The morning flight took place after making sure Beakwing was good to go and of course Mandi asking if Howie, her butler, needed anything. The griffin seemed eager to stretch his wings. His flight speed improved, along with his mobility and even natural aura, an obvious indicator of training. Did griffins evolve? How long did it take? Damn, I needed a guide.
I considered stopping at Nia’s to say hello and make an order but decided against it. What if Alexander talking to Nia created some kind of effect that alerted his mother? What if they ended up recognizing each other anyway, and she pulled off some kind of instant-summoning effect? Okay, maybe that was a long shot, but I wanted to at least be a little cautious.
If Alexander got captured, I’d not only fail as his employer and teacher, but the chance to learn about a real-life fucking pirate king would be taken away from me. What? Did you really think I didn’t at least have a little interest in that regard? However, trust had to be shown and established. Yomi had no reason to take my words without a grain of salt.
The hours-long trip to Wingston, which would’ve normally taken four days by horse and carriage, turned out uneventful. I mostly meditated, pulling in any mana and contemplating the next step of the Dao. Honestly, the absurd difficulty increase when it came to making these potions felt both exciting and annoying. Exciting due to the actual challenge, and annoying… due to the actual challenge. At some point, I’d be selling some of my wares to the richest adventurers. The quality of my goods should get them addicted.
Snapping me from my thoughts was Beakwing landing a few meters from the front gates of Wingston. Unsurprisingly, at least to me, the city had increased its security. Double guards at the gates. I could see some patrolling the streets, likely as an attempt to at least help the people feel safer. The murderer could be anywhere, after all.
There were silver-armored men walking around that I didn’t recognize and judging by the look on Mandi’s face, neither did she.
“Ah, Mistress Mandi,” a guard said, “you’re back. You may have come at the worst possible time.”
“What’s happening?” the redhead asked.
The guard frowned. “First, a murder with the perpetrator escaping under the cover of the night. We sent trackers, but not a trace of the bastard could be found.” He gestured at the silver-armored soldiers. “The news leaked out faster than we could have possibly expected, prompting Gaston’s father to send his elite guard to investigate. So now we’ve got prickish Astral Empire soldiers marching through our city as if they own the place. It’s infuriating! There’s nothing we can do without risking further political turmoil.”
Mandi and I turned to stare at Chenzu, unamused. He facepalmed softly.
“You really did jinx this,” Mandi said.
“There’s a difference between jinxing something and inevitability,” Chenzu said, waving off her comment. “It is natural that a father reacts this way with his slain son.”
“He doesn’t view that son important enough to come himself,” the guard said, shaking his head. “That makes it all the worse. Rumor says he practically cheered at the opportunity of getting a foothold of his own, as if the empire planned to eventually consume our kingdom.”
Mandi went pale. “You mean… the day of succession. He accidentally hinted at the emperor’s son resuming the expansion his father banned some time ago in favor of peace.”
I groaned and my inner fury at the system ignited again. It brought me into a kingdom on the brink of war. Or maybe not. There was just no way in hell I wanted to become another one of those guys transported to another world only to be tossed into a monotonous montage of slaughter.
“Okay, is there anything in specific that they’re looking for, or is this whole thing just bullshit?” I asked.
“It’s just bullshit,” the guard replied, shaking his head. “Gaston was the lowest tier noble among them, and even more laughable to them, a mortal who talked way too big. No offense, Mistress Mandi, but they were playing just as big of a game with your mother as she was with them. Unfortunately, the murderer tipped everything in their favor. She could kick them out of her city, but how would that look? Even the Lord Ruler couldn’t ignore a potentially suspicious command from a city ruler.”
Mandi sighed. “I guess there’s nothing that can be done for now. Where’s Mother?”
“She’s either at the city hall or home,” the guard replied. “I could send a messenger to alert her of your presence.”
Mandi shook her head. “Don’t. We have a few things to do first, then I’ll go talk to the others before going to Mother.”
I could tell Mandi still didn’t feel one hundred percent confident enough to march into her Mother’s office and ask for details about the murder, the fear of being incinerated to ashes probably ingrained into her soul.
The guard waved us through, not that there was a line. Either we caught a good time, or simply no one wanted to be here. I waved Beakwing off, wishing him luck on the hunt. One of these days, I’d join him. Perhaps we could search for deer or even beasts. Apparently, eating ranked beasts or certain monsters increased one’s power in some way. That didn’t apply to dungeon monsters, however.
Milia turned to me. “So what would you like to do first? Search for the book, or talk to the Wingstons about the murders?”
“Got any other options to clear up the muddy waters a bit?” I asked with a sad smile.
“If only,” Milia replied. She gestured at the nearby shops. It didn’t take me long to catch on the uneasy atmosphere. Some of the places were, in fact, closed. Some had guards posted at their doors, patting down customers before allowing them to enter the establishment. Others only let in what I could only assume were VIP or club members. However, the silver soldiers gave no fucks about the rules, barging into wherever they pleased. Some of the civilian guards had bruises or black eyes, indicating the ruthless consequences of standing up to the prickish intruders.
Nothing I could do about it unless I got wrapped into this mess somehow. Sensing the chances increasing, I answered Milia.
“Let’s try to get the book first. Any good idea where we should look?”
“I do,” Mandi said. “Follow me. The faster we get this done, the faster we can go check on the others.”
“Mandi, you’re free to go check on your family,” I said. “You’re eighteen. I’m not your guardian.”
The redhead seemed a little terrified, sticking a bit too close to me, as if afraid I’d leave her behind. Goddamn this world’s culture. Also, eighteen didn’t mean shit, apparently. Harmony lived on her own with accommodations provided by her father, but I wasn’t exactly sure when young adults actually moved out of their parents’ home. It could be eighteen, twenty, or for nobles, through certain circumstances. After all, Hector still lived with the family and was at least twenty-four or twenty-five. A magician’s drastically extended lifespan made things like that quite complicated.
“No,” Mandi rebutted. “We arrived as your apprentices, and we will stick together as your apprentices. I won’t go off on my own.”
There could be hidden depth to her voice, but she was on the money. Since we were here with a specific purpose and under tense times, having everyone split without a plan wasn’t worth the headache.
“Fair enough, then lead the way,” I said.
Mandi smiled. “This way.”
One step at a time. Get the book, create the potions of water breathing and clarity, or just skip them all together for the minor luck potion.
In a stuffy office cluttered with documents, requests, and notes of debt collection, Gwendolyn sat, annoyed. It seemed like her attempt at increasing the standing of House Wingston on an endless path to becoming a high-tier noble family backfired. If House Wingston formed a strong bond with this branch of the Astral family, one day, they’d potentially advance from a mid-noble house to high-tier. The challenge afterward would be to become one of the few to push into the legendary-tier, just a step beneath the royal. Her husband as a duke, or herself as a duchess. Even gaining a count title for him would be a step up from being just a tax collector and city lord. Though the title of lord was an anomaly she didn’t feel like thinking about at this moment.
How could things have gone so wrong? Gwendolyn wanted to scream out the biggest wave of fire, like a young schoolgirl relieving herself through a tantrum, but instead the woman took a deep breath. Sure, she had to run the household, guarantee the futures of all of her children, fight off rival houses, and train to maintain her status as strongest magician in the area. Getting to the realm of Lesser Dragon was no easy task. If she could find that bloody murderer, she’d make an example out of that person, while showing people why someone of her realm should be both feared and respected. Sure, she had done that plenty of times, but clearly the people kept forgetting. A knock on her door pulled her out of her self-loathing.
“What? Can’t you see I’m busy questioning my life’s choices?” Gwendolyn snapped. She leaned back in her chair. “Come back to pester me later.”
“Lady Gwendolyn, this is important,” the maid said, her voice urgent.
“It’s open. Come in,” Gwendolyn said, remembering now wasn’t the time to play around.
The maid hurried in, closing the door behind her.
“What could possibly have you in a fit?”
“The leader of the elite silver guard has arrived,” the maid replied, “and he’s stirring up some serious trouble.”
Gwendolyn sighed. “Be specific. You know Hector’s in charge of the city guard, not me, and you should be contacting him. What’s his name?”
“Victor. He’s kicking down doors and dragging families out in the middle of the street, demanding answers. He’s even beating them. His guard members are cordoning off the areas to keep out our city guard. A battle could spark off at any time, with Hector potentially leading it. Victor’s… a magician. A strong one.”
Gwendolyn let out a long, suffering sigh. “As if things weren’t already dire for us.” She stood. “Thank you for reporting. I’ll handle this.”
“There’s one more thing,” the maid said, though her voice seemed uncertain.
“Wanda’s spanked bottom, what now?” Gwendolyn said.
“There are some claims that your daughter was spotted in the city with a strange group,” the maid continued. “I think they’re—”
Gwendolyn rushed past the maid without another word.
Victor glared down at the mortal, his cold blue-gray eyes searching for any hints of deception and trickery. When he didn’t find any, he kicked the man to the side, shaking his head.
“Thirty-five households I personally searched and no leads,” he said. “Yet, Duke Gammon prefers some mayhem and results.” He turned to Hector Wingston, city guard captain. “Unless you hand over the city peacefully. I have better things to do, brat, and I will not listen to any whining.”
“We will not be handing over the city,” Hector said as he walked toward Victor, sword unsheathed. “Listen, I do not give a damn who you are. We’ve lost sleep working on the investigation nonstop. If you cannot be patient enough for the results, then that is your problem. But the harassment of our people will stop now.”
Fiery aura burst around Hector, but this only made the older man laugh. He scratched the stubble on his chin, then pulled out a pipe.
“You have the balls to send your men to their deaths against the silver guard?” Victor asked, lighting his pipe with a swipe of his finger. The late middle-aged man puffed once and released a small stream of clouds. “Are you sure you want this? I do not settle with sissy duels. We get down to pure bloody fun, citizens being fair game.”
The people caught in between the forces tried to run, but the silver guard blocked their paths, laughing. A man licked his lips at a young servant girl from the family restaurant. Hector nodded at his guard and they advanced forward, but before things could get out of hand, a new voice called after them.
“Hector, what’s happening?”
“Mandi,” he said, surprise in his voice, mixed with joy at seeing her healthy. Not that Howie would ever let something bad happen to her.
Time seemed to slow when Victor’s hand moved toward the throat of Hector’s youngest sister, likely intending to use her as a hostage or worse, make an example. His helpless… Wait. Mandi crossed her arms, blocking the grab attempt, then tossed a handful of buttons at the silver guard captain.
Victor jumped backward, yelling as veins of electricity coated his body. Hector couldn’t believe what he witnessed, yet… she emitted no aura whatsoever. Mandi was still a mortal.
“Great Wanda’s bum,” he said softly. However, the rage at Victor daring to attack his little sister turned his eyes bloodshot and without hesitation, he decapitated the enemy guard captain. Or so he tried.
Victor’s sword manifested from nothingness, barely blocking Hector’s deadly retaliation. If it were anyone else, they’d surely be dead, two ways. Either from the sword or the intense pressure of the city guard captain’s aura.
Noticing that Mandi wasn’t alone, he froze. That master magician… And he was significantly more monstrous than the last time Hector saw him, so much that just staring at the man felt like a chore.
Victor stood up, allowing his own aura to explode, which didn’t do well for the mortals in the area.
“Men, evacuate the people,” Hector said. “You trained in my aura for years. You should be able to resist this.”
“If you move, they all will die,” Victor said. He tried to puff his pipe, but it suddenly exploded in his hand. The master magician appeared behind him—Hector didn’t even see him so much as hint at moving! He just vanished and reappeared, almost like a blink or teleport.
“What’s the point of all of this?” Nate asked as he smashed the man with a lazy backfist.
Victor fell backward, eyes wide as blood gushed from his nose. “K-kill him! Kill him!”
None of the silver guards dared move as they stared at Nate with horror.
“Just what am I doing here?” he asked, more to himself, then turned to Victor. “Calm the hell down, douchebag. I hit you in the nose to wake you up. Are you a guard or a just another demonic beast? What are you doing?”
Victor looked dumbfounded and, to Hector’s surprise, even lost. Hector wished he could relax, but even he felt Nate’s calm rage. He chuckled, happy to see that the master magician didn’t tolerate any attacks on his students, and by extension, Hector’s sister.
Hector could tell Nate was quite uncomfortable with bloodshed, despite making quick work with the Black Knight upon unleashing monstrous power. Then again, that power came at a cost simply not worth paying.
“Nothing? You’re just going to attack the people who had nothing to do with this,” Nate said.
“Guards, arrest the silver guard captain,” Hector said. “He’s going on trial for attempted murder.”
Victor tried to move, but… Nate unveiled a massive and absolutely terrifying killing intent that parted the clouds in the sky. That kind of showing of power almost made Hector fall to a knee, but he allowed the shock to pass through him as if he were a lightning rod doing its job.
“I’ve got a better idea. Arrest the entirety of the silver guard,” Nate told Hector. “Look at the bruises of the people.”
“You think you won here!?” Victor suddenly yelled as Hector closed in. “Descend! Crush my enemies, Abstract.”
You know, I was so damn proud of Mandi for putting a magician in his place. Unfortunately, the power difference couldn’t be ignored, and even Opal looked worried at the shuddering of some of her hidden charms. Still, the right message was sent to the shitshow of a silver guard over there, that being mortals aren’t all easy pickings. Think before you bully. Or pick your fights carefully, that sort of thing.
Just when I thought we could call it a day, sulk in our failure of finding any alchemy books, or hardly any open stores due to the rumors of silver guard assholes beating the hell out of the people, we ran into this situation. To top off my day, deepening the frown that was surely on my face, Victor summoned a D-ranked spell book. Fuck.
[Spell book analysis. Abstract. Rank: D. Type: War fighting and control. Silver Winds.]
Victor jumped to his feet, his aura expanding as a massive tome manifested at his side. I briefly considered stealing this one too, but really didn’t want another D-ranked spell book. There had to be stronger tomes somewhere, likely kept secret by either the master magicians, headmasters, or sect leaders.
Deciding to keep my cards hidden from the eyes of the citizens around, especially with Yukihara belonging to the Black Knight, I simply stared at the spirit that emerged on top of the book. It was a giant… form of silver and grey energy with two glowing gold eyes in the center of it. It wasn’t exactly a giant fireball the size of a building, but it… was pretty damn close.
“A wisp?” Milia asked, gaining my curious stare.
Victor chuckled and moved with quite the confidence. Sighing, I decided to see what the analysis had to say about him. Really, when would I learn that deescalating fights with people that believed themselves unstoppable was quite pointless? Even Hector didn’t want to get into a battle right away until the man attacked his sister.
“No book, wasted trip, but at least I’ll get to take my frustration out on someone,” I said. The air silenced for some reason as I gazed at my uncertain opponent and his analysis.
“I will engulf this city in a wind-bitten calamity!” Victor roared, eyes glowing as a serious amount of power radiated around him.
