Nate Sullivan
Class: Potion Maker. Secondary class: **Divine Master Magician**. Third class: Unknown.
Magician rank: 2nd realm of the Saint.
Class rank: Established.
Ability: Can make up to SSS, divine-grade potions, and blighted potions.
Power: Low World-breaking Strong.
Defense: Low Absolute Titanium.
Dao of Creation. Rank: Divine. Stage: Awakened. This is a middle stage.
Physique rank: C.
Primary quest: Purpose. Progression: 32%.
Shop rank: D.
Heavenly attunement rank: E.
Only one realm increase, which seemed like a normal rise for mana cultivation. The next thing that caught my attention was the amount the progression quest had increased. I had a feeling training the hero’s party had something to do with it.
Closing the prompt, I frowned at the rain, and what would surely be a slow day. The teenagers had umbrellas, but the rule for storms was always to stay inside. Milia and I would run the shop or keep it closed until the storm ended. Chenzu’s protocol was slightly different, and I’d be helping him before breakfast.
I brushed my teeth and other morning activities before hurrying outside to help feed the animals, as well as handle anything that needed immediate maintenance. Since the farm management was an all-day thing, the morning portion didn’t last that long. It helped that we actually knew what we were doing on this small farm.
Afterward, we hurried back inside where Milia had towels and a change of clothes waiting for us, as well as hot, savory vegetable soup.
I gave the remaining apprentices their contribution points, earning myself three thousand spirit coins in the process.
“Alright, so about the letter,” I said, dreading it.
“She sent another letter? That doesn’t sound like the usual prideful Red Star of the rumors,” Chenzu said.
I unfolded the damp message and considered reading it out aloud. Unfortunately, just as I feared, a small bit of it was about Mandi.
The message read: Hello Nate and company. I know you’re not expecting another letter from me, and it probably sounds like a pathetic person at the end of her rope. Well, that’s not far from the truth. I sent this letter, for it may be the last one I’ll have time to send. The Lord Ruler is close, I can feel him only miles away. With him will be executioners. An old war friend of mine, Headmaster Titus, has stopped by, looking for Raider. Can you believe that name spread so far and wide? Too bad for him, he may not be meeting Raider unless he comes on his own. I don’t recommend it. Titus wants to plea my case, but this is the Lord Ruler we’re talking about. I will be publicly executed, perhaps the moment he arrives, in order to appease the Astral Empire. Tell Mandi I’m proud of her. I know it is strange, I cannot swallow my pride, abandon my people and flee.
But I cannot allow myself to be labeled with such dishonor. I refuse to allow that man to place me on a wanted poster, force me into a life of fleeing bounty hunters. I cannot have the people I swore to protect begin to have doubts, even if they were here to witness the events. You know how people are in the face of powerful authority. Their minds easily forget. They will forget the fun and flourishing town where shows were happily performed and the low crime rates.
That’s not important for now. Stay in Kyushu, protect my daughter. I love her, always did, even if I didn’t show it. It’s the curse of being a magician whose mind is set on ambition, to raise a perfect family.
But there was a reason why she’s a favorite. A mortal with the potential to be a genius beating inside her. We know she can form a core, her power structure isn’t hard to detect if you know where to look. But that’s not why she’s a favorite. Perhaps in the end… we just didn’t know how to apologize. Even now… I know I should send her a letter too. In fact, it’s already finished. But I lay here conflicted.
I don’t want Mandi to beg you to bring her back to the city. If the Lord Ruler encounters you, he’ll give you one chance to go home. If you choose not to, you and everyone with you will be executed for attempting to overthrow the kingdom government.
Thank you, Nate, for everything, for taking in my Mandi. Soon, House Wingston will fall, but I will stand strong.
I slammed the letter onto the table.
“Ugh, goddammit with these people. If you want help, just ask for it!” I snapped, running outside. I hopped on Beakwing, Milia just barely getting on before I took off.
Gwendolyn swallowed as they entered the city, marching like a proper army and each of their auras were almost like miniature suns. Not by brightness, but presence. Even a mortal would sense them. The Lord Ruler, some of his army, and of course his executioners. The only saving grace was that he brought no knights. His remaining elite knight, the Red Knight, currently served as the ambassador between the kingdom and the empire. Soon, he’d either be told to leave, ending friendly relations or perhaps even killed outright, declaring what would certainly be a bloody war.
Gwendolyn, dressed elegantly, waited in the city center, her family and Titus surrounding her, having ignored her suggestions to think about their futures. Even Manthis didn’t leave. As a mortal, if the Lord Ruler exerted his presence, he’d be forced to his face. Titus’s students, however, were ordered to wait outside of the city, even to consider traveling to the village further east.
Coming were riders on horseback, led by a man seeming to be in the advanced thirties of age, despite being rumored to at least be a century old, maybe more. Long black hair, cold blue eyes, on an unscarred, perfect handsome face. The symbol of the Kingdom of Merridon’s indigo robes seemed simple at first, perhaps something to go with his trousers, but it didn’t take long for the woman to sense some enchantments embedded into the material. That included self-repair and self-cleaning. Masterpiece tailor enchantments meant for warriors constantly in battle.
The Lord Ruler arrived expecting resistance, or perhaps he kept an eye out for enemy spies, even the Peace Spawner himself, but Gwendolyn didn’t know for sure.
Maximus Truestorm, the Lord Ruler, halted the army, eyes on her. They carried no visible emotions, except for a brief moment of surprise. Then he shook his head.
“I expected you to have some common sense, Red Star,” the Lord Ruler said as he stepped off his lightning horse, aura not present. In fact, it was too vast for her to detect at this range, her senses viewing it as if it were the air of the world. “You had one unspoken task. Hide and let me make a show. With it will come no pursuit from me, and I’m sure if a bounty hunter somehow discovered you, dealing with the reckless idiot would be no problem.”
Gwendolyn and the others paid their respects, bowing deeply, even if he didn’t deserve it at this moment.
“Running would be the same as admitting guilt to something I had no part of,” Gwendolyn said. She felt proud of herself for not allowing even a shred of terror to leak out of her voice.
The Lord Ruler turned his icy gaze over to Titus. “Guards, arrest him. Place him in one of these houses to wait until it’s time to go. If he resists, it will count as an act of treason.”
“Lord Ruler, please let me explain—”
“Pleading her case is not an option,” the Lord Ruler said coldly, interrupting Titus. “You left the academy abruptly, abandoning your post for a rumor. Even if this Raider exists, he’s long gone, potentially kingdoms away. And I do not pay you a monthly stipend to waste on… Where are your students?” He shook his head. “Never mind, they’re not important.”
“This is a mistake, Lord Ruler,” Titus continued, ignoring the man’s terrifying gaze. “This isn’t the way, you’ll lose the trust of the people and even those close to you. There has to be a better—”
“Silence,” the Lord Ruler said. There was a tiny tinge of power in that otherwise calm voice. Titus’s words caught in his throat, and he looked down, ashamed to allow his pitiful gaze to make eye contact with Gwendolyn as the guards pulled him away.
“Leave now,” Gwendolyn whispered to her family. “There is nothing that can be done here.”
Tears burst from Rose’s eyes as the façade of the strong eldest daughter faded away, revealing a young woman desperate for the safety of her mother.
“Mother… no, I—”
“Go now,” Gwendolyn urged, but it was too late. The Lord Ruler’s eyes were on them.
“Do know that I take no joy in doing what must be done,” the Lord Ruler said, “but you’ve always known the dangers of building risky alliances. You proposed marrying your daughters to one of the Astral Empire. It received five rejections before Duke Kordell stepped in on your behalf. A risk with a massive reward. Had the marriage happened, you were almost guaranteed to boost the tier of House Wingston. In the future, you may have had a unique state of being backed by the kingdom and the empire. But you didn’t take the consequences seriously enough, didn’t consider what would happen if someone assassinated him. He may be a low-ladder son of an Astral Duke, but that didn’t stop them from demanding justice. The only thing you’ve done right was not kill any of the silver guard. If only it were enough. Personally, I’d turn a blind eye, Red Star, but for the kingdom’s safety, you know what has to be done.”
“It is a cowardly thing to do,” Gwendolyn said, anger just barely contained. “You’re not the only one who plays a part in protecting the kingdom. But rather than address the problem, you choose to cover up your daughter’s crime by blaming someone else, sacrificing them to appease an empire that’s likely going to run you over anyway when the day of succession occurs—”
Everyone watched in horror as the Lord Ruler backhanded Gwendolyn into a merchant’s cart, shattering it to pieces.
“Do not ever attempt to remove your responsibility from the problem,” the Lord Ruler said, his voice still calm, in control, icier than the depths of Iceheart River, the coldest river in the world. “This is a result of your terrible ambition for power returning to collect its karmic dues. If you were attempting to be a judge, then you’re well aware of this scenario. The culprit will be punished, but the responsibility will still fall on you for not providing proper safeguards for your diplomatic guests. Even a protection system, a gift from Wanda, would’ve sufficed. Offer an award to powerful adventurers willing to brave an A-ranked dungeon for it.”
Gwendolyn burst from the heap of wood and metal, fire in her eyes, but also defeat. She couldn’t stand up to someone like this. His words also stung strongly. Her ambitions really did backfire and she… she had no one to blame but herself. Still…
“It is not about my ambitions,” Gwendolyn said. “It is about a murder which I didn’t commit. I will not run, for I have no guilt.” Her gaze shifted from defeat to hardened. “I will not have my honor sullied like a criminal.”
The Lord Ruler frowned. “Executioners, set up the platform. Guards, take her to the holding room. Your family will be allowed to say goodbye.” He shook his head. “Again, why didn’t you just flee and allow this to be blown away in time? A silly thing like honor in a world like this? Wake up, idiot woman.”
He turned and left, disappearing into the adventurer’s den. The guards pulled Gwendolyn off.
“Her execution will happen today,” an executioner announced. “Do say your goodbyes while you can. Any attempt to interfere will be met with instant death and the death of all of your families.”
In a hidden chamber of the royal palace, Royal Advisor Monroe cackled as he prodded through the Lord Ruler’s private documents until finding what he was looking for. The location of a lead to one of the seven natural disasters. If Monroe could exploit this, he’d gain so much power and nearly infinite riches. After having the proper discussions with the right underground bandits, of course. Damned barbarians.
“If Prince Lixin can win the throne, perhaps the exiled prince won’t attack anymore,” Monroe said. “We’ll prosper so much, and not even the emperor’s hotheaded son will be able to stop us.”
Monroe straightened his back, donning his cloak of distortion, which would make the people around not immediately notice him and forget his presence as he left their line of sight.
Hector felt like his world turned upside down, having been blindsided with the news not too long ago. His mother prepared to just die without so much as a goodbye, taking this event to the grave. Just why she was like this, the man wished he could understand.
Now he stared at her with the others from the other side of the jail cell. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t get any answers from her, except for one line. She would rather die than let the Lord Ruler sully her honor.
Hector thought the notion, the defiance, was noble, but pointless, especially after the Lord Ruler himself spat out the hard truth. A silly thing like honor in a world like this? Wake up.
The Lord Ruler did not care about individuals, just his own interests and keeping the kingdom from being caught in political nightmares. It wasn’t clear on whether the empire actually demanded penance, but the Lord Ruler decided to jump to these conclusions anyway. He planned to sacrifice their mother in hopes that that would appease the empire. It would, of course. They had to accept the blood for blood apology, especially with Gwendolyn not only outranking Gaston in social standing, but also as a magician.
It could backfire, but that wasn’t the point of this demonstration. Nobody truly won when it came to this situation, except for the Lord Ruler. He could live with letting his daughter get away with a serious crime, choosing to execute someone who had nothing to do with it. She who treated Gaston like an honored guest, despite his Astral ways. The silver guard were locked up only because they jumped to conclusions, choosing to attack, attempting to take over the city rather than talk. The Astral Duke truly didn’t care, he just wanted an excuse to further his own ambitions.
Yet, the Lord Ruler refused to listen to his own people in favor of the Astral Empire? He refused because Hector and the others were seen as insignificant to him. Weaklings. Fodder.
Mandi wasn’t even here to make amends with the Red Star. Hector wouldn’t be surprised if the woman sent a letter to Nate, expressing her feelings on the matter. In the end, she held a pride that the man couldn’t understand.
Eyes hardened and determined, he stormed out the building without another word. He found Titus attempting to get past the guards… no, the executioners, shouting at the adventurer’s den. Seeing Hector, he waved, but was refused.
“Go back to your holding room,” the executioner said. “I will not ask again.”
Despair struck Hector as he wracked his brain for any answers. He could perhaps take on the Lord Ruler’s regular guard, but not all of them at once. The executioner, on the other hand, was a different story, housing power beyond Hector’s own.
There was only one thing he could do. Bust his mother out of prison and forcibly haul her away…
Wait, the Lord Ruler left it unguarded on purpose as a last chance to flee. A small act of mercy, even if the situation felt like a seriously unjustified cruelty. He didn’t immediately start the execution, which could be easily done by sword, but chose to enter a drinking establishment. They’d cater to him, and he wouldn’t be leaving for at least an hour or two. To amplify the theory, Gwendolyn had on anti-magic handcuffs.
He dashed back into the holding area. Judging by the looks of everyone there, the entire Wingston family, they knew exactly what Hector was thinking. The cell door came open with one pull.
“The guard came in and unlocked it,” Rose said. “His reason was for us to hug and comfort our mother once more. But…”
“It’s our last chance and we’re not wasting it,” Hector said. “I’m sorry, Mother, but swallow your damn pride. You’re more important alive than dead. You have a family that loves you. A daughter training under a master magician who dearly wants to prove herself. You can hate me for this, but I refuse to let you die here.”
Hector pulled his mother over his shoulder as if she was a sack of potatoes. She fought and demanded her release, but they had no time.
A lightning horse and a large carriage awaited them not too far away, door open. The Lord Ruler again with surprising cruel mercy. In exchange for their lives, they’d surrender control of the city, banished forever. Unfortunately, the law would demand bounties, which the Inquisition created. Hector really didn’t want the Inquisition’s attention on them, but what choice did they have?
He bolted toward the carriage with everyone, only to stop when a girl stepped from around the corner to block their path.
“Breaking out of jail is a no-no-no,” she said cheerfully, wand aimed at them. Before Hector knew it, he found himself laying on his back. The pain. Oh, the pain was nothing like he’d felt before, erupting through the entirety of his body like molten lava. He tried to sit up, but felt incredibly unbalanced for some reason. Rose screamed.
That was when he noticed a mangled arm less than a meter away, then he looked down at his… at his missing left arm. A strange… tiger that emerged from nothingness slurped it into its mouth, crunching loudly.
His family was scattered around, but the girl ahead, the terrifying girl clearly aimed at him.
Long black hair, bright green eyes, average height, and a fit frame made up the basics of her appearance, but Hector was just too tired to care about any further details. That was, until his brain gave him a gruesome reminder of who stood before them.
“You!” he heard his mother snap, her words pouring out before his. “You!”
With all of the strength he could muster, Hector pulled the sword from his side and slashed at the handcuffs.
Or so he tried. The blood pouring from a new wound in his chest ended all control of his bodily functions. He heard his family’s outcry and felt Rose, Yani, and Elsa’s magic.
But they didn’t stand a chance against this person.
“D… don’t fight,” he barely got out as he collapsed.
