secondary explosion followed a few seconds later, and Dia nodded. ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±


    The Holy Son of the Black God, as expected, was really gifted.


    ¡°Well, it was a bit easy.¡± He glanced at Risti. ¡°See? She also got it!¡±


    Farah and Schwarz frowned, exchanging perplexed looks at the same time. Dia could already practically hear them exchange expressions of doubt and disbelief in their minds, but¡­


    The concept of an implosion was mindblowing to Dia, when she understood what a negative mana reaction was. She had merely adapted it for battles, allowing for that third blow, but for Farah and Schwarz, who hadn¡¯t taken part in that battle against the First Bearer of Destiny, this was something they couldn¡¯t¡¯ wrap their heads around.


    Whoops.


    After making sure that Nero and Risti did it correctly, Dia turned to Farah and Schwarz, who were still trying to figure out what a collapse actually was. For Risti and Dia herself, the concept was easier to grasp because they had felt the odd movement of the First¡¯s mana, but for these two, they could only hope to interpret that from Dia¡¯s own attacks, which were on a far finer, smaller scale.


    After that showcase, Dia got down to the duels. Nero had to sit this one out, because even without using his mana, the passive physical enhancement his mana circuits gave him were overpowering. The Second Tutorial was apparently a watershed moment; there was some incredible, qualitative change that came with being a tetra-folder.


    The one-sided beatdown Dia doled out to Risti lasted for around thirty minutes, before she called it a day. Everyone had their own things to do, but now, Dia had an extra agenda on the table.


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    Limbo.


    This was the reason why Dia wasn¡¯t going hard on Risti, because she and Nero would become their teachers in the art of drawing power from another plane of existence. Three days had passed since the First committed suicide, and in that time, Dia had learned about the finer ways of controlling what essentially was an unlimited store of power.


    Of course, there were various limits and huge dangers to it, but Dia knew that she couldn¡¯t be squeamish at this juncture. Other than that, however, the three of them had anti-Limbo duties; now that Dia (and Count Nightfall) had been roped into this odd group, she now was obligated to take out any incursions of Limbo into their world.


    Returning her training blade to its rack, Dia paced around the small training ground and helped the other exhausted Seekers of Life in keeping their things. Now that everyone had caught up in terms of mana circuits, the standard issue training blade was now two hundred kilograms, so they were rather heavy.


    As for Nero, he simply used his own sword.


    ¡°Still, it¡¯s a pity that you suck at actual combat,¡± Dia glanced at Nero, who was eagerly repeating that triple-layered slash over and over again. ¡°You¡¯re good at figuring out mana movements and everything, but you have not much in the way of common sense.¡±


    ¡°Really? I think I did pretty well when we were dealing with the First Bearer of Destiny back then, though.¡±


    Dia tried to recall his performance, but for some reason, it felt like Count Nightfall did it better. Furthermore, in the original encounter, the First had been drastically weakened by the backlash of a ritual spell failing on him, and his body had degenerated from taking in so much power from Limbo.


    ¡°¡­Your face tells me that you don¡¯t quite believe me.¡±


    Dia chuckled nervously. ¡°Let¡¯s not dwell on that matter for too long. Right, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you, but what¡¯s your Mana Control Proficiency?¡±


    ¡°Expert,¡± Nero replied, a hint of pride in his face. Dia could even see his mind shouting for praise, so she indulged for a moment by complimenting his talents and everything, before moving on to the main topic.


    ¡°How does it feel like to have Expert-rank control?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°How does it feel like?¡± Nero pondered for a moment. ¡°Ah. I know. You have moments when you are in top form, right? Your limbs move exceptionally smooth, and you can take on everything that comes at you. That¡¯s pretty much it. Your mana becomes more than an extension of your limb; it is another organ on its own.¡±


    Dia furrowed her brows. ¡°Another organ on its own¡­¡±


    ¡°A third arm that¡¯s like your dominant one. In fact, I would liken Intermediate to your non-dominant arm, and Expert to your dominant one. Does that make sense?¡± Nero asked.


    Nodding slowly, Dia thought about the sensation when she used her arms separately, and then frowned. Clearly, the differences only mattered in the finest movements, but again, that was always the case for mana to begin with.


    ¡°As I recall, Expert Mana Control Proficiency allows you to use half of your full strength without any wastage, right?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Precisely so. And this is very important for the likes of you and me, as well as people who carry mana batteries. But the latter is very rare, so there¡¯s no need to think too hard about it,¡± Nero replied. ¡°More importantly, the purification process is a lot faster. What would have taken an absolute scrub ten days would now only take five.¡±


    Dia nodded. The purification limit referred to the amount of energy a person could take in from Limbo. While everyone could only take in a quarter of their mana circuit capacity before going past the point of no return, one¡¯s Mana Control Proficiency could increase the rate of purification.


    The higher it was, the faster the impurities were filtered out¡­and the faster the user could return to action. And for mana-users whose battles could last days from very efficient use of mana and physical strength, this rapid recovery was incredibly useful.


    Unfortunately, Nero never got to demonstrate its use, since the enemy he was supposed to be facing had been affected by his machinations.


    After chatting for a few more minutes, Nero returned to the mansion, intending on washing up and cleaning himself. Dia, who had finished the clean-up, simply sat around the training grounds for a few moments.


    The First Bearer of Destiny had died. She had come to terms with this, but somehow, she had the sinking feeling that the Red God or His familiar spirits would not be happy with that person¡¯s death. Fortunately, everyone was already preparing for ways to address whatever threat was approaching; this demonstration of a new move was one of them.


    While it was unlikely she could best a familiar spirit with an attack like this, its true value lay in running. These things were essentially timed explosives that could be planted in mid-air to detonate, and it wasn¡¯t like familiar spirits were made of metal anyway.


    As long as they were made of blood, flesh and bone, Dia was confident that they could still be killed.


    Right?


    She dusted herself off and made her way into the mansion, where today¡¯s intelligence briefing was going to begin soon¡­ and the first agenda was dealing with the news that a familiar spirit of the Red God was attempting to make its way into Istrel.

 (TOT) Chapter 357: News about a familiar spirit

    ¡°So, where did this news come from?¡± Dia asked, looking at the three sausages that had been thoughtfully left for her. ¡°I mean, if a familiar spirit of the Coloured Gods wants to enter Moon territory, you¡¯d think that they would be a bit sneakier about it, right?¡±


    Schwarz, who was holding on to a bottle and drinking from it unsteadily, hiccupped and said, ¡°The familiar spirit was lining up at the only entrance to the sovereignty.¡±


    Dia patted her ear twice. ¡°Sorry, please say that again. I¡ª¡±


    ¡°You did not hear it wrongly.¡± Schwarz hiccupped once more, and Farah reached out to take the bottle from him.


    After smacking his shoulders once, Farah said, ¡°Apparently, familiar spirits can¡¯t really sneak around the fiefs of claimed by the Moons and the Dark. I¡¯m not sure why, but according to Nero, it¡¯s due to differences between a substantiated familiar spirit and one that descended upon a human.¡±


    Nero nodded. ¡°The familiar spirits are supposed to extol the glory of their respective creators. For obvious reasons, they can¡¯t really hide their divinity when walking around in the commonfolk. Even people like me have a touch of divinity that observant mana-users can pick out; if you see someone catching your eye like no other, there¡¯s probably some divinity in them.¡±


    ¡°So familiar spirits cannot handle clandestine stuff?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Well, at least the chance of them wreaking havoc here and in my county isn¡¯t going to be that high¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the Moon Emissaries are more likely to do that instead,¡± Schwarz pointed out with one more hiccup, and then returned to sobriety.


    Dia had no idea what was up with Schwarz today, since the bartender rarely drank to the point of inebriation. She hadn¡¯t noticed anything odd with him earlier too, so it was probably something that happened while she was cleaning up.


    Farah took a look at Schwarz, shook her head once, and then said, ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll need to think of countermeasures. Nero, Risti and Dia, both of you head over to the palace later. Nightfall wants to talk to you three regarding the death of the First.¡±


    ¡°¡­Maybe the three of us shouldn¡¯t be chased or something,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°How troublesome!¡±


    He pouted, and Dia was abruptly reminded of Nero¡¯s age. The Holy Son of the Black God was slightly older than twenty, and he had lost three years of his life when acting as the thrall of the Third. Now that she thought about it, Nero was remarkably mature for his actual age, which was probably proof of how solid his education as a child was.


    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    ¡°I just remembered your age,¡± Dia replied truthfully. ¡°Especially the fact that you lost three years to being a thrall¡­¡±


    Her words sent a ripple through the table, and Schwarz followed up by saying, ¡°I¡¯m sure the count won¡¯t mind if you don¡¯t go. Let the two old ones go instead.¡±


    Schwarz shivered a moment later as Dia turned to look at him, her actions in sync with Risti. He forced a grin onto his face and said, ¡°I meant the two, uh, wise ones.¡±


    ¡°¡­You really think that¡¯s better?¡± Risti.


    ¡°S-sorry...¡± Schwarz looked around and said, ¡°Right, me and Farah need to do some work now, right Farah? Right?¡±


    Farah looked at him once and sighed. ¡°Did you drink too much again? You know you¡¯re not supposed to be drinking much. You said it yourself! Come on, guys, do forgive Schwarz. I think he broke out the booze today for some reason, and is a bit uninhibited now. His emotions are tending towards extremes.¡±


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    ¡°Fine,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Nero, give me a hand here and help me carry him to his room. I think he needs to rest or something.¡± Farah sighed. ¡°I wonder what¡¯s wrong with him¡­if only Claud was here. He¡¯d definitely be able to explain why Schwarz is so out of it.¡±


    ¡°Claud¡­where exactly is he anyway?¡± Dia muttered. ¡°The honeymoon has lasted three months! The Dark is going to fully descend by Half Moon! There¡¯s not much time left, and he¡¯s still keeping Lily to himself!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for traces of him or Lily,¡± Risti replied. ¡°But it¡¯s like they¡¯re gone. Like Princess Dia. They left Licencia and vanished entirely.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the princess picked them up?¡± Farah wondered. ¡°I mean, if they¡¯re just as unaccounted for as the princess, maybe there¡¯s a connection there.¡±


    No, there¡¯s no such thing, alright? Dia retorted in her mind, before clearing her throat. ¡°If such a thing happened, I would have known.¡±


    ¡°Really? I mean, I don¡¯t think the princess reports to you about her daily life. She probably has a few subordinates doing things for her, but you don¡¯t know anything about them either,¡± Risti pointed out. ¡°Else, you would have already headed over to find your mistress.¡±


    Damn this Risti and her sharp wit. Dia forced out a smile. ¡°That¡¯s¡­possible, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Risti patted her shoulder. ¡°Still, the question remains: how did the two of them meet up with Princess Dia? Maybe we should have gone travelling after all.¡±


    There were so many things Dia wanted to point out, but she was already getting used to it. Letting out a small sigh, Dia speared another sausage and nibbled away at it with a practiced grace. That said, these two did have a very good point. Just where did they go? Dia could tell that Claud and Lily were the types to probably flirt openly, so looking for couples that spent all their time hugging each other or something was definitely a good place to start. Furthermore, Risti was even dedicating part of her attention to this task, along with Schwarz.


    If their efforts combined weren¡¯t yielding fruit¡­


    Did something happen to them? Dia entertained the thought briefly, before shaking her head. Claud and Lily had evolved into a horrifying duo of cautiousness and preparedness, if their jaunts to ensure the city¡¯s security were of any indication. Furthermore, Dia had a feeling that if something really happened to them, there would be a lot of destruction involved.


    ¡°Oh well.¡±


    Farah and Nero returned a few minutes later, chatting about the friendship between Claud and Schwarz.


    ¡°I wonder what¡¯s their story like,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°I mean, we do know that Claud tried to trick Schwarz when they were younger, and they seem like rather close friends too. It¡¯s a shame we don¡¯t know anything else, though¡­what about you three and Lily? Were you guys really fans of Princess Dia before meeting up?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a double, the rest are fans,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Oh¡­yeah. Double. I wonder what happened to Cornelius.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Cornelius?¡± Farah asked, curious.


    ¡°He¡¯s my double,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Stands in for me when I¡¯m too laz¡ªtired to show up for public functions. Being the Holy Son has its perks, but you have so many ceremonies that even the Church is forced to give you a stand-in at times.¡±


    ¡°What ceremonies are we talking about here?¡± Farah asked.


    Dia tilted her head. ¡°Uh, Apotheosis, for one. That¡¯s the one where all dukes and above are invited to for a blessing, but this year is a special year for obvious reasons.¡±


    ¡°Right, Apotheosis.¡± Nero wiped his forehead. ¡°That¡¯s one of the worst festivals. Do you know how tiring it is to perform ritual magic for all the damn Senators in the Nihal Assembly? And I can¡¯t even perform for a group either, although the efficacy doesn¡¯t change; they want personalised services. I¡¯m usually wiped out after that.¡±


    Dia and the others crowded around Nero and patted his head.


    ¡°There, there.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all under the bridge now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re here, and you can¡¯t leave. Isn¡¯t this a good holiday for you?¡±


    Nero twitched. ¡°You remind me of the sisters in the Church. They also do the same thing after a long day of services and rituals¡­I wonder if they¡¯re still worried about me. Did Sabrina get married? She must be mad that I wasn¡¯t there to officiate for her¡­¡±


    ¡°Crap, he¡¯s now in the mood for fretting.¡± Risti looked at the distraught Holy Son. ¡°Farah, go and act like a motherly figure while we go settle some issues with Count Nightfall.¡±


    ¡°What? Why me?¡±


    ¡°You can take my place if you want to, then,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I¡¯m all for it.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. Fine, you guys go. I¡¯ll go fetch him some drinks or something and listen to him speak,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Better make some dignified excuses for Nero, though.¡±


    ¡°Got it, got it.¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°C¡¯mon, Dia. Let¡¯s go find the count and discuss some countermeasures. Nero, you relax for a while. I think you¡¯re stressing yourself out too much.¡±


    As Farah tilted her head, Risti pulled Dia away. After grabbing a few artefacts, the two of them walked to the booth that allowed entry and exit, and then Risti paused. ¡°Nero¡¯s probably acting like this due to you and Count Nightfall.¡±


    ¡°Us?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He used his two quotas, after all.¡±


    ¡°What does that have to do with his mind?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain at the palace,¡± Risti replied. ¡°For now, just follow me.¡±

 (TOT) Chapter 358: Anti-familiar spirit measures

    ¡°So, two agendas for the day, then.¡± Risti made herself comfortable at the head of the table, a sight that made Dia twitch and Count Nightfall frown. ¡°First, the pesky familiar spirit who is presumably on his way here. Second, the issue of quotas and why Nero is in a bad state.¡±


    Dia decided not to ask why Risti was leading the discussion after hearing those words.


    ¡°Okay, the familiar spirit.¡± Risti drummed her fingers on the table. ¡°Familiar spirits are nasty business. The one on the way will crush us with supreme ease. Even my aunt would have to flee, and so would yours, Dia.¡±


    ¡°Aunts?¡± Count Nightfall asked.


    ¡°Aye. My aunt is a tetra-folder, the Verdant Interrogator,¡± Risti replied. ¡°As for Dia, her aunt is the penta-folder that apparently shocked Ruler Istrel into backing down, the Lamenter of Sorrowful Partings.¡±


    ¡°You and Princess Dia are very close, huh,¡± Nightfall quipped.


    Dia glanced at the count. ¡°Yeah, very close.¡±


    So close that we¡¯re the same person, okay? I really want to see your face if I get to reveal my identity one day. Smirking, Dia leaned back on her chair, and the count¡¯s face flickered. Within seconds, his expression had turned dark, and Dia had the feeling that he was trying to figure out if he had wronged her at any point in time.


    ¡°So, count, I presume you didn¡¯t actually have a countermeasure ready to deal with the Red God¡¯s familiar spirit, right?¡± Risti asked.


    Nightfall paused. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to get into contact with the Moons. Gotta let them take the fall for this one,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Besides, they were more than happy to smite that fellow with lightning. It¡¯ll be good if they just bar the familiar spirit at the door or something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already working on that, but I suspect that the familiar spirit is just bait that was thrown out,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°The Moons certainly won¡¯t let an outsider kill a collaborator. That¡¯ll just send the wrong signals out. However, with all that focus on the familiar spirit, it¡¯s easy for human agents to enter.¡±


    ¡°People can still enter the sovereignty?¡±


    Nightfall paused. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you guys something. On the day the Moon Emissary was killed, the palace¡¯s artefacts detected an enormous surge of power. Something we had never seen before. What we didn¡¯t tell anyone was that shortly after that enormous burst of power was detected, it vanished unnaturally. At the same time, however, the barrier that surrounds the sovereignty was breached, but we have no idea what caused the breach.¡±


    ¡°The killer escaped through the barrier?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Yeah. It was weakened permanently too,¡± Count Nightfall replied. ¡°Which is why there¡¯s a kill on sight order coming down from the Moons. Anyone approaching the barrier is instantly apprehended or killed.¡±


    ¡°Huh. So the person who killed the Moon Emissary ¡ª probably the Thief of Time ¡ª isn¡¯t here anymore.¡± Dia bobbed her head.


    ¡°Correct. But that¡¯s beside the point,¡± Count Nightfall replied. ¡°Right now, a burst of power that is concentrated enough can create a nice hole in the barrier. It¡¯ll definitely alarm whatever guards that are stationed there, but there aren¡¯t enough guards. The Thief of Time obliterated one of the Moonlit armies on his or her own, after all.¡±


    ¡°I see. It¡¯s not that bad if we don¡¯t have to deal with a familiar spirit. That said, we don¡¯t know the extent of what the Red God knows. Does he know that we were behind his Bearer¡¯s death? Or just the approximate location that requires an investigation?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°¡­Moons if I knew.¡± Count Nightfall shook his head. ¡°While everyone¡¯s going to be paying attention to the high-profile personage requesting for entry, there¡¯s probably going to be an operative sneaking into the place and trying to figure out whodunit, if he hadn¡¯t already.¡±


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    The three of them sighed.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we have a break?¡± Risti complained. ¡°First the Bearer, and now this. Does Caroline have any suggestions?¡±


    ¡°Nothing for us, unfortunately.¡± Nightfall drummed the table. ¡°Anyway, the only thing we can do is to beef up security and be more vigilant. We can¡¯t go around scrutinising foreigners anyway.¡±


    ¡°Well, we definitely can scrutinise anyone who comes from the Saran Supremacy, though,¡± Risti pointed out. ¡°Their clothes are quite distinct. We see one, we toss them into jail and grill them a bit.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too heavy-handed¡­¡±


    ¡°Just say we¡¯re looking for a criminal who fits that description, duh,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a count? You¡¯re supposed to be familiar with the act of oppressing people.¡±


    ¡°Is that what you think of us nobles as?¡± Nightfall retorted. Dia had to force herself to not nod along, in case she gave a few things away, and thankfully, Risti didn¡¯t notice her.


    Risti grinned. ¡°Anyway, inconvenient truths aside, we should deal with the second matter. Nero is currently struggling with himself because he¡¯s used both quotas at once. He¡¯ll be out of commission for some time.¡±


    ¡°Right, you said something about that,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°So, what does quotas have to do with him reverting to his younger self?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit hard to explain, but it¡¯s more of an uninhibition. His usual self, shackled by etiquette and a whole host of other things that he has unconsciously absorbed, is currently unconscious. What remains is a more primordial version of Nero. Expect him to be a bit bratty or something,¡± Risti replied. ¡°


    ¡°Bratty¡­¡± Dia ruminated over that word and hid a smile. ¡°Okay, so why is his usual self unconscious?¡±


    ¡°The quotas aren¡¯t something we¡¯re expected to use. For us who contend against Limbo, using them means that we have failed in our duty to keep a secret,¡± Risti replied. ¡°It¡¯s a punishment. Normally, it¡¯s just a piercing headache, but Nero was forced to bring you two into the fold at one shot.¡±


    Dia felt a touch of alarm at her explanation. In other words, Risti and Nero were actually not just people with a duty and obligation that came from their station.


    ¡°You guys are part of an organisation?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°¡­Was it not obvious?¡± Risti tilted her head. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s just in name. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve convened for over a decade, and when we convene, it¡¯s done with an artefact very similar to the ritual magic of the Black God, Theatro Amimi.¡±


    ¡°You people can¡¯t say the name either, then,¡± Dia noted.


    ¡°Right, the name. I can tell you guys, but telling you guys will bind you to secrecy and¡­never mind. You were already bound to secrecy the moment Nero used his quota anyway.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s¡­very complicated. Like I said, the powers that protect the world against Limbo are vast and varied. You already know that all the key actors in the Fourth Godsfall are united in this regard,¡± Risti explained. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t surprise you that knowledge in and of itself is a binding force. After all, what we¡¯re fighting is knowledge itself. We intend to shut out Limbo entirely; the only way to do that is to expunge knowledge of Limbo from the minds of everyone.¡±


    ¡°Expunge knowledge¡­¡± Dia gulped.


    ¡°The Church of the Black God is precisely the main driver behind this shadowy war. Make no mistake; there are immense forces eyeing us. The five grand skies protect us from the outside, but they cannot protect us from ourselves.¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°Regardless, now that you two have been inducted, you¡¯re already considered members.¡±


    ¡°¡­At least let us know the name.¡±


    ¡°Recently,¡± Risti continued, ignoring Dia, ¡°there¡¯s been an upsurge of Limbo cases. In the past year alone, inclusive of the case we just occurred, three recorded attempts at breaching Limbo have been detected. All were destroyed, but we¡¯re talking about a war that has transcended the three Godsfalls. Three occurrences in a year are alarming, especially when one of them includes a subversion of a Holy Child.¡±


    ¡°Wait, stop.¡± Count Nightfall raised a hand. ¡°Three in a year is a lot? What time scale are you guys using?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t scold me. I¡¯m just parroting the introduction,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Anyway, as a result, there will be a meeting of the minds soon. It¡¯ll be around midnight for us, so don¡¯t do anything with a lover ¡ª I¡¯m looking at you, Nightfall ¡ª and have your wits around you.¡±


    ¡°Bah.¡±


    ¡°Sorry to spoil your romantic night,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s also a way to keep the flame alive. By showing up, the powers that be will know who you are. They¡¯re more likely to spare you and keep you alive in the chaos to come.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m in. Do I get quotas too? Because I really want to bring Caroline into the fold.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oi.¡±  Risti paused. ¡°But that¡¯s not impossible. In fact, it¡¯s encouraged¡­but we¡¯ll have to deal with it later tonight. Remember, make sure not to do it with Caroline. It¡¯ll be very awkward if the meeting starts and you¡¯re halfway in the process.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like that¡¯s happened before.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, historic meeting, but people get horny.¡± Risti shrugged. ¡°The last guy who did that showed off everything in front of the Coloured Gods and the bigshots of Saran, Nihal and Grandis.¡±


    She paused. ¡°I¡¯m told it was a very¡­liberating experience.


    The feelings that went inside her last two words were a bit disturbing, though.

 Chapter 359: Inspiring stories that lead to summary executions

    After that very¡­uh, illuminating explanation, Dia and the others discussed about the feasibility of actually dealing with a familiar spirit ¡ª just in case the Moons turned a bit kooky and decided to give the nod ¡ª and then called it a day.


    ¡°Still, did that guy really have the guts to be doing that on an important night?¡± Dia wondered. ¡°Or were you just making it up?¡±


    ¡°I am told that he really had the balls, both metaphorically and physically,¡± Risti replied. ¡°As a rule of thumb, one appears in the attire they were last clad in, and that person happened to be extra-naked. Unfortunately for him, the historic nature of this meeting meant that he couldn¡¯t leave the mental realm, pull on a set of clothes and then return. As such¡­¡±


    ¡°He spent the whole meeting naked?¡±


    ¡°Or so I¡¯m told,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Anyway, this meeting is really important. By showing your faces at the meeting, you are essentially securing a lifeline. The standing policy is to let live where possible, especially when talking to fellow members. It wouldn¡¯t count as much¡­if not for the fact that these fellow members are very influential.¡±


    ¡°I still can¡¯t wrap my head around it, though. There are people dedicated to combating Limbo¡­it feels odd.¡±


    ¡°To be more exact, we¡¯re combatting the knowledge of Limbo. Our job is to wipe out knowledge of how to tap into Limbo entirely, usually by killing the people responsible. Book burnings exist too, but our greatest enemies¡­well, it¡¯ll be announced later tonight.¡±


    ¡°Okie dokie.¡±


    ¡°Why are you trying to play cute with me? You¡¯re the princess¡¯ double. Act like one,¡± Risti rebuked.


    ¡°I¡ªShe does that a lot too, alright?¡± Dia replied. ¡°Okay, not that many times, but she does like to play cute with her father. Squeeze up her cheek and ask for pocket money. Things like that.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Risti hummed. ¡°Maybe I should learn from her, then.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t know what to make of that utterance, and she cast around for a topic. Within seconds, she had remembered one very important thing; what about Nero? Nero was currently very uninhibited in terms of mannerisms.


    What would happen if they brought him into the meeting too?


    ¡°You know, that¡¯s a very good question,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I suspect a certain Black God is going to be a bit¡­uh, pissed. To put it lightly. I¡¯m not sure. I didn¡¯t figure out that Nero was one of us until we fought the First Bearer of Destiny at Daybreak.¡±


    ¡°At Daybreak?¡± Dia frowned. ¡°You figured out his identity there?¡±


    ¡°You forgot¡­yeah, you would have forgotten. After the First escaped, Nero took the initiative to crush some maggots, remember? And I helped to clean the place up. We immediately recognised each other and exchanged some meeting codes,¡± Risti replied.


    Dia frowned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother. We modified your memory and that of the count¡¯s afterwards,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°You what?¡±


    ¡°No choice. The moment you saw that, it was possible that you too would fall into the idea of using energy from Limbo. It would be an insidious takeover, and it¡¯s due to your body itself,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Your very being would inherently try to limit Limbo¡¯s influence when you tap on it without the necessary purification. The¡­things you took you would accumulate slowly, and as their number rises, your reason and mind would be eroded by the Logia. You¡¯ll turn into a sleeper agent of sorts, spreading corruption everywhere.¡±


    Dia shivered at those words. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


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    ¡°Dying or turning directly is infinitely better in our opinion. Sleeper agents can deal a lot of damage when it comes to spreading the use of Limbo. It¡¯s easy. Just set up a stall, charge some money to sell a secret of refilling your emptied mana circuits through pure, sheer desire, and bang. A few people will listen and bite. And when these people are desperate in a fight for their lives, when they¡¯re out of mana, they¡¯ll try to draw mana from Limbo.¡±


    Risti shook her head. ¡°And bang, a new sleeper agent. They¡¯ll actively promote the concept of forcibly channelling mana and drawing it out from Limbo ¡ª all one needs is the knowledge of Limbo to do that ¡ª and we¡¯ll have an entire town gone.¡±


    ¡°An entire town?¡±


    ¡°Believe it or not, but normal people can draw power from Limbo too. Like I said, all that¡¯s needed is knowledge. Normal people exploding out with power to kill a mana-user? Good chance of the source being Limbo. That¡¯s why we check these stories out and summarily execute the person responsible.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Dia felt something in her stomach churn. ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. We seem like a horrible organisation. Memory wipes? Summary execution of someone who¡¯s probably a good guy? Yeah. Once you know about Limbo, we can¡¯t even leave you alive.¡±


    ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t you guys say that you were going to wipe out our memories if we refused?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you do that to these people?¡±


    ¡°Seeing is one thing. To use it is another,¡± Risti replied. ¡°These people, these heroes who killed mana-users who were threatening lives, had tapped into Limbo without any purification. If they had done so while making sure to purify themselves, memory loss or joining us is possible. But¡­¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°We have killed thousands upon thousands, many of which are good people with families, just to protect our world. It is a duty inherited from even the Primordial Age.¡±


    ¡°And you?¡± Dia asked. ¡°How many have you killed?¡±


    ¡°I killed a young man four years ago. He was protecting his family from a rogue mana-user, and in that final moment, he managed to tap into Limbo. His knowledge was incomplete, and by the time he killed the mana-user, he was already turning.¡±


    ¡°Turning?¡±


    ¡°Into a monster.¡± Risti grimaced. ¡°Made my job of killing him a lot easier.¡±


    ¡°How about Nero? Nero¡¯s younger, but¡­I think he was very experienced in cleaning up the battlefield?¡± Dia held her head. ¡°I remember him taking the lead to clean-up.¡±


    ¡°Yeap. But that was dumb, to be honest. The way he did it called attention to the white gloopy maggots. I¡¯m glad you two were out of it and didn¡¯t ask any awkward questions on the spot.¡± Risti yawned. ¡°Remember, don¡¯t take in energy from Limbo without purifying it. It¡¯s a death sentence.¡±


    ¡°¡­Shouldn¡¯t Nightfall know about that part too?¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°He does,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I just left him a small book of what to do and what to definitely not do. You get special service, so be happy.¡±


    ¡°Thanks?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make that a question,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Anyway, the meeting¡¯s later tonight, so remember to wear something nice. Try not to sleep before that, and remember to wear something nice if you really have to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After receiving a few more tips from Risti as to what to wear and what to not do when night fell, the two of them arrived at Moon Mansion. Nero was squatting near one of those little Moonlit babies, his eyes focused with intent as he fed the little fellow biscuits really slowly.


    ¡°Oh, hey, ladies.¡± Nero¡¯s tone of voice was a bit weird. ¡°Wanna hang around for a while? There¡¯s an adorable baby here, and I think he¡¯ll like it if you two were to feed them too.¡±


    ¡°Feeding babies aside, are you feeling better?¡± Risti asked. ¡°You do know that there¡¯s going to be a meeting convened at midnight, right?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it sundown?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°Sundown in Nihal. Midnight in Grandis¡­still, I suppose there¡¯s be a few inaccuracies here and there. Even midnight comes differently based on where we are in Grandis,¡± Risti acknowledged. ¡°Pull yourself together, Holy Son. Lest He gets angry at you.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll notice my odd state of mind.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯ll still embarrass Him.¡±


    Dia rubbed her nose. ¡°Are you guys talking about the Black God?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Who else would Nero fear and respect?¡± Risti replied. ¡°¡­Fine, I¡¯ll stick around for a moment. Indulge you a bit and everything¡­give me a biscuit.¡±


    She turned to the little tri-coloured toddler. ¡°Say ahh¡­¡±


    As the two members of a particular secret organisation fed the toddler until it was full, Dia couldn¡¯t help but think about the absurdity of the whole thing. She hadn¡¯t quite wrapped her head around the fact that an ancient organisation devoted to the purging of a particular piece of knowledge actually existed.


    Phew. It was unbelievable, to begin with, but again, she and Nightfall had been sworn to secrecy too. That said, the Coloured Gods, the Moons and the Dark were all in on this thing, so actually trying to leak the secret would probably be very bad for her lifespan.


    Giving the little Moonlit toddler a nice headpat, Dia ditched the others and returned to the mansion first. She was certain that the two of them had their own things to talk about, and more importantly, Dia felt a bit tired. Coupled with the fact that her sleep tonight would be disrupted, getting some shuteye sounded like the perfect plan right now.


    Yawning once, she slipped into her room.

 Chapter 360: The Eternal Bulwark

    Dia stifled a yawn and fiddled with her clothes. Given that she was about to appear in front of bigshots from all three sides of the ongoing conflict, she wanted to look her best and everything. After all, the bigshots were pretty much immortals¡­well, maybe not the Coloured Gods or the side who lost the war, but still.


    She picked up a book, which she had been reading on and off for the past few hours. It was hard to focus when she knew that her mind would soon be summoned for some historic meeting, and Dia felt her heart flutter once more. It was a historic meeting, probably the first and only meeting between the Coloured Gods, the Moons and the Dark, and she couldn¡¯t help but feel a level of anticipation.


    An odd, incongruent feeling assailed her senses a moment later, and the makings of a question appeared in her mind. The Moons and the Dark weren¡¯t participants in the Third Godsfall¡­so was it just a war between the Six Gods of Virtue and the Coloured Gods? Or was it something else?


    ¡°Why am I suddenly thinking about this?¡± Dia muttered, before her mind registered the odd scenery around her. At some point in her deliberations, the world around had transformed, turning into a grand, odd hall.


    She was standing behind a wooden stand, one of around a hundred stands. These stands were split into three groups, and as Dia looked around her, she immediately spotted Risti, Nero and Nightfall, who were standing around her.


    ¡°You guys¡­¡±


    ¡°Great, no one¡¯s naked,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Still, this is even more subtle than the Black God¡¯s Theatro Amimi.¡±


    Dia joined the others in looking around the place. Although the venue was far smaller than the enormous hall during Ruler Istrel¡¯s ascension, she could tell that the attention and detail paid to the place was far more exquisite than the huge venue that was created for Istrel back then.


    ¡°Lots of empty spaces,¡± Risti noted. ¡°Given that there should have been thirty-three members on the side of Grandis, the fact that there¡¯s only four of us plus the Moons and their own¡± ¡ª she motioned to the area behind them ¡ª ¡°I don¡¯t like this feeling.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Normally, we¡¯re supposed to have around a hundred people in total, but¡­¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°Did our numbers fall this much within a millennium?¡±


    ¡°Uh, I think that¡¯s natural,¡± Dia pointed out. ¡°Not everyone can live for a thousand years.¡±


    ¡°But they should have found a replacement. There¡¯s only twelve of us in Grandis, and the numbers don¡¯t look that promising either,¡± Risti replied, before turning to Nero. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Can I not talk? I think I¡¯ll screw something up if I do,¡± Nero replied, before clamming up. For some reason, the Holy Son of the Black God was fearful, intimidated, or both, and before Dia could ask why, he had retreated into a psychological shell.


    ¡°Uh¡­don¡¯t die, I guess.¡± Risti looked at Nero and shook her head. ¡°Anyway, our numbers shouldn¡¯t be this small. Maybe this is also another reason why there¡¯s a meeting now.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t like what she said, but it wasn¡¯t like she could say nope and leave now. Letting out a small sigh, she turned to Count Nightfall, who was staring at the wooden stand in front of him seriously.


    ¡°What are you doing, Count Nightfall?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking at this stand. The wood used in its construction is from the Bayfalls tree, which is extinct in modern times. The last tree died shortly after year 3592, nearly three millennia ago, so I¡¯m surprised to see it in this mental realm.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more surprised that you actually knew what tree it was,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s an extinct tree.¡±


    ¡°Well, tree fanatics like me pay very close attention to things like this. But it¡¯s odd, though. There are better, classier looking trees that also went extinct around the same time period due to the Great Ice Age, but why use the Bayfalls tree in particular?¡± Nightfall wondered.


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    ¡°What¡¯s so special about this tree?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Well, of all the trees that were wiped out in the Great Ice Age, the Bayfalls tree is the most famous of all.¡± Nightfall paused and ran his hand through the surface of the stands. ¡°It is said to be decay-proof and nearly indestructible. What makes me curious is the choice of using such a material in making this mental venue, especially since you can note the very complex patterns on it.¡±


    ¡°Making such a stand in your mind is indeed very tough,¡± Nero chipped in with a monotone voice. ¡°But do not confuse the ability of the Coloured Gods with your own.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Nightfall looked at the stand with a hint of longing, and then let out a sigh. ¡°I wish I can bring this back with me¡­the Tree-huggers would be jealous!¡±


    ¡°Tree-huggers?¡± Risti echoed.


    ¡°All kinds of scholarly organisations exist,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°One for every single hobby imaginable. There is one dedicated to a series of books, one dedicated to watching the sun, one dedicated to planting soybeans¡­you get the picture. There¡¯s naturally one dedicated to trees! And I¡¯m a sponsor.¡±


    ¡°¡­What do you sponsor?¡±


    ¡°Methods of tree preservation, naturally.¡± Count Nightfall rubbed his hands. ¡°Most trees can survive in Licencia¡¯s nice climate. As long as it doesn¡¯t start snowing like in the other continents, we¡¯re totally fine. There¡¯s actually a reserve in the middle of my palace dedicated to raising all kinds of trees. If you guys want¡ª¡±


    A bell chimed once, and Nightfall fell silent. As one, Dia and the others looked at the source of the chime, which was a floating circular platform that she hadn¡¯t noticed earlier.


    The bell chimed again, and without warning, three translucent shadows appeared on the platform.


    ¡°A moon, a shadow and a god,¡± Dia whispered, her mouth moving on her own. Even in this illusion, in this mental landscape, she could sense an overpowering majesty flooding out of these three existences. She couldn¡¯t find it in herself to describe the three beings in her eyes; it was as if the very act of doing so went against her nature.


    ¡°Members of the Eternal Bulwark, I bid you welcome.¡± The moon floating above the podium glittered blue, and Dia finally recognised the speaker as Plota, the Blue Moon of Wisdom. ¡°Today is a historic moment, a gathering for the powers at war. While we are pitted against each other for the world, this is our world. Let us not forget that today.¡±


    The distinctly blue moon seemed to ripple out of Dia¡¯s mind, and she fixated her gaze on the sphere floating above. Yet, the concept of roundness seemed to bleed away within seconds, and before long, only her awareness that the Blue Moon was there remained.


    At the same time, she finally realised that the voice she had heard was simply echoing in her head, and to make matters worse, she could not attribute any quality to those words. It was as if she had received and spoken them herself, rather than hearing them from the Blue Moon of Wisdom.


    The other two divinities added their own pleasantries, but Dia couldn¡¯t even peg any description to the Dark and the Coloured God. It was no different from trying to hold water in her hands; no, it was even worse.


    The frustration continued to mount in her heart, but there wasn¡¯t anything she could do about it.


    ¡°Today¡¯s purpose is to simply let us recognise our new members and to issue a general directive. Continue on your work. In this time of covenants and strife, we are very vulnerable to the predations of Limbo.¡± Plota¡¯s voice continued to echo in Dia¡¯s head. ¡°Let us stay vigilant and wary of any danger.¡±


    ¡°While our numbers are low, this is not an imperative recruit new members without sufficient checks,¡± the being that represented the great Dark continued. Once again, Dia found herself completely unable to recognise any aspect of the Dark¡¯s words, and she could only listen to its words obediently.


    ¡°The mind is the strongest and weakest link in all of us,¡± the Coloured God added. ¡°Let us not give up the good fight. Against the night beyond, all we have are ourselves. Where possible, live and let live. Watchers are few and far between nowadays.¡±


    The three paused for a moment, and the Blue Moon of Wisdom rippled once.


    It was a warning and an appreciation of their hard work so far. A few isolated incidents had occurred, but had been resolved by the agents of the Eternal Bulwark all over the world. However, it was by no means an invitation for complacency, and while there was a war going on, everyone was still united against the parasites of Limbo.


    Everyone present were to be protected from the ongoing war, no matter what.


    As the warning dissipated, the feeling of being scrutinised intensely flooded Dia¡¯s veins. Intuitively, she understood that this was their way of protecting everyone present; like what Risti had said, this meeting was a meeting to protect the protectors from ongoing strife.


    The mental world began to break apart shortly afterwards, and an unprecedented fatigue filled her body. Within seconds, the grand hall gave way to her room seamlessly, the change from one venue to other imperceptible.


    Any desire to find Risti and Nero for a chat was swiftly extinguished by her fatigue, and she ambled over to her bed.


    Without even changing out of her clothes, she flopped over and fell asleep.


    Other considerations could wait.

 Chapter 361: Rising cases and shrinking attendees

    ¡°Protection from harm, huh.¡± Dia, Nero and Risti squatted around a Moonlit baby, their hands offering cookies and other little snacks to the happy little fellow as they talked. It was hard to find a space to discuss things related to the Eternal Bulwark ¡ª the name of this secretive organisation they now belonged to ¡ª but the problem had been handily solved by appropriating a Moon baby.


    ¡°Goo. Gah!¡±


    ¡°D¡¯aww, so cute. Want more?¡± Risti asked.


    Nero was still a bit out of sorts, but he had largely recovered after the meeting yesterday. Sadly, no one could identify the Coloured God that had chaired this meeting, partially due to how everyone¡¯ voices sounded the same. It definitely didn¡¯t help that they all had a detached way of speaking, which meant that Dia didn¡¯t really feel that valued despite the many inferences she had made from their actions.


    Yawning again, she pulled out a small chocolate chip cookie and waved it in front of the Moonlit toddler, who immediately fixated on it. Dia still wasn¡¯t sure why the Moons were allowing little kids to roam the streets of Licencia and other cities, but it was a good chance to have fun with children who didn¡¯t have much in the way of needs.


    Dia let out a small sigh as the toddler squealed happily, her mind racing. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t they give us more of an introduction as to what the Eternal Bulwark does? We also need more rewards and resources too!¡±


    ¡°Organisation. Close-knit. Top-down.¡± Nero hugged himself.


    ¡°¡­Did something change in him again?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s now in the recovery phase. Most of his mental resources are dedicated to the recovery of his mind. The burden of plucking knowledge out and giving it to you guys was borne by him, so he had to pay the price for it, that¡¯s all.¡± Risti pondered for a few seconds. ¡°We¡¯ll get him some alcohol later. I think Schwarz¡¯s brews are likely to result in a minor miracle or something.¡±


    Nero looked at Risti. ¡°Sorry. Out of it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we can see it very vividly.¡± Risti looked around. ¡°Still, when¡¯s the count going to show up? We¡¯ve fed the little guy a lot of food already, and he doesn¡¯t look that well.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s feed another toddler instead,¡± Dia suggested, before shifting aside. ¡°Alright, little guy, run along!¡±


    The Moonlit toddler looked up at the three of them and then waved goodbye. It was a shame that they couldn¡¯t quite speak yet ¡ª those that had gained the ability to speak were swiftly whisked away to be raised at wherever the Moonlit Ones called home ¡ª but they already knew the basics of communication.


    Rubbing the little fellow¡¯s head, Dia sent him off and looked around the park. Count Nightfall had sent a message about wanting to meet up, and the venue was around the area.


    ¡°Ah, he just came.¡± Risti motioned at the count, who was busy luring a hungry Moonlit baby with some food like bad people. ¡°And that looks very shady.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Dia added. ¡°Like luring a baby using food or something. How unethical. Does he not know that feeding babies too much food is bad for their health? Sure, we don¡¯t know why they¡¯re here, or whether we¡¯re using the same metrics for ¡®too much food¡¯, but luring those little ones like this is a bit too degrading.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. We at least had the decency to squat down around the little guy and feed him food slowly. This idiot is just setting the stage up for the toddler to trip over his feet or something.¡±


    The two sighed.


    Nero, who was still recovering from the trauma that giving out two immaterial quotas apparently foisted onto him, said nothing.


    ¡°You guys are early,¡± Nightfall noted.


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    ¡°No, you¡¯re just late,¡± Risti replied. ¡°We finished half our stock feeding a Moonlit baby waiting for you. What caused the hold-up?¡±


    ¡°Another bunch of kidnappings. We caught the suspect in the act, and I had to intervene to nab that asshole. For some reason, there was a bi-folder trying to carry out some odd ritual spell. Not affiliated to the gods or anything; it was a life-siphoning ritual that was fake to begin with.¡±


    ¡°A fake life-siphoning ritual?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Some madman released a bunch of ritual spell instructions into the county a few days ago, and we¡¯ve been trying to deal with the fallout. Most of these ritual spells seem to point at that someone, and¡­never mind. It¡¯s just a pain in the posterior, if nothing else.¡± Nightfall let out a heavy sigh. ¡°If I find that punk, I¡¯ll murder him three times over, and then display his entrails or something. We¡¯ve been running ourselves ragged, since there¡¯s a bunch of insecure fellows who think using fellow citizens as fuel for lifeforce will make them one-folders.¡±


    ¡°¡­The culprit was trying to trick a bunch of idiots, then,¡± Dia evaluated.


    ¡°And it¡¯s working,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°It¡¯s clear that everyone¡¯s increasingly ragged over chasing down the insane selfish idiots in my county, and I didn¡¯t even know that these people actually had these sides to them.¡±


    ¡°How bad are we talking about here?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Five mana-user wannabes so far. The number¡¯s growing, though. Over thirty missing people cases have been brought to my attention in the past week, and it just keeps getting better.¡± Nightfall folded his arms. ¡°Thousands of leaflets that carry details about this fake ritual have been discovered, and they¡¯re spreading quickly.¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s bad.¡± Risti folded her arms. ¡°It¡¯s going to make people think that everyone else is doing the same. And since the number of people in this city is limited, they¡¯ll all rush to do the damn thing.¡±


    ¡°Which accounts for the surging number of grisly murders. Moons.¡± Nightfall held his head. ¡°This is insane.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t call us to settle this issue, right?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about my troubles for now, though. Risti, can the two of us get an actual introduction and the rules relating to the Eternal Bulwark? The three on the podium didn¡¯t exactly tell us much.¡±


    ¡°To be fair, the three you talk about are ancient entities. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll going to be fussed with talking about rules and regulations,¡± Risti pointed out.


    ¡°Yeah, I know. So I¡¯m asking you. And Nero.¡± Nightfall folded his arms. ¡°We¡¯re part of a secret organisation, right? There has to be a reward system for doing our job, and new members usually have some gear to start them off with. Where are they?¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s a giant dome around the Istrel Sovereignty,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Also, there¡¯s a local branch in the Lustre Dukedom, set up by yours truly.¡±


    Dia decided not to ask why the local branch of the Eternal Bulwark was set in Lustre and directed her attention to higher pursuits instead. ¡°Was everyone present last night? It seems like there¡¯s too few people.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all we have,¡± Risti affirmed. ¡°No one can get out of a meeting, even if they¡¯re in the toilet or something. So that¡¯s really all we have here.¡±


    ¡°¡­Really?¡± Nightfall asked.


    ¡°Why would I lie do you?¡± Risti replied. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s just the trend of the times, in my opinion. And it¡¯s been quite a long time since many of the previous Watchers were actually activated. Most of them probably forgot about being part of the Eternal Bulwark after a while, and then passed away without a successor.¡±


    ¡°Bummer.¡±


    ¡°On the bright side, the Coloured Gods, the Moons and the Dark are more likely to not kill us,¡± said Risti. ¡°And besides, even if we don¡¯t know about Limbo, we would still have intervened anyway. You two are just now aware of the dangers Limbo truly poses, and how the world reacts to it.¡±


    Dia paused. ¡°So do we get any training to take enemies from Limbo out?¡±


    ¡°How do you kill someone?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°I stab them?¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s essentially how you kill anyone who¡¯s bearing too much entropy to the point of turning into monsters.¡± Risti looked at the small toddler that was following behind Count Nightfall, and then gave the little Moonlit fellow a biscuit. ¡°Not that different from normal people, in other words. They just happen to be a bit tougher, madder and more deadly, that¡¯s all. They¡¯re as human as you and me.¡±


    ¡°Reassuring, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Besides, don¡¯t forget that any true incursions by Limbo would be met with lethal force from the world itself. The Coloured Gods, the Moons, whatever. They¡¯ll all send down enough lightning to create a grave to bury the poor fellow in, assuming he or she still has a body.¡± Risti yawned. ¡°If you see lightning, just back away real fast. They¡¯ll handle it instead.¡±


    She paused. ¡°Right, I do need to tell you guys about the rules and everything. I hope you guys remembered what I said not too long ago, regarding secrecy and the knowledge that can¡¯t leak out. Essentially, don¡¯t be an idiot and definitely don¡¯t go telling other people about Limbo unless you¡¯re prepared to pull them in and make them suffer.¡±


    ¡°Suffer¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. People like us, we teeter on the edges of madness.¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°You two just got really unlucky about it¡­come on. Let¡¯s go crash at your place, Nightfall. I¡¯ll explain the tenets of the Eternal Bulwark there.¡±

 Chapter 362: The talk before Half Moon

    ¡°We''re close to Half Moon.¡± Claud felt his throat shiver. A week had passed since yet another Bearer of Destiny had died. The approaching new day was an important day for the world¡­and for Claud, on a personal level. It was the first time he had ever spent the first day of Half Moon outside of Licencia. There was no possible way he could get to her grave, unless he wanted to enrage the Moons.


    ¡°Half Moon¡­¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°What do you usually prepare?¡±


    ¡°Just some small morsels and snacks, but my mother¡¯s grave isn¡¯t here.¡± Claud hugged his knees. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lily patted his shoulder. ¡°Right, do you sometimes think something big is happening, and we¡¯re not part of it? I had an odd feeling last night. Like something big is happening, but we aren¡¯t involved in it at all.¡±


    ¡°Maybe because I don¡¯t think we did anything of note in the past moon phase,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I like it, though. I¡¯ve been in the centre of attention, one way or another, for the previous few moon phases. Even the Moons probably don¡¯t know how much I¡¯ve suffered.¡±


    ¡°True. All hail a peaceful life!¡± Lily beamed. ¡°I hope we can stay low-key forever and ever.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll drink to that.¡± Claud closed his eyes and looked up at the sky. The moons that hung in the sky ¡ª today, the Red Moon of Strife and the Yellow Moon of Wealth were peeping at the world ¡ª were already half-full. The season would pass in a few hours, marking the next day and the days beyond.


    ¡°The Dark will soon fully descend.¡± Lily, who was sitting on the opposite side of the small table, poured out a cup of iced tea for herself. ¡°What do you think will happen?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll bring down the barrier, and I won¡¯t need to lift a hand,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°You said you were the one who brought down the barrier to begin with.¡± Lily took a sip, and then offered the small cup to Claud. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to change without input from your side.¡±


    Claud took the cup with both hands, and then took a small gulp. ¡°I¡¯m not sure myself what the point of this Second Tutorial was. I know that the Frozen Emperor didn¡¯t succeed in his personal quest, since that skill didn¡¯t change. However, I succeeded where he failed. I believe this is a turning point¡­and more important, my mana control is still inching forward on and on. I have not forgotten the Frozen Emperor¡¯s impeccable mana control.¡±


    ¡°Lots of ¡®I¡¯ statements there,¡± Lily noted. ¡°You¡¯re nervous and uncertain.¡±


    ¡°Stop trying to psychoanalyse me.¡± Claud rolled his eyes, and then lowered his voice. ¡°But you¡¯re right. I¡¯ve been shown a future. I don¡¯t know why, how or who, but it is hard to walk the path ahead knowing what I¡¯ve already known. It¡¯s like reliving your life, with all the ups and downs. Would you, having felt the pain of loss, feel it again? I don¡¯t know.¡±


    He let the cup down and looked into the rippling surface. His own worried visage stared back up at him. This was a question Claud didn¡¯t dare to answer. While many people would jump at the chance to relive their lives and attempt to right their wrongs, that was only possible because they didn¡¯t give the prospect of doing so more thought.


    ¡°Claud¡­¡± Lily reached out, only for Claud to place his hand on hers.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Claud looked at his reflection. ¡°I¡¯ll never give up. No matter what.¡±


    The two looked up at the moons in silence for a few minutes.


    ¡°Some snacks?¡± Lily asked.


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    ¡°Sure. It¡¯s rare for us to just sit around here and appreciate the Moons, after all. We should do this more often¡­and beside each other next time,¡± Claud replied. ¡°The moonlight makes for a good accompaniment, after all. One day, when all this is over, we¡¯ll find a high spot and sit there to look at the Moons.¡±


    ¡°High spot¡­right, are we going back to the Celestia Ruins?¡± Lily asked. ¡°We haven¡¯t been out and about for some time, and it¡¯s a good place to revisit.¡±


    ¡°I know I said high, but that¡¯s a bit too high.¡± Claud laughed and thought about the place. The Celestia Ruins was actually a fragment of another universe, which contained a dead city so high up that it was already divorced from the world below. It had its own place in the sea of darkness, floating magically above the small orb of green and brown.


    ¡°But it¡¯s pretty.¡±


    ¡°And dangerous.¡± Claud sighed. ¡°But it¡¯s a good shelter. We could eat some snacks there, our feet dangling from the edges of the place, and look down upon the world itself.¡±


    ¡°Lovely.¡±


    The two moons in the sky continued to rise as Claud and Lily talked about their plans for the future. To his amusement, the two of them really didn¡¯t have many goals either, but again, Lily had completed her revenge a few months ago.


    ¡°Well, my current goal is to make sure that you don¡¯t get killed or anything, though.¡± Lily grinned. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to help me attain that goal, right?¡±


    ¡°I thought that was fundamental enough to be not called a goal.¡± Claud looked at the emptied cup, and then at the skies above. Under the light of the two Moons, he could see the clear skies beyond, and if he squinted even higher¡­


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Lily asked, looking out of the window and following his gaze. ¡°What, did you see Princess Dia on one of the Moons?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. I¡¯ll spot Risti, Farah and her bodyguard first if she¡¯s actually there,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Still, she¡¯s doing a damn good job of hiding. Where exactly is she? Did she also flee the sovereignty? I mean, the others won¡¯t be able to find us because we¡¯re in another sovereignty. The same concept can apply to her, right?¡±


    ¡°Probably. I bet the others would become really jealous if we can find her¡­anyway, what¡¯s wrong? What did you see?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. The original topic.¡± Claud rubbed his nose and looked at the sky. ¡°Is it me, or does the sky seem a little lower?¡±


    ¡°Touch your heart and tell me how exactly can a sky be lower,¡± Lily replied. ¡°If you can, I¡¯ll seal your lips for ten minutes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll suffocate.¡±


    His prompt reply made Lily laugh for a few seconds. ¡°Okay, how about a minute, then?¡±


    Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°But it¡¯s true. If you look up, I swear there¡¯s like a second sky above it or something. I¡¯m not sure how to describe it to you, since the only metaphor I¡¯ll be using is transparent sliced bread stacked on each other.¡±


    ¡°What kind of metaphor is that?¡± Lily replied, before craning her neck anyway. She peered up into the heavens in silence, before turning to look at Claud. The amusement in her face, however, had given way to a mask of caution, and he nodded back.


    ¡°I¡¯m not dreaming.¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°You¡¯re not dreaming either. The sky is lower¡­and there¡¯s a sky beyond a sky. Given the timing of such a change, I¡¯m certain that this phenomenon has something to do with the great Dark descending. Change is coming.¡±


    Lily refilled the cup with more iced tea and pushed it to Claud in silence. ¡°I wonder what tomorrow brings.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s not to our liking, we¡¯ll just flee to Celestia and stay put there,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But I don¡¯t know what will happen. I have a part to play in this unfolding story; this much I know. However, if I were to flee into the ruins and abstain from doing anything¡­¡±


    ¡°Your role?¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t know how to explain it to her. There were supposed to be fourteen Bearers of Destiny, including him, but unless the acronym conventions didn¡¯t apply to him, he did not fall into any number. The First and the Fifth had perished, and he couldn¡¯t think of any other number from one to fourteen that would make up the acronym used in his skill¡¯s name.


    ¡°Yeah. Your authority¡¯s not high enough for this¡­although I can definitely tell you in Celestia.¡± Claud paused. ¡°That¡¯s another reason to go there, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s schedule a trip there, then. It¡¯s nice that we have a secrecy-circumventing location open to us,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Maybe we can explore more too. I hear that the place changes every so often too; if we are lucky, we might end up in another area.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s on a cyclical basis of eighty-three days.¡± Lily paused. ¡°Didn¡¯t you read the reports Lostfon sent?¡±


    ¡°I did, but I only looked at the key points,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Oh, right. You were quite busy trying to train and everything.¡± Lily stuck a tongue out, an embarrassed look on her face. ¡°Well, how about it?¡±


    Claud pondered for a moment. ¡°We¡¯ll go for the next cycle. Hopefully nothing stupid happens while we¡¯re there, though. Wouldn¡¯t want the Trial of Aeons to begin prematurely or something.¡±


    They looked up in silence, watching as the moons continued to rise.


    Change was upon them.

 Chapter 363: Descent

    ¡°It¡¯s here,¡± Claud whispered, looking up at the two moons that hung in the sky. They were at the highest point of their journey, but the light that they were radiating was now muted an incredible shadow.


    It was as if something had painted everything around him with shadow. The colours in the world had taken on a dark slant, and Claud could see the shadows trembling visibly, gaining a touch of life. At the same time, he tried to recall anything he knew about the great Dark, especially from the Second Tutorial.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lily stood up and headed to the window, prompting Claud to follow suit. Outside the inn, on the roads below, he could see the little toddlers forming up into squads, and then marching off towards the city square.


    ¡°D¡¯aww, they¡¯re just tripping over each other.¡± Lily shook her head. ¡°Even when they¡¯re trying to act like soldiers, I can¡¯t help but think about little kids holding hands and going to another classroom.¡±


    Claud tried not to smile. ¡°We¡¯re talking about the descent of a divinity, and the congregation of the great Dark¡¯s people. Only you would describe them as little kids moving from classroom to classroom. I mean, you aren¡¯t wrong, but still, it¡¯s a bit weird to hear you put it that way.¡±


    The dark night above seemed to ripple, and the image of the five skies above seemed to grow a little stronger. Claud could see their silhouette growing stronger and firmer for every passing second. The sky seemed to grow a little lower, a little closer, and he shivered.


    ¡°Will the sky fall one day?¡± Lily muttered. ¡°It feels so much closer. And the five grand skies¡­they¡¯re more and more visible now.¡±


    ¡°The Moons will follow soon, I think.¡± Claud looked at the city square. He could feel a build-up of power over there, a power that was both terrifying and overpowering. He could not even begin to muster up thoughts of resistance against that outburst of might, even as a tetra-folder.


    Lily took a deep breath. ¡°Let¡¯s go up to the roof.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Claud asked. He didn¡¯t particularly want to leave the room, even though he knew that the safety he derived from the four walls was just an illusion. If the being appearing in the city square really wanted to blow up the inn, these flimsy walls would give way like wet paper.


    ¡°Oh, come on. I know you¡¯re worried, but unless we flee, there¡¯s nothing we can actually even consider doing here.¡± Lily pointed out of the window. ¡°Let¡¯s go out and get a better look. We¡¯re here, in Lostfon City. Nothing¡¯s going to happen to us¡­and you can use your concealment skill, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m using a skill against the descending great Dark.¡± Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°Not too sure what to think of that.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think the great Dark is going to descend here?¡± Lily asked. ¡°There¡¯s a build-up of power, but the stronghold of the great Dark is in Voidum, not Nihila. The great Dark will descend there first. I¡¯m sure the emanation of power we¡¯re feeling here is a bunch of Dark Heralds.¡±


    Claud pondered over her words. He had a feeling that he was missing something, but Lily made absolute sense in her rebuttal right now. Still, the great Dark probably wouldn¡¯t attack people for random reasons, especially when they were still on a hearts and minds campaign.


    Right?


    ¡°Still, can¡¯t we just use the Second Shadow?¡± Claud asked. ¡°We have a whole bunch of them. It¡¯s safer that way.¡±


    ¡°But we can¡¯t talk if we¡¯re using them¡­and besides, the Second Shadow materialises in a shadow. Did you forget why we stopped using them after a while?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Oh, right. We were treated as uh¡­weird shadows that couldn¡¯t speak.¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s take a walk around town directly.¡±


    The Second Shadow probably had lots of uses, but the ones he could think of right now, given the current circumstances, probably wasn¡¯t very useful. It was a shame, but other than using them as long-range communication devices, he really couldn¡¯t think of any other good uses right now.


    Holding Lily¡¯s hand, Claud pulled out a Presence Nullification skillstrip and tore it apart. With a cloak of energy shrouding their presence, the two of them left the room, making their way downstairs.


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    The inn itself was more crowded than Claud had ever seen it before, and yet, it was uncharacteristically silent. He recognised most of these people by sight; most of them were travellers who had been trapped in the city or were forced to stop due to the ongoing war taking place in Vacuos County. While Vacuos had a neutral territory where conflict was banned, this was ultimately something forced through by Duchess Lacuna.


    Would an order from a human hold in the face of divinities? Only a fool would think so.


    The travellers here had gathered in the inn, demonstrating the natural human tendency to band together in the face of danger and uncertainty. It was one of the best life-saving instincts that living beings had, and Claud felt a bit stupid at the fact that the two of them were about to ignore their gut and check out the city square, where something big was clearly brewing.


    He took in the sight of worried people slowly, and then exhaled once. The safe thing to do would be to huddle down here, but Lily wasn¡¯t wrong. Given what the two of them knew about the dire future that had been painted out, going out for some intelligence was the only correct option here. Even if they didn¡¯t get anything, exposing themselves to the awesome might of the great Dark was a good first step.


    After all, Claud needed to acclimatise himself to the impossible might of the great Dark, and the same went for Lily.


    ¡°Now that I think about it,¡± said Claud, ¡°it¡¯s something along the lines of do it once and good, and we¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking that we should take this chance to get used to moving under such pressure. It¡¯s almost certainly psychological, so if we get used to this, we¡¯ll be able to put up some resistance if the gods, the Moons and the Dark attack us.¡±


    ¡°When, not if,¡± Lily corrected. ¡°Like it or not, I¡¯m sure we¡¯re going to get involved one way or another. And¡­to be honest, do you not have any thoughts? So far, you¡¯ve been dragged into this. You¡¯ve been responding to all these events. Do you not want to truly do something for yourself? I know the two of us don¡¯t really have much in the way of goals, but we¡¯re just like drifting sand right now.¡±


    ¡°I just want to protect you and the others,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°But you¡¯re protecting passively,¡± Lily pointed out. ¡°The best way to protect is to grow stronger. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve never slacked off. But you¡¯ve been slacking off for some time. It¡¯s as if you don¡¯t dare to move on to the fifth, sixth and seventh mana circuit.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave you behind,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I can sense that you¡¯re under pressure because of me. If I go on¡­¡±


    ¡°Do I look like a weakling to you? Besides, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m untalented. It¡¯s just that you have too many factors in your favour. I bet the others are even worse off than me.¡± Lily grinned. ¡°At most, just hug me whenever I¡¯m drawing my mana circuits. That¡¯ll do. And of course, don¡¯t look at any other woman!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that,¡± Claud replied, before pausing for a moment. He looked up at the night sky, where enormous waves of darkness were roiling from the north, from the Voidum Sovereignty. ¡°Yeah¡­I suppose I can¡¯t slack off. I¡¯ll also need to actively shape the destiny I desire.¡±


    Lily looked up into the sky a moment later. ¡°The great Dark¡¯s main body, maybe. Or whatever passes for its main body. It¡¯s descending in Voidum¡­come on, Claud. We need to continue to the city square. We need to see if there¡¯s anything we can learn, as well as get used to the overwhelming pressure.¡±


    She raised her left hand, which was also trembling, and then grimaced. ¡°I¡¯m a coward, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°That makes the two of us.¡± Claud grasped her trembling hand and placed it on his chest. ¡°My heart feels like it¡¯s about to burst.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I¡¯m the braver one then,¡± Lily replied with a grin. ¡°Feel it for yourself!¡±


    The two of them compared heartbeats as they walked towards the city square, joining the little squads of shadows that were heading there too. Most of the squads filled with little Shadow babies were trying their darndest to move like a military squad, which would have broken Claud¡¯s heart if not for how¡­adorable they were at failing.


    ¡°Were they always this¡­uh, uncoordinated?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I remember seeing them as a lot more orderly. They look like new soldiers or something.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°I think so too, but how did they devolve this quickly? Did their time here awaken them to their childhood instincts? Why would that be the case?¡±


    A bunch of memories, mostly involving other people feeding these little fellows treats and sweet food, flooded Claud¡¯s brain, and his mouth twisted into a grin. ¡°It¡¯s due to everyone spoiling them, I think. I¡¯m still not sure why they dispatched toddlers to roam the city, but we managed to spoil them so badly that they¡¯re not really interested in military discipline anymore.¡±


    ¡°Good. Children should enjoy their childhood,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Wanna have some fun?¡±


    ¡°Fun?¡±


    Pulling Claud to one of the little squads heading to the city square, Lily placed three sweets on the ground, in an area the squad would pass through. Immediately afterwards, a toddler veered off course and picked up the sweets, before unwrapping them and popping the little shiny things into its mouth.


    ¡°Pfft.¡±


    The little fellow, however, seemed to have forgotten about heading to the city square after eating the sweet, instead choosing to sit down on a nearby bench.


    ¡°Uh, I think you just broke something,¡± Claud noted. ¡°Don¡¯t touch him! We¡¯ll be forced out of Presence Nullification if you do!¡±


    ¡°What do we do, then?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Do we just leave the little guy here?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re capable of dazing for hours on end. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be perfectly fine,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Uh, we¡¯ll just check on him after we return.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s the only way¡­come on, let¡¯s go.¡± Lily took one more look at the absent-minded little Shadowed One, and then pulled him in the direction of the city square.


    There were more important fish to fry, after all.

 Chapter 364: Lesser Half

    Black lightning flickered soundlessly beneath the two moons as contingents of little toddlers filed into the city square. In the middle of the city square itself was a glimmering circle of white light, which seemed completely at odds against the shadowy motif the great Dark sported, but for some reason, Claud found it fitting.


    Around the ring of white light were swirling rifts, a total of eight of them, each spaced evenly apart. The little toddlers of shadow were waddling into these rifts, and as they closed in, the white light seemed to erode the darkness around them.


    ¡°They¡¯re¡­normal people. No, they look just like us,¡± Lily whispered, watching as what clearly were human children walked into the rift. ¡°It¡¯s¡­hard to believe, if we didn¡¯t see all this.¡±


    Claud directed his eyes to the centre of the circle, where a small, black orb floated innocuously. At first glance, anyone would have overlooked it, but these very people would also be able to immediately tell that the little orb was actually the source of the incredible pressure pressing down on them.


    ¡°Which is why I¡¯m both glad and troubled,¡± Claud murmured. ¡°I should have been more cautious, more thorough. I can wipe out entire armies with a single attack; I wonder how many orphans I¡¯ve created.¡±


    He sighed and hugged his legs.


    The two of them were sitting atop a small tower, which was a shop that had been abandoned some time ago when its owners fled to the Lacuna Dukedom. It happened to overlook the city square, which made it the perfect place to spy¡­and to mourn for mistakes past.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been regretting this for a few months now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever stop regretting it,¡± Claud replied.


    Lily looked at him, and then patted his shoulder. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s part of what makes you so¡­complicated. You have an ability that is unparalleled when it comes to mass destruction, but you¡¯re so reserved in its use. You fear death, yet charge outwards to save the people you care about. You want to distance yourself from everything, and yet you entangle yourself with just about everything.¡±


    She paused for a moment. ¡°You do not want to care about people, since they become weak points, but you inevitably do so anyway.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all weird that way. I mean, I could say the same about you, the Moon Lords and even the random pedestrian passing by. Take Dust, for instance. She doesn¡¯t need to make friends with the ruler of the territory she¡¯s occupying, but yet she does,¡± Claud replied. ¡°If the day comes when the Dark passes down the order to kill Count Lostfon, what would she do?¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s a good question.¡± Lily pondered for a moment. ¡°Maybe she¡¯ll kill him, and then kill herself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Claud paused. ¡°Possible.¡±


    As his answer dissipated into the night, a formless pulse erupted from the black globe in the middle of the city square, stirring up dust and rattling the entire county. That singular pulse seemed to set off something, and the pressure that the little orb was giving out abruptly increased by a few orders of magnitude. In that instant, Claud felt his mind go blank, and his thoughts churned to a halt.


    His vision changed a moment later as his body slumped to the side helplessly, and Lily joined him shortly afterwards. The mind-shattering divine might ¡ª there could be no other explanation ¡ª had directly stolen his will to even move or think, and it was all Claud could do to continue breathing.


    White and black light intertwined as the orb of pure darkness rose up, supported by a piercing spike of blinding white. Claud watched on, his mind unable to stir up any emotions save for a touch of worry for Lily, and took in the entire spectacle. It felt wrong to him, but at the same time, every fibre of his being was screaming that such a combination was the only way.


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    White cracks began to form on the black orb, and the rushing divine might receded. Claud pushed himself up a moment later, his back damp with sweat. As he supported Lily back up, a rush of thoughts assaulted his mind, each of them bearing memories of the Second Tutorial, and Claud paused.


    The Blue Moon of Wisdom, the Lesser Half of the great Dark, the Red God, the Blue God and the Violet Goddess were killed.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Claud let out a small cry, and then trembled. ¡°I¡­see.¡±


    ¡°C-Claud?¡± Lily looked at him, her movements jerky. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I remembered. The great Dark¡­ I think it¡¯s more than just a single entity,¡± Claud replied, making use of the lull to vomit out his thoughts. ¡°When I was in the Second Tutorial, the Risti there mentioned that of the divinities I killed, one of them included the Lesser Half of the great Dark. In that case, what¡¯s descending here probably isn¡¯t a familiar spirit or an apostle, but the Lesser Half itself.¡±


    ¡°¡­I think going back home is a good idea now,¡± Lily muttered.


    Before Claud could add his own quip, the white light leaking through the cracks of the black orb intensified rapidly, and a sense of impending doom swept through his mind, along with a tidal wave of horror. His body moved on it on a moment later, bursting out with surprising strength to hug Lily and prevent her from looking at the descent of the Lesser Half.


    At the same time, he forced himself to look away, despite a part of him desiring to burn the arrival of the Lesser Half into his vision. Claud¡¯s instincts were screaming madly, howling a warning that by no means should he look at the descent of the Lesser Half, and he wasn¡¯t going to disobey them at this juncture.


    Gales whipped up with a shriek as intense white light turned night into day for a single heartbeat, reaching a luminous intensity. Something seemed to happen at the peak, however, and the blinding heavens turned into the depths of dark night once more.


    At the same time, the howling gales died, and a single, light step echoed through the world.


    The Lesser Half had taken its first step on Grandis.


    Dull explosions rang through the city, and intuitively, Claud understood that the heads of other, hidden observers that had been watching the event had burst apart on the spot.


    ¡°Claud?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Claud gulped. ¡°We¡¯re never going to attend something like this again. Looking at the descent of a divinity is a death sentence. It¡¯s not something we can look at.¡±


    Why, though? And why did he know to look away?


    Claud decided to shelve these matters for the time being. For now, however, he had a feeling that they could now lay eyes on the Lesser Half¡­but doing so would probably drive the two of them mad.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Claud whispered. ¡°Don¡¯t look back. We¡¯ll probably turn mad if we do. It is not in our place to look at these beings¡­yet, anyway.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with those last two words?¡± Lily asked, before groaning. ¡°I can¡¯t move. Give me a hand.¡±


    Claud carried her onto his back, and after making sure that she was nice and comfortable, activated Flight. Soaring through the night, Claud made sure to not look back.


    ¡°Wait, we need to pick up that little guy.¡±


    ¡°Little guy?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°The little shadow that never made it to the city square. Its buddies all left, remember? We can¡¯t just leave it standing there the whole day,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯ll starve or something!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Claud thought for a moment. ¡°Oh, that shadow that you lured¡­are we really going to pick the little fellow up? What are we going to do with him? We can¡¯t bring him to the city square!¡±


    Lily paused. ¡°But he¡¯ll be stuck here!¡±


    ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t have messed around with them,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Uh¡­okay, we bring the fellow back with us, and then find Dust tomorrow. She¡¯ll have a solution.¡±


    ¡°After scolding us, presumably.¡±


    ¡°You reap what you sow¡­but I get a feeling I¡¯ll be included in that too,¡± Claud grumbled. ¡°Now, where did we leave that little guy?¡±


    After flying around for a bit, the two of them descended next to a shadow, who was, in a first, looking around the place. For some reason, the little fellow had grown more animated, like an extra-curious baby that was exploring the world around it. In its hands were the wrapper that had held the sweet Lily used as bait earlier, and the little guy was clutching it really tightly.


    ¡°So¡­what do we do here?¡± Lily asked, getting off his back.


    ¡°Use your sweets and bring him to the inn first. We¡¯ll send this fellow to Lostfon Palace first thing tomorrow,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°I really feel like a bad guy or a kidnapper now.¡±


    ¡°Considering what we¡¯re doing? I think we very much fit that profile. Of course, we can just try to bring him to the city square and see what happens to us next,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°¡­No.¡±


    ¡°Thought so.¡±


    Lily produced a little sweet, and the toddler began to waddle over. As Lily broke Presence Nullification by scooping the little guy up, Claud broke a cold sweat at how easy those little fellows were to fool.


    How on Grandis did they survive until today?

 Chapter 365: Diverging from the wrong paths

    Claud felt a bit jealous as Lily continued to play with the little shadow¡¯s hair, but again, he was barely resisting the urge to do the same either. It would seem that this incredible sense of cuteness was their defence mechanism, and by the looks of it, it was functioning really damned well.


    He looked up at the pulsing sky as they trotted back home. Now that he had been exposed to the horrifying presence of the Lesser Half in its descent, Claud didn¡¯t feel much stress from the ripples that were shaking the world itself. It was a nice side-effect of exposing themselves to madness, but Claud was never going to do that again.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Lily asked, and the little fellow tilted her head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about that when we offload this fellow into somewhere safe,¡± Claud replied, rubbing the little guy¡¯s head. In the scenario dreamt up by the Second Tutorial, what did the Frozen Emperor do? Did he go out to peer at the Lesser Half¡¯s descent too?


    For some reason, he felt that the Frozen Emperor hadn¡¯t done that.


    He didn¡¯t mind that he was diverging from the Frozen Emperor in terms of actions, though. If that meant that he could avoid the future that drove a hypothetical him into catatonia while killing off a bunch of his friends at the same time, that was a good idea.


    Now, with the First Bearer of Destiny dead, there were only two moon phases before the Trial of Aeons followed. The next moon phase, however, would herald the descent of the Moons.


    This year was really shaping up to being a fine one.


    Shaking his head, he tightened his fingers around Lily¡¯s own and continued their way back to the inn. It was a profound shame that they couldn¡¯t reside in their own property that they had brought in Monsville, but it was Moon territory there. As someone who was wholly responsible for the death of the Moon-aligned Bearers of Destiny there, living there¡­was a bad idea.


    It was sad, but it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    ¡°I wish we can go back home,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°The one we have in Monsville, that is.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we purchase some protective artefact for it? It should still be fine,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I only fear for the amount of dust there and nothing else. Cleaning up will be a chore.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Claud envisioned himself dusting the whole place off, and then shivered. ¡°Our bed is going to be mouldy too. Do you think we should hire someone to clean up the place after we return?¡±


    ¡°By the power of money¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just lazy. And money exists for us to take shortcuts. With money, you can take as many shortcuts as you wish, after all.¡± Claud nodded sagely. ¡°This is why money exists. You can buy and sell services with money as an intermediary, and everyone can use it as the basic currency of exchange.¡±


    ¡°We have enough lifestones that dumping them on other people might just come as second nature to us, though¡­¡± Lily gasped. ¡°Is that why Clarissa just uses lifestones as payment?¡±


    ¡°As blocks of a few thousand gold each?¡± Claud pondered. ¡°Heh. Still, I¡¯m sure not many people would buy and sell their houses for lifestones. Gold or platinum? Sure, but lifestones must be traded via an intermediary, who would take a cut out. And if they don¡¯t want to buy, good luck.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a shortage of lifestones now, though.¡±


    Claud grunted. ¡°Right. And the only things I can use are either pure-ranked lifestones or prana jades. It¡¯s just that¡­the only way to get them is rather scary, though. Graveyards? Battlefields? Really?¡±


    He shook his head. Instead of sounding like an idiot, the two of them had taken the liberty to ask about prana jades via the Trading Board shortly after retrieving some from Count Lostfon. They were useful baubles for mid-ranked folders, who were now completely resistant to low, mid and high-ranked lifestones. For tetra-folders and beyond, prana jades were the only things that would allow them to progress, adding one month¡¯s worth of lifespan. This number would, like pure-ranked lifestones, never drop, allowing for unlimited intake.


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    They were a renewable source, though. One could harvest them from battlefields, or when lots of people died with emotions running high. Their most popular source was ancient battlefields from the various Godsfalls, which never quite seemed to run out.


    ¡°Are you going to scour around for them?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°In essence, all lifestones are pure-ranked ones to me,¡± Claud replied, thinking about little Crown, who was snoozing in their room. He hadn¡¯t brought Crown and Throne along, since Claud feared that the supposed Dark Herald descending would notice these guys.


    Given that the Lesser Half of the great Dark was the actual entity that descended onto Lostfon, his choice seemed like a very, very good one.


    The inn, which was already very silent, turned into a grave of complete peace as the two of them walked in with a little toddler of shadow in tow. Ignoring the tens of shocked gazes, Claud walked towards the counter. ¡°Old man, do you have an extra room?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lord Primus, but¡­¡± The old man looked at the toddler. ¡°But what¡¯s up with the little shadow?¡±


    ¡°Guy was distracted by a sweet,¡± Claud replied. ¡°The ritual for them to return home has ended, so this guy is marooned here. I¡¯m going to bring him over to the Lostfon Palace for the Dark Herald to handle tomorrow¡­¡±


    He paused. ¡°Okay, not tomorrow.¡±


    Lily rolled his eyes at him as the old innkeeper tossed a key over, before rapping the counter for payment. Placing a gold cold there, Claud tugged at the little fellow and beckoned him upstairs, with Lily bringing up the rear.


    ¡°So, I never really noticed, but do these Shadowed Ones have bodily functions? I see them eat and eat, but they don¡¯t really have much in the way of passing out waste,¡± Lily noted.


    ¡°Beats me. Maybe this is an incubation period or something, because the toddlers that were returning took on very human forms,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Maybe this is a special period for them? Either way, we¡¯ll return this little punk to the Lostfon palace two or three days later.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t want to see the Lesser Half, huh?¡±


    ¡°Hehe. Count Lostfon is going to break down when he realises that half of the great Dark is paying him a visit,¡± Claud replied. ¡°For our safety, we¡¯re not going over tomorrow morning. And besides¡­¡±


    He paused. ¡°I have something more pressing to do.¡±


    ¡°Yes. True.¡± Lily held his hand. ¡°Have you thought of what you¡¯re going to do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just make a small altar here.¡± Claud sighed. ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯m doing this while not in front of her grave.¡±


    ¡°Where is your mother buried at?¡±


    ¡°A small plot outside Licencia itself,¡± Claud replied, thinking back to the time when he carried a coffin out. Without any money, he could only rely on some help by Schwarz and his father to purchase a coffin. There was no way he could hire a coffin bearer, though, and the carriages and carts didn¡¯t want to help him carry his mother out of the city.


    He found a nice, small hill there, and then dug a grave. How long did he dig for? Claud couldn¡¯t remember.


    ¡°Claud¡­¡± Lily looked at him once, a complex emotion in her eyes, and rested a hand on his shoulder to convey her support. It was a gesture that couldn¡¯t be replicated by words, just like the emotions he had when he finally told her about his own emotions back then.


    He sighed, and then ushered the little guy into the second room he booked. ¡°Here you go.¡±


    The little shadow looked up at him, and then waddled over to the bed. Claud watched as it stretched once, and then flopped over.


    ¡°Huh. Well, that¡¯s adorable.¡± Claud poked the little guy on the forehead. ¡°We¡¯ll bring you to find the Dark Herald two days from now. Just sit tight here or something, okay?¡±


    He placed the key on the small cabinet next to the bed. ¡°That¡¯s the key to this room. If possible, don¡¯t leave the room. I¡¯m sure a lot of people would want to kidnap you, now that the great Dark has descended.¡±


    Claud¡¯s face took on an odd expression involuntarily as he continued to speak. He couldn¡¯t help but think that they too fitted the bill very well, and after informing the little guy to go downstairs if he was hungry, he and Lily left.


    ¡°So¡­are we the bad guys?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And we¡¯re going to bring him to the Lostfon Palace two days or maybe tomorrow anyway. We¡¯re good guys.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡±


    ¡°Look, we really are good guys,¡± Claud replied, rolling his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s just that we can¡¯t help but think we¡¯re the bad ones for some reason. We¡¯re doing the right thing, okay? We¡¯re even paying for this guy¡¯s board and lodging.¡±


    The little fellow tilted his head.


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s go back, wash up and then sleep. This guy will be fine on his own.¡±


    Lily made a little noise in her throat, and then pulled out a bunch of sweets. Piling them up beside the key, Lily cleared her throat and said, ¡°For you. Eat one if you¡¯re hungry, but try not to finish everything. I won¡¯t be giving anymore, you hear?¡±


    The little shadow picked up a sweet, unwrapped it and ate it a moment later, before releasing a happy gurgle. Without any preamble, the tiny guy fell asleep, letting out a content, steady breathing pattern.


    ¡°¡­Reminds me of a drunk person,¡± Claud noted, and then shook his head. ¡°You are a bartender to small shadows. For shame.¡±


    Lily punched his shoulder by way of reply.

 Chapter 366: A quiet memorial

    The remaining hours of moonlight swept past, and before long, day had broken onto the horizon. Claud, who could never sleep on the first day of Half Moon, gazed skywards, where the sky was returning to normal. It was as if the descent of the great Dark had never happened, but in the top left corner of his vision, one of the hourglasses had vanished.


    The day seemed even more muted somehow, to the point that everything seemed quite monochrome. Normally, Claud would feel a bit displeased at his unnaturally low mood, but it was a fitting sight for today.


    Lily, who was snoozing away with dishevelled clothes, rolled onto her side and hugged his arm. Despite his low mood, Claud couldn¡¯t help but smile ¡ª his mother would be happy to know that he had found a soulmate.


    Poking her left cheek gently, Claud decided not to dwell on the past too much. It would not do to feel sad. What he wanted to do was to remember his mother¡¯s life and the many things she had done for him, and celebrate them.


    Nothing more, nothing less.


    He lay in bed for a while, holding Lily close to his chest, and thought about the future depicted in his Second Tutorial. Now that the great Dark had descended, and two more tumultuous events would soon follow, Claud knew that he might very well just be in for the fight of his life. Everything that should have happened had indeed happened so far, and if he failed at this juncture¡­


    Claud looked at Lily again, and felt his heart clench up. He never wanted the feel the pain of eternal loss again. He would sooner die than to do that¡­which was why, in the Second Tutorial, the Claud there had strangled his own emotions and delved into a dreamscape where all was happy and pleasant.


    The Frozen Emperor was one of the strongest people in that nightmare, but all that strength was pointless if he couldn¡¯t protect the people he cared about.


    Claud was determined to never go down that route, no matter what.


    Shaking his head, he reached out for a little pyramid in his backpack. He glanced at the mismatching markers once, nodded in satisfaction, and then placed it back.


    Lily made a little noise, and then shifted slightly. At that moment, a sunray fell into her eyes, and she stirred awake. Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked at Claud blearily.


    ¡°M-morning¡­¡± Grabbing his head, she pulled him down for a kiss, and then fell asleep again.


    ¡°¡­Normally, one does not fall asleep after a deep kiss¡­right?¡± Claud muttered. He wasn¡¯t sure of these things himself either; this was his first and only experience with love. However, now that she had woken up, falling asleep was probably not a good idea.


    Poking her cheeks, Claud woke her up gently again.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s morning¡­odd.¡± Lily yawned. ¡°I had a weird dream where I slept through a whole day, hehe.¡±


    ¡°No, you woke up just five minutes ago, stuck your tongue into my mouth, and then went back to sleep,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Not a dream.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lily straightened a stray lock of hair. ¡°Good morning!¡±


    ¡°Good morning to you too.¡± Claud looked up at the sky. ¡°Feels like a normal day, doesn¡¯t it? Despite the great Dark descending and everything. Nothing much seems to have changed.¡±


    ¡°Yet.¡±


    Claud, who was about to say the same thing in the exact same ominous tone, felt a bit stifled. However, their speaking habits had melded after some time, and Lily was quite the mind-reader when it came to him. After all, how else would she have figured out who he was back then?


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    She grinned mischievously, before rolling off the bed like a ball. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there. Today is¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud paused. ¡°It¡¯s a shame I can¡¯t bring you to her grave, though.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have next year, and the year after next, and the years that stretch out forever,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And we won¡¯t miss them. I promise.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to protect that promise too.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s wash up and check on the little guy next door. I wonder if he¡¯s finished all the sweets.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to have a guinea p¡ªuh, someone who¡¯s happy to eat my sweets, so I really hope he¡¯s not sick of them yet,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Still, eating too much of anything is unhealthy, though. Is it really a good idea to feed him so much?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine¡­probably.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the little guy¡¯s a she,¡± Lily muttered. ¡®Anyway, we¡¯ll bring the little shadow to the palace tomorrow. I¡¯ll take this chance to test out my half-done creations¡­¡±


    Claud rolled his eyes.


    After washing up, the two of them checked on the baby shadow. The door, however, had been locked by the little thing, but its regular breathing was more than enough to reassure Claud that it was still very much fine.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, then.¡±


    The two of them left the inn and headed outside the city, a small package in Claud¡¯s hand. Under the muted sunlight, Claud found a small hill with a few trees on it, and then laid out a small mat. It was the usual setup, just that in front of him, it was now a tree with his mother¡¯s portrait laid against it.


    ¡°That¡¯s your mother?¡± Lily asked, looking at the aged, lined face. ¡°I can somehow tell that she¡¯s young, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Hard work and toiling,¡± Claud replied quietly. ¡°This is the only portrait I have of her. Fortunately, I¡¯ve protected it fastidiously, and it¡¯s lined with very expensive materials to prevent any blemish.¡±


    Pulling out a Porta-Pyro, Claud ignited three thin sandalwood sticks, which had been carved for the express purpose of rituals and occasions like this. They would give off a nice smell, but more importantly, they carried a great deal of symbolisation.


    Like life, the incense sticks would burn to an end. Legend had it that burning three sticks of sandalwood would bring back loved ones for that short duration. While the border of life and death was uncrossable, the distance would be closed, allowing the grieving to at least speak one-sidedly.


    He didn¡¯t know if that was true, but Claud wasn¡¯t going to hold back.


    Placing a small cake in front of the portrait, Claud introduced Lily and then narrated the events of the past year. If his mother really was listening, she would probably be shocked at what exactly transpired. In fact, he could already see her befuddled expression, and he had to hold back a grin.


    There wasn¡¯t much to the short ritual, and before long, the incense sticks fizzled out. With Lily at his side, his mood this time around was far better, and even the customary urge to cry had vanished.


    Was this proof that he had walked out from the shadow of his mother¡¯s death?


    Claud didn¡¯t know.


    Letting out a small sigh, Claud packed everything up, leaving behind only the stumps of the incense sticks. There they would stay for a few months, until the elements took them. It would be proof that his mother had reappeared in the world of the living, if only for the shortest of moments, and left a mark on him.


    ¡°Are you feeling better?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°I am. We¡¯ll go to her grave next year, and for the years that follow. I¡¯ll do the same for you too. I want to thank your mum for raising you too, just like what you did earlier.¡±


    Lily nodded with a faint smile. ¡°I wonder what she¡¯ll think of you.¡±


    Claud laughed. ¡°I¡¯m handsome, strong and faithful. I think I¡¯ll score ten out of ten points easily. Still¡­thank you. For coming along. I never knew how much easier it was to bear all these emotions and thoughts with a soulmate, until you came into my life and kicked the door down.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t kick the door down, okay? I just waited outside your room and everything,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Don¡¯t make me sound like a boorish person. I¡¯m cute, elegant and really adorable.¡±


    ¡°You missed out ¡®very¡¯, ¡®extremely¡¯ and ¡®truly¡¯,¡± Claud replied, before falling silent. He didn¡¯t know how to convey his thoughts to Lily; there were no words that could tell her just how much she meant to him.


    As Lily blushed, Claud simply hugged her once, holding her tight for a few seconds. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be formal. I have many things to thank you for too¡­¡±


    The two of them looked up into the muted blue sky, and Claud abruptly found himself looking forward to the future. Even though tumultuous times were upon them, Claud knew that he wasn¡¯t ever going to give up. He would protect Lily, protect the others, and make sure that the Frozen Emperor would never appear in reality.


    Even if he had to get rid of the Moons, the Dark and the Coloured Gods.


    Taking a deep breath, he held Lily¡¯s hand and led her back to the city, which was now devoid of any little shadows waddling around. He could sense an incredible presence residing in Lostfon Palace, which meant that they were definitely not going there today.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get some sweet food, then,¡± Claud suggested. ¡°We¡¯ll wait for a good day to bring that guy over.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±

 Chapter 367: Vast changes and enormous plans

    Dia looked up at the dawn sky, which was rippling and undulating like a restless sea. She could see the five grand skies, their translucent shades towering above the land and watching over all creation. In the past, she hadn¡¯t known what they were watching over, but now, she had an answer.


    Limbo.


    ¡°The great Dark descended last night,¡± Nero murmured, rapping his fingers on the round table that had been placed in Moon Mansion¡¯s garden. ¡°I have received a divine revelation from the Lord regarding this. I¡¯m supposed to wash my hands of this matter¡­although, if I am attacked, I am not to hold back. That said, there are many inherent changes that cannot be linked back to the Dark that will affect the night henceforth. Be careful when going out at night.¡±


    Everyone else nodded.


    ¡°What do we need to look out for?¡± Schwarz asked, glancing at Nero once. For some reason, Dia had the feeling that the bartender had guessed at the contents of that message correctly, and she wanted to applaud his sharpness. ¡°I remember a time when darkened animals roamed the land; do we need to keep an eye out on that again?¡±


    ¡°Possibly. The Dark¡¯s influence has increased greatly, and the Moons will be forced back. Before Gibbous Moon arrives, the balance will not be redressed,¡± Nero murmured, his eyes half-closed and his voice faint. ¡°Expect danger from all sights. In addition, the Moons will be temporarily weakened in this period.¡±


    ¡°Which means that a certain familiar spirit will be able to rampage around Istrel easier,¡± Risti continued. ¡°Farah, have you prepared everything?¡±


    ¡°The procurements have already been made. Trust my people on this. The familiar spirit¡¯s going to be very confused when it arrives at the place where the First died.¡± Farah grinned. ¡°They¡¯re professionals when it comes to grabbing land and transporting it elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°Still, why are they professionals?¡± Schwarz asked, curious.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Countess Farah winked at Dia. ¡°Well, I told Dia this story before. Long ago, when I was still a child, my parents dumped the responsibility of running the county on me and fled to avoid debts and other things. Amongst the other ventures in which I carried out to revitalise the county, we also included moving huge volumes of soil.¡±


    ¡°¡­What?¡± Schwarz blinked. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°For moonwheat. moonwheat requires a certain type of soil, so we spent months digging up topsoil and transplanting it over to certain farms. Since the target topsoil can only be found in hills, we got really good at digging out soil and bringing them over,¡± Farah replied. ¡°After that, an industry around exchanging soil sprouted, since moon-touched soil is only effective for so long. If Farah County calls itself number two at removing soil, no other territory would dare call itself number one.¡±


    She grinned.


    ¡°Incredible,¡± Dia praised. ¡°I thought moonwheat was just tossing a bunch of seeds down and harvesting them later.¡±


    ¡°If it was that easy, it wouldn¡¯t be our specialty product,¡± Farah replied.


    After talking for a few minutes about pastries with moonwheat, everyone returned to the main topic at hand. Raising her hand, Dia asked, ¡°Will the Dark be taking the offensive now?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°In fact, shortly after the great Dark descended on Voidum, there was a secondary outburst of power. Reports from spies indicate that some being that very close in power to the great Dark descended in Lostfon, close to the frontlines at the contested battlefields.¡±


    ¡°Lostfon¡­¡± Dia glanced at the translucent palace that was vaguely visible from beyond Moon Mansion¡¯s dome. ¡°Caroline must be worried sick now, then.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± said Farah. ¡°The Moons and the Dark have spent a lot of time trying to pacify us humans. Even in the ongoing war, human settlements have been spared and they aren¡¯t trying to conscript us.¡±


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    ¡°Yet.¡± Risti rapped the table once. ¡°All three sides of the Fourth Godsfall ¡ª don¡¯t look at me like that ¡ª will eventually rope us humans in. I know we are all still living the shadow of the Third Godsfall and the Second Godsfall, but this time, we¡¯re watching a three-sided war. While the earlier Godsfalls was just a battle between the challenger and the incumbent, this one is clearly different.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Nero?¡±


    ¡°Yes. For one, there are far lesser Bearers of Destiny, and every single one is serving as a champion for a particular deity,¡± Nero replied slowly. ¡°And to complicate things, the White God and the Black God have been appointed as arbiters of this conflict.¡±


    Dia half-expected her ears to start bleeding, but nothing happened. The same went for everyone else, and after a moment of pain-free ears, everyone turned to the Holy Son of the Black God.


    ¡°What?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°No mind-splitting pain,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°Ah. Some secrets have been¡­declassified,¡± Nero replied. ¡°But to reiterate, the White God and the Black God have been appointed as overseers of this¡­battle royale. Everything, from the descending divinities to the Trial of Aeons, will all be part of this grand undertaking.¡±


    ¡°Whose grand undertaking?¡± Schwarz asked, but Dia already had an answer in her heart. She glanced up at the sky, where five translucent layers were hanging far above the world.


    ¡°The five grand skies?¡± Nero rolled his eyes. ¡°Can¡¯t you see them above you?¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright, I¡¯m an idiot.¡± Schwarz sighed.


    ¡°At any rate, everyone, do note that there are fourteen Bearers of Destiny. Seven of them have perished, and once six more perish, the game will be over. What that was formless will gain shape, and the world will be remade.¡± Nero sighed.


    ¡°You just have to be cryptic, right?¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°For your safety.¡± Nero grimaced. ¡°I was rolling around last night after I received the Divine Message. For four hours.¡±


    ¡°That explains why you look sleep-deprived and tortured.¡± Farah sighed. ¡°Want some pastries? It¡¯s made out of inferior wheat, but it¡¯s still good.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Nero plucked a small little pie from the plate and nibbled it gracefully. Dia didn¡¯t conduct any training today, since everyone had been staying up last night, and they had shouted down any attempts by her to organise a training session today at the same time.


    Therefore, the morning was reserved for eating and talking about random things.


    ¡°Still, with the Moons¡¯ influence and power temporarily weakened, we can¡¯t rely on them to protect ourselves, though,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°What¡¯s the chance of the familiar spirit wrecking the town after he or she can¡¯t find the battleground?¡±


    Dia felt her lips twitch. Maybe it¡¯s not so random after all¡­


    ¡°Low.¡± Nero stifled a yawn. ¡°Anyway, we should still be careful. The Red God is the God of Precision. Fate and destiny has a nasty habit of conforming to His will, and it¡¯s possible that his familiar spirit will be able to fortuitously divine out an answer because the right circumstances popped up at the best timing possible.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Farah, how many people were involved in shifting soil?¡±


    ¡°Fifty-eight,¡± the countess replied.


    ¡°¡­Yeah. We¡¯ll only have a few weeks. The familiar spirit will definitely find a clue one way or another, and then make its way to Farah County.¡± Nero squinted his eyes. ¡°It won¡¯t interrogate anyone. It¡¯ll just mingle around the populace, and at the right timing, it would pick up on the news it needs, and then return here to find Countess Farah.¡±


    Farah swore.


    ¡°There¡¯s a way to counter this, and it¡¯s a method you won¡¯t object to,¡± Nero added. ¡°You just need to stay indoors all the time.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Farah blinked. ¡°Why, though?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll add more defensive and detection measures to Moon Mansion to look out for any familiar spirits who are hoping to infilitrate this place. At the same time, you¡¯ll have to guard your tongue. That way, the link that is you will be broken,¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°How about Count Nightfall?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Him?¡± Nero grinned. ¡°He¡¯s already settled.¡±


    Dia immediately knew what he meant, and then nodded. Nightfall would not talk about that day¡¯s incident, no matter what. In that case¡­the only weak link was her and Nero himself, who had participated in that event.


    ¡°As long as everyone here forgets the relevant event, it¡¯ll be fine,¡± Nero added. ¡°But that¡¯s too dangerous, so everyone here just needs to never mention that thing again.¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s impressive how you came up with a way to stonewall a familiar spirit of the Red God, but why do I find it familiar?¡± Risti muttered.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s pretty much the same way I dealt with the Bearer of Destiny,¡± Nero replied. ¡°As long as you know the enemy, you can come up with countermeasures. It¡¯s not my fault that everyone knows that the target is a familiar spirit of Precision. Of course, we must be ready to flee at all times. Anything can go wrong¡­we are dealing with the Red God, after all.¡±


    Dia glanced at Nero, who was currently portraying a grave mismatch between his words and his facial expression, and wondered if she could come up with a plan to defeat this tetra-folder.


    It would be a fun exercise, if nothing else.

 Chapter 368: Prelude to an execution

    After discussing a bit more about scary-ass familiar spirits that seemed bent on seeking out a group of murderers, the Seekers of Life dispersed to do their usual jobs. While Dia had been foisted the annoying duty of city security, most of the relevant responsibilities had been tossed over to the actual city guards, which meant that she was free.


    She was about to use an excuse of inspecting the repairs done to the net that protected Licencia¡¯s airspace when Nero and Risti caught up to her.


    ¡°Free now? We¡¯re going over to Nightfall Palace to discuss appropriate countermeasures.¡± Nero shook a bag of snacks. ¡°There¡¯s food.¡±


    ¡°What am I, a child?¡± Dia replied, rolling her eyes. ¡°Still, let¡¯s see what snacks you have here¡­¡±


    After affirming that his offerings were indeed fit for a princess, Dia nodded. ¡°Sure, it¡¯s not like I have much to do anyway. Most of my job has been taken back by the competent city guards of Licencia. So, what are we going to do at Nightfall Palace?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to use a nice ritual spell to locate Princess Dia,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to convert Nightfall into a believer of the Lord.¡±


    ¡°Stop trying to pull my leg.¡± Dia led the way out of Moon Mansion. ¡°It¡¯s something related to that again, right? Did something happen? Do we need to do that and that?¡±


    She drew a finger across her throat.


    Nero looked at her. ¡°Nice guessing. Yes. One of our people has discovered and captured someone who has been corrupted by Limbo. Normally, we would have just killed the person on the spot, but since we¡¯re initiated two people into our ranks, I decided to have the execution¡­delayed.¡±


    ¡°Delayed.¡± Dia narrowed her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going to witness an execution?¡±


    ¡°Deterrence. And a warning to members in our ranks about the dangers and temptations of Limbo,¡± Risti clarified. ¡°Not just about the execution, but the¡­thing you become when you are fully taken over by corruption.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Dia took a deep breath. While her voice was still calm and steady, it was a bit hard for her to stomach that the other members of the Eternal Bulwark had captured an offender. ¡°Right, is there some¡­official name for people corrupted by Limbo?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that we weren¡¯t very imaginative back then,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Anyway, we used to call them negative mana-users, but that name was a bit too long and was a bit too broad. After all, we of the Eternal Bulwark also can draw power from Limbo, so we aren¡¯t that different from the actual idiots. After some quarrelling, we decided to drop the topic and stick with Aberrations. Incidentally, we call ourselves Watchers; no prizes for guessing why.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­cool, at least. The names.¡±


    Nero shrugged. ¡°I am told that some people found both names too dramatic, so there was a quarrel of sorts.¡±


    Risti chuckled. ¡°I bet the quarrel must have been legendary or something. Anyway, we¡¯ll drop by the palace and pull Nightfall out by the ear. We¡¯ll scare you two into the middle of next week afterwards, and then we¡¯ll go back home. How¡¯s that sound?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t really need to be blunt, right?¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°An article on Princess Dia has her talking about being direct and straight to the point, though. I remember she wrote something about the need to cut out fanciful words and everything,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°¡­is that so?¡± Dia racked her brains and tried to figure out if she actually did say something like that. It was very possible that quite a bit of it was just pure embellishment, but given Risti¡¯s prowess at stalking her idol, the chances of her being wrong were only slightly above zero.


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    ¡°Yeap, yeap.¡± Risti nodded, pleased with herself.


    Their little group stopped at a streetside stall to buy some pastries. After handing one to the adorable little Moon toddler that was staring at them with teary eyes, the three of them proceeded on to Nightfall Palace.


    ¡°I wonder if he¡¯s actually free, though,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°It¡¯s an impromptu visit, and I didn¡¯t even bother to send a calling card.¡±


    ¡°Eh, it¡¯ll be fine. You¡¯re a tetra-folder and the Holy Son of the Black God. What¡¯s he going to say to you, no?¡± Risti rolled her eyes. ¡°He¡¯ll come running back if you show up at his gates.¡±


    ¡°That only works if they¡¯re not well acquainted, though,¡± Dia pointed out. ¡°Since we¡¯re all friends and members of the same ancient conspiracy, he¡¯s probably going to take his own sweet time receiving us. Besides, he must be pissed at all the madness that¡¯s currently going on. I won¡¯t be surprised if he takes his own sweet time to receive us.¡±


    Nero nodded. ¡°Makes sense. And isn¡¯t his fianc¨¦, Caroline Lostfon, from Lostfon itself? Last I checked, some huge bauble of power just descended there. She might know about it too.¡±


    ¡°Okay, and¡­¡±


    ¡°The count might be trying to reassure her and everything, naturally. Telling him that he has to follow us out to watch an execution is actually a bit crass, now that I think about it.¡± Nero folded his arms. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t bring it up unless I think it¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll just go over and share with him some news and warnings about a certain familiar spirit.¡±


    ¡°Works for me,¡± Dia replied.


    After Risti agreed, the three of them headed towards the Nightfall Palace. Most of the people in the city were still living their peaceful lives, with the most notable events being a bunch of ruffians getting beaten up by a housewife with a pot and a brawl between two children escalating into an all-out battle between two families.


    Dia eyed a bunch of city guards as they tied up the young and the old and led them to prison or something, before shaking her head. Licencia was still quite chaotic, despite the city guards doing their best, but she hadn¡¯t seen any blood spilled y¡ª


    ¡°Ah! My arm! You broke my arm!¡±


    Everyone looked at the swindler who had thrown himself into the way of a carriage, and then decided to just move on to the palace.


    ¡°Seriously. There are little toddlers everywhere!¡± Risti sighed, glancing at one such toddler being fed a biscuit by two stall owners. ¡°Why can¡¯t these idiots be more sensible?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just life in a city,¡± Dia replied, sidestepping two Moonlit children that were holding hands and waddling around the place. ¡°But it¡¯s a nice city, isn¡¯t it? So full of life and vitality.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Nero sighed. ¡°When I was a child, I was raised in the Central Cathedral. It was completely boring there. Silent, clean¡­children simply walked in silence and read the scriptures, while the priests sat in silence and read the scriptures too. The only place that was remotely lively was the lunch hall, but even then, most of the liveliness came from debates.¡±


    He smiled. ¡°Doctrinal conflicts, scripture conflicts¡­well, it¡¯s quite stuffy there. Now that I¡¯m out and about, I can see why most priests who are raised in the Central Cathedral never come back.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m the Holy Son. I have no such restrictions, which was why I was already out and about after fifteen years of strict training,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I¡­had a small team of trusted people with me too.¡±


    ¡°Had¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Nero sighed. ¡°Had. Once all this is over, I¡¯m going back to Nihal to tie up whatever loose ends remain. There¡¯s just this stupid barrier and everything, you know.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving once the barrier goes down?¡± Risti asked.


    Nero looked at her, a thoughtful expression on his face. He bobbed his head for a few seconds, and then smiled. ¡°Maybe. Maybe not. I¡¯ve made new friends here, after all. And it¡¯s been three years. I¡¯m probably dead in their records or something¡­well, I¡¯ve probably been resurrected after Holy Daughter Clarissa sent news of me, but still.¡±


    His smile took on a touch of loneliness. ¡°I think I¡¯ll be happier here, and there¡¯s definitely a second Holy Son already appointed. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be needed over there anymore.¡±


    Dia had no idea how to respond to that, and Risti¡¯s silence was indicating the same thing too.


    Nero burst out laughing. ¡°Oh, come on. You¡¯re supposed to poke fun at me at this point!¡±


    ¡°How can we do that?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I¡¯m here and alone, and Risti¡¯s left her family to carve out her own influence too. Everyone in the Seekers of Life is lonely, one way or another. None of us can bring ourselves to poke fun at each other, since we¡¯ll end up stabbing ourselves too.¡±


    ¡°Except for Claud and Lily, probably,¡± Risti chimed in.


    ¡°Ah, those two¡­¡±


    Everyone sighed in concord, and then continued on their dreary trek to Nightfall Palace. As they plodded on, Dia couldn¡¯t help but feel a touch of isolation amidst the lively city and its people, and then felt a touch of sorrow.


    The Dark had descended. Soon, the Moons would follow suit, and then the Trial of Aeons. Would this city be able to protect itself when the time came?


    Dia didn¡¯t know, and she really didn¡¯t want to find out either.

 Chapter 369: Paintings and portents

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen your faces for quite a few days in a row,¡± Count Nightfall muttered. ¡°And the third time, you¡¯re telling me that there¡¯s an ugly mug I¡¯m supposed to see, just to reinforce my dread and caution around Limbo¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty much it.¡± Nero leaned back on his seat, crossed his legs and took a sip from his cup. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I sound blunt, but you and Dia never had a chance to take a good look at what happens to those who ignore the final line of defence. I¡¯m going to make up for it right now.¡±


    Risti nodded. ¡°Would be a shame if you gave in to the temptation and created a widow out of Caroline.¡±


    The count winced.


    ¡°Right?¡± Nero chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s for your own good, man!¡±


    Dia examined the reception room as Count Nightfall grappled between the choice of spending a lovey-dovey day with Caroline and witnessing the stuff of nightmares. Pictures of all kinds had been hung up recently, all of them featuring portraits of the count and his fianc¨¦e frolicking around in a sea of flowers or other romantic pursuits.


    It was a display of love, if nothing else. Rather adorable, but¡­Dia found the whole process rather embarrassing.


    ¡°Alright, you got me convinced,¡± Nightfall muttered. ¡°How long would it take?¡±


    ¡°An hour at most, in my opinion,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Unless, of course, you want to dissect the target and see the true extent of changes made to its body. I¡¯m told that doing so is the standard operating procedure for newbies, but the Dark just descended and we have nasty news to tell Caroline.¡±


    ¡°Nasty news?¡± Nightfall asked. ¡°Should I also call Daybreak in too, then? It seems rather important.¡±


    ¡°Daybreak¡­¡± Risti looked at him. ¡°I forgot about that guy.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been pigging out at my kitchen the whole day,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°It¡¯s like he¡¯s an impoverished fellow who hasn¡¯t eaten good food for a very long time.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been broke for quite some time, so I think that¡¯s an accurate description, yes.¡± Risti grinned. ¡°Anyway, might as well get the hard bits over and done with first. Can¡¯t hold back bad news from Caroline, since we¡¯re all friends. Where¡¯s she?¡±


    ¡°Practicing archery, I think. I¡¯ll get her,¡± Count Nightfall replied. ¡°Be right back.¡±


    He got up from his seat and left the reception room, which was immediately the cue for Risti to start speaking.


    ¡°Lots of portraits about him and Caroline flirting and making out,¡± Risti noted. ¡°I¡¯m surprised there aren¡¯t more risqu¨¦ portraits about them yet¡­I bet the only reason why no such portraits exist is due to the need for a third party to paint all this.¡±


    ¡°Why would the count make a risqu¨¦ painting about him and Caroline?¡± Dia asked, perplexed. ¡°The mere thought of it is embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Shame and embarrassment are just tools used to constrain and limit people in society,¡± Nero replied. ¡°If there exists a society where being naked and making records of your love-making isn¡¯t treated as shameful, the very people within that society won¡¯t feel embarrassed at the thought.¡±


    ¡°I thought the Coloured Churches are all about morals and purity¡ª¡±


    ¡°Which are largely defined by the people,¡± Nero replied gently. ¡°The Coloured Gods do not care whether you¡¯re naked, this much I know. After all, their eyes can see through all; you¡¯re transparent to them in the first place. What matters to the Coloured Churches is that they propagate the beliefs and morals endorsed by their respective gods. Of course, some of them naturally add their own beliefs into the mix¡­¡±


    ¡°Laws are made by people to constrain people,¡± Risti added. ¡°Shame and embarrassment are just feelings that society exploits to create informal restraints and bindings. Shame from eating one chocolate bar too many can be no different from being caught nude. And as the paramount rulers of this territory, Nightfall and Caroline can define such laws.¡±


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    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    The two bombarded Dia with theories about society or whatever until Nightfall and Caroline returned, but her head was already spinning by then. Thankfully, however, neither Risti nor Nero brought up anything about risqu¨¦ paintings, but the alternative wasn¡¯t that good either.


    ¡°What bad news do you bring for me?¡± Caroline asked, her voice quiet.


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re already aware?¡± Risti asked, her eyes slightly narrowed.


    ¡°Sudden Inspiration,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°I had a hunch that someone would bring me bad news today.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Nero took a deep breath. ¡°As you know, the great Dark descended last night. What quite a lot of us overlooked is the fact that a being of immense strength descended on Lostfon last night, at the same time.¡±


    Caroline froze.


    ¡°In Nihila,¡± Nero added. ¡°Yes, Lostfon County.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Caroline took a deep breath. ¡°My father should be fine, at least. After all, there shouldn¡¯t be much of a difference. He was already hosting a Dark Herald. Nothing much should change, all things considered.¡±


    She paused. ¡°But do tell me if there are any new developments. Thank you for telling me all this. It¡¯s something I really needed to know.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Nero and Risti replied, and Dia had to hide a smile. Those two were rather alike, in Dia¡¯s humble little opinion, and they made quite a nice pair¡­that was, of course, her thoughts only. Maybe the others would have their own ideas, and more importantly, these two fellows had their own target of fanatical devotion.


    In fact, just about everyone from the Seekers of Life had a mad obsession. Dia was a bit proud of the fact that she was not obsessed with anything, and she looked down on the others with some superiority as she stroked her sword.


    Extreme devotion to anything was quite creepy, in her opinion, but Dia knew that they wouldn¡¯t get it if she told them about such a thing. The Dia-fanatics would just brush her off, Claud and Schwarz would probably just shrug, and Nero would definitely get offended.


    It was best to zip up and feel superior from the sides.


    Caroline let out a sigh. ¡°I suppose I somewhat saw this day coming. Right now, the Nihila Sovereignty has been divided into three areas. The Moons control the entire Liquet Dukedom and from Cava County to Lacuna, while the Dark controls Quies Dukedom and Lostfon. It¡¯s natural for the Dark to dispatch one of their strongest to Lostfon, which is the closest supply base to the warfront at Lacuna.¡±


    She heaved a depressed sigh. ¡°I¡¯m sure my father will be fine, though. He¡¯s on the stronger side right now, and with some luck, the frontlines would shift away from Lostfon.¡±


    Risti nodded. ¡°That¡¯s probably what¡¯s going to happen.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much,¡± Nero added.


    Dia felt compelled to add some words too, so she said, ¡°Your family will be fine. Who knows? They might even have some talented personnel joining them because of this incident.¡±


    Caroline laughed. ¡°I can actually see that. Thanks to Lostfon, the Nihila Sovereignty is quite¡­profit-oriented. There¡¯s probably a few talents already hugging my father¡¯s thigh or something, hehe. I just hope my mother won¡¯t accept every single talent¡­¡±


    Nightfall held her hand. ¡°They¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°I know, Aran.¡± Caroline got up. ¡°Thank you, everyone. I¡¯ll take my leave first. I have a few things to do. Thank you for telling me all this news. I really appreciate it.¡±


    She got up and left.


    ¡°¡­Will she be alright?¡± Risti muttered. ¡°Sure did leave in a hurry, her.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s probably mobilising her own contacts and network. I¡¯ve given her the authority to use my own contacts too; she¡¯ll put that to better use than me when it comes to Nihila,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°I¡¯m a greenhorn in that sovereignty.¡±


    ¡°Good choice,¡± Dia noted.


    ¡°I¡¯m a genius, I know.¡± Count Nightfall sighed. ¡°So, about this execution thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I suppose we can go there now.¡± Nero paused. ¡°You two¡­should bring some bags to vomit in. Newbies like you guys will definitely throw up from the smell and the visuals combined, and I would rather not dirty a perfectly serviceable warehouse.¡±


    ¡°Warehouse?¡± Count Nightfall zeroed in on that word. ¡°How many of us are in Licencia right now?¡±


    ¡°There are, not including you two, eight of us in Grandis overall,¡± Nero replied. ¡°We¡¯re a bit understaffed, as you might have realised, which means that the seniors actually are forced to set up a support network. Fortunately, the enemy is equally understaffed, but they¡¯re more than capable of stirring up shit for us to clean up.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, Nero used a crass word,¡± Risti noted.


    ¡°Yeah, well, it should have been your problem, but I just happen to be the highest ranked folder here, so it¡¯s now my problem.¡± Nero sighed. ¡°Well, whatever. Come on, let¡¯s get this execution going.¡±


    He got up. ¡°Like I said, brace yourself and get some bags. It¡¯s not a pleasant sight, but it¡¯s a very good teaching material. I remember that I cried at night for a whole week after I saw¡­that thing. How about you, Risti?¡±


    ¡°Me? Hmm, it was a bit scary. Think I stayed up for a night after seeing that thing,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°But it¡¯s more of an insect phobia than anything else¡­I hope you two don¡¯t develop a fear of insects after this.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t like the sound of that.

 Chapter 370: Ritual magic, gods and executions

    Dia looked around the warehouse, which was empty save for an odd setup in the middle. There was a very intricate circle of black paint drawn there, and four mirrors ¡ª the extravagant, full-length ones that nobles used ¡ª had been placed on the edge of the circle, with one mirror placed at every quarter of the circle. The reflective side was facing outwards, and as she glanced at the setup again, a mist rippled into view.


    ¡°What?¡± Dia rubbed her eyes. ¡°When was there mist here? And why?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how this works either. I¡¯m told that this is a field that is very¡­esoteric. Mysticism.¡±


    ¡°Mysticism?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Wait, was this entire thing set-up by my aunt?¡±


    ¡°Your aunt?¡± Nero looked at her.


    ¡°Norn.¡± Risti replied. ¡°You might know her by her title instead, the Verdant Interrogator. She¡¯s the leader of the Seekers of Truth.¡±


    Dia rubbed her nose. Now, who was it that suggested the Seekers of Life as the replacement name for the Moon Lords? Was it Farah? Or was it Risti? She snuck another glance at her buddy, and then rubbed her nose. Clearly, someone had been slacking off back then when it came to name generation¡­but she did have a rather good justification.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Nero bobbed his head. ¡°Yes, I remember. So, Norn, huh¡­how old is she, by the way?¡±


    ¡°Never asked. Why?¡± Risti glanced at the setup of four mirrors.


    ¡°N-nothing.¡± Nero cleared his throat. ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s her. If she¡¯s here, she would have taken command in the Istrel Sovereignty instead. It wouldn¡¯t be me, that¡¯s for sure. I¡¯m too young.¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t act your age, though,¡± Dia pointed out. ¡°You¡¯re like an old, stoic man who was stuck in a young body or something¡­but again, mana-users don¡¯t really age physically either.¡±


    ¡°Stop making me sound like a monster,¡± Nero replied, before the smile faded. ¡°Anyway, this setup is probably made by the support network I mentioned earlier. While not many are aware of Limbo itself, there are organisations dedicated to getting rid of Aberrations, and I think the people responsible for everything see now belong to the Verdant Interrogator. After all, knowledge of mysticism has to come from somewhere.¡±


    ¡°How does that even work?¡± Dia muttered. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that an organisation, presumably made out of normal people, caught something like this?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re called Aberrations, by the way. Or the Logia-touched,¡± Nero replied, before extending a hand towards the set-up. ¡°Hmm. It seems that this set-up was made with the power of either the Blue God or the Indigo God. I can sense a disjunction between the space enclosed and everywhere else.¡±


    ¡°¡­Mind explaining the whole thing?¡±


    ¡°The Indigo God, the God of Perpetuity, governs a part of time. The Blue God, the God of Inevitability, governs part of fate. Both of their domains overlap slightly, which is why I¡¯m having trouble determining which god the creator of this set-up prayed to,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Essentially, there is a temporal disjunct between that space enclosed by the mirrors and everywhere else.¡±


    ¡°Why does it matter?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s the God of Perpetuity, it means that the captured Aberration is frozen in time, at the condition of its capture,¡± Nero answered, before approaching the mirrors. ¡°You can see the symbolism in the four outward-facing mirrors. They are repelling the mundane world, but what is being repelled depends on the god they were praying to.¡±


    ¡°What happens if it¡¯s the Blue God?¡± Nightfall asked, mimicking Nero¡¯s actions.


    ¡°Then the Aberration has already met its inevitable end,¡± Nero replied, before looking around. ¡°I think we¡¯ll be fine, though. There¡¯s a secondary ritual above the cage.¡±


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    ¡°Ritual?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Yeah, this is a form of ritual magic,¡± Nero replied. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You look very confused. You and Nightfall both.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t ritual magic, you know, one where you grab a bunch of mana-users and mages and get them to chant long-winded phrases to create miracles?¡± Nightfall asked. ¡°Seems that way to me. Caroline has her own mage battalion, and I see them chanting long, long phrases that result in something after a while.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the layman view of ritual magic,¡± Nero replied. ¡°It seems a lot more striking because of its evocative aspect. You chant something and something happens. True. However, ritual magic and working mana is, at its core, something you¡­¡±


    He paused. ¡°I¡¯ll try to package it so that no one¡¯s head explodes. It¡¯s based around your will, your thoughts. Chanting together with other people gives rise to a mental image. Wills resonate and give rise to a grand performance. The ritual magic you see right now, makes use of props. Subconscious and conscious meanings assigned to props help to create a firm mental image, but it just lacks the flashy aspect.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­so everyday items can accidentally result in a ritual spell?¡± Dia asked, confused.


    ¡°That sounds off,¡± Risti added. ¡°I¡¯m also not sure about mysticism, so don¡¯t look at me like this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also not that sure, but I do know the theory. For items to actually have an effect, they need to be consecrated with mana, lifeforce or divinity first,¡± Nero replied. ¡°So normal items won¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°Good, because I don¡¯t really want to wake up trapped in a ritual like this,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I wonder if there¡¯s a guide or something. ¡®Top One Hundred Ritual Setups!¡¯ or something like that.¡±


    ¡°Dream on. Anyway, I¡¯m going to pause the ritual now.¡± Nero pulled out a letter, glanced through it, and then took a deep breath. ¡°You guys take up positions around the circle too. Prepare to strike, just in case that thing tries to retaliate. Dia, Nightfall, take out those bags. You¡¯re definitely going to need it.¡±


    Everyone else nodded.


    After everyone got into position, Nero held up the letter, and his body began to blaze with azure light. With a single swift tear, he ripped the letter into two, which began to burn. Something seemed to pop, and the mist vanished. A cage appeared in its stead, revealing¡ª


    Dia¡¯s mind went blank, and the urge to vomit overcame her. Her stomach churned, and a searing sensation surged through her throat. A pungent stench filled her nose a moment later as she threw up over and over again into the bag that she had taken out.


    How long did it last? Dia wasn¡¯t sure, but the sight of a person made up purely by maggots, insect parts and white shells was so repulsive, so¡­unnatural that her body intuitively rejected the concept in such a visceral way. The little maggots that were called Logia squirmed around in a way so wrong that she wanted to stop breathing.


    Only a part of her mind remained calm as she continued to throw up over and over again, and an unprecedented weakness ran through her frame, gripping it tightly. The sole thing keeping her aware and awake was her years of long training, and before long, she had adapted to the¡­unsettling sight of the maggots.


    Her eyes were stinging by the time she got used to it.


    ¡°Done?¡± Nero called out. ¡°Hurry up. Nightfall¡¯s probably going to take some time, though, but you need to inoculate yourself with the¡­wrong-ness of an Aberration.¡±


    Dia sealed the bag full of vomit and forced herself to straighten her back. At the corner of her eyes, she could see Nightfall still vomiting, but the bulk of her focus was placed on the repulsive sight of the Aberration. She didn¡¯t quite know how to describe it, however. Calling it a man-sized mass of maggots and insect innards didn¡¯t quite do its unnaturalness justice.


    Swallowing once to assuage the burning sensation in her throat, Dia took a deep breath and observed the Aberration. She could vaguely notice the body structure of a woman, but her flesh and skin had been turned into insects that were somehow melded together in grotesque ways. Her organs, her bones, her body¡­all had turned into that unnatural being that should, by all accounts, never be able to exist. The mass of insects was something that shouldn¡¯t have existed in the first place, and yet¡­


    ¡°That is the outcome of those who take in the unadulterated power of Limbo,¡± Nero murmured. ¡°This is a fate worse than death. No body. No mind. No self. Her existence has been nearly overwritten. If we left this¡­thing to its own devices, it would probably attempt to consume more people. Once it reaches a certain critical mass, the Moons will detect and annihilate it, along with everything in its vicinity.¡±


    ¡°Why would the Moons need to wait for it to reach a critical mass?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I thought they responded quite well earlier.¡±


    ¡°Only because the target was a tetra-folder that had already drawn attention,¡± Nero replied. ¡°And when a tetra-folder is fully corrupted, the resulting energy of Limbo that is released is incredible. If he had turned into an Aberration in Licencia, half the city would probably be contaminated.


    Nightfall let out a soul-shuddering cough, and then stood up, his body shaking. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we had to drive him away. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re feeling better, by the way,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Ready?¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll ask for more details later.¡±


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Nero turned to the Aberration. ¡°Let us begin the formal proceedings of the execution. Risti, you can begin.¡±

 Chapter 371: Execution

    ¡°Miss Julie Luca.¡± Risti rang a bell. ¡°We, guardians charged to defend the stability of this world, call upon you one last time. If you are not so lost that you can no longer hear us, listen to our plea.¡±


    The abomination of maggots and slime stilled as Dia realised that Risti had chanted a ritual verse. Did that thing regain awareness? Or was it drawn by the way reality had distorted with Risti¡¯s words?


    Bell chimes filled the warehouse again. ¡°Discard your ambition and obsession. Your friends are waiting for your return. Your parents are looking for you. If you long for their touch and yearn to return, I implore you to sever your source of power. We will save you.¡±


    Risti paused once. ¡°Your time of greatness has long passed. Return to mortality, or return to dust. I, Risti Cadenza, offer you one last chance. Within three chimes, shatter your obsession and your power, or be slain where you stand.¡±


    The ceremonial sword in her hand rose, and the small bell in her hand chimed once.


    Twice.


    Thrice.


    ¡°So be it.¡± Risti rang the bell. ¡°Eternal guardians of our world, I pray that you cleanse this lost soul upon its release, and lead her to her final rest.¡±


    ¡°I have witnessed the refusal of one Miss Julie Luca to recant her power,¡± Nero intoned, unsheathing his own sword with a metallic hiss. ¡°Her execution begins thence.¡±


    He stepped into the circle and unsheathed his blade with a metallic hiss. With controlled, measured steps, Nero closed in on the trapped Aberration and raised his sword, before cladding it in a thick shroud of mana. He looked at the mass of white insects once, and then glided forward, the sword in his hands turning into a flash of lightning. Flicking his sword twice, he slid the weapon back into the sheath as multiple black gashes tore through the cage and the abomination.


    A pillar of black and blue erupted from the ground a moment later, eradicating whatever remained of the Aberration and the cage it occupied. The circle below flared up with a prismatic radiance a second later, and the pillar of power vanished from existence, wiped away by a massive presence.


    Dia¡¯s eyes widened at what could only be the intervention of the Moons, and felt fear crawl up her spine. Fortunately, the presence had showed no other intention, and simply left after retrieving whatever it had come for.


    Nero, who had nearly fallen over after that attack, stood up straight slowly. Clearly, that attack had taken a lot out of him, which was probably why he could unleash such a blinding strike that Dia herself didn¡¯t think she could block.


    ¡°We¡¯re done here,¡± Nero announced. ¡°Time to go. I suppose you two newbies have a bunch of questions anyway, so let¡¯s talk after we cleanse ourselves. Risti, do you have the skillstrips?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I found a bunch of Cleanse skillstrips on sale,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Gather around me, guys. Use the skillstrips on the spot.¡±


    A refreshing wave of energy washed through Dia as she tore the skillstrip into two pieces, and something clammy seemed to lift from her body. ¡°Thanks, Risti.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just standard operating procedure, but I¡¯ll accept your thanks anyway.¡± Risti sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t think that ritual has ever worked, though. It¡¯s the same formulaic recital, and I¡¯ve never seen it actually work before.¡±


    Nero nodded. ¡°But it¡¯s my responsibility to say that, apparently. Have to give the Aberration one last chance to give up their mana circuits. Most of them are too far gone to actually take in our words, though. And the other half are too obsessed with getting stronger that telling them to sever their mana circuits is no different from telling them to die.


    ¡°So it¡¯s never worked before?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°We do it anyway. In times of peace, there¡¯s the luxury of having the divinities do the cleansing and escorting for us. The soul that¡¯s been ravaged by Limbo is granted some respite and taken away.¡± Nero jiggled his shoulders. ¡°You felt that presence, right? When we recite the ceremonial words, we draw the attention of divinities, and they help us in escorting the dead from the place.¡±


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    ¡°Isolate them and everything,¡± Risti added. ¡°I think the gods don¡¯t want these corrupted souls from actually spreading their corruption. We just destroyed their physical vessels, after all. Their souls definitely need cleansing. Anyway, this is what the Eternal Bulwark has been doing sporadically since the dawn of time. Once knowledge of Limbo is completely expunged and no one decides to defy common sense, our job will be over.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯ll always be people who struggle to live, though,¡± Nightfall muttered.


    ¡°Really?¡± Nero snorted. ¡°Count Nightfall, how many mana-users have you captured for execution over three decades?¡±


    Nightfall furrowed his brows. ¡°Twenty-nine, I think.¡±


    ¡°How many of them burst out with a desire to live when you executed them, taking you by surprise as they drew power from seemingly nowhere?¡± Nero pressed on.


    ¡°I see your point.¡± Nightfall breathed out slowly. ¡°None of them definitely had extra mana coming from nowhere. While they showed fear, they were already aware that there was no getting out from their current predicament, so they simply died. Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡±


    ¡°Correct. And the other type of death is usually instantaneous, when your attack kills or mortally wounds them on the spot. The will to live can¡¯t even be mustered up in such cases,¡± Nero replied. ¡°However, if they are aware that there¡¯s a power source that they can tap on at any point in time, things would have been very different in your case. It¡¯s a matter of knowledge. That¡¯s all.¡±


    Nightfall nodded.


    ¡°The will to live is admirable, but it can be distorted madly,¡± Nero replied. ¡°And in the end, this distortion usually results in a far greater disaster. Most attacks are played off as monster attacks, however, and sometimes, we spend ages tracking the target down after it flees.¡±


    ¡°These incidents are very rare, though. We¡¯re not fighting against Aberrations, to be honest. We¡¯re fighting against the knowledge of Limbo,¡± Risti replied. ¡°It¡¯s a long, secret war that tends to result in the aggregation of important people.¡±


    Dia rolled her eyes. ¡°I feel really important now, thanks.¡±


    Everyone laughed for a few seconds, before Nero cleared his throat. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s the usual procedure for executing an Aberration. I¡¯ll send the ritual chants to you guys¡­but I doubt we¡¯ll use it more than ten times in the next millennium.¡±


    ¡°Millennium?¡± Dia echoed.


    ¡°Yeah, millennium. Most of us usually live for that long, unless we die of unnatural causes,¡± Nero replied. ¡°After all, the divinities don¡¯t really want to kill members of the Eternal Bulwark, even if there¡¯s a conflict. Remember, every last one of us is a potential Aberration too. If they push us too hard¡­¡±


    ¡°Wow, we¡¯re now threatening the divinities,¡± Count Nightfall noted in a dead voice. ¡°I am very happy about this.¡±


    ¡°All for a good cause. The Lord doesn¡¯t seem to mind, anyway.¡± Nero stretched his neck. ¡°Alright, this nasty distraction is officially over. I¡¯ll just teach you guys the usual codes and burn them into your subconscious, and we¡¯ll probably forget about this for the next few decades.¡±


    ¡°We now need to deal with a familiar spirit. Joy.¡± Risti paused. ¡°He or she should be arriving soon, right? Nightfall, you¡¯re going to have to ward that familiar spirit off for us. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. I just want to spend time with Caroline. Why can¡¯t I do that? There¡¯s a Count Daybreak, and now there¡¯s a familiar spirit. I¡¯m so done.¡± Nightfall muttered under his breath. ¡°I¡¯m going to evict them into a small shed or something. Me and Caroline are entitled to our own alone time.¡±


    ¡°Why not just get Daybreak to handle the familiar spirit?¡± Nero asked. ¡°It¡¯s his domain that¡¯s affected to begin with. While you¡¯re at it, go get the Moon Emissary to do his damn job.¡±


    Nightfall paused. ¡°Your middle name has to be Genius, right? That¡¯s a damn good idea. See you guys in a bit.¡±


    He hurried off with a demeanour that made Dia pity the unfortunate, impoverished count living rent-free in the Nightfall Palace. The others chuckled awkwardly at the same time, coughing and clearing their throat with an expression so fake that it was probably illegal in some city.


    ¡°So, uh¡­who¡¯s going to tell that guy?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°Just let Nightfall settle everything,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°So, we¡¯re now left with one giant threat on the horizon, right?¡± Nero muttered. ¡°Can¡¯t we just kill the guy or something? He and a few other Coloured Gods are probably not going to survive the Fourth Godsfall anyway, since their Bearers of Destiny have died.¡±


    ¡°Can someone actually explain how the whole thing is going to work?¡± Risti complained.


    ¡°Unless you want your head blown up, I guess.¡± Nero grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll run commentary as events unfold so that everyone isn¡¯t lost.¡±


    ¡°¡­What are you, exposition?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Clarissa¡¯s probably doing the same for Ruler Istrel, so you guys should feel really, really honoured,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go back. That familiar spirit should be coming soon.¡±


    Dia looked back at the warehouse, where the setup of four mirrors facing outwards dazzled her eyes. No one could have guessed that a monster of slimy insects had been executed there, in the presence of the Moons. How did it feel to know that she had taken part in an extra-legal execution done to safeguard the world?


    It sounded nice and all, but Dia couldn¡¯t help but feel like the whole thing was messed up.


    Sighing once, she followed the others out. The familiar spirit of the Red God was going to arrive soon, and there were things to be done. Whatever they did earlier would have to be tucked into the back of their minds and nothing else.


    For everyone¡¯s sake.

 Chapter 372: Pre-arrival jitters

    [Book 9: Moons Muster]


    ¡°I know we¡¯re all talking about tracking down the familiar spirit,¡± Dia muttered, ¡°but do we actually have the ability to do that?¡±


    She sighed. After killing the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny, who had actually self-destructed by taking in corruptive powers from Limbo, the big Red G had decided to dispatch one of his familiar spirits to investigate and presumably execute the punks responsible.


    In other words, them. Of course, Dia wasn¡¯t sure how all this began in the first place. They had headed to Daybreak County to show the titular ruler of the territory his place, only to stumble upon a conspiracy and a bloody sacrificial ritual spearheaded by the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny. Given that the Coloured Gods¡¯ Bearers of Destiny were literally the guardians of their masters¡¯ divinity and position, one would think that they would be a bit more careful¡­


    In the end, the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny joined three others in death, enraging the God of Precision himself.


    ¡°Well, Claud was going on and on about a divinity tracker,¡± Risti muttered.


    ¡°Oh, you have got to be kidding. The two lovebirds fled two seasons ago. There is no way they could have predicted this, right?¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s seriously unbelievable.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m equally dumbstruck too. I even checked with Schwarz,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. Besides, didn¡¯t he write a booklet regarding dangers and whatever? There was one section at the back that talked about looking out for signs of divinity¡ª¡±


    ¡°Even Claud himself noted in that section that encountering a god or a familiar spirit is a nigh-improbable event, and the guy died because he was an idiot,¡± Dia interrupted.


    ¡°¡­Right, you were the one who handed out that book.¡± Risti bobbed her head. ¡°Makes sense for you to know it very well, right? But if it¡¯s theoretical, why on Grandis would he even bother to source for a divinity checker?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s paranoid?¡± Dia replied.


    Risti raised an eyebrow, glanced at Nero once, and then shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s a very convenient explanation.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the simplest explanation. I don¡¯t think Claud has Future Sight or Sudden Inspiration,¡± Dia replied. ¡°And Lucian¡¯s Razor states that the simplest explanation is always the best.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re using Lucian Lostfon¡¯s words wrongly,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°Hey, you caught that reference!¡±


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Nero cleared his throat. ¡°Who¡¯s Lucian Lostfon?¡±


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s a character that debuted in the books we were reading recently,¡± Dia replied. ¡°He¡¯s famous for exploring the Celestia Ruins.¡±


    ¡°And why were you reading about that?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°We found a few books of the place lying around. I think Schwarz was wondering if he could get more recipes for drinks there, especially since most of Claud¡¯s store of fizzy drinks have been consumed by us.¡± Dia paused. ¡°Maybe we should have actually exercised some self-control when drinking them?¡±


    Nero whistled innocently for a few seconds, while Risti looked at the ground.


    ¡°You two aren¡¯t going to take any responsibility, are you?¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re all at blame¡­but it¡¯s Claud¡¯s fault. He ran away with Lily to begin with, and he hasn¡¯t returned yet. It¡¯s not our fault that he¡¯s not safeguarding his own drinks¡­yeah, it¡¯s not convincing.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just grovel at his feet or something when he returns,¡± Risti replied, before suggesting, ¡°How about bribing him with lifestones? He loves them, after all.¡±


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    ¡°Ah, good idea.¡± Nero bobbed his head. ¡°And when it comes to lifestones, I have¡­well, I should have a lot, but eh.¡±


    The three of them joked about Claud¡¯s dwindling stock of fizzy drinks as they returned to Moon Mansion, where Farah and Schwarz had kidnapped a Moon toddler.


    ¡°What are you guys doing?¡± Dia asked, eyeing the little toddler waddling around the grounds of Moon Mansion.


    ¡°Remember? You told me to ask Nightfall if I could bring one of them into Moon Mansion. I just got permission today,¡± Schwarz replied, before holding out a small cup of bubbly orange juice ¡ª definitely fizzy drinks mixed with orange juice ¡ª to the toddler, who sipped at it happily.


    ¡°When did I do that?¡±


    ¡°When you went to Daybreak County?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Anyway, this little fellow is unofficially adopted by us. We¡¯ll raise him¡­her¡­not too sure about this little fellow¡¯s gender, and I don¡¯t want to check either.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they don¡¯t have a gender. I¡¯ve never seen one of them go to the toilet before,¡± Farah replied, rubbing the little toddler¡¯s head. ¡°Anyway, I think we need to be a bit serious here. Red God. Bearer of Destiny.¡±


    ¡°Dead Bearer of Destiny,¡± Dia corrected.


    ¡°No difference. They seem to be dropping like flies. I thought they were hardy fellows or something, but half of them have already died a horrible death,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I¡¯m dead certain ¡ª heh ¡ª that being a Bearer of Destiny is a magnet for suffering, pain and death. Change my mind.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no. Anyway, we need to deal with a familiar spirit, but what do we know about them?¡± Dia asked.


    Everyone turned to Nero, who raised his hands. ¡°There¡¯s a reason why my suggestion was misdirection and making sure that the familiar spirit doesn¡¯t find us. None of us stand a prayer against a familiar spirit. We¡¯ll need to get the Moons to cover for us.¡±


    ¡°Is it really fine for the Holy Son of the Black God to suggest such a thing?¡± Farah muttered.


    ¡°Eh, we get by,¡± Nero replied. ¡°The Black and White Church are disliked too, since we¡¯re not included in the Fourth Godsfall. For some reason that I¡¯m not sure about. But this means we¡¯re not above screwing the others over, because why not?¡±


    ¡°Are you really sure you¡¯re a Holy Son?¡± Farah looked at Nero. ¡°Look at this guy here! He loves booze, has no qualms running to the Moons for help and doesn¡¯t even try to spread his faith? The other Coloured Churches do that, but this guy? No way. He¡¯s too lazy!¡±


    ¡°Like I said, we get by.¡± Nero jiggled his shoulders. ¡°Anyway, Nightfall¡¯s definitely throwing the blame to the Moons and everything. The details¡­you two don¡¯t bother yourself with that. For reasons.¡±


    Schwarz let out a sigh. ¡°We¡¯re all playing the secrets card now, are we?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault you guys have low Authority.¡± Nero shrugged. ¡°I can¡¯t even hear them without injuring myself. You guys will die. Anyway, we need to stonewall the familiar spirit. The God of Precision specialises in perfect timing and coincidences. You must be careful at all times. We¡¯re safe in here, but have you read books where the villain spouts out all his bad deeds in front of Emperor Grandis, who just so happens to come in?¡±


    Schwarz and Farah nodded.


    ¡°Assume that can happen anytime with the familiar spirit,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Don¡¯t talk much, don¡¯t chatter, and try not to leave Moon Mansion. I have shrouded it with the power of my master, which will hamper any foreign familiar spirit from sneaking in...hopefully, anyway. If you¡¯re ever caught, just die with grace. You can¡¯t win against a familiar spirit.¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s not very encouraging,¡± Schwarz muttered.


    ¡°Deal with it. We¡¯re talking about a familiar spirit, someone who is no different from a Chromatic Lord. No high-ranked folder has appeared for millennia; while that continues to stay true, familiar spirits are impossible enemies.¡±


    Dia felt a bit stifled at those words.


    ¡°That¡¯s the briefing for the familiar spirit, but I¡¯m quite sure I¡¯ve done this before,¡± Nero muttered, folding his arms and staring at the little toddler drinking from the cup. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a mess, but we just need to tough this season out. Once the Moons descend, the familiar spirit will have to flee. Or if we¡¯re lucky and the Moons decide to act earlier, so much the better for us.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t know why Nero was examining the little toddler closely, but again, the little bauble was as cute as a ball. The way it lifted the cup and drank from it was a heart-warming sight, and she had to forcibly resist the urge to rub a head of fluffy hair.


    ¡°Just to ask, but is there absolutely nothing we can do?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Even if you kill the familiar spirit, what next?¡± Nero replied. ¡°The Red God will know that it¡¯s you for certain. You will die a death that will make quartering seem like a blissful mercy from a lover. I don¡¯t really see the point. And more importantly, there is nothing you, I or anyone else short of the Moons can do in this situation.¡±


    ¡°O-okay.¡±


    Nero rolled his eyes. ¡°Sometimes, it¡¯s hard to accept that there are things you cannot do, no matter what. Face it. Against a familiar spirit, we aren¡¯t going to do anything just yet. If you want to even have a prayer against it, you¡¯ll need to be a hexa-folder.¡±


    ¡°¡­Six folds, huh.¡± Schwarz looked at Nero. ¡°Well, want a drink?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s completely unrelated¡­why are you offering me a drink, now of all times?¡±


    ¡°Well, if you do have a few lifestones lying around, maybe we can use them,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°You guys have a lot from doing all of Nightfall¡¯s missions! Use them first!¡±


    ¡°Damn, you were paying attention?¡±

 Chapter 373: Negotiating with a divinity

    ¡°Nervous?¡± Claud asked, looking at Lily, who was holding a tiny little shadow¡¯s hand. The little guy glanced up at him and shook its tiny head once, and Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°Not you. You won¡¯t be nervous meeting the Lesser Half, right?¡±


    Claud rubbed the little shadow¡¯s head.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m nervous,¡± Lily replied. ¡°We¡¯re talking about an equal and peer to the Moons. I¡¯m not just nervous, actually. I¡¯m positively terrified. What got into you?¡±


    ¡°I know it runs against our original plan, but¡­¡± Claud let his smile slide off his face. ¡°But this is the only real way I can see me escaping the Red God¡¯s plot. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s his domain, and I don¡¯t know anything about the enemy at all. Given all these uncertainties, along with the fact that there¡¯s literally nothing I can do even if I know his weakness¡­it¡¯s a dead end for me.¡±


    Lily looked at him. ¡°We¡¯re hoping that the Lesser Half will back us up.¡±


    ¡°Pretty much. Guess I didn¡¯t need to explain it.¡±


    ¡°I already guessed the moment you went on about returning a child to its mother,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Still, are you going to update that booklet of yours? You have nothing on how to deal with gods other than a divinity tracker.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll use me as an anecdote, and I¡¯ll talk about bringing out patrons to protect yourself.¡± Claud bobbed his head. ¡°Thankfully, it¡¯s not for sale. Otherwise a whole bunch of people would just criticise me and call that unrealistic, heh. I¡¯ll be spat and cursed at by an entire generation of people.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie, but if the others see that updated portion of yours, they¡¯re going to call you delusional,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Anyway, they should be living quite peacefully, right? I can¡¯t really imagine them getting into trouble. Sure, there¡¯s a familiar spirit heading to Istrel Sovereignty, but the Moons aren¡¯t going to let another party waltz around unannounced in their territory, right?¡±


    Claud agreed fervently. For now, however, their life would be one of peace¡­or not. They had a bunch of goals right now. First, return the little shadowy toddler to the Lesser Half ¡ª one of the two entities that collectively made up the great Dark. Second, try and get the Lesser Half to at least protect him and Lily somewhat, so that if the Red God did target him after the Trial of Aeons, Lily wouldn¡¯t be affected. The third goal was returning to Celestia to uncover even more things. While the Second Shadow artefact was useful, it was only useful as a communication artefact in the current climate.


    It would also be using for scouting, so Claud was going to bring a few sets along when they went to Celestia. Anyway, their main goal would be to look for more mysterious artefacts from the shattered universe called Celestia, and see if they could make use of that.


    ¡°Claud?¡±


    ¡°Just thinking about stuff.¡± He ruffled Lily¡¯s awesomely violet hair, before restraining the urge to play with it. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s head down to Lostfon Palace.¡±


    Count Lostfon, the titular owner of the Lostfon County and (presumably) the father of Caroline Lostfon ¡ª Count Nightfall¡¯s fianc¨¦ ¡ª was quite the reasonable authority figure, all things considered. That said, it shouldn¡¯t have come as a surprise, since Nightfall was also quite the reasonable authority figure. It made sense for birds of the same feather to roost together.


    Descending into the ground floor, Claud took in the formidable crowd of people who had showed up for breakfast today. He knew that most of them had their own houses, or were occupying houses that had been abandoned by their original owners when they fled. To see practically the entire city¡¯s occupants stuffed into an inn was undoubtedly a testament to the great Dark¡¯s descent.


    Slipping through the crowded, quiet eating area, Claud, Lily and a little shadowy toddler left the inn and stepped into the desolate streets. It was not the first time he¡¯d seen such a desolate, empty sight, but the city¡¯s liveliness had returned after a few weeks of living under the rule of the great Dark.


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    Now, however, the few children roaming the streets and the adults feeding little shadows had entirely vanished.


    ¡°You¡¯re the last Shadowed One to walk around Lostfon,¡± Claud told the little guy beside Lily. ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    The shadow looked back at him, its facial features indistinguishable from the mist that covered the rest of its body, and then tilted its head.


    ¡°Hmm. How do I interpret that?¡± Claud wondered.


    ¡°Maybe this tiny, adorable fellow doesn¡¯t know,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get you back home as soon as possible. I wonder if we can properly communicate with the Lesser Half, though.¡±


    ¡°We have a guinea pig that can answer our question, so it¡¯s fine,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Don¡¯t we have a certain Count Lostfon to tell us whether it¡¯s safe? If he can receive us, isn¡¯t bleeding from all over and isn¡¯t ranting madly about the Dark, it¡¯s safe for us to talk to the Lesser Half.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Assuming, of course, the Lesser Half can actually talk. We don¡¯t know much about the Lesser Half too¡­I hope Dust can help us with that.¡±


    ¡°The Dark Herald is probably the only person we can ask¡­but I don¡¯t think subordinates gossip about their bosses much,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Still, why did the Lesser Half descend here, of all places? Is the Lesser Half intending to take the field while the Moons are tied up?¡±


    ¡°Definitely. There¡¯s an enormous power imbalance right now. Any later, and the Lesser Half would probably have departed for the frontlines,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Best we hurry up.¡±


    Escorting the little shadow down the streets, Claud and Lily made their way to Lostfon Palace, which was still as deserted as ever. This time, however, Claud could sense an immense power shrouding the place, which was definitely a good impetus for anyone who hated working there to tender a resignation and skedaddle for their little lives.


    ¡°Nice, there¡¯s a circle of evil¡­well, dark isn¡¯t exactly evil, but I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°A circle of gloom and approaching doom for the Moons?¡± Claud replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know either, but I get a feeling our mana circuits will be suppressed there.¡±


    He walked up to the palace gates, which actually had someone standing there. If Claud didn¡¯t get it wrong, that person was either blindly loyal or penniless, and a look at his holey boots was enough to tell him which guess was correct.


    ¡°We¡¯re here to visit Count Lostfon,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Is there some procedure or anything needed now?¡±


    He looked at the palace. At the highest spire was a huge shadowy circle that covered the entire palace from the skies. It was an area demarcated for something, and Claud really didn¡¯t want to know what that something was.


    ¡°No, not really. See that circle? Do anything stupid and it apparently kills you with lightning.¡± The guard shrugged. ¡°Go on in. There¡¯ll be someone waiting¡­I can¡¯t believe you people are actually visiting. Phew.¡±


    Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°Thanks, man. Have a good day.¡±


    ¡°Have a good day,¡± Lily added, and the little shadow jumped up and down twice.


    As Claud entered the perimeter of Lostfon Palace, he felt a bit bad about not bringing Crown and Throne along, but again, this was the current dwelling place of a divinity. More importantly, these two little guys had fallen in love with the little bed Lily had made for them, and any attempts to bring them around was met with vigorous resistance.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I¡¯m just scared.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also scared too. My thoughts are flying all over the place,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Earlier on, they drifted over to Throne and Crown. I feel a bit bad for leaving them behind and everything.¡±


    ¡°You too?¡±


    Claud exchanged glances with Lily, and then stifled a laugh. While he really just wanted to laugh out loud, this definitely didn¡¯t seem like the best place to do it, and Lily clearly thought the same thing too.


    They came across another guard soon enough, who was busy fiddling with a small tower of cards in the guard post right before the actual palace. Security was very lax here, and Claud had lots of things to talk about¡­but there was a huge disk of shadow above the palace. Whatever suggestions he had right now was superfluous, unnecessary and pointless.


    She blinked as Claud and Lily walked up to her, and the tower of cards collapsed. ¡°A-are you two here to visit the count?¡±


    Claud really wanted to give a sarcastic reply, but everyone here was definitely affected by the Lesser Half¡¯s presence here. It would be bad form through and through, especially since it wasn¡¯t their fault to begin with.


    ¡°Yeah, we are,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Can you announce us? I hope he¡¯s not busy. Also, if the Dark Herald or the Lesser Half is here¡­we have a lost child to return to them.¡±


    The guard looked at the little shadow, paused for a moment, and did a double take. ¡°Oh. Oh. Oh! Erm¡­can I pat him?¡±


    ¡°I thought a lot more people were going to ask that, to be frank,¡± Claud replied as the little shadow waddled forward and presented its head for a good rub. Of course, its complicity was rewarded with a little biscuit sitting on the table, but the shadow turned to Lily a moment later.


    ¡°¡­A sweet for you?¡±


    The shadow gazed at her, and Lily pulled out a small little packet for the little guy, who opened it enthusiastically.


    ¡°Aww¡­anyway, I¡¯ll announce your presence to the count.¡± The guard reached under her table. ¡°Please wait for a moment. One of my colleagues will bring you in soon.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±

 Chapter 374: A good deed a day...

    ¡°Even the sunny decorations look wilted now,¡± Lily observed, gazing at the bright, yellow d¨¦cor. Normally, they seemed a bit gaudy to Claud, other than being awfully cheery for the situation everyone was in, but today, these sentiments had been kicked up by an entire notch. The juxtaposition between sunny yellow and bleak shadow was a bit too painful for Claud to bear, especially since the bright decorations now seemed like a literal shadow of its former self.


    ¡°It¡¯s like someone grabbed a can of grey paint and painted on my eyeballs,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not. And that¡¯s a very horrifying analogy,¡± Lily pointed out. ¡°You¡¯d go blind; do you know what they put in paint?¡±


    ¡°Poison, insect poison, animal poison and human poison again,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay, so you do know, then. If someone were to toss a bunch of paint at your face, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be affected in more ways than just having the colour stick onto everything you see,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Still, at least these sunny decorations are doing their best to fight back.¡±


    ¡°Go, sunny decorations! We¡¯ll cheer for you!¡±


    Claud felt a bit stupid doing that, since there was an amused guard watching them fool around. That said, trying to get the Lesser Half to back him up was rather stupid in the first place; rather than balancing the scales, Claud figured that it would be better to just try to pump himself up or something.


    ¡°Do you think the Lesser Half likes decorations like this?¡± Lily wondered. ¡°It¡¯s quite cheery, which is in contrast with the doom and gloom motif ¡®round these parts.¡±


    ¡°On the surface, yes, but don¡¯t we have an adorably cute little shadow here?¡± Claud asked, gesturing at the little guy, who had been staring at a yellow statue for the past minute or so. Maybe it was the aesthetics or something, but the adorable yellow duckling had clearly piqued the little fellow¡¯s attention.


    ¡°True. It¡¯s pretty much us, right?¡± Lily replied. ¡°I mean, I used to think that anyone important in the Coloured Churches are solemn and serious individuals who were dedicated to their faith, and then we met Nero.¡±


    ¡°I like how you turned that last statement into a self-explanatory one.¡± Claud laughed. ¡°I wonder what he¡¯s doing now. Either he¡¯s begging Schwarz for more booze, or he¡¯s lazing around and eating peanuts or something.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t really imagine him doing work, though.¡± Lily rubbed her nose. ¡°But I¡¯m sure he has a hardworking side too.¡±


    ¡°Everyone has a hardworking side. It¡¯s just who it¡¯s applied to, that¡¯s all. For ins¡ª¡±


    Claud stopped talking as another guard popped up in front of them.


    ¡°Gus, bring them to the count,¡± the first guard said. ¡°Thanks for coming out here all the way.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for giving me an excuse to leave the room,¡± Gus replied. ¡°I was getting frightened there, Mei. I¡¯m going to hang out with you later, if you don¡¯t mind. There¡¯s no one else in the barracks, and the shadows are getting to me.¡±


    ¡°Only if you let me hang out here during your shift.¡± Mei nibbled a biscuit. ¡°Also, want one?


    ¡°Thanks. Also, deal.¡± After bumping fists, the guard named Gus beckoned for Claud and Lily to follow, and Lily took the little shadow¡¯s hand again.


    ¡°So, uh. Visits, huh.¡± Gus rubbed his nose.


    ¡°Yeah. How¡¯s the count doing? Any serious issues? If there are, do tell us. I¡¯ll just turn around on the spot or something,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m totally fine with that, you know. Safety first and everything.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s fine.¡± Gus lowered his voice. ¡°Just scared.¡±


    ¡°So basically normal, then,¡± Lily noted, passing the tiny toddler¡¯s hand to Claud. ¡°Any oddities around him? Any random desire to start worshipping the great Dark or something? Or is he selling his palace, renouncing his claim to the territory and packing off to some remote destination you¡¯ve never heard before?¡±


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    The way Lily rattled that off was a bit too smooth for her to have come up with it naturally, which begged the question of why she was so familiar with the sentence. After making a note to ask what novel that came from, Claud watched as Gus tried to wrangle with her questions.


    ¡°¡­Ah, we¡¯re here!¡± Gus pointed at a small room. ¡°My master is inside. Don¡¯t ask why he¡¯s inside, though.¡±


    He marched up to the door and rapped it twice. ¡°Milord, one Lord and Lady Primus have arrived.¡±


    ¡°Ah, excellent.¡± The door opened, revealing a gaunt-looking man. Nothing seemed to have changed in terms of his complexion or his body shape, but Claud could see it in his eyes. Lostfon¡¯s gaze now carried a touch of fear in it, and yet, paradoxically enough, there were more positive emotions hidden within.


    What was going on?


    Countess Lostfon and a young child poked their heads out a moment later, and Claud blinked. ¡°Your family¡¯s all here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m letting the Lesser Half occupy the main throne room and everything,¡± Count Lostfon replied. ¡°Needed accommodations that fitted its status.¡±


    ¡°¡­So you know, then,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re here for a variety of reasons, but the first of which is this tiny fellow here, who didn¡¯t return home with the others. We¡¯re looking for Dust to bring this guy back.¡±


    ¡°Did someone say my name?¡± Darkness gelled together, and the familiar shadowy figure appeared. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Lost¡ªhuh. Heya. Your mum¡¯s worried sick, Zin.¡±


    The little shadow jumped and looked at Dust.


    ¡°Right, right. Of course.¡± Dust rubbed the little fellow¡¯s head. ¡°Hmm¡­are they treating you well?¡±


    Small hands gesticulated as the little shadow seemingly spoke, but Claud couldn¡¯t hear anything. This wasn¡¯t the first time that had happened; back when he used the Second Shadow, the shadows had tried to communicate with him. He couldn¡¯t hear them, but they could actually ¡°hear¡± something from his actions. It was a baffling mystery that he hadn¡¯t gotten around to solving, purely because there were lots of things to do.


    ¡°¡­So, these little fellows really can communicate,¡± Countess Lostfon replied. ¡°What do you think, lord husband?¡±


    ¡°I think they¡¯re perfectly adorable, but¡­Dust, can you tell us why they¡¯re actually here now? Why did so many juvenile Shadowed Ones step into our world, and why did they return afterwards? Wouldn¡¯t there be issues like kidnapping or anything?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. My masters made sure that nothing untoward happened towards these children, physically and mentally,¡± Dust replied. ¡°They are here just to experience life in this world, that is all. Society here is more spontaneous, freer. As a matter of fact, we have children who descended in both the Saran Supremacy and the Nihal Senate; it is also an assignment understanding the best ruling structure for humans.¡±


    ¡°Why do you guys care about that?¡± Lostfon asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out,¡± Dust replied. ¡°Anyway, little Zin here seems to be happy with you two¡­especially the person he calls Miss Candy Giver. That¡¯s you, I presume? Miss¡­uh, Madam Primus¡­I didn¡¯t get your name wrong, yes?¡±


    ¡°No, you did not,¡± Lily replied. ¡°So, what are we going to do with little Zin?¡±


    ¡°The channels have been closed. Getting him home is not easy, but we¡¯ll do it anyway. Lostfon, you¡¯ll take this little chap in. My master might be intrigued to see a child running around too. It¡¯ll make his day better.¡±


    Making a mental note that the Lesser Half was best addressed with male pronouns, Claud watched with some sorrow as the count picked up little Zin and lifted him onto the table. He felt a bit sad that this little guy was going to leave, but again, most meetings had their own ends.


    One day, they would part. That was it.


    A small hand patted his back, and Claud turned back to look at Lily, who had a touch of sorrow on her face too. That single glance was enough for the two of them to affirm each other¡¯s thoughts, and after giving her hand a small squeeze, Claud turned back to look at Zin, who had been passed over to Countess Lostfon and the young man, who was presumably the duo¡¯s son.


    He didn¡¯t know that Caroline had a brother, though, but again, she never did bring up much about her family back then.


    ¡°So, now that the issue of a lost child is settled, what other business have you come for?¡± Lostfon asked.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we just come to visit?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°No one in their right mind would come to visit me for fun with the Lesser Half having just descended on my territory,¡± Lostfon replied. ¡°Either you have dire business with me, with the Lesser Half, or the both of us. And I¡¯m sure you¡¯re not just here to send a child over, yes?¡±


    ¡°¡­Before I make a decision, I¡¯ll need to ask Dust some questions first.¡±


    ¡°About my master, I presume,¡± Dust replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m not that presumptuous.¡± Claud narrowed his eyes. ¡°However, if one sought to gain the great Dark¡¯s protection, how would that person go about doing it?¡±


    ¡°Protection? From whom?¡±


    ¡°We would like to answer that question,¡± Lily replied, ¡°but it will be very problematic.¡±


    She glanced at Claud once.


    ¡°I have a few guesses, but you will need something that can stir someone like my master to action. Information. Items. Perhaps even fealty¡­but you probably won¡¯t be counted.¡± Dust shook her head. ¡°It will be hard. What, though, is my role in all this?¡±


    ¡°We just need an audience with the Lesser Half,¡± Claud replied. ¡°That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°¡­Done.¡±


    ¡°That easy?¡±


    ¡°My master will not turn down a request to talk from someone who helped a little Shadowed One,¡± Dust replied. ¡°That¡¯s why. But you should prepare yourself somewhat. There are rites to be observed¡­¡±

 Chapter 375: Lesser Half

    ¡°I know there are rites to be observed, but I did not think that a hotspring bath was one of them.¡± Claud looked around the bubbling hot water. ¡°And Lostfon was hiding this place the whole time? Damn.¡±


    Lily, unfortunately, was in the women¡¯s section, which was all kinds of disappointing. Neither of them could muster the ability to speak up when Lostfon got them to wash up separately, and¡ª


    ¡°Now hold on,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Where¡¯s the count and his wife? Is there a mixed bath too? I definitely have a feeling that there¡¯s such a thing¡­what do you think, Zin?¡±


    The little shadow popped up from the water, tilted his little head, and then did a backflip. Claud was suitably amused by that display, but there was another curious thing. Little Zin was currently wrapped in a towel¡­which could only mean that he was wearing clothes before he entered the hotspring.


    Sure, it made sense that people wore clothes, but he hadn¡¯t really thought all that much about it when it came to the Shadowed Ones. Of course, now that his attention was brought to this issue, Claud was very glad that they too did wear clothes, just that these clothes were made of shadow too. It would have been very awkward if he spoke to Dust or the other Shadowed Ones with the full knowledge that they were actually nude.


    Phew.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s your family like?¡± Claud asked.


    Zin gestured, but once again, Claud couldn¡¯t hear anything. It would seem that communication was effectively one way, unless the kid decided to learn how to write. Either that, or he was too lazy to write.


    ¡°Alright, never mind. Anyway, I¡¯m going to find Lily now. You should get out soon too,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Come on, up you go¡­¡±


    After drying himself and pulling on his clothes, Claud poked his head out of the changing room. Lily was already examining the carvings on a nearby statue with interest, her violet hair tied up in a nice long ponytail. It was a rare look for Lily, who usually just let her hair down, but he also liked this style too.


    ¡°How do I look?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s lovely,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Hmm. Makes you feel a bit more¡­¡±


    He really wanted to say ¡®mature¡¯, but Claud¡¯s instincts didn¡¯t let him finish the sentence.


    ¡°Go on,¡± Lily prompted. ¡°More what?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I don¡¯t quite have the word for it,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°But I like this look of yours¡­that said, it¡¯s a rather dangerous hair style, though. An assailant could pull your hair a lot easier or something.¡±


    ¡°I can cut my hair a lot quicker too, if that happens,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Which is an absolute waste.¡± Claud nodded seriously. ¡°I¡¯ll try to keep us out of conflict and everything¡­anyway, where¡¯s everyone else?¡±


    ¡°Dust was on my side, but I didn¡¯t see Countess Lostfon anyway.¡± Lily folded her arms. ¡°I thought she and the count were also going to pay a visit to the Lesser Half.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe they went to wash up elsewhere,¡± Dust replied, walking out of the women¡¯s section. ¡°They have their own personal bath or something, and knowing them, they¡¯ll be at it for ages.¡±


    She paused. ¡°There¡¯s no need to blush. At my age, you¡¯ve seen all sorts of things.¡±


    ¡°¡­People also get hanky-panky in your own world?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not that different from you guys,¡± Dust replied. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll bring you to my master, Lesser Half.¡±


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    Zin poked his head out of the changing room at those words, and then scuttled over to Lily. Dust looked at Lily, a suspicious look in her eyes, and then gestured for them to follow.


    Lily passed a small sweet to Zin in that small window of time, before tugging the little chap along. As Claud took her other hand, he couldn¡¯t help but think that they looked like one big happy family¡­of course, Zin had his own family too, but Claud wasn¡¯t going to think too hard about that right now.


    ¡°That said, how do you know the honorific name of my master?¡± Dust asked. ¡°As far as I¡¯m certain, only the people in the palace know about my master¡¯s honorific name, Lesser Half. It was surprising when my master informed me about two people who used his honorific name at the palace gates itself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­how I¡¯m actually going to talk to your master,¡± Claud replied, improvising rapidly. He had already figured out a plan of action, and this affirmation of his method was incredibly encouraging.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Claud replied, running through his thoughts again. It would be a risk, but he was banking on the Lesser Half¡¯s ability to sense that he was telling the truth.


    Nothing more, nothing less.


    Was Dust dissatisfied with his vague reply? If so, she certainly was hiding it well¡­but again, her facial features were shrouded by darkness. It was hard trying to figure out her thoughts via her expressions, especially since she was taking the lead.


    Before long, the three of them arrived at the main hall. Count Lostfon apparently held his morning meetings here, before the mass exodus from the city, but Claud had never seen it before.


    The entrance to the main hall was guarded by an opulent set of double doors.


    ¡°I wonder how much he brought these doors for,¡± Lily muttered.


    Claud nodded. This door was probably worth its weight in gold, given its exquisite craftsmanship. If he ever needed a good, majestic door, Claud now knew where to go; it was a good item to steal if he ever needed it.


    ¡°Alright. We¡¯re here.¡± Dust beckoned Zin over, and patted his head. The two of them communicated in silence, sprinkling in a few gestures here and there, before exchanging nods. ¡°I¡¯ve briefed this little guy.¡±


    ¡°I really want to ask how,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Listen harder,¡± Dust replied. ¡°You humans are so painfully deaf. I don¡¯t know how you even get things done at times.¡±


    Leaving behind that cryptic statement, she turned to the door. With a slow, ceremonial cadence, she knocked on the door once, twice and then for a third time, before dropping to her knees and lowering her head to the door.


    Claud glanced at Lily, and then wondered if he should do the same. Before he could lower himself or anything, however, the door opened on its own. A shadowy room entered Claud¡¯s vision as Dust stood up slowly, reverence in her eyes. Pillars of darkness, each of them both elaborate and the epitome of simplicity, seemed to hold up an endless night.


    This definitely wasn¡¯t the main hall.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± said Dust. ¡°Lower your heads and do not look at the master until he speaks to you.¡±


    Claud inclined his head, Lily following suit, and the two of them followed behind Dust slowly. Zin too trailed behind them, his usual little liveliness now muted by the omnipresent darkness.


    An eternity seemed to drift by as Claud followed after Dust, the only indicator of their progress her moving legs. After an indeterminate amount of time, the four of them finally drew to a stop, and Claud finally realised why he couldn¡¯t quite feel the divine pressure the Lesser Half had emanated during his descent.


    They had been wrapped in it ever since they entered the palace. It was why Lostfon Palace was so intimidating from the outside, and why they were completely at ease once they stepped into the grounds.


    The Lesser Half¡¯s power had been enveloping them the moment they stepped into the palace, with enough gentleness to make sure that they weren¡¯t harmed or even aware of such a thing.


    ¡°My Lord, I have brought the two petitioners, one Lord and one Lady Primus, before you.¡± Dust stepped to the side and vanished into the shadow.


    ¡°Thank you, Dust,¡± a mellow voice replied. ¡°Lord and Lady Primus, you may now raise your heads. Do not be afraid.¡±


    Claud stifled his burgeoning fear and looked up at the Lesser Half of the Great Dark. His heart skipped a beat immediately afterwards, as his eyes took in an illogical existence. The being occupying the throne looked like some place from Celestia¡¯s vast starry sky; in the never-ending vast darkness contained by the throne, he could spot millions and millions of black cubes, outlined in a faint golden glow.


    What was that? He had expected the Lesser Half to resemble a human or something, but¡ª


    ¡°Relax.¡±


    The word echoed out from the dark space like a command, and Claud¡¯s breathing steadied. Lily¡¯s trembling stilled, and after a few seconds, she lowered her head.


    ¡°We apologise, Lord Lesser Half.¡± Lily tugged at Claud¡¯s hand, and he inclined his head too. ¡°We beg for your forgiveness.¡±


    ¡°No harm done. No offence taken. Raise your heads. Both of you.¡±


    Claud raised his head again, looking at the vast divinity contained within a small space. ¡°T-thank you.¡±


    ¡°You are welcome.¡± The innumerable black cubes that seemed to vary in size and distance quivered. ¡°Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lesser Half, the lesser spark. Now, visitors of meritorious service, to what pleasure do I owe this visit to?¡±

 Chapter 376: An unexpectedly sincere bout of negotiations

    Claud shivered as Lesser Half ¡ª apparently, the word ¡®the¡¯ wasn¡¯t needed here ¡ª spoke to them the way anyone else would do. It didn¡¯t feel right, for some reason. He had envisioned the Lesser Half to be a supreme entity that spoke in a manner that defied conventional reason and everything, so to hear a void with innumerable cubes talk to him normally was very surprising.


    Lily nudged his ribs, and Claud jumped.


    ¡°Yes, we actually came to¡­ask for your help,¡± Claud replied. ¡°In exchange for something I think you will definitely be interested to know.¡±


    The endless void shivered as a single cube floated to the forefront. Claud couldn¡¯t wrap his head around Lesser Half¡¯s appearance. He looked like a rip in reality itself, a self-contained rip that seemed to contain all creation. If Lesser Half truly manifested in this world, what would he be? Was he the void? Or was he the cubes?


    ¡°Something I¡¯ll be interested to know?¡±


    ¡°Lord Lesser Half,¡± Claud began, ¡°I believe you have the ability to discern truth from lies. Therefore, I will say something that I believe most people will get mad at me for, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± A touch of interest filled these two words. ¡°What do you have to say that will make me want to help you with your troubles?¡±


    Claud took a deep breath, while Lily touched his shoulder to lend him some support. ¡°In the not so distant future, in the great war between divinities, the Blue Moon of Wisdom, the Red God, the Blue God, the Violet Goddess and you will fall to a human combatant.¡±


    The shadows writhed, and Dust burst out. ¡°Claud! What are you¡ª¡±


    ¡°It is fine. Sooth, Dust.¡± The endless void rippled once. ¡°He is telling the truth in this regard. You offer me a way out of this future you saw? I presume¡­in the Second Tutorial, yes? For you mana-users, this is a possible way of seeing the future¡­but yours is particularly exquisite, it will seem.¡±


    Claud felt a shiver run down his spine, and he inclined his head. ¡°So¡­it¡¯s really the future?¡±


    ¡°You are not sure yourself, and yet you dare ask me.¡± The black rip in reality shivered once, radiating waves of amusement. ¡°You are indeed intriguing. But fear not. Futures that appear in the Second and Third Tutorial are¡­just possibilities, unlike the past. They are not wholly deterministic, insofar as you act to avert them. Your presence here today proves it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for enlightening me,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But¡­what are these futures, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Your peers think of them as bubbles, fleeting dreams of resolve and will. In fact, these are futures that would have come to pass had the person in question not become a tetra-folder or a septa-folder,¡± Lesser Half replied. ¡°That is my understanding, at least. But again, your dream is particularly exquisite, for someone who is not a Bearer of Destiny. Intriguing.¡±


    Claud lowered his head. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Relief. I see. That future scares you, does it not? It is intimately related to you. You value what you will lose, and that drive pushes you to me. Interestingly enough, this is the first time I have heard about my death, because it is an action I cannot even fathom happening.¡±


    Claud fervently agreed in silence. Even if the Frozen Emperor was a nine-folder, how did he defeat and kill Lesser Half? The Lesser Half of the great Dark looked like a bloody rift that had infinite cubes inside. What did the him back then do? How did he even accomplish that?


    ¡°I will protect you. But from what?¡±


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    He froze. Claud hadn¡¯t expected Lesser Half to actually decipher the details of his request this thoroughly, and for a moment, Claud wondered if he was in danger. However, now that he had taken this step, there was no going back.


    Taking a deep breath, Claud looked at Lesser Half. ¡°The Red God.¡±


    ¡°Precision¡­that is a tough enemy.¡± Lesser Half rippled once, and Dust¡¯s kneeing form vanished into the mist. ¡°Precision is a very troublesome foe. We call him the God of Precision, but I would rather identify him as Coincidence. Even for me, Precision is a formidable foe that can slip through the cracks of fate and weave them in his favour.¡±


    Keeping his tongue still, Claud looked at the deep, endless void that resided on the throne.


    ¡°Do you know what will happen?¡± Lesser Half asked.


    Claud shook his head.


    ¡°A historical event of the future you saw, then. One shrouded in mystery and uncertainty,¡± Lesser Half pondered.


    Lily¡¯s hand tightened slightly as Lesser Half spoke his thoughts out loud for their benefits. It definitely served as a demonstration of the divinity¡¯s abilities and wit, if nothing else, and Claud felt himself relax. Fortunately, he hadn¡¯t had the hubris to try and deceive Lesser Half; he hadn¡¯t spoken all that much and most of the details had already been revealed.


    Given that Lesser Half also had the ability to discern lies¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t be that nervous, Mister Primus.¡± Lesser Half reclined on the throne ¡ª somehow ¡ª and sent out a reassuring pulse. ¡°I understand that this is probably a last resort for you, especially since I am Lesser Half of the Great Dark. I am, in all approximations, a peer of the Moons¡­and we have not been active in this world for hundreds of millennia. I can imagine the stories about us, and the orthodoxy of the Moons. That you came to me despite everything proves that the future you saw is so unbearable that you are willing to make me notice you, bait me with details that could very well have enraged someone, and then make a trade with me, Lesser Half. I am, functionally speaking, wholly impressed at your bravery, recklessness and drive.¡±


    He paused. ¡°And that is why the two of you can stand here before me and hear my words without going insane. My sister and I have existed since the dawn of time, but few have shown such determination and courage.¡±


    Lily¡¯s grip tightened further.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°I will help you, not because I will die, but because I find you intriguing.¡± A chuckle reverberated from the endless void. ¡°At your time of your greatest need, if destiny has not diverged sufficiently to stop Precision from attacking either of you, I will descend and stop him personally. This, I promise.¡±


    As those words echoed over and over in his head, Claud felt his vision spin. The shadows melded and whirled, and before long, he was standing right outside the throne room. Lily was still clutching his shoulder, and Dust was still kneeling by the side.


    ¡°We¡¯re¡­out.¡±


    ¡°Happens.¡± Dust got up from her kneeling position, before looking at Claud and Lily. ¡°You two¡­are really gutsy.¡±


    ¡°You are very gutsy, yes.¡± Lily turned to Claud, an aggrieved expression on her face. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you were planning on doing this? I thought you had some grand plan or something. You¡¯re supposed to be paranoid and cautious, right?¡±


    Claud looked at her, and then at Dust. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ve never told anyone this before. However, there might be a time when no amount of paranoia and caution can adequately protect you. What is needed, then, is courage and sincerity.¡±


    He paused. ¡°I judged that this was one such extraordinary time, that¡¯s all. It was a risk worth taking, all things considered.¡±


    ¡°¡­Next time, run through the plan with me first,¡± Lily replied, flicking his forehead. ¡°Don¡¯t go surprising everyone with stunts like this! You even frightened Dust just now, did you know that?¡±


    ¡°S-sorry.¡± Claud turned to Dust. ¡°I apologise for alarming you this badly.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve never seen my master this interested¡­now I want to know what you saw in your Second Tutorial too,¡± Dust replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s a secret,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And that was pretty much the main point of it.¡±


    ¡°Your beliefs did not collapse?¡± Dust asked.


    Claud tilted his head, and then remembered that his Second Tutorial was slightly different due to his Absolute Skill. If he didn¡¯t remember it wrongly, the original Second Tutorial targeted the will and the spirit. The anomaly of his Absolute Skill had overridden that, so he couldn¡¯t quite really answer her question.


    ¡°Alright, so you passed without actually confronting the main problem. I¡¯m speechless.¡± Dust sighed.


    ¡°Well, now that you know how I faked my way through, maybe you can give Lily some advice. I don¡¯t know what to tell her,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Sure, sure. We¡¯ll talk over lunch. I¡¯m sure Countess Lostfon has cooked up a spread for us¡­well, she¡¯ll leave some scraps for us and keep the real deal for her family, but the scraps are tasty,¡± Dust replied.


    ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t you a Dark Herald?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°And isn¡¯t Lesser Half in this palace?¡±


    ¡°Well, I feel bad for inconveniencing them¡­¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t quite know how to rebut that statement.

 Chapter 377: Forward unto strength

    Dia shivered as the last bit of green light turned into blue, and the complex network of circuits shimmered with the glitter of perfection. A rush of power flooded her veins, coursing through her mind and empowering her body over and over again. At the same time, multiple screens opened up in her vision, and she looked through them slowly.


    [Your Mana Circuit Superimposition has reached 3.00]


    [Authority increased]


    [Quest function unlocked!]


    [Your skill, Fighter¡¯s Instinct, has changed into Fighter¡¯s Intuition!]


    Her vision shimmered once, and Dia blinked. Something seemed to change inside her, altering her ability to sense and react to attacks and other stimuli. She didn¡¯t quite know what other changes this new skill wrought on her, but Dia could tell that her combat ability had increased drastically.


    With another thought, she opened her status.


    [Name: Dia Lyceria de Lustre


    Lifespan: 113 years


    Active Skills: Sword Dance (7), Sword Sense (7), Sword Roar (5), Fated Sword (2), Sword Fall (2), Domain of Swords (1)


    Passive Skills: Heightened Senses, Fighter¡¯s Intuition, Foreseer¡¯s Eye


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 3.00


    Mana Control Proficiency: Intermediate


    Authority: 3


    Comments: Congratulations on arriving at the pinnacle of low-ranked mana-users. It has been some time since you¡¯ve checked in, but I have watched you grow steadily over the past few weeks. Succeeding in your first try is impressive, to say the least.]


    Dia let out a long breath of turbid air. Completing her second mana circuit had been a long process, but for some reason, she had easily completed her third mana circuit. She didn¡¯t understand why either, especially since her Mana Control Proficiency hadn¡¯t changed much, but it was what it was.


    Thanks to Count Nightfall¡¯s payouts, she had managed to enter the ranks of tri-folders. The others were lagging behind somewhat; most of them were taking the climb to completion more slowly this time around. That said, it was somewhat expected, since she was still the only one with Intermediate mana control.


    To be fair, deskbound people didn¡¯t really have much time to train on actually wielding mana. The only one that had improved her Mana Control Proficiency was Risti, who had woken up one day to see that it had improved to Intermediate too. As for why that improvement had occurred when she was asleep, who knew?


    She scooped up another handful of pure-ranked lifestones and popped them into her mouth. There weren¡¯t much left, since she had been munching on them right before the final sprint, but now that she had succeeded, Dia wanted to both relax and replenish the thirty years she¡¯d used to draw that last 0.1 of her mana circuit.


    Frankly, it was still unbelievable that she had succeeded on her first try. The state of mind she had been in earlier felt like a sublime dream now.


    What exactly happened?


    The euphoric rush of lifeforce continued to course through her veins over and over again as Dia ruminated on the little snacks she was popping into her mouth. How many organisations could claim to have so many lifestones to chew on?


    Probably a handful and nothing else.


    She slid off the bed and looked up at the night sky. Dawn was approaching, and the light of the three Moons, while weakened and muted, still illuminated the world.


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    Did they have a hand in helping her ascension? After all, she and Nightfall had shown up in that Eternal Bulwark meeting, and Nero had vaguely mentioned a couple of benefits.


    Either that, or she was just dreaming. Chuckling to herself, she slid off her bed and bounced over to the door, her stomach rumbling. All that hard work had paid off, and her tensed nerves were now firing signals that she was thirsty, hungry and very, very pleased.


    To her surprise, Risti was bustling around the kitchen.


    ¡°You¡¯re up early,¡± Risti noted.


    Dia glanced at her friend, who was emitting an air of happiness too, and her brows furrowed up. For some reason, she could see herself in Risti¡¯s actions, and a thought struck her.


    ¡°Tri-folder?¡± Dia ventured.


    The egg in Risti¡¯s hand paused, a stay of execution.


    ¡°How did you know?¡± Risti asked, lowering the egg that was about to be cracked. ¡°Unless¡­you too? Tri-folder? Did I get that right?¡±


    ¡°Yeap. You got me.¡± Dia stretched her neck. ¡°I¡¯m surprised. I thought I was the fastest one around here, but again, no one was discussing their progress much. We were all just working hard in our own little ways, without telling anyone else. Seems like a good day for us both, though.¡±


    Risti jiggled her shoulders. ¡°Take a seat. I¡¯ll just cook a bit more for the both of us.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Dia sat down on a chair and closed her eyes. She could sense every movement Risti was making, just by the small movements of air and the faint sounds she heard. It wasn¡¯t the first time she had experienced that, but this time, her senses were a lot cleaner.


    It was as if she was now looking through a clear slate of glass¡­but she could recall using a similar metaphor before.


    ¡°An extra-clear slate of glass?¡± Dia wondered, before thinking about her father and brother. Now that she was a tri-folder, she was reasonably confident in protecting herself from whatever few idiots that were still going after her pathetic bounty. If she really wanted to, going home wouldn¡¯t be an issue anymore. Of course, she would still need to hide¡­but did she not have an identity for herself now?


    Going back as a double and faking it.


    That idea popped into her head and made its home inside her mind over and over again, and Dia gave it some serious thought. Her father was definitely aware that she was in the Istrel Dukedom, masquerading as her double. Whatever gossipers and stalkers ¡ª she glanced at Risti ¡ª would probably be aware of that too. Even if she returned, it would not be as Princess Dia, but the double of the princess.


    Not many people would scrutinise her, given the current circumstance. Once inside the palace, it would be a lot harder¡­


    Her eyes turned to Risti again, and Dia shivered.


    Maybe not. At any rate, however, she couldn¡¯t quite see the best time for her to go back. The Red God¡¯s familiar spirit was hunting the murderers of the First Bearer of Destiny, and the situation in the battlefield between the Moons and the Dark was escalating by the moment. Over the past few days, ever since that massive presence descended near Lostfon, Schwarz had been receiving reports of increased aggression and receding frontlines.


    The three dukedoms in Istrel were roughly equidistant from the frontlines at the Liquet Dukedom, which made things rather complicated, since there was no one place that could be fortified over and over again.


    A clatter roused Dia from her thoughts, and she looked at the plate laden with scrambled eggs. ¡°Thanks, Risti.¡±


    ¡°You look deep in thought. Something on your mind?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Well, I was thinking about going back to the Lustre Dukedom,¡± Dia mumbled.


    ¡°With the Red God¡¯s familiar spirit around, that¡¯s not a bright thing to do,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Might wanna wait for the next lunar phase instead. Everything should stabilise by then.¡±


    Dia twitched.


    ¡°And it¡¯ll be safer if you¡¯re a tetra-folder when you return,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I¡¯m sure the princess is already keeping an eye on you. If you return, it¡¯ll mean that you¡¯re confident enough to deal with bounty hunters, and she¡¯ll almost certainly join up with you somehow. It¡¯ll be a problem if you aren¡¯t strong enough yet.¡±


    ¡°A tetra-folder within a month?¡± Dia asked. ¡°No way.¡±


    ¡°Is it, now? I mean, there¡¯s a certain Holy Son¡­¡±


    ¡°Nero¡¯s circumstances are different, okay? And we¡¯re really fast already, all things considered.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re fast due to our resources, and we still have a lot of lifestones,¡± Risti replied. ¡°That¡¯s why we are rising this quickly.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°You make sense.¡±


    ¡°I usually make sense, okay?¡± Risti rolled her eyes at Dia. ¡°When have I never made sense?¡±


    Replying with a smile, Dia looked at the food on the table. ¡°I¡¯m going to dig in¡­anyway, when do you think the others will succeed? And what about Nero?¡±


    ¡°Nero, huh¡­well, he¡¯ll probably need to hunt for some prana jades or something. He might head to the frontlines at Liquet,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Ancient battlefields are very rare now, after all. He¡¯ll need either more pure-ranked lifestones or prana jades, and the former is in very short supply now.¡±


    Dia nodded. Thanks to Count Nightfall, who had been hoarding up lifestones for some time, they could now receive pure-ranked ones as a reward, but it wasn¡¯t like the count didn¡¯t need them either. It was a short-term source, and everyone knew that the age of rewards being pure-ranked lifestones were coming to a close.


    ¡°We¡¯ll also need prana jades too,¡± Dia replied. ¡°They can be broken down into pure-ranked lifestones, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­Wait, are you crazy? Do you want to head to the frontlines?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to lead a certain familiar spirit on a wild goose chase? And we¡¯ll be close to the hub of the Moons. I¡¯m sure there¡¯ll be greater deterrent there.¡±


    ¡°This is too serious. We need to vote on it.¡±


    Dia looked at the egg on her plate. ¡°Sure.¡±

 Chapter 378: Looking to the future

    ¡°We haven¡¯t voted yet, but I know that this is probably a suggestion that will almost certainly get Claud to smack your head.¡± Farah looked at Dia and rolled her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s almost certainly stupid. Why would you throw yourself into battle over and over again? That¡¯s pointless.¡±


    ¡°Especially since we have enough resources,¡± Risti replied, leaning back on her chair. She and Dia had breakfast a lot earlier than usual, but that didn¡¯t stop Risti from eating her share for the actual deal later. Dia had no intention to criticise her either; she too had scoffed down a second helping.


    It was a shame that all that nutrition went to her muscles, though.


    ¡°Enough to get us all to complete our fourth mana circuit?¡± Dia questioned.


    ¡°No,¡± Farah admitted. ¡°But going into the battlefield to grab some prana jade isn¡¯t exactly the best idea either.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re renewable sources that can turn into pure-ranked lifestones,¡± Dia replied. ¡°And I think we¡¯ll be safer overall if everyone¡¯s a tetra-folder. At the end of the day, we¡¯ll need to take risks one way or another.¡±


    ¡°And Farah, I won¡¯t be this sure about that either.¡± Schwarz walked up with a platter of drinks. ¡°A fruity drink, anyone? It¡¯s an early drink, so I¡¯ve made it a tiny bit bracing.¡±


    ¡°What did you brew up?¡± Nero asked, taking a seat with a head of wet hair. ¡°Also, I heard something about heading to the battlefront.¡±


    ¡°Lemonade. Anyway, Dia here had the bright idea of heading over to the battlefront to pick up some prana jade and to earn some resources from the Moons,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°Bright idea?¡± Farah repeated. ¡°Wait, are you actually approving of this?¡±


    ¡°Claud, while cautious, won¡¯t smack Dia¡¯s head for that suggestion,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°That¡¯s rude, to begin with. Since they¡¯re not that close. Anyway, he¡¯s not the kind that will just hide passively. There¡¯s actually quite the high chance that he¡¯s at the frontlines, racking up free lifestones from doing sneaky work.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Risti looked at Schwarz. ¡°Really? Why didn¡¯t you mention that?¡±


    ¡°If he really wanted you guys to know, he¡¯d have told you,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°And besides, I only made a guess recently. Our intelligence has covered the entire sovereignty save for the battlefield at the borders. I would not put it past him to wander there with Lily at some point in time and think that it was a good time to make a killing.¡±


    ¡°I-is that so¡­¡± Farah looked at him. ¡°You sound really confident.¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t lie over and let some threat sweep him over, that¡¯s for sure. He is a coward, but if need be, he will act proactively to preserve his life and that of others.¡± Schwarz picked up a cup and took a sip from it. ¡°Don¡¯t think he¡¯s just a regular coward. He¡¯s a proactive one, heh.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s a description he¡¯d like, yes,¡± Farah muttered. ¡°So, what do you guys think? I know it¡¯s really early, but this is really important for our future direction. Not only can we replenish our depleted stocks, we can also find Claud¡­well, assuming he¡¯s there.¡±


    ¡°He might be outside the sovereignty too, if he¡¯s using that route,¡± Schwarz warned. ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up.¡±


    ¡°Outside the sovereignty?¡± Dia repeated. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, there are good¡­business opportunities. Untapped markets and everything.¡± Schwarz coughed. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t think about it too much.


    The few of them talked about it for a little while longer, before Schwarz wrapped the table. ¡°There¡¯s me, Farah, Risti, you and Nero. Five of us. No annoying tiebreakers. So, what do you guys think? We¡¯ll raise it to a vote. Those who want to head over to the battlefront, raise your hand.¡±


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    Dia raised her hand, along with Schwarz.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Schwarz looked at the three others. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just do this anyway. Those who explicitly don¡¯t want to head to the battlefront, raise you hands.¡±


    Farah and Risti raised theirs.


    Everyone turned to Nero, who was staring at his cup of lemonade, and Schwarz let out a sigh. ¡°Yeah, I figured. This guy doesn¡¯t really care. Nero¡¯s quite comfortable as it is¡­but can you actually choose a side?¡±


    Nero looked at him. ¡°People need to think, alright? I¡¯m trying to think of what¡¯s the best course of action here. It¡¯s not easy. And to be honest, I think this is too early. Rather than having everyone decide on an opinion less than an hour after hearing about it. Shouldn¡¯t we take some time to think through it? Lay out the facts, do some basic rationalisation¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Maybe it¡¯s the morning.¡± Dia sipped from her cup. ¡°And we¡¯re all stressed, but you do make a good point.¡±


    Everyone grunted.


    ¡°We¡¯ll reconvene on this tomorrow, then. I do agree that we¡¯ve probably feeling a bit too pressured from this, and we definitely need to give this some thought.¡± Schwarz jiggled his shoulders. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s finish up here and return to work. It¡¯s a bit troublesome¡­¡±


    ¡°Troublesome?¡± Dia asked. ¡°What¡¯s troublesome?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Count Nightfall just asked for you, Nero and Risti again. Something about needing help for disappearances throughout the city. You guys are getting very good at investigating these things, apparently.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe because we have more combat power or something,¡± Nero replied. ¡°You guys are deskbound and can¡¯t really wield a weapon well. It¡¯s a bit painful¡­anyway, we should go to the palace. Sounds serious.¡±


    Risti nudged Dia under the table, and she got the message. From the sounds of it, Count Nightfall was probably suspecting something along the lines of Limbo for these recent disappearances, but that felt a bit improbable. After all, mana-users were still quite rare. It didn¡¯t make sense that there would actually be an incident or something.


    She ruminated on a bit as the others shared more information. Other than the Moons¡¯ forces, which were on the backfoot despite no changes in personnel deployment so far, there were a few other interesting pieces of news. For instance, the Moons had started a recruitment drive for people to sign up with their forces. It was probably why Schwarz was quite keen on heading over and doing a few missions here and there, since these rewards were minimally pure-ranked lifestones.


    Minimally, yes. Apparently, there were even more items like artefacts and skillsticks with long-lost skills on them, all of which sounded quite useful to Dia.


    Other interesting things included the appearance of a new Named tetra-folder, who had taken down a rogue folder three days ago in the Julan Barony, which was still under the administration of the Grandis Empire official sent there. A bit further away, in the Schwa Dukedom, the last lifestone mine there are dried out, sending prices spiralling upwards¡­


    Everyone paused at that last bit of news.


    ¡°Maybe we should give that proposal a bit more thought,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°Prices are shooting up, after all.¡±


    ¡°I wonder who the main buyers are.¡± Schwarz bobbed his head. ¡°Nobles? Is Count Nightfall part of the reason? Or are we talking about individual folders rushing to grab as many as they could right now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell,¡± Farah replied. ¡°From what I know, it¡¯s literally chaos out there in Schwa Dukedom. The last lifestone was extracted without any fanfare, and business went on as usual for around three days until the miners realised that they had, collectively speaking, never extracted any new lifestones at all in that period.¡±


    ¡°Three days?¡± Schwarz blinked. ¡°Now hold up there. How did they not notice for three days?¡±


    ¡°Beats me,¡± Farah replied, but that announcement instantly sent prices soaring. "In fact, Farah County is beginning to welcome prospectors hoping to find lifestones, after centuries of being marked as a low-prospect area.¡±


    ¡°How does that work?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Since Farah County was a low-prospect area, it means that no one has bothered prospecting it seriously, or that mines there are very small,¡± Farah replied. ¡°What this means to an increasingly starved sovereignty, however, is that my territory hasn¡¯t been exploited yet. They¡¯re pushing for licences and everything, those mining conglomerates.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s your response?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re putting them on hold and training up our military,¡± Farah replied. ¡°They can wait for a while first. The price will only go up, never down. And even if it does go down, I don¡¯t lose anything much. In the first place, I don¡¯t really like the idea of people ordering my people around to mine. And I don¡¯t want them to bring in too many labourers either. The economy of Farah is stable, and I prefer stability over growth made from the sacrifices of my people.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ve heard about the dark side of lifestone mining,¡± Schwarz observed. ¡°What do you have in mind, then?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it, but I¡¯ll probably leave it as something unimportant for now. A few mining companies can close down and I won¡¯t even bat an eye.¡± Farah chuckled. ¡°Any other interesting things?¡±


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s been a spate of murders in a certain county¡­¡±


    ¡°More murders?¡±

 Chapter 379: Little errands, huge concerns

    Three angry-looking men struggled against bindings of mana, but Risti was a tri-folder. There was no way they could actually break out her newfound power, and unfortunately for them, Risti wasn¡¯t even going to give them a chance to speak.


    As Dia and Nero trailed after the triumphant Risti, Nero sidled over to Dia and whispered, ¡°Aren¡¯t we actually really bloody useless here?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. She¡¯s the investigation professional,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Last Words is incredible. So, what do you think Count Nightfall¡¯s reaction will be like when we return? Barely six hours, and we caught the perps.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll probably lose his mind,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Or maybe just beg Risti to help him from now on. Who knew that it was that easy to find a bunch of murderers? Not me, definitely. Maybe he¡¯ll offer her more lifestones and everything.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I feel bad about taking his reward. We just stood there menacingly¡­¡±


    Risti cleared her throat, before sending the three bound men away from her. In a whisper, she said, ¡°In the first place, Count Nightfall thought that this might be a Limbo incident, so he got the three of us down. He¡¯s a bit paranoid after seeing what happened last time.¡±


    ¡°Are we going to witness the birth of a new Claud?¡± Dia wondered. ¡°Maybe he¡¯ll be investing in Limbo-detection artefacts and¡ª¡±


    Nero cut her off. ¡°He shouldn¡¯t do that. Our defences against that place is the absolute lack of knowledge and our constant attempts to curb their infiltration. To make artefacts that target them is simply spreading the knowledge out. Our world will be in far greater danger.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to tell him that,¡± Risti added. ¡°I¡­pity the poor count, actually. Nobles who learn of Limbo tend to grow paranoid and mad very quickly, apparently. The knowledge that anyone in their territory could easily turn into one of those monsters and kill a whole bunch of people cannot be nice to live with.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s one of those times when ignorance truly is bliss.¡± Nero sighed. ¡°Dia, you seem very lackadaisical about this.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Even after knowing what you know, you don¡¯t seem to care much. Do you not worry that the stranger walking past you might be someone infested by parasites from Limbo?¡± Nero asked. ¡°That your loved ones might just be a carrier?¡±


    Dia looked at him. ¡°That¡­I never thought of that before.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s good, I guess. Parasites ¡ª those Aberrations that can maintain their human form and sanity¡ª while very dangerous, are the rarest enemies. Only people with huge populations under their belt will worry about things like this, but it is part of their job scope.¡± Nero yawned. ¡°So, three murderers, huh. What were they up to anyway?¡±


    ¡°Villain stuff. Kill, rape and pillage. Nightfall will be happy to just execute them,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°Hmm. Do executed people create prana jades?¡± Dia wondered.


    The two of them looked at her.


    ¡°What?¡± Dia asked. ¡°It¡¯s unnerving when the two of you look at me like that, alright? I¡¯ll be scared out of my skin or something. At least look at me normally.¡±


    ¡°Then say normal words,¡± Risti replied. ¡°You sounded very much like a villain earlier on, did you know that? Anyway, prana jades form when people die en masse with heavy emotions. That¡¯s why low-ranked folders can¡¯t consume them. The remnant will would drive them mad.¡±


    Nero shivered. ¡°And don¡¯t even think about putting prisoners together and getting them to fight to the death. That¡¯s just inhumane.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just asking out of academic curiosity, alright?¡± Dia replied, offended. ¡°Why would you think my thoughts would stray into that direction? I¡¯m not a bad guy.¡±


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    ¡°Everyone¡¯s the hero of their own story,¡± Nero answered.


    Risti nodded. ¡°Sometimes, the worst atrocities are not conducted by the ones who know, but the ones who don¡¯t know. Innocent curiosity can blind one to ethics¡­anyway, don¡¯t explore such a line of thought. I¡¯ll tell you the answer. Yes. Depending on how executions are conducted, they can yield prana jades. But it¡¯s more efficient to just find an ancient battlefield and harvest the prana jades there.¡±


    ¡°Right, since you guys want prana jades, why bother heading to the battle between the Moons and the Dark?¡± Nero asked. ¡°Do you guys really want to look for Claud and Lily this much?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re more concerned about Lily,¡± Risti replied. ¡°She¡¯s a very good girl. I can¡¯t help but think that Claud might bully her or something.¡±


    ¡°Lily also has a talent for explosives. If we don¡¯t rein her in, she might end up blowing up a battlefield here and there.¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°And Claud, that idiot, might just think it¡¯s the perfect way to protect himself too and pick up that very skill too. When they come back, we¡¯ll have two itchy-handed bombers waiting to blow up something.¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright, I think we might actually need to head there, then.¡± Nero shivered. ¡°I like Moon Mansion.¡±


    ¡°Well, we still have some time to think about it. Besides, we can check with the count if we can get more resources,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Still¡­the count is still a tri-folder, right?¡±


    Nero squinted his face. ¡°I think he said something about being very close to completing the fourth mana circuit. He seems very talented too. Resourceful and talented. He¡¯ll rise very quickly; for all we know, his awareness of Limbo might be the impetus for him to take that final step.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s already advanced sneakily,¡± Dia suggested. ¡°Won¡¯t put it past him, anyway. No one knew about him become a tri-folder until a fight broke out, after all.¡±


    The three of them talked about a certain sneaky count as they continued to head towards the palace. Most of it, however, was just Risti recounting whatever she knew about Nightfall to Dia and Nero. Unfortunately, a great deal of these stories was quite anecdotal; not many people actually knew the count that well to begin with. Whatever Risti had gathered was through hearsay and random rumours, rather than something that was actually concrete.


    Before long, they arrived at the palace gates, where a few guards were standing around. Dia sent a glance at the non-descript building, which was the actual place where most policies and decisions were made, before taking a step back and letting Risti take over.


    ¡°We¡¯ve captured the perpetuators behind the murders the count commissioned us to handle.¡± Risti indicated the floating men. ¡°You can take over from here, but I didn¡¯t injure them or anything, so be careful.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thanks.¡± The first guard retreated back into the palace, while the other guards drew their weapons. Smiling deviously, the two other guards walked up to the bound and gagged murders, before whispering into their ears menacingly. Before long, any sign of resistance melted away, and the three murderers turned into very quiet fellows.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the good old Intimidate skill,¡± Dia murmured. The Intimidate skill was something favoured by guards, since it helped with scaring a rowdy crowd and sending them into a state of ¡®Why in the name of the Moons am I here?¡¯ and ¡®Am I in danger?¡¯. It helped to calm people down by scaring them, and its effectiveness depended on quite a few factors, like the words used during the skill¡¯s activation and the target¡¯s current circumstances.


    In a case like this, where the murderers had been bound up by a tri-folder, Intimidate was probably very, very effective.


    ¡°Do you think we can use Intimidate on Count Nightfall?¡± Risti wondered. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding, of course, but we should do more empirical testing on skill effects. Farah and Schwarz would definitely agree with me on this, that much I know.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re the fellows who like data a lot. Not that different from you, to be honest,¡± Nero replied.


    After a while, the first guard returned with a small squad, who immediately took up positions around the three quivering murderers. Risti released them on the spot, and before long, they had been carted away by the guards.


    ¡°Death penalty?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Probably. Depends on why they killed so many people, but I¡¯m almost certain that it¡¯s the death penalty, really,¡± the second guard replied. ¡°Anyway, I suppose you guys will want to tell Count Nightfall, right? Follow me. He¡¯s talking to a Moon Emissary.¡±


    Dia glanced at Nero and Risti, who shrugged. Neither of them seemed to have much in the way of objections, which probably meant that it was fine.


    ¡°Lead the way, then.¡± Risti yawned. ¡°What¡¯s with the Moon Emissary, though?¡±


    ¡°Not sure, but he¡¯s been paying a visit quite frequently as of late,¡± the guard replied. ¡°Something about the war, I suppose. No skin off our backs, though. They can fight all they want; I only care about picking up my baby boy when I go home.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, a child. Congratulations,¡± Risti replied.


    Dia and Nero joined in too, which made the guard laugh.


    ¡°He¡¯s adorable. It¡¯s a shame we can¡¯t bring him here for a bring-your-kid-to-work day, but it¡¯s kinda funny whenever we walk around the city.¡± The guard grinned. ¡°Those Moon babies seem to take a shine to him.¡±


    ¡°Moon toddlers finding babies adorable, huh¡­¡± Nero bobbed his head. ¡°Now, isn¡¯t that interesting? Do they try to pat his head?¡±


    ¡°¡­Actually, my baby boy does the patting.¡±


    Dia thought about the absurd, adorable scene and smiled.

 Chapter 380: Preparations and preparatory talks

    After promising to visit the guard¡¯s little baby boy someday, the three of them were ushered into the main throne room of the Nightfall Palace. It was rarely used, since Nightfall wasn¡¯t someone who liked ostentatious bullcrap in his own home.


    ¡°He likes to show off outside, though,¡± Caroline noted, who was currently entertaining them in the waiting room outside.


    ¡°What are they talking about?¡± Risti asked, nudging her chin at the opulent double doors that was the mainstay of any respectable throne room.


    ¡°Countermeasures for the Red God¡¯s familiar spirit,¡± Caroline replied, a faint smile. ¡°You know, all that mess that you pulled my fianc¨¦ into.¡±


    ¡°¡­Ah, okay. He pulled you into that, then.¡± Risti cleared her throat. ¡°Nero apologises.¡±


    ¡°Why are you apologising with my name?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°Uh, because we used your quotas to pull him and Dia in?¡± Risti rolled her eyes. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t worry about it. Nothing¡¯s going to happen, as a rule of thumb, and if something really does happen, having knowledge of it is far more important than anything else. He might be a bit paranoid for the time being, but other than that, he¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Fine, you say¡­¡± Caroline¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Anyway, he is quite paranoid right now. Every night, he pours through any files about incidents regarding abnormal deaths, and he¡¯s looking into buying artefacts that can detect abnormal mana signatures.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t need to buy them. There¡¯s already some in the city,¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°They were installed long ago¡­well, I suppose we should teach him about it, since he¡¯s this worried,¡± Risti replied. ¡°The two of us and any of the seniors have knowledge regarding this, but if he¡¯s going to waste money, we better stop him.¡±


    ¡°Waste money?¡± Caroline laughed. ¡°How expensive can it get?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d need a carton of pure-ranked lifestones, I suppose?¡± Nero muttered. ¡°Sure, it¡¯s not that expensive¡ª¡±


    A bout of rapid coughs interrupted his words, and Caroline glared at the Holy Son of the Black God. ¡°Not that expensive? Excuse me, mister Holy Son, we are a county. It¡¯s pretty damn expensive, alright? We¡¯re a county, not some dukedom with lots of resources.¡±


    Dia rubbed her nose as the Holy Son of the Black God demonstrated his utter lack of financial common sense once more. It reminded her of Holy Daughter Clarissa, who was equally profligate with her money, but there was actually one crucial difference.


    The Holy Son of the Black God didn¡¯t actually have money.


    Stifling the urge to laugh, Dia watched as the others made similar connections and cast critical gazes at the shameless Holy Son, who simply shrugged off their gazes with absurd ease.


    Picking up a small square biscuit, Dia nibbled at the sugar-sprinkled exterior and listened to the others talk. Gossip was the name of the game here; after a while, everyone was now sharing rumours and legends about Licencia that they had picked up.


    ¡°Did you know that there¡¯s actually a pair of twins who can appear anywhere?¡± Caroline asked.


    ¡°The¡­Monochromatic Twins, right?¡± Risti asked, before glancing at Dia. ¡°I think she met them before.¡±


    ¡°Saw them once,¡± Dia replied. ¡°They were doodling on Farah¡¯s face. She had been knocked out at the bar after taking a single swig from Schwarz¡¯s super strong brews back then, and then they doodled on his face. I heard that they were locked up in prison or something too, for doodling on Nightfall¡¯s face.¡±


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    Caroline twitched. ¡°I don¡¯t know about the doodling part, but they can actually appear anywhere. Back when I was solving a case with Lily and Claud ¡ª ah, yes, Zulan Patra¡¯s murder ¡ª we had to report the case to the White Church because a Blessed died. When we went to the room with the Comms Console, the two twins popped out and fled¡­leaving behind a mess.¡±


    Dia laughed. ¡°You must have been terrified.¡±


    Caroline nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know how they got inside there. It¡¯s crazy. Anyway, the cold room was probably what drew them there. They were apparently using the room as a resting place.¡±


    ¡°I wonder how they did that,¡± Dia muttered. There were all kinds of odd people in the world to begin with, and all sorts of skills existed too. For the twins, maybe there was some skill that allowed them to run through walls or something? Either way, it was an interesting urban legend for Licencia.


    There were a few other legends that had popped up, but the next most prominent one was naturally the Thief of Time, who had vanished from public eye entirely. It was a shame, since Dia really hoped that the Thief of Time would visit the Istrel Sovereignty for a few months or something, but the fellow seemed to have vanished entirely.


    It was quite unfortunate, but a nice by-product of his absence was how people had largely forgotten about a certain dukedom¡¯s little princess.


    After finishing off a few more biscuits, a heavy pressure rippled outwards from the throne room, lasting for a heartbeat before vanishing entirely.


    ¡°They¡¯re done, it seems.¡± Caroline got up. ¡°Come on, follow me.¡±


    ¡°Wait, we don¡¯t get to meet the Moon Emissary?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Bummer. I was hoping to see him up close.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not a lifeform that you should be observing,¡± Dia replied, rolling her eyes. Risti liked birdwatching and examining exotic animals in general, so the way she phrased it could only mean that Moon Emissaries were probably exotic lifeforms too.


    Now that she thought about it, Risti¡¯s gaze towards the Moonlit toddlers were probably half-adoring and half-inquiring¡­making a mental note to examine Risti when they next came across a little toddler, Dia followed Caroline and the others as they walked over to the throne room. Count Nightfall, dressed up in solemn and elaborate court attire, leaned against the throne, his eyes closed.


    Some formless might seemed to emanate off his unmoving figure, and Dia had to restrain the urge to step back. She had felt this a few times before, whenever Farah was talking about Farah County with pride.


    What exactly was this?


    She thought about it for a moment, and then shrugged. Maybe her father or brother would be able to tell her more when she returned.


    Everyone watched the count in silence for a few minutes to give him some time to rest. Dia was about to get a tiny bit fidgety when he finally seemed to wake up or something, and with a jolt, he got up.


    ¡°Since when did you guys arrive?¡± Nightfall asked, surprise in his words.


    ¡°Some time ago. You alright? You look very exhausted,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°Anyway, the three of them came here to report about the murder. It¡¯s been solved, and the culprits have been put away.¡±


    She paused. ¡°I¡¯ll handle their trial.¡±


    ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± Nightfall yawned. ¡°I¡¯ll send you guys the payment n¡ª¡±


    ¡°You can pass it to us when we leave,¡± Risti interrupted. ¡°Anyway, you don¡¯t need to stress yourself out over Limbo. When I moved here, I also brought with me an artefact that can detect traces of Limbo within a hundred kilometres. I can let you use it too, and it¡¯s the kind that you won¡¯t need to pay attention to.¡±


    Nightfall paused. ¡°You have something that handy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Risti jiggled her shoulders. ¡°Otherwise, every noble who knows about Limbo would have gone insane. Anyway, I can lend you the artefact until I decide to settle down in another city, but that¡¯s probably not going to happen.¡±


    The count rubbed his hands. ¡°I¡¯ll rent the artefact from you. How does fifty pure-ranked lifestones per month sound?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a reasonable price,¡± Risti replied.


    Dia didn¡¯t know what to make of the entire exchange, but again, these two were bigshots. On one side was the daughter of the Folder Association¡¯s President, and on the other was a full-fledged count of a thriving territory. As for Nero¡­hehe.


    She felt a bit out-of-place in this very luxurious line-up of bigshots, especially since she was right now in the identity of a double, rather than the real Princess Dia. That said, even the real princess didn¡¯t have that much spending power; only her father had access to the treasury.


    Letting out a sigh inwardly, Dia watched as the two concluded the deal, and the conversation shifted to their future plans.


    ¡°You guys are actually considering the frontlines?¡± Nightfall asked. ¡°That¡¯s¡­actually perfect, to be honest. The Moon Emissary just visited and asked if there were any competent folders that were interested in earning some free resources, and told me that I¡¯d get three hundred lifestones and prana jades for every person I recommend. Of course, you¡¯d be paid on your own wages too and everything.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Risti pondered. ¡°Sure, but we want half. And we haven¡¯t called a vote yet, so you¡¯ll need to wait for a while.¡±


    ¡°Eh, sure.¡± Nightfall grinned. ¡°Good news and more good news. You guys are my lucky stars. Stay for a banquet?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to call the others here first,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll wait¡­¡±

 Chapter 381: The familiar spirit that accidentally barged in

    ¡°Huhu. I did not know you had Schwarz¡¯s booze here.¡± Nero filled up his goblet again. ¡°Magnificent, magnificent! Barrels and barrels of it. More than enough to make me smile, really.¡±


    Dia glanced at the count, whose lips were twitching. The others didn¡¯t particularly care for Schwarz¡¯s ultra-pure water, save for the maker himself, so the only ones who were engaging in this particularly weird conversation were the three buffoons whose livers were hardier than steel.


    Wait, Schwarz didn¡¯t actually drink his own booze, because he was scared of affecting his liver. In that case, there were only two buffoons who had steel livers and the guilty manufacturer that had damaged the livers of so many other people.


    ¡°You can just purchase more from me, though,¡± Schwarz pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s a bit odd to see my creations placed with centuries-old wine.¡±


    ¡°None of them give the kick I want,¡± Nightfall replied.


    Farah glanced at them. ¡°Putting aside centuries-old wine, where is Count Daybreak anyway? Isn¡¯t he a visitor here? It¡¯s odd that he isn¡¯t around.¡±


    Nightfall¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Well, he has a nasty tendency of walking into the wrong rooms, so I gifted him a barrel of Schwarz¡¯s booze. He¡¯s a sleeping drunk, so a cup is enough to knock him out for a day or so. After a while, his schedule looks like this: he wakes up, washes up, gets a single meal, and then drinks a cup of Schwarz¡¯s booze.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay, and?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°The next day begins?¡± Nightfall replied, his expression one that indicated his bafflement at Farah¡¯s question. ¡°Did I miss out something by accident? I think I implied it clearly enough.¡±


    ¡°So how many hours of the day is Daybreak sober?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Around¡­¡± Nightfall¡¯s fingers flickered. ¡°Three hours? Anyway, he¡¯s an absolute treat to have around the place now.¡±


    Dia couldn¡¯t help but note the complete contrast between his earlier and current judgement, and she had to turn away with a smile.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Risti cleared her throat. ¡°Still, what¡¯s the status of his palace¡¯s reconstruction?¡±


    Nightfall¡¯s face straightened up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. We¡¯ve reached an agreement on a new cooperative agreement regarding specialisations. Count Daybreak has all the manpower I want, and I have all the jobs he needs. Countess Farah, for some reason, also caught wind of this agreement, and she¡¯s agreed to enter an agricultural arrangement with both of our counties.¡±


    ¡°So everything¡¯s worked out?¡±


    ¡°In a sense.¡± Nightfall frowned. ¡°But how is Countess Farah even aware of small things like this? Last I checked, the Farah County was focusing inwardly, and their ruler is in seclusion¡­¡±


    No, she isn¡¯t. She¡¯s actually eating in your home too and freeloading off their food¡­Dia glanced at Farah, and then took stock of the others sending her surreptitious looks at their own pace, before hiding a smile.


    ¡°Maybe she¡¯s a lot closer than you think,¡± Farah replied.


    Dia wanted to swear at her, but revealing Farah¡¯s identity here was stupid. Somehow, Farah had managed to prevent anyone else from finding out her identity, and she probably put hard work into making that possible. It would not only displease her if anyone blurted that out, not to mention the danger she might face from Nightfall afterwards.


    Risti picked up a glass and sipped from it elegantly. ¡°Anyway, I hear you¡¯re funding Daybreak¡¯s reconstruction.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still not that sure what destroyed his palace, though,¡± Nightfall replied.


    ¡°Neither am I.¡±


    ¡°Ri¡ª¡±


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    Everyone froze, and then turned to the source of the voice, which had spoken from behind Dia¡¯s chair. As she turned around to look at the source, an earth-shattering aura burst out from behind her, and the palace shuddered madly. An explosive force sent Dia flying a moment later, and the entire banquet turned into a mess. Red light towered to the heavens immediately afterwards, the resulting pillar shattering the ceiling of the banquet hall and piercing into the skies.


    A second source of divinity erupted into existence a moment later, and a tri-coloured human appeared in mid-air. ¡°What is the meaning of this, familiar spirit? This is my territory!¡±


    A red figure of light gestured once. ¡°Sooth, Emissary. My master has dispatched me to investigate the death of his Holy Son, which has been terminated here. I know the Holy Son visited Daybreak County, and then fled here upon pursuit by your masters. When I was tracking his traces, my teleportation went awry and I appeared here, just in time to hear those words.¡±


    The Moon Emissary waved his hands once, and tri-coloured light filled Dia¡¯s eyes. A moment later, she was back in her seat, the ceiling was alright, and the banquet was still as unspoiled as ever. The familiar spirit now stood at the head of the table, within arm¡¯s length of the Moon Emissary, which was prime material for a good show.


    No one, however, would dare to reach out for food to go with this good show now, however.


    ¡°The Holy Son was executed on the spot for falling to corruption,¡± the Moon Emissary replied. ¡°You can ask my masters that.¡±


    ¡°Falling to corruption.¡± The familiar spirit¡¯s words as it echoed the Moon Emissary was flat. ¡°And what drove him to corruption?¡±


    ¡°It seems to be a residue from a failed ritual elsewhere,¡± the Moon Emissary replied.


    ¡°It happened at Daybreak County,¡± the Red God¡¯s familiar spirit replied. ¡°And there are people who are aware of what happened at Daybreak County.¡±


    ¡°You can ask my masters that.¡± The Moon Emissary waved his hands once. ¡°This is not a place you can be. The terms of your entry have been long fixed. This will be the first and last violation.¡±


    The Red God¡¯s familiar spirit looked at Dia, Risti and Nero, and his eyes blazed once. ¡°Naturally.¡±


    ¡°Begone.¡± Tri-coloured light spilled out into the wall, and the familiar spirit vanished. The Moon Emissary snorted once a moment later, and a shimmer of red appeared in the air, hanging for a few seconds, before shattering entirely. Letting out a few more snorts, the Moon Emissary raised a hand.


    Tri-coloured light pulsed outwards, rippling through the walls of the Nightfall Palace and into the world beyond. After giving out one more snort, the Moon Emissary turned on the spot and vanished.


    Only then did Count Nightfall curse. ¡°Damnit, the Red God¡¯s familiar spirit. What the heck?¡±


    ¡°He arrived really quickly, didn¡¯t he?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°I thought he was a few days away or something.¡±


    ¡°The God of Precision had a hand to do with his familiar spirit suddenly appearing here,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Happy accidents that happen to yield the best outcome, perfect setups that cannot be stopped¡­that is the God of Precision, Shuddh.¡±


    As the Holy Son of the Black God officially revealed the name of the Red God, something like a rumble seemed to enter Dia¡¯s ears, and she swayed. At the same time, what seemed like a pendulum swinging back and forth at a perfect cadence appeared in her eyes, and Dia swayed.


    Nero clapped his hands, and the hallucinations vanished. ¡°Sorry, but I figured that this was the best way to make use of the familiar spirit¡¯s remnant divinity. That is his holy symbol, by the way.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t quite understand what a swinging pendulum had to do with what seemed more like luck than precision, but who was she to complain about the Red God¡¯s holy symbol? In fact, she had a feeling that if she actually complained, bad things would happen to her on a regular basis.


    It was far better to just perish the freaking thought.


    ¡°We must be careful to not speak too much, then,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°Anyway, what¡¯s this corruption thing?¡±


    ¡°Not sure,¡± Nero smoothly replied. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t think too hard about it, guys. We¡¯ll finish off this banquet, go back and take a rest, and then stay in Moon Mansion. We can¡¯t afford to head out of Licencia now, not with that person locking onto us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    Dia felt a bit disappointed, but Nightfall¡¯s following words about paying them handsomely to stay in the city made her feel better. With any luck, everyone would advance to a tetra-folder before the Moons descended and bedlam truly broke loose. She could, however, only hope that the Red God¡¯s familiar spirit would be forced to leave before he came across any clues or the like, but they would need to make preparations.


    ¡°How are we supposed to prepare for a familiar spirit, though?¡± Nightfall wondered. ¡°The Moon Emissary seems to be his equal. Even if we participate, we won¡¯t be able to do much again the familiar spirit.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just need to hunker down and spread the news,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°Spread the news?¡±


    ¡°Instigate some conflict, essentially.¡± Schwarz grinned. ¡°Leave this to me, the pro. I¡¯m also hoping that we¡¯ll be able to tell Claud of our current predicament. If there¡¯s anyone amongst us who might be able to come up with a plan to protect ourselves, it¡¯s Lord Paranoid.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay, sure. Sure.¡± Nightfall looked at him. ¡°Sure, I guess. Just be careful, okay?¡±


    Dia rolled her eyes and returned to the banquet.


    As she continued to feast, a small thought wormed into the front of her mind. Why did everyone brush off today¡¯s encounter so easily?


    That thought, however, vanished a moment later as Risti stole a chicken thigh from her plate.

 Chapter 382: A little advancement

    Claud gripped his fists as the blue glow around Lily intensified. An aura of completion was spreading out from her cross-legged form, contending against the darkness beyond. She was trying for her third mana circuit once again, and this time, little Throne was helping out in ways Claud couldn¡¯t begin to comprehend.


    Maybe it was the way the little orb was orbiting around her, but her attempt had gone unusually smoothly this time around.


    ¡°Meep?¡± Crown whispered.


    ¡°Meep,¡± Claud whispered back. ¡°She¡¯s just a touch away ¡ª yes, yes, yes!¡±


    Before his eyes, the disparate blue light that was threading through her skin focused, forming clear lines that ran through her body. He could see the three complete mana circuits as they harmonised and built upon each other, and Claud took in the lovely sight.


    A shiver ran down his spine as he took in the sight of her successful formation of her third mana circuit. It was rare to witness someone completing their mana circuit due to a myriad of factors, up to and including the fact that two people had to be on very intimate terms to witness something like that.


    Claud wiped a bead of sweat away as he approached the bed. Lily was dazed, presumably looking at the notifications that had popped up in her face when she had completed her third mana circuit, and he patted her head.


    ¡°Nicely done.¡± Claud resisted the urge to just give her a nice long kiss ¡ª there were two little sentient artefacts watching them, and she really needed the rest ¡ª and he made do by rubbing her cheeks.


    Lily smiled, and a sense of relaxation spread out from her. ¡°I¡¯ve succeeded. Finally! Haha! I must be the second fastest after you, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Claud puffed himself up. ¡°Anyway, you should rest now. I¡¯ll give you a massage. Your legs must be cramped up or something; you¡¯ve been sitting in that position for twelve hours.¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    The two little baubles bounced over in agreement, before hopping onto her head. Lily laughed at their attempts to make a nice nest from her hair, before Claud cleared his throat.


    ¡°Cut it out, you guys. Lily¡¯s tired, okay?¡±


    ¡°Meep? Meep.¡± Crown, his faithful little box, ignored his words and continued to frolic around in her hair. Claud could understand why his Divine Life Companion was a bit peeved; for the past few weeks, he had been making his Crown and Lily¡¯s Throne just sit in the room while they handled other stuff outside. There was no choice, since he didn¡¯t want to bet on the divinities discovering their uniqueness.


    He hadn¡¯t forgotten about the Lesser Half, who was still whiling away in the throne room of the Lostfon Palace. In fact, him appearing in the Lesser Half¡¯s presence was already a massive risk, given that he too was a Bearer of Destiny, but it would seem that his Omen skill was doing a damn good job at protecting him.


    Unfortunately for Throne and Crown, he didn¡¯t know if they too had a similar concealment skill.


    ¡°Oh, come on¡­if you guys stay there, I can¡¯t play with her hair!¡± Claud grumbled, before smiling at Lily. ¡°Anyway¡­it¡¯s great that you¡¯ve advanced. I have a few bags of lifestones for you!¡±


    ¡°All pure-ranked ones, I suppose.¡± Lily grimaced.


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad about it.¡± Claud grinned. ¡°Thanks to Crown¡± ¡ªthe little box wobbled¡ª ¡°lifestones are all equal in my eyes. In a sense, you should thank him instead. I can collect the low-ranked ones and you can use the pure-ranked ones; it¡¯s a perfect division of labour.¡±


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    Crown coughed out another Pure-Life Gem, which was a special lifestone that would accumulate lifeforce every so often, at that very moment, thereby proving his point.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass you one of the older ones¡ª¡±


    ¡°You should use the Pure-Life Gems,¡± Lily interrupted. ¡°Using your pure-ranked lifestones is bad enough. I¡¯m not going to take something that you¡¯ll probably need a lot too.¡±


    Claud looked at her, and then nodded. There was a firmness that pervaded those particular words that told him that she wasn¡¯t going to budge on this particular point. There was a limit to how much he could give her before Lily herself felt bad, and to be honest, Claud would have probably done the same if their positions had been reversed.


    ¡°At any rate, why not try for a fourth mana-fold over the next few days?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°It¡¯ll take ages,¡± Lily replied, a sad smile on her face. ¡°My Mana Control Proficiency is too low. I¡¯d rather train it or something while we¡¯re at Celestia. Who knows, there might be a method we could use?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s way too specific,¡± Claud replied, before yawning once.


    ¡°Are you going to work on your fifth mana circuit?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t checked on your progress recently¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been busying yourself with your advancement for the past few days. Don¡¯t feel bad about not checking in on me,¡± Claud replied, before pushing her down on the bed. The two little artefacts made angry little meeps as they were dislodged from their impromptu nest, and then battered at his hand with an aggrieved hand.


    ¡°Let her rest, alright?¡± Claud scooped up the little guys, who were protesting, and then let out a sigh. Instead of returning them to their little fluffy box that doubled as their bed, he gave in to their meeps and popped them on his head instead.


    The little guys went to work immediately.


    ¡°¡­Somehow, I get a feeling that Crown and Throne saved me from your evil, evil intentions,¡± Lily commented. ¡°Perverted ones too, by the looks of it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly.¡± Claud flicked her nose. ¡°You¡¯re tired out. Only a beast would do anything else than let you have a rest¡­right, want a lap pillow? I can¡¯t lie down with those fellows on my head, and I can sleep in any posture anyway.¡±


    ¡°What page is sleeping in any posture recorded in?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Page ninety-six,¡± Claud replied, before patting his thighs. ¡°Help yourself.¡±


    Lily settled her head onto his lap happily, before pointing at her temples. ¡°I have a headache.¡±


    ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t?¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway, here we go¡­¡±


    He pampered her for a while, watching merrily as Lily relaxed from his ministrations. Claud knew that the absurd ease in which he had completed his mana circuits had probably given Lily the wrong ideas back then, even if she knew that Crown was playing a part in his smooth advancement. She had suffered a few failures from that¡­and also due to her low Mana Control Proficiency.


    He sighed. ¡°Isn¡¯t there any way to increase your Mana Control Proficiency?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Well, Dia did say that the best way to train that was to keep sparring every morning. Or at least do some very concentrated practice, right?¡± Lily replied. ¡°I could do that. We should actually do that.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get a bit sweaty, but that¡¯s the price to pay, I suppose.¡± Claud¡¯s mind wandered off to the bath after practice, before he mentally shook himself. ¡°I don¡¯t mind training with you. I need to figure out how to use my current strengths anyway.¡±


    ¡°Master-rank Mana Control Proficiency.¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°Thanks for all that pressure, really. Totally needed it from my husband. Really useful.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on¡­¡±


    Lily laughed. ¡°I¡¯m just pulling your leg. But still¡­don¡¯t you feel that you¡¯re a bit too¡­what¡¯s the word¡­lucky?¡±


    Claud grimaced. ¡°I thought I was the only one who thought that way. I¡¯ve been thinking about it for a long time, but there are indeed too many coincidences that have just happened to me so nicely. I¡¯m like a confluence of weirdness or something.¡±


    He pointed at his head, where two little adorable shapes were nestling in his hair for some inane reason. ¡°And that special skill, and then another special skill¡­I don¡¯t think a tetra-folder like me is supposed to have so many odd skills.¡±


    Claud toyed with a stray strand of Lily¡¯s hair, and then whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t know if something¡¯s moving me around like a piece in Moon Phase. But the feeling is¡­terrifying. That something could actually control me and dictate my movements.¡±


    He took a deep breath. ¡°Of course, I might just be paranoid. It is very possible that everything that has happened to me thus far is just pure coincidence, born from my own personality, my choices and the circumstance around me.¡±


    Lily looked at him, and then winced. ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to suddenly make you think up of all this.¡±


    ¡°The fact that I spilled all this out is proof that I¡¯m worrying a lot about all this. Maybe I¡¯ve always wanted to tell you about it, just that I didn¡¯t have the time.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s just sleep. Maybe, when we wake up tomorrow, I¡¯ll be feeling better¡­and we really shouldn¡¯t mar this happy occasion with my paranoia.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lily held his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s just forget all this and sleep for now, then.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Claud restrained the urge to brush the little happy fellows off his head, and then closed his eyes. ¡°Goodnight, then.¡±

 Chapter 383: Plans, people and patience

    A symphony of delightful meeps roused Claud from his rest, and his eyes opened slowly. ¡°Cut it out, you punks.¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡± Throne rolled off his head and started to do laps around him, which prompted Claud to capture the little silvery sphere and place it back on his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t meep all around me,¡± Claud replied, before looking at Lily, who was still very fast asleep on his lap. Thankfully, she was breathing and everything, which alleviated the sudden fear that had popped up in his heart.


    Claud yawned once, before poking the two little fellows who had probably made a fine nest out of his hair. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, the two of you? Meeping merrily this early in the morning doesn¡¯t make sense at all.¡±


    Crown hopped off his head and landed onto his shoulder, before doing little twirls around its edge. ¡°Meep¡­meep!¡±


    ¡°Very useful.¡± Claud patted the little guy, and then cupped it in his hand. ¡°You gotta put more emotion into that if you want me to meeping understanding what you just said.¡±


    ¡°Meep¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re not getting anywhere.¡± Claud placed the little fellow down on his bed, before placing a hand on Lily¡¯s forehead. She definitely wasn¡¯t having a fever, her breathing was nice and normal, and¡ª


    ¡°I¡¯m up, I¡¯m up¡­¡± Lily paused. ¡°Uh, it¡¯s early in the morning, so getting hanky-panky with me isn¡¯t really a good idea.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just worried,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Throne and Crown woke me up by meeping a storm all around my head, so I thought you might be sick or something. You¡¯re fine, though, so I¡¯m not sure what they¡¯re actually up to.¡±


    Lily raised a hand, and Throne immediately rolled off Claud¡¯s head and bounced onto her palm. Crown tried to bounce over too, but there was no way the little box could climb onto Lily like that.


    ¡°Maybe they just miss me or something,¡± Lily suggested.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Claud couldn¡¯t help but think about the Frozen Emperor once more. In the Frozen Coffin, on the throne he slumbered on, was Lily¡­and these little guys¡¯ bodies. He didn¡¯t want to know what that entailed, but he hadn¡¯t forgotten a certain passive skill of his.


    His hands moved on its own a moment later, and he hugged Lily, Throne and Crown. Claud only realised his actions moments after he happened, but the only thing Lily did was to look at him sadly.


    ¡°You¡­remembered something,¡± Lily whispered. ¡°From that Second Tutorial.¡±


    Claud looked at her, and then grimaced. ¡°Was it really that obvious?¡±


    ¡°You have that pained look in your eyes whenever you think about that future,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, okay? Lesser Half said it himself. Since you saw that future, it would not happen. It could not happen.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of certainty there,¡± Claud replied quietly. ¡°But there was one thing I never told him, though.¡±


    ¡°One thing?¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°The Frozen Emperor did not succeed in ranking up that particular skill, unlike me. I don¡¯t know what it means, but something tells me that this fact is very important. That iteration of me failed where I succeeded. Or did he choose to fail, having seen the results of his success in his own Second Tutorial? I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s just a dream, right?¡±


    Claud grimaced. ¡°I hope it is, but Lesser Half said that the Second Tutorial is generated based on a possible future. And more important, I still have not understood what I was truly meant to do in the Second Tutorial. I don¡¯t know what it wants to teach me, unlike the original Tutorial.¡±


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    He glanced at Lily. ¡°Be careful when you advance.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be doing that until we return from Celestia,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And probably not before the Trial of Aeons.¡±


    ¡°¡­Try to succeed before the Trial of Aeons descend, at least.¡± Claud shook his head, and then ran his hands through her hair slowly, making sure that he wasn¡¯t going to tug at it by accident. Her violet hair smoothened after a few rounds, and he hugged her again.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite the clingy one, aren¡¯t you?¡± Lily¡¯s voice, however, was tinged with a touch of amusement.


    ¡°Bite me.¡±


    Lily obliged by nibbling his arm.


    ¡°Not literally, okay?¡± Claud rolled his eyes. Tickling her sides with his free arm, Claud eventually liberated himself from her teeth, and then got Lily to wash up. Before long, the sounds of water splashing filled the room, which made a nice sound for Claud to tidy up the bed to. Settling the two little objects onto the table, Claud patted the bed and flopped onto it.


    Some part of his mind was screaming that doing so would actually set back all his hard work, but he silenced that part easily. After all, he had more important things to consider, up to and including their second visit to Celestia and continuing his progression of his fifth mana circuit.


    ¡°I¡¯m done!¡± Lily bounced out of the bathroom. ¡°Your turn!¡±


    ¡°Huh. That bath definitely raised your spirits,¡± Claud noted.


    ¡°Well, you know¡­anyway, are we really going to head to Celestia today?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I know I said it, but maybe we should¡­uh, delay our departure until we become stronger.¡±


    Claud pondered on her suggestion. The idea of going to Celestia for a second time had been brought up by the both of them at some indeterminate point in time, but the risks that the mysterious shattered universe held were quite substantial. However, that was the only place where Claud could tell Lily more secrets without getting her annihilated by whatever restraints the Coloured Gods had placed upon the world.


    Lily didn¡¯t say much, but Claud was increasingly aware that he was doing her a grave disservice by not telling her the little things that he was hiding from the world. To be honest, he should have told her everything the first time, but it slipped his mind then.


    He wasn¡¯t going to let that happen for a second time.


    ¡°Well, I always did want to hammer out the things I can¡¯t say,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And I figured that there might be a few more Thrones rolling around the place too, so¡­well, the more sentient objects we have, the better, right?¡±


    The little fellows on the table meeped happily, conveying their agreement.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say no to that in particular,¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    Claud and Lily rolled their eyes at each other, and then grinned.


    ¡°Well,¡± began Claud, ¡°I can definitely see a case for not going today. Right now, the both of us have our judgements clouded from your successful advancement. Maybe we can go tomorrow instead, and then spend today bugging the count or something. Or talk to the people in town. It¡¯ll be good to have a grasp on those little things, even if they don¡¯t quite seem to matter at first glance.¡±


    ¡°Point. Then¡­breakfast?¡±


    ¡°Let me wash up first,¡± Claud replied, before rolling off the bed. It took him around ten minutes to rinse himself off, before he walked out with a towel on his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always liked draping a towel on my back,¡± Claud muttered, before striking a few poses. ¡°How do I look?¡±


    ¡°The towel has to be flapping dramatically,¡± Lily pointed out. ¡°Yes, that looks substantially better. Let me give it a try too!¡±


    Claud found himself smiling as he fooled around with Lily. It was days like this, when there was nothing at stake and lots to celebrate, that he looked forward to. How many days like this were left for them? He didn¡¯t know, but he could sense that there wasn¡¯t much time left before everything turned into a mess.


    He wasn¡¯t clear about the years after the Trial of Aeons, but from the sounds of it, the true Fourth Godsfall would begin from there on. What exactly did the Trial of Aeons entail?


    If only he had the answer, but he needed to know the right people.


    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily poked his cheek. ¡°Stop thinking about serious things when we¡¯re having fun. You deserve to relax too.¡±


    ¡°Well, knowledge about a possible future isn¡¯t really helping my case, though.¡± Claud sighed. ¡°Like it or not, those things just pop into my head randomly. I can¡¯t just ignore all that, especially when it concerns your wellbeing.¡±


    Lily fidgeted. ¡°I am not sure how to describe this current mix of guilt and joy inside me right now.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to.¡± Claud stretched, before undoing the towel from his neck. He had tied it quite strongly, so there were now some red marks on his skin. ¡°Anyway, I suppose we should indeed just roll around for today, and maybe prepare for the trip tomorrow. I¡¯ll take this chance to increase the completion rate of my fifth mana circuit too. Shouldn¡¯t take that long.¡±


    ¡°Do you have enough lifespan to complete your fifth mana circuit?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Not for now. Safely, anyway.¡± Claud paused. ¡°And there isn¡¯t anyone who could¡­uh, donate to me some lifestones now. I would love to do some time-sensitive high efficiency trade runs, but life is getting tougher every day. I¡¯m still waiting for my Pure-Life Gems to gather more lifeforce too, so it¡¯s best to use them as late as possible.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope the situation changes for the better, then,¡± Lily replied.


    Claud didn¡¯t quite know what she was referring to, but either outcome was fine with him.

 Chapter 384: What was, and what used to be

    Over the past few days of building up his fifth mana circuit, Claud had observed something surprising about the people in Lostfon. While they had indeed reacted to Lesser Half¡¯s descent with a healthy, sensible amount of caution, this caution had tapered off after everyone realised that Lesser Half wasn¡¯t going to screw this city in particular, and everyone went on with their daily lives.


    Lily¡¯s hand in his, Claud went downstairs to check out the tavern, which was not that crowded anymore.


    ¡°Hello there, Lord and Lady Primus. Breakfast?¡± The old man waved a spoon around.


    ¡°We¡¯ll like that,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Two usuals, please.¡±


    ¡°Huhu. Lady, you look particularly dazzling today.¡± The old man pondered. ¡°Ah, I see. You must have had a good night.¡±


    ¡°¡­I suppose it¡¯s indeed a good night, yes,¡± Lily replied.


    Claud immediately felt the gazes of all the damned men in the tavern fall onto Lily, and he shifted himself subtly to block their gazes. For one, they had no business to be inquiring into their private lives, and secondly, everyone here would be crapping their pants if they realised that what Lily meant by ¡®a good night¡¯ was her completion of her third mana circuit.


    Engaging in a round of mental abuse against those things who thought with their lower half, Claud continued to shield Lily from their wolfish gazes, before musing that being a woman could be very hard at times. Truly, men could be asshats.


    ¡°You look like you¡¯ve come across an epiphany or something,¡± Lily observed as they took their usual seats. ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Just reinforcing my understanding that women have it very tough at times due to my kind,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too hard about it.¡± Claud poked her cheek, which got him a poke in return too. Within seconds, the two of them engaged in a round of cheek-poking, which lasted until their breakfast sets were served.


    ¡°So, have you decided what we¡¯re going to do?¡± Lily asked, looking down at the usual breakfast platter of eggs and sausages.


    ¡°We relax or something. How does shopping sound? I feel like buying all sorts of artefacts. Maybe we can walk around the place or something.¡± Claud paused. ¡°I get a feeling I might have missed out something.¡±


    ¡°Missed out something?¡±


    ¡°Just a thought.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°We¡¯ve been running down this path of strength, but surely there has to be a reason why the nobles chose to take it nice and slow, right?¡±


    ¡°Their mana circuits?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Well, there¡¯s something like a directive, I suppose. Active heads of a family aren¡¯t allowed to surpass a particular number of mana circuits.¡±


    ¡°Which means that the leader of a sovereignty shouldn¡¯t complete their sixth mana circuit, then,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Fine and dandy, but who¡¯s going to enforce that? I mean, if the three rulers back then decided to become a hexa-folder together, the Emperor definitely can¡¯t take them down. And to begin with, why does the Emperor not¡­¡±


    His voice trailed off.


    ¡°Claud?¡±


    ¡°You know, I sometimes wondered what Emperor Grandis was doing,¡± Claud replied, his mind churning. ¡°I mean, the Moons and the Dark are fighting over his territory. However, Emperor Grandis, Rulers Nihila and Voidum have vanished from the stage. One would wonder what they¡¯re up to, but if you think about it¡­maybe they¡¯re doing the same things as us. Gathering power.¡±


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    ¡°The same thing is probably happening in the other continents, then.¡± Lily bobbed her head. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine the other continents just lying down and taking all this.¡±


    ¡°That said, you know what happens when you place a lid on a boiling pot of water, right?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Eventually, if you force the lid to remain on for far too long¡­¡±


    Lily clapped her hands once. ¡°It blows up.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°All this silence is just a prelude to a greater conflict.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°In the midst of this all, we¡¯ve already forgotten about a particular issue, have we not? The murder of Ruler Umbra still goes yet unpunished nor solved, and in fact, it seems like the events of the past year have entered into distant memory.¡±


    A tremble ran through Lily. ¡°What¡¯s all that supposed to mean for us?¡±


    ¡°Moons¡­uh, Dark if I know,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Probably not something good, though. Come on, let¡¯s hurry up and finish eating before the breakfast gets cold. Say ahh¡­¡±


    After having fun by feeding Lily little bites, the two of them left the tavern and wandered the streets of Lostfon. As usual, most of the streets were deserted. Food stalls were few and far between; people simply preferred to eat at places that had a roof over their heads. Besides, there weren¡¯t enough people to warrant a street stall now¡­


    Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit lonely at that thought.


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot lonelier without those little shadows running around,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°I wonder if little Zin has returned home.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s visit him then,¡± Claud suggested. ¡°Upon looking around, it¡¯s clear that we won¡¯t be getting any artefacts today. No shops are open for business¡­I wasn¡¯t paying attention to the streets outside.¡±


    A complicated expression popped up on Lily¡¯s face, and after a while, she shook her head. ¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s just go up to the city walls and relax up there for a while instead. We shouldn¡¯t disturb the count and everything.¡±


    Claud looked at her, and then nodded. ¡°Hold on tight, then.¡±


    Holding her in his arms, Claud activated Flight and took to the skies. After a while, they arrived at the top of the city walls, where soldiers once patrolled diligently. He could still recall the time when an army gathered to repel the forces of the great Dark. It wasn¡¯t all that long ago, but now, no one would have believed such an event actually happened.


    Impressive, in a way.


    Lily looked around the battlements. ¡°It¡¯s dusty around here. Let me take care of that.¡±


    Mana gushed out of her hands, stirring up a cloud of dust that she sent reeling off into the distance. Rather than actually dusting the place, Lily had just transferred the excess to the neighbouring segments of the walls¡­but who was Claud to complain?


    ¡°You must have waited for this, right?¡± Claud asked, a grin on his face.


    Lily chuckled, and then looked around the place. ¡°We can see Voidum from here.¡±


    ¡°Reminds you of that night, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Claud sighed. ¡°The night after I blasted an entire army into oblivion. I¡¯m still not proud of it, to be honest, and¡­I know I did a lot of wrong that day.¡±


    Lily looked at him. ¡°You didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We still don¡¯t know a lot about the Moons and the Dark,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But even if this war is one ordained by destiny and fate, the people doing the actual fighting do indeed have their families and loved ones to take care of. They¡¯re not faceless enemies that we can kill without reason.¡±


    He paused. ¡°But it¡¯s going to happen soon. Those little kids we saw running around¡­how many of them will be missing a family member when all this is over?¡±


    Lily grimaced, and Claud jumped. ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t, you know, mean to do¡­¡±


    ¡°Do what?¡± Lily shook her head. ¡°I agree with you. It sucks to lose family. I¡­well, I suppose both of us really feel very strongly on this point. That¡¯s why we can¡¯t die, right? Not just because that¡¯s the end of everything, but also because of the people that we¡¯ll leave behind.¡±


    Claud thought about the him of another reality, and then nodded. ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t die. That¡¯s just it.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound simple¡­right, did you bring any food?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Probably not, right? Well, I¡¯ve good news for you! I¡¯ve brought some food as well as a stove of our very own¡­plus a cauldron. Stew for lunch?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re already thinking about lunch, huh.¡±


    ¡°Well, the best stews take time to make,¡± Lily replied. ¡°The last time we did this outside, we only had a lunch hour of sorts. This time, it¡¯s going to be the full course!¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°I¡¯m going to be very shameless for once and just ask you to produce your masterpiece.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, many chefs spoil the broth. I¡¯m glad I don¡¯t need to dissuade you for once.¡± Lily rubbed her hands. ¡°Still, I wonder if the others would scold me for not sharing if they ever found out.¡±


    ¡°If,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And this is definitely a perk I want to monopolise. So it¡¯s fine! Work your magic, Lily. I¡¯ll sit here and admire your craftsmanship.¡±


    ¡°It might be a bit boring, though,¡± Lily pointed out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°I want to enjoy this as much as possible¡­after all, we¡¯ll be heading back into danger tomorrow. Things like watching you cook is what I¡¯m living for nowadays.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡± Lily looked up at the sky. ¡°Just in case, but can you set up a few barriers around the place?¡±


    Claud nodded and pulled out a few artefacts. ¡°Ah, like that time¡­¡±

 Chapter 385: The ruins, once more

    ¡°Yesterday didn¡¯t really have anything huge, but it¡¯s something I can¡¯t stop myself from recalling.¡± Claud checked his backpack one last time, before hoisting it on his back.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s the little things that matter most of the time,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I mean, everyone forgot about Ruler Umbra and Princess Dia after a while too, right? But we definitely remember the closer, smaller things to us. Especially embarrassing ones, like when you pretend to be a princess and strut around in school with such an attitude for a year or so.¡±


    Claud, who couldn¡¯t quite relate to that, looked at Lily. ¡°So, is it embarrassing when you recall that?¡±


    ¡°I want to dig a ho¡ªwait, when did I say it was me?¡± Lily pouted, and then turned away in an exaggerated fashion.


    Claud laughed. ¡°Well, if it¡¯s anything to you, I also had a phase like that too. Like I was one of those Named mana-folders that could defeat evil and everything. I got over it after a while, though, and to be honest? Being a tetra-folder is really, really useful for fulfilling that particular delusion.¡±


    ¡°Well, you did get to fulfil that delusion.¡± Lily lowered her voice. ¡°O Thief of Time. It¡¯s a cool moniker! And you¡¯re a Named too!¡±


    ¡°Mhm. I did get a sense of that back then, when Tot was all the rage,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It was quite dangerous, since I sometimes found myself carried away by all that reputation and everything.¡±


    He thought about it for a while, and then frowned. The memory of the heist itself still largely eluded him ¡ª Claud knew that he had picked up Crown, but rather than remembering the events as-is, it was more of recalling history. This wasn¡¯t the first time he had encountered such an obstacle when recalling that particular event, but¡­


    ¡°Claud?¡±


    ¡°Just thinking about the heist back then,¡± Claud replied.


    Lily pondered for a moment, before her eyes lit up. ¡°You¡¯ve remembered the events of that day? Oh, okay, never mind. You haven¡¯t. If you did, you¡¯d try to tell me about it.¡±


    ¡°Got that right, at least.¡± Claud picked up the Second Shadow. ¡°Should we bring this too?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t its original use for us to explore Celestia without actually moving a step away from our main spot?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I don¡¯t see why we shouldn¡¯t bring it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should use it, though,¡± Claud replied, his mind churning once more. ¡°The feeling I get when I entertain that thought isn¡¯t all that different from the feeling I get when I think about bringing Crown to Celestia¡­or not. That feeling¡¯s gone?¡±


    Claud frowned. He thought about bringing Crown to Celestia and letting the little guy roam around openly, but this time, his instincts didn¡¯t seem to react. Or rather, whatever governing mechanism that had been dissuading him from pulling the little fellow out back then had ceased to inform him about the dangers of doing so.


    ¡°It¡¯s gone?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud nodded. ¡°I¡¯m once again bamboozled.¡±


    He looked at Crown and Throne, who were sulking away in their little fluffy box. They had been in a bad mood ever since Claud told them that they had to stay here while they returned to Celestia, but now¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s just bring them along,¡± Lily uttered, her words slow and methodical. Immediately, the two little fellows snuggling up to each other perked up and turned to Lily, before hopping off the table and snuggling up to the nooks of her neck.


    ¡°Wait, stop! It¡¯s ticklish!¡±


    Claud laughed as the little guys romped around her shoulders for a while, and then shivered in discomfort as they turned their fluffy exteriors to him. In the end, they wasted around fifteen minutes just playing with the two fellows, and the bed was messed up once more.


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    ¡°Uwah, my hard work.¡± Claud straightened the bed once more, and then paused. ¡°Odd. We are returning here after we¡¯re done, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeap, why?¡±


    Claud looked at the bed, and then at the room. He moved to the window a moment later, and then took in the sight of the desolate town. As the sights changed and changed, Claud had a feeling that they might never return here again, but¡­


    ¡°No, nothing. Just curious.¡± Claud shook his head. If he didn¡¯t get it wrong, these thoughts were just his lingering desire to just stay here and not throw himself into a dangerous place, but this was simply a balance between enduring lesser dangers now or greater dangers later. For obvious reasons, Claud wasn¡¯t going to kick the proverbial can down the road, so the only recourse he had left was to seek out every opportunity to become stronger.


    ¡°Okay, then.¡± Lily patted the little silvery globe. ¡°Then let¡¯s head out.¡±


    The two of them left the inn, making sure to get some extra food on their way out. Their room, however, still belonged to them; Claud had paid the innkeeper enough to cover a year¡¯s stay. As expected, the old man was quite happy about it, but what touched him the most was the concern the old man had when he sent them off.


    Hands interlinked, the two of them left the city.


    ¡°Alright, we have everything, right?¡± Claud patted himself, checking that the usual eighty-three barrier artefacts, twelve spatial artefacts and other lifesaving equipment were all present. Lily mimicked his actions too, and then went to check on her cooking apparatus, which was all there.


    ¡°All set!¡± Lily bounced once, and Throne made a little meep.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, then.¡± Claud held Lily in his arms, and then tore a skillstrip. It made more sense for him to empower Flight alone, since he had so much more mana than Lily. Before long, the two of them were zipping through the skies, ascending through the increasingly colder climate.


    This time around, however, the two of them had come prepared.


    A bubble of orange light wrapped around them, dispelling the bone-numbing chill that came with flying so high.


    ¡°I wonder what it¡¯s like to fly so far that the world looks like a blue marble,¡± Claud said out loud.


    ¡°Probably very dangerous, right? There¡¯s like a sea of darkness or something out there,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s the home of the great Dark, much like the Moons!¡±


    Claud tried to picture the whole thing. ¡°Like three balls floating in a bath? But that makes it seem like the Moons are at a huge disadvantage, doesn¡¯t it? I mean, the darkness is everywhere, but there¡¯s only three Moons¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, the Moons have been on the losing side, you know,¡± Lily replied. ¡°As I recall, they only have one Bearer of Destiny left.¡±


    Claud twitched. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that one of them was a murderous psychopath who wanted to turn everyone into slaves. And the other one happened to be too close to the danger I was afraid of.¡±


    Lily chuckled. ¡°Sure, sure. Whatever you say, darling!¡±


    Making sure to hold her extra-close, Claud continued on towards Celestia. The fragment of another universe was constantly in motion, moving randomly in a manner that no one had managed to work out so far. However, it didn¡¯t move particularly fast, and besides, it was quite huge.


    After looking around for a while, anyone would spot it ¡ª especially if they were flying around.


    ¡°Is that it?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Looks like the great Dark is trying to enter or something, though.¡±


    Claud rubbed his eyes, and then nodded. In a vast bank of black mist, he could see a shimmering perfect sphere within, one that rejected any attempt by the black mist to even intrude inside. It didn¡¯t quite make sense, though; the Celestia Ruins were ruins of another universe, so how did it resist the power of the great Dark, whose power was at its peak?


    ¡°How are we supposed to enter?¡± Claud mumbled.


    ¡°We dash inside at full speed?¡± Lily suggested. ¡°While keeping up a barrier at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Dangerous, but that¡¯s probably safer than trying to just fly inside normally,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And I don¡¯t want to use too many skillstrips either¡­there¡¯s only so much on me right now.¡±


    ¡°I wish we could get more Elysia wood, but they¡¯re running quite low recently,¡± Lily mumbled. ¡°We¡¯re running out of base material to make skillsticks!¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Claud sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll need to find those trees soon. Cut down some branches¡­whew. Anyway, we¡¯ll need to break through this fog, but there¡¯s no telling what it might do to us.¡±


    ¡°¡­Your skill,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Yeah, I figured.¡± Claud cupped his chin, and then took out a Presence Nullification skillstrip. He had used one earlier when they took to the skies, but for some reason, he felt that using another one would be safer. ¡°It¡¯s a bit risky, though. I¡¯m banking on the great Dark not paying attention to us leaving the city, and not being able to notice us through Presence Nullification.¡±


    ¡°Those are two rather big bets, depending on who you¡¯re talking to.¡±


    ¡°Well, not much of a choice, to be honest.¡± Claud tightened his hug and took a deep breath. ¡°Bear with it for a moment, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Lily nodded.


    ¡°Okay. Here goes.¡± Claud reached out for a particular skill, and his mind echoed with two words.


    Absolute One.

 Chapter 386: Piercing through the Dark

    In the instant Absolute One activated, Claud briefly felt that he had returned to the time when he, too, was the Frozen Emperor. The incredible, eternal fountain of mana moved with his every thought and will, rather than the wild horse he had trouble directing previously, and a thought rose in his mind.


    This¡­isn¡¯t Transcendent-rank Mana Control Proficiency, is it?


    Claud had heard from Dia, long ago, that Mana Control Proficiency fell into five ranks ¡ª Novice, Initiate, Intermediate, Expert and Master. Transcendent was what lay after Master, which by itself would have allowed him to manipulate vast amounts of mana freely.


    Now, however, his Mana Control Proficiency had surpassed even the Transcendent rank. Was there something else beyond Transcendent? As Claud poured mana into the spiritual structure of Flight, he couldn¡¯t help but think so.


    [The five grand skies turn this way.]


    A notification appeared in his vision, and Claud felt a sense of abject fear climb up his spine, as a feeling of being stared at flooded his mind. Without waiting to see what happened next, Claud shoved every last bit of mana that was gushing out of his body into Flight, grabbed Lily really tightly, and then surged towards the black mist that hid Celestia. A deafening thunderclap followed, and the mist that had blanketed the fragment of an alien universe fell apart at speeds that Claud himself nearly missed out himself.


    With a small poof, Claud plunged into the rippling boundary that had kept the great Dark at bay. Movement had been near-instantaneous this time, but something that Claud found miraculous was how he was capable of controlling each and every movement despite the insane, high-speed escape.


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Claud called out, letting the rest of Absolute One¡¯s duration run out. For some reason, time seemed to flow abnormally slowly earlier, as if being fuelled with so much mana and being able to wield it so well had elevated him to a higher state of being.


    ¡°Whoa.¡± Lily looked around. ¡°That was¡­scary. And awesome. And scarily awesome.¡±


    ¡°What was?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°You!¡± Lily hugged herself. ¡°I could see you distorting the air just by your presence, and the Dark just got the heck out of your way earlier. That was pretty darn awesome!¡±


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t feel it.¡± Claud felt a bit left out, but again, it was him. More importantly, however, was the fact that his Mana Control Proficiency had been elevated past even the Transcendent rank.


    ¡°Hmm¡­I don¡¯t know how to draw things, though.¡± Lily pouted. ¡°You should look in a mirror when you use that skill again.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called¡­¡± Claud lowered his volume. ¡°Absolute One.¡±


    Here, in the Celestia Ruins, Claud didn¡¯t fear saying those words out loud. In fact, this was probably the best way for them to share any and all secrets, thus¡­


    He paused again. Now that he was here, he couldn¡¯t help but think about the Frozen Coffin. Back then, in the Frozen Coffin and in the vicinity of Rimestar, they too could talk freely about these things, with the concept of Authority no longer active. However, if he thought about it a bit longer, why would the Coloured Gods and other divinities actually retract such a convenient mechanic that shackled humanity?


    Was it not possible for a similar artefact or item to be used in its place instead? Keeping that question in his mind, Claud turned his attention back to Lily, who was repeating the name of his Absolute Skill over and over.


    ¡°Lily?¡± Claud paused for a moment, and then squished her cheeks.


    She jumped, and then clapped her hands over his own. ¡°It¡¯s a cool name!¡±


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    ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I was expecting,¡± Claud replied, before looking around. It would seem that they had arrived before any changes happened to the Celestia Ruins, since it was still the same city with lots of tall, tall buildings. Gigantic walls with ballistae that put the one installed in Moon Mansion to shame looked down upon them, while hundreds of metal carriages that doubled as coffins still lay strewn around.


    ¡°Human activity,¡± Lily noted, pointing at a rather large scorch mark. ¡°Looks like someone started a cooking fire here.¡±


    ¡°Ah, too poor to purchase an actual cooking artefact, I see.¡± Claud chortled. ¡°Maybe there¡¯s someone else here this time. A whole group, maybe. But that¡¯s not talk about that yet. I don¡¯t want to forget.¡±


    ¡°Forget?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud¡¯s finger glowed with mana, and he scribbled a few letters on the ground. ¡°This has been bugging me for some time.¡±


    ¡°F-I-B-O-D. And there¡¯s an ¡®O¡¯ at the back.¡± Lily read out loud. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Leaving aside the ¡®O¡¯, the last three letters mean Bearer of Destiny,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I presume the first two letters are the number.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. So, either the First Bearer of Destiny, or the Fifth¡­¡± Lily twitched. ¡°Wait. What? That¡¯s impossible. The First Bearer of Destiny died recently. And the Fifth Bearer of Destiny¡­wasn¡¯t that the one that you told me about? The quest that gave you free lifespan out of nowhere?¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Therefore, I can¡¯t be the First nor the Fifth. Including me, there are a total of fourteen Bearers of Destiny, so there¡¯s no way there¡¯s a Fifteenth.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­how do you know that?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s a quest asking me to kill them all,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I assume the other Bearers of Destiny also have it too. But the point is, there are thirteen other people that need to die or have died. There¡¯s no fifteenth. In other words, I am one of the alive ones, but my skill name does not reflect that number.¡±


    Lily shivered. ¡°This is some kind of bad joke, in other words.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Claud looked at the string of letters, and felt a sour taste in his mouth. ¡°Maybe the Water Goddess¡¯s dead departed spirit messed up or something. I won¡¯t put it past this particular Godsfall to be wonky, after all.¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Well, usually things end at the third iteration, right? Books sell in threes, for instance, and I hear that plays in theatres only have up to two sequels.¡± Claud chuckled. ¡°Now, don¡¯t take me that seriously, I just pulled that out randomly. And besides, there are nine Coloured Gods, but they only have seven Bearers of Destiny. Not too sure what to think about that one.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still very disturbing, though. It¡¯s like you¡¯re a Bearer of Destiny that doesn¡¯t exist,¡± Lily replied.


    Claud froze, and then looked at her. The fact that she had actually pinpointed that particular fact was a bit scary, and he gave her a wry grin and a slow, slow clap. ¡°Well done. You¡­actually got it freaking right.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    He grimaced once. ¡°When I killed the Third Bearer of Destiny, I obtained this skill, which is called...¡±


    Claud paused. ¡°I¡¯m not going to say it out loud, because I think it might put you into danger. Anyway, it shields me from divination, prophecy and other similar skills. It also hides my Bearer of Destiny skill and itself from anyone else. In a sense, I indeed am not meant to exist¡­but the problem was that I obtained that skill long after I got that other one.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t say it out loud?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one skill that might drive the Coloured Gods to invade your mind,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But you¡¯re very right, in that I¡¯m pretty much a Bearer of Destiny that doesn¡¯t exist.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not aligned to the Coloured Gods, the Moons or the great Dark,¡± Lily noted. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that hard to guess. So you¡¯re like a free agent?¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s your goal in all this?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Are you supposed to kill them all or something?¡±


    Claud eyed her. ¡°How did you guess? I didn¡¯t even say anything?¡±


    ¡°Well, you said you got lifespan from all the dead Bearers of Destiny so far,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that hard to guess either. I suppose it feels your personality, though. Just hide and wait out the storm! Reap the rewards afterwards!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me sound like a despicable man,¡± Claud mumbled. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s about it, I suppose. So, do we go over to the city? Or do we use the Second Shadow? I¡¯m fine with both, personally.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s head over to the place where we found Throne first, and then use the Second Shadow there,¡± Lily suggested. ¡°We¡¯ll use that place as our base! I don¡¯t want to get my shadow to walk into the city over and over again, after all.¡±


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll roll with that.¡± Claud eyed the metal coffins. He didn¡¯t like the idea of staying in this ISV Carpark 1A, which was a cemetery for the dead. To begin with, he was never comfortable with the concept of death, so this was a very welcome suggestion for him.


    ¡°I get a feeling you¡¯re very pleased with this suggestion.¡±


    ¡°I am not going to lie about that part, at least.¡± Claud cleared his throat. ¡°I wonder if we¡¯ll be able to find anything new here.¡±


    ¡°Definitely. We¡¯re staying until Gibbous Moon. That¡¯s a lot of time to explore this place,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°True.¡± Claud looked at the huge city, which was actually a tiny, tiny fragment of a far greater whole. ¡°It¡¯s kinda sad we can¡¯t explore the giant globe there, though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just an image,¡± Lily replied. ¡°We jump down, we¡¯ll return back to Grandis.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Claud looked at the ground, which was actually a floating city. What weird artefact could allow this city to float so high? It was definitely worth taking back, if nothing else.


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get going. There¡¯s a long way to go¡­¡±

 Chapter 387: Celestia once more, and a fellow camper...

    The process to enter the city was still the same. Once they closed in on the gates, an illusory crowd ¡ª echoes from the past ¡ª would appear and file into a moving road with lots of seats. They would line up in an orderly manner, before occupying a seat when they moved to the front of the queue.


    Everything and everyone involved in this convoluted process of entry was transparent, but joining this ritual of sorts was key to accessing the city¡­not in the way one would expect, though.


    ¡°It should be here anytime soon,¡± Lily whispered.


    No sooner had she said those words when a tremendous, formless wave of power fell from the sky, sweeping through the place like Claud himself doing some housework. The people queuing up, the moving road¡­the transparent figures and objects fell apart into dust a moment later, and the world ended.


    Claud shivered. ¡°Even as a tetra-folder, I wouldn¡¯t have fared any better than these people here if that happened to me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost certainly the disaster that struck this place, right?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I still remember what we saw back then. When Celestia was destroyed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Nodding once, Claud thought about the scene the two of them had witnessed back then. Huge numbers of silvery whales unleashing deadly beams of energy, the three prismatic gods shrugging away these attacks, and the offhanded destruction that followed. After they chased down that golden light that seemed to be paramount in every¡­


    He shook his head. The details were getting a bit hazy, but he had a feeling that he would be seeing the vision of Celestia¡¯s destruction once more when they returned to that specific place. It wouldn¡¯t be too late to keep his eyes peeled then.


    Taking a deep breath, they walked into the city, which was already teeming with moving carriages that seemed oddly similar to the coffins outside. The only difference was that the graveyard had lots of carriages that didn¡¯t have wheels, but how odd must a culture be if the medium of transportation and storing corpses were so similar?


    Or was there a deep philosophical message about how life was but the path to death? That when people died, they stopped moving forever? Certainly, the wheelless coffins did inspire such a thought within him, and now that he thought about it, such a notion was indeed quite inspirational.


    ¡°Stop thinking about those coffins.¡± Lily flicked his forehead. ¡°Worry about the dangers of these things, okay?¡±


    Claud chuckled nervously. The records they had stated that getting hit by one of those ghostly, fast-moving carriages was instant death, even if they seemed incorporeal at first glance. Flying was also dangerous, with the risk of instant death when flying around randomly, so there was no choice but to move according to the rules here.


    Fortunately, those fast-moving carriages obeyed the lights that were usually placed around a crossroads. These lights, depending on their position, determined the flow of traffic, and after some artful dodges, close shaves and well-timed predictions, he and Lily crossed through a few roads and arrived at the familiar city square.


    ¡°Whew.¡± Claud rubbed his forehead. ¡°I get a feeling running though a battlefield where both sides are shooting arrows at each other is far easier.¡±


    ¡°Only because you can definitely block them,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But you don¡¯t want to know if artefacts can save you if you get hit here, right?¡±


    ¡°You sure know me well¡­¡±


    Lily¡¯s eyes glittered, before looking around the city square. Their journey here had taken them past lots of roads with death traps, along with other scary things like a border of life and death that randomly popped up. As long as one remained sane and in control of their own instincts, making it here wasn¡¯t hard¡­but it was hard to remain unruffled at times.


    The stress of knowing a misstep led to instant death was quite hard to stomach for Claud. If Lily wasn¡¯t with him¡­


    He shook his head and pulled her slightly closer.


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    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Just trying to comfort myself,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Sometimes, I need someone to hug¡­you know what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    ¡°Totally!¡± Lily looked around the square. ¡°But maybe now¡¯s not the time for that.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Claud¡¯s eyes roved around the city square. A small shelter, one whose cheery yellow exterior looked wholly incongruent with the sleek and shiny city, had been erected in the very centre of the city square. ¡°Someone¡¯s base of operations. Didn¡¯t expect to see other people here, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Lily turned to Claud.


    ¡°Why am I the decision-maker here?¡± Claud asked, his lips twitching.


    ¡°Tetra-folder?¡± Lily replied. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re Lord Paranoid. You¡¯ll definitely give this more thought than me, right?¡±


    Claud rolled his eyes, but she did have a point. He indeed had multiple plans of action regarding strangers long before they actually left for the Celestia Ruins the first time.


    As a rule of thumb, there were some characteristics that could be inferred from how the other party presented themselves. For instance, if they had a base in the open like this, there were only two possibilities. The first one was that it was a way of gauging the attitude of how other people reacted to the base. The second possibility was that the people inside genuinely didn¡¯t care about the possibility of being attacked.


    The second possibility was more alarming, since it hinted at the presence of someone confident in their defensive artefacts used to protect the base or that person¡¯s strength itself. In such a scenario, the best way to prepare was to either slip away and drawing out an out-of-bounds area to avoid them, or to prepare for a fight and enquire about their presence here.


    Naturally, preparations included preparing for both a way to bring down the base and its owner, as well as three to eight ways of running away. Negotiating, however, at least allowed for the possibility of a more peaceful coexistence, and there was one very powerful factor in play.


    They were in Celestia.


    ¡°We¡¯ll poke our heads in and say hi,¡± Claud replied, before reaching into his bag. ¡°Alright, take this stack of items and place them around the area.¡±


    He took out a small eyeglass and held it to his eyes. There was a red silhouette inside the yellow square building, indicating that there was indeed a human like him inside. The next thing that came out of his bag was a small glass screen, which had a black backing. It was a nice treasure he had obtained from Lostfon, one that could notify the users of any spiritual structures or mana nearby.


    Generating a small blip of mana, Claud pressed it into the\ middle of the glass screen, which glittered a moment later. Other than the house, there didn¡¯t seem to be any other artefact nearby.


    Was the owner this confident?


    Whispering to Lily a few more instructions, Claud checked on his clothes, which were inlaid with some basic artefacts, and then got her to follow him closely.


    It was a shame that he had used Absolute One earlier, but he still had enough trump cards to whisk Lily away if a conflict broke out. Approaching the structure warily, Claud drew his sword, held it by the edge and rapped the door with its pommel.


    A few cautious footsteps came from within the structure itself, and before long, the door rattled once. Claud took a few steps back, sheathing his sword at the same time, and then waited for the owner to pop out.


    The door slid open a few seconds later, and a black-haired woman looked out. Her eyes fixated on Claud immediately as Claud¡¯s own instincts told him that the woman before him was also a mid-rank mana-user.


    ¡°¡­You don¡¯t seem hostile,¡± the woman finally commented. ¡°I suppose you two are here to just investigate the ruins, right?¡±


    Claud relaxed somewhat, but he still moved to cover Lily anyway. ¡°We¡¯re here to just check things out in the ruins. We have no intention of robbing anyone or killing anyone here¡­heck, I didn¡¯t know there was anyone here until I saw you.¡±


    The woman¡¯s eyes flickered, and her caution vanished entirely. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s talk here, then.¡±


    She sat down on the ground. Claud pondered for a moment, looking at her relaxed appearance. ¡°You don¡¯t doubt me?¡±


    A small smile appeared on the stranger¡¯s face. ¡°Allow me to introduce myself. I am Norn, the Verdant Interrogator. I am the leader of the Named Party, the Seekers of Truth.¡±


    ¡°Named¡­¡± Lily took a step back. ¡°You¡¯re the super-famous investigator!¡±


    ¡°With skills aimed at discerning the truth, yes,¡± Norn replied. ¡°I can tell if you¡¯re lying or not.¡±


    Claud narrowed his eyes. Mana-users whose skills were not suited for battle either were very confident in their ability to fight and survive, or they were utterly useless in combat like Schwarz. Norn was undoubtedly the latter.


    She wasn¡¯t lying about her identity either, as evidenced from how Lily hadn¡¯t reacted adversely to Norn¡¯s announcement of her name. For now, at least, it seemed like she was the real deal.


    Claud shifted over to Lily. ¡°Isn¡¯t she¡­you know, Risti¡¯s aunt?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    The two of them stared at each other for a while. Technically, they were all allies and friends¡ª


    ¡°Oh! You two know little Risti!¡± Norn rubbed her hands. ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m her auntie! How is she now? Is my little widdle sweet cheeks!¡±


    Claud¡¯s jaw fell open, his mind unable to reconcile the excited, proud look that he associated with parents after their children succeeded in life with the professional Verdant Interrogator that had spoken to them just a minute ago.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± She regained her composure a moment later. ¡°Since you¡¯re friends of my niece, come on in. She¡¯ll pout if she learned that I talked to her friends outside my house.¡±


    House? Claud blinked a few more times, and then nodded. For now, at least, everything seemed to be well¡­

 Chapter 388: Advice from the elder

    The interior of the odd, square building was also yellow as well, as if the Verdant Interrogator was compensating for the general darkness that seemed to be a common theme right now.


    ¡°It¡¯s cheery,¡± Norn explained. ¡°It might look odd at first glance, but after a while, you¡¯ll start to like it a lot. Even if you¡¯re favoured by the great Dark, you¡¯d eventually feel very gloomy and everything, what more for normal people like us. However, with this super-cheery house, everything becomes brighter!¡±


    ¡°What, are you trying to sell a product to us?¡± Claud laughed. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re Risti¡¯s aunt, huh¡­¡±


    Norn¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Interesting, though. I met her coincidentally during Full Moon last year, a bit more than half a year ago. Knowing her personality, she would only have talked about the meeting to her friends only around that time period, so¡­you two must be part of her group around that time, yes? The Moon Lords, if I recall correctly.¡±


    Claud twitched, but he relaxed a moment later. Since Risti had told her aunt about the Moon Lords, it could only mean that Norn was indeed trustworthy ¡ª she was unlikely to bring them harm.


    ¡°We¡¯re part of the Moon Lords, yes,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Still, this is quite the coincidence¡­¡±


    ¡°It is. I left Umbra¡­uh, Istrel shortly after the Third¡¯s passing, visited some important areas and then realised that a barrier had been erected around Istrel Sovereignty afterwards. You two must have left right before that happened, I suppose?¡± Norn¡¯s eyes twinkled. ¡°Or you left through the only exit out of the place. Well, whatever. What are you guys doing here?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re planning on looking for more artefacts and other things,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°So basically that guy who got lucky from selling fizzy drinks, then,¡± Norn noted. ¡°That¡¯s quite normal¡­but now, of all times? The world¡¯s in a frenzy, and you guys are just having fun here?¡±


    ¡°Better now than never, though,¡± Claud replied, thinking about the thick bank of shadow that had surrounded the Celestia Ruins.


    ¡°I see.¡± Norn paused. ¡°Ah. Hmm. You don¡¯t look like a bartender, so you must be the other guy, Mister Paranoid.¡±


    Lily burst out laughing.


    ¡°Bah.¡± Claud sighed. ¡°That¡¯s how some people describe me. That¡¯s not my actual name.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I know. Claud, right. And you are¡­who are you? I¡¯m told that the other members of the Moon Lords are either men or lookalikes of Princess Dia,¡± Norn asked. ¡°You sure don¡¯t have black hair.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Lily,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And it felt odd to look like the princess when I¡¯m with him, so I dropped the disguise.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see where this is going now. It¡¯s that, right?¡± Norn asked. ¡°Ufufu. Anyway, did you guys just arrive?¡±


    ¡°In a manner of speaking,¡± Claud replied evasively. ¡°We were aiming to set up a new base at the top of this building¡± ¡ªhe indicated the large building in front of the city square¡ª ¡°when we came across your dwelling here.¡±


    ¡°At the top? Why?¡± Norn asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t setting up one here more accessible and convenient? It¡¯s dangerous up there, after all.¡±


    Claud pondered for a moment. ¡°Well, setting up camp here seems a lot more dangerous to me. What happens if there¡¯s an enemy or something? It¡¯s such an open area. At least, in that building, there are only a set number of routes to reach the highest floor; I can cover and guard against enemies with these routes.¡±


    ¡°¡­You sure are Mister Paranoid, I guess.¡± Norn shrugged. ¡°Well, it seems like this isn¡¯t your first romp here, so whatever.¡±


    Claud looked around. ¡°Still, you can modify this place, huh. I thought there was something that prevented people from disturbing, changing or damaging the place.¡±


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    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just an addition. As long as you don¡¯t destroy things or change established structures, anything is fine,¡± Norn replied.


    ¡°Really?¡± Claud glanced at Lily. ¡°Hmm. Maybe we can just set up a base here instead, then. I actually brought a Dome Shield here¡­we just need to infuse it with more mana and we can create a shelter for ourselves.¡±


    ¡°How much would it need?¡±


    ¡°Not enough for me to care about,¡± Claud replied, before turning to Norn. ¡°Thank you for your suggestion.¡±


    ¡°Eh, no biggy.¡± Norn waved her hands airily. ¡°Anyway, do you two have news on my adorably cute niece?¡±


    ¡°On Risti? Well, she¡¯s having fun and enjoying herself,¡± Claud replied. ¡°When we left, she was very safe.¡±


    In fact, she was so safe that two hundred years down the road, she was a hexa-folder that had managed to outlive the vast majority of humanity. That was truly an impressive feat, all things considered, so Claud really wanted to ask her how she actually accomplished such a feat.


    ¡­Maybe he should have asked her in the Second Tutorial.


    ¡°That¡¯s nice¡­still, maybe I should go and check on her.¡± Norn nodded. ¡°Anyway, are you two busy? If not, how about staying for some lunch? My party members should be returning soon, and they¡¯ve gotten really bored from seeing me all the time. A few new faces should cheer them up.¡±


    ¡°Is that okay?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I mean, we¡¯re effectively strangers.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Norn replied. ¡°So? It¡¯ll be nice to have you guys for lunch today, and I cooked extra anyway.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be rude of us to decline, but I must insist that you and your party members join us for lunch tomorrow in return,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll just set up our base first, and then pop over. Are there any dangers in staying long-term in this city square?¡± Lily asked, her question drawing lots of approval from Claud. ¡°Any place to avoid¡­things like that!¡±


    ¡°This square is safe from most dangers, from what I can tell. We¡¯ve been poking around this city for some time, and up to now, nothing has happened to this square.¡±


    Claud and Lily exchanged glances once, and then nodded.


    ¡°Good enough for us, then.¡± Claud got up. ¡°We¡¯ll pop over when we¡¯re done then.¡±


    ¡°Sure, have fun!¡±


    Thanking her, the two of them left the yellow building and looked around the square. It was huge enough that Claud could probably stuff a few houses inside, but since there was no need to be too extravagant. Their plan to explore the place was quite simple; just blockade themselves inside and use the Second Shadow to look around the place. While the Second Shadow couldn¡¯t use mana or had any fighting capability to speak of, any place that required them to use mana to pass was probably too dangerous anyway.


    ¡°Anywhere is pretty good, I suppose,¡± Lily concluded. ¡°Let¡¯s just set up our camp near Norn¡¯s own base.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Claud pulled out a Dome Shield, raising the little bowl-like artefact into the sky. A faint stream of energy surged upwards, shooting into the air before spreading out to form a staunch curtain of transparent energy. Before long, the namesake dome appeared, and Claud condensed a firm cube of mana in his hands.


    Manifesting mana was possible when one¡¯s Mana Control Proficiency was at Intermediate, but the longevity of the product wasn¡¯t anything impressive. However, Claud could tell that his mastery now was more than enough to make that cube of mana last long enough that it would run out first before it lost its form.


    ¡°Ooh.¡±


    ¡°Just need to keep working on your Mana Control Proficiency,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And with this¡­done! Now all I need to do is to change the colour¡­bright blue will do.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too lazy to think of any other colour, right?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Claud cleared his throat, before looking at the size of the dome. ¡°This should do fine, but I suppose having a few more rooms for our baser needs are required.¡±


    He pressed down on the Dome Shield, which immediately increased in size a few more times. After setting up a few partitions, the two of them got around to making a toilet of sorts, as well as an artefact to continually generate fresh air and regulate the temperature.


    ¡°¡­I think we overdid it,¡± Lily muttered.


    Claud looked at the dome, which now covered a space that was larger than two rooms in Moon Mansion combined. ¡°Well, it¡¯s free, so I don¡¯t really think that¡¯s a problem.¡±


    ¡°True¡­but this doesn¡¯t feel like camping anymore, does it?¡±


    ¡°Well, you are free to answer the call of nature and shower in the open if you want to,¡± Claud replied, ¡°but I don¡¯t really like the idea of doing either of them outside. There¡¯s all kinds of dangers.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t we have the Refresher for baths?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to be luxurious here, okay?¡± Claud chuckled. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t you like this place? Look, we even have a nice bed we can bounce on.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a barrier artefact built to absorb shock,¡± Lily replied.


    Claud eyed her, and then held her hand. ¡°That¡¯s only because you haven¡¯t tried it yet.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    With a tug, Claud pulled her onto the bed and held her close. ¡°See? It¡¯s not inferior to the real deal, right? We can do anything on it¡­care to test my words? It¡¯ll be¡ª¡±


    ¡°Claud! Lily! Lunch is ready!¡±


    Claud froze. ¡°Ah. Right.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a time for everything, okay?¡± Lily rolled her eyes, before leaning into his embrace. ¡°Let¡¯s fill our stomachs instead.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

 Chapter 389: Exchanges of knowledge

    Claud looked at the two newcomers, who were eyeing them with equal interest. One of them was a man, whose body was covered by a cloak, hiding most of his features. The other was a woman, whose face was hidden by a white mask that had some esoteric markings on it.


    ¡°The guy roleplaying with the cloak and dagger act is Hein, my assistant. The woman who¡¯s playing at a masquerade ball¡¯s Skald, who¡¯s my second assistant. Together, we make up the Seekers of Truth.¡± Norn smiled, indicating the two people who were seated to her left and right. A table laden with fragrant dishes sat in front of them, separating the Seekers of Truth from Claud and Lily.


    Claud eyed the two of them and smiled. ¡°Nice to meet you two. I¡¯m Claud.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m Lily!¡± Lily looked at them. ¡°Still, assistants? I was expecting party members, not assistants.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll call them party members when they catch up to me in the act of piercing through falsehoods,¡± Norn replied. ¡°Until then, however, they¡¯re still my assistants. Still, they are indeed close friends of mine. Right, how goes the search?¡±


    ¡°Boss,¡± Hein replied, ¡°we¡¯ve mapped out the area surrounding the Secretary-General¡¯s office. There are quite a few artefacts located around the building, but we can¡¯t identify their use. Nor can we approach them easily.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± Norn asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Border of Transmigration,¡± Skald replied. ¡°It¡¯s blocked off the surrounding area¡­¡±


    Claud and Lily listened intently. He knew that the Border of Transmigration was one of the most dangerous death traps in the ruins, far more so than a spatial collapse. The latter could be dealt with through the use of an artefact called the Sea-Queller, which looked like a wristwatch that could stabilise space for around ten seconds. The former, however, could only be avoided.


    ¡°Curses.¡± Norn pondered for a moment. ¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s search another area after this.¡±


    She turned to Claud and Lily. ¡°Sorry. Right, you guys don¡¯t really need to wait for us, you know. We won¡¯t be polite when you¡¯re cooking for us tomorrow!¡±


    Claud rolled his eyes and speared a sausage with his fork. Raising it to Lily¡¯s mouth, he said, ¡°Open wide!¡±


    ¡°Ah, youth¡­¡±


    The five of them began to focus on eating seriously after that. While it was not that different from a second honeymoon in Claud¡¯s opinion, they still needed to get things done. For one, the two of them had only explored one building before getting the heck out of the place, so there were lots of things that they hadn¡¯t checked through yet.


    That was going to change, naturally.


    As Lily fed Claud some soup with a huge grin on her face, Norn asked, ¡°How are you guys going to explore the place? Are you just going to explore randomly? Or do you have a map?¡±


    ¡°Randomly, I think,¡± Claud replied.


    Lily nodded her head. ¡°We¡¯re just looking out for places of interest and places that supposedly hold good artefacts. We¡¯re not that interested in breaking new ground.¡±


    ¡°Good choice,¡± Norn replied. ¡°Exploring new areas can be very deadly. Even if you¡¯re a mid-rank folder, you¡¯ll need to be very careful.¡±


    ¡°We very much agree,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Right, of course you do.¡± Risti¡¯s aunt laughed. ¡°I forgot. Anyway, as requested, we¡¯ll be freeloading off you two for tomorrow¡¯s share, okay?¡±


    ¡°I hope you like stew,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Oh, I love stew. Those two rarely make it for me, though. They¡¯re quite disappointing.¡± Norn shook her head. ¡°Right, is your base completely constructed? There are some places you can use around the square that can be of use. For instance, there¡¯s a bathroom if you actually need to relieve yourself, and there¡¯s a fountain of sorts.¡±


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    ¡°A bathroom?¡± Claud turned to look at the place where she had pointed at. It was a small outhouse-like building of sorts; it was probably no different from an actual outhouse in terms of function and form either. Evidently, even across universes, there were still things like public toilets and whatnot.


    ¡°It¡¯s impressive, isn¡¯t it? Even in the ruins of another universe, there¡¯s still places like this. Makes you think that they aren¡¯t all that different from us,¡± Norn replied.


    ¡°Speaking of things that aren¡¯t all that different, what do you think about the commonalities between our languages and theirs?¡± Lily asked.


    Norn and the cloaked Hein looked at their last party member, who had already turned to regard Lily with interest. ¡°It¡¯s fascinating, to say the least.¡±


    Skald¡¯s quiet voice was tinged with passion. ¡°Is the fact that our society and this more advanced society has similar language systems proof of convergence? That things do gravitate and converge upon a single thread? Or is it proof that our world and the Celestia Ruins came from the same origin and bear the same legacy?¡±


    She chuckled. ¡°Of course, our language systems might have been developed from Celestia¡¯s own too.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound that enthused by that particular possibility,¡± Claud noted.


    ¡°Oh, I am, but it¡¯s not as interesting as the former two theories. Besides, it¡¯s a discredited theory. If our language is really derived from this place, we would have names for the many things here,¡± Skald replied. ¡°A bit of common sense here and there is enough to tell us that. Anyway, both theories are quite hotly debated in the lodges dedicated to the Goddess of Knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Convergence or origin, huh.¡± Claud bobbed his head. ¡°Both are quite fascinating, though. There¡¯s an element of fate here and there.¡±


    ¡°So there is. I was really excited when I saw that I could recognise the words in the Secretary General¡¯s office. Still, it¡¯s worth noting that there were some words that did not seem to fit our language expectations, and¡ª¡±


    She rattled on for five minutes, forcing both Claud and Lily to react and take in her words with valiant effort. Fortunately, Norn rapped her knuckles on the table after a while, ending Skald¡¯s soliloquy.


    ¡°Alright, alright. Are we here to deal with linguistics or are we here to look for artefacts?¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry! It¡¯s rare that I get to meet people who are as interested in such things as me, so I lost control over my mouth.¡± Skald cleared her throat, and then shifted subtly towards her leader¡¯s back. ¡°Thank you for the exchange, though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, really.¡± Claud forced out a smile.


    ¡°Skald¡¯s quite the oddball,¡± Norn replied. ¡°She¡¯s usually reticent, unless you happen to speak about something that she¡¯s interested in, at which point she starts rattling on and on. I should bring her to Vacuos when all this is over. I imagine the City of Knowledge will be very helpful to her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a battleground right now, though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is.¡± Norn paused. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t let us keep you two here. You have a lot of things to do, right?¡±


    Her gaze wandered over to the huge blue dome, and Claud watched her lips twitch once. It was quite the magnificent base, all things considered, but the part he was most proud of was how it was so easily set up. What remained was defences, just in case some nasty treasure hunters appeared. Even without that, however, the dome itself was impressively well-made, and it would probably block all kinds of attacks with ease.


    After all, it was infused with his mana.


    ¡°It¡¯s made out of some barrier artefacts,¡± Claud explained. ¡°Very convenient, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Barrier artefacts?¡± Norn¡¯s eyes glittered. ¡°I¡¯ve never thought of using them that way. Now that you mention it, though, it seems that we can build a small house really easily like this, right?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. It¡¯s both easy to set up and tear down,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Not to mention that the whole structure is naturally really tough and hard to tear down.¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s a barrier, right?¡± Norn bobbed her head. ¡°Thanks for the tip, Claud.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very welcome.¡± Claud got up. ¡°Thanks for the meal by the way.¡±


    ¡°Do remember to drop by tomorrow,¡± Lily added. ¡°We¡¯ll go off now.¡±


    After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Claud and Lily returned to their own base. There were still lots of things to do before Claud was satisfied with their overall security, but it was also equally important to foster good relations with well-meaning neighbours.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°About?¡±


    ¡°Those three,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I¡¯m wondering if we should work together with them or something.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯ll be best if we explore areas separately,¡± Claud replied. ¡°If, by pure happenstance, we get into conflict over things like spoils, we¡¯ll be at a disadvantage. While they seem to be friendly, we should also show them adequate respect. They are no different from us; they are people with desires.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°In that case, I suppose we should trade some items with them. We have quite a lot of Second Shadows, and they have information. We don¡¯t want them to target us over the Second Shadow, so if we trade or something¡­¡±


    Claud paused, and then smiled. ¡°I never thought of that. We should indeed do just that, yes. You¡¯re a genius, do you know that?¡±


    Lily rubbed her nose. ¡°It¡¯s just part of my upbringing¡­¡±

 Chapter 390: Exploring, the paranoid way.

    ¡°Alright, now that we¡¯re done, we should totally begin our exploration now.¡± Claud stretched his back. There was a small voice in his head urging him to push back the exploration to tomorrow, but that was just pure laziness. ¡°First, however, we should get the two little fellows out.¡±


    Two adorable little shapes meeped happily as Claud extracted them from his backpack, and they began to bounce around randomly. Within moments, a little silver ball was zooming around and bouncing off the walls of the place, and Claud had to stop it from acting like an idiot.


    ¡°Just because you can fly doesn¡¯t mean you should bounce off the walls.¡± Lily held the little ball and pointed at Crown. ¡°Look at Crown! So much more well-behaved.¡±


    ¡°Meep¡­¡±


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    Claud looked at his little Divine Life Companion and shook his head. Popping the little box onto his hand, he said, ¡°This here is Celestia. Last time, I wanted to bring you here and everything, but I could sense some danger just by thinking that, so I didn¡¯t. It¡¯s fine now, though.¡±


    Handing the little guy over to Lily, who placed them on a nearby barrier that served as a table, Claud pulled out a Second Shadow.


    ¡°Where should we explore today?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Well, for one, we¡¯re going to test a few things about the Second Shadow,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And we¡¯re going to test that by sending them there.¡±


    He pointed at the building they explored the previous time. It was called the Secretary-General¡¯s Office or something along those lines, but more importantly, it was a place that they were fairly familiar with. The danger level wasn¡¯t that high, but even if it was, Claud had no qualms facing it.


    Gazing at the black box in his hand, Claud fiddled with it, turning it into a headband that was meant to fit around someone¡¯s nose, ears and eyes. The Second Shadow, when used, created a shadow that could be controlled by the person wearing the headband. The shadow¡¯s immediate surroundings would be replicated and sent back to the headband, which the user could intimately feel by clenching his or her right fist.


    It was hard to tell all this the last time he used it, but his senses were now more acute due to the completion of his fourth mana circuit. Given that he now had reassurance that they weren¡¯t sending their mind into a shadow, Claud was all for using it very aggressively¡­well, there hadn¡¯t been many chances to use it at that time.


    Without much ado, he spawned a shadow and put on the weird headband. Right now, as his fist was unclenched, wearing the artefact wasn¡¯t all that different from just wearing a blindfold, but the moment he clenched his fist¡­


    His vision changed and his senses grew muted. Such a sensation would lead anyone to assume that their consciousness had shifted over to the shadow, but in reality, it was just a simulation that Claud had sank his consciousness into.


    His movements were more clumsy than usual, and he felt like an old man waddling around with what was probably a case of bad knees.


    There was no way he could fight like this.


    Opening his right fist, Claud laid down on the bed and said, ¡°It¡¯s working fine. Go on!¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long before Claud, in his own shadow, was greeted by the sight of two idiots sitting on a translucent bed. A band was wrapped around their eyes, ears and nose, creating a most immersive experience that was triggered and maintained by him clenching his fist.


    One of the artefact¡¯s limitations was the mana expenditure, but Claud had that covered. More crucially, even if the Second Shadow ran out of mana, the user would first be disconnected. The shadow created would still linger for quite some time, allowing the user to jump back in after the Second Shadow was topped up with more mana.


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    Unclenching his fist, Claud said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The two of them deactivated the barrier that was serving as the main door and stepped into the square. Without much of a fuss, Claud unclenched his fist, and the immersive illusion vanished.


    Unclenching his fist, Claud pushed the metal band up from his eyes, before reactivating the barrier.


    ¡°It¡¯s odd having to close the door after myself,¡± Claud muttered, before plopping back down on the bed. ¡°But again, there are many odd things in existence.¡±


    The shadow outside nodded. ¡°Agreed.¡±


    Pulling the metal band back onto his face, Claud entered the illusion once more. The world his Second Shadow was generating wasn¡¯t as realistic as real life itself, even if it was directly based off real life. There were some things that seemed perennially off, especially when it came to his senses, creating some discomfort for him.


    ¡°Do you think the building¡¯s changed?¡± Lily asked, her voice distant.


    ¡°The interior?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Probably not.¡±


    It was neat that they could speak out loud without needing to unclench their fists or anything. Claud hadn¡¯t expected that to work, but when they were running through the Second Shadows during their preparations, Lily had discovered this really convenient function. To him, the more they learned about this artefact, the more suited it was for exploring dangerous areas. The only problematic part was its absence of combat ability entirely, and the inability to wield mana at all.


    The shadow didn¡¯t react well to physical damage either, so there was no chance of making an army with these things.


    ¡°Okay, good.¡± Lily made a sigh. ¡°But that¡¯ll mean we can¡¯t get up to the very top easily. Do you still remember the time when we used the Sea-Queller?¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°I¡¯m wondering what happens when space collapses, though. I kinda want to take a look at what lies beyond.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so¡­¡±


    The two of them stopped at the entrance of the building. With his senses so muted, Claud could barely feel the distinctive chill he associated with entering this building, and neither did Lily.


    They looked around the first floor. It was as stupidly defenceless as usual; the place was illuminated thoroughly by bright lights and the entrance was so unguarded that even a dead drunk guard would improve its security. They hadn¡¯t tried to examine the first floor in detail previously, since their focus was on following the tested route upstairs.


    Now, however, with the Second Shadow, they could change things around.


    Ruined furniture that had been given a wide berth littered this place. Claud could vaguely tell that they were all from the same origin; it was as if a table had been broken apart by force for some reason.


    ¡°Lily, is it me, or did someone decide to break a table for no particular reason?¡±


    She craned her neck and walked around the destroyed piece of furniture, and then nodded. ¡°Looks like it, yes. Looks¡­like someone from our side did it, though.¡±


    ¡°Long ago, I guess.¡± Claud paused. ¡°And I found the culprit.¡±


    ¡°Culprit?¡±


    Claud pointed at a corpse that was buried under a particularly large piece of metal. A faint film of light covered the body, which hadn¡¯t decayed at all. No particular stroke of genius was required to guess why the body hadn¡¯t decayed, but this was proof that the two of them should avoid destroying or damaging the place in general.


    Lily jumped, and then moved slightly closer to examine the film of light. Naturally, she didn¡¯t think of touching it, and after looking her fill, she stepped away from the corpse slowly and returned to Claud¡¯s side.


    ¡°Anything interesting?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Seems like one of us indeed,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I saw some personal effects that came from Vacuos County.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°The only issue is not knowing why he died, but I¡¯m sure this table has something to do with it.¡±


    Stepping away slowly, the two of them poked around the first floor for a little while more, and then stopped at a small plaque that was lying on the ground. Despite untold years, the plaque was still reflective and everything, and the words carved onto it was still very much legible.


    ¡°So, this is the receptionist¡¯s working place, huh.¡± Lily nodded. ¡°Receptionist of the Buyeo Star Confederacy¡­I wonder what happened to the receptionist?¡±


    ¡°Probably dead,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s move on. And be careful of the spatial rifts. It shouldn¡¯t affect us directly, but it takes mana to form a shadow.¡±


    The shadow that represented Lily bobbed its head once, and the two of them headed up slowly. Taking slow steps, Claud kept his eyes peeled for the sudden appearance of deadly voids that would almost certainly end their little expedition today. Since these shadows didn¡¯t bring the Sea-Queller ¡ª it was too valuable to give it to their exploration substitute ¡ª any spatial ruptures will definitely destroy these shadows.


    It wouldn¡¯t hurt, though.


    Fortunately, the two of them arrived at the second floor without much incident, and once again, their greedy eyes began to scour the area.


    What did this place hold for them?

 Chapter 391: How to use a Second Shadow

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    ¡°What an odd-looking box.¡± Claud and Lily walked around a desk, which had a weird item on it. At first glance, it looked like a mirror with buttons or something, but this ruin definitely wouldn¡¯t have mirrors sitting on a desk for some reason. ¡°Should we bring it back?¡±


    ¡°Better check if we can even move this from its original place, though,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­nope!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit heavy, but we can just bring it down slowly, I suppose.¡± Claud looked at the odd, thin box that reminded him of the Comms Console he¡¯d seen back in the Nightfall Palace. As for why he made such a connection to begin with, he wasn¡¯t too sure.


    Maybe it was because of having a side that was made of glass? Regardless, it was great that no one had moved it out of the place yet, so¡ª


    His vision tilted oddly, turning to the side and then landing on the ground. ¡°Eh?¡±


    A moment later, the Second Shadow that Lily was operating came apart in wisps of darkness, and the scene of the second floor fizzled out at the same time. The sensation of wearing the headband was very vivid now, and it took Claud a heartbeat to realise the substitute that they had dispatched no longer existed.


    He pushed the metal band away from his head. ¡°We died.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°Painlessly, though. I wonder what happened.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason why that thing was still sitting there all along, huh.¡± Claud grimaced. ¡°What should we do about that little box? Should we struggle to bring it out anyway?¡±


    ¡°Well, we haven¡¯t checked. It seems that touching it will kill us on the spot,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Be more confident,¡± Claud replied. ¡°If that thing is touched, everyone in the room will probably die. However, if we sacrifice a few shadows and act in such a way that our first action will modify the position of that box thing, we should be able to get it out of the room after around ten deaths. That¡¯s assuming that we can move that thing out, though. And that bringing it out of the room won¡¯t kill us.¡±


    He paused. ¡°There are a whole lot of other risks, and there are still plenty of places that remain unexplored on the second floor. The most disturbing thing is the absence of corpses altogether. There must have been a few people who died from the second floor and onwards, given the risks we faced, but¡­¡±


    Lily grimaced. ¡°Yeah. Now that I think about it, there weren¡¯t any corpses when we made our way to the top back then, right?¡±


    The couple exchanged glances.


    ¡°¡­Maybe that¡¯s enough exploration for one day, don¡¯t you think?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°I¡¯m beginning to feel scared.¡±


    Lily nodded, and then frowned. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s my line! And you¡¯re supposed to say that I¡¯m clever for feeling scared, because it proves that I have a working set of wits!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of going through that whole exchange when you already know what I¡¯m going to say?¡± Claud asked, putting aside his fear. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be more fun if you could interpret my words at a glance and vice-versa?¡±


    ¡°I just want to hear you say it, okay?¡± Lily pouted, and then snuggled up to him. ¡°Still, I am really scared, though. We never really gave it much thought, since there were so many things going on and we were on a deadline of sorts¡­but there are no bodies.¡±


    ¡°The absence of bodies doesn¡¯t mean that no one died, after all. More often than not¡­they were either vigorously sliced up or just sucked into a spatial rift.¡± Claud thought about the glowing corpse that they had spotted on the first floor. ¡°It¡¯s fortunate we were using the Second Shadow, or else we would have died there.¡±


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Lily nodded. ¡°Still, you¡¯d think that the information we gathered would warn us about the dangers of that building, right? Right?¡±


    ¡°Maybe those that could have written that down are all dead,¡± Claud replied. ¡°After all, that trap killed you and me instantly. And I don¡¯t think any self-respecting party would enter the place piecemeal, right?¡±


    The two looked at each other. Claud, prior to joining the Moon Lords, had always ventured out alone, so he had virtually no experience in understanding how groups of larger than two people worked together when exploring ruins. This was a very specific scenario that he had not quite prepared himself for.


    As for Lily¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me with such hopeful eyes,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°You did work as a mercenary for some time before joining up with the Moon Lords, though. I¡¯m just someone who moves through the shadows alone,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Your experience as a mercenary in a party is probably a bit higher than me.¡±


    ¡°Well, I did party up with some second-generation nobles.¡± Lily tapped her chin. ¡°But we mostly ran around doing odd jobs and escort missions for cold, hard cash. As for things like exploring ruins and hunting criminals¡­well, no one wanted to try. Or at least I made it known that I would leave the party if they took on such jobs.¡±


    Claud nodded.


    ¡°Incidentally, I left that party a few months afterwards,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Never heard about them again ever since then.¡±


    The implications behind those words were a bit frightening, but Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit bad when he looked at Lily¡¯s expression. Patting her on the head, he hugged her once and said, ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, so don¡¯t worry too much about it. Like it or not, your presence probably wouldn¡¯t have changed anything. And besides, until you receive confirmation about what happened to them, feeling bad over something you don¡¯t know about is a waste of effort.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Of course, the heart does what it does, so¡­¡±


    Lily nodded, a hint of sorrow in her face. Claud promptly tried to cheer her up, which included getting the two napping little shapes to amuse her. He didn¡¯t mind doing so either; Claud wasn¡¯t in the mood to actually do anything after his shadow had died once.


    It was quite traumatising to have his upper torso lopped off, even if it was just a substitute. In essence, it meant that he had died once, and as a rule of thumb, people only had one life. If he had taken the same actions in person, even if they somehow survived, the two of them would have been crippled or maimed.


    Was he comforting Lily, or was he comforting himself? Claud didn¡¯t want to know the answer to that question.


    After half an hour or so, Lily noticed his anomalous feelings and nudged him. ¡°You¡¯re scared?¡±


    ¡°We just died once.¡± Claud looked at her and tried to smile. ¡°I¡¯m naturally scared too.¡±


    He tried to breath properly, but the stifling feeling in his heart didn¡¯t want to go away, and insisted on squatting there until it had expressed itself adequately.


    Probably, anyway.


    In the end, both of them cuddled for a while, before the sounds of rumbling stomachs got them to get up properly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s make some dinner,¡± Claud suggested, before peering out at the sky. The firmament they saw was black in colour, with little blips of light shining down on them, so the only way they could tell whether it was day or night was the city¡¯s illumination¡­which didn¡¯t help much either.


    The place was constantly bright, after all.


    ¡°We should have thought about timekeeping,¡± Claud complained. ¡°It¡¯s forever bright out there too¡­I¡¯ll need to use another dome artefact to cover our bedroom. Sheesh. The total mana expenditure to make these things last really long isn¡¯t anything to sneeze at too!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it nice when we can complain about things like this when we¡¯re not at home?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yes, indeed. We¡¯re really quite lucky.¡± Claud laughed. ¡°So, what should we have for tonight?¡±


    ¡°Not much to choose; either meat soup or meat stew,¡± Lily replied, before pulling out a small pot, which increased in size a moment later. Setting it down on the ground, she asked, ¡°What did you bring?¡±


    ¡°Lots of dried meat,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Still, this place has a never-ending farm. We should gather some potatoes, carrots and other greens there.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°We should regulate our meat intake while we¡¯re here. Also, I recall the farm also has wheat, so maybe we can make some pastries with that too.¡±


    ¡°Pastries¡­really?¡±


    ¡°Really, really.¡± Lily grinned. ¡°I even got some dried fruits too, so we can definitely make some sweet desserts.¡±


    ¡°Alright, some wheat, then.¡± Claud rubbed his nose. This long-term trip was turning out to be more and more luxurious with every passing issue, up to and including the complaints about things being too bright or whatever. Claud didn¡¯t know that much about exploring ruins, but he was quite sure that no one had ever complained about a ruin being too bright.


    Quite the first, in his opinion.


    Reaching out for the Second Shadow, Claud channelled some mana into it. Having a substitute was quite convenient; his body didn¡¯t need to step out and he didn¡¯t need to expose his real body to danger. It was the perfect tool for the lazy and the cautious.


    To his side, Lily asked, ¡°Should I use my Second Shadow to cook instead? I won¡¯t be affected by the heat that way¡­¡±


    ¡°We really are spoiling ourselves, huh.¡±


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 Chapter 392: An ancient battlefield

    ¡°In latest news, I¡¯ve completed my third mana circuit.¡± Farah looked down on Schwarz smugly, scooping up some mashed potato into her bowl at the same time. It was remarkable how she managed to give such an innocuous action such an air of jauntiness and pride, and from Risti and Nero¡¯s faces, she clearly wasn¡¯t alone in thinking that way either.


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± Dia replied, before looking at her breakfast with relish. It was one of those times when everyone elected to end their closed-door training to relax, which was why this was the first time she had eaten something that wasn¡¯t a lifestone. This training had lasted for two weeks after the Red God¡¯s familiar spirit showed up without warning, and their persistence was driven by a very simple desire to not die.


    So far, things were going well.


    The two others echoed her words, right down to the very awkward tone she had employed earlier. Farah eyed the three of them, and then raised an eyebrow. ¡°You guys don¡¯t seem to be that happy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. It¡¯s just that we woke up really early in the morning,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost noon.¡±


    ¡°And that we don¡¯t have much of an appetite for some reason,¡± Nero added, eating his own bowl of mashed potato.


    Farah raised an eyebrow and turned to Dia. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°What? I¡¯m happy that you became a tri-folder!¡± Dia forced a grin. ¡°Anyway, you shouldn¡¯t go after the least talented member of the Seekers of Life. It¡¯s not his fault that his ability to manipulate mana is so low.¡±


    ¡°Crap.¡± Farah paused. ¡°Sorry, Schwarz. I forgot about this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you, after all.¡± Schwarz shrugged. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m rather close to completing my third mana circuit, even if I¡¯ve failed around four times.¡±


    Everyone winced.


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel sorry for me,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I should have practiced more finesse and everything. I¡¯m now suffering for my sloth and laziness. Everything¡¯s my fault. I¡¯m sorry for wasting so much precious resources.¡±


    The amount of negativity flowing off the bartender was a bit too painful for Dia to look at, but she knew that he had a point. The last tenth of a mana circuit was always destroyed if the mana-user failed to advance, and after a while, the cost of failure added up. Since Schwarz had failed four times, he had wasted the equivalent of eighty years of lifespan.


    All of that were pure-ranked lifestones, and the amount he had used was nothing to sneeze at either. After a while, Schwarz had elected to buy the lifestones he used by placing the equivalent amount of platinum into the Seekers of Life¡¯s shared funds, but he knew that he was still gaining a lot from that.


    ¡°Come now,¡± Farah replied, scooping up some mashed potato for him, ¡°don¡¯t feel so bad.¡±


    ¡°Just put in more effort into the morning training classes¡­we should really restart them, shouldn¡¯t we?¡± Dia muttered. ¡°I think I¡¯m close to touching the threshold between Intermediate and Expert too. Maybe a few pushes here and there would do it for me.¡±


    ¡°How do you know if you¡¯re close?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been pushing the limits of my control, remember? The difference between Intermediate and Expert is how much of your total mana you can control at once. At Expert, you can mobilise half of your total mana without any wastage whatsoever. I¡¯m already capable of mobilising four-tenths of my mana without giving off light now,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s in what I call my perfect condition, but I¡¯m aiming to make it possible throughout my daily life and movement,¡± Dia explained further. ¡°Once I get to that point, I should be on the absolute threshold.¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    The others eyed Dia, and then sighed. She could faintly taste some envy in the air, but if it could spur the others on to work harder, then it would be worth it.


    Schwarz, in particular, was looking at Dia in a manner that reminded her of a certain baron asking for help from her father to fund an orphanage, but she wasn¡¯t ever going to say that out loud. Instead, she smiled and said, ¡°If you guys need help or just someone to drive in hard work into your heads, I¡¯m happy to help.¡±


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Nero cleared his throat. ¡°Before that, however, I think we need to settle one major issue. We¡¯re running out of lifestones. While you guys were locking yourselves up to draw more mana circuits, I paid a visit to the frontlines, harvested some prana jades at a few ancient battlefields and turned in some kills, but what I gathered will only sustained your expenditures for one person to complete their fourth mana circuit.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you did what?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Went out to kill some enemies?¡± Nero raised an eyebrow. ¡°Don¡¯t look so surprised. I¡¯m capable of beating everyone here with ease. Don¡¯t look down on the fourth mana circuit. It¡¯s a watershed in strength, and I¡¯m the Holy Son of the Black God.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not our fault if we forget that last part sometimes, okay?¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I cannot help but associate the Holy Son of the Black God with booze now, thanks to you. Anyway¡­that¡¯s a lot of lifestones.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Nearly six hundred pure-ranked lifestones. Do the math and convert them to gold, if you want to.¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯ll pass. The prices went up recently¡­¡± Schwarz shook his head. ¡°Still, don¡¯t you need it?¡±


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s just say that being a Holy Son has its benefits,¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°Benefits?¡± Farah asked, before looking at Nero. ¡°What kinds of benefits are we talking about? You know, I don¡¯t mind supporting the parish of the Black God in my county¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahaha. Well, I¡¯ll send word to the priests when I get the chance, then.¡± Nero cleared his throat. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m proud and happy to announce that I¡¯m a penta-folder.¡±


    ¡°Nice.¡± Dia looked at her mashed potato, and then paused. ¡°Wait, what? Penta-folder? What the heck?¡±


    ¡°Son of a¡­" Schwarz muttered. ¡°How did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Privileges of a Holy Son. Didn¡¯t I say that earlier?¡± Nero replied. ¡°Anyway, we can go into the battlefield now. I can protect you guys out there now, and to be honest, you guys really need it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to look for those two lovebirds,¡± Risti replied, ¡°but I think we can just poke around in ancient battlefields. Are there any in the Istrel Sovereignty?¡±


    ¡°Quite a few, actually. A lot of them are still pristine and unexplored, since there aren¡¯t many tetra-folders and above in existence. Tri-folders can¡¯t really explore the place freely, but with my presence, even normal people can do that¡± Nero replied, a hint of pride in his words. ¡°Anyway, I found one that¡¯s been unexplored, which was where all the prana jades I harvested came from.¡±


    ¡°Nice.¡± Schwarz touched his chin. ¡°Prana jades break down into lifestones after a while, right?¡±


    ¡°Some efficacy is lost in doing so, but all that lost lifeforce eventually turns into a lifestone in the end,¡± Nero replied. ¡°So? What do you guys think?¡±


    ¡°How is this harvesting operation going to work?¡± Dia asked, curious.


    ¡°Simple. I¡¯ll use my mana to erect a barrier where you¡¯ll be protected from strong, lingering thoughts. After that, we¡¯ll dig up the place and grab everything in sight,¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s that easy?¡±


    Nero shook his head. ¡°The hard parts are locating confluences of prana jade. I¡¯ll have to do that myself, and after I locate the target spots, I¡¯ll escort you guys there. It¡¯s a matter of just finding and using them.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. If it¡¯s that easy¡ª¡±


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t more mid-rank mana-users doing it?¡± Nero asked. ¡°Why would they need to? Most tetra-folders hold very high positions. Nobles would pay them to just stay in their territory in lifestones and prana jades, and as for how they harvest them¡­well, lives are very expendable.¡±


    A chill ran down Dia¡¯s spine.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Nero shrugged. ¡°No protection whatsoever. And some mana-users say that sending people to die in ancient battlefields is just resowing the field after a good harvest. These jobs, fortunately, don¡¯t happen often, since most people obviously don¡¯t want to die, but there are slaves and criminals that can be sent there.¡±


    ¡°Without them knowing?¡±


    ¡°Without them knowing,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Oh, and it¡¯s not a Nihal thing. All three continents have similar practices¡­you can start by asking the dukes here.¡±


    Dia wondered if her father did such things too, but¡­did she really need to think that hard? Her father always did have unexplained loads of lifestones, ready to be handed out at a moment¡¯s notice.


    She glanced at Farah, whose surprised face indicated that she never did such a thing before, and then heaved a sigh.


    Nero looked around, awkward. ¡°Sorry. I kinda brought up a bad topic, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°We should all be aware of the darker parts of this world,¡± Farah replied quietly. ¡°And¡­well, I¡¯m not sure if I wouldn¡¯t do that myself. Of course, I¡¯ll find ways to protect the people sent there, but having a steady supply to protect my territory is very important too. If some huge monster appears and there isn¡¯t a competent folder around, thousands are going to die.¡±


    ¡°Life has a nasty habit of forcing people to make choices between bad and worse decisions,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Anyway, tell us more about this plan of yours.¡±


    Nero perked up. ¡°The ancient battlefield I located is the graveyard where the God of Hope was killed. Buried with them were over four hundred thousand soldiers from both sides, and¡­¡±

 Chapter 393: Questions, answers and expectations

    ¡°That¡¯s one really riveting tale.¡± Dia chewed on her lower lip. The God of Hope was the second-last God of Virtue that fell in battle; by that time, he had already sunk into the depths of despair. With his brothers and sisters dead, and the ascendent ennea-folders that would eventually become the Coloured Gods closing in on him, the God of Hope fought to the bitter end to buy time for his believers to flee.


    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°What happened to his believers, though?¡±


    Nero looked at them. ¡°They probably fled to the landmass called Saran. They were eradicated in the Heretic Hunt five thousand years ago, though.¡±


    ¡°The what?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Heretic Hunt. Basically, it was an operation meant to erase all traces of the Six Gods of Virtue.¡± Nero paused. ¡°You must know that the long reign of the Six had resulted in¡­odd things. In fact, researchers from the Black Church are of the opinion that in the century leading up to the Third Godsfall, the Six had inverted their own values and wills.¡±


    ¡°Inverted?¡±


    ¡°What it means, literally. The Six were embodying traits that were the antithesis of their original ideals or something, and as the war dragged on, the phenomenon became worse and worse. One of the reasons why their collapse was so sudden was due to spontaneous rebellions by their troops and believers.¡± Nero paused. ¡°The God of Hope at least had a good ending of sorts. The rest¡­well, that¡¯s not much to work from.¡±


    ¡°Ideals¡­¡±


    ¡°Which is why the Coloured Gods chose to rule over a domain, rather than to embody a value. Having seen the results of sticking by a value and having it turn upon itself, they decided to limit their domain to governance, rather than guidance.¡±


    ¡°Is that a difference?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Well, the Coloured Gods don¡¯t go around preaching a way of life, for one thing. They¡¯re more of¡­administrators. Governors of this world, much like the Primordial Gods. Of course, one of the criticisms levelled at the Primordial Gods were how they seemed to ignore all injustice in the world, and that they should act like gods and enforce their visions and ideals, so¡­¡±


    ¡°What, a cycle?¡± Schwarz poured out a drink for Nero, who, in an uncharacteristic display, looked at it thoughtfully.


    Picking it up, he swirled it around for a while and said, ¡°Something like that, I guess. The Moon is brighter across the ocean¡­¡±


    ¡°How true is that phrase anyway?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Are the Moons really brighter here than in Nihila?¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ve been stuck as a thrall for three years. I am in no way capable of recalling if the Moons are actually brighter here.¡± Nero let out a sigh. ¡°Anyway, what do you guys think?¡±


    Schwarz looked at the others. ¡°Well, I think we should go for it, at least. We don¡¯t have much time left, and this year might be the last year we¡¯ll get to do something like this without much risk.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Farah asked.


    The bartender glanced at Risti once, who nodded. ¡°Once the Moons descend, we¡¯ll probably be roped into the fighting too. We won¡¯t have much time for ourselves.¡±


    ¡°We?¡± Dia paused. ¡°When you say ¡®we¡¯, do you refer to us specifically?¡±


    ¡°The Seekers of Life? Yes.¡± Risti sighed. ¡°All evidence points that way. We can blame the great Dark for this one, though; they started it by hiring mercenaries, prompting the Moons to do the same. Now, they¡¯re conscripting mortal armies¡­I¡¯m not sure what it¡¯s like in the other continents, but I¡¯m told that similar things are occurring there.¡±


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°What are the Coloured Gods doing about this?¡± Dia asked, looking at Nero.


    Nero shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. In fact, asking me and Holy Daughter Clarissa is pointless. The Black God and the White God are not part of the Fourth Godsfall, which is why there¡¯s no Bearer of Destiny for either entity.¡±


    ¡°¡­And who the heck decided that?¡±


    ¡°The five grand skies,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s all I can say on this topic. Anyway, I really suggest that you guys head out to look for more resources too. We¡¯re all poor people¡­¡±


    ¡°Incidentally, how much years of lifespan do you guys have left?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°I have 113 years,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­42 years,¡± Schwarz replied.


    Risti paused for a moment. ¡°214 years.¡±


    Nero rubbed his nose. ¡°You guys won¡¯t want to know.¡±


    Everyone looked at the Holy Son of the Black God, and then exchanged glances. No one dared to refute his words, and after a few seconds of awkward silence, everyone turned to Farah.


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re not asking¡­I have twelve years.¡± Farah twitched. ¡°Yeah, I know. It¡¯s not a lot, yadda yadda.¡±


    Dia found the whole thing a bit odd, though. Farah didn¡¯t fail that many times, compared to Schwarz, so how did the bartender have more time left? For obvious reasons, however, no one was going to ask that question, and eventually, the topic shifted back to the expedition towards the God of Hope¡¯s graveyard.


    ¡°We should plan really thoroughly for this trip, though. Claud left us a small book on what to look out for, but¡­Dia and I, who have read through this booklet before, will do the planning.¡± The bartender folded his arms. ¡°As for what booklet I¡¯m talking about¡­well, it¡¯s one that turns all who read it paranoid.¡±


    Dia glared at Schwarz, who met her gaze calmly. ¡°Am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t read that book,¡± Dia replied. ¡°My aunt did, though. And she went ¡®oh, this poor guy¡¯ on and on.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, I remember.¡± Farah laughed. ¡°But I think we should all read his booklet anyway. How many pages is it? Can¡¯t be that long, right?¡±


    Schwarz pondered for a moment. ¡°Fifty pages. It has three sections: life in civilisation, life outdoors and life at home. Claud made an extensive record of the dangers and warns against them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite the arbitrary number,¡± Nero noted.


    ¡°It is. In the foreword, Claud stated that those dangers he recorded were common ones or uncommon ones that tended to pop up due to happenstance often. He noted down fifty of them and recorded their frequency on the sides,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Funny, isn¡¯t it? His will to live extends not only to himself, but also to us. Otherwise, he would never have written this booklet. All that time spent on it could have been better used on making more skillsticks.¡±


    ¡°To us?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°To be more precise, to anyone he cares about,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Claud is paranoid because he cherishes life. He wants everyone he cares about to be cautious, at the very least, because he doesn¡¯t want to live alone.¡±


    ¡°Deep.¡± Dia paused. ¡°I never did see him that way, though.¡±


    ¡°Because he spent most of the time cooped up or running around with Lily?¡± Schwarz laughed. ¡°If you¡¯re wondering what Lily saw in him, that¡¯s probably your answer.¡±


    Something seemed to ripple in Dia¡¯s mind at those words, but like a fish that had escaped its hook, the thought fled towards the depths of her mind, vanishing forever.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Risti asked. ¡°You had a very odd look there.¡±


    ¡°N-no, nothing.¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°So, what should we prepare for, Nero? What do we need to look out for there?¡±


    ¡°There are a few things, but with me around, they aren¡¯t a danger.¡± Nero paused. ¡°Random surges of mana, for one. That, I can block. Sometimes, spectres of the past reappear, recreating the battles between the pious of Hope and the coalition army. We¡¯re talking serious stakes there; mid-ranked battles. We must keep our eyes out for such incidents. Finally, the sunset of Hope ¡ª the battle where the human named Schizel struck the final blow and turned into¡­¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous, and the sunset of Hope is not something even I can withstand. Fortunately, one just needs to keep one thing in their heart ¡ª respect.¡±


    ¡°Respect?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Nero didn¡¯t elaborate on this part and finally picked up that cup of his. Taking a sip from it, he leaned back and closed his eyes slightly. ¡°Be that as it may, as long as you guys don¡¯t court death by not listening to me, we¡¯ll be fine. Everyone here is a folder, after all, and the battlefield is pristine to the point that we can search near the entrance and it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°¡­Entrance?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll understand once we get there.¡± Nero chuckled. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to take a walk around town. Anyone wants to tag along?¡±


    Risti chuckled. ¡°I want to buy something, so count me in. The rest of you guys should stay here, just in case a certain familiar spirit comes calling.¡±


    The mansion had artefacts that detected divinity and grounded space, preventing teleports. As for why there were artefacts that detected divinity¡­well, Dia had asked Schwarz, but the bartender simply shrugged and said, ¡°Well, Claud was probably worried about the divinities and their servants.¡±


    Whether that was the real answer or not was anyone¡¯s guess, though.


    Shaking her head, Dia followed the others as they prepared for the expedition.

 Chapter 394: Hopes Graveyard

    ¡°Here we are.¡± Nero raised a hand, and everyone came to a stop. ¡°The ancient battlefield where Hope fell. It¡¯s too dark for us to carry on, so we¡¯ll just camp out here for the night, and then move in at first light tomorrow.¡±


    He raised a hand, and a jet of blue light poured out of it, shooting towards the air. After rising for around five metres, it seemed to hit a wall of sorts, and before long, a boxy structure had appeared. The first Dia saw such a use of mana to create a temporary lodging, she had found it an impressive sight, but they had been mana-walking for seven days, and by then, it was just a welcome view.


    As her blade glowed with mana, Dia found herself thinking through the journey to the God of Hope¡¯s final resting place. All the preparations for the trip had been completed within a single day after they settled on going, to everyone¡¯s surprise, so Nero simply suggested that they went earlier anyway.


    Dirt flew, and with one last flourish, a nice pit with chopped wood had been prepared. Pulling out a small ball, Dia pressed the button on its top and tossed it into the pile of wood, creating a blazing fire.


    All that remained was the roasting spit.


    ¡°Done,¡± Dia called out. ¡°Risti, you fine with the butchering?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already done, but thanks for the offer.¡± A few seconds later, Risti returned with a deer that had been drained of blood and butchered thoroughly. Its carcass had been chopped into multiple pieces, which was then skewered on a metal stick. Its innards had been removed too, bound up in a sheet of mana and floating behind her.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± The sight of a bloody Risti made Dia a bit uncomfortable, but what made her more uncomfortable was the explicit knowledge that she would be ¡ª and had been ¡ª eating wild game, but food was food. As someone who used to live in the lap of luxury, things like butchered animals had been very distant from her areas of concern. Even when she went to handle stuff with the other Seekers of Life, she had relied on provisions.


    This trip was the first one that entailed killing and eating wild game.


    ¡°Still squeamish?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Just pondering on our dinner, that¡¯s all.¡± Dia shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ll be stuck here for the next week or two, after all.¡±


    She glanced at the two carts that everyone had been pulling at, and then turned away. They would return once both carts were full of prana jade, which would be enough to at least replenish everyone¡¯s lifespan and maybe push a few of them to completing their fourth mana circuit.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot, but I guess we¡¯ll fill it up eventually.¡± Risti grimaced. ¡°Still, that¡¯s a lot of lifeforce. Four hundred years is a long time.¡±


    ¡°And all that would be wasted if you died.¡±


    ¡°I think they just escape into the world and then reform as lifestones eventually,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not start the debate all over again, okay?¡± Dia rolled her eyes. ¡°Schwarz, you¡¯re the professional at grilling slabs of meat on a spit. Take over for us, thanks.¡±


    ¡°Help me set up the artefacts, then! We¡¯re going with base-building now!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Dia paused. ¡°Give me a hand?¡±


    The next thirty minutes flew by in a flurry of activity, but the results were, as always, incredible, and Dia spent the next five minutes looking at the fortress of barrier artefacts and mana. This was truly a step-up from tents and lying on trees¡­which was also something Claud had warned against in that booklet of his. While trees were a good choice, they also had dangers that were hard to guard against, and the booklet ¡ª the latest edition ¡ª recommended using a dizzying array of barrier artefacts to form a room instead.


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    After admiring her handiwork for a few more minutes, she returned to the firepit, which was now surrounded by the others.


    ¡°It¡¯s not done yet?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Almost. I used some of my personal spices for today¡¯s catch, after all.¡± Schwarz grinned. ¡°You guys will love it.¡±


    ¡°The drool¡¯s dribbling down my face already,¡± Risti replied.


    Schwarz laughed. ¡°That¡¯s good praise if I ever heard one. It¡¯s a shame the count didn¡¯t want to come along, though. I was planning on brewing some special stuff¡ª¡±


    ¡°Dibs,¡± Nero cut in.


    ¡°For everyone. It¡¯s not the strong kind¡­okay, okay. Stop looking at me like you¡¯re about to cry, okay? I¡¯ll brew an extra-strong version just for you.¡±


    Dia looked at the two insane men and shrugged. She turned to Risti, who was chatting with Farah, and then listened to them talk about the Lustre princess for a few seconds.


    Their words ringing in her ears, she looked in the direction of the ancient battlefield. Further west from it would be the Lustre Dukedom¡¯s territory. She would need to cross two counties and veer off the main trading route to arrive at Lustre itself; nearly three weeks of mana-walking or even more.


    Yet, for all that distance, this was the closest she was to home for a very long time.


    As that thought flickered through her mind, Dia fought the urge to hug her knees. Tearing her eyes away from the west, she looked up into the darkening skies and shifted closer to the cheery fire.


    Nero and Schwarz looked at her once, before the bartender cleared his throat. ¡°You look like you¡¯re someone who¡¯s missing a person or a place dear to you. Need someone to talk to?¡±


    Dia looked at the seasoned bartender, who was moonlighting as a counsellor currently, and then shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just thinking about my home, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Schwarz looked at her. ¡°What¡¯s it like? Being the double of the princess?¡±


    ¡°¡­My lifestyle¡¯s the exact same as hers,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Nothing much to it, really. Where she is, there I am. Of course, I naturally got attached to the same people too, and in turbulent times, I cannot help but wonder if I am needed back there.¡±


    ¡°Are you needed back there?¡± Schwarz asked.


    Dia fell silent. As the little princess of the Lustre Dukedom, she was never meant to play any huge role. That privilege ¡ª or curse ¡ª was for her older brother, who was the true heir to the dukedom. He was the epitome of being favoured by destiny, and boasted talent overwhelming.


    For these reasons, she was the one who took her brother¡¯s place when Ruler Umbra died. It could be said that she had fulfilled her role splendidly¡­albeit in a manner she had never anticipated.


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m needed there,¡± Dia replied. As those words left her mouth, a stone seemed to roll away from her heart, and her body felt a tiny bit lighter.


    Schwarz chuckled. ¡°In that case, you should do whatever you like. You don¡¯t owe them anything now, right? With your life as a bait for the real deal, you¡¯ve cleared off any debts and obligations. No one can ask you to pay more than your life, and you¡¯ve done that over and over again. Since you¡¯re free, do whatever you like. We¡¯ll smile and support you.¡±


    He paused. ¡°As long as it¡¯s not stupid or something. You know, Claud¡¯s booklet as a guide¡­¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Dia smiled. ¡°Is the meat done yet? I¡¯m starving.¡±


    ¡°We are all starving together, so I don¡¯t really see the problem¡­¡± Schwarz leaned back. ¡°Seriously, though, if you want to go back, do tell us. I think everyone might just tag along for the fun of it.¡±


    ¡°Why would you do that?¡± Dia asked, curious.


    ¡°For fun?¡± Schwarz laughed, before pulling out a small container. Turning it upside down, he shook its contents over the nearly-complete skewers of meat, and an incredible aroma burst out without warning. ¡°Done! Come on, everyone! Take some before it gets cold!¡±


    ¡°What did you add?¡± Dia asked, as she pried off a slab of meat for herself.


    ¡°My secret recipe of thirteen spices!¡± Schwarz laughed. ¡°Be thankful, everyone! I rarely cook something with my super blend! They sell only once, on the first day of Full Moon, and the auction for my three dishes goes up to over a hundred gold coins!¡±


    ¡°Wait, really?¡± Farah looked at her own plate. ¡°A hundred gold?¡±


    ¡°Try it first, and then doubt me later,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°It¡¯ll be easier to explain once you¡¯re done with the food here¡­¡±


    Dia took an experimental bite from it, and a tingle ran down her spine. ¡°What the heck is this? It¡¯s really tasty!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± Schwarz beamed. ¡°There are some hidden restaurants in Licencia. I learned this from the best of the best there. It¡¯s a shame that the spices I use are hard to find¡­anyway, when we return, I¡¯ll bring you guys there.¡±


    ¡°A hidden restaurant, huh?¡± Nero blinked twice. ¡°Interesting.¡±


    ¡°Want to know what¡¯s more interesting?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°I heard that the Holy Daughter of the White God actually splurged there once, heh. The bill was incredible too.¡±


    ¡°Who did you hear that from?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Our old friend, Mister Colidra!¡± The bartender chuckled. ¡°The look on her face was astounding apparently. And of course, Claud and Lily were there too, freeloading¡­bah. Anyway, eat up! We begin the hard stuff tomorrow¡­¡±

 Chapter 395: The princess, living in the wilderness

    Dia looked around blearily as the first rays of sunlight broke through the horizon, and the misty darkness that had been absolutely everywhere began to recede in silence. The lingering aroma from Schwarz¡¯s roasted meat continued to dance in the air, and her stomach grumbled.


    Shaking her head, she got up from her sleeping bag. Everyone was currently asleep in this base made of opaque barriers, making it such that she had somewhat forgotten that she was outdoors to begin with. It was a rather luxurious way of spending the night out in the wild, in her opinion, and Dia was beginning to understand why Claud was so enthusiastic about barriers.


    Even after he had grabbed Lily and gone for a long, long trip, his influence was still working very well on everyone else.


    After pulling out the good old Refresher, Dia left her little room and made her way to the stone table in the middle. Dia had carved it out from a nearby rock, just so they could eat like they always did in Moon Mansion. There were, however, still a lot of lacking areas, which was quite a pity.


    She glanced at the firepit outside the small barrier-building. Strips of meat had been hung above the pit, keeping it hot and smoked. The lingering aroma came from the sliced meat here, and it didn¡¯t take much time for her to pick a strip and roll it up nicely.


    Around their little building made of barriers, Nero had created a dome of mana above it, resulting in a sight not that different from Moon Mansion. This, incidentally, was why Schwarz had no qualms smoking meat above the firepit; the grassy area around this spot was not that different from a garden.


    The others awakened at their own pace as Dia bit away at the rolled-up strip of meat, and after a bout of greetings and feasting, Farah took out a piece of paper.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Our duties. We¡¯re outside with a purpose, but we still need to take care of things like food,¡± Farah replied. ¡°One of us will be doing miscellaneous tasks every day, while the rest head into the ancient battlefield. For obvious reasons, Nero will be exempted from these tasks, so you can stop looking at me like that.¡±


    Nero cleared his throat. ¡°I¡¯m not good with little things like that.¡±


    ¡°You should really learn them anyway¡­¡± Farah rolled her eyes. ¡°We have a lot of lifestyle artefacts, so the hardest part of these miscellaneous tasks lie in gathering food. Killing animals and preparing them, in other words.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can see that being tough,¡± Dia noted.


    ¡°Other than that, it¡¯s mostly about using artefacts to make everyone¡¯s life pleasant here. Washing clothes, making sure there¡¯s a constant supply of water from the Condenser, and keeping the barriers topped up with mana.¡± Farah paused. ¡°Did I miss out anything?¡±


    ¡°I was about to say the latrine, but we¡¯re in the outdoors,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Should we dig one? Or just use nature as our toilet?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we can make one easily,¡± Risti replied. ¡°We¡¯re mana-users, after all.¡±


    Dia rubbed her nose as the others talked about a latrine. As a woman, she found it a bit odd to talk about such things in the presence of the opposite gender, but maybe that was just the product of her upbringing.


    After a while, everyone headed out to find a nice spot, before unleashing mana on the unfortunate area to create a bunch of pits. Nero¡¯s face took on an odd quality as everyone else got him to make a bunch of walls, but it was the unavoidable fate of being the strongest person in their little group.


    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve used my mana to make an outhouse,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°And it¡¯s not even an elegant one to boot. Bah. I¡¯ll just hold it in¡­¡±


    To be honest, Dia ¡ª and probably everyone else ¡ª had the same idea. Besides, they were mana-users, who rarely answered the call of nature to begin with. However, Farah was the kind to plan for all contingencies; what if some food was bad?


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    ¡°Okay, now that we¡¯re all settled, we¡¯ll head into the ancient battlefield.¡± Nero paused. ¡°Today, Schwarz is on duty, right? We¡¯ll be counting on you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You guys go ahead. I¡¯ll take this free time to prepare more drinks and water.¡±


    Before long, one of the huge carts that they had carried along had been loaded up with tools, containers of water and their lunch, which was more smoked meat. Leaving the blue dome. Dia and the others made their way to the ancient battlefield, which was¡­quite obvious in the day.


    ¡°It¡¯s like another world,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Nero pointed at the boundary that divided the nice bright sky from a grey one. ¡°This is a ruined divine kingdom that belonged to Hope. When the God of Hope perished, his divine kingdom latched onto the land in which he fell to prolong its own existence. It fed off the essence of Hope in order to live, releasing innumerable amounts of lifeforce.¡±


    He paused. ¡°As if there wasn¡¯t enough lifeforce here. I¡¯ve briefed you guys while we made our way here, but I¡¯m just going to say it a few more times just to be sure. There are three things to look out for in general ¡ª random outbursts of mana, echoes of the past and the God of Hope¡¯s passing. When the last one occurs, lower your head and cease all movement. Only when the lightning really stops can you look up.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Farah¡¯s voice carried an odd quality. ¡°We know.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Nero looked around cautiously. ¡°Best for us to maintain caution at all times, though. Don¡¯t forget that there¡¯s a familiar spirit that may or may not be chasing us too.¡±


    The boundary between day and eternal gloom closed in on them as they walked, and Dia could feel a faint, oppressive power. It was different from when mana-users drove their mana; this power was one that brooked no resistance whatsoever. Simply walking closer was enough to stir her fear over and over again, but this was nothing compared to Black God¡¯s Gaze, which had directly forced a crippling terror into her mind.


    ¡°Reminds me of the first time we approached Nachtville, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Dia asked, glancing at Risti.


    ¡°What happened then?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°Someone used Black God¡¯s Gaze on us and we nearly died,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Was that you?¡±


    ¡°¡­I wish I can give you a definite answer to that,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Not your fault. Besides, the perpetuator is already dead.¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s more than good enough.¡±


    Farah nodded. ¡°It was quite intense, though. You were walking here like bait, while the real mastermind was watching from the shadows. And then someone killed the mastermind, and the whole scheme came crashing down.¡±


    ¡°Why did the Third even do that anyway?¡± Dia wondered. ¡°I mean, you don¡¯t go pulling stunts like that without a reason, right? That fellow must have a grudge or an overall goal to do so much.¡±


    ¡°Maybe that person had a Moon loose or something.¡± Nero shook his head. ¡°Who knows?¡±


    Their banter drew to a close as they approached the boundary that demarcated the ancient battlefield. According to Nero, this battlefield was a bit more dangerous due to the God of Hope¡¯s death, but the rewards were far more bountiful than most other ancient battlefields. It definitely didn¡¯t help that there were over four hundred thousand buried here, since the lifeforce that lingered here also fuelled odd visions and occurrences.


    ¡°Nervous?¡± Nero asked, looking at everyone. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We just need to keep our wits up.¡±


    ¡°The first time isn¡¯t the most dangerous time,¡± Risti added. ¡°It¡¯s when you¡¯ve done it enough times that it seems routine. When you¡¯ve let your guard down. As long as everyone stays vigilant throughout every trip here, and respects the dangers present, we¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Not the first time, huh.¡± Nero nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll keep those words in mind.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about you specifically, but you are indeed the person who is the most likely to be careless, and it¡¯s not due to your character.¡±


    Nero nodded. ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m the strongest around these parts. And more importantly, because of the conception that I am strong.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you got that down,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°Just get me some top-quality booze from Schwarz later, and I¡¯ll recite that mantra all day long,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Okay, that was just a turn of phrase¡­anyway, I¡¯ll keep my eyes peeled. You guys shouldn¡¯t slack off either, alright? We all need to do our part.¡±


    ¡°Hear, hear.¡±


    After a minute to calm their nerves, Dia and the others stepped across the boundary, and roaring thunder filled their ears. It was incredible how the fulmination caused by lightning tearing through the skies had been stopped so cleanly at the boundary.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Nero asked, glancing at Farah, who was walking back and forth.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it interesting? I can hear you guys in here, but a step away and all is silent¡­¡±


    ¡°It is, but we shouldn¡¯t play around¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just academic interest,¡± Farah replied. ¡°This is really impressive, though¡­alright, let¡¯s move on.¡±


    Dia rolled her eyes and followed everyone into the depths of the ancient battlefield.

 Chapter 396: Perils of ancient battlefields

    The oppressive atmosphere continued to intensify as Dia followed Nero and the others. The Holy Son of the Black God had erected a moving dome of mana, which served to protect them from any unruly gusts of mana.


    Thunder rumbled, and webs of lightning sundered the sky over and over again.


    ¡°Fortunately, the lightning doesn¡¯t strike down on us,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°The scenes you see above are in a different time and space; they are transient, ethereal visions of a past long gone.¡±


    He paused. ¡°The God of Hope¡¯s death is the reason behind such a phenomenon, and it¡¯s the only reason why we don¡¯t look up into the sky during his passing.¡±


    ¡°What happens if we look up?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I explain it to you guys before?¡± Nero made a little sound in his throat. ¡°Maybe I should go into more detail. Let¡¯s put it this way, shall we? On no account should one look at a descending divinity, because in that very moment, the divinity is laid bare for all to see. This information overloads the mind of anyone who takes it in, and their heads explode. Now, let¡¯s take it even further. The death of a god entails the pure unravelling of their mind, body and soul; if not controlled consciously, the sheer amount of information released will eradicate any mortal completely.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Your soul dissipates. The ultimate End, capital E. You cease to exist now and thereafter. The God of Hope¡¯s death back then was the reason behind why virtually no one made it out of this place. You are welcome to join these ancient ranks by looking up.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay, it¡¯s really scary¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you understand that,¡± Nero replied, looking around the place cautiously. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t just look straight ahead. We need to be careful that we are not caught in the middle of a battle.¡±


    Dia and the others nodded, and resuming their scanning. The battlefield of Hope¡¯s passing had been levelled smoothly, so a single sweep of their eyes was enough to take in a vast range of things.


    ¡°Alright, found it.¡± Nero made a smug chuckle. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s fill this cart up!¡±


    ¡°Prana jade?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Sure is.¡± Nero pointed at the patch of ground three metres to his northeast. ¡°See the purple-green mist? That¡¯s proof of prana right there. Let¡¯s go and dig it up.¡±


    Dia grabbed the spades and pickaxes and handed them out to everyone.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too engrossed in digging,¡± Nero warned. ¡°Look up every so often and make sure that we aren¡¯t in the middle of two enemy parties while we¡¯re digging. We won¡¯t last more than ten seconds in a crossfire.¡±


    ¡°That strong, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°And we aren¡¯t entering the centre of the battlefield. This is where the God of Hope perished. The ennea-folders who killed him won¡¯t be holding back.¡±


    Dia wondered about the Coloured God who had killed the God of Hope, but she really doubted that she was going to get an answer today. Hefting the spade, she and the others scooped away the dirt first, revealing a thick vein of purple-green light.


    ¡°Tadah! Prana jades right here.¡± Nero examined his pickaxe, and then nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about damaging it; prana jades will coalesce when they¡¯re done breaking down to form lots of similarly-sized lifestones. We¡¯ll start by digging up the whole vein, and then we¡¯ll break it into small pieces on level ground. Any questions?¡±


    He paused for a moment, and then gestured with his left hand. Mana poured out from it, wrapping the unearthed vein of purple-green rock and digging it out with absurd ease, despite the vein being the size of a few men. ¡°Done. Let¡¯s start breaking it down.¡±


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    Dia looked at the excavated vein of prana jade. ¡°It¡¯s such a weird shape. Like random clumps of rock stuck together.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really different from lifestone mines, aren¡¯t they?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Lifestones all have a nice shape and size, but this thing is so wild.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, prana jade veins tend to be very random,¡± Nero replied. ¡°No one knows why, though, but I know that the Saran Supreme actually has a collection of oddly shaped prana jade veins.¡±


    ¡°Why would the ruler of the Saran Supremacy have such a thing? That doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± Farah frowned, before chipping off a small, fist-sized prana jade. ¡°Is he just bored?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Nero replied. ¡°He¡¯s cranky, and I hear that he¡¯s very, very cruel as well.¡±


    ¡°Cruel, huh¡­¡±


    Metal continued to ring out as the four of them chipped away at the prana jade vein, creating small fragments that glowed with mystical power. With them working really hard, it didn¡¯t take long before the vein of prana jade had been reduced into small, purple-green rocks.


    Dia wrapped a bunch of them with her mana, before depositing them into the cart behind her. The others followed her actions, and before long, no proof that a prana jade vein once existed here remained.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t so bad,¡± Dia commented idly.


    ¡°Which is why miners work in groups and not alone,¡± Nero replied. ¡°And besides, it is just the first day and the first vein. Don¡¯t be so sure that this is easy, or else you might just burn out from swinging your arms too much.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a professional swordswoman,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I don¡¯t think tired arms will be an issue.¡±


    ¡°So certain.¡± Nero shook his head. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s move on. If we can fill up the cart early, we can go back to base earlier too!¡±


    ¡°You sound very excited about that last bit,¡± Risti muttered.


    ¡°You guys aren¡¯t?¡± Nero asked. ¡°But it¡¯s camping outdoors with you guys! There¡¯s a lot of things we can do other than mining prana jade! It¡¯s the first time we all went out to do something together, after all.¡±


    Dia looked at the excited Holy Son of the Black God, and then remembered that for all his maturity, all his power, he was younger than them by a few years. Given that he had lived a sheltered life, this was probably the first time he went into the wild without needing to execute an actual mission.


    She smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s all have fun when we¡¯re done with today¡¯s load, then.¡±


    The others glanced at her once.


    ¡°Yeah, that sounds fun,¡± Farah replied. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve always wanted to create a really huge fire when I was young. Stack up lots of firewood and watch them burn. It¡¯s pretty.¡±


    ¡°You sound like you¡¯ve done that before,¡± Risti observed.


    ¡°W-well, it was during the harvest festival in Farah County,¡± the countess replied. ¡°But they never let me do much. Still, there was one time when they piled up the wood and then attached a string to it.¡±


    ¡°A string?¡± Nero asked. ¡°Wait, did they try to attach a flaming ball on a hook and then slide it down?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Farah¡¯s eyes glittered. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°We did that too!¡±


    As the two sheltered fellows talked about campfires excitedly, Dia took over the role of scanning for danger. Fortunately, nothing happened, and before long, the two fire-crazy fellows calmed down and made a few awkward chuckles.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Farah rubbed her nose. ¡°Anyway, we should have an actual campfire, not just a fire pit for cooking.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Risti smiled. ¡°It won¡¯t take much effort if we all go out and gather the materials. I¡¯m sure there¡¯ll be some animals we encounter on the way, so just kill them and bring them back too!¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a good idea,¡± Dia noted. ¡°Ah! That¡¯s another vein, right?¡±


    Everyone looked at the steady column of purple-green light, and Nero¡¯s face returned to normal. With his youthful smile now gone, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s head over, but be careful. That¡¯s a huge vein of prana jade. With the amount of prana it¡¯s leaking out, all sorts of visions may come to life.¡±


    Nodding, Dia scanned her environment over and over again as they closed in on the pillar of purple-green light.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Nero raised a hand. ¡°Look. There. Do you see those people on the high ground? Those are the echoes I told you guys abou¡ª¡±


    Blue light glittered around the indistinct figures, and the ground shook as they unleashed gigantic bolts of light southwards.


    ¡°Get down!¡± Nero screamed, before throwing himself onto the ground. Dia followed suit instantly, and everyone lay prone as gigantic blobs of mana came from the south, landing not too far from them. A ring of mana surged outwards from the impact zone a moment later as the retaliatory attacks landed on the barriers around these indistinct figures.


    Dia felt a chill run down her spine. If they had been standing up, the ring would have passed through their necks, and from the urgency in Nero¡¯s voice¡­this mana was probably as real as their own.


    ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s hurry over and dig this huge vein out before anything else happens. The amount of prana here is so much that it might even spontaneously generate more phenomena, so keep a look out.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move, then!¡±

 Chapter 397: The safest method is through brute force

    With a resounding thunderclap, the black rift that blocked the staircase collapsed onto itself, sending out pulsating rifts of light. Claud immediately pressed on forwards, a feeling of surrealism infecting his entire mind as he and another shadow stormed up the blocked staircase and burst onto the fourth floor.


    Panting, Claud unclenched his fist and said, ¡°The first time we went there wasn¡¯t as intense as this.¡±


    ¡°But we came in our true body that time, and we nearly died.¡± The sound of Lily bouncing off the barrier below them entered his ears, and he knew that she had laid down on their makeshift bed entirely. The two of them had done them enough times for him to pick out such actions immediately, and Claud reached out ¡ª while still wearing his Second Shadow ¡ª to rub her head.


    ¡°Still,¡± Claud replied, ¡°it¡¯s a good thing that we used the Second Shadows. Otherwise, we would have actually died for real. In fact, I¡¯m already getting used to being killed in that horrible way.¡±


    Lily paused. ¡°We¡¯ve died ten times on the top floor already. I¡¯m not sure if getting used to it is a good idea.¡±


    They enjoyed their little break for a while, before Lily got up. ¡°Let¡¯s try to breach that hidden area once more!¡±


    For the past week or so ¡ª time was not easy to tell when they were in the Celestia Ruins ¡ª Claud and Lily had used the Second Shadows to explore the Office of the Secretary-General. They had already retraced their initial steps and made it to the top floor a few times, but they hadn¡¯t learned anything new. Sometimes, they would take a break and work on their attempts to take out one of those artefacts that looked like a Comms Console, but they would still be killed afterwards.


    Fortunately, their attempts to take one of those artefacts with them were growing easier and easier. Before long, the artefact would be out of the room entirely, and that would be it.


    Claud shook his head and roused himself from his musings, before nodding. ¡°Let¡¯s check out that hidden area once more.¡±


    Clenching his fist, Claud¡¯s vision shifted from the darkness caused by wearing what was essentially a magical blindfold to the interior of the Secretary-General building. Once again, they were back on a sleek, aesthetically luxurious third floor, and the two of them continued on their hiking trip to the topmost floor.


    There weren¡¯t any traps there, as usual. The highest floor of the Secretary-General building was actually a flat plaza, with only a crystalline dome at the very middle. While every floor usually had a twelve-pointed star in the middle for aesthetics, the crystalline dome ¡ª the office of the titular Secretary-General ¡ª occupied the position of the star itself.


    It glimmered with faint, false lights as Claud and Lily approached the building. If they had come here in person, opening the door would trigger the massive, mind-blowing vision that showed the final days of this ruin. Three divine beings, who tore down the heart of Celestia and tore it into irrevocable pieces, would appear in their eyes once more. They would tear through the defences, strike at a golden light, and reality would come to an end.


    Fortunately, Claud and Lily had come here using their Second Shadows, which meant that they wouldn¡¯t be able to view those visions. They didn¡¯t have the intention of viewing these visions either, especially since not watching these visions turned the interior of the dome into an entirely different place altogether.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°On you!¡± Lily¡¯s spirited, distant voice echoed in his ear, and Claud nodded to himself. Pushing out against the door, the two of them immediately ducked down, and rushing bolts of purple-green light tore through where their heads used to be.


    In a methodical fashion, the two of them continued to sidestep and dodge the incoming bolts of purple-green light, which followed a fixed pattern. It was evident that this whole thing was more of a standardised defence against intruders who had somehow bypassed the visions somehow.


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    After dodging a particularly huge lance of purple-green light, Claud glanced at the shadow Lily was using and then threw himself onto the ground. They slid forward, just in time to dodge a torrent of energy that tore through the area right above them.


    Three seconds later, purple-green spikes shot out of the ground that they had been standing on earlier on. This was a particularly nasty trap; Claud and Lily had died twice to this point. The first one was, of course, the huge torrent of energy, which they had initially dealt with by throwing themselves on the floor. However, before they could move on from there, a bunch of spikes had torn through their prone forms, destroying the shadows.


    This time, they had come prepared.


    Getting to their feet, Claud and Lily burst into motion, running headlong towards the end of the corridor. Since they didn¡¯t know what followed after this point, the best way onwards was to cover as much distance as possible and trigger as many mechanisms as possible.


    Regular bolts of light continued to harass them as Claud charged onwards, with Lily right by his side as they memorised the firing pattern of these bolts. Fortunately, however, it seemed that the last nasty trap was that prone-plus-poke segment, and the two of them soon arrived at the end of the corridor.


    Disappointingly, the mechanism that had been hurling bolts of purple-green light was nowhere to be found. The end of the corridor was simply another door, but unlike the pristine ones that had been seen everywhere in this building, this particular door showed signs of age.


    Claud glanced at Lily¡¯s shadow once, and then reached out for the knob. The door squeaked as they pushed it open, revealing a dim room that was littered with all kinds of things.


    A simple sweep revealed many odd items. Weird metal parts had been strewn all around the place, and as he took a few steps forward, Claud saw two glowing glass tubes at the far end of the messy room. These adult-sized tubes were giving off purple-green light, with all sorts of pipes and wires hooked up to them.


    One of these glass tubes was filled entirely with liquid, while the other had a five-pointed, fist-sized star floating in the middle. Claud paused a moment later, and a memory rushed through his mind.


    A frozen throne, with Throne, Crown and¡­a cracked, five-pointed star.


    Claud took in that sight slowly. ¡°It reminds me of your Throne, Lily.¡±


    There was a brief pause. ¡°Yeah. Just that it¡¯s a star or something.¡±


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s see if we can get the little fellow out, then.¡± Claud returned his attention to the tube and examined it slowly. There were a few buttons here and there on the panel, and what looked like an hourglass was glittering on the glassy part.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost running out, but there¡¯s a tantalising green button there,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°It¡¯s glowing and everything too. Should I press it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s green, right?¡± Lily asked. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be danger. Usually, glowing red buttons represent danger, not green.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Claud pressed the button once, and the purple-green liquid bubbled and frothed. The motionless star hanging in the middle shook once, before the frothing mix obscured it from view entirely.


    At the same time, the room began to shake.


    ¡°Run!¡± Claud shouted, grabbing the items on the table randomly. His focus was on a bunch of books, but since they could hold more items than his hands, most of the odds and ends ended up on the books, a few dropping onto the ground as he fled the room with Lily.


    Even with his senses dulled, Claud could tell that the whole thing was about to break apart, and the two didn¡¯t stop for a second round of gathering random items.


    Fortunately, they made it out of the room, but before he could even heave a sigh of relief, a glint appeared on Claud¡¯s shoulder, and his vision lit up with a purple light.


    The purple light intensified over the next second, blinding the two of them directly. Before Claud could shout out in alarm, the glow had vanished, and the first floor of the Secretary-General building appeared all around them.


    A little star meeped away happily, orbiting around Claud¡¯s head. The surrealism he had felt at the start of this exploration doubled down, and for a moment, he felt too light-headed to actually think properly.


    Staring at the sentient shape, Claud looked at the books in his hands and


    ¡°What the¡­never mind. Let¡¯s bring our spoils back first.¡± After sparing another thought at the happy little star, he and Lily directed their Second Shadows back to their base.


    It didn¡¯t take long before they retrieved their spoils of war, which was a whole bunch of mysterious metal parts and a star.


    ¡°¡­Okay, we¡¯re becoming a collector of sentient objects.¡± Lily, who had removed the Second Shadow from her head, looked at the three shapes that were meeping away happily. ¡°This is getting ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    The three shapes looked at Lily, who immediately gave up.


    Claud stifled the urge to laugh, and then checked his status. There, under his passive skills, was the skill ¡®Artificial Life Contractor¡¯. It was the same as Lily¡¯s, and¡­he did see a star frozen in his throne, back when he was the Frozen Emperor.


    A sobering thought, to be sure.

 Chapter 398: Another member of the family

    ¡°I don¡¯t recall having this skill,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Maybe something changed? I saw a star in my throne¡­maybe you were the one who contracted it initially. Maybe the future changed because I knew about it or something, but this is quite the weird and small change. Huh.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°You did say something along these lines. However, it will not do to get careless. After all, these things might just be small changes that won¡¯t affect the overall progression of things.¡±


    ¡°Good point.¡± Claud looked at his status once more, and then at the three little shapes that were frolicking around happily. ¡°Still, it really feels like we¡¯re a caretaker of funny little lifeforms.¡±


    He held up his arm. ¡°Come here, guys!¡±


    The three shapes meeped happily and charged at him, before changing course and nestling in his hair instead.


    Claud blinked twice, speechless, and then immediately figured out that the little star had been taught by its two seniors about the best sleeping spot for them.


    ¡°Does my hair look like a nest?¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t earlier, but it sure does look like one now,¡± Lily replied brightly.


    ¡°Just because my hair is short¡­¡± Claud reached out for the three little shapes and popped them on his hand. ¡°Can you three not rush things? I haven¡¯t even decided on a name for the youngest one yet!¡±


    ¡°Meep?¡± Crown started to spin on its edge, and Throne immediately bounced up to eye-level, orbiting his head immediately. Only the little star remained on his hand docilely, and Claud couldn¡¯t help but think that this was the most obedient little fellow of the three.


    ¡°Yeah, meep.¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°Lily, stop your Artificial Life from orbiting my head. I¡¯m getting dizzy.¡±


    At his words, Throne immediately started to whirl around Lily¡¯s head instead. Rolling her eyes, Lily captured the little silvery ball and set it down on the barrier-slash-bed. ¡°Just stay here for a while, okay? You¡¯re so hyperactive.¡±


    ¡°Right? Feels like a family of three children, sheesh.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°Alright, so you¡¯re left¡­Lily, any ideas of what we should call this guy?¡±


    ¡°We have Crown, Throne¡­let¡¯s call this little fellow Sceptre! The one that Emperor Grandis has. It¡¯s a grand name, after all.¡± Lily chuckled. ¡°Now we just need a mantle or something. Do you think we¡¯ll find any more Artificial Lives?¡±


    Claud looked at Sceptre. ¡°What do you think of the name?¡±


    The star pondered for a moment, and then hopped twice on his palm, disrupting Crown¡¯s spinning at the same time. Clearly, the star was impressed by Lily¡¯s naming sense, although Claud was sure that she was inspired by the overall theme.


    Right?


    ¡°So,¡± said Claud, ¡°Are there any more of you guys out there?¡±


    ¡°Meep?¡± The star jiggled.


    ¡°Huh. You¡¯re not sure¡­¡± Claud nodded. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll try to find more buddies for you guys if we come across them. Anyway, I suppose it¡¯s time to do introductions, so the three of you should gather around and formally introduce yourselves!¡±


    Lily looked at him. ¡°Just to check, but did you once work at a school for children? You sure seem very practiced at this! You remind me of my teachers when I was younger!¡±


    ¡°Do I?¡± Claud smiled. ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say that before I got involved with Tot and everything, I did at one point think of becoming a schoolteacher¡­well, that was before my life came apart.¡±


    Lily looked at him, and then shifted closer. ¡°Tell me more?¡±


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Claud looked at her concerned face, and then smiled. ¡°Sure.¡±


    After his mother passed away, he couldn¡¯t quite continue his education, and schools ¡ª private and public ones ¡ª wouldn¡¯t accept anyone who hadn¡¯t completed ten years of formal education.


    It was an unfortunate turn of events, but thanks to his education, which had helped him in the area of being more cautious and paranoid by making him constantly question everything, all turned out fairly well in the end. He eventually made a living by stealing from the rich, and donated some of his spoils to organisations who looked after orphans.


    One Thief of Time was enough.


    After he was done recounting his story, Lily patted his shoulder. ¡°Hearing your story makes me feel quite inferior now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not fair to say things like that. Most nobles don¡¯t really think about the commonfolk, not because they are heartless, but they really don¡¯t¡­perceive them.¡± Claud paused. ¡°Most of them, anyway. And besides, you had your own goal and agenda. Unlike me, you didn¡¯t have time to walk by the road and admire the flowers; you had a destination. I only had a multitude of paths, with no end in sight.¡±


    Lily chuckled. ¡°How philosophical.¡±


    ¡°You can keep complimenting me¡­anyway, we should investigate the story of these two fellows.¡± Claud looked at the three meeping shapes, who had huddled together in the little bed-box that the two of them had made for Crown and Throne. From the looks of it, they were now giving a part of their territory to the newcomer, which warmed the cockles of Claud¡¯s heart.


    ¡°So adorable.¡± Claud let out a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s like watching two older siblings fawning over the youngest one.¡±


    Lily nodded her head rapidly. ¡°Well, while they¡¯re having fun amongst themselves, let¡¯s go look at their origins. You brought a bunch of books and items back, right? We should go through them.¡±


    Nodding, Claud turned to the barrier that served as their table. A lot of weird items were piled up together. Some of them seemed like complete items, while others seemed like parts, but no matter which category they fell into, one could not deny their workmanship.


    He picked up a book and blinked at its title. ¡°Sentience Attachment Theory. Sounds like one of those really complicated books.¡±


    ¡°Mine¡¯s worse,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯s called Existence Manipulation, and the first page is full of symbols and words I cannot understand. I recognise them as words, but I don¡¯t know their meaning.¡±


    Claud passed her his book and took the one in her hands. ¡°Existence, as defined by an object of mass¡­something-something. What¡¯s this symbol supposed to mean? Why¡¯s there a random X there?¡±


    He looked at Lily, who shook her head too. ¡°I¡¯ve no idea. And this thing is worse. It¡¯s some philosophical book that makes use of terms I¡¯ve never heard off before. Subject-Object Relational Theory ¡ª nice, but what is it about?¡±


    After spending another few minutes to complain to each other ¡ª and enjoying the process at the same time ¡ª Claud and Lily picked up more books. Virtually all of them, however, were largely decipherable to only people who were in these circles to begin with, and there wasn¡¯t any dummy¡¯s guide to understanding these books in the ones he¡¯d brought back.


    ¡°This one has no title,¡± Lily pointed out. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be a textbook¡­yeap. It¡¯s a personal log? Oh, it¡¯s a record of letters.¡±


    ¡°Letters?¡± Claud craned his neck. ¡°Hmm. Seems like the author is very devoted to the other party, though. Normally, one does not write a letter on a book. Whoever Diary is, that person is probably quite the lucky one.¡±


    ¡°Should we do that too? Write letters to each other?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re stuck together all day. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll need to write letters¡­but I think we could try to write records about what happened every day.¡± Claud bobbed his head. ¡°Assuming we don¡¯t get lazy about it. I hear writers ¡ª professional ones that churn out books ¡ª do get tired easily.¡±


    ¡°We could try that, I suppose? Still, putting things in writing is quite dangerous,¡± Lily noted. ¡°Imagine if an imaginary enemy got their hands on these things. Wouldn¡¯t we be in deep trouble?¡±


    ¡°Good point. I was thinking of that, actually. Maybe we just write the little things, or we use a code for ourselves.¡±


    The two of them discussed the issue at length for a little while more, and then turned back to the record of those letters.


    ¡°Hmm. The author of these letters is quite unrestrained, huh.¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°I, for one, wouldn¡¯t even use such crude language in writing to someone close to me.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a cultural thing,¡± Lily suggested. ¡°Still, it feels like the author is really lackadaisical about all sorts of things, though. Is this the trajectory of language development in a universe far more advanced than ours?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± Claud flipped to the next page. ¡°Bingo. ¡®Today, by order of the Ruler of Beyond, I have embarked on the integration of mechanical, organic and energy life. These categories of life are full-fledged and self-sustaining, but to create a nascent lifeform on such an artificial level is banned by the four Transcendent Civilisations. Discovery is no different from execution, but this is the unexplored path to Boundlessness. The ban persists for a reason.¡¯¡±


    Claud looked at the little fellows frolicking around. He didn¡¯t know what Boundlessness was, but it definitely sounded really important¡­but the fact that these little fellows were the apparent key to it made him raise an eyebrow.


    ¡°Sounds impressive.¡±


    ¡°Right? I still don¡¯t quite believe that the two of them are the key to this Boundlessness, whatever it is.¡± Claud paused. ¡°And there¡¯s still one more question, isn¡¯t there?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lily looked at the little box. ¡°What exactly is Crown?¡±

 Chapter 399: Vegetables in an artificial city

    That question was a good one, but to be honest, Claud had never attached any expectations of duty to the little fellows. He didn¡¯t pick them up and bring them around because they were the key to some great power or whatever schtick they were made for.


    He only brought them around because they were also alive and needed a caretaker¡­and also because they were adorable and just what his monotonous life needed.


    ¡°Meep?¡± Crown asked, expressing some curiosity.


    ¡°Hmm? I don¡¯t really care what you are, though, despite my curiosity. You three are Crown, Throne and Sceptre, and that¡¯s all that matters,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t worry about your destiny or whatever. Just have fun and hang around together,¡± Lily added. ¡°Go on! You three should talk more. And if you find more of your kind, you three better be good older siblings!¡±


    The little shapes meeped happily, and then bounced around the little box, nuzzling up to each other like children. Claud smiled at that sight, and then let out a huge yawn. ¡°I¡¯m tired. Fortunately, there¡¯s only one objective left.¡±


    Lily nodded with a similarly huge yawn. ¡°We¡¯re leaving after grabbing that thing. And when we reach the inn, I¡¯m going to¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªwash up, bury my face in an actual bed¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªand hug you to sleep.¡± Lily paused. ¡°It seems like nothing can beat a real bed, huh?¡±


    ¡°Rather, nothing can beat civilisation. It¡¯s dangerous in a city, but it can¡¯t be as dangerous as living here¡­¡± Claud let out another yawn. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to bring back some potatoes from the nearby farm. You take a rest or something while I handle the food.¡±


    ¡°You did that yesterday, though,¡± Lily pointed out.


    ¡°Do we really need to keep track of things like this?¡± Claud grinned. ¡°I don¡¯t want to tire you out, see? And besides, it¡¯s not an issue. Go and relax for a while. I¡¯ll go bring back some food.¡±


    Jiggling his shoulders, Claud got up. If he had a choice, he would have used the Second Shadow instead, but the resulting shadow had a fraction of his true strength. By the time he got to the farm, plucked out a bunch of vegetables and came back, a few hours would have passed.


    It was far easier and quicker for him to just manawalk the way there, and to begin with, there were no recorded dangers along the path either. It was just a long, never-ending road that lasted for around ten kilometres there and back.


    A short distance for the real him, but a few hours to the shadow.


    After poking the three little fellows on their heads, he left the barrier-base and broke into a fast jog, enhanced by mana. Every step brought him a great distance onwards, and after around fifteen minutes, he had arrived at the field of potatoes.


    ¡°Still feels as out of place as the first time I saw it,¡± Claud muttered. The field of green and brown stuck out like a sore thumb in a town made of metal. To make matters worse, he could even see a few automatons roving around the field ¡ª they did that all day ¡ª tending to the farm for some weird, inexplicable reason.


    This was the main danger in the farm. As long as one showed the potatoes respect, they would not be in any harm whatsoever, but if one were to act destructively¡­well, there were a few ways of dying, and Celestia had dozens of weird methods of killing people.


    He stopped at the fence and planned his route. As a rule of thumb, picking from the outer layers of the field was far safer than venturing inside, since there were records of people being attacked after they stepped on a potato by accident. Therefore, after a few untimely injuries and deaths, people had learned to just pick potatoes that were lying around the outer parts of the field.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Claud wasn¡¯t going to go against the wisdom that had been bought with blood. In fact, he wasn¡¯t even going to step foot in the field.


    Mana wriggled out of his hands, forming over twenty strands that stabbed into the soil. Within seconds, he had retrieved a bunch of potatoes, which the strands of mana deposited into a small bag he¡¯d brought along. There were a few other types of vegetables grown here, and after repeating the same actions a few times, the bag he¡¯d brought had been filled.


    Nodding once to the hardworking automatons, Claud turned around and began to manawalk back. He slowed down this time, however, and took the chance to take in the odd, mysterious sights within this city. Other than the main plaza, this city had lots of tall buildings, each of them potentially a repository of important artefacts and information. Unfortunately, these buildings were quite dangerous too, and to make matters worse, there were very few records about the buildings here and the traps they concealed.


    The plaza and the Secretary-General¡¯s office were widely documented, since they were eye-catching places that were often the first targets to explore. However, as one moved away from the plaza, information related to the innumerable buildings around it fell precipitously. In fact, the only reason why someone managed to find this potato field was because someone with a food-searching skill had gone out of their way to look for food.


    Something about understanding the diet in Celestia. It was quite the obsession, if nothing else, considering how someone followed their skill ten kilometres to arrive at a bloody potato field.


    Every building he passed by sent a sense of faint danger down his spine, and Claud forced himself to focus on the road again as he mana-walked back. To be honest, if this place wasn¡¯t stuffed with danger, he would have properly gotten everyone to just live here permanently.


    Letting out a sigh, he returned to the plaza.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Norn, who was returning to the plaza with her party members in tow, raised a hand. ¡°Dinner?¡±


    ¡°Yeap.¡± Claud looked at the Seekers of Truth. ¡°Anything good?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much, but we did find a bunch of random items. I¡¯m going to have to identify them later,¡± Norm replied.


    Her stomach growled at that moment, and the veteran mercenary rubbed her tummy, before glaring at her teammates, who looked away. ¡°Talk to you later. I¡¯m starving!¡±


    Claud looked at the little party. There was probably a story or two in the whole thing ¡ª maybe everyone forgot to bring provisions or something ¡ª and he chuckled.


    ¡°Hey, catch!¡± Picking out three potatoes, Claud tossed them at Norn, who caught them without even turning around.


    ¡°Thanks, Claud! Much appreciated!¡±


    Waving goodbye to her, Claud returned to his base, where Lily was already preparing some stew with their dwindling supply of meat. The only thing that this place lacked was a never-ending source of meat, so they had to make do with their stores instead. Without any wild animals to hunt, Claud and Lily could only ration out their good stuff and make savoury vegetable stews in return. Potatoes were great staple foods, but the rest of the vegetables had a slightly bitter quality, which could only be remedied through some spices.


    ¡°I¡¯m not even going to ask what you brought back.¡± Lily shot him a grin. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m making meat floss stew today. Cut that up really finely and boiled the product.¡±


    Claud looked at the boiling stew, before removing the vegetables from the bag. Raising his hands, he drove his mana to the limit and produced more wriggling strands of mana, which stilled and hardened as he focused his will on them. Blue light flashed, and the vegetables came apart into tiny, well-sliced pieces.


    ¡°Show-off.¡±


    ¡°You can try it, though,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It won¡¯t be as good as mine yet, but you¡¯ll improve over time.¡±


    ¡°You practiced like this?¡± Lily asked, suspicious. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you do something like that before, though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never practiced like that before,¡± Claud clarified.


    ¡°Okay, so I¡¯m not practicing that either.¡± Lily bobbed her head. ¡°I¡¯m just following your footsteps, see? There has to be a reason why your Mana Control Proficiency is this high?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I have Absolute One?¡± Claud suggested.


    Lily twitched.


    ¡°I also have a mana-related skill or two,¡± Claud added. ¡°You¡¯ll need to pick them up somehow.¡±


    Lily sent a withering look at Claud, and then turned to the vegetables. ¡°You¡¯re making it sound far easier than it has any right to be, okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m not a good reference.¡± Claud pondered. ¡°But I think controlling small strands of mana perfectly is a good starting point. And besides, you really do need to train your mana control, or at least your fine mana control. It¡¯ll help you draw your next circuit better.¡±


    Lily made a sad noise.


    ¡°I¡¯ll accompany you, okay?¡± Claud asked. ¡°We¡¯re not sleeping tonight!¡±


    ¡°No can do. It¡¯s dangerous.¡± Lily paused. ¡°We¡¯ll practice until we¡¯re tired. And there¡¯s no night and day here anyway.¡±


    Claud paused for a moment. ¡°True¡­¡±

 Chapter 400: The moment before the harvest

    The next few days went by, with their efforts dedicated to making their way to the office, dragging the weird artefact out, and then dying a moment later. It was a bit masochistic, when Claud reflected on their actions, but when he brought that up to Lily, Lily pointed out that there wasn¡¯t any pain when the Second Shadows they occupied were killed.


    Therefore, it wasn¡¯t masochistic.


    Granted, the word itself meant a quality of deriving pleasure from pain, and it carried sexual connotations, so his use was more colloquial than anything else. At any rate, however, today was a special day.


    ¡°We ran out of meat, huh,¡± Lily frowned. ¡°We¡¯ve been rationing it too¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, today¡¯s the day when we can finally grab that damn artefact out, so I guess we might as well do so and then pack up,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I really miss an actual bed now. Barriers are good substitutes, but they aren¡¯t quite the real deal¡­it¡¯s psychological!¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go back after today, then. We¡¯re out of provisions anyway. It¡¯s been fun, though. If only the ruins weren¡¯t this dangerous¡­right, how many days has it been? It¡¯s going to be Gibbous Moon soon, right?¡±


    ¡°Put that way¡­damn, we¡¯re already eight months into this year.¡± Claud wiped a bead of imaginary sweat off his forehead. ¡°Whew! And¡­the Trial of Aeons will soon be starting. At the start of the year.¡±


    ¡°Two seasons from Gibbous Moon.¡± Lily grimaced. ¡°And of course, let¡¯s not forget about the Moons, who will be descending once this season is over. This war is going to span decades and centuries, but it already feels like a huge mess.¡±


    She paused. ¡°If it was up to you, how would you stop it?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Claud looked at Lily. ¡°Before I came to know about the Moonlit and Shadowed Ones, I would have just pulled out Absolute One and blasted as many targets as I could within ten seconds. Now, however¡­¡±


    Claud fell silent. He had been avoiding this topic for a long time, to the extent that he didn¡¯t even want to think about it.


    ¡°You¡­don¡¯t want to think about it?¡± Lily probed.


    ¡°We have more important things on our plate,¡± Claud replied. ¡°The Red God and everything, remember? And besides, the Bearers of Destiny still need to duke it out. I¡¯m going to go with the flow. All I have to do is to get rid of everyone else.¡±


    He paused. ¡°We can¡¯t wait it out, since they¡¯ll all just withdraw into their shells or something. Unfortunate, but that¡¯s how it is.¡±


    ¡°Killing, huh. You were never comfortable with taking lives,¡± Lily muttered.


    Claud slapped his cheeks twice, and then got up. ¡°Let¡¯s not think about this for now. We have a weird artefact to bring back, and once it¡¯s here, we can check it out all we like! Assuming, of course, we can bring it here without dying.¡±


    ¡°Pessimism aside, it is a bit bulky, though. Bringing it with us is going to be a pain.¡± Lily made a face. ¡°I wish we had a storage artefact. This is really getting to me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll occupy a backpack, that¡¯s for sure. We really need to look into things that have an expanded interior.¡± Claud frowned. ¡°I¡¯ll go and ask Norn. She definitely knows where to get one.¡±


    He got up. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a moment.¡±


    Popping out of their base, he glanced at the yellow cube. Norn¡¯s party members were lounging around outside, apparently waiting for their leader to be done with her own preparations. Hein, who was wearing a hood and playing with a dagger, glanced at him as he approached, a hint of warning in his eyes.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Morning.¡± Claud nodded at them. ¡°Is Norn busy? I¡¯ve a bunch of questions.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll be out in a jiffy,¡± Skald replied, her mask obscuring her facial expression.


    ¡°Wait here,¡± Hein added, before returning to the dagger, which was now flipping around his fingers at a blinding speed. He was clearly an accomplished warrior in his own right, which made him a danger up close. Claud, who was simply winging it with artefacts and skillsticks, didn¡¯t think that he could handle this danger-wielding fellow up close.


    If it came to a duel of mana, however, Claud was more than willing to play around. Of course, this wasn¡¯t the right place or the right time to do that, and besides, he was here to ask for help, not for a spar.


    Before he could pull out a strand of mana to play around with, the door opened, and Norn stepped out. ¡°Ah, Claud! You need something?¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°We need to know where to get storage artefacts. We¡¯re still using normal backpacks and everything, but it¡¯s becoming restrictive.¡±


    Norn paused. ¡°You¡¯ll have to head to a dukedom capital for that. Most artificers capable of making such things are residing in dukedom or sovereignty capitals.¡±


    ¡°I see. Any recommendations?¡±


    ¡°I would give you some, but I got my artefacts from the Voidum Sovereignty,¡± Norn replied. ¡°I also got some from Saran itself fifteen years ago.¡±


    Claud grimaced. ¡°Damn.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to tell you much¡­but hold on for a moment.¡± She went back into the yellow house, and then went out with a ring. ¡°For you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a storage ring,¡± Norn replied. ¡°I never did pay you back for the Second Shadow, and I don¡¯t need this anyway. I got a really awesome storage artefact in Voidum a few years ago; it has a hundred cubic metres of space, freezes time of everything stored inside and is also in a shape of a ring.¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    ¡°In contrast, this only has eight cubic metres.¡± Norn paused, and then hurriedly said, ¡°It¡¯s still a lot, though!¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, this is plenty enough for us,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I won¡¯t turn it down or anything¡­this is really more than enough for us!¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re the straightforward kind, aren¡¯t you? Usually, people dither on and off about taking and not taking it.¡± Norn smiled. ¡°Your kind¡¯s better.¡±


    ¡°Well, we are busy people, after all. You¡¯re off to do something, right? I don¡¯t want to hold you up, and I do want this storage ring.¡± Claud looked at it. ¡°How do I use it?¡±


    ¡°To open it, just tap the square gem once, and you¡¯ll be able to project a huge space into the area around you. Place whatever you need inside, and then tap the gem again to dismiss it.,¡± Norn replied. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure how it actually works, though.¡±


    Claud touched the gem, and then nodded. A translucent white box appeared in front of him immediately, one that was taller than him. ¡°What happens if someone stands inside?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll take far longer to retract the space,¡± Norn replied. ¡°And there¡¯s only a limited supply of air inside. Don¡¯t think of using this on an enemy either; the gem is fragile. If someone attacks it with all their might, the gem will break. At best, you can transport unconscious people around.¡±


    Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°This is abnormally useful for kidnappings.¡±


    ¡°So it is. But those who can buy it normally won¡¯t need to kidnap people for ransom anyway,¡± Norn replied. ¡°Anyway, see you guys around.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll probably be leaving soon,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We¡¯re out of meat.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I see. That¡¯s indeed one of the more common reasons for ending one¡¯s expedition in the Celestia Ruins,¡± Norn noted. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t let me keep you here. Once again, thank you for the Second Shadow. It¡¯s been proving to be a real asset in our exploration.¡±


    ¡°Same here,¡± Claud replied, retracting the space. ¡°This storage ring is going to be very useful for our future expeditions. Thank you so much for it.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Norn patted his back. ¡°Alright, we shall be going now. Have a safe trip home, the two of you.¡±


    Chortling, she gestured at the others and left. Claud patted the ring happily, before heading back to the base.


    ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± Lily, who was playing with the three little fellows, looked at Claud. ¡°Found something related to storage artefacts, I see!¡±


    Claud grinned. ¡°Better than that, actually. I got one from Norn!¡±


    He raised the ring, and then tapped the gem once. The translucent box appeared once more, eliciting a small cry of surprise from Lily and a whole lot of meeps from the three little fellows. ¡°This is the storage artefact that Norn gave us. As thanks for the Second Shadow!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go and thank her¡ª¡±


    ¡°She left the plaza, though,¡± Claud replied. ¡°They just went out to explore again. And¡­well, it¡¯s to thank us for the Second Shadow.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope she comes back before we leave, then.¡± Lily paused. ¡°I should leave a letter, at least. Do we have some paper lying around? I¡¯m going to pen my thanks. This is so convenient!¡±


    ¡°Still, it has limited applications in combat, so don¡¯t go stuffing everything into the storage ring.¡± Claud pondered for a moment. ¡°Combat artefacts still need to remain on our persons, but things like clothes and non-combat artefacts can go inside¡­still, I think I¡¯d still want to have the Refresher on my body¡­¡±


    He looked at the transparent space fondly. ¡°At any rate, we can now bring that artefact out now. And so much more with it too.¡±


    There so many more applications that he could think about too.


    Like his old trade, for instance.

 Chapter 401: The figure in the shadows

    After a few minutes or so, two Second Shadows were standing right outside a certain room, their eyes fixed on a certain artefact. It was quite the bulky item, and the two of them had ¡°died¡± quite a few times to bring it out to the doorway like this.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Whenever you are,¡± Lily replied, her voice distant. The Second Shadow muffled all senses, as usual, but the two of them knew that this would probably be the final, successful attempt at stealing this artefact. While they didn¡¯t quite know what it did, Claud was certain that it was an artefact that could store and display data and information.


    ¡°Alright. Brace ourselves.¡±


    Claud and Lily repositioned themselves slowly, making sure to not touch the artefact until the very last moment. Touching it was equivalent to death; they had proven this principle enough times.


    ¡°Say, what happens if it turns out that the part about killing whoever it touches isn¡¯t actually limited to the room?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the answer obvious?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Use your newfound storage ring and take it that way!¡±


    ¡°¡­While that sounds feasible, it also sounds very risky, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Claud replied. ¡°Let¡¯s hope that it¡¯s really limited to the room, though.¡±


    He lowered himself into a squat. Since he was occupying the Second Shadow, Claud didn¡¯t really care about falling over after pulling the thing out really hard. It wasn¡¯t as if his real back would be injured, although this was quite the dangerous state of mind to be employing.


    Mentally reminding himself to be careful, Claud took a deep breath. ¡°On the count of three, then. Three, two, one¡­now!¡±


    With a terrific tug, Claud pulled the artefact out of the room, and Lily, who was waiting for the whole thing to clear the door, immediately picked it up and made a break for it. After she whooshed past him, Claud rolled to his feet clumsily, before picking up the pace and chasing after her immediately.


    The alarm bells ringing in his head were doing a very good job at justifying his actions as he raced away from the building. Although he was in his Second Shadow, Claud didn¡¯t want to lose this avatar of sorts and waste a whole bunch of mana again. His job was to pick up the artefact if Lily¡¯s Second Shadow was destroyed for some reason; to die pointlessly from the growing sense of danger behind him would delay them by a day or something.


    Without warning, the roaring, quivering sense of dread stilled and vanished like a soap bubble.


    ¡°I¡¯m out! Bringing the artefact over right now!¡± Lily¡¯s cheery voice, though muted, smacked him in the face and made Claud grin.


    ¡°Nice,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to get my shadow to return¡ª¡±


    The interior of the building darkened, and without warning, the sense of dulled, muted sensations that plagued him whenever he used the Second Shadow vanished.


    A white world rose up all around him, and Claud felt his heart pound. Something had gone wrong; whatever mechanism that was behind this had managed to pull his actual consciousness from the safety net that was the Second Shadow.


    Shivers ran down his spine as a massive presence engulfed him, one that seemed to surpass even Lesser Half. His mind seemed to come to a standstill a heartbeat later, as an enormous snakelike figure coiled in mid-air and let out a massive roar.


    The coiling, intense figure shrunk down to the size of a human a few seconds later, and a shrouded figure appeared in front of Claud.


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    ¡°Who are you?¡± the shrouded figure asked.


    ¡°Me?¡± Claud¡¯s tongue moved on its own. ¡°I appeared here without warning.¡±


    ¡°You must be a thief, then,¡± the figure replied. ¡°What did you steal?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an explorer of ancient ruins.¡± Claud¡¯s mind raced. ¡°I took a¡­weird box-like thing, and the building went mad. Made it out, but then I suddenly just popped up here for some reason. What is this place? What am I doing here?¡±


    The figure paused. ¡°Who knows? Even I am not too sure who I am now.¡±


    ¡°¡­What happened?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Do you need any help?¡±


    A bout of laughter followed. ¡°I like you, boy. You are very interesting. You are the first person I¡¯ve met that would offer aid even when you¡¯re in such a circumstance. Is it fearlessness? Or is it confidence that your plight will ultimately be resolved?¡±


    Claud looked at the shrouded figure. ¡°I like to think it¡¯s the latter.¡±


    Laughing, the figure turned away. ¡°I am but a fragment of a fragment. There is little to actually think about. My days are peaceful, and I care not about what happens. But¡­I have a question. Where did you come from?¡±


    ¡°Where did I come from?¡± Claud asked. ¡°As in, before I came here?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Celestia Ruins,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Above the Nihila Sovereignty of the Grandis Empire.¡±


    The figure abruptly stilled. ¡°The Nihila Sovereignty¡­of the Grandis Empire? And this is a set of ruins, hmm? It seems that¡­I was successful, at least. At the very least, I can roughly guess what this place is.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so what is this place?¡± Claud asked.


    The figure looked at him, a sense of amusement radiating off his shrouded figure. ¡°We may be in the same space visually, but all is not as it seems. However, if you came to the Celestia Ruins to explore¡­I should warn you. The place you came from is almost certainly a superimposed reality. A place made from itself and its various iterations, made from looping cycles over and over again.¡±


    Claud narrowed his eyes. ¡°Can you elaborate?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you want me to?¡± the figure replied, a hint of warning in his words. ¡°Your mind will give way under the weight of this knowledge.¡±


    ¡°¡­Tell me what I can know, at least.¡±


    ¡°You would make me go this far?¡± the figure guffawed. ¡°Worry not, little one. The Celestia Ruins represent a possibility fixed in stone, but this possibility has not content with its fixed fate. With its will alone, this possibility has resisted for a dozen millennia, maybe more.¡±


    You might not even have said anything, right? You¡¯re just making the whole thing sound even more cryptic somehow! Tucking that complaint into the back of his mind, Claud looked around the place. ¡°So¡­um, can I leave?¡±


    ¡°...Sure. I¡¯m not sure how you came in, but there is a clear trail marking your entrance here,¡± the figure replied. ¡°However, before you leave, I shall¡­help you one time.¡±


    ¡°Help me?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Our meeting here is¡­a miracle of sorts.¡± The figure gestured with his left arm slowly. ¡°It will almost certainly never happen again¡­and things like this happen for a reason. The ripples in fate are spreading with the Axiom¡¯s passing, and one of those ripples have connected the two of us. Therefore, I will offer you help.¡±


    ¡°I do not understand.¡±


    ¡°Neither do I expect you to,¡± the figure replied. ¡°It¡¯ll be disturbing if you did. Now, you may have seen the final moments of this Celestia, yes? What strikes you the most?¡±


    Claud paused, and the vision he saw rushed into his head. The silvery hulks, the three beings in the middle, and¡ª


    ¡°That golden light.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The figure sighed. ¡°That golden light. It is the light of beginnings, the radiance of a mandated creation. For many, it will be a blessing, a promise of salvation. For you, however, it will be a curse, a promise of damnation. Be wary and prepared, little one. It will come for you. Do not rest on your laurels, and never relax. With a single thought, your world can fall apart.¡±


    As those words thundered through his head, Claud felt his head shake, and his vision blurred for a moment. The world around him began to fall apart, revealing a familiar darkness.


    The voice continued to speak, echoing in his ears even as the familiar sight of the plaza began to materialise in his eyes. ¡°All things have their own destinies. Whether you defy it or abide by it, your end will come all the same. Good luck, little one.¡±


    Silence fell in his head, and the muted darkness came apart. The sensations of Claud¡¯s barrier-bed and that of a metal band around his head came smashing into him a moment later, and he let out a groan.


    ¡°Claud?¡± A set of warm hands removed the Second Shadow from him instantly. ¡°What happened? Why are you so pale?¡±


    Claud raised his hands. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­somewhat, anyway. I just had a very weird encounter, that¡¯s all. Just now, something incredible happened to me. I think I saw a survivor of the Celestia Ruins, and that survivor was probably on the level of the Coloured Gods. Or at least Lesser Half.¡±


    Lily looked at him. ¡°You aren¡¯t pulling my leg, huh.¡±


    ¡°Wish I was.¡± Claud hugged his knees. ¡°Right, what happened to the artefact? Let¡¯s deal with that first, and then I¡¯ll tell you what I saw.¡±


    ¡°Mhm!¡±

 Chapter 402: Leaving the ruins

    ¡°Ominous.¡± Lily folded her arms. ¡°But what was that to begin with? Why did he say that the golden light will come for you, whatever that golden light was?¡±


    ¡°Good question.¡± Claud set down on the pseudo-bed and looked at the artefact they had brought back. He didn¡¯t like the idea of using it in the ruins, especially since this thing was apparently shrouded with all sorts of mysteries.


    Including the one where his consciousness had been pulled out for a random chat, and then placed back. Did that person place it back properly? Or did that person just stuff it into his head and call it a day? Whatever the case, Claud knew that he had to be very careful. He was already well aware that there were vast mechanisms ticking behind the scenes, but he hadn¡¯t quite expected the Celestia Ruins, a piece of another universe, to be part of it.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Just wondering about this thing called the Axiom,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I saw it once before, during the Second Tutorial. That person earlier said that the Axiom¡¯s passing created weird ripples of fate, and one of them happened to bind us together. Therefore, that person helped me.¡±


    ¡°Fate, huh.¡±


    Claud nodded ruefully. He didn¡¯t like that word. Nor did he like ¡®destiny¡¯, or ¡®predetermined¡¯. Those words sounded too absolute, too certain, and on a fundamental level, Claud believed that nothing was fated. If something seemed too coincidental, there was probably someone behind the scenes pulling the strings.


    Case in point? The Third Bearer of Destiny¡­although Claud was beginning to think that there was yet another person behind all this.


    Lily mulled over the issue for a little while more, and then shook her head. ¡°I suppose we could ask Lesser Half about this¡­¡±


    ¡°Assuming that Lesser Half would answer us, eh?¡± Claud looked at the artefact they¡¯d brought back, and then tapped the gem on his storage ring. ¡°It¡¯s worth a shot, I suppose. He seems to like us, and that¡¯s good enough for a try.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were the pessimistic kind!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m the optimist, okay? I cling on to life because I fervently believe that every day is a chance for a new hope,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And then I promptly take appropriate precautions to prevent said hope from being crushed.¡±


    Lily flicked his forehead. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s pack up. Enough with your funny antics.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Claud ruffled her hair gently, and then began to take down their base. Barrier after barrier winked out, their surface unpleasantly hot from being active for the last few days, but other than a few light hisses, nothing untoward happened.


    Before long, the base the two of them had stayed in for an uncounted number of days had vanished, and Claud looked at the spot wistfully. ¡°It¡¯s gone, huh.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all there,¡± Lily corrected, pointing at the translucent space that was filled with their bags, a bunch of barrier artefacts and the Comms Console-like artefact they¡¯d spent the past few days pulling out. ¡°If you¡¯re this bothered, we can just make another one whenever we go out camping again.¡±


    ¡°Camping, huh?¡± Claud laughed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if this is really camping or having fun outdoors with the power of money and mana.¡±


    He tapped the gem once more, and the stored items vanished. It was not useful in a combat situation, but for virtually everything else, this was one heck of an artefact. While Norn looked down on it for being a bit too small, there was no denying that even this storage ring was really convenient and well worth its weight in platinum.


    ¡°We have one more problem, though,¡± Lily pointed out. ¡°And that¡¯s leaving this place.¡±


    Claud thought for a moment, and then remembered what she was talking about. When they approached Celestia, the entire ruins had been surrounded by a nebulous power of the great Dark. Whether it was Lesser Half or Greater Half, Claud had no idea, but the divinity that was attempting to crack this place open had surrounded it solidly.


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    ¡°...How did Norn even get inside?¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°I would ask her, but I think we¡¯ll be better off just heading home now,¡± Lily replied. ¡°We¡¯ll have¡­to be careful, though. It¡¯ll be nice if the great Dark gave up a few days ago and left, but I¡¯m told that beings on the level of the Coloured Gods take snack breaks in years and naps in centuries.¡±


    ¡°Do the Coloured Gods even sleep?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s probably much worse. The Coloured Gods have been around for six millennia, but the Moons and the Dark have been around by maybe two or three orders of magnitude, or perhaps even more.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°Yeah. I think the great Dark is almost certainly still here. What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°Stealth up and shoot out,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Same old, same old.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really¡­convenient that you have such a skill, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lily commented. ¡°If there was really an existence giving out those Absolute skills, did they know that you would do such a thing with it? Or is it because you possess Absolute One that you land yourself into such coincidences more?¡±


    ¡°Well, this is a tumultuous period,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t go saying these things outside here. I don¡¯t know about you, but I think the gods, the Moons and the Dark can track such utterances. Where possible, don¡¯t mention them outside.¡±


    Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°Please. I¡¯m someone that you brought around for a year. I obviously know that, okay? Sheesh.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯m sorry for being a nag. I¡¯m just worried.¡± Claud looked up. ¡°We¡¯re returning, after all. Back into a messy reality. If only this place didn¡¯t have that many dangers, or else I would have brought everyone inside instead.¡±


    He sighed. ¡°It¡¯s the perfect place for me right now.¡±


    ¡°But we can¡¯t just stay here forever, right? And it¡¯s dangerous. Really dangerous.¡± Lily paused. ¡°Maybe one can¡¯t even stay here for an extended period of time. I mean, there has to be one or two people like you, right? The plaza is quite safe, but I don¡¯t see many folders flying over to take refuge there.¡±


    ¡°A time limit in staying here?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Lily eyed the sky. ¡°Won¡¯t put it past this place to have such a dastardly mechanism.¡±


    The two of them sighed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just dig deep into a mountain or something,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly.¡± Lily flicked his forehead.


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Claud took a deep breath. ¡°Knowing what these beings can do, I won¡¯t be surprised if they started hurling mountains at each other, collateral damage be damned.¡±


    Sweeping his gaze through the plaza one last time, Claud tore a Presence Nullification skillstrip and the two of them headed away from the plaza. While there weren¡¯t any specific issues with attempting to fly out of Celestia from the plaza itself, Claud was also not sure if there were any dangers associated with doing so.


    They would waste a bit of time to return to that graveyard outside, but that was a tolerable loss. After all, if anything happened on the last leg of their journey¡­


    Fortunately, the small dangers they faced on the way out didn¡¯t trouble them.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re here. It¡¯s a shame we never did say goodbye¡­¡±


    ¡°We did leave some notes, though,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I think that¡¯s good enough. Shall we?¡±


    Claud turned around. Would they get to come back here once more? Or would some weird turn of events prevent them from doing so ever again? Claud wasn¡¯t too sure, but he definitely wanted to bring the others along one day.


    ¡°¡­Something wrong?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I was thinking that we should return soon,¡± Claud replied. ¡°To the others. Maybe after the Trial of Aeons. It¡¯ll be a problem if they got worried sick looking for us. By now, Schwarz should have figured out that we somehow left the Istrel Sovereignty. If we don¡¯t go back soon¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it safe?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s the biggest issue.¡± Claud tapped his nose. ¡°Is it safe?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡±


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s drop this topic for now,¡± Lily suggested. ¡°It¡¯s not the best time to talk about this, after all.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say that I agree, though. This is the only places where secrets can be shared without fear,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, let¡¯s leave.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Claud tore apart a Flight skillstrip. ¡°I wonder what the great Dark felt when we barrelled through it sometime back. Couldn¡¯t have been nice.¡±


    ¡°You know, I just realised¡­but how are we supposed to explain that we left?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I mean, if Norn¡¯s going to leave soon too, she¡¯ll immediately realise that the entire place was covered by the Dark. She¡¯ll definitely think that something¡¯s off, right?¡±


    Claud paused. ¡°That¡¯s a good point. However, we can¡¯t just stay here mindlessly either. We¡¯ll just wing it, and then think of some excuse later¡­let¡¯s hope this subject is never brought up again.¡±


    Lily looked at him. ¡°That¡¯s not like you.¡±


    ¡°Probably affected by that¡­impromptu discussion with some divine being earlier.¡± Claud grimaced. ¡°Come on, hold on tight. We¡¯re going to take off really quickly. And we¡¯ll go back to the inn, wash up and fall asleep on a bouncy bed.¡±


    He paused. ¡°It¡¯s the bounciness I¡¯m missing, I think.¡±


    ¡°How like you.¡± Lily snuggled up to Claud. ¡°Ready!¡±


    ¡°Alright, here we go.¡± Claud relaxed for a moment, and then smiled. ¡°Absolute One!¡±

 Chapter 403: Shuddering changes

    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re done.¡± Nero watched as the last prana jade settled into the cart and clapped his hands. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s pack up this place and head back home. Gibbous Moon¡¯s only a day away, and¡ª¡±


    Dia felt a chilly blast of power surge from the north, and the evening sky clouded over with pure darkness. The world shook a moment later as Nero flung out his arm, erected a gigantic dome that covered everything around him.


    The initial wave of shadows washed over the dome, which blazed with an intense light in response. A moment later, Dia and the others whipped out a bunch of artefacts, which reinforced Nero¡¯s failing shield.


    A heartbeat later, the first wave of darkness dissipated, revealing a shadow-stained land as far as Dia could see.


    ¡°What the heck wa¡ª¡±


    Another tsunami of shadow surged out from the north again, and this time, spears of shadow fell like rain. Their barriers were instantly perforated, but for some reason, nothing had happened to Dia and the others. Before she could point that out, however, the field of spears detonated with black light, engulfing everyone present.


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s¡­happening to us.¡± Dia looked around in shock. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Schwarz touched his face. ¡°I¡¯m alive¡­¡±


    ¡°It seems like the great Dark is launching indiscriminate attacks on something,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°But it¡¯s not having an effect on us because we don¡¯t fit the criteria to be struck by that attack.¡±


    Dia flinched as a vast field of black lightning crashed down on everyone, but once again, the entire phenomenon was muted, as if there wasn¡¯t any sound at all. The field of lightning vanished a moment later as an infinite expanse of tri-coloured light settled upon the world, bringing with it a chilling peace.


    The Moons had acted in response to the Dark¡¯s action, but what was all that in reaction to in the first place?


    Shivering, Dia looked up at the sky once more, which had returned to the orange light of the setting sun. The rising Moons, however, were now wavering, illusory, and Dia rubbed her eyes.


    ¡°Uh, is it me, or are the Moons¡­odd?¡± Dia asked.


    Everyone looked at the rising Moons ¡ª all three of them ¡ª and Nero made a sound in his throat. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re definitely off.¡±


    ¡°We should go back right now.¡± Risti picked up her artefacts. ¡°I have a bad feeling about this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Farah grimaced. ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, the Moons are about to magically transition in phase, and they¡¯ll descend today. I mean, it shouldn¡¯t affect us, but I think we better hurry back and get home before any untoward changes happen towards the Umbr¡ªIstrel Sovereignty. For one, the great Dark was triggered enough to actually expend energy to launch an all-out assault on something for nine or so seconds. I don¡¯t think this is a good sign.¡±


    ¡°You had time to count?¡± Nero asked, a touch of disbelief in his words. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was thinking about any potential damage to Farah County,¡± the countess replied. ¡°Don¡¯t blame me. If those things were real¡ª¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t need to think about all this,¡± Nero cut in. ¡°You¡¯d be dead, along with me and everyone else here. Your county won¡¯t be suffering damages ¡ª it would have been completely annihilated. To be honest, I¡¯m not sure what the Moons are doing; how did they not stop this indiscriminate, world-wide attack instantly?¡±


    Schwarz leaned on the cart of prana jades. ¡°Not a comforting thought.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t, but you can tell that neither side is willing to off us like this. If they really wanted us dead, this world would have been long destroyed,¡± Risti replied. ¡°They¡¯re holding themselves back for our sake!¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m supposed to be happy with that?¡± Nero muttered. ¡°Ridiculous.¡±


    Clicking his teeth, he let out a small groan and ambled over to the small convoy. ¡°I¡¯ll be relying on you guys to protect me today. I¡¯m all out of mana.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Schwarz raised his hand. ¡°Rather than going back now of all times, I have a different suggestion. We only filled our carts. Our base is still very much standing. Therefore, instead of going back to Licencia now, I propose that we stay here and resume our mining operations. This time, however, we¡¯ll feed our gains to Nero directly, and maybe break down these prana jades into lifestones.¡±


    ¡°Here?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Right outside the ancient battlefield? And we¡¯re going to continue operations?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It sounds insane¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªI¡¯m glad you¡¯re aware of that¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªbut it¡¯s the safest method we have for now,¡± Schwarz completed his sentence. ¡°Look, if I¡¯m not wrong, what happened during Half Moon is going to repeat itself in a few hours¡¯ time. Gibbous Moon would be brought forward, and looking at how the great Dark just unleashed a slew of attacks for some insane reason¡­¡±


    ¡°You think that staying here is a better idea?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°Yeap.¡± The bartender nodded. ¡°I get a feeling that the Moon Emissary might just decide to conscript us if we show our faces there in two weeks¡¯ time. Rather than that, I would prefer if we just hunkered down here instead. There are two boons to this particular course of action.¡±


    He paused. ¡°As far as I can think of, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Go on,¡± Dia prompted, the others nodding along with her. ¡°What boons are there?¡±


    ¡°For one, if they¡¯re going out here to conscript us, they definitely really need us. We can raise the premium on our services, and we can buy even more time for ourselves by citing the need to go back and rearm,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Secondly, by the time they actually realise that they need us, we would have harvested enough prana jades and broke down enough lifestones for us all to advance significantly in building our mana circuits.¡±


    ¡°That I can get behind,¡± Dia muttered, referring to the second benefit.


    ¡°True.¡± Risti looked at the two carts of prana jade. ¡°We can¡¯t advance much during our journey back, that¡¯s for sure. But if we just hunker down here and focus our efforts on doing so¡­¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Like it or not, I don¡¯t think we can say no to the Moon Emissary, but we sure can make it hard for them to make us say yes,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°And more importantly, we¡¯ll have time to improve our strength further. With the Moons descending, they¡¯re likely to push back the battlefront and force it into the middle of Nihila once more. The other battlefields in the other continents should be experiencing the same thing too. They¡¯ll be short of good combat power.¡±


    Nero mulled for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t like it, to be honest. There¡¯s still a certain personage skulking around.¡±


    ¡°With the Moons¡¯ descent, I doubt that person can hang around this place for any longer,¡± Schwarz reasoned.


    ¡°I suppose Count Nightfall will be fretting over our absence, though,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°What a shame for him, but your idea actually makes more sense. I support staying here and raising our strength.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Farah added.


    Everyone turned to Dia, who immediately nodded. ¡°This is definitely a more viable course of action. Besides, if the Moon Emissary really needed us on the frontlines, I¡¯m sure the Emissary will send us back to Licencia directly after conscripting us, and then do the same in bringing us to the frontlines. This means that we won¡¯t need to waste time travelling back, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­You sneaky little fellow,¡± Schwarz muttered, before turning to Nero. ¡°So? We¡¯ve presented our arguments. Since you¡¯re still the main core of our harvesting plan, we¡¯ll still need your agreement on this, although we can just stop the harvesting part and skip to the strengthening part.¡±


    Nero pondered for a moment. ¡°For now, you guys should focus on growing stronger first. We can do the harvesting later.¡±


    ¡°Later, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Nero narrowed his eyes, and then smirked. ¡°After all, we can delay even further by wanting full carts of prana jade before we go back, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­Damn.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t resort to such coarse language, but she did find that particular word to be quite representative of her feelings too.


    ¡°And that¡¯s not all,¡± Nero added. ¡°If an Emissary really does come for us, and is really adamant that we leave immediately, said Emissary might just fill up that cart for us out of its own pocket.¡±


    ¡°Schwarz¡¯s little suggestion has so many merits, in other words,¡± Risti summarised. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re going to stay here then. We¡¯ll breakdown those prana jades and strengthen ourselves over and over again, and then harvest even more.¡±


    ¡°Until the Moon Emissary comes for us,¡± Schwarz added. ¡°And even then, we can pull off some delays here and there too.¡±


    ¡°Thereby maximising our chances at surviving.¡± Farah nodded. ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    ¡°Claud¡¯s going to approve of this,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Speaking of Claud and Lily, though¡­I wonder if they¡¯re alright.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Well, either they¡¯re outside the Istrel Sovereignty, which is dangerous given what happened just now, or they¡¯re inside here, which means they could be conscripted at any time.¡± Schwarz shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t envy their position, to be honest.¡±


    Nero grimaced. ¡°Yeah. The best we can do is to grow stronger first, though. Come! Let us break down those prana jades!¡±

 Chapter 404: Prana Jades and their origins

    Five people sat around a small purple-green stone. This was odd enough on its own, but when Dia considered the fact that surrounding it was the Countess of Farah County, the Holy Son of the Black God, the daughter of the Folder¡¯s Association President and the de facto ruler of Licencia¡¯s underworld, this was one heck of a line-up.


    What was more impressive was how everyone, including her, was seated around a little stone and attempting to reach out to it with a wisp of mana. The thing that took the cake, however, was that the stone was actually reaching back out with its own strand of mana too.


    ¡°It¡¯s a sentient rock, isn¡¯t it?¡± Schwarz observed, a touch of amusement in his words.


    ¡°No, not really.¡± Nero had a sad smile on his face. ¡°This is the amalgamation of last words and wills. The final sunset of life. This is the crystallised lifeforce of many, many dead people. And this is the reason why lifestone mines have been drying up for a long time.¡±


    Dia blinked. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with the basics first. Lifeforce. Think of lifeforce as an intangible force of movement. They keep your soul anchored to your body and drive the natural processes of your mortal coil. However, over time, the forces that keep you alive begin to weaken and stagnate.¡± Nero paused. ¡°Got it so far?¡±


    Everyone nodded. This was pretty basic knowledge, but Nero had couched it in very explicit terms. Dia, on her own part, simply knew that lifeforce was the amount of time one¡¯s heart and mind could remain functioning naturally. She sure hadn¡¯t heard that bit about the soul anchoring thing, though.


    ¡°Good. Think of it as glue. While it is still sticky, the core of your existence is glued to your body. However, glue dries, right? Lifestones and simply taking in lifeforce adds more glue.¡± Nero paused. ¡°However, not all glue is equal. Some are stickier than the others, with the latter being made of lower quality glue from, say, the district of Sukha.¡±


    ¡°Sukha?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a district in Nihal. Good at making foodstuff, but anything else? Yeah, no.¡± Nero cleared his throat. ¡°That¡¯s impurity. It¡¯s usually in the form of stagnant, unmoving lifeforce that wasn¡¯t liberated correctly¡­but what¡¯s liberation? Well, think of it in terms of glue again. When the glue that is lifeforce dries, it hardens and becomes brittle, but it still does provide some level of anchoring. And when the person in question dies, the brittle, hardened lifeforce anchoring down the soul is unable to withstand the power of the five grand skies.¡±


    Nero picked up a stick, and then snapped it into two. ¡°With that, the soul is taken away. The hardened lifeforce that served as an inferior anchor is destroyed by the resulting snap, liberating lifeforce and allowing it to return to the air.¡±


    ¡°So, our lifespan is actually the amount of time we have left before this glue dries up and becomes too weak to resist the pull of the five grand skies?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Essentially. While I couched it as an analogy, do note that this is quite a visual one,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Anyway, this liberation means that all lifeforce one used in their entire life will be freed with explosive force, rejuvenated by the touch of the skies. And so they will drift, on and on, until they finally settle down and become lifestones or prana jades.¡±


    ¡°So what leads to the creation of prana jades?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°The exact mechanisms.¡±


    ¡°When one dies without heavy thoughts, the lifeforce released disperses at the point of death and spreads far and wide. However, if one dies bearing hatred, resentment and other obsessions, the resulting lifeforce that¡¯s thrown out sticks together, as proof that its owner once existed.¡± Nero shrugged. ¡°These become prana jades. The purest of mana, comparable to pure-rank lifestones.¡±


    He gestured at the stone.


    ¡°And the reason behind depleting lifestone mines¡­¡±


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    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? All the lifeforce used in the great wars six millennia ago have turned into prana jades, locked into ancient battlefields that are sealed.¡± Nero shrugged. ¡°The obsessions will remain, but there is a lot of lifeforce contained inside every ancient battlefield, repelled from the ground due to the overwhelming presence of prana jades there. But when the ancient battlefields are unsealed, they will run free, and the Fourth Godsfall will open up in full.¡±


    ¡°¡­Who sealed those ancient battlefields?¡± Dia asked, rubbing her head. She had been suffering from a migraine ever since Nero had started talking, but it was not so painful that she couldn¡¯t scream.


    ¡°Who else but the arbiter of the Godsfalls?¡± Nero rolled his eyes. ¡°Anyway, lore time is over. I¡¯m glad everyone isn¡¯t moaning and bitching about headaches.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just holding it in,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°Can I roll around and call for my parents now? I want to cry.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, a break is a good idea. Can¡¯t have you guys messing up the process to break down prana jade anyway. Go! Shoo! I¡¯ll go and use this myself first!¡±


    Nero chased everyone away, which was the cue for Dia to head over to the firepit and pick up some strips of deer meat. Manipulating her impromptu snack with some mana, Dia fed herself happily as Schwarz gagged and threw up at a distant corner.


    ¡°Poor Schwarz,¡± Farah murmured. ¡°How can we help to improve his Mana Control Proficiency?¡±


    ¡°More training,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°You monster,¡± Farah muttered. ¡°Anyway, I hope we can pull him up. He¡¯s in the same boat as me now, when it comes to saturation.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? We¡¯re all saturated from low and mid-rank lifestones, so what are you talking about?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Anyway, we got a huge haul. If we can break down everything and move onto the next mana circuit, it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°You do know that there¡¯s the Second Tutorial, right?¡± Risti asked. ¡°It¡¯s not as simple as completing your fourth mana circuit and calling it a day. You¡¯ll have to go through your own trials too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Dia nodded. ¡°But I¡¯m sure I can handle it.¡±


    ¡°If you say so, then.¡± Risti shrugged. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go and check on Schwarz. Poor dude has it tough.¡±


    The bartender was still retching when the three of them walked up to him, the sound itself causing Dia¡¯s stomach to flip.


    ¡°Need anything?¡± Risti asked. ¡°I¡¯ve brought water.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you did?¡± Farah lowered her water bottle. ¡°Okay. Do you need us to pat your back or support you?¡±


    With one stomach-flipping retch, Schwarz got up slowly and straightened his body. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thanks for offering¡­I¡¯ll like that water, by the way.¡±


    He took a small sip. ¡°It¡¯s just the outcome of having low Authority. Bah. Sorry for being a burden.¡±


    ¡°Everyone has their own weaknesses,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go back to Nero now. We need to start work as soon as possible.¡±


    Pulses of pure green light were emanating from Nero when they returned. Funnily enough, however, those pulses didn¡¯t escape from him; they bounced back after a certain distance and vanished into his body without any trace. Was this the method to use prana jades?


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re back.¡± Nero opened his eyes. ¡°Alright, sit down. We¡¯re going to talk about breaking prana jade down now, after that detour about many, many things. First of all, what exactly makes up prana jade? I¡¯m sure everyone can see the purple light, right?¡±


    Dia and the others nodded.


    ¡°This purple light is the obsession that binds the prana jade. Incidentally, it has no relation to the Violet Goddess or the Indigo God; those two represent entirely different things.¡± Nero cleared his throat. ¡°Anyway, the natural method is to break the obsession down. There are a few ways, including the passage of time, but this prana jade is probably resistant to time¡¯s erosion, so we¡¯ll go with the second method. Erosion through mana.¡±


    He gestured once, and another prana jade flew over. ¡°Mana is far more conducive to will and thoughts, compared to lifeforce. Obsessions adhere themselves to mana if given the choice, and that¡¯s how we purify prana jade. The resulting items are high and pure-ranked lifestones, because they¡¯re just that good.¡±


    Nero raised the hand holding on to the prana jade, which was shrouded with blue light. After around ten minutes, he drew the mana away, and the prana jade fell apart into lifestones.


    ¡°You guys will need¡­two hours to do the same, because your mana is of a lower quality. For Schwarz, he¡¯ll need four hours.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of time.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Still, that¡¯s assuming we¡¯re doing it alone, right? However, if we just fill up those carts with mana¡­it¡¯ll take a few days, but it¡¯s less labour intensive. We can do both concurrently too, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Before we do anything else¡­¡± Schwarz pointed at the blob of purple mana that Nero had cast away. ¡°What should we do with that?¡±


    ¡°¡­Leave it. It¡¯ll dissipate once the mana loses form.¡±


    Schwarz eyed the blob. ¡°It won¡¯t turn into a monster, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, it might gain some sentience, I suppose?¡± Nero shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure, but it¡¯ll be an interesting experiment. Maybe we can talk to the byproduct of purifying prana jades. It¡¯ll be an eyeopener.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t know what to say to such an irresponsible statement.


    ¡°Putting that aside,¡± Risti cut in, ¡°let¡¯s get started with flooding the carts with mana. I don¡¯t know how much time we have, but we better not slack off now.¡±


    Dia rubbed her neck. ¡°Let¡¯s get started, then.¡±

 Chapter 405: The Moons descend

    As the Moons continued to rise, a small chill assailed Dia¡¯s neck, and she looked up. Earlier on, everyone had somewhat forgotten about the Moons, since Nero¡¯s story was more than captivating enough.


    However, it was clear that once again, the Moons were going to switch phases in advance.


    ¡°¡­Just in time, I suppose.¡± Nero had a complicated look on his face as the two carts were completely filled with mana. ¡°Now, all that¡¯s left is to cover it up with more mana so that it doesn¡¯t leak or anything.¡±


    ¡°Yay, we¡¯re done!¡± Risti paused. ¡°We¡¯ll need to hang around here for some time, though. But I don¡¯t want to go back anytime soon, so eh.¡±


    Dia nodded. The threat of being conscripted into fighting a war that none of them were actually invested in was a bit too much for Dia to actually go back this early. At the very least, it would be good if they had at least increased their strength by a bit more. After all, the more complete her fourth mana circuit was, the more mana she could muster; it was just that completing another mana circuit increased her total mana pool by a great deal.


    ¡°Not like this, anyhow.¡± Dia looked at the cart of mana, which the five of them had filled up with some painstaking effort. Schwarz, in particular, was exhausted from pouring out his mana, given his low Mana Control Proficiency.


    ¡°Drinks are ready, everyone.¡± Schwarz called out. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s gather around and do some Moonwatching.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, to see the Moons change phases in advance¡­that¡¯s really rare.¡± Dia grimaced. ¡°I would really rather that it didn¡¯t change phases in advance, see?¡±


    ¡°Either way, however, this is almost a certainty.¡± Nero cut into the conversation, a grim expression on his face. ¡°Something provoked the great Dark into expending its vital powers, so much so that even the imbalance of power was restored by a few days.¡±


    ¡°Restored by a few days?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how I¡¯m reading it, anyway.¡± Nero narrowed his eyes. ¡°But think about it. What manner of emergency could provoke the great Dark this much? Not even the Moons and their familiar spirits were attacked like this. In fact, everyone present should know that there are some¡­procedures in this war, yes? And yet, the great Dark acted on something that wasn¡¯t the Moons.¡±


    Schwarz waltzed over with two laden trays of food. ¡°Put that way, it does sound incredibly disturbing.¡±


    ¡°Does it not?¡± Nero replied, before leaning back. ¡°The great Dark, attacking someone outside this great game. And it seems to have failed, of all things.¡±


    He got up. ¡°It might remind a few of us of certain things.¡±


    At those words, Dia shook. Was Nero referring to Limbo and its lifeforms? Did the great Dark discover the presence of Limbo or something within its jurisdiction? It definitely seemed that way, if they used such a lens. After all, Limbo was the world¡¯s enemy; Nero had said it himself.


    Schwarz looked at her oddly. ¡°What, did his words remind you of something?¡±


    ¡°No, not really.¡± Dia shivered. ¡°Just that it¡¯s a nasty thing to think about. Other than the threat of civilisation-destroying wars between the Moons and the Dark, we now need to think about the possibility of an unpredictable factor whose presence was enough to trigger the great Dark, as well as the fact that said factor survived.¡±


    ¡°Nero guessed that it survived. It¡¯s not exactly the same thing.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s assume that it survived and move on from that, shall we?¡± Dia replied. ¡°Anyway, how should we prepare for such things?¡±


    ¡°Gathering information, naturally. But it happened outside the Istrel Sovereignty.¡± Schwarz made a face. ¡°And it¡¯s impossible to tell what¡¯s going on much outside the sovereignty now. Spies are out, communication is minimal¡­whatever happened there could take months or a year to reach us.¡±


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    ¡°We¡¯ll need to employ some generic measures, then,¡± Farah chipped in, before reaching out to take a plate. ¡°Thanks for bringing the food over, by the way. Is it really fine for you to walk around after expending so much mana?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­also, I made some drinks.¡± Schwarz gestured at the closest table, where a few cups were glittering with fizzy bubbles. ¡°Nero, your share¡¯s that bottle there. Yes, you get a whole bottle.¡±


    ¡°Nice, a nightcap.¡±


    ¡°I figured that everyone¡¯s going to need a drink after all this,¡± Schwarz replied, before looking up at the sky. The three Moons ¡ª one of them had squeezed in at some point in time ¡ª were now blurry, in the middle of transitioning from Half Moon to Gibbous Moon. Within the next few hours, the Moons would emerge from that state of uncertainty, and the two sides would engage in earnest.


    The world shook once, and the fog covering the three Moons began to fade slowly. Tri-coloured lightning bolts tore through the sky, roaring madly as they sundered the dark night.


    ¡°It¡¯s beginning.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t know who said that, but she could keenly hear the fear that she harboured within herself in those words. The tri-coloured lightning flashed again, but this time, instead of fading away instantly, they remained in the night sky.


    ¡°Like cracks in the sky.¡± Risti observed quietly.


    Dia nodded. More and more flashes of lightning, frozen in mid-air, had surrounded the three Moons, carving them out from the black sky. Within minutes, the tri-coloured flashes had completely surrounded the wavering Moons, and the fog that had been obscuring their true shape finally faded away entirely, their shapes oddly oblong.


    Gibbous Moon had arrived.


    The world began to quiver in earnest, and the isolated Moons began to fully materialise. Before her eyes, the Moons, which had seemed like a painting began to seemingly pop out of the canvas of the sky.


    That very action rattled the world once more, and a howling wind picked up as the three Moons tore themselves away from the firmament. The near-complete spheres of red, blue and yellow light began to shrink, turning into¡ª


    ¡°Don¡¯t look!¡± Nero screamed. ¡°Eyes down! Do not behold the purest form of divinities!¡±


    As his warning rang out, the sky itself flared with tri-coloured light, blocking out anything else. The warning bells clanging in Dia¡¯s head died away a moment later, and she let out a sigh, her clothes clinging uncomfortably to her body.


    ¡°Looks like the Moons are at least aware that everyone here is effectively under their dominion,¡± Schwarz forced out, touching his heart. ¡°I thought I was going to die, damn.¡±


    He wiped his sweat as the world continued to shake. The tri-coloured sky, which had blocked out the true form of the Moons, continued to glow and shimmer, and their colours eventually began to meld together. Within moments, Dia could no longer tell which was which, and the tri-coloured layer turned white.


    It fell apart a moment later, but rather than the tri-coloured light that Dia was intuitively expecting, the world was now bathed in a cooling white light.


    ¡°Moons¡­what is that?¡± Nero whispered.


    ¡°¡­Moon, I think. The three Moons have descended fully¡­this must be their replacement,¡± Farah muttered. ¡°It¡¯s odd. I¡¯d always wondered why moonwheat was this colour, or why we even named it moonwheat to begin with. But if you look at the Moons¡­uh, Moon now, it¡¯s clearer than ever.¡±


    Dia rubbed her nose. ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s the same colour,¡± Farah replied. ¡°It seems like we humans can instinctively put a name to the Moon, even if we can¡¯t quite recognise it.¡±


    ¡°So, do we swear by the Moons, or by the Moon now?¡± Risti asked, looking up at the giant white globe hanging above everyone. ¡°This is getting rather confusing, and that¡¯s putting it mildly. Or are there four Moons now?¡±


    ¡°Or, you know,¡± Nero cut in, ¡°we call them by their names and leave ¡®Moon¡¯ for the yellow-white globe that¡¯s radiating a cold light? Anyway, it¡¯s just a cultural thing. We¡¯ll all adapt to it, probably.¡±


    The world continued to rumble as a white gibbous moon illuminated the world. The three Moons were probably still in the process of fully descending, but Dia wasn¡¯t too sure what was going on right now.


    Lightning continued to roar, and intuitively, Dia understood that when the thunder and lightning stopped, the Moons would have stepped foot on their world.


    When did this last happen? Or did this even happen before? Dia didn¡¯t know, but this was definitely history in the making. Was this a blessing? Or a curse? She didn¡¯t know, but it definitely didn¡¯t feel like this was a good time to be actually alive.


    ¡°By now, they should be gathering the final ounces of their strength,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°Prepare yourselves, people. Once the notifications pop up, the world will step into the true beginnings of the Fourth Godsfall. Let¡¯s hope that the Moon Emissary forgets about us¡­for the time being, anyway.¡±


    ¡°The world¡¯s about to change, and here we are, just trying to stay outdoors.¡± Farah shook her head. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t envy Nightfall right now. Poor dude is probably about to go insane.¡±


    Schwarz shook his head. ¡°That is probably the understatement of the century¡­¡±


    The thunderclaps began to die down, and Dia shivered.


    ¡°It¡¯s starting.¡±

 Chapter 406: The Last Godsfall

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    ¡°It¡¯s starting.¡± Lily paused. ¡°Claud, you alright?¡±


    Claud let out a groan, and then held up a hand to indicate silence. Reaching into his clothes a moment later, he pulled out a small pyramid, checked that the markers were misaligned, and then said, ¡°Sorry to trouble you this badly. This is rather unfitting of me.¡±


    Being carried by Lily made him feel bad, but being spoiled did feel rather good, though. Everything had gone wrong the moment he broke out of the Celestia Ruins. Was the great Dark already aware of him? And the oddity he represented? Whatever the case, the incredible reaction the great Dark showed as he broke out was unbelievable.


    Did it mean something?


    ¡°Lay me down a bit,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Stop moving.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only physically exhausted,¡± Claud replied, interrupting Lily¡¯s words. ¡°That¡¯s all.¡±


    Fortunately, the great Dark¡¯s bombardment of him had lasted less than ten seconds, and more importantly, its retaliation had completely phased through the two of them. It would seem that a trace of his Absolute skill had leaked out somehow, despite the use of Presence Nullification. After that, Presence Nullification apparently kicked in or something, but¡­


    Why would that make the great Dark¡¯s attack miss entirely? Was it bolstered by his Absolute One¡¯s Order bonuses? Whatever the case, Claud wasn¡¯t going to ask too much. It wasn¡¯t like he was going to get any answers anyway. However, the initial wave of attacks had actually struck home, and¡ª


    He coughed once, and blood flew. Before it could land, however, Claud intercepted it with a strand of mana, before binding it up and stuffing it into his clothes.


    ¡°Lower me,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°On that rock there. Sorry, but I think we¡¯ll need to spend the night here¡­and the Moons are changing too. I¡¯m not sure what to think of the whole thing, but maybe I¡¯m the cause again.¡±


    He coughed once more, and Lily hurriedly settled him down. ¡°What exactly happened?¡±


    Claud shook his head, reluctant to answer. Instead, he took out another skillstrip, held Lily¡¯s hand, and then ripped it into two. Appearing here, in the middle of nowhere when the great Dark was directly overhead, was probably a death sentence.


    ¡°That skill¡­I¡¯m not sure what happened either, but the Dark nearly injured me. I withstood Greater Half¡¯s attack directly and survived thanks to that, but when that period of invincibility wore off, the aftershocks of that attack¡¯s aftershock injured me.¡± Claud paused. ¡°Good. I¡¯m recovering quickly. Water, please.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡± Lily rubbed his head. ¡°But you actually managed to block that direct attack¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry for subjecting you to that too.¡± Claud hugged her once. Greater Half clearly was capable of designating targets or something, despite unleashing area of effect attacks. The outburst of pure energy and the myriad of other phenomena hadn¡¯t even left a dent in the ground or a burn mark on Lily ¡ª it was fixated on him, but even that had missed save for the very first attack.


    ¡°It passed through me, so no harm done,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Anyway, you don¡¯t look too good.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just the aftershock of a nullified attack, and I¡¯m almost unconscious. Urgh.¡± Claud sat up. ¡°This sucks. I¡¯m going to hide in the inn for a very long time after this, until the Trial of Aeons open.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡± Lily looked up at the new sky. ¡°But something¡¯s always changing¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud fixed his eyes on the singular Moon that hung above the world. It was radiating a blurry white warmth that seemed to melt any and all shadows that had appeared, but more importantly, it was in its gibbous phase.


    Thunder roared once more, and the trembling world began to still. The singular moon in the sky came into full focus, and a single thought flitted into Claud¡¯s mind.


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    The three Moons had truly descended.


    As stillness and tranquillity returned to the world, multiple screens appeared in front of him, dyed in the purest white, a white that Claud could not associate with the God of Karma.


    <All under the heavens, do rejoice.>


    <Leaders of armies, make your choice.>


    <Guides and bearers, await the drums.>


    <Seekers of change, raise your arms.>


    <The time of destiny has come.>


    <Struggle.>


    <Fight.>


    <Live.>


    <The Last Godsfall has now begun.>


    ¡°The Last Godsfall?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Not the Fourth? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very good question,¡± Lily replied, her eyes fixed on the white moon. ¡°Look! What¡¯s that?¡±


    Purple-green light shot to the skies a moment later, and the darkness fled from an overwhelming outburst of purest lifeforce. Even from an incredible distance, Claud could tell that the pillar of purple-green light contained the purest of lifeforce, and three little shapes popped out of his clothes, meeping around on his shoulder.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°What now?¡±


    He followed the pillar of purple-green light, which turned more and more green as it continued to rise. Like a jet of water that had slammed into the ceiling, the pure green light splattered across the skies, spreading across the sky. Drops of green light began to fall, irrigating the vast lands and inundating Claud with an incredible sensation of vitality.


    ¡°A rainstorm of lifeforce, is it?¡± Claud produced a small cup with his mana, and green light began to pool. ¡°Want some?¡±


    ¡°You¡ªcan you be a bit more serious?¡± Lily eyed him, and then took a sip. ¡°Thanks, dear. It¡¯s sweet¡­.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to gather more, than.¡± Claud worked his will, and two circuits worth of mana poured out of him, rising into the sky as a conical container and capturing a great deal of the green rain. Within moments, the newly-created container had been filled up, which was the cue for Claud to make a second, smaller one.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start drinking from this or something,¡± Claud hurriedly said. ¡°It¡¯s free lifeforce!¡±


    Making two little pipes at the base of the cone, the two of them began to suck on the small, flexible straw of mana. Lifeforce flooded their mouth a moment later, and it was all Claud could do to just keep swallowing over and over¡­even if there really wasn¡¯t a need to.


    The rain, however, saw no signs of stopping as he and Lily continued to drink on, and he checked on his status. His lifespan was shooting up ¡ª presumably along with everyone else right now too ¡ª and in a stroke of inspiration, Claud thinned out the walls of the current cone and used the excess mana to extend the overall coverage.


    ¡°Mm!¡±


    Claud turned his eyes to Lily, who couldn¡¯t stop drinking either, before fighting back the urge to laugh. The entire process looked very wrong, and Lily must have realised that too, because her face began to twitch.


    The shower of lifeforce eventually ended after an hour, but the two conical containers of lifeforce were still full, so the two of them stayed in their current positions. It felt odd to be gulping down lifeforce, especially when nothing actually entered his stomach, and eventually, Claud glanced at Crown.


    Jamming up his own straw-slash pipe, he said, ¡°Crown, can you do something about this and transfer all this lifeforce to me?¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    The two masses of green immediately began to gather around the two of them, and green mist began to rise from the ground all around them. With another energised meep, the huge swath of lifeforce began to condense and wrap around Claud and Lily, before sinking into their skin directly.


    In that instant, Claud¡¯s lifespan shot up by two hundred years, and by the looks on Lily¡¯s face, something similar had happened too. A moment later, Crown let out a tired meep, before rolling to its side tiredly.


    ¡°You alright, little guy?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Meep¡­¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Crown.¡± Claud dismissed the two mana constructs and tore another skillstrip. ¡°What are you anyway? How can you manipulate lifeforce on such a scale?¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°It seems like you manipulated the lifeforce in local surroundings to come here.¡±


    ¡°Meep¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. I don¡¯t think this is going to happen again anytime soon, so don¡¯t be worried. I won¡¯t get you to do this all day, okay?¡± Claud patted its velvety top, and the tiny little box nuzzled his fingers. The sight made Claud a bit sad ¡ª he had involuntarily recalled the Frozen Emperor¡¯s throne ¡ª and he didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°Anyway, how much lifespan do you have? I think you¡¯ll be able to push for your fifth mana-fold with this much lifespan. We drank a lot, and then Crown added one Moon of a finishing touch.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m lucky, but¡­lifestones should be really cheap now, right?¡± Lily made a face. ¡°With this much lifeforce pouring all over the world, lifestone mines will surface, but¡­¡±


    ¡°The Fourth¡­the Last Godsfall just started.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°The usual mining crews aren¡¯t going to be heading out now.¡±


    ¡°¡­You should rest first.¡± Lily took out some artefacts.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine now. That rain of lifeforce seems to have healed my injuries.¡± Claud stretched slowly. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go back first. I¡¯m just really tired now. A bed sounds really nice, and the great Dark is still nearby. Let¡¯s go back first.¡±


    He took out a Flight skillstrip and handed it to Lily. ¡°I¡¯m counting on you.¡±


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 Chapter 407: Faction missions

    After flying for a while, with Lily enhancing the Flight skillstrip with her own mana, the two of them eventually made it back to Lostfon. He couldn¡¯t quite remember how he managed to stay conscious the whole time, since he was feeling an overwhelming amount of fatigue that threatened to condemn him to sleep at any moment.


    The two of them landed near the inn, and Lily patted his face. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Claud shook his head once. Another set of translucent notifications had appeared in his vision at some point in time, presumably related to the extra things that the Bearers of Destiny had going on for them, but he lacked the mental strength to check through them now. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault, not yours.¡± Lily grimaced. ¡°If only I was stronger. You wouldn¡¯t need to take up all these on your own. It¡¯s always been you. It¡¯s always you. You¡¯re always doing all the hard work.¡±


    ¡°Then catch up to me,¡± Claud replied slowly, a trace of a smile. ¡°But I am one of them. I guess this is expected.¡±


    Lily trembled. ¡°Don¡¯t go dying on me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not dying, I¡¯m just tired,¡± Claud shot back. ¡°And you know me. I will not die. I¡¯ll never let myself or anyone I care about be killed. Dying is not conducive to protecting people.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Lily looked at him once. ¡°Shall we go back up?¡±


    Claud was about to say yes, but his stomach rumbled once. Instead of returning back to bed to rest, he decided to fill up his stomach somewhat first. He didn¡¯t know what had allowed him to heal up from Greater Half¡¯s attack, but it couldn¡¯t have been good for his body. Flesh came from food. No matter how much lifeforce he gained, the fact that all his injuries had healed meant that he was probably unhealthily thin now.


    ¡°Food.¡± Claud paused. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why I¡¯m hungry too.¡±


    Lily¡¯s eyes sparkled for a moment, and then she shook her head. ¡°But you¡¯re injured.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired. My body¡¯s fine now. I think I¡¯m tired because of everything my body did to heal me back up,¡± Claud replied. ¡°My organs were definitely badly injured. Maybe some areas had been destroyed. But¡­I feel fine now. But very, very hungry.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Lily looked at him worriedly, before looking around. ¡°It¡¯s late at night, though. We¡¯ll get something at the tavern.¡±


    ¡°Lots of meat preferred,¡± Claud added. ¡°And good cold drinks. I feel a little hot. Maybe my body heated up too much when healing me.¡±


    As they ambled slowly over to the tavern, Claud looked at his lifespan. The hour-long shower of lifeforce, when combined with the incredible surge of life that Crown had granted to the two of them, had resulted in him now having 1072 years of life. This was more than enough for him to actually push himself to his fifth mana circuit and make good progress on his sixth, given his earlier progress on his fourth mana circuit.


    ¡°My lifespan has increased to such an extent,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Your lifespan, huh.¡± Lily grinned. ¡°It¡¯s lucky that we came out today, though. Or else we would have missed the whole thing.¡±


    Claud nodded, and then glanced at his status.


    [Name: Claud Primus


    Class: Omen


    Lifespan: 1072 years


    Active Skills: Presence Nullification (9), Flight (5), Binding Order (7), Cleanse (6), FiBoD;O??? (0), FiBoD;O??? (0)


    Passive Skills: DiL???C, Mana Locus, Omen, Understanding, Master of Permanence, Artificial Life Contractor


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 4.82


    Mana Control Proficiency: Master


    Authority: 4


    Comments: The battlefield is open, Omen. Dance. Sing. Rampage. Hold on to that frail flame in your heart and confront your destiny. The winds of change shall only serve to stoke your power.]


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    The comments were a bit interesting, though, and Claud saw it fit to repeat it out loud. ¡°The winds of change shall only serve to stoke your power.¡±


    ¡°Where did that come from?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°That was written in the comments of my status,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And I can¡¯t help but think it¡¯s true. Every upheaval has been beneficial to me, indirectly or otherwise. The only question was¡­¡±


    He glanced at the pocket that held Crown, Throne and Sceptre. They were all sleeping in his pocket happily, especially Crown, who had worked really hard at his request. Did all that start after he met Crown? Or was meeting Crown considered a benefit that came after the upheaval that was Ruler Umbra¡¯s death?


    He didn¡¯t know what to think.


    The two of them entered Lostfon¡¯s only operating inn at that point, and the old man, who was busy pouring out drinks for someone, did a double take as they entered. Without any further conversation, Claud made his way to their usual corner seat, which was thankfully unoccupied, while Lily headed over to the counter to order some food.


    While she was busying herself, Claud finally worked up the mental fortitude to examine the initial flurry of small notifications that he had wilfully chosen to overlook earlier. After all, he was too tired from drinking all that lifeforce, and had been injured prior to that, so this lapse was excusable¡­


    Probably.


    He spent a few seconds justifying to his inner critic his actions, and then looked at the small notification. Other than the ominous messages and proclamation of the Last Godsfall, there were three other¡­screens.


    [Faction Mission: Shadowed Victory


    Mission introduction: The time has come for the Dark to rise. The winds of victory blow with the Dark, and its forces have gained key points of victory. With only one Bearer of Destiny left, the Moons is now on the defensive. Now is the time to burn your life for rewards far greater.


    Mission requirements: Defeat the Moons.


    Personal Mission Contribution: 10.03093%


    Overall Mission Progress: 15.01248%


    Prize Pool: 15000 years of lifespan.


    Additional remarks: Contribution can be gained by killing Moon-aligned Bearers of Destiny (5% each), the soldiers of the Moons (0.0001% each), the Moons themselves (10% each) and the adversary (22%).]


    Claud stared at the mission, unsure of what to make of it. First, what exactly was a prize pool? Did it mean what he thought it did? That people who contributed to this mission would get a cut from the prize pool afterwards? A simple calculation was enough to tell him that he had already earned slightly more than 1500 years of lifespan, which was¡­well, pretty damn awesome.


    He looked a deep breath and looked at the remarks. Funnily enough, the Moons¡¯ contribution to this particular mission was actually lesser than that of ¡°the adversary¡±, whatever that was.


    His eyes turned to the second quest afterwards, which was almost the same thing. In fact, it was so similar that he didn¡¯t even know what to say¡­but was he even meant to receive this particular mission?


    It sure didn¡¯t feel like it, but he decided to look at it properly anyway.


    [Faction Mission: Moonlit Victory


    Mission introduction: The time has come for the Moons to rise. The winds of victory blow with the Moons, with only one of the great Dark¡¯s Bearers of Destiny left. With only one Bearer of Destiny left, the Dark is now on the defensive. Now is the time to burn your life for rewards far greater.


    Mission requirements: Defeat the great Dark.


    Personal Mission Contribution: 0.1931%


    Overall Mission Progress: 11.357%


    Prize Pool: 15000 years of lifespan.


    Additional remarks: Contribution can be gained by killing Dark-aligned Bearers of Destiny (5% each), the soldiers of the Dark (0.00001% each), the two Halves of the great Dark themselves (15% each) and the adversary (22%).]


    Lily came back with a tray shortly after he verified the existence of this ¡°adversary¡± in both missions¡­as well as the fact that both missions seemed to be suspiciously similar. He wasn¡¯t sure how he earned that 0.1931% of contribution for the Moons, however.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Lily asked, passing a plate of black pepper chicken to him. ¡°You look very distracted.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Can you check if you have faction missions on your status?¡±


    ¡°Faction missions?¡± Lily paused. ¡°Yeah, I do have one. I haven¡¯t examined them yet, though.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t need to ask why she hadn¡¯t looked at them yet. The answer was obvious, after all, and he smiled at her. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we received the same thing later. I¡¯m a bit paranoid about the whole thing, after all.¡±


    ¡°I do want to discuss it too. This seems really important.¡± Lily paused. ¡°How about we discuss it tomorrow? You don¡¯t look that lively, and I¡¯m fairly tired too. We could just lie around and talk about it after we wake up tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Screw the table and chair, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll just pop my head on your chest, and we¡¯ll just talk under the sheets or something.¡± Lily paused. ¡°Is that romantic?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re asking me?¡± Claud replied. ¡°Good question. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s considered romantic, but they say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If it feels romantic, that should be good enough, right?¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯ll need to discuss our plans moving forward too,¡± Lily added. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of things to be done, right? Especially for you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll end up being the youngest hexa-folder in history if all goes well. It should all go well too, given my mana control and the amount of lifestones we still have.¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s one heck of a title.¡±


    ¡°I like to think that I¡¯m breaking records, heh. Youngest penta-folder incoming, I suppose?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°How old is Nero, by the way?¡± Lily asked.


    Claud froze. The Holy Son of the Black God was a tetra-folder when the two of them fled. What was the possibility that he would become a penta-folder soon? He didn¡¯t know, but Nero was around three years younger than both him and Lily.


    ¡°He should be twenty-four this year,¡± Claud noted. ¡°And now that I think about it, this year just flew right by. It¡¯s already at the halfway mark¡­¡±


    ¡°Two months of Gibbous Moon, four months of Full Moon, and we¡¯ll be done, huh.¡± Lily rubbed her nose. ¡°It¡¯ll be terrifying if Nero¡¯s already a penta-folder, though.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Claud looked at his meal. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this, and then go to sleep.¡±


    Their utensils glittered in the dim light, and the two of them dove into their meal.

 Chapter 408: Small interludes between grand waves

    The morning sky, devoid of the faint gloom that had fallen ever since the great Dark descended, lit up the world and illuminated it in all its splendour. It had been months since Claud and Lily last saw a brilliant sky, untinged by the Moons and the Dark.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty.¡± Claud looked out of the window at the rising sun and smiled. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll probably complain that it¡¯s too bloody hot after a few hours, and that the Dark should do something about this.¡±


    ¡°With people like you, does the Dark really need the Moons as an enemy?¡± Lily pulled him back down onto the bed, and the mattress shook. ¡°Are we in a rush today?¡±


    ¡°No, we aren¡¯t,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I want to sleep in for a bit,¡± Lily replied, smiling. Her violet hair rippled as she said those words, and Claud nodded. Loaning out his arm as usual, he felt the familiar weight of her head roll up his arm, and he smiled.


    ¡°You really like to sleep on my arm for some reason,¡± Claud noted.


    ¡°Well, the pillow¡¯s a bit too short, and your arm has the right proportion of muscle that makes it nice,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Right, are you feeling better? I¡¯m not sure if one plate of chicken¡¯s enough for you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not, actually.¡± Claud rubbed his stomach. ¡°I¡¯m still hungry. And tired. Sleeping sounds like the better method, though, which is why I¡¯m still drowsy despite it being the morning.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m quite sure most of us are drowsy after waking up.¡± Lily yawned once. ¡°Proof? Me.¡±


    She adjusted her head for a few seconds, and then snuggled up to him like a kitten. Claud felt the drowsiness hit him again, and he decided to close his eyes for a bit. He would probably wake up ten minutes later anyway, and there really wasn¡¯t anything to do now. After all, the Moons and the Dark were mobilising their own forces and marching out ¡ª all this had nothing to do with him.


    Yawning once, he closed his eyes and gave in to the fatigue within him. It wasn¡¯t an issue by a stretch of the imagination, given that the developments that would occur over the next few days had absolutely nothing to do with him whatsoever.


    The afternoon sun was peeking into their room when he next woke up, his right arm now bearing the quality of some heavy metal. To his side, Lily snoozed away merrily, a peaceful smile on her lips, and Claud glared at the window. There was definitely some punchline here that he had missed, especially since the two of them were supposed to go for lunch.


    ¡°Wakey wakey, it¡¯s time for¡­lunch, I suppose?¡± Claud wasn¡¯t too sure either, but Lily heeded his words anyway. Murmuring something about stuffing a stick of nitro-something into a hole, she sat up properly, looked around blearily, and the yawned.


    ¡°Is it lunchtime?¡±


    ¡°From the looks of the sun? I think it¡¯s almost dinner,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But that was indeed a good nap. Maybe I should sleep in more often instead of getting up and everything. How does that sound?¡±


    ¡°I think we should focus on building up our mana circuits,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Right.¡± Claud narrowed his eyes. ¡°After this, the next major event should be the Trial of Aeons, which will begin one season from now. Full Moon. We should work extra hard for this¡­yes, don¡¯t try to look away from me. You need to get past your Second Tutorial.¡±


    Lily grimaced. ¡°I¡¯m not even sure what to expect.¡±


    ¡°And I did things the wrong way,¡± Claud added. ¡°You¡¯ll need to make do with what Dust told you, but I have faith in you. After all, you alone went back to your family to mete out justice. I believe in the strength of your convictions.¡±


    ¡°The pep talk is nice, but I think we should wash up first and¡ª¡± An adorable growl came from Lily¡¯s stomach, and she cleared her throat. ¡°And get some food in us. Especially you. You still look starved.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just my body taking the necessary nutrients to heal me,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Right, we should also keep an ear out for any news¡­but I get a feeling that only trouble would await. Therefore, I suggest that we just get our meals and return back here to burn our next mana circuits into completion.¡±


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    ¡°I suppose vacation is over¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, I think we forgot something really important.¡± Claud paused. ¡°We went all the way to Celestia to grab some new artefacts and things, right? Yeah, so other than burning some of our lifespan, we¡¯ll also need to explore the uses of those little trinkets we brought back too.¡±


    Lily¡¯s eyes twinkled. ¡°Can we do that today?¡±


    Claud paused. It was unwise for the both of them to slack off. However, given his Master-rank Mana Control Proficiency, he could definitely hold a conversation and investigate things while burning his mana circuit¡­and Crown was also here. Between these two factors, Claud had a feeling that he could actually complete his fifth mana circuit while investigating those items he brought back.


    ¡°Okay, but I¡¯ll be burning my mana circuits on the side,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I should be able to handle that, at least.¡±


    Lily eyed him. ¡°You¡¯re just low-key showing off, right? Right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Claud jiggled his shoulders. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s wash up and get some food into our bellies.¡±


    He paused for a moment, straightened Lily¡¯s hair and then got up from bed slowly. His bones were whining as he moved, but there really wasn¡¯t anything much he could do about all that pain.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Claud cut in hastily, forestalling Lily¡¯s attempts to help him. ¡°Just need to get used to it¡­and my right arm is really numb. You go first. I¡¯ll take some time, probably.¡±


    Lily shook her head. ¡°Together. Just in case. And you¡¯re the one who wrote that booklet on ways to die, so you better not reject my offer of help.¡±


    ¡°¡­Fine.¡±


    After around twenty minutes ¡ª which pretty much consisted of them washing up together in a somewhat undignified manner ¡ª the two of them went downstairs. Considering that Claud was a mid-ranked folder and Lily was on the verge of following suit, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit ashamed.


    ¡°¡­You looked like you¡¯re ashamed of something. Is me helping to wash you really that shameful?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Just that it¡¯s not befitting of our status to be walking around injured, right? And while I did enjoy splashing water on your face, it¡¯s not dignified¡­¡±


    ¡°Since when did you care about dignity?¡± Lily asked, surprised. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s all fun and games. Throw aside those stupid social constructs. Tetra-folder or not, you¡¯re my Claud, and that¡¯s all I care about. I expect you to treat me the same, okay? I won¡¯t go ¡®oh ho ho¡¯ and cover my mouth with a fan when laughing.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t mind?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Alright, then. It so happens that I really feel a bit weak¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop trying to take advantage of me, alright?¡±


    Laughing, Claud went to the table and sat there matter-of-factly. It wasn¡¯t like Lily was going to let him take the food anyway, and as she placed a rather huge order, Claud looked around the tavern. The place was fairly deserted, as if yesterday¡¯s shower of lifeforce had changed the mentalities of the people who had been sheltering here.


    Of course, these people were just off doing some work outside ¡ª if Claud really wanted some intelligence on what was going on recently, he would have to wait for them to return or for Lostfon¡¯s town-crier.


    Stretching his muscles and keeping them moving, Claud continued to look out of the window, taking in the sight of the late afternoon sun. The shadowy tint that had made the sunlight seem hollow had vanished with the descent of the Moons.


    This was truly Lostfon in the late afternoon.


    ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± Lily bounced over with two trays laden with mounds of chicken shreds. ¡°They¡¯re all black pepper or lemon pepper.¡±


    ¡°Nice, thanks.¡± Claud licked his lips. ¡°Right, did the old man say anything?¡±


    Lily laughed. ¡°Yeah. He was talking about last night, when he and everyone just went out to soak in the shower of lifeforce. It was nice, but then more and more people got drunk from both lifeforce and alcohol, so they ended up stripping in the middle of the street. In the end, the town guards came by and took most of the strippers into a one-night stay at the jail.¡±


    ¡°I am profoundly glad that we weren¡¯t there then,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Would have dirtied your eyes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on. At most, I¡¯ll just toss a bomb there or something,¡± Lily replied off-handedly.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t played with them recently, now that I think about it,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Weren¡¯t your materials in your backpack?¡±


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t want to blow up the ruins,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I suppose I could tinker around with them now that we¡¯re back. We used a lot of skillstrips recently too; if something happens, don¡¯t hesitate to use my explosives. It should serve well as a very loud distraction.¡±


    ¡°Which would help me in time-sensitive high efficiency trade runs, yes.¡± Claud touched the ring on his finger. ¡°And now I have this. Feels like the world is conspiring to improve my capabilities.¡±


    ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t you a mighty tetra-folder?¡± Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°Theft should be beneath you by now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fun, okay?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°And I get to donate the spoils to needy people,¡± Claud added.


    ¡°¡­Now that¡¯s something I can get behind.¡± Lily sniffed at the food. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s eat! We still have lots of things to do.¡±


    It was a bit rich for the person who insisted on sleeping in to say that, but again, Claud was complicit in the whole thing too. Devoting his attention to devouring the mound of meat, the two of them soon returned to their room, appetites sated and ready to check out an artefact that had killed so many Second Shadows.


    Pulling out the weird, Comms Console-lookalike artefact, Claud and Lily exchanged glances.


    It was time to work.

 Chapter 409: The aftermath of the descent

    The sun was setting by the time Dia came to, her body still trembling from the sheer outburst of lifeforce released by the ancient battlefield. Her body was aching all over, and she could vaguely detect a vast resource of lifeforce all around her.


    ¡°Urgh.¡± Dia pushed herself off the ground slowly, and then looked around her. The others were all unconscious too, save for Nero, who was now suspended in mid-air and clad in an ancient aura of black light, his presence throbbing and humming as the sun continued to set.


    Nero seemed safe, if only unaware of his surroundings, so Dia turned her attention to the others. As she crawled towards Risti, her mind began to play back the events of last night.


    Shortly after the three Moons fully descended, the ancient battlefield not too far from them had turned mad. Vast amounts of lifeforce surged to the heavens, smashing against the five grand skies and splattering all over the world. It was no different from directing a stream of water against a plate or something, but the sheer power behind the impact, as well as the initial shockwave of lifeforce that had blasted outwards, had knocked her and everyone else unconscious.


    ¡°Urgh.¡± After some agonised groans, Dia finally rolled over to Risti and started shaking her. ¡°Wake up, Risti!¡±


    ¡°Mhm? Dad, give me a moment. Let me sleep in a bit more¡­¡±


    Dia felt her temple throb, but she resisted the urge to jab Risti¡¯s sides. Instead, she tickled them until Risti, who was still asleep, started to laugh and twist, and after around ten seconds, she woke up.


    ¡°Dia?¡± Risti groaned. ¡°Stop tickling ¡ª yeowch. My body hurts. What happened?¡±


    ¡°You forgot?¡± Dia paused. ¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s wake everyone up first. We¡¯ve been out cold for more than seventeen hours. It¡¯s lucky that there weren¡¯t any predators nearby, or else we would have been dead.¡±


    Breathing heavily, she got up and surveyed their surroundings. Their base, which was made of multiple barrier artefacts, were now gleaming oddly in the sunset, and Dia rubbed her eyes. They were now green in colour, the same green that she saw in lifestones, and an odd hypothesis popped up in her head.


    Was it possible that those artefacts had spontaneously mutated to form that faint green sheen? After taking another glance at her green base, she staggered over to Schwarz and flipped him over, before shaking him back and forth.


    ¡°Dad?¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°It¡¯s not time to open the bar yet, go back to sleep.¡±


    Dia twitched. This was the second time in short succession that someone had claimed a father-child relationship with her. Was there something in that wave of power that made people call out for their parents?


    She flipped him around a few more times grumpily, which woke Schwarz up soon enough. The bartender stared at her blearily for a few more seconds, before awareness returned to his eyes.


    ¡°Dia?¡± Schwarz had a disappointed look on his face. ¡°Oh. Ah¡­what¡¯s going ¡ª my body really, really hurts.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it would.¡± Dia extended a hand to him, which he took, and then lugged him onto his feet. ¡°You were smacked by a giant shockwave of lifeforce, like everyone else. I just woke up not too long ago too.¡±


    She turned to Risti, who was poking Farah¡¯s sides with a branch in a bid to wake her up. Since there was a non-zero chance that Farah might actually call her Dad ¡ª although given her relationship with her irresponsible parents, that wasn¡¯t likely ¡ª Dia wasn¡¯t going to run the risk of damaging her mental state.


    ¡°Anyway, you should check your body and everything. That shockwave was quite bad, and you¡¯re the weakest of the four of us.¡± Dia gave him an appraising gaze.


    She stretched her arms and winced as her muscles flared with red-hot pain. Was that single shockwave really that terrifying? It was as if her body had undergone rapid growth or something, like that time when she first picked up the way of the sword, and¡ª


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    A thought flashed through her mind, and she opened her status.


    [Name: Dia Lyceria de Lustre


    Lifespan: 413 years


    Active Skills: Sword Dance (7), Sword Sense (7), Sword Roar (5), Fated Sword (2), Sword Fall (2), Domain of Swords (1)


    Passive Skills: Heightened Senses, Fighter¡¯s Intuition, Foreseer¡¯s Eye, Lifeforce Detection


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 3.28


    Mana Control Proficiency: Intermediate


    Authority: 3


    Comments: It was unfortunate that you were slapped silly by the unsealing of the ancient battlefield, but it is a fortuitous encounter nonetheless. Have you been well recently? It seems like you¡¯ve been busy running around¡­]


    Dia gazed at her lifespan, which had increased by a full three hundred years, and then took a deep breath. ¡°Guys, check your status. If I¡¯m not wrong, everyone¡¯s lifespan just shot up by a full three hundred years.¡±


    She paused and looked at her passive skills. ¡°And I just obtained the skill, Lifeforce Detection. I think you guys probably have that too.¡±


    ¡°Moons,¡± Farah murmured. ¡°I¡¯m not going to die anytime soon now, it seems! Wow. Well, that shockwave can hit me a few more times. I won¡¯t mind, really.¡±


    ¡°Congratulations.¡± Schwarz looked at the ancient battlefield. ¡°But I don¡¯t think we¡¯re the luckiest ones, are we? After all, we have one Holy Son who¡¯s busy receiving power from the Black God.¡±


    Everyone looked at Nero, whose presence was pulsing and giving off intense waves of power. Was the Black God strengthening Nero a few times over? Or was it something else? Whatever the case, Dia felt a bit more optimistic about their chances now, even if the Moons conscripted them.


    The sight of a suspended Nero was a feast for the eyes, but there was no going against their tummies. For some reason, everyone was starving, but fortunately, they weren¡¯t the only victims of the faint-inducing shockwave.


    A short trip into the forest revealed multiple boars that had been knocked out entirely. Had they been left alone, they would probably turn into monsters or far stronger boars, but Dia¡¯s sword wasn¡¯t going to have any of that. After killing them, Schwarz and Dia brought the boars back to camp, and the four of them butchered the unfortunate animals.


    Before long, huge skewers of boar meat had been set up above the firepit, which had gone out while they were unconscious, and the four of them sat around the firepit. Dia would occasionally glance at Nero, as did the others, and before long, the conversation shifted to the poor fellow again.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t life just unfair? While we¡¯re already awake and surrounding wild boar, Nero¡¯s still stuck in mid-air,¡± Schwarz commented. ¡°In fact, if this happened without us around, it would have been very dangerous.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°Not just very dangerous. Those boars proved it for us, right? If we hadn¡¯t woken up early, we could have become animal food or something. You lot ought to thank me.¡±


    She stuck her nose in the air proudly.


    After a round of thanks, which soothed her ego, everyone turned to Nero again.


    ¡°He looks like he¡¯s in pain,¡± Farah noted.


    ¡°Power and pain go hand in hand or something, I suppose.¡± Risti got up. ¡°Is there any way we can help him?¡±


    They approached the suspended Nero, and Dia scrutinised his face up close. The intense pressure radiating off his suspended form wasn¡¯t doing them any favours, however, and before long, the four of them were forced back.


    ¡°Just what is going on?¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°Farah, grab a skewer. Risti, you know where my brews are. Help me take the bottles that¡¯s inlaid with gold. I don¡¯t believe this gluttonous drunkard can resist my offerings.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t holding back anything, are you?¡± Dia observed wryly.


    ¡°Like it or not, he¡¯s our friend. And we don¡¯t go to half-lengths for friends, do we?¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I¡¯m going to wave this under his nose and pop open my bottles until he wakes up! After that, I¡¯m going to plug those bottles back up menacingly and scold him for worrying us!¡±


    ¡°Alright, take a chill pill. Did that wave of lifeforce alter your mind or something? You¡¯re normally not this agitated,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Anyway, calm down. Everything¡¯s going to be fine, and we¡¯ll be waving these bottles in front of him gleefully.¡±


    The two of them turned back to the groaning Nero. Black light continued to bloom from his thin frame, with every pulse drawing a pained moan from him. Fortunately, Dia had just gained a skill that would allow her to perceive lifeforce; the amount of lifeforce Nero had in his body was actually increasing slightly with every pulse.


    With some luck, he might have enough lifeforce to actually create his sixth mana circuit, which was frankly unbelievable.


    ¡°His lifeforce is surging.¡± Dia took a step back. ¡°Maybe disturbing him now might not be a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Surging?¡±


    ¡°Increasing,¡± Dia clarified. ¡°At this rate, he¡¯s going to be the youngest hexa-folder in all history. I¡¯m happy to see history in the making, if nothing else. It would be one heck of a shame if we accidentally destroyed this record.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Schwarz asked, glancing at Dia doubtfully.


    ¡°Did you not receive the Lifeforce Detection skill?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Nope.¡± The bartender took a step back. ¡°Well, if he¡¯s fine¡­I¡¯m still going to bait him with drinks and food, though.¡±


    ¡°With friends like you, did Nero really need the Third as an enemy?¡±

 Chapter 410: Another visit from a familiar spirit

    Dia looked at her status again, her eyes roving around the number that marked her lifespan. She, along with everyone else, had been staring at the number very closely. There was a reason for all this, naturally; she just couldn¡¯t believe that her lifespan was now in the four-hundred-year mark. Prior to this, her lifespan had been just a bit more than a hundred years, so this was really, really awesome.


    ¡°All of that is going to vanish into your mana circuits soon, though,¡± a quiet voice spoke. ¡°So why are you still staring at your status?¡±


    ¡°The same goes for you, Risti.¡± Dia folded her arms. ¡°And I feel like staring at it, just because.¡±


    Risti rubbed her nose. ¡°Sorry. I think that came across as rude. I think I might have been asking myself this question when I posed it to you just now, though. I¡¯ve been staring at it and wondering if it¡¯s a waste of my lifespan to increase my strength.¡±


    Dia paused. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    She had been thinking about that too. Four hundred years was a very long time. In this turbulent era, having such a long lifespan and living it through could mean that she would live through the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. She would be one of the few who could see and document history as it was being made.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite the obvious question, I suppose.¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s a choice, isn¡¯t it? Those announcements all but said it for us, I guess.¡±


    ¡°A choice, indeed.¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°All under the heavens, let us rejoice. Leaders of armies, make your choice. Guides and bearers, await the drums. Seekers of change, raise your arms¡­it¡¯s clear, isn¡¯t it? That the five grand skies unsealed the ancient battlefields and freed the vast amounts of lifeforce for the people of this generation.¡±


    Farah strode over with Schwarz as Dia let out a long sigh, and the two of them nodded at the countess and the bartender.


    ¡°Be that as it may, there is still an element of choice, is there not?¡± Schwarz shook his head. ¡°Still, if the five grand skies are behind all this¡­to what extent were they behind all this, then?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Everyone turned to the bartender, who was nodding with a pleased expression. He flashed an irritating grin at everyone for a few seconds, and then sobered up. ¡°What I mean by that is how far the five grand skies planned for this. I mean, it¡¯s kinda clear that they had a hand in the whole thing, right? A few Bearers of Destiny had to die before both the Moons and the Dark could descend. The only question is how far their hands reached.¡±


    He turned to Nero. ¡°For instance, was this guy turning into the Third¡¯s thrall part of the whole thing? I mean, by all accounts, the only reason why the Third died to Tot was because the Third Bearer of Destiny wanted to see his thrall-ified Holy Son of the Black God in action, right?¡±


    ¡°What, are you claiming that Tot is part of the five grand skies¡¯ arrangements?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Possible.¡± Schwarz paused. ¡°The only thing that doesn¡¯t quite fit in is Ruler Umbra¡¯s death. But that aside, isn¡¯t it fairly obvious? Rumours about Tot being involved in the Third and the Fourteenth¡¯s death are flying around. It might not have made much sense to us back then, but now that I look back at it, it¡¯s clear that the Third and the Fourteenth Bearers of Destiny were the Moons¡¯ Bearer of Destiny. Their deaths were linked to the descent of the great Dark, after all.¡±


    Dia nodded quietly, along with everyone else. From the very start, it was clear that the Bearers of Destiny all had their own allegiances. The Coloured Gods had their own Bearers of Destiny; so did the other two powers.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it possible that Tot is just one of the Dark¡¯s Bearers of Destiny? I mean, he has struck at the Moons exclusively,¡± Risti pointed out. ¡°That¡¯s far more plausible than him being the agent of chaos for the five grand skies.¡±


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    Schwarz opened his mouth, paused, and then nodded. ¡°That¡¯s another possibility. But we are simply assuming that these two things are mutually exclusive, aren¡¯t we? Who¡¯s to say that one can¡¯t be the errand boy of the Dark and the five grand skies at the same time?¡±


    ¡°So it might be both, huh.¡± Farah bobbed her head. ¡°Still, Ruler Umbra¡¯s death probably had nothing to do with it. Probably just some unfortunate circumstance.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t quite see the folk hero who robs nobles and donates to the floor as an agent of the great Dark, though,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°What about as the chosen of the five grand skies?¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°That does fit, in my opinion.¡±


    The four of them sat around and mulled over that for a moment. Dia, on her part, couldn¡¯t really reconcile the legendary Tot as part of the faction that created blackened monsters and everything; it could just be a coincidence that Tot had targeted the Moons, right?


    Naturally, everyone else had their own opinions about the issue too, so the outcome of their very¡­focused discussion was that no one would know for certain unless they asked Tot.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Nero awake yet?¡± Risti complained. ¡°We¡¯ve stayed all night to list out the many different identities of Tot, and he¡¯s still not awake?¡±


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s busy inheriting power, I suppose.¡± Schwarz shrugged. ¡°Either that, or the Black God is suspending him in the air dramatically to show off or something. Go figure.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Dia rolled her eyes and reached for the piece of paper that had all the different possibilities of Tot written down on it. It was a fairly long list, since their final discussion had yielded identities like Emperor Grandis¡¯ lost child, since no effort on the Emperor¡¯s part had been made to seek out Tot, amongst other amusing ones like a leader of some territory¡¯s underworld and professional evil-hunter.


    Dia really wanted to write something like ¡®Anti-Limbo Specialist¡¯ on that piece of paper, but it was no different from telling Schwarz and Farah about Limbo itself. In the end, Dia couldn¡¯t help but notice that everyone¡¯s suggested add-ons ¡ª which was mostly for fun at this point ¡ª were centred around Lily and Claud.


    It was probably a subconscious sign of how everyone was missing their two friends.


    Risti got up. ¡°I¡¯m going to get some drinks. Can we just start drinking in front of Nero already? He doesn¡¯t have the willpower to withstand Schwarz¡¯s drinks, and he¡¯s definitely going to be extra frantic if we start drinking them in front of him.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Schwarz pulled out a few bottles. ¡°Here, one each for everyone. Don¡¯t worry, those won¡¯t make you drunk, but they¡¯ll seem like the real deal.¡±


    ¡°I am never going to fall into a coma with you guys around me,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°You guys are horrible.¡±


    Shaking her head, she took the bottle and joined up with the others in disturbing the suspended Nero. There were many things that they could use to taunt him in the hopes of waking the unconscious Holy Son up, and Dia was on the verge of recounting the events of Daybreak County when a familiar, chilling voice spoke. ¡°I hope I¡¯m not disturbing anything.¡±


    ¡°No, you ar¡ª¡± Schwarz paused and turned.


    At the same time, a tremble ran down Dia¡¯s spine as she remembered the source of the voice, and the merriment ended. Everyone slowly turned to the voice, which was a figure of red light.


    ¡°Y-you are¡­¡± Dia gulped.


    The burning light faded away, revealing a young man with blazing red hair. ¡°I am Lord Shuddh¡¯s familiar spirit. I apologise for this¡­explosive entry.¡±


    His face flickered a moment later. ¡°I was teleporting towards the ancient battlefield when the fabric of space came across an unexpected ripple, shunting me here. I hope I¡¯m not disturbing this ritual, mortals.¡±


    ¡°N-no¡­¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t know if the familiar spirit was lying, or was it really the ¡®just nice¡¯ coincidences that were at work here. Whatever the case, the glint in the familiar spirit¡¯s eye told her that he knew who they were, up to and including their relationship to the First Bearer of Destiny¡¯s death.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let us keep you here, then,¡± Schwarz said, his face very still. ¡°Do go on while we try to figure out what¡¯s wrong with our friend.¡±


    ¡°This is amusing enough that I¡¯m more than willing to stay and¡­help,¡± the familiar spirit replied, putting a lot of emphasis on that last word.


    As the familiar spirit smiled at Dia and the others, a small little doubt wormed into her mind. Their previous meeting had been very violent, despite them being in the Moon Emissary¡¯s territory. Yet, this time, the familiar spirit was clearly putting in some effort to be amicable.


    Her eyes narrowed. If she didn¡¯t get it wrong, this was due to the Moons¡¯ descent. It was possible that the familiar spirit would be killed on the spot if he dared to make a move right here ¡ª all other considerations aside, any attempt to turn violent here would be perceived as a blatant insult to the Moons, right?


    ¡°You are an exalted familiar spirit,¡± Schwarz replied, his words slow and methodical. ¡°Surely you have a lot of important things to do.¡±


    ¡°Oh, there are¡­I am, for instance, in the middle of trying to solve the murder of the First Bearer of Destiny.¡± The familiar spirit showed his back to them, before his head did a one-eighty to look at everyone.


    Under the rising white moon, as the sound of bones cracking filled the air, his grotesque, stretched neck shimmered faintly. ¡°Do you four know anything about it?¡±

 Chapter 411: A duo skilled at framing

    Dia wanted to cry for her father as the chilling sight of the familiar spirit¡¯s head, which was twisted, stretching and cracking, entered her eyes. The desire to just scream and throw some holy item at him ¡ª preferably the Black God¡¯s holy symbol or Holy Son ¡ª was overpowering, and Dia found herself reaching out to the suspended Nero.


    Her fear vanished a moment later. While she couldn¡¯t defeat the familiar spirit on her own, she had two immense trump cards. If push came to shove, she could resist the enemy for the time being, while the others used their trump cards and fled. They were within Moon territory; as long as she brought some time¡­


    Schwarz patted her shoulders heavily and turned to the familiar spirit, his hands trembling the whole time. For a moment, Dia thought that he had frozen on the spot, but after a few seconds, she realised that the bartender was also too terrified of this odd sight to actually speak properly.


    The familiar spirit cackled, the sound making her skin crawl. ¡°So, do you people know anything about Holy Son Mendas? It sure seems like it, yes?¡±


    Risti glided forward, waved her hands once, and formed a barrier that contained only her and the familiar spirit. The others immediately jerked in alarm, but Dia forcibly cleared her throat.


    ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± Dia cut in, before they could do anything. ¡°It¡¯s just an isolation barrier for speech.¡±


    ¡°Isolating speech?¡± Schwarz¡¯s face flickered, and he regained a measure of confidence as he turned away from the grotesque sight of the creepy-ass familiar spirit. ¡°Why?¡±


    Dia¡¯s mind raced. ¡°Presumably because she¡¯s going to bring out some really problematic secrets that would blow our minds if we heard it.¡±


    ¡°How would she even have such secrets?¡± Farah asked. ¡°I mean, if she can hold these things in her mind, I¡¯d expect us here to do the same, right?¡±


    The only response Dia had for that was a non-committal shrug. To give any detailed answer was to hint at her involvement in all this, and while those two fellows were right in that they definitely could know about Limbo, there was probably a darn good reason why Farah and Risti had chosen to keep it under wraps. In fact, if it wasn¡¯t for her and Nightfall¡¯s involvement in hunting down the First, they would never have known all this at all.


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Besides, even if she wants to keep a secret, that¡¯s perfectly fair. Everyone has their own secrets, right? Just because we¡¯re good friends that rule Licencia¡¯s underworld together doesn¡¯t mean we need to share everything.¡±


    ¡°Point.¡± Farah bobbed her head.


    Noting down those words, Dia turned back to Nero. For now, the danger of the Red God had passed; people who knew about Limbo like them had been given a pass of sorts. Given that it was one of the Coloured Gods who had pleaded for the Watchers to be spared from the mess that was the Last Godsfall, the familiar spirit was unlikely to strike at them.


    Probably, anyway. However, for safety¡¯s sake, Dia wasn¡¯t going to trust these words easily.


    Turning back to Nero, Dia cleared her throat and said, ¡°Let¡¯s continue to rouse him with good food and¡ª¡±


    Another pulse of power erupted out of Nero before she could continue her sentence, and the offerings that had been used to bait Nero abruptly soared up into the sky. The Holy Son of the Black God shivered once, and black concentric circles appeared around him, spilling out black light that contended against the white moon¡¯s own.


    ¡°Thanks for trying to bait me, jerks.¡± Nero raised his hand once, and then landed on the ground. Black light continued to spill out of him steadily, before forming into something like a long robe. ¡°But thanks.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s put that aside for a moment,¡± Dia hurriedly replied. ¡°Risti¡­¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯ll go head him off for now,¡± Nero replied, walking directly into the barrier. His approach did not go unnoticed by both the familiar spirit and Risti, but none of them made any moves to stop him. In silence, he joined the discussion, leaving Dia and the others outside hanging.


    ¡°You know, I half-expected the discussion to end when Nero walked into that barrier, but¡­¡± Schwarz made a face. ¡°I¡¯ll go make more drinks for him first. Seems like it¡¯ll take some time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do some cooking. Dia, you stand guard here and prepare to attack if the familiar spirit does anything wrong,¡± Farah added.


    ¡°Do you even hear what you¡¯re saying?¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Me, attack? You insane?¡±


    Rolling her eyes at Farah, Dia decided to stay and remain as a neutral observer in this conversation. It was possible that the familiar spirit would attempt to use some sort of method to subvert their wills or something, so she also took out a few Area Cleanse skillsticks, which Schwarz had procured from Caroline when they left. If they showed odd behaviours inside, Dia would immediately snap the skillstick and restore them to their original states.


    Other than that, however, Dia did not dare to show any overt aggression. Even if she too had the protection that came with being a Watcher, there were two others that were innocent. The Coloured God that had extended them protection wouldn¡¯t blink an eye if Schwarz and Farah were killed.


    Discretion was necessary. This was an enemy that could not be overcome with brute force.


    She began to understand why Farah had told her to stand guard here. It would seem that the countess didn¡¯t trust herself to not make any rash moves, choosing to delegate that particularly hard task to the bodyguard and double of ¡°Princess Dia¡±.


    Sighing, Dia entertained herself by imagining what Farah¡¯s face would be like if she ever revealed the truth.


    The discussion went on all the way until dawn. Dia, who had the opportunity to survey their conversation closely, found herself amused by the changes in everyone¡¯s expression. The familiar spirit of the Red God had returned to normal and was even treating the two of them with a measure of respect. Of course, Dia harboured no illusions about who the familiar spirit was showing respect to, and more importantly, such an expression would not have been possible if Nero had spilled the beans.


    The Holy Son of the Black God and the daughter of the Folder Association¡¯s President were quite the formidable liars. Of course, the familiar spirit probably didn¡¯t dare to throw down the gauntlet, what with the Moons descending in advance, so¡­


    Was this a formality? Just to give the God of Precision an explanation? However, this would definitely go against the Red God¡¯s interests. If the familiar spirit really took their explanation at face value, then this could only indicate that the familiar spirit wasn¡¯t the most loyal of the lot.


    Dia folded her arms as that interesting thought flitted into her head, but she didn¡¯t dare to think too deeply about its repercussions. Instead, she stilled her face and watched as the white moon dipped beneath the horizon.


    At the same time, the barrier vanished, and the two speakers who had been busy beguiling the familiar spirit of the Red God ¡ª or playing along with him ¡ª walked over to Dia. The familiar spirit himself had vanished, turning into red mist that headed north.


    ¡°It¡¯s over?¡±


    ¡°We explained to him the ins and outs of the whole thing,¡± Risti replied quietly. ¡°He accepted the explanation.¡±


    ¡°It was a satisfactory one,¡± Nero added, his words ambiguous. ¡°Let us not speak of this any further, however. The only reason why he backed down was due to my¡­awakening.¡±


    ¡°Awakening?¡±


    Nero chuckled. ¡°Hehe. You¡¯ll see. Anyway¡­I¡¯m famished.¡±


    ¡°Right, the others were talking about making food and drinks for you,¡± Dia replied. ¡°It¡¯s nearly dawn, though.¡±


    The three of them traipsed back to the base, where two asleep fellows were sitting in front of a few plates filled with food. Dia found the sight of Farah and Schwarz leaning against each other quite adorable, so she simply raised a finger to her lips and motioned at the plates.


    The others got the message immediately, and after a while, the three of them had moved outside. It was more convenient for them too; those two were entirely unaware of Limbo to begin with.


    ¡°Did you two speak about Limbo?¡± Dia asked, eyeing the sliced pieces of meat.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Nero grinned. ¡°His face blanched once he realised that the two of us were part of that group,, and his attitude did a nice shift. After a while, we explained that Holy Son Mendas had been injured by that unknown assailant during a ritual, which subsequently opened him to corruption.¡±


    ¡°Tut tut. A Holy Son corrupted.¡±


    Dia looked at the two of them, who were behaving like they had absolutely nothing to do with it, and then played along. A key word had been thrown out for her, after all, and she ran with it.


    ¡°That unknown assailant¡­I wonder who it is.¡± Dia bobbed her head. ¡°Someone strong.¡±


    ¡°A folk hero operating in the Istrel Sovereignty?¡± Risti chuckled. ¡°Isn¡¯t there one?¡±


    ¡°Tot?¡±


    ¡°Has to be him, right?¡±


    Dia looked at the two people and wondered how they could frame someone without looking guilty at all. This was probably a talent of talents, if nothing else¡­

 Chapter 412: Relations between the gods and the mortals

    ¡°What are we going to do now?¡± Dia asked, looking at the two sleepyheads ¡ª Farah and Schwarz ¡ª that were leaning against each other. If their faces moved a tiny bit closer, they might end up kissing, which was a sight that Dia would happily peek at through the gaps between her fingers.


    ¡°Those two? Or are you referring to us in general?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°Us, as in the Seekers of Life,¡± Dia replied. ¡°We¡¯ve walked away with oodles of lifespan and carts full of mana-soaked prana jade. Do we just absorb all the lifestones here, mine out new prana jades and then return?¡±


    ¡°Gotta be specific around these parts,¡± Risti added. ¡°But that¡¯s a good question, I suppose. To be honest, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d mind staying here a bit longer. We¡¯re self-sufficient, and there might be more people who benefited from that outburst of lifeforce. We might find ourselves outmatched if we¡¯re unlucky.¡±


    She looked at the sliced meat, which had been seasoned liberally by what looked like black pepper. Spearing it with a stick of mana, she dipped it into a plate of soy sauce and nibbled away daintily.


    The Holy Son of the Black God folded his arms. ¡°Given recent events, I think it¡¯ll be best if we continue on our original plan and hunker down here. You guys have the mission to support the Moons, right?¡±


    Dia glanced at her status, where a new entry had popped up. Her status had grown more detailed when she became a tri-folder, although there had been nothing worth noting about the whole thing back then.


    [Faction Mission: Moonlit Victory


    Mission introduction: The time has come for the Moons to rise. The winds of victory blow with the Moons, with only one of the great Dark¡¯s Bearers of Destiny left. With only one Bearer of Destiny left, the Dark is now on the defensive. Now is the time to burn your life for rewards far greater.


    Mission requirements: Defeat the great Dark.


    Personal Mission Contribution: 0%


    Overall Mission Progress: 11.357%


    Prize Pool: 15000 years of lifespan.


    Additional remarks: Contribution can be gained by killing Dark-aligned Bearers of Destiny (5% each), the soldiers of the Dark (0.00001% each), the two Halves of the great Dark themselves (15% each) and the adversary (22%).]


    ¡°It¡¯s a prize pool mission,¡± Nero continued on. ¡°What that means is that based on everyone¡¯s mission contribution, they get some lifespan after the mission is complete. Someone with 1% contribution, for instance, would get 150 years of lifespan after the great Dark is defeated. Someone with 10% would get 1500 years.¡±


    Risti chuckled. ¡°This sort of approach is favoured by the Folders¡¯ Association, where everyone inside is competitive as heck. No one knows how many other people are interested, yes? But the more they are, the more even the contributions become. The payout at the end, rather than favouring a few who can make use of their extreme gains to become an overlord of sorts, becomes evenly split.¡±


    Dia paused. ¡°Okay, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Risti tilted her head. ¡°Imagine you are a bi-folder and you see this mission. Let me ask you this one thing; would you prefer seeing three thousand new bi-folders, or ten new septa-folders?¡±


    ¡°This question is a bit too sudden,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Let¡¯s assume that there is a high probability of these new folders to be nasty people who would abuse their power. Would you prefer having lots of weaker nasty people or ten really strong, really nasty ones?¡±


    ¡°The former.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. The safest assumption to make when you come across situations like this is that everyone outside your group is hostile. Nasty selfish fellows that would take advantage of every edge to continue their climb towards strength. Under such a circumstance, no one wants to see the rise of someone truly extraordinary. Folders far and wide would flock to the banner of the Moons and the Dark, just so that no one can monopolise lifespan like this.¡±


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    Dia looked at Risti thoughtfully. Since she hadn¡¯t encountered anyone from the Folders¡¯ Association before, she hadn¡¯t really thought about them much, save as an interesting piece of backstory for Risti. However, this little spiel had reminded her that Risti¡¯s father was the leader of the Folders¡¯ Association.


    Well, at least Risti was on their side. Letting out a small sigh, she said, ¡°By saying all this, do you mean that the Moons won¡¯t care that much about the Seekers of Life?¡±


    ¡°Yeap.¡± Risti let out a sigh. ¡°Fortunately, we managed to convince the Red God¡¯s familiar spirit that Holy Son Mendas¡¯ death had nothing to do with us. Having that label tacked onto us didn¡¯t do us any favours, to be honest. And of course, Nero was a great help.¡±


    Dia looked at Nero inquisitively, and the Holy Son grinned. ¡°It¡¯s a lot easier to command respect when your identity has been raised, you know. I can¡¯t help but think that this was perfect timing for me, when the Moons descended way in advance. If that hadn¡¯t happened, we would have been at a disadvantage.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°The familiar spirit showed some respect to Nero¡¯s new identity,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Otherwise, he might have just searched the memories of Schwarz and Farah.¡±


    ¡°Those two only?¡± Dia glanced at the sleeping fellows.


    ¡°Privileges of a Watcher. Besides, we, as Watchers, saw the corruption of Holy Son Mendas ourselves. The Moons were witnesses too. There is little point in searching our memories, as a result.¡± Risti shrugged. ¡°The world protects its own.¡±


    Dia shivered.


    ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re fine now. We¡¯re innocent to begin with, so just forget about all this and think about the future. Leave the Thief of Time to the familiar spirit.¡±


    ¡°Ok¡ª


    A red figure fell from the sky at that moment, and Dia immediately shifted to meet the new threat. The others reacted a moment later, but the familiar spirit simply dusted himself off and directed a glare at the sky. ¡°Sorry to intrude. The Moons didn¡¯t like me flying into their barrier, so they threw me back at where I last touched the ground.¡±


    Dia twitched once.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± the familiar spirit replied. ¡°I only heard that last sentence.¡±


    Did the God of Precision really need to operate in this way? Resisting the urge to frown, Dia and the others looked at the familiar spirit, who was clearly restraining his own existence. The familiar spirit, however, didn¡¯t quite care about them, and began to walk off to the north instead.


    The three of them watched him depart in silence, before turning to their meal. Fortunately, the three of them had finished their meal, or else the cloud of dust from the familiar spirit¡¯s sudden appearance would have dirtied their food. More importantly, however, this was an eye-opener for Dia, who had directly witnessed how coincidence could twist itself to support the favoured of the Red God.


    ¡°Is the Red God the God of Precision?¡± Dia muttered. ¡°It sure feels like the God of Coincidence, though. Precision doesn¡¯t feel like it!¡±


    ¡°The most precise things are planned coincidences,¡± Nero replied, before shaking his head. ¡°And how do you know that this wasn¡¯t precisely planned?¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Risti chuckled and raised a finger to her lips, prompting Nero to do the same. After holding the gesture for a few seconds, she motioned at Nero once, who said, ¡°You have read books and seen many shows, right? How many such books have the protagonist be the protagonist because of perfect timing? Because they were in the right place at the right time? That is true precision.¡±


    ¡°Does it really work that way?¡± Dia rubbed her nose. ¡°We aren¡¯t characters in a book, though. Things don¡¯t go as planned this nicely. I¡¯d rather ascribe them to coincidence.¡±


    ¡°Think what you like, but the Red God is the God of Precision for a reason,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Your own views won¡¯t affect that.¡±


    ¡°Alright, enough, the two of you.¡± Risti clapped her hands. ¡°Let¡¯s treat today as a rest day, and then we¡¯ll go absorb the lifestones in these carts tomorrow. I don¡¯t think we¡¯re in the mood for work now anyway. Damn. I was hoping that this trip would be a relaxed one, but we had the Moons descend early, the Red God¡¯s familiar spirit showing up not once but twice¡­and we might still be visited by a Moon Emissary afterwards.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said that they probably wouldn¡¯t come,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a guess. They might show up after tallying the numbers and realising that a group of mana-users aren¡¯t biting their bait,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Which is why we¡¯re still going to absorb all the lifestones here. If we arrive late, the battlelines should have been fully stabilised. Death and injury occur the most when things are shifting. However, the Moons and the Dark are equals; once the battlelines stabilise, they¡¯re unlikely to shift for a very long time.¡±


    ¡°How long?¡± Dia asked, curious.


    ¡°Uh¡­a few centuries, maybe.¡±


    Dia found herself speechless. Did it mean that this mission would only be completed after these few centuries?


    ¡°The mission will probably complete on its own in ten years,¡± Nero added. ¡°Otherwise, everyone¡¯s going to feel that it¡¯s a scam and stop trying hard.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so add that damn thing into the mission, then,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Anyway, can we ransack this ancient battlefield before we leave? I think emptying it of prana jade is the safest way.¡±


    ¡°¡­We¡¯ll see.¡± Nero yawned. ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep. We can continue our daily routine tomorrow or something.¡±


    Dia who had been standing guard over everyone else, stifled a yawn and nodded in agreement. ¡°Sure. Have a good rest.¡±


    As one, the three of them got up and headed to their base. As they entered, Dia didn¡¯t forget to snap the Area Cleanse skillstick once more, just in case the familiar spirit did something, before heading back to her own room.


    The camping life was calling out to her once more.

 Chapter 413: Crunching numbers

    ¡°Looks like the battlefield¡¯s heating up,¡± Claud muttered, before pulling out a pyramid to check that it was still misaligned. His eyes switched back to a metal box ¡ª the artefact that they had spent a good amount of their time in the Celestia Ruins to retrieve ¡ª which was busy displaying an overhead view of the battlefield.


    It had been a few days since the Moons descended, and the battlefield, which had been in Liquet Dukedom, which was directly north of the Istrel Sovereignty, had been pushed back to Lacuna. As a result, there was now something that looked like balance on this front; the three dukedoms of the Nihila Sovereignty had been split into Moon-controlled territory and Dark-controlled territory, with only Vacuos County as the main battleground.


    Even the Lacuna Dukedom had been split up, and Vacuos, which was at the very middle, was now paying the price for it.


    Was it coincidence? Or was there something else in the mix? Claud wasn¡¯t too sure, but it sure felt like the advantage the Dark had in descending earlier had been completely stripped away. The only indicator that the Dark had managed to bag an extreme advantage was the huge disparity in percentages between the Moonlit Victory and the Shadowed Victory missions.


    He looked at the screen of the artefact again, before nodding in satisfaction. This thing, the Reserve Echelon Command Observation Node, or RECON, was something that was apparently widely used to scout out locations. The metal box in front of him had five metal balls, which could take flight and position in a single position indefinitely. These balls, or probes, could then relay back what they saw in incredible clarity to this screen and to even the Second Shadow. Apparently, they came as a set or something.


    Lily, who was reading a book about the latest developments on chemicals that could explode when looked at, raised her head. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°The Moons finally brought out humans. Mana-users and mortal soldiers,¡± Claud replied, fiddling with the thing the manual had called a mouse. As for why it was called a mouse¡­well, it sure didn¡¯t look like a rodent, so maybe Celestia was simply odd. Either way, unless he squinted his eyes and got dead drunk, Claud was certain that this odd thing wouldn¡¯t look like a rodent.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t they doing that already?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Well, not on such a huge scale,¡± Claud replied, folding his arms. ¡°But if you look here¡­¡±


    Lily rolled over and bumped into him happily, before sitting upright. Her smiling eyes narrowed a heartbeat later, and Claud knew why. Before here was a truly combined force of Moonlit soldiers and human ones; the latter was no longer a small force of elites, but an army of human soldiers and elite squads of killers.


    He fiddled with the console, and the screen moved closer to a well-formed battalion. The manual called this action ¡®zooming in and out¡¯, but as for why an action associated with running¡­


    Claud shook his head and put aside the many odd things he had learned from the manual. The scene before him was far more important; this was the first time he¡¯d seen human combatants in such numbers before.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Given that everyone who has a status interface has the faction mission, I think it¡¯s clear,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But I don¡¯t know why the normal soldiers are participating in this too.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re sub-folders who have full access to the status,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Still, it¡¯s a bit odd, though, now that I think about the entire process. What happens when people with high contribution are killed? I mean, these soldiers might end up killing a bunch of enemies, before being killed themselves. Where does their contribution go to?¡±


    Claud paused. ¡°Maybe¡­the contribution is returned?¡±


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    ¡°Maybe, but that doesn¡¯t make sense, does it?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I mean, you can roughly tell the size of the enemy armies by looking at the percentages. On the side of the Dark, after deducting all significant targets, we are left with 33% of the score. Every one hundred thousand troops is worth one percent, so it seems that there are 3.3 million Moonlit soldiers.¡±


    She paused. ¡°Incidentally, after deducting your contribution, it seems that nearly five hundred thousand Moonlit soldiers have fallen in battle, but we don¡¯t know who¡¯s responsible. Anyway, where does your contribution go if you were killed?¡±


    Claud touched his chin. ¡°That¡¯s a good question. Maybe it¡¯s inherited by someone you designate? That sounds likely.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Lily hugged her legs. ¡°That¡¯s true. Okay, but what if that person doesn¡¯t have anyone to designate?¡±


    ¡°You know that there¡¯s no point in asking me, right?¡± Claud replied, rolling his eyes. ¡°But it¡¯s fun, I suppose. Maybe it¡¯s given to someone randomly?¡±


    Lily bobbed her head. ¡°The pool of recipients isn¡¯t that big too, although it would be funny if an old man who was a sub¡ªfolder and working faraway from the frontlines receive a percentage point or something.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that would be a great boon, wouldn¡¯t it? 150 years of life¡­but still, this mission is going to take a very long time, right?¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°In my Second Tutorial, the war was still going on after two centuries. If it¡¯s really inherited, there¡¯s probably a bunch of random people who had absolutely nothing to do with this war holding on to a percentage point or two.¡±


    ¡°Part of a war they know nothing about, hah.¡± Lily shook her head. ¡°That sounds ridiculous. It¡¯s quite dumb, though. Surely someone will realise that too?¡±


    Claud shrugged. ¡°Just treat this as something that will never manifest and stay here. It¡¯s definitely schmuck bait for people who don¡¯t quite get the scope of the thing, and to be honest, I think I can get you more lifestones than the rewards given. I mean, you¡¯ll need to kill one hundred thousand enemies for 150 years of life. Unless you can obliterate them with ease on a huge scale, there¡¯s no point in actually doing all this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only due to Crown that we can say that, though.¡±


    The two of them looked at the three shapes that were nestled together, and then smiled. Crown, Throne and Sceptre had been playing some weird game deep into the night, and were tired out as a result. Crown, however, never failed to throw out a Pure-Life gem every day, even when tired. Its ability to convert normal lifestones to Pure-Life gems meant that Claud and Lily had no issues with the quality of their lifestones.


    Claud nodded. ¡°Good point. I suppose I¡¯m speaking from an extreme position of luck and privilege, right?¡±


    ¡°Right you are.¡± Lily got up and patted the RECON. ¡°I¡¯m sure there are lots of people desperate for more lifespan¡­or rather, more lifestones that they can actually use.¡±


    Claud nodded. Not everyone had a steady source of Pure-Life gems, and to top it all off, Claud could use any lifestone thanks to Crown. He was the only one who didn¡¯t suffer from restrictions on lifestone purity, which translated to him giving all the pure-ranked lifestones to Lily for her use.


    ¡°I suppose we should continue to count our blessings.¡± Claud extended a hand, and Lily pulled him up. ¡°And I think we should make something nicer for those three little fellows. How does a little house sound?¡±


    ¡°A house? Like a toy house?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yeap. The ones that kids play with all the time,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I remember seeing one that had the pipes working and everything. Anyway, do you think they¡¯ll like it if we made them a small home? It shouldn¡¯t be a chore to carry it around anyway.¡±


    ¡°How small are we talking about? I don¡¯t really want to try putting them into the storage ring.¡± Lily had a frown on her face. ¡°It feels like something¡¯s going to happen if you do.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°They¡¯re little lives. I won¡¯t want to do that either. But I can see your concerns¡­how about we make them a portable little room instead? How does that sound? Something we can carry around easily.¡±


    ¡°An actual room, instead of a little bed now.¡± Lily looked at the three little napping shapes. ¡°Now I¡¯m fired up.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s bring them to do some shopping, then,¡± Claud replied. ¡°They should have a say in the type of housing they prefer, right? We just need to conceal them a bit carefully.¡±


    Lily poked the little box they were sleeping on. ¡°Wake up, sleepyheads.¡±


    ¡°Meep?¡± Crown stirred, before rolling to its side. Before it could roll off the table, however, Claud caught the little box and nestled it in the crook of his neck.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go around falling off, Crown.¡± Claud patted the little thing¡¯s velvety surface. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re going to bring you guys out for some shopping. Making you an actual room, see? How does that sound?¡±


    The two little fellows on the table started hopping around immediately, before flying towards Claud and bouncing off his nose.


    ¡°Lily, help! I¡¯m being attacked!¡±


    After calming down the three excited shapes ¡ª which Claud left for Lily to take care while he muttered darkly about where he went wrong in raising his kids ¡ª the two of them, plus three sentient shapes, headed off to ply the streets in search of good material for making little rooms.


    Some relaxation was definitely in order, after all.

 Chapter 414: An uneasy peace, a gathering storm

    The streets of Lostfon had regained a semblance of normalcy after a few days had passed, but there were lots of soldiers here, their black armour indicating their allegiance to the Dark. Recruitment drives for mortals were ongoing, and there were actually mercenaries that were queuing up for tryouts.


    Most of these mercenaries were actually refugees from Vacuos, which Claud found ironic. Back when the great Dark marched on Lostfon, tens of thousands of people had fled the county for neutral Vacuos and the dukedom capital of Lacuna, but now that Vacuos had turned into the main battleground, the fleeing fellows had returned.


    The dukedom capital had closed its gates entirely too, and Lostfon had welcomed its first influx of huge traffic. However, since Count Lostfon had reappropriated all abandoned properties a few months ago, people who had fled the county months ago and tried to reclaim their properties over the past few days weren¡¯t particularly welcome.


    Now, there was no shortage of people who were willing to do hard labour for small amounts of money. Able-bodied people who thirsted for opportunities also saw the recruitment drives in Lostfon as an opportunity and a way to equip themselves.


    ¡°Still, why didn¡¯t these refugees just sign up at the Dark¡¯s camps in Vacuos?¡± Claud wondered.


    Lily looked at a group of young men, who were lining up under the watchful eye of a few shadows wearing armour, and then shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s probably due to training.¡±


    ¡°Training?¡± Claud echoed.


    ¡°I assume that those camps on the frontlines accept only veterans,¡± Lily replied. ¡°As for those who want to but don¡¯t have the ability, they need to be trained, and the closest place to go to would be Lostfon. There are probably other such training camps throughout the Quies Dukedom and the Voidum Sovereignty.¡±


    ¡°Other such camps?¡± Claud blinked. ¡°What are those camps for?¡±


    ¡°To train people more extensively. We¡¯re very close to the frontlines; things can change at the drop of a hat. The training here is probably more practical, more attuned to the rougher aspects of war.¡± Lily frowned. ¡°The ones in the depths of Dark-controlled territory, however, definitely have more specialised training camps.¡±


    Claud nodded. Lily¡¯s experience with matters like this either came from her upbringing or her hobby of reading books, but whatever the case, her explanation made a lot of sense.


    A thought struck him a moment later. ¡°In that case, those people are¡­cannon fodder? Taught to wield a weapon for a few hours, and then sent out to fight?¡±


    Lily¡¯s face flickered once. ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°Not a very nice thing to face, I suppose.¡± Claud shook his head. Right on cue, a small woodworking shop that was actually open came into view, and he motioned at it. ¡°Found it. Let¡¯s go get some wood, then.¡±


    Lily¡¯s eyes brightened, and she jiggled a pocket of her clothes. ¡°Do you hear that? We¡¯re going to get you building materials now!¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    The little fellows clamoured around happily in her pocket, and a lovely smile appeared on her face. Claud looked at her, dazed, and then shook himself awake. There was a reason why she always made his heart pound.


    Holding her hand, he led her towards the shop..


    At any rate, the woodworking shop had quite a few customers, all of them unfamiliar faces. Most of the men and women shopping here had eyebags and pallid complexions, and Claud intuitively understood that these people had been sleeping out in the wild for some time.


    Were there former residents of Lostfon that had fled the Dark¡¯s invasion months ago here? Claud didn¡¯t know, but what he did know was that the properties of Lostfon¡¯s former residents had turned into rewards that the count was putting out. They could, of course, be repurchased with resources too, but the count was also offering properties to people who joined his personal guard, as well as living spaces for those willing to join Lostfon¡¯s army.


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    As for these people here¡­they were probably refugees who probably didn¡¯t have the desire to join up with Count Lostfon or the Dark.


    He didn¡¯t have much of an opinion over their choices, though. They were perfectly free to do as they please.


    ¡°What would you have chosen if you were in their place?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°These refugees?¡± Claud asked back, his voice a whisper. ¡°Well, I¡¯d probably join up with Lostfon¡¯s army. Even if I¡¯m not a good combatant, they still need miscellaneous staff like cleaners, cooks and other people like that, right? There are a lot of vacant, low-level positions waiting to be filled up by Lostfon, after all. And in these desperate times, we can¡¯t be too picky.¡±


    ¡°But what do you think of his policy to the old, the disabled and the needy?¡± Lily asked.


    Claud thought about that for a moment. ¡°Wait, that doesn¡¯t make sense, does it? Most people who fell into these categories were unable to flee Lostfon to begin with.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you noticed¡­¡± Lily stuck a tongue out. ¡°Still, I wonder what happened to the innkeeper¡¯s family. I thought they should be coming back anytime soon, but they haven¡¯t showed up at all.¡±


    The old man had been asking around for the past few days, a sight that had played out over and over again whenever the two of them went downstairs to eat. In fact, Claud had even tried to program ¡ª was that the right word? ¡ª one of the RECON¡¯s little balls to look for someone that fitted the description of the old man¡¯s family. He had used the old man¡¯s many portraits about his family and got one of those balls to scan them.


    There weren¡¯t any results so far, though.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I hope his family makes it back soon.¡±


    The two of them filed into the shop as they continued to talk about the innkeeper¡¯s family, before looking around for some nice wood to make a small room with. Lily wanted a nice little room that had small doors and windows, like a small cottage of sorts, and Claud was more than happy to make such a living space with her.


    Before long, they had purchased quite a few planks of wood, drawing the eyes of the other customers as they left. By the looks of it, the new arrivals were probably expecting everyone else to be as poor as them, so for them to buy quite a bit of wood¡­


    Claud narrowed his eyes as he detected a few gazes on him. However, none of them made a move or tried to follow them as they left ¡ª Lostfon¡¯s security had been ramped up ever since the refugees had arrived. One reason was due to the ex-residents banding together in a bid to reclaim their property, but a swift intervention on the part of the Lostfon guards had ended that. Another reason was how some newcomers decided to give in to their darker sides and resort to violence; being homeless and penniless was a good way to make people desperate.


    While he could understand why Lostfon had no intention of returning ex-residents their property, Claud felt that the count should at least build a few communal buildings to house these people in. In fact, he could just enlist these refugees to build their own shelters, and then get them to do collective labour to pay off the cost of building materials.


    ¡°It¡¯s odd, isn¡¯t it?¡± Claud muttered, giving voice to the thoughts in his heart.


    ¡°What¡¯s odd?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°The way the count is treating those refugees,¡± Claud replied, before explaining to her his thoughts.


    ¡°That¡¯s suspicious, indeed. It¡¯s as if the count doesn¡¯t want these people, but what kind of territory lord would have such a thought?¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Wealth and populace are intimately tied together.¡±


    She paused. ¡°Unless there¡¯s a bigger incentive for him not to do so, enough for him to forgo both immediate and future benefits.¡±


    ¡°Lesser Half!¡±


    Claud looked at Lily, who had said the same thing at the same time, and then nodded.


    ¡°Lesser Half must have wanted those refugees to enter the ranks of the Dark.¡± Lily winked at him. ¡°That¡¯s what you thought, right?¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°And the best way to do so was to talk to the ruler of the area and offer him benefits that he couldn¡¯t turn down. Besides, Lesser Half and Count Lostfon are on relatively friendly terms anyway, and the count must have been seething at those people who fled the county anyway.¡±


    ¡°One thing led to another, and we got today¡¯s situation, I suppose.¡± Lily made a sound in her throat. ¡°It¡¯s impressive how small little things can lead to huge situations like this.


    ¡°Well said.¡±


    As those words echoed into his ears, a dome of darkness fell all around Claud and Lily at this moment, and a familiar, overpowering presence walked out from the crowd. Claud subtly shifted his body to place himself in front of Lily, before looking at the divine shadow of Lesser Half¡­who had been strolling around the county.


    Who knew that such a being would do such a thing?


    The shadow gestured once at the door forming in front of itself. ¡°Come. I have things to discuss with you two and Count Nightfall.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t think he had much of a choice here, but he still took a few seconds to hesitate anyway.


    It was just to make a point, if nothing else.

 Chapter 415: A divinitys desire

    A familiar throne room appeared all around Claud and Lily as the two of them stepped across the threshold, and an intense presence began to weigh down on his senses. The oppressive might radiating from the¡­thing sitting in the throne was so immense that Claud couldn¡¯t muster up the thought of resistance.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so uptight.¡± The void resting on the throne chuckled.


    ¡°Lesser Half¡¯s right,¡± another voice chimed in, and the shadows retreated to reveal Count Lostfon, who was sitting to the throne¡¯s side and gesturing with a biscuit elegantly. ¡°Relax. We¡¯re just here as the strongest people in this city. Which is not a lot¡­and yes, here she is.¡±


    Darkness rippled, and a shadow coalesced, before dropping to her knees once. ¡°Lord, I have arrived.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be formal with me, Dust.¡± The void in front of Claud shifted slightly. ¡°Now that everyone of interest is present, let us begin this¡­social gathering, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Social gathering?¡± Lily asked, her voice slow and respectful.


    ¡°I am told that this is something that humans do. To exchange bits of information and intrigue over an elegant meal, and maybe to trade favours and help each other out,¡± Lesser Half replied. ¡°Everyone present is not only the strongest in this city, but people who had earned my approval one way or another. In a sense, I have granted you status fitting as a peer of mine.¡±


    ¡°I thank you, Lord.¡± Dust, the Dark Herald, bowed her head.


    ¡°Now, now. Enough of this.¡± Lesser Half paused. ¡°I can sense a burning curiosity in three people here, so let me explain my actions. You humans are fascinating. The will to rebel and the will to comply are intertwined so deeply, as illustration. The purpose of these sessions is to allow me to understand you humans.¡±


    Claud looked at the throne as the divinity continued to speak. Lesser Half¡¯s¡­body, if he could call it that, was a rip in space that led to a vast starry sky. Within the faint illumination of the starlight within, innumerable cubes floated around in silence, radiating a serene might.


    In summary, Lesser Half wanted to learn more about humans, the beings with the highest population through the world. To that end, the divinity had figured that trying out the basics ¡ª interacting with humans ¡ª was the best way to start, although Lesser Half had tried his hand at watching stage plays and reading books too.


    Today¡¯s theme was trying to find people to talk to.


    ¡°How do I factor in all this, Lord?¡± Dust asked.


    ¡°In my eyes, you are quite¡­human too. Or maybe humans are quite like my children.¡± Lesser Half paused. ¡°And I do need someone who can translate any areas I am missing.¡±


    The Dark Herald lowered her head. ¡°Yes, Lord.¡±


    Claud couldn¡¯t help but grow more and more curious, and as that emotion reached a peak, Lesser Half¡¯s presence strengthened slightly. The rift that seemed to be his body or something formed a shadowy hand and gestured at Claud, before saying, ¡°You are very curious about something. Why not voice it for all to hear?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­it¡¯s about language, I suppose.¡± Claud couldn¡¯t help but find something off about the whole thing. ¡°Language is a human construct, isn¡¯t it? In that case, how is it that you, the Dark Heralds and presumably the Shadowed Ones speak the same language as us?¡±


    The shimmering void paused as everyone turned to look at Claud, and the master thief felt a bit nervous. Lily definitely knew that part of this question came from their exploration of the Celestia Ruins, but what about the others?


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Dust hesitated. ¡°I never thought of that before.¡±


    ¡°I mean, beings on your level¡± ¡ªClaud nodded at Lesser Half¡ª ¡°don¡¯t need language, right? But why is it that you speak, and in the language of our world?¡±


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    ¡°Like the Celestia Ruins,¡± Count Lostfon murmured. ¡°Isn¡¯t it? Now that I think about it, this is something worth investigating.¡±


    Everyone turned to look at Lesser Half, who simply replied, ¡°I cannot provide an answer for the time being, regretfully. Still, since we are on the topic of the Celestia Ruins¡­something problematic happened there a few days ago. It¡¯s also one of the reasons why I gathered everyone here today.¡±


    ¡°A few days ago?¡± Count Lostfon asked, and Claud thought about the time when he and Lily broke out of the ruins, angering Greater Half and prompting an unprecedented response from the divinity.


    ¡°Greater Half was attempting to crack open the Celestia Ruins when¡­something problematic broke out of it a week or so ago,¡± Lesser Half replied. ¡°It is an adversary, the end of the cycle. Every Godsfall, the adversary appears and attempts to subvert the order of the five grand skies.¡±


    Claud, who was half-expecting to hear about a Bearer of Destiny, nearly tilted his head out of sheer confusion. Lily, who had known the truth of what happened that day, was probably equally confused, but the two of them had more than enough presence of mind to not actually show it.


    ¡°The adversary¡­are you referring to that adversary mentioned in the faction mission?¡± Count Lostfon asked. ¡°The one that gives 22% to your victory percentage?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± The void froze. ¡°Ah, I see. The five grand skies must be behind this¡­yes, indeed. By the way, that faction mission automatically completes itself after fifty years or when there are less than a tenth of our foot soldiers on either side, at which point the rewards are dispensed. I am told that there are very confused Dark Heralds that don¡¯t know when the quest is complete.¡±


    ¡°Well, the requirement was to have one side win,¡± Dust chimed in, and Claud glanced at the Dark Herald.


    His gaze shifted to Lily a moment later as the repercussions of those words hit them ¡ª for some reason, the Dark Heralds also had a Status. Was that supposed to happen?


    As Lesser Half chuckled, a few shimmering shadows appeared in view, and the world blurred over for a moment. When it next returned into focus, everyone was now seated around a round table, seats next to each other. The table was filled with dishes, and Claud blinked.


    This was a marvellous feat.


    ¡°What is a social gathering without a feast?¡± Lesser Half looked at the dishes. ¡°I hope these are to your liking. As you can tell, I can¡¯t quite eat, which is fairly disappointing. That said, it is my earnest wish that everyone present treat this as a standard social gathering and behave accordingly.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± Lostfon paused. ¡°So what did Greater Half do afterwards? We¡¯re still waiting for you to complete that very exciting story, Lesser Half.¡±


    ¡°Well, he scoured the world with a very powerful attack, but I am not sure whether he succeeded or not. Nonetheless, the effort was enough to rebalance the state of affairs, allowing the Moons to take a few steps forward,¡± Lesser Half replied.


    ¡°Speaking of that,¡± Dust interrupted, ¡°we have to thank you, Lostfon. Recruitment of mercenaries and fresh troops have been very successful due to your actions so far.¡±


    ¡°It is a fair trade, and to be honest, I was very pissed with those who fled in the first place,¡± Lostfon replied.


    A chuckle came from the formless void. ¡°Indeed, but you might want to make it less obvious. One of my avatars overheard Lord and Lady Primus discussing this issue, and one reason why I invited them here was because they had guessed the truth.¡±


    ¡°You guys noticed all that?¡± Lostfon asked, a touch of shock in his words. ¡°How did you guess?¡±


    ¡°We just did?¡± Lily replied. ¡°I mean, it was quite obvious, wasn¡¯t it? There was so much free manpower, but you just let them lie around and stew in discontent. With the attractive terms ¡ª relatively speaking, anyway ¡ª of the recruiters from the great Dark, anyone with a brain could tell that you were doing it on purpose.¡±


    ¡°Bummer. But even if they know, so what?¡± Lostfon fiddled with his plate and picked up a fork, before ferrying some sliced pieces of what seemed like fried beancurd. ¡°They can accept it, or just trek all the way to Quies, I don¡¯t care. They sure didn¡¯t care when they fled this city.¡±


    There was some bitterness in those words, and Claud had to forcibly resist the urge to wince. Clearly, the count had felt betrayed by their flight, and he had even bottled it up for some time. All this definitely meant that he didn¡¯t have much goodwill to those who fled.


    Whether his anger was justified or not, however, Claud wasn¡¯t going to make a stand on this. He was neither qualified nor knowledgeable enough to comment on the finer aspects of government and ruling; Lily might come close, but she didn¡¯t have the actual experience either.


    ¡°It¡¯s your call, I suppose.¡± Lily shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s quite obvious to those who can think, though, and you don¡¯t want those who can think to be your enemy.¡±


    The count tapped the table thoughtfully, and then inclined his head in her direction. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it, then.¡±


    ¡°Please do.¡±


    Claud turned his attention to Lesser Half, who was observing their conversation with what felt like relish, but he couldn¡¯t tell for sure. He didn¡¯t want to seem rude, however, so he eventually moved his gaze to Dust.


    ¡°So, uh, about that little Shadow toddler, Zin¡­how is the little fellow now?¡±


    ¡°Gurgling happily, last I checked.¡± Dust smiled. ¡°He seems to want to see you guys again, though. I think he likes you two.¡±


    ¡°Can we visit?¡±


    Dust paused. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know how, actually.¡±


    Lesser Half let out a small chuckle. ¡°How about I bring you two there?¡±

 Chapter 416: A light-hearted discussion

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    It didn¡¯t seem like it was an offer Claud and Lily could refuse, so after some back and forth, the two of them eventually agreed. Claud, however, was just as interested as visiting the home of the Shadowed Ones as Lily as, but he was more adamant on visiting after the entire thing was over.


    Which would probably take a century or two, but that was the best compromise he could ask for.


    The little tea party settled down into a regular pattern of eating and chiming in after a while, and Claud was eyeing a sponge cake when Lesser Half cleared his throat gently.


    ¡°Interestingly enough, the Red God¡¯s familiar spirit seems to be looking for someone.¡± The rift that was Lesser Half rippled gently. ¡°I am told that it is a folk hero from the Istrel Sovereignty, someone nicknamed the Thief of Time.¡±


    It took everything Claud had to not show any weird reactions, and he forced himself to show some surprise ¡ª the kind that people exhibited when they heard something familiar ¡ª a moment after Lily¡¯s own exclamation.


    ¡°Tot?¡± Lily asked. ¡°What did he do?¡±


    ¡°You know of him?¡± Lesser Half asked, and Dust, ever the quiet observer, leaned forward slightly. ¡°Pray do regale us about his tales.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Lily tilted her head, but Claud knew that she was already formulating a deliberate answer. ¡°Well, the legendary Thief of Time has all sorts of stories related to him. His first appearance¡­well, the one that put him into prominence, anyway, was his part in Ruler Umbra¡¯s death.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I heard too,¡± Lostfon replied, adding to the conversation. ¡°I thought that was a smokescreen, though. Anyone with half a brain would know that the Ruler was killed by someone. Definitely didn¡¯t die a natural death. His son¡­was probably made use of, though.¡±


    He paused. ¡°The current Ruler Istrel, Lesser Half.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± The void made a curious sound. ¡°Is it possible that Ruler Istrel killed his father? I am told that this method of¡­inheritance is quite popular amongst the nobility, since all of them have access to many, many life-prolonging methods.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s also possible, but I don¡¯t think Duke¡­Ruler Istrel is someone who is actually heartless. Not many people can actually murder their family for selfish gain,¡± Count Lostfon replied.


    That topic was a bit close to Lily¡¯s own situation, so Claud was relieved to see that she hadn¡¯t linked herself to Lostfon¡¯s words yet. Nodding once, Claud said, ¡°Anyway, the Thief of Time is quite the figure. Apparently, he had made a name for himself by robbing noble households and distributing wealth to the poor. He did, however, keep all the lifestones for himself, hence his nickname.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s where the nickname came from,¡± Lostfon muttered. ¡°Anyway, there are some wild rumours flying around out there. They say he killed a Moon Emissary and two Moon-aligned Bearers of Destiny!¡±


    Lesser Half stirred. ¡°While I cannot confirm the identity of the Third and the Fourteenth¡¯s killers, I can tell you that they died in the exact same way. However, that person¡­no, never mind.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s the same person, I guess?¡± Lily ventured, and Claud caught the faintest hint of caution. ¡°Anyway, Tot also survived a round of ritual magic backed by the White God¡¯s power too. He¡¯s really impressive.¡±


    Count Lostfon leaned back on his chair. ¡°They say that he¡¯s one of the old monsters that survived the Third Godsfall, a peer and equal of Emperor Grandis. I wouldn¡¯t put it past someone like that to maybe endure ritual magic, even one backed by the White God.¡±


    ¡°You are gravely mistaken, in that case.¡± The innumerable cubes contained within the void shimmered. ¡°No mere mortal could have survived any such attack. Only a god can resist another god. Divine destiny must be defied by divine deed.¡±


    Claud twitched. He¡¯d heard this before, in what felt like an eternity ago.


    ¡°So¡­a god, then?¡± Lostfon asked.


    ¡°A divinity, a close kin to a divinity, or a possible divinity,¡± Lesser Half replied gently. ¡°I am now very interested in this Thief of Time.¡±


    Claud really didn¡¯t need that kind of interest, but he was more preoccupied by something else. ¡°Lesser Half, the way you said it¡­shouldn¡¯t you have known about such a personage before us? You are a divinity, after all.¡±


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    ¡°Yes, but unlike the Moons, we are not¡­integrated into your world. The Moons know the intricacies of mortal nature; we do not. Hence the need for this interaction today,¡± Lesser Half explained gently. ¡°We do not have the information networks that humans have, and what is of note in human society is often overlooked by divinities. My side is particularly at a loss in this regard.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°Before this whole thing about the Fourth Godsfall began¡­or rather, before the Third was killed, I didn¡¯t know about the Dark.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Claud added.


    ¡°Me three.¡± Lostfon looked at the throne. ¡°Is it something you can share with us? Or is there some deeper, higher reason that you can¡¯t share?¡±


    ¡°It is not something that requires Authority, although everyone present should note that I cannot circumvent Authority either. Only a select few in this cycle can, and it is a privilege rarely exercised due to very heavy restrictions.¡± Lesser Half paused. ¡°However, our choice to retreat from the world after the¡­after certain events were based around our true nature.¡±


    ¡°Your true nature?¡± Lostfon echoed.


    ¡°Is it not obvious based on my form?¡± the void asked. ¡°We are not like the Moons. We represent certain abstract and imaginary aspects of creation. The Moons, on the other hand, have chosen to affix themselves to solid concepts and forms. Understanding us is an exercise in futility.¡±


    Claud looked at the innumerable cubes that was Lesser Half. ¡°What exactly do you represent, anyway? Lesser Half¡­is not as evocative as the blue moon of wisdom and the yellow moon of wealth. Maybe you should consider rebranding yourself¡­¡±


    The void froze, before a set of amused, uncontrolled laughs echoed throughout the entire throne room. It felt like a young man guffawing at a really good joke, and Claud relaxed.


    Dust, who was giving off a horrified air, sidled over as the void continued to twist and turn. ¡°Lord Primus, do refrain from saying such disrespect¡ª¡±


    ¡°Dust, Dust. It¡¯s okay.¡± Lesser Half stirred once, and then gestured with what seemed like an attempt to emulate a human hand. ¡°It is a really good suggestion, spoken in good faith and curiosity. Why would I take offence to that?¡±


    ¡°Lord¡­¡± Dust turned to Claud, glared at him once, and then said, ¡°I apologise.¡±


    ¡°No, no. Maybe I¡¯m indeed being a bit too disrespectful.¡±


    ¡°As I said, this is a social gathering over snacks. Anything goes, as long as we aren¡¯t insulting each other,¡± Lesser Half replied. ¡°In fact, it is things like this that I hope to experience more of. Be at ease. This is a learning experience too, from a mortal to a divinity. Where else would I have been told to rebrand myself?¡±


    Claud rubbed his nose. He had gotten a bit carried away, since Lesser Half reminded him a bit of Nero. In fact, in the past two years, he had met a lot of people who didn¡¯t know how the world worked, so Claud had treated them the best way possible ¡ª like a normal person.


    This might have taken it a bit too far, though.


    After exchanging a few more words and stealing some more cakes, the small little tea party came to an end.


    ¡°Right, I just remembered, but I did somewhat abduct the two of you out of a whim. My apologies for this,¡± Lesser Half replied, a hint of guilt in his voice. ¡°Were you two busy, by chance?¡±


    ¡°We were actually going back from shopping,¡± Claud replied, indicating the planks of wood that they had brought. They were just lying against a random pillar, but now that he had taken a closer look at these planks of wood, they seemed like they were shining¡­


    ¡°Oh? What would you need wood for?¡± Lesser Half asked.


    ¡°Well, we were thinking of making little models,¡± Claud replied, his mind giving him a good answer. ¡°Something like a small house, perhaps.¡±


    ¡°Like a child¡¯s toy?¡± Count Lostfon asked. ¡°Ooh, is Lady Primus ¡ª ahem, Lily ¡ª expecting?¡±


    Claud and Lily froze, before clearing their throat awkwardly together.


    ¡°No,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯s just something we decided to do, that¡¯s all. I can see the leaps in logic there, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, in trying times like this, trying for some little bundles of joy is often a good idea.¡± A dark emotion flickered across the count¡¯s face. ¡°Of course, they¡¯re also quite worrying at times as well. My baby daughter ran over to Nightfall County and was stuck there when the barrier came up. It¡¯s troubling.¡±


    Claud, of course, knew who he was talking about, but he couldn¡¯t say anything. In the first place, the two of them had left the Moon Lords for a rather long time, so¡­


    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Yeap, yeap.¡± Dust chuckled. ¡°If she inherited even the slightest bit of your cunningness, she¡¯ll be totally fine.¡±


    The count paused. ¡°Oi.¡±


    ¡°What? Touch your heart and tell me if it isn¡¯t true,¡± Dust replied. ¡°I¡¯ll do handstands if you really can do such a thing.¡±


    Claud, for one, really wanted to see a Dark Herald do a handstand, and the wave of interest Lesser Half was giving off hinted at such a thing too. Regretfully, however, the divinity had more mature considerations in mind, and the sound of someone clearing his throat filled the room.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to break this up, but I think our two impromptu guests are very tired,¡± Lesser Half replied. ¡°Let us call this social gathering to an end now, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°By your will.¡±


    Lesser Half rippled once. ¡°Lord and Lady Primus¡­no, Claud and Lily, I apologise for this sudden um, abduction. It was on a whimsy. I will send prior notice next time. If you have something on, do feel free to reject; this is but a gathering for fun.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Thank you for your hospitality.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you two liked it. Well then, may we meet again.¡± As those words echoed out, the world around the two of them began to spin.


    The light of the setting sun fell all around them a moment later.


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 Chapter 417: Calling cards and rabble-rousers

    ¡°It¡¯s evening. Huh.¡± Claud looked up at the setting sun, his fingers intertwined around Lily¡¯s own. ¡°Sure didn¡¯t think that little session would take this long. Still, I¡¯m glad that nothing bad happened.


    ¡°That was quite a shock, though, and¡ª¡± Lily¡¯s words faltered. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    Her other hand had a small card in it. Black and ornately decorated with golden thread, it looked like a calling card or a greeting card that a noble would send out to another. The black, stiff piece of paper radiated some odd charm too, something that made Claud less able to take his eyes away from.


    ¡°It¡¯s from Lesser Half,¡± Claud murmured. ¡°Read it!¡±


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Lily twitched once. ¡°To my friends, Claud and Lily. Once again, I apologise for abducting you two while you two were walking back then. This card, however, is an invitation for the two of you to take up appointments at the frontlines of the battle. With this card, you two can pick and choose easy positions of your own desire.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a blank letter of appointment for us,¡± Claud observed. ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t planning to stay here for long, though,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But there¡¯s more. Ahem. This card will also serve as the means in which he can send us some random messages, and we¡¯ll be able to reply by writing on it. That said, Lesser Half did say that he will not be able to spy on us or feel anything via this card.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­okay.¡± Claud blinked. ¡°So does this mean we have a personal channel to Lesser Half now?¡±


    He didn¡¯t quite like that idea, though, but who could say no? More importantly, it wasn¡¯t like he could dispose of this hot potato, and¡ª


    ¡°Oh, he just sent us a message,¡± Lily noted. ¡°There¡¯s apparently no need to reply if we¡¯re busy or something. It¡¯s more of a means for him to stay connected or something.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t this remind you of a certain artefact?¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°The Trading Board, right?¡± Lily nodded. ¡°I wonder if Lesser Half would be interested in the information on it. I hear that being the middleman is very profitable; what if we were to sell information gathered from the Trading Board to Lesser Half? It¡¯ll be interesting.¡±


    ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t think of that,¡± Claud admitted.


    ¡°Well, now you do. Let¡¯s send Lesser Half a message about this later, shall we?¡± Lily motioned at the wooden planks in Claud¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go settle the little ones first.¡±


    The three little shapes had wisely chosen to fall asleep during their entire time in the Lostfon Palace, but it would seem that their act had turned into the real thing after a while. Claud wasn¡¯t going to do anything as crass as waking them up, though, and the two of them trekked back to the inn in silence.


    On the way back, the two of them came across tens of people who were exhibiting various degrees of dirtiness and fatigue. Indubitably, these people were victims of Lostfon¡¯s way of driving them over to sign up as troops of the Dark, and Claud once again couldn¡¯t help but feel that the count was going about things wrongly. While this was certainly effective, the dangers of depriving the needy of the things they needed was too risky, in his opinion.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°Me too.¡± Claud looked at the refugees that were slumped onto various parts of the city¡¯s infrastructure. Guards were looking around warily, ready to act at the first sign of trouble ¡ª and they weren¡¯t going to act nicely either. ¡°This is wrong. This is all wrong.¡±


    The tension grew as the sun continued to set, and for a moment, Claud didn¡¯t want to go back. Someone would break here, and then bedlam would take over. Blood would run in rivers, and¡ª


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    Before Claud¡¯s eyes, the crowd stirred as a rider on a horse charged down the street, ringing a bell as he went. At the same time, another rider came from the other end of the street, and the symphony of clanging bells filled the city.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°It seems like the ringing of bells is a signal to these refugees,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Look! They¡¯re all gathering around the two riders! These riders must be the messengers of Lostfon¡¯s will¡­it seems that he has taken our words into account!¡±


    ¡°Hear all, hear all!¡± one of the riders shouted. ¡°After a week¡¯s deliberation, the benevolent count has made a decision!¡±


    The second rider rang the bell. ¡°Long he has wondered about your livelihood and your accommodation, and his quick-witted mind has come to a decision! For all refugees, accommodations shall be provided! Food shall be granted!¡±


    The crowd stirred.


    ¡°The city, however, is short of people! To all refugees, materials will be provided! Build your homes here! Make your space here! Those who are willing, join the count¡¯s men! Those who are daring, fight with the Dark!¡± The first rider¡¯s horse reared, neighing dreadfully as it raised itself upright. ¡°If you desire more than porridge, show your worth!¡±


    ¡°If you desire more than a miserable existence, prove your value!¡± The second rider pulled out what seemed like a pole and then hurled it at the city wall, his body glowing blue. As the refugees boiled with excitement over the presence of a mana-user, the hurled pole slammed into the city walls and embedded itself inside the stone.


    What seemed like a huge flag with words unravelled a moment later.


    The first rider rang the bell again, and the stirring crowd turned to him once more. ¡°If you desire a real home here, a real property, head over to the Lostfon Palace and prove your mettle! We want warriors and brave men, not craven cowards! Prove your bravery and your skill, and you shall be hired and given a real home!¡±


    Lily¡¯s fingers tightened around Claud¡¯s, and she said, ¡°This is how it should be, right? It¡¯s not like Lostfon can¡¯t give them what they need.¡±


    Claud nodded. The tension-filled atmosphere had evaporated like one of Schwarz¡¯s ice cubes when the announcements began, but it didn¡¯t end there. After those announcements, carts of wooden planks ¡ª dozens of them ¡ª rolled up to the refugees, and soldiers began to unload them.


    ¡°This little crisis has been resolved.¡± Lily smiled. ¡°I¡¯m glad we went for Lesser Half¡¯s little gathering.¡±


    Claud made a noise of agreement. ¡°Count Lostfon is quite the ruler¡­but again, most people are, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Even the Julan barony had their own public image to maintain,¡± Lily replied quietly. ¡°But we can disregard their intentions for this round, I think.¡±


    She tugged at Claud¡¯s hand. ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s go celebrate doing a good deed by building a small house for the little ones, okay?¡±


    Claud laughed. ¡°Sure, sure!¡±


    He turned to look at the clamouring refugees as they left. The once-spiritless, foreign populace had now regained a good part of their morale and liveliness, and more and more people were joining in too. Within minutes, the crowd had moved the entire stock of wood and other building materials outside the city, and the beginnings of a new, smaller town were beginning to take root.


    ¡°Like kindling, I suppose,¡± Lily observed. ¡°Their flames of life and hope have rekindled so quickly that the whole thing is rather touching. This is¡­humanity at its best, if you ask me.¡±


    ¡°Mutual cooperation and selflessness. I can¡¯t help but contrast it with the residents of Lostfon who are just watching, though.¡± Claud shrugged. ¡°But at any rate, the worst-case scenario has been averted. Lostfon should know what¡¯s the next best action here, and he¡¯s definitely going to let the Dark Herald walk around the new town to recruit too.¡±


    ¡°Maybe set up a training ground or something too, right?¡± Lily asked. ¡°And maybe some way of showcasing the benefits of joining the Dark.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I can see that happening really easily,¡± Claud replied. ¡°At any rate, this city should be fine now.¡±


    The two exchanged glances.


    ¡°Is it time for us to go back?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°You know me. I can¡¯t stand by and let everyone die,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I, who have seen a possible future, must act to stop it. Rimestar is a beautiful place, but it is a place of death.¡±


    ¡°At the very least, grow stronger first,¡± Lily replied.


    Claud nodded. ¡°But I will not complete the Third Tutorial. Not yet. Have you forgotten about the rumours?¡±


    Lily pondered for a moment, and then nodded in understanding. ¡°The Chromatic Lords.¡±


    ¡°While I have that skill, I don¡¯t want to risk exposure,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯ll only do it once I have enough Presence Nullification skillstrips and skillsticks.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it once I¡¯m ready for the Third Tutorial,¡± Claud replied. ¡°For now, I¡¯ll try to raise myself to a hexa-folder first. We do have quite a lot of lifestones sitting around, after all.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°Yeah. Alright, it¡¯s settled, then. I¡¯ll try to become a tetra-folder before we depart too. We must prepare as much as possible before the Trial of Aeons commences.¡±


    Claud looked at his pocket. ¡°Still, I¡¯m sure we can spare some time for these little fellows¡­¡±

 Chapter 418: Terms of conscription

    The faint, blue glow of mana mixed with the green light of life, and the last bit of her mana circuit fell into place. Dia¡¯s eyes opened a moment later as the completed fourth circuit shone once, before some nebulous power seemed to seal off just the last bit that would enable her to complete it in its entirety.


    [Your Mana Circuit Superimposition has reached 4.00]


    [You have achieved the qualifications to ascend in the hierarchy of life. Second Tutorial has been loaded. Start?]


    Dia looked at the notifications in silence, and then shook her head. Now wasn¡¯t the time. They were going to return home at the end of the day; to push for the completion of her fourth mana circuit now could be a problem.


    She got up from her seating position and looked around the camp. Two full carts of prana jade and lifestones sat squarely outside the barrier, which had helped her complete the painstaking process of drawing her fourth mana circuit.


    With a single thought, she could summon the notifications all over again. This much was now common knowledge to her, but as to the reason why a Second Tutorial was needed¡­


    That continued to elude her, at least.


    ¡°Well, I should take this chance to show off to the others, at least!¡± Dia rubbed her hands. Her father would have never imagined that she would such heights within a single year, but again, her father wouldn¡¯t have imagined that the Fourth Godsfall was going to occur in the past year either.


    How were her parents now? What about her brother? Dia looked towards the east in silence, and wondered if they were still living well in the dukedom capital. The small city that doubled as Lustre¡¯s capital was a self-sufficient place, and was one of the most guarded too. It would be nice if she were to return home¡­but she didn¡¯t dare to.


    Was it her fear of being captured anyway? Or was it her reluctance to leave the good friends she had made here? Dia didn¡¯t know, and she didn¡¯t want to think about it either.


    Shaking her head lightly, she looked at the bed ¡ª which was just another barrier artefact, and then decided to sleep until daybreak fully broke. There was nothing much for her to do anyway, and the idea of sleep sounded nice. For the past week or so, her usual routine had been to dig up some prana jade or lifestones, fill the cart with mana, and then retreat to her room at night to either absorb the pure-ranked lifestones or to draw her fourth mana circuit.


    ¡°I suppose I can take a break for now,¡± Dia muttered.


    She flopped onto the bed and stretched, before looking out of the pseudo-window ¡ª which was just an artistic gap in the barriers that made up the walls of her room ¡ª and then frowned. For some reason, there was something shiny in the sky, and by the looks of its growing profile, the shiny thing seemed to be headed their way.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± A few question marks popped up on her head, and she got up. Sliding off her bed, she checked her appearance once, before heading out of her room and the base in general.


    A few of the others had fallen asleep, from the sounds of their breathing, but Dia wasn¡¯t going to judge them or anything. Forming mana circuits was tiring, compared to the more relaxing pastime of taking in lifestones, and everyone was working hard nowadays.


    Dia stopped at the edge of the barrier. The tri-coloured light that was closing in was now a lot more visible, and its approach was beginning to slow, if she didn¡¯t get it wrong.


    In other words¡­


    The Moons had decided to conscript them, or at least someone on the ground had finally picked up that order to conscript the five of them. Without a doubt, this was going to be somewhat problematic, so Dia turned back to the base and started knocking on everyone¡¯s doors.


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    A few minutes later, everyone had assembled outside the base, looking at the approaching light.


    Farah yawned once. ¡°Great. Someone who doesn¡¯t know what visiting hours are, huh? Can we say no to this conscription? I still have things to do, and all this is bothering me.¡±


    ¡°I wish we could, but I get a feeling that doing so would be very dangerous, and that¡¯s putting it really lightly,¡± Schwarz replied, a random lock of hair standing upright on his head. The poor bartender had been sleeping when Dia went around knocking on everyone¡¯s door, and he hadn¡¯t had much time to groom himself.


    Nero shrugged. ¡°Well, I can just say no for you guys.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. And would that work?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s worth a shot, I suppose.¡± Nero frowned. ¡°But it¡¯ll definitely be a problem even if they accept it. The Moons aren¡¯t going to let any viable combat power off now, especially since they are still at a huge disadvantage in the whole thing. Their recent victories were only due to the overstretched forces of the great Dark, and even then, they took disproportionate losses.¡±


    ¡°¡­How do you know that?¡± Risti asked.


    Nero made a vague gesture at the sky. ¡°That¡¯s how.¡±


    ¡°How convenient. Anyway¡­¡± She let out a sigh. ¡°Why not pour out some drinks while that thing flies over? It¡¯s only two minutes away anyway, and I could do with more drinks now.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Schwarz returned to the base, before heading back out with a tray, laden wirg cups and a bottle, all of them balanced on his right hand. ¡°Here. It¡¯s a good fizzy drink. No alcohol, Nero, since it¡¯s too freaking early for a drink.¡±


    ¡°Bah.¡± Nero took the drink anyway, and the five of them sat down on the ground.


    Dia rolled her eyes at the alcoholic Holy Son, and then looked up at the approaching light as she sipped at her drink. Within seconds, the tri-coloured meteor had landed a few metres in front of the barrier, and the scintillating glow died down to reveal a woman radiating white light.


    She approached the barrier, and knocked on it once, sending ripples throughout the large dome. With a sigh, Risti moved over to the small, stick-like object on the ground and fiddled with it.


    The barrier vanished a moment later, and the woman closed in on them.


    This wasn¡¯t the first time Dia had seen someone of the Moons, but this particular personage didn¡¯t seem to have much of a presence. In fact, it was the complete opposite; Dia could close her eyes and lose track of her on the spot.


    ¡°You are?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°I am a Lunar Lord, here to look for the Seekers of Life, a group of mana-users based in Licencia. Are you that group?¡± the woman asked.


    Dia really wanted to deny that for the heck of it, but Farah nodded slowly. ¡°Yes. And?¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Plota has sent everyone an invitation to the frontlines,¡± the woman replied. ¡°This is an existential battle for everyone¡¯s souls. For that reason, I would highly advise everyone present against not showing up for it.¡±


    ¡°Conscription, then?¡± Farah¡¯s words grew a touch colder. ¡°And? What do we get out of it?¡±


    ¡°I suppose saying that doing so is your own reward wouldn¡¯t cut it, yes?¡± the woman replied. ¡°Well, there are naturally rewards for fighting in the frontlines. Lifestones. Prana jades.¡±


    ¡°Nice and all, but that¡¯s not enough for us,¡± Farah replied. ¡°We can get far more at ancient battlefields for far less risk. While we do not rule out the possibility of helping the Moons, we must also look out for ourselves. What can we get there that¡¯s unique?¡±


    The woman looked at Farah intently, and then at the carts of lifestones and prana jades. For a moment, Dia thought that she would attack, but nothing happened.


    ¡°Something¡­unique.¡± The Lunar Lord paused, and a tremendous presence descended upon the world for a singular moment. Her tri-coloured visage turned blue immediately afterwards, and a small smile graced her lips. ¡°In that case, how does the unconditional evolution of any skill once for everyone present?¡±


    Schwarz twitched. ¡°Unconditional¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªevolution?¡± Farah took a deep breath. ¡°Is that even allowed? Any skill?¡±


    ¡°Not an Absolute skill, however. Other than that, there are no restrictions at all,¡± the woman replied.


    Dia gulped. There were two skills that she had all but sealed off, due to their sheer power. If either one underwent evolution¡­what was the chance that she would be able to have a skill that could threaten even the familiar spirits?


    Her trembling hands betrayed her excitement, and she wasn¡¯t alone either. The others were showing similar signs, and the woman smiled. ¡°Well then, I shall wait here while everyone else deliberates. Time is running out for us. I must send everyone to the battlefield at the shortest notice possible.¡±


    ¡°What about our items? You can¡¯t just send us there without us taking our weapons and other things from our own base.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send you to Licencia first, and then to the frontlines afterwards,¡± the Lunar Lord clarified.


    ¡°With powers like this, are we even needed?¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll return in fifteen minutes to ask for your decision. See you later.¡± Leaving behind these words, the blue-coloured Lunar Lord sprang up into the dark sky, before vanishing into the distance.


    ¡°¡­She¡¯s probably looking for even more people, isn¡¯t she?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s put this aside for a moment. As it turns out, we do have somewhat of a choice,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Let¡¯s start discussing it.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    As everyone crowded around, Dia couldn¡¯t help but wonder if they really needed to discuss the whole thing. After all¡­wasn¡¯t the answer already provided for everyone?

 Chapter 419: To negotiate with the Moons

    After a few seconds of silence, Dia simply started the ball rolling by asking, ¡°So, what skills are you guys going to evolve?¡±


    She paused at the others¡¯ gazes. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t we going to discuss the Moons¡¯ terms?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°You¡¯re just directly cutting to the heart of the matter without giving us too much time for thought.¡±


    ¡°Well, the answer¡¯s that everyone going to accept, right?¡± Dia replied. ¡°Might as well just stick with ¡®Yes, we accept¡¯, and then move on from there.¡±


    ¡°We could attach more conditions, alright?¡± Risti sighed. ¡°But yes, you make a fair point. Let¡¯s just move on with the assumption that we can accept, but we don¡¯t think that the reward is enough.¡±


    Dia made a pouty face, before saying, ¡°You do know that the more we ask for, the greater our performance is to be, right? If we take but do not give, we will be in for it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡­¡± Risti gestured at everyone. ¡°Everyone wants to take as much as possible. Plota¡¯s offer is enticing enough; why not take more and more? After all, it¡¯s not as if we can say no to them at all. Why settle for one, when we can take all three and more?¡±


    The vehemence behind those words were startling, and Dia took a step back. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡±


    ¡°Did you not feel anything when the familiar spirit showed up abruptly?¡± Risti asked. ¡°When his overpowering might swept us all, when we were unable to resist? Did you not feel that?¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡± Dia paused, unsure of what to say. ¡°But you must know that the familiar was also unable to harm us, right?¡±


    Risti chuckled, a touch of bitterness stored within. ¡°Were it so easy. Of the four of us, you are the most gifted in combat, the chosen and the favoured. It¡¯s not the same for us, though. We are not fighters. We don¡¯t have the trump cards that allow you to protect the princess.¡±


    Schwarz nodded. ¡°In this world hurtling towards a new era, what matters is one¡¯s combat ability and the ability to stay alive. You have that in spades. We do not. Even Nero can¡¯t defeat you if you went all out. You said that yourself; the only thing separating the two of you is the number of mana circuits.¡±


    ¡°Therefore,¡± Nero added, ¡°you alone can have the freedom of choice when it comes to this matter. We do not.¡±


    ¡°Please understand,¡± Farah replied. ¡°We are simply trying to do as much as possible for our own sakes.¡±


    ¡°You guys¡­¡± Dia looked at them, before looking down. She hadn¡¯t noticed these things ¡ª it was a failure on her part. It was very possible that the daily practice sessions had just made them more aware of their combat weaknesses relative to her. ¡°Okay. I understand. You guys should decide on what you need the most from Percuti and Gelb. I¡¯ll offer my own opinions too.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m more for taking more boons from Percuti and Gelb, but what do you guys say?¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Farah added. ¡°We don¡¯t want to tie ourselves to any one Moon, after all. And who knows if there are factional disputes or something? It¡¯ll be a problem if that¡¯s the case, and it¡¯s the best excuse to use.¡±


    ¡°There were zealots of the Moons too,¡± Schwarz muttered darkly. ¡°Back when someone tried to summon a Lunar Lord in Licencia. That someone was a zealot. But what if there are zealots of the Moons? They might harass us for being a supporter of Plota only. We must be balanced in this regard.¡±


    ¡°True. If the Moons are recruiting us by dispatching Moon Emissaries, they must be placing a lot of weight on us for some reason,¡± Risti added. ¡°I have a hunch that it has something to do with the Trial of Aeons.¡±


    Everyone turned to Nero, who shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t speak about the subject matter. In addition, it¡¯s pointless for me to take any blessing from the Moons, since I already have my master. I¡¯ll just tag along and request for lots of resources. That said, you guys should work out what terms you want from Percuti and Gelb, and remember their authorities.¡±


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Got it,¡± Farah replied. ¡°What should we be looking for?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Our Mana Control Proficiency, for one. If we can improve that, it¡¯s going to be of great help.¡± Schwarz folded his arms. ¡°Percuti is the Moon of Strife. And the higher one¡¯s Mana Control Proficiency, the greater their ability at fighting.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Risti added. ¡°What about you guys?¡±


    ¡°I like the sound of that too,¡± Farah replied, looking at Schwarz. ¡°What about you, Dia? Or are you just going to take Plota¡¯s gift?¡±


    Dia pondered on that for a moment. While taking only one boon would lessen the obligations placed upon her, she hadn¡¯t thought about the possibility that there would be factions according to the Moons. It seemed a bit blasphemous to imply that the Moons could squabble amongst each other, but there were definitely zealots too.


    ¡°¡­Yeah, at the end of it all, it seems like going after a boon from every Moon is probably the best idea, isn¡¯t it?¡± Dia folded her arms. It felt like they didn¡¯t really have much choice in the matter, to say the least.


    A chill ran down her spine. Was this reaction something the Moons had anticipated? It was impossible to tell, but all this was a bit too¡­coincidental. Everyone, ever since they left for the ancient battlefield, seemed to be falling in place a bit too nicely. The timing of Nero¡¯s awakening, of the Moons¡¯ descent¡­all this seemed to have someone pulling the strings behind the whole thing.


    She didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m glad you understand that too,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°At the end of it all, we¡¯ve been effectively cornered, one way or another.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but think that we¡¯ve been manipulated,¡± Farah muttered.


    Nero made a sound in his throat. ¡°It¡¯s almost certainly the case. I¡¯ll bet tonight¡¯s drinks on that.¡±


    ¡°And how are we supposed to cash in on that bet a few years later?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Don¡¯t try to take this opportunity to bet with me about my drinks. I won¡¯t be able to reclaim it.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even said anything about a bet, okay?¡±


    ¡°The last time I made an actual bet, I lost a house to Claud. No can do, buddy.¡± Schwarz folded his arms. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re going to try to aim for an increase in Mana Control Proficiency and¡­what can Gelb give us?¡±


    ¡°A passive skill,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Gelb and luck are related, aren¡¯t they? Then a skill that makes all projectiles miss or something. We can call it Absolute Evasion or something, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just poking fun at someone at this point, aren¡¯t you? But a passive skill that makes more projectiles miss¡­sounds useful. Very useful.¡± Nero bobbed his head. ¡°As expected of Dia.¡±


    ¡°Ehe.¡±


    ¡°Alright, this has been a very long fifteen minutes,¡± Farah muttered. ¡°Schwarz, go pour us a drink.¡±


    ¡°Do I look like a servant?¡± Schwarz muttered. He pulled out a flask anyway, before retrieving the glasses that they had been drinking from and filling it up. ¡°Anyway, let me and Farah do the actual talking. Actually, let Farah do the talking. We¡¯ll sit down and twiddle our thumbs.¡±


    ¡°Me, huh?¡± Farah smiled confidently. ¡°Count on me, then!¡±


    After that proclamation, Schwarz handed a glass. ¡°Here, some liquid courage, for luck.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t get drunk, would I?¡± Farah asked, and Dia couldn¡¯t help but think about the first time she tried Schwarz¡¯s ultra-pure water. The result was a bit painful, and she had spent the next day with an itchy face¡­of course, now that Schwarz¡¯s bar counter had been cleaned up, it wouldn¡¯t be that bad.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be idiotic.¡± Schwarz leaned back. ¡°We¡¯re counting on you!¡±


    Farah grinned, and downed the drink in one shot. ¡°We should pack up in the meantime. We¡¯ll probably be leaving after all this is settled.¡±


    Dia got up. After a few minutes, the entire base had vanished, and the only thing that remained were the two full carts. Other than that, their bags had been packed, with the only remaining proof that someone had once camped here were a few holes.


    As she filled up one of the few holes left, a streak of tri-coloured light fell from the sky, creating a blazing pillar of colour. A dark silhouette walked out of it a moment later, radiating a faint sense of oppressive might.


    ¡°Seekers of Life, has everyone present come to a conclusion?¡± the Lunar Lord asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Farah replied, taking a step forward. ¡°We are willing, but we need to amend the terms. Amongst us humans exist zealots of the Moons. We do not want to be bothered by them by taking a boon from only one Moon.¡±


    ¡°¡­You are greedy,¡± the Lunar Lord stated flatly.


    ¡°It¡¯s in our organisation¡¯s name, after all,¡± Farah replied. ¡°And we don¡¯t want to die. Therefore, we desire two more boons, one each from Gelb and Percuti.¡±


    ¡°Speak, then.¡± The Lunar Lord swept her gaze around the area. ¡°What boons do you want?¡±


    ¡°First ¡ª to raise everyone¡¯s Mana Control Proficiency by one rank,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°That is an acceptable condition. The second boon?¡±


    ¡°A passive skill,¡± Farah replied. ¡°One that would passively make all projectiles miss us.¡±


    The Lunar Lord hesitated. ¡°It is not in anyone¡¯s scope to make something absolute, but yes, the Yellow Moon can grant something similar, albeit with a weaker effect.¡±


    She paused. ¡°Impressive. Clever, but not blindly greedy. Very well, I shall represent the Moons to accept your terms. They are not too hard to grant, save for the first one, but that¡¯s the real thing, is it not?¡±


    ¡°The rest is for our own safety,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°Excellent.¡± The Lunar Lord glittered once. ¡°In that case, this deal has been settled. As per your requirements, I will send everyone back to Licencia right now. We leave for the frontlines a day later.¡±


    A circle, filled with complex symbols, erupted out from under her feet, and all went white.

 Chapter 420: Banter and back home

    <div>


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    <div>


    <div>


    As the circle of light faded, the first thought that Dia had was that even the Moons and their Emissaries could be predicted, to a certain degree. A look around her immediate vicinity directly confirmed this hunch; the carts and their backpacks had been brought along too, which meant that they had traversed over vast distances that took them days of trekking to cover in a single moment.


    ¡°Whew.¡± Schwarz looked around. ¡°It¡¯s a bit darker here too¡­but anyway, it seems that we¡¯re back, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± The Lunar Lord glittered. ¡°I will transport everyone to the frontlines eighteen hours from now on the dot, no matter what you may be doing. There is no need to gather here; the teleportation will trigger immediately.¡±


    ¡°You said it,¡± Schwarz replied.


    The Lunar Lord tilted her head curiously, but she didn¡¯t comment on Schwarz¡¯s ominous words. Instead, she nodded her head once and said, ¡°Good luck on the battlefield.¡±


    Turning into a streak of light, she hurtled skywards and vanished in an instant.


    ¡°Well, I suppose¡­we managed to read the Moons like a book, huh?¡± Risti chuckled. ¡°To think that we actually got free stuff and a trip back home like this. No matter how you cut it, this is definitely really important, isn¡¯t it? Anyway, let¡¯s go back and prepare for the departure.¡±


    Schwarz¡¯s expression flickered once as he glanced down at some weird, flat artefact in his hand. The bartender looked at that occasionally while they were mining; it seemed like a new way of reading books or something, in Dia¡¯s opinion.


    Which was handy, but whatever.


    His serious expression turned into a grin a moment later, and he said, ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re all going to stay in Moon Mansion today. No one is to leave it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± A few question marks popped up on Dia¡¯s head, but she didn¡¯t think too hard about Schwarz¡¯s words. The bartender probably just wanted to show off his new brews or have a little party ¡ª the last one they would have here for a reasonably long time ¡ª before they departed for the front lines. Either way, she wasn¡¯t going to turn down the implicit promise of free drink and food by Schwarz, but¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t we need to handle some stuff here?¡± Dia asked. ¡°All the administrative bits¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry about that,¡± Farah replied. ¡°We¡¯ll just tell our people to maintain the current arrangements until further instructions come in. It¡¯s just our trip out, but maybe it¡¯ll last a year or two.¡±


    ¡°A year or two, huh?¡± Risti nodded. ¡°That sounds way too optimistic. The Godsfalls lasted for decades, centuries, even millennia. They are¡­an era of their own.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a freaking long time.¡± Farah had a sad face. ¡°I wonder if my territory is going to be affected.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not a strong one. That¡¯s why no Moon Emissaries came down there to begin with. At best, there¡¯ll be more oddly coloured fellows coming over to buy some Moonwheat or something,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Of course, Farah County is an agricultural province, so I would argue that there¡¯s going to be some people protecting it.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that fact make it a target?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°But who does attacking Sunrise and Farah County affect?¡± Risti replied. ¡°It¡¯s us. Humans who eat. I believe that the Moons and the Dark know that they cannot alienate us, the little humans who scuttle around here. Why would they antagonise us? If the Dark attacks more humans than is necessary, the Moons can spin that to their advantage. The same vice-versa too.¡±


    ¡°So they¡¯re safe¡­¡±


    ¡°As long as they don¡¯t go stupid stuff, like us,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Not like we had a choice in the matter, though. We don¡¯t go, we¡¯ll probably die a sad death somewhere down the road. Damn it. If the Dark hadn¡¯t expended all this energy, how could the Moons have the breathing room to start recruiting seriously?¡±


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    ¡°Does that even make sense?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s what Nero¡¯s peeved about. I¡¯m just citing him.¡±


    The Holy Son of the Black God turned to look at them. ¡°Did you guys call my name?¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s nothing much,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s stop standing around here and go back home already. We do need to prepare our luggage and everything, after all.¡±


    A round of grunts followed, and the five of them headed towards the city gates. The guards, who had already spotted them teleporting in, were already assessing them and preparing for any nasty incidents, but it would seem that there was an eagle-eyed fellow amongst their ranks.


    ¡°Ah, you guys are back!¡± Captain Blake, who had previously liaised with Claud and Lily, popped out of the garrison and waved at Dia. They had interacted quite a few times, since Dia had taken over the idiot couple¡¯s role when they left for a oddly-timed honeymoon.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s us. Sorry to disturb you¡­but it¡¯s late at night, though.¡±


    ¡°Guard captains have a very shitty role in life,¡± Blake replied. ¡°Is that your hauls from the trip outside?¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°Mostly mana-user stuff.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Still, I gotta check them for dangerous stuff, so please do comply,¡± Blake replied. ¡°This way, please.¡±


    Dia glanced at the others, who obediently followed Captain Blake¡¯s instructions. The inspection was rather simple too; it simply entailed the guards waving a bunch of sticks around and everything.


    ¡°Still, what are they scanning for anyway?¡± Risti asked, curious.


    ¡°Oh, mostly blood and other things stained with lifeforce,¡± Dia replied. ¡°After the blood sacrifices in Licencia, the ones that apparently tried to summon a Moon Emissary, there was some protocol about detecting those things.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say they were wrong,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I mean, remember that person? He tried to conduct a bloody ritual too, and that nearly killed a whole bunch of people.¡±


    Dia, who knew that Nero was referring to Holy Son Mendas, nodded in agreement. Of course, it was possible that these artefacts were also capable of detecting lifeforms from Limbo, although¡­


    She shook her head. Right now, there were more important things to take care of. Fortunately, the complaining guard captain, whose hairline looked like it wanted to go on a permanent retreat, quickly settled the inspections and waved them into the city.


    ¡°Poor guy,¡± Farah noted.


    ¡°Well, he does seem stressed out,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Did you know Claud actually wanted him to work at my bar? If Captain Blake wasn¡¯t promoted to the position of guard captain, he would be shaking up drinks and listening to jilted people complaining about their romances. Imagine that.¡±


    ¡°At this rate, he¡¯s going to be one of those people who¡¯s going to your bar to moan about his work all day long, though,¡± Dia pointed out. ¡°By the way, do you have any drinks that can help his receding hairline?¡±


    ¡°Do I look like an alchemist or something?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there an alchemist in the Profiteers?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Why not just ask her?¡±


    ¡°Are you referring to Pheles? That old crone travels all over the place. And there¡¯s nothing particularly interesting about Captain Blake. At most, she¡¯ll give him a potion that would help him stay up all night,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°She does have quite the repertoire, though, but you¡¯ll need to be interesting enough to buy things from her. If you¡¯re too boring? No luck.¡±


    ¡°What a roundabout way of saying that Captain Blake is boring,¡± Nero noted.


    ¡°One more word outta you, and no drinks,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°Sorry, boss.¡±


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Schwarz nodded to himself, presumably pleased at how he got a penta-folder and the Holy Son of the Black God to listen to his every word. It was impressive how the bartender had gotten Nero hooked on his drinks ¡ª last Dia checked, the drinks weren¡¯t particularly addictive, and the alcohol inside could knock out a monster or something. What Nero saw in them was going to be a perpetual mystery.


    They had left for more than a month, but the changes¡­well, there weren¡¯t that many changes. Presumably, the populace¡¯s nightlife habits had reverted to normal a few days after the Moons descended, seeing as how nothing major had apparently happened after that tumultuous event.


    ¡°As lively as ever, huh?¡± Dia looked at the innumerable little stalls that were spaced out evenly. Guards patrolled the streets with a regular cadence, accepting little snacks once in a while from the nearby vendors, while pedestrians just¡­did whatever they were doing.


    Dia really didn¡¯t get the nightlife.


    ¡°Sure is. Fortunately, there are people who are working the bar right now. I¡¯m not going to show my face there. My patrons will be peeved if I show up only for one day and then leave. Better that they didn¡¯t know about my return to begin with.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Farah noted. ¡°I get the feeling that if they found out that you were being conscripted to the frontlines, a whole bunch of alcoholics would group up together and declare their own war on the Moons to get you back. At the end of it all, they¡¯ll break into the Moons¡¯ stronghold, hold out a piece of paper and force them to release you.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t be included in that number, probably,¡± Risti added.


    Dia nodded. ¡°Lucky you, I suppose?¡±


    ¡°¡­I wish I can say that such a thing won¡¯t happen, but¡­¡± Schwarz chuckled awkwardly. ¡°A-anyway, let¡¯s hurry up. I want to sleep.¡±


    That was definitely an excuse to do something else, but considering all that teasing the three of them did, the bartender definitely deserved it.


    Before they knew it, their little party had arrived at Moon Mansion, and without any ceremony, everyone dumped the carts in the small yard outside the house proper, before heading in with groans and other weird noises.


    There wasn¡¯t much time for them to relax, though.

 Chapter 421: The role of two gods

    ¡°Are you hiding something from us?¡± Dia asked, looking at the grinning bartender as he poured out cup after cup of drinks. She had spent the rest of the day swallowing a bunch of lifestones and reading her favourite novels. One of them had been serialised to the seventh book already, which meant that she had a lot of catching up to do here.


    Setting aside a book named Limina of Ruin, she cupped her chin and assessed the bartender quietly. Schwarz¡¯s insistence on everyone staying in Moon Mansion was a bit too suspicious, especially since he had locked the place up for some inane reason. Was he intending to do something?


    Whatever the case, Dia had the feeling that he was up to no good. She could tell. That huge grin on his face was the same face he made whenever he tried to tempt Nero with one drink or another for some resources or other information about the darker side of the Black Church.


    ¡°Me?¡± The bartender looked at her in an exaggerated fashion. ¡°What makes you think that way? I am not doing anything. If I¡¯m doing something behind your back, I¡¯ll lose all my ability to make drinks forever!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a serious vow.¡± Farah sauntered in, a tray of steaming noodles and broth in her hand. ¡°Anyway, check this out, guys. Apparently, some bright genius came up with this new soup, and it¡¯s a great broth for moonwheat noodles.¡±


    ¡°A soup?¡± Dia sniffed. ¡°How is that made?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you ferment soybeans with salt, koji and barley,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°Koji?¡± Risti poked her head into the living room. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Beats me. Anyway, doesn¡¯t it smell nice? It has a rich flavour too, quite savoury and everything,¡± Farah replied. ¡°In the past month, it¡¯s taken the city by storm. We even have a few dedicated farms and lots of soybeans¡­¡±


    ¡°Is growing them easy?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Easy? I guess so. What, you interested?¡± Farah grinned. ¡°To be honest, I figured that you might be interested. I haven¡¯t forgotten about that underground complex thing you brought up some time ago, and I got some of the workers to plant soybeans today.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to take some time,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°Well, it¡¯s useful, at least. Anyway, get Nero down here. I want everyone to be in this room and nowhere else when we head over to the frontlines.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with that smile, though?¡± Farah asked. ¡°It¡¯s really shady.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Dia bobbed her head. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll go and get Nero down. I can¡¯t look at that smug grin on his face anymore.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rude, okay?¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°But go get Nero anyway.¡±


    As Dia fled the room to escape the sight of the bartender¡¯s smug grin, she once again found herself wondering about what the bartender had in mind. What did he exactly want to do by gathering everyone here and not letting them leave Moon Mansion? It didn¡¯t make sense, no matter how she cut it, but Schwarz definitely had some nasty plan in mind.


    Snorting to herself, she went over to Nero¡¯s room and knocked twice. ¡°Nero! Schwarz wants everyone to come down to the living room and everything.¡±


    There was a moment of silence, before a tired voice floated out of the room. ¡°Can I not?¡±


    ¡°He also poured out a lot of drinks,¡± Dia replied, activating her trump card. It was super-effective; a few things fell down from Nero¡¯s room, and the door opened a moment later. The Holy Son of the Black God popped out with a backpack in his hands, and without saying a word to Dia, instantly hurtled off to join his beloved drinks.


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    ¡°Alcoholics.¡± Dia rolled her eyes, before closing the door to Nero¡¯s room. Of course, she took the chance to take a peek into the Holy Son¡¯s room, which had nothing much of note. It was quite messy, but other than that, it looked very normal and very boring.


    Shrugging, Dia returned back to the living room, where Nero was swirling his glass elegantly, cutting a graceful pose that defied his messiness in getting out of the room earlier. It was a sight that made her ears twitch twice, but there was no getting out of it. Fortunately, everyone was now pulling out boards of Moon Phase in what seemed like a last-ditch attempt to seem intelligent, and Dia relaxed as she took up an overseeing position. Since there were five of them, one had to sit out, and that lucky person was her.


    Picking up her fallen book, she dusted it off and popped it in her backpack. There was no point in consuming her entertainment now, since she would definitely be bored at the frontlines when there was nothing to do. The Moons were unlikely to hire any form of entertainment for bored soldiers either, and with the escalating war¡­


    She grimaced. News about the war on the front had been sporadic, but from what Dia had heard from the bits and pieces, the whole thing was quite insane. There were lots and lots of troops involved, and tons of people died every day. Neither the great Dark nor the Moons had made a move yet, but word had it that the tremors from the frontlines had already levelled the battlefield at the Liquet Dukedom when the Moons pushed back the battlefront.


    ¡°So, are we just going to wait here until whenever?¡± Dia asked.


    Schwarz looked up from his gameboard and nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll just hunker down here. I don¡¯t want any of us to be separated from the rest when the teleportation begins.¡±


    He looked back at his gameboard, that irritating grin still on his face, and then frowned. ¡°Hold up, when did I move this piece?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Farah had a suitably confused look. ¡°You moved it just now when Dia talked to you.¡±


    ¡°Oh crap, I didn¡¯t mean to¡ª¡±


    ¡°No take-backs,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Aha! Now, be defeated!¡±


    As their animated battle continued, Dia rolled over to Risti and Nero, who were discussing things quietly over a rapid-fire battle of Moon Phase. Their movements were fast and fluid, unlike the ponderous movements of Schwarz and Farah.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here. Good timing, really,¡± Nero noted. ¡°We were talking about Limbo and everything. There¡¯ll be lots and lots of mana-users at the frontlines, so don¡¯t act out if you can sense the presence of Limbo. Instead, just inform me. I¡¯ll relay the message to my master immediately and the Moons will settle it on their own.¡±


    ¡°The way you put it, it sounds like the Black God is a referee or something in this great game,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°He is. The White God and the Black God are overseers of the entire Godsfall for this round.¡± Nero held up a hand. ¡°I don¡¯t know why, or how, but it is what it is, so let¡¯s not focus on the pointless things, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay, got it. Just go to you if I find traces of Limbo, right?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Easy. Incidentally, are there any rewards or something? I never actually asked, but this thing as a Watcher has its own rewards, right?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­there is, but it¡¯s not convenient to explain in the current climate. At any rate, it¡¯s more of being protected right now than actually claiming rewards too,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Even in the upcoming war, the three of us cannot be made prime targets. We¡¯ll be exempted from doing the actual heavy-lifting too.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Why else did you think I didn¡¯t step in when we were being conscripted?¡± Nero asked. ¡°We¡¯ll be doing the easier things, and if possible, we¡¯ll probably not be mobilised until actual emergencies happen.¡±


    Risti nodded. ¡°I believe we¡¯ll be largely doing things like saving people and bringing the injured back from the frontlines. A dedicated medic unit.¡±


    ¡°Wait, really?¡± Dia looked at them. ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± Nero replied. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be nervous about the whole thing.¡±


    ¡°I-I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Nero¡¯s hands began to move again, and before long, the two of them were moving their pieces at a rapid tempo. Were they actually good at the game? Or were they just trying to show off? Dia didn¡¯t know, and she didn¡¯t care either.


    Now that she had nothing to do, however, the only thing that remained was to just get some rest here. Fortunately, all the chairs were comfortable, and she had no qualms sleeping on the ground either.


    Dragging her backpack over, she plopped down on the ground and rested her head on her makeshift pillow. As someone who was just a tutorial away from becoming the second mid-ranked mana-user in the Seekers of Life, she really didn¡¯t need to sleep, but Dia was feeling mentally fatigued.


    A good rest would settle all her problems.


    Yawning once, she turned to her side and tuned out the click-clacking of game pieces ¡ª the main culprit being Risti and Nero ¡ª and fell asleep.


    If all went well, when she next woke up, it would be in a foreign land¡­

 Chapter 422: Moons Muster

    Dia was dreaming about a bowl of savoury soup when the table itself seemed to lose a pair of legs, and her soup, along with the rest of her body, smacked into the ground below.


    Her eyes flew open a moment later, and Dia looked around the fallen bowl of soup for a moment, before rubbing her eyes and remembering that she had taken the chance to fall asleep on her backpack. It was a bit disappointing that the bowl of soup had vanished, but there was no two ways around it.


    ¡°Still¡­¡± Dia sat up properly and squinted at the windows of Moon Mansion¡¯s living room. For some reason, she had the feeling that it was already the next day ¡ª that she¡¯d slept past one sunset and sunrise ¡ª which meant that they should have been at the frontlines by now, right?


    She rubbed her eyes again to confirm that they were indeed still in Moon Mansion ¡ª she, alongside the others, who had all fallen asleep at one point or another. To their credit, though, she couldn¡¯t see any mess made by someone sleeping on game pieces.


    ¡°Better wake them up, at least.¡± Dia got up from her sleeping position, stretched a few times ¡ª which created some ominous creaks ¡ª and then moved to wash up. After a few minutes of rudimentary self-care, she returned to the room and began to wake people up one by one.


    ¡°Dad?¡± Risti mumbled. ¡°Not now, I¡¯m winning¡­¡±


    Dia had a feeling that she¡¯d come across something like this before, so she simply responded to this feeling by shaking Risti until the latter made a few ¡®awawa¡¯ sounds. Clapping her cheeks a few times, she moved on to Farah, who was making a weird grin and talking about how she was going to be rich.


    Naturally, Dia popped that dream by tickling her until she woke up. The next two were the men, but Dia didn¡¯t want to be called ¡®Dad¡¯ by Schwarz, so she got Risti, who was already awake and rubbing her eyes, to wake the bartender up instead.


    As for Nero¡­well, Schwarz would do.


    It took around five minutes for the others to fully wake up, and another minute for them to realise that a full day had passed.


    ¡°So¡­what¡¯s going on?¡± Risti wondered. ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to be at, you know, the frontlines by now?¡±


    She stifled a yawn. ¡°Damn. Maybe we shouldn¡¯t have sent the stuff back after all. I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°Deal with it,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Did the Moons fail to bring us over or what? Now that I think about it, I was braving it with Schwarz last night, just sitting there and waiting for the teleportation to fire up while we were sitting in Moon Mansion...and of course, he had that shit-eating grin on his face.¡±


    Everyone turned to look at the bartender, who sniggered. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t expect this. I mean, this happened before, did it not? There¡¯s a reason why I told everyone to stay in Moon Mansion.¡±


    ¡°Happened before?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Heh. Heh." Schwarz got up from his chair, pulled out a bottle and uncapped it, before holding it to Nero¡¯s nose. The Holy Son immediately moved forward unconsciously, following the drink with his nose alone, before leaning too far forward and smacking into the ground.


    As the Holy Son made a groan, Schwarz said, ¡°Did you two forget what happened when you tried to return here with Boundary Crossing?¡±


    Farah froze. ¡°It failed, and there was a bunch of alarms¡­¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Claud said it himself. He installed some artefacts that solidified space, preventing people from teleporting in and out, whether it is of their own free will or otherwise,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I was trying to see if we could delay our departure to the frontlines like this, which was why I told everyone not to leave the mansion last night. And guess what? It really worked!¡±


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    He cackled.


    ¡°Okay, but why would you do such a thing?¡± Farah asked.


    The grin on Schwarz¡¯s face faded away. ¡°I received some information from my contacts not too long ago. The Moons are planning a grand offensive on the Dark. It was quite the open secret to anyone already at the frontlines, and to top it off, the Moons were gathering more and more mana-users for that one push.¡±


    ¡°A grand offensive? When?¡± As those words left her, Dia had a feeling that she knew the answer. ¡°Sunrise, today?¡±


    ¡°Bingo.¡±


    Schwarz gestured out of the window. ¡°They should be leaving in the next few min¡ª¡±


    His words cut off as a vast, vast sea of power seemed to surge from the north, a concentration of power that Dia had only felt in such an intensity only once before, when the Thief of Time annihilated the Moon Emissary and the Fourteenth Bearer of Destiny.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°They are mobilising. The Moons¡¯ mustering of troops have come to an end.¡± Schwarz made a face. ¡°Come on, prepare to leave any time. Remember not to give the game away. We are to look mystified¡­Nero, do you hear me? You¡¯ve been dozing on and off for the past few minutes.¡±


    ¡°M¡¯ fine,¡± Nero mumbled. ¡°Pick-me-up, please.¡±


    ¡°This early in the morning?¡± Schwarz answered, an aghast look on his face as he shoved the bottle of bait into Nero¡¯s hands. The Holy Son opened it and took a swig from the contents immediately, and Dia couldn¡¯t help but think that his alcoholism had been steadily worsening as Nero spent more time here.


    Schwarz had even tried to moderate Nero¡¯s alcohol intake too, but even that had failed.


    It was probably all that stress from handling a bunch of responsibilities. Risti wasn¡¯t looking any better either, but at least she didn¡¯t need to be a freaking Holy Daughter or something.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Nero got up, slapped his face twice and returned to his usual professional self. ¡°That really hit the spot.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s astounding how you don¡¯t get drunk, but are addicted to drinking.¡± Schwarz shook his head. ¡°If only my patrons were like you. The bar would be a lot quieter in the case¡­but anyway, you know the plan, right?¡±


    ¡°Act dumb, I know.¡± Nero stretched. ¡°I¡¯m going to cook some eggs. Anyone wants other food?¡±


    ¡°I want some sausages and bread too,¡± Risti chimed in. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go prepare breakfast. We¡¯ll leave the Lunar Lord to Farah if she shows up while we¡¯re making the food.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Or Nero, but Nero wants to cook eggs.¡±


    ¡°Is that really what you should be focusing on right now?¡± Farah muttered, before shrugging. ¡°But sure, I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    The tremendous presence that was still erupting from the north of Licencia began to wane a few minutes later, and Schwarz said, ¡°Any Lunar Lord that is tasked to pick up stragglers should be arrived soon. I give the newcomer around ten to fifteen minutes. Probably won¡¯t be happy too¡­Farah, you¡¯ll need to act a bit.¡±


    ¡°Pfft. Like I need you to teach this countess that.¡± Farah was already on her way out, her backpack and Risti¡¯s in her hands. ¡°Come on, give me a hand already. We¡¯ll move them all here, outside the house, and then act really annoyed at how we stayed up all night waiting and waiting for absolutely nothing to happen.¡±


    A few question marks popped up on Dia¡¯s head. For some reason, it felt like the countess was attempting to blame the Moons or something, and as she continued to hear Farah¡¯s justification, it rapidly became clear to Dia that the countess was actually intending to blame the Moons or something.


    Was that wise?


    However, her high spirits told Dia that Farah wasn¡¯t going to take no for an answer¡­and it seemed like her words would work anyway. Dia looked at her for a little while longer, and then focused on the real issue.


    First, the Moons¡¯ main force had been gathered, and then left to engage the great Dark in a grand battle. Judging by the sheer number of mana-users and other mighty beings that had been gathered, Dia could tell that the Moons were intending on drastically reshaping the battlefield.


    In that sense, Schwarz¡¯s little ploy had saved them from the fate of being cannon fodder. Secondly, however, was how the Moons would treat them from now on. Dia was reasonably sure that their conscription was timed so that they would have to join in the grand offensive, but...


    Now that the offensive had started, what roles did the Moons intend for them to play, if at all?


    She looked back at the others, who were either cooking or thinking about ways to foist all the blame to the Moons, and felt a small frown twist her face.


    ¡°Well, whatever,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Whatever comes, will come. It¡¯s not like thinking about it can do anything anyway.¡±


    She looked up at the dome that covered their little mansion, and hoped that the arriving Lunar Lord wouldn¡¯t do anything to it.


    Whether it was an extravagant wish, however, remained to be seen.


    [End of Book 9: Moons Muster]

 Chapter 423: Meeting the Blue Moon

    [Book 10: Destiny Divine]


    The mighty presence that was the Moons¡¯ army soon vanished, and Dia turned to look at the others, who were just eating breakfast and waiting for the Lunar Lord to show up. Farah had even conducted a dry run of the excuses she would use later, and Schwarz was planning on breaking out some drinks just in case the Lunar Lord didn¡¯t see¡­reason.


    Was it really fine for the others to be this relaxed?


    Letting out a puff of air, she joined the others. ¡°It feels like something huge just came and left, doesn¡¯t it? Some huge, epoch-defining event.¡±


    ¡°The largest force of humans and Moonlit soldiers just embarked on a massive expedition. I wouldn¡¯t say that you were wrong.¡± Farah spread out some fried egg onto a slice of bread, before chopping up a sausage into small pieces with skilled, dainty movements. ¡°It might define something.¡±


    ¡°Well, either the entire force is wiped out, or they win. I¡¯d call that era-defining,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Hurry up and eat, guys. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll realise that something went wrong and we¡¯re still stuck here.¡±


    ¡°Stuck here, yes.¡± Nero yawned. ¡°Still, it seems that our ability to coordinate things like this has increased ever since we got a lot of practice with that one issue, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    The others grunted in agreement.


    ¡°Magical, isn¡¯t it?¡± Dia jiggled her shoulders and started scoffing down their breakfast before a peeved Lunar Lord came knocking. ¡°Anyway, what do you think they¡¯ll ask us to do?¡±


    ¡°Look after the base, I suppose,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Against random attacks or something. That¡¯s the most likely scenario, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Or maybe no one¡¯s going to show up,¡± Dia replied. ¡°That¡¯ll be great.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also possible that we¡¯ll be teleported to the frontlines after we step out of Moon Mansion,¡± Schwarz added. ¡°That¡¯s another possibility too, if nothing happens after an hour or two. But if that¡¯s the case, are we going to stay in the mansion for like a few days first?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. It¡¯ll be quite obvious if we all refuse to go out, right?¡± Risti wondered. ¡°The Moons will definitely know that we did it on purpose.¡±


    ¡°We could use the excuse of us not knowing anything if we just stepped out an hour or so after this, but yeah, that¡¯s not going to fly a week afterwards.¡± Farah made a face. ¡°I suppose we can finish breakfast first, and then step out of the dome and see what happens next. It should be fine, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not our fault we didn¡¯t know this would happen. Heh.¡± Schwarz poured out another drink. ¡°Still, I really don¡¯t want to go¡­¡±


    ¡°You sound like someone who just doesn¡¯t want to go to work. Still, we need to go, right? The pay we were promised is too irresistible to pass up,¡± Dia replied. ¡°The ability to evolve our skills once, to increase our Mana Control Proficiency by one rank and a passive skill that would make projectiles miss us more. It¡¯s the kind of thing that we¡¯ll need for the upcoming chaos.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. And if we dally too long¡­¡± Risti let out a sigh. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s hurry up and finish this.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long before all the dishes were cleaned, and with a small huff, Dia carried her bag and lifted it to her shoulder. It would have been easy for everyone to stay here and tough it out, but was that any different from accepting fate as it came?


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not a rhetorical question¡­¡± Dia shook her head. What was the path that they were meant to tread? Was there even one in the first place?


    Shivering, she looked at the others. ¡°Now then, I¡¯ll step out of Moon Mansion first. If nothing happens¡­I suppose it¡¯s good, then. But if something does happen, I¡¯ll be waiting for you guys on the other side.¡±


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    ¡°No. We do this together,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°We¡¯re a team.¡±


    ¡°A team, huh.¡± Dia looked at the others. ¡°Well, whatever. If you want to go together, then follow me.¡±


    Everyone ended up crowding around her after she said those words, forcing everyone to crowd into the small cabin that moved them in and out of Moon Mansion. The metal cabin creaked as it ferried them across the dome and into Moon Street, and with a flare of bright light, a circle of white radiance formed all around them.


    ¡°So it¡¯s automatic, huh.¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°This does at least clear up any possible missing people ca¡ª¡±


    The white light drowned out the rest of her words, and the wind howled around her. The blazing radiance vanished a moment later, revealing a vast, empty plaza.


    ¡°That was a lot less dramatic than the first time,¡± Risti complained. ¡°Okay, so we¡¯re here¡­and everyone¡¯s gone, I suppose.¡±


    The five of them looked around for a few seconds, before a blue flash of light appeared. A Moonlit soldier, dyed in the colours of Plota, looked at them, confusion written all over his face, and then frowned. ¡°How did you get here?¡±


    ¡°We walked out of our house,¡± Farah replied. ¡°We were supposed to be here a few hours ago, but for some reason, we weren¡¯t brought here at that time.¡±


    The blue soldier tilted his head, thought for a moment, and then brightened up.


    Literally.


    ¡°Ah, you must have been in a place that impedes teleportation!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that apparently is our home,¡± Farah replied. ¡°It would have been nice to know that a lot earlier, to be honest. We¡¯re just stranded here or something now. Mind leading us to a place so that we can at least put down our luggage? After that, I suppose we need to receive our payment or something. We were promised a bunch of things, after all.¡±


    ¡°Why does your home impede teleportation?¡± the Moonlit soldier asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a safety precaution, apparently.¡± Farah shrugged.


    ¡°Is that the trending fashion nowadays? But you four are folders after all. I suppose there is¡ª¡± Without warning, the Moonlit soldier fell silent, and a reverent expression floated onto his face. ¡°The master has ordered me to bring you post-haste to his throne.¡±


    ¡°A divine revelation¡­¡± Nero narrowed his eyes. ¡°Well, it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen or felt it happen without all the bells and whistles, though.¡±


    Dia glanced at the Holy Son, who was clearly more used to these matters than anyone else, before deciding not to say anything.


    The Moonlit soldier looked at Nero once, nodded, and then said, ¡°Follow me. I will bring you to the master. I trust I need not talk about the necessary formalities?¡±


    Everyone grunted, and the soldier beckoned for them to follow. Dia took the chance to look around the huge encampment at the same time, and the sights that entered her eyes were surprising. Other than the huge square that they had appeared in, the encampment was home to lots and lots of buildings. At first glance, they looked like barracks, but the desolation that these buildings gave off was so strong that Dia didn¡¯t want to look at them anymore than was required.


    There were some training grounds too, with obstacles that were presumably built for the regular formations. Still, given the regular armies were made up of Moonlit soldiers, did they really need training?


    Looking at the worn training grounds, Dia could tell that these places had been used over and over. At the very least, however, the Moonlit armies were really dedicated to their training, which was a good sign for their victory.


    The soldier led them to the centre of the encampment, towards an odd tower. It looked like a regular tower, the kind that the Nightfall Palace had, but at the very top, there was a weird, beehive-like ball made out of a shimmering crystal. It hurt to simply look at it, and Dia even had a faint feeling that looking at it for too long would damage her somehow.


    It was, in other words, dangerous.


    Against her better judgement, she continued to follow the Moonlit soldier with the others, and the doors opened as they neared the base of the tower, revealing a shimmering white light that seemed to combine the colours of the Three Moons.


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak from here onwards,¡± the Moonlit soldier requested. ¡°I will bring you to the waiting room. Just stand there and don¡¯t move. The master will bring you in shortly.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Nero replied, glancing at the others. ¡°We¡¯ll do as the Moons say.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    In silence, their little party followed the soldier into the tower, eventually stopping at a little room with small, fluffy seats. Gesturing for them to sit down, the soldier bowed once, and then left the room, taking extra care to keep the volume down.


    Dia eyed the others nervously, before directing her gaze to the huge door on the other side. It emanated a regal air that didn¡¯t seem that ostentatious, something that she could totally get behind. Her father would definitely like this door too, which was saying a lot about the fashion sense of the Mo¡ª


    Her surroundings rippled once, blurring over and transitioning into a patchwork of colours, before condensing to form what looked like a throne room. Three seats floated in mid-air, each of them radiating a faint, oppressive radiance that could overwhelm her senses.


    She glanced at the leftmost chair, and an enormous image of a cratered blue sphere imprinted itself onto her mind. Dia reeled an instant later, but some power seemed to prevent her from gagging, coughing or even making any sound whatsoever.


    Rubbing her eyes as they teared up, Dia enduring the boiling pain in her head and kept her head low.


    The Blue Moon was too blinding to look at properly.

 Chapter 424: The Blue Moon of Wisdom

    The sensation of a burning axe embedded into her head assailed Dia¡¯s senses as a single, unrecognisable word rolled through the room, the red-hot pain blinding her eyes. The Blue Moon of Wisdom had made a single noise, and her brain had immediately turned into mush.


    Without that weird power supporting and controlling them, Dia knew that she would have screamed until her throat tore. Her posture had been completely broken, just like everyone.


    Everyone save for Nero, anyway.


    Only the Holy Son of the Black God alone continued to stand upright, but even then, Dia could barely make out the slight tilt in his head, which was more than enough for her to tell that he too could not look at the Blue Moon.


    Considering the legends, she was half-certain that this fa?ade was something the Blue Moon had put up on purpose. Records of the Moons¡¯ description had survived for a very long time ¡ª the Blue Moon was¡­well, a blue ball with craters¡­


    Dia decided not to think too hard. Maybe something had changed between these records and today. Whatever the case, however, she could tell that the Blue Moon of Wisdom was not too happy about the current turn of events.


    A flood of blue light filled the room, and the massive presence weakened. Another word that she couldn¡¯t understand or even make sense of entered her ear, and once again, the impossible sound that was required to enunciate it weighed down on her body.


    As she reeled, thousands of whispers flooded the room, and Dia found herself swaying on her feet. Like wind rustling, these whispers debated back and forth in a language she couldn¡¯t understand, and every passing second made her head feel lighter and lighter.


    The sound of water droplets falling drowned out those whispers shortly afterwards, before vanishing themselves.


    Without warning, the floor that Dia was staring at turned into a reflective surface, and she took in her appearance in silence. Her face was lined with fatigue and fear, emotions she hadn¡¯t even noticed. Was it the stress of facing the Moons? Or was it¡­in general?


    Her reflection turned into glowing specks of light at those words and entered her body, and the rustling wind turned into a word.


    The Blue Moon made another sound, and a few thousand spikes stabbed into her head. This time, however, as she endured the pain, Dia could vaguely tell that¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re welcoming us? And that you¡¯re sorry for your current state? And that¡ª¡± Her parched throat gave way a moment later, and as Dia dropped onto the ground, a soothing wave of power shrouded her body, healing her with the gentle touch of lunar light.


    Her mind began to churn once more, stimulated by the gentle touch of the Moon¡¯s power, and more pieces of information floated past her consciousness. It was an apology centred around how they were not immediately brought here when the time came, an apology for making them wait.


    Dia straightened her body slowly and snuck a peek at the Blue Moon. The intense image was no longer as devastating to her mind as it was earlier, as though that gentle power and her newfound ability to interpret the incredibly dense language the Blue Moon had used altered her body in some way.


    The Blue Moon of Wisdom uttered another sound, and this time, Dia caught the whole meaning¡­as well as permission for her to talk.


    ¡°Everyone,¡± Dia began, ¡°the Blue Moon of Wisdom is apologetic about how¡­it failed to teleport us over at the given time, stranding us here. We now have two choices ¡ª to return home with only one gift, or to stay here and enjoy another passive skill. In addition, our job scope when staying here will be¡­¡±


    She glanced at Nero, who raised his head once at the Blue Moon. A moment later, the Holy Son said, ¡°Our job scope here will be to help in base security and to make the place more impregnable.¡±


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    Dia nodded. ¡°Thanks. Also, we are to activate the skill that is to be evolved, and that¡­well, that last one is for me. The Blue Moon of Wisdom cannot raise Mana Control Proficiency to Master rank, so I¡¯ll get a third passive skill instead.¡±


    Schwarz let out a groan. ¡°Got it.¡±


    A small worry flickered through her mind as the others made similar noises. If she were to use either her Sword Fall or Domain of Swords here¡­wouldn¡¯t it destroy the entire encampment? Fortunately, however, it seemed that the others were already activating their skills, and there seemed to be nothing else going on.


    Reassured by this, Dia focused on her Domain of Swords skill and activated it. In that instant, something within her body seemed to stir, something she had never felt up until now. That something rapidly weaved a spiritual structure within her body itself, but before it could be completed, the spiritual structure, which she could vaguely sense, abruptly glowed blue. It was a complicated pattern drawn onto a blue globe, something she¡¯d never seen before.


    Similar occurrences happened to the others, and before her eyes, the shimmering spiritual structure began to fold and unfold over and over again. The blue lines turned into a blur of movement.


    Without warning, the room shook once more, and a golden dome fell over her, Schwarz and Risti. At the same time, a golden rectangle appeared in her vision.


    [Pinnacle modification detected. Preventing records to ensure balance.]


    A question mark floated to the forefront of Dia¡¯s mind, but it wasn¡¯t like she could do anything either.


    Before her eyes, the spiritual structure that represented Domain of Swords continued to assemble and disassemble over and over again, and Dia forced herself to watch. What exactly was the power that allowed the Blue Moon of Wisdom to reform the spiritual structure of a skill? Could she learn it too? If so, it could very well mean that she could modify her own skills or something.


    She narrowed her eyes. Under the golden dome, the whole process felt a little bit illuminated; it was as if the five grand skies ¡ª who else could it be, after all ¡ª wanted her to understand the concept of modifying skills.


    Nodes.


    Lines.


    And lines with nodes. It seemed quite basic, but now that she had a close look at something that usually was invisible, Dia could tell that these spiritual structures were basically polygons and lines stuck together for some reason. Apparently, the central node ¡ª which was actually a perfect sphere¡ª seemed to be the component that served as the conduit for mana. Once enough, the mana would¡­


    A single, garbled word entered her ears once more, and Dia stumbled as another torrent of information flooded her mind. Her vision, stained in a faint red, cleared up a few seconds later, but¡­


    Skills were effectively what happened when sufficient mana travelled through particular arrangements of nodes and lines. The central mana node, when filled up fully, would release mana into the spiritual structure, like an expanding ball of fire. The expanding ball of mana would bounce off the outermost walls of the spiritual structure ¡ª it was actually a globe with nodes ¡ª forcing the expanding ball of mana to shrink as swiftly as it had expanded.


    When the ball shrunk down to the size of the central node, the skill would fully activate, translating the arrangement of nodes and lines into an actual effect and¡ª


    The blur abruptly ended, and the blue ball of light, which had been rearranged innumerable times, charged into her body. Another flood of pain tore through her body, and Dia¡¯s thoughts cut out as she dropped onto the floor.


    [Under the light of the Blue Moon, your skill, Domain of Swords, has changed to Perfect Domain of Swords!]


    [Under the blessing of the five grand skies, you have acquired the passive skill, Decompression!]


    ¡°Decompression?¡± Dia got up slowly. ¡°What the heck is that?¡±


    That announcement and the cessation of pain had happened in such close proximity that Dia could tell that they were linked. More importantly, however, was her new skill. While she hadn¡¯t used it much, Dia could actually remember something about the new prefix that had appeared on Domain of Swords.


    Not that long ago, when they were still at Daybreak County, Nero had talked about the ¡®Perfect¡¯ prefix. While she couldn¡¯t quite remember what it meant, Dia knew that it was definitely something great, and she couldn¡¯t help but look at her status fondly.


    However¡­did this mean that there was no further way for her skill to grow?


    It was a bit depressing, seeing as how the only change was a prefix. She wasn¡¯t complaining about the prefix, but did this mean that the Domain of Swords skill was already very close to being¡­well, perfect?


    Shaking her head, she looked at the others. Risti was still covered by the golden dome, while Schwarz was being supported by Farah for some reason. Nero brought up the rear, his eyes staring into the distance.


    At the throne, the Blue Moon of Wisdom simply watched on in silence.


    The first boon had been dispensed¡­but the only question Dia had in mind was if the other two would be this painful too.


    Anything else could wait.

 Chapter 425: The difference between the divine and the mortal

    Eventually, the dome of golden light that had surrounded the others faded away. From Dia¡¯s point of view, though, it seemed like this was a measure enacted by the five grand skies to prevent the Moons from learning about the spiritual structure of her Domain of Swords and whatever other skills the others had chosen to evolve. This, however, had a few implications.


    The Moons didn¡¯t know everything.


    More importantly, the five grand skies actually had knowledge about what the Moons knew and didn¡¯t. The implications, naturally, were a bit obvious ¡ª the Moons were the equals of the Dark, but were inferiors to the very heavens.


    All this matched with the information Dia had gleaned so far, with this entire game being overseen by the five grand skies making it clear. What, then, was the goal of the Fourth Godsfall?


    She looked at the others, and then shook her head. Now was not the time to ponder on things like this, and such discussions were often more fruitful when done with other people in attendance. Rather than to stew on issues like this alone and come up with wild theories¡­


    Dia looked at the Blue Moon again, and this time, her gaze didn¡¯t go unnoticed. The Blue Moon made another sound in response, and Dia braced herself for a world of hurt, but there wasn¡¯t any mind-splitting sensation this time.


    ¡°¡­hm?¡± Dia froze as the massive volume of information that entered her head did so without causing her any pain. Within a single second, she had processed the Blue Moon¡¯s concern, explanation about the process ¡ª which was the longest ¡ª and then the query about its second gift. At the same time, the Blue Moon had also added that this information was directed solely at Dia herself, and that the others could no longer receive it. Another explanation about why Nero couldn¡¯t do the interpreting was tacked on at the very end.


    Bundled with this huge set of words and concepts were accompanying numbers and other weird terms that Dia couldn¡¯t understand at all. Most of the burden in this information transfer, however, actually came from these sets of data, which was probably the Blue Moon¡¯s way of backing up its words.


    Dia raised a finger, indicating her desire to speak.


    Another noise followed, and once again, the information data of the Blue Moon allowing her to speak was accompanied with all this random, superfluous data.


    Opening her mouth, Dia was preparing to speak her thoughts about this horribly problematic way of communicating with others when the question about whether she should hit her. She pondered on this very essential question for a moment, weighed the probability of them returning for another audience with the Moons, and then decided that running the risk of what essentially was blasphemy was not worth it.


    But¡­


    Dia couldn¡¯t help but feel a little bit bad for the Blue Moon, who probably never had the chance to interact with humans properly, since what typically happened was them just rolling on the floor. It wouldn¡¯t hurt, right?


    More importantly, the Blue Moon seemed like a nice person.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m about to do this,¡± Dia muttered, before saying, ¡°Um¡­Blue Moon, maybe you could change the way you transmit information?¡±


    The blue sphere made a sound, and Dia took a deep breath. Her initial impression of the Blue Moon as someone nice and reasonable hadn¡¯t been off, and she pressed on by saying, ¡°We¡¯re hurting because you send a lot of background information to us. I¡¯m not sure what ¡®Existential Handshake Protocol Data Table¡¯ is, but we don¡¯t communicate while sending that. It¡¯s¡­just not how that works. We humans generally can¡¯t take in all that information at once.¡±


    Another sound followed, but this time, Dia could vaguely make out, ¡°Like this?¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Yeah, but the words ¡®like this¡¯ seem to be affected by something. Some¡­¡± Dia thought for a moment. ¡°Something layered over. The words themselves will do, uh, Blue Moon.¡±


    The sphere paused. ¡°Like this?¡±


    Dia¡¯s eyes brightened up. ¡°Yes, exactly like this. The words will do! Now everyone can understand you!¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s that easy?¡± Plota asked. ¡°Why, then, didn¡¯t anyone tell me or us about this? Do they like being flooded with information? Or do they not like us speaking to them often?¡±


    Dia blinked. She hadn¡¯t expected the Blue Moon to display such¡­human sentiments. It reminded her of school, when some lonely noble wondered why the others weren¡¯t talking to them all that much. Did she do something wrong? Or were the others just not compatible with them?


    She looked at the Blue Moon, and then smiled, recalling the answer that she had been given once she puckered up the courage to ask.


    ¡°Everyone is just scared of your status,¡± Dia replied. ¡°It¡¯s just that. You¡¯re a divine being with mighty, mighty powers. No one dares to say that the way you do things is wrong.¡±


    She smiled. It was an answer she too had received as a student. As a scion of the highest ranking noble in the Lustre Dukedom, no one dared to approach her save through her retainers. Dia, back then, had thought that no one liked her for some reason, and elected not to force herself onto them.


    It was a bit too late when she found out the reason.


    ¡°That¡¯s all, really,¡± Dia murmured. ¡°It¡¯s just that we¡¯re scared, and we don¡¯t really know how to interact with you.¡±


    The Blue Moon¡¯s light flickered once. ¡°Is this fine?¡±


    This time, the others turned to look at the Blue Moon, and an air of relief seemed to emanate from the throne. ¡°Can everyone hear me properly? Are there no heads exploding?¡±


    Dia winced at that last bit.


    The others looked at each other for a moment, and then Farah said, ¡°W-we can hear you, O Blue Moon. Thank you for your concern.¡±


    A small crease appeared on Dia¡¯s eyebrows. Did they not notice her conversation with the Blue Moon? Or did they not figure out that the immense, pointless information bundled with Plota¡¯s utterance was the reason why they fell over earlier?


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Plota paused, its voice still carrying a touch of uncertainty. ¡°H-has everyone received their first payment?¡±


    ¡°Yes, O Blue Moon,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°The second is to raise everyone¡¯s Mana Control Proficiency by one rank, r-right?¡± Plota asked. ¡°Prepare.¡±


    Before Dia¡¯s eyes, the air around the others seemed to change, and that odd mirage enveloped her a moment later. It seemed to dig deep into her very existence, remoulding it in a way that she had never experienced before. Her ability to sense her surroundings had been polished; it was as if she had been looking at things through a blurry window in the past.


    The sensation lasted for a while, but the notification that she had been expecting didn¡¯t pop up after it faded away. While the improvement had stayed, her Mana Control Proficiency hadn¡¯t changed.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡±


    The Blue Moon¡¯s focus fell on her once more, something she could visibly feel. There was a soft touch to it, though, like a grandfather who was talking to his favourite grandchild or something. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, little one. The laws of this world dictate that the highest Mana Control Proficiency for mortals below the middle-rank can only be Intermediate, unless they have certain skills. However, with my blessing, you will immediately advance to Expert once you complete the Second Tutorial.¡±


    There was a slight pause. ¡°I will grant you an unparalleled skill to navigate you through the perils of the Second Tutorial.¡±


    [Under the light of the Blue Moon, you have learned the passive skill, Introspection!]


    ¡°Introspection is a skill specific to me and my Blessed,¡± Porta added. ¡°Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t make use of it much. Maybe that was why he was killed.¡±


    There was a touch of sadness in Porta¡¯s words. ¡°I hope you can use it more often. It will allow you to rationally assess yourself at any point of time, under nearly any circumstance. It will also protect you from mental erosion and other related ailments. This skill will help you overcome the Second and the Third Tutorial.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    She could already feel the effects of the skill.


    ¡°I should thank you instead.¡± The Blue Moon paused. ¡°Do drop by more often. Or¡­well, I suppose you wouldn¡¯t, would you? Well, please do consider it. Now then, the last gift is an easy one.¡±


    [You have learned the passive skill, Projectile Evasion!]


    ¡°I will now send everyone off to the principal planners,¡± Plota added. ¡°They will brief you on your duties.¡±


    The throne room began to fade, and in that instant, Dia could vaguely make out how the usual meetings with the mana-users before them had played out. There would be a bunch of people lying on the ground or slumped over, receiving their rewards as the Blue Moon failed to reach them with its words.


    It was¡­a depressing sight, to say the least.


    With some pity in her heart, Dia steeled herself and waited for the scene all around her to reform.


    As a small room appeared, she glanced down at her right hand. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s this?¡±

 Chapter 426: Odd jobs

    A small blue coin had appeared in her palm, but before she could spare a few more looks at the little trinket, the sound of someone setting down a bundle of papers caught her attention. The Blue Moon had sent them to a small, well-lit room lined with cabinets and strewn with maps.


    The source of the noise itself came from the centre of the room, which was a table that had towers and towers of books stacked up on it. It was by no means an unfamiliar sight to Dia, who had seen Farah and Schwarz¡¯s workrooms before, which gave her some measure of ease.


    ¡°The master sent you lot here for a briefing, right?¡± A person wearing a white cloak and mask stood up from behind the table and walked around it, his voice gruff and drawn out from fatigue. ¡°You five must be the Seekers of Life. As I understand it, there is one penta-folder and four tri-folders in your party, making you guys one of the strongest groups to join us.¡±


    ¡°Well, you say join, but it¡¯s more of a very stern invitation,¡± Schwarz quipped.


    ¡°Heh. Sorry about that, but this is a battle for existence. Right now, we¡¯re at a critical point. We only have one Bearer of Destiny left ¡ª the poor guy is the only fellow keeping us aloft. Neither of us can afford to send our trump cards out, though. It¡¯s a sticky situation that the Dark doesn¡¯t want to risk reversing.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Dia rubbed her nose and felt a little stupid. It was something that she could have figured out with a bit of thinking, but all that information overload from a few minutes ago had probably dulled her mind and made her take leave of her senses. The others weren¡¯t responding that well either, so there was really no blaming her¡­


    ¡°Ahem. Right. Introductions. I am the rear echelon staff officer for the Moonlit campaign, Sans. I have been overlooking the warfront ever since it opened up. However, since you people were a bit too late to join the main battle, I¡¯ll have you guys conduct some patrols and protect the supply chain instead. Everyday, there¡¯s going to be an outgoing convoy of supplies. We¡¯ll need two or three of you to protect the teleportation formation as it sends the supplies over.¡±


    Farah took a step forward. ¡°The supplies are sent through teleportation?¡±


    ¡°Correct. It¡¯s very handy. The only weakness is that it can only be sent outside our territory, since there is a spatial lock designed to prevent mass transfers in and out of this place,¡± Sans replied. ¡°The teleportation will be conducted right outside our encampment, but the enemies also know that. They¡¯ll seek to destroy the supplies or mess up the spell.¡±


    ¡°So, just protect it, right?¡± Farah asked. ¡°With any way we like?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to change its location or time, though. The teleportation must occur under the light of the Moons,¡± Sans replied. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s a pretty simple job. It¡¯ll at most take an hour, and then you guys can return to doing whatever you like. There are a bunch of oddjobs that everyone can do.¡±


    He gestured at a door to the left. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    Following him into the huge encampment again, Sans led them to an odd fountain of water, which glimmered with tri-coloured light. ¡°This here is the Fountain of Rewards. After conducting a mission, you can return here and wait for a suitable reward to be granted.¡±


    ¡°Granted?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Like¡­this fountain spits out rewards?¡±


    ¡°Correct. Base rewards always include pure-ranked lifestones,¡± Sans replied. ¡°There are other things too, depending on your performance and how much you¡¯re liked by the Moons. Artefacts, skillsticks, potions, valuable metals¡­all sorts of things.¡±


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    ¡°But will they substitute lifestones?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Nope. You¡¯ll always get lifestones. Anything else that comes out of it is just an extra bonus,¡± Sans replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Anyway, there are always a bunch of things you can do, which you can find listed on the side here.¡±


    He indicated a floating piece of what seemed like paper, which was hovering beside the fountain. Lines crisscrossed each other, forming a structure in which missions, their difficulty and their rewards could be arranged in order.


    ¡°In this table here, you can see the rewards and missions,¡± Sans explained. ¡°You can do as many as you like, and you can claim them when you feel like it. There¡¯s a mobile version with the expeditionary army too, which handles a whole different set of missions. The ones here are quite¡­safe.¡±


    ¡°Safe, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Since you guys are going to be doing the mandatory mission of protecting the supplies every day, there¡¯s no minimum quota of how many external missions you have to do from this,¡± Sans replied. ¡°But they¡¯re really easy. Freebies, even. So¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you people also do this?¡±


    ¡°When I¡¯m on an off-day?¡± Sans asked. ¡°Yeah. I do reserve a few easy ones¡­I mean, do some easy ones.¡±


    Dia rubbed her nose, having seen a measure of what corruption in this place was like. She didn¡¯t bother asking what missions Sans had reserved for himself ¡ª it was no different from asking someone how they moved money from one hand to another.


    It was a question without any answer.


    ¡°I see.¡± Schwarz coughed. ¡°This is a really neat reward mechanism, though. Can we have a demonstration?¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Sans stretched his arms. ¡°Okay, so to receive the reward, you just need to stand in one of the many marked areas.¡±


    He stepped into one such box. ¡°And then¡ª¡±


    His next words were cut off by an extraordinarily large outburst of water, and something hurtled outwards. Serenaded by what seemed like rain, a small bag landed right in front of Sans, its descent halted at the very last moment by some preternatural force.


    ¡°See?¡± Sans replied. ¡°The more missions you have, the higher the number of bags flying out of this fountain when you claim them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good for morale,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°Like when someone does a huge commission at the Folders¡¯ Association, and they get a literal treasure chest as a reward.¡±


    ¡°A treasure chest?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Yeap. Public ceremony, awards, the like. This is just that, but in a more elegant manner.¡± Risti paused. ¡°I¡¯m going to take some notes.¡±


    ¡°Well, it does look pretty damn awesome,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°I¡¯ll try and rack up a bunch of missions, then. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to have a few hundred bags to scare off the people who are returning from the expedition?¡±


    Dia rolled her eyes.


    ¡°What are you even intending to do?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Anyway, they¡¯ll have more rewards under their belt, right? You¡¯re just going to end up shaming yourself when they overshadow your small bags with multiple huge ones or something.¡±


    ¡°Ahem. There¡¯s a limit of ten bags per eruption. And the tenth bag, incidentally, always has something extra too,¡± Sans added. ¡°As a rule of thumb, try to turn in ten rewards every time. The last one is usually something nice.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting system.¡±


    ¡°Of course it is. The Moons made it, after all.¡± Sans nodded to himself. ¡°Of course, you should prepare a storage artefact, though. Or at least some method to bring back your spoils. It¡¯ll be easier that way. Sure, no robbery or theft is allowed¡­but do you really want to make multiple trips back to your rooms?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Alright, so that¡¯s pretty much it. Now, for the rundown. Here, this is a map for everyone. Your bunk has been highlighted in yellow. The mess hall ¡ª we brought our own chefs and cuisines, so do come and give it a try ¡ª is highlighted in green. The parade square is in purple, in case there¡¯s some emergency.¡±


    A small pause followed. ¡°Yeap, that¡¯s about it, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Thanks for the tour,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Knowing all this is pretty nice.¡±


    ¡°Yeap. You guys should go to your bunks ¡ª your luggage has been deposited there, although it seems like you¡¯ve forgotten all about it ¡ª and get acquainted with the area camp first.¡± Sans jiggled his shoulders. ¡°Now, don¡¯t let me keep you here. I¡¯ll be returning to my duties first. See you around!¡±


    Waving a hand, he walked back to the small, nondescript building that they had left from earlier.


    ¡°Right, our luggage,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°Seems like some perception-hampering skill at play, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Perception, huh?¡± Farah shook her head. ¡°I mean, one of the Moons¡¯ Bearers of Destiny had Absolute Domination, after all. Come on, let¡¯s go and check our luggage.¡±


    Dia trailed behind the others, and her attention returned to the blue coin that was still in the hand.


    For some reason, it reminded her of the Blue Moon, and considering the circumstances in which it had appeared¡­

 Chapter 427: Her advancement

    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t concentrate.¡± Claud glanced at the shimmering card, and then got up from his cross-legged posture. ¡°This card is really distracting me.¡±


    ¡°How far are you from your fifth mana circuit?¡± Lily asked, before letting the blue glow around her fade away too.


    ¡°0.01,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m on the cusp of success, but I don¡¯t want to mess it up by being too distracted by a card. And besides, even if I try to ignore it¡­you¡¯ll definitely pick it up, right?¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°Can¡¯t keep Lesser Half waiting. Come on, let¡¯s see what he wrote first, and then we can get back to burning our mana circuits.¡±


    She reached for the shimmering black card and read the message on it out loud. ¡°Lord and Lady Primus, what do you think of having a room with one or two adorable kittens? Would they put people at ease?¡±


    Claud made a noise in his throat and tried to ponder the question seriously, but before he could even visualise the scene of a rift filled with black cubes playing with kittens, three little shapes had rushed up to him, making adorable little noises and bouncing all over his head.


    ¡°Whoa, whoa!¡± His hands shot out, and three little shapes appeared in his hands, meeping happily as they rolled out of his grip and danced on his shoulders. Throne, the little silver ball, bounced over to Lily¡¯s purple hair a moment later and made a nest on it, meeping proudly at its new, impromptu bed.


    ¡°Oh, you¡­¡± Lily tried to catch the little sphere, only for Throne to shuttle around nimbly on her head. ¡°Never mind.¡±


    A little box and a star snuggled up to Claud.


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Claud rubbed them on the head. ¡°What, don¡¯t you guys like your new home?¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡± Sceptre bounced once and poked his chin with its pointy end.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t treat the house as a substitute for us,¡± Claud replied, before rubbing his chin. ¡°That stings, by the way. Are stars meant to be this sharp?¡±


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    ¡°Never mind.¡± Claud looked at his Divine Life Companion, Crown, and then tickled its sides. ¡°So¡­what do you think of Lesser Half¡¯s question? Does he go well with kittens?¡±


    The three shapes rolled off their contractors and hopped onto the bed. In what seemed like a very literal display of putting their heads together, the three little fellows crowded around each other, making little meeps as they seriously pondered the issue back and forth. Before long, Crown rolled out, hopped onto a pillow and started meeping seriously.


    ¡°¡­What am I to make of this?¡± Lily asked, her expression adorably confused. ¡°They are holding a debate for this.¡±


    The meeps used in the following debate were too laden with meaning for Claud and Lily to actually discern the actual content, but they could tell that little Sceptre was the most persuasive one¡­although that too was partially due to Crown and Throne¡¯s reactions.


    After beating down the cube and the sphere with rock-solid arguments, Sceptre sidled over to Claud and meeped. This time, Claud could pick out the main gist of the argument. While Lesser Half had a good idea, he wasn¡¯t the best person to rear kittens. It would be far better to outsource this job to his Dark Heralds, who had the right anatomy for the job.


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Lily nodded. ¡°So, it¡¯s like having Dust feed a kitten while Lesser Half talks to other people, right? And halfway through the discussion, the kitten toddles off, rubs its face against the visitor¡¯s leg, and then meows.¡±


    ¡°I can see that. Totally.¡± Claud paused. ¡°Count Lostfon would probably sneak in some terms favourable to his side while everyone¡¯s occupied by the errant kitten, or he might even bring another three more into the room itself and let bedlam take over.¡±


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    ¡°So, what do we reply?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Do we use Sceptre¡¯s answer?¡±


    ¡°I guess? It¡¯s not like we have much to do anyway,¡± Claud replied, before pulling out a fountain pen. ¡°Here, you do the writing.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s see¡­¡±


    As Lily wrote on the letter with her best handwriting, Claud looked at the words again and smiled. Lesser Half, one of the two divinities behind the great Dark, was apparently trying to understand humans more. This was probably a good sign, right? After all, a world where only one side was left didn¡¯t appeal to Claud.


    ¡°Are we going back soon?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Soon, I suppose.¡± Claud touched his chin. ¡°But I want to become a penta-folder first. That way, it¡¯ll be safer.¡±


    ¡°And you want me to complete my Second Tutorial, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Claud hugged his knees. ¡°You should be ready, if I¡¯m not wrong. Or very close, like me. It¡¯s up to you, though. Don¡¯t¡­take this hastily. If you need time¡­¡±


    Lily looked at him once, and then sighed. ¡°You¡¯re as perceptive as usual, I suppose. I¡¯m just¡­scared. Of what I might end up seeing.¡±


    Her face clouded over with fear, and Claud shifted closer to her, hoping to comfort her with his presence. Lily had never elaborated on what her deepest fear was, and Claud had never tried to ask; he¡¯d chosen to wait for Lily to tell him when she finally got over it.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Lily tried to smile. ¡°But¡­you see¡­I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m really afraid of. Am I afraid of myself, who killed my entire family out of something I called justice? Or am I afraid of facing my family, who I killed without seemingly any rhyme or reason? Or am I afraid that I never brought true justice to the victims, who were never fully accounted for? Or their families, who I denied the ability to claim compensation because the entirety of Julan was destroyed?¡±


    She paused. ¡°Or it something else entirely?¡±


    ¡°Lily¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mostly gone, thanks to you, but¡­I¡¯ll be alone in the Second Tutorial, right?¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°You¡¯ve been supporting me the whole time, helping me come to peace slowly, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Your strength grew too fast, and you have other things to be afraid of too.¡± Claud took a deep breath. ¡°Am I right?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a burden. And I don¡¯t want to be your weakness. I can see that this world has something in store for you, and if I delay my pursuit of strength¡­¡±


    Claud found himself unable to speak. What was the right option here? Was there even a right answer to this?


    ¡°I¡­¡± Claud lowered his head. ¡°Sorry. But I don¡¯t know what¡¯s the best thing to do here. You¡¯ve been through something I wouldn¡¯t wish on my worst enemy. I cannot say anything about how you approached it and I¡­¡±


    He paused for a moment, and then pulled her close. ¡°But I¡¯ll be by your side, no matter what choice you make. Don¡¯t worry about me. Just do what you want. If you want more time, so be it. I¡¯ve always been playing it safe anyway. If push comes to shove, we can just run to the ends of the world and never come back¡­after all, we did do that, right?¡±


    Lily let out a small, choking laugh, and then punched him softly on the shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s one of the many reasons why I love you.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being this useless, though.¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    The other little fellows crowded around them a moment later, rolling around Lily¡¯s lap and trying to cheer her up. A smile popped onto her face a moment later, and she set down a pen.


    ¡°Say, can you do something for me?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­don¡¯t let me go. Unless you need the bathroom. But come back after that.¡± Lily snuggled up to him and pulled his arms around her trembling body. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, okay? I¡¯ll be back in a day.¡±


    ¡°A day?¡± Claud paused, and comprehension dawned a moment later. ¡°Lily, wa¡ª¡±


    Blue light burst out of her a moment later, and her presence itself began to morph. Intuitively, Claud understood that she had actually completed her fourth mana circuit, and was simply holding her actual advancement off until she found the courage to.


    And the person who had been the one to give her the required courage was¡­


    ¡°Me, huh.¡± Claud looked at the sleeping beauty in his arms, and then held her close. ¡°You¡­what are you doing, Lily? Why are you trying to make me embarrassed, happy, sad and scared at the same time? It¡¯s hard to parse such emotions and process them separately, alright?¡±


    He forced himself to laugh a few times, and then made sure that her unconscious form was leaning on him comfortably. At the same time, the little fellows crowded around them both, bouncing up and down a few times, before settling on Lily¡¯s head.


    ¡°Really?¡± Claud let out a sigh, and then nodded to himself. Lily definitely wanted to give him some peace of mind when they set off for home, which was why she chose this very moment to advance into the ranks of a mid-rank folder. In that case¡­


    Claud felt for that last, tiny little bit of his fifth mana circuit. Instead of worrying needlessly, he would place his belief in Lily¡­and make sure that when she woke up, they could leave at any moment.


    This was the least he could do, other than making sure that Lily was comfortably nestled in his embrace.


    Suppressing his own fear, he glanced at Crown once, who immediately caught his drift.

 Chapter 428: Dual advancements

    Even with Crown¡¯s aid, Claud could feel the incredible demand his fifth mana circuit had on him. His incredible Mana Control Proficiency, however, was just enough for him to fix up his fifth mana circuit while still worrying about Lily, and with a tired meep, Crown rolled off his head.


    A set of screens appeared in his mind a moment later.


    [Your Mana Circuit Superimposition has reached 5.00]


    [Authority increased]


    [You have not met the requirements to evolve your Mana Locus skill]


    [You have not met the requirements to evolve your Mastery of Permanence skill.]


    Claud looked at the four notifications that had popped up, and then shifted Lily, who was still undergoing her Second Tutorial, in his arms. After brushing some hair out of her closed eyes, he hugged her lightly, before sending out some mana to the RECON artefact.


    ¡°Meep?¡± Throne rolled over and bounced twice. ¡°Meep.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m surveying the situation at the warfront,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But since I don¡¯t want to repeat myself a few more times, can you get Sceptre for me?¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡± Throne bounced twice proudly, in a gesture that made Claud think of an enthusiastic young man thumping his chest twice, and then rolled off. ¡°Meep!¡±


    Before long, the two shapes had floated back, and the two of them dropped onto his bed in what seemed like apparent exhaustion. Crown meeped dismissively, giving voice to Claud¡¯s opinion that laziness had made their flight ability weaker, before bumping the two little tired fellows a few times to show some disdain.


    As the three little shapes meeped away and the RECON flickered to life, Claud took the chance to assess his status.


    [Name: Claud Primus


    Class: Omen


    Lifespan: 1044 years


    Active Skills: Presence Nullification (9), Flight (5), Binding Order (7), Cleanse (6), FiBoD;O??? (0), FiBoD;O??? (0)


    Passive Skills: DiL???C, Mana Locus, Omen, Understanding, Master of Permanence, Artificial Life Contractor


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 5.00


    Mana Control Proficiency: Master


    Authority: 5


    Comments: Be careful. A thousand cold suns burn in the void, waiting for their vengeance. A hundred shadows scour the land, fearing the light of destruction. What will you embody, Omen? Your time draws near¡­]


    Claud looked at the ominous proclamation in the comments. This wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d seen such a prediction about the future that was to come, but¡­what was he exactly to do with such a warning? He was already growing stronger the only way he knew how. Was he supposed to pick up a sword and start waving it around?


    He shook his head. The only way he was growing stronger was to understand the world around him. Intelligence and knowledge were everything. Knowing the location of conflict zones and battlefields were most important.


    The rest could wait.


    He glanced at the three meeping shapes, who were crowding around Lily¡¯s legs for some reason, and then said, ¡°Come on, guys. Might as well get you three up to speed. Right now, this world is a battlefield for two very scary sides. The Dark and the Moons. Previously, the Dark had lots of advantages since it descended first, but we screwed up something, the Dark blew lots of power on us, and the Moons got to descend a few days in advance.¡±


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Meep?¡± Crown tilted to its side, and then completed the barrel roll.


    ¡°Yeah. I think the Dark caught a portion of that skill and tried to eradicate me with it,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyhow, the Moons caught their breath, rallied a huge army and sent them. They¡¯ve pushed back the frontlines; it¡¯s now in in this very dukedom, in Vacuos.¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    ¡°The halfway point, correct. Incidentally, we actually have a small house in Moon territory itself,¡± Claud added. ¡°It¡¯s in the county south of Vacuos ¡ª Cava ¡ª in a small town named Monsville. We¡¯ll drop by there on the way back to Licencia for a few days and to settle some issues for maintenance and cleaning.¡±


    Sceptre and Throne, who had never visited their little cottage, meeped away happily.


    ¡°Other than that¡­well, we¡¯re just studying the enemy numbers and patterns,¡± Claud studied the screen. The little ball-like probe that the RECON had tossed out was able to stay activated for indefinite periods, allowing for a constant¡­feed.


    That last word felt off, but Claud was aware that his world¡¯s iteration of language was less modern that that of the Celestia Ruins.


    ¡°Heh. Throne¡­have you developed any special ability yet?


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    ¡°Figured.¡± Claud patted the little guy. ¡°Don¡¯t let it get to you, though. I want you to develop the special ability of protecting Lily¡­and I definitely didn¡¯t say this because I remembered your first interaction¡ªyeowch!¡±


    The small ball smacked his hand as he said those words, and Claud laughed. He couldn¡¯t help but remember the first time he¡¯d used the RECON artefact ¡ª the small ball that the machine had released garnered quite the reaction from little Throne, who immediately nudged it a few times while making meeps.


    What really took the cake, however, was how Throne had fled when the ball-like probe took to the skies and flew out of the window. As a result, Lily had to cajole the little guy back down from the ceiling, along with Crown and Sceptre.


    Smiling, he fixed his eyes on the RECON artefact, and time drifted by in a haze. In this odd state that had him slipping between consciousness and unconsciousness, he could vaguely tell Lily¡¯s current state in her Second Tutorial. There was some fear, some trepidation, and yet¡­some hope.


    He held Lily tighter, willing his touch to tell her that he was out there and rooting for her to return victorious.


    ¡°You can do it,¡± Claud whispered, his tongue forming these familiar words for the umpteenth time as two armies smashed into each other. The bright lights that tore through the skies and ploughed the armies below seemed like nothing in comparison to Lily, who was fighting a war within her own psyche.


    How many times had he whispered those words?


    He had lost count, but as the battle on the artefact¡¯s screen drew to an end, both sides bloodied and bruised, Lily began to stir. Her breathing, which had been increasingly shallow, had taken on a deep rhythm, and Claud¡¯s odd state of mind dissipated.


    It was morning, and Lily had woken up.


    That was all that mattered.


    Blue light began to condense around her, and her mana circuits, four of them superimposed on each other to form a total of ten illusory patterns, flared once, but Claud simply let the light blind him. Lily¡¯s presence grew more pronounced, and her eyelids opened a moment later.


    Claud looked deep into her eyes, and then pulled her close. ¡°Well done.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m back.¡± Lily whispered.


    Claud nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve succeeded. I¡­can sense it.¡±


    Lily¡¯s confidence had grown immensely in that single Second Tutorial. What did she undergo in there? The light in her eyes had taken on a piercing, confident sheen, and Claud found himself falling in love with this new, unfamiliar side of her.


    ¡°Yes. I did.¡± Lily separated from him slightly, and used the space to cup his face. ¡°And I felt you the whole time. I could sense your mana and hear your words. I could feel you by my side.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°But you conquered it on your own, did you not? What really mattered was that you banished your regrets and affirmed your path on your own. I¡­just held you. Don¡¯t devalue that.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°I know. But I want to thank you all the same. I¡­never truly realised how much your support meant to me until the Second Tutorial.¡±


    ¡°¡­What did you see in there?¡± Claud asked.


    A sad, yet content smile appeared on her face. ¡°I experienced my childhood. The Lily I would have been, if I hadn¡¯t chosen to flee my family back then. And¡­¡±


    The light in her eyes grew stronger. ¡°And I knew. That me leaving back then, and then bringing justice back¡­it was not the perfect solution. It could never be the perfect solution.¡±


    Lily¡¯s eyes shimmered with the faint glimmer of tears. ¡°But it was good enough.¡±


    ¡°You will forever bear your own guilt and pain,¡± Claud murmured. ¡°But that, I can at least shoulder with you, right?¡±


    In the end, there was no way anyone could ever have handled any situation perfectly. But what mattered was the ability to confront oneself and be confident that they did the right thing. Even if it was not done properly, it was better than not doing it at all, out of fear that they would mess it up.


    Today, Lily finally had her own affirmation.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done well.¡± Claud dried the corners of her eyes, and saw the small hint of confidence in her eyes. For Lily, the Second Tutorial had granted her the answer to the question she had held for years and years.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lily looked him squarely in the eyes. ¡°I have.¡±


    Claud found her confidence a bit too dazzling, but this was not the time to turn away. ¡°Good. Now, then¡­we can make for home now.¡±


    ¡°¡­Penta-folder?¡± Lily¡¯s eyes filled with shock.


    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who had an epiphany,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And I figured that getting home was the best gift for you. After all¡­you still need to face your fears in person, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be coming along, right?¡±


    ¡°Naturally.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll always be by your side.¡±


    Before he could say more, the three little fellows rushed over, meeping as they clambered onto Lily¡¯s head.


    ¡°You guys¡­damnit. This is my time with her!¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡¯


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

 Chapter 429: Preparing to return

    ¡°Is it really fine to tell Lesser Half that we¡¯re leaving?¡± Claud wondered. ¡°And to Moon-controlled territory no less.¡±


    He looked at the card.


    ¡°Well, you did say things about friendship and everything,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯s more interesting to watch you go back and forth between friendship and caution, though, so I¡¯m still not going to give my input on this matter!¡±


    Claud rolled his eyes at Lily. ¡°Yeah, sure. You usually defer to me on matters of this nature, so you¡¯re just taking this chance to slack off.¡±


    ¡°You do know I just completed my Second Tutorial thirty minutes ago, right?¡± Lily made a little noise in her throat, and then picked up the three little fellows that were making a nest in her hair. ¡°And up you go. Anyway, your call, really.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really the hardest part¡­¡± Claud looked at the card. ¡°I suppose I should tell Lesser Half that, though. He did agree to protect us from the Red God, after all. And while I do not doubt his abilities to find us instantly, it¡¯ll be nice if he at least noticed that we were in Moon territory.¡±


    ¡°But if you tell him that, you can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Can¡¯t use that way to travel back,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But I suppose flying through the checkpoint¡¯s going to work anyway. Wasn¡¯t there the familiar spirit of the Red God who did the same thing? I¡¯m sure we can get Count Lostfon to give us a hand. We can also ask him if he wants us to send any message back or whatnot.¡±


    ¡°True. I think Caroline will really appreciate it, at least.¡±


    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s go find the count and get some souvenirs for the rest too. Does Lostfon actually have any¡ª¡±


    ¡°Soft drinks?¡± Lily suggested.


    Claud bobbed his head. ¡°Might as well get some, I suppose! The ones I left behind in Moon Mansion.¡±


    ¡°Definitely gone.¡± Lily grinned. ¡°I¡¯m willing to bet half of my first lunch back in Licencia on that.¡±


    Claud shot a look at her and shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s a sure-lose bet, but okay. I¡¯ll bet the same thing that there¡¯ll still be some left. Given the overwhelming odds, I get to dictate what ¡®some¡¯ means, and in this case, I¡¯ll say at least half a barrel.¡±


    ¡°Half a barrel?¡± Lily raised an eyebrow. ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m putting an awful lot of faith in their self-control. Unless they happened to leave Moon Mansion for a significant amount of time, there is no way they would have spared those poor drinks. I even had Schwarz add some alcohol for the fermenting too¡­¡±


    He let out a small sigh. ¡°They¡¯ll never get to see the light of day¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll ever see the light of day anyway, since their ultimate fate is to enter either our stomachs or that of the others,¡± Lily replied with a grin. ¡°Well, I suppose we should start packing up and everything. The longer we wait¡­¡±


    ¡°The more dangerous things get.¡± Claud nodded. ¡°Still, do we need a permit? I reckon we could up and leave. The only permit thing I recall hearing about was because the Red God¡¯s familiar spirit wanted to enter Moon territory, right?¡±


    The two mulled on that topic for a while.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just sneak in,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine! And besides, it might be a problem if the count decides to stop us for some insane reason, right?¡±


    ¡°But we need to see if he had any messages for Caroline,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And now we¡¯ve shifted our positions. You know what? Let¡¯s just drop by and pay him a visit anyway. Since we¡¯re going to tell Lesser Half about our departure too. Might as well go the whole way, right?¡±


    He got up.


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    ¡°You sure are confident.¡± Lily picked up the three little fellows, who were making themselves comfortable in the nook of her neck, and then lowered them gently into the small house that the two of them had made for them.


    The little guys meeped away for a while, until Lily raised a finger to her lips. ¡°You three have to stay silent when we¡¯re outside later, okay? Or else a lot of people will notice you.¡±


    ¡°Meep¡­¡±


    Claud reached into the house and set little Crown, who had fallen to its side sadly, back up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Soon, we¡¯ll be back home, and you can meep away all day long again!¡±


    The three of them rolled over to his hand and nuzzled it, before rolling back to the small table in the middle. As for what they were doing around the table? Claud seriously had no idea, but he was beginning to entertain the idea of making some playing cards and other fun little mechanisms for them.


    ¡°They really can heal one¡¯s soul, huh?¡± Lily noted, a grin on her face. ¡°As if I wasn¡¯t feeling confident enough already.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Congratulations on conquering your own fears. I suppose you can now look forward to the dark, possible future that I had foreseen in my Second Tutorial.¡±


    ¡°Odd, isn¡¯t it? I relived the past, but you relived the future.¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s just the nature of our fears and regrets, right? And it¡¯s nice to know that you don¡¯t have any such regrets.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s just how I live my life.¡± Claud paused. ¡°I take things cautiously, so as to leave behind no regret. It¡¯s tiring, bothersome and a pain in the ass, but this way, I live up to my mother¡¯s final wish. Maybe that¡¯s why I fear the future, since I don¡¯t know if I can continue to do that.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°That¡¯s definitely it.¡±


    They looked at each other, and then decided to start packing. Given that Claud had a storage ring, it was a lot easier ¡ª all he needed to do was to touch the gem to produce the internal space, and then shift all their items inside in neat order. Another touch¡­


    ¡°This was a lot faster than I thought it would be.¡± Lily rubbed her nose. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that it isn¡¯t that big, though. We can¡¯t stuff a bed in here!¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t even our bed to begin with¡­anyway, we should check out of the inn and everything.¡± Claud picked up the little house that contained the little fellows ¡ª who were still gathered around the table and making odd movements ¡ª placed it in his backpack with his other weapons and barrier artefacts, and then stretched once.


    ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    It felt a bit odd, knowing that they were locking this door for the last time, but that was how many, many things happened in life. Life was but a journey of meetings or partings¡­well, the pursuit of eternal life could stop that somewhat, but even then, sceneries had a nasty habit of changing.


    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily paused. ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing.¡± He looked back at the room one last time, and then followed her down to the counter, where the old man was still in his usual place. A single glance was enough to reveal that his family still hadn¡¯t returned.


    Whether it was by choice or by ability, the fact of the matter was that his children hadn¡¯t returned.


    ¡°Old man.¡± Claud passed the key over. ¡°Thank you for your services over the past half year. Can you relay our thanks to Cassie too? We haven¡¯t seen her¡ª¡±


    The old man shook his head. ¡°She¡¯s gone to join the war.¡±


    Claud froze, and then lowered his head.


    ¡°When did she join the war?¡± Lily asked, her voice betraying a hint of shock. ¡°And why?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± The old man shook his head. ¡°But I haven¡¯t heard from her for months now. It¡¯s like¡­¡±


    My family. Claud, however, didn¡¯t complete the old man¡¯s sentence either. It was painful to lose friends and family alike, and judging by the silence¡­


    ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t go dying out there,¡± the old man added, his face seemingly carved out of granite right now. ¡°There¡¯s always someone waiting for you, someone out there. Before you act¡­think before you leap.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s us,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Thanks, old man. See you around.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye. May your business prosper!¡±


    After waving goodbye once more, Claud and Lily left the inn and made their way to the Lostfon Palace. On the way, Claud decided to send Lesser Half the message that they were leaving ¡ª maybe the divinity had some advice or whatnot for them.


    ¡°Is that really a good idea?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a sincere idea,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And when dealing with people¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Lily¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°I know that very well.¡±


    ¡°You would, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    The streets were still quite deserted, since most of the refugees had been moved outside the city to construct their own little houses. It was something like a small city attached to a larger one, with Count Lostfon providing all the necessary resources. With enough time, it would be part of the city¡­and the count would be cackling over the new profits.


    Before long, the familiar palace appeared, but this time, Dust was already at the gates waiting for them.


    ¡°The Lord sent me to pick you up. He seems a little sad,¡± Dust explained. ¡°But at least you did tell him, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, he is a friend, after all.¡± Claud rubbed his nose and thought about the little social gathering they had recently. It was unfortunate they couldn¡¯t have a second one, but¡­.


    When all this was over, and assuming Lesser Half was still alive, having another social gathering like this could be a thing to look forward to.


    ¡°Heh. How am I supposed to refer to you if you claim friendship with my master like that?¡± Dust shook her head.


    ¡°Beats me.¡±


    ¡°Not our problem,¡± Lily added.


    ¡°¡­Forget I asked. Come on, I¡¯ll send you guys into the throne room.¡±

 Chapter 430: What one side thinks of the other

    ¡°What is this nonsense about going to Moon territory from you? That¡¯s really dangerous, okay?¡± Lesser Half rippled angrily, the innumerable cubes contained within the rift glittering at the same time. ¡°We¡¯re talking about the Moons, you know? Those guys that radiate cold light in the name of fake mercy!¡±


    The throne room seemed to shimmer with his power at the same time, and all the crystalline ornaments dangling off the ceiling flickered with seven-coloured light. As for why that was the case, Claud didn¡¯t know, but that wasn¡¯t quite his concern now.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be fine,¡± Claud replied, sneaking a gaze at the bright walls of the huge throne room. ¡°We did kinda come from there, after all. Snuck through the border checkpoints in the name of a honeymoon.¡±


    Lesser Half froze, as if stupefied by that reason, and then turned to Count Lostfon. ¡°Can you do something?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­no?¡± The count looked as bamboozled as Lesser Half probably felt. ¡°I mean, I didn¡¯t know that they were from the Istrel Sovereignty either. But this means you must have been feeling homesick or something.¡±


    ¡°Friends and family, you know.¡± Claud grimaced. ¡°That¡¯s how it is. Personally, I feel that this place is a lot safer, but there are still people I are about over there.¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡± The black light emanated by Lesser Half weakened. ¡°That¡¯s a good reason to go back, indeed.¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, it¡¯s just to inform you guys and to thank you two for taking care of us. Oh, and Dust, of course.¡± Lily bobbed her head at the Dark Herald. ¡°I wish we could do this more often. After all this Godsfall nonsense is over, let¡¯s hold another gathering. I¡¯ll bring my friends along this time!¡±


    ¡°That sounds great,¡± Lesser Half replied, ¡°but it¡¯s undeniably dangerous to return. The Moons are mobilising all the mana-users in their territory. If you two are found¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be conscripted?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°¡­Well, not forcibly, but¡­¡± Lesser Half trailed off, and in that instant, Claud felt that the divinity had taken a few steps closer to understanding humanity. ¡°Things will be tough if you reject them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s troublesome, but wouldn¡¯t that help you? I¡¯ll be able to report about movements in the Moonlit forces, after all,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°You don¡¯t like the Moons, do you?¡± Lesser Half chuckled.


    In that instant, Claud recalled the countless times he tried to sneak past guards as a child, only to be illuminated by the moonlight. While disliking was too strong a word, there were indeed times when he had wished that it was New Moon. Of course, he liked the beautiful light of the Moons too, but he did take two Bearers of Destiny¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s nice that you¡¯re thinking about me, but there¡¯s no need to run the risk. Intelligence is less important than friendship¡­¡±


    Claud blinked, and suddenly, the distance between him and the throne felt a lot shorter. How did it come to this?


    ¡°Well,¡± said Lesser Half, ¡°I see I won¡¯t be able to dissuade you much, and you¡¯ve probably prepared for it, seeing as how you decided to tell me about your departure in advance. It¡¯s nice that you told me all this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, one just doesn¡¯t simply up and disappear without leaving behind a message for friends with whom one shared a meal with,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s called being accountable,¡± Lily added. ¡°And besides, we also needed to ask Count Lostfon if he needed someone to bring a message to Caroline.¡±


    ¡°Caro¡ªyou know my daughter?¡± Count Lostfon blinked.


    ¡°We know that she¡¯s Nightfall¡¯s fianc¨¦,¡± Lily added.


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    ¡°Don¡¯t evade¡­yeah, you definitely knew her.¡± The count rolled his eyes. ¡°But depending on the circumstances, it may be impossible to pass her the message. Still, you should have told me all about it, right? How is she?¡±


    ¡°Lovey-dovey¡ª¡±


    ¡°That punk.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why we didn¡¯t bother telling you.¡± Lily clapped her hands. ¡°See? Magic. Also, you didn¡¯t ask where we came from or anything. That¡¯s your fault.¡±


    As the noble and the ex-noble exchanged a few more words about responsibility, Lesser Half muttered, ¡°I¡¯m learning more and more about humanity in this very instant.¡±


    Claud patted Lily¡¯s head. ¡°Hehe. You should try inviting more people to your castle, though. For instance, there¡¯s an old man who runs the inn we stayed in. He¡¯s a nice guy, but his family and friends have all vanished. Why not try talking to him?¡±


    ¡°An old man?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been talking to us mana-users so far, right?¡± Claud carried on. ¡°Talking to the mortals is also a good idea. Especially those who know that they only have so many years left.¡±


    Lily, who had managed to make Count Lostfon feel bad about not asking, added, ¡°If you want to understand humanity, you¡¯ll have to understand mortality. It¡¯s¡­not a nice thing to understand. And you¡¯ll definitely see the ugliest sides of humanity.¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about the last bit. Humans can be very ugly. Just as they can be very pure.¡± Lesser Half bobbed his head. ¡°I, however, believe in the potential of humans to surpass themselves and their base sides. Perhaps that is why I am more drawn to mana-users.¡±


    ¡°More drawn to mana-users?¡±


    ¡°They defy destiny and their natural limits,¡± Lesser Half replied. ¡°They conquer their own fears¡­just like Lily here.¡±


    ¡°Lily?¡± Count Lostfon tilted his head. ¡°What fears?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what fears she had, but she conquered them in the Second Tutorial,¡± Lesser Half replied. ¡°Do receive my belated congratulations for the successful crusade over your regrets. As for Claud¡­I see you¡¯ve made another ascension in the hierarchy of life. This is excellent.¡±


    ¡°¡­Uh, how many mana circuits do you two have now?¡± Lostfon asked.


    ¡°Lily¡¯s a tetra-folder now,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°And my Claud¡¯s a penta-folder.¡±


    Count Lostfon¡¯s lips turned wriggly. ¡°This is cheating. Where are you guys¡­getting all that willpower from? Damn. I¡¯m going to have to try harder¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you should,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway, shouldn¡¯t there be lots of lifestones for you to use now? There was like a huge rain of lifeforce recently. I can even pick up lifestones while walking around randomly.¡±


    ¡°¡­Forget about that for a moment. Anyway, a message, huh?¡± The count touched his chin. ¡°I did write a letter for her, so I suppose that¡¯ll do. I couldn¡¯t find a courier since no one¡¯s dumb enough to go to Istrel right now, but you guys so happen to be dumb enough.¡±


    Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°Letter, please.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Thanks.¡± The count tossed a letter over. ¡°You two better not die out there, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. And do you still remember the first time we met?¡± Lesser Half asked. ¡°I can only protect you for so long against the Red God or any other enemies of the same rank for so long. In Moon territory, you can expect my intervention to last for at most thirty seconds, before I am forced out.¡±


    ¡°So thirty seconds to flee, huh?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope the future you saw in your Second Tutorial never comes to pass, whatever it is.¡± Lesser Half rippled once. ¡°Do keep in contact.¡±


    ¡°We will,¡± Claud replied. ¡°There¡¯s a card, after all. You might be interested to learn about those Moonlit fellows too, like the Shadowed Ones. We¡¯ll be happy to pick up a few babies¡­I¡¯m told that there are still toddlers walking around in Istrel.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Lesser Half asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t really seem¡­like an actual enemy of the Moons when you say things like that,¡± Claud pondered out loud. ¡°But I suppose I¡¯ll die on the spot if you actually told me the reason behind all this.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­put simply, it¡¯s the battle for the world. For me, personally, it¡¯s a chance to experience what I¡¯ve never experienced,¡± Lesser Half replied. ¡°But¡­we aren¡¯t really dead-set enemies. Yet.¡±


    ¡°Yet?¡± Lily tilted her head, asking the question Claud had in his mind.


    ¡°If I die, Greater Half will not forget. And if any of the Moons are killed¡­you get the picture. We have emotions too. What¡¯s most important, however, is how the nature of our confrontation inevitably creates hatred between all sides. That¡¯s how it is.¡±


    A forlorn air filled the room, and Claud understood the implications behind these words. Abruptly, he understood why he had treated Lesser Half like a friend, and perhaps the other divinities too ¡ª like him, they were all being manipulated by the heavens above.


    ¡°¡­Is there no way of defying them?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°It is an interesting thought,¡± Lesser Half replied. ¡°But¡­there is more than just this. Many, many things hang in the balance. But let me not trouble you two with my words. These are not burdens that mortals should carry. Now, you two¡­I wish you a safe trip back home, and safety henceforth and forever.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Claud nodded at the two of them. ¡°This is farewell, then.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Dust answered solemnly, and Lostfon nodded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s meet together in better times, okay?¡± Lily asked.


    As those words echoed around the throne room, the world around them began to fall apart.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lesser Half¡¯s voice echoed in the featureless world. ¡°Let¡¯s.¡±


    The two of them reappeared outside Lostfon a moment later.

 Chapter 431: Gazing on a battlefield

    ¡°Huh. We¡¯re out, I guess.¡± Claud looked back at the city gates.


    ¡°Of the city, I might add.¡± Lily looked around. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s make for the south before it gets too dark. I want to reach a town before dark.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to avoid the warzones too.¡± Claud pulled out the map that he had drawn with the RECON¡¯s help. ¡°Most of the fighting happens in fixed areas, and there¡¯s a high chance that they won¡¯t attack the two of us, but it¡¯s better not to take any risks. We¡¯ll circle to the west side, and then fly through the mountains here.¡±


    ¡°Normally?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Normally, yes.¡± Claud patted his pocket, where a certain black card was stored, before making a circle with his fingers. ¡°It¡¯ll be a bit of a pain, but considering that I¡¯m a penta-folder, we should be able to make it to Vacuos before nightfall. If we push the boundaries of safety and continue flying, we can make it to Monsville and stay overnight there.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Lily looked at the refugees, who were busy building more elaborate buildings and other things. ¡°I think we can push it a little and head towards Monsville tonight. It¡¯ll be nice to settle into our home, anyway.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more of a holiday home, though¡­¡± Claud muttered, before holding onto Lily. ¡°Ready?¡±


    ¡°Whenever you are.¡±


    Casting one last look at the city, he took out a skillstrip and tore it into two, before taking to the skies. Within seconds, the walls of Lostfon and the palace within it turned into dots, and the two of them tore through clouds, tearing them into clumps.


    As they soared through the blue firmament, Claud caught his first glance of the war. He hadn¡¯t seen it for himself in person, but the area around Vacuos County and the dukedom capital had been divided up finely into three areas ¡ª contested territory and fortifications from both sides. It was hard to imagine that this place used to be an idyllic territory that had learning and scholars as the main theme.


    ¡°Lots of defences and fortifications,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Right, if the Moons were conscripting mana-users, does that mean that the Moon Lords are on the frontlines now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Probably.¡± Claud looked around. ¡°But there¡¯s also a good chance that they¡¯re actually still in Moon Mansion or something. It¡¯s hard to tell.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. There¡¯s a substantial chance that the others would have left, though. What are we going to do if that¡¯s the case?¡±


    ¡°Hide and continue to bide our time,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We can also investigate where they went to. From there¡­we can plan our next moves in advance.¡±


    He looked downwards, where multiple troop formations were moving around and attempting to carry out whatever strategic move they had in mind. Claud, who didn¡¯t have anything resembling a military background, had no idea what both sides were up to, but he felt like he could learn something from all this.


    Probably, anyway.


    It was quite easy to tell the master of each formation, given that the overt colour coding employed by the Dark and the Moons. The latter, in particular, had three colours, to represent the different Moons neatly. Unfortunately, the forces that represented the Dark made no distinction between Lesser Half and Greater Half; Claud, for the life of him, just couldn¡¯t see any differences.


    The formations moved around, retreating back and forth like a Moon Phase game. They weren¡¯t just randomly moving either; formations would retreat from their current spot, just in time to avoid a devastating blast of tri-coloured light, and then move to blanket the area in front of them with shadowy mist.


    ¡°It¡¯s like a game...¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Claud slowed down slightly. ¡°We¡¯ll take a detour. I don¡¯t want to risk anything, even if the ground troops don¡¯t seem to be capable of flight. Their elites might be fighting the airspace above this battlefield, and¡ª¡±


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    A thunderclap drowned out his words as a cloud burst apart, sundered by surging waves of shadow and light. The origin of this explosion were two twisting figures, who were slamming their weapons at each other and knocking each other back.


    Lily conjured a barrier of mana as Claud retreated away from the two clashing sithouettes, but they weren¡¯t alone either. Further away, Claud could spot multiple such battles going on, and he intuitively realised that this was the battleground for elites capable of flying.


    ¡°I wonder how they¡¯re flying,¡± Claud muttered, putting as much distance as possible. ¡°It¡¯s like Flight isn¡¯t a skill to them or something.¡±


    ¡°Do these beings even have skills and other things like a status?¡± Lily questioned. ¡°We never did ask that question.¡±


    ¡°Crap, I forgot.¡± Claud shrugged. ¡°Never mind. We can ask with that card, after all. Lesser Half did implicitly inform us that it doesn¡¯t have any range limitation¡­we can chat to him even in Istrel.¡±


    Shadow bloomed once, and the two combatants closest to Claud and Lily broke apart from their melee. The Moonlit elite had been blasted back by an earthshaking punch, and as she spun uncontrollably through the air, her opponent gathered a dense bank of shadow and sent it hurtling at her.


    Red light flared, a blinding radiance that forced Claud and Lily to look away, but that was swiftly drowned out by the ongoing flood of darkness. The stream of darkness plowed through the ground a few seconds later, but the Moonlit One that had been struck had ceased to exist.


    Claud trembled at that visceral display of power, and then pulled away from the battlefield. That battle wasn¡¯t just any spar; it was the real deal, and¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m pathetic,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°I¡¯ve done it before, but I still feel for them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re human,¡± Lily replied. ¡°That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°With all the contradictions inherent implied thus, I suppose.¡± Claud looked at the increasingly distant battlefield, feeling a bit sick the whole time. The ground troops were now fully engaged, with giant flowers of light and shadow enveloping entire formations and leaving nothing behind.


    Both sides were now giving it their all to kill the enemy.


    ¡°But that¡¯s what make people¡­people, right?¡± Lily asked.


    Claud nodded. ¡°I know. And the worst of it all is that I can¡¯t do anything to stop this. It was a lot easier when I thought both sides were just mindless, killer automatons whose job was to brutalise everything in sight. This is a lot harder to accept.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t brought up the mana-users yet, though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I haven¡¯t.¡± Claud looked at the distant battlefield, and then tore a Flight skillstrip to refresh its duration. ¡°I don¡¯t want to. What happens if something happened to Schwarz and the others? I¡­I¡¯m beginning to understand what Lesser Half meant earlier. Even if we didn¡¯t hate each other initially, if people we care about die¡­we¡¯ll end up cursing each other.¡±


    Claud lowered his head. ¡°I hate this.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all being dragged into this calamity,¡± Lily muttered.


    He tightened his hug slightly. Was it for Lily? Or was it for himself? Claud wasn¡¯t sure, but at least, the warmth of her body was enough to calm his emotions and thoughts, even if it was only for a moment.


    They continued to wheel through the sky. The frontlines of the ongoing battle seemed to be quite disparate; instead of a steady, unbroken line in which people hurled themselves to their deaths, the whole thing felt more like multiple, smaller frontlines that were very vulnerable to flanking by both sides. There were areas where the Moons had been pushed back, and others where the fortifications were uncomfortably close to Vacuos vertically.


    It didn¡¯t make sense to Claud, personally, but he was no expert. Occasionally, more balls of light or other, similarly deadly, attacks would sweep through the area, but Claud had managed to close his heart.


    As they whizzed past a bunch of mountains, Lily said, ¡°You don¡¯t look so good.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. At least I didn¡¯t do any of this.¡± Claud shook his head and surveyed his surroundings. ¡°Do you spot anything dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Nothing for now,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It seems that both sides are not particularly mindful about very long sneaky movements like what we¡¯re doing now.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that dangerous?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Maybe there¡¯s something in play that we aren¡¯t certain about,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Or both the Moons and the Dark aren¡¯t military experts.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that last one, at least. I mean, the battles we saw earlier were pretty much both sides reading each other like a book, right?¡± Claud asked. ¡°The latter bits notwithstanding, of course.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay, but it¡¯s safe. On the surface, anyway. Are we still going to fly on ahead?¡± Lily asked.


    Claud pulled out a bunch of artefacts. ¡°Naturally. We¡¯ll forge onto Monsville by today. It should be fine after the frontlines, after. I don¡¯t believe that there are battles happening all over Vacuos County. That¡¯s just ridiculous.¡±


    After a few minutes of pinning on one artefact after another, the two of them continued southwards again, swinging wide of the flat plains to avoid the battles as much as possible. Wheeling across the sky, the two of them soared past the City of Learning itself, and then headed straight on southwards after escaping the conflict zone.


    The Moons was shining down in their gibbous glory when the two of them finally arrived at Monsville.

 Chapter 432: Red lights, right before returning

    The sound of birds chirping startled Claud awake, and he got up instantly. Blue light danced around him as he looked around for shadowy figures made from clumps of dust, covering the blanket-covered bundle to his left. It took him three seconds to realise that those things that had been living rent-free in this holiday home of theirs were a thing of the recent past now, and he exhaled in relief.


    Lily stirred awake a moment later. She seemed to have realised something, since the first thing she did was to also conjure a barrier of blue light.


    ¡°Relax.¡± Claud flicked her forehead lightly. ¡°Nothing wrong.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t going to tell her that he¡¯d done the exact same thing just seconds ago, though.


    ¡°It¡¯s just creepy.¡± Lily shivered. ¡°What the heck was that?¡±


    ¡°A ghost of dark dust?¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s never mention this again. I¡¯m getting creeped out too. Yuck.¡±


    Lily nodded, and then flopped back down on the bed. Rolling left and right a few times, she kicked her feet in a manner that reminded him of a baby, and then said, ¡°Are we going to enter Liquet today?¡±


    ¡°You want to delay?¡±


    ¡°Just feels a bit odd living in our little holiday home for a single night and then buzzing right off afterwards,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But we don¡¯t really have food here, do we?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Never mind.¡± Lily slipped off the bed and approached the windows gingerly. The few cracks of sunlight that were streaming in expanded slightly as she pulled the curtains apart somewhat. ¡°Yeap, looks like they¡¯re still there.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of posting some troops here, though? The Dark isn¡¯t going to care about this little town anyway.¡± Claud shook his head. Last night, when they touched down in Monsville, the Moonlit troops had forced him to expend yet another instance of Presence Nullification. Of course, he could have just registered his presence here, but he hadn¡¯t forgotten that the Moons were definitely going to conscript the two of them if they found out.


    It was, put simply, a major pain in the posterior.


    The two of them exchanged long-suffering looks, before washing up for the remainder of their trip. With the sheer might of Presence Nullification, Claud was quite certain that he could sneak into Istrel, but that would pose a new set of problems in and of itself. The two of them would have to move under Presence Nullification the whole time, for instance. Second, and more crucially, if the Moon Lords really had been conscripted, it would be impossible to find them without making their own presence known.


    There really wasn¡¯t much of a choice.


    After heating up some rations that they had pulled out of Claud¡¯s storage ring, the two of them checked their equipment once more, before stepping out of the house. This time, however, Claud didn¡¯t use his Presence Nullification, and the effects were¡­rather startling.


    The patrols looked at them as they stepped out immediately, but Claud and Lily had already worked out a suitable plan of action in response.


    All they had to do was to act normally ¡ª holding hands, flirting and other couple things. The two of them had learned that both the Moonlit Ones and the Shadowed Ones were not that different from humans; they were not immaculate creations of the divnities, made to serve faithfully. Rather, they were lifeforms too, and therefore fallible.


    Claud could sense a few discreet gazes ¡ª the ones with surprise had turned away when Lily started to nibble his neck for some ticklish reason ¡ª but no one stopped them as they walked out of the village with their luggage and all.


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    ¡°We¡¯ll be back!¡± Lily whispered, glancing once at the wooden gates.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll be back!¡±


    The gate responded with a dignified silence, and the two of them laughed. Whatever gazes that had been directed at them were clearly not acted on, and the two of them proceeded south, towards the border that divided one dukedom from another.


    Now that they had revealed themselves, Claud deemed it prudent to not use Flight. For one, it would be a good idea to keep it to themselves as a trump card, and secondly, he wanted to savour more of his dwindling private time with Lily. Once the two of them returned, he could foresee days of people ¡ª like Dia, who would be screaming bloody murder at how he influenced Lily¡¯s way of fighting ¡ª trying to steal Lily away from him.


    Going back was still a must, though.


    A supple warmth wrapped around his arm, and Claud patted Lily¡¯s head. ¡°Yeah, I know.¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    The backpack Claud was wearing also chimed in with their own thoughts. Unfortunately for them, Claud wasn¡¯t going to let the others know about Crown, Throne and Sceptre; there was no way he could weave a good enough lie to account for these little fellows.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But the others¡­¡±


    ¡°Meep¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we find a way to let these guys come into contact with the others?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I mean, we can definitely think of a cover story, right? It can¡¯t be that hard.¡±


    Claud made a noise in his throat.


    ¡°And besides, those little fellows are too used to being free,¡± Lily pressed on. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be cruel to keep them in your room and everything? And I¡¯m sure the others will love them too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, maybe they¡¯ll love them a bit too much,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Your own love is quite possessive,¡± Lily noted. ¡°But I still stand by what I said. We should come up with a cover story for these little guys and let the others know them. Why do you have reservations?¡±


    Claud rubbed his nose.


    ¡°Or is it¡­¡± Lily¡¯s face turned serious. ¡°Is it something your instincts are telling you?¡±


    ¡°No, definitely not,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I trust them, and they don¡¯t raise any flags either. It¡¯s just that these guys will definitely go wild over the little ones. But¡­you do have a very good point. Let¡¯s come up with a cover story for these fellows.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    The three little fellows jiggled happily at the same time, and Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel that he¡¯d done the right thing. Of course, he wasn¡¯t going to let the others know about Crown¡¯s special ability, especially since it might just give a few games away.


    ¡°Somehow, I feel like I lost an argument or something,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Lily replied with a sunny smile. ¡°I mean, when you think about it, if those guys are occupied by three adorable little fellows, we¡¯ll have more time for each other, right? I also need some time to myself too; I came up with some good ideas when we were dealing with that thing yesterday.¡±


    ¡°What ideas?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Explosive dummies,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It seems that most people would go after guards, right? And they end up killing them, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    ¡°What if we make fake guards that blow up when enough force is applied to it?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can make them move on their own and everything too, with a few nice tricks. We can post them around Moon Mansion, and then claim legitimate self-defence if those Moonlit Ones decided to do something.¡±


    ¡°Would anyone fall for that?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Actually, speaking of that, I actually have an idea for explosive defences. Is it possible to make some armour that would detonate outwards if struck by a weapon?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it won¡¯t work?¡±


    ¡°Not without testing, that¡¯s for sure,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway, about that armour¡­¡±


    ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re getting the wearer to strap explosives on themselves, though,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°That¡¯s dangerous. You¡¯ll end up cracking a rib.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I tried it on a wall, and the wall broke. Unless you¡¯re harder than a wall, don¡¯t even think of trying that.¡± Lily shook her head. ¡°My explosive feint guard is definitely a better idea.¡±


    ¡°Bleh.¡± Claud pulled out the map and checked their current location. ¡°Alright, I suppose we can start mana-walking now, given that we¡¯re out of sight and everything. We¡¯ll need to be careful, though. The main Moonlit base isn¡¯t too far off from us.¡±


    ¡°Patrols?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud slowed down slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t know if the way we¡¯re approaching them is correct, though. It¡¯s troubling. We have no established patterns for contact, and the other party might just be hostile.¡±


    ¡°Well, we could sneak in, but¡­¡±


    The two of them exchanged gazes. After a while, Claud said, ¡°Either way, we should at least be careful when approaching. There¡¯s definitely going to be a patrol or two. We can¡¯t present ourselves as a threat, and¡ªwhat the heck is that?¡±


    Claud squinted at the sky, where a red light was rapidly approaching them, and with instincts born from his old trade, he channelled mana into his legs and scooped Lily into his arms. Leaving behind afterimages as he jumped backwards, he retreated to the closest tree, before sheltering him and Lily behind it.


    The ground shook a moment later.

 Chapter 433: A familiar spirit

    Dirt fell like rain as Claud and Lily peeked out from behind a tree. There, at the impact site, was a silhouette cursing over and over again as it got up back.


    ¡°Who the heck slapped me from the skies this time?¡± Red light burst out, emanating so much power that the tree that Claud and Lily were hiding behind instantly lost all its leaves, along with the other trees in the area.


    Claud managed to stop himself from shouting, as did Lily, but their other, more innate instincts had taken form, and the red figure turned to them. The stark contrast between the red, blistering radiance and their blue mana was a bit too strong, but Claud had a feeling that there was no way he could just sneak away without exposing their triumph cards.


    The fingers on his right hand flickered in a particular pattern, and Lily¡¯s fingers moved to display her understanding. Faking some fear ¡ª okay, he didn¡¯t really need to fake it ¡ª he peeked out from behind the tree again and then turned to Lily.


    ¡°I wonder if that person needs help,¡± Claud whispered.


    Lily, who had understood his intentions perfectly, whispered back, ¡°We¡¯ll just see if he needs help anyway. Maybe that last curse was his dying cry, or he¡¯s going to faint soon. If he really has bad intentions¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Claud interrupted, a faint smile on his face.


    To an opponent of that particular calibre, there was no way they couldn¡¯t have heard their whispered conversation; but they might not know that Claud and Lily knew that. This would predispose them to a more amicable opening, at the very least, ensuring a certain level of safety.


    ¡°Alright, if you say so.¡±


    The two of them peeked out again, and then walked out, hand-in-hand.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Lily called out. ¡°Do you need help?¡±


    ¡°We come in peace! We¡¯re unarmed!¡± Claud shouted. ¡°If you need help, just shout ¡®Help¡¯ and we¡¯ll rush over! If you are fine and don¡¯t want us to approach, just shout ¡®No¡¯ and we¡¯ll back off immediately! We¡¯ll approach slowly if you don¡¯t reply!¡±


    The two of them exchanged glances as silence followed their shouts, and they began to approach slowly. After walking for around two minutes ¡ª Claud had escaped to a really far distance ¡ª a small silhouette got up and crawled out of the smoke, badly injured.


    ¡°Ugh. I need help!¡±


    Claud and Lily immediately sped up, and before long, they had arrived at the scene of the accident. From the looks of it ¡ª and from that shout earlier ¡ª something had smacked this red glowing fellow from the skies so hard that even parts of his body had broken off.


    ¡°It¡¯s a miracle you¡¯re alive¡­anyway, we have bandages and medicine, but¡­¡± Lily looked at the solid body of light. ¡°How are we supposed to help you?¡±


    ¡°Do you two have any lifestones? Any rank will do!¡±


    Lily pulled out a bunch of mid-ranked lifestones. ¡°Here. Is this good enough?¡±


    ¡°You can use a low-ranked one. I only need the lifeforce¡­¡± The red light groaned once. ¡°I¡¯ll feel bad if you expend the expensive ones on me.¡±


    ¡°Just use this,¡± Claud cut in. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Healing comes first. We can bill you later.¡±


    ¡°Haha-ack!¡± The figure of red light coughed a few more times, spilling out some red light. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Reaching out for the lifestones, he ¡ª probably, given the deep voice ¡ª picked up one of them and crushed it in his hands. Green light surged out, wrapping all around his body within moments, and before long, the cracks that had torn through the body of red light had vanished. Before their eyes, the red light began to recede too, revealing a young man with fiery hair.


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    ¡°Ahh. That hit the spot.¡± The young man patted his red clothes. ¡°Oh my. What a huge hole.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Did something happen to you?¡± Claud asked. Given that something that almost killed this abnormal fellow who definitely wasn¡¯t human, this was a question he had to ask no matter what.


    ¡°The Moons happened to me. I swear, can they stop putting up aerial barriers? I¡¯ve been slapped silly by those things in the past week, urgh. If you fly up higher than twenty kilometres, something just smashes you back down. Assholes.¡± The young man cursed a few more times, and then straightened his body. ¡°Sorry for that display. Anyway, I¡¯m fine now. Thank you for your help. Without those lifestones, I might have died.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re glad you¡¯re safe. Do you need anything else now?¡± Claud asked. ¡°We¡¯re heading to Liquet Dukedom. If you don¡¯t feel well, we can escort you there.¡±


    ¡°Ah, wrong direction. Unfortunate. No worries, though. I¡¯m fine. Though¡­¡± The young man hesitated. ¡°Maybe this is Lord Shuddh¡¯ arrangement¡­¡±


    ¡°Lord Shu¡ª¡±


    ¡°The Red God, the God of Precision.¡± The young man smiled. ¡°I¡¯m a familiar spirit of his¡­yep, you two don¡¯t look that surprised.¡±


    ¡°Kinda guessed that you weren¡¯t human,¡± Claud replied with a shrug.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lily added. ¡°No human could have survived that.¡±


    ¡°The personage known as the Thief of Time probably would, though, given the legends I¡¯ve heard so far,¡± the young man replied.


    ¡°Tot?¡± Claud asked. ¡°You know about him?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the person who killed a bunch of Moon Emissaries and three or so Bearers of Destiny,¡± the familiar spirit of the Red God replied. ¡°Everyone knows who he is now?¡±


    ¡°Three?¡± Claud asked, mystified.


    ¡°Hmm? What does your information say?¡± the familiar spirit asked.


    ¡°Only two, that¡¯s what I heard,¡± Claud replied, tilting his head. ¡°Where did the third one come from?¡±


    ¡°He recently killed the Holy Son of the Red God, Holy Son Mendas,¡± the familiar spirit replied. ¡°I was dispatched to investigate this, and after a while, the most prominent group in recent times, the Seekers of Life, told me that it could very well be the Thief of Time.¡±


    Claud had absolutely no idea what to say to all this claptrap, other than a small desire to beat up the Moon¡ª Seekers of Life. However, all other things considered, it was a good move; Claud had a feeling that it was the others who had actually killed the Holy Son. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have blamed Tot, right?


    ¡°I see,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Well, I suppose our sources are outdated, given that we¡¯ve been away for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha! Well, be careful of that rapscallion.¡± The familiar spirit heaved a sigh. ¡°Are we still in Moon territory?¡±


    ¡°Yeap. After that, there¡¯s a small strip of land that¡¯s contested territory, where battles happen on a constant basis,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°I see.¡± The familiar spirit paused. ¡°Thank you. Before I leave, however, I must repay my debts. Do you need anything from me? As payment for offering me lifestones in my time of need?¡±


    Claud and Lily exchanged glances, and then nodded.


    ¡°That healing technique,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°The way you healed yourself,¡± Lily said.


    ¡°Ah, I see. Yes. That¡¯s indeed an invaluable technique,¡± the familiar spirit replied. ¡°Unfortunately, that technique will not work on humans.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t work on humans?¡± Claud asked, crestfallen.


    The familiar paused. ¡°Well, it won¡¯t work that well on humans, at least. The requirements are very harsh too, necessitating very high levels of mana control, and unless you¡¯re used to this, don¡¯t even think of using this technique in combat.¡±


    ¡°But can it heal people?¡± Claud asked, his voice tinted with urgency.


    ¡°Yes. But¡­well, you¡¯ll understand after a while. The technique is simple to the extreme; it simply requires you to crush your lifeforce and infuse it into the affected body parts,¡± the familiar spirit replied. ¡°Too much, however, and the whole thing will fail. Crush the lifestone, control the lifeforce within, and then apply it steadily on the affected organs. However, the impurities within the lifeforce will accumulate in your body. Do it too much, and you risk a lot of dangers.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re fine with that?¡±


    ¡°Lord Shuddh will restore my body to its pristine condition,¡± the familiar spirit replied. ¡°It won¡¯t matter to me. Besides, I¡¯m a being of pure energy. However¡­well, I should watch you two use the technique a few times. It won¡¯t take long.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there like a book or something?¡±


    ¡°A record?¡± The familiar spirit pondered for a moment. ¡°Yes, I can make a record for you.¡±


    Red light flashed, and a book appeared in his hands. ¡°Here. For you. I suppose you can keep the manual. As a reward.¡±


    ¡°Thank y¡ª¡±


    ¡°The technique was free for me to begin with,¡± the familiar spirit replied. ¡°And coal in winter is more valuable than in summer.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Some things, given at the right timing, matter a great deal,¡± he replied. ¡°Anyway, take it. I still need to find Tot. I heard that there was some incident that involved him there¡­?¡±


    Waving goodbye, the young man took to the skies once more, his fiery hair rippling in the wind.


    ¡°¡­I suppose we should continue on, then.¡± Claud looked at the book. ¡°Let¡¯s read it while walking.¡±

 Chapter 434: Reunion with old friends

    As the two of them raced southwards, mana swirling around their bodies, Claud couldn¡¯t help but think about that encounter. The familiar spirit of the Red God had been surprisingly amicable, but only because he hadn¡¯t realised that the person he was looking for was right in front of them.


    Still, what was with that accusation?


    He turned a disgruntled expression to Lily, who made a face back.


    ¡°You¡¯re still thinking about that?¡± Lily asked. ¡°About how Tot supposedly killed the Holy Son of the Red God?¡±


    Claud¡¯s eyes glittered. ¡°You¡¯d think that I¡¯ll know about something like that, right? It¡¯s clear that there¡¯s some powers manipulating information here and there.¡±


    Lily¡¯s fingers flickered, touching his left palm in a specific pattern. ¡°We should be careful, then. Things are shifting faster than we¡¯ve expected.¡±


    Claud narrowed his eyes at the pattern she had tapped out on his palm, and then nodded. His fingers moving slowly, Claud pondered if using Presence Nullification was the best way to go about things, but disappearing now could very well be a problem.


    He reached into his backpack and took out a pyramid, one whose pointy ends weren¡¯t as sharp as that of Sceptre¡¯s. Twisting its top, he tucked it into his clothes and said, ¡°Okay. We should have a few minutes to talk freely before any eyes spying on us come up with a countermeasure¡­anyway, what the heck was up with that Tot bullcrap?¡±


    ¡°Tot 4, Bearers of Destiny 0, I suppose.¡± Lily winked.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m getting a feeling that I¡¯ll soon become a boogeyman or something. What the heck? Why is my name bandied around every-freaking-where? And the others. Really? I¡¯m not even sure why they said that Tot killed the freaking Holy Son of the Red God. I wonder what they¡¯re doing¡­¡±


    The two of them sighed.


    ¡°It seems like a huge mess broke out in Istrel, huh?¡± Claud noted. ¡°And none of this had anything to do with me this time. Glad to know that.¡±


    ¡°Trouble doesn¡¯t follow you after all,¡± Lily agreed. ¡°Most of the time, anyway.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to break my heart at this rate,¡± Claud replied, before looking at the book that was still tucked in Lily¡¯s left arm. ¡°Right, what do you think? Would you have any issue using that lifeforce manipulation thing?¡±


    ¡°It works, but I don¡¯t know why it works,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°So the same as me, then.¡± Claud pondered for a moment. ¡°Still, it doesn¡¯t quite make sense to me, though. I mean, it¡¯s actually quite simple in terms of application, right? So why isn¡¯t this technique spread out more? It¡¯s just literally controlling lifeforce with mana and then holding it up against affected areas. It¡¯s not complicated, and at most one would use up more mana.¡±


    ¡°Well, healing skillstrips are definitely cheaper, right?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be cheaper than lifestones.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Claud looked at the book. ¡°Well, we can treat it like a skill of sorts, that¡¯s for sure. Each lifestone is now no different from a skillstick with Low Heal or something. And we can use it without restraint.¡±


    ¡°The familiar spirit did warn us about impurities, though. It¡¯ll be best if we treat this as a last resort or something, and¡ªoh. We reached the border, it seems.¡±


    Claud nodded. A faint, rippling membrane covered the world in front of them, arcing skywards into the infinite expanse above. This was probably some countermeasure the Moons had employed against the possibility of the Dark trying something sneaky.


    ¡°If the two of us¡­¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t react to us, I think.¡± Claud frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. We¡¯ll just enter anyway, and see what happens. The Moons are making strong requests for conscription; they aren¡¯t forcing anyone yet. At worst, we can just turn around and leave; who¡¯s going to stop us?¡±


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    ¡°You¡¯re oddly confident¡­¡±


    ¡°Penta-folder, you know.¡± Claud narrowed his eyes. ¡°In the era before all this madness began, I would have been the trump card of a sovereignty or a dukedom. Even Ruler Istrel was forced to eat his words because of a penta-folder.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re just a mid-ranked folder¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°But the Fourth Godsfall just began. There shouldn¡¯t be that many people that can threaten us. And with my growth rate¡­¡±


    ¡°The exchange rate is indeed favourable towards you,¡± Lily muttered, shooting a glance at his backpack. ¡°But you¡¯ll need to keep it in moderation to prevent people from guessing.¡±


    ¡°I have to be careful, yes, but I¡¯ve always been careful.¡± Claud breathed in slowly, somewhat frustrated. He could see the vestiges of his Second Tutorial here, but there were so many changes that he didn¡¯t know what was constant and what wasn¡¯t. What was the Frozen Emperor ¡ª the him he¡¯d seen in his Second Tutorial ¡ª doing at this moment? Where was the Claud and Lily of another timeline? Did they go back? Or did they stay on in Lostfon?


    Claud frowned. Lesser Half was correct; the moment he experienced that Second Tutorial, the future had changed.


    But what Second Tutorial did the Frozen Emperor encounter, and why did it lead him to that future? Or did he not have¡­


    Claud shook his head, and then took a step forward. The barrier parted smoothly in front of him, and he led the way forward.


    If Cava County was nominal Moon territory, one could say that the Liquet Dukedom was truly under the control of the Moons. Here, he could sense three immense presences, emanating from the far south, from what seemed to be the border between Nihila and Istrel.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Claud touched the pyramid tucked in his cloths once. It was something that he had been using for a very long time, something that prevented people from hearing their conversations from outside a certain area. However, the fact that the twisted area was being pushed back was rather telling.


    After all, throughout their entire time in Lostfon, the pyramid had never moved. The moment they stepped into Moon territory, however, the pyramid had finally made a move, signifying that someone was attempting to pry into their conversation


    Claud checked the top of the pyramid once, and then smiled at the sight of Lily looking at the pyramid. ¡°We can assume that most of our conversations will be¡­followed, unless measures were taken to prevent otherwise.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­moving.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what happens when they are prying. There¡¯s only so many configurations. I estimate that we¡¯ll only have twenty hours of talk time before all the configurations are cracked. After that, we¡¯ll need to use prearranged signals and Presence Nullification.¡± Claud looked at the pyramid, which was steadily arriving at a more correct set up.


    ¡°Where did you even get this?¡±


    ¡°Long ago. Don¡¯t worry about it too much.¡± Claud paused. ¡°I¡¯ll also have to think up of new combinations or other, similar artefacts. This is not the best in its class, after all. And if we change our appearance¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you empower it with mana?¡± Lily asked, her words taking on some anxiety.


    ¡°Yes, but that will place me in direct conflict against the force attempting to eavesdrop.¡± Claud paused. ¡°Of course, that might also work¡­it¡¯ll dissuade overt ways of doing so, at least.¡±


    His eyes flickered. If the eavesdroppers wanted to remain hidden, they would avoid clashing with his mana. It was possible that Lily¡¯s suggestion would work, but this would in turn tell the Moons that they were the cautious kind.


    Would this help them? Or harm them?


    He immediately gauged that it would be the former. After all, he had already activated the artefact to begin with; anyone with half a mind could tell that its user was cautious and secretive. If he didn¡¯t empower it with mana¡­


    ¡°Yeah. I guess that¡¯s going to work.¡± Claud touched the pyramid and poured mana into it. The misaligned pyramid, which was attempting to return to its original state, immediately stopped. The force that the eavesdropper was exerting on it immediately retreated, and with a click, the pyramid returned to its fully encrypted state.


    ¡°¡­This is really marvellous,¡± Lily observed. ¡°What¡¯s this thing called?¡±


    ¡°You finally asked.¡± Claud chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s the Looped Encryptor, and¡ª¡±


    The grass rustled, cutting off his words, and the two of them looked at the source of the disturbance, which was a familiar silhouette pushing past the tall grass. A sword blazing with light pointed at them a moment later, illuminating the familiar face of the Lustre princess, and everyone froze.


    ¡°Dia?¡± Lily called out.


    ¡°¡­Lily? Claud?¡± Black hair rippled once. ¡°Is that¡­you guys? What are you guys doing here?¡±


    The three of them stared at each other for a moment, and then Lily asked, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I, along with the others, have been conscripted,¡± Dia replied. ¡°¡­Well, damn. Schwarz was right. You two are indeed outside of Istrel¡­now what? Are you two intruders or what?¡±


    ¡°We were going back to look for you guys,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Dia made a face. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s follow me back first. This place isn¡¯t a good one for discussing random things. And there¡¯s hot food too¡­you guys must have been traveling for days and days.¡±


    What would she say if she found out that the two of them had left Lostfon barely a day ago?


    Or that he was a penta-folder?


    For some reason ¡ª actually, he just wanted to show off ¡ª he wanted to meet the others a bit faster. Unfortunately, it would be for the best if he only showed his mana circuits at the very end¡­

 Chapter 435: A happy reunion; a grim confirmation

    ¡°Well, this is awkward.¡± Claud deactivated the Looped Encryptor for the first time since the two of them left Istrel, and then held Lily¡¯s hand as they followed after Dia, who was eyeing their linked hands.


    ¡°Awkward¡¯s probably the least hyperbolic way of putting it,¡± Dia replied.


    The master thief looked at the lookalike, and then wondered if the fact that they were holding hands was too much for a single person sworn to the defence of her liege. It was a bit sad when he thought about it, but that single moment of pity was nothing in the face of Lily, so he continued to hold her hand happily.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t know you guys were here,¡± Lily abruptly said. ¡°How did this happen?¡±


    ¡°Well, a familiar spirit came to urge us, and while we technically had a choice, there was no way we could actually say no,¡± Dia replied, her face sour. ¡°Right, you guys must have had a lot of fun, right? Where did you two go for your honeymoon? You said some bullcrap about touring the Istrel Sovereignty, but you two definitely ran out afterwards, right? Where did you guys go?¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t get us started¡­¡± Lily shook her head. ¡°But let¡¯s return first. It¡¯s a really long story.¡±


    Her fingers moved in a few ways, and Claud smiled at Lily, before nodding once. Lily brightened up, and then pulled him closer a moment later, prompting Dia to groan once.


    ¡°You two really love each other, huh?¡± Dia let out a sigh. ¡°So, are you going to stay like this until we reach the camp?¡±


    ¡°What are the accommodations like there?¡± Claud couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Uh¡­everyone has a room. There¡¯s lots of space, you know, seeing as how the main force moved out before we arrived.¡±


    ¡°The main force moved out without you guys?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I mean, everyone in the Moon Lords are bi-folders. I can¡¯t quite se¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hold up.¡± Dia stopped and raised a hand. ¡°First, we¡¯re no longer the Moon Lords. That name is¡­uh, too dangerous here.¡±


    Claud felt his stomach flip at that, and he exchanged glances with Lily, who had an equally distressed expression on her face. After that fleeting exchange, the two of them looked back at Dia, who was understandably unnerved by how they had looked at each other.


    Dia¡¯s brows furrowed slightly, an action that Claud didn¡¯t miss. ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing.¡± Claud squeezed Lily¡¯s hands. ¡°So, what¡¯s the new name?¡±


    Dia grinned. ¡°You¡¯ll definitely like this name, that¡¯s for sure! We¡¯re now called the Seekers of Life.¡±


    Seekers of Life. The name resounded in his ears as it appeared in his mind, and Claud grimaced. The remaining scraps of doubt that had lingered in his mind regarding the veracity of the Second Tutorial had completely vanished; this was proof that it was indeed something that could happen.


    The actual events had probably deviated, given that he had directly told Lesser Half and succeeded in evolving Absolute One, but¡­why did the Frozen Emperor fail? What did he see in his own Second Tutorial?


    ¡°It¡¯s a great name,¡± Lily followed up, squeezing his hand lightly. Claud knew that this wasn¡¯t the time to be spacing out, and added onto her words by saying, ¡°It suits us perfectly. In turbulent times, seek not power or fame, but just our lives.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Dia made an odd face. ¡°Uh. Sure, I suppose? Right, the second thing is that everyone¡¯s a tri-folder already.¡±


    ¡°A tri-folder?¡± Claud raised his eyebrows. ¡°Everyone?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on the verge of my Second Tutorial myself,¡± Dia added. ¡°And Nero¡¯s a penta-folder. Maybe a hexa-folder. I can¡¯t tell, and I didn¡¯t ask either.¡±


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    ¡°Oh, that cheater,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°That¡¯s just plain unfair.¡±


    Lily poked his sides. ¡°Are you really fit to be saying that? Really? Have some self-awareness. He at least has nearly two decades under his belt. You? Just a year. Who¡¯s the real cheater here?¡±


    ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Dia asked. ¡°What cheating?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Lily paused. ¡°No, nothing. We¡¯re just complaining at the Holy Son who happened to become a penta-folder or something. It must be nice having such a birthright.¡±


    Lily beamed, and Claud took the chance to scrutinise her expression. There wasn¡¯t any hint of sorrow or sadness in her words, and he couldn¡¯t help but thank the Second Tutorial and the person who came up with it. Not only did it help him, it also helped Lily to overcome her own personal trauma in a way that he could never do so.


    It hurt to face it directly, but there were some things that he could never do.


    At most, he could only be by her side.


    Lily tilted her head when Claud ruffled her hair, and the lookalike of the Lustre Dukedom rolled her eyes at them.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to fall sick from this sweetness,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Come on, hurry up! I want to get some bitter tea into my mouth. Not every relationship is as sweet at this. Go burn in a fire or something. Explode, lovers.¡±


    ¡°¡­You do know that Lily has around thirty-eight explosives on her right now, right?¡± Claud replied. ¡°She could blow you up if she really wanted to, hmph.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? They aren¡¯t going to break past my defences.¡±


    ¡°Oh, they definitely will. After all, no sword can stop the power of explosions,¡± Claud argued back. ¡°She can blow up this encampment if she really wanted to, right?¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve made great strides in my research!¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Dia glared at them. ¡°You guys are looking down on swords, right? And Lily, have you been practicing your swordplay during the honeymoon? Or is this guy not letting you wake up early in the morning for whatever nefarious reasons?¡±


    ¡°Not for nefarious reasons,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯s just that I like to experiment late into the night, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you getting Lily to sleep?¡± Dia turned her burning stare to Claud.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s my fault now? And besides, I¡¯m also busy making stuff. Lots of things, see?¡± Claud replied. ¡°Sheesh. Usually, she gets me to sleep instead, not the other way around.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Dia frowned. ¡°You two are weird. What a weird couple.¡±


    ¡°We just came back, and we¡¯re being insulted now.¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°Anyway¡­well, I suppose this really isn¡¯t home, but we¡¯re back. In a sense. Although I¡¯m definitely not going to join up with the Moons.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Dia looked at him. ¡°Even though we¡¯re all here?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll think about it,¡± Lily cut in. ¡°It¡¯s too early to decide, and there are many things we need to take note of first. Are we allowed here? And in the first place, what are you doing here anyway?¡±


    Dia pointed at a nearby building. ¡°I¡¯ll explain once we¡¯re all inside. It¡¯s rather simple, really. We¡¯re just doing random missions to earn freebies. It was my turn to be checking for intruders and sneaky fellows, and I happened to see you guys.¡±


    ¡°Is it fine to be abandoning your post like this?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I found a pair of intruders and am escorting them back now. That¡¯s a mission too,¡± Dia explained. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re just doing odd jobs for this deserted encampment to get more freebies and everything. That¡¯s just it and nothing else.¡±


    ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t this a bit too lax?¡± Claud asked. ¡°And isn¡¯t there a place where you should be processing newcomers or something? Like a guard station?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that building over there,¡± Dia replied.


    Lily and Claud made small noises as they scanned the building up and down. On closer look, it was the building closest to the faint barrier, and there were a few squads of Moonlit soldiers sparring around it. Their gazes fell on the three of them a moment later, but that attention lasted only a second before they resumed their sparring.


    Claud had no idea how to respond to this egregious breach of security. Didn¡¯t anyone bother to check Dia, at least? Or were they banking on whatever was inside that building to do the checking? There weren¡¯t any walls either, and no matter how he looked at it, this place was literally begging to be infiltrated and robbed.


    Lily¡¯s fingers fluttered in a particular manner, and Claud rolled his eyes.


    As she chuckled softly, Dia said, ¡°What are you laughing at?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just exchanging jokes,¡± Claud replied. ¡°With our eyes. You see, when we look into each other¡¯s eyes, we can speak without words and everything. It¡¯s great to use this when telling jokes.¡±


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re kidding, right?¡± Dia asked, before opening the door. ¡°Come on, the guard station is here. Prepare to be checked.¡±


    As Claud walked right into the checkpoint, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the Moons were taking security for granted. There was only one Moonlit soldier on duty, and the fellow didn¡¯t even move ¡ª the red-coloured guy just pointed at a metal frame and gestured for him to cross over.


    By the time they left the building, Claud couldn¡¯t help but turn to Dia. ¡°This place is too insecure, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°You get used to it,¡± Dia simply replied.


    ¡°You get used to it?¡± Claud echoed.


    ¡°Deal with it.¡±


    Speechless, the two of them could only follow Dia deeper into the camp, apparently for some official documentation.


    Was there really a point to patrolling?

 Chapter 436: Odd reunions, odder mechanisms

    After checking them through, Dia brought them to a small house. ¡°We asked for one, and the people up there decided to listen.¡±


    ¡°That easily?¡± Claud asked, looking at the door. ¡°Well¡­¡±


    He exchanged glances with Lily, who looked at the door ruefully too. The two of them stood in front of the house, unwilling to push it open or anything, and Dia let out an audible sigh.


    ¡°You two¡­fine. You¡¯re nervous. Sheesh. If I didn¡¯t spot you two, I bet you guys would have been standing outside Moon Mansion for hours and hours, wondering whether going in was a good idea.¡± Dia twisted the knob. ¡°Come on in!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t she taking this a bit too lightly?¡± Claud grumbled.


    Lily nodded, and then pulled him in yesterday. In awkward silence, the two of them followed behind Dia docilely, and after a short passage, the two of them were forced to halt.


    ¡°Guys!¡± Dia shouted. ¡°Guess who¡¯s back!¡±


    Claud took the chance to look at the living room and immediately recognised everyone. Schwarz was standing behind what looked like a dining table, leaning against a wall as he poured a drink from cup to cup to froth it up. Farah was reading a book, while Risti was chatting with Nero about something.


    Dia¡¯s words, however, made everyone look at her, just as Lily¡¯s head popped right next to him. There was a stunned silence for a moment, before bedlam broke loose and everyone flooded over to the two of them, shouting his and Lily¡¯s names.


    After a minute or so of indiscernible shouts, Claud and Lily had been surrounded by the others, who were poking¡­well, him, and giving Lily a little distance.


    ¡°Stop poking me!¡± Claud retreated to the nearby wall, before touching his face. ¡°Yeowch. Yes, I¡¯m back. Kinda. This isn¡¯t Moon Mansion, after all. And we¡¯re all outside Istrel¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you know to bring that up, huh?¡± Schwarz poked his chest. ¡°You two. You two left the sovereignty for a honeymoon? Do you know how dangerous that is?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t dangerous, though?¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°I mean¡­hmm. Yeah, seriously. We didn¡¯t encounter any danger? We went to Monsville, lived in a small house there for a while, and then went to Lostfon and sat down there for the rest of the time. There weren¡¯t any dangerous things.¡±


    Claud nodded. The only thing that could be called dangerous was their trip to the Celestia Ruins, but he could save that for later, when they had all forgotten about it. ¡°It¡¯s quite safe. No one came to conscript us and we just sat down and did nothing much.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Risti frowned. ¡°That¡¯s odd. Wasn¡¯t Lostfon captured by the Dark? Most of Nihila was under the control of the Dark before the Moons descended.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but nothing big happened. Everyone just resumed their daily lives as per normal after a day or two. And we were living it up in an inn and eating good food every day,¡± Claud replied. ¡°That¡¯s pretty much it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Now I feel like I should have tagged along after all,¡± Nero muttered, and Risti nodded fervently. To Claud¡¯s surprise, Dia also had a rueful face, and for a moment, he had the feeling that the three of them had tagged along for the same collective experience.


    ¡°Oh, you three...¡± Farah rolled her eyes.


    ¡°What happened to them?¡± Lily asked. ¡°They look like they went through a nightmare or something in the past few months. Was there some huge crime in Licencia or something?¡±


    ¡°I wish,¡± Dia replied bitterly. ¡°It¡¯s a long story, but the Holy Son of the Red God decided to pull a sacrificial ritual for some stupid reason in Daybreak County, and he ended up losing control. One thing led to another, and he was eventually executed by the gods or something.¡±


    Claud really wanted to ask how the Thief of Time ended up being embroiled in all this, but he had a feeling that prodding them would do. Before he could ask them, however, Lily had said, ¡°So, why did the ritual go wrong?¡±


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    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Dia looked around, a shifty glint in her eyes. ¡°You guys remember the Thief of Time, right? Yeah, we think he had a hand in all this.¡±


    Claud looked at her and instantly determined that the three of them definitely had something to do with the ritual going wrong. After all, there was no way he could have disrupted a ritual from an entire dukedom away. In other words, those three buffoons must have framed the most convenient boogeyman for their own sake¡­but again, there was no way they could have defeated a familiar spirit either.


    ¡°I see.¡± Claud rubbed his nose.


    Lily, who was skilfully repressing her mirth, cleared her throat. ¡°You guys have been conscripted, right? Where does that leave us? We don¡¯t particularly want to fight, really.¡±


    ¡°You two don¡¯t want freebies?¡± Dia asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Schwarz retreated back to his table and picked up a bottle. ¡°It¡¯s only because they haven¡¯t seen what the fountain of rewards is like yet. Let me tell you, it¡¯s great.¡±


    ¡°Fountain¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­of rewards?¡±


    Dia grinned. ¡°Come on. I have a ten plus one to use anyway. I¡¯ve done my fair share of hard work, after all! Anyone else wants to see eleven rewards fall from the sky?¡±


    ¡°Ooh.¡± Nero got up. His actions seemed to set something off, and before long, everyone had gathered around Dia. Like a small tide, Claud and Lily found themselves dragged along to the outside, even though they hadn¡¯t set down their baggage yet. Within moments, they had arrived at what looked like a normal water fountain to Claud, and he exchanged odd looks with Lily, who jiggled her shoulders in reply.


    ¡°So, uh, what¡¯s this place for?¡± Claud asked, looking at the pretty fountain that was spewing out water. ¡°To hold picnics?¡±


    He directed his question at Schwarz, who promptly handed him the bottle he was holding. ¡°It¡¯s to watch a nice light show. Anyway, this isn¡¯t alcoholic, so go wild.¡±


    Claud immediately opened the bottle, where a tangy orange scent wafted out. Instead of taking the first sip, though, he passed to Lily, who blinked at him twice before engaging in a silent war of ¡®you drink first¡¯.


    ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Schwarz pulled out a second bottle and handed it to Claud. ¡°Happy? Anyway, I¡¯ve come up with a few more brews while you were gone. I¡¯m going to have you sample them.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but I want no pure water inside,¡± Claud replied. ¡°The flammable kind.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Nero¡¯s covering that side¡­anyway, don¡¯t stand this close to Dia unless you wanna get smacked on the head by falling items,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°Falling items?¡±


    ¡°Hush.¡± Schwarz motioned at Dia. ¡°She¡¯s going to do a ten-plus-one¡­¡±


    As Dia took up her position on a marked spot, Claud couldn¡¯t help but think that their reunion had taken an odd turn. Before he could discuss that feeling with Lily, however, the fountain in front of them burst out in a roar, and eleven lights shot out into the sky.


    Nine of them were glowing green, while the tenth and the eleventh were glowing gold for some reason. After arcing into the sky for a while, they came plummeting down, before stopping right above the ground.


    ¡°Nine lifestones and two golden bags of something,¡± Claud observed. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°The reward mechanism for doing missions,¡± Schwarz explained. ¡°Do enough missions, accumulate enough chances, and then go make a wish or something. You¡¯ll get ten random rewards.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Claud looked at the golden bag. ¡°What¡¯s in those bags?¡±


    ¡°Random stuff. Usually an artefact or some prana jade,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Uh, prana jade is¡ª¡±


    ¡°No worries, we got quite a bit of that,¡± Claud replied.


    Lily nodded. ¡°Got a whole bunch from doing¡­what did we do again?¡±


    The two of them thought for a moment, and Lily¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°By looking for lost families, right?¡±


    ¡°Something along those lines, yes.¡± Claud looked at the sight of Dia opening the bags. ¡°So, this is the reward mechanism, huh? Interesting.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± Schwarz paused. ¡°You know, now that I think about it, we should have shown you this later, right? You two must be tired¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was wondering about that.¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°But hey, it¡¯s nice to go out and watch some lights fall on Dia. Right, speaking of Dia¡­did you guys find the princess yet? I mean, everyone¡¯s outside the dukedom right now.¡±


    ¡°The Lustre princess?¡± Schwarz shook his head. ¡°Nope. Unfortunately not. She seems to have vanished completely. Dia¡¯s¡­surprisingly calm about this, though. She¡¯s been saying how no news is best news, although there is a lonely look in her eyes.¡±


    Farah walked up. ¡°Yeah. Maybe once all this is over, we¡¯ll go and help her look for her mistress. It¡¯s sad watching her look this lonely.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that sounds great!¡± Lily clapped her hands. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can get Nightfall to help too, right?¡±


    ¡°Daybreak still owes us some favours too¡­¡±


    Before Nero and Risti, who had overheard their conversation, could join in, Dia came over with her prizes in hands. ¡°There, that¡¯s how the rewards work! Are you interested now?¡±


    ¡°W-we¡¯ll think about it,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway, even if we don¡¯t join you guys, we have a nice house in Monsville, which is not too far from here. You guys can come over¡­probably. You know.¡±


    ¡°Someone¡¯s wondering if we¡¯ll spoil his lovey-dovey time, eh? Tut tut.¡± Schwarz patted his back. ¡°Well, for now, why not join us? We have one last room open, after all.¡±


    Claud judged that it would be rude to refuse, so he and Lily nodded together and followed them back to the house.

 Chapter 437: New, little additions

    After placing their backpacks in the same room, Claud pulled out the little room that he¡¯d made for the little fellows and set it on the unused bed. ¡°Think it¡¯s a good time to introduce those little guys now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯ll have to tell them about their origins. Is it safe?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I mean, that happened not too long ago¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. After all, we went to the Celestia Ruins quite some time ago, long before the Moons descended,¡± Claud replied, making sure to omit the second time they went. ¡°And Count Lostfon already knew that we went there anyway. It won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    Crown rolled out of the little front door, looked around blearily, and then brightened up at the sight of Claud. Nuzzling his fingers, the little fellow meeped happily and bounced twice.


    ¡°Yeah, wake up the others.¡± Lily tickled Crown¡¯s sides. ¡°We¡¯re going to do some introductions!¡±


    Claud picked up the little house, before ushering Crown back inside. ¡°Sit tight. We¡¯re going to introduce you lot to the others now, so play nice, alright?¡±


    Chuckling, the two of them went out with the little house in tow. It was something he could carry around easily, and it could fit into his backpack with space to spare.


    Schwarz glanced at them as they returned to the living room. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t ask him that!¡± Farah clapped her hands. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? Lily¡¯s expecting! That¡¯s why they have a little toy for their kid!¡±


    ¡°Expecting?¡± Dia fell out of the chair she was sitting on.


    ¡°No, dumbasses.¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°We¡¯re just going to introduce you guys to some new members of the family, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same thing?¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°Why are you scolding us?¡±


    ¡°Because you guys got it all wrong,¡± Claud replied, before setting the little house on the table. ¡°Come on out, guys.¡±


    Before anyone else could make a sound, an orchestra of meeps rang out, and three little shapes rolled out of the small house. Two of them took to the skies immediately, before landing on Claud and Lily.


    ¡°Yeap, these guys.¡± Claud gestured at the little jumping box on the table, as well as the sphere and star that had landed on Lily¡¯s shoulder and his own respectively. ¡°Everyone, meet Crown, Throne and Sceptre.¡±


    A metal fork fell from Nero¡¯s hands, and the Holy Son scooted over. He was rapidly joined by the others, who crowded around the two of them, prompting Claud to scoop up Crown before the others could do something odd.


    ¡°Calm down, guys. Don¡¯t be too startled.¡± Claud popped Crown back onto the table, and the two other shapes joined the little fellow a moment later. It was their turn to look at the Seekers of Life, and Schwarz sucked in a breath as the three of them floated ¡ª or in Crown¡¯s case, rolled ¡ª over to him.


    After a small pause, Crown bopped Schwarz¡¯s finger hesitantly, and then made a meep. The others immediately started to examine the bartender closely, and then frolicked around merrily for a few seconds, before inspecting the others.


    ¡°D¡¯aww, they¡¯re so cute!¡± Risti opened her palm, and Crown bounced over happily. ¡°C¡¯mere, you! Let me give you a tickle¡­¡±


    Before long, the others were playing around with the three sentient shapes, and Claud heaved a small sigh of relief. Of course, he hadn¡¯t expected any issues to begin with, but those three little guys were pretty much secrets they had been holding on to themselves for some time.


    ¡°Nothing bad, I suppose.¡± Claud breathed out slowly, before turning to Schwarz. ¡°Heh. They¡¯re cute, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    Schwarz glanced at Lily, who was eyeing him, and then nodded. ¡°There¡¯s no need to pressure me¡­they¡¯re positively adorable.¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡± Crown hopped onto Claud¡¯s shoulder and nestled into his neck. ¡°Meep¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Claud patted the little fellow. ¡°Sorry. Crown doesn¡¯t like too much socialising.¡±


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    ¡°You can understand that¡­uh, Crown?¡± Schwarz asked, curious. ¡°But they¡¯ve been meeping all this time.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Well, even meeps can carry information,¡± Claud replied, before tapping the small room. ¡°Wait till you hear them discuss things with more meeps.¡±


    ¡°Discuss things?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Yeap.¡± Claud looked around the room. ¡°Come on, guys, don¡¯t fly around the room or something.¡±


    ¡°Meep¡­¡±


    After a while, the three little fellows were back on the table again. Lily waved at them and said, ¡°Anyway, we picked them up when we went to the Celestia Ruins. The circumstances in which we found them were odd, though.¡±


    ¡°The Celestia Ruins?¡± Nero asked, his eyes blazing with interest. ¡°What was it like there?¡±


    Claud paused. ¡°It¡¯s¡­you know what? I¡¯ll pass you guys the information we gathered later. We didn¡¯t exactly prepare for an explanation, and a badly delivered one can lead to more harm than good. Besides, we wanted you guys to know each other, although I¡¯ll still carry them with me as a rule of thumb.¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    Lily laughed. ¡°Alright, alright. Go back into the house or something.¡±


    The three little shapes began to discuss amongst themselves a moment later with small meeps, and Claud turned back to the others. ¡°Now that the introduction¡¯s over, we actually wanted to ask about our next steps. You guys were¡­uh, conscripted, but we aren¡¯t.¡±


    The others straightened up. After exchanging a few gazes, Nero said, ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be fine if you guys don¡¯t want to join up, but you¡¯ll be missing out on the rewards. But is there a particular reason why you don¡¯t want to sign up?¡±


    Claud paused, and then looked at Lily, who grimaced back. ¡°Well¡­what do you know of the Moonlit and the Shadowed Ones?¡±


    ¡°What do we know?¡± Nero repeated the question. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°That is, do you know that they are not beings created for the sake of war?¡± Claud asked. ¡°That they are actually living people with their own families and friends? That they have thoughts?¡±


    Everyone else froze.


    ¡°They¡¯re¡­alive?¡± Schwarz squeezed out. ¡°As in, they¡¯re all alive? Even the soldiers? Not just the little toddlers or something?¡±


    ¡°All of them are alive,¡± Claud replied. ¡°They¡¯re not mindless beings who exist for the sake of war and death.¡±


    The bartender took a deep breath, and then shook his head. ¡°We didn¡¯t. Fortunately, we haven¡¯t gotten into any conflict or whatnot yet. But¡­is this the reason why you¡¯re reluctant to join up with us?¡±


    Claud looked at Schwarz. ¡°You know what I¡¯m like.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m with him,¡± Lily added. ¡°And¡­well, this is not really a battle that would concern us. It¡¯s the Moons versus the Dark. Neither Claud and I have the¡­will to end the lives of other people for our own material benefit.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Claud took a deep breath. ¡°That¡¯s why we don¡¯t want to join up with the others. It is¡­not nice. To fight for the sake of rewards, when your life isn¡¯t threatened...how is that different from being a hired killer?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunate.¡± Schwarz shook his head. ¡°But I understand.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunate?¡± Claud asked. ¡°That we¡¯re not joining?¡±


    ¡°No. That we can¡¯t leave easily.¡± Schwarz turned to the others. ¡°Do I speak for everyone in this regard?¡±


    ¡°None of us are¡­murderers,¡± Dia replied, and Claud had to fight the urge to flinch. As the others murmured assenting words in accord, Claud couldn¡¯t help but find his entire spiel hypocritical. He had been happily tossing gigantic lances of death at solid blocks of Moonlit and Shadowed Ones right until he learned about the truth, so who was he to speak?


    Lily patted his shoulder gently, and Claud slapped himself mentally. This wasn¡¯t the time to be berating himself.


    ¡°Unfortunately, we knew this a bit too late,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Nonetheless, this does¡­help me to understand why you two aren¡¯t willing to join us. Okay. That¡¯s fine, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I suppose so.¡± Claud frowned. ¡°It¡¯s¡­a bit childish, isn¡¯t it? We don¡¯t want to kill...¡±


    ¡°At least you stand by your own principles,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Anyway, this won¡¯t be an issue. Do whatever you like¡­and besides, it¡¯s never safe to have all the eggs in one basket. You should make use of your freedom to prepare some backups for us. Some escape routes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking to me,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway, we actually bought a house in Monsville. I¡¯m thinking of turning that into a small fortress that has a means of escape.¡±


    ¡°Underground?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Something like that.¡± Claud pondered for a moment. ¡°What made you think of that, though?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we have an underground city of sorts in Licencia now, see?¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°It¡¯s for extended living, capable of growing some hardy crops and everything. Soybeans and other similar things.¡±


    ¡°Soybeans¡­¡± Claud frowned. This wasn¡¯t the first time he heard of that crop in recent times. Back then, during the Second Tutorial, the rich soup that he had been drinking was made of fermented soybeans, and¡ª


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Dia asked. ¡°You look a bit disturbed.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Claud laughed hollowly. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t expect to hear something about soybeans, that¡¯s all. I hear that they make a good soup for very cold days, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Cold days?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me.¡± Claud forced a smile. ¡°Right, can we stay here? Or are we expected to leave after a while?¡±


    ¡°That¡­is a good question.¡± Farah looked at each other. ¡°But it should be fine, right? After all, there weren¡¯t many restrictions. And besides, the Moons should have no interest in two random people who just happen to drop in on their friends. If anything, they should be happier. I mean, I know I¡¯ll be happy if a bunch of people were to decide to live in Farah County for a while.¡±


    ¡°Especially if they were mana-users, right?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Farah grinned. ¡°Especially if they were mana-users. I¡¯ll just close a bunch of eyes and everything. Heck, I¡¯ll accidentally build a house and give it to them, see? It isn¡¯t that hard. Trust me, you won¡¯t have any problem.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, you might need to speak to the Moons first, though,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°The Moons?¡±


    ¡°Yeap. You know, for an interview or something. Maybe, anyway. Dia, for instance, did speak to the Blue Moon directly, so¡­¡±

 Chapter 438: Stories not yet told

    Dia glanced at the two lovebirds as they retreated back into their room, and then followed in pursuit. Fortunately, the others didn¡¯t notice her movements, and before long, she was right outside their door.


    For a moment, she wanted to just open the door, but Lily and Claud were a couple. It would be¡­awkward, if she came across them kissing each other or something. Therefore, the most prudent course of action was to just knock twice, which she did carefully.


    The door opened a moment later, revealing a small gap. Lily¡¯s head popped out first, followed by Claud, and then three little shapes hopped onto his head. The line of heads reminded Dia of a fishball skewer or something, and she had to stifle a smile.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Lily asked, peering at her.


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s regarding those little guys,¡± Dia replied.


    The five of them moved slightly, and Claud asked, ¡°What about them?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can understand what they¡¯re saying¡­kinda.¡± Dia paused. ¡°It¡¯s like¡­their little meeps carry a lot of information, and ¡ª whoa!¡±


    Two hands pulled her into the room at that moment, and the door closed behind them. At the same time, a blue light illuminated the room, and two faces stared back at her.


    ¡°You can understand those meeps?¡± Claud asked.


    Lily¡¯s face squeezed into her field of vision. ¡°How can you understand those meeps?¡±


    ¡°Hold up, hold up!¡± Dia pushed them away. ¡°Sit down on the bed! Don¡¯t be this agitated. Anyway, I learned a new skill while talking to the Blue Moon, who was making sounds that were making everyone else bleed. But those sounds actually contained lots of information, which I could actually differentiate piece by piece.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Claud paused. ¡°So¡­why was everyone else bleeding?¡±


    ¡°They couldn¡¯t analyse the information separately, probably.¡± Dia paused. ¡°Think of it as someone saying thirteen sentences all at once into your mind. That¡¯s what it felt like for me, anyway. But for some reason, I could actually separate those sentences in smaller pieces, and then after a while, I realised that the Blue Moon was including lots and lots of weird data like the environment, the exact time and whatnot into those sounds.¡±


    The duo looked at each other, and then nodded. Did they really understand what she just said? Or were they just trying to keep up appearances? It was a fascinating question, but there were more things she wanted to ask about these little guys.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± said Dia, ¡°I actually want to talk to these guys.¡±


    ¡°Talk to them?¡± Claud asked. ¡°¡­Well, I was thinking of getting them used to the Moon¡ª Seekers of Life. Maybe you can talk to them and ask them things like where they came from. The two of us can only roughly interpret their answers.¡±


    A silver sphere rolled over. ¡°Meep!¡±


    Dia paused for a moment, and then nodded. ¡°Hi, Throne. I¡¯m¡­Dia! I¡¯m their friend, see? Nice to meet you.¡±


    Throne paused for a moment, and with another meep, expressed its little desire for a nest.


    ¡°A nest?¡± Dia asked, before looking at Claud and Lily. ¡°What does Throne mean by nest?¡±


    ¡°Just place him on your head. The three little fellows love to roost in people¡¯s hair,¡± Claud explained. ¡°Like Crown right now, for instance.¡±


    He gestured at his head, where a small velvety box was making itself comfortable. For some reason, however, Dia couldn¡¯t quite understand the meeps that Crown was making, and she frowned.


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    ¡°¡­Is Crown a bit different from the others?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I¡­can¡¯t quite understand his meeps, compared to Throne and¡­¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    ¡°And Sceptre,¡± Dia replied, picking up the little star that had landed on her thigh. The star and the sphere cuddled up in a manner that reminded her of Claud and Lily, and she couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit sour at the couple. At any rate, however, Crown seemed a little special, and she couldn¡¯t place a finger on the reason why.


    ¡°Different. Yes, I suppose. Crown is quite different from the others,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But how did you tell?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Dia thought about Crown¡¯s little meeps. ¡°Crown¡¯s meeps are a bit¡­odd. They carry a lot more information that doesn¡¯t make sense to me. Uh¡­it¡¯s like receiving a document with lots of missing information or garbled words that make no sense. In contrast, Throne and Sceptre are more¡­straightforward. In terms of information, it¡¯s like an essay compared to a small note.¡±


    ¡°That huge?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Dia nodded. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s nice to meet everyone. I didn¡¯t expect my new skill to be this helpful so quickly.¡±


    The two little fellows on her thigh hopped up and down merrily, expressing their joy at meeting a new friend. Dia smiled and rubbed their tip, before moving to the next agenda. ¡°Right, I wanted to give you this, Claud. Some of the defensive artefacts were used up while you were gone, and since you contributed to most of the pool to begin with, I wanted to make up for it.¡±


    She took out a small ring.


    ¡°Used up?¡± Claud asked. ¡°What do you mean, used up?¡±


    ¡°We used up some of your one-use defensive artefacts, that¡¯s all,¡± Dia replied.


    A look of confusion popped up on his face. ¡°One-use defensive artefacts? Odd. I don¡¯t recall leaving them behind¡­but okay. I probably didn¡¯t check my inventory well enough. What does this ring do?¡±


    ¡°It turns the user untouchable or something,¡± Dia answered, before sliding the small card that came with it over. ¡°Attacks pass through the user.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Claud looked at the card. ¡°Anyway, since you happen to be here¡­¡±


    The couple exchanged glances once more, and with a small twitch, Dia noted that their hands were still interlinked. They were squeezing each other¡¯s hand affectionately while talking to her too, and she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if these two needed some alone time after all.


    ¡°Do you need something from me?¡± Dia asked, tearing her gaze away from her hands.


    Lily nodded. ¡°I¡¯m dead certain that you were involved in just about everything that happened while we were off on our journey. Can you tell us what happened? From start to end.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Dia paused.


    ¡°That is, of course, if you aren¡¯t busy,¡± Lily hastily added. ¡°But you can think of this as trying to let Sceptre and Throne get used to you. They seem to like your lap a lot.¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    ¡°No, no hair for you,¡± Dia replied severely. ¡°Make do with my lap, guys.¡±


    ¡°Meep¡­¡± The star tilted to its side sadly, and Dia extended a finger to turn it back up. Sceptre nuzzled her finger a moment later, before retreating from her lap with Throne. Before long, the two shapes landed on the small house Claud had been bearing earlier.


    ¡°Heh. Cute, aren¡¯t they?¡± Claud let out a sigh. ¡°Anyway, what dark matters have you been up to? I mean¡­the matter about the Red God¡¯s Holy Son¡­you and the others were prowling around the site of his madness and eventual death, right?¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Dia asked, narrowing her eyes. She hadn¡¯t said anything much, but from the way Claud put it, it seemed like they knew something about the Holy Son¡¯s passing and the circumstances surrounding it.


    ¡°Well, anything linked to the Thief of Time isn¡¯t definitive,¡± Lily replied. ¡°All those rumours about Tot have always been mired in uncertainty. I¡­we don¡¯t quite believe that the Thief of Time was involved in the Holy Son¡¯s death because that¡¯s too definite.¡±


    Dia froze. She hadn¡¯t considered it from that angle, but now that they mentioned it¡­it did sound right. It was too obvious, too¡­concrete.


    ¡°Like a feint, huh? Our slashes and the openings they reveal are too obvious, too¡­deliberate.¡± Dia frowned.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud nodded. ¡°No one knows what the Thief of Time did. Therefore, it is natural to pin anything odd on Tot. However, that is different from claiming that Tot did something explicitly, especially if you provided proof.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Dia replied. ¡°We didn¡¯t provide proof of that.¡±


    ¡°Good. So¡­¡± Claud made a face. ¡°You were involved in that, after all.¡±


    ¡°Yes and no.¡± Dia sighed. She hadn¡¯t expected that the two would be this astute in ferreting out the truth. If they had shown such an incisive talent in their swordplay, the two of them would have been masters in an instant. It was a pity that these two were more interested in playing dirty than anything else.


    ¡°Well?¡± Lily prompted. ¡°Hurry and tell us. That familiar spirit must have interrogated you guys harshly, right? Don¡¯t you want justice and vengeance?¡±


    ¡°That familiar spirit?¡± Dia echoed.


    ¡°Yeah, we met him too, while on the way here. He was swatted out of the sky by the Moons,¡± Lily replied.


    Dia shivered. The God of Precision¡­did the familiar spirit¡¯s appearance in front of Claud and Lily have anything to do with the truth? She calculated for a while, and then let out a sigh. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll tell you two everything. You two would eventually know, anyway, and it¡¯s best if I, who was doing lots of things, told you guys myself.¡±


    She thought for a moment. ¡°We¡¯ll have to start with Count Daybreak¡­¡±

 Chapter 439: Deeper thoughts

    ¡°So, all this started because you guys did a mission, huh?¡± Claud looked at her, a sword-like glint in his eyes, and Dia shifted uncomfortably. Slashes like these were impossible to avoid; they tended to be executed by acquaintances and were conveyed through words. It also didn¡¯t help that she couldn¡¯t come up with an equally biting riposte to rebut his words¡­


    ¡°Meep.¡± Crown, who was perched on Lily¡¯s head, expressed its agreement in a sagacious manner, and Dia felt like she was talking to her father all over again. Thankfully, Lily didn¡¯t cut in with a sentence of her own, thereby protecting her sanity.


    She looked at the two meeping fellows who were cloistered up in the small house Claud and Lily had built for them, and felt her ears twitch. Did they think that she couldn¡¯t hear what they were saying?


    ¡°It¡¯s not something we could refuse easily,¡± Dia replied, after thinking for a while. The whole mess with Count Daybreak and the random, pointless assassinations that had set the whole thing off had been long erased from her mind after the mess with the Red God and whatnot. Like a dull blade, that memory had hung in the armoury of her mind forgotten.


    ¡°Really now?¡±


    Dia let out another sigh. ¡°Anyway, it is what it is. Still¡­¡±


    She couldn¡¯t tell the lovebirds the full story, though. The things about Limbo, about enemies from beyond this universe¡­all that had to be suppressed for their own wellbeing. Therefore, her recount had ended with the execution of the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny at the hands of the Moons, an event she had slipped over.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s more of the fact that the Red God¡¯s familiar spirit happened to show up near you,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Do you know what the Red God governs?¡±


    ¡°The God of Precision, Shuddh, right?¡± Lily replied. ¡°Like, uh¡­you know, skilful cuts or something? A stab to kill an enemy?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Dia paused. ¡°It¡¯s actually far more powerful. It¡¯s¡­well, in terms of a novel, you get things that just happen to the protagonist, right? Things fall in place just for the protagonist to get stronger, or to overhear the things they need to know, yeah? It¡¯s that, but on a divine scale. Things just happen to have the perfect timing for maximum effect. That¡¯s the Red God¡¯s authority.¡±


    ¡°That sounds more like coincidence, rather than precision,¡± Claud muttered, recalling Lesser Half¡¯s words.


    ¡°Does it? But if everything was a grand plan, would it really be a coincidence?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that; those words were what Nero himself said, not me. But it¡¯s¡­perfect timing.¡±


    ¡°So, like the villain boasting about all his bad deeds about abducting and killing people for a massive ritual exercise just when Emperor Grandis happens to enter the hall?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Or a dying noble with lots of lifestones just happening to be in the protagonist¡¯s path, and his pockets happen to be full of keys and everything?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Uh, yeah, but those are awfully specific examples¡­¡± Dia tilted her head once. The couple¡¯s words were quite ridiculous, and if someone were to actually incorporate them in a written work, she would curse the writer¡­probably. Personally, though, she would like it if a manual for some esoteric sword art just happened to fall from the sky, but¡­


    She indulged in her fantasies for a moment, and then said, ¡°Yeah, so that¡¯s about it. Here¡¯s the thing, though. Why did the Red God¡¯s familiar spirit happen to crash land in front of you two?¡±


    ¡°Why? Probably because we¡¯re related to you guys, right?¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Yeah. Maybe the perp was hoping that we would say something inadvertently in our shock,¡± Claud added. ¡°Or that maybe we would let slip something.¡±


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    Dia frowned. It didn¡¯t seem like that to her, though. In fact, given their movements right before the two of them left the Istrel Sovereignty, Dia had a hunch that the Red God¡¯s familiar spirit had landed near them because they were acquainted with the Thief of Time. In fact, this hypothesis would also explain why they knew that the Thief of Time wasn¡¯t responsible for Holy Son Mendas¡¯ death.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Lily asked.


    Dia debated with herself on whether she should play this hand, but after a while, decided to not upend everything yet. While she didn¡¯t quite know why the two of them weren¡¯t revealing this, Dia was certain that the lovebirds had no intention of harming the Seekers of Life. In fact, knowing Claud, this was probably a countermeasure and a trump card of sorts; it was possible that he would call out his Thief of Time buddy when the situation really called for it.


    And besides, they were in Moon territory now. To talk about the Thief of Time this openly was simply asking for it.


    Smiling, Dia said, ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just¡­happy to see you guys back safe and sound. Right, I didn¡¯t say this, but you look really good, Lily.¡±


    Lily took a moment to think about her words for a moment, and then said, ¡°Yes. More importantly, I couldn¡¯t help but think that using your mistress¡¯ appearance while in a relationship was¡­odd. I can¡¯t quite place a finger on it, but you get the idea, right? After all, we used to all look similar. This would help avoid any weird mistakes.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Would be a problem if I took someone else¡¯s hand, really.¡±


    Dia laughed. ¡°Yes, true. And it would be very weird to see my mistress¡¯ lookalike behaving so intimately with someone else.¡±


    Now that she thought about it, the idea of her lookalike flirting with Claud wasn¡¯t what she¡¯d call great, especially when she would probably be seeing the variations of the same thing over a long period of time.


    ¡°Right?¡±


    The three of them chatted for a while, before Dia got a bit curious about their progress as a mana-user. ¡°Right, have you guys done anything about your soul-bound weapon yet?¡±


    The two of them blinked, glanced at each other, and then let out some nervous laughs.


    ¡°Well,¡± said Claud, ¡°it¡¯s been a busy year, see? Shadows prowling about and everything. We kinda forgot about soul-binding a weapon or something.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°Besides, we wanted to do some research on what soul-bound weapons could be, see? Claud was thinking about lots and lots of needles, for instance. We wanted our soul-bound weapons to be very practical.¡±


    ¡°I can understand that, yes.¡± Dia bobbed her head. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m nearly a tetra-folder now! All I need to do is to begin my Second Tutorial, and we¡¯ll all be set! You guys shouldn¡¯t lag behind too, okay? Being on a honeymoon is no excuse to actually slack off.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know, I know. But being strong is very important,¡± Dia continued, looking at the two of them. ¡°I have lots of mid and high-ranked lifestones. If you want them¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine,¡± Claud cut in. He had an odd expression on his face, but that swiftly vanished as he squeezed Lily¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Ahaha.¡± Dia felt like an intruder in this two-person world. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m going back out now. Are you guys going out for dinner? Or will you two be busy making babies or something?¡±


    ¡°Sexual harassment from our Dia,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°How shocking!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m shaken¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just kidding,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I doubt you two would do that here anyway, right? After all¡­¡±


    Her gaze lingered on Claud. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want to piss off the Moons. Anyway, today¡¯s going to be a feast to celebrate your return, so come down and stuff your faces until they pop or something. Do the three little fellows eat too?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But they¡¯re with us.¡±


    ¡°Like children, I see. Incidentally, Holy Daughter Clarissa actually compiled a book on child-raising,¡± Dia added. ¡°She seems to like that topic a lot. If you two want to start a family, do ask her for advice.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Dia!¡± Lily beamed. ¡°We¡¯ll definitely do that once we¡¯re all done and ready.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you do that.¡± Dia got up. ¡°See you guys for dinner later.¡±


    Opening the door, she glanced back once, just to see the two of them cuddling sweetly. For a moment, it felt like she was presented with a vast array of cakes, chocolates and other sweet deserts, and she couldn¡¯t help but shiver.


    Too sweet.


    Shaking her head, she ambled back into the living room and made her way to Schwarz, before holding out a hand. ¡°I need a drink.¡±


    The bartender, who was experimenting on a new drink with Nero as his assistant, paused. ¡°That¡¯s rare. What are you trying to drown?¡±


    ¡°Overwhelming sweetness from watching two lovebirds,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± Schwarz chuckled. ¡°Give me a moment, Nero. I¡¯ll get Dia the drink she needs.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure, go ahead.¡± Nero grinned. ¡°Get me one too. I¡¯m too young to be watching two people hold hands and everything. I¡¯m going to die of jealousy. Isn¡¯t there some nice Holy Daughter my age?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be hard,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Just lower your requirements. That¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Nero paused for a moment. ¡°Of course! One of Supreme Saran¡¯s many daughters! That should do, right? Heh.¡±


    ¡°Why not talk about the plausibility of meeting her first?¡± Dia replied, rolling her eyes.


    ¡°Heh. That¡¯s indeed a good point.¡± Schwarz came back, a bottle in hand. ¡°Here, your drink.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡±

 Chapter 440: Teatime for three

    Claud and Lily were sitting down for a light breakfast when Schwarz strolled into the living room and tossed a card over. Unfortunately, he and the others were practicing their swordplay at the same time, which resulted in the casual flick flinging out some tears, blood and sweat at the same time.


    A faint blue shimmer intercepted the icky drop of body fluids, and Lily caught the card a moment later. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an invitation to indulge in a drink with the Blue Moon of Wisdom,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Unfortunately, I know not whether if the drink itself is alcoholic or not.¡±


    ¡°A meeting with the Blue Moon, eh?¡± Claud picked up the card, where a singular symbol had been drawn on it. At first glance, it looked like a moon, round and plump, but within a second, Claud could feel a whole bunch of information entering his mind. The sensation was uncomfortable, but it wasn¡¯t something he couldn¡¯t bear, and after a while, the entire message unfurled in his mind.


    Lily took the card out of his hands and glanced at it once. Her expression shifted a second later, but like him, she could interpret the entire message without too much pain or other reactions.


    ¡°Uh¡­are you two fine?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Fine?¡± Claud tilted his head. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean, doesn¡¯t it hurt?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Everything spins when I look at that picture, and my head begins to throb badly.¡±


    Claud thought for a moment. ¡°Well, it was a bit uncomfortable, but I suppose it¡¯s that thing Dia talked about last night. Lots of information and everything. There should be a trick to this, though. How about looking at the symbol piece by piece, rather than the whole thing? The information will trickle down slower, but it shouldn¡¯t hurt that much.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just the amount of information stuffed into your head at once,¡± Lily added. ¡°I mean, I look at it real slowly¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure doesn¡¯t seem like that¡¯s the only factor, though,¡± Schwarz muttered.


    Claud hid a smile. It was probably the number of mana circuits, but¡­if they were going to see the Blue Moon, wouldn¡¯t Plota immediately notice that the two of them were mid-rank folders? No matter how he sliced it, there was no way he could hide from the discerning eye of a divinity.


    ¡°You have an annoyingly superior look on your face right now,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°I¡¯ll forcefeed you a bottle soon enough, if you don¡¯t drop that expression.¡±


    ¡°Why are you threatening me?¡± Claud asked, rolling his eyes. ¡°Anyway, is there any way I can get out of this meeting? I¡¯m just going to stay in my room and everything, so¡ª¡±


    ¡°What, you have some secrets you don¡¯t want the Moons to pry out?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. This territory is that of the Moons. If they really wanted to know your secrets, they can look at you anyway.¡±


    Claud paused.


    ¡°That¡¯s a very good argument, actually,¡± Lily noted. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll just pop in and say hi. What sort of refreshments does the Blue Moon provide?¡±


    ¡°Refreshments?¡± Schwarz raised an eyebrow. ¡°In what world does a divinity see fit to offer us paltry mortals some refreshments? You must be joking.¡±


    Claud thought about Lesser Half. It would be nice to visit him with Schwarz and company in tow one day, when all this was over, just to see his stupefied face. Other than that, though, Claud knew that he could not afford to reveal the fact that he was something like a friend to Lesser Half.


    From the way Lily coughed, it was clear that the same thought had flickered across her mind. She smoothed over the awkwardness by picking up a piece of toasted bread, before offering it to Claud with an exaggerated gentleness.


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    On cue, Schwarz groaned audibly. ¡°I¡¯m going to wash up. You lovebirds keep spoiling each other.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± Lily eyed the departing bartender, and then turned back to Claud. ¡°Say ah¡­¡±


    Claud nibbled the little offering full of love, and then let out a small sigh. ¡°I wonder what he¡¯d say if he knew about¡­. Yeah, you know.¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡± Lily bit an edge of the toasted bread. ¡°It¡¯ll be interesting, to say the least. Anyway, it seems like the others are actually treating the training seriously. I suppose it¡¯s the aftereffect of nabbing so many lifestones and prana jades.¡±


    ¡°No one wants to waste all that lifespan due to a lowered Mana Control Proficiency,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And on that topic¡­are we going to say anything about that? I have a hunch that your current mana control is actually fairly insane, even as a¡­¡±


    She lowered her voice. ¡°As a penta-folder.¡±


    ¡°Nero definitely has nothing on me, even if he¡¯s a mighty fine cheater with the help of the Black God,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I only wish I had such an existence pushing me up in the ladder of individual might, though. The freebies from random deaths just don¡¯t really cut it¡­sometimes.¡±


    Lily looked at him. ¡°I dare you to say that again, I dare you.¡±


    Claud laughed. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding.¡±


    Lily puffed out her cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m glad you know that you¡¯re treated specially too¡­but¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t complete her sentence, but Claud didn¡¯t need her to do so either. After all, it had always been lingering in the back of his mind. He was getting so much free stuff for practically nothing, but nothing in the world was free. What price was he going to pay? What exactly was required of him, the so-called Omen? What was his destiny?


    He¡¯d seen an iteration of his destiny before, one in which he lost everything that mattered and gained everything else. This time, however, things were definitely going to change¡­but if it was a future that he didn¡¯t know about, this itself was cause for concern.


    Claud shook his head. This was not the time to scare himself into inaction. Besides, there were lots of things to fear ¡ª his identity exposed, some artificial life uprising from the Celestia Ruins, a rogue familiar spirit blasting land and earth randomly¡­the list went on and on. While he was very cautious, there was a limit to such things.


    Lily rested a hand on his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Before she could lean closer, however, Nero traipsed into the living room, before pausing awkwardly. ¡°Sorry. Did I¡­uh, interrupt something?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, really,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And I can pat his head whenever I like, so it¡¯s very fine.¡±


    She played with his hair. ¡°See?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Totally do.¡± Nero looked at the two of them. ¡°How¡¯s breakfast?¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Claud replied, before popping a hand to sandwich Lily¡¯s hand between his own and his head. ¡°How was your morning exercise?¡±


    ¡°Dia¡¯s a slave driver, as usual¡­right, Schwarz came back first, right? Did he pull out a drink?¡± Nero asked. ¡°I¡¯m craving for a bottle or two.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s probably washing up,¡± said a voice from behind him. ¡°You should do so too.¡±


    Farah wormed her way into the living room, and then raised an eyebrow. ¡°What are you two doing? Is this some game I¡¯m not aware of?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called a handwich,¡± Claud replied. ¡°A portmanteau of hand and sandwich, and I¡¯m sure you can see why.¡±


    ¡°Uh, okay.¡± Farah shook her head. ¡°Come on, Risti, Dia. Don¡¯t wait outside for too long or something.¡±


    Everyone shuttled into the living room, sweaty and tired. Only their instructor remained as spirited as ever, but their gazes were beginning to sting Claud¡¯s face slightly. However, the master thief had no desire to end his handwich; it was a matter of who was giving ground first, and he sure wasn¡¯t going to step aside this easily.


    Dia eyed them once, and then rolled her eyes. ¡°Out of the way, out of the way! You three can exchange stares with the two lovebirds. I, on the other hand, will be taking the wiser action of just washing up happily. You lot can carry on. Or not. I don¡¯t really care.¡±


    ¡°What she said,¡± Claud added, watching as Dia stalked off, muttering under her breath furiously the whole time.


    ¡°¡­I get a feeling that I just conceded in something very important, though.¡± Farah shook her head. ¡°Ugh.


    ¡°Me too,¡± Nero added. ¡°It¡¯s like I lost in something. I don¡¯t get it. What did I lose to you guys in? I don¡¯t even recall signing up for some quarrel or competition!¡±


    ¡°Can we just move? There are things to do, and those two have a visit to make soon, remember?¡± Risti cut in. ¡°Now, if you¡¯d excuse me, I¡¯ll go and wash up. I have some¡­people-watching to do. Nero, go and get a drink, and then find me in the study. Gotta ask you some questions.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right.¡± The two of them left.


    Under the combined power of Lily and Claud¡¯s gaze, Farah eventually backed down and fled.


    ¡°Alright, we just need to do this a few more times, and they¡¯ll get used to it,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Now, for the second-most important thing of the day¡­¡±


    The two of them looked at the small card.


    ¡°¡­Should we wear something nice for this?¡± Lily wondered, asking the question that was echoing in Claud¡¯s head the whole time.

 Chapter 441: Dressing up, and the meeting

    ¡°Clothes made from mana?¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°Hmm. Okay, outer clothes made with mana?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t need to ask the second question, really¡­¡± Claud tugged at the energy given both form and substance. ¡°It¡¯s really good, isn¡¯t it? At the very least, it can block most attacks, and it¡¯ll help to cover up our mana circuits. It¡¯s hard to tell how many mana circuits we have like this, after all.¡±


    ¡°Is there really a point to hiding this when we¡¯re in Moon territory?¡± Lily asked, before twirling once. Blue light fell around her, creating a lovely dress that would have been very appropriate for meeting someone like Emperor Grandis. ¡°I think I look good.¡±


    ¡°Understatement of the month,¡± Claud replied. ¡°You look positively fetching. That dress is really cool¡­do another twirl?¡±


    Lily laughed and spun on the spot, and his eyes glittered once, prompting Claud to clap.


    ¡°I wish I could do something like that too,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But there¡¯s no swishy bits that would fly around stylishly when I turn once. Bummer.¡±


    ¡°How about cutting a pose?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Ooh.¡± Claud thought for a moment, and then pretended to straighten his gloves, freezing up at the most elegant point ¡ª in his estimation, anyway. ¡°How¡¯s this? I call this ¡®Claud, after a heist¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Looks good, but¡­¡± Lily tweaked the angles of his fingers, before making him push out his chest slightly. ¡°Kyah! This looks great! It¡¯s like you¡¯re some elegant thie¡­you know!¡±


    Claud laughed. ¡°Give me a few more scenarios! I¡¯ll try to pose for the occasion!¡±


    ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s see¡­the next theme, ¡®Glorious Victory¡¯!¡±


    The two of them spent the next ten minutes in such a fashion, and when Lily reluctantly ended the suggestion and position session, Claud could faintly feel that his suaveness and confidence had increased slightly. Of course, he reported those findings to Lily, who promptly harboured the desire to be on the posing act too, but¡­


    That would have to wait.


    After straightening the long coat made from mana, Claud checked the rest of his artefacts and equipment, before getting Lily to adjust his clothes once more. It was a shame that most of his artefacts were¡­well, obviously artefacts ¡ª it would be nice if he had artefacts that were shoes, clothes and other not-so-obvious items.


    ¡°You look serious,¡± Lily noted.


    ¡°I just thought of something,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Lily, do you know how to make explosive clothes? Like shoes, for instance. Or small accessories that can create explosions or belch out smoke?¡±


    ¡°Clothes as bombs?¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Oh, that is quite sneaky of you!¡±


    ¡°You know me,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And enemies will be less guarded against someone who¡¯s just wearing clothes, right? And if push comes to shove¡­imagine kicking your shoe at an enemy and turning around to run. That fellow is definitely going to laugh at that¡­and then kaboom!¡±


    ¡°Come on, there¡¯s no way any enemy that can threaten you would be killed by that, right?¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s funny¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. Stop messing around.¡± Lily paused. ¡°I¡¯ll try to make such a shoe for you, so let¡¯s leave the room. The others are probably wondering if we¡¯re up to anything lewd here already.¡±


    ¡°We were just posing and having fun, though¡­jealousy is a nasty, nasty thing.¡± Claud made a small snort. ¡°Still, I suppose we need to straighten up a bit, right? Gotta show our dignified selves to the Blue Moon¡­¡±


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    He let out a breath, and then placed a hand on the doorknob. The Blue Moon had specifically requested for them to make an appearance, and he didn¡¯t like the idea. Even if it was something ordinary and routine ¡ª the others had been invited for a small talk too ¡ª Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel some alarm at the thought of talking to a divinity directly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It shouldn¡¯t be any different from that personage. Neither of them¡­¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°I know. It¡¯s just that the heart thinks otherwise. I¡¯m quite the loser, aren¡¯t I? In fact, even if I have ten mana circuits, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll still be as cautious as ever.¡±


    ¡°I can seriously see that, yes.¡±


    Chuckling, he twisted the doorknob and went out into the living room. The others, who were doing random things like playing games, mixing drinks and lying on the ground in a sprawled position, looked at them.


    ¡°About time you guys came out,¡± Schwarz commented. ¡°Here, have some liquid courage before you guys go. It won¡¯t make you drunk, but it¡¯ll definitely improve your current complexion. You guys look like frightened quails. Especially Claud.¡±


    ¡°Oi.¡±


    ¡°Just take it already, dumbass.¡± Schwarz rapped the table. ¡°And have an early lunch too. I don¡¯t think the Blue Moon prepares meals for its visitors.¡±


    Which was another demerit mark in Claud¡¯s opinion; Lesser Half was far more friendly and hospitable.


    ¡°Hmm. Where¡¯s Dia?¡± Lily asked, looking around.


    ¡°Now that you mention it¡­¡± The bartender frowned. ¡°Maybe she went out for a mission or something. Odd, though. I swore she was just here an hour ago or something.¡±


    ¡°She probably went out to practice or something,¡± Farah chimed in. ¡°You know, swish swish something something.¡±


    ¡°Is that really how you should describe her swordplay?¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Nero yawned. ¡°This is Moon territory, after all. You guys should be worrying about yourself now. Shoo, shoo! Don¡¯t keep the Moons waiting.¡±


    Claud made a noise in his throat, but Nero made a lot of sense here. In essence, the two of them were trying to stall for time, but now that it had been laid bare¡­


    There really weren¡¯t anymore excuses left for them to use.


    ¡°Alright. Fine¡­¡± Claud shook his head and took Lily¡¯s hand. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go visit the Blue Moon of Wisdom.¡±


    The two of them left the small house. Here, outside the domain of the great Dark, the sky was clear and no different from the skies from a year or so ago. There was nothing that indicated a vast change, nor were there any signs of disaster impending.


    ¡°It¡¯s peaceful,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°But only because the frontlines moved away from us,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Otherwise, it would still have been a mess out here, don¡¯t you think? We¡¯ll have lots of soldiers blocking the view, other mana-users glaring at us in a way similar to the others, and people generally being a prick.¡±


    ¡°Can you not phrase things so realistically?¡± Claud replied. ¡°I just wanna escape from it all, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°Me too, but we have to face reality once in a while.¡±


    The two of them sighed and followed the instructions on the card. Claud took the chance to scout out the camp too; while the RECON worked wonders, seeing things for himself was rather important too. As a whole, the camp was in the shape of a really large square, which was divided into nine, roughly equal segments. The one they had been in earlier was the area that seemed to be reserved for the mana-users, and the one they were currently in, the centre segment, was the logistics area. The segment directly south was their destination; it was the furthest away from the battlefield¡­


    And apparently, the throne which the three Moons occupied.


    He could feel their influence as he stepped into the southernmost sector, emanating from a tower that seemed to pierce the heavens themselves. Could someone else have felt it? Claud didn¡¯t know, but the Moons were subtle in their emanation of power¡­in a sense.


    ¡°The Moons were showing their own way of restraint too,¡± Lily whispered. ¡°I can¡¯t sense their true power outside, but¡­¡±


    She looked at the small dividing line that marked the boundary between the logistics sector and the sector they were currently in, and Claud nodded ruefully. The true might of a divinity stifled the entire place, drowning all superfluous noises and amplifying whatever that remained.


    If Schwarz and the others couldn¡¯t feel such a change, it could only mean a few things. For instance, the Moons had chosen to withdraw their natural might. It was also possible that they weren¡¯t sensitive enough to such things, but Claud didn¡¯t really believe that, and¡ª


    A small square card appeared in front of them, and Claud¡¯s thoughts vanished. The symbol on it began to glow a moment later, dyeing their surroundings in a gentle blue light. Before either of them could react, the area around them rippled into a mess of colours, before coming together once more to form an opulent, large room.


    There, in the very middle, were three floating seats, each of them both ordinary and eye-catching at the same time.


    A massive presence radiated from the leftmost one, and the image of a blue sphere, peppered by craters, appeared in Claud¡¯s mind as he glanced at it once.


    This was Plota, the Blue Moon of Wisdom, and in that moment, Claud couldn¡¯t help but recall the first time he had felt so small. Yet, in the depths of his heart, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the Blue Moon could withstand his strongest blow.


    Suppressing those thoughts, Claud bowed once with Lily. ¡°We greet the Blue Moon of Wisdom, Plota.¡±

 Chapter 442: The duo and the Blue Moon

    How many nights had Claud lain on the streets, wondering if there was a piece of wisdom and knowledge that would allow him to bring back the dead, gain eternal life and go back in time? How many times had he stared at the Blue Moon, hoping and hoping for a skill that would fulfil his desires? How many times had he stared at his Presence Nullification, which had evolved when he sat at a corner, forgotten and abandoned by the world?


    Raising his head, he looked at the shimmering blue sphere directly, letting the sight burn his eyes.


    Lily tugged at his sleeve a moment later, but the Blue Moon¡¯s radiance simply weakened. A vast air of sorrow emanated through the throne room, and a single sound that Claud couldn¡¯t quite described entered his ears. A searing pressure encased his mind, but the pressure melted swiftly under his mana, and what seemed like an apology for incoming pain unravelled itself.


    A groan escaped Lily¡¯s lips, but the light of comprehension danced in her eyes. The Blue Moon of Wisdom paused a moment later, and the infinite radiance weakened even further.


    ¡°As per your order,¡± Claud continued, ¡°we have presented ourselves for your viewing pleasure, O Blue Moon.¡±


    ¡°We are but interlopers, friends to some who are stationed here,¡± Lily added, her voice a measured cadence. ¡°We are thankful for your tolerance and generosity for allowing us residence in your place of power thus far.¡±


    Another sound rippled through the room, but the searing pain was now far more muted. At the same time, Claud caught far more details this time round ¡ª it would seem that the Moon had toned down the amount of information stuffed into that one syllable.


    He paused as his brain unravelled the information, the veins in his temple pulsating the whole time. In short, the Blue Moon was simply asking them to render basic defence if the camp happened to be under attack while they were here. At the same time, they were allowed to do missions if they really wanted to, but unlike the others, there was no quota and other things that came with conscription.


    ¡°¡­This is quite some special treatment,¡± Claud muttered under his breath. ¡°May I ask why?¡±


    The Blue Moon released another syllable, and Claud understood a moment later.


    ¡°It¡¯s because we¡¯re not conscripted¡­¡± Lily made a noise in her throat. ¡°Interesting!¡±


    ¡°Can we ask some things about the Fourth Godsfall?¡± Claud asked, thinking about the questions that Lesser Half couldn¡¯t answer. ¡°Like, for instance, the goal of this Godsfall, and the role of¡­¡±


    The Blue Moon¡¯s light faded for a moment, and a profound rejection responded to his words.


    ¡°At least¡­the Trial of Aeons?¡± Claud asked, testing his luck.


    The Blue Moon¡¯s answer remained the same, and Claud nodded once. In the end, all the divinities were still as tight-lipped as ever, even though everyone seemed to know that this represented the era in which new divinities¡­


    He shook his head. This clearly wasn¡¯t the case for the Fourth Godsfall, though. It was a battle royale between three sides or something, and the prize was one¡¯s life and qualifications.


    Under the light of the Blue Moon, Claud felt that his thoughts were clearer and faster, but this wasn¡¯t the time to be thinking too hard about things now. Unfortunately, only one white moon hung in the sky now, so this was really a rare opportunity that¡ª


    Claud paused. ¡°My apologies, O Blue Moon. I will be straightforward here. For what reason have you called us here? Or is it only for the information you have relayed so far?¡±


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    The Blue Moon uttered another syllable, and Claud gritted his teeth. A strange look appeared on Lily¡¯s face as he parsed the information whirling in his mind, and the two of them exchanged glances.


    ¡°Yes, we can understand you fairly well,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But¡­normally, social gatherings to learn more about humans have food and other refreshments, right?¡±


    She really said it! Claud hid a smile. Of course, Lily was making comparisons between Lesser Half and the Blue Moon, but it would have been very funny if Plota actually knew what was going on in her head right now.


    And very dangerous, naturally. Either way, however, it would seem that the Blue Moon and Lesser Half were quite similar in how they wanted to learn more about humans and their customs¡­but was there an actual reason behind the whole thing?


    Or was it a fancy?


    Of course, voicing this out in front of the personification of wisdom was obviously not a good idea. The idea about who the two of them were comparing Plota to would just be a stone¡¯s throw away, and if the Blue Moon acted on its guesses¡­


    Rubbing his nose, Claud looked up to see the Blue Moon giving off an air of deep contemplation. It was odd, though. The being that was wisdom personified didn¡¯t know about human customs and other things like that?


    ¡°Knowledge and wisdom are separate, it seems,¡± Claud muttered.


    The Blue Moon paused, emanated a ripple of amusement, and then made another sound. This time, Plota asked about the types of refreshments that humans preferred, but before Claud could recommend sausages and stews, Lily had replied with her own choices.


    ¡°Desserts, naturally!¡± Lily bobbed her head happily. ¡°Cakes! More cakes! Cookies!¡±


    ¡°Actually, I think savoury foods are better,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s more filling, right? Sweetness might be an issue here.¡±


    ¡°Nuh-uh. Sweets are the best when it comes to making people relax. This place looks scary enough. You don¡¯t need to pull out savoury foods to make the whole thing seem even more like a grand banquet where everyone has to watch their mouth. How¡¯s that a social gathering?¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°But¡ª¡± Claud caught himself before he could bring out the example of Lesser Half.


    Lily grinned at him, a knowing light in her eyes, and then said, ¡°Social gatherings for nobles are generally centred around refreshments. The same should hold true for mana-users and people in general. Besides, sweet things are more expensive than savoury ones.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the real reason, isn¡¯t it?¡± Claud muttered.


    Lily winked at him, before turning back to Plota. ¡°That¡¯s what I think anyway, O Blue Moon.¡±


    Claud had no idea how Lily was so carefree, but when he thought about it again, Lily had probably gotten used to conversing with divinities after a few meetings with Lesser Half. Still, he couldn¡¯t help but think that she was being a bit too carefree about the whole thing, especially since the Blue Moon and the Lesser Half were separate beings. It definitely wasn¡¯t wise to treat both of them the same way¡­right?


    Or did Lily act based on the idea that the Blue Moon¡¯s personality was likely to be similar to that of Lesser Half¡¯s, since they both wanted to learn the same thing?


    It was an interesting thought, and Claud made a mental note to ask her about it afterwards. Nonetheless, he still needed to keep his guard up; this was the Blue Moon he was talking about.


    Friendly or not, he had to be careful.


    Fortunately, the Blue Moon now had lots to think about, and with a syllable that simultaneously transmitted its thanks and its permission for them to leave, a weird symbol appeared in front of them once more, before unfolding and turning the world around them into a blur.


    ¡°Wait, we didn¡¯t even get the chance to say goodbye¡­¡±


    As the scenery changed, Claud looked at Lily, before rubbing her head a few times in appreciation of her bravery. Talking that boldly to the Blue Moon and suggesting that it should pull out some refreshments when talking to humans demanded a level of courage that Claud was never going to pull out unless his life or Lily¡¯s was at risk.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Lily caught his hand. ¡°Why are you patting my head?¡±


    ¡°Just to show my appreciation for your bravery,¡± Claud replied truthfully. ¡°Phew. You sure are daring. Telling the Blue Moon to pack some cakes and drinks¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you not suggest sausages?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I did, but you were the one who started the whole food thing¡­¡± Claud laughed. ¡°You¡¯re braver than me, at least!¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡± Lily¡¯s smile faded. ¡°Still, that wasn¡¯t very helpful, was it? In the end, we didn¡¯t learn anything useful either. I wish we knew more about the Trial of Aeons and how this whole Godsfall thing was going to turn out, but everyone insists on being annoyingly secretive about this. Can¡¯t they tell us?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they don¡¯t have enough Authority to,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Or maybe we don¡¯t have enough Authority to listen.¡±


    A cold shiver ran down his spine as those words left his mouth, and he pondered slightly.


    For some reason, he had the feeling that this might just be a lot closer to the truth than he thought.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°No, nothing.¡± Claud paused. ¡°Let¡¯s go back, shall we? The others must be anxious.¡±

 Chapter 443: Promises and feelings

    ¡°Oh hey, you guys are back.¡± Schwarz looked up from a frothing mug. ¡°Did you guys enjoy getting your heads rung by incomprehensible single syllables?¡±


    ¡°Incomprehensible? Not really. But the experience definitely wasn¡¯t enjoyable, though.¡± Claud yawned. ¡°My head was pounding the whole time, and most of our questions weren¡¯t answered either. In the end, no one seems to care much about the Last Godsfall either.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the whole thing seems rather shady to begin with,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°The previous Godsfalls apparently revolved around Bearers of Destiny challenging the previous era¡¯s rulers, right? Why did the Coloured Gods have their own Bearers of Destiny this round? What about the Moons and the Dark? Why are they here?¡±


    ¡°Maybe we interpreted something wrongly,¡± Claud suggested, thinking about the whole mess. No one really knew what happened, and those that did were keeping mum for their own nefarious reasons. ¡°Or a lot of things wrongly, actually.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that seems about right.¡± Farah walked into the living room, two books orbiting around her as she flipped through the one in her hands. ¡°No one really knows what happened at the end of the First, Second and Third Godsfalls, save for those who were alive back then. After all, history is easily manipulated, and records are but the words of the victors and survivals. The Churches of the Six Virtues no longer exist, and of the Primordial¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all still here, though.¡± Nero sat up from a line of chairs, his appearance startling both Claud and Lily. ¡°It¡¯s just that no one worships dead gods. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°How did they die?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Killed? Was that not obvious?¡± Nero replied. ¡°However, you¡¯re right that no one truly knows what the Godsfalls were about. The records¡­are not that trustworthy, and the Coloured Gods have been very quiet about the whole thing.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Nero shrugged. ¡°Even as a Holy Son, I don¡¯t know many things. For instance, what exactly does a Holy Son do? I don¡¯t preach, nor do I do anything in the name of the Black God. Sure, I¡¯m a devout believer of His tenets, but that¡¯s it. I don¡¯t seem to do anything as the Holy Son of the Black God.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, you know, it¡¯s because you vanished a couple of years back and never reappeared?¡± Schwarz asked, rolling his eyes. ¡°You should ask Clarissa about her role as Holy Daughter.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I suppose.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Still, there has to be something I can do, right?¡±


    ¡°Maybe the Holy Children of the Coloured Churches are Bearers of Destiny?¡± Schwarz suggested. ¡°After all, the Holy Son of the Red God was His Bearer of Destiny as well. Is it possible that you and Clarissa don¡¯t have that role because your masters are not part of this whole thing?¡±


    ¡°Well, the Black God and the White God are not part of the Last Godsfall, yes.¡± Nero pondered. ¡°But isn¡¯t that worse? We¡¯re actually just holding on to the title for the heck of it!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    Claud watched as the two drinkers suddenly delved into the topic of an existential crisis, and then rubbed his nose. There wasn¡¯t much he or Lily could say here, so he simply turned to Farah, who was already reaching out for a snack.


    ¡°Right, where¡¯s Risti and Dia?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Oh, Risti ran out to look for Dia,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Dia hasn¡¯t returned after some time, so Risti decided to go out and look for her, in case something happened.¡±


    ¡°In Moon territory?¡± Claud asked.


    Farah paused. ¡°I mean, if Dia happened to some poor building or Moonlit soldier.¡±


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    ¡°That¡¯s equally horrible too,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Anyway, should we go and look for her? It¡¯s not like we have anything much to do, and you guys would just fake-vomit whenever I talk to Claud.¡±


    ¡°Only because you two almost always start flirting?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s only flirting if you see it that way,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Why can¡¯t you see it as the way two lovers talk, hmm? It¡¯s the way Nero and Schwarz speak, just that it¡¯s more of something between lovers. That¡¯s all. You¡¯re viewing it with the whole lens.¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s sophistry, okay?¡± Farah sighed. ¡°Well, whatever. Just¡­just go and find Dia or something. Whenever I see you two, I can¡¯t help but think about Llyod nagging me to get married and have an heir. Sheesh. It¡¯s not like I actually need any of that, right?¡±


    She continued to mumble under her breath, and Claud recognised that there was no point talking to her now. After making some excuses, Claud decided to go and check on the two absentees. It was right to be worried; even a few hours of absence could very well mean something else. Of course, given Dia¡¯s ability as a swordswoman, he wasn¡¯t going to worry too much, but¡­


    ¡°Dia happening to some poor building, huh?¡± Lily commented out loud. ¡°Do you think that¡¯s going to happen?¡±


    ¡°Nah.¡± Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°I think she¡¯s just busy helping someone. Or maybe she¡¯s enjoying dessert or something. Who knows?¡±


    The two of them continued to look around the camp as they walked around randomly. The Blue Moon had given them permission to stay and move around in this camp freely, as long as they helped to defend it against any attacks while they were here. However, given that attacks were incredibly unlikely, Claud knew that this was probably the Blue Moon¡¯s way of accommodating the Seekers of Life without seeming too servile or easy going.


    ¡°Dessert?¡± Lily¡¯s ears perked up. ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Well, there are a few shops,¡± Claud replied. ¡°There¡¯s one that sells soft snow or something. I think it¡¯s some icy delight with syrup poured all over it.¡±


    ¡°Ooh. Shaved ice with syrup!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the name?¡± Claud asked, before swallowing. ¡°Sounds like a delight in days like this...I wish Schwarz would make some.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a bartender, not a desserts-making person.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Claud licked his lips. ¡°But what if one were to pour alcohol on a mound of shaved ice? Would it be a masterpiece?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I think it¡¯ll just be freezing, watered-down alcohol,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go check out that shop. It¡¯s nice that there¡¯s a place to spend money, even in the military camp overseen by the Moons.¡±


    ¡°Do you think the two of them will be there?¡±


    ¡°They share similar tastes to me, so¡­probably?¡± Lily didn¡¯t sound that certain, either, but the idea of eating ice flavoured with sweet syrup gelled well with Claud, so he didn¡¯t raise any objection.


    Hands interlinked, the two of them set off for the shaved ice store. Along the way, they came across a few Moonlit soldiers, who were chattering around drinks, food and shaved ice. Quite a few of them had stayed behind in the camp, despite the massive offensive going on in the Nihila Dukedom right now, and they were all living their lives happily.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to see people living life to the fullest,¡± Claud commented, his eyes on two Moonlit soldiers that were drinking from a huge cup together. The cup, filled with a frothy beverage, was as large as a regular adult¡¯s chest, and the two of them were sucking from straws without any restraint.


    ¡°I get what you mean,¡± Lily replied. ¡°One day, when we¡¯re all free from worries about the future, I¡¯m going to get a huge barrel of fizzy drinks and just sit there the whole day drinking from it.¡±


    ¡°Count me in, then.¡±


    ¡°Okay! It¡¯s a promise!¡±


    The two of them laughed as they entered a small area that resembled a food street. All sorts of aromas intermingled with each other as they looked around the place, but Claud couldn¡¯t spot any trace of Risti or Dia. After strolling around the place thrice, the two of them sat down on a table and let out a long breath.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just order some shaved ice instead,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably for the best.¡± Lily wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. ¡°I¡¯m tired and thirsty.¡±


    She raised a hand, prompting a yellow-coloured waiter to head over. After placing an order for two bowls of chocolate-covered shaved ice, Lily surveyed the area once more, before shaking her head.


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re back by now?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I mean, we might have missed them one way or another.¡±


    ¡°Possible, yes.¡± Lily bobbed her head, but before she could say anything else, the Moonlit waiter had returned with a tray of chocolate-covered ice. ¡°Oooh.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m drooling too.¡± Claud gulped. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go around looking for her after this, shall we?¡±


    ¡°One of the best things I¡¯ve heard today!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite the low bar, though¡­¡± Claud picked up a bowl and set it in front of him. As he raised a spoon, an odd sensation assailed his nerves, and he looked to the north.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Something...wrong. Yes.¡± Claud shivered. ¡°I felt something odd. Wrong. Weird. I¡¯m not sure, but I have the feeling something happened.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s just finish this first, and then try to find the others.¡±

 Chapter 444: Shifting scales

    The feeling of absolute wrongness only grew as he ate the shaved ice with Lily. Fortunately, the combination of ice and chocolate was too much for his blunted senses to ignore, allowing him to at least savour the dessert they had paid for, but his actions had not gone unnoticed.


    ¡°What did you sense?¡± Lily asked.


    Claud got up. ¡°Something bad. Like...I¡¯m not sure, but it¡¯s as if something just changed in the world, and I don¡¯t even know what.¡±


    ¡°Something changed?¡± Lily asked.


    Claud didn¡¯t know how to describe it to her accurately, so he started looking around for analogies that would help to convey the odd emotion in his mind. ¡°It¡¯s like¡­walking a path you know very well, only to realise that everything¡¯s changed, and you didn¡¯t know when.¡±


    He made a noise in his throat. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it either. Like¡­something that has always been there just vanishing one day, I suppose. It didn¡¯t seem important, and you didn¡¯t pay much attention to it, but when it vanished, you felt it.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s that feeling?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Exactly. Like something¡­vanished. Or changed. I¡¯m not too sure what exactly happened, and I¡¯m not sure what changed or something, but¡­¡± Claud shivered. ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°What should we do, then?¡± Lily asked.


    Claud opened his mouth, and then closed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been having a lot of that recently,¡± Lily noted. ¡°It¡¯s hard to know what to do when there¡¯s nothing explicit for us to respond to.¡±


    Claud nodded, inwardly glad that Lily didn¡¯t doubt him. She hadn¡¯t doubted him or anything before either, so this sentiment came as quite the surprise in and of itself.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Just mocking myself for thinking something stupid,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway¡­we¡¯re in Moon territory. This should be the safest place, so there shouldn¡¯t be anything wrong going on here.¡±


    ¡°At the same time, you can¡¯t go back to your old trade¡­I was watching you while you were talking to the Blue Moon, and I couldn¡¯t help but notice that you were looking around the area with¡­restless fingers.¡± Lily stuck a tongue out. ¡°Quite bold, eh?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t me,¡± Claud replied defensively. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware about my fingers moving on their own. It¡¯s called an occupation hazard, okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh, like me just mixing up some explosives on instinct?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just trying to make me equate these two things, aren¡¯t you?¡± Claud replied. ¡°Just find a nice, open space and make some of your explosives. Don¡¯t go doing in a room. Isn¡¯t it dangerous? Imagine if there¡¯s lots of smoke or something. You¡¯ll just end up breathing all that smog and choking yourself, and that¡¯s really bad for obvious reasons.¡±


    ¡°But making it outdoors is also problematic. What if lightning falls onto your mix?¡±


    ¡°In bright daylight?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Come on. If it¡¯s about to rain, don¡¯t go making explosives either!¡±


    He frowned. ¡°Has it been raining recently?¡±


    ¡°No, why?¡±


    Claud thought about it for a moment and then shook his head. ¡°No, nothing. It just seemed like rain has been a lot less frequent in the past year or so. Normally it rains once every three days, but it¡¯s been one dry spate for the past few months.¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it¡­¡± Lily frowned. ¡°Yeah. My gloomy rainy days have really vanished.¡±


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    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not that much of an issue, since there¡¯s always a steady supply of water from artefacts and everything, but it¡­¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°Huh. I¡¯m rambling.¡±


    He looked to the north again. Something huge definitely had happened there, and the first thing he immediately thought of was the Moonlit expedition that had headed to drive away the forces of the great Dark. It also didn¡¯t help that he had spotted one or two Moonlit soldiers passing by him in a frantic hurry, but even those were in a minority.


    Most of the Moonlit soldiers were still behaving normally.


    ¡°Maybe that feeling is indeed related to the expedition,¡± Claud muttered, watching a Moonlit soldier run past the two of them. ¡°It seems like some of them heard something or are aware of something.¡±


    ¡°Like people with extra channels of information?¡± Lily asked, following his gaze. ¡°So¡­a military disaster, then. But here¡¯s a question. Why are you suddenly aware of that, then?¡±


    ¡°Maybe I was always able to sense such things?¡± Claud suggested. ¡°I mean, there hasn¡¯t been a war in my life until now.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°But it should show as a skill or something, right? What does your status look like right now?¡±


    ¡°The same as always,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Nothing new.¡±


    Lily tilted her head. ¡°I guess it¡¯s a bit mystifying, then. But maybe everyone has a hidden talent or something, right? I¡¯m quite sure Schwarz doesn¡¯t have a skill for making drinks, but he¡¯s a genius at making drinks.¡±


    ¡°Albeit a bit crazy about what he puts in, yes,¡± Claud agreed. ¡°He¡¯s not the kind of guy who would use a skill on making drinks, though. That¡¯s just his hobby.¡±


    ¡°That he does professionally for a living¡­but that¡¯s my point, right? Maybe people have something else that¡¯s not on the status.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°That¡¯s definitely true. I mean, there are many things that aren¡¯t written on the status. But¡­now that you mention it, I think sensing a whole bunch of people die is what I¡¯d call a skill worthy of being mentioned on the status, right?¡±


    ¡°In the first place, does the status reflect our skills? Or does it give us our skills?¡±


    The two of them exchanged glances, and then shook their heads as one. There was no point thinking about things that they couldn¡¯t answer, but Claud was certain that a lot of lives had been lost in that singular instant earlier on. The reactions of a few Moonlit soldiers simply added to this possibility; they were flustered and¡­


    ¡°They¡¯re beginning to organise a defence,¡± Lily whispered.


    Claud stopped as they left the small food street. Small contingents of differently coloured soldiers were assembling, and some soldiers that were coloured in white ¡ª the colour of the sole Moon that now illuminated the night ¡ª had assumed command.


    Before their eyes, the contingents of Moonlit soldiers broke up into small teams and scurried away, and Claud¡¯s frown deepened. From the looks of it, the camp was preparing for an assault, but¡­


    ¡°What are we supposed to do?¡± Lily whispered.


    Claud grimaced, and then remembered the small card that Lesser Half had given them. ¡°It¡¯s a bit dangerous, but I suppose we don¡¯t have much of a choice here. We¡¯ll leave the camp first, and then ask about his intentions, before making our next move. We¡¯ll need to identify our priorities, though, but the others are bound by a contract.¡±


    ¡°So they can¡¯t just leave¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Claud nodded. ¡°And I think it¡¯ll be better for us to leave before the storm strikes. The Blue Moon may be suspicious of us. It¡¯ll be better if Plota has some peace of mind by not needing to worry about suspicious fellows who happened to be high-ranking folders who aren¡¯t bound by a conscription contract.¡±


    Lily looked at him once, and then held his hand. Squeezing it a few times to indicate that she understood who those words were meant for, she said, ¡°We¡¯ll have to say our goodbyes earlier, then. We don¡¯t want to endanger the others, after all. No need to put them under suspicion.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a shame we won¡¯t get to enjoy this place much, but we¡¯ll need to act with them in mind.¡±


    Lily let out a sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s go back and tell the others first. They¡¯ll understand.¡±


    The two of them redirected their feet back to their temporary lodgings. Along the way, Claud couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the Blue Moon had heard their conversation. Would Plota read too much into it? Or would the Blue Moon buy their words at face value? Either way, however, the only actual way to do things was to leave the Moons¡¯ direct sphere of influence and then make contact with Lesser Half afterwards.


    After that¡­well, asking him to avoid a particular bunch of folders probably wouldn¡¯t be too large of a request.


    Right?


    The question continued to echo in his head as a bunch of Moonlit soldiers carrying wood charged past him, their footsteps echoing in tandem. The camp had been caught in the throes of anxiety and frantic movement. Risti and Dia, who were probably roaming the camp, must have noticed the abnormalities present too.


    ¡°They should be back too, I suppose?¡± Claud wondered out loud.


    ¡°This is too obvious for them not to return on the spot, yes,¡± Lily added. ¡°But we can¡¯t do much here. That conversation with Plota was quite¡­illuminating, after all.¡±


    ¡°The absence of an offer to join them was quite telling, yes.¡± Claud let out a sigh. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s hurry and get back. We should leave soon.¡±


    Grunting once, Lily followed after him hurriedly.

 Chapter 445: Transient travellers at a shattered battlefront

    ¡°It¡¯s a mess outside.¡± Schwarz looked at the two of them. ¡°Did you find Dia and Risti? And do you know what¡¯s going on? Why are all the Moonlit soldiers running around like headless flies?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a military defeat,¡± Claud replied. ¡°The expedition¡­probably met a disaster or something. I¡¯m not too sure of it myself. However, whatever the case, you guys should prepare for the defence of the camp.¡±


    ¡°You guys?¡± Schwarz repeated. ¡°Ah, you two are leaving.¡±


    ¡°Yes. While the Blue Moon doesn¡¯t have an issue with us staying here¡­it¡¯s not advisable for someone who hasn¡¯t entered a covenant with the landlord to stay on,¡± Lily replied, adopting Claud¡¯s tone of voice. ¡°We¡¯ll end up causing you trouble.¡±


    Schwarz clicked his tongue. ¡°You two haven¡¯t stayed for more than a day, and you have to leave already. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re unlucky or something.¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡± Claud shook his head. That statement probably couldn¡¯t be truer, if nothing else. ¡°We¡¯ll be in Monsville. There¡¯s a small house that belongs to us. Ask for Lord and Lady Primus.¡±


    ¡°Your lovey-dovey two-person world, eh?¡± Schwarz looked at them. ¡°Don¡¯t spend all that time flirting, though.¡±


    Farah appeared behind the bartender. ¡°Yeah. You two need to get stronger.¡±


    Nero¡¯s head popped up behind Farah¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I heard the conversation just now. I¡¯ll give you guys a bunch of lifestones I don¡¯t need. My mana circuits have been forming on their own anyway, thanks to the Lord, so you guys should use it.¡±


    ¡°Wait, there¡¯s no need to give us anything,¡± Claud cut in.


    ¡°Stop being prideful, idiot.¡± Nero rolled his eyes. ¡°Go and pack your stuff. If there¡¯s really a major defeat at the front, you two don¡¯t want to be here when the time comes.¡±


    Claud and Lily nodded. As they left the room, they could hear Schwarz asking Nero why he agreed with them, but Nero¡¯s reply, unfortunately, was just a bit too incomprehensible. It was especially unfortunate that neither of them would get a chance to try their hand at the fountain that spat out items at people who completed missions, but this was probably the better move.


    It would be far safer to contact Lesser Half in Monsville, and the Blue Moon wouldn¡¯t be that wary of the Seekers of Life, since the unstable, uncontracted elements had left of their own accord. Their actions would also show that they had no intention of obstructing the defence or other nasty acts. Finally, Claud didn¡¯t want to be paid too much attention by any divinity; he was hiding secrets that even he himself didn¡¯t quite understand.


    ¡°Well, at least we don¡¯t have that many things to pack,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Storage ring time?¡±


    ¡°Storage ring time, yes.¡± Claud stroked the gem on the ring he wore, and a translucent cube with a two-metre-long side appeared in front of them. Moving everything they owned into the cube, Claud tapped the gem again, and their possessions vanished.


    ¡°Right, those little fellows,¡± Lily murmured, before moving to the small room. ¡°Guys? We have to leave. Would you like to say goodbye to the others first?¡±


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    Three shapes rolled out of the front door, meeping to convey the same question. Lily rubbed the three of them and replied, ¡°The Moons just suffered a huge defeat, and enemies are marching on us. We don¡¯t want to drag the others down and we definitely don¡¯t want to be sent to fight other people either.¡±


    ¡°Meep¡­¡± The three little fellows clamoured on for a few more minutes, before Claud patted them and brought them with him.


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    Schwarz glanced at the small house as they went down. ¡°Right. It¡¯s a shame we won¡¯t be able to play with you three for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    Farah laughed. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re so adorable. We¡¯ll go find you at Monsville, alright? Don¡¯t worry about us.¡±


    ¡°I am going to ask you a lot of questions too,¡± Nero added. ¡°What are you guys? Where did you guys come from? Prepare to be thinking like a philosopher when that time comes.¡±


    The three of them babied the little shapes for a while, before Claud cleared his throat. ¡°Sorry, guys. But¡­yeah. It feels like we¡¯re shortchanging you. We came by, but didn¡¯t sign up, and before we could do anything, we¡¯re pretty much running once more.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not so much as running as trying to help us,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°You guys came from Nihila, so it¡¯s understandable that the Blue Moon would be suspicious of both of you guys. If you two stayed around, we might be dispatched to the really dangerous areas. We understand, so there¡¯s no need to feel bad. Besides, you have a house that can take a few of us in at any time, right? If something happens¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ll welcome you guys in with open arms,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Thanks, buddy.¡± Schwarz produced two bottles. ¡°Here. For the road.¡±


    ¡°And here¡¯s a small box of lifestones. Should be enough to get you guys to the fourth mana-fold if you two are really skilled and lucky,¡± Nero continued.


    ¡°There¡¯s really no need¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just take it. We came back from a huge haul recently anyway,¡± Nero replied, stuffing the box into Claud¡¯s backpack.


    ¡°We¡¯ll help you tell Dia and Risti that you said bye,¡± Farah added. ¡°So don¡¯t worry about them. Knowing those two, they should be back soon. They definitely noticed the oddity, after all.¡±


    Claud was half-torn between the idea of staying to see them and leaving, but they too also had their things to do. After dallying for a minute or two, the two of them had no choice but to begin their departure.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, I suppose.¡± Claud hefted his backpack. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare the guestrooms for you guys, so do swing around if you can.¡±


    ¡°If.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud grimaced. ¡°Not going to be easy, for one. Especially with the Trial of Aeons rolling around soon.¡±


    ¡°This is probably the opening act. Or the middle one.¡± Schwarz shook his head. ¡°Hard to tell at times.¡±


    ¡°The middle of the opening act,¡± Nero replied. ¡°We still have a long drama unfolding in front of us. The Trial of Aeons¡­it¡¯s something that has never existed before, see?¡±


    ¡°What exactly is the Trial of Aeons anyway?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°¡­The qualification for divinity,¡± Nero replied. ¡°You two¡­well, might as well tell you guys lest you get misled. All Bearers of Destiny will be forced inside. The Trial of Aeons will have a few open slots for Chromatic Lords and other high-ranking folders too. Once inside, all trial-takers will do something, and a few will emerge as the victors of this struggle.¡±


    ¡°What do those victors win?¡± Claud asked, fighting to keep his tone uniform.


    ¡°Like I said, the qualification for divinity. The part needed to become a deca-folder.¡±


    In that instant, Claud thought about the Frozen Emperor¡¯s status screen. He could still vividly remember it, and there, in the Mana Circuit Superimposition tab, was a number that was infinitely close to ten, but never ten.


    ¡­It would seem that the Frozen Emperor had lost that struggle. Or was it something else? Claud didn¡¯t want to make any assumptions at this point, especially since, the Second Tutorial¡¯s missions had hinted that the Frozen Emperor had actually won or something.


    Whatever the case, a crucial point of destiny was fast approaching. Would the Red God still attempt to harm him and Lily at the end of the trial? Or would something else happen? What about the Dark and the Moons, in which Lesser Half already knew about his possible death?


    Claud was well aware that his actions had definitely moved things around. While he used his Absolute skill only twice after the Second Tutorial, those two instances had definitely resulted in changes. As far as Claud knew, the Moons had never descended early in the timeline of the Second Tutorial, nor had something as huge as this offensive happened. In fact, the Seekers of Life hadn¡¯t been conscripted either, so the whole thing was now messed up.


    Lily nudged his sides, and Claud blinked. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°No need to be,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Everyone else had similar reactions too. Deep in thought and wondering if they could also gain something from this. Don¡¯t. You¡¯ll be messing with ancient folders and contemporary powerhouses¡­and I¡¯m sure the rulers of the continent will be a full few mana circuits higher when they next make their appearances.¡±


    He paused. ¡°In other words, septa, octa and ennea-folders. They will have the advantage, no matter what. So don¡¯t think of going, even if you want to.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not,¡± Lily replied, covering for Claud. ¡°That¡¯s insane.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Nero looked at them. ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°You two should leave now, before it¡¯s too late,¡± Schwarz added. ¡°We¡¯ll find you once the situation stabilises.¡±


    Nodding, the two of them stashed away the farewell gifts from the others into backpacks. It was a shame that Dia and Risti weren¡¯t here, but now was not the time to think about that. Schwarz was right.


    They had to leave now.


    Holding hands, the two of them left the house and made their way out of the camp.

 Chapter 446: Absolute Terror

    ¡°What is this?¡± Dia whispered, her vision filled with a vast field of blood-stained grass. Blue light illuminated the giant glass panel that harboured the gory image within, and she rubbed her head. ¡°Ugh. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    She looked around. She had been walking around the food street earlier, in the hopes of discovering something she hadn¡¯t spotted yet, before a bright blue light engulfed her body and her mind blanked out.


    ¡°This is¡­a throne room?¡± She paused. ¡°No. This is the Moons¡¯ throne room¡­¡±


    She took a step back and looked around. Within moments, she saw the three chairs that were clearly meant for the Moons, but this just gave rise to a new question.


    What was she here for? Why was she here, in the throne room of the Moons?


    Blue light blazed in the ceiling, and Dia looked up. The Blue Moon stared down at her, and before her eyes, tables appeared. Laden with food and drinks, the combined aroma assaulted her senses, and she staggered slightly.


    ¡°Dia Lyceria de Lustre. Welcome to this party.¡± The Blue Moon flickered, and then took its place on one of the three seats. Dia¡¯s blood ran cold a moment later as she realised that the Blue Moon had read her full name out loud, despite the fact that she hadn¡¯t said anything about her full name at all.


    ¡°P-party?¡± Dia shook her head, her mind dimly registering that the Blue Moon was now speaking in what seemed like a normal manner. If she focused, Dia believed that she could hear the actual syllable, so it seemed like it was her newly acquired skill at work.


    She looked around at the food and drinks, and then realised that this was actually indeed a party of sorts. Bowing her head once, Dia resorted to common courtesy and said, ¡°Thank you for your invitation. I am honoured to be here.¡±


    The Blue Moon shimmered once. ¡°As to your first question¡­this is the scene of the crushing defeat of our military expedition.¡±


    Dia looked at the bloodstained fields again, a tremor running down her spine at those words as she inspected the scene in greater detail. Corpses, strewn all around the vast field, dyed the fields a bloody red. She could see an expression of twisted fear on any corpses who had died face-up¡­even if all these corpses had holes where their eyes used to be. Their eyeballs had exploded or were dug out ¡ª Dia didn¡¯t know what the actual cause was ¡ª but the desperation and fear that had filled their final moments were tangible, even to her.


    ¡°W¡­hat happened?¡±


    The Blue Moon¡¯s light weakened, and a painful, jarring syllable entered her ears. Sweat dotted her forehead as her mind raced to interpret it, and after carving away nameless concepts that she couldn¡¯t even begin to fathom, three words echoed in her mind.


    Bearer of Destiny.


    Wiping her sweat, Dia got back up onto her feet ¡ª she had fallen onto the floor at some point in time. ¡°Bearer of Destiny?¡±


    ¡°Absolute Terror.¡± Once again, a near-incomprehensible syllable had flooded her brain, but armed with the previous experience, Dia could now interpret those words without her head exploding.


    ¡°Absolute Terror¡­¡± Dia stifled a gulp. ¡°Did this?¡±


    The Blue Moon¡¯s light rippled once. ¡°Yes. All who caught sight of the Bearer of Destiny crushed their own eyes, but their hearts burst to death afterwards. Even my people were no exception.¡±


    Dia felt the clammy grip of fear tighten around her neck, a freezing finger hovering in front of her eyes. ¡°And¡­I¡¯m here¡­¡±


    ¡°Just to know this.¡± Plota¡¯s words flowed through the room. ¡°So that you and your friends can be prepared for this horror. The two who have just arrived¡± ¡ªDia¡¯s heart skipped a beat¡ª ¡°have left in order not to inconvenience you and the others. It is a shame, but they too know their place.¡±


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    ¡°A shame?¡±


    ¡°They would have bolstered the remaining forces here substantially, buying us precious time. Nonetheless, we are at a disadvantage here. We will rely on you and the other defenders to buy us the time so needed to summon new troops.¡±


    Dia let out a sigh of relief. As long as no one ordered them to go and slaughter the person who had collectively induced an army to burst their own hearts, there wasn¡¯t much of a problem. However, the Dark-aligned Bearer of Destiny was definitely headed here, so¡ª


    ¡°Can¡¯t you take out Absolute Terror?¡± Dia¡¯s mouth asked. The princess realised a moment later that her words were impudent, demanding, and then muttered an apology hastily, lowering her head to convey her apology.


    ¡°This¡­is an informal gathering. Social norms are relaxed here.¡± The Blue Moon¡¯s words were somewhat stilted. ¡°I am told that anything goes during social gatherings, insofar as no one is gravely insulted.¡±


    ¡°Told?¡±


    The Blue Moon¡¯s light flickered once. ¡°Do partake of the refreshments. The couple recommended that I include food and drink during meetings like this to make everyone relaxed. Cakes, in particular.¡±


    ¡°Couple?¡± Dia thought of Lily and Claud immediately, before shaking her head. Those two wouldn¡¯t have the gall to tell the Blue Moon that it needed refreshments for the guests and everything, after all. ¡°Ahem. I shall partake of those refreshments, then, with your blessing.¡±


    The Blue Moon shone on happily.


    It was an absurd situation, when Dia thought about it. Here, under the watchful eyes of the Blue Moon, with bloodstained fields with corpses with burst hearts on a glass screen, she was about to test the taste of a nice little pastry. It didn¡¯t help that she had learned about the perfect tool of war ¡ª the owner of Absolute Terror ¡ª and how the Bearer of Destiny was headed her way.


    Her current actions were so at odds with the current situation that she didn¡¯t even know what to think about the whole thing.


    She nibbled on the small pie anyway.


    It was sweet.


    ¡°It¡¯s excellent,¡± Dia replied, and another syllable entered her ear. It was a simple one that was easily deciphered, and she moved to the small glasses that had been laid out for people. Picking a glass up, she sipped at it, and then nodded. ¡°This is good too, but you can ask our resident bartender for¡­¡±


    She paused. ¡°Uh, don¡¯t mind that?¡±


    The Blue Moon expressed some interest in her words, and Dia let out a sigh. ¡°One of us who came has masterful abilities in making excellent drinks, especially alcoholic ones. The Holy Son of the Black God is practically enthralled by them.¡±


    ¡°Excellent.¡± The Blue Moon shivered. ¡°I shall offer him the corresponding missions henceforth, then.¡±


    Was this supposed to a good thing, or a bad one? Dia shook her head, and then ran through the conversation so far. She had been too distracted by everything to focus on the fact that Lily and Claud had apparently left the camp for some weird reason in their head. Other than that and this odd tea party that looked like a trial, she also needed to gather more information about Absolute Terror, especially since that particular Bearer of Destiny was headed their way.


    ¡°O Blue Moon,¡± Dia began, ¡°can you tell me more about Absolute Terror?¡±


    The Blue Moon shimmered once, before letting out a single syllable. Dia frowned a moment later as information wormed into her head gently, preventing her from suffering the adverse effects of information overload. It would seem that the Blue Moon had learned plenty from their previous meeting; other than utterances that carried information far beyond her capacity, the divinity had been very gentle with words.


    Still, what were the other Moons doing? Where were they? Would they learn from the Blue Moon in how they treated humans? There were so many questions in Dia¡¯s mind, but there was probably no way she would be receiving any answers soon.


    Shaking her head once more, Dia committed the Blue Moon¡¯s observations of Absolute Terror into her mind. The analysis was detached and unfeeling, but she could vaguely tell that either the Blue Moon had been affected by the Absolute skill or it had been very cautious in approaching its observations.


    A small bead of cold sweat ran down her back; either possibility made it clear that the Absolute skills really were absolute when it came to generating their effects. The Blue Moon¡¯s observations were¡­


    Letting out a small breath, Dia recomposed herself once more and bowed at the Blue Moon, who settled idly onto its throne. After thanking Plota for its hospitality, Dia expressed her intention to leave and inform the others about these new developments, and her surroundings began to swirl.


    It was a pity that Lily and Claud had left, though, although Dia wasn¡¯t too sure what the Blue Moon meant by its words earlier. However, it would be necessary to relay information to them regarding Absolute Terror; Monsville was north of this camp, after all. The chances of the Bearer of Destiny sweeping past the little city was quite high.


    Collecting her thoughts, Dia watched as the world sharpened into focus all around her once more.

 Chapter 447: Planning against an Absolute

    As Dia reappeared in front of the small house that had been the Seekers of Life¡¯s base for the past few weeks, she couldn¡¯t help but think that their peaceful days were truly over. Part of this came from instinct; she felt that the advent of Absolute Terror in the battlefield was a marker of something impossibly grand.


    She shook her head and decided to run through the dead Bearers of Destiny so far. The First Bearer of Destiny had attempted to commit suicide when pressed into a corner, and was subsequently executed by the wrath of the Moons for trying to reach out to Limbo. The Second, Eighth and Eleventh Bearers of Destiny had been killed under unknown circumstances, but from the text that had popped out, all four of them were aligned to the Coloured Gods.


    The Third and Fourteenth Bearers of Destiny were Moon-aligned Bearers of Destiny; the former was the one responsible for enthralling Nero and the latter had been following a Moon Emissary before Tot swung by and crushed the entire troop. The Fifth Bearer of Destiny was a Dark-aligned Bearer of Destiny, and was probably assassinated at great cost after the scales tilted really hard to the Dark.


    ¡°Still, if one thinks about it, it¡¯s the Coloured Gods who have taken a lot of losses, right?¡± Dia muttered out loud, before looking around cautiously. Satisfied that no one had heard her words, she patted her chest and hung around at the gate, thinking of what to tell the others. They definitely noticed that there was something wrong; the troops were moving around and constructing defences.


    The only thing was how to break the news really, really gently.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Dia folded her arms. After thinking through the entire process over and over again, she could only conclude that telling the truth was probably the best idea; there was no point embellishing it. Besides, the others weren¡¯t fragile flowers that couldn¡¯t take bad news; if anything, they probably thrived on it.


    Gripping the gate, she went up to the door and opened it. A clamour broke out a moment later, and before she knew it, the others had surrounded her.


    ¡°Where did you go?¡±


    ¡°Do you know that something huge just happened?¡±


    ¡°Risti was mad after she couldn¡¯t find you for a few hours. I hope you¡¯re prepared.¡±


    Dia forced down the approaching tide of comments and people and shouted, ¡°Stop, stop! One at a time! First, the Blue Moon brought me out to the throne room to show me some news and to let me try out some drinks and cake!¡±


    The room fell silent, but before Dia could relax, a bunch of hands escorted her into the living room, where a red-faced Risti was curled around a sofa and hiccupping. Farah immediately approached Risti and clapped her cheeks a few times, but before Dia could see what was going on, Nero had popped up in her face.


    ¡°So? What happened?¡±


    Dia pushed away the Holy Son of the Black God and gathered her thoughts. ¡°First, I was walking around a food street when I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was staring down at some weird artefact, which was depicting a field of corpses. The Blue Moon then told me that the expeditionary forces had met with a complete defeat, and then told me to try some pastries and drinks. After that, the Blue Moon returned me to the front of the house here.¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s a lot to unpack,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°First, what¡¯s with the expedition?¡±


    ¡°Uh, the entire expedition was destroyed. Everyone who took part in it had their hearts burst out and explode,¡± Dia replied. ¡°No exceptions.¡±


    ¡°No exceptions¡­an Absolute skill, then.¡± Nero paused. ¡°Am I right?¡±


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    ¡°It seems to be Absolute Terror. The Dark¡¯s Bearer of Destiny took to the field of battle alone,¡± Dia replied, running through the information that the Blue Moon had sent to her mind. ¡°It seems that this skill does not discriminate, so Absolute Terror had approached the enemy alone and activated his or her skill. The result prompted millions of hearts to simply explode on the spot.¡±


    ¡°Fear, then. And in overwhelming quality and quantity too, so much so that no one was able to live,¡± Nero analysed quietly. ¡°I presume it makes use of being seen, or else there would have been an army or something close by. Right now, the user of Absolute Terror will be at his or her weakest, seeing as how that person only has four skills left, or even fewer. If we want to strike, this is the best time.¡±


    ¡°The distance is too far.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it would seem that way. But one thing is for certain; Absolute Terror is someone that works alone,¡± Nero concluded. ¡°I wonder if the skill would affect the user himself. What if we use a mirror? Would the user¡¯s own heart burst from that?¡±


    ¡°That would be the worst weakness ever, but I say go for it,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I mean, it sure does look like Petrification and other ocular-based skills, except that it¡¯s contingent on the target looking at the user.¡±


    He took out a bottle. ¡°Right, for you, Dia.¡±


    ¡°For me?¡± Dia received the bottle. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, you survived another meeting with the Moons,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t all that bad. I mean, there were cakes and drinks, and they were of good quality too!¡± Dia bobbed her head. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡±


    ¡°Cakes and drinks¡­damn, that mad couple.¡±


    ¡°Lily and Claud?¡± Dia asked. ¡°What about them?¡±


    ¡°Right. Ahem. The two of them left for Monsville, citing something about not wanting to endanger us. I hope you won¡¯t be too mad¡ª¡±


    ¡°I already found out about that,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Anyway, what do you mean by mad couple?¡±


    ¡°Those two absolute champions decided to tell the Blue Moon that offering food and drinks is a must when talking to mortals,¡± Schwarz replied, letting out a sigh. ¡°Those absolute geniuses. If there was an Absolute skill called Absolute Bravado, those two must have it.¡±


    Dia rubbed her nose. ¡°¡­Anyway, the Blue Moon seems interested in you too. Seems like your drink-making experience has reached even the divinities. The Blue Moon may call for you to make some drinks.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow!¡± Nero turned to the bartender. ¡°That¡¯s incredible! You¡¯re really lucky! Congratulations!¡±


    ¡°Wait, wh¡ª¡±


    ¡°The Blue Moon is interested in Schwarz?¡± Farah asked, pulling a red-faced Risti over.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with Risti?¡± Dia asked, looking at her.


    ¡°She started drinking heavily after she got back from looking for you,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Not sure why, though. Maybe she learned about something sad or¡­¡±


    His words trailed off. ¡°Anyway, what did the Blue Moon say about me?¡±


    ¡°Something about drinks. It was hard to focus, and my head was hurting the whole time,¡± Dia replied, giving her a way out in the event the Blue Moon outed her by accident. ¡°More importantly, however, the Bearer of Destiny is definitely headed our way. We need to come up with countermeasures really quickly.¡±


    Schwarz nodded, a shadow of seriousness on his face. At the same time, Nero said, ¡°We should review our tactics against Absolute Terror. While taking him by surprise works, we also should consider the idea of support. Can the Blue Moon kill him remotely?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡­it seems that even the Blue Moon may be affected by Absolute Terror,¡± Dia replied, thinking about the way the information had been presented. She could vaguely tell that the Blue Moon was wary of gathering information directly, and in fact, the information given also recorded the possibility of the terrifying effect being conveyed through one¡¯s vision.


    ¡°Even the Blue Moon?¡±


    ¡°It is an Absolute skill. No exceptions. The divinities themselves will be affected by this too.¡± Nero¡¯s eyes dimmed. ¡°And this Bearer of Destiny¡­for that person to show up alone, we can be certain that the person is a mid-rank folder, or perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡°Even higher? Septa-folder?¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t pop up like cabbages that often, but the Dark definitely has their own trump cards too.¡± The Holy Son of the Black God shivered. ¡°We must be careful. Even without the Absolute skill, the enemy may be one of the strongest we¡¯ve yet to face. After all, that person faced an entire expeditionary force alone. Even if that person has an Absolute skill, a certain foundation of strength will still be needed.¡±


    ¡°Preparation is needed¡­and Risti is out of it right now.¡± Farah poked her sides, but the Princess-Dia-Fanatic didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Great. Never mind. Let¡¯s just draw up some war plans first, and then brief her afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Mirrors are definitely needed. We¡¯ll also need a means to cut off our vision remotely. However, it¡¯s also possible that sound can be used,¡± Nero continued. ¡°We¡¯ll need to find a way to cut off our hearing too.¡±


    ¡°Deaf and blind. Wonderful.¡±


    ¡°At least, we can¡¯t afford to have our attention drawn by that person. Of course, if we can bait out the Absolute skill, that would be for the best,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°There¡¯s a few ways we can do that¡­¡±

 Chapter 448: Planning for the hunt

    As the strategy meeting continued, Dia couldn¡¯t help but think about the time they hunted the Red God¡¯s Holy Son. Of course, this time, everyone was around, and no one knew the other skills the holder of Absolute Terror had.


    She looked at two empty seats, and then revised her thoughts. The two of them were not here¡­but at least they were close by. If nothing else, sending them a message for help was still very possible.


    Not like it would help, though. Dia thought about asking her family for help, now that Ruler Umbra was now a thing of the past, but her instincts told her that staying incognito was the best thing she could do right now. While her father definitely knew her current location, thanks to her aunt, this was typically the limit in which secrets could be kept. If she pushed her luck and asked for reinforcements, things would probably devolve really quickly.


    ¡°¡­identifying the target¡¯s remaining skills is our top priority,¡± Schwarz continued. ¡°We¡¯ll also need to conduct reconnaissance against the enemy forces, and most importantly, discover the strength of our target.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be very dangerous, though,¡± Risti noted. ¡°For someone to be this confident, I¡¯m sure that person is prepared for attempts like these.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Throwing us off is the most basic step,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°How would he or she throw us off?¡± Farah asked, curious. Schwarz looked at the countess, and then nodded once.


    ¡°Long ago, Claud told me about some methods. One of the most obvious methods is using the same skillstick over and over again. If done correctly and over a long enough period of time, you can lead any observers into thinking that you have certain skills¡­which can prove deadly.¡± Schwarz paused. ¡°For instance, the observer misleads you into thinking that he only has long-ranged skills, thereby enticing you into approaching up close.¡±


    He grinned.


    ¡°And when you get up close,¡± Risti continued, ¡°he unleashed six close-range skills designed to seal an assailant¡¯s movement and cuts down the fool instantly. Things like that. It¡¯s easy, really. The best way to make people believe in mistakes is to let them reach those mistaken conclusions themselves.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Dia took one look at the in-sync fellows, and then shook her head. It was scary watching those two bond together over things like killing other people and tricking other people to get them into a better position to be killed.


    She turned to Nero, who was nodding enthusiastically, and then rubbed her head. How did she forget? The original meeting to deal with the Red God¡¯s Holy Son was led by no other than Nero himself. By the looks of it, Farah was also probably going to fall in love with such scheming, and Dia made a face. Stroking the hilt of her sword, she shook her head at those violent maniacs.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Dia interrupted, ¡°how are we going to gather information on the enemy if they¡¯re all going to hide their abilities and everything. And besides, the Dark should be moving with the target, right? We¡¯ll be hardpressed to look for the culprit.¡±


    ¡°That might not be the case,¡± Risti noted. ¡°After all, the target has Absolute Terror. If he or she moved with the Dark¡¯s armies, there¡¯s a high chance of harming their own side if an ambush occurred and the Bearer of Destiny used Absolute Terror. I¡¯m sure that person is probably alone right now.¡±


    Dia closed her eyes. She could picture a shadow moving from cover to cover, leaves rustling as the silent wall of approaching doom flitted from point to point. Rather than a human, this was a weapon of war ¡ª one that would only shine when alone and outnumbered. She couldn¡¯t help but feel some pity for Absolute Terror; even if that person truly became a god of the next era, that person would forever be alone.


    ¡°¡­Dia? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


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    Eyes turned to her as Risti uttered her name.


    ¡°I¡¯m just¡­thinking about the person who has that skill,¡± Dia replied. ¡°¡­It probably sucks, now that I think about it.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Risti tilted her head, while the others expressed their own confusion in various other methods. ¡°Why would you pity this person who¡¯s practically made for war?¡±


    ¡°Is that fact not worth pitying itself?¡± Dia asked. ¡°From what I understand, Absolute skills cannot be earned or anything. They are given. Or¡­forced. You cannot remove them, right? They are stuck with it forever, and have one less skill as a result. Think about losing two of your skills right now, stuck with one that will draw the attention of the divinities if you used it. How is that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably the qualification for divinity, though,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°The owner of Absolute Terror¡­if that person becomes a god, all who lay eyes on that person will probably die, right?¡± Dia rebutted. ¡°There won¡¯t be anyone for that person.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°The same goes for the other Bearers of Destiny. In fact, one could say that these people never had a choice to begin with.¡±


    ¡°¡­Stop trying to make me feel bad for the enemy,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°But you¡¯re right. Here¡¯s my question, though. What of it? What do you hope by bringing this up? To show that person mercy? Maybe you want to talk to that person and convince the walking embodiment of fear to turn around?¡±


    ¡°¡­No, of course not. That¡¯s na?ve.¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s just that I feel bad for that person, that¡¯s all. And all the other Bearers of Destiny. Did they get to choose their own path? Or did they follow the direction that had been lit up for them?¡±


    ¡°¡­We¡¯ll never know.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Dia let out a small sigh. ¡°Because all of them will probably be dead, save for¡­one side, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°One side, huh?¡± Nero sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. There¡¯s one more chance. If you wanted your shot at destiny but was not favoured, just fight for a spot in the Trial of Aeons.¡±


    ¡°And die to the Chromatic Lords and other high-rank folders that have been biding their time all this while?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. We¡¯ll just tough it out and be the new Chromatic Lords of the following era.¡±


    ¡°This is the Last Godsfall, though.¡± Nero shook his head. ¡°And¡­while the Trial of Aeons seem to give some advantages to the survivors of the Third Godsfall, I don¡¯t think it will be this successful. The Chromatic Lords were warned to know their place; while the monarchs of the three continents were not allowed to transcend their sixth mana circuit. Nothing happens without a reason.¡±


    ¡°¡­What are you trying to get at?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Nothing much in particular. It won¡¯t affect us, after all.¡± Nero paused. ¡°Let¡¯s return this conversation to the here and now. We¡¯ll need to harass the enemy over and over again, but the enemy is only one person. It will not be an easy job, and to make matters worse, if Absolute Terror really works based off vision, we¡¯ll all be handicapped. Nonetheless, we don¡¯t have much of a choice.¡±


    Risti raised her hand. ¡°We should all brainstorm on ways to deal with Absolute Terror first and foremost.¡±


    ¡°Natural disasters¡­how does that sound?¡± Nero asked. ¡°Go ahead, go and scare a flood or an earthquake. I¡¯m sure the Moons will oblige."


    ¡°No need to be this dramatic,¡± Risti replied. ¡°We just need to attack the target without looking at the person, right? Just lay out thousands and thousands of traps in the region between us and the enemy. Something that would¡­explode, for instance. We can poison the water and everything too.¡±


    ¡°Yeowch.¡± Farah thought about the idea for a while. ¡°But that makes sense, I suppose. We can also launch sneak attacks and then flee immediately. We can¡¯t stay after that, but if we do that enough times, the enemy will be tired and paranoid. That¡¯ll leave lots of gaps that we can exploit.¡±


    ¡°We can also use war machines,¡± Schwarz suggested. ¡°Those that hurl lots of rocks in an arc. Since it¡¯s an arc, we can bombard the enemy from behind cover really easily, and we won¡¯t even need mana to do this.¡±


    Everyone turned to look at Dia, who immediately started to think really hard. However, all the obvious ideas had been stolen, so she had to settle on the more unscrupulous methods.


    ¡°We can also do some information-gathering on the person¡¯s identity,¡± Dia suggested, after a while. ¡°Maybe find out who that person holds dear and then hold them hostage or something. Make dummies with their loved ones¡¯ face on the head or something.¡±


    The others looked at Dia, horrified looks on their face.


    ¡°What?¡± Dia replied. ¡°You guys said all the obvious ones already!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­true, but that¡¯s also way too dark.¡± Schwarz shivered.


    Dia glared at the bartender. ¡°Alright, then, smart guy. How about you think of another method, then? Don¡¯t go and reuse the old ones!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Schwarz made an odd motion with his head. ¡°I mean, that¡¯s fair, I suppose¡­¡±


    ¡°So get off my back or something. Sheesh.¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°My idea¡¯s useless anyway. It¡¯s too long. You¡¯ll need a lot of groundwork and knowledge to do all this.¡±


    The others nodded.


    ¡°Well then, we should get to work. Before we head out, though, we can swing by to see if the Moons have already issued any missions,¡± Schwarz noted. ¡°Also, I¡¯m going to inform the two lovebirds about the current situation later, so I¡¯ll leave camp for a while.¡±


    With those words, everyone got up and left.

 Chapter 449: Each their own troubles

    ¡°Nice place.¡± Schwarz looked around, and then settled a few bottles on the table.


    Claud looked at the drinks and grinned. ¡°Thanks. We never had the chance to hold a housewarming party, so I suppose this would have to do.¡±


    ¡°Still thinking about a housewarming party?¡± Lily asked, rolling her eyes. ¡°The forces of the great Dark are rolling our way, right? That¡¯s why you¡¯re here. We¡¯ll have to prepare more beds after a while¡­¡±


    The bartender clicked his tongue. ¡°Tch. I only came to deliver the actual specifics. First, the expedition at the front was completely wiped out.¡±


    Claud, who was picking up a bottle illuminated by the morning sunlight, froze. He had expected a defeat, but Schwarz¡¯s words literally meant that everyone had been killed. However, unless Lesser or Greater Half had intervened, something like this was not possible. Furthermore, if they indeed had intervened, Claud believed that he would have sensed them doing so. The fact that he hadn¡¯t¡­


    ¡°A Bearer of Destiny?¡± Lily asked, and Claud glanced at her. Indeed, that was the most likely outcome, and his eyes turned to the bartender next.


    ¡°You¡¯re fast. The name of the skill is Absolute Terror,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°What we know is that the entire expedition had died due to their hearts bursting from terror. We theorise that this ability is based around line-of-sight; all who saw the Bearer of Destiny were frightened to death.¡±


    ¡°What the heck?¡± Claud tried to visualise the scene, and it came to him really easily. A hooded person, walking across a vast field, and people falling down as their chest burst with blood. A desolate wind blew as people and Moonlit soldiers alike adorned his path forward ¡ª Claud had pegged the owner of such an ability as a guy ¡ª carrying the stench of blood.


    ¡°Yikes. The God of Heart-bursting Terror?¡± Lily muttered. ¡°That¡¯s a horrible existence.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. You two should stay here and not go out. You two are weak, after all.¡± Schwarz shook his head. ¡°You two should be bi-folders, right? I mean, it¡¯s expected, really¡­¡±


    Claud had a strange expression on his face, but he wasn¡¯t going to say anything. It was nice that Schwarz thought that way; it would serve as motivation for the others to get stronger.


    The bartender pulled out a box. ¡°Here. For you guys.¡±


    ¡°More lifestones?¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°No need.¡±


    ¡°I insist,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°No need for your ¡®no need¡¯.¡±


    ¡°No need for your ¡®no need¡¯ to my ¡®no need¡¯, thanks,¡± Claud replied, glancing at the box of mid-rank lifestones. They weren¡¯t useful to Lily, but he could still use them. However, he hadn¡¯t told the others about Crown¡¯s ability to absorb lifestones of any purity and transfer the product to him, so there was no helping it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother. I¡¯m not taking this home with me,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Just take it.¡±


    Lily placed a hand on Claud¡¯s arm, and then said, ¡°We¡¯ll buy it at the market price.¡±


    ¡°¡­Fine. But it¡¯s cheap anyway. When the Moons descended, the seals of ancient battlefields throughout the world shattered, releasing six millennia¡¯s worth of lifeforce,¡± Schwarz replied.


    Claud¡¯s vision rippled for a moment, and his mind moved towards the events of that day. After the thunderous strike from Greater Half, the Moons had descended in advance, and enormous amounts of lifeforce fell like rain. He hadn¡¯t gotten around to investigating the event, but Schwarz had cleared it up for him.


    ¡°Such a thing happened?¡± Lily asked, covering for his awkward pause.


    ¡°You must have been sleeping at that time. It was at night, after all.¡± Schwarz paused. ¡°At that time, lifeforce fell like rain. It was a beautiful, blessed sight.¡±


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    Claud nibbled his lower lip. ¡°I can imagine that sight.¡±


    ¡°Too bad it¡¯s probably never going to happen again¡­¡± The bartender shook his head and pulled out a notebook. ¡°Anyway, can I stay the night? The others are out doing missions to trap the enemy, who¡¯s probably making their way to the main camp now. Also, I wanted to ask if you had any ideas to deal with the Bearer of Destiny.¡±


    ¡°Dealing with Absolute Terror?¡± Claud bobbed his head. The moment he had heard about the enemy, his mind had started to spin, weaving a few good ideas. ¡°Well, there are a few, but depends on the enemy. For instance, we can use a mirror¡ª¡±


    ¡°We already have that. Next?¡±


    ¡°Trebuchets and other weapons that rely on rocks flying in indirect arcs. Alternatively, someone who has a fine enough Mana Control Proficiency to send curving attacks or to manipulate blasts of mana.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something I suggested,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°Traps¡­well, you mentioned that they were setting that up,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°How about this? Equip a sizable squad of people with body-sized shields that block vision, and ensure that these shields have spikes on the other side. Making use of little peeks, corner the target and spike him to death or something.¡±


    ¡°Only works if the enemy isn¡¯t a mana-folder, though,¡± Schwarz replied, scribbling something in his notebook.


    ¡°Only works if the enemy is an exhausted target,¡± Claud corrected. ¡°Just send fifty waves of twenty people each. That should work. Other than that, you can bait out Absolute Terror by sending multiple waves of enemies. After all, all skills have a time limit and a cooldown.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s one method, yes,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Claud thought for a moment. Methods that involved eye-contact were simultaneously easy and hard to deal with, but as one dug deeper and deeper, more specialised solutions were required. ¡°Get a blind folder or a folder that can fight without sight. Or use skills to kill the enemy from afar. Strike once, and then flee. Things like that.¡±


    ¡°Guerilla tactics.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so you¡¯ve thought of that, then¡­¡± Claud looked at Lily, who had an adorably thoughtful look on her face. ¡°What about you, Lily?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Her eyes brightened. ¡°Explosives! Just bury lots of explosives underground. They¡¯ll be less obvious than traps, after all. Also, we can engulf the target in smoke and then pepper the area with arrows and other ranged techniques. Alternatively, we can just burn the whole place. If the ability works on vision, we can just hide the figure of the target in smoke or fire and kill him in various ways!¡±


    ¡°¡­I see.¡±


    Lily thought about it a bit more. ¡°We can also seek to find out the identity of the target and hold his family hostage!¡±


    ¡°Great, we have a second Dia.¡± Schwarz let out a sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. Dia also thought of that idea too, but at least you had a lot of ideas before that.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lily shrugged. ¡°But it¡¯s a high-value target. All¡¯s fair in love and war, right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t take this chance to cuddle up to Claud when you say that,¡± Schwarz replied, annoyed. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s it, I suppose. I think I¡¯ll have a few good ideas.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Claud added, ¡°the best way is to take the target by complete surprise. If you have an unparalleled assassin¡­that¡¯ll do. Or use a skill that has a trapping ability and trap him there for ever. That¡¯ll work too.¡±


    ¡°How many people do you think have trapping skills?¡±


    ¡°Quite a few, I suppose?¡± Claud replied. ¡°I mean, the Moons control the whole of Istrel. Even if they can¡¯t kill the target, the population is large enough that they should be able to find ninety-six people with trapping abilities that create an opaque barrier or something. Or just use a barrier artefact.¡±


    ¡°¡­Why ninety-six?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Well, most skills last for thirty minutes, right?¡± Claud asked. ¡°So forty-eight for one day, and then double that to account for level 0 skills. Done.¡±


    ¡°You¡­make it sound easy. But skills can be broken with strength.¡±


    ¡°So they can,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But it¡¯s just an example, right? And how many times can the target exert his strength? Ninety-six isn¡¯t enough? Then triple that. Make it a nice number. Five hundred. His mana can¡¯t hold out forever.¡±


    ¡°Five hundred to hold down a Bearer of Destiny¡­¡±


    ¡°A really good deal, in my opinion. Of course,¡± Claud continued, ¡°I recommend getting a full army to help out once the target is controlled, and they should all be looking away or something where possible. One can prepare a second and third army to act if the enemy breaks out and uses Absolute Terror.¡±


    Schwarz continued to scribble his words down.


    ¡°I suppose this is a good argument for all soldiers in an army to have a trapping skill that creates an opaque prison.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Such an army can probably trap key targets and prevent them from harming anyone. Even if they don¡¯t have many or any mana circuits.¡±


    Schwarz nodded. ¡°Alright, that was actually really useful.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Claud drawled. ¡°In that case, do you mind pulling out a few more bottles? I¡¯m sure the two of us can enjoy them well.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Fine.¡± Schwarz pulled out more bottles from nowhere. ¡°I¡¯m going to stay the night. That fine with you?¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    ¡°Great¡­now, is there a bar in this town?¡±


    Claud smiled. Even with the threat of a Bearer of Destiny, Schwarz was still Schwarz. ¡°Yeah. We can all go out for some food later.¡±

 Chapter 450: Catching up

    The afternoon sun smiled as Claud, Lily and Schwarz ventured out into Monsville. Unfortunately, Claud and Lily hadn¡¯t stayed here for long when they first arrived in Nihila; they brought a house and ran to a county afterwards. Of course, their identities were the real deal and this house turned out to be of great use in the end, but it was undeniable that this house had been an impulse purchase of sorts.


    Not like Claud cared, though. The two of them had a lot of money, after all.


    Lily¡¯s hand in his, the two of them leaned against each other as they walked, occasionally drawing a peeved sigh from Schwarz, who was tagging along in the hopes of encountering a brew he hadn¡¯t drank before. While the chance of that happening was substantially unlikely, Schwarz was Schwarz; even if the drink was made of actual piss, he would drink it once to analyse it, and then dump the rest on the maker¡¯s face.


    The duo looked up and smiled, drawing another groan from Schwarz.


    ¡°What?¡± Claud turned around and asked. ¡°We aren¡¯t exchanging any words, so why are you groaning?¡±


    ¡°My stomach hurts,¡± the bartender replied.


    ¡°I see. Maybe we should go back, then,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Not that bad enough.¡± Schwarz cleared his throat. ¡°Anyway, you two really are inseparable now, huh?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much. You have an issue?¡± Lily asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.


    ¡°Just wondering how this asshat managed to move your heart, that¡¯s all,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I mean, he definitely did follow you around for your revenge, but¡­that¡¯s it?¡±


    Lily¡¯s face flickered once. ¡°It would be too shallow if that was it, though¡­but I¡¯m not telling you anything! I¡¯ll blush. And he¡¯ll start blushing too.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll die of jealousy, hmm?¡± The bartender sighed. ¡°Figured.¡±


    He took a deep breath. ¡°What are your plans, given the incoming attack?¡±


    ¡°Fortify the little house and make sure that you guys can live in it if something horrible happens to the base,¡± Claud replied. ¡°The house...well, we can make more guest rooms or some¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve gotten used to living in a base of barriers, so there¡¯s no need to go that far,¡± Schwarz cut in.


    ¡°Used to?¡± Lily echoed. ¡°What? I mean, you only live in a base of barriers when you¡¯re exploring or outside, like what we did when we went to the Celestia Ruins.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we did when we went to the ancient battlefield,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°To harvest prana jade.¡±


    Prana jade wasn¡¯t useful to Claud, since it was only an alternative to the pure-ranked lifestone. Claud himself could use any lifestones, and the Pure-Life Gems were given to Lily. Crown was really awesome when it came to increasing their strength, and it also didn¡¯t help that low-ranked lifestones were really cheaply sold now.


    His pocket stirred as Claud¡¯s thoughts wandered over to Crown and company, but the little shapes soon fell asleep once more after he patted his right pocket gently.


    ¡°I see.¡± Lily bobbed her head. ¡°Were there any dangers?¡±


    ¡°There were a few, but Nero took care of all of them. We just needed to listen to his orders,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°It was quite fun, though. Like an outdoor camping trip or something. We built a nice house of barriers, made a pit and started a fire¡­¡±


    ¡°Outdoor camping trips are dangerous,¡± Claud stated.


    ¡°Not if you¡¯re a folder,¡± Schwarz answered. ¡°We hunted animals easily and everything. And besides, nothing really, really big had happened up until that point. The darkened animals had been driven away or killed by the Moons, and we were taking the chance to delay our conscription for as long as possible.¡±


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    Claud really wanted to ask what happened back then, but he had a feeling that the whole story would take days to explain, and Schwarz didn¡¯t have time for that.


    Neither did the two of them, for that matter.


    Therefore, he would have to settle for the right questions, or at least the interesting ones.


    ¡°Right,¡± said Lily, ¡°did you get together with any of the others while Claud was away? Or at least get to know them better?¡±


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s not the time to talk about romance, especially in trying times¡ªcan you not look at me that way, Claud?¡± Schwarz shot a glare at Claud, who was recalling a very interesting incident that happened long before the formation of the Moon Lords.


    ¡°What¡¯s with that expression?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°¡­Schwarz will hit me if I tell you now,¡± Claud replied. ¡°So no.¡±


    ¡°Aww¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just couple speak for ¡®I¡¯ll tell you when he goes back¡¯, right?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Damn it. Anyway, like I said, they¡¯re all good people. The problem is me, alright?¡±


    Claud looked at Schwarz and felt sad for his bosom buddy. ¡°You¡­are still clinging on to that? You know full well that it¡¯s not you. It¡¯s just that you two weren¡¯t compatible, that¡¯s all. Have you not moved on yet?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve watched thousands of people try to move on,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°And all of them ended tearing themselves apart. Look. Thinking about ¡®what could have been¡¯ is painful. Might as well just¡­¡±


    ¡°Just what?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Wait for her to pass on?¡±


    ¡°Shut it, Claud.¡± Schwarz looked at him. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it on my own. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m almost over it. After all, the ladies are¡­really good people, after all. I don¡¯t know, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll get over it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Claud nodded. ¡°Good to hear.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t¡­push things, alright? I know you two are worried about me, especially since this is a time when supporting and being supported is important, but I¡¯m still¡­not over it yet.¡± Schwarz paused. ¡°Heh. Go and tell Lily about what happened to me after I go back to camp. But don¡¯t tell anyone else, get it?¡±


    ¡°Roger,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°This is what happens when you have a very nosy friend, I suppose¡­but thanks.¡± Schwarz flashed a small, fatigued smile at him.


    Claud looked at the bartender, and then patted his shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it a secret,¡± Lily added quietly.


    ¡°I know you will,¡± Schwarz replied, before slapping his cheeks lightly. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t worry about me much, guys. Besides, there¡¯s things we need to think about¡­incidentally, are you guys going to the Celestia Ruins again?¡±


    ¡°The Celestia Ruins?¡± Claud¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°We wanted to, but it seems that Greater Half is busy analysing the place.¡±


    ¡°¡­What? What half?¡±


    ¡°Greater Half.¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°Uh, the two divinities of the great Dark are called Greater Half and Lesser Half. Lesser Half is currently in Lostfon County and dictating the war from there.¡±


    He also happens to like holding social gatherings, much like a certain Moon, and he also likes sending messages via a weird card of sorts, Claud added in his mind. Of course, saying this out loud was probably going to result in a few problems, so he could only utter them in his head, but he still felt proud nonetheless.


    Claud shook himself mentally a moment later. This was decidedly a dangerous attitude ¡ª gloating was for half-baked villains who were asking to be taken down one chapter later ¡ª and he had to rectify that.


    ¡°Halves, huh?¡± Schwarz¡¯s face flickered with a myriad of emotions, before shaking his head. ¡°Must be nice to have a destined half.¡±


    ¡°¡­What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Like an arrangement of destiny, I suppose. Or a prearranged marriage, for nobles. No need to court the other party. Just have it laid out¡­yeah, I know. It¡¯s me being pathetic.¡±


    ¡°¡­Being human,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I once thought that way, you know. I didn¡¯t know how to make friends or anything before I joined the Moon Lords. Without the arrangement of looking like Princess Dia¡­I would have been alone up until now.¡±


    She paused. ¡°In a sense, she helped me meet the Moon Lords and Claud.¡±


    ¡°I like how you specified me¡­but you¡¯re right, now that I think about it. If you didn¡¯t look like her double back then, Dia and the others wouldn¡¯t have grouped up with you, right? Or are less likely to.¡±


    ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t have been part of the Moon Lords.¡±


    ¡°And we wouldn¡¯t have met.¡±


    The bartender sniggered. ¡°So, the princess was the matchmaker, eh? I suppose that¡¯s another reason to help her.¡±


    ¡°We also want to help Princess Dia,¡± Claud replied, ¡°but she¡¯s even better at me than hiding.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. She¡¯s vanished off the face of the world,¡± Lily complained. ¡°How are we supposed to help her if she doesn¡¯t even show up?¡±


    The three of them laughed.


    ¡°Poor Dia. Her master¡¯s gone into hiding, and we can¡¯t even help her.¡± Claud¡¯s smile vanished a moment later. ¡°But if we help her¡­would Dia go back home?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be for the best if she goes back home, I suppose,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°I mean, she was never like us to begin with. I suspect she misses her home too. The princess¡¯ family was like her own, after all. She definitely misses them too.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can help her find her family or something,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Now?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Of all times? Destiny is upon us, and we¡¯re going to look for a missing princess?¡±


    ¡°¡­Good point.¡±


    ¡°The Trial of Aeons is approaching, and the world¡¯s going to be flipped. Let¡¯s just hunker down for now first,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°We can deal with the rest after the dust settles.¡±


    Claud looked at the bartender and shook his head. Easy for you to say¡­

 Chapter 451: Laying traps

    Dia¡¯s blade whipped out, sending out one last wave of light that churned up the dirt randomly. A moment later, the Moonlit soldiers behind her filled up the gully with sharp objects, spreading out rapidly to create a nasty trap that would slow down unaware enemies. At the same time, some Moonlit soldiers buried some weird balls in the ground ¡ª they would explode when remotely triggered with some mana.


    She wiped a bead of sweat off as the entire approach towards the Moons¡¯ base camp turned into a corridor of death. Behind her, within hastily erected fortress walls, were multiple onagers and catapults that had been calibrated to fire off rocks that would land in roughly the same spot all the time. At the same time, hundreds of shield soldiers ¡ª Moonlit soldiers, naturally ¡ª were holding on to spiked shields and training to move in formation.


    They would be clad in thick, mana-resistant armour when the Bearer of Destiny actually came by, just to make them more threatening. In addition, other than the ideas that Schwarz had brought back two days ago, the Moons had also reconvened to think up of even more countermeasures to Absolute Terror, who was only five days away.


    ¡°We¡¯re done here,¡± Dia muttered, clearing her thoughts with a shake of her head.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± The Moonlit soldiers behind her saluted once.


    ¡°You are welcome.¡± Dia looked at the vast, booby-trapped field. Automatons, hidden weapons and explosives waiting to be triggered lay hidden in the entire place, and a huge, opaque barrier had been tested a few times too. In addition, countermeasures against noise had been prepared, just in case Absolute Terror used sound as a medium too.


    At any rate, the Moons were going all out against the enemy.


    Wiping a bead of sweat, Dia looked at the deadly field that everyone had to cross, before returning back to the base. On the way back, she came across Risti, who was at the fountain of freebies.


    Dia brightened up and walked over to Risti, who was hesitating over something.


    ¡°Oh, hey.¡± Risti glanced at her. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Waiting for you to make this thing shoot out some bright lights,¡± Dia replied. ¡°You seem a bit hesitant, though. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m wondering if I should go for this week¡¯s rewards,¡± Risti replied. ¡°They¡¯re all barrier artefacts. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s worth it or not.¡±


    ¡°Probably in light of the approaching VIP, right?¡± Dia replied. ¡°Anyway, your choice. I¡¯m not going to say anything and influence your choice by accident. Your missions, your responsibility!¡±


    ¡°Can you not say that in such a spirited manner?¡± Risti muttered unhappily. ¡°Thanks for all the pressure, bub. Do you do that to the princess too?¡±


    ¡°She can hope,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Anyway, I, on a personal basis, would like to have more swords. Or a training buddy who¡¯s actually competent in sword play. Unfortunately, the latter is unlikely to ever show up¡­I¡¯m just going to depress myself at this rate, right? Anyway, I¡¯ll make a move first.¡±


    ¡°I thought you wanted to watch?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°That thought alone can influence you, so nope. I¡¯ll go back and discuss some things with the others,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Risti looked at the fountain once, and then skipped over to Dia. ¡°I¡¯ll go back with you. I¡¯ll think about those wishes later. I¡¯m a bit indecisive now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s surprising.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know.¡± Risti grinned. ¡°But it¡¯s rare that I get to indulge in being indecisive, so why not? My childhood was full of decisions, and this theme has never once abated even in adulthood.¡±


    ¡°Your childhood¡­what¡¯s your childhood like?¡± Dia asked, thinking about Risti. Her father was a bigshot; the President of the Folders¡¯ Association, a group that governed all folders¡­supposedly, anyway. The Seekers of Life had never received a visit from the Folders¡¯ Association before, despite everyone being a folder. Risti had told them some time ago that the Association was too busy with the ongoing events to actually carry out its original mission, but¡­


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    She had said nothing about her father.


    What about her mother?


    There were still many things that Dia didn¡¯t know about Risti.


    ¡°My childhood?¡± Risti thought about it for a moment. ¡°I thought I said it before. Well, I basically followed my father around and learned as he handled a bunch of stuff.¡±


    ¡°What stuff?¡± Dia asked.


    Risti eyed her once, and then let out a sigh. ¡°Well, for instance, signing documents, visiting important people and killing rogue folders.¡±


    ¡°¡­One of them is not like the others, though?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Documents were very relaxing. Dad had me sitting on a baby chair on or on his shoulder back then. No need to exert any force. When he got tired, he would hand me a stamp and get me to sign off on some papers. It was fun.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t quite the answer that Dia was expecting, but¡­okay. At any rate, she somewhat understood why Risti was so used to administrative stuff like Farah and Schwarz; she had been conditioned to find the fun in chopping papers, apparently. Smiling faintly at her mental image of a little Risti waving a stamp and smacking it around with a glorious joy on her face.


    ¡°¡­And now?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Are you¡­not going to return home?¡±


    ¡°Dad¡¯s gone into secluded mediation,¡± Risti replied. ¡°He told me that I was doing good, and that he expected more from the Seekers of Life.¡±


    ¡°You contacted him recently?¡± Dia asked, curious.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Risti didn¡¯t elaborate on how, but Dia was more than happy to see a peaceful expression on her face. ¡°He¡¯s aiming for heights that only folders born in this era can hope to achieve.¡±


    ¡°¡­The Trial of Aeons.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Risti tried to smile, but Dia could see that the effort involved in trying to do so was something she couldn¡¯t quite muster. It was quite shocking to see Risti¡¯s expression alternate from one extreme end to another, but¡­it wasn¡¯t like those emotions were completely exclusive either.


    ¡°His goal, huh? Or rather, his long-cherished wish.¡± Dia looked at her friend. ¡°Right?¡±


    Risti bobbed her head once. ¡°He always wanted to transcend his limits. Now, with the Fourth¡­the Last Godsfall, Dad¡¯s not going to hold back. He entered the Third Tutorial not too long ago. With thousands and thousands of lifestones and prana jades, he¡¯ll push up his strength to as high as possible before the Trial of Aeons commences.¡±


    ¡°Dangerous.¡±


    ¡°He knows.¡± Risti¡¯s face flickered. ¡°But to him, it¡¯s all worth it. If he became a god, he could do anything, right? He could reach into the river of time, for instance. Bring back someone he lost.¡±


    ¡°¡­I see.¡± Dia looked down at her hands. ¡°I too, if given the choice, would probably do the same.¡±


    ¡°The Trial of Aeons is a rallying cry for the Bearers of Destiny and those who seek strength at all costs,¡± Risti replied. ¡°If you want to make it past the Fourth Godsfall with the best possible position, one must join the Trial of Aeons. It¡¯s a shame that no one knows what the Trials actually consist of.¡±


    ¡°It might be a trap,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°But Dad¡¯s never going to back down. Even if Emperor Grandis is his enemy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure a good number of nobles will enter the Trial anyway,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Most of them are probably going to die there too. Imagine if Absolute Terror simply used his skill on the day everyone started the Trial. Problem solved, right? Even if it¡¯s not Absolute Terror, the other Absolute skills can¡¯t be anything to sneeze at either.¡±


    ¡°We should investigate these skills, huh?¡±


    To her relief, Risti seemed to be distracted by her words. Nodding, she said, ¡°We should, I suppose. I can send my findings to Dad when the Trial begins or something, and he¡¯ll be able to benefit from it.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Dia replied. ¡°I¡¯m sure this will be very useful for us all too. An investigation into the Absolute skills¡­I¡¯m sure we can ask the Blue Moon for some hints. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem, right?¡±


    ¡°We?¡±


    ¡°¡­I?¡± Dia paused. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll summon me at some point in time again. I¡¯ll make sure to ask that question the next time around.¡±


    ¡°Not many people¡­mortals speak to the divinities with such ease, alright?¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°You might be the only person in this era to converse with a divinity and eat food with them too.¡±


    Dia laughed. ¡°I guess I broke a record or two, then! Hmm. Right. I just finished setting up the huge path of death for the Bearer of Destiny and the armies of the great Dark that are undoubtedly headed back here.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°One thing, though¡­how long does the Second Tutorial take?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Normally?¡± Risti¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Usually around a day or two¡­assuming you pass. If you have issues, you can take weeks or even months to awaken.¡±


    ¡°What exactly¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s specific to your own traumas,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Your own fears, your own regrets. What could have been. Things like that. It¡¯s hard to say if you would pass the trial or not; it¡¯s an examination of the self.¡±


    ¡°Complicated.¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± Risti stopped in front of their little base. ¡°If you¡¯re wondering if you should take the Second Tutorial now¡­why not give it some time first? Maybe dealing with Absolute Terror might give you some hints here and there.¡±


    Dia thought about her words for a moment. ¡°Like tempering my mentality?¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll think about it.¡±

 Chapter 452: Prelude to madness

    ¡°Oh hey, you guys are back.¡± Schwarz glanced up from a map. ¡°And I see you didn¡¯t get anything after all, Risti.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame me. This week¡¯s items would have delighted Claud, but I don¡¯t think I need a hundred and fifty barriers,¡± Risti replied. ¡°It would be nice if the rewards for this week were spying artefacts, but I suppose the Moons won¡¯t ever need something like that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very optimistic outlook on things, considering that the Moons haven¡¯t located all the hostile Bearers of Destiny yet. And Tot. Especially Tot.¡± Schwarz shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sure they can¡¯t see everything just yet.¡±


    ¡°True¡­or maybe it¡¯s because they lack surveillance artefacts that they can¡¯t find Tot!¡± Risti clapped her hands. ¡°Ah ha. That¡¯s something, right?¡±


    ¡°Possible, true¡­¡±


    Dia rolled her eyes. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Me and Miss Spy here were looking at the tactical map when she decided to go and check out the wishing-slash-shooting star fountain,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°So I decided to take a break and make some drinks instead, and then I noticed a small mountain that was represented on the tactical map as a wine glass.¡±


    ¡°You know, normally, when you say relax, I think of drinking,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Not making drinks.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost the same thing.¡± Schwarz glanced at the map once more. ¡°Anyway, if you¡¯re here, it means that you¡¯re done turning the only approach into a death trap, then.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°Death trap completed. And it¡¯s not enough, apparently. On my way back, I saw the Moonlit soldiers training to use normal catapults and other siege weapons. It¡¯s somewhat funny to see them use those normal weapons, considering that they¡¯re all one-folders and all.¡±


    ¡°That just shows that the Moons feel threatened by Absolute Terror,¡± Schwarz replied.


    Risti walked over to the map. ¡°I believe any of the Absolute skills can threaten the divinities. It¡¯s not just Absolute Terror. Something like Absolute Domination¡­I¡¯m reasonably certain that the gods and divinities can be enslaved by it too.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s that good¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, at least the owner died, so that¡¯s that.¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°I wonder what skills are left, though.¡±


    The three of them mulled over this depressing topic for a while, and in the silence, Dia couldn¡¯t help but feel a little resentful. After all, the owner of Absolute Domination had been part of the Moons¡¯ faction too. If that idiot hadn¡¯t misused his skill or something, maybe today¡¯s scenario wouldn¡¯t have occurred.


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of emotions loaded into that one sigh,¡± Schwarz noted. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Just pissed off. Tot really hates the Moons, doesn¡¯t he? Damnit. He killed off two of their Bearers! And the last one¡¯s just cowering or something now. Gah.¡±


    She veneered off into spouting incomprehensible stuff for the next few minutes, as her subconscious mind turned into a baby. Dia really, really didn¡¯t like starting off on such an unfair footing ¡ª the faction she had joined had been screwed over from the start, and it wasn¡¯t like she could actually choose the Dark or the Coloured Gods. After all, even the Holy Son of the Black God had been roped onto this blasted pirate ship.


    The only saving grace was that they were just contractually bound to do some work and nothing else. If push came to shove, running was definitely on the cards, although Dia couldn¡¯t imagine the Moons being happy with their actions.


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Schwarz let out a sigh. ¡°Anyway, bad news. The first scouts of the great Dark just showed up at the periphery.¡±


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    He pointed at the map.


    This map was something that he had obtained from the Fountain of Rewards. It fell with a golden light too, and its extraordinary bearing was matched with its abilities. The Mastermind¡¯s Map automatically generated the surrounding five kilometres all around its current location, and marked out all lifeforms within. It was like Risti¡¯s Skyward Eye, but it was very specialised in that it indicated the allegiances of people who showed up.


    The entire camp showed up as ¡®Moonlit¡¯, while a small dot that said ¡®Black God¡¯ could be found in the middle of the camp ¡ª which was Nero. Those without any allegiance displayed their own names or that of Emperor Grandis¡¯, more often than not.


    At any rate, it was a very useful artefact for detecting infiltrators.


    ¡°Their scouts just showed up?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Like when we were talking?¡±


    ¡°Around there, I suppose.¡± Schwarz clicked his teeth. ¡°The main body shouldn¡¯t be too far off¡­or rather, the owner of Absolute Terror shouldn¡¯t be that far off. Here¡¯s the thing, though; they must have spotted us laying down these traps. What would they do in response? Would the Shadowed soldiers clear those traps out for the Bearer of Destiny? If so¡­¡±


    ¡°The Bearer of Destiny is probably in the middle or in the rear,¡± Risti muttered.


    ¡°I sent Farah out right before you guys returned to check on the situation,¡± Schwarz added. ¡°We should be able to tell what the Dark is intending to do once she returns.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Dia replied. ¡°What about Nero?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s there to protect her,¡± Schwarz answered. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll need to be very careful of the enemy. I¡¯m sure his Absolute skill has evolved a few times. And while devastating, the fact that we need to see him to be affected seems like a glaring, obvious weakness.¡±


    ¡°True, but I¡¯m sure most of the Absolute skills have their own weaknesses to begin with. It¡¯s Absolute something, not Invincible something,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°To me, I don¡¯t really see the difference,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°But okay.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± Risti picked up a bottle. ¡°You made this during your break earlier, right? Can I have it?¡±


    ¡°Can you drink it without a problem?¡± Schwarz nodded. ¡°Not a lot of alcohol. Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°I can drink alcohol just fine, okay?¡± Risti replied. ¡°It¡¯s just that Nero¡¯s an insane alcoholic. I can handle your average drinks.¡±


    Before Schwarz could reply, the door opened again, and the two who had went out without Dia seeing them somehow ¡ª they probably missed each other due to the small interlude at the fountain ¡ª walked into the house.


    ¡°Bad news,¡± Farah announced.


    ¡°The Dark¡¯s main body of troops just arrived outside,¡± Nero added. ¡°How are the extra gifts going?¡±


    ¡°We finished turning the only viable path into a death trap,¡± Dia replied. ¡°What¡¯s the Dark doing?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re setting up camp outside,¡± Nero replied. ¡°It seems like a siege.¡±


    ¡°Any signs of Lesser Half?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Or Greater Half?¡±


    ¡°None so far,¡± Farah answered.


    Dia thought about the two divinities that collectively made up the great Dark. They didn¡¯t have any really inspiring names; according to Claud and Lily, who Schwarz had visited some time back, they were called Lesser Half and Greater Half. As for why they were called that, or why they called themselves that, the two of them didn¡¯t know, but whenever Dia heard about the Dark, this question always popped up in her head.


    What kind of whole did the two divinities make?


    ¡°Okay,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ve done what we were told to do. The Moonlit soldiers should be the ones moving now, not us. The reinforcements from Istrel are on the way anyway, so we should be¡­yeah, who am I kidding?¡±


    The bartender let out a sigh. ¡°Get ready for battle. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll finish setting up their camp a lot faster than our mortal minds can comprehend, and then they¡¯ll start assaulting this base. We either prepare to flee back to Istrel or kick their asses here. Choose one.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to commit ourselves to anything yet,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Just keep our options open.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll suck if we need to retreat, though,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°After all, there are still two lovebirds who are preparing a small fortress for us in case something happens.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but said fortress is, for us right now, deep into enemy territory,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I think they were expecting something different, like say, the Dark not pushing all the way to Quies Dukedom.¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, if we need to infiltrate enemy territory, we have a base there.¡± Schwarz shrugged. ¡°But that¡¯s all contingent on us actually making it past the next few days to begin with.¡±


    ¡°The Moons are here, and the Dark isn¡¯t. It¡¯ll be fine.¡± Nero tapped the table. ¡°In fact, Absolute Terror might have retreated.¡±


    ¡°How optimistic,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°And how do you know that the great Dark isn¡¯t at the frontlines? For all we know, they might be hiding behind a tree, waiting to jump out at the best timing.¡±


    Nero snorted. ¡°The three sides will remain untouched until the Trial of Aeons is over. I¡¯m certain of this. The five grand skies planned something this elaborate. They won¡¯t allow their plan to be screwed over because one side bowed out in advance.¡±


    ¡°You speak like they¡¯re almost human or something.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s us humans who are trying to be like them,¡± Nero replied. ¡°At any rate, the chances of one side being utterly defeated isn¡¯t going to happen¡­probably.¡±


    Dia couldn¡¯t help but note that even the Holy Son of the Black God didn¡¯t sound too sure about his own words.

 Chapter 453: The opening of the siege

    The first sign of the Dark¡¯s advance was a surging curtain of pure darkness rising from the northern horizon, and as everyone looked up from the small outpost they had been assigned to, another burst of light came from the south. Tri-coloured radiance surged forward at the same time, and like a speeding stormfront, both sides checked each other¡¯s move at the same time.


    Dia fiddled with the weapon in her hands, before looking at the small outpost, which had a Moon soldier sitting inside and checking distances. The Seekers of Life had been assigned an emergency mission; starting from the furthest outpost, they were to harry the forces of the great Dark and cause some ¡°light¡± damage by conducting what seemed like a fighting retreat from one outpost to another.


    Except that they had to be stationed at the very front first, but other than that, everything was fine.


    They had gotten here two hours ago, right when everyone gathered, and then began to familiarise themselves with these easy-to-use weapons. Dia herself didn¡¯t really think that these weapons would do that much damage against the Shadowed soldiers, but orders were orders. The Moonlit soldiers that were assisting them expressed similar doubts, but there was nothing much they could do other than to assist them in learning the weapons.


    As the sky above reflected the opening of this huge battle, Dia spied the first specks of black from the only ingress possible. ¡°They¡¯re here!¡±


    Schwarz nodded. ¡°Alright, everyone to your positions! We¡¯ll waste all the ammunition here and draw their attention!¡±


    Dia glanced at a mounted repeating crossbow that seemed to draw arrows from a huge gun, before checking the angle. At the same time, the others checked the siege weapons that were stationed on this small outpost that was destined for a blazing end, and then began to operate them.


    Her right hand operated the small crank on the side of the repeating crossbow, and flurries of brown and silver charged out of her weapon, arching into the sky.


    ¡°Raise the angle slightly,¡± the Moonlit soldier behind her advised.


    All around her, their Moonlit supporters offered their own pieces of advice to maximise damage. As for why these people themselves weren¡¯t doing the operating, a good glance at these Moonlit soldiers would make things clear ¡ª they were already dead. They could speak, but there was no interacting with them.


    Furthermore, bi-folders were generally twice as fast as one-folders, which made the Seekers of Life a more useful guerrilla group than the Moonlit soldiers.


    The five other outposts released a similar barrage of attacks as she placed a new drum of arrows into the depleted drum¡¯s position. The Moons had been crippled badly by Absolute Terror; whatever manpower that was stuck doing harassment duties were the best fighting force they could already muster up. These people, like their motley little crew, had been told to man these outposts and use them to thin out the numbers, even if it was to just put a dent or two in.


    The outlook wasn¡¯t optimistic, though. While the sheer numbers meant that aiming was pointless, it also meant that whatever they were doing wasn¡¯t probably going to do much either. If it wasn¡¯t for their contract and the fact that a new wave of reinforcements was inbound, Dia and the others would have fled long ago.


    Oh, and that the Moons wouldn¡¯t be defeated before the Trial of Aeons concluded, naturally. That said, they had to be alive ¡ª that was the most basic prerequisite.


    The first volley of arrows, rocks and other assorted items burst in mid-air as they hurtled towards the mass of approaching troops, drowned out by a burst of blue light. The next few volleys, however, started to see some effectiveness here and there, as a few objects landed into the huge mass.


    Dia, however, simply focused on turning the crank and adjusting the weapon as ordered by the ghostly spotter behind her. Drum after drum was emptied, and before long, she found herself out of arrows to shoot.


    Nero, who was using his incredible strength to toss rocks, glanced at her once. ¡°You¡¯re out too? Do you need those drums?¡±


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re going to throw them?¡± Dia asked.


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    A wooden contraption hurled a wave of small, burning stones, which knocked down the frontmost line. Farah stepped away from the weapon a moment later, and without skipping a beat, said, ¡°Can you also throw this at them?


    ¡°And my catapult too,¡± Schwarz added.


    ¡°¡­Damn you guys,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°Whatever.¡±


    Gripping the huge siege weapon Farah had been operating earlier ¡ª her spooky spotter had informed her that it was an onager ¡ª Nero spun on the spot once and hurled it in the general direction of the enemy. Blue light attempted to intercept the incoming attacks, but the ground still shook from the impact caused by that hurled onager. Nero didn¡¯t slack off either; within moments, he had hurled the other siege weapons with spinning starts, and after emptying the outpost of all its weapons, he turned to the structure itself.


    ¡°Right, this thing has explosives, right?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s the ground underneath,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°Okay, good enough. Moon guy at the top. We¡¯re going to throw this thing, so get out of the building.¡± After three seconds, in which time the Moonlit soldier perched at the top joined them in the small perimeter made of barb wire, Nero pulled out the outpost nonchalantly. Of course, she couldn¡¯t miss the faint blue sheen around the Holy Son of the Black God, but¡­


    With another spinning start, a small building hurled through the air.


    ¡°Better than leaving it behind anyway,¡± Nero replied, as dust clouds rose from the north. ¡°The enemy, once they see this building, would just attack from long-range and try to dismantle it. Might as well make good use of it.¡±


    ¡°And the enemy is unlikely to notice that this place has been rigged with explosives,¡± Schwarz muttered.


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Farah nodded. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s beat a retreat. Next outpost, then.¡±


    Halfway to the next outpost, blue light burst out from the north, and one of the frontmost outposts exploded. Like a prearranged signal, the other outposts were battered and torn down by more mana ¡ª just as what Nero said, the forces of the great Dark had simply torn down the outpost.


    Therefore, using it as a weapon was more prudent, although Nero was probably the only one who could use it that way.


    After a few more meetings of mad running, they arrived at the first fallback point. The same weapons had been set up, and everyone took no time at all in peppering the incoming army with more weapons.


    ¡°Odd,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°Their scouts should be here, right? Or are they advancing mindlessly?¡±


    ¡°Absolute Terror isn¡¯t here, and it seems that¡ª¡±


    Five distant explosions interrupted Nero¡¯s words, and an equal number of smoke columns appeared. In that instant, the Moonlit ghosts guiding Dia and the others urged them to capitalise on this moment of weakness, and everyone let out small grunts as they worked the weapons in the outpost¡¯s perimeter to the point of exhaustion.


    Before long, the stack of drums containing arrows had been depleted. Nero, however, was the first one to finish exhausting his own rocks ¡ª he had even tossed his own catapult for the heck of it ¡ª and was already eyeing Dia¡¯s now-useless weapon.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t get addicted to throwing these things, did you?¡± Dia asked, suspicious.


    ¡°Uh¡­wow, such nice weather. I¡¯ll take that, thank you very much¡­¡± Nero picked up the complex repeating crossbow. ¡°Incidentally, I didn¡¯t know that throwing these things are half as exhilarating as drinking Schwarz¡¯s strongest brews.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your unit of measurement?¡±


    ¡°My highest unit of measurement!¡± That last word coincided with the man¡ªsized crossbow cutting a beautiful arc into the sky. The approaching army¡¯s cohesion had been disrupted by the explosions and by the random things Nero had hurled, but they had reorganised really rapidly, enough to deal with something like that.


    ¡°Tch.¡± Nero looked at the sight of the flying siege weapon torn down into its constituent parts by blue light. ¡°It¡¯s too small.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, then.¡± Dia rolled her eyes. ¡°Now go and hurl the rest of the trash. Schwarz¡¯s done with his anyway.¡±


    ¡°Gladly.¡±


    As siege weapons and an outpost flew through the sky, Dia couldn¡¯t help but lament the absurdity of it all. This should have been a serious occasion, but the fact that Nero was just throwing siege weapons and buildings so nonchalantly and cracking jokes had all but dispelled any fear she had. In fact, rather than fear, Dia was now curious about the types of things Nero could hurl, especially since the base camp had lots of buildings and other things.


    Dia shook herself once as the outpost building flew through the air, and she joined the others in beating their next retreat. The area between the outpost they had just abandoned and their next point of resistance was fairly hostile. In fact, it was the area that Dia and some Moonlit soldiers had turned into a death trap for Absolute Terror, but at least it wouldn¡¯t activate while she and the others were traversing it.


    ¡°Damn.¡± Schwarz hopped over a gully, only to nearly lose balance on the next point. ¡°This place is dangerous. Can we just fly over it?¡±


    ¡°I think there¡¯s some danger if we fly, so no. Just make your way across slowly,¡± Dia replied. ¡°We have enough time, and this is the last rally point anyway.¡±


    ¡°They better have more rocks there,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°It¡¯s a bit unsatisfying.¡±


    ¡°¡­You can have my rocks,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I¡¯m not a fan of operating catapults anyway.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Nero¡¯s eyes glittered in a way that reminded Dia of a child. ¡°Wow!¡±


    ¡­It would seem that this desperate defence had turned into a fun pastime for Nero.


    Making their way to the final outpost, Dia and the others checked the siege equipment once more. Each of these things were worth a fortune, but Nero had hurled them into enemy ranks happily.


    Unbelievable¡­but again, the outpost would explode, so it didn¡¯t really matter.


    Her heart, however, didn¡¯t care about that little fact.

 Chapter 454: Ebb and Flow

    Explosions began in earnest as the army of Shadowed soldiers stepped into the modified path. Not only were there barbs and other sharp objects placed irregularly into the messed-up road, the Moonlit soldiers that were following Dia earlier had buried explosives and other things underneath.


    All these were plans that had been brought back by Schwarz after visiting Claud, although he didn¡¯t make it explicit about which plans were whose. This aside, however, Dia could see that the rate of advance had visibly slowed, which was why this outpost had lots of ammunition¡­and an entire army joining them.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t used much mana yet,¡± Dia muttered, cranking the repeating crossbow and letting loose a torrent of arrows. Around her were nineteen other Moonlit soldiers, who were also operating similar devices and pouring fire down happily.


    Rocks flew past their head every so often, but the poster boy for hurling rocks was no other than Nero, who was making happy noises as he hurled one rock with one twirl each. It was¡­a comical sight, to put it nicely, but for all that firepower, the Dark was responding remarkably well.


    Instead of forging onwards foolishly, the unending sea of troops had simply responded by blasting the ground in front of them. Not only did this have the effect of flattening the terrain, it also helped to detonate the buried explosives. Sure, it didn¡¯t reduce the numbers directly, but this hostile terrain meant that the enemies had to withstand the combined assault of a siege army while demolishing the path in front of them.


    After around five minutes, someone within the Dark¡¯s army had enough of the bombardment, and a blue screen rippled into existence. Rocks shattered and arrows bounced off the defence, which lasted for three seconds before three piercing lances of mana hammered into the screen, shattering it entirely. The existence between the barrier, however, simply conjured another, and for a time, the tug of war between erecting a barrier and destroying it continued back and forth.


    ¡°Ah, I see why we¡¯re using indirect weapons now,¡± Dia muttered. The lance of light wouldn¡¯t have been able to hit the enemy army directly, since they were still below the horizon, but the weapons here allowed them to pepper the enemy with attacks without any risk of retaliation.


    ¡°It¡¯s useful, yes,¡± Risti replied. ¡°It¡¯s hard to make mana projectiles that do the same thing, because mana itself doesn¡¯t seem to obey gravity or something. If they do, the effect gravity has on mana itself seems to be very weak, so much so that it¡¯s completely useless.¡±


    Dia, who had learned something new about mana today, nodded like a little chick pecking on grains. ¡°So there¡¯s still a use for normal weapons.¡±


    ¡°Essentially.¡± Risti¡¯s eyes flickered. ¡°Normal people aren¡¯t completely useless in a war like this, and more cannon fodder is always welcome.¡±


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s wrong?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Now that the Moons have seen the effectiveness of mortal weapons, they¡¯ll just conscript the normal people in Istrel. As for the issues that may arise from that, go figure it out yourself. However, once all this is over and the enemy is beaten back, I bet they¡¯ll start pulling in normal people.¡±


    ¡°As cannon fodder.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The Moons are brilliant beings. While otherworldly in thought and cognition, they are no fools,¡± Risti replied. ¡°They¡¯ll definitely think of getting normal people to do the less strenuous things like operating war engines.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    Her arm continued to crank the damn thing over and over again, and another drum popped out after running dry. Before she could reach out for a new drum of arrows, the Moonlit soldier behind her had fitted another in ¡ª everyone doing the firing had their own assistant.


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    Which begged the question of why the Seekers of Life had to do this even in the final few outposts, but Dia wasn¡¯t going to complain much. After all, this meant that they needed to do less when the enemies finally came in range, and¡ª


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m out again.¡±


    Explosions rang out over and over again, but this time, they had some odd cadence to it. From the rapid rhythm, Dia could roughly tell that the enemy had adopted some rotation system to make clearing the path a lot faster. Unfortunately, the Dark¡¯s construction of barriers meant that there were lower windows of opportunity to actually do damage, even though they were taken down almost immediately.


    ¡°We should retreat in full order instead,¡± Nero suggested. ¡°Dismantle the outposts, bring back the weapons and place them in the depths of the camp. We¡¯ll be able to reuse these ones if we act now.¡±


    His words were directed at a motionless Moon Emissary, who glanced at them once. This particular Emissary was apparently the caretaker of this short-lived fortress, but Dia did not know what other purposes he served. Whatever the case, though, this Emissary was more than capable of communicating with the Moons, and after a while, he said, ¡°Pack up and retreat.¡±


    Nero grinned. ¡°Been waiting to hear that.¡±


    His left leg gleamed with blue light as he stamped onto the ground, and rocks flew. Whirling on the spot, he kicked the airborne rocks with a roundhouse kick, turning them into deadly fragments that flew in a near-vertical arc.


    ¡°¡­Uh, did you miss?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Dude, you suck.¡±


    ¡°Give it a moment¡­¡± Nero watched as the Moonlit soldiers dismantled the outpost. ¡°Give it a moment¡­¡±


    After one minute or so, piercing whistles filled the air. Dia, who was uprooting a particularly tenacious repeating crossbow, glanced upwards. There, in the sky, were numerous flaming streaks that were plunging down in the general direction of the great Dark¡¯s armies.


    Crossing the distance in an instance, they plunged into some place beyond the horizon, and dust clouds burst out in unprecedented volume. Nero, who had a refreshed expression, said, ¡°See? Aren¡¯t they great?¡±


    ¡°That sure took quite some time, though,¡± Schwarz muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯m a genius, and don¡¯t you ever forget it.¡± Nero picked up his catapult and lifted it above his head. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go back to the base.¡±


    As the Moonlit troops retreated with the Seekers of Life and a few other mercenaries, the first hints of enemy troops appeared on the horizon. Immediately afterwards, jets of blue light surged forward, closing in on Dia and the others with an alarming speed.


    Before Dia could brace for impact, thick barriers had popped up, blocking the opening salvo of mana. At the same time, Dia felt her body become lighter, and everyone¡¯s ability to flee stylishly shot up. With a solid wall of blue light behind them, they fled into the distance, and before long, the enemy forces had vanished underneath the horizon again.


    There was only so many times they could do that, though.


    ¡°Scratch that, it¡¯s the last one,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°What¡¯s the last one?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Just talking to myself, don¡¯t mind me.¡± Dia looked at the welcoming walls of the base camp. The harassment action had been very successful, in her opinion, but the enemy numbers were too high. Still, if there were so many enemies, Absolute Terror probably wasn¡¯t in the crowd, right?


    Otherwise, there would be a lot of friendlies dead upon activation. In other words, the Moons could definitely act personally and take out the army here.


    That had its own dangers, of course, but¡­


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Dia asked, looking around the camp. The Moonlit soldiers had all scurried away, and the Moon Emissary that had been presiding over their outpost had vanished. She could see the five other mercenary groups that had been late or joined the Moons after the expedition began do the same thing, but no one was familiar enough with the other teams that they could¡ª


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Spotted some familiar faces,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°You can peddle your drinks later.¡± Farah let out a sigh. ¡°And gather intelligence after this. For now, it¡¯s best if we stick together. The Moons will remember us in a moment or so, and we¡¯ll be doing something agai¡ª¡±


    Thunderous roars cut off her words, and Dia covered her ears as black waves of energy tore through the path that she had spent a few hours to wreck. Tri-coloured light responded a heartbeat later, evaporating the river of shadow, but the damage had been done.


    The terrain between the Moons¡¯ base and the Dark¡¯s army had been completely covered over by what seemed to be solid stone. Dia, however, could tell that the black wave¡¯s purpose was to change loose, uneven and booby-trapped soil into a straight, seamless path to facilitate a direct charge.


    Ground began to shake as that thought flickered through her mind, and the black tide that had gathered around the horizon began to move forward at unprecedented speeds.


    ¡°Oh dear.¡± Schwarz looked around. ¡°Still no orders yet?¡±


    ¡°None. We should prepare to flee,¡± Farah muttered. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like dying here.¡±


    ¡°We should be careful, I suppose.¡± Nero narrowed his eyes. ¡°But destiny is destiny¡­¡±


    Dia tilted her head at those words, but the Holy Son of the Black God didn¡¯t elaborate.

 Chapter 455: Push and Pull

    The strategic arrangements of the battle that followed weren¡¯t something that the Seekers of Life and the other mercenaries in attendance could see through. The small contingents of Moonlit soldiers, along with the heavy support by more Moonlit troops stationed within the base itself, inflicted increasingly heavy casualties as the enemies charged.


    Dia and the others sat on a building¡¯s rooftop, watching intently as the battle continued to play out.


    ¡°The Dark¡¯s forces aren¡¯t responding with their own ranged attacks in order to close the distance,¡± Farah analysed calmly. ¡°It seems that they are prioritising a melee battle where their numbers can be put to far greater use¡­¡±


    ¡°And also because the Dark didn¡¯t bring much in the way of ranged support,¡± Dia muttered. It was fairly evident after a while; the only ranged attacks that the Dark could bring out were very strong ones. These attacks were the ones that had demolished the first outposts ¡ª the ones that Nero weren¡¯t at, anyway ¡ª but other than that, there were very few instances of their main body attacking with mana from long range.


    Part of that was definitely because most of the troops involved in this battle had only one mana circuit. The volume of mana pouring out from the Moonlit troops could be attributed to the weird weapons a few contingents were holding, and it also didn¡¯t help that mortal siege engines were being employed liberally.


    Thunderclaps exploded in her ears as the stronger combatants of both sides exchanged blows in the skies, their every strike digging up ravines. The Dark¡¯s ground army, however, bore the most damage ¡ª the Moons had erected some ¡°weak¡± barriers to prevent any collateral damage to their own people.


    Bodies began to fall.


    ¡°And we¡¯re all just standing around and doing absolutely nothing, as ordered by the Moons,¡± Schwarz muttered.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped,¡± Dia replied, thinking about the irregular order for all mercenaries to not move on their spot. For some reason, the Moons had no intention of letting them and the other mercenaries to join the battle. Instead, they were to not do anything, and the prickling sensation at the back of her neck was enough to convince her that standing still was the best thing to do.


    Her instincts were warning her, after all. That prickly sensation was a sign that someone incredible was targeting her, and by the nervous looks on the others¡¯ face, they probably felt the same thing too. The only thing they could do was to stand here and provide commentary on the battle for some absurd reason.


    ¡°Maybe the Moons thought that there was a traitor or something?¡± Schwarz suggested. ¡°I mean, the circumstances in which the expedition was wiped out was far too suspicious, and some of the mercenaries here did make it out of that disaster alive.¡±


    Dia thought about the scene she had seen back when the Blue Moon was trying to feed her for some reason, and then nodded. The Moons themselves seemed to be unaware of the exact circumstances in which their expedition had been crushed. All she had seen was vast fields of dead bodies with shattered chests, and the Blue Moon¡¯s words about how someone had scared the entire army to death.


    However, while theoretically possible, everyone had agreed that there should still be a lot more survivors. After all, the issues with sight-based skills were very evident; in an army, save for the foremost ranks, the ones at the middle and rear wouldn¡¯t have been able to see anything other than their fellow soldiers. Yet, nearly the entire force had been wiped out.


    Were there spies?


    ¡°Well, we did say that for a single Absolute Terror to wipe out an entire force did sound unrealistic,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°Unless, of course, Absolute Terror didn¡¯t show up in front of the advancing army, but within it.¡±


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    ¡°Which would probably require a spy, right? Or a lot of luck,¡± Schwarz replied, repeating the same talking points everyone had been waving around regarding the defeat. It was, like many other stories, something that was as murky as the legend of Tot. Even the sharpest sword of wisdom wouldn¡¯t be able to tear out the truth in any reasonable amount of time.


    ¡°The Moons definitely know more than what they told Dia, though,¡± Nero pointed out. ¡°And it was us who assumed a lot of things.¡±


    In their countermeasures against Absolute Terror, the Seekers of Life had made quite a few assumptions. This was now the time to see if these assumptions still held true, though.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Dia tilted her head. She didn¡¯t quite understand why her mind had thought that this was the time to see if¡­


    Another explosion, a particularly large one this time, bloomed in the skies, and two figures fell apart. The shockwave from that last clash stirred up gales that halted the Dark¡¯s advance, forcing Dia to pull out her sword and stab it into the ground beneath her. Blue light surged out of her, supporting everyone save for Nero and preventing them from falling over.


    Her struggle lasted for five seconds. Fortunately, the rooftop she had stabbed proved to be more than sturdy enough, and the building didn¡¯t collapse.


    As the light died down, Farah said, ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°One of the Lunar Lords?¡± Nero muttered. ¡°I thought they were all in Istrel?¡±


    ¡°Maybe not,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I mean, there¡¯s one here right now.¡±


    The two tremendously powerful beings stopped a moment later, in a movement so synchronised that it looked like a well-rehearsed swords dance, and then glared at each other. The world around them rippled, and two translucent blue spheres erupted from their bodies, expanding rapidly. Yet, despite their solid exterior, nothing seemed to change inside it, but oddly enough, both spheres seemed to clash against each other for some reason.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°¡­Septa-folders,¡± Nero replied, his voice filled with shock. ¡°That¡¯s¡­a Mana Domain. Both sides are going all out.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a Mana Domain?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Don¡¯t leave us hanging here, Nero.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­essentially, both of them have turned the area around them into a place where they alone are supreme,¡± Nero replied. ¡°A normal person inside a Mana Domain will be at the mercy of the owner, who is essentially a god in that small territory.¡±


    ¡°What can the owner do?¡± Risti asked.


    Nero raised an eyebrow upon noticing that it was Risti who had asked that question, and then said, ¡°Anything. Of course, any interaction with the Mana Domain will deplete it of its mana. External attacks can damage it too and force it to shrink and eventually be depleted. However, as long as the Mana Domain is in effect¡ª¡±


    Both spheres shot at each other at a speed Dia had never seen before, leaving behind thunderclaps and shrieking gales in their wake.


    ¡°¡ªthey are literally invincible,¡± Nero completed his sentence.


    The battle that was going on outside the wars slowed down as the two top combatants slammed their Mana Domains against each other. Two blue spheres tore through the battlefield, driving deep into the ground and causing far more damage to the Dark¡¯s army than to the Moonlit one.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably a really good argument why everyone should employ smaller armies,¡± Farah observed wryly.


    The clash continued, but the Moons¡¯ barrier had been shattered by the mad duel between both combatants. Dia couldn¡¯t help but note that the Moons hadn¡¯t reconstructed the barrier, and that fact wasn¡¯t lost on both sides either. The advancing forces doubled down on their speed, but this time, a portion of troops had stayed behind to pepper the base itself with blue light.


    Dirt flew as everyone ducked. A few unlucky buildings collapsed directly, and some of the siege engines that the Moonlit soldiers had been operating blew apart into twisted metal and wood. The enemy¡¯s ranged attacks grew more accurate over the next minute, and before long, all the siege equipment that everyone had painstakingly brought back had been destroyed, their operators either cowering or killed.


    Dia had seen people die, but¡­


    This was the first time she¡¯d seen casualties of war on such a scale.


    At the same time, the first melee battles on the ground broke out. The orderly formations disintegrated into a huge mess moments later, as black and tri-coloured contingents wrestled badly. However, the latter were glimmering with a faint light, proof that their masters were empowering them, and the armies of the great Dark began to suffer disproportionate casualties.


    ¡°¡­It wasn¡¯t all about numbers, is it?¡± Farah said, her eyes fixed on the glittering light.


    ¡°It¡¯s about wearing down the Moons¡¯ energy,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Am I right?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± Nero took a deep breath. ¡°I do not believe that any divinity can be defeated in a single decisive battle. It is better to just wear them down¡­like what the Dark is doing.¡±


    ¡°In exchange for lives?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Nero looked at the mad battlefield and sighed. ¡°¡­We should be on guard now. If there¡¯s going to be any change, any twist¡­it¡¯ll be now.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Schwarz asked.


    Nero simply raised a finger to his lips.

 Chapter 456: Absolute Terror in the field

    Without warning, another mass of tri-coloured troops rippled into existence, a good distance from the on-going melee. The troops of the great Dark responded immediately, raising their guard against their west, but the abrupt reinforcements had still taken them by surprise. What was once a superior force pressing its numerical advantage against a smaller force occupying a fortified position had turned into one force outflanking another equally sized force.


    The tables had turned.


    ¡°Reinforcements,¡± Nero noted. ¡°Is that all?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Dia asked, looking at the Holy Son of the Black God. ¡°It sure is a twist, right?¡±


    ¡°Not the¡ª¡± Nero froze, and mana erupted outwards from him. As a deadly tremble ran down Dia¡¯s spine, Nero¡¯s burst of mana fell all around them, turning opaque in an instant.


    A heartbeat later, terrified screams swept the entire camp. The battle between the high-ranking combatants of both sides in the sky fell silent, and an enormous presence reared its head to Dia¡¯s west, at one of the walls of the Moons¡¯ base camp. Blue light burst out of her in an instant, dying a moment later, but her mind had cleared up.


    Cold sweat ran down Dia¡¯s back as she belatedly noticed that the Moons¡¯ presence had vanished. Other than everyone¡¯s frantic breathing, the only thing she could hear now were steady pops and fleeing troops ¡ª Moonlit and Shadowed alike, probably ¡ª as the horrifying presence walked into the camp. Her heart hammered against her ribcage madly, attempting to burst out of her chest in an attempt to flee.


    Even without line of sight, Absolute Terror¡¯s effects could be felt from its owner¡¯s very existence alone. The divinities had withdrawn from the battle, clearly unwilling to be affected by a skill that could reach the realm of the gods, and those that were unfortunate enough to witness terror itself had been completely obliterated.


    Within minutes, the battlefield had fallen silent, but Dia could still feel the horrifying presence as it strode into the camp calmly.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Dia asked, her voice quiet.


    ¡°¡­This person is too much of a threat.¡± Nero let out a small groan. ¡°Damnit. I feel like my heart¡¯s going to rupture.¡±


    Dia let out a small gasp of air. ¡°I know. How is anyone supposed to fight against this? This is impossible!¡±


    Every step Absolute Terror took seemed to echo in her head, scrambling her words by instigating a primordial fear. One moment, she would be assailed by the terrifying sensation of falling from a height; the next, it would feel like a gigantic monster that would crush her with a single movement had appeared. Each and every fear was novel, new, and it opened her eyes in ways that she never knew possible.


    The others weren¡¯t reacting all that well either. Risti was huddled on the ground, mumbling something in silence, while Schwarz¡¯s expression had turned blank. Farah was out of commission entirely ¡ª she had fainted. Only she and Nero remained, and the Holy Son of the Black God looked like a wilted flower.


    Maybe her upbringing and her experiences meant that the fear she experienced wasn¡¯t all that personalised.


    It was a depressing thought, in a sense, but Dia was glad that the sensations of fear in her head moved from point to point so quickly. While terrifying, she hadn¡¯t been forced into an utterly bad state from it, and she patted Nero. ¡°You alright?¡±


    The Holy Son looked at her. ¡°If we¡¯re using you as a standard? I¡¯m definitely not alright. You look¡­quite normal.¡±


    He grimaced. ¡°For now, just wait it out. Can you kill that person? I don¡¯t know. Are you willing to try? Think about everything yourself.¡±


    Abject terror flickered through his eyes once more, and the Holy Son sank down onto the ground. Multiple different scenarios continued to assail Dia herself, but it was possible that her prior experience with Black God¡¯s Gaze had helped or something.


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    That didn¡¯t account for Risti, but Dia wasn¡¯t going to think too hard about this small fortune just yet. For now, however, she was safe. The multiple scenarios that her brain spontaneously generated from Absolute Terror¡¯s mere presence were enough to hamper her every movement, but she wasn¡¯t incapacitated. However, if she were to look at Absolute Terror directly¡­


    She would die.


    Clutching her chest, Dia controlled her breathing and began to count her heartbeat. It would be the height of foolishness to confront Absolute Terror right now. However, there were a few advantages she had going for her.


    First, Absolute Terror couldn¡¯t be on a skillstick or a skillslip. It had a fixed duration of thirty minutes, no matter what level the skill was, and third, the skill itself had a fixed cooldown of twenty-four hours. Absolute Terror would forever remain at level 0.


    Finally, the skill itself occupied two skill slots. Once Absolute Terror ended, the enemy would have four skills to use, and whatever other skill media that he or she may have. However, Claud¡¯s little book had a few pieces of advice when going after someone, and one section touched on their habits. Absolute Terror, to Dia, looked like a person who did things alone. Most of his or her skills were probably lifestyle ones, or life-saving ones.


    Only people with logistical support could use their skill slots like Dia, after all. This put her at a combat advantage. More importantly, there were only so many mid-ranked folders, but given the surveillance of the Moons and the ubiquity of intelligence organisations, mid-folders who have displayed four skills or less were almost certainly the subject of surveillance.


    Could someone become a tetra-folder in a single year? Possible, but that person had to be monstrously talented and supported, like Dia herself. Therefore, Dia couldn¡¯t help but think that the target was probably at best a tri-folder like her, or perhaps even weaker.


    Without the support of Absolute Terror¡­


    Of course, all this was her own conjecture. More importantly, Absolute Terror definitely had a goal here; why else would he or she show up in the base camp of the Moons itself?


    ¡°That person should escape before Absolute Terror wears off, right?¡± Dia muttered, before thinking about what had played out in the opening battle. ¡°Wait. No. The Dark will hamper the Moons and prevent them from doing anything to Absolute Terror.¡±


    As those words roiled through the air, Nero let out another groan, and the barrier he was supporting rippled. Dia started once, before pulling out a barrier artefact to replace his own efforts.


    ¡°Rest first,¡± Dia whispered. ¡°I¡¯ll handle this menace.¡±


    This walking zone of trauma and death had to be a menace, after all. If someone like this walked into a town¡­everyone would probably die.


    Dia felt her drumming heart crawl to a stop at that thought. Was it really their fault? To begin with, all evidence pointed at the Absolute skills as being something that the owners themselves couldn¡¯t remove. It defined a good part of their life and their future, and it probably had many other subtle influences on their owners¡¯ psyche as well.


    Yet, she was about to execute someone for it.


    Or maybe she was trying to serve in her capacity as a mercenary, as a warrior on the other team. She wasn¡¯t too sure about what she was thinking, but right now, the Moons and the Dark were at war. Even if she pitied the Bearers of Destiny¡­


    ¡°Heh.¡± Dia let out a small chuckle at the absurdity of pitying a Bearer of Destiny, despite the ongoing waves of fear that were attempting to drown out her consciousness. Like a tiny grain of sand, the waves of fear lifted her up and down, batted her mind around¡­but they could not overpower her.


    It would seem that Absolute Terror didn¡¯t quite force onto her the most effective fear. Was there something specific about it? Or did the user intend for it to be this way?


    ¡°No,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°It¡¯s just because we weren¡¯t affected directly.¡±


    She gripped her blade tightly, and then continued to condition herself. The effects of Absolute Terror were strong, but she was only receiving a small fraction of it. The blue light that had appeared around her for a brief moment had clearly done something. Furthermore, the absence of an actual trauma in her childhood probably helped in this regard, turning her into a uniquely suitable being to take down the person that was moving towards the depths of the camp.


    Time slipped by in silence, which Dia used to settle the others in more comfortable positions. Sometimes, she would be assailed by some new fear, but it wasn¡¯t anything particularly paralysing.


    It was quite different from Black God¡¯s Gaze, now that she thought about it.


    After a few more mind-numbing minutes, the horrifying, palpitation-inducing presence began to fade away, and Dia got up.


    To date, it seemed like Bearers of Destiny had been killed by other Bearers of Destiny. Today, however, for everyone¡¯s sake¡­


    Dia got up and left the barrier. She could see red running everywhere ¡ª the mercenaries that had died, the Moonlit troops and the troops of the great Dark. Absolute Terror never discriminated against anyone ¡ª all who had caught sight of the impossibly terrifying being had their hearts rupture on the spot.


    She, and the rest of the Seekers of Life, were the only survivors of this battle.


    Taking in the bloody sight for a moment, Dia unsheathed her sword slowly and headed west, where she had last detected Absolute Terror.

 Chapter 457: Counterattack

    As she moved from point to point, the skies above her changed, and Dia began to ponder on what she was about to do. It was insane, strictly speaking, but the threat of Absolute Terror was too much for her to not take this chance. The enemy was definitely weaker than most of the combatants here, and with the Moons checking the Dark, this was a unique moment of vulnerability right here.


    ¡°Therefore,¡± Dia muttered, ¡°I¡¯ll need to take this chance.¡±


    Did the Blue Moon figure out that she wouldn¡¯t be that affected by Absolute Terror? How? Was this the role she had been given after their first meeting? How far had the Blue Moon planned? She had been badly affected by Black God¡¯s Gaze, but this time¡­


    Shaking her head, she forced down the many, many questions in her head. That blue light that had burst out of her earlier had come from the small coin the Blue Moon had given her back then. It seemed like a token of goodwill, and¡­well, it really was a token of goodwill. For some reason, it had helped her overcome the effects of feeling Absolute Terror¡¯s presence, but her heart knew that if she looked directly at the target, even this token wouldn¡¯t save her.


    The result of all this, however, was that she was the only person who could take down the Bearer of Destiny now.


    If she failed¡­


    Not only did she need to think about the threat of Absolute Terror, but also the anger of the Blue Moon, whose plans currently rested solely on her. To date, the Seekers of Life had been living quite well; in fact, their time here had been quite relaxed. More than once, everyone had questioned this bit, but now, Dia was well aware that all their good treatment was contingent upon her performance here.


    It could be said that the death of Absolute Terror was tied to their future prospects. If she killed him, the Moons may even release them from service and guarantee them peace from this war.


    With mana and those thoughts supporting her, she jumped from rooftop to rooftop, heading west like her prey. After a while, she leapt off the last building, just in time to see a hooded person stride out of the breached western camps without any fear or caution.


    A part of Dia told her that announcing her presence would be better, but she was someone who had learned that there was a time and place for everything. This was the Dark¡¯s Bearer of Destiny; even without Absolute Terror, this person definitely had a bunch of trump cards. Her goal first was to get into close range and at least cripple, if not kill, this person outright.


    Anything else could wait.


    Keeping her footsteps light, she hurtled after her quarry soundlessly. Like a rabbit with a full meal, her target¡¯s movements were flighty and careless, but¡­


    She could feel heavy gazes from the heavens falling on her. The Dark and the Moons were looking at her, as the latter prevented the Dark from extending its divine protection to the careless quarry. She could briefly feel the Dark¡¯s will reaching out to her, before the Moons cut the unspoken message off, and in that instant, the plot began to fall into place.


    The Moons had been very deliberate in their movements. While they had suffered massive losses in the destruction of that expedition, they had managed to learn about a Dark-aligned Bearer of Destiny, as well as the Bearer¡¯s Absolute skill. Maybe they even knew about it before the expedition, and used millions of people as bait. Nonetheless, the destruction of their main forces had been used to draw an equally large force into the base camp.


    From there, tactics and strategy took precedence. The Moons, driven back by the opponent, was seemingly forced to pull out more reserve troops to create a temporary balance. However, ground preparations by the Moons meant that the reinforcements were in a good position to inflict losses and then to push back, so the Dark¡¯s Bearer of Destiny came out to force mutual annihilation.


    Therefore, in this campaign, the Dark had traded one army for two such armies, thereby maintaining their advantage. In addition, the Bearer of Destiny had managed to make it to the Moons¡¯ base camp to do something.


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    Dia felt her head pound. This whole thing felt like a Moon Phase match or something.


    More importantly, it also meant that if she didn¡¯t kill the Bearer of Destiny now, the imbalance would be maintained. Some part of her mind told her that killing the Bearer of Destiny would balance out the scales quite splendidly, and the Dark¡¯s ability to wage destructive wars like this would peter out.


    With that conclusion in her head, Dia approached the hooded figure, who was returning without any care in the world. She could, to be honest, understand why that person was behaving that way. All threats had been neutralised. The Dark was holding back the Moons from killing on the spot.


    And¡­from the annoying gait in which Absolute Terror walked, that person had definitely gotten something good too.


    Keeping her breathing still, she closed in on her target¡¯s back and raised her blade. Before she could bring it down, however, the world turned dark for a moment, and her quarry stiffened in fear. Shadow, a pale, ephemeral shadow, guided Absolute Terror¡¯s movements for a moment, pulling out a blade in a swift movement to intercept Dia¡¯s own attack.


    Thunderclaps followed, and the darkness that had clouded the world vanished in that instant. The small shadow that had enabled Dia¡¯s target to block that sneak attack evaporated at the same time, but even then, Dia had begun the battle with a massive advantage.


    Her opponent staggered backwards, creating a huge opening that Dia couldn¡¯t miss. Whirling on her left heel, Dia slashed upwards and to the right. Her target rippled backwards ¡ª Dia had felt the use of a skill ¡ª but that lifesaving skill was just enough to rip away her target¡¯s outer clothes, destroying the hood and robe that had obscured that person¡¯s identity.


    A moment of shock followed later, as a young man fell on his back. He couldn¡¯t have been any younger than Nero, and for a moment, Dia couldn¡¯t help but wonder what the world was coming to.


    Why would destiny itself fall on a young man who barely had his own views of the world? Nonetheless, Dia knew that her target was dangerous ¡ª she could see three mana circuits light up on his skin ¡ª and she kicked off the ground, creating tremors in her wake.


    His blade shot up a moment later, but the movement was so amateurish that Dia simply sent it flying with a flick of her sword. A second slash followed, but that movement had diverted her own posture enough that she only managed to take off his sword arm.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill me!¡± the young man screamed. Fear clouded his eyes, the same fear that Dia had seen in the others. It was heartrending, but¡­


    She didn¡¯t have a choice in this matter either.


    Dia ignored his plea, thinking about the people who had fallen prey to that atrocious, horrifying skill. The fact that a young man could and would use such a skill, one more targeted at killing than even her own skills without any restraint or caution, was enough to propel her into action.


    Even if she wanted to show mercy, she couldn¡¯t. The Moons were banking on this insane gambit to balance the scales. If she failed here, the Dark would send in another army.


    Silver tore through the air as she brought her sword down, but another shadow blocked her blade. The casual swipe from that shadow blasted her back, and dirt flew as she dug deep into the soil.


    Her eyes looked at the newcomer, a woman shrouded in shadow.


    ¡°¡­Sorry. But he cannot die here.¡±


    Dia looked at the shadow, and then at the young man. ¡°He killed your own people.¡±


    ¡°It is war. There is no choice.¡± The shadow replied. Behind the shadow, Dia could see the fear and malice on the young man¡¯s face, one that promised to kill all she cared about the next time his Absolute skill was up. She could taste a practiced malice, something that shouldn¡¯t have appeared on a person so young.


    Did she misread his age? Or was this malice something that came with Absolute Terror? How did the knowledge that he had the ability to kill indiscriminately shape his mind?


    Dia didn¡¯t know the answer to that, but she did know what she had to do, if everyone had to be protected. Her grip on her sword¡¯s pommel tightened, but her next words were calm. ¡°Yes, it is. Therefore, he must die here. For me, and for everyone else.¡±


    She looked at the shadow calmly, and then whispered a skill. ¡°Perfect Domain of Swords, activate.¡±


    Mana whirled out her a moment later, forming a translucent sphere at her chest. It expanded rapidly, engulfing her, Absolute Terror and his saviour all in a single instant. A green hill, with blue skies as its backdrop, filled her vision, and Dia looked at her stupefied opponents.


    She couldn¡¯t blame them, either.


    Her evolved skill, Perfect Domain of Swords, had never been used save for the first time she learned it. She did know one thing, however ¡ª like the young man¡¯s Absolute skill, this too was a forbidden skill ¡ª it was a skill of mass murder.


    The mix of emotions in her chest right now was too complicated for her to piece out together, but Dia knew that the man before her could have been her future, if she hadn¡¯t had the guidance of her family.


    She was beginning to see another reason behind why she had been so¡­proactive in dealing with Absolute Terror and Absolute Confinement back then. Looking at them made her think that she was looking into a mirror of alternate possibilities, that she could have been one such person running around the continent, manipulated by higher powers and moulded into a tool of war and atrocity.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Dia whispered.


    Innumerable swords rippled into existence all around the young man, stabbing forward with an executioner¡¯s mercy.

 Chapter 458: Peace Unto Eternity

    The last time Dia used Domain of Swords, the skill had generated thousands and thousands of swords, which fell with a tri-folder¡¯s might. This time, however, the change was far more extreme. The moment she used the skill, Dia could faintly feel that she had obtained control over her surroundings itself. Furthermore, the thirty-three thousand swords that had manifested in the sky in her skill¡¯s previous iteration now only appeared if she wanted them too.


    In other words, in this five hundred metre sphere around her, she could will a sword into existence from anywhere.


    Swords appeared all around the shadowy being protecting the young man, surging forward with a might that had surpassed a tri-folder¡¯s strength. The thickness and quality of mana was far above that, and Dia watched on blankly as sixty-odd swords clashed against shadow.


    The swords rippled out of existence, only to be replaced by a fresh new set of swords that charged forward once more. Before long, the shadowy power that Absolute Terror¡¯s guardian had been employing vanished, replaced by a pure blue light.


    It would seem that the Dark¡¯s stronger combatants had access to more than one form of energy.


    At the same time, the duo continued to use all sorts of means to escape, but no matter how many skillsticks and skillstrips had been tossed out, the duo was unable to leave, and Dia glanced at the heavens once. As a thousand-odd swords stabbed at the two of them without abandon, Dia couldn¡¯t help but think that this entire scenario had truly been planned in one way or another.


    The Moons had already locked the area down, and Dia could faintly tell that her main opponent had been drastically weakened. In other words, if her target really escaped¡­


    A terrible scream followed as the next wave of swords stabbed into the shadow directly. ¡°Go! I¡¯ll buy you some time!¡±


    Blue light poured out of the shadow, whisking the young Bearer of Destiny into the distance. A moment later, deeply intertwined circuits lit up on the shadow, and Dia intuitively manifested all her remaining swords ¡ª more than twenty-six thousand of them ¡ª and used it to build a wall between her and the self-detonating shadow.


    The world shook a moment later, and a burning spike of pain rammed through Dia¡¯s skull. Nausea overtook her a moment later, and a faint dampness ran down her lip as a horrifying stream of energy tore into the skies. Metal dust followed it upwards, whirling into the air and then vanishing into blue motes of light.


    Her skill had been deactivated prematurely.


    Intuitively, Dia understood that the shadow had redirected the force of its self-detonation into the sky. If the released force from the self-detonation had slammed into the wall of swords she had erected directly, the resulting impact may have very well killed the fleeing Bearer of Destiny and flattened the forest too.


    Even though most of the force had been redirected upwards, just scratch damage from the self-detonation of a high-rank mana-user had been enough to obliterate every single sword she had thrown up to defend herself earlier.


    The blood and the pain were the result of her forcibly deactivated skill, which had been broken with force.


    Wiping her face slowly, Dia willed her legs to move forward. The Bearer of Destiny hadn¡¯t gotten far, and the Moons had prepared the terrain in advance. Before long, she regained her mobility, and then chased after the Bearer of Destiny, who she caught up with just a minute of chasing.


    Her eyes flickered as she looked at the young man, who looked very unprepared for an action of this scale. If she didn¡¯t get it wrong, this Bearer of Destiny had been overly reliant on his hidden guardian to protect him and to make travelling easier in general.


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    Now that his hidden guardian had been killed, Dia couldn¡¯t help but see this young man as a fish out of water.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Dia muttered.


    Her sword drew a silvery arc through the air. The young man tried to resist with a small knife, but the strength and speed behind her swing simply shattered the blade and took his right forearm.


    The young man let out a terrible scream, but before he could even do anything else, Dia whirled around once, and a head flew up into the sky.


    Lightning tore through the skies, and time seemed to stop for the briefest of moments. Colour seemed to drain from the world as intense gazes from the heavens fell upon her, and a tri-coloured screen appeared in front of her.


    <The Sixth Bearer of Destiny has fallen, his killer clouded in an overt plot.>


    <By decree of the five grand skies, this war will now pause.>


    <Fate, sundered by the quiet night, shall hence congeal.>


    <And under the howling winds, may the Dark protect those it holds dear.>


    Thunderclaps tore through the world once more, and colour returned to Dia¡¯s vision. Moments later, the sky turned into a silvery radiance, and the clouds that had shrouded the heavens simply vanished. The Moons and the Dark had completely vanished from Dia¡¯s perception, and with a quiet plop, a decapitated head fell next to her.


    Dia glanced at the head once, took in the anguished, frightened expression on it, and then bent down to pick it up. Before she could touch the head, however, multiple screens appeared in her vision once more, each of them the familiar, translucent blue.


    [Mission available: Peace unto Eternity]


    [Alignment locked in. The passive skill, Salvation Star, has been awarded.]


    [You have been awarded the passive skill: Understanding!]


    Dia shook her head once more, and then glanced at the new mission. The Mission bit had unlocked for her the moment she and the others joined up with the Moons ¡ª like everyone, she had received the mission called Moonlit Victory. That mission had sat all by itself for some time, but now¡­


    Thoughts flickered through her mind, and she opened up the new mission that had appeared.


    [Mission: Peace unto Eternity


    Mission Introduction: The great age of change has come. By the covenant of the five grand skies, the three major powers are destined to fight each other to prove their doctrine right. However, in the ranks of the Absolute lies a usurper, whose goal is to herald infinite change. Chaos will reign for eons hence if the Omen succeeds, hurling all life into uncharted territory.


    Mission Requirements: Neutralise the Omen.


    Mission Rewards: Enhances your authority level, unlocks <Mission:???>, 3000 years of lifespan


    Additional Remarks: This mission is only open to you, the Prime Salvation Star. If the Omen neutralises all other Bearers of Destiny, this mission will fail. Failing this mission will result in immeasurable outcomes for the entire world.]


    Dia looked at the mission once, and then felt something in her head clear up. Immediately afterwards, she glanced at the second mission in her list, and then shivered once. In the additional remarks section of Moonlit Victory, which broke down the contributions by kills, there was actually one part she¡­hadn¡¯t given much thought to.


    There, at the end. Anything who killed ¡®the adversary¡¯ would gain 22% of the overall contribution. Dia wasn¡¯t sure why she and the others ¡ª and just about everyone involved, actually ¡ª hadn¡¯t talked about ¡®the adversary¡¯, but now that she had this weird skill, the connection had drawn itself.


    The being mentioned in that new mission, the Omen, was almost certainly the adversary.


    Or at least, that was what her intuition was telling her.


    She looked at the mission once more, and then frowned. She had gained this mission and alignment the moment she slew the Sixth Bearer of Destiny, and¡­


    Her back throbbed once, and with a jolt, Dia realised that she had stayed in this hunched position, one that was poised to pick up a head, for more than five minutes now. Bones creaked as she picked up the head and walked over to the body, before putting them together.


    ¡°¡­What else am I supposed to do here?¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Dig a grave?¡±


    She looked at the corpse, and then at the approaching Moonlit soldiers, before letting out a long sigh. Physically, she was fine, and she still had quite a lot of mana, but the mental stress that had come with confronting Absolute Terror, as well as fighting the Sixth and his protector, had taken a heavy toll on her.


    Fortunately, there was now someone else to clean up what she¡¯d left behind. That young man, who had been so overconfident with his power, had died, and the Moons were bound to be pleased at how she had managed to redress the balance.


    All was, for the time being, well.


    Letting out a small groan, she staggered slightly, and then made her way into the camp. The others were probably waking up soon, and for some reason, the ground seemed very close to her face right now¡ª


    The last thing she saw before her consciousness winked out was a particularly small patch of grey soil.

 (TOT) Chapter 459: Predator, Prey

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s this message supposed to mean anyway?¡± Claud muttered to himself, eyeing the silvery box that had popped up in his vision. He had been staring at it for the past few minutes, after the surprising news of the Sixth Bearer of Destiny¡¯s death.


    Of course, he had obtained some lifespan from it too, but it was so less that Claud had the inexplicable feeling that the Sixth was probably the youngest Bearer of Destiny actually exist in this war.


    ¡°What message?¡± Lily asked, sitting up from her bed.


    ¡°This one.¡± Claud examined the silvery box that was hovering in the middle of his vision. ¡°It¡¯s¡­full of things that will probably kill me if I say it out loud, but it seems that there¡¯s someone who is out to off me or something.¡±


    ¡°Out to kill you?¡± Lily asked, surprised. ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Some Star,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Capitalised, naturally.¡±


    He looked at the notification again.


    [The Star is alight. Omen, fear the light that burns all shadow, and know that what was once yours now shares a new master. Henceforth, the Salvation Star will seek you out to set right what went wrong.]


    [<Skill: Omen> will be destroyed if you are slain by the Salvation Star, ending the possibility of infinite potential.]


    Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel that this message was directed at his actions so far. He could vaguely tell that this message was pointing at the things he¡¯d done in order to avoid the future he¡¯d seen in the Second Tutorial ¡ª did that mean that if this Salvation Star killed him or something, the future he¡¯d worked so hard to avert would come back in full force?


    He looked at Lily once more, and then took a deep breath. ¡°I don¡¯t like this ominous message at all. It¡¯s telling me that there¡¯s this¡­person whose purpose is to seek me out and deal a dose of deadly death to me. And if that person succeeds, the future I fought to avert will come true, like some stupid, nasty wish-granting machine.¡±


    ¡°Someone¡¯s after you?¡± Lily asked, before narrowing her eyes. In silence, she mouthed ¡®Omen¡¯, and Claud nodded in response.


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s pretty much it,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on, but maybe this O-word thing is really a hot potato or something. Here¡¯s the question, though ¡ª can that thing seek me out?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but maybe that¡¯s the adversary in our faction missions,¡± Lily replied. ¡°You know, the Moonlit Victory and the Shadowed Victory missions? I didn¡¯t really pay too much attention to it, but now that you mentioned it¡­there¡¯s this adversary thing, right?¡±


    Claud thought about her words for a moment, and then checked on the relevant missions via his Status. ¡°Yeah, now that you mention it. What¡¯s this adversary thing? I didn¡¯t even notice it was there, heh.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Well, that adversary¡­¡± Lily motioned in his direction. Claud blinked twice as he took in the meaning of that motion, and his eyes widened with shock.


    Forcing himself to shut up, Claud pulled out his Looped Encryptor, checked that it was still misaligned, and then let out a sigh. ¡°You¡¯re saying that I¡¯m that¡­ad-thing?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so cautious,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°But yes, I think so. I mean, from what you told me when we were in Celestia, when combined with the fact that the a-word features in both faction missions¡­¡±


    Claud nodded seriously. ¡°Makes sense, yes. I am not sure what to think about this, since just about everyone who is part of one faction or another has these missions too. In other words, I am probably the most¡­huh. Let me correct that, I think.¡±


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    ¡°Correct?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yeap.¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°The two of us somehow happened to miss something this important out for a significant period of time? Not happening. In other words, this last bit must have avoided our awareness for one reason or another. Like the interference of the divinities.¡±


    ¡°And today¡¯s events were a trigger,¡± Lily completed his words.


    Claud nodded. ¡°Specifically, the appearance of the Salvation Star, whatever that is. It seems that the two of us are opposing enemies or something. However, given the timing and my own experience, it seems that the Salvation Star only appeared¡­or rather, was appointed to the person who killed the Sixth Bearer of Destiny.¡±


    He glanced at the pyramid once. ¡°This is where I¡¯m lost, though. There must be something specific about how the Sixth was killed. For reference, I became that because the Third was the first one to be¡­buried. The Salvation Star must have done something similar, or at least committed a similar deed in one way or another.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I kinda get it, but what does that have to do with you?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Why is that Star after you?¡±


    ¡°Moons if I knew. The warning was phrased in such a weird way that I¡¯m not sure what to think about it,¡± Claud replied. ¡°However, we can be very certain that this enemy is targeting me specifically. The problem lies in whether that person can detect me or something. I don¡¯t think so, given the properties of the O-word, but we should still be careful nonetheless.¡±


    ¡°I can see that you¡¯re being very careful, though.¡± Lily paused. ¡°Like that time when I thought I should have a barrier artefact on when I¡¯m making a bomb, despite wearing three of them already.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s redundant?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Yes, but I suppose it¡¯s not¡­obtrusive, at least.¡± Lily chuckled. ¡°O-word¡­anyway, we should assume that the person can detect you, right? But even if we use that assumption, how are we supposed to know if the other party is our enemy?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more of our behaviour?¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Why are you phrasing that as a question?¡± Lily rolled her eyes, and then flopped onto the bed.


    ¡°It¡¯s because¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not certain either, right?¡± Lily shifted slightly, before resting her head on his lap. ¡°Still, I wonder what¡¯s the whole story behind this. How does your defeat undo all your hard work? Maybe we can explore the whole thing from that angle.¡±


    Claud mulled over this very important point. Unless he was retroactively erased from history, undoing his actions so far seemed more of a metaphor than anything else. However, if it really wasn¡¯t a metaphor¡­


    ¡°Erasing me from history and existence itself?¡± Claud spoke out loud. ¡°Make it such that I never existed to begin with?¡±


    Lily¡¯s eyes took on a piercing quality, and for a moment, Claud was forced to look away. A set of small hands gripped his own tightly, and he turned back to see a frightened Lily.


    His heart ached, and he pulled her close.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Claud said out loud. ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen. Never. It¡¯s impossible, to begin with. It¡¯ll result in impossible situations that even the gods can¡¯t resolve, after all. It¡¯s definitely something else.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­scary, though.¡± Lily sat up. ¡°And isn¡¯t it scary? To be erased like this.¡±


    ¡°Of course it is,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But it¡¯s something I need to consider too, right? It¡¯s nice to be optimistic, but we cannot ignore the worst-case scenarios. I¡¯ve dreamed of many, many possible scenarios, and each of them scares the Moons out of me. There are so many ways to die, you know.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Lily¡¯s voice was quiet. ¡°I¡¯ve read those little books you¡¯ve written, after all. It¡¯s hard to sleep at night sometimes.¡±


    Claud cleared his throat. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    He pulled Lily into his embrace, and the two of them stayed that way for a while. Was it the terror from knowing that someone was coming after him? Or was it his fear of the future? For now, the war between the Moons and the Dark had ended, forced into a ceasefire. However, that didn¡¯t mean that violence was at an end, right? This ruling did not seem to apply to the mortal pawns that both sides liked to use a lot, in his opinion. And even if it did, there was no denying that this ceasefire would only last until the Trial of Aeons began or something along those lines.


    It was just a temporary peace.


    Or maybe it was to give this Star fellow some time to find him and brutally end his existence. Either way, none of these possibilities sounded fun.


    ¡°So, what are we going to do now?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Nothing?¡±


    ¡°Maybe fortify our defences or something,¡± Claud suggested. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll make this Star thing a lot harder to find us, right?¡±


    He nibbled on his lower lip. Was this Salvation Star person also a Bearer of Destiny? The likelihood of that being the case was so high that Claud couldn¡¯t help but think that fortifying this little house¡¯s defences was a bit pointless or something.


    ¡°Okay, then. More barrier artefacts.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one way of going about things, I suppose.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m just going to spend the rest of the day just lying down here, though. There¡¯s a lot of things I need to think through. My head hurts, and I suddenly feel the urge to just dig a really deep hole and live in it for the next year or something.¡±


    ¡°That might actually work, though?¡±


    ¡°Not if destiny has something to say about the whole thing,¡± Claud replied.

 Chapter 460: The masses and the Omen

    When Claud and Lily left their house the next day, the impact of the Sixth¡¯s death had become apparent. Flyers had been stuck on multiple walls, each of them warning against the appearance of what seemed like a cult¡¯s leader or something, of someone who prophesised the end of the world.


    The Sixth¡¯s passing ¡ª or rather, the emergence of the Salvation Star ¡ª had apparently unveiled the last bit of the Moonlit and Shadowed Victory missions, specifically the part about the adversary. These posters made explicit reference to the adversary multiple times, warning readers that the person described in those posters was a cold-blooded murderer whose greatest ambition was to destroy this world.


    As they went through poster after poster, Lily¡¯s attempts to hide her laughter grew more and more pronounced, and after the sixth iteration of the same rephrased warning, Claud pulled her to one corner, checked that his Looped Encryptor was working, and then let out a sigh.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, laugh.¡±


    Lily took one look at him, and then broke down into raucous laughter. Claud, who had activated a sound-nullifying artefact, also pulled out the three little meeplings, who immediately flew or, in Crown¡¯s case, hopped into Lily¡¯s head as she shook like a willow tree in the wind.


    He couldn¡¯t blame Lily for laughing either; Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel very ridiculed by the descriptions of the charismatic monster whose sole purpose in life was to lead people into accepting the end of the world or something. In fact, the way they phrased it made him sound like some sort of malicious trickster who would even swindle candy from a baby or something.


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    The three little fellows danced around Lily¡¯s head at the same time, and Claud rolled his eyes. At any rate, however, the entire world was now fully aware of this adversary, whose apparent goal was to destroy the world or something. However, what it didn¡¯t mention, however, was the person whose purpose was to defeat him and presumably kill him off for good.


    Why?


    There was definitely some bias inherent in all this, but¡­


    Claud glanced at his Status once more. This Status screen recorded all this ¡ª or was perhaps the source of this insanity ¡ª so anyone who had true control over the Status and how it worked would definitely know that he was this very adversary. The fact that it knew when Bearers of Destiny perished and when the Salvation Star appeared meant that it had access to everyone¡¯s Status. Therefore, if he was really a danger to the world, the existence who could see everyone¡¯s Status would have acted.


    In other words, this whole thing about him ending this world was just some bullcrap on the part of the Moons and the Dark.


    ¡°Meh.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lily stopped laughing. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not you. And it¡¯s funny, don¡¯t worry. I was thinking about how everyone involved in this is just talking some random crap about the adversary, that¡¯s all,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway, isn¡¯t it awesome? I have more secret identities now! I can probably start piling them up or something.¡±


    Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t make it a habit of collecting them.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you know me. Low profile and cautious,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I can assure you that I had absolutely nothing to do with all this.¡±


    Claud patted her head. ¡°Alright, get the laughter out of your system first. Maybe I should collect these posters. They make me feel good.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°It¡¯s not everyday that you get to see such positive affirmation of your abilities,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯d love to be this strong and awesome. An existence that can overthrow the divinities? Wow! I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m supposed to be like, but people telling me that the O-word is this powerful is doing favours for my self-esteem.¡±


    ¡°What am I to say to this?¡± Lily shook her head. ¡°Fine. Whatever makes you happy, I suppose.¡±


    Feeling a bit chuffed about these rumours ¡ª it was like him accidentally beating Zulan Patra all so long ago once more ¡ª Claud scooped up the three happy shapes that were making a nest in Lily¡¯s hair and popped them in his pocket once more. None of them protested, though, and the two of them resumed their journey to the local tavern once more.


    The tavern was filled with people when they entered, and a nervous atmosphere permeated the bar. Wary eyes fell on the two of them as they entered, but Claud ignored them and made his way to the counter.


    A middle-aged man fiddling with a clean cup looked at them. ¡°Anything I can get for you?¡±


    ¡°Two specials. And two cups of lemon juice,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Coming right up.¡± The man yelled their orders to the rear of the tavern, and then turned back to the two of them. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen you guys around here before.¡±


    ¡°We came here before,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And we¡¯re currently living here.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lily replied. ¡°We had a¡­discussion with a charming Sir Nicolas quite some time ago, before all this talk about the Moons and the Dark. Brought a house here back then.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Nicolas!¡± The grizzled man nodded. ¡°He went off to Cava some time ago, now that I think about it. Shame. Anyway, it¡¯s a good time to be in remote places like this.¡±


    ¡°We just escaped a war,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I can entirely understand where you are coming from, mister.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the boss of this tavern,¡± the man winked. ¡°Name¡¯s Candle.¡±


    ¡°Candle. Mister Candle, nice to meet you.¡± Claud extended a hand. ¡°I¡¯m Claud, and she¡¯s my wife, Lily.¡±


    After a round of introductions, which were just loud enough for the townsfolk eating here to hear, Claud returned to the topic at hand. ¡°Did you hear about the recent news? Not too long ago, in fact.¡±


    ¡°Does that news have anything to do with the flyers that appeared?¡± Mister Candle asked, his cut lip twitching.


    ¡°Presumably so,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Still, who put up those flyers? Baron Mons?¡±


    ¡°His men, yes,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°Anyway, I forgot. You¡¯re new here, so this meal is on the house.¡±


    He chuckled, and Claud smiled back. It was a small, well-disguised bribe for the news, and Claud lowered his voice. ¡°Anyway, there were some huge events in the war between the Dark and the Moons. The Moons sent an expedition, right?¡±


    The tavern boss nodded. ¡°What happened to it?¡±


    ¡°It was completely obliterated. After that, the Dark sent their army to the Moons¡¯ base camp. I¡¯m not too sure what happened, but one of those Bearers of Destiny died,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And when the Bearer of Destiny died, this war entered a ceasefire, and a new enemy appeared.¡±


    ¡°That adversary fellow,¡± Mister Candle noted.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty much it, yes,¡± Claud replied. ¡°So? What do you think of this?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite well-connected, at least.¡± The tavern boss nodded. ¡°Heh. I wonder how many people will come up to me to hear this afterwards. Thanks for the information, buddy.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re getting a free meal out of what¡¯s going to become public information soon enough,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s all about the timing, young man.¡± The tavern boss widened his grin. ¡°Knowing things in advance is a treasure in its own right. Come over for dinner for the next few days. All on me.¡±


    Lily tilted her head, and the man laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, miss. It¡¯s to pay you two for the information, see? The baron would love to learn about this, and there are some business owners here. Under circumstances similar to yours.¡±


    Claud smiled faintly. ¡°Sure. We¡¯ll come over for some free meals, then.¡±


    The tavern boss chuckled, and then passed over a tray. ¡°Your meal¡¯s here, sir and lady.¡±


    The two of them retreated to a corner table, and as Claud laid out the dishes, Lily said, ¡°We can get free meals like this?¡±


    ¡°Usually, yes. Information is money too,¡± Claud replied. ¡°In fact, you can visit any tavern, chit-chat about some information or news, and the owner may make your meal cheaper or throw in some free stuff. If it¡¯s really important news, they might even make your meal free too.¡±


    Claud paused. ¡°It¡¯s a way for travelling mercenaries to cut down on their expenses.¡±


    Lily made a rueful face. ¡°I should have done that more then. Back then, when I was trying to make a living outside Julan, I just kept to myself and fled from interaction. If not for the others¡­¡±


    ¡°A lucky break for me, I suppose.¡± Claud held her hand. ¡°Without them, we wouldn¡¯t have met, right? I¡¯m glad you met them.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so mushy.¡±


    Her face was bright and smiley, though, and Claud happily flirted with her for the next few minutes until his stomach grumbled. After receiving a flick to his forehead, the two of them turned to their breakfast and began to scoff down their food.


    This pleasant morning, however, didn¡¯t last long, as Moonlit soldiers soon filed into the small barony in significant numbers.


    Something was about to happen.

 Chapter 461: Observing recruitment drives

    Lily¡¯s fingers tightened around Claud¡¯s arm as Moonlit soldiers filed into the small town in numbers he had only seen in the basecamp. From the looks of it, the reinforcements from Istrel had arrived, seeing as how the Moons could send a whole bunch of Moonlit troops here. However, what was their purpose here?


    The two of them, in silent accord, adopted the same expressions as the others when four soldiers walked right into the tavern and positioned themselves at the four corners. Another two soldiers walked up to the door and stood next to it, creating an imposing visage that would deter anyone from walking out of the tavern.


    Were they planning to interrogate everyone here one by one?


    Claud took Lily¡¯s hand in his own, and then tapped her palm thrice. Lily nodded very subtly, and the two of them continued to emulate the expression and posture of everyone else in the tavern. The two of them didn¡¯t look particularly outstanding, and even after a few gazes swept past them, the Moonlit soldiers didn¡¯t see fit to pull them out.


    The tension began to ebb slowly as nothing seemed to happen, and before long, everyone was returning to their dishes. A few of the tavern-goers had even gotten up to leave, and the soldiers standing guard beside the door didn¡¯t seem to care about their presence.


    After a while, Mister Candle hopped over the counter and approached the two soldiers standing guard. ¡°Lord Moon Soldier, sir, what¡¯s going on here? Are you here to protect us?¡±


    Claud, Lily and everyone who was breathing in the bar immediately pricked up their ears in response.


    The Moonlit soldier paused for a moment, before saying, ¡°Our foe has lost a Bearer of Destiny. There is a substantial chance of them attacking indiscriminately. We are protecting this town, and are also recruiting people to operate siege weapons.¡±


    ¡°Recruiting people to what?¡± Mister Candle asked.


    ¡°Operate siege weapons,¡± the Moonlit soldier promptly replied. ¡°Catapults, trebuchets, onagers, and mounted repeating crossbows. Mortal soldiers cannot stand in the thick of a battle between the Lords and the enemy. However, they can provide support from the rear with minimal risk and maximum impact. We are also offering very good pay that can come in different flavours, from gold to food to lifestones.¡±


    Claud hid a smile. Did the Moons plan for people to ask them? They sure seemed prepared to advertise their openings and their new plans. Lowering his head slightly, Claud looked around the room, and then narrowed his eyes. For some reason, the people here seemed quite tempted by the proposition the Moonlit soldier had brought up.


    To be fair, one gold was a lot of money, and lifestones even more so. The recruiting spiel had also emphasised on the attendant safety that these openings had. Furthermore, the fact that everyone with half a working head could tell that these new soldiers would be working the frontlines made the whole thing sound even more impressive.


    ¡°If I had this opportunity long ago, I might have taken it,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°This is a really good approach to recruiting normal people.¡±


    ¡°You?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I somewhat doubt it, but since you¡¯ve said it¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°Anyway, what do you think about the whole thing? I mean, there¡¯s a lull in hostilities for now, after all. Are they just recruiting to make up for lost numbers, or are they waiting for war to break out once more?¡±


    ¡°The latter, in my opinion.¡± Lily puffed up her cheeks for a few seconds. ¡°Still, it is quite odd. Why would both sides listen to the five grand skies this obediently? Are the literal skies stronger? Or is it something else?¡±


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    ¡°Stronger, I suppose?¡± Claud guessed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either, but it sure does sound like a family feud now, doesn¡¯t it? The Moons, the Dark and the five grand skies¡­¡±


    ¡°Like a mother who¡¯s getting tired of squabbling kids?¡± Lily replied. ¡°Or two children squabbling over an inheritance.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but where does the Coloured Gods and that O fit into it?¡± Claud asked. ¡°More importantly, I don¡¯t think the five grand skies actually cared about the previous Godsfalls. I don¡¯t recall hearing about them interfering in eons past, and we don¡¯t even have many records about them doing so.¡±


    The two looked at each other in consternation as Mister Candle continued to pry for more details about the Moons¡¯ recruitment. Of course, the two Moonlit soldiers were happy to continue their recruitment drive, and before long, quite a few people had left the tavern, following a soldier who had a spring in his steps.


    ¡°Recruitment successful, I guess.¡± Claud touched his nose. ¡°Looks like they weren¡¯t making that much money to begin with.¡±


    ¡°Gold and lifestones,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Not going to lie, but any normal person who make fifty silver over an entire month¡¯s going to be very tempted. It¡¯s just that we live in a different manner.¡±


    Claud nodded, and then felt a bit weird. ¡°Isn¡¯t it odd that the ex-noble is telling me about this?¡±


    ¡°No, considering that this ex-noble fled home and lived as a mercenary. You, on the other hand, are a wildly successful¡­entrepreneur and trader of goods procured in an involuntary manner,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I¡¯m quite sure that your living conditions were far better than mine before the Moon Lords were founded.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Probably, I guess?¡± Lily smiled. ¡°But it¡¯s all water under the bridge now. Anyway, point is, their conditions are very attractive.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Thanks for putting it into context. I was never in need of money, now that I think about it. Always rich.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I checked your money stash some time ago, and there¡¯s platinum in there.¡± Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°Anyway, are we just going to leave now?¡±


    ¡°And waste a perfectly good meal? I think not. Let¡¯s finish our meal first and then leave,¡± Claud replied.


    The two of them polished off the remainder of their meal in silence. The tavern was abuzz with the recruitment spiel that the Moonlit soldier had pulled out, and Claud could tell that they were really, really tempted. It was very possible that this place would soon become a ghost town of sorts, especially since the conditions offered were very good.


    Operating siege engines from afar as mortals, and getting paid with gold and lifestones? It was clear that the Moons were going all out to hire more warm bodies to fill up their siege battalions.


    After filling up their bellies, Claud and Lily got up from their seats. The Moonlit soldiers made no move to stop them ¡ª nor was there any reason to, either ¡ª and they left without much incident. On their way out, however, Claud could see that a small booth had been set up, and there was a long line of people queuing up.


    The scene reminded him of how Count Lostfon tried to shunt more people into joining up with the Dark back then, and he shook his head. Both sides were attempting to use humans for their own ends, but who was he to pass judgement on that?


    After all, humans also used humans for their own ends.


    ¡°We should be safe here, right?¡± Lily murmured, her voice barely audible. ¡°I¡¯m a bit nervous.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Claud replied quietly, his hand in Lily¡¯s. ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry. Nothing¡¯s going to happen for now. Until the Trial of Aeons is over, and¡­¡±


    ¡°We confront our destiny.¡± Lily¡¯s voice carried a small touch of trepidation, and Claud checked the Looped Encryptor once more. The three little shapes were also bouncing up and down in his pocket in an attempt to convey their concern for Lily, but they had the sense to not show themselves out in the open.


    Shouldering their will, Claud placed his other hand on her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ve done all we can so far, and I¡¯ll continue to work hard. I¡¯ll try to complete the sixth mana circuit before this month is over.¡±


    He had enough lifespan to make that a reality, especially since Crown was present. In fact, he was quite confident that he could push for his seventh fold, but the Third Tutorial was the problem here. How long would it take?


    More importantly, he needed to gather more information about the Third Tutorial. From what he knew, there was only one try ¡ª failure would¡­lead to unsavoury consequences, with the most minor one being losing the qualification to become a septa-folder forever.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look that happy,¡± Lily observed.


    ¡°Yeah. The Third Tutorial is¡­scary.¡± Claud paused. ¡°And that¡¯s putting it very, very mildly. Remember what I told you about the Risti I saw in the Second Tutorial? Yeah, that.¡±


    ¡°Low vitality and energy,¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°Yeah. Living was probably painful for her,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll hold off on the Third Tutorial for now. It¡¯s probably going to take some time too, anyway. And time is what we don¡¯t have.¡±


    ¡°Your moniker, though.¡±


    ¡°You know that¡¯s just nonsense.¡±

 Chapter 462: Improvements

    The next ten days drifted by as Claud and Lily continued to work on their mana circuits. Thanks to Claud¡¯s lifespan, which was already insane enough in its own right, most of the lifestones went to Lily, which made her increasingly sick of the sweet taste those stones had.


    As a result, Lily¡¯s intake of lifestones had dropped somewhat, which forced Claud to adopt some¡­unusual measures.


    ¡°Why are there lifestones in my sandwich?¡± Lily asked. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be peanut paste and jelly.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­so we can do away with seasoning?¡± Claud replied. ¡°Come on, say ah. It¡¯s good for your health and lifespan. Literally.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not that good for my sanity,¡± Lily argued back. ¡°I¡¯m already shivering. At this rate, my tastebuds are going to die of sweetness.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Come on, you can¡¯t skip out on lifestones, okay? Just open your mouth.¡±


    After a while, Claud decided to put a lifestone in his mouth. ¡°Either you eat that sandwich, or I transfer you this lifestone from mouth to mouth.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to touch that sandwich.¡±


    Claud looked at Lily. ¡°Oh, you think I¡¯m too delicate to not carry out my threat, huh? Alright, don¡¯t you run away now. I¡¯m going over. No, I¡¯m really going over. I swear. Just sit there and let me roll over to your mouth¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright! I¡¯m eating it, okay?¡± Lily picked up the sandwich, scrunched up her face, and shivered as the icy sweetness of a freshly cooked lifestone entered her mouth. Claud had a feeling that there were some parts of the description he¡¯d just cooked up that were off, but he wasn¡¯t going to think that hard.


    ¡°Good girl.¡± Claud rubbed Lily¡¯s cheeks, and then swallowed the lifestone in his mouth. Shivering once, he patted her head again and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with lifestones?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re too sweet. I mean, you seem to like it, but that¡¯s because you haven¡¯t tried eating three hundred of them in a week. My legs are a bit wobbly from the taste alone.¡± Lily had a sad look on her face. ¡°You¡¯re lucky you can absorb them the way you do it.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s Crown we¡¯re speaking about, after all.¡±


    ¡°Meep?¡± A small box, who was busy playing around with a sphere and a star, hopped once and turned to Claud. ¡°Meep.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks, buddy. Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re a huge help to me.¡± Claud smiled, before hugging Lily. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m going to supervise you. You need the time, after all. And I did not rob the Moons for no reason.¡±


    ¡°You do know that they¡¯re still searching for the culprit, right?¡± Lily replied. ¡°They¡¯ll slaughter us if they find out.¡±


    ¡°All the more reason to destroy the evidence,¡± Claud replied, before thinking about the small heist he¡¯d conducted on the local garrison of Moonlit troops. It wasn¡¯t hard ¡ª he had simply walked into their storeroom, swept up every lifestone in sight, and then walked out. For some reason, the vault¡¯s doors were wide open, as if they wanted to tempt anyone who saw it into signing up with them. Thanks to his actions, the vault had been emptied completely, so the number of volunteers had dropped by five or six times.


    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m the one doing the destroying.¡± Lily made a face. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m the one who has it hard when destroying the evidence.¡±


    Claud patted her head. ¡°It¡¯s for your own good, okay? Hmm. Maybe we can do some experiments. How about making a lifestone-infused drink? I remember Schwarz experimenting with it a few years ago.¡±


    ¡°And how did he make that drink?¡±


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    ¡°Some lemons, some ice cubes and water.¡± Claud thought for a moment. ¡°The ice cubes were lifestones. He wanted to fill a barrel of lemonade with lifestones, which are somewhat cool to the touch.¡±


    ¡°Did he succeed?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me, sadly.¡± Claud looked around the room. ¡°If he comes over again, I¡¯ll ask him.¡±


    ¡°The situation¡¯s stabilised recently, so that¡¯s quite possible¡­but isn¡¯t the resulting drink sweet anyway?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I also don¡¯t want to drink that.¡±


    ¡°The lemonade¡¯s supposed to counter that, but like I said, he never told me the results. Maybe he forgot, and the lemonade¡¯s still chilling in his cellar back in Licencia or something,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Oh. Well, I mean, we could wait for a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°No can do, Lily.¡± Claud paused. ¡°Well, how many years do you have right now? I mean, I could compromise slightly if need be.¡±


    ¡°I have eight hundred years of lifespan,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And I¡¯m already at 4.87.¡±


    Claud thought about it for a moment. ¡°Okay, fine. You work on become a penta-folder first, then. It¡¯s not like those lifestones are going to run away anyway. They¡¯re always on me.¡±


    Lily looked at his hand, where a small ring glinted, and made a face. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be happy, alright?¡± Claud tweaked her nose. ¡°We have a walking treasury.¡±


    ¡°That you intend to feed me with,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Anyway, how about you? How far have you gotten now?¡±


    ¡°After last night?¡± Claud asked, before checking his Status.


    Name: Claud Primus


    Class: Omen


    Lifespan: 401 years


    Active Skills: Presence Nullification (9), Flight (5), Binding Order (7), Cleanse (6), FiBoD;O??? (0), FiBoD;O??? (0)


    Passive Skills: DiL???C, Mana Locus, Omen, Understanding, Master of Permanence, Artificial Life Contractor


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 6.99


    Mana Control Proficiency: Master


    Authority: 6


    Comments: The Star has arrived. Omen, tread carefully. Let not the scalding light fall upon you, for you will fade away.


    He ignored the ominous comments as usual, and then said, ¡°401 years. Nearly 650 years just vanished like that. It¡¯s a bit amazing how things like this can happen.¡±


    ¡°Just a touch away, then.¡± Lily bobbed her head. ¡°Still, if you can clear the Third Tutorial¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m told that it¡¯s super dangerous.¡± Claud looked around the room. ¡°As usual, more time, more intel gathering, more knowledge¡­you know the drill.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a shame, I suppose.¡± Lily pouted. ¡°You would be in a far better position if you were a high-ranked position. You need to be careful, got it? It¡¯s definitely going to be dangerous.¡±


    Claud nodded. The Trial of Aeons were closing in on them, which was why he had been very driven when it came to drawing his mana circuits. He had only left the house once ever since the Moonlit soldiers came in, and that was to secure some freebies that had been lying around in an open vault.


    Of course, the soldiers were still looking for the mysterious thief, but that was none of his problem. It wasn¡¯t his fault if they left it lying around in the open, and¡­


    Claud rubbed his nose. He wasn¡¯t this shameless. He had given some money to the poor people in town after doing the deed, just so he could make up for the riches they would have had if they signed up. Part of this, though, was driven by his desire to not let the poor and the desperate sign up to join the shady enterprise of war.


    He let out a sigh.


    ¡°Claud? Something wrong?¡± Lily asked, feeling his face. ¡°Hmm. You seem a bit feverish.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m just thinking about the people I¡¯d killed with that skill back then. I used it twice without thinking too hard. And now, I¡¯m trying to prevent people from killing each other senselessly. Does that make sense?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. At best, I¡¯m just being a hypocrite.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up. You didn¡¯t know at that time,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I know. Due diligence. I know. But¡­there were extenuating circumstances, weren¡¯t there? The enemy was attacking, and you didn¡¯t think things through.¡±


    Claud shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this, shall we? I just couldn¡¯t help but think about it, that¡¯s all. I¡¯ll have a way to make up for this in the future.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Lily squished his cheeks, and then picked up another lifestone. Bracing herself, she tossed it into her mouth, and shivered once.


    ¡°That¡¯s your way of cheering me up?¡± Claud asked, before smiling faintly. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°You are very welcome.¡± Lily braced herself once more, and then swallowed another lifestone. Claud, on a personal level, felt that if Lily was willing to cheer him up by eating more lifestones, bringing up his regret here was quite worth it.


    He wouldn¡¯t try to torture himself for that reason, though. It was a bit manipulative, so he had no desire to repeat this session either. However, feeding Lily lifestones was indeed quite therapeutic for him, especially since she had a really adorable expression whenever she took in the tiny little green rocks.


    After taking in another fifty lifestones, Lily called it a day.


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s really fine. Well done!¡± Claud rubbed her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s so sweet¡­ergh.¡± Lily made another face. ¡°I want something savoury for dinner tonight.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Claud patted her head. ¡°Just in time, too. I managed to make some soup. The one I tasted in my Second Tutorial. Let¡¯s give it a try!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±

 Chapter 463: Destiny Divine

    A pot of soup simmered above a weak flame, and Claud sniffed the air appreciatively. Over the past two weeks, he had tried his hand at fermenting soybeans to create this weird paste, the key ingredient for Rimestar¡¯s key source of food. It was now yielding rather good results, and Claud couldn¡¯t help but hum.


    ¡°I¡¯m drooling,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Right, does this go well with bread?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s soup. Of course it does,¡± Claud replied, before turning to their visitor. ¡°Anyway, Risti, what brings you here?¡±


    The Princess Dia-lookalike, who was busy squatting down and examining some ants, glanced up. ¡°The atmosphere at the base camp was getting to me, so I took some time off. The others are still fine, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°What kind of atmosphere are we even talking about anyway?¡± Claud asked, curious. ¡°You sound very stifled.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re just drilling and marching, marching and drilling. I could hear them shouting and things like that,¡± Risti replied, irritation lining every word. ¡°Even at night! No, especially at night! I know that the Dark prefers attacking at night ¡ª it¡¯s in the name ¡ª but people need to sleep, alright? None of us have been sleeping well for the past three weeks, and it¡¯s getting to us.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Claud paused. ¡°Maybe I should prepare more beds. How many rooms do we have that are unused?¡±


    ¡°Three in total. I suppose Nero and Schwarz could bunk down in one room, and the ladies in the other?¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°There¡¯s still one extra room, so you guys figure it out.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Risti looked genuinely tempted by the prospect of living outside the base camp, and Claud rubbed his nose.


    ¡°Ahem. Isn¡¯t that going to be a problem?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I mean, you guys are currently contracted to the Moons, right?¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s literally nothing for us to do. It¡¯s a ceasefire now, and the only thing us staying there is currently accomplishing is driving us crazy. All the missions have dried up, and a good number of the mercenaries that we knew had died thanks to that stupid Bearer of Destiny.¡± Risti let out a sigh. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m bunking in that spare room for the night. It¡¯s settled.¡±


    ¡°For this night?¡±


    ¡°For a few nights, I suppose¡­¡± Risti made a face. ¡°Anyway, we don¡¯t need to be concerned. Once the Trial of Aeons start, everyone¡¯s attention will be drawn away to wherever the damn thing is held at. Everyone¡¯s going to stare at the place, whatever it is, and violence will temporarily stop.¡±


    ¡°As people make their own preparations to assassinate the people there, I suppose?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Anyway, do you know anything about the Trial of Aeons?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­I know that Nero doesn¡¯t know anything about the Trial of Aeons,¡± Risti replied. ¡°And the Moons haven¡¯t seen fit to tell us anything about that either. How about your side?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much so far, but I think we might be able to get an idea sooner or later,¡± Claud replied, thinking about the card that Lesser Half had given him. Now that he had a plausible excuse, he couldn¡¯t help but think that asking the divinity might yield some dividends here or there.


    It was nice that Lesser Half was a really sociable fellow. In the past few weeks, Lesser Half had asked him and Lily about really random things, like recipes for bread to drinks that people liked and how to celebrate birthdays. It was really weird, but it was also proof that Lesser Half was learning more about humans.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Claud shook himself. ¡°Anyway, give this a try. I made it out of fermented soybean paste.¡±


    ¡°Soybean?¡± Risti blinked. ¡°Huh. Did you work on this with Schwarz? He was also working on some soybean underground farm when we left back then.¡±


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    Claud glanced at her once, and then shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t know he was working on them. But I was looking at the taste; Lily¡¯s sick and tired of eating lifestones, that¡¯s all. This soup is the savoury and rich kind, so I brewed it for her.¡±


    ¡°Oh. How boring.¡± Risti let out an exaggerated sigh.


    Claud rolled his eyes.


    Inwardly, however, Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel that some things were still going the same way as the Second Tutorial. Indeed, the Seekers of Life were already looking at soybeans when the Trial of Aeons descended. While he wasn¡¯t sure what exactly happened to them afterwards, Licencia had been destroyed, and they, along with the other survivors, eventually formed Rimestar.


    Would this part come true too? Or had he averted it somehow? Claud couldn¡¯t be too sure of the future, especially since the details were very fuzzy when the Risti there related it back to him. She too wasn¡¯t too sure, and Claud couldn¡¯t blame her for that.


    ¡°Risti, are you really planning on staying the next few days?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°What, you don¡¯t want me here?¡± Risti placed her hand over her heart and pretended to stagger. ¡°What did I do?¡±


    ¡°Oh, stop playing around,¡± Claud cut in. ¡°Right, the soup¡¯s done, so after you two finish your little play, come over and get some for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Lily turned back to Risti. ¡°And no, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want you here. It¡¯s just that the others will be mad if you stay here without telling them about the rooms.¡±


    ¡°Bleh.¡± Risti filled her bowl with some soup, and then sat on the ground. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. Still¡­right. It¡¯s possible that you guys will have a new visitor bunking in. For the time being. My father is a bit worried about me, and he told me to stick with him while the Trial of Aeons play out.¡±


    Claud tilted his head. ¡°What does that have to do with a new visitor bunking in?¡±


    ¡°I told him that one of the Seekers of Life has a fortress in a nearby town, and that he should join me instead,¡± Risti replied. ¡°He seems to be quite happy with that idea, so I expect him to show up tomorrow or something¡­you don¡¯t mind, right?¡±


    ¡°The president of the Folders¡¯ Association is strong, so I do not mind,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Might need to build a new room or something, though.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry on that front,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°That does, at least, explain why you¡¯re staying her for the next few days,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°What¡¯s your father like?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± Risti puffed up her cheeks, looking like a squirrel with its cheeks full of nuts. ¡°Hmm. I should really tell the others to come here too, shouldn¡¯t I? I mean, the Moons probably wouldn¡¯t care anyway, now that there¡¯s a ceasefire and we¡¯re just loitering around pointlessly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you should bring them here or something,¡± Claud chimed in. ¡°The more the merrier. And I¡¯ll never turn away more manpower for doing chores and other stuff.¡±


    ¡°What are we, your servants?¡±


    Claud chuckled. ¡°This is my house, after all.¡±


    More importantly, Claud wanted everyone to gather here. Anything that deviated from the future he saw in the Second Tutorial sounded like a good idea, and with more people around, the chances of Lily coming to harm after the Trial of Aeons concluded would be drastically lowered.


    However, Claud still hadn¡¯t figured out why the Red God had targeted Lily and him in the Second Tutorial. There was definitely something working behind the scenes, or perhaps it was pure coincidence, but now that Claud knew a possible future, he could work to avert it from the very start.


    In a sense, the fact that he knew how a certain future would play out allowed him to avoid it.


    Risti¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, and her gaze turned to Lily. ¡°Lily, has Claud been preoccupied with really important matters recently? I get a feeling that he¡¯s¡­contemplating a lot more things now. Compared to the time you two ran out for a honeymoon.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called maturity,¡± Lily answered with a grin.


    ¡°Uh¡­okay. Whatever you say¡­¡± Risti started on her soup. ¡°I¡¯m going to drink my soup.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to hear more?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°No, thank you very much.¡± Risti turned away from Lily. ¡°And you should have some soup too.¡±


    Lily made a small noise in her throat, and filled the remaining two bowls with soup too. ¡°Here!¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Claud took the bowl, his hands shrouded with a thin layer of mana. As he gulped down the soup, his mind started to wander.


    Would the president of the Folders¡¯ Association know many secrets? Would he be happy to share them? Given his position, Claud knew that the Association President definitely held a lot of critical information. If he could make use of this contact in the few days he had before the Trial of Aeons began¡­


    He shook his head. This was Moon territory. It was possible that the Moons had some sort of mechanism that would trigger if someone spoke about the Trial of Aeons, especially secrets related to it. Even if the mechanism only drew attention to the speakers, it would be a problem, since the Trial of Aeons weren¡¯t all too far away.


    Shaking his head, he looked up at the skies. The silvery sheen that illuminated the world, night or day be damned, hadn¡¯t subsided yet.


    For better or worse, the five grand skies were still holding sway over the world.


    [End of Book 10: Destiny Divine]

 Chapter 464: Connecting dots

    [Book 11: Aeons Arise]


    ¡°Another day, another bout of silver light.¡± Claud poked his head out of the window, winced at the bright silver light that was shining down on the world, and then slid back, before pulling the curtains shut.


    Lily, who had curled up under the blanket just seconds over, made some weird noise and then sat up. ¡°What time is it?¡±


    ¡°Moons if I know,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s silver out there.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Right. It¡¯s the daytime, then¡­I suppose we can¡¯t get any more details, can we?¡± Lily yawned. ¡°Anyway, thanks for the backrub last night. That really hit the spot.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re still feeling the effects of it now, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s more effective than just hitting the spot,¡± Claud noted, before waddling over to a small, miniature room. There, on three small boxes lined with velvety and cushy material, were three little shapes.


    A cube, a sphere and a star. Those three little fellows were making soft meeps as they snored away, and Claud had to withstand the urge to poke them awake. Smiling to himself, he moved on to the weird, misaligned pyramid that had served him well for a long time.


    It was still misaligned, which meant that the divinities or whatever that had been paying attention to him for the past few months and seasons weren¡¯t intending on using their actual powers on him just yet.


    ¡°Routine checks are boring, but you¡¯re still treating them so seriously,¡± Lily commented.


    ¡°It only takes like ten seconds to check the Looped Encryptor, but our lives will stretch out towards eternity. Tis a small price to pay,¡± Claud replied, before reaching out for a small card. ¡°Oh. That divinity has sent another message. Let¡¯s see here. ¡®What should I get for Count Lostfon¡¯s birthday?¡¯¡±


    ¡°Huh? Lily hopped off the bed. ¡°His birthday?¡±


    Claud showed her the card, and an indescribable look crawled up her face. She looked as incredulous as Claud himself felt, and after a while, she shook her head. ¡°I suppose a good gift would be peace, right?¡±


    ¡°Probably. Or you know, an end to the fighting¡­¡± Claud thought for a moment. ¡°How does a city-protecting artefact sound? Something that can create a huge barrier around Lostfon, so that any battles that happen outside won¡¯t affect the city directly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Let¡¯s scribble that back, and we might as well ask a few questions too.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Should I preface it? I think I should, just so the big guy doesn¡¯t get the wrong idea. Let¡¯s see¡­¡±


    He looked at the scribbled message and nodded. ¡°Alright, away it goes!¡±


    The words scribbled on the card vanished, and the two of them returned to their bed and sat down on it. Lily immediately picked up a pillow and hugged it, prompting Claud to rub her head.


    ¡°Why do you always do that?¡± Lily asked, trapping his hand with her own. ¡°Do I look extra-cute when I hug a pillow?¡±


    ¡°You do,¡± Claud replied, raising a hand. ¡°Oh. Well, I suppose we should check up on Risti, who¡¯s probably starving or something by now. Do you think her dad¡¯s going to get here today? Or would he show up after Risti leaves to bring the others over?¡±


    ¡°What do you think is more likely to happen?¡±


    Claud paused. ¡°Well, the Red God exists. And while he is apparently the God of Precision, I am more inclined to think that he is the God of Coincidence. I¡¯d say that Risti will run into her father right before she leaves.¡±


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    ¡°That is an extraordinarily weird guess,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I¡¯m going to chase her out right now.¡±


    ¡°And that, my dear Lily, is cheating.¡± Claud pulled her down next to him.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    The two of them fooled around for a while, before deciding that tidying up the bed and washing up was probably going to be for the best. Claud, on his part, didn¡¯t know how soundproof this room was, and he did not want to embarrass Lily accidentally by having Risti overhear some weird things.


    Patting his face dry, Claud stretched once and led the way out to the living room, where a disgruntled Risti was staring daggers at them. Claud thought for a moment, and then clapped his hands together. ¡°Right, breakfast!¡±


    ¡°You finally remembered, huh?¡± Risti glared at him. ¡°You two must be living the couple life up. Your room¡¯s quite soundproofed, though. I stuck my ear on the door and I couldn¡¯t hear anything. Or are you two the quiet kind?¡±


    It was Claud¡¯s turn to glare at Risti, and after displaying his anger through displaying his ocular might, he said, ¡°We just overslept, okay? The silver sky makes it very hard to tell what time it is other than ¡®day¡¯ and night¡¯. You could have knocked or something.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Risti cleared her throat. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Claud turned away and headed into the kitchen. ¡°You better be.¡±


    As Lily asked her about her dad, Claud heated up the soup that had been last night¡¯s dinner, and then pulled out a few slabs of smoked meat. Sliding them into the pot that he¡¯d carried them inside, he looked at the stone stove and chucked more wood into the fire there.


    If he didn¡¯t get it wrong, Risti probably had tried to make something earlier, but had refrained from doing so for some reason. Thankfully, however, the fire she¡¯d started was still burning merrily, and before long, the pot¡¯s contents began to bubble.


    Making a mental note to return after ten minutes, he walked out of the kitchen.


    ¡°Are we having yesterday¡¯s soup?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°That, plus some meat and bread.¡± Claud turned to Risti. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind the simple fare.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with it, thank you very much. Anyway, I think I should give you two this.¡± She fumbled with her pockets, and then pulled out a small bag, which she tossed to Lily.


    Lily opened the small bag. ¡°What¡¯s the lifestones for?¡±


    ¡°My dad¡¯s lodging fee when he comes by,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Can¡¯t have him freeloading off you two, right?¡±


    ¡°True, but let¡¯s put it this way,¡± Lily replied. ¡°If our parents ¡ª hypothetical ones ¡ª were to drop by your place to live for say, a month or two, would you accept our payment? Especially when they could be of great help?¡±


    Risti looked at them, and then sighed. ¡°I suppose you won¡¯t be accepting the payment, then.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh. We¡¯ll like to pick your dad¡¯s brain on a few matters, though.¡± Lily¡¯s eyes twinkled. ¡°Your father¡¯s the Association President. He has to be crazy strong.¡±


    ¡°Probably?¡± Risti made a noise in her throat. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure. When strong folders cut loose, everything becomes a real mess, and it¡¯s hard to determine strength. I mean, the Sixth Bearer of Destiny was at best a bi-folder, but he managed to kill off a whole bunch of strong folders and entire armies. If Dia hadn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Dia?¡± Claud frowned. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Risti blinked. ¡°Wait, I didn¡¯t tell you two? Dia was the one who defeated the Sixth and killed him.¡±


    Claud felt his head spin. ¡°Dia. Killed. The Sixth?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, why?¡± Risti looked at him. ¡°Lily, something¡¯s wrong with your hubby.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± Claud had a sinking feeling. ¡°Anyway, she killed the Sixth Bearer of Destiny?¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh. She seems quite¡­nonchalant about it, but I can tell that she¡¯s real chuffed about this achievement,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Anyway, we won¡¯t need to live in fear of being scared to death. I know there¡¯s some recursive logic in what I just said or something, but it¡¯s nice that such a dangerous skill is lost forever.¡±


    Claud nodded, but his mind was already considering something else. He had become the Omen, as the first person to kill a Bearer of Destiny. Dia, however, was almost certainly the first non-Bearer to kill a Bearer ¡ª did the act of doing that trigger the Salvation Star schtick?


    The more he thought about it, the more plausible the whole thing felt. After all, the Salvation Star fellow had popped up right after the Sixth perished. If he became the Omen due to him kicking off the entire chain of events that led up to the Last Godsfall¡­


    He shook his head. Rubbing Lily on the head once more, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll check on the soup. It should be done soon.¡±


    Lily nodded and trapped his hand with her own again. ¡°Hurry over when you¡¯re done!¡±


    ¡°I feel really angry when I see you two flirt in front of me for some reason,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°Damnit. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t bring the others back. It¡¯s like I¡¯m asking to be tortured by these overly sweet acts of affection, blergh.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t look,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Easy for you to say,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Anyway, shoo. Go check on the breakfast. I¡¯ll go¡­wash my eyes or something. And my hands, too, while I¡¯m at it.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Claud muttered, before turning away. ¡°Well, whatever.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the cutlery out,¡± Lily volunteered. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Leaving behind a disgruntled Risti, the two of them ventured into the kitchen.

 Chapter 465: Neo Cadenza

    Claud was bringing out the pot when a polite set of knocks echoed through the house, and he exchanged glances with Lily. Looking at his pot of soup a moment later, he said, ¡°I suppose this too, is another kind of coincidence.¡±


    ¡°The one where the visitor arrives just in time for free food?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yeap.¡± Claud turned back to the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯ll fetch one more bowl.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it. You and Risti welcome our¡­visitor,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Shoo!¡±


    ¡°Why are you shooing me anyway?¡± Claud asked, mystified. ¡°But okay.¡±


    As he walked to the door, Claud asked, ¡°Does your dad have weird behavioural tics that I need to be aware of? Is he a daughter-con? Does he not like a certain hair colour?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just a normal person, so don¡¯t worry,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°Normal, you say¡­¡± Claud opened the door, took one look at the gaudy man outside, and then turned back to Risti. ¡°Normal?¡±


    ¡°¡­Dad?¡± Risti looked at the middle-aged man, who was wearing bright green clothes from head to toe. Eight lifestones orbited his head for some weird reason, and even more accessories made from lifestones could be seen on his neck and wrists.


    ¡°Ris-Ris!¡± The middle-aged man beamed, and then hugged her. ¡°Dad¡¯s here!¡±


    Claud promptly noted down that adorable nickname, which Lily would absolutely love. ¡°Good morning, President Cadenza. I¡¯m told that you¡¯ll be staying over at our humble abode.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± The gaudy man turned to Claud, his green lights glimmering like lifestones. ¡°You must be Claud.¡±


    Lily walked out of the kitchen a moment later, and President Cadenza bobbed his head in her direction. ¡°And you must be Lily. I am Neo Cadenza, Ris-Ris¡¯ father. Thank you for taking care of my daughter in those trying times!¡±


    ¡°Dad¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± President Cadenza turned back to Risti. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, little one?¡±


    ¡°Can you not¡ª¡± Risti lowered her volume, and mumbled a few words that were very audible to Claud. ¡°¡ªuse that nickname in front of my friends?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay.¡± President Cadenza clapped her cheeks. ¡°Sure thing, daughter!¡±


    Claud chuckled, and then turned to glance at Lily, who had a huge smile on her face. Unfortunately for Risti, it was clear that Lily too had heard her tiny little request, but again, Lily was already a tetra-folder who was closing in on her fifth fold.


    ¡°Still,¡± President Cadenza muttered, ¡°it¡¯s surprising that you have such impressive friends. Your words don¡¯t seem to do them justice.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, Dad?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± President Cadenza looked at her, and then at Claud and Lily. ¡°Hmm. I see. Interesting. Sir and Lady Primus, can I have a word with you two in private?¡±


    Claud blinked at the sudden formality, and then shrugged. ¡°Sure. I don¡¯t see why not.¡±


    Risti looked at them curiously, but said nothing as the three of them headed out of the house for a while. After putting some distance between them and the house, President Cadenza took out a skillstick and snapped it into two.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just to prevent our voices from being heard by anyone at all,¡± President Cadenza reassured Claud. ¡°Now, does my daughter know of your true strengths?¡±


    Claud narrowed his eyes. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean, you are a hexa-folder. Your wife is closing in on her fifth mana circuit.¡± The President of the Folders¡¯ Association smiled gently. ¡°My daughter, however, tells me that you two are at best tri-folders. This huge discrepancy in strength is too unnatural. It is almost certainly deliberate.¡±


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    Claud clicked his teeth. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just an effect of an artefact,¡± President Cadenza replied. ¡°Anyway, I am not sure about the reasons behind this discrepancy, but I do not want to incur your displeasure by spoiling plans you two may have had. Therefore, this private discussion.¡±


    Claud looked at the middle-aged man. ¡°You¡¯re quite considerate.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how I wooed Risti¡¯s mother, see?¡± The middle-aged, all-green man smiled gently. ¡°So, about your strength¡­¡±


    ¡°Mention nothing of it,¡± Claud replied. ¡°The two of us are¡­thinking of something. And it is best that our friends do not know of our strength. They might decide to do something stupid or reckless, and that¡¯ll be a problem. As long as they think they¡¯re still weak, they¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you have seen your fair share of stories,¡± Lily added. ¡°About how noble scions acted recklessly due to the mana-users in their families, and eventually ended up provoking people who didn¡¯t care. We want to avoid that.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± President Cadenza nodded. ¡°I am glad you two think that way. In that case, I will not mention anything about your strength. It is, after all, for the best that my daughter keeps a cool head. She can be quite¡­reckless at times.¡±


    ¡°Reckless?¡±


    The president showed a doting smile. ¡°Yes, indeed. She¡¯s really adorable¡­right, who¡¯s Nero? Is he here?¡±


    ¡°Nero? That¡¯s the Holy Son of¡ª¡±


    ¡°Of course I know he¡¯s the Holy Son of the Black Church. What I mean¡­well, what do you two think of him?¡± President Cadenza asked. ¡°As a person.¡±


    Claud and Lily promptly replied, ¡°Alcoholic.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Risti¡¯s father blinked. ¡°Alcoholic? Huh. Okay, uh¡­what kind of alcoholic is he, then? Risti didn¡¯t seem to mention that bit.¡±


    Claud tilted his head, but he didn¡¯t quite get where the conversation was going. ¡°Okay, while both of us did say that he¡¯s an alcoholic, he¡¯s the kind that doesn¡¯t get drunk. He likes drinking, but I¡¯ve never seen him drunk. Even our resident bartender¡¯s purest water can¡¯t even get him drunk.¡±


    ¡°Purest water? How can such a drink get people drunk?¡± The confusion on his face grew visibly.


    ¡°It¡¯s the kind that can be set on fire,¡± Lily clarified. ¡°Ninety-five percent alcohol. A cup can knock me and Claud out if we¡¯re not prepared. Nero chugs that down easily, though.¡±


    ¡°Ah! I see. Your resident bartender¡­Schwarz, yes? He sounds like a fun person. Anyway, Nero¡¯s¡­an alcoholic that can¡¯t get drunk, then. Alright. Anything else noteworthy about him?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Claud frowned. He hadn¡¯t interacted all that much with the Holy Son of the Black God compared to the others, since he and Lily had fled not too long afterwards. ¡°I think you¡¯ll need to ask the others. We¡¯re not really the best people to ask.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay. My little one tells me that she is going to fetch them over soon. It¡¯s good enough. Thank you, the two of you.¡± The middle-aged man smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go back, shall we? Ris-Ris must be bouncing off the walls from curiosity right now.¡±


    ¡°Not literally, I hope.¡±


    The three of them returned under Risti¡¯s curious gaze, and after Claud closed the door behind them, Risti sidled up to Lily and whispered, ¡°What did Dad ask you two about?¡±


    Claud glanced at the president, who had clearly heard her words too, and then rolled his eyes. The elder Cadenza shrugged with a small smile, and then indicated the table.


    After Lily whispered back her answer ¡ª which she knew was completely pointless ¡ª the four of them sat around the table.


    ¡°Interesting soup. What¡¯s this soup?¡± President Cadenza asked. ¡°It¡¯s quite savoury.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s made from fermented soybeans. Very nice to drink when the weather is cold,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t winter in Grandis, though,¡± President Cadenza replied, the lifestones on his body glimmering. ¡°Still, this is quite good. It¡¯s a perfect drink to counteract the sweetness of lifestones. For someone like me who eats them every day¡­¡±


    Claud glanced at Lily, who looked like she had found someone who could understand her suffering, and then held her hand under the table. Her fingers tapped eight times in reply, and Claud chuckled.


    ¡°Are you two telepathic?¡± President Cadenza murmured. ¡°Anyway, I won¡¯t bother the two of you. I¡¯m just lodging here to look after my daughter.¡±


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I mean, you suddenly wanting to look after Risti after some time is a bit¡­odd, right? Is there something we don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Not really. It¡¯s¡­well, it¡¯s just that I¡¯m taking a step back from managing the Folders¡¯ Association. Like a vacation. Old men need holidays, after all. Anyway, it seems I came a bit early, so I¡¯ll leave with her and head towards the Moons¡¯ camp first.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Risti looked at her father. ¡°You don¡¯t want to rest here?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, little one.¡± President Cadenza flexed his arms. ¡°I¡¯m here to look after you. That¡¯s my rest. What¡¯s the point of staying here if you¡¯re not with me?¡±


    ¡°¡­Um, okay.¡±


    ¡°I can tell that you¡¯re jumping with joy inside, though¡­¡±


    Claud looked at the father and daughter, before turning away. He didn¡¯t want to feel jealous of his friend, who had a father who would travel long distances just to see his daughter.


    Turning his attention to the soup, he glanced at Lily once, and then started taking small, slow sips. Lily, who had disciplined her facial expressions too, lowered her head and emulated his actions.


    His mind spun as he drank slowly.


    What, exactly, were the interactions between a father and a grown child like? Was it the distant, yet close banter that they shared? Or the gentle, knowing smile of the parent, who had weathered untold burdens for his little one? Claud didn¡¯t know, but he could feel the deep affection President Cadenza had for his daughter, like a tall, sturdy wall, blocking out the wind.


    How could anyone not feel jealous of something like this?

 Chapter 466: Odd disappearances

    Claud watched as the father and daughter left the house, and then looked down at his empty plate. A part of him felt cold, and he turned to look at Lily, who had a small smile on her face.


    He wasn¡¯t the only one who had deeper thoughts when he saw someone¡¯s family, it would seem. Taking in her breathtaking appearance, he approached Lily and hugged her gently, pulling her into his embrace in a bid to transfer some of his warmth over.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°No. Nothing.¡± Claud buried his face in her chest for a moment. ¡°Just thinking about myself. Risti better treat her dad well.¡±


    A small hand patted her head. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Claud separated himself from Lily after ten seconds. Lily¡¯s expression was much better now, like how he himself felt. It was an old wound that the two of them shared, but at least both of them had each other for support now.


    ¡°How nice,¡± Lily murmured. ¡°If we have children, I¡¯ll definitely play the role of the embarrassing mum. That¡¯ll be fun.¡±


    ¡°Embarrassing? I think it¡¯s adorable. Look at Risti¡¯s nickname. Ris-Ris!¡± Claud clapped his hands. ¡°What an adorable nickname! We should use that more often if given the chance. It¡¯s such a lovely nickname, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s going to cry if you do that, but it¡¯s adorable,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Anyway, there¡¯s still some soup. What do we do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll feed you with more lifestones first, and then we can have soup in the afternoon,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Can we not? Please?¡± Lily¡¯s eyes grew nice and round, and Claud felt his heart throb once.


    ¡°Fine¡­just for today.¡± Claud played with her hair gently. ¡°I suppose we should just stroll around town or something, then. I¡¯ve always wanted to see the interior of the Moonlit camp here anyway.¡±


    Lily livened up immediately. ¡°Let¡¯s go, then!¡±


    The two of them dressed up slightly, and then left the house. Claud had also brought the three little fellows with him, since they had been meeping about their boredom for some time. For one, he understood where they were coming from, and more importantly, if Risti really led the others back to his home, they would monopolise the little fellows.


    He shook his head, and then turned his attention to something more important. Checking the Looped Encryptor, he turned to Lily and held her hand. ¡°Right, when that approaches, the two of us should find an excuse and leave for a while. I don¡¯t know how the A-Thing will work, but if I vanish, it¡¯s going to be a dead giveaway.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°I was thinking about that too, now that the others are thinking of bunking down at our house. I¡¯m not sure if the Moons will call them back, but if they don¡¯t, we¡¯ll need to leave for a while. What excuse do you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one of the problems, yes,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We¡¯ve already used honeymoon, so that¡¯s a no-go.¡±


    The two of them thought for a while as they walked down the small street, before Lily made a happy noise. ¡°Why not use noblesse oblige as a reason? We do have identities as knights. We can just flub up a reason and then leave.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. How about investigating a crime in Lacuna?¡± Claud suggested. ¡°As knights who have been summoned. Are there any procedures or things like that? We could write up some fake letters and mail them to us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen a few summoning letters before,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Leave them to me! I¡¯m a professional at making things and making things up!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a difference between both phrases, though,¡± Claud pointed out. ¡°But okay. Anyway, where are the Moonlit soldiers? Odd. Usually, they¡¯re already patrolling the streets.¡±


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    He looked around. The Moonlit soldiers were ubiquitous ¡ª they could be seen anywhere in Monsville. Yet, for some reason, he couldn¡¯t even see a single one right now, as if they had all decided to pack up and go home. He wasn¡¯t the only one who had noticed the oddity either ¡ª there were a lot of people roaming the streets and looking for them.


    Before long, Claud and Lily were standing in front of a small camp. The Moonlit camp itself was outside Monsville, and had been peppered with tents.


    The fenced-off area was still peppered with tents, but for some reason, all the Moonlit soldiers had vanished. At this distance, Claud couldn¡¯t tell if they had all just packed up and left the tents behind, but it was clear that everyone that had been in this camp had vanished entirely.


    ¡°Did they give up on recruiting?¡± Claud wondered out loud.


    ¡°Maybe they completed their recruitment, so they left,¡± Lily suggested. ¡°Or maybe, you know¡­¡±


    She winked at Claud, and he rolled his eyes. There was, as Lily implied, a high chance that his actions of taking their vault¡¯s treasures had sent them packing. On one hand, they no longer had the resources to entice people with, and on the other hand, his actions were proof that there was probably someone formidable enough to rob a vault in broad daylight.


    The latter was possible with the right skills, but no one who had been burglarised once would want to be targeted again.


    In other words, there was a chance that Claud had accidentally scared away the recruiting Moonlit soldiers here. They had, however, recruited quite a few people anyway, so they were probably cutting their losses or something.


    ¡°Whoops, I suppose.¡± Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°What a shame. I was hoping to hear some intelligence or at least to chat with them. Still, it¡¯s best if we investigate further. While your implied theory makes sense, if they really fled due to that¡­I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the actual cause. It feels too delayed.¡±


    ¡°Delayed, huh?¡±


    With those words, Lily and Claud ventured into the empty camp. A few others, who had been standing around the camp, seemed to gain some courage from their actions and followed suit.


    ¡°Odd.¡± Claud frowned. Now that he was past the entrance and had a direct view of the place, he couldn¡¯t help but think that something had gone wrong. There were a lot of utensils lying around.


    ¡°It feels like they vanished while preparing their dinner or something,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Look! There¡¯s a pot that has black sludge inside. It¡¯s the type you see when soup is boiled to the point of evaporation. And there are a lot of random utensils on the floor for some reason.¡±


    As Lily continued to point out more and more issues, Claud couldn¡¯t help but think that her guess had a lot of merit. Rather than packing up and leaving, it felt like the entire contingent here had completely vanished.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­scary.¡± Claud looked around. ¡°And the new recruits? What happened to them? Did they leave for the base camp immediately? Or did they vanish with the Moonlit soldiers?¡±


    ¡°Before we do anything else, we should retreat first. This is not something we should be sticking our noses into,¡± Lily warned. ¡°Baronet Mons is definitely going to conduct an investigation into this. We might be implicated if we stay any longer.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Claud took a deep breath. ¡°Let¡¯s beat it first. We¡¯ll¡­head to the tavern first. If there¡¯s any news, it¡¯ll be the first place to find out.¡±


    The two of them swiftly retreated as more curious people entered the camp cautiously. Claud was interested in finding out what they thought, but he was even more interested in ensuring that the two of them wouldn¡¯t be affected by any issues whatsoever.


    When did the Moonlit soldiers here vanish? And how did they vanish collectively? Claud was certain that there were always a few patrols here and there within the city itself. Even if the inhabitants of the camp vanished, these patrols should have remained, right?


    He shared his doubts with Lily, who nodded thoughtfully. Neither of them could come up with a suitable explanation, but it was also possible that they had vanished while they were preparing to leave. Claud had spotted a few wagons that had been loaded, but again, the evidence was so inconclusive that neither of them could decisively tell what had happened.


    In silence, the two of them made their way to the tavern, which was once again full. Judging by the number of people who only had drinks on their table, it was clear that they were waiting for news, rather than legitimately hungry, and the duo joined the group of news-awaiting customers.


    The middle-aged man glanced at them as they picked up their drinks. ¡°You guys here regarding the missing Moonlit soldiers?¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°We went to check their camp too. It¡¯s¡­like they all vanished halfway through a meal or something.¡±


    A few heads turned to them, and the bartender made a noise. ¡°Odd.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± Claud agreed, before sliding a few bronze coins over. Mister Candle took half of them, and then sent half of them back to him.


    ¡°On the house,¡± Mister Candle replied.


    Claud nodded immediately. ¡°Thanks, Mister Candle.¡±


    ¡°Take a seat, then. The Baron actually left to investigate around ten minutes ago. We might get some news soon¡­¡±

 Chapter 467: Unnatural happenings

    Claud and Lily were cutting up slabs of grilled chicken gracefully when the first guards of Baronet Mons popped up in the tavern, fatigued and starving. The first thing that told of their arrival was a hushed silence, spreading out from the entrance of the tavern and sweeping through everyone assembled, before two armoured men slogged over to the counter.


    ¡°Something cold, Mister Candle,¡± the first guard muttered.


    ¡°Something hot to eat too,¡± the second guard added. ¡°It¡¯s been a tough morning.¡±


    ¡°Would you like a treat?¡± someone asked. ¡°You do good work for us, sirs!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we should treat them and the other guards to some drinks!¡± someone else shouted, a cry that was soon taken up by everyone else.


    ¡°Only for the drinks, then,¡± the first guard replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s¡­probably none of our business. Don¡¯t think too hard. Anyway, I suppose we should tell everyone the good news first. Those that signed up with the Moons left five days ago, so they weren¡¯t affected by this freak incident.¡±


    A collective sigh ran through the tavern, and Claud exchanged a glance with Lily. Leaning over, he whispered, ¡°It seems that Baronet Mons has been paying very close attention to the Moons, if nothing else.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°Do you think he found something else too?¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡± Claud looked at his well-cut grilled chicken, pierced a piece of meat and dipped it in some mushroom sauce. ¡°An event of this scale is tremendous. There has to be proof or something. And the Moons were definitely aware of this too. They may have sent their Emissaries over already.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean that they can find proof, though¡­¡±


    Claud eyed the two guards. ¡°We¡¯ll find out soon.¡±


    On cue, someone asked, ¡°Sir guards, what happened there exactly? What did you guys find?¡±


    ¡°We dug up the entire place,¡± the first guard replied. ¡°Oh, thanks, Mister Candle. Anyway, we¡­couldn¡¯t find much. We preserved the crime scene, checked everything we could, and then a Moon Emissary showed up. The big guy was holding on to some artefact, and paced around the place.¡±


    He paused to take a sip of his drink, before letting out a heavy sigh. ¡°After that, he discovered something weird. The artefact beeped a few times near the entrance, and he began to glow really brightly.¡±


    Claud pricked his ears.


    ¡°What happened afterwards?¡±


    ¡°The Moon Emissary was shocked. Said something about an omen, and then shot to the skies. Moon soldiers surrounded the camp afterwards, and then Baronet Mons had to talk about the investigation. We dug some trenches around the camp and then had to step away.¡±


    The second guard shook his head. ¡°Apparently, some Omen guy had finally shown traces here, and the Moons were after that fellow. It seems like this Omen was the one who killed all the Moons¡¯ men there.¡±


    Claud blinked three times in a row, and then turned to look at Lily, who had an open mouth. Considering that the two of them had been hugging each other to sleep last night, there was no way he could have shown up, killed all the Moonlit soldiers, and then fled.


    She leaned closer. ¡°So¡­what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Claud looked at the two fatigued soldiers. Their tiredness was real, and he could even spot some bleeding hands from all that digging.


    ¡°Maybe an imposter,¡± Claud muttered.


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    ¡°Possible, but why here?¡± Lily whispered back. ¡°This is way too much of a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°So¡­all the Moonlit soldiers are dead?¡± someone asked. ¡°Or are we just assuming that they¡¯re dead?¡±


    ¡°They were transported somewhere,¡± the second soldier replied, before taking another gulp from his cup. The way he relished his drink made Claud a bit thirsty, along with a few other people, and the middle-aged owner enjoyed a small upsurge in business as a few people queued up.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know where, though,¡± said the first soldier. ¡°But you lot all know about the legendary Bearers of Destiny, right?¡±


    ¡°Hard not to, with them on the news every day,¡± someone muttered darkly. ¡°What, one of them¡¯s behind this?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s this Omen fellow. He or she is a Bearer of Destiny. It¡¯s possible that his legendary skill whisked all the Moon soldiers away, you know?¡± the soldier replied. ¡°Maybe he could even do it to a town or something. Now that¡¯s scary. But the Moons are going to be investigating this really fiercely.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t like the sound of that, but this was quite possibly a plan by the Moons to weed people out. Anyone who ran may very well be investigated on the spot, and those that stayed behind would be investigated too. Would he stand up to the investigation?


    It was hard to tell. For one, he didn¡¯t know how Omen hid his Absolute skills; if anyone who could see skills just saw two blank spaces there, it would be a dead giveaway that something was wrong. Secondly, if the divinities focused their full might on checking him out, they would have a lot of ways to do so. For instance, if they could pry into history¡­


    Either way, however, this sounded like bad news.


    Cursing the idiot who framed him in his heart, Claud held Lily¡¯s hand and intertwined his fingers in hers. This didn¡¯t have much significance, other than telling her that he was currently suffering from tons of emotional damage and needed healing.


    ¡°There, there¡­¡±


    The two guards continued to talk about the Moons as Claud¡¯s mind spun into overdrive. His little safe house didn¡¯t seem all that safe now, especially since what seemed like an investigation was well underway. The most straightforward method was to simply get the Moons out of Monsville ¡ª which they were already intending to do in the first place ¡ª but it was possible that this plan had to be brought forward.


    Lily, however, would need some time to fabricate a knight summons, so it was down to a game of luck at this point of time. Furthermore, even if they did have such a thing, there was a high chance that this would be seen as just another way to get out.


    Not acting was probably the best move here.


    He took a deep breath. For most of his life, Claud had been proactively moving against threats. Rarely did he need to stay his hand and stay put, but his reason told him that this was indeed the best choice of action.


    Lily looked at him, and then pulled him closer. ¡°You¡¯re shivering.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­fear.¡± Claud took a deep breath. ¡°That¡¯s all.¡±


    The little fellows in his pocket were also nudging him gently, aware of his own mental distress, and Claud shook his head. While Claud liked to pretend that he was a stoic little block of tranquillity, Lily and he himself knew that he was just a coward who didn¡¯t like weird changes like this.


    He took a deep breath, controlled his fear and turned back to his food. Right now, all his attention could only be directed to the idea of acting. He had to act and to lie, since his life literally depended on it.


    Lily looked at him once, and then copied his actions. The two of them nibbled on steadily, occasionally feeding each other.


    Mostly, it was Lily doing the feeding, though¡­


    After a while, Claud exhaled deliberately. ¡°Thanks, Lily. I¡¯m feeling¡­better now.¡±


    ¡°No trouble!¡± Lily placed a hand on his cheek. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m here for, right? And you¡¯ll do the same for me if I¡¯m ever disturbed like this. It¡¯s nothing you need to thank me for, really.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to take you for granted,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And it seems that I¡¯ve become more needy in the past few months¡­it¡¯s a bit pathetic, now that I think about it.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, though. You feel more¡­human this way. I know, because I¡¯ve seen all sides of you, but the others¡­they kinda see you as a role model, you know.¡±


    ¡°A role model?¡± Claud coughed. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®what¡¯ me,¡± Lily replied. ¡°You¡¯re the role model for surviving and living for as long as possible. In times like this, it¡¯s a very good model.¡±


    ¡°Pfft.¡± Claud, despite himself, found himself smiling. ¡°But that¡¯s not true. It¡¯s just a front.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. And that¡¯s my point, right?¡± Lily smiled sadly. ¡°You don¡¯t need to¡­bottle everything up, you know. There¡¯s me. Don¡¯t let your own fears bottle up until it cracks even your mask. It¡¯s painful to me too.¡±


    Claud rubbed his eyes, and his breathing grew laboured. ¡°I¡ªsorry. It¡¯s just¡­that¡­the Second Tutorial. I don¡¯t want to lose you or anyone. The me there was too weak. I can¡¯t be like that.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Lily held his hand. ¡°I know.¡±


    After a while, the two of them got up and left in silence. With the Moons pressing down on them and an investigation looming on the horizon, neither of them were in the mood to stay outside their home.


    Someone was stirring up trouble, and neither of them wanted to be outside when the storm hit.

 Chapter 468: The last alignment

    Dia dipped a slice of toasted bread, heated to the point of being nice and crispy with a nifty little artefact, into a small plate of melted cheese and bacon bits, before turning her attention back to the same quest that had appeared in her vision not too long ago. For the past few days, she had been looking at this weird quest, hoping to find more clues as to what exactly the Omen was.


    [Mission: Peace unto Eternity


    Mission Introduction: The great age of change has come. By the covenant of the five grand skies, the three major powers are destined to fight each other to prove their doctrine right. However, in the ranks of the Absolute lies a usurper, whose goal is to herald infinite change. Chaos will reign for eons hence if the Omen succeeds, hurling all life into uncharted territory.


    Mission Requirements: Neutralise the Omen.


    Mission Rewards: Enhances your authority level, unlocks <Mission: ???>, 3000 years of lifespan


    Additional Remarks: This mission is only open to you, the Prime Salvation Star. If the Omen neutralises all other Bearers of Destiny, this mission will fail. Failing this mission will result in immeasurable outcomes for the entire world.]


    ¡°Salvation, huh?¡± Dia turned her attention to that word. ¡°There¡¯s a war within a war here, and I¡¯m part of it. Am I supposed to be happy?¡±


    She let out a sigh. Whatever the case, however, it was clear that she was at a massive disadvantage. This Omen fellow was a Bearer of Destiny, but the Omen¡¯s goal was to get rid of all the other Bearers of Destiny. She had been chosen to stop him, but¡­


    How could she do that without a similarly powerful skill? The Absolute skills were completely absolute, as denoted by their name. Even the gods feared them, and the Moons had chosen to cower in the face of Absolute Terror. The five grand skies ¡ª it had to be them ¡ª had tasked her to get rid of such a monster.


    They had to be crazy and addled.


    She opened up her status and muttered darkly. Dia had received two new skills, Understanding and Salvation Star, but she didn¡¯t know the use of them at all. The others didn¡¯t know anything about either skill, even Nero, so she was left with two skills whose effects she didn¡¯t know.


    Dia glared at her new skill, Understanding. ¡°What am I supposed to understand? Life and¡ª¡±


    Her voice cut off a moment later. ¡°Eh?¡±


    [Skill: Understanding


    Skill effects: The skill owner can interpret their own status screen.]


    She rubbed her eyes, and then looked at the little floating rectangle again. Dia thought for a moment, and then swiftly came to a conclusion. Apparently, Understanding only activated if one were to glare at a certain part of their status, and she turned her intent gaze towards the second skill that had been granted to her.


    [Skill: Salvation Star (Prime)


    Skill effects: This skill is awarded to the first non-Bearer of Destiny who kills a Bearer of Destiny while the Omen is active. The skill owner has drastically increased resistance against all direct attacks and negative effects of Absolute skills. The skill owner has drastically increased resistance against all direct attacks and negative effects created by alien beings. The skill owner is nearly impervious against all direct attacks and negative effects created by the Moons, the Dark, the Coloured Gods and entities of the cycle. The providence of the world will fall upon the skill owner.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Additional remarks: This skill will evolve upon the Omen¡¯s death.]


    Dia read the skill effects again, and then felt her head hurt. This skill had fallen from the sky, and it had so many effects that were really¡­useful. Claud would probably love such a skill, since it drastically ¡ª heh ¡ª improved one¡¯s chances of survival when facing off the main culprits for any cases of widespread destruction.


    She didn¡¯t know how to broach this topic, though.


    As she stared at the skill again, Farah walked into the living room, bored. ¡°What are you looking at, Dia?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m reading my status screen,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Did you know that there¡¯s a skill called Understanding?¡±


    ¡°The one you were asking about, yes,¡± Farah replied. ¡°What of it?¡±


    ¡°I figured out how it works. All I have to do is to open my status and stare at a skill, and I get an explanation of the skill itself,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s useful. And useless, depending on who you ask,¡± Farah replied. ¡°So¡­does that mean you finally know what the dodgy Star skill does?¡±


    ¡°You will not believe me when I tell you what it does,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I¡¯m wiling to bet tomorrow¡¯s training on it.¡±


    ¡°Oho. What an interesting bet.¡± Farah thought for a moment. ¡°Still, I could just say ¡®I believe¡¯ and you¡¯ll lose, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m betting that you¡¯ll find it so unbelievable that you can¡¯t even bring yourself to say those two words,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Really?¡± another voice asked. Schwarz rolled over a moment later. ¡°Count me in. I bet I can say those words anyway. And I really want a break.¡±


    Nero popped up behind Schwarz. ¡°I¡¯m joining for the heck of it.¡±


    ¡°¡­You slacker bunch,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Anyway, we might as well do this, then. I¡¯ll read what I see out loud. Try not to fool yourselves, okay? Ahem.¡±


    ¡°Please. We¡¯re not that pathetic,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Go on. Let¡¯s see what this hyped-up skill of yours does.¡±


    . ¡°I¡¯ll blow your socks off.¡± Dia took a deep breath. ¡°Here we go. Skill ¡ª Salvation Star. This skill is awarded to the first non-Bearer of Destiny who kills a Bearer of Destiny. The skill owner has drastically increased resistance against all direct attacks and negative effects of Absolute skills. The skill owner has drastically increased resistance against all direct attacks and negative effects created by alien beings. The skill owner is nearly impervious against all direct attacks and negative effects created by¡­¡±


    After narrating the rest, Dia let out a sigh. ¡°Ta-freaking-dah.¡±


    A simple sweep of her gaze was more than enough to show her the stupefied, dumbfounded looks on everyone¡¯s face, and Dia felt smug about it.


    ¡°Lord.¡± Nero was the first one to recover. ¡°That¡¯s a skill? That¡¯s a freaking skill, a passive one at that? I call bullcrap. There are at least five different effects! If that¡¯s a skill, then what are those things in my status? Fake skills? Baby skills? Not-skills?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unbelievable,¡± Farah muttered. ¡°Really dumb.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t anyone notice that the Authority thing doesn¡¯t seem to apply to this Salvation Star thing?¡± Schwarz added. ¡°That means it isn¡¯t important, right?¡±


    Dia reached out for a nearby cup of water. ¡°It¡¯s a skill. I don¡¯t think Authority applies to it.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Anyway, this skill¡­did it come with something?¡±


    Dia fell silent. While the skill itself wasn¡¯t affected by Authority, the quest that seemed to be its namesake actually was affected by Authority. Simply entertaining the thought of telling them about Peace Unto Eternity was setting off alarm bells in her mind, and she intuitively understood that all of them would probably be killed if they heard it.


    Except for Nero, probably.


    ¡°Yes. Anything else will probably be fatal, though,¡± Dia replied. ¡°For some reason, it¡¯s affected by Authority¡­¡±


    The others looked at Dia again.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Schwarz asked.


    She nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t want to put your lives at risk.¡±


    ¡°So, a really important thing¡­you were talking about quests, right? What quest would be this important?¡± Farah wondered.


    ¡°If I could tell you, I would,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Still¡­I suspect we¡¯ll see something huge in the days to come. Another¡­faction, perhaps.¡±


    ¡°¡­I see.¡± Nero bobbed his head. ¡°I think I know what you¡¯re getting at now.¡±


    Their conversation veered into random territory for a moment, touching on roasted bread and dips, before Farah steered the conversation elsewhere.


    ¡°Right, Risti¡¯s returning today. You guys have packed, right?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Any place is better than here,¡± Schwarz agreed. ¡°I still can hear people marching and shouting, and it¡¯s really getting to me. What¡¯s possessing them to train for hours without rest? And why during sleeping hours specifically? Are they not tired? People sleep at night. That¡¯s how things work.¡±


    ¡°Well, the Dark like to attack at night,¡± Nero replied. ¡°There¡¯s no helping it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so there¡¯s no helping it when we move out to bunk in at some place that¡¯s far more sensible, sheesh.¡± Schwarz shook his head and pointed out of the window. ¡°See? Another bunch of soldiers¡­¡±


    ¡°This group seems like they¡¯re heading out, though,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°And with a lot of urgency.¡± Nero made a noise in his throat. ¡°Did something happen on the frontlines?¡±


    ¡°Things always happen on the frontlines, even during this enforced ceasefire. What are you talking about?¡± Schwarz asked.


    Nero bobbed his head. ¡°True.¡±

 Chapter 469: Thoughts on family

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    Dia and the others had waited for around ten minutes at the camp gates when Risti showed up with a middle-aged man in tow.


    ¡°That¡¯s my father,¡± Risti explained.


    The first thing that caught Dia¡¯s eye was the bright green accessories that the man wore. A closer inspection revealed that they were all lifestones, and it didn¡¯t end there either. Eight weirdly shaped lifestones orbited his head like some sort of crown, and when assessed with his bright green outfit overall, Dia couldn¡¯t help but find her father very, very blinding.


    In fact, looking at the bright green man was a bit painful to the eyes. The red hair he sported definitely wasn¡¯t helping either¡­


    ¡°Hello, Seekers of Life.¡± The President of the Folders¡¯ Association greeted them with a flourish of his hands. ¡°I am Neo Cadenza. It is an absolute pleasure to meet everyone who has been with my little Risti so far. Thank you for taking care of her.¡±


    ¡°No biggie,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Risti¡¯s really great. Rather, we should be thanking you for bringing her up¡­why does this sound like a meet-the-in-laws session?¡±


    Everyone laughed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to give my daughter to anyone, just putting it out here,¡± President Cadenza replied. ¡°You¡¯ll have to get past me first.¡±


    ¡°Okaaay.¡± Schwarz cleared his throat. ¡°Anyway, Risti, does Claud have room?¡±


    ¡°If we share rooms, it¡¯ll be fine,¡± Risti replied. ¡°He has three unused rooms. We just split them according to gender, I suppose? He doesn¡¯t mind us setting up rooms in the garden too, like the way we did it at the ancient battlefields.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Great. Anywhere to get away from this damn din,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°Let¡¯s go before something else happens. I just saw a bunch of Moonlit soldiers scamper out of the camp, after all.¡±


    ¡°Oh, they went past us,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Hmm. Maybe something happened in Monsville¡­I¡¯m just kidding. Don¡¯t look at me this angrily, alright? Sheesh. Anyway, you guys are packed already, so let¡¯s head back again.¡±


    Monsville wasn¡¯t that far from the basecamp, so it really wasn¡¯t an issue for them to manawalk all the way back. More importantly, this meant that Dia didn¡¯t need to hear marching songs and shouts even at night, which was a good enough motivator for her and everyone else to hit the road.


    Even Risti, who had just made her way here.


    Dia sidled up to Risti shortly after they started their journey to a marching song-less freedom, before asking, ¡°Your dad¡­¡±


    ¡°He came here to spend some time with me,¡± Risti replied. ¡°He¡¯s heading for the Trial of Aeons soon, and he¡¯s aiming to get something there.¡±


    ¡°The Trial of Aeons?¡± Nero, who had been listening in with the others, asked, before looking at the gaudy man who walked in step with Risti. ¡°President Cadenza, you can join the Trial of Aeons?¡±


    The middle-aged man nodded. ¡°Yes. There are slots open to the talented of this era. It¡¯s not just me. Nearly all the important personages in this era are aiming for it too. The Emperor, for instance, has all but retreated from politics. The two old Rulers have passed down their political power too. It¡¯s a mess¡­which accounts for why the Moons and the Dark are running rampant now.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Dia nodded her head in understanding too. This was definitely why Emperor Grandis hadn¡¯t bothered to deal with whatever that had occurred in the past year or so. Other than showing up for the new Ruler¡¯s ceremony, Emperor Grandis had focused on something else far more critical.


    Like the Last Godsfall.


    ¡°Do you know about the other continents too?¡± Nero asked. ¡°And what they¡¯re doing?¡±


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    President Cadenza assessed Nero once, and then nodded. ¡°Supreme Saran has also passed down his power. The Nihal Senate, however¡­well, I am told that it is a mess. Most of the Senators ¡ª the oldest ones ¡ª have completely withdrawn from politics, leaving behind the younger generation. I am told that the new Senate is now completely dominated by the younger Senators with less than four mana circuits.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Nero looked at his hands. ¡°And the Church of the Black God¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have an answer for that, regretfully.¡± Risti¡¯s father smiled gently. ¡°But the Black God and the White God will not be part of the Last Godsfall, so what do you have to fear?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple,¡± Nero replied. ¡°A Blessed of the White God died in Istrel, and I myself was affected by Absolute Domination. Just because my Lord isn¡¯t in the cycle¡¯s end doesn¡¯t mean we will not be affected. While I know that the Lord will protect me, He prefers it if we are more proactive.¡±


    President Cadenza chuckled. ¡°Spoken like a true Holy Son.¡±


    ¡°Still, I wonder¡­are you bound by Authority?¡± Nero asked. ¡°I have many, many questions about the Trial of Aeons, and you are someone who may very well have an answer to address my doubts.¡±


    A faint light flickered through President Cadenza¡¯s eyes. ¡°I could answer some questions, yes. However, I believe it prudent to hold such a session once we are in an adequately protected area. While we do have the ability to bypass the laws of this world, there are other things that can listen into our conversations, especially in places as open as this. One must always be careful¡­¡±


    Dia rubbed her nose. Did Risti pass a certain book to her father? It sure felt like the Association President was channelling his inner Claud for some reason, and she had to hide a smile with the back of her hand. Nonetheless, she did understand where President Cadenza was coming from.


    This was valuable information, and considering that everyone here other than Nero didn¡¯t exactly have a divinity protecting them, saying sensitive information out loud could provoke¡­repercussions. It was indeed better for them to just talk about other things instead, and Dia immediately thought of a good topic.


    ¡°President Cadenza,¡± Dia began, ¡°what was Risti like as a child? She loves you so much that I cannot help but think that she spent her childhood hugging your leg and following behind you obediently.¡±


    ¡°She looks very proud when she talks about you,¡± Farah added. ¡°I bet she was really obedient back then.¡±


    ¡°What was her first word?¡± Schwarz asked.


    Nero thought for a moment, opened his mouth, but quailed at Risti¡¯s glare. In a smooth motion, he faked a yawn and looked up to the sky, before rubbing his eyes in a very clear demonstration of what was fatigue.


    Green accessories shook as Risti¡¯s father laughed. ¡°Excellent questions! My Ris-Ris¡ª uh, Risti ¡ª usually followed me when I went out to work. She was so small and adorably cute back then! I don¡¯t know why she picked up Princess Dia¡¯s looks, since I think she¡¯s far more adorable than the princess herself, but she was so cute back then. Everyone had to restrain themselves from poking her cheeks and patting her head.¡±


    ¡°Ris-Ris, huh?¡± Nero muttered, and Risti glared at him again.


    ¡°What was her first word?¡± Schwarz repeated his question.


    ¡°Dad.¡± A small touch of sorrow appeared on President Cadenza¡¯s face for a brief moment. ¡°I was¡­happy. She was quite the imp back then. Never wanted to let me go, and always wanted to sleep on my tummy.¡±


    Dia looked at his distant eyes, and then thought about her own family. It had been some time since she returned to see them. Were her parents worried and staying up late, wondering about their absent daughter? How about her brother? Was he feeling guilty that she had been turned into his scapegoat back then, and now completely flustered when she hadn¡¯t shown up for such a long time?


    She looked to the south, and then let out a small sigh. It had been nearly two years since Tot¡¯s legend truly reared its head. Any bounties that had been on her had probably long vanished, suppressed by time, her family¡¯s influence and the fact that Princess Dia had completely vanished from public eye. While her aunt had definitely relayed information of her sticking with the Moon Lords, she and the others had even left the Istrel Sovereignty.


    Her family¡¯s eyes were unlikely to have a foothold in this place.


    Dia looked at the others, who were asking more about Risti¡¯s childhood. Fortunately, none of them were insensitive enough to ask about her mother, who had been absent from the narrative of their little life. Instead, their questions were focused on small details of her life, which were very successful in making Risti blush and glare at the questioner.


    Smiling to herself, she turned her attention back to the current question at hand.


    ¡°¡­toy was probably the boomerang. She also liked the binoculars I bought for her. She always liked to look at birds. There¡¯s a room at home dedicated to her sketches too!¡± President Cadenza puffed out his chest. ¡°Risti is a very talented artist! It¡¯s a shame she wants to join me in the Association, though.¡±


    ¡°Drawing is a hobby, Dad,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I very much prefer having actual power.¡±


    ¡°Not that again.¡± He rolled his eyes.


    Dia thought about the first time she left on a mission, which was with Risti. The little drawings Risti had made back then were very professional, though¡­


    As they continued towards Monsville, more and more facets of Risti¡¯s childhood were brought up for a passionate recitation by her father. While interesting, Dia could tell that the first thing Risti probably wanted to do when she reached Monsville was to hide under a blanket¡­


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 Chapter 470: Unexplainable occurences

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Risti looked around the small town. ¡°This place definitely wasn¡¯t this crowded when we left, right? Something must have happened.¡±


    Dia frowned. She could see Moonlit soldiers standing in groups of five, scattered all around the main street and the gates. The air they emanated made Dia think that they were prepared for battle or something along these lines, and their weapons were held in such a manner that they could immediately respond with a deadly strike if something happened.


    These soldiers had standing orders to kill if necessary.


    ¡°Guys,¡± Dia murmured, ¡°don¡¯t provoke these soldiers. They are not going to hold back if they turn hostile against us. They¡¯ll almost certainly fight to the death. Be careful and don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite observant,¡± President Cadenza observed. ¡°As expected of the¡­bodyguard of Princess Dia. Not bad, not bad. These soldiers, however, are also ready to detonate themselves at any given moment. The mana swirling in them is very close to agitation. An unstable equilibrium. A single push, and boom.¡±


    ¡°The mana swirling inside them?¡± Schwarz asked, curious. ¡°How can you see that?¡±


    ¡°Trade secret.¡± Lifestone-green accessories glittered merrily, and President Cadenza laughed. ¡°Interestingly enough, these soldiers are¡­very scared too. I can tell. They are also trying to stay calm.¡±


    ¡°¡­This sounds very immoral,¡± Farah muttered, and the others nodded in agreement. ¡°They¡¯re like bombs or something. Without good craftsmanship too. And we need to walk past them? I don¡¯t think this is a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Just pull out some barrier artefacts,¡± Dia replied lazily. ¡°Here, catch.¡±


    After passing around a bunch of random artefacts, everyone approached the gate slowly, making sure to keep their hands where the Moonlit soldiers could see them. Fortunately, the fellow manning the gate was a guard from the Mons Barony itself, so there was no chance of the other party blowing up randomly.


    ¡°Purpose?¡± the guard asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re staying here, over at our friend¡¯s place,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Lord and Lady Primus.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­okay, they¡¯re in the register. Please sit down first. I¡¯ll send a runner to confirm your entry,¡± the guard replied, before getting up.


    He returned a few seconds later. ¡°I know it¡¯s a pain, but the Moons have decreed that all entry into this town is to be checked. Anyone with unknown purposes is to be detained and then interrogated.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like this just half a day ago, though. What happened?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Half a day ago?¡± the guard asked, looking at her for clarification.


    ¡°I went to bring my friends over,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Stuff like that, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± The guard relaxed visibly, and Dia eyed his right hand, which had shifted under the table stealthily just moments ago. ¡°Anyway, we guards were mobilised around four hours ago. The Moonlit camp that was near the town outskirts¡­¡±


    He paused.


    ¡°What happened to it?¡± Dia found herself asking.


    ¡°Everyone in the camp itself vanished. No one knew why or when exactly,¡± the guard replied. ¡°They just vanished into thin air. There was no trace. It was eerie. When we went inside, it was as if the Moonlit soldiers all just vanished halfway through doing their daily stuff. In the middle of cooking food, they just¡­vanished.¡±


    ¡°Vanished?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± The soldier had an uneasy look on his face. ¡°If you get a chance ¡ª well, not like there¡¯s any more chance ¡ª go and take a look. I am certain that they were in the middle of doing their daily stuff when some insane power just wiped them from existence or something. The Moons were frightened too; their first checks had them talking about omens or something.¡±


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    ¡°Omens, huh?¡± Schwarz made a noise in his throat. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a portent of things to come.


    Dia narrowed her eyes. Was this a coincidence? It wasn¡¯t that long ago when she encountered the Omen as a being of chaos, of infinite change. It was even in that mission of hers.


    Was that word just a coincidence? Or was the Omen actually here?


    Dia thought for a moment, and then shook her head. The Omen, according to her mission, was a being whose goal was to kill all the other Bearers of Destiny. He or she was also a Bearer of Destiny too, with deep machinations that would almost certainly shock the world when revealed. Unless this place held a shocking secret ¡ª which she doubted ¡ª there was no reason for the Omen to be here.


    After all, the current period was that of a ceasefire. Dia knew that none of the divinities, as well as their proxies, were allowed to fight each other. Therefore, this was the best time for the Omen to move around and lay down more plans, in preparation for the Trial of Aeons.


    This place was almost certainly not a place that the Omen would set up traps in, since it was so close to the Moons.


    She watched as the others asked about the incident, and then looked at the town. Maybe this was a ploy of the Omen to draw the Moons¡¯ attention here, and then do something elsewhere. Of course, if she could think of this possibility, the Moons definitely thought of it too¡­which was probably why Dia couldn¡¯t sense the tremendous presence that came with every Moon Emissary.


    ¡°Did the Moon Emissaries visit?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Only for the investigation I told you guys about earlier,¡± the guard replied. ¡°In fact, the Emissary was the one who freaked out. The guy was holding some artefact, and then when it glowed grey, all the Moonlit soldiers were frightened, and then they locked down the camp. Only after the arrival of more reinforcements did they venture into the place.¡±


    He snorted. ¡°They were wimps. Baron Mons and half the town went to check out the place before them, and nothing happened. Anyway¡­¡±


    The guard flipped through a few more papers. ¡°Well, we just need to wait for Lord and Lady Primus¡¯ response. Are you guys knights too? How do you know them?¡±


    There was a moment of silence, before Farah cleared her throat, an indicator that she was taking over this conversation. ¡°We¡¯re all important people in a few circles. Met mostly by coincidence, though.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± The guard looked at them, pure curiosity in his eyes. ¡°Must be nice¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of responsibility. I won¡¯t call it nice,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Our actions dictate the next year, our decisions an entire decade. While nobles do live with luxury, they bear incredible responsibilities for their territory.¡±


    She let out a sigh. Before she could continue, however, another guard walked up to them. ¡°They¡¯re cleared. Lord and Lady Primus said that they were expecting guests. They also hope that their friends can enter and leave the town without needing verification every time.¡±


    ¡°I suppose we can use the tokens here, right?¡±


    ¡°Probably¡­¡±


    After handing them a bronze token each, the two guards waved them through. The Moonlit soldiers looked at them carefully as they passed through the gate proper, and the gazes continued even as they continued down the main street. It was a bit uncomfortable to be scrutinised in such detail, but again, Dia couldn¡¯t blame them.


    The Omen had visited this town and spirited an entire camp¡¯s worth of soldiers away, after all. This being, who had an absurd goal and an equally absurd strength to back it up, had to be guarded against at all costs. Dia could even picture the person in her mind¡¯s eye ¡ª the Omen was definitely a crazy person who had innumerable plots going on at the same time. Hunched over a table, a person wearing a hooded cloak moved Moon Phase pieces one at the time, on a table illuminated by a single candle¡­


    It was quite eerie.


    After applauding her hyperactive imagination for a few seconds, Dia looked around once more, before relaxing slightly. The Omen was a crafty person, and only foolish people came back to the scene of the crime twice. There was no chance of the Omen actually lying in wait here, in other words.


    The Moons were just scared out of their wits, that was all.


    Smiling faintly, she followed the others. Dia didn¡¯t know where Claud and Lily¡¯s love nest was, so she just needed to follow the others.


    She continued to look around the town, making use of her extensive experience in Licencia to figure out what Monsville had as its specialty. Unfortunately, they had arrived at a weird time ¡ª if they came at dawn or dusk, it wouldn¡¯t be hard to spot the main workforce. However, she could tell that the main industry here was menial in nature, given that she hadn¡¯t spotted many men walking around the streets or manning shops.


    Dia shook her head.


    ¡°Are we there yet?¡± Farah asked. ¡°I thought they would be living in the city or something.¡±


    ¡°Nah. The two of them are living in a slightly more distant place. Nothing big, though. And it¡¯s well within walking distance anyway,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s good that it¡¯s not so close to the town centre anyway. I still have bad memories of marching soldiers at night¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me,¡± Dia replied. ¡°And I don¡¯t want to hear soldiers marching back and forth here either, so don¡¯t jinx it.¡±


    ¡°How sensitive¡­¡±

 Chapter 471: Tongue-tied questioner

    Dia was still thinking about the Omen when she and the others arrived at the lovebirds¡¯ little nest. She could see a faint dome shimmering around the small garden and house, and Risti made a small noise in her throat.


    ¡°Looks like the two of them were also alarmed by this incident,¡± Risti mumbled. ¡°There weren¡¯t any obvious defences when I left with Dad this morning.¡±


    President Cadenza nodded. ¡°Well, at least our hosts are very cautious. I like cautious people. They tend to live longer and are infinitely less arrogant than people who like to court death a lot.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t know how to answer that, so she simply made do by pulling off an accurate representation of a stone. Fortunately, Claud and Lily opened the door a few seconds later, and a small gap appeared within the barrier.


    ¡°You guys are here.¡± Claud nodded at them. ¡°Come on in. I¡¯ve prepared quite the spread for dinner, so you guys better help clear up all the food.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s stomachs rumbled in collective harmony, and Lily laughed. ¡°Come on! Food¡¯s going to get cold soon!¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long before everyone was seated around a round table in the garden. A huge pot bubbled merrily by its side, releasing a fragrance that Dia had never smelt before. She wasn¡¯t the only one either ¡ª Farah and Nero were staring at the pot, drool leaking out of their mouths ¡ª and Dia touched the side of her lips.


    There was just something rich and tangy about the soup that drew Dia to it.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Claud began, ¡°you guys saw the mess that¡¯s going on in the town right now, right? We don¡¯t have any influence around Monsville, so don¡¯t do anything weird or suspicious. It¡¯ll be a problem if the Moons target us or something. Also, I think they¡¯ll be coming around to investigate everyone in Monsville. Something about testing for an ominous prophecy or something. How they intend to do that is anyone¡¯s guess, though.¡±


    Dia twitched. Claud was almost certainly referring to the Omen that the Moons had detected, but she had a feeling that saying that out loud here wasn¡¯t exactly a good idea. The Omen seemed to be a word that was affected by Authority, unlike her Salvation Star, and she didn¡¯t want heads to explode or something.


    ¡°Not sure what prophecy they¡¯re talking about, though.¡± Lily¡¯s gaze swept around the table, and Dia had to school her expression. She was half-certain that there was a weird look on her face just a moment ago, and there would potentially be an issue if the others asked her about it. Still, it didn¡¯t make that much sense.


    Considering that the Omen¡¯s goal was to off the other Bearers of Destiny, shouldn¡¯t she be allowed to spread the word about that dangerous fellow? One would think that the more she spoke about it, the more aware people would become, but no. In the same vein, it would make sense if she could actually describe the context in which Salvation Star was granted to her, but...


    The five grand skies had to be crazy.


    The lovebirds looked at her again, and Dia pinched her own cheeks. To the pair, she definitely had some odd expression when they were talking earlier on. It would suck if they asked her to talk about brain-exploding things.


    Thankfully, Schwarz had something to say too. ¡°Right, I forgot about this thing.¡±


    He reached into his clothes and pulled out an entire barrel.


    Somehow, anyway. Setting it down on the ground, Schwarz removed the lid and produced a bunch of cups, before filling them with a delightful beverage that had a tangy orange scent from it.


    ¡°Boring,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°I don¡¯t smell alcohol.¡±


    ¡°You alcoholic. Go drink fruit juice for once,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°After you drink three cups of this, the next bottle of alcohol is going to feel much better.¡±


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    ¡°Really?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m the professional here. If you don¡¯t listen to me, who are you going to listen to?¡± Schwarz asked back. ¡°Trust me. You¡¯ll appreciate the bottle I¡¯ve reserved for you.¡±


    ¡°Is there a bottle for me too?¡± President Cadenza abruptly asked.


    Everyone looked at him, and the President of the Folders¡¯ Association chuckled gently. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been told that Nero is a really good drinker, and I really want to pit myself against him.¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t get drunk,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°He¡¯s emptied out one of my reserve cellars before, and wasn¡¯t even drunk. Unless you want to suffer liver damage like he probably has right now, don¡¯t. Don¡¯t even think about it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that my liver is perfectly fine,¡± Nero replied. ¡°And I do get drunk.¡±


    ¡°Only by drinking actual pure alcohol, the kind that¡¯s not actually used for drinking,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°You¡¯re just a wuss,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Well, President Cadenza, I do have a few extra bottles. You can definitely give it a try if you want to¡­Risti, don¡¯t look at me like that. He¡¯s your dad. I have to humour the seniors.¡±


    ¡°Well said, Schwarz. If your drinks are good enough, I¡¯ll even purchase some from you on a contractual basis for now on.¡± President Cadenza rubbed his hands. ¡°Now, the bottles¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not now,¡± Claud cut in. ¡°Drink after dinner. I¡¯ve cooked a lot. Don¡¯t waste food, or I¡¯ll cook you in soup tomorrow.¡±


    Dia glanced at the knife in his hand, which was now twirling, shaking the air at the same time. It was quite the potent threat, and before long, everyone was dining in earnest.


    It was quite the departure from their usual meals, though. Eating under the open sky¡­that was something that only happened when Dia and the others were harvesting lifestones and prana jade at the ancient battlefield. It felt a bit odd to be feasting right in front of the house otherwise.


    ¡°Right,¡± said Lily, ¡°how are you guys going to settle accommodations? We have three free rooms, but they aren¡¯t exactly that big.¡±


    ¡°We were thinking of setting up a small house made of barriers on your garden, actually,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°It¡¯s far more convenient that way, especially since we need to give you two your privacy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Farah added. ¡°And we also prefer sleeping in our own rooms too. I¡¯m not a quiet sleeper¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, as long as you guys are happy,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Alright, once we¡¯re done, you guys go set up your own accommodations. Leave the dishes to me and Lily.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take much time for the cauldron of soup to be emptied completely, and Dia began to set up another small house with a bunch of barrier artefacts. They had done it enough times that it only took them a few minutes before everyone each claimed a room.


    ¡°Quite amazing, though.¡± Dia put down her backpack and looked at her bed, which was made out of a barrier. This barrier was a bit special; it was one that sought to absorb shock, which also made it a treat to lie down on. Of course, given that the garden wasn¡¯t that big, the six of them could only make a bedroom for themselves.


    Everything else would happen either in the garden or in the small house.


    Stretching once, Dia lay down on her bed and thought about her next move. Now that she was securely tucked away for the foreseeable future, Dia intended to embark on her Second Tutorial. She had no idea what the Trial of Aeons entailed, but there was a significant chance that she would be involved in it, whether she liked it or not.


    Raising her strength was a no-brainer.


    She had done her due diligence too. Nero had explained to her what the Second Tutorial entailed ¡ª it was a test of her will and determination, but the form the trial took was quite varied. For some, it would be looking back to the past, putting the trial-taker into their most vulnerable moments. For others, it would be a future based upon present decisions, aimed at breaking their will.


    There were lots of variations, each more dangerous than the next, but the theme of the Second Tutorial was ¡®regret¡¯. Did she regret anything?


    Dia hadn¡¯t quite found the answer to that question yet, however.


    After lazing around for a while, she flipped onto her back and pulled out a Refresher to clean herself up, before getting back up. She had a few questions for President Cadenza, who was almost certainly aware of the secret that she, Nero and Risti shared.


    ¡°President Cadenza,¡± Dia called out softly. ¡°Are you free now? I have a question.¡±


    The middle-aged, all-green man glanced at her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about¡­Limbo,¡± Dia began slowly, following her instincts.


    ¡°Ah, yes. Indeed.¡± President Cadenza looked at her. ¡°What do you want to know?¡±


    Dia thought about her next words very carefully. Ever since the Salvation Star skill appeared on her status, she couldn¡¯t help but link the Omen to Limbo, since they were both entities whose goal was inimical to all life in general. However, while President Cadenza knew about Limbo, he almost certainly didn¡¯t know about the Omen, so she had to be very, very careful about her next words.


    ¡°To what extent,¡± Dia began, ¡°do beings of Limbo affect our world? Do they have significant influence?¡±


    ¡°Influence?¡± President Cadenza thought for a moment. ¡°No. They are not of this world. They should not be able to influence the Last Godsfall and its components. They are, in other words, external problems.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Dia frowned.


    ¡°You seem to have trouble enunciating your actual question,¡± President Cadenza observed. ¡°No matter. Come find me again if you figure out how to ask without killing yourself or me.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°Got it.¡±

 Chapter 472: Planning an escape

    Claud glanced at the bubbling pot of soup that he had prepared with Lily for everyone¡¯s breakfast, and then turned to check on the fluffy, hot bread that was floating above a fire.


    ¡°Just toasted enough to be crispy, but not burned.¡± Claud looked at the texture of the bread and nodded to himself, pleased with his handiwork. ¡°Lily, are you done with setting up?¡±


    ¡°Three seconds¡­and done!¡± Plates landed in neat, uniform positions on the long table that Claud and the others used for dinner yesterday, and he smiled. Lily¡¯s control over her mana had been improving quickly ever since Claud suggested that she use mana in her daily life more often. The fact that it worked was a good ego boost to Claud, who was beginning to think that he was some genius coach or something.


    ¡°Well done.¡± Claud sat down on a chair.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to wait for them now, though.¡± Lily yawned. ¡°I thought they would wake up earlier, but all of them seem very comfortable in this makeshift house of theirs.¡±


    Claud thought about it for a moment. ¡°Well, they did sleep in such accommodations for a month or two, so they must have gotten used to it. In fact, last night must have reactivated those experiences and everything.¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± Lily shrugged. ¡°But that just leaves us waiting around here, though. They¡¯ll take some time to wash and everything too. It¡¯ll be mid-morning when they¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s just have breakfast first, and then we¡¯ll go and sneak out to listen in on what¡¯s going on outside,¡± Claud replied. ¡°You know, with that.¡±


    ¡°That, eh?¡± Lily¡¯s eyes glittered. ¡°Alright! We¡¯ll just need to leave them a note or something. Let¡¯s hurry and finish our breakfast first, then.¡±


    She seemed to be in high spirits at the thought of leaving behind the others, and Claud chuckled. ¡°Excited, eh?¡±


    ¡°The more time I spend with you alone, the better.¡± Lily¡¯s smile faded slightly. ¡°On a side note, that letter is complete. We can drop it in our own box if you really want to.¡±


    ¡°The summons, huh. Do you think it¡¯s a good idea to head over to neutral territory now?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Don¡¯t think about me. Just assess it rationally. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not the most rational right now, after the Salvation¡ª¡±


    Claud checked his Looped Encryptor. ¡°After the Salvation Star business.¡±


    Lily looked at him, and then at the breakfast. ¡°Give me some time to think about it.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°Sorry to bother you like this, though. I feel bad asking you to do things that I should be doing. I feel a bit embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be!¡± Lily patted his head. ¡°Like I said, you should really rely on me more. You have this nasty habit of taking everything onto yourself, and it¡¯s very distressing for me. We¡¯re supposed to be doing this together, right?¡±


    She scooped out two bowls of soup and slid one over to Claud. ¡°And if you get injured, I¡¯ll also be upset. You¡¯re worried about me, but I¡¯m also worried about you, okay?¡±


    ¡°I know, I know.¡± Claud smiled and started sipping his soup.


    The two of them lapsed into a companionable silence, occasionally broken by Lily attempting to feed him or vice-versa. Mostly, it was the things that they already did alone in the first place, but Claud had the feeling that these actions had the benefit of chasing away the others, who were all single and alone. Of course, it was not his or Lily¡¯s fault that they were alone; they just hadn¡¯t found someone yet.


    ¡°Right, I was thinking about it for some time, but what do you think President Cadenza had in mind when he asked us about Nero?¡± Claud asked, a hint of mischief in his words. ¡°To me, it felt like he was asking about a prospective son-in-law or something along these lines. Like asking Risti¡¯s friends about this potential boyfriend of hers.¡±


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    Lily looked at him. ¡°I was thinking something similar too. I mean, it felt odd that someone who didn¡¯t know Nero would ask the two of us about his character. You could see him making his own judgement about the Holy Son.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if being the Holy Son of the Black God is a plus or minus point, though¡­¡±


    Making an adorable sound in her throat, Lily said, ¡°I think it¡¯s a plus point. The Black God and the White God are not part of the Last Godsfall, right? This means that their people are unlikely to be swept up in whatever madness that is fast approaching.¡±


    ¡°Madness. Yes, I suppose that¡¯s the best way to describe it.¡± Claud shook his head and finished off his soup. ¡°Let¡¯s just leave a message that we¡¯ve gone out to check on the case that happened yesterday and make a break for it. Do you have the letter with you?¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°Ready for a show.¡±


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Claud mopped up the dregs in his bowl with some bread and patted his hands clean. ¡°Let¡¯s wash up and leave.¡±


    After rinsing his mouth and washing his hands, Claud penned a small message describing their absence and pulled Lily away from his little house before they could wake up and intrude into his little world. While he didn¡¯t mind giving them refuge from what seemed like actual torture in the form of soldiers that marched ceaselessly all day long, Claud very much minded the fact that he was going to be spending less time just hugging Lily or something similar.


    It wasn¡¯t his fault if he wanted to abscond with Lily once more.


    After putting some distance between them and the house, Claud touched his trousers and pulled the three little shapes out, before producing a small skillstrip.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Claud began, ¡°as promised, I¡¯ll let you guys ride on our shoulders. But don¡¯t you dare meep too loudly. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Meep.¡±


    The three tiny shapes bounced up and down happily, in contrast to their muted reply, and Claud nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Good. Alright, sit tight, then. Lily, if you¡¯d do the honours¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, my turn!¡± Lily took the skillstrip, pulled him close, and then tore it into two. Presence Nullification took effect a heartbeat later, although the effects weren¡¯t visible¡­well, it was never meant to be visible in the first place. Nonetheless, however, Claud felt a bit more at ease now, since no one could find them, and he spent the next five minutes just sticking to Lily a bit closer than usual.


    The three little fellows, who were long used to his actions, simply hopped onto his head and made a nest there.


    ¡°Happy now?¡± Lily asked, poking his cheek. ¡°Let¡¯s go put that letter back first.¡±


    Claud took a deep breath. ¡°Once we put that into the box, we¡¯ll be committed to heading over to the Lacuna Dukedom.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± Lily replied. ¡°You said it yourself, after all. The Moons will soon be investigating this place, and they apparently managed to detect the¡­O-thing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what made me worried, to be honest,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Did they detect my presence, back when we visited the place? Or was there somehow another O-thing who spirited away all the Moonlit soldiers? Either way, however, it seems that they can detect the power of the Omen. So¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to explain to the person who¡¯s running away with you again,¡± Lily replied with a sunny smile. ¡°It¡¯s not the first time we¡¯re doing this, after all! To be honest, it kinda feels like a repeat of what happened last time, but you aren¡¯t going to be killing another Bearer of Destiny, right?¡±


    ¡°Probably not,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Hopefully. But no matter how you look at this incident, it sure does feel like a Bearer of Destiny did it.¡±


    The two exchanged nervous laughs for a few seconds, before Claud tugged at her hands. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go insert a letter first.¡±


    Hand in hand, the two of them slid the faked letter of summons into the small letterbox hanging behind the gate, and then walked away. Claud felt something roll away from his heart at the same time, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel relaxed at the fact that he had made a choice.


    It was that simple, really.


    ¡°I feel better now,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°The arrow¡¯s loosed. The arm that was once pulling it can now take a break,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯s quite the good analogy for your current state, isn¡¯t it? We¡¯re now loosed arrows, hurtling towards our next destination.¡±


    ¡°Sounds fun, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Claud smiled. He looked up at the skies. ¡°It¡¯ll won¡¯t be long now. The Trial of Aeons¡­what exactly are those trials? Will I get to complete the other quests? Will Dia show up randomly to stop me from killing all the other Bearers of Destiny?¡±


    ¡°Are you going to kill all the Bearers of Destiny?¡± Lily asked.


    Habitually checking the Looped Encryptor, Claud shook his head. ¡°Of course not.¡±


    ¡°Then Dia can¡¯t stop you from doing what you never intended to do in the first place,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Unless, of course, they decide to attack you for some reason¡­anyway, Dia was acting so weird last night.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I threw out the O-word like it was going out of style,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And we already guessed that the Salvation Star was her. She really needs to work on her acting, though. It was so obvious¡­¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Lily giggled. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go spy on some more people now.¡±

 Chapter 473: Little rumours

    ¡°Feels like we should leave now or something,¡± an old man holding a mug muttered, before turning to the middle-aged man beside him. ¡°How¡¯s the caravan? Are the wheels fixed yet? Or do we need to suffer the fate of painful bums whenever the thing rolls on some stones? I don¡¯t like to say this, but your mother will complain for three hours if her bum gets sore.¡±


    ¡°I know, dad. And the cart¡¯s mostly fixed, but there¡¯s some things we can¡¯t fully repair. She¡¯ll need to sit on cushions,¡± the man replied.


    ¡°I suppose that is for the best, boy.¡± The old man took one more swig from his cup. ¡°Oi, Candle! When¡¯s the inspection thing coming again?¡±


    ¡°In three days,¡± Mister Candle replied. ¡°If you want to leave, better do it before that.¡±


    Claud exchanged glances with Lily as the father-son pair continued to talk about avoiding the Moons. It would seem that someone had spread the rumour about lowered lifespans if people were inspected thoroughly by the Moons¡¯ agents, prompting just about everyone here to start running away.


    It was a rumour that was so convenient to him that Claud couldn¡¯t help but think that there was someone who was actually friendly to him or something. Whatever the case, however, there was now a huge exodus of villagers from Monsville, which was why the tavern only had old people who didn¡¯t have a family to bring them alone.


    ¡°Leaving?¡± Another voice shattered the silence, and an opulent round ball rolled into the tavern. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to fear about those inspections!¡±


    ¡°Baron Mons.¡± Mister Candle waved at him. ¡°Here for a drink?¡±


    ¡°Here to persuade anyone who¡¯s thinking of leaving otherwise¡­¡± The baron paused. ¡°But it seems I¡¯m too late. Where are all the usual drinkers? It¡¯s nearing lunch, and there¡¯s only a couple and a father-son pair here?¡±


    Claud glanced at Lily. The two of them had spent the rest of the morning drinking and talking about random things, because time together was more valuable than time spent with the others. Of course, they would return soon, but since Baron Mons had abruptly showed up¡­


    His hair shivered, and three little shapes slid down the back of his head and landed on his neck.


    ¡°They all left sometime ago,¡± Mister Candle replied. ¡°Can¡¯t really be helped.¡±


    ¡°Bah. Will they be coming back?¡± The baron asked, the shining bits of his courtly clothes rippling. ¡°I¡¯ll be the laughingstock of the other nobles if they really fled forever!¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Mister Candle picked another cup and started to clean it. ¡°But they should just be waiting out the inspection. In the first place, what¡¯s with the inspections? Why were the Moons so alarmed? Do they not know that announcing inspections this loudly would just make everyone else worried and vulnerable to rumours like this?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe the rumours?¡± Baron Mons asked.


    ¡°Inspections that cost lifespan? Yeah, sure¡­¡± The bartender set down the cup in his hand. ¡°You do know we can see our lifespan, right? If it really took our lifespan, the first guy to do the inspection would cause a riot afterwards. The Moons will never be welcome here again.¡±


    ¡°Good point, but¡­¡± Baron Mons shook. ¡°In that case, this rumour must have been spread by the real culprit. The perp must have made use of the fleeing populace to get away from the Moons too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The inspection is useless.¡±


    No, not really¡­Claud and Lily exchanged glances once more, and Lily¡¯s fingers danced on his right palm for a moment, conveying her amusement. Claud stuck his tongue out, rolled his eyes, and then played with her fingers for three seconds, before shrugging.


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    Lily rolled her eyes and made a small gesture at the bowl of tomato soup in front of Claud.


    At the same time, the baron shifted his weight on the chair, forcing it to squeak.. ¡°Right, I heard you had some new drinks, right? Let me try some.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Mister Candle pulled out a bottle. ¡°Baron Mons, I must remind you that this brew is for real men only. It¡¯s a specific brew that has insane amounts of alcohol, yet remains drinkable and has its own taste. If you are too weak, drinking it will almost certainly knock you out.¡±


    Lily froze, and then pulled him close. In a whisper, she said, ¡°Doesn¡¯t that sound eerily familiar?¡±


    ¡°Nah. Schwarz definitely didn¡¯t make friends with Mister Candle¡­right?¡± Claud looked at Mister Candle, worried. While he wasn¡¯t really old yet, from his middle-aged appearance, Claud could tell that his bodily functions probably weren¡¯t at its best. If he took a swig of sure pure alcohol¡­


    Schwarz would probably be an accessory to murder. And as for that ball-esque Baron Mons?


    Before he could intervene, the baron slammed his hands on the table. ¡°I¡¯m a real man through and through! That drink is definitely made for yours truly! Bring it over and let your master savour it!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite expensive,¡± Mister Candle replied.


    ¡°How expensive can it be?¡± Baron Mons asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m the master of this town. I buy things fairly! Name your price!¡±


    ¡°Three lifestones.¡±


    ¡°Hah! Three life¡ª wait, what? Three what? Lifestones?¡± The baron looked at Mister Candle. ¡°What did you brew your alcohol with? Lifestones?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It was a very recent invention, born out of an interaction with a true master at the craft,¡± Mister Candle replied. ¡°It makes use of lifeforce to energise the metabolism of bodily cells to better the digestion of alcohol, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Alright, enough. I know that it¡¯s awesome.¡± The baron paused. ¡°And it¡¯s just three lifestones, right? I¡¯ll have you know that yours truly has three hundred low-ranked lifestones!¡±


    ¡°Mid-ranked ones,¡± Mister Candle clarified.


    ¡°Gah! Uh, I mean, no problem!¡± The baron patted his shoulders, before rifling through his clothes. ¡°Men! Bring me three mid-ranked lifestones, on the double!¡±


    Claud couldn¡¯t bear to watch it anymore, and he focused on his soup with Lily as the baron started to court death. After forking the money over, the baron made a huge hoo-ha about drinking it ¡ª although there was only Claud, Lily and the father-son pair in the tavern ¡ª and then gulped down the whole thing.


    The entire tavern shook as the round ball in nice clothes simply dropped, and the guards rushed in, alarm written all over their face. Their master, however, simply let out a satisfied snore, mumbled something under his breath, and then flipped over to kiss the ground.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s time to go, I think.¡± Claud and Lily got up. Skirting around the guards, who were now debating over the best way to bring Baron Mons back to his mansion, the two of them fled the small tavern and headed back to their little home.


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s it, then.¡± Lily looked behind. ¡°We¡¯re really going through with the plan, right?¡±


    Claud bit his lips and checked the Looped Encryptor once more. Making sure that the edges were misaligned, he said, ¡°We never had a choice anyway. The A-thing is approaching, and something¡¯s definitely going to happen to me once that happens.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°Even without this, we would still need to leave.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just worried,¡± Claud replied. ¡°After all, some unknown party just spirited an entire camp away. If we leave now, this case¡­it¡¯s possible that the Moons will get the others to investigate it. Without us.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve done really well on their own, and there¡¯s Nero and President Cadenza. They¡¯ll be fine.¡± Lily clutched his hand.


    ¡°Your face doesn¡¯t seem to agree with what you just said, though,¡± Claud pointed out. ¡°You¡¯re also worried.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re both worried, happy?¡± Lily poked his sides. ¡°But I suppose this is the best we can do for them, at the very least. We¡¯ve averted the future you saw to a great extent.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more of the world doing that, though,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°And the Da¡ª D-thing. Not my credit.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Lily pursed her lips. ¡°Seems like the same thing to me, though. You taking action, him taking action¡­we¡¯ve done all we could, in a reasonable sense. If you ask me, there¡¯s nothing else you could have done already. When it comes to saving this world from a bad future, you¡¯ve worked very hard.¡±


    ¡°Sure feels like I slacked off, though.¡± Claud shrugged. ¡°Alright. We need to rehearse our next words when we return. Let¡¯s hope the others don¡¯t do anything stupid either. There¡¯s only a month left before the Trial of Aeons, and they¡¯re not a part of it. We¡¯ve already gotten them out from Licencia. If all goes well, they¡¯ll be safe.¡±


    ¡°We still need to figure out why Licencia was attacked, though,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of things you never figured out during the Second Tutorial.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure even the me there was confused by the events that had transpired in his timeline,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We¡¯ll need to be more aware, more careful¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been doing that all this time, though¡­¡± Lily had a sad look on her face. ¡°We still need to do more?¡±


    ¡°Even more, apparently.¡± The two of them approached their home, and Claud narrowed his eyes. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s time to act.¡±

 Chapter 474: Departing for a fake summons

    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve never thought of myself as not a liberator of wealth and a dispenser of fortune to the poor,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°What brought that on?¡± Lily asked. ¡°And that¡¯s surprising, given your moniker. Your deeds are known throughout Istrel, and you tell me that you don¡¯t mentally associate yourself as a thief?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound so petty,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s master thief. Not just your everyday thief. No. Anyway, when I look at the skills I employ in my everyday life, the first thing that comes to mind is not my nimble fingers or my ability to hide.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really, really.¡± Claud eyed his house, which was just a minute away. ¡°Rather, the first thing I think about is my ability to act. And when I mean act, I mean to put on a show to mislead people into thinking that I¡¯m a harmless little fellow.¡±


    ¡°Which doesn¡¯t work on President Cadenza.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s not because my acting sucks,¡± Claud replied. ¡°That¡¯s because he¡¯s cheating.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re more of a cheater than him, though. You began your path as a mana-user just a year and a bit ago, right?¡± Lily asked. ¡°And here you are, a mighty hexa-folder, someone on the verge of activating the Third Tutorial. Now that¡¯s a cheater. But what brought these words on anyway?¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re going to be putting on another act soon.¡± Claud smiled sadly. ¡°It¡¯s a bit painful to lie, and it¡¯s not even something I can wave it away by saying ¡®it¡¯s for your own good¡¯. You get what I mean?¡±


    Lily thought for a moment. ¡°Well, they are our friends, after all. This is what I¡¯d call a necessary burden. Good friends don¡¯t see a need to tell you if they helped you out, unless it concerned you directly. This applies to us.¡±


    ¡°Good friends, huh¡­¡± Claud looked at Lily and smiled sadly. ¡°I suppose this is the only comfort allowed to us.¡±


    Leaving behind these words, the two of them approached the gate of the little house. Without putting on any airs, he reached out to the small box where he had placed the letter earlier, and then pulled it out. Checking through its contents with Lily, the two of them walked into the garden.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t paying attention just now, but what in the name of the Moons are the others doing?¡± Claud asked, turning his attention to Schwarz, Nero and President Cadenza, who were seated solemnly on the large table placed in the middle of the garden. Their right hands held onto a glass of bubbling liquid, and in unison, the three of them raised their cups and downed its contents.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit too sweet, in my opinion,¡± President Cadenza began. ¡°Lay off the sugar.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not enough alcohol inside,¡± Nero added.


    ¡°I¡¯ll score this seven out of ten.¡± Schwarz lowered the glass, and then picked up a bottle sitting in front of him. The others did the same, drinking from the water and washing their palate with it. ¡°Next?¡±


    He pulled out another bottle.


    Before he could continue, Claud cleared his throat. ¡°Are you guys having a tastetest?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back, Claud.¡± Schwarz nodded. ¡°We decided to brew up a bunch of random drinks without tasting them initially, and are now judging their merits. See that box there? Yeah, that¡¯s all the brews we randomly came up with.¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh.¡± Claud fanned himself with the letter. ¡°What type of drinks are we talking about?¡±


    ¡°Mild alcoholic fizzy drinks,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Made with fruits too, in case you were wondering. This one, for instance, was made haphazardly by President Cadenza with some lychees. Fancy a drink?¡±


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    ¡°I would,¡± Claud replied, ¡°but something bad just came up.¡±


    He indicated the letter in his hands.


    ¡°Something bad?¡± Schwarz got up, worry written all over his face. ¡°What does that letter say?¡±


    Before Claud or Lily could reply, President Cadenza said, ¡°It¡¯s a noble¡¯s summons. Addressed to the two of them in particular. Something must have happened, and these two have been summoned by name. It¡¯s not something they can back out of.¡±


    Claud turned to look at the origin of the unexpected assist, but Lily was already a beat faster. Her right hand played around with Claud¡¯s own, and he held his tongue as Lily asked, ¡°Is there no way around it?¡±


    ¡°Not unless you want to lose your noble title,¡± President Cadenza replied.


    In that instant, Claud understood what it meant to be surpassed. Lily¡¯s mind had already moved five steps ahead ¡ª instead of doing the usual spiel of explaining and whatever, she had simply placed herself and Claud into a position where she was already casting doubt and asking for help. This was a masterstroke if he¡¯d ever seen one, and Claud applauded in his heart merrily.


    ¡°Bummer,¡± Lily continued. ¡°Hmm. Let¡¯s see¡­to the Lacuna Dukedom, huh. That¡¯s quite far¡­¡±


    ¡°An entire dukedom away,¡± Claud continued. ¡°Is there really no way we can say no?¡±


    ¡°Unless you want to lose a title, I suppose.¡± Lily made a face. ¡°We should hurry and prepare.¡±


    Claud nodded.


    ¡°Damnit. We just reunited, and you two need to leave again.¡± Schwarz let out a sigh. ¡°Really? Is there no other way?¡±


    ¡°This noble title was hard to come by, after all,¡± Claud replied quietly. ¡°And¡­never mind. Sorry for being a party pooper. Anyway, where are the others? We owe them a proper explanation, leaving like this.¡±


    Dia and Risti poked their heads out of their house.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Dia replied. ¡°We heard you. And there¡¯s really no two ways about things, so I suppose you have to leave. Emperor Grandis¡­well, he¡¯s in closed-door training now, but I hear that his castigations are very serious. Don¡¯t make him come after you!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen him castigate someone before?¡± Lily asked, a touch of genuine curiosity in her words. ¡°What was it like?¡±


    ¡°Not in person, no. Uh, I heard that his scoldings were like thunderclaps and everything. You¡¯ll be called into his morning court, made to kneel for the entire session, and then¡­¡± Dia shuddered. ¡°Yeah. Not a fun experience. And it¡¯s not like you can escape¡­¡±


    While this wasn¡¯t a real summons, Claud couldn¡¯t help but think that they had screwed up somewhere when they faked their identity of a knight. If the fellow who made their new identities was really competent¡­


    ¡°Ugh.¡± Claud let his real thoughts slip out for a moment.


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s rough, buddy.¡± Risti let out a sigh. ¡°You two should hurry and prepare for your trip out.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, sure.¡±


    Risti and Dia opened the door for them, and the two of them hurried into the house. Heading to their room, Claud closed the door behind them and then turned to look at Lily, before letting out a sigh.


    ¡°That was surprisingly easy,¡± Claud observed.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lily frowned. ¡°I thought we would need to try a lot harder¡­maybe we got lucky. President Cadenza¡¯s assist sure came in handy. We didn¡¯t even need to say anything, and we had him and Dia doing the explaining for us. Sure makes me feel less guilty about the whole thing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a misunderstanding, I suppose?¡± Claud tilted his head. ¡°Still, we better start packing. Since they¡¯ve already laid out the groundwork, let¡¯s strike while the iron is hot. After all, the best way to con someone is to have them come to that conclusion themselves. Lay out the little bits, and lead them into figuring it out.¡±


    He looked up at the ceiling. ¡°After all, people rarely doubt themselves.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°Unless it¡¯s you.¡±


    Claud was about to rebut her, when he stopped. ¡°Yeah. I need to doubt myself more.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t forgotten the pre-emptive strikes he had launched on the armies of the Dark and the Moons. Back then, he was so certain that he was in the right, that these soldiers were just mindless automations that could be killed.


    A cool set of hands clapped his cheeks. ¡°Don¡¯t think about the past already. There¡¯s nothing you can do, and¡­I¡¯d say that it wasn¡¯t solely your fault either. If you knew, you wouldn¡¯t have done that, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Claud closed his eyes. Whenever they moved to this topic, Lily would try her best to cheer him up, but he didn¡¯t want to be this pathetic in front of her either. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s pack up and prepare to leave.¡±


    He injected some false bravado into those words, and then turned back to look at Lily. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to do something for those I¡¯ve wronged once all this is over. For now, I just need to be doubly careful. That¡¯s all. There¡¯s nothing else I can do right now, anyway.¡±


    Lily scrutinised his face closely, and then nodded slowly. ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t go entering your depressed mode randomly anymore, okay? I mean, I like taking care of you, but it also breaks my heart.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, though?¡± Claud tilted his head, smiling despite himself. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s pack up. I wonder if the Lacuna Dukedom has anything interesting¡­what¡¯s their local specialty like?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I heard something about a publishing house¡­¡±

 Chapter 475: Departure with a mysterious book

    ¡°Leaving so soon, huh.¡± Farah shook her head at Claud and Lily. ¡°What, were we interrupting your two-person lovey-dovey time?¡±


    ¡°Circumstances,¡± Claud replied. He had a feeling that she was partially right though ¡ª the two of them didn¡¯t want the others around, but not for that reason solely. Rather, the Trial of Aeons would soon begin, and since he didn¡¯t know what would happen once the countdown ended, it was best for him to be far away from the others.


    Of course, he also didn¡¯t like the fact that everyone else would be giving him the stinkeye whenever he did something perfectly normal. In fact, just because he was feeding Lily, Schwarz would tell them to get a room, and the others would just look at him with an awful gaze.


    In that particular instance, Farah was probably more correct than he would care to admit.


    He patted his backpack, checked that the three little meepers were sleeping inside, and then nodded. ¡°We¡¯re going to go now, then. Stay safe, everyone. Don¡¯t do anything stupid. We¡¯re not part of the Last Godsfall. Keep your heads low, always have a few barrier artefacts, and have your trump cards ready at all times.¡±


    Claud turned to Schwarz. ¡°It was a bit rushed, but I prepared a manual just in case. It documents all the modifications I did to this house. Nothing fancy, but you can withstand a siege and hunker down here for around a year with the supplies I¡¯ve stashed.¡±


    ¡°A year?¡± Schwarz looked at him. ¡°That¡¯s not half-bad, considering you were on a honeymoon¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not as good as Moon Mansion, but it¡¯s definitely better than nothing,¡± Claud replied. ¡°More importantly, you should also work on making this place tougher.¡±


    He turned to Nero next. ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you to guide them.¡±


    ¡°You say that like you two don¡¯t need guidance yourself.¡± Nero rolled his eyes, before taking out a small book. ¡°Catch.¡±


    Claud caught the book. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. But a descent happened to me last night, and when I woke up, I was told that this had to go to you two,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I didn¡¯t look, but there¡¯s also a letter inside.¡±


    Everyone looked at the Holy Son of the Black God, who simply shrugged. ¡°I also don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡± Claud looked at the book doubtfully. ¡°Sure. Thanks, Nero. And whoever gave me this.¡±


    ¡°Also, I was told to pass you one of my artefacts,¡± Nero added. ¡°It¡¯s actually attached on the cover. It¡¯s currently activated, sealing the book and preventing it from being used against you. Otherwise, you¡¯ll probably dig a hole and leave it underground¡­¡± Nero touched his chin. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why you would do that, but that¡¯s what the instructions told me to avert.¡±


    Claud narrowed his eyes, before suppressing the urge to check his Looped Encryptor. Whatever the case, the person who had sent this book had clearly accounted for his¡­oddities. It was either a display of sincerity or someone trying to screw him over, but he couldn¡¯t tell which was which.


    ¡°Told by who?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°¡­Did you not hear me say that there was a descent? My lord, naturally.¡± Nero paused. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why he¡¯s looking at you, though. Do you have something special on you?¡±


    Claud¡¯s eyes flickered once. It went without saying that he was the Omen, but the Black God shouldn¡¯t be able to know that. However, that was just him making a bunch of assumptions, and it was very possible that the Black God, the White God and the five grand skies knew his identity to begin with. After all, the duo wasn¡¯t part of the Last Godsfall ¡ª it was very possible that they were actually administrators of this age¡¯s Godsfall.


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    ¡°Maybe.¡± Claud touched his nose once. ¡°I¡¯ll have to see what this is, at least.¡±


    He could feel Lily¡¯s hand touching his back, and with a jolt, Claud realised that he was shivering slightly.


    How much did the Black God know?


    ¡°Yeah, you should.¡± Nero shook his head.


    After another round of farewells, the two of them headed out of the small mansion. Claud held on to the book tightly as he walked through the garden gate, staring at its cover.


    ¡°Damn it.¡± Claud looked at the book. He felt like throwing it away, but this had been a very thoughtful present. For him to throw it away without even taking a look at it wasn¡¯t his style.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Lily held his hand. ¡°The Black God and White God are not part of this Godsfall. They should be separate¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, but I¡¯m scared.¡± Claud looked at the book. ¡°I saw the Second Tutorial for myself. Who¡¯s to say that these two didn¡¯t tell their peers? I¡ª¡±


    He took a deep breath and controlled himself. ¡°Sorry. I lost control.¡±


    Lily rubbed his head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m here. And this book¡­I suppose you should start reading it first. This is definitely something that¡¯s for you, right?¡±


    Claud nodded and flipped open the book. The first thing he saw was a white envelope, which Lily fished out immediately and opened. ¡°Let¡¯s see here¡­¡±


    She cleared her throat. ¡°To the you who sees this now, I am glad that you have made it this far. As planned, I will now hand the token over to you. Remember not to let it leave you from now on.¡±


    Lily looked at Claud. ¡°Planned?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I¡¯m also lost.¡± Claud took the letter and looked through it, but there wasn¡¯t anything else on it. ¡°What¡¯s this supposed to mean?¡±


    He raised the letter to the sun, trying to see if there was some hidden message, but there wasn¡¯t anything new. After returning it back to the envelope, Claud turned his perplexed gaze to the book and flipped through the pages.


    ¡°What¡¯s this now?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Is this even a book?¡±


    ¡°A book of weird patterns, probably.¡± Claud rubbed his head. ¡°What¡¯s this even supposed to be?¡±


    The book¡¯s pages were filled with one weird pattern each. They were all circles with varying distributions of black and white, and none of the pages carried the same, unique pattern. Other than another warning that exhorted Claud to hold on to the book no matter what, there was nothing else at all, and he found himself frowning a few more times.


    ¡°So, a book that I can¡¯t make sense of, and a message that is annoyingly vague. What the heck does the Black God want to tell me?¡± Claud complained. ¡°And to think that the Black God went through such pains too. What should I do?¡±


    Lily gazed at him once. ¡°Keep this book on you at all times.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s clearly the Black God¡¯s goal, yes.¡± Claud frowned. ¡°The problem is¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, but the Black God had specifically made arrangements for you. Maybe there¡¯s some bigger plan¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the problem, isn¡¯t it?¡± Claud replied. ¡°There¡¯s a plan, and I¡¯m a pawn in it. Am I going to be safe while the whole thing plays out?¡±


    The two exchanged glances, before Claud tucked the book and the envelope into his clothes. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll keep it on me. I still can¡¯t help but feel a bit worried, though. What¡¯s exactly the Black God¡¯s game here?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve encountered lots of mysteries,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Won¡¯t hurt to leave yet another unsolved, right?¡±


    Claud laughed. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re right. And if the Black God wanted to do something to me, I¡¯d probably be dead by now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just trying to make yourself feel better at this point¡­¡± Lily held his hands. ¡°And if I have your entire body to myself, there are a lot of things I¡¯d want to do too. Just putting it out there.¡±


    Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel that his lower half was in danger for some reason, and he cleared his throat to get rid of that weird feeling. ¡°Ahem. Anyway, you should¡ª¡±


    ¡°All my defensive artefacts are already on me,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Rather, you should worry about yourself. You¡¯re still quite out of it, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Claud took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m still quite shaken by everything that¡¯s happened so far. I sure didn¡¯t expect the Black God to appear in this. To be honest, I just want to curl up and hide.¡±


    ¡°Well, we kinda can¡¯t, not until we reach the Lacuna Dukedom. And even if you want to, you only can curl up for a month at most,¡± Lily replied. ¡°There¡¯s not much time left, after all. We¡¯ve gone through life without knowing everything so far. It¡¯s fine to just add another thing to the list.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud took a deep breath. ¡°I wonder why I find myself agreeing with you, though. Maybe it¡¯s because the Black God even made the arrangements in a way that¡¯s more palatable to me?¡±


    ¡°Or maybe because he governs the mind.¡±


    ¡°Which is equally possible, yes.¡± Claud stopped as Monsville¡¯s gates appeared in front of him. ¡°Hmm. We¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Are we going to sneak out? Or leave openly?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Openly, naturally.¡± Claud took a deep breath. ¡°Normally, I wouldn¡¯t have hesitated, but it¡¯s just me acting up here. No worries.¡±


    He squared himself. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡±

 Chapter 476: The Powers that Be

    ¡°Whelp. They¡¯re gone.¡± Schwarz sighed, returning to his seat in the garden. ¡°Bummer. Why did they have to have a summons when we just reunited not too long ago? Damn it. They should have chosen a more normal identity. Now they need to run stupid errands like this.¡±


    ¡°Well, being a minor noble has its advantages,¡± Dia replied, thinking about the number of times a minor noble had gained access to the palace. Of course, there were a few spies and fakes here and there, which were hard to detect, but all of them simply wanted to make use of the Lustre Dukedom¡¯s wealth for their own ends.


    Now that they had left, though, Dia couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she too should return to the Lustre Dukedom. There was a ceasefire now, after all, and it wasn¡¯t like she was part of the Trial of Aeons.


    Before she could ask that question, however, an enormous presence blossomed, and a thunderclap tore through the air. An impossible pillar of blue light hurtled towards the southern horizon, leaving behind massive trails as it flew. Trees shook, and the entire Monsville seemed to sway and shudder as massive shockwaves surged outwards from the lance-like pillar.


    Before it could land at its intended target, an enormous projection of a sphere materialised in its path, and the Moon-like projection shook once as the lance embedded itself inside.


    The second shockwave that followed was palpable, churning up dirt wherever it went. The silvery skies roiled a moment later, and a massive cylinder of similarly coloured light encased the southern horizon.


    A stifling silence fell as rampaging energies of blue, silver and tricoloured light rose to the heavens, forming a solid pillar that encased the entire explosion.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­in the direction of the Moons, right?¡± Schwarz whispered.


    ¡°Their base camp, yes,¡± Dia answered, her head still ringing from the opening thunderclap. The pillar, however, had blotted out everything else, but even then, Dia was still dizzy from the sheer presence of this attack alone. She could hear her blood pumping through her ears, her heartbeat taking on an irregular rhythm, and¡­


    A weird feeling in her heart.


    Before long, the pillar faded away, and Dia looked at her hands. If the five grand skies hadn¡¯t stepped in at that moment, the entirety of Monsville could have very well been annihilated, not to mention the other small territories that bordered the Moons¡¯ base camp.


    Her fingers trembled, and she tripped over her own heels. The others weren¡¯t any better off either ¡ª even President Cadenza had fallen over at some point in time, his feet littered with snapped skillsticks. A glowing, extremely thick barrier surrounded Risti, who looked like she had been stunned, and Dia smiled wryly.


    ¡°Are you guys alright?¡± Nero, who was the first to fully recover, asked.


    ¡°None of us should be affected,¡± President Cadenza replied. ¡°That attack was nullified by the heavens. But that¡¯s¡­not supposed to happen.¡±


    He glanced at Nero, who took out a simple hourglass. A curtain seemed to fall on them as he flipped it once, and President Cadenza nodded. ¡°Thanks, Nero.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also interested in hearing your take on the end of the cycle,¡± Nero replied. ¡°And¡­the Lord¡¯s not part of this anyway, so we¡¯ll be fine. For now, we can freely break a few rules.¡±


    ¡°Rules, huh?¡± President Cadenza chuckled. ¡°Alright. Anyway, that attack was not part of the cycle. Only then can the five grand skies intervene.¡±


    Schwarz raised a hand, and the older Cadenza nodded at him. ¡°Go ahead.


    ¡°What is this¡­cycle?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Destruction and rebirth. The Godsfall. Each of them representing¡­a battle between the forces of law and chaos, of preservation and entropy,¡± President Cadenza replied.


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    Dia twitched.


    ¡°A battle?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°¡­I am not sure of the details myself. But it is a test of civilisation,¡± President Cadenza replied. ¡°If it¡¯s found wanting, nine-tenths of all life will be wiped away, with only the strongest spared to rebuild. This is the Last Godsfall. The end of the cycle. If we are found wanting once more¡­our world will be completely destroyed.¡±


    ¡°By? Why?¡±


    ¡°The heavens, presumably.¡± President Cadenza shook his head. ¡°What does the Black God say, O Holy Son?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Nero hesitated. ¡°Largely the same. The end of the cycle. Entropy¡¯s victory, and the Axiom¡¯s will enforced. The end of days, for all eternity.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t quite understand what this Axiom was, but she had a few guesses.


    ¡°Dad,¡± began Risti, ¡°what¡¯s the Axiom?¡±


    ¡°¡­Again, it¡¯s probably the five grand skies,¡± President Cadenza replied. ¡°However, we¡¯re not too sure. I¡¯m of the opinion that this Axiom is something larger than this world. Like¡­basic principles or laws of existence, if you can visualise what I mean.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you use a visual model?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Dad? Please?¡±


    ¡°Give me a few days to think about it.¡± President Cadenza shot a glance at the hourglass. ¡°Not much time¡¯s left. Holy Son Nero, the fact that you used that here¡­you must have a revelation, right? For us and us only?¡±


    Nero moved a cup to him with some mana, sipped from it and then cleared his throat once more. ¡°My Lord has permitted me to utter one¡­revelation. In defiance of fate, my Lord has introduced an impossible variable. The Omen that is not the Omen.¡±


    He grimaced. ¡°I have been ordered to utter it here, under His divine inspiration. I know not why, and the Lord is unfathomable as always. I have been planting similar seeds, giving out similar actions and gifts, all under His instructions. Who this is addressed to, I do not know, but¡­¡±


    He paused, his eyes lingering on President Cadenza. ¡°All to avert the end.¡±


    Dia fought to stop herself from making any odd movements. Were these words directed at her, the Salvation Star? Was this revelation meant to tell her something? What was she meant to know?


    She frowned. There was definitely something in the Black God¡¯s actions, and she couldn¡¯t help but think that it was related to that attack on the Moons that just occurred not too long ago. However, she couldn¡¯t even begin to fathom what the Black God wanted to tell her ¡ª would it kill for him to be a bit more specific?


    Muttering darkly in her heart about cryptic words, she returned to the conversation.


    ¡°And the White God¡­well, we¡¯ll need to find his Holy Daughter if we want to ask him about it,¡± President Cadenza muttered. ¡°Nonetheless, the fact that the five grand skies could act means that there are factors not from this cycle entering the fray. I presume that they are the survivors of the previous Godsfalls. We must be¡­careful.¡±


    He let out a breath. ¡°Nero, are you not permitted to enter the Trial of Aeons?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The Holy Son of the Black God cast a rueful gaze at Risti¡¯s father. ¡°But you are, right? Or rather¡­¡±


    ¡°Someone has to stop the cycle from ending,¡± President Cadenza replied, before turning to the others. ¡°The Trial of Aeons were probably the key mechanism in deciding who gets to be in the ten percent that lives in the previous cycle. That said, it¡¯s also the most redundant one this time, since failure means that we¡¯ll all be dead soon enough.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s also the fastest way to grow, though. The Trial of Aeons¡­and its prior equivalents were where mortals became gods.¡±


    Dia glanced at everyone else, who obviously didn¡¯t know as much as she did, before sinking into contemplation. As a tetra-folder, she was far stronger than approximately everyone else in this world, but that was because just about everyone else was a normal person. Not many people had the will to burn their own lifespan in exchange for power, especially to such an extent.


    It was better to just stay alive, if she had to be honest. Claud was really enlightened when it came to that.


    ¡°I wonder what¡¯s going to happen now,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°The Moons will probably freak out,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Ah. The hourglass¡­a word of warning. Do not speak what we have spoken of within this protected space. Otherwise¡­death will be swift.¡±


    Dia nodded, along with the others.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re not stupid, and I am still not sure what you guys are taking about.¡± Farah replied. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m a bit worried. That attack happened at the basecamp, right? Did the five grand skies managed to prevent every single bit of damage?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they did,¡± President Cadenza replied. ¡°As long as they act within their authority, they are invincible. The same goes for the other divinities¡­anyway, we should stop talking about this now.¡±


    He turned to the hourglass. The top half was all but empty, and as the last bead of sand fell to the bottom, a piercing crack ran through the air, and the hourglass shattered.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s it, then.¡± Nero shook his head. ¡°That hourglass could exclude an area from all influence. It was a one-of-a-kind treasure. And the Lord got me to use it here, when it was also a lifesaving item¡­He sure is unfathomable.¡±


    ¡°You sound pissed,¡± Risti noted.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± Nero shrugged. ¡°Anyway, I supposed it¡¯s all meant to be this way. Predestined and stuff like that. More importantly, we should prepare ourselves somewhat. The Moons are definitely going to go mad over this attack. The approaching inspections will get¡­brutal.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t quite like the sound of that.

 Chapter 477: The old mans presents

    The Moonlit soldiers came as the white moon rose in the sky, and Dia watched in silence as fully armoured beings of tri-coloured light surrounded Monsville.


    ¡°Looks like there¡¯s no need to sleep tonight.¡± Schwarz filled up a flagon with alcohol and poured out a cup for everyone, pausing to fill up Nero¡¯s extra-large mug with more alcohol. A refreshing fruity scent filled the air, and Dia relaxed slightly.


    ¡°Even us?¡± Nero asked. ¡°We¡¯re the Moons¡¯ hired goons.¡±


    ¡°Well, they probably won¡¯t check us,¡± Schwarz replied, ¡°but can you really sleep knowing that there¡¯s something huge swirling all around us now? I¡¯d applaud you guys if you can, actually. It¡¯ll be easier to get drunk first or something.¡±


    President Cadenza let out a hearty laugh. ¡°Alcohol¡¯s great, yes! Although my daughter is here, so I shall not partake too much in tonight¡¯s weird revelry.¡±


    He picked up the cup. ¡°Cheers!¡±


    Everyone toasted each other, and Dia took a sip of the refreshing beverage. While alcohol had its own distinctive taste that sometimes made her brace whenever she took a sip, Schwarz¡¯s handiwork was always refreshing. The fruity, minty add-ons were perfect for her, and she took another sip.


    Her mind raced as she examined her cup. Nero and President Cadenza had revealed many things, including a message to her ¡ª although they probably didn¡¯t know she was the recipient. What exactly did that impossible variable refer to? What was the Omen that was not the Omen? It was hard to tell, especially since Nero himself had said that he had been following the Black God¡¯s orders to do random things and spout random phrases to random people.


    Were they all about the Last Godsfall? Or were they related to Limbo? What was the book that Nero had handed to Claud? Was it a coincidence that the two left, and then a huge explosion followed?


    ¡­Okay, that last one definitely wasn¡¯t related. Putting aside the fact that the attacker was not from this cycle, as Nero and President Cadenza liked to say, it was physically impossible for them to move such stupidly long distances anyway. And even if they could, for Claud or Lily to seek death like that¡­well, Dia would rather not polish her sword for three years than to actually believe that.


    She took another sip from her cup and smiled. Schwarz was also cooking some meat on an open fire, and the aroma was making her stomach rumble. There was something magnetic about the way the meat had been prepared, and it wasn¡¯t just her either.


    ¡°Stop looking at me like that, asshats,¡± Schwarz complained. ¡°It¡¯s not done yet. Unless you want to have an upset stomach, sit still and wait for me to finish cooking.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up. I can see some Moonlit soldiers approaching us,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Nero, put down that cup and stop drinking. I don¡¯t care if you can¡¯t get drunk; now¡¯s not a good time. Dia¡­well, you carry on. Farah, just hide with Schwarz.¡±


    ¡°Who died and made you lady boss?¡± Farah muttered, before scurrying away to the rear obediently.


    ¡°Dad?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here, Ris-Ris.¡± President Cadenza got up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They¡¯re ants.¡±


    ¡°To you, but not to us,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Just prepare for a fight. It might boil down to that¡­wait, Dia, what are you doing?¡±


    Dia, who had gotten up and was walking towards the small garden gate, glanced back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. We should be fine. Just let me handle this.¡±


    ¡°You?¡± Risti asked, doubt written all over her face. ¡°What, you¡¯re friends with one of the Moons? Or do you have some secret technique?¡±


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    ¡°In a sense, I suppose¡­remember the time when I told you guys about how the Blue Moon asked me about random stuff?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I got a small token from him afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Risti made a noise in her throat. ¡°I don¡¯t think you should squander this favour like this. It¡¯s fine. Just let them do what they want. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re hiding anything anyway.¡±


    Dia looked at the others, who didn¡¯t seem to mind that statement either, and then shrugged. If one of them was actually the Omen, he or she might have asked her to use that token.


    Probably. It was hard to tell at this point, and Dia didn¡¯t think she was in the right state of mind either. Her mind had been rattled by an impossible attack, and then Nero and President Cadenza decided to talk about world-shaking truths and issues right afterwards. If she didn¡¯t know any better, she would have thought that they had chosen such a timing on purpose, and¡ª


    Maybe they did choose that moment on purpose.


    Before Dia could do more than to frown, a troop of Moonlit soldiers had marched up to the little house. Without any preamble, the leader rested a hand on the garden gate and said, ¡°Inspection. By order of the Masters. Resistance will be met with lethal force. Comply.¡±


    The troops looked at Risti as she walked up and opened the gate for them. ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    In silence, the soldiers swarmed into the garden, forming a small perimeter around the leader as he knelt down on the ground and set up a small object. The weird thing beeped and booped randomly, before he got back up.


    ¡°Thank you for your cooperation.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Dia hadn¡¯t even taken more than a few glances at the weird artefact before the Moonlit soldiers took off into the distance. ¡°Huh. That was¡­surprisingly quick.¡±


    ¡°I had expected more too,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°What was that, though?¡±


    ¡°Presumably to check for the¡­¡± Nero hesitated for a moment. ¡°Well, the adversary. They¡¯re checking for the adversary. Yes, that one that is on everyone¡¯s faction missions. It seems like the Moons have been truly enraged by that attack.¡±


    ¡°Wait, the adversary is part of this cycle, right?¡± Dia asked. ¡°But you guys just said that the attack was from someone not of this cycle.¡±


    ¡°¡­Looks like you were paying very close attention,¡± President Cadenza replied.


    ¡°Hard not to, when you guys were speaking in riddles,¡± Dia replied. ¡°And the others definitely have their own thoughts about what you two said this afternoon too. And how do you know that artefact was used to check for the adversary? It could have been to look for people outside this cycle, as you guys keep saying.¡±


    ¡°You do know that there are quite a few people who are outside this cycle alive right now, right? Anyone from the previous Godsfalls count. There¡¯s no way there¡¯s something so convenient. The adversary is a unique existence. That¡¯s different.¡± President Cadenza yawned. ¡°Still, I didn¡¯t expect them to have something this convenient. Excellent.¡±


    ¡°Excellent?¡±


    ¡°If they can kill the adversary, the end of the cycle can be averted,¡± President Cadenza replied.


    ¡°And we¡¯ll all live?¡± Schwarz asked, pumped up.


    ¡°Yeap. Probably.¡± President Cadenza smiled wanly. ¡°But that person is far stronger than any of us¡­but let¡¯s not talk about this. It¡¯s easy to veer into forbidden territory if we continue to talk about what¡¯s permitted and what¡¯s not permitted. More importantly, you guys need to consider your next move.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just going to hunker down, I suppose,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that, though,¡± President Cadenza replied. ¡°Even if you guys are not entering the Trial of Aeons, everyone present should work on strengthening themselves. The Trial of Aeons will be followed by a storm of chaos. If you guys aren¡¯t mid-ranked folders by then, death would almost be a certainty. Grow stronger, if only for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, we need resources¡­¡±


    President Cadenza mulled for a moment. ¡°Well, then¡­consider this a gift of sorts. Something to thank you guys for.¡±


    ¡°A gift?¡± Schwarz asked.


    The president of the Folders¡¯ Association smiled once, and then clapped his hands. Without warning, three huge boxes appeared, stacked onto each other. Green and purple light spilled out immediately, and President Cadenza grinned.


    ¡°Here. Don¡¯t be shy, though. I won¡¯t be able to finish all this by myself before the month¡¯s out anyway, and I have lots of lifespan to burn right now anyway.¡± He chuckled, a low drone that made Dia smile. ¡°It¡¯ll be better used on you guys¡­and I haven¡¯t really given everyone a present for looking after my little baby daughter, right?¡±


    ¡°This gift is a bit too val¡ª¡±


    President Cadenza clapped his hands once, interrupting Farah¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s not. It¡¯s a gift to the people who have taken care of my baby daughter. And she¡¯ll be sad if you guys kicked the bucket ¡®cause you were too weak. I¡¯m making her happy this way too.¡±


    Mana wrapped around the topmost box and lifted it down. ¡°Also, I¡¯m going to provide consultations for you guys, in case you have any doubts or questions about the Second Tutorial or ways to raise your Mana Control Proficiency.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t take long,¡± President Cadenza replied. ¡°And I also need to teach my little Risti these things too, so do listen in.¡±


    Dia pondered for a moment. It would seem that she would be spending the rest of the month in the house, at least¡­

 Chapter 478: Remnant ripples

    ¡°We made rather good time, I think.¡± Claud stretched his back and looked at the gates of Vacuos County as the moons rose in earnest. ¡°I feel a lot safer now.¡±


    ¡°Do you now?¡± Lily asked, her words inquiring. ¡°I mean, it sure looked like there was someone copying your handiwork just half a day ago, you know.¡±


    ¡°Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,¡± Claud replied, before pulling out the Looped Encryptor. Twisting it once such that it was misaligned, he slipped it back into his pocket, before letting out a sigh. ¡°I know it¡¯s a bit pointless, since the Moons are probably staring at the area around the base camp, but just to be safe¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be paying attention to us, after what seemed like the greatest bombs ever blew up at their place,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Still, did we really need to mana-walk the whole way? It would have been better if we just flew, right? My muscles are a bit sore¡­¡±


    ¡°We need to show them that we can¡¯t move fast,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°That was before the explosion happened,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And you insisted on mana-walking even after that¡­¡±


    ¡°We had to, though.¡± Claud rubbed his legs. ¡°I¡¯m also a bit sore, but at least the Moons won¡¯t be sending people after us for some time.¡±


    The two exchanged glances, and then Claud rubbed his nose. Some bright-eyed fellow had attacked the Moons¡¯ basecamp, according to his RECON artefact, which helped them come to that conclusion by some geographical working. Weirdly enough, the lance that had smashed against the Moons¡¯ barrier was something very similar to this. It was a shame that Claud was simply too far to sense the mana that had made it up, or else he would have a new entry in his little list of people to stay the heck away from.


    ¡°My legs...¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Claud looked at her. ¡°How about I give you a piggyback ride?¡±


    Lily brightened up immediately. ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°You seem oddly happy about this.¡± Claud removed his backpack, and a small weight hopped onto his back. ¡°Does it not bother you that people are watching?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re just tomatoes and cabbages,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°¡­Okay, that¡¯s one way of putting it.¡±


    Given his strength, Lily felt more like a light backpack. In fact, it really didn¡¯t feel that much different from the small backpack in his hand, which contained the three little fellows¡¯ home. However, it did feel a bit odd to hold on to a backpack like this, so he simply handed it to Lily, who¡­put it on her head for some reason.


    He thought for a moment, and then chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re trying to cheer me up, right? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not particularly affected by anything right now. Like I said, the sincerest form of flattery is imitation. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Claud lowered his voice. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s a damn good alibi that I¡¯m not Tot, see?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Well, I can definitely see that, yes.¡± Lily made a noise in her throat. ¡°But¡­it¡¯s drawing more hatred to the personage called Tot, though. And it¡­never mind.¡±


    ¡°Which is why that person¡¯s timing was exquisite for us. We left Monsville openly, didn¡¯t hide ourselves and made our way towards the Lacuna Dukedom. Under the watchful eye of the Moons, who had definitely suspected us, we did absolutely nothing suspicious and obeyed our summons, and disaster struck their base camp.¡± Claud shrugged, and Lily made a little whoop. ¡°Quite an excellent alibi, yes?¡±


    He fell silent as he joined the line of people that was heading into town, before squatting slightly to let Lily off.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of people, despite it being midnight already,¡± Lily observed. ¡°I wonder if the attack this afternoon was related. But is it even possible to see that attack from Vacuos?¡±


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    ¡°We just need to eavesdrop here and there, and we¡¯ll find out soon,¡± Claud replied, his voice quiet. ¡°See? My ears are already twitching!¡±


    ¡°How are you even doing that?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s called fine control, heh.¡± Claud continued to focus on any stray sentences or words he could hear, but before long, his face creased into a frown. For some reason, just about everyone was speaking so quietly that even the enhanced senses of a penta-folder didn¡¯t get him anything.


    Or were they?


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Claud thought about his Mana Locus skill. It was the advanced evolved form of the original Mana Organ, which he had inadvertently picked up when he first became a mana-folder and was exposed to innumerable stimuli. While he didn¡¯t know how others dealt with it, Claud had managed to turn his backbone or some part there into dealing with external stimuli and filtering out important parts for him.


    Naturally, this also included really quiet words that his enhanced senses picked up. However, if he could control this process¡­


    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily squished his face. ¡°What are you doing? Is it something dangerous?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to manipulate my skill,¡± Claud replied, before rubbing his nose out of sheer guilt. ¡°But it is a bit¡­dangerous. I suppose. It might overload my cognitive ability for a while, and I might end up in quite a bit of pain.¡±


    As a rule of thumb, the human body could never remember the exact sensation of pain. No matter how many times one tried to engrave a certain time of agony into their bones, they would never fully remember the sensation, nor could they get used to it.


    Claud was naturally a bit leery about actually trying to adjust his skill. Not only was this his first time doing so, but he was also going to do it based off his intuition alone.


    Now that he thought about it, Claud couldn¡¯t help but think that he was a bit crazy for doing it in such a place. Lily, who was watching his expression closely, patted his head with a maternal air for some reason, and then squished his cheeks.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous to do whatever you were intending on doing outside,¡± Lily noted, a smug look on her face. ¡°And you must have thought of that just now, right? I can see it!¡±


    Claud tried to whistle and look innocent, but the first part was something he never really did master. After a minute of being scorched by Lily¡¯s burning gaze, Claud turned around and gave in, saying, ¡°Yeah. I also thought I was crazy too, for attempting to do that. On hindsight, I better do this when most of my senses are sealed.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯ll have to be in some specially set up place,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But what skill are you even trying to manipulate?¡±


    Claud happily explained his Mana Locus skill to Lily, who looked like she had been enlightened too. Of course, most of the credit could be attributed to little old Crown, who was napping away in his backpack, so he really had no business feeling smug¡­


    He still acted a bit smug anyway.


    After Lily poked his sides a few times, Claud put aside his smug demeanour and focused on explaining the process to her. Without Crown to guide her mana, attaining the initial Mana Organ skill was probably going to be down to luck or something, but Claud had a feeling that even if she failed, Lily would still benefit one way or another.


    ¡°Still,¡± Claud asked, ¡°how did you exactly blot out all this external noises and stuff? I remember nearly going insane when I first became a mana-user. Without this skill, I would have gone crazy or something.¡±


    ¡°I think my senses were dulled over a long period of time,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯s too long ago, though. It would be better if we asked Schwarz.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he recently became a mana-user, shortly after I did. I suppose he¡¯s the best person to ask¡­but he¡¯s not with us now.¡± Claud touched his forehead. ¡°And¡­of course. We forgot to leave behind a Second Shadow to talk to them. Damn it. Should we just turn around now? Or should we stay in Vacuos while I send a Second Shadow over?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re in a rush or something,¡± Lily began. ¡°And we can take turns operating the Second Shadow. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s us doing the actual running. The only issue is with the Moons, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the aesthetics are a problem.¡± Claud sighed. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be nice if the Moons didn¡¯t just treat all moving shadows as enemies?¡±


    ¡°Both sides are in a ceasefire, though?¡±


    The two looked at each other, thought for a moment, and then shrugged. The distance between Monsville and Vacuos was not prohibitively insane; but that was because they were mana-users. In fact, Claud knew that it would be faster if they simply mana-walked back, created a Second Shadow there, and then returned to their journey.


    It was the most sensible thing to do, but¡­


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Claud thought for a moment. ¡°Okay, I have an idea.¡±


    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Well, now that the Moons aren¡¯t going to be paying that much attention to this place, I could just fly back with all my strength, place a Second Shadow near the house or something, and then return here. We can operate it afterwards, and we¡¯ll be fine!¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°Yes, that works too!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame we can¡¯t speak while using that, though,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°We¡¯ll have to make do with writing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s already a darn good achievement, okay? You¡¯re so picky¡­¡±

 Chapter 479: Arrangements

    After making some arrangements with Lily, Claud left the inn and activated Presence Nullification. It had been some time since he did something alone, and he was already missing Lily.


    He glanced up at the singular white moon that now shone down on the world, and then took to the skies. Pumping mana into the spiritual structure of Flight, he tore through the air and rocketed straight towards Monsville, taking in the sights on the way.


    The insignificant baronies that dotted the area between Quies Dukedom and Lacuna Dukedom were all ablaze with tri-coloured light, courtesy of the Moons¡¯ soldiers, who had been initially mobilised to look for the Omen. Of course, the attack that had fallen on the Moons¡¯ basecamp earlier had probably exacerbated their response; the so-called discovery of the Omen in Monsville didn¡¯t see a reaction as furious at this. Whoever struck at the Moons clearly had the intention to poke a beehive or something, but¡­


    What was the point?


    Claud frowned as he zipped past a small town, which was busy undergoing an inspection. He took the liberty to hang around for a while to observe the inspection process; from the looks of it, the Moonlit soldiers would enter a house or get close to it, before activating some sort of artefact. The artefact would presumably respond if something inside met its criteria, which was definitely a good way of preventing needless damage.


    He lost interest after a while and resumed his journey south. It would seem that the Moons were conducting the closer areas first, and then spreading outwards afterwards. It was not a method that would be useful in discovering the culprit, since anyone with half a brain would put as much distance as possible. Unless the culprit was injured, the only other reason why the Moons would use such a search pattern was¡­


    ¡°They¡¯re afraid,¡± Claud muttered to himself. ¡°But that¡¯s¡­¡±


    He was about to say ¡®impossible¡¯, when he remembered Dia¡¯s recount of how the Moons had treated Absolute Terror. In other words, the person that had attacked the Moons¡¯ basecamp earlier today was a Bearer of Destiny. However, was that attack an Absolute skill?


    Claud frowned. If it was, then blocking it was impossible, but the Moons had precisely done that¡­what was going on? Was it not an Absolute skill? In that case, maybe it was a different type of Absolute skill, like his own Absolute One. Absolute One made him invincible and granted him unlimited mana, but that was it.


    It was very possible that there was a similar support-style Absolute skill; Claud had seen quite a few of them, after all. In that case¡­


    He scratched his head. The initial chain of guesses had stopped here. There was nothing else he could extrapolate from the Moons¡¯ behaviour, although Claud was beginning to wonder what that artefact did. Was it targeted at him, the Omen? Or were these artefacts capable of tracking any given person?


    Another doubt rose into his mind as he threw on a burst of speed. Just how had the enemy eluded the Moons? This wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d seen this either; quite a few Bearers of Destiny had died, and he didn¡¯t know who their killers were. In addition, these killers were probably never found; if they had been found, the killers would have been subjected to a fate so nasty that people would speak of it for lifetimes to come.


    After all, deterrence was necessary.


    Shaking his head, Claud hurtled onwards, his Presence Nullification shielding him from the patrols that were flying around the sky like headless flies. The Moons were going all out when it came to security for some reason, and Claud had no doubt that if he were to approach the Moons¡¯ camp now, he would see entire armies on alert and ready to move at a moment¡¯s notice.


    It was nothing more than something interesting to him, though, but what was more annoying was those death-seeking urges that had popped up in his head inexplicably. For some reason, Claud wanted to cause a few random disturbances by tossing small stones randomly, and even he himself didn¡¯t understand why he had those urges. All his self-discipline had to be used to making sure that he didn¡¯t do anything stupid, and it was with gritted teeth that he continued towards Monsville.


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    Those urges grew more and more as he headed southwards, and Claud narrowed his eyes. Taking out a small skillstrip that contained Cleanse, he tore it into two, and then let out a breath as those weird thoughts vanished.


    For some reason, he had been afflicted by some weird ailment that probably had the nasty effect of making him more reckless. Fortunately, he had retained enough of his wits to notice that there was something wrong, but the same probably couldn¡¯t be said for any other spies.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Claud thought for a moment. It was likely that this affliction probably had a few limits that were forcibly imposed. After all, if everyone that stepped into Moon territory became extra-reckless, crime was going to shoot up and people were going to do lots of stupid things. In the case¡­


    Was it height? Or was it something like a proof of residence? Claud looked around for a while, and then proceeded to cover the last stretch with extreme caution.


    Monsville was sound asleep when he arrived. The Moonlit soldiers had clearly passed through the area, checking it with that artefact, and¡­


    He narrowed his eyes. Maybe it was that artefact¡¯s issue. It would make sense for him to steal one while he was here ¡ª he had to live up to his moniker after all ¡ª and it would¡­


    Claud paused, tore another Cleanse skillstrip, and then checked his stores. He had only ten of them, since skillstrips expired quite quickly. He had no desire to use his skillsticks here too, so¡­


    ¡°Better settle things quickly.¡±


    Tearing another Presence Nullification and Flight skillstrip to refresh their effects, Claud flew towards his mansion. The barrier that had surrounded it didn¡¯t stop him as he passed through, and he glanced at the garden. Schwarz and Farah were sleeping on the table, their faces quite close to each other. Risti was sleeping on her father¡¯s lap, a happy smile on the two¡¯s faces.


    Dia was hugging her sword to sleep for some reason, and Nero was just staring up into the sky. For some reason, the Holy Son of the Black God wasn¡¯t sleeping, but again, the guy had proven to be extraordinarily resilient to insobriety.


    Smiling faintly, Claud entered the small house and made his way to the master bedroom, before pulling out the Second Shadow. It didn¡¯t take long for him to project a shadow there, and after leaving behind a set of instructions, Claud made his way out again.


    Claud looked at the others once more as he stepped out of the door. It would probably be some time before he returned. The Trial of Aeons would begin soon, and it would last for some time.


    ¡°Good luck,¡± Claud whispered. ¡°I¡¯ve done everything I can think of. Don¡¯t die out there this time.¡±


    He swept his gaze through the happy little party, who were all in various states of vulnerability. Dia and Nero had never made it to Rimestar in the Second Tutorial, and everyone, save for Risti, eventually passed away for one reason or another. While Claud knew that he had done his best in reality, he still couldn¡¯t help but fear for those lovable fools lying around.


    ¡°¡­Goodbye.¡± Claud took to the skies once more, hovering in mid-air to take in the sight of his ¡ª and now, their ¡ª home. They would probably stay here for some time. Maybe they would return to Licencia once everything settled down, or maybe not. Whatever the case, though, he had done his utmost to avert the future of everyone dying.


    Whatever that remained was probably not up to him anymore.


    Throwing on a burst of speed, Claud resisted the urge to do something once more and flew northwards. The radiance of the white, nameless moon hanging in the heavens beyond illuminated the night, clashing against the shadows and lighting the way forward for him.


    In a matter of seconds, the indiscernible silhouette of Monsville now occupied the southern horizon.


    ¡°We never did say goodbye properly, huh. Just a bunch of naggy advice here and there,¡± Claud muttered. Shaking his head, he idly entertained the thought of using Absolute One and hurling the resulting attack at the Moons¡¯ basecamp once more, before another Cleanse skillstrip turned into two scraps of paper that he tucked away.


    This anti-intruder setup was so devious that any lesser being would definitely be caught.


    Cursing the Moons, who had come up with this deadly setup, Claud fled Quies Dukedom with all his might, making use of his skills to swiftly return to the City of Learning. Flying past the city walls, Claud descended into a small alley beside the inn he and Lily had booked a room in, and he let out a sigh as he spotted Lily, who was reading a book and sipping at a cup.


    Tapping her hand once to dispel Presence Nullification, Claud sank into the seat next to her.


    ¡°That was a bit too fast, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Lily asked, her head jerking up from the book she was reading.


    ¡°Hexa-folder, remember. Anyway, we need to be careful. The Moons are going all-out or something¡­¡±

 Chapter 480: An inspired way of communication

    ¡°It looks like they¡¯ve noticed¡­¡± Claud looked at Schwarz and the others through his Second Shadow, before handing them the small card that he had prepared earlier. There was no way a shadow could speak, so he could at most just pick up something and write on it.


    ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re reading it now and nodding like little birds pecking on grain,¡± Claud replied, before scribbling the name of their current location onto the piece of paper. ¡°They seem surprised, but we can¡¯t hear what they¡¯re saying. Let¡¯s see¡­¡±


    He removed the Second Shadow¡¯s controller from his head and passed it to Lily. ¡°Here!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Lily looked at him and leaned forward to the point that their noses were touching. ¡°You don¡¯t like the sensation when you use the Second Shadow, huh?¡±


    ¡°How did you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I guessed, of course!¡± Lily¡¯s eyes twinkled. ¡°You told me once before that one of your greatest fears was being vulnerable, remember? Tied up and powerless to resist. That¡¯s what you said long ago. And it so happens that there¡¯s a faint sense of being restricted and unable to resist when you¡¯re using the Second Shadow. You are far clumsier there, far weaker¡­¡±


    Claud looked at his soulmate, and then nodded. ¡°I suppose I can¡¯t hide anything from you, huh. Yeah. That¡¯s¡­probably one of the few things that can make me reckless.¡±


    His face scrunched up as Lily rubbed his cheeks, but he didn¡¯t say anything. For one, he liked the sensation of being pampered once in a while, and secondly¡­he was indeed a bit scared of something like this. Being trapped or rendered powerless was not something he could deal with at a drop of a hat.


    ¡°Well then, you should start to build up resistance against that, then.¡± Lily squished his cheeks once more. ¡°The Trial of Aeons and the Third Tutorial¡­who¡¯s to say there won¡¯t come a time when you¡¯ll be stuck in such conditions? And besides, you¡¯re still quite capable of using the Second Shadow normally. You just need to increase your use of it.¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll make sure to place some distance between you and me too,¡± Lily added. ¡°I¡¯m sure I won¡¯t be there for the real deal¡­or rather, we have to be prepared for the event that you¡¯ll be isolated and restrained.¡±


    ¡°Can we not?¡± Claud mumbled sadly.


    ¡°Nuh-uh. It¡¯s a crippling weakness of yours. We need to get rid of it,¡± Lily replied, before pulling out another Second Shadow. ¡°We¡¯ll train together with this.¡±


    ¡°But¡­uh, I need to unravel the secrets of my Mana Locus skill, remember?¡± Claud asked, grasping for the first thing that came to mind. ¡°I can¡¯t do both at the same time!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll devote equal time to each. You keep talking about being prepared, right? This is one such instance where you need to be prepared,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get started once more. We¡¯ll just play a few games of Moon Phase while using the Second Shadow to ease you into it, and then we¡¯ll spend an hour tied up in our Second Shadows.¡±


    She thought for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s a good starting point, I suppose? I mean, we can¡¯t exactly walk around in Vacuos with the Second Shadows¡­I mean, we can, but still. Now, any objections?¡±


    Claud took one look at her gentle expression and shook his head. Her maternal tone was one that brooked no resistance, and Claud found himself putting on the Second Shadow. Once again, the weird headpiece closed around his eyes and ears, and a feeling of being restricted and weighed down flooded his veins.


    He took a deep breath. Back then, in Celestia, he was capable of using the Second Shadow to do more absurd things, but the situation was different back then. In that case¡­what really mattered was the state of mind, right? However, the point of today¡¯s training was not about tricking himself and dodging the real issue. What really mattered was his ability to withstand fear itself.


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    With how things were unfolding, it was very possible that there would come a time when he was completely restrained and powerless. Rather than wasting whatever strength, mental and physical, on struggling and everything, Claud knew that the logical course would be to stay calm. However, this deep fear within him would be an obstacle to that, and¡­


    A small tendril of panic climbed up his back as he attempted to move. The Second Shadow he was inhabiting right now was quite unresponsive, as a rule of thumb, and all his senses were muted. If he was given enough time to move and get used to it, it wouldn¡¯t be that much of a problem, but right now¡­


    The shadow that Lily was operating right now sat down on the floor and laid out Moon Phase pieces. It paused a moment later, and Lily, who was lying beside Claud, said, ¡°Now, no moving too much. We need to ease you into accepting the idea of being powerless, and we can start with sitting down for a game.¡±


    Claud nodded ¡ª or rather, his shadow did ¡ª and the two of them began to play. At the same time, Claud focused on his clenched fist, which was what was allowing him to control the Second Shadow.


    With his movements reserved and small, Claud could keenly feel the relative weakness of the Second Shadow. By no means was it a suitable entity to attack or defend against an enemy; Claud even felt that having it just walk around would be a fairly draining task on the part of the user. Wearing it was akin to wearing multiple layers of armour ¡ª without acclimatisation through constant movement, using the thing to move around too much was incredibly draining and imprecise.


    The two of them moved their pieces ponderously, like huge animals that hadn¡¯t developed their fine muscle control at all. After a few moves, the gameboard had developed, with most of the hidden pieces now revealed, but more than once, Claud and Lily nearly accidentally swept away a few pieces with movements that were too heavy-handed.


    This would take some time getting used to.


    After a few rounds of victories and losses ¡ª neither of them were in the right state of mind to be playing strategically, although that was probably another direction that Claud could work in ¡ª Lily¡¯s shadow kept the pieces and then laid down on the floor directly.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Lily¡¯s voice sounded in his ear, from what seemed like a good distance away. ¡°We¡¯ll now just lie down here and just not move in particular. You need to get used to being weakened¡­maybe I¡¯ll tie you up?¡±


    ¡°Can we leave that for another day?¡± Claud unclenched his fist and asked.


    Her reply was a lot clearer. ¡°Well, if you really want to, I suppose we can do it on another day once we move on to Lacuna. We should be heading there anyway, just to make sure that our story checks out.¡±


    Claud paused. ¡°Right.¡±


    Letting out a small sigh, Claud clenched his fist again and laid down. This time, under the condition of absolute stillness, he could feel his fear bubble up. It was still within a controllable level, though, and Claud examined himself in silence as he laid down in what was a weakened state. His body was weighing him down, like some dreams when the blanket and Lily prevented him from moving much, and a sense of helplessness soon rose within him.


    Once more, there was no point in fighting this feeling of being trapped and unable to do anything else. He could trick himself, but¡­what good would that do?


    He forced himself to keep his eyes open, rather then having them shut. While it would be easier to keep his eyes closed at all times, to do so was to truly give oneself to helplessness. Even if he was captured, his eyes had to remain open the whole time, lest an opportunity passed him.


    Besides, keeping his eyes open here, when there was absolutely not a single threat, was something even he could do.


    Before long, a weird tranquillity flooded his mind. Was it the peace of the grave? Or his mind resigned to captivity? Or just¡­silence? Claud wasn¡¯t sure. Right now, although he was stimulating his captivity, Claud knew that this was just a simulation. If he desired it, he could just sit up anytime or unclench his fist.


    Nonetheless¡­


    It was indeed a good way to get eased into dealing with the fear of captivity.


    Time drifted by in a blur, and Claud grew at ease with being chained down by this heavy body he was currently occupying. Was this a good sign? It was hard to say. On one end, being comfortable with captivity was definitely not a good idea, but on the other hand...


    ¡°I¡¯ll chalk this down as improvement, I suppose.¡± Claud unclenched his fist and got up from the bed. To his side, Lily was also subjecting herself to the same thing, just for his sake.


    To be honest, it would be better if she was watching over him, but it would go against the main point of this training in the first place.


    ¡°You¡¯re done?¡± Lily got up, and then pouted. ¡°I wanted to be the one to wake you up!¡±


    ¡°Well, I think sleeping isn¡¯t exactly the thing I should be doing,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And I had gotten comfortable with the whole thing after a while, so that means I¡¯ve gotten acclimatised to being restrained in this manner. In that case, we should get moving or something.¡±


    ¡°Right, we should head over to Lacuna now,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°I forgot about that five minutes into the makeshift captive thing¡­it was quite comfortable.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly good with things like this for some reason¡­¡±

 Chapter 481: Talking about fathers

    The shadow ceased to move after a while, and Dia eyed it with the others. It had apparently been stationed in Claud¡¯s room or something when he left at that time. If it hadn¡¯t opened the door on its own and handed them a letter that had been written beforehand, Dia and the others wouldn¡¯t have known that this was Claud¡¯s method of keeping in touch with them.


    ¡°Still, a shadow? I think we might be executed as traitors if the Moons noticed this,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°It¡¯s a different kind of Shadow. And we¡¯re in Moon territory. You think they won¡¯t know this?¡± Nero replied. ¡°You¡¯re looking down on their strength, Dia. More importantly¡­what exactly is this thing? Claud could have left a few more details, right?¡±


    ¡°Is it just Claud?¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Look at the letter this shadow wrote earlier. There are two distinct styles of writing. I bet this shadow can be commanded by both Claud and Lily.¡±


    Dia nodded once, having understood why there were two distinct styles now. She hadn¡¯t thought much about it back then, but¡­


    ¡°Mhm. So it¡¯s an artefact, then. I thought maybe Claud had a weird skill or something,¡± Dia replied automatically.


    ¡°Huh? What makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just spouting things randomly¡­still, what skills does Claud have?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Now that I think about it, he was really secretive with his skills. He didn¡¯t even tell us much when we were doing our introductions back then.¡±


    ¡°Life-saving skills, naturally,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I bet he has weird skills like Molting Shell, Ground Shrinker and other escape skills. That guy is the ultimate coward, after all. And he definitely has multiple teleportation skillsticks on him too. And as for artefacts¡­well, he¡¯s armed with barriers.¡±


    ¡°Fighting with him sounds like an absolute pain,¡± Farah chimed.


    Risti, who was chatting about something with her father, abruptly turned and joined in the conversation. ¡°I won¡¯t want to fight him. He¡¯s not just the ultimate coward. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s the sneaky kind too. If you chase him long enough, maybe you¡¯ll fall into a trap!¡±


    Everyone laughed.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the kind of guy we have looking out for us,¡± Schwarz concluded. ¡°He¡¯s the worst enemy one can face, but as an ally¡­well, one can¡¯t probably ask for a better one. After all, there¡¯s this saying about how the worst enemy is a shitty teammate. Those two are the last guys that will invite trouble for us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, true,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Anyway¡­well, it¡¯s nearly lunch. My dad¡¯s free now. He¡¯s agreed to tell you guys more about the Second Tutorial!¡±


    ¡°Daddy Cadenza here, yes.¡± The President of the Folders¡¯ Association winked at them. ¡°My lovely little Risti wanted you guys to stay friends with her forever, but that means that you guys have to survive whatever storm that is about to break. Therefore, she got me to teach you guys how to become stronger!¡±


    ¡°Dad¡­¡±


    President Cadenza patted her head. ¡°Come now, they must know your contributions. If you keep things in your heart, it can lead to misunderstandings. And other than romantic comedies, nothing else good comes out of misunderstandings. Therefore, I must speak out loud. After all, if anyone here gets into a romantic comedy with my Risti¡­¡±


    The pressure that emanated from the last few words were palpable, but it receded as quickly as it came. Eyes shining, the older Cadenza clapped his hands and said, ¡°Don¡¯t read too much into that, though!¡±


    Yeah, sure. Dia rolled her eyes at Risti¡¯s father, who was doing a damn good job at making sure his daughter stayed single. It wasn¡¯t like they were nobles anyway, so what was wrong with getting a partner at a young age?


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    Chuckling inwardly, she joined the others in teasing Risti for a while, before they moved to lunch. Lunch today was prepared by Schwarz, as usual, but the bartender had learned how to prepare the savoury soup that the two lovebirds had cooked up. It was an improvement from yesterday¡¯s leftovers, so¡­


    As plates clattered, Risti said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it odd that we¡¯re still eating in the garden, even though we can eat inside now? Claud specifically said that we can use the house, except their room.¡±


    ¡°Well, it feels odd. And we¡¯ll need to be a bit more careful,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°We¡¯ll need to do things like cleaning the table, not spilling drinks¡­out here, it¡¯s a lot simpler!¡±


    Dia looked at the bartender and sighed. ¡°Right, you¡¯re the guy who never cleaned the bar counter for a decade or so. Makes sense that you¡¯re lazy.¡±


    ¡°Hey, my house is very neat,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°The only reason why I hadn¡¯t cleaned that thing was because I made a bet with my old man, okay? Sheesh.¡±


    ¡°A bet?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s hurry and eat. This is definitely going to be our last gathering. We need to all become mid-ranked folders before the Trial of Aeons.¡±


    The happy atmosphere weakened as everyone else made a face. It wasn¡¯t as if Dia didn¡¯t have the intention to close herself up in her room and deal with the Second Tutorial, but putting it out this bluntly wasn¡¯t good for the atmosphere.


    ¡°What¡¯s with that face? Moons, you guys¡­¡± Schwarz rolled his eyes. ¡°Anyway, President Cadenza, you can actually begin your briefing here. I am of the opinion that people remember things best when they¡¯re eating.¡±


    Neo Cadenza, who was sipping on some soup leisurely, raised an eyebrow. ¡°A lesson during lunch? Boy, in schools, lunch is kept separate from classes!¡±


    ¡°Which is why there are so many delinquents and failures in Licencia,¡± Schwarz replied.


    Dia was sure that there were definitely a few logical fallacies that let him to make such an assertion with so much confidence, but she couldn¡¯t name any right now.


    President Cadenza, however, simply nodded. ¡°True. Alright, the¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to rebut that!¡± Risti smacked her forehead. ¡°Don¡¯t just go with the flow! We¡¯ll have the lessons after lunch! After, got it! Now go back to the soup before it gets cold! You¡¯re old! It¡¯ll be bad if you get indigestion!¡±


    ¡°You do know that your father is one of the few septa-folders in the current era, right?¡± President Cadenza muttered, dejection written all over his face. ¡°I can eat food however I want to!¡±


    ¡°Dad, you¡¯re getting old.¡±


    Dia watched on with relish as the father-daughter pair bickered over food hygiene, something that the others rapidly copied too. It made for good entertainment while eating, so it was with some sorrow when the older Cadenza finally gave in and promised to eat properly cooked food from now on.


    ¡°Ah, family.¡± Schwarz let out a chuckle that came from his stomach. ¡°It¡¯s nice, really.¡±


    Farah looked at him. ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I miss my old man too,¡± Schwarz sighed. ¡°But at least he died happy and contented. He lived a good long life. Never touched a lifestone, though. Never needed one either.¡±


    The president of the Folders¡¯ Association turned to look at him. ¡°We sometimes get people who are contented with their life and decided not to prolong it. There is both joy and wonder in coming to terms with death.¡±


    ¡°Joy and wonder, huh.¡± Schwarz had a complicated look on his face, and he ran his fingers through his hair. ¡°Well, I suppose¡­but Claud would definitely disagree. Happiness comes with being alive. If you¡¯re dead¡­how can you seek out more happiness?¡±


    ¡°True, what happens after death is not something we can figure out just yet,¡± Neo Cadenza replied. ¡°And there is indeed a good chance that what comes after that final threshold is more suffering and pain. But these are just possibilities. Hypotheses. What comes after death? That is a good question.¡±


    ¡°It is. And there are different ways of looking at it too,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Death can be the cessation of all thought and sensation. It may mean reincarnation. It may mean ascending to the great beyond, to the dark beyond the stars. While the Coloured Gods and the divinities do pick out souls of the faithful dead and send them into their own paradises, no one truly knows what happens to the remaining unchosen.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Probably the five grand skies do, but they¡­¡±


    Nero shook his head and chosen not to speak any further.


    ¡°Alright, enough about this gloomy stuff,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Let¡¯s wrap this up and then start the lecture. There¡¯s not much time left, and Dia, you¡¯re already ready for the Second Tutorial, yes? Every moment counts. We need to get everyone up and working.¡±


    She looked at the table. ¡°Eh, we¡¯ve polished most of it anyway. Let¡¯s just save the rest for dinner or something. Dad, can you¡­?¡±


    Dia eyed the food that had been turned into leftovers to be used in dinner later, and then frowned. Didn¡¯t Risti just talk about food safety to her father just minutes ago? No matter how she looked at it, this was definitely not the way to go.


    ¡°Well then¡­let¡¯s get started, shall we?¡± said President Cadenza. ¡°We should talk about the Second Tutorial first.¡±


    Dia promptly tossed her concerns about food safety out of her mind, devoting her full attention to the middle-aged man.


    After all, she too had her own priorities.

 Chapter 482: Her Second Tutorial

    ¡°The Second Tutorial is a test of will.¡± President Cadenza sipped at his soup, before leaning back. ¡°It is an amalgamation of one¡¯s regrets and ideals, tempered with fear and traumas. How far can your desire go, without it breaking apart? How will you view the world built for just for you, to target your very weakness? Throughout one¡¯s long life, one will inevitably accrue certain¡­fears. Instabilities. The Second Tutorial is designed to weed out the mad and the unstable once and for all.¡±


    ¡°Is designed?¡± Dia asked, curious.


    ¡°Can¡¯t say more about that, unfortunately. But there are certain people who are prone to¡­insanity. They give in to unnatural urges, and then misuse their power to commit mass atrocities. People with power¡­even if there is no restraint on them, they must at least be sane.¡±


    He had a wan smile. ¡°Insanity, madness¡­imagine a mid-ranked folder with these issues. We would have gone extinct long ago. The Second Tutorial serves to protect us.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Schwarz thought about it. ¡°So it¡¯s a preventive measure. If we are demonstrably sane, despite whatever stimulation the Second Tutorial throws at us, we will get past it.¡±


    ¡°Correct. Therefore, remain calm and collected at all times. Think through things rationally, but do not commit to inaction.¡± President Cadenza paused. ¡°Some people have tried to just let time pass. However, every Second Tutorial has a unique task that must be completed. It will not be hard, but it will open you to¡­things you do not want to see.¡±


    He played with his soup spoon. ¡°I wish everyone good luck.¡±


    ¡°What happens if we fail?¡±


    ¡°Your fourth mana circuit is damaged, with the damage based on the level of insanity your displayed, and you lose fifty years of your lifespan directly,¡± President Cadenza replied. ¡°It¡¯s a painful price, especially to those who completely lose control. Forging the fourth mana circuit requires four hundred years of lifespan, after all. And most tri-folders have reached saturation for virtually all other types of lifestones.¡±


    Dia gulped. The others reacted similarly too; it didn¡¯t take a genius to know that failure would probably push them into desperation.


    ¡°However, everyone here has an unparalleled advantage.¡± Neo Cadenza smiled. ¡°You¡¯re still young, and more than capable of absorbing mental shocks. In addition, people who are younger tend to have less traumatic events occur to them. Simply put, you have less weaknesses, purely because your life experiences are lower.¡±


    He nodded to himself. ¡°There are many small things that can grow to become huge traumas. Watching a friend pass away, for instance. It¡¯s not something a young person would generally experience, and it¡¯s almost impossible for a young person to watch a friend of the same generation pass away from old age.¡±


    ¡°Why is that important?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°The awareness of mortality, of finiteness.¡± President Cadenza sipped from his soup once more, and then said, ¡°Throughout history, there are innumerable records about people who have turned mad from watching their lifespan dwindle on their Status. There is a significant correlation between going mad and watching people of the same generation pass away too.¡±


    ¡°What happens when they go mad?¡± Dia asked.


    President Cadenza looked at Risti and Nero in what seemed like an exaggerated fashion, and then smiled. ¡°Sorry, but that¡¯s classified.¡±


    ¡°By who?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s also classified,¡± President Cadenza replied. ¡°Nonetheless, the younger one is, the lesser their regrets. Do not conflate one¡¯s age with mental stability; it is one¡¯s life experiences and their takeaways from them¡­but that does backfire a lot, does it not?¡±


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    He shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s all I can say, unless you guys feel like committing suicide from information overload.¡±


    Dia watched as the others complained, and then thought about the older Cadenza¡¯s deliberate actions. It was clear that he was looking at both Risti and Nero, who¡ª


    Knew about the Limbo thing, yes? And those Aberrations. Does this mean that folders who turn mad have a high chance of turning into those¡­things? Not just because they drew too much from Limbo? No. That¡¯s¡­rather, it seems that people who lose their sense of rationality have a high tendency to draw a lot of power from Limbo.


    She thought about this, and nodded. Madness made one more prone to doing weird things like attempting to use mana even when their mana circuits were completely drained, resulting in them drawing power from Limbo. There were probably other things too, but Risti and Nero were very tight-lipped about these issues as a whole.


    The others didn¡¯t even know about Limbo. That was how secret this was.


    President Cadenza flashed a knowing smile at her, and then made a weird twirling motion with his fingers. Whatever message he was trying to convey to her was completely lost, though ¡ª Dia had no idea what he was trying to say.


    Tilting her head in reply, Dia got up from her chair. ¡°I¡¯m going to prepare for my Second Tutorial now.¡±


    The others looked at her, and Schwarz said, ¡°It seems like you think you¡¯re ready.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Dia smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Besides, it¡¯s natural that I¡¯m the fastest amongst you guys, after all. My Mana Control Proficiency is the highest, and I don¡¯t really have any latent issues. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Good luck.¡±


    ¡°No need for good luck.¡± Dia clenched her fist, and then turned to President Cadenza. ¡°I just need to activate it on my Status, right?¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± President Cadenza replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This Second Tutorial will also allow you to relive a certain regret of yours. When that time comes, would you stand by your decision back then, or will you change it?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a problem if I changed it?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Is it?¡± President Cadenza winked at her. ¡°Think about it, if such an occurrence truly were to happen.¡±


    Dia lowered her head once. ¡°I understand. Thank you for your advice, President Cadenza. Incidentally¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm?¡±


    ¡°Is the Folders¡¯ Association still accepting people? Is it still, uh, functional?¡± Dia asked, before letting out a small sigh. She had always been curious about this near-legendary organisation, and the fact that the Association wasn¡¯t doing anything in the Last Godsfall had given rise to many a stray thought.


    ¡°Functional?¡± The middle-aged man tapped on the table. ¡°In the strictest sense, not really. We¡¯ve toned down our activities and excursions. In this age, where divinities are imposing and executing laws of their own, humanity must lie low. In the face of overwhelming power, our social constructs are useless.¡±


    He smiled and said, ¡°It would be far more useful to channel our efforts into growing stronger. Maybe, one day, we¡¯ll be able to reimpose our own laws and constructs once more.¡±


    Dia thought about it and bobbed her head a few times.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably the most pragmatic way of dealing with things like this,¡± Farah muttered. ¡°Why throw an egg against a stone when you can upgrade the egg and turn it into an explosive?¡±


    ¡°What kind of analogy is that supposed to be?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°A Lily-esque one, probably.¡± Farah thought for a moment, and her face lit up. ¡°How about this? Why throw an egg against a stone when you can hatch a chicken and have it crap on the stone?¡±


    ¡°Alright, who¡¯s that supposed to be now?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Claud, duh.¡± Farah cackled. ¡°You know, the live longer get stronger schtick.¡±


    ¡°Does he have such a schtick?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°I reckon he¡¯ll be like ¡®Just preserve the egg. The weather will wear away the stone, but if the egg is well-protected, it¡¯ll stay as it is forever. I think that¡¯s more accurate than yours.¡±


    ¡°Nah, mine¡¯s more accurate.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not argue about this,¡± Schwarz said. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not like we can¡¯t ask him which statement he aligns with more, right? What do you say, Farah?¡±


    ¡°Ooh, is that a bet?¡±


    Dia rolled her eyes and took her leave as the others began to join in the fun. While it would be nice to join in, Dia wanted to get started as soon as possible. She couldn¡¯t help but feel a faint sense of crisis. Even though everyone present shouldn¡¯t have any involvement with the Trial of Aeons, Dia had a feeling that things would happen to them anyway.


    Maybe the Moons would ask them to do something stupid.


    Whatever the case, growing stronger as soon as possible was rarely a bad move.


    With that thought swirling in her head, she returned to her small room made of barriers, and then lay down on a bed of even softer barriers. She was, by all accounts, probably the first person in the world to enter the Second Tutorial while lying on a bunch of barriers, and Dia had to stifle that smile on her face.


    She had to be serious now.


    [Your Mana Circuit Superimposition has reached 4.00]


    [You have achieved the qualifications to ascend in the hierarchy of life. Second Tutorial has been loaded. Start?]


    ¡°Yeah. About time.¡± Dia took a deep breath. ¡°Start.¡±


    The world changed around her a moment later.

 Chapter 483: Deliverance of the Past

    White light flooded Dia¡¯s eyes, and a feeling of being suspended in mid-air filled her senses. She couldn¡¯t see anything around here, just a pure white world, but for some reason, she was utterly calm.


    It was as if she belonged here.


    As that thought darted through her mind, a new set of words unfolded in front of her. Floating in a white box, black words danced into order, and for some reason, Dia could feel a mild exuberance.


    [Checking qualifications. Qualification of being alive has been met. Qualification of a calm mind has been met. Qualification of an unperturbed heart has been met. Qualification of having mana circuits has been met. Qualification of having four mana circuits has been met.]


    [All qualifications have been met.]


    [Second Tutorial initialising.]


    The world around her glittered and shimmered as each word danced around happily, and Dia smiled. Colours bled through the white canvas, dyeing the white world around her in their own unique way, and a warm wind caressed her face.


    [<Alignment: Salvation Star> detected.]


    [The blessings of the world swirls around you. A miracle has been created.]


    [Personal Quest available: Deliverance of the Past]


    Dia glanced at the last bit, which persisted for a few seconds, before being carried away by the wind. By now, a vast field of green had taken form in front of her, and with a jolt, she realised that the enormous amount of mana she had gotten used to at some point had vanished. There was only enough for one mana-circuit, and when she thought about it¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s rather familiar, this place.¡± Dia took a deep breath. The Lustre Dukedom was a beautiful territory, with lush greenery near the dukedom capital itself. While it didn¡¯t administer much territory, like most dukedoms and sovereignties, every capital city always had a similar sight. Put simply, counties were where businesses and other, not-so-clean things happened.


    Dukedom and sovereignty capitals were where one went to if they wanted to relax and forget about things as a whole. This field, for instance, was one of the many secret gardens reserved for nobles only.


    ¡°I¡¯m here¡­I¡¯m back,¡± Dia whispered, looking at herself. Nothing much had changed physically in the two years or so with the Moon Lords. She was still Dia, and Princess Dia was still very much her.


    ¡°Back?¡± a voice asked from behind her. ¡°Milady, what¡¯s wrong? Do you need a massage?¡±


    Dia jumped, and then turned around to look at the person behind her. She stared at the little maid that was standing two metres away from her, and then grimaced.


    While she didn¡¯t have a personal maid ¡ª her father wanted her to be very independent ¡ª that didn¡¯t stop the palace from sending a few escorts with her when she went out back then. This little maid was probably one of them.


    ¡°Uh, yeah. It hurts somewhat,¡± Dia lied, before looking at the Field of Flowers and Fruits. The last time she came here was a month before the Thief of Time struck, but this Second Tutorial¡­


    She shook her head and looked at the new mission that had popped up.


    [Personal Quest: Deliverance of the Past


    Quest Introduction: As the Prime Salvation Star, it is imperative that you are content with yourself. Relive your past with the eyes of the future, and observe what comes next.


    Quest Requirements: Observe the onset of entropy and perfect your past.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Quest Rewards: 150 years of lifespan.


    Additional Remarks: Depending on your choices and your will, your actions may change the established past. Be aware that going against karmically significant events that have been established will result in you completing the Second Tutorial without making any alterations. This mission cannot fail.]


    Dia¡¯s eyes went round as she looked at the additional remarks tacked at the end of the mission¡¯s introduction. In other words, this¡­


    She gulped. The Second Tutorial ¡ª no, her Second Tutorial ¡ª could affect even the past. In other words, she was almost certainly in the past right now, in the one month before the Thief of Time struck. Whatever actions she did in this one month would really happen in reality, overwriting certain parts of history.


    ¡°Milady?¡± the little maid prompted, and Dia rubbed her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Dia replied. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­I¡¯m a bit shaken, you see? I haven¡¯t seen a place like this for a long time. One so replete with beauty and nature. This is a place of peace, of tranquillity¡­one day, when all my troubles are gone, I will return here and live in a small house.¡±


    ¡°Here, milady?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Dia paused, before squaring up the little maid. Her eyes drifted over to the badge on her chest, which read ¡®Lucy¡¯. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go back for now.¡±


    Dia turned around and left the fenced park, which was always guarded by knights of the Lustre Dukedom. The two knights standing at the sides of the gate saluted once as she left, and she nodded at them once each in response.


    ¡°I¡¯ve forgotten my schedule,¡± Dia said. ¡°What¡¯s the rest of today supposed to be like?¡±


    ¡°Uh, uh!¡± Lucy fumbled with a small book. ¡°Lunch with your father and brother, milady. After that, a small tea party with Countess Nia and her clique.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Dia thought for a moment. What did she hope to achieve in this Second Tutorial? Certainly, this trial was meant for her to perfect the past, but what was the definition of perfect? In addition, there was one last bit about how her mission cannot fail. Rather than a warning for her to do it right, Dia felt that this message was trying to convey that she would get past the Second Tutorial, no matter what.


    In other words, she would definitely become a mid-ranked folder. If she used this assumption as the basis for her actions here, there were a few rules that could be derived for her Second Tutorial.


    First, whatever that had transpired so far cannot be changed. She could not, for instance, choose to leave Lustre before the event of Tot stealing that last lifestone or whatever occurred. Second, she could not change events that had already occurred, or induce new events that would contradict her memory. In other words, this tea party¡­was probably something she still had to go to.


    However, there were some actions that were probably permissible. For instance, gathering information about things that she didn¡¯t, by making use of her father¡¯s library. Secondly, creating things like emergency stashes for herself to use in the future. Third, and most crucially, was using as many lifestones as humanly possible.


    After all, she had an entire treasury. A few words here and there, a few hugs for her father, and they would probably open up the place for her. The Lustre Dukedom was filthy rich; a treasury was nothing.


    ¡°Something wrong, milady?¡±


    Dia patted Lucy¡¯s head. ¡°Nothing much, but do you also have my schedule for the rest of this month?¡±


    ¡°The Duke has prepared them for all the maids and servants, milady.¡±


    Dia nodded, and then looked around. A cold shiver ran down her back as the feeling of being spied on rolled down her spine, and with a jolt, Dia realised that this sensation probably came from freaking Risti of all people. Risti, that idiot, had been spying on her using her observation skills for a very long time, right up to her disappearance.


    The Dia back then hadn¡¯t noticed, but now?


    ¡°Open a parasol,¡± Dia instructed.


    ¡°Yes, milady.¡± Lucy opened a parasol, and Dia promptly slid into the shade, blocking herself from that damned Skyward Eye. ¡°Still, I thought you liked the sun.¡±


    ¡°I suddenly hate it.¡± Dia paused. ¡°Also, when you get back, never open the curtains to my room again. Like, ever.¡±


    ¡°Milady?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m intending to increase my lifespan, so I¡¯ll be staying at home where possible. Other than important events, cancel all other plans,¡± Dia added. ¡°Are there any events like a tea party in the next month?¡±


    ¡°Only the one I mentioned earlier, milady.¡±


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Dia rubbed her head. ¡°Also, send me a copy of my own timetable for this month. I¡¯ve forgotten most of it.¡±


    ¡°I think you need to sleep more, milady.¡± The maid had a proud look on her face, and Dia rolled her eyes. Extending a wicked little finger, she flicked the little maid¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Right now, though, we have something tiresome to do¡­send me the dossier on Countess Nia again. I seem to have forgotten quite a few things today.¡±


    ¡°Yes, milady.¡±


    Dia let out a sigh as they trod on the pavement. While she had come up with these rules as a guide for herself, they were by no means the most correct way of navigating this Second Tutorial. Sure, she couldn¡¯t fail it, but that didn¡¯t mean that it couldn¡¯t end prematurely if she screwed up somewhere.


    Right now, knowing what she knew, Dia¡¯s foremost desire right now was to pave the way for her to grow stronger, and that would include taking in lifestones. She also needed to prepare other things too, like a warning that she herself would heed when it came to improving her mana circuits.


    The established events of significance must still occur, but Dia knew that if she had over a thousand years of lifespan at the start¡­certain things would definitely change. At the same time, she couldn¡¯t give herself too much information either¡­


    A weird expression crossed her face. Just what kind of Second Tutorial was this?


    Shaking her head, she continued on the familiar path back to Lustre.

 Chapter 484: Her Second Tutorial

    Dia looked at her room. The curtains were now completely obscured, and the feeling of being spied on had vanished entirely. Lucy, who was milling around and getting every single lifestone in her room right now, shot a few glances at her every so often, clearly worried about the changes in her master.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Dia looked at the low-ranked lifestone, and then checked her status.


    [Name: Dia Lyceria de Lustre


    Lifespan: 72 years


    Active Skills: Sword Dance (5), Sword Sense (6), Sword Roar (4), Fated Sword (2), Sword Fall (2), Domain of Swords (1)


    Passive Skills: Heightened Senses, Fighter¡¯s Instinct, Introspection, Projectile Evasion


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 1.88


    Mana Control Proficiency: Intermediate


    Comments: May the Salvation Star light the way ahead for the entire world. Do not give up. All life rests on your shoulders.]


    Dia took a deep breath. She hadn¡¯t seen such a sad Status for a long time. In another time, this would have been rather impressive, but after seeing Tot¡¯s attacks, that assault on the Moonlit camp and a whole host of other nonsense, the only thing she could think of was that she was at the bottom of the barrel. The comments weren¡¯t helpful either ¡ª what was the person who did the comments section thinking? Did that person not see a pathetic 1.88 sitting right above?


    Sighing, Dia glanced at the pure-ranked lifestones that Lucy was gathering. Most of them came in little bags that her father or brother had passed her randomly, but she hadn¡¯t bothered to use them, since she had placed more emphasis on her swordplay.


    In other words, she felt that being good at killing was more important than actually having more mana circuits. While she still practiced her ability to fight and kill, the her now was also very aware that mana was number one, and actually killing people was number two. After all, no matter how much her swordplay improved, there was no freaking way she could block the Moons¡¯ thunderous blows, or Nero¡¯s overwhelming waves of mana.


    Now that she had a second chance to eat as many lifestones as possible, she wasn¡¯t going to miss it for anything in the world. However, she would have to inform her future self when to increase her mana circuits and when not to, just to make sure that nothing weird happened to the history Dia herself knew.


    ¡°Milady, are you sure you¡¯re going to eat all these lifestones?¡± Lucy asked.


    ¡°Well, gotta finish them in one day,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Or else they might disappear tomorrow.¡±


    She tossed a handful of lifestones into her mouth, and then moved to the fifth bag. Dia was beginning to feel a little sick from the sheer sweetness that was roiling inside her mouth, but all this was for her own good. As long as she kept eating and eating, when she returned to the real world¡­


    After emptying all thirty-eight bags and increasing her lifespan by a staggering ninety-eight years, Dia retched once, and then got Lucy to pour her a cup of water to clear her palate.


    ¡°Milady¡­are you alright? You¡¯ve been acting weirdly for some time,¡± Lucy asked, worried.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I need to clear my palate now¡­by the way, where¡¯s the small party with Countess Nia held at?¡±


    ¡°In the palace¡¯s tearoom, milady.¡±


    Dia got up. ¡°Help me pick out some clothes, then.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Lucy blinked. ¡°Milady, your taste is better than mine, though. I beg you to reconsider.¡±


    Dia looked at the little maid and frowned. While there was probably a time when that held true, the Dia now was a Dia forged through two years of living as a mercenary. Asking her to pick out clothes now was like asking a noblewoman about social dynamics between baby nobles ¡ª completely impossible.


    ¡°Trust me,¡± Dia said. ¡°Anything you pick right now will definitely, definitely be better than my choice. In fact, you¡¯ll need to coordinate my whole outfit, because I think I forgot how to do that too. And I forgot most of my etiquette too.¡±


    ¡°That sounds very serious. Should we call the doctor, milady?¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a perfect plan. After the tea party, I suppose?¡± Dia replied, trying to maintain the nice smile on her face. Now that she was back here, Dia finally realised that she had completely forgotten about the final parts of noble life. Sure, a few things still remained, but most of her upbringing had probably gone poof by now.


    ¡°Yes, milady.¡±


    Dia sighed, before walking over to the expansive wardrobe. Dresses of all kinds dazzled her eyes, but there were a few more sensible outfits. Normally, Dia would have made a beeline for those sensible, easy-to-move-in clothes, but considering that the next event was a tea party¡­


    She turned her eyes to the complex dresses, and then skipped them immediately. There were a few simple ones hanging around, however, and Dia pointed at them. ¡°Pick the best one from this lot here.¡±


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Milady, these are casual dresses, though?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Dia replied. ¡°And besides, we won¡¯t need to care about all this too much anyway. Just pick the one that suits me the best. The semi-formal ones are a pain, and I¡¯m not going to wear a dress train for the next month. That¡¯s just nuts.¡±


    ¡°Nuts?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Dia thought about the corresponding word for that for a moment, and then found herself at a loss. ¡°Never mind.¡±


    She had a bad feeling that the tea party was going to be quite the torture. Not only did she forget about most of the basic etiquette tips, Dia also couldn¡¯t come up with the informal currencies of parties like these, like interesting information and other things she could share with Countess Nia. The social life of noblewomen revolved around events, trends and other value-raising information, and even if she had some leeway by virtue of her age¡­


    ¡°You know what? I suddenly don¡¯t feel very well,¡± Dia muttered. This was a risk she would have to take. Rather than causing weird changes because she couldn¡¯t deal with a tea party properly, it would be far easier to skip the whole thing entirely.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought too.¡± Lucy let out a sigh. ¡°Milady, I¡¯ll pen up a formal letter of apology for you later. I¡¯ll send a missive of absence to the countess first.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, do that.¡±


    Lucy looked at her again. ¡°Milady, your manner of speaking¡­¡±


    ¡°Not feeling well,¡± Dia replied again, relying on the same excuse. ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you to cover for me, though. I¡¯m¡­not in my best state now.¡±


    She looked around her room. Lucy¡¯s work was impeccable; even after searching the whole place for randomly placed bags of lifestones, her room looked the same as ever. Now, however, the only thing Dia wanted to look for was her diary. She remembered keeping one before the mess with Tot happened, and while it had nothing that was important to her personally, it might have something like etiquette guidelines and how to speak like a normal noble.


    ¡°Milady? What are you looking for now?¡± Lucy asked.


    ¡°My diary,¡± Dia replied, opening a drawer randomly. ¡°Nope, not here either¡­¡±


    Before Lucy could offer her help, a set of gentle knocks fell on her door, and the two of them froze.


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Dia.¡±


    Dia paused for a moment, and then remembered the voice. It belonged to that of her elder brother, who would be involved in the mess that would occur in a month. Did he pay her a visit back then, when she returned from the Field of Flowers and Fruits? She couldn¡¯t quite remember, which meant that this was probably something of little consequence.


    Dia sat down on the bed and adjusted her hands. ¡°¡­Come in, brother.¡±


    ¡°Pardon my intrusion.¡± A black-haired young man, lean and muscular, walked into her room. Clad in a black suit of dark, dull armour, all sorts of artefacts hung off his belt, swinging around as he walked inside. He looked around a few times, and then rubbed his nose. ¡°Uh¡­how have you been?¡±


    ¡°Fine, why?¡± Dia blinked. ¡°Is there something you need from me, brother?¡±


    ¡°Nothing in particular.¡± He looked at Dia intently, and Dia forced herself to look back at her older brother. For some reason, she found him very familiar, as if she had seen him quite often for the past two years or so¡­but this was probably a trick of her mind. Her brother¡­she hadn¡¯t seen her family for a long time ¡ª this was the first time she had seen her older brother for some time. In fact, what had happened to him after Tot happened to the Istrel treasury?


    She wasn¡¯t too sure.


    Anyway, now that her senses were fully attuned, however, she could sense an immense power radiating from her older brother. Rather than a one-folder, her brother seemed to be a mid-ranked folder somehow ¡ª she even had a sneaking suspicion that he was stronger than her father.


    She rubbed her eyes once, and then blinked. Dia had a feeling she had superimposed Nero¡¯s aura onto her brother¡¯s, because that illusion of strength was now gone. Her brother was at best a tri or bi-folder, but thanks to Nero¡¯s constant flaunting of his strength, she had subconsciously learned to associate young men with many mana circuits.


    Probably, anyway. However, that did explain why she found her brother¡¯s generic looks quite familiar ¡ª she was probably superimposing that alcoholic¡¯s face onto her brother¡¯s better-looking one.


    Making a mental note to not look at the Holy Son of the Black God whenever he showed off from now on, she asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, lord brother?¡±


    ¡°L-lord brother¡­¡± He shook himself. ¡°You can call me that a few more times, for starters¡­I¡¯m just kidding. Anyway, this is for you.¡±


    He pulled out a bag of lifestones.


    ¡°More?¡± Lucy asked. ¡°Milady¡¯s eaten thirty-odd bags today for some reason. This is going to make her lose her appetite.¡±


    ¡°Yikes. Did something happen?¡± Her brother put on an odd face. ¡°Also, doesn¡¯t it get disgustingly sweet when that happens? I know someone who wants to throw up whenever they eat too many lifestones. Anyway, it seems like you¡¯ve finally seen the importance of strength. Mana circuits are very important, alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, lord brother.¡±


    The grin on his face grew wider, and Dia found herself somewhat bewildered. Did her brother really like being called in such a manner before?


    Before she could press the topic, her brother made a small smile at her and placed the bag of lifestones in her hand. ¡°This one¡¯s special. They¡¯re Pure-Life Gems. Use them only at the last moment, okay? They¡¯ll store up more and more life every day. They¡¯re damn precious, so keep them on you at all times.¡±


    ¡°Brother?¡±


    He grinned, and then flicked her forehead. ¡°Sorry for everything. Now, I have bad news. Father wants to see you.¡±


    ¡°Now?¡±


    ¡°Why else do you think I¡¯m apologising? Put your best face on, Dia.¡± He winked. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving first. Gotta do some guard duty at some crappy treasury. See you in a month, Dia.¡±


    ¡°Guard duty¡­¡± Dia felt her head throb once. She wanted to say something, anything, but her mouth seemed to be made of lead at that moment. Her body didn¡¯t want to obey her thoughts either, and she remained seated on the bed as her brother turned around and left.


    ¡°Milady?¡± Lucy whispered. ¡°Are you still not feeling well?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°I never got to say goodbye.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be dramatic, milady.¡± Lucy touched her forehead. ¡°Gracious, you¡¯re burning up. Go and take a seat.¡±


    ¡°A fever?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Now just lie down in your bed. I¡¯ll inform the duke,¡± Lucy replied.


    Dia watched as the little maid closed the door behind her, before touching her head. It was indeed a bit hot, and now that she thought about it¡­


    ¡°I do feel rather sleepy, hmm.¡± Dia fiddled with the Pure-Life Gem. If her brother had this back then, all this crap with her being the scapegoat wouldn¡¯t have happened, right?


    The fog in her mind cleared up a moment later. If she had given at least one Pure-Life Gem back to her brother, Tot may not have been successful. In that case, she might have been sent back for this very reason, but¡­


    That wouldn¡¯t make that much sense either.


    Pouting, she rubbed her temples and flopped onto her back. Why was this Second Tutorial so freaking weird? Muttering under her breath, she flipped onto her chest and reached out for a pillow to hug.


    Getting more lifestones could wait. As for this bag of Pure-Life Gems, she definitely wasn¡¯t going to toss it in a corner of her room this time round either. Instead, it would always be on her until the one month passed.


    Even if it became a bit cumbersome.


    Yawning once, she hugged the pillow tightly and fell asleep.

 Chapter 485: Her old, new life

    Dia took a bite out of the emerald-green mountain sitting in front of her, and then shivered as purest lifeforce seeped into her body. She could feel her muscles trembling with every gulp, which took in oodles and oodles of lifespan. Considering that every pure-ranked lifestone granted her a month¡¯s worth of lifespan, just a few mouthfuls was enough to make sure she celebrated five more New Moons¡¯ Eve.


    ¡°Ah, this is the life.¡± Dia flipped to the next page of her little book, before tossing more lifestones over. This had been her daily life for the past two weeks ¡ª her father had happily opened the vaults for her when she made the request to just indulge in lifeforce. The results were shocking, too ¡ª within the past half month, her lifespan had ballooned by a staggering four hundred years. Simple calculations would reveal that she had eaten a total of around four thousand eight hundred lifestones ¡ª pure-ranked ones at that ¡ª and she wasn¡¯t going to let up anytime soon.


    This was her unprecedented chance for a major boost when this trial ended, and no one was going to tell her otherwise. Of course, she had gotten sick of eating those green gems some time ago, but since this was for her own good¡­


    There were ways to deal with this, though, and the one she was currently using had her pretending that every lifestone was a snack. It went without saying that if she really ate this many sweets, she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep for tonight, but this was a special sweet.


    Probably.


    Tossing another handful of sweets into her mouth, Dia flipped to the next page. One sad thing about going back in time was the fact that the series she had been following, which was centred around an assassin reincarnated as a young child, naturally didn¡¯t have the latter volumes released. It was unfortunate, but at least she had something to read while filling herself with lifeforce.


    Another green sweet arced over and landed into her mouth, and Dia braced herself for another wave of sweetness. This was indeed her daily routine now ¡ª wake up, wash up and dig in.


    ¡°Still, if Father wasn¡¯t restricted from growing stronger¡­¡± Dia looked at the massive vault filled with lifestones and other artefacts. Lustre was one of the few territories that hadn¡¯t been affected by the lifestone shortage, which accounted for the vast stash.


    However, there was something restricting her father from growing too strong. Which was odd, but since Dia didn¡¯t know the specifics of the restrictions that bound her father¡­


    ¡°Milady.¡± Lucy, who had been reading her own book too, looked up. ¡°Today¡¯s rather special.¡±


    ¡°The dinner with my father, yes?¡± Dia got up. ¡°Well, I suppose I should stop eating then.¡±


    ¡°Yes, milady.¡± Lucy supported her to a standing position. ¡°I have advised the chefs to prepare savoury dishes for your next meal, in light of the¡­lifestones.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Dia looked at the green mountain. ¡°Incidentally, do you not feel anything when you see so many lifestones? Some of them are pure-ranked ones. Selling a single one could bring you vast wealth. You¡¯d never need to work again.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t tease me, milady. You know as well as I do about the security surrounding this place.¡± Lucy rolled her eyes. ¡°You might as well just give me money directly. Wouldn¡¯t that be better?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Milady, I was just joking. There are other reasons why I¡¯m working here,¡± Lucy replied. ¡°Ladies in waiting are not commoners.¡±


    Dia thought for a moment. ¡°Indeed.¡±


    She took out a small bag, before filling it up with the pure-ranked lifestones here. The pillar she had been eating from was still as thick and imposing as ever, although its height had fallen ever since she moved to this pillar two days ago.


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    ¡°Milady, you sure are¡­hardworking.¡± Lucy scooped up some lifestones and poured it into Dia¡¯s bag. ¡°What caused this?¡±


    ¡°What caused this, you ask¡­¡± Dia glanced at her mission and then shook her head. There was no way she could tell her that she came from the future or something; if she didn¡¯t get it wrong, it was only her mind that travelled back in time. Her real body was almost certainly still lying on a bed of barriers, although only a day would have passed when she returned.


    ¡°Milady?¡±


    ¡°Sorr¡ª my apologies. I was lost in thought for a fleeting moment of time,¡± Dia replied. ¡°My thoughts have a tendency to wander these days. Perhaps, I am thinking about a better past¡­but no matter. To answer your question, I thought about working hard when I saw the Field of Flowers and Fruits. Grand they might be, and expansive their territory, but they are ultimately just ornaments and baubles for the strong to admire.¡±


    She tied up the opening of the bag and handed it to Lucy. ¡°The only thing that can persevere through the tide of time is power. I had already figured that out long ago, but it is wise to be balanced in many aspects. Such is life¡­¡±


    Dia glanced at her half-comprehending caretaker-slash-maid, and then shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it. All this will be a waking dream, soon enough¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh, very well, milady. Let¡¯s return to your room first, then.¡±


    The two of them returned in silence. The Lustre Palace was a bit larger than the Nightfall Palace, but it was also sensibly arranged. The core parts of the palace were all located next to each other; if this place was ever attacked, the guards could conduct a fighting retreat, falling back from the external areas and buying time for all the sensitive items to be stored in the same location.


    This was also a reason why she had escaped easily back then, since the palace was designed to keep people out, rather than trapping them in. Of course, she had a sneaking suspicion that her father had allowed her to escape ¡ª there was no way he actually had a heart attack¡­


    After popping the bag of green night snacks onto her bed, Dia changed into a nice gown with Lucy¡¯s assistance, and then made her way to the smaller dining hall. The big one was reserved for troublesome events; the small ones were for family, and her father was already sniffing at the savoury dishes when she stepped through the door.


    ¡°My dear daughter!¡± Her father smiled as she took a seat. ¡°How goes your lifestone eating?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going very well. Thank you, lord father.¡±


    Lucy chuckled. ¡°Lord Duke, the princess has been eating them very diligently. She¡¯s even getting nauseous from eating too much.¡±


    ¡°Is there a medication for that?¡± her father asked. ¡°Feeling sick is not a nice sensation. Or should I send for a physician?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine, father.¡± Dia looked at her father squarely, and in that instant, the memories of her final interaction back then rushed through her mind. How much of that memory was something her mind thought up? Was his expression then really one of anger? Or was it something else?


    She could not reconcile her caring father now and the Duke Lustre that had stripped her of her position and forced her to flee. It didn¡¯t make sense, unless she went by that theory earlier¡­


    ¡°Father¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± A twinkle popped up in his eye. ¡°Do you need more lifestones?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to call you a few more times,¡± Dia replied. ¡°And the vault has more lifestones than I can possibly finish in a decade. There¡¯s no need for more¡­¡±


    She turned to the savoury dishes laid out on the table, and her father laughed. ¡°Very well. I can see you¡¯re really¡­hungry too. There¡¯s no need to be polite today, my dear daughter. Go ahead and dig in.¡±


    Her father was, as usual, as inscrutable as ever. While she could vaguely feel his care and love for her, that was all. Dia couldn¡¯t tell what the intensity of his feelings were.


    He had always been like this, after all.


    Dia took a seat, and then pondered in silence. She didn¡¯t quite know how to talk to her father, especially since they usually interacted in more formal settings. In addition, it had been quite some time, and¡­


    She focused on eating instead. While there were many questions she really wanted to ask, Dia knew that this was not the right time. Any wrong step here, and the changes she had already made could very well spiral out of control. For now, she just needed to focus on gobbling down as many things as possible, and prepare for her return.


    There were still a lot of things that didn¡¯t make sense to her. For instance, what happened to her body¡¯s original Dia? When she returned, would she have a weird, one month¡¯s gap of memory? Or would something that would allow her to smooth things through happen?


    Dia shook her head. The month that led up to her escape was quite unmemorable, if nothing else, and she couldn¡¯t remember anything much save for that final visit to the Field of Flowers and Fruits.


    ¡°Daughter? Is something wrong?¡±


    Dia jumped. ¡°No, nothing. Just thinking about the food¡­¡±


    ¡°I hope you like them.¡± Her father laughed, and then took out a wooden board. ¡°Hmm. I wonder if there¡¯s anything new today¡­¡±

 Chapter 486: The uneventful miracles end

    Miracle.


    It was a strong word. Dia, who had been diligently polishing herself for the past one month, knew that miracles never happened without reason. The answer was already there ¡ª she, the Salvation Star, had to stop the Omen and all the plans he had for the world. For that reason, she had been granted this ridiculous miracle, to go back in time and to ensure that she would be able to fully strengthen herself.


    For her to indulge in memories of the past was to waste this miracle. For that reason¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Dia gulped down another lifestone, and then shivered. ¡°Tell my father that I will join him tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow?¡±


    Dia nodded. To be more precise, the ¡®Dia¡¯ of this time would return. How would that work? Would she remember that she spent a month just gobbling down lifestones? Or would she, like Dia herself, fail to remember much save for the key points? Considering that tomorrow would be the day that she was blamed for Tot¡¯s actions¡­


    ¡°Milady? You¡¯ve been acting oddly.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. This is all just a dream to me, I suppose. Anyway, I¡¯ll stop mentioning lifestones after today. And on no account are you to speak of them to me either,¡± Dia replied, before thinking a tiny bit harder. ¡°There are going to be a few withdrawal symptoms, so don¡¯t think too hard if I seem a tiny, tiny bit off, okay?¡±


    ¡°Uh, okay.¡± Lucy rubbed her nose doubtfully.


    ¡°Also, you should take the next day off. I keep troubling you with everything I¡¯ve done so far¡­go and relax with your family for a bit,¡± Dia continued. ¡°It¡¯s nice to have family, so take a day off.¡±


    ¡°By your grace, milady, so I shall obey.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound like I¡¯m ordering you. You¡¯re clearly happy about this.¡± Dia flicked her forehead and turned back to the space behind her. Other than the small break she took with her father for dinner, Dia had spent the following two weeks scoffing down more and more lifestones. The entire pillar had been whittled away entirely, and she had gained a total of 1138 years. It was decidedly enough for her to become a hexa-folder, although the process would take some time.


    ¡°Uwah.¡± Dia shivered. Nightfall was approaching. Soon, Tot would strike, and the mess that had led up to the Last Godsfall would soon begin. While she wasn¡¯t particularly sure what caused the Last Godsfall and the descent of the divinities, every fibre of her being was telling her that tonight would be the night of destiny.


    ¡°I really want to visit it,¡± Dia muttered.


    Unfortunately, the Istrel treasury was too far away. The only thing she had to do was to make sure that the arrangements for her escape, which was a rare skillstick, was on her body at all times. Money¡­was something she didn¡¯t dare to change, however. One reason why the Moon Lords had been formed was due to a shortage of funds ¡ª that had to remain constant.


    Artefacts wise, Dia decided to bring a few barrier artefacts along. While there were better choices sitting in the treasury right now, those choices were far fewer; some, like the Sword of Sea Slaughtering, were unique. If she took them, there was a good chance that history would chance.


    ¡°Visit what?¡± Lucy asked, and Dia jumped


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Dia hugged her once. ¡°Thank you, by the way. Anyway, I should be returning to my room soon. Can I ask you to serve me one last time before you leave?¡±


    ¡°Of course, milady!¡±


    Dia brought a few barrier artefacts with her, and then paused. ¡°Uh, get me that Refresher there too. Yes, that one. Place it in this small bag here.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡±


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    ¡°Nothing much,¡± Dia replied. ¡°But I can be quite lazy at times, so it¡¯s useful then. Anyway, let¡¯s go back.¡±


    The two of then walked back to her room. Most of the curtains had been pulled up by now ¡ª Dia had ordered them to revert these changes explicitly, just so that Risti, who was probably observing them right now, would be delighted. Whatever that had happened would still continue, no matter what. The past could only be changed so far before it became unrecognisable, and Dia had no desire to wake up in a strange world.


    After changing into a set of comfortable sleepwear, Dia located her small purse and stuffed the small little artefacts inside. Chasing Lucy out and exhorting her to leave by daybreak, she sat down on the bed and picked up some writing utensils.


    Her head throbbed once at that instant, and the world lost all colour. Boxes filled with a myriad of colours appeared in front of her, and the monochrome world began to fade away.


    [The time of miracles has come to an end. Second Tutorial complete. Mana Circuit Superimposition has reached 4.00. Authority has increased.]


    [Having met the requirements, your passive skill, Lifeforce Detection, has changed to Lifeforce Manipulation!]


    [With the Blue Moon¡¯s blessing, your Mana Control Proficiency has increased to Expert!]


    [With the blessing of the world, all skill levels have increased by 1!]


    [


    has been completed. Your lifespan has been increased by 150 years.]


    [The ripples in fate have been smoothed over. Alterations have been made. Lifespan gained in this miracle will be made temporarily invisible until the Salvation Star completes the Second Tutorial.]


    [The future has not changed.]


    The black and white world fell away entirely, and the softness of her actual bed turned into the springiness of the barriers below her. The room she was in, one made with multiple barriers, came into view a moment later, and Dia sat up slowly. The messages in her eyes burned brightly once more, and she took a deep breath.


    ¡°Status.¡±


    Name: Dia Lyceria de Lustre


    Lifespan: 663 years (+1138 years)


    Active Skills: Sword Dance (8), Sword Sense (8), Sword Roar (6), Fated Sword (3), Sword Fall (3), Perfect Domain of Swords (2)


    Passive Skills: Heightened Senses, Fighter¡¯s Intuition, Foreseer¡¯s Eye, Introspection, Projectile Evasion, Salvation Star (Prime), Lifeforce Manipulation


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 4.00


    Mana Control Proficiency: Expert


    Authority: 4


    Comments: Your light burns ever stronger. Illuminate the shadows, and preserve this world.


    Dia looked at her lifespan, which now had an addition to it. It hadn¡¯t been therefore, and as she thought back to her past, Dia understood what exactly happened. Her actions in the Second Tutorial had been completely hidden from her ¡ª the lifeforce gained during her one-month binge had been hidden by her Status itself.


    The notification said as much, after all. However, what was most surprising was the fact that her original memories and her current memories seemed to have no disjoint. Indeed, she hadn¡¯t remembered much of the month leading up to her flight from Lustre, but that was already true even before she began the Second Tutorial.


    ¡°¡­Huh.¡± She took another deep breath. ¡°Did¡­I just complete a loop?¡±


    Did the Dia of the future take over her body back then? After all, it made sense to think that way ¡ª her original memories of the month before she had to flee was also equally blurry, and everything she had remembered before the Second Tutorial matched up with her new memories now. The artefacts she had retrieved from the treasury¡­it was likely that she had forgotten back then, just like how the Dia of her Second Tutorial forgot them too.


    Or failed to notice them. There really wasn¡¯t a functional difference.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Dia scratched her head. The days when she could just slice everyone down to solve problems were easier¡­but those days were few to begin with. Nonetheless, she knew a few things. One, the world was literally granting her all sorts of freebies. Two, history hadn¡¯t changed much, if any at all. Three, the weird stuff about the Salvation Star and the Omen¡­


    They were almost certainly true.


    Sighing once, Dia examined her Lifeforce Manipulation skill.


    [Skill: Lifeforce Manipulation


    Skill effects: You can increase your physical ability by using your lifeforce as payment. For every year you expend, your physical attributes are increased by 1% for an hour.]


    It was a rather good skill with a rather painful price, but Dia couldn¡¯t help but note that this was actually a passive skill. In other words, she could use it over and over again if push came to shove, and without limits too. However¡­


    ¡°The price is high.¡± Dia touched her chin. If she burned all her lifespan at once, the amount of strength she would gain could probably crack the Grandis continent or something. The mental image of her wielding the entire continent as a weapon was rather funny, but the price was really nothing to scoff at.


    Shaking her head, Dia decided to do things properly first.


    ¡°I wonder how much time has passed,¡± Dia muttered. Her Second Tutorial had taken an entire month; it would be a major problem if she really just laid there for an entire month. While Second Tutorials generally took a day, her Second Tutorial was more of a miracle than anything else.


    She wouldn¡¯t be surprised if something changed.

 Chapter 487: Collective growth

    The sun was shining down on the lawn when Dia finally mustered up the strength to leave her room. The others were gathered around the table on the garden as usual, and a nice fire burned merrily underneath a wire mesh. Tens of shimmering skewers had been placed on the wire, and a fantastic aroma was rising from them.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re up.¡± Schwarz glanced at her, and then did a doubletake. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re up? Oi! Guys! Dia¡¯s awake!¡±


    The others, who had been training or eating, immediately woke up from their stupor and charged towards her. At the forefront was President Cadenza, who was positively burning with curiosity, but thankfully, no one picked Dia up and threw her into the air like some festival.


    ¡°What happened to you?¡± the older Cadenza asked. ¡°Why did your Second Tutorial take so long?¡±


    ¡°How long did I take?¡± Dia asked, yawning once.


    ¡°You took three weeks!¡± Risti replied. ¡°I thought my old man did something shady to you!¡±


    ¡°Tell Risti that I didn¡¯t do anything other than teaching you lot about the Second Tutorial, or she¡¯s going to keep calling me ¡®old man¡¯,¡± President Cadenza added.


    ¡°Yeah, he didn¡¯t. It was something that happened to me instead,¡± Dia replied, before looking at the others. They were all radiating a weird feeling, as if their existence had been heightened, and with a jolt, Dia realised that everyone had also become a mid-ranked folder.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Everyone¡­is a tetra-folder too?¡± Dia asked.


    Farah shrugged. ¡°Unbelievable, isn¡¯t it? But President Cadenza was quite right. I encountered my own fears and relived my past, but it wasn¡¯t that bad when I compared it to the things other people experienced. There weren¡¯t any phobias that came with old age or anything, and my own childhood¡­well, it resolved itself quite well.¡±


    ¡°Never had a really big phobia,¡± Risti added. ¡°I¡¯m a sheltered kid that follows my dad around to do random things for the Folders¡¯ Association.¡±


    ¡°Or so you say, anyway.¡± Schwarz eyed her once, and then shrugged. ¡°We all got through this intact, so don¡¯t worry about. Rather, we were worried about you. You were sleeping soundly and making weird slurping noises. If not for President Cadenza, we would have sent you to the nearest physician or something. What happened?¡±


    ¡°My Second Tutorial was weird,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Like, really weird. I don¡¯t even know how to describe it. Remember that Salvation Star ski¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± President Cadenza shouted, his voice tinged with pain. The others¡¯ reactions were far worse; Schwarz had fallen onto his knees, while Farah and Risti were holding onto their ears. Nero, who had been drinking, had spilled his drinks, and Dia¡¯s eyes widened involuntarily.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Authority,¡± Risti¡¯s father replied, his voice a low groan.


    ¡°Authority?¡± Dia blinked. ¡°But I talked about that skill last time, though? Why did it suddenly affect you guys now?¡±


    Nero got up slowly. ¡°The skill must have changed in significance after you became a mid-ranked folder. Ugh. I did not expect to be hit by this while drinking on a leisurely morning. Are the rest of you guys fine?¡±


    ¡°My ears feel like a pin was driven into them,¡± Risti replied, groaning slightly.


    ¡°I feel like I was stabbed.¡± Schwarz fell onto his side, twitching a few times. ¡°Damn it. Dia, you¡­never mind.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not really her fault, after all.¡± Farah rubbed her ears. ¡°Bah. Feels like someone poured hot water in them.¡±


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    ¡°S-sorry.¡± Dia lowered her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that my skill would become something like a taboo or something.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not so bad, since we already knew most of the contents when you first told us about it back then,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I can still recite the effects!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the purpose of that skill that caused the problem, I think,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Anyway, my Second Tutorial lasted for an entire month, and I¡­gained a few benefits from it.¡±


    Schwarz yawned. ¡°You and everyone else. There¡¯s no need to show off, okay? We all got a new skill or evolved an existing one.¡±


    Dia thought for a moment. ¡°Oh yeah, and a new skill, I guess¡­¡±


    The bartender looked at her. ¡°Wait, you got a new skill and an existing one evolved?¡±


    ¡°I suppose?¡± Dia replied. ¡°Also, my Mana Control Proficiency increased to Expert.¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡± Schwarz made a face. ¡°Didn¡¯t know that was possible.¡±


    ¡°I also got mine to Master,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something exclusive to her. But the way you said it, Dia, it¡¯s as if you got something else out of it. What exactly happened during your Second Tutorial?¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose we should listen to your Second Tutorial too, right?¡± Schwarz agreed, his voice abnormally loud. ¡°I¡¯m not that curious, but it¡¯s definitely a good story to tell, I suppose?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think you guys can hear it,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I suppose I can talk about what I got, though.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so what did you get?¡± Farah asked, curious. ¡°Also, we were preparing breakfast. You just happened to wake up at a good time.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°Thanks. Incidentally, have you guys been training for the past few weeks while I was in deep sleep?¡±


    The others averted their eyes from her in unison, and she sighed. ¡°Come on. It¡¯s important that you guys get used to fighting for long periods of time. Wouldn¡¯t it suck if you guys ran out of breath or had a muscle cramp while fending off enemies? That would be one heck of a shame, right? Imagine dying because your arms cramped up.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re tetra-folders,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s poss¡ª¡±


    ¡°Actually, it is,¡± President Cadenza replied. ¡°While your body¡¯s durability and endurance does increase with every mana circuit, there are some things that remain an eternal weakness. The joints, key areas of the human biological system like the groin, and the spinal cord are still very¡­vulnerable. And if you were to get the Rulers to fight on the spot without any preparation, they would only last ten minutes or so before they¡¯ll start suffering from all sorts of ailments.¡±


    Those words shut Schwarz up, and he muttered something about being a bartender and how he wielded glasses and not swords. The others weren¡¯t that¡­receptive either, but good advice was never made out of nice words anyway.


    ¡°Anyway, you guys were curious about what else I received, right?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I gained more than a thousand years of lifespan from my Second Tutorial.¡±


    ¡°Oh, a thousand¡­what?¡± President Cadenza, who had a sage-like expression on his face from the earlier spiel, froze. ¡°A what?¡±


    ¡°A thousand years of lifespan,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I¡¯m going to draw more mana circuits in the meantime and see how far I can go.¡±


    ¡°In a week? 5.91 at best,¡± President Cadenza replied. ¡°But¡­why do you get a thousand years of lifespan? What did you do?¡±


    The others had similarly envious looks on their faces, but they had no idea about the trials and tribulations she struggled through just to get that boon down. Dia thought back to the past month of shovelling lifestones down her throat, and then shivered. ¡°You do not want to know.¡±


    ¡°Why is there dread written all over your face?¡± Farah asked, curious.


    ¡°You¡¯ll know if you tried to eat an entire vault of lifestones in a month,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see them for the time being. Ergh. I feel like throwing up just by seeing the green light.¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, you still have a lot here,¡± Farah observed. ¡°It¡¯ll be best if you finish them up too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Dia turned to the skewers with a rueful smile, which were almost done. ¡°I¡¯m going to take some here, if you guys don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, go ahead.¡± Schwarz made a sigh. ¡°I suppose you don¡¯t want anything made with lifestones for now, right? Would you prefer some soft alcoholic drinks instead?¡±


    ¡°Anything that¡¯s not sweet, yes.¡± Dia made a face. ¡°What have you guys been up to in the past few weeks anyway?¡±


    ¡°Mostly focusing on taking in more lifestones too,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re all eating sour and savoury stuff. I¡¯ve moved on to forming my fifth mana circuit, though, like Risti. Farah is still¡­¡±


    ¡°Eating lifestones.¡± Dia shook her head in an exaggerated motion. ¡°If you guys aren¡¯t reacting viscerally to those green things yet¡ª¡±


    She fell silent, and then touched a pocket. When she shook her head earlier, Dia had felt the presence of a small bag. She didn¡¯t remember putting that bag before she began the Second Tutorial, so the only explanation was that¡­


    This bag was from that one month.


    ¡°Dia?¡± Schwarz looked at her. ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°N-no, nothing.¡± Dia picked up a few skewers. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Anyway, as for the Trial of Aeons¡­¡±


    ¡°It will begin in a week. We¡¯ve come up with a few plans while you were asleep, and all of them primarily involve staying put here,¡± Risti replied. ¡°For starters, Claud¡¯s preparations were fairly extensive. This is probably the best stronghold we have, short of the actual Moon Mansion. We¡¯ve added a few things too. For instance¡­¡±

 Chapter 488: Commencing the Trial of Aeons

    The green glow around Claud subsided, and he let out a long sigh. ¡°Just in time. Unfortunately, there¡¯s now a notification sitting right in front of me, waiting for me to start up the Third Tutorial. Should I ignore it?¡±


    ¡°We only have a few hours before the Trial of Aeons open, though,¡± Lily replied. ¡°There isn¡¯t time for you to do that.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Yes, but¡­maybe I might get lucky?¡±


    He paused and shook his head. Claud was just saying these things randomly. There was nothing much to it, and he also knew that messing around with the Trial of Aeons by entering the Third Tutorial was likely to result in some major problem here or there. While interesting to fantasise about, that was just it ¡ª a fantasy.


    He laid down on the bed. ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you to keep me safe, Lily. Of course, my entire body may just vanish, rendering all my preparations moot, but just in case.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re in Lacuna, right?¡± Lily patted his head, before sitting on the bed. Patting her lap once, she said, ¡°Take a rest here.¡±


    Claud hesitated for a moment, and then scuttled over. Her gentle hands rubbed his temples for a while, and Claud returned the favour by burying his face into her tummy.


    ¡°Hey, that tickles.¡±


    ¡°I know, but you like it, right?¡± Claud replied, his voice muffled. He was suppressing the urge to tremble successfully, but his face may as well be an open book when it came to Lily. He did not want to seem scared in front of her, and this was the best way to hide his fear.


    Probably. There was a high chance that Lily had already figured out that this was his way of hiding his distress from her, and she was just playing along to make him feel a tiny bit better.


    ¡°Of course I do.¡± Lily continued to pat his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, okay? You¡¯ve done everything you can. There¡¯s¡­nothing you need to be scared of.¡±


    Claud, who was trying to hide his face by using Lily¡¯s tummy, froze. He thought for a moment, and then rolled back to look up at her face. ¡°I¡¯m scared of losing you. Of that future taking place. And of the new future I¡¯ve ushered in with my actions. What I¡¯ve done, and what I¡¯m going to do. I¡¯m scared too. I can feel my heart beating strongly, trying to complete all the beats it will do in my lifetime. I¡­¡±


    Lily held his hand. ¡°I can feel it too. Your pulse¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s pathetic.¡± Claud grimaced. ¡°Even though I¡¯ve done everything I wanted here, in Lacuna. We¡¯ve gone through every top restaurant, drank the finest drinks and viewed the best sights. I¡¯ve seen everything, with you by my sight, and you¡¯ve given me so much more too. I should be facing the Trial of Aeons with courage. But¡­¡±


    He let out a sigh. ¡°Now that only hours are left, I¡¯m just scared.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re scared, right? Foolhardy people die first. The scared die last,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go quoting me,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Bah. I don¡¯t know what to think either. My head¡¯s a mess now. I need to calm down first, I think. Do we still have some jasmine tea? I think I brought some when we went to the teashop earlier.¡±


    ¡°The cold one or the hot one?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°The cold one.¡± Claud looked at his hands, which weren¡¯t trembling just yet. The Trial of Aeons presented innumerable opportunities, but two particular things could be accomplished during the trials. One of them was to kill all other Bearers of Destiny, and the other key point was the fact that the ¡®him¡¯ of the Second Tutorial had become a nearly divine being in the wake of the Trial of Aeons. That monstrous status, coupled with an abnormal strength, would be critical to protecting the world after the Trial of Aeons.


    Lily slid away from him for a moment, and then returned with a small bottle. ¡°Here. Or would you prefer me to transfer it mouth-to-mouth?¡±


    ¡°How are you this good at teasing me?¡± Claud muttered, rubbing his flushed cheeks. The idea of a long, intimate kiss was quite exciting though, but it would lead to other activities. Considering that the Trial of Aeons was but an hour away, this seemed like a bad idea, so Claud had to repress his libido.


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    That annoyingly lovely smirk on her face was making it worse, though. Flicking her forehead gently, Claud thanked her for bringing the tea over and sipped at the opening slowly. The cooling sensation calmed him down slightly, and Claud let out a long breath.


    Lily hugged him from behind, and some tea spilled onto the bed. Before he could clean it up, however, Lily simply said, ¡°Ignore that. I¡¯ll just be here for the next hour. Relax and let me hug you, okay? Just focus on me and how I feel. We¡¯re here, together. And that won¡¯t change.¡±


    Her hands reached for his heart, pressing down on it gently and providing a comforting weight. Claud placed his hands over her own, and bowed his head slightly. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me,¡± Lily whispered. ¡°I¡¯m yours, and you¡¯re mine. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Claud took a deep breath. ¡°Still, it feels a bit uncool when you¡¯re doing all the comforting though.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you do the same for me not too long ago?¡± Lily replied. He could see that impish grin on her face in his mind¡¯s eye, even without looking back, and Claud felt his heart warm up once more. The anxiety he had been feeling up until now disappeared without warning a few seconds later, and Claud got up slowly.


    ¡°I feel a lot better now.¡± Claud turned to Lily. ¡°So, as thanks¡­¡±


    With a smooth movement, he lifted Lily and carried her with both arms.


    ¡°Whoa.¡± Lily looked up at him. ¡°What are you doing? It¡¯s a bit embarrassing to be swept up in this princess carry¡­I¡¯m not saying I dislike it, though! Do continue by all means!¡±


    Claud, who was about to ask if he could continue, smiled deviously, and then walked over to the window. Mana swirled around him, and the curtains parted to reveal the night sky. ¡°It would have been more dramatic if we¡¯re in a better place, but safety first, after all.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking out of an ordinary inn window while being carried by you.¡± Lily made a noise in her throat. ¡°Feels weird.¡±


    ¡°Does it?¡± Claud paused. ¡°Can I kiss you?¡±


    ¡°Do you really need to ask permission at this point?¡± Lily replied, before closing her eyes. Claud lowered his face, and their lips met for a few moments, before he broke it off.


    ¡°Hmm. Was that cool?¡±


    Lily snuck a glance at him, and then wriggled slightly. Claud let her down immediately, before hugging her without any prompting. ¡°You know, a lot of people probably think that this Trial of Aeons is the end of everything. I sometimes think that way too, but¡­it¡¯s just the beginning. The Last Godsfall may stretch into eternity. Therefore¡­¡±


    He turned to Lily. ¡°No matter what, walk to the end with me. Don¡¯t¡­up and vanish halfway, okay? Even if it hurts, don¡¯t ever give up.¡±


    ¡°I know. And you too.¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°I don¡¯t know how many times I¡¯ve said this, and I want to keep saying this forever and ever, but be careful out there.¡±


    Claud smiled. ¡°Yes, I will.¡±


    The two turned back to the window. The night sky was graced by the nameless white moon, but he could see a black disk in the middle of the moon itself. It hadn¡¯t been there the night before, and his instincts informed him that this black disk was related to the imminent opening of the Trial of Aeons itself.


    Minutes flowed by in silence as the two shared a companionable silence, simply looking up at the moon or the streets of Lacuna. The two of them had arrived at the dukedom quite some time ago, but since the letter of summons itself was fake, there was really nothing to do but to find a nice inn to settle down.


    ¡°By now, the others should have also familiarised themselves with the house¡¯s defences, right?¡± Claud said, looking up at the moon.


    ¡°I think so, but what made you bring that up?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Just thinking about things I¡¯ve done and things I¡¯ve not done,¡± Claud replied. ¡°That said, I am probably about to do something that¡¯s quite insane. Look at the moon.¡±


    ¡°The moon?¡± Lily looked up, and Claud found himself distracted by Lily¡¯s visage when fully illuminated by the gentle white light. He wrapped his hands around her waist, before settling his face next to hers.


    ¡°Do you see it?¡± Claud asked. ¡°The black disk in the middle of the moon.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to be?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Also, do I really look this nice under the white light?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you do, trust me.¡± Claud nibbled her left earlobe. ¡°And that thing¡­I think it¡¯s the location for the Trial of Aeons.¡±


    ¡°Oh, the location¡­¡± She froze. ¡°Wait, does that mean the Trial of Aeons is located on that moon? Are you for real? Are you really going to the moon?¡±


    Claud grimaced. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Before he could add more words, a small box floated into his vision.


    [Time remaining before the Trial of Aeons begins: Five minutes. The first wave of participants will be teleported there once the countdown ends. Prepare yourself, Bearers of Destiny.]


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an announcement. The Trial of Aeons starts in five minutes,¡± Claud said, before lifting up his backpack. Checking his equipment and rations, Claud ran through their locations, before hugging Lily once more. ¡°And my body will be teleported there too. I may not be teleported back to you directly, so make use of the arrangements already made.¡±


    Lily touched the ring on her left hand. ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°And then remember to protect yourself at all times,¡± Claud continued. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you need to flee or run. Protect yourself and always run, no matter what.¡±


    ¡°I got it.¡± Lily¡¯s hold on him tightened. ¡°Stay safe. Don¡¯t be reckless. I¡¯ll be here, so don¡¯t be worried. Don¡¯t do anything stupid, and¡ª¡±


    Prismatic spots of light rose from Claud, and his heart trembled. He could feel something pulling him away, and his hands were the first to shatter into dots of multi-coloured light.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back. So don¡¯t cry, okay?¡±


    Lily, who was looking at him with red eyes, nodded once. At the same time, the intensity of light rising from his body increased tremendously, and his senses began to fade away entirely.


    The only thing Claud felt was a warm, moist sensation on his lips, before the world turned white.

 Chapter 489: Shattering the Cycle

    Some chains that Claud never knew existed seemed to fall away as the world reformed around him, and intuitively, the master thief felt like his body had grown lighter. Pressure plates would find it harder to detect his presence, and under these conditions, Claud felt that even the pre-Folder him would be able to run on walls like a master or something.


    He scanned his environment. The white moon, now huge and overbearing, hung above him and the circular platform he stood on. Below him, he could feel a vast sea of darkness, lapping at his very soul. Wincing mildly, he tore his gaze away and looked at the new notification on his Status.


    [The Fourth Bearer of Destiny has arrived.]


    Claud paused for a moment, and then looked around at the weird grey space they were currently in. There were two other people, but before he could gather more thoughts, there were other flashes of light, and more notifications appeared at the same time.


    [The Twelfth Bearer of Destiny has arrived.]


    [The Seventh Bearer of Destiny has arrived.]


    [The Tenth Bearer of Destiny has arrived.]


    Claud took a deep breath, and then frowned. If the notifications came with the order of arrival, it went without saying that he was the Fourth Bearer of Destiny. For obvious reasons, this didn¡¯t go down well with him ¡ª his skill on his Status was FiBoD; was there an error or something?


    The idea that his status had an error was laughable, though, and if he thought about it a bit more, it was probably a different word. Whatever the case, however, Claud finally knew his outside identity ¡ª the Fourth Bearer of Destiny. It had been bugging him ever since he realised that he was neither the First nor the Fifth, but¡­


    Letting out a sigh, Claud scrutinised the other Bearers of Destiny. He was wearing three masks, and the last one was one that was designed to prevent people from looking past it, but a sweeping gaze told him that his preparations were a bit pointless. Everyone¡¯s face had been distorted; for some reason, they looked like freaking squares or something.


    It would be easier to simply refer to the other Bearers of Destiny via their clothes or something. For instance, the Twelfth Bearer of Destiny was wearing a dress that Claud felt looked better on Lily; there was this lily motif on her blue dress, making it seem like a peaceful pond. The Tenth Bearer of Destiny had¡­like five swords hanging all over his body, and Claud intuitively thought about Dia, who was probably thinking of doing the same thing too.


    It was a shame he couldn¡¯t peg more descriptions to more titles, but this was good enough.


    ¡°Odd,¡± someone said quietly, in a low and melodic voice. ¡°There are six people here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too hard,¡± the Tenth Bearer of Destiny replied. ¡°To begin with, there were fourteenth Bearers of Destiny. It seems that either the White God or the Black God sent out their own representatives, even though it¡¯s against the rules.¡±


    Before Claud could figure out what the bonds these two people shared, another burst of boxes appeared in his vision again.


    [The end of the cycle has begun.]


    [Bridge the Aeons and head to a new world with your own hands.]


    [Overcome entropy, or fall to the limbo between realities.]


    [<Mission: Bridging the Aeon Span> has been issued.]


    [<Skill: Aeon Fold ¡ª Omen (Sealed)> has been granted.]


    [<Skill: Omen> detected.]


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    [<Omen Mission: Shattering the Cycle> has been issued.]


    Claud looked at the words slowly, and a tremble ran down his spine. The first line was so ominous that he didn¡¯t even dare to think about what it meant, and as he read on and on, a sense of dread flooded his body.


    The world was ending?


    ¡°What is this?¡± Claud whispered, unable to control himself. ¡°Why do we need to build a new stairway? What is this?¡±


    He took a deep breath, and then took a step back. Claud wasn¡¯t alone in reacting this way either; some of the other Bearers of Destiny in attendance were also reacting similarly, and their gazes swept through the venue. In that instant, Claud felt very small.


    His actions to save Lily seemed incredibly inadequate, compared to this¡­end of the cycle, whatever it was. Forcefully controlling himself, Claud clenched his fists and felt his fingers bite deep into the palms of his hands.


    The pain stimulated his mind and Claud sucked in a long breath. His body, as light as it felt right now, felt burdened by this knowledge of the impending end. However, this impending end¡­there was probably some finesse to it; after all, the Second Tutorial had taken place centuries after the present time.


    It could also very well be metaphorical, but whatever the case, Claud knew that he had to control himself well first. There was no point engaging in wild guessing at this point; all he could do was to open up the mission that had appeared on his Status ¡ª it would point him in the right direction.


    [Mission: Bridging the Aeon Span (Phase 1)


    Mission Introduction: The end of the cycle approaches, and with it the cessation of all life. With the blessing of the five grand skies, a new world will be formed with the foundation of the old. Forge a path to the new eternity with the powers of either the Dark or the Moons.


    Mission requirements: Choose to either join the Dark or the Moons, and then help your chosen faction build the Aeon Bridge in the following week.


    Mission reward: Final faction confirmation, 100 years of lifespan


    Additional remarks: Your faction¡¯s performance in this mission will affect your comprehensive combat strength in Phase 3]


    [Omen Mission: Shattering the Cycle (Phase 1)


    Mission Introduction: The end of the cycle approaches, and with it the cessation of all life. With the blessing of the five grand skies, a new world will be formed with the foundation of the old. However, this new world will be a stagnant one, replete with an eternally recurring cycle. The Godsfalls will play out once more on the stage made by the Dark and the Moons, recreating tragedy and stagnation. Shatter the cycle and bring infinite possibility to the world once more.


    Mission requirements:


    Create an Aeon Bridge made up from both the Dark and Moons¡¯ Aeon Bricks


    OR


    Ensure that the constructed Aeon Bridges by both sides are damaged by at least 50%.


    Mission reward: <Skill: Aeon Fold ¡ª Omen> is raised by a certain number of ranks, based on your performance at the end of Phase 1. Your lifespan is increased based on your performance at the end of Phase 1.


    Additional remarks: Failure to complete this mission will result in unfathomable consequences for all life. Be aware that you are the enemy of every other Bearer of Destiny present. If your identity is discovered, they will attack you.]


    Claud read through both missions in silence, before touching his throbbing head once. A set of mental images had risen to the forefront of his mind¡¯s eyes at that moment, and the mana in his body was moving. This phenomenon wasn¡¯t confined to him either; the others were also behaving oddly.


    Fatigue gushed through his veins a moment later, and mana surged out to form a small, grey coloured brick. That wasn¡¯t any metaphor; the thing that his mana had produced was a literal brick, and Claud frowned as he looked at the heavy rectangle in his hand.


    At the same time, the others were also holding on to grey colour bricks too, and in that instant, Claud understood what had happened.


    They had learned how to use Aeon Fold.


    Claud fell silent a few seconds later, his eyes alternating between the brick and the missions in his eyes.


    The missions sounded rather simple, if unfitting for this so-called final showdown between both sides or whatever. The main goal was to build an Aeon Bridge. While he didn¡¯t quite understand how these bridges worked or what they did, Claud could tell that they were a ticket to some new world, whatever it was. The main mission was to create those bridges, but now that another mission had appeared, Claud was beginning to feel a little suspicious.


    Was it only the Omen who received a mission? Or did the other Bearers of Destiny receive their own missions too? Something that would change things around in this new world, for instance? It was hard to tell, since no one could see each other¡¯s faces, but¡­


    His role was a bit odd, though. That Omen Mission had told him to either damage both Aeon Bridges badly or ensure that there was only one bridge by the end of this trial. The idea seemed to approach the concept of unity, but¡­


    The difficulty was a bit too hard, wasn¡¯t it? Claud absolutely did not believe that these two sides would conceivably do something like this, unless he worked out a plan, and right now, he didn¡¯t have a single one.


    Another screen popped up a few seconds later.


    [Choose your faction.]


    Without warning, two Bearers of Destiny lit up, serenaded by the colours of their respective factions. The first one, wreathed in tri-coloured light, was the Twelfth Bearer of Destiny, while the other, clad in shadow, was one of the earlier arrivals. Both of them didn¡¯t seem flustered by the sudden occurrences, and Claud complained in his mind about how unfair the whole thing was.


    An hourglass appeared behind the duo a moment later, a timer urging them to choose, and Claud began to examine the two people in attendance.


    Which side was the easier one to betray?

 Chapter 490: Building bridges

    The surprise at being told to choose a faction held everyone spellbound for a few seconds, before the other Bearers of Destiny moved. Claud, who had no desire to stand out, had to discard his other thoughts immediately and joined the numerically inferior group.


    His leader ¡ª since there was no other more suitable word for it ¡ª was the representative of the Dark. Wreathed in shadows, Claud wondered if he had chosen the right person, since this guy looked quite dangerous.


    He looked at the unknown Bearer of Destiny for a little while longer. His instincts told him that this person was a woman, and one that was quite similar to Dia at that. The few movements she had made thus far were filled with a grace that came from marital arts and wielding weapons over years and centuries, and Claud couldn¡¯t help but think that she was something to totally avoid.


    Of course, the scythe floating behind her definitely didn¡¯t help either, so that was that.


    The notification faded away a few seconds later, and the grey light all around them writhed. Seconds later, they condensed into a view that Claud found familiar ¡ª a blue and green sphere stared down at them in silence, amidst the black sky.


    It was something he¡¯d seen in the Celestia Ruins before.


    ¡°¡­Well?¡± asked a boyish voice. ¡°Are we going to stand here or what?¡±


    Claud glanced at the speaker, the Seventh Bearer of Destiny, and then gave him a once-over. He was dressed in rather stylish armour, so much so that he would stand out. In fact, Claud believed that he would be blinded if someone were to shine a light off the armour.


    ¡°Ugh. You guys¡­I¡¯m the Seventh Bearer of Destiny. Call me Seven or something.¡±


    The floating scythe twitched once. ¡°Thirteenth.¡±


    Their gazes turned to Claud, and he said, ¡°Fourth.¡±


    ¡°Okay. So you¡¯re Thirteen and you¡¯re Four. Now, Thirteen, do you know what we need to do?¡±


    ¡°Wait. Instructions.¡±


    Claud glanced at his temporary leader, and then rubbed his head. This woman was clearly the kind who would conduct diplomacy with few words and many swings of her scythe.


    ¡°¡­Hmm. Long tailcoat, scythe, and a woman of few words. Did you come from the Saran Supremacy?¡± Seven asked.


    Claud glanced at the young man, who was reminding him of Nero for some reason, and then decided to hold his tongue. There was no connection between him and Nihal just yet, and Claud was not interested in finding out either.


    ¡°How about you, mister?¡± Seven asked. While Claud could not see his facial features, he had a feeling that the perp on the other side was grinning widely, and he didn¡¯t like it at all. Would it be better to engage with Seven head on? Or would adopting the Thirteenth¡¯s strategy of few words a better choice?


    After three seconds of intense thought, Claud simply grunted once. ¡°Just wait.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, you two are really quiet. The other side is already talking on and on,¡± Seven complained. ¡°Look, my master told me to work with you, Thirteen. If you stay stuck-up like this, there is no way we can out-perform the Moons¡¯ side. We¡¯re not going to win at this rate.¡±


    ¡°Point.¡± Thirteen looked at him. ¡°Query. Question?¡±


    ¡°¡­You can start by saying more words,¡± Seven muttered. ¡°You have got to be kidding me. Two silent types here¡­we¡¯re screwed, right? Let¡¯s just call it a day and let the Moons win, if you¡¯re so happy.¡±


    ¡°I think she¡¯s asking what question you have,¡± Claud interjected, in a bid to shut the whining up.


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    ¡°Oh. Question¡­Name, relationship and three si¡ª¡±


    The scythe reappeared next to Seven¡¯s neck, and the emotionless voice said, ¡°Relevant questions.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we be friends or something?¡± Seven muttered. ¡°We might be the only three people in this new world or something, you know. There¡¯s a high chance that we might need to populate the world the old-fashioned way.¡±


    Claud looked at the fellow¡¯s censored face, and wondered if some of the squares would turn red if he beat up the fellow. It was quite impressive, really. Within ten minutes of knowing each other, Seven had induced his teammates to pull a scythe and a fist on him. Claud hadn¡¯t seen anyone this¡­weird before, and if not for the fact that Claud himself was the Omen, he would have assumed that this guy was a spy¡­


    His thoughts ground to a momentary halt. That wasn¡¯t impossible. After all, Claud had the feeling that hopping from one group to another was not banned, which meant that if this guy wanted to sabotage the Dark¡¯s attempts in building their own Aeon Bridge¡­


    Besides, Claud had a hunch that the others had also received their own specific missions too, although it was probably on a smaller scale. Everyone clearly had their own agenda, and the Coloured Gods definitely had their own ambitions too. After all, few people would choose to play the role of second fiddle, and¡ª


    His head throbbed, and words appeared in front of him. This time, however, they were unbound by the customary blue boxes they were usually written in, and his mind began to flash as even more memories and visions rushed through him. This time, he had learned more uses for the Aeon Brick and how he could modify it to do whatever he liked.


    ¡°There are no rules,¡± Claud muttered to himself, looking at the words floating before him. Any reasonable interpretation here would lead him to conclude killing other people here wouldn¡¯t be against the rules of this place.


    If he so willed it, that was.


    He glanced at Seven, and found that will growing immediately. Not only was this guy rude, Claud also found him shady¡­but that was actually a plus point. If the Dark¡¯s Aeon Bridge was sabotaged by this fellow, he could just focus his efforts on the Moons¡¯ side of things¡­


    The eastern horizon pulsed once, and his thoughts scattered once more. Like the sunrise, a brilliant¡­Claud couldn¡¯t find the words to describe it concisely. It looked like one of those whirlpools, but instead of water draining away, it was white and orange light pooling into a black core. At the same time, the environment grew even clearer; Claud could now tell that everyone was standing on a grey, circular platform high above the world.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s where we¡¯re supposed to build this stupid bridge to?¡± Seven asked. ¡°In the first place, is this an engineering feat? Are we supposed to make structurally sound bridges that can get us across to that¡­thing? Is it even safe?¡±


    Claud looked at Seven. ¡°The Aeon Bridge is made from Aeon Bricks, which seem to be made from our mana. I do not think we need concrete and whatever to actually make one, and in the first place¡­I think a line will do, yes?¡±


    He focused for a moment, and his mana dropped slightly as another grey brick appeared. Eyes turned to him as he placed the short end of one brick against the other, and they connected magically.


    ¡°See?¡± Claud replied. ¡°Perfect, right? Now we just need to keep adding one until we get there.¡±


    ¡°¡­You make it sound easy, but it seems like we¡¯re making a single line to the heavens,¡± Seven muttered.


    ¡°Seems like it, does it not?¡± Claud replied, before walking over to the edge of the platform. If someone pushed him over, and he didn¡¯t have Flight ready¡­it would be a long way down, and the landing would be messy, at the very least.


    He released the bricks, which promptly connected to the platform¡¯s edge. Two bricks didn¡¯t seem quite wide enough, though, so he added another four to start things off.


    The others ¡ª Dark or otherwise ¡ª looked at the result, and then nodded.


    ¡°Okay, at least I don¡¯t need to learn what those useless nerds learned,¡± Seven muttered. ¡°We can just drop bricks to form a complete bridge, right? Doesn¡¯t seem hard. I bet we can spend ten years doing it leisurely, and we¡¯ll be done.¡±


    ¡°Time limit,¡± Thirteen abruptly said. ¡°Work together. Or fail.¡±


    ¡°Okay, where is this time limit, Miss Few Words?¡±


    Claud resisted the urge to slap his head and instead chose to rephrase Seven¡¯s rude words. ¡°Thirteen, could you tell us where this time limit thing is?¡±


    ¡°Mission log.¡±


    Claud checked his missions again. He soon found a countdown of seven days, and his eyes narrowed. ¡°Seven days to build a bloody bridge from here to that thing, whatever it is. I suggest we get started soon, or else we¡¯ll fail in its construction.¡±


    His mind whirled at the same time. Was it necessary to complete a full bridge? Or was this something more¡­symbolic? Was there a ceremonial aspect to this? No matter how he looked at it, bridging a gap to something this distant didn¡¯t seem possible at all.


    Smiling, he glanced at the two bricks that had formed the foundation for the Dark¡¯s Aeon Bridge. A single thought would send the whole thing down into the world below, so...


    Claud promptly created a few more bricks. ¡°Shall we start, then? While this really isn¡¯t what I thought when I first heard about the Trial of Aeons¡­I am glad we do not need to kill each other.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t that the truth.¡±


    As everyone began to produce their own bricks, Claud rubbed his nose. That doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t want to kill you lot, though¡­

 Chapter 491: The opening touches

    As Claud nibbled on a preserved sausage, he glanced around at the other Bearers of Destiny. The Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny was working without pause, creating grey bricks one after another. The Seventh Bearer of Destiny was working too, although he was reading a book while producing grey bricks from his left hand.


    To be very honest, Claud hadn¡¯t expected the Trial of Aeons to be¡­something like this. Sure, there was something symbolic about the whole thing, but from the rumours he had heard thus far, this trial was supposed to kill a lot of people. Right now, however, they were so far from killing; the Moons¡¯ side had Bearers of Destiny working harmoniously together.


    ¡°¡­You know, I had thought that this would be more violent,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Constant fighting, yadda yadda. For some reason, I feel like my expectations have been completely overturned and disappointed.


    ¡°Meaningless.¡± Thirteen tossed another brick onto the pile. ¡°World ending. Working together yields more.¡±


    ¡°I suppose, but¡­¡± Claud glanced at his mission. One third of their Aeon Bridge was made up of Aeon Bricks that would break apart at his command, dooming their expedition. He had managed to sneak a few more bricks over to the Moons¡¯ side too; a single thought would also doom their side. By all accounts, he would soon complete this quest; all he had to do was to command those bricks to shatter when their current mission drew to a close.


    ¡°It¡¯s just the first phase of the Aeon Trials,¡± Seven replied, his voice around fifty times more solemn than usual. ¡°It¡¯s a¡­reward for us, the survivors of the battle royale so far. I must say, though, these bastards on the other side got lucky. If the Moons didn¡¯t somehow kill another Dark-aligned Bearer¡­¡±


    Thirteen twitched.


    ¡°You knew the guy?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The scythe behind her did a cartwheel. ¡°Good person.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite contradictory,¡± Seven muttered. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve been thinking about you. You¡­are quite famous, aren¡¯t you? Saran Supremacy¡­right, isn¡¯t it the home of the Saran Academy for High Nobles?¡±


    The scythe paused. The damn thing was so emotive that Claud, who was trying to focus on his work, had been attracted to their conversation. That was not to say that he hadn¡¯t been paying attention anyway, but now¡­


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Thirteen¡¯s reply was curt.


    ¡°Hmph. That scythe¡­you must the Reaper Princess, Kemata.¡± Seven chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re famous, even in the Nihal Senate. The fianc¨¦e of the former Minor Supreme, who schemed against a talented commoner and ended up being denounced by the Minor Supreme himself. How did it feel lik¡ª¡±


    Sparks flew a moment later as the tip of a scythe clashed against a rapier. The Seventh Bearer of Destiny laughed and shook his head, heedless of the fact that he was contending against a mighty blow. ¡°What? Don¡¯t like me reciting? But you won. Your fall to ruin was prevented by the revelation of your status, yes? That explains why you were able to turn around, and why Supreme Saran punished his¡­favoured offspring. The woman who you bullied was executed too. It¡¯s a perfect revenge.¡±


    Thirteen trembled again, and the scythe that was pressing down on Seven¡¯s rapier vanished. Air hissed as a black circle drew itself in mid-air, and another massive shockwave rippled through the area.


    ¡°Enough.¡± Despite the evident rage pulsing in Thirteen¡¯s very actions, her voice was as emotionless as ever.


    ¡°Stop this, Seven.¡± Claud looked at the troublemaker. ¡°If you¡¯re this good, go and cause some trouble for the other side instead.¡±


    He looked at the still Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny, disturbed. While everyone here was an enemy, Lily would definitely smack him for allowing something like this farce to play out to begin with. And while there were only five days before the next phase began, it still wasn¡¯t the time to take these two out yet.


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    ¡°Why should I listen to you, huh?¡± Seven asked, his voice filled with mockery. At this point, Claud was beginning to wonder about his life-preservation methods ¡ª three was no way this punk had managed to survive his whole life if his mouth was really this vulgar. It was as if he was born for provocation, and¡ª


    ¡°What, cat got your stinking tongue? Don¡¯t act so high and mighty when there¡¯s only three of us here. I bet the useless trash over with the Moons will kneel and beg me to come over, and¡ª¡±


    In one swift motion, Claud got up and closed the distance. A punch laced with the full strength of a hexa-folder smashed into Seven¡¯s stomach a moment later, and the latter dropped to his knees. That irritating voice had finally shut up, and a profound sense of disbelief began to radiate from his prone position.


    He twitched and made a few noises, but Claud ignored Seven¡¯s fainting bout and reached out to his clothes. While Seven was incapacitated, Claud took the chance to divest him of just about every possession he had, turning him into a nudist or something.


    ¡°Done.¡± Claud crackled his knuckles. ¡°Can we get rid of this guy and replace it with something else?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Thirteen replied. ¡°Query. Why help?¡±


    ¡°I got pissed off by this guy¡¯s mouth, naturally.¡± Glaring at that face once, Claud rubbed his shoulders, slightly fatigued. ¡°This guy has been randomly yapping, and it¡¯s not the pleasant kind either. I was surprised that he managed to hold off targeting us until now, to be honest.¡±


    He nudged Seven¡¯s side with his shoes, and Claud wondered if he should just kill Seven. No one would miss this guy, and it was also part of his overall goals anyway. However¡­


    ¡°Tch.¡± Claud cast a scathing look at Seven, and then returned to making his bricks. If not for the fact that their results for Phase One would affect his combat ability afterwards, he would have just offed him on the spot.


    He returned to his spot and continued to produce more bricks. The amount of mana inside him, when coupled with the power of Mana Locus, allowed him to keep working on and on without rest. Without any semblance of night-time ¡ª for some reason, the sun was perpetually shining down on them ¡ª it was hard for him to feel any urge to sleep.


    After a few hours, Seven let out a groan and got up. ¡°You ba¡ª¡±


    Claud raised a fist and looked at the irksome fellow who couldn¡¯t speak any nice words at all, and Seven flinched. After waving his fist a few more times, the insensitive, rude and abrasive jerk finally got the message and sat back down.


    Violence, as it turned out, was also a key means of communication, and the scythe that was floating behind Thirteen did another cartwheel. Claud glanced at the weapon, which seemed to be her outlet for expressing emotions, and then looked at Seven, who was sulking as he produced more Aeon Bricks.


    Claud was quite curious in his own way too. Just how did the Seventh Bearer of Destiny survive until today? Did he get lucky to the point that he never ever encountered someone stronger than he was until today? Or did he have an identity that allowed him to insult someone¡¯s entire family tree and get away scot-free? Whatever the case, Claud felt a bit pleased at how he was this fool¡¯s first educator; he would remain alive in that Idiot¡¯s heart forever.


    He glanced at the pile of grey bricks that had surrounded him, before getting up. With a wave of his hand, Claud sent the bricks over to the Dark¡¯s Aeon Bridge, and the structure grew rapidly.


    ¡°There¡¯s still a long way to go,¡± Claud mumbled, before sitting down. While his mana reserves weren¡¯t any issue, making these Aeon Bricks had taken a huge chunk out of his concentration, and he wanted to sleep.


    More importantly, he missed Lily. Ever since they got together, he had never spent more than a day apart from her, but now, he had to do this thing alone for a ridiculous period of time. There were clearly multiple segments to this Trial of Aeons, which meant that he certainly wouldn¡¯t be going home anytime soon.


    Pulling out a bunch of barrier artefacts, Claud created a small room for himself and laid down on a bed of his own mana. The spongy, springy feeling brought him a measure of comfort, and he turned to his side.


    ¡°¡­Does it work?¡± Claud muttered, before pulling out a Second Shadow. It wasn¡¯t the one that connected to the Shadow at Monville; it was the one that was currently with Lily.


    A faint sense of trepidation filled his heart as he fixed the artefact on his head, and all turned black for a moment.


    ¡°¡­No way,¡± Claud muttered, his vision taking in the room that he and Lily had stayed in. Lily, who was reading a book and staring at the white moon, turned around a moment later.


    Her purple hair glimmered under the faint light as she took out some writing utensils and scribbled on it.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Claud whispered, looking at the question written on it. ¡°I can see it. I can. I¡­¡±


    He took a deep breath and composed a reply, and Lily shook. Claud felt something deep within him stir ¡ª he could see her and interact with her, but he couldn¡¯t touch or hear Lily at all. The closest he could do was to hug her with the weak shadow he was currently inhabiting and nothing else, but all that simply served to stoke his longing.


    His hand trembling, Claud began to write about his experiences so far.

 Chapter 492: Pursuit of the Truth

    Dia stared at her Status gloomily, eyeing the mission that had popped up when the Trial of Aeons began. A few things had subtly shifted when the trial began; Nero went out a day later and came back last night while carrying a faint stench of blood. Risti had done the same too, and it didn¡¯t take a genius to know that these two were handling Limbo-related stuff¡­but it definitely took someone who was in the know, though.


    She looked at the secretive duo, who were exchanging strikes with practice weapons. Risti¡¯s father, President Cadenza, had left the day the Trial of Aeons began, citing something about a Phase Two.


    It was hard to watch Risti cope with the departure of her dad, as well as the possibility that he would lose his life there, but¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m not kidding you,¡± Nero replied, fending off a strike. ¡°Phase One of the Trial is literally building a bridge. I¡¯ll let you turn me into a chair if I¡¯m lying to you.¡±


    Brown flashed outwards, and their weapons cracked ominously as Risti slammed her sword down against Nero¡¯s own with a silent fury. The others, who had been doing weight training with weapons and full armour on, stepped away immediately.


    ¡°Looks like Risti is still mad,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°Damn it, I¡¯m also scared of her¡­anyway, have you packed your stuff? I think it¡¯s a good idea if we head over to the Celestia Ruins today. We¡¯ll be able to distract you-know-who enough with the new scenery.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already packed,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Seriously though, can¡¯t President Cadenza actually bid farewell properly? What¡¯s the deal with the letter? What, is he trying to learn from my own irresponsible parents?¡±


    ¡°Shh! Unless you want to spend the next day being wiped by medicinal alcohol, don¡¯t say that in front of Risti right now!¡± Schwarz waved his hands frantically, before turning back to Dia. ¡°You done packing?¡±


    ¡°Well, I did pack,¡± Dia replied. ¡°It¡¯s nice that we¡¯re leaving a bit earlier, though. I feel bad for watching you guys turn their garden into a mess.¡±


    ¡°We did at least tidy it up last night, so no issue there.¡± Schwarz clicked his teeth. ¡°Anyway¡­well, I guess I should check with the other two.¡±


    He took a deep breath. ¡°Risti, Nero! Did you two pack up and read the information Claud compiled for us? We¡¯re leaving today.¡±


    Their battle paused for a moment, and Risti turned to Schwarz. ¡°Are we really in that much of a rush?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I¡¯ve received reports that there are a lot of teams headed over to Celestia too. It¡¯s a treasure trove, but if we¡¯re too late, what we¡¯ll have left are dregs. Anyway, the shadow in Claud¡¯s room has also urged us to head there too, and Dia¡¯s words make a lot of sense. We¡¯re unlikely to complete our fifth mana circuit anytime soon, so we may as well get stronger artefacts instead.¡±


    Risti visibly wavered, and Dia intuitively understood why she was so hesitant. Risti was clinging on to the possibility that her father might turn around over the next few days, and she didn¡¯t want to abandon even that possibility.


    ¡°I think it¡¯ll be nice if we had someone to man this fortress,¡± Dia abruptly said. ¡°And the lovebirds left a shadow for us here, after all. If something happened on their side, at least we should be able to know soon enough. And if we have someone here, we can send messages to Claud and Lily.¡±


    She turned to Risti. ¡°Do you want to do that? Of course, it¡¯ll be hard for you, since you¡¯re not going with us to get some nice things, but we¡¯ll definitely bring something back for you.¡±


    Dia swept her gaze at the others, who had small, gentle smiles on their face too, and she smiled gently. There was a reason why she had grown to love the Moon Lo¡ª the Seekers of Life ¡ª and it wasn¡¯t because of the alcohol. Rather, it was the way that everyone seemed to care about each other in their own ways. Risti, who had done a great deal, was now on the receiving end of their little kindnesses, but Dia knew that this would continue on and on.


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    For a moment, Dia could empathise with her mission. Indeed, if she could preserve the Seekers of Life forever¡­


    ¡°Can I?¡± Risti asked, her voice filled with hope. ¡°Can I really just stay behind? Won¡¯t you guys need me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I think it¡¯ll be best if you wait here too. We can¡¯t have too big of a group, and I¡¯m counting on you to become a septa-folder as soon as possible. We need artefacts, but you¡¯re also one of our most gifted folders, so¡­¡±


    ¡°You better be a hexa-folder when we get back, to sum it up. You have enough lifespan, right?¡± Dia asked, a grin on her face. ¡°Without us to distract you, you¡¯ll be able to rise in strength really quickly, yes?¡±


    ¡°¡­Challenge accepted!¡± Fire burned in her eyes. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see you guys soon. Don¡¯t stay there too long, okay? I¡¯m sure the Trial of Aeons might involve something huge, and the Celestia Ruins¡­may be its first target.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Farah asked, curious.


    Risti had a troubled look on her face. ¡°That¡¯s what my dad said, but he was also not too sure. Something about the Celestia Ruins not being part of the new cycle or something.¡±


    Dia nearly twitched in surprised, and her eyes lingered on the mission that had popped up in her status when the Trial of Aeons started. In fact, Risti¡¯s father had gotten it right ¡ª the world wanted the Celestia Ruins gone, and she was apparently their agent.


    [Mission: Pursuit of the Truth


    Mission Introduction: When the world was first created, a shattered fragment of another universe tore into our reality, disrupting the harmony of the five grand skies. It has wrought calamity after calamity, altering the nature of the cycle. This cannot be permitted to happen again. However, before it is destroyed, it is imperative to understand the cause of Celestia¡¯s destruction. As the Salvation Star, this duty has been passed down to you.


    Mission Requirements: Discover the truth of the Celestia Ruins.


    Mission Rewards: <Skill: Aeon Fold>


    Additional Remarks: The mission will only end when you leave the Celestia Ruins.]


    It was a bit scary to know that Risti¡¯s father got it right, but what was this truth that the world¡­the five grand skies were seeking? What did they want to find out? Whatever the case, this was one of the reasons why Dia had supported the idea of an expedition to the Celestia Ruins. The skill, Aeon Fold, was definitely something related to the Trial of Aeons, and Dia did not want to miss out on that, whatever it was.


    She looked at the others, before feeling a bit bad. It was impossible for her to tell them that she needed to investigate the Celestia Ruins; anything related to the Salvation Star could not be heard by them.


    After apologising to them in her heart, she said, ¡°When are we going to move out? After breakfast?¡±


    ¡°We finish breakfast, clean up this place, and then head out.¡± Nero turned to Risti. ¡°You¡¯ll have to stand guard here.¡±


    The emphasis he placed on those words seemed a bit unnatural to Dia, but the others didn¡¯t notice. In other words, Nero just dumped his anti-Limbo duties onto Risti in the name of seeking out Celestia.


    There really wasn¡¯t much Dia could do about it, though, but now that she had a closer look at Nero¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re quite eager about the Celestia Ruins, huh?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Of course I am,¡± Nero replied. ¡°It drifts from continent to continent, and is literally indestructible on the outside. Therefore, the ruins make for a perfect wine cellar, and if I can think up such a thing, other real alcohol connoisseurs would also have the same thoughts too. Right, Schwarz?¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha ha¡­uh, how did you guess?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, anyone who thinks the same way as I do would think of such a thing too.¡± An arrogant smile curled his lips, and Dia shook her head. It was a shame that Nero was actually a sober alcoholic; Dia had the feeling that he would hate drinking if he actually suffered from hangovers or something.


    She turned to Farah, who was looking a bit excited too. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Farah asked. ¡°It¡¯s profit, duh. I haven¡¯t forgotten the fact that someone became really rich due to a recipe. If I can snag something neat from the Celestia Ruins and mass-produce it in my county, I¡¯ll be rolling in lifestones in no time at all. And there¡¯s definitely treasure in them ruins, yes? I can¡¯t wait.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Schwarz cleared his throat. ¡°Let¡¯s stop fantasising for now. We need to plan our route properly. Claud and Lily left us a lot of details and information about the ruins, but it seems to me that they flew there or something.¡±


    ¡°Flew there?¡± Farah asked. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°Because they didn¡¯t have any information about the Marsh of Remembrance,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°It¡¯s the only way to enter the Celestia Ruins if you can¡¯t fly.¡±


    ¡°¡­Makes sense, yes. We¡¯ll need to gather information about those things, then,¡± Farah muttered. ¡°And there are people coming here from all over the world, yes?¡±


    ¡°We can assume so,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°We need to be very swift and careful about our next steps¡­but first, let¡¯s have breakfast.¡±


    Dia twitched once. ¡°Did you really need to create a weird mood?¡±


    ¡°Food helps one think. I don¡¯t think I did anything wrong¡­Nero, pass me that bottle.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. You really are weird¡­¡±

 Chapter 493: The Star and the Ruins

    The Marsh of Remembrance was close to Lostfon County, but it was a real shame that they wouldn¡¯t be visiting the county. On the way there, Dia had spotted quite a few mercenary groups heading the same way, and it was with a rather restless atmosphere that the Seekers of Life arrived at the marsh itself.


    Mud squelched under their boots as Dia and the others stopped at the edge of the marsh.


    ¡°Interesting, isn¡¯t it?¡± Nero asked. ¡°Apparently, anywhere the Celestia Ruins drift to turns into marshland. Even cities, built up of stone and bricks. And of course, you get weird red rectangles floating around.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Dia consulted the notes that Claud and Lily had left behind. However, their visit there started at some place called the ISV Carpark or whatever, which was apparently a graveyard for metal coffins. These metal coffins were also massive dangers; metal coffins moving at fast speeds would tear through the roads and the streets of the ruins, killing all they rammed into.


    There were other dangers they needed to look out for too, but there was one major problem with their notes. The lovebirds¡¯ foray did not use the conventional method, which was through the passageways, so¡­


    ¡°Now we need to figure out how to find a passageway.¡± Schwarz, who was oblivious to Dia¡¯s concerns, stated the thoughts in her mind perfectly. ¡°Fortunately, I¡¯ve already done my homework. Follow me.¡±


    ¡°What did you find?¡± Farah asked. ¡°And how?¡±


    ¡°I checked using the key tool of the Profiteers, the Trading Board,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Bought some information by exchanging it with stuff written down in Claud¡¯s notes.¡±


    ¡°Did Claud allow you to do that?¡± Farah asked. ¡°You know, permissions and everything.¡±


    ¡°He scribbled it down,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°And Lily added something about copyright fees. I swear, these two are just bouncing fun ideas off each other, because Claud promptly added something else in the margins.¡±


    ¡°What did he add?¡±


    ¡°Something about a usage fee.¡± Schwarz sighed. ¡°It¡¯s like we¡¯re renting his little notebook. It¡¯s funny, I suppose, and to top it off, he wants us to pay him one very good round of drinks from me. It¡¯s as if he doesn¡¯t drink them for free, shockingly enough.¡±


    Everyone else laughed, and the merry atmosphere persisted for a few minutes. However, even at the edge of the marsh, Dia could already see three separate teams of mercenaries scouring the place and vanishing into the muddy undergrowth. The passages to the Celestia Ruins were said to be found deep in the marshlands, and only existed for three or so minutes before falling apart. Looking for them was one thing; stepping through them was an entirely different thing in terms of difficulty¡­


    ¡°Anyway,¡± said Schwarz, ¡°I¡¯ll brief you guys on what to expect first. These rectangles will bring us to a weird room. When you reappear, you¡¯ll be standing on red platforms, enclosed in a metal bird cage. There¡¯s a door leading outside; step through them immediately.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Nero replied. ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Get off that platform. We¡¯ll all appear in the same room, but if we dally on that platform, there¡¯s a chance that someone else would be sent up here. Two bodies in the same space¡­you might be able to guess what happens next.¡±


    His hands closed up into a ball, before splaying over in a fairly graphic description of what would happen.


    ¡°Yikes,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°But I feel like trying that out for some reason¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no, I think not. If you don¡¯t value your life,¡± said Farah, ¡°you can consider selling yourself into my service as a dedicated protector of Farah County. That¡¯s going be a better use of your life, if you really feel like throwing it away.¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯ll think about that.¡±


    ¡°Alright, enough. You guys, check that you have at least three barriers up,¡± Schwarz directed. ¡°Nero, you take point. Farah, Dia, bring up the rearguard and look for red splotches of light. I¡¯ll focus on discovering any mercenaries who may have other ideas.¡±


    With the division of labour settled, Dia took up her position next to Farah and followed the others into the marshlands proper. Nero, who was brandishing his weapon randomly, tore a path through the undergrowth, one wide enough for three people holding hands to walk through. Animals fled at his approach, and fallen brambles lined the path around them.


    ¡°See?¡± Schwarz said. ¡°So much more convenient. Once Nero is tired, we¡¯ll swap over and over again. Let¡¯s hope that we find the stupid passage first, though.¡±


    A burst of red light caught Dia¡¯s attention a moment later, and she pointed at it. ¡°There!¡±


    ¡°Nero, you¡¯re up!¡±


    Mana gushed out of the Black God¡¯s Holy Son a moment later, and the ground shook as a storm of mana barrelled in the direction of the red light. Dirt flew, churned up by the sheer violence behind Nero¡¯s movements, and without any further urging, Dia and the others charged towards the passageway.


    Shadows flickered at the same time, and multiple clusters of mana flared up, each of them representing a mercenary group. It was a means of intimidation, and if the receiving party was weaker¡­


    Unfortunately for everyone else present, the Seekers of Life were at least tetra-folders.


    Schwarz cackled. ¡°Everyone, it¡¯s time to show off. Drive your mana circuits!¡±


    The air rippled as Dia called on her full might, and the multiple teams, who were made up of tri-folders or below, withdrew their presences a heartbeat later. In that moment of respite, Dia and the others plunged into the red rectangle, and the air around them howled triumphantly.


    Something soft wrapped around Dia a moment later, and with a sensation of being plucked out by some gardener, she reappeared in a weird room. Standing on a weird, red platform, Dia looked at the metal cage with an open door that surrounded the elevated platform, before stepping through the gap hurriedly.


    Schwarz¡¯s little demonstration of what happened when someone was teleported into someone else was a bit too graphic for her liking, after all.


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Schwarz made a noise in his throat. ¡°We¡¯re still in safe territory, so relax a bit. I¡¯ve obtained a small map of the place, and we¡¯re going to piece it together with the map that Lily drew up too.¡±


    ¡°And what do we do in the meantime?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Can we help somehow?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you guys more about it once we find a room,¡± he replied, before nodding to himself.


    With a single gesture, Schwarz led everyone out of the room. From the looks of it, they seemed to be in some kind of facility dedicated to rooms housing those elevated platforms, and as they walked down the main hallway, another group walked out of one such room.


    Tension filled the air for a moment as Dia and the others regarded the newcomers, and in some silent accord, both groups moved away from each other. The other side was a group of fellows wearing metal armour, a total of three people, and their faces were covered.


    Despite the difference in demeanour, Dia knew that Schwarz had no intention of causing conflict where possible. Judging from the other side¡¯s equipment, Dia was fairly certain that they were weaker in terms of mana circuits and overall artefacts, and the numbers difference made it clear. However, Schwarz had made it clear beforehand ¡ª even the weakest team, when placed at the right spot, could do a lot of damage.


    He didn¡¯t have any desire to be tripped up by his own actions, something that Dia heartily agreed with.


    After a few more tense moments, the other party gestured for them to leave first. Dia nodded at them, along with the rest, and they continued on down the hallway. Fortunately, there weren¡¯t anymore such incidents after that little incident, and Dia soon found herself in a fairly huge hall. At the end of the hall was the entrance out, but there were also multiple rooms that were joined to the hall itself.


    ¡°Let¡¯s occupy one room first. Dia, Nero, you two won¡¯t be doing anything in the first few minutes, so set up the defences. Farah, you¡¯re probably someone who has a lot of experience reading maps, so use one of Risti¡¯s Skyward Eye skillstrips and sketch the locality. Nero, you will compare the map Farah draws with the one in my hand now and see if there¡¯s any difference. Dia, you¡¯ll handle defences; if anyone walks inside, kill them.¡±


    Dia drew her sword. ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get down to the defences first then,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°Pass me that Divider¡­¡±


    After pulling out a bunch of Dome Shields to make her life easy, Dia sat down next to the doorway, weapon at hand. Everyone was being extra-cautious due to the presence of so many competing teams; if they had visited earlier¡­


    She glanced at the others, who were already working on things, and then remembered that one¡¯s Status in the Celestia Ruins would change. It was quite fascinating, apparently, and without much ado, Dia opened her Status page.


    The changes were¡­quite surprising, if nothing else.

 Chapter 494: Entering the ruins

    From the stuff the two lovebirds left behind, and from Schwarz¡¯s own information, Dia knew that the Status would change the moment she stepped into Celestia. She hadn¡¯t quite expected to see such¡­changes, though.


    [Name: Dia Lyceria de Lustre (NPC)


    Class: Salvation Star (Tier-8, Innate),


    Class Mastery: 0%


    Energy Rank: D


    EXP to next rank: <Error: Translation Failure>


    EXP stored: <Error: Translation Failure>


    Physical Modifier: 8750 (<class_mod = 35> * <rank_mod = 250>)


    Energy Modifier: 3200 (<class_mod = 12.8> *<rank_mod= 250>)


    HP: ?/? (??? * <class_mod = 35> * <rank_mod = 250>)


    Energy: ?/? (??? * <class_mod = 12.8> * <rank_mod = 250>)


    Active Skills: Sword Dance (8), Sword Sense (8), Sword Roar (6), Fated Sword (3), Sword Fall (3), Perfect Domain of Swords (2)


    Passive Skills: Heightened Senses, Fighter¡¯s Intuition, Foreseer¡¯s Eye, Introspection, Projectile Evasion, Lifeforce Manipulation


    Tat????: ???


    Comments: <Error: Translation Failure>]


    Dia stared at her Status once again, her eyes scanning through the whole thing as she tried to figure out what Celestia¡¯s specialty was like. A few things had been made known to her, thanks to Schwarz, so her work wasn¡¯t all that hard. For instance, the two modifiers ¡ª Physical Modifier and Energy Modifier ¡ª represented her physical ability and her mana if she pushed herself to the absolute limits.


    It was a bit startling to find out that she was approximately ten thousand times stronger than the usual average person on the street, if this thing was to be believed. However, there was one major problem.


    The two modifiers weren¡¯t supposed to have a number. In fact, the Class bit should have been filled up with the same error that seemed to be everywhere in her Status. In other words, for some reason, the Salvation Star passive skill had turned into her class.


    Did that mean that she was actually stronger here? Dia rubbed her head, and then flexed her arms. Indeed, her mana was very, very active, and she had the feeling that if she really pushed it, houses were probably going to break in front of her¡­


    ¡°How¡¯s the progress?¡± Schwarz asked, a bunch of notes in his hand.


    ¡°I¡¯ve managed to draw a connection between the lovebirds¡¯ map and our own,¡± Farah replied. ¡°It seems that there¡¯s a common district. We¡¯re currently in the Civilian Teleportation District, and there¡¯s a nice pavement from this district to the ISV Carpark 1A cemetery that Claud mentioned in his notes. Lily notes that they only explored in one direction, though, and that¡¯s from the cemetery to the central administrative building or something.¡±


    ¡°The Misul Secretary-General Building,¡± Schwarz corrected. ¡°That¡¯s the full name of the place. Anyway, they¡¯ve already mapped out a route from the cemetery to the secretary-general building, so we¡¯ll use that route instead.¡±


    ¡°Ok. The connecting pavement between the Civilian Transportation District to the cemetery is around three kilometres. We¡¯ll get that quickly enough,¡± Farah added. ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°Check for other mercenary teams in the vicinity,¡± Schwarz added. ¡°And see if there are any of them headed in our direction¡­you know what? Dia, when we move you, you¡¯re to carry Farah. Farah will give us updates on the situation as needed.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Dia blinked. ¡°Uh, okay.¡±


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    ¡°Nero and I will handle the issue of security and everything,¡± Schwarz added. ¡°Any questions, anyone?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine here,¡± Nero replied, a touch of excitement in his words.


    ¡°I¡¯m the only one who¡¯s being carried, though¡­¡± Farah rubbed her cheeks. ¡°It¡¯s a bit embarrassing for some reason.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine.¡± Schwarz chuckled. ¡°And you two are women anyway. It¡¯s better than getting us men to carry you, right? Besides, I want to save on our mana usage. While it¡¯s safer if Dia carried you with mana or something, I prefer if we do things physically for now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re friends. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll make that much of a distinction,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Besides, if something happens to you two, I¡¯m more than happy to carry you guys too, really.¡±


    ¡°Nice to know, but you¡¯re a noble.¡± Schwarz paused. ¡°I mean, even if you barely behave like a stereotypical one. I wouldn¡¯t want an incident where you get a fianc¨¦, and said fianc¨¦ says something about dirty peasants¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill such a person first, so no worries.¡± Farah cackled. ¡°Anyway, should we check in on Count Lostfon afterwards? Nightfall and Caroline don¡¯t want a matrimony ceremony, so we can¡¯t really give them stuff, but news about her parents should be good, right?¡±


    ¡°You mean, after we return?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°It¡¯s not that far, so I think it¡¯s fine, really. Still, Lostfon is in Dark territory. We¡¯re contracted partners of the Moons. There¡¯s a rather huge element of danger, considering that the Lesser Half is apparently residing in the Lostfon Palace.¡±


    Farah clicked her teeth. ¡°That sucks.¡±


    ¡°I know, but safety first, right?¡± Schwarz shook his head. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ve rested enough, I think. Drink up one last time, and let¡¯s hit the road.¡±


    After dismantling the barriers and taking a glug from her water canteen, Dia and the others headed out of the huge facility. Glancing once at the black sky above, Dia passed through the huge gate that had the words ¡®Civilian Teleportation District¡¯ shining on it.


    ¡°This sky¡­it¡¯s quite different from our night sky.¡± Nero let out a sigh.


    ¡°So it is. Lily mentioned that when they were travelling here, they saw a¡­world below this place. This place was apparently a floating city before the ruination that struck Celestia occurred,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°The way you phrased that last sentence is odd.¡± Nero made a noise in his throat. ¡°What¡¯s with that?¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s better if you see it yourself, apparently. I am just parroting what Lily wrote in the notes,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Dia, who was carrying Farah on her back, shifted slightly. ¡°If you¡¯re not comfortable, do let me know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Farah replied. ¡°There are eight mercenary teams around us, but they¡¯re too far away that we shouldn¡¯t be in visual range.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Keep us updated if you spot any changes,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Our first goal is the cemetery that the two lovebirds mentioned.¡±


    Their quiet steps echoed out as Dia carried Farah down the pavement. Nero and Schwarz had aligned themselves to her northeast and southwest respectively, taking up two vectors of defence. Half-transparent metal coffins, which reminded Dia of the Mana Wagon for some reason, rumbled down the road next to the pavement at extreme speeds.


    If the notes and rumours were true, getting smacked by one of these things would be fatal, no matter what happened.


    ¡°We need to follow the lights. Green is for us to proceed, and anything else is danger,¡± Schwarz instructed.


    ¡°Other than that, it seems quite peaceful around those parts,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Not really. There are¡­ghostly things all around us,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°According to my contacts, these are beings that perished in the calamity that struck this place. They¡­seem to be in an odd state. If you pay attention to them, they become more real; if you ignore them, they are completely harmless.¡±


    ¡°How does that work?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°The principle of observation,¡± Nero replied. ¡°It¡¯s one of the lesser-known doctrines of my Lord. Things exist because we acknowledge their existence. I think, therefore I am¡­it is but an extension of this to phenomenon elsewhere. One¡¯s thoughts can affect reality, even without the power of mana.¡±


    Farah shifted on Dia¡¯s back. ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°Even you¡¯re interested?¡± Nero asked. ¡°Hmm. Well, there was a weird case. A man was convinced by a conman that he was dying. Even though he was around twenty years of age and in the pink of health, within a year of that ploy ¡ª a very successful one at that ¡ª the young man¡¯s body weakened and wasted away.¡±


    A chilly tone permeated his words. ¡°The autopsy showed that he was perfectly fine, and he had died for no apparent reason.¡±


    ¡°¡­Just like that?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Just like that.¡± Nero shook his head. ¡°Words and thoughts, while seemingly transient, really can¡­result in the affirmation or denial of phenomena. And it applies to these shades too. Please do remember that, going forward. The will to live can ignore death, even if for transient moments.¡±


    ¡°And these moments are enough to turn a spark into a blazing flame, I suppose.¡±


    Nero glanced at Dia. ¡°As expected of a seasoned fighter and bodyguard. Desperation, desire and obsession are the strongest parts of a human¡¯s mind. They drive people do great things, terrible things¡­¡±


    Dia turned her eyes away from a little transparent child that was tottering along the road. ¡°Yes. Indeed. Right, can we manawalk our way to the secretary-general building? I don¡¯t want to¡­stay here too long.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to use up some mana, but I suppose it¡¯s going to be more helpful in the long run¡­the only issue is Farah, really. But again, I do think it¡¯s better if we get to the secretary-general building first. The plaza in front of it is quite a defensible place, and if Claud¡¯s words are to be believed¡­it¡¯s also a place one can live in.¡±


    The details of a certain mission danced around Dia¡¯s mind, and she chuckled awkwardly. ¡°Yeah¡­that¡¯s probably not the best idea. Just saying.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°No reason in particular, really¡­¡±


    ¡°How suspicious.¡±

 Chapter 495: Pushing onwards

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    Once they arrived at the ISV Carpark 1A, which definitely looked like a graveyard to Dia too, the way onwards was quite easily. The two pioneers that were probably holding hands when they forged onwards had mapped down the route ahead, as well as the dangers that they faced.


    Their goal was quite simple. Dia and the others mainly wanted to get to the plaza in front of the secretary-general building, since it was a safe open space with a lot of amenities. Apparently, there was a bathroom there, as well as a nearby farm where plants grew¡­


    As for why there were such things?


    That was the million-platinum question that no one could answer, so Dia wasn¡¯t going to waste more of her attention on foolish things like this. Rather, she wanted to complete the mission that the world had given her ¡ª to witness the end of this world.


    It was a weird request, but there was a high chance that they wanted to see it through her somehow. Dia was quite sure that she had turned into a conduit of sorts for the five grand skies and whatever, and the powers that reigned up high wanted to see the end for themselves¡­probably. After all, a bit of digging around for information would reveal that the Celestia Ruins were destroyed by three immense powers.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Schwarz asked.


    Farah, who was still hitching a ride on Dia¡¯s back, moved slightly. ¡°Who, me?¡±


    ¡°Not you, you¡¯re busy. I¡¯m talking about Dia,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°You look very distracted.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll probably rupture your eardrums if I reply, so no.¡±


    ¡°No, you won¡¯t,¡± Nero cut in. ¡°Authority doesn¡¯t seem to work here¡­partially, at least. I¡¯m not too sure about the details, but Claud apparently tried to experiment with random bullshit. To a certain extent, he was able to reveal truths to Lily, but he stopped the moment he felt a touch of danger.¡±


    ¡°So how does that work?¡±


    ¡°Some fragmented consciousness of this world, probably,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I¡¯m hedging this really badly, but there is a certain possibility that this set of ruins can resist the influence of the outside world. As long as you don¡¯t reveal too much or too sensitive data, the ruins can stop weaker punishments.¡±


    ¡°Really now?¡± Dia raised an eyebrow. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll try. I want to see the end of the Celestia Ruins because I¡¯ve been offered a mission. The five grand skies intend to destroy the Celestia Ruins afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m still fine¡­¡± Schwarz¡¯s voice trailed off. ¡°Sorry, destroy the what?¡±


    ¡°The Celestia Ruins,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Yeap. Apparently, the ruins were never meant to be here, and as the world moves on to a new cy¡ª¡±


    A deathly chill flooded her nerves instantly, and her instincts took over, screaming madly at the same time. Every part of her body was warning Dia that if she continued that sentence, she would be killed, body and soul ¡ª even the Celestia Ruins could not save her.


    Her sudden movements didn¡¯t go unnoticed either, but other than the premonition of complete annihilation, nothing else happened to her.


    ¡°Are you fine?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Dia wiped her forehead with her left forearm, before letting out a breath. ¡°It was just a premonition of instant death if I completed my sentence.¡±


    ¡°You sound far too light-hearted, though¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much,¡± Dia replied, her eyes on the translucent moving coffin-like carriages. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you say so, then.¡± Schwarz looked at her again. ¡°Sound off if you don¡¯t feel fine. And don¡¯t worry about the surroundings. Just make sure you keep Farah on your back.¡±


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    ¡°Right, Farah. I forgot about her.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing, because I can¡¯t feel much of your weight. Or any at all,¡± Dia replied. ¡°This means that you¡¯re light, or I¡¯m strong enough that I can carry an adult woman and not feel anything. Both are good results, right?¡±


    ¡°What kind of warped argument is that?¡± Farah muttered. ¡°But you¡¯re right, I suppose. If I¡¯m this light, maybe I should binge on more unhealthy food. I mean, to begin with, mana-folders don¡¯t really grow fat. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m very used to watching my diet.¡±


    ¡°Eat freely, I tell you.¡± Dia adjusted Farah¡¯s body. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s continue on.¡±


    After a few more minutes of mana-walking and stopping to obey the weird lights, the four of them found themselves at an impossibly huge wall. A glance at it told Dia that those walls were probably quite flimsy; for something to be this tall, they had to be built in a particular manner.


    If she didn¡¯t get it wrong, these walls were for show or something along these lines. Maybe they were actually hollow inside or something, but Dia wasn¡¯t going to break the rules here and there. A crowd of illusory people sat down on queues of moving chairs, and the frontmost person would be served by the translucent person at the counter.


    This was quite a well-crafted bait to weed out the impatient, though. Any attempt to cut the line or to spoil the peace here would be met with lethal force; apparently, there were guards here that could kill penta-folders with ease. This was simply a trap meant for impatient fools that wanted to rush to the afterlife, since the solution was very, very simple.


    One just needed to act like a civilised person.


    Without much ado, the four of them occupied one seat each. Farah had ceased her use of Skyward Eye, and was now looking at everyone else with a rather odd expression on her face, but that was probably to be expected.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± said Dia, ¡°since we have nothing to do, why not check your Statuses? You guys haven¡¯t opened them yet, right?¡±


    ¡°Right, that¡¯s something we should do too¡­¡±


    Dia watched everyone¡¯s expressions closely as they opened their own Status, and then stifled her laughter as they tried to reason with their new changes. Mostly, though, confusion was the main thing on their faces, rather than something like shock.


    ¡°So, how is it?¡±


    ¡°A bunch of translation failures and nothing much,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°Same here.¡± Schwarz made a face. ¡°Still, it¡¯s a bit shocking. I was looking at the Energy Grade bit. It seems like I¡¯m a D or something?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s me too,¡± Farah added. ¡°What about Nero? You¡¯re a hexa-folder, right?¡±


    ¡°Penta-folder,¡± Nero corrected. ¡°There¡¯s a big fat D+ sitting there in the middle¡­no, I can¡¯t advance to a hexa-folder just yet, so stop looking at me curiously, Dia. In the first place, I thought you knew I was a penta-folder?¡±


    ¡°It was always ambiguous,¡± Dia replied. ¡°And besides, I thought you advanced to a hexa-folder some time ago, but you never announced it, so I assumed you had some deeper, darker reason.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly.¡± Nero made a small snort. ¡°Still, do you guys have something under ¡®Class¡¯? Oddly enough, I do have one, contrary to the records. I¡¯m apparently a ¡®Chosen¡¯, which is a Tier-6 something.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you too?¡± Dia asked, her voice filled with joy. ¡°I have one too! Salvation Star, Tier-8. Apparently, I¡¯m really powerful or something, since my Physical Modifier says 8750.¡±


    ¡°¡­What?¡± Nero looked at her. ¡°That¡¯s nearly nine thousand¡­are you fine?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very rude way to phrase things, okay?¡± Dia replied. ¡°And it¡¯s not my fault if your numbers are smaller than mine, got it? I¡¯m very innocent here, thank you very much. You can¡¯t blame me just because I have nearly nine thousand in my Physical Modifier.¡±


    ¡°Not a very good thing for your marriage prospects, but as expected of the princess¡¯ bodyguard, I suppose.¡± Farah cackled. ¡°So, what kind of partner are you looking for? I hope you aren¡¯t looking for someone stronger than you.¡±


    ¡°Not interested in love right now, really. I think watching Lily and Claud flirt is making me swear off love or something,¡± Dia replied. ¡°They¡¯re always all over each other, and I feel like dying from sugar or something.¡±


    ¡°¡­Usually, that induces a predisposition to fall in love,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I¡¯ve done studies before on this thing. Around eight years ago, I sent out a secret order to all couples to display their affection in public. The number of people who got together afterwards shot up faster than the Moons.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­kinda scary, but okay.¡± Dia laughed dryly.


    ¡°Hmm. Or did the princess promise to get you a hunky knight as a husband?¡± Farah muttered to herself.


    ¡°Yeah, no. Just no.¡± Dia patted her head. ¡°Now, if we¡¯re done talking about this crap, let¡¯s focus on literally anything else. Like the Trial of Aeons. For some reason, I get the feeling that I should be out of this place before Phase 3 of the Trial begins.¡±


    ¡°And how do you know that?¡± Nero asked. ¡°Another mission?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It came in right before I entered the Celestia Ruins, but I haven¡¯t had the time to look at it yet,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Only skimmed through the whole thing, see?¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, and?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the mission about?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°Let me read it first,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Give me a moment¡­¡±


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 Chapter 496: Preserving the Cycle

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    ¡°That is¡­annoyingly vague,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°What are you even supposed to learn from this badly-written mission?¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Dia stared at the stupid mission that had popped up. ¡°Stop the Omen. If missions had a word budget, all of it went to everything but the freaking requirements, because this thing is telling me to throw in the towel now.¡±


    [Mission: Preserving the cycle


    Mission Introduction: The end of the cycle approaches, and with it the cessation of all life. With the blessing of the five grand skies, a new world will be formed with the foundation of the old. This new world will be one of stability, a play dedicated to the recurring season of light and darkness, a self-purifying cycle that will better the life of all within the cycle. However, the Omen seeks to shatter the lasting peace and herald infinite change, an action that will sunder providence. Stop the Omen and protect the eternal peace.


    Mission requirements: Stop the Omen from accomplishing his goals in Phase 3 of the Trial of Aeons.


    Mission reward: <Skill: Aeon Fold> is raised by a certain number of ranks, based on performance at the end of the Trial.


    Additional remarks: Failure to complete this mission will result in unfathomable consequences for all life. Be aware that you are the enemy of the Omen, a supremely powerful Bearer of Destiny that wields powers of an external providence. Death will surely follow upon discovery.]


    ¡°Stop the Omen¡­¡± Nero chuckled. ¡°Well, it¡¯s great that you can tell us things like this here. I¡¯m a bit curious, though. Why did you feel the threat of death earlier, but not for this? Is there a difference?¡±


    ¡°Maybe the five grand skies, if you push them into a corner and then ask nicely, don¡¯t really have issues with Dia spreading bad rep about the Omen,¡± Farah suggested. ¡°I mean, this Omen sounds like a bad egg just by listening to the mission introduction.¡±


    The moving seats that the four of them were perched on shifted once.


    ¡°Seems like it. I mean, the introduction itself does tell us a lot of dangerous details, but the five grand skies didn¡¯t react that strongly either,¡± Dia replied, looking at the next batch of translucent people that had been processed at the city gates. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s vague. And how am I supposed to take part in the Trial of Aeons anyway?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that particular bit. Every phase will bring in different people,¡± Nero replied. ¡°In Phase 2, the ten strongest folders in the world will be brought in. In Phase 3, the following twenty strongest folders, deducting a few spaces for special cases, will be teleported over.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°My Lord told me,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Incidentally, I¡¯ll have to take part in Phase 3¡­I suppose I¡¯ll see you there, then.¡±


    ¡°You?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the Holy Son of the Black God,¡± he replied. ¡°The Holy Daughter of the White God¡¯s going to join me too. I¡­well, there are many circumstances surrounding this, and I¡¯m not too sure what we¡¯re going to be doing there.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Okay. Good luck, I suppose.¡± Schwarz sighed. ¡°So that leaves me, Farah and Risti after a week or so.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We gotta do our stuff here quickly. Other than the Second Shadow, we also want some weapons and equipment, right?¡± Nero asked. ¡°I have my eyes on the artefact called the Energy Blade. It seems to be in an armoury some fifty-three kilometres north of the plaza, and¡ªsomething¡¯s coming!¡±


    Dia turned to the city walls as a gigantic mass of pure power fell from the skies. The ghostly people that had been standing in the queue disintegrated in that instant, and the seats that Dia and the others had been sitting on turned into dust.


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    Her body, which was still forcibly maintaining a sitting posture, straightened up.


    ¡°What in the name of the Moons¡­well, I suppose this is the disaster that struck this place.¡± Schwarz shook his head, before turning to look around. ¡°For something this destructive, it lasted only but a fraction of a second, huh. Is it even possible to defend against that?¡±


    ¡°Probably not.¡± Nero frowned. ¡°What exactly is the cause, though?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll find out soon,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Incidentally, for some reason, only this place seems to carry a remnant of the disaster. Intriguing. Do city gates have some special ability? Should I move the Farah Palace to the city gates instead? If we¡¯re unlucky and a similar disaster happens to Farah County, I¡¯ll at least live as a memory or something.¡±


    ¡°How does one move a palace to a city gate?¡± Nero asked, visibly confused.


    ¡°Well, the Farah Palace is more of a mansion,¡± Dia clarified. ¡°Anyway, more to the point, we should get going. In around ten minutes, the ghostly memories will return again.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    The four of them scuttled out of the city.


    ¡°Fortunately, we don¡¯t need to wait to leave the city afterwards,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°It would have been a major pain if we needed to wait again or something.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    The rest of the road was filled with the same old hazards that the four of them had gotten used to. Farah, however, had activated another Skyward Eye, just to check for any impudent groups that may have thought that the Seekers of Life were good targets.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite crowded, the plaza,¡± Farah warned. ¡°There are at least five camps there already, and there are still a lot of people moving in. Before long, I think someone would hammer out a code of conduct or something.¡±


    Nero clicked his teeth.


    ¡°Now, now.¡± Schwarz laid a hand on the Holy Son¡¯s shoulder. ¡°The fact that there are a lot of people means that it¡¯s quite safe there. If we keep our guard up at all times, the numbers will be our friend. However, this means that we might need to leave someone behind to guard the base¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I don¡¯t have any reason to witness the end, and I don¡¯t think I want to do so either. But I demand a share of the treasures.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Nero replied. ¡°How about you guys?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine here,¡± Dia added.


    ¡°One condition,¡± Schwarz said. ¡°You¡¯ll need to spend the time drawing your fifth and sixth mana circuits. It¡¯ll be nice if you can turn into our trump card for when we leave this place and are ambushed by some bandits, see?¡±


    ¡°I was already intending on doing that,¡± Farah replied quietly. ¡°My people need a strong leader, a leader that they¡¯ve never had before. If news about me being a hexa-folder spreads, no one would dare to do anything to Farah County even if I¡¯m absent.¡±


    ¡°And you have to be absent, since opportunities are found in perilous lands?¡±


    ¡°No, not really. It¡¯s just that being with you guys are safer,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I¡¯ve slogged away my childhood for the county. I demand my period of rest, and to be honest, any obligation I may have had was returned a few times over already. I¡¯m just here for the same reason why Claud fights so hard now.¡±


    ¡°The same reason?¡±


    ¡°I want to keep living.¡± Farah made a face. ¡°Surprising, right? But recent events have convinced me about the importance of strength. Absolute Terror, for instance¡­or the clashes between the Dark and the Moons. You know¡­never mind. Come on, let¡¯s continue on. I¡¯ll keep a watch out.¡±


    The secretary-general building soon came into view, and Dia sucked in a breath. The structure was huge, to the point that it shouldn¡¯t have been possible. She had been to Grandis Palace just once, and this building literally dwarfed the freaking palace. To add insult to injury, a good amount of the Grandis Palace was just for show ¡ª literally unusable, like stupidly thin spires and weird juking bits, but¡­


    ¡°People worked on every single level?¡± Farah asked. ¡°What is this made of? What building material even allows for such a construct? Come on. Even the Grandis Palace looks like a doghouse next to this.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Dia clicked her teeth. ¡°Claud clearly never visited a duke¡¯s palace before. How can the Lustre Palace compare to this? And it¡¯s a perfect cylinder to boot. No pyramid buttresses or deep foundations¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you two specialise in architecture?¡± Nero asked. ¡°You two are quite¡­familiar with the topic, from what I can see.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s natural,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I¡¯m a noble, and Dia spent her lifetime beside the princess. We learned to appreciate the fine arts¡­probably, I think. I can¡¯t say the same for Dia.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I learned about fine architecture too,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Anyway¡­this thing shouldn¡¯t be standing, should it?¡±


    ¡°Precisely my thoughts too. But it seems stable enough¡­¡±


    As the two of them continued to wonder about the materials used in the building¡¯s construction, everyone soon drew close to the plaza that was said to be a good place for explorers. They weren¡¯t alone either; quite a few teams had just arrived too.


    A mad rush to claim a spot soon ensued.


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 Chapter 497: The ruins, continued

    Three teams of mercenaries made funny noises as a dome went up all around Dia, and she heaved a small sigh as the unfriendly-looking fellows dispersed. Once again, Claud¡¯s description about a deserted, empty plaza was wrong ¡ª there were ten or so ¡®villas¡¯ that had sprouted in the plaza. At the very centre, next to the public washrooms, a small trade fair had popped up, where mercenaries engaged in barter trade and other things.


    ¡°These people must have been camping elsewhere,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°But what draws them here?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s easy to spot. Tall, circular building.¡± Farah squatted down and started to set up a bunch of barriers. ¡°You know how it¡¯s like. Anyway, you three go ahead first. I¡¯ll set up the house, as planned.¡±


    ¡°Sorry to bother you,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°But you know, gotta get some good stuff. I hear there¡¯s a carry limit of sorts, but even with that, innumerable years have passed. Some things must be running out by now.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Just remember to take some for me too, yes?¡±


    ¡°Of course. And I¡¯ll whip you up a good drink afterwards too.¡± Schwarz gestured at the building. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Dia glanced at Nero, who nodded once in return. Without any further hesitation, the two of them followed after the bartender, who had taken out a bunch of artefacts and was hanging them all over his body.


    ¡°Here, these two are for you guys. They¡¯re very¡­powerful artefacts. One-use only, but if you are ever in mortal danger, it¡¯ll save you,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Of course, try not to activate them where possible. We¡¯re following Claud¡¯s instructions here, which means whatever he did to get up to the top, we can accomplish too. Did you guys read the plan?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already looked through it,¡± Dia replied.


    Nero bobbed his head at the same time, before saying, ¡°Still, it¡¯s a bit odd. That vision at the top¡­if you see it, Dia, does that mean the ruins will be destroyed immediately?¡±


    ¡°No. The five grand skies always intended to get rid of it,¡± Dia replied. ¡°They just want to see what actually happened there, and I¡¯m their¡­intermediary, it seems. That¡¯s all to it.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Nero patted his chest. ¡°With our luck, the Celestia Ruins would only be destroyed a few hundred years from now.¡±


    ¡°A few hundred?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The Trial of Aeons is a Festival of Creation. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to be ready in a century or so,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about the details, though. Most of it is what my Lord tells me, that¡¯s all. So don¡¯t go looking at me with googly eyes and eager faces, because I also don¡¯t know all that much.¡±


    ¡°Uh, okay.¡± Dia withdrew her googly eyes and eager face, before turning to the brightly lit entrance. ¡°We¡¯re here, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°We, and a lot of people. Is this really going to be okay? Claud¡¯s notes were taken when there were far less people,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°Damn it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be easier,¡± Nero replied. ¡°See? Someone has used a Sea-Queller...a lot of Sea-Quellers, in fact. We won¡¯t need to use ours now¡­¡±


    The three of them ascended to the second floor, which Claud had described as dangerous. Space on the second floor was warped or something, which would create massive dangers for anyone hoping to cross. The Sea-Queller that Claud had left for them could stabilise space for ten seconds, but so many people had used them at the staircase leading up to the second floor that for a moment, it felt like the danger had resolved itself completely.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go before something stupid happens,¡± Nero urged.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The rest of the way up was a lot more peaceful, but Dia knew that this was just an outward fa?ade. Apparently, the Celestia Ruins had their own laws, their own cycles, and some traps and dangers would be active or inactive depending on factors that no one knew about. That was why certain traps and dangers would be active, while others weren¡¯t.


    The staircase¡­well, Dia called it a staircase, but it was probably a work of art that just allowed people to climb up. Every level had twelve rooms, and they were spaced so equally that a dizzying symmetry was created. A look was enough for Dia to feel slightly dizzy, and the twelve-pointed star that was at the very middle just made it so much worse.


    Before long, the crowd heading to the top began to dwindle. Some of them had broken off to explore the other floors. Dia, from Claud and Lily¡¯s records, knew that the two had explored the lower floors and tried to take out a bunch of stuff, but there were immense dangers in doing so. However, it also meant that there were probably quite a few useful items there.


    As they arrived at the top floor, a bunch of screams echoed around the lobby. Two people ran towards them, their faces twisted by fear and insanity, but before they could reach the staircase, smoke began to rise from their bodies. Before Dia¡¯s eyes, the two fleeing men turned into drifting ash, leaving behind no evidence of their existence.


    Dia felt her heart skip a beat, and she took a step back.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Nero¡¯s face twisted. ¡°Well. That¡­was something that was noted in the rumours, anyway. But to see it happening in front of me is an entirely different thing, though.¡±


    ¡°Passing this last trial is rather easy,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°We just need to stand our ground.¡±


    ¡°Surely the others must know that too,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say why those two fled, though. It is a deadly threat to those who are unaware¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless they really didn¡¯t know?¡± Nero suggested.


    ¡°Possible, but that¡¯s¡­maybe they were schemed against,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Well, we¡¯re here. What should we do next?¡±


    Schwarz watched on as a trio of mercenaries decided to try their luck next. Confidence emanating off them, their leader reached out and pushed on the door. Their bodies froze up a moment later, and Dia watched with bated breath, watching as the three mercenaries beheld the vision attached to the door.


    Minutes ticked by as everyone else watched the trio. None of them seemed like they were about to flee, however, and Dia felt a small smile twist her face as they eventually continued on to the room beyond.


    ¡°Alright, it seems that the two who died were just extra-special,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Shall we, then?¡±


    Schwarz looked around, and then nodded. ¡°Better now than later. Come on!¡±


    He beckoned for them to follow, and the small crowd of mercenaries gazed at Dia and the others, their gazes escorting them and egging them onwards.


    ¡°Now?¡± Nero whispered.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s a lot more dangerous otherwise,¡± Dia replied. ¡°There¡¯s still a lot of people here. Anyone who has bad intentions wouldn''t strike yet, but the second-last group here will be in far greater danger, since the final group behind them¡­basically, Schwarz is being cynical here, okay?¡±


    ¡°As expected of a professional body double.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks, whatever.¡± Dia rolled her eyes.


    The three of them stopped in front of the door, and the watching mercenaries seemed to hold their breath in that instant. Schwarz glanced at Dia, and then at Nero, before saying, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. It won¡¯t hurt you at all.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Naturally. Who do you think you¡¯re talking to?¡±


    ¡°¡­Do you still want me to supply you free drinks?¡± Schwarz asked, eyeing the uppity Holy Son. ¡°If so, just humour me.¡±


    ¡°Fine, whatever. Do it.¡±


    As the two bickered on, Dia examined the door and the room it led to. On the lower levels, the central part of the building had a twelve-pointed star, with each end leading to a door each. The top floor, however, had no such star. Where the star once was, however, was now a crystalline dome that shimmered gently.


    In other words, the dome itself was the actual office of the Secretary-General. Dia couldn¡¯t even begin to conceive the sheer wealth and economic ability of this place; creating huge buildings and creating an entire dome out of what seemed to be precious gems and whatnot required an economic capacity that probably put Grandis¡¯ own to shame.


    She shook her head. ¡°Guys, stop arguing.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not arguing,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°We¡¯re just trying to get rid of the tension here, you know. It¡¯s so sharp that I¡¯ll be able to cut some meat with it.¡±


    ¡°She has a point, though.¡± Nero gestured at the others. ¡°They¡¯re waiting for us.¡±


    ¡°Well, they can keep waiting¡­is what I want to say, but Dia¡¯s right, I suppose.¡± Schwarz stretched his arms and hands dramatically. ¡°Shall we begin, then?¡±


    ¡°No issue here. I¡¯ve been wanting to see this for myself too,¡± Nero replied. ¡°You can start whenever.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get on with it,¡± Dia added. ¡°Schwarz, if you¡¯d handle the honours¡­¡±


    ¡°What kind of dubious honour is this supposed to be?¡± Schwarz asked, letting out a sigh. ¡°Well then, here goes nothing.¡±


    Darkness filled Dia¡¯s vision a moment later.

 Chapter 498: The end of another world

    The first thing that Dia saw in the uncompromising darkness was a yellow globe of light. It looked familiar to her for some reason, and as small specks of starlight appeared in her vision, a small realisation struck her.


    That yellow ball of fire¡­was a sun, suspended in the middle of a ring. The outer side of the ring was shimmering with a faint silver light, while the interior of the ring had splotches of blue and green.


    ¡°This ring¡­¡± Dia sucked in a breath. ¡°Was it in the records?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Schwarz¡¯s voice trembled. ¡°But if this ring surrounds the sun, and is something made by human hands¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impressive alright.¡± Nero took in the sight. ¡°That said, I finally understand why no one can write down or convey the information they saw here. If I¡¯m not wrong, this ring¡­no, the information transmitted to us right now is information that cannot be reproduced at all. We can see it in this vision, but nowhere else.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Dia looked at him. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°¡­Presumably because this information literally cannot exist in the outside world. Any attempts to convey it will probably end up badly.¡± He paused. ¡°A true secret. Dia, you wondered why the five grand skies sent you here to see this, right? It¡¯s probably because they only knew the outline, the structure. They did not know the reason behind its destruction, because no one could articulate it out.¡±


    Dia thought about it, and then frowned. ¡°But the Authority system is controlled by the five grand skies, right?¡±


    ¡°The Authority system is¡­¡± Nero fell silent. ¡°How do I put this? Hmm. It¡¯s as if the five grand skies took the lower levels of the system and artificially controlled and divided it. That¡¯s why there are flaws here and there, see?¡±


    ¡°¡­How do you know that?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°My Lord told me, naturally. Incidentally, He also made use of those flaws to impart me a lot of knowledge,¡± Nero replied. ¡°More import¡­huh. Something¡¯s happening. Look at the silver¡­fish-things.¡±


    Dia returned her attention to the huge ring and the sun, and her eyes fixated on the metallic, fish-like things that had appeared all around the ring. Blue light flashed hundreds of times every second, and with each flash, a metal fish would ripple into existence.


    Intuitively, Dia understood that each of these fishes were probably far larger up close, and there was a huge threat radiating off these things, whatever they were. In fact, she had a hunch that one of these fishes would be able to give she and the others a good fight¡­and there was a huge sea of them right now.


    She rubbed her head, and then noticed a small red dot blinking. The little dot in question sat at the top right of her vision, and the words ¡®Live Broadcast¡¯ was written underneath it.


    Dia, however, didn¡¯t know what a Live Broadcast was, and she didn¡¯t have the time to worry about these things either. Her vantage point continued to move closer and closer, allowing her to see more and more things in greater detail.


    Without warning, the metal fishes drifted, and the huge mass of silver writhed. Little cylinder-like things popped out of those fishes, adding to the ordered chaos, and before long, a silver sphere that rivalled the sun in the middle of the ring appeared. Only small gaps remained, adding some¡­artistic depth to the sphere.


    ¡°What are they doing?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°Turning into a ball?¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t answer my question with your question, thank you very much. And I see that they¡¯re turning into a ball. I¡¯m asking why they¡¯re doing it, right? You¡¯re a bartender. Get my hint.¡±


    ¡°The fact that I answered your question in a literal manner should tell you that I¡¯m not sure about the answer, right?¡± Schwarz let out a sigh. ¡°Anyway, what do you think, Dia? Those things definitely are built for war, and you¡¯re a double who was trained to fight. You must have a better idea.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°What kind of reasoning is that?¡± Dia muttered, before focusing on the silver fishes. ¡°And no, I can¡¯t tell either. I don¡¯t even know what these things can do, save for the sense of intense danger I can sense from them. We can only wat¡ª¡±


    A tremor seized the world, sending shockwaves through the dark night, the stars beyond, and everything else in between. White light surged out of the small gaps within the solid sphere, and in that instant, seven-coloured lights poured out of the silver fishes and the cylinders it had released.


    A layer of shadow materialised in front of Dia and the others, and the blinding lights that were now clashing against each other dimmed rapidly. The scene seemed to shift at this moment, as three impossible existences made themselves known in her senses. Dia felt her heartbeat turn irregular as the three figures, figures that should have been infinitely small, yet magnified, took form in her mind¡¯s eye. Blood rushed in her ears, and an old, forgotten dream seemed to rear in the depths of her memories.


    Long ago, when Dia was a child, she had a certain nightmare. It was a nightmare where she had turned into something the size of a thumb, and everything else was its usual size. When her family walked around in this nightmare, the world would shake and tremble, and her younger self would cower and squat on the ground.


    It was a childish nightmare, and yet, in this place, Dia once again relived that nightmare once more. There, in the middle of the collapsing silver sphere, were three beings that dwarfed all other existence, standing proudly as the centre of the world. The person in the middle, one that she could vaguely tell had a smaller stature, seemed to be like her father in that nightmare of hers, the person that would close the room¡¯s door¡­


    For a moment, the urge to flee seized her, but a part of her mind remained sane and thinking. The resulting clash made her body twitch once, but fortunately, the sane part of her had remained in control.


    It didn¡¯t end there, however.


    A freezing chill flooded Dia¡¯s veins a moment later as her eyes fell on the smaller figure that stood in the middle, and in that instant, a vast understanding poured into her mind. The feeling of enmity and anger that she felt in her heart was directed that the thing the person in the centre represented, and with an awful, sinking feeling, Dia finally understood how Celestia had been destroyed.


    That person in the middle was Celestia¡¯s Omen. Celestia itself had been destroyed by the Omen, without the protection of a cycle or something.


    The silver fishes continued to launch a barrage of lights at the three beings that had shattered most of the enclosure. All sorts of energy rained down incessantly, but the three existences didn¡¯t seem to be flustered by the attack at all.


    Another tremor shook the world, and the silver fishes simply winked out of existence. The lights that they had released continued onwards, unaware that their sources had vanished, before breaking apart harmlessly.


    The Omen and his ¡ª the Omen looked like a man to Dia ¡ª companions turned to the gigantic ring. The world seemed to slow as the Omen raised a finger and pointed it at the sun. Rings of fiery might surged out of the yellow sphere immediately, and its light began to dim. At the same time, the ring around it fractured, collapsing into itself a moment later.


    ¡°¡­Moons,¡± Schwarz whispered.


    ¡°Are you seeing this?¡± Dia asked, directing her question to the five grand skies.


    It was good that the five grand skies didn¡¯t reply, since Dia was already frightened enough.


    As the ring crumbled away, something seemed to resonate in Dia¡¯s chest, and a golden blip surged out of the ring, flying away into the boundless dark. The person that Dia had marked as the Omen made a move a heartbeat later, reappearing in the path of the golden light.


    That light¡­


    Dia felt her head turn blank as the Salvation Star of Celestia winked out like a small flame, before a piercing agony struck her. In that instant, nine different memories seemed to unravel in her mind¡¯s eye, overlapping against each other. Each memory involved a different Salvation Star, a different place, but the same thing would play out over and over again.


    The Omen would always succeed. His hand would plunge into the chest of the Salvation Star, dig out a small orb, and then crush it cruelly.


    Celestia¡¯s destruction would follow shortly afterwards.


    As those memories receded, Dia broke out of her stupor and looked at the scene once more. The sun in the middle was now darkening visibly, and the sea of stars that once illuminated the darkness were winking out. A terrible gale picked up, and something darker than black began to intrude on the world.


    A sickly, ill feeling of absolute incongruity crawled up Dia¡¯s spine as the yellow sun died out entirely, and with a small jolt, she sensed the purest energies of Limbo rear their heads.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    Nero nodded at her subtly, but before she could turn back, her vision clouded over with darkness. The blindness lasted for a moment, before colour returned to the world, and the crystalline door appeared in front of them once more.


    A cold dampness clung onto Dia¡¯s back, and she took in a deep breath. ¡°Come on. We¡¯re all alive. Let¡¯s enter.¡±


    As she pushed the door open, Dia couldn¡¯t help but think about something. Wouldn¡¯t it be a bit awkward if a team wanted to leave, only to see a bunch of mercenaries standing at the door?


    ¡°¡­Yeah. We¡¯re all alive. That¡¯s the only thing that matters.¡± Schwarz looked at the mercenaries that were already inside, nodded at them once, and then said, ¡°Let¡¯s start poking around the place, shall we?¡±

 Chapter 499: Dreading confrontation

    ¡°A Named¡­well, to be fair, you¡¯d have to be quite strong to get here normally,¡± Schwarz muttered quietly. ¡°We should grab the freebies here and then retreat.¡±


    Dia thought for a moment, and then remembered that there were a few mana-users who were particularly famous for doing one thing or another. While the chances of being honoured with a special title rose with one¡¯s strength, what was most important was doing something especially noteworthy.


    Most people paid attention to Named folders, since they represented people who had a lot of strength and was willing to use it for one reason or another. In short, they were people who were seen as active in the political scene of Grandis.


    ¡°A Named?¡± Nero asked. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Right, you came from the Senate. It¡¯s something Grandis-specific, really,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Basically people who did something and got famous for it. Most of them are strong mana-folders to boot¡­anyway, these mercenaries looking at the map over there are led by the Mountain Splitter. No guesses for why she got such a Name.¡±


    Dia looked at the woman that Schwarz had pointed out. It was a bit startling to learn that she was someone who had split a mountain in twain, but if she and the others pushed themselves a tiny bit, splitting mountains wasn¡¯t impossible for them either. Of course, the Seekers of Life were a low-profile group ¡ª Claud and Lily would smack their heads otherwise ¡ª so they would do no such thing.


    ¡°So¡­what¡¯s the point?¡±


    ¡°Well, if you have a Name, it means that you¡¯re someone who has strength and is willing to use it. You¡¯ll therefore be more famous, more scrutinised and more welcomed by local lords, since you have proven your ability,¡± Schwarz explained. ¡°That¡¯s the reward for being active.¡±


    ¡°Judging by how you only recognised the Mountain Splitter, it seems that Grandis has a lot of hidden mana-users.¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± Schwarz made a face. ¡°Risti never did say much about the Folders¡¯ Association, after all. It has branches in dukedom capitals, but as for the degree of centralisation and how it operates, even I don¡¯t know that much. Ordinary people, who usually serve as my ears and eyes, don¡¯t like to go near mana-users.¡±


    He had a somewhat lonely look on his face for a moment, before it turned into a smile. ¡°After all, we are humanoid weapons of mass destruction. Any of us can shatter a mountain, as we are now¡­¡±


    Schwarz shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s go grab some artefacts.¡±


    Dia and Nero nodded. The other mercenaries ignored the three of them as they bustled around the room and took some Second Shadows. Unfortunately, there really weren¡¯t any other artefacts lying around the top floor; the Mountain Splitter and her posse were more interested in taking visual records of all the topography and whatever.


    Was there a point, though?


    Dia shook her head. The five grand skies had marked this place as one to get rid of. To her, the Folders¡¯ Association was probably throwing money away or something. Maybe they wanted to learn more about Celestia¡¯s destruction. Or they wanted to learn about the place itself. Or there was a particular map they wanted. There was the possibility that¡ª


    Superfluous thoughts continued to flood her mind, and Dia shivered. Deep down, she understood that her consciousness was attempting to soften the blow of what she had seen just now. All her words, all her thoughts¡­these things were just meant to help her soften the implications of that vision.


    The Omen had killed his counterpart and destroyed Celestia. Would the same fate befall her? The Omen that had torn Celestia apart boasted of an overwhelming strength; if her counterpart here had even a fraction of that horrifying might¡­


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Steeling herself, Dia forced the horrifying thoughts into somewhere deep beneath her conscious mind. This was no place to be thinking too much about her eventual death.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, I suppose¡­Dia, something wrong?¡± Schwarz tilted his head. ¡°You look like a mess.¡±


    ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t be a mess after seeing that?¡± Dia replied. ¡°We¡¯re all just putting up a front here. I suggest we just make like a ball and bounce.¡±


    Nero looked at her. ¡°Yeah. That sounds like a good idea, actually. I¡¯ve depleted a lot of mental strength just by looking at that vision, and¡ª¡±


    Two more screams came from outside, and the heavy footfalls rushing away from them fell silent a heartbeat later. It was clear that another bunch of mercenaries had fallen to this final, deadly trap, and Dia shook her head sadly. It was a waste of potential and one¡¯s lifespan ¡ª every person that turned to ash at the door was a huge waste of lifestones.


    It was unfortunate, to say the least.


    ¡°¡­Shall we go?¡± Dia asked. ¡°My job is done here anyway, and we got what we came for. Maybe we should leave earlier. I suddenly have a very strong urge to burn all my lifespan at once and become an incredible mana-user, see?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not alone in that regard,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°Hmm. Maybe we should get Farah to see this for herself.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a risk of her stepping back, though,¡± Nero pointed out. ¡°I think we should minimise this pointless risk. Farah will get the hint when the three of us start locking ourselves in a room to burn more mana circuits, even if she can¡¯t quite accept our words later.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    The trio exchanged glances once, and then left the office in a single, unified movement. The mercenaries crowded outside looked at them in a fearful silence, their eyes on the floor as the three of them made their way to the staircase.


    ¡°Farah will be surprised to see that we came out this quickly,¡± Dia noted.


    ¡°And even more surprised when we tell her that we should just go back and focus on our mana circuits,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I wonder if a mana-user with ten mana circuits can do something like that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell, but¡­I have a feeling that even the Moons and the Dark would lose to that thing, that destroyer,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°We¡¯ve all felt the Moons¡¯ presence before, but that was nothing compared to the one that we experienced at the door¡­and we were already viewing it as a memory.¡±


    ¡°A super-ancient memory at that,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°Definitely stronger than my Lord.¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t feel any problem with that?¡± Dia asked. ¡°You¡¯re the Black God¡¯s Holy Son.¡±


    ¡°The Coloured Gods, the Moons, the Dark, the five grand skies¡­none of them are truly invincible and omnipotent,¡± Nero replied. ¡°These concepts are fallacious to begin with, after all. I am not a fanatic. I recognise the limitations of the divinities, and do not pin too many labels on them.¡±


    The three of them went down the staircase slowly as Nero continued to explain. ¡°And besides, my current position came from circumstances in which I have no control over. I admire and respect my Lord, not because He is currently one of the strongest existences in the world, but due to his kindness and teachings. That is all.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Schwarz took out the Sea-Queller and a bunch of other artefacts. ¡°Maybe I should read some of His teachings one day, then.¡±


    Nero laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to guide you.¡±


    On their way down, Dia and the others came across a few other mercenaries that were heading up. By the time they arrived at the first floor, she had counted over ten other teams; even more people had arrived at the ruins in the time Dia and the others went to the Secretary-General¡¯s office.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of people,¡± Nero muttered, his eyes tracking the latest batch of mercenaries to climb the stairs. ¡°Looks like everyone is trying to gain whatever meagre powers left here¡­¡±


    ¡°I wonder how many people will fall at that final illusion at the very top.¡± Schwarz looked at the mercenary teams that were preparing at the plaza outside. In the past few hours, the plaza had turned into a veritable market fair, with the number of people in the area slightly more than a hundred now.


    ¡°So many mana-users here. But how many have completed the Second Tutorial?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Not more than a handful, at best,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s hurry over to Farah. It¡¯ll be good if we can start making our way out of this place as soon as possible. This is not the time to be worrying about artefacts now.¡±


    As the three of them headed out, Dia silently reflected on the memory that they all seen. Farah would definitely be very surprised at how they had been thoroughly convinced about the importance of improving their personal strength, without using weapons and other artefacts.


    What did Lily and Claud think when they saw the personal might that the Omen had wielded against Celestia? Did they also see the need to increase their strength?


    It was an intriguing question, since Lily believed that the duo would also think the same. However, now that she thought about it¡­


    Both of them hadn¡¯t said much about their own mana circuits, had they? Was it possible that the two of them had grown substantially in strength, spurred on by what they saw?


    Dia toyed around with that possibility as they returned to their base.

 Chapter 500: The path chosen

    ¡°Wait. Hold on. We¡¯re packing up and calling it a day here?¡± Farah asked. ¡°What did you guys do in that building? Be honest. Did you piss everyone off? Do we need to fight off waves of people hungry for Schwarz-brand drinks now? Or is this place going to blow up and we need to run away as soon as possible?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. Well, the third one is kinda correct.¡± Schwarz let out a sigh. ¡°Nero, you¡¯re up. Go and let Farah see what we saw.¡±


    ¡°Alright. You guys start packing first¡­I think we can poke around the small trade fair here, though,¡± Nero added. ¡°We might find something good.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Schwarz raised an eyebrow. ¡°Well, I suppose this place is rather safe anyway, so we can poke around this place, as you put it. Still, will there be any good artefacts? I really doubt it, though. I can¡¯t sense anyone particularly threatening here.¡±


    ¡°One man¡¯s meat is another man¡¯s poison,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Don¡¯t look down on things like this. Besides, artefacts aren¡¯t linked to their users¡¯ number of mana circuits, but rather the skill engraved onto them.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know.¡± Schwarz chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m just of the opinion that the number of mana circuits is most important in survival now.¡±


    ¡°Now?¡± Farah looked at him. ¡°I thought you were quite lazy when it came to things like this.¡±


    ¡°People change. In my case, however, this change came from watching Celestia¡¯s end, really.¡± Schwarz made a face. ¡°You will not understand until you see three people seemingly tear apart this¡­¡±


    He paused. ¡°Universe¡­that¡¯s the word, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Nero made a face. ¡°Still, I¡¯ve suddenly thought of something very random. What¡¯s the name of our world? I¡¯m not talking about the Grandis Empire, the Nihal Senate or the Saran Supremacy, but rather this¡­whole globe. You know, the ball¡­¡±


    ¡°Does it even have one?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°I mean, I never saw the need to, personally.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Nero asked. ¡°That question has been bugging me ever since we left the room. What¡¯s the name of our world? Of our universe? Or does civilisation need to reach a certain level before we give this thing a name?¡±


    ¡°I suppose an element of unanimity is required, right?¡± Farah suggested. ¡°We can¡¯t just go calling our world one name¡­and besides, like you said, you only started thinking about this question when you left. Maybe people don¡¯t think about things like this because they never went to Celestia.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± said Dia. ¡°And not many people would visit this place. It¡¯s quite dangerous in and of itself. If we didn¡¯t have so many people doing the same thing to open a path, getting up and down this building alone would have taken a lot of time. And there are lots of traps on the way here too, and I¡¯m sure every single building here has their own traps and everything too.¡±


    ¡°So, because we weren¡¯t aware, we didn¡¯t care, huh.¡±


    ¡°I mean, you need something to compare to, right? There¡¯s no need for an actual name unless you need to differentiate it from some other place,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°That¡¯s probably why a name doesn¡¯t really exist.¡±


    ¡°True¡­anyway, I¡¯ll let you experience what I saw.¡± Nero turned back to Farah. ¡°It¡¯s not going to be the full experience, but you should be able to understand what you see¡­in part, at any rate.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Pardon my rudeness, then.¡± Nero reached out and pressed his palms against Farah¡¯s temples.


    ¡°Must be nice to be the Black God¡¯s Holy Son, I suppose.¡± Schwarz pointed at the nearby artefacts. ¡°Come on, give me a hand. I want to pack this whole place up as soon as possible. Also, should we return back to Claud¡¯s little home? Or should we just go straight back to Moon Mansion?¡±


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    ¡°Right, we haven¡¯t really decided on that, have we?¡± Dia folded her arms. For some reason, she had a very strong feeling that their decision here would prove to be instrumental in shaping the future. It was an absurd hunch, one that bordered on insanity, but for some reason, Dia felt like she alone stood at a crossroads.


    The feeling that her next words could very well decide their future was not pleasant at all.


    ¡°¡­Give me a moment to think about it,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Alright, go ahead. But don¡¯t slack off on removing those barrier artefacts, got it?¡±


    Dia began to dismantle Farah¡¯s hard work, thoughts racing through her mind. The feeling that she was standing at a crossroads of destiny continued to nibble away at her mind, and for a moment, she felt that retreating to Moon Mansion would be a better idea. After all, it was very well defended, and being under the Moons¡¯ protection was almost certainly better for them right now.


    She squatted down to pull out another artefact, and in that moment, the memories of her Second Tutorial raced through her mind. For some reason, her brother¡¯s actions were playing out in her mind. It wasn¡¯t much, and her brother was decidedly adorable for some reason, but what came to mind the most was the feeling of warmth at that moment.


    The warmth of home, and having people in it.


    ¡°¡­I suppose I should think about the two lovebirds, right?¡± Dia muttered to herself. ¡°They had to leave for some stupid summons. Wouldn¡¯t they be heartbroken if we packed up and left without waiting for them to return?¡±


    ¡°Now that you say that, I do feel a bit bad about suggesting a return to Moon Mansion,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°Hey, stop eavesdropping on my monologues,¡± Dia complained.


    ¡°Monologues are meant to be eavesdropped on, alright?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°That¡¯s how all the stage plays go. The bad guy, at the moment of victory, sits in the throne and monologues about his master plan, his weaknesses and the important people he swindled and harmed to get to his current position. Of course, for extra irony, these people would be standing behind the curtain¡­¡±


    ¡°I think you watched too many plays,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a bartender? Where do you even get the time to watch plays that usually start at night?¡±


    ¡°Before I became a full-fledged bartender, I had a lot of time,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Anyway, your words are very offensive. Bartenders can watch stage plays too, I¡¯ll have you know that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that most stage plays happen at night¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve opened the bar at night for quite a lot of days, even before we left Licencia,¡± Schwarz rebutted. ¡°Anyway, back to the main topic. You don¡¯t think we should return to Licencia?¡±


    Dia thought about the warm little feeling in her heart during her Second Tutorial again, and then shook her head. ¡°Those two lovebirds may complain about our presence, but I can tell that they liked it when we were there. I don¡¯t want them to return to a cold nest or something.¡±


    ¡°You sound like their mother for some reason, but I agree with your sentiments,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Let¡¯s just stay in that cottage and fortify it over and over again.¡±


    As those words rang out, the feeling of being forced to make a critical choice vanished. It was an odd feeling, but one that Dia welcomed nonetheless. Her mental state was in a state of chaos thanks to that damned feeling, and now that it was gone, she felt a lot happier.


    ¡°¡­Are you alright?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°You look like someone who just abdicated their throne and declared a full month¡¯s worth of partying.¡±


    ¡°How does someone who did just that look like?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Like you.¡±


    Dia glared at the bartender. ¡°Is there even a point to saying such an answer? Seriously. Anyway, I don¡¯t think we should return to Moon Mansion just yet. It¡¯ll be better if we all came back home together. That makes more sense, right?¡±


    ¡°Home, huh. Yeah, that makes more sense.¡±


    Dia nodded, before stowing away another bunch of artefacts. Nero was still in the middle of showing his memories to Farah. This definitely didn¡¯t come from a skill, though ¡ª Dia had the feeling that the Holy Son of the Black God was using the Black God¡¯s divine blessings to share his memories of that vision.


    The two of them continued to dismantle the base Farah had painstakingly built up. Dia wondered what her expression would be like when she broke out of that vision, but she knew that the moment was going to come soon. After all, that blood-curdling vision only lasted for mere minutes.


    Her hands continued to move as she watched Farah closely, waiting for the moment when she broke out of that memory-sharing thing.


    ¡°You have quite the nasty personality, huh.¡± Schwarz glanced at her. ¡°What are you hoping to see on Farah¡¯s face?¡±


    ¡°I must extend the same words to you in return,¡± Dia replied. ¡°After all, you seem to know what I¡¯m thinking too.¡±


    They exchanged glances, and then nasty cackles.


    What could Dia say to this? It wasn¡¯t her fault if everyone was looking forward to Farah¡¯s reaction to that terrifying vision, right?


    Stifling a smile, Dia continued to dismantle the base with Schwarz, their eyes continually fixed on poor Farah.

 Chapter 501: A trade fair in the ruins

    ¡°I can¡¯t help but think that I¡¯ve wasted a lot of time, though.¡± Farah¡¯s expression, which was currently made up of three parts frustration and seven parts fear, shifted slightly as Schwarz pulled out another barrier artefact. ¡°We came all the way here for a bunch of Second Shadows? No matter how I look at it, it¡¯s quite wasteful.¡±


    ¡°What do you suggest then?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Surely you also feel the pressing need to grow stronger, right?¡±


    Farah thought for a moment. ¡°Well, I actually do have a suggestion. When my parents threw away Farah County and hightailed from their debts, I was forced to inherit a failing economy. One of the major issues with the county back then was how inefficient things were. For instance, ten people would be allocated to tend to a small field, but there was only one hoe.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Why would they do that?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°Yeah, it doesn¡¯t make sense. However, when I asked them, they told me that they were specialists. One person would do a certain thing and a certain thing alone.¡± Farah shrugged. ¡°Ten people to a field was quite overwhelming, though. And the wages were quite high too. So I got my advisors to study farming, and then we came to the conclusion that manpower could be reduced if we used artefacts.¡±


    She rocked back and forth on her heels. ¡°Specialisation is pointless if the area itself is very niche. Therefore, we reworked the whole thing; one person with lots of artefacts per field. The key point, however, were artefacts.¡±


    Dia thought about her words, which did make sense. Artefacts had very specialised effects, but¡­


    ¡°So, what suggestion do you have?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Simple. You guys got a bunch of Second Shadows, right? We explore the area using these Second Shadows while staying here,¡± Farah replied. ¡°We use the same Second Shadow, but the user rotates every hour. That way, we get to explore the place and have a lot of time to burn more mana circuits.¡±


    ¡°Doable, yes.¡± Nero fiddled with his chin. ¡°You¡¯re suggesting that we explore¡­in that case, I suggest we explore the closest buildings.¡±


    ¡°The closest buildings? I was thinking of the lower floors of the Secretary-General building. It¡¯s the closest one, and there are many rooms. Even if a Second Shadow is destroyed, we can promptly create a new one and resume our exploration that way,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯ll work.¡± Nero turned to Schwarz. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. I¡¯m certain that we won¡¯t get anything out of this,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Also, I would prefer a far safer environment to burn my mana circuits. Most importantly, however, is the fact that the five grand skies did issue Dia a mission. They also have the intention of blowing this place up or something. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s safe for us to be here.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°And the Trial of Aeons are going on right now. I¡¯m sure that the five grand skies are not going to wait that long either.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to make a decision like this, I suppose.¡± Nero looked side to side. ¡°We could split up, but that¡¯s just going to increase the overall danger. I¡¯m ambivalent about this, to be honest, since I don¡¯t think there are any particularly useful artefacts in Celestia right now. What about you guys?¡±


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s just check the trade fair, then.¡± Farah folded her arms. ¡°The artefacts that are useful are those that have been documented in our intelligence gathering, right? If they¡¯re documented, it means that people have obtained a few of them. And if people have them¡­¡±


    ¡°They might be willing to sell those artefacts,¡± Nero completed. ¡°Yes. And I am not short of money, even if I¡¯m forever short of alcohol.¡±


    ¡°Trade fair, and then go back.¡± Schwarz looked at everyone. ¡°Anyone has a really, really violent objection to this?¡±


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    Farah had a dissatisfied expression, but Dia could tell that she was also thinking about what she had seen in Nero¡¯s memories. Nodding along with the rest, Dia kept the last barrier artefact and then swept her gaze throughout the plaza. Small tents, portable homes and estates had popped up all over the place, and there were a bunch of stores in the middle that seemed to sell a whole lot of things.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, then.¡± Schwarz glanced at the stalls and walked towards them. As they left, another mercenary group, made up of very weak mana-users, filled up their spot and began to construct their own mini-base. Dia didn¡¯t quite like the feeling, but they were going back anyway, so¡­


    Despite being in a plaza that had nearly two hundred people, the noise level was relatively low. The main source of noise came from the trade fair at the centre itself, which was situated next to the washroom. Mercenaries bartered and brought all sorts of items with each other, creating a sight that Dia herself rarely saw.


    ¡°It¡¯s so lively here,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Really?¡± Farah asked. ¡°It¡¯s quite normal, though? It looks like a small street market. I wonder if there are any law enforcers or security guards here. Theft is quite easy, after all, and¡ª¡±


    A loud crash interrupted the rest of her words as a mana-user kicked at a storefront, overturning the entire store with her foot alone.


    ¡°I wonder what happened,¡± Farah said, her voice filled with a burning curiosity. ¡°Let¡¯s get closer!¡±


    Dia wanted to reject her proposal, but Farah had already compromised earlier. Besides, the woman that had upset the store didn¡¯t seem to be particularly powerful¡­in fact, both sides didn¡¯t quite register as a threat to Dia for some reason.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Nero. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can help. If we can help, we¡¯ll probably get some freebies here and there, right? We¡¯ll get to save some lifestones here and there by interfering¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop fighting!¡±


    Multiple presences bloomed, and three uniformed fellows sprang onto the scene. Barriers appeared, separating the attacker from the toppled storefront and its maddened owner, and Nero made a sad noise.


    ¡°What a shame. It seems that there¡¯s actually some security after all¡­¡±


    ¡°Cheapskate. Still, I wonder what¡¯s going on,¡± Schwarz muttered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get closer then.¡± Dia glanced at the guards, who were busy surrounding the woman. ¡°It seems like there¡¯s a dispute?¡±


    ¡°¡­of this?¡±


    ¡°He sold us a fake artefact! It broke after two uses and nearly killed my party member!¡± The woman pulled out a warhammer. ¡°I want an explanation, or I¡¯m bashing your head in.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re ignoring us?¡± one of the guards asked.


    ¡°Three one-folders? Absolutely,¡± the woman replied. ¡°And this guy definitely scammed a lot of people too! Anyone who brought items from this asshole, check them! I¡¯m sure he did something shady to them too! You three who interrogated me¡­did you even bother asking why I did what I did? Your justice is meant to protect the sellers and not the buyers, but from what I can see¡­maybe the three of you are in league with this person.¡±


    Murmurs filled the air.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± said Farah. ¡°Would you look at that? She¡¯s now casting doubt on the people who organised this, and then narrowed the scope to create a narrative of three guards colluding with a seller.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that she turned these three guards into a liability,¡± Farah replied. ¡°And to make matters worse, she isn¡¯t weaker than the three of them. She can freely pelt them with all sorts of accusations to make them yield, since they won¡¯t make a move on her too. And the longer she abuses them, the more riled-up the crowd gets.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell who¡¯s the guilty party here?¡± Nero pressed on.


    ¡°Hard to say, but either this woman planned the whole thing out or is really just that good,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s check the other stores instead. We¡¯re not going to get anything if we just stand around here and smile at each other gently.¡±


    ¡°Good point.¡±


    The four of them backed away from the source of trouble and started poking through the rest of the stores instead. Dia, who usually did her artefact shopping at actual shops and established outlets, now found herself confronted with the fine game of telling whether something was a working artefact or not.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡± Schwarz squatted down and pointed at a weird artefact. It looked like a sword hilt, but the blade was completely gone. ¡°Is that an Energy Blade?¡±


    ¡°Why yes, it is. According to the words written on it, it¡¯s the NX-2 Short Range Energy Blade,¡± the storeowner replied, before picking up the weird hilt. He pressed a button, and the air hummed as a blinding blade of light grew outwards. ¡°This weapon can cut through almost anything¡­but I suppose you don¡¯t need an explanation, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeap. How many do you have in stock?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Five. These blades can be used for twelve hours, and then need another twelve hours to recharge. If you have two, you can cover a whole day. If you¡¯re a dual-wielder, you can buy four instead.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy all of them. Do you have any ranged artefacts? Or reconnaissance artefacts?¡±


    As Schwarz continued to ask around, Dia found herself bamboozled. The bartender was a bit too¡­confident, wasn¡¯t he?


    What was the basis of that confidence?

 (TOT) Chapter 502: The end of their little trip

    For some reason, the artefacts from the Celestia Ruins all had this sleek, metallic motif going on. Ranged artefact? Sleek and metallic. Melee weapon? Sleek and metallic. An artefact to knock someone out with a zap? Also sleek and metallic. Just about every single artefact Schwarz had bought shared the same motif, and while these artefacts were aesthetically pleasing, what happened if someone got it wrong?


    As an illustration, the NX-1 Plasma Pistol looked quite similar to the NX-1 Energy Knife; wouldn¡¯t it be a problem if Schwarz wanted to shoot someone but ended up creating a blade of radiant light instead?


    She shook her head. Nonetheless, the NX-line artefacts, as they were called, were apparently weapons that showed no mercy. Schwarz had used them a few times, and the result was a burned target.


    It was so impressive that everyone had one or two such artefacts by the time they left the market.


    The air hummed as Farah activated her NX-3 Radiant Longsword.


    ¡°Stop playing with that.¡± Schwarz, who was close to her, stepped away. ¡°It¡¯s scary!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s cool, you know.¡± Farah fiddled with the sword hilt again, and the blade of light vanished. ¡°Still, it really does cut through things like butter¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you don¡¯t use it near friendlies.¡± Nero sighed. ¡°If you slice my arm with that, it¡¯s going to drop off or something. I¡¯ll need some incredible healing skill to restore my body.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of healing skills, I was actually looking for an artefact that could heal wounds,¡± Schwarz said. ¡°It¡¯s a shame, though. Can¡¯t find a single one.¡±


    ¡°Healing skills and artefacts are very rare, after all. We¡¯ll still need to make do with the trusty bandage,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Still, the chances of us being injured, as we are now, is very low. And I¡¯m not saying this out of arrogance.¡±


    ¡°Really? That sounds very arrogant to me, though.¡± Schwarz folded his arms. ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m certain that the types of enemies we¡¯ll be facing from here on would be either woefully weak, or strong enough to squash us in a single attack,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Injuries? Not happening, unless we get lucky.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­a fair argument, I suppose.¡± Schwarz looked at his new artefacts. ¡°Thanks for reminding me about the sad things. I totally needed that, yes. Thanks. Come on, let¡¯s pick up the pace.¡±


    The four of them scurried back to the ISV Carpark 1A. A mercenary group just happened to be landing there as they arrived, but other than a few wary gazes, nothing else happened, and Dia followed the others as they continued on to the Civilian Teleportation District. There was actually a faster path from the district to the plaza, but the four of them had chosen the roundabout road to throw off pursuers and because they already knew the path anyway.


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot more peaceful than I thought it would be,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Did you forget what you saw when we first entered the market?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°That seems like an isolated incident to me, though. I mean, it looked like a shady seller, and we didn¡¯t see another such incident afterwards anyway,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I¡¯m sure that people aren¡¯t willing to fight and kill each other, especially since we¡¯re all here to grow stronger.¡±


    ¡°What do you think will be the outcome of that dispute then?¡± Farah asked.


    Dia tilted her head. ¡°Maybe the shopkeeper will do a refund.¡±


    ¡°Refund, eh?¡± Farah clicked her teeth. ¡°I bet that happens, but the shopkeeper hires a bunch of mana-users to go after her when she leaves the market. What do you think?¡±


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    ¡°Very possible, yes,¡± Schwarz analysed. ¡°I¡¯ve seen this before. There was this shopkeeper who was forced to refund an item and even forced to compensate, but you see, when you¡¯re a shopkeeper, you usually have a lot of money. And when you have a lot of money, you can do many, many things. Like hiring goons.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re ever going to find out, right?¡± Dia chuckled.


    ¡°True.¡±


    The four of them moved on to the final stretch of their little journey, and Dia reflected on their trip to the Celestia Ruins. The whole thing had taken quite a few days ¡ª they needed to make their way from Liquet to Lacuna, a cross-dukedom trip. That was probably a main reason behind why Farah had felt that staying here for a day wasn¡¯t all that worth it, but like Dia and the rest, she too had felt a burgeoning desire to improve her strength¡­and probably to evacuate the Celestia Ruins too.


    ¡°¡­I hear some fighting from up ahead,¡± Schwarz warned. ¡°And I think we¡¯ve been a bit too laid back for our return, haven¡¯t we? We didn¡¯t even prepare half of the measures we used to get to the Secretary-General Building.¡±


    ¡°Well, this skilstrip is going to expire anyway, so I¡¯ll go and check it out.¡± Farah pulled out one of Risti¡¯s Skyward Eye and tore it into two. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­three people bullying a single person¡­and that person¡¯s companions seem to be unconscious. What should we do?¡±


    ¡°Three people, huh? Farah, do you see someone familiar in that little fight? Like a certain woman who kicked over a store, for instance?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes. She¡¯s that person who¡¯s being bullied right now,¡± Farah replied. ¡°What, you want to save her?¡±


    ¡°I want to, but it¡¯s a group effort, really,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I¡¯m not dumb enough to do it alone. However, I do want to try out those artefacts¡­isn¡¯t it nice for them to provide some live practice targets?¡±


    Dia felt her hands itch. Indeed, after taking out Absolute Terror, she hadn¡¯t had a good fight for a long time. And besides, that fight was less of a fight and more of an ambush. The others were also too busy to spar with her for a bunch of reasons, and sparring could only go so far anyway.


    ¡°Practice targets, huh?¡±


    ¡°I see you¡¯re interested,¡± Schwarz noted. ¡°What about you, Nero? You bought quite a few artefacts too.¡±


    The Holy Son of the Black God made a face. ¡°It does sound nice to test our weapons, but unless we kill them here, we¡¯ll be sowing trouble for ourselves. Are we going to kill them all?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Dia glanced at Schwarz, whose answer had been touched with a hint of coldness. Of course, she wasn¡¯t a stranger to killing either, but she was rather intrigued at the chill that had permeated his words. ¡°You seem displeased.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like shady business practices,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°Let¡¯s kill them all, then.¡± Farah let out a snort. ¡°Besides, they¡¯re all bi or one-folders. If they¡¯re open to doing things like this, imagine what they¡¯re likely to do to normal people.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s against the law, though.¡±


    Farah looked at Dia. ¡°You think they¡¯ll care about that? They¡¯ll kill a bunch of people, snatch what they need, and then live as a fugitive with fake identities. It¡¯s quite easy once you know where to look, really.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Dia drew her sword, before tucking it back into her sheath. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s give our new artefacts a whirl, shall we?¡±


    ¡°All in agreement, then.¡± Schwarz¡¯s eyes flashed with a piercing light. ¡°We¡¯ll sneak attack those buggers and off them instantly. I don¡¯t like games, and I want to see just how well these new artefacts cut flesh¡­although, of course, you guys are free to toy around with your own prey.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s four of us and three of them, though,¡± Farah pointed out.


    ¡°I¡¯ll watch over you guys,¡± Nero cut in. ¡°You guys have fun and test the new artefacts. I¡¯ll make sure that nothing weird happens, so feel free to toy with them and test out your artefacts instead.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Nero.¡± Schwarz cracked a grin. ¡°I love it when there¡¯s a really easy target for us to abuse, by the way. I won¡¯t feel any pain in my heart, and my conscience definitely won¡¯t flinch from me testing out my new toys on them.¡±


    Dia glanced at Schwarz once more. She didn¡¯t know if the others could feel it, but she could sense a faint bloodlust from the innocent-looking bartender. From the looks of it, Schwarz definitely had some bad blood with bandits and hired thugs who didn¡¯t care about the law.


    Instead of asking about his well-being and issues, however, Dia simply held her tongue. It was clear that his simmering anger, hidden just enough such that it would be hard to notice, came from a long-standing hatred and distaste of such people in general. In fact, it was possible that someone of the same¡­occupation had wronged him before, with Schwarz unable to forget that.


    Unfortunately, Dia wasn¡¯t sure if the Second Tutorial was meant to help people get over these feelings, because her own Second Tutorial was so odd that she had absolutely no frame of reference. To make things worse, the exact content of an individual¡¯s Second Tutorial was usually something sensitive; even in the Seekers of Life, none of the others shared what their own Second Tutorials were about.


    It was unfortunate¡­but especially so for the three people, who were about to be ambushed by Dia and the others.

 Chapter 503: Helpful strangers

    The first one to make a move was Schwarz, who had augmented his movement speed and strength by channelling mana throughout his body. Afterimages followed him as he simply slammed into the three men with his body, and awful cracks filled the air as they flew away from the woman and her companions.


    Dia found herself speechless. ¡°I thought you wanted to test the sharpness of our new artefacts.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right.¡± Schwarz stood in front of the woman, his clothes fluttering from the gust he had generated. ¡°Sometimes, you just forget about little things like that, you know. Especially if there¡¯s a stimulating sight, like three thugs.¡±


    ¡°Do you know these guys?¡± Nero asked. ¡°You seemed quite agitated by them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ll help you beat them up if you want us to,¡± Farah added. ¡°How did they wrong you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know these guys personally, but I know their ilk,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°And¡­never mind. Anyway, I don¡¯t like hired thugs. They beat people up, usually into unconsciousness, but they don¡¯t realise that knocking someone out is actually a very dangerous thing. Their simple minds think fainting and sleeping are the same thing.¡±


    Nero glanced at them, and then walked up to the woman. In low voices, they began to exchange words, but Dia wasn¡¯t particularly bothered about that. Instead, the implications behind Schwarz¡¯s words were what disturbed her more.


    Taking a deep breath, she looked at Schwarz. ¡°But fainting and sleeping aren¡¯t the same thing.¡±


    A few pieces fell into place, and she asked, ¡°Who did you lose?¡±


    Pain flashed across Schwarz¡¯s face. ¡°When I was a kid long ago, my mother brought me out for some food. My father, who was running Triple-D at that time, was quite famous and wealthy. A few thugs, who were looking to earn money, decided to kidnap me and my mother. They knocked my mother out, and then used her to get me to go along.¡±


    ¡°¡­What happened next?¡±


    ¡°She never woke up again,¡± Schwarz replied.


    Those five words sent a small chill up Dia¡¯s spine, and the others flinched too. Like her, they didn¡¯t know what to say, and after a while, the bartender turned away from them.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I hate thugs. And people who resort to needless violence.¡± Schwarz turned to the three moaning men. ¡°You three check on the unconscious people. I¡¯ll deal with the rest.¡±


    The icy chill in his voice intensified, and Dia found herself mentally recoiling from the murderous air that was spreading out from Schwarz. It would seem that everyone had their own childhood traumas here and there, save for perhaps Risti and Dia herself. As a result, she didn¡¯t know what to say to Schwarz.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Schwarz waved the NX-2 Energy Blade. ¡°After all, my father taught me how to deal with thugs. He kicked the door down an hour later, killed all the thugs, and then carried my mother out. But¡­she never did wake up again. She was unlucky.¡±


    The chill in his voice did not subside as the bartender walked over to the moaning men, and in that instant, Dia understood why Schwarz took it upon himself to deal with these people. These people were mana-users. They had far greater strength and abilities, which also increased the chance of them doing irreversible damage.


    If they wanted to kidnap people, or harm them, there was a high chance that they would end up causing permanent injuries or even death. Schwarz, who had been scarred by his own experiences, had no desire to see this tragedy happen to anyone else again.


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    ¡°It¡¯s vigilante justice,¡± Farah muttered.


    ¡°And?¡± Schwarz turned to look at her. ¡°You disapprove?¡±


    ¡°Justice is not enough sometimes, especially when it comes to mana-users,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I don¡¯t like it, but when it comes to monsters like us and them, it¡¯s almost necessary. Mana-users usually enjoy more privileges to discourage them from acting against normal people for that reason.¡±


    ¡°¡­Privileges, huh.¡±


    ¡°Dark dealings. Shady ones.¡± Farah looked at Schwarz. ¡°Bribes disguised as gifts or rewards for completely easy missions, or just random gifts of lifestones. All these are strategies that happen to be very useful in ensuring that mana-users stay¡­peaceful while inside a noble¡¯s territory.¡±


    ¡°And outside?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°As long as these mana-users know who not to touch and who to touch¡­of course, there are always forces on the other side,¡± Farah replied. ¡°The Folders¡¯ Association. But this is a case of who watches the watchers, and it¡¯s one of the reasons why the nobles don¡¯t quite like the Association too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a mess, then.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Like I said, dealing with errant mana-users is not something a court of law can handle easily.¡± Farah turned away from him. ¡°Do what you will. I¡¯ll try to help the three of them.¡±


    Dia glanced at Nero, who was already bandaging the woman¡¯s wounds up. As for why he had taken the lead, Dia didn¡¯t know, but there were more things to do right now. The two men were still unconscious, and Schwarz had said that being unconscious was a bad idea, as a whole.


    There was a problem, though.


    How would she make them wake up?


    Dia looked at Farah, who said, ¡°Let¡¯s deal with the wounds first. It¡¯s a shame there aren¡¯t any healing items around here¡­who the heck walks out of the house without ten barriers hanging off their person anyway?¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Dia pulled out a few rolls of bandage from her backpack. ¡°Let¡¯s stem their bleeding first¡­Nero, is your patient done?¡±


    ¡°Some parts are a bit sensitive. I want to switch with one of you guys,¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go, then,¡± Farah replied. ¡°You can handle the men instead.¡±


    After a few minutes, the men on the ground, who were still out cold, had been bandaged properly. Dia patted herself on the back, and then turned to the woman. ¡°So, you¡¯re the one who kicked the storefront over, right?¡±


    Nero stifled a giggle.


    ¡°Y-yes,¡± the woman replied. ¡°Um. Thanks for saving us. Especially you, mister.¡±


    She bowed to Schwarz, who was just getting up from three patches of dark red. Schwarz looked at her once, and then at her unconscious friends. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Remember to wear lots of barriers next time.¡±


    He walked to the two fainted fellows and checked their pulse. ¡°I think they¡¯re fine, but there is a chance of long-term sequela. They should see a medical professional, especially ones with healing skills and artefacts. Lady, you should take care of them later.¡±


    ¡°Are the four of you for hire?¡± the woman asked. ¡°I would like to hire you people to protect me and help bring my companions to Lacuna.¡±


    ¡°Lacuna¡­is neutral territory.¡± Nero looked at the others. ¡°And we should help her. You are a Blessed of the Blue God, after all.¡±


    The woman froze. ¡°You know who I am?¡±


    ¡°Rather, you don¡¯t know who I am?¡± Nero looked at her. ¡°You know, it¡¯s me? Nero? The Ho¡ª¡±


    ¡°The Holy Son of the Black God!¡± The woman straightened her back. ¡°It¡¯s been a long while, Nero. I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here¡­¡±


    ¡°Nor did I. And I definitely didn¡¯t expect you to still be a bi-folder after so long,¡± Nero replied. ¡°What happened? You should have burned your fifth mana circuit or at least your fourth by now, right? Did something go wrong?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that and we¡¯ll still be friends.¡± She huffed. ¡°Anyway, you should introduce me. Your friends are very curious.¡±


    Dia bobbed her head up and down. ¡°Who¡¯s she?¡±


    Nero cleared his throat. ¡°This is Sara, a Blessed of the Blue God. And¡­I don¡¯t know why you are here, though? Last I checked, the Church of the Blue God was based in the Saran Supremacy. You¡¯re in Grandis.¡±


    ¡°I could say the same. And didn¡¯t they say that Holy Son Nero went missing? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Alright, you guys should catch up later,¡± Schwarz interrupted. ¡°We should head to Lacuna first and get those guys checked. You don¡¯t want a tragedy to occur, after all. Shoo, shoo!¡±


    Under his constant nagging, everyone and two unconscious fellows moved into the Civilian Teleportation District. There were teleportation platforms for incoming and outgoing people, and Dia followed the others towards the platforms that led out of the ruins.


    The incoming teams of mercenaries gave Dia and the others a wide berth. It was natural; Nero and Schwarz had a person lugged over their shoulders each. Sara had bandages all over her body, and her clothes weren¡¯t in the best condition.


    Only she and Farah looked normal, but if one was with an odd team like this¡­


    Would they really be normal?


    Shaking her head, Dia joined the others on a teleportation platform.

 Chapter 504: Movements of the gods

    As the Marsh of Remembrance appeared all around Dia, lightning split apart the skies, and rain began to fall. Webs of azure sparks danced throughout the firmament, existing only for fleeting moments, before fading away in the backdrop of the night sky. Radiant rectangles appeared in Dia¡¯s vision a moment later, and she looked at the acknowledgement of her complete mission.


    [<Mission: Pursuit of the Truth> has been completed.]


    [You have obtained the skill, <Aeon Fold>]


    [Skill: Aeon Fold


    Skill effects: For every level of <Skill: Aeon Fold>, your resistance to divinity and mental attacks increases. You can expend forty levels to gain <Skill: Divinity Aspirant>.


    Additional comments: Killing other holders of <Skill: Aeon Fold> transfers all their Aeon Folds to you. Additionally, Aeon Folds can substitute for Fragments of Fate, and vice-versa, at a 1:1 ratio.]


    Thunderclaps shook the world again, and Dia watched in silence as the skies above roiled with electrifying might. The five grand skies ¡ª were they preparing to act against the Celestia Ruins now? Or did they have other plans in mind?


    The sky continued to seethe, and Dia felt her mana circuits stir. A heavy sense of weakness filled her veins as an infinite presence pressed down on the area, and she let out a weak moan.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Schwarz asked, his voice weak.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but we should get out of here!¡± Mana burst out of Nero¡¯s frame, sweeping everyone up in a tide of blue mana. With another shout, the wave of mana carried everyone away, and the debilitating sense of weakness lightened as they fled from the centre of the marsh.


    ¡°We¡¯ll head to the Lacuna Dukedom first,¡± Nero said, his words punctured with pants and huffs. ¡°The pressure pressing down on this place is incredible. Can you feel the repulsion itself? It¡¯s as if the world no longer wants the ruins to exist. It¡¯s the same pressure one would feel¡­¡±


    He shook his head, before lowering the burden on his shoulder and tossing it into the tide of mana. Schwarz did the same, much to Sara¡¯s horror, but the Blessed of the Blue God wasn¡¯t going to raise any complaints right now.


    ¡°I must be really unlucky,¡± Sara muttered. ¡°Now we have this disaster¡­are they fine?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re still fine,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Still, why do you call yourself unlucky? You look very fine to me.¡±


    ¡°I went to Celestia a year ago. We found a bunch of good stuff, but we couldn¡¯t leave afterwards because Greater Half had surrounded the place. We had to stay here and sell our stuff for some essential supplies until Greater Dark left, but right when we set foot here again, I was ordered to return back to the¡­¡±


    Her face flickered. ¡°Oh dear. I forgot why we couldn¡¯t leave.¡±


    ¡°Oh dear?¡± Nero looked at her. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you leave? What happened?¡±


    ¡°Oh no. The reason my Lord ordered me to stay in the Celestia Ruins was due to the death of his Bearer of Destiny, his Holy Daughter. Something about needing me to stay out of the main world to prevent bad things. But if I¡¯m here now¡­¡±


    Nero¡¯s face shifted. ¡°Crap.¡±


    The world quivered once as those words left her mouth, and the sea of lightning high above dissipated. At the same time, Sara¡¯s presence seemed to bloom, creating pulses in the air around her, and the mana supporting everyone began to vanish.


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    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Farah asked. ¡°And those guys! Catch them!¡±¡¯


    Dia wheeled around on her left heel and caught one of the unconscious fellows before he could kiss a rock. Setting Sara¡¯s companion down gently, she turned back to the Blessed of the Blue God, who was rising from the ground, suspended by an energy she had only sensed when in the Blue Moon¡¯s presence.


    ¡°Divinity¡­Nero?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s divinity.¡± Nero paused. ¡°It seems that Sara¡¯s return here has upset a very delicate balance the weakened Blue God had created.¡±


    Blue light glowed from the heavens a moment later, creating a divine image high in the sky. At first glance, it looked like a spider¡¯s web to Dia, but her understanding of the divine symbol that represented the Blue God continued to shift back and forth, from a web to that of a spoked will. The gigantic symbol that represented the God of Inevitability covered the entire sky, stretching out towards the horizon itself, and in that moment, Dia felt trapped by some invisible force.


    ¡°The God of Inevitability governs a portion of fate.¡± Nero¡¯s voice rang out in the silence. ¡°All roads lead to the same destination. The web of fate encapsulates all. This is the holy symbol of the Blue God, the God of Inevitability, Fatum. And yet¡­¡±


    The symbol felt incomplete to Dia, something that Nero definitely never failed to pick up on. Sara¡¯s words echoed in her head a moment later ¡ª the Blue God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny had fallen, and that had prompted the Blue God to order his Blessed to return to Celestia.


    ¡°Why would the Blue God order his Blessed to return to Celestia?¡± Schwarz asked, articulating the question Dia had in mind.


    ¡°Every Blessed is a formidable existence that needs to be maintained,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Normally, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem, but the Blue God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny died. I can¡¯t explain any further than that, but I¡¯m sure you guys can liken it to a shop with cash flow problems and said shop trying to not pay their employees.¡±


    ¡°Holy Son Nero, I¡¯m afraid likening my Lord¡¯s problems to a shop¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh, He won¡¯t mind,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Anyway, you should just stand still and receive your pay.¡±


    As blue light continued to pour down on Sara, the holy symbol that hung in the sky began to dim. Dia, who had been looking up the whole time, felt the incongruity in her heart intensify as what seemed to be black cracks ran across the spoked wheel.


    ¡°¡­The holy symbol is breaking up.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope that isn¡¯t the case,¡± Nero replied. ¡°The holy symbol of the gods are¡­a reflection of their current state. If it cracks, it means that the owner has perished.¡±


    The terrifying cracks ceased to advance after a while, but the weight pressing down on Dia seemed to increase. The river of light that was crashing onto Sara dried up like a stream in a drought, but the intense amounts of mana that the Blessed of the Blue God was exuding was palpable.


    Schwarz let out a low whistle. ¡°Would you look at that? That presence is¡­very similar to Nero¡¯s right now. Dude, where¡¯s your Second Tutorial?¡±


    ¡°No need for one,¡± Nero replied. ¡°She¡¯s a Blessed of the Blue God. Anyway, I suppose you got your rewards¡­let¡¯s return before anything else weird happens.¡±


    Dia looked up at the sky again, where the white moon hung. The web of lightning that had been menacing the ruins earlier hadn¡¯t returned, and as everyone started their manawalk, she couldn¡¯t help but think that something had screwed the five grand skies over.


    The world turned into a small blur as everyone charged towards neutral territory. The Marsh of Remembrance was actually in the territory of the great Dark, and no one wanted to stay here any longer than necessary. However, the divine phenomena that had occurred here over and over again definitely drew the Dark¡¯s attention, and maybe that of the Moons¡¯ too.


    There was no telling what would happen next, so getting out of here was a top priority now. With two burdens, however, the task was a little harder, and Dia found herself alternating with Nero to carry one of the unconscious fellows.


    ¡°This guy should lose some weight,¡± Dia complained. ¡°Or gain some. He¡¯s heavy enough to feel uncomfortable, but not heavy enough to serve as a weight for weight training. How unfortunate.¡±


    ¡°For you or for him?¡± Nero asked. ¡°Dude was knocked out and badly injured. I think your complaints about his weight are incredibly trivial in comparison, really.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but we¡¯re the ones carrying him right now¡­¡±


    Dia glanced back as she skirted around a rock. Indeed, the terrifying sea of lightning that was poised to strike the ruins didn¡¯t seem to be returning anytime soon, and¡ª


    The dimmed, cracked holy symbol released a blinding pulse at that moment, and the night sky lit up once more. This time, instead of a river of blue light, the skies themselves turned into what seemed like a net, and the holy symbol began to condense.


    Clearly, the surprises of this night weren¡¯t going to end just yet.


    ¡°What now?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°What¡¯s this supposed to be now?¡±


    The dim holy symbol lit up as it shrank, and the sky-spanning shape condensed into a ball that made Dia¡¯s eyes sting just by laying eyes on it.


    ¡°Look away,¡± Nero warned. ¡°¡­And be prepared, everyone. It seems that one of the Third Godsfall¡¯s legendary characters is about to make an appearance.¡±


    Something clicked in Dia¡¯s mind at that moment. ¡°The Blue God is descending onto the world itself?¡±


    ¡°Seems like it.¡± Nero looked at the blue orb in the sky. ¡°And perhaps, the Blue God isn¡¯t alone.¡±


    Another ripple shook the world, and a familiar red light entered Dia¡¯s vision.

 Chapter 505: Brilliant Blue, ragged Red

    As the blue web condensed into an azure orb, the night sky burned with a red might, and another wave of crushing pressure fell on Dia as a fiery hourglass manifested in the skies above.


    ¡°The God of Precision¡­¡± Nero¡¯s voice was ragged. ¡°He¡¯s descending too. I suppose it had to be this way. Both the Red God and the Blue God share similarities in their domains, after all. Can you feel it? A change in your future?¡±


    ¡°A change?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Sara clasped her hands together and dropped to her knees. ¡°My Lord and the God of Precision collectively govern fate. When I left the Celestia Ruins, the burden on my Lord intensified, and He gave up on his authority. The burden on the Red God must have increased¡­¡±


    She looked up at the hourglass, which was collapsing onto itself. Indeed, now that the Blessed of the Blue God had explained the current occurrences, Dia could see that the holy symbols of the Red and Blue Gods were undergoing massive changes. The symbols that represented their dominions had been turned into spheres of light; it was a reconsolidation of energy.


    Schwarz made a noise in his throat. ¡°Does that mean¡­¡±


    ¡°The influence the divinities wield over the future has been drastically weakened,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Of course, to you and me, this probably won¡¯t mean much, but I can¡¯t say the same about the Bearers of Destiny.¡±


    ¡°Because of their Absolute skills?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°You were always one of the sharpest swords in the shed,¡± Nero replied. ¡°But I cannot elaborate on this either, sadly.¡±


    As the red sphere of light continued to gather, its blue counterpart emitted multiple ripples in rapid succession. The night sky, split into blue and red, writhed and danced, and bells rang in Dia¡¯s head. The blue sphere, which had turned into a solid globe, began to crack slowly. Pieces of blue light fell from the skies, and Dia watched on with rapt attention as the blue ¡®egg¡¯ began to hatch.


    ¡°Incarnation¡­¡± Nero looked at the Blessed of the Blue God. ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°God is walking the world,¡± Sara replied, her voice filled with a touch of awe.


    ¡°The only question is the level of power the Blue God has at this juncture,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Is He mortal? Can he be harmed by weapons and mana?¡±


    ¡°Presumably so,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I expect him to be extraordinarily resilient, though.¡±


    More cracks ran through the blue egg, and azure fragments continued to peel off from the sphere of light.


    Funnily enough, Dia knew that the blue orb was definitely high in the sky, so much so that most objects should be invisible. Anything she could see should have been a massive object, and yet, as she gazed at the incarnation process of the Blue God, Dia couldn¡¯t help but think that there was some incredible illusion at work. Distance didn¡¯t seem to pose any problem to the issue of visibility, and it seemed like the Blue God was reconstructing his body just ten metres away.


    It was unbelievable, but again, this was the Last Godsfall. Dia was beginning to feel that things like logic, plausibility and common sense were just relics of a prior age, and to be honest, she was watching two gods abandon their responsibilities in order to survive.


    Something as trivial as vision and distance didn¡¯t really seem to do anything much to her now.


    The blue globe, which was now completely riddled with cracks, began to fall apart entirely. A fog of bright blue light, nestled in what used to be an egg, solidified fully in real time.


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    Dia touched her heart as the fog condensed into a humanoid form. Her instincts were screaming and wailing at the incredible sense of wrongness that had just flooded her instincts. It was like watching someone block an overhead strike with the flat of a sword, or a world without shadows ¡ª something was so fundamentally wrong that she didn¡¯t even know where to begin.


    Her eyes fell on the new body of the Blue God. Once again, distance seemed to be ignored, and the figure of a person clad in a blue robe from head to toe appeared in her vision. Hundreds of needles floated around the Blue God, each of them sending warnings to her brain just by looking.


    The Blue God surveyed the world with a sweep of his head, before breaking apart into fog once more. The wind picked up with a howl, sweeping away the faint blue fog that shrouded the heavens and bringing away a significant portion of the pressure that clamped down on Dia¡¯s shoulders.


    As the blue light receded entirely, the area of red that had taken up half the blue sky flared up with immense strength, dyeing the night sky in crimson. The hourglass, which had completely shattered, was undergoing the same incarnation process as the Blue God¡¯s holy symbol.


    ¡°Is it me, or does the Red God¡¯s sphere look quite bad?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Dia focused on the sphere again. Indeed, when she compared the bright azure sphere of the Blue God to the dull egg that housed the Red God¡¯s incarnation, the difference was obvious. In addition, the pressure that the red globe was emitting was definitely a few folds weaker than that of the Blue God.


    Even a fool could tell that he was weakened for one reason or another.


    ¡°Quite a difference, yes.¡± Nero made a noise in his throat. ¡°Maybe the Red God has tons of Blessed or he¡¯s suffering from a chronic lack of energy.¡±


    ¡°Both are possible, yes¡­¡±


    The red egg quivered a few times, but there were no cracks forming on its surface. Instead, it simply hung in the sky without any movement, and after three minutes of just looking at a motionless red orb, Dia and the others resumed their mana-walking again. Their little group had stopped at some point of time ¡ª probably when the Blue God underwent the incarnation process ¡ª but since there was no spectacle to watch right now, finding a safe place was all the best.


    The group lapsed into silence as they continued to rush towards the Lacuna dukedom capital, and Dia found herself wondering about the Trial of Aeons. Were they affected by the fact that two of the Coloured Gods were forced to incarnate themselves into the world? Would that have any effect on the trials itself?


    Dia glanced at the dim red globe once. She was interested in this topic, purely because she already knew that a slot had been reserved for her. If the incarnation of two Coloured Gods really had a significant impact on the Trial of Aeons, her task would probably grow harder and harder with each word.


    It would be for the best if nothing happened, but Dia had matured enough to expect otherwise.


    Their little group continued to race towards the Lacuna dukedom capital as the white Moon wheeled across the skies. The prospect of coming across the two lovebirds there was quite uplifting; after all, Claud and Lily had been summoned to this very city to protect it.


    ¡°What do you think Lily and Claud are doing?¡± Farah abruptly asked.


    ¡°At this time?¡± Schwarz chuckled. ¡°Why, making the next generation, of course. Or maybe they¡¯re on the road that leads that way. Why do you ask? I thought it was obvious.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just asking, okay?¡± Farah replied. ¡°I¡¯m wondering what it feels like to share a bed with another person, especially a man. My own educators told me that men are creatures of base instinct, whose primary pursuit is that of pleasure and pleasure through carnal relations.¡±


    ¡°That is a very weird way of putting things,¡± Sara noted. ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys a group too? I thought you¡¯d be more¡­informal with each other. Maybe even tried a fling here and there. I mean, Schwarz and Nero look plenty attractive to me.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t know what to say to that, but it wasn¡¯t like she was all that wrong. However, she had no interest in love or lust; her main priority was to just grow stronger for now. After all, once she was strong enough, she could get anything she wanted ¡ª to indulge in things like this felt a bit wasteful to her.


    ¡°We are a group,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°But we¡¯re polite people too,¡± Nero added. ¡°I have never propositioned any of my team members. And I don¡¯t expect them to do the same either.¡±


    ¡°Good choice,¡± Sara replied. ¡°Group dynamics get a bit weird if you turn someone down or if someone turns you down. Trust me.¡±


    ¡°You speak with the air of experience,¡± Nero replied. ¡°So I will. Anyway, our group actually does have a couple, but there¡¯s a small problem. That couple is pretty darn weird.¡±


    ¡°Weird?¡± Sara tilted her head. ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, I think it¡¯ll be more interesting if you met them without our introductions,¡± Nero answered. ¡°Hehe.¡±


    ¡°That nasty laugh of yours needs to change¡­¡±

 Chapter 506: Sabotage

    A huge scythe skittled past Claud as its emotionless owner chased after a man clad in opulent armour. ¡°Die. Just die.¡±


    ¡°That was just my mouth running automatically! I¡¯m innocent!¡± The owner of the armour dodged as the scythe slashed out over and over again, and Claud inwardly regretted the fact that he didn¡¯t have a lifestyle skill that would produce snacks for him.


    A grey brick popped out of his hand and joined the pile below, before Claud turned to look at the red sphere that had seemed very familiar to him. It was hanging high in the sky, close to the white moon and the Trial of Aeons, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel some pressure from the damned thing.


    Two days ago, two such orbs ¡ª one red and one blue ¡ª had popped out from the heavens with much fanfare. The night sky had lit up too, creating beautiful patterns that had blinded everyone taking the Trial of Aeons at that time. After that, one orb turned to mist, while the other had turned silent completely.


    Claud obviously had no idea what was going on, but the knowing air that Thirteen and Seven gave off did function as rather good hints. Based on Claud¡¯s understanding of the events that had transpired in his Second Tutorial, the red orb was almost definitely related to the Red God, and the blue orb to the Blue God. There was no other explanation, after all ¡ª the Red God had somehow engaged in battle with the Claud of that time around the Trial of Aeons.


    The only question was the difference in strength. Did the Claud of his Second Tutorial obtain his ninth fold by the time the trial came to an end? Or did something else happen? His memories were quite hazy, to be honest, and Claud had the feeling that he couldn¡¯t have been a nine-folder before the Trial of Aeons ended.


    Probably, anyway. After all, he still had the Third Tutorial to complete. Until he completed it, there was no way he could enter the ranks of a nine-folder.


    ¡°¡­Fragments of Fate, huh.¡± Claud turned to the two Bearers of Destiny, who were chasing each other happily, and then cast his gaze at the other team. Since everyone had their own objectives to fulfil, it had long become custom to place a few bricks on the opposing side¡¯s Aeon Bridge ¡ª no one wanted to fight each other, after all.


    His goal, however, was a bit different. He had two choices here ¡ª either he destroyed both Aeon Bridges or have the two of them combine into one single bridge. Doing so would net him the rewards, and so far, no one seemed to be aware of his objectives.


    He didn¡¯t quite understand why he needed to do these things yet, but the rewards were definitely important. More to the point, however, was that every single Bearer of Destiny represented a Fragment of Fate for him. If he wanted to increase the skill level of his Absolute One, these guys had to die.


    Clicking his teeth, Claud produced another Aeon Brick, before checking his mana reserves. Making Aeon Bricks required some mana, and he didn¡¯t to deplete his mana too much. Fortunately, it seemed that everyone was currently playing nice with each other, but he didn¡¯t want to take any risk at all.


    Thirteen chased Seven for a few more minutes, her emotionless face at complete odds with the whirling scythe that was hoping to take out a leg or two, before coming to a stop.


    ¡°Shame,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°You can chase him for another hour, and I won¡¯t complain about how I¡¯m the only one doing the work.¡±


    ¡°Unnecessary,¡± Thirteen replied. ¡°Entertainment.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s entertainment to you too, huh?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Still, do feel free to chase him a few more times.¡±


    He kept an appropriate distance from Thirteen as the two of them continued to converse. After all, she was someone that he would have to kill in the end. Every kill he made would grant his lifespan and a Fragment of Fate ¡ª all Claud had to do was to get rid of them at a good timing.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    For now, however, he would play along and wave nicely. However, once he got what he needed, Claud was fully intent on using the good old combo of Presence Nullification and Absolute One to wipe out everyone here. It was a shame and a pity, so Claud had no intention to deepen his bond with everyone else any further.


    They would remain, at most, polite acquaintances.


    Indeed, this was the best way to describe the current social situation. With only one Bearer of Destiny from the Dark and the Moons, there were no tight bonds that could be formed between one Bearer and another. In fact, judging from how the Coloured Gods¡¯ Bearers of Destiny interacted with each other, it was clear that even they seemed to have their distinct, personal agendas.


    After all, some of them had come running over to contribute a few Aeon Bricks here and there. He and the others had done the same too¡­well, other than Thirteen, who was keeping her Aeon Bricks to herself. The same went for the Moons¡¯ Bearer of Destiny ¡ª it was clear that there was some taboo regarding mixing Aeon Bricks produced by the Dark and by the Moons.


    Claud produced another three Aeon Bricks, before contributing them to the pile. The bridge was all but done now, and just in time too, since the time they had left was but only a few hours. It was remarkable how they had completed it, despite the fact that his teammates had chased each other around multiple times and he himself was limiting the number of Aeon Bricks made everyday.


    ¡°Is this enough?¡± Claud wondered out loud, staring at the huge pile of bricks at his side. For some reason, the others had seen it fit to deposit their Aeon Bricks at his feet. There was another fellow on the other side who had been given this duty too, but it seemed like the reason was quite different¡­


    ¡°Hmm? Yeah, I think so. Thanks for looking after those things.¡± Seven bobbed his head at him. Since his tongue had been ¡°pacified¡± temporarily, his words were a bit more polite right now.


    ¡°Proceed,¡± Thirteen added. ¡°Honours, you.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t really need such a dubious honour,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And my arms will tire out if I have to toss out so many bricks, really. You guys do it instead. I need a rest anyway.¡±


    Thirteen and Seven exchanged glances, before making little snorts at each other. Thankfully, the mission was more than enough to make them work together at the weird task of plopping bricks and letting the trial do the rest of the work.


    Rolling away from the formidable pile of bricks, Claud patted his bum and got into a comfortable sitting position. The others, who were very aware that they had been fooling around while Claud was working hard, didn¡¯t put up any resistance to him slacking off.


    Bricks flew in neat arcs, lining up one after another to add onto the half-complete bridge. At the same time, their Moonlit counterpart also copied their actions, and Claud watched happily as the two bridges continued to grow.


    He could feel the Aeon Bricks he had created in both bridges, ready to move and detonate at a moment¡¯s notice. However, his instincts told him that the best way forward was not to destroy both bridges, but to merge them together ¡ª the second requirement of his Omen Mission.


    Claud didn¡¯t know the actual purpose behind constructing this bridge, but if it was something symbolic, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered that much. However, the fact that there were actually distinctions between destroying the bridge outright and forcing both of them to merge into the same thing was telling enough. Missions didn¡¯t give free lifespan for no reason ¡ª there was definitely something immense going on here.


    He watched on as the two bridges neared completion, and time seemed to slow as the last few bricks flew forward. With a surge of his will, some of his bricks in both Aeon Bridges trembled and broke free from their original positions, while others simply detonated. Bright grey light spilled out, engulfing the two parallel bridges as everyone drew their weapons and looked around warily.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s playing tricks here!¡±


    The scythe behind Thirteen whirled as Claud leapt to his feet, drawing his sword to not seem left out. Like the others, he surveyed the environment warily, looking out for an imaginary enemy.


    The grey light soon died down, revealing a singular, complete bridge that led to the rift. Lightning ripped through the skies a moment later, and a faint groan left Thirteen¡¯s lips as white and black light mingled with each other. The white moon and the darkness below writhed at the same time, and the circular platform everyone was standing on shook as lightning raged.


    As the world continued to tremble, a message appeared in Claud¡¯s eyes.


    [<Mission: Bridging the Aeon Span (Phase 1)> has been completed.]


    [<Omen Mission: Shattering the cycle (Phase 1)> has been completed. Calculating result grade.]


    Claud closed his eyes and prepared to receive the reward.

 Chapter 507: Phase Is conclusion

    [<Mission: Bridging the Aeon Span (Phase 1)> has been completed.]


    [As one, the Bearers of Destiny worked together to forge the path to the new world, creating a bridge in which the residents of the old can migrate into the new. While the path ahead is long, the most critical aspect has been concluded, though not without incident. For your contributions in creating the Aeon Bridge, you have been awarded 100 years of lifespan.]


    [<Skill: Aeon Fold ¡ª Omen> has been unsealed.]


    [Faction confirmed: Dark]


    [<Omen Mission: Shattering the cycle (Phase 1)> has been completed. Calculating result grade.]


    [Results: Grade 1]


    [Under your cunning machinations, the two Aeon Bridges that would have laid the foundations for a never-ending cycle have been merged into one, shattering a fixed fate and giving birth to infinite possibilities.]


    [The power of entropy fills your veins¡­]


    [<Skill: Aeon Fold ¡ª Omen> has been strengthened by 4 levels].


    Claud trembled once as an incredible surge of lifeforce filled his body, and he checked his Looped Encryptor to make sure that nothing had leaked out from his body. Fortunately, other than Thirteen and the Moons¡¯ Bearer of Destiny, some of the others had delighted looks on their face, which meant that their missions were probably¡­closer to his than that of the Dark and the Moons.


    Of course, none of them probably entailed blowing up the bridges to destroy or to merge them, but the fact that these fellows had various expressions meant that they had different¡­goals.


    ¡°Right,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Status.¡±


    Name: Claud Primus


    Class: Omen


    Lifespan: 742 years


    Active Skills: Presence Nullification (9), Flight (5), Binding Order (7), Cleanse (6), FiBoD;O??? (0), FiBoD;O??? (0)


    Passive Skills: DiL???C, Mana Locus, Omen, Understanding, Master of Permanence, Artificial Life Contractor, Aeon Fold ¡ª Omen (4)


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 6.99


    Mana Control Proficiency: Master


    Authority: 6


    Comments: The gods descend, and the world writhes. Darkness pools below the soul; scorching light from above. Destiny calls, and you have awakened. Prepare yourself, Omen. Your time will soon come.


    Claud frowned. The comments this time were particularly ominous. Whoever was writing this either knew a lot of things, or was incredibly dramatic. Whatever the case, however, it would seem that his lifespan had increased by more than three hundred years, and his Aeon Fold skill, which had been frozen and completely inaccessible to even his Understanding skill, was now unsealed.


    Fully, anyway.


    He glanced around, and then checked on his skill.


    [Skill: Aeon Fold ¡ª Omen (4)


    Skill effects: For every level of <Skill: Aeon Fold ¡ª Omen>, your resistance to divinity and mental attacks increases. You can expend four levels to fully evolve any non-unique skill unconditionally. You can expend forty levels to gain <Skill: Divinity Aspirant>.


    Additional comments: Killing other holders of <Skill: Aeon Fold> transfers all their Aeon Folds to you. Additionally, Aeon Folds can substitute for Fragments of Fate, and vice-versa, at a 1:1 ratio.]


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    ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen a skill demand something as payment, though,¡± Claud muttered himself. His thoughts fluttered over to the Will of Freedom and Will of Solitude skills the Claud in his Second Tutorial had; it was very possible that the him there had expended multiple Aeon Folds to raise those skills to their highest level.


    However, where did that absurd lifespan come from? Claud vividly remembered that the lifespan he saw back then was close to a million years, but would the Trial of Aeons really grant anyone a million years of lifespan? That was definitely impossible. The him back then definitely did something else, but even if he slaughtered every single one here¡­


    Making a face, Claud looked around the place once more. The entire platform, ever since the bridge had turned from one made of stone to one of black and white, had been fraught with writhing lightning that threatened to smite everyone present. Something else was holding it at bay, however, and he managed to put down his fear.


    The others were beginning to look around too. Thirteen and her Moonlit counterpart, however, were deathly still. With the censoring function working at full blast, there was no way for someone to look at someone else¡¯s facial expressions. The two Bearers of Destiny were looking for the person that had forced two bridges to merge, but unless they wanted to end up fighting every other Bearer of Destiny, they could only passively search for the person they thought was the culprit.


    Lightning flashed again, and a new set of notifications appeared in front of Claud.


    [Mission: Bridging the Aeon Span (Phase 2)


    Mission Introduction: The end of the cycle approaches, and with it the cessation of all life. The foundation to a new eternity has been laid down, but in the void between worlds, there are parasites that have already latched onto this newly built path. With your will and mana, stand your ground against abandoned intruders and parasites.


    Mission requirements: Kill all the intruders and parasites that appear.


    Mission reward: 150 years of lifespan, <Skill: Aeon Fold> is raised by a certain number of ranks, based on performance at the end of Phase 2.


    Additional remarks: Failure to complete this mission will result in unfathomable consequences for all life.]


    [Omen Mission: Shattering the cycle (Phase 2)


    Mission Introduction: The end of the cycle approaches, and with it the cessation of all life. With the blessing of the five grand skies, a new world will be formed with the foundation of the old. Having carved open a world of infinite possibility with your own two hands, it now falls onto you alone to maintain the element of chaos.


    Mission requirements: At least one intruder makes it through by the end of Phase 2.


    Mission reward: <Skill: Aeon Fold> is raised by a certain number of ranks, based on your performance at the end of Phase 2. Your lifespan is increased based on your performance at the end of Phase 2. You will be awarded a certain number of Fragments of Fate, based on your performance at the end of Phase 2.


    Additional remarks: Failure to complete this mission will result in unfathomable consequences for all life. Be aware that you are the enemy of every other Bearer of Destiny present. If your identity is discovered, they will attack you.]


    Claud frowned. Those two missions were clearly contradictory; one wanted him to obliterate, the other wanted him to preserve. In addition, there was no room to skirt around either; either he killed them all, or failed the first mission. However¡­


    ¡°Intruders, huh.¡± Claud couldn¡¯t help but note that there was a fine difference between intruder and parasite. Whoever was in-charge of these Omen Missions definitely didn¡¯t want these parasites too.


    ¡°What do you guys think?¡± Seven asked, glee and an uncharacteristic worry exuding off his boyish frame. It was a weird combination at first glance, but if Claud pushed a bit further, it would all make sense afterwards. Seven had clearly accomplished his own personal mission too, but the new missions were worrying him.


    Considering that Claud had everyone here marked for death, the only thing the master thief did was to grunt once in reply.


    Thirteen didn¡¯t even bother responding, and the Seventh Bearer of Destiny made a small noise in his throat.


    ¡°Fine. Forget I asked. You guys are so unsociable.¡± Seven made a sniff. ¡°Whatever.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s in a bad mood,¡± Claud finally spoke. ¡°The bridge those two were making blew up. Best if we shut up for now.¡±


    He glanced at the scythe behind Thirteen, who was doing a very good job at expressing its owner¡¯s emotions. Of course, as the main cause of it all, Claud wasn¡¯t actually going to feel bad about the whole thing, though. His words, however, was good enough to remind the guy who had been chased by a floating scythe and its emotionless that there were some people that shouldn¡¯t be provoked, and with a sheepish smile, Seven looked around.


    Shaking his head, Claud focused on the task at hand. The way the missions put it, it would seem that there were nasty things that were headed their way right now. Their goal wasn¡¯t clear, though. Did these enemies want to occupy part of the bridge? Or was their goal to enter the rift? Whatever the case, Phase 2 of the Trial revolved around killing enemies; this meant that Claud had to be careful.


    After all, the mission introduction did not say anything about their strength. But if these were beings that could drift in voids within worlds, Claud wasn¡¯t going to underestimate them at all. At the very least, the safest assumption was that these things would have a tenacious lifeforce and be extraordinarily hard to kill.


    To drop one¡¯s guard would be to ask for it. Similarly, Claud would also feel displeased if some of the other Bearers of Destiny died; only by killing them personally would he reap the most benefit. Furthermore¡ª


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Claud looked behind him.


    At the same time, the other Bearers of Destiny whirled around to look at the centre of the platform, which was now shimmering with prismatic lights. Silhouettes rose up from these lights a moment later, and Claud frowned.


    It would seem that there were helpers¡­


    More importantly, however, was the fact that these helpers didn¡¯t have a mosaic on their faces, which was probably the most welcome sight after seven days of square-headed people.


    Claud was definitely tired of seeing squares on people¡¯s shoulders.

 Chapter 508: The rulers of the continents

    ¡°That¡¯s definitely him, right?¡± Claud muttered to himself, looking at the slender man with a gold crown on his head. Nine-coloured robes adorned his body, with a similar colour motif being applied to the nine halos that floated behind him. Each halo gave off an imposing presence, but the weightiness that emanated outwards from that slender silhouette was the heaviest of all.


    Two people stood behind him in silence, their stillness proof of their deference.


    ¡°Who?¡± Seven asked.


    Thirteen, whose scythe was now spinning rapidly, turned to him at the same time. ¡°Identity.¡±


    ¡°¡­On the condition that you guys point out your own too,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that anyway, so don¡¯t think too hard about it.¡± Seven waved away his words.


    ¡°Done.¡±


    Claud glanced at Thirteen, whose one-word answer was a tiny bit more spirited than usual, and then nodded. ¡°That man there¡­that¡¯s Emperor Grandis. The ruler of the Grandis continent. Before the Trial of Aeons began, he was already a hexa-folder. One can only wonder if he is a septa-folder now.¡±


    ¡°¡­Now I see what you mean by ¡®your own¡¯,¡± Seven replied. ¡°That¡¯s the Emperor of your Empire? Not gonna lie, I think I¡¯ll have to hold my tongue for a while.¡±


    ¡°Self-awareness. Intriguing.¡± Thirteen turned to look at Seven, regarding him with some interest, before turning back to look at Emperor Grandis. ¡°There. That man. Supreme Saran.¡±


    Claud followed her finger, and his brows furrowed. The man he was looking at had a sense of aesthetics that was essentially in stark contrast to Emperor Grandis¡¯ overwhelming majesty. Supreme Saran was wearing black armour from head to toe; his torso, feet, face¡­every part of him was covered by black plate armour. Rotating around his forehead were six blobs of black light, each of them exuding an overpowering aura.


    ¡°That¡¯s Supreme Saran?¡± Seven asked.


    ¡°Correct,¡± Thirteen replied. ¡°Dangerous. Seven. Senate.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. Uh¡­that¡¯s the First Lady, Cecily.¡± Seven motioned at a woman, who was clad in a shimmering cloak of golden light. Her features were breath-taking, but the chill that lined her facial features turned her into probably the most unapproachable woman in the world. In fact, Claud had no desire to look at her any further; his eyes were stinging from the sheer amount of¡­whatever it was.


    He had missed Lily ever since he stepped into this stupid place, and Claud now found himself missing her even more. Once he got back, he would hug her for three hours or something.


    Definitely.


    Turning away from First Lady Cecily, Claud rubbed his eyes. ¡°My eyes hurt. It¡¯s hard to look at her.¡±


    ¡°I know, right? But she at least doesn¡¯t get any weird solicitations from perverts.¡± Seven chuckled. ¡°Anyway, best not to get to close to her. First Lady Cecily was last recorded as a hexa-folder too.¡±


    Claud grunted, before checking out the rest of the arrivals. He didn¡¯t know most of them, other than a certain Association President, which he was naturally going to avoid for reasons. Unfortunately, he hadn¡¯t expected that Phase 2 would summon ten people here for some inane reason, so he wasn¡¯t exactly in disguise.


    Turning away from them, Claud touched his face once. He had three masks on, and the last one was even an artefact, but someone who knew him well could potentially identify him through his habits.


    Changing his voice subtly, Claud gestured at the bridge that had been formed. ¡°I¡¯m heading over first. Do whatever you li¡ª¡±


    ¡°Harken to my words.¡± Those three words, though quiet, interrupted his next actions through the sheer will that backed them up. ¡°I am Emperor Grandis. If you seek my aid, approach me. This seat will not turn anyone away. Together, we shall transcend this Trial of Aeons.¡±


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    The nine halos behind him emanated another pulse of power, one that was simultaneously tough and pliable. Claud watched on in silence ¡ª he had no intention of joining anyone else ¡ª but not everyone thought the same way. Some of the newcomers promptly joined up with Emperor Grandis, their spirit and will blazing brightly, and Claud narrowed his eyes.


    Before anyone else could move, a heavy thump shook the platform, and Supreme Saran strode forwards. ¡°Warriors of my Supremacy. Join my side. Or die.¡±


    The last word shook the air itself, and Claud watched on as one of the Bearers of Destiny broke ranks and approached Supreme Saran. Claud glanced at Thirteen a moment later, and then raised an eyebrow. ¡°Not joining?¡±


    He wasn¡¯t the only one either.


    ¡°Kemata.¡± The low, deadly voice of Supreme Saran shook the air. ¡°Your place is by my side.¡±


    The air between the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny and the tyrant of the Lacheln continent grew heavy as the two locked eyes. Claud, who was in close proximity to the confrontation, frowned once.


    ¡°Negative,¡± Thirteen replied. ¡°I have left.¡±


    ¡°No one leaves my service, even in death,¡± Supreme Saran enunciated slowly.


    The scythe spun furiously in response, and Claud prepared to make a move. Supreme Saran was what Lily would call an unstable explosive, one of her earliest products. Of course, in this case, it referred to an unpredictable, volatile element¡­which described Supreme Saran perfectly.


    Black light burst out of Supreme Saran¡¯s mace, and the scythe whirled. Seven took a stance, unsheathing his rapier against the unpredictable factor, and Claud touched the hilt of his sword.


    ¡°Supreme Saran.¡± A cold voice that chilled Claud down to the bone spoke, and First Lady Cecily rematerialized in the middle of Saran and Thirteen¡¯s ocular showdown. ¡°Still that same old brutish act as ever, I see.¡±


    ¡°Cecily. If you are not here to join my harem, step away.¡±


    ¡°I do not think so,¡± the First Lady of the Nihal Senate replied. ¡°I have long heard of Lady Kemata¡¯s exploits in that place you besmirch the word ¡®Academy¡¯ with. Her distaste to you and your ilk is very, very understandable, just above facts like water being essential to life.¡±


    ¡°Woman. You insist on protecting a criminal?¡±


    ¡°A criminal now, hm? Wow. What, then, is she guilty of? Turning down a brute? If that¡¯s a crime, then I¡¯m afraid my senate is equally guilty.¡± The air around First Lady Cecily shimmered, turning into crystals of ice that reflected the light of her golden clothes. ¡°Would you like to settle this in the most archaic trial? My battleaxe is waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°Supreme Saran. First Lady Cecily.¡± Emperor Grandis took a step forward. ¡°This is no place for squabbles, petty or otherwise.¡±


    First Lady Cecily chuckled. ¡°Grandis, you old stick in the mud. Let¡¯s just get rid of Saran here, and then compete fairly. I promise not to touch the Lacheln continent.¡±


    ¡°Your twentieth term ends in three months. This seat would be a fool to work with you while you enter the election period, where all promises made by you are non-binding,¡± Emperor Grandis replied. ¡°Now, if this foolishness is over, let us resume our task. Time is not our ally.¡±


    He turned to the Aeon Bridge. ¡°This is the thing we need to protect, not someone¡¯s meaningless pride. So unless you do not want to complete the Trial of Aeons, let us move on.¡±


    Claud raised an eyebrow. His first meeting with Emperor Grandis was¡­when Duke Istrel became Ruler Istrel, but again, the impression of the man back then was based upon a few lines of dialogue. The Emperor Grandis right here, right now, was a lot more authentic in form and behaviour, like a painting given life.


    ¡°Emperor Grandis is quite interesting,¡± Seven muttered.


    ¡°Your First Lady too,¡± Claud replied, before looking at Thirteen. The scythe behind her continued to spin furiously, as if it was cleaving down an endless pile of wheat, and Claud felt a little bad for her.


    Thirteen looked at them. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Claud bobbed his head at her, and then turned to Seven. ¡°You¡¯re an interesting one. Despite your very, very annoying tongue, you chose to draw your weapon earlier. Why?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t control my tongue,¡± Seven replied. ¡°It¡¯s not like I hate you two, okay? I like making friends, but my words just spill out without going through my brain. I also didn¡¯t want to taunt Kemata back then¡­but it¡¯s hard when your mouth moves on its own.¡±


    Claud caught himself right before he was about to laugh, and then frowned. Over the past week, the three of them had gotten a bit closer, but he couldn¡¯t have that. After all, Claud was planning on annihilating every single Bearer of Destiny at the right time. If he made friends with these two people¡­


    ¡°Curse. Possible.¡± Thirteen muttered. ¡°Checked yet?¡±


    ¡°A curse?¡± Seven asked.


    As the two of them went back and forth about the possibility of Seven being cursed, Claud let out a small sigh of relief. None of them had noticed his abnormality yet, but this was indeed a warning for him.


    He wasn¡¯t here to make friends. He was here to complete the Trial of Aeons, to avert a future and to get rid of as many Bearers of Destiny as possible.


    That was his goal here.


    As everyone began to move towards the newly constructed Aeon Bridge, Claud glanced at Supreme Saran once more. The latter¡¯s gaze was fixed on Thirteen, a cold, unrelenting gaze that promised a bloody vengeance.


    Claud, who was also on the receiving end of it, had to restrain himself from striking.

 Chapter 509: Invaders from beyond the world

    Three major factions appeared the moment everyone settled on the newly constructed Aeon Bridge, divided according to national loyalties. Claud wasn¡¯t interested in joining any of them, like some of the other Bearers of Destiny, but now that there were groups led by leaders of whole nations here¡­


    ¡°What a mess.¡± Claud glanced at Thirteen and Seven, whose body language spoke volumes about their stance and thoughts. He could practically see the fear and suspicion radiating off them, but in Thirteen¡¯s case, this much was understandable. What wasn¡¯t understandable, however, was Seven¡¯s own fear.


    The last he checked, the only Bearer of Destiny that had been menaced so far by the newcomers was Thirteen, so¡­


    He cast another thoughtful glance at the armoured young man, and then looked around the Aeon Bridge. The Aeon Bridge had changed form the moment everyone stepped on it. Rather than an actual rectangular bridge, the whole thing had shifted to form something like a eight-spoked wheel laid flat on the floor. In the middle of the spoked wheel was a weird pillar of nine-coloured light; something that Claud promptly pegged as the object that needed to be protected¡­


    Or in his case, sabotaged.


    At any rate, the surroundings had shifted so naturally that Claud hadn¡¯t noticed, but the whole setup had changed so thoroughly that even someone who thoroughly lacked an awareness of their surroundings would have noticed.


    As he stewed in some random thoughts, a low howl filled the air, and multiple rifts appeared. At the end of every path was one such rift, and as he watched on, quivering white¡­things stepped out of these rifts, each of them radiating an air of utter wrongness.


    If this was one of those intruders, Claud wasn¡¯t going to complete his Omen Mission. This thing was far too creepy for him to even consider the possibility of passing. In fact, every fibre of his being was designating these white, squishy things as enemies of the world, and simply raising his blade against them was enough to fill him with some determination.


    ¡°Those are the parasites we must protect our world from!¡± Emperor Grandis proclaimed. ¡°The Logia, monsters from the gap between worlds! Annihilate them, or we will be destroyed!¡±


    Claud found himself roaring with the rest, and a cold part of him dimly noted that this was probably due to some innate effect of the Emperor¡¯s artefacts. Nonetheless, he could hear a ring of truth within those words itself¡­ but why did the Emperor know so much about these things? He knew about their name, their origin and their goal.


    What other secrets did this world hide?


    Shaking his head, Claud eyed the monsters that were forming up at the end of his lane. Everyone had moved to take one lane each, although there were some with two people¡­like Seven and Thirteen, who, despite their constant animosity, had chosen to group up together.


    ¡°Are you sure you two want to group up together?¡± Claud asked, curious.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really want to, but you¡¯re more threatening than her,¡± Seven replied, pointing at Thirteen. ¡°At least I can escape from her. You? Yeah, no. Therefore, you must be stronger than the two of us.¡±


    ¡°How did you even come to such a conclusion?¡±


    ¡°Call it an instinct,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Same,¡± Thirteen ended. ¡°Strong. You are.¡±


    Claud frowned. Did they manage to detect his number of mana circuits? The possibility of that happening was very high; he had prepared for battle when Supreme Saran directed a whole lot of animosity at the three of them earlier. It was possible that the others had picked up on the fact that he was nearly a septa-folder at that point in time.


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    Rolling his eyes, he looked at them in the hopes of conveying his surface thoughts of them being gravely mistaken, and then turned back to his path. He had brought some artefacts alone, and after activating the Laggard Locality ¡ª which created an area in which everything else other than the user was slowed ¡ª he drew out his sword and waited.


    His eyes drifted over to the three leaders of the world. Emperor Grandis was standing in the middle of his own path, the nine halos behind his back shining in an aesthetically pleasing way. Supreme Saran was smacking the ground with his mace, in what seemed like an experiment of hardiness, and First Lady Cecily was leaning on her battleaxe lazily.


    The Association President had two chains whirling to his left and right. It was an odd choice of weapon, but Claud had no intention of pointing that out whatsoever.


    After looking at the others, Claud bobbed his head. He had been looking for a good time to annihilate the other Bearers of Destiny, but at this rate, more and more people would arrive. Even if he managed to kill them all in one fell swoop, the flames of vengeance would swiftly consume him ¡ª Claud didn¡¯t think that he could defeat Emperor Grandis, Supreme Saran and First Lady Cecily on his own. Alternatively, he could try to kill all the top fighters too, but what kind of scenario would he need before something like that could happen?


    Sighing, he focused on the build-up of white monsters. There were hundreds of them on his path alone, and those things didn¡¯t look like they were in the mood to talk either.


    Before long, a weird, eerie sound filled the place, a sound that reminded Claud of crickets, and he lowered his stance.


    Those things were getting ready.


    Barely a second after that thought appeared in his mind, a ripple ran through the assembled monsters, and a shriek filled the skies. The monsters surged forward a moment later, and Claud took a deep breath.


    This battle was one of endurance.


    The monsters squirmed and twisted in grotesque fashion as they charged towards him, crawling on all fours and leaping around randomly. Claud had even half-expected them to fly, but thankfully enough, those things were still beholden to the almighty force of gravity.


    Claud tracked the front rank of enemies, and then intuitively understood that he would need to use his mana to take them out with ease. There was no relying on physical strength here; there were so many foes charging him that a normal sword wouldn¡¯t be able to complete a swing. In fact, he would need to emulate a farmer; every swing and strike had to mow down stalks of wheat.


    Heavy thumps shook the entire place as mana coated his sword and pulsed through his body. Claud glanced at Emperor Grandis, who was the first to meet the enemies in battle. The nine halos behind the emperor were busy firing bolts of light without any overt instruction from their owner, crushing the white monsters as they charged forward to their inexorable doom.


    Claud retracted his gaze as the air around his weapon distorted a moment later. Blood filled his ears, and as the first batch of enemies slowed down, his sword whipped outwards. Flesh hissed, and three white monsters fell apart, bisected at the torso.


    Following a silent rhythm, Claud continued to cut down the enemies that were charging at him. The Laggard Locality was proving its weight in gold right now; anything that got close to him immediately found themselves slowed by some strange power, and Claud made use of these openings to inflict fatal blows.


    Striking another white thing ¡ª Claud was sure that the Emperor called them Logia ¡ª with the flat of his blade, he glanced at the seemingly endless tide of monsters. The white insect-like monsters were pouring out of the rifts at the end of his path without any restraint, and time segued into a blur as Claud continued to mow down the enemies like a farmer dealing with his harvest.


    Those monsters were quite a pain to deal with too. The corpses of these things vanished the moment they died, which meant that Claud couldn¡¯t use those things to create a battlefield to his advantage. He could only endure the pain of swinging his sword over and over, but at least his mana expenditure was insignificant.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad I did some exercise,¡± Claud muttered to himself. Dodging three slow slashes by sword-like appendages, he turned the owners of these disgusting things into neatly severed pieces of white pulp again.


    Before he knew it, several hours had passed, and the wariness that had filled his body had weakened. It wasn¡¯t something that Claud could help ¡ª staying keyed up for an entire day was mentally stressful, and he was, right now, killing those things in a fashion eerily similar to chopping vegetables.


    After all, the presence of the Laggard Locality had removed most of the actual threat to him. What remained was for him to slowly and surely whittle down the enemies that had been slowed ¡ª there really wasn¡¯t any actual risk¡­


    For now, anyway.


    Bisecting a bunch of Logia or whatever, Claud took a step back and caught his breath. Those things didn¡¯t seem to be relenting anytime soon, and¡ª


    Another shriek filled the air, and another surge of white maggoty things joined the ranks of monsters.


    Claud breathed out slowly at that sight, and then rubbed his arms. At the rate in which he was swinging this sword, his right arm was going to be a lot bigger than his left arm soon.

 Chapter 510: Musings amid massacres

    The last three white monsters fell apart, and Claud watched as they turned into dust. His right arm was throbbing madly, and simply holding his sword was making him feel tingly. Even though he had, in the middle, started to use mana in place of his muscles, the whole ordeal was worse than anything he had ever felt before. It was like an endless session of Dia¡¯s physical training, just that her training involves real weapons and very ugly monsters.


    At least, there was Lily suffering with him during Dia¡¯s training. Here, however, was just an insane slogfest where he had to swing over and over again, while mobilising his mana without any pause either. Mana was needed to prevent his sword from slowing down after cutting through one monster; if he couldn¡¯t kill them all in one swift strike, he would be holding himself back through and through.


    Rubbing his forearms, Claud sulked for a bit at the fact that he needed to undergo intense muscle training for his right hand. If he had known that the second part of the Trial of Aeons revolved around killing hordes of monsters, he would have chosen to bring artefacts that were explicitly meant for that purpose.


    ¡°Hmm. Still, who¡¯s going to complain if I don¡¯t do it, or if I slack off?¡± Claud muttered, before shaking his head. He could at least sympathise with the intruders that were intending to enter this new world in the making ¡ª it was likely that their own world had been destroyed, or they were forced to flee for some reason ¡ª but those parasites that seemed so wrong and exuded a violent air of destruction were another thing altogether.


    Putting aside Operation Slack Off for a moment, Claud examined himself in detail. The twenty-four hours of constant slashing had helped him to master the horizontal slash, if nothing else. Even when he closed his eyes for a short break, Claud could feel the same movement seizing control of his body, and it took him everything he had to resist slashing out now.


    There was something paradoxical about how his body both yearned for rest and to continue slashing from right to left, but Claud¡¯s mind was a bit too eroded right now to think too hard on that subject.


    He touched his throat once, and then pulled out a small artefact. Other than a plethora of defensive artefacts, Claud had also prepared a bunch of lifestyle artefacts, just in case he couldn¡¯t relax for a long period of time. In his case, he had a never-ending canteen of water, but it would have been nice if it was a never-ending canteen of fizzy drinks instead.


    The waves of enemies had ceased to pop out from the rift entirely, but Claud knew that they could return at any time. Instead of staring at the stupid thing like a lovestruck fool pining for his lover, it would be far more fruitful to just pull out one of Schwarz¡¯s HELPS ¡ª High Energy, Low Portion Servings ¡ª and nibble on it instead.


    Plopping down on the ground, Claud took out one of the bars that Schwarz had innovated long ago, and then stared at the world below. He roughly knew where the Lacuna Dukedom was, so looking at it was equivalent to looking at Lily.


    Staring contentedly at the world below, Claud worried about Lily, who was definitely staring at the moon whenever she got the chance. He could see her lying down on the bed, the three little shapes attempting to comfort her by huddling close to her neck, and¡­


    ¡°¡­If only I can do something to tell her that I¡¯m fine,¡± Claud muttered, before a small idea appeared in his head.


    Was it really impossible for him to do that? After all, Absolute One was overwhelmingly powerful. If he were to use it with Presence Nullification when everyone was tussling with the next wave, and if he chose to fire the tremendous outsurge of mana at an angle where no one taking the Trial could see it¡­


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    It was very possible.


    After all, everyone was standing on the same floating platform. If he moved to the middle of the spoke and fired at a slightly depressed angle, he could send a gigantic lance of mana hurtling towards the horizon.


    Anyone looking up at the moon would promptly see it.


    ¡°Hmm. Am I a genius or what?¡± Claud rubbed his hands. At any case, he had more than enough Presence Nullifications to go around; even if he fired it off, no one would know that it was Claud who did it in the first place.


    Biting down on the overwhelmingly sweet bar, Claud shot a longing gaze at the Lacuna Dukedom again, and then turned his eyes to the rift. He was now eagerly waiting for when those monsters poured out once more ¡ª he would be able to fire off a nice signal that way.


    Chomping down on the sweet bar of whatever, Claud used a Refresher and took another swig from his never-ending canteen. His arms were still feeling like a flattened Moon, but other than that, he was quite fine. The same went for the other Bearers of Destiny and the random extras that had showed up for Phase 2, who had used various means to kill off the tide of monsters.


    They were definitely more prepared to kill than Claud¡­which, considering his ultimate goal here, felt a bit ironic.


    Still, would my use of Absolute One tip the other Bearers of Destiny off? If I use it now, would they take measures against it? Of course, they won¡¯t know who did it, but they¡¯d definitely be afraid of such an outburst of mana, right?


    He pondered on this very important topic for a few seconds, and then shrugged. At the rate things were going, the other Bearers of Destiny would probably off themselves eventually. Besides, there wasn¡¯t a time limit as to when the Omen Mission expired, so he could probably wait for a few thousand years or something.


    Besides, Claud was beginning to think that he didn¡¯t need to kill every last Bearer of Destiny to become a nine-folder. With Crown helping him, he just needed another 1200 years of lifespan, give or take a couple hundred, to attain the majestic heights of a nine-folder.


    While such a thought was impossible for many, many people, Claud still had a veritable stash of lifestones and Pure-Life Gems, the latter of which he hadn¡¯t used at all. Pure-Life Gems also increased the amount of lifeforce they harboured with every passing day, turning them into reusable sources of life for him.


    There was no need to kill everyone.


    Claud looked at his sword for a moment. Was that his logical side speaking? Or was that the side that wanted to make friends with Seven and Thirteen?


    He didn¡¯t know, and he didn¡¯t want to find out either. What did he want here?


    Claud took a deep breath and finished off the HELPS. He was no stranger to killing ¡ª he had killed his own fair share of people, especially when he was younger. And yet¡­


    ¡°Whatever.¡± Claud took a deep breath and took another swig. ¡°I¡¯ll have another eleven days to think about it, yes?¡±


    He got up from the ground as the familiar feeling of something that shouldn¡¯t be there pulsed out from the rift, and white things squirmed outwards a heartbeat later. Claud stared at the familiar composition of white, chitinous monsters for a few seconds, before picking up his sword.


    The others did their own pre-battle rituals, but the only thing Claud had in mind was how to send a good message to Lily without everyone else knowing that he was the person behind said message. His plan was quite easy, to be honest.


    The first step, naturally, was to wait for the right timing. It would be around twelve hours into the battle or something like that, when everyone¡¯s senses were dulled from the mindless hacking and slashing. He would then use the Presence Nullification skillstrip and Absolute One at the same time. After that, he would form a lance of pure mana, one that was nice, huge and long, and then hold on to it for nine seconds.


    After that, at the very last moment, Claud would hurl the spear and resume his slaughter of the enemies. There was a very high chance that someone would only notice the oddity a few seconds after he threw the damn thing far away, which would buy him enough to put on a show¡­


    Of course, for this to happen, he would need to emulate Emperor Grandis and stand in the middle of the spoke or something, but Claud didn¡¯t mind. And to prevent himself from being overrun in the ten seconds ¡ª killing or doing anything else would dispel Presence Nullification ¡ª Claud would need to set up some barriers to keep those things at bay.


    Overall, however, it was definitely a good way of dealing with things.


    Rubbing his hands, Claud walked towards the centre of his spoke, the sword in his hand ready to slash out repeatedly once more.

 Chapter 511: About personages

    ¡°Ugh. How did we even end up taking so long to get to this stupid place?¡± Dia glared at the towering walls of the Lacuna dukedom capital behind her, and then at the stupid amounts of paperwork she and the others needed to fill up. They had arrived at the Lacuna Dukedom a few days ago, but there were so many tests that she half-suspected that the two lovebirds simply called it a day and went to a nearby town instead.


    ¡°Well, we filled up twenty forms, needed to wait for one whole day to get them processed, and then had to conduct an interview about our purposes here,¡± Schwarz replied, his voice reminiscent of one reciting off a list. ¡°After that, we had to show our wealth and plans of what we needed to buy before we could even enter.¡±


    ¡°Meh.¡± Nero looked around the dukedom capital, and Dia watched as his eyes scanned the streets for a bar. Unfortunately, dukedom capitals rarely had such establishments; rather, they had wine cellars and wine shops to cater to the richer residents of such a locale.


    Sara hung around Nero, the tremendous power she was giving off barely suppressed by Nero¡¯s own working.


    The Blessed of the Blue God had requested for Dia and the others to escort her group to Lacuna. Thankfully, the two injured fellows didn¡¯t suffer from the excesses of Lacuna¡¯s bureaucracy, and were currently undergoing treatment. Thanks to that, however, she now had the free time to just look around the dukedom¡­


    ¡°You seem very interested in the Lacuna Dukedom,¡± Farah noted. ¡°What¡¯s drawing your attention here? For me, it¡¯s the city layout and the way things are run. It¡¯s quite interesting. The dukedom capital is all but exclusively catered towards the ultra-rich. You can¡¯t even see a single roadside stall here.¡±


    Sara nodded. ¡°It¡¯s quite surprising. I thought I would feel out of place here, but the Supremacy¡¯s cities are very similar to that of Lacuna Dukedom. Of course, everyone there is dressed in a far neater and uniform manner, like coats, long pants and top hats.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Everyone?¡± Dia asked, curious. ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen someone wear that before¡­ah!¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s him,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that person. Anyway, top hat, huh¡­the whole outfit sounds very tiresome to wear, not to mention highly impractical. Anyway, if you¡¯re good with this place, I suppose our presence really isn¡¯t needed, right? We should return¡­or not.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not returning?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure two lovebirds just happened to nestle down here for a while,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°We just need to find them, right? It won¡¯t be any different from going back to the house and waiting for them to return.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, good idea.¡± Farah rubbed her hands. ¡°Maybe we can sneak up on them while they¡¯re making out in one corner of the city. Would be funny.¡±


    ¡°Hear, hear. Lord knows just how envious I get when I look at those two fellows,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°I should find someone close to my heart.¡±


    ¡°You guys have quite the nasty personality,¡± Sara observed. ¡°And besides, if you want a lover, you guys are good catches, right?¡±


    ¡°Feels weird, so no,¡± Dia replied.


    Schwarz nodded. ¡°Love? More like familial care or strong friendship. I can¡¯t really imagine myself living the couple of life with you guys. No offence, but it just feels off. I can¡¯t place a finger on it myself.¡±


    ¡°More like a sibling thing, true,¡± Farah murmured. ¡°Still, I¡¯m not that vehemently opposed¡­ahem. Anyway, let¡¯s not talk about pointless things like this. I have very, very high expectations of courtship. I must have you know that I am well-versed in noble etiquette. It¡¯ll be a pain to court me.¡±


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    ¡°Okay, you don¡¯t need to mention that twice.¡± Nero rolled his eyes. ¡°And I am the Holy Son of the Black God. If you want me to hitch up with someone, you better pull out someone of an equal status, but the current Holy Daughters are three hundred or so years older than me. While the age of consent is like sixteen, I feel like I¡¯m still going to be the victim of some weird crime¡­¡±


    ¡°Right, poor guy.¡± Sara patted his back. ¡°Still, there¡¯s actually a Holy Daughter-esque figure around your age. She made the headlines sometime back. The Reaper Princess, Kemata, the Moons¡¯ chosen.¡±


    Dia felt amusement bubble up as Nero¡¯s interest was visibly piqued. It would seem that rather than love, Nero was more interested in finding someone that could actually match his stature. It wouldn¡¯t make much sense at first glance, but if she thought about it a bit deeper, Nero was clearly interested in finding someone that he could stay forever with, without pesky elders trying to break them up due to issues like rank or station.


    ¡°Huh. What happened to her?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°Hmm. How do I put it?¡± Sara had a thoughtful look on her face. ¡°Well, she was engaged to the Minor Supreme. By all accounts, she was the perfect wife, groomed for that position, but her fianc¨¦ fell in love with another girl. The reports become a bit sketchy from this point onwards. One batch of reports states that Kemata harassed and bullied her rival, and her attempts were eventually discovered, so she was given the boot. The other batch of reports, however, claim that she was framed and innocent.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite unfortunate,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°I¡¯ll be pissed if that happens to me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she was quite pissed too. On their graduation day, the Minor Supreme officially annulled their engagement after denouncing her, so she drew her scythe, poked it through her ex-fiance¡¯s¡­body and then hung him on a statue.¡±


    ¡°That guy¡¯s some bigshot, right? The Minor Supreme.¡± Schwarz rubbed his hands. ¡°So, how did that end?¡±


    ¡°A Dark Herald appeared and intervened.¡± Sara beamed. ¡°It was really exciting. I was there as the Head of Department for Theology, so I took the chance to interview the Dark Herald too!¡±


    ¡°H-huh¡­so, uh, about the Reaper Princess?¡±


    This time, even Farah noticed the anomaly surrounding Nero. Dia, as a connoisseur of many a stage play held for nobles, was beginning to see the seeds of romance and interest bloom around her good friend. Or was it something else? Whatever the case, Nero¡¯s interest was a bit undeniable, but if it came to status, she was quite sure that Risti was also quite suitab¡ª


    ¡°Bah. What am I thinking?¡± Dia shook her head. She had no intention in interfering with others¡¯ romances, although it would be excellent if she got a front row seat. ¡°Anyway, the Reaper Princess sounds quite interesting. Is it possible that she¡¯s in Grandis right now?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s up on the Moon now,¡± Sara replied. ¡°You know, the Dark¡¯s Bearer of Destiny¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Nero¡¯s back straightened. ¡°That means I get to see her, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh. Seems like you¡¯re very interested.¡± Sara made a face. ¡°Well, well. How old are you anyway?¡±


    ¡°Twenty¡­four this year?¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°Mhm. That¡¯s¡­really freaking young for someone as strong as you, though. Anyway, you two are quite similar in age, so it¡¯s fine¡­but good luck, though. She rarely speaks nowadays. The scythe floating behind her does the speaking.¡±


    Dia really couldn¡¯t help but think that there was something wrong. After all, they were in turbulent times now. Was it really a good choice to start courting someone, especially from a different country and from a different camp? There were lots of stories and stage plays about romances across enemy nations ¡ª this was an attempt that was probably a few levels above that.


    ¡°What?¡± Nero looked at Schwarz. ¡°I gotta think about my future too, right? Everyone¡¯s going to nag at me if they start spouting all that crazy crap about marrying the right position.¡±


    ¡°You know it¡¯s crazy, but you sure aren¡¯t contesting it,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a bit troublesome. And love can be fostered, right? Nurtured through constant interaction,¡± Nero replied. ¡°It¡¯ll be a lot easier if I find someone who the elders won¡¯t condemn me for and then work on it from there. After all, I¡¯m not sure if I can really bicker with those who raised me.¡±


    ¡°Is that even called raising?¡± Farah muttered darkly. ¡°After all, you didn¡¯t have a normal childhood, by any accounts.¡±


    ¡°All that¡¯s in the past,¡± Nero replied, brushing her words off. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll take a peek at this Reaper Princess. Her title sounds cool.¡±


    ¡°Normally, one would think ¡®dangerous¡¯, though.¡± Dia shrugged. ¡°Well, whatever makes you happy.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Hmm. Anyway, we¡¯re here, in this city. What should we do next? Find an inn first? I actually feel like going for a wine shop or brewery, though¡­¡±


    ¡°I think we should cure you of your alcoholism first,¡± said Farah. ¡°That sounds really, really important right now. Besides¡ªhm?¡±


    A heavy presence came from the heavens, and Dia looked to the skies. There, close to the white moon, was a gigantic column of glimmering light. Simply looking at it made her eyes tear up, and Dia felt an incredible oppression from that thing alone.


    What in the name of the Moons was that?

 Chapter 512: A familiar lance

    The gigantic lance exuded a pressure that Dia had only felt keenly once and once before, back when the Third Bearer of Destiny had fallen. Of course, no one knew who the culprit was, but according to some theorists who had cross-referenced with the guards at the Istrel treasury that Tot had robbed, it was the same feeling.


    It was a simple match-up; Tot, who had broken into Istrel¡¯s treasury, had appeared when the Third Bearer of Destiny died. In turn, Dia, who had been sensed that event keenly, now felt a lot of similarity between the sensation of Tot¡¯s true power back then and what was going on now. Therefore, according to logic¡­


    ¡°Tot¡¯s behind this,¡± Dia observed, her fists clenched to prevent her arms from shaking too much.


    As she took in the heart-stopping sight, the spear began to move. Its speed didn¡¯t seem that fast, but Dia had studied enough to know that the fact that something this high up was visibly moving had to be moving at extreme speeds to begin with. In fact, whatever it struck would probably be annihilated, so it was a huge shame that it wasn¡¯t targeting the Red God, who was hanging around at a similar height as an egg.


    ¡°Seems like it. And by the looks of that supremely huge lance, he¡¯s definitely on the moon,¡± Schwarz added.


    ¡°The Trial of Aeons¡­¡± Nero shivered. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s truly Tot, but the presence this thing exudes resembles the attack that had wiped out a Moon Emissary and one of the Bearers of Destiny back then¡­the Fourteenth, I believe. However, the moon is far further than the Emissary¡¯s death back then. Yet, we can sense this thing so keenly.¡±


    ¡°He must have grown stronger, that Tot,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°What level of power is this supposed to be? It rivals that of the Red God¡¯s stuck egg.¡±


    ¡°Stuck egg?¡± Sara asked. ¡°Anyway, before that. Who¡¯s this Tot guy you¡¯re talking about? The name sounds very adorable.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s just an acronym,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°That¡¯s a title. The Thief of Time.¡±


    ¡°What did he do?¡± Sara pressed on.


    ¡°Lots of stuff,¡± Nero replied. ¡°If you buy me some wine, I¡¯ll tell you about it. I prefer the most expensive stuff on the menu, so make sure to get me that.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Sara looked at him. ¡°That¡¯s it? Okay!¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t know what was going through the Blessed of the Blue God¡¯s mind, but if Sara was really willing to buy expensive wine to hear about folk stories, Dia sure as heck wasn¡¯t going to stop her. After all, it wasn¡¯t her money¡­but what exactly went through the minds of people this unworldly?


    Clicking her teeth, Dia fought down the odd sensation of hypocrisy that had reared its head for some reason, and then shivered. This was probably confirmation that Tot was a Bearer of Destiny, but Dia didn¡¯t want to sound too confident. Phase 2 of the Trial of Aeons had started, according to Nero, which meant that the strongest folders in the world had been summoned.


    ¡°Random thought,¡± Dia muttered, ¡°but if the strongest folders in the world were summoned without regard for things like loyalties and beliefs¡­it doesn¡¯t seem like an inter-faction competition now, does it? Or is this the five grand skies¡¯ method of making the strongest choose a faction?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I mean, Emperor Grandis, First Lady Cecily and Supreme Saran were summoned too. There¡¯s no way they¡¯ll want to hook up with any faction when they¡¯re effectively factions of their own.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Farah asked. ¡°I mean, rulers or not, they¡¯re dealing with legendary beings. Such insouciance doesn¡¯t sound very rational.¡±


    ¡°From your point of view, maybe. But the three dominators of their respective continents are perhaps not that different from the gods,¡± Nero replied. ¡°They can give the Chromatic Lords a run for their money, and then some. And the divinities aren¡¯t exactly free to light am empire¡¯s capital on fire either. They don¡¯t have that kind of pow¡ª¡±


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    He paused. ¡°Best not to continue that.¡±


    Nero¡¯s gaze returned to the spear of light, which was tearing its way through the night sky high above. If it continued to fly onwards without any deviation, it would eventually run smack dab into the five grand skies¡­probably. Dia wasn¡¯t too sure about legends and myths, after all.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s going to happen to that spear? In the first place, why did Tot even pull that spear out?¡± Dia asked, her mind racing. This huge spear clearly wasn¡¯t directed at an enemy¡­unless Tot wanted to stab the five grand skies or something.


    ¡°Who knows what that madman is thinking?¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°But I do know that I¡¯m really scared now. Let¡¯s hurry and find an inn to bunk in for now. We can return after Phase 3 of the Trial is over. After all, you two need to prepare too, right? Buy provisions, stock up on equipment¡­things like that.¡±


    Dia thought for a moment. ¡°Right. I keep thinking that it¡¯s none of my business, but I also need to do stupid stuff like this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re also involved in the Trial?¡± Sara asked, looking at Dia. ¡°How lucky¡­it¡¯s said that the Trial allows one to become a deca-folder and have lots and lots of lifespan!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely dangerous, though,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°¡­Maybe not.¡± Nero made a noise in his throat. ¡°It might be different from the previous Godsfalls, where it was a winner take all thing. After all, the five grand skies are administering the Trial of Aeons directly, and even the White God and my Lord are not allowed to take part in this. There is definitely something different.¡±


    ¡°Just checking,¡± Dia began, ¡°but did you not take a look at the mission issued to you? The one that tells you about your job when you begin the Trial?¡±


    ¡°The mission?¡± Question marks seemed to bubble up all around Nero, and he tilted his head. ¡°What mission are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Dia glanced at her mission once more. ¡°You know? Okay, I received a mission that I definitely cannot narrate to you guys at all, but it¡¯s telling me what the Trial is supposed to do. It¡¯s to create a new¡­something. Rather than, you know, senseless violence, it¡¯s more of a competition between the three sides to see who can contribute more¡­probably.¡±


    ¡°Wow. That qualifier at the end is really reassuring,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Well, we should really prepare for this, as what Schwarz said. It¡¯ll be nice if we could find the lovebirds, though. They were here for some time. They definitely know their way around this place.¡±


    ¡°Hah. Good luck finding that guy,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°With this show of force, those two are going to hole up for a month or something. I haven¡¯t forgotten what happened when Tot slapped Zulan Patra into the ground a few years ago. The dude was positively terrified. Whenever huge things like that happen, he just vanishes. There¡¯s no digging him out.¡±


    Dia frowned. ¡°How are the two of them going to practice their swordplay, then? Or even maintain their combat ability?¡±


    ¡°Claud focuses more on his escape abilities, so I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to care,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°He¡¯s corrupting Lily,¡± Dia replied, fuming. She had spent so many mornings trying to make more people interested in the sword, but that idiot just had to teach one of her would-be pupils the wrong thing.


    ¡°Well, I also don¡¯t want to work out every day¡­I¡¯m a bartender, for crying out loud. If something happens in a bar, I¡¯ll throw drinks and stools, not swing a s¡ª¡±


    His voice faltered as Dia turned a dull gaze onto him, and Schwarz chuckled awkwardly, before clearing her throat. ¡°Anyway, we should do some shopping for you two. Buy lots of dried meat and provisions, a bunch of artefacts...¡±


    Dia allowed Schwarz to change the topic with a huff, and as Nero started wondering out loud about the kind of equipment he should bring, Dia looked up at the skies once more. The giant spear, which she could behold fully earlier, was now turning smaller and smaller. It had crossed half the sky ¡ª from her point of view, anyway ¡ª and was hurtling away from everyone even now.


    Would the five grand skies be affected by this divine manifestation of supreme might? After all, if the legends weren¡¯t pulling her leg, this giant spear would soon smack into the five grand skies.


    What would happen then?


    It was an interesting question, so Dia kept her eyes on the spear as they continued looking for a place to stay.


    The Lacuna dukedom capital had lots of inns, but all of them were occupied. Apparently, the dukedom had accepted an unprecedented number of refugees arising from the Dark-Moons war, and while most of them were now building new areas around the dukedom, a good number were rich enough to just live in an inn.


    ¡°Ugh. Is there some place that isn¡¯t full yet?¡± Schwarz complained. ¡°I really want to just lie on a bed now!¡±


    ¡°Patience,¡± Nero replied. ¡°It¡¯s a virtue, after all.¡±


    ¡°If we don¡¯t get a place soon, you won¡¯t be able to get your wine and alcohol,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°¡­I think we need to hurry our search.¡± Nero rubbed his nose. ¡°Let¡¯s pick up the pace, shall we?¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t know what to say to all that.

 Chapter 513: Communicating with an alien

    ¡°The final day is upon us¡­¡± Claud pushed himself up from the ground, his sword arm trembling. The mana wrapped around his body, however, was the complete opposite. Like a statue or a set of plate armour, the silky layer of mana that now covered his entire body and weapon was impossibly stable ¡ª a product of his Master-rank Mana Control Proficiency and continuous use of mana.


    Even if his body tired out, his mana could drive his body and move; Claud was already doing that for the lower half of his body. It was the only reason why he was still on his feet, which were on the verge of losing all strength entirely.


    The past six days had seen a never-ending stream of those white things that Emperor Grandis had called Logia. Every single Bearer of Destiny, however, had managed to slaughter these things, and some of them were even supported by friends or something. Only Claud, who had chosen not to move with any alliance at all, was the only one that was actually fighting alone.


    A lot of eyes were already staring at him, eyes that were both wary and impressed.


    It couldn¡¯t be helped, however. Claud had no intention of interacting with any more people than was necessary¡­and besides, being alone would help him to solve his current issue. The mission had said something about both parasites and intruders; but the enemies so far had only been parasites.


    Today was the last day, and if he didn¡¯t guess it wrong¡­


    The rift on the far end of his path rippled, and Claud looked at it calmly. Instead of the white, insect-like things, a solitary figure stepped out, and Claud looked at the newcomer in silence. The presence that his ¡°opponent¡± gave off was completely different from the abject wrongness that were these parasites; it didn¡¯t seem to be that different from the Bearers of Destiny.


    Throughout the other paths, the same thing occurred, and Claud nodded to himself. Indeed, the enemies of the seventh day were these intruders, and Claud couldn¡¯t help but think about the things he had seen in the Celestia Ruins. The idea of a universe, and people who had seen their home destroyed, made him more partial to these refugees, and a small smile graced his lips.


    A piercing light rose from the intruder, and Claud prepared to receive his charge. At the same time, all kinds of phenomena arose from the other sections, and the blinding lights that filled the trial grounds seemed to act as a trigger.


    Blue light clashed against a faint purple energy, and Claud frowned as an overwhelming strength sent him reeling backwards. Up close, he could see his opponent in detail ¡ª she looked very much like a regular person, save for the diamond in the middle of her forehead.


    Purple cubes orbited around her, while a similarly coloured rod spun around her. Claud could feel that this was no ordinary enemy ¡ª she felt like a hexa-folder, but he couldn¡¯t tell what power she was using at all.


    The purple cubes shot at him without warning, and Claud intercepted them with some projectiles of mana. Making use of the brilliance that emerged from the clashing lights, Claud closed in on the enemy, only to realise that the other side had done the same.


    Once again, their weapons locked against each other, and Claud punched out with his free hand. A purple shield intercepted his mana-covered fist, but the resulting shockwave knocked his opponent back this time.


    Instead of closing in to exploit that moment of weakness, Claud took a step back and spoke. ¡°Can you understand me?¡±


    His opponent jolted once. ¡°How do you speak Common?¡±


    Claud tilted his head. ¡°Let¡¯s not bother about this for now. And don¡¯t stop. Pretend to keep fighting. I¡¯m your ally here, but I can¡¯t say the same about the others.¡±


    His sword bore down on the rod, and she received the blow. ¡°Do you know me personally?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Claud replied, ¡°but I have vested interests in ensuring that one of you guys at least make it in. However, since it¡¯s a favour for you¡­I want to know about your experiences outside. Outside there.¡±


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°¡­That part of my memories has been erased. I can send you information about my universe, but that¡¯s all,¡± the woman replied. ¡°I made a pact with the Axiom.¡±


    Claud took a step back. He had come across this term quite a few times, but no one could tell him what the Axiom was. Whirling once, he locked blades with the opponent again, before asking, ¡°What do you know about the Axiom?¡±


    Mana surged out to block her sweeping kick, and she replied, ¡°The Axiom has¡­fallen. Perished. Not too long ago. Its remnant will is sweeping the multiverse and Limbo as we speak, seeking out something¡­but that¡¯s all I can tell you. I made a pact that will last until the end of time, across eons and epochs.¡±


    Claud felt the confusion in him well even more, but he could understand where she was coming from. ¡°Very well. Now, your current goal is to reach that thing in the middle, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that, exactly?¡±


    ¡°The Cosmic Egg of a new world,¡± she replied. ¡°It is currently taking in the foundations of this world to replicate it in its entirety. If I get inside, I will be able to¡­belong for the first time in eons.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re looking for a home¡­¡±


    ¡°Wanderers like us are rejected by formed universes, but those in the making can take us in,¡± the woman explained. ¡°That is all. I want a home, a place that will not reject me. I swear, upon my life and my pride as a Titan, that I will not bring harm unprovoked.¡±


    ¡°¡­Good enough.¡± Claud looked at her. ¡°Titan, huh. That¡¯s what you call yourself?¡±


    The purple cubes that were orbiting her swiped at Claud, who simply batted them away playfully. As expected, the system of power that she used was completely different from mana, and if he didn¡¯t get it wrong, it was this purple energy that formed the basis of power for this woman.


    ¡°Yes. A Titan of the Underworld¡­but it was invaded and destroyed.¡± She shook her head.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Claud thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll create an opening for you to exploit. Head towards the¡­Cosmic Egg with all your strength. Remember to give any information you have. I don¡¯t know how you are planning to do that, but I¡¯m sure you have a method, right?¡±


    Crescents of mana flew at her as he spoke, and the woman shattered them with the rod in her hand, which spun at a tight figure of eight. ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I will attack with my full strength once you¡¯re behind me. Make use of the boost I¡¯m giving you and make your way to your new home.¡± Claud lowered his stance.


    The Titan looked at him. ¡°¡­Why are you doing this, though?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s to protect myself and my loved ones better,¡± Claud replied. ¡°That is all. Now, prepare yourself. We¡¯ll keep fighting for another thirty-one minutes in silence, and then I¡¯ll send you there.¡±


    ¡°Thirty-one minutes?¡±


    ¡°So that no one can use a skill to screw me over,¡± Claud replied. ¡°From now on, we must cease talking. My signal will be very, very obvious, so make good use of it.¡±


    Mana raged around him, and the air around him seemed to boil. Claud had no intention to appear suspicious ¡ª he had already sabotaged Phase 1, but if he made it too obvious in Phase 2, the other Bearers of Destiny would definitely suspect him. He would have to kill everyone, but given that they all had Absolute skills of their own, Claud knew that the chances of survival were slim, even if he assaulted them abruptly.


    Therefore, a good act needed to be played out. Thirty minutes were the standard duration of effectiveness for all skills in Celestia, with the other alternative being ten seconds. Therefore, if he wanted to erase all traces of collaboration, thirty-one minutes must pass first.


    She nodded once, and the two of them concentrated on a good battle. Of course, killing intent had to be displayed, and the two smashed away at each other like fighters slogging it out in a bar brawl. Claud continued to keep an eye on the time as he continued to fight with the opponent, whose name he would never know.


    He could, however, empathise with all her thoughts. The yearning in her rod was evident, and the gratitude in the minute changes of her expression was something reserved for Claud only. It was her thanks for giving her this home of sorts, and Claud met that gratitude head-on with one final smash.


    Mana greased his soles, and he slid back dramatically as thirty-one minutes passed. It would be great if the others held their investigation long after these thirty-one minutes, but he had to be prepared for anything and everything.


    Now, however, the preparations were complete. The mana raging around him soared to the skies, and Claud pointed the tip of his blade at the refugee looking for a home. Power welled in his legs at the same time, and his eyes sharpened to a point.


    With a massive shockwave, Claud charged towards his opponent, lowering his body on purpose. The Titan jumped, missing his charge by a hair¡¯s breadth, and Claud, with as much panic as he could possibly fake, twirled around with his full might and struck out with his blade.


    A thunderclap shook the trials as the airborne Titan received the incredible strike with her rod, and the resulting shockwave sent her flying. The purple cubes orbiting around her flared up in that instant, and she turned into a comet.


    Before anything else could react, a purple streak of light had instantaneously crossed the distance, and she vanished into the rift. Lightning sundered the sky as Claud placed an appropriate expression on his face¡­although no one would probably see it.


    Sinking onto the ground in apparent shock, Claud began to go through the surge of information that had entered his mind in that moment.

 Chapter 514: Muddying the waters

    [<Mission: Bridging the Aeon Span (Phase 2)> has failed.]


    As that notification appeared in Claud¡¯s eyes, surprised shouts filled the air. The information that the Titan had sent to him in those final moments was too much for him to parse now, and whenever he probed the seed of memory, he could sense a faint seal that prevented him from accessing anything else. It would seem that the seal would loosen bit by bit as his strength grew, but this was not the time to contemplate on that¡­


    Claud could feel many gazes and stares fall on him, but in the first place, he had been fighting alone, over and over. It was a sound excuse, and he would suggest anyone who disputed his account to fight those things for seven days standing.


    As those shouts rang out, their opponents seized the opening that had been created by these notifications, and the other intruders pounced towards the rift. In that instant, multiple presences ballooned, and Claud watched as Emperor Grandis unleashed his full might. The nine halos orbiting around him released gigantic beams of light, extinguishing multiple silhouettes at once. The two people that were helping him also fired out pillars of mana that swallowed their targets.


    The others took action too, releasing huge waves of mana and other sorts of attacks in a bid to stop their fleeing targets. A few more made it in, however, and the thunderclaps that followed seemed to shake the world once more.


    Watching silently, Claud tried to get up, but the fatigue that had gripped him long ago was in full play right now. Anyone looking at him wouldn¡¯t be able to tell that he did it on purpose, but before anyone could inspect him at a closer distance, a bright flash of light engulfed everyone.


    [<Omen Mission: Shattering the cycle (Phase 2)> has been completed. Calculating result grade.]


    [Results: Grade 2]


    [With masterful theatrics, you cooperated with the bringers of chaos and reintroduced new variables in the cycle. What was once a colourless pool has been filled by unpredictable hues. Humanity in the future will have new paths and more paths, but the nameless hero who opened up these futures will never be remembered.]


    [The power of entropy fills your veins¡­]


    [<Skill: Aeon Fold ¡ª Omen> has been strengthened by 8 levels].


    His vision cleared a moment later, along with these notifications. Making sure to act the part, the first thing Claud did was to hold his right hand gingerly, allowing his body to stoop slightly.


    The assemblage of Bearers of Destiny and the strongest in the world had been formed once more, but Claud could feel everyone¡¯s eyes on him. To be under such scrutiny was by no means pleasant, but the only thing that Claud did was to hold his tongue and maintain his silence.


    After a few minutes, First Lady Cecily finally spoke. ¡°You. Yes, you. Do you know that you caused this mission to fail?¡±


    Claud forced himself to straighten up. There was no acting required for this ¡ª he, unlike everyone else, had been fighting alone for the past seven days. The others had substituted out at some point in time, getting their partner to stand in or something. Claud himself had seen Thirteen and Seven alternate every day, but¡­


    ¡°And?¡± Claud asked, making sure that his voice sounded somewhat distorted. ¡°What of it?¡±


    ¡°Everything,¡± the First Lady of the Nihal Senate replied.


    ¡°I was fighting alone for all seven days,¡± Claud replied. ¡°None of you saw it fit to relieve me, especially those who had three people with you. And you turn around to blame me?¡±


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°You could have asked.¡±


    ¡°Put yourself in my shoes and think about whether you want to ask,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Without a partner, doing things alone¡­who would have the face to ask for help, when everyone clearly chose not to do so in the first place?¡±


    First Lady Cecily looked down for a moment. The chilling ice that seemed to be one of her trademark symbols seemed to darken somewhat too, and Claud glanced at the ¡°main culprits¡± behind this debacle, Emperor Grandis and Supreme Saran. Both of them had two more people in their retinue, but none of them had taken a step forward to help Claud back then.


    Of course, even if they did¡­


    ¡°You dare blame this Supreme?¡± Supreme Saran snarled, noticing Claud¡¯s eyes on him. ¡°This little ant dares to?¡±


    ¡°We can fight, you know,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I don¡¯t mind turning your heir into an orphan.¡±


    The black mace that Supreme Saran wielded smashed onto the floor, head-first, and the ruler of the Lacheln continent glared daggers at Claud. Despite his fatigue, Claud simply met that gaze head-on, imagining in his head the final moments of this tyrant if he ever dared to take up his challenge.


    His confidence made the others gaze at him warily, as if they were cowed by Claud¡¯s own faith in his ability to kill or cripple Supreme Saran, and Claud cast an inquisitive look at the man himself. Saran¡¯s eyes narrowed visibly, but before he could say anything else, Emperor Grandis cleared his throat.


    ¡°This is my mistake,¡± Emperor Grandis cut in. ¡°This seat had two people with me too, but I am indubitably the strongest person present, especially with my artefacts. And yet, I did not see it fit to send aid to this man here.¡±


    Supreme Saran snorted. ¡°What a good show. On what basis do you think you are the strongest person present?¡±


    ¡°On the basis that you didn¡¯t help someone that need it. On my side, this seat simply overlooked it,¡± Emperor Grandis replied. ¡°That is all. And I suppose we cannot fault someone who has been fighting for seven days straight. Once again, this seat is apologetic for not noticing your circumstances earlier, and I do acknowledge the implausibility of someone speaking up too.¡±


    Claud nodded once, and then returned to the background. Risti¡¯s father was still standing behind the Emperor, and Claud had no desire to make him go ¡®Hmm¡¯. Drawing on his vast experience of staying low-key, Claud diminished his presence slowly as Supreme Saran struck the floor with his mace once more.


    As the three rulers started to exchange barbs, the others began to disperse. Now that there wasn¡¯t an enemy to get rid of, this was a good time to relax and rejuvenate after seven days of constant fighting, so Claud found a nice little spot to sit down and relax.


    The idea of sleeping was becoming quite attractive to him right now, but he needed to get the basics down first. The first was a few gulps of water, which was swiftly followed by some salted meat strips that had been roasted long ago. A few biscuits completed his meal, and Claud moved on to examine his current state.


    His body was aching all over, as expected, and his arms were burning up quite badly. He could feel a faint strain on them whenever he moved, but there was nothing he could do about those aches. His sword, which had been covered by mana the whole time, was thankfully intact and showed no signs of breaking.


    Letting out a small breath, Claud looked up at the sky. The red sphere, which was still giving off scary vibes, was relaxing like him, and he found himself wondering what the heck was going on.


    A set of footfalls crawled into his ears, and Claud turned to look at Seven and Thirteen. Both of them were looking at him with equal parts fear and¡­concern, probably. He couldn¡¯t see their faces, but he could definitely feel their emotions keenly.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Claud asked, looking at the two. He had half-expected Thirteen to be going after Seven for some verbal nastiness of his, but again, it would seem that Seven had a curse or something laid on him, so¡­


    ¡°Banter,¡± Thirteen replied. ¡°Query. Well-being.¡±


    Claud blinked as he parsed those words, and then smiled. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just sore all over, really.¡±


    ¡°Apologies.¡± Thirteen lowered her head once. ¡°Not helping.¡±


    ¡°Eh, it was bound to happen anyway. And you guys probably wouldn¡¯t be able to hold up for seven days on end,¡± Claud replied. ¡°My arms, though.¡±


    He eyed the duo, who seemed a lot more tolerant of each other ¡ª it was mostly one-sided though ¡ª and then sighed. He didn¡¯t quite understand why the two of them had decided to run over to check on him. Was it possible that they thought of him as a friend or something?


    Claud looked at them, somewhat troubled, and then decided not to think too hard about it. He had decided not to kill everyone after a while, since there was no guarantee of success. These two were on his list of people to spare too, if it ever came down to it, so it wouldn¡¯t hurt to be a bit friendlier to them.


    Probably.


    Pulling out another slab of meat, Claud chewed on it thoughtfully, before finding himself pining for Lily once more. It would be nice if he had her pot, but since he didn¡¯t know how to use it, there was no point.


    He nibbled on his provisions sadly, waiting for Phase 3 to start. For now, it seemed that the crisis had been averted, but¡­

 Chapter 515: Phase 3, Familiar Faces

    Having affirmed his desire to spare the two of them, Claud decided to give Seven a piece of some dried meat, since the poor guy¡¯s body language was close to begging for it. Slicing some out with mana, Claud handed the meat to Seven, who handled it like a piece of ultra-expensive glassware.


    After watching him have fun with it, Claud turned his attention to Thirteen, whose scythe was spinning in a weird, drunken manner. He could also feel her gaze on his slab of meat, and after scowling once, Claud cut out another piece and handed it to her.


    As it turned out, displaying kindness once was just asking to be exploited over and over again, since those assholes couldn¡¯t be satisfied with just one slab of meat. Claud didn¡¯t know how they could even have the heart to ask for more non-vocally, but his heart was feeling a little soft after he remembered that he had screwed them out of the rewards for Phase 2.


    ¡°Phase 3¡­I wonder who¡¯s going to show up,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°There are some places reserved for special people, but other than that, it¡¯s the strongest people in the world right now. However, these people will also include the remnants of past eras, like the Chromatic Lords, so we can see a bunch of octa-folders and ennea-folders. Definitely not a fun prospect,¡± Seven explained.


    ¡°Danger. Caution.¡±


    Claud felt his lips twitch at the overly succinct summary of the newcomers in Phase 3, but he couldn¡¯t help but think about the Chromatic Lords. Those fellows were people who failed to reach the true heights of divinity, but rather than a final stand against the Coloured Gods, they simply surrendered and joined their banners. They were also the people who, according to rumour, killed off anyone who completed the Third Tutorial¡­until now, anyway.


    As for whether they would continue to get rid of septa-folders, that was up in the air. Whatever the case, however, Claud knew that the possibility of the newcomers turning hostile was very high. It was a shame that he literally had no countermeasures for Phase 3, but the condition of being prepared was having information to begin with.


    It was a risk that he would have to brave.


    Fuming at his lack of connections, Claud stared at the world below again. He had fired Absolute One once ¡ª did Lily see his message? Was she also looking up at the white moon whenever night fell? What reactions did she have, and how did the rest of the world respond?


    Claud touched his chest. He really wanted to just jump off and find her right now, but he knew that for the sake of a better future, he had to stay. Those two buffoons, who probably didn¡¯t have anyone who occupied his heart in such totality, definitely wouldn¡¯t understand his thoughts¡­


    Sighing, Claud finished off his dried meat before the callous buffoons asked for more with their body language. Picking up his bottle, he took a hearty swig from it, and then continued to look at the Lacuna Dukedom, or in its general direction anyway.


    The world below began to drift away, and Claud found himself losing interest as a new continent came into sight. While he may have been interested in the other continents, he was around two hundred times more interested in staring at Lily¡¯s current location.


    He would think about staring elsewhere when he returned to Lily¡¯s side.


    Rolling onto his back, Claud looked up at the sky and found himself doubting life. The passage of time drifted on, much like his consciousness, and he dimly watched as everyone else began to rest in their own ways too.


    This state lasted for an indeterminate amount of time, before a set of squares appeared in Claud¡¯s vision once more. All around the trial grounds, everyone jerked and sat up in concord without any prior arrangement, and Claud focused his gaze on the trials for Phase 3.


    [Mission: Bridging the Aeon Span (Phase 3)


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Mission Introduction: The end of the cycle approaches, and with it the cessation of all life. However, the foundation to the new eternity, which was painstakingly laid down, has been despoiled by orphaned intruders of another world. What was once a docile creation has gained a will of rebellion. Quash that will and subordinate that new world to your own, before it can fully integrate into the new world.


    Mission requirements: Imprint the errant Cosmic Egg with your mana within forty-eight hours.


    Personal Mission Contribution: 0%


    Overall Mission Progress: 0%


    Prize Pool: 25000 years of lifespan.


    Additional remarks: By using your mana, you can also erase imprints created by other people, which lowers their personal mission contribution. For every ten percent of your personal mission contribution, your Aeon Folds increase by three.]


    [Omen Mission: Shattering the cycle (Phase 3)


    Mission Introduction: The end of the cycle approaches, and with it the cessation of all life. Under your efforts, you have succeeded in carving open a world of infinite possibility with your own two hands. However, the flame of rebellion and independence is weak and flickering. Protect it from impure winds, and see its resistance through to the end.


    Mission requirements: Your imprint occupies at least 50% of the Cosmic Egg when the trial ends.


    Mission reward: <Skill: Aeon Fold ¡ª Omen> is raised by a certain number of ranks, based on your performance at the end of Phase 3. Your lifespan is increased based on your performance at the end of Phase 3. You will be awarded a certain number of Fragments of Fate, based on your performance at the end of Phase 3.


    Additional remarks: Failure to complete this mission will result in unfathomable consequences for all life. Be aware that you are the enemy of every other Bearer of Destiny present. If your identity is discovered, they will attack you.]


    Claud looked at the Omen Mission, and then felt a small grin climb onto his face. While he was by no means a master, he had the ultimate skill for surviving stupid skirmishes like this ¡ª his Presence Nullification. He had more than enough skillsticks to ensure that he had a week¡¯s worth of hiding, so¡­


    Clearly, the Trial of Aeons really, really wanted the Omen to win for some reason. Claud had no intention of turning down that free 25000 years of lifespan; it was his ticket to divinity. All that was left was to nab the damn thing and to keep snapping skillsticks once it began. It didn¡¯t sound hard to him at all, and while there were probably some risks¡­


    A small frown crawled up his face. Even if the Frozen Emperor did the same thing as him, the dude had nearly a million years of lifespan. How on Orb did he get that much lifespan? After all, this mission only gave 25000 years of lifespan. The Moonlit and Shadowed Victory missions gave 15000 too ¡ª a six-digit lifespan was nothing short of patently ridiculous.


    He looked through the missions again, and then nodded. Once the trial began, it would either be a bloodbath or a standoff. Claud didn¡¯t know which was the better outcome, but since it was an all-out battle, Absolute One was no longer off the table.


    ¡°Hmm. So? Seems like it¡¯s every folder for themselves here,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°We might end up fighting.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest.¡± Seven raised his hands. ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight you. My instincts tell me that I¡¯ll get obliterated if I do. You held off that tide for seven days, but you¡¯re still bright and happy.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative.¡±


    ¡°Heck, even my curse has grown tired,¡± Seven muttered. ¡°But the aura I sense from you is so lively that I don¡¯t even know where to begin.¡±


    Claud eyed the Seventh Bearer of Destiny. He didn¡¯t know which Coloured God had the fortune to be his master, but this guy had a good eye for judging things¡­the only issue was his mouth, which was apparently cursed or something. Whatever the case, the boyish young man and the scythe-wielding woman had expressed their desire to not compete with him. Whether it was real or not Claud had no idea, but he wasn¡¯t going to put that much faith in those two.


    There was trust, and then there was basic common sense.


    Nodding at the duo, Claud got up slowly. Now that the missions had been announced, what remained was the summoning of the twenty extra individuals. After that, the final phase of the trial would start, and chaos would break loose¡­probably. Claud didn¡¯t have a complete plan on how he would approach this trial, but he had the nagging feeling that if one of those Chromatic Lords got their nasty hands on it, getting it back would be a lot harder.


    As an interesting plan rolled into his head, lights began to fill the venue, and multiple silhouettes popped into existence. Claud, who was in the middle of finagling his new plan, glanced at the normal-looking newcomers, and then did a spit-take when he saw not just two, but three familiar faces.


    Strangling the urge to curse, Claud looked at Holy Son Nero, Holy Daughter Clarissa and¡­Dia. There was definitely someone out of place there, and it wasn¡¯t because Clarissa was around two hundred years older than the other two fellows.


    Controlling his body, Claud touched his face, checking that the mask was still on his face. Even though his facial expressions couldn¡¯t be seen, he still had to be careful. If the two of them noticed anything odd, they could draw a few inferences here and there, and Claud definitely didn¡¯t need that at all.


    Making sure to control himself well, Claud gazed at the three familiar faces.


    Why were they here?

 Chapter 516: The developments surrounding the Cosmic Egg

    Claud was in the middle of doubting his life when an odd pulse came from Dia of all people, and everyone else stirred. The reason was due to the small box that had popped up on his interface¡­although he had the feeling that what the others were seeing was completely different.


    [The Prime Salvation Star is in close proximity. Using your powers in its presence will alarm it. All nearby Bearers of Destiny have been made aware of the Omen¡¯s presence. Be careful.]


    ¡°Adversary¡­¡± Thirteen muttered this word quietly. The scythe spinning behind her had stopped too, and Claud could taste the faint fear in those words.


    ¡°Terrifying, yes.¡± Seven looked around. ¡°And that bugger is here? Must have snuck into the group that just came in, then. I remember the two missions. Taking out the adversary gives lots of personal contribution, doesn¡¯t it? And the prize pool is 15000 years of life per mission¡­¡±


    He rubbed his hands. ¡°Who do you guys think the adversary in the ranks of the Absolute is?¡±


    Claud felt a bit bemused at how they were using ¡®adversary¡¯, rather than the official title, but he wasn¡¯t going to say anything at all. Instead, he simply bobbed his head and prepared for the final phase of the trial to start. Indeed, the last phase indeed fitted his conception of what the Trial of Aeons should be like ¡ª rather than some weird game of cooperation, it should have been a bloody battle from the start.


    And now, of course, everyone was going to start the bloody battle.


    While he ran through the strategy again, Nero, Dia and Clarissa sauntered towards him, and Claud frowned. He had taken adequate measures to ensure that he would not be easily identified, even by people who knew him. However, and if his guesses weren¡¯t wrong, Dia was probably the being his Status had constantly identified as the Salvation Star.


    His nemesis of sorts, in other words. Rather than putting her in an awkward position, Claud would rather just stay away and not interact. However, why did the three of them walk over here? Did Dia somehow manage to pinpoint the Omen¡¯s location?


    He took another glance, but for some reason, it seemed like Nero was the one at the front. Claud sidled away slowly a few seconds later as the trio walked up to¡­Thirteen.


    Huh? What are these three trying to do? Do they somehow know each other? But Thirteen¡¯s from the Saran Supremacy¡­


    ¡°Lady Kemata.¡± Nero stopped in front of Thirteen and held his hand out with a grace that the dude had never exhibited before in front of Claud. ¡°I¡¯ve heard much about you.¡±


    The confusion in Claud¡¯s head intensified, and for a moment, he just wanted to ask Nero about his current objective. That definitely didn¡¯t sound like a desire for an alliance, and besides, he was the Holy Son of the Black God.


    ¡°Query. Me?¡± The scythe floating behind Thirteen spun once, and for some reason, Claud could sense a small hint of bashfulness in it.


    ¡°Indeed. You are the virtuous ex-fianc¨¦e of the Minor Supreme, yes?¡± Nero asked, his voice now overflowing with a weird feeling. Claud turned his eyes to Dia and Clarissa; the former had a weird smile on her face, while Clarissa was positively overflowing with what seemed to be freaking maternal love.


    ¡°A-affirmative.¡± Thirteen shifted on the spot, but she didn¡¯t step away. By now, Seven had realised that something funny was up, and he slunk over to Claud, muttering something about missing Holy Sons and abandoned fianc¨¦es the whole time.


    Chuckling dryly, Claud stepped away from Seven and watched as Nero said, ¡°I would like to ask for permission to court you henceforth.¡±


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    The smiles of the two ladies behind him grew a tiny bit more pronounced, but Claud was at least gratified to see that Dia¡¯s smile had a touch of reality in it. That smile on her face twitched once every five or so seconds, so she at least knew that this definitely wasn¡¯t the venue to talk about courtship.


    ¡°Still,¡± Seven muttered, ¡°even if these two hit it off, Thirteen comes from the Saran Supremacy. These don¡¯t quite look like they came from the Supremacy.¡±


    ¡°Eh, Thirteen was probably intending on leaving that stupid place to begin with,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Don¡¯t really see the issue.¡±


    Dia sent him a curious glance as he spoke, and Claud was abruptly reminded of the possibility that she could see him for the being he supposedly was. It would not do to slink away from her this overtly, but being looked at directly wasn¡¯t an option either. The Moon Lords¡­uh, Seekers of Life, were familiar with each other to the point that Claud half-believed that simply moving normally would expose him instantly.


    The scythe behind Thirteen spun once. ¡°Gratitude. Preliminary acceptance. Okay?¡±


    Nero, the Holy Son of the Black God who had somehow walked up to a lady in public and stated his desire to court her without any preamble, nodded once. Claud had no idea where he got the gall to do such a thing this boldly either, but he definitely was a really brave person.


    Clapping in his head, Claud wondered about the issue of a long-distance relationship¡­or a cross-continental one, but before he could think about the specifics, Nero offered her a small artefact with a gentle smile.


    Can someone bring back the old Nero? What the heck is this? The Nero I knew was an alcoholic know-it-all wannabe. What is this modernised Holy Son doing?


    As a part of him entered denial at the fact that the legendary alcoholic was actually chasing a good woman, another part of him couldn¡¯t help but think that there was probably a match in statuses here. However, did Nero not realise that Thirteen was the great Dark¡¯s last Bearer of Destiny? If the Dark was defeated, the chances of her being dead would also be very high.


    In addition, wouldn¡¯t this ally the Seekers of Life with the great Dark?


    Did those buffoons not think it through? Or was there some grand play that had been decided upon in the few days that Claud wasn¡¯t around?


    He rubbed his head. The insides of his skull seemed to be throbbing from shockwaves caused by a certain bunch of people who were rushing down the road of recklessness¡­either that, or his brain was attempting to exercise, so that he could figure out the political intrigue behind all this.


    Rubbing his head again, Claud thought about Lily, who would definitely know what was going on.


    More impressively, however, it would seem that Nero actually knew about Thirteen. He even had the feeling that the Black God¡¯s Holy Son knew about her from the start¡­


    As the duo somehow managed to hit it off, light filled the venue, and the rift at the middle began to tremble and quake. Within seconds, the whole thing had collapsed into itself, forming a perfectly round sphere of black and gold light. Claud could feel its existence keenly, as if all life was centred around that sphere and that sphere alone.


    He could feel a desire to hold that thing stir from deep within him, and Claud had to force himself to not move. It was a desire that seemed to be his exclusively, since the others all looked like they were being cowed by that little sphere that reminded him of Throne¡­


    Were the three little fellows worried for him too? What was Lily doing now?


    Claud shook his head slightly, and then focused on the main task at hand. Knowing Lily, she was definitely working hard at increasing her mana circuits. It would be great if she managed to increase her Mana Control Proficiency too, and¡ª


    Damnit. I really, really just want to go back to her right now¡­


    Taking a deep breath, he continued to emulate the others. His whole body was tensed up, however ¡ª Claud had every intention to monopolise the little ball that was busy condensing right now. The same probably went for the others, but Claud knew that everyone else here ¡ª Chromatic Lords, Bearers of Destiny, rulers of the continent ¡ª probably intended to wait for other people to make a move first.


    It was dangerous, but Claud had full faith in his Presence Nullification. Of course, it would probably deplete most of his skillsticks, which had been prepared for the Red God, but¡­


    Claud clicked his teeth. The Trial was ending soon, but he couldn¡¯t quite find the reason why the Red God had attacked him and Lily back then. After all, his Bearer of Destiny had been killed some time ago, and everyone clearly had their own sponsors. Just what did he want to accomplish? Was it even possible for a Bearer of Destiny to betray their master?


    Or did the Red God somehow realise that Claud was the only one without a master of sorts? Was that even possible?


    As the small sphere continued to solidify, Claud couldn¡¯t help but complain about all the questions that had popped up in his head over the past few hours. As if this new, flirty Nero wasn¡¯t enough, he now had to consider even more important things, like the future, that sphere that was worth thousands of years¡­


    If only things could be simpler.

 Chapter 517: Vanishing Act

    The Trial of Aeons was probably the foundations of a legend, something that would be retold over and over again. Dia, who had read the Phase 3 mission, knew that this was probably the final task in recreating the world, and she couldn¡¯t help but marvel at her presence here.


    That said, there was something even more worth marvelling, and that was the fact that Holy Son Nero, the Holy Son of the Black God, a powerhouse of this era, was using the Trial of Aeons to court a person whose reputation far preceded her. That person in question just happened to be the final Bearer of Destiny of the great Dark, and most intriguing of all was her backstory¡­


    Or that scythe spinning behind her. To be fair, Dia wasn¡¯t sure what the answer was, but she couldn¡¯t help but admire Nero¡¯s bravery. In the first place, he dared to propose to someone whose face he could not see properly¡­but he had already come here after hearing after her exploits, so was that really a problem?


    Chuckling inwardly, she glanced at Holy Daughter Clarissa, who had a motherly smile on her face as she took in the sights of Nero exchanging methods to contact the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny.


    It was quite astounding, really, but she wasn¡¯t going to say anything else.


    Her mind continued to whirl, distracting her from the little fact that the small little ball was about to break free. She wasn¡¯t interested in killing herself, and Dia definitely didn¡¯t know why she was here in the first place, so the little ball had nothing to do with her.


    Her job was to find the Omen, whatever that was.


    Her gaze fell on the duo that was watching Nero and the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny. One of them looked really young ¡ª probably one of those Holy Sons that were around Nero¡¯s age, but the second one was¡­


    Mysterious.


    And very dangerous. Simply looking at that person was enough to send tingles up her spine. While he wasn¡¯t as overtly threatening as Emperor Grandis, who was in his full battle regalia ¡ª the history lessons she learned even had pictures of the legendary Emperor in his full splendour ¡ª that person¡­


    She didn¡¯t quite know how to put it. There was a callous air emanating from him, a supreme confidence that he could probably kill everyone presence if he really wanted to. It was the kind of confidence that she herself had, back when she was still at Lustre and training with the knights. None of the knights could hold a candle to her, and she was certain that it would be child¡¯s play to subdue everyone in the training grounds.


    Right here, right now, she could sense that very same thought from the incredibly relaxed posture that person was putting out. Like a person watching a bunch of ants, he seemed to not care about the world around him, confident in his ability to shatter any obstacle.


    Considering that this was the Trial of Aeons, the gathering of the world¡¯s strongest, this demeanour meant that either this fellow was insane, or was truly confident in crushing everything in his path.


    It would be a good idea to not go near this guy at all, in other words.


    Her eyes swivelled back to the small orb that was visibly glowing. The horrifying presence it was giving out made her avert her eyes from it, but there was something fatally attractive to her. It was as if something was compelling her to hold onto it, even if she had to die in the process.


    It¡¯s times like this when one must pull out their inner Claud and not seek death, right? Schwarz would probably say something similar too, and as for the others¡­


    She shook her head and forced herself to examine just about literally anything else. The President of the Folders¡¯ Association was actually standing next to Emperor Grandis, exchanging words with the legendary personage without drawing much fuss. Not too far from the Emperor was a man clad in black armour through and through, a mace in his hands. That fellow gave off an air of authority not too different from the Emperor, and there was a faint air of confidence in the way he leaned on his mace.


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    It was nothing comparable to that person who was standing close to the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny, though.


    The last person she looked at was the woman that was standing not too far from the man in black armour. Ice crystals shimmered around her faintly, and her exquisite features made even Dia herself a bit jealous. In fact, anyone would be jealous of her finely sculpted face and looks, but Dia could also tell that she was someone very, very used to authority.


    Two people, their faces covered by a butterfly mask, stood to her left and right. Dia could not see their faces, but their bodies seemed to ripple with a gait that hinted at their owners¡¯ ability to kill elegantly.


    Dia felt a bit small after noting all these personages. Her identity as a duke¡¯s daughter didn¡¯t seem much here, and her mana circuits were pretty much nothing to look at either. A tetra-folder had no business being here, especially when there were a few shadowy presences that were radiating a massive oppression upon the world itself.


    Indeed, the Chromatic Lords were probably these guys. Their features were completely indistinct; their entire bodies were grey in colour and lacking in any detail whatsoever. Where the word ¡®Chromatic¡¯ came from Dia had no idea, but there was definitely some irony in how they were being named.


    At any rate, they seemed to be restrained in some way, so Dia wasn¡¯t going to think too hard.


    The world shook once a moment later, and Dia¡¯s eyes turned back to the small orb. The rift that it had grown from had completely collapsed into it, and the thing was now shaking and gathering strength.


    It would soon burst into motion, and the bloodbath would begin. Swords would break and corpses would litter the place¡­the battle that was going to happen in the next few minutes would engulf everyone in a maelstrom of life-reaping might. Dia could see the whole thing play out, and in such a scenario, there was but one winning move.


    Dia turned to Clarissa. ¡°We should stay away from this. Nero! Hurry over! Phase 3 is about to begin!¡±


    The Holy Son of the Black God said a few more words, and then scuttled over to Dia, who raised her eyebrow. ¡°Had fun?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it was nice to meet someone my age¡­uh, no offence, Clarissa.¡± Nero rubbed his nose. ¡°Anyway, I think we kinda hit it off.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but as I recall, the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny is from the Saran Supremacy, right? You need to cross an entire continent to meet her, or vice-versa,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Even if you two intend to become a couple, there¡¯s an entire ocean in the middle, not to mention that the divinities have worked their own powers too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. She¡¯s really resourceful,¡± Nero replied. ¡°For all you know, she might be joining us three days later.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but the Thirteenth also happens to be the Dark¡¯s last Bearer of Destiny.¡± Dia held her head. ¡°Did you not think of that too? There¡¯s gotta be a lot of people aiming for her life. All sorts of people.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s going to be true anywhere¡ª¡±


    ¡°But the main conflict seems to be taking place in Grandis.¡± Dia sighed. ¡°Clarissa, do something about this idiot, please.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. True love will prevail!¡± The Holy Daughter of the White God rubbed her hands happily, the maternal look in her eyes growing stronger. ¡°And isn¡¯t this romantic?¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡± Dia looked at Clarissa, who was a sword short of a scabbard, and then let out a small sigh. ¡°Whatever. You deal with it yourself.¡±


    She returned her attention back to the ball. ¡°It¡¯s starting.¡±


    Those words seemed to trigger something, and the small globe abruptly shot out of its little notch. The restrained presences of everyone present promptly blossomed, growing into gigantic suns that threatened to scorch everything, but before they could fully release themselves, Dia felt her head go white.


    Something incredible had descended upon the world itself, drowning out and stifling every other person in the venue. The mana circuits in Dia¡¯s body ground to a halt a heartbeat later, her body freezing up under the sheer power that had just exploded in existence. The pressure pressing down on her was comparable or even worse than the Blue Moon or the Red God, and she could keenly feel death in the air.


    Without a doubt, if the owner of this pressure wanted everyone here dead, they would all die.


    Seconds ticked by in excruciating detail.


    Mercifully enough, the pressure faded away ten seconds later. Multiple people slumped over at the same time, and Dia had to give it her all to remain standing.


    In fact, she was only one of the ten people who were still on their feet. The rest had fallen over one way or another¡­but most importantly, that small orb had vanished.


    Where did it go?

 Chapter 518: The stolen egg

    The chaos that followed after that divine might vanished turned everything into a mess, but Dia was already thinking through the experiences earlier. Now that her mind was working properly once more, Dia couldn¡¯t help but note that the pressure she had sensed was eerily familiar to the presence emanating from that gigantic lance that had sailed through the skies a few days ago.


    And...


    There was a new rectangle in her vision, one dyed in so many colours.


    The Omen¡¯s power fills the world¡­


    Did this refer to the divine might that had paralysed everyone earlier? Or was it one of the Bearers of Destiny who had used their own Absolute skills in return? Dia couldn¡¯t tell which was the correct answer, and it also didn¡¯t help that everyone had descended into chaos.


    ¡°The Cosmic Egg is gone!¡±


    The small crowd seethed and boiled as that shout echoed into the sky, and Dia found herself forced to drive her own mana circuits as everyone else drove their own, and for a moment, it felt like conflict would break out at any given moment.


    ¡°Damn.¡± Clarissa reached out and grabbed her hand, before pulling Nero over. The three of them retreated rapidly to the edge of the platform, and Dia activated a whole bunch of barriers to protect the three of them.


    ¡°Lady Kemata!¡± Nero shouted. ¡°Good luck! You¡¯re free to take shelter with us if you want to!¡±


    The scythe whirling behind the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny paused, and she nodded once at Nero. The way she did it was so deliberate, so clear, that Dia was certain that good old Nero had gained her favour or approval. It was a good thing, from her point of view, although she really wanted to question that feasibility of such a relationship.


    ¡°Meh.¡± Dia looked at Nero. ¡°I am not sure how this relationship is going to play out now. We¡¯re still part of the Moons¡¯ camp.¡±


    ¡°Eh, it¡¯ll be fine.¡± Nero rubbed his hands. ¡°Besides, there are no eternal enemies or allies. Besides, I am not part of the Moons¡¯ camp. The Moons have no claim on me, only on my membership as part of the Seekers. And¡­now that things have come to this, there is a significant chance that both sides must hold back.¡±


    ¡°Things have come to this?¡± Dia repeated. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Funny things have happened in Phase 1 and 2. In Phase 1, there were supposed to be two separate Aeon Bridges built ¡ª don¡¯t look at me like that, I also don¡¯t know why the Bearers of Destiny became builders of bridges ¡ª but the two bridges became one. Kemata believes that what should have been separate ¡ª the Moons and the Dark ¡ª will be forcibly merged in the next world.¡± Nero tapped his head. ¡°No one knows what¡¯s going on, but everyone seems to think that this must mean that the Moons and the Dark will be bound together as a single entity¡­¡±


    ¡°So if one side dies, the other goes with it?¡± Clarissa had an odd look on her face. ¡°What, like those weird birds that only ever have one partner?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± Nero had a smug look on his face. ¡°I foresee that the Moons will not want either Bearer of Destiny to die now, but¡­well, that just leaves the question that is the other Coloured Gods.¡±


    ¡°The White God and the Black God are not really part of this, right?¡± Dia asked. ¡°But what would it seem like if the Black God¡¯s Holy Son became the romantic partner of the Dark¡¯s last Bearer of Destiny?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I think we might find out soon enough. Besi¡ª¡±


    Deafening, metallic shrieks interrupted his words a moment later, and the world shook as white sparks of light shot up to the skies. Two shadowy figures ¡ª Chromatic Lords, they had to be ¡ª rose up to the heavens rapidly, exchanging strikes at blinding speeds. Dia could see the trajectory of every swing for the first ten seconds, before the augmentation of their mana turned the whole affair into two steel storms hacking at each other.


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    ¡°They can leave the platform?¡± Dia muttered, before turning around to look at the dizzying sight of the world below. She reached out her hand experimentally, and a frown appeared on her face.


    ¡°The Cosmic Egg! Look for it first! The person must have turned invisible or something!¡±


    Nine pulses of light erupted from Emperor Grandis a moment later, and the halos behind him began to whirl. ¡°Everyone present. This seat has something to say.¡±


    Dia paused. She had never heard the Emperor speak without the veneer of ceremony, so despite herself and her choices, she turned to look at Emperor Grandis. Nero, who had seen him but once during the ascension of Duke Istrel to Ruler Istrel, also gave the legendary Emperor some of his attention, and Clarissa made a noise in her throat.


    ¡°You two seem quite fascinated by the Emperor.¡±


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s the Emperor¡­¡± Dia made a face at her. ¡°But you don¡¯t sound that interested, though?¡±


    ¡°The Emperor likes to drink, hates womanisers and has a weird penchant for doing weird good deeds incognito. He¡¯s as normal as anyone else, in my opinion.¡±


    Dia was of the opinion that someone as special as the Holy Daughter of the White God didn¡¯t really have a good metric of what exactly normal entailed, but she wasn¡¯t going to screw herself over either. If she didn¡¯t speak, no one would think of her as a mute person¡­and the mouth was often the source of calamity.


    In this case, said calamity would be the Holy Daughter of the White God, so it was very much worth it to just shut up and move on with life.


    ¡°Our first goal is to locate the Cosmic Egg,¡± Emperor Grandis began. ¡°For starters, let us count the Bearers of Destiny present. For some reason, I believe there are only six Bearers of Destiny, when my people tell me that there were seven just minutes ago.¡±


    A hushed silence, broken only by the whirling storms of metal from up high, fell.


    ¡°Therefore,¡± Emperor Grandis continued, ¡°this seat believes that the missing Bearer of Destiny is in possession of the Cosmic Egg. We can start by rooting him out.¡±


    Without warning, the nine halos released another pulse of light. The pulse of light expanded rapidly, before splashing onto an invisible barrier all around the platform. The light continued to dye the invisible barrier, creating what looked like a weird cylinder that extended towards the sky forever.


    ¡°This,¡± Emperor Grandis intoned, ¡°is the search area.¡±


    Dia looked around at the Bearers of Destiny present, and then felt her heart grow cold as she realised that the supremely confident Bearer of Destiny had vanished. That person had been standing next to the Seventh Bearer of Destiny right before the Cosmic Egg started flying around, but now, he was completely gone.


    Was that Bearer of Destiny the Omen? Dia didn¡¯t know, but she was confident that the missing Bearer of Destiny was definitely holding on to a certain Cosmic Egg right now. That said, saying those words out loud for anyone to hear was suicidal ¡ª she did not want to piss off someone who looked supremely confident in their ability to obliterate everyone else present.


    There was also a very high chance that everyone else was already making their guesses too, so¡­


    ¡°It is him, in that case. That person who launched the intruder just enough to let that person into the Cosmic Egg¡­¡± Emperor Grandis let out a low laugh. ¡°Truly, a person who lives up to his title. Were this a different time, this seat would have offered him a place in my court.¡±


    ¡°Grandis.¡± An insidious voice rang out. ¡°As expected of how one criminal would recognise another.¡±


    Dia glanced at the person that had been positively identified as Supreme Saran. Given what she knew about the Minor Supreme¡¯s actions, she didn¡¯t really have much of a good opinion of his progenitor either, so her brows furrowed slightly at those words.


    ¡°This seat would call that talent, Saran.¡±


    A snort rang out. ¡°A thieving rat can only be a talent in your court.¡±


    ¡°A folk hero will suffice as well,¡± Grandis replied. ¡°The Fourth Bearer of Destiny, yes? I believe the Fourth is the folk hero that has been making waves in my empire for some time. The Thief of Time, here¡­well, at least he lives up to his name. But it¡¯s time to crack a legend.¡±


    ¡°¡­The Thief of Time,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°Well. At least the Emperor thinks that¡¯s the case too.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be more absurd if he thought otherwise?¡± Clarissa folded her arms. ¡°Last I recall, it seems that an unknown Bearer of Destiny executed Absolute Domination, yes? And that incident seemed to coincide with Tot¡¯s own appearances¡­¡±


    Dia nodded, and then felt a small fire kindle itself to life in her heart. If Emperor Grandis recognised Tot¡¯s strength, then the chances of him pardoning the guards on duty back then would be far higher, right?


    She looked at the Emperor again, and her eyes fell on the nine halos whirling around him.


    Those things were up to no good.

 Chapter 519: Pointing fingers

    Dia had half-expected something to happen when the Emperor released the light from his halos, but something clearly had gone wrong, since Emperor Grandis had been posing for upwards of ten minutes without anything happening at all. In fact, the others had already gotten bored, and a few people were beginning to whisper about the funny ruler of the Grandis continent.


    She had a feeling that the Emperor was looking for the Fourth Bearer of Destiny this way, but there was a small problem. Why was the Emperor so confident that it was the Fourth Bearer of Destiny who had taken the Cosmic Egg? The Fourth Bearer of Destiny might have just fled somehow during that attack¡­okay, Dia knew that such a thing definitely didn¡¯t happen, but she was the only one who had probably noticed the abnormality behind that person in the first place.


    As she and the two Holy Children huddled up, protected by a barrier, Dia finally opened her mouth and said, ¡°Do you think someone¡¯s going to dispute the Emperor¡¯s claims?¡±


    ¡°About the thief still being here?¡± Nero asked. ¡°Absolutely. It seems logical at first glance, but what if Emperor Grandis is just trying to draw attention to that one fellow just to cover his own ownership of that thing?¡±


    ¡°Is there a way to identify who has the Cosmic Egg anyway?¡± Clarissa asked. ¡°I mean, if there isn¡¯t, then Emperor Grandis might be very suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Well, the thing was glowing¡­¡±


    ¡°A lot of things that glow can be covered up with the correct applications of cloth,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Thick cloth, strong light and simply swallowing it on the spot.¡±


    ¡°Not going to lie,¡± Dia muttered, ¡°but if you tell me that the damn thing has been inside someone¡¯s mouth, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be imprinting my mana on it.¡±


    ¡°Not like we¡¯re going to have the chance anyway,¡± Nero replied.


    Dia made a face. While the two of them didn¡¯t seem to quite care, she actually had a mission that exhorted her to stop the Omen¡¯s plans. There were a few issues with this problem, though. Did the Omen steal that egg? If the thief really was the Omen, how could she hope to defeat someone with such an immense presence?


    The whole thing seemed like a futile endeavour, something a tiny bit more worthwhile than keeping Nero away from alcohol. Therefore, for the sake of her sanity and welfare, it would be best to just cower in a corner and watch the rest of the world burn.


    A fresh set of thunderclaps scattered her thoughts, and a heavy, metallic thump shook the platform. ¡°Grandis, you old dog. Do you think we¡¯re blind? That missing Bearer of Destiny¡­I bet you¡¯re just making things up! The real Cosmic Egg is already on you!¡±


    The nine halos around Emperor Grandis, which were still emitting light and covering his entire body, paused. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What, you think we¡¯re idiots? You sent your people to snatch the Cosmic Egg when you cracked open a relic of the Gods of Virtue, right?¡± Supreme Saran asked, his voice a piercing, guttural growl. Dia could hear every single word being enunciated clearly, despite the evident issues in the Supreme¡¯s words, and the crowd stirred.


    ¡°Grandis, cease your light show,¡± First Lady Cecily cut in. ¡°It¡¯s the easiest way to prove your innocence.¡±


    ¡°What a fine way to put it,¡± Supreme Saran replied, dragging out his words. ¡°You¡¯re also wondering if it¡¯s on his body, right? Dim the lights¡­hahaha! As always, the epitome of a hypocrite! It runs in the position!¡±


    Dia craned her neck to look at Emperor Grandis, who simply shook his head.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Emperor Grandis let out a small smile. ¡°If you think it¡¯s better if this seat is to cease the search now, sure.¡±


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    The nine halos dimmed, before floating around his body obediently. Everyone watched in silence as no weird lights came from the Emperor¡¯s clothes¡­although who would dare question him even if there were weird lights? Dia valued her life, so there was definitely no way she was going to speak up.


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Metal clanked as Supreme Saran walked away, before Emperor Grandis chuckled.


    ¡°Did this seat say you could leave?¡± Emperor Grandis asked. ¡°This seat believes that your armour is thick enough to block out any light. Why don¡¯t you remove your armour and show us what¡¯s underneath?¡±


    He turned to the First Lady of the Nihal Senate. ¡°Don¡¯t you agree that everyone needs to be fair on this?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Emperor Grandis. You are truly the legendary senior of the Third Godsfall.¡± The First Lady pulled off her shimmering cloak of golden light. ¡°I believe this is good enough, yes? I do not think there are other places to hide an egg that big.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, your cooperation is satisfactory.¡± Emperor Grandis turned to Supreme Saran. ¡°What about you, Saran?¡±


    The metal armour clanked once. ¡°What makes you think that I would obey the words of a senile old coot and a little girl who only knows how to speak?¡±


    Dia felt some displeasure lapping away at her mind, and in that moment, she imagined the act of getting rid of Supreme Saran. The feeling of trampling Supreme Saran freely felt good to her, but acting on that impulse was almost certainly the height of stupidity.


    Her eyes were trained on Emperor Grandis and First Lady Cecily, who were now looking at Supreme Saran quietly. Dia could sense a burgeoning desire to just fight from the Emperor, and Dia couldn¡¯t help but shrink back from the duo¡¯s growing presence.


    ¡°They¡¯re attempting to start a fight here?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°No, not really,¡± Clarissa replied. ¡°They¡¯re trying to posture or something. That¡¯s all. But if one side is actually too weak to resist, you can bet that they¡¯ll come homing in like a dog to a bone.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t put it past them to have some sneaky plan in this whole thing, really. We should be careful. This is hardly a battlefield we should be at, not with our current experience and mana circuits.¡±


    The stalemate lasted for a few more seconds, before Emperor Grandis abruptly disappeared. Without warning, he reappeared next to Supreme Saran, the nine halos around him blazing into overwhelming light, and punched out with his left fist.


    A thunderclap followed as his gauntleted fist smashed into a thin eggshell of blue light, and the two skidded apart. A crushing pressure swept over the trial grounds a moment later, and Dia decided to obey her legs, which had been numbed over and over again.


    The beginning of hostilities between Supreme Saran and Emperor Grandis seemed to trigger something at the same time, and a myriad of coloured lights crisscrossed the platform. The pressure bearing down on Dia doubled down and further intensified as everyone else promptly threw themselves into battle.


    ¡°What are they doing?¡± Nero whispered, beckoning at the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny.


    ¡°Probably taking this chance to settle old grudges,¡± Clarissa replied. ¡°Best if you get your future wife to come here too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not confirmed yet, but getting her to come over is definitely a good idea.¡± He fiddled with his backpack for a while. ¡°Fancy some refreshments and snacks?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Dia replied, picking up a palm-sized sandwich.


    More and more figures took to the skies, and gigantic shockwaves, caused by the gradual intensification of the current conflicts, shook the platform. Dia couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit scared at the fact that they were on the edge, even if there was a barrier to prevent people from smacking into it or sneaking out.


    Her eyes drifted around a for a while, before narrowing on a familiar figure. Neo Cadenza, the President of the Folders¡¯ Association, was busy locking swords with a woman who had a flower for a mask. His face and posture revealed little, save for the fact that he was aiming to kill, and the duo darted around the skies for a fight that was both beautiful and deadly. Every single slash and blow from President Cadenza were neatly calculated, drawing a beautiful arc that she couldn¡¯t tear her eyes away from, and within seconds, Neo Cadenza¡¯s opponent had taken three heavy wounds in a row.


    Now that all chaos had broken loose, it would seem that people were taking the chance to settle their own private grudges or something. Indeed, since the Cosmic Egg had completely vanished, and no one was now actively searching for it¡­


    ¡°I thought this was supposed to be the Trial of Aeons, not the Vengeance Settling Platform or whatever,¡± Nero muttered, before making a few gestures at the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny. Dia, who was now witnessing the rise of a weird personality in the Holy Son of the Black God, simply made a face and sat down.


    ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll just stay here and do nothing, then.¡± Dia sat down properly. ¡°What kind of trial is this supposed to be anyway?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? We¡¯re just accessories for what should have been an actual theatre play,¡± Clarissa replied. ¡°Like a cot to a baby, or its tiny little pacifier¡­¡±


    Dia decided not to point out the weird analogies that the Holy Daughter of the White God just used.

 Chapter 520: A tea party in the middle of a search

    After the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny settled down next to Nero, Dia found herself looking around. While the battles were still raging on, the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny had pulled out an artefact that somehow weakened the oppressive presences that had been making it hard to breath previously.


    The four of them clustered around a small, quaint table that Clarissa had pulled out. The table had plates of snacks and desserts on it, a fact that Dia found odd, but the Holy Daughter didn¡¯t seem to find it weird to bring things like these to the Trial of Aeons.


    ¡°Fancy some chocolate cookies?¡± Clarissa asked, offering a star-shaped biscuit to Nero.


    ¡°Much appreciated.¡± Nero made a noise in his throat, before reaching into his backpack. A cake ¡ª for some reason ¡ª joined the biscuits a moment later, and the Holy Son proceeded to take out a teapot and four small cups.


    ¡°What in the name of the Moons did you put inside that backpack?¡± Dia asked, eyeing the weird Holy Son.


    ¡°Normal stuff and some defensive artefacts,¡± Nero replied. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there an issue?¡±


    ¡°N-no, never mind.¡±


    She thought about it, and then felt that maybe the weird one was her. Was that really true? Was she really the weird one for not bringing desserts and then questioning someone who did just that? She looked at the clueless Holy Son and Holy Daughter, before moving her gaze to the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny, who was examining the cake with interest.


    Indeed, if she considered this matter from Nero¡¯s point of view, this was actually very reasonable, right? Nero was intending to interact with the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny to begin with, so bringing desserts for a seven-day trip in which he would probably have nothing to do wasn¡¯t that odd. It would work as a bridge to close the gap between him and Lady Kemata¡­


    Dia found the way she was convincing herself rather impressive, but she knew that this was definitely that fellow¡¯s thought process while he was packing. After all, there was no way the three of them would be able to hold on to the damn egg anyway. More importantly, if the five grand skies wanted her to contend with the Omen, they should at least increase her strength a few times over first.


    If that Omen really was the cause of that divine might, there was no flipping way she was going to win against that monster.


    She picked up one of Clarissa¡¯s cookies and nibbled on it.


    ¡°Is it good?¡± Clarissa asked, her expression slightly nervous. ¡°I made it myself.¡±


    ¡°You made it yourself?¡± Dia asked, before nodding. ¡°It¡¯s great, by the way. But since you knew you were going to join the Trial of Aeons, while did you use some time to bake cookies? There were definitely more important things to take care of, right?¡±


    ¡°No, not really. I just grabbed a bunch of defensive equipment. The priests told me that I don¡¯t need to do anything,¡± Clarissa replied.


    ¡°But don¡¯t you have a mission or something?¡±


    ¡°To keep the peace, yes.¡± Clarissa laughed, but her laughter was hollow. ¡°Stop them from fighting here¡­you must be dreaming. They can fight all they want. My Lord will under my circumstances.¡±


    Dia patted her shoulder. ¡°In other words, you¡¯re just spending seven days in a dangerous place for no reason at all.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Clarissa shrugged. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°Me? Yeah, around the same thing too. The powers-that-be want me to foil the plans of this entity called the¡­Omen, but I don¡¯t know who the Omen is, what its plans are and what its strength is like,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I assume that the Omen is the Fourth Bearer of Destiny, but it can be anyone. Maybe someone else was the one who took the Cosmic Egg and the Omen¡¯s just watching the whole world collapse.¡±


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    ¡°Hmm.¡± The Holy Daughter of the White God looked around the venue. ¡°Well, if you want to investigate, I think the best place to begin would be those people who aren¡¯t doing anything in particular. Still, is the Omen a Bearer of Destiny? Or are you just assuming it?¡±


    Dia paused. She couldn¡¯t quite remember why she had made that assumption, but it felt reliable to her. ¡°I think there was something that guided me to think that way, and I trust that something.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± The Holy Daughter looked at Nero and Kemata. ¡°You guys were paying attention to us, right?¡±


    ¡°Affirmative.¡± The scythe floating behind the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny bobbed once.


    ¡°Yeah, we were listening,¡± Nero replied. ¡°So, you want us to identify the person, huh? Yes, indeed. There is a high chance that someone who¡¯s not fighting and a Bearer of Destiny is that Omen. So¡­¡±


    He glanced at Kemata once, and then looked at the young man that had been watching them a middling distance earlier. Dia remembered that particular young man, since he was standing next to the very scary Fourth Bearer of Destiny. To be honest, Dia was fairly certain that the Fourth was the Omen, especially since he disappeared with the Cosmic Egg after that, but¡­


    It didn¡¯t hurt to be more careful, right?


    ¡°Seven,¡± Kemata¡¯s voice was calm. ¡°Four¡­calm. Nice.¡±


    Dia had no idea why she said the very scary person was nice, but she wasn¡¯t going to dispute that yet.


    ¡°But the Fourth Bearer of Destiny vanished, though,¡± Dia replied. ¡°With the Cosmic Egg. I am half-certain that person is my target¡­well, I¡¯m not going near that target, though.¡±


    ¡°Good choice.¡± The Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny shifted slightly. ¡°Dangerous. But nice.¡±


    ¡°Dangerous, but nice¡­well, it¡¯s not really about the Fourth Bearer of Destiny being nice or not, though.¡±


    ¡°He is kind.¡± Kemata picked up a small cookie and nibbled at it. ¡°This is good.¡±


    The factual way she said both things carried a weird force that Dia couldn¡¯t bring herself to disobey, so she satisfied herself by biting into her own cookie instead. There was nothing they could do here, other than watching as people fought against each other madly.


    The contrast between their peaceful little teatime and the madness that was the raging battles outside made the whole thing simply weirder. In fact, Emperor Grandis and Supreme Saran looked like they were going all out ¡ª both parties were locked in close combat, with their auxiliary artefacts battling against each other in a bid to support their owner. Their attacks were so swift that the two of them, as well as the surrounding area, were just blurs and shimmering afterimages of indistinct things.


    Both of them had risen to the sky, in what seemed like an imitation of how two Chromatic Lords had engaged in fierce conflict. It was a good thing too ¡ª their constant clashes were releasing vast swaths of light that stopped battles every so often.


    ¡°¡­The Fourth Bearer of Destiny isn¡¯t the only missing person,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°Where¡¯s First Lady Cecily?¡±


    The four of them looked around the place, but the woman that seemed to have ice at her command was completely gone, like the Fourth. At some point of time, she had simply vanished from Dia¡¯s awareness.


    Suspicious.


    Was it possible she was actually the Omen? After all, there was no explicit warning stating that the Omen was a Bearer of Destiny¡­right? Sure, the mission introduction had hinted at that development, stating that an usurper laid in the ranks of the Absolute.


    However, were Absolute skills the sole purview of Bearers of Destiny?


    ¡°The more I think about it, the more questions I have,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Anyway, even if she is the Omen, she¡¯s at least a hexa-folder. I¡¯m going to sit here quietly, nibble on my cookies and let these seven days pass by. None of my business, see?¡±


    ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll just read a book or something, then.¡± Clarissa rummaged through her backpack. ¡°I bought some new books. Do you like reading?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Absolutely. Thanks for offering.¡±


    ¡°My pleasure.¡± Clarissa paused. ¡°Still, we should reinforce our defences more or something. And I think the fighting will die down in three days or so. They¡¯ll probably start investigating the Cosmic Egg seriously after that.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t serious now?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re serious about killing each other, but that¡¯s it,¡± Clarissa replied.  ¡°Once they remember their purpose here, it¡¯ll be back to pleasant, hypocritical smiles and hidden daggers. And¡­I think some of them have bottled up long, ancient grudges millennia old.¡±


    ¡°Lots of time to let old wounds fester,¡± Dia murmured. ¡°Time can both hurt and heal, right?¡±


    ¡°You get what I mean.¡± Clarissa sighed. ¡°I expect to see a bunch of dead people once everyone returns to their senses. But again, this is none of my business. I¡¯m going to sit here, enjoy my cake and then sleep for three days straight. Being a Holy Daughter means Holy Daughter duties, and I haven¡¯t had a day to myself for a long time.¡±


    She let out a laugh. ¡°Now, pardon me. I¡¯m going to sleep, and you should too.¡±

 Chapter 521: Aeons Arise

    ¡°The Fourth Bearer of Destiny, come out!¡± Supreme Saran smashed the mace in his hand, his face covered with anger. ¡°Come out and meet your death! If you do not face me, history books will record how your loved ones died the most horrible of deaths!¡±


    Silence was the only reply, and Dia nibbled on a sandwich. Somehow, the Fourth Bearer of Destiny had managed to hide for nearly all seven days. The Trial of Aeons was ending soon, and everyone else was now completely desperate at how someone had apparently hogged a total of 25000 years¡¯ worth of lifeforce.


    More importantly, however, was that there were insane benefits in hogging the rewards. The Phase 3 rewards also included three Aeon Folds for every 10% of personal mission contribution; at this rate, the Fourth Bearer of Destiny would monopolise every single droplet of lifeforce and contribution.


    Just how did the Fourth Bearer of Destiny do it? Dia couldn¡¯t even conceive of a method in which he managed to evade detection for seven days in a row, despite everyone collaborating on the third day onwards to look for him. Even if there was indeed some skill that allowed one to hide their presence ¡ª Dia could faintly remember Claud saving her from assassins back then with one such skillstick ¡ª one would need over three hundred such skill media to actually last this long.


    It was completely inconceivable.


    ¡°That makes it the sixth time,¡± Clarissa yawned. ¡°Thanks for guarding me, by the way. I haven¡¯t had a good rest for a long time.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°You are very welcome. Truly, I am very certain that the Fourth Bearer is the Thief of Time now.¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Clarissa asked.


    ¡°The dude just stole 25000 years of lifespan from under the noses of Emperor Grandis, Supreme Saran and First Lady Cecily, not to mention the other supremely strong powerhouses in presence,¡± Dia replied. ¡°In fact, even staunch enemies have unified in the face of this blatant theft. The two Chromatic Lords have stopped fighting¡­¡±


    ¡°An astute observation. I foresee an era in which the Thief of Time becomes public enemy number one, chased down by the full forces of all three continents.¡± Clarissa chuckled. ¡°Congratulations, Dia. It seems that your master will be acquitted of whatever bullcrap charges that were brought up against her back then. You will soon be able to return to her palace¡­as a tetra-folder, though.¡±


    She licked her lips. ¡°I can see the princess¡¯ surprised mug now. I bet she¡¯s going to remember all the times she ordered you around when she sees you in the future.¡±


    Dia nibbled on her sandwich, and with a cautious tone, said, ¡°She¡¯ll be happy and nothing else, I assure you.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s boring¡­¡± Clarissa looked at Dia¡¯s sandwich. ¡°Right, where did that come from?¡±


    ¡°Made it two hours ago.¡± Dia glanced at Nero and Kemata, who were actually fast asleep on each other¡¯s backs. Seven days together had bound them quite close together, and if her ears didn¡¯t deceive her, the two of them were even planning to be engaged soon. It was unbelievable¡­or maybe not.


    Dia didn¡¯t particularly care about things like these, after all.


    After offering a sandwich to Clarissa, the two of them fell silent once more. The bigshots were using a myriad of skills in order to drive out the Fourth Bearer of Destiny, and they looked really impressive too. For instance, Emperor Grandis was using a bunch of skills that released white light and an ominous sound of rattling chains ¡ª the White God¡¯s skills, which were focused on karma, was currently being put to the test.


    Supreme Saran was surrounded with blue light, his brutish exterior now replaced by a set of distant eyes that peered in what seemed like blue fog. First Lady Cecily, who had reappeared after a suspicious absence, was following red blips of light around.


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    ¡°They¡¯re using the skills of the Coloured Gods, huh.¡± Dia finished off her sandwich. ¡°Right, wouldn¡¯t Emperor Grandis blame you if you don¡¯t do anything?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m well within my rights to say no. I¡¯m a bloody penta-folder. If the Fourth Bearer of Destiny wants to kill me, I may as well just lie down and let him stab me. It¡¯ll be less painful that way,¡± Clarissa replied.


    Dia found herself lost for words at that blunt reply. However, at this rate, the Fourth Bearer of Destiny really would become a deca-folder. If the Thief of Time really became someone of such stature¡­how many vaults would be sucked dry in a day?


    After wishing a few times that Tot would go after Ruler Istrel¡¯s treasury, she picked up her teacup and sipped from it. ¡°So you¡¯re not going to try at all?¡±


    ¡°¡­What.¡±


    ¡°Okay, forget I asked.¡±


    The search continued to intensify, but fortunately enough, there was a clear mandate to not ask the weaker fellows to actually contribute to the search. Of course, there was probably the expectation that these slackers wouldn¡¯t have a share of the goodies¡­but at this rate, there weren¡¯t going to be any goodies at all.


    Nero made a little yawn, and then woke up blearily. ¡°What¡¯s the noise?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re just shaking the whole place now,¡± Dia replied. ¡°To be honest, though, I think the Thief of Time¡¯s going to get away scot-free. Let¡¯s call it a day and go home. Can we leave the Trial early? I want to hurry back to my companions.¡±


    ¡°Well, we don¡¯t need to wait all that much anyway.¡± Clarissa clicked her tongue. ¡°Still, if I can find out how the Thief of Time did this¡­¡±


    Over the last four days, after everyone returned to their senses and stopped the pointless fighting, investigations had been carried out with all their might. The top aides of the Big Three had interrogated everyone present a few times over, and then verified that it was indeed the Fourth Bearer of Destiny that had vanished with the Cosmic Egg. After that, detailed searches, which largely encompassed random sweeps across the platform and then into the sky, proceeded.


    The desperation that everyone who had a chance now felt had ballooned over time, so much so that people were now breaking out their trump cards. The Chromatic Lords were scouring the airspace with skills that Dia didn¡¯t even recognise at all, looking for any hint of the enemy. The sovereigns of the three continents had also pulled out skillsticks that recorded the Coloured Gods¡¯ skills.


    All that, and there was nothing to show for it.


    ¡°I can see why you find that tempting, but the Trial¡¯s almost over, isn¡¯t it?¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°They should have taken out their trump cards from the beginning¡­right, do you guys know which Coloured God the Fourth is aligned with?¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not sure,¡± Clarissa muttered. ¡°Kemata, are you awake?¡±


    The scythe hovering close to Nero and the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny spun once, and a small yawn leaked out. Dia watched with a small smile as she stirred gently, and with what seemed like a Moon-worthy amount of effort, Kemata rubbed her eyes.


    ¡°Mmm¡­question? Query?¡±


    Nero paused for a moment. ¡°Oh, what Coloured God did the Fourth say he represented?¡±


    Kemata let out another yawn. ¡°Extra. Expected thirteen. Total fourteen. Query and response: none. Assumption of either the Black God or the White God sending out representatives.¡±


    Nero blinked once, and then rubbed his head. ¡°Yeah, not happening. So¡­one of them is not aligned with the Coloured Gods or either power, and that¡¯s the so-called Omen, yes?¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°That¡¯s definitely it. A traitor or something.¡±


    One reason why the Fourth Bearer of Destiny had been presumed as their enemy was due to his behaviour in the Trial of Aeons, specifically Phase 2. Dia had learned that the Fourth Bearer of Destiny was the first one to allow someone through, some intruder or whatever. While it didn¡¯t seem like a big deal, especially since he had held out for seven days alone, a lot of people had come to the conclusion that he had faced the enemy alone to allow it through without drawing suspicion.


    When coupled with the mention of the adversary in the ranks of the Absolute ¡ª that term had appeared in everyone¡¯s eyes through a message when Dia appeared ¡ª it was quite ¡°clear¡± who the Fourth Bearer of Destiny was, especially after what happened in Phase 2.


    The Fourth Bearer of Destiny, the Thief of Time (to be confirmed), was the adversary mentioned in everyone¡¯s Moonlit or Shadowed Victory missions. Killing him would add a substantial amount of personal mission contribution to both missions, entitling them to a huge chunk of lifeforce.


    Of course, the fact that the Fourth also had the Cosmic Egg right now just inflamed the entire scenario. Once the Trial of Aeons was over, Dia had a feeling that everyone would be heading over to Grandis to take a shot at finding the Thief of Time¡­


    The search intensified as the minutes passed, and eventually, a blip of light appeared from nowhere. Everyone turned to it as the small Cosmic Egg, shimmering with a prismatic radiance, returned to its original position, and a new set of words appeared in Dia¡¯s eyes.


    [<Mission: Preserving the cycle> has failed.]


    [<Mission: Bridging the Aeon Span (Phase 3)> has failed.]


    The world around Dia began to come apart a moment later.


    [End of Book 11: Aeons Arise]

 Chapter 522: Personal Gains

    [Book 12: Hollow Hallows]


    Claud let out a small sigh as the world around him unravelled and fell apart. Fortunately for him, everyone had been forcibly returned to their original locations the moment the Trial of Aeons ended, preventing him from becoming the victim of an unfortunate death.


    Notifications filled his screen as the wind picked up around him, and his body began to relax.


    [<Mission: Bridging the Aeon Span (Phase 3)> has been completed. Calculating personal mission contribution.]


    [Personal mission contribution: 100%]


    [Despite your transcendent power, you chose the path of peace. What was fated to be a bloody battle has turned into a congregation of frustrated searchers, and the platform of the Trial remains unstained with death. Few will know how the most mysterious demigod grasped his future power, and even fewer will tell the tale. For your domination of the Cosmic Egg, you have gained 25000 years of lifespan.]


    [<Skill: Aeon Fold ¡ª Omen> has been strengthened by 20 levels].


    [<Mission: Shattering the cycle> has been completed. Calculating result grade.]


    [Result: Grade 1]


    [With ingenuity and a divine might, you opted to steal away the Cosmic Egg, sparing the lives of all others present. No one will know how the Omen, one of the strongest Bearers of Destiny in recorded history, chose to turn away from the path of blood. Heralding the world of infinite potential in a deathless place, the Omen has laid the foundation for a transcendent world.]


    [The power of entropy fills your veins¡­]


    [<Skill: Aeon Fold ¡ª Omen> has been strengthened by 10 levels].


    [FiBoD:O??? has absorbed four Fragment of Fates. Evolution requirements: 4/4]


    [Personal Quest: <One¡¯s Ideals> unlocked. Complete this mission to evolve FiFBod:O???]


    Claud let out a small breath as he looked at the notifications, his attention on the assessments, and then smiled. Indeed, he always had the chance to wipe everyone else with a single swipe of his hand. He had verified that days ago, when he used Absolute One to send a message. No one had noticed the sheer amount of mana pumping out of him, not until he released it personally.


    Of course, the main reason why he had managed to remain undetected the whole time was actually due to something else he had thought about some time ago. One of the key differences between him and the Frozen Emperor was his Absolute One skill.


    Or rather, its Order bonus.


    [Skill: Absolute One (Order)]


    [Skill effects: Grants immunity to all injury and abnormal effects for ten seconds. User gains access to an endless source of condensed mana at the same time.


    Order bonus: Mana Control Proficiency is raised by two ranks for thirty minutes. This increase can transcend all limits. When used with any other skill, that skill¡¯s duration increases to seven days and has boosted effectiveness.


    Evolution requirements: Acquire 4 Fragments of Fate.]


    The moment Phase 3 started, Claud activated Absolute One in conjunction with Presence Nullification, willing the former to empower the latter. The result was him being completely hidden from the world at large, which was one major reason why he managed to elude detection the whole time. He then snatched the Cosmic Egg, hugged it tightly, and then watched on with amusement as everyone else went mad at his sudden disappearance.


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    He hadn¡¯t expected Absolute One¡¯s Order bonus to actually be this useful, but who knew that Phase 3 simply wanted him to hold on to something for seven days?


    There was, however, another reason why he managed to stay undetected, and that was because he used the Aeon Fold skill to evolve his Flight skill. It was something else he had noticed too ¡ª in his Second Tutorial, the Frozen Emperor had a bunch of very powerful skills. Claud had chosen to expend his four Aeon Folds to evolve Flight, turning it into the Will of Freedom skill.


    [Skill: Will of Freedom


    Skill effects: The user can move freely in all directions, while ignoring all other physical forces, for thirty days.


    Passive effect: The user will never suffer from impaired movement and can never be trapped.]


    The passive part of this skill was weirdly worded, but what really was important was the active effect, which allowed him to move freely without any restraint.


    As a result, Claud moved freely throughout the entire Trial, eluding the more physical methods of searching that everyone else had resorted to with absurd grace and skill. It was a gamble that had ultimately paid off ¡ª if Flight evolved into something else, he would probably be somewhat screwed. Of course, now that he had the chance and ability to evolve another skill¡­


    [You have expended four levels of <Skill: Aeon Fold ¡ª Omen> to commence the upgrading of <Skill: Presence Nullification!>]


    Letting out a small breath, Claud watched as the light died down. The effects of Presence Nullification faded away a second later, and his heart quivered once as a familiar warmth smacked into him and threw her arms around his body.


    ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± a small voice whispered.


    ¡°Yeah. I am.¡± Claud patted Lily¡¯s back. ¡°All safe and sound too. As promised.¡±


    They hugged for a minute more, with Lily patting his body all over to make sure that his flesh was intact or something. It was absolutely adorable, so Claud simply stood still to facilitate the little pats.


    After a while, she took a step back, and then landed a little punch into his chest. ¡°Don¡¯t do that next time.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do what next time?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go using that skill just to send me a message, dummy.¡± Lily smacked his chest again. ¡°I was frightened when you fired an entire lance out of the moon, you know! To make things worse, the Red God and the Blue God even descended ¡ª see that red orb in the sky? That¡¯s the Red God undergoing a difficult labour process¡­¡±


    ¡°A what?¡±


    ¡°A difficult labour process,¡± Lily replied promptly.


    Claud looked at the Red God¡¯s physical¡­form, and then frowned. He was certain that this form had something to do with why he had been pursued in a different reality. Would the Red God still go after him in this one? It was a question that he really wanted an answer to, but¡­


    Lily pulled out the Looped Encryptor as he made a face, and then asked, ¡°What was the Trial of Aeons like? What did you do there?¡±


    Claud chuckled. ¡°We made a bridge, killed a bunch of insects, and then fought over a right to hold an egg.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for the abridged version, you know.¡± Lily pulled him over to a bed, and then produced a bunch of snacks from her backpack. ¡°Right, you must be hungry too. Have some food. Preserved meat isn¡¯t going to cut it for your tastebuds.¡±


    Claud nodded in agreement. ¡°The preserved food was quite¡­icky after a while. But Nero and Dia had it better, though. They were having a tea party during the Trial of Aeons.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡±


    ¡°Tea party.¡± Claud chuckled. ¡°And Nero was courting the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny too. I swear he knew about her presence there, since he made a beeline to her and started chatting her up.¡±


    ¡°You are talking about the Trial of Aeons, right? Not the Social Gathering of Aeons, yes?¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°The more you speak, the more I get confused. It¡¯s like telling me to build a bomb, but you add in sugar, chocolate, strawberry slices¡­are you really sure it¡¯s a legendary event that supposedly decides the fate of the world?¡±


    Claud glanced at his status and rubbed his nose.


    Name: Claud Primus


    Class: Omen


    Lifespan: 25742 years


    Active Skills: Presence Nullification (9), Will of Freedom (11), Binding Order (7), Cleanse (6), FiBoD;O??? (0), FiBoD;O??? (0)


    Passive Skills: DiL???C, Mana Locus, Omen, Understanding, Master of Permanence, Artificial Life Contractor, Aeon Fold ¡ª Omen (38)


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 6.99


    Mana Control Proficiency: Master


    Authority: 6


    Comments: At the crossroads of destiny, you chose peace. You must now accept the outcomes of your choices. The fading embers of sunset will bless you, and all life will embrace your ideals, but no one will ever know what you did.


    Claud glanced at the comments once, brushed them off as loony, and turned back to Lily, who was now doubting the event that Claud had gained so much from. ¡°It is a legendary event, I can assure you that. In fact, it¡¯s so legendary that I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll need any more lifestones from now on, because I have over 25000 years of lifespan.¡±


    Lily looked at him, touched his forehead once, and then frowned. ¡°You¡¯re not having a fever, and you look very serious¡­a hallucination?¡±


    ¡°Let me explain to you what happened during the Trial of Aeons first.¡± Claud sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a long story, and I was hoping to tell you after I got a bit more ready, but it seems that the Red God might come after us. But I think we came out on top¡­anyway, I¡¯m going to start narrating now.¡±


    He paused, and then picked up a small biscuit. ¡°Damn, finally. Dia and the others were just nibbling on biscuits the whole time. I was getting really, really hungry.¡±


    ¡°I am not sure what to make of that statement, but do go ahead in narrating the series of events that occurred during the Trial,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I¡¯ll snack on these, thank you very much¡­¡±


    Claud chuckled. ¡°Alright. So, after I appeared on the trial grounds¡­¡±

 Chapter 523: Wanted orders

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to say about all this, but you¡¯re a genius, I suppose.¡± Lily looked out of the window. The sky was changing, and the sun was going to rise soon. People would soon awaken to the fact that the Thief of Time, the Fourth Bearer of Destiny, the adversary so desired by the Dark and the Moons, had defeated the three sovereigns of the world.


    Well, it wasn¡¯t exactly that way, but that was how people were going to interpret it as.


    ¡°A desperate genius,¡± Claud replied. ¡°The Frozen Emperor screwed up lots of things. If I¡¯m to overcome the perils that are coming after us, I must do the opposite of what he did.¡±


    ¡°Meaning¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to use all my Aeon Folds on my skills.¡± Claud let out a small breath. ¡°Divinity Aspirant is probably what my final goal is. However, I probably won¡¯t live long enough to use it if I save those Aeon Folds. Minimally, I¡¯ll need to obtain Will of Solitude.¡±


    ¡°Sounds awesome.¡±


    ¡°I faintly remember its effects are indeed very awesome. However, it took me nearly a day to upgrade it completely¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you need to meditate or something?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s already upgrading, in fact. The moment I got the Aeon Folds, I tossed another four Aeon Folds into Presence Nullification. Henceforth, I¡¯ll be able to truly free myself from the pursuit of the enemy,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Probably, anyway. However, there¡¯s actually another problem.¡±


    ¡°Another problem?¡±


    ¡°I recently learned that the Red God is the God of Precision. Some call it lucky coincidence. It¡¯s completely different from things like fate and karma. In a sense, if he goes after me, it¡¯ll end up becoming a coin toss. He can¡¯t detect me, but he can definitely show up in random places around me.¡± Claud frowned. ¡°I suppose this is a massive weakness of Will of Solitude.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s like those annoying people knocking at your door and offering to sell mana oil or whatever shady products they¡¯re pushing,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I get what you mean. You can be alone, but there¡¯s no stopping people from thinking your house looks nice¡­¡±


    The sky turned orange, and the two of them admired the sunrise. At the same time, shadows flitted from point to point, and Claud¡¯s dynamic vision captured the beautiful scenery of what seemed to be covert agents rushing towards their masters.


    ¡°Seems like the information¡¯s going to spread soon¡­a dukedom capital doesn¡¯t use town criers, after all.¡± Lily rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet.


    ¡°Spread? Aren¡¯t those fellows rushing to their masters?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re rushing to the news agencies in the capital,¡± Lily replied. ¡°The nobles¡¯ covert operatives don¡¯t need to do such things to find out what¡¯s about to be public knowledge. They¡¯re more focused on the actual secrets.¡±


    She squished his face for the tenth time in the past six hours, and then giggled. ¡°Those three fellows are still asleep, though. Like me, they missed you a lot.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°I missed you too. And those three.¡±


    Lily rubbed his cheeks. ¡°Well, we should go down for breakfast too¡­but we can do that after the three of them wake up, right? Or do you want to pop them in your pocket instead?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pop them in my pocket,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I kinda miss the sensation.¡±


    The three little shapes were making quiet meeps as they lay around the small room Claud had made for them. Particularly adorable was little Sceptre, who was spinning on a point really, really slowly as it meeped in and out regularly.


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    ¡°Meep?¡± Crown stirred once, and the little box did a little jiggle as it assessed the surroundings. ¡°Meep!¡±


    Crown noticed his fingers, and then rushed towards it. Nuzzling his fingers twice, Crown made a few loud meeps, and before Claud knew it, the three little fellows had woken up to climb all over him. Within one minute, his hair had turned into a nest ¡ª Claud, fortunately, had taken a nice bath an hour after he returned ¡ª and three baby birds meeped away happily.


    ¡°Alright, calm down.¡± Lily plucked out the spherical Throne and placed the little guy on her head instead. ¡°Anyway, like I said, he came back. He was just busy earlier. Now, we¡¯re going down for breakfast, so the three of you will need to enter his pockets.¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    Claud¡¯s pocket promptly filled up with the little fellows, and he smiled. ¡°Sorry about that. They must have pestered you the whole time.¡±


    ¡°Well, they were very worried,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But they also cheered me up.¡±


    Claud lowered his eyes. In that moment, the memory of a frozen throne filled his eyes. That throne, in the Second Tutorial, had the corpses of the three little fellows sealed inside. Without a doubt, Claud knew that they had probably sacrificed themselves to buy time for Lily, and¡­


    He shook his head. All that had happened in a different reality.


    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily touched his fingers, holding them gently. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just reminded of some unpleasant things,¡± Claud replied, before hugging her. ¡°I¡¯ll protect everyone. Without fail.¡±


    Lily patted his back, before separating from him. The faint light in her eyes carried hints of both warmth and pity.


    She knew what he was thinking about, as always, and he nodded at her once. Fluffing himself up, Claud injected some cheer into his words and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get some breakfast. I haven¡¯t eaten a proper meal for a whole month. I¡¯m so glad I¡¯m a mana-user, or I¡¯d be groaning about constipation now.¡±


    ¡°Hah! That would be a sight indeed.¡±


    The inn¡¯s first floor was filled with customers pouring over newspapers while nibbling away at luxurious breakfasts like toasted, buttered sandwiches with soup, as well as scrambled eggs with bacon slices.


    ¡°You¡¯re drooling.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. Can¡¯t help it.¡± Claud swallowed audibly, and the little shapes in his pocket jiggled happily. ¡°Dried and salted meat, while nice, isn¡¯t really what I would call a good meal. And there wasn¡¯t time to cook much at all, so you can¡¯t make a broth with it.¡±


    Lily patted his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s all over now, though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going to happen next, but we should be seeing new developments come nightfall,¡± Claud replied. ¡°That should be enough time to see what changes the five grand skies are going to enact soon.¡±


    ¡°I can guess, though¡­¡±


    Lily waved a hand, and one of the waiters doing nothing ambled order. After ordering two breakfast sets and a newspaper, the two of them huddled together and poured over the piece of paper that had cost one silver.


    It was expensive for the raw materials, strictly speaking, but cheap in terms of quality and accuracy¡­probably.


    Claud looked at the headlines once, and then felt a weird urge to just cackle rise up from his belly. Indeed, the news had reported the end of the Trial of Aeons, but the headlines had put it¡­such that it seemed like the legendary folk hero, the Thief of Time, had beaten everyone else into a pulp and walked away with incredible power.


    Of course, this rather uplifting headline was immediately followed by what could only be described as a declaration of war, as a continent-wide hunt for the Thief of Time was announced by Emperor Grandis. In fact, it would seem that Supreme Saran and First Lady Cecily had also mobilised, and were currently leading crack troops to join in the hunt. Every single noble in Grandis had also been put on high alert, and there were campaigns to seek out the Thief of Time underway¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s quite the reaction,¡± Lily whispered.


    A soldier walked into the inn a moment later, before slapping a wanted poster of someone, except that there was no picture on that poster. The crimes listed on the poster were numerous, though, ranging from the contempt of royalty to things like robbery and petty theft.


    Lily chuckled, and then flipped to the next page. Emperor Grandis had pardoned everyone affected by the Thief of Time, and the most eyecatching detail on the list was naturally Princess Dia of the Lustre Dukedom.


    ¡°¡­She¡¯s going to return home soon, I suppose.¡± Claud pointed at the list of pardons. ¡°Dia the bodyguard. Well, she better tell me where the princess hid, because I get the feeling that¡¯s going to improve my own skills.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll miss her. Or maybe we can go along with her!¡± Lily looked at Claud. ¡°You¡¯re improving that skill, right? We should be able to return to Moon territory now.¡±


    Claud paused, and then nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s possible. With Will of Solitude, I should be able to do a lot more things now. It¡¯s really useful.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you chose it.¡±


    ¡°Well, I never had the chance of learning that other skill to begin with. I¡¯ll need to off a few more targets first,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s best to do what the Frozen Emperor didn¡¯t. That should get us to a good position, or at least a better one.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°And your first priority¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeap. The Third Tutorial.¡± Claud flipped the page and glanced at the many articles written about the Thief of Time. ¡°Whew.¡±

 Chapter 524: Reconvening

    The newspapers had dug out the stories of Tot, even before the heist at Duke Istrel¡¯s treasury, and he was beginning to feel embarrassed. Even the hostility of the Bearers of Destiny and Emperor Grandis was not enough to stop the newspapers from reporting the objective truth.


    Somehow.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit unbelievable, the things Tot did.¡± Claud shook his head, unable to quite believe that he had conducted so many heists. Sure, he did do quite a few, but for some weird reason, there were a lot more robberies and impromptu charity drives that he couldn¡¯t recall doing. Did he really go around every single barony in the Istrel¡­Umbra Dukedom and rob them?


    If so, why didn¡¯t he recall it? And if it was someone else, why would they do the same thing as he did? Was there really another person who would rob a treasury and give away everything that was not a lifestone there? That thought was patently absurd, no matter how he sliced it, but he was getting older. Memories indeed weakened over time, and as a youth, he was probably quite¡­zealous.


    Besides, he couldn¡¯t even quite remember what happened to him on the day he robbed the Istrel treasury. His memory of that day, which had been faint to begin with, had all but fallen apart now. It was understandable that he wouldn¡¯t be able to recall less high-profile heists.


    ¡°Truly a folk hero.¡± A waiter laid down two trays, one for him and one for Lily. ¡°I wish there was a Tot in the Nihila Dukedom too. It would have been very interesting.¡±


    Claud glanced at the waiter once, thought about the slew of incidents that had followed the wake of his name-making theft, and then decided not to think too hard about it. Lily, who was examining his face with great interest, hid a small smile behind her hands, and then tangled his leg with her own.


    Chuckling, Claud said, ¡°Yes, I suppose it would have been very¡­interesting. Thank you for bringing the food to us.¡±


    ¡°My pleasure, sir and lady. Please, enjoy.¡±


    The two of them turned to their meal as the waiter turned away, and Claud took a very deep breath. The smell of this scrumptious breakfast made him feel like a king amongst kings, a being exalted beyond the heights of Emperor Grandis, and the soup was just heavenly. If he were one of the five grand skies now, this establishment would have been blessed for lifetimes to come, for providing him succulent succour in his time of need¡­


    The chicken sandwich gladly offered itself to satiate his hunger, and Claud obliged by dipping it in some soup to boot.


    ¡°Never knew sandwiches and soup could be this awesome.¡± Claud rubbed his celebrating stomach.


    ¡°Yeah, well, you haven¡¯t eaten much actual food for some time,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And no, salted meat only marginally, barely counts. Cooked stuff is the real deal, see?¡±


    ¡°Well, there was no time to cook,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And after Phase¡­the second week, my arm felt like metal or something.¡±


    ¡°Your endurance is insane, though.¡± Lily made a face. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine fighting an endless wave of foes without stopping at all.¡±


    ¡°Well, it just happens. It¡¯s the sort of thing that you don¡¯t think you can do, and when you look back, you wonder how you managed to do it at all,¡± Claud replied. ¡°An undertaking you never thought you could complete, but you just did it anyway, and whenever you look back¡­¡±


    Her eyes twinkled. ¡°Yes. I know that feeling rather well sometimes. Like my Second Tutorial, for instance¡­right, we need to find information about the Third Tutorial.¡±


    ¡°Your Second Tutorial, huh.¡± Claud looked at Lily, who looked like she had shrunk by ten percent or something, and then rubbed her head. ¡°You completed it, after all. There¡¯s no need to dread it now.¡±


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    ¡°I wonder about that.¡± Lily trapped his hand with her own. ¡°Also, this hand is a clean one, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a free hand. I didn¡¯t pick up the sandwich with it,¡± Claud replied, winking once at her. ¡°I can¡¯t say the same for your hand, though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also clean, okay? Besides¡ª¡±


    Lily turned to the entrance, and Claud followed suit instinctively. A very familiar group of people just happened to walk into the inn¡¯s dining section. In fact, they were so familiar that Claud knew that this bunch should have been living in the small house at Monsville, so why were they here?


    ¡°Why are you guys here?¡± Lily asked, verbalising the thoughts in Claud¡¯s head. ¡°You guys are supposed to be in Monsville, right? Or the Celestia Ruins!¡±


    Claud looked at the Seekers of life and then at¡­the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny, who was tagging along for some reason. While he didn¡¯t know what the Thirteenth looked like, the woman sticking to Nero had a fricking scythe floating behind her. Based on the interactions he had seen in Phase 3, he was very confident that this woman was the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny¡­


    There was only one question, though. How did she even manage to make it here?


    Focusing on the scythe for a moment to fake out the others, Claud glanced at the woman who had a warhammer slung onto her back.


    ¡°¡­Seems like there are a few unfamiliar faces.¡± Claud glanced at Schwarz. ¡°Mind filling us in on what happened?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Okay, so after you left for some summons or whatever, everyone except for Risti decided to head over to the Celestia Ruins. We went there, mucked around for a bit and bought some new artefacts, and then we came across the Blessed of the Blue God.¡±


    The warhammer woman took a step forward. ¡°You must be the lovebirds, right? I¡¯m Sara. Nice to meet you guys.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t know who to glare at, so he simply asked, ¡°What in the name of the Moons have you guys been telling her?¡±


    ¡°The truth?¡± Farah looked a bit confused. ¡°Why, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Oh, screw it.¡± Claud waggled his eyebrows at Lily, who rolled her eyes in response. ¡°Lily, I don¡¯t want to talk to these guys anymore.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Schwarz clicked his teeth. ¡°Anyway, let us sit down with you guys first. We¡¯re holding up the queue.¡±


    The spacious table promptly turned cramped, but Claud couldn¡¯t help but note that the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny and Nero were sitting really closely. Sure, they weren¡¯t as close as him and Lily, but¡­


    ¡°Nero?¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°Are you engaged or something?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t call it engaged,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Kemeta fled the Saran Supremacy, after all. We just agreed to try out the couple life for a while. If it works out, then good.¡±


    ¡°Errr¡­congratulations, then?¡± Lily, like him, didn¡¯t know how to respond to those words. Claud couldn¡¯t help but think that he had made it worse too; he had told her all about Nero¡¯s courtship of the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny.


    He looked at Kemata closely. Now that the stupid censor was gone, he could see her full appearance. Her brown hair was tied into one long ponytail, something that the censor had somehow prevented him from seeing, and her features were exquisite¡­but Lily was still number one.


    Lily tilted her head as Claud hugged her subtly, but she didn¡¯t say anything.


    At the same time, the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny examined the two of them, and a frown crept up her face. Without warning, she took out a small skillstick, snapping it into two a moment later.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Nero asked, curious. There was no hostility in his words at all; it was just an expression of surprise.


    ¡°Privacy.¡± The Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny paused. ¡°For your friends.¡±


    She paused. ¡°Claud. Lily. Weak, but clever. Yes?¡±


    ¡°How in the name of the Moons did you describe us?¡± Lily repeated Claud¡¯s words. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. What¡¯s the problem?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°Those two¡­fakes? Hexa-folders. The male is¡­dangerous. Very dangerous.¡± Kemata looked at the two of them. ¡°Not weak.¡±


    ¡°¡­What?¡± The Seekers of Life stared at Claud and Lily. ¡°You guys are hexa-folders? Both of you?¡±


    ¡°Male, very dangerous.¡± Kemata¡¯s eyes were guarded. ¡°Identity needs checking.¡±


    ¡°No, the two of them are indeed the real ones, I¡¯m sure of that.¡± Schwarz¡¯s expression was complicated. ¡°You two¡­are hexa-folders. Well, I¡­I¡¯m not sure what to say, but¡­you know.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We just advanced not too long ago. Wasn¡¯t there a shower of lifeforce? We got over a thousand years of lifespan from it. We just never had the time to improve,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Until recently, anyway.¡±


    Farah made a noise in her throat. ¡°So you two are the strongest in our group now¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°How did you find out, Miss Kemata?¡±


    ¡°Skill.¡± The Thirteenth looked at him. ¡°But you¡¯re¡­dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Claud faked some laughs. ¡°Are you sure? I¡¯m very harmless, though. My skills are geared to running, and I never did pick up swordplay?¡±


    ¡°Mana manipulation. Strong.¡± She paused. ¡°Very dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so that was what you were referring to,¡± Nero cut in. ¡°Well, he¡¯s very skilled with mana, but this dude doesn¡¯t fight, if possible. In fact, now that I think about it, you two haven¡¯t actually done any fighting since the Moon Lords were made¡­¡±


    ¡°Not much, that¡¯s for certain,¡± Claud agreed. ¡°I can¡¯t remember¡­anyway, what about you guys? What¡¯s going on with Miss Kemata and Miss Sara?¡±


    Schwarz laughed hollowly. ¡°You will not believe what I¡¯m going to say next.¡±

 Chapter 525: Him, from the other end

    ¡°You are courting the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny, a Dark-aligned Bearer.¡± Lily looked at Nero, her expression refreshing to Claud¡¯s eyes. That expression on her face was quite familiar to Claud, and he reminisced on how it felt like to be bludgeoned by absurd events. ¡°Really now?¡±


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Nero tilted his head.


    Claud opened his mouth, and then closed it. There were, naturally, a whole bunch of problems that went with it, but as someone who had found his soulmate, he didn¡¯t want to dissuade Nero and make it such that he couldn¡¯t be with someone he liked. Lily clearly thought the same way, because she backed down three seconds later, mumbling about potatoes and cheese.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re worried about things like her position, but I assure you, we¡¯re matched in terms of social status,¡± Nero replied. ¡°And¡­well, the Saran Supremacy sucks. And I want to give Kemata happy memories.¡±


    The scythe floating behind the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny did a weird, cute loop, and Claud hid a smile. That scythe was relaying its mistress¡¯ emotions incredibly well, better than any mere facial expression, and Claud decided to give up on that topic. It would seem that the two of them were fated to be lovers or something, and Claud wasn¡¯t going to stand in their way.


    ¡°Yeah, I suppose that¡¯s how things should be.¡± Lily smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll be rooting for you two, then.¡±


    ¡°No¡­further objections?¡± Nero tilted his head. ¡°Why does everyone seem to behave the same way?¡±


    Claud glanced at the scythe floating behind Kemata once, and then said, ¡°Right, you three went to the Trial of Aeons, right? What happened there? Did Tot really make an appearance? Dia, is your mistress going to return home soon? Will you be joining her?¡±


    ¡°Slow down, slow down.¡± Farah chuckled. ¡°But as expected of you, I suppose. You asked the same things as we did.¡±


    Lily stuck out a tongue, and then shifted closer to Claud. The reassuring warmth was enough to cover the small, faint fear in his heart, the heart that had been trembling as it met the people that stood the highest chance of uncovering his identity. Claud had been wondering for a long time if he should confess his identity or something ¡ª Dia was apparently a fated nemesis or something, but he had no desire to kill her. He was also fairly confident that she wouldn¡¯t kill him if she knew about his identity, but¡­


    There was a small part of him that felt scared of telling them the truth. How would they look at him when they found out? Their Dia had been, by all accounts, wronged by Claud himself, and he was the main reason why she and her mistress had to flee their home.


    How would the others react when they found out he had been hiding things from them all along? Important things that would decide the future? He didn¡¯t want to find out. Fortunately, he had used Absolute One to supercharge his Presence Nullification; if he hadn¡¯t done so, the others would definitely have noticed him at some point in time.


    They were too familiar with him to not know his mannerisms. In fact, now that he thought about it, the Risti in his Second Tutorial did mention something about everyone seeing him during the Trial of Aeons¡­


    Lily nudged his side, and Claud jumped. ¡°Sorry. What did I miss?¡±


    ¡°I was just talking about the Thief of Time¡­you do know that you¡¯re the one asking, right?¡± Dia eyed him critically.


    ¡°S-sorry. My bad. Do continue.¡± Claud rubbed his nose.


    ¡°You are forgiven. Now, as I was saying, the Thief of Time was¡­odd, I suppose.¡± Dia folded her arms. ¡°The guy had this supreme confidence oozing from all over him. Like he could kill everyone present with a single attack. It was something I¡¯d seen from the Blue Moon when we met Plota back then; the sheer confidence that no one could stop him.¡±


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    She made a face. ¡°I don¡¯t like that feeling, but only an idiot would go up to Tot at that point, see? And then, when Phase 3 started, the mana that seemed to gather around him was completely insane. It felt like an entire ocean had just flooded the place¡­it was the same type of power that had killed the Third Bearer of Destiny back then.¡±


    Claud found himself intrigued. He had never been on the receiving side of Absolute One for very obvious reasons, but now, here was a chance to ask someone who had faced it and lived.


    ¡°What did it feel like, facing that ocean of mana? How did you react to it?¡±


    ¡°We just froze on the spot,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°If I had been drunk before the Fourth Bearer of Destiny used his skill, that thing would have shaken me sober¡­I¡¯m just kidding. I can¡¯t get drunk.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Kemata asked.


    ¡°Really,¡± Schwarz replied, nodding seriously. ¡°This guy can¡¯t get drunk at all. He can chug away bottle after bottle with absurd ease. It¡¯s unbelievable, to be honest. Like a minor miracle or something.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make the Lord¡¯s blessing sound like an alcoholic¡¯s favourite drink,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Anyway, it was really intense. Like¡­if Schwarz was there, he would probably be on his knees and sobbing.¡±


    ¡°Oi.¡±


    ¡°What? It was really that intense, alright?¡± Nero shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m using you as the unit of badassery. You should be happy, not sad.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­¡±


    Farah and Dia sighed, and then shuttled over to the Blessed of the Blue God, who looked a little left out. The three of them began a quiet conversation on their own, one that Claud couldn¡¯t be bothered to eavesdrop on, and he made use of this lull to polish off the rest of his breakfast.


    The affected parties were clearly affected by that traumatic event, and Claud couldn¡¯t bring himself to probe any further either.


    ¡°Well, are you two done with your commission or whatever?¡± Schwarz asked, his eyes alight with a weird radiance.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It was a complete waste of time.¡±


    Claud, of course, had prepared a new story. While the two of them had left the small little house by using a summons as an excuse, they would need to follow up on that story. However, faking a request wasn¡¯t easy; it was far easier to turn it into a malicious prank and brushing the whole thing off afterwards.


    ¡°Yeah, it was a fake summons,¡± Claud added. He was telling the truth; the only thing that was missing was the fact that it was the two of them that had sent the fake summons. ¡°Not sure what they wanted to do, but when we got here¡­well, there were very good reasons for us to just hunker down and wait out the rest of the Trial. After all, the Blue God and the Red God were forced to descend.¡±


    He made a noise in his throat. ¡°I wonder what made them descend.¡±


    The others glanced at Sara, the Blessed of the Blue God. Claud, however, found the possibility of a Blessed knowing anything about an event this tumultuous rather unbelievable. Sure, they were important, but the descent of a Coloured God was probably so high up the information pole that they wouldn¡¯t know much about it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°Anyway, does that mean you¡¯re going back with us?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Claud replied. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, of course. If you mind, the two of us can continue our honeymoon¡­is there anything you want us to do in particular?¡±


    ¡°Tch. I knew you¡¯d say that.¡± The bartender clicked his tongue. ¡°But no, there¡¯s nothing in particular, really. But I think we will all be a lot safer if we travel together, right? You two are hexa-folders, after all.¡±


    Claud fell silent. The Frozen Emperor¡­if he wanted to avert a tragedy, it would be best if he did the opposite of whatever the Frozen Emperor did.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together, then,¡± Claud replied, making up his mind. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t start cursing me and Lily.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine now,¡± Nero cut in.


    ¡°Oh, screw off.¡± Schwarz glared at him. ¡°But fine. I¡¯ll just do literally anything else when the two of you start making out or something.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we do that in public, though¡­¡±


    Lily made a face at Schwarz, and then said, ¡°Still, now that the new era is officially here, what¡¯s going to happen? Like, the Trial of Aeons is over, right? Are the gods going to start killing each other now?¡±


    ¡°Presumably so. There is but one bridge, and everyone wants a piece of it.¡± Nero clicked his teeth.


    ¡°Tot. Popular.¡± Kemata paused. ¡°His death will be¡­profitable.¡±


    ¡°Many people want the guy dead now¡­¡± Schwarz tilted his head. ¡°What do they gain?¡±


    ¡°Aeon Folds. Thirty of them,¡± Kemata replied. ¡°Pathway to skill: Divinity Aspirant. Qualification.¡±


    ¡°¡­Is it me, or is the censor not working now?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°The Trial of Aeons, probably.¡± Schwarz folded his arms. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen now?¡±


    ¡°Even I don¡¯t know. We¡¯ll have to play it by ear,¡± Nero replied. ¡°For now, though, they should be gathering their strength. It¡¯ll be safe¡­for the time being, anyway. We¡¯ll have to be careful henceforth.¡±


    Claud heartily agreed with that.

 Chapter 526: The previous cycle

    Groups of eight people moving together were quite rare, since the usual party was around five to six people. However, Claud was not concerned about efficiency in earning resources; the more people there were, the safer he was¡­


    And for some reason, everyone thought that the Thief of Time acted alone. However, he could tell them with full confidence that the Thief of Time usually operated with one more person, and under the right circumstances, had an entire organisation backing him up. However, he was not foolish enough to tell anyone that, and the guards sent their little group annoyed glances as they approached.


    ¡°Permits.¡±


    Claud produced the small stack of temporary permits, and the guard counted them. Nodding once, he waved them through and said, ¡°Try not to come back again. There¡¯s enough rabble in this place without more rats.¡±


    Lily giggled, while Claud looked at the others, who had varying expressions of displeasure on their faces. Putting aside Schwarz and Dia, virtually everyone else was of a certain status ¡ª an erstwhile Holy Son of the Black God, the incognito-but-not-so-incognito ruler of a county, a Blessed of the Blue God and the last Dark-aligned Bearer of Destiny. It was impressive how someone could insult so many personages at once, and he felt a bit worried about that guard¡¯s future.


    The troops of minor barons seemed to be everywhere as they left the city, and Schwarz clicked his teeth. ¡°Wow. It seems like everyone is out in full force to look for Tot.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, if they succeed, that person will gain the qualifications for divinity on the spot,¡± Nero shrugged. ¡°Thirty Aeon Folds is needed for that skill, right?¡±


    Kemata nodded, and the scythe did a backflip. ¡°Correct.¡±


    Claud tilted his head, and Lily glanced at him once. They exchanged a brief, non-verbal conversation in that moment of contact, and Lily¡¯s eyes lit up with a faint understanding.


    His Aeon Fold skill was a bit special; it had been modified¡­and the five grand skies weren¡¯t even hiding it from him.


    ¡°Right, now that the Aeon Bridge thingy has been built, what¡¯s going to happen next?¡± Claud asked. ¡°What are the divinities going to do now? Are they going to fight for ownership over it?¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. Okay, so here¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen.¡± Nero looked up at the sky. ¡°First, the five grand skies will start to issue missions to all tetra-folders and beyond. Missions that are issued to completers of the Third Tutorial will include the Aeon Fold skill, allowing them a chance to fight for divinity. They will clear tasks integral to fuelling the creation of the new world.¡±


    ¡°Ownership,¡± Kemata added.


    ¡°Ah, right. They¡¯ll also probably look for Tot. He is currently the owner of the Cosmic Egg. If, by the end of the creation process, he is still the owner of the Cosmic Egg, he will become the absolute ruler of the new world. So they¡¯ll want to kill him first,¡± Nero added.


    Claud suddenly felt like there was a target painted on his back, the kind that people practiced archery with. Not only was he the ticket to divinity, he also happened to be the current owner of the new world. It sounded nice, but Claud really didn¡¯t need that sort of treasure¡­would the divinities believe him if he said that?


    It would have been nice if he at least had Divinity Aspirant, but he was just a hexa-folder scrub right now. The Chromatic Lords could kill him¡­well, there were a lot of things that could kill him, but these things stood the highest chance now.


    Mentally sighing, he looked up at the sky. ¡°So¡­missions. What missions are we talking about?¡±


    ¡°Things like settling the world, preparing the transfer¡­I¡¯m not too sure either. My Lord wasn¡¯t too explicit with the instructions either,¡± Nero replied. ¡°In the first place, this is the first time for everyone, see?¡±


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    ¡°Okay¡­but why are we abandoning this world, then?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not sure, but I think it¡¯s something to do with the declining lifeforce in the world,¡± Nero replied. ¡°The amount of lifestones in the world is steadily decreasing. Even with the unsealing of the ancient battlefield, this era has the least number of high-ranked folders.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Terminal decline, I suppose. At this rate¡­¡±


    ¡°Purpose. Omen. Salvation Star.¡± Kemata blinked twice. ¡°Maybe you should consider their purpose. Considering that they form a cycle.¡±


    It was an important enough question that the Reaper Princess even verbalised an entire sentence for it, so Claud and the others promptly fell into deep thought.


    ¡°A cycle?¡± Dia asked. ¡°What cycle are you talking about? And are there other Omens and Salvation Stars in the previous Godsfall?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­I suppose there¡¯s no harm in saying it now, but the White God and the Black God are precisely these two personages in the previous cycle,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°That¡¯s why they¡¯re not part of the Fourth Godsfall. They exist outside the cycle, beings close to the five grand skies. However, something apparently went wrong, and the Moons and the Dark weren¡¯t granted these roles.¡±


    He looked at Dia. ¡°Which was why I was a bit shocked when I found out about you. I apologise for not telling you back then, but the censor was still standing.¡±


    Everyone turned to look at Dia. After a while, Sara, who had been listening to the conversation, said, ¡°So¡­you might be the next White God?¡±


    ¡°The bodyguard¡¯s surpassed the master now,¡± Schwarz quipped. ¡°Well, well. Not sure what to say about this, though. But why does everyone seem to go after the Omen?¡±


    ¡°No one likes change,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We don¡¯t know that much either.¡± Sara made a face. ¡°But at least no one is going to come after you, other than the Omen.¡±


    ¡°But if the Omen and the Salvation Star are enemies, then why does both the White God and the Black God exist? One should have died, right?¡± Farah asked. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense to me. They¡¯re inherently enemies. One should have killed the other or something.¡±


    Claud pricked up his ears. While he had absolutely no reason to kill Dia, he also wanted to find ways to prevent himself from moving in accordance with some stupid fate.


    ¡°Well¡­that¡¯s probably the reason why the world is dying, right?¡± Nero guessed. ¡°There wasn¡¯t an actual cycle of destruction or renewal. The world remained as it was.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°We¡¯re just guessing at this point, really. And I¡¯m not sure what my reason for existence is now too. Who am I and where I¡¯ll go¡­it¡¯s nice to be the Omen, the Salvation Star or the other Bearers of Destiny, really. At least they have some direction.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    As they began to mana-walk away from the Lacuna Dukedom capital, Claud found himself harbouring a lot of questions. For instance, why wasn¡¯t Dia a Bearer of Destiny? After all, according to Nero, the previous Salvation Star was the White God. And the most basic requirement was¡­


    Unless it wasn¡¯t a basic requirement? Or did the White God somehow obtain the position of Salvation Star through some other method?


    Making a mental note to ask Dia how she became the Salvation Star, Claud glanced at Lily once. She had a worried expression on her face, so he simply rubbed her head and smiled at her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, don¡¯t worry. The world has many dangers. One Omen and one twinkling little star isn¡¯t going to make our lives any harder anyway,¡± Claud replied.


    Dia glared at him. ¡°Oi. Why are you insulting me and not the Omen?¡±


    Insult myself? You kidding? Claud raised an eyebrow. ¡°The Omen, by your own account, is supremely confident in confronting every single Bearer of Destiny in the world. Why the heck would I insult that fellow, when you¡¯re harmless in comparison? Besides, I¡¯m a hexa-folder. You¡¯re a tetra-folder. I can make verbal jabs at your expense¡­¡±


    ¡°Just you wait!¡±


    ¡°Oh, stop teasing her.¡± Lily poked his sides. ¡°She¡¯s already sore that we¡¯re hexa-folders. Do you really need to rub it in? Leave some consideration for her, alright?¡±


    ¡°You too? I¡¯m not talking to you guys anymore. One brandishes a sword, the other a needle!¡± Dia huffed, and then moved over to Farah, who promptly engaged her in conversation over her current status. Everyone was interested in what their Dia was going to do next; would she return to her mistress¡¯ side?


    It would be an amazing scene if she revealed her current number of mana circuits.


    The momentary pleasure vanished a moment later as Claud thought about the words that Nero had said. Most of them were just conjectures and guesses; while they definitely carried a measure of truth, he didn¡¯t find them completely adequate. For instance, if there really was something like a cycle of destruction and renewal, why would the five grand skies entrust it to two humans, rather than doing it themselves?


    Why were there limitations on the divinities? As for the Dark and the Moons, why did they only take the stage in this Godsfall? What were they doing in the previous ones?


    There were still a lot of questions that needed answering¡­but getting home was their first priority.


    For now, anyway.

 Chapter 527: Spreading undercurrents and tiny toddlers

    Vacuos County was full of tri-coloured and shadowy figures when their little party arrived. They intermingled amongst the humans, browsing shops freely, and little toddlers of light and shadow ran around the place. Some of them were being fed by random citizens, presenting a very harmonious visage.


    ¡°...This wasn¡¯t what Vacuos looked like just one and a half months ago, though?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very good question,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I have no idea either. It seems that the Dark and the Moons have turned into friends for some reason. I¡¯m not too sure why.¡±


    Claud felt a bit perplexed, but he was at least not alone in doing so. Lily was tilting her head in an adorable manner, before gesturing at the little toddlers running around. It was the first time she or Claud had seen the little toddlers of the Moons, and watching them play with the little toddlers of the great Dark was warming the little cockles of his heart.


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m being refreshed or something,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re here¡­¡±


    ¡°Miss Sara.¡± Schwarz bobbed his head. ¡°As agreed, we have escorted you to Vacuos. Your subordinates are here, right?¡±


    ¡°I think so. I gave them a mission to do, after all.¡± The Blessed of the Blue God smiled. ¡°Here¡¯s the payment, by the way. Thanks for being such a good escort.¡±


    ¡°You are very welcome.¡±


    ¡°Are you guys going to leave now?¡± Sara asked, curious. ¡°I mean, there are lots of babies here. Are you guys really going to leave without picking up one for a hug?¡±


    ¡°Oh, not you too,¡± Dia muttered.


    Claud had no idea what drove that outburst, and he didn¡¯t want to find out either. However, judging from the way how she was looking at Schwarz, there were a few clues that he could pick out here or there¡­


    ¡°Well.¡± Schwarz looked a bit tempted. ¡°Not to mention the presence of those little babies¡­I mean, uh, putting them aside, I do want to conduct some market research here. Nero, I wonder if you¡¯re up to it?¡±


    ¡°I am, and I¡¯m not the only one.¡±


    The scythe behind Kemata spun once, and her brown hair fluttered from the generated wind. ¡°Interested too. Lost to Nero. Indignant.¡±


    ¡°Did she challenge Nero to a drinking contest?¡± Lily whispered.


    ¡°I think so. And the results weren¡¯t that drastically different either¡­otherwise, she would have been traumatised, not sore.¡± Claud bobbed his head. ¡°Does that mean that the two of them can empty out a shop¡¯s entire stock of alcohol?¡±


    ¡°Now that sounds interesting,¡± Farah quipped. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll have some fun watching the two of them drink it out, shall we? And besides, I don¡¯t wanna eat dry rations for the next two days.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go, then.¡±


    A lot of soldiers, each of them wearing different liveries, stared at them as they approached the city. The multitude of styles and symbols could only mean that every single minor noble was out in full force to look for Tot ¡ªclearly, the temptation of godhood was too strong to resist¡ª and Claud forced himself to act natural.


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of all this?¡± Dia complained, glaring at some of the less cultured brutes that were wearing armour.


    Claud could see why she was unhappy ¡ª the soldiers here were all clearly people who didn¡¯t understand the idea of being respectful and polite. Weird whistles and shouts harassed everyone who was entering and leaving the city, and the more Claud watched, the more he reaffirmed his conviction that most minor nobles really were scum or something.


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    Probably. He didn¡¯t want to be too blas¨¦ in condemning an entire group of people ¡ª there had to be good minor nobles too, but the behaviour of these troops was doing a good job in convincing him otherwise. Did they not teach their personal troops how to be basic human beings? Or was there some weird factor at work?


    ¡°Oi, oi, oi! Beautiful ladies! Why are you not looking at us?¡± A bunch of soldiers stopped in front of Claud and the others. ¡°Ditch those losers and come with us for some fun, yes?¡±


    Claud blinked, glanced at Kemata, who had a scythe floating behind her, and then wondered if their eyes were addled. He would, under most circumstances, try to avoid anyone with a floating scythe behind them. These punks, however, hadn¡¯t just done that ¡ª they had gone up to a person who had a deadly weapon floating behind them and acted rudely.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m shocked,¡± Lily whispered to Claud. ¡°I mean, I didn¡¯t expect people to come up to us, when there¡¯s a floating scythe¡­¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Claud glanced at the scythe again. ¡°That¡¯s her soulbound weapon¡­anyone with half a mind would know that she¡¯s a folder, right?¡±


    Dia took a step forward and surveyed the soldiers quietly. The men behind a particularly large fellow began to whisper amongst themselves, and Claud pricked up his ears.


    His expression changed again. For some reason, their leader had tried to do the same thing three times¡­the operative word being ¡®tried¡¯. All three times were ¡®unlucky¡¯, whatever they meant by that, so what gave this oaf the confidence to try again?


    ¡°Oi! You guys mute?¡± Their leader, who was wearing armour emblazoned with some weird ugly symbol, took a step forward. His hand shot towards Dia of all people, aiming for her chest, and Claud winced.


    A piteous scream followed, as Dia intercepted the hand calmly. Without much ado, the entire metal gauntlet crumpled up into a ball, and blood dribbled out of the cracks in the gauntlet. Dia stared at the leader calmly, and then said, ¡°I believe this crest is from the Omur Baronet¡­yes? His troops are so¡­uncultured.¡±


    She released the hand, and the man curled over. While Claud found it interesting, he also couldn¡¯t help but think that there was something wrong. For one, this fellow had tried three times earlier. Even if he only thought with his lower half¡­


    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Yes, something¡¯s wrong,¡± Schwarz agreed. ¡°I heard his men speak just now. This guy¡­even idiots will learn their lesson after being burned twice.¡±


    Claud pulled out a skillstick and snapped it into two. The groaning man, who looked like he had been struck dumb, shivered once, and a clear light returned to his eyes.


    ¡°It seems that he has awakened from whatever ability was affecting him,¡± Farah observed. ¡°And more importantly¡­¡±


    She turned to the men behind their leader. ¡°I heard you guys say something about him trying three times. What¡¯s up with that?¡±


    Farah paused, and then pointed at one of the soldiers. ¡°You, speak. Or die.¡±


    Mana leaked out of her finger, and the soldier quailed. ¡°Y-Your Excellency! I don¡¯t know! Our leader suddenly became weird! He approached everyone in a group, and then tried to hit on the ladies there! And it¡¯s not just him either! Some of the other troops here have been affected too!¡±


    ¡°Well, that explains the whistles,¡± Claud muttered, before apologising mentally to the minor nobles. ¡°So¡­it seems that there¡¯s some plot here, yes?¡±


    His mind drifted to the time when he used Will of Solitude. The skill had evolved two days ago, but its use was¡­surprising, to say the least. Other than giving him and Lily perfect privacy, he had also gained the ability to detect karma. One of them connected him to the red globe hanging high above the world¡­to the Red God.


    Claud had severed it after moving closer to the others.


    From the looks of it, the Red God had managed to lock onto him sometime during the Trial of Aeons, and he had managed to sever that connection.


    Clearly, the Red God did not like that at all, if this was really his doing. Their destination was obvious, after all, but why did the Red God¡¯s agents do all this, instead of targeting them directly? Or was he simply unable to track everyone in the world?


    The more he thought, the more likely he found the second explanation to be. In other words, while the Red God could roughly detect the existences around him, he couldn¡¯t lock onto them the same way he did to Claud. Probably, in that moment he severed the karmic bond, the Red God could only tell that his prey was moving in a group.


    If he followed that line of thought, it would at least make some sense. Claud hadn¡¯t forgotten what happened in the Second Tutorial, and he wasn¡¯t going to believe that the Red God was this limited either. Even if this was the truth, he had no plans to lighten up his guard either ¡ª his enemy was the Red God.


    There was no way he could underestimate someone, especially someone who was desperate for a new Bearer of Destiny¡­


    ¡°Trouble underfoot.¡± Nero clicked his teeth. ¡°I wonder who¡¯s going to do what now.¡±


    ¡°Should we still enter, then?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Do you think danger¡¯s going to approach us anytime soon?¡± Schwarz asked, looking at Claud seriously. ¡°What do you and Lily think?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, for now.¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°This is more of a long-term plan than anything, in my opinion. Maybe they¡¯re looking for someone¡­¡±


    Lily rolled her eyes at him.

 Chapter 528: Worries

    Claud didn¡¯t want to definitively say that he was the fellow that the mastermind behind these guys was looking for. After all, there was the possibility that he got it embarrassingly wrong and that those fellows were looking for someone who travelled in a group and had some fancy-schmancy moustache instead. That said, he was reasonably certain in his guess, and he definitely didn¡¯t want to alert the Red God to the fact that there was someone who could sever karma here¡­


    Will of Solitude, other than being the perfect skill for secret trysts and walking down streets with questionable fashion sense, was also apparently useful in preventing pesky gods from focusing on him. More importantly, the ability to deactivate the skill without needing to tap someone was really impressive, and it also didn¡¯t magically cease to deactivate the moment he bumped into someone.


    That last bit had to be tested with Lily, though. Surprisingly enough, she actually couldn¡¯t notice accidental bumps, but if he tried patting her head, Lily would catch him immediately¡­


    Clearly, the skill had a mind of its own or something. The specifics of the skill itself, however, were a bit intriguing. As long as he desired to interact with someone, the skill actually deactivated¡­although the sheer cooldown time of two hours meant that he could regret his decision a while later.


    That said, the only skill medium that could hold these skills was Elysia wood. While he had a healthy amount of it in the storage ring sitting on Lily¡¯s finger, it also meant that he couldn¡¯t mass produce Will of Solitude. However, it wasn¡¯t all that bad; when he tried to imbue Will of Solitude onto blank skillstrips, it actually produced Presence Nullification. The shorter cooldown time for a level 11 skill, which was two hours, meant that he could mass produce that skill instead¡­


    Will of Freedom, similarly, just produced Flight. It was quite useful, seeing as how he could now produce twelve every day, but¡­


    Shaking his head, Claud watched as the others debated over their next course of action. His words, which were essentially him telling the others that this place wasn¡¯t that safe, had stirred up a small debate between Schwarz and Farah¡­


    ¡°Alright, enough already.¡± Claud clicked his teeth. ¡°With me around, it should be safe.¡±


    The others looked at him, and then Sara rubbed her nose. ¡°Well, it¡¯s good for them, but I¡¯ll be here for a long time!¡±


    ¡°Well, you have things to do, right?¡± Claud replied. ¡°You¡¯ll have to bear with it.¡±


    She looked a little sad, but since she wasn¡¯t Lily, Claud didn¡¯t mind her pouty face.


    ¡°Query.¡± The scythe behind Kemata spun once. ¡°Reliable? Claud?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is. He has kinda a track record for things like this, see?¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°He would leave right before a disaster struck. Quite special. It was as if he knew when they were coming¡­for instance, when the Moon Emiss¡ª¡±


    ¡°Schwarz.¡± Claud glanced at him, his word carrying a hint of warning. ¡°Time, place and occasion, if you will.¡±


    He glanced uneasily at the troops around the place. Some of them were still exhibiting weird traits, and a few other people had been accosted¡­resulting in hilariously comedic and tragic outcomes. For some reason, all the ones who had been affected by this weird behaviour weren¡¯t what Claud would call strong at all, so¡­


    ¡°Yeah, I get it.¡± Schwarz made a face. ¡°Let¡¯s bunk in here for a few days, and then leave once you guys are done having fun. Happy? Sheesh. Claud, you better be looking out for us.¡±


    ¡°Just make sure you guys are ready to flee at a moment¡¯s notice,¡± Claud replied.


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    The soldiers that had accosted them earlier had long gone, having grabbed their leader to flee. Dia clearly wasn¡¯t in the mood to pursue them, and the Vacuos city guards simply eyed them warily as they passed. They had clearly seen Dia¡¯s power¡­and even if they didn¡¯t, the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny had a frigging scythe floating behind her.


    By now, Claud suspected that everyone knew about a certain Bearer of Destiny who had a scythe floating behind her. If the deal with Princess Dia was of any indication, it wouldn¡¯t take that long before the first copycats showed up¡­


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Lily whispered to him.


    ¡°Something hilarious,¡± Claud replied. ¡°You know the deal with copies of Princess Dia and whatever? Now that I think about it, Kemata has a key identifying feature, right?¡±


    The two of them slipped to the back of the group, and Lily raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh, come on. That¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, if you think about it a bit harder¡­¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t really find that an impossibility. She¡¯s a Bearer of Destiny. People are going to fall over themselves to look like her. No one wants to accidentally offend a Bearer of Destiny, a penta-folder at the very minimum¡­¡±


    Lily glanced at two toddlers from both sides of the Fourth Godsfall as they skipped past, hand in hand. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say that isn¡¯t attractive. I think I know where you¡¯re coming from, but still¡­copycats?¡±


    ¡°Maybe there are already a few in Vacuos,¡± Claud replied, a grin on his face. ¡°I wonder how our Reaper Princess is going to react to that.¡±


    ¡°With a lot of shock, probably.¡±


    Claud glanced at the others, who were wowing at the sight of tri-coloured shadowy toddlers totter around. For some reason, they had returned, and quite recently too. However, for what reason did they disappear in the first place? And why were they now interacting and playing together? Claud didn¡¯t know that much about the future outside of himself as the Frozen Emperor, but he was very certain that the Moons and the Dark weren¡¯t holding hands and making up.


    In other words, this definitely had something to do with him. Were they uniting against the Omen? Was that even fair?


    Scolding them in his mind, Claud glanced at the little children running around. It seemed like the war between the great Dark and the Moons was over, and he felt like making his way to Lostfon to ask Lesser Half about the whole thing. However, Claud couldn¡¯t help but think that he might have given away his identity¡­


    Well, if Lesser Half did figure it out, I would have been dead by now or something, right?


    Claud made a face again, and then rubbed Lily¡¯s cheeks.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Feeling insecure again?¡±


    ¡°As always,¡± Claud replied gloomily. He looked at the six people in front of them, and then wondered how they would react if they ever found out he was the Omen. He had no intention of telling them, however, and if he played his cards right¡­


    But the Frozen Emperor definitely thought that way too¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s the reason behind that insecurity of yours?¡± Lily whispered.


    ¡°Lesser Half,¡± Claud whispered back. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s suspicious of me or something. After all, the future I presented painted me as someone the Red God wanted¡­while there are many reasons, I can¡¯t help but think that he might have guessed.¡±


    The small black card that Lesser Half gave to Claud was with Lily when he entered the Trial of Aeons, so it probably didn¡¯t give him away. To begin with, Lesser Half hadn¡¯t talked to them all that much ever since the Trial began, and even after the Trial was over, the card still remained blank.


    More than once, the two of them had wanted to write something, but what would one say to a god? That the two of them missed him and wanted to check on him?


    ¡°Guessed, huh.¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°Well, it was still the right decision at that point in time. And, in my opinion, still now. We¡¯re not out of the woods at all. The enemy is far stronger than the two of us, no matter what.¡±


    Claud nodded, but before he could say anything else, Schwarz waltzed over.


    ¡°What are you guys talking about at the back?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°We need you two to point out the best places to bunk in! Which inn¡¯s the safest one?¡±


    ¡°Do you really need me to do that?¡± Claud asked, annoyed. ¡°I thought I gave you the rundown in that little handbook.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Schwarz patted his shoulder. ¡°Why not? Oh, I know! Let Lily choose! She must have picked up most of your skills by now, yes? I don¡¯t see why we can¡¯t have her showcase her ability.¡±


    The two of them found it hard to refuse the enthusiastic bartender, so before long, the two of them were at the forefront of the group once more, putting an end to that little conversation.


    It was a shame that the two of them couldn¡¯t continue discussing the serious bits, but Lily¡¯s face, scrunched up in concentration, was quite worth the trade. Before long, she had identified the best choice, and the Seekers of Life plus two extras marched inside with high spirits.


    Claud could only hope that nothing stupid would happen while they were here¡­but he had a feeling that something was going to happen anyway.

 Chapter 529: Drunken conversations

    ¡°Hic.¡±


    Claud looked at the tavern, which had been bought out by a very generous Nero, and then swept his gaze at everyone else. Lily, who was the person who had let out that utterly adorable hiccup, was coiled around him. Schwarz was babbling gibberish quietly on a table. Farah and Dia were face-down next to him, while the Blessed of the Blue God, Sara, was swimming on the floor or something. Kemata leaned against the wall, unmoving¡­but the scythe that usually floated behind her was swaying around.


    Carnage.


    ¡°Well done.¡± Claud patted Lily¡¯s head. ¡°Nero, you badass. You knocked out a noble, a Blessed of the Blue God, a bartender, a bodyguard of the Lustre princess and the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny. What a madman.¡±


    Nero laughed, the stench of alcohol wafting off him. ¡°They tried their best, though! Sequential drinking battles against yours truly!¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°A clever attempt, yes. Lily even tried too¡­it seems that everyone wants to see if you really have such a talent. Are you sure your ability to not get drunk is not a passive skill?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± Nero made a face. ¡°It¡¯s awesome¡­but now we¡¯re stuck with these guys. How are we even going to wake them up? They¡¯re all dead asleep now.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just chat and play a round of Moon Phase,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Oh, I know! What information do you have about the Third Tutorial?¡±


    ¡°The Third Tutorial¡­right, you guys are hexa-folders. It¡¯s natural that you¡¯d want to find out about the Third Tutorial.¡± Nero¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°I¡­do not have much to tell you, though. Every Third Tutorial is apparently unique to the user. It touches about the future, or so I¡¯m told, and it can only be taken once. If you fail, your lifeforce itself will be hollowed out. Living becomes painful, and even if you have a lot of time¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll long for death, or the feeling makes you desire death,¡± Claud completed.


    ¡°Correct.¡± Nero let out a heavy sigh. ¡°But I suppose you and Lily aren¡¯t going to back down, right? I mean, I won¡¯t. And the others won¡¯t either. That¡¯s just how it is.¡±


    Claud nodded, before thinking about Risti. She was the only survivor of the original Moon Lords back in the Second Tutorial, and watching her move around with a hollowed lifeforce had been heartrending. Was she destined to fail the Third Tutorial? Or was it because of their current circumstances that she couldn¡¯t clear it?


    Nero¡¯s other words lined up with his understanding of the Third Tutorial. It was something private, the clear conditions were very unique, and whatever it wanted of you was apparently something you couldn¡¯t speak out loud.


    In other words, Claud was still as clueless as ever.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Claud bobbed his head. ¡°Well, that¡¯s it, I suppose. We¡¯ll just have to go in blind or something¡­I¡¯m beginning to see why there are so few high-ranked folders.¡±


    ¡°The stories are indeed terrifying,¡± Nero acknowledged. ¡°Thankfully, as the Holy Son of the Black God, I get to bypass the Third Tutorial¡­eventually. I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll grow again, though. It can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s handy. Still, the Black God was the Third Godsfall¡¯s Omen, and the White God the previous Salvation Star¡­¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°How are they still alive?¡±


    ¡°You seem very hung up on that. That¡¯s like the fifth time you asked me that question,¡± Nero observed.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m worried that a friend would be killed,¡± Claud replied, choosing to omit out the other part where the person who did said killing was him. ¡°After all, the legendary Thief of Time is apparently the Omen, right? And he¡¯s involved in so many incidents. Dia probably doesn¡¯t stand a chance.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    If he went up against Dia now, she would definitely lose. His skills were one thing, but his mana circuits and Mana Control Proficiency was definitely far higher than her own. Dia stood no chance against him right now¡­but at least there wasn¡¯t any dumb quest telling him to kill her.


    Not that he would obey that quest anyway. After all, if he was just a quest-crazed fellow, he would have gone after Kemata too, but what kind of person was he to kill a friend¡¯s lover? Besides, he had enough lifespan to become a deca-folder. He didn¡¯t need those stupid quests anymore.


    ¡°¡­Hmm.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Claud picked up his mug, checked that the contents were just normal water, and then downed the whole thing. What was he supposed to do with the rest of his lifeforce, though? Live for twenty thousand years? It was a bit fantastical, but¡­


    It would also be lonely. Unless the others had ways to live for that long, Claud knew that he would probably be alone or something. Of course, now that he didn¡¯t need lifestones, his whole stock would go to Lily, but that would just make the two of them.


    The others still needed lifestones, right?


    Sighing, he looked at the scene of carnage, and then rubbed his forehead. Those fellows were all happily drunk, and he was talking to the only person that wouldn¡¯t get drunk at all.


    For a moment, Claud debated on whether he should use Cleanse on everyone present, but Lily, who was drunk, was hugging him too tightly for him to actually take out a skillstick. Squishing her cheeks, Claud said, ¡°What are your plans for now?¡±


    ¡°Me? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You know, as the Fourth Godsfall carries on,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Missions and things will pop up, right? And we get freebies if we solve them. Are you going to solve them?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Anyway, there should be a mission soon.¡± Nero crossed his arms. ¡°We should soon see the official start of the final phase of the Fourth Godsfall ¡ª the hunt for the Omen.¡±


    ¡°I thought the Moons and the Dark were going to fight, though,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Not anymore, if you look at this city. It seems that they have recognised a common, deadly threat. The Omen, now that he has obtained Divinity Aspirant, will soon become a god,¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°I-I see.¡± Claud bobbed his head. In truth, however, his Aeon Fold skill was special; he would need forty Aeon Folds to actually gain Divinity Aspirant. Unfortunately, he had used eight to create the Will of Solitude and the Will of Freedom skill. As a result¡­


    It was a pain in the ass, but there was no two ways about it.


    ¡°Anyway, what happens when the Omen becomes a god?¡± Claud asked, curious.


    ¡°Everyone else will probably try to kill him during the apotheosis process,¡± Nero replied. ¡°It¡¯s when Tot is the weakest, after all. However, if he is allowed to survive, it is certain that the rest of the divinities will soon fall to his overwhelming might.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Claud bobbed his head. In other words, it would be fine as long as he did not become a god. ¡°However, does he need to be a god for that new world thing¡­that Cosmic Egg?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question. I suspect that the Thief of Time doesn¡¯t need to become a god for the Cosmic Egg to hatch,¡± Nero replied. ¡°However, if he wants to truly grasp his own fate, that is probably the only way to ensure such a thing. Otherwise¡­well, I¡¯m not too sure personally, but¡­¡±


    He made a face.


    ¡°Yeah, I suppose we won¡¯t know much about this.¡± Claud rubbed Lily¡¯s cheeks happily, prompting her to nibble on his hands, which were thankfully clean.


    The two of them fell silent. Claud hadn¡¯t had that much time to interact with Nero, although he was really useful as a source of information and entertainment. There were a lot of things he still didn¡¯t know about the Holy Son of the Black God, and he didn¡¯t know how to broach that topic either.


    ¡°Claud, what do you do in your free time?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°Me?¡± Claud raised an eyebrow, and then grinned. It would seem that the Holy Son was also feeling a bit awkward about the silence, but since he went first, Claud wasn¡¯t going to let up. ¡°I snack on Lily¡¯s sweets, watch her experiment with explosives, burn mana circuits with her together, read books¡­we also go out once in a while.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right.¡± Nero had an intrigued face, despite his reply. ¡°So, uh¡­what kind of date should I bring Kemata on? I¡¯m no romantic, and I¡¯m¡­well, a greenhorn at this.¡±


    Claud frowned. ¡°A date, eh? Well, you¡¯ve probably come to the only person who can give you an answer.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Nero nodded rapidly. ¡°What ideas do you have?¡±


    ¡°For starters, I think you got something a bit wrong. There¡¯s no special day,¡± Claud began. ¡°Instead, every day you spend with the person you love is special. Be it lying around, or just reading books together¡­your heart and soul must approach these activities with the thought that every day is special. Every day becomes a date, and at best, some are more date-like than the other.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh!¡± Nero nodded. ¡°That¡¯s how you do it!¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Claud looked at Lily, who was now snuggling up to his stomach. ¡°Every day is special with her around.¡±

 Chapter 530: Ones Ideals

    Surprisingly enough, nothing happened on the first day other than the Seekers of Life¡¯s near-total alcoholic wipe-out at the hands of the legendary alcoholic, Nero. Claud was half-expecting some disaster to strike while the others were all inebriated, so it was with some pleasure that the others began to awaken without any world-shaking incident.


    Everyone, however, was in weird positions. Lily was clinging on to his back, in a manner that reminded him of a kitten gripping a tree. Kemata was still seated rigidly, but the scythe was now on the floor. The others were sprawled all over in creative ways, and¡ª


    A small noise drew his attention, and Claud turned to look at the entrance.


    He glanced at the little tri-coloured toddler who was poking her tiny little head through the tavern door. Claud immediately felt a bit uncomfortable at letting a kid see a bunch of adults at their worst ¡ª right when they were waking up from a bout of drinking ¡ª so he walked over to the little guy.


    The little tri-coloured Moon baby hopped on the spot once, and Claud squished her cheek.


    It was soft.


    Squishing the little toddler¡¯s face gently, Claud looked up at the sky. Night had fallen, but the streets of Vacuos, which was still in neutral territory, were blazing brightly. Vacuos and the Lacuna Dukedom were the last patches of neutral territory, unclaimed by both the Moons and the Dark¡­


    The little kid nibbled on his arm for some reason, and Claud rubbed her head. ¡°Alright, little one, you should go back to your buddies first.¡±


    A small set of eyes looked at Claud sadly, and the Thief of Time felt a bit bad. He weighed the importance of the others¡¯ dignity and the happiness of this little kid, and then felt that other than Lily¡¯s, the others¡¯ dignity could go and take a hike. However, for this kid¡¯s sake ¡ª to not disillusion her about how bad adults could be ¡ª he still had to distract her somehow¡­


    ¡°So, uh¡­what brings you here?¡±


    The kid made a few weird gestures, and Claud decided not to ask her anymore. Instead, he simply hummed some random songs, including Lily¡¯s favourite one, and the kid sat down next to him.


    Lily, who was actually on his back the whole time, finally stirred with a little yawn. The little baby promptly tugged at her cheek, and Lily made a weird noise, which delighted the toddler very much.


    By the time she was fully awake, the little kid¡¯s hands were on Lily¡¯s cheeks.


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s going on?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Your sleeping face drew a baby over,¡± Claud replied, before tickling the baby¡¯s sides. Lily¡¯s cheeks were liberated a moment later, and Claud forestalled any further cheek-grabbing incidents by squishing the kid¡¯s cheeks instead.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lily looked around. ¡°And why am I hugging your back so tightly?¡±


    ¡°Why, indeed.¡± Claud grinned. ¡°I don¡¯t mind the sensation, though. Do continue.¡±


    ¡°My arms are tired, so no.¡± Lily freed his body, and then slid next to him. Peering at the little baby, she asked, ¡°Do you have a name?¡±


    The baby nodded.


    ¡°Aww, so cute.¡± Lily pulled out a sweet. ¡°Here, have one.¡±


    After bribing the kid with a few more sweets, the little tri-coloured fellow tottered off happily, presumably to show off to her fellow toddlers about nice sweets from a sweet, nice sister. Claud watched the kid vanish, and then looked up.


    ¡°Did I say anything funny?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re a sweet drunk. A clingy one,¡± Claud replied. ¡°So no. But don¡¯t drink if I¡¯m not around, alright? You¡¯re only allowed to cling to me!¡±


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°The same goes for you¡­well, you don¡¯t really drink to the point of intoxication, though.¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°As expected of my Claud. Still, the others¡­¡±


    ¡°They drank far more than you. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be waking up in short order, although Nero was quite happy when Kemata woke up halfway, dragged him over, and then used him as a bed.¡±


    ¡°Happy¡­¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    The two of them admired the night sky for a while. Now that the Trial of Aeons had concluded, with Claud finding himself far stronger than the Frozen Emperor probably was at this point¡­


    ¡°What should I do now?¡±


    ¡°The Third Tutorial, right?¡± Lily replied. ¡°That seems to be the only way open for both of us, whether you like it or not. We¡¯ll need to take the risk.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud cupped his chin. ¡°Not much of a choice here. But¡­well, if we fail, it won¡¯t just stop there. Last time, we got really lucky or something. And we had information about the Second Tutorial too. We¡¯re really going in blind for this, though. I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°Neither do I,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But we definitely have an advantage, right? The younger we are, the less traumas we have. That¡¯s something that not many others can copy.¡±


    Claud folded his arms. Indeed, in his Second Tutorial, virtually everyone had failed to become a high-ranked folder. It was a given that they had already gone through the events that led to the creation of Rimestar; if they had to experience their traumas or something once more¡­


    ¡°Age, huh.¡± Claud made a noise in his throat. ¡°Well, it won¡¯t hurt to give it a try, but are we going to do it now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s safer,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And you know what I mean by that, right?¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°But the others...¡±


    ¡°They can go back first,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Our advancement is very important. Every day we delay the Third Tutorial is a day that we¡¯re vulnerable. And we need to alternate, right? It¡¯s dangerous for us to do it together.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Claud let out a sigh. ¡°Maybe I just don¡¯t like the idea of doing it¡­but we do need to, after all. It¡¯s just too dangerous, and Nero explained it clearly. Failure turns living into a huge chore, and¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we need to clear it while we¡¯re at our peak,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Our youth is our advantage.¡±


    She didn¡¯t look that convinced by her own words, though, but Claud wasn¡¯t going to press that topic. Lily was clearly also trying to convince herself to go through with the whole thing, since it was really dangerous. Not only did they have no information on the Third Tutorial, but the price for failure was also incredible.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped.¡± Nero, who had awakened from his nap, cut into their conversation. ¡°If you were wondering why high-ranked folders don¡¯t really exist, this is one of the key reasons. Of course, the unofficial decree from the Coloured Gods and the Moons also played a part, but those who are eligible to undergo the Third Tutorial also know the dangers hidden within.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I don¡¯t sympathise with them,¡± Claud muttered, before glancing at his status. After the end of the Trial, he had gathered enough Fragments of Fate to evolve his Absolute One again, so a new personal quest, One¡¯s Ideals, had been triggered.


    [Personal Quest: One¡¯s Ideals]


    Quest introduction: The mark of an administrator is the ability to bring order to the world. The mark of a ruler is the presence of an ideal that can unify the world. Show the observers up high what you stand for.


    Quest requirements: Impose your ideals upon your tribulation.


    Quest rewards: FiBoD:O??? evolves, <Skill: Life-Power Exchange>


    Additional Remarks: Trigger a tribulation by bringing your Mana Circuit Superimposition to 7.00.]


    Like One¡¯s Order, this quest was annoyingly vague. Not only did the instructions fail to make any actual sense whatsoever, Claud also knew that the quest requirements would definitely change once he triggered the Third Tutorial. No matter how he tried to make sense of it now, concrete instructions would only surface after he entered the Third Tutorial, making his life even harder.


    It was as if the world knew about his cautious personality or something, and he didn¡¯t like that feeling at all. Being personally targeted by the five grand skies was a privilege he could do without for his entire life, but they just didn¡¯t like him or something.


    ¡°Right?¡± Nero asked, unaware of Claud¡¯s inner grousing. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m going to make something for the others. Can you two stand guard here?¡±


    Nero scuttled off a moment later, and Claud nodded to himself. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s best if we completed our Third Tutorial here. It¡¯s too dangerous otherwise, after all. We¡¯ll go in at our best state as soon as possible.¡±


    Lily gripped his hand. ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°The only problem is explaining to the others, I suppose.¡± Claud pressed a finger to his throat. ¡°What? You guys are going off on another honeymoon again? Wow.¡±


    ¡°Who are you impersonating with that?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like any of the others.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m impersonating their inner voices,¡± Claud replied. ¡°As for whether they actually think that¡­that¡¯s another question, naturally.¡±


    ¡°Meh.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°At least I tried to look past their exteriors, right?¡±


    ¡°That does not give you the right to arbitrarily assign words to them using the excuse of their inner voices,¡± Lily replied. ¡°That¡¯s just petty.¡±


    ¡°S-sorry, guys¡­it¡¯s not like they can hear me, though?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the thought that counts?¡±

 Chapter 531: Parting Gifts

    ¡°You two are going to attempt the Third Tutorial here?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s safer that way,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Right now, the outside world is a mess. We have random roving bands of militia, familiar spirits, Moon Emissaries and Dark Heralds looking for the legendary, super-strong Thief of Time.¡±


    Lily shot a glance at him, but Claud¡¯s skin was thick enough that he could accept praising himself. After all, who would insult themselves voluntarily if there weren¡¯t any pressing circumstances? Besides, the Thief of Time was pretty much a folk hero already, judging from the random comments on the first floor of the tavern, which had reopened for business after the Seekers of Life booked it for a day.


    ¡°You two¡­aren¡¯t doing it on purpose, right?¡± Dia asked, suspicious. ¡°I mean, if you really think we¡¯re going to be a hindrance to your lovey-dovey life, you can just lay it upfront. None of us are going to take any offence at that.¡±


    ¡°Well, that might be a factor, but our main concern is that travelling right now is really dangerous. And we really want to grow stronger before anything else untoward happens.¡± Lily bobbed her head, before placing a hand on Claud¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Still, it¡¯s pretty much just us. You guys can go on ahead first.¡±


    ¡°¡­You aren¡¯t hiding anything from us, right?¡± Dia asked.


    The suspicion on her face seemed to grow, and Claud had to suppress a frown. Instead of responding to her question directly, however, Claud simply said, ¡°Our main goal is to grow stronger for now. You know how we are like.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you corrupted Lily,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°I enlightened Lily,¡± Claud corrected. ¡°Staying alive is the best thing anyone can hope for. And being cautious is a very good trait. Preparation is key, and those who fail to plan¡­¡±


    ¡°Plan to fail,¡± Lily completed his words. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about you guys, though. I don¡¯t think you guys will be entering the Third Tutorial anytime soon, right?¡±


    The others exchanged gazes.


    ¡°Yeah, thought so.¡± Lily folded her arms. ¡°Still, we can¡¯t just leave Risti alone in the little house. Even if some of you guys want to stay here¡­¡±


    ¡°Never mind.¡± Farah folded her arms. ¡°I believe in you guys. I¡¯ll go back.¡±


    The others soon agreed that Claud and Lily didn¡¯t need any protection, so it was fine if they just returned first. Besides, as Dia put it, the other Seekers of Life had been dragging down Lily and Claud in terms of speed anyway. Since the two of them were hexa-folders, their travelling speed would be far superior to the others, and there was a significant chance that the two of them would catch up to Dia and the others before they returned to Monsville.


    Schwarz and Farah made more faces at that assertion, but it was quite possible indeed. The Second Tutorial lasted only a day for him and Lily. Sure, the Third Tutorial would take a bit more time, but it would only take three days.


    On a larger scale, it probably didn¡¯t matter if everyone stayed for another three days or left, but Claud had just previously talked about the possibility of some nefarious danger brewing in Vacuos, something that the others fortunately hadn¡¯t brought up yet. Claud wasn¡¯t concerned with that, since Lily had lots of Flight skillstrips, but the same wouldn¡¯t be able to apply if eight of them ¡ª seven, actually, since Sara was staying behind ¡ª were stuck here.


    Claud had enough Flight skillstrips for two people to use for ten hours, but if he had to give everyone some skillstrips, everyone would have roughly three or so skillstrips.


    There would also be other issues, like the possibility of Schwarz realising an inconvenient truth from nearly two years ago¡­as well as how someone could leave Moon Mansion and blow up a Moon Emissary within an hour or so.


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    It was imperative that his ownership of Flight remained a secret. If they had been stored in skillsticks, it wouldn¡¯t be that bad, but people usually created skillstrips to store their own skills.


    ¡°For some reason, I got the feeling that we were just hurting ourselves,¡± Nero observed, a disgruntled look on his face. ¡°Can we really not match up to the defences and emergency measures you two normally use?¡±


    Lily glanced at Claud, who scrunched up his face. He didn¡¯t know how to answer the Holy Son of the Black God in such a way that he wouldn¡¯t feel insulted, but such things were quite hard to accomplish.


    Winking at him once, Lily turned back to Nero and said, ¡°Do you value your pride?¡±


    ¡°¡­Ah. I get it.¡± Nero made another face. ¡°Thanks for trying to not hurt my feelings, but I get what you¡¯re saying. I don¡¯t have anything called pride either; I was turned into a thrall for three years and made to do all kinds of shady things. It¡¯s fine to tell me lots of things outright.¡±


    ¡°Right, the Third¡­¡± Claud sighed.


    ¡°The Third?¡± Kemata walked over. ¡°Story. Tell.¡±


    Nero glanced at everyone else. ¡°I¡¯ve a story to tell to Kemata, so I¡¯m going to take my leave first. See you guys tonight or something, yes?¡±


    The others chuckled or made other similar gestures, and Claud watched on with approving eyes as the proto-couple vanished into the depths of the inn. ¡°Not bad for him, but doesn¡¯t Schwarz feel some pressure or something?¡±


    ¡°Pressure?¡± Lily asked. ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°You know, a relationship¡­¡± Claud touched his chin. ¡°Right, Risti¡¯s going to be shocked when she learns about Nero getting engaged, heh.¡±


    ¡°Shocked is too strong a word, I think. And anything that doesn¡¯t concern Princess Dia probably won¡¯t faze her all that much,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Right, the princess.¡± Claud looked at her bodyguard. ¡°I¡¯m going to give some skillsticks to Dia, just in case she needs it or something. How about you?¡±


    ¡°Some smoke bombs, I suppose.¡± Lily touched her pockets, and then started to look for her hidden weapons. ¡°And maybe some extra-special ones. These ones, for instance, produce a blinding light. This one, marked with a cloud, releases stinking gas, and this creates a fog that blots out half a town.¡±


    ¡°Half a town? That¡¯s oddly specific¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to know what happened,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Anyway, we should give them to her before she decides to do something and we miss them when they leave.¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    Dia, Farah and Schwarz were complaining about a certain lovey-dovey Holy Son when the two of them walked over. The Blessed of the Blue God had left; she needed to find her companions or something. Claud wasn¡¯t too sure about her circumstances, and they were pretty much strangers anyway, so he didn¡¯t give that too much thought.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we aren¡¯t cursing you or anything, heh. We¡¯re busy complaining about the lack of love or something.¡±


    ¡°Is that really a valid complaint, considering that Dia and Farah are perfectly good partners?¡± Claud asked, glancing at Schwarz and Farah. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re not here for you, we¡¯re here for Dia.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lily replied. ¡°You saw the news, right? Emperor Grandis pardoned everyone involved in the heist at Duke Istrel¡¯s treasury. Your mistress is probably going to return soon.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Right.¡± Dia had a complicated look on her face. ¡°Anyway, what about that?¡±


    ¡°Well, if you ever wanted to leave¡­we prepared some things for you,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Skillsticks from me.¡±


    ¡°And some bombs from me!¡± Lily pulled out a small bag. ¡°Here. These red ones are high explosives. The dark grey bombs are smoke bombs. The light grey ones release blinding light. The dirty-green ones are stink bombs. And this black one is a fog bomb.¡±


    ¡°¡­What have you been doing?¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Making bombs, why?¡±


    ¡°¡­Never mind.¡±


    Claud patted Lily¡¯s head as she passed the bag over happily, before pulling out some skillsticks. ¡°Here¡¯s three skillsticks for Flight. There¡¯s three of them for Cleanse too. They¡¯ll save your life in a pinch, so make sure to have them on standby whenever.¡±


    ¡°Flight?¡± Schwarz glanced at Claud. ¡°Those are really fricking rare.¡±


    ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped,¡± Claud replied. ¡°They¡¯re lifesavers, and I paid a nice sum for them. So don¡¯t go use them to explore the moon or something.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Thanks, guys. Still, why did you two give me these things now?¡±


    ¡°Well, just in case you leave for home before we return,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Possible, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. And these things are life-savers. If something happens while you guys are travelling back¡­well, these might help too,¡± Lily added.


    ¡°You guys¡­how about you two?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°We have other ways,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us. Know that we¡¯re more worried about you guys during your travels back.¡±


    ¡°Not very reassuring, but thanks anyway.¡± Schwarz grinned. ¡°Do you have any more such lifesavers that you can spare?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Claud glanced at the bartender. ¡°You definitely have a nice huge stock anyway, so why are you asking? Sheesh. What a miser. Anyway¡­we¡¯re going to prepare for the Third Tutorial. We¡¯ll send you guys off at night, and then begin afterwards.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right.¡± Schwarz patted his shoulder. ¡°Good luck, buddy. And you too, Lily.¡±


    The two of them nodded.

 Chapter 532: Sending off the others

    ¡°Hmm. Should you go first this time?¡± Claud asked. He and Lily were sitting on a nice huge bed, with some cards sprawled around on it. ¡°I did my Second Tutorial first, after all.¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± She folded her arms. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. You promised me to go first, right?¡±


    ¡°Only because you would probably fail it on purpose if I failed, right?¡± Claud asked. ¡°What makes you think I won¡¯t feel the same?¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re the O-thing. You can¡¯t fail,¡± Lily replied. ¡°That¡¯s why you should go first. I won¡¯t feel any psychological stress at all.¡±


    ¡°You do know that''s not really true, right?¡± Claud eyed Lily. ¡°Being the Omen doesn¡¯t exempt me from failure.¡±


    ¡°True, but there¡¯s the possibility that you might be able to help me if I fail, right?¡± Lily smiled at him. ¡°You can¡¯t help me as a mid-ranked folder, but if you step into the ranks of a septa-folder, you might have a solution at that point. You¡¯ll be able to protect me better, if nothing else.


    Lily¡¯s words felt like she was clutching at straws, but was it wholly wrong? Claud frowned. In the Second Tutorial, he had indeed managed to disseminate lifeforce to a few hundred people. It was possible that he too could nullify any problems caused by failing the Third Tutorial. Besides, Absolute One seemed like it was a multi-use skill. If he forcibly extracted lifeforce from himself and used Absolute One to transmit it to Lily¡­


    Of course, he would need to learn how to manipulate lifeforce first, but Claud believed that he could do it anyhow. There would be time to test it out in the Third Tutorial anyway.


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    Three shapes bounded onto Lily¡¯s head, disrupting his thoughts. They hopped onto his shoulders a moment later, meeping continuously the whole time, and then Lily said, ¡°They also want you to take the Third Tutorial first.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Claud asked, looking at Crown, who seemed like the ringleader for this particular mission.


    Mission? Bleh. I¡¯ve been too used to those stupid things popping up in my face recently¡­Shaking his head, he popped the little guy onto his head.


    ¡°Meep¡­¡± His hair shook as Crown burrowed inside. ¡°Meep. Meep! Meep.¡±


    Claud could vaguely tell that Crown was indeed confirming his guess. The first meep definitely had something to do with feeling comfortable. The second one carried content words that he couldn¡¯t decipher, but the third one was an emphatic affirmation of his guess. The fourth one was some complex sentence¡­


    ¡°Seems like it, I suppose.¡± Claud picked up the five-pointed star and the sphere. ¡°How about you guys?¡±


    ¡°Meep?¡± Throne rolled over to Sceptre, who promptly shook itself. ¡°Meep.¡±


    ¡°Is it me, or did they really establish a hierarchy or something?¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Anyway, it seems that even your Crown agrees that you should go first, so there. I¡¯ll be fine, but if you¡¯re worried, maybe try to find some way to deal with the outcomes of failing the Third Tutorial. Not like I would fail, though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m actually worried about the others.¡±


    Lily¡¯s confident expression withered slightly, and she nodded. ¡°Risti failed, right? It¡¯s¡­I¡¯m scared, just by hearing your description of her in your Second Tutorial. I¡¯m not too sure about the others either, but it¡¯s also possible that they would fail or something. You have to find something, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll find a solution in the Third Tutorial, but with all the power I have right now, I¡¯m confident that I can deal with this problem somehow. Maybe we can ask Lesser Half or something.¡±


    He glanced out of the window. ¡°Let¡¯s go downstairs and send the others off first.¡±


    Lily rolled off the bed, before extending a hand to Claud, who took it. ¡°Alright. Are you going to talk about¡­¡±


    ¡°What I saw in the Second Tutorial?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea. For one, it won¡¯t make sense to them, since their Second Tutorials are probably closest to yours. Dia might be an exception, though, but I¡¯m scared of giving her an impetus to think about me in a different way.¡±


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    ¡°How about I do it?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Possible, but do you think it¡¯s a good idea?¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to your judgement. Maybe you might be able to think of something, but¡­Dia¡¯s that Salvation Star thing. I cannot see her failing the Third Tutorial either. I¡¯m more worried about the guys who slipped through the cracks¡­¡±


    He frowned. ¡°Fortunately, Dia¡¯s the only one who can reasonably expect to begin her Third Tutorial. The others don¡¯t have a high Mana Control Proficiency¡­¡±


    Lily made cute little noises as he squished her face. ¡°And my method seems to work on you quite well¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s easy to feel the flow of mana if we¡¯re cuddling without any clothes on,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And you were quite¡­¡±


    She cleared her throat. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re only allowed to do that to me and no one else. Especially other women. Of course, you¡¯re the only one allowed to do that to me¡­¡±


    ¡°Funny how shifting a few words around changes things, but I¡¯ve always promised to care about you and you only,¡± Claud replied. ¡°That hasn¡¯t changed, and that won¡¯t change.¡±


    He rubbed her cheeks again. ¡°So adorable.¡±


    The tavern was full of customers as they went down. Apparently, buying out the first floor yesterday had done massive wonders to stir up interest by the natives or something, since everyone was busy buying food or something.


    Everyone else were walking around town or hanging out together. Schwarz, for instance, was hanging out with Dia and Farah. Nero and Kemata were off walking around town and trying out new drinks ¡ª while Kemata couldn¡¯t quite hold her liquor Nero-style, she was still more resilient than almost everyone else.


    This meant that the two of them were actually quite the good match, although Claud was half-inclined to find the Holy Daughter of the White Church and tell her that Nero¡¯s partner was just like him. He remembered something about drinking alcohol being bad for a baby, so those two mirrors that reflected off each other endlessly needed an older sister (by around three hundred or so years) to guide them back onto the sober path.


    He couldn¡¯t help but frown slightly, though. Sure, they wore couple clothes, but¡ª


    ¡°It seems like there¡¯s no trouble yet,¡± Lily whispered to Claud.


    ¡°Yeah. I think it¡¯s a long-term scheme for someone,¡± Claud replied, before tapping his chest twice. ¡°I¡¯m dead certain that the people who had laid that weird trap two days back are looking for a certain group of people.¡±


    He checked the Looped Encryptor. It was probably useless against the Red God¡¯s prying, but the little thing would at least give a warning before anything else.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°And besides, He must have ascertained particular traits about the target. It¡¯s lucky that she acted that day¡­¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°If only there¡¯s a way to talk or trade with other peo¡ªoh!¡±


    ¡°What did you think of?¡±


    ¡°The Trading Board!¡± Claud checked his belongings, and then retreated to a shadowy area to use his storage ring. Pulling out a non-descript board a moment later, he said, ¡°Schwarz has one of these too. We can use this to communicate with the Lacuna Dukedom.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Lily looked at the board. ¡°I forgot about it after we popped it in the storage ring.¡±


    ¡°You were having fun with it, though.¡±


    ¡°Blame your Second Tutorial for that,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Anyway, we should make use of this more¡­right, you should also use the Second Shadow to inform Risti that the others are going to come back soon.¡±


    ¡°I did that yesterday evening,¡± Claud replied. ¡°You were hugging me happily, remember? Albeit while drunk, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°¡­Look, literally anything else!¡± Lily puffed up her cheeks. ¡°Like the others over at the gate!¡±


    ¡°At least don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re changing the subject,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It looks like they are quite ready to leave, though. What did they buy?¡±


    Nero and Kemata were wearing matching outfits, which Claud promptly took notice of. It would be nice to wear them together on a peaceful day¡­


    Schwarz was fiddling with some sleek artefact. The others had explored Celestia during Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Trial of Aeons, and they had apparently brought quite a lot of artefacts there. They looked like collectibles more than anything else, though, since they didn¡¯t seem to be used widely. If they were more useful, the, uh, NX-1 Energy Pistol and Energy Knife would have been more widespread.


    Schwarz really liked the knife-like artefact, though, judging from the way he was playing with it. Dia was holding on to her sword, although the scabbard that housed it looked really luxurious. He could see the words ¡®Mastercraft Blacksmith¡¯ emblazoned on the scabbard in what looked like solid gold too¡­


    Farah was carrying two bags.


    ¡°Well, they sure did enjoy themselves.¡± Lily walked up to them. ¡°Come on, Claud.¡±


    Schwarz stowed away the knife as they approached. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll see you soon. You two¡­good luck. Show that Third Tutorial who¡¯s boss!¡±


    Dia and Farah patted Lily¡¯s head, and Claud felt his mouth twitch.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about failure,¡± Nero added. ¡°Historically, there are ways to deal with the hollowing of lifeforce. I can ask my Lord for help too, at worst. He will definitely help.¡±


    ¡°Can the Black God really do this?¡±


    ¡°¡­Probably?¡±


    ¡°Okay, I get it.¡± Claud rubbed his head. In short, it would be for the best if he did it alone. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to conduct send-offs, though. So¡­safe travels, guys.¡±


    ¡°That, I think, is good enough,¡± Farah replied. ¡°See you guys soon.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Lily handed Schwarz the Trading Board in her hands. ¡°We got one too. You¡¯re a Profiteer, right? Maybe you can talk to us using this!¡±


    ¡°Alright, give me a moment.¡± Schwarz pulled a Trading Board out. ¡°How did you get one anyway?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a long story¡­¡±

 Chapter 533: The warning that prompted the Third Tutorial

    Claud and Lily watched as the others left, and then sniffed. He hadn¡¯t noticed it back then, but Nero and Kemata actually seemed to smell like blood or something. The way they walked behind the others was also quite different ¡ª Claud could tell that the two of them had actually fought someone just a few hours ago.


    Who were they fighting? And why didn¡¯t Nero warn him about the possibility of hostile enemies in Vacuos?


    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°What¡¯s up? You seem worried.¡±


    ¡°Did you notice something wrong with Nero and Kemata?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Lily looked at the two of them. She stayed silent until everyone else vanished from sight, and then frowned. ¡°They¡­I think they were in a state of high tension. I¡¯m not sure what they did, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It feels like they were fighting, right?¡± Claud completed her sentence. ¡°I could smell something like blood too. It wasn¡¯t strong, and I wasn¡¯t even sure if it was actually blood, but they were definitely fighting before they left.¡±


    The two exchanged glances.


    ¡°You know, he could have told us about the possible dangers here,¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°Right?¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°I wonder what¡¯s going in his head. Or maybe he was doing some Holy Son stuff.¡±


    ¡°And Kemata, the last Bearer of Destiny for the great Dark, simply tagged along?¡± Lily frowned. ¡°I mean, sure, there¡¯s probably actually some relation in the whole thing, since the two of them are O¡ª ahem. But still.¡±


    Claud looked at himself once, and then shook his head. ¡°Or maybe they settled it, and didn¡¯t want to distract us after the deed. It¡¯s possible that he thought that way too.¡±


    ¡°Very possible.¡± Lily looked at the Trading Board in her hands, and then handed it to Claud. ¡°Here! Don¡¯t lose it!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, okay?¡±


    Claud stored the Trading Board away. It was now irreplaceable ¡ª Schwarz had done something to it, which would apparently enable the two boards to message each other across the barrier.


    The two exchanged glances once more, and Claud found himself feeling a bit bashful for some reason. Now that the others were gone, and they were in a perfect date spot, it felt like a waste to go back right now for the Third Tutorial. The sun would set in an hour or so, and it would be nice to watch an ultra-beautiful sunset with Lily.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Lily asked, her voice touched by a hint of nervousness. Her eyes were a bit brighter than usual, and there was a hopeful touch to her lovely expression.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and watch the sunset together. We haven¡¯t done something romantic for some time, after all. It¡¯s been doom and gloom for a long time,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Let¡¯s get some treats too while we¡¯re at it.¡±


    ¡°I was hoping you¡¯d say that!¡± Lily¡¯s expression blossomed, and Claud touched her cheek.


    ¡°You¡¯re number one, after all.¡± Claud looked up, staring at the faint orange sky. Soon, dusk would fall. If he wanted a good view¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s get some food first, and then I¡¯ll show you my new skill.¡± Claud took a step back, bowed once and then offered her his right hand. ¡°May I have the pleasure of escorting you, m¡¯lady?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Lily placed a hand in his. ¡°Still, are you trying to act like a noble?¡±


    ¡°We are knights. I don¡¯t really see the problem,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m new to this, though. Do guide me if I look stupid or something.¡±


    ¡°You look dreamy. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    The two of them walked around for a while, and then stopped at a desserts shop. While dinners usually called for meat dishes and rich soups, the two of them were going to watch the sunset. Claud couldn¡¯t help but think that eating meat or anything that wasn¡¯t small and elegant was just wrong, so to Lily¡¯s delight, he brought a bag full of cold, sweet desserts.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy that there¡¯s a lot of rese¡ªsweets, but aren¡¯t you going to buy some main dishes?¡± Lily asked.


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    ¡°Nope. Meat, rice and soup do not go well with sunsets, in my very personal opinion,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Only small, delicate food.¡±


    ¡°Is that how it is?¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s something like a more graceful date, right? You want it to be more dignified or something!¡±


    ¡°I suppose?¡± Claud thought about it. ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking that hard, but you know, we¡¯re about to become high-ranked folders. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to tell the others that we were relaxing with the sunset while nibbling sweet pastries on the day we began the Third Tutorial?¡±


    ¡°Uh, you do know that you¡¯re doing it first, right?¡±


    Claud eyed her. ¡°You know¡­¡±


    ¡°You can be weirdly childish sometimes.¡± Lily smiled. ¡°But I like it.¡±


    ¡°Well, then.¡± Claud brought her to a shadowy alley. ¡°Let¡¯s start. Will of Freedom.¡±


    He picked Lily up as he activated Will of Solitude, and no one noticed them as the two of them simply ascended into the skies.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that different from Flight, but¡­how do I put it?¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°Usually, when you accelerate, you feel something pulling you in the opposite direction, right? Whenever we fly. But it¡¯s gone now. It feels like¡­I¡¯m really free.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s less of Flight, and more of being absolutely free to move around,¡± Claud noted. ¡°Gravity doesn¡¯t seem to work on me, and I move at really good speeds. I think I just need to familiarise myself with the whole process, and I¡¯ll be able to match up to the Frozen Emperor.¡±


    ¡°How fast was he?¡±


    ¡°I remember that I could move from my throne on the Frozen Coffin to Rimestar in a single thought,¡± Claud replied. ¡°That fast, probably. Once I truly master Will of Freedom, we¡¯ll be able to traverse the entire world in a single bound. Think of the possibilities!¡±


    Lily licked her lips. ¡°We can have drinks at Schwarz¡¯s bar in the morning, and then show up to freeload at Count Lostfon¡¯s castle in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Claud rubbed his hands. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll invest some time into learning this skill¡­¡±


    The two of them sat down on the rooftop of one of the many towers in the Vacuos Palace. Claud wasn¡¯t interested in some time-sensitive high-efficiency trading yet, which was why Count Vacuos still had his fortune.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lily asked. ¡°The sky¡­I wonder why it changes colour during sunrise and sunset.¡±


    ¡°We can ask some knowledgeable people here once we¡¯re done with the¡ª¡±


    The world shuddered heavily once as the sun vanished beneath the horizon. The white moon rose from the east, but another mass of power was rising from the west at the same time. Claud turned to look at it, and his heart chilled even more. There, acting as what seemed to be the white moon¡¯s counterpart, was a black globe.


    ¡°It seems that the effects of the Trial is beginning to show,¡± Lily whispered. ¡°It has to be, right?¡±


    Claud nodded numbly. ¡°We¡­should go back. And quickly. I¡¯ll complete my seventh mana circuit.¡±


    The two of them raced towards their inn, and then slipped into the room. Claud was dead certain that something huge was about to happen ¡ª both he and Lily were seeing black and tri-coloured squares ¡ª textless ones ¡ª blinking all over their vision. Claud had no idea what they were trying to do, but it couldn¡¯t be good for him.


    His head throbbed once as they closed the door behind them, and Claud let out a small groan. Hundreds of boxes had appeared in his vision, and as his head throbbed painfully again, they condensed into a single, red box.


    <The Fourth is the saboteur, a hollow light.>


    <Untouched he is, by immortal might.>


    <The five skies are blind, but the rest are not.>


    <Shiver, saboteur, for vengeance nears.>


    <We shall drink from your blood and tears.>


    Claud touched his head again, and the red box that held the message shrank rapidly. It joined up with the other small boxes that indicated the cooldown of his skills a heartbeat later, and he struggled over to the bed. His head was pounding madly, his nerves flooded by a sense of deadly crisis.


    He had a feeling that if he hadn¡¯t activated Will of Solitude, a lot of people would have been headed his way now. In fact, he could actually sense six other brilliant beacons of might all over the world ¡ª the other Bearers of Destiny.


    ¡°Claud¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still safe for now, but we really can¡¯t return now. No. I can¡¯t return. I¡¯ll need to keep up Will of Solitude until this thing ends,¡± Claud replied, glancing at the red box.


    ¡°Will it end?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s a good question.¡± Claud closed his eyes for a moment. ¡°There¡¯s no choice. I must begin the Third Tutorial now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lily held his hand. ¡°Okay. I-I¡¯ll watch over you, no matter what.¡±


    Claud handed her a few more skillstrips. ¡°Use them if necessary, got it?¡±


    He touched his head again, but before he could do anything else, Lily threw her arms around him. She didn¡¯t make any noise, simply choosing to hold him tight, but he could feel her trembling.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Claud whispered. ¡°No matter what. Remember, if something happens, use everything I gave you and run. If you can¡¯t bring me along, leave me here.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that. But it won¡¯t happen.¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°Come back to me safe and sound. Don¡¯t forget that promise. Okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I will.¡±


    Crown rolled onto his head as Claud drew on his mana, and another box appeared in his vision.


    [Your Mana Circuit Superimposition has reached 7.00]


    [You have achieved the qualifications to ascend in the hierarchy of life. Third Tutorial has been loaded. Start?]


    He looked at Lily, who was putting on a strong front for him, and then hugged her once more. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting.¡±


    Her hands trembled, and Claud felt his innards twist. Now that this¡­thing had happened, him entering the Third Tutorial would cause Lily to worry excessively. And yet¡­


    He covered her lips with his, holding that small, tiny little contact for ten seconds, and then smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯ll be going first, then.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Claud took a deep breath and hugged her. His breathing stabilised, and the fear drained away. All that remained was the conviction that he would return, and he spoke a single word.


    His vision winked out a moment later.

 Chapter 534: The Hollow God

    [Checking qualifications. Qualification of being alive has been met. Qualification of a calm mind has been met. Qualification of an unperturbed heart has been met. Qualification of having mana circuits has been met. Qualification of having seven mana circuits has been met. Qualification of being unshackled has been met. Qualification of mana control has been met. Qualification of true potential has been met. Qualification of purity has been met.]


    [All qualifications have been met.]


    [Third Tutorial initialising.]


    Claud shivered once as numerous notifications popped up. Now that he was far stronger than when he took the Second Tutorial, he could vaguely feel an incredible presence scanning his body. If he didn¡¯t get it wrong, it was probably a presence second only to the three that had destroyed Celestia¡­


    It was not a fun realisation.


    Each sentence burned itself into his vision, breaking apart into wisps of white, which integrated themselves in the dark world all around him. Colours crawled out of the white wisps, filling up the rest of the space with whatever remained.


    After the last letter turned into white wisps, Claud took the chance to examine his body. Unlike the previous tutorial, his mana was so unbelievably sturdy, it didn¡¯t even feel like mana at all. In fact, it felt like he was actually wielding the power of the Frozen Emperor right here, and¡ª


    [A Bearer of Destiny has been det¡ª]


    [Irregularity detected.]


    The first time this had happened, Claud had been shocked, but this was the second time. Those white and black dots washing across his vision weren¡¯t particularly disturbing the second time around, and¡ª


    [Error. A singularity has descended. Error. A singularity has descended. Error. A singularity has descended. Error. A singularity has descended.]


    ¡°Huh?¡± Claud frowned, but before he could do anything else, the black and white world began to solidify. A brilliant storm of power blew away the monochrome visage a heartbeat later, and a vibrant field of flowers appeared all around him. Birds chirped and flew in groups, circling around a monument.


    Claud looked around for a few more seconds, and then decided to head over to the monument. In any case, it wasn¡¯t like there was anything else to examine, and more importantly, he could even feel something calling him there.


    The grass rustled as he walked onwards. For some reason, his Personal Quest, One¡¯s Ideals, hadn¡¯t updated yet ¡ª this could only mean that the Third Tutorial hadn¡¯t actually started. Besides, there were all kinds of weird things that were happening to his poor Third Tutorial; it had to be crying by now or something.


    Tiny little birds landed next to Claud and hopped along with him. Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit relaxed at the sight, and he even squatted down and extended a hand.


    An adorably small bird hopped onto his palm, its violet plumage reminiscent of Lily¡¯s hair. He had never seen such a bird before, though, and the way it rubbed his hand with its head made his heart warm up.


    He really needed such a treat too, considering what happened a couple of minutes ago.


    There was a faint fog surrounding the monument, and the calling he felt from it grew with every step he took. He could sense a familiar presence from the base of the monument, but he couldn¡¯t quite tell who it belonged to. It didn¡¯t belong to Lily and the others, and yet, he seemed to know that presence¡­


    Lighting flashed across the blue sky, and the birds hopping behind and around Claud scattered. The little purple fellow nipped his hand really gently, and then flew off, leaving behind a small sense of loneliness.


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    ¡°You¡¯re here,¡± Claud spoke out loud. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    Claud froze. That voice¡­


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s me.¡± The fog writhed once, and Claud felt his eyes open really wide as another Claud walked out of the fog. However, there was something distinctly different about this Claud ¡ª it was as if this shell, this body, was just containing something far larger. ¡°Hello, me from the past.¡±


    Lightning flashed again, and Claud looked at his future self closely. Now that he was looking really, really closely, he could tell that future-Claud¡¯s appearance wasn¡¯t exactly fixed. His future self seemed to shift between the state of a young, black-haired young man and something he couldn¡¯t even begin to identify.


    ¡°If you are me, you must know the answer to my question,¡± Claud replied quietly.


    ¡°Yes, indeed.¡± Future-Claud smiled. ¡°For eternity and beyond, with her by my side.¡±


    ¡°¡­Now that I hear you say it out loud, I feel a little cheesy.¡± Claud made a face. ¡°But I¡¯m still keeping it.¡±


    ¡°As am I.¡± Future-Claud gestured at the monument. ¡°But I imagine that you have a lot of questions, and far more you cannot even begin to fathom. However, you know yourself best¡­for what reason would you attempt to interfere in your past¡¯s Third Tutorial?¡±


    Claud shivered. ¡°Lily. What happened to her?¡±


    ¡°The world accompanies her in the grave,¡± Future-Claud replied. ¡°It is a fitting punishment for the damning fate that the world passed on her.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Claud repeated his question.


    ¡°Allow me to tell you what is going on first,¡± Future-Claud replied. ¡°You are the iteration that we have placed the most hope in, the Claud that has stepped onto the most perfect path thus far. I, the Hollow God, am precisely one of these shapers of your path.¡±


    Future-Claud indicated himself. ¡°I will first begin by telling you the outcome of the Third Tutorial. You will complete it as a high-ranked folder. There, however, are two catches in this. The first is an error in your Third Tutorial, which lies in how you do not know the specific requirements of ¡®One¡¯s Ideal¡¯. The second is the fundamentally clashing natures of your Personal Quest and the outcome of the Third Tutorial.¡±


    Lightning tore the skies again, and the Hollow God waved his hand. ¡°Therefore, you failed to complete ¡®One¡¯s Ideal¡¯, but became a septa-folder.¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡±


    ¡°However, the moment you became a septa-folder, you connected to the world on so many levels that you couldn¡¯t react in time. It surpassed Will of Solitude, and for eleven seconds, everyone knew the location of the Omen, the first new septa-folder in six thousand years,¡± the Hollow God continued.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Your failure to complete ¡®One¡¯s Ideal¡¯, when compounded by you becoming a high-ranking folder, caused chaos within the world itself. This forced the world to retract all safeguards for eleven seconds to complete One¡¯s Ideal for you, and it was then that¡­¡± The Hollow God trembled faintly. ¡°I managed to defend myself with Absolute One for ten seconds. However, there was one more second.¡±


    Black cracks sundered the sky as the Hollow God clenched his fist, and Claud noted the chance in pronouns silently. ¡°Lily was killed trying to protect me. She took every attack that the Coloured Gods, the Moons and Greater Half sent at me, resisting them with her mana and her lifeforce itself. The five grand skies banished them a second later, but it was too late. She had¡­¡±


    Claud felt his heart grow cold. ¡°What happened afterwards?¡±


    ¡°I ascended to the ranks of divinity a year later, and slaughtered every single divinity except for Lesser Half and the Black God, sealing them away instead,¡± Future-Claud replied. ¡°But no matter what I did, I could not surpass the five grand skies. I could not turn back time. I could not bring her back.¡±


    The cracks in the sky deepened as his words echoed through the crumbling monument.


    ¡°However, I could still affect areas where time was problematic. Like the Frozen Emperor before me, I brought ruination upon the world. In the moment I destroyed the Cosmic Egg, I gained enough power to temporarily transcend time, fate and karma, allowing me to throw myself into the Goddess of Water and Learning¡¯s Status system. From then, I played the long, waiting game. I ceased to exist then, only surviving in this place.¡±


    He smiled. ¡°Waiting for myself, the Claud of what is probably the final iteration. You will not know how the various iterations of you struggled across time to bring Lily and the others back, but do not fear. We are all waiting for you to succeed. And if you don¡¯t¡­¡±


    Lightning flashed.


    ¡°Well, I know myself well enough. One day, we will succeed.¡± The Hollow God sighed. ¡°I¡¯m here. I¡¯m proof. We have stacked so many changes that success will be definite. You¡­are the culmination of our efforts thus far. And if you fail, you will make sure that success will follow in the end.¡±


    Claud opened his mouth, but the Hollow God forestalled him. ¡°Yes, there is a Last Tutorial. And there is¡­something awaiting you there. But I don¡¯t know what. You are the second Claud I¡¯ve seen, if we¡¯re speaking chronologically¡­and I¡¯m sure he failed.¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re still here?¡± Claud asked, his instincts churning on its own.


    ¡°As expected of myself.¡± The Hollow God chuckled. ¡°Anyway, we have time here. I will guide you through the Third Tutorial and teach you the things you¡¯ve always wanted to know. After all¡­the others might need to pass the Third Tutorial a second time.¡±


    ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°High-ranking folders aren¡¯t cabbages on the market. In every single iteration, only you and Dia succeeded in becoming a septa-folder within the Seekers of Life. You may need to help the others across this wall too.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the Hollow God replied. ¡°But let¡¯s not talk about that now. I¡¯ll start by telling you how to transcend this death trap.¡±

 Chapter 535: Breaking an unwanted record

    ¡°Death trap¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. The main cause of this is the imperfection within the cycle¡­or so the divinities claim.¡± The Hollow God paused for a moment. ¡°But in the course of investigations, I found something interesting. There is no cycle¡­at least, not in the way I once assumed it was. First off, the concept of the Omen and the Salvation Star is not unique to our world.¡±


    ¡°Not unique?¡± Claud frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Every universe has them. When civilisation grows to a point that there is waste, it will be tested in one form or another. If found wanting, the civilisation will be wiped out. This is a grand law of all existence, but this law was subverted by an immense existence long ago in our world.¡± The Hollow God paused. ¡°Mana. Prana. Lifeforce. These are the ways in which the world attempts to resist its ruination, but you, of course, know about the key method.¡±


    ¡°The Salvation Star?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. At any rate, however, the Omens of the previous cycle are not able to exist. They either destroy themselves with the current civilisation, or are slain in their attempts to upend it,¡± the Hollow God continued. ¡°There¡¯s the first problem. The previous Omen still lives.¡±


    ¡°The Black God,¡± Claud muttered, and his future self raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°You know?¡± Future Claud asked. ¡°Interesting. What changes did my successor make? No matter. I¡¯ll find out soon enough. But yes, the Omen still lives. What should have been your sole inheritance is now shared, which is why you still need a personal quest to advance Absolute One. As a side-effect, your Third Tutorial does not update your personal quest too; you won¡¯t know what the requirements are.¡±


    ¡°And you do.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But the reason why I said fate has it out for Lily is because of the second problem.¡± The Hollow God breathed out slowly, and the field of flowers seemed to darken. ¡°Fundamentally, the Third Tutorial and your personal quest are at odds.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s my personal quest?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°¡­It is to prove the tenacity of life,¡± the Hollow God replied. ¡°Specifically, you are to submit to the tribulation of the Third Tutorial and allow your lifeforce to hollow out entirely. Endure this for an entire year, and you¡¯ll pass.¡±


    ¡°What? But doesn¡¯t that mean I need to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Fail the Third Tutorial. Yes.¡± The Hollow God shook his head. ¡°It was a trap for me¡­and you. It¡¯s counterintuitive, isn¡¯t it? You must let the Third Tutorial tear you apart, or else you¡¯ll follow the same route as I did. Your Mana Control Proficiency is at least at Master-rank, if I didn¡¯t get it wrong. You¡¯ll need to exert more strength to not pass the Third Tutorial than the other way around.¡±


    He paused, and then said, ¡°Once an entire year passes, use seven thousand¡­for you ¡ª three thousand and five hundred ¡ª years of lifespan, if Crown is still with you, and use it to recreate your seventh mana circuit all over again. That will allow you to retake the Third Tutorial.¡±


    ¡°So there is a way to redo the whole thing,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Ten times the usual amount,¡± the Hollow God added helpfully. ¡°You must shatter your seventh mana circuit entirely, and then recreate it. Once you enter the Third Tutorial all over again, you can clear it normally, and that will allow you to bypass the trap.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°You must get past the next year, however.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be painful. And I¡¯ll need to explain a lot to Lily...¡±


    ¡°Exactly. But it is infinitely preferable to having her die in your arms,¡± the Hollow God replied, his voice flat and painful. ¡°The me who came before you left one last set of arrangements in the Last Tutorial. I wish you the best of luck.¡±


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Wait. Can¡¯t you tell me more?¡± Claud asked.


    The Hollow God shook his head. ¡°But I can give you one last gift.¡±


    He pointed a finger at Claud¡¯s head, and a flash of light bobbed into his forehead. ¡°This way, you won¡¯t suffer a loss at the hands of the divinities from now on¡­or at least, are able to struggle for a time when faced with them. It¡¯s all my combat data and precautions I took when facing them.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡±


    ¡°Remember, you must let yourself be torn apart by whatever is to come. The Third Tutorial must fail. Otherwise, you will inevitably walk my path. I¡¯m not going to lie ¡ª I¡¯ll be pissed if I see you show up in the same space, trust me.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°All this¡­it¡¯s a bit unbelievable.¡±


    ¡°It is. Your immediate predecessor was quite surprised when he learned about all this¡­well, it¡¯s your turn now, me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I know.¡±


    The Hollow God waved his hands once, and the vast field began to fall apart. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll see another you in the future, but let me leave you with this one advice. Study all your current skills now and see what you can gain from it. What is the main defining trait of these skills?¡±


    Claud nodded. White and black dots clouded the world a heartbeat later, and soon, he found himself standing in a white world. Claud looked at it blankly for a while, and then frowned.


    He had been in this place before. More specifically, when he first become a mana-user. It was the First Tutorial, although practically no one thought of it that way until they did¡­at which point they would neglect to mention it to their juniors. This world had also appeared in his Second Tutorial, if only briefly, before the whole thing about the Frozen Emperor began.


    That said, it would seem that this place would be the venue for his Third Tutorial.


    [Initialising Third Tutorial.]


    He glanced at the notification once, and then nodded. Claud had long wondered about the reason behind why no one could talk about the Third Tutorial, but¡­was it personalised for everyone? Did each Third Tutorial serve their own purpose, and not that of their tutorial taker?


    Claud couldn¡¯t help but think that way. After all, the Third Tutorial had succeeded in screwing over the past him¡­


    The white world shuddered, and a single word flashed across his vision.


    [Survive by manipulating your own mana.]


    A flood of blue-purple light, so solid that it was no different from water, rampaged towards Claud. His instincts screamed, and the first thing he wanted to do was to manipulate this very familiar mana away from him. However, Claud crushed those instincts and closed his eyes.


    He was probably going to be the record-breaker for the person who failed the Third Tutorial the fastest. It was definitely a dubious honour, but this honour was one he really had to accept this time.


    Claud sighed. Even if there wasn¡¯t an issue, his personal quest was literally¡­


    It was unbelievable. What kind of quest would have him fail his Third Tutorial on literal purpose? Lily would grab his ears and shake his head when she found out, not to mention how dumb the whole thing was. One good thing, however, was the fact that he had found out a way to overcome the problems caused by failing the Third Tutorial, which was to use ten times the lifeforce and convert them into mana.


    However, his personal quest needed him to endure his debilitated state for an entire year. It also wanted him to ¡®die¡¯ once right now, as if it wasn¡¯t sadistic enough. The Hollow God was right ¡ª fate really had it out for Lily. If he didn¡¯t know any of this, Claud knew that he would have acted according to his instincts.


    He would have passed his Third Tutorial, and failed his personal quest.


    How would it feel like, being torn apart by a flood of mana? Claud was about to find out.


    Claud felt his heartbeat speed up as the gigantic wave of mana crashed onto him directly, and the feeling of being caught in an inferno flooded his senses. His instincts stirred, and the desire to manipulate the mana ¡ª his own mana, apparently ¡ª grew.


    His body, however, didn¡¯t move a single inch. Claud simply immersed himself into the burning sensation, allowing himself to be completely submerged and drowned by the mana.


    A faint, awful hollowness began to spread out from his chest, and his body turned lighter and lighter. His vision began to dim at the same time, and the detailed sensations of the world around him started to vanish, winking out one at a time.


    He trembled once, but Claud didn¡¯t defend himself. He trusted the future him through and through. Therefore, this was something he had to do.


    No matter what.


    The sensations he felt from his body continued to dwindle, and for a moment, Claud couldn¡¯t help but think about the long years of torment the Risti in his Second Tutorial had undergone. What did she feel back then? How did she struggle on with life?


    How did she endure this hollow awfulness?


    Smiling bitterly, Claud endured the burning sensations and closed his eyes, waiting for his first death to claim him.


    The world turned black a moment later, and a single notification appeared in his eyes.


    [You have failed the Third Tutorial.]


    His consciousness winked out a heartbeat later.

 Chapter 536: The True Test

    Monsters of freezing ice seemed to bite away at Claud¡¯s bones, and weird whispers he couldn¡¯t make out crawled around in his ears. His flesh felt like that of a stranger¡¯s, and Claud struggled to simply move his body.


    ¡°Claud. Claud. Claud.¡± Lily held his hand. ¡°Wake up! Please! Wake up!¡±


    Meeps surrounded him at the same time, the three little shapes hopping up and down on his body. Claud could feel a very, very faint impact from the way they moved, but that was all his lead-like body could feel.


    Warm tears fell onto his cold face, and Claud summoned whatever power he could muster to simply move, opening his eyes at the same time. The little shapes scattered to the side as Lily supported him up slowly, an expression he never hoped to see again on her face.


    ¡°Claud!¡± She hugged him. ¡°You scared me. What happened? Why did you fail? Was it my fault? Did I pressure you? Did¡ª¡±


    His vocal cords felt like sandpaper rubbing against each other as he asked for water, which Lily promptly delivered. Feeding him gently, Lily rubbed his chest, tears still streaming down her eyes.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Claud forced down the lump in his throat. ¡°Necessary.¡±


    ¡°Stop speaking like Kemata,¡± Lily choked out, before feeding him another sip of water. The aching pains began to flood away a moment later, and the feeling of vivid pain flowed away. The undercurrent of fatigue and tiredness surfaced a moment later, and Claud let out a faint groan.


    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily held him closer.


    ¡°Just¡­very tired.¡± Claud moved his shoulders lightly. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t hurt anymore.¡±


    [


    has updated.]


    ¡°So, it¡¯s true.¡± Claud closed his eyes for a moment. ¡°Lily. It¡¯s going to be very hard to explain, but let¡¯s wait for a while, shall we? Don¡¯t worry about me. All this has been accounted for.¡±


    Lily sniffed, and then blew her nose on Claud¡¯s shirt. ¡°What are we waiting for?¡±


    ¡°For my skill to come off cooldown. Two hours, I suppose.¡± Claud let out a heavy sigh. Simply opening his mouth to talk was incredibly draining. The way he now spoke was long and drawn out too, like that of an old man, and he didn¡¯t like it at all.


    ¡°¡­You failed the Third Tutorial, right?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s necessary.¡± Claud lay back down. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you all about it after a good nap. I¡¯m very tired. Can you wake me up later? I¡¯m scared that I can¡¯t wake up on my own.¡±


    His eyelids felt like they were made of iron or something, and he rubbed his eyes. ¡°Sorry. But I¡¯ll tell you all about it. It¡¯s necessary¡­¡±


    The world went black. A faint warmth enveloped him a heartbeat later, and his consciousness began to drift. The warmth continued to wrap around him, reminding him of the fact that he was still alive, and that Lily was still by his side.


    That stupid chill had nothing on Lily¡¯s presence.


    After what seemed like a few short minutes, the warmth pushed him up, and Claud let out a groan as Lily pulled open his eyelids gently. He looked at her for a few seconds, and then frowned.


    ¡°Two hours?¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°Urgh.¡± Claud looked around once more, and then said, ¡°Can you help me up first? I¡¯m going to sleep again if I remain on this bed.¡±


    The two of them moved to the floor, which was definitely not a good place to sleep at, and Claud took the chance to examine his body fully. His senses had dulled significantly ¡ª the only thing that was still working at full blast was his ability to sense and control mana. His physical abilities, therefore, had taken a solid hit.


    Letting out a small breath, Claud looked up at the ceiling. ¡°Will of Solitude.¡±


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    This time, Claud paid full attention to the activation of the skill itself. He could feel something within him stir ¡ª Will of Solitude¡¯s spiritual structure ¡ª but what was most intriguing was how it seemed to be drawn from his entire body. Instead of projecting itself in a certain direction, Will of Solitude felt like it had extended out from his half-dead body, something that he could only tell precisely because his other senses were completely dulled.


    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°You did all this for a reason, right?¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Yes. Now, whatever I¡¯m about to say cannot be leaked out¡­you know the drill, right?¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Claud felt incredibly fatigued at the momentous task of explaining his entire experience to Lily, but she was someone who had to know what fate seemed to have in store for her. ¡°First off, I met myself in the Third Tutorial.¡±


    Lily looked at him, and then touched his forehead.


    ¡°I¡¯m not having a fever,¡± Claud replied. He couldn¡¯t even bring up the strength to retort verbally right now, so after sparing three seconds to fantasise about the different ways Lily could nurse him back to health, he cleared his mind and said, ¡°I met my future self in the Third Tutorial.¡±


    ¡°Your future self?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I verified it too,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The me of the Third Tutorial called himself the Hollow God. I am quite sure that he became a god, since that was probably the only way he could interfere in my Third Tutorial.¡±


    He took a deep breath, and then forced his lips to move again. ¡°He laid out the consequences of what was going to happen if I cleared my Third Tutorial. An error would occur, exposing our current location. At the same time, the five grand skies would weaken for eleven seconds, allowing the Coloured Gods, the Dark and the Moons to exert their full power for that short period of time. I would use Absolute One to resist for ten seconds, and then you will throw yourself in harm¡¯s way to protect me for the last second.¡±


    Lily¡¯s lips twitched.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to lie to me by saying you won¡¯t do that,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway, the Hollow God slaughtered the other divinities and then destroyed the world. In the moment of its destruction, he forced himself into the Goddess of Learning¡¯s Status system and lived there rent-free ever since.¡±


    ¡°If not for the fact that speaking is very draining on you, I¡¯d have asked you for more details,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Anyway, the Third Tutorial.¡±


    ¡°My Third Tutorial had a problem. My personal quest and its outcome were at odds. If I passed my Third Tutorial, I would fail my personal quest.¡± Claud let out a long sigh, and then looked at Lily¡¯s lap. He really wanted to just lie down on it right now, but until he fully explained the whole thing, she would only feel more and more worried.


    ¡°If I became a septa-folder but not improve my Absolute One, the error would occur, and the divinities will descend,¡± Claud added. ¡°I had to solve my personal quest first, which requires me to¡­¡±


    He checked his newly updated quest.


    [Personal Quest: One¡¯s Ideals]


    Quest introduction: You espouse the importance of staying alive and living, even through the worst of circumstances. It is both inspiring and incredible, but without enduring torment and experiencing the desire for release, how can you support your claim?


    Quest requirements: Endure the hollowing of lifeforce for an entire year.


    Quest rewards: FiBoD:O??? evolves, <Skill: Life-Power Exchange>


    Additional Remarks: Hollow out your lifeforce by failing the Third Tutorial.]


    ¡°Yes. I am to fail the Third Tutorial and allow my lifeforce to be hollowed out,¡± Claud continued, his words slurring faintly. He couldn¡¯t be bothered to articulate them clearly, and Lily would understand him anyway. ¡°I must endure it for an entire year, and then I¡¯ll force myself to do the Third Tutorial again.¡±


    ¡°How will you do that?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll shatter the problematic mana circuit, and then reconstruct it with ten times the lifeforce.¡± Claud tried to smile, but his facial muscles felt like a stranger. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. This path¡­has been walked before.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Claud shook his head. ¡°I need to tell you something. Something¡­don¡¯t be scared, okay? It¡¯s about you.¡±


    ¡°Me.¡± Lily straightened her back. ¡°Alright. Go ahead.¡±


    Claud raised a tired arm up, and then rubbed her head. ¡°Remember when I said that the Hollow God went back in time or something? He wasn¡¯t the only one to go back. To be more specific, he wasn¡¯t the only Claud who went back. Apparently, I have been going back in time a few times, to influence things. I don¡¯t know what things they are, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, you went back lots of times?¡±


    Claud nodded slowly. ¡°All of them to make sure you didn¡¯t die. I¡¯m¡­my latest attempt right now. Probably. I don¡¯t know how all this works either. But the Hollow God said that I¡¯m the second Claud he saw.¡±


    ¡°What am I supposed to make of this?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°That you, in every single¡­iteration so far, have died,¡± Claud replied slowly.


    She stilled. ¡°Destiny?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± Claud touched his head. ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t know how this works. Maybe they¡¯re all me or something. But it¡¯s certain that this world has it out for you. I¡­don¡¯t know what to do either.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°You seem very calm,¡± Claud noted.


    ¡°The person dearest to me is willing to suffer like this just so I won¡¯t die, and other versions of him have gave it their all to protect their versions of me,¡± Lily replied, her words slow and methodical. ¡°I¡¯m more touched than anything else, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes, you can indeed put it that way.¡± Claud looked at her. ¡°I wish you¡¯d focus more on how destiny wants to kill you, though.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll bring me back eventually,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    Claud shook his head, and his vision darkened for a moment. ¡°Okay. Now that this is done, I think I¡¯ll have another nap. I¡¯m beginning to understand what Risti in the Second Tutorial endured¡­¡±


    He lay down on Lily¡¯s lap. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be.¡± A warm set of fingers touched his head. ¡°Go sleep. I¡¯ll keep watch until you wake up.¡±

 Chapter 537: Future plans

    One dreamless sleep later, Claud opened his heavy eyelids to the sight of Lily resting her head on his chest. It was an innocuous gesture, but her hands were also touching his wrist, in what looked like a clear attempt to feel his heartbeat.


    ¡°You¡¯re up.¡± Lily let out a small sigh. ¡°Upsy-daisy¡­¡±


    Getting him to sit up, Lily touched his face. ¡°Your body feels a lot colder than usual.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just warm,¡± Claud replied. ¡°My kind of warm, in fact. You¡­didn¡¯t sleep at all, right?¡±


    Lily lowered her eyes, but she didn¡¯t reply to his query. Claud simply smiled and stroked her hair slowly. He already knew why she stayed awake the whole time ¡ª Lily had been keeping track of his heartbeat and breathing, fearful that he would just die during his sleep. It was a fear that he too sometimes lived with, but Lily was always lively, so he had gotten above that small trauma after a while.


    To think that he would be making Lily of all people feel this terror.


    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Claud hugged her once. His arms felt like lead, and he was a bit scared that he couldn¡¯t fully control his strength, but Lily simply buried her head in his neck.


    She sniffed a few times, and then looked up at him, her eyes shiny. ¡°It¡¯s my fault.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault,¡± Claud replied, his fingers tracing her eyes. Her violet hair fell all around his hands, and he pressed his lips to her forehead for a moment. ¡°And it is utterly worth it to do all this. You are my life, and I yours. That is our vow. Always has been. This is what it means to live, even in adversity.¡±


    A frigid chill nipped away at his body, but Claud didn¡¯t care. While his body felt like a suit of really thick plate armour right now, he could still muster his senses and move his body. As long as he didn¡¯t give up on life itself, having his lifeforce hollowed out would never kill him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Claud found himself a bit surprised at the confidence in his own words, and Lily¡¯s face brightened. ¡°As long as I never give up, this won¡¯t kill me.¡±


    He ran his fingers through her hair. ¡°Come, let¡¯s go down for breakfast.¡±


    Claud tried to get up, and then made a face. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll have to trouble you to help me up first, though. The mind wants one thing, but the body¡¯s still unaccustomed to this state of weakness.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Lily replied in a voice full of energy. She, like him, was forcing it, but Claud had no intention of letting her fake it any further. All he needed to do was to go about the next year as per normal. He would make Lily forget about this little incident by living life to the absolute fullness.


    ¡°Up we go, then.¡±


    Claud got off his head. He still felt like crap, or at least like a person made from low-quality steel ¡ª both uncomfortable and very fragile ¡ª but he was still alive. More importantly, the two of them had escaped the incredible trap that had been laid last night; it was a cause worthy of celebration.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s have a huge breakfast set,¡± Claud decided. ¡°Lily, I order you to feed me!¡±


    Lily¡¯s smile turned genuine, and she placed his hand onto her chest. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re roleplaying now?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°By all accounts, you¡¯re going to ascend to godhood,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I am practicing for the future.¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°True. But how does a god behave anyway?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I need to learn the corresponding etiquette. Or maybe I can ask the me in the Last Tutorial, assuming he¡¯s there.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like a dream or something, though. The Last Tutorial¡­¡± Lily made a face. ¡°That¡¯s the stuff of legends.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a legend too, okay?¡± Claud winked at her. It was an awkward movement, since his eyelids were very heavy, but he had managed to pull it off at a good enough level that Lily didn¡¯t catch it¡­


    He had a feeling that Lily just didn¡¯t point it out, though.


    ¡°Yeah, a legend.¡± Lily moved her lips to his ear. ¡°After all, you¡¯re so popular now. Everyone wants you, right?¡±


    ¡°They should just stay cooped up or something.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°Still, if I had chosen to stay as a tri-folder or something, and never improve, would anything have changed?¡±


    Lily looked at him. ¡°You said that there are countless Clauds or something trying to prevent my death, right? There must have been some who tried that, only to realise that not doing anything is dangerous. Besides, it¡¯s the Fourth Godsfall. There¡¯s no way being weak will let us survive.¡±


    Claud thought about her words, and then nodded. ¡°Sorry. That¡¯s just me being cowardly, I suppose¡­¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s nice that you thought of such a thing too,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯s so not you, after all.¡±


    ¡°¡­Maybe.¡± Claud let out a heavy sigh, and then opened the door.


    The two of them left their room. Instead of having Lily support him, though, Claud was using mana to make sure that every step was stable ¡ª even with his senses dulled, his Mana Control Proficiency remained as impressive as ever.


    It was quite tiring, but all that was just mental fatigue, over anything else. In fact, Claud also had the feeling that lying in bed for an entire year probably wouldn¡¯t count as actually living up to his ideals too, so he wanted to keep moving around.


    A person, even if they felt hollow inside, could definitely live as much as they could.


    ¡°There¡¯s even more people right now,¡± Lily noted. ¡°Everyone¡¯s gunning for the Fourth Bearer of Destiny. The rewards are really exquisite, after all.¡±


    Claud mouthed two words at her, and Lily nodded. ¡°Shortly after that announcement, everyone received a mission. Killing the Fourth transfers the Aeon Fold skill, the Divinity Aspirant skill, and the divinities will also reward the killer with oodles of lifespan.¡±


    His heart trembled once, but Claud didn¡¯t show any other expression. Now that he was heading downstairs, and now that there was an actual chance to become a god, everyone and their parents would be out in full force to look for the Omen. It also didn¡¯t help that the Nihila Dukedom had been highlighted as the place where Tot had been last spotted.


    The two of them sat down at a table and ordered a scrumptious breakfast.


    ¡°So, what are our plans now?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Do we go back?¡±


    Claud thought for a moment. What was the best choice for him, as he was right now? What would the others think, if he returned like this?


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to tell them that I failed,¡± Claud replied. ¡°First and foremost. Second, tell them that I discovered a method to retake the Third Tutorial. Third¡­I should stay here and recuperate. We have a lot of money on us, right? We can rent a small store and sell some skillstrips here and there.¡±


    ¡°What skillstrips are you thinking about?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Hmm. Cleanse, I think. It¡¯ll soon have a ridiculously short cooldown, so it¡¯s fine,¡± Claud added. ¡°It¡¯s going to be very useful too, for everyone, and¡­¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°I hope that I can save a few more people with Cleanse, in the maelstrom that¡¯s fast approaching us.¡± Claud closed his eyes for a moment, and the bone-deep fatigue within him threatened to drag him down into an endless abyss. He shook his head a heartbeat later, and then then said, ¡°It¡¯s kinda my fault, after all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just not how it is, but okay.¡±


    The two of them fell silent as a waiter approached their table. Even in his current state, the smell of sizzling bacon and sausages had a strong effect on Claud, and his spirits rose as he picked up his fork and spoon.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit heavy, these things.¡± Claud eyed the spoon. ¡°But that¡¯s just my head telling me all these, right?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± Lily looked a bit worried. ¡°I could feed you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Claud put on a brave smile. ¡°All the singles will curse at us behind our back, and while I wouldn¡¯t have minded normally, I¡¯m currently in my nadir. I don¡¯t really want to have my luck lowered or something¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lily looked a bit disappointed. ¡°But I¡¯m feeding you in private.¡±


    ¡°Of course you are.¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going to become a baby at this rate, though. Anyway, after this, let¡¯s go rent a small storefront. We¡¯ll also need to inform Schwarz about what happened to me, and we need to caution them to not rush into things blindly.¡±


    Lily nodded.


    ¡°Beyond that,¡± Claud muttered, ¡°I think we¡¯re fine. For now, anyway. We¡¯ll just sit here and sell stuff. Maybe provide refuge if this place turns into a warzone or something.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t jinx it.¡±


    Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°The top powers of all three continents are headed here, though. I¡¯m sure something¡¯s going to happen¡­¡±

 Chapter 538: A small business, a small customer

    ¡°Are you sure not moving is really a good idea?¡± Lily asked, pushing open the door to their new home in Vacuos. ¡°The number of people in this city seem to have doubled in the two hours we used to buy this shophouse.¡±


    ¡°Which means we¡¯ll be scoring a lot of money once we need to sell it,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And no, it¡¯s very safe here. Darkest beneath the lamp, see? No one is going to suspect us or anything.¡±


    Lily looked at him, clearly worried. ¡°That¡¯s quite simplistic, though. I¡¯m sure you aren¡¯t the only person thinking this, right? After all, the divinities and gods are definitely going to keep looking for¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud frowned. ¡°And they¡¯re all monsters. It will not do to keep avoiding them.¡±


    He frowned once, a movement that felt wholly unfamiliar to him. His body was still as unresponsive as ever, and it also didn¡¯t help that the faint, draining chill seemed to have grown a bit stronger.


    ¡°Claud?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°Now, let¡¯s deck this place out, shall we?¡±


    After sending a message to Schwarz about what happened to him ¡ª although it was Lily who handled the composition of the message ¡ª the two of them began to pull out the small decorations that they had purchased on the way back. The shop itself had cost a whooping twenty-six thousand gold, which was really expensive for a piece of real estate.


    Probably. Claud and Lily had quite a number of lifestones, so they covered the cost quite easily. However, this was a fortune that people who never went lifestone prospecting would never attain, but to them¡­


    A little baby shadow toddled into the shop as Claud placed a small vase with paper flowers on the counter.


    ¡°Aww, who do we have here?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Do you wanna sit on the counter?¡±


    The child looked at the two of them, and then nodded. Lily giggled, and then lifted the little kid onto the counter. Claud smiled at the beautiful sight, and then poked the little baby¡¯s cheeks. Unfortunately, the little baby shadows and Moonlit toddlers couldn¡¯t speak normally, so the only thing they could do was to just look at the baby¡¯s makeshift sign language.


    ¡°They¡¯re so cute. Do you think we can enlist them to bring business in for us?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re mainly selling protective skillstrips, though,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And we sell really expensive ones to boot. I don¡¯t think this kid can bring in good customers.¡±


    He rubbed the little guy¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t mind my words, kid. We¡¯ll be happy to have you here, don¡¯t worry. Do you like sweets or biscuits more?¡±


    ¡°Just give the kid both, okay?¡± Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°Hang on a sec.¡±


    After setting out some sweet treats for the little kid, Claud and Lily returned to the task of decorating their shop. There really wasn¡¯t much to do, since skillsticks and skillstrips were easy to store, but it still had to look the part, minimally speaking. Moving around this much was painful for Claud, but he didn¡¯t want to slack off and worry Lily.


    Ten minutes later, Claud stepped away from the simple painting that he¡¯d hung on the wall, and then admired it. ¡°Not bad, I¡¯d say.¡±


    The two of them had checked the upper floors of the shophouse when they were touring it early before purchase, and neither of them particularly wanted to change things around. Therefore, with the painting hung, the shop was technically open for business¡­


    ¡°Apples look good anywhere,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Bombs too ¡ª explosions look grand and majestic ¡ª but who¡¯s going to paint that?¡±


    ¡°Not me, that¡¯s for certain.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°Right, pass me your backpack. I¡¯ll have the little ones get used to their new home first. You should also set up the defences for the place too.¡±


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Claud nodded. ¡°Good point. Thanks for reminding me.¡±


    Unfortunately, since a good chunk of the first floor was pretty much space where the public could roam, he could only place artefacts inside and behind the counter, limiting its scope and defensive coverage. However, as long as the two of them stayed inside, it would not be a problem.


    The kid watched on with curiosity as Claud placed down artefact after artefact. After setting up a thick barricade, Claud moved on to install a rather interesting mechanism ¡ª it was a receptacle that behaved very much like the sole entrance to Moon Mansion ¡ª which would allow them to buy and sell things through the barrier itself without exposing them to too much risk.


    Of course, people could attack the counter itself first, but Claud had also projected a barrier right in front of the counter to prevent that too.


    ¡°Alright, done.¡±


    The baby looked at him curiously, before reaching out for the little receptacle. It was a small little drawer that could be pulled from both sides; the customer would place the money down on one side, Claud would pull the drawer to his side, replace the money with the skillstick or skillstrip, and then push it back to the customer.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing interesting, really.¡±


    The baby tilted his tiny little head, and then tried to reach out for Claud. His hands came into contact with the barrier a moment later, and the toddler touched it a few more times out of what was probably curiosity.


    Claud chuckled to himself. ¡°Don¡¯t stress your little head over this, kid. Want another cookie?¡±


    The kid nibbled on the cookie, finishing it as Lily returned downstairs, and she glanced at the barriers and the preparations that Claud had set up.


    ¡°Nicely done. Now¡­I suppose we¡¯re going to spend the next week preparing some stocks, right?¡± Lily asked. ¡°If we keep at it constantly, we¡¯ll have around eighty or so skillsticks for Flight and Cleanse.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to limit sales too. Or diversify what we¡¯re selling, but I¡¯m too lazy for that.¡± Claud glanced at the kid. ¡°Besides, this place isn¡¯t really for profit to begin with.¡±


    ¡°The prices of these skillsticks tell me otherwise, though,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Not profit-driven¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, they are limited commodities, and life-saving ones at that. People fork out platinum to buy teleportation skillsticks; they should count themselves lucky that I¡¯m selling both skills at only five thousand gold per pop. A lifesaving set for one platinum each; that¡¯s a good deal.¡±


    ¡°I know, but¡­it still feels like a rip-off or something.¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡± Claud looked at the kid and squished his cheeks. ¡°Anyway, we have things to do now, so run along. If you want more cookies, you can come back next week from lunch onwards. We¡¯ll be open for business then.¡±


    The little shadow baby looked at him for a few seconds, and then waved goodbye to the two of them.


    ¡°Phew.¡± Claud willed the door shut with some mana. ¡°Now that we¡¯re settled in a bit more securely, I suppose we should ponder our actions for the next year here. We should check in with Lesser Half and ask about the Fourth, just in case. After that, we need to keep a ear out¡­we did place a subscription for the local news, right?¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°You forgot that?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Claud scowled to himself. ¡°Maybe I should turn in early for the night or something.¡±


    ¡°We need to prepare a stock of skillsticks, though.¡± Lily thought for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that my skills are mostly geared around making things. I don¡¯t think anyone would want to learn them.¡±


    ¡°What about making items, then?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Manufacturing useful items.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lily rubbed her nose. ¡°How about selling bombs? It¡¯s quite a niche product, right? But it¡¯s still going to be useful.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± Claud bobbed his head. ¡°Maybe you can also try making some artefacts. Can you do that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never really tried that, though. But the Vacuos library might have some information on how to make artefacts. Should we pay it a visit later?¡± Lily asked. ¡°We¡¯ll probably need to pay for the entry, though.¡±


    ¡°How expensive can it get?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go tomorrow.¡±


    He thought for a moment. ¡°Right, we should also keep track of the city¡¯s general movement of troops, right? Lily, can you help me take out the RECON?¡±


    ¡°The, uh, Reserve Echelon Command Observation thing? On it.¡±


    Claud handed her the ring on his hand, and then leaned back. ¡°For some reason, I feel like a lazy scumbag ordering his hardworking wife around. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°If this happens to me, I expect you to do the same too,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Claud nodded. ¡°That person did say that only me and Dia became a septa-folder, after all. I get a feeling I¡¯ll be running around and doing this after the others try their hand at it¡­but where am I supposed to get so much lifespan from?¡±


    ¡°Well, you did say something about Bearers of Destiny¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Claud looked at Lily. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a source, yes. Still¡­never mind. I¡¯ll think of a way. Anyway, I¡¯ll go and make a few skillsticks, and then head up to rest. Are you fine with eating outside later?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine if you don¡¯t help me cook, though.¡±


    ¡°I insist. I¡¯ll only sleep if you¡¯re beside me,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I know I¡¯m not in the best state now, but we¡¯re equals, partners. I¡¯m at most a patient second.¡±


    Lily hesitated for a moment, and then smiled. ¡°You¡¯re as gentle as always, huh.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called being fair, alright?¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go up.¡±

 Chapter 539: Developments on both sides

    Dia tucked away a lock of stray hair as she plopped down on a nice stone, whose surface had been nicely warmed up by the campfire burning not too far away from it. Sliced pieces of meat, impaled cruelly by merciless skewers, emitted a meaty fragrance as Schwarz cooked them lazily. The others eyed the unfortunate pieces of meat, waiting for their prey to be done on the fire.


    It was quite the cruel world.


    ¡°Well, now that you¡¯re out¡± ¡ªSchwarz looked at Dia¡ª ¡°I suppose I can break out the bad news.¡±


    Nero glanced at Schwarz. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Explain.¡± A certain person¡¯s scythe spun once.


    ¡°You two remind me of that idiot couple,¡± Schwarz muttered darkly. ¡°But it¡¯s to do with them. Claud just failed his Third Tutorial. He¡¯s currently resting in Vacuos, and is unlikely to return home for the next month.¡±


    Dia stared at the bartender. ¡°What.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Surprising, yeah? He failed.¡± The bartender frowned. ¡°Lily just told us to not embark on the Third Tutorial just yet. Claud¡¯s in bad shape, that idiot. His lifeforce has been hollowed out¡­¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s going to die soon, but Lily says that they¡¯ve found a way of sorts to counter this hollowing, so they¡¯re going to do some research in Vacuos.¡±


    ¡°He failed his Third Tutorial, huh.¡± Dia looked at the fire. ¡°Sounds unbelievable. But at least it sounds like he isn¡¯t in any grave danger for now, right? Or else Lily would have been asking us to return or something.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Farah agreed. ¡°I think it isn¡¯t that bad, but¡­something doesn¡¯t quite add up, though. If that¡¯s the case, why would Lily tell us not to start our Third Tutorial?¡±


    Nero took out a bottle of booze, but before he could open it, Kemata had taken it from his hands, stuffing it down her clothes. Nero made a funny face at her, and then turned back to the fire. ¡°This came in after the announcement of the Fourth, right? Maybe¡­Claud tried to advance after the announcement, and ran into¡­shall we say, an alteration in the Third Tutorial?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Farah turned to the Holy Son of the Black God. ¡°The gods did something to the Third Tutorial?¡±


    ¡°Possibly,¡± Nero replied, his brows furrowed together. ¡°It¡¯s possible. They may have that power. But¡­well, I guess they did something to the Third Tutorial the moment the saboteur became the biggest winner of the Trial.¡±


    ¡°Sneaky, yes.¡± The scythe spun once. ¡°Powerful.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for that insight,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°So, the gods did something to the Third Tutorial, and Claud got screwed over.¡±


    ¡°Really unfortunate, if nothing else.¡± Farah gestured at the meat. ¡°Is it done yet? I¡¯m starving here. Right, how did you find out that Claud failed the Third Tutorial? How did Lily tell you?¡±


    Schwarz pulled out a small board. ¡°Food is done, and this is the Trading Board. It allows me to exchange messages and knowledge. Lily and Claud somehow got their hands on one too, which makes them a Profiteer¡­anyway, there¡¯s nothing we can do for them now.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just drink to them,¡± Dia replied. ¡°We should hurry back too. Risti¡¯s been watching the house for nearly two months, and she has to be bored by now.¡±


    ¡°True, but we need our rest too. We¡¯re only a day away, after all.¡± Schwarz chuckled. ¡°What we should worry about more is our resident Bearer of Destiny. Are you sure the Moons won¡¯t go after you.¡±


    ¡°Saboteur. Forced allies.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so what happens after the Fourth is killed?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°¡­Trial is over. Both must survive,¡± Kemata replied, and Dia found herself letting out another sigh. The Holy Son of the Black God had chosen a partner who was so economical with words that talking was tough. Talking to her was a bit of a challenge, especially since she generally replied with what was necessary and sufficient.


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    Even if it meant forgoing just about everything else.


    ¡°Okay, so mutual survival? Or is it dependency?¡± Schwarz wondered out loud, before shaking his head. ¡°Well, none of our business¡­okay, maybe it¡¯s our business after all. We have Kemata here now, so it¡¯s our business. And you know what our resident walking dose of paranoia says about things like this, right?¡±


    ¡°That resident walking dose of paranoia is currently suffering from a hollowed lifeforce,¡± Nero pointed out. ¡°But I get your point. We need to gather more intel too.¡±


    Schwarz removed the skewered meat sliced. ¡°The question lies in how. Alright, we¡¯re done with the meat. Can someone check on the stew?¡±


    Kemata drifted over to a pot that had been placed on the embers of a small fire. ¡°Bubbling.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so dinner¡¯s ready.¡± Schwarz leaped to his feet and started serving the food with practiced movements. ¡°Also, Lily sent more warnings back. Vacuos is apparently going to play host to every single bigshot in the three continents.¡±


    ¡°Did you say ¡®every¡¯?¡± Nero, who was about to bite down, looked at the bartender weirdly.


    ¡°Yeah. Other than ground-level administration, every single member of the Nihal Senate is headed this way,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°The Saran Supremacy¡¯s Imperial Court has taken leave of their senses too, and they¡¯re all going to camp out at Vacuos or whatever location the divinities and gods are pointing out.¡±


    ¡°¡­The world¡¯s gone insane.¡± Nero turned to Kemata. ¡°We¡¯re going to just stay at our little house for like until they leave. That fine with you?¡±


    ¡°Overjoyed.¡± The scythe behind her spun rapidly.


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Nero raised the little piece of meat to her mouth. ¡°Open wide!¡±


    As the two of them displayed one of the reasons why Dia was absolutely happy to not see Claud and Lily around, Schwarz cleared his throat. Dia glanced at him once, and immediately felt some camaraderie with the bartender, who looked like he was sick of lovely-dovey acts or something.


    ¡°You wanted to say something?¡± Farah asked.


    Under the backdrop of soft chewing sounds, Schwarz said, ¡°Lily also said something about the three continents joining together.¡±


    The scythe that had been moving around happily abruptly stilled.


    ¡°How.¡± Kemata turned to look at him jerkily. ¡°How did¡­she know?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true?¡± Schwarz asked, turning to look at the Dark¡¯s last Bearer of Destiny. ¡°Wait, as in, it¡¯s actually a thing? The Dark is intending on squishing continents together?¡±


    ¡°Everyone.¡± The scythe began to move once more. ¡°Secret. How?¡±


    ¡°She said something about hearing it on the streets,¡± Schwarz replied, his expression troubled. ¡°What kind of streets are we talking about here, then? Maybe she¡¯s referring to something else. The Trading Board is a channel of information, and maybe she traded information there¡­uh, Farah, can you pour me another bowl of stew?¡±


    ¡°You were speaking the whole time, so how did you finish your soup this quickly?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m good, that¡¯s how.¡± Schwarz fiddled with his Trading Board, and then frowned. ¡°Seems like she got it from there. Someone¡¯s publicly posting some rather interesting information about the Fourth Godsfall¡­isn¡¯t there like, Authority or something?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s weakened drastically,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Once the Cosmic Egg was created, this world really isn¡¯t all that useful anymore. I¡¯m not sure how, but within the next few thousand years, we¡¯ll all be in a new world or something.¡±


    ¡°Next few thousand¡­we¡¯ll probably be pushing up the daisies, alright?¡± Dia rolled her eyes. ¡°Anyway, with the two lovebirds not around us, and the war having come to a pause for now, I think we¡¯re safe, right?¡±


    ¡°For the time being. Let me guess, you want to go back to the Lustre Dukedom?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Yeah. I mean, I¡ªmy mistress was pardoned, after all. Maybe she¡¯s there or something,¡± Dia replied, before mocking herself mentally. She still hadn¡¯t told the others about her identity ¡ª in fact, it was apparently a bigger secret than her being the Salvation Star.


    Really unbelievable.


    ¡°Maybe. I hope she¡¯s there.¡±


    Dia paused for a moment. ¡°Farah, Schwarz, would you like to come with me? I¡¯ll invite Risti too.¡±


    ¡°Can we?¡± Farah asked, her eyes glittering.


    ¡°Wait, how about the two of us?¡± Nero asked. ¡°We aren¡¯t invited?¡±


    ¡°While the Moons and the Dark are temporary allies, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to bring Kemata into their domain,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Besides, two people alone in a house¡­it¡¯s definitely more exciting than whatever we¡¯re up to.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything funny in Claud¡¯s house, though,¡± Farah added. ¡°Just make a small house with the barrier artefacts.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, something funny?¡± Nero asked, tilting his head. ¡°Is there a problem with me just doing all this with Kemata?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Nero blinked. ¡°Why do you three sound so surprised?¡±


    Dia looked at the Holy Son of the Black God, and then frowned. As a noble, she was exposed to the finer parts of a physical relationship, but those two weirdoes ¡ª Kemata definitely didn¡¯t know anything about babies either ¡ª clearly lacked her upstanding education.


    Schwarz made a noise in his throat. ¡°You two do know where babies come from, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Something about a stork?¡±


    The scythe stilled, and the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny coughed twice. Dia couldn¡¯t quite believe what she was hearing either, especially since Nero was very knowledgeable about the gods and all. However, now that she thought a little harder about it¡­


    ¡°Schwarz, you tell Nero the basics.¡± Farah held her head. ¡°Kemata, you¡­somehow didn¡¯t talk about all this?¡±


    ¡°Abstinence. Uh¡­¡± she fidgeted once.


    ¡°From alcohol?¡± Nero asked. ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with babies?¡±


    Schwarz got up, his movements jerky and stilted. ¡°Nero, let¡¯s go talk elsewhere for a moment. I think I need to teach you what the Black God¡¯s priests didn¡¯t¡­¡±

 Chapter 540: Undercurrents gathering

    Nero had a discomfited expression for the rest of the journey, which was mercifully uneventful. Claud had recovered enough over the remainder of their journey to join his lover in exchanging messages with Schwarz, which made Dia wonder a bit. Nero had told them that the outcome of failing the Third Tutorial was a dreadful one ¡ª living would be painful; drawing a single breath was agony, and living for a whole day a torture beyond imagination.


    Yet, Claud had managed to get up from his bed and wander around the street, which made Dia wonder if Nero¡¯s information was actually correct.


    ¡°That¡¯s what the records say, though,¡± Nero replied, Kemata leaning on his shoulder in a catlike manner. Her scythe floated around the place, in what looked like an examination of their surroundings. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault if the paranoid guy actually had a way to counteract the debilitation and hollowing of one¡¯s lifeforce.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t put it past him, that¡¯s for certain.¡± Schwarz walked over. ¡°Bad news. We¡¯ll need to join the queue in Monsville.¡±


    ¡°Bah. We¡¯re residents, right? What about Risti?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Can¡¯t she vouch for us?¡±


    Schwarz paused. ¡°Sorry. I meant we¡¯ll need to join the queue that has people vouching for them. There¡¯s also another queue for people who have residents vouching too.¡±


    ¡°What the heck¡¯s going on?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s fleeing from the centre of the Vacuos county¡­well, those who are not strong enough, anyway. Apparently, the Senate¡¯s First Lady just arrived by a flying ship.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°A flying ship, an artefact exclusive to the Nihal Senate. Her ship is called Northshore Gumption,¡± Nero replied. ¡°It¡¯s First Lady Cecily¡¯s personal flying ship, capable of carrying thirty people at high speeds. If she¡¯s here, the Senatorial Guard must be present too.¡±


    ¡°And how strong are they?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re a group of twelve. Before Absolute Domination took away three years of my life, those twelve were penta-folders.¡± Nero paused. ¡°I assume they should all be hexa-folders by now. That leaves seventeen people¡­she must have taken a bunch of other senators or folders specialised in tracking down people.¡±


    ¡°Looks like they¡¯ve been enraged,¡± Schwarz noted. ¡°And enticed. Tot¡¯s bounty ¡ª the reward for the Fourth Bearer of Destiny ¡ª is too immense to pass up. Not to mention something about a saboteur or whatever.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what happened to the Black God too, apparently.¡± Nero yawned. ¡°In the Third Godsfall, he was singled out as an enemy or something. All a bunch of bullcrap. We¡¯re still here, after all.¡±


    Nero squished Kemata¡¯s cheeks for absolutely no discernible reason whatsoever, and Dia rolled her eyes at his actions. She didn¡¯t expect the Holy Son of the Black God, who knew little about sexual relationships until a day ago, to actually be so affectionate, but¡­well, it wasn¡¯t really fair to think of him that way.


    After all, he did trick away¡­uh, win over the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny in a single week, right? Dia had no idea how he did it, but she had a feeling that Schwarz would definitely benefit from Nero¡¯s teachings.


    ¡°Folders or not, I suggest you wake her up,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°We need to get in line.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha.¡± Nero poked her cheeks a few times, but Dia didn¡¯t stay to watch his lover stir. Getting up from the small rock, she dusted her clothes and then looked at the short walls of the little village. Not too long ago, the encampment based here had been completely wiped out by some unknown person that she now knew was the Fourth Bearer of Destiny.


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    The Moons had apparently ceased to care about this small town, though, given by the total absence of Moonlit soldiers. However, since the war against the great Dark was currently on hold, this made sense ¡ª everyone was gunning for the Thief of Time, who was apparently hiding in Vacuos or in the area around it.


    As they moved towards the two queues, Dia said, ¡°The two lovebirds are so unlucky, though. They had to be in the middle of this mad gathering of powerhouses in Vacuos.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Claud¡¯s definitely lying low there, never poking his head out for anything beyond essential. The two of them are probably just going to lie together in bed¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think Claud and Lily can make a child now, given his current situation,¡± Farah chipped in.


    ¡°And why did you think in that direction?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Well, a man and a woman in a room¡­¡± Farah chuckled. ¡°I want a niece, though. A small, adorable bundle of warmth and joy.¡±


    ¡°You like babies?¡±


    ¡°Duh?¡± Farah looked at Dia. ¡°They¡¯re adorably cute. No one doesn¡¯t like babies. Even crusty old coots will smile when a little child totters along and holds their finger¡­anyway, we should keep an ear out for Licencia. If we¡¯re lucky, Count Nightfall will have Nightfall junior by the time we¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°Well, we are heading over to Lustre, right?¡± Dia asked. ¡°We can swing by and see if there¡¯s really a baby waiting for us to fawn over while we¡¯re at it.¡±


    Nero made a face. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that me and Kemata can¡¯t join you guys, though.¡±


    ¡°Just make a family while we¡¯re gone,¡± Schwarz replied, irritation in his words. ¡°Shoo!¡±


    Farah bobbed her head. ¡°We should write to Holy Daughter Clarissa and tell her about you two. It¡¯ll be nice to have her watch over you two or something¡­¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± Nero let out a sigh. ¡°Anyway, you guys¡­if you guys are travelling back, you should at least bring prepared to defend yourself or something.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all tetra-folders, though,¡± Dia replied. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°I suggest that you guys push for the next mana circuit first, before continuing.¡± Nero bobbed his head. ¡°It is possible that the Moons will not quite like your presence in their domain. But if you¡¯re a group of people with considerable power, the Moons are unlikely to fight with you while you are in their domain.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Well, unless you give them no choice.¡± Nero looked towards the south. ¡°Remember, they have the entire Istrel Sovereignty under them. While they can exercise vast workings with Istrel¡¯s Terra Jewel, they are also similarly beholden to protect the people here. It is both boon and bane.¡±


    ¡°Terra Jewel¡­¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°That term seemed so long ago, I don¡¯t even know what to think about it.¡±


    ¡°Feels like an eternity, doesn¡¯t it? Back when we weren¡¯t ordered by the Moons to do their bidding.¡± Schwarz paused. ¡°Hold on. Aren¡¯t we technically still under the Moons?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but¡­well, it¡¯s hard to order me around, and Kemata¡¯s not even on the table as an option,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Besides, you guys didn¡¯t receive any further orders, and the Moons were preoccupied with greater pursuits. So technically you guys aren¡¯t deserters.¡±


    ¡°Great, but I want to resign,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I¡¯m a free spirit, alright?¡±


    The group in front of them scattered a moment later, and Dia followed the others to the counter that was handling entry. All kinds of posters and memos were stuck on the makeshift counter ¡ª there was a limit to entry, for instance, and there were even more regulations about who could and could not enter.


    ¡°Who¡¯s vouching?¡± the clerk manning the counter asked, his tone one of boredom.


    ¡°Our fellow mercenary, Risti,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°Give me a moment to check. Alright, she came by a few hours ago and sent in the application. Do you have the pre-arranged token?¡± the clerk asked.


    Schwarz nodded, and produced five gold coins. The clerk verified them with his documents, and then waved them in. ¡°All clear. Welcome back, brothers and sisters.¡±


    Dia and the others proceeded into the gate.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t half-bad,¡± Nero noted.


    The scythe behind Kemata whirled once in agreement, although Dia really wanted to question the clerk when he allowed Kemata in. Was he just concerned with letting people who had been registered in, their equipment and identity be damned?


    ¡°It¡¯s an expedient method,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°This town is a lot more crowded than when we left it. And the numbers are projected to increase over time too¡­anyway, let¡¯s head over to the house first. Risti must be fuming mad by now.¡±


    ¡°I wonder how she¡¯ll react to Kemata¡¯s presence,¡± Farah murmured, a wicked grin gracing her face. ¡°She will not believe what Nero experienced, for starters¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, you wicked countess.¡± Schwarz cackled madly for a few seconds, and a few people looked at him. ¡°I also want to see her take on my expression back then too, hehe.¡±


    Dia shook her head. Was it really fine that they were all behaving like this? They were all adults, mid-ranked mana-folders that would make everyone else bow down if they knew, but these guys were just¡­cackling.


    She glanced at Nero, who looked a bit thankful at her silence, and then at Kemata, who was still looking as stoic as ever.


    Those two love birds still had a long way to go, complained to the thick-skinned pair in Vacuos.

 Chapter 541: A red mist that follows

    ¡°You know, rather than going back home, it feels more like a changing of the guard,¡± Dia commented, as the sight of Risti rushing over entered her eyes. ¡°We¡¯re staying here for the night, and then leaving for Lustre, right? Hmm.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Schwarz, who was nibbling on a sandwich, looked at her. ¡°You seem a bit worried. What are you thinking about?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just wondering about the Seekers of Life.¡± Dia paused, and then clarified her words. ¡°About the network we left behind in Licencia. Who¡¯s taking care of them and issuing directions?¡±


    ¡°Uh, me?¡± Schwarz tilted his head. ¡°Wait, you do know that I¡¯ve been handling the organisation remotely, right? We still need to make sure that our base of operations is nice and secure.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you forgot.¡± Schwarz clicked his teeth. ¡°I can¡¯t speak for Farah, but my heart feels some pain right now. I can¡¯t believe you forgot.¡±


    ¡°Did someone say my name?¡± Farah, who was about to lunge over to Risti for a moving hug, paused.


    ¡°Nothing important,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Do continue your run-up for a moving hug. We¡¯re just talking about how a certain bodyguard forgot that we were helping to run the Seekers of Life remotely.¡±


    ¡°Ouch. I thought you knew.¡±


    Dia mumbled an apology in response, embarrassed. Farah rolled her eyes, and then turned to Risti, who had just dashed over with no heed to her image whatsoever.


    ¡°You guys are finally back!¡± Risti beamed at everyone, sweeping her gaze through the place, and then did a doubletake at Nero, who was locking arms with Kemata. Question marks seemed to pop up from her head, and she slid over to Farah, who cackled.


    ¡°Yes, it is what you¡¯re thinking. Yes, I agree that it¡¯s miraculous. No, she won¡¯t bite, even if there¡¯s a scythe floating ominously behind.¡±


    Risti rolled her eyes, and then flicked her hair once. She was still in that lookalike disguise of hers, and Dia found herself thinking about her return trip home. How would she break the news to them? How would they react?


    More importantly, what would she do, once they found out about her identity? Would she remain on as part of their group and travel back with them, or would she stay on in Lustre, without any discernible reason whatsoever? To be honest, she found herself more at ease with the others, rather than her family, and¡­well, it was more fulfilling as a Seeker of Life than as a princess whose job was not that different from a paperweight.


    And well, her father was probably still feeling awkward over how he had¡­sent her away. Of course, it was probably better that she tried not to return; in the past, she wasn¡¯t anyone particularly renowned beyond her identity. Her brother, however, was someone who distinguished himself for loyal service to the Emperor. Now that she wanted to return, Dia also wanted to fully renounce her claim to the dukedom; it would prevent awkwardness, and it would also be a good way of getting out of nasty court and noble politics.


    She watched on as Schwarz, Farah and Risti talked about Nero and Kemata, who were waiting for the right time to introduce themselves. Of course, no one did polite introductions in the middle of the street, so everyone soon fell into step and headed to the little house.


    Dia eyed the house critically, and then turned to Risti. ¡°You didn¡¯t renovate the place?¡±


    ¡°Why do you sound so disappointed at the fact that I, according to common sense, didn¡¯t see it fit to renovate our friend¡¯s home?¡± Risti blinked her eyes at Dia three times, and then frowned. ¡°Is it a thing for nobles to help redecorate the guest houses and mansions they stay in?¡±


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    ¡°How did you guess?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Oh. Okay. So the nobles are the ones lacking common sense, I get it. Sure. People do that normally. Wow. Anyway, pin this on, or else you can¡¯t enter.¡± Risti handed over five badges, and then stepped into the house. The air around her rippled once, but nothing else happened.


    ¡°Nice artefact,¡± Schwarz quipped. ¡°How about Claud and Lily?¡±


    ¡°Oh, they already know about it. The shadow, remember? I waited until the shadow moved, which was around a day ago, and then showed them the message I wrote and where I buried those badges,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll all be here or something, so it¡¯s for when we¡¯re going to leave or something.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Dia, who was about to exclaim, glared at the couple that had exclaimed in unison, and then decided to keep her mouth shut.


    ¡°What¡¯s with that reaction?¡± Risti asked Nero. ¡°Also, do make introductions. I¡¯m dying of curiosity already.¡±


    Nero grinned. ¡°You will not believe who she is, just to preface the whole thing. Do you wanna bet with me on this?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t believe who this charming woman is?¡± Risti asked, before raising an eyebrow. ¡°Oh, please. We have Countess Farah, a bodyguard of Princess Dia and this uh, Salvation Star thing , and I¡¯m the daughter of the largest formal organisation of folders. I think the women in our little group are plenty illustrious. I won¡¯t be surprised by anything else.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Nero eyed her. ¡°Really now? Okay, then. Listen and be awed. My partner hails from the distant continent of Saran, the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny. Her name is Kemata.¡±


    ¡°¡­The what?¡±


    ¡°The Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny,¡± Nero replied, a grin on his face. ¡°Is that surprising enough?¡±


    Dia slid over to Farah and Schwarz, who were sharing a packet of peanuts, and then gestured for some of them. Popping a few peanuts into her mouth, she turned back to the conversation, which was just Risti trying to figure out how this idiot Nero managed to win over Kemata.


    It was a question that Dia wanted to know too. Maybe it was his straightforwardness or something? After all, she and Holy Daughter Clarissa had been watching the two of them interact the entire time during the Trial of Aeons, and yet no one knew just how they managed to end up together.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just love at first sight or something,¡± Dia suggested.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°How they got together,¡± Dia replied, before turning back to Risti, who was now shaking hands with Kemata profusely. For some reason, it felt like she was meeting an idol or something, but again¡­the Bearers of Destiny were famous.


    Dia herself did want to see what the Thief of Time looked like, so she could understand Kemata¡¯s feelings very much.


    Anyway, since the surprise was over, the three of them walked back over to Risti, who was now asking all sorts of questions.


    ¡°That scythe?¡±


    ¡°Soulbound.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. You can afford to say a few more words, alright? Okay, what¡¯s your Absolute skill?¡±


    Dia took in those words, and then frowned. Something like a weight slipped off her shoulders a moment later, and everyone else, from Kemata to Farah, collectively stumbled.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Dia asked, looking around.


    Kemata let out a faint groan a moment later, and she got up slowly. The first thing she did was to check on Nero, and Dia took that as a cue to help up the others as well.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Schwarz asked, his voice trembling. ¡°It felt like something had been removed, and my head feels a little clearer.¡±


    ¡°Restriction?¡± The scythe behind Kemata whirled. ¡°Someone did this. Absolute skill. I¡­forgot.¡±


    ¡°Even you forgot about your own Absolute skill?¡± Risti asked, her eyes narrowed. ¡°So, it seems like someone made you guys forget about it. If I didn¡¯t mention it¡­I wonder what would have happened eventually.¡±


    Dia looked at the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny, and then frowned. Something told her that Kemata was innocent, and there was something more malicious slithering around them.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Risti looked around, and then pulled out a skillstick. She stared at it for a while, and then decided not to use it.


    ¡°Do you guys have skills that can get rid of negative effects?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Use it right now.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Claud gave us some skill strips for Cleanse.¡± Dia pulled them out and handed one to everyone, before tearing her own into two. The hair on the back of her neck rose instantly, and red mist seemed to evaporate from their shadows.


    ¡°Red mist¡­¡± Nero made a face. ¡°The Red God? Is the Red God behind all this?¡±


    Everyone exchanged wary gazes with each other, and then drew out their weapons slowly. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, however, and Dia felt her drumming heart slow down as the night resumed, heedless of their own caution and fear.


    ¡°¡­What now?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°The Red God is after us¡­that¡¯s quite possible, right?¡±


    ¡°Maybe the Red God isn¡¯t after us,¡± Risti began. ¡°There was another warning that came with the message from Claud. The Red God might be looking for a Bearer of Destiny to replace his fallen representative.¡±


    ¡°You can swap out Bearers of Destiny?¡± Nero folded his arms. ¡°That¡¯s not possible.¡±


    ¡°You need to tell the Red God that, not me,¡± Risti replied. ¡°But it might be possible that the Red God wants Miss Kemata.¡±


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s talk more about this inside, shall we?¡±

 Chapter 542: Crimson blow

    ¡°I can¡¯t say that this is a good idea.¡± Nero, who had been staying up all night to talk to Kemata, folded his arms. ¡°The two of us walking into Moon territory will just provoke the Moons, even if we¡¯re in a ceasefire right now.¡±


    Dia glanced at the Holy Son of the Black God, who was busy arguing with Schwarz and Risti, and then poured out some water to make herself feel more awake. Everyone had returned to their own small rooms made by barriers last night, and while she had a good rest, it was not that different from their usual sleeping methods when travelling.


    A soft bed would be nice, at least. Unfortunately, Risti was still using the guestroom, so no one else got to sleep on a nice soft bed. Yawning once, she turned to the sausages that were roasting over the fire and speared one with some mana.


    Farah bobbed her head at her as Dia walked over to the fire. Their discussion last night was quite fruitful, with the only exception of Nero and Kemata. Schwarz and Risti wanted the two of them to come along to the Lustre Dukedom; the Moons were unlikely to allow the Red God or His devotees to walk around inside¡­


    However, one could also argue that such a thing would apply to the Dark¡¯s flipping Bearer of Destiny. Of course, since everyone was currently united against the Omen, the Moons and the great Dark apparently had no plans to off their counterpart¡¯s last Bearer of Destiny, but the same couldn¡¯t be said for the Coloured Gods.


    Schwarz and Risti, therefore, believed that the Moons would provide protection for Kemata until the Omen was killed. Considering that the Omen was the legendary Thief of Time, however, the chances of that happening anytime in the next century or so was probably as high as her breakfast¡¯s chances of survival.


    Maybe a bit lower.


    The two of them chomped on the sausages in silence, thereby proving that Tot wasn¡¯t going to be caught anytime soon.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Farah asked, reaching out for her fourth sausage.


    ¡°I think you should stop eating and leave some for the others,¡± Dia replied, before taking her own fourth sausage.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we ate the same number, though,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Anyway, what do you think? Should Nero and Kemata go with us, or should they stay here instead?¡±


    Dia opened her mouth, and then realised that she had no answer for this question. Both arguments made sense, and they were close enough to the Moons that they could theoretically respond to any attempt by the Red God to capture Kemata. More importantly, the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny had also said that she could request for aid at any time.


    For some reason, Dia had the feeling that she was standing on the crossroads of destiny. It was an absurd feeling¡­or maybe not, considering that it was a Bearer of Destiny they were talking about, and Dia couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit frightened at the many possible consequences.


    ¡°I think¡­¡± Dia frowned. ¡°I think we should let them stay here instead. It¡¯s Nero and Kemata¡¯s will, after all, and we need to respect that. Besides, even if the Moons and the Dark are in a ceasefire, it¡¯s really too disrespectful to have the enemy walk around¡­¡±


    She looked at the others, who had heard her words, and before long, the discussion came to an end. Schwarz and Risti had made the two lovebirds promise to never step out of this stronghold, and to have the Dark ready to provide assistance at any moment.


    Dia clapped her hands twice as the four of them ended the discussion. ¡°Alright, now that this is over, you guys better finish up the breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, got it.¡± Risti rolled over to the fire. ¡°Hmm. Were there only this many sausages?¡±


    ¡°Obviously not. These two just took more than their fair share,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Anyway, Nero, you should take this key. It¡¯s for the case I carry my booze in. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t leave it behind, but I can¡¯t have you guys stepping out of the house to buy drinks, can we?¡±


    He tossed a key over. ¡°After this, we¡¯ll set up even more defences¡­you two also have life-saving cards, right? Don¡¯t be stingy with them if the Red God shows up.¡±


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    ¡°Got it,¡± Nero replied.


    The scythe that seemed to follow Kemata around everywhere did a cartwheel, and Kemata nodded once. ¡°Understood.¡±


    Watching the two of them feed each other so blatantly was not helpful to Dia¡¯s psyche, so she got up and returned to her small room made from barriers ¡ª it had lasted the whole time somehow ¡ª and checked her equipment. Her weapon hadn¡¯t fully transformed into a soulbound weapon yet; it was an endeavour that took time.


    Paradoxically, her strength had grown faster than it took the time for her sword¡¯s hilt to be bound to her soul, but a weapon was still deadly, even with mana in the picture.


    ¡°Barriers, important skillsticks, the random skills that Claud gave me, artefacts¡­and most importantly, more lifestyle artefacts.¡± Dia patted her backpack once, and then checked it for any defects too. It would be a problem if a strap snapped or there was a hole.


    ¡°I wonder what the two of them are doing now,¡± Dia muttered to herself, thinking about the two who had apparently started a small shop selling random things in Vacuos. What did it feel like to have one¡¯s lifeforce hollowed out? Dia had a feeling that the way Lily described things was not enough to¡ª


    ¡°Enough, me.¡± Dia took a deep breath. ¡°No point scaring myself.¡±


    Sitting down on a stack of barriers, which had served as her bed, Dia focused on her body and continued to draw her fifth mana circuit. It was nearing completion at a rate she had never thought possible; the Blue Moon¡¯s gift of increasing her Mana Control Proficiency had done her a massive favour through and though. In fact, none of the others had reached a Mana Circuit Superimposition of 4.2, but Dia herself was already at 4.91.


    Her growth rate was incredible, and¡ª


    Two faces came to mind a moment later, and Dia suddenly felt that her achievement was nothing much. Those two at Vacuos were both hexa-folders, and one of them had even tried to scale the Third Tutorial. Compared to the two of them, Dia felt like a student or something.


    Somewhat demoralised, Dia continued to build her fifth mana circuit. Now that she was incredibly close to completion, being careful was the way to go, even with her incredible Mana Control Proficiency. It would be nice if she became a penta-folder before everyone left for Lustre¡­but what was most surprising was how she had only spent less than a week of concerted effort to get this far.


    After all, not much time had passed since her visit to the Celestia Ruins.


    Without warning, a thunderclap detonated over Monsville, and Dia ceased her actions at once. She glanced upwards, and then frowned. Something was distinctly off with that thunderclap ¡ª she could feel it in her veins ¡ª and after a few seconds, she headed out.


    The morning sky had turned red. A bloody lightning bolt hung in the red sky, in a shade of red so bright that it seemed divine when compared to the surroundings. The red sphere that had hung in the sky ever since the Trial of Aeons was far larger right now, and Dia could even see cracks on it.


    Everyone else had obviously noticed these changes too.


    ¡°¡­Looks like the Red God had no intention to wait at all,¡± Dia muttered, her voice beginning to crack. The pressure that usually came with the divinities was absent, but the fear that the entire sight conjured up in her heart was incredible.


    Her body glowed faintly as the fear mounted, and the abnormal build-up of terror melted away.


    ¡°¡­Only me?¡± Dia whispered, before walking over to the others. Her sword hissed as she unsheathed it, and she placed herself in front of the others, who had been immobilised in various poses. None of them could move under the divine presence of the Red God; only she could move freely.


    It was definitely not a good sign.


    Her heart continued to beat madly as she took up a guarding position, but something told Dia that the Red God probably couldn¡¯t swagger around for that long. A price had to be paid, and this was still Moon territory¡­


    She took a deep breath. A part of her lucid mind told her that she just needed to resist whatever came next for a long enough period of time, and while her mana wasn¡¯t much to look at, the same couldn¡¯t be said for her skills.


    After all, not too long ago, the Sixth Bearer of Destiny had fallen to her skills.


    ¡°I must be crazy,¡± Dia murmured, before looking at the others, who were paralyzed or something. The faint glow around her body allowed her to keep moving, however, as if she was destined to protect them.


    ¡°Interesting.¡± A voice rumbled from high above. The others let out various grunts and screams as blood spurted out from their ears, and Dia frowned. Even with the protection of her Salvation Star passive skill, the pressure emanated by the red globe was so solid she couldn¡¯t shrug it off entirely.


    ¡°Do you think you can stand against me?¡±


    Red pulsed once, and Dia felt her body grow heavier. Her joints and muscles trembled, and she sank to the ground slowly¡­but she was still standing upright.


    ¡°Stand aside and hand the Bearer over. No one else will be harmed,¡± the voice rumbled.


    ¡°Can¡¯t,¡± Dia replied, raising her blade. ¡°That¡¯s Nero¡¯s lover. He¡¯ll be sad, see?¡±


    ¡°And you think your resistance will make a difference?¡± As those words rumbled out, the various artefacts that protected the house malfunctioned in various ways, and the barriers winked out of existence.


    ¡°Sword Roar, activate!¡± Dia swung her glowing blade skywards, but before the skill could fully activate, the metal blade snapped halfway through the arc, and her skill winked out.


    ¡°Foolish.¡±


    ¡°¡­So, you think you can invalidate all my skills, eh?¡± Dia looked up at the red lightning bolt and the sphere that looked down on her. Something seemed to bubble up in the pit of her stomach, and she sneered at the skies.


    Claud would probably scold her for antagonising a Coloured God, but she was beyond this now.


    ¡°Then invalidate this,¡± Dia spat. ¡°Skill: Perfect Domain of Swords.¡±


    The world around her rippled.

 Chapter 543: Perfection against Possibility

    Only with flaws could something suffer an accident. Buildings typically crumbled because there were cracks in its foundation, and weapons broke because there were minute fractures that the naked eye couldn¡¯t see.


    ¡°If it¡¯s perfect, can there be a coincidence to overcome it?¡± Dia muttered to herself. ¡°Perfection is the enemy of possibility.¡±


    As those words echoed out, a sphere erupted outwards from Dia, transforming the world around her. Blue and red skies struggled with each other for influence, and the ground beneath her turned into lush greeneries. Thousands and thousands of swords ¡ª a total of thirty-three thousand ¡ª rippled into existence, and she looked up at the skies.


    The blue sky cracked and shattered, but the red hue that had coloured the sky, by the Red God¡¯s bidding, was now far fainter. The red lightning bolt had fractured into small pieces, and Dia looked up.


    ¡°Now, am I still foolish?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°You cannot win.¡± The divine voice of the Red God rumbled throughout the firmament.


    ¡°You can¡¯t know that. And I can delay you until aid comes,¡± Dia replied. ¡°The Black God, the Dark and the Moons will stand against you soon enough.¡±


    The fractured lightning flared up against her insolence, before morphing into a gigantic red palm. A palpable anger filled the air, and the green grass that had been formed by her Perfect Domain of Swords withered away. Their house and the barriers that surrounded it warped and twisted, morphing into a desolate landscape.


    Slow, steady sounds of striking metal filled her ears, and innumerable pendulums hung in the sky.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Dia whispered.


    ¡°His Divine Kingdom,¡± Nero forced out, before coughing out some fleshy bits. The Holy Son of the Black God crumpled over a moment later, and Dia clenched her fist.


    ¡°Kemata, your Absolute Skill might be needed here too,¡± Dia warned.


    ¡°Requires timing.¡± The scythe twitched once, but even the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny was clearly oppressed by the red sky. Dia didn¡¯t know why her movement was less restricted, but this was something she had observed even during the Trial of Aeons.


    ¡°So you need an opportunity¡­¡± Dia had no idea what her Absolute skill was, but if she needed an opening, Dia was more than welcome to give one to her.


    The fist high above began to fall, as if that thought had triggered something. With a shout, Dia sent the thirty-three thousand swords ¡ª each of them now bearing strength equal to her current mana circuits ¡ª hurtling towards the fist, resisting its movement.


    Metal shrieked as innumerable swords threw themselves against the grinding force emitted by the fist, whose descent was immediately slowed down by so many all-out attacks of a penta-folder. While they meant nothing individually, together, they formed a force that the Red God¡¯s fist had to grind down, slowing its approach and buying some time for everyone¡¯s helpers to arrive. Thankfully, the Red God had been dramatically weakened after his descent, since the power behind that fist of his wasn¡¯t earth-shattering.


    Either that, or he was holding back.


    Lightning sundered the red sky, a black bolt of lightning, and the world shook. The fist continued to grind downwards, heedless of the sudden battle that had erupted high up, shattering the swords that rammed themselves to stop its approach. Fragments of metal fell all around Dia, vanishing a moment later, and her vision began to turn red. The world turned silent a moment later, with the only thing Dia could hear being her breathing.


    Blood welled up from her throat and her nose a breath later, and Dia felt her breathing weaken. Her legs, however, were as steady as ever, and the mounting pain that was pressing down on her head only served to whip up even greater resistance from her mind.


    All that, however, didn¡¯t stop the fact that the fist had powered through more than nine-tenths of the swords her skill had generated. The whole ordeal had felt like an infinity to Dia, but she knew that in actual fact, only twenty-seven seconds had passed.


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    The remaining three thousand swords decreased rapidly as the fist closed in on Dia, and her legs gave way. The last sword shot upwards, only to crumble away entirely. Power flared up from Kemata in that instant, and an overwhelming barrage of white arcs slammed against the falling fist, holding it off and pushing the fist back.


    For a moment, Dia thought that the fist would break, as damaged as it was, but it still held. Seconds ticked by in extreme agony, and as the tenth breath left her lungs, the barrage of white slashes faded away.


    ¡°No!¡±


    In that instant, without anything to hold it back whatsoever, the fist closed the distance to Dia and the others immediately, and the ground underneath everyone cracked and fractured. The sense of fatal danger ballooned in that singular heartbeat, and Dia hadn¡¯t even closed her eyes when the sky itself was nearly blotted out entirely.


    Tri-coloured lights dispersed the red sky, and the fist stopped immediately, barely a palm away from crushing her head. A second later, innumerable black cubes appeared in the morning sky, emitting a black pulse that turned the red fist into fog.


    The Moons and the great Dark had arrived.


    Dia felt the remainder of her strength ebb away as that realisation flickered through her mind. The pressure that had been crushing them earlier had dissipated, and the others supported her as she fell backwards.


    ¡°¡­Heh.¡± Dia looked up. Her limbs had grown numb, and blood seemed to be flowing from all over her body, but she had done something that no other mortal had managed.


    She¡¯d stopped a Coloured God.


    An angered howl filled the world as the three new arrivals suppressed the red sphere. Their presences, however, were muted, as if they didn¡¯t want to harm anyone right now, and Dia watched on as the red sphere was covered by a multitude of energies.


    Without her Perfect Domain of Swords, she wouldn¡¯t have managed to last for thirty seconds, the time needed for the other divinities to rush over.


    The others carried her over to a makeshift bed of barriers, before Risti popped up in her vision. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, and then Dia frowned.


    She couldn¡¯t hear anything.


    Pointing at her ears, Dia said, ¡°I can¡¯t hear you guys. Something seems to be wrong with my ears.¡±


    Schwarz skittled over to her sides, and then took out a skillstick. Her vision cleared up, and the sounds of the world returned.


    The wind was howling.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine now.¡± Dia turned to Schwarz. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°You saved our asses,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°A healing skillstick, however rare it may be, is absolutely nothing compared to that.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Kemata held her hand. ¡°My Absolute Severance only lasts thirty seconds¡­and the Red God clearly did something to it. If you didn¡¯t use that skill, I would only have been able to stop that thing from descending for ten seconds.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re speaking normally,¡± Dia noted, before looking at her with a grin.


    ¡°Most efficient.¡±


    Dia tilted her head, but she was too tired to press for an explanation. Her body felt like it had been mangled through and through, before her mind shuddered. The Red God¡¯s power was definitely incredibly limited to begin with ¡ª otherwise, there was no way she could have delayed that thing for a full thirty seconds. Of course, Kemata had also followed up, but the other divinities had taken a full forty seconds to provide backup.


    The Black God had intervened the quickest, but even then, the Red God had held him off. If the Moons and the Dark hadn¡¯t arrived¡­


    The skies flashed with a myriad of colours as the divinities vanished entirely, including the red sphere that was the descended Red God.


    ¡°We¡¯re alive.¡± Farah flopped onto her back. ¡°Heh. Heh. Wow. We¡¯re still here. Not dead, nor captured. Dia, you lovely little treasure. We¡¯re still here¡­¡±


    Dia shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s really important.¡± Nero got up slowly, his mouth dribbling blood. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t intervened, Kemata would definitely have been captured. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.¡±


    He tried to get up, but flopped over weakly.


    ¡°Your body¡­¡± Dia stared at him. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I offered my body as a medium,¡± Nero replied, his breathing ragged. ¡°Divinity Descent. It¡¯s an extra skill¡­my Lord was blocked by the Divine Kingdom, but he ran interference. Otherwise, even your Perfect Domain of Swords wouldn¡¯t have lasted that long.¡±


    ¡°But your body¡­¡±


    ¡°It was injured, as a result.¡± Nero shivered. ¡°Someone move me to a bed, thanks.¡±


    Kemata carried him gently. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Schwarz pulled out four bottles from a nearby backpack, and then handled one to Dia and Farah in silence. Fear was still written all over his face, and Farah looked like she was doubting life¡­


    Dia, on her part, just felt extremely good for some reason.


    ¡°We¡¯re alive. We¡¯re kicking. And we faced off against the Red God.¡± Dia let out a long sigh. ¡°I think you guys should loosen up a little.¡±


    ¡°I was nearly useless, though.¡± Schwarz uncorked his bottle. ¡°And if it wasn¡¯t for you, Kemata and Nero, there was no way we could have stopped that. How can the Red God exert this much power? And if he¡¯s already constrained to begin with¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Farah shivered. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest. I¡¯m starting to understand Claud now.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± Dia let out a sigh. ¡°But we won, at least. It¡¯s fortunate that my Perfect Domain of Swords countered his entire coincidence schtick¡­did you see how my sword broke when I tried to use Sword Roar?¡±


    ¡°That was cheating.¡± Risti brushed her hair back. ¡°But it¡¯s good that you had all of the princess¡¯ skills, or else we would have been screwed. We should offer thanks to her¡­¡±


    ¡°Since we are on that topic, are we still going to Lustre?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not.¡± Dia let out a sigh. ¡°Tomorrow, maybe?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably for the best¡­¡± Schwarz sighed heavily. ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep this out first. Everything still feels like a dream.¡±


    Dia looked up at the sky, and then nodded. ¡°We can think about the repercussions later.¡±

 Chapter 544: Opportunity of a lifetime

    ¡°Eighty-one, two three four¡­and done.¡± Claud lowered the metal rod, and then made his way to the wall of his little shop¡¯s garden. His body was as heavy as ever, or even more so ¡ª it felt like he was wearing multiple suits of armour, dragging his movements down. The desire to break out of that suit of armour and regain his true freedom was strong, stronger than the desire to just rest, and Claud nodded his head.


    He could still feel the allure of oblivion, the rest that promised him salvation from his ailing body, but this desire to regain what he had lost was so strong that he could keep those impulses at bay.


    Indeed, moving around and living was the best way to deal with being hollowed out.


    Lily floated over to him, and then moved to wipe his forehead. ¡°Why eighty-four?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I felt like it was a good number to stop at,¡± Claud replied, a faint smile on his face.


    ¡°Are you still worried?¡± Lily asked, peering into his eyes.


    The world had turned mad yesterday, with all sorts of incredible phenomena bursting into being far down south, close to the border between the Istrel Sovereignty and the Nihila Sovereignty. The two of them had sheltered in their home, Claud ready to make a move at any moment, but the insane outburst of energy and lights had vanished as swiftly as it came. No one knew what happened ¡ª even the gossipy old men and women at the taverns were clueless ¡ª but everyone knew that something had happened.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud wanted to hug her, but he didn¡¯t want to sully her with his sweat.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry.¡± Worry flickered across Lily¡¯s face. ¡°I just received a message on the Trading Board. ¡°According to Schwarz, the Red God tried to do something to the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny or something. Dia intervened, and with Kemata¡¯s help, the two of them held off the God of Precision long enough for the other divinities to arrive and provide aid.¡±


    Claud felt his blood run cold at those words, a sensation that was swiftly replaced by a touch of jubilation. They had managed to survive what the Frozen Emperor hadn¡¯t managed to accomplish.


    He let out a long breath. ¡°Unbelievable.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Lily smiled. ¡°The Red God has been sealed or something too. Apparently, Nero said that the Red God¡¯s power was further sealed to prevent him from doing anything more to the Thirteenth. As long as the Omen remains undiscovered, the war cannot continue.¡±


    ¡°Sealed?¡± Claud felt something bubble at the pit of his stomach, something cold and clammy. His lips twisted of their own volition, and Claud fought to remain himself.


    ¡°Claud?¡±


    ¡°I¡­am trembling with some excitement. A lot of excitement. Here is the chance for me to take revenge for grudges in iterations past,¡± Claud breathed, his voice a low rasp. ¡°The Red God is at his weakest. And I¡­while my physical condition is problematic, my mana is still as perfect as ever.¡±


    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t tell me!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s steal his time,¡± Claud whispered. ¡°Forever. So that it will never harm us and the others again.¡±


    Lily looked at him once, and then nodded. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡±


    Claud let out a small breath, and Will of Solitude activated. ¡°I need you to get me some specific skillstrips. I¡¯ll need one each.¡±


    ¡°What skillstrips?¡± Lily asked.


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    ¡°Those that increase the damage or potency of my mana.¡± Claud thought for a moment. ¡°Water Severs Steel, Penetration Up, Piercing Light¡­skillstrips like this. The more, the better. I¡¯ll teach the Red God just who he had wronged in my many lifetimes.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°You¡¯re certain about this?¡±


    ¡°Dead certain.¡± Claud looked at her fondly, and then at the sky. No one could probably understand what the Frozen Emperor and the many other hims had gone through when they held¡­


    His thoughts weakened, and Claud stopped thinking about himself. The Red God had probably died in every single iteration, and Claud fully intended to make this the last one.


    Killing the Red God would be a good way to start.


    Lily supported him to the bathroom, but Claud stopped her from helping him wash up and asked her to get him the skillstrips he desired instead. She didn¡¯t like the idea of leaving Claud to his own devices, but Claud didn¡¯t want to delay his justice for a moment longer than necessary.


    Lily¡¯s death was very linked to the divinities in general, after all.


    Water ran down his face, and Claud began to think about how he would get rid of the Red God. The skillstrips were absolutely required; since Absolute One could boost the power of all skills to an absurd degree, it was very possible that he could boost skills that improved the power, speed and penetrative ability of his mana. If it really worked, the Red God, who had been weakened and sealed away by the other divinities, would probably be unable to resist this killing stroke.


    Most crucially, no one would expect the Omen to strike now, since it had only been two weeks since the Omen struck. Everyone would expect him to hide and work on gaining strength, not to obliterate the Red God.


    It was illogical.


    Claud, however, found it utterly logical.


    Drying himself, Claud pulled on a fresh set of clothes slowly. His movements were still as ponderous as ever, and he would need to be quick when using Absolute One, but other than that¡­


    He let out a small sigh and prepared some breakfast for him and Lily. Lily had woken up at the same time as Claud, before watching him practice waving a sword around. She didn¡¯t want anything to happen while he was off swinging a heavy practice sword around, especially in his current condition, so she just spent the entire morning just looking at him.


    Claud wanted to tell her that it was fine for her to be sleeping in, but she was the same as him when it came to being stubborn. Since he wouldn¡¯t sleep in if something like this happened to Lily, he¡¯d dropped the topic after asking once.


    Lily, too, cared about him.


    After frying some sausages and eggs, Claud served them onto two plates and moved towards the windows. Indeed, now that Lily had mentioned it, the red sphere that was the difficult ¡®childbirth¡¯ of the Red God was dim and far, far weaker than he¡¯d seen it at any point in time. It was an egg that had lost most of its vitality, and Claud had no intention of letting it recover at all.


    Sitting down on a chair, he looked at his right arm, which was as heavy as ever, and then pondered on the surprising news.


    How did Dia and Kemata hold off the Red God? Or was everything that had led up to this moment the reason why the Red God failed?


    Claud toyed with the question idly until Lily returned.


    ¡°Is that sausages I smell¡­wait, I told you not to cook, right?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Oh, you. What do you think you¡¯re doing? Your body¡¯s not in any fit state to do lots of things unsupervised.¡±


    ¡°I was using my mana to do most of the heavy lifting,¡± Claud replied. ¡°At best, I only physically cracked the eggs.¡±


    Lily eyed him critically, and then sighed. ¡°Fine. Don¡¯t do something like that again, okay? Just sit tight and let me baby you.¡±


    ¡°What am I, a child?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re more fragile than one right now.¡± A Moonlit baby whizzed past in the distance, before bouncing off a wall and rubbing its head. Lily examined the baby in silence, and then said, ¡°See?¡±


    ¡°¡­Fine.¡± Claud wanted to pout, but he wasn¡¯t that childish either. ¡°Did you get the skillstrips?¡±


    ¡°I got ten different ones that all increase mana potency, penetrative power and damaging ability,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯s a pity I can¡¯t find anything that would turn your mana into a bomb, so this is as good as we can get.¡±


    ¡°A bomb¡­¡± Claud looked at her, speechless.


    ¡°What? Bombs are very destructive, alright?¡± Lily replied. ¡°Anyway, when are you going to make a move?¡±


    ¡°After breakfast,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Let¡¯s deal with the eggs and sausages first, shall we?¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like we''re going out for an errand after breakfast,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°You do know you¡¯re intending to make a lot of history, right? Seriously¡­¡±


    Claud looked at her. ¡°Well, I¡¯m just trying to look confident. I¡¯m also a bit nervous, alright? There are all sorts of things that needed to be calculated, for instance, and I need to make sure that this won¡¯t leave any loose ends lying around.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just going to clear it with a skill, right?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound too difficult.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to sound awesome to someone who knows you very well,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Well, whatever. Let¡¯s put this aside for now and eat. There¡¯s work to be done¡­¡±

 Chapter 545: The curtain call for the Cornerstone

    ¡°This should do.¡± Claud let out a deep breath, and then placed Lily down. A deep sense of fatigue rushed through his body, but with Will of Freedom active, he didn¡¯t even need to remain standing; he was free from all physical forces, including gravity.


    This was what allowed him to fly so freely in the sky, unimpeded by howling winds and strong gales.


    ¡°It¡¯s different when we fly like this,¡± Lily patted her hair. ¡°My hair is still neat and tidy. It¡¯s like we¡¯re on the bed and just lying around.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Claud chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s really fun. I used Will of Freedom to move around freely throughout the Trial back then, and no one could find me, no matter how hard they tried.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I¡¯ll need Aeon Fold to upgrade a Fly skill to do that, right?¡± Lily asked. ¡°But I don¡¯t have either skills. If only I can get it or something. That¡¯ll be nice. Anyway¡­¡±


    She handed over the small stack of skillstrips that she had purchased from other shops in Vacuos County. Each of them had powerful effects on the user¡¯s mana, granting various offensive abilities and augmenting its potency overall.


    This was going to be Claud¡¯s present to the Red God.


    He took long, deep breaths, and then looked up at the sky. It was in the middle of the day, and the red sphere that was the half-descended Red God had been sealed. The birds in this remote, desolate mountaintop chirped softly, the wind gently caressing their fluffy downs.


    ¡°Lily. We¡¯re starting. Hang onto me tightly, will you?¡± Claud smiled at her, and then readied himself to tear the skillstrip. Absolute One¡¯s Order bonus augmented the following skill to last seven days, while improving the effect, but it also empowered all skills used within the ten seconds it was active. Claud intended to use these skills to empower his mana to an extreme level, and then hurl the product at the debilitated Red God.


    As Lily clung onto him tightly, Claud reflected on the actions he was about to do. Indeed, he was no fighter ¡ª his actions thus far were closer to that of an assassin or a thief. His actions, while fairly reckless on a tactical level, were cautious overall ¡ª no one would expect Tot to act now of all times, after all.


    He was going to do just that, though.


    Claud rehearsed his actions a few times, and then took a deep breath. The process was simple ¡ª he would activate Absolute One, tear all the skillstrips in a single blow, harness his mana and compress it to an insane degree, and then hurl it towards the Red God.


    The powers of the Red God were incredible, yes, since Dia and Kemata could withstand his attempts to capture them for a full forty seconds, these skills weren¡¯t invulnerable. After all, none of them were hexa-folders or above ¡ª it was clear that the Red God wasn¡¯t omnipotent.


    Besides, how many times had the Red God died across all these iterations?


    It was proof that the Red God, despite having a near-omnipotent power, couldn¡¯t get away from his methods, or that of his other selves. And they all used the same method.


    Absolute One. Mana.


    That was it.


    Claud checked that his Will of Solitude skill was still active, and then rubbed his palms. It was an incredible upgrade from his Presence Nullification ¡ª Will of Solitude would only deactivate after its allotted period was up, or when he decided to deactivate it. He no longer needed to¡ª


    ¡°Enough.¡±


    Lily looked at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I was telling myself to stop thinking about superfluous stuff, that¡¯s all.¡± Claud touched his chest. His heart was pounding madly, as if it couldn¡¯t wait to pump the blood that would fuel his next actions, and Claud flexed his right arm once.


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    There was no point in waiting anymore.


    His hands shivering slightly, Claud glared at the red sphere, and then murmured two words.


    ¡°Absolute One.¡±


    The world shimmered around him as his hands ripped apart the skillstrips, and the mana surging out of his body darkened to a deep twilight instantly. The surging, water-like energies took on a viscous quality, and yet they whirled around him like the wind, swift and nimble.


    Claud raised his right hand and pulled it back, the action sucking up every bit of mana that was pouring out of him. A blazing, pulsing lance of twilight took form, and the air around Claud and Lily warped.


    This time, Claud didn¡¯t prevent any quips or elegies for the Red God. There was no will within him to send the God of Precision off, nor was there any desire to interact with the past and the myriad iterations that had occurred to pave the way for him today.


    For the Red God, he could only deliver death, and it was death he would deliver today.


    The muscles in his right arm bulged, and for that faintest of moments, Claud felt himself return to his peak form, free of all restraints and chains. The heavy weightiness seemed to melt away, enabling his body to burst out with far greater strength than he thought possible.


    With a roar, he hurled the five-metre spear towards the red sphere. His body returned to its usual lethargy as the spear left his fingers with a rumbling thunderclap, but Claud forced himself to ignore the soul-sucking sensation and took to the skies.


    The sky turned to night a second into their flight, and the two of them turned their heads involuntarily. The twilight lance was dyeing the sky where it passed, and darkening the midday sun, and time seemed to slow as the lance closed in on the red sphere.


    Red lightning bolts tore through the twilight sky, attempting to strike down the twilight lance, but nothing seemed to faze the latter. A multi-layered shell of red light rippled into existence a moment later, shrouding the Red God¡¯s physical body.


    The world shuddered as the lance stabbed into the shell of light, and Lily¡¯s grip on him tightened. Thousands of red crescents erupted from the shell as it ruptured without pause, cleaving through the skies and heading to the world below.


    Silence descended upon the world a second later. The whirling energies that shrouded the Red God, the remnants of the multi-layered shield, the divine light that the sealed Red God emitted, the red lightning bolts¡­all of them abruptly dimmed and ground to a halt.


    In that moment, time stood still.


    Claud looked at the dimming red sphere, watching as the lance of twilight that ran through it faded away.


    ¡°You did it,¡± Lily whispered. ¡°You killed¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s dying. Not yet dead.¡± Claud looked at the dimming red globe, and the absurd notion that the Red God hadn¡¯t quite understood what had happened to him floated to the forefront of his mind. Like a villain, who hadn¡¯t quite registered that there was a deadly arrow protruding from his chest¡­


    The red lightning faded away a moment later, and the red globe¡¯s light winked out without any warning. Colour fled from the world, leaving behind a landscape of black and white, and a red box appeared in Claud¡¯s vision.


    Grey words appeared in the box, letter by letter, each of them exuding a solemn finality.


    <The darling of fate, the chosen of destiny, has fallen at the Omen¡¯s hands.>


    <The fleeting star, the reddest flame, quenched by hatreds illusory.>


    <Bygone times and distant fates, connected through unknown strands,>


    <Wound together and took His life, composing this elegy.>


    <Thus ends the curtain call for the Red God.>


    <The curtain call for the Cornerstone.>


    The world returned to normal as the words faded away, and Claud felt a great sense of relief course through him. However, the divinities had been provoked ¡ª multiple heavy presences had manifested, and Claud doubled down on his escape, bringing Lily faraway.


    ¡°¡­You did it.¡± Lily looked at him, and the arms wrapped around him tightened. ¡°You really did it.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Yes. I did it. I killed the Red God. It¡¯s unbelievable, and¡ª¡±


    [<Aspiration: Bringing down the God of Precision>, has been completed.]


    [With the <Entity Designation: God of Precision> slain at your hands and your will, you have gained 87% of <Entity Designation: God of Precision>¡¯s lifespan. The remainder will go to those who harboured similar aspirations.]


    [Your passive skill, Understanding, has evolved to Omniscience (False)!]


    [You have learned the passive skill, All-Life Nemesis!]


    [You have stolen the passive skill: Cornerstone of Coincidence!]


    Claud looked at the words in silence, and then let out a sigh. ¡°Looks like the Status system also has an interest in this.¡±


    ¡°You¡­got something?¡± Lily¡¯s arms tightened.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud nodded heavily. ¡°A lot of somethings, in fact¡­what exactly is this Status? Who¡¯s monitoring it?¡±


    Making a mental note to check his Status when he returned, Claud and Lily flew back to Vacuos, leaving behind the brewing maelstrom of divinities.


    How long would it take for people to learn that the Thief of Time had killed the Red God?

 Chapter 546: The shuddering outcome

    The world was still shuddering from the descent of the gods and divinities and the outcomes of their investigation when Claud and Lily landed in the rear garden of their shop. He could see thousands of different lights filling up the sky, each and every single one of them radiating a horrifying rage.


    Claud and Lily hurried into their shop in silence, and only after activating his Looped Encryptor did Claud finally speak.


    ¡°¡­Alright. Looks like the gods are really pissed off now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the first person who probably pissed them off to such an extent.¡± Lily rubbed her hands together, but he could still see her shivering¡­and it was not from the cold either.


    ¡°I¡¯m awesome, right?¡± Claud rubbed his head. ¡°Alright, time to look at all these little details¡­Status.¡±


    [Name: Claud Primus


    Class: Omen


    Lifespan: 257883 years


    Active Skills: Will of Solitude (11) Will of Freedom (11), Will of Captivity (11), Will of Purity (11), FiBoD;O??? (0), FiBoD;O??? (0)


    Passive Skills: DiL???C, Mana Locus, Omen, Omniscience (False), Master of Permanence, Artificial Life Contractor, Aeon Fold ¡ª Omen (26), All-Life Nemesis, Cornerstone of Coincidence


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 6.90


    Mana Control Proficiency: Master


    Authority: 6


    Comments: <Reinitialising>]


    Claud let out a low whistle when he saw his current lifespan, which had increased by over two hundred thousand years. At this point of time, his rise to an ennea-folder was all but guaranteed; even if he had to pay a steep penalty to retake his Third Tutorial, the lifespan in his possession was at a level so absurd that he didn¡¯t even know what to do with the rest.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°My lifespan is ridiculously high,¡± Claud replied. ¡°A grand total of 257883 years.¡±


    Lily looked at him, her little mouth nice and round, and Claud wondered if he should squish her face. Unfortunately, his body was still as slow and as lethargic as ever, and he was scared of squishing her cheek with a bit too much force.


    ¡°Alright, stop gawking.¡± Claud smiled at her. ¡°Now, we just need to find a way to share this lifespan with everyone else, and everything¡¯s going to be fine.¡±


    He closed his eyes for a moment. He had done just that, back during the Second Tutorial. Claud, however, had no intention of allowing the Frozen Emperor or the Hollow God to walk the land again ¡ª and they would never walk this land again. The two of them, and an unknown number of him-s, had apparently built the path up to his point.


    A small smile rose to his face, but he couldn¡¯t help but think that there was a grand destiny pulling the strings behind it all. He had thought that before, and indeed, the Hollow God had informed him that his path thus far had been shaped by himself.


    However, was the Fourth Bearer of Destiny, the Thief of Time, the Omen, always meant to be him? Was he always meant to rise to such heights? Or was this path paved by his previous iterations? If the answer was the latter, it was fine, but if his destiny¡­


    Claud let out a sigh.


    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily rushed over to support him. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Ah, crap. I didn¡¯t mean to alarm you. It¡¯s just that I was thinking of my past and my future.¡± Claud looked around, and then hobbled over to the living room. It was far smaller than the one in Monsville and Lostfon, since it was the room behind the shopfront, but it was nice enough for the two of them.


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    ¡°What about the future?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m wondering if my current attainments are due to my previous¡­iterations, as one might call them, or because I was meant to be this in the first place,¡± Claud replied. ¡°That their role was to perfect the path and to protect you. If so, this means that the path was there to begin with.¡±


    He closed his eyes. ¡°That I was meant to be the Omen from the start till finish. Does that mean that whatever the five grand skies had intended would never work? The Cosmic Egg that will never hatch?¡±


    Lily folded her arms. ¡°That¡¯s too¡­fatalistic, I think. I¡¯ve been thinking about this myself. Maybe the destruction of the world was necessary. And that I was the trigger¡­¡±


    She made a face after saying those words. ¡°It¡¯s both romantic and scary, though.¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, I suppose I would have destroyed the world if I could bring you back.¡± Claud paused, and then amended his words. ¡°No, I did just that. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to change if you left me in such a fashion, but I know that I¡¯ll probably turn mad.¡±


    The Frozen Emperor.


    The Hollow God.


    How many other iterations had similar titles like these? The theme, however, was fairly clear. Claud instinctively knew that the hollowness and chill he felt right now would be nothing compared to what he would feel if he ever lost the only person who held his heart.


    Unable to bear the pain, the Frozen Emperor shut himself away, dreaming an endless dream as the world came to an end around him. The Hollow God, betrayed by the world itself, crushed the divinities and overturned fate entirely.


    As for his most recent iteration¡­


    Claud shook his head. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll do everything in my power to bring you back, so don¡¯t worry. Anyhow, I should check my other new skills too.¡±


    [Skill: Omniscience (False)


    Skill effects: Cause and effect can be determined to one degree of separation by thinking about it. You will be vaguely aware of actions hostile to your interests. You can interpret your Status screen and skill media.]


    [Skill: All-Life Nemesis


    Skill effects: All attacks against living beings will also damage their vitality directly if you will it. This skill¡¯s effect scales with mana and lifeforce expended.]


    [Skill: Cornerstone of Coincidence


    Skill effects: Flaws of hostile actions directed towards you will be drastically magnified. The chance of beneficial events occurring in everyday life increases dramatically. The chance of negative events affecting you is dramatically decreased.]


    ¡°Simple skills, but I get the feeling that they¡¯re very powerful,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Oh, you got some skills from killing him too?¡± Lily asked. ¡°What skills did you get?¡±


    Claud smiled and explained his newfound gains to Lily, who made appropriately awed noises. Clearly, killing the divinities would also grant him their skills or something, and if he didn¡¯t remember it wrongly, there was something called¡­Aspiration. That term had appeared when the Red God perished back then, and he wanted to find out more about this¡­thing. He had a feeling that it would be very useful to him.


    Lily bobbed her head as he continued to elaborate on the various skills he had earned.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice, I suppose. Still, why were you so confident in killing the Red God?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I thought you would have played it safe or something.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s because I learned something from the Hollow God,¡± Claud replied. ¡°During the Third Tutorial, he transferred to me some key knowledge about the divinities ¡ª their strengths, and most crucially, their weaknesses. In fact, I believe Dia¡¯s method of holding off the Red God lay in exploiting one of his weaknesses too.¡±


    ¡°What weakness?¡±


    ¡°The Red God¡¯s power, while seemingly evoking the idea of being precise, is more of coincidence,¡± Claud replied. ¡°The most perfect timing¡­well, it looks for weaknesses and exploits them precisely. Like¡­good luck? Something like that. Therefore, you have to counter this sort of precision with perfection ¡ª if you don¡¯t have a weakness, there won¡¯t be a target. Thanks to the nature of Absolute One, my entire attack was perfect; the Red God could only defend using his own divinity.¡±


    ¡°I see. So his weakness was perfection¡­¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that the Hollow God kept the knowledge sealed in my head, though. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice if I knew everyone¡¯s weakness right off the bat?¡±


    ¡°Why would he do that?¡±


    ¡°Dangerous, I think. Knowledge¡­¡± Claud thought about his Omniscience skill. ¡°Probably because they all have Omniscience. It might be the true version of it too, which would be far stronger. Back then, we were under Will of Solitude, so the Red God might not have noticed, but¡­unless we want to use it forever, having such knowledge unsealed in my head is definitely asking for it.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound that certain¡­¡±


    ¡°You should be worried if I was certain,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Well, today¡¯s been a mad day. Do you wanna snuggle up to me and rest earlier than usual? I¡¯m going to flop on my bed and flip around like a dead fish for a while.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s new. I thought you were all about living to the fullest right now.¡±


    Claud eyed Lily once. ¡°I am dead certain that killing that particular personage is what I¡¯d call living to the fullest, alright?¡±


    ¡°But sleeping this early?¡± Lily raised an eyebrow. ¡°Let¡¯s read a book or chat to the others on the Trading Board instead. Besides, we should show some care to them as well. They were the ones who were attacked in our stead¡­¡±


    ¡°Ugh. Point taken.¡± Claud fluffed himself up. ¡°Well, how should we start?¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me!¡±

 Chapter 547: Escaping the current

    ¡°Is this really a good time to be travelling back?¡± Risti asked.


    Dia looked at her once, and her eyes shifted to the backpack that had been neatly packed, and then at her outfit. Her lookalike was more than ready to leave, so what kind of nonsense was she spouting? Of course, she wasn¡¯t going to expose Risti, so she clamped her mouth shut and smiled enigmatically at her.


    Besides, there was the issue of her identity that needed to be taken care of. Since everyone was heading over to Lustre, which was pretty much unfamiliar territory by now, Dia knew that she would need to confess her identity when they arrived. Since she was intending to renounce her succession rights, however, Dia could only hope that they wouldn¡¯t be fearful of her¡­


    I really doubt that, though. Fearful of me? You must be kidding. They¡¯ll be more scared of a wooden sword than me¡­ Shaking her head, she glanced at the others, who made funny faces back at her.


    Clearly, they wanted her to address this issue.


    ¡°Well, the Red God died,¡± Dia replied. ¡°We¡¯re safe.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but the Red God died a day after he tried to kidnap a certain half of a lovebird pair,¡± Schwarz pointed out. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s plenty suspicious, in my opinion.¡±


    Dia looked behind her. They were all standing around the gate of Claud¡¯s little house, with the Holy Son of the Black God and the great Dark¡¯s Bearer of Destiny within the multiple defences that surrounded the little house.


    ¡°Dangerous.¡± Kemata looked at her. The Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny had warmed up to her quite a bit after they fought off the Red God together, but that didn¡¯t stop her from reverting to her usual mode of speaking in very thrifty methods.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Dia replied. ¡°And¡­well, I really need to head back, now that Emperor Grandis has pardoned¡­never mind. I have to handle some stuff, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. You¡¯re resigning?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Anyhow, I wanna continue my adventures with you guys. It¡¯s more fun¡­and I think it¡¯s cruel to retract my freedom after I experienced it in its glory.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°Better get you back before your mistress marries you off to some punk, right? Once you resign from your double role, it¡¯ll be smooth sailing from there on¡­but I¡¯m happy that you want to stick with us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fun, living like this. We don¡¯t really have many worries,¡± Farah added. ¡°Right, I¡¯ll need to stop by Farah County for a while, so I¡¯ll catch up with you guys at Lustre later. That fine?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay.¡± Dia nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Farah smiled. ¡°Thanks. I need to check on the county and reassure them that I¡¯m still alive.¡±


    Dia thought about the time she visited Farah County with the countess, and then smiled. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯ll definitely give you one heck of a reception. Heh.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Farah sighed. ¡°I owe Overseer Agni a lot, though. Without his help, Farah County wouldn¡¯t have recovered this quickly¡­but it¡¯s weird, though.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s weird?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Well, when I sent him a letter of gratitude after learning that he was administrating the Julan Barony after its current rulers died, he sent me back a letter telling me that he didn¡¯t recall helping me,¡± Farah replied, a frown on her face. ¡°I¡¯m a bit worried for him. Maybe he¡¯s growing old or something.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a penta-folder, right?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible. Maybe you misidentified him or something. Is there an Overseer Igni or something too?¡±


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    ¡°Uh¡­I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll make such a low-level mistake,¡± Farah muttered.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get moving.¡±


    She turned back to the duo, and then smiled at them. The others made their own farewells too, before the four of them turned and walked away from the house.


    ¡°Dia, are you nervous?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°You¡¯re returning to resign, after all. They might not let you leave.¡±


    Dia chuckled. ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s a very high chance that the duke won¡¯t let me leave, you know. Fortunately, I¡¯m incredibly powerful right now; he can¡¯t stop me if I want to shake my butt and leave. My mana is the sharpest sword that will cut through all barriers, cultural or otherwise.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯ll get to see what the Lustre palace looks like too!¡± Risti rubbed her hands. ¡°I¡¯m really nervous to see your mistress. Would she give me an autograph?¡±


    ¡°Heh. I¡¯m still waiting for our Dia to offer me a job in her palace as Lustre¡¯s number one bartender,¡± Schwarz quipped. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t forgotten your promise.¡±


    Dia could vaguely recall that she indeed did make such a promise to Schwarz, but considering that he hadn¡¯t returned to his bar for nearly a year, the fact that he still remembered was probably an impressive feat.


    ¡°Do you still want that job?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m perfectly fine without needing to bootlick people or anything,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°And my brews will probably murder the entire palace. I¡¯ll be condemned and maybe dragged out for execution.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you know your place, at least.¡± The four of them turned onto the main street, which was full of people gathering around and looking up at the sky. The corpse of the Red God¡¯s half-descended form, the sphere, still hung above the sky, a gigantic gaping hole through the entire sphere.


    It was a sight that sent chills down Dia¡¯s spine whenever she saw it. The Red God¡¯s corpse was still hanging in the middle of the sky, an unmovable, eternal monument to the power of the Fourth Bearer of Destiny.


    The Thief of Time, the Saboteur, the Omen¡­everyone knew those names. As of yesterday, a new name had gone around the town.


    The Godslayer.


    No one could deny Tot¡¯s feat, especially since the proof that the gods weren¡¯t unkillable were hanging in the skies. The fervour that young men and women worked themselves up to when they proclaimed their desire to subjugate the legend had completely died away overnight, the pressure from a dead god, slain in their time, weighing down.


    ¡°At least I don¡¯t need to find Tot anymore,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°What¡¯s that about finding Tot?¡± Risti asked.


    Dia chuckled. ¡°Remember? I joined the Moon Lords originally to look for Tot to clear my¡­mistress¡¯ name, before I dropped the idea. Well, now that he¡¯s a god-slayer, I am very, very pleased with my choice not to go after him. Not going to lie. I¡¯m a bit traumatised by how I nearly killed myself.¡±


    The others bobbed their heads seriously, and Dia looked around the small town. Monsville was so small that everyone liked to crowd together into small groups and gossip when they had nothing to do. Furthermore, in the light of the Red God¡¯s sudden appearance here yesterday and His subsequent murder, the baron of Monsville had also recommended that people stay within the city and help out with things like building or in-city farming instead.


    ¡°Heh. Still, the Red God died a day after visiting us, and even if he didn¡¯t die¡­¡± Schwarz shook his head. ¡°You¡¯d think that the baron would be checking on us now, right?¡±


    ¡°Why do you think I¡¯m in a hurry to leave?¡± Dia replied. ¡°Within the next three days, everyone¡¯s going to surround Claud¡¯s little house. It¡¯ll be a major pain in the ass. Last I checked, the bigshots¡¯ ceremonial processions are all on the way here, and¡ª¡±


    She looked up as a gigantic shadow appeared from the horizon. Dia had never seen it before, but she had heard Nero describe it just a few days ago.


    The Northshore Gumption. The personal flying ship of First Lady Cecily, leader of the Nihal Senate, ruler of the Nihal Continent.


    ¡°See what I mean?¡± Dia added. ¡°One bigshot is already here. She¡¯ll likely land nearby and talk to Baron Mons for a while, and then bring her entire entourage to disturb the lovebirds.¡±


    ¡°You sound very gleeful about that, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡±


    The four of them trotted through the city gates before the flying ship could reach Monsville, and Dia watched its sleek silhouette. For some reason, the flying ship was reminiscent of those artefacts that Schwarz had purchased in Celestia. It was nice, shiny and sleek, something that screamed elegance simply by its appearance, and Dia found herself wanting one very, very much.


    In fact, it was probably the first time in her life she wanted something this much.


    ¡°Do you think the Senate will declare war if I knock everyone on that boat out and steal the thing?¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Oi, what are you thinking about?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Don¡¯t say such scary things so nonchalantly, alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just kidding¡­but I really want one, though.¡± Dia looked at the sleek flying ship, and then wondered if she could get one somewhere.


    ¡°It¡¯s daytime. Stop dreaming,¡± Schwarz cut in. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move. With our current mana, I think we can make it to Licencia before the day is out¡­assuming we don¡¯t face any problems crossing the border, anyway.¡±


    Dia put aside her dreams, and then channelled her mana.


    It was time to go home.

 Chapter 548: The situation at home

    ¡°Two long days¡­¡± Dia rubbed her face as the familiar city gates of Licencia rose up in her vision. They had been mana-walking for hours on end, only taking breaks to sleep and to refresh at small towns.


    The journey from one continent to another was shorter and easier, since they were tapping onto their mana freely, and other than the short hold-up at the barrier that prevented random people from entering the Istrel Sovereignty, their approach had generally been smooth.


    Of course, moving at such speeds meant that there really wasn¡¯t much time to explore the surroundings or to admire the scenery, which was sad. After all, they had been forcibly brought over to the Moons¡¯ base camp back then, so Dia and the others never got the chance to explore anything.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s good that we got here at record speeds, though,¡± Schwarz replied. Yawning once, he motioned at the short queue that was forming at the gates, and then said, ¡°Let¡¯s queue up first.¡±


    ¡°Queue?¡± Risti made a sound in her throat. ¡°Don¡¯t wanna¡­oh, look, Moon babies. Let¡¯s queue.¡±


    Dia looked at her as she walked over to the queue. There were quite a few toddlers lining up as well, which made for an amusing sight, considering how Count Nightfall wouldn¡¯t have asked them to queue up anyway.


    The little Moon toddlers noticed their arrival, and Schwarz beamed. However, for some reason, they ignored Schwarz and Risti, and instead chose to form circles around Dia.


    ¡°Uh¡­guys?¡± Dia looked at the Moon babies, who had enclosed her in a small circle. They were holding hands and imprisoning her in a very adorable manner, but Dia didn¡¯t quite know why they did that.


    ¡°How did you do that?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Why did they ignore me?¡±


    ¡°How am I supposed to know?¡± Dia replied, before squatting down. ¡°Alright, you, stop moving.¡±


    The rotating ring of toddlers stopped as her hands fell on one of the little toddlers, and Schwarz made a sad noise. Ignoring that idiot, Dia said, ¡°What are you guys doing?¡±


    Bright eyes looked back at her, and then Dia remembered that the little toddlers didn¡¯t know how to speak. However, she could feel a palpable excitement from those tiny little fellows, an excitement that made her smile.


    ¡°D¡¯aww. What¡¯s up?¡± She squished the cheeks of the closest toddler. ¡°Anyway, we need to queue up, and my friend here feels jealous, so cheer him up, right?¡±


    They tilted their heads for a few seconds, before walking over to Schwarz and Risti, who promptly started to play with them. By the time the duo decided to join Dia, Schwarz had a kid sitting on his shoulders, while Risti was holding on to a toddler¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Well, it seems like you guys had¡ªoh.¡±


    Dia looked at the small hand that had grabbed her fingers, and then smiled. ¡°Yeah, you can have my hand too. Anyway, there¡¯s a lot of you little fellows queuing up¡­do you guys toddle out of the city in the day and return back at night?¡±


    The little kid tilted a head at Dia, and she smiled. ¡°Alright, never mind.¡±


    After thirty minutes, it was their turn. The guard standing there looked at Dia as they walked up, and then at Schwarz, before frowning. ¡°You guys look familiar.¡±


    ¡°Of course. We did help out at the guardhouse quite a few times, remember?¡± Schwarz walked to the forefront of the little group. ¡°We¡¯re from the Seekers of Life, or the group formerly known as the Moon Lords.¡±


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    ¡°Oh!¡± The guard jumped. ¡°Now I know why you guys look so familiar. You¡¯re the group that has a lot of Princess Dia lookalikes, right? And there¡¯s the paranoid security guy who made our lives a major pain! Oh, and of course, the demon bartender that makes the best drinks in town!¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t know that was how the people of Licencia saw the Seekers of Life, but it wasn¡¯t like she could complain. After all, Claud was paranoid incarnate, their group really had a bunch of people who liked to dress up as her, and Schwarz was well-known for killing people with alcohol intoxication.


    She had a feeling that one of those thoughts were a bit off, but Dia was a bit too tired to think that hard about things.


    The guard complained for a few minutes as he checked their documents and got them to walk through a doorframe, before referencing their faces against the local registry books.


    ¡°Do you guys do all this for non-residents too?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s standard protocol.¡± The guard paused. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s the standard protocol for the past two weeks. After a while, everything changes again, so we end up having to learn new stuff. We¡¯re always a bit stressed out for this reason.¡±


    ¡°Claud did mention something about changing things to keep the tension up¡­did we bring his little book with us?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Damn it. I think we left it in the house.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Dia turned back to the guard. ¡°Uh, yeah. Not our fault, either way. Have to ask the big guy in the middle of the palace of this city, see? We¡¯re just doing our business.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, figured. My job is so much more tiring. In the past, we could just nibble on apples and oranges, but now, we need to assess everyone. Do you know there¡¯s even a separate route for people who look sick? Something about the plague.¡± The guard shook his head. ¡°Anyway, you guys are clear, so go on ahead.¡±


    The three of them nodded, and then headed into the city. Dia had missed the safe little capital of the Nightfall County greatly, and she missed her little room even more. After all, she had been staying in either a room made from barriers or the one-man barracks in the Moons¡¯ base camp so far. And as for the Trial of Aeons, she had to stay awake for an entire week¡­


    She hadn¡¯t slept on her own bed for a long time.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s so reassuring to be back home.¡± Schwarz looked up. ¡°Can you still see the net that Claud suggested? I can still see it. I wonder if Count Nightfall is going to buy a huge barrier artefact too. Something that can prevent anyone from entering at all.¡±


    Dia looked up, and then at the lively streets of the county. Even though it was rather late at night, all sorts of shops and stalls were still open, and business was booming. People didn¡¯t gather and huddle together in fear of divine portents, and Moon babies waddled around happily, illuminating the darkness with their faint light.


    At the forefront of it all was the Nightfall Palace, who radiated a pale, comforting light that seemed to weaken the darkness. For some reason, the palace now had something high above it that seemed to be a mini-Moon, making the place so much easier to navigate.


    ¡°We¡¯re back, yes.¡± Risti looked up. ¡°We won¡¯t be staying for long, right? We¡¯ll be heading over to the Lustre Dukedom soon enough, after all.¡±


    ¡°Maybe a week or two, I suppose. Gotta wait for Farah to handle her business,¡± Dia replied. ¡°If we went there ourselves, she¡¯s going to make a fuss and everything about how we didn¡¯t wait for her.¡±


    She paused. ¡°Besides, I really miss my bed and my room. I¡¯m going to snuggle up underneath my blanket for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Right, the staff are still taking care of the place,¡± Risti muttered.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Schwarz chuckled. ¡°We pay them good money to make sure that Moon Mansion¡¯s always ready for us to return, you know. Just so that we¡¯ll always have a home.¡±


    ¡°Home, huh¡­¡± Risti looked down. ¡°I wonder where my dad went after the Trial of Aeons. He¡¯s alive, right?¡±


    ¡°Probably looking for Tot with Emperor Grandis,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m very worried.¡± Risti let out a heavy sigh. ¡°I hope my dad knows that he¡¯s outmatched when faced with the Omen, the Godslayer¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s going to be very cautious. Besides, can¡¯t we just ask Claud to help? He¡¯s our resident incarnate of paranoia. If your dad is looking for Tot, he¡¯s the best person to protect them from Tot¡¯s wrath,¡± Dia suggested. ¡°Don¡¯t we have the Trading Board? We can ask Lily and Claud for help.¡±


    ¡°You do know Claud is¡­well, in a fix right now, right?¡± Schwarz held his head. ¡°Let the dude rest.¡±


    ¡°A few questions won¡¯t hurt,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be happy to help. Why not give it a try? It¡¯s not like they¡¯re doing anything much in particular, other than running a shop¡­what business are they doing anyway?¡±


    ¡°Skillstrips, I think.¡± Schwarz shook his shoulders. ¡°A good choice, since unique skillstrips are always in vogue¡­but what skillstrips would Claud sell? What skills does he have?¡±


    ¡°¡­Now I want to go back and find out,¡± Risti muttered.


    Dia looked at the scattering Moon babies, and then rolled her eyes. ¡°I think not. Let¡¯s just head home first, and then rest for the next few weeks¡­¡±

 Chapter 549: Investigating, and investigations

    ¡°Interesting!¡± Claud stared at the nine skillstrips that were sitting in front of him, which had been inscribed in three different ways. The top two skillstrips had Cleanse, the middle two skillstrips had Purification, and the last two skillstrips contained Ablution.


    All of them had varying effects. According to his Omniscience (False), Cleanse removed all foreign effects on the user. In contrast, Purification removed all negative effects on the user, while Ablution would block the next negative effect on the user. Each of them had their own niches, although Claud didn¡¯t quite understand why there was only one difference between Cleanse and Purification.


    Whatever the case, however, what was most interesting was the fact that these six skillstrips actually came from his Will of Purity. Claud had been making a skillstrip when he noticed that the spiritual structure of Will of Purity could actually be broken up, or rather, he could separate its spiritual structure into six pieces.


    They were mirror images of each other, so the resulting product was six skillstrips, with a total of three different skills.


    ¡°This is really fascinating,¡± Claud muttered.


    Lily, who was sleeping on his back for some reason, stirred slightly. ¡°What¡¯s interesting?¡±


    ¡°The skillstrips,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I now have six skillstrips; two for Cleanse, two for Purification and two for Ablution.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± She straightened her back. ¡°How did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Well, I noticed that the spiritual structure of Will of Purity seemed like it could be broken up, so that¡¯s what I did.¡± Claud jiggled his shoulders, which was a far harder feat than it normally was. ¡°As a result, I got six skillstrips. In a day, I can probably churn out a hundred or so from a single skill alone¡­¡±


    Lily looked at him blankly. ¡°If we do this for a whole day, that¡¯s over a hundred skillstrips, right?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°To be honest, I think we should just purchase Elysia wood. My rate of production is going to be off the charts anyway. If I use normal paper to store them, it¡¯s going to be wasted.¡±


    ¡°How about some Elysia paper too?¡± Lily asked. ¡°That should be able to last for a whole month, right?¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Claud clapped his hands. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea! We¡¯ll need to buy some, though.¡±


    ¡°I bought over eight hundred pages, so it¡¯s fine. Every page can make a total of twelve strips¡­hmm.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Claud asked.


    Lily got up and rummaged through her bag, before pulling out a piece of paper. Turning it such that the long side was now vertical, she tore it into half and handed one piece to Claud. ¡°Inscribe your Will of Freedom on this half of the paper.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Claud did as he was told, and within seconds, a gorgeous pattern had been burned onto the paper. Lily examined it for a moment, folded it into three segments, and then folded it again vertically to produce six different pieces. ¡°This should be Flight, and two other skills I don¡¯t know about. Can you look at them?¡±


    Claud nodded, and then looked through the six pieces. ¡°Flight, Flight, Unimpeded Movement, Unimpeded Movement, Effortless Crossing and another Effortless Crossing.¡±


    ¡°Ooh. What does Unimpeded Movement do?¡±


    ¡°The user is unaffected by slowing effects and environment conditions,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Effortless Crossing allows people to move without expending any stamina at all.¡±


    ¡°All these sound like great skills.¡± Lily rubbed her hands. ¡°And more importantly, it seems that you can just inscribe those Will skills on half a piece of paper. This is quite convenient, isn¡¯t it?¡±


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    Claud nodded his head. ¡°Value for money and effort! What¡¯s not to like?¡±


    Smiling, Claud looked at his Will of Captivity, before wondering what skillstrips his skill would yield.


    [Skill: Will of Captivity


    Skill effects: When used, all designated targets within sight will be frozen in space for up to three days, unable to move their body or to use their mana.


    Passive effect: The user gains the ability to break through frozen space.]


    After checking the effects once more, Claud imprinted the skill onto the remaining half of the Elysia paper sheet, and then sliced it up evenly with his mana. The first two skills, as expected, yielded Binding Order, but the remaining two skills that he got were quite intriguing.


    ¡°Spatial Shackles and Mana Lock¡­how is Spatial Shackles any different from Binding Order?¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Well, at least we know what Mana Lock does.¡± Lily fiddled with the six skillstrips. ¡°Still, now that you discovered something this convenient, we can totally open up shop now. Who knew that your skills are this awesome?¡±


    She picked up the skillstrips and then pulled Claud to his feet. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s open up shop. It¡¯ll be very suspicious if you continue to do nothing. Besides, there¡¯s a sad little toddler that¡¯s been waiting for us for some time.¡±


    ¡°One of those shadow babies?¡± Claud asked, tilting his head.


    ¡°Remember? You promised one of them that they can come here whenever he liked,¡± Lily replied. ¡°You even fed some of my sweets and pastries to him.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Claud jiggled his shoulders once more. ¡°Let¡¯s go say hi to the little guy, then.¡±


    The two of them hung up the skillstrips for sale, and then flipped the sign and unlocked the door.


    A little toddler waddled in a moment later, before hugging Claud¡¯s leg.


    ¡°Huh, you¡¯re really outside and waiting for us.¡± Claud wanted to pick the little guy up, but he wasn¡¯t in the best state to be doing too much physical activity. It would be fine if he was picking up something, but this was someone ¡ª he didn¡¯t want to accidentally drop a little baby.


    ¡°Up you go.¡± Lily carried the little toddler. ¡°It¡¯s our grand opening today, do you know that?¡±


    The baby nodded, and Lily smiled. Bringing the tiny guy to the area behind the counter, she sat him down on the table and pulled out some packaged sweets and cookies from somewhere.


    Lily was happy with feeding the little guy, so Claud simply leaned back and enjoyed the heart-warming scene, before thinking back to the past few days. The past two days had been insane. After a day of shock and awe at the God of Precision¡¯s death, the three supreme powers of the world had jolted into action with a bustling urgency.


    The Nihal Senate, which had arrived not too long ago, departed on some magical flying ship of theirs. Emperor Grandis had joined up with the divinities¡¯ familiar spirits to investigate what the heck exactly happened and where the Omen had attacked from. As for Supreme Saran, he had mobilised all his troops and decided to search through Vacuos for some reason.


    They hadn¡¯t come knocking yet, but they would soon arrive here. This was why he was in such a hurry to set up shop here ¡ª if today was the grand opening, the two of them had to be busy setting up a bunch of things for the past week. Therefore, neither of them could be culprits in killing the Red God¡­probably, anyway.


    In actual fact, Claud was banking on the possibility that the correct people could see his withered state. How could someone on the verge of death do anything?


    Smiling to himself, Claud picked up a biscuit and fed the little guy gently.


    The two of them were in the middle of tempting the restless little toddler with orange juice when the door to their shop opened, and a bunch of soldiers entered. There was this officious air around them, and more importantly, Claud didn¡¯t recognise the insignia that sat on their sleeves.


    The soldiers milled around the shop for a while, checking the various descriptions of the skillstrips that Claud had prepared, before the fellow with more medals walked over to the counter.


    ¡°You two are the owners of this shop, correct?¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°How can we help?¡±


    ¡°Our records show that this shop was recently set up here,¡± the officer replied. ¡°Due to extenuating circumstances, we need to subject the two of you to questioning.¡±


    ¡°What questioning?¡± Claud asked, his voice level. ¡°Can we see the official instructions and edicts? Is this something Count Vacuos ordered.¡±


    The officer produced a roll of golden paper, and then opened it. Those movements were smooth and practiced; clearly, he had done this a lot. ¡°By order of Emperor Grandis, everyone who sees this edict is to conform with the expectations of inspection and submit to questioning honestly.¡±


    Claud nodded at Lily, and then turned back to the officer. ¡°Very well. Go ahead.¡±


    Taking a deep breath, the two of them walked out of the counter area, a little baby toddling behind them. The officer looked at Claud, at Lily, and then at the little shadow baby, before chuckling.


    ¡°Little guy, it¡¯s just a routine questioning. Don¡¯t worry about your friends.¡±


    Claud glanced at the officer again, who now seemed a bit more pleasant on the eyes. ¡°Please, do go on ahead.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your cooperation, sir.¡±

 Chapter 550: Pointless endeavours

    Claud and Lily sat down and twiddled their thumbs as the officer went through the basic questions. Most of them were about verifying stuff ¡ª when they moved in, what did they do over the past few days, what were they doing here ¡ª the kind of data that the other soldiers at the back didn¡¯t quite care about.


    ¡°Alright. Now, next question. Why did you two open up shop here recently?¡± the officer asked.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Claud replied. ¡°This place is about to be the home of the three largest bigshots in the world. I have useful skillstrips that can save lives, so selling them will make me a nice profit.¡±


    He patted the catalogue that Lily had helped him pen. ¡°Do you want to see what we have for sale?¡±


    The other soldiers skittered over a moment later, and the officer frowned. However, it was clear that he couldn¡¯t quite bring himself to stop the others from doing whatever they wanted, and Claud could also see a hint of interest in the catalogue that Lily had provided.


    After all, they offered quite a few skillstrips.


    ¡°An auction system for your Elysia skillstrips?¡± the officer asked.


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re rare ones. Don¡¯t look at me like that. Besides, scarcity marketing is the way to go,¡± Claud replied. ¡°This is an establishment where you need to show your proof of purchase to even have a chance to buy one.¡±


    Claud fully intended on selling skillstrips via an auction, since it was the best way to maximise income while minimising the number of skillstrips that went out to other people. The system was simple enough anyway ¡ª the catalogue would record the skillstrips on auction every day, and people would bid on them. The minimum price on each of these skillstrips would differ based on their cost and the paper that was used.


    Of course, skillstrips using normal paper could be bought freely, since the two of them also had the incentive to just get rid of them as quickly as possible. However, Claud could tell that conflict was brewing in this unfortunate county, so much so that Elysia skillstrips were probably going to be snapped up by the richer soldiers first.


    ¡°Lily, you go handle the sales first. We still need to finish this interview,¡± Claud muttered. His body was still as heavy as ever, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little peeved that this fellow hadn¡¯t actually taken out a device to peer at his number of mana circuits and his current condition.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Lily picked up the little toddler and plopped him on the table, before turning to the soldiers. Most of them were more interested in buying the normal skillstrips, and before long, a good number of the original stock had vanished. The silver wasn¡¯t much, compared to how much Claud was intending to charge for skillstrips made from Elysia wood or skillsticks, but it was still quite a pile.


    He glanced at the officer, whose lips were also twitching, and then decided not to talk about this matter.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Claud looked around for a good conversation topic, and then settled on the soldiers. ¡°Are you guys here to look for Tot?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. Tot. He¡¯s quite famous, but there¡¯s a lot of things that we can¡¯t make sense of. As a result, we¡¯re doing funny things like interviewing people to make sure that they aren¡¯t the Thief of Time, which is quite absurd by any measure. It¡¯s quite pointless, really.¡± The officer shook his head. ¡°And what are we going to do if we find the Godslayer? Arrest him?¡±


    ¡°Godslayer? Wait, it¡¯s¡­true?¡± Claud asked, making sure that his question was appropriately cautious. ¡°As in, the Thief of Time slew the Red God?¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡± The officer pulled a long face. ¡°I don¡¯t really want to arrest him or have him know that we¡¯re looking for him.¡±


    Claud nodded. It was a tiny bit too late, though, since the legend in question was sitting right in front of this officer right now.


    ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll kill you guys if you happened to interview him?¡± Claud asked, curious. ¡°Like, you guys just happened to enter the place he was coincidentally hiding in, and then interrogated him.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason why we¡¯re being polite,¡± the officer muttered. ¡°We¡¯re hoping that he¡¯ll actually spare our lives or something. If he really wants to see blood, I can do without my left arm, for instance. It¡¯s not that useful.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t know what to say to that, so he simply rubbed his nose. ¡°I¡¯m sure Tot won¡¯t do that. Didn¡¯t you hear the rumours? He¡¯s the kind of guy that would rob the rich and give to the poor. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll spare your arm.¡±


    ¡°Is that a real thing?¡± the officer asked.


    ¡°It is. Long before the Thief of Time was known as this¡­whatever monster, he was known for robbing treasuries or something,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m quite sure he¡¯s the heroic type, you know.¡±


    Out of the corner of his eye, Lily shot him a swift glance that carried all sorts of mirth and amusement, forcing Claud to resist the notion of grinning back at her. Breathing in deeply at a very measured pace, he looked up at the ceiling and said, ¡°Are there any more questions for this interrogation?¡±


    The officer glanced at his list. ¡°I¡¯ve somewhat given up on following the thing. Besides, we don¡¯t even have the necessary artefact to distinguish between truth or lies; the idiots up there are asking us to guess. I don¡¯t even want to think about it.¡±


    ¡°Well, cheer up. Why not take a look at our products? We have some very powerful skills on sale, you know. It will help you do a bunch of stuff. Might I recommend this super awesome skill, which is very rare ¡ª Flight.¡±


    ¡°You have that?¡±


    Claud gestured at the floating soldier behind him. ¡°See? Also, tell him that if he breaks something, I¡¯ll have his hide.¡±


    ¡°Albert, you¡¯re really flying¡­ can you not fly around in someone¡¯s shop?¡± The officer shook his head. ¡°Anyway, thank you for your cooperation. I¡¯ll herd those idiots out.¡±


    ¡°Do come back again,¡± Claud replied.


    The little baby clapped his hands as they left, and Lily smiled. ¡°Well, that wasn¡¯t so bad. I can¡¯t believe we made 280 silver from selling these normal skillstrips, though. Not bad, not bad. Still, would they really use these skillstrips within the next seven days?¡±


    ¡°Beats me. Anyway, I think we should just phase out normal skillstrips. It feels like a massive waste of my skills,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Seven days does feel like a scam.¡± Lily bobbed her head in agreement. ¡°I think we should auction skillsticks and sell Elysia skillstrips instead.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Well, let¡¯s see how this model works first. We¡¯ll need to procure the wood, but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s possible to imprint the skills the way I did it just now, you know.¡± Claud patted the little toddler, who was now nibbling on a new cookie. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m heading back to check up on the three little kids.¡±


    The baby tilted his head, and Claud thought for a moment. ¡°Do you wanna watch this place for us?¡±


    ¡°Claud?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. Just sit here and nibble on the biscuit for a while, okay?¡± Claud glanced at Lily. ¡°We need to check on something.¡±


    Lily produced a few more cookies and handed them to the baby, who grabbed them happily. Smiling, the two of them returned to the living quarters of the shop, before heading up to the bedroom. The three little fellows were still napping together happily, so Claud didn¡¯t bother to wake them up.


    Reaching out for two skillstrips, he tore one of them and handed the other to Lily, who followed suit a moment later.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°¡­You think they were testing us?¡± Lily asked, curious.


    ¡°Maybe. It¡¯s hard to tell. I¡¯m not sure myself, personally.¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°Let us not underestimate anyone. I¡¯m a bit worried that my recent¡­antics have granted me an inflated sense of ego too, so we need to be careful here and there.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°Better be careful¡­well, you are Claud, after all. I¡¯d be more worried if you weren¡¯t all cautious and everything.¡±


    Claud smiled at her, before shaking his heavy head.


    ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± Lily asked. ¡°There¡¯s actually something that Schwarz asked us to do.¡±


    ¡°Something?¡± Claud looked at her. ¡°What does he need?¡±


    ¡°Risti is worried about her father, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Claud bobbed his head. ¡°They should be here, right? Or at least, near here. I think the Emperor ran off to that place or something. We can help ask about them.¡±


    ¡°Are you able to do that?¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°That¡¯s part of living, right? I don¡¯t see why I can¡¯t do it. Hmm. Maybe we should open on every alternate day instead. Now that would be nice. After all, we can¡¯t go around doing things if we¡¯re stuck at the shop every day.¡±


    Lily sighed. ¡°You¡¯re really just making things up as we go, aren¡¯t you?


    ¡°It¡¯s not important to security, so it¡¯s fine¡­¡±

 Chapter 551: Small moments

    After three hours, all their normal skillstrips had been sold, so the only thing that was left were the skillstrips on auction. Of course, since they were just Elysia skillstrips, no one actually decided to participate in the auction, especially given the exorbitant price.


    Claud, who had fully foreseen that, had managed to plan out a new set of arrangements. A limited number of Elysia skillstrips would be sold every day, and at night, there would be twelve skillsticks on sale. Anyone who wanted them could participate in these auctions, and since they were skillsticks¡­


    ¡°Maybe we should make these auctions once a week,¡± Lily suggested.


    ¡°Meep!¡± Crown hopped once in agreement, and the two other shapes jiggled along merrily. From the looks of it, Sceptre and Throne had accepted the fact that the box was their leader; it was apparently more imposing than a sphere and a star.


    Somehow.


    ¡°Meep.¡± Claud patted the velvety box, and then frowned. ¡°Come to think of it, what are you guys anyway? Did my¡­previous selves ever learn what you guys are?¡±


    ¡°Is there really a point in asking this out loud?¡± Lily tugged his ears gently. ¡°I mean, you sure didn¡¯t ask the Hollow God this, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    Claud let out a heavy sigh. ¡°True. I was a bit too anxious to think about anything else.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up over this.¡± Lily patted his thigh. ¡°Right, since we¡¯re closing shop early, do you wanna head out and look for Risti¡¯s father right now?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Claud made a face. ¡°Still, should we be happy that we closed early on the first day of business?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we were intending to make much of a profit anyway, so who cares?¡± Lily waved her hands airily. ¡°But it is a bit¡­uh, unlucky or something. Inauspicious, even. We¡¯re closed early for our grand opening. What are we supposed to tell the others?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Come on, meeplings.¡±


    ¡°¡­Meeplings?¡±


    ¡°Their official name is too grand for what they do,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Meh. I¡¯ll see whether I like it or not. Besides, it rolls off the tongue. Meeplings.¡±


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Claud chuckled and scooped up Crown and Sceptre, before placing them in his pocket. ¡°Throne, go and cuddle with Lily.¡±


    The little round ball hopped onto Lily¡¯s hair immediately, before vanishing within its depths. Lily smiled gently, and then got up from her chair.


    Supporting Claud as he got up, she led him back to the storefront. The little shadowy baby had finished all the cookies and was currently entertaining himself with a small spinning top, but the moment the two of them showed up, the little fellow scuttled over to Claud.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, little guy?¡± Claud rubbed his head. ¡°Thanks for looking after the shop.¡±


    He pulled out a handful of silver and gave it to the baby. ¡°For you to buy food with.¡±


    The baby looked at the silver for a while, and created a small whirlpool of shadow. The silver coins entered the whirlpool, before vanishing entirely.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Was that a storage ability?¡±


    Claud looked at the ring on Lily¡¯s finger, and then bobbed his head. ¡°Yeah, seems like it. That¡¯s¡­pretty freaking awesome, isn¡¯t it? Wow.¡±


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    The baby tilted his tiny head, and Claud chuckled. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re going to head out right now. Looking for a middle-aged man who is actually far older than he seems, see?¡±


    The baby thought for a while, and then slipped off the chair.


    ¡°¡­You wanna tag along?¡±


    Lily giggled as the little guy nodded his head, and she pulled out another cookie. ¡°Have another one.¡±


    The three of them locked the door of the shophouse, and then stepped out into the streets of Vacuos. The county capital was as sprawling as ever ¡ª there were nine main streets that led to the Vacuos Palace, which was actually located in the middle for some reason, and each street was lined with all sorts of shops and other businesses.


    Every morning, mercenaries would gather at the street their current shophouse was located in, Ninth Street, and wait for jobs to be posted or announced at the Mercenary Guild. The Folders¡¯ Association also had a branch in Vacuos, which was located right next to the Mercenary Guild.


    Claud wasn¡¯t sure why the Folders¡¯ Association had a branch in this county when so many other counties didn¡¯t have such a thing, but he had a hunch that it had something to do with the various libraries of Vacuos. Vacuos was famed as the City of Learning, and there was a substantial number of adherents that followed the Goddess of Water and Learning¡¯s way of life in the city.


    That didn¡¯t mean they were believers, though.


    The three of them looked around for a while, and then the baby ambled over to a street stall that was selling cold lemonade. Since Claud and Lily weren¡¯t in any rush, they followed after the little guy.


    The little kids were very welcome, no matter where they went to, since they were just too adorable. Claud also knew that they had a sense of propriety; they wouldn¡¯t exploit their cuteness too much for free food.


    ¡°¡­Still, why would this guy just pay ten silver for so much lemonade?¡± Claud asked, his eyes on the huge canteen of lemonade that was currently floating behind the little toddler.


    He turned to look at the vendor, who was already packing up. The kid had bought out his entire stock of lemonade, so like the two of them, the old man was closing shop early.


    The vendor patted the baby¡¯s head once more, offered a bunch of assorted pastries to the little guy, and then scooted off merrily.


    ¡°Nice.¡± Claud patted the toddler¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯m glad you know how to use money now. Come on, let¡¯s continue on. If you see anything you want, just go ahead and buy it. I think I handed you around a hundred silver or something, right?¡±


    ¡°Almost half of our earnings from the first day,¡± Lily pointed out. ¡°Are we actually running a non-serious business? If so, I¡¯m going to put my explosives on sale too. There has to be some lower-end products, right?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Claud thought for a while. ¡°Maybe I should sell some of the little useful gadgets used in my old trade.¡±


    ¡°At this rate, we¡¯re going to become a weird shop. Anyway, how are we going to start looking for Risti¡¯s father?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°We should start by looking for Emperor Grandis¡¯ current place of residence,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Emperor Grandis and his entourage aren¡¯t here, but they still need to have a base, right? Tot is here, after all. If we can find their place of residence, it becomes a lot easier.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably the Vacuos Palace,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°¡­Why does this remind me of what happened in Lostfon?¡± Claud muttered, thinking about how Lesser Half had decided to reside in Lostfon¡¯s throne room.


    ¡°Maybe Emperor Grandis heard about it and decided to learn from Lesser Half,¡± Lily suggested. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s head over to the Vacuos Palace. Now, the main issue is actually trying to get inside to talk to Neo Cadenza. I don¡¯t think the guards will let us in willy-nilly. We¡¯ll need to send a calling card.¡±


    Claud frowned. ¡°But we aren¡¯t stealing anything, right? Why would we need a calling card?¡±


    ¡°¡­Thieves send calling cards too?¡±


    ¡°According to folklore, master thieves would send a calling card ahead of time to inform the owner that they would be swinging by for a nice theft,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°And have you done that before?¡±


    Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°Do I look like an idiot?


    ¡°Yeah, so those master thieves were definitely idiots. Are there still surviving master thieves? Or are they all buried in the soil?¡±


    ¡°I think they retired,¡± Claud replied. ¡°A good number of them, anyway. So¡­uh, calling cards are used by nobles?¡±


    ¡°To be sent before visiting another noble,¡± Lily replied. ¡°In this case, however, we¡¯ll just send in a calling card as mid-ranked folders¡­there¡¯s no point in lying, right? Neo Cadenza can tell how many mana circuits we¡¯ve completed.¡±


    Claud bobbed his head. ¡°And being a hexa-folder definitely doesn¡¯t hurt our chances at getting an interview either. Alright!¡±


    The little kid looked at them, before blinking twice.


    Lily smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll be sitting down to write a letter. If you have something else to do, or if you wanna run off for other things, do go ahead. We¡¯ll welcome you back anytime.¡±


    Claud smiled, and then waved goodbye as the kid ran off. ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll be back tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Probably. Maybe with a few friends too,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s find a general store. I¡¯m not going to send a calling card made from Elysia paper. That¡¯s too expensive. I could make a small bomb with the amount of money used to buy a piece of Elysia paper.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Trust me.¡± Lily grinned. ¡°I can save a lot of money, you know!¡±

 Chapter 552: The true aftermath of His passing

    After Lily wrote a nice calling card with her right hand and made a small, cookie-sized bomb with her left ¡ª just to show Claud that she really could make a bomb that was cheaper than a sheet of Elysia paper ¡ª she handed him the tiny bomb and stuffed the card into a nice, elegant envelope.


    ¡°Okay, so what am I supposed to do with this bomb?¡± Claud asked, eyeing the tiny package. The other customers in this shop clearly weren¡¯t aware that he was holding a weapon that would kill normal indiscriminately; if the people in this caf¨¦ were aware, they would have been chased out on the spot¡­


    Well, no one would believe that a cookie was a bomb, though.


    ¡°It¡¯s more of a triggered explosive, actually.¡± Lily tucked the envelope into her clothes. ¡°You place it on the ground and wait for something to break it.¡±


    ¡°Break it?¡± Claud looked at the cookie. ¡°Like¡­snap?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll probably explode too if someone bites into it,¡± Lily added.


    ¡°This looks like a freaking cookie, though. If one of those little babies see it, they¡¯ll ask for it,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I think it¡¯s best if you disassemble this explosive right now.¡±


    ¡°Bah.¡±


    After dismantling the cookie into weird powders and mechanisms that Claud didn¡¯t recognise, she stored them away and said, ¡°But I did prove that bombs can be very cheap, right?¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°It¡¯s just sad that they¡¯re probably most useful as a distraction right now. They just don¡¯t have the lethality to actually deal damage to a mana-user, unless there¡¯s a lot of explosive prepared.¡±


    He thought about how Lily had blown up the Julan main house back then, and then chuckled. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll need to lure them into a prepared terrain. I suppose there are advantages in using bombs, since they don¡¯t have mana or anything, which some very sensitive folders can sense.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not using them to kill people, so it¡¯s fine.¡± Lily paused. ¡°Well, other than my family. It¡¯s more of a fun thing to me. There are all kinds of ways to use bombs, you know! Like firing them up in the sky so that they¡¯ll explode in pretty colours. I¡¯ve been experimenting, and I¡¯ve managed to make a bomb that explodes with purple light!¡±


    ¡°Purple light?¡±


    ¡°Yeap!¡±


    Claud smiled. ¡°It better be in the shade of your hair. But how would you get the bomb up there to begin with? How big is the explosion?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not really the explosion, I suppose.¡± Lily thought for a moment. ¡°Like long lasting purple flames, probably. As for getting it up there¡­I¡¯ll probably throw it up myself.¡±


    ¡°Good point.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°I suppose we shouldn¡¯t do this in Vacuos, though. We¡¯ll screw a lot of people over if we detonate something in the city.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°A problem that living with other people brings.¡± Claud patted her head. ¡°We¡¯ll go out and have fun with these explosives when we have time.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re not in a good condition to go out, though,¡± Lily pointed out.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, okay?¡± Claud smiled, and then checked on his body. It was still as lethargic as ever, although Claud found himself a bit startled at how he had managed to at least weaken the psychological effect of his deep-seated fatigue. If he had to liken this feeling to something, it was as if something was impeding the draw of the abyss beneath him, helping him to stave off his fatigue slightly.


    It was definitely a good sign.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Lily peered at him. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t sound like you¡¯re trying to fob me off.¡±


    ¡°Do I do something special when I¡¯m lying or something?¡± Claud asked, curious. ¡°Now that I think about it, you have a rather uncanny knack for reading me like a book.¡±


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°Instincts, probably.¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s kinda like when I know if certain combinations would result in an explosion on the spot.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t quite know how he should feel to hear those words, but again, Lily really liked tinkering around with explosive stuff and sweets. Both of them were her favourite hobbies, after all, so he decided that it was a good thing that reading his expression was one of her favourite things to do too.


    He glanced at a small group of customers that were making their way inside. One of them seemed to be supported by the others as she whimpered and cried, but Claud had no idea why someone crying would make their way to this caf¨¦, but¡ª


    A shiver ran down his spine as the crying woman looked at him once. Claud didn¡¯t know who that woman was, but for some reason, he had a deathly feeling that she was here for him.


    Or rather, the Omen.


    However, before he could say anything, Crown started making little agitated meeps from his pocket. The feeling of being sought out intensified, along with the sense of imminent danger, and he glanced at his pocket.


    A few people glanced at him at the same time, but he couldn¡¯t care less about the gaze of strangers right now. Getting up from his seat, he and Lily hurried out of the shop and stopped a few metres away from the shop¡¯s entrance.


    ¡°Meep! Meep! Meep!¡± His pocket trembled as the little guy seemed to move around anxiously, and he took out the velvety box.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    The two of them, along with Throne and Sceptre, turned to look at the little guy. The other two meeplings was also taken aback by Crown¡¯s sudden outburst, but after some short, terse meeps, the others also turned agitated.


    Claud frowned as he tried to comprehend these meeps. He could sense an incredible urgency and fear in those words, and there were also¡­entities that were related to their fear. However, these entities didn¡¯t seem to be the divinities; there was this weird feeling of nausea that accompanied this fear.


    This was definitely related to the newcomers.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lily asked, before turning to Throne.


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Hurry.¡±


    Lily nodded and fled from the shop with him. Crown¡¯s agitation weakened with every step, and Claud found himself frowning a few times at the little guy. How did he notice that there was something wrong with that group that had just entered the caf¨¦? Claud¡¯s expectation that something was going to happen to him


    After a while, Crown calmed down, and Claud patted it gently. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, little guy?¡±


    The other meeplings meeped in response, and Claud tried to focus on his nebulous connection with Crown and Sceptre. Now that they had calmed down slightly, he could make out a few more thoughts.


    ¡°Distortion?¡± Claud frowned. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Meep¡­meep! Meep! Meep!¡± Crown jumped three times, and Claud turned around with Lily. A wave of nausea swept his mind a moment later, and the urge to retch filled his body. Claud withstood his body¡¯s immediate desire to just double over, before turning his attention to Lily, who was forcing herself to stand up straight.


    ¡°Lily, we shou¡ª¡±


    A purple sphere erupted from the caf¨¦ the two of them had just escaped from, enveloping everything within its opaque purple light. With a thought, Claud activated Will of Freedom and swept Lily up in his arms. The three meeplings huddled around the two of them as he flew away from the expanding purple sphere, which was emanating a sense of danger to Claud.


    When he next looked back, the purple sphere had ceased its expansion.


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s that?¡± Lily whispered. ¡°That thing¡­¡±


    Claud shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either. But this thing¡­I can tell that it¡¯s pretty damn dangerous.


    The buildings that were partially enveloped by the purple sphere began to collapse, caving into the purple border and vanishing completely. It was as if the purple sphere was another space entirely, like his storage ring, just that it was much, much stronger.


    And more deadly.


    There was this strange sense of¡­wrongness attached to that purple sphere too. It was like looking at a shadowless world, or a Nero that was a teetotaller, but that thing just felt¡­wrong. Twisted.


    As that thought flashed through his mind, the heavens themselves began to crackle with an unbridled rage. A golden light, one that seemed completely separate from the divinities¡¯ representative colours, swirled in the sky.


    Claud waited for it to strike down, and seconds ticked by.


    As those seconds turned into minutes, however, Claud couldn¡¯t help but stare at the heavens. The five grand skies had clearly ceased to gather power to smite this purple dome in front of him, but they weren¡¯t striking down yet. It was as if someone or something was stopping them from doing so entirely.


    ¡°¡­Can¡¯t we live out our days in peace?¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Maybe we can sell the shop and go back home.¡± Lily glanced at him. ¡°But do you know anything about this?


    ¡°How did you guess?¡± Claud touched his forehead. ¡°Unbelievable. Well, whatever. Well, when we were sitting there and just screwing around, there was a bunch of people who entered the caf¨¦. I couldn¡¯t help but think that their main character, a crying woman, was looking for me, and when our meeplings started meeping¡­well, you get the idea.¡±


    ¡°Instincts, then.¡±


    ¡°That makes two of us.¡± Claud turned to look at the purple sphere, which showed no signs of vanishing anytime soon, and then said, ¡°Can¡¯t we just have a peaceful year? The Red God hasn¡¯t even died for more than a week, and we¡¯re seeing this.¡±


    ¡°¡­Maybe it¡¯s because the Red God died.¡±


    Claud looked at Lily, and then shivered.

 Chapter 553: Normalcy within insanity

    Despite the purple sphere that had erupted randomly ¡ª or not so randomly, in Claud¡¯s opinion ¡ª he and Lily still had a calling card to deliver, so they walked around the purple sphere that was preventing people in the Ninth Street from reaching the Vacuos Palace.


    Thankfully, there weren¡¯t any more sobbing people that ran up to Claud, but the image of the purple sphere was still burning fresh in his mind. The news about some weird purple sphere spreading had disseminated rapidly, and even those who didn¡¯t care to gossip could also see that there was a purple dome blocking off the entirety of Ninth Street.


    ¡°I wonder if we can pass through it.¡± Lily looked at Claud, her eyes sombre. ¡°But not even the five grand skies can deal with this.¡±


    ¡°They wanted to, but they couldn¡¯t.¡± Claud let out a sigh. ¡°Here¡¯s the important thing, though. Why couldn¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°I wish I knew too.¡± Lily patted his head. ¡°But don¡¯t worry about this, alright? We¡¯ll just need to beef up security or something. Maybe I can plant some explosives around the shop, if you think those guys were really looking for you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to help, but I really appreciate the sentiment,¡± Claud replied. Plucking out the little meeplings next, he said, ¡°Thanks, guys. You saved us.¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡± Crown bounced once on his palm, and the others, like little chicks, scuttled around on his hand, before nestling in Lily¡¯s hair.


    Crown cuddled up his neck, unlike the others, and then made a few contented little meeps.


    ¡°So adorable.¡± Lily frowned. ¡°I can only hope that none of the shadowy little toddlers were caught by that sudden expansion. What exactly is inside anyway? You said that there was a crying woman that looked like she was searching for you, and you think that she¡¯s the cause of the sphere, but why a crying woman?¡±


    ¡°Moons if I knew.¡± Claud breathed in deeply. ¡°We nearly died or something, though. I¡¯m not even sure how to react to this yet. I¡¯m still in shock.¡±


    The two of them walked towards the Vacuos Palace in silence after Claud uttered this statement. Lily, who had elected to use her presence to cheer his tired, heavy body up, tightened her hold on his arm as a bunch of soldiers raced away from the palace and towards the purple sphere.


    Mana-users flitted from rooftop to rooftop at the same time, covering the air and looking for people that were attempting to fish in troubled waters. At the same time, spellhounds and their handlers followed behind the cleared streets, guarded heavily by armoured knights.


    ¡°Grandis¡¯ Spellhound Unit¡­¡± Claud made a face. ¡°Brings me back.¡±


    ¡°Brings you back?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Back when Tot made an appearance,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I was resting in an inn when those spellhounds started looking for Tot, see? Quite nostalgic.¡±


    Of course, the him back then and the him now were very different. He had very little to fear now¡­in a sense, anyway. Claud really didn¡¯t think he would hold out well in a fight in his current condition.


    The dogs and their handlers passed by the two of them without incident, and while the archers that were bringing up the rear glanced at them suspiciously, no one came to stop them for questioning.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to walk around as a couple,¡± Claud noted. ¡°No one suspects us all that much.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not doing anything shady, though.¡± Lily reached out for his cheeks and squished his face. ¡°Why do you make it sound like we¡¯re criminals or something? We¡¯re not suspicious people!¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. But still, it¡¯s quite the blind spot,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Well, at any rate, that purple sphere has stirred the waters of this very deep pond, hasn¡¯t it? I¡¯m sure everyone is heading here because there is a good possibility that this incident is related to Tot.¡±


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    He paused. ¡°Well, it¡¯s probably linked¡­¡±


    Claud checked the Looped Encryptor, and then bobbed his head. His words had become less guarded ever since the Third Tutorial began, which was definitely a bad habit.


    ¡°Linked, huh.¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s speed up a bit. I don¡¯t want to scare myself by thinking about what could happen to me or something.¡±


    Vacuos Palace, while not as opulent as the Nightfall Palace, which had been spruced up by copious amounts of tax money, was still quite pleasing to the eyes. Of course, the book motif the castle had going for it was definitely helpful too ¡ª rather than a castle made from bricks, Vacuos¡¯ outer walls looked like bookshelves filled with books.


    ¡°Wait, those are real bookshelves, right?¡± Claud asked, rubbing his eyes and peering at the walls that were closest to the main gate. Indeed, these walls were actually real bookshelves that had books on them, and the guards protecting the main entrance all had a book in their hand too.


    ¡°¡­Are they trying to pretend, or do they really read books while on duty?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Both sound like they would be problematic, see?¡±


    ¡°Either they¡¯re poseurs or slackers,¡± Lily summarised his words. ¡°Hmm. Which one is better? Showoff or lazy guards?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. That¡¯s a good question, but I¡¯d go with arrogant guards.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°The lazy have an incentivise to make their own job much, much easier, just so they can laze off with good justifications. If that means they need to lay out traps every dusk and to remove them every dawn, they¡¯ll do that.¡±


    ¡°So lazy people are dangerous.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°That¡¯s how it is. Don¡¯t get between a lazing person and his or her bed.¡±


    With that little nugget of wisdom, the two of them trotted up to the Vacuos Palace main gate, where a bunch of guards had long noticed their arrival.


    One of them walked up, a hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword, and said, ¡°Halt. By order of Count Vacuos, lay forth your name and your purpose here.¡±


    ¡°We have a letter to send to the Folder Association President, Neo Cadenza,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I am Claud Primus.¡±


    ¡°And I am his spouse, Lily Primus,¡± Lily added. ¡°This is our calling card. We will be back on the appointed date.¡±


    She turned around and left. Claud reacted a beat later, and then mimicked Lily¡¯s graceful exit. They walked in silence for a minute, before Claud asked, ¡°That simple?¡±


    ¡°Yeap. Send a card, and then leave.¡± Lily paused. ¡°Normally, we should have gotten someone to send the card in our stead, but I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s willing to run errands right now.¡±


    She paused. ¡°Or at least, no one with sufficiently good bearing and poise would be willing to help us out at the standard prices. Anyway, we¡¯ve sent the card, so it¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about it too much.¡±


    Claud eyed her once. ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m worried at all? You have full reign in matters like this, so feel free to disregard my opinions on this matter¡­mostly, anyway.¡±


    He looked at the purple dome once more. Claud could see it very clearly, but some parts were blocked by the various personnel that had been dispatched. However, despite the fuss, it was evident that Count Vacuos and the other bigshots were either rushing back right now or were completely unaware of this incident ¡ª the knights were and mana-users in this county were simply cordoning off the area.


    If the bigshots had returned, explorations into this purple dome would have begun.


    ¡°Where did the other nobles all run off to?¡± Claud asked, folding his arms. ¡°Sure, the bigshots are probably out of the city right now, but there are other nobles here, right? What are they doing? Why aren¡¯t they responding to this?¡±


    ¡°Why would they?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Most of them don¡¯t have manpower enough to begin with, and those that do aren¡¯t interested in spending lives for someone else¡¯s city.¡±


    ¡°¡­Good point.¡±


    More knights and spellhounds raced past them as Claud and Lily retraced their steps. This time, however, the spellhounds had their sense of smell fully unleashed, but¡­


    ¡°What are they even trying to sniff out?¡± Claud asked, thinking about the other things he¡¯d done as the Fourth Bearer of Destiny, as the Thief of Time. He was dead certain that he didn¡¯t leave any clues behind, so what were making those dogs excited?


    Their handlers released the dogs as that thought flickered through his mind, and the canines scattered merrily.


    For obvious reasons, however, none of them bothered to approach Claud or Lily, and instead raced towards the centre of the city. Their handlers followed behind closely, ready to intervene or to capture their apparently discovered target.


    ¡°¡­I suppose they¡¯re barking up the wrong tree,¡± Lily observed, a wry smile on her face. ¡°What are they even doing?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they found something around that purple dome,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s quite possible. Or maybe they found another clue¡­but that¡¯s not for us to care about. Let¡¯s head home, wash up and call it a day.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s our grand opening, but we¡¯ve closed shop early, encountered some insane incident with purple spheres and even sent a calling card to Neo Cadenza.¡± Lily let out a long breath. ¡°Can we just sleep for the next three days instead?¡±


    ¡°Sure, why not?¡±

 Chapter 554: Changes on a different front

    The sounds of sizzling meat filled the air as Dia entered the living room, and her nose twitched. It was Schwarz¡¯s favourite breakfast, as usual, and her tummy rumbled at the prospect of bacon and eggs. The past two days had been nice and languid, and no one had objected when she said that daily trainings would be put on a pause until an appropriate date.


    Yawning away the fatigue of last night, which had been spent on reading books and nibbling on night snacks, Dia sat down on the dining table and glanced at the weird, board-like artefact that Schwarz had been using to communicate with the two lovebirds at Vacuos. There, unfortunately, weren¡¯t many ways to communicate with the lovebirds at Monsville, but the duo favoured by a divinity each weren¡¯t going to step out of their home anytime soon anyway.


    ¡°Dia?¡± Schwarz called out. ¡°That you?¡±


    ¡°How did you guess?¡± Dia replied, before looking at the table. Lightly charred pieces of sliced bread lay on the plates, and a nice pot of Somi soup sat in the middle, giving off a nice scent. Scooping up a small bowl for herself, she drank from the bowl, and then said, ¡°What happened to the chef?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s on leave for the next week or so,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°The cleaning staff are training at the backyard, as usual.¡±


    ¡°As usual¡­¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°Well, we are going to leave after Farah returns. No point spoiling someone¡¯s leave for that, is there?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± The bartender strode out of the kitchen, his body covered by a frilly, flowery apron. The lacy strings ended up in a nice bowtie, and Dia smiled. ¡°You tied that by yourself? Never thought you were good with strings.¡±


    ¡°You can blame Claud for that. He liked to tie me up when we were a bit younger. Something about knowing how to untie oneself being crucial to escaping kidnapping attempts.¡± Schwarz cackled. ¡°He¡¯s really weird at times.¡±


    He picked up the Trading Board, glanced at it once, and then did a double take.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Some dark emotions danced in Schwarz¡¯s expression. ¡°According to Claud, a gigantic purple dome just showed up in the middle of Vacuos. Quite a few people have gone missing. Presumed dead. The five grand skies tried to get rid of it, but they never struck at the end. The divinities are alarmed. The place is now swarming with familiar spirits, apostles and the Blessed of the various divinities.¡±


    ¡°¡­That can¡¯t be good for business.¡±


    ¡°Which is why Claud and Lily are spending the next few days lying around or whatever,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Still, they sent a calling card to Risti¡¯s father; they¡¯ll be visiting in a few days.¡±


    ¡°My father?¡± Risti entered the living room at the moment. ¡°What happened to my father?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s safe, don¡¯t worry. The two of them have made contact with the Association President; they¡¯ll be meeting up for a talk or something soon. Claud wants you to tell him everything you want to say, so that the two of them won¡¯t end up sharing a cup of awkward tea during the meeting.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Risti let out a sigh. ¡°Thank the Moons. They¡¯re safe.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Anyway, I was just saying that a purple dome just swallowed a good bit of Vacuos ¡ª buildings, people and all,¡± Schwarz continued. ¡°No one knows what¡¯s the dome¡¯s deal, but it¡¯s probably dangerous.¡±


    ¡°A dome?¡± Risti pondered for a moment. ¡°Can you help me ask Claud and Lily what they felt? Especially if there¡¯s something like a chill, or a feeling of wrongness.¡±


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Dia¡¯s ears twitched once as Schwarz looked at her suspiciously. The bartender fiddled with the Trading Board for a while, and then said, ¡°You sound like you know something.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But I can¡¯t tell you.¡±


    Schwarz met her gaze, and then smiled. ¡°Thank you for being honest. At least you didn¡¯t lie or anything.¡±


    Dia felt a bit guilty in that instant, but there were more important things to handle. The fact that Risti had posed this question meant that she suspected the Aberrations, the name for beings corrupted by the immense power of Limbo.


    Limbo was the designation for the world outside their world. Risti and Nero were senior agents of the Eternal Bulwark, protectors against the incursions of that pale white world¡­and executors of anyone who fell to the temptations and corruptions of that insane place. Schwarz, however, remained in the dark about Limbo, since knowledge of that place could lead one to corruption easily.


    After all, the only thing that was needed to be corrupted was a single thought. Risti and Nero had, more than once, visited death to people who dared to induce negative mana reactions ¡ª Dia knew that Nero and Risti had killed a few of them during and after the Trial of Aeons.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Risti replied, unaware of Dia¡¯s inner thoughts. ¡°I wish I can tell you, but you won¡¯t like what comes next.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a professional bartender. I don¡¯t take offence at people hiding secrets from me.¡± Schwarz winked. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s hurry and have our breakfast. Bacon and eggs are best when hot and sizzling.¡±


    Cutlery clinked as Dia enjoyed a nice breakfast that was probably comparable to the chefs at the Lustre Palace. Was her father waiting for her to return home? What about her brother, who she had taken the fall for? The servants that had pampered her and indulged her whims as a child ¡ª were they wondering where she had gone to?


    How would they react to her declaration of giving up inheritance rights?


    She heaved a mental sigh, and then looked at Schwarz, who was studying a strip of bacon closely. It seemed a bit charred, and the bartender didn¡¯t seem to quite like that fact at all.


    He was a perfectionist for the weirdest of things, but again, that could apply to everyone else.


    ¡°Princess Dia¡­did she return home yet?¡± Risti abruptly asked.


    ¡°Not yet, I think.¡± Dia smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll still need to wait for Farah, though. She¡¯ll be sad if we left early¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm. I hope she comes back today, though. Nightfall and Caroline are paying us a visit during lunch. It¡¯ll be nice if a certain countess could help us navigate the niceties of high society.¡±


    Dia felt a bit disregarded at those words, so she cleared her throat. ¡°I can also handle noble etiquette, alright? Come on. Sheesh.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡±


    Resisting the urge to say anything else, Dia picked up another piece of bread and dipped it into the bowl of soup in front of her. The lovebirds ¡ª she had a feeling that there were more and more couples around her, for some reason ¡ª that were Nightfall and Caroline were going to visit them later. Nightfall wanted to hear about the Trial of Aeons, while Caroline wanted to hear about Lostfon and any developments that had happened.


    Licencia was too far from the centre of the storm to hear anything significant in detail, so this was to be expected. Besides, the exclusive means of communication that the rulers of every territory employed to keep in contact had been disrupted; news in the Istrel Sovereignty stayed in the Istrel Sovereignty¡­at least until it entered the world outside.


    Farah would have informed Nightfall about her current status too, and he would tell them about it in passing¡­probably.


    Dia finished off her second piece of bread, before turning to her emptied bowl of soup. There was a nice, comfortable warmth in her stomach, and the lazy urge to just return to her room and plop down was on the verge of overpowering the rest of her thoughts.


    Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t quite do that yet.


    After breakfast, Dia followed Risti out into the garden. The two of them looked around in silence for a while, before Risti said, ¡°That might have been an attack from Limbo. Or something similar.¡±


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d think that way, yes.¡± Dia grimaced. ¡°But a purple dome¡­I thought it would be white.¡±


    ¡°The colour really isn¡¯t important, though,¡± Risti replied. ¡°What matters is the actual details of the incident. The divinities are reacting to this really intensely. Even if I don¡¯t know what is going on over there, even if Claud doesn¡¯t report the familiar signs that come with an incursion of Limbo, it¡¯s clear that something has gone really, really wrong.¡±


    Dia shivered. ¡°What do we have to lose?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps everything,¡± Risti replied. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. More importantly¡ª¡±


    Her voice faltered, and her face paled. ¡°Impossible!¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Dia asked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°The Moons¡­they just sent out a warning.¡± Risti grimaced. ¡°A general warning to everyone who is informed. The Aberrations¡­the Logia¡­they¡¯ve found a new way to infiltrate our world. One that doesn¡¯t require mana-users.¡±


    She paused. ¡°Normal people.¡±


    ¡°¡­Impossible.¡±


    Risti grimaced. ¡°But that¡¯s how it is.¡±

 Chapter 555: Sweeping changes

    ¡°Normal people¡­¡± Dia found herself shaken by that statement. ¡°The Blue Moon confirmed this? That normal people can be affected by the parasites of Limbo?¡±


    Risti nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but there¡¯s a very high chance the Red God¡¯s passing has something to do with it. The divinities, after all, are in-charge of protecting the world from these things. If one dies, I suppose there¡¯s going to be a huge hole there, right?¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± Dia folded her arms. ¡°Did the forces of Limbo attack when the Six Gods of Virtue perished? It¡¯s one thing if they did, but if they did, how could this have remained a secret?¡±


    ¡°The Last Godsfall has operated on rules that are clearly different,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Besides, the Trial of Aeons¡¯ focus was actually on creating this new world for everyone to migrate into, right? In the past, it didn¡¯t make sense to me¡­the Bearers of Destiny in previous Godsfalls worked together to replace the current ruling authorities. In this one, however, the divinities get one each. Isn¡¯t it rather telling?¡±


    ¡°Preservation, over destruction¡­¡± Dia frowned. ¡°True, that might work. This Godsfall was full of irregularities to begin with anyway, now that I think about it. Funny. So¡­because something unexpected happened, we¡¯re all kinda screwed?¡±


    ¡°Probably. We aren¡¯t¡­really supposed to kill the divinities, are we?¡± Risti made a face. ¡°We should tell the other Bearers of Destiny that.¡±


    ¡°The fact that these words, which portray the divinities in a poorer light, aren¡¯t censored is probably a bit telling.¡± Risti breathed out slowly, her nostrils flaring. ¡°However, the Blue Moon has confirmed this.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but are we supposed to tell everyone this?¡±


    ¡°¡­No. It¡¯s just to tell us not to rule out non-folders anymore.¡± Risti clicked her teeth. ¡°It¡¯s not something we can tell Schwarz or the people in this city. However, we¡¯ll need to make our rounds and be careful. Anything can happen, after all. I won¡¯t put it past these sneaky monsters to pull one over us.¡±


    Dia nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s all, I suppose.¡± Risti got up. ¡°Let¡¯s go back in. Schwarz must be feeling left out and lonely by now, the poor thing.¡±


    ¡°Well, he did choose not to reopen the bar. Something about ruined expectations, you know.¡± Dia shrugged. ¡°But he¡¯s probably wondering what to do now, while we wait.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope he won¡¯t need to wait too long, then.¡± Risti cricked her neck.


    The two of them returned into the mansion, where the bored bartender was fiddling with an exquisite set of crystalline glasses. There was something ceremonial in the way he handled them; Dia could sense a reverence that she typically associated with her father handling the dukedom¡¯s national treasure.


    Dia raised a finger to her lips as Risti opened her mouth, and then shook her head. Schwarz carried on with his elegant performance, pouring out measured amounts of clear alcohols into a single, crystal goblet lined with purple. Bubbles frothed madly as the bartender mixed them with a golden rod that had a diamond at the very tip.


    It was a diamond as large as a tooth, which was why she could notice it the moment Schwarz took it out. Schwarz¡¯s slow, reverential stirring continued for another minute or so, before he let out a long breath and withdrew the stirrer. With a flick of his wrist, the purple-lined crystal goblet shuddered, and its contents soared to the sky.


    Schwarz drew out a small golden cup in that instant, and golden afterimages appeared all over the place as he captured every last drop that fell back down.


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    ¡°¡­Wait, you flicked the contents of an entire goblet up just to get a small golden cup¡¯s worth?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Alcohol evaporates easily,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°It¡¯s an old, old process, really. According to my father, alcohols, if tossed up into the air, creates droplets. The droplets that are big enough to survive the flight land back into the cup as condensed alcohols. Those that don¡¯t are inferior, vanishing like dew in the morning.¡±


    Dia looked at the golden cup. ¡°This is my first time seeing this, though. And the whole ceremonial getup.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, it¡¯s my first time returning here after such a huge mess,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I was thinking of things to do, and my mind happened to settle on producing the year¡¯s most concentrated alcohol plus fizzy drink. This is a new beverage, the first of its kind.¡±


    ¡°¡­We can¡¯t drink it, right?¡±


    ¡°If I dilute it with water, yes.¡± Schwarz breathed in slowly, and the faint wispy gas entered his nose. His face flushed faintly a moment later, and he staggered. ¡°Alright. This is really strong¡­¡±


    Pouring the contents of the small golden cup into a tiny little bottle, he capped it and stored it in his belt. ¡°Anyway, we should get ready to receive our guests. They should be here anytime now.¡±


    ¡°Wait, we¡¯ve been standing here for that long?¡±


    ¡°No, you guys were messing around outside for that long,¡± he replied.


    The three of them trooped out to the garden and took up places around the entrance. Now that Dia had the opportunity to look at it again, she couldn¡¯t help but see traces of blunt and sharp strikes that had been dealt to the moving booth. Clearly, there had been a few people who tried to break into Moon Mansion for the secrets and riches within, but the booth had remained as impenetrable as ever.


    ¡°I¡¯m told that a few mana-users tried to bash a hole into our place, but Claud¡¯s arrangements are really¡­sturdy. Of course, I don¡¯t expect this to hold up against tetra-folders, but it¡¯s already pretty damned impressive to hold off so many others.¡± Schwarz smacked his lips. ¡°It¡¯s¡­reassuring, to be honest. And there are so many things this mansion can do that we can hold out against a prolonged siege and even escape.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s never used, I suppose.¡± Dia smiled.


    ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s.¡±


    Two figures, flanked by a small company of troops, appeared in their vision as Schwarz made that fervent little wish, and Risti clapped her hands twice. Before long, Moon Mansion had been surrounded by the soldiers, and a couple holding hands were standing with Dia and everyone else.


    ¡°It¡¯s been some time,¡± Nightfall noted. ¡°You guys¡­look a lot more intimidating now. I see being a tetra-folder doesn¡¯t not mean that your Mana Control Proficiency goes up at the same time. I thought it did.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not universal,¡± Schwarz replied.


    The two men traded hugs. After a second, Nightfall stepped back and said, ¡°Where is Claud, Lily, Nero and Farah?¡±


    ¡°The two lovebirds are still in Vacuos,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Nero is nestling with a partner of his own. Farah is busy handling something.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Count Nightfall rubbed his hands. ¡°I have been stuck in the county palace with Daybreak, who is still lodging with me under the pretense that his own palace is rebuilding. He has been eating a lot of food, however, and I believe that he is attempting to execute some master plan wherein he attempts to bankrupt me by eating all my stores.¡±


    ¡°How unfortunate,¡± Dia cut in, and the mental image of having fended off a slash rose up in her mind. If she didn¡¯t get it wrong, the count would have attempted to foist the freeloader onto them, but there was no way she could let them happen. ¡°Well, only a place as rich and as grand as the palace is probably able to house him.¡±


    She paused. ¡°Right, Farah should be back soon too¡­we¡¯ll be leaving once that happens.¡±


    Nightfall froze. ¡°Wait.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± Caroline, who had been watching happily, cut in. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, the Lustre princess is going to return home soon, so Dia invited us all to come with her and everything,¡± Schwarz added. ¡°A tour and a stay-over, if you will.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Damn.¡± Caroline made a face. ¡°How nice. I can¡¯t run off with you guys, though.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t leave the county,¡± Nightfall muttered. ¡°Now I feel a bit jealous. You guys are probably going to be honoured guests or something¡­right, when you see her, do ask how she managed to hide from the Shadows of Grandis and every single bored mercenary. I think that¡¯s an experience worth writing about, if I have to be honest.¡±


    ¡°Claud already asked me that,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°You¡¯re not the first.¡±


    He bobbed his head. ¡°Anyway, tell me more about what happened in Nihila. I¡¯ve been waiting for news about the outside world, and I¡¯m dying of excitement!¡±


    ¡°Excitement really isn¡¯t the word I¡¯d use, though,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°But sure. I¡¯ll be happy to tell you some stories. Have you guys eaten? We still have some breakfast left over.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to think about having leftovers for breakfast, but sure.¡± Nightfall¡¯s eyes gleamed. ¡°Hurry up. We want to know everything that has happened so far.¡±


    ¡°Stop rushing me, gah.¡± Schwarz turned and led the way back into the house. ¡°Right, where¡¯s Nightfall Junior?¡±


    ¡°Nightfall what now?¡±

 Chapter 556: The resounding purple domes

    After being told that the two of them didn¡¯t quite have plans for a widdle Nightfall baby ¡ª which, in Dia¡¯s estimation, would have precipitated a split within the Seekers of Life over who should be the child¡¯s godparent ¡ª Schwarz looked a little sad, necessitating other people to help cheer the bartender up.


    ¡°I had hoped to pass down my skillset to your child,¡± Schwarz muttered.


    Nightfall glared at him. ¡°Excuse me? My child would be a noble scion. What do you mean, pass down your skillset? The only one that I¡¯d consider qualified is the paranoid spook who has vanished for a long time.¡±


    ¡°What? Claud?¡± Schwarz looked at him. ¡°Why? Why him? He doesn¡¯t have any skillset!¡±


    ¡°Oh, but he does! Look at it from my point of view. He¡¯s a professional guard. Maybe even a spy or something. He¡¯s cautious and paranoid. I¡¯d like my child not to be assassinated at ten years old, you see.¡± Nightfall bobbed his head. ¡°Claud is perfect for that.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Besides, he and Lily are hexa-folders.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    The duo paused, and Caroline turned to Dia. ¡°Sorry. I think I heard you say that he¡¯s a hexafolder. The two of them. Did you mean something by that?¡±


    ¡°They have completed six mana circuits and are working on their seventh?¡± Dia replied. ¡°The conventional meaning.¡±


    She glanced at Schwarz and Risti. ¡°Did I stutter?¡±


    ¡°Loud and clear, Dia.¡± Risti raised a thumbs-up at her.


    ¡°So¡­those two are actually hexa-folders?¡± Count Nightfall touched his head once. ¡°Wow. I¡¯m¡­a bit dizzy. Hmm. Not sure what to think of that.¡±


    ¡°Is it really that unbelievable?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I mean, we¡¯re also minimally tetra-folders, you know. And I¡¯m close to my fifth mana circuit. In troubled times, the strength of most combatants rise. We¡¯re just proof of that axiom.¡±


    ¡°We should work a bit harder, then.¡±


    ¡°What have you guys been doing in the past year?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°I mean, there¡¯s been a general surge in combat ability ever since the ancient battlefields were unsealed. Lifestones are popping up all over the place. Many Named folders have grown in strength too. Now, the average Named are tetra-folders.¡±


    ¡°To answer your question, we¡¯ve been busy trying to make sure that the city runs smoothly. There¡¯s been a general shortfall of crops and everything, plus handling a bunch of random problems that inevitably crop up when Istrel is isolated from the other territories. Did you know that a good amount of fertiliser is imported from the Lacuna Dukedom?¡¯


    ¡°Really? Damn.¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°First I¡¯ve heard about that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Figured. Anyway, we¡¯ve been trying to keep law and order too. A few funny fellows think that¡ª¡±


    He fell silent. Nightfall¡¯s eyes seemed to look into the distance, and Dia recognised that gaze as something that the nobles tended to use when they were tapping into the shared information space they had.


    ¡°Something happened?¡± Caroline asked.


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Nightfall shook his head once. ¡°The¡­Schwa Dukedom has vanished. The entire territory that used to be Schwa ¡ª the dukedom capital, the lower nobles and their territories¡­another dome has appeared over the entire place.¡±


    Dia felt a chill run down her spine as her gaze shifted over to Risti, who had abruptly stilled. Caroline held her head once, and then looked at her husband.


    ¡°The entire territory has vanished?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°Istrel and Lustre are flying over personally to examine this new development. At any rate, however, Schwa¡­has ceased to exist. We will hear from them soon enough.¡±


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    ¡°Purple dome.¡± Schwarz looked at Dia and Risti. ¡°It¡¯s like what the Trading Board mentioned.¡±


    ¡°You know of this phenomenon?¡± Nightfall asked. ¡°What¡¯s it about?¡±


    ¡°Not much. We got news from Claud and Lily that a purple dome opened up in the Vacuos county capital. It seems to be a lot smaller than the one that appeared here, though,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°However, they emphasised the fact that the five grand skies had appeared and were gathering power to shatter that thing, only for them to stop at the very last moment.¡±


    ¡°Stop at the last moment?¡± Nightfall paused. ¡°Hmm. The five grand skies are also under their own restrictions. It must mean that this purple dome is one of them.¡±


    ¡°Restrictions?¡± Risti looked at the count. ¡°What restrictions?¡±


    ¡°Well. It¡¯s an old legend that I got from Mister Colidra.¡± Nightfall folded his arms. ¡°The five grand skies apparently cannot act against humans. They also cannot act against aspects of humans. Uh¡­they cannot act against Bearers of Destiny conventionally, unless they betray their humanity or something.¡±


    ¡°Betray their humanity?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°How does one do that?¡±


    ¡°Commit all sorts of evil deeds, probably. Also, it¡¯s a bit interesting that Bearers of Destiny may not fall under the concept of being human, isn¡¯t it?¡± Nightfall asked. ¡°Intriguing, really.¡±


    ¡°What about the other divinities?¡± Dia asked, thinking about the time she and the others saw Holy Son Mendas, the Holy Son of the Red God, killed by lightning from the heavens. Mendas was the wielder of Absolute Confinement, and had relied on it to protect himself.


    The five grand skies, however, had killed him all the same. Maybe it was because Absolute Confinement was used not for its intended purpose, but this incident proved that the five grand skies could smite down someone who had ¡°betrayed their humanity¡±, if she were to cite Nightfall.


    This was why the whole thing about the purple dome didn¡¯t make sense to her. However, if that purple dome was of human origins, and not from Limbo¡­that didn¡¯t make sense either, though.


    The Blue Moon of Wisdom, after all, had said that there were ways in which the agents of Limbo could infiltrate their world.


    The infiltrators couldn¡¯t be of human origin, right? The five grand skies would have struck down without mercy, and yet Claud had told them that nothing of the sort had happened. Unless Claud and Lily threw their lot in with Limbo or they just wanted to lie for the heck of it, there was no way they would relay fake information to her.


    Dia didn¡¯t know what to make of the information Nightfall had thrown out. Risti, however, seemed as if this information had nothing to do with her, and her face looked as worried as Schwarz¡¯s and the others.


    ¡­She probably wasn¡¯t faking it, though.


    ¡°It seems like these incidents will become more and common for the foreseeable future,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°Count Nightfall. Be careful, and look out for your citizens. Take heed to not anger them, nor to exploit them. Mark my words well.¡±


    ¡°My citizens?¡±


    ¡°I believe normal people can create phenomena like this,¡± Risti replied. ¡°While I do not quite understand the underlying mechanisms behind the possibility, I am certain that everyone here has a potential to harbour a little purple dome inside themselves.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. What makes you say that?¡± Nightfall asked.


    ¡°Instinct,¡± Risti replied. ¡°But it¡¯s on you, really.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± The count shook his head. ¡°Anyway, depressing news aside, let¡¯s talk about what happened in the past few months outside Istrel.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what made you brush it off as depressing news, because the Moons and the Dark fought a war that we didn¡¯t see much of until the end. Lots of people died, though. Dia killed a Bearer of Destiny and became something magical called the Salvation Star, and then she entered the Trial of Aeons.¡±


    Risti paused. ¡°Did I miss out anything?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­I think that¡¯s pretty much all we did,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Yeap. The rest of us didn¡¯t do anything much, though. A shame.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say whether you guys are just screwing with me.¡± The count narrowed his eyes for a few seconds. ¡°A lot of things happened, then.¡±


    ¡°You could interpret it that way¡­¡± Dia rubbed her nose. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s pretty much what happened when we went out into the Nihila Sovereignty. It wasn¡¯t all that exciting, though.¡±


    ¡°You participated in the Trial of Aeons, right? What do you mean by that?¡± Nightfall asked.


    ¡°I spent that one week with Nero, Clarissa and the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny having tea, eating desserts and talking about the Thief of Time,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Seriously. It sounded exciting, but I assure you that there wasn¡¯t much going on. The Thief of Time stole the Cosmic Egg and vanished into thin air. Nothing else happened.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Dia shrugged. ¡°I know. It was supposed to be a bloody brawl, but everyone ended up having tea while the bigshots in attendance tried to figure out what happened.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so boring.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°Our visit to the Celestia Ruins were even more exciting than that. At least we got some free loot, visited a unique market there, and then came across a small brawl. That was literally more exciting than the Trial of Aeons.¡±


    Count Nightfall let out a sigh. ¡°So, nothing much. Oh well. Do you have a record of events that happened in the past few months?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°You want it?¡±


    ¡°Can I?¡±


    ¡°Well, you can make a copy and return the original to me afterwards,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Make sure that our little group is still tax-free, though.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure¡­¡±

 Chapter 557: When the curtains fall

    Count Nightfall and Caroline were in the middle of eating lunch with Dia and the others when a faint chime echoed throughout the house, and Risti got up.


    ¡°Farah¡¯s back, probably.¡± Risti rubbed her hands. ¡°I¡¯ll bring her in. Don¡¯t mind me.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Risti.¡± Dia continued to slice the delicious slab of roasted chicken on her plate into small cubes. Small bowls of demiglace sauce sat in front of everyone, ready to be dipped into with meat or scooped out to decorate the mounds of rice on everyone¡¯s plate.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t know you had a talent for cooking,¡± Nightfall noted. ¡°Does it come with the bartender job?¡±


    ¡°It comes with the bartender job, yes,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°My old man also said that men who know how to cook well are sexy, so that¡¯s another reason. I¡¯m not sure if the others think I¡¯m sexy, though.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re good, don¡¯t worry,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Hmm. Is that true?¡± Nightfall asked. ¡°I must learn to cook some dishes, then.¡±


    Schwarz twitched. ¡°Count Nightfall, I suggest you learn from your cooks, rather than do it yourself. Amateurs have amateur mistakes, like adding Mystery Ingredient X that will inevitably wipe out an entire team of mana-users. I have heard my fair share of disasters and drunken complaints about chefs who just like to throw in weird stuff into their dishes.¡±


    He paused. ¡°I am sure Nero is a good example of one such idiotic chef. The drunkard is not good for anything¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait. Hold up. In that case, is it really safe to leave Nero and Kemata alone in that house?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I mean, Claud and Lily might return to the house to see two poisoned corpses or something.¡±


    ¡°¡­Crap. What do we do, then?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Does Kemata know how to cook? Or are these two idiots going to burn down Claud¡¯s residence?¡±


    ¡°Uh. I think they can roast meat?¡± Dia cupped her chin. ¡°At worst, they can go out into Monsville to buy some food or something.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound very certain either.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, I don¡¯t really want to try our luck with things like this either,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Besides, Claud will be hopping mad if the house really burns down.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay, so what do we do?¡±


    The two of them laughed awkwardly, before Schwarz changed the subject and said, ¡°What¡¯s keeping the two of them at the door?¡±


    ¡°Maybe the old butler came with Farah or something,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Butler?¡± Nightfall asked. ¡°Farah has a butler? Hmm. Maybe she¡¯s from a rich family. Excellent. I could do with some cash flow right about now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re thinking about?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Uh. Yeah. You know.¡± Dia cleared her throat. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll go and take a look.¡±


    Count Nighfall was still unaware that Farah was actually the Countess Farah of the same name, but she couldn¡¯t quite blame him either. After all, who would expect a fully fledged Countess to be a fan of the heiress of a dukedom? That just didn¡¯t make sense, if one went by rational thought processes.


    Unfortunately, weird things like these rarely operated according to logic.


    Scurrying out of the room, Dia soon found Farah and Risti, who were just talking about random things at the gate. Was it really necessary to be exchanging words at the gate? She¡¯d nearly given the game away just because of that¡­


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Come on, guys. We¡¯re waiting for you,¡± Dia called out. ¡°Hurry into the house already!¡±


    ¡°Right, sorry.¡± Farah shook her head. ¡°Nightfall¡¯s here, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Come on. Let¡¯s not keep our guest waiting,¡± Dia replied. ¡°You too, Risti.¡±


    Shepherding the two weird fellows ¡ª they were like scabbards short of a sword ¡ª back into the mansion, Dia shooed them back to the table and let out a sigh. It was nice that they were all unified once more, but this also meant that they would be setting off to Lustre the next day.


    How would they react when they finally learned about her identity? Dia didn¡¯t know, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel some dread at the prospect. She didn¡¯t want them to treat her differently, or to exalt her or something; there was a reason why she never made any meaningful connections in her time in Lustre. There weren¡¯t people who were that close to her ¡ª the maids treated her with polite courtesy, the kids of the lower nobles had darker thoughts, and the adults treated her like she was important as a symbol and nothing else.


    There were suitors, yes, but none of them really looked at her as a person. And as for those who tried to make friends with her, none of them were sincere. She had tried to accept them, tried to be actual friends with her, but¡­all of them had been told by their parents to befriend her for the sake of their station and territory.


    As for her own identity¡­she felt far inferior to Farah, who had risen to her station through her achievements ¡ª Dia knew that she was only Princess Dia because she had been born into the position.


    She chuckled to herself, a bitter tone underlying the self-mocking laughter. Dia knew that she didn¡¯t really have a right to complain, seeing as how the others had it far worse. They all had their own stories, and maybe even completed ones.


    Dia didn¡¯t have any such experience. Her story, at best, was in the middle of unfolding; it was nowhere near its end.


    ¡°Meh.¡± She perked herself up. She was still young; Count Nightfall and Caroline were over three hundred years old.


    Fluffing herself up, she returned to the others, only to behold a red-faced Count Nightfall that was hugging Caroline for some reason.


    ¡°Uh¡­what happened here?¡±


    ¡°Oh, he wanted to try a drink,¡± Schwarz replied, with a tone that implied that he was doing something ordinary.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound like it¡¯s an everyday deed,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Your drinks are anything but ordinary, so why offer it to normal people like Nightfall? Now you¡¯re causing inconvenience to Caroline.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, really.¡± Caroline¡¯s face was also flushed, but there was a palpable excitement to her flushed face. ¡°I¡¯ll, uh, bring him back now, you know. It¡¯s rare to see Aran drunk. He acts like a child when that happens!¡±


    ¡°You sound very excited, though?¡±


    ¡°I am? Hahaha. Yeah. Maybe.¡± Caroline picked Count Nightfall up and carried him in a princess carry. ¡°I¡¯m going off to ready my pampering tools. Nightfall¡¯s a traditional kind of person; he never demands me to pamper him. But if he¡¯s drunk¡­well, you see where I¡¯m going, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Great.¡± Schwarz rubbed his nose. ¡°You¡¯re one of them. Uh, why not take another bottle or two? Just speak up for us when you think it¡¯s necessary.¡±


    ¡°May I? Thank you kindly, then. I won¡¯t stand on ceremony.¡±


    After taking a few more bottles, she hurried out of the room. Nightfall was already holding her tightly, and Dia had the feeling that if Caroline waited any longer, the next few scenes would not be healthy for the Moon babies that were strolling around town.


    ¡°So, he¡¯s the more romantic and child-like kind when drunk.¡± Schwarz looked like he was holding back a smile. ¡°I am suitably amused by this.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± Farah tried to cover a smile. ¡°If I¡¯d known, I would have not stayed at the gate for so long.¡±


    ¡°Right? Anyway, Farah, you should get some rest. Since you¡¯re here, we¡¯ll be leaving for Lustre on the morrow,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Everyone wants to meet the princess who evaded capture somehow. Claud has instructed me three times to ask her how she did it too.¡±


    Dia rubbed her nose.


    ¡°The princess truly is brilliant,¡± Farah muttered. ¡°Just where did she hide? I mean, most of the information points to Licencia, but that information was so dated that she was probably long gone by then.¡±


    ¡°Most of them were fooled by our Dia too,¡± Risti added. ¡°It was a masterful ploy, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Claud was also asking about doubles for him and Lily, you know. He was thinking about these things with the princess in mind¡­he has a lot of admiration for her skills at staying out of trouble,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°What do you think, Dia? Do you feel a bit useless at how good your mistress is?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah.¡± Dia looked at her food, and decided to finish off her lunch as soon as possible. The amount of praise that was being heaped onto her was beginning to make her face burn. How could other nobles receive so much exaltations without feeling embarrassed?


    They really were a weird breed.


    Polishing off her lunch, Dia made a few random excuses and hurried back up to her room, before flopping onto her bed. Her ears were still burning, and her heart was in turmoil from all so many contradictory emotions right now.


    It would be nice to stab her heart with a few swords, if only to get rid of all these things that were messing up her thoughts.

 Chapter 558: Looking for a little friend

    ¡°Right, we should check out the Trading Board.¡± Lily, who was ladling out porridge for Claud, abruptly muttered. ¡°We forgot about that after sending an ominous message¡­the others might be worried about us.¡±


    ¡°Them, worried about us?¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°Lily, you forget about me and what I represent. They¡¯ll be more worried about the two staying over at Monsville than the two of us, even if we¡¯re living in the residences of the three bigshots.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I want to agree, but I have a feeling that I¡¯ll feel really sad if I do.¡± Lily lathered some butter on a piece of bread. ¡°Right, I¡¯ll go and up and grab the Trading Board first. Don¡¯t start without me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only because you want to feed me, right?¡± Claud rolled his eyes. ¡°Well, fine¡­¡±


    It had been nearly three weeks since he¡¯d screwed over his own Third Tutorial on purpose, and today, the metaphorical suit of armour that restricted his movements severely felt three times heavier than normal. The desire to sleep in was also tremendous too, although he couldn¡¯t tell if that came from chatting with Lily about the kids they could potentially have all night or his hollowed lifeforce.


    ¡°Claud?¡± A set of rapid footfalls echoed out, and Lily returned with a pale face. ¡°Something big just happened.¡±


    Claud banished the idle thoughts instantly and looked at her. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°The Schwa Dukedom just vanished,¡± Lily replied, before handing the Trading Board over to Claud. Claud scanned through the message that presumably Schwarz had penned, and then bit his lips.


    The Schwa Dukedom had been completely enveloped by the same purple dome that had appeared in Ninth Street here. The scale was completely different, but the fact that the intelligence had pinpointed a purple sphere was a bit too coincidental to be anything else.


    It could be something else, but until then, Claud would assume that purple spheres were nasty pieces of work that could come from anywhere without a warning.


    ¡°Oh no, as if it wasn¡¯t enough,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°I¡¯m sick of all this. Magical purple spheres that randomly engulf people? Really? At least we knew who to look out for and how to deal with the divinities and their servants. Now we have random purple spheres that pop up out of nowhere, and I don¡¯t have a single clue as to how they work.¡±


    Claud held his head. The memories he gained of another lifetime in the Second Tutorial wasn¡¯t useful either; the Frozen Emperor¡¯s trauma had been so deep that nothing other than the most important memories still remained when Claud came hopping along. The him then had slept in never-ending dreams, living through fantasies and imaginations as the world collapsed all around the Frozen Throne.


    That future had been averted quite soundly, however.


    Lily patted his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. At best, we¡¯ll go into the wild and live there. More importantly, though, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s quite a death sentence yet. I mean, if these purple spheres really are killing people, this would have been impossible to stamp out. It¡¯s probably some¡­trap. Or whatever.¡±


    ¡°Trap, huh.¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°We¡¯ll still need to be careful, though. This purple threat is by no means a laughing matter. Even if we don¡¯t turn into a corpse upon being swallowed up, that doesn¡¯t mean that the area inside isn¡¯t dangerous. We need to be ready and prepared for anything that might come our way. In that case, we¡¯ll need to sleep with our equipment near us from now on.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that already the case?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I mean, you have all your gear just an arm¡¯s length away.¡±


    ¡°True, but you don¡¯t. And we¡¯ll need more daily necessities. It¡¯s been nearly a week since that purple sphere appeared in Ninth Street, and it¡¯s still there,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Also, it¡¯ll be nice if I can figure out what¡¯s the cause of these purple things.¡±


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    ¡°Meep.¡±


    Crown peeked out of his clothes, and then the other meeplings rolled onto the table.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I thought you guys were going to sleep in after you meeped around all night.¡±


    The little sphere bounced onto her shoulder. ¡°Meep.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Sorry. Maybe we should have left you guys in the bedroom instead,¡± Lily replied.


    The little meeplings clamoured for a while, before Claud realised that they had woken up in response to his random desire to learn about those purple spheres. However, although they had established rudimentary levels of communication, the more complicated meeps were still out of Claud¡¯s meep-tionary, so there really wasn¡¯t anything he could do about it.


    ¡°Speaking of little guys, the little toddler didn¡¯t show up yesterday,¡± Lily muttered.


    Claud nodded. ¡°Now that you mention it¡­I feel a little lonely. Let¡¯s open up shop again and see if the little guy will show up.¡±


    The meeplings hopped around and meeped as the two of them finished off their breakfast, before scuttling into their hair. Making themselves comfortable, the tiny little fellows soon fell asleep, and Lily laughed, before stowing away the plates and other cutlery.


    Claud felt a bit bad when she did all the dishes by herself, even if the deadly gaze she sent at him when he tried to help could probably kill the Moons and the great Dark together. She hadn¡¯t allowed him near fragile stuff ever since his left arm lost some strength abruptly yesterday. If not for his fast reflexes, the shop would have charged them for cleaning or something¡­


    Musing over these nasty memories of his own frailty, Claud got up and ambled over to the shopfront. Unlocking the door and turning the sign over, Claud peeked out of the house and looked around.


    He couldn¡¯t see the little toddler that had been tagging around them just two days ago, right before the purple sphere¡­


    ¡°Right before that thing just ballooned madly,¡± Claud muttered to himself, a small, sinking feeling in his chest.


    Turning around, he hobbled over to Lily, who had just entered the storefront. Something had evidently shown on his face, because the first thing she asked was whether he was feeling alright.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Claud began, ¡°but the little shadow toddler might not be.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°The purple dome,¡± Claud replied.


    She froze, and her hands trembled slightly as she shook her head. ¡°No way. That can¡¯t be, right? Why would that kid be this unlucky?¡±


    ¡°The toddler separated from us in a place not that far from the caf¨¦, and the purple dome expanded a lot too. I won¡¯t put it past that thing to not suck the little kid in,¡± Claud replied darkly. ¡°I think we need to investigate.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Lily paused. ¡°And as you are now? Is that advisable?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not.¡± Claud closed his eyes. The Hollow God didn¡¯t tell him anything about this, so either it wouldn¡¯t have much of an impact on him, or it had never happened in that fellow¡¯s lifetime. It was hard to tell which was the more correct answer, but the reaction that woman had when she saw him was¡­


    Quite telling.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be dangerous, though. And you¡¯re at your absolute weakest right now,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°I can¡¯t let you go. Not alone.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Claud looked away. ¡°Never intended on going alone, really.¡±


    ¡°Why are you looking away, then?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Well, it feels like I¡¯m dragging you into this,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s¡­not something to be proud of. And¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. The little kid¡¯s my friend too,¡± Lily replied. ¡°We go together. And¡­we can also take this chance to look for some clues too. I believe you¡¯re special. Therefore, I believe that this space is related to you somehow¡­¡±


    ¡°What a stretch.¡±


    ¡°And besides, you will definitely work a lot harder if I¡¯m counted, right? You won¡¯t give into your fatigue, and you won¡¯t give up even if something happens,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I¡¯m upping the stakes, and there¡¯s nothing you can do about it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll work harder then.¡± Claud took a deep breath, and then turned around. Flipping the sign back to reflect the fact that this shop had only opened once, during its grand opening, he squared his shoulders and said, ¡°We¡¯ll need to gather intelligence about that thing. We can¡¯t hide ourselves either¡­we need to cooperate with Vacuos, the three bigshots, and the divinities.¡±


    Lily held his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Nothing¡¯s going to happen to us.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Claud let out a small breath. ¡°Right now, I live. By my own will, by my own volition, I will solve this mystery, this purple dome. This is me. And I¡¯m alive.¡±


    Pepping himself up with some words, Claud hugged Lily once. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve shared a lot of things,¡± Lily replied. ¡°There was never a need to thank me for anything.¡±


    ¡°I insist.¡± Claud smiled at her. ¡°It¡¯ll be dangerous, though.¡±


    ¡°I believe you¡¯ll protect me¡­or rather, I¡¯ll protect you. You just need to tell me what to look out for,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯s about time we put those instincts of yours to the test, anyway.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s get down to it, then. Let me grab some tools first.¡±

 Chapter 559: Towards the purple dome

    Ninth Street and the rest of Vacuos were fairly deserted when Claud and Lily stepped out of the shop, proving that business would still be low even if they stayed inside. It wasn¡¯t as if news about their shop would magically spread wings and fly, after all, and more importantly, forces both mortal and divine were moving around the background.


    While the soldiers that were staring guard made the city look like it was under a general curfew, Vacuos actually wasn¡¯t under anything of the sort, although everyone else had opted to either leave the city or to hide in their homes.


    Claud naturally didn¡¯t know what the cause was, but the purple dome that occupied a fifth of the skyline whenever he looked westwards, towards the centre of the city, was probably the cause.


    ¡°Business is bad, but it¡¯s not because our products are crap,¡± Lily sang, her sing-a-song voice lifting his spirits slightly.


    ¡°Well, we needed to be well-known, after all. And news really doesn¡¯t travel well,¡± Claud replied, adjusting his backpack. ¡°Unless it¡¯s bad news. That travels faster than me when I¡¯m fleeing.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone can catch up to you if you flee, though,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I just don¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°Uh, metaphorically?¡±


    Lily thought for a while. ¡°Fair enough. But if you really wanted business, why not sell the location of our shop on the Trading Board? We have access to Nihila¡¯s general boards, right? Just sell our location as a secret, super-rare skillstrip shop or something. We can make some money off selling our own wares.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Claud blinked. ¡°We can do that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s a method of profiting. We¡¯ll list our wares and send them to the regional, uh, chat group. Maybe we¡¯ll get lucky?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but there¡¯s a high chance that our shop would be closed when they come over,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We are going to venture into that dome, after all. The only reason why I¡¯m so confident is because I¡¯m sure we can break out easily. But if we can¡¯t, we¡¯ll need to stay in there and try to crack the dome¡¯s source. It has to come from somewhere, after all.¡±


    The two of them continued to chat and check their equipment as they headed down Ninth Street. The absence of people and street stalls selling food created an atmosphere that Claud disliked, but there wasn¡¯t much he could do about it. Soldiers gazed at them as they walked down the streets, but none of them left their positions to interrogate them or something.


    ¡°Right, have we decided on a date to visit President Cadenza?¡± Claud asked, thinking about the letter that they had received shortly after they sent the calling card. ¡°Or are we going to visit after we deal with the purple dome?¡±


    ¡°I think we should at least check the purple dome and see what¡¯s inside first,¡± Lily replied. ¡°That way, we¡¯ll have more information for Count Vacuos and the others freeloading at his palace. Poor guy.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Claud shook his head.


    He continued to look around Ninth Street as the two of them approached the purple dome. The little toddler that had been hanging around them never showed up at all. The other shadowy toddlers that had still dotted the streets yesterday had completely vanished too, presumably told to go back to their home while everyone else tried to figure out what was with these purple domes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be showing up while these things are here,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Maybe the kid just happened to go back yesterday, and he wasn¡¯t swept up in this purple dome thing.¡±


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    ¡°Better be safe, though,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And to be honest, I¡¯ve been wanting to investigate this thing. It¡¯s hard to sleep when there¡¯s the possibility of a purple dome abducting you in the middle of the night.¡±


    Lily made a sad noise.


    After walking for a little while longer, the two of them came across a cordon. Guards stood around the cordon, the occasional jitter and jerk revealing their fear of standing so close to this purple dome that no one had exited from so far.


    ¡°I¡¯m beginning to wonder if this is actually a good idea,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°No one¡¯s left the dome so far.¡±


    ¡°But you won¡¯t be able to sleep well until you scour the interior for the child, right?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s pretty much the same with me. That kid¡¯s¡­well, I would call him a friend. You said once before that there are times when we need to take risks, no matter what. This is one such time, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Claud replied. ¡°My ambition used to be that of living forever. But after going through so much, I think it¡¯s changed slightly. I have to live forever happily¡­that extra word changes a lot of things, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like putting some flash powder into a bomb. Turns it into a blinding weapon too. The product will still kill or injure normal people, but it¡¯ll also be able to blind mana-users.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­I suppose that¡¯s a good enough metaphor.¡±


    The guards that were manning the cordon looked at Claud and Lily as they drew up to the barricade, before drawing their swords. Claud raised his two hands up, and then said, ¡°I don¡¯t mean any harm. I¡¯m just going to enter the place.¡±


    The soldiers stared at each other for a moment, and then lowered their weapons. Their leader, a helmeted fellow, walked up to them and said, ¡°You intend to enter? Do you know what you look like?¡±


    Claud tilted his head.


    ¡°Your wife is supporting your right arm, and you look lethargic. I bet that you¡¯ll die three minutes after walking inside. If you want to actually contribute to this exploration, at least don¡¯t go burrowing in the bedsheets with your wife for the whole of last night first.¡±


    A flame of irritation tickled his heart, and Claud looked at the officer in silence. His mana whirled faintly, and the burly helmeted fellow soon took a step back in silence. Muttering something about grapes and alcohol, the officer ran off into the distance.


    ¡°Sir?¡± One of the normal soldiers tilted his head. ¡°What¡¯s up with him¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them in yet!¡± the officer shouted. ¡°I¡¯m bringing someone over!¡±


    ¡°Uh, you heard him!¡± The young man looked at Claud and Lily. ¡°No entry! Not yet, anyway!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite the spirited one,¡± Claud observed. ¡°Anyway, I suppose the way you¡¯re holding me up is really making people think weird stuff.¡±


    ¡°Let them,¡± Lily replied, a grin on her face. ¡°It¡¯ll be great if I can scare away other women. And men won¡¯t approach me carelessly if I¡¯m holding you like this anyway. I¡¯m taken, and so are you!¡±


    ¡°Sir, ma¡¯am, please stop flirting in front of us,¡± the young soldier complained. ¡°It¡¯s hard to watch.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re telling you to watch,¡± Claud replied.


    Despite his words, however, the two of them decided to retreat by a few metres, before squatting down to look at the purple dome. The purple surface was smooth and unblemished; it looked like one of Lily¡¯s more exotic sweets that had just been freshly baked.


    ¡°Uh, do you have a sweet?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°I do, but that¡¯s a random thing to ask for out of the blue¡­¡± Lily pulled out a small bag. ¡°Here!¡±


    Claud felt his lips turn up as he rolled the little ball-like treat in his mouth, before he checked on the three little meeplings.


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re close to the purple dome,¡± Lily explained, before plucking the three of them out of her and Claud¡¯s clothes. ¡°There.¡±


    ¡°Meep.¡± Crown started to spin on its edge, but other than that, the little guy didn¡¯t show much of a reaction.


    ¡°You were a lot more alarmed when that thing showed up, though,¡± Claud noted. ¡°We¡¯re going in to look for people and to figure out what¡¯s going on inside.¡±


    ¡°Meep?¡± The little guy fell onto his side. ¡°Meep! Meep!¡±


    ¡°¡­Can¡¯t. We have people to save,¡± Claud replied, patting the little box. ¡°If you guys don¡¯t want to go, we can return back home first. We¡¯ll pop you guys back into the house.¡±


    The three meeplings protested, and then hopped into their hair.


    ¡°Okay, so they want to come along with us.¡± Lily made a face. ¡°But¡­I¡¯m now feeling some misgivings about exploring this place now. Is it fine for us to bring you three along?¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for their impassioned meeps to convince Lily that they were very fine with going along for this exploration. Claud didn¡¯t quite understand them, as usual, but their explanation was something along the lines of how there was a difference between a half-formed and fully-formed¡­something.


    Claud and Lily couldn¡¯t quite decipher what the name for this purple dome was just yet.


    ¡°I hear that you two want to enter?¡±


    An unfamiliar voice shook the air, one that was used to authority and giving orders, and the two of them looked at the newcomer.


    Claud narrowed his eyes. ¡°¡­You must be Count Vacuos.¡±

 Chapter 560: Exploring the dome

    It is I indeed, Count Vacuos, ruler of my namesake territory.¡±


    Claud felt his eyebrow twitch once. For some reason, this fellow was speaking in a rather grandiose manner, not quite unlike Farah when he first met her. He looked at the count, who was wearing an opulent set of armour, and then at his proud eyes, who were looking down on the two of them. Golden hair, which had been combed upwards in a manner reminiscent of a chicken¡¯s comb, glinted coldly.


    ¡°Count Vacuos.¡± Lily took a step forward. ¡°We are here to enter.¡±


    ¡°You, little girl?¡±


    Lily¡¯s eyes flickered, and she glanced at Claud, who nodded back. In that instant, the mana inside her pulsed once, and everyone on the scene staggered back. The non-folders fell onto their back and shivered, and Count Vacuos retreated a few steps back.


    ¡°Any objections?¡± Lily asked, withdrawing her mana.


    ¡°None, Your Excellency¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just wandering knights,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Stand up.¡±


    Claud wanted to cheer, but this was Lily¡¯s performance, so he had to hold in his jubilation for a while. Forcing a relaxed expression on his face, he glanced at the count, who now looked like a chicken caught in the rain as he stood back up.


    It was a satisfying expression, so he didn¡¯t add anything extra to Lily¡¯s performance.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re so cooperative. Much better than a few dukes out there,¡± Lily muttered.


    Claud, who was dead certain that the two of them had never interacted with a single duke in person before, had to hide another smile. Unfortunately, Count Vacuos had heard her quiet words and took it at face value, so the chicken that had been drenched in the rain started to shiver from the proverbial cold. It was quite amusing, if he had to be honest, but time wasn¡¯t really on their side.


    ¡°Alright, stop shivering,¡± Lily snapped. ¡°Have you done any investigations into this thing yet?¡±


    ¡°N-no, Your Excellency.¡±


    ¡°None at all?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°None at all,¡± Count Vacuos replied, his words shifting to that of a confident simper. Whether or not these two words should be placed together was none of Claud¡¯s concern, but he really didn¡¯t know how to describe Vacuos¡¯ obsequious words otherwise.


    ¡°¡­Very well. Send word to the Emperor and his peers that two hexa-folders are going to explore the region inside. We¡¯re here on a rescue mission; we¡¯ll see if we can toss people out of this place,¡± Lily replied. ¡°They might be in a bad condition, so be ready to save them immediately.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Excellency!¡±


    ¡°Good. Now go.¡± Lily sent him off with a dismissive wave of her hand, before glancing at Claud once. The two of them proceeded towards the purple sphere immediately, and the soldiers at the side skittered away at their approach.


    The two of them stopped an arm¡¯s length away, and Lily let out a sigh. ¡°Well, this might be quite dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Very dangerous, I think.¡± Claud lowered the backpack that was strapped to him, and then plucked out a bunch of items. The first thing he took out was a weird, crossbow-like weapon. An arrow was loaded on it, but the arrow had a fine metal wire at the very end.


    ¡°Alright, first test,¡± Claud aimed the crossbow at an upwards angle. His hands were shaking, however, and it took him three seconds to steady his trembling arms. Letting out a small breath, he pulled the trigger.


    With a whizz, the arrow plunged into the purple dome and vanished from sight. The spool attached to the crossbow bolt spun at the same time, feeding more metal thread into the purple sphere without any issue whatsoever.


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    ¡°Hmm. It doesn¡¯t sever anything?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Then what¡¯s stopping me from sending someone to look inside and then pulling them out?¡±


    The spool ran out of thread a moment later, creating a weird metallic clink. Immediately afterwards, the thread that had been connected to the bolt inside drooped, severed by some weird force.


    ¡°Movement, I think,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°We can pass through this as long as we are in constant movement. But I don¡¯t think we can do that to return¡­which puts us at a massive information disadvantage. We can¡¯t gather information about the inside world until a brave person enters.¡±


    ¡°Would communication artefacts work?¡± Lily wondered.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± Claud turned to the closest soldier. ¡°Get us communication artefacts. We¡¯re going in.¡±


    ¡°Now, Your Excellencies?¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°No time to lose. Hurry! Just take. Count Vacuos isn¡¯t going to scold you anyway, so hurry up and run along?¡±


    Claud clicked his teeth. ¡°I also took Lesser Half¡¯s card with us, just in case. Should we tell him that we¡¯re going to explore this purple place? Maybe he can bail us out if something really happens.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re really going all out, huh.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Gotta save that little kid and everyone else,¡± Claud replied, before pulling out the card. Scribbling a hasty message and stating that he would attempt to use this as another method of communication, Claud tucked the card back into one of his many pockets.


    ¡°What other tools did you bring?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Poison checkers, temperature checkers, mana checkers, and dummies that would draw the eye of anyone who sees them,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Hmm. I wonder if I can do this¡­¡±


    He picked up the poison checker, which was just a long rod that would change colour if it came across poison. The brighter the colour, the more deadly the poison was. How it worked was anyone¡¯s guess, but poison was generally rare. Back then, he usually used it to check really old vaults, just in case someone died in there or the various treasures stored inside started to fall apart.


    Claud had never expected to use this stick outside of a heist.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lily asked, curious.


    ¡°Just an experiment.¡± Claud took the stick and swung out once. The tip vanished into the purple dome, but Claud didn¡¯t meet much resistance until his swing had cleared most of the barrier.


    His mana surged once, and the purple dome shuddered as he tore the stick out. Metal shrieked once as his strength threatened to break the whole thing in two, and Claud was forced to stop before something went flying.


    ¡°Looks like we can¡¯t cheat this thing,¡± Lily muttered.


    A soldier came running back at that moment. ¡°Your Excellencies, I have retrieved some communication artefacts.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Lily looked at the small crystal boxes that were sitting in a larger box, and then picked out two of them. Handing on to Claud, she turned back to the soldier and said, ¡°We¡¯ll be going in with these two. Help us set them up so that we can communicate with each other, as well as the other artefacts outside.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    The soldier soon returned the two artefacts to Claud and Lily, and then retreated back by a few footsteps.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Claud took a deep breath. ¡°Here goes nothing, really.¡±


    The two of them held hands, and then walked into the purple sphere. Stopping in the middle was a bad idea, for very obvious reasons, so Claud took a few more steps until he and Lily cleared the boundary completely.


    Signalling for Lily to hold her breath, Claud breathed in cautiously, ready to activate Will of Purity at any moment. It was a useful skill, capable of removing all foreign and negative effects, while invalidating their application for thirty hours.


    He breathed in a few more times, and then tore up a Cleanse skillstrip. A faint light shrouded his body, but he couldn¡¯t sense the departure of any foreign power or impurity.


    ¡°Should be safe.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The two of them surveyed their surroundings. The interior of the purple sphere was actually that of a building, for some reason. The two of them were currently in a large hall that had hundreds and thousands of beds spread out uniformly, and people were lying in them.


    People and shadow babies, in fact.


    ¡°What is this place?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I thought it would be all dark and gloomy and purple, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, me too.¡± Claud walked up to one of the beds. The person lying in them had red dots all over her face and on her skin in general, while her breathing was faint and weak.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to establish communications with the soldiers outside,¡± said Lily.


    Claud nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll try to figure out what¡¯s going on here. The people here all look sick¡­even the little shadow babies have red dots on their faces. It¡¯s some kind of pox, the kinds that are very common in the slums, and most of them don¡¯t look like they¡¯ll make it past next week.¡±


    Lily tapped on the crystal box, presumably relaying his words outside.


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯re supposed to cure these people or something,¡± Claud muttered. Before he could do anything else, however, the sounds of a door opening entered his ears, and the two of them turned around to see a familiar-looking young woman in white. From the medicines she was bearing, she was clearly a doctor, but¡­


    A doctor, here?


    ¡°Who are you two?¡± the young woman asked. ¡°How did you get in here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s our line!¡±

 Chapter 561: Clues and details

    ¡°A purple world? A dome? What are you guys talking about?¡± the doctor looked at the two of them. ¡°This place has been and always has been a place for the sick to be treated.¡±


    ¡°¡­You have never stepped outside before?¡± Claud asked. ¡°You know, outside? This place?¡±


    ¡°I know that Vacuos is outside, but I¡¯m dying of overwork here,¡± the doctor replied. ¡°There¡¯s no time. There are so many people that have been infected of this weird disease, and they¡¯re all dying. Now, if you¡¯d please, get out before you contribute to the numbers.¡±


    She ushered Claud and Lily into a small room by the side after saying those words. Promising to come back for them, she returned back to the great hall and started administering whatever she was holding to them.


    ¡°¡­Okay, so what¡¯s with this place?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Definitely does not seem purple and evil to me, but again, the hideouts of most bandits aren¡¯t lined with human heads either.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s try to establish contact with the outside world first¡­okay, done.¡± Lily frowned. ¡°So, this place is a gigantic hospital. Definitely has to serve some purpose, or symbolise something.¡±


    ¡°Symbolise something, huh?¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°Hmm. Remember what I told you a day or two ago? About that distraught, heart-broken woman that came bumbling into the caf¨¦ for some reason? And how we thought it was a very good idea to get the heck out of the place?¡±


    ¡°You said it was related.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m quite certain that the woman had something to do with the purple dome,¡± Claud replied. ¡°In fact, I think that the doctor we saw just now was that woman. However, she¡¯s clearly¡­lost her memories. Or had them altered. Which I think is more likely.¡±


    ¡°That woman is related to this place, and she happens to be a doctor taking care of people who have fallen ill.¡± Lily folded her arms. ¡°You mentioned that she was in a state of immense sorrow and despair when you laid eyes on her at the caf¨¦. So¡­it¡¯s related. She lost someone to sickness. Maybe her entire family, or her child, or her lover.¡±


    Claud bobbed his head. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought too, after seeing all this. Assuming that the purple dome is related to this woman, and assuming that it might be able to bring out her¡­well, maybe her obsessions¡­¡±


    ¡°Would she be obsessed over saving patients? The sick and the injured?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say yes. The only question is what this purple dome does, and what we need to do to bring it down,¡± Claud replied, before letting out a slow breath. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll scout this place. We¡¯ll try to go outside.¡±


    ¡°Outside?¡±


    ¡°Of this place,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We should explore the¡­rules of this place. Like what we did in Celestia.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Let¡¯s¡ªhmm?¡±


    She glanced at the crystal box, and then said, ¡°We can make contact with the people outside. Let¡¯s see¡­oh. Lesser Half is here. I think our message did a lot. He tells us to not resort to violence or mana unless absolutely necessary. He asks if we need more manpower.¡±


    ¡°Not for now,¡± Claud replied. ¡°They¡¯re not trained the way you and I are, so there¡¯s a good chance they¡¯ll bungle things up.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t pull any punches, do you?¡± Lily giggled. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll just tell them what you said verbatim.¡±


    ¡°Hold up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just kidding, silly.¡± Lily put away the crystal box. ¡°Let¡¯s go explore this place first.¡±


    The room the two of them were in had two doors. One of them led to the great hall with lots and lots of people, and the other led to a long hallway. Despite the place being seemingly empty, Claud could vaguely sense something down the long hallway, something calling out to him.


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    ¡°Meep!¡± Crown made a sound, and Claud pulled the little guy out. The little meepling rolled a few times in the direction of the door that led to the long hallway, before diving back into his clothes with the other meeplings.


    ¡°Huh. That direction¡­weird,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°I can feel something summoning me.¡±


    ¡°Is it related to your¡­special status?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Probably. You don¡¯t feel anything, right?¡±


    ¡°Just your warmth,¡± Lily replied, huddling next to him. ¡°It¡¯s quite cold here for some reason. And I¡¯m a hexa-folder. Doesn¡¯t make sense that I¡¯m shivering.¡±


    ¡°Cold?¡± Claud tilted his head. ¡°Is it? I don¡¯t feel anything, though.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re radiating an awesome warmth, so of course you don¡¯t.¡± Lily squeezed him even tighter. ¡°You¡¯re like a hot bath right now, and I love the contrast.¡±


    ¡°Just remember that I¡¯m not really good for moving too much right now,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always been supporting you, though?¡± Lily paused. ¡°Oh! Is that your sneaky way of telling me that you want a piggyback ride? Sure!¡±


    Before Claud could say anything, his vision jerked dramatically, before rising substantially. Lily made some happy noises as he leaned against her back, and then said, ¡°It feels like there¡¯s a heated blanket on my back right now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m that warm?¡± Claud asked. ¡°You do know that the Second Tutorial¡¯s iteration of me was called the Frozen Emperor, right?¡±


    ¡°That is that, and this is this.¡± Lily adjusted his position slightly. ¡°Alright, onwards! This is fun!¡±


    ¡°Normally, it¡¯s the guy who gives the girl a piggyback,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°But again, we¡¯re both hexa-folders. You can probably lift an entire building on your back if you wanted to, let alone little old me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you have that sorted out. Still, how are you so comfortably warm? Hmm.¡± Lily tried to pull him closer, but every single part of his body was already in contact with her.


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry. We forgot about you guys.¡±


    The meeplings rolled out of their hair and bounced onto Lily¡¯s shoulder, before shivering. Letting out little faint meeps, they rushed back to Claud and cuddled up against his neck.


    ¡°See? You¡¯re really warm right now.¡± Lily stopped at the door that led to the long hallway. ¡°And this place feels even colder. Guys, go and hide in Claud¡¯s clothes. I think we¡¯ll start freezing the moment we step into that hallway.¡±


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    Crown rushed into his clothes first, and Claud made weird movements as the others followed suit and wedged themselves around the centre of his chest for some reason. It probably made sense, since his heart was there¡­but it was ticklish.


    ¡°Now it feels like something is sticking into my back,¡± Lily noted. ¡°Can you three not stack up on each other and spread out a bit?¡±


    Muffled meeps followed, and the three meeplings obeyed her words. Shaking her head, Lily turned her head to look at Claud, and then said, ¡°Well, let¡¯s see what¡¯s in this passage.¡±


    Her fingers tightened around the doorknob, before twisting it. As she pushed the door open, Lily¡¯s body shivered badly, and Claud found himself hugging her with a bit more strength to convey the apparent warmth that he gave off. At the same time, mana poured out of him, forming a shield that would hopefully ward off the cold.


    ¡°Oh. It¡¯s effective.¡± Lily¡¯s shivers began to die down. ¡°Your mana has this warmth to it too. Can you keep emitting it?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Still, my mana now has a temperature? I don¡¯t think something like this has happened before, has it? Or is it the special rules of this place?¡±


    ¡°Probably the latter,¡± Lily replied.


    The two of them looked around the hallway. To their left was a dead end, but a painting hung on it.


    ¡°It¡¯s that doctor. And a baby,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Yeah. I think our guesses were largely right. Let¡¯s go walk down this hallway. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find more and more details about the doctor and that baby along the way.¡±


    ¡°When you read enough books, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s obvious,¡± Lily added. ¡°I think it¡¯s called the Law of Conservation of Detail. There¡¯s only so many words that an author can use, so details that are evident, like this painting hanging here, has to be important to this world one way or another.¡±


    Claud bobbed his head. ¡°If only we had records of her name, though. We could ask Count Vacuos to tell us about the doctor and whatever happened to her in the lead-up to this¡­purple dome. It does look like a manifestation of her thoughts and obsessions, though.¡±


    ¡°One woman, working her heart out to make sure that everyone doesn¡¯t die¡­¡±


    Claud thought for a moment. ¡°Now that I think about it, you three could tell that this thing was about to manifest, right?¡±


    ¡°Meep.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°So, the danger came from being caught in the expansion, then. Those who were caught became the unconscious patients that needed treatment here, like the setting of a book. And we, who came in from outside¡­what role do we play?¡±


    ¡°Maybe the antagonists?¡± Lily suggested. ¡°Or maybe the trigger point for a plot. Whatever the case, we¡¯ll need to figure out what¡¯s going on and verify it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Can you send our inferences over to the people outside?¡± Claud asked. ¡°They might be able to come up with a few suggestions.¡±


    ¡°On it.¡± Lily fiddled with the crystal box again. ¡°What do you think we¡¯ll find at the end of this hallway?¡±


    ¡°Something that no one else would be able to enter easily,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Prepare for a battle.¡±


    Lily stopped at another painting. ¡°Okay.¡±

 Chapter 562: Mourning chills

    The paintings that lined this hallway gave off a vast aura of sorrow. Was the cause the drab colours used in drawing them? Or the loving manner in which the mother held her child? Claud had no idea, but every painting that hung on the wall spoke of a mother¡¯s love for her little baby.


    It should have been a joyous thing, but¡­


    Claud and Lily stopped at the end of the hallway, where a painting hung above the grey doors. This painting, however, was moving. It depicted a mother hugging her child and trying to wake the little toddler up, while faceless people stood around the bed in silence. What expressions did these faceless people have back then?


    What was the artist¡¯s conception of these people?


    He looked at the door that hung beneath the painting, and then the sense of danger that came from it.


    ¡°There are two ways to end this¡­dream,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°The first is to play along with the game inside, and the second is to crush the core. Normally, the core is probably protected heavily, but¡­maybe all this has something to do with me after all.¡±


    ¡°Your body usually isn¡¯t this warm, after all,¡± Lily pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s definitely you. And the defence mechanism is this biting chill.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the child died of cold or something.¡± Claud closed his eyes. ¡°The nights can be rather cold, after all. And for a child who isn¡¯t tucked up in a warm bed, sleeping in the night outside for a few days on end can be fatal. Once the chill spreads too far, death follows swiftly.¡±


    ¡°Cold¡­¡±


    ¡°The elements are deadly to normal people,¡± Claud replied, his eyes on the painting. ¡°Adults have it better, because their bodies are stronger, but how can a baby sleep in the open, exposed to the elements? That¡¯s impossible. By the time she probably found a doctor¡­¡±


    He frowned. Some things didn¡¯t make sense, though. This woman clearly had people helping her around back then, so why would she be sleeping on the streets? It wasn¡¯t as if inns were expensive either.


    ¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s just prepare ourselves first.¡±


    The two of them checked through their equipment. While this woman was supporting an entire dreamscape or whatever, it didn¡¯t mean that her combat ability had increased. In fact, Claud was very certain that she wouldn¡¯t be able to put up much of a real fight. The actual danger was definitely from something else, like the risk of the entire dreamscape crumbling.


    Lily drew her sword, examined it once, and then pulled out a bunch of bombs too.


    ¡°Do you think bombs will work?¡± Claud asked, a grin on his face.


    ¡°That woman is a normal person, right? It might,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Still, for such a thing¡­how much mana is required to create a place as vast as this? It¡¯s no small feat, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Claud placed his hand on the doorknob. ¡°Well, let¡¯s find out.¡±


    He twisted the doorknob, and then pushed the door open. There, in the middle of a wide and open room, was an unmoving woman. Her appearance was no different from the doctor that the two of them had met in the hall full of patients earlier. This time, however, the woman was standing still, and her arms were cradling a little bundle.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s the core, right?¡± Lily asked. ¡°What should we do?¡±


    ¡°Destroy it, I suppose.¡± Claud assessed the frozen woman. ¡°Or something else. Maybe we can try to revive the baby, although I¡¯m certain that she¡¯ll turn hostile the moment we touch the little baby.¡±


    The sword in Lily¡¯s hand shimmered with mana, but Lily clearly didn¡¯t like the idea of cutting down this woman either. Claud could totally understand ¡ª it would have been far better if the core of this illusory world was a monster or some evildoer who was sucking the blood of their victims.


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    ¡°¡­What now?¡± Lily asked. ¡°You also can¡¯t bring yourself to cut her down, right?¡±


    Claud frowned and examined the woman. Purple energy, interspersed with white specks, were rising from the unmoving woman.


    ¡°Is it me, or is she¡­changing faintly?¡± Claud asked, blinking a few times.


    ¡°Changing?¡± Lily repeated, before scrutinising the woman slowly. ¡°It¡¯s more like melting, right? This purple energy is coming from her body¡­no, it seems like this purple energy is made from her body.¡±


    ¡°¡­So she¡¯s powering this place with her lifeforce or something like that.¡± Claud gazed at the cloud of purple light. ¡°So, if we can cut the source off, it should be fine, right?¡±


    ¡°Okay, but how do you want to cut the source?¡± Lily replied. ¡°Are you going to trap her with a bubble of mana and prepare the purple energy from rising?¡±


    ¡°That should work, right? We just need to stop this thing from being powered by her own lifeforce or whatever that is,¡± Claud replied.


    Mana circled around him, before enveloping the frozen woman. The flow of purple energy promptly cut off, and the two of them stared at the purple energies that was now filling up the blue bubble that surrounded the woman.


    The dreamscape quaked once.


    ¡°¡­Well, that was easy,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason why there was a biting chill outside, then,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Only someone who has understood the biting chill can walk down that long hallway. Or someone who can give off a vast warmth.¡±


    ¡°I suspect it¡¯s different for me, though,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I still think I¡¯m cheating. You know, the O-thing. That¡¯s probably why I¡¯m emanating this warmth or something.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but that may not be every part of it,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I believe that you¡¯re the warmest person in the world!¡±


    Claud smiled. ¡°Then you should also be capable of emitting warmth, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    The purple dome continued to crumble as the two of them exchanged words, and the dreamscape flickered in and out of existence. At the same time, the purple energy that had been spilling out of the unmoving woman began to dwindle, retracting back into her body at the same time. Before long, the fog-like purple energy had completely vanished, and the statue-like quality that the woman had exhibited vanished.


    She fell backwards in a dead faint, but the mana surrounding her cushioned her fall, preventing her from sustaining any deadly injuries.


    Seconds later, tears began to flow from her closed eyes, and the woman began to whimper.


    ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± Claud whispered, watching the woman who was crying in her sleep. The purple world came apart entirely, and the scenery of Ninth Street, of the blockade that the Vacuos guards had created, and of the countless unconscious people lying around appeared in his eyes.


    The transient star of illusory hope had faded with the sunrise, leaving nothing behind.


    Groans came from all over the place as the abducted people stirred from a long slumber, just as the guards all around the place sprung into action. Mobilising as a unified whole, the victims of this incident were soon carried away by careful guards, and Claud turned to look at the heavy presences that were staring at them.


    As he looked at the bigshots of the three continents, Claud sensed that the main cause of this incident had been carted away behind him, without anyone else the wiser, and he relaxed.


    ¡°We¡¯re finally in their sight,¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Claud felt the stares, backed by immense wills, scanning the two of them. He stood in silence, letting out a long breath as he gazed at the familiar spirits of the various divinities, as well as the rulers of the three continents.


    ¡°Now what?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°How should I know?¡± Claud replied. ¡°This is getting a bit awkward. Should we wave or something? It should be fine, right?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s head towards Count Vacuos first. That should do the trick,¡± Lily suggested. ¡°At the far right, there. Yeap!¡±


    Under the eyes of all the bigshots, the two of them walked towards Vacuos. It was interesting to see how his expression rapidly degraded from surprise, to shock and then to outright horror as they ignored everyone else and homed in on him. Claud could already see all the curses he was spewing in his head, but there really wasn¡¯t another choice.


    It wasn¡¯t like they could walk towards Emperor Grandis and say hi, right? As for Supreme Saran, who was probably surnamed Jerk, Claud wasn¡¯t even going to come close to him at all. There was a chance that Lily would get jealous if he approach the First Lady of the Nihal Senate ¡ª a really, really infinitesimal chance ¡ª but it was not worth the risk. In fact, that First Lady might just decide to fall for him, which would complicate things too.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±


    ¡°Areas of danger,¡± Claud replied, stopping right in front of Count Vacuos. ¡°Yeap. Here we are. Done.¡±


    The count twitched, but before he could reply, the world darkened visibly, and the sunlight turned hollow. A man-sized rift in the air appeared, a rift that was filled with thousands and thousands of black cubes that were illuminated somehow, and the sun darkened even more.


    ¡°Lesser Half.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°We¡¯re safe. Thanks for coming, though.¡±


    The rift rumbled. ¡°Skies. I missed the scene where you tore that down¡­that would have been perfect!¡±

 Chapter 563: Visiting a Divine Kingdom

    ¡°Lesser Half.¡± Claud bobbed his head. ¡°I daresay you were just a bit too slow to witness me cracking that open.¡±


    The crowd that was staring at Claud and Lily rippled with horror, fascination and a feeling that he couldn¡¯t quite put a finger on, and Claud rubbed his nose. Before he could add more words, Lily said, ¡°Thanks for coming so promptly, though.¡±


    ¡°That is the least I should do,¡± Lesser Half replied. ¡°I should really have left my throne the moment I heard someone was going to enter, though.¡±


    A person rolled out from the rift at those words, and Count Lostfon kissed the ground twice, before getting up in a dignified manner. ¡°Lord Lesser Half, we¡¯ve arrived?¡±


    ¡°A bit too late, regretfully.¡±


    Count Lostfon looked around him for a few seconds, and then promptly walked over to Vacuos. ¡°Vacuos, you old coot. I¡¯m finally here.¡±


    While the two counts talked about random things, Lily said, ¡°Do you want to hear what happened inside that place?¡±


    ¡°Definitely,¡± Lesser Half replied gravely. ¡°Lord and Lady Primus, would you two like a drink in my Divine Kingdom? It so happened that I desire to fulfil my promise regarding visiting the little ones¡­and you did save a good number of them too.¡±


    The crowd stirred again, and Claud felt the back of his neck tingle as the bigshots fixated on him and Lily. He had the feeling that a whole lot of people were going to trample down the entrance of his shop very soon, and if he didn¡¯t take this chance to vanish¡­


    ¡°Of course!¡± Claud replied. ¡°Thank you for your offer. Let¡¯s go before the others stop you, me and everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Lostfon, come with us.¡± Black cubes appeared underneath the count, who was undergoing a not-so-touching reunion with Count Vacuos, and then swept him away into the rift. At the same time, a rippling mirror appeared in front of Claud and Lily, and the two of them stepped towards it.


    Claud couldn¡¯t sense any danger targeted at him, so he led Lily forwards and into the mirror. It was a bit weird, walking towards something that seemed obviously so solid, but again, the two of them had just walked into a purple dome not too long ago.


    Besides, this place was probably safer than any other place right now.


    Darkness fell as he and Lily stepped through the mirror-like rectangle, lasting for a brief moment before a vast field popped up in front of him. Small houses, built at regular distances, dotted the field, their round tops reflecting the faint yellow radiance that presumably served as sunlight.


    People ¡ª normal people ¡ª went around their business, and children chased after each other as they played little games of tag and hide and seek.


    ¡°¡­This is Lesser Half¡¯s Divine Kingdom?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± A person made up of black blocks appeared next to him. ¡°This is my Divine Kingdom. It does not look all that different from a regular, rustic place, doesn¡¯t it? And yet, the people who dwell here are¡­very different from the people in the main world.¡±


    ¡°Very different?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Speech, for instance, isn¡¯t a thing here. You may not know this, but my people communicate through thoughts. It is a quiet world, physically speaking, but my children have developed a very vibrant mental world, full of nuances and meanings.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Regretfully, my Heralds, my older sister and I are unable to speak to them in that manner,¡± Lesser Half murmured. His voice was gentle, and Claud felt the urge to sleep grow stronger within him.


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    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a problem?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± The rift filled with black cubes rippled with amusement. ¡°For that reason, we try to minimise contact with them. To my people, we are people up high, who guarantees the prosperity and happiness of everyone within this world. While adoration is by no means unpleasant, it is often lonely. If not for my sister¡¯s company, I believe I may have¡­changed over the past few thousand millennia.¡±


    Claud nodded, before stifling a yawn.


    ¡°Yes, you must be tired. There is a place for heroes like you two to rest in. It has ample privacy, and I will not peek into it.¡±


    ¡°You could have left out that last part,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Now I¡¯m worried you¡¯d be peeking.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised at how many times I need to say this. Oddly enough, my people and my heralds are very concerned with whether I am peeking on them while they procreate. It is astonishing just how much influence the mere possibility of me peeking on them, an infinitesimal possibility, has on them,¡± Lesser Half murmured. ¡°I have grown used to adding that just to reassure my subjects that I do not, in fact, have any intention on peeking on them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really odd, then.¡± Claud tilted his head. ¡°Why would they have such a fear?¡±


    ¡°Maybe due to the prevailing norms and words. Some places apparently like to claim that the Coloured Gods are watching over everyone at all times,¡± Lily replied.


    Count Lostfon¡¯s head popped up from the ground before Lesser Half could reply. ¡°Help!¡±


    Everyone else stopped at that weird sight, and Lily asked, ¡°What are you doing down there?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± The humanoid mass of black blocks gestured, and Count Lostfon appeared on the ground properly. ¡°Interesting. It seems that your point of entry and exit was affected for some reason. Are you carrying anything that can distort space?¡±


    Lesser Half looked at him ¡ª probably, anyway ¡ª for a few seconds, and then made a low noise. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like it. There is the possibility that someone tried to sneak in with you, which resulted in this abnormality¡­fear not. Nothing funny happened.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Good.¡± The count sighed.


    Claud couldn¡¯t help but think that the two of them had gotten rather chummy, and a small smile rose to his face.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Lily asked, curious.


    ¡°That Lesser Half and Count Lostfon are very good friends. They don¡¯t seem to have that kind of distance they used to have, really.¡±


    ¡°Funny how living together and sampling Countess Lostfon¡¯s cooking does to oneself,¡± Lesser Half replied. ¡°It has been an absolute blessing to be living with Lostfon.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t even hire security guards anymore,¡± Lostfon added. ¡°They¡¯re all just people we talk to for stories and for random parties now.¡±


    ¡°Parties?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you know. Nobles parties, except that everyone is invited,¡± Lostfon replied. ¡°We got a new batch of fizzy drinks recently, and did you not talk about adding alcohol? That¡¯s what I did exactly, and now we¡¯re a palace that had fizzy alcoholic drinks.¡±


    ¡°¡­That is rather fortunate, I suppose. And of the Celestia Ruins¡­are they still covered up or something?¡± Claud asked, thinking about the place.


    ¡°No, why?¡±


    ¡°Maybe I should make a visit there again,¡± Claud muttered, before looking at Lily. ¡°Might be able to understand some things there. I hear that there¡¯s actually this market or something that I somehow missed out on.¡±


    ¡°Market?¡± Lostfon asked.


    Claud nodded. ¡°All kinds of intriguing artefacts. Weapons that are made out of pure light and seem to sever anything!¡±


    He thought about the weirdly named artefacts that Schwarz waved around in front of his face, and then shook his head. The punk didn¡¯t sell them to him, but again, these weapons were probably more useful to Schwarz and the others than to him, so¡­


    Letting out a sigh, Claud said, ¡°I somehow missed the market back then. It was quite frustrating, really.¡±


    ¡°Market, hmm.¡± Lesser Half folded his arms.


    Somehow, anyway.


    ¡°What, you want to try your hand at bargaining with stallowners?¡± Lostfon asked. ¡°We could disguise you as a servant and send you out to buy some food in Lostfon County if you really wanted it.¡±


    Claud rolled his eyes. Why would Lesser Half want to do such a thing?


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Wait, what.¡± Claud looked at the divinity, and then blinked. ¡°You really want to try your hand at haggling?¡±


    ¡°No one dares to haggle with me,¡± Lesser Half replied. While his voice was calm, Claud had the absurd feeling that he was actually expressing a child-like tantrum¡­of course, in a very elegant way.


    ¡°I see.¡± Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°Well, that can be easily solved as long as you disguise yourself, though. But I suppose people do get nervous when they go out for the first time. Talking to people can be scary.¡±


    Everyone else nodded.


    ¡°¡­You guys are supposed to rebut me, not nod along.¡± Claud touched his head. ¡°But before that¡­shouldn¡¯t you do some introductions for us?¡±


    He looked at the pleasantly dim world, and smiled. ¡°I like this place.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so peaceful here,¡± Lily agreed. ¡°If we ever get tired of the world outside, we¡¯re going to move in here or something. That is, of course, if we¡¯re welcome?¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course!¡± Lesser Half chuckled. ¡°Indeed. Now, let me bring you to your lodgings first. You two have worked very hard. We will not begrudge your services at all.¡±


    He clapped his hands once, and the world shifted.

 Chapter 564: A surprisingly normal chat

    With a pop, the two of them appeared on a bouncy sofa, one that was soft that Claud thought that he was lying on a cloud. He didn¡¯t quite have words to describe the comfort he felt from the sofa alone, and Claud stifled a yawn.


    ¡°How do you like this place?¡± Lesser Half asked, appearing as a small shadow this time around. ¡°It¡¯s peaceful and quiet.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s excellent,¡± Claud replied, before yawning. ¡°It feels very good too, for some reason.¡±


    ¡°I have noticed your current¡­infirmity. And yet, you ventured into that place to save people. Do you know how dangerous a Distortion can be? Every Distortion has its own rules and laws that guide and dictate actions that are permitted within the place. If you did something that went against the laws of the Distortion there, you may very well have died.¡±


    ¡°Distortion?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you two indeed do not know what sort of place that was.¡± The shadow thought for a moment. ¡°Do not worry, however. We are coming up with countermeasures to ensure that any further Distortions will be dealt with. However, their numbers are simply too many¡­¡±


    ¡°Numbers?¡±


    ¡°I am told that an entire dukedom of the Istrel Sovereignty has been swallowed up,¡± Lesser Half replied. ¡°There are also reports of smaller such spheres occurring, spheres that can be the size of a small room, appearing all around the place.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the cause?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°People,¡± Lesser Half replied. ¡°Specifically, people who are usually overcome by their emotions and their darker sides. It is unsure what are the exact conditions are, but extreme emotions are the first sign of such distortions. To be more specific, people who are overcome by emotions so exact that they warp space itself and are able to impose their emotions onto other people.¡±


    Claud thought about the woman that he¡¯d seen, and the immense air of sorrow that had surrounded her. ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°I suppose funerals will now become very dangerous,¡± Lesser Half murmured. ¡°Us divinities have been casting our nets far and wide, but we will not be able to deal with the smaller cases that slip through our net. That will depend on the luck of the mortals, as well as their reaction time.¡±


    ¡°Great. At least I won¡¯t be sleeping in the fear that me and Lily will be swallowed up by a purple dome,¡± Claud quipped. ¡°But this is very new, right? What¡¯s the cause of this? I mean, the phenomenon of people experiencing extreme emotions didn¡¯t just start two weeks ago.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. The primary trigger seems to be the Red God¡¯s passing, which upset the delicate balance that had sustained the world until today. However, the death of divinities is by no means news to us. It is thus inconceivable that there exists such a phenomenon¡­unless another entity from outside our world is doing something.¡±


    ¡°Another entity from outside the world?¡± Claud asked, intrigued.


    ¡°Extra-karmic, extra-chronological in nature¡­but that is our problem to deal with. Not yours, young heroes.¡± Lesser Half got up. ¡°I imagine you two must be absolutely tired by now. I will not hold you up any longer. Do have a good rest.¡±


    The shadow nodded at them. ¡°Tomorrow, I suppose, we can have a small feast. I would like to invite you two to sample the cuisine of my Divine Kingdom, and along with Count Lostfon, of course.¡±


    ¡°The count¡­¡±


    ¡°Is looking around my throne room in the palace I rarely live in. He is presumably wondering how it is still standing,¡± Lesser Half replied. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll leave you two to ruminate on what you have experienced in that Distortion. I suspect that the others will press you on your experiences when you leave. If you have trump cards to be hidden, make sure to get your story straight.¡±


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    ¡°Thank you,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Do not worry about what I need to know and what I do not need to know,¡± Lesser Half replied. ¡°Each Distortion has its own rules and its own shortcuts. You two definitely came across these shortcuts by accident. It will be for the best if you can figure out how you used these shortcuts and explain it to the listening audience.¡±


    Claud nodded. Indeed, there was a passage that led directly to the core of that, uh, Distortion. The only thing preventing people from going through it was their fear of entering the Distortion to begin with¡­and the biting chill. Claud hadn¡¯t felt it himself, while Lily had stuck to him while travelling through that corridor, but if it was anyone else¡­


    ¡°Got it. Don¡¯t worry, though. The shortcut you spoke off was a bone-numbing chill. I couldn¡¯t feel it myself, maybe because I had the necessary qualities, and I got very close to the core of the distortion. Afterwards, I isolated the core with my mana, and allowed the Distortion to collapse on its own.¡±


    ¡°You are immune to cold?¡±


    ¡°He was like a torch,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Very comfortable!¡±


    She paused. ¡°¡­You know, you¡¯re still quite warm right now, though. Like a blanket warmed beside a campfire or something.¡±


    ¡°¡­Camping outdoors. Is it fun?¡± Lesser Half asked. ¡°Is camping outdoors fun?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­I suppose?¡± Lily thought about it. ¡°If you¡¯re with the right person, it¡¯s definitely tons of fun. There¡¯s a charm in setting up your own small camp outdoors, watching the campfire cook a pot of stewed meat¡­it¡¯s fun.¡±


    Lesser Half shivered. ¡°I should try that one day, in a more convenient form. Who should I bring along, though?¡±


    ¡°Dust,¡± Lily replied. ¡°She can definitely whip up a nice meal in the forest. I can see it in her movements!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s definitely a master chef too,¡± Claud added.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Lesser Half glanced at Claud. ¡°You are certain that you yourself are a master chef? In that case, you and Dust should have a cook-off.¡±


    ¡°The two of us, and maybe Lily and Schwarz as well,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Schwarz¡­who is that?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a good friend of mine,¡± Claud replied. ¡°He sells alcoholic drinks that primarily serve to knock people out, but his specialty is roasting meat until it¡¯s just nice and juicy. That smoky aroma, the juices that burst out when you bite down¡­can you feel it? The hot oil that faintly scalds your lips, and the burst of meaty flavours¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry now. Thanks.¡± Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t we pack some smoked meat in the backpack? Cough it out, now.¡±


    ¡°Meh.¡±


    Lesser Half laughed. ¡°Well then, I will leave you two mortals to conduct your mortal affairs. Beget not fear, for I will not peek, even if the idea of eating pre-prepared meals is very enticing. I will trouble Dust to satiate my curiosity instead.¡±


    ¡°Uh, okay. Thanks for this very comfortable place, though. If the sofa¡¯s this soft, I can¡¯t imagine what the bed is going to be like,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°You are very welcome.¡±


    Lesser Half vanished with those words, and Claud let out a sigh. Setting down his backpack, he rolled onto the floor and laid out the provisions that had been stuffed inside. Incidentally, his storage ring, which was sitting snugly on his finger, had even more food, just in case something funny happened to them.


    ¡°It¡¯s still warm too,¡± Lily noted. ¡°I wonder why. Did you emit enough heat to cook it?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± Claud looked at the small feast. ¡°No, Lily, you¡¯re not allowed to place food on my forehead.¡±


    The meeplings rolled out of his clothes a moment later. Claud had nearly forgotten about them ¡ª they had stayed silent ever since Crown pointed at the door that led to the freezing hallway ¡ª and they certainly hadn¡¯t shown their faces after Claud tore down the purple dome.


    Thankfully, Lily was distracted by the little meeplings, who proceeded to bounce around her thigh for some reason, and Claud took this chance to open all the packets of salted or smoked meat.


    ¡°One of them is actually giving off smoke, though.¡± Claud picked up a strip of smoking, half-charred bacon. ¡°What¡¯s with this one?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? But I call dibs.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. Fine¡­but I must feed you myself.¡±


    ¡°Are you even in a right state to feed someone?¡± Lily asked. ¡°That¡¯s my job, not yours.¡±


    Claud looked at her, and she rubbed her nose. ¡°Fine¡­but only this once. You¡¯ve strained yourself too much just by going into that purple dome¡­uh, Distortion, even if it¡¯s for a good cause.¡±


    These words were enough to perk Claud up immediately, and he busied himself with feeding Lily the smoking piece of bacon. It wasn¡¯t much, but he wanted to let her know how much she meant to him, and this little gesture was a nice way of doing just that.


    ¡°There, done.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m a bit tired.¡±


    ¡°Are you fine?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just that my limbs are feeling a bit heavy, that¡¯s all.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s eat. And then sleep. I think I¡¯ll sleep for a whole day or something¡­¡±

 Chapter 565: Introducing her home

    ¡°Some say that the walls and buildings of the Lustre dukedom capital are so bright and dazzling because the original Duke Lustre liked it nice and bright in his city.¡± Risti pointed at the dazzling palace that was coated with gold and had jewels embedded within. ¡°Of course, the true reason was because paint and colour supplies were actually being sold at a premium in the wake of the Third Godsfall, and so Duke Lustre covered up the dull exterior with molten gold and implanted a few jewels.¡±


    ¡°Gold was cheaper than paint back then?¡± Farah asked, intrigued.


    ¡°After most of the world¡¯s gold was used to decorate palaces and to make up for the loss of the paint and textile industry, the cost of gold shot up,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°Uh, what.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m not pulling your leg. The reason why platinum and gold are in such short supply right now is because they were mostly used by the nobles to decorate their estates. It also didn¡¯t help that mana-soaked gold and platinum were very sturdy and helped to make sure that the last thing that was destroyed was the palace during a siege.¡±


    ¡°Daybreak¡¯s palace felt quite flimsy, though.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a new count,¡± Risti replied. ¡°The newer nobles never got to experience the age in which gold and platinum were used to cover up just about every single flaw in a palace¡¯s walls.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Schwarz and Farah continued to gawk as Risti moved on to talk about the history of the Lustre dukedom.


    ¡°See this birdshop? It¡¯s said that on the day of the princess¡¯ birth, all the birds here unlocked their cages and flew towards the castle, circling around the towers and singing a vast, majestic song.¡±


    ¡°¡­What?¡± Dia looked at Risti. ¡°Are you serious? I do not recall such an incident at all, and we¡¯re around the same age.¡±


    ¡°Legend. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true, but if a lie is repeated enough times, it becomes the truth anyway,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Anyhow, this is apparently the princess¡¯ favourite street. Whenever Duke Lustre found out that the princess was moving around in the city incognito without permission, he would search this street first¡­of course, since I was monitoring the place, I also helped to telling the duke where the princess was. Her safety was paramount, after all.¡±


    ¡°You helped Duke Lustre look for the princess?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Yeah. It was quite easy, really. Just needed someone to pass the message on, you know. I was living in Lustre for quite some time, and it wasn¡¯t hard for me to strike a weird alliance with the dukedom soldiers.¡±


    Dia blinked. ¡°Wait, so the reason why Princess Dia was caught an hour or two after she went out was you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m dedicated to her protection, yes.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t quite know what kind of words she should use, but after making a mental note to scare Risti very thoroughly later, she shook her head and thought back to her childhood. Now that she thought about it, shortly after she became a bit more famous, her father¡¯s soldiers would always find her just an hour or two after she painstakingly escaped from the palace. She hadn¡¯t given it much thought before then, but¡­


    It really is you, huh? Huh?


    Risti returned to her historical recitation as Dia sulked for a while. Fortunately, Risti at least had the heart to not talk about how she left the palace to begin with, or else her childhood would have been a lot darker. And if she thought about it a bit harder, it was true that Risti was protecting her from kidnappers and other criminals¡­


    Hmph! I¡¯ll be magnanimous for once and forgive you, seeing as how you had my best interests¡­but to think that you were watching me this closely. It¡¯s a bit scary¡­actually, very scary.


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    She rubbed her nose and looked at Risti. Risti was definitely a one-of-a-kind stalker, but¡­


    ¡°Say, are you going to stalk the princess after she returns?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°..Well, I¡¯m ashamed to say it, but I don¡¯t think I would,¡± Risti muttered.


    Schwarz raised an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s a first.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s creepy. I¡¯ve come around to that realisation. Rather than pinning all sorts of ideals and aspirations onto her, I would rather like to interact with her as her true self. To see her as who she is, rather than through my rose-tinted glasses¡­¡± Risti sighed, and then turned to Dia. ¡°I bet the princess would be horrified if she learned about me. I¡¯d prefer if she doesn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Dia rubbed her nose. ¡°Well, she kinda knows. But she¡¯s long forgiven you. And is quite appreciative. I¡¯d say she really, really wants you as a close friend.¡±


    ¡°You told her? Well, I suppose you would.¡±


    ¡°Uh. Not really. She already had the feeling that someone was spying on her, yeah.¡± Dia rubbed her nose. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯ll know the rest when we arrive at the palace, okay?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s move on,¡± Dia urged. ¡°Come on!¡±


    The dukedom capital was divided into three layers. The outermost layers were the Business Sector, where low- to medium-end trade were consolidated at. High-end goods were rare, and only three shops had them near the gate that divided the Business Sector from the Noble Sector, which was where most of the lower nobles had an estate or two in. It was also where the Lustre College for Nobility was located, so many nobles would send their children here to be educated.


    ¡°This is the Noble Sector,¡± Dia introduced. ¡°It¡¯s usually the place where noble scions live in and study at, before they head towards their own fiefdoms at adulthood. If there¡¯s a big event, most noble families would live in their estates here in preparation of said event. This is where most posh entertainment occurs too, so there really isn¡¯t much of a point in having a checkpoint here. Some of the upper-class merchants visit the Noble Sector everyday.¡±


    ¡°I have a house here,¡± Risti added. ¡°We can live in it after we come back from meeting the princess and seeing Dia off.¡±


    ¡°You have one here?¡± Dia blinked.


    ¡°The Cadenzas are honorary nobles of many, many fiefdoms all over Grandis. It¡¯s natural! It¡¯s a shame I couldn¡¯t attend the Lustre College, though,¡± Risti replied. ¡°We¡¯re just nobles in name, that¡¯s all¡­well, my father can¡¯t be bothered to do annoying things too, so that¡¯s part of it.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re both country bumpkins then.¡± Farah grinned. ¡°I never did attend the Istrel School for Fine Nobles.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t miss much there,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°It¡¯s¡­not a good school.¡±


    ¡°Eh? How did you know?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°From the Trading Board and from my friends.¡± Schwarz chuckled. ¡°No, I¡¯m not a secret noble or something. I could buy a position if I wanted to, though¡­¡±


    The Noble Sector was significantly smaller, and before long, they arrived at the final set of walls.


    ¡°This is the Lustre Palace.¡± Dia stopped in front of the closed gates. Knights in brilliant armour looked back at them in silence, ready to move if she did anything suspicious.


    ¡°You guys stay here,¡± Dia instructed. ¡°I¡¯ll get us in.¡±


    She took a deep breath and walked towards the knights, before stopping at a round imprint of a jewel, which had been marked on the ground. The knights glanced at each other, and one of them broke ranks to join her on the other side of the jewel.


    Something clicked, and a faint bubble of energy rose to encapsulate the two of them.


    Dia looked at the knight, whose eyes were the only thing visible, and then said, ¡°The minor moon of the Lustre Dukedom requests entry.¡±


    The knight froze, and then touched his chest once. ¡°The guarding star shall verify.¡±


    The knight took a step back, and the bubble vanished. Without saying a single word, he jogged back to the other knights and vanished into the guardhouse, spurred on by the secret code that indicated the return of someone from the Lustre family.


    Within seconds, the knight returned with a familiar face. Golden armour, encrusted with jewels, shook soundlessly as the tetra-folder it protected raced towards her. Stepping onto the jewel imprint, the layer of energy rose up once more, and the knight stared at her.


    ¡°Uncle Rubia.¡± Dia stared at her uncle. ¡°It¡¯s me. I¡¯m back.¡±


    ¡°The code,¡± the middle-aged man replied, his voice trembling.


    ¡°The enduring light paves the way ahead, protecting the hearts of all. With our light comes everlasting peace. May Lustre stand forever.¡±


    ¡°May Lustre stand forever.¡± Uncle Rubia took a deep breath. ¡°You¡¯re back, little Dia. About time. And those must be your friends, your protectors.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°My father¡­¡±


    ¡°Will be relieved. But don¡¯t let this old sack of bones delay your triumphant return.¡±


    ¡°No, no need for a triumphant return,¡± Dia replied. ¡°It¡¯s good enough that I can see my father, the Duke.¡±


    ¡°¡­Very well. I will escort you and your friends in.¡±


    Dia nodded, and then paused. ¡°Um¡­uncle, can you not tell them who I am yet? Just pretend to be mute for a while. There¡¯s¡­something I need to tell them. And, well, it¡¯ll be best if I do it myself.¡±


    Her uncle held his head. ¡°You have got to be kidding me. Why do I have such a stupid niece¡­¡±


    ¡°Uncle?!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯ll be a mute for now.¡± He shook his head. ¡°You always like to give people trouble. Never mind. I am the elder here. Go on. I¡¯ll promise to stay mute.¡±

 Chapter 566: Revelations of all kinds

    ¡°¡­Why is he staring at me?¡± Schwarz sidled over to Dia. ¡°Great, he¡¯s staring even harder now. Can someone tell him that I¡¯m scared? His gaze is painfully sharp, and I feel like a thief for some reason!¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Maybe because he thinks you¡¯re dangerous?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m very harmless, though?¡± The bartender shivered.


    Dia looked at her currently mute uncle, and then tilted her head. Uncle Rubia definitely looked a bit like a bird of prey right now, waiting to gouge out something or someone, and it was true that he was positively glaring at poor Schwarz. Was it possible that he sensed something from the apparently harmless bartender? Or did he realise that Schwarz was a purveyor of alcohols that could double as poison?


    ¡°Maybe you can pull out a drink and give it to him,¡± Dia suggested. ¡°He likes drinking.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Great. Another Nero. Like I needed any more freeloaders in my life. Wow. My alcohols are overjoyed.¡± Schwarz held his head. ¡°No. Just no. If this guy turns out to have a liver harder than Claud¡¯s defences, I¡¯m going to flip out. He¡¯s not going to take a drink from me.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s your problem,¡± Dia replied, before looking around. They were currently in the front garden of the Lustre Palace, which was absolutely huge and had fields of different types of flowers. There was also a lawn for the odd occasion when her father wanted to have a picnic, and¡­


    She smiled as a memory drifted past her. For a moment, she could feel a smooth patch of cloth under her bare feet, a warm set of hands holding her and feeding her younger self. The sandwich that her mother packed was one of a kind; the bread was grainy and fluffy, with the grilled meat in the middle roasted to just perfection.


    Dia could hear her mother telling her to ¡®Go ahh¡¯, and¡ª


    Her eyes stung, and she looked away slowly. Thankfully, no one had noticed this little moment of weakness, since it would have been hard to explain, and she dabbed at her eyes nonchalantly.


    This was her own memory. It didn¡¯t seem like much to anyone ¡ª Dia knew that much ¡ª but the memories of a bygone past, when her mother was still around, burned hot in her mind. The palace, as bright as it was, had lost a layer of light ever since her mother left, and¡­


    ¡°Dia?¡± Farah patted her shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Just thinking about something,¡± Dia replied, before shaking her head. There was something else that needed to be done first, and until she revealed the truth, there really wasn¡¯t any reason for her to dwell on the past just yet. However, despite so many days, Dia hadn¡¯t found a good opportunity to tell the others who she was yet. It also didn¡¯t help that when she did try to tell them that she was the real deal, the others had automatically assumed that she was just playing her role¡­


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t as if they would believe her anyway. Dia had tried floating the idea a few times, but all of them simply patted her head or nodded at her reassuringly, before claiming that her mistress would return¡­


    Dia was dead certain that the only way they would believe her was if her father welcomed her back personally, complete with full fanfare.


    Well, you could just have gotten Uncle Rubia to vouch for you, right?


    Ignoring that last thought that had strayed into her head, Dia wondered how her father would react to news of her return ¡ª Uncle Rubia definitely sent the message ahead ¡ª and a hint of excitement filled her mind. How about her brother? What kind of compensation would she and her family get from Emperor Grandis regarding this incident?


    Before long, their little party arrived at the palace, where the guards were already formed up.


    ¡°Um¡­why are there so many guards?¡± Risti asked. ¡°The last time I checked, there should only be four guards on duty at the palace entrance. There¡¯s like fifty of them here, nearly the full complement of sixty-two guards that are on duty¡­¡±


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    Uncle Rubia twitched.


    ¡°Oh! It¡¯s Commander Sapphira, and Commander Relda!¡± Risti rubbed her hands. ¡°Odd. The usual protocol is to only have one commander on duty and the two as reserves, so what are they doing here?¡±


    Dia hid a smile as the currently mute knight commander twitched again.


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re here to welcome back the princess¡¯ double. She did carry out a meritorious service, after all,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Where¡¯s Princess Dia, though? It¡¯s weird that she isn¡¯t here.¡±


    Risti bobbed her head. ¡°True. Heck, the dukedom¡¯s palace guards are out in nearly full force, and in full dress too. Do you know that their standard issue equipment is actually made up of artefacts? I have the records of their transactions too.¡±


    Shooting a glanced at the very alarmed Uncle Rubia, Dia cleared her throat. ¡°So, um¡­anyway. The guards are definitely here to welcome me.¡±


    ¡°We can tell,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Damn. Looks like you really did a good job. I bet the princess talked you up when she returned.¡±


    ¡°No, I did not talk myself up.¡± Dia held her head. ¡°Look, what I told you guys a few days ago isn¡¯t actually me trying to be¡­uh, a good double. Rather, there was never¡ª¡±


    The sounds of metal crashing onto the floor tore her next words apart, and everyone turned to look at the palace entrance. There, a stately man, his hair as black as that of a young man, walked towards her, through a path flanked by kneeling knights. The sunlight reflected off their armour as he walked through the path slowly, in complete contradiction of his standing as a father and of Dia¡¯s as his child.


    Power ¡ª the kind she had seen from Farah a few times ¡ª radiated with his every movement, and she gazed at her father in silence. This¡­was probably the only way he could apologise.


    Dia found herself somewhat lost for words. She didn¡¯t quite know what to think at this juncture, despite so many rehearsals. She hadn¡¯t expected her father to head out personally, for one. And¡­especially not with that subdued, apologetic expression.


    ¡°My dear daughter.¡± Duke Lustre sighed. ¡°Welcome back.¡±


    ¡°Father¡­¡±


    She could feel the others turn to look at her once more, but Dia put them aside for now.


    The anger that she had initially felt, the disbelief, the pain ¡ª all that had vanished long ago. All that was left was a faint relief, but as to what she was relieved about, Dia herself didn¡¯t know either.


    ¡°Welcome home, Dia.¡± Her father smiled. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you managed to stay safe, although you could have returned a year ago. The warrant was withdrawn and everything.¡±


    ¡°Withdrawn?¡±


    ¡°After everything that damnable Thief of Time did, it was natural. I sent someone out through the Moons and got him to petition the Emperor to withdraw the arrest warrants for you and everyone concerned,¡± her father replied.


    ¡°¡­I haven¡¯t forgotten that you chose my brother over me, though.¡± Dia tried to smile. ¡°No. That you chose his skill over me.¡±


    He let out a sigh, and then waved his hands once. Energy covered the two of them, along with the others and her uncle. Her father waved his hands again, and the barrier shimmered once more.


    A sense of desolation settled into her bones.


    ¡°¡­What if I told you that your brother had used Future Sight the moment Ruler Umbra died?¡± her father asked. ¡°And that he foresaw a future that had to be averted at all costs? And that to avert it, you had to move in a very specific pattern, be guided in an extremely convoluted way, and then end up with the Moon Lords with the status of a founding member? Did you really think that the old crone just happened to be there for no good reason, when she¡¯s a Profiteer? And as a Profiteer, why would she carry Experiential Potions?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What if someone sent her there, ready to receive someone and to guide them in a particular way?¡± Her father shook his head. ¡°You needed to be sent out. I do not know why, but he was particularly insistent on you leaving. In fact, I¡­even have a written record of what he predicted.¡±


    He took a deep breath. ¡°You¡¯re going to renounce your claim to the dukedom, first and foremost. Second, you are going to leave with the Seekers of Life after a week. The people with you are a bartender of dubious origins, the countess of Farah County, and the daughter of the Folder Association¡¯s President. The Holy Son of the Black God is currently busy in¡­a certain house with Kemata, the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny.¡±


    Dia blinked. ¡°¡­Do you have spies out in the Nihila Sovereignty?¡±


    ¡°I wish.¡± Her father shook his head slowly. ¡°Your brother also said that you would become the Salvation Star, obtained from killing the Sixth Bearer of Destiny. And you are about to turn to Risti and ask her for her opinion. And that Commander Rubia has been asked to act like a mute. And that you weren¡¯t quite yourself in the one month leading up to the incident at Duke Istrel¡¯s treasury, whatever that means.¡±


    Whatever that means¡­


    Dia held her head once as the implication of those words sank in. There were many things that her father had said that would have been very hard to find out, but the fact that she had somehow travelled back in time during her Second Tutorial had remained an eternal secret.


    She turned to look at the others, who had gotten past the initial shock of that little revelation very well, and were already looking thoughtful.


    ¡°What do you guys think?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°I think we have a lot to say later,¡± Farah replied. ¡°But¡­your father is almost certainly telling the truth. I think we should talk about this in a more appropriate location. After all, we do need to introduce ourselves once more.¡±


    Her father nodded. ¡°Now is not the time for niceties. Come.¡±

 Chapter 567: For the future

    ¡°¡­The interior of the palace¡¯s changed,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Father, why did you renovate the palace?¡±


    ¡°To create a lot of escape routes.¡± Her father shook his head. ¡°Your brother was quite paranoid, now that I think about it. Shortly after he saw that future, he handed over a lot of money and told me to make this place into a fortress that would allow everyone inside to flee if something happened.¡±


    ¡°Flee? From what?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you once we¡¯re in a quieter place.¡± Her father patted her head. ¡°Well, why not introduce your friends to me? Hearing about them from your brother¡¯s Future Sight is one thing, and hearing about them from you is another. And I believe you owe them a very big apology. In fact, Risti there seems to be a bit pale. Or embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    ¡°Right, the apology can wait until we¡¯re in the room, so tell me about your friends first. I am told that Mister Schwarz is a good bartender. I¡¯ve been desiring a drink ever since I heard about his masterpieces.¡±


    ¡°Y-you flatter me, lord duke.¡± Schwarz thought for a moment. ¡°From whom did you hear this from?¡±


    ¡°My son, naturally. He tells me that I should be careful, though, and not drink the ones that the Holy Son of the Black God drinks,¡± her father added. ¡°I¡¯m now very intrigued. How good is my alcohol tolerance compared to that of the Holy Son¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Schwarz shot a look at Dia, and she immediately knew what he wanted. However, there was no reasonable way to dissuade her father from carrying out such an act of stupidity, so¡­


    ¡°Father, where did brother run off to? I thought he would welcome me back or something. I¡¯ve been wanting to see him forever.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­a good question. I¡¯ve been sending people out to look for the kid, but he seems to have vanished or something,¡± her father replied. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s safe, though. He¡¯s probably the most paranoid person I¡¯ve ever met.¡±


    ¡°Wait till you meet Claud,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Anyway, he¡¯s¡­not home?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. At most, you can beat him up later,¡± her father replied.


    Farah choked out a cough, and everyone turned to her. Clearing her throat a few times, she patted her chest and said, ¡°Sorry. Just an accident. Do proceed.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Countess Farah. It¡¯s an honour to meet you. I heard about what happened to you two decades ago. Your parents were quite a piece of work, weren¡¯t they? I am glad that you managed to turn things around. To be frank, I¡¯m very impressed with how you handled things. It¡¯s a shame that you¡¯re the younger Istrel¡¯s vassal, or else I would have pulled you over in a heartbeat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m honoured by your praise,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I do take pride in how I turned things around, and if there should come a time that I need to find a new superior, I¡¯ll consider you with all my heart.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± The duke paused. ¡°Still, I cannot quite imagine the good Count Nightfall tolerating your presence in the Seekers of Life. Did you really not tell him about that fact?¡±


    Dia blinked, but before she could fish out the oddity in her father¡¯s words, Farah said, ¡°It was pretty much bad timing all around. That said, Count Nightfall is a generous and open-minded person. I do not believe he would mind my actions.¡±


    Considering that Nightfall had sent her, Risti and Nero to harass Count Daybreak back then, Dia didn¡¯t quite know how to react to such words. She exchanged amused glances with Risti, before Risti hurriedly turned away in a fluster.


    Clearly, she was feeling very awkward. Dia couldn¡¯t blame her either, though, but¡­


    She didn¡¯t like how Risti was attempting to flee, so after making sure that Farah and her father were chatting nicely, she slowed down to walk beside Risti.


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    ¡°Sorry,¡± Dia began. ¡°It¡¯s my fault for not telling the truth.¡±


    ¡°You did tell us,¡± Risti replied quietly. ¡°And no one believed you, that¡¯s all. There¡¯s really¡­nothing you should apologise for.¡±


    ¡°And I want to thank you too. For protecting me when I was younger,¡± Dia added. ¡°Sure, it¡¯s a bit odd to be spied on, but you aren¡¯t the only one. You, however, were the one who helped informed the knights whenever I ran out¡­by right, I should be angry, but that¡¯s because you were worried that something would happen to me.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Risti perked up, and then wilted once more. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be this nice to me. I know I¡¯m¡­weird. I must have scared you when you first heard about it.¡±


    ¡°I thought I said I wanted you as a close friend. And that I forgave you a very, very long time ago,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°We also heaped all sorts of expectations on you,¡± Risti continued. ¡°I remember that you were once burdened by all sorts of expectations. Now, I realise why you were so distressed. We were not seeing you as you were, but we simply attached all sorts of values and assumptions, each too heavy to bear.¡±


    Dia looked at her, and then nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t lie. It was¡­hard to carry such words. I mean, if you had such high expectations, and then saw me¡­it would have disillusioned you, right?¡±


    ¡°Mhm. I¡¯m sorry for that too.¡±


    The two lapsed into silence for a while, before Dia said, ¡°Well, I did find the fact that I had fans very comforting, though. It¡¯s hard to describe how I felt when I saw that there were other people who wanted to look like me because I represented something great, but there was definitely a measure of comfort in it. Especially since I was on the run back then. It was no different from finding allies. If we hadn¡¯t met up the way we did back then, I would never have gotten this far for so long.¡±


    Dia paused. ¡°I¡¯m probably rambling. Sorry. But¡­I have a request to make of you and Farah.¡±


    ¡°Of me too?¡± Farah walked over. ¡°What request.¡±


    Dia took a deep breath. ¡°I would like you two to stop being my fans. And be my friends instead. Of me, as the princess and as the Dia you knew.¡±


    Risti froze, and Farah smiled. The two of them exchanged glances, before nodding together.


    ¡°Not fans, but friends¡­¡± Farah smiled. ¡°Well, I would love to call myself a friend of Princess Dia¡­especially since you¡¯re our Dia too. But there¡¯s no need for this question. We¡¯ve always been friends. Isn¡¯t that right, Risti?¡±


    ¡°¡­yes.¡± Risti took a deep breath, before removing a ring. Her long hair turned red, and a set of crimson pupils looked at her. ¡°As your highness commands, I suppose?¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be silly.¡± Dia took their hands. ¡°Friends, right? And friends means that you don¡¯t speak to me in a stilted manner. I¡¯m Dia first and foremost, not a princess of the Lustre Dukedom. And I¡¯m intending to withdraw from the right of succession anyway.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t decide on that so hastily,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Anyway¡­I¡¯m glad we got all these things off our chest. I believe I¡¯m still processing the shock that you¡¯re the actual princess, though, so don¡¯t be surprised if I show delayed reactions during or after the meeting.¡±


    ¡°It does feel like a dream,¡± Risti added.


    ¡°You two idiots.¡± Dia rolled her eyes. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s catch up. They¡¯re waiting for us.¡±


    ¡°Considerate, aren¡¯t they?¡± Farah quipped.


    Schwarz chuckled as they hurried over to him. Dia looked at her father, who was smiling at her gently, and then at Schwarz, who was bobbing his head sagely.


    ¡°We¡¯re done, I suppose.¡± Dia looked at them. ¡°Shall we continue on?¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­¡±


    After walking for a few more seconds, her father led everyone into a small room. There was a huge table in the middle, and a map that was inscribed with gorgeous words and lines was laid out on it.


    ¡°This is¡­a strategic map of Grandis,¡± Farah muttered.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dia¡¯s father replied. ¡°I call this place the War Room. We were doing our main strategizing from here during that half-assed fake war¡­never mind. Pardon my words. I¡¯m still stewing from how that imbecile Istrel was handling things.¡±


    He took a deep breath. ¡°Alright, I will now inform everyone present of what is going to happen in the near-future, courtesy of a letter from my son. The main threat he saw back then are the Distortions, which have been popping up all over the place for unknown reasons. Most importantly, however a Distortion of immense scale will appear, for the briefest of moments, in the Nightfall county capital in three weeks. It will mature and manifest into the real world within a single day.¡±


    ¡°Manifest?¡±


    ¡°Into the real world?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± Her father breathed out heavily. ¡°It will have the power of a hexa-folder at birth. Licencia would fall under its onslaught. According to my son, very few people survived. They would eventually assimilate the Moonlit and the Moon-touched, transforming into an army that would sweep through the rest of the Istrel Sovereignty.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re screwed, then.¡±


    ¡°No. There was a solution,¡± her father replied. ¡°And it¡¯s you. Dia. The power of the Salvation Star rejects all corruption. He also said that there would be some powerful folders that would attempt to put up resistance, and that they nearly succeeded. These ranks would include Nero and Risti, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I failed?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Presumably, seeing as how the entire sovereignty was reduced to ruins. The Moons wrested back control by a stroke of luck¡­and no one¡¯s sure what happened afterwards.¡±


    ¡°So all this¡­¡±


    ¡°Was to ensure that you became the Salvation Star, yes.¡± Her father lowered his head. ¡°I apologise. For putting you all through this. But¡­I have millions of people to protect. I can only apologise. I¡¯m sorry, daughter.¡±


    ¡°Father¡­¡±

 Chapter 568: The missing name

    It was a bit shocking to Dia to learn that this entire ordeal was just so that she could become the Salvation Star. Just what did her brother see? What outcomes was he hoping for when he embarked on this insane gambit that required her to do certain things perfectly? After all, if she hadn¡¯t killed the Sixth back then, she would never have become the Salvation Star; that would have rendered all his efforts pointless.


    ¡°There are some suspicious points, though.¡± Farah narrowed her eyes. ¡°For one, just how does Dia being the Salvation Star stop a hexa-folder? She¡¯ll need to be one in the first place, and¡­¡±


    ¡°This is her home, though?¡± her father replied. ¡°There are treasuries waiting for her to finish off.¡±


    Dia shivered. The memories of stuffing her face full of lifestones weren¡¯t pleasant ones, and she grimaced. ¡°Do I need to eat everything? How long would it take? My tastebuds are going to die too, if you keep stuffing them full of sweet stuff.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± her father replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you have other ways of absorbing lifestones?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve hired more people to feed you these lifestones. All you need to do is to keep your mouth open while you sleep. They¡¯ll feed you all day and all night until you have enough lifeforce to enter the ranks of a hexa-folder.¡±


    The overwhelming sweetness that she had associated with downing innumerable lifestones seemed to touch her tongue once more, and Dia felt a bit queasy. However, she didn¡¯t know how to react to her father¡¯s sincere words and considerations, and Dia was also certain that everyone would definitely call her crazy or think of her as a wastrel if she bore any objections to it.


    Her tastebuds would need to be mistreated, evidently.


    ¡°Nice,¡± Farah replied. ¡°That should do it. What¡¯s the nature of that monster anyway?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something that normal hexa-folders apparently cannot defeat,¡± her father replied. ¡°My son was annoyingly vague about the whole thing, though.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Schwarz paused. ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m a bit curious about something, though. Very curious, actually.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± her father asked.


    ¡°¡­Okay. Calm down, and don¡¯t panic,¡± Schwarz began. ¡°Now, listen to me slowly. What is the name of your son, Duke Lustre?¡±


    ¡°The name of my son? Why, he¡¯s¡ª¡± Her father paused. ¡°His name¡­I¡­seem to have forgotten his name for some reason. Hang on. Let me get someone over. Butler!¡±


    As a neatly dressed man entered the room, Schwarz turned to Dia. ¡°What about you? What is the name of your brother?¡±


    Dia repressed the surging chills in her heart. She could remember¡­no, she could only faintly remember what her brother looked like. In fact, now that she thought back on it, her mind couldn¡¯t even bring up the appearance or mannerisms of her brother. She could only remember a small pat on her head and a whispered apology during her Second Tutorial.


    Other than that, he¡­only seemed to exist as a concept.


    ¡°You can¡¯t remember him either, it seems.¡± Schwarz frowned. ¡°As I thought. You two are truly father and daughter, in a sense. Both of you knew about the existence of the prince, but the details regarding him seem to be very sketchy. I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on, but it¡¯s definitely not a good thing.¡±


    Risti bobbed her head. ¡°For him to not truly exist as a person¡­Duke Lustre, I suggest you question everyone in your palace and ask about details on the Lustre prince. You should also consider sending a missive or something to the Grandis Emperor asking about this¡­¡±


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    ¡°The Emperor? Like he¡¯s going to bother.¡±


    Dia glanced at her father, who was frowning outwardly. However, she could see his body tremble slightly when he focused his thoughts, and a hint of fear seemed to reside just under his fa?ade of deep thoughts.


    Did her father also worry like this when she fled? What thoughts did he have when she vanished, seemingly after disobeying his words? What emotions did her father have in his gaze when he watched her flee the dukedom back then? And what did he think when Aunt Lumine returned with news of her?


    These questions roiled around her head as she looked at her anxious father, and the final bits of her resentment faded away. As the others started discussing the weird phenomenon of her missing brother, she walked up to her father and said, ¡°He¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. He¡¯s the cautious kind. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll do well, no matter where he is.¡±


    Dia bobbed her head. ¡°Still, was it really necessary for me to do all this? And now that I¡¯m back here, he¡¯s just missing¡­how am I supposed to withdraw from the succession?¡±


    ¡°Right. Daughter, your brother beat you to it. He renounced his right to succession around two years ago.¡±


    ¡°¡­What.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re, by definition, the anointed successor of the Lustre Dukedom,¡± her father added.


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Dia blinked. ¡°Wait, he withdrew without me on-site? I thought there are laws and rules against that!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very good point, my dear daughter. You see, there¡¯s a problem with this,¡± her father replied. ¡°That problem happened to be me forgetting about that. He was very persuasive, saying things like how he had to make it up to you, and that he didn¡¯t want to be viewed as using this to get you out of the way.¡±


    ¡°You forgot.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He paused. ¡°Seriously, what is with you two kids, though? Why are both of you so eager to throw aside this dukedom? Do I need to find a new wife and get a new heir before you two are satisfied?¡±


    ¡°You seem rather lonely, father. I think I won¡¯t mind if you got me a nice stepmother,¡± Dia replied. ¡°And after seeing so many Moon babies waddle around, I also want to hug a baby.¡±


    ¡°Then get married!¡±


    Farah and Risti turned to him as those words left his mouth, and the duke shuddered. ¡°Weird. What a cold gust of wind¡­where did it come from?¡±


    He glanced at the butler, who was standing silently behind him. ¡°Did you feel that?¡±


    ¡°No, milord.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Might have been my imagination, then,¡± her father muttered. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll think about finding a new duchess, then. I thought you would dislike the idea or something, seeing as how it hasn¡¯t been a decade yet¡­¡±


    Dia bobbed her head. ¡°True, it¡¯s only been a decade. Why not wait for next century, then? You can choose a new candidate for Duchess Lustre next century. By then, I should be fully fledged, and you can have an adorable little kid by then.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°You guys really like to say the scariest stuff,¡± Schwarz remarked, walking over with a raised eyebrow. ¡°A century before Duke Lustre can remarry?¡±


    ¡°My lifespan is around four thousand. It¡¯s fine.¡±


    Schwarz froze. ¡°Wait. What. Four thousand? As in, four thousand years?¡±


    ¡°Did I stutter?¡±


    ¡°Then how did you even end up becoming Duke Lustre if everyone is as long-lived as you?¡± Schwarz asked, curiosity in his words. ¡°If all the Duke Lustres have such long lifespans, I can¡¯t quite see you taking the seat¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, my father threw the throne to me and decided to find some ruin of the Third Godsfall,¡± he replied. ¡°Then he died. I¡¯m not sure where or why or if he actually died, but your grandfather has been missing for a very long time. Maybe he¡¯s not dead or something, and that he¡¯s in this weird gathering of really old people who faked their deaths to get out of their obligations, but who knows?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s awfully specific¡­¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Is there even such a thing?¡±


    ¡°Just to put it out there,¡± Dia added, ¡°but I¡¯ve no intention to inherit. Watching you slave over all these things is scary, and my brother was always more eager and better in running this dukedom. Please reinstate his claim and make him your heir.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, what is wrong with you kids?¡± her father replied. ¡°Out there, there are crooks who would kill to be the sole inheritor, and you guys are throwing it to each other like it¡¯s poison.¡±


    Dia rubbed her nose. ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare say it¡¯s poison, or I¡¯ll ground you, young lady.¡±


    The words that she had been about to say turned into a sneeze magically, and she rubbed her nose. ¡°Anyway, my brother¡¯s renouncement is invalid, so he is still in the running. I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°You two don¡¯t, but I do¡­¡±


    Before Dia could reply, a younger butler entered the room and handed a small file to the butler standing behind her father.


    ¡°Milord, it seems that everyone has either forgotten or does not know the name of the young master,¡± the old butler muttered. ¡°Indeed, there is something wrong with this.¡±


    ¡°What do you suggest?¡± her father asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s something I¡¯ve never heard off before, but there may be skills that have such an effect.¡± The butler paused. ¡°I suggest writing to the Folders¡¯ Association for aid in this regard.¡±


    Dia turned to Risti. ¡°Alright, you¡¯re up!¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Risti blinked. ¡°Sure. I don¡¯t mind¡­¡±

 Chapter 569: Hollowed Hallows

    Dia tossed and turned as the dawn sky began to shine through the windows. Her silken pyjamas were a bit too warm, now that she was awake and aware of it, so she got up and shook her clothes for a bit.


    Was it the bed that she wasn¡¯t used to? Or the fact that her old clothes were feeling a little tight? Or¡­


    Was it that stupid idiot who had decided to create some grand idea just for some uncertain future?


    ¡°Stupid brother,¡± Dia muttered, before hugging her pillow. ¡°I¡¯ve even forgotten your name, stupid brother. Idiot. Dumbass. How can you throw the dukedom to me? I¡¯ll end up wrecking it one day, alright? Come back home or something. The last time we spoke was years ago!¡±


    She paused. ¡°Or months ago, but that doesn¡¯t count!¡±


    Rocking back and forth angrily, Dia tried to piece together the memories of her brother, but it was an effort that was doomed to fail. No matter how she looked at it, it was as if her brother was a character in a book that had been described as smart, intelligent and caring, but it was the kind of book where people would just be described with adjectives and no actions to back it up.


    After another five minutes, she looked at the stickman she¡¯d doodled onto the piece of paper on her bed. She actually couldn¡¯t remember anything that her brother had done, and the descriptions that had been written next to the stickman felt more like a laundry list of what she would want her illustrious older brother to be like, rather than the real thing.


    It was a bit annoying, especially since Dia was dead certain that her brother was just a cowardly, annoying prick who had decided to renounce his claim by fooling her father. By all accounts, the two of them were supposed to renounce their claims in the presence of the other, but that asshole had just did it unilaterally, before vanishing.


    ¡°¡­Yeah, well, it¡¯s probably the vanishing bit that makes me the angriest. Where in the Moons did you go?¡± Dia asked out loud, looking out at the windows of her bedroom.


    She idly wondered if Risti was looking at her through this window by one of her many surveillance skills, but she had promised not to do that¡­


    It would be good if she had some trust in her friend, at least.


    Replacing her pillow, Dia straightened out her bed and changed out into a comfortable outfit. The many opulent dresses felt like a pain to wear, if she had to be honest, and some of them even required her personal servants to help her wear them.


    ¡°Hmm. I wonder what happened to Lucy¡­¡±


    Did she resign after Dia vanished? She did recall telling her to do such a thing if something happened to her during her Second Tutorial, after all, and the fact that she hadn¡¯t shown up just yet was probably proof that she was listening to Dia¡¯s words.


    Lucy was probably fine.


    She approached the window and stared outside. Lustre Palace was a normal palace, unlike Farah and Daybreak, so her room was naturally located in the highest tower, allowing her to look down on the dukedom capital. The sun hadn¡¯t fully risen yet, but she could already see the familiar yet strange city coming to life far below. People were moving in groups, merchant convoys were leaving the city, and mercenary groups were gathering around their local offices.


    It was peaceful.


    ¡°Well, time to head downstairs,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Father hasn¡¯t started on that lifestone feeding plan yet, so I should hurry up and scoff down breakfast before anything else happens.¡±


    To be honest, the fact that she couldn¡¯t see her father¡¯s surprised face from the fact that she was now a tetra-folder closing on her fifth mana circuit was very disappointing.


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    Clicking her teeth, she left her room and headed for the artefact that transported her up and down the tower. It didn¡¯t take her that long before she entered a small dining room that was used if there wasn¡¯t any special occasion, and the chef smiled at her.


    ¡°Good morning, miss!¡±


    Dia nodded back. ¡°Good morning. What¡¯s for breakfast today?¡±


    ¡°Scallion pancakes,¡± the chef replied. ¡°Miss, your friends are waiting for you at the training grounds. They asked me to leave a message.¡±


    ¡°The training grounds? Got it.¡± Dia smiled at him, and then closed her eyes. In that hellish one month she spent killing her tastebuds by downing lifestone after lifestone, she hadn¡¯t gotten more than a handful of proper meals. Of course, a lot of people would scoff the way she called that one month a hellish one, but that was because they hadn¡¯t experienced the sensation of just chomping down on lifestones over and over again.


    Now that she was going to face that damn experience again, Dia wanted to just cry or something. However, her father and her brother had done all this to ensure that she became the Salvation Star; if she failed to take care of that damned Distortion that would rise from Licencia, all this would have been for nothing.


    She would never allow such a thing, no matter what.


    Her dark thoughts were dispelled by a drifting fragrance, and Dia turned to look at the scallion pancakes that the chef had brought out. Thanking him once, Dia sliced the pancakes and chewed them chunk by chunk.


    It tasted like an extra-filling, fluffy egg, and Dia felt her lips curl upwards happily. Nibbling at the sides, she soon completed her breakfast, and was wiping her lips with a small napkin when her father walked inside.


    ¡°Daughter.¡±


    Dia stood up, and he waved a hand. ¡°No need to be polite. Is this a savoury enough food? I remember you had a lot of stew and other roasted dishes when you went wild in the treasury.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good enough¡­¡± Dia grimaced. ¡°I¡¯m feeling a little sick just from thinking about eating so many lifestones, though.¡±


    ¡°Get used to it. My lifespan is around four thousand years. You don¡¯t want to know how many lifestones I ate over three months,¡± her father replied. ¡°It¡¯s a one and done thing if you do it long enough. You need to grow as much as possible, if you are to protect everyone¡­that is why your brother sent you away.¡±


    ¡°Me. No pressure, right?¡±


    ¡°It would have been nice if it was someone else, but the needs of the many¡­¡± Her father looked a bit fatigued. ¡°Well, you should prepare yourself. The more lifestones you gobble down before that Distortion breaks out, the better. We don¡¯t have a lot of time.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    ¡°From tomorrow onwards, you¡¯ll be sleeping in the treasury. I¡¯ve already set up a place for you to sleep. There will be people dedicated to putting lifestones into your mouth; all you need to do it to sleep for as long as you can and not think about it too hard.¡±


    ¡°Can the others experience such treatment too?¡± Dia asked. ¡°They should grow stronger too, and we have a lot of lifestones. Besides, they¡­will definitely help me in the fighting. I don¡¯t want them to get hurt.¡±


    Her father sighed. ¡°Did you know that your brother predicted that you¡¯d say such a thing? Maybe he guessed it. Not too sure. Anyway, the entirety of Treasury 1 is yours. You guys can spend a month swallowing all the lifestones there and I probably wouldn¡¯t notice.¡±


    ¡°Are we earning this much?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± He smiled. ¡°Run along now. The other Seekers of Life are waiting for you at the training grounds. You should tell them the bad news¡­uh, good news.¡±


    ¡°Father, your sense of humour is as wicked as ever.¡± Dia got up and bowed. ¡°Have a good breakfast, father.¡±


    ¡°Now, now.¡±


    After dismissing her gently, Dia made her way to the training grounds. It was a place that carried lots of memories for her¡­mainly that of her swinging her sword, though. The instructors had stopped teaching her after she was around eleven ¡ª something about talent needing to polish itself¡­


    Whatever the case, it was exciting to learn that she had such talent, so it was fun to train by herself. The instructors simply served as sparring partners after a while, and there was some sort of glee in seeing her strength spike with every bout.


    The others were training with each other when she finally arrived at the training grounds.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here!¡± Schwarz, who was slacking off as usual, raised a hand. ¡°You¡¯re quite early. I thought you¡¯d be sleeping in.¡±


    ¡°I can say the same for you guys, though. Why did everyone decide to wake up this early?¡± Dia asked, curious. ¡°I¡¯m the one who needs to be worried the most, all things considered. What excuse do you guys have?¡±


    ¡°Eh. Just wondering about the great disaster that¡¯s going to befall Licencia.¡±


    Dia bobbed her head. ¡°Fair enough. Anyway, I have good news to share with you guys. Everyone is going to enjoy the service of being fed lifestones for an entire month on end. With that much lifeforce, we should all be able to run smack into the Third Tutorial quickly.¡±


    ¡°¡­Third Tutorial, huh.¡± Schwarz made a face. ¡°That idiot¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about Claud?¡±


    ¡°Who else would I be talking about?¡±


    [End of Book 12: Hollowed Hallows]

 Chapter 570: Unexpected familial considerations

    ¡°Achoo!¡± Claud, who was in the middle of telling a random story to a bunch of Shadowed babies, rubbed his nose. ¡°Who¡¯s complaining about me? Not you guys, I hope?¡±


    ¡°Did you catch a cold?¡± Lily asked, before pouring out a small bowl of soup. ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°Lesser Half¡¯s Divine Kingdom is perfectly regulated. There¡¯s no dust anywhere, and there¡¯s definitely not a gust of cold wind. And I¡¯m a hexa-folder, albeit a degraded one, so there¡¯s no way I¡¯m sick. This means that the cause is likely to be someone talking smack about me.¡±


    ¡°How did your elimination process result in your bringing up an old wives¡¯ tale?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Come on, drink up. After this, stay still¡­¡±


    After wiping his nose a few times, Lily squished his cheeks. ¡°Alright, do continue the story.¡±


    The little babies bobbed their heads in agreement, and Claud smiled. ¡°Sure, sure. So the wise old mayor turned to the young man and asked for a bag of coins, before bringing it to the cook. Instead of handing it to him, however, the old mayor shook the coins and returned the bag back to the young man. The cook said, ¡®What do you mean by this?¡¯¡±


    Claud paused, and then said, ¡°The mayor replied, ¡®You wanted payment for him smelling your food, so I rang some coins for you. Case dismissed.¡¯¡±


    The children laughed silently ¡ª most of them just opened their mouths and rocked back and forth. Of course, it wasn¡¯t their fault; the Moonlit and the Shadowed kids communicated via telepathy or something. They could also read the thoughts of other people in general, which was utterly endearing, since they knew what their caregivers wanted.


    ¡°Alright, I suppose we¡¯ll call it a day here.¡± Claud rubbed his nose and stood up. A deep sense of fatigue washed over him as he straightened his body properly, and the world seemed to spin for a moment, but before he could fall over, Lily had caught him.


    ¡°Whoa there.¡± Lily looked at him, and her smiling face dimmed a bit. ¡°It¡¯s getting worse, right?¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°It has to. I can get used to a constant level of pain and fatigue, since the body and mind adjusts. I suppose it¡¯ll peak out at some point, though.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°The Risti I saw did just that, I think,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. And it¡¯s a good way to push my limits without actually being in danger. After all, you¡¯re by my side. Even if I fall, you¡¯ll catch me.¡±


    ¡°Claud¡­¡±


    Claud stared deeply into her eyes, and was about to take her lips when a small cough sounded from his left.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Dust.¡± Claud felt a bit sad that he couldn¡¯t complete the little kiss, but if she was here, there was probably something important going on. ¡°What do you need us for?¡±


    ¡°Lord Lesser Half invites you two for lunch. He is concerned about your health in particular, Claud. Also, he wants to ask about familial advice.¡±


    ¡°Familial advice?¡± Claud repeated. ¡°Wait, the two of us?¡±


    He exchanged glances with Lily, who tilted her head. He was someone had been orphaned halfway through his childhood, and Lily¡­


    ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t think we¡¯re in a good spot to provide familial advice,¡± Lily replied. ¡°We definitely don¡¯t have the qualifications to do that.¡±


    ¡°No one does, but it¡¯s probably a way for the master to vent some of his own worries,¡± Dust replied. ¡°Come on.¡±


    With a wave of her hand, the world changed. There, at the head of the table, was a human-sized void that contained innumerable cubes that were outlined in gold. The void was holding human utensils and carving up a slab of meat gently, and Claud watched on, enthralled.


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    After the small slab of meat had been diced perfectly, Lesser Half looked up. ¡°Ah, you two came. Give me a moment.¡±


    He clapped twice, and Count Lostfon popped up out of nowhere. He looked a little sleepy, but there was no hiding the alert gaze that he swept the room with, which promptly turned into that of surprise when he saw Lesser Half.


    ¡°Lunch?¡± Lostfon asked.


    ¡°Lunch, yes. I decided to get my best cook to whip up all this,¡± Lesser Half replied. ¡°To thank you for letting me sample your wife¡¯s cooking. There is a homely feel that my chefs cannot replicate, amusingly enough. Perhaps there is some secret to it.¡±


    ¡°A secret?¡± Lostfon bobbed his head. ¡°Maybe I can ask her for the recipe when we return.¡±


    ¡°That would be very nice of you,¡± Lesser Half replied. ¡°Now then, do enjoy the lunch first. I look forward to seeing your faces.¡±


    Claud sniffed, and his smile widened. It didn¡¯t take long for everyone to start stuffing their faces, although it was quite interesting to see how Lesser Half ate. Of course, the divinity didn¡¯t need to eat, but it seemed like he liked the notion of doing so, and presumably to put them at ease too. Nonetheless, the sight of him eating by putting food into the area where a mouth should be was quite novel, and Claud had to force himself to not stare rudely at the Lesser Half of the great Dark.


    Thankfully, everyone polished off the really excellent meal within minutes, and Lesser Half let out a contented sigh. ¡°Just what have I been missing out on for so long?¡±


    ¡°Good food?¡± Lostfon asked.


    ¡°That is, perhaps, the most succinct way of putting it,¡± Lesser Half replied. ¡°Food is truly a means in which human interaction takes place repeatedly. While it serves little actual purpose for me, the mutual enjoyment or distaste for dishes served provides a very strong point in which discussions between mortals can build off from.¡±


    ¡°Yes, indeed,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Although there are more fundamental reasons to eat, though. I believe these interactions grew out of the need to eat, rather than supporting it.¡±


    Lesser Half thought for a moment. ¡°But engaging my sister through a meal is likely to work, yes?¡±


    ¡°Probably?¡± Claud tilted his head.


    ¡°Well,¡± said Lily, ¡°assuming she enjoys eating too. But if your chefs prepare food well enough, it should work¡­probably. Does Greater Half eat? Does she know how to eat?¡±


    ¡°¡­Probably?¡±


    Lily rubbed her head, and then turned to look at Claud, who made some funny faces in response. After a while, he asked, ¡°So, uh, you guys disagree on many things? And you¡¯re not on the best of terms?¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s not that,¡± Lesser Half replied. ¡°My sister is a bit intimidating, and I¡¯m a bit scared of approaching her. She hasn¡¯t talked to me for over a few millennia, and I¡¯m nervous just from thinking about it.¡±


    Claud blinked. Lesser Half was surprisingly adorable regarding this topic; it was as if he was watching a kid brother asking his friends about what to do about the scary older sister that looked at him with stern eyes. Whether or not said sister loved her brother was up in the air entirely, but the way Lesser Half was acting was¡­


    Really endearing.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Just talk to her over some food. Don¡¯t worry. It doesn¡¯t seem like she bullies you or anything, right? Just that you¡¯re intimidated.¡±


    ¡°Intimidated enough to not talk to her for a few millennia,¡± Lostfon quipped. ¡°I mean, if I was her, I might be quite angry or something. You¡¯ll have to convey your thoughts across, but if it¡¯s you, it should be fine.¡±


    Claud really admired how everyone had started to talk informally to Lesser Half of all people, but it was also proof of how hospitable he had been during their stay here. Lesser Half had tried to help Claud solve his problem with a variety of methods ¡ª apparently, he didn¡¯t know that one just needed to pay ten times the usual amount of lifespan to reacquire the qualifications to start the Third Tutorial.


    He wasn¡¯t going to say anything, though. Claud didn¡¯t know how he would explain his possession of such knowledge, and it would be very dangerous for a lot of reasons.


    Glancing at Lesser Half, he said, ¡°You should try to talk to her as quickly as possible.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°The faster you clear this up, the fewer the eventual problems generated. It¡¯ll be nice if you two got along splendidly. After all, both of you make up the great Dark, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­Were it that easy.¡± Lesser Half chuckled. ¡°But thank you for your encouragement. Now, there are some pressing things we all need to deal with. Claud, your current condition seems to be worsening with each passing day. I apologise. It seems that even the treasures of my realm cannot overcome natural law.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Claud replied. ¡°There will definitely be a way. Or a miracle. I can feel it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Thank you. I will continue to look for a way, however,¡± Lesser Half replied. ¡°Finally, I just remembered that I owe you a promise of protection against the Red God. Precision, however, has perished. While the threat that is targeting you has vanished, I will continue to abide by my promise of protecting you once against any other divinity that seeks to do you harm.¡±


    Claud blinked for a moment, and then nodded. ¡°Ah, yes. Indeed. I don¡¯t know how the future will change, now that the Thief of Time has made a move¡­even the future is mutable.¡±


    ¡°Very much so.¡± Lesser Half sighed. ¡°What a mess. Now, then¡­I suppose you three have your own things to settle outside, yes? The storm surrounding you three has ebbed. It is a good time to return.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Claud raised a hand to his chest. ¡°Thank you for bringing us here. It has been an incredibly fun experience.¡±


    ¡°We would love to come again,¡± Lily added.


    ¡°Yes, indeed.¡± Lostfon chuckled. ¡°I want a summer palace here.¡±


    Lesser Half chuckled. ¡°Now that¡¯s pushing it¡­¡±

 Chapter 571: A popular phase

    ¡°Alright. It is time for you three to depart. I hope you three had a fun time here.¡± Lesser Half waved his left hand once, and the world changed all around Claud and Lily. Gales howled all around them, and the darkness began to fall apart.


    The humanoid void bobbed his head once at the two of them ¡ª Count Lostfon had been teleported elsewhere ¡ª and he said, ¡°Best of luck to you two. Don¡¯t be frightened if you see a huge crowd in front of you.¡±


    ¡°¡­You already saw our exit point?¡± Claud asked, making a face.


    ¡°Essentially.¡± Lesser Half chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. No one is going to harm you two, who solved the first Distortion. There are still a lot of disasters that are rippling throughout the world, and everyone wants to hear it from you in person.¡±


    ¡°Even though we already told you how we dealt with the Distortion?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Unfortunately so. It seems that there are some people that would rather hear it from your mouth for some reason. Perhaps they do not trust me and my sister,¡± Lesser Half replied.


    There was some sorrow buried in those words, and Claud frowned. However, before he could open his mouth, Lily said, ¡°Well, we trust you, so don¡¯t be hurt by random people. It¡¯s just that the Moons are far more well-known that the Dark. It¡¯s not something that can really be helped.¡±


    ¡°That does cheer me up,¡± Lesser Half replied. ¡°The Last Godsfall is an utter mess, though. By all accounts, both the Moons and the Dark should have been equally well-known and supported when the Last Godsfall started, but we were sealed away and prevented from descending altogether.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Claud frowned. Indeed, this was by no means fair, unless the Dark had far greater combat power to even out the odds. However, by the looks of it, both sides were roughly equal in terms of overall combat power, so this couldn¡¯t have been the issue.


    The key difference lay in the mortals. While they were matched in terms of territory, the Moons had one key advantage ¡ª they had built up a strong reputation over the first few millennia. In addition, the motif of the Dark and the motif the Moons employed were quite different; darkness just didn¡¯t sound as appealing as the nice light of the Moons.


    Adding things into the mix were the darkened animals.


    ¡°Right, the darkened animals,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Why did you guys turn a bunch of animals mad back then?¡±


    ¡°Turn a bunch of animals mad?¡± Lesser Half asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I remember that too. And the dark, forbidding mist,¡± Lily added. ¡°It¡¯s not good for your public image. All this means that the Dark seems to be some evil entity that wants to end all life, and given what we¡¯ve seen so far, it¡¯s not hard to twist the narratives to make them seem that way.¡±


    ¡°Just a step away, to be honest,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Darkness? Bad and shady. Mad monsters? The darkness will destroy the world. Moons produce light, which is good! You know. The usual tropes. Darkness is scary for many reasons.¡±


    ¡°It hurts to hear you put it that bluntly¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s how it is. First impressions matter, and the first impression when I hear about the great Dark is to look for numerous light sources,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Ow.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. It¡¯s not what you should be looking for. To make matters worse, we at least know what the three Moons stand for. The great Dark¡­uh, doesn¡¯t particularly lend itself to a positive interpretation, if you get my drift.¡±


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    Lily bobbed her head. ¡°The fog at night makes it hard to travel too. And with the darkened animals attacking merchants every so often, it¡¯s not unreasonable for normal people to develop resentment against the great Dark.¡±


    ¡°True, but what exactly are these darkened animals?¡± Lesser Half asked. ¡°It is unreasonable to ascribe a phenomenon in which we have no hand in creating to us. It seems that chronological proximity seems to be the cause, but there are no instances of darkened animals in Nihila and Voidum. Nor is there the fog you speak of.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°But that definitely did happen, though?¡±


    Claud bobbed his head. ¡°Gave us quite a bit of distress. And I definitely recall there being some really dark fog when we arrived at Nihila back then. There were people talking about staying near the lights and not letting the darkness take you. All this vanished after a while, but¡­¡±


    Lesser Half paused.


    It was a simple action, when one conceived it mentally, but Lesser Half¡¯s abrupt pause was something that seemed to rattle the entire world. The rippling, weakening darkness froze, like a waterfall that had been turned to ice, and a faint pressure radiated out of the divinity.


    Time resumed its flow a heartbeat later, and the void let out a heavy sigh. ¡°Darkness is simply the absence of light. For instance, were a power that manipulated the moonlight decided to withhold or weaken said light, or to use it as a medium to do certain things¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that the Moons did this?¡±


    ¡°Darkness is simply the absence of light, after all.¡± Lesser Half paused. ¡°If you look at the huge structures contained in me, you would know what I mean. Without the golden outlines, you would never have known that there are massive cubes in the space that is my existence.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you brought that up!¡± Lily leaned a bit closer. ¡°What are these cubes?¡±


    ¡°¡­Unfortunately, now is not yet the time for them to be unveiled.¡± Lesser Half chuckled. ¡°Be careful. Time is a mortal construct and lends itself to mortal causality. It is by no means infallible, and is a prime means in which diplomacy and politics can be carried out on a different scale.¡±


    Claud thought about Lesser Half¡¯s words for a moment. ¡°Like framing other people.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Unfortunately, truth is tangential to the masses, the target audience of our machinations,¡± Lesser Half replied. ¡°If someone took a closer look at these occurrences, one would realise that there is absolutely no reason for us to do such a thing. However, reason does not exist in a vacuum, and there are various ways to play a false game¡­¡±


    He sighed. ¡°So be it. We will strive to be ever vigilant against hypocrisy and lies. Thank you for bringing this up to my attention.¡±


    ¡°Our pleasure. We were actually just curious,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°As you rightfully should be,¡± Lesser Half replied. ¡°That said, we are of this world. I still cannot imagine our peers doing such a thing. There may be¡­other factors at work. Like undercurrents rippling in the shadows between worlds¡­but we shall investigate that. For now, you two should return.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been fun here,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Are we welcome to drop by again?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Of course, of course!¡± Lesser Half chuckled. ¡°Now then, be well.¡±


    Those words dispersed the rippling darkness, and the two of them squinted as bright sunlight streamed down on them.


    ¡°They¡¯re back! Someone call the Emperor!¡±


    ¡°Get out of the way, this lord reports to Supreme Saran!¡±


    ¡°The First Lady needs a sitrep!¡±


    Chaos promptly ensued as people burst into motion, and Claud frowned. ¡°This looks bad. Let¡¯s beat a retreat first. After that, we¡¯ll lock up the shop, activate the defences and hide in there until they figure out how to talk nicely.¡±


    The people that hadn¡¯t left jumped at his words, but Claud wasn¡¯t going to wait for them. Producing a skillstrip, he tore it into two with Lily in his hands, and the people that had surrounded them paused.


    ¡°Where did he go?¡±


    ¡°A teleport skill! Damnit! We meant no harm! You stupid idiots from Lacheln! Why are you guys so brutish?¡±


    ¡°Looks like we might have instigated a war by accident,¡± Claud commented. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry and get out before they start hurling mana at each other.¡±


    Activating Will of Freedom, Claud scooped Lily up and flew past their heads before anything else could happen. Before long, they stopped right outside their little shop, but there were already some people rushing towards it in the hopes that they would make it there before Claud and Lily could barricade themselves inside.


    ¡°Yeah, I think not,¡± Claud muttered, unlocking the door.


    After entering the shophouse, Claud pulled out a bunch of barrier artefacts and activated them all, protecting his shophouse¡¯s door from being trampled down by a bunch of idiots. If they really wanted to talk to him, they didn¡¯t need to send a whole bunch of people, and until they grew some common sense, Claud wasn¡¯t going to go near them at all.


    ¡°Is this a good idea?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yes. I bet that the three bigshots are going to ask me to help them settle their own Distortions. I¡¯m not doing that,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m in a weakened state, and there¡¯s nothing in it for me. We¡¯ll be better off just sitting here and twiddling our thumbs.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡±

 Chapter 572: Three sovereigns visit

    ¡°Meep!¡±


    The little meeplings bounced around on the bed, revelling in their newly regained freedom, and Claud tickled their sides one by one.


    ¡°Sorry for keeping you guys cooped up,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But I¡¯m glad that you three are now out and bouncing around. We still can¡¯t fully trust anyone other than Lily, okay?¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡± Crown rolled over and nuzzled his hand, before bumping his fingers. ¡°Meep. Meep?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Claud chuckled. ¡°But I¡¯m indeed a bit tired. It feels like¡­how do I put it? Like when I wrap you guys up in lots of little towels. You want to close your eyes and doze off, and you definitely don¡¯t want to move at all. It¡¯s not pain. It¡¯s easy to deal with pain past a certain threshold. But it¡¯s a lot harder to deal with the promise of comfort.¡±


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t understand.¡± Claud laid down on the bed, before wrapping a blanket around himself. He didn¡¯t dare to sleep, however. Right now, in front of his shophouse, was a veritable crowd of bigshots that were all staring at the barrier that was blocking them off. Before long, the three largest bigshots in the entire mortal world would come knocking on the flimsy eggshell that held off everyone else.


    ¡°Lily?¡± Claud called out.


    ¡°Just a moment.¡±


    Claud played with the three little shapes at that reply, before tickling them once more. The little guys really loved it when he or Lily tickled them for some reason¡­as a rule of thumb, anything that made them feel loved and cherished was the way to go.


    It probably spoke volumes to the loneliness they endured while looking for an owner. Crown had spent untold years sitting ¡ª and presumably sleeping ¡ª in Duke Istrel¡¯s treasury, while Sceptre and Throne came from the long-destroyed Celestia Ruins. How many years did they sleep? Did they remember anything about the ruins?


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Claud rubbed the three of them gently. ¡°Thanks, though. I¡¯m feeling a bit bad right now, so having you guys here is really useful.¡±


    The meeplings bounced around at his words, and Claud smiled. His head felt a bit heavier, and the urge to sleep grew slightly, but he wasn¡¯t going to fall asleep or give into the awful hollowness in his chest anytime soon.


    All he had to do was to endure for another few months. Of course, it was easier said than done, but Claud knew that the rewards would be extraordinary¡­and yet, by all accounts, his previous iteration, the one who had received the same warning from the Hollow God, had failed too.


    He couldn¡¯t help but feel fearful at that prospect. What would his Last Tutorial hold for him? It was a question that generated a variety of feelings and emotions, something that he didn¡¯t want to ask.


    ¡°Say,¡± Claud muttered, ¡°would it be fine if I took Lily and fled to someplace beyond the reach of the divinities and the madness sweeping this world? I¡¯m scared.¡±


    The three meeplings promptly cloistered together and hopped onto his head, before weaving in and out of his hair.


    ¡°Meep.¡±


    ¡°Meep. Meeeeep.¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    Despite everything, Claud had to laugh, and he plucked them away from his head. ¡°Thanks, guys.¡±


    He forced himself to get up. Plopping the little meeplings back onto the bed, he said, ¡°Play nice with each other. We have some very nasty guests headed our way, so you three will have to bounce around quietly, okay.¡±


    Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°Meep.¡±


    Claud laughed. ¡°That¡¯s right. Meep.¡±


    Lily walked in at that moment. ¡°Why are you meeping with them too?¡±


    ¡°I felt like it, I suppose.¡± Claud smiled at Lily, and then lowered his head. ¡°Sorry to make you do all the menial stuff. It¡¯s supposed to be a couple¡¯s effort, but I ended up letting you do all the chores by yourself.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d do the same for me, so I don¡¯t really see any need for you to apologise,¡± Lily replied, before straightening out his hair. Squishing his face a few times, she added, ¡°And it¡¯s nice to do something for you. You usually do all the hard things. I feel a little irrelevant sometimes.¡±


    Claud blinked. ¡°Ah. Sorry. Um¡­maybe you can handle the very annoying conversations that are about to happen? I get a feeling that the three of them and their entourage are going to be very tiring¡­of course, I¡¯ll still be sitting there. I just don¡¯t want to talk all of a sudden.¡±


    ¡°Aha, turning on your inner introvert. Sure!¡± Lily rubbed her hands. ¡°Well, you must have been tired, though.¡±


    Claud yawned. ¡°Yeah. Travelling across worlds is no joke. I¡¯m a bit sleepy, but I can¡¯t leave you and doze off all by my lonesome. We¡¯ll need to deal with those pricks. Life sucks, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Life hasn¡¯t been on the up and up for a long time.¡± Lily smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll deal with it. Well, I suppose if you want to cheer up¡­how about a dance?¡±


    ¡°Here?¡± Claud tilted his head. ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Before they could do anything, however, the house trembled once, and a harsh knock echoed through the entire building. Claud clicked his teeth, uttered some choice words, and then peeked out of the window.


    The barriers that had been conjured to block everyone had cracked. Of course, it had to be that armoured, mace-wielding brute of a Supreme Saran that had knocked, since no one knew what manners were.


    Somehow.


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go and welcome our guests.¡± Lily pouted once, and then said, ¡°We¡¯re going to dance at night later. Under the moonlight or something.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a promise, then.¡±


    Lily supported him as they made their way downstairs, and a bunch of entitled-looking fellows stared at the two of them as they appeared on the small garden outside the shophouse. Claud pondered on the viability of just pointing the middle finger at them and activating a few more barrier artefacts, but¡­


    ¡°Well, looks like we¡¯ll need to bear with them for a while.¡± Claud looked at the crowd that had formed in front of the barrier, and then held his head. ¡°How are we supposed to do this?¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Claud touched the sword hanging off his waist. He was an absolute stranger to something like this; Lily, who had the necessary education and upbringing, would settle this far better than he ever would.


    ¡°But it still wouldn¡¯t hurt to learn, right?¡± Claud muttered, before following Lily as the barriers began to fade.


    ¡°In times like this, once everyone is assembled and ready, just bring down the barriers. Let the bigshots settle the smaller ones; why would they want the smallfry buzzing around while they conduct their business?¡± Lily grinned at him. ¡°Come on. Back into the shop we go. Let the professionals clear the others.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how we should do it, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeeep.¡± The two of them returned to the counter, before Claud activated the artefacts that were sitting underneath it to reinforce the booth. Supreme Saran looked like the violent type that would probably punch a wall to make a point, and this shophouse wasn¡¯t reinforced for that kind of punishment.


    The ground shook a few times, prompting him to pull out even more artefacts. He could hear a blunt weapon smacking the ground a few times, and that weapon wasn¡¯t made of feathers either.


    ¡°I thought rulers of entire continents are graceful fellows brimming with elegance and style,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Clearly, I was very wrong.¡±


    ¡°To be fair, we don¡¯t know much about the Lacheln continent, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Point.¡± The two of them exchanged glances.


    ¡°¡­Lily, if he acts up, you have my full blessing to slap him around,¡± Claud added. ¡°Here are a bunch of skillsticks that you can use.¡±


    ¡°We can just do it together. I¡¯m not that confident,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Oh, a couple bonding exercise over slapping the ruler of a continent?¡± Claud rubbed his hands. ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie. That does sound fun.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, okay?¡± Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°Alright, they should be coming soon. I¡¯m a bit excited, actually. What do they look like?¡±


    Claud thought about that question for a moment, and the first memory that came to mind was just how opulent the three of them were when he saw them back then. ¡°Gaudy. Like. Really, really blinding, I suppose. In their full battle regalia, they were blinding and all¡­oh, here they come.¡±


    ¡°All mine, then.¡± Lily patted his head. ¡°Leave the rest to me, alright?¡±


    The door opened, and three imposing presences walked into their little shop. This was probably the first shop since the Third Godsfall that had Emperor Grandis, First Lady Cecily and Supreme Saran visit it at the same time, which probably gave it a status like no other.


    ¡°¡­So, you are the couple in the rumours.¡± Emperor Grandis looked at them. ¡°Well met, Sir and Lady Primus.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t recall giving you the permission to speak for me,¡± Supreme Saran, who was still in that trademark armour of his. A mace sat on his shoulders squarely as he eyed Claud, but before he could say anything, First Lady Cecily cleared her throat.


    ¡°Shut up, the two of you.¡±


    As the three glared at each other, Claud could tell that today was going to be extraordinarily tiring.

 Chapter 573: An odd interrogation

    Claud could swear that ice was on the verge of forming in his little shophouse when the three sovereigns of their respective continents finally decided to stop their petty squabbling. Of course, their actions were anything other than petty ¡ª Claud had a feeling that the three of them would love nothing more than to throw down the gauntlet if given the slightest opportunity.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Lily cleared her throat. ¡°To what honour do we owe this visit to?¡±


    ¡°I assume you know who we are,¡± Emperor Grandis replied. ¡°I am told that you two happen to be nobles, yes?¡±


    ¡°We are?¡± Claud tilted his head.


    Lily nudged him, before whispering, ¡°You forgot? You know, back then¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh! Yes, we are. But we don¡¯t have land or anything, right? Does that obligate us to do as he commands?¡± Claud whispered back. ¡°Like, it would be really troublesome if he starts ordering us about. Like, I¡¯d rather just vanish¡­¡±


    Supreme Saran snorted, while the First Lady turned away to hide a smile. Emperor Grandis, who had definitely heard his words, which had been uttered on purpose, cleared his throat.


    ¡°No matter,¡± Emperor Grandis continued smoothly. ¡°Now, as you probably know, we are here to talk about the issue of Distortions. You two are the first and only person so far to have dismantled a Distortion without any bloodshed. There is a very good chance that you two are gifted in this area.¡±


    ¡°We got lucky,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Your Majesty, it would not do to pin hopes on commonfolk like us; we entered because we were going to look for a dear friend. Otherwise, we would never have entered to begin with.¡±


    ¡°However, the confidence in which you entered suggests that there is a way for you two to leave the Distortion if you so wish. That is more important to us,¡± Emperor Grandis replied.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The two of them paused, and then Claud thought through those words slowly. Indeed, he hadn¡¯t thought about what it meant for them to enter so confidently ¡ª someone who did such a thing was either mad or confident in their ability to leave freely. Indeed, Claud had been relying on the fact that he could probably use Absolute One to blast a way out of the Distortion as his trump card, so¡­


    He had to play this well.


    ¡°We¡¯re hexa-folders. Isn¡¯t it natural for us to leave if we want to?¡± Lily asked, the expression on her face radiating an honest curiosity. ¡°There¡¯s no need for a trump card or anything, right? Just blast your way open.¡±


    It was the trio¡¯s turn to exchange glances. Their eyes flickered as they moved from person to person, and more than once, they scrutinised both Claud and Lily. This weird silence lasted for around six seconds, before Emperor Grandis folded his arms.


    ¡°So, you two marched in there, thinking that you could make it out with your powers alone?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Lily paused. ¡°With all due respect, Your Majesty, the Distortion seems to originate from a non-folder. Even if this phenomenon is outlandish, how can it hope to contend against the likes of me and my husband?¡±


    ¡°That was your reasoning¡­¡± Emperor Grandis held his head. ¡°I am not sure what to say, but that was very reckless.¡±


    ¡°We went inside as a pair for that reason,¡± Lily added. ¡°Together, our mana output is far greater than if I went in alone. Our Mana Control Proficiency is very high too, which gave us even more confidence to pierce a way out if the need ever arose.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Emperor Grandis shook his head. ¡°How unfortunate. If you had been in possession of a treasure or skill that allowed one to leave and exit at will, we would have bought them from you. As it stood, you two simply were confident in your powers¡­and indeed, such confidence is natural. After all, you two are hexa-folders.¡±


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    ¡°Indeed. We are in the ranks of the strongest of this era. If we can¡¯t break through a Distortion, then no one can,¡± Lily replied. ¡°That said, we are ashamed that the three of you came down here to our humble shop for nothing. We humbly apologise.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I suppose we could all have been a bit braver, but who can order someone like you and your husband around, especially into a place of danger?¡± Emperor Grandis shook his head. ¡°I suppose you two didn¡¯t try to break out of the place forcibly, then.¡±


    ¡°We did not,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°That was such a good chance to test things out, though.¡± Emperor Grandis shook his head. ¡°Well, I am done here, Saran and Cecily. If you two have questions to ask, do go ahead.¡±


    Armour clanked, and Supreme Saran gazed at the two of them. ¡°Are you two interested in joining my retinue? You will want for nothing there.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your offer,¡± Lily replied. ¡°We are appreciative of how you hold us with such high regard, but our current life is fuelled by the desire to just relax and recuperate from the past decade. We desire a peaceful life, one where we are accountable to only ourselves.¡±


    ¡°A peaceful life, one where you are accountable only to yourself¡­¡± Supreme Saran guffawed. ¡°Well said! Very well. This supreme shall honour your thoughts! If you have, at any point in time, a desire to leave Grandis, I beseech you two to visit my Lacheln on some bright and shimmering day. It is a land of never-ending thrill and struggle, a reversion to primal might at the highest level. There, you can surpass civility and social norms, and be yourself at your most fundamental form. Death and battle will baptise your rise¡­¡±


    He folded his arms. ¡°If you ever tire of a civilised life, head to Lacheln. I will welcome free spirits like you two anytime.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Supreme Saran nodded at them, snorted at his peers, and then turned around. ¡°Farewell!¡±


    Claud narrowed his eyes slightly. Supreme Saran didn¡¯t sound that much like a prick now, compared to the time Claud saw him during the Aeon Trials. Of course, it was possible that there was a public private distinction; if his eyes got it right, it actually seemed that these three actually knew each other quite well.


    Maybe they were even friends.


    ¡°Oi, Saran,¡± Emperor Grandis called out. ¡°Same time next week?¡±


    ¡°You keep losing. It¡¯s boring. Maybe if you can bring these two along. They¡¯re quite fascinating. Intriguing, even.¡±


    The Supreme didn¡¯t even bother to turn around while replying, further affirming Claud¡¯s own guess. Of course, he wasn¡¯t going to say that out loud, but the dynamics that the trio shared were quite interesting. It felt like they were actually siblings¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    The door closed at that reply, and Emperor Grandis turned back to them. ¡°Well, it seems that you two should clear your next weekend. Do you have any objections to this?¡±


    Claud glanced at Lily, who smiled helplessly back at him.


    ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll need more details.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send my people over then. Cecily, you¡­should conclude your questions soon.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± The First Lady¡¯s words were laced with a wintry chill; it was as if she was someone who was carved out of ice and snow. Cold, brutal and calculating, the First Lady of the Nihal Senate had light blue hair that framed her snow-like face.


    All three bigshots were frightening in their own way. There was little to be said about Supreme Saran, who was a hulking fellow who wore armour and wielded blunt weapons easily. On the other hand, the First Lady looked like someone who could kill with her words, and Emperor Grandis was definitely the scheming type.


    In other words, everyone here, other than the two of them, were people that shouldn¡¯t be crossed.


    ¡°First Lady Cecily.¡± Lily nodded at her. ¡°What questions do you have?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious about the dynamics of your relationship,¡± she replied. ¡°Tell me about it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s private information,¡± Lily replied smoothly. ¡°What relevant questions do you have about the Distortion?¡±


    The temperature seemed to drop, but Lily only looked at the First Lady of the Nihal Senate in silence. The First Lady nodded, much like Dia did whenever the others landed a touch on her during the sparring sessions, and then said, ¡°The Distortion. As I understood it, you two solved the Distortion and didn¡¯t destroy it. Please describe the entire process in detail.¡±


    ¡°Which we already did, but I suppose you want to hear it from us, yes?¡±


    Her head jerked once. ¡°I¡¯m glad you understand.¡±


    ¡°More work for us, I suppose,¡± Lily replied.


    The First Lady opened her hand, and an embroidered bag of lifestones fell out. ¡°As compensation for your time. This is more than good enough.¡±


    ¡°And so it is.¡± Lily shook her head.


    ¡°Grandis, if you want to listen, fork over some lifestones too,¡± the First Lady added. ¡°It is manifestly unfair to them if you listen in like this.¡±


    The Emperor of the Grandis Empire sighed. ¡°Very well. You can be very weird at times like this.¡±


    He placed a box of lifestones on the counter. ¡°Do begin, then.¡±


    Lily shrugged. ¡°Sure. Okay, so we were¡­¡±

 Chapter 574: A forceful invitation

    ¡°Indeed, your account matches the statement released by Lesser Half.¡± First Lady Cecily turned a set of freezing eyes onto Lily, and then to Claud. ¡°I am intrigued. Did you two know about the specific circumstances beforehand, or did you two venture it out of pure confidence?¡±


    ¡°Confidence,¡± Lily replied. ¡°We¡¯re hexa-folders.¡±


    ¡°What a convenient statement,¡± the First Lady noted. ¡°So, if there comes a time you two are caught trespassing in Grandis¡¯ bedroom, is it also going to be confidence too?¡±


    ¡°Probably?¡± Lily guessed. ¡°I mean, we could be septa-folders by then. Or even octa-folders.¡±


    ¡°In that case, Grandis, you better be careful.¡± The First Lady smiled, and Claud felt the temperature drop again. Her icy-blue dress was only slightly warmer than her every action.


    Was she the gender-flipped version of the Frozen Emperor?


    That thought, which had come from nowhere, wasn¡¯t a fun one to entertain, so he promptly suppressed that sentiment. However, if she was really a mirrored form of an extreme iteration of Claud himself, it would explain why he was both intimidated and afraid of her.


    After all, the Frozen Emperor represented a Claud that had completely changed due to a reality that would never be acceptable.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take note of that,¡± Emperor Grandis replied. ¡°Still, you raise a good point. Either you two are lucky, or you two already knew what was going on. It is hard to say which is the correct answer. Still, you two knew Lesser Half. That¡¯s also another point worth paying attention to. Saran, that fool. Acting so high and mighty all the time¡­he should have stayed.¡±


    ¡°He is as constant as a glacier. I see no issue.¡±


    ¡°...Hmph.¡±


    The temperature dropped again as the First Lady raised an eyebrow at the Emperor, and Claud shivered. The cold, when coupled when the overwhelming fatigue that ate away at him all the time, wasn¡¯t doing him favours at all. A hollowed lifeforce did a variety of different things, and¡­


    Well, that Distortion was already cold enough.


    ¡°Can you rein in that frigid chill for a while?¡± Lily asked, holding Claud¡¯s hand at the same time. ¡°My husband is particularly susceptible to a lot of ailments right now, and he¡¯s trembling from the cold.¡±


    ¡°You heard the host, First Lady Cecily. You should really tune that cold down.¡±


    ¡°I apologise,¡± the First Lady replied, ¡°but this cold is not something I can control easily. It¡¯s¡­something created due to an accident. However, if it¡¯s that problematic, I will take my leave first.¡±


    She nodded once and strode out of the shophouse, and Claud let out a sigh. ¡°Okay, the chill¡¯s weakened¡­what¡¯s with that chill anyway? I mean, if it¡¯s an artefact, she could just drop it or something. Why bring it here?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a weird passive skill,¡± Lily suggested.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably the reason, yes.¡± Emperor Grandis folded his arms. ¡°Now, then, I think it is time for me to take my leave. My servants will send an invitation to a banquet on the morrow. Be there.¡±


    That last sentence was phrased as a command, which meant that the two of them weren¡¯t probably going to get out of the annoying event. Indeed, the Emperor simply strode out of the shophouse without waiting for their reply, and the door closed with an awful finality.


    ¡°Bah.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Bah.¡± Lily patted his head. ¡°Maybe you can cite weakness or something. I¡¯ll cover you.¡±


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    ¡°And let those wolves swarm you? I think not. We go together.¡± Claud sat down on the chair. ¡°Anyway, what¡¯s the situation outside?¡±


    He pulled out the RECON artefact from under the counter, which depicted multiple pictures at once. While there were none that were targeted at the exterior of the shophouse directly, there were a few little beads ¡ª or drones, as the manual called them ¡ª that displayed the general area around the shop.


    ¡°Okay, so the two of them came in a carriage together,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Do you think they have a thing for each other?¡±


    ¡°No, I think not. Besides, she¡¯s too freezing. The first person that becomes her partner has to be someone made from fire or something,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I think some water froze from her presence alone, you know.¡±


    He breathed out, and mist formed in front of him.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s some condition of hers. I cannot imagine that she likes to live like this too,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Maybe we can get something warm for her?¡±


    ¡°We could, I suppose¡­but you seem quite concerned about the First Lady, for some reason.¡± Claud thought for a moment. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t see you worrying about Supreme Saran¡¯s brashness or something.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­how do I put it?¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°She kinda feels¡­not familiar, I suppose, but I can see someone I know in her.¡±


    ¡°¡­That person isn¡¯t me, is she?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I guess? I don¡¯t know how to put it myself, but she seems a bit lonely from all that. Maybe she reminds me of you, by a little bit. Or there¡¯s something in me that makes me want to help her. I don¡¯t know either.¡±


    ¡°Alright, there¡¯s no need to look that sad. We¡¯ll help her¡­but how would we help her?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Maybe get something nice and warm for her, for starters. Or some equipment that increases the ambient temperature around her!¡±


    ¡°Those two shouldn¡¯t be all that expensive, I suppose.¡± Claud grinned. ¡°Let¡¯s go shopping tomorrow, then. I think we also need to stock up on more artefacts. Now that we know what the interior of a Distortion might be like, we¡¯ll need to get some storage equipment, lots of food, artefacts that do a variety of stuff¡­we can get some heat-creating artefacts while we¡¯re at it.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Still, would it be insensitive for us to give her such an item?¡±


    ¡°I told her about it, so it wouldn¡¯t be insensitive if I gave something like that to her¡­probably.¡± Lily made a face. ¡°Still, she must have tried to suppress this chill or whatever, right? Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose it¡¯ll at least mean something¡­¡±


    Claud glanced at the RECON once more. The area around his shophouse was normally not visible at first glance, but there was actually something special that made his shophouse stand out¡­and it was the sea of people that were crowding around the place.


    Indeed, in the hour or two that the three bigshots had spent at his little shop, the people crowding around his shop had grown. Since most of them were nobles, what exactly transpired out there was the sudden blooming of what seemed like huge umbrellas that had enough space for a chair, a table and some drinks¡­


    ¡°So, this is what nobles do when they¡¯re waiting for bigshots to leave a place,¡± Claud quipped.


    Lily glanced at the indescribable sea of umbrellas, before shaking her head. ¡°Why are they still here? Did I not hang up the ¡®closed¡¯ sign?¡±


    ¡°Beats me.¡±


    ¡°This damned field of mushrooms.¡± Lily hugged her knees. ¡°Now what?¡±


    ¡°Good question. Can we just leave them hanging? I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll disperse after a while,¡± Claud replied. ¡°After all, if we didn¡¯t go out to receive the bigshots, we sure as heck aren¡¯t going to receive these small fries.¡±


    ¡°Small fries, you say¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just start the barriers up or something,¡± Claud replied, before touching the various artefacts that had been used earlier. ¡°Everyone else outside can go take a hike.¡±


    ¡°Nasty.¡± Lily paused. ¡°Still, it feels like we¡¯re going to be doing little for the next few months or so, right?¡±


    ¡°Other than a bunch of banquets, probably.¡± Claud pulled a face. ¡°Well, it¡¯s nice that we don¡¯t have to do anything. We have enough money, we have a good cover story, and I really just want to laze around and do absolutely nothing else for a long time to come.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°That was our wish when we decided to stay here, right?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. The others embroil themselves in random troubles every so often. I bet they¡¯re up to something problematic again,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯ll just rest and recuperate here, thank you very much. What did they last say on the Trading Board again?¡±


    ¡°Something about returning to the Lustre Dukedom with Dia, I think.¡± Lily thought for a moment. ¡°There are so many opportunities for trouble there that I¡¯m not even going to think too hard about it. Maybe the princess didn¡¯t return despite the retraction of her arrest warrant, and everyone has to go look for her. Or maybe someone captured the princess, and her bodyguard needs to save her.¡±


    ¡°Ooh. Lots of possibilities there¡­well, Risti and Schwarz are there, though. Between the two of them, everything is going to be fine,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°Can you sound a bit more confident?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I mean, you know everyone. And they¡¯re all competent at their jobs.¡±


    ¡°You see, I also have the feeling that they¡¯re quite competent at stirring up trouble, so¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t quite deny that for some reason.¡±

 Chapter 575: News, and a new rumination

    A week flew by. There was nothing much going on ¡ª somehow ¡ª other than an invitation to a banquet held by Emperor Grandis, and Claud didn¡¯t really think he had a choice in this matter.


    ¡°Probably, anyway.¡± He fiddled with the invitation card, and then compared it to the sleek black card that Lesser Half had provided. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just cite your need to recover for the succeeding banquets,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Anyway, I just received news from the others.¡±


    ¡°What are they doing?¡±


    ¡°Surprisingly enough, nothing,¡± Lily replied. ¡°They¡¯re all lying on beds in one of Lustre¡¯s treasuries, with people feeding them lifestones day in and day out.¡±


    ¡°¡­What.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It seems like Duke Lustre intended to give everyone else as much lifespan as possible. Also¡­¡± Lily had an odd face. ¡°It seems that our Dia is the real princess.¡±


    Question marks seemed to bloom in Claud¡¯s vision as he took in those words, and he tried to parse Lily¡¯s sentence carefully. His mind seemed to blank out a few times, though, and Lily caught his face.


    ¡°Yeah, you heard that right.¡± Lily stuck a tongue out. ¡°Our Dia is the Princess Dia of Lustre. I am not sure how is that possible, but you know. It¡¯s a shocking reveal to me too. I can¡¯t imagine how the others are taking it. You know, especially since the three of us were looking like her from the start.¡±


    Claud held his head. ¡°So, our Dia¡¯s the real one.¡±


    ¡°Yeap.¡± Lily sighed. ¡°I imagine the others were feeling a bit distressed after that reveal. You know, since Risti liked to talk about how she knows a lot about the princess and her timetable. Dia¡­well, I hope the two of them worked it out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they will,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Sure, it¡¯s¡­a bit scary, such a habit, but they¡¯ve had years of close interaction and life-death moments together. I believe the two of them will talk things through. Besides, I think Dia also thinks of them as her best friends.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°Hmm. But if they¡¯re all in Lustre, are the Seekers of Life going to settle down there? It¡¯s not impossible, after all. With Dia¡¯s endorsement, the Seekers of Life can only go up in stature and never go down.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°That¡¯s definitely going to happen. Besides, our identities were also never much of a secret to begin with. After how we dealt with the Distortion¡­I¡¯m sure a lot of people have investigated us. Not that hard, after all.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. And we did walk openly with the others quite a few times in Nihila.¡± Lily yawned. ¡°Right, when¡¯s the banquet?¡±


    ¡°Evening, I think.¡± Claud looked at the darkening sky. ¡°Well, I suppose we can start changing our clothes into something more formal. At least these robes have lots of pockets¡­¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for them to wear a set of formal robes. Since they were hexa-folders, looking like normal mercenaries didn¡¯t seem to quite fit their status. Lily was adamant on having everyone note their exalted status from the get-go; she wanted to avoid incidents where people who were metaphorically blind decided to cause some trouble.


    ¡°Alright, you look great. The robes are quite light too. Not bad.¡±


    Claud bobbed his head. Underneath these robes were his usual combat attire, but the exotic, shimmering robes that Lily had bought for the two of them were light and airy, so he didn¡¯t feel stifled at all.


    ¡°You look great too,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We still have some time, so shall we walk around the city for a while?¡±


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    ¡°You just want to show off, right?¡±


    Claud looked at the long sleeves that rippled with a solemn majesty whenever he moved. ¡°Yeah. I mean, I think I look good¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, you.¡±


    The little meeplings bounced over as they stood up.


    ¡°You guys wanna come with us too?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s fine, I suppose. Our pockets are big. As long as you don¡¯t make too much noise, there¡¯s no harm in bringing you guys along.¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡± Crown hopped onto Claud¡¯s shoulder, and then nuzzled his neck. ¡°Meep¡­zzz.¡±


    ¡°Did you just fall asleep?¡± Claud asked, before looking at the others. Throne and Sceptre had vanished into Lily¡¯s robes, to the point that he couldn¡¯t quite tell where they were sleeping at right now.


    ¡°Meep¡­¡±


    ¡°Crown¡¯s asleep¡­still, he really does like your neck.¡± Lily grinned. ¡°So adorable. Are you going to let him sleep like this? People are going to look at you oddly.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­it¡¯s fine, I suppose.¡± Claud tickled the little box, who rolled away from his finger. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move out.¡±


    The two of them poked their heads out. Fortunately, the gigantic mass of nobles and people that were adamant on camping outside had dwindled to zero two days after the three largest bigshots left their shop. Part of that was due to Claud¡¯s refusal to even flip the sign until everyone vanished, and after another two days of hiding, the fervour finally died down¡­mostly, anyway.


    The two of them had been accosted a few times when they went out to buy some food, which had made them appropriately paranoid. It really couldn¡¯t be helped, though¡­


    As the two of them stepped outside, Claud noted quite a few purple spheres. They varied in size, but none were as big as the first Distortion that enveloped a good chunk of the county capital.


    The Distortion phenomenon had never stopped at all, which was another reason for Claud and Lily to be very cautious. Claud also found himself wondering about these things ¡ª why didn¡¯t the Hollow God tell him about them? It would be great if he had more information about these things.


    Somehow, the Hollow God, a Claud in an iteration that had ascended to divinity, had completely missed this entire Distortion phenomenon. It seriously didn¡¯t make sense to Claud at all, unless the Distortion phenomenon never occurred in the Hollow God¡¯s timeline.


    Or maybe it did, but by then, the Hollow God was too broken to care.


    ¡°Claud? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Just wondering about the Distortion,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why the Hollow God never talked about it.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Well, you did say that the Hollow God killed off the entire world, right?¡± Lily replied. ¡°Butchered most of the Moons, the Dark and the Coloured Gods. I¡¯d imagine that he also killed off most of the mortals, or at least made it such that the world couldn¡¯t sustain life. It should have also happened in a relatively short period of time too.¡±


    Claud thought about it for a moment, and then nodded. Indeed, his lifespan was extraordinary by the time the Trial of Aeons ended. If Lily really perished after he became a septa-folder, Claud could see himself burning all his lifespan to conclude the Last Tutorial and ascending as the first divinity of the Fourth Godsfall.


    Claud himself wasn¡¯t too sure about his powers as a god, but if he could massacre all the other divinities, his combat ability would probably rank between absurd and completely insane. In fact, even as the Frozen Emperor, he had already offed a few divinities, so this wasn¡¯t all that improbable.


    Such a person could really destroy the world.


    ¡°Eh? Wait, but that person is me¡­¡±


    Lily looked at him once, and then bobbed her head. ¡°Now that I think about it, it¡¯s rather exciting to know that someone who might destroy the world is my husband. Isn¡¯t that great?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s great or not, though¡­¡±


    The two of them walked past a small Distortion, which was cordoned off. There were lots of small Distortions nowadays, although Lily probably had a very good point ¡ª the Distortion phenomenon began sometime after his Third Tutorial had ended. If he had fallen into madness by then, and the world fell apart shortly afterwards, it was natural that the Hollow God would never have heard about the Distortion phenomenon.


    ¡°My brain hurts from thinking so much,¡± Claud mumbled.


    ¡°There, there.¡± Lily puffed on his forehead. ¡°Feeling better?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, of course.¡± Claud grinned.


    The sun continued to inch downwards as the white moon appeared in the darkening sky. Claud gazed at it for a while, before shaking his head. While children used to run around in the city, ever since the Distortion phenomenon began, the city had sunk into a weird state of desolation.


    People stuck together, looking out for people who were behaving oddly. Shops rarely served customers who were dining in, since the first Distortion had occurred in a caf¨¦. There were groups of vigilantes looking for people who were exhibiting extreme behaviours.


    The county had turned into a minor mess, a small little jail that people willingly subjected themselves to and enforced on others. The three bigshots saw nothing wrong with their actions either, and¡­


    Claud sighed. ¡°This Distortion¡­what a mess.¡±


    ¡°You sure can say that again.¡± Lily shook her head. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s hurry up. The city feels a little depressing.¡±

 Chapter 576: An awkward banquet

    The oodles of people who were mingling and laughing stood out the moment Claud and Lily closed in on the banquet location, which was the Lostfon palace grounds. Of course, it also didn¡¯t help that there were quite a few people thronging around the areas that led directly to the palace, although the nervousness they exuded hinted at someone buying their presence there¡­literally.


    ¡°Seems like someone¡¯s eager to please their political masters,¡± Lily noted. ¡°Buying a crowd to liven things up¡­only a noble or a bigshot has this much money to throw away.¡±


    ¡°Well, at least these people are earning some money,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Easy money, I¡¯d call it.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    The two of them stopped outside the palace gates, where lots and lots of guards were just¡­hanging around. The centre of attention were the guardians that handled entry in and out of the palace itself, since there were at least five different batches of people that did checks after checks. It was unbelievable, seeing so many groups whose apparent goal was to make life hard for the people who were still outside.


    ¡°They¡¯re here!¡± someone whispered.


    In that moment, the sensation of being enveloped by a thousand lights engulfed Claud, and people turned to look at him and Lily. He could feel all sorts of emotions ¡ª curiosity, hostility, disbelief, fear and envy ¡ª and he waved his hand once.


    Mana surged around him, and the gazes vanished as their owners flinched from the dark blue energies.


    ¡°Three, two¡­and done,¡± Lily muttered.


    Claud promptly withdrew his mana, but the crushing pressure that a hexa-folder gave off had shut everyone up. Of course, that was pretty much the main part of him that was a hexa-folder; his physical body was still as sluggish as ever, but no one else needed to know that.


    As a happy side-effect, the long queue that had formed was more than willing to let Claud and Lily walk through the gate. The guards also let them through without checking their identities either; no one wanted to be the guy that would stop a hexa-folder.


    The undercurrent of whispers faded as the two of them entered the Lostfon palace grounds. The last time Claud went here, it was to deliver a letter to Neo Cadenza, but now, they had returned with their identities on full display¡­to be honest, Claud was feeling very insecure about this fact.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous!¡± Lily patted his head. ¡°There, there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not nervous about the party, though,¡± Claud replied. ¡°More of our security, if I had to be honest. Now everyone knows our name and that we¡¯re hexa-folders. I won¡¯t expect anyone to lower their guard if they want to take a swing at us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t recall offending anyone, though. Why would they want to take a swing at us?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Who knows what¡¯s in the mind of weirdos,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Still, we¡¯re pretty awesome. We became hexa-folders without gaining a title at all. The only non-Named hexa-folders¡­it¡¯s quite a title on its own, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    He looked around at the carefully maintained flowerbeds as the two of them headed towards the brightly lit banquet area. A gigantic marquee ¡ª which looked like a huge toadstool to Claud, personally ¡ª housed nine long tables. A small table sat apart from the nine long ones, and even from afar, Claud could see the three sovereigns just sitting there and playing games.


    ¡°Huh. Card games.¡±


    Claud looked at Lily. ¡°At this point of time, I think I¡¯ve given up on expecting people to behave the way their cultural counterparts do. Are there even stageplays or novels that portray Grandis as a person who likes to play card games?¡±


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Not that I¡¯ve heard of. Maybe he picked it up or something during his long training?¡±


    ¡°Must be pretty recent, then.¡±


    Emperor Grandis glanced at them once as they approached. ¡°You¡¯re late.¡±


    Claud glanced at the tables, which still had a lot of seats, and then at the crowded gates.


    ¡°We were caught up at the gates,¡± Lily replied smoothly. ¡°Greetings, Emperor Grandis, Supreme Saran and First Lady Cecily. We thank you for your invitation to today¡¯s banquet.¡±


    ¡°Think little of it,¡± Emperor Grandis, who was wearing his full battle outfit, replied. Everything was present ¡ª nine-coloured robe, crown, sword ¡ª save for the halos that had been floating behind him during the Aeon Trials. ¡°You two are interesting people, so I invited the two of you.¡±


    Supreme Saran smacked the table once. ¡°Indeed. You two are most fascinating. I can see a brutality in your eyes, Mister Primus. It reminds me of mine.¡±


    Claud was quite sure that was an actual insult, but¡­


    ¡°T-thank you?¡± Claud looked at the armoured fellow. He still hadn¡¯t forgotten how this black-armoured fellow had talked to Kemata, although he was beginning to get the feeling that everyone back then was just putting on one heck of a front.


    First Lady Cecily was still as frosty as ever, but in his little shop, she had put away her abrasive exterior entirely. Likewise, Emperor Grandis and Supreme Saran seemed noticeably different from the time he saw them at the Trial of Aeons; the Emperor felt like an old man. Supreme Saran seemed to have toned down his outward¡­whatever that weird hostility entailed, and he seemed like some regular hooligan.


    ¡°Take a seat, Claud and Lily.¡± Emperor Grandis gestured at two open tables. ¡°I hope you do not mind me speaking informally, especially since you two are knights of my empire.¡±


    ¡°No issue there,¡± Claud hurriedly replied.


    The eyes that were staring at them seemed to glow as Claud and Lily took the seats designated by the Emperor, and a tingle ran down his spine. The prickling sensation only grew as more and more people filed in, and he had to resist turning around.


    ¡°You¡¯ll get used to people staring at you after a while,¡± Emperor Grandis advised kindly. ¡°You aren¡¯t the type that likes the limelight, are you?¡±


    ¡°My husband is not in a good condition either,¡± Lily replied. ¡°We attended today¡¯s banquet as a show of respect, but I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll want to poke our heads out for a long time after this. We¡¯ll probably close the shop too.¡±


    Emperor Grandis chuckled. ¡°Not many would ask to be excused from meeting us, but here we are. What do you think, Cecily?¡±


    A set of icy-blue eyes studied Claud for a while, before they turned back to the Emperor. ¡°Indeed. Age and ambition are inversely proportionate for the two of them.¡±


    ¡°They are, I am told, in the mid-twenties,¡± Emperor Grandis replied. ¡°They are positively children.¡±


    ¡°Children?¡± The freezing gaze swept across them again. ¡°That is¡­unbelievable. Are all youngsters this impressive?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you have no idea,¡± Emperor Grandis replied. ¡°Why, I had this arrest warrant out for a dukedom¡¯s princess, and she just vanished from the public eye. My Shadows were completely bamboozled by how the little princess vanished.¡±


    Claud twitched.


    ¡°Turns out, she impersonated her own double and lived in plain sight in a county capital for years,¡± Emperor Grandis continued. ¡°She even joined a famous mercenary group.¡±


    He clicked his tongue. ¡°This new generation is turning out to be exceptionally impressive, in my opinion. Why, Neo¡¯s kid is a tetra-folder, and she¡¯s their age too.¡±


    Claud glanced at Lily, who made funny faces back at him.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Emperor Grandis asked. ¡°Oh, right. You two are part of a mercenary group, right? Did you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Grandis!¡± A middle-aged man, who was wearing bright green from head to toe, called out to him. Lifestone-green accessories hung all over him, jingling as he walked over to the Emperor. ¡°I¡¯m not late, am I?¡±


    ¡°Barely late, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Hoho¡­oh? Claud and Lily? Didn¡¯t know you guys had the connections to be sitting here.¡± Neo Cadenza bobbed his head. ¡°Long time no see.¡±


    Claud, who had seen him during the Trial of Aeons, rubbed his nose. ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Nice to see you again,¡± Lily added.


    ¡°You know these kids?¡± Emperor Grandis asked.


    ¡°Of course. Remember my kid? Yeah, she¡¯s with them, the Seekers of Life,¡± Neo Cadenza replied. ¡°And if you¡¯re wondering why that sounds familiar, Princess Dia is also part of that mercenary group.¡±


    ¡°¡­Wait.¡± Emperor Grandis held his head.


    Claud glanced at Lily, who also didn¡¯t look all that good either, and he began to ponder the possibilities of leaving this banquet unscathed. It was a ridiculously high chance, so he relaxed shortly afterwards, an action that made Lily relax shortly afterwards too.


    After a few seconds of deep thought, Emperor Grandis asked, ¡°These two are¡­part of the mercenary group that the Lustre princess joined up with. That right?¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh.¡± Emperor Grandis turned to Claud and Lily. ¡°How did you two not realise?¡±


    Claud cupped his chin. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been wondering that too¡­¡±


    First Lady Cecily and Supreme Saran turned away, presumably to hide a smile.

 (TOT) Chapter 577: Refusals

    Claud rubbed his nose as the other bigshots wondered how he didn¡¯t spot a sheltered princess escaping captivity without any preparation.


    To be fair, the fact that he hadn¡¯t realised anything wrong with Dia wasn¡¯t all that weird. For some reason, the two of them interacted the least after the Moon Lords were formed. It was mostly coincidence ¡ª Claud would leave to do something, and when he was on the way back, Dia would have headed out. Her job scope lay in training people, while his and Lily¡¯s were all about ensuring security and heading out to the city gates.


    He and Lily were like the Moons to Dia¡¯s sun; they rarely appeared in the same sky together. Furthermore, after the two of them took down the Emissary back then, they had fled the sovereignty entirely, cutting off most interactions directly.


    It was natural that he wouldn¡¯t have discovered anything odd with her cover story. Rather, it felt like she had practiced well for it; Claud hadn¡¯t noticed anything odd. In fact, that cover story of hers was a very good explanation for her clearly half-assed behaviour, and everyone had brought into it hook, line and sinker.


    Indeed, Claud could remember a few instances in which he rationalised away her behaviour, and judging from the wintry look on Lily¡¯s face, she definitely remembered a few things too.


    ¡°You two look like there¡¯s lemons in your mouths,¡± Neo Cadenza noted. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Just thinking about how Dia managed to fool us,¡± Claud replied blandly. ¡°Nothing much, really.¡±


    Lily nodded once, and in a deadpan voice that mimicked Claud¡¯s own, said, ¡°We¡¯re contemplating on the prospect of getting our eyes and brain checked. How we fell for that is probably very disturbing.¡±


    Claud grunted.


    Emperor Grandis coughed. ¡°Intriguing. How did this princess behave while she was with you?¡±


    ¡°Like a fake commoner,¡± Claud replied, thinking about the various weird stands and views that she had. However, since she had introduced herself as the double of the real thing, Claud had conveniently attributed these views to that of her upbringing ¡ª after all, doubles had to pass for the real deal, so they had to learn and live the same way as the original.


    This had turned out to be the stumbling stone for everyone in the Seekers of Life.


    Lily bobbed her head. ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe that the real Dia was living with us the whole time. To be honest, she didn¡¯t act like the princess either, so¡­well, whatever.¡±


    The president of the Folders¡¯ Association chortled, before saying, ¡°Anyway, you two are the ones that solved that super-large Distortion, right? How do you feel about it?¡±


    ¡°Never doing it again,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m in a bad state, and I just wanna rest. If my little friend wasn¡¯t trapped inside, I wouldn¡¯t have even made a move at all.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way we¡¯re doing that without an absolute imperative,¡± Lily added.


    ¡°Bummer.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you two do not want to go around undoing Distortions?¡± First Lady Cecily asked. ¡°We will pay you handsomely for every Distortion that occurs.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not really the materialistic kind, though,¡± Claud replied. ¡°None of us need any lifespan for a long time, and like I said, I¡¯m not in a good state now.¡±


    ¡°How unfortunate.¡± First Lady Cecily folded her arms. ¡°When you recover, do consider helping us with these Distortions. I believe you have never ridden my personal transport before. It will bring you there and back in a matter of two days.¡±


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Lily glanced at him, interest in her eyes. Claud tried to figure out what the appeal of a flying boat was, since he could do the same, but far faster¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to scam people with that boat of yours,¡± Supreme Saran interjected. ¡°It¡¯s cold out there, and there¡¯s not a lot of space.¡±


    ¡°Your armour was the problem back then, not my flying ship,¡± First Lady replied, her voice reminding Claud of a thawing river. ¡°Don¡¯t blame me for the icicles that formed on your armour.¡±


    ¡°Get some heating on that damn thing already.¡±


    Claud and Lily took this chance to nibble on some of the pre-banquet appetisers as the two began to quarrel, and Emperor Grandis eventually joined in. As the banquet moved onto the main dishes, Claud glanced at Neo, who was busy cutting a slab of chicken into tens of small cubes, which were then used to build some weird palace.


    ¡°That¡¯s awesome.¡± Lily gazed at the small palace. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to give it a try! I bet I can do it better than you, old man!¡±


    ¡°Why are you competing with me?¡± Neo Cadenza asked. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m a professional at this. You can¡¯t beat me.¡±


    Claud continued to slice his little piece of chicken into small strips as the two began their random competition. Of course, Claud knew that Lily had simply started this as a way to avoid being drawn into further uncomfortable conversations regarding the Seekers of Life and the two of them handling Distortions, for which Claud was very thankful.


    As he shook his head, the quarrelling duo snorted at each other and turned away.


    ¡°Now, now.¡± Emperor Grandis raised a hand. ¡°We need to deal with the Thief of Time first.¡±


    His ears twitched as Emperor Grandis abruptly brought up the topic of the Fourth Bearer of Destiny, but that was the only reaction he had. As for Lily, she seemed to have anticipated such a topic, so she merely continued to make a palace out of meat cubes without any response whatsoever.


    An absurd thought floated into his mind.


    Is it possible that she chose to do something that requires this much concentration on purpose?


    Claud narrowed his eyes slightly as Lily continued to perfect her art. After all, he hadn¡¯t missed the moment in which the three of them swept their gazes nonchalantly across Claud and Lily, when Emperor Grandis abruptly talked about the Thief of Time. In fact, the fact that Lily hadn¡¯t fumbled anything despite having such a topic brought up in earshot was proof enough that she wasn¡¯t linked to the Fourth.


    He was certain that this sudden shift in topic was meant to catch the two of them off-guard, but with his attention devoted to Lily¡¯s craft, Claud really couldn¡¯t care. It also helped that he was in a perpetual state of lethargy, which dampened his ability to react in a timely fashion and made him more ponderous.


    At any rate, this was a demonstration of the three bigshots¡¯ suspicions about him and Lily, and he couldn¡¯t blame them. After all, they were mana-users that remained low-profile despite wielding so much power, which arguably met the Thief of Time¡¯s profile and actions.


    Their sudden appearance, especially since they were in Lostfon and after the Thief of Time monopolised the vast rewards of the Cosmic Egg, was too suspicious. It was natural that they would want to test the two of them, but Claud was always ready, and Lily¡­seemed to have pre-empted such a situation by providing an environment in which she could be tested at her most genuine level.


    Just how much did Lily anticipate?


    After making a note to praise her for an entire night, Claud continued to admire her handiwork. The palace that she had created was by no means inferior to Neo¡¯s, and the elder Cadenza was beginning to expose a hint of disbelief on his face.


    ¡°Have you been practicing this somehow?¡± Neo Cadenza asked.


    ¡°No, why?¡±


    ¡°¡­Urgh.¡±


    Fortunately for Neo Cadenza, Lily completed her little work of art, before tugging at Claud¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Isn¡¯t it beautiful?¡±


    Claud looked at the small model of Moon Mansion, and then smiled. ¡°Yes. It is. Still, now that you piled it up like this, eating the whole thing isn¡¯t going to be easy¡­¡±


    ¡°I can just topple it, though? Or use mana like this¡­¡±


    As Lily played with her food, Claud returned his attention to the three sovereigns, who were discussing the Thief of Time in hushed voices. Why they had to hold such a meeting here was beyond Claud¡¯s comprehension, but maybe there were other circumstances¡­


    He didn¡¯t quite care about what they were saying, though. The checks could ramp up and the searches could grow more frequent, but all that had nothing to do with them. After this banquet, the two of them would huddle up in the little shop and sell skillstrips for fun, while Lily prepared for her Third Tutorial.


    That was all they were planning to do.


    Whatever bait these three fellows were planning to throw out, Claud wasn¡¯t going to have any of it.


    ¡°Right,¡± said Neo, ¡°you two wrote me a letter or something, right? I actually penned a reply. I¡¯ll send it along after the banquet.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Of course. We were busy with that Distortion, after all.¡±


    ¡°Good work for that one, you two.¡± The Association President smiled. ¡°You saved a lot of people that day¡­even if you two were just lucky.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d chalk that down to strength, though,¡± Claud replied.


    Lily bobbed her head. ¡°They¡¯re non-folders, after all.¡±


    ¡°¡­Maybe.¡±

 Chapter 578: Discussing the future over bowls of lifestones

    ¡°It hurts, but we need to persist on¡­¡± Schwarz looked at the bowl of lifestones with milk poured on them, and then made a face. ¡°Damnit. Why am I feeling so pained despite being given all these advantages?¡±


    With a miserable face, he dug into the bowl of lifestones and shovelled another spoonful into his mouth. His face twisted a moment later, but Schwarz forced his mouth shut to prevent the lifestones from falling out. His entire body shuddered involuntarily as the once-euphoric rush of lifeforce flooded his very being, before finally opened his mouth to retch.


    Given that his stomach was largely empty, all this retching only served to make Dia and the others nauseous.


    ¡°Blergh.¡±


    ¡°Stop it,¡± Farah replied testily. She, like Schwarz and the other Seekers of Life, were having breakfast. Of course, breakfast was pretty much lifestones, the same things they had been forcefed the entire night while asleep.


    It had been that way for the past month, and while Dia had built up some resistance to eating something so sweet, thanks to her memories, the others didn¡¯t quite have the same privilege¡­


    ¡°We¡¯re supposed to feel happy about this,¡± Schwarz muttered, ¡°but I just feel utterly sickened. Blergh.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s our last day already, so just suck it up and eat as much as you can,¡± Dia replied, ladling a spoonful of milk with lifestones into her mouth. Everyone here had gained around one thousand years or so after eating lifestones for an entire month, which was just around enough to create the fifth and sixth mana circuit. In fact, her father wanted everyone to become a hexa-folder before they returned to Licencia.


    Risti lowered her bowl. ¡°So, you nervous?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Dia asked. ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°You must have forgotten about the Distortion that you were supposed to handle, then,¡± Risti replied. ¡°You know? A Distortion that would wipe out the whole of Istrel? Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°¡­Right.¡± Dia made a face. ¡°I think I¡¯ll be fine. I mean, I have enough lifespan to push for my seventh mana circuit too. Just for safety¡¯s sake, you know.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of lifespan¡­¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°But it¡¯s worth it. After all, if I can become a high-ranked folder, there¡¯s no way that Distortion in Licencia can defeat me. My Domain of Swords will become a nightmare for that Distortion, with each sword wielding the strength of my full strike.¡±


    ¡°Considering the number of swords that thing conjures, that¡¯s true¡­anyway, how¡¯s your progress so far?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m closing in on completing my sixth mana circuit,¡± Dia replied. As it turned out, her inordinately high Mana Control Proficiency was doing her a lot of wonders when it came to improving her mana circuits, and¡ª


    ¡°Hold on. Just how did Claud and Lily improve so quickly, then?¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Not in terms of lifestones, sure. I¡¯m talking about how mana circuits are formed,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I mean, these two somehow managed to form their mana circuits in what seemed to be their first try or something, based on their speed. It¡¯s¡­incomprehensible, in my opinion. Just how did they become hexa-folders? We spent an entire month being force-fed like this, but they sure didn¡¯t say anything about that¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯ve found another way of absorbing lifestones in a really quick manner,¡± Risti suggested.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably it, then.¡± Dia sighed. ¡°They could at least have told us how to do that, right?¡±


    ¡°Blergh.¡±


    Dia glanced at Schwarz. ¡°See what I mean? Schwarz wouldn¡¯t be suffering like this if¡ª¡±


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Blergh.¡±


    ¡°And Farah too, apparently.¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°Well, you guys will get used to it. I had to get used to it on my own terms too, you know¡­it¡¯s fortunate that my tongue isn¡¯t as sensitive as the others. Anyway, now that this one month is up, I suppose we can focus on our mana circuits. Have you guys been forming your mana circuits too?¡±


    Schwarz pushed his now-empty bowl of lifestones and milk away, before nodding. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    He sniffed miserably, in a manner that reminded Dia of a child who had been forced to eat some veggies, and she had to hide a smile. It was a bit adorable to see Schwarz behaving like a child, but again, the way the little Moonlit toddlers waddled around was also good for her heart.


    ¡°You guys done eating?¡± Dia asked, before getting up from the table that had been set up for them. Everyone had been living in one of her father¡¯s treasuries, which had been modified for daily living and nightly feedings of lifestones by professionals who had been paid handsomely¡­


    That last bit felt a bit suspicious, but it was the only way the four of them could burn their mana circuits in the day. Besides, while they were asleep, the sickly sweetness of so much lifeforce was less of an issue. Compared to the first time Dia binged on lifestones, this method was so much more acceptable.


    ¡°Blergh.¡±


    Dia glanced at Schwarz, who had been afflicted by the desire to throw up for the past month, and wondered why he was this weak. However, a mark of adulthood was knowing when to not voice one¡¯s thoughts, so she simply said, ¡°Now that we¡¯ve been fed enough to burn our sixth and seventh mana circuits, we¡¯ll need to devote the rest of our time to entering the ranks of the strongest in the world.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean an end to those nightly feedings?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Yes. Our nights will be dedicated to drawing our mana circuits henceforth. I believe everyone already has a lot of practice drawing them, so this process should be sped up¡­probably.¡± Dia folded her arms. ¡°After all, the two lovebirds probably relied on their fresh memories of recent circuits to build up rapidly. We can imitate their success.¡±


    ¡°Using our recent memories as a foundation to rush up?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Does that work?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll find out. Besides, lifeforce really isn¡¯t the issue right now, since the ancient battlefields were reopened,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Risti added. ¡°After a while, one¡¯s skill at manipulating mana becomes the key. Remember, the more mana circuits you have, the more you need to draw at once. It¡¯s not really six mana circuits; that¡¯s just what it looks like.¡±


    Dia nodded. Drawing her sixth mana circuit entailed the redrawing of the previous five in a virtual state. The cost and complexity were thus increased; if one¡¯s Mana Control Proficiency was not up to snuff, the entire structure would break down. In fact, hexa-folder was quite the misnomer ¡ª a person with ¡°six¡± mana circuits actually had twenty-one times the mana capacity and potency of an actual one-folder.


    The formula wasn¡¯t that hard either; it was just one plus two all the way until plus six. However, this was the reason why a difference in mana circuits made all the difference, especially mana potency. Not only did hexa-folders have twenty-one times the capacity of a one-folder, the quality of their mana was also twenty-one times more condensed.


    In absolute terms of units of mana as defined by a one-folder¡¯s mana circuit, this meant that a hexa-folder had 441 times more mana than a one-folder, if one took into account mana potency too¡­


    ¡°Still, to think that my father would have so many studies on mana,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Why didn¡¯t he show them to me when I was younger? It would have been nice to know that there was such a difference. If I knew, I would have just spent my days working on my mana circuits, not my swordsmanship.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s impossible. You have to remember that Emperor Grandis banned dukes from becoming penta-folders until very recently,¡± Risti replied.


    Farah nodded. ¡°And there are laws against noble scions having more mana circuits than their parents too.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious, right?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Otherwise, nobles would all just collectively raise their kids to become hexa-folders. And if the Third Tutorial wasn¡¯t this devastating, they would have just pushed on to their seventh mana circuits, orders be damned.¡±


    Dia thought about it. Indeed, her father and his subordinates were the kinds that would go for loopholes where possible. In fact, most of the nobles were all about loopholes to begin with; this was definitely a loophole that Emperor Grandis himself had to patch up.


    ¡°True.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Farah shook her head. ¡°Anyway, mana circuits aside, does anyone find it weird on how the two lovebirds that are currently holing up in Monsville haven¡¯t contacted us much? Their messages are so perfunctory nowadays. Are they busy working on their next mana circuits?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re busy making babies,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Nero¡¯s the kind of guy that would go all-out when he¡¯s in love, and he¡¯s definitely fallen head over heels for Kemata. Lucky slob.¡±


    ¡°Now, now.¡± Farah paused. ¡°Well, I suppose he¡¯s lucky to have found someone who suited him.¡±


    ¡°How about you?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Last I heard, your vassals were clamouring for you to get an heir.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just twenty-odd years old. Don¡¯t be silly¡­I¡¯m more worried about Dia,¡± Farah replied.


    Dia blinked. ¡°Wait, me? What¡¯s that got to do with me? I¡¯m leaving soon, and I¡¯m in no mood to fall in love anyway. How Claud, Lily and Nero all have the capacity to is beyond me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­sad, I suppose?¡±


    ¡°Why is that even a question?¡±

 Chapter 579: News about the missing sibling

    The rest of breakfast concluded over more light conversation, including some intriguing bits about how Lily and Claud had apparently attended lovely little banquets with Emperor Grandis, First Lady Cecily and Supreme Saran. It was a shame that Nero and Kemata was shacked up together in Monsville, though, since Dia really wanted to see their reactions when they learned Claud and Lily met with the rulers of their respective homelands.


    It was such a shame.


    Dia let out a small sigh as the servants packed up their ¡°breakfast¡± and left the treasury. Her mouth was still tingling and on the verge of revolting against its master, but Dia was already intending on eating the most savoury lunch, so it was its loss if it decided to rebel now.


    ¡°So, are we going to start drawing our mana circuits now?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have anything else to do,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Don¡¯t be lazy. We¡¯ll just need to do it well once, and we¡¯ll be on our way to surpassing Nero. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to oppress him with the power of a septa-folder?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re evil.¡± Risti rolled her eyes. ¡°Anyway, it seems that you¡¯re a lot more carefree now. Returning home and talking about your identity did help your mental state quite a bit, eh?¡±


    ¡°Did it?¡± Dia folded her arms and thought about it for a while. ¡°I can¡¯t really feel it, though. I think I¡¯m still the same¡­¡±


    ¡°Definitely different,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°You¡¯re a lot more open now. And I get the sense that you¡¯ve put down some worries and thoughts that were plaguing you back then.¡±


    Dia looked at the bartender, and then remembered that Schwarz had definitely seen his own share of people with their own secrets, worries and burdens. If she really had changed, Schwarz would definitely be the first one to know.


    ¡°Okay, maybe I¡¯ve changed. But it¡¯s natural for me to change, I suppose.¡± Dia yawned. She didn¡¯t feel up to the task of examining her own inner thoughts and whatever other random things that were going to crop up in her head, so she said, ¡°We¡¯ve all changed in our own little ways. For instance, Risti no longer uses all manner of skills to stare at me. She just looks at me openly sometimes now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on. It¡¯s just me wondering why my version of you and the real you are so different,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I¡¯m also trying to get past the phase where I¡¯m dumping unrealistic expectations onto you. It¡¯s necessary to see your more mundane sides for that to happen.¡±


    ¡°Is that praise, or something else entirely?¡± Farah wondered out loud.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question,¡± Schwarz chimed in. ¡°I think the person who¡¯s changed the least has to be either Farah or Claud, though. Claud¡­is as cautious as ever. Or even worse now. Heh. And Farah, you¡¯re¡­I mean, I suppose you dropped that arrogant attitude, so you did change.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s better.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure she dropped it?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re now taking this chance to poke fun at me, eh?¡± Farah clicked her teeth. ¡°Tut tut. Anyway, it¡¯s great that we came here in the end. Not only did we realise that the real princess has been hiding under our noses the whole time ¡ª I really want to see Claud¡¯s face when he learns about that ¡ª we also got free lifestones. Thanks, Dia.¡±


    ¡°Eh, we had too much of them in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Is this really something a human should say?¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°Just listen to this disgustingly rich person speak. Sheesh.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not all. Do you know¡ª¡±


    Before Dia could further disgust them with more opulent displays of wealth, someone came rushing into the treasury.


    ¡°Uncle?¡± Dia turned to look at her uncle, who was still in his trademark golden armour. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Your brother seems to be in the capital!¡± Her uncle rubbed her hands. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s grab him before he disappears again!¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Eh? Grab him?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°What, is he a criminal now?¡±


    ¡°No, but we¡¯ll probably not see him for an entire decade if he vanishes again,¡± Uncle Rubia replied. ¡°Hurry up! It¡¯s a shame that the duke is out of the city today¡­no, knowing that punk, he definitely showed up today because the duke isn¡¯t around.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Come on!¡± Uncle Rubia flexed his muscles. ¡°Let¡¯s nail him down before he runs away again! Don¡¯t you want to force him into the inheritance once more? This is your chance!¡±


    Dia¡¯s mind finally resumed working, and she nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s the motivation for nabbing him now?¡± Schwarz uttered, his voice full of surprise. ¡°You are¡­urgh. What¡¯s with this lady? Why is she throwing away a dukedom? It¡¯s a dukedom!¡±


    ¡°Well, with the Aeon Trials creating a new world, I¡¯m not sure if I should be focused on wasting my abilities in running a territory,¡± Dia replied. ¡°For all we know, this new world won¡¯t have the concept of nobility¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a shitty excuse and you know it.¡±


    ¡°Enough about that for now,¡± Farah cut in. ¡°I¡¯m very interested in your brother, rather. Like what Schwarz said, everyone seems to have forgotten his name, and there aren¡¯t actually any records. I¡¯m curious.¡±


    Dia nodded, and a hint of heaviness filled her heart. Whether or not it was really her brother she didn¡¯t know, but if there was a trace of him in the capital, there was no time to lose. Getting up properly, she stretched a few times and said, ¡°My brother¡­I¡¯ll tell you about him once we¡¯re all assembled. Hurry up.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not fighting a war,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°We can look for him like this.¡±


    Uncle Rubia nodded. ¡°He won¡¯t hurt you guys either. Might as well travel light.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­¡±


    Schwarz, Risti and Farah turned their eyes to Dia as they jogged out of the treasury, trailing behind her uncle as he led the way.


    ¡°Alright, story time,¡± Schwarz said. ¡°Tell us more about your brother!¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I can¡¯t remember many things,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I think he¡¯s quite weird. I can¡¯t remember all that much, though...I only can vaguely remember him having the ability to see the future through his Future Sight skill and his paranoia.¡±


    ¡°Paranoia?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Like Claud?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s quite different. My brother¡¯s the paranoid-to-reckless sort. I can somewhat remember him being rather¡­daring. He¡¯s paranoid, but not the way Claud was, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    ¡°So how did that paranoia manifest?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t remember,¡± Dia admitted. ¡°I can only vaguely recall him doing the weirdest and most dangerous things possible. Remember that guidebook that Claud wrote? Yeah, he¡¯s the sort that would break every single rule without even trying too hard.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be a riot if the two of them meet, then. What about that paranoia?¡±


    Dia scrunched up her face and tried to recall something, before the memory of a blurred figure looking around fearfully entered her mind. ¡°Uh¡­I think there were a few times when my brother would cover up his face with a veiled hat. Whenever he went out with me, he would put on that hat and look around the place.¡±


    Risti frowned. ¡°Now that I think about it, I think I do recall someone like that¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Right, you were spying on me the whole time, weren¡¯t you?¡± Dia glanced at Risti. ¡°Do you remember anything about my brother?¡±


    ¡°Ahaha. No, sadly. I mean, I was looking down from the sky. And anyone who was clothed up so thickly could be your maid or your brother, so¡­¡± Risti shrugged. ¡°Anyway, if that was your brother¡­I can¡¯t really associate him with recklessness, though. No one wears this thickly and is reckless at the same time, unless he has some weird issue.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t put it past him,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Now that I think about it¡­my brother did pat me on the head a month before the whole Tot thing happened to me. He was apologising¡­I suppose he already had the plan down at that point in time.¡±


    ¡°Pat you on the head, huh?¡±


    Their little party stepped out of the Lustre Palace proper, and Dia turned to her uncle. ¡°Uncle, what next?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve sent a bunch of soldiers to encircle the entire capital. They¡¯ll be tracking the faint mana that was released out there and close in on it.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°For some reason, the mana trace is still there, unmoving. Is he busy?¡±


    ¡°Sleeping, perhaps?¡± Dia suggested.


    ¡°Sleeping¡­then this is a really weird place to be sleeping at, then.¡± Her uncle grinned. ¡°My little niece, what do you say to making him sleep in his actual bedroom while you deal with whatever destiny has in store for you?¡±


    ¡°Love it.¡±


    ¡°Excellent.¡±


    Schwarz looked at her uncle. ¡°Commander Rubia, do you not feel disturbed at the fact that your niece is attempting to disinherit herself and throw it all to her brother, who happens to be doing the same damn thing?¡±


    Her uncle thought for a few seconds, and then said, ¡°Bold of you to assume that I took this position willingly. I¡¯ll have you know that a certain sly dog cajoled me into this position and sneakily forged bonds between me and the guards, as well as the dukedom.¡±


    ¡°¡­No, seriously.¡± Farah rubbed her head. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with running a dukedom?¡±


    Schwarz bobbed his head in agreement. ¡°Exactly. Free resources and power¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, and what will you do with all this power?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Imagine you¡¯re now the duke. What are you going to do with all that power?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Schwarz folded his arms. ¡°Make society better?¡±


    ¡°You can do that without being a duke, though?¡± Dia replied. ¡°See? There¡¯s no point in governing a territory to me¡­and to most other people. I mean, we¡¯re mid-ranked folders. We can do a lot of things without being bogged down by weird stuff like nobility and all¡­¡±

 Chapter 580: A reunion?

    ¡°That¡¯s not really true, though.¡±


    Dia glanced at her uncle, who had remained silent all the way until they arrived at the city square. Soldiers were being dispersed at regular intervals, returning to report to the commander taking care of them.


    ¡°What¡¯s not true?¡±


    ¡°That one can change the world without being a noble or a person of authority,¡± Uncle Rubia replied. ¡°That¡¯s wrong. In the first place, there was never a requirement for a noble, especially one that governs a territory, to be a mana-user. The Emperor invests power in certain individuals regardless of their power to govern; we are proxies of Emperor Grandis. Our ability to change the society comes from tradition and the rule he established, not power or wealth.¡±


    Farah nodded. ¡°I agree. It is hard to verbalise what we nobles do, but we are essentially extensions of the ruling authorities. No matter what nation we¡¯re talking about, there are always proxies of the central government. Therein lies our ability to change the world.¡±


    ¡°And not power?¡± Dia asked, curious.


    Farah and her uncle exchanged glances briefly, before she said, ¡°It¡¯s complicated. Power can shape society, but the way it¡¯s applied will drastically affect both duration and outcome. There are numerous dimensions to it, beyond one¡¯s ability to fight and kill. And¡­let¡¯s be honest, attempting to rule with power when there¡¯s a stronger person around is asking for it. You¡¯re still very immature for things like this.¡±


    Dia bobbed her head. ¡°That I do acknowledge. I mean, I do want to throw this annoying thing away¡­¡±


    ¡°Such an attitude¡­it reminds me of my own parents,¡± Farah replied. ¡°They just wanted the name and the prestige, but none of the responsibility. You¡¯re different in that you want none of that at all.¡±


    The others snorted in amusement, and Dia rolled her eyes. ¡°I know my limits, alright?¡±


    ¡°Fine, whatever.¡± Farah let out a sigh. ¡°Didn¡¯t you take lessons in politics about the foundations of ruling? Taxes, enforcement, collaborators, spoils distribution?¡±


    ¡°¡­I think I did? But I never handled such stuff. I always threw them to my brother.¡±


    ¡°Well, this does explain why you don¡¯t seem that familiar with the intricate stuff, then.¡± Farah held her head. ¡°Anyway, I suppose we should put this aside first. As I recall, we¡¯re supposed to be hunting your brother down.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s phrased in such an extreme way I don¡¯t even know how to rebut it,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°We¡¯re not hunting him down. We¡¯re just escorting him really firmly back to the palace so he can be reinstated as the heir, damnit.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, the princess just swore like one of my guards.¡±


    Dia eyed her uncle, and then said, ¡°Well, you¡¯re used to it, right? I mean, the guards swear all the time too. Moons take it, you¡¯ve probably used the more¡­elegant words too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s different. Your father doesn¡¯t swear like a guard.¡±


    Dia folded her arms. ¡°Sure, he doesn¡¯t. Right. Totally.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying, really.¡± He shook his head. ¡°But I suppose we should really focus on what¡¯s important right now. First of all, we need to find that idiot.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t even remember his name or his face, though,¡± Dia replied. ¡°All we¡¯re relying on is his mana, which hasn¡¯t moved from the same spot for nearly an hour.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll need to find him anyway. Not that much of a choice here, in my opinion.¡± Her uncle let out a sigh. ¡°There¡¯s definitely a conspiracy. Or your brother is asleep.¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Sleeping here, of all places?¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°Not to mention that he¡¯s leaking mana like a used sponge.¡±


    ¡°You know what a sponge is?¡± her uncle asked. ¡°I thought you never liked the scullery and the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve taught her a lot of things,¡± Schwarz replied, a proud expression on his face. It was, unfortunately, an expression that only stirred up Dia¡¯s desire to beat someone up, but Dia had matured enough to know that violence wasn''t always the answer.


    She felt tempted enough to deem it the answer for this particular instance, though.


    ¡°Alright, enough. Schwarz, did you forget that you¡¯re supposed to be asking Dia to offer you a job at the dukedom? You know? That exclusive bartender thing? What happened to pleasing your future boss?¡± Risti asked. ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to make her mad, okay?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s dangerous to have Schwarz as the palace¡¯s exclusive bartender,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Have you seen the patrons of his bar?¡±


    ¡°Not for the past two years or so,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, his customers are practically addicted to his brews, even though they probably suffer from all types of liver ailments as a result,¡± Dia replied. ¡°In fact, I was skimming through some random report on Farah¡¯s desk when we came back. Apparently, public health has improved drastically ever since Schwarz stopped working at his own bar. It¡¯s safe to say that the people he hired to run it know how to not create alcohol that would probably kill someone from poisoning.¡±


    ¡°Hey! It¡¯s just proof that I¡¯m really good, alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say.¡± Dia rolled her eyes at the bartender, and then turned to her uncle. ¡°So, are we going to go after my brother now?¡±


    As Schwarz made a few excuses at the side, her uncle nodded and said, ¡°No time like the present, I suppose. All the arrangements will be completed by the time we arrive at the target location. Follow me first. I¡¯ll brief you guys on his current location.¡±


    Dia and the others followed her uncle to the middle of the city square, where maps of the entire place had been laid out. Blue little figurines were placed all around the city, forming multiple circles that seemed to focus on a single spot at the end.


    ¡°As you people may have guessed, that¡¯s where her brother is hiding in,¡± Uncle Rubia continued, pointing at the small house that Dia was staring at. ¡°We¡¯ll head towards that place. If he doesn¡¯t flee, good. If he managed to escape, we¡¯ll fire a signal flare, which will have all the outer soldiers create a barrier to trap him in. The soldiers at the outermost layer will maintain constant contact with the ones doing the trapping. After that, they¡¯ll move into the barrier and search everywhere. At the same time, we¡¯ll continue to track his mana¡­let¡¯s hope he doesn¡¯t run, though.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m hoping he¡¯ll run, because that probably means I can use force.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re planning on beating your brother up?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Really now. You were a lot more graceful when¡­never mind.¡±


    ¡°Spent time with you guys, so it¡¯s your fault,¡± Dia replied shamelessly.


    ¡°That¡¯s not an excuse,¡± her uncle replied. ¡°Anyway, I suppose you can punch him a few times¡­let¡¯s go.¡±


    The soldiers near the square waved at their little group as they headed off. Dia found herself looking curiously around the street that her uncle was leading them down ¡ª she never had the chance to look around the more distant streets of Lustre, since there was a person back then who leaked her location to her uncle every time she snuck out of the place.


    As for actually visiting the more seedy parts of Lustre?


    That was never going to happen, so this was actually her first time visiting the darkest parts of the city¡­probably. Dia remembered that there really wasn¡¯t any really problematic streets or alleys.


    Or at least, according to the reports that made it to her table back then. Her brother and father probably got the more¡­truthful ones.


    Either that, or the capital was really well-policed. Whatever the case, though, Dia wasn¡¯t going to miss this chance to look at the things she had never seen before. Her father treated her and her brother like treasures, ever since her mother passed away, and the two of them rarely left the palace¡­probably.


    She wasn¡¯t too sure about her brother now. For some reason, she, along with the rest of the world, had largely forgotten about her brother, other than the fact that he existed, was her older brother, and was a genius or something.


    Dia really wanted to regain that lost memory of hers, and the same went for everyone else who was taking part in this.


    Their quick march soon brought them to a small little house. There was nothing special about it, but¡­


    ¡°He¡¯s here.¡± Her uncle stretched his arms and fingers. ¡°According to his mana, anyway. There¡¯s a constant source of mana being emitted here. Only a living person could do that¡­or the right artefact, but why would he do that?¡±


    He squared his shoulders and walked towards the door. Placing a hand on it, a pulse of mana surged out from his palm, and the door broke into pieces. At the same time, Uncle Rubia shouted, ¡°Your Highness, don¡¯t resist! We¡¯re going to bring you back to the palace right now!¡±


    Dia and the others entered the house a moment later, before following her uncle to a room.


    ¡°Brother?¡± She looked at the¡­person sitting on the small, cushy bed. ¡°Is that you?¡±


    ¡°It has been some time, Dia.¡± A silvery silhouette nodded at her. ¡°Long time no see.¡±


    ¡°¡­Brother? What happened to you?¡±

 Chapter 581: A parting unlike any other

    The others looked at the person who was apparently her brother, before Schwarz said, ¡°Just to check, but your mother wasn¡¯t a person who had silver skin and looked like she was about to vanish at any moment, right?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly.¡±


    ¡°Just checking, you know¡­¡± Schwarz turned his gaze back to the silhouette.


    ¡°As weird as ever, Schwarz.¡± The figure bobbed its head at the bartender.


    ¡°You know me?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Yes, and everyone else here too. Happy? Time is running out for me, so I cannot delay for much long. I estimate that I have only around ten minutes of speaking time, so let¡¯s get down to business first. There are tens of restrictions on me, so I am limited in what I want to say,¡± the figure replied. ¡°Sorry, Uncle Rubia, but there¡¯s no taking me in today. I don¡¯t have much time left.¡±


    ¡°I can take you in after you¡¯re done speaking,¡± her uncle replied. ¡°Do your thing first.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem surprised.¡±


    ¡°I always thought you were a weird child,¡± Uncle Rubia replied. ¡°I wasn¡¯t all that surprised to see you in this state, considering your weird ideas and thoughts.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Dia cut in. ¡°What happened to you? What¡¯s going on? Why do you sound like you¡¯re about to die, Brother? What¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°I am about to disappear from this instance. As for the other questions, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t answer,¡± the silhouette replied. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time¡­and I¡¯ve changed too. That¡¯s all you need to know. Now, the main points at hand.¡±


    The sithouette sighed. ¡°First, Dia, I apologise. Your Lord Brother put you through all this¡­it¡¯s amazing what happened on that day, to be honest. I never did foresee such a weird thing happening back then. The plan was hurried, rushed and not that well thought out, but I did succeed in ensuring my goals were achieved.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Second, you must be wondering why I¡¯m here, yes? First, to warn everyone present about the nature of that Distortion you will soon face¡­but I¡¯m afraid only a few people can hear this right now. Farah, Schwarz, Uncle Rubia, I need you three to step out right now.¡±


    The three of them turned to Dia, who was flummoxed by their choice, but she nodded three seconds later. The translucent, silvery sithouette nodded once, and then clapped his hands.


    ¡°Okay, if the plan didn¡¯t go wrong¡­Dia, you should know about Limbo, yes? As well as the Logia?¡±


    Dia blinked. ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°You might already know that Distortions happen to non-folders who can draw on the powers of the Eternal Sea when experiencing immense emotions,¡± her brother continued. ¡°However, the Distortion that will soon destroy Istrel isn¡¯t any ordinary one. In fact, Distortions can also occur to mana-users. What¡¯s key is that extreme emotion or obsession,¡± her brother continued. ¡°But the scale is different.¡±


    He held his head. ¡°One month from now, on the first New Moon of 602..3, I believe, a mana-user in Licencia will undergo profound grief. It will create a Distortion like no other, one that will hatch within a day to give birth to an otherworldly monster. The entire city will be slaughtered, and Licencia will become a nest for the Logia.¡±


    Dia thought about the squirming white maggots, and then shuddered.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we stop that mana-user before the Distortion occurs?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I mean, since you already knew the date.¡±


    ¡°You can try,¡± her brother replied, ¡°but the problem lies in how I do not know who that mana-user is. The¡­future I saw was¡­not pretty, at least.¡±


    ¡°¡­I have a lot of questions,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°But you created this entire set-up to make sure I met the others, formed a mercenary group with them and became a hexa-folder, right?¡±


    ¡°Sorry. For this entire convoluted process. But it was necessary, you see?¡±


    ¡°You could have killed that thing yourself, right?¡± Dia replied. ¡°But you decided to surrender your right to inheritance and throw me into this stupid game for whatever reason you deemed fit. Did you not ask for my permission? What if I died? I could have died!¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°Sorry. But I¡¯ll make this clear. Whether or not I acted, you would have formed the Moon Lords eventually. You, along with the others.¡± Her brother paused. ¡°To be honest, it doesn¡¯t make sense to me either. I¡¯m not too sure what¡¯s going on, and I¡¯m not sure why¡­I believe my actions were aimed at allowing you to reach the heights of a hexa-folder and the ability of one. That is all. Originally, Duke Lustre would have captured you, and you would have broken out forcibly¡­I think. I can¡¯t tell too much of the past either.¡±


    He mumbled a few more words, something about how he didn¡¯t quite understand and whether there was a grand iteration of something, but the key points were too quiet for Dia to hear properly. One thing was for certain, though, which was the fact that her brother probably still didn¡¯t quite understand what was going on either.


    ¡°What are you muttering about?¡± Dia asked, peeved. It was one thing to hear him mutter sentences, but¡­what was the point, if she couldn¡¯t understand them?


    ¡°Something that has been mystifying me for a long time, alright?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Only at the end do the pieces start to fall in place¡­¡±


    Dia eyed her mysterious brother. ¡°Alright, whatever. I thought you didn¡¯t have much time left.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But I don¡¯t have a lot to say either,¡± her brother replied. ¡°Sorry. Heh. I¡¯ve been using this word a lot, eh? Ever since I last saw you¡­¡±


    ¡°Right. You were apologising for what you were about to put me through, weren¡¯t you?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Right. Sheesh. Anyway, can the others come back in yet? They¡¯ve been waiting outside, and Risti¡¯s already lost herself trying to figure out what you¡¯ve been saying the whole time.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    An incredibly refined string of mana flew out of her brother, dispelling the silencing field around them. Her brother raised his voice a moment later, and said, ¡°You guys can come in now.¡±


    As the others trooped back into the room, a thought struck her. ¡°Wait, if you created this entire set-up, does that mean you¡¯re the Thief of Time? Like, did you frame yourself or something?¡±


    Her brother¡¯s translucent figure tilted his head. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. I was on guard duty when Tot struck. I¡¯m not Tot.¡±


    He chuckled once, and then froze. ¡°Right. You know¡­just a little question. Like, a weird one. Have you ever heard your Status say something about a miracle or whatever?¡±


    ¡°A miracle?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Like in your comments or something,¡± her brother replied. ¡°Or maybe during your Second Tutorial. I mean, Salvation Star, yadda yadda. Is it related to that one month?¡±


    Dia breathed in sharply, and her brother narrowed his eyes. ¡°So you have heard that word. When did you come across it? Are you able to tell me about it? It might be able to explain what¡¯s going on.¡±


    He paused. ¡°At least, I might understand what¡¯s going on.¡±


    The others looked at Dia, with a face that practically screamed for a story, but before Dia could even open her mouth, a sense of deadly crisis filled her entire existence. It was as if something would wipe her out if she dared to say it, and Dia shook her head numbly.


    ¡°¡­Okay. I see.¡± Her brother let out a sigh. ¡°This is¡­getting really weird. Really? Really? Really, me? This is unbelievable.¡±


    ¡°Is your brother alright?¡± Risti whispered.


    ¡°Yeah¡­probably,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°As far as I remember, your brother has always been a bit weird,¡± Commander Rubia muttered. ¡°Very weird. He doesn¡¯t like swords, for some reason. Kept making faces at me and the other knights.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just his preference, okay?¡±


    ¡°And he has a weird habit of thinking out loud, like what you¡¯re seeing now,¡± her uncle continued.


    ¡°Stop talking about me already.¡± Her brother let out a sigh. ¡°Anyway¡­I suppose my time is running out. There¡¯s only a minute or two left before I vanish. It¡¯s been fun, Dia. And everyone else, too.¡±


    Dia trembled, and some distant part of her mind noted that she hadn¡¯t fully registered the fact that her brother was actually dying.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­really dying?¡±


    ¡°Not in the way you think it is¡­but I suppose it¡¯s not that different. It¡¯s alright. Anyway, listen to me very closely. Make sure you take a record of what I¡¯ve said thus far, word for word, and mail it to all the other members of the Seekers of Life, those that are not here. They will play a significant part in the future. You have to do it. No matter what. This scheme must succeed. For eternity and beyond.¡±


    Dia nodded numbly, and her brother let out a sigh.


    He let out a sigh. ¡°Man, I¡¯m tired. Feels like back then¡­¡±


    ¡°When you were badly injured?¡± Dia asked, a memory abruptly rising to the forefront of her mind. ¡°Are you still suffering from that old injury? Can we cure it?¡±


    ¡°¡­Maybe. And no. I¡¯m afraid not. It¡¯s not that simple.¡± His figure flickered once, and Dia felt her heart clench up.


    ¡°Brother?¡±


    ¡°Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°Looks like this is it for me now,¡± her brother replied. ¡°Grief not. It has been a fun, if weird, life. Tut tut. Say, call me that once more. You only called me Lord Brother once, you know.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still joking at this juncture?¡± Dia asked, before turning to her uncle. ¡°Uncle¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t even designate him as a healing target. In fact, it¡¯s as if he¡¯s not really here anymore.¡± He breathed out heavily. ¡°Your Highness. Do you have any last wishes?¡±


    Dia felt her head spin at those words, and a few hands supported her as she stumbled backwards.


    ¡°Live well, everyone.¡± A hand patted her head, and her brother chuckled. ¡°Yes. Indeed. The cycle has been closed. Dia, everyone¡­we will meet again, if fate permits. Remember my instructions, and we will surely meet again.¡±


    A sigh filled the room, and his body began to shimmer.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡±


    ¡°Brother!¡± Dia¡¯s hand shot up to grab the one on her head, only to pass through it effortlessly. ¡°Brother? Brother? Brother!¡±


    Only a small speck of silver remained at where he used to sit at.


    ¡°Brother¡­¡±

 Chapter 582: Confusion, ever-growing and omnipresent

    ¡°Brother¡­¡± Dia stared sadly at the seat where he had been sitting at a moment ago. He had vanished, body and all, right before their eyes just a few seconds ago, leaving nothing behind.


    ¡°Your Highness.¡± Her uncle lowered his head. ¡°What a disaster. Why did this happen to him? You were so careful, so cautious, so how did you end up like this? We don¡¯t even know your name!¡±


    Dia gripped her fists, and then got up. ¡°Uncle. Can you report what happened here to my father? I¡¯m going to continue burning my mana circuits. I¡¯ll try to aim for my seventh mana circuit before New Moon. My brother did everything he could to save the sovereignty. I won¡¯t let him down.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help send his words to the four out there,¡± Schwarz added. ¡°You should go ahead and focus on burning your mana circuits.¡±


    Dia nodded. She couldn¡¯t quite feel her body properly, as if a good chunk of it was numb. Her fingers and feet seemed to have vanished, and everything in her vision felt extremely bright. It was as if she was floating or something, and simply gathering her thoughts had become something she couldn¡¯t quite do.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Risti muttered, her voice quiet. ¡°On my shoulder you go.¡±


    Dia watched blankly as Risti offered her some support for reasons she didn¡¯t quite get, but she couldn¡¯t find the words to refute her offer.


    The rest of the way back passed by in a blur, and Dia soon found herself lying in her bedroom.


    Risti¡¯s voice echoed throughout the room. ¡°Here, have a cold drink, while I check on something¡­¡±


    Sitting up slowly, Dia accepted the drink quietly and raised it to her lips. Some cold water ran down her throat as she drank from it, and the fog that seemed to cloud her mind seemed to lift slightly.


    At that realisation, the rest of her mind seemed to whirl, and her thoughts began to flow again. The overly bright world around her darkened to a comfortable level, and she could feel her body properly again.


    ¡°¡­What happened to me?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°You looked kinda out of it,¡± Risti replied, before showing her a broken skillstick. ¡°I also thought there might be something wrong with you¡­and so it is.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Your brother¡¯s¡­departure has some effects on the mind. I¡¯ll go use the skillstick on the others first. You just rest and prepare to strengthen yourself.¡±


    Dia nodded once. ¡°Sorry for all that trouble.¡±


    ¡°Eh, don¡¯t sweat it. Seriously, you should wear more artefacts. Barriers are good, but you also need artefacts that protect your mind. Didn¡¯t you learn any lesson from fighting against Nero a long time ago?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    Risti sighed. ¡°Go get more artefacts from your father before you leave. Otherwise, you might end up dying stupidly, and your brother¡¯s sacrifice would be a massive waste. You have to cherish your life more. If possible, go and study Claud and Lily. Those two are professionals in staying alive.¡±


    ¡°Those two¡­fine.¡± Dia made a face.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good girl.¡± Risti let out a small breath. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go and use these Purification skillsticks on the others now. See you whenever.¡±


    The door closed behind her gently, and Dia found herself pondering on her next moves. Her mind had been cleared up, thanks to Risti¡¯s intervention, but¡­was it really the right time to grow stronger now?


    Letting out a deep breath, she changed into a more comfortable set of clothes, before thinking through the conversation between her and her brother. Her brother¡¯s words had been very, very¡­meandering, to put it lightly. It was one of those conversations her father sometimes held with the other dukes ¡ª mysterious, mysteriously annoying, and very annoying.


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    Especially the monologue. Fortunately, he hadn¡¯t minced words when he was talking about the disaster that would soon befall Licencia; in fact, it seemed that his entire life was devoted towards preventing this catastrophe. It was clear that he had seen an outcome of despair, one that forced him to take actions that no one else knew about.


    ¡°Was it worth it, you stupid brother?¡± Dia muttered. ¡°And¡­what else did he know about the future?¡±


    His last instructions were very strange. Essentially, he wanted Nero, Claud and Lily to hear what he had said, without any change in wording at all. Obviously, this act was important, but the question was why this act carried significance. Her brother definitely wouldn¡¯t do superfluous things at such a point in time; Dia sincerely believed that his every act carried meaning.


    After all, she had ended up in the position he so desired.


    ¡°Still, why did it seem so off?¡± Dia asked, talking to herself. ¡°He was clearly uncertain of what was going on, but what was he uncertain about?¡±


    More questions popped up in her head as she ran through the conversation again and again, and before long, her mind settled on a single word.


    Miracle.


    What did her brother mean by that? Was he referring to the miracle that sent her back in time long ago, to before she escaped Lustre? That was the only time that the word ¡®miracle¡¯ appeared on her status; it was in her Second Tutorial that such a thing happened.


    What exactly happened? Why?


    She rubbed her head. In addition, her brother¡¯s state right before he vanished could be described as no longer human. His fleshy body had been transmuted into something no one could understand, and all his features were completely gone.


    However, when did that start?


    Dia folded her arms and tried to recall what her brother looked like. She definitely knew what he looked like, since his mannerisms and movements stirred up memories after memories. Therefore, his body had only began to degenerate at some point in time.


    Was it during her Second Tutorial that such a thing happened? It definitely seemed like it, after all. She could remember that her brother¡¯s body was still nice and fleshy when he came over, right before he left for guard duty at the Istrel treasury.


    In other words¡­


    ¡°That degeneration happened after he met me, or something along these lines,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Now, according to Father, he¡­saw a bleak future when the Tot case happened¡­wait, how is that possible?¡±


    She frowned. The Thief of Time struck while he was on duty. And yet, he managed to foresee the future and convince her father.


    A letter was impossible ¡ª no letters moved that quickly. And since he was not the ruler of the Lustre Dukedom, he couldn¡¯t have access to that mental space that nobles shared. If artefacts that allowed long-range communication at any given point in time existed in Lustre, Dia would have known too.


    In that case¡­


    Dia shot up. ¡°I need to find Father¡­¡±


    As those words left her mouth, the door to her bedroom opened, and her father walked inside. ¡°You need to find me?¡±


    ¡°Father?¡± Dia blinked. ¡°I thought you were¡ª¡±


    ¡°Rubia sent a runner to find me,¡± her father replied, before sighing. ¡°¡­Are you feeling alright? Do you need someone to talk to?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but not for the reason you think.¡± Dia thought for a moment. ¡°Father, can you tell me the exact circumstance surrounding how my brother convinced you to carry out his plan?¡±


    ¡°How? He just went up to find me. He started by telling me about his Future Sight, which apparently triggered when the Thief of Time struck, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you find it odd?¡± Dia interrupted. ¡°My brother was clearly the guard captain when Tot struck. How did he cross multiple countries and an entire dukedom to find you immediately? After all, you summoned me the next day after Tot struck! In other words, he, within a few hours, arrived at the Lustre Dukedom from a treasury in the middle of nowhere!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Her father froze. ¡°Wait. No. I¡­wait. No¡­no¡­¡±


    He swayed slightly, and then took a few steps back. His breathing turned erratic a few seconds later, and Dia hurriedly escorted him to her bed.


    ¡°¡­How?¡± Her father held his head. ¡°How¡­how did I not notice that? Why didn¡¯t I think about that?¡±


    Dia thought for a moment. ¡°Maybe it was some power at work. A skill, perhaps? Or¡­something greater.¡±


    ¡°Something greater¡­the Blue God might be working through him, I suppose.¡± Her father let out a sigh. ¡°But it is physically impossible for your brother to return¡­¡±


    A small shudder ran down her spine as Dia recalled the sensation she felt back then, during the Second Tutorial. When she laid eyes on her brother back then, the first thing she felt was an immense power radiating off him, a power that swiftly vanished afterwards. At that time, she thought that it was just a joke, but¡­


    ¡°What if he was far stronger than he let on?¡± Dia asked. ¡°For instance, if he was a high-ranked folder.¡±


    ¡°Then he could have made it back in time,¡± her father replied quietly. ¡°Yes, indeed. But¡­well, he might have skillsticks or something that allowed him to move at such distances too. He definitely used a skill to make me ignore that fact too¡­¡±


    He snorted. ¡°That punk. Daring to use a skill on his father.¡±


    His voice broke slightly, and her father got up. Looking away from Dia, he said, ¡°Train well. I need some time alone.¡±


    ¡°¡­Father.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. And don¡¯t die out there.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes.¡±

 Chapter 583: Posulations

    ¡°Haah!¡±


    Light flashed, and the gigantic stack of metal plates jerked once. A red-hot line ran through the stack of metal three seconds later, letting out an agonised hiss at the same time. Flourishing her sword twice, Dia slid the blade back into its sheath.


    Mana coursed through her body, mana generated from six and a near-complete mana circuit, and her muscles twitched. The bisected pile of metal expanded rapidly in her vision as she closed the distance easily, and mana-coated fists smashed into the smoking pile of metal thirty-odd times, before she withdrew her right arm once.


    A shockwave shook the air, and she punched out with full force. The entire stack of metal turned into dust, which was swiftly swept away by the howling wind.


    ¡°Alright. Looks like this is the physical limit for mid-ranked folders, right?¡± Dia muttered, before looking around at the training field. Her right arm was still ringing like a bell, although there wasn¡¯t any sound at all, but there wasn¡¯t much in the way of pain.


    Shaking her right arm, she turned to look at the others. None of them had much in the way of practical combat, other than Risti, who seemed to be playing around with an assortment of weapons. Her opponent, Uncle Rubia, was currently nursing his abdomen, and the fact that Risti looked quite sheepish was probably proof that she was the cause¡­


    She turned to Farah next, who was busy waving her sword over and over again. It looked cool, but without an actual opponent, Dia wasn¡¯t sure if her combat ability would improve all that much. Nonetheless, knowing that her training had formed a nice foundation for Farah was quite uplifting, since all the basic strokes that Farah was practicing right now were quite good.


    As for Schwarz¡­


    She shook her head. The bartender liked to use things like dirt, throwing knives, alcohol that would ignite in mid-air and just weird weapons all around. He was, however, at least skilled with wielding the sword with his right arm; his left arm was apparently dedicated to all sorts of weird and funny tricks that could catch an opponent off-guard.


    Still, would a Distortion really fall for petty tricks?


    That was a really good question, but Schwarz also had all kinds of artefacts that were specialised in killing. Most of them were one-use artefacts, and Dia herself wasn¡¯t sure what he actually had, but without the ability to use them in normal spars, Schwarz usually ended up as the punching bag for everyone¡­


    Unless he played dirty, at which point he would stand victorious instead.


    She took in the scene of their final training. Time was running out for them ¡ª the prediction that her brother had come up with would soon come true. Her understanding of her brother¡¯s prophecy was that the Distortion would appear in Licencia a week from now, before gaining a true form after devouring enough people, all of which would happen in a day.


    Licencia would be destroyed, turned into a place where only squirming white maggots and insects roamed. No one would be able to contend against it, at least until the Moons took action, by which time the entire sovereignty would have been expunged of all life.


    Regretfully, there was no time for them to take their Third Tutorial. For one, there was the definite risk of failure, as exemplified by Claud, and secondly, burning the last few bits of their seventh mana circuit was proving to be quite the challenge.


    There wasn¡¯t much time left.


    She thought about her brother again, the idiot who had thrown everything away just to save the sovereignty, and then dabbed at her eyes twice.


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    ¡°You idiot.¡±


    After scolding him a few more times, she glanced at the fine pile of metal dust that had clumped together on the ground, and then turned away from it. There was no point in training anymore; what mattered was the more immediate boosts to her combat power.


    Taking a seat at a table that had breakfast laid out on it, Dia used the Refresher and picked up a cookie. The others were also training really hard, spurred on by the fact that her brother had perished and that there was a massive threat looming on the horizon.


    ¡°How¡¯s the breakfast, Lady Dia?¡±


    Dia glanced at the maid and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s lovely. Please relay my thanks to the chef.¡±


    Nibbling the cookie, Dia turned her eyes to the luxurious desserts that she had missed. While Schwarz was a good cook, he generally sucked at making the sweeter stuff, since his main specialty was putting things on a grill. In fact, rather than saying that he was a good cook, Schwarz was more of a good griller¡­


    ¡°Right, I forgot about the exclusive bartender thing¡­although he probably doesn¡¯t want to take it up right now,¡± Dia muttered to herself, before noting down the matter.


    Risti and Farah joined her when she was done with the fourth cookie, and without any preamble, produced their own Refreshers. Her father had all kinds of quality of life artefacts, and no one had held back in taking them. In fact, Dia even managed to snag a storage ring, a particularly magical kind too. All she had to do was to focus on the ring, and a bunch of images would appear. After that, by mentally selecting the desired image, it would appear in her ring-wearing hand. There were so many applications for this ring that Dia couldn¡¯t help but think that Schwarz¡¯s approach to battle was actually good¡­so she bugged her dad to give Schwarz one too.


    And then the others.


    So everyone ended up having a nice ring to put their items in, which was far more convenient than backpacks.


    It was a shame she couldn¡¯t get one each for the absent Seekers of Life, but four was really a good haul too.


    ¡°You ready to kill a Distortion personally?¡± Farah asked.


    Dia nodded. ¡°I think I¡¯m ready to fight on the level of a hexa-folder. Sure, I don¡¯t look as pretty as Emperor Grandis or the other sovereigns when they¡¯re in full combat gear, but I¡¯ll have you know that we can probably fight on a similar level.¡±


    She paused. ¡°You guys don¡¯t need to be this worried too. We¡¯ve all but caught up to the premier combatants of the entire world. A measly Distortion isn¡¯t going to stop us!¡±


    ¡°Your hands are trembling,¡± Risti pointed out.


    ¡°Damn it.¡± Dia picked up another cookie and nibbled it with a vengeance. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Risti chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s understandable, though. To be honest, the whole story sounds quite insane. Your brother foresaw the end¡­wait, how did he know that you were the key to beating this Distortion? After all, what he saw must have been the future, right? And as far as I know, Future Sight does not tell someone the solution to overcoming future crises.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°I was wondering that too,¡± Schwarz, who had joined them soundlessly, remarked. ¡°Is it a coincidence that we all thought about this at the day before our departure?¡±


    The maid who was standing next to Dia looked around, and then said, ¡°Should I send for the duke?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah. Actually, I think that¡¯s also pretty damn important.¡± Dia paused. ¡°Ahem. It¡¯s important. Send for him.¡±


    The maid scuttled off.


    ¡°Huh. Is it normal for maids to actively talk about their presence when they overhear sensitive stuff?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Usually, I see them being put to death¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what lower nobles do. You must remember that the maids and servants that serve high nobles generally have a status of their own too. Can¡¯t put them to death¡­not that anyone should,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Anyway¡­it was quite obvious, but the whole thing was clearly¡­forced or something. I mean, I have never heard of a skill turning anyone into the featureless thing.¡±


    ¡°So you haven¡¯t found out anything either, have you?¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°My father¡¯s trying to figure out what happened too, but¡­¡±


    She closed her eyes. Her father¡¯s haggard figure appeared in her mind, and she winced. For some reason, she believed that the divinities had something to do with her brother¡¯s state back then.


    It was possible that they had even granted him the vision and the solution necessary to overcome this crisis.


    The maid came running back at that moment. ¡°Milady, the Duke is also aware of this issue. He tells you to ignore it for now and to focus on what you need to do.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Dia took a deep breath. ¡°Alright. In other words, he doesn¡¯t know what to do either. Well, whatever. We should prepare for our departure. Time is tight, after all. Is the teleportation formation ready?¡±


    ¡°It should be,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Let¡¯s polish off our breakfast and head over afterwards. Hmm. It¡¯s a bit early for a drink, but should we have a farewell toast? It¡¯ll be the kind that you guys can drink, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°A pick-me-up before everyone goes south, huh?¡± Farah chuckled. ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Count me in.¡± Risti paused. ¡°Dia, being sober all the time can suck too.¡±


    ¡°Like I¡¯m going to get drunk,¡± Dia replied. ¡°But a few cups will do.¡±

 Chapter 584: The sisters complaints

    ¡°Father.¡± Dia felt something twist in her heart as she looked at the man that had raised her. While there wasn¡¯t much of a change in terms of physical age, she could sense a vast fatigue from him, one that hadn¡¯t been present before.


    ¡°Stay safe, my little daughter.¡± He patted her head. ¡°I¡¯ll continue to look for materials about what might have happened to your brother. I believe the gods are responsible for this¡­and something tells me that the Indigo God might be the person behind his condition.¡±


    ¡°The Indigo God?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°The God of Perpetuity,¡± he replied. ¡°Do what you need to do, my daughter. Don¡¯t let his efforts go to waste.¡±


    ¡°Yes, father.¡± Dia looked at the vast platform that was shimmering. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    He forced a smile onto his face, and then looked away. ¡°It would seem that I might need a new spouse after all, if you¡¯re really unwilling to inherit the dukedom.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­I don¡¯t mind, but the stepmother must be a nice person,¡± Dia replied. ¡°You can pick anyone and I won¡¯t mind, Dad. As long as she¡¯s a nice person. Besides, you¡¯ve been lonely long enough.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± He sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. Now, Mister Schwarz, did you leave a few barrels for me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Duke Lustre.¡± The bartender bowed once. ¡°Thank you very much for your patronage.¡±


    ¡°Father, you do know that his alcoholic drinks have impossibly high purities, right?¡± Dia interjected. ¡°It¡¯ll cause a lot of damage to your body.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a tetra-folder, it¡¯ll be fine.¡± He paused. ¡°And it¡¯ll be nice to spend my sleeping hours drunk. Better that than nightmares¡­don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ll drink in moderation.¡±


    Dia lowered her head in silence, and a set of warm hands patted her head again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about your old man, little Dia. You should figure out your own affairs instead. You have a lot of things to do, after all. Don¡¯t worry about me until you¡¯re done with that Distortion, got it?¡± Her father tussled her hair again. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I still need an actual heir for this dukedom, seeing as how you¡¯re so disinterested in it.¡±


    ¡°I apologise¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, little one.¡± Her father patted her head again. ¡°Right, has anyone managed to stir your heart yet? If there¡¯s someone like that, you must bring him back for me to examine.¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t anyone,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I doubt there¡¯ll be much too, anyway. The world¡¯s coming to an end and everything, after all. Cosmic Egg¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­So it seems.¡± Her father shivered. ¡°It¡¯s a bit cold for some reason.¡±


    Dia tilted her head, but before she could press the topic, her father let out a sigh and said, ¡°Good luck.¡±


    Ushering the four of them onto the stone platform, he took a step back and waved at them quietly. Dia took in the sight of her father, burning it into her memory as faint blue light rose from all around them. She rarely used the teleporter, and the process wasn¡¯t as comfortable as the actual skills or similar spatial movement skills, so she had to brace herself.


    Her stomach, as expected, attempted to conduct a backflip as the cocoon of blue light swept them towards some unknown destination with a massive jerk. It was not that different from a hook that had been embedded in her stomach pulling her forward, and for a moment, she felt like a little fish or something.


    The stomach-churning feeling died away a few seconds later, and Dia steeled her mind. The desire to vomit was formidable, but as long as she guarded her mind¡ª


    ¡°Blergh.¡±


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    ¡°Damnit, Schwar¡ªblergh!¡±


    ¡°Gwargh!¡±


    After throwing up her breakfast, along with everyone else, Dia turned to Schwarz and glared at him with tearing eyes. The others weren¡¯t an exception either, and the bartender twiddled his thumbs.


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Weak,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Just weak.¡±


    Schwarz jerked once, and he took a step back. Thankfully, he avoided the copious pile of half-digested breakfast, but¡­


    ¡°You took damage from that?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Unbelievable. I think I¡¯ll hold back on the retorts now, just in case you take more emotional damage and fall into a pile of goop.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just cover this shameful deed up and never speak of it again,¡± Risti muttered.


    After burying the pile of vomit in a deep enough hole, the four of them looked around. Her father had the foresight to teleport them to someplace outside Licencia, presumably because everyone would vomit shortly afterwards. Truly, as expected of her father¡­


    With some pride in her heart, Dia followed the others back through the gates of Licencia. The queue at the gates were as needlessly long as usual, although she could spot a heightened security presence. In fact, there were numerous battalions of Moonlit troops waiting around, and even five incredible presences that reminded Dia of Moon Emissaries. More importantly, however, there were gigantic swaths of tents that were erected outside the city, a second city of sorts that was positively thronging with people.


    It looked like a festival, if she had to be honest.


    ¡°And I was wondering why everything seemingly fell on Dia,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°But it¡¯s clear that your brother wasn¡¯t going to put all the booze in one bottle. Or maybe he wants to help clear the way for you specifically, Dia.¡±


    Dia looked at the troops, who were dispersed in a manner that seemed strategically important, but she didn¡¯t know enough about warfare to actually make a judgement. However, there were a significant number of airborne troops, and there were even circles of energy that floated alongside every group of airborne Moonlit soldiers, which made Dia cautious when she looked at them.


    ¡°Yeah. He definitely wasn¡¯t going to have me bear all the burden alone,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Well, he is your brother after all. Even if he ended up forcing you to flee back then,¡± Farah replied.


    Dia glared at the ground for no particular reason, and then said, ¡°That punk. He could have told me everything, right? It¡¯s not like I wouldn¡¯t believe him!¡±


    ¡°Would you now?¡± Farah asked. ¡°And besides, it¡¯s possible that these are things he couldn¡¯t say at that time. Or maybe there¡¯s something preventing him from saying it to you. The possibilities are endless.¡±


    ¡°Considering how there are people capable of bypassing Authority and words that the divinities don¡¯t want said, that feels like a flimsy excuse,¡± Dia grumbled. ¡°And besides, my father knew about that too, and was even convinced, presumably with hard evidence. Why can my father know, but not me?¡±


    Risti clicked her teeth. ¡°Maybe you becoming the Salvation Star was contingent on not knowing about it at all? That¡¯s a very salient possibility, if you look at it from that angle. If you know about the Salvation Star, you¡¯ll stop being the Salvation Star!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­not impossible,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°It was quite the shock to me¡­but I remember the event that made me the Salvation Star, though.¡±


    ¡°Killing a Bearer of Destiny, right?¡± Risti folded her arms. ¡°Hmm. Or rather, the first person to kill a Bearer of Destiny.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just killing a Bearer of Destiny, though,¡± Dia replied, before opening her Status. ¡°There¡¯s more to it¡­¡±


    [Skill: Salvation Star (Prime)


    Skill effects: This skill is awarded to the first non-Bearer of Destiny who kills a Bearer of Destiny while the Omen is active. The skill owner has drastically increased resistance against all direct attacks and negative effects of Absolute skills. The skill owner has drastically increased resistance against all direct attacks and negative effects created by alien beings. The skill owner is nearly impervious against all direct attacks and negative effects created by the Moons, the Dark, the Coloured Gods and entities of the cycle. The providence of the world will fall upon the skill owner.


    Additional remarks: This skill will evolve upon the Omen¡¯s death.]


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not just about killing a Bearer of Destiny,¡± Dia continued. ¡°The Salvation Star skill is awarded to the first non-Bearer of Destiny who kills a Bearer of Destiny while the Omen is active. It¡¯s such a very specific condition. Interesting enough¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Well, there are other parts. I never really thought about it, but I do have a variety of resistances against alien beings, divinities and entities of the cycle, whatever that last thing is,¡± Dia added.


    ¡°Which is probably why your brother wanted you to become the Salvation Star, huh. Still, how did he foresee the death of a Bearer of Destiny at your hands?¡± Farah wondered out loud.


    ¡°Probably Future Sight, I suppose?¡± Dia shrugged. ¡°Damn it. The more we see, the more confusing the whole thing gets. It¡¯s as if there¡¯s something vast that¡¯s moving us all into a direction¡­¡±


    She gazed at the Moonlit soldiers for a moment, and then shook her head. Did these soldiers also think the same way? What would they think, if they found out that there was going to be a massive Distortion that would require the combined might of the Moons to even consider suppressing?¡±


    Or were they already aware?


    Taking a deep breath, she looked at the city that would soon undergo the biggest ordeal since its construction. There was only a week left.


    Not much time to prepare.

 Chapter 585: Preparing for the disaster

    ¡°What did you guys do?¡±


    Dia and the others, who had been standing in line, jumped as Count Nightfall rushed out the city gate, with Caroline following swiftly behind.


    ¡°Ooh, you guys came out to receive us,¡± Schwarz remarked. ¡°Are you guys quite free?¡±


    ¡°Free my ass,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°I was working in my office with Caroline as usual when the three dukes summoned me and said that Licencia was officially in a state of lockdown. After that, the Moon Emissaries appeared and set up weird stations all across the city, and I had to get my citizens to be tested for their emotional stability. What the heck is going on?¡±


    The line of people that were queuing up to enter the City of Trades murmured in interest, and Dia said, ¡°I¡¯ll explain to you in short order. Let¡¯s find a safer place to talk first. Can you help us cut the queue?¡±


    ¡°¡­What am I, your designated queue-cutter?¡±


    ¡°There, there.¡± Caroline took his hand. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s just get it done and over with.¡±


    ¡°Wow, you sure have gotten smooth,¡± Risti whispered to Dia.


    ¡°It¡¯s all about the state of mind,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°State of mind?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Heh. Just wait for a few seconds.¡± Dia winked at her. ¡°Knowing my father, a certain topic will pop up in around three seconds or so. Three, two and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Right, where¡¯s the princess?¡± Count Nightfall asked. ¡°Duke Lustre said something about leaving her in my care and that we will do well to make sure that she does not suffer or want for anything in her stay here.¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Dia whispered to Risti.


    ¡°Oh¡­it¡¯s that state of mind.¡± Risti looked at her, and then grinned. She turned to Farah, nodded at her, and then turned back.


    Mana flared out of their bodies, and the two of them took three steps, before turning to look at each other. Their every movement exuded formality, and metal hissed as they drew a sword and raised it to the sky.


    A small clink ¡ª weak, yet clear ¡ª echoed as the two sword tips touched, and Farah drew a deep breath. By now, Dia could already guess what these two idiots were up to, and she had to force herself to not look away as Farah cleared her throat grandly.


    ¡°Presenting the heir apparent of the Lustre Dukedom!¡±


    Count Nightfall looked around the place, and then tilted his head. ¡°Alright, so where is the princess?¡±


    Dia felt her face burn at the stunts that the others were pulling off, and then raised her hand. ¡°It¡¯s me¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Risti lowered her sword. ¡°Why are you feeling embarrassed? It¡¯s supposed to be a point of pride for you, alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re spoiling our game!¡± Farah added. ¡°Come on. Act the part!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, fine¡­¡± The two of them returned to her side, and Farah ruffled her hair. ¡°You¡¯re so weird at times. I mean, usually there¡¯s this streak of pride, but where did that go to? You¡¯re supposed to fluff up, stick out your chest and verbally abuse Nightfall!¡±


    ¡°Oi.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. It¡¯s an analogy or something,¡± Farah replied, bobbing at the twitching count. ¡°Anyway, Dia here has been hiding in plain sight the whole time. She¡¯s the real freaking princess. Yes, that look on your face is excellent. Love it.¡±


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    ¡°It¡¯s unbelievable, I know,¡± Risti added. ¡°I mean, I definitely felt that way when the full contingent of palace guards showed up and the duke himself called our Dia his daughter. It still feels a bit little a fever dream to me.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Wait.¡± The couple exchanged glances, and Caroline said, ¡°Your Dia is the princess?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I mean, she tried to tell us that a few times, but by then we were assuming that she was carrying out her own job.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. I see.¡± Nightfall paused. ¡°Also, I¡¯m told that Countess Farah will be accompanying the princess, so¡­¡±


    Farah jerked, an action that did not go unnoticed at all. A grin crept up Dia¡¯s face as she witnessed the moment in which someone realised that their eyes had been failing them the whole time, and Nightfall took three steps back.


    ¡°¡­You have got to be kidding me,¡± Nightfall uttered. ¡°No way. You can¡¯t be freaking serious.¡±


    He turned to Schwarz. ¡°Eh. You. What secret identity do you have? Don¡¯t even think of lying to me already, you hear?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been patronising my bar ever since I was a kid, though?¡± Schwarz glanced at the count. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a reassuring answer.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°I know that Risti is the daughter of the Folders¡¯ Association President. Dia¡­uh, Lady Dia turned out to be the princess, shockingly and not shockingly enough. Farah¡­Countess Farah wasn¡¯t even making any attempt to hide or anything, and I¡¯m an idiot for not even thinking that hard.¡±


    ¡°Put that way, the Seekers of Life seems like a gathering of important people,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°Tell us the truth about your identity already¡­after all, we don¡¯t know your last name, now that I think about it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a freaking bartender,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Anyway, you guys are just too paranoid¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Count Nightfall stared at Schwarz. ¡°Well, whatever. Today has been¡­a very weird day. We don¡¯t have a lot of time to stand around and yap about who¡¯s who, but¡­¡±


    He let out a sigh. ¡°Lady Dia, Countess Farah, I apologise for the relative discourtesy that my domain has shown while receiving you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not your fault or anyone¡¯s though,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I mean, we were the ones who were hiding our identity.¡±


    ¡°Yeap, yeap. And we don¡¯t want to be tied down by annoying shackles like this. You said it yourself ¡ª time is tight. And courtesies take time. We know each other well enough to skip these random things, so let¡¯s move on to the more important parts already.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± Nightfall let out a sigh.


    The gates opened before them, and everyone slipped into the gap. The mana wagon that Dia remembered riding was sitting there, and without much ado, Nightfall and Caroline climbed onto the wagon, before beckoning at Dia and the others.


    ¡°Hop on. We¡¯ll take you to the palace in a jiffy¡­¡±


    Dia felt her butt ache as the mana wagon sped through the city, but the most uncomfortable part about the ride was how Caroline and Nightfall were staring intently at her.


    ¡°Uh, something wrong?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Why are you staring at Dia?¡±


    ¡°Well, now that I think about it¡­¡± Nightfall folded his hands. ¡°It¡¯s said that the princess of the Lustre dukedom has two very powerful skills of the Sword family, right? And if you think about it a bit harder, she¡¯s been staying here this whole time¡­I¡¯m just a bit nervous.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be,¡± Dia replied. ¡°There¡¯s really no reason to use them¡­well, I did use them a few times. Remember the Red God¡¯s Holy Son?¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh!¡±


    Risti bobbed her head. ¡°Indeed, you used your skills back then¡­wait, how did you not think twice about her identity then?¡±


    Count Nightfall blinked. ¡°Huh? I mean, if the princess has two powerful skills, isn¡¯t it natural for a self-proclaimed double to have them too? I mean, the double claimed that she was also acting as a bodyguard at the same time. It makes sense if the double-slash-bodyguard also has these terrifying skills too, right?¡±


    ¡°In the end, the ruse ended up fortifying itself,¡± Farah added. ¡°It¡¯s natural that we were all fooled. All that mattered was the initial lie, and the whole thing would grow and grow because we believed it.¡±


    ¡°Magical, isn¡¯t it?¡± Risti bobbed her head. ¡°I mean, Dia was already waving it in our faces that she was the real deal, and we all thought that she was a very good double.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t know what to say to that, so she simply kept quiet and listened to the others as they said similar stuff. It was quite scary, though, when the others added their own viewpoints about how they continued to build up their belief in her lie.


    By the time the mana wagon drew up to the palace gates, Dia was reasonably certain that fooling people could actually be rather easy. It was not a nice realisation, especially when she found herself looking back at random events. For instance, when she was buying a small little donut, was the baker lying when he claimed that these donuts were in short supply? Sure, there were only five of them left, but¡­


    The more she thought about it, the more scared she became. Was she believing in some grand lie without knowing it at all?


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re here. Disembark from the wagon slowly,¡± Caroline instructed, jerking her from her thoughts. ¡°There¡¯s only one mana wagon, so don¡¯t even think about damaging it, or else.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be careful¡­¡±


    ¡°You should buy more of these.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s hard to get them here nowadays.¡± Caroline sighed. ¡°No, I¡¯m not letting you park this, Aran.¡±


    ¡°Bummer.¡±


    ¡°I thought we were in a rush?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Come on¡­¡±

 Chapter 586: Spreading news

    After spending fifty-two seconds watching as Caroline¡¯s designated driver drove the little mana wagon away, everyone turned back to Count Nightfall, who was negotiating with his fianc¨¦e over the prospects of him driving the thing a few more times.


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t really blame him,¡± Dia replied. ¡°It¡¯s quite fun when you¡¯re driving short distances and everything.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°But travelling long distances¡­is not that nice. For one, your butt starts to hurt. Secondly, it¡¯s not as good as mana-walking our way there. Mana-walking is faster for us now, and while it¡¯s not as if we can¡¯t make the mana wagon go faster, it¡¯s less wieldy,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I¡¯d imagine that we¡¯ll probably crash it into a tree or something after a while.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. I can see that,¡± Farah muttered. ¡°It¡¯s good for travelling in cities and open spaces, but it¡¯s limited otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Alright, enough about the mana wagon.¡± Caroline lifted Nightfall by the arms, shook him twice, and then plopped him back down. ¡°I thought we were all rushed for time or something, right? Why are we now all talking about my freaking mana wagon now? Scram!¡±


    ¡°Bah¡­¡±


    Everyone obediently filed into the palace after grumbling about how unfair it was to not be able to drive that mana wagon, before heading into one of the nearby rooms. The servants had already prepared a small spread of little treats for them, which was promptly devoured by everyone.


    ¡°You guys didn¡¯t have breakfast?¡± Nightfall asked, curious.


    ¡°Oh, you know¡­freebies?¡±


    ¡°You guys are mid-ranked folders. Is there really a need to be so calculative?¡± Caroline muttered. ¡°My poor treats¡­¡±


    ¡°You guys are weird,¡± Nightfall concluded. ¡°Anyway¡­we need to focus on the main issue at hand. What in the name of the Moons are their armies doing here? What¡¯s about to happen?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    Everyone turned to Dia, who let out a sigh. She took a few seconds to compose herself, before saying, ¡°By the end of this week, a threat that could potentially end the entire sovereignty will appear. It is a Distortion like apparently no other, and the entire city will be destroyed within a day or two.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± The count paused. ¡°A city-destroying threat. You serious?¡±


    ¡°A sovereignty-destroying threat,¡± Dia corrected. ¡°The Moons have been made aware of that, and they want to nip the problem in the bud¡­hopefully.¡±


    ¡°Welp. How many deaths can we expect?¡±


    ¡°The destruction of the city, probably,¡± Dia replied. ¡°The attack by the Moons and all the accompanying troops will probably destroy the whole place.¡±


    ¡°Which is why we¡¯re busy moving people into open fields with tents to fight, huh. It¡¯s been quite successful, but there are still people who adamantly refuse to move and are trying to do things as per normal.¡± Count Nightfall kneaded his head. ¡°Fighting an unknown Distortion in an urban setting is nothing short of suicidal, if nothing else. I don¡¯t like it, but it¡¯s probably the best we can ask for. The only problem lies in us having to tell the people here that.¡±


    ¡°Given the situation, I would have assumed that the Moons would directly kill everyone in the city,¡± Caroline muttered. ¡°But it¡¯s fortunate that they don¡¯t seem to trust the source of their news all that much.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t seem to trust this tip-off?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Seems like it. But they¡¯re trusting the news just enough to send a lot of crack troops¡­well, the war¡¯s over, so there¡¯s a lot of free troops hanging around anyway,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°Otherwise, they would probably have never dispatched so many troops here, although they have proven to be very, very discrete as to their purpose here. If you guys didn¡¯t tell us¡­¡±


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    ¡°No need to worry about all this for now,¡± Dia replied. ¡°For now, we need to keep track of the existing Distortions.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. There are three. Two have hatched to produce¡­things. Humanoid things. They seemed to have some overall theme; one of them was walking water, and the other was a woman with eyes all over her body.¡± Nightfall paused. ¡°Both of them destroyed the local area around them, before falling apart into white maggots and whatever, at which point the Moonlit troops moved in and crushed them completely.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yuck.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one way of putting it, yes.¡± Nightfall made a face. ¡°We¡¯re all watching the last Distortion now. But the evacuation has also taken its emotional toll on the residents of Licencia. Fortunately, none of them have turned yet, but¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been watching everyone closely,¡± Caroline added. ¡°However, it¡¯s also counterproductive. The more we watch, the greater their stress. And the Moons are also troubled about that. We¡¯ve been liaising with them over the issue of entertainment and other amenities.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the result?¡±


    ¡°Nightly feasts every day.¡± She paused. ¡°Fortunately, the tip-off was clear. If nothing happens in the next seven days, that Distortion will never happen. We won¡¯t need to live in fear after this week.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°That¡¯s fortunate, at least¡­¡±


    She let out a breath. ¡°I¡¯ll also need to participate in this suppression too.¡±


    ¡°You?¡± Nightfall frowned. ¡°Well, you are stronger than us, so¡­hmm. But why are you guys helping us anyway? I mean, it seems that you guys came here for the sole purpose of dealing with that Distortion.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯d be right about that,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°According to the Duke, Dia is probably the only person that can deal with the Distortion in question. The source is the same as that of the tip-offs that went to the Moons.¡±


    ¡°¡­What am I supposed to make of that?¡±


    ¡°That she¡¯s been chosen or something by destiny?¡± Schwarz shrugged. ¡°Believe me. We were equally surprised to learn about her and everything. However, this is probably not the time for that.¡±


    ¡°With a monster supposedly capable of bringing down a sovereignty? There¡¯s never a good time, if I have to be frank.¡± Nightfall chuckled. ¡°Well, we need to focus on the main goals ahead of us right now. We¡¯re actually preparing a lot of artefacts for battle, and we even have the Moons drawing things they call sigils. Apparently, they¡¯re pre-laid mana attacks that can be triggered as needed, or produce other effects.¡±


    Dia recalled the circles that had take up positions in the sky, and then bobbed her head. ¡°Anything we can do to help?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an artefact that¡¯s capable of gathering and storing mana. Pour mana into it, and a sigil will form,¡± Caroline replied. ¡°One standard mana circuit will form a sigil.¡±


    ¡°One-folders¡­why not create a bunch of one-folders and have them fill it up too?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re already doing that, but progress is slow. We¡¯ve tried to create around one hundred one-folders, but they still need to actually create their first mana circuits first¡­¡± He shook his head. ¡°To be fair, it¡¯s been only a week, so we really can¡¯t ask too much of them just yet.¡±


    ¡°Well, at least we now know the reason why the Moons are preparing to blow up the city,¡± Caroline noted. ¡°It¡¯s great! Wow! I¡¯m so happy!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s so much sarcasm there that the remaining treats are going to spoil,¡± Risti quipped. ¡°Better finish them off first.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Keep mooching off your hosts.¡±


    After throwing jokes at each other for a few more minutes, everyone got up. Caroline and Nightfall had their own things to do, while the Seekers of Life needed to usher all the staff that were living it up in Moon Mansion over to the impromptu tent city outside.


    It would make for good optics if even mana-folders obeyed those instructions, so¡­


    ¡°Are you guys really fine with living outside, though?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t think anyone would object if we bunk in with the count¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, really.¡± Farah bobbed her head at her. ¡°Don¡¯t go feeling guilty for this, by the way. I know that look of yours, and it¡¯s the kind you make when you¡¯re wondering if you¡¯re at fault.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that we found out about this and have some time to prepare,¡± Schwarz replied.


    Dia made a face. ¡°I wasn¡¯t feeling guilty or anything, alright?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Very convincing.¡± Farah rolled her eyes. ¡°Keep lying to yourself.¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡±


    The streets of Licencia were noticeably more deserted than Dia last remembered it, but again, there was a literal festival taking place outside the city walls. It was a point that made the idea of living inside the sprawling tent city outside quite interesting, and to be honest, with enough barrier artefacts, they didn¡¯t even need a tent.


    ¡°You¡¯re smiling now,¡± Schwarz noted. ¡°Isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Yeap.¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡±


    ¡°Come on, let me smile freely.¡± Dia rolled her eyes. ¡°Why are you guys so attentive to my facial emotions?¡±


    ¡°Well, you are the princess. It¡¯s natural for us to look at your emotions,¡± Farah replied. ¡°As they say, servants need to read their mistress¡¯ face¡­¡±


    ¡°But you guys aren¡¯t my servants¡­anyway, I¡¯m only smiling because the tent city outside is like a huge festival, right? There might be food we¡¯ve never eaten before!¡±


    ¡°Or new drinks,¡± Schwarz added thoughtfully. ¡°Now I see why you¡¯re smiling¡­¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t know if that utterance was a good thing or not.

 Chapter 587: The evacuation, in progress

    Moonlit babies were waddling around the sea of tents, which were spaced quite far apart, witih Moonlit guards as their chaperone. The latter, who were fully armed, proved to be quite intimidating, so there were far less people who actually went forward to interact with these little babies.


    That little fact, however, didn¡¯t stop Schwarz and Farah from picking one child up together, much to its guard¡¯s displeasure.


    ¡°What?¡± Schwarz tickled the little kid. ¡°Do you know the Moon babies were supposed to be staying in their own home and not roaming around here? If there¡¯s a chance for me to pick up a Moon baby and play with him or her, I¡¯m taking it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Farah pulled out some snacks. ¡°Ignore them. Want some cookies?¡±


    Dia felt a bit jealous as the little kid nibbled on the cookie and snuggled against Schwarz, so she pulled out some cookies too and dangled them in front of the kid.


    ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Risti sighed. ¡°You too?¡±


    ¡°Princess Dia finds them cute too,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I don¡¯t see why you have a problem with that.¡±


    ¡°¡­You know, that is a very good point.¡±


    The Moonlit guard seemed to let out a sigh, although the only thing that Dia saw was the fellow relaxing or something. After that, the tri-coloured fellow pulled out a bottle with a teat on it, and then handed it to the toddler, who promptly ¡ª and politely ¡ª returned the half-eaten treats to Dia, before slurping from the bottle.


    ¡°Moons. What¡¯s in that bottle?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°His mother¡¯s milk?¡± Farah guessed. ¡°That¡¯s assuming the Moonlit operate off the same reproductive and biological principles as humans¡­¡±


    The guard patted the little kid¡¯s head, before spreading his arms. Schwarz grumbled for a while, before depositing the little toddler into the guard¡¯s hands. Dia handed over the half-eaten cookie to the little baby a moment later, who bobbed his tiny little head in glee.


    ¡°Guys?¡± Risti clapped her hands. ¡°What about that adoption plan that I suggested?¡±


    ¡°Still on hold, since we¡¯re all mid-ranked folders,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Anyhow, that really livened me up. Moon babies are just so adorable¡­¡±


    Dia poked the little guy¡¯s cheek. ¡°You¡¯re a cute little fellow, you know.¡±


    The little kid nodded in agreement.


    After fooling around for a few more minutes, everyone apologised to the Moonlit guard and headed off into the sea of tents. People were truly adaptable ¡ª despite this development, they had all settled into a new sort of daily lifestyle. Stalls had been set up, selling all types of little dishes, and multiple impromptu schools had been established, gathering children and teachers alike as they recited passages and did sums.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­weird.¡± Dia looked at the sea of tents. ¡°I thought people would be more dispirited or something, but it seems like they are all just treating this as a vacation or something. I mean, the free banquets every night definitely help, along with the Moonlit doing random performances on the streets, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It does feel like a vacation, but who¡¯s to say that it isn¡¯t actually a vacation?¡± Schwarz chuckled. ¡°After all, all expenses are covered by the count, and he¡¯s also promising to reimburse all losses made during this special contingency. It is a paid vacation, no matter how you look at it. Coupled with the festivities that are going on here¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed. This can be the beginning of a new tradition or festival for Licencia, if Nightfall wills it. Decades down the road, it may very well become a new tradition and a tourist attraction. Nightfall¡¯s New Moon Festival.¡±


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    ¡°That probably has a lot of potential, yes.¡± Schwarz rubbed his hands. ¡°You know what? I¡¯m going to open my bar here and see how smashed can the cityfolk get. If everyone¡¯s dead drunk, that¡¯s going to solve a lot of problems regarding the Distortion, right?¡±


    ¡°Ooh, good plan.¡± Farah paused. ¡°Hang on a moment¡­¡±


    Her eyes blurred out, and Dia bobbed her head.


    ¡°Is she accessing that mental space of hers?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Seems like it,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s definitely a good idea to get everyone smashed and dead drunk. Turn it into a drinking party that¡¯s centred all around Licencia, and we won¡¯t need to worry about any Distortions popping up from the tents here.¡±


    ¡°Unless some of them get deadly emotional from reminiscing about sadder times,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°But if they drink my certified brews, they won¡¯t even get the chance to reminisce about sadder times.¡±


    Dia thought about his plan seriously as Farah nodded unconsciously. It was a bit absurd, but Schwarz¡¯s plan of inflicting mass alcohol intoxication on the residents of Licencia actually seemed like a damn good idea. It was like tossing one¡¯s sword ¡ª one wouldn¡¯t think it was a good idea until they stood five metres away from a lightly-armoured fellow and had a bunch of swords to spare.


    This sword toss might prove to be particularly useful.


    ¡°Huh. For once, you guys are not raising any objections to this plan at all,¡± Schwarz observed. ¡°Even you, Dia.¡±


    ¡°Well, your booze will knock someone out for a whole day, at the very least.¡± Dia bobbed her head. ¡°It¡¯s probably for the best if we knock everyone out for the next seven days. That way, we can be certain that the only Distortion that¡¯s going to arise is from the one currently in Licencia.¡±


    ¡°I know I suggested this, knowing full well the effects of my booze, but having it treated as a knockout drug really does sting when I hear it from anyone else,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°Besides, they are not wholly effective. They¡¯ll only knock out around nine-tenths of the population.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, that¡¯s very strong¡­or rather, the people who survived are your regular patrons, right?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Yeap, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Alright, we got permission.¡± Farah rubbed her hands. ¡°We¡¯re given the all-clear to deploy the weapon of mass intoxication, Schwarz.¡±


    ¡°Oi.¡±


    ¡°The count will lend us his full power to ensure that everyone will be dead drunk from this point onwards,¡± Farah continued. ¡°Schwarz, prepare to be worked to the bone.¡±


    ¡°¡­Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have said anything.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but wouldn¡¯t it be nice to be the person who serves drinks to the entire city?¡± Dia asked, before frowning. ¡°Hold up. What about children? Children can¡¯t drink.¡±


    ¡°In large quantities, I think,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°A small tumbler will knock them flat¡­not like I tried before, though.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Nightfall said something about not worrying about the children,¡± Farah replied. ¡°They¡¯ll be fine or something, apparently. Nightfall has plans to make sure that they stay happy, although I¡¯m told that it¡¯s the mana-users who will be playing with the kids and watching over them.¡±


    ¡°The ones that Nightfall were raising?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Probably?¡± The countess shrugged. ¡°Anyway, the count is quite capable...¡±


    Their little group continued their trek into the sea of tents. It was a shame that Nero and Kemata were still holed up in their little house, since this was truly a festival like no other. Dia herself hadn¡¯t enjoyed an event of such a scale, and she couldn¡¯t help but observe the place a few more times.


    ¡°Hmm. This event only seems spontaneous, but it actually isn¡¯t, right?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I have this feeling that some of these stall vendors are actually people hired by the count to aid the ambience.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re just official staff,¡± Farah replied. ¡°It¡¯s probably true that the count hired them to set up stalls, but is that a problem?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not really what I was angling at. It¡¯s just that his preparations seem quite thorough,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Really doesn¡¯t fit the image I have of him.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Farah made a sound in her throat. ¡°I mean, he¡¯s a good schemer and planner in my opinion. The only reason why he might seem otherwise to you is perhaps because he¡¯s a super-flirty fellow with Caroline. It¡¯s as if he loses a portion of his intelligence when he talks to her or something.¡±


    ¡°Men, I suppose?¡±


    ¡°Claud and Nero don¡¯t strike me that way, though,¡± Schwarz pointed out.


    ¡°Claud is weird, so that doesn¡¯t count,¡± Farah replied. ¡°And Nero does seem a little more amenable when he¡¯s with Kemata. Nightfall¡¯s personality becomes a bit gentler and more childlike when Caroline¡¯s in the picture. Less ruthless and calculating.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Probably the husband-y side of him,¡± Risti guessed. ¡°Well, whatever. It¡¯s great that he¡¯s thorough.¡±


    Dia looked around the stalls, and then shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s go set up some barrier homes first, and then explore the place afterwards. To be frank, I¡¯m quite excited. This is a celebration-slash-festival on a scale beyond what I¡¯ve truly experienced as a participant.¡±


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s not hold you up.¡± Farah grinned. ¡°We¡¯ll find an open space first, and then buy some festival stuff. Nightfall seems to have a theme in mind, so it¡¯ll be interesting to roleplay and everything. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Dia cheered with the others, and then headed off to an empty space in high spirits.


    Even though there were clouds on the horizon, the Moons¡¯ light could still pierce through them.

 Chapter 588: Idyllic ruminations

    Claud made a sound in his throat as he read and re-read the wall of words that had appeared on the Trading Board. There were a lot of disturbing things written in it, up to and including the fact that Dia¡¯s brother had orchestrated so many events just to turn Dia into the Salvation Star. Normally, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem, but the Salvation Star happened to be his nemesis. Was it really, really necessary to make one of his fellow founding members of the Seekers of Life into the Salvation Star?


    He let out a long sigh. ¡°Lily, this feels like a bad dream. Or it would, but I suppose this is the price to pay for having you around. In fact, this price is absolutely lovely if I take that into account.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. You said that the Salvation Star should have the ability to track you down, right?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°And she also will deal more damage to me with her attacks,¡± Claud added. ¡°That skill of hers is completely overpowered against the right targets. Isn¡¯t it unfair? Her skills are so good.¡±


    ¡°Is that something someone with four Will skills really should utter?¡± Lily asked, an amused grin on her face.


    The bone-deep fatigue seemed to deepen as he yawned, and for a moment, he contemplated the possibility of just calling it a day and sleeping in early. Lily, who had evidently cottoned onto his fatigued state, rubbed his cheeks and said, ¡°Don¡¯t sleep so early, alright? It¡¯s only lunchtime.¡±


    ¡°I need to endure this until the next Full Moon, though.¡±


    The fatigue had worsened over the past month or so. The drain that he felt was something that he couldn¡¯t even bring himself to describe, and if he had to be very honest, just lying in his bed sounded absolutely lovely. However, that was not actually living, was it?


    His goal was to live even in the most adverse of conditions. It would be utterly pathetic if he couldn¡¯t even do that.


    After getting Lily to help him stretch a few times, he forced himself to get up. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go do literally anything else.¡±


    ¡°Considering you¡¯ve been staring at that Trading Board for the past week or so every breakfast, that sounds awesome. Still, why are you actually so enthralled by it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but¡­¡±


    Claud frowned. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll figure it out eventually. There¡¯s something in there, but I can¡¯t quite recognise it yet. For now, though, it¡¯s clear that her brother wants us to remember the entire sequence of events or something. Considering that I experienced the future through the Second Tutorial, this might be important.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably a good idea. I¡¯ll get around to memorising it too!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you do that. Just in case you¡¯re sent back in time during your Third Tutorial or something,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°How likely is such a thing?¡±


    ¡°Slightly more likely than me becoming a god ten seconds later.¡± Claud paused dramatically. ¡°Yeap.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°Anyway, if you want to get up and walk around, let¡¯s go pay a visit to the old man.¡±


    ¡°President Cadenza?¡±


    ¡°Who else did you think I was referring to?¡± Lily asked, a grin on her face.


    ¡°Supreme Saran and Emperor Grandis,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I mean, they¡¯re both older than six millennia. That¡¯s really, really old in my book.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡±


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°So, a lunch outing with the old man, eh? He wants to hear about his daughter?¡± Claud asked, before checking the Trading Board. ¡°Hmm. Other than the part where her tastebuds have died due to eating way too many lifestones, she¡¯s quite fine.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be happy to hear that¡­incidentally, is there no way for me to absorb lifestones without eating them?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Like what Crown does for you, but since Crown can¡¯t do that for me¡­¡±


    ¡°Not that I know off,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We can ask the old man instead. Maybe he has a few ideas here or there, you know. He¡¯s old. He must have eaten six thousand years¡¯ worth of lifestones and then some to reach his current point. Alternatively, there¡¯s really no alternative and you can only eat them manually.¡±


    Lily made a sad face, which prompted Claud to rub her head. It took a little bit of skinship to cheer her up, but clearly, the prospect of having to ingest so many freaking lifestones was also getting her down. Thankfully, she was a hard worker, and despite her complaints, Lily actually liked eating lifestones.


    Just not in ludicrous amounts.


    After dressing up to look rather formal, Claud and Lily stepped out of their shophouse. Their opening days were now every three days, and whenever they opened, all the skillsticks and skillstrips produced would be snapped up. As for why, Claud wasn¡¯t too sure, but the skillstrips created from Will of Purity had proven to be very, very popular.


    Lily¡¯s little explosives were quite popular too, although Count Vacuos had paid them a visit in the hopes that they wouldn¡¯t sell such loud and noisy items. Claud, naturally, had refused him in a very gentle manner, so the count offered to buy up all their stock whenever they opened.


    It was a win-win situation, so no one complained. In fact, whenever they went out for dinner or lunch, there would be rumours that Count Vacuos was playing with those little devices in his palace¡­


    The City of Knowledge still had quite a few Distortions when they went out. Most of them were cordoned off by barriers, but some of the older ones had actually been solved. The teams had been briefed about the various methods to deal with Distortions, which mostly revolved around either the presence of a hexa-folder or someone who knew the person before he or she turned into a Distortion.


    Distortions were primarily manifestations of traumatic memories, so getting people who understood the creators of these Distortions and their traumas worked quite well. Other than that, looking back at the past with the help of the Blue God¡¯s apostles and Blessed was another solution ¡ª apparently, these fellows were the hottest personnel to have in any self-respecting town and city right now.


    ¡°Hmm. Where did the people who worshipped the Goddess of Water and Learning go?¡± Lily looked around. ¡°They¡¯re curiously absent.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they more of subscribers to her ideology, rather than actual believers?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Around the same, I suppose¡­¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Claud leaned his head on her shoulder. ¡°Maybe they ran off after hearing that every single divinity was headed here. After all, they¡¯re in a sense¡­what¡¯s that word again?¡±


    ¡°Contrarians? Heretics? Disbelievers?¡±


    ¡°None of these, but I see you got the point splendidly,¡± Claud replied, before his nose twitched. ¡°Right, did we send a calling card to him?¡±


    ¡°He told us to visit whenever, so it should be fine. Besides, the palace is really huge. Even if he¡¯s not in, there¡¯s probably some lunch for us there anyway,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯s fine to freeload!¡±


    ¡°Only if you have anti-poison artefacts on you.¡±


    ¡°Of course I do,¡± she replied. ¡°We¡¯re freeloading, after all. Also¡­well, I figured that we might need to seriously discuss the news that Dia and the others sent our way. If need be, we should head back to Licencia first and help them. But there¡¯s a barrier¡­¡±


    ¡°And there so happens to be Moon Emissaries in the palace,¡± Claud guessed. ¡°That right?¡±


    ¡°Yeap. We can ask them to open the barrier for us so that we can help the others,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Of course, you¡¯ll need to be in a state fit for battle, or else I¡¯m not letting you do a thing.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can fight.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll see about that. I was thinking of doing it alone, actually, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°We do it together, or not at all,¡± Claud replied. ¡°That¡¯s my bottom line. You know that as well as I do, so¡­¡±


    ¡°I figured you¡¯d say something like that.¡± Lily made a face, and then squished his cheeks. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll see. And it¡¯s not like you can¡¯t fight, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just painful. Nothing much, if I grit my teeth a bit.¡± Claud flexed his left arm. ¡°I¡¯m still as strong as ever, even if I do groan during some physical training here and there!¡±


    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t overdo it.¡± She squished his cheeks again, before turning to the roadside stalls. ¡°Let¡¯s get something for the count, the old man and the Moon Emissary too, before we head over.¡±


    ¡°I suggest the fried dough rolls!¡±


    ¡°I was thinking of that too, but hear me out. Donuts.¡±


    Claud gulped. ¡°Donuts?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Chocolate sprinkled donuts, with melted chocolate running down the inner ring,¡± Lily continued. ¡°That crisp little sound you hear as you bite down on the skin. And the syrup that jumps out at you when you bite down on it¡­what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry already. We¡¯ll need to buy extra, because I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll polish off at least three of them before we reach the palace,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to buy even more, I see.¡±

 Chapter 589: Movements from all sides...again.

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of donuts,¡± the guard noted. ¡°Can I have one?¡±


    ¡°Sure, if you don¡¯t think you¡¯ll get into trouble,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± The guard chomped down on the donut, and with his mouth full, said, ¡°President Cadenza is in the palace today, so you¡¯re in luck, really. Do you need an escort?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡± Lily looked around. ¡°This place is also quite the maze.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Just a moment.¡± A faint bell chime wormed its way into Claud¡¯s ear, and the guard chuckled. ¡°Anyway, you two are the Seekers of Life, right?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re part of the Seekers of Life,¡± Lily corrected. ¡°The others are busy elsewhere. Anyway, I suppose we are rather famous now¡­¡±


    ¡°There were hundreds of people surrounding your shop not too long ago,¡± the guard replied. ¡°And considering that you¡¯re the husband-wife-duo that managed to take down the first Distortion, everyone¡¯s going to remember your name forever! Why, there was a historian going around and recording the names of the guards who stood around that thing back then too¡­¡±


    The guard continued to natter on about the historian and everything for the next minute or two, and Claud found himself heaving a silent sigh when another guard popped out of the guardhouse, thereby ending the little conversation.


    ¡°Carl, you¡¯re talking about that again?¡± the newcomer asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to know that I¡¯ll be remembered in history,¡± Carl replied. ¡°Anyhow, these are the guys who the President authorised to visit, so bring them along while I savour this donut.¡±


    ¡°Where did you get this donut from anyway?¡± the other guard asked. ¡°I thought today¡¯s dessert was sugared biscuits.¡±


    ¡°Them, duh.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not shameless enough to ask for one, though.¡±


    Claud rolled his eyes, and then extracted another donut. ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°Gee, thanks!¡±


    ¡°Alright, if you¡¯re done, lead us to the president,¡± Lily cut in, pulling out a donut from the bag. ¡°Otherwise, the entire contingent of guards are going to look at us with tearful eyes for a donut, and we¡¯ll run out of gifts.¡±


    Claud glanced at Lily as she nibbled at her fifth donut, her eyes curled up into little adorable crescents. Picking out one for himself, the two of them followed the guard and ate the little chocolate-y treat at the same time, bringing the number of donuts left to a mere three.


    It was such a shame, but Claud knew that the two of them wouldn¡¯t even blink when they handed the small packet of desserts to the President of the Folders¡¯ Association. In fact, Claud was now debating with himself if it was actually worth it to give the president three donuts, compared to two, but before he could make up his mind, the guard had stopped at a door.


    Two knocks rang out. ¡°President Cadenza, Lord and Lady Primus are calling on you.¡±


    ¡°About time!¡± The door opened, and President Cadenza grinned at them. ¡°Thanks for coming. Thanks for bringing them here too, by the way.¡±


    ¡°My pleasure.¡± The guard lowered his head briefly, and then turned to leave.


    ¡°Alright, come on in, you two.¡± President Cadenza chuckled. ¡°Good timing, too. I ordered too many dishes, so it¡¯s nice that there are more mouths to go around here¡­make yourself comfortable, by the way.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°After you, President Cadenza.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so polite¡­¡± The middle-aged man, who was still in bright green for some reason, settled on the chair opposite to the two of them. ¡°I suppose you two are here to report about my daughter and everything, right? I know that something huge is going to happen in Licencia, but that¡¯s all I know.¡±


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    ¡°That¡¯s all?¡±


    ¡°The Moons and the Dark are moving troops to the Istrel Sovereignty.¡± He paused. ¡°Somehow, with coordination and an absurd lack of hostility. It¡¯s insane, considering that they¡¯ve been at war for like forever, but what do you know?¡±


    ¡°Wait, the Dark and the Moons are moving to Istrel?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°We heard about the Moons, but nothing about the Dark,¡± Lily added.


    ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s a secret move, but I do know that every single Dark Herald has moved to surround the Istrel Sovereignty,¡± the middle-aged man replied. Tapping his chin, he added, ¡°There is more than meets the eye here, apparently, since the Coloured Gods are also moving to surround the sovereignty.¡±


    Lily let out a long breath. ¡°Well. There¡¯s definitely something up, if nothing else. Is that Distortion really such a problem?¡±


    ¡°Oh, they moved because of a Distortion?¡± President Cadenza asked.


    Claud nodded, before glancing at Lily, who smiled back. Pulling out the Trading Board, she fiddled with it for a few seconds, before handing it to President Cadenza.


    ¡°Here,¡± said Lily. ¡°The details are in this message.¡±


    The President of the Association fell silent as he scanned through the message. The light in his eyes dimmed and strengthened as he read the words on the Trading Board one by one, and Lily¡¯s fingers, which were linked with Claud¡¯s tightened as Neo Cadenza¡¯s expression darkened.


    After a while, he put down the Trading Board and let out a heavy sigh. ¡°Something like this¡­Future Sight, huh.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Our Dia went through all that just to overcome that Distortion. It¡¯s a bit unbelievable, to be honest. I¡¯m half-wondering if her brother was intoxicated or something, and¡­¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Well, he¡¯s probably not intoxicated.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± The President of the Folders¡¯ Association handed the Trading Board back to Lily. ¡°Another crisis, I see. As if the Omen wasn¡¯t bad enough, and we already lost that battle. Now we have these Distortions¡­the only good thing is that the Omen seems to have vanished entirely.¡±


    ¡°Why does the Omen matter anyway?¡± Claud asked, curious to hear what the Moons and the Dark had to say about it. ¡°What exactly does the Omen signify?¡±


    ¡°According to the Moons and the Dark, the Omen is an agent of extreme change,¡± the elder Cadenza replied. ¡°In other words, if the Omen really desired it, he or she can destroy the entire world and cleanse it of all life.¡±


    Claud thought about the Hollow God, and then grimaced. ¡°And that ability alone makes him a very dangerous person.¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± President Cadenza sighed. ¡°The fact that the Omen hasn¡¯t done anything drastic ever since he or she monopolised the Aeon Span and control over the Cosmic Egg means that he doesn¡¯t want to end the world and all life on it, but for obvious reasons, no one likes the fact that such a possibility exists.¡±


    ¡°Even if he¡¯s a peaceful fellow.¡±


    ¡°Yeap. Dude has it tough, in a sense. No matter how much he claims he loves peace, everyone else would, if given the chance, attempt to kill him to put an end their fear.¡±


    Claud felt a bit dejected, but that was how it was. After all, if he was not the Omen, he would probably be alarmed with this piece of knowledge, but¡­


    ¡°How would the Omen even end the world and all life on it?¡± Claud asked.


    Lily glanced at him once as President Cadenza shrugged.


    ¡°Who knows?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Maybe he has enough power to scour all life from the world¡¯s surface, or maybe he can call down an eternal winter. There are so many ways the world can be destroyed by a bunch of fighting hexa-folders, if they really gave it their all. The Omen¡¯s just some superstrong fellow, that¡¯s all. Not all that different from the gods.¡±


    ¡°True. The Omen can¡¯t be the only one who can destroy the world, after all.¡± Lily folded her arms. ¡°The gods are just being petty.¡±


    Claud, despite himself, laughed.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Is it really petty?¡±


    ¡°Nah, he¡¯s just a bit weird,¡± President Cadenza replied. ¡°Anyway, maybe there¡¯s another way of interpreting this or something. Who knows what the divinities are thinking anyway? Not me, certainly.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s good that my little Risti is having fun, although I must confess that I¡¯m worried about her.¡±


    ¡°Right, we were thinking of heading over to Licencia to support them,¡± Claud added.


    ¡°Can¡¯t, I¡¯m afraid. The Moons laid down a strict order against movement not too long ago,¡± President Cadenza replied. ¡°It¡¯s impossible for us to enter Istrel now, let alone the great Dark and the Coloured Gods.¡±


    ¡°Wait, but these two groups are also offering aid, right?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Probably because the Moons want to monopolise the spoils or something. A Distortion that can challenge them and potentially win is something worth researching, right?¡± President Cadenza replied.


    ¡°Distortions leave spoils?¡±


    ¡°Some do. Some don¡¯t. We actually have a weird bracer that has lots of eyes on it,¡± President Cadenza replied. ¡°It¡¯s quite tough. Managed to shrug off attacks from Grandis.¡±


    Claud gulped. ¡°That sounds awesome.¡±


    ¡°Well, assuming you can deal with the fact that the damn thing stares at you all the time,¡± President Cadenza replied. ¡°People who wear them become more predisposed to paranoia.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like it¡¯ll affect Claud, then,¡± Lily pointed out. ¡°Why not give it to him?¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll take it under advisement.¡±

 Chapter 590: An unfolding apocalypse

    ¡°Stop staring at that Trading Board already and hand it back to me,¡± Schwarz complained.


    Dia wanted to dig her ears at those words, but she was a dignified princess after all. Therefore, she simply settled on patting her ears gently, before looking up at the evening sky. It would do for her to be poised, elegant and graceful.


    Nothing more, nothing less.


    ¡°This might be the last time I see my father¡¯s writing, so no,¡± Risti replied, hugging the Trading Board. ¡°Besides, there¡¯s nothing else sensitive on it, so don¡¯t be such a jerk.¡±


    ¡°This daddy¡¯s girl¡­¡± Schwarz shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s New Moon¡¯s Eve already! We¡¯re only a few hours away from New Moon itself! If you keep staring at that thing, you won¡¯t be able to react properly! We¡¯re here to help Dia deal with the Distortion ¡ª you do know that, right?¡±


    Risti made a few sad noises, before putting the Trading Board into her clothes. ¡°I¡¯ll stop looking at it.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re going to hang on to it?¡± Schwarz rubbed his head. ¡°Come on. You have got to be kidding me¡­¡±


    ¡°Come now, Schwarz.¡± Farah stepped into the small dispute. ¡°You two should share a drink and all, rather than squabbling over petty issues like this. It¡¯s not like you have anything important on your Trading Board, right?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Schwarz sighed. ¡°Fine. Just don¡¯t stare at it too much. That Distortion is going to arrive in the next fifteen minutes or so, you know. We¡¯re already supposed to be moving out too.¡±


    ¡°I wonder what happened,¡± Risti replied. ¡°No one is giving us our marching orders.¡±


    Dia nodded, before leaping up. Her cloak fluttered as she landed on the house made out of barriers, and she scanned the area. The temporary holding area for the people of Licencia was still as festive as ever, with performers and citizens alike dancing and putting on shows to amuse others. The sizzling of meat, the bubbling of soup, the pitterpat of Moonlit children playing with human kids¡­


    All this was but a transient peace, however.


    High above, she could already see the Moonlit troops taking up formation, while massive circles that were called sigils drifted above the city, ready to raze it at any given moment. Dia and the others had spent the past few days pumping mana into a machine, producing weapons that were now turned on Licencia.


    Her senses tingled, and Dia turned to the horizon.


    ¡°New Moon,¡± Dia whispered.


    Lightning sundered the sky as clouds began to form from nowhere. Moaning winds picked up, and a small, eerie chill caressed Dia¡¯s face as the sky above Licencia began to physically twist. A small purple orb emerged from the twisted skies above Licencia, clinging onto the warped space like a dewdrop on a blade of grass in the early morning.


    Her mind buzzed as she took in that purple sphere. Dia attempted to call out once, but her mouth and her throat had seized up, completely unwilling to move at all.


    The Distortion that had forced her brother to his death was manifesting.


    A single heartbeat echoed in her ears, and the purple sphere fell from the skies. As it closed in on Licencia, the purple sphere expanded rapidly, and before Dia could so much as blink, the world around her changed.


    Gigantic structures filled the sky, each a match for the buildings that she had witnessed in the Celestia Ruins. Balls of fire streaked across the purple sky, generating huge spheres of light where they landed, throwing up dirt and dust that shrouded the heavens from view. The world shuddered over and over again, before something seemed to grip her spine.


    A voice whispered in her head, and she wheeled around just in time to see a gigantic ball of fire bear down on her. Stars exploded in her vision a moment later, and her body smashed through a bunch of sandy structures that had risen up all around her at some point in time.


    ¡°Ugh.¡± Dia got up, before examining herself. ¡°Hmm?¡±


    That ball of fire wasn¡¯t all that different from someone hurling a building at her, but she was, save for some bruises, not that hurt. Her pride felt more hurt than anything as she looked at the trail of destruction that had been left in the wake of that blow.


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    ¡°The effect of Salvation Star, right?¡± Dia muttered to herself. ¡°The skill owner has drastically increased resistance against all direct attacks and negative effects created by alien beings. The skill owner is nearly impervious against all direct attacks and negative effects created by the Moons, the Dark, the Coloured Gods and entities of the cycle. Now¡­which does a Distortion fall into?¡±


    Letting out a small sigh, she looked around the place properly. The initial shower of fiery balls of doom had ended, and other than the sky-scraping structures that had been standing ten seconds ago, there were also smaller structures all around the place¡­or rather, the ruined city.


    ¡°This Distortion¡­came from a place outside of our world?¡± Dia muttered to herself, before leaping upwards. She landed on a crumbling building, and then used that as a foothold to make her way towards the centre¡­or what she thought was the centre, anyway. She could sense something calling out to her over in a particular direction¡­and Dia was reasonably certain that the summons was issued by the heart of this Distortion.


    Kicking off the building, Dia bounded from point to point, her eyes scanning the area all around her. Now that she had an advantageous viewpoint, she could see hundreds and thousands of dark-red spheres. Each of them was translucent, and if she took a closer look at them¡ª


    Dia came to a halt as she realised what those spheres contained.


    Dropping down next to the sphere, Dia narrowed her eyes and looked at the person frozen within. There was actually someone in the sphere, and if she didn¡¯t get it wrong, that someone was probably one of the people of Licencia, or a Moonlit soldier¡­


    ¡°Anyone who is knocked unconscious by that ball of fire will turn into this.¡± Dia paused, and then mulled over the words that had left her lips on their own. She didn¡¯t know why, but she had a hunch that this was the correct answer.


    ¡°And there¡¯s probably a time limit too¡­¡±


    Shaking her head, she hurtled towards the city centre. Her understanding of Distortions came from the knowledge that the divinities had compiled so far. The eruption of a Distortion ¡ª that purple sphere ¡ª would engulf anyone caught in it. These people would typically be rendered unconscious and turned into a fuel of sorts for the budding core of this Distortion, which would then eventually hatch into something.


    The more people this Distortion ate, the stronger the eventual result. The only way to deal with a Distortion was to enter it after its initial expansion and take it down before it could hatch.


    Either that, or be like her, who had somehow resisted the incapacitation of everyone else and was making her way to the core of the Distortion. However, this did explain why the Distortion would hatch so swiftly ¡ª since it engulfed virtually the entire city, there were hundreds and thousands of lives that could be absorbed¡­


    The main problem lay in the size of this Distortion, in other words.


    Why did it expand to such an extent, when small little Distortions were the norm?


    Peeling her eyes away from the unmoving, frozen person, Dia stifled the little terror in her heart and hurtled towards the city centre. If she didn¡¯t do anything, everyone would die with her.


    ¡°¡­In that vision of my brother, did he see me perish here back then?¡± Dia muttered, pumping more mana into her legs. The surroundings flashed past her as she leapt up high once more. Kicking away from a platform of mana she had generated, she created, landed and kicked off from more platforms of mana and shot towards the city centre.


    She could feel a faint pain as she surged towards the city centre. The air seemed to bite away at her directly, as if it carried some sort of poison, and the closer she got, the greater the agony.


    Biting her lips, she closed in on the small circle of light, and in that instant, a swath of memories swamped her mind.


    Streaks of red light falling from the skies.


    Gigantic rifts that swallowed people where they stood.


    A little girl, huddling against a corner as a falling star destroyed the rest of her house.


    And her mother, who had pushed her into that corner right before her mother perished.


    The rush of memories faded, and Dia found herself standing before a little girl, who was huddled over.


    Red hair, straggly and lifeless, fell all around the little child¡¯s face as she gazed at the corpse in silence. Tears stained her cheeks as she squatted next to a crumbly wall, her faint breathing ragged and painful. A corpse, charred and burned, lay next to the little girl.


    ¡°¡­What am I supposed to do?¡± Dia whispered to herself. Common sense dictated that she should pick up the sword and behead the little girl with it, but¡­


    The little toddler that was on her knees and crying was not someone she could bring herself to kill easily.


    This girl was the source of the Distortion. The core. If she killed it, the chances that everything would end was high. Everyone here, in this nightmare of a little girl¡¯s making, would be saved.


    All she needed to do was to kill this little girl. For all Dia knew, this girl could have been already dead, and¡ª


    ¡°¡­No. That¡¯s not wise,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Hey. How did you get here?¡±


    The little girl, just around the size of a Moonlit toddler, looked at her tearfully, and then crawled towards the corpse. She hugged the corpse once, and then looked at Dia again.


    ¡°What do you want me to do? I don¡¯t know how to save her¡ª¡±


    Dia fell silent as she caught sight of a ring on her hands. It was her storage ring, and there were lots of things inside, like skillstrips and skillsticks. Each of them was worth a small fortune, but¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re paying me for this once you get out,¡± Dia muttered, before turning her mind to her storage ring. A bunch of skillstrips and skillsticks fell out a moment later, and Dia grabbed all of them in one hand. ¡°This is as much as I can do. If it doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    The various skill media in her hands shattered a moment later.

 Chapter 591: The most painful of contrasts

    When it came to Distortions, there were two ways to deal with them. One was to do what Claud and Lily did, which was to kill the core of the Distortion. This entailed the ability to ignore the laws of the Distortion itself, which, in their case, was apparently freezing cold or something.


    The second way was to deal with the Distortion¡¯s actual cause, which had succeeded twice thus far. The traumatising incident, or the trigger. It was universally acknowledged that doing so required luck, a lot of knowledge about the target, or both.


    It so happened that the kneeling little kid and her mother was a complete enigma to Dia, so the only thing that she was literally relying on was luck right now.


    ¡°That¡¯s all I can do, though,¡± Dia said out loud, watching as the variety of healing and rejuvenation skills flooded her mother¡¯s body. The charred flesh turned back to normal, and blood seemed to return, but¡­


    She couldn¡¯t sense any life from the woman. Her current state wasn¡¯t all that different from a vanity sword ¡ª pretty and intimidating, but that was it.


    The little girl crawled over to her mother, and then shook her body back and forth. Dia took in the sight in silence, but there was nothing she could do to blot out the pain in her heart.


    After all, she too had lost her mother. Not in such a traumatic way, but sorrows were never meant to be compared with each other.


    For a moment, her own memories overlapped with the scene, and warm tears ran down her cheek. Was the sorrow and pity for the little kid? Or was it for herself? Dia didn¡¯t know, but it hurt.


    However, giving in to her turbulent emotions wasn¡¯t the right thing to do now. There was a time and place for everything, and right now, what was needed was an adult.


    She squatted down and hugged the little girl. ¡°She¡¯s not coming back. She protected you.¡±


    The child froze.


    ¡°See that smile on her face?¡± Dia continued. ¡°She¡¯s happy, because she protected you. In that last moment, she pushed you away and saved your life. You are the crystallisation of her entire being. She will never want you to cry in this dead world. She is your mother, after all.¡±


    The girl began to sob.


    Even though there might have been a language barrier, there were some things that were so primordial, so common, that all it took was a human to understand them. Crying and wailing were the most fundamental expressions of grief, one that babies knew¡­and it was how one could release the emotions in their heart.


    The child wailed and wailed as she hugged her mother¡¯s body, but in the midst of all that sorrow, Dia could see the faint understanding in that child, the understanding that her mother will never wake up again.


    Never would her mother laugh with her. Never would she hug her again. She would never move again, and that smile on her face would be the last one the little girl would ever see.


    As the little toddler wailed at her understanding of what it meant to die, Dia finally understood why this Distortion behaved in such a way. Those falling stars and how they absorbed people who had been killed or knocked out by them were manifestations of this child¡¯s little wish.


    She didn¡¯t want people that were struck by falling balls of fire to die.


    The only question that remained was how this wish was both distorted and manifested to such an extreme, and why it was capable of engulfing not just Licencia, but the area around it.


    That, however, was a question for a different day.


    After scanning the area once more, Dia squatted down and patted the little kid¡¯s head. ¡°Hey.¡±


    The toddler looked at her, and Dia felt her heart break apart once more. There was no conceivable reason for a child to have such an expression, but here it was, right in front of her.


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    ¡°¡­We should bury your mother,¡± Dia said, her voice quiet. ¡°She died for you, right? It¡¯s not correct to leave her body like this. Let¡¯s bury her instead. Give her a place to rest in.¡±


    She didn¡¯t know if the toddler could understand her or even comprehend the concept, but the kid tottered over to her and hugged her arm anyway. The heart-rending wails doubled and tripled, and it was all Dia could do to pat the child¡¯s head and wipe her tears.


    ¡°There, there. Keep crying. It hurts. So cry until it doesn¡¯t,¡± Dia murmured. ¡°Cry until you think you can live the life your mother would have wanted you to have.¡±


    Tears fell over and over again as Dia patted the child¡¯s back. Once again, she was struck by the feeling that she knew what the child was feeling. Of course, it only made sense, but¡­


    Rocking the girl back and forth, Dia patted her back until the sobbing finally ended in an adorable hiccup. Puffy eyes stared at her, and Dia smiled. ¡°Ran out of tears? There are always more tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that. There will always be a tomorrow. But you need to put your mother to rest first. Only then will your tomorrows have a meaning, and your mother be at peace. Please.¡±


    Dia gestured at the world around her. ¡°Restore the world, will you? So that we can send your mother off. I¡¯ll bring you to see her whenever you want, until you are old enough to make your way there yourself.¡±


    The little child looked up at her, and Dia felt her heart twist up even further. ¡°This, I promise. I¡¯ll bury her in a lovely place, where she can watch you grow up henceforth. I will provide you with the best living environment to grow up in, and when the time comes, you will make your mother proud. So¡­please. Let go.¡±


    The world wavered once, and the child began to cry in earnest. At the same time, the Distortion¡¯s contents began to fade away, leaving behind only the corpse of a woman, who had a peaceful smile on her face. Purple light fell from the heavens, the little fragments of a child¡¯s shattered heart, and the little kid began to glow.


    ¡°¡­Thank you,¡± Dia whispered, before sitting down next to her. Purple light drifted as the Distortion fell apart entirely, and the two of them found themselves in a city square. ¡°Do you see her smile? It¡¯s pretty, isn¡¯t it? She chose to save you. She passed away on her own terms, as your mother. Live. Be strong. Do her proud.¡±


    The child nodded once as tears streamed down her face once more, and Dia hugged her.


    She could see the people that had been captured by those balls of fire on the ground now, and some of them were even awakening.


    The Distortion had ended.


    This crisis, which her brother had spent his entire life to overcome, had been solved like this, in such an absurdly, seemingly easy, fashion. Thanks to her Salvation Star skill, she had managed to make it into the city centre, meet the core of the Distortion, and then help her overcome her trauma without needing to kill her.


    It was an achievement like no other, and yet¡­


    The only thing Dia could feel was a profound sorrow. Her brother had perished for this. Burned his life and moved piece after piece behind the shadows all for this day. She had expected a battle unlike any other, and yet, her destiny alone had shattered everything. How many people would acknowledge his fate-defying efforts? Know that he did what he could, just to ensure she was the right person at the right time?


    The entire Licencia owed him their lives, and no one would ever know. No one would ever acknowledge her brother ever again. A part of her, the deepest, darkest part of her, felt a touch of regret ¡ª if she hadn¡¯t moved so quickly, if she hadn¡¯t solved the crisis this easily¡­would everyone view her brother¡¯s sacrifice with far greater respect?


    Was it worth it? Why didn¡¯t he just tell her outright? Why?


    What was the point of all this?


    All this¡­sacrifice?


    With a trembling hand, she patted the little child. She was too innocent to be blamed; no one could have taken responsibility for this Distortion that would have been fated to destroy the entire sovereignty in a different future. In fact, the only two things that could be blamed was the catastrophe that had robbed this child¡¯s mother, and the cause behind these Distortions.


    What caused these Distortions, and why?


    This was a question that needed answering, no matter what. However, even if she learned the answer¡­


    So what? Who could give her brother the accounting he deserved?


    Dia trembled once, and then patted the little child again. Was the pity in her heart directed at the child now, or at her? Dia didn¡¯t know, but at least patting her head and cheering the child up also did something to ease her tired, fatigued mind.


    The memories she¡¯d seen, the memories she had recalled, her dark thoughts, the absurd ease in which she had solved the crisis¡­


    All that had tired her out.


    ¡°Dia!¡± Risti rushed over to her as her head swirled. ¡°You defeated the Distortion?¡±


    ¡°Her mother died in front of her,¡± Dia replied, lying down on the ground. ¡°Take good care of her mother¡¯s body. Give her the funeral she deserves. The child. Take care of the kid too. She lost her mother.¡±


    ¡°Dia?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a bit tired, you know.¡± Dia smiled, and then raised her head slightly. ¡°Child. Go with this pretty sister for now. She¡¯ll make sure your mother is buried properly. She¡¯ll give your mother a proper place to rest.¡±


    The child looked at her, and then at Risti, who nodded. With the adaptive skills of a chameleon, Risti hugged the child and said, ¡°You¡¯ll be¡­living with us from now on, alright?¡±


    Pulling out a small ball, she tossed it into the sky, and a burst of green light covered the world. Dia looked at the emergency signal for a while, and then felt the fatigue eating away at her once more.


    No one would fault her if she rested now.

 Chapter 592: The aftermath of an aborted apocalypse

    Pain throbbed all over her body as light trickled into the room, and Dia forced herself to get up. Her muscles were screaming in places where she didn¡¯t know she had them, a feeling that she remembered feeling only as a child, after arduous bouts of muscle training.


    She hadn¡¯t trained to such an extent after her toddling years.


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    ¡°Oi, she¡¯s up!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go inform that bartender. Stay here and help her if she needs anything, alright? Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t tell anyone else yet,¡± said someone.


    ¡°Run along, then,¡± another voice replied. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of her first.¡±


    Wood clattered, and a presence left the room. Dia rubbed her eyes a few more times, before her eyes focused onto a familiar face that was standing to her side.


    ¡°Risti?¡± Dia called out. ¡°That you?¡±


    ¡°Yeap. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re fine.¡±


    Dia shook her head, and a blurry figure appeared in her vision. She took stock of her surroundings for a few seconds as her vision cleared up, before asking, ¡°How¡¯s the little kid?¡±


    ¡°That girl you entrusted to me?¡± Risti asked. ¡°She¡¯s fine now. Nibbling at a piece of bread and staring at a picture of her mother. There¡¯s the occasional teardrop, but she seems to have gotten over her mother¡¯s passing, if only partially.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Dia paused. ¡°Does anyone know if she¡¯s the core of that Distortion?¡±


    ¡°I hid it, just in case the Moons want to dissect her or something,¡± Risti replied. ¡°After all, that was what you intended to do, right? You wouldn¡¯t want her to be cut up and stuff like that.¡±


    ¡°¡­Good job.¡± Dia rubbed her eyes again. ¡°Who were you talking to just now?¡±


    ¡°Farah,¡± Risti replied. ¡°She ran off to find Schwarz. Are you feeling fine? You seemed uninjured, and all the skills we used worked fine, but you were still unconscious for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Tired, probably.¡± Dia got up. ¡°And aching all over, like some young swordswoman who¡¯d overtaxed her muscles. But I¡¯m fine otherwise. Ouch.¡±


    She touched her throat. It wasn¡¯t burning uncomfortably, which could only mean that she had been out of it for a few hours. ¡°Water, please.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡±


    After wetting her throat, she slid off the bed, which she now recognised as hers, and then relaxed. ¡°Any casualties from this attack?¡±


    ¡°Miraculously, no. I¡¯m not sure how you stopped the attack, but you stopped it before anyone could die at all,¡± Risti replied. ¡°It¡¯s¡­a very impressive result, if nothing else. How did you¡­wait. Never mind. We can ask later. You should freshen up first. I¡¯ll go prepare some food for you.¡±


    Dia nodded.


    After taking a quick shower, Dia pulled on a set of comfortable clothes and headed out, a towel wrapped around her head. Her movements were slow and deliberate, since her muscles protested vigorously whenever she tried to use any semblance of force, but eventually, she reached the dining room, where a small platter of food had been laid out.


    A little girl, who had been nibbling at a piece of bread, turned to look at her immediately. Curious eyes scrutinised her entire body for a few seconds, before she slipped off her seat and ran towards Dia.


    ¡°Oof. That hurts.¡± Dia rubbed the toddler¡¯s head. ¡°Also, is it safe for you to be sitting that high? Do we have any baby seats?¡±


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    The tiny child looked at her, and Dia shook her head. ¡°Right. Anyway, I suppose you want a hug¡­¡±


    A delicate face burrowed into the crook of her neck as she carried the kid and settled on a chair. The little girl was very much alive and existing, not as a Distortion, but as an ordinary little kid. Without a mother, there wasn¡¯t much she could¡ª


    ¡°Dia?¡± Risti entered the room. ¡°Oh. She recognised you, eh?¡±


    ¡°Risti.¡± Dia smiled at her. ¡°Is that my¡± ¡ªDia glanced at the lightening skies¡ª ¡°breakfast?¡±


    ¡°Sure is. Anyway, I and a few servants gave her a little bath earlier on, so don¡¯t worry about her hygiene and all,¡± Risti added. ¡°I also hired a nanny to look after her ¡ª the best in town, for sure ¡ª and we¡¯ve determined that ensuring that she grows up well will stop any possible relapses.¡±


    ¡°Relapses?¡±


    ¡°Might happen. Might not. But I definitely don¡¯t want to find out,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Also, there was something that fell out of the Distortion, lying next to you. A piece of armour that¡¯s somehow linked to the Distortion itself, carrying magical properties.¡±


    ¡°An artefact?¡±


    ¡°Seems like one, but it operates on principles I don¡¯t even know how to explain,¡± Risti replied. ¡°It¡¯s quite tough, though, so you should wear it. Might help you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re the one who dealt with the Distortion, so everything belongs to you,¡± Risti replied, before turning to the kid. ¡°Hey, uh¡­what¡¯s her name?¡±


    Dia looked at the kid, who was now shaking her head as she continued to burrow her face into her neck. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    The kid paused. ¡°Baab.¡±


    ¡°¡­Not helpful at all,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Uhm. Baab¡­¡±


    ¡°Baab!¡± The kid shook her head. ¡°Baab!¡±


    Dia looked at the kid for a moment, and then fell silent. For some reason, she had the feeling that this little girl was telling her that she pronounced her name wrongly, but¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re pronouncing it wrongly too, right?¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Baab.¡±


    ¡°Baab¡­¡± The little girl looked a little sad. ¡°Baath. Beth!¡±


    Something seemed to click, and she repeated, ¡°Beth! Beth!¡±


    ¡°Beth¡­right?¡±


    ¡°Beth!¡± The child nodded over and over again. ¡°Baba. Mama¡­Mama¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh dear.¡± Dia patted her head. ¡°It¡¯s alright. They¡¯re happy that you lived, you know. So don¡¯t cry. Remember them, but don¡¯t cry. Your Baba and Mama wouldn¡¯t want you to cry, right? So don¡¯t. Live on, and smile.¡±


    Beth nodded her head, and Dia felt her heart clench up. There was something so small, so depressing, about that little movement that she wanted to cry too, but she was the adult here.


    Adults had no business crying in front of kids.


    ¡°Dia, let me take her for a while. You should¡­wash up or something. Your face looks like a mess now,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°The others should be returning anytime ssoon, and you don¡¯t want to worry them, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Here.¡±


    Dia passed the kid over to Risti, who immediately made some weird sounds and hugged the kid. ¡°I¡¯ll go wash my face again.¡±


    It took her some time to straighten her face once more, by which time the others were all at the dining room and cheering up the little kid. Schwarz was making some rather weird sounds with glass cups, while Risti and Farah were alternating with each other to make baby faces at the child, who promptly reached out for the squished-up bits.


    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± Dia smiled at everyone. ¡°Thanks, guys.¡±


    ¡°Why are you thanking us?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°We owe you our lives. I thought I was going to die when that gigantic ball of flame fell from the sky and ate me up, you know.¡±


    Farah nodded. ¡°That¡¯s usually what happens to people who are caught up in the Distortion¡¯s manifestation. I was even prepared for it, but I ended up getting knocked out by that thing¡­being stuck in that gooey place is not fun at all.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Risti asked. ¡°How did you even dodge that anyway? That thing chased me down for two minutes and flattened me afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Dia thought for a moment. ¡°That thing smashed into me, true, but I took no damage from it. After that, I felt something calling me, so I went to the centre of the Distortion and found Beth.¡±


    ¡°¡­What?¡±


    ¡°You know, the effect of Salvation Star?¡± Dia replied. ¡°I resisted the attack directly. Nothing much to it.¡±


    Schwarz twitched. ¡°You can take that ¡®nothing much¡¯ and¡ª¡±


    Risti glanced at the bartender once. ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°¡ªwave it around, I suppose,¡± Schwarz completed, his voice a tiny bit sheepish. ¡°Still, you just took that ball of fire directly?¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°I suppose I should thank my brother for it, if nothing else. Still¡­I had thought it would be a lot tougher, you know. He did so much, but I stopped the Distortion before things could worsen. It¡¯s a good thing¡­it is a good thing. No one died. It¡¯s the perfect victory. So¡­why does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°...Because you want something else out of it,¡± Schwarz replied quietly. ¡°You want proof that everything he did was truly worth it. That you, as the Salvation Star, stopped a Distortion that took so many lives¡­but no one died in this Distortion. You stopped it perfectly, and no one died. No one and nothing can prove that your brother died a meaningful death.¡±


    ¡°You are a bartender after all,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Yes. You¡¯re right. I¡¯m a horrible person, right?¡±


    ¡°We all have horrible thoughts like this at one point or another,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°No need to worry about that. But¡­there are some things you need to come to terms with yourself.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Dia nodded. ¡°I know.¡±

 Chapter 593: Picking up a child

    ¡°It¡¯s good that she¡¯s calmed down,¡± Farah observed. ¡°However, while it is tempting for us to raise her as one of our own, we are not really the best candidates to act as surrogate parents.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°Taking care of a child is hard work, and we¡¯re often moving around too much¡ª¡±


    Beth sniffed, and then looked at Dia.


    ¡°¡­You can understand me?¡± Dia muttered, looking at the kid. ¡°Are toddlers this intelligent? Or is it just you?¡±


    Beth pointed at herself, and Dia made a funny face back at her, which made the kid laugh. As Risti wiped the little kid¡¯s face, she said, ¡°Well, she does seem to have imprinted on Dia as her new caretaker for now. The kiddo was very upset when she couldn¡¯t see you, and when you weren¡¯t waking up, she was¡­well, quite worried. You could see that gigantic frown, and the tears that were going to pop out at any moment.¡±


    She rubbed Beth¡¯s head a few times. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure either. We¡¯ll have to ask the professionals or something, in my opinion. This child is quite attached to you already, after all.¡±


    Risti patted the kid on the back, who promptly slid down the chair and toddled over to Dia.


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re hugging my leg, though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the right size for a child to hug,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. Besides, you¡¯re hurting all over, so just stand there and let her rub her cheeks wherever she likes.¡±


    Dia grimaced. ¡°It¡¯s a bit painful to look at her now, though. I¡¯m reminded of myself, my brother and my mother.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the adult,¡± Risti replied, before meeting her eyes directly. ¡°It is the job of adults to suffer for little children.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a¡­unique view, I guess.¡± Dia looked at Beth. The awful, deathly expression the little girl had on in that Distortion had completely vanished, and Dia knew that Risti was right. She had, in a sense, taken up the role of Beth¡¯s mother. If she were to shy away from this little bundle right now, there was no telling what would happen, and¡­


    For all her reservations, Dia truly wanted to help Beth out.


    She thought for a few seconds, and then turned to Farah. ¡°We¡¯ll get more expert opinions on this. However, she¡¯s too young. I can¡¯t really just hand her over to strangers or anything at her current state. Once she grows older and¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d all be attached to her by that time, you know.¡± Farah rolled her eyes. ¡°Well, I suppose we can just change the contract terms of that nanny I just hired to a permanent one. The kid needs a good environment, after all. The only problem actually lies with us, but if Beth likes the nanny too, that can be solved to a certain extent.¡±


    Schwarz bobbed his head. ¡°And it¡¯s not like the four of us can¡¯t raise a child. I mean, look at us.¡±


    He pointed at Farah. ¡°Countess Farah, who at a young age, reversed the fortune of an ailing county. There¡¯s Risti, the daughter of President Cadenza, who picked up lots and lots of useful things as she followed her dad around. We have the princess of Lustre here, the person that Beth has imprinted on.¡±


    Schwarz smirked. ¡°Seems like you three are highly qualified.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go trying to shirk your own responsibility by excluding your own name,¡± Farah replied.


    A set of heavy knocks rattled the house before Schwarz could reply, and Farah got up. ¡°Damnit. They sure got here quick¡­what is Nightfall doing? He¡¯s supposed to be holding off the others while Dia recovers! Dia, you stay here with Beth. Everyone else, follow me.¡±


    The three of them departed with a murderous air.


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    ¡°Is it really necessary to look like you¡¯re going to kill someone?¡± Dia asked, looking at the toddler, who was still hugging her leg. Beth paused, looked up at her, and then giggled, before opening her arms up for a hug.


    ¡°Alright, up you go.¡±


    The little girl rested her head on Dia¡¯s shoulders immediately, before her movements began to slow. Within seconds, she had fallen asleep, which was¡­


    Probably not what a child would do, right?


    Dia stroked the soft, warm back slowly. Beth felt like a fluffy cloak that had down sewn inside, which was a conducive environment for her to think through things properly. Beth hadn¡¯t shown any fatigue up until she climbed into Dia¡¯s arms, but that didn¡¯t mean that she wasn¡¯t tired.


    She literally just wasn¡¯t showing it. Perhaps, some part of her was guarding against the others; it was very possible that this little kid only felt safe around her.


    ¡°You know, you can¡¯t just dump all your trust on me¡­¡± Dia tickled the little girl gently, but the kid had fallen into a really deep sleep. Her body was moving evenly with every breath, and there was a small smile on her tiny face.


    Dia took in that sight for a while, and then touched her head. The problem with this was that as the most capable combatant in the Seekers of Life, she would be heading out frequently. This kid would either have to tag along or get used to her absence; both were outcomes that had their own problems.


    ¡°Mhm¡­¡± Her mind wandered over to Farah and Schwarz, who were more of the administrative kind. Getting the kid used to them was for the best, and¡ª


    She glanced at the incoming party of people, and her hackles rose as tri-coloured people entered her vision. The others were surrounding the two Moon Emissaries, bitter expressions on their faces.


    ¡°She looks quite rested to me,¡± the burlier Moon Emissary commented.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean that she¡¯s not mentally fatigued,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°Sooth, little mortal.¡± The smaller Moon Emissary waved her right hand, and before Dia could react, a gentle burst of light had covered her. The cloud lasted for three seconds, before the Moon Emissary withdrew it. ¡°Are you feeling better now, Miss Dia?¡±


    Dia looked around for a moment. Admittedly, she did feel more refreshed, but using skills on someone without warning was quite rude. Her mind spun rapidly, before coming to the conclusion that reacting in a neutral manner was probably the best approach.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I am feeling better.¡±


    ¡°Excellent.¡± The Moon Emissary played with her long hair for a few seconds, before turning to her burlier escort. ¡°Let us all take a seat first. We have come to discuss the recent events¡­in which you, Miss Dia, have proven to be extraordinarily important in dealing with. Are there more chairs?¡±


    Schwarz and the others glanced at Dia, who nodded once.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get some,¡± Schwarz said. ¡°Give me a moment.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for everyone to be seated around the table, but despite the seeming equality which everyone from the Seekers of Life had, Dia could tell that the two Moon Emissaries were focused on her¡­and the little kid sleeping in her arms.


    Dia could not derive any pleasure from this realisation.


    ¡°So,¡± she began, ¡°to what honour do I owe this visit to?¡±


    The burlier Moon Emissary glanced at his partner once, who nodded in response. A small pause followed, before he said, ¡°We would like to question you about your experiences in dealing with the Distortion. None of us know what happened in there, and we would like you to narrate what you went through.¡±


    Dia closed her eyes for a moment. She could vaguely sense mana and¡­a very powerful energy surrounding the two of them. If she didn¡¯t get it wrong, the Moons were actually paying very close attention to this conversation. If she tried to lie, it would be very obvious.


    However, if she told the truth, the little girl that was hugging her¡­


    There was no telling what these cold Moons would do to her. In the worst-case scenario, the Seekers of Life could fall out with the Moons, and it wasn¡¯t as if she was a truly important asset either.


    She had to be very careful.


    ¡°Give me some time to collect my thoughts,¡± Dia replied. ¡°It¡¯s a mess in my head, and I can¡¯t even remember most of it.¡±


    ¡°Very well. That we can do,¡± the tri-coloured woman replied. ¡°In the meantime, I am told that this is a mansion named after us. I wonder if we have the privilege of staying in Moon Mansion? After all, it is said that the Seekers of Life once called themselves the Moon Lords¡­¡±


    It was a thinly veiled threat, if nothing else.


    ¡°What a rumour,¡± Schwarz replied smoothly. ¡°However, we do have guestrooms¡­not that Dia would need that much time to think about it all, though. How about I interest you with my legendary brews? The Moons must know about my drinks.¡±


    The burly Moon Emissary snuck a glance at the bartender, and his partner sighed. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve brought that up, it would be very¡­problematic for me to decline.¡±


    She glanced at her burly companion. ¡°Bring it. I want to see the alcohol that even my masters have cautioned against.¡±


    ¡°The Moons cautioned against drinking his stuff?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°¡­Surprisingly enough,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Schwarz grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll show you all due respect and take out my strongest brews.¡±


    ¡°Bring it,¡± the burly Moon Emissary replied.


    Dia glanced at the small group, before returning to her contemplations.

 Chapter 594: Preparing a lie

    ¡°Two dead bodies, ready to be carted out at any moment.¡± Dia looked at the dead¡­drunk Moon Emissaries, who were inhaling booze and exhaling alcohol. They cut a sight for sorry eyes, but there was no point in waking them up or tossing them out of Moon Mansion right now.


    ¡°Abuh¡­¡±


    Beth, who was tucked into Dia¡¯s arms, stirred and babbled a few times, before rubbing her eyes. ¡°Buh.¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t understand what that meant, so she looked at the others, who promptly crowded around the little toddler. Schwarz tickled her right cheek gently, which drew excited little giggles from Beth, while the others pulled out an assortment of sweets and confectionaries.


    The terrible trio that had forced two Moon Emissaries into a drunken coma was nowhere to be found, and in their place, pseudo-parents had emerged.


    ¡°Wanna let me hug you next?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Buh.¡±


    ¡°She spoke again!¡± Farah opened her arms, and little Beth looked at Dia.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to look at me for permission, though?¡± Dia smiled. ¡°Go on. You need to get used to the four of us eventually. Can¡¯t be me only, you know.¡±


    ¡°Baab.¡±


    Dia chuckled. ¡°There, there. Now, stay still while I pass you over to Farah.¡±


    She and Risti played funny little games of peek-a-boo while Dia got up from her seat and examined the two Moon Emissaries. Thanks to Schwarz¡¯s masterful brews, they had been completely knocked out, and the faint, dreadful power that Dia had associated with the Moons had gone with it.


    ¡°Like my handiwork?¡± Schwarz asked, propping the two fellows against each other. ¡°It¡¯s something I do to get rid of rowdy bar-goers. Just treat them to one good shot, and they¡¯re all out and down for the count. I haven¡¯t seen anyone who¡¯s not the Holy Son of the Black God survive my ultimate trick.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impressive. Have you thought of literally weaponising it?¡± Dia asked, thinking about the various ways alcohol could be turned into gas and sprayed into people¡¯s face. ¡°You know, like spraying them in the face with it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous to spray someone in the face with alcohol. It can lead to blindness at the very minimum,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°And it won¡¯t make someone faint. It¡¯ll make them cry out in agony.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Dia paused. ¡°You sound quite familiar with the effects¡­¡±


    ¡°Happened to me once. Someone tried to rob me nine or so years ago,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I responded with a steady gush of alcohol that had been perfectly concentrated. The outcomes were varied, insane and not very pretty at all. When the apothecaries were done with his loss of sight and smell, he was knee-deep in debt.¡±


    He paused for a moment. ¡°He skipped town a day after he regained consciousness.¡±


    ¡°¡­Ouch.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t feel good about doing what I did, but there really wasn¡¯t much of a choice,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°But alcohol as a weapon¡­it¡¯s lethal and lethally cruel.¡±


    Dia noted the odd choice of words there, and then decided not to press him on it. Instead, she glanced at the Moon Emissaries and said, ¡°Did they spill anything while inebriated?¡±


    ¡°My drinks aren¡¯t so weak that these guys get to speak.¡± Schwarz chuckled. ¡°No way. They simply dropped like a sack of potatoes. Nothing much to look at¡­well, it¡¯s a bummer, though. However, you need to give them credit; they downed all the less-concentrated drinks like they were nothing. Only the Nero-Outer and my ultra-pure water clobbered them.¡±


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    ¡°Great. So, any news?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound that impressed¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Dia paused. ¡°I¡¯m not really in a jovial mood right now. All this is built upon what my brother did, and no one can even remember his face. I¡¯m¡­not really able to feel any happiness right now. Just some relief¡­and a lot of guilt. We¡¯re all here, you know. But he¡¯s just gone. Never coming back.¡±


    Dia closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°Pardon me if I seem odd as a result.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s natural.¡± Schwarz paused. ¡°And your brother didn¡¯t really¡­leave behind anything either.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ve heard some news from my father too.¡± Dia let out a long, heavy sigh. ¡°It seems that the populace is beginning to forget about my brother. Apparently, there has been always only one child to my father, and that child is me. Memories of my brother are fading from the populace at large¡­but again, I can¡¯t even remember his name.¡±


    ¡°Surely there is something you can do about it, right?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°The Coloured Gods and the other divinities, probably.¡± Dia paused. ¡°But that¡¯s about it. I believe they might have a solution for me, but it¡¯s hard to say. I don¡¯t¡­quite trust them anymore, not after what happened to the Holy Son of the Red God. And from what I witnessed on the Aeon Span, it¡¯s also possible that my efforts will amount to nothing in the end. The Omen is incredibly powerful, and he or she knows how to wield that power to its maximum potential.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re referring to the¡­Aeon Span, correct? And the Cosmic Egg?¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°The Fourth Bearer of Destiny played us all like a fiddle. And while my current status was purposely engineered to stop this Distortion from turning the entirety of the Istrel Sovereignty into barren land devoid of life, I¡¯m now also the Omen¡¯s enemy. I¡­do not fancy my chances.¡±


    ¡°What, you blame your brother?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. Don¡¯t be silly.¡± Dia looked at the two drunk fellows that were leaning on each other. ¡°But I¡¯m scared. That¡¯s all. I¡¯ve lost quite a lot. I don¡¯t want to lose anymore¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s times like this when you find Claud¡¯s motivations for being very tiresome quite relatable,¡± Schwarz replied.


    Dia nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    She paused. ¡°I want some breathing room to myself for a moment. I need to think of what to tell these two fellows when they wake up this evening.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you do that.¡± Schwarz smiled. ¡°Stay strong, Dia. You¡¯ve been through so much. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to get a few answers here and there. No matter what you do¡­to be frank, I don¡¯t think anyone can quite blame you at this point.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Dia tried to smile once, but her facial muscles seemed to have been paralysed or something. ¡°I¡¯ll go get some fresh air first.¡±


    ¡°Alright. It¡¯s my turn to carry Beth, after all.¡± He grinned. ¡°Remember. There¡¯s a little toddler who seems to be dependent on you right now. Stay composed, and think through things carefully before you make a move.¡±


    ¡°Wow. You¡¯re using her existence to tie me down.¡± Dia shook her head in mock disdain. ¡°You¡¯ve reached a low I never thought was possible.¡±


    ¡°A necessary sacrifice.¡± Schwarz grinned. ¡°And you did smile a little just now, so it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Really now.¡± Dia turned away from the bartender. ¡°Well, do whatever you want. I¡¯m¡­going back to my room for a moment.¡±


    His grin faded. ¡°Do what you need to do.¡±


    Dia raised a hand in acknowledgement, before walking away from the little crowd of people. The madness that had reared its head, called forth by the contradiction between her emotions and her surroundings. The joy that everyone exuded, the happiness that came from everyone, who knew that they had survived a tribulation that would have killed them otherwise, was something she too had keenly felt.


    However, it was a joy that made everything even more painful to Dia. The contrast between what she should feel, and what she really felt was enough to make her head spin a few times.


    It would be nice if she didn¡¯t need to think at all.


    In silence, Dia returned to her room and sat down on her bed, her movements slow and ponderous.


    ¡°I can¡¯t just fixate on this,¡± Dia murmured. ¡°Priorities, Dia. I need to prioritise things. I can¡¯t just dwell on these things¡­first, I need to deal with the Moon Emissaries.¡±


    She closed her eyes for a while, and tried to fabricate a reality in which she could explain how she dealt with the Distortion. Dia was reasonably certain that the Moons could tell if she was fibbing; to avert that, her words had to be true, at the very least.


    ¡°I need to tell an overall lie, composed of the truth and the truth only,¡± Dia murmured. It sounded easy, but everyone and their parents knew that the best lies were made up of truths. The Moons definitely knew this¡­and she had to craft a reality that the Moons could not see through.


    She took a deep breath, and then began to recall the events that had transpired. What did the Moons know? What did the people inside know? And what did she, the Salvation Star, know?


    The gaps between these three things¡­was the only space she could move between. She had to be very, very careful, however.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t there any professional liars around this place?¡± Dia wondered out loud. ¡°I¡¯m not in my element here at all¡­¡±

 Chapter 595: Toddlers and thinking about time

    ¡°¡­A toddler?¡± Claud glanced at Lily. ¡°They adopted a toddler?¡±


    He rubbed his head. Beth, the little toddler that was attached to Dia like a second limb, wasn¡¯t a normal toddler either. She was apparently the core of that sovereignty-ending Distortion that Dia¡¯s brother had perished to avert. It was a good thing that the whole ordeal ended with only her brother¡¯s sacrifice, which was probably one of the best results possible, but¡­


    From Schwarz¡¯s message, it seemed that she was taking it very personally.


    ¡°I wonder what little Beth looks like,¡± Lily murmured, taking a sip of tea. Breakfast was nearly over, but the two of them had woken up to a bout of good news ¡ª no one had died, and that incredible Distortion that had apparently covered the whole of Licencia had been destroyed.


    ¡°Very adorable, probably. Maybe we should try for a kid too?¡± Claud asked. ¡°¡­Well, it¡¯s dangerous for us, so I don¡¯t really think we should try for a child, though.¡±


    Claud let out a small sigh. With the entire world as his enemy, even if they didn¡¯t quite know it, there was no place for a child in their lives. Besides, if he couldn¡¯t even protect Lily, Claud knew that he had no right to bring a little life into this world.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to settle for Beth,¡± Lily agreed. ¡°Still, if Dia¡¯s taking this badly¡­does she run the risk of Distorting?¡±


    ¡°By all accounts, being the Salvation Star helps massively against such a thing,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Our more immediate goal is to figure out how a Distortion occurs, rather than anything else.¡±


    He closed his eyes for a moment. The Hollow God mentioned that he was the ¡°second¡± Claud to have visited him. There was at least one more iteration of him that had succeeded in passing the Third Tutorial¡­in a sense. However, this whole time thing had him thinking.


    Did his current existence mean that his predecessor failed in their own way? Or was the future¡­well, uncertain? It was hard to wrap his head around the whole thing.


    Time was a confusing concept, if nothing else. Did he exist because his predecessor failed to save Lily from the machinations of destiny? Or rather, did this timeline exist because his predecessor did something?


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to unravel this ball of time in my head,¡± Claud replied. ¡°You know all that fuss about the Hollow God and how there was a Claud before me, right? I¡¯m wondering if my existence means he failed to protect you.¡±


    Lily thought for a few seconds, and then bobbed her head slowly. She made a few sounds as she swayed back and forth, before the distant look in her eyes vanished.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Did you get something?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Well, in a sense, it¡¯s how we perceive time, I suppose.¡± Lily frowned. ¡°What exactly is the nature of time for us? Those separate Clauds, your predecessors¡­what are they, exactly? What are the realities they live in? That should be the main reason behind our confusion.¡±


    Claud thought through her words for a moment, and then felt his head throb a few times. It was not a pleasant sensation, especially when he was already crippled by the hollowed lifeforce within him. The past week or so had been a constant struggle to truly live, when faced with the withering lifeforce that was contained in his body.


    However, thinking was part of life; it would not do to let Lily do all the explaining for him.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that what we perceive as time might not be true?¡± Claud asked, after racking his head.


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    Lily nodded. ¡°Are those separate realities¡­different books in a series? Think of a series with fifteen books, like the one I¡¯ve been reading. If we apply your situation to them, we can look at those books as each reality as experienced by the various Clauds.¡±


    She paused for a moment. ¡°Here¡¯s the thing, though. Are these books meant to be read one after another? Or are they actually retellings of the same story?¡±


    Claud tried to parse the analogy that she had drawn out. His mind, which was a bit too sluggish to properly generate the images, was not quite up for the task.


    ¡°Let me do the visualisation instead.¡± Lily winked. ¡°There!¡±


    Fifteen books appeared in front of her. ¡°So, do we read these books one by one, or modifications of the previous one?¡±


    The books first formed a horizontal line, and then as a single stack. The visual difference was clear; the first visualisation seemed to form something like a progression of sorts, while the second was¡­harder to describe.


    ¡°Still, what¡¯s the difference?¡±


    ¡°The first one would mean that there is a loop in time, right?¡± Lily replied. ¡°Every time I die¡± ¡ªClaud didn¡¯t like how casually she treated that question¡ª ¡°you find a way to do something and then rewind time. The problem lies in where the you who reversed time went, because this means that there should be a bunch of yous running around right now. I ask you ¡ª is that the case?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t quite seem like it, but I can¡¯t tell either,¡± Claud replied. ¡°After all, the Hollow God doesn¡¯t really exist in our reality.¡±


    Lily mulled over his words thoughtfully. ¡°We¡¯ll keep that in view first. However, this means that there is no Claud that¡¯s following you until you fail and rewind time somehow.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    ¡°The second possibility is that of retelling a story.¡± Lily paused. ¡°These books¡­assume that they are all written by the Claud of the previous volume.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s a hard concept, I suppose. But the various you-s, in this case, are simply authors of the next¡­uh, volume. In a sense.¡± Lily pointed at the topmost book. ¡°In line with my analogy, I¡¯d say that the Claud of this volume grows strong enough to step out of his book and affect the next one. And so on. However, since the edits and changes the next Clauds create are based off their current book, the differences widen more and more.¡±


    Claud bobbed his head. ¡°So it¡¯s possible that there are events that never occurred at all a few iterations ago? Mhm. Well, that would account for why the Hollow God didn¡¯t know anything about these Distortions, if it was the first Claud he saw that made them.¡±


    ¡°Or he just wasn¡¯t paying attention to the world around him.¡±


    ¡°¡­Back to square one.¡± Claud sighed. ¡°Still, we don¡¯t know the nature of reality and time, so it¡¯s really hard to say.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t, but we are in the presence of a lot of beings who do,¡± Lily replied, rubbing her hands. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Wait, are we really going to ask them about this?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Is that safe?¡±


    ¡°Probably¡­I¡¯ll do the planning, so just sit back and let me do this!¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s for the best, I suppose.¡± Claud rubbed his throbbing head. ¡°Anyway, with the Trial of Aeons over, there shouldn¡¯t be anything important for me to take care of right now. Still, if only I knew what the Claud before me experienced¡­I¡¯m a bit frightened.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°So far, I¡¯ve had some guidance, but the Hollow God doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s going to follow after I clear the Third Tutorial.¡± Claud rubbed his head. ¡°Considering that the world seems to be out to get you¡­¡±


    Lily looked at him once, and then smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Why are you thanking me for?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Well, you could easily distance yourself from me, right?¡± Lily looked up at the ceiling. ¡°After all, I¡¯m the one who¡¯s going to die.¡±


    Claud gazed at her intently, and then shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. Besides, it¡¯s possible that you¡¯re only suffering from this fate because of me, right? I¡¯m the O-thing, after all. I¡¯m actually wondering if I should put some distance between you and¡ª¡±


    Lily put a finger to his lips before he could finish his sentence. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°¡­Figured.¡± Claud let out a sigh. ¡°But I¡¯m still wondering if my selfishness is putting you at risk.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s the possibility that you won¡¯t be in close enough proximity to protect me,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Or that I won¡¯t accept it and turn into a Distortion, or be killed trying to close the distance.¡±


    ¡°I did think of that too.¡± Claud rubbed his head. ¡°Anyway, I really could do with some guidance.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been some time, but I think you forgot about something. Do you still remember a certain letter and a book?¡±


    Claud thought for a while, and then blinked. ¡°The one that Nero gave to me? Yeah, it¡¯s still on my body. He ¡ª or the Black God ¡ª said to have it on me at all times, so I¡¯ve basically stuffed it with my last-resort skillsticks.¡±


    He pulled out a small packet, and then opened it carefully. ¡°It¡¯s here. There¡¯s the letter, which mentions something about a token, and the book that¡¯s¡­¡±


    His words faltered.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I think the book just changed.¡±

 Chapter 596: A hope across iterations

    Claud could clearly remember that the pages of this book, which the Black God had handed to him via his Holy Son, was full of black and white patterns that he couldn¡¯t decipher at all. Back then, after ten minutes of flipping through the book from cover to cover, he had stuffed it back on his person.


    However, now that he was looking at the book again, something really had changed.


    ¡°¡­I suppose this was expected, right?¡± Lily muttered. ¡°After all, the Black God and the White God were the Omen and the Salvation Star of the previous cycle. And we were talking about time. It¡¯s possible that the previous you made contact with the Black God and handed this book to him.¡±


    Claud held his head. ¡°I thought you said something about different volumes and everything, right? The divinities definitely do not know who I am, for instance. Else, I would not be standing here.¡±


    ¡°Good point. Well, there has to be ways to deliver a book somehow¡­¡± Lily looked at the book again.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to read it for real.¡± Claud glanced at the first page, which read ¡®Hello, Me¡¯. It was decidedly directed at him¡­or perhaps Lily, depending on who opened it first. ¡°I like the cryptic opening, though.¡±


    ¡°Right? It¡¯s a stylish opening. I bet it could be used as the only words of a book¡¯s first chapter, and it¡¯ll just make people swoon,¡± Lily added, rubbing her hands. ¡°¡­Okay, let¡¯s move on to the next page first.¡±


    The two of them flipped to the next page, and Lily frowned. ¡°What¡¯s this? ¡®That day, I stood before the coffin and swore¡¯. Mhm. It¡¯s an identifying pass phrase. Between you and yourself. Did I get that right?¡±


    Claud chuckled. ¡°Yes. I do have more than one. There¡¯s actually one that¡¯s a bit more embarrassing¡­ahem.¡±


    He flipped to the next page, which was full of the weird patterns that he couldn¡¯t parse at all. Intuitively, he understood that the next page would not reveal itself until he finished the sentence.


    Claud gazed at the single line then, and then shivered. ¡°That day, I stood before the coffin and swore that I would live forever.¡±


    The book glowed.


    Lily held his hands. ¡°That was about your¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. My mother.¡± Claud closed his eyes for a moment. ¡°Because my mother¡¯s life revolved around me, as long as I¡¯m alive, she too lives on. Of course, there is another person who has squeezed into my life now, so there¡¯s double the burden for me to keep putting one foot after the next, to live a worthy life.¡±


    ¡°¡­Mhm. I¡¯ll make sure to keep living too,¡± Lily murmured.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He took a deep breath, and then flipped to the next page.


    ¡°If you¡¯re reading this, it means that my plan has succeeded, if partially,¡± Lily read out loud. ¡°Hello, me. I know not when you will open this book, but I am certain that you opened it in a time of uncertainty. I have created too many changes that I am not certain of the exact time period in which you will feel lost, but I myself felt lost in the year or so following the failed Third Tutorial.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing about the Distortions,¡± Claud muttered.


    Lily nodded, and then continued to read from the book. ¡°The next few years¡­were peaceful. Having assumed that the two of us had escaped an inexorable fate, we concentrated on living life to our fullest. The Third Tutorial resolved itself for me, or so it seemed. However¡­do you know what the name of this world is?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Claud replied, his mouth moving on instinct.


    ¡°Destiny.¡±


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    Claud blinked, and then leaned towards Lily.


    ¡°That¡¯s what was written there,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Look!¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to actually doubt you,¡± Claud replied. ¡°More of instinct rather than anything else, you know.¡±


    He looked at the rest of the page.


    Destiny. That¡¯s the name of this world. While there exists a variety of terms to denote the notion of Destiny and a Bearer of Destiny in the myriad worlds adrift in the Eternal Sea, this term is particularly significant in our world. For that reason, mortal moira can only deviate so far. There is a reason why it took so many iterations for us to reach this point.


    Claud gazed at that paragraph, and then tried to parse it slowly. He had a hunch that this entire paragraph that his future self had written was actually pointing at the origins and purposes of the various Bearers of Destiny. To date, he hadn¡¯t quite received an answer as to what they did. While they were definitely linked to the various divinities ¡ª one for each of them ¡ª the relationship between the Bearers and the gods were still quite unclear.


    For instance, why didn¡¯t the White God and the Black God need a Bearer of Destiny? What were their goals here? After all, the Bearers seemed to be operating independently or as equals with their apparent masters, and there didn¡¯t seem to be a unified goal, other than what happened in the Trial of Aeons.


    ¡°Lily, do you have any idea what this paragraph is meant to tell us?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°You can¡¯t figure it out?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I also don¡¯t know what this paragraph is meant to convey. Let¡¯s move on.¡±


    Claud stared at the offending paragraph for a few more seconds, and then made a face.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be a baby¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just expressing my discontent. And besides, I never had much of a childhood, if we go by the average measurement of a child¡¯s early years,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°There, there¡­¡±


    After fooling around for a few more moments, Claud and Lily returned to reading.


    Now, I will tell you what happened next. While the two of us became high-ranked folders, it is by no means a good safety margin. The world of Destiny is constantly under siege by outsiders, alien beings that we cannot comprehend without risking madness. And there¡­is a weak point.


    For centuries, the Third Tutorial has never been activated properly. Lily and I were protected by the Hollow God, who you should have met, but everyone else who took the Third Tutorial were exposed to this vulnerability. Without warning, incredible monsters who boasted of an illogical power took the field, shrouding the various cities and fields with a world of their own.


    It was in one of those worlds that my Lily perished.


    Claud turned to the next page, and then frowned. The black and white patterns refused to change, but this time, there was no prompt or anything for him to use.


    ¡°Damn it.¡± Claud flipped to the next page, and then the following one. ¡°Nothing? Dude! Me! What are you doing? You can¡¯t leave people on cliffhangers like that!¡±


    ¡°Those monsters¡­they sound quite familiar, though?¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Distortions!¡±


    ¡°But that me didn¡¯t use that term, though?¡± Claud replied. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Mhm. There are some discrepancies too. I remember something about Distortions manifesting in non-mana users, but that Claud says that the main cause of these Distortion-esque things are high-ranked mana-users who were exposed to the Third Tutorial.¡± Lily made a face.


    ¡°That¡¯s another point, yes. It seems like my brain is really sluggish¡­let¡¯s put that aside, though.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should play some brain teasers sometime.¡± Lily¡¯s smile faded. ¡°Okay, so we do have some confirmation. First, the previous Claud¡¯s reality does not have the notion of Distortions¡­not as we know it. Second, I died in a¡­well, a superpowered Distortion? I¡¯m not sure why I died, though. The lack of details, however, suggest that we were separated for one reason or another.¡±


    ¡°So we can¡¯t separate,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s probably one of those really unlucky scenarios,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But you already recovered by then. Ugh. This is certainly very confusing!¡±


    ¡°Just what did the previous me do? Why is everything so different?¡± Claud rubbed his head. ¡°Is someone else also screwing with destiny or something?¡±


    ¡°Moons if I know.¡± Lily paused. ¡°However, we do have another direction now.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go and find Nero,¡± Lily replied. ¡°He¡¯s the Holy Son of the Black God. He¡¯s probably the only person who can bring us to the Black God, and it¡¯s not like we¡¯ve opened shop for a long time anyway.¡±


    ¡°True. Let¡¯s just hang up the sign and go, then,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We¡¯re prepared to move at a moment¡¯s notice anyway, and the trip there is going to be a lot faster than we¡¯re used to anyway.¡±


    ¡°Did we miss anything?¡±


    ¡°We can go and visit Lesser Dark afterwards. We could ask him more things too,¡± Claud suggested.


    ¡°So, we¡¯re visiting the gods now.¡±


    ¡°A select few gods,¡± Claud replied. ¡°The Hollow God didn¡¯t kill Lesser Half and the Black God. I¡¯m sure he had a reason for not killing them and for telling me that fact.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re sympathetic to our cause?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Claud got up. ¡°Let¡¯s pack away the utensils first, though. Give me a hand?¡±

 Chapter 597: Friends under watch

    The bell that was fixed to the door jingled as the two of them stepped outside, but as expected, the little toddler that had made it a routine to come by some time ago didn¡¯t show up. Claud felt a bit sad, and judging from Lily¡¯s expectant expression, she was also probably looking for that tiny little fellow as well.


    However, with those Distortions popping up, there was no way Lesser Half was going to let little toddlers run around¡­probably. The reports from Schwarz and company mentioned the Moonlit babies, so maybe there was a difference in policy?


    ¡°He¡¯s not showing up,¡± Claud observed. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll go and visit Lesser Half soon, so maybe we¡¯ll see the little guy again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Lily brightened up. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up, then.¡±


    Claud thought about the little kid that Dia had apparently adopted or something, and wondered if he and Lily would try to jostle with her for some affection. It was a bit funny to think about it, but¡­there wasn¡¯t particularly a problem with it, was there?


    ¡°Alright. Hold on to me, then,¡± Claud murmured.


    Lily¡¯s left arm wrapped around his sides and pulled him in. ¡°Ready.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°Will of Freedom. Will of Solitude.¡±


    Something deep in his mind stirred, and the feeling of being shackled by gravity completely vanished. Smiling at Lily, he wrapped his right arm around her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    There was no wind or anything as the two of them rocketed to the sky. With Will of Freedom, Claud¡¯s ability to move around was truly unhindered and unrestricted, and the world around them soon turned into a blur.


    ¡°It feels like I¡¯m not part of this world,¡± Lily observed. ¡°Flying like this, or rather, being under Will of Freedom¡¯s effects, is so¡­weird. I¡¯m like a shadow, or something that doesn¡¯t quite exist. How do I put it?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s Will of Freedom¡¯s effect. It does feel surreal, though.¡±


    ¡°Like a dream, I suppose.¡±


    The two of them hurtled past forests and smaller towns for a few minutes, before Claud began to slow down. Now that he was getting used to Will of Freedom, the incredible speeds that the skill allowed him to reach were something he could readily access.


    ¡°¡­No way.¡±


    ¡°Yes way.¡± Claud grinned at her. ¡°Yes. You saw it right. We¡¯re here. We¡¯re already here. With my full speed, with all my power¡­¡±


    Monsville came into focus as their incredible, high-speed flight came to a standstill, and the two of them began to descend. There was no indication that they had just experienced a county-crossing trip, and Claud was reasonably certain that he could probably go around the entire Grandis while his skill lasted.


    ¡°How is this possible?¡± Lily muttered. ¡°We¡¯re already here! It¡¯s way faster than your Flight!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not affected by any physical forces at all,¡± Claud replied. ¡°That includes pesky things like air resistance or whatever. There¡¯s nothing stopping us from accelerating forever, in a sense, and there¡¯s nothing stopping us from accelerating at whatever speeds we deem fit. We don¡¯t feel dizzy or anything either, right?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just¡­standing.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. It¡¯s very useful for combat too.¡±


    The two of them landed in the centre of the barony. While Claud could have easily just landed right in front of his little house, he wanted to eavesdrop on the townsfolk for a while.


    No one noticed them as Claud dispelled his Will of Solitude and his Will of Freedom.


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    ¡°Seems the same as ever,¡± Claud noted. ¡°People behaving as they should. Do you sense anything weird?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Although I think our house is quite the popular subject for gossip,¡± Lily replied. ¡°See that group there? I think I heard something interesting.¡±


    The two of them drifted over to that group slowly, and Claud¡¯s ears twitched.


    ¡°¡­I suppose. I wonder if they¡¯re actually fugitives?¡±


    Claud glanced at the speaker, who was chugging alcohol in tankards, and then shook his head.


    ¡°Well,¡± said the speaker¡¯s buddy, ¡°maybe they seriously hate visitors or something. Who knows? I mean, I won¡¯t want to cross them, at least. So many barriers¡­they are definitely one of those rich fellows. I heard from the bartender that the owner of that house is actually a bigshot noble who wants a holiday estate with his lover or something.¡±


    ¡°Oh, a big shot, then¡­¡±


    Claud and Lily listened to the rumours for a few more minutes, but most of them were concentrated around a few facts. For one, no one had left the house, apparently. Secondly, there were Moonlit soldiers stationed near the house, and they weren¡¯t the friendly kind either. Third, the barriers had stayed up the whole time too, so no one actually knew what was going on in there.


    ¡°¡­Moonlit soldiers, huh.¡± Claud made a face. ¡°Well, I suppose they were always going to stakeout the place. I mean, there¡¯s the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny sitting in my house. I¡¯m actually surprised that they haven¡¯t attacked it the way I would have attacked it.¡±


    ¡°Giant lance of death?¡±


    ¡°Giant lance of death.¡±


    The two of them exchanged grins, and then headed towards their home. Claud had allowed Kemata and Nero to stay in there for the time being, since it did not make any sense at all for the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny, or rather, a Dark-aligned Bearer of Destiny, to enter Moon territory. Sure, they were in a ceasefire and all ever since the Trial of Aeons concluded, the Red God died and the Distortions began, but that certainly did not stop the divinities from apparently plotting against each other.


    ¡°Mhm. The defences are perpetually on, and there are soldiers that aren¡¯t even hiding at this point,¡± Lily observed. ¡°And playing Moon Phase too. How does that work? I mean, they¡¯re the Moonlit soldiers. Shouldn¡¯t there be something wrong about plotting to capture the Moons, as represented by the pieces?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite amusing, isn¡¯t it?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Well, let¡¯s just ignore them and march up to the front door instead.¡±


    The Moonlit soldiers glanced at them once, and then returned to their games as the two of them stopped in front of the front gate. Clearly, they had already seen similar sights too many times to actually care about Claud and Lily.


    Lily raised a hand and rapped on the outermost barrier. Three seconds passed in silence, before the barriers opened up. Two hands pulled them in, and the barrier sealed up, leaving behind a bunch of dumbfounded Moonlit soldiers.


    ¡°The looks on their faces are hilarious.¡±


    Claud looked at Nero, who had a nasty smile on his face, and then shook his head. ¡°So it seems. It¡¯s been some time, Nero, Kemata.¡±


    ¡°Nice to see you two again,¡± Lily added. ¡°How have you been?¡±


    ¡°Living together splendidly,¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°Interesting experience, living this way,¡± Kemata added. ¡°Nero¡­is good.¡±


    ¡°That has so many possible connotations that I can¡¯t even begin to list them out,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyhow, it seems that the Moons are watching you two very closely. Are you guys fine? Have they done anything yet?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Anyway, what brings you two here? The two of us were having some morning tea just now.¡±


    ¡°Well, we actually came here for lunch and to ask you about the Black God,¡± Claud replied.


    The sunny look on Nero¡¯s face faltered somewhat, and he nodded. ¡°Which would you prefer first? Lunch, or my Lord?¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Well, that¡¯s hard to say. Remember that book you gave me?¡± Claud asked. ¡°We deciphered part of it somehow. We¡¯re actually looking to ask your master about the rest of the book, as well as the person who gave it to him.¡±


    ¡°¡­I wish He¡¯d brief me about this,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°Uh. My master¡­well, he definitely didn¡¯t leave many instructions for me, although he did tell me that you two may be swinging by for some questions sooner or later.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Much later, apparently. It¡¯s rare that he got the timing wrong, but who said the gods were infallible?¡±


    ¡°Red God,¡± Kemata added.


    Claud resisted the urge to twitch, and then nodded. ¡°The God of Precision died. I suppose that¡¯s the ultimate proof that even the Coloured Gods are not fully infallible, even with their power.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Nero thought for a moment. ¡°Anyway, do forgive me if the process to meeting him becomes quite convoluted. My Lord¡¯s Divine Kingdom...the entrance to it, anyway, is in the Nihal continent. I¡¯ll draw you a map and some directions later, but¡­it¡¯s going to be quite a trip, if nothing else. You should think long and hard before flying over first.¡±


    Claud and Lily nodded together.


    ¡°We need to get some answers, though, so it¡¯s a matter of when, not if,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And besides, it¡¯s Nihal we¡¯re talking about! It¡¯s a new world for us!¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll start thinking of a packing list, then,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And I¡¯m now feeling excited too. Mhm. What¡¯s Nihal like?¡±


    ¡°This is a topic that is better discussed over lunch, is it not?¡± Nero replied. ¡°Come on in first. We have some light dishes simmering over a nice flame, and I think you¡¯re also interested in seeing how we treated your house, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll restore it to its original form after you leave, so not really,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Still, it is interesting to see how you two normally leave.¡±


    ¡°Follow.¡± Kemata gestured. ¡°And welcome.¡±

 Chapter 598: Questions

    ¡°So, how¡¯s life with Nero?¡± Claud asked, looking at Kemata, who had taken out a weapon to polish.


    ¡°You were a noble in the Saran Supremacy, right?¡± Lily asked. ¡°What does it feel like to live with him?¡±


    Kemata rubbed some wax on the blade, and then looked at them. The faint light in her eyes made Claud happy just by looking at them, and intuitively, he understood that the two of them probably hit it off quite well.


    Although they definitely didn¡¯t hit it off as well as him and Lily, so eh.


    ¡°Interesting. Fun.¡± She paused, and a smile appeared on her face. ¡°Warm.¡±


    ¡°Warm¡­¡± Lily bobbed her head, and Claud nodded along. He, too, could understand what it felt like to have someone else care about them. For him and Lily, this warmth was one that only returned to their lives when they got together; it was a warmth that could only come from family and no one else.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you feel that way,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s a nice fuzzy feeling, right?¡±


    ¡°Better than a down blanket warmed under the afternoon sun,¡± Lily added.


    ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± Nero asked, walking into the small dining room with some dishes. ¡°Also, I made this. Give it a try? I know it¡¯s simple, but the two of us have been learning how to cook from the very beginning.¡±


    ¡°Potato slices?¡± Claud sniffed. ¡°They smell great.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t mind simple meals, so please pardon us if we end up eating most of them,¡± Lily added. ¡°But if you want to cook more complex stuff, asking Schwarz for help is probably the best way to go.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll think about that when we get there,¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°Simple is good,¡± Kemata replied. ¡°I like simple.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Must be due to a noble¡¯s upbringing,¡± Claud guessed. ¡°I¡¯m told that dishes prepared for nobles and their equivalents are usually quite rich, right? Simple fare can be quite stimulating after eating lots of really strong stuff.¡±


    Nero nodded. ¡°Agreed. Although, in my defence, I¡¯ve been eating simple stuff for the better half of the past six or so years. Being a thrall means that no one cares about what I eat¡­¡±


    He made a face. ¡°At least I forgot about most of my experiences. I do get a few nightmares from time to time about eating tree bark, though.¡±


    Kemata patted his head. ¡°There, there.¡±


    Lily glanced at Claud, who grinned at her. The two made faces at each other for a few seconds, before Lily cleared her throat and said, ¡°With Kemata around, you¡¯ll probably get over this trauma soon, so don¡¯t worry too much about it.¡±


    Claud bobbed his head too. ¡°At least, you won¡¯t suffer from that too badly.¡±


    He looked at the dishes that Nero had brought out. Indeed, most of them were quite basic; scrambled eggs, sausages and some cured meat. It was not that impressive, but again, these two were privileged fellows one way or another. The fact that they were pretty good cooks was quite impressive enough.


    ¡°Alright, time to dig in.¡± Claud raised his fork.


    The next few minutes drifted by. Kemata and Nero was quite interesting to watch, since they made it a habit to place food on each other¡¯s plates. Claud, of course, wasn¡¯t this amateurish; there was no need to use some much effort when he could feed Lily directly.


    ¡°Say ah!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Nero and Kemata looked at them, and then made some faces at each other. Claud suppressed his smile, before continuing to feed Lily over and over again. Of course, Lily wasn¡¯t one to lose out, so before long, most of the dishes had gone down their throats.


    ¡°You guys are quite fast eaters,¡± Nero muttered.


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    ¡°Well, we don¡¯t put food on each other¡¯s plates,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯s inefficient. Why not just feed Kemata directly and vice-versa?¡±


    The couple exchanged glances again.


    ¡°¡­Take under advisement,¡± Kemata muttered.


    ¡°Good,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Anyway, now that lunch is over, why not tell us more about the Nihal Senate?¡±


    ¡°Lunch is over for you guys, but we haven¡¯t eaten our fill yet,¡± Nero replied. ¡°You two go cuddle and make out at the corner first. We¡¯ll finish our lunch first. I also need to get some reference materials for you guys, so go ahead and make yourselves at home.¡±


    ¡°¡­You do know that this is our house, right?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Ah. Mhm. It¡¯s hard to remember that sometimes,¡± Nero replied. ¡°But it¡¯s nice, this place. Not only is it heavily defended, but there are also a crap ton of barriers and other emergency measures. Did you know that some Moonlit soldiers tried to force their way through? Even a Moon Emissary came by.¡±


    Claud frowned. ¡°Were our defences supposed to hold off someone of that calibre? I don¡¯t think I made those upgrades.¡±


    ¡°The barriers did, though.¡± Nero looked at him, confused. ¡°The Moon Emissary hammered the barriers for a full hour and nearly broke her arm.¡±


    ¡°Did we have defences this good?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I mean, this place was definitely not fortified to that level. Even in Moon Mansion, the defences can only scare away tri-folders at best. Unless you¡¯re actively empowering them, the barriers and the other artefacts shouldn¡¯t have that kind of power.¡±


    ¡°But we definitely weren¡¯t empowering the barriers, though.¡±


    Kemata bobbed her head. ¡°Were sleeping, both of us.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Claud scratched his head. ¡°Maybe I installed an extra-strong artefact, then. It¡¯s hard to say. We get outliers like this very rarely, and it¡¯s not like we actually can test them for real, right?¡±


    ¡°Makes sense. Well, it¡¯s good that it¡¯s greatly defended.¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh. Okay. You guys can carry on with whatever you wanna do first. We¡¯ll finish lunch quickly and then provide you guys with the information you need.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Claud replied.


    He got up, careful to not show any signs of overwhelming fatigue and weakness, and then followed Lily into the living room. He had been doing a pretty good job of hiding his weakness, so much so that Nero hadn¡¯t even remembered the fact that he was actually suffering from the effects of failing the Third Tutorial. If Nero knew, he could very well refuse to tell them how to find the Black God, out of concern and all.


    Nero definitely had a point in this regard, but Claud couldn¡¯t help but think that the period between now and when he became a high-ranked folder was a crucial one. As tempting as it was, he could not afford to live out this period of weakness comfortably.


    He smiled at Lily apologetically, before holding her hand. There was no need for words or anything here;


    The two of them were reading a book together when Nero and Kemata finally approached them, maps and a book in their hand.


    As Lily kept the book, Nero sat down and eyed Claud. ¡°Look. I don¡¯t know what you are going to ask the Lord about, but it¡¯s probably something important. Really important, perhaps. However¡­¡±


    He took a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s likely to be dangerous. That book¡­when I took it back then, when I first touched it, I could sense an enormous power emanating from it. This book was not penned by someone ordinary. It¡¯s probably something that the Lord or his peers wrote.¡±


    Claud looked at the Holy Son of the Black God quietly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that book is about, and I also don¡¯t want to know. However, I¡¯m here¡­not as His Holy Son, but as your friend. If you need help, and if you need a listening ear, you can talk to me. I can help you too.¡±


    Instinctively, Claud wanted to reject Nero¡¯s offer for aid, but¡­was that what the him of the previous iteration did? Would it be better if he asked the person who understood the divinities and the world far better than the two of them? There was, of course, some danger involved, but if he couldn¡¯t even trust Nero, what was the point of asking the Black God, who may be able to guess what was going on from their questions?


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud shivered once. ¡°Maybe you can.¡±


    He looked at Lily, and then made a pained smile. It was a bit agonising to admit that there was the possibility that he couldn¡¯t protect Lily, but that admission also made him relax somewhat.


    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, you know¡­¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous, though. It¡¯s not like you.¡±


    Claud thought for a few seconds, and then held her hand. ¡°I know it¡¯s not like me, but perhaps not being me might be the key to breaking this solution eventually. Each¡­version came to that realisation at some point in time. After all, that book did end up in the Black God¡¯s hands eventually. He¡­I must have realised the need for help, for people that weren¡¯t the two of us to chip in.¡±


    He looked at Nero. ¡°¡­Thank you for the offer. Normally, I would reject it, but these are extraordinary circumstances. Is it possible to tell you two without, you know, letting your masters know about it?¡±


    Nero made a face, and then froze. Something seemed to dawn in his eyes a moment later, and his expression turned strange as he looked at the two of them.


    ¡°¡­My Lord just granted me an unconditional use of the ability to isolate us from him and the rest of the world,¡± Nero whispered. ¡°He does not want to hear it either.¡±


    ¡°Should I withdraw from this?¡± Kemata asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Secrets between couples are bad. Stay. And¡­sorry.¡±


    She looked at him, and then at Lily. ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Before you start,¡± Nero added, ¡°make sure that what you say can be shared with the others. I don¡¯t want to go behind their backs for this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud closed his eyes for a moment. ¡°And there¡¯s no need to say everything.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±

 Chapter 599: Inexorable destiny

    ¡°A death sentence on Lily¡­¡± Nero made a face. ¡°An unavoidable destiny, a grand disaster¡­the only question is why the Lord has gone so far to help you with this, up and to and including the bit of having me play the role of deliveryman to get a book to you. A book!¡±


    He sounded a bit miffed about that fact, but before Claud could say anything, the Holy Son of the Black God had let out a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s really weird. I¡¯m sure He is not the type to do things for the sake of mortals. Just what is He looking at?¡±


    ¡°Did you hear about Dia?¡± Claud asked. ¡°And how her brother¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Are you implying that Lily¡¯s presence is critical in preventing another nasty incident?¡± Nero asked.


    Claud didn¡¯t reply. The truth, however, was that he would probably end up destroying the whole world if something happened to Lily. In fact, he had the feeling that such a deed was precisely what the various him-s did when they finally gained the power to do so, making use of Destiny¡¯s destruction to empower the ability to create another reality and to affect it.


    As a result, he really wasn¡¯t lying. Of course, Claud had no desire to let Lily figure this out; she would feel horrible if she knew that her being alive was the only thing that was protecting this world or something. It would definitely accentuate her sense of being persecuted, and Claud had heard her sleeptalk a few times already.


    She, too, was scared. Not just about her fate, but about him if she really perished. Lily hadn¡¯t noticed that bit yet, but the agony of watching her smooth over the fact that her death was coming was heart-wrenching for him too. Her smiles, her words, her actions¡­all of them were attempts to smooth over the fact that some time down the road¡­


    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily nudged him.


    ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s just¡­nothing.¡± Claud forced a smile. What did his predecessors feel, as they wrestled with destiny? How did they confront their ever-growing fear of Lily¡¯s death? And how did Lily react to that knowledge?


    Now, however, was not the time to just freeze up. Edging closer to Lily, Claud looked at Nero and said, ¡°That might just be the case. Who knows? But I don¡¯t care about the world. I care about Lily. That¡¯s it. Nothing more.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very Claud, at least.¡± Nero looked at Kemata, who shook her head imperceptibly. ¡°We¡¯re not the right people to tell if there is really such a fate, and how one should best avoid it, but the Lord definitely has a stake in this too, given that book.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And you want to ask him,¡± Nero pressed on. ¡°Regardless of the various dangers you may face and the insanely long trip you will have to take.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. The pages of the book¡­spoke of horrific visions. One where mana-users fell prey to the Distortions in their own manner, turning into alien beings, outsiders that no one can comprehend without risking madness.¡±


    ¡°Limbo,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°Lord. What do you mean by this? Are you inducting him? Or¡­¡±


    ¡°Limbo?¡± Lily asked. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°You will understand, if the road in front of you two truly is that road.¡± Nero made a face. ¡°I will instruct you on how to visit my Lord. If this is truly a book of prophecy, and I have no reason to doubt it, the fact that this book has made its way into your hands is too significant for me to handle. I must send you two to the Black God.¡±


    He took a deep breath. ¡°At the very least, you two must know that what you face are beings not of our world, not of this cycle. They are impurities that must be expunged, for the sake of all life.¡±


    ¡°That serious?¡± Claud frowned.


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    ¡°You said it yourself,¡± Nero replied quietly. ¡°Whatever it is¡­¡±


    Lily glanced at Claud, and then said, ¡°What does this¡­Limbo have to do with me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, but again, I¡¯m sure Dia was also thinking what being the Salvation Star had to do with her. In the end, Schwarz told us that she was instrumental to solving the gigantic Distortion. The divinities work in ways we cannot quite fathom; it is best that we abide by prophecy and respect the warnings of the future.¡±


    ¡°But is fate malleable?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s hard to say. After all, didn¡¯t Dia overcome the fate of a destroyed sovereignty by herself?¡± Nero replied. ¡°Mhm. I know this feeling. It¡¯s the sensation when people come to ask me about something I probably won¡¯t understand¡­fate, I suppose. Given your fixation on this.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Go ahead and ask. I may be the youngest of the Seekers, but I¡¯m definitely the most knowledgeable about the world.¡±


    ¡°Moreso than Risti?¡± Lily asked, curious. ¡°I mean, she looks like she knows a lot too. We might have gone to ask her first if we could reach her easily.¡±


    ¡°Uh, she¡¯s special. An exception.¡± Nero cleared his throat. ¡°So, what do you want to ask?¡±


    ¡°You did guess it right. What¡­conditions are needed if I want to change Lily¡¯s fate?¡±


    ¡°Mhm. That book. Did it tell you that Lily would¡­pass away because of a certain incident, or that she would pass away?¡±


    Claud frowned. The book that his previous iteration had written attributed her death to that particular event where something like a Distortion took her from him. However, he ¡ª and the various iterations of him ¡ª was very aware that the world had it out for her.


    He hesitated for a moment, but Lily already knew anyway. To hide it now was to do her a massive disservice.


    ¡°The latter,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s troublesome.¡± Nero cupped his chin. ¡°Kemata, do you have any idea about this?¡±


    ¡°Why are you asking her?¡± Lily asked. ¡°No offence, but you¡¯re not a Holy Daughter, right?¡±


    ¡°Noble. Supreme Saran.¡±  Kemata paused, and for a moment, Claud could feel the heavy pressure of an invisible scythe. ¡°Learned many things.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡± Claud and Lily chorused together.


    ¡°You two are adorable,¡± Nero remarked. ¡°Anyhow, do you have any suggestions? You said something about the teachers touching on fate and destiny, right?¡±


    ¡°Not my major,¡± Kemata replied.


    ¡°Okay, so that¡¯s another place we have to go after this,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Mhm. And well, the Blue God is also based in the Saran Supremacy. Maybe we can ask really nicely and he¡¯ll tell us something.¡±


    ¡°You do know that the Indigo God is based in Nihal, right? And the Violet Goddess too,¡± Nero added. ¡°You can pay them a visit too. You can ask my Lord for help in this regard, but¡­expect there to be a commensurate price. Nothing¡¯s free in this world, after all.¡±


    ¡°What would the divinities want from me?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯d know the answer?¡± Nero replied. ¡°Anyway¡­well, I¡¯ll pass you some tokens that represent me. The Black Church will treat you as they would treat me, and if you see my successor, tell him to come here. I have some instructions for him.¡±


    ¡°Your successor?¡± Claud asked. ¡°The next Holy Son?¡±


    ¡°As long as I¡¯m alive, there won¡¯t be a next Holy Son.¡± Nero paused. ¡°Apparently, anyway. Well, I don¡¯t know what position that kid will have, but when that fellow hears about your visit, he or she will definitely come to look for you two. I¡¯ll trouble you to hand that person a few things later.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the least we can do after all,¡± Lily added. ¡°So, a little Nero¡­should we get some drinks for your successor? Would your successor be equally immune to alcohol intoxication?¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a good research topic,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°The Black God confers mental strength to his followers, protecting them from mental weakness¡­it would be interesting to see your successor gulp down alcohol.¡±


    ¡°Well, I actually do have a few bottles of Schwarz¡¯s booze left.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re willing to give them some?¡± Kemata asked, in a tone that departed from her usual stilted speech.


    ¡°¡­She just conjugated a whole sentence,¡± Lily whispered.


    ¡°I know,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Nero doing that is this surprising?¡±


    ¡°I can hear you two clowns, okay?¡± Nero replied, glaring at them. ¡°And it seems so¡­¡±


    ¡°Alcoholic,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Do you want my help or not?¡± Nero replied. ¡°If so, just shut your traps. Sheesh. I¡¯m going to get some things for you now.¡±


    He got up and fled the room, leaving behind a gust in his wake.


    ¡°Quite a character,¡± Claud commented.


    ¡°We all have our own idiosyncrasies,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Still, that trait must really come in handy at times¡­what other funny things have you discovered about him, Kemata? Anything interesting that you might wanna tell us?¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± A distant voice echoed over. ¡°It¡¯s private, so stop asking!¡±


    ¡°Bah. Fine¡­¡± Claud made a face. ¡°Well, it¡¯s good that you kept my place neat and tidy. Keep it up. We¡¯ll be gone for some time.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Stay well too.¡± Her eyes flashed once. ¡°Weakened, yes?¡±


    ¡°You can tell?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Don¡¯t tell him, though¡­¡±

 Chapter 600: To Nihal!

    ¡°Got all that?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°Damn. I thought I was insane, but there¡¯s someone else like me in the Black Church?¡± Claud asked, bobbing his head. ¡°The level of security just to talk to a decision-maker in the Black Church is insane, man.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the special line for the Blessed and His Holy Son,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Of course it has to be really secure.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you put it that way, it sounds reasonable,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Still, this entire set is insane¡­¡±


    He gazed at the map, which had been laid out on the floor. Nero had spent the last hour explaining to the two of them the directions to the Nihal capital, where there were allegedly entrances to multiple Divine Kingdoms. The Black God, the Violet Goddess and the Indigo God apparently could be found in the capital, much like how the White God and the Green God could apparently be reached in Grandia.


    ¡°We can¡¯t really go to them ourselves, right?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°No can do,¡± Nero replied. ¡°You need to have the Black Church¡¯s top echelons conduct you there. With my help, it won¡¯t be a problem, so you two just need to play nice. You two have the rationality to maintain discretion, so it shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°We won¡¯t cause any trouble for you.¡±


    ¡°There is no need to reassure someone who has faith in you,¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°Trust is the prerequisite, not the expectation,¡± Kemata added.


    Claud nodded, and then touched the small package that Nero had prepared for them. The Holy Son of the Black God had written down the instructions and drawn some directions for them to move in.


    ¡°Well.¡± He stood up. ¡°Thanks for your help, Nero.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, really.¡± The Holy Son winked at him. ¡°Besides, I owe you quite the debt. This house is pleasant and well-protected. I even saw the emergency instructions you left¡­that¡¯s very useful, really. And I¡¯m glad I learned about this issue too.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go spreading it around.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a Holy Son. Keeping my lips shut is like the basic requirement, if you get my point.¡± His expression turned solemn. ¡°Good luck, Claud, Lily. If all this blows over and you two escape this fate, treat us to a meal or something.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Lily took Claud¡¯s hand. ¡°We won¡¯t hold you up anymore.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Nero and Kemata walked them out to the garden, where the barriers were hiding everything inside from sight.


    ¡°Farewell. Good luck.¡± Kemata bobbed her head at them. ¡°Come back with good news.¡±


    ¡°We will,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Well then¡­¡±


    The two of them walked out of the barrier together.


    ¡°Gosh,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°So many of you guys here, waiting for us. What do you intend to do? Fight us? I¡¯m quite down for that, if you really want.¡±


    Against predators, backing off and fleeing was always a bad idea. For one, fleeing was essentially giving up the chance to observe the enemy directly. It would immediately put the prey at a disadvantage, and depending on the power differential, such an intelligence gap could be fatal. Secondly, fleeing also heightened the predator instinct, and reduced the chance of a peaceful negotiation way out.


    Lily eyed the Moonlit soldiers, who were all waiting outside the barrier. None of them seemed particularly strong to Claud, but what he was looking at was the personage behind those Moonlit soldiers. Was it a Moon Emissary that was directing them? Or was a Moon? This question was the one that concerned Claud the most, but getting the answer would not be easy.


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    After all, the Moon Emissaries definitely knew that they would be able to get a better effect by claiming that they were from the Moons. If they really weren¡¯t backed by the Moons right now, Claud wouldn¡¯t mind just leaving directly, but if a Moon was backing them up¡­


    He stared at the Moonlit soldiers in silence, and before long, some of them backed away. Some part of him found the fact that he had just stared down a bunch of Moonlit soldiers quite hilarious, but it definitely helped that his and Lily¡¯s name had become a bit well-known.


    As the other Moonlit soldiers retreated back by another step, one extra-shiny fellow took three steps towards Claud. ¡°What business do you have in this house?¡±


    ¡°This house?¡± Claud narrowed his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s my house.¡±


    The Moonlit soldier, probably an officer, narrowed her eyes. ¡°Your house¡­mhm. You are?¡±


    ¡°Is there a need for questions?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Last I checked, the Moons and the Dark are at a ceasefire. And this is my house.¡±


    ¡°That may not always be the case,¡± the soldier replied.


    ¡°But this is my house,¡± Claud replied. He narrowed his eyes. ¡°Mhm. Well, if war really begins once more, you will not just be facing a Bearer of Destiny, but other personages that rival the Dark and the Moons. For your own safety, I suggest that you do not take part in this at all.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°Now, if you¡¯d please, we have places to be.¡±


    The Moonlit soldier glared at them, but said nothing. Fortunately, this confrontation had not played out the way that Claud had feared, which was probably for the best. From the looks of it, the bunch of soldiers here were acting without the Moons or the Moon Emissaries¡¯ backing, which explained why they weren¡¯t pushing the issue any further.


    After a few seconds, the Moonlit soldiers turned and left.


    ¡°Alright. At least we¡¯re all peaceful and stuff.¡± Claud closed his eyes. ¡°Now then¡­¡±


    ¡°Are we going to Nihal now?¡± Lily asked. ¡°In your current condition?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not feeling it much right now for some reason,¡± Claud replied, a grin on his face. ¡°Sure, my body feels like there¡¯s armour on it, but the number of layers has dropped quite significantly ever since I stumbled on this lead. All thanks to you!¡±


    Lily eyed him once, and then sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll be keeping an eye on you, but don¡¯t go pushing yourself. Time is our ally, for now.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°I think not, actually. I have this sinking feeling that time is running out for us. Maybe in one year or so. The Distortions sweeping the world didn¡¯t happen before, in the previous iterations. It must be something that the previous me did, but I¡¯m not sure why he did what he did. I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    He held his head. ¡°Is it intentional? Or is this an outcome that arose from something else?¡±


    ¡°¡­What is that something else?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Moons if I knew,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Moons if I knew.¡±


    He let out a small sigh, and then checked his Status. The cooldown of his Will of Freedom had refreshed; at level 11, its cooldown was only two hours. All his Will skills were at level 11, but now Claud was wondering if there was a level 12 to his skills.


    If so, it would mean that he could have his skills accessible at any moment, even if he dispelled them immediately after use¡­but that was just him being very extravagant at this point


    He shook himself. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Pulling Lily close to himself, he activated Will of Freedom, and they began to rise up. Claud swept the city beneath him once with a slow gaze, burning into his eyes the sleepy little town of Monsville.


    ¡°Is this going to be a long trip?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty good question.¡± Claud made a face. ¡°After all, I don¡¯t know how fast cross-continent travel can be, even with Will of Freedom.¡±


    Of course, the fact that Will of Freedom lasted thirty days meant that there would never be a moment when they weren¡¯t flying. It was not a matter of whether they could get to the Nihal continent, but a matter of when.


    ¡°Mhm. At full speed¡­well, it¡¯s time to test it out, right? If we can charge there and back in a matter of hours, we can consider flying to other continents for dinner next time.¡± Lily rubbed her hands. ¡°And we can even bring other people along, right?¡±


    ¡°Wait, what exactly are you thinking of me as?¡±


    Lily blinked cutely at him, and Claud promptly gave up. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll ferry you around to wherever you feel like it.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    ¡°Okay, so hold on to me now¡­wait. We should keep time too,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°If it¡¯s a few hours, it¡¯s not so bad. Otherwise, we¡¯ll have to lower the number of trips.¡±


    Lily¡¯s eyes shimmered, and Claud patted her again. ¡°Maybe we can also go around to the Lacheln continent too. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice? Getting dishes from all over the continent.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m getting hungry already.¡± Lily rubbed her tummy. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Claud gazed at Monsville one last time, before recalling the map that he had memorised earlier. Flying towards the Nihal continent wasn¡¯t hard; it was finding his way around the continent itself that was far harder.


    For that reason, the first stop was most important.

 Chapter 601: Nihal!

    ¡°Water, water, water, water¡­¡± Lily, who was sitting on thin air, looked around and made a face. ¡°I¡¯m bored.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not bored, though. We¡¯re literally sitting down on air right now,¡± Claud replied, an odd look on his face. That expression had been sitting there ever since the sun went down¡­or rather, ever since Lily wondered if it was possible to sit down and ¡°fly¡± towards the Nihal continent.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been staring at me for the last two hours.¡±


    ¡°Come on. You have to admit. Sitting down like this is genius.¡± Claud poked her tummy gently.


    ¡°Says the person who¡¯s been trying out every single weird pose for the past hour or so,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s kinda in the description, right? Your Will of Freedom skill. Who cares what pose we¡¯re in? No one, apparently. As long as I¡¯m holding you, it¡¯s quite fine.¡±


    ¡°How does this even work anyway?¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°At this point of time, I¡¯m half-sure that this world is a bit weird. I mean, sitting down while we¡¯re flying at speeds I can¡¯t even fathom? Really? Whew. I don¡¯t even know how fast we¡¯re flying right now, other than the fact that the sea and the sky are moving visibly above our heads.¡±


    ¡°Not as fast as the divinities, though.¡±


    Claud felt himself sober up immediately, and he nodded once. ¡°Yeah. Not as fast as the divinities, that¡¯s for sure. Those guys seem to pop up nearly instantaneously, even though some of them are based in entirely different continents. We¡¯re just rookies compared to them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a nice thought.¡±


    ¡°Nope. Not at all.¡±


    Claud looked around him, and then frowned. ¡°Odd. It¡¯s as if the area around me is under¡­my control or something.¡±


    ¡°What brought that on?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I was thinking about the skill and why it seemed so convenient. We can sit down while flying through the air?¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°That¡¯s a bit¡­weird, if not outright wrong.¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean, but why did you suddenly think about your control or whatever?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m introspective or something.¡± Claud closed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll take this chance to examine Will of Freedom for a bit, since we¡¯re just screwing around at this point of time.¡±


    Lily sighed. ¡°At least you know you were screwing around for the past hour¡­¡±


    ¡°I said ¡®we¡¯, though¡­¡±


    Claud sat down next to Lily, and then began to probe with his sense. The air around him seemed to be saturated with his own lifeforce, which he had only noticed because of its unique hollowness. It was like the sleeping gas that he once dabbled with in his traps, except that the gas itself had colour but no effect. If he was in his usual condition, Claud half-believed that he could actually do something with the lifeforce that had permeated the area around him.


    If that was his lifeforce, could he make it glow? That thought danced through his mind for a moment, and something seemed to change all around him.


    He opened his eyes, and then grinned.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°It seems that the Will of Freedom skill makes use of my lifeforce, in a sense. It belongs to me, and when the skill ends, the lifeforce returns. Or maybe the substance of the skill is comprised of my lifeforce, and mana keeps my lifeforce under control.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so¡­there¡¯s like something around us. That something is made from your lifeforce and mana?¡± Lily asked. ¡°What if there¡¯s an attack, and that something is destroyed?¡±


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    ¡°That¡¯s a good point,¡± Claud replied, before reaching out to the weird area around him. It seemed to be part of him, but he couldn¡¯t control it fully ¡ª he could only control its movement, and¡ª


    ¡°Oh!¡± Claud clapped his hands. ¡°I get how this works now! Will of Freedom essentially suspends us in an area of lifeforce and mana that I can control! As long as you remain in that area around me, I can also encapsulate you and anything else in it!¡±


    ¡°And the speed issue?¡±


    ¡°Not sure how that works, unfortunately.¡± Claud didn¡¯t let that fact get him down, however. ¡°This is amazing! In a sense, if I can replicate and learn how to do this on my own, the skill also becomes useless, right?¡±


    ¡°Theoretically, but how would you learn this?¡±


    Something like a bucket of cold water seemed to rush his mind, and Claud made a face. ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡±


    He looked out, sighed, and then blinked. ¡°Wait. That¡¯s¡­land.¡±


    ¡°Land?¡± Lily blinked. ¡°Wait, land? We¡¯re already at the Nihal continent?¡±


    ¡°Seems like it.¡± He gazed at the spires that seemed to connect the sky and the ground. These spires were powerful artefacts that also served as the homes for the various senators of the Nihal Senate, allowing them an incredible level of offensive and defensive capabilities as long as they stayed within the spire.


    ¡°Best to avoid these things,¡± Lily noted. ¡°Those spires are a nasty piece of work.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s something that allows the senators to avoid gulping down a ton of lifestones,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And saves them the hassle of dealing with unruly mobs¡­or crowds protesting against their rule.¡±


    He thought about Nero¡¯s explanation of these spires and their capabilities. Apparently, those things were capable of precision strikes and granted their senator a powerful barrier as long as they stayed within range of the tower, which was pretty damn huge. The barrier was effectively impervious as long as there were lifestones and people powering the Senator Spires.


    Annoyingly enough, they also had weapons that were capable of targeting people in mid-air, because flying ships were actually a thing in Nihal. Why the Grandis Empire didn¡¯t have those nifty little things was a question answered by the existence of little things called flight stones, which for some reason appeared at around the same frequency as lifestones¡­


    At any rate, flying was a thing in Nihal. The number of lifestones in Nihal, however, was a lot lower, presumably because flight stones existed and also came in mines. Flight stone mines also existed, and were mined by slaves, felons and people who really needed money.


    ¡°Flying ships.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud looked at a small formation of ships that were flying around. Actual, seaborne ships also existed, but apparently, they were usually used for huge quantities of trade goods rather than to ferry people around.


    ¡°Should we hide ourselves?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°No point. We¡¯ll just continue on¡­but we do need to get our bearings first,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°The landing point that Nero suggested is the Nox Spire. Nero described it as a spire that was always giving out black smoke and trying its hardest to seem evil.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why he described it as that, but eh.¡± Claud willed the suspended space around them to move towards that smoky spire, before gazing at the ships that were floating around it. They were supported by structures that looked purpose-built for the express purpose of holding them.


    ¡°Flying must be a mess here,¡± Lily observed. ¡°Do accidents occur?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± Claud glanced at the shoreline directly underneath them, and then lowered their altitude. Now that they were officially in Nihal, albeit a few kilometres above ground, he could see the sprawling city that grew around the Nox Spire. It was decidedly different from the way the Grandis Emperor dealt with land and ruled his territory, since the nobles all had different ranks.


    However, in the Nihal Senate, the Senators were all equals. Only the First Lord or First Lady were special; they were first amongst equals¡­and had a lot of resources to keep it that way.


    Something called votes and suffrage was all the rage in Nihal too; apparently, citizens of the Nihal Senate could decide who to have as their leader every five years. Would-be senators would parade around their city of birth and attempt to win over the people there into voting for them, a process overseen by the First Lady or First Lord to ensure fairness, before the people voted by way of marking on papers and¡­something.


    Nero didn¡¯t describe the process in that much detail either, so there was no helping it.


    No one noticed the two of them as they landed in a small alley.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit weird. We took about eight hours to travel, but there¡¯s no one to boast about this too,¡± Claud observed, a wry grin on his face.


    ¡°Maybe the others when we get back?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Okay, we are at least at the Nox Spire¡­are we staying here for the night? Or are we going to leave after a quick bite?¡±


    Claud yawned once. ¡°Let¡¯s try out the inns in this place, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Nihal hospitality, huh?¡± Lily looked around the alley. ¡°Maybe there might be exciting stuff that occurs in front of us. Like some rabble rouser, or a knight and a princess¡­¡±


    ¡°Princess Dia?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a special princess, so not her¡­¡±


    ¡°I think her story is more unbelievable than that of a novel¡¯s, though?¡± Claud tilted his head. ¡°Nothing seems illogical at this point.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡±

 Chapter 602: The story behind open-air cooking

    The inn was bubbling with chatter and sizzling sounds as Claud and Lily occupied a table at the corner. The chef was cooking in the open, and judging by how there weren¡¯t any surprised people asking about it, this seemed like the norm.


    ¡°Open cooking?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Anyone can steal secrets and secret recipes that way, though.¡±


    ¡°Well¡ª¡±


    ¡°Chef, what¡¯s in this shaker?¡± someone asked.


    ¡°Saffron,¡± the chef replied, without looking up. ¡°Take a sniff if you like.¡±


    Claud rubbed his eyes as the customer literally did just that, and then shook his head a few more times. ¡°That can¡¯t be hygienic, can it? And everyone¡¯s like nonchalant about this. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    The two of them continued to observe for a few more seconds, before one of the nearby waiters, who was wearing a tight, reflective set of clothes, walked over.


    ¡°Sir, ma¡¯am. What will you have?¡±


    Claud looked at the menu and glanced at the customer who was sniffing, but before he could say anything, the waiter asked, ¡°Are you two from the other continents?¡±


    Claud pondered for three seconds, before deciding that there wasn¡¯t much risk in divulging their origins. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious. People from the other continents look at the chef in a weird manner,¡± the waiter replied. ¡°Either they¡¯re worried that someone might steal the chef¡¯s recipes, or that they¡¯re wondering why someone just took a whiff of the saffron or the chili powder.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we were thinking about, yes,¡± Lily added. ¡°What¡¯s with that?¡±


    ¡°All these ensure that the food cooked is not poisonous,¡± the waiter replied. ¡°Or rather, if anything happens to the customers in these venues, the chef is not at fault. It is the onus of the customer to doubt and verify things of their own accord. That¡¯s how it works in Nihal.¡±


    Claud thought for a moment, before producing a silver piece. The waiter glanced at it once, and then said, ¡°Grandis currency is¡­accepted in the outer cities, but you should exchange it for Nihal dollars as soon as possible. The exchange rate done in-house is not good.¡±


    He promptly got the message, and then pulled out a few more silvers, before adding on some gold coins. ¡°Well, if you can tell me more, I¡¯ll buy more food here. We just got to Nihal after a very long and tiring journey¡± ¡ªLily twitched¡ª ¡°and we are famished.¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course, of course. That is natural, really.¡± The waiter rubbed his hands. ¡°Allow me to order for you.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Claud exchanged glances with Lily. ¡°Do bring out your best dishes for us two, thank you.¡±


    The waiter grinned. ¡°On it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you can spare some time to introduce some¡­customs of Nihal too? You must be tired,¡± Claud added. ¡°With so many customers around, why not take a rest and tell us about Nihal?¡±


    ¡°The boss doesn¡¯t mind if you are buying a lot.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we are buying a lot.¡± Claud grinned at him. ¡°Go ahead. Order for yourself too. We¡¯re paying.¡±


    The waiter rubbed his hands again, and then ran off. Before long, the chef began cooking with a redoubled effort, and the other patrons of the inn applauded as he began to show off the various ways in which one could toss up food and play with fire at the same time. Claud believed that one shouldn¡¯t play with food, courtesy of his mother, but this was a whole different game entirely.


    ¡°Seems like money just opens a lot of doors, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Lily asked, her eyes also following the food as they flew around in mid-air, tossed by energetic movements.


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    ¡°Mhm. Well, that was easy. It seems that being a frontier city has its own perks,¡± Claud observed. ¡°Do you have your anti-poison artefacts on you?¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°They¡¯re always on me.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Claud checked his own equipment, before looking out of the door. ¡°It¡¯s amazing how cultures diverge so wildly. For such a development of this level¡­there must have been multiple high-profile cases of poisonings or something.¡±


    ¡°And a gathering of chefs must have protested against rulings that targeted chefs,¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Claud blinked a few times. ¡°How did you come to that conclusion?¡±


    ¡°This habit is clearly protecting the chefs,¡± Lily replied. ¡°After all, as you mentioned, there are definitely hygiene issues, right? But more crucially, the open way in which meals are prepared can mean that ether the chefs of Nihal are very blas¨¦ about their cooking secrets, or that there is a regulatory body with considerable influence that prevents recipes from being stolen.¡±


    She closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°Or rather, controls the dissemination of recipes. Maybe one must buy the right to produce a dish, or else they cannot sell them?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s such a thing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible, at least.¡± Her eyes opened. ¡°But all that is just interesting, right? We have more important things to do.¡±


    ¡°More important, true, but we can also see instances where the small things are the ones that truly mattered,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°I know.¡± Lily¡¯s nose twitched. ¡°Oh, the waiter¡¯s back¡­wow, that¡¯s a lot.¡±


    People stared at the waiter, and then at the two of them, as a cart laden with dishes stopped next to Claud. His stomach rumbled with a majesty that could probably rival that of the Moons preparing some lightning bolts, and Lily poked his stomach.


    ¡°Thunder of the five grand skies, eh?¡±


    ¡°Close enough.¡± Claud looked at the waiter, who had prepared a meal for himself too. ¡°Did we buy enough to make your boss pleased?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± The waiter took a very deep breath. ¡°Aaah. Don¡¯t worry. I also observed the cooking process personally. Chef Felix handled your dishes with a level of care that I rarely see. It seems that the huge order got him fired up¡­of course, I hope you don¡¯t mind me telling him that you two are from another continent.¡±


    ¡°No issue there, if it gets us your chef¡¯s full ability.¡± Claud looked at the dishes. ¡°Mind introducing these dishes? I¡¯ve never seen such¡­noodles before.¡±


    ¡°Noodles? My dear man, these are pasta dishes. Noodles are made from common wheat; I assure you our pastas are made from the best durum flour. Savour the various pastas slowly, and you will feel a sublime harmony of rigidity and softness. Go ahead.¡±


    Claud and Lily exchanged glances after their first spoonful of pasta, which had broken on first contact, only to reveal a firm core.


    ¡°Ufufu.¡± The waiter chuckled at their faces, and then began to introduce the other dishes. Some of them were self-explanatory, like the various grilled meats, while others required a bit more elaboration, like the quaint desserts that seemed to replace wine and alcohol in general.


    Dinner, as it turned out, stretched to an hour. Claud was feeling a bit full by the time he finished off the last dish, while Lily was already in a small stupor, induced by the food. It was a condition that she could solve easily, but there was also some charm in just revelling in the delight of having a full stomach.


    It was a delight that didn¡¯t care whether he was in a hollowed-out state or not.


    ¡°So,¡± Claud eventually asked, ¡°what¡¯s with the weird open-air cooking and random sampling of ingredients?¡±


    Lily shivered once, and the sublime bliss of a full stomach she was experiencing vanished. Like him, she was more than capable of adjusting her mental state at any given moment¡­which was probably more significant than these words gave her credit for, because Lily knew about her impending destiny.


    The ability to adjust her mental state and to control her emotions was on a level that Claud found himself envying. If he had such an ability too¡­


    The waiter, who was completely clueless about the whole thing, cleared his throat and said, ¡°To answer this question, we¡¯ll need to first return to the roots of the Nihal Senate. Do you two know what a democracy is? It¡¯s, simply put, a system where people choose their own representatives to represent them in a government. However, there are¡­some issues, of course. For instance, everyone needs to decide on the people who can become representatives. The requirements are high, so in the end, in the internal elections, there are only a few people that can qualify as future Senators.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°And this is related?¡±


    ¡°Well, to win, one can either win over the hearts of everyone through various means¡­or get rid of the opposition altogether,¡± the waiter continued. ¡°No prizes for guessing which was easier. The First Lady, however, was sick of potential candidates just dying, so she announced an ordinance that would investigate any death of senator candidates, natural or otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but¡­how is this related?¡± Lily asked, leaning her head against Claud¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Well, the second-best way to defeat your opponent turned out to be poisoning the banquets that he or she would hold to rally support,¡± the waiter replied. ¡°The chefs, some of which were innocent bystanders and the others actual poisoners, protested against the assumption of guilt placed against them.¡±


    He paused for a moment. ¡°One thing led to another, and before we knew it, the chefs decided to move their cooking outside.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait, wait. You just skipped a whole bunch of things there, right?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±

 Chapter 603: Poking a metaphorical beehive

    ¡°Senators and spire lords¡­¡± Claud mulled over the informal term of address for the senators of Nihal, before looking up. ¡°In the end, it¡¯s just another way of creating a noble family, right?¡±


    ¡°Definitely better than the alternative we have back in Grandis,¡± Lily replied. ¡°After all, you can¡¯t really choose your ruler in Grandis. If you want the guy to change, you need to exterminate the entire family or begin a really long and dangerous process to get Emperor Grandis to shut the offending family down.¡±


    She paused. ¡°Since all nobles are supposedly appointed by the Emperor, protesting against a noble family is protesting against his choice and his decision. It is quite the contentious decision, so¡­anyone who wants to go down that route would need to face a lot of things.¡±


    Claud looked at Lily intently, and then asked, ¡°What sort of things are we talking about here?¡±


    ¡°Assassinations, challenges, insults, bureaucratic obstruction, idiots who don¡¯t know any better, idiots who only know how to respond with outrage when someone wants to upend the status quo, idiots who are distantly related to a crappy noble family that engages in illegal and immoral stuff¡­the list goes on.¡±


    Clearly, the trauma that was Lily¡¯s family was still there, even if it had settled for the most part.


    ¡°Sorry for bringing this unpleasant topic up.¡± Claud rubbed her head. ¡°Forgive me?¡±


    Lily squished his cheeks. ¡°All is forgiven.¡±


    ¡°Meep.¡±


    ¡°What are you, the meeplings?¡± Lily shook her head, and the little fellows hanging around in Claud¡¯s pocket jiggled. ¡°Oh, they¡¯re awake. Should we let them out?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not.¡±


    The two of them headed to a more desolate part of the city, before Claud pulled out the three little meeplings, who promptly scuttled up his neck and perched on his head.


    ¡°Meep! Meep!¡± Crown danced around on his head, whirling and spinning on its tiny little edge. Claud could tell, because said edge was poking his scalp, and after letting the little guy whirl for three seconds, he reached up and grabbed the little spinning fellow.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough.¡±


    ¡°Meep.¡± Crown jiggled in his hand, and the two other meeplings hopped onto it.


    ¡°We¡¯re in the Nihal continent,¡± Lily added. ¡°You guys should be fine with the change of scenery, but if you don¡¯t feel well or something, sound off.¡±


    ¡°What are we supposed to do if that happens?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Wait, why are you looking at me?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you know something?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I mean, you are their caretaker. Like their main caretaker. I¡¯m just an assistant here¡­¡±


    ¡°True, but I know as much as you regarding these little fellows,¡± Claud replied, before raising his hand to his neck. They hopped onto his shoulders without any delay, nuzzling into his neck and making themselves at home. ¡°Still, what are you guys exactly?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a question that probably won¡¯t be answered for some time,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Now¡­are we going to continue our journey?¡±


    Claud thought for a moment. ¡°Actually, I want to explore and test this Spire for a bit. The Nox Spire is one of the outermost Spires. Its defences and capabilities probably aren¡¯t as pronounced at the ones further inland, since none of the three continents have declared war on each other before.¡±


    If they had been at war with each other, the outermost Spires would have been heavily improved and fortified. However, the six thousand years of peace meant that there was little impetus to improve the outermost Spires, unless done so by their own owners to defend against other Senators.


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    ¡°We¡¯re testing the weakest of the lot, though,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Is that really going to yield valuable data?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good time to,¡± Claud replied. ¡°The First Lady and her strongest people are all in Grandis, searching around for the Fourth Bearer of Destiny and hoping to brutally murder him in a way that will enter the history books of this world and the mythological books of the new world.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Nice, the way I put it.¡±


    ¡°You sound like it¡¯s none of your business whatsoever,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Be a bit more careful, okay?¡±


    ¡°¡­Someone saying that to me is a bit novel, but it¡¯s you!¡± Claud grinned. ¡°Well, we¡¯re doing this together, so no worries.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Lily let out a sigh. ¡°Or rather, you shouldn¡¯t be doing anything this strenuous anyway. You¡¯re still recuperating, and you look a bit frail right now. Maybe we should put off this test.¡±


    ¡°No can do,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We¡¯re short of time, and I did have enough time to rest during our dinner. We need to figure out what¡¯s exactly going on and what the rest of that book is saying. After all, there¡¯s another catastrophe looming. It¡¯s possible that Dia¡¯s brother sacrificed himself for the wrong thing, or the Distortion that affected Licencia was just a shadow of the real deal. We need to be prepared.¡±


    Lily looked at him with a complicated gaze. ¡°This whole thing is very¡­screwed up, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I suspect that my previous self was behind the whole Distortion thing, at this point of time,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Ugh. If I can understand how time works and how time flows, we¡¯ll be better able to navigate the next few years¡­or we can just camp out in a place devoid of anyone whatsoever.¡±


    ¡°I know you can do that, but¡­can you really bear to do that?¡± Lily asked, gazing at him with a tender expression.


    ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°There are people other than me that also matter,¡± Lily replied. ¡°That¡¯s true for both of us, right? And while I¡¯m perfectly willing to throw everything aside to go with you, the same can¡¯t be said for Dia and the others. That¡¯s why we¡¯re here. You know, it¡¯s¡­I¡¯m happy that you¡¯re going so far for me, but it¡¯s also making me feel guilty and everything.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. You¡¯re more important than you realise,¡± Claud replied, patting her head. She squinted as he played with her cheeks for a while, before glancing up at the sky to look at the clouds above. ¡°Now, then¡­shall we go test the defences of this place?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Will of Freedom. Will of Solitude.¡±


    Once again, Claud paid close attention to the activation of these two skills. He could feel his lifeforce and his mana control the area around him, before holding the two of them in place. At the same time, the two energies seemed to vanish from his senses, and Claud lost track of himself entirely.


    ¡°Whoa.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I tried to trace the activation of the two skills,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯s¡­a weird experience. Not going to describe it too much just yet, though. Now, then.¡±


    He gazed at the spire. ¡°We¡¯ll need to deal with this big boy and kick it a few times, yes? I wonder what it has in store for us.¡±


    Lily grinned. ¡°Do you want me to do the kicking?¡±


    Claud thought for a moment, and then gestured grandly. ¡°It¡¯ll be my pleasure if you do. I¡¯m still feeling a bit empty, and given the choice, I don¡¯t want to move all that much. If you¡¯d do the kicking, I¡¯d be very much obliged.¡±


    ¡°We should really rest, though¡­¡± Lily looked at him, worried, and then squared her shoulders. Mana fluttered around her, forming solid stakes that looked like they had been hammered hundreds of times.


    Claud rarely saw her attack, so he took in this side of her with relish. Her serious face, one filled with contemplation and heavy planning, was a side that she rarely revealed to Claud. Since he had handled most of the heavy lifting up until that point¡­


    Maybe he should let Lily do more in the future. Perhaps, the previous him was too protective of Lily, preventing her from learning more about defence. All she knew was gleaned from him, in the form of theory without any practice. If she was truly, one day, brought away by some Distortion or whatever, such a lack of actual experience would be fatal.


    ¡°¡­Maybe you should do more things without my interference,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°I may have done you a grave disservice.¡±


    ¡°Claud?¡±


    ¡°¡­Nothing.¡± After making up his mind to make Lily act independently, he held her hands once and said, ¡°You should do this more often.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°Sure, but why?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s necessary for you to do things more often,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I don¡¯t like the future that is depicted in front of me. But if it¡¯s inevitable, then the only way is for you to overcome it yourself. And I must ensure that you can overcome it yourself, right? Mana control, your skills in protecting yourself¡­all that, and more.¡±


    He took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m scared, but this calls for me to trust in you and your abilities.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°I was thinking that too. So¡­¡±


    ¡°Combat training?¡±


    ¡°In your current state, though¡­¡±


    Claud touched his chin. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure I can endure it. No worries on my part. Now, then. I suppose this can be your first move. So, tell me what you¡¯ve planned, and explain it to me¡­¡±

 Chapter 604: Seeing the Spires

    ¡°Well, in the end, it¡¯s just me hurling some attacks at this Spire. There¡¯s really nothing complicated about this, right?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Too much complexity is also a problem.¡±


    Claud bobbed his head. ¡°That¡¯s a good point. I mean, I like the direct approach too.¡±


    ¡°The very direct approach,¡± Lily corrected. ¡°To be more specific, the approach where you hurl a blazing spear of mana at your targets. You seem to be getting the hang of obliterating enemies with that. Your kill count is very impressive.¡±


    Chuckling once, Claud looked at the Spire. ¡°Well, then¡­I¡¯m at your command.¡±


    ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s start by flying to it. That point will do.¡± Lily pointed at a random patch of wall.


    With Will of Solitude and Will of Freedom activated, it was quite easy for them to waltz right up to the Spire¡¯s walls, and Claud examined the structure carefully. Unlike its exterior appearance might suggest, the Spire was actually made from metal; the paint job on it only made it resemble bricks. In fact, Claud had the feeling that this Spire¡¯s very structure was made by rolling up a very large sheet of metal.


    ¡°Well, this is¡­unexpected.¡± Clad glanced at Lily, who looked quite excited. ¡°Um. Your expression is a bit off, you know!¡±


    ¡°I rarely get to pit my explosives against metal structures!¡± Lily pulled out a bunch of packages, which she promptly stuck onto the walls. ¡°One, two, three¡­hmm. Should I stick a few more on anyway, or call it a day? It¡¯s hard to say¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, we aren¡¯t demolishing this structure!¡±


    ¡°¡­Can we?¡± Lily turned a set of googly eyes to Claud, and his heart trembled. There was something about those eyes that made him unable to say no, but...he really couldn¡¯t agree.


    His heart twisted as he shook his head. ¡°We can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lily beamed. ¡°Alright, then! I¡¯ll just replace these with smoke-emitting ones instead. We¡¯ll just shake the tower with one bomb, and then let the smoke scare everyone else. Should I make it very loud too? Well, it¡¯s just a stress test, so making it nice, loud and visible should really be the objective here¡­¡±


    She fiddled with the packages again, and Claud tilted his head. ¡°Huh. You didn¡¯t swap them out.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. All I have to do is to adjust their burning levels,¡± Lily explained. ¡°It¡¯s all about volume burned at once. For instance, if you want lots and lots of smoke, you want the burning to take place under imperfect conditions; low air, lots of material, and an increasing volume to burn over time. These produce a steadily growing column of smoke that draw a lot of people.¡±


    ¡°Okay. What about sound and force?¡±


    ¡°They have similar conditions, but if there¡¯s an outlet for force, it ceases to become an issue,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Only if you enclose rapidly burning black powder and not leave significant openings would you get force. You don¡¯t really need much; all that¡¯s needed is a small space. The only ones that need me to add things are light; if you want a really bright flare, you need certain ingredients.¡±


    Claud bobbed his head. ¡°The one I remember making only emits lots of smoke¡­¡±


    ¡°The art of explosions is very profound.¡± Lily fiddled with the packages one last time, and then nodded. ¡°Alright. Take us away!¡±


    Without any warning or noticeable force, the two of them retreated rapidly from the Spire. One minute later, there was a small burst of orange light, and hundreds of loud, cracking sounds filled the air as the tower shook madly. In that instant, vast blue light surged up from the foundations of the Spire, enveloping it in an eggshell of mana. The eggshell trembled, releasing pulses of mana throughout the entire city.


    Bells jangled as soldiers took to the skies in small flying ships, crossbows at the ready. Mana too enveloped these ships, protecting them from attacks and granting them an advantage over their grounded opponents.


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    ¡°An enemy has attacked the Spire,¡± a voice droned on and on as the flying ships fanned out rapidly, emitting lights that lit up the streets, revealing thousands of people fleeing from the Spire. ¡°This is not a drill. I repeat. An enemy has attacked the Spire. This is not a drill. All civilians are advised to seek cover and to call for help if they spot any suspicious individuals¡­¡±


    ¡°Not bad,¡± Claud judged. ¡°This is quite¡­the impressive reaction time. In other words, an attack must have happened not too long ago.¡±


    ¡°The divinities, probably,¡± Lily replied. ¡°After all, they did adopt an aggressive stance at the beginning, only mellowing out later. It¡¯s also possible that a Spire Lord attacked this place recently.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud paused. ¡°Or maybe someone was copying us and trying to see what their emergency reactions are like. At any rate, I expect this to be one of the better results. Their arrangements are good, but it¡¯s nothing you or I can¡¯t break, so we can relax.¡±


    ¡°Are we heading to the Nihal capital now?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Kabir shouldn¡¯t be affected by one of our tests here,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And given that we¡¯re using Will of Freedom, the only real danger here is actually just getting lost or something.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go! I want some supper at the capital. It¡¯s fine, right?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I mean, we did exchange for some Nihal dollars.¡±


    Claud jangled the bag of coins in his pocket, which was currently serving as a bed for the three little meeplings, and they woke up blearily. Making a few meeps in protest, they rapidly returned to sleep, and Claud made a face.


    ¡°Bleh.¡±


    ¡°What, you wanted to wake them?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°They should see this too¡­but whatever.¡± Claud pulled out the map that Nero had given him, and then examined it once more, under the pale flickering light of his mana. All he had to do was to match his bearings correctly, and after taking reference points from both the Spire and a relatively tall tower, the two of them sped off.


    Along the way, they came across even more Spires. All of them, however, seemed to be spaced quite evenly apart; the major territories all seemed to have similar sizes. In other words, there probably wasn¡¯t a formal hierarchy in which some Senators were better than the others, unlike the nobility and peerage system in Grandis.


    ¡°Quite interesting, isn¡¯t it?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°I wonder how things evolved to this point,¡± Lily replied. ¡°After all, isn¡¯t it natural for the strongest person to consolidate all power within themselves? Emperor Grandis and Supreme Saran managed to control politics and dictate it from an absolutely superior position.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Maybe too many mid-ranked folders survived the Third Godsfall,¡± Claud suggested. ¡°And while one of them was stronger than the others, the others, if they joined hands, could defeat the strongest of the lot. After all, Grandis himself forbade anyone from increasing their strength beyond a certain limit. He probably had all sorts of¡­¡±


    Claud fell silent for a moment, and then shook his head. ¡°Anyway, as I was saying, he probably had artefacts to determine if there was anyone breaking his rules.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but why didn¡¯t he come for us?¡±


    ¡°Probably because he was¡­busy.¡± Claud fell silent again. ¡°Damn. I think we got really lucky. I never thought about it this hard, but since those laws prohibiting nobles from rising to a certain level exist, there needs to be an existing detection and enforcement mechanism as well.¡±


    ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Maybe we got really lucky or something, because we became mid-ranked folders during times of turmoil,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Otherwise¡­¡±


    He drew a line across his throat. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why we rarely hear of hexa-folders or something. However, since the Emperor was troubled by the Fourth Godsfall, he probably couldn¡¯t spare the time for us. It also helped that we didn¡¯t exert our full power often, until we matured into our strength as a hexa-folder.¡±


    ¡°I think you missed out a very important point,¡± Lily added.


    ¡°What point?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°We spent around two years to become hexa-folders,¡± she replied. ¡°I know how things work in the Empire¡¯s bureaucracy. Things just get stuck in there. Two years¡­well, some reports can roll around there for that long. Even if they are important ones.¡±


    ¡°Like us.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think they detected us,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I mean, you can¡¯t tell how many circuits someone has until they use it. And everything we go all out, we¡¯re almost always in Presence Nullification or Will of Solitude.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Claud let out a sigh. ¡°Well, I hope the others¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re in Moon territory,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Emperor Grandis is not going to strike there¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope so.¡± Claud gazed at the gigantic Spire that dwarfed the ones he¡¯d seen so far. ¡°Let¡¯s hope so¡­¡±


    Kabir, the capital of Nihal, was blazing in the night, a light that sought to repel the primordial fears of humanity. What did it hide, in the shadows beneath the lamp?


    As Claud willed his way forward, that question danced in his mind. For now, however, instead of jumping into the fires so recklessly, he needed to collect information.


    Time was needed.

 Chapter 605: A blurry premonition

    ¡°Gaga.¡± Little Beth made happy noises as she tottered around the room, and Dia smiled. The little child was happy to be in this place, although she did cry sometimes at night. It would last for a few seconds, before she woke up from her nightmare, and then run towards Dia¡¯s bedroom for a hug. After a day or two, Dia had decided to have the little kid sleep on her bed too, so that Beth would have someone by her side if she had a nightmare.


    Which she had.


    Every day.


    ¡°Come now,¡± Dia picked her up. ¡°It¡¯s still early morning. You can¡¯t run around too much, okay?¡±


    She paused. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you to the garden, so just let me wash your face and all first.¡±


    The child stared at her, and then nodded.


    Dia smiled. Schwarz and the others had volunteered to take care of her too, but the little kid liked her the most for some reason. Such a discovery, however, simply spurred the others on to improve their¡­parenting abilities, so Dia now felt some pressure from the possibility that her little Beth was going to like the others more.


    However, some things needed to be done.


    After washing Beth¡¯s bouncy cheeks, she brought her down to the garden, where Dia began her usual training.


    ¡°Mhm?¡± Dia brought down her sword for the ninety-second time, and then glanced at the kid. ¡°What, you interested in this?¡±


    Beth nodded rapidly, and Dia rolled her eyes. ¡°Oh, well. I might as well entertain you a bit, then. Sword Waltz.¡±


    Her body began to move around at preternatural speeds, boosted by her immense mana reserves. Blue afterimages followed her every move as she glid around the garden, twirling and flourishing her sword at imaginary enemies. Faceless, white monsters with too many eyes and maggots had been haunting her dreams for a while, and Dia didn¡¯t like that portent at all. Even though she had supposedly lived up to her brother¡¯s¡­goal, a faint sense of crisis still ate away at her psyche.


    She didn¡¯t like it. She didn¡¯t like any of her feelings right now. It was as if her brother¡¯s sacrifice was for nothing, and while she could and should rationalise this unease away, Dia didn¡¯t dare to do that.


    It was odd. No one else seemed to sense it. The only probable reason was because she was the Salvation Star, which would account for why the sense of doom she was feeling was growing by the day. However, this doom seemed¡­


    Distant.


    ¡°As if it was in another sovereignty, or a different continent altogether,¡± Dia uttered out loud.


    ¡°Dada?¡± Beth looked at her. ¡°Didia?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not your father¡­¡± Dia replied.


    Beth sniffed, and then hugged her leg. ¡°Dada!¡±


    Dia felt her eyebrows rise. What, she wasn¡¯t maternal enough? How in the name of the Moons did she because this kid¡¯s father? At the very least, she should be a surrogate mum, right?


    ¡°Dada¡­¡± Beth sniffed again, and Dia saw the beginnings of a little baby tantrum.


    ¡°Oh, you have got to be kidding me.¡± Dia squatted. ¡°Dada is here, dada is here. Happy? Sheesh. There, there¡­I¡¯m not sweaty, am I?¡±


    ¡°Didia! No!¡±


    The kid sometimes could speak legibly, but she rarely spoke full sentences. Most of her attempts at speaking full sentences were baby babbles, rather than actual words, and the kid herself knew it. Most of her long sentences carried no meaning, while the shorter ones actually conveyed some message. Dia had gotten used to this after a few days, but she still found herself wondering if this was how kids learned to speak.


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    After assuring Beth that she was indeed her ¡°dada¡±, Dia got up and prepared to resume her practice, only to notice a small weight on the end of her sword. The training blade had turned into a bolster for Beth for some reason, and Dia rubbed her head.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, little one?¡±


    ¡°Sward! Prac¡­practis!¡±


    ¡°You want to play with this?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s a training sword. This thing is heavy. You¡¯ll cry if it smacks your head¡­actually, it¡¯s rather dangerous.¡±


    ¡°No! Practise!¡±


    Dia blinked twice, smacked her own ear once, and then said, ¡°You want to practice with this?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll get you a lighter sword. This thing is heavy,¡± Dia replied. ¡°What, you don¡¯t believe me? Here, hold it¡­¡±


    Beth¡¯s face as she puffed up her cheeks to hold the training sword was so amusing that Dia had to turn away for a few seconds. After straightening her face, she gently took the sword back. ¡°Wait here for a moment. I¡¯ll get you something. A small sword, but as you grow, I¡¯ll give you bigger ones. Okay?¡±


    Beth¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°My? Sward?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yours,¡± Dia replied, a grin appearing on her face. ¡°But if you want one, you¡¯ll need to practice with me. Sw¡­ards are very dangerous. You must train with me if you want to use them.¡±


    Beth blinked a few times, and then nodded. ¡°Train!¡±


    Dia laughed, and then ran off in search of a suitable sword. Since Beth was small, she had to be very exacting with the training weapon¡­


    By the time Schwarz and the others woke up, Beth was swinging her sword ¡ª clumsily ¡ª with Dia, a sight that made them goggle and feel various shades of inferiority.


    ¡°What are you guys doing?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Training,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Beth loves swinging a sword around, see?¡±


    ¡°Sward!¡±


    Dia grinned. The feeling of teaching someone the correct way of fighting was great, although she had to take care to not let a certain idiot teach her the manners of street fighting. She was still chafing about how Lily had taken on the dirty manners that Claud seemed to espouse when fighting.


    Sure, they had merit, but¡­


    Urgh.


    Shaking her head, Dia patted Beth, who was now tottering over to the others and showing her sword off. It was a quaint little weapon, one that Dia had gotten for free when she ordered a bunch of weapons for the Moon Guards a long time ago. It hadn¡¯t seen any use, right until today, so¡­


    The weapon probably felt happy that it had an adorable little master.


    ¡°Anyway, good morning,¡± Dia said. ¡°Are we having breakfast now? If so, let me bring her to¡ª¡±


    ¡°You wash up,¡± Risti interrupted. ¡°Me and Farah will take care of Beth.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®eh¡¯ me,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Hurry up! We have a few things to talk about over breakfast, so the faster we begin, the better.¡±


    ¡°Why are we so formal all of a sudden?¡± Dia asked, before shaking her head. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go. You two don¡¯t get soap into Beth¡¯s eyes, though.¡±


    ¡°Like we¡¯d do that, alright?¡± Farah sighed. ¡°C¡¯mere, you! We¡¯ll wash you up until everyone wants to hug you!¡±


    Dia clicked her tongue again. Ever since that gigantic Distortion had struck the city, the little Moonlit babies had all vanished. Dia approved of the Moons¡¯ choice, but the absence of Moonlit babies had taken a toll on Schwarz and Farah. Thankfully, Beth was someone who was naturally endearing, so the two of them were more than happy to raise her instead.


    It was quite funny to watch, in her opinion, especially when it came to Schwarz, who was being left out half the time. Beth, however, seemed to favour him most after Dia¡­maybe because she felt bad for him or something?


    Chuckling, Dia returned to her room to freshen up, before heading for the dining table once more. The others were already done, and little Beth was having the first pick of the dishes.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re done.¡± Schwarz let out a sigh. ¡°Well. I said we had some serious stuff, right?¡±


    Beth took a piece of toasted bread and then settled in her chair obediently.


    ¡°¡­Go ahead,¡± Dia replied, glancing at the nibbling kid. ¡°What news?¡±


    Schwarz turned to the others. ¡°Well, it seems weird, but¡­Claud and Lily have left the Grandis Empire.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Dia paused. ¡°Wait, what? They left the Grandis Empire? For what purpose?¡±


    ¡°To look for the Black God, apparently,¡± Schwarz replied, his eyebrows furrowed. ¡°Nero informed me of this not too long ago. And his words were a bit ambiguous. Something about a larger disaster, and that perhaps, the Distortion is just a precursor.¡±


    He looked at Risti. ¡°Do you know anything about this? Did your old man tell you anything?¡±


    Risti shook her head. ¡°They¡¯re all engrossed with trying to enter the ranks of septa-folders. Now that the Chromatic Lords have ceased to care about the limits of individual strength, my father and his peers are all busy trying to grow stronger.¡±


    As the others chatted on, Dia found herself reflecting on the ominous feelings she had been experiencing recently. Was it possible that Nero¡¯s very vague words were targeted at that? If so, why? What were they expecting?


    And why would Claud and Lily seek out Nero, and then the Black God?


    There was a line that connected everything, but she couldn¡¯t quite see it yet.

 Chapter 606: A rare, relative peace

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    ¡°In other news, there¡¯s been an upsurge in Distortion cases,¡± Schwarz announced, slicing sausages and delivering it to Her Highness, Beth. ¡°Quite a few in Licencia, but what¡¯s new, eh?¡±


    ¡°Buh.¡±


    ¡°Right? There¡¯s some odd stuff going on around these things too¡­wait, right. I forgot.¡± Schwarz patted Beth¡¯s head, and Dia found herself smiling at the oddly doting Schwarz. There was a part of her that felt a bit angry, though, but it was all in good fun¡­probably. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ve lost contact with Claud and Lily. Not sure what¡¯s up with that, but it¡¯s probably the Trading Board¡¯s problem. It might not be able to transmit across the sea or a certain range. Who knows?¡±


    ¡°Where are they now?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Presumably sitting on a boat and paddling to Nihal,¡± Schwarz replied.


    ¡°They can¡¯t have gotten this far, then,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Why not send a few more messages to their Trading Board and see if we can get anything?¡±


    ¡°I already did that. I¡¯m just waiting at this point,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll have to ignore them for a bit. Also, it seems that the Moons are eyeing the two lovebirds that are holed up in Claud¡¯s house, so it¡¯s probably not a good idea to go visiting anytime. Even though the two sides are supposedly in a truce right now, I can¡¯t rule out the possibility that one of them will attempt to backstab the other.¡±


    ¡°We can assume that the backstabbing is going to start eventually, but the Dark must be hopping mad. After all, their Bearer of Destiny is staying very close to Moon territory,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I bet the Dark¡¯s hidden a bunch of hidden cards at Nero and Kemata¡¯s location, waiting to ambush them. And if I can think of something like that¡­¡±


    ¡°The Moons definitely can to.¡±


    ¡°Which means that the Dark will definitely have backup plans,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°But if we can think of that,¡± Risti replied, ¡°the Moons definitely will.¡±


    ¡°We can stop talking at this point now,¡± Dia replied. ¡°We¡¯ll just keep using iterations of the same damn thing, so let¡¯s just assume that both sides have piled up massive gambits. It¡¯ll be one of those novels where every page, either the antagonist or the protagonist go ¡®No, you!¡¯ until the book runs dry or the author has no more ideas, and then we can watch everything explode with each other.¡±


    ¡°That sums it up nicely, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Dia replied. ¡°So, you were saying something about Distortion cases?¡±


    ¡°Well, they¡¯ve grown in number.¡± Schwarz paused. ¡°And well, you know those purple spheres? They¡¯ve shrunk too. The cases all over the continent and presumably the world over the past two days have seen surges in Distortions, but each Distortion is now a person tall. The sphere has turned into an oddly shaped egg or something.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Farah folded her arms. ¡°What¡¯s the cause?¡±


    ¡°Beats me.¡± Schwarz squished Beth¡¯s cheeks gently, and then said, ¡°But fortunately for us, we¡¯re going to get a certain bigshot here to clarify our questions. Two more idiot lovebirds are fluttering our way here today for breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Which is why you cooked extra?¡± Dia asked. ¡°What, they can¡¯t cook for themselves?¡±


    ¡°Well, they like bar fare, apparently.¡± Schwarz shrugged. ¡°Who knows?¡±


    A soft chime resounded through the house, and he got up. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    Beth tottered over to Dia immediately afterwards, and the others glared at Dia as she picked up the adorable little kid.


    ¡°Hungry.¡±


    ¡°Still hungry?¡± Dia shook her head, and then pointed at the plates. ¡°What do you want?¡±


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    ¡°This! Dat!¡±


    Beth was chewing on toasted bread when Schwarz returned with Count Nightfall and Caroline, both of which had serious expressions on their face.


    ¡°Princess Dia.¡± Count Nightfall inclined his head. ¡°I apologise for imposing on you this early in the¡ª¡±


    ¡°Screw the formalities and sit down,¡± Dia replied, using language that would have made her father rub his ears a few times. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the city? Did something big happen?¡±


    ¡°Was it that obvious?¡± Nightfall asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s written on your face,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Also, morning.¡±


    The count looked at the countess, and then rolled his eyes. ¡°We¡¯re equals, but aren¡¯t you being a bit too casual about this? What are we going to do if we meet in an official capacity? Sheesh.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a young noble, so wouldn¡¯t you know what to do?¡± Farah retorted.


    ¡°I¡¯m referring to you!¡± The count shook his head. ¡°Whatever. As long as you don¡¯t start doing funny stuff, that¡¯s fine¡­I suppose we crossed this line of separate duties long ago, when you started sitting in my city as Farah and not Countess Farah. Whew. This is hard.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± The countess touched her chin. ¡°But you know why I didn¡¯t come clean until Dia did, right? Or are you going to hold it against me anyway?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I fully understand. Since I knew you on a personal level by then, it¡¯s not that hard to accept that you¡¯re actually the countess and all,¡± Nightfall replied, his voice tired. ¡°Right. I understand. Yes. I¡¯m just a bit¡­well. Bummed, I suppose? Not sure what to think of it. I mean, my underworld is somewhat owned by you now.¡±


    ¡°You can have it back¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just kidding, okay?¡± Nightfall shook his head. ¡°And it¡¯s not like the underworld is under your control anyway. It¡¯s¡­not even an underworld anymore. It¡¯s a competing economy or something. You figure it out. Right. The Emperor also sent me a message regarding you, Farah.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Farah asked. ¡°What, he can¡¯t tell me his message directly?¡±


    ¡°Seems like it. I mean, he¡¯s asking about your marriage and everything. He wants to informally encourage you to seek out a partner or something, since, according to the Emperor, ¡®these are trying times, and the countess needs to have a heir soon. I recall your fianc¨¦ has a few eligible men in her family. Introduce a few of them to her¡¯.¡±


    ¡°What does my heir have to do with the Emperor?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°If I had to hazard a guess?¡± Nightfall grinned. ¡°Your parents, naturally. If you die, they¡¯ll have a claim on a semi-prospering county, ready to be exploited and driven into the ground again. I bet they¡¯re all praying for you to die or something. Maybe they¡¯ve even hired assassins.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound convinced.¡±


    ¡°Well, I think I can defeat the two of you,¡± Farah replied. ¡°You know. I¡¯m rising rapidly through the ranks of a folder. Just so you know.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but you don¡¯t have combat experience, do you?¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°And you don¡¯t have lethal artefacts either. In fact, of your number, you¡¯re probably the lowest in terms of pure combat ability.¡±


    Dia bobbed her head, while Schwarz nodded fervently. Beth, who was watching Schwarz on the other side, smacked the table twice and said, ¡°Ya!¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Nightfall added. ¡°Even the baby agrees. By the way, I¡¯m Nightfall. How do you do, tiny little one?¡±


    ¡°Bet!¡±


    ¡°Bet?¡±


    ¡°Bet!¡±


    This amusing little conversation in which Beth tried to correct Nightfall¡¯s wrong utterance with a mispronounced one of her own continued on for around a minute, before Schwarz finally stepped in and informed the confused Nightfall about Beth¡¯s name.


    ¡°Why does she correct me with the wrong pronunciation, then? I mean, is she even aware of it being wrong?¡±


    ¡°Probably. Why?¡± Schwarz folded his arms. ¡°That¡¯s how it is, I guess. Anyway, this amusing interlude aside, the Emperor has a very good point. You need an heir, Farah.¡±


    ¡°How troublesome. Isn¡¯t this world slated to be thrown aside soon in favour of the new one?¡± Farah asked. ¡°You know, Cosmic Egg, yada yada? Why in the name of the Moons do I need to find a husband and a son when this world is coming to an end and we¡¯re all moving to the next?¡±


    ¡°Presumably because the new world is a copy of the old one, geographically speaking,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Bet?¡±


    Dia glanced at the baby on her lap, and then fiddled with her cheeks. ¡°Wait, we¡¯re literally just moving on to a copy of our current world?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t go so far as to call it a copy of our current world,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Rather, it¡¯s an improved iteration¡­apparently. I don¡¯t know. You guys go figure.¡±


    ¡°Meh.¡± Caroline walked over to Farah. ¡°Anyway, for that reason or something similar, my husband has bugged me to introduce someone to you. What kind of husband do you want?¡±


    ¡°None,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I¡¯m what, twenty-six? You guys are three hundred. Your brothers are likely to be ten times my age or something. No. Just no.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I think my dad recently had a child, around twenty-four years ago.¡±


    ¡°How is that recent?¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Twenty-four years ago! That¡¯s not recent.¡±


    ¡°Bleh. I shall marry for love, not for political expediency,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°Then get someone to move your heart and sweep you up already,¡± Count Nightfall replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say to Emperor Grandis. What, you¡¯re not interested? Gah. He¡¯ll flay me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be impressed if he can actually flay you from so far,¡± Dia quipped. ¡°Did he say anything about me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Dia looked at Beth, and then patted the kid¡¯s head to console herself.

 Chapter 607: Clouds at the horizon

    After making fun of Farah and commiserating with her at the same time, everyone moved on to the main topic of the day. Halfway through, it had become quite evident that Count Nightfall only brought this topic up in order to lighten the mood; in Dia¡¯s opinion, he was about to break out a bunch of bad news for everyone.


    A teapot bubbled merrily in the middle of the cleared table as the count cleared his throat.


    ¡°Now that the little things are over, it¡¯s time to talk about the real stuff,¡± Nightfall began. ¡°Some of our crises may be over, but there are always new things popping out. For one, Emperor Grandis has signalled to a few select nobles that we should look at the possibility of war with the other continents. The moment the new world forms and we¡¯re all transported over is the time when we are all at our weakest.¡±


    ¡°War?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°War.¡± The count nodded heavily. ¡°I don¡¯t like it, personally, but there are a few reasons why we¡¯re all so¡­enthusiastic about this. First, this war will result in the rise of new divinities.¡±


    Dia felt her head spin, and the others exhibited similar signs of surprise. They''d already known it, but to be enunciated so...openly was something completely different altogether. She couldn¡¯t blame them either; becoming the next generation of Coloured Gods was no different from eternal life.


    Who didn¡¯t want to live forever?


    ¡°Divinities?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Count Nightfall pondered for a moment. ¡°Remember those Terra Jewels? These babies can form the foundation of a Divine Kingdom, the exclusive territory of the gods. The more Terra Jewels the Emperor can gather, the greater the number of subordinate gods he can create.¡±


    ¡°Did the previous gods and divinities all use the same thing?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s a¡­pretty good question. However, that should be the case,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°I¡¯ve checked the records. The Coloured Gods, the Gods of Virtue and the Primordial Gods all fought for territory at one point or another.¡±


    ¡°Okay, nice and all, but what about the existing Coloured Gods, who seem to have this Bearer of Destiny deal going on?¡± Farah asked, supplementing Schwarz¡¯s questions.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Meh.¡± Farah folded her arms. ¡°Well, I suppose you don¡¯t. But¡­what did you guess?¡±


    ¡°The same as you, Countess Farah. After all, you are versed in the ways of nobility. What happens when an inheritor shows his or her ability to rule and govern?¡± Nightfall asked.


    ¡°According to Dia and her brother, said heir will immediately attempt to disinherit him or herself,¡± Farah replied.


    ¡°These two are weird wackos that don¡¯t appreciate the confluence of fortune. They should be disowned. Let¡¯s not talk about them,¡± Nightfall replied.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Dia retorted. ¡°What¡¯s that you just said?¡±


    ¡°What? Am I wrong?¡± The count rolled his eyes. ¡°But you can¡¯t be disinherited anyway. The Duke isn¡¯t letting you run away at this point of time.¡±


    ¡°I told him to get remarried already,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°I mean, he could just crook a finger and all the women in Lustre would run over to him.¡±


    ¡°Father complex?¡±


    ¡°Screw off¡­¡± Dia was about to shove a middle finger in his face, but she abruptly remembered that there was a toddler watching the whole thing, so she restrained herself.


    Still, I¡¯ve¡­grown. Well, not in the right way, probably, because Father would probably faint if he knew what I was about to do¡­but whatever! And Brother too¡­huh.


    Her spirits dipped as she thought about her brother, and Dia forced herself to turn back to the conversation, which had returned to the onset of war. Nightfall had already explained the force disposition of the theoretical army that was being formed right now, and he had come to ask the Seekers of Life if they were going to participate.


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    ¡°Well, you do know what our name signifies, right?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°You know, Seekers of Life? Fighting and putting our lives at risk really isn¡¯t in our book, you see.¡±


    ¡°But it also signifies the struggle to live forever,¡± Nightfall replied.


    ¡°But gods don¡¯t live forever,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Every cycle, the old gods are killed, their corpses the stepping stones for the new ones. Rather, those that stand on the side and choose to pursue eternal life in a more roundabout way are those that are still living. Just look at the existing Chromatic Lords.¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, he might make it an order,¡± Caroline added.


    ¡°We¡¯ll cross that bridge when we come to it,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Besides, he has no ground to order us around. To give in now is to forfeit the right to negotiate in the future. After all, as long as we remain free, we¡¯re a group that can tilt to any side, right? The side that offers the most¡ª¡±


    ¡°Becomes your contractor,¡± Nightfall completed. ¡°Mercenaries. Always so interest-driven.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how it is nowadays,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Anyhow, I¡¯d advise you to never sink in too much in this. It¡¯s fine to gather some troops, but don¡¯t go taking the frontline. You¡¯re not that strong, after all.¡±


    ¡°Tch. That¡¯s only because I have so many things to do that I can¡¯t even eat lifestones¡­why are you guys shuddering?¡± Nightfall asked, his eyes sweeping Dia and the others.


    The others glared at Dia, but no one said anything. Nightfall hadn¡¯t realised it, but he had accidentally triggered some traumatic memories of being force-fed oodles and oodles of lifestones while they were at a certain dukedom. The ultimate goal, of course, was for everyone to become a hexa-folder, which was almost a done deal by now. Of their group, only Schwarz was still a penta-folder; Risti and Farah had formed their sixth mana circuit shortly after the great Distortion ended.


    All that was left was for them to become a high-ranked folder.


    Nightfall and Caroline, however, didn¡¯t know about these changes. Schwarz and Risti had suggested that they keep these changes secret, just to surprise anyone that had ill intentions. Other than the Seekers of Life, Dia knew that the only person who knew the true extent of their might was her father and no one else; if her father did things the usual way, the people that had helped to forcefeed them lifestones had already forgotten about it altogether.


    ¡°No reason in particular,¡± Schwarz replied blandly. ¡°So, recruiting us for this war¡­let¡¯s put aside our consent for a while first. There are more practical aspects to address first. For instance, how is this war going to happen? We¡¯re talking about three separate continents that take absurd lengths of time to travel to. No way this is going to work.¡±


    ¡°Unless the divinities will it,¡± Caroline replied very quietly. ¡°Or if there are no ¡®three continents¡¯ in the next world. Who knows?¡±


    ¡°¡­Who knows, huh.¡± Farah thought for a moment. ¡°I thought it would be a copy, though? Like how my county should still be there? I¡¯ll be mad if something happened to my carefully planned city.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯m not that sure of the details myself. At any rate, the Emperor wishes for me and a few others to begin building up combat power.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the last part. Why you?¡± Dia asked, thinking about the whole thing. ¡°After all, if he¡¯s asking people to prepare, he could just tell the three rulers and they¡¯ll mobilise everyone else top-down. Why would he contact you personally?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Count Nightfall blinked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be obvious?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I sure can¡¯t see it!¡±


    ¡°¡­Right. You¡¯re all kids. True.¡± The count folded his arms. ¡°Isn¡¯t it because the Istrel family really isn¡¯t the sharpest knife on the dinner table? We have Ruler Istrel and Duke Istrel, but those two buffoons haven¡¯t done anything of note at all. There¡¯s not even a peep from them.¡±


    He sighed. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be following Duke Istrel, but the younger Istrel seems more interested in sampling the maids of his father¡¯s ex-station. And if you haven¡¯t guessed it yet, the elder Istrel is interested in sampling the maids of his current position. There are literally brothels in existence, professionals in the trade, and those two buffoons¡­urgh.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s some squick factor in there too,¡± Schwarz noted wryly.


    ¡°Pigs.¡± Dia glanced at her sword, which was hanging loosely off her waist. Would it be nice to run Duke Istrel through it? Her father would definitely approve, right?


    ¡°It¡¯ll be nice if the Thief of Time came to kill a ruler again,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°Or maybe I¡¯ll tell my dad.¡±


    ¡°You do that,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Maybe your father can convince the Emperor to do something about all this.¡±


    ¡°¡­Wow.¡±


    Everyone turned to Nightfall, who blinked a few times.


    ¡°What?¡± Nightfall asked. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m just expressing my wonder. You guys are supposedly a mercenary group, but from your words and everything, I keep getting the feeling that you¡¯re a gathering of bigshots in one way or another.¡±


    ¡°Which is true,¡± Caroline added in tandem, ¡°but there¡¯s only one mystery here, isn¡¯t there?¡±


    ¡°Only because we aren¡¯t counting Claud and Lily, dear,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°But putting them aside, the impression I had of the Seekers was that this was a gathering for people with power to conspire in the night together.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°Stop putting on that sickly sweet two-person act,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough with the lovebirds that are not here. I don¡¯t need you guys to play the part now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. But that¡¯s about it for now.¡± The count got up. ¡°Also, the Blue Moon might be paying a visit to you guys in the next few days. Don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡±


    ¡°The what?¡±

 Chapter 608: A Moon in attendance

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    Dia made a face as Beth made herself comfortable in Caroline¡¯s lap, much to everyone¡¯s displeasure. Of course, she would come running back after a while, and Beth was just attracted to the new pretty sister that had popped out of nowhere, but Dia still felt a bit sad that her own lap was a bit empty.


    She, along with the other Seekers of Life.


    ¡°Help?¡± Caroline uttered, her words slow and deliberate. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to take care of children!¡±


    ¡°Just pat her head and make sure she doesn¡¯t fall off your lap,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Uh. You¡¯ll get the rest after a while.¡±


    ¡°Still, since the Blue Moon is coming, shouldn¡¯t we hide Beth or something?¡± Risti asked. ¡°I mean, she is the central figure behind that super-large Distortion. We didn¡¯t tell the Moons or anyone at all, but you know. They might notice it.¡±


    ¡°Wait, this kid is the central cause of that Distortion?¡± Nightfall asked, looking at the child.


    ¡°Yes, and we trust you enough to tell you, so don¡¯t go yapping to the Moons,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Anyhow¡­what are you two doing here?¡±


    ¡°The Blue Moon is visiting. I hafta be here,¡± he replied, a hint of helplessness in his words. ¡°Why else do you think I¡¯m not sipping tea back at my palace.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Dia folded her arms. ¡°So, how long will you need to sip tea here for?¡±


    ¡°Not that long,¡± Nightfall answered. ¡°The Blue Moon and its entourage should be here soo¡ª¡±


    The world began to glow a faint blue, and a small rift opened in the air. Three shimmering figures appeared out of the rift a moment later, bringing forth a heavy presence that made even breathing hard. Dia found her gaze gravitating to the floor a moment later, and the chair she was on creaked slightly at the mere presence of the person in the middle.


    Any thoughts about common courtesy and knocking on the door vanished as Dia struggled against the suffocating atmosphere that came with the Blue Moon¡¯s sudden arrival.


    Without warning, the painful pressure vanished, and the being in the middle took a step forward. The power that had forced her to look out popped like a bubble, and Dia looked up to take in the sight of the Blue Moon¡¯s humanoid form.


    It was¡­weird, to say the least. In front of her was a floating hooded robe, with a dull blue globe at where the head was. A body of darkest shadow filled out the rest of the robe, but Dia had a feeling that this shadowy body was probably just created for the express purpose of walking around.


    Everyone got to their feet a moment later, inclining their heads.


    ¡°We greet the Blue Moon of Wisdom,¡± Nightfall intoned.


    Dia braced herself for the ear-piercing reply.


    ¡°Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,¡± a soft voice replied. Dia, who had been bracing for bleeding ears and agony, touched her ear a moment later, before looking around at the others, who seemed unscathed.


    ¡°Beget not fear. This is not my true body,¡± the Blue Moon continued. ¡°It is in this form that I can converse with mortals on equal standing. Is it better?¡±


    Dia nodded. Compared to the single syllables that were bursting and overloaded with too much information, speech like this was very suitable and comfortable for everyone else. There wouldn¡¯t be a risk of exploding heads or bleeding ears, and this way, everyone could converse more freely¡­


    Freely her ass.


    After everyone engaged in a bout of collective flattery, the Blue Moon took its seat at the head of the dining table, where everyone else had returned too. Light refreshments sat on the table, their contents appetitising to anyone who wasn¡¯t aware of their visitors¡¯ identity.


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    ¡°To what pleasure do we owe this visit to, O Blue Moon of Wisdom?¡± Schwarz asked, his voice hiding the faintest trace of fear.


    ¡°Questions, answers, requests and rewards,¡± the Blue Moon replied. ¡°Please, do not stand on courtesy with me. Shining formally has its advantages, but the even light burns the greatest fuel. Also, I have been told by Lady Dia that her resident bartender is most capable at coming up with brews. I am here to experience mortal intoxication for myself.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Dia abruptly remembered the off-handed topic she¡¯d made when she attended a particular tea party with the Blue Moon some time ago, and then looked away innocently from Schwarz¡¯s distressed gaze. It wasn¡¯t her fault if the Blue Moon had good memories, and besides, it was possible that Plota would fall in love with Schwarz¡¯s drinks. It had a good following in the city, and if she put aside the ones that would knock her out instantly, his drinks were nice to savour¡­


    She focused on her feet as the Blue Moon waxed on and on about drinks, trying to ignore Schwarz¡¯s burning gaze on her. She was conferring him an opportunity to promote his drinks, so why was that stare so painful?


    ¡°Drinks aside,¡± Plota murmured, ¡°the issue with that Distortion is another reason why I am here. The details surrounding the event remain murky, and while an official account of events has been provided, I am given to understand that an anomaly is, in part, responsible for the partial salvation of all in this sovereignty.¡±


    Dia felt her heart twist as the Blue Moon mentioned her brother, whose existence was slowly but surely vanishing from her mind. In fact, within Licencia, most people now believed that the Lustre family only had one child ¡ª her. Her brother had completely vanished from living memory, only mourned by her, her father and the few people who knew the entire sequence of events.


    Even then, his voice had completely vanished from her memory. She could only barely remember the words he had spoken, but as for the voice used¡­


    ¡°What of it?¡± Dia found herself asking, her voice hoarse and faded.


    Eyes fell on her, each of them filled with their own emotions, but Dia was only interested in fixing her gaze on the Blue Moon.


    ¡°¡­That person is an anomaly,¡± the Blue Moon replied. ¡°It is hard to say whether he is part of this timeline. What do you remember of your brother, Dia Lyceria de Lustre?¡±


    Dia stared into the blue sphere that was probably gazing at her, and then shook her head bitterly. ¡°Lesser and lesser. I remember very vague things about him now. His appearance, his voice¡­anything related to him has all but vanished. I cannot remember much, except that I had a brother, and then he vanished a few times.¡±


    She paused. ¡°And that he disinherited himself from succession before I could.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still mad about that?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s little left to prove that he once existed,¡± Dia replied bitterly. ¡°I¡¯m mad about that, and everything else. What more do you want?¡±


    The Blue Moon¡¯s light flickered once. ¡°My apologies for your loss.¡±


    Dia looked at the divinity, and then lowered her head. She felt tired and beleaguered inside, even though it was still morning and a very important guest was sitting with them.


    ¡°So, what else did you want to know?¡± Risti asked, looking at the Blue Moon directly. ¡°How can we help?¡±


    ¡°Given her current state, we will put forth our queries in a letter instead, to be opened when Lady Dia is ready,¡± Plota replied. ¡°Instead, let us talk about the future. We were very impressed by your achievements in the short length of your service as the Seekers of Life. We are wondering if you will be willing to continue your service to Us in the nights to come.¡±


    ¡°I now see why Nightfall didn¡¯t leave,¡± Risti quipped.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t look at me like that. The Emperor also sent me a recruitment order, so I can¡¯t really let his competitors do what they wish without supervision,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be punished either.¡±


    ¡°All is fair in love and war, so goes the old adage,¡± the Blue Moon replied. ¡°And We do understand your own position thus. Be not alarmed. We are here on a simple recruitment talk. There will always be more opportunities as the phases shift and the light dims. The new world approaches, after all.¡±


    ¡°How long is this approach anyway?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°¡­Depends. We cannot give an answer just yet. In one of our visions, we saw the Cosmic Egg maturing in two hundred years. In another, we saw it ending in one. The future is constantly in flux, and our goals always shifting.¡±


    Despite herself, Dia looked at the Blue Moon closely. The divinity seemed a bit sad for some reason, an emotion that felt wholly at odds with well, the concept of the Blue Moon.


    ¡°A drink,¡± Plota abruptly requested.


    The Moon Emissaries flanking the Blue Moon abruptly straightened up, but they didn¡¯t say anything in protest. Given their status, this was natural, but¡­


    Was it really a good idea to have Schwarz serve his strongest brews to a divinity? Would something break?


    Her sorrow winked out as Schwarz produced a bottle unwillingly. At the same time, the Blue Moon generated a letter and placed it on the table, before gesturing at the bottle.

 Chapter 609: Commissions from a drunken divinity

    Dia fiddled with the letter as the Moon Emissaries continued to stare at each other, dismay written all over their faces. Ignoring the drunken source of blue light ¡ª which was by no means a small feat ¡ª she glanced at the others, who were trying to look very innocent. Schwarz, in particular, was curled up like a ball, with the corner of his eyes shooting an angry glare at Dia once every few seconds.


    It wasn¡¯t her fault, alright?


    That said, she did feel a bit bad, because the Moon Emissaries escorting the sleeping Blue Moon of Wisdom were glaring at the bartender every few seconds. If the drink hadn¡¯t been this strong, the Blue Moon wouldn¡¯t have gotten drunk and all, so it really wasn¡¯t her fault.


    Why did this idiot take out his absolute strongest drink?


    Ugh.


    Sighing to herself, she opened the letter slowly, and then pulled out a blue piece of high-quality paper.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re opening it now?¡± Nightfall asked.


    ¡°Of course. We¡¯re all busy people, after all,¡± Dia replied, although her main motivation was to stop Schwarz from glaring at her. The Moon Emissaries wouldn¡¯t glare at them either, which was another plus point, and finally, if there were any issues, they could probably attempt asking the intoxicated Blue Moon¡­


    ¡°Very busy, yeap,¡± Risti drawled. ¡°Wow. Still, that drink is really impressive. Even the Blue Moon of Wisdom just winked out like a candle.¡±


    She glanced at the Moon Emissaries. ¡°What? I¡¯m just telling the objective truth. Also, there¡¯s still some in that bottle. Why not give it a try and see if it¡¯s poison, or just pure alcohol? At least you can justify why the Blue Moon keeled over if you tried it.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Schwarz asked, his question thinning to a hiss. ¡°Why are you egging them on to drink? Isn¡¯t an intoxicated Blue Moon bad enough? I don¡¯t need two more¡ªoh, no!¡±


    The table shook a moment later as two more tri-coloured figures collapsed onto the table, and Schwarz buried his face into his hands. ¡°I¡¯m so dead.¡±


    ¡°Oh, cheer up. With any luck, they¡¯ll all forget about this,¡± Risti replied, a grin on her face. ¡°Maybe that¡¯ll teach you to stop making so strong drinks. I can¡¯t enjoy the better brews if you¡¯re making them so intoxicating.¡±


    ¡°Blow off¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahem!¡± Caroline cleared her throat. ¡°As fascinating as these three are, we need to deal with them. Do we leave them here? Or do we¡ª¡±


    Blue light blazed, and the three figures vanished. Apparently, there was some sort of mechanism that would retrieve the three of them when they were all incapacitated, which was pretty much now.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Schwarz folded his arms. ¡°That¡¯s a thing too?¡±


    ¡°Probably. But did the Blue Moon come here in his real body? Or did he just send his consciousness over?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Is it the body that was drunk, or the mind?¡±


    ¡°You ask questions I cannot answer,¡± the bartender replied. ¡°And thank you so much for that recommendation. I totally needed it. Why, I am even going to raise a new signboard proclaiming about how my drinks knocked the Blue Moon out. Your promotion was so effective that I now have a new gimmick. Really, really appreciated.¡±


    ¡°¡­Sorry.¡± Dia twiddled her thumbs.


    Beth, who was observing the whole thing on Caroline¡¯s lap, slid off and tottered over to Dia, before patting her thigh.


    ¡°Wait, why is she comforting you, and not me?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°I¡¯m the one who¡¯s in severe danger, alright?¡±


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    Beth looked at him, and then spread her arms to Dia. ¡°Hug!¡±


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m in greater danger instead,¡± Dia quipped. ¡°Well, they don¡¯t seem to be angry, so I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that much of an issue.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, you two.¡± Farah, who had been sipping at her tip peacefully, cut in. ¡°Let¡¯s deal with that letter first. What does the Blue Moon want from us? And what are we supposed to do?¡±


    Dia unfolded the blue piece of paper in her hands, and the toddler on her lap craned her neck. The kid, obviously, couldn¡¯t read the words on it, but it was adorable to see her try to look at it anyway.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Dia glanced at the words scribbled on it. ¡°It¡¯s a commission for us to weed out all forces of the great Dark in the Istrel Sovereignty. Apparently, there are two Dark Heralds operating in the Istrel Sovereignty, and they¡¯re busy conducting random acts of sabotage and whatever. We¡¯re supposed to get rid of them.¡±


    ¡°We, as in, the Seekers of Life?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°They¡¯re asking us to get rid of these Dark Heralds? Are they alright? Should I have pulled out my strongest drinks instead?¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t your strongest?¡± Caroline asked.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re asked to deal with the Dark Heralds here, of all places? Are you serious?¡±


    Dia felt her eyebrows twitch, before she passed the letter over. ¡°See it for yourself if you don¡¯t believe me, then. Besides, the Blue Moon noted that the Dark Heralds will be far weaker here. They¡¯re also rather special ones.¡±


    ¡°Mortals that turned into Dark Heralds¡­¡± Schwarz folded his arms. ¡°Never heard of such a thing before.¡±


    ¡°To be fair,¡± Nightfall replied, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a Distortion right until they appeared in the city. Not hearing about something doesn¡¯t seem to be a valid excuse nowadays, in my humble opinion.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    After the others agreed with that miserable little observation, Schwarz said, ¡°I don¡¯t suppose we can say no to this, can we?¡±


    ¡°We could, theoretically,¡± Risti replied. ¡°But I don¡¯t think rejecting a divinity is a good idea at all. It¡¯s best if we at least put in some effort in looking for Dark Heralds with mortal origins. The only question is how we need to go about doing it, in terms of finding and defeating them.¡±


    ¡°Defeating them shouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± Schwarz replied, before passing the letter to Risti. ¡°After all, the Moons claim that the Dark Heralds will be severely weakened under their barrier, and are unlikely to have a strength of a hexa-folder or even a penta-folder. We can take them if we come across them.¡±


    ¡°Supposedly, anyway,¡± Nightfall replied. ¡°You lot still need to be quite careful.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I mean, these guys know that they are weakened here in terms of their mana circuits. They definitely brought lots of powerful artefacts and skillstrips as emergency weapons and last resorts. After all, they¡¯re direct subordinates of the great Dark. I can¡¯t imagine them not armed to the teeth.¡±


    ¡°Bah, humbug.¡± Farah crossed her arms. ¡°Why can¡¯t the Moons just do the same? Is there really a need to ask us normal people to enter the fray?¡±


    She sighed.


    ¡°Not much of a choice here, sadly.¡± Dia rubbed her nose. ¡°We¡¯ll have to accept it, but¡­we aren¡¯t exactly told to succeed, right? And maybe they just want us to act as bait or something.¡±


    Everyone looked at each other, before sighing heavily. The prospect of taking sides in this war was also quite disturbing; would the Dark order their own people to assassinate the Seekers of Life after they killed off a few Dark Heralds? It was hard to say.


    More importantly, though, what was the Moons¡¯ game in all this? Dia couldn¡¯t quite figure it out.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t the Moons track down their targets?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I mean, they obviously know how many Dark Heralds are in the sovereignty, so why can¡¯t they simply dispatch their own people and all? Asking us to do something like this¡­how pointless.¡±


    ¡°Maybe because they don¡¯t have the exact location of the Dark Heralds,¡± Risti replied quietly. ¡°The entire request is all predicated around uncertainty. We don¡¯t know where exactly, or how strong they are. All we have are vague directions¡­maybe the Dark Heralds didn¡¯t use their powers in here?¡±


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Farah agreed. ¡°It¡¯s possible that our targets are good at hiding their actual existence. Maybe the reason why they want us to sniff out those guys is due to our familiarity with mortal methods of looking for people and dealing with them.¡±


    ¡°Investigating through mortal means, huh.¡± Risti placed the letter back onto the table. ¡°It seems that we already have a place to begin investigations from.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Farah County,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Yes, your home, Farah.¡±


    ¡°Hoh?¡± Nightfall looked at the countess. ¡°Your territory is where the Dark Heralds are operating out of?¡±


    ¡°A bit unlikely, but I suppose we¡¯ll all need to investigate the place first,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Maybe they just landed there after flying in, and left to another territory¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to investigate that bit first, at least.¡± Nightfall shook his head. ¡°Right, if the Blue Moon commissioned us to do things like these¡­what rewards did Plota promise?¡±


    ¡°Lifestones, territory and even the promise of a new passive skill,¡± Risti replied. ¡°All of which are quite useful. We can¡¯t really pass this up, given the rewards.¡±


    ¡°¡­In that case, we should start soon.¡±

 Chapter 610: Investigations

    ¡°I know I said this when we left the city,¡± Risti began, ¡°but are we really bringing along a kid for this investigation?¡±


    Beth, who was sitting on Dia¡¯s shoulders, tilted her head. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°¡­Never mind. She even answered herself this time. I give up.¡±


    Dia glanced at Risti, who had given up the moment Beth spoke. She could empathise with Risti right now, because the kid had definitely stared at her with teary eyes and a really sad face. Dia, who had experience in taking on a kid¡¯s sad face, wasn¡¯t even going to bother.


    After all, this didn¡¯t really cross any lines. None of them were going to bring Beth around during their actual investigations; Farah was going to have one of them stay with Beth in her tiny palace while the others ran off to do some investigations. Besides, the kid would be happy if she got to see more of the world, so it really wasn¡¯t a problem.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t bringing that up just to elicit a response from the kid, right?¡± Dia asked, tickling the toddler.


    ¡°Oh, come on. Who¡¯s so bored as to do that?¡± Risti chuckled. ¡°I just thought of it, since we¡¯re not too far from the county. Right, what¡¯s Farah County like?¡±


    Farah perked up. ¡°The specialty of Farah County is moonwheat! Bakes the best pastries in the Lustre Dukedom! Some of the most notable products include¡ª¡°


    ¡°Dia, can you tell me about Farah County? You visited it before, right?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with hearing from me?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Why would I ask the ruler of Farah County herself?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. You can¡¯t just ask someone who rules a place what he or she thinks about it, right? It doesn¡¯t make sense. It¡¯s like asking Schwarz what he thinks about his drinks. He¡¯ll praise them to the five grand skies, even though nine-tenths of them just end up knocking people out on the spot. If you didn¡¯t know any better, you¡¯d just drink it and suffer from irrecoverable bodily damage.¡±


    ¡°Oi.¡±


    Risti ignored the bartender. ¡°Besides, asking a ruler is pointless. He or she is fundamentally divorced from the lowest rungs of society. Ask Dia what she thinks of the slums in the Lustre capital. She definitely can¡¯t tell you a thing either.¡±


    ¡°Why did you take aim at me too?¡±


    Risti chuckled. ¡°Anyway, what do you think about Farah County?¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Very enthusiastic,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Wait. Enthusiastic?¡± Risti tilted her head. ¡°About what? What would they be enthusiastic about? Us?¡±


    Dia remembered the pomp and fanfare that had accompanied Farah¡¯s triumphant return home, and then grinned. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not much. Also, the pastries are awesome. Anything made from moonwheat is really nice, like what Farah said. You guys should go roaming around the streets if you have time. They¡¯re really soft and fluffy¡ªBeth, don¡¯t you dare drool on my hair.¡±


    The kid on her head shook a few times.


    ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± Dia tickled her sides. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯ll see¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Can moonwheat be used to make alcohol?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re even thinking of that now?¡± Farah asked. ¡°I mean, you could give it a try. If it works, I¡¯m happy. But what were the results of your tests with sunrice? I remember you imported a huge batch from Daybreak County.¡±


    ¡°Rice wine, but it ain¡¯t any drinking alcohol,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Good for cooking, though. The chefs at Triple-D love them.¡±


    ¡°Well, with any luck, maybe you can make similar innovations. But where do you get your time from? You¡¯re usually busy reading through reports and stuff like me, right?¡± Farah asked.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°I¡¯m just that good.¡±


    ¡°Stop boasting now, will you.¡± Farah let out a sigh. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s going to be a pain. Lloyd is definitely going to press me about a husband and an heir or heiress. Ugh. Do I really need to get married and everything? Marriage is the graveyard of life!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Dia asked, thinking about the idiot couples she¡¯d seen so far. ¡°They seem really quite happy to me, though?¡±


    ¡°Only because they¡¯re lucky. I¡¯ll need to get a husband for a heir. It¡¯s a loveless marriage or something.¡± Farah made a face. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just put it off and ignore their words. Or¡­¡±


    Her words faltered. ¡°Mhm. Well, we do have a child here.¡±


    ¡°Where¡ª¡± Dia paused, and then glared at Farah. ¡°You are not taking Beth from me. No way.¡±


    ¡°Are you intending to groom her into the next successor of the Lustre Dukedom?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Or rather, do you have that authority?¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡±


    ¡°I do, however, have the liberty to appoint anyone I damn well feel like,¡± Farah replied. ¡°And that¡¯ll give Beth some legal status of sorts too. I mean, it¡¯s odd if she doesn¡¯t have some nice title, right? I¡¯m a countess, you¡¯re the Lustre princess, Risti¡¯s a hotshot¡¯s kid, Schwarz is Schwarz¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not mentioning Claud, though!¡±


    ¡°Uh, he¡¯s the husband of the final survivor of a baron family,¡± Farah finagled. ¡°Yeap. Therefore, it only makes sense to have Beth to take on some cool position too, right? Otherwise, she might feel left out.¡±


    Beth rubbed Dia¡¯s scalp with her tiny hands, but she didn¡¯t say anything. Considering that the kid was quite capable of understanding most conversations, it was quite weird, but¡­


    ¡°Not handing the kid over to your family registry.¡±


    ¡°What are you, her mum?¡±


    ¡°Dada!¡± Beth patted her head. ¡°Dada!¡±


    Dia took a long, deep breath. ¡°Her father, apparently. I have no idea how that is possible, so someone else can go enlighten me at this point.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not kidding¡­¡± Farah shook her head. ¡°Damn it. Now I need to look for an heir or something.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly.¡± Dia looked up. ¡°I don¡¯t think the Emperor is going to accept an adopted kid as your heir or something. Old man¡¯s a stick in the mud sometimes. Anyway¡­we¡¯re almost there. I suppose we should prepare for a bit or something.¡±


    ¡°Prepare?¡± Schwarz tilted his head. ¡°Prepare what?¡±


    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t want to be deafened or anything, so we should let Farah go home first. Maybe¡­around two hundred metres or so away? We should keep the distance, unless you enjoy being the centre of attention.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Farah looked at her. ¡°You¡¯re talking about that, huh. I thought you forgot.¡±


    ¡°I was nearly deafened when the entire damn county ran out to welcome you home,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Totally don¡¯t need a repeat of that, you see? You can go on ahead first and reunite with your people. We¡¯ll watch from afar with gentle, doting smiles and everything.¡±


    ¡°This maternal feeling I¡¯m getting from you is disturbing¡­¡±


    ¡°Dada!¡± Beth clutched Dia¡¯s head closely. ¡°Dada, Dadia!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up with the kid?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Why is she responding to that random comment?¡±


    Dia really wanted to explain how Beth apparently saw her as a father figure rather than a mother figure, but on second thought, it felt like an absolute chore. Instead, she simply shrugged and waved her onwards, before glancing at the others.


    ¡°What do you guys think?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Well, if Farah is this well-received, we should not interrupt their reunion. It¡¯s best if she walks on ahead and draws away all the attention from us, even if it¡¯s temporary. Besides, we¡¯ll be able to enter her palace quicker that way. I don¡¯t really see a problem.¡±


    ¡°Yes, indeed.¡± Schwarz froze. ¡°And I¡¯m suddenly very aware of the fact that there might be some people in the county that may view me as a potential romantic partner for Farah, even though we don¡¯t have that kinda feeling for each other. It might be dangerous for me to appear in the public eye in such a fashion.¡±


    ¡°True¡­it¡¯s definitely dangerous,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°I can imagine some broken-hearted, misguided fellow attempting to hack you down with an axe or something.¡±


    ¡°My people aren¡¯t like that!¡±


    ¡°Really. Well, if so, I apologise.¡± Dia paused. ¡°But there are a lot of fanatics out there that would go to any lengths.¡±


    Risti made a little sound in her throat. ¡°I do remember thinking about scoping out anyone who seemed like a potential romantic partner for Princess Dia back then, just to see if they were actually decent people. I¡¯m sure others will do that to you too.¡±


    ¡°You remembered what?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Nothing much of importance now,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re close! Mana-walking as mid-ranked folders really is a good thing. We¡¯re moving so fast. I bet we can cross the whole sovereignty in around a week or something now. Even Caroline¡¯s mana wagon is slow compared to us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­hey, don¡¯t change the topic!¡±


    ¡°Putting that aside, we should get ready our equipment too,¡± Risti continued. ¡°The Dark Heralds are said to be operating out of and around Farah County. We need to be careful about running into them unprepared. Farah, we¡¯ll need your cooperation for this one once we begin the investigation in earnest. Also, we¡¯ll need to ask Emperor Grandis about this¡­¡±


    As Risti rattled on and on, Dia decided to give that disturbing topic a rest. It wasn¡¯t as if Risti was doing it now, after all¡­

 Chapter 611: Missing men

    "The din is insane.¡±


    Dia patted her ears daintily, and then looked at the veritable crowd that was busy tossing Farah up and down. Risti, who was the one that had complained about the noise, was busy rifling through files with her and Schwarz. Most of the files here contained news and information about shady sightings ¡ª no pun intended, even if it was related to the great Dark ¡ª but whether they could find it or not was another question altogether.


    ¡°Still, there are quite a lot of sightings and all,¡± Dia commented. ¡°And I¡¯m not talking about the Shadowed Ones. I¡¯m talking about the Distortions and whatever weird incidents that were popping up all over the county. Is crime at an all-time high? Or are these Distortions¡­maturing?¡±


    ¡°The weird sightings about malformed people and whatever?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°Distortions have a maturation period. I¡¯m sure the really small ones that have popped up unnoticed have matured and are moving randomly or according to whatever weird laws they follow. Probably the cause of the surge in sightings.¡±


    Risti made a face. ¡°Totally making our life easier.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Schwarz fiddled with a bunch of bottles. ¡°I¡¯ve made some light refreshments. Not the kinds that would knock out the Blue Moon.¡±


    Dia perked up. ¡°Nice. Break time, then!¡±


    Everyone gathered around the small table as Lloyd, Farah¡¯s butler, strolled in the room with some pastries, despite them not calling for any.


    ¡°For your pleasure, sir and ladies.¡± Lloyd grinned. ¡°I hope I can make your mouths water. Maybe you three may end up buying more pastries here?¡±


    Dia chuckled, and then reached out for the closest, palm-sized pie on the plate. It wasn¡¯t crumbly at all, but her fingers could tell that the pie was nice and soft to the touch. It was like a cushion that contained hot and fragrant filling, and Dia took her time to bite into the pastry.


    ¡°Chicken pie.¡±


    ¡°The best one in the county,¡± Lloyd added. ¡°I hope you like it, Lady Dia.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I do.¡±


    The three of them savoured the pastries slowly¡­or so it seemed, anyway. Before Dia knew it, the moonwheat-made pastries had all vanished into their stomachs.


    ¡°Ah. Drinking after a good meal is nice.¡± Schwarz slid a bottle to everyone, and then said, ¡°So, what do you guys think we should investigate?¡±


    Dia thought about the cases she had read so far. There were two cases that jumped out at her, both of which included shadowy beings prowling around. In fact, any sightings that reported clear monsters or whatever had been ruled out by her directly; the only one she cared about was shadowy ones.


    After all, they were looking for the great Dark.


    ¡°Let¡¯s plot out the cases we have in mind on a map,¡± Dia began.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re looking for overlapping areas of operation?¡± Risti asked. ¡°That¡¯s a good way, yeap.¡±


    ¡°And even if they don¡¯t overlap, we can just investigate all of them in one sweep if they seem connected,¡± Schwarz noted. ¡°Alright. Lloyd, could I trouble you to bring a map? We¡¯ll also need your help for this.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Sir Schwarz.¡±


    ¡°Schwarz will do, really.¡± He paused. ¡°Would you like a drink too? These are the ones that Farah likes. They¡¯ll bring a smile to your face.¡±


    ¡°It would be unbecoming for me to refuse,¡± Lloyd replied. ¡°I rarely got to try your drinks in Moon Manor, after all.¡±


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    The butler drank away happily as the three of them stared at the map that had been laid out in front of them. The files were, thankfully, standardised in terms of sightings and descriptions, so it didn¡¯t take them all that long to map out the areas where sightings of shadowy fellows had been spotted.


    ¡°Mhm. I can¡¯t really see a commonality in all this,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s because you aren¡¯t all that trained in this aspect,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Sure, there aren¡¯t any overlaps, but if you look at the dispersion and how these incident areas are scattered, it¡¯s possible to find an overlap of sorts. In the worst case scenario, we can simply connect these sightings and form them into a territory of sorts¡­¡±


    She drew on the map, connecting the circles and forming a cloud. ¡°Like this.¡±


    ¡°Northwest of the county and the northern county gate, then,¡± Schwarz noted. ¡°But what are their goals? We see lots of sightings, but there isn¡¯t any discernible damage.¡±


    ¡°Missing people, maybe. There are quite a few missing people reports in the marked-out areas.¡± Risti flipped through the various files and reports, before extracting a nice pile from them. ¡°All these reports happened in this location. I¡¯m not quite sure what is going on, but there¡¯s at least three hundred people missing here.¡±


    ¡°Corpses?¡±


    ¡°None found, for some reason. The people who went missing are mostly adult men. The elderly¡­none. Children aren¡¯t affected either.¡± Risti folded her arms. ¡°If the person responsible is indeed the great Dark¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s a high chance. There are a few sightings that mention shadows grabbing their father or whatever while walking through that place,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Hmm. We might need some bait.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the way you¡¯re looking at me, though!¡± Schwarz shivered.


    ¡°Adult man.¡± Risti pointed at Schwarz. ¡°Perfect bait right here.¡±


    ¡°Well, we might not even need to lay the bait,¡± Dia pointed out. ¡°After all, if we¡¯re going to investigate, he¡¯s going to come along. Who knows? The Dark Herald might just jump him while we¡¯re poking around.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m scared.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good thing,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Fear is the¡ªhmm? Beth, you¡¯re supposed to be having your afternoon nap, though?¡±


    The others turned to look at the toddler, who was walking towards Dia with her arms outstretched.


    ¡°Aww, can¡¯t get used to the bed?¡± Risti asked, slipping off her seat. ¡°Want a hug?¡±


    Beth looked at Risti, and then walked up to Dia. ¡°Hug!¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Risti rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Dada, hug!¡±


    Dia sighed, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to correct the kid. Squatting down once, she picked up the kid and sat down on the chair with Beth on her lap. ¡°Happy? Come on. Don¡¯t move around too much. We¡¯re still doing work.¡±


    Beth nodded, and then settled down in her hug. The others looked at Dia enviously, but there was no helping it if she was so irresistible to little widdle babies.


    ¡°Drink?¡±


    ¡°No. That¡¯s not for children.¡± Dia glanced at Schwarz. ¡°Could you get me some tea?¡±


    ¡°And tea¡¯s for children?¡± Schwarz scratched his head.


    ¡°Uh, yes?¡± Dia tilted her head. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with tea for kids? I mean, it¡¯s not a problem. I was raised that way¡­mhm. I should drink more tea at times, instead of plain old water.¡±


    ¡°Beth looks like she¡¯s going to cry, so get her some sweet stuff instead,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Do we still have some fruit juice around here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll got get it, Lady Risti.¡± Lloyd slid up to Dia, and then looked at the baby sitting on her lap. ¡°But first, what would you like, little one? Apple juice? Orange juice? Or milk?¡±


    Beth made a face for a few seconds, and then said, ¡°Apple!¡±


    ¡°Apple juice it is, then. Are you hungry too?¡± the old butler asked.


    Beth looked at Dia, who smiled back. ¡°If you are, go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Hungry¡­¡± Her nose twitched, and she pointed at the empty plate. ¡°Want that!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a lot more articulate when asking for things, huh,¡± Schwarz noted.


    ¡°Normally, children her age are quite articulate,¡± Lloyd replied. ¡°She¡¯s¡­around two years old, I think. My, oh my. Milady was quite a handful at that age. She would go around looking for me for hugs, and then ask me to bake some pastries for her.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve been doing this quite regularly, then,¡± the bartender replied.


    ¡°Regularly¡­no, not really. She grew up really fast.¡± The butler paused. ¡°Had to, after all. Her parents were a real piece of work. Milady didn¡¯t have much of a childhood.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go get little Beth her food and drinks first. Please, do continue with your work. It is very important, after all.¡±


    Beth made a pleased little sound as the butler scuttled off, and then pointed at the table. ¡°Sit!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s dangerous, so no.¡± Dia looked at the kid. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You aren¡¯t in the way. We just finished drawing; we¡¯re just wondering how to get the target to take Schwarz in front of us.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Really? I refuse to be bait!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re not making you bait,¡± Risti replied. ¡°It¡¯s just that you¡¯ll probably end up as bait once we go there to investigate, so don¡¯t sweat it. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll work our asses off looking for you when you inevitably vanish.¡±


    ¡°Screw off,¡± he replied. ¡°Can we please think of another method instead? Being the victim of a sudden kidnapping really isn¡¯t down my alley.¡±


    ¡°Fine, since you said please¡­but we¡¯re all going to investigate anyway.¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    Dia chuckled, and then looked at the map once more. Walking the ground would definitely be tiring¡­

 Chapter 612: The Holy Sons private channel

    ¡°Alright. This looks good, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Claud stared at the complicated flowchart that would account for most contingencies that he could conceive of, and then looked at Lily. Her serious face was also adorable too, but trying to squish her cheeks now was definitely not a good idea.


    Lily pored through the complicated flowchart, referencing the little notebook in her hand, and then followed the arrows slowly as they converged onto the final goal, which was meeting with the Black God and then leaving successfully.


    While all signs pointed at the Black God as someone friendly, Claud didn¡¯t want to be too complacent in this regard. The Black God was a divinity, after all, and like all the other divinities Claud had tangled with so far, he also gave off the feeling of being absolutely unfathomable.


    ¡°Cheer up!¡± Lily squished his cheeks. ¡°I don¡¯t like it when you¡¯re so serious and contemplative. You have to smile more, okay? It¡¯s someone who helped us. Don¡¯t be this worried.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not that worried,¡± Claud replied, before looking at the complicated flowchart. ¡°After doing all these checks and scouting the entirety of Kabir, I don¡¯t really think there¡¯s a trap in this.¡±


    He looked at the flowchart, memorised the various options on it, and then got up. ¡°Well, we should prepare for the long, winding trip to meet the Black God. We only have this one day before the whole thing needs recalibrating again.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say that you don¡¯t think there¡¯s a trap in this?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m paranoid,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Good enough, I suppose¡­¡±


    The two of them bustled around and prepared their equipment. However, since the strongest opponent that they could theoretically face was a divinity, their countermeasures were overly inadequate. What they were about to do was no different from two ants crawling onto the dining table to negotiate with the human having dinner or reading a book there. If the human was amused enough to talk, and was too assed to not bring his or her hand down on them, all was fine.


    If not¡­


    Claud wondered if his all-out attack could deal some actual damage to the Black God. However, his current state really wasn¡¯t suitable for negotiations and everything. After all, the Black God would definitely be aware that his lifeforce was still hollowed out. There was still quite some time to go before a full year marked itself; he would need to go through another Half Moon, Gibbous Moon and Full Moon first before he could recover fully.


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    Three little meeplings hopped onto his shoulder as he checked on the knives hidden all over his body, before making a fuss in his hair.


    ¡°What are you guys doing?¡± Lily asked, picking up the meeplings, who promptly nestled in her hair instead.


    ¡°Meep.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you wanna come along?¡± Lily folded her arms. ¡°Is it safe?¡±


    Claud made a face. ¡°As much as I think that it¡¯s not safe, I¡¯m quite certain that the Black God already knows about our presence here. I mean, we are in Kabir, after all. It¡¯s the Black God¡¯s place of power. We¡¯re already operating off the assumption that he knows where we are and what we¡¯re doing. Bringing three little meeplings along really isn¡¯t much of an issue at this point of time.¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡± Sceptre hopped onto his hand, and Claud winced as the sharp points of the star stabbed into his palm.


    ¡°Okay, okay. I get it. You agree and approve.¡± Claud looked at his poor palm. ¡°Maybe I should round off that pointy bit.¡±


    The meepling shuddered.


    ¡°Just kidding.¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    After fooling around one last time, Claud unloaded the little fellows into Lily¡¯s clothes, where they made themselves comfortable, and the two of them headed out. The capital city of Nihal, Kabir, was far more crowded than anything he¡¯d ever seen before, especially in the mornings. Yet, despite the sea of people, everyone was moving with an order and flow, where people paid attention to where other people were going and adjusted appropriately.


    Walking paths were carved out, and horseless carriages, ones that reminded Claud of the deadly coffins that he¡¯d seen in the Celestia Ruins, trundled across the huge roads. Occasionally, small flying boats would zip past them overhead, heading towards the spire at the very middle and docking there.


    ¡°It¡¯s uncomfortably quiet,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Right?¡± Lily whispered back. ¡°I bet even a small pop would be heard from the other end of the city.¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, this only happens in the morning, though.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°It would be very creepy at night.¡±


    The two of them followed the crowd heading towards the spire for a while, before breaking into the fifth small side street they came across. The small streets generally contained little shops that provided board and lodging, or were eateries that offered affordable and filling dishes. Every small street also had at least one general store, where all manner of items could be brought.


    And of course, there was a bar.


    ¡°Chicken¡¯s Coop¡­found it.¡± Claud looked at the weirdly named eatery. ¡°Still, why in the name of the Moons would the Black Church use such a storefront? The name is so¡­not Black God-ly.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    The two of them stopped in front of the door, before Lily knocked on it three times.


    ¡°Come in!¡± a voice replied, and Lily opened the door. With one hand holding on to Claud, Lily led him into a shop, which had paintings of eggs and chickens all over the place.


    A young woman sat at the counter, her eyes abnormally bright. ¡°You¡¯re here for retail, right? Enter this booth and tell me what you want.¡±


    Claud recognised the passphrase instantly, but he didn¡¯t need to remind Lily at all. In silence, the two of them entered the small, isolated stall, where Lily promptly brought out the passphrase.


    ¡°We¡¯re here to check on your Sussex stock,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I wonder if you¡¯re open for discussions?¡±


    ¡°Why, yes, indeed. Come on in. We¡¯ll talk at the back.¡±


    After locking the store¡¯s door, she led Claud and Lily into the backroom. The procedure here was mainly to remain silent and to count the number of lights that they had passed.


    ¡°I think the ninth is bright enough,¡± said Lily, and Claud glanced at the ninth light. ¡°Shall we discuss in this room? There are questions to be asked, to a person that matters.¡±


    The woman froze, and Claud felt some fear emanate from her thin frame.


    ¡°Here, ma¡¯am?¡± the woman asked.


    Lily nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°V-very well. Please go in first. The supplier will be here in three or so minutes. Please make yourself at home.¡±


    She opened the door, and the two of them entered. Instead of following them in, however, the woman closed the door behind them, scuttling off into the depths of the passage.


    ¡°Looks like this place is used not just by us,¡± Claud noted. ¡°Every light had a door. The passphrase, the light¡¯s number, and the words that follow. Hmm. Interesting. How do they deal with this if there are multiple people, though?¡±


    ¡°Maybe one group is allowed at one time,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°And this place is¡­quite extensive. We¡¯ve been walking in straight lines, but there are quite a few branches too. Presumably according to the species of chicken we ordered here.¡±


    Lily let out a low whistle. ¡°So weird. With this many different venues, the news must have leaked out by now, right? Everyone and their parents should know that there¡¯s a hidden hideout of the Black Church here, and it has extensive underground tunnels. Why didn¡¯t we hear any of this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°And there are lots of organisations here too. How is it that the Black Church can dominate the underground area? After all, dig enough and you¡¯d end up digging into a different set of networks.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s an open secret. The actual secret is the passphrase, which is presumably kept hidden through that booth. Everyone knows it¡¯s there, but only a few people know the right phrase.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably it,¡± Lily replied.


    Claud looked around the room once more. It was a sparsely decorated room. Other than a pitcher of water on a wooden table, there wasn¡¯t really anything much. The only thing that caught his eye was the heavily reinforced door on the other end, and it wasn¡¯t just the door either; the walls and the hinges were all made from the same glowing metal.


    ¡°No weak points to be found in that door, I¡¯m afraid.¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°Well. The Black Church definitely knows how to keep people out, if nothing else. I¡¯m impressed.¡±


    ¡°Getting some praise from you is quite rare, but hm.¡±


    The two of them sat around for a minute or two, before the door on the other side opened. In that instant, Claud felt his hackles rise, and he gazed at the newcomer.


    Hexa-folder? Whatever the case, this person was¡­not an ordinary mana-user, if nothing else.


    ¡°Be careful,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Mhm. Maybe they were expecting a certain someone else,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°¡­This is the Holy Son¡¯s private channel,¡± the newcomer said. ¡°What do you think?¡±

 Chapter 613: The Stairway to the Skies

    The newcomer was dressed in robes that made Claud think of a priest immediately. Black, body-length robes that just hovered above the ground, with golden filigrees that gave off a sense of both authority and prestige.


    Claud sized up the newcomer properly, and then said, ¡°Who are you? Nero sure as heck didn¡¯t tell us anything about this. We only know the procedures right up to this point.¡±


    ¡°I am¡­a bishop of the Black Church. Before I say anything, however, I would like to ask if you two know where this channel will lead you to.¡±


    ¡°The Black God, right?¡±


    ¡°That idiot really gave you this channel?¡± The bishop held his face. ¡°There better be a good reason for this, or I¡¯m whooping his ass.¡±


    ¡°How is this person a bishop?¡± Lily whispered to Claud. ¡°So crass! I thought the religious types were all soft and elegant.¡±


    ¡°Big surprise, I suppose¡­¡±


    ¡°I can hear you two,¡± the bishop added. ¡°Please do not lump me in with the sanctimonious bastards whose body strains the very fabric of their robes and frock, thank you very much.¡±


    Claud looked at the slim, tall bishop and nodded. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve been doing cardio.¡±


    ¡°I run every day, as well as three hundred practice swings.¡±


    Dia would be pleased, if nothing else, but Claud wasn¡¯t going to let on anything more than was absolutely necessary. Still, it was surprising to learn that a stately bishop was actually keeping fit, rather than just letting himself go¡­and more importantly, this fellow was indeed no small fry.


    ¡°Mhm. You seem like you can give the weaker Moon Emissaries and Dark Heralds a good fight.¡±


    ¡°A good fight, mhm. I wish I can do more, but I am but a penta-folder,¡± the bishop replied, a hint of pride on his face. ¡°Maybe this will change in good time.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Claud paused. ¡°Anyhow, we were kinda summoned by your master, so that¡¯s that. And we have something we need to consult him on too.¡±


    ¡°You speak as if you are equals¡­what disrespect. But if He summoned you, I can see why the Holy Son told you how to come here.¡± The bishop shook his head. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    Claud and Lily followed the bishop through the door the latter had come in, and their footsteps echoed in the long, winding passage. It lasted for a minute or two, before the bishop abruptly said, ¡°How is Holy Son Nero now?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­quite happy.¡± Claud paused. ¡°Very happy, even. Found a sweetheart.¡±


    ¡°He did?¡± The bishop stopped. ¡°Well, I suppose¡­after everything that happened to him when he went missing, it¡¯s a good thing that he found a new pillar of mental support. How¡¯s his partner like?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a noble scion of the Saran Supremacy,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Very caring. And odd, like Nero. They¡¯re a good match, and they¡¯re busy living and cuddling in our house for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Your house? What are they doing there?¡±


    ¡°Living there, why?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m asking why they¡¯re in your house with you two,¡± the bishop replied. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense. I might not be married, but I definitely know that two couples usually don¡¯t share the same roof if they don¡¯t share familial ties. What¡¯s the deal with that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we were staying in a different house,¡± Claud replied. ¡°No biggie.¡±


    ¡°¡­Thank you, then. For lending them your house. The Lord will surely bless you.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°It¡¯ll do if he can answer my questions,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Anyway, you seem to care for Nero a lot. Were you his designated caretaker or something?¡±


    ¡°You can say that,¡± the bishop replied. ¡°Why, I even changed his diaper.¡±


    ¡°Did not need to learn that. What was the training for a Holy Son like?¡± Claud asked, curious. ¡°Was it really boring and everything?¡±


    ¡°Quite uneventful. The Holy Children under my Lord tend to mature quite fast in terms of mentality. They understand what is best for them, and grasp at any and all opportunities to grow in both strength and wisdom,¡± the bishop replied. ¡°It is the influence of my Lord, who specialises in the domains of the mind.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°What does the Black Church think about the other Coloured Churches?¡± Lily suddenly asked. ¡°Are the various churches all friendly to each other, or are there animosities?¡±


    ¡°The Black Church has a good relationship with the other churches in general,¡± the bishop replied lightly. ¡°Mostly due to our teachings, which do not claim areas that the other Coloured Churches¡¯ teachings would cover. By way of illustration, the Blue God, the Red God, the Violet Goddess, the Indigo God and the White God all have overlapping areas of influence over the notions of fate and destiny. As a result, all of them hate each other.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really pushing it¡­¡±


    The bishop chuckled once, and then turned around one more corner, which led to a flight of stairs. ¡°Come on. Follow me up, but take care not to slip and fall. It¡¯s¡­quite dangerous, even for folders of your power.¡±


    Claud looked at the shimmering flight of stairs. They looked like they had been made from shadow, but on closer inspection, the shade of black that they had been dyed in was quite different from the black colour that the great Dark had as its colour motif. Rather, this shade of black was a bit closer to grey, although there definitely wasn¡¯t a Grey God sitting around.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°The Stairway to the Skies,¡± the bishop replied. ¡°Or, to be more accurate, one of the surviving Stairways to the Skies. Every single Coloured God that had lost their Bearer of Destiny has had their Divine Kingdom plummet to this world. No, do not ask me why both the White God and my Lord have no Bearer of Destiny. I have no way to answer that question either.¡±


    ¡°¡­We kinda already know, so it¡¯s fine,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Still, a Divine Kingdom¡­¡±


    ¡°A weakened, depowered one at that. You saw the Red God, yes? If he had been at his full might, he would have already gotten away with his abduction of a Bearer of Destiny.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± As Claud bobbed his head, he found something rather curious. Sure, the bishop obviously knew about the Red God¡¯s attempt to steal a Bearer of Destiny for himself, so why didn¡¯t he know that Nero and his lover was the cause of it all? It was quite odd, to be honest.


    ¡°Where did you hear that from?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°A spy overheard the incident from someone drinking in the bar, and we collaborated it with some skills,¡± the bishop replied. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°¡­Nothing in particular.¡±


    The three of them continued to climb up the stairs made of shadow. While Claud was certain that he could just fly the three of them up, he was here to ask about something, and if necessary, to gain the Black God¡¯s help. Flying up and ignoring the customs here was completely and utterly rude.


    The fatigue that covered his bones and his very existence tugged him down as he continued to put one foot in front of the next, but even his hollowed lifeforce didn¡¯t stop him from carrying on forward, not with Lily supporting him.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± the bishop asked. ¡°You look quite fatigued.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an innate condition,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯ll slow down a bit and admire the scenery, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I can do some introductions too.¡± The bishop gestured at the city around them. ¡°This Stairway to the Skies is invisible to the outside world, for one, so don¡¯t worry about causing a panic or anything. And it really isn¡¯t about height either. This Stairway to the Skies is designed to bring us into the Divine Kingdom of the Lord; it¡¯s a transitory passage from the mundane to the divine.¡±


    Claud tilted his head. ¡°Huh. So if I drop something high up enough¡­¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t hit someone on the ground.¡± The bishop paused. ¡°Thereby saving people from concussions due to objects falling out of the sky randomly. However, why would you even drop anything here?¡±


    ¡°As a hypothetical. And are you really sure the Holy Son never did this as a kid?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Well¡­hmm. Well. That might explain a few things...¡±


    The bishop made a face as the three of them continued to climb up the stairway. It was a shame that they had to walk, but there was probably some random story behind these damn things. Either that, or the divinities wanted the various pontiffs of the Coloured Churches to lose weight whenever they had a meeting.


    ¡°Well, we can see flocks of birds passing through us right now,¡± Claud observed wryly. ¡°We¡¯re really in another dimension.¡±


    ¡°A shame we can¡¯t catch them either,¡± Lily added.


    ¡°¡­There are refreshments in the Lord¡¯s Divine Kingdom, so please eat proper food.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­¡± Claud continued on the staircase. ¡°Right, is it fine for us to just meet the Black God like this? Isn¡¯t there anything like an application or a due process? This is way too informal.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Holy Child¡¯s privilege. No worries.¡±


    Claud looked at a floating black door that had appeared in their view. ¡°Okay, then. As long as you don¡¯t get punished¡­¡±

 Chapter 614: The Black God

    ¡°So, this is the Black God¡¯s Divine Kingdom.¡± Claud looked around at the dark grey walls and floor. Now that he was up close, with the memory of the great Dark¡¯s dwelling to compare with, he could see that the colour theme of the Black God was actually really dark grey, although¡­


    Well, it would be a weird colour, at least.


    ¡°Do the divinities have issues with sharing the same colour?¡± Claud wondered. ¡°I mean, there are some of the Coloured Gods that share a similar theme with the Moons.¡±


    ¡°It is not our place to wonder about the gods,¡± the nameless bishop replied. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I cannot enlighten you in that regard.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the whole deal with being a priest or a Blessed about understanding the Coloured Gods?¡± Claud asked, tilting his head. ¡°For someone high up on the ladder to say otherwise is quite jarring.¡±


    ¡°You do know your stuff.¡±


    ¡°He knows a lot of things!¡± Lily chipped in. ¡°And so do I. Knowledge is power, after all. The more we know about this world, the better.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. I apologise for my faux pas.¡± The bishop considered his words for a moment. ¡°Just as how there are hostilities between doctrinal issues, simply sharing similar identification factors are grounds for further hostilities between the divinities. For that reason, the Coloured Gods that share similar colours with the Moons are not on good terms.¡±


    ¡°What about the Black Church and the great Dark?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°The seeming orthodoxy of the Moons and their age-old rivalry with the Dark means that neither side are competing with each other, generally speaking,¡± the bishop replied, and Claud couldn¡¯t help but take note that he had said ¡®seeming¡¯.


    ¡°So, because people who worship the Black God are likely to view the great Dark as hostile and vice-versa, there¡¯s no reason for conflict?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Well said. Indeed. Because there is no overlap in worshippers, that is indeed the case,¡± the bishop replied, before gazing around him. ¡°And the Lord is rarely concerned about these affairs, given His special status in the world.¡±


    The bishop guided them to a formal set of great double doors, and then bowed towards the door once. He held the bow for three seconds, before straightening his back and taking five respectful steps backwards.


    ¡°From this point, you two will go alone. Beget not worry, for there is but one path ahead. I will wait here until such time as you two have finished your business with the Lord.¡± The bishop paused. ¡°I¡¯ll make myself comfortable, so don¡¯t feel bad about me. Please do not discriminate on the basis of my age.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But thank you for going so far.¡±


    ¡°Right, we might as well give you something too.¡± Lily nudged Claud. ¡°That bottle, remember? You said you wanted to give it to someone. That bottle¡­might as well give it to him, right?¡±


    ¡°Bottle?¡±


    ¡°Nero enjoyed drinking this very much, so I decided to bring one here, just in case his fellow countrymen enjoyed drinking too,¡± Claud replied, pulling out one of Schwarz¡¯s drinks. It was his signature ultra-pure water, which Claud had kept with him, just in case it actually came in handy for one reason or another.


    ¡°Alcohol? Indeed, we do enjoy it very much,¡± the bishop replied.


    ¡°Excellent. Fair warning, though, it is¡­very strong. Impossibly strong, apparently.¡± Claud paused. ¡°The two of us can¡¯t drink it and stay sober.¡±


    ¡°Then I shall be careful,¡± the bishop replied. ¡°Mhm. I do want to share it with Cornelius, though.¡±


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    ¡°Cornelius? Who¡¯s that?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°The Holy Son¡¯s double,¡± the bishop answered. ¡°The two are very close friends, and share many interests. This drink should be rather enticing to him too, for that reason.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Well, it¡¯s yours now, so deal with it as you will.¡±


    The bishop smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll drink to that.¡±


    For some reason, the bishop didn¡¯t even consider the possibility of him becoming a drunken mess in this sacred place, but it was also possible that he was a quiet drunk and that he knew it. None of that was his business, though, and the bishop seemed enough of a self-aware fellow to know if he was a violent rowdy drunk or a sleepy one.


    The chances of him just fainting after a sip was also damn high too, so eh.


    Shaking his head once, Claud looked at the double doors, and then at Lily, who smiled back. With a hand around his right arm, Lily gestured towards the door, and the two of them walked towards it in silence.


    The doors swung inwards slowly as they approached, revealing walls covered with starry glints. It was as if a clear, unsullied night sky had been built into this gigantic chamber, and the two of them stopped for a few seconds to admire the sights.


    ¡°We should have one of these too,¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°At least as wallpaper, I hope. I don¡¯t quite know how to turn walls into moving pictures of the night sky.¡±


    ¡°Of course we don¡¯t. But there are artefacts that can do that, right?¡± Lily asked. ¡°It¡¯ll be nice to have such a thing going.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out for that, then.¡± Claud stilled his trembling body, and then gestured at the way ahead.


    Each step he took was draining on him. Was it his hollowed lifeforce, attempting to prevent him from getting used to the sensation once more? Or was it the presence of the Black God? If so, why didn¡¯t his previous meetings with other divinities make him feel this way? Was it because he was in a Divine Kingdom now?


    Claud looked at Lily, who looked a bit horrible too. She noticed his gaze immediately, and then steeled her expression.


    There was no need for words, when it came to the two of them, and in silence, they held each other and forged onwards. The starry skies revolved around them with every step they took, and before long, they came to a stop.


    A rippling curtain of darkness blocked their path, a darkness that shimmered with a silver light every three seconds. On both sides of the curtain were two guards, each of them emanating a strength that Claud had seen once before during the Trial of Aeons, from the Chromatic Lords in attendance.


    These two people were the first, actual high-ranked folders that Claud had met.


    Septa-folders and beyond. Their presence, up close, seemed to rival that of the sovereigns of all three continents¡­which was a bit disappointing, considering that Emperor Grandis and his peers were all hexa-folders. Again, however, the three sovereigns had the benefit of the strongest artefacts and maybe some untold powers, so it was probably possible for them to match septa-folders.


    The two guards looked at them once, and then stepped away. The curtain of darkness rose, revealing an ornate throne room. The far end of the room contained a single throne of pure shadow, one that rippled with silver light in a manner very much like the curtain. There was nothing else in the throne room, other than that throne, and for a moment, Claud wondered if the Coloured Gods all lived in this¡­austere manner.


    Lily took a step forward. ¡°Greetings, O Black God. We thank you for accepting our plea for an audience.¡±


    No one had told Claud or Lily about formal procedures or rites to be carried out, but for some reason, Lily¡¯s words felt natural.


    Correct.


    ¡°Be at ease. Formalities are for games of power.¡± The silhouette stood up. ¡°Lord and Lady Primus. Be at ease, for today, we speak as equals.¡±


    He clapped his hands once, and the throne room rippled, before turning into a garden of black and silver flowers. A wooden table sat in the middle of the room, which had shrunk significantly. A small tea set, complete with a little cheerful fire, sat on the wooden table, and the shadow walked over to the tea table.


    ¡°Have a sit,¡± the Black God invited.


    ¡°¡­Thank you,¡± Claud replied.


    Lily held his hand as they took their seats. It was pointless to prevaricate about whether they should sit or not ¡ª their host had spoken once, and it would be uncouth to make the host speak again.


    ¡°This tea is made from my favourite flowers. I hope you two enjoy it,¡± the Black God added, before filling all three cups. ¡°It calms the mind and aids one¡¯s thoughts.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t stand on courtesy then,¡± Lily replied, and the two of them picked up the cups.


    After savouring the tea slowly, Claud said, ¡°The tea is both light and refreshing. Indeed, a calming tea.¡±


    ¡°I am glad you two enjoyed it.¡± The Black God paused. ¡°So, you two have finally come. Ever since that book entered your possession, I knew this day would come.¡±


    He closed his eyes for a moment. ¡°But before I talk about this book, allow me to speak of my own legacy. Who I am. Who the Coloured Gods are. And how I, the Omen of the previous cycle, managed to break free from my allotted fate and enter this cycle.¡±


    The Black God paused. ¡°And why you are here today. Have another cup first, will you?¡±


    The sound of pouring water followed, setting out the backdrop for the secrets the Black God was about to utter.

 (TOT) Chapter 615: A picture revealed?

    ¡°We, the Coloured Gods, were human to begin with,¡± the Black God began. ¡°In a period of turmoil, when humanity raged at the inverted Gods of Virtue, we became Bearers of Destiny and rose to the night sky, the new stars struggling to shine against the old. Or so goes the stories in popular culture and history.¡±


    He set down the teacup in his hands. ¡°In truth, the felling of the previous regime is something I did personally. That is the role of the Omen of Entropy. All Omens of Entropy are tests against the world. If the current civilisation proved to be lacking, it must be destroyed. Thus far, the Omen succeeded in destroying the previous civilisation, right until it came to my generation. That was when a problem arose.¡±


    Claud thought about it for a moment, and then nodded. ¡°If you did succeed, the White God should not have existed.¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± The shadow paused. ¡°The previous era proved to be unworthy, and their Salvation Star should have perished with it. However, instead of standing against us, the Salvation Star defied his destiny and stood with us, the usurpers. Under my leadership and his intelligence, we overcame the Six Gods of Virtue.¡±


    ¡°¡­He defied his destiny?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± The Black God chuckled. ¡°By all accounts, we should have fought to the death. However, at that point, a being appeared before me.¡±


    He sighed. ¡°It was a peer that I never knew about. I knew not his name nor his face, but he offered to me something. A way to not slay my friend, and yet complete the Third Godsfall.¡±


    ¡°A way?¡±


    ¡°The cycle is truly over when either the Omen of Entropy or the Salvation Star falls at the hand of the other.¡± The Black God paused. ¡°The word ¡®the¡¯ is a bit misleading, however. An Omen just needs to die to the Salvation Star to preserve the world. And it came to be that the Omen of another time and place chose to die at the White God¡¯s hand, preserving civilisation and preventing it from degrading too much.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Lily held her head. ¡°That person was an Omen?¡±


    Claud felt his head swim for a while, and then rubbed it twice. Did the Frozen Emperor somehow go back in time for this? Or was it his latest iteration, the being who transcended even the Hollow God?


    ¡°Indeed. As recompense, I was to take a book and deliver it to a person named Claud Primus six thousand years later,¡± the Black God replied.


    Claud took a deep breath. ¡°Hypothetically, what would have happened if such a being didn¡¯t appear before you?¡±


    ¡°The White God and I would have eventually fought to the death. Or there would be no true renewal, leaving the world barren of lifeforce,¡± he replied.


    Claud rubbed his head painfully. He had sought out the Black God for answers, but the end result was a boatload more questions now. If only there was someone he could press some answers for¡­


    Well, wasn¡¯t there one in front of him?


    ¡°Who¡¯s that person?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Although I could not see his face, you remind me of him,¡± the Black God stated quietly. ¡°It could have been you yourself, from a different future, hoping to change his future iteration¡¯s own fate. After all, there is very little reason to shatter the fetters of time and give up one¡¯s entire existence otherwise.¡±


    Claud rubbed his head. He had already guessed that it was himself; what he wanted to know was which iteration did something like that. It would be nice if he knew the number of iterations or something.


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    However, with this affirmation, Claud could already draw out the timeline for himself. First, some six thousand years ago, his previous iteration interfered with the Coloured Gods and saved the two friends from a fate of killing each other at the cost of his life. In doing so, he obligated both the Black God and presumably the White God into doing something for the Clauds of the future.


    The next notable change was the Frozen Emperor, who somehow helped the iterations of Claud after him to get through the Second Tutorial, thus evolving Absolute One and improving its bonus effect. With this bonus effect, the future Clauds could dominate the Trial of Aeons and improve all his skills to Will of Solitude and the like. This prevented the Red God from locking onto him, an outcome that resulted in Lily¡¯s death.


    Afterwards, the Hollow God became a septa-folder, but failed to evolve Absolute One yet again. The mismatch created a disturbance that alerted all the divinities, who then struck at the Omen, who had revealed himself somehow. The Hollow God survived, but not Lily, and in his grief, he stepped into the ranks of divinities and destroyed the world to restart the timeline, turning into part of the Third Tutorial in the process. This created a vulnerability within the Third Tutorial, which was exploited by alien invaders that would turn all high-ranked folders into monsters.


    This was what his previous iteration went back in time for. In other words, this was the only timeline where both the White God and the Black God lived. Both of them were apparently crucial to whatever came next, just that Claud didn¡¯t know what came next at all.


    In fact, Claud was quite certain that the White God was the one who had perished in the Third Godsfall in all previous iterations of this timeline. He couldn¡¯t remember any mention about the White God in his Second and Third Tutorial, which was probably proof of that.


    He shook his head once, and then let out a sigh.


    ¡°Have you two sorted your thoughts yet?¡± the Black God asked. ¡°Worry not. I dare not peek into your heads. Not at this time.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah. How did you tell, though?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Your brain activity lowered.¡± The Black God chuckled. ¡°I am the being that specialises in the mind, after all. Now, then. Having understood my origins, and why I gave you this book, you must now be wondering how to read it, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the most important part, actually.¡±


    ¡°I wish I can tell you, but I genuinely do not know how to decipher the book myself. My understanding of this book is that the pages are automatically deciphered after a certain date. There is the faint power of time, and¡­¡±


    He paused. ¡°I am not sure what this twisted time is, but it is there.¡±


    ¡°Twisted time?¡±


    ¡°Conjunctions, openings, threads and paths.¡± The Black God paused. ¡°There is no need to feel this hopeful, because that is all I can discern. If you can, turn your eyes to the Indigo God. He may be able to tell you more about this book, for time is never my specialisation.¡±


    He closed his eyes. ¡°I have another suggestion, but it is a fairly pointless one. My friend is the manifestation of karma. There might be another way of answering this question to, if you so desire. He also owes that nameless person a debt. I am not sure what that nameless person requested of him, but¡­¡±


    ¡°He should have arrangements?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Claud rubbed his head again. This was a stage that had been collectively prepared by the various iterations of himself, and he was but the latest actor. If he failed, he would join the other versions of him¡­


    In that case, was he still him? Or did all the various Clauds have their own minds, thoughts and personalities? What about the others?


    It wasn¡¯t a good question to think about now, so he took another sip of tea and closed his eyes.


    ¡°Did that person say anything else?¡± Lily prompted. ¡°I do not believe such a meticulous person would hand you a book, give you a one-liner instruction on what to do with it, and then commit suicide.¡±


    ¡°He did give us warnings about the Fourth Godsfall,¡± the Black God replied. ¡°Me and Schizel were both aware about the Distortion phenomenon¡­and its true form. One reason behind why we are not part of this cycle is because of our contributions in plugging up the vulnerabilities in the Third Tutorial.¡±


    ¡°That does explain a few things,¡± Lily replied.


    Claud took another sip of his tea. In other words¡­


    The more he thought, the more curious Claud became. What was the world when the Black God was forced to kill the White God? Was it a cruel one? Did the things that the various iterations of himself carry out make the world a kinder and better place?


    Claud didn¡¯t know, but he knew himself well.


    However, he couldn¡¯t say the same for a grief-stricken Claud. He had seen one of the possible outcomes, after all, and the Hollow God had directly destroyed to world just for the possibility of reviving Lily.


    He took another sip of his tea, and then opened his eyes. Questions had been answered, and now, more questions needed answers. Only a few, however, were actually something that the Black God could answer¡­assuming, of course, he would.

 (TOT) Chapter 616: Dancing around words

    ¡°I see.¡± Claud held his head. ¡°Even the Coloured Gods do not know everything, then.¡±


    ¡°We are not that omnipotent. The incubation time of the Cosmic Egg is one of the foremost mysteries that everyone is wondering about too¡­including the five grand skies.,¡± the Black God replied. ¡°And no, I cannot tell you what the five grand skies are. I can only tell you that they are the arbiters of the cycle, watching for the time when all life ends and a new one begins. They will protect it at all costs.¡±


    Claud felt a shiver run down his spine. In that case¡­did this mean that the Hollow God fought against the five grand skies and won? Or did they react too slowly to the Hollow God¡¯s actions of destroying the world back then? After all, Claud was quite sure that the Hollow God didn¡¯t mention anything about the skies that looked down upon the world.


    ¡°Are they enemies of the Omen, then?¡±


    ¡°I believe you know the answer to that as well as I do,¡± the Black God replied.


    ¡°What does that have to do with me?¡± Claud asked. The Black God hadn¡¯t yet acknowledged Claud¡¯s position as the Omen, and Claud wasn¡¯t ever going to let those words leave his mouth here anyway.


    ¡°You must have your own thoughts regarding this too,¡± the Black God replied. ¡°I¡¯m more curious about why you asked that question, if anything. After all, the five grand skies definitely know who the Omen is, the name of the Fourth Bearer of Destiny in this cycle. The only question is why you wanted to ask that question.¡±


    Claud folded his arms, and then pondered on it seriously. The actual reason why he asked that question was due to his knowledge ¡ª if Lily died, he, the Omen, would certainly bring ruin to the world just for a chance to bring her back. The world didn¡¯t matter without her, and he was not going to let his better half vanish forever either.


    Therefore, in this cycle, if Lily¡­really vanished, he would oppose the five grand skies on and on, no matter how many iterations passed. Unless there came a point when one of his future iterations completely severed his bond with Lily¡­


    He shook his head. Claud could not imagine that at all.


    ¡°You were just asking it on a whim, then,¡± the Black God replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s related to what you said,¡± Claud hurriedly added. ¡°After all, in the Third Godsfall, that person gave his life for this favour, creating an instance where both that cycle¡¯s Salvation Star and Omen survived. Isn¡¯t that a weird situation, all things considered?¡±


    ¡°Indeed so.¡± The Black God paused. ¡°In the Second Godsfall, the Salvation Star emerged from the ranks of the Primordial Gods, opposing the Six Gods of Virtue, who were led by the Omen of Entropy. Destruction won, and the old order and world was completely eradicated. This should have been the usual state of things, in that sense.¡±


    Claud wanted to speak, but his ability to draw breath and formulate them into more words weakened. Lily looked at him once, and then smiled.


    ¡°But you said that the five grand skies would protect the cycle at all costs,¡± Lily replied in his stead. ¡°Why, then, do the five grand skies tolerate you two?¡±


    ¡°You said it yourself. We¡¯re just tolerated. We can¡¯t participate in the Fourth Godsfall, and no matter which side wins, we¡¯ll remain neutral,¡± the Black God replied. ¡°But¡­the five grand skies have far more to worry about. The Fourth Godsfall was highly irregular to begin with. In fact, all prior cycles have new divinities rising up from the ranks of mortals to defeat the inverted gods, their divine tyrants. This is, for some reason, the only cycle in which divinities of three opposing parties clash against each other, with Bearers of Destiny as the lifelines of their godhood.¡±


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    ¡°¡­Any clue why this is the case?¡±


    ¡°Do I look like I specialise in that area?¡± the Black God asked, before pouring out more tea for himself. The shadow picked it up and savoured the steaming cup happily, before smiling. ¡°You should, however, keep this question in mind as the days go by. Who is behind this grand plan? And for what purpose?¡±


    Claud looked at Lily, made a few faces, and then forced himself to speak. ¡°Regarding the Cosmic Egg¡­what happens now, since the Omen staked a full claim on it?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very irresponsible answer,¡± Claud replied. ¡°You¡¯re the Black God.¡±


    ¡°I do very little. Other than plugging up holes that were poked and exchanging tea with Schizel, I spend the rest of my time sleeping and thinking about the Third Godsfall. Especially in recent days, after that idiot died.¡±


    ¡°That idiot?¡±


    ¡°The Red God,¡± the shadow replied.


    Claud suddenly found himself unable to speak again, so he shifted his eyes to Lily, who made a face back at him. The two of them exchanged funny faces at each other, before the Black God cleared his throat.


    ¡°Stop making funny faces. And I do not know who did the killing either, although I suspect that the Omen¡¯s behind it.¡±


    The Black God glanced at Claud. ¡°But the only question is how he did it. After all, there are no deca-folders anywhere at all. It might be someone from the previous era, but the five grand skies would have retaliated on the spot if that was the case. I¡¯m actually very curious.¡±


    Claud really couldn¡¯t tell if the Black God knew about his status as the Omen or not. To begin with, the whole thing was due to his previous self going back in time and offering himself as a sacrifice. However, that couldn¡¯t directly pinpoint the current Claud as the Omen, even if he and the previous Claud shared multiple similarities.


    ¡°So you don¡¯t know who the Omen is?¡± Lily asked, voicing the question that Claud wanted to ask, but didn¡¯t dare to.


    ¡°No, unfortunately. I¡¯m just guessing that it¡¯s your partner here, but all that is based off that¡­benefactor.¡± The Black God took another sip of tea. ¡°For I know, that fellow might be your great, great-grandfather by a couple dozen generations. Also¡­I don¡¯t really mind, but you guys are very, very relaxed in my presence. I¡¯m not complaining; the formalities of my church can be dull, dreary and very boring, but you guys seem very used to this.¡±


    ¡°We are?¡± Claud thought for the moment. ¡°Oh! It¡¯s because you remind us of Lesser Half.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that.¡± Lily bobbed her head. ¡°Similar motifs, you two are nice and easy-going, and you two don¡¯t carry any airs at all.¡±


    ¡°Huh. I¡¯ve never interacted with Lesser Half before, but he sounds like someone agreeable.¡± The Black God paused. ¡°Do you think he¡¯d accept if I send him an invitation for a tea party?¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t know why the divinities he¡¯d met so far seemed quite taken with the ideas of meals together, but wouldn¡¯t it be nice if the Blue Moon, the Black God and Lesser Half all came together to talk things out?


    No fighting, just a nice talk¡­and they were all in a truce right now.


    Why not?


    ¡°Well, I could try to arrange a little party between you, Lesser Half and the Blue Moon.¡± Claud blinked. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I have a lot of questions regarding your network of acquaintances, but by all means. It will be interesting, at least. Mhm. And I do need to tell the Blue Moon about my Holy Son. Nero has been holed up making babies with the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny, after all.¡±


    ¡°We did not need to know that at all,¡± Lily muttered.


    The Black God guffawed, and then took another sip of tea. ¡°This insouciance is refreshing, when it comes from someone who¡¯s not hostile! Yes, yes. I must be deprived of so much social interaction. Ahh¡­¡±


    He shivered once. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t expect you to do it anytime soon, though. You are busy, after all. And you might want to consider visiting one of the others. Who do you want to visit?¡±


    Claud paused, and then glanced at Lily, whose brows were furrowed. They exchanged quick glances for a few seconds, and then Lily nodded once.


    ¡°We would like to visit the Indigo God,¡± Lily replied. ¡°He is the one who governs time, right?¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± the Black God replied. ¡°Mhm. You must be investigating that person, then, if you are looking at time.¡±


    Claud nodded.


    ¡°Very well.¡± He paused. ¡°I will send you there directly in a day. In the meantime, why not take a rest here? You two carry many, many heavy thoughts. Have some tea. Rest in a place of utmost safety.¡±


    He got up. ¡°I will prepare a calling card.¡±


    Claud and Lily got up together and bowed. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Still, it was quite amazing to learn that even the Coloured Gods used calling cards¡­but if one remembered that they used to be human, maybe it wasn¡¯t that weird?


    It was quite a good question.

 Chapter 617: Odd movements

    ¡°Release him!¡± Dia slashed out at the shadow, who dodged her blow like a professional dancer. Schwarz, however, didn¡¯t appreciate the graceful dodge, and his yells grew as the shadow darted around and fended off her strikes.


    She glanced at Risti, who was closing in on the shadow from the other end, and then nodded at her. Gliding forward smoothly, she parried the incoming stab by diverting it to the side, and then smashed her elbow into the shadow¡¯s chest.


    Schwarz screamed again as he and the shadow turned into a rolling ball that slammed into the rippling shield.


    `           ¡°Come on! I¡¯m still here!¡±


    ¡°Just take it like an adult!¡± Dia replied, her sword snaking out with a deadly glint. The shadow stiffened a moment later, and an arm fell onto the ground.


    Dropping into a forward roll, Dia kicked off the ground and swept past the shadow. The blade glinted again, and the shadow let out a shriek, before turning into mist.


    She winced as a certain bartender dropped like a sack of potatoes. Instead of helping him up on the spot, however, Dia looked around cautiously, before signalling at Risti, who gave her the thumbs-up.


    ¡°All clear, then.¡± She rubbed her hands. ¡°Did you stick that thing on the shadow?¡±


    Schwarz scowled at her as he got up. ¡°Yeah. Got a good stab in. He probably didn¡¯t realise it, but they might check afterwards.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s your combat ability?¡± Dia pressed on, looking at his unwounded body.


    ¡°Let¡¯s be honest here; I can lose an arm, and I¡¯ll still be equally useless here,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that the stupid thing got me so easily.¡±


    ¡°Well, that shadow did carry you like a bride,¡± Risti quipped, before handing him a sword. ¡°How does it feel to experience something only noblewomen experience on their big days?¡±


    ¡°Very uncomfortable.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Risti made a face. ¡°How unromantic.¡±


    ¡°W-well, maybe it¡¯s because the shadow was rough?¡± Dia replied. ¡°Don¡¯t discount that fantasy so quickly!¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?¡± Risti asked. ¡°And it¡¯s not like you show any interest in romance anyway. I¡¯ve been watching you for a long time, but it¡¯s as if you don¡¯t have any attraction to anyone at all. Other than your family, is there anyone who has managed to move your heart?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but after I saw Claud and Lily, it got a bit hard,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Wait, what¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand me, you idiots.¡± Dia rolled her eyes. ¡°Those two just messed up my progression of romance or something. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a sequential thing, but these two felt like they jumped right into it and skipped all the progression.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Schwarz looked at her. ¡°I think there was a lot of progression, though? They worked together in the Julan Barony, hung out lots of times¡­oh. Well, they were hiding it quite well, though. Until they didn¡¯t.¡±


    He made a face. ¡°Yeah. And then that idiot raises the bar so high I don¡¯t even dare to start. It¡¯s as if they live for each other wholly, at this point. I¡¯ve seen them doing all kinds of¡­stuff whenever they think we aren¡¯t looking, and they don¡¯t even hide it either.¡±


    Dia nodded. The little interactions that the duo had was also making her think that romance was devoting oneself to the other entirely, but¡­was that truly possible? Was it possible to truly devote oneself for the sake of the other person?


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    She didn¡¯t think so. Again, however, both Lily and Claud had their own backgrounds and influences, so¡­


    ¡°Meh.¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°Anyway, we better track that shadow down. Risti?¡±


    ¡°Why else do you think I¡¯m just making idle banter?¡± she replied. ¡°The shadow is still moving at high speeds, and chasing it will just make it flee more. We should let it settle down first, at which point it will head towards its safe point, the hideout where all the other men are at¡­hmm. Why are these shadows capturing men, though? What do the Dark Heralds want from them?¡±


    She looked at Schwarz. ¡°No, that¡¯s too cruel.¡±


    ¡°All that friendship finally came to good use, I see.¡± Schwarz touched his chest.


    ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s not like you can put up a fight against either of us if we really wanted you to be bait,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Be grateful and make lighter drinks for us.¡±


    ¡°Stop rubbing it in! And okay.¡± Schwarz sighed. ¡°So, we¡¯re just going to hang around here for a while?¡±


    ¡°To check on you,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Maybe that shadow did something to you too, so just stay here while I use a bunch of skills on you.¡±


    After breaking a few skillsticks, she nodded. ¡°All clear. Anyway, I suppose we should start moving towards that fellow now. The shadow has, surprisingly enough, moved to someplace close to the Farah Palace, despite running so far out to kidnap a bartender.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s darkest under the Moons, after all.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Dia thought for a moment. ¡°We should first inform Farah about this, at least. And then mobilise everyone for good measure.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    The three of them began to head back. This battle had taken place in one of the most concentrated areas where men had been abducted by shadows, mostly labourers who were making their way out into the fields. It was pretty much the boundary where the city and the fields met¡­


    But why weren¡¯t there any walls?


    Shaking her head, Dia followed the others back into the Farah capital, which was bustling with people selling all sorts of items.


    ¡°What¡¯chu looking at me for, huh?¡± Dia glared at Schwarz. ¡°I just brought a little pastry, and you¡¯re already not happy?¡±


    ¡°No, I just forgot that I didn¡¯t bring money,¡± Schwarz replied, swallowing once. ¡°I thought we were going to duke it out with the great Dark, so I didn¡¯t bring money with me at all. That curry puff smells really nice, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡± Dia handed him her little pastry and turned back to the vendor, before passing another one to Risti, who also didn¡¯t bring money, apparently.


    ¡°You kids¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all around the same age, though. And didn¡¯t you say we were going to be dealing with that?¡± Schwarz asked, before walking off.


    ¡°Well, dealing with a shadow doesn¡¯t mean you don¡¯t need to bring money, right?¡± Dia replied. ¡°Still, if you two really felt inadequate¡­I suppose I can¡¯t really blame you. Anyway, I got you two your curry puffs, so stop looking at me sadly. We¡¯re going to fight after this, you know!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­¡±


    After making sure that the two idiots were in a fighting state once more, Dia herded them towards the Farah Palace¡­well, the little mansion that served as the palace, anyway. Farah, Lloyd and Beth were sitting in the front garden, with the two adults¡­holding up picture books for some reason.


    ¡°You¡¯re teaching the kid?¡± Dia asked, eyeing the colourful picture book. ¡°Wait, I said you can¡¯t have her in your family registry.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t teach her,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Besides, don¡¯t be such a stick in the mud. She can be the new Countess Farah and I won¡¯t blink an eye.¡±


    ¡°Dada!¡±


    Dia shot a glance full of superiority at Farah. ¡°Teaching her is my responsibility.¡±


    ¡°Your role in the Seekers of Life is one of external affairs,¡± Farah replied. ¡°You won¡¯t have much of a chance to teach her, compared to me. Think about the kid, alright?¡±


    Dia wanted to retort, but¡­


    It wasn¡¯t as if she didn¡¯t know what it was like to be left alone. It was painful, scary, and¡­Beth had lived through enough of that for a few lifetimes, hadn¡¯t she? Farah had a point, despite Dia¡¯s own thoughts, and after a while, she nodded.


    ¡°Yeah. I suppose you¡¯re right.¡±


    Farah smiled. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re the princess we all look up to, you know.¡±


    It sure didn¡¯t feel like it, but Dia knew that Farah made very sound arguments. Besides, she didn¡¯t think her father would accept little Beth into the family easily; she was not of his blood, after all. And with the loss of a son¡­could he really accept Beth as his daughter¡¯s substitute? And if he could¡­


    Dia nodded again. ¡°Yeah. I suppose you¡¯re right. I can¡¯t do all that for her.¡±


    ¡°Dada?¡± Beth looked at Dia, and Dia hurried over. ¡°I want a hug!¡±


    ¡°Hug, okay.¡± Dia squished her gently, and then pointed at the book. ¡°Study hard, okay?¡±


    She nodded.


    Farah lifted the kid off her lap, and then said, ¡°Uncle Lloyd will teach you for now, okay? I have something to do with your¡­Dada and the others. Be a good girl, alright?¡±


    Dia patted Beth¡¯s head at the same time. ¡°Go on.¡±


    The little kid nodded, and then Farah turned to the three of them. ¡°Alright, what¡¯s going on now?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve discovered their hideout,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Mind moving some people with us?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Farah rubbed her hands. ¡°Let¡¯s see what the Dark is up to, shall we?¡±

 Chapter 618: An odd discovery

    Shadows creeped towards the house in silence as Dia watched on from afar, the mana in her body ready to lash out. Her role here was the interceptor of would-be escapees, to hit them hard right when they thought they were safe.


    Her eyes glanced at Farah and Risti, who were busy moving the elites of Farah County into strategic points, and she relaxed slightly. Schwarz was now babysitting with Lloyd, just so that the little kid wouldn¡¯t be lonely. However, Dia was now worried that the idiot would cook too much good food and spoil the kid, so¡­


    ¡°Well, at least it¡¯s better than not feeding her, right?¡± Dia muttered, before fixing her eyes on the house. It was quite large for an estate in Farah County, and from Risti¡¯s earlier probes, it would seem that the kidnapped men are in the basement.


    Why men?


    There were so many different possibilities that Dia didn¡¯t even want to think about it too hard, but the kidnapped people all shared similar characteristics.


    They were either burly or were mana-users, so Dia couldn¡¯t help but think that these fellows were being put to physical labour or something. Still, given that Farah County was an agrarian one, the women here were also stronger than their city counterparts, so why did they go for men only?


    Maybe it was something else instead, but every other option led her to think of stuff that if her father knew that she knew, would probably faint - but she would need to verify with a gender census of the Shadowed Ones first. Still, the moment the kidnapping incidents targeted one gender only¡­


    ¡°Pwah.¡± Dia wanted to wash her mind of the adult scenarios that had popped up. ¡°Hurry up and crack that open, you two¡­¡±


    Maybe it was because grabbing men who were making their way to or from the fields was easier. Apparently, men liked to do their work alone, while the women who headed out usually went in groups. Was the gender choice just an outcome of the situation?


    Dia allowed her thoughts to run wild while the elite folders of Farah County got into place. The plan was simple; once all the thirty-six folders were in position, they would activate the artefact in their hands and enclose the targeted area. It would also slow anyone in the field done, unless they carried another artefact¡­


    It was amazing how strong artefacts could be. From her understanding, this artefact was made with a skill called Slow Field, which simply created a zone where all movement was slowed down.


    Sighing, she fiddled with her sword and waited for the signal.


    After around another two minutes, mana arced upwards into the sky and detonated with a deafening explosion, and Dia got to her feet. A moment later, mana surged up from the ground around the estate, enclosing it in a dome of light. At the same time, the estate itself blew apart, releasing innumerable fragments of stone, glass and whatever other things that made up the house, and three shadows surged out.


    The barrier was never meant to capture them, however.


    Without any suspense, the three shadows punched through the barrier, spreading out in different directions. Mana, which had been coiled up in Dia¡¯s legs, surged once as a shadow flew in her direction, and the small rocky outcrop she had been perched on shattered completely.


    The black shadow didn¡¯t even have a chance to react as she seemingly appeared next to it.


    Dia winced as the flat of her blade smacked the shadow from beneath, enduring the pain that came from the impact. Before the force could bat the shadow upwards, she twisted savagely, following through with the rebounding force acting on her blade and smashing it against the top of the shadow this time.


    The guttural roar that was in its infancy died away as the shadow plummeted to the ground below, with Dia following suit a moment later. A sickening squelch followed as the shadow smashed into the earth, throwing dirt up upon impact.


    She landed on the ground a second later, dropping into a roll to bleed off the excess force. At the same time, tri-coloured light descended from the skies, and the shadow in the crater froze up entirely.


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    ¡°¡­Was there a need to make me do all this, then?¡± Dia wondered out loud.


    The others raced over a moment later, but the various mana-users of Farah County didn¡¯t need to do anything. In the instant that light fell, a tri-coloured person had stepped out of thin air¡­and everyone in Farah¡¯s employ apparently had a good measure of their own capabilities. In the end, they returned to the mansion, where there was some dodgy, weird set-up going on.


    ¡°You hurt?¡± Risti asked. ¡°I have lots of remedies and skillsticks, so sound off if you don¡¯t feel well! Mana-users we may be, but our bodies are still very fragile.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just a bit sore,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Okay, so just stand still for a moment while I get rid of the pain,¡± Risti replied, pulling out a bunch of skillsticks.


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t go wasting th¡ªuwaah.¡±


    The comfort that followed cut off her words, so she could only shake her head at Risti. It was a waste to use that on her right now, since those skillsticks were definitely worth a fortune.


    ¡°Feeling better?¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but don¡¯t be so wasteful next time,¡± Dia replied. ¡°These skillsticks are going to run out one day, and every one used on a small muscle strain is one that¡¯s going to vanish forever.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Dia shook her head, and then looked at the Moon Emissary, who was happily bundling his Dark counterpart up. ¡°What are you going to do with that fellow?¡±


    ¡°Interrogation.¡±


    ¡°Even though we¡¯re all in a ceasefire now?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I mean, what he did isn¡¯t really what anyone would call an act of war, right?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re bringing in this Dark Herald on the pretext of harming humans,¡± the Moon Emissary replied. ¡°His masters must pay reparations¡­and one must wonder just what they were up to.¡±


    The Moon Emissary paused. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    The three of them trailed after the Moon Emissary as it approached the ruined estate. The basement had been blown open, along with the rest of the house above, revealing a rather intricate set-up that Dia couldn¡¯t quite understand.


    None of the others could, either.


    ¡°This might be up Lily¡¯s alley, though,¡± Risti mumbled.


    ¡°Uh, she uses bombs, though?¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Risti replied, seemingly to herself. ¡°This is a contraption that runs off not mana or lifeforce, but by pure physical strength. I am not sure what this is supposed to do, though.¡±


    Dia looked at the setup closely. A bunch of men had fainted on odd machines. They were seated on these machines, and their feet were strapped into small footrests that were linked through rods to a weird box. These footrests all varied in positions from person to person, so they were mobile ones that moved in a circle or something.


    ¡°Mhm. That central box linked to those pedals seem to drive something else,¡± the Moon Emissary noted, and a flash of light forced Dia to squint. When the light next died down, the floor of the basement had been removed, revealing a bunch of weird circles that had spokes. These spokes were linked to each other, and¡ª


    ¡°Gears.¡± Risti muttered. ¡°Mhm. Well, they are still used for some things, but this is quite the complex set-up.¡±


    ¡°Gears?¡± Dia repeated.


    ¡°I¡¯ve read about them before. They are a way in which physical forces are transmitted¡­anyway, it seems that the great Dark wanted to power something here,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°All the gears seem to point at this box.¡±


    Another flash of light followed, and Dia had to force her eyes open again. There, in the middle of the box that was the central point of this entire convoluted set-up, was a blue, eight-pointed crystal.


    The last gear in each line of gears had a weird metal rod connected to their centre. The rod itself had two fins, which were positioned in the middle of two curved surfaces, which was then linked to a box.


    From these boxes came thin metal wires, which led to the blue crystal in the middle of it all.


    ¡°What¡¯s all this?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me, I¡¯m not sure either.¡± Risti paused. ¡°Someone get those fellows off these machines first. After that, try to move those¡­pedals there,¡± Risti instructed.


    ¡°No need,¡± the Moon Emissary replied. ¡°I understand what is going on now.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Ahem. I mean, can you enlighten us?¡±


    The Moon Emissary glanced at Risti once, and then said, ¡°The Dark is attempting to use mortal means of generating energy. This thing should be a generator. Physical activity generates a power called electricity, which is channelled into this crystal for storage.¡±


    ¡°¡­Electricity?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve read about it before,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°The technologies that predate the Second Godsfall, right?¡±


    ¡°The most rudimentary of secrets, sourced from the Celestia Ruins,¡± the Moon Emissary replied. ¡°However, what are they hoping to do here? And why resort to this?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t make sense, true.¡± Dia folded her arms. ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a ritual that takes lives, right? In fact, it¡¯s dependent on physical labour. One could probably hire people to do the physical labour, instead of taking such a weird method. And there¡¯s the risk of discovery too¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Farah folded her arms. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll study this first and see what we can get. Any issues with that?¡±


    ¡°¡­No, not really.¡± The Moon Emissary shimmered. ¡°I will go and interrogate my counterpart first.¡±

 Chapter 619: Danger Distorted

    The Moon Emissary made angry growls as he left the room, and Dia made a face. No one needed to ask to figure out that the Moon Emissary hadn¡¯t managed to extract any useful information from the Dark Herald locked up inside, and no one was certainly foolish enough to even speak right now.


    Beth¡¯s wide, round eyes blinked as the Moon Emissary stormed out angrily, and then opened her arms. ¡°Hug!¡±


    ¡°There, there¡­¡± Dia carried the little kid, and then frowned. ¡°Hey, has the others been feeding you food outside of your mealtimes?¡±


    Beth looked at Dia, and then snuggled into her tummy, hiding her face.


    ¡°Okay, seems I need to yell at them, then,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Why is everyone feeding you? If you grow any heavier, it¡¯ll be hard to carry you around, okay? I can¡¯t hug you that easily either!¡±


    The baby trembled, and Beth looked at Dia. ¡°Really?¡±


    Dia nodded seriously, and then squished her cheeks. ¡°See?¡± They¡¯re extra squishy now! Gotta drop all that snacking, alright?¡±


    Beth pouted, and then nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good girl.¡± Dia glanced at the others, who were obviously looking away from her, and she rubbed her head. What were they thinking? Dia did not believe that they didn¡¯t know that everyone else was feeding the kid too, and little Beth was both too polite and too greedy to refuse¡­


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Lloyd walked up to Farah. ¡°Milady, what should we do with the prisoner?¡±


    ¡°Leave him here, I suppose,¡± Farah replied. ¡°The Moon Emissary can handle anything related to the Dark; we¡¯ll try our best to ignore this guy for now. Besides, the prisoner can¡¯t escape anyway, and it¡¯s the Moons who were planning to capture this fellow. No need to take all that heat for this cause.¡±


    ¡°You do know that I¡¯m the person who¡¯s behind his capture, right?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s different. You were acting as the Moons¡¯ instrument. The Dark is unlikely to take much of an issue with you, although you may face a small obstacle here and there if you ever traverse into Dark territory,¡± Farah replied. ¡°It¡¯s fine, really.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Dia asked, poking Beth¡¯s cheeks gently.


    ¡°Really, really.¡± Farah shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s how it works, usually. Besides, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re ill-treating him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the fellow who smacked him into the middle of next week, though¡­¡± Dia made a face, and then squished Beth¡¯s cheeks again. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll be fine?¡±


    ¡°Dada!¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Dia rolled her eyes. ¡°Anyway, what are we going to do now? Just pat our butts and sit here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an extended vacation for us,¡± Schwarz replied, segueing into the conversation quite smoothly. While Dia wanted to glare at him for overfeeding little Beth, there was no point in nagging at the three of them right here.


    Yet, anyway. It would do to talk to them in private against overfeeding a child instead, since she didn¡¯t want to undermine them in front of Beth too much.


    Shaking her head, Dia closed her eyes. ¡°Well, an extended vacation is indeed nice, I suppose. We don¡¯t need to handle that many things, and we¡¯ve tossed all the bothersome issues to Nightfall. Even the lower-level members of the Seekers of Life are partially under his control¡­should we be concerned about this?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re getting lifestones every month, and to be honest, I think the current purpose of the Seekers has already been met. We¡¯re either hexa-folders or closing in on that level of power already, for one, and we also don¡¯t really need to care about our authority in Licencia anymore.¡±


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    ¡°Indeed,¡± Risti added. ¡°We¡¯re on good terms with the ruling authorities there anyway, and there¡¯s no benefits to spurning us either.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±


    Dia had a few doubts, but the two of them did make some sense, so she didn¡¯t press the topic. Before she could say anything else, though, Risti got up and made a sign at her, a sign that only Dia picked up.


    She pondered for a moment, and then rubbed Beth on the head again. ¡°Alright, down you go. Schwarz, Farah, don¡¯t give her food after the main mealtimes, unless she¡¯s really hungry.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Dia nodded at them, and then got up. She looked around the mansion that doubled as the Farah Palace for a few moments, and then followed Risti in silence. None of the others seemed to care about her actions as she left, and she stepped into the nice garden that surrounded the mansion a minute later.


    ¡°Over here.¡± Risti waved at her.


    ¡°What¡¯s all this about?¡± Dia asked, looking at the bed of Moonwheat next to her. ¡°Mhm. This seems to be a decorative breed of Moonwheat. Interesting.¡±


    ¡°Bad news,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Naturally. I¡¯ve detected traces of Limbo in the county. A negative mana reaction¡­small and controlled. However, I¡¯m certain we¡¯re the only members of the Eternal Bulwark here, which means that there are some folders that are tapping on Limbo somehow.¡±


    ¡°So we need to extirpate them,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Not that easy. Unfortunately for us, it seems that this fellow is conscientious in his or her use of energies from Limbo,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Either that, or a manifested Distortion is capable of doing that. I can¡¯t tell which is which just yet.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Manifested Distortions can use energies from Limbo skilfully,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I only discovered that after that gigantic Distortion swallowed everyone in Licencia. Those meteors? They were energies from Limbo, only that they were purified. Unless you were there in person and sensitive to these energies, you wouldn¡¯t have realised.¡±


    Dia touched her head and ran through her memories for a moment. Those memories, however, were not that vivid anymore, so she couldn¡¯t really say anything about it.


    ¡°What were the signs?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°I used an artefact,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Take a look at this.¡±


    She pulled out a weird circle that was made of metal. In the centre of the disc were two dots of light that were glowing brightly, and not too far from these two dots were a bunch of others.


    ¡°They represent you, me and everyone around us,¡± Risti explained. ¡°However, you should have noticed a few special dots, right?¡±


    ¡°The black one represents the Dark, the triangle made of three colours the Moons, and¡­this eight-pointed star...¡±


    ¡°Represents the energies of Limbo,¡± Risti replied. ¡°There¡¯s one dot here, but I¡¯ve been there, and the only thing I found was a residual maggot.¡±


    ¡°Maggot, huh.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell. The target used their corrupted mana for a second or two, and then moved to another place,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Clearly, they have a strong enough mind to retain their own thoughts about the whole thing, although I must doubt their sanity partially.¡±


    ¡°Why would you doubt their sanity?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°If a maggot fell out of me, I¡¯d have started screaming or at least panicked a bit,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Assuming, of course, I didn¡¯t know anything. At any rate, a normal person would have panicked a few times and left some trails here and there. Instead¡­¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Either this Distortion or mana-user has faced this situation multiple times and has grown used to it before we arrived, or they have a heart of iron. Or it¡¯s a Distortion, but I can¡¯t really wrap my head around it. In fact, Distortions also give off energy signals that are quite close to that of Limbo, which makes things a bit hard to differentiate. I had to cross-reference a few times to make sure that this person was actually a mana-user¡­¡±


    Risti rambled on to herself for the next few minutes, before Dia cleared her throat.


    ¡°So, what should we do?¡± Dia asked, before she could drift off-topic or something. ¡°Are we going to hunt for the Aberration?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Risti nodded. ¡°Gotta do that, before that bugger starts a cult or kills a lot of people out of pure insanity. We¡¯ll have to keep this under wraps, though. None of the others must know what we¡¯re doing.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°It¡¯s going to be tough, to say the least. And there¡¯s little Beth, who¡¯s bent on following me around. It¡¯s a good thing that you guys are learning to make your own presences known, though. She¡¯s warming up to the others too.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. She¡¯s an endearing little kid, that¡¯s for sure.¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°Anyhow, I¡¯ll continue my search first. Once I get more concrete results and pin down our target, I¡¯ll let you know.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Dia looked up into the sky. ¡°I feel like we¡¯re all screwed, though. This world is falling apart.¡±


    ¡°Why else do you think the Trial of Aeons was held?¡± Risti replied. ¡°After all, the Trial of Aeons was targeted at building a bridge to a new world formed through a Cosmic Egg. The fact that the Omen monopolised it is probably making all the divinities lose a few days¡¯ worth of sleep.¡±


    ¡°An Omen-designed world, huh. Is it going to be this easy to infiltrate too?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll find out once the Cosmic Egg hatches, I suppose.¡±


    [End of Book 13: Danger Distorted]

 Chapter 620: A divine visitation, and the mortals in attendance

    [Book 14: Cosmic Contrivance]


    ¡°One cannot help but wonder when the Cosmic Egg will hatch,¡± the Black God muttered. ¡°Intriguing, is it not? The Cosmic Egg, the seed of a new world, completely monopolised by the Omen. What world would it be? What would the Omen seek to do with it?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°So, so many questions.¡±


    While Claud and the Black God hadn¡¯t said anything about him being the Omen just yet, Claud was fairly certain that the Black God himself was fairly certain of his current identity. The only thing that was absent was his acknowledgement of thus, although there was definitely something rather ridiculous about this whole spiel.


    Clearing his throat gently, Claud said, ¡°The Omen of this cycle showed a lot of restraint, did he not? I¡¯m sure he¡¯s the more peaceful kind.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± The Black God paused. ¡°That said, the Red God did die in very curious circumstances. Was that the Omen¡¯s doing, or was it someone else masquerading as him?¡±


    Lily made a noise in her throat. ¡°What do the Coloured Gods think of about his death? Who do you think caused it?¡±


    ¡°By all accounts, it cannot be the mortals of this cycle just yet,¡± the Black God replied. ¡°None have reached the level of existence required to interrogate and dethrone one of us.¡±


    ¡°Interrogate and dethrone?¡± Lily asked, and Claud leaned forward. ¡°Is that how¡­¡±


    ¡°We took down the inverted Gods of Virtue?¡± the Black God asked. ¡°Precisely. Gods in their Divine Kingdom are nearly impervious to all forms of damage. However, that which is not fixed ¡ª mortals ¡ª are able to wield their multifarious wills and thoughts to observe the world before them. The gods, while they were once mortal, are forced to react to the observations deduced.¡±


    ¡°Observations?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°React?¡± Claud touched his chin. ¡°How does that even work?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± The Black God pondered for a moment. ¡°Mortals with sufficient authority can confront us gods head-on. While we are certainly omnipotent and omniscient within our Divine Kingdom, there is a replacement mechanism in the form of the five grand skies, which shackle our free will in dealing with¡­one might call heretics.¡±


    ¡°Heretics, huh.¡±


    ¡°Heretics like us, who question the previous authorities and shake their faith in their own beliefs. The more successful we are at shaking their faith and ideals, the closer we bring them to the earth,¡± the Black God replied.


    ¡°Uh. There¡¯s something wrong with this, though.¡± Claud rubbed his head. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t even know what you guys actually stand for.¡±


    ¡°All that money that went into our churches don¡¯t really count for anything?¡± The Black God chuckled. ¡°Anyhow, that¡¯s what we did anyway. There are definitely other ways, but this Godsfall was never about the new batch of Bearers taking down the Coloured Gods.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°Probably?¡± Lily asked. ¡°And the Red God¡¯s already pushing up the daisies.¡±


    ¡°It seems like this cycle has been turned into a mess,¡± Claud added.


    ¡°I think the moment me and Schizel survived, the Last Godsfall turned into a glitchy mess,¡± the divinity replied. ¡°Perhaps that was part of that person¡¯s goal too, although I am not sure how that even worked. None of us are certain what is going on now, although this uncertainty is definitely making all of us a little more insecure and unsure.¡±


    ¡°¡­Which can lead to erratic behaviour,¡± Lily uttered.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± The Black God reclined on his chair and took a sip of some tea. ¡°How¡¯s the breakfast? Do be honest. I know it¡¯s not really that good.¡±


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    Claud thought for a moment. ¡°Well, in the Seekers of Life, there exists a certain bartender who goes by the name of Schwarz. If we¡¯re lords and ladies of the culinary arts, he is indisputably the king of them all.¡±


    ¡°Schwarz?¡± The Black God raised an eyebrow. ¡°Hm-mhm. It is intriguing to hear you say this, knowing that you¡¯ve already savoured the various dishes prepared by the three sovereigns, Lesser Half and the Blue Moon. Indeed, he might just be a culinary ace.¡±


    Lily nodded seriously. ¡°You can try to invite him over for some booze, although his drinks are so strong that I daresay only your Holy Son could ingest it.¡±


    ¡°Drinks so strong that only Nero could ingest it?¡± The Black God chuckled. ¡°Intriguing. It wouldn¡¯t happen to be the drink that caused one of my bishops to be sleeping near the entrance to my Divine Kingdom, would it?¡±


    Claud glanced at Lily for a few seconds, and then jerked. ¡°Right! We did give him a bottle, but to think he started drinking¡­¡±


    Lily rubbed her head. ¡°Oh dear.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. He must have underestimated that drink.¡± The Black God rubbed his hands. ¡°¡­Done.¡±


    ¡°Done?¡± Claud asked, before spying a very familiar bottle in the silhouette¡¯s hand. ¡°Uh. Would you look at that.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lily turned to the Black God, and then chuckled awkwardly. ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t recommend you drink that, O Black God.¡±


    The divinity pondered for a moment, and then nodded. ¡°True. I had agreed to convey the two of you to the Indigo God. It would be verily unsporting were I to partake of intoxicants right now. It¡¯s worth noting that Nero has a very peculiar constitution when it comes to intoxicants and toxins, and that what he may have might not be something I do.¡±


    ¡°Even if you¡¯re a god?¡± Claud asked, despite himself.


    ¡°Even if.¡± The Black God nodded seriously. ¡°Well, I suppose I should bring you two there before I start drinking this.¡±


    He got up from his seat, prompting the two of them to follow suit. ¡°Follow me. I will bring you two to the Indigo God.¡±


    With those words, the air in front of him shimmered, turning into an indigo door that shimmered with a metallic texture. To be honest, Claud didn¡¯t quite understand what separated violet from indigo, but he had a feeling that uttering those words would get him mobbed shortly afterwards.


    Two solid knocks echoed throughout the small, cosy room, and the Black God shouted, ¡°Jurias? Jurias! It¡¯s me, Origo! Are you sleeping in again? You know that she¡¯ll be angry if you¡¯re always lazing off, right?¡±


    Claud glanced at Lily, who looked as stunned as he felt. They exchanged thoughts with a flicker of their eyes and some blinks, before they turned back to the door, which had now turned into a drum for the Black God¡¯s knuckles.


    ¡°The gods seem quite human,¡± Lily whispered.


    ¡°Well, they were human around six thousand years ago,¡± Claud whispered back. ¡°And they seem to make it a point to remain human too, from what I can tell.¡±


    The various mannerisms and human activities that the Black God had carried out, which mainly included eating, drinking and talking about random gossip for some reason, flashed through his mind.


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    ¡°When you look at it, other than dominating some key concept and mechanism of the world, the Coloured Gods aren¡¯t all that different from the Chromatic Lords, right?¡± Claud guessed.


    Before Lily could say anything, the indigo door creaked, and a purple head popped out. Unlike the Black God, though, the Indigo God¡¯s facial features were actually quite distinct; Claud could pick them out.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, Origo? I was having a good sleep.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been having a good sleep for the past three millennia,¡± the Black God replied. ¡°How is it that Medea hasn¡¯t done anything yet?¡±


    ¡°Because I bake good cakes,¡± the Indigo God replied. ¡°She loves them for some reason.¡±


    ¡°¡­What the heck.¡±


    The two divinities chatted about cakes for a while, before the Indigo God returned to his senses and frowned.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t using that mind trick of yours on me, are you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Nope.¡± The Black God shook his head. ¡°Gods can¡¯t lie, remember?¡±


    ¡°True. Well, you¡¯re here for something, right? Come on in, then.¡± The Indigo God yawned. ¡°Would you like some cake?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡± The Black God paused. ¡°Huh. That came out quite naturally. Also, I have two little friends with me. They¡¯re here to ask you something?¡±


    ¡°Two little friends?¡± The Indigo God rubbed his eyes. ¡°So there are members of your congregation here, then.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain, but they¡¯re not my believers,¡± the Black God replied. ¡°You can think of me being obligated to them in one way or another, rather.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± The Indigo God rubbed his eyes again. ¡°Now you have my full attention. What¡¯s all this about?¡±


    ¡°Something to do with time,¡± the Black God replied. ¡°I¡¯m also curious too, so we¡¯re all knocking on your door for this reason.¡±


    The Indigo God let out a yawn. ¡°Well, it¡¯s rare for any of us to move in person, and for a visit no less. Why not? Come on in, you guys.¡±


    The door opened fully, and the Black God nodded at Claud and Lily. ¡°Come on. We can do our formal greetings inside. That¡¯s more polite, or so I¡¯m told.¡±


    ¡°Since when did you care about being polite?¡± the Indigo God asked. ¡°But come on in anyway. Standing like this can be quite awkward, so follow Origo in and have some cake, if you will. You two aren¡¯t allergic to milk or dairy, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­No, we aren¡¯t,¡± Claud replied, after collecting himself.


    ¡°Thank you for your hospitality.¡±

 Chapter 621: The odd book

    After interacting with quite a few divinities, the fact that the Indigo God liked to bake cakes, sleep and just laze around like any other person was a lot easier to accept.


    ¡°Well, what do you expect us to do?¡± the Indigo God asked. ¡°We live for literally forever. There¡¯s not a lot to do, since our existence itself is more important than our actions at times. Might as well just sleep, read books and bake cakes.¡±


    Lily cut off a tiny bit of cake, and then said, ¡°True. And you bake a mean cake.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, little friend.¡± The Indigo God chuckled. ¡°I am glad you like it.¡±


    ¡°Still, if you¡¯re not interested in all this, what¡¯s the point of having a Bearer of Destiny?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I mean, the Red God¡¯s Bearer of Destiny died, so the Red God was forced to descend and do a bunch of stuff.¡±


    ¡°Well, you just need to learn from Medea,¡± the Indigo God replied. ¡°Uh, the Violet Goddess. The Eighth Bearer of Destiny was her Bearer, so she decided to just bunk in with me and help me take care of my duties while I laze around.¡±


    ¡°¡­What.¡± The Black God rubbed his head. ¡°You serious?¡±


    ¡°As serious as my cakes, that¡¯s for sure.¡± The Indigo God folded his arms. ¡°But little old Reddie was a prick, so no one wanted to shelter him. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have needed to descend at all, right? Or he could have just torn away his own divinity instead. That way, he could still live.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I bet you¡¯re just waiting for the right chance to toss that away.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Being one of the rulers of time is nothing when there¡¯s literally nothing to rule over anyway,¡± the Indigo God replied. ¡°Origo, want more cake? I baked three more by accident today.¡±


    ¡°How do you bake three more cakes by accident?¡± the Black God asked. ¡°Also, thanks. I¡¯d love some.¡±


    ¡°Coming right up.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯ll like one too,¡± said a soft voice.


    ¡°Oh, Medea.¡± The Indigo God bobbed her head. ¡°Little friends of Origo, this here is the Violet Goddess, who has recently shacked up with me to take over part of my duties ever since the Eighth Bearer of Destiny died. I am profoundly grateful to the person who took over the things I didn¡¯t want to care about, which gives me more sleeping, reading and baking time.¡±


    The woman, who looked very similar to the Indigo God in terms of colour scheme, nodded. ¡°Mortal friends?¡±


    The Black God bobbed his head. ¡°Indeed. I owe them a huge favour, and they did have questions for Jurias, so hmm.¡±


    ¡°We should get around to that before we all sink into a food coma, though,¡± the Indigo God muttered, before walking back to the table. The room had shifted at some point in time, and the table that once fitted the four of them snugly could now hold the Violet Goddess easily too.


    ¡°Mhm. Claud?¡±


    Claud took out the book that had been passed down to him.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± The Indigo God leaned forward. ¡°This book¡­can I examine it closer?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re here for, in a sense,¡± the Black God replied. ¡°Go on.¡±


    The Indigo God let out a few noises as he examined the book from cover to cover, and the air began to thicken. Power seemed to radiate out of the Indigo God, and Claud found his breath faltering rapidly.


    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily held him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


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    Her features were hard to make out for some reason, and his body felt like it was burning up from the inside. Simply drawing breath was no different from pouring hot water down his nose, and his vision began to turn red.


    ¡°He¡¯s reacting to¡­¡±


    ¡°Shelter¡­ from it first.¡±


    ¡°¡­divinity!¡±


    Scraps and fragments of sentences flowed into his ear, but Claud couldn¡¯t find it in himself to make too much sense of them. The feeling of being weighed down intensified with every painful, sharp breath, and a deathly chill surrounded his skin.


    Something like a thunderclap exploded in his ears, and the red-white fog that had filled his vision vanished. The agony receded a moment later, leaving behind a vast expanse of fatigue, and Claud regained his senses once more.


    ¡°Wh¡­at happened?¡± Claud looked around, and then realised that he was in Lily¡¯s embrace. ¡°It suddenly got really painful and everything.¡±


    ¡°My apologies.¡± The Indigo God pointed at the book. ¡°It started the moment I tried to undo the seals on this book. You seem to be intricately connected to the time bound in this artefact. When I tried to undo it, you started to fall apart. There is no way for me to unravel this.¡±


    ¡°¡­Better than dying, I suppose.¡± Claud rubbed his head slowly. He had managed to shut out most of the sensations that had been plaguing him thus far, but now, they had returned in full force. Simply drawing breath was now a tiring enterprise, and Claud was certain that his face was just slightly paler than paper.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± the Black God asked. ¡°I never asked, but you weren¡¯t in a good state to begin with, were you?¡¯


    ¡°His lifeforce is hollowed out,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Nothing much to worry about.¡± Claud forced himself to get up. ¡°Sorry for the scare. So the book cannot be unravelled?¡±


    ¡°My apologies, but it¡¯s impossible,¡± the Indigo God replied. ¡°It¡¯s intriguing, though. I¡¯ve read through the fragments of time that shroud this artefact, and this thing is positively ancient.¡±


    ¡°Coming from you, that¡¯s a lot,¡± the Black God muttered.


    ¡°Right? We¡¯re all ancient fellows, by any stretch of the imagination,¡± the Violet Goddess muttered. ¡°And this thing is ancient in your point of view?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s old. But not in the conventional sense, I think.¡± The Indigo God paused. ¡°It¡¯s hard to phrase it, but this book seems to have travelled through time, if that¡¯s even possible. The chronological stresses on this book dates it at around eight billion years or something, far predating the primordial era or the creation of Destiny itself.¡±


    Claud couldn¡¯t help but note that the name of this world was apparently common knowledge to the gods, but he wasn¡¯t going to say anything just yet. Lily, who was still a tiny bit anxious, glanced at him once, and then blinked thrice.


    Nodding slightly, Claud turned his attention back to the conversation.


    ¡°¡­possible. I know the origins of this book,¡± the Black God was saying. ¡°This can¡¯t be that old.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but¡­there are things that I have never been able to figure out either, so it¡¯s possible,¡± the Indigo God replied. ¡°For instance, the creation of a new world should have created feedback so strong that I can sense it vividly across time, but I¡¯ve been sound asleep.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the actual cause of the problem?¡± the Black God asked.


    ¡°I may be a heavy sleeper, but there¡¯s no way I won¡¯t be alerted by a change of that magnitude. I¡¯m not sure what is going on, but either the time of creation is so far ahead that I cannot sense it, or the Cosmic Egg never hatched.¡±


    Claud didn¡¯t like the sound of that.


    To his distress, however, the three of them turned back to the mysterious book. None of them seemed capable of reading it, even though the first page had been unravelled in Claud¡¯s eyes, but at this point of time, Claud was already certain that the him that created this book had created a whole bunch of safeguards to prevent anyone that was not him or Lily from reading it.


    After checking it a few more times and probing it with methods that neither Claud nor Lily could comprehend, the three gods gave up and passed the book back to Claud.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone touch that book,¡± the Indigo God warned. ¡°It¡¯s too closely linked to you to give out to anyone else, you hear?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bury it in some really hard to find place,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Also, the cake¡¯s doing a pretty good job in making me feel better. You bake a mean cake.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s catching on now?¡±


    Everyone laughed, and Claud kept the book near his chest. If it was indestructible, the first place it should go would either be his chest or Lily¡¯s, since it could probably protect their lives from a fatal stab or something.


    ¡°So, did you have something else you want to ask, little friends?¡± the Indigo God asked.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Claud glanced at Lily, who nodded back. ¡°I actually wanted to ask about the notion of time. Can you explain how time works and things like that?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± the Indigo God paused. ¡°Well. This is going to need some more cake and tea, then. Please hang on for a moment while I prepare the refreshments. Do you two want more cake too?¡±


    The Black God and the Violet Goddess nodded together, and the Indigo God rubbed his hands. ¡°Excellent. I¡¯ll go bake a chocolate lava cake. I mastered it not too long ago, and I¡¯ve been hoping for feedback.¡±


    ¡°Nice.¡±

 Chapter 622: Fixed lifeforms

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    The world seemed to spin around Claud as he made out the vague outline of a demolished cake, and thoughts filtered into his mind as he got up slowly. His condition was horrible through and through; his body now weighed like it was made out of some truly heavy metal, and as if that wasn¡¯t enough, his head now felt like an inferno blazing on and on.


    ¡°Ugh.¡± Claud turned to his side, where Lily was gripping his arm tightly. Her forehead was beaded with sweat, and her face was pale. ¡°What was I doing?¡±


    He looked around again, and the outline of the cake vanished. The two of them were lying into a bed of shadow, and darkness poured down on the two of them, a stream of power that eased the debilitating pain in his head.


    Claud grabbed his head again, and then tried to recall the events that had occurred. He could vaguely remember something about the Indigo God, and that they had tried to get him to decipher a book that had been handed to him by himself. In the course of doing so, however, something had triggered, and Claud had been affected, which was why¡ª


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it¡­¡± Claud touched his pounding, throbbing head. ¡°That¡¯s not it at all.¡±


    He focused again, and then realised that this wasn¡¯t the correct sequence of events. In fact, he had managed to recover from that, so¡­


    ¡°That can¡¯t be it.¡± Claud looked at Lily, and then wiped the sweat off her forehead gently. ¡°What knocked the two of us out?¡±


    He patted her head gently, willing the pain she felt to ease, and then frowned.


    ¡°Hmm. Authority, I suppose?¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Right. Right before all this happened, we wanted to ask the Indigo God about time, who promptly obliged. Something about cake too, I think?¡±


    ¡°And then you two just fainted directly three sentences in,¡± said a mellow voice. ¡°It¡¯s good that you two are fine.¡±


    Claud jumped as a shadow appeared in front of him, before remembering that he was probably back in the Black God¡¯s Divine Kingdom. The image of the divinity lugging the two of them back into his Divine Kingdom popped up in his head, and Claud felt his face burn.


    Lowering his head, he said, ¡°I apologise for our shameful behaviour.¡±


    ¡°Eh, don¡¯t sweat it. We¡¯ve all gone through the same experience of hearing things that we couldn¡¯t quite hear yet. Why, back then, I remember Absolute Iniquity just dying on the spot¡­huhu.¡± The Black God shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m glad you two are okay, though.¡±


    ¡°I suppose all that can be attributed to you,¡± Claud mumbled.


    ¡°Maybe. Maybe not. Your lover is quite surprising, though. She mustered up enough strength to resist the impact of those words for a few seconds.¡± The Black God paused. ¡°You just fainted on the spot.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Claud patted Lily gently. ¡°You¡¯re awesome!¡±


    Lily made a sleepy groan, and then snuggled up to him. ¡°Pat me¡­¡±


    ¡°Is she sleeptalking, or is she already awake?¡± the Black God wondered. ¡°Well, whatever. Come on down whenever you two are ready. I¡¯ll send you back to the material world with a letter for Schizel. Maybe he has something for the two of you.¡±


    He paused. ¡°He definitely has something for the two of you, rather. That aside, though, I am still thinking about why that person only wanted me to hand the book to you and nothing else. The debt we owe him goes far beyond that, but he only wants me to deliver a book.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a good think?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not, for me.¡± The Black God paused. ¡°Surely there must be something else that he wanted me to do. The fact that I still can¡¯t think of anything is making me frown.¡±


    Claud thought for a moment. ¡°Why not a ¡®help me¡¯ card or something? If we need your help once, you can provide it or something.¡±


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    ¡°Mhm. That might work, I suppose. Still, one must really wonder what this entire book business is about,¡± the Black God muttered. ¡°And I can¡¯t read it at all to boot, which makes things a lot harder to guess. Well, you two rest up a bit more first. I will try to think about something to make this summoning thing work.¡±


    Claud nodded, and the Black God vanished.


    ¡°Claud¡­hungry!¡±


    Before he could turn to look, Lily nibbled his arm for some reason, and Claud rolled his eyes. From the looks of it, Lily was now just dreaming, so things were quite fine.


    ¡°Right, the little meeplings.¡± Claud reached into his pockets, and then pulled out three shapes, who were all snoozing away with little meeps. Crown woke up at his touch, but before it could meep away, Claud shushed the little guy and pointed at Lily.


    ¡°Meep.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s fine,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Sorry for neglecting you three and all.¡±


    Crown tilted and fell on its side, before rolling over to Lily¡¯s head and making a nest in it.


    ¡°Hmm. Well, you guys can go join Crown too, I suppose¡­¡±


    Claud spent the next ten minutes amusing himself with the sight of Crown trying his best to tuck the two little shapes into her hair, before turning his gaze to himself. The hollowness in his chest had returned in full force for some reason, and the fact that he was on a very comfortable bed that simply begged for him to sleep in was not helping either.


    Yawning once, Claud looked at Lily, whose eyes fluttered open in that instant.


    ¡°¡­Where are we?¡± Lily asked. ¡°And why do I have a headache?¡±


    ¡°Did I disturb you?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°No, I just felt something rolling around my head¡­oh. It¡¯s you guys.¡± Lily plucked out the three meeplings and popped them onto the bed, where the two sleeping fellows promptly woke up.


    As they meeped amongst each other, Lily rubbed her head again. ¡°It hurts. What happened?¡±


    Claud explained to her about how they had listened to information that had knocked them out a moment later, and then checked on her current state again. Lily seemed quite fine, if nothing else, and after checking extra thoroughly, the two of them rolled off the bed and straightened their clothes.


    ¡°We¡¯re going back, I suppose?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yeah. We didn¡¯t really achieve much here, sadly.¡± Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°We did at least figure out where this book came from, though. But that¡¯s not really useful right now, is it?¡±


    ¡°Well, that Distortion thing¡­¡±


    ¡°The Black God already knew about mana-folders and all, so I don¡¯t think we really did that much.¡± Claud shook his head. There were a lot more things he wanted to say, but he, Lily and the Black God had made sure to dance around that particular topic without addressing it outright. No one had confirmed who the Fourth Bearer of Destiny was, and he wasn¡¯t ever going to admit it either.


    That was for the best, and Claud, who had judging from the Black God¡¯s methods so far, was certain that there were definitely some mechanisms to deal with an Omen that had revealed themselves. He wasn¡¯t interested in triggering those mechanisms, and the Black God had no desire to do so either.


    ¡°Alright, your clothes are all straightened out now.¡± Claud tugged on her robes, and then nodded. ¡°How about me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re fine too. Let¡¯s leave, then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud gathered the three little fellows and turned to the door.


    The Black God, who was waiting outside, nodded at them, before doing a doubletake at the little meeplings in his hand. ¡°Those are?¡±


    Claud glanced at Lily once, and then said, ¡°Sentient shapes, apparently.¡±


    ¡°Sentient they are, indeed.¡± The Black God looked at the little fellows, who bounced around on Claud¡¯s shoulder in reply. ¡°How is it that I didn¡¯t detect them?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. They don¡¯t think much, I suppose. And they were sleeping happily for the past few days.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think much¡­¡± The Black God looked at them, intrigued. ¡°True. I can¡¯t sense their sentience much. If I didn¡¯t see them myself, I wouldn¡¯t have noticed. Hello there, little ones.¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    ¡°Meep.¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    Lily giggled. ¡°That¡¯s Crown, Throne and Sceptre. They¡¯re all¡­artificial lifeforms that we picked up, and they¡¯re all adorable.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± The Black God extended a palm, and Throne bounced once. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t bite!¡±


    The little sphere bounced once more, and then rolled over to the Black God¡¯s open palm, and the divinity made a few intrigued noises.


    ¡°Is there something interesting about these little fellows?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yeah, actually.¡± The Black God popped the sphere back onto Claud¡¯s shoulder. ¡°They¡¯re¡­actually living beings that have the innate ability of immortality, if I had to describe it. But rather than it being due to the corrective ability of lifeforce, it¡¯s more of innate immortality. Interesting, but we can¡¯t replicate it.¡±


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    ¡°You three just escaped the fate of a dissection by a divinity,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Oh, please. What am I going to dissect, a bunch of shapes? No, I¡¯m talking about the lifeforce within them. It¡¯s at a permanently fixed value. They can¡¯t die on their own¡­and I believe they can even resurrect.¡±  The Black God frowned. ¡°How¡¯s that possible?¡±


    He thought for a moment. ¡°Well, none of my business, anyway. You should keep them safe, though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud was a bit surprised that the Black God didn¡¯t recognise Crown, who was apparently a Divine Life Companion, but if he didn¡¯t recognise Crown, Claud wasn¡¯t going to say anything either.


    After all, those meeplings were actually quite a huge deal¡­

 Chapter 623: Sliding off

    After playing with the meeplings for a while, the Black God reluctantly got them to leave, citing that it was unhealthy for mortals to stay too long in a god¡¯s Divine Kingdom.


    ¡°Meep¡­¡±


    Sceptre seemed a bit sad, but that was the extent of it.


    ¡°Well, you guys should come back here with the rest of the Seekers when there¡¯s time,¡± the Black God replied. ¡°Make sure to bring Nero too. From what I can tell, he might have a kid soon.¡±


    ¡°Eh.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t spying on him,¡± the Black God replied. ¡°However, people engaged in acts of love have similar emotional patterns, and as someone who is my representative in the mortal realm, these patterns have emerged very, very regularly. If we¡¯re lucky, we might have a kid on our hands.¡±


    ¡°Ooh.¡± Lily rubbed her hands.


    ¡°Huhu. Anyhow, you two should return. And don¡¯t forget about that teaparty business with Lesser Half and the Blue Moon,¡± the Black God added. ¡°You can use my name for it, and the faster you two get it done, the better.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Claud paused. ¡°What¡¯s the situation now? Is it still a ceasefire out there? Or are both parties starting to take potshots at each other again?¡±


    ¡°I give it one more month before all of us get tired of the peace and give up on looking for the Thief of Time,¡± the Black God replied, a grin on his face. ¡°Not all of us, I suppose, but most of us. I¡¯m not part of this cycle, after all.¡±


    The smile vanished. ¡°Good things aside, I must warn you two. While Schizel and I have seen much success in preventing invaders from beyond, we cannot block everything. In fact, because this world was on the verge of collapse to begin with, our efforts are eventually going to give way.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯re screwed.¡±


    ¡°In a sense. But let that not trouble you. The affairs of gods are never placed on mortals.¡± The Black God pushed open a door. ¡°So it was then, and so it is now. Farewell, my little friends. Do come back at a better time, and with more people.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your hospitality,¡± Lily replied. ¡°C¡¯mere, Claud. Up you go.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, O Black God.¡±


    ¡°Good luck. I wish you all the best in dealing with these mysteries, because I cannot deal with them any further,¡± the Black God replied. ¡°And take this. It contains a single, all-out attack from me.¡±


    He tossed a black skillstick over. ¡°It will probably deal with most threats in this world.¡±


    Claud caught it in silence. The skillstick seemed to warp reality around it on a very small scale; rather than being an imprint of mana, it actually was a container of divine power¡­


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just divine power. I won¡¯t be able to use it to spy on you two or to track you down,¡± the Black God replied. ¡°All it does is to unleash a beam of pure power at any target, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°How useful.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll end up penetrating a whole bunch of buildings, so be careful with its use. I¡¯d say it¡¯s a good last resort. If you end up not using it, do consider handing it to your offspring in the distant future. It¡¯s a good family treasure too.¡± The Black God chuckled. ¡°Now, off you go. My poor bishop is probably wondering what¡¯s going on up here.¡±


    With a pat of his back, the world changed, and Claud found himself in the same great, grey chamber where the two of them had left the bishop behind.


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    ¡°We¡¯re back,¡± Lily called out, and the little meeplings jumped into her clothes. At the same time, the bishop, who had been reading a book, looked up in surprise, before nodding.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a whole week. Usually, an audience lasts a lot shorter.¡± The bishop chuckled.


    ¡°I hope you enjoyed the drink,¡± Claud replied, looking at the bottle that sat on the ground.


    ¡°Sure did. It was nice not needing to think for a day or two, although this is really strong. Are you sure the Holy Son chugs this down by the bottle every day?¡± the bishop asked.


    ¡°Yeap.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± The bishop paused. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s go down. While travelling here is tough, there¡¯s no need to make the journey back so ridiculous, so I hope you two like slides.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Slides,¡± the bishop replied. ¡°Come. Let me demonstrate.¡±


    The middle-aged fellow brought them to a chute, which was just one long, winding passage where one could just sit inside and slide down to the bottom.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go down first, but don¡¯t keep me waiting!¡± The bishop rubbed his hands, excited.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t know why I¡¯m this excited?¡± the bishop asked. ¡°Pfft. It¡¯s awesome. You¡¯ll get hooked to this once you hit the bottom, you know. It¡¯s rare for me to go all the way up here, and frankly speaking, this is why I¡¯m more than happy to bring you here.¡±


    He paused. ¡°And of course, because I¡¯m a good bishop. Now, like I said, don¡¯t keep me waiting.¡±


    With a childlike whoop, he entered the chute and made funny noises all the way down.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Claud stared at the chute. ¡°It¡¯s big enough for the two of us, so let¡¯s go down together¡­or do you want to go at it alone?¡±


    ¡°Together, please. This thing is a bit scary.¡±


    The interior of the slide was not made from glass, but Claud couldn¡¯t help but feel a little scared as he slid down with Lily anyway. The silent ride, which was just them zipping up their mouths because they were scared for one reason or another, simply amplified the rattles as their bodies hurtled down the slide, spiralling towards the ground over and over.


    Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity, the two of them slid out onto a mattress, and came to a stop.


    ¡°How was it?¡± the bishop asked.


    ¡°Very scary,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It felt like I was going to fly out of that slide at any moment, and it also didn¡¯t help that the whole thing was shaking every three seconds!¡±


    ¡°Exactly! It¡¯s less scary to just fly down, if I had to be honest!¡± Claud added. ¡°Also, I¡¯m a bit frail, so bumping against the walls of the slide didn¡¯t feel nice at all. Yikes.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± The bishop made a face. ¡°Well, you can go for another slide, if you don¡¯t think it¡¯s fun. Also, try doing it one by one. It¡¯s a lot more tranquil and less trauma-inducing that way.¡±


    ¡°My husband¡¯s condition isn¡¯t that good right now, so we¡¯ll have to pass on that,¡± Lily hurriedly replied.


    The bishop looked at Claud. ¡°What happened to him?¡±


    ¡°Authority and stuff, when we were talking to the Black God,¡± Lily replied on Claud¡¯s behalf. ¡°He¡¯s really frail right now, so we¡¯ll need to bunk in some inn for a while until he feels better.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Hmm. Why not at my guesthouse?¡± the bishop asked. ¡°It¡¯s a house that Nero¡­the Holy Son used to live in until he grew up. I have some nice souvenirs of his there. Maybe you can bring some back to him?¡±


    ¡°Growing up, eh?¡± Claud got up slowly. ¡°Why not?¡±


    He felt a bit bad at having Lily help him around, but there wasn¡¯t much of a choice. Lily patted him down a moment later or some reason, but he wasn¡¯t going complain much.


    ¡°Excellent.¡± The bishop rubbed his hands. ¡°Come on, follow me.¡±


    Claud looked around as they left, and then realised that, like the Stairway to the Skies, the slide that allowed them to rapidly descend was also invisible. Which made sense, since a curving slide from the five grand skies was definitely visible otherwise.


    ¡°How did the Stairway and the slide come into existence?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Sure, the Stairway was probably built by the gods, but the slide? It¡¯s hard to believe it, if I have to be very frank. I can¡¯t see them¡ª¡±


    He fell silent as a whole host of memories, which included the gods baking, joking with each other and other decidedly mortal activities flooded his head, and Claud opened his eyes wide.


    ¡°I can totally see them doing that now!¡±


    ¡°Right? I was going to correct you, but¡­¡±


    He and Lily locked gazes, and then looked up at the skies, where an apparently exciting and nerve-wrecking slide was built.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you two figured it out,¡± began the bishop, ¡°but I can guess that you two are thinking about some disrespectful things right now¡­¡±


    Claud forced out an awkward laugh. ¡°Of course not. The Coloured Gods share origins with us, so they can be rather human in behaviour as well.¡±


    The bishop nodded. ¡°Indeed. They are a guiding light, but above all, they understand humans the best.¡±


    ¡°Yeap. And they still retain some of their habits,¡± Lily added.


    ¡°Just what did you two do up there to say all these things?¡± the bishop wondered. ¡°Well, now I¡¯m jealous.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you can drop by or something,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± The bishop shook his head. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll get you guys into the house first. I can see that you two need to rest.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°My pleasure.¡±

 Chapter 624: Maggots and Rituals

    Maggots squelched away in the room, and Dia¡¯s nose crinkled up. The Aberration, a mana-user that had transformed under the influence of energies from Limbo, had been trying to do something in this house just minutes ago, only to be forced to stop that ritual with their presence.


    ¡°¡­What are we going to do with this?¡± Dia gathered up the maggots with mana, and then made a face. ¡°Yuck.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll burn them afterwards,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I¡¯ll go and check on the victim first.¡±


    Dia nodded, and then looked around the room. She was aware of how rituals worked and functioned, with the notion of consecrated items already in her head. There were a few particular items that stood out in the room; the four knives that were laid out, with their points aiming at the woman laid out in the middle.


    Other than the silver knives, which now felt like something filthy, there were a whole bunch of other ritual implements that made Dia leery. Other than the knives, there were some human skulls that had been painted in red¡­or soaked in blood, laid out in regular intervals from one point to the next. Adding on to that horrifying visage were the dying, immovable clumps of maggots that seemed to relish the notion of eating their fellows¡¯ corpse and following their fate just a moment later.


    ¡°Maybe we should just burn this place down,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯ll make life a lot easier too, right?¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°But this house is definitely the victim¡¯s. It¡¯ll be a problem if she wakes up without a house. This experience is traumatising enough; we don¡¯t need to screw her even more.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡±


    Risti tore apart a few more skillstrips, and then covered herself in mana. ¡°Give me a hand.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± With a practiced hand, Dia and Risti uprooted the various maggot colonies one by one, before isolating them with a film of mana. Those things had to be uprooted with quite a lot of force; something had affixed the various ritual tools to the ground.


    ¡°How do we dispose of them, though?¡± Dia asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can burn the tools easily, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But why do we need to dispose of them properly?¡± Risti asked. ¡°I¡¯ll show you what we normally do when there are too many things.¡±


    She drew out a small knife, and the air rippled. ¡°It¡¯s simple, really. Just as we can welcome objects and beings from Limbo in¡­¡±


    Risti slashed the air, and a small rip appeared.


    ¡°We can toss them out too.¡± With a grunt, she sent the items into the rip, before sealing it shut with mana. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not so much as a passage, though. Living beings can¡¯t leave it, but it¡¯s a good way to dispose of bodies.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°Quite convenient. Thankfully, none of us are murderers,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Most screenings for new members are quite stringent, and people with problematic thoughts and behaviours¡­don¡¯t cut it.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Dia looked at the unconscious woman. ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to her?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell, but that¡¯s none of our business. Being the object of a sacrifice really doesn¡¯t do all that much, if I have to be frank. It¡¯s only being sacrificed that¡¯s the problem,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Those skillstrips are just to erase the various means that the perpetuator used to get her into such a state.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°So¡­she¡¯ll feel cheated of love or something?¡±


    ¡°Because her fake lover bailed, yeah.¡± Risti shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s about it, though. Maybe some insecurity issues? But we¡¯re going to put her back in bed, and there¡¯s no evidence that she was assaulted or anything either. Well, I¡¯ll suggest to Farah and tell her to start a public suspicion campaign or something.¡±


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    ¡°I think she¡¯ll veto that.¡±


    ¡°Any sane aristocrat would veto such a thing. External labour is cheap, yadda yadda.¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°Point is, though, that either this mana-user is a mana-user from outside the county, or is a homegrown one. However, the circumstances in which mana-users connect to Limbo usually call for desperation, driving one¡¯s mana circuits in reverse, and¡­¡±


    ¡°But this is a bona fide ritual for Limbo,¡± Dia pointed out. ¡°Is it really something an ordinary Aberration can do? And that Aberration must have retained its human form too. Furthermore, it¡¯s probably sentient and capable of logical thought, because it could entice someone or at least knock them out stealthily.¡±


    ¡°¡­Monsters usually don¡¯t do things stealthily, true. And well, it did know when to flee.¡± Risti tapped her arms. ¡°Well. This could be a problem, yes? A logical Aberration. Those things are the hardest to deal with.¡±


    ¡°What happens if there¡¯s one?¡±


    ¡°We kill it on the spot, as usual.¡± Risti made a face. ¡°It¡¯ll be nice if the monster just flees the county, just so that it isn¡¯t our problem, but it¡¯ll be a problem if it comes back for revenge stronger. I¡¯ll go and get the Moons to help me with this.¡±


    ¡°Go for it.¡± Dia motioned at the woman. ¡°As for her, let¡¯s put her back onto the bed. Let¡¯s hope nothing bad comes out of all this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    There were still a lot of things that needed examining regarding this incident, but they had to be heavy-handed first.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go back and fool the others,¡± Dia added. ¡°You go do that Moon stuff.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Thanks.¡±


    Dia trotted off. The eerie feeling of utter wrongness had vanished some time ago, proof that the Aberration had put quite a lot of distance between this place and its current location, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit scared anyway. That thing¡­while she didn¡¯t know how strong it was ¡ª it was likely to pale in strength compared to her, anyway ¡ª her fear came from the¡­wrongness of such a thing.


    Her heart, therefore, lightened for every step she took.


    The rays of the sun warmed her as she returned to the main roads, where carts filled with wheat were heading into the city proper. The Farah county capital outskirts, in the area between the fields and the city centre, was full of wheatmills and other installations that could thresh the wheat and everything.


    Dia herself wasn¡¯t too familiar with the procedures, but she did know that the outcome was a succulent piece of bread that just melted in one¡¯s mouth like moonlight at dawn. Her stomach grumbled as her mind relived the image of a piece of softbread stuffed with chicken marinated in lemon and demiglace sauce.


    Thankfully, nothing else happened on the way back, and Dia heaved a sigh of relief as she passed through the security measures enacted around the mansion that doubled as Farah¡¯s palace.


    ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± Schwarz, who was sitting in the garden with Farah and Beth, raised a hand. ¡°How was your gastronomical trip out?¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m starving.¡± Dia reached out for the small picnic basket.


    ¡°What¡¯s in that stomach of yours?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Fine. Here you go. We can¡¯t overfeed Beth anyway, so just get it into your tummy before she makes googly eyes at us.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Dia smiled. ¡°I¡¯m a bit tired, though.¡±


    ¡°You should rest, then. It seems that you¡¯ve been quite fatigued for the past week. Is trekking the city in search of good meals this exhausting?¡± Schwarz wondered.


    Beth tottered over at that moment, and then lay down, head on Dia¡¯s lap.


    ¡°Kinda. But I think it¡¯s more of psychological exhaustion, if I have to be accurate. You know, from all this crap about Distortions, dangerous people to look out from, from the Red God¡­I think I¡¯m still suffering some injuries after crossing blades with the Red God.¡±


    Dia sighed.


    ¡°That was well-done, now that I think about it.¡± Farah chuckled. ¡°You held off a Coloured God for a good few seconds. It stands to reason that you¡¯re still tired. Fighting a god has to be that tiring, after all.¡±


    ¡°Makes one wonder how he died,¡± Schwarz muttered.


    ¡°Right?¡± Dia shook her head. ¡°Beth, I¡¯m going back to wash up, and then a nap later. Could you get up from my lap, pretty please?¡±


    Beth made a sad noise as she got up, and then turned to Dia. ¡°Sleep together?¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. But stay here with the others first, okay? I¡¯ll be back before you know it.¡±


    Beth nodded, and Dia smiled.


    Even though the kid hugged her to sleep every day, Beth still wanted more affection. It was possible that while she had forgotten or locked away the nastier memories of the past year or so, there was still a part of her that remembered the loneliness¡­


    After making a note to bring Beth to her mother¡¯s grave when she grew older, she got up and returned to the mansion. For some reason, she still felt a little dirty, like the time when she rolled in the mud as a kid and felt dirty for the next week or two.


    It was probably the effect of coming into contact with those maggots, though.

 Chapter 625: The weight of gathered thoughts

    ¡°¡­Dia.¡±


    A hand shook her awake, and Dia opened her eyes. Her body moved on its own accord a second later, nudging aside the drooling kid on her bed gently, before sitting up properly.


    She had gotten used to waking up at weird hours with a kid by her side in the past week or so.


    Dia rubbed her eyes once, and then slid out of bed. Without paying any attention to Risti, she tucked Beth in, and checked her clothes, and then gestured at the smaller room attached to the side of her bedroom.


    The door closed with a small snap.


    ¡°How was it?¡± Dia asked, looking at Risti, who had woken her up.


    ¡°Done and settled. The Moons have been notified of someone who is partially aware of the, uh, problem,¡± Risti replied. ¡°The Moon Emissary was a bit disturbed, but all the proof I provided was enough to make it take me seriously¡­anyhow, we¡¯ll be receiving support from the Red Moon from this point onwards.¡±


    ¡°The Red Moon of Strife¡­¡± Dia pondered for a moment. ¡°What type of support will we be receiving?¡±


    ¡°Knowledge on the target, as well as combat support and reinforcements,¡± Risti replied. ¡°We cannot let this traitor to the world run free. Even the Dark has agreed to cease all operations while we handle this fellow.¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    ¡°We are of the same world, after all.¡± Risti paused. ¡°Also, it seems that the¡­two Dark Heralds were actually carrying out orders that had been forgotten about.¡±


    ¡°Orders?¡± Dia thought for a moment, and then recalled the weird gadgets and kidnappings that had happened some time ago. Their hunt for the Aberration had pushed this weird little incident out of her mind ever since, and nothing much seemed to have happened, so it had completely slipped her mind ever since. ¡°Oh. What about it?¡±


    ¡°The Dark was a bit evasive and whatever, but the Moons were happy with Greater Half¡¯s reply, so eh. The Dark Herald¡­well, it¡¯ll be coming along with us the next time we go after that fellow.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Dia frowned. ¡°Still, what exactly was up with that weird thing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called a generator. Something about lightning?¡± Risti shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not that interested in it, but it was apparently going to make life easier for normal people.¡±


    ¡°That might be useful, then, but why was it there?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know. Don¡¯t care.¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°Anyhow, prepare to move at a moment¡¯s notice. With the Red Moon devoting its full attention to this place, we¡¯ll probably be summoned in the next two days to track the enemy down.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°And¡­there¡¯s some disturbing news on that front too,¡± Risti added, her voice somewhat hesitant. ¡°We¡¯ve discovered traces of probable cooperation between the manifested Distortions and the Aberration.¡±


    ¡°Cooperation?¡± Dia asked. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? But they seem to share similar origins.¡± Risti tapped her feet. ¡°I mean, they are complementary, in a sense. Distortions happen to normal people. Only mana-users become Aberrations. If you look at it this way, they seem to be two sides of the same thing.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense. But why now, of all times? The Aberrations and Limbo have been a thing since time immemorial, right?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Why did these Distortions only start popping up now?¡±


    ¡°Maybe because the world is full of vulnerabilities and openings to invaders,¡± Risti replied. ¡°This Trial of Aeons was clearly prepared to move everyone over to another world. In other words, this place we live in is already done for. There¡¯s nothing left for us here.¡±


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    Dia nodded. ¡°So we¡¯re escaping a sinking boat.¡±


    ¡°Kinda. But the boat has so many holes that fishes and other weird things are flooding in too. Until we get to that new boat, we¡¯ll have to keep scooping the water and the fishes out.¡± Risti shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s how it is.¡±


    After letting out a long sigh, Dia looked up at the ceiling. ¡°Welp.¡±


    ¡°Welp, indeed. Hmm. Don¡¯t let me keep you awake, though. If you want to, you can go back to sleep. Dinner¡¯s thirty minutes away and everything.¡±


    ¡°Not sleeping. I¡¯ll go wake Beth up instead,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Wanna lend a hand?¡±


    ¡°To wake up that little princess? Sure, why not?¡± Risti¡¯s eyes glittered.


    Beth made some funny noises as Dia roused her from her sleep, and then slipped off the bed. Risti caught her a moment later, and then gleefully took her out into the living room, where the others were presumably bored out of their minds too. By all accounts, they should have returned, but the issue of the Aberration, the multiple problems that were magically cropping up in Farah County and a certain prisoner had delayed their return.


    Dia looked around her room for a while, and then tidied the bed. Despite the boredom weighing down on most of them, Dia couldn¡¯t help but feel scared. The knowledge she had gathered, along with the ever-increasing sense of doom and finality, was getting to her.


    The Thief of Time, the Fourth Bearer of Destiny, the Omen.


    The appearance of Distortions.


    The death of the Red God.


    Too many world-shaking events had happened in the past season for her to stay calm. Furthermore, she was the Salvation Star, someone who was supposedly the Omen¡¯s equal and obstacle. If the Omen ever learned about her, that day would become her death anniversary. However, if she stayed hidden and refused to act¡­


    What would happen?


    Dia didn¡¯t know, but she had seen so much of the world that she didn¡¯t dare to not act either.


    ¡°But I must have at least something to act on, right?¡± Dia muttered crossly. ¡°The Omen has some grand master plan. And me? I¡¯m just¡­what am I even doing? Get stronger, maybe? But the Third Tutorial¡­¡±


    Dia had heard about Claud¡¯s unfortunate fate of having his lifeforce hollowed out. While she didn¡¯t know all that much about it, Risti¡¯s face whenever she talked about hollowed life forces in the past week was enough to tell Dia that this was probably a death sentence.


    There was probably some irony in how the death-fearing Claud had a death sentence on him, but Dia couldn¡¯t even bring herself to appreciate it back then, let alone now.


    ¡°Maybe I should check up on them¡­after they return from Nihila.¡±


    Getting up from the bed, Dia made her way to the grand dining room, which actually doubled as the main meeting hall for important events and functions. There were so many things she wanted to make fun of, but this was not Farah¡¯s choice. No noble would want to have a multi-function room like this, unless they really needed to save¡­


    And Farah really needed the funding.


    A smile appeared on her face as she came across the sight of Beth furrowing her brows at the Moon Phase game going on between Schwarz and Farah. Both of them were quite skilled, and after a week of playing, their scores had evened out quite nicely. Maybe they were getting used to each other or something, but¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s up with Beth?¡± Dia asked.


    Risti chuckled. ¡°She¡¯s suddenly taken a shine to this game for some reason.¡±


    ¡°The two of them were playing seriously for the past week, so why did she suddenly get all curious about it?¡± Dia tilted her head. ¡°Did I say something funny?¡±


    ¡°Who knows how the mind of a kid works?¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°Anyhow, let¡¯s just relax for now and watch their game. I think we¡­¡±


    She lowered her voice. ¡°We¡¯ve been too strung up, pursuing that perp.¡±


    ¡°Relaxing, huh.¡± Dia made a face. ¡°For a variety of reasons, I can¡¯t quite relax though. I¡¯m the Salvation Star, this world is about to end, and the Omen is hiding in the dark. This fated nemesis of mine is¡­¡±


    She sighed. ¡°Life is hard.¡±


    ¡°But nothing¡¯s quite happened to you yet, right?¡±


    ¡°Sure, if you call me fending off the Red God ¡®nothing¡¯. And of course, the mess we¡¯re in right now.¡± Dia made a face. ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel a pressure that comes from a source that I cannot even begin to identify. Why am I here? Why am I the Salvation Star?¡±


    ¡°You know, if you want the answer to that, you can just read the skill description with that weird skill of yours,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know why you became the Salvation Star.¡±


    ¡°Meep.¡±


    ¡°Oh, those little guys¡­¡± Risti chuckled. ¡°I wonder how Beth will interact with those little shapes. Claud and Lily should hurry and get back home.¡±


    The two of them turned to Beth, who was busy watching and furrowing her eyes as Farah and Schwarz continued to tussle for supremacy. Indeed, the notion of her interacting with the little shapes that kept Claud and Lily company was quite intriguing, and when coupled with the fact that they flew over to Nihila¡­


    ¡°Hmm. It is indeed something to look forward to, yes.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±

 Chapter 626: The Great Consolidation

    ¡°¡­Dia. It¡¯s time.¡±


    Dia opened her eyes as a light touch fell on her shoulder, and her body moved on its own. The kid that had been hugging her to sleep made a little sound as Dia tucked her into a blanket. She appraised the child sleeping on the expansive sofa once, and then nodded.


    The little kid, at the very least, had a good sense of timing for going back to sleep, even after being woken up at some unearthly hour to watch Schwarz and Farah play Moon Phase. Dia didn¡¯t have much of a choice, though, since the little kid would bawl if she was left alone on a bed.


    Unless, of course, Dia told her about it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± Dia whispered.


    Beth made a weird sound, nodded and then went back to sleep. Dia patted her head, before walking out of the multi-function room to look at Risti. She gestured at the small room attached to her bedroom, and the two of them blockaded themselves inside again.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Same old. Except that there¡¯s a Dark Herald this time. And a Moon Emissary.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not same old,¡± Dia replied. ¡°But okay.¡±


    She checked her clothes. For the past week, she had been wearing outdoors attire to sleep, because the two of them had been heading out almost every night. Rather than to waste time putting them on, it would be far easier to sleep in them.


    Her father might faint from shock once he learned that, but what he didn¡¯t know wouldn¡¯t hurt him.


    Dia pulled out a vest, where most of her weapons and equipment were hung, and then nodded at Risti. ¡°Anything we should take note of?¡±


    ¡°The quarry is desperate. The Red Moon directed its full power against the Aberration and captured it in a small area. We are to kill it stealthily.¡±


    ¡°No lightning and whatever tonight?¡±


    ¡°¡­The divinities want to save power, so it¡¯s us and their servants,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Sucks to be us, but at least we get to off that thing, so that¡¯s that.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Dia let out a breath. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The two of them left the mansion. There were guards, and security had been beefed up, but no one saw it fit to stop the guests of the Farah Palace from leaving the palace, even at the dead of night. Farah probably knew about their nightly escapades already, but if she did, she didn¡¯t bother asking. It also helped that almost every night they went out, there would be a criminal strung up in front of the local guardhouse; that was the duo¡¯s cover story for now.


    ¡°Alright. Follow me.¡± With those words, Risti led Dia into a small wooded glade. It was a popular spot for picnickers in the afternoon, and Dia had spent a peaceful hour here before, but it was now their meeting spot for the night¡­


    ¡°You two are here.¡± A gentle voice rippled in Dia¡¯s ear, and the two of them turned to look at two slender figures. One was a tri-coloured figure ¡ª a Moon Emissary ¡ª and the other was a still shadow, the Dark Herald that had previously fled. Somehow, this particular Dark Herald had decided to come back to help¡­although there was a price, of course.


    The other Dark Herald in the Farah Palace would be released after this.


    ¡°Greetings,¡± Risti replied. ¡°We¡¯re all here and assembled, then. Shall we?¡±


    The Moon Emissary sighed. ¡°One can only wonder why you two mortals had to be called here too. Something is afoot.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m wondering about that too,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Moon Emissaries and Dark Heralds are known to be skilled, loyal followers of their respective masters. I have full faith that this Aberration should not be a problem, even if a single one of you handled it, but the Red Moon of Strife must have its own wisdom.¡±


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    ¡°Well said. The Lord must have seen something that our wisdom cannot,¡± the Moon Emissary replied. ¡°Your praise is well much welcome, by the way.¡±


    The shadow nodded. ¡°The Red Moon is a master of war and combat. As what Tulip says, something is definitely afoot.¡±


    Dia decided not to talk about their word choice, instead asking about the status of the Aberration.


    ¡°The Aberration¡¯s still banging on the cage, but the Lord¡¯s power can only be manifested in this realm for so long, and that¡¯s already due to the extenuating circumstances,¡± the Moon Emissary replied. ¡°We should get moving.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± the Dark Herald added, before clapping once. Shadows rose up all around them, forming a dome that lasted around ten seconds, before it came apart. Dia felt her eyes widen a heartbeat later, as they took in the fact that the Dark Herald had just moved them all away from the sheltered glade and into an open field, where a translucent red dome burned brilliantly.


    Her skin tingled a moment later. ¡°The Black God¡¯s influence?¡±


    The Dark Herald paused. ¡°Indeed so. The Black God is preventing people from seeing this sight. You are used to His presence?¡±


    ¡°We have a friend.¡±


    ¡°The Holy Son of the Black God,¡± the Moon Emissary, whose name was apparently Tulip, replied. ¡°Shacking up with your Bearer of Destiny, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that weird couple.¡±


    Dia suppressed the urge to exclaim at this weird nickname for Kemata and Nero, and instead redirected her surprise to the red dome. It was shaking madly, with the shakes and tremors originating from the grey-blue silhouette inside, and Dia held back the urge to retch.


    This person¡­no, this monster, had transformed into something that Dia couldn¡¯t fully recognise. It was still humanoid, but unlike the previous times, this Aberration had completely transformed into a mass of shivering and writhing maggots and other white-coloured insects. The texture of this mass was waxy and reflective, and the divine light that shone down on it only made it look more alien, otherworldly.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Dia whispered.


    ¡°That thing? A fully transformed Aberration, I think.¡± Risti pondered for a moment. ¡°Why aren¡¯t the divinities executing it on the spot? Are they really that short of divine power now?¡±


    ¡°Running the world and keeping it from falling apart takes a lot of energy,¡± the Moon Emissary replied. ¡°It is possible that they are attempting to ration energy expenditure. In fact, this crisis¡­it should be handed over to us servants and you mortals soon.¡±


    Dia felt a chill run down her back. ¡°Are the gods¡­¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± The Dark Herald sighed. ¡°The Great Consolidation must resume. Every day we spend in peace is every day the divinities are haemorrhaging power.¡±


    ¡°The Great Consolidation¡­so, this war is meant to cull all the divinities and have their power gather onto a single one?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°¡­You must be related to someone important,¡± Tulip replied. ¡°And yes. It is unfortunate, but that is how it is nowadays.¡±


    Dia touched her head, which had grown light, and then frowned. Those words, which had been spouted so nonchalantly, weren¡¯t doing wonders for her right now, despite her high authority. It wasn¡¯t that bad, though; she was just a tiny bit dizzy¡­


    Which could only mean that it was the truth, if the Authority bit in her status was kicking in at this point.


    ¡°So, the great Dark and the Moons are fighting to determine who is the last person standing?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°And the Coloured Gods. Those who have lost their own Bearers of Destiny,¡± the Moon Emissary replied.


    ¡°All to create a victor that has a lot of divine power or something?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Divine power and control,¡± Risti replied. ¡°You know about economies of scale, right? It¡¯s probably related to that. The greater a divinity, the more enduring this divine power will be. That¡¯s what the Fourth Godsfall is about. It is a battle royale between the three factions of divinities.¡±


    She paused, and then added, ¡°Also, the Omen and the Salvation Star.¡±


    Dia looked at the translucent dome, and then nodded heavily. ¡°I see. So that¡¯s what this whole Godsfall is about. To create the strongest divinity, and have them lead the way into a new world.¡±


    ¡°The problem with that plan right now is probably the Omen, who has stolen this new world for himself,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Since this Omen is probably unaware of the Great Consolidation, even if the war ends with a victor amongst the divinities¡­¡±


    ¡°The winner can¡¯t exactly step into the new world?¡±


    ¡°Or open it up fully, perhaps.¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°We¡¯re running down a certain path to mass upheaval, and only a few of us know that. But enough about that for now. We¡¯ll get rid of this immediate threat to security first, and then deal with the remaining mess afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Dia drew her sword, and the others produced their own weapons.


    The red dome shimmered once, and then began to glow and shrink at the same time. Grey, white and red smoke rose as the dome bound itself against the struggling Aberration, and smoke began to rise in columns.


    The Red Moon was using this dome to thoroughly weaken the monster.


    At the same time, tri-coloured light rose from all around them, forming another dome that was clearly designed to stop this thing from escaping at a moment¡¯s notice.


    ¡°We¡¯re starting,¡± Risti warned. ¡°Eyes up!¡±


    White flesh squelched as the shrinking binding crushed the Aberration and vanished from existence, and another wave of revulsion struck Dia as the thing¡¯s true form entered her eyes.


    Enduring it, she raised her blade.


    She could vomit later, after all.

 Chapter 627: Those that play the melody of the apocalypse

    As Dia ran through the plan, the monster threw back its head and let out a deafening, monstrous howl that seemed to rattle the dome itself. It began to deform a moment later, its silhouette and presence pulsating with a virulent fervour.


    Dia winced as something in her body threatened to change, and some survival instinct of hers kicked in. Mana flooded out of her body a moment later, creating a thin film of mana that somehow shut out the corrupting influence that this thing spread. Similar emanations of power pulsed out of the others, and Dia felt a touch of ease knowing that they wouldn¡¯t turn on her and Risti just yet.


    A monstrous roar filled the entire dome as the Aberration began to deform ever further. The bugs that made up its original body turned into chitinous plates that grew and grew, taking the monster even further from its original humanoid form.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­evolving?¡± The Moon Emissary generated a spear of moonlight, before hurling it at the enemy. Right before it struck, however, the colours of the world seemed to invert, and in that moment of utter wrongness, the spear came apart.


    ¡°Some law is protecting it,¡± the Dark Herald replied. ¡°A foreign law from Limbo. We can¡¯t hit it until it¡¯s done with its metamorphosis.¡±


    ¡°This would be a very good time for the divinities to rain lightning, though,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°And it seems that they have no reason to, sadly,¡± the Moon Emissary replied. ¡°The Lord and his peers must have their own compunctions in interfering¡­it¡¯s possible that they think of this as a mere probe by the enemy. Besides, it is time that you mortals learned to fight for you own.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re already fighting¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough about that,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Look! Prepare to execute the plan; nothing¡¯s changed!¡±


    The monstrous form unfolded a moment later, turning into something huge. It reminded Dia of a giant chicken or something, just that said chicken was made up of squirming maggots that numbered in the billions, and her stomach did another flip.


    Her stomach seemed to be doing that quite regularly now.


    Throwing its head back, the monster let out another monstrous roar, before fixing its white, glowing eyes on them. A terrific gust of wind surged at them a moment later, and the feeling of utter wrongness returned as a solid wall of white maggots rained down on them.


    Dia poured mana into her blade and slashed out a moment later. At the same time, the others churned out their own attacks, and the storm charging towards them came apart as the maggots died by the thousands.


    The combined counterattack slammed into the monster immediately afterwards, and the bird-like thing reeled slightly.


    Dia took a deep breath in that moment. ¡°Brace the barrier. I¡¯m about to use an ultimate skill.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± the Moon Emissary replied. ¡°Go!¡±


    Another presence appeared high above the ground as Dia activated the first skill, Sword Fall. Back then, it was already pretty destructive enough, but now that she had caught the timing to strengthen her skill with her hexa-folder mana¡­


    The bird let out another roar as the gigantic weapon phased through the barrier that trapped the Aberration with ease, and another disgusting ripple shook the monster. In that instant, both wings burned with white, incandescent flame, the chitin melting to form vague outlines of grotesquely oversized, over-detailed fists.


    A thunderous shockwave shook the ground as a fist smashed into the falling sword. Red coursed through her vision for a moment as a solid wall of air smashed her body, and she vaguely registered a rolling motion.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Dia got back up slowly, just in time to see the sword pierced through the chitinous, monstrous fist.


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    ¡°Impact is coming. Brace yourself,¡± a calm voice spoke.


    Dirt churned a moment later, and the ground shuddered and heaved, like some gigantic horse buckling. Cracks formed all around the place as the ground beneath the gigantic sword and the monstrous avian Aberration crumbled, and Dia winced again as the ground seemed to swallow the monster.


    ¡°It¡¯s immobilised!¡± Risti shouted. ¡°Go for the kill!¡±


    At those words, the two divine servants, the familiar spirits of the great Dark and the three Moons, moved into action. Light and shadow gathered rapidly as the sword that her Sword Fall had conjured faded away, and the air hummed once.


    Everything went silent a heartbeat later.


    Her eyes flew shut as the shuddering ground completely went berserk. She stumbled a moment later as the ground underneath her feet seemed to turn into liquid, and her instincts screamed at her. Her hands and arms jolted into motion, grabbing at the closest thing nearby and pulling her to it.


    She opened her eyes slowly once her body was secured, and then narrowed them to a thin slit. There, in front of her, were two familiar spirits pouring their full power into a narrow chasm, which was melting from the sheer heat of it all. The ground continued to buckle and twist as the trapped monster roared over and over again, and Dia watched on in silence.


    ¡°They can¡¯t keep this up for long,¡± Risti spoke from behind her. ¡°This level of power¡­they¡¯ll be exhausted soon. Dia¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not sure if Perfect Domain of Swords will work, though. It¡¯s a physical attack.¡±


    ¡°Just go for it,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Trust the plan.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Dia consolidated her thoughts, and then called up her mana again. ¡°Activating¡­now.¡±


    Something burst out of her in that moment, and night turned into day. Lush greenery grew from all around her as a bright sky shone down on them. Only the chasm, which was busy glowing red, was unaffected by this sudden change in scenery, but Dia didn¡¯t have the time to think about the superfluous things right now.


    She gazed at the skies, where thirty-three thousand swords, each glowing with an immense might, hung.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s a majestic sight,¡± Risti whispered.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Go.¡±


    At her command, the glowing swords, each of them rippling with the full force of a hexa-folder, charged into the void. The two familiar spirits, who had been suppressing the monster so far, darted out of the metallic torrent¡¯s way, and then took up position around the chasm as the swords flew inside.


    Dia held her head as she attempted to sense the swords that had formed under the influence of her skill. While that would be impossible for skills released from a skill medium, this was her very own skill. She could control these swords as they flew, if only barely, but the mana they contained was not her own.


    That mana was useful for penetrating defences and nothing else.


    The shuddering ground began to still as more and more swords dove deep into the chasm. Each of them, bearing the full lethality of a hexa-folder, would shatter shortly after or upon contact, destroying the physical structure of that Aberration.


    ¡°Is it really going to work?¡± Dia asked, wiping away at the blood streaming down her nose.


    ¡°Ants can fell an elephant. And your ants are sharp ones enhanced by mana,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Besides, the monster¡¯s struggles are weakening rapidly. It¡¯s working.¡±


    ¡°Is it Domain of Swords, or is it that of my Salvation Star skill that¡¯s actually doing the heavy lifting here?¡± Dia shook her head, watching as the last of the swords vanished into the chasm. ¡°And it¡¯s over.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Risti looked at the two familiar spirits, who gathered power once more. With a flash of muted light, the chasm crumbled into fine motes of sand, which the Moon Emissary scattered with another blast of moonlight.


    The two familiar spirits fished up an unmoving person, and the dome of light surrounding them dissipated.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re done here. Summary execution and whatnot.¡± Risti let out a sigh. ¡°Finally. We can stop this stupid thing of waking up every night to chase this guy¡­supposedly, anyway. But this probably won¡¯t be the end anymore. If they¡¯re really correct, we¡¯re in for it now.¡±


    ¡°We?¡±


    ¡°The world,¡± Risti clarified. ¡°The end of the world is fast approaching. We better get of this one soon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s up to the Omen, though¡­¡±


    The Dark Herald landed next to them. ¡°What about the Omen?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much in particular,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Are we done here, then? Can we leave now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Tulip wanted me to convey her thanks,¡± the Dark Herald replied. ¡°Also, I¡¯ll be dropping by to pick up my colleague tomorrow. Just so you know. Don¡¯t look surprised when you see me or anything. Officially? We don¡¯t know each other.¡±


    ¡°Same drill, I know,¡± Risti replied. ¡°It¡¯s nice working with you.¡±


    ¡°Same here.¡± The Dark Herald nodded once, and then took a step back. ¡°Well then, this is farewell. Have a good rest. I¡¯ll drop by in the evening.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for letting us get some sleep, then.¡± Risti stifled a yawn. ¡°See you around.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bring you two back first, with your permission.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks.¡± Risti yawned again. ¡°Much appreciated.¡±


    Dia yawned as a flash of darkness returned them to the Farah Palace, where no one inside was aware of the earth-shaking battle that had just occurred.


    And for everyone¡¯s sake, it was better that way.

 Chapter 628: Returning home

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    ¡°I wonder if the others did something huge while we were off having a break.¡± Claud looked at the warm bowl of thick porridge, before rubbing his jaw slowly.


    ¡°They were also probably just resting, waiting to defend themselves when a new maelstrom strikes,¡± Lily replied. ¡°You feeling better?¡±


    ¡°Still as frail as ever, but I¡¯m more than capable of moving right now. It¡¯s just that my reflexes are a bit slow, and my movements sluggish,¡± Claud replied, moving his body around. ¡°And I feel like I¡¯ve been tenderised.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you were tenderising meat yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Well, I have to contribute too, right?¡± Claud asked. ¡°I can¡¯t keep getting you to care for me like an invalid. Surely you have things of your own that you want to accomplish.¡±


    ¡°And letting me make dinner isn¡¯t going to be an issue to that,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°We¡¯re supposed to do things together.¡± Claud rolled his eyes.


    ¡°So you say, but you¡¯re the one who¡¯s working actively to avert my death,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to play a bigger part in stopping that too.¡±


    ¡°Which you have,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯re not doing anything, okay? You¡¯re doing a lot more than you know.¡±


    ¡°I mean, physically. Not as emotional support¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re helping me deal with my infirmed body,¡± Claud replied. ¡°That¡¯s been the main thing dragging me down for the past few seasons. There are days when I just want to close my eyes and let all this drag me down into oblivion, you know. Only your presence is preventing me from going into the quiet night early.¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s mostly my fault, though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not, and don¡¯t go thinking of things that way either,¡± Claud replied, before rubbing her head. ¡°¡­I suppose you can feed me?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Lily rubbed her hands. ¡°Alright, say ah¡­¡±


    A set of gentle knocks filled the house as Claud savoured his fifth spoonful, and Lily made a displeased noise. Schooling her expression a moment later, she got up from the seat and opened the door.


    ¡°Hello, bishop.¡± Lily nodded at Nero¡¯s caregiver. ¡°Good morning to you.¡±


    ¡°A good morning to you lovebirds. I am told that you two are leaving today,¡± the bishop replied. ¡°I wonder if you can help me send some letters to Nero.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Lily replied. ¡°We¡¯ll deliver it to him without fail. That said, we do intend to visit the sites you recommended first, so it may take some time.¡±


    ¡°That is very fine with me,¡± the bishop replied. ¡°After all, travel across the ocean is still very much limited. And it is only right and fitting for travellers from a distant land to appreciate the places we of the Senate are most proud of. Where are you hoping to go to?¡±


    ¡°The Senate building first,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Where the Nihal Senate meets.¡±


    ¡°¡­You two really like good food, huh.¡±


    Claud chuckled. ¡°We¡¯re only having porridge for breakfast for a reason, you know.¡±


    The bishop chuckled. ¡°True. I should have guessed that the moment I saw your breakfast. And after that¡­wait, let me guess. An ancient battlefield, right? The one where the Black God slew the Goddess of Hope.¡±


    ¡°How did you guess?¡±


    ¡°Not hard, considering why you¡¯re here. You must be looking for traces of His apotheosis,¡± the bishop replied. ¡°Some companions of mine also head to that particular battlefield to do some on-field theological studies, but we aren¡¯t that strong. It¡¯s a shame, but not a lot of us could venture deep inside.¡±


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    Claud nodded. ¡°With our strength, I believe we can penetrate the depths of the battlefield and maybe pick up on some things too.¡±


    ¡°Do tell me the results,¡± the bishop replied. ¡°We all yearn to be closer to the Lord, after all.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    The bishop laughed. ¡°Well then. Here are the letters. I will rather not disturb you two from your lovers¡¯ breakfast any further, so please excuse this old man as he leaves.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so cold,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But have a good day. We¡¯ll make sure this gets to Nero.¡±


    She picked up the sealed envelope, wrapped it with even more mana, and then slid it into the backpack lying next to the table. ¡°Let¡¯s finish the breakfast, then.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t impose on him any longer, after all.¡±


    Bowls and spoons let out gentle clinks as they dug into the porridge in earnest. Before long, their breakfast had been scoured clean, and Claud got up to wash the dishes.


    ¡°Claud?¡±


    ¡°Come on. I¡¯m not that sickly,¡± Claud replied, before feeling a bit bad at Lily¡¯s expression. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s just do it together.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s better.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long before they were all done with the dishwashing, and Claud looked around the small house. They hadn¡¯t lived in it for that long, but it was still necessary to return it to its owner, who had rented it to them at a low cost, in a pristine state.


    Thankfully, cleaning up with mana was a lot easier, and after sweeping the place with gentle waves of mana that captured all stray motes of dust, Claud bobbed his head at Lily.


    ¡°Alright. We¡¯re done here, then.¡± Lily helped Claud wear his backpack, and then fitted her own onto her back. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    After one last check, which included making sure that the three little meeplings were happily secured in their pockets, the two of them left the house for the final time.


    The bishop was seated in the garden outside when they emerged. A bunch of little birds were hopping around him happily, chirping as they played around him.


    ¡°You¡¯re done, then. It has been a pleasure hosting the two of you.¡± The bishop smiled at them. ¡°Also, thanks for cleaning up the house. The last time Nero used this place, I had to clean it up myself.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a lot more mature now,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that. I hope you two enjoy your tour of my nation. Have a safe trip back, the two of you.¡± The bishop chuckled once. ¡°Now then, you should be going. Time is tight for us all.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The two of them walked out of the garden. Since the house was also in Kabir, there was no need to fly to the Senate building proper; all they had to do was to walk towards the centre of the gigantic city and take in the sights.


    ¡°Street stalls, huh. I don¡¯t think Grandia has street stalls,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Let¡¯s go grab some edibles!¡±


    ¡°We need to save space for the Senate¡¯s menu, though!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s be honest, that menu isn¡¯t going to fill our stomachs.¡± Lily rolled her eyes at Claud. ¡°And we digest food so quickly that we can eat the whole city¡­¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­¡± Claud sniffed. ¡°I¡¯m hungry too.¡±


    After buying a small bag of fried fritters, the two of them continued on their merry way. It was hard to tell if Kabir had been affected by the Last Godsfall, since the war had been put on hold while the world searched for the handsome, skilled and incredible Thief of Time, who had bonded with a Cosmic Egg.


    For now, the whole world was still at peace¡­kind of, anyway. However, Claud was certain that there were probably a few small Distortions in the capital, but these things probably didn¡¯t have a long shelf life. After all, after the first successful attempt at getting rid of these Distortions ¡ª which was by the two of them ¡ª the three nations had worked out their own methods to deal with Distortions now.


    Those things weren¡¯t that much of a threat to skilled folders. Rather, the actual threat came from the possibility of mana-users, high-ranked ones that had gone through the Third Tutorial, turning into monsters of mass destruction. It was one of these things that had killed Lily in the previous iteration, and Claud was rightfully wary of such an incident.


    However, how would one deal with such a thing?


    ¡°Claud?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just thinking of something,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Mana-users transforming into monsters. How can we avoid this? Stop people from becoming hexa-folders?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one way.¡± Lily paused. ¡°Wait. The Chromatic Lords¡­I vaguely recall that there was something about a law against people becoming high-ranked folders, right? They killed anyone who completed the Third Tutorial, right?¡±


    Claud sucked in a breath. ¡°Was that¡­¡±


    ¡°Something the Black God did?¡± Lily thought for a moment. ¡°Maybe it wasn¡¯t to deal with the threat of high-ranked folders turning into monsters, though. I mean, we don¡¯t know when this¡­vulnerability in the Third Tutorial existed.¡±


    ¡°True. But in a way, these guys probably helped¡­but they can very well be ticking timebombs too.¡± Claud glanced at Lily. ¡°No, not literally.¡±


    ¡°I know. There¡¯s no need to look at me like that. So, what do you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°¡­Maybe we should get rid of all high-ranked folders,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°While the White God and the Black God might have done something, it might not be wholly perfect. Better play safe.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re saying?¡± Lily asked. ¡°You¡¯re going to kill what literally are the strongest people in this world!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s worth a shot.¡± Claud contemplated for a few moments. ¡°Yes. It is.¡±


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s discuss this more thoroughly first.¡±

 Chapter 629: A disturbing thought in a morning meeting

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    The Nihal Senate and its Senators met everyday to discuss policies, but with the First Lady out of the picture right now, most of the policies discussed dealt with issues that were most pertinent to a Claud that hadn¡¯t created a mana circuit yet. The main issues for today¡¯s agenda were mostly about soaring food prices, due to bad weather and low crop yields.


    ¡°Food, huh.¡± Claud looked at the bag of pastries and snacks in his hand, which was being steadily depleted by his other one. ¡°Uh. Well, I don¡¯t really see the problem here, though. The streets are teeming with food.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s in a peripheral area or something.¡± Lily looked around the place, and Claud followed suit, his left hand feeding food into his mouth mechanically.


    For some reason, there was absolutely no problem with allowing normal people inside to witness the proceedings of the Nihal Senate. Sure, what they were discussing now was probably mundane stuff that would be made known to the public eventually, but this was definitely an egregious breach of security in Claud¡¯s eyes.


    According to Lily, the morning court at Grandia was definitely not open to civilians, which made much more sense than whatever Nihal was doing. Yet, despite this utter lack of security, there had never been an actual successful attempt on a Senator¡¯s life¡­


    He mulled on this impossible singularity for a moment, and then decided to chuck it out of his mind.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit boring, all things considered,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°I can see why these guys are paid so much and given so many privileges. The ability to sit there and to seriously debate about things that won¡¯t affect them much is quite impressive. After all, what¡¯s the point? It¡¯s not like increased food prices would affect them at all.¡±


    ¡°So, they¡¯re being paid to be who they can never be,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Why not just get the people who would be affected inside, then?¡±


    Lily shrugged, and then answered her own question. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s because anyone who steps inside here wouldn¡¯t be affected by these everyday things either.¡±


    ¡°Sounds right to me,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Definitely something that needs to be paid well, or else.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, though. What I just mentioned was assuming everything was absolutely perfect, but what if someone had connections to shops and trades that were affected by whatever motion the Senate wants to deal with?¡± Lily asked. ¡°There¡¯s a possibility of corruption there.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. I suppose it¡¯s a balancing act, though. I hear that the salary of the Senators update the quickest. They get a review or something every year.¡±


    ¡°While the income of nobles in Grandis are directly linked to their personal financial performance after paying taxes to the Emperor. What a contrast.¡± Lily folded her arms. ¡°Which one do you think is a better method? The Grandis Empire, or the Nihal Senate?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question¡­¡± Claud looked at the Senators. ¡°But the only reason why all these guys are so successful is due to the monopoly of force, right? The senators and the nobles are usually one of the strongest combatants. Even if the people were dissatisfied, I don¡¯t think they can really take up arms to deal with the mana-users who can slaughter them with absurd ease.¡±


    ¡°True. I definitely wouldn¡¯t have dared to say no to Emperor Grandis until I entered the ranks of a hexa-folder too,¡± Lily agreed.


    ¡°Right?¡±


    The two of them watched on for a few more minutes as Senators squabbled with each other on what foods to subsidise and whatever, before Lily yawned.


    ¡°Tired?¡±


    ¡°Food coma.¡± Lily rubbed her tummy. ¡°Nothing much to look at here, and all this droning has a very dangerous hypnotic effect. At this rate, I¡¯ll fall asleep.¡±


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    ¡°Let¡¯s go, then.¡± Claud paused. ¡°Should we grab more food on the way to the ancient battlefield?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t happen to devour the entire bag, did you?¡± Lily asked, eyeing him suspiciously. Claud, whose hands just happened to touch the remaining three pieces of flatbread, tried to whistle innocently, and Lily poked his cheeks. ¡°Figured. Ah well. Let¡¯s go get some more meat this time. Give me the bread. I¡¯m hungry!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re always hungry.¡±


    Lily helped Claud up, and the two of them moved off. He couldn¡¯t help but note once again that Lily was deliberately slowing down to keep pace with his sluggish movement, and his heart warmed slightly. It was the little things that counted, and she had done a lot of little things for him.


    Maybe she didn¡¯t realise that, considering the conversation they had this morning, but he wanted to change that.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Claud uttered.


    ¡°For?¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think I did anything¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re slowing yourself down deliberately to not make me think about my own infirmity,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been doing that for a long time, though,¡± Lily replied, a grin on her face. ¡°You¡¯re the kind who simply notes down things in silence, so what made you acknowledge them today? Was it the conversation?¡±


    Claud looked at her, stunned, and then chuckled. ¡°Well, I suppose you are my soulmate for a reason. Yeah. It was the conversation you had earlier. I just wanted you to know that you did a lot of things for me, even if you didn¡¯t notice them yourself. That¡¯s just it. I want to protect you because I want to. And you¡¯re doing the same for me because you want to, right? There¡¯s no obligation or anything.¡±


    He smiled at her. ¡°But I don¡¯t want you to feel guilty or anything. There¡¯s no reason. And¡­I wanted to let you know that I appreciate you and everything you¡¯ve done for me. They might seem small to you, but they mean the world to me.¡±


    Lily turned away from him, and her left hand, which was holding on to his right now, tightened slightly.


    For a moment, Claud wondered if he should speak here, but¡­there were times when actions were just better than words. Reaching out slowly, he pulled her close and held her tight for a few seconds.


    The rise and fall of his chest seemed to completely synchronise with hers at that moment, and the world around him seemed to vanish entirely.


    After a minute or two, Lily¡¯s other hand covered his own, and a gentle voice spoke. ¡°That means¡­a lot to me too, you know.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m sorry I took this long.¡± Claud rested his head against hers. ¡°Shall we, then?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Lily paused. ¡°But let¡¯s go get some food first anyway.¡±


    Claud laughed, and then separated from her slightly. ¡°Let¡¯s.¡±


    After buying a bag full of popcorn chicken from a vendor happy to close down for the day, Claud looked up at the sky and said, ¡°So, we¡¯re going to go into an ancient battlefield, where the Goddess of Hope was struck down by the Black God, with fried chicken in our hands.¡±


    ¡°When you say it like that, there¡¯s definitely something wrong¡­¡± Lily paused. ¡°But it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re in a museum where everything is carefully curated, right?¡±


    Claud chuckled for a few seconds, before letting the humour drain out of his face. ¡°We¡¯ll need to be careful. I¡¯ve gone through the records of Schwarz and the others when they visited another ancient battlefield some time ago. There seems to be some threats here and there, and while they don¡¯t pose much of a danger to us, we can¡¯t be careless.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Lily fished out some fried chicken with mana. ¡°And every ancient battlefield is unique too. We¡¯ve done this so many times already¡­is the customary speech really necessary?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°As expected of my little Claud!¡± Lily pulled out more chicken. ¡°Now, say ah¡­¡±


    After stuffing his face full twice, Claud stopped Lily from depleting their stock of finger food. It was addictive, but they really needed to make a move on first. It wouldn¡¯t be too late to ask for some feeding while they were flying towards the ancient battlefield...


    ¡°Ready?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lily rubbed her hands. ¡°We haven¡¯t really absorbed prana yet. As a mid-ranked folder progressing on to our seventh mana circuit, this feels really odd.¡±


    Claud nodded once. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s really odd.¡±


    A thought flashed through his mind in that instant, and his face twisted slightly. It wasn¡¯t a nice thought at all, and as he gazed at the five grand skies, the sudden thought that had wormed into his brain seemed to grow stronger.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Actually¡­¡± Claud frowned. ¡°The prana¡­we shouldn¡¯t absorb prana. I don¡¯t know why I suddenly thought this way, but I get a feeling that we definitely shouldn¡¯t absorb prana. I¡­¡±


    He took a deep breath. ¡°For one, I don¡¯t recall seeing or hearing about prana jades as the Frozen Emperor. Which is odd, considering that in that vision, I was probably the strongest human in the world. It does not make sense for Rimestar to not use it. Unless¡­¡±


    ¡°It never existed in the first place,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°And the only reason why it existed now¡­maybe the Hollow God or your previous iteration? You know, you should try to recall more of that memory. I don¡¯t think I can do much with your barebones description of your Second Tutorial.¡±


    ¡°If only I can do that...¡± Claud felt his brows furrow. ¡°We should go investigate this.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s move, then.¡±

 Chapter 630: Truth-seeking in an ancient battlefield

    The ancient battlefield where the Black God defeated the Goddess of Hope, or as the Black God himself put it, the inverted Goddess of Hope, was located in a desolate prairie. Grass attempted to grow there, and the hardier vegetation managed to survive, despite bordering the site of such an upheaval, but the actual ancient battlefield itself was completely barren of life.


    Claud gazed at the ancient battlefield from afar. There was a faint boundary that divided it from the outside world, although the boundary was probably nothing more than a token one now. Camps and buildings had been erected next to the boundary, which could only mean that this ancient battlefield was being actively exploited.


    From the Seekers of Life¡¯s earlier exploration of a similar place, Claud knew that ancient battlefields generally had lots of prana jade and very pure lifestones within. There were also some threats, but the threats seemed to vary from place to place.


    For instance, the inverted God of Virtue¡¯s grave was filled with shadowy beings that were more than capable of using mana. They were strong foes, spectres of deceased warriors, that guarded whatever remained of their legacy.


    ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll face problems when entering?¡± Lily wondered.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question, but I¡¯m sure we can intimidate a whole lot of them just by walking up,¡± Claud replied, before allowing a grin to crawl up his face. ¡°With all our mana circuits running, naturally.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you cunning little fellow¡­¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    The meeplings hopped around Claud, clearly in agreement with Lily, and he rolled his eyes. ¡°Go crawl around Lily instead, okay?¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    Other than Crown, the others rolled over to Lily, who promptly enjoyed the feeling of being nuzzled by tiny little shapes. Crown, however¡­seemed a little odd.


    ¡°Meep.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Claud cupped the little box. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You sound a little depressed.¡±


    ¡°Meep. Meep¡­¡± The box fell to one side. ¡°Meep.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Claud made a face. ¡°Well, someone has to know what you are eventually. Sure, the Black God doesn¡¯t, but what about the great Dark and the Moons? They might know something about you. And¡­well, I might be able to ask myself eventually.¡±


    He thought for a moment. ¡°Yeah. All my previous iterations probably had you guys too. I saw you three in the Frozen Emperor¡¯s memory, after all. I¡¯ll figure out your origins eventually, alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lily added. ¡°Count on us, okay? And we aren¡¯t fussed about your origin at all. No matter who you are, you¡¯re Crown to us. And that¡¯s it.¡±


    Those words cheered the little guy up, and Claud watched as Crown scampered over to Lily. The meeplings were very much aware about his frailty, so they generally tried to avoid too much contact with Claud. It was a thoughtful gesture on their part, but still¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s descend, then.¡± Claud checked his equipment.


    ¡°I¡¯m all set.¡± Lily squished her cheeks once, and then said, ¡°Do I look intimidating?¡±


    ¡°Adorable, cute and pretty, yes. Intimidating?¡± Claud poked her cheek. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Bah. How about you?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Show me intimidating, okay?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t do that either. We¡¯ll have to make do with our mana circuits. Besides, there probably aren¡¯t any hexa-folders here either. At most, newly promoted ones.¡± Claud tried to crack his knuckles, but he couldn¡¯t quite complete the motion. ¡°Well then¡­¡±


    A few people milling around the camp stared at Claud and Lily as they landed, and the two lost no time in driving their mana circuits. Any trace of outright hostility vanished a moment later as the nearest loiterers gazed at them warily, and Claud nodded to himself.


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    In concert, the two of them walked up to the fenced camp¡¯s entrance, where there was a small gate. Instead of barging through it directly, however, Claud simply smiled and waited at the gate, before looking at the other strangers that were staring at them.


    Lily, who was holding his hand gently, chuckled once. ¡°We come in peace.¡±


    The others in the camp glanced at each other for a few seconds, before one of them ran off. Shortly afterwards, the person returned with a hooded person in tow, and that hooded person did a doubletake.


    ¡°You are¡­I know you two.¡± The person pulled back her hood, revealing a head of black hair. ¡°I¡¯ve seen your pictures before.¡±


    ¡°You know us?¡± Claud asked, thinking about the news of their success in dealing with a Distortion.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. My niece told me about you two,¡± she replied. ¡°Uh, Risti. Anyway, nice to meet you two. I¡¯m Norn, Risti¡¯s aunt. I¡¯m also known as the Verdant Interrogator, although this system of Names is getting a bit rusty when there are so many new mana-users popping up in recent times.¡±


    ¡°The Verdant Interrogator¡­¡± Lily thought for a moment. ¡°Oh, you met your niece and Dia at Nachtville, right? Years ago.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s me, alright. The rest of my party are inside the ancient battlefield at the moment,¡± Norn replied. ¡°What are you two doing here anyway? Last I heard, the famous Seekers of Life who dealt with the Distortion accomplished that particular deed in the Grandis Empire, not the Nihal Senate.¡±


    ¡°We came here to find out some answers,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And to this battlefield specifically.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Norn paused. ¡°Wait. You two just travelled here? How?¡±


    ¡°How¡­well, we just did?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think flying ships are operating across continents, though. And sea travel has not been a thing ever since sea monsters appeared,¡± Norn replied. ¡°How did you two get here? By the sounds of it, you two must have just arrived recently.¡±


    Claud rubbed his head, but there was no dodging this question. Besides, the fact of the matter was that she was an acquaintance of Risti¡¯s, apparently, and he couldn¡¯t quite leave her here if she requested for it¡­


    He glanced at Lily, who was shooting glances at him, and then nodded with a grimace.


    ¡°We flew here on our own,¡± Lily replied quietly.


    ¡°¡­Are you two heading back?¡± Norn asked. ¡°As in, to Grandis?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Claud had long seen where this conversation was headed, but he at least had to have some hope. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Can you bring us back with you?¡± Norn asked. ¡°Me and the other Seekers of Truth have been stuck here ever since the Fourth Godsfall began and this madness started.¡±


    ¡°Seekers of¡­¡±


    ¡°Seekers of Truth,¡± Norn replied. ¡°Not Life. The Seekers of Truth is what we call ourselves.¡±


    ¡°R-right¡­¡± Claud rubbed his nose. ¡°Well¡­it¡¯s not impossible. But I¡¯ll need some time to think it through, okay? And we might need you people to do some things too. It might be a tiny bit unpleasant, but you know. Trade secret.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°That reply was a bit too fast,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Anyhow, we¡¯re actually here to do some sleuthing, touring and investigating. I wonder if you can let us in now?¡±


    ¡°Sure. This camp is mine, anyway,¡± the Verdant Interrogator replied. ¡°Welcome to this nameless camp, where all I have are prana jades and lifestones, and the only thing I miss is a way back home. What do you two intend to do next?¡±


    ¡°Enter the ancient battlefield,¡± Lily replied. ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re here for.¡±


    It was a coincidence through and through. Perhaps, if he hadn¡¯t made his way here, they would have been stuck in Nihal for a mind-bogglingly long time, but it just happened that the two of them arrived here.


    ¡°Yeah. There might be problems with prana jades,¡± Claud added. ¡°We¡¯re here to investigate that.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­wait, what?¡± Norn looked at him. ¡°Problems with what?¡±


    ¡°Prana jades,¡± Claud replied slowly. ¡°We¡¯re trying to investigate those things after following an ancient enigma that came from eons ago.¡±


    ¡°¡­Crap.¡±


    ¡°I suppose it goes without saying that you guys used them, then.¡± Claud rubbed his head. ¡°Well, it probably isn¡¯t that big of an issue if you aren¡¯t swallowing them rampantly, and there are problems if you do that to begin with.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here to investigate their origins and all. Nothing¡¯s confirmed yet,¡± Lily added. ¡°Don¡¯t be in a hurry to panic or anything. All is still quite fine, if nothing else.¡±


    The others in the camp didn¡¯t look that convinced, which wasn¡¯t that bad. It would be for the best if they stopped using prana jades for now, if nothing else. And even if these prana jades actually created problems, the actual extent of these problems was unlikely to be actually dangerous.


    After all, the divinities would have done something substantial if prana jades were that big of a deal¡­


    Probably, anyway.


    He looked around the camp. ¡°So, what¡¯s this camp thing about? If I recall correctly, the Seekers of Truth don¡¯t number all that much.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a long story that starts with us being here and ends with even more of us here after the Moons and the Dark descended,¡± Norn replied. ¡°Nothing particularly riveting.¡±


    The tone of her voice implied a reluctance to actually elaborate more, so neither of the duo pursued the issue.


    ¡°I see.¡± Claud paused. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll head inside, then.¡±

 Chapter 631: Into the depths of a tomb

    Wind whispered on and on as the two of them stepped through the boundary that separated the modern world from the ancient battlefield, and Claud shivered. A hint of sorrow filled his chest a moment later, and Claud felt his eyes water up with warm tears.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± Claud wiped his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m crying. I haven¡¯t cried for a long time.¡±


    Lily dabbed at her eyes too. ¡°It¡¯s probably one of the remnant effects of this place, I think. The world¡¯s sorrow at the end of a god that ruled for sixty thousand years.¡±


    She sniffed thrice, and then hugged Claud. ¡°I¡¯m going to bawl soon if you don¡¯t do something!¡±


    ¡°Me too, though!¡± Claud sniffed twice, and then drove his mana. ¡°This works, somewhat¡­but I still want to cry.¡±


    The two of them sniffed for a while at the edge of the ancient battlefield, which was more than enough for three worried meeplings to dance around them. Thankfully, the border was opaque; no one could see the inside from the outside world, and vice-versa.


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    Claud sniffed again. ¡°I can¡¯t help it¡­¡±


    The meeplings made funny little noises as they hopped from Claud¡¯s head to Lily¡¯s, and then back.


    After around three more minutes of sniffing, the two of them finally regained enough control of themselves to drive their mana circuits more, thereby blocking out the remaining effects of the ancient battlefield.


    ¡°Screw this place,¡± Claud muttered, before handing Lily her second bottle of water. ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°Your eyes are puffy, do you know that?¡±


    ¡°Yours are too¡­still, this place really is cursed.¡± Claud looked around, and then pulled out a small handkerchief. ¡°Need another one?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. You should dab your eyes instead¡­¡±


    The meeplings made a few more meeps, before returning back to Lily. It would seem that they were a bit scared by Claud and Lily¡¯s sudden sniffing and bawling, but now that this unfortunate feeling was over, they were more than happy to just return back to Claud.


    ¡°I¡¯m still a bit thirsty, though. Despite not actually needing much food and water,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Well, we did cry a small pond.¡± Lily looked around the place. ¡°I wonder if the others also started bawling the first time they entered.¡±


    ¡°Probably did,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Alright. I suppose we need to investigate a few things here. The Black God¡¯s apotheosis, because that¡¯s something I¡¯ll probably need to do too. After that, I¡¯ll have to investigate those prana jades and figure out if they¡¯re the reason behind high-ranked folders turning into monsters.¡±


    Claud held his head. The sequence of events that he¡¯d constructed thus far was not guaranteed to be correct, at the very least, but it seemed the most likely one.


    After meeting with the Black God and after thinking about those prana jades, Claud now had a new question. While he could not recall any instance that would highlight the existence of prana jades in the Second Tutorial, it was possible that those things actually existed in that timeline already. After all, only when there was a drought in lifestones would people actually use them, and prana jades were publicly noted as dangerous in the first place, since they contained remnant wills.


    Therefore, there was a good chance that these things were innocent to begin with. However, Claud didn¡¯t dare to make any assumptions right now. He knew that his previous iteration had been affected by something very similar to the Distortion phenomenon, just that it seemed to target mana-users rather than normal people.


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    And mana-users fell into the category of people that were more likely to use prana jades, if nothing else.


    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily rubbed his head. ¡°Are you feeling sick again?¡±


    ¡°Happens all the time, but I¡¯m not feeling sick right now,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m just thinking through the sequence of events again. There is a possibility that I¡¯ve misinterpreted the whole thing and that we¡¯re barking up the wrong tree.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s scary to hear you say that, but I¡¯m glad too.¡± Lily sighed. ¡°Seeking the truth can be hard.¡±


    ¡°Only professionals would dare to do that on a consistent basis.¡± Claud paused. ¡°And the desperate. I¡¯m sure you know which side I fall in.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lily squeezed his hand. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re way beyond the point for needing thanks already, so don¡¯t be so formal.¡± Claud rapped her head gently. ¡°Now, then. I suppose we¡¯ll need to figure out where the Black God slew his opponent.¡±


    The two of them, plus three concerned meeplings, began to make their way forward. None of them were interested in fighting just yet, so Claud always took the initiative to give the spectres that roamed this place a wide berth. There was no helping it; he was still a debilitated, hollow person at the very core. Even if he could fight, moving too much or mobilising mana on a large scale would tire him out rapidly.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Claud glanced at Lily. ¡°Did you think of something?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m a bit curious. The Black God told us that he became a divinity after he slew the Goddess of Hope, right? But why would slaying a god turn one into a god?¡±


    Claud thought for a moment. ¡°Maybe because things are passed down through slaughter. The O thing works that way too. If I¡¯m killed, the killer becomes the next O. That seems to be the only way such a position can change too.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Maybe there¡¯s more to it,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°Divine power, maybe. The powers of the gods. Maybe one becomes a god after absorbing divine power stolen from another god¡¯s corpse or something, like prana jade.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe they leave something behind, huh.¡± Lily folded her arms. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s a good enough explanation, but it still feels weird. I thought the whole process is meant to be a lot more graceful or something. But does this mean that one can become a god outside of the Godsfalls if they killed a divinity?¡±


    ¡°Possible. I mean, the Godsfall seems to make the act easier, if nothing else.¡± Claud thought about the time when he slaughtered the Red God. ¡°But I did kill the perp, though, and nothing happened to me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if the Red God would appreciate you calling him perp¡­¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Claud checked his Looped Encryptor, and then heaved a sigh. No one in the five grand skies had noticed his little slip of tongue, which could have been fatal.


    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°The Looped Encryptor, remember?¡± Claud chuckled. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s just make our way in first. I wonder if the Goddess of Hope left a corpse.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a really good question.¡±


    Spectres drifted around randomly as the duo snuck towards the centre of the ancient battlefield. Along the way, Claud encountered irrefutable proof of other activity here; there were some indents on the ground where a prana jade would probably be sitting at earlier.


    ¡°There are really people in this place, huh.¡±


    ¡°Yeap.¡± Claud looked around. ¡°We should be able to detect them easily. I mean, we¡¯re also driving our mana. Anyone who looks a bit closely should be able to tell that we¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t see anyone.¡± Claud folded his arms. ¡°Maybe they¡¯re a bit deeper in or something.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re all resting or something.¡± Lily looked around again. ¡°Oh, look!¡±


    She picked up a small lifestone. ¡°Lucky!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s luckier if you pick them up while walking outside this place, but true.¡± Claud examined the lifestone. ¡°Oh, wow. It¡¯s a pure-ranked lifestone. Not as good as a Pure-Life Gem, but still.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of Pure-Life Gems, you haven¡¯t used them much, right?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve received a bunch of free lifespan injections recently,¡± Claud replied. ¡°If you want, you can have them instead. My lifespan¡¯s a bit absurd right now anyway. I¡¯m not going to think too hard about this.¡±


    He checked his status once.


    [Name: Claud Primus


    Class: Omen


    Lifespan: 257883 years


    Active Skills: Will of Solitude (11) Will of Freedom (11), Will of Captivity (11), Will of Purity (11), FiBoD;O??? (0), FiBoD;O??? (0)


    Passive Skills: DiL???C, Mana Locus, Omen, Omniscience (False), Mastery of Permanence, Artificial Life Contractor, Aeon Fold ¡ª Omen (36), All-Life Nemesis, Cornerstone of Coincidence


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 6.90


    Mana Control Proficiency: Master


    Authority: 6


    Comments: <¡­>]


    ¡°Yeah. Absurd.¡± Claud gazed at his Comments section. ¡°And it¡¯s all quiet on the comments front too.¡±


    ¡°Comments?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. No one¡¯s telling me anything now¡­¡±

 Chapter 632: Looting a corpse

    Claud shivered as he stepped across another intangible boundary, before his muscles seized up. Lily stopped at the same time, and the two of them gazed at the frozen, unmoving corpse that hung suspended in mid-air. A woman, her limbs splayed out in an eternally frozen state, floated not too high above the two of them.


    Simply gazing on the woman, however, was enough to make Claud¡¯s head pound vigorously. The power that she emanated, the weight of the corpse as it made its mark on the fabric of reality, was so huge that Claud forced himself to turn away from it immediately.


    Lily doubled over and began to retch, while the little meeplings darted away from the corpse and hid in their clothes.


    Claud rubbed her back slowly. ¡°This place is dangerous.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the Goddess of Hope, right?¡± Lily asked, after retching three times. Wiping her lips, she lowered her head and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know her corpse was still here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s a corpse, but let¡¯s retreat for now,¡± Claud replied. Herding Lily back through that intangible boundary, Claud forced himself to look at the corpse once more, a feat that made his nose bleed once again, and then left with Lily.


    The two of them were panting by the time they escaped the Goddess of Hope¡¯s actual resting ground.


    ¡°We both look like a mess.¡± Lily wiped her lips again. ¡°And I¡¯m drooling like a baby.¡±


    Claud wiped some blood from his upper lip. ¡°That¡¯s a god¡¯s corpse, huh. I never got a chance to see one up close.¡±


    ¡°True. Not many godslayers have such a weird record,¡± Lily acknowledged. ¡°Anyhow, what exactly did you see? I saw a woman suspended in mid-air, a sword thrust through her chest. That sword looks pretty damn impressive, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I saw that too,¡± Claud replied, before recalling the sight. ¡°There was more than a sword, though? The woman also had some mighty fine armour. It was glowing both silver and gold. I bet they are quite good.¡±


    ¡°Not as good as the sword.¡±


    ¡°Still worth a try.¡± Claud thought for a moment. ¡°If I activate that skill, I should be able to grab the corpse and all her equipment. I wonder why the Black God didn¡¯t loot the body, though. Does a god curse all their items when they die, or is there something else going on?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t he ascend immediately after her death?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Maybe there was something that happened during the ascension process that made her body unlootable or this place inaccessible.¡±


    Claud nodded. None of them knew what an ancient battlefield was until he heard it from¡­Nero or someone else. It was possible that these things had been sealed for a few millennia, before they opened up one day. Even without that, though, the people capable of entering such a place probably could be counted on one¡¯s fingers¡­and these people were mostly gods.


    ¡°Looting the equipment of a god¡­¡± Claud rubbed his hands. ¡°Should we?¡±


    Lily thought for a moment. ¡°I suppose there shouldn¡¯t be any issues, but we need to make lots and lots of preparations first!¡±


    ¡°This is something I probably wouldn¡¯t have ever done before, but I think you need that armour a lot.¡± Claud rubbed his hands. ¡°Well, this is something that my previous iterations definitely never did, so it¡¯s fine. I wouldn¡¯t ever have come here if not for that book, after all.¡±


    Lily nodded seriously. ¡°But you need to be very careful.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud closed his eyes. ¡°Still, this feels a bit familiar¡­ah! That time in Celestia, when we got the Second Shadows to do the dirty work for us!¡±


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    ¡°Well, you¡¯re the one doing all the work now, though.¡± Lily made a face. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°For?¡± Claud smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t be. Anyhow, I don¡¯t think I can nab the body. However, I should be able to pull out the sword and most of the armour. The chances of me dying are probably zero, because I don¡¯t think I¡¯m fated to die here just yet, so I can afford to be a bit reckless.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how it works, right?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And it¡¯s dangerous to operate off that assumption. Please cherish your life as much as mine, and even more at that. Otherwise¡­¡±


    ¡°Otherwise?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But you¡¯re not the only one who will go mad if your partner dies, okay?¡±


    Claud looked at her intently, somewhat shaken by the intensity of her words and the force behind them. He had a feeling that Lily would truly follow in the footsteps of his previous iteration if he kicked the bucket, a path he would not wish on anyone.


    ¡°¡­Got it.¡± Claud rubbed her head, and then wiped her cheeks. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll get through this with all my might, so don¡¯t worry at all.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lily hugged him once. ¡°You should come back soon. Don¡¯t make me worry any longer than is necessary. You¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. I know.¡± Claud gazed at her face. ¡°I know the sleepless nights that you have sometimes. When you look at me, or hold me a little tighter when you wake up. I know. I¡¯m sorry for worrying you this much.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all for me, I know.¡± Lily made a small smile. ¡°But¡­it¡¯s a lot harder to think about this when the person that you want to protect is me myself. I didn¡¯t see it. And it¡¯s not in my nature to think about my own death. Most people don¡¯t¡­think about their death, you know. And what comes after it. You don¡¯t too. You think about living forever, with me¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­I suppose it¡¯s hard to think about what comes after death.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how it is.¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°And you certainly don¡¯t think about what happens if you really¡­¡±


    She let out a sigh. ¡°Come back safe, alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll do just that.¡±


    He turned back to the faint boundary. ¡°Be right back.¡±


    Now that he had stepped across the boundary once, he could sense it acutely. The boundary was made up of what seemed to be a weakened form of divine power, probably formed from long periods of intermingling with remnant lifeforce and mana. It was a cage and a marker to prevent purer divine power from leaking out, but¡­


    Did that mean that the divine power the Goddess of Hope had wasn¡¯t absorbed? Was there some other important component instead?


    Whatever the case, Claud could perceive the boundary very keenly. There was no point activating Absolute One after stepping through, though; those ten seconds of full power was what was absolutely needed for him to step through and loot the body.


    Normally, Claud wouldn¡¯t have done something like this, but this was a free set of armour and weaponry, both of which were worn by a divinity to battle or used by a would-be god to kill a current one. It was fate that they came across something like this, since there was probably no one else that could use them either.


    He glanced at Lily once more, and then nodded. ¡°Absolute One.¡±


    Time seemed to freeze in that moment, as pure power rushed through his body, and he shivered. The next step he took brought him deep within the bounded area, right underneath the suspended Goddess of Hope, and with another thought, Will of Freedom activated.


    The world turned into a blur once more as he reappeared next to the suspended corpse.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Claud whispered. ¡°But I really need all this.¡±


    He gazed at the corpse. The woman that floated in mid-air was breathtakingly beautiful, although Lily definitely looked better. Gold blood coated the entry point of that fatal wound, around the sword that was plunged into her chest, but there wasn¡¯t time to admire too many things.


    Under a slowed perception of time, Claud gripped the sword and pulled it out with all his mind. Surprisingly enough, the sword came out easily; he¡¯d expected a harder time, but any good things that came by was something he wasn¡¯t going to pass up on.


    The corpse began to tremble, and Claud doubled down on picking out the armour pieces. His hands flashed rapidly as he removed the chest armour, which was quite damaged, before moving on to the other pieces.


    Claud removed a few critical pieces, and then swiftly retreated. While the overpowering might of Absolute One allowed him to ignore the remnant divine power that emanated outwards from a god¡¯s corpse, it only lasted ten seconds.


    He did not want to know the outcome of lingering¡­and the corpse was actually trembling, after all.


    The effects of Absolute One dissipated as he stopped right next to Lily, a bunch of armour pieces in his hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m back,¡± Claud replied, before gesturing at the pieces of armour and the weapon.


    Lily wiped her eyes, and then sniffed once. ¡°I was going to cry¡­¡±


    ¡°This place is weird, that¡¯s why.¡± Claud gestured at the pieces of armour and the weapon. ¡°I¡¯m covering these with mana for now. There might be something on them, after all.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re using them after we leave, then.¡±


    ¡°Yeap.¡± Claud activated Will of Purity on himself once, and then nodded. ¡°Also, the corpse was a bit weird¡­¡±

 Chapter 633: Deeper into the deathless depths

    ¡°The corpse was trembling and everything?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Claud replied, leading her away from the weird boundary. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with the corpse, but¡­maybe it was finally allowed to die.¡±


    ¡°Finally allowed to die?¡± Lily asked. ¡°That¡¯s an awfully weird way to put it.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s something I felt,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but it seems that the sword was preventing the Goddess of Hope from returning to nature entirely. Now that I removed it, she¡¯s probably going to finally go in peace.¡±


    ¡°Go in peace, huh.¡± Lily looked down. ¡°Well, one can only wonder what kind of grudge the Black God had with the Goddess of Hope to stop her from dying in peace. Either that, or he forgot about that sword entirely. More importantly, though, that sword seems like it can seal a soul or something, right? Might be useful.¡±


    ¡°Useful?¡±


    ¡°¡­Never mind.¡± Lily gazed at the sword. ¡°Can I have it?¡±


    ¡°I took it for you,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Along with all the armour. It¡¯s not the right time to unveil them now, though. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Lily smiled at him. ¡°So, this is how the Goddess of Hope died, huh. Did the Black God take his new role at the same time, in that very moment? Or was there something else? It¡¯ll be nice to find out.¡±


    ¡°Definitely,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I think there was a small window of time between the Goddess of Hope¡¯s death and his ascension, in which time he should have found a better place to apotheosise in. We just need to look for that place.¡±


    ¡°Deeper, then.¡±


    ¡°Deeper.¡± Claud nodded. The only question was whether his suspected previous iteration was present when the Black God came into being or not, but even if his previous iteration really wasn¡¯t here¡­what of it? Claud didn¡¯t think he could interact with his past self this easily, not without the medium of the various Tutorials.


    ¡°Claud?¡± Lily tugged his sleeve. ¡°You look a bit distracted.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just thinking about the possibility of finding traces of myself,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Which is more unlikely than me becoming a god right now, but still.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that unlikely, so what are you worrying about?¡± Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°Anyhow, let¡¯s skirt around her final resting place.¡±


    Claud nodded.


    The two of them continued to venture deeper into the ancient battlefield. The two of them, with three ride-along meeplings, dived cautiously, skirting around wraiths and spectres of a bygone age. Claud didn¡¯t know too much about these shades, save for the fact that killing them potentially yielded a prana jade. However, now that he found those little things a bit shifty, Claud couldn¡¯t bring himself to even ingest a single one, despite the temptation of life that they held.


    Prana jades were concentrated remnants of departed mana-users, which meant that they conferred varying amounts of lifeforce to anyone who consumed them. Generally, however, they provided more than a month¡¯s worth of lifeforce, which lifestones gave, a quantity that would be lowered depending on purity and saturation.


    In terms of pure efficiency, absorbing prana jades was far, far better. However, the cost was significant; these dense clumps of life was imbued with the remnant will and thoughts of its previous owner. Taking in one felt like polluting one¡¯s mind and exposing it to undue risk, which was why neither Claud or Lily had used one just yet.


    ¡°We have enough lifestones for you.¡± Claud peeked at a patrolling spectre. ¡°No need to go around for prana jades.¡±


    ¡°I know. You don¡¯t need to explain why you aren¡¯t doing anything, alright?¡± Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°And let me support you properly.¡±


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    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Claud looked at the wide grin on her face. ¡°You love it when you do this, right?¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡± Lily stuck out her tongue. ¡°And you love pampering me too, so I don¡¯t see the problem. Just enjoy it. After all, you deserve all this.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t hold back, then.¡±


    Lily held him close as they snuck past another bunch of spectres. Before long, however, a surprising sight entered their eyes; there seemed to be a weird, artificial stone standing in the middle of nowhere.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Lily whispered. ¡°A tombstone? Why would there be a tombstone here?¡±


    Claud looked at the artificial construct, and then gestured at it. ¡°Shall we?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not,¡± Lily replied.


    The two of them drifted towards the tombstone, and Claud examined it carefully. The structure itself was a perfect rectangle, with the top end tapering off to form a pyramid of sorts. The whole thing was made in a eerie purple colour that, when placed next to Lily, made her even prettier, something that Claud had not thought was possible until today.


    ¡°There¡¯s a plaque here,¡± Lily whispered. ¡°Here lies the God of Earth¡­the God of Earth? Of the Primordial Pantheon?¡±


    Claud found his thoughts whirling as an old tale, told by Colidra, echoed in his mind. The Moons and the Makers; the humans that would become the gods of the four elements; the First Godsfall as these humans stole the various sources of the elemental power¡­and the Second Godsfall, when the Six Gods of Virtue dethroned the Primordial Pantheon and assumed their roles as the new ruler.


    ¡°¡­Impossible.¡± Claud looked at the tombstone. ¡°This ancient battlefield¡­it¡¯s for the Goddess of Hope. Why is there a tombstone for the God of Earth here? Is this some sort of practical joke?¡±


    He took a step back.


    ¡°Calm down. Why are you so agitated?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°¡­Because, if this was true, this can only mean that there¡¯s a high chance that this place was an ancient battlefield long before the Goddess of Hope fell here,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Why, then, would a god and an aspiring divinity clash here, of all places?¡±


    ¡°The battlefield,¡± Lily replied.


    Claud nodded. ¡°So, ancient battlefields are good places to kill a god in.¡±


    ¡°There is definitely some irony when you say that with a very straight face, though.¡± Lily turned back to the tombstone. ¡°I wonder who made this tombstone for the God of Earth. Not many people can get this far, after all.¡±


    ¡°Probably a priest that survived the First Godsfall.¡± Claud examined the foreign material. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen this kind of stone before. Do you know anything about it?¡±


    ¡°Believe it or not, but¡­I don¡¯t actually know either.¡± Lily extended some mana to prod at the tombstone, and then nodded. ¡°Impressive. I¡¯ve never seen this stone before, and you have no idea how many stones the young lady of a noble family is expected to know.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­you¡¯re skilled with stones?¡±


    ¡°Architecture!¡± Lily made a helpless smile. ¡°Which age did a building come from? What style did it adopt? You know, all these superficial things. At least mineral and material identification is a bit more practical.¡±


    ¡°Is that how you got into bomb-making?¡± Claud asked, curious.


    ¡°Kinda. Some building materials, if modified in the right ways, could become highly explosive. And if their entire building foundation happened to be made from these materials, all that was needed was applying these chemicals to said foundation.¡±


    Lily sounded a little sad, so Claud hugged her slowly.


    ¡°You feel like a pet cat trying to hug me,¡± Lily observed.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not really exerting any physical strength right now,¡± Claud replied. ¡°So, those stones¡­you don¡¯t recognise them?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen them before,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And as a rule of thumb, building materials don¡¯t really shift too much over time. The knowledge to make this thing was probably lost in the Third Godsfall.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡± Claud looked at the tombstone. ¡°Still, there¡¯s nothing that special about it. No weapons, armour or possessions of the person buried here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re growing a bit addicted to robbing the dead?¡±


    ¡°No, not really.¡± Claud paused. ¡°Just the corpses of those who are divinities.¡±


    He paused. ¡°That¡¯s probably very risky behaviour.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you realised that,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think this tombstone contains the God of Earth¡¯s body, though, so let¡¯s just call it a day and move on. No, I¡¯m not cracking this open¡­don¡¯t look at me like that!¡±


    Claud, who was wondering if she had a few bombs or something, made a face. ¡°Fine¡­I was wondering if your bombs would lose to this thing, though.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not enough to goad me. Come on now. I don¡¯t want to spend too much time in this place,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Hurry along!¡±


    ¡°Got it, got it.¡± Claud, supported by Lily, continued deeper into the ancient battlefield. ¡°Still, isn¡¯t it weird that we didn¡¯t come across anyone so far? I thought Norn said something about her party members being here or something. And the camp¡¯s huge. I¡¯d expected to meet a few people by now, but there¡¯s no one¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they ventured this deeply,¡± Lily replied. ¡°None of them seem like hexa-folders, after all. They were probably all concentrated near the boundary, an area that we blew through quite easily.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense. But still¡­¡±


    ¡°Creepy, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Really scary¡­¡±

 Chapter 634: An ascension platform?

    ¡°Trouble breathing¡­¡± Claud sucked in air with his mouth, before taking out some artefacts. A bubble enveloped the two of them a moment later, and the viscous, thick air gave way to more breathable alternatives as the artefacts in his hand hummed. ¡°Whew. That¡¯s better.¡±


    ¡°Why do you have an artefact that produces breathable air?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I have one?¡± Claud asked, tilting his head.


    Lily opened her mouth, and then bobbed her head. ¡°Good point. You¡¯re Claud, after all.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment¡­¡± Claud assessed his surroundings. The area around the two of them had turned into a viscous fog that made it hard to see, breathe and move. As a plus point, however, the fact that this place was hard to move through had deterred those spectres too; the way ahead seemed to be very much spectre-free.


    ¡°My hunch tells me that we¡¯re getting close.¡±


    ¡°Seems like it,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Air¡­shouldn¡¯t be like water, right? Only a miracle can make such a thing happened.¡±


    ¡°Which one? Turning water into air? That¡¯s called evaporation.¡±


    ¡°No, not that.¡± Claud looked at the fog. ¡°And I don¡¯t think high humidity does this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t take my jokes so seriously!¡±


    The two of them continued to venture into the ancient battlefield. Both Claud and Lily had agreed that heading towards greater concentrations of water-like air was probably the best way to go; after all, there was a good chance that this anomaly was centred around the Black God¡¯s entry into divinity.


    After five hundred and forty-three steps ¡ª Claud and Lily were counting their steps out loud now ¡ª a shadow loomed in the distance, and Claud stopped on the spot.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably not a tombstone, at least.¡± Lily looked around. ¡°And this place¡­it seems a bit different. There¡¯s something in front of us.¡±


    ¡°Like another boundary,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Yeah. Another boundary.¡± Lily tilted her head. ¡°Lots of these things nowadays, huh. I wonder what these boundaries do, actually.¡±


    ¡°Keep things in and out, I guess.¡± Claud sighed. ¡°Hmm. Should we take the risk, or should I be a bit more prudent here? Well, this might be the spot where the Black God ascended. Being a bit more prudent here is a good idea. Lily, can you take a small stone and toss it through the boundary?¡±


    ¡°On it.¡±


    The meeplings hopped onto Lily¡¯s shoulder as she tossed the pebble through the boundary, an act that everyone watched with bated breath. Surprisingly enough, nothing actually happened, and Claud nodded at her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s be a bit careful, then.¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡±


    Lily picked up the three little fellows and placed them on Claud¡¯s head. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, alright?¡± Claud looked at the meeplings, who were making a nest in his head as per normal, and rolled his eyes at her. ¡°Now they¡¯re going to make a mess of my hair again.¡±


    ¡°Eh, it¡¯s fine¡­I like it messy, after all!¡± Lily slid close to him. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Supported by Lily, the two of them moved into the barrier, and Claud immediately frowned. It wasn¡¯t really a problem, but even moving his mana now felt a lot harder.


    ¡°My mana¡¯s suppressed,¡± Lily reported.


    ¡°Same here.¡± Claud took a deep breath. ¡°To be honest, I kinda want to retreat right now. With that skill on cooldown, it feels like we might be in for something.¡±


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    ¡°Will of Freedom,¡± Lily replied. ¡°That might help.¡±


    ¡°¡­Worth a try, I suppose. Will of Freedom!¡±


    Something seemed to expand outwards from him, but even the expansion of that mental territory seemed to be a bit stifled. Claud, however, managed to create a cube that encapsulated the two of them after some effort, and the feeling of being shackled and locked up vanished.


    ¡°That works too, huh. What¡¯s the description of Will of Freedom again?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­the user can move freely in all directions, while ignoring all other physical forces, for thirty days.¡± Claud paused. ¡°Well, I cancelled it earlier, because being able to move like that in normal life isn¡¯t something I could get used to just yet.¡±


    ¡°I did think it was thirty days too,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But is there a point to making it last that long anyway? It¡¯s level 11, right? The cooldown is only two hours. You don¡¯t even need it to last more than that.¡±


    ¡°Probably for some weird reason, I suppose.¡± Claud looked at the shadow. ¡°But enough about this skill for now. This shadow¡­¡±


    Lily¡¯s fingers tightened somewhat as the two of them approached it.


    ¡°This is a¡­platform, right?¡± Claud looked at the weird structure. It was their height, but the entire thing was a circular platform with steps on it. ¡°But why would there be a platform here? Did the Black God create this?¡±


    ¡°It might be symbolic,¡± Lily suggested. ¡°Something left behind to mark his ascension. And this presence¡­it does feel like that of the Black God¡¯s.¡±


    Claud reached out mentally to the platform, and then grimaced. The pressure it gave off, the presence it had and its effect on reality¡­all this pointed at the same, familiar divine origin. While Claud could not quite distinguish between the various divinities in terms of what their actual presence felt like, this power definitely came from that of a god.


    ¡°This power¡­it seems to be one of the first things he touched when he became the Black God,¡± Claud observed. ¡°Or one of the first things that he created.¡±


    ¡°If this was here since forever, does it not mean that this platform is a way for a mortal to become a god?¡± Lily asked. ¡°And if it¡¯s something he created¡­the Black God doesn¡¯t seem like someone that would create a thing like this without any good reason. For what reason would he make such a platform, then?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re missing the most important bit,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°The most important bit?¡± Lily echoed. ¡°What¡¯s the most important bit?¡±


    ¡°Should we climb this platform and head to the top?¡± Claud asked, gazing at the divine structure.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s a very good question.¡± Lily thought for a moment. ¡°Um. Maybe we should have a break here first. You know. Get some food, relax a bit...¡±


    ¡°Lily?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit scared of this thing¡­it¡¯s, frankly speaking, horrifying. I can¡¯t breathe easily in its presence. It¡¯s like the Black God stopped restraining himself and everything.¡± Lily gritted her teeth. ¡°I want to stay here for a while. Train my body to get used to this overpowering presence.¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a good choice. Maybe it¡¯s different for me, but humans¡­I don¡¯t think normal humans are supposed to remain for long periods in a god¡¯s presence, right? And while neither of us are normal, thanks to my O skill, I¡¯m definitely more abnormal than you.¡±


    ¡°What is this, a competition?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just reasoning out why I don¡¯t feel this much pressure,¡± Claud replied. ¡°It¡¯ll do me much good to remember that I¡¯m a bit different from the others.¡±


    ¡°Be a bit more confident, dear.¡± Lily stroked his head. ¡°You aren¡¯t just a bit different.¡±


    ¡°You get the point well, I see.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°Well, we can just sit here and all, I suppose. We have quite a lot of time here¡­and to be honest? I think you¡¯re safe here. We can just build a house in what is essentially a forbidden area and all, you know.¡±


    ¡°We can?¡±


    ¡°Are there any rules prohibiting us from doing that?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Hmm. I don¡¯t see any at all. Thus, it is fine for us to build a little home here if you so wish. I think it¡¯s a good idea, to be honest. In fact, the others should acclimatise themselves to the unadulterated presence of a god.¡±


    ¡°Wait, are you suggesting¡­¡±


    ¡°That we bring them to the depths of a god¡¯s death or ascension and have them live there for some time?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Absolutely.¡±


    ¡°¡­Damn.¡±


    ¡°I was hoping for that expression.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°And besides¡­maybe it¡¯ll help you. It¡¯s definitely going to help you. I know it will. So¡­if you don¡¯t mind, let¡¯s extend this holiday. You¡¯ll face the full might of the Black God¡¯s existence, and I¡¯ll watch on, ready to extend a hand.¡±


    ¡°A holiday¡­yeah. Sure!¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°As long as we¡¯re together, we can do anything, right?¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Anything. Let¡¯s get prepared, then. Hmm. We¡¯ll stay here like this for two days first, I suppose? I¡¯ll cover you in Will of Freedom in that time. After that, I¡¯ll dispel it and the two of us will exit the place until it recovers, at which point we go in for more exposure together. If anything happens, I¡¯ll activate Will of Freedom and bring us out.¡±


    He thought for a moment. ¡°After a month or so, we can begin to move deeper into the ancient battlefield and everything. I think a good goal would be to climb it. Let¡¯s see if we can do that before I can enter the Third Tutorial.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re staying for that long?¡±


    ¡°It should be fine,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We do have food and water, and we¡¯re mana-users to boot.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not really regretting this, but at the same time, I definitely do feel some regret¡­¡±

 Chapter 635: An adult and a babys scary thoughts

    ¡°Half Moon just flew by¡­¡± Dia, who was sitting around in a circle with the others, looked at Beth, who was in the middle of learning the various phases of the Moons¡­er, Moon. Ever since the three Moons descended, the only thing illuminating the night sky was a white moon, one that didn¡¯t seem to have any will of its own.


    There was nothing in contemporary literature that talked about its existence either too; it was probably a placeholder moon that the three Moons set in place to allow continued timekeeping.


    ¡°I thought things would not be this peaceful,¡± Risti added, looking at her once.


    ¡°Yeah. The Dark Herald was released peacefully,¡± Farah replied.


    Schwarz patted the baby¡¯s head and ruffled her hair. ¡°I¡¯d half thought that something big would happen¡­also, how did we end up here for an entire season? Farah, you didn¡¯t delay us just to help out in your county¡¯s administration, did you?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­not really?¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that a question?¡±


    As Schwarz and Farah traded words, Risti glanced at Dia once more, and then made a face. The ¡®things¡¯ that Risti referred to had nothing to do with the Moons and the Dark at all; she was talking about the Aberrations and the beings of Limbo. After such a huge stir, Dia had half-expected something to happen here, but¡­


    Nothing had happened all the way to Gibbous Moon.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s peaceful, at least.¡± Dia opened her hands, and Beth, who was trying to trace the weird shape of the Gibbous Moon, toddled over.


    ¡°Dada!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s almost three, right?¡± Risti asked. ¡°I think the scions of dukedoms usually begin their education at this timing.¡±


    The baby nearly tripped over herself, and Dia supported her with mana. ¡°Don¡¯t go scaring Beth.¡±


    ¡°Bet!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just have her take some speaking lessons,¡± Dia added. ¡°You have to speak full sentences now!¡±


    Beth, who was definitely more than capable of doing that, made googly eyes at Dia, before making a funny noise. Smiling at her weird response, Dia settled the baby on her lap and said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s going to make me happier, at least. And you just need to be encouraged to speak full sentences, you know. You can do it, right?¡±


    The baby sucked her thumb and continued to make googly eyes at Dia.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing a spectacular job at not convincing her,¡± Risti quipped. ¡°Beth, your Dada will love you more if you speak in proper sentences, you know!¡±


    ¡°Rweally?¡±


    ¡°Really, really.¡± Risti extended her hands to Dia¡¯s face and forced her lips up. ¡°See! She¡¯s grinning now!¡±


    ¡°Rweally!¡± Beth paused. ¡°But da hands¡­¡±


    Risti fixed a glare onto Dia as she removed her hands, her eyes threatening bloody murder if she didn¡¯t continue that muscle-tearing grin. Dia, who was definitely not intimidated by that implicit threat, found it a good idea to continue that smile, since little Beth seemed brought over by that argument.


    It was definitely not because Risti¡¯s eyes looked like the Moons themselves.


    Definitely not.


    ¡°See?¡± Risti bobbed her head, pleased. ¡°She¡¯s happy that you can speak more words and reply with longer sentences!¡±


    ¡°¡­Bet.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you¡¯re not convinced just yet. Never mind. But wouldn¡¯t it be better?¡± Risti clicked her teeth. ¡°Anyhow, Dia, your grin is shaking, so turn it off before you scare the kid.¡±


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    ¡°For someone who really liked the princess, you sure don¡¯t hold back,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Well, I do like Princess Dia. But when I consider that she¡¯s you, it¡¯s a bit hard for me to swallow. So in my head, there¡¯s an abstract Princess Dia, and then there¡¯s you. That¡¯s how I¡¯m dealing with it. Can¡¯t have broken pedestals getting in my way, can I?¡±


    Dia looked at her in disbelief, and then thought for a few seconds. Sure, the words seemed a bit rude, but if ¡°Princess Dia¡± was an abstract of her (supposedly) divine qualities, did that mean that she would be spying on an abstract level too? This would explain why Risti was more than happy to stop her spying activities, and¡ª


    All this has been normalised in my head¡­


    That thought echoing in her mind, Dia said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s good that you¡¯ve separated me from the Dia in your head. You haven¡¯t picked up your spying stuff and everything, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh, I stopped doing that.¡± Risti paused. ¡°The Princess Dia in my head is a lot better to spy on and to enrich my life with.¡±


    Farah cleared her throat. ¡°Just one question. How are you, uh, spying on that mental image anyway? It¡¯s a construct you made yourself, erected in your mind only. So how does that work?¡±


    ¡°The spying bit is also in my mind?¡± Risti looked at her. ¡°I thought it was fairly obvious. You¡¯re a bit slow.¡±


    Farah glanced at Dia, a weird expression on her face, and then said, ¡°Well, as long as you don¡¯t go scaring anyone, that¡¯s perfectly and lovingly fine. Anyhow, let¡¯s put this topic aside for now. Schwarz is wondering if we should return back now.¡±


    ¡°You still have things to do, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Still, it¡¯s nice that my county has improved under Schwarz¡¯s help. And since we¡¯re hosting two big shots here, the smaller territories are beginning to pay their owed taxes more¡­stringently.¡±


    ¡°Big shots?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Specifically, the daughter of Duke Lustre and the daughter of the Folder Association¡¯s President,¡± Farah replied innocently. ¡°Somehow, word got out that Countess Farah was on very good terms with these two legendary figures and was currently hosting them in her palace. The rumours were patently absurd too; there were things that claimed that the countess was intending to ask them to help¡­collect taxes.¡±


    Schwarz eyed her. ¡°You call them absurd, but aren¡¯t these rumours created by you yourself?¡±


    ¡°Not by me,¡± Farah replied gaily. ¡°At any rate, the various subsidiary territories under the Farah County are very obedient now, probably helped by the fact that the two legendary figures in question were spotted, more than once, by various visiting envoys and dignitaries.¡±


    Dia thought about the random tea parties that Farah threw once a week or so. Quite a few people had come up to her for introductions and light speech. Dia, who hadn¡¯t done much actual noble socialising for a long time, simply entertained them for a while before turning to either Risti or Schwarz¡­


    Now that she thought about it, weren¡¯t these fellows just checking that she was the real deal?


    Farah snickered as something cleared up in Dia¡¯s head. ¡°Well. I suppose the gig¡¯s up¡­anyway, it¡¯s been a great help, having you guys here.¡±


    ¡°And the situation is unlikely to deteriorate anytime soon, right?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Which is why you decided to go back with us and all. You¡¯ve settled your issues and affairs here, save for succession.¡±


    ¡°Well, I gotta have a kid first, if I want to handle that.¡± Farah shrugged. ¡°But that can wait.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmm. Well, if you put it that way¡­¡± The bartender sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just a bit ominous, you know. We¡¯re all putting our affairs in order, piece by piece.¡±


    ¡°Other than me, because I never had much affairs,¡± Risti chimed in. ¡°And you, Schwarz. Hmm. You¡¯re probably baggage-free when it comes to issues and traumas, right?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± The bartender blinked. ¡°You¡¯re right, I guess. I don¡¯t really have much. The only thing is the little bar. I suppose my late pops would like it if I had a family of my own too, but in these trying, uncertain times, I can¡¯t bring myself to do such a thing.¡±


    ¡°In times of hardship, birth rates usually rise, though,¡± Dia replied, thinking back to some very old studies and papers. ¡°Especially when the main source of labour is mainly physical, since children become an invaluable helping hand.¡±


    Beth, who was waddling around the circle that the four of them froze, jumped again.


    ¡°That¡¯s during bad times,¡± Dia replied, catching her again. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. Just enjoy your childhood and everything. You deserve to, after all that¡­¡±


    She reached out to her and patted her head. ¡°Relax. Us adults will protect you this time. For sure.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That we will,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Now, about that return¡­I believe Nightfall must be quite antsy. We do a lot of free work for him, after all. It would confound me if he wasn¡¯t worried at all.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Farah smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve settled my affairs here. Thank you for granting me this small wish of mine.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sound like a soldier marching to her grave,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Although it would have been nice if we could settle things with your parents once and for all. Those twats are the last people that should inherit this place.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°If you want to do it,¡± Risti added, ¡°then let¡¯s go. Grandia is a nice place too, and we¡¯ve already sat here for an entire season. What¡¯s a small detour to cap things off nicely? Nothing, to me.¡±


    ¡°And I want to visit that place too,¡± Dia added. ¡°Before the world falls into ruin and all of humanity vanishes.¡±


    Risti glanced at her once. ¡°Yes. The war is going to restart soon. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe on Full Moon. Maybe in New Moon. Whatever the case, we might as well make ourselves happy and satisfied first.¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright. Thank you.¡±

 Chapter 636: Gathering together

    Moonlit soldiers guarded the opening in the divine barrier. They had been doing that for a very long time, and it wasn¡¯t the first time Dia and the others had left through the stronghold before, but she felt nervous all the same. The divine might of the Yellow Moon of Wealth could be felt in the area, a power so viscous that she was dead certain that the divinity was probably in the fortress above the checkpoint.


    ¡°Going out for the second time¡­never thought I¡¯d be doing that, but here we are,¡± Dia murmured. Beth, who was fast asleep on her back, squirmed slightly, and then returned to sleep.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I never thought the ceasefire would still be standing at the beginning of Gibbous Moon either,¡± Schwarz replied, gazing at the white, deformed sphere that was rising. ¡°You know, the war should have restarted now, right? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°If I had to guess?¡± Risti looked at the fortress. ¡°They haven¡¯t located the Thief of Time, the Fourth Bearer of Destiny. They¡¯re still looking for him. If he doesn¡¯t die, the Cosmic Egg will forever carry his imprint alone, until the end of this world¡¯s days.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    ¡°Something like an alliance,¡± Risti added. ¡°After all, even though the Dark and the Moons are enemies, they are of this world.¡±


    ¡°And the Omen isn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°From what my dad says, apparently not.¡± Risti paused. ¡°The Omen seems to be a foreigner to this world.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Supposedly, anyway. At the very least, however, the power that drives the Omen is a foreign imposition from outside our world, imposed to make sure that there is forever conflict or something. Not too sure how that works, though.¡±


    ¡°The power, huh. Then what about Dia¡¯s Salvation Star schtick?¡± Farah asked, curious.


    ¡°It should be the power of preservation or something,¡± Risti replied. ¡°The world¡¯s way of protecting itself against the destructive might of the Omen or something.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound too certain¡­¡±


    ¡°If anyone comes up to you and sounds very certain about the state of the world and its various secrets, they¡¯re probably a scammer or something.¡± Risti clicked her teeth. ¡°Uncertainty is the best way forward. Don¡¯t be too locked into a certain state or frame of mind when dealing with things as huge as this.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Dia looked at the white moon as the others chattered on about finding out the truth, and before long, they arrived at the checkpoint proper. The soldiers on duty nodded at them as they walked towards the counter, where a Moon Emissary sending off a trade caravan.


    ¡°Seekers of Life.¡± The Moon Emissary nodded at them. ¡°We bid you welcome. We have received orders that the Seekers of Life, save for the Holy Son of the Black God and the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny, are free to enter and exit without inspection, due to meritorious services rendered.¡±


    ¡°Wow. That¡¯s really nice,¡± Schwarz commented. ¡°Do relay our thanks to the Moons.¡±


    ¡°Your will be done.¡± The Moon Emissary paused. ¡°On the behalf of my masters, I bid the Seekers of Life a safe journey onwards.¡±


    After a round of thanks, the four of them proceeded through the passage. Dia, who was hanging at the back, looked up at the ceiling, which was actually the underbelly of the gigantic fortress that housed oodles and oodles of soldiers waiting and ready to attack at any given moment.


    ¡°¡­We¡¯re out.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sound this moved, alright?¡± Dia rolled her eyes. ¡°Alright, we should go and check up on the two lovebirds.¡±


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    ¡°Which two?¡±


    ¡°Nero and Kemata, obviously.¡± Dia gazed at the wall of light that divided the Istrel Sovereignty from the Nihila Sovereignty. ¡°Well, let¡¯s head over and invite them along for a rodeo.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not that far. And they¡¯ve had their honeymoon for long enough, methinks.¡± Schwarz grinned. ¡°Let¡¯s disturb them, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    ¡°Seconded.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    With a malicious little motion passed, the four of them headed towards Monsville in high spirits. As mid-ranked folders, all four of them soon arrived at the sleepy little barony, where nothing much of note was happening. The town was bustling as only a barony could, but other than that, there was nothing of particular note.


    Dia glanced at the sleeping kid on her back, and then figured that she could wake her up after they entered the little house. There was really nothing much to see here anyway, after all.


    ¡°This place is a bit quaint, but it¡¯s also boring,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Still, I can sense agents of the Moons and the Dark lurking around this place.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay.¡± Schwarz paused. ¡°Wait, what? You can sense them?¡±


    ¡°Kinda, I guess. I believe this can be attributed to the Salvation Star skill or something,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to describe it, though. Perhaps they aren¡¯t making too much of an effort to hide their presence or something, but there are spots that look a bit dim or extra-bright to me. There¡¯s some faint¡­pressure too. Or something.¡±


    Dia looked at the house surrounded by dense webs of mana, and then at a few houses that seemed to resist the ambient discharge of mana by a bunch of defences. From how no one was giving that house a doubletake, it was evident that the people here had gotten used to the house that was heavily defended by a whole bunch of barriers.


    Those houses that seemed to resist the flow of mana were the ones that felt like they housed agents of the Moons or of the Dark, which was why Dia could sense them quite clearly.


    Farah folded her arms. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not a big issue here, at least. I don¡¯t think either side is willing to spark off a war yet, and we¡¯re going to bring them to neutral territory. As long as we don¡¯t do anything stupid, we¡¯ll get out of here quickly.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry over, then,¡± Risti replied.


    A few minutes later, Dia rapped on the barrier. This house was located a fair distance away from the centre of activity in Monsville, but there were actually quite a few people hanging around Claud¡¯s little house for some reason. Was it the light that the barriers gave off? Or were they people that belonged to the various nobles? Whatever the case, her actions and that of the others had drawn their attention, but Dia really couldn¡¯t be fussed about that.


    After a minute, a small gap appeared in the thick layers of barriers. ¡°Hurry in!¡±


    Dia and the others obeyed Nero¡¯s instructions immediately, and the four of them filed into the thick dome of light. The small opening vanished immediately afterwards, and Dia turned her head to look at Nero again.


    The Holy Son of the Black God stood in front of them, his face looking a bit brighter than what Dia remembered of it. ¡°It¡¯s been some time, guys.¡±


    ¡°Sure has been,¡± Risti replied.


    The door behind Nero opened, and Kemata walked out. Dia was a bit disappointed to see that the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny wasn¡¯t expecting, though. After all, considering that these two had been shacked up together for months, there should have been a lot of spicy developments¡­


    ¡°Meh.¡± Dia shook her head.


    ¡°What are you judging exactly?¡± Nero asked. ¡°Also, who¡¯s that little widdle kid on your back?¡±


    ¡°This is a new member of the Seekers of Life,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I picked her up during some nasty incident.¡±


    ¡°Nasty incident?¡± Nero asked. ¡°What happened? Why didn¡¯t you guys tell us?¡±


    ¡°Wellbeing?¡± Kemata added.


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± Dia replied. ¡°And it wasn¡¯t anything particularly serious either. Related to the Distortions and all. As for the kid, we wanted to surprise you two, see?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll accept that reason for now, I suppose,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Schwarz, what are you doing? Your eyes are moving all around the place, and it¡¯s a bit creepy.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Looks quite neat,¡± Schwarz noted. ¡°The ground shows no signs of being heavily hammered or pounded on. No weird smells either. Odd. I thought you two would be wilder.¡±


    ¡°¡­What the heck are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him,¡± Risti cut in. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s head inside for a while. There are some things we wanna do in Grandia, but it¡¯s also a good idea to catch up with you guys. I recall that you sent us some message about Claud and Lily, right?¡¯


    ¡°Right. We should really talk about this inside, then,¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°Follow,¡± Kemata added.


    The four of them entered the house.


    Despite their visit being an unannounced one, the two lovebirds had kept the place quite clean. Considering that the occupants were people who hadn¡¯t had any good reason to do much housekeeping, this was somewhat surprising to Dia, but she wasn¡¯t going to focus too much on it.


    ¡°Upsy daisy.¡± Dia settled the still-sleeping Beth on a cushion. ¡°Okay, judging from your faces, you two probably wanna poke her face, but give little Beth a break first.¡±


    ¡°Meh.¡± Nero rubbed his fingers. ¡°Oh well. So, this kid¡­¡±

 Chapter 637: Disinheritance of another kind

    ¡°Hmm. Dealing with Farah¡¯s parents for once and for all, huh?¡± Nero sipped at his tea. ¡°Well, that does sound fun.¡±


    ¡°Long period of stay here,¡± Kemata replied, looking around wistfully. ¡°Time to leave.¡±


    Dia wanted to tell the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny that it was fine if she spoke normally, like she did right before everyone else left back then, but clearly, she had reverted to her more formal ¡ª if stilted ¡ª manner of speaking due to the chronological gap. She would probably warm up to them over the next few days, however, so speaking up now was pointless.


    More importantly, Kemata was staring at the little kid snoozing on the cushion next to Dia. Her eyes were burning with an incredible focus, thereby proving that she could probably compete with Schwarz when it came to babying kids.


    ¡°She¡¯s cute, right?¡± Farah asked, her voice like that of a proud mother. ¡°She¡¯s our pride and joy!¡±


    Farah winked at Kemata. ¡°You two really need to work harder. More kids are better.¡±


    ¡°Stop teasing them,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Also, it¡¯s impressive how you haven¡¯t asked me for a drink yet, Nero. Did you manage to kick the habit or something?¡±


    ¡°No. I am preparing for the moment in which I savour all your drinks in a single night and knock myself out. I haven¡¯t succeeded in that for a very long time. However, now that I have purposely weakened my resistance to alcohol, I heartily believe that I can finally knock myself out with enough pure alcohol.¡±


    ¡°Good luck,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Seriously. If you actually manage to knock yourself out, the Black God would probably want to know how you did it. Speaking of which¡­you said something about Claud and Lily wanting to look for the Black God, right? Why aren¡¯t they back yet?¡±


    ¡°Cross-continental travel takes months, so it¡¯s natural,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Months¡­well, it¡¯s been quite a few months, though. How long is the trip exactly?¡± Dia pressed on.


    ¡°Beats me. I don¡¯t remember the details of me being dominated by¡ª¡±


    ¡°Half a season,¡± Kemata replied.


    ¡°¡­Hmm. Maybe they¡¯ll be back soon, then.¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°Anyway, are you guys coming with us to Grandia?¡±


    ¡°Heck yes,¡± Nero replied, before glancing at Kemata, who nodded. Dia observed the whole interaction in silence; it was interesting to see how the two of them were quite in sync. Was it some sort of telepathy trained over a season or two¡¯s worth of cohabitation, or something else?


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Farah rubbed her hands. ¡°Hmm. It¡¯ll be good to have you guys alone. If I can pressure my¡­parents to withdraw entirely, it¡¯ll be for the best. I suppose resorting to violence is a close second, though. But I should also be more thorough and process the disinheritance of my parents formally.¡±


    ¡°Usually, it¡¯s the other way around,¡± Dia quipped. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve heard of parents being disinherited.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s precedent,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Noble families who are irresponsible need a rein. To be honest, I¡¯m more surprised that these idiots allowed me to take over the entire county, rather than anything else. They sure didn¡¯t think it through when they tossed everything on me.¡±


    ¡°If you have everything, why would you need to go back to all this trouble?¡± Risti asked.


    Farah¡¯s face twisted slightly. ¡°Not too long ago, I received a letter from my parents, stating that they had¡­uh, seen the light and felt that it was inhumane for a child to run an entire county. You can probably see where the rest of this is going.¡±


    Kemata made a snort. ¡°Disgusting.¡±


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    ¡°Thanks for saying it like it is,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Hmm. Did you tell her about my circumstances, Nero?¡±


    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind,¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°Eh, it¡¯s cool.¡± Farah turned to Kemata. ¡°I¡¯m told that you¡¯re also a noble. I¡¯m quite interested in Saran culture, so maybe we can talk more about this in our free time.¡±


    ¡°Very honoured to.¡±


    Dia restrained the urge to pat Kemata¡¯s head. There was just something adorable about how she replied, along with her brown hair and her long ponytail. A certain scythe, which was hanging on the wall in isolation, also spun and twitched based on its owner¡¯s emotion, which simply added to the whole thing¡­


    Hmm. I¡¯m probably just bored¡­


    Dia turned to look at the scythe, which was moving around randomly as Kemata continued to look at little Beth, who was snoozing away on a cushion. The baby was sleeping while sitting upright somehow, and the way her plump cheek quivered every so often was just absolutely fantastic.


    She turned back to the ongoing conversation, which had returned to the various processes in which people from a noble family could be officially disinherited.


    ¡°¡­contested, though.¡±


    ¡°They can try,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Still, there is some risk. It¡¯s possible that the authorities will give them a second chance, and while I¡¯m also a person who believes in second chances, there¡¯s a major problem here.¡±


    ¡°Major problem?¡± Risti tilted her head.


    ¡°Well, you see, this letter coincided with the month in which the two people that I¡¯m forced to call my parents happened to default on their first loans. Thus, there is much motivation for me to believe that this desire to¡­return to the fold is largely generated by the desire to dump debts on me,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Furthermore, they might be looking to siphon money from my county to their personal pockets in the hopes of returning to a more luxurious lifestyle.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­well, we definitely can¡¯t let them succeed, then,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°A second chance for them may very well be fatal for people of your county, you know.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Which is why we¡¯re headed towards Grandia to put an end to them once and for all,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I¡¯ll need your help, guys. My parents are the shameless sort, but all schemes are powerless before absolute strength.¡±


    ¡°We do owe you for a pleasant trip and vacation,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I¡¯m more than happy to help!¡±


    ¡°You keep the Seekers of Life running,¡± Risti added. ¡°This is nothing to us. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Dia grinned. ¡°And it¡¯ll be nice to visit the Grandis capital too. It¡¯s a place that people rarely go to, unless they have reason to be there.¡±


    ¡°Rarely?¡± Kemata blinked, and the scythe hanging on the wall did a flip. ¡°Why? Capitals are popular.¡±


    ¡°This one isn¡¯t,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Like¡­you¡¯ll have to have a certain taste for the capital¡¯s aesthetics to fit you at all. Trust me.¡±


    Dia shivered once. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s¡­not what the normal capitals look like.¡±


    The fact that the others would have to see what it looked like once they got there was quite exciting, though. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t have any skills that could preserve the looks on their faces, but there was still some time to stock up on skillstrips if push came to shove¡­


    Well, she wasn¡¯t that evil, so it was fine.


    Dia poked Beth¡¯s cheeks as the others chattered on about what the Grandis capital looked like, and then wondered if the toddler was dreaming about her previous life. At any rate, though, Dia hoped that she would also take to Kemata and Nero with ease and accept them as part of her family. The only problem was that Kemata usually had this intimidating first impression of her, undoubtedly helped by that scythe that stood in for her emotions.


    She looked at the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny once, and then yawned. They had left rather early, but from the way things were going, everyone was probably going to crash here for the night.


    After all, Nero did say that he wanted to faint from drinking Schwarz¡¯s stuff. Who was Dia to stop such an entertaining event? Besides, the bartender himself probably was quite eager to stuff Nero full of his best booze too, and it also helped that little Beth did stay up late last night.


    There was something to be said about tossing and turning after being told that they would be travelling to another continent.


    ¡°Alright, I suppose I should whip up some lunch,¡± Schwarz announced. ¡°You guys carry on. I¡¯ll make some of my best dishes for this nice reunion.¡±


    ¡°Nice.¡±


    ¡°Excellent.¡±


    As the others carried on with their own imitation of Kemata¡¯s speaking style, Dia turned to the sleeping baby and popped the little furball on her lap. Beth, who was still fast asleep, promptly curled up and laid her small head on her thigh.


    ¡°Cute, isn¡¯t she?¡± Farah remarked.


    Nero nodded. ¡°But I think she¡¯ll be scared if I carry her right now, yes? She needs to get used to the two of us first.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Well, don¡¯t look so sad. She¡¯s probably going to wake up soon.¡± Farah yawned. ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll be staying here for the night, right?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t sleep well?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°Not at all. We had to get pass the checkpoint, remember?¡± Farah shook her head. ¡°And there are people staring at you two outside. They probably don¡¯t have good intentions¡­¡±


    ¡°Same old, then.¡±

 Chapter 638: A moment of mental instability

    ¡°Gibbous Moon.¡± Dia rubbed her eyes as she got up from the sofa. Moonset was fast approaching, and other than the scene of momentary calm around her and a little sleeping baby, the rest of the living room looked like the aftermath of a stormy evening.


    Beth flipped over as she murmured those words, and then snuggled up to her tummy again. Dia observed the little toddler again, and then flipped her back into a more comfortable spot, before getting off the sofa. Beth¡¯s sleeping mind promptly registered the presence of more space, and the little toddler stretched out.


    The kid was getting more and more comfortable with being on her own now, but that was definitely not an excuse to neglect her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll still be here,¡± Dia whispered to Beth, before looking out at the white moon. With moonset not too far off, the sky had lightened drastically, creating a rare and picturesque sky that she usually didn¡¯t admire.


    Her mind drifted off into thought shortly afterwards.


    One of her largest concerns was the sense of impending doom that she had felt for the past season or so. Despite taking out that super-large Distortion, the ominous premonitions that were so vague had never ceased to bombard her subconscious, and the anxiety that ruled her continued to roil on unabetted.


    ¡°Status.¡±


    Name: Dia Lyceria de Lustre


    Lifespan: 162 years


    Active Skills: Sword Dance (8), Sword Sense (8), Sword Roar (6), Fated Sword (3), Sword Fall (3), Perfect Domain of Swords (2)


    Passive Skills: Heightened Senses, Fighter¡¯s Intuition, Foreseer¡¯s Eye, Introspection, Projectile Evasion, Salvation Star (Prime), Lifeforce Manipulation.


    Mana Circuit Superimposition: 6.77


    Mana Control Proficiency: Expert


    Authority: 6


    Comments: The Star of Salvation illuminates the path ahead, but the shadow of the Omen is never too far off. Tarry not in your improvement and strive to save all life.


    Dia let out a small sigh as she looked at the pittance in her lifespan. There wasn¡¯t much to it right now, since most of it had been used up in her mad rush to complete her seventh mana circuit in the past season. She hadn¡¯t spent much time in replenishing her stores of lifeforce either, since she was still suffering from a certain trauma. In addition, she hadn¡¯t really expected that her lifespan would be depleted this quickly, but¡­well, she had forgotten why living forever was hard.


    The rate in which one¡¯s lifeforce drained was incredible, after all. Even the extra lifeforce she had gained from her Second Tutorial, which was marked in a pair of brackets, had been drained out completely, but the results were incredible. She, along with the other Seekers of Life, now stood at the top echelons of combat power in the entire world.


    Perhaps, only the familiar spirits of the gods and the Chromatic Lords could stop them if they really went mad or something. It was not the most comforting thought, and the thing that made her current state of mind worse was the dread she felt despite her current strength.


    In other words, her subconscious believed that the danger she and the others faced right now could not be overcome with six mana circuits, despite having minimally 441 times more mana in absolute terms compared to a one-folder.


    She looked at her trembling hands, and then covered her face, which had contorted with a terrible expression. Dia didn¡¯t want anyone to see her face right now, a face twisted with fear, anxiety and a tinge of madness.


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    There was this impulse within her, an impulse to just let out a scream and destroy everything around her. It was an impulse born from the whirling currents of so many negative feelings that Dia didn¡¯t want to even come into contact with it, but it still manifested in its own terms anyway.


    With a swift movement, Dia left the house and entered the garden. The barrier was transparent from the inside, allowing anyone to look out of it, but not the other way around.


    ¡°Damn it. What¡¯s wrong with me?¡± Dia hissed to herself. Mana leaked out of her skin at the same time, lapping away at the air around her. ¡°Ugh.¡±


    She stomped around the garden path a few times, gritted her teeth and then forced herself to sit down. It wasn¡¯t as if she hadn¡¯t had the jitters before, but this insane mix of emotions that was rising from her subconscious terror and fear was making it hard to behave like a normal person at all.


    It was as if she was undergoing Distortion or something.


    Biting her teeth, Dia fought down the terror in her chest and attempted to silence the mad thoughts that were popping up from nowhere. Mana shimmered around her as she hammered away at those intrusive thoughts that were just so damned persistent.


    The sky continued to lighten as Dia squashed the remaining thoughts into non-existence, and as the first rays of the sun broke through the horizon, the maelstrom of mad emotions died away¡­temporarily.


    She let out a sigh. Dia could appreciate how her father probably felt now. When she was younger, Dia had seen her father on a few occasions when he clearly wasn¡¯t all that right either. Most of these occasions happened in busy times, like New Moon¡¯s Eve, or when the Emperor made a surprise visit, and back then, Dia hadn¡¯t had the experience to know what her father was going through.


    Now, however¡­


    Drawing a deep breath, Dia got back up. That panic attack or whatever had taken the winds out of her, and for a moment, Dia wondered if being dead drunk at night would stop her from thinking all these unwanted thoughts.


    However, there was a baby to take care of, and a bunch of idiots to oversee. If everyone was drunk, things would be bad¡­


    ¡°They really need to restrain themselves next time,¡± Dia muttered, before wiping her forehead. Surprisingly enough, she didn¡¯t sweat at all, although her skin felt quite cold to the touch. While this was definitely a mental struggle, her efforts in overcoming this mental crisis should have been significant enough to make her sweat or something.


    She pondered over the oddity for a while, and then shook her head, which felt a bit clear now.


    ¡°Time to get back, I reckon,¡± Dia mumbled, before rising to her feet. She gazed at the rising sun and the setting moon, and then turned to the house. No one stirred as she snuck towards the sofa, which was now flagrantly occupied by a snoozing Beth.


    Beth made some funny noises as she settled down on the sofa, and Dia patted her head. ¡°Dada¡¯s back.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­¡±


    Dia chuckled to herself, and then observed the aftermath of yesterday¡¯s mad drinking party. With the first rays of dawn sneaking into the house ¡ª and the light from the various barriers ¡ª she could see everyone in very embarrassing positions. Kemata was straddled on Nero¡¯s sleeping form in a show that was definitely not meant for children to see, while Farah and Schwarz were holding hands for some reason.


    Whether that latter bit was a sign or not was a good question, but it was possible that this little act would spark some romance¡­


    Risti was hugging a bottle to sleep. All things considered, she was probably the most normal of them all, which Dia found a bit surprising. At any rate, however, all of them was still asleep, but Dia couldn¡¯t bring herself to close her eyes right now.


    She had just overcome a bunch of nasty and scary thoughts, but who was to say that they weren¡¯t lurking in the darkness behind her eyelids?


    ¡­It probably wasn¡¯t possible to go mad in a dream, though.


    Stilling her thoughts, Dia decided to just stay awake and consciously control her body to relax instead. It would suffice to relax her body like this, and as a hexa-folder¡­did she really need to sleep?


    Probably not.


    She continued to discipline her breathing as the sun climbed up the skies. Beth, who was just sleeping and not drunk, was the second to stir, and Dia caught her as she began to whimper.


    It would have been better if Beth opened her eyes first before crying, but Dia couldn¡¯t exactly tell her that either.


    ¡°There, there. Dada is here, so don¡¯t be scared.¡± Dia picked up the toddler.


    ¡°Da¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shh.¡± Dia pointed at the others. ¡°They¡¯re all sleeping.¡±


    Or drunk, to be more accurate, but Dia didn¡¯t want to draw her attention to them, especially to Nero and Kemata, who were in decidedly inappropriate postures. Picking up the little kid, Dia retreated to an unused bedroom, where she began to help Beth wash up.


    She didn¡¯t want to be there when the others finally awakened from their alcohol-induced slumber¡­although she couldn¡¯t help but think that they would definitely have some choice words for each other.


    More importantly, though, was the fact that they were leaving today. The trip to Grandia for hexa-folders wouldn¡¯t all that long, though. Dia, personally, hoped that they would arrive at the capital before nightfall; bringing a baby to camp outdoors was not a good idea in her own estimation¡­

 Chapter 639: The cubical, capital city

    Beth looked around the capital city of the Grandis Empire confusedly as Dia rubbed her legs, before making little baby noises.


    ¡°Speak properly,¡± Dia replied, before carrying her up anyway. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Scared? Don¡¯t be. This is the capital of Grandis, even if it doesn¡¯t look like a city at all.¡±


    She looked at the solid metal cube that blotted out a good portion of the sky. ¡°Yeah. It sure doesn¡¯t look like one, right?¡±


    Beth nodded. ¡°Fast!¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. We were moving very fast too.¡± Dia looked at the others, who were arranging their clothes for some reason, and then sat down. For a normal person to just sit down on the ground with a baby in their arms was no mean feat, but Dia wasn¡¯t a normal person at this point of time.


    ¡°Buh.¡±


    ¡°You can definitely speak properly, though,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Hungry, little one?¡±


    ¡°Hungry!¡±


    Dia turned to the others. ¡°Well, you heard her highness. Better get to work. Stop lazing around here, you guys. I know the cube¡¯s scary, but it¡¯s really not all that scary.¡±


    ¡°W-who¡¯s scared, huh?¡± Nero fluffed himself up. ¡°I¡¯m just straightening my clothes, that¡¯s all!¡±


    Rolling her eyes, she turned to look at Kemata, who was staring at the cube in a manner reminiscent of Beth studying the many, many artefacts sitting around in Moon Mansion. Nodding in approval, she glanced at the others. Risti seemed bored, an impression that heavily contrasted with Farah¡¯s own excitement.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Schwarz asked, having caught her glancing around.


    ¡°Just checking if you guys are ready to enter this weird city,¡± Dia replied, running the layout of the three-dimensional city in her mind. Grandia, the legendary capital of the Grandis Empire, was a place that reflected both the selfishness and creativity of Emperor Grandis. Unlike conventional cities, Grandia was divided into twenty-seven segments.


    Each segment was a cube in its own right, a grand city that was packed with buildings and everything, and each segment was arranged in such a way that they formed a three-by-three-by-three cube in total.


    ¡°It¡¯s really huge, though,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°Way larger than anything I¡¯ve seen.¡±


    ¡°What does the Nihal capital look like?¡± Kemata asked.


    ¡°Kabir? It¡¯s a very large county city, I suppose.¡± Nero paused. ¡°The main aspect that seems to be unique is the presence of Spires and their Spire Lords. They¡¯re war machines and supreme defences that the various senators of the Senate reside in.¡±


    ¡°Spires, huh.¡±


    ¡°Tall buildings that seem to touch the sky,¡± Nero added. ¡°Every Senator has one. The one that the incumbent First Lord or First Lady uses is extra-grand¡­although it should be vacated right now.¡±


    ¡°Vacated?¡± Schwarz tilted his head. ¡°Why?¡±


    Beth clapped her hands. ¡°Why?¡±


    Nero walked over to Beth and squatted down in front of her, before rubbing her cheeks. ¡°Well, it¡¯s election season for the senators.¡±


    ¡°Ewection season?¡±


    Dia felt some pride churn in her chest as the little one picked up a set of new words, and then patted her head. ¡°How smart!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Nero thought for a moment. ¡°Election season is when everyone gets a new leader¡­never mind. I see you¡¯re already lost. But good question.¡±


    Beth turned back to Dia, her bright eyes asking for pats, and Dia promptly coddled the little baby. At any rate, however, it was clear that the Nihal Senate was probably not really efficient right now, since the governing bodies were undergoing a reshuffle, but what did that have to do with Dia? Their main goal was to enter the legendary capital right now and nothing else.


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    ¡°Let¡¯s move on,¡± Risti suggested. ¡°The long queue at the entrance isn¡¯t going to grow any shorter anyway.¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    Without any more preamble, Dia followed the others and joined the queue. The people queuing to enter Grandia were quite unique, though; there was a group of quintuples¡­or extreme fans of the same person, as an illustration. There were other interesting people too, like a group of travelling bards that were strumming their lyres in silence.


    ¡°Quite the unique lot, eh?¡± Schwarz muttered.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I wonder if there¡¯s any other normal people here.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Risti surveyed the queue. ¡°Hmm. Last time I entered this place, the queue ahead was full of normal people that looked like they were doing commerce here. But the whole thing right now looks like a performance troupe or something.¡±


    ¡°Maybe there¡¯s some performing arts events going on in the capital right now,¡± Dia suggested.


    ¡°Maybe. It¡¯s close to Full Moon, after all.¡±


    ¡°Maybe some version of the harvest festival?¡± Farah guessed.


    ¡°We¡¯ll find out,¡± Kemata replied.


    Dia took stock of the fact that the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny had returned to a more natural style of speaking, and then wondered, for the briefest of moments, if she had gotten more comfortable with the Seekers of Life due to a bout of drunken communication. It seemed like that was the case, but if she didn¡¯t see wrongly, Kemata and Nero had been intertwined in a manner that probably wasn¡¯t suitable for Beth¡¯s eyes, so¡­


    She would have to doubt that bit.


    Dia, however, couldn¡¯t quite remember what exactly happened last night. She had fallen asleep early, presumably after drinking a bottle of Schwarz¡¯s booze, and that was it.


    It was a shame she couldn¡¯t remember anything¡­


    While she pondered on whether she had actually drunk something or not, the others continued to examine the area around the Grandis capital.


    ¡°Odd. There¡¯s no farmland or anything,¡± Farah muttered. ¡°But I can¡¯t spot goods either. For a city of this size, there should be tons of food being carted here every minute, right?¡±


    ¡°But there isn¡¯t?¡± Risti replied, a grin on her face. ¡°Can you guess why?¡±


    ¡°Can I guess why, you ask¡­¡± Farah made a face. ¡°Maybe there¡¯s a gigantic farm inside or something? But that¡¯s somewhat impossible. Plants need sunlight to grow. And as for raising animals in a enclosed space¡­well, the smell¡¯s definitely the first thing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s well-ventilated inside,¡± Risti replied.


    Dia nodded. ¡°No weird smell, as far as I can remember.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s mostly due to ventilation, though,¡± Risti replied. ¡°The middle segment of every face is a gigantic ventilator that draws away stale air and gathers fresh air. It¡¯s also where husbandry and sanitation take place.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Schwarz bobbed his head. ¡°It¡¯s like a self-sufficient fortress.¡±


    ¡°Legend has it that this cube can also fly, so it¡¯s more of a mobile fortress,¡± Risti added. ¡°It¡¯s incredible, no matter how you look at it. According to rumour, Grandia was made with some impossible technology from the Celestia Ruins.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that does explain a lot, then.¡±


    Everyone chattered away as the queue dwindled rapidly ¡ª the people handling entry into Grandia were very good at their jobs, clearly ¡ª and Dia took the chance to let Beth get cosy with the new members of their team. Nero and Kemata were quite taken by the sheer cuteness of little Beth, and the two of them took turns to feed her with a bunch of desserts that they had on hand.


    Why they had desserts at the ready was anyone¡¯s guess, though.


    ¡°Don¡¯t overfeed Beth, or she won¡¯t be eating dinner tonight,¡± Dia cut in, right as Nero pulled out a butterscotch pie.


    Beth made googly eyes at Dia.


    ¡°Yeah, no.¡± Dia squished her cheeks. ¡°If you keep eating, your cheeks will become too big! I won¡¯t be able to squish them much, then.¡±


    ¡°Rweally?¡±


    ¡°Really, really.¡± Dia squashed her face gently, and then said, ¡°And you¡¯ll be too full to eat dinner. Dinner is good, right?¡±


    The little toddler had a conflicted expression on her face, and what was presumably a grand battle in the centre of her mind unfolded. Dia watched on, entertained by the myriad of expressions she displayed, and then nodded as the war died down.


    Beth turned away from the little treat with resolution and solemnity.


    Reason had won.


    ¡°¡­Well done!¡± Dia rubbed her cheeks. ¡°As expected of my little kid.¡±


    ¡°Is Dada happy?¡±


    ¡°Dada?¡± Nero raised an eyebrow. ¡°Uh. You became a man?¡±


    ¡°No. Did not.¡± Dia paused. ¡°But who the heck cares, as long as I take good care of her?¡±


    ¡°Point.¡± Nero glanced at Kemata once, and the two of them stowed away the desserts that had been tempting the little toddler. Beth fluffed herself up proudly, and then made another set of googly eyes at Dia.


    ¡°Yeah, I get it. Here, here.¡± Dia smiled. ¡°And whaddya know? It¡¯s time for us to talk to the people at the gates. Upsy-daisy.¡±


    Beth gurgled merrily as the Seekers of Life stood at the booth, where three alert clerks were staring at them. Each of them gave off the presence of a low-ranked folder, and it took everything Dia had to not intimidate them reflexively.


    ¡°Purpose?¡± the clerk in the middle asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m Countess Farah,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Here are the relevant documents.¡±


    The clerk nodded, looked through the bundle of papers carefully, and then nodded. ¡°Alright. Carry on.¡±


    ¡­That was a lot easier than Dia had expected, if she had to be frank.

 Chapter 640: The chilling city

    Dia shivered once as they stepped across a weird film of light and into a cold world.


    ¡°What is this place?¡± Farah whispered. ¡°It¡¯s so cold. Is this really a city? Really? Why would Emperor Grandis design a cold city?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not fatally cold, though,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Just cold enough that wearing clothes will make you feel more comfortable. It''s a nice enough temperature once you get used to it.¡±


    ¡°Well, you got used to it real fast, then,¡± Farah mumbled.


    Beth let out a little sneeze.


    ¡°Oh dear,¡± Dia muttered, before plopping down her backpack. Pulling out some spare clothes, she draped them piece by piece onto Beth, whose sniffly little demeanour brightened with every piece she placed on her body. Before long, the baby had stopped shivering, and surprisingly enough, with every piece that Dia added, her face grew happier and happier.


    ¡°¡­Best not to have you wear too much, though,¡± Dia muttered, before looking at the little furball. ¡°Let¡¯s have you walk for a while, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Beth grabbed her hand as Dia stood up, and then looked around curiously.


    ¡°How¡¯s Beth?¡± Kemata asked, her shining eyes on the wrapped toddler.


    ¡°Adorable and warm,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Do you want to hold her hand?¡±


    ¡°Can I?¡± Kemata asked.


    ¡°Go on,¡± Dia replied. At those words, Kemata promptly pulled Nero over, and the two of them took the little toddler¡¯s hands and guarded her like a pair of mother hens. Dia observed for a few seconds, and then nodded.


    Their little group headed deeper into the city. Dia couldn¡¯t remember all that much about Grandia, but it didn¡¯t really matter, because Risti actually did.


    ¡°We¡¯re in Segment 2 now. If we press on straight and then go up, we¡¯ll end up in Segment 14, which is the Grandis Palace.¡± Risti looked at Farah. ¡°You made an appointment, right? Where do we need to head to?¡±


    ¡°The palace, yes,¡± Farah replied. ¡°To be more specific, the Grandis Court of Noble Law. I¡¯ll complete the banishment there and then. After that, the two people I¡¯m forced to call my parents for now will show up there and contest my claim, at which point I bring out all my evidence.¡±


    Risti nodded. ¡°Do you care for your parents at all?¡±


    ¡°Uh. What do you mean by that?¡±


    Risti paused for a moment, and then bobbed her head. ¡°My apologies. That sounded like I was questioning you. Allow me to rephrase. Do you care whether your parents die or not?¡±


    ¡°Uh. They¡¯re pretty much strangers to me,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I do wish they actually did carry out their parenting, though.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Okay.¡± Risti paused. ¡°You might be a bit sad if they end up dead from a mysterious accident, so I shall refrain from that. Nonetheless, go ahead and press your case. We¡¯ll make sure that these two colonies of scummy squirming insects won¡¯t get close to you at all.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°Irresponsible fellows.¡±


    ¡°At least they left me a workable staff,¡± Farah replied. ¡°And I don¡¯t think they¡¯re evil or bad. Just utterly and thoroughly irresponsible.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Risti nodded. ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ll have your backs.¡± Schwarz flashed a set of thumbs-up at her. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m famished. Why aren¡¯t there any street stalls? What kind of city doesn¡¯t have street stalls?¡±


    ¡°The kind that is a mobile fortress,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Let¡¯s go find an inn¡­sorry, they call ¡®em hotels here, and then get some grub.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


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    Dia gazed at the weird buildings as they walked on and on. Tall buildings that touched the ceiling above and seamlessly connected into it were placed in regular, neat intervals. These buildings were residential ones, although there were others that were commercial in nature.


    It was easier to spot the commercial buildings; these buildings were the ones that had decorations and advertisements in¡­some sort of weird artificial light that looked right at home in the Celestia Ruins. In fact, the more Dia observed, the more commonalities she found between the Celestia Ruins and Grandia. She hadn¡¯t noticed them back then, since her memories of this place was blurry and the Celestia Ruins were highly dangerous, but now¡­


    ¡°Phew.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Just wondering about the similarities between this place and the Celestia Ruins. It feels like the Emperor carved out part of the ruins or something.¡±


    ¡°Well, we could also do that, probably.¡± Risti paused. ¡°No, I¡¯m just kidding. Don¡¯t look at me like I¡¯m insane. I think the Emperor sent a bunch of professionals to check out the more built-up areas in the ruins and then got them to replicate it here.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Either that, or he picked up a super treasure from the ruins,¡± Risti added. ¡°My pops said that the Emperor might have picked up an entire expandable city from his exploration of the Celestia Ruins.¡±


    ¡°Serious?¡± Dia gulped. ¡°Damn. I want one too!¡±


    ¡°You and everyone else, maybe.¡± Risti chuckled. ¡°Well, if we keep looking and scouring the ruins, we might eventually get our hands on one of these babies, see?¡±


    ¡°Totally can see it,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Totally.¡±


    ¡°¡­Meh. You¡¯re no fun.¡± Risti looked around. ¡°Alright, I think we spotted our target. Follow me! There¡¯s a hotel that I remember staying in. Good service, good food!¡±


    Everyone hurried along after her, and Nero took the chance to carry the little baby. Kemata and Nero were a bit inexperienced, but between the two of them, they soon worked out how to carry a toddler.


    ¡°Probably good practice for the future, right?¡± Dia muttered, before thinking about her father. With so much love ¡ª and pressure to get married ¡ª surrounding her and Farah, Dia had to give proper thought towards the notion of finding a partner¡­but what kind of partner would satisfy her? She knew the stories ¡ª tragic stories where a vanilla and a tri-folder were matchmade, only for the marriage to fall apart due to differences.


    Of course, her main complaint was that the vanilla fellow should have been stuffed full of lifestones whether she liked it or not, so it wasn¡¯t that realistic. However, other than lifespan differences, strength was also a great deal too. A tri-folder and a hexa-folder probably wouldn¡¯t enjoy their time in bed together, from what Dia could glean from hushed talks.


    Most importantly was their outlook to life. Dia couldn¡¯t quite tell what her own outlook to life was, though, which made it a lot harder. What did she want from her own life?


    It was a question that she hadn¡¯t had the chance to contemplate yet. It was nice that she hadn¡¯t seen the need to either, but Dia knew that she would eventually hit a wall of sorts some fine day.


    Now, though, wasn¡¯t that day.


    The Seekers of Life hurried into a luxuriously decorated building. It was grand, but not ostentatious; the walls were finished with a perfection, but not full of overly grand structures, pictures and other little decorations. The floor was a smooth metal wood that was devoid of dust and had minimal coverings.


    The grand double doors had thin and elegant gold filigrees on them. Nothing too obvious; one had to examine them closely to see them.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± Dia pronounced. ¡°The owner is probably a high noble who knows his or her decorations well.¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°The little things, really,¡± Dia replied.


    Kemata nodded. ¡°It¡¯s quite muted, though. These decorations. Saran is a bit more obvious. Money and power must be apparent at first glance.¡±


    ¡°Is that some kind of cultural precept?¡± Dia asked, curious.


    ¡°Prevent unnecessary conflicts,¡± Kemata added. ¡°No one expects the weak to have a keen eye, so the strong must be obvious.¡±


    ¡°I think Claud would disagree with that,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°But it is the Supremacy, after all. Different culture, different notions¡­¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Kemata replied.


    The six of them plus Beth, who was busy holding onto Kemata and checking out her clothes, entered the hotel proper. The staff that were standing around burst into motion immediately, forming two lines that led up to the counter. They didn¡¯t waste any time checking for obvious signs of paucity; it was clear that the people here had been trained to treat every guest equally.


    Dia eyed the clerks and other staff as their little group headed towards the counter. There was something to be said about their discipline and uniformity; the owner clearly put a lot of emphasis into ensuring that his or her staff were all the epitome of neatness.


    ¡°Here are the prices for the various rooms,¡± the clerk at the counter said. ¡°How long will you be staying?¡±


    Farah glanced at the prices once, and then paused. In that pause, however, Risti cut in and said, ¡°We¡¯ll have a suite. For a month. Do you take payment by lifestones?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes.¡± The man at the counter paused. ¡°These are the prevailing exchange rates.¡±


    Risti took out two lifestones. ¡°For our stay and our meals. I believe it¡¯s freeflow, yes?¡¯


    ¡°Freeflow, yes.¡± The man nodded. ¡°This is the key. These cards are to access the buffet area.¡±


    Risti passed around a bunch of cards. ¡°Okay. Thank you. There¡¯s no need to send someone to accompany us.¡±


    The man froze. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Risti beckoned at Dia and the others. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

 (TOT) Chapter 641: The small struggle, and the far larger one

    Farah stared at the very innocent potato stick in her hands, a torn expression on her face. It was safe to say that the little thing was decidedly innocent of whatever crime that Farah¡¯s gaze was indicting it for, but it also didn¡¯t help that Beth was staring at it with a gaze that screamed out her desire to munch on it¡­


    Either way, that potato stick was done for.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Nero asked, looking at Farah. ¡°You¡¯re giving off this intimidating air.¡±


    ¡°Just nervous, that¡¯s all.¡± Farah paused. ¡°Those¡­parents of mine. Haven¡¯t seen them in two decades. I wonder what they look like.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go getting soft-hearted now,¡± Nero replied. ¡°While it¡¯s alright for normal families to try reaching out to each other, you no longer have their luxury. You are the ruler of a domain, and if that domain happens to fall into the hands of people with problematic past records, that¡¯s it. Like it or not, you cannot afford to take that risk.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Kemata added. ¡°And even if they¡¯re sincere, now that they¡¯ve had a very long taste of what it¡¯s like to squander vast wealth¡­¡±


    The Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny didn¡¯t continue her sentence, but Dia obviously knew what the rest of her sentence was going to say.


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Farah paused. ¡°Oh. It seems that you guys thought I was going to be soft-hearted. Right? No, you guys got it wrong. I¡¯m wondering if I should deck them on their faces twice. I need to know their faces first, though. If I deck the wrong fellows by accident, that would be a shame.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with you guys?¡± Risti asked. ¡°I mean, you surely couldn¡¯t believe that Farah would be soft-hearted, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! She¡¯s a cold person to many, many others!¡± Schwarz added.


    ¡°Oi. Just what the heck do you two think I am?¡± Farah asked, turning to the duo who had just piped up with a bunch of insults. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I¡¯m a good and kind person, alright? What kind of monster do you think I am?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Schwarz paused. ¡°Well. I¡¯d prefer not to say.¡±


    ¡°You ass.¡±


    Beth clapped her hands happily, and then made gurgling sounds as she reached out to the treat in Farah¡¯s hands. Farah promptly condemned the poor potato stick to a crunchy death, and then got up. ¡°Anyway, this place is really quite luxurious, but the views suck. For a place this tall, there¡¯s nothing to look at.¡±


    ¡°Wait until the lights are turned on,¡± Risti replied. ¡°You can¡¯t see anything great now, but wait for nightfall.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no nightfall in this weird place,¡± Farah replied. ¡°It¡¯s all moderately lit up. I can¡¯t really see anything special.¡±


    Dia joined Farah at the windows. Indeed, the entire place was lit up by the same monotonous white light. The white light itself seemed to come from the ceiling somehow, and illuminated the whole place without bringing in the oppressive heat of the sun.


    ¡°Hmm. It does look a little boring. And how does one know when it¡¯s night outside anyway?¡±


    ¡°Just wait for it,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Anyhow, do you guys have other things to do here, save for Farah and her parents? I think I¡¯m going to pay my old man a visit. He should be chilling here¡­or in Vacuos. Not sure where he is right now. What plans do you guys have?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to scour the city for some nice recipes,¡± Schwarz replied.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Nero glanced at Kemata, who made a funny gesture that contradicted her usual image, and then said, ¡°We¡¯ll go around town looking for more places to eat. We¡¯ve been cooped up at home for a few seasons. There¡¯s only so much homecooked stuff can do.¡±


    ¡°Hungry.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you two...go get a room.¡± Dia paused. ¡°That, or go get some food at the buffet first. You guys have a card too, right? Go and get some food downstairs, then.¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose we can indeed do that.¡± Nero got up. ¡°We¡¯ll go get some grub first, then.¡±


    Beth tottered up to them, and then pointed to her mouth. ¡°Hungry!¡±


    ¡°Mind if we bring her along?¡± Nero asked, glancing at Dia.


    ¡°Sure. Just don¡¯t let her eat too much,¡± Dia replied. ¡°But I thought you guys were going for a date or something. Is it really a good idea to bring Beth along?¡±


    Beth made a shocked face, and then looked up at Nero, who laughed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly,¡± Nero replied. ¡°And Beth is sensible. You won¡¯t disturb us on a date, right?¡±


    ¡°Ya!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not scared of her disturbing you guys, I¡¯m scared of you guys forgetting about her,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that.¡± Farah got up. ¡°I¡¯ll go get some grub too. I¡¯ll take care of the little kid while I¡¯m at it.¡±


    ¡°Let me join you on that as well,¡± Schwarz added. ¡°A buffet from an acclaimed hotel in the Grandis capital has to have something special. I¡¯m going to sieve out that something special. Who knows? Beth might help me in that.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Dia patted the kid¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯m going to mediate for a while, then. It¡¯ll be nice if I get a nap too or something. What about you, Risti?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Risti thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here too. I have things to take care of. After that, I¡¯ll go find my dad.¡±


    With everyone¡¯s plans all laid out nicely, the Seekers of Life dispersed, and Dia retreated to her own room. She wasn¡¯t all that hungry right now, but more importantly, she also needed some time to herself.


    ¡°This bed is really squishy,¡± Dia muttered, before using the Refresher on herself again. ¡°Like, really squishy.¡±


    Rolling around on the squishy mattress, Dia thought about the sense of impending doom that still hounded her constantly, and then closed her eyes. What did she need to do now? She wanted to push for her seventh mana circuit, but Claud¡¯s fate was getting to her. Without knowledge of what it felt like to fail, Dia didn¡¯t dare to approach the notion of stepping into the ranks of a high-ranked folder.


    What was the Third Tutorial like? If Claud, the most prepared and paranoid person she knew, had failed, what could everyone else hope to achieve?


    The more she thought, the more fear she felt.


    Dia covered her face, which had twisted with emotions that she didn¡¯t dare to give voice to, and then lay down flat on the mattress. Was she truly qualified to fight in the arena of the divinities, in the hopes of stopping the Omen? Could she really protect this world against that monster?


    The answer was clear.


    ¡°But I have to try, right?¡± Dia muttered, thinking about the things that were at stake. The Fourth Godsfall was a game between her and the Omen, and the prize was the entire world.


    Or the Cosmic Egg.


    Or whatever the hell was going on with the whole thing. The gods were looking for the Omen, the Moons were looking for the Omen, and the Dark was also looking for the perp. The war she had been expecting hadn¡¯t broken out just yet, as the divinities scoured fate and destiny for the Thief of Time.


    ¡°The Cosmic Egg¡­¡± Dia sat up on the bed and rubbed her eyes. ¡°Am I supposed to protect that thing or what?¡±


    However, according to the others, the Cosmic Egg was still in the place where the Trial of Aeons had taken place, gestating as it continued to hatch a new world. Unless she had a way to reach the Trial of Aeons, there was no way she could do something about it.


    ¡°Still confused, though.¡± Dia rolled around for a few more seconds, and then got up from the bed. ¡°Maybe Risti will know something.¡±


    Leaving her room and a messy bed, she went to the suite¡¯s living room, where Risti was busy mediating. Blue and green light danced in a sublime harmony as lifestones winked out one after another, lifestones that had been extracted from prana jades mined some time ago.


    Dia stilled her complaining mind and turned to the small treats that were placed around the suite. The potato sticks numbered in the hundreds, and Dia saw no reason to not help herself to them, especially since Farah was hogging them earlier.


    Dia was in the middle of munching the forty-second potato stick when the light around Risti faded away.


    ¡°Done?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m pushing for my seventh mana circuit, but I need to space it out,¡± Risti replied. ¡°If something breaks, I¡¯m going to cry.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not scared, even after learning what happened to Claud?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go down his path too, but the weak do what they must. Even if death awaits them. That¡¯s our fate. In this chaotic world, we cannot stand still. It¡¯s rare that we get a period of peace¡­what if the divinities go mad tomorrow? We¡¯ll never be able to form our seventh mana circuit in peace.¡±


    ¡°¡­True.¡± Dia made a face. ¡°But surely that won¡¯t happen, right?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡±

 (TOT) Chapter 642: A new, different kind of war

    The divinities did go mad the next day.


    ¡°¡­War?¡± Dia looked at the thick pile of reports that had been hand delivered to Risti for some reason.


    ¡°And humanity¡¯s not allowed to stay neutral this time,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Surrender or be destroyed. I don¡¯t know what happened, and I don¡¯t know why they started up all these conflicts again, but I do have a few guesses.¡±


    ¡°As do I,¡± Nero replied solemnly. ¡°A war for supremacy that includes even the Coloured Gods¡­I don¡¯t know what the Dark and the Moons are thinking, though. On what basis are they pressuring the Coloured Gods to fight? Sure, they probably ran out the clock looking for Tot, but¡­the Coloured Gods? Really?¡±


    ¡°Hold up.¡± Schwarz, who had Beth sitting on his knee, raised his hand. ¡°What do you mean, ran out the clock?¡±


    ¡°They ran out of time,¡± Nero replied. ¡°To erase the Omen¡¯s imprint on the Cosmic Egg. Therefore, the next best thing to do here is to defeat the remaining divinities, absorb their power and then face off against the Omen when the time comes for the Cosmic Egg to hatch.¡±


    Dia looked outside, where the white lights were still shining. Last night, these white lights had turned into a kaleidoscope of colours, but now that it was ostensibly daytime¡­


    She shook her head. ¡°So, what role do we humans play in this?¡±


    ¡°Cannon fodder for depleting the armies of the opponent,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Point is, this is steadily devolving into a battle royale. What would the Coloured Gods do? Would they band together and engage in a battle to the death with the Dark and the Moons? Or would they split apart?¡±


    He paused. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see what¡¯s going to happen next, at least. Emperor Grandis and the other two sovereigns should be pulling out the stops too. This city would probably mobilise and enter a state of all-out war.¡±


    Dia rubbed her head. The sense of doom that she had felt the whole time had weakened partially, but that was it. The Distortion phenomenon, the ongoing war¡­did her subconscious or her Salvation Star skill still think that there was another grave threat lurking around the world?


    ¡°What should we do, then?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Is there a point in carrying on my own dispute with my parents?¡±


    ¡°Life still needs to go on, so handle that as quickly as possible. That said, the war should intensify. While neither the Moons or the Dark are probably going to attack the capitals...¡± Risti paused. ¡°We can expect to see a return of direct administration over controlled territories, and this time, they aren¡¯t going to be so¡­discreet.¡±


    ¡°Discreet?¡±


    ¡°Unconditional surrender of Terra Jewels, for one.¡± Risti thought for a moment. ¡°And then disbanding or absorbing all combat units or notable personnel in the ranks. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll allow us to roam free anymore.¡±


    ¡°Crap,¡± Farah muttered.


    ¡°Crap, indeed.¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°We better start aiming to clear the Third Tutorial, or at least shore up our mana circuits as best as we can. Time is no longer our ally. The Moons and the Dark probably will spend some time gathering strength, before forcing Emperor Grandis to the negotiating table. As for us¡­well, I suppose we¡¯ll need to stay here for a good long time. I hope you guys didn¡¯t leave any strings dangling.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s lucky we got here when we did, then,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°A day later, and Nero would have been besieged.¡±


    Kemata, who was staring at her scythe, stiffened up.


    ¡°Right,¡± Nero muttered. ¡°Hmm. Did you guys just think up of this trip on a whim? I can¡¯t help but feel that there were probably some power pushing things along to make sure that we got out safely.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Just a very fortunate coincidence, I think,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°We were at Farah County throughout the whole of Half Moon to settle some things, and then Farah mentioned about wanting to banish her parents from the family register altogether. So we entered up heading over to Grandia for a tour, and that¡¯s where you two come in.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Nero made a face. ¡°Well, we just have to suck it up. At least we got out before too much harm was done¡­but would Claud¡¯s house be completely destroyed?¡±


    An awkward silence followed, before Dia glanced at Beth for help, who promptly made some funny babbling sounds that drew everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°There are more important things to take care of, like this baby. What¡¯s wrong, little one? Hungry? But you just ate, though!¡±


    ¡°Buh.¡± Beth paused, and then sucked her thumb adorably.


    ¡°¡­Fine. Let¡¯s go get more food,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°What do you want? The buffet that Farah and Schwarz brought you two yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Bet!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Risti paused. ¡°Dia, come along. You¡¯ve been cooped up with me all last night here, after all.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Dia got up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll come along too,¡± Nero added. ¡°Bit hungry. Kemata, wanna tag along?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After entrusting the suite to Farah and Schwarz, who was looking dejected at how Beth had scuttled over to Dia, the four of them and a toddler left the suite and headed for the weird structure that Risti called an elevator. Dia didn¡¯t know how it worked, save for the fact that mana, buttons and presumably ropes were involved.


    ¡°So, all four of us are here.¡± Risti paused. ¡°Does Kemata already know?¡±


    ¡°She knew in the first place,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t look this confused, Dia. We¡¯re here to talk about that. I understand that you and Risti handled a major case in Farah County, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dia replied. ¡°But what of it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very possible that the divinities have no choice but to do something as insane as this due to an external threat,¡± Nero replied. ¡°I received a very¡­confusing Divine Message from the Lord some days back. It was¡­probably related to Claud and Lily, but the Lord was very vague with his words. Something about a certain book. But that¡¯s beside the point. The more important bit was his warning that the incursions into our world has strengthened, and will only strengthen even more over time.¡±


    ¡°Incursions¡­¡± Dia frowned. ¡°So, the Distortion phenomenon is indeed related to that.¡±


    ¡°Correct. But this might just be the beginning of the end, rather than the final blow our enemies from beyond strike at us,¡± Nero replied. ¡°And the nature of this enemy means that only a few select people will ever know about it.¡±


    Dia thought for a moment, and her eyelid twitched once. ¡°No way.¡±


    ¡°Yes way.¡± Nero grimaced. ¡°You will not believe me, but none of the sovereigns of the three continents have been allowed to learn about this. The answer is obvious; if they sought higher powers and sought to overcome the existing order, the big L will be their target.¡±


    Touching her head lightly, Dia pondered on the whole thing, and then made a face. In other words, the powers-that-be in all three continents would never receive a solid answer as to why the divinities were going all-out. Humanity would likely resist the gods, and¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­tragic, I suppose.¡± Dia held her head. ¡°Humanity will never understand what the divinities had in mind when they began this.¡±


    ¡°All to gather strength, to stand against the coming storm. And this storm is made of a power that would entice most people over to its side,¡± Risti uttered slowly. ¡°The gods will become villains whose sole goal is to save the world.¡±


    ¡°What of the Omen?¡± Kemata asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The Omen¡­the Omen is of our world,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Whoever the Thief of Time is, I can only hope that he or she learns about our current plight and the impending disaster. More importantly, however, is our current stance. Knowing what we know, and knowing what the others do not, what should we do now?¡±


    Dia looked at Nero, and then fell silent. There was nothing she could say to this. Schwarz and Farah, who didn¡¯t know anything about Limbo, would definitely opt to stay here or in some other safe place.


    ¡°Well,¡± Dia muttered, ¡°we don¡¯t know what we want to do right now either, right?¡±


    The elevator doors opened at that moment.


    ¡°True,¡± Nero acknowledged, before leading the way inside. ¡°But we need to give this proper thought. There¡¯s a case for helping the Moons or the Dark here, after all.¡±


    ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll need some time to think about this,¡± Risti mumbled.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Kemata replied. ¡°Beth, you hungry?¡±


    The little toddler nodded as the elevator began to move, and Dia let out a small smile. Even though the world was turning mad right now, there were always a few precious little things that allowed it to shine brightly.


    ¡°We¡¯ll stuff you just full enough,¡± Dia promised, ¡°so don¡¯t force yourself, alright? We can go down whenever you¡¯re hungry¡­although you should definitely lose weight.¡±


    ¡°A toddler, losing weight? Are you out of your mind?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m just kidding¡­¡±

 Chapter 643: Parent-child disputes and caregiver disputes

    After stuffing little Beth until she burped, everyone headed up, fetched Farah and Schwarz, and then made a beeline to the Grandis palace. A party that size, however, was a bit eyecatching; Dia could tell that the norm for groups was probably around three to four people.


    Doubling the lower limit was a bit odd, especially since there was a kid sitting on her shoulders.


    ¡°She¡¯s not drooling on my head, right?¡± Dia asked, before reaching up to squish Beth¡¯s cheeks.


    ¡°Nope, why?¡±


    ¡°Just checking, that¡¯s all.¡± Dia chuckled. ¡°Anyway, I wonder how one books an appointment with the Emperor of the Grandis Empire.¡±


    ¡°Normally,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Just send in a letter and everything to the Grandis Court of Noble Law and request that the Emperor be present for arbitration.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t Emperor Grandis be a bit peeved, though?¡± Dia wondered out loud. ¡°After all, you did tell him to show up for a family dispute of sorts.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s his own fault,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I mean, why did he have to stipulate such a law?¡±


    ¡°A law?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Any familial disputes that involves nobles from the rank of count and above must be presided over by the Emperor himself,¡± Farah replied. ¡°He can change it, but¡­eh. Not many such cases anyway, so the Emperor doesn¡¯t really care much. After all, I am one of the few exceptions that would actively bring up such a case in front of the Emperor himself.¡±


    ¡°You sound quite pleased about that.¡±


    ¡°Any occasion to shame my¡­parents is a good occasion,¡± Farah replied happily. ¡°Best if the Emperor strips them of all their privileges, but that¡¯s nowhere enough to compensate the people who died during their shitty rule.¡±


    Her eyes flickered once, and Farah turned away. Dia looked at her silhouette in silence, and then wondered about the life of the people in Farah County thirty years ago, when none of them were born yet. What sort of life did these people lead, and how did the rulers of Farah County back then squander all their money?


    Did they even care that people died?


    Dia let out a sad sigh, and then lifted Beth from her head. Holding the toddler close to her chest, Dia looked at the confused kid, and then nuzzled her neck.


    Beth giggled in response, and Nero glanced over.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Dia asked, poking Beth¡¯s cheek with a free finger.


    ¡°Nothing much. Uh, aren¡¯t your shoulders tired?¡± Nero asked.


    ¡°Your hands must be tired too,¡± Kemata added.


    ¡°And your feet!¡±


    Dia glared at the stupid couple, and then shooed them away with her hands. ¡°Get away from my kid.¡±


    ¡°Dada!¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Dia snorted. ¡°That¡¯s my Beth.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on. We never really got the chance to hug Moon babies, alright?¡± Nero blinked at her innocently. ¡°You must be tired now. You¡¯ve been carrying Beth for two hours.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but you two are going to start spoiling her again. Or slobbering over her.¡± Dia paused. ¡°Not sure if I like the sound of that, really.¡±


    After a little more coddling, Beth couldn¡¯t bear their pitiful sides, so she made little sounds and got Dia to hand her over to them instead. It was a request that made Dia proud, since her little baby girl was expressing empathy consciously, so she ¡ª albeit reluctantly ¡ª passed Beth to Nero.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°You two better not drop her, or I¡¯ll drop kick you,¡± Dia muttered.


    Farah laughed. ¡°You sound like her real father now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re even specifying the gender now?¡± Dia asked, watching on as Beth made vroom-vroom noises ¡ª whatever these noises were, anyway ¡ª on Kemata¡¯s shoulders. To be honest, she was quite amazed at the fact that the quiet, chilling Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny had such a side to her¡­


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think a mother would say something like dropkicking,¡± Farah replied, unaware of her other thoughts. ¡°Anyhow, I think we should let the three of them freely wander around the city later. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to bring in people who are not from the Grandis Empire. Also, there¡¯s a baby¡­¡±


    ¡°I was thinking that too,¡± Schwarz chimed in. ¡°After all, one could construe the whole thing as airing a nation¡¯s dirty laundry in front of foreign dignitaries.¡±


    ¡°Foreign dignitaries¡­¡± Dia looked at the funny trio and felt her mouth twitch.


    ¡°I know they don¡¯t look like that at all,¡± Schwarz replied, ¡°but they are indeed dignitaries.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Dia shrugged. ¡°And people like us, who have transcended the notions of humanity, find it hard to conceive. Very hard, in fact. I can see why these two dote on my kid greatly.¡±


    ¡°You do know you kinda adopted but not fully adopted Beth, right?¡± Schwarz asked. ¡°Admittedly, that latter bit is due to your dispute with Farah, but whatever.¡±


    ¡°My county needs an heir, after all, and it¡¯s a place where she¡¯ll grow up with love, care and attention,¡± Farah replied, a smug look on her face. ¡°Your father, Dia, is going to live for millennia. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t give him an heir.¡±


    ¡°Screw off,¡± Dia replied, making use of vocabulary she had picked up in her post-princess Dia days. ¡°Beth¡¯s my kid. You can just adopt one if you want, you know.¡±


    Her face straightened up. ¡°After all, there are still a lot of kids who don¡¯t have parents.¡±


    ¡°You do know that my county has a¡ª¡±


    ¡°Highly supervised and supported orphanage, I know,¡± Dia replied. ¡°But don¡¯t you want to raise a kid of your own too? Your handpicked or personally nurtured heir? I know, Beth¡¯s awesome, but with your abilities, you can definitely raise a good kid too.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    As Farah mulled with herself, Risti skittled over. ¡°I¡¯m a bit confused. I thought you nobles were all about bloodlines and everything. But you two seem awfully blas¨¦ about allowing adopted kids to inherit. Is that how things are like now?¡±


    ¡°The real sticklers to the rules are usually barons or baronets,¡± Farah replied. ¡°The higher nobles don¡¯t really care, to be honest. They¡¯re more interested in enjoying life or maximising their own lifespan than actually running the territory.¡±


    Their group stopped at the Grandis Palace, and Farah gestured at the grand garden that surrounded the actual palace, which was a black cube. ¡°Which is why we¡¯re here, I suppose.¡±


    Dia looked at the opulent, unguarded entrance to the palace gardens. There was no need for security here; the people in this palace were probably the strongest combatants this continent had to offer. The Palace Grounds were also open to the public on weekends, and was a fairly popular picnicking spot for families, couples and solitary people alike. Dia could vaguely remember having a picnic here as a child, back when her mother¡­


    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Dia shook her head to clear it. ¡°That¡¯s why.¡±


    She could feel a few eyes on them as they entered the palace grounds, but there was nothing else to it. It was probably the hidden guards, if she didn¡¯t get it wrong, although there was a small possibility that the Emperor had already arrived and was viewing the Seekers of Life from some high point.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just hang out around here, then.¡± Nero pointed at a nice tree.


    ¡°Yeah, you three¡­Beth, be a good girl and play with them, alright?¡± Dia patted her head. ¡°We¡¯ll be back before you know it.¡±


    Beth nodded seriously, and then pointed at her stomach. ¡°Hungry.¡±


    ¡°Again?¡± Dia blinked. ¡°Uh, you guys¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll have her eat in moderation,¡± Kemata replied. ¡°We did bring food too, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Nero patted Beth¡¯s head. ¡°You guys go do your nasty stuff. We¡¯ll have a picnic here and wait for you guys¡­incidentally, are open fires allowed here? I want to have a barbeque.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Please don¡¯t. If you want food, there are a bunch of shops outside the Palace Grounds. Go buy some there if you need to.¡±


    ¡°Meh. Fine¡­¡±


    Dia nodded at the couple. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    After leaving the three of them at the base of their selected tree, Dia and the others continued towards the palace. The artificially curated garden was breath-taking, to say the least, but there was a sense of falseness in the whole thing. To begin with, the entire garden shouldn¡¯t really be able to grow this well without the sun¡¯s light, but there were always other methods¡­


    ¡°The palace is beautiful, but I¡¯ve always felt that there was something weird about it,¡± Risti muttered. ¡°Look at how it¡¯s constructed. Like¡­it¡¯s too symmetrical. Too perfect. Is this really something humans can make? It¡¯s one of the reasons why I do believe that this place was taken from the Celestia Ruins, rather than built¡­¡±


    ¡°Or stolen from a Divine Kingdom,¡± Schwarz quipped.


    ¡°I doubt that one, though. Really doesn¡¯t seem likely.¡±


    Their little party stopped at the palace entrance, where there were soldiers on duty.


    ¡°Well then, it¡¯s time for you to shine, Farah.¡± Schwarz swallowed once. ¡°Please don¡¯t get us executed.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly¡­¡±

 Chapter 644: The courts and the laws

    Dia and the others filed into the Grandis Court of Noble Law. There were other similarly named courts too, like the Grandis Court of Common Law and the Grandis High Court, but the one that Farah was primarily concerned with right now was the Court of Noble Law. The nobles, as the foremost protectors and providers of the commonfolk, were held to a higher standard by the Emperor and his laws.


    It was not all that different from the formal Grandis military, in which nobles would be prosecuted twice; once under noble law and again under common law. It was a shame that familial neglect wasn¡¯t exactly a criminal act; it was, as the name of the issue suggested, tucked under the banner of family law.


    Still, shouldn¡¯t family law be distinct from noble or commoner law?


    Dia mulled on that good question for a few seconds, and then decided to give her mind a break. It wasn¡¯t her case, and Farah had already engaged a lawyer to begin with. Everyone was just here for moral support and everything, and to remind Farah about her resolve.


    Reconciliation with her parents?


    If she wasn¡¯t a noble, Dia would have supported that, but Farah County could not afford to see a return of these profligates again. There was a reason why Farah had changed the name of the county, but even that wasn¡¯t enough.


    ¡°Say, if you succeed, would you change the name of the county back?¡± Dia asked, looking at Farah.


    ¡°When I succeed?¡± Farah mulled over the issue, and then shook her head. ¡°Probably not. Like never. I know my father; he¡¯s a philander. He definitely has illegitimate children out there too. I can get rid of my parents, but there¡¯s definitely going to be massive problems if I change the name of the county back and illegitimate children with these surnames start popping up.¡±


    ¡°Good call,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Still, with the end of the world probably approaching and the divinities just going mad in general, is this really necessary? I mean, the existing power structures are probably going to disintegrate in a blink of an eye.¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Farah shrugged. ¡°But better be safe than sorry. And this way¡­I¡¯ll have no more regrets, other than the absence of an heir.¡±


    She looked at Dia, who glared back at her.


    ¡°You two are still tussling over Beth?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Seriously. Just let the little kid be named inheritor to both territories. It¡¯s definitely fine that way.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea!¡± Farah nodded. ¡°Indeed, let¡¯s do just that!¡±


    ¡°Screw off. My father¡¯s not going to approve, and he¡¯s going to boink a new sibling out if I ever do that,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re up to!¡±


    ¡°Your eminent father is going to live for millennia anyway. I don¡¯t think retirement¡¯s on the cards yet,¡± Farah replied dismissively. ¡°Give up and hand Beth over to me.¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Before their little dispute could continue, someone entered the reception room for the Court of Noble Law, and Dia zipped her mouth. Countess Farah walked towards the newcomer, who was a suave young lady with a suit and top hat ¡ª Dia didn¡¯t know why this person was wearing Saran fashion, though ¡ª and exchanged a few words in silence.


    The two shook hands a moment later, and Farah led the suited young lady over to them.


    ¡°May I introduce my lawyer, Miss Beverly.¡± Farah smiled. ¡°These are the other members of the Seekers of Life. This is Princess Dia of the Lustre Dukedom, she is Risti Cadenza, and this man over here is Schwarz¡­¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°Is that a first name or a last name?¡± Miss Beverly asked.


    ¡°That is a good question,¡± Farah replied. ¡°None of us know.¡±


    Schwarz chuckled. ¡°Nice to meet you, miss. I am but a humble bartender. I make the strongest drinks on the continent, though. My track record includes knocking out the Blue Moon itself.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not kidding,¡± Farah supplied. ¡°Anyhow, thank you for taking on my case.¡±


    ¡°No need to thank me. Top payment for top quality service; that¡¯s my motto.¡± The dapper little lawyer nodded. ¡°And I have a thing against nobles who abandon their duties, see? You might not know, but I am a big fan of Overseer Agni. I had the pleasure of meeting him not too long ago, and he actually mentioned your case.¡±


    ¡°He remembers me?¡± Farah asked, visibly shocked.


    ¡°Indeed. You are one of his success cases, after all,¡± Miss Beverly replied. ¡°Hmm. Right. He is currently looking for someone to administer the Julan Barony, after the Julan family died in a mysterious explosion, and remembered the adjacent territories¡­¡±


    ¡°He told you that?¡± Dia tilted her head.


    ¡°Well, he did want me to take over.¡±


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re part of the Julan family?¡± Farah asked, intrigued.


    ¡°I carry that name, but I left the family long ago. They were¡­problematic,¡± Miss Beverly replied. ¡°Killing people and all¡­I know a few like me who left too, to strike out a path of their own.¡±


    ¡°Oh! You must know Lily, then. Lily Julan!¡±


    ¡°The erstwhile heiress of Julan? Yes. She¡¯s quite fam¡ª¡± Beverly Julan paused. ¡°Hold up. Countess Farah. Who did you say these people were again?¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡± Farah chuckled. ¡°I was wondering when you¡¯d notice. Yes. Lily is part of the Seekers of Life!¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The dapper lawyer fiddled with her suit. ¡°Well. Well. Hmm. Um. How is she? She¡¯s actually very famous now, right? I heard that she and her¡­husband were the pioneers in taking down the first Distortion. How strong is my eldest cousin?¡¯


    ¡°She¡¯s a hexa-folder like us,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I should be glad that you added those last two words, but¡­¡± Miss Beverly straightened up. ¡°Your Excellencies.¡±


    ¡°No need to be so formal,¡± Farah replied, waving her hands airily. ¡°You¡¯re a relative of Lily¡¯s. You¡¯re therefore a relative of ours. Anyway, now that the discussion¡¯s done, I would like to ask about this case.¡±


    ¡°Beget not worry, Countess Farah. You have supplied me with all the necessary evidence,¡± the lawyer replied. ¡°I am confident in my victory here. I may not be a top-tier mid-ranked folder, but this is my domain, my expertise. With evidence, morality and logic on my side, this is a battle I cannot lose. Rather, the real danger lies with you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The lawyer mulled for a moment. ¡°The defendant¡¯s team knows that this is an unwinnable case. After all, there is extensive documentation on how your¡­parents neglected their county and threw it all on you while declaring bankruptcy. They will certainly seek to settle this out of court, and you cannot reject their applications for a meeting.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Farah frowned. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a section that allows for one last chance at reconciliation,¡± Beverly replied. ¡°It is literally a law-mandated meeting between the litigant and the defendant. There¡¯s no getting out of this. Their defenders will almost certainly advise your parents to pull out all stops and play the emotional card. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain, after all.¡±


    ¡°¡­And you¡¯re worried I¡¯m not hard-hearted enough.¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± The lawyer paused. ¡°And being too hard-hearted can reflect badly, even if you were in the right the whole time. I suggest that you earmark a small living wage for them and be done with it.¡±


    ¡°But they will certainly want more.¡±


    Beverly Julan chuckled. ¡°Well, you are a countess, who has negotiated more than her fair share of injustice, unfairness and business contracts. I believe you know better than I how to navigate this. Thankfully, you are allowed to bring your own entourage of up to six people during this meeting.¡±


    She gestured at Dia and the others. ¡°There seems to be quite a few people here. But be warned. Your parents will certainly grab your younger relatives. Maybe a baby or two. You should assume that they will emotionally manipulate you in their own ways. They may claim that they¡¯ve grown, or that they¡¯re cognizant of their mistakes, or that there are many dependents that rely on them.¡±


    ¡°Some of which are legitimate arguments,¡± Farah noted.


    ¡°Yes. Your job here is to cede as little ground as possible for each reason they give. But never let them touch your bottom line.¡±


    Farah nodded. ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t worry about that bit, at least.¡±


    ¡°Good. The court will be in session shortly. Your parents¡­well, they¡¯ve already been informed.¡± The lawyer looked at her. ¡°Stay calm.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you noticed me trembling?¡± Farah paused. ¡°I assure you. This trembling comes from my desire to deck them. Nothing else.¡±

 Chapter 645: Within a court of law

    ¡°Not many people can say that they¡¯ve entered the Grandis Court of Noble Law, right?¡± Schwarz asked, looking around the place. ¡°It¡¯s neat.¡±


    ¡°The fact that few people entered, or the place in general?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Well, it¡¯s the usual court set up, just that there¡¯s a throne for His Majesty to sit in. We¡¯re a bit early, I think. Court is not yet in session¡­well, it usually isn¡¯t, until something happens. Then it is in session.¡±


    ¡°Is that how it works?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Well, most disputes within Lustre are settled informally. Most of the time, it¡¯s my father making concessions in exchange for gains, and vice-versa. And there¡¯s this noble pride thing going too. People would rather lose their arm than to default on their contracts¡­probably.¡±


    ¡°And those nobles who are knee-deep in all kinds of sin don¡¯t even qualify to be formally charged,¡± Risti added. ¡°They¡¯re just executed on the spot, extra-judicially.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, put that way, this whole thing sounds even rarer,¡± Farah mumbled.


    Dia looked around the courtroom. The notion of a court of law was, frankly speaking, quite unique. Most cases in Lustre were heard in the Lustre court, whose layout was quite simple ¡ª her father¡¯s throne at the rear end of the long court, and his subjects at the right and at the left. People pleading a case would be in the middle portions of the court, typically on their knees.


    This set-up, however, was quite novel. In front of the elevated throne was a long table with multiple seats, and in front of the long table, at a good distance away, were three tables that were spaced evenly apart. The centre table aligned with the centre of the long table, as well as the Emperor¡¯s throne; Dia could tell that it was where the speaker presenting his or her case would stand.


    Behind these tables were theatre seats of sorts. Was this intended to be some sort of spectacle? Dia couldn¡¯t help but think so.


    ¡°I like this layout,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°Right, where do we all sit?¡±


    ¡°Me and Miss Beverly will be occupying one of the tables there,¡± Farah replied. ¡°You guys will be in the audience seats.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no ticket fee, right?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°I know this whole thing looks like a stage play or something, but no. There¡¯s no audience fee,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Anyhow, you guys should take a seat. I¡¯ll go meet with Miss Beverly outside. Don¡¯t bother waiting for me to come back; I¡¯ll have to follow her into the actual court itself.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    Dia found herself missing the little bundle of warmth as she sat down with the others on the mahogany chairs.


    ¡°So, a lawsuit, huh.¡± Schwarz made a face. ¡°I¡¯m going to memorise the proceedings and everything, just so I can have a nice story or something. Gotta entertain my customers!¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t really done much serving for a few years, though,¡± Risti pointed out.


    ¡°True, but this does not mean I¡¯ll ever return to them again,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Hmm. This atmosphere is a bit stifling, though. Guess we can¡¯t really use this for bars, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s going to drink here,¡± Risti replied. ¡°But this is the audience¡¯s seating, right? Maybe some of the audience members might see it fit to pack some alcohol and food. Who knows?¡±


    ¡°Considering that the Emperor has to drop by, I think anyone who dares to do such a thing would be the bravest of them all. Probably braver than the Thief of Time.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°Tot stole the Cosmic Egg while it was being watched by the gods and the rulers of the world,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I don¡¯t think slighting Emperor Grandis tops that.¡±


    ¡°True. How about¡ª¡±


    The doors behind them opened, cutting off Schwarz¡¯s words, and people began to pour into the courtroom. A single glance at their clothes was enough to reveal their noble origins; at first glance, the thread and cloth involved in their production was way too luxurious.


    ¡°Audience members,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Are people that free? Or are they this starved of entertainment?¡±


    She tracked the incoming people. Were they people that Farah¡¯s parents had rallied to their side? Or were these people who had been tracking the Farah County situation for a very long time and wanted to see its finale and how it culminated? Dia couldn¡¯t tell, but for some reason, she believed that a good portion of these people were actually here for a very inane reason.


    They were just bored.


    Before she could say anything else, however, the sounds of more doors opening followed, and three distinct groups of people filed into the courtroom. Emerging from the door to Dia¡¯s left was Farah and Miss Beverly, while the door to the right opened to reveal a middle-aged couple with green hair.


    The long table further away was swiftly populated by stately looking men and women, but Dia could not feel any particular threat from them, or, for that matter, anyone else in the courtroom.


    Except for the person standing in the table between Farah¡¯s and that of her parents. Before Dia could examine the youthful-looking man any further, however, the man in question rapped the table once.


    ¡°All rise, for Emperor Grandis, the sun of the Empire.¡±


    There was a faint compulsion in his words. Dia, if she wanted to, could easily resist it, but there was no point in trying to stand out like an idiot right now. The others didn¡¯t resist it either, and everyone rose to their feet as the highest and furthest door slid open.


    A slender man with a gold crown on his head took his place on the opulent throne, and Dia shivered. This was not the first time she had seen the legendary Emperor, but this was indeed the first time after the Trial of Aeons that she had seen him. There was a slight chance that Emperor Grandis might have spotted her there too, but if he did, he didn¡¯t give off any indication.


    More importantly, however, were the nine-coloured robes and the nine halos that adorned his body. Dia had seen them precisely during the Trial of Aeons; she knew that this was Emperor Grandis¡¯ combat attire.


    Was he prepared to fight? Or did he come here after fighting? What was the reason behind him wearing his combat gear right now?


    Dia frowned as these questions bombarded her head, and she fervently hoped that the only reason why the Emperor was in full battle regalia was because he was returning from a fight.


    ¡°Subjects of mine, be seated.¡± The Emperor paused. ¡°Rare is the occasion that I am invited to preside over a matter as serious as this, but there is no other choice. Nonetheless, I am glad to see that the usual faces are here.¡±


    He gestured once. ¡°My dear bailiff, please do continue.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± The young man bowed. ¡°Today¡¯s case, Your Majesty, is Countess Farah versus Pleoa and Aplis Epiekeia.¡±


    Dia blinked for a moment, and then remembered that Farah had abandoned pretty much her old name and everything. As it turned out, the original Farah County was probably called Epiekeia County¡­which was disappointing, since there seemed to be an ongoing theme related to light in the Istrel Sovereignty.


    While she cleared her head of these thoughts, Emperor Grandis nodded and asked, ¡°Are both sides ready to present their cases?¡±


    Farah, her parents and their legal cases got up, and their voices echoed as one. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Bailiff, record the attendance of the defendants and their counsel.¡± Emperor Grandis glanced casually at Farah¡¯s parents. ¡°Hmph. Then begin.¡±


    Dia couldn¡¯t help but think that this case was going to fall in Farah¡¯s favour from the get-go. After all, the judge himself was already biased towards the plucky little countess who picked up what her parents had abandoned¡­and Emperor Grandis was one with an eye for talent.


    Miss Beverly stood up. ¡°Your Majesty, I am Beverly Julan, and I am representing Countess Farah in this case. Countess Farah seeks to disinherit the people she grudgingly calls her parents in order to avert a replay of the tragedy that struck her territory two decades ago, the perpetuators of which are¡­¡±


    Dia listened on with rapt attention as the dapper little lawyer refreshed everyone¡¯s memories about the severe misgovernance of Farah¡¯s parents. She couldn¡¯t help but note that the defence counsel hadn¡¯t even bothered to listen; it was as if Miss Beverly¡¯s opponent was already accepting that defeat was inevitable.


    ¡°In that case,¡± Dia murmured, ¡°they must be relying on that out-of-court settlement.¡±


    ¡°Seems like it,¡± Risti added. ¡°It¡¯s like watching students who, the moment an exam begins, get up and leave with utter confidence¡­¡±


    Dia chuckled. ¡°Yes, I do remember seeing that in school.¡±


    ¡°Even nobles do that?¡±


    ¡°They do, trust me.¡± Dia chuckled. ¡°Anyway, I suppose we¡¯ll need to lend Farah some support. Let¡¯s go get the lovebirds and the baby over once they move to the private moments bit, shall we?¡±

 Chapter 646: Chattering about a certain judge

    ¡°We now move on to the defendants,¡± the bailiff announced. ¡°Defence counsel, please present your case.¡±


    Dia glanced at Beverly, who was busy drinking from a cup of water, and then at the other side. Farah¡¯s parents didn¡¯t look anxious at all as their own legal agent got up and made his way to the centre table, which had been vacated of all relevant evidence and annexes that Farah¡¯s side had used.


    ¡°It is clear that the other party has prepared long and hard for this, and for good reason. My clients wish to be honest here; they feel that they too do not have a good argument against what the litigant desires. For the sake of brevity, we have thus decided to forgo the defence and to move on to the next segment,¡± the robed man replied. ¡°Pursuant to Chapter XI of the Noble Charter, all court cases that involve familial issues of nobles mandate a meeting between the litigant and the defendant. Your Majesty, please.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, there is such a law. I will excuse myself for now, while Countess Farah and her parents prepare for the face-to-face meeting,¡± Emperor Grandis replied, getting up from the throne. ¡°However, I will be there to adjudicate the following meeting.¡±


    ¡°Sire?¡± The bailiff looked at Emperor Grandis. ¡°This isn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°I desire it,¡± Emperor Grandis replied. ¡°Notify me when the settlement process begins.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± The bailiff turned to face the audience. ¡°All rise as the Emperor departs.¡±


    Dia and the others stood up in silence, and the Emperor of the Grandis Empire turned and left. Farah exchanged a few words with Beverly Julan, who nodded and escorted her out. The same thing happened with Farah¡¯s parents and their legal counsel, which was everyone¡¯s cue to leave the courtroom.


    The little dapper lawyer approached Dia and the others shortly after they left.


    ¡°Good work out there,¡± Risti phrased. ¡°I liked some of your arguments. Nice sound bites.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Schwarz added. ¡°Stuff like ¡®Cruel it may be, but the Countess recognises that her people, not her feelings, are the most important¡¯. You put a nice spin to things. Liked the tragic take.¡±


    Dia nodded. ¡°Anyone not in the know would probably guess that Farah agonised long and hard over the decision to cut them off entirely, but in reality, she was probably¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, not heartbroken, at least.¡± Schwarz shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll go fetch the lovebirds and the toddler first. You guys move on ahead.¡±


    ¡°Do you know where to find us?¡± Beverly Julan replied. ¡°We¡¯ll be in that chamber there. Don¡¯t take too long. We only have around ten minutes before the meeting begins.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    The bartender took off with heavy steps, and Beverly nodded. ¡°Follow me, then.¡±


    Before long, Dia and Risti was seated with Farah, who was bobbing her head to some tune that was probably in her head.


    ¡°You¡¯re in a good mood.¡±


    ¡°I get to brush away the final remnants of the storm clouds hanging around my head,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I am definitely in a very good mood. Emperor Grandis seems to be on my side too, although that¡¯s probably to be expected.¡±


    ¡°It would be hard for this not to be expected,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    The door opened again, and a party of three and a bright-eyed toddler waddled inside together. Beth gurgled happily and tottered over to Farah, before patting her leg for some reason.


    ¡°Children can be surprisingly empathetic,¡± Farah quipped. ¡°Wanna sit on my lap?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Beth replied with an actual answer for once, and Farah grinned. Without a word, she carried the little kid onto her legs, and then began to pat her hair.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Your parents might just be confused at this little one sitting on your lap,¡± Risti remarked. ¡°Which is a good thing. Anyway, are you prepared to face off with your parents one last time?¡±


    Farah nodded. ¡°They probably just want money. The only issue is how much money they can wring from me.¡±


    ¡°Considering that they didn¡¯t even do anything to raise you, I¡¯m impressed that you¡¯re even willing to hand them some cash,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Well, they did give birth to me.¡± Farah paused. ¡°Hmm. Well, only my mother suffered. I¡¯ll just hand my payout to her, then. That should make for some interesting family drama if my father wants to have the money instead, right?¡±


    Dia opened her mouth, and then closed. ¡°You¡­are quite devious.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the compliment,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I mean, that¡¯s quite sound reasoning, yes? I owe it this much to my mother, at least. Childbirth is both painful and dangerous. I¡¯ll at least give her something for that. I¡¯m not a monster.¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°And it¡¯ll look bad if I don¡¯t concede at all, right? And the Emperor¡¯s here too. Might as well put on a good show for everyone,¡± Farah muttered. ¡°Hmm. Alright, I can do this¡­right, if you guys are hungry, go nibble some snacks. Also, don¡¯t be nervous. Emperor Grandis is going to show up, but you guys already know that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve met him before,¡± Risti replied. ¡°No biggie. The Emperor looks intimidating and behaves accordingly, but he¡¯s quite the old sweetie¡­¡±


    Dia didn¡¯t know how Risti could link the words ¡®Emperor¡¯ and ¡®old sweetie¡¯ together, but her father was a good friend of the Emperor, so anything went.


    ¡°Hmm. If you put it that way,¡± Schwarz replied, ¡°do you think he¡¯ll give one of my drinks a try?¡±


    ¡°Sure, if you don¡¯t mind being attacked by a bunch of elite guards after Emperor Grandis inevitably blacks out from alcohol intoxication,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I mean, you sure are ballsy.¡±


    ¡°The Blue Moon drank my booze. I don¡¯t see why the Emperor can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°The Blue Moon fainted,¡± Risti pointed out. ¡°Which is really impressive. Have you considered becoming a Bearer of Destiny or something? You can be the God of Intoxicating Booze, because that¡¯s your ultimate move. Seriously.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you guys know the Blue Moon?¡± Beverly asked.


    ¡°The Seekers of Life know quite a lot of important personages,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I mean, right here, you have Countess Farah, the princess of Lustre, the daughter of a powerful mana-user, the Holy Son of the Black God and the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny.¡±


    She paused. ¡°And a bartender.¡±


    ¡°What huge, important bar does Schwarz run, then?¡± Beverly asked.


    ¡°Huge and important? What?¡± Risti blinked. ¡°It¡¯s just your normal bar. Nothing noteworthy about it.¡±


    ¡°How out of place¡­¡±


    Schwarz cleared his throat. ¡°Forget about me. Isn¡¯t it almost ten minutes? Farah, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You guys just need to sit behind me and look menacing or something,¡± Farah replied. ¡°And as for Beth¡­hmm. Do you want to sit on my lap the whole time, or go back to Dia?¡±


    ¡°Dada¡­¡± Beth pondered for a moment, and then patted her own lap. ¡°Here!¡±


    ¡°Really empathetic, aren¡¯t you.¡± Farah looked at Dia, who grinned back, and then said, ¡°Well, okay. Thank you, Beth. Make yourself comfortable here, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    After shifting around, the Seekers of Life repositioned themselves to a more appropriate position, and Nero chuckled.


    ¡°Right, Beverly, is there a segment where we introduce ourselves too?¡± Nero asked. ¡°Because this might get a little bit funny if we do just that.¡±


    ¡°You people have amazing backgrounds,¡± Beverly replied. ¡°But this whole reconciliation meeting is unstructured. If you want to, you guys can strike first and force out an introduction. There¡¯s nothing against it, and I suspect Emperor Grandis will be quite pleased too.¡±


    ¡°Pleased? Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, wouldn¡¯t he be happy to know that the responsible Countess Farah has such a reliable circle of friends?¡± Beverly replied. ¡°Besides, he definitely doesn¡¯t like those two. Anything that puts them on the backfoot will please him.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t really need to please him, though,¡± Dia muttered.


    The door opened again at that moment, and Dia got her first, close look at the people who threw responsibilities that a child shouldn¡¯t handle onto a child. Farah looked at the couple in silence, and then at the small crowd of young people behind them.


    The silence that followed was painful and sharp, and Dia couldn¡¯t help but feel some admiration at how Farah was handling the whole thing. Farah ¡ª Countess Farah of the titular territory ¡ª simply gazed at the two of them without any apparent emotion, reminding Dia of a sheathed blade.


    Eventually, someone broke from the pressure, and the sleazy-looking, snake-like man that was Farah¡¯s¡­father cleared his throat.


    ¡°D-daughter. It¡¯s nice to see you after such a long period.¡±


    Farah looked at him silently, and the man quailed. Unfortunately, before anything more amusing could occur, the door opened for the third time, and a formidable presence strode into the room. Dia rose to her feet, along with everyone else, and then turned to face the Emperor of the Grandis Empire.


    ¡°Dispense with the formalities,¡± Emperor Grandis replied. ¡°Bailiff?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± The bailiff, who looked like he didn¡¯t know what he was doing here, nodded. ¡°Everyone has been accounted for. We may begin at any time.¡±


    ¡°Good. Do not mind my presence, people.¡± The Emperor nodded. ¡°Please feel free to proceed.¡±


    Considering his immense presence, doing so was easier said than done¡­

 Chapter 647: The negotiations with her parents

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    Humans, Dia reflected, were capable of immense things when they truly desired something. It was something she had long known, based on not just the stories that she had read and the epics that she¡¯d come across, but also on a personal basis, when she stood up to the crushing might of the Red God himself. She, together with the others, stopped the Red God from doing whatever he was intending to do to the Thirteenth Bearer of Destiny and probably saved her life too.


    Farah was another such person, a person who had contended against the ill lot that her irresponsible parents left her too.


    People were truly capable of anything if their desires were on the line.


    So it was then, and so it was now.


    In the sense that Emperor Grandis himself looked really impressed at how the Epiekeia couple had discarded their sense of shame. Dia could safely say that her eyes had been opened today; this was the first time that she¡¯d seen someone stoop so low in the presence of the Emperor himself. Of course, the earlier spiel of them being immature and that they knew they were in the wrong couldn¡¯t be forgotten either¡­


    ¡°¡­the children! We cannot possibly provide for all of them without your aid!¡± The woman that Farah forced herself to call her mother, Pleoa Epiekeia, continued to ramble on and on about the people that her family was supposed to support.


    Aplis Epiekeia was no slouch either in that regard, with his attempts to reconcile so¡­stomach-churning that Dia was surprised that Farah, who was receiving the main bulk of it, hadn¡¯t thrown up yet.


    It was probably close, though.


    ¡°So, you want me to provide some money to these poor kids, then.¡± Farah paused. ¡°Sure. But I cannot allow you to even go close to my territory. Nothing¡¯s changed about that. You two are not part of my territory anymore. Accept that, and we can move on to talk about money.¡±


    The couple exchanged gazes, and then glanced at their legal counsel, who was doing a damn good job of not showing his emotions. With a straight face, he replied in a whisper, and the duo¡¯s expressions turned into one of wistful conflict.


    ¡°So?¡± Farah asked, pressing the advantage. ¡°I¡¯m simply treating this as my debt for¡­bringing me here over a painful nine months. That¡¯s what I owe you, after all.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    The couple exchanged glances again.


    ¡°If not, we can move back to court,¡± Farah continued. ¡°Emperor Grandis¡¯ time is precious. We should not waste too much of his time on our banal affairs that you two caused to begin with.¡±


    ¡°You have a good heart, little Farah.¡± Emperor Grandis chuckled. ¡°I am indeed busy. The Moons and the Dark have restarted their war, and your friends are clearly very integral to the safety of my people.¡±


    Another shudder ran through Farah¡¯s parents, and Dia turned away to hide a smile. As planned, everyone had introduced themselves shortly after Emperor Grandis had given them the go-ahead. The looks of fear on their faces when they realised that the Seekers of Life were made up of rather important people was one to behold.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t stop them from being slick and shady. After all, if they could directly ignore the Emperor in their attempts to wring out cash and maybe even some concessions, a Holy Son and the scions of other important personages wasn¡¯t going to stop them either.


    ¡°For the sake of the family,¡± Aplis Epiekeia began, ¡°I suppose we can move to that instead. We would like to ask for a monthly stipend that will allow us to live a dignified life.¡±


    ¡°And the children too!¡± His wife added. ¡°A baron¡¯s stipend would be a good place to start with.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°A baron¡¯s stipend?¡± Farah laughed. ¡°Father, mother, you two must be aware of the sorry state in which you left the territory to me. It is still struggling to rebuild, and you ask me to support a baron in terms of funding? You two aren¡¯t good for anything, but you sure dream big!¡±


    Emperor Grandis covered his mouth, and Farah seemed to take that as encouragement. Without showing any mercy whatsoever, Farah said, ¡°I will treat you as an upper-class household in my county and provide a monthly stipend of their expenses. We¡¯ve already conducted a study; the average upper-class spends three gold every month. Considering that you two are bankrupt, this is already a lot of money.¡±


    Dia glanced at the others, who were fighting to keep their faces straight. Considering the fact that everyone in the Seekers of Life had used oodles of lifestones, three gold was¡­seriously a bit too low. Of course, for the normal people whose imagination had been limited by their lack of funds, this was a lot of money¡­


    ¡°Three gold is too less,¡± Pleoa Epiekeia replied. ¡°How are we supposed to maintain our¡­scions¡¯ schooling?¡±


    ¡°The average school fee costs a silver every year, thanks to His Majesty¡¯s wisdom,¡± Farah replied. ¡°I see no reason for non-nobles to go to a noble¡¯s school or a top-class one.¡±


    Dia glanced at the people that the Epiekeia couple had brought in. None of them looked like they had been living the lifestyle Farah¡¯s parents had been living so far; they were probably here because of those two paying them or something. Dia wasn¡¯t going to fault them; the temptation of money or a better life was hard to overcome, as a rule of thumb.


    ¡°Preposterous! The only way out for them is through quality schooling!¡±


    Farah snorted. ¡°Touch your conscience and repeat that one more time. I¡¯ll have you know that I brought back the county without noble schooling. I don¡¯t see the problem.¡±


    ¡°You are¡­a genius,¡± her father admitted begrudgingly.


    ¡°And you two are spendthrifts. But fine. I¡¯ll raise the stipend,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Hmm. Nine gold a month. It¡¯s three times the original offer.¡±


    ¡°Nine gold¡­¡±


    Emperor Grandis cleared his throat again. ¡°My former subordinates. You two are no longer nobles. I hope you two do not carry any expectation of living the life that you two discarded with your own two hands.¡±


    Farah nodded. ¡°You two absconded with a lot of money. It¡¯s your problem if you two somehow bankrupted yourself. Commonfolk live with sums far, far lower than a piece of gold. Outside the capital, food is very affordable, and three gold is enough for a low-class family to live on for potentially five years.¡±


    ¡°Face reality, indeed,¡± Dia chimed in.


    ¡°You punks wasted your money. If Farah gives you anymore, you two will never learn.¡±


    Farah let out a long ¡ª fake ¡ª sigh, and then said, ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s round it up a bit. Twenty gold a month. That¡¯s definitely more than enough. And you two still have a house, yes? Albeit a barren one. There¡¯s one less expense. No, don¡¯t bother trying to lie. You can sell that house and move to other territories, where housing isn¡¯t at a premium. Or you can do something else. You guys figure it out.¡±


    She closed her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s it. If you two don¡¯t accept this final offer, we shall return to the courtroom. I have been sufficiently generous, considering that you two didn¡¯t raise me much. Or at all, for that matter.¡±


    ¡°Countess Farah has issued an ultimatum,¡± Emperor Grandis announced. ¡°How do you two wish to respond?¡±


    ¡°Can we have some time to ourselves?¡± Farah¡¯s father replied.


    ¡°Go ahead. You have five minutes.¡±


    At those words, everyone on the other side hurried out, and the door closed. Emperor Grandis let out a hearty laugh a moment later, and then looked at Farah.


    ¡°Well done. It was not for nothing that I sent Overseer Agni to support you.¡± Emperor Grandis reclined on his chair.


    Dia, however, was fixated on the fact that he was still in his full battle regalia¡­a fact that Emperor Grandis didn¡¯t miss at all.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± he murmured. ¡°Princess Dia of the Lustre Dukedom, yes? You seem enthralled by my clothes. Are they pretty? Do they suit your aesthetic? Or¡­do you know that this is my combat apparel?¡±


    Dia jumped.


    ¡°Ah, you know. Intriguing.¡± The Emperor looked at Dia. ¡°Worry not, however. And it is nice to see that you have returned to public life, in a sense. More importantly, though, I would like to apologise. The Istrels¡­were particularly insistent that I issue a bounty on you.¡±


    ¡°Right. I was wanted, after all, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry. The Shadows that attacked you¡­were acting of their own accord. And the ignorant cannot be guilty. Even if you killed them, those deaths were never laid on you,¡± the Emperor continued.


    ¡°T-thank you, Your Majesty,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s the least I can do. The Thief of Time, one must admit, is a most formidable opponent. Although I do have my own suspicions, the Fourth Bearer of Destiny almost certainly exists, and was indeed the person behind the heist at Duke Istrel¡¯s treasury.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty. Why are you telling us this?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Emperor Grandis chuckled. ¡°Now, then. I suppose the Seekers of Life will be staying here for some time, yes? I wonder what you people think of joining up with my forces.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±

 Chapter 648: The doting emperor

    The discussion about joining up with the Emperor¡¯s forces was put on hold as Farah¡¯s parents returned, having reached an agreement between themselves.


    ¡°So?¡± Farah asked. ¡°What did you two decide on?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll take you up on that offer,¡± her mother replied with gritted teeth.


    ¡°Excellent. My legal counsel will get in touch with you shortly to arrange the details,¡± Farah replied. ¡°Bailiff, how should we proceed now?¡±


    ¡°Since all members of the court are here, there is no need for formality,¡± the bailiff replied. ¡°The court case will be ended here, with the court noting the private settlement and the terms of it. Everyone involved, please follow me.¡±


    Dia and the others watched on idly as Farah and her parents left the room, and Beth waddled over to¡­Emperor Grandis.


    ¡°What¡¯s this little one up to?¡± the Emperor asked. ¡°Oh. My clothes are very attractive, are they not? You have good, my little friend. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Bet!¡±


    ¡°Bet?¡±


    ¡°No. Bet!¡±


    This little exchange, where Beth constantly mispronounced her name in an attempt to correct Emperor Grandis, lasted for around twenty second, before Risti cleared her throat. ¡°Granduncle, it¡¯s Beth.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Beth.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Dia cut in. ¡°Granduncle?¡±


    ¡°Well, he is older than my father,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Why? You didn¡¯t tell us about this at all!¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°You¡¯re related to His Majesty?¡±


    ¡°No, he just asks me to call him that,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Don¡¯t make too much of a fuss about it. I know it¡¯s hard, but there¡¯s really nothing to it.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I am just a man that¡¯s six millennia old,¡± Emperor Grandis replied, before plucking out a halo that was floating behind his back. ¡°You can play with this if you want, Beth.¡±


    ¡°Rweally?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± The Emperor handed the halo to Beth, who clutched it in her tiny hands and began to fiddle with it.


    Dia gazed at the horrifying scene of a toddler handling what was probably an important asset of the Emperor, and felt her head spin slightly. That halo was probably a weapon or something, right? Was it a good idea to give it to a child to play with?


    ¡°Want to use!¡± Beth pointed at the other halos floating behind Emperor Grandis.


    ¡°Oh.¡± The Emperor smiled, and then gestured once. ¡°Here you go.¡±


    Dia¡¯s headache worsened, but at least, from the looks of it, this halo was probably not a weapon, but rather some defensive artefact. However, artefacts weren¡¯t really meant for kids to play with, especially artefacts that belonged to Emperor Grandis of all people, and¡ª


    A hand fell on her shoulder, and Risti¡¯s voice echoed in her ear. ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much. Emperor Grandis won¡¯t give dangerous items to a kid. I know.¡±


    ¡°That sounds very ominous,¡± Schwarz chimed in.


    Nero nodded. ¡°Like you were his guinea pig for handing items to, you know. What, did he give you a sword as a child?¡±


    ¡°A sword¡¯s fine,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Says the sword nut, but I wouldn¡¯t hand a weapon to a kid,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Right, Kemata?¡±


    ¡°Swords are bad.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    After invalidating a good part of her childhood, Kemata added, ¡°Artefacts for children are good. Self-solving puzzles or something similar. Or homework.¡±


    ¡°¡­I do not know what possessed you to make you think that homework is fine,¡± Dia replied, ¡°but it isn¡¯t at all. Anyhow, I suppose if he¡¯s good with children, it¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll just keep an eye on Beth in case she activates some hidden function of that halo or whatever.¡±


    ¡°Hidden functions aside, you can¡¯t help but admit that she looks really good with that halo. The blend of cuteness and majesty produces a juxtaposition that cannot be reflected elsewhere, see?¡± Schwarz chuckled. ¡°So adorable. And so shiny.¡±


    Beth turned around to look at the halo, which was busy illuminating her surroundings with violet light, but the halo moved with her back.


    ¡°And now she¡¯s trying to turn to face the halo,¡± Schwarz commented. ¡°Like a little puppy chasing its tail, yes?¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Before Dia could respond, the sounds of a heated quarrel entered the room, and the door blew open. Farah, who was at the forefront of it all, had a smug grin on her face as she took her position with Dia and the others.


    ¡°What is this ruckus?¡± Emperor Grandis asked, his tone mild.


    Those words, however, seemed to carry some sort of silencing effect, and Farah¡¯s parents, who were bickering with each other, fell silent. Their entourage looked at the duo curiously, uncertain of why they were quarrelling, but no one was going to open their mouths now.


    ¡°At least you people still have some respect for your sovereign.¡± Emperor Grandis snorted once. ¡°Bailiff?¡±


    ¡°The terms have been laid out. In exchange for permanent disinheritance and severance of ties, Countess Farah will provide her mother with thirty gold every month as long as she lives, as long as she has enough money,¡± the bailiff replied. ¡°The assessment of her finances can be requested upon a late or insufficient delivery of the promised reparations. If it comes to pass that reparations can no long be provided after an assessment by our auditors, the reparations will be put on hold until as such time that they can resume, but no backlog will be paid out.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Emperor Grandis replied, a smile on his face. ¡°This matter ends here, then. The Epiekeias are not to contact Countess Farah or contact her county at all, unless there are problems with the payment.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    Dia lowered her head with the others as those words rang through the room.


    ¡°Now that we¡¯re done with this, I would like the Seekers of Life to follow me.¡± Emperor Grandis got up. ¡°There are plans to be made, and the divinities are not giving us much time in this regard. And I believe you people should be very interested to learn about what is going on right now.¡±


    His eyes lingered on Nero and Kemata. ¡°Some of you in particular.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Right, Your Majesty, do you like very strong alcohol?¡±


    Dia, who reacted three seconds too late to stop those words from spilling out, watched helplessly as Emperor Grandis raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Is that a challenge?¡±


    ¡°Not really, but even the Blue Moon can¡¯t handle my drinks,¡± Schwarz replied proudly.


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re not bragging, surprisingly enough.¡± The Emperor of the Grandis Empire folded his arms. ¡°Well, after we¡¯re done with the talks, I¡¯ll have a sample. Let¡¯s see if your claim is really true.¡±


    He swept out of the room. Farah, who was sticking closely to the Emperor, gestured at Dia and the others to follow along.


    The faint sounds of a newly restarted quarrel lasted for only a few seconds before the door behind them closed.


    ¡°Interesting strategy,¡± Emperor Grandis abruptly said. ¡°Pitting your parents against each other so that they won¡¯t unite to somehow break the ruling. Little Farah. You¡¯re quite the experienced politician, no?¡±


    ¡°My apologies for that display, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of,¡± Emperor Grandis replied. ¡°You have a good head. I will watch you closely in the days, years and centuries to come. How will you re-establish your county when we enter the new world? I look forward to your performance.¡±


    ¡°The Cosmic Egg, Sire?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Emperor Grandis replied. ¡°But that presumes that we are all still alive, naturally. The divinities have raised the warflags. It is hard to say whether my little city will still be standing when the dust settles.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not confident?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re all just hexa- or septa-folders,¡± Emperor Grandis replied. ¡°The divinities are still far stronger than us right now. The cycle is ending. It¡¯s not our time to rise. Humanity must learn to float on their own¡­there is a reason why this is the Last Godsfall. When the battle ends, there will only be one group of gods to rule over the new world.¡±


    ¡°¡­And our role is to survive.¡±


    ¡°Which is best served by not being part of any faction until we see a winning move,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°You see very clearly, young princess.¡± Emperor Grandis chuckled. ¡°Precisely. We cannot win, but we can make the king. The role of humanity is that of a kingmaker. Those who recognise this will hole up in a mighty fortress until a stalemate is forged, at which time the side we support will win.¡±


    Beth, who still had that halo behind her, clapped her hands. ¡°Win!¡±


    ¡°¡­Not that kind of winning you¡¯re thinking about, little one.¡± Emperor Grandis smiled. ¡°But yes. Win.¡±


    He patted her head. ¡°Whose child is this?¡±


    ¡°We adopted her,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Her parents perished during a Distortion.¡±


    ¡°A Distortion. I see.¡± The Emperor shook his head. ¡°I saw the two who solved the first Distortion. They¡¯re part of your group too, yes?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, Your Majesty.¡±


    Emperor Grandis nodded. ¡°I wonder what fate brought you people together¡­¡±

 (TOT) Chapter 649: In His war room

    ¡°Welcome to my war room.¡± Emperor Grandis gestured at the weird, altar-like table in the middle of a circular, grand room. Unlike most rooms, this particular room had over fifteen doors leading to it. ¡°This is where I oversee the entire continent of Grandis.¡±


    Dia had a lot of questions, but it would not do to question the Emperor himself, unless she wanted to look like an idiot. There would be no need to ask; Emperor Grandis would explain in due time.


    This thought was not hers alone, from how everyone else was holding their tongue.


    ¡°Wow!¡± Beth spun on the spot. ¡°Pwetty!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it.¡± Emperor Grandis chuckled. ¡°Would you like to sit in this chair?¡±


    ¡°¡­This guy is a doting grandfather-type of person, right?¡± Dia whispered to Risti.


    ¡°Got that right in one. Emperor Grandis doesn¡¯t have an heir, so he does get a bit lonely at times. Those close to him often bring their babies and children while they¡¯re discussing work,¡± Risti replied. ¡°I happen to be one of them.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Schwarz nodded. ¡°I now see why you call him granduncle. Hmm. Age does do this to people, huh. Why doesn¡¯t he try for a child, then?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a hexa-folder. Hard to conceive,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Which, incidentally, holds true for everyone here too. There¡¯s a reason why everyone celebrated when my brother and I were conceived.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m actually a bit confused, now that I think about it,¡± Schwarz muttered. ¡°Dia, how¡­why did your mother pass away? I mean, I do not recall hearing her being assassinated, and she definitely didn¡¯t lack lifestones either.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­¡± Dia fell silent. ¡°My father didn¡¯t tell me. I didn¡¯t¡­want to ask either.¡±


    ¡°We should investigate that when we have time, then,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°Clear up all loose ends, you know¡­¡±


    Dia glanced at the Emperor, who was already accompanied by Nero and Kemata in fawning over the awestruck kid. To be fair, Beth had lived in a relatively normal place up until they headed towards Grandis, so it was reasonable for her to be awed by just about anything.


    ¡°A pretty sight, is it not?¡± Farah murmured. ¡°Sure, none of them are related to my county, but whenever I see something like this, I feel my resolve renewed. Life may be a journey in which we scar ourselves continuously, but there are always stops where we can lather relief on our broken skin.¡±


    Dia looked at Farah, who was undoubtedly emotional after this final parting with her parents. She would never again see them, and while she had put on a tough front¡­how could she not long for familial affection? Farah¡¯s fondness for Beth was probably a manifestation of her own solitude, her own pain.


    ¡°In trying times like these,¡± Risti murmured, ¡°this is perhaps the only succour we are allowed to have.¡±


    ¡°You can just get a soulmate or something,¡± Schwarz pointed out.


    ¡°Easier said than done,¡± Risti replied.


    Dia looked around in silence as the others devolved into their own activities for a while, before turning her gaze to Farah, whose gaze was distant and unfocused. What did she feel, having orchestrated this entire thing for the sake of her people?


    There was no way she could relate.


    She gazed at her once more, and then walked over to Beth and the three adults that were just messing around at this point. ¡°Are we not rushed for time?¡±


    Emperor Grandis, who had pulled out a bag of sweets from somewhere somehow, paused. ¡°Right. Indeed. We are. Please take a seat, everyone.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Before we do,¡± Dia added, ¡°I am quite certain that Your Majesty is about to tell us a lot of confidential things. Knowing that we once worked with the Moons, are you certain about this? We have not yet agreed to join your forces, after all.¡±


    Emperor Grandis looked at Dia, his gaze piercing, and his head bobbed once. ¡°Indeed. There are people that would rather protect their own, rather than an abstract vision of humanity. And it is natural for people who do not live under my direct rule to feel anything more than a passing semblance of loyalty. However, the divinities are truly no longer holding anything back.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Dia asked, as the others returned to their senses.


    ¡°All mana-users have been forcibly conscripted in the territories ruled by the Dark and the Moons,¡± Emperor Grandis replied. ¡°In fact, preliminary reports indicate that the conscripts have been forcibly indoctrinated with a false loyalty. Brainwashing, in other words.¡±


    ¡°¡­They¡¯re that desperate?¡± Nero wondered out loud. ¡°Is the Omen doing something we cannot quite see?¡±


    ¡°That is perhaps the only reason why the divinities have turned mad,¡± Emperor Grandis replied. ¡°The Coloured Gods might be taking sides too, but they will not do so this early into the war. Like me, they see the only way out as being the kingmaker.¡±


    ¡°Kingmaker¡­¡±


    ¡°The concept is easy to grasp, is it not?¡± Emperor Grandis chuckled. ¡°I came across this term in the Celestia Ruins. It seems fitting to use a grand artefact from the Celestia Ruins to carry out this concept.¡±


    ¡°So this city¡­¡±


    ¡°Grandia is an artefact I got from the Celestia Ruins, yes,¡± Emperor Grandis replied. ¡°This city was probably intended to help the inhabitants of Celestia¡­or rather, that city, to survive disasters and emergencies, although I am not sure what kinds of disasters would strike a floating city high above a world. At any rate, however, the disaster that destroyed Celestia happened so quickly that this was never used at all.¡±


    ¡°And so it fell to our world,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Indeed. There is much we could learn from Celestia, and we were in the middle of putting some of them into practice,¡± Emperor Grandis continued. ¡°However, the technologies involved in its creation are so profound and abstruse that we have to look for the simplest inventions¡­but we are digressing at this point. I apologise for that.¡±


    ¡°Knowing so much more is nice, though. Thank you for that,¡± Dia replied.


    The Emperor of the Grandis Empire chuckled. ¡°So, having said all this, what do the Seekers of Life feel?¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, we were intending to stay here,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Ever since the news broke out. However, if possible, deploy us in areas where we probably won¡¯t need to fight the Moons. It¡¯ll create less problems for everyone.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. The Moons are very¡­intelligent, to use a neutral term. Employing the Seekers of Life to fight against them will simply open up more avenues for them to sow discord¡­either them, or the Dark.¡± He smirked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Now, then, on to the serious business.¡±


    He gestured at the weird altar-like object once, infusing mana into it with that small movement, and the whole thing began to glow. The cube-like structure that was Grandia appeared first in mid-air, and Beth let out awed sounds as an impressive miniature landscape appeared in mid-air.


    ¡°This¡­¡± Dia looked at the illusion or whatever it was. ¡°Emperor Grandis, are you sure you want to show this to us? We are not your war council, and we aren¡¯t professionals in this either. There has to be some issues with confidentiality as well, right?¡±


    ¡°I make the rules. I see no problem.¡±


    Those words stopped Dia¡¯s follow-up dead in their tracks, and some dark thoughts about how it was nice to be the one making rules partied around in her head for a few seconds.


    ¡°So, this is the terrain around Grandia¡­and this is the entire continent, right?¡± Schwarz craned his neck. ¡°And the colour schemes¡­wait, what?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it seems that the divinities struck with the force of a raging river,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Only the immediate area around Grandia is still free of either side. That was fast.¡±


    ¡°I am told that the territories in the Nihila Sovereignty were thoroughly unprepared for an actual attack,¡± Emperor Grandis murmured. ¡°Everyone had been lulled into a false sense of security, assuming that this war would not affect them. Clearly, this was not the case. Was this planned? Or just an unfortunate coincidence that began with the Thief of Time? Sadly, I will never know.¡±


    He gestured again. ¡°There are two fronts in this war. The southern front has been excluded, since that is where our main forces will face off with the Moons. If possible, I would like the Seekers of Life to hold the northern front. You will be generously compensated in terms of lifestones and artefacts.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we have anything else to do,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Yeah. And it¡¯s time we tested our full strength,¡± Schwarz added.


    ¡°Bet!¡±


    ¡°Beth is Beth, I see.¡± Nero rubbed her head. ¡°We¡¯re fine too. I don¡¯t want to be brainwashed or anything anyway.¡±


    ¡°Bit rich coming from a Holy Son, though.¡± Risti clicked her tongue. ¡°My father¡¯s here, yes? Then there¡¯s no reason to not fight. I want to see him mow down crowds of enemies!¡±


    ¡°What happened to you, little Risti?¡± Emperor Grandis had a bemused look on his face. ¡°Where did this aggression come from?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

 Chapter 650: A new power

    ¡°It should be Gibbous Moon now.¡± Claud gazed at the massive platform in front of him, a platform that emanated a horrifying aura, and then let out another breath. ¡°Have you gotten used to it?¡±


    Lily, who was also mediating with him, nodded. ¡°Partially. As expected, being the O thing really does make dealing with gods easier, though. My progress is still lacking, compared to yours.¡±


    Claud looked at the massive platform. The two of them had, after long periods of painstaking effort, managed to climb onto the eighth step. There were only two steps remaining before they would reach the top, but it was physically impossible for the two of them to ascend any further.


    ¡°Well, I am supposedly the end of all things or something,¡± Claud quipped. ¡°Still, I feel like I¡¯ve grown mentally stronger after staying here. And my muscles feel very compact now. Did I grow shorter?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the pressure this thing giving off intangible? It¡¯s probably your imagination¡­¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Claud closed his eyes again and took in a deep breath. Their training here had been fruitful. The presence of a divinity, the raw, unbridled effect they had on reality, had been muted drastically ever since the two of them began to mediate here. The presence and pressure the gods gave off were awe-inspiring, true, but given enough time, one would eventually adapt to them.


    It probably helped that the both of them were hexa-folders too.


    ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t think we can progress any further right now. Maybe this is a place where deca-folders can eventually rise to become gods. I mean, the Black God left this platform thing here, and there¡¯s a mysterious power at the top¡­¡±


    Claud nodded. The two of them, over the past few weeks, had eventually made out a clump of dense, shimmering energy that seemed completely different from lifeforce or mana at the top of the platform. If they could take it into their bodies, something would definitely happen, but one needed a corresponding level of strength to do that first.


    ¡°I wonder what that energy does. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll turn us into gods, though,¡± Claud murmured, voicing out one of his favourite questions. ¡°We¡¯re leaving today, right? Should I use that and try to grab the energy anyway?¡±


    ¡°¡­Should you?¡± Lily asked. ¡°I mean, you know yourself the best. And you¡¯ve already taken a sword and some armour pieces too. They¡¯re really good too.¡±


    Claud grinned. ¡°Hearing you say that makes my heart lighter.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so¡­maybe you should get something for yourself too,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I¡¯m sure you can do anything, so why not?¡±


    Claud gazed at the top of the platform, where a fairly huge clump of intense light lay dormant. Could he get up there, absorb or take away all that that power, and then leave safely? Was it possible for him to do that?


    In the first place, why was there a clump of complex, mysterious energy on this platform where the Black God probably ascended? Why did he leave it behind? Why would anyone leave something like this behind?


    The two of them had settled on the answer that there was probably something about the laws of the world in this. The five grand skies might have some rule that new gods would need to leave behind some divine power or something for the later generations.


    This was why he wasn¡¯t worrying about there being any traps in the energy itself. However, how would this energy change him?


    ¡°¡­I suppose I¡¯ll give it a try,¡± Claud muttered.


    Lily removed the Goddess of Hope¡¯s armour and sword, before handing them over to Claud. ¡°Here. This will definitely help.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Her face contorted slightly, and Claud felt his heart skip a beat. ¡°Lily?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just that the pressure just increased. I¡¯ll take this as more training for me while you grab that energy,¡± Lily replied, her face looking a bit pale. ¡°Now go!¡±


    The little meeplings scurried onto Lily¡¯s head, and Claud nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    Power surged through his body, and the divine pressure that had been crushing him vanished in that instant. It was no different from approaching the fallen god¡¯s corpse back then; it was as if nothing could stand before his Absolute skill.


    More than once, however, Claud had found it weird. It wasn¡¯t as if he hadn¡¯t faced off or heard about other Absolute skills before, but none of them seemed as powerful as his. With his Absolute One, he had slain the Red God, a feat that was probably unmatched in history when it came to the killer¡¯s strength. The gods of the previous eras fell to opponents who were their equal, but Claud was far from being their equal.


    Yet, this skill defied logic and everything. Not only was it a skill that literally turned him invincible, it also gave him a never-ending well of power and had other lingering effects. Were Absolute skills supposed to be this powerful?


    It was hard to say. Claud, however, knew that Absolute One came long before Omen; it was not the influence of his Omen skill that turned Absolute One into a monster.


    As the thoughts whirling in his head receded, Claud found himself on the apex of the platform. The whole process had taken a single second, and it took another second before the energy on the platform reacted and charged towards him.


    Everything around him began to glow, and a new box appeared in his vision.


    [<Subsidiary Aspiration: Qualifying Divinity > has been completed.]


    [Having taken in a portion of primordial divine power, your lifeforce and mana will now continuously change and evolve. You have earned the qualification to step into the apex of mortality.]


    [You have learned the passive skill, Transcendent Mortal!]


    [The requirements to learn <Skill: Divinity Aspirant> has lowered!]


    Claud gazed at the message for a heartbeat, and then blinked as he noticed the fact that the mysterious energy on the altar was still surrounding him. A good half of it had vanished into his body, but the other half wasn¡¯t going anywhere yet.


    Without thinking too hard, he returned back to Lily¡¯s side. Before she could say anything, he wrapped his hands around her, and the primordial divine power that was still in his body poured into Lily¡¯s body.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Just accept it,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s safe¡­do you see the changes now?¡±


    Lily paused, and then nodded, just as the sense of overwhelming might faded from Claud¡¯s body. ¡°I do. Transcendent Mortal¡­what does it do?¡±


    Claud opened his status and checked the skill.


    [Skill: Transcendent Mortal


    Skill effects: Drastically weakens the effect of divine power and mental attacks. Your resistance to physical attacks drastically increases. This effect increases for every fully formed mana circuit in your possession.


    Additional effect: This skill will evolve under the correct circumstances, when all conditions are met.]


    ¡°Okay, but how do I get Divinity Aspirant?¡± Lily wondered out loud. ¡°Is it possible for a non-Bearer to get something like this?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Claud paused. ¡°I wonder what happens if there were even more portions of primordial divine power. Maybe we could gain that skill in advance¡­but one must wonder if it¡¯s the only way to become a god. Is Divinity Aspirant a requirement for godhood?¡±


    ¡°That is a very good question.¡± Lily made a face. ¡°But let¡¯s put this aside for a moment. Haven¡¯t you noticed something?¡±


    Claud looked around as he removed the Goddess of Hope¡¯s armour and sword from his body. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Lily began to wear the armour. ¡°Well, the pressure that this platform or altar is emanating is beginning to weaken. I can¡¯t quite sense the Black God¡¯s presence from this anymore.¡±


    ¡°¡­So, I¡¯m the first person in this cycle to gain primordial divine power, huh.¡± Claud made a face. ¡°Would the gods be able to detect it? Now that I think about it, it¡¯s quite dangerous, right?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be an issue for you, since you do have that skill,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But what about me?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Claud pondered for a moment. ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking too hard about what came afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Eh, it¡¯s fine.¡± Lily smiled brightly. ¡°You were thinking for me, right? At most, just use your Will of Solitude to cover us from now on. That should be fine.¡±


    Claud thought for a moment. ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s how we¡¯re going to do it for the time being. So, now that this platform is losing its effectiveness, I suppose it¡¯s time for us to leave, right? Nothing big should have happened in the meantime, so let¡¯s call it a day and go home.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s pack up first, then,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Nero and Kemata better not trash our house, or I¡¯m going to wipe them on the floor. I¡¯ve gained a lot.¡±


    ¡°The Third Tutorial¡­¡±


    ¡°Soon, I suppose.¡± Lily¡¯s eyes twinkled. ¡°Soon. Let¡¯s go pack everything up first, and then head for home.¡±

 Chapter 651: The duo returns to a war

    After taking a few hours to verify that there was indeed nothing wrong with their bodies, Claud and Lily packed away any proof that they had been living close to the platform where the Black God turned into a god, and then headed out. The two of them skirted around all the problematic places that had been scouted out in their journey here, as well as the spectres and echoes of the past, before crossing through one last intangible boundary.


    ¡°They¡¯re gone,¡± Lily observed. ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    Claud looked around the area. ¡°Hmm. They packed up quite quickly, at least. What happened to the Seekers of Truth, though? Why did they leave all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Did the changes in the ancient battlefield alarm them?¡± Lily guessed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think so. None of them ventured this far in,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Maybe a Distortion or something took place. Who knows?¡±


    ¡°I think something bigger happened, though.¡± Lily frowned.


    Claud looked at the trails that had been left behind. ¡°The only question is what.¡±


    The two of them poked around for a few more minutes, before shaking their heads at each other. There was indeed some evidence that the place had been hastily vacated, like forgotten stakes and half-removed fences, but otherwise, the occupants of this camp had been rather thorough in their departure.


    At any rate, Claud could not see anything else that could give them more hints, so the two of them decided not to hang around.


    ¡°So, where to next?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Do we fly home, or head towards Kabir first?¡±


    Lily thought for a few seconds, and then shivered. ¡°Let¡¯s not do either. We¡¯ll find a small town first.¡±


    ¡°Sneak into it and gather some news, I see.¡± Claud frowned. ¡°But why did you decide on this course of action?¡±


    ¡°My sixth sense or something,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I don¡¯t like this situation at all. The Seekers of Truth and a whole bunch of other mana-users, all scared into packing up and running? There¡¯s definitely something huge. Maybe¡­well, maybe the divinities made a move or something. I can¡¯t really imagine any other reason that could scare them into leaving.¡±


    ¡°So the divinities attacked the ancient battlefield?¡±


    ¡°Possible¡­¡± Lily looked around. ¡°Um, the isolation barrier thing is up, right?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°No, just checking. Let¡¯s head over to the closest town or something first,¡± Lily replied. ¡°You should take a break, though. You still look quite bad.¡±


    ¡°Which is why you¡¯re making all the decisions, huh.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing compared to you, though.¡± Lily plucked out three little shapes. ¡°Hey, you guys. Go nest in Claud¡¯s head for a while. Do your calming thing, whatever it is.¡±


    ¡°Calming thing?¡±


    ¡°Their meeps and movements make me calm,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Very soothing!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Claud furrowed his brows. ¡°I¡¯ve never noticed that before, though?¡±


    ¡°I mean, you¡¯ve been benefitting from it constantly, so that¡¯s probably a key reason. You probably never noticed it for that reason.¡±


    Claud felt his mind whirl in confusion, so he decided not to think that hard about it. Besides, those little guys were nuzzling his scalp for some reason now, a feeling of comfort that seemed to have no equal at all.


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Activating Will of Freedom, Claud brought Lily up into the skies, and his face twisted. For some reason, the barriers he¡¯d remembered seeing in Grandis, the barrier that surrounded both the key territories of the Moons and the Dark, were now very visible from his current vantage point. The fact that both of them were actually visible also meant that they were in close proximity to each other; in other words¡­


    ¡°The war restarted?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Why? Why did it restart? And¡­the encroachment by both sides is this pronounced?¡±


    ¡°Not only that,¡± Lily whispered. ¡°Look! There!¡±


    Claud turned to the direction Lily was facing, and his body quivered. When they arrived at the ancient battlefield last time, all they could see was a boundless ocean that would eventually lead to the Grandis Empire. However, he could now see a seemingly endless landmass at the horizon of the ocean that divided Grandis and Nihal.


    In other words, the things that he¡¯d seen in the Second Tutorial were beginning to come true.


    ¡°The continents are combining¡­¡± Claud gazed at the massive landmasses that protruded outwards from the horizon, and then touched his chest. It wasn¡¯t just Grandis either. Now that he was aware of Grandis¡¯ proximity, he could also feel another tremendous source of power that was a good distance away.


    ¡°¡­How long would it take before they all smash into each other?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Claud confessed, ¡°but everything that¡¯s going on right now is probably a prelude to the real battle that¡¯ll break out when the three continents finally smash into each other.¡±


    He looked around at the bubbles of light, and then shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s return back. I¡¯m concerned about the others.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡±


    The two of them surged towards the Grandis Empire. What was a journey that had once taken quite some time was now reduced into a trip that was a matter of minutes for the two of them. Before long, the two of them had crossed the dwindling channel of water that divided Nihal from Grandis, and Claud paused above the shores of the Grandis Empire.


    ¡°It feels weird, just arriving at Grandis this quickly,¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°Where should we go, though?¡±


    He gazed at the two gigantic spheres of power that were pressing against each other, and a small frown appeared on his face. Both the Dark and the Moons had taken so much territory that their spheres of influence were now pressing against each other.


    ¡°They¡¯re not holding back, huh.¡± Lily looked around. ¡°Hey! There¡¯s a weird spot that doesn¡¯t seem encapsulated by these spheres. Some sort of free territory, I think?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s our destination, then.¡±


    The two of them whizzed towards the barrier-free territory, and Claud found himself lost in thought. Why did the Moons and the Dark suddenly move to war? When did it happen? And why were they so motivated to beat each other up now?


    Questions whirling in his head, the two of them approached the only free territory that was left. The features of this particular piece of land stood out as they closed in; in the centre was a gigantic cube that Claud had never seen before. Multiple layers of walls enclosed the cube, with signs of life and inhabitation filling up these layers, but¡­


    ¡°Those aren¡¯t houses, are they?¡± Claud asked.


    ¡°I think they¡¯re military camps. Or barracks. Like, lots and lots of them,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Look!¡±


    Claud followed her hand, which was pointed at the northern patch of land outside the outermost wars. He could see formations of troops clashing with shadows. Explosions bombarded the entire area ceaselessly, beating back the tides of darkness that were threatening to engulf the small little patch of land.


    Similar scenes were playing out where the borders of the Moons and the Dark met, except that the combatants were the tri-coloured and shadowy soldiers of both sides respectively.


    ¡°¡­They¡¯re not holding back at all,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Why? They were showing restraint for a long time, right? What exactly happened?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Claud looked at the ceaseless war that was breaking out, and then shivered. Not too long ago, the whole world was at peace. The divinities and humanity were all united against the Distortions and the problems they could pose. Now, however, it would seem that everything else had been set aside in favour of fighting this older war again¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s head down there first¡­careful! Air patrols¡­right, they can¡¯t see us.¡± Lily watched on as a patrol of Moonlit soldiers flew underneath them. ¡°This is handy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m good, huh.¡± Claud looked at the cube that was occupying the remaining bits of free territory. ¡°So¡­what in the name of the Moons is that cube?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Lily frowned. ¡°Odd. I get a feeling I should know it, though. It¡¯s so familiar to me for some reason.¡±


    ¡°It is?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Claud pondered for a moment. ¡°Ah! It reminds me of the Celestia Ruins. Maybe someone brought down some mobile fortress or something from the ruins. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very possible, but I¡¯m not talking about that.¡± Lily¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°I feel like I should know this place. This bit of land. But the barriers and all these things are throwing me off.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°¡­Ah! It¡¯s Grandia! It¡¯s the capital of the Empire!¡± Lily clapped her hands. ¡°Right! And this cube is the city itself! Sheesh. How did I not remember something as outlandish as this?¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s a safe place, then.¡±


    ¡°Yeap! ¡­Probably.¡±


    ¡°Probably?¡± Claud eyed Lily and poked her cheek. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t be sure either, but¡­it¡¯s probably safer than the other places.¡± Lily made a face. ¡°Still, it seems like we can¡¯t go home for the time being. It¡¯s all under the Moons now¡­¡±


    ¡°To Grandia, then. I wonder how the others are doing¡­¡±

 (TOT) Chapter 652: Sneaking into the capital

    ¡°Odd.¡± Lily fiddled with the Trading Board in her hands. ¡°No one responded to my questions. Are they all out on a mission or something?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Probably they¡¯re busy doing something right now.¡± Claud frowned. ¡°Still, they¡¯re carrying out tasks now, of all times? They must be doing something for the Moons, then. Is it wise for us to be here, in that case?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s worth a shot. We¡¯ll go down and dig out some intelligence first. Your Will of Solitude should let us sneak into Grandia unnoticed, after all.¡± Lily paused. ¡°Still, this is madness. The Distortions and those things that apparently are worse than Distortions are menacing the world, and the divinities are waging war on each other? One has to wonder why¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll find out.¡± Claud paused. ¡°Probably, anyway. Grandia is probably the best choice for us to find answers right now, but where should we start?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Look at the city,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m not fully confident that I can find a bar or a tavern there. This place looks really awesome. Would an awesome place have a watering hole?¡±


    ¡°In your estimation, awesome places won¡¯t have a tavern?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Count Nightfall is going to cry.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I think, anyway. I mean, drunken people really don¡¯t fit into the dominant aesthetics of the Grandis capital, right?¡±


    Claud landed on the ground, guiding Lily with his hand. The weakness that had been plaguing him had weakened ever since he began mediating and contending against the almighty pressure of the Black God. How could the hollowness of one¡¯s life stand against the full power of the Black God at the moment of his apotheosis? Thanks to that, the fatigue that had been biting at him had been numbed thoroughly.


    Lily still supported him randomly, though. It was hard to shake the habit, and Claud also found himself cuddling up to her once in a while.


    ¡°There¡¯s quite the long queue,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°And these guys don¡¯t look tourists either. Covered wagons and whole families¡­refugees?¡±


    ¡°Seems like it. But doesn¡¯t that imply that the war that¡¯s going on is a destructive one?¡± Claud asked, and then paused. ¡°More destructive than the previous one, anyway. The previous battles didn¡¯t seem to affect the people much, save for the Terra Jewel.¡±


    ¡°Neither side is holding back, then,¡± Lily concluded. ¡°They¡¯re probably launching insane, indiscriminate attacks. Look! There are soldiers watching over these refugees.¡±


    Claud followed the long train of people, and then frowned. There were actually troops here, troops that wore neither the colours of the Moons nor the Dark. ¡°What are they here for? To protect these refugees, or to enforce order?¡±


    The two of them watched for a few minutes, but none of them could uncover the answer just yet. After a while, Claud got bored and motioned at the cube. ¡°Come on.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The two of them walked past the queue without anyone noticing. There was a checkpoint of sorts there, but it was easy enough for Claud and Lily to slip in with a bunch of wagons, and before long, the two of them were inside the weird city.


    ¡°Damn.¡± Claud looked around the place. The ¡°sky¡± was just fake lightning, held up by tall buildings that looked more like pillars than actual houses. ¡°This definitely is from Celestia. Maybe a bit exaggerated.¡±


    ¡°But this suits your taste, right?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Got that right in one,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But it¡¯s too big. A small fort for the two of us would be more to my liking.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Lily smiled. ¡°Right, you told me about this city that was in your Second Tutorial, right? Rimestar and the Frozen Coffin around it. Does this place have to do with Rimestar?¡±


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Claud shook his head. ¡°Rimestar was a normal city built around a floating palace of ice and snow. Not something as outlandish as this.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lily frowned. ¡°So where did the Frozen Coffin come from, then? I mean, it sounded quite awesome too.¡±


    ¡°¡­Maybe I got my hands on it somehow?¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°I try not to think about the Second Tutorial. It¡¯s no longer valid, as is the Third. And both of them present horrible futures to me anyway, so I don¡¯t really want to dwell on them longer than is necessary.¡±


    Lily looked at him, and then nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    The two of them looked around for a while. One of the most notable features he could see was the gigantic tent city that had been erected. From the fences around it, it was clear that this tent city was the living space for the refugees that were heading here; did this mean that Grandia was running out of living space?


    The soldiers stationed around the sprawling tent city ¡ª or those he could see, anyway ¡ª weren¡¯t armed, but Claud knew that Emperor Grandis definitely didn¡¯t send a bunch of weaklings to deal with the issue of law and order in his precious city. At any rate, however, the refugee camp directly dealt with the issue of information.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head over to the refugees and see what¡¯s going on,¡± Claud suggested. ¡°We¡¯ll steer clear of the Emperor. He might decide to conscript us or something, and that¡¯ll suck.¡±


    ¡°I wonder where the others are, though.¡± Lily made a face. ¡°They should have scrambled to safety or hid in somewhere safe, at least. Either that, or they¡¯ve been forced by the Moons to do some missions.¡±


    ¡°I think they ran off,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Or at least, Nero and Kemata did. Remember what happened when we returned to our house back then?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Lily folded her arms. ¡°That¡¯s rather distressing. Are they fine? They should be, right?¡±


    The two of them slipped into the refugee city in silence. Colourful tents billowed in the artificial wind, but there was a faint, beautiful order to these tents. Clearly, someone had taken the trouble to make sure that this place was kept nice and clean, presumably to prevent Emperor Grandis from getting mad.


    In that case, though, why wasn¡¯t the refugee camp established outside the city? Why did Emperor Grandis afford this much attention to the issue of refugees? As an existence that stood at the peak of humanity, there would probably be thousands of people willing to take care of refugees long before it became an issue, but¡­


    ¡°The old emperor¡¯s behaving sneakily again,¡± Claud muttered.


    ¡°Sneakily?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Seems like he¡¯s paying an awful lot of attention to the refugee issue,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Why? What for? It¡¯s not like he needs to care about them, right? Maybe he¡¯s a kind person, but I¡¯m not that¡­gullible.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he wants the refugees to feel grateful or something,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Feel grateful?¡± Claud glanced at her. ¡°Why did you choose to say that, of all things?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking about the divinities and the gods,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Specifically the Coloured Gods. Why would they need followers? Do the gods need people to believe in them? Or is this a requirement for people who became gods?¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying¡­¡±


    ¡°The Emperor might be trying for godhood,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯s just a guess on my part, though¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind, then. Hmm. But that means he needs to clear the Third Tutorial, then.¡± Claud bobbed his head. ¡°I wish him the best of luck, if nothing else. Now, then¡­¡±


    The two of them stopped at an extra-large tent. While there probably weren¡¯t any bars or taverns in the Emperor¡¯s curated capital city, the same couldn¡¯t be said for the refugees. For some reason, there was actually a restaurant-esque tent in front of them; a tent that was selling barbeque and alcohol¡­


    Claud glanced at the shop¡¯s signboard, and then frowned. ¡°Refugee¡¯s Rest Rum. Why is this naming style so freaking familiar? What, Triple-R?¡±


    ¡°Schwarz is here?¡±


    Claud poked his head inside the tent, which was quite neat. He glanced at the clean counter once, and then shook his head. ¡°The counter¡¯s clean. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s him.¡±


    ¡°¡­What kind of identification method is that supposed to be?¡± Lily asked, before poking her head into the tent too. ¡°But the bartender¡¯s not him, and there aren¡¯t that many passed-out drunks here. Maybe it¡¯s a coincidence.¡±


    Claud pondered for a moment. ¡°Makes sense. Schwarz and unconscious drunken people are synonymous, after all.¡±


    The two of them entered the tent. Under the cover of Will of Solitude, no one noticed them, allowing Claud and Lily to walk right up to groups of people that were drowning their sorrows and chatting over cups and mugs of alcohol. Ignoring the drunken fellows and the rowdy ones, Claud walked over to a small group of men and women.


    ¡°Hic.¡± The woman closest to Claud slammed her mug down, and the others looked at her.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°What did you think of?¡±


    ¡°My house, obviously,¡± the woman snapped. ¡°Damn it. They didn¡¯t conscript people last time, so I bought a bunch of houses from those who fled. And then it turned out that the Moons was conscripting everyone. Do you know how much money we wasted? We¡¯re running out of money for even booze!¡±


    ¡°Then stop drinking¡­¡±


    Claud exchanged glances with Lily as the woman¡¯s friend offered some sound advice, and then nodded at each other.


    Drinking, as it turned out, was quite the problem here¡­

 Chapter 653: Surveying the new war

    After a few minutes of poking around, Claud and Lily finally got the details they needed. Not too long after Gibbous Moon began, the Dark and the Moons ended their ceasefire and started an all-out war against each other and humanity. The Coloured Gods were also drawn into this battle, although the drunken fellows here didn¡¯t have many details about that.


    This war, however, was different from the one that had happened earlier. For one, the Dark and the Moons weren¡¯t holding anything back this time. They were forcibly conscripting any and all mana-users in their territory, and were pushing rapidly. There wasn¡¯t any indirect rule either; both powers had put the rulers of their newly conquered territory into house arrest and were controlling the flow of food, resources and other things directly.


    It was a complete change from the first war. Humans had ceased to be qualified collaborators; they were at best irrelevant and at worst pests to be eradicated.


    ¡°¡­Unbelievable.¡± Claud looked at a black card. ¡°And Lesser Half hasn¡¯t said anything either. I mean, the guy loved the idea of mingling with humans. I don¡¯t think he would have accepted this.¡±


    ¡°Maybe Greater Half stopped him or something,¡± Lily suggested. ¡°You¡¯re right. Lesser Half wouldn¡¯t have allowed this to happen.¡±


    ¡°So something happened to him.¡±


    It was a statement that meant a lot to the two of them, and Lily grimaced. ¡°Is he a friend of ours? Claud, you¡¯re the one who will make the call here.¡±


    Claud closed his eyes. ¡°I am sure that my predecessor wouldn¡¯t have done this. That person and I are¡­similar, yet different. Therefore, any path I take away from him is a possible step away from this fate. I am not sure if he knew this. I believe he did. But even he would not have ventured into the territory of the Dark to save a friend that may not be in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Is that your answer?¡± Lily asked. ¡°You may very well be grasping at straws here, you know.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But there¡¯s another part to this too.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah. He¡¯s a friend. And he helped us quite a few times. We shared drinks and food.¡± Lily looked at Claud. ¡°And it¡¯s not like we¡¯re powerless, right? We¡¯ve grown all but immune to the pressure of a divinity, and your skills can trick even the world itself. It¡¯s no longer beyond us to save Lesser Half. It just sounds quite absurd¡­¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°I believe Lesser Half will try to save us if we¡¯re in trouble. Him, and everyone in the Seekers. We should at least reciprocate, right? I yearn for life, but¡­if we can help, we should help. It¡¯s not like we can¡¯t play it safe.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°To be honest, I was thinking of trying to help, or at least try to contact him. But I¡¯m¡­a person doomed by fate. I can¡¯t save people alone.¡±


    ¡°Doomed by fate¡­¡± Claud didn¡¯t like the way those words rolled off her tongue so easily, but what could he say to her? That he didn¡¯t like it? That he didn¡¯t like the possibility that all his work would be for naught in the end?


    He shook his head, sucked in a breath, and then looked around him. ¡°Well, let¡¯s move, then. Lesser Half shouldn¡¯t have lost too much strength. He should be able to complement our efforts when we bust him out.¡±


    The two of them turned and left the tent-restaurant. It was a shame that they couldn¡¯t stay for any meaningful unit of time, but having learned about the possible danger that Lesser Half was in, Claud couldn¡¯t bring himself to delay too much.


    In silence, the two of them rose into the sky.


    ¡°Say, you¡­¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°You once said you feared not death, but being captured, right? Why?¡±


    ¡°Why, you ask¡­¡± Claud looked at Lily as they left the cube that was Grandia. ¡°Being at someone¡¯s mercy is the most frightening thing that can happen. With enough time, they can crush your mind and turn into whatever they desire. Death is the end, true, but there are more ends than one.¡±


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    He paused. ¡°Death before capture is more preferable, in my opinion.¡±


    Lily lowered her head. ¡°You do know you¡¯re telling me this, though. There¡¯s some irony there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud closed his eyes. ¡°But know that I¡¯ll be swiftly come for you should you ever be captured. I cannot say the same for other people. I won¡¯t allow anything to happen to you. Ever.¡±


    ¡°In that case,¡± Lily replied, ¡°you should also choose capture over death. Because I¡¯ll come for you. If you¡¯re ever captured. You can¡¯t say all that and then choose the easy way out now, can you? I¡¯ll come for you too.¡±


    Claud opened his eyes and rubbed her head. ¡°Oh, Lily¡­you ask me to put aside my greatest fear? You¡¯re asking a lot from me, though.¡±


    Her steadfast eyes bored into Claud¡¯s own, and he lowered his head. ¡°Okay. I get it. Fine. I¡¯ll just¡­be captured if I¡¯m forced between it and death, alright?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s better.¡±


    The two of them hovered above the capital city of Grandis for a few moments, before Lily looked at him. ¡°Where do you think Lesser Half is?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to infiltrate the enemy to find out,¡± Claud replied. ¡°But there can only be a few places, right? All things considered, Greater Half and Lesser Half are siblings. His older sister can¡¯t be all that harsh on him, if nothing else. So Lesser Half is probably somewhere that¡¯s fairly luxurious for human standards, because he likes human culture and humanity in general.¡±


    ¡°So a palace, then.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Claud thought for a moment. ¡°And Lesser Half is no slouch either. I bet his sister has an eye on him all day long. Therefore, he cannot be too far from her place of power, no matter where it is. If we find Greater Half, we¡¯ll find Lesser Half too. It has to be a nearby palace or something, and the local populace should have some rumours about Lesser Half, good food and laughs.¡±


    ¡°It sounds way too easy, though,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And you¡¯re making an awful lot of assumptions there.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re hoping that the information and inferences used in these are true, but even if they aren¡¯t, we¡¯ll be able to dig out information in hostile territory anyway,¡± Claud replied. ¡°After all, the divinities¡­like to underestimate humans.¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°True. They probably don¡¯t have things like gag orders or anything, right? Besides, I don¡¯t think anyone else can infiltrate enemy territory the way you do.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a genius, I guess?¡±


    Lily eyed him solemnly, and then nodded. ¡°That¡¯s probably the reason.¡±


    The two of them messed around for a bit, and then pulled out the meeplings, who were looking around and presumably wondering why they were out of the city once more.


    ¡°Meep?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re heading to hostile territory, so you guys need to be a bit quiet,¡± Claud began. ¡°See that ominous bubble of darkness and shadow? That¡¯s our target.¡±


    ¡°Meep.¡± Crown bounced on his palm, somehow expressing its intention to be disciplined and to watch over the others. The other meeplings didn¡¯t accept Crown¡¯s rulership easily, however, and the two of them watched idly as they bumped each other into apparent submission.


    In the end, Crown won, and the other meeplings made muffled meeps as they hopped onto Lily¡¯s hair.


    ¡°They like your hair more, huh.¡± Claud looked at the nestling little fellows. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    A sense of danger reared its head as the two of them closed in on the northern battlefront, and Claud frowned as he stopped before the rippling walls of shadow.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Claud narrowed his eyes. ¡°While my skill prevents me from being found, it doesn¡¯t really remove logic from the equation. For instance, if I kick a bottle over, people will still notice. Similarly, if we enter the barrier like this, Greater Half might be able to detect it. She¡¯ll be able to tell that someone or something entered the barrier, but if she casts her vision here, there¡¯ll be nothing.¡±


    ¡°Which is suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Claud looked at the battlefield below. ¡°We can attempt to sneak in with the soldiers here, but that doesn¡¯t mitigate all the risk at all. There¡¯s a solid chance that Greater Half will be alert to our intrusion, or at least suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Greater Half will beef up on security, then.¡±


    ¡°At the very least. But if we play it right¡­¡± Claud landed on the ground with Lily. ¡°And if luck¡¯s on our side, it shouldn¡¯t be this bad.¡±


    The two of them snuck up to a troop of shadows. Most of them were moving like punch-drunk barfellows who had clobbered each other with stools after quarrelling over which of Schwarz¡¯s drinks were better, making the process of following them somewhat easier.


    The two of them fell in line with the soldiers.


    ¡°¡­They don¡¯t feel that happy to me,¡± Lily muttered.


    ¡°Feel that happy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lily¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Maybe it¡¯s because they¡¯ve been fruitlessly fighting on and on? Or something. Not sure.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s worth investigating.¡± Claud paused. ¡°Do you think these guys have loose lips?¡±

 Chapter 654: An interesting skill

    ¡°I think we forgot about this, but the Shadowed Ones communicate with telepathy rather than words,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Must be nice. But they¡¯re still like us, huh.¡±


    Her gaze was fixed on the mugs of alcohol, and Claud nodded. Soldiers, no matter whether they were humans or the creations of the Dark or the Moons, were generally more predisposed to alcohol than other occupations. However, there was a small chance that these guys would accidentally start talking instead of thinking in their drunken stupor, just like how some people would start babbling after they were drunk.


    After three minutes or so, Claud decided that learning how to listen in to mental conversations was probably the next thing they had to learn. Back when they were staying in Lesser Half¡¯s world, the people there were happy to telepathically speak to them, but Claud and Lily had to physically speak to respond.


    ¡°Hmm. I think we can only send one message,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°And we¡¯ll have to ask Lesser Half how to intercept mental communications.¡±


    ¡°Why not just ask him to reveal his current location?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s a solid chance that Greater Half would notice and then change the place where he¡¯s incarcerated,¡± Claud replied. ¡°The intelligence would be useless, then.¡±


    ¡°You sure are cautious,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s me!¡±


    Lily nodded, and the two of them looked at the card that Lesser Half had given them. It was full of scribbles from their side, and could probably be only used a few more times. Claud had to make his words count.


    ¡°Hmm. ¡®Coming to rescue you. How to listen and speak telepathically.¡¯ Is this good?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Or should we be a bit more specific?¡±


    ¡°I think this would work. And it doesn¡¯t take too many words either,¡± Lily replied. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Her eyebrows quivered as she wrote down those words. Nothing seemed to happen for around ten seconds, before a skyshaking surge of energy shook the world, and everyone ¡ª the two of them and the Shadowed Ones ¡ª looked towards the north.


    A pillar of absolute shadow and a pillar that seemed to contain the starry sky blazed in the grey, faintly lit skies north to them, and Claud intuitively understood. Lesser Half was resisting his sister to get a message back to them, but if there was any doubt that Claud had regarding the balance of power between the sibling duo, the scene of Lesser Dark being overpowered by the absolute darkness had erased them entirely.


    ¡°They¡¯re fighting again,¡± one of the Shadowed Ones muttered.


    ¡°Yeah. We need to use our mouths. Bah.¡± Another Shadowed One picked up a mug and downed the contents. ¡°Hey, did you hear? There¡¯s this really strong drink on the humans¡¯ side. I got some from them earlier.¡±


    Claud tilted his head. How did this fellow get alcohol from humans? From how he phrased it, it seemed that this soldier had gotten alcohol from his counterpart in the Grandia side of things. More importantly, however, it would seem that the ability to telepathically communicate was contingent on the Dark and their current state.


    ¡°Lord Lesser Half just doesn¡¯t want to fight the humans. And I have to agree,¡± the Shadowed One who had spoken first muttered. ¡°Isn¡¯t alcohol nice?¡±


    ¡°Right? Ugh. And it¡¯s not like Lord Greater Half takes pleasure in this either. If not for that stupid Omen, we wouldn¡¯t need to fight the humans either. Poor Lostfon, though. I heard that the count¡¯s palace was half-demolished during the previous round. It¡¯s probably gone now.¡±


    Claud frowned. What did he have to do with the whole thing? He could feel Lily¡¯s gaze on him too, and a warm hand patted his back in an attempt to comfort him. The little comfort she gave him, however, was not enough to drown out the rising suspicion that he was perhaps the very cause behind the insane reignition of this conflict. However, what was the exact reason?


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    At any rate, it seemed that the great Dark was currently based in Lostfon, if nothing else. Could they reach there in time?


    ¡°Right? Well, as long as we put on a show, I guess things are fine. What did you get from the Third Regiment?¡±


    ¡°Check this out!¡±


    The conversation devolved into little things as the two of them rose into the sky. As the pillar that represented Lesser Half began to shrink, the card that Claud and Lily had penned their message on rippled once, before turning into ash entirely.


    ¡°Wa¡ª¡±


    Claud felt the remaining half of his utterance vanish as something entered the outer layers of his mind. It was a sensation that lasted for a heartbeat, and when it ended, he could faintly sense a faint¡­layer or something all around him.


    [You have acquired <Skill: Thoughtscryer!>]


    Before he could examine the skill closely, something weird seemed to gather around Lily, and her presence shifted subtly.


    Lily blinked at him. Claud! Can you hear me?


    Claud nodded. Yeah¡­this is wild. Still, I don¡¯t think we should use this much. It¡¯s probably sustained by the two divinities, after all. We¡¯ll use this to eavesdrop and nothing else.


    Okay!


    The two of them turned to the ground beneath them, and Claud narrowed his eyes. The Shadowed Ones had returned to speaking through thoughts alone, but he could now sense a turbulence in the area there. If he was a bit closer, he could probably hear their chatter and everything, a sentiment shared by Lily.


    Lily, however, simply pointed north, and Claud nodded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, then,¡± Claud muttered.


    The two of them shot towards the north, hurtling towards the rapidly calming world. Before long, the battle that had raged between the two divine siblings had vanished, and Claud frowned. By now, Greater Half was probably wondering what the heck was in the message that her little brother had sent, or even wondering what in the name of the Moons was even going on.


    Claud grimaced as some intangible resistance attempted to slow down his approach, although this resistance was largely ineffectual. His Will of Freedom freed him and everyone in the small zone he¡¯d created from other forces; even if Greater Half fully intended to stop anyone from entering her vicinity right now, Claud believed that the two of them couldn¡¯t be stopped.


    After all, these skills seemed to have some¡­miraculous aspects to them. It was fortunate that he probably monopolised all the Aeon Folds too, since it would be a problem if other people got their hands on skills as nasty as his.


    ¡°We¡¯re closing in,¡± Claud muttered. ¡°But we can¡¯t mount a direct escape. I don¡¯t want to use that skill this openly, and after that short skirmish, the other divinities might be spying on the territory of the great Dark too.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t fight his sister either,¡± Lily added. ¡°While we¡¯re attempting to mount a rescue, we also need to know what¡¯s going on. And I don¡¯t think Lesser Half would want to murder his sister anyway.¡±


    Claud nodded in agreement. They would need to find a way to sneak into Lesser Half¡¯s holding location, and then play it by ear from there. Given how the war was escalating in an insane fashion, however, there was little point in forcing a confrontation immediately. There would be a moment when Greater Half left to deal with changes in the front, and they would take this chance to communicate with Lesser Half and hear what he wanted.


    All things considered, Lesser Half was the only family of his sister. She probably couldn¡¯t be that tough on him, right?


    The two of them soon arrived at the familiar visage of Lostfon County. From the looks of it, Grandia itself was located some ways away from the Nihila Sovereignty as a whole, although the entire mess of continents moving towards each other had compressed the Grandis continent in their own way.


    Probably, anyway. At any rate, the cartographers would probably find themselves bus¡ª


    ¡°¡­Huh.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Lily looked at him. ¡°Did you think of something again?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I just remembered another part of the Second Tutorial. Something about the world changing so much that maps became inaccurate, and the people under the rule of the divinities completely forgetting what it was like to live without blind worship.¡±


    ¡°And are we on the road to that future?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Certainly so,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Damnit. The Hollow God didn¡¯t need to deal with this rubbish because he destroyed the world a year after, but now that I think about it, the Frozen Emperor¡¯s future wasn¡¯t fully averted. Only our fates were, in a sense.¡±


    ¡°So the future that you saw in the Second Tutorial¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s going to be some changes, because I wasn¡¯t there for a new city to form around me,¡± Claud replied. ¡°There are a whole host of other changes too. I¡¯m not sure what this future holds, as a result. But¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably a better one,¡± Lily replied. ¡°And it¡¯s all thanks to you.¡±


    Claud gazed at the city before him. ¡°Yeah. I hope so too.¡±

 Chapter 655: An uneasy normalcy

    Claud ruminated on the possibility that the future was heading down the one he¡¯d seen in the Second Tutorial as they landed in Lostfon. The populace was still there, especially the refugees that the count had accepted, and Claud gazed at the complex infrastructure that now surrounded the county like an outer ring of sorts.


    Back then, the count had gotten the incoming refugees to build their own homes with building materials he provided free of charge. The project was clearly a resounding success, seeing as how there was a neat outer ring of houses and other buildings around the inner walls of Lostfon County.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of guards here,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°And the presence of Greater Half is quite palpable too¡­we¡¯re not going to reveal ourselves, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I fear that the entire city and more is under the direct surveillance of Greater Half. If I recall correctly¡­Greater Half is sometimes known as the greater eye, right?¡±


    ¡°I heard that once too,¡± Lily replied. ¡°So, we¡¯re taking those words literally?¡±


    ¡°Literally, yes.¡± Claud paused. ¡°Still, one must wonder what the lesser spark represents. Whatever. We¡¯ll just hang around here for a while. I don¡¯t think Greater Half would torture her little brother, after all.¡±


    He looked at the three little fellows that were perched on Lily¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Crown, you wouldn¡¯t bully the others, right?¡±


    The little velvety box rolled to its side. ¡°Meep?¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Claud chuckled. ¡°Still, this is very tiresome. If Greater Half has complete awareness of the entire city, we can¡¯t really use its services. We might end up having to fly to other cities for board and lodging instead. Damn it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, at least we can fly.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Claud chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s human nature to want more and more, huh.¡±


    The two of them marched into the city. The outer circle, the outer city of sorts, was livelier than the inner part of the county capital, but Claud wasn¡¯t harbouring any illusions that security was looser here. For one, Greater Half was definitely guarding against the possibility of spontaneous uprisings and the harbouring of dangerous elements in the more chaotic outer city; if Claud could think of this, a divinity definitely could. Secondly, there were a bunch of formidable presences holding down the fort there.


    They were probably familiar spirits, but the pressure the strongest presence gave off was comparable to the Chromatic Lords that Claud had encountered in the Trial of Aeons. One was fine, but Claud knew that the chances of him obliterating all these presences in a single blow was nearly zero, even if he attacked without care for the city here.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite¡­forced, I supposed.¡±


    ¡°Forced?¡± Claud asked. ¡°What¡¯s forced?¡±


    ¡°The semblance of life here,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I can sense it. It¡¯s like people are forcing themselves to carry on with their daily lives. There¡¯s this¡­faint sense of despair and fear here. People don¡¯t know what tomorrow brings.¡±


    Claud frowned, and then examined the street around him. While there was some noise in the shops, the din of daily life was definitely muted here. More than once, he spotted some people peeping out at the patrolling shadows, terror apparent on their faces. Whether these guards noticed or not was another question altogether, however.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Claud looked at a small group of children being led away by a beleaguered looking woman. ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°The conscription, maybe. I don¡¯t see many youths around. Only children and older people,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Is it a good idea to conscript people like this?¡± Claud wondered out loud. ¡°And from the looks on their faces, this conscription probably wasn¡¯t a peaceful event either. Greater Half probably squandered the goodwill Lesser Half built up in that moment, and then some.¡±


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    ¡°The Moons are apparently also doing the same too,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯s tough to be a human now, I suppose. Are they lacking warm bodies to throw at each other? Because that¡¯s what it seems like.¡±


    The two of them sighed together, and then continued through the newly constructed outer ring of Lostfon. However, the general vibe remained the same, and after a while, Claud stopped at the actual city gates of Lostfon. The guards there had been replaced with Shadowed Ones, and they weren¡¯t speaking at all.


    A small contingent of shadows stood close to the gates, ready to deal with any possible uprising or violence that needed to go through the gate. Claud couldn¡¯t even spot a single human there; this strategic point had been completely taken over by the Dark¡¯s forces.


    ¡°Not a lot of people, huh.¡± Lily folded her arms. ¡°Is everyone staying at home here?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± Claud wrinkled his nose. ¡°Damn. That¡¯s a strong smell of blood¡­¡±


    ¡°Blood?¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°Old. Quite old. Maybe a few weeks. But it¡¯s still there¡­behind those gates? Were people killed en masse there?¡±


    The two of them walked through the gates. No one, for obvious reasons, stopped the two of them from entering Lostfon proper, and Claud wasn¡¯t anxious to hide away either.


    ¡°¡­Some bloodstains here, I think.¡± Lily squatted down and pointed at the edge of the road. ¡°Or rather, a lot of blood, right?¡±


    Claud nodded and squatted down next to her. ¡°Washed away. This is probably the most stubborn bit. Maybe the people here tried to resist the Dark¡¯s conscription of just about everyone who could hold a weapon, and Greater Half just killed them all on the spot.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s sobering, to think about things this way.¡± Lily looked at the ground again, and then at Claud. ¡°Were the other cities affected too?¡±


    ¡°Possible. Maybe Greater Half didn¡¯t make a move,¡± Claud added. ¡°Any of her familiar spirits could crush a city alone, after all. And since they all believe that they¡¯re acting on the side of justice, good and morality by getting rid of people that would impede their master¡¯s grand goal, they probably wouldn¡¯t show mercy. After all, in such a state of mind, to show mercy is to disrespect Greater Half¡­¡±


    ¡°It still sucks, though,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°And I¡¯m sure the people who protested or something didn¡¯t expect such a violent response either.¡±


    ¡°Fundamentally, the divinities are very different from us humans,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And for that matter, the beings that serve these divinities. A single word of refusal to them may be easily construed as blatant disrespect to devout followers.¡±


    ¡°Cultural disconnects too, then.¡± Lily narrowed her eyes. ¡°But this does not excuse such actions, right?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Claud sighed. ¡°It doesn¡¯t. But who¡¯s going to hold the people responsible to account? Justice is decided by the strong. That¡¯s how it is, like it or not. It¡¯s just that we¡¯ve grown used to living in an environment where strength is tempered by reason, fairness and consideration for those who are weak.¡±


    He got up and heaved another heavy sigh. ¡°Perhaps, we¡¯ve been living in a¡­ideal society for a very long time.¡±


    ¡°Ideal?¡± Lily shook her head. ¡°We¡¯re just going downhill from the peak of human civilisation, right? In a few short years, everything is collapsing around us. Only those who were lucky enough to have strength and power, like us, can still pass judgement and talk idly about these things. Those who do not¡­have no say.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    The two of them looked at the faint bloodstains, and then continued down the street. The houses and establishments that lined the street didn¡¯t reveal much light either; most of the curtains had been drawn up. Shadowed soldiers patrolled the county capital here too, their rhythmic marching further discouraging any would-be rebellious sentiments.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to find a bar, right?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think finding a bar here would be useful,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We¡¯re going to follow these soldiers back to their bunks instead. We can eavesdrop from there on.¡±


    ¡°Just like that?¡± Lily blinked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think any human in this city is up to the task of drinking and rambling senselessly away right now,¡± Claud replied. ¡°There¡¯s a distinct absence of merriment in Lostfon, after all.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­and we do have the ability to eavesdrop mentally, right?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Claud pointed at the closest patrol. ¡°That¡¯s our target. I wonder if they¡¯re speaking telepathically while walking, though.¡±


    The two of them snuck over to the small patrol, and faint voices echoed in Claud¡¯s head. As he got closer, the clarity of these words increased, and before long, a discussion about one¡¯s favourite guard duty meal was unfolding in his mind.


    ¡°They have telepathy,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°But they¡¯re using it to discuss food. I¡¯m not too sure what to think of the whole thing.¡±


    ¡°Well, it shows that no matter how impressive something is, it can always be used to for very mundane purposes,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Besides, we have multiple ways to communicate across vast distances, but we¡¯ve also used them to natter on about random things. If these methods of long-distance communication become popular and widespread, someone¡¯s going to send a bunch of childish jokes through them eventually.¡±


    ¡°Good point, but still.¡± Lily made a face. ¡°It¡¯s just unbelievable, that¡¯s all¡­¡±

 Chapter 656: The greater eye

    The two of them continued towards the Lostfon Palace in silence. The people had all unequivocally moved out of the houses closest to the Lostfon Palace, and given the immense power and pressure that Claud could feel as he continued towards it, he could very well understand why. The Lostfon Palace itself was shrouded with immense levels of energy, shimmering powers that were far denser than that of mana.


    Divine power.


    Claud stared at the fog of divine power that shrouded the Lostfon Palace just enough to render it into a silhouette, and then at the shimmering, golden eye that hung above it.


    ¡°Really goes against the aesthetics of the great Dark, eh?¡± Claud gazed at the golden eye. ¡°The greater eye, visible only from up close. I suppose this thing was another reason why all the residents here fled until they couldn¡¯t see it any further.¡±


    He shivered. Was this golden eye the true form of Greater Half? Or was it the shadows that it cast? Light and shadow were intertwined; only with radiance could one know darkness. Claud didn¡¯t know what Lesser Half represented, but he could tell that Greater Half was probably the manifestation of both the blinding light and the blinding night.


    ¡°It¡¯s scary, I suppose. If it was moving every few seconds, it would have been better, but this eye is just unmoving. Frozen.¡± Lily shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s like we have no privacy here.¡±


    ¡°Be more confident,¡± Claud replied. ¡°No one has privacy here.¡±


    The two of them continued onwards. All the houses, from this point on, had been entirely vacated by their human occupants. To the great Dark¡¯s credit, however, these houses were only guarded by Shadowed soldiers and not occupied; it seemed that Greater Half still had an understanding of property rights or something.


    He swallowed. None of these guards were pushovers; they, too, were radiating presences that ranged from bi-folders to tetra-folders. Were they elite troops of the Dark, the royal guards for the two rulers of shadow? Or were they just foot soldiers, an inkling of what was to come as the war continued to escalate?


    Claud could only fervently hope that it was the latter; humanity would stand no chance against these mid-ranked mana-users. Furthermore, the actual elite, the familiar spirits of the Dark, hadn¡¯t made a move yet. While these familiar spirits also varied in strength, he knew that the strongest of them all rivalled the might of the Chromatic Lords, and then some.


    ¡°Now what?¡± Lily asked. ¡°We¡¯re already within eyeshot of the palace.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go and scope it out,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We need to be careful of mechanical traps, though. While most mana-based detection methods would completely miss us, we still need to obey the laws of physics and common sense. Kicking a stone by accident and sending it whizzing to some poor guard¡¯s face is not going to help us much here.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Well, then¡­¡±


    Claud and Lily strode boldly into the palace. The gates, though guarded, were wide open. It would have been a touch harder if the doors were all bolted up and kept under permanent watch, and to be honest, Claud himself would have done just that. However, for some incomprehensible reason, Greater Half had chosen not to close the doors or anything, allowing the two of them to waltz in freely.


    Unbelievable, but there it was.


    The Lostfon Palace was still as brightly decorated as ever, although this only served to heighten the contrast between the current circumstances and the partially delusional inner d¨¦cor of the palace itself. The servants that had been a fixture of sorts were gone, however, and the place now felt more like a preserved site rather than a palace where someone had lived in.


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    ¡°It¡¯s lonely here,¡± Lily muttered. ¡°Where is the count and his family?¡±


    Claud frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t have the maps of this place, but a good shot would be a dungeon or something, right? The only question is whether there¡¯s a dungeon here. If not, we can start looking at the more normal places.¡±


    ¡°What do we do after we find those places, though? We can¡¯t talk to them. Greater Half will notice us instantly. And even if we break them out of their current prison, what happens next?¡± Lily shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s impossible for us to save them. We¡¯ll need to bring them back all the way to Grandia, but if you do that, they¡¯ll know all your secrets.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to blindfold them when the time is right, I suppose.¡± Claud frowned. ¡°Or we can knock them out. I¡¯m not worried about them.¡±


    ¡°I suppose there¡¯s no need to be this worried if you¡¯re taking such an approach, then,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°Exactly. Just knock ¡®em out and we can move on. I¡¯m more worried about Lesser Half. Even if his sister runs off the frontline, what can we do? We¡¯ll need to stay here for some time, and Greater Half¡­well, she¡¯s going to have to be a bit busy.¡±


    ¡°We need to talk to Lesser Half first, and then figure out where to go from there, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Claud made a face. ¡°And¡­I¡¯m also a bit cynical. Maybe this is a ploy or something by Greater Half to nab me. I hope that isn¡¯t the case, but I¡¯m operating based off some very presumptuous assumptions¡­¡±


    ¡°We can still turn back now, though.¡± Lily made a face. ¡°But I don¡¯t think any of us would want to abandon a friend, right?¡±


    ¡°Friend¡­¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°Yeah. You know, ever since we¡¯ve grown stronger, I can¡¯t help but think that our recklessness has also grown. Normally, we wouldn¡¯t be this reckless, marching into the base of a hostile divinity to rescue her little brother that may very well be hostile too. I wonder if we¡¯re crazy or something.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve done quite a lot of crazy things recently, though,¡± Lily replied. ¡°I mean, you started by stealing the stuff lying around the inverted Goddess of Hope, and then we decided to climb up what could be very well be the platform where the Black God ascended.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯re thinking of exploring more ancient battlefields to see if we can get more of these primordial divinities, armour and weapons.¡± Lily patted the armour pieces on her body, as well as the sword hanging off her waist. ¡°It¡¯s weird, wearing both the armour of the Goddess of Hope, as well as the weapon that put her to rest.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very well protected that way, so it¡¯s fine. Put aside that guilt that has no business being there, alright?¡± Claud chuckled, and the two of them headed into the depths of the palace.


    For the life of him, he couldn¡¯t quite remember the layout of the Lostfon Palace, but he had a feeling that there was actually a dungeon of sorts. After all, it was a staple for palaces to have them, right? Losers of family feuds, assassins that were captured¡­all sorts of familial dramas revolved around the dungeons, in a sense.


    ¡°Well, it feels like desecrating her corpse, though.¡±


    ¡°We did leave just about everything else, so I don¡¯t really see the problem,¡± Claud replied. ¡°We didn¡¯t take her clothes, which seem like a divine item, for instance, and we didn¡¯t butcher her body either.¡±


    ¡°Oi.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m speaking from the perspective of a tomb robber. We only took her armour and the weapon that had killed her,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I mean, it feels like we¡¯re doing her a favour, in my opinion. We removed the heavy armour on her and took the weapon that had killed her from her body.¡±


    ¡°How can you manipulate your words so smoothly?¡± Lily muttered. ¡°But I somehow feel less guilty, thanks to these words. Huh.¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m right, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, keep trying to lie to me and yourself.¡± Lily rolled her eyes. ¡°Now, then. Where would we find a passage to a hypothetical dungeon? Or should we head to the throne room, where Lesser Half is probably imprisoned?¡±


    Claud pondered for a moment. ¡°I¡¯d like to confirm Lesser Half¡¯s location first, if nothing else. It¡¯ll be a good thing for us to know where he is, in the off-chance that Greater Half is forced to depart earlier than my calculations. After all, the Dark isn¡¯t the only party in this war that has gone insane. The Moons might decide to take the field randomly.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Lily made a face. ¡°Everyone¡¯s gone mad. So it¡¯s not as if your arguments don¡¯t have merit...¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Claud tapped his feet. ¡°Let¡¯s head to the throne room first. We¡¯ll try to figure out where the others are being held at the same time too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I can work something out,¡± Lily added. ¡°I¡¯m the pro at this?¡±


    ¡°At what?¡±


    ¡°Palace architecture!¡± Lily grinned. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to have a nice palace for myself, to be honest.¡±


    Claud noted down that little statement in his mind, and then returned his attention to their current goal.


    The Lesser Half of the great Dark.

 Chapter 657: Floating in sneakily into a hostile town

    Every step towards the Lostfon throne room increased the pressure that was pressing down on Claud¡¯s Will of Solitude, which was working wonders in making sure that the intangible powers slid past them without drawing any notice whatsoever. If Claud had any doubt that his Will of Solitude was fallible, these doubts were rapidly vanishing.


    ¡°We don¡¯t even need to tiptoe, huh.¡± Claud rubbed his nose, before grimacing again. While the pressure that two higher existences were exerting was slipping past the two of them, both Claud and Lily were still feeling the force behind those things, somehow. It wasn¡¯t even tangible, and even if it was, Claud knew that it felt like soup, but¡­


    ¡°As expected of the Thief of Time!¡± Lily hummed. ¡°Still, the pressure that the Dark is giving off, just by approaching their dwelling place, is insane. It far overshadows the Goddess of Hope¡¯s corpse.¡±


    ¡°I mean, it is a corpse, after all. And divine power was leaking for millennia,¡± Claud replied. ¡°I¡¯m more surprised that the Dark¡¯s presence isn¡¯t obviously superior to the one on the Black God¡¯s ascension platform. I thought it would be, since the Dark and the Moons are existences that predate the Coloured Gods.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    The two of them stopped at the throne room. The doors to the throne room had been opened, saving them the need to push it themselves and risk detection that way. However, there was a sphere of shadow inside, preventing Claud and Lily from seeing into the room itself.


    ¡°Now what?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Hmm. That¡¯s troublesome.¡± Claud narrowed his eyes. ¡°Is it worth the risk, or should we wait for Greater Half to leave?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not worth the risk,¡± Lily replied.


    ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll need to do some tests,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Hold on to me, Lily.¡±


    Lily promptly took his arm.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Claud drew the path between their current location to the palace entrance in his mind over and over again until he memorised it, and then nodded firmly. ¡°We¡¯ll get to the entrance at the highest speed possible, and then back. Once I get used to it, we¡¯ll expand the range to the palace gates. My goal is to be capable of arriving here at near-instantly.¡±


    Lily blinked a few times, and then pondered. ¡°¡­I kinda get it, but the notion is odd. We¡¯re blatantly practicing the fastest route here in front of the divinities, you know. I can¡¯t help but feel that this goes against our infiltration thus far.¡±


    ¡°Our infiltration was odd to begin with, so what¡¯s the problem?¡± Claud asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. They won¡¯t notice us.¡±


    He paused. ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°How dubious¡­but let¡¯s take it slow, alright?¡± Lil asked. ¡°We¡¯ll do a few practice runs on a slower speed first.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Claud grabbed the little meeplings, who were bouncing around on Lily¡¯s hair, and then popped them in his pockets. ¡°Stay there and don¡¯t run out.¡±


    ¡°Meep!¡± His pocket jiggled.


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Claud narrowed his eyes, ran through the entire route mentally once more, and then nodded. ¡°In that case, I¡¯m going to start in three seconds. Three, two, one¡­¡±


    The world blurred around him, a phenomenon that Claud sought to remedy by channelling mana around his eyes. The mess of pillars and walls returned to normal, and time seemed to slow as he, holding on to Lily, charged right out of the palace. It wasn¡¯t a matter of running, though; he was literally just floating out of the palace at record speed, ferried by his Will of Freedom.


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    By the time he reacted to the sight of the open palace doors, Claud and Lily were at the gardens around it.


    ¡°Done.¡± Claud looked at Lily, and then squished her cheeks. ¡°You alright?¡±


    ¡°¡­I thought I would feel dizzy or something from moving so fast,¡± Lily replied. ¡°But the only thing that made me dizzy was just seeing the world turn into a blur. But it seems that even that doesn¡¯t affect you. How did you do that?¡±


    While Claud explained his means of regaining his vision, which could probably be expanded to deal with other, vision-related issues, he looked around and checked the area around him. As expected, no one had noticed the few seconds in which he had brought Lily from the throne room to the Lostfon garden. It was impressive, but again, his skills were bordering on the realm of the illogical and the sublime.


    The Will skills were perfectly capable of contending with the Absolute skills for the throne of supremacy, by Claud¡¯s estimation. If divine power was the dictation of reality in accordance with one¡¯s desires, the Will skills were very, very close to that. They were versatile and contingent upon one¡¯s desires.


    In contrast, from what Claud had seen, the Absolute skills were narrow and restrictive. Their functions were spelt out neatly, and were ¡ª generally, anyway ¡ª specific in their application.


    His explanation ceased as something seemed to bubble right underneath the surface of his thoughts. It was something related to the nature of the Coloured Gods, and that the other divinities, but before he could fish it out, that little realisation had vanished.


    ¡°Claud?¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± He frowned. ¡°I just thought of something, but that thought just¡­vanished. Damn it. I can¡¯t fish it back out either.¡±


    Before his fists could ball up, soft fingers intertwined with his, and Lily¡¯s gentle smile appeared in his vision. The irritation in him vanished, and he let out a sigh.


    ¡°No need to sigh,¡± Lily replied. ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯ll come back in time¡­I think. And if it doesn¡¯t, it just means that you wouldn¡¯t have been able to fish out this thought anyway, so don¡¯t be frustrated at yourself.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Claud smiled. ¡°It¡¯ll come when it comes, right?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Lily looked around. ¡°Still, we got here in a heartbeat or two. It¡¯s a bit unbelievable, if I had to be honest. Are we going to dash right back in like that?¡±


    ¡°Yeap.¡± Claud paused. ¡°A few times, to be honest. I want to be assured that in the moment Greater Half is forced to leave, I can break into the throne room with you, exchange some important words with her younger brother, and figure out what to do from there on.¡±


    He looked at his trembling hands, and then grimaced again. ¡°I might just be insane, if I have to be honest. And I¡¯m definitely scared. We¡¯re literally screwing around in hostile territory, and we¡¯re planning to try to plan our next moves when one of the world¡¯s strongest existences has to intervene on the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°Try to plan¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean, that¡¯s what we¡¯re doing. We¡¯re going to talk to Lesser Half and then figure out what to do from there,¡± Claud replied. ¡°And¡­well, it¡¯s going to be dangerous. I might not be able to break the prison Lesser Half is in. And¡­I might not want to use that to break his prison either.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Lily made a face. ¡°He¡¯s not going to like who you are, right?¡±


    Claud nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll probably keep it under wraps. From everyone else.¡±


    He didn¡¯t place any particular inflection on these words, but he could see Lily understand his words. He didn¡¯t say it outright, but Claud wasn¡¯t going to tell the others about his identity. Dia could be open with her identity as the Salvation Star, but Claud couldn¡¯t afford to do that. It would only invite calamity on the two of them and bring forth another disaster.


    Lily made a pained smile at him, and then lowered her head. ¡°I feel a bit bad.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± Claud shook his head. ¡°But let¡¯s not mope over things like this right now. We still have practice runs to do over and over again. After that, we can get some grub, I suppose?¡±


    ¡°Practice runs¡­how many are we going to do?¡± Lily asked. ¡°It¡¯s not fun to be whizzing around at such mind-boggling speeds, and I don¡¯t think you liked the experience either.¡±


    ¡°Until I feel comfortable. It shouldn¡¯t take too long. My reaction speed is insane, and I¡¯m moving under the influence of Will of Freedom. It¡¯s not that tough, to be honest. I won¡¯t need to do this too many times,¡± Claud replied.


    ¡°Alrighty, then.¡± Lily¡¯s eyes twinkled. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over and done with first, in that case!¡±


    Claud held her close. ¡°As you wish!¡±


    He gathered mana around his eyes again, and then decided to spread it throughout his body. It was also a good time to push the limits of his mana circuits, all things considered, and if anything bad happened, he would at least be in a good position to respond.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Lily asked. ¡°Right, I¡¯m thinking of having some meatball soup. I spotted some in Grandia earlier.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re really going to be travelling back and forth across territories now, huh.¡± Claud shrugged. ¡°Might be a bit troublesome, but if you want to, I don¡¯t mind. Still, meatball soup, huh.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with meatball soup?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a little hungry now, that¡¯s all,¡± Claud replied. ¡°Damn.¡±


    ¡°Better get this done quick, then!¡±

 Chapter 658: On her end...

    Bugle calls resounded throughout the entire camp, and Dia opened her eyes. The army camp was waking up, and regular soldiers were rushing to the central parade square for a muster parade.


    Dia brushed her hair, washed her face and then poked her head out of her private tent, where she immediately saw Risti and Farah doing the same thing from their own tents. Soldiers continued to rush past them, however, and Dia soon retracted her head.


    The past few days had been a bit tiring, despite them doing almost nothing save for swinging their sword. There were a few reasons for that; for one, the Seekers of Life had been mobilised a few times to engage in a very deadly and strenuous stare-off with the top combatants of the great Dark. Secondly, the general hustle and bustle in the army camp as platoons of soldiers shuttled in and out was very exhausting to just take in.


    She yawned again, and then thought back to the circumstances that had landed them here. After some negotiations with Emperor Grandis and recognising some very unfortunate realities, everyone had collectively decided that they had to preserve whatever remained of their old lives.


    Even if violence was necessary. As a result, the Seekers of Life had agreed to act as another portion of the Emperor¡¯s high-end combat forces, specifically to deal with the mid-tier familiar spirits. While the high-ranked familiar spirits of the great Dark and the Moons had been spotted, something seemed to be restraining them, preventing them from outright attacking.


    As a result, the number of casualties hadn¡¯t shot up yet. Dia harboured no illusions about the tragedies that would follow if the likes of the Chromatic Lords or the strongest familiar spirits of the Dark were allowed to fight; they would crush everything.


    This camp and all the soldiers would probably be obliterated in a few gestures, and the battle between them and these beings of sublime power would probably change the face of the world forever.


    Dia sighed, and then fiddled with her weapon again. Things were developing rapidly, and the shift in territory between the Dark and the Moons was getting harder and harder to track. In fact, she and the others had completely stopped caring; as long as they weren¡¯t in danger of being double-teamed, anything was fine at this point.


    Grabbing a handful of artefacts, she made sure that Beth was still tucked into bed, before leaving for the cookhouse, where officers and high-ranked mercenaries were only allowed in last.


    ¡°You¡¯re early,¡± Risti muttered, joining her as she made her way over to the cookhouse. ¡°Couldn¡¯t sleep?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Dia shrugged. ¡°Wasn¡¯t intending to, though. I¡¯m still pushing to complete those little bits. After that¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you intending to undergo the Third Tutorial?¡± Risti asked.


    Dia nodded. ¡°I might be able to find a way to end this madness in my Third Tutorial. It¡¯s a long shot, though. I¡¯m just making guesses in the dark.¡±


    ¡°What makes you think that way?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°Instinct, I guess,¡± Dia replied, before thinking about her Second Tutorial. The Second Tutorial had been an extraordinary experience for her; she had returned to the past, in a sense, and grew stronger from it. She didn¡¯t know what the Second Tutorial of the others were like, but Dia was dead certain that none of their Second Tutorials involved grabbing lots and lots of lifespan from seemingly nowhere.


    For that reason, Dia had an inexplicable faith in the Third Tutorial. It was likely to provide her with the resources or the knowledge needed to make things better, and besides, she was the Salvation Star.


    That, alone, was probably a good enough reason.


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    The two of them grabbed some egg and toast from the bored cooks, and then sat down. At a glance, Dia could spot some estrangement between the people like them ¡ª mercenary groups with some fame and Named mana-users ¡ª and the conventional officers of the Grandis military.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame, isn¡¯t it?¡± Dia muttered. ¡°It¡¯s like there¡¯s a wall between these military officers and us.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m told that military officers need to go through a year of extreme training before they can even commission. And there¡¯s the whole culture and organisational schtick too. Fundamentally, one could consider each officer a super soldier in their own right,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Besides, they are capable of commanding troops. We aren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°True, but that¡¯s no reason to look at us like we¡¯re flies or something,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°All this also lends itself to snobbery, but not everyone looks at us like we¡¯re flies anyway,¡± Risti replied.


    ¡°True, but it¡¯s still depressing to see the looks of barely concealed fear on their faces,¡± Dia replied. ¡°I mean, either they dislike us, or they fear us. I¡¯m not sure what to feel about the whole thing, other than utter depression.¡±


    ¡°Meh.¡±


    Dia dipped her toast into her half-boiled egg, and then nibbled at it. The bread was toasted to perfection, despite the chef¡¯s bored face, and the egg had some kind of sauce that made it just that bit extra salty.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing fancy,¡± Dia muttered, ¡°and there¡¯s no meat.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s good, though.¡± Risti picked up the plate and slurped down the runny egg yolk. ¡°Not bad, not bad at all. I suppose this is the meals that the soldiers of the Emperor eat, huh. But maybe they should have meat in the morning or something.¡±


    ¡°Like us?¡±


    ¡°Yeap.¡±


    Dia considered her words for a moment, and then finished off her breakfast too. ¡°Alright, now that we¡¯re done¡­Risti, what did you notice last night?¡±


    ¡°Huh. What gave it away?¡± Risti asked.


    ¡°You woke up a bit early today, and was more than happy to eat with me,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Something probably happened, right? Something to do with that big L, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Risti sighed. ¡°I sensed the traces of Limbo last night. I¡¯m sure Nero also noticed it too, although he and Kemata were probably busy or something. But it¡¯s impossible for us to investigate as it is, since there¡¯s night guards all around us. And we can¡¯t tell the Emperor about that either.¡±


    ¡°What happens if we do?¡±


    ¡°He loses his memory, I suppose. Or the five grand skies obliterate him.¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°I believe Emperor Grandis is unable to come into contact with the notion of Lim¡­uh, L-thing, on a conceptual level, though. Censorship and authority. Things like that.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Dia pondered for a moment. ¡°And the Dark and the Moons are at war with each other. We can¡¯t count on them for help. The Emperor will definitely be alarmed if the Coloured Gods popped up here, so we can¡¯t ask them either. In othe words, we¡¯re going to have to sniff out the culprit on our own.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Same old, really,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Once Nero is done, we¡¯ll also get him and Kemata to help out. We have to find the target before knowledge of that spreads in this camp. War is a good way of getting people to surrender their rationality and whatnot, especially when faced with death. But¡­¡±


    ¡°Death is infinitely preferable, compared into what happens when one taps into Limbo fully,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Risti shook her head. ¡°But only we who know that will think thrice. Average people, normal people, would just think differently. Some of them might be a bit more cautious, about obtaining mana from seemingly nowhere, while others would simply blaze one last time and die after taking in far too much mana and entropy.¡±


    She paused for a moment. ¡°I hate to say it, but I would prefer more of the latter and none of the former. However, people who are mana-users tend to be cautious, if somewhat. Most of us are cognizant of the principle of no free lunch, after all. Those that would only tap into Limbo just enough to get out of their current predicament would use it again when they run into insurmountable obstacles, and by the time they pass away, they would have told enough people of their little secrets to cause more trouble.¡±


    ¡°Best if they died early, then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Risti held her head. ¡°And the person we are looking for should be someone who is¡­addicted to the powers of Limbo, but cautious enough to not rely on it too much. Such a person is probably a breeding ground for the Logia already, and his or her body is probably collapsing from the inside.¡±


    ¡°And Nero?¡±


    ¡°Probably preparing some methods to take the punk down,¡± Risti replied. ¡°But it¡¯s messy, since we need to move in an army camp of all places. If we move, we strike like lightning.¡±


    ¡°And when do we move?¡±


    ¡°¡­Tonight, I think.¡± Risti cracked her knuckles. ¡°We can¡¯t let this drag on anymore. Every person that the culprit has talked to could be a potential new vector for Limbo. The world¡¯s falling apart as it is. We can¡¯t afford to let the wounds deepen any further.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already identified the target?¡±


    ¡°Why else did you think I was not sleeping?¡±

 Chapter 659: A new norm, but old worries remain

    The discussion about their target came to an abrupt end as Schwarz rolled out from his tent, which seemed to signal the others to get the heck out of their tents too.


    ¡°Morning.¡± Nero yawned.


    ¡°Yeah. Morning.¡± Risti¡¯s words were a shade sharper as she replied to Nero. If Dia didn¡¯t get it wrong, she was probably angry at Nero, who had spent the night flirting and more lewd stuff with Kemata, while she worried over the damned Logia and Limbo. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s going to be busy tonight, I think.¡±


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± Farah asked.


    ¡°Two flocks of birds smacked into each other mid-flight,¡± Risti replied testily.


    ¡°¡­What?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind her,¡± Dia replied. ¡°She didn¡¯t sleep much last night, that¡¯s all. There, there. You should go back to your tent first, I suppose. Besides, I haven¡¯t seen a battle where all of us was mobilised. And what¡¯s Emperor Grandis going to do if you¡¯re tired and insist on sleeping in during a battle? Fire you?¡±


    ¡°Point, but¡ª¡± Risti yawned again.


    ¡°See? Go to sleep. As you said, tonight is going to be busy, so you should go and sleep,¡± Dia replied.


    ¡°What kind of logic is that?¡± Farah muttered, but she didn¡¯t say anything else as Risti got up from her seat blearily and returned to her own tent.


    ¡°Huh. I¡¯ll go after her,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I think some alcohol¡¯s going to help. Dreamless sleep is the best way of sleeping, after all. And she¡¯s going to feel refreshed after she wakes up.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think people feel refreshed after being knocked out by alcohol intoxication, and she¡¯s definitely going to feel a horrible hangover tonight,¡± Dia replied. ¡°But sure, do whatever you want to. It¡¯s not as if she¡¯s going to stabbity-stab me, right? It¡¯s your kidneys at stake, not mine¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll offer her a lighter drink.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s better.¡±


    Schwarz scowled at her, and then stomped after Risti in a hurry. Farah raised an eyebrow, and then glanced at the cookhouse servers. ¡°I¡¯ll go get some food.¡±


    Nero and Kemata turned to Dia as she left, and the Holy Son of the Black God said, ¡°So, I presume Risti must have detected something from Limbo, right? She¡¯s all grumpy now. And we¡¯re striking tonight.¡±


    ¡°Yeap.¡± Dia glanced at Kemata. ¡°Right, about Kemata¡­I thought you ran out of quotas or something.¡±


    ¡°Already knew,¡± Kemata replied, fiddling with the scythe that was floating behind her. ¡°Was a part originally.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Dia looked at Kemata closely, and then frowned. ¡°You two need to sleep at some point, you know. Don¡¯t lose yourself in pleasures of the flesh.¡±


    ¡°We were just absorbing lifestones,¡± Nero replied. ¡°Not doing that here. Come on. Have some common sense. Stripping naked and doing that in an army camp when the enemy has no issues attacking at night is simply asking for it, you know. We were actually doing serious stuff.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Dia paused. ¡°Well. I suppose Risti owes you two an apology, then. I was actually wondering why you didn¡¯t seem to notice that, but if you two were busy burning mana circuits and nibbling on lifestones, that¡¯s quite understandable.¡±


    ¡°So she assumed we were¡­¡± Nero mumbled the rest of his sentence under his breath. ¡°Never mind. So, another fool here, who¡¯d prefer not going into the night quietly, eh. This is troublesome. There are tons of mana-users here. It¡¯s going to spread very quickly, to be honest.¡±


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    ¡°That¡¯s why we intend on dealing with it tonight. Somehow, anyway.¡± Dia made a face. ¡°I don¡¯t know how Risti intends to get rid of the target, though. Wasn¡¯t there an entire trial and the like? Carrying that out in an army camp seems like a very tall order, not to mention the need to incapacitate the target without alerting the guards.¡±


    She scratched her head, and then glanced at the emptied plate. ¡°Well, you two might just decide to settle it this afternoon instead, when the guards are less alert.¡±


    Nero paused. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. Anyway, I¡¯m intending on carrying out the investigation after breakfast, so don¡¯t worry about us. I¡¯ll need you to make up some excuse for our presence, though. And under the terms of our agreement with Emperor Grandis, that¡¯ll leave you, Farah and Schwarz to handle today¡¯s share.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Dia paused. ¡°In that case, you two should leave before Schwarz and Farah return.¡±


    The two of them nodded as Schwarz left Risti¡¯s tent, before departing. Dia watched their retreating backs in silence, and then turned to the bartender.


    ¡°Where are they going?¡± Schwarz asked.


    ¡°Holy Son stuff,¡± Dia replied, lying as naturally as she breathed. ¡°Anyway, how¡¯s Risti?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s sleeping peacefully now,¡± Schwarz replied. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, though. Her appearance and her actions indicate a high level of stress, but we¡¯re living in an adequate state of relaxation. I wonder what¡¯s on her mind.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the professional here, so I¡¯ll leave it to you,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Every person has the right sword for them, after all. And the sword for Risti might just be some counselling by our local bartender.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dia replied. ¡°Right, how did Emperor Grandis react to your brews? I thought you handed him some during the meeting last week.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he drank anything yet, or else the Emperor would have sent an edict to me,¡± Schwarz replied, a hint of pride in his words.


    ¡°Rather than an edict, wouldn¡¯t the actual thing be more of something like an arrest warrant?¡± Dia wondered out loud. ¡°I mean, even if he¡¯s kind enough to not go after you for attempting to poison him with alcohol, the fact that you knocked him out for a day or so is damaging enough. After all, a lot can happen in a single day, and the fact that he was out of it for an entire day is probably a crime in someone¡¯s book.¡±


    ¡°¡­Stop trying to scare me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not scaring you, though?¡± Dia replied. ¡°I¡¯m just pointing things out as they are.¡±


    ¡°Damn it. Now I¡¯m nervous.¡± Schwarz glared at the table. ¡°Why did I offer my drinks to him?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m quite curious too.¡± Dia bobbed her head. ¡°I mean, the Blue Moon zonked out after drinking. One must inquire into the complex thought processes that went through your mind when you decided to offer a drink that could knock the Blue Moon of Wisdom out to the Emperor of the Grandis Empire.¡±


    ¡°I was drunk off the atmosphere, probably¡­¡± Schwarz sighed.


    Farah came back at that moment, and then blinked. ¡°Uh. What happened here? The lovebirds are gone, and there¡¯s a very sad Schwarz here, with you looking like you¡¯re consoling him. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I could have come up with a romantic drama starring Schwarz¡¯s failed attempts to snatch Nero¡¯s soulmate away.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly,¡± Dia replied. ¡°He¡¯s just suddenly aware of what it means to knock Emperor Grandis unconscious by making sure his liver is severely damaged through alcohol intoxication, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°I, too, was wondering about that,¡± Farah muttered. ¡°Anyway, though. Eggs and toast. I took an extra portion, so why not take this one, Schwarz?¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Schwarz replied dully, before dipping the toasted bread into the runny egg.


    As the two ate their breakfast, Dia turned her attention to the skies. She could see the two walls of light and shadow from the canteen, albeit one being a lot further than the other, and it was an offputting sight. While the Grandis army wasn¡¯t one to pick a fight, the same couldn¡¯t be said for both the Dark and the Moons. Right now, all their efforts were simply amounting to putting up an active resistance against stray arrows that were flying their way from two giant armies. It was not a nice thought, to be honest, and this sight never ceased to remind Dia that Grandis only stood because neither side could spare enough troops to crush it just yet.


    And yet, Dia and the Grandis soldiers were being ground down, just by being grazed in this massive clash.


    ¡°Dia?¡± Farah looked at her. ¡°What¡¯s wr¡ª¡±


    Bells clanged, and Dia got up. ¡°You two hurry up and finish. I¡¯ll take my position first. Hurry up.¡±


    Without waiting for a reply, Dia sprinted towards the north, where soldiers were already rushing towards the defensive lines there. The collection points for flying artefacts were already seeing fairly long queues, but the efficiency at which they were being handled out meant that Dia soon clipped a belt around her waist.


    Esoteric markings on the belt lit up as she took to the skies, her gait somewhat unsteady as she joined the other mid-ranked folders who were already eyeing their counterparts.


    Would it be a stare-off today? Or would these familiar spirits make a move?


    Those questions danced around her mind as the tide of shadows crashed against the shoreline of Grandis soldiers. It was a familiar sight, but not a sustainable one¡­especially if the enemy decided to make a move.


    Dia gripped her sword tightly, her eyes on the floating shadows faraway from her.

 Chapter 660: Between Moon and Shadow

    The meatgrinder far below her continued to churn as tides of shadows crashed into a solid wall of armoured troops. Emperor Grandis¡¯ soldiers were armed to the teeth with artefacts, ranging from enchanted armour and weapons to emergency artefacts that could save one¡¯s life. His troops were well-trained too; they marched in neat, unbreakable columns that created an impenetrable front.


    Dia gazed at the surreal scene below. Every soldier was a mana-user in one way or another; some were sub-folders, while others were one or bi-folders. Regardless of their strength, however, these folders fought like an integrated unit; the frontmost soldiers in every unit would create a thick barrier of mana with the shield in their left, creating an overlapping wall of light to repel their opponents. These soldiers would also attempt to chop down their opponents from the safety of their shield wall, only retreating when they ran out of mana.


    It was a highly disciplined unit, and against scattered troops of even numbers, Dia knew that they would be almost invincible.


    However¡­


    Dia watched as a cohort of troops vanished, submerged by a tide of shadows before they could retreat into the defensive line. The remaining cohort of soldiers continued to slaughter the flood of shadows as they attempted to banded together, but just when she thought that the Dark would press their advantage, the tide of shadows retreated.


    Her own opponent, who was floating high above and preventing Dia from making a move, turned and left with the other mid-ranked familiar spirits.


    ¡°Damn.¡± Dia clicked her teeth. This was no strange sight to her, who had seen this occurrence multiple times. The Dark¡¯s attacks on Grandia were contingent on numbers now; they just sent shadows to swamp the defending troops.


    ¡°Why did these troops move onto open ground?¡± Schwarz wondered out loud. ¡°They had natural fortifications, right? What happened?¡±


    Dia frowned. The normal conduct for these cohorts was to stay close to the defensive line, where reserve troops and tri-folders were waiting to intervene. A cohort would only be wiped out when part of the defensive line was breached and they were completely overcome, but for some reason, the troops sent out today had all advanced by quite a bit.


    ¡°Maybe the enemy commander did something,¡± Farah suggested. ¡°Used some weird skill or artefact to entice everyone present into more dangerous straits. Who knows?¡±


    Dia looked down at the Grandis soldiers, who were now cleaning up the battlefield. The shadows of the Dark were actually just manifested shadows given form; the actual Shadowed Ones didn¡¯t seem to be part of their army now.


    In other words, these were the troops they could spare while fighting an actual war with the Moons. In fact, this phenomenon wasn¡¯t just limited to the Dark; Dia had also received information that save for some mid-ranked familiar spirits, the Moonlit forces on the southern battlefield were just manifestations of tri-coloured light.


    The actual Shadowed and Moonlit Ones were busy fighting each other elsewhere; it was clear that the divinities believed that the Grandis Empire didn¡¯t actually need too many warm bodies to take care of.


    Given the current wartime situation, Dia could only say that the divinities were right on the money. In fact, if it wasn¡¯t for the existence of mid-ranked folders in the Grandis military, Dia believed that the Dark and the Moons wouldn¡¯t have even bothered to dispatch their familiar spirits to the battlefield. The job of these mid-ranked familiar spirits were to dissuade their opposite numbers from acting; if Dia made a move, the familiar spirit locked onto her would strike instantly.


    Likewise, Emperor Grandis had no wish to have the mid-ranked folders make a move either. Their job was also to restrain the opponent, and if they struck, to kill or maim them in return.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    This war was certainly one that was targeted at the lower echelons of strength.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, then,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°It does seem a bit pointless to do all this when the enemy doesn¡¯t really exist,¡± Schwarz muttered, his face somewhat demoralised. ¡°I¡¯m a bit tired.¡±


    ¡°From seeing people vanish in a flood of darkness?¡± Dia asked. ¡°Well, you can head over to the south.¡±


    ¡°Where they would vanish into the light?¡± Farah asked. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. It¡¯s all the same to me. Come on.¡±


    ¡°Meh.¡±


    The three of them argued for a while over the topic of which sight was the more depressing one, before descending onto the ground. They didn¡¯t do it purely for fun, though; it was also to get more familiarity with flying with artefacts. The belts that the three of them wore had the ability to make their users fly, with the speed of their flight being proportionate to the mana used. However, these belts belonged to Emperor Grandis¡­


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Dia handed the belt over to the clerk, and the others followed suit. ¡°It¡¯s quite the useful artefact, don¡¯t you think? Why don¡¯t we have a flying artefact for ourselves?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if we bully Risti¡¯s granduncle into giving them to us,¡± Schwarz suggested. ¡°I mean, Emperor Grandis likes kids, right? Getting Beth to ask him for us would be a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you little sneaky fellow¡­¡±


    Beth was playing with some toys under the watchful eye of a nearby orderly when Dia and the others returned to their tents. Thanking the young orderly, Dia sat down next to Beth, who was now busily building something like a toy tower.


    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± Dia looked at the tower. ¡°Had a good sleep, kid?¡±


    Beth nodded, and then pointed at the tower, which was as tall as Dia¡¯s eye right now. ¡°Tall!¡±


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s as tall as you. I suppose it¡¯s tall¡­¡± Dia looked at the little kid, and then squished her cheeks. ¡°So, what did you dream of last night?¡±


    Beth shivered once, and for a moment, a chilling, hollow expression appeared in her eyes. Dia frowned, but before she could say anything, the kid shook her head and light returned to her pupils.


    ¡°Bad.¡±


    ¡°Nightmare, huh.¡± Dia patted her head, and then thought about the circumstances that she had found Beth in. Back then, during that massive Distortion¡­rather, Beth was the cause of that Distortion. Her mother had perished before her eyes, and through a set of circumstances that Dia couldn¡¯t even begin to fathom¡­


    At any rate, that expression was similar to the extreme despair Beth had exhibited the first time Dia saw her. However, since it vanished as quickly as it came, Dia could only chalk it down to a nightmare or something, but it would be wise to pay attention to the kid.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad,¡± Dia murmured, carrying the kid over to her. ¡°Your mother would want you to be happy, right? So don¡¯t give up, and don¡¯t be scared. There¡¯s nothing to be scared of, and there¡¯s no reason to be sad either. Your parents live on in you, after all¡­¡±


    She comforted the little kid until the glimmers in her small eyes vanished, and Dia sighed. It was all she could do to give Beth some comfort; even though Beth now lived a good life with them, what could compare to living with one¡¯s loving parents?


    Nothing.


    After sniffing and sneezing a few times, Beth handed a little toy block over to Dia and pointed at the tower. ¡°Build!¡±


    ¡°Me, build?¡± Dia looked at the haphazard structure seriously, and then frowned. ¡°Uh. There¡¯s no way I can build it without the whole thing falling apart, though¡­alright, alright! I¡¯ll build it, okay? Sheesh.¡±


    The tower fell apart as Dia tried to place the block in her hand on its uppermost floor, and Beth clapped with a weird glee as the whole thing collapsed. Children, as it turned out, could be oddly¡­destructive at times; indeed, rather than crying, Beth seemed to take some pleasure in watching the tower fall apart.


    Was it a problem?


    Dia looked at the happy little toddler, and then figured that it was probably some childish glee.


    ¡°Alright, enough playing.¡± Dia poked her tummy. ¡°You¡¯re hungry, right? You can¡¯t have eaten yet, so I¡¯m going to bring you for breakfast now. You know, you should really sleep earlier at night, so you can eat with us when we wake up.¡±


    Beth sniffed, and then opened her arms for a hug. Rolling her eyes, Dia pointed at the little toy blocks and said, ¡°We¡¯ll need to keep these first. Remember, when you take something out to play with, you must put them back. Alright?¡±


    Beth tilted her head for a moment, and then nodded. ¡°Okay!¡±


    As she bustled around to pick up those blocks, Dia thought about the war that was going on. If the Moons or the Dark overran Grandis and conscripted her and the others, would she be allowed to bring Beth with her at that point in time? Would the divinities care about little familial ties and the small things that make one human, when looking at the war?


    Dia didn¡¯t like the answer she arrived at.

 Chapter 661: The secret deeds hidden in the shadows of war

    Dia looked at the snoozing little Beth, and then patted her head. ¡°I¡¯ll be back, so don¡¯t be scared, alright?¡±


    Beth rolled over onto her back, nodded blearily, and then turned right back to hug the little bolster. The kid had gotten quite attached to the bolster that Schwarz had gifted her some time ago, and it was her second-most favourite sleeping buddy. As for her favourite sleeping buddy ¡ª Dia ¡ª hugging her to sleep was reserved for cases of bad nightmares or rainy days. As far as childhood development went, this was definitely an improvement, although Dia did make it a point to tuck her into bed and get up if she had a bad dream.


    ¡°Fufufu. So adorable¡­ahem.¡± Dia strapped her trusty sword to her belt, checked that she had a bunch of skillstrips and armour, and then stole out of her tent. Under the light of the white, placeholder moon, her body cast a shadow as she walked away from the tents and dived into the nearest shadow.


    Guards were everywhere.


    In addition, Emperor Grandis would never be allowed to know what her actions were going to accomplish. Therefore, if she was caught at this juncture, things would get¡­messy, to say the least. Discretion, stealth and most importantly, looking for her teammates, was the only way to get past tonight.


    She narrowed her eyes as a small patrol marched past, their arms and legs moving in a sluggish manner. Holding on to her breath, Dia counted to ten in her mind, and then peeked out of the tent she was hiding behind. The guards had gone past without noticing her, which meant that this was a good chance to look for any of the indicators that the others had planted.


    It would have been nice if they actually told her about these indicators and what the heck they actually looked like, but as it was, neither Risti, Nero or Kemata had returned after leaving early in the morning. Only a small letter telling her to look for a flag had been left on her bed when she returned, but¡­


    ¡°Which flag, dumbasses?¡± Dia cursed the idiots as she began the arduous process of paying attention to things she never paid attention to.


    It took her ten minutes before she found a flag that looked similar to the Grandis flags, but had a weird miscolouration at the corner. Cursing the idiots again, Dia checked that the coast was clear, before flickering to the abnormal flag.


    There was another letter at the base of the flag, which Dia opened gently. Making a noise in a place as silent as this was simply asking for it at this point in time, after all. Curfew was not something she wanted to be caught breaking lightly, and Emperor Grandis was incorruptible.


    A hand fell on her shoulder as she opened the letter, and Dia jumped.


    ¡°Shh!¡± Risti¡¯s voice whispered in her ear. ¡°Don¡¯t bother about the letter. I came back to fetch you instead.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Dia whispered back. ¡°Then lead the way.¡±


    The two of them prowled through the shadows as Risti began to explain the situation so far in whispers. Nero and Kemata had taken action rather successfully, but the person who had tapped onto Limbo was very prepared to begin with. The battle had gone underground three minutes after it started; the target had dived into a tunnel that had been prepared with a lot of effort.


    Right now, they were playing a game of hide-and-seek with the target a few hundred metres below ground in a cleared cavern.


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding, right?¡± Dia asked.


    ¡°Wish I was,¡± Risti replied, before pointing at her face. ¡°Look at the mud, though. A lot of effort went into this¡­¡±


    ¡°I can tell,¡± Dia whispered, before stopping at a tent entrance. Without waiting at all, Risti pushed her into the tent, revealing a standard layout that would have looked very ordinary if not for the hole in the middle.


    Without any hesitation, Risti slid down the hole, and Dia joined her. Before she could fully appreciate the smoothness of the passage, however, the two of them had emerged into a cavern.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°¡­When was this created?¡± Dia asked. ¡°This can¡¯t have been done in a day or two, right? The war only blew up a week or so ago!¡±


    ¡°The camp has always been here,¡± Risti replied. ¡°Ever since the Moons and the Dark descended years ago. Emperor Grandis realised the possibility of a war on both sides, a war that he wouldn¡¯t be able to stop, and had prepared multiple lines of defences in his own territory. He didn¡¯t think that the other nobles would put up much of a fight, after all.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like another Claud to me,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°He¡¯s the Emperor of the Grandis Empire. Paranoia has to be his middle name.¡± Risti shook his head. ¡°And the person that we¡¯re tracking has been here for quite some time too, or had joined up with someone who has been here for some time. This vast network of caverns and tunnels with supplies is proof of that, after all. A person could stay here for a few months on end and live a relatively comfortable life.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Dia frowned. ¡°If his preparations are so thorough, does that mean that there might be other people who he told about Limbo?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s another reason why we¡¯re taking this fight to them,¡± Risti replied. ¡°They should be here, these people. It¡¯s the only way they could have hidden for an entire week. If not for our target leaking his presence yesterday, I wouldn¡¯t have noticed either.¡±


    ¡°So there¡¯s actually a bunch of people here,¡± Dia muttered. ¡°And you told me we were playing hide-and-seek?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s still true. None of the people should be able to defeat any of us,¡± Risti replied. ¡°But we have to be careful. And we can¡¯t show mercy.¡±


    ¡°No rites or stuff like that?¡± Dia asked. ¡°We could ask them to shatter their mana circuits if push comes to shove. And it¡¯s not like we want their lives personally either.¡±


    ¡°Nero believes the same, but we can only do that if we restrain them all,¡± Risti replied. ¡°And their sudden drop in strength is a problem¡­wait, before I forget.¡±


    ¡°Before you forget?¡±


    Risti answered her question by handing a mask over to her. ¡°Wear this. In case we decide to let them live or some of them survive. That way, they can¡¯t tell who we are¡­good. Your clothes hide your body well too. They shouldn¡¯t be able to tell our gender. Just make sure to distort your voice if you want to speak, like what the others are doing.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Dia paused. ¡°Isn¡¯t there an artefact or something that could let us do that too, though? Would be a pain.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can just watch us in silence. It¡¯s alright to let me and Nero do the professional stuff. You need more training, after all.¡±


    ¡°As if you guys are trained specifically for this¡­¡± Dia rolled her eyes at Risti, and then frowned. ¡°Hold up. Wait. Seriously?¡±


    Risti snorted once. ¡°Follow.¡±


    The daughter of the Folders¡¯ Association President didn¡¯t reply to the unspoken question as they headed down a passage. She could faintly hear the sounds of battle from the end of it, and without saying a word, the two of them sped up.


    The first thing that Dia took stock of when she burst out of the passage was the whirling scythe that had just sliced off an entire arm. Anguished screams filled the air as someone dropped onto all fours, and blood fountained once more as Nero fired blasts of mana at the prone target.


    Flesh, blood and bone splattered all across the walls, dyeing the companions of Nero¡¯s target in red.


    ¡°Please, stop! Why are you attacking us?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill us! We surrender!¡±


    ¡°You think they¡¯ll listen?¡± A woman stood at the front. ¡°They¡¯re spies of the Dark! They won¡¯t let us run!¡±


    Nero lowered his hands, and in a twisted, distorted voice, said, ¡°We¡¯re not of the Dark. We¡¯re here because you people have the same thing in common. You are all tainted people, vessels of killers from the world outside. I asked this earlier. Maybe you can reconsider the question now.¡±


    ¡°Destroy our mana circuits?¡± one of them asked.


    Nero nodded. ¡°We are people dedicated to preventing this corrupting madness. You people were cautious when accepting this poisonous gift. As a result, you people are still sane. Still¡­human. Thus, we can talk.¡±


    ¡°Destroy your mana circuits, and never touch that power again,¡± Risti chimed in, her voice equally distorted. ¡°And we¡¯ll let you live. Free to go. This, we promise.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± one of them asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Risti replied. ¡°We are defenders of the world, who only seek to root out this corrupting madness. If you are not too far gone that you cannot relinquish this parasitical poison, you can turn back by relinquishing your power.¡±


    ¡°We are mighty folders. There is no need to lie to you. If we wanted you dead, do you think we¡¯ll even bother to talk?¡± Nero asked. ¡°Don¡¯t flatter yourself. The only reason why we are still talking is because you are still sane, people. Destroy your mana circuits, and we¡¯ll leave. Never touch that power again, and you¡¯ll never see us again.¡±


    ¡°It is a price you must pay. This world is broken enough. No need for more unstable factors.¡± Risti folded her arms. ¡°I give you a minute. Break your mana circuits, or we¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    The small group of folders hesitated, and the woman at the front snarled at that sight.


    ¡°You really believe them?¡± the woman asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re telling the truth,¡± one of them replied. ¡°I have a skill.¡±


    ¡°¡­Even then!¡±

 Chapter 662: Pondering power

    In the end, all of them decided to surrender and destroy their own mana circuits. Obviously, their motivation literally came from Risti and Nero threatening to kill them all, but Dia couldn¡¯t help but feel that there was something else to it too.


    ¡°¡­Is it me, or do they all look a bit too relieved?¡± Dia asked, watching as their targets shattered their own mana circuits.


    ¡°We did promise to let them run free with no other strings attached,¡± Nero replied quietly. ¡°Obviously they¡¯ll be relieved, right?¡±


    ¡°True, but¡­¡± Dia watched as these people made their way up. ¡°I can¡¯t help but think that part of this relief came from another source too. Like, you know, they might have felt something was wrong, and had been looking for a solution. And we forced one onto them.¡±


    ¡°The only solution onto them,¡± Nero corrected. ¡°But that might be a part of it too. There¡¯s a spring in their step¡­¡±


    Dia watched as Risti handed out Cleanse skillstrips for them to use on the spot, which was probably doing a lot to reassure these people that they weren¡¯t going to be backstabbed afterwards. Indeed, their gaits reminded her of the time when she saw one of her father¡¯s subordinates handing in his resignation, before grabbing his retirement funds from the treasury¡­


    ¡°Still, it has got to suck, losing their mana circuits like that,¡± Dia muttered.


    ¡°Eh? I mean, they¡¯re not that good. Bi-folders and a tri-folder.¡± Nero shook his head. ¡°They have a good head on their shoulders. They must have instinctively realised that dying here is the actual problem.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Risti walked over to them. ¡°And they won¡¯t turn into monsters anymore. It¡¯s a win-win¡­I did hand out some graphic leaflets to them.¡±


    ¡°Leaflets?¡± Dia turned to look at the vanishing bunch of people, and fixated her gaze on the closest person. That person was indeed staring at the leaflet in his hands, but what was most striking was his facial expression.


    ¡°What¡¯s exactly on these leaflets?¡±


    ¡°I took the liberty to reproduce some of the sights in my memory,¡± Risti replied, her voice bland. ¡°It¡¯s nice that they appreciate what I¡¯m doing. You can see it, by how none of them actually carry much resentment against us. In fact, some of the brighter fellows have realised that we were actually saving them from turning into that.¡±


    Her voice, while distorted, was by no means not muted, and the people who were leaving glanced at the leaflet again.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Dia frowned. ¡°Still, we¡¯re not going to wipe their memory?¡±


    Nero raised a finger to his lips, smiled evilly at her, and then said, ¡°No, we aren¡¯t.¡±


    Given the weird disjoint between his gestures and his words, Dia could only assume that these words were for these people to hear. In fact, the way Nero had said it had all but confirmed their next move; they would make a move to erase their memories of Limbo quite soon.


    It was sneaky, but at least they weren¡¯t dead. And as for their mana circuits, which had been destroyed¡­well, with enough time and resources, they could probably rebuild it, and to be honest, if Dia was given a choice between dying or walking free with no more mana circuits, she would choose the latter.


    Still, how would they deal with the fact that their mana circuits had been destroyed after Nero was done with their memories? And what was stopping them from not accessing the power of Limbo again?


    She glanced at the Holy Son of the Black God and made a mental note to press him about this little issue afterwards. This was not the right time to ask them about it, for sure, and maybe she had completely misinterpreted the whole thing, and Nero had no intention of wiping their memories¡­


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Dia considered the issue for a moment, and then decided to leave it to the professionals.


    The four of them, plus a whirling scythe, hung around for a while, until Nero snapped a skillstick. Power welled out from him, and something cool fell around her.


    ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s leave.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t notice us?¡± Dia asked, before feeling a bit annoyed at how she was asking all the questions. Risti, clearly, had worked together with Nero a few times already, which was why she wasn¡¯t asking. As for Kemata, the two of them were lovebirds that probably harboured no secrets from each other. All this meant that she was the only one who didn¡¯t know much about how Nero operated, beyond the few skills he had exhibited.


    ¡°They won¡¯t. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Dia made a face, but she didn¡¯t say anything. In silence, the four of them retraced their steps and headed back out.


    ¡°¡­No one¡¯s waiting for us outside. Interesting.¡± Nero frowned. ¡°I thought they would at least call the guards or make a disturbance here, but it seems that they were either intimidated or thankful to us. Hmm. Maybe we shouldn¡¯t wipe their memories after all.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Dia tilted her head.


    ¡°If they hold no resentment, it means that they understand our words and the danger that they had exposed themselves to,¡± Risti clarified. ¡°For that reason alone, they are very unlikely to tap on the powers of Limbo again. After all, this is war. There¡¯s a considerable chance that, if we wiped their memories, they¡¯ll end up doing the same thing all over again. It would be better if they remembered not to do it.¡±


    ¡°But if they¡¯re in trouble¡­¡±


    ¡°They should know that this last resort is a poisonous one. Given that, why would they ever put themselves into such a position again?¡± Risti asked. ¡°Of course, if they are truly desperate, they¡¯ll probably tap on the powers of Limbo again. However, they also know how to deal with it.¡±


    Dia frowned as Risti continued to explain. From the way she put it, Dia couldn¡¯t help but think that the best way to combat the influence of Limbo was to educate people about it, rather than trying to hide its existence. After all, knowing how to deal with the aftermath after tapping on Limbo was also a valid outcome¡­


    She contemplated on the issue for a moment, and then decided not to ruminate too hard about it right now. Under the white moonlight, the four of them snuck back to their own tents without anyone noticing them, and without any further delay, Dia returned to her own tent.


    ¡°I¡¯m back,¡± Dia murmured. Beth, who was hugging her pillow, got up without actually waking up, and then waddled over to her leg.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    The little bundle of warmth hugged her leg for a few seconds, before turning around and waddling back to the bed. Dia felt her eyes turn into saucers as the kid, who hadn¡¯t woken up throughout the entire process, lay back down into the bed and hugged her bolster once more.


    Dia pushed her open jaw shut, and then blinked rapidly as her mind tried to process the incredible sight of little Beth sleepwalking, sleep-hugging and sleep-tucking herself back into bed.


    What kind of weird talent did this little fellow have?


    Rubbing her eyes a few times, Dia approached the sleeping little child, who had a happy smile on her face as she hugged the bolster. After checking that she wasn¡¯t in the midst of a nightmare, Dia used the Refresher on herself, and then sat down on her bed.


    She was a bit tired, but the events of the past few hours were still going strong in her mind, preventing her from sleeping. For one, the entire thing had ended rather peacefully¡­or what she saw of it, anyway. Without a doubt, the others had spent a lot of effort to track down their targets, and then engaging in a protracted chase afterwards. Despite all that, however, the ensuing ordeal had culminated in a manner that she hadn¡¯t thought possible...


    Was it possible for people to actually give up their own power? Dia couldn¡¯t help but recall a conversation with Nero and Risti some time ago, when she first witnessed the first execution of an Aberration. Of course, that Aberration was too far gone, but¡­


    She pondered on the issue for a while. People who could turn back from this dead end required a set of particular traits, if nothing else. The first one, obviously, was a healthy dose of caution, and the second one being that of control. The people she had seen today were cautious enough to not overuse this seemingly free source of power, and they had enough control to not instinctively take it in either.


    Was it that easy?


    Or was there something else she had overlooked?


    Dia rolled around on the bed for a while, before shivering. She had, in all seriousness, contemplated ways to draw on the power of Limbo beyond what the others had taught her.


    ¡°Why did I do that?¡± Dia muttered. ¡°Why do I suddenly feel the need for more trump cards? Is it just my insecurity, or something else?¡±


    A distant burst of divine power, one so thick that she could feel it, drew her attention away, but from how nothing else happened, it was clear that the Moons and the Dark were simply escalating the actual battle there.


    As for them¡­


    Well, the lesser said about it, the better.