by M Sisa
Hans was thinking about leaving the city too. It was no longer safe here.
“To where?”
The Vice Leader immediately replied, “Blackstone Town.”
Hans furrowed his brows. That place was in the middle of the wilderness. He could not understand why several hundred people would choose to go there instead of the major cities in the Kingdom.
The Vice Leader seemed to have read Hans’s mind. “It’s the best place for a fresh start. I heard that the members of the slum managed to find jobs there in just a couple of days. It should be possible for us too.”
“But… Will it be safe?” Hans was troubled about the safety of that town from those monsters.
“Probably,” the Vice Leader gave a half-assed reply. “I’m sure you’ve heard about the Third Legion’s invasion.”
It was the rumor about how the Lord of Blackstone Town drove away ten thousand beastmen with just a small army.
“Even if not all of the rumors are true, there should be some basis for it,” said the Vice Leader. “The Leader and I are not coercing anyone. We will move out tomorrow afternoon, a day before the Full Moon. Think about it overnight.”
The Vice Leader tapped Hans’s shoulder. “If the Lord of Blackstone Town agrees to accept us, all of us plan on having a fresh start. I heard that they are hiring soldiers and farmers. I’m pretty sure most of us can fill the slot.”
After filling Hans in with more of the details, the Vice Leader and his group left and went on to the next house. It was an arduous task, but the officers probably did not want anyone to be left out.
Hans slumped on his bed again. He sighed.
He was planning on migrating to a major city, but after meeting the Vice Leader, he was starting to change his mind.
“Blackstone Town, huh?”
That night, Hans stayed up all night, unable to fully decide.
Chapter Fifteen
Lark immediately left the Capital after the King's birthday. He did not speak with his older brother, and the only worthwhile conversation he had was with the Lord of Golden Wheat City. Duke Drakus, his father, did not even bother to summon him for some father and son reunion.
After this encounter, Lark was sure of one thing: although he had blood relatives, there was no one he could really call his family. Well, maybe Gaston and the rest of his men could fit the bill.
Just like before, the knight tasked to monitor him followed their group from a safe distance. Lark no longer bothered to confront him after confirming that he was simply here to assess him as one of the candidates.
His trip to the Capital had been worthwhile. He learned a lot about the previous owner of his current body, about his relationship with his blood relatives, the nobles, and even the King.
The Empire must have given its reply by now.
Since news travelled at a snail's pace in this Kingdom, Lark had yet to learn about the Empire's declaration of war. He was unaware that instead of instilling fear in the Empire, the mana bombs created more upheaval instead.
Lark and his group were currently camped at a forest half a day by cart from Lion City.
"Teacher! I've done it!"
Austen shrieked uncharacteristically as he made a fist in the air. Lark looked at magic circle drawn on the ground. Austen managed to draw this circle without lifting the stick up. Shadows moved as Austen danced next to the campfire. George looked at his brother with envy, his lips curled down as he gripped his drawing stick tight.
"I can do it too," mumbled George.
"Austen, good job."
Lark seldom gave out praises to his disciples, which is why hearing it this time around made Austen's eye glimmer in delight. He could no longer suppress his lips from forming a very broad grin.
"Austen can proceed with the next phase of training, voice incantations. As for you George, continue practicing drawing the magic formation."
"Yes, teacher!"
Austen started calling Lark teacher. "I will do my best!"
George nodded his head heavily. He groaned, "Yes, Young Master."
Austen patted George's shoulder. He chuckled, "It's fine! We're brothers! You can definitely do it too!"
Those words held some mockery within, and George could not help but smirk. He mumbled, "Right."
"Austen, you will still need to continue practicing drawing the magic circle on the ground. Practice until everything becomes mere reflex. Practice until you finish drawing the formation in a heartbeat. Understood?"
Austen nodded vigorously.
"Now, let’s proceed with voice incantations."
Lark placed a hand on Austen's back. "Do not resist my mana. Close your eyes. Now, imagine drawing the magic circle within your mind."
Austen did as what Lark said. He closed his eyes as Lark guided his mana forward. He had not expected mana to appear like this. It felt tangible, as though he could grasp it and pull it out of his body. It was nothing ethereal like the rumors.
"Don't lose focus! Draw the magic circle!" said Lark.
Austen swallowed hard. He propelled his mana forward and began to draw the magic circle like he did on the ground.
"Amazing."
Upon hearing George's remark, Austen opened his eyes. He was stunned by what he saw.
A magic circle spanning 1 meter in diameter was underneath his feet!
The runes and symbols were exactly the same as the one he drew on the ground. But now, instead of dirt and mud, everything was glasslike. The entire magic formation was glowing with an azure hue, as though it was the crystallization of moonlight. After a few more seconds, the magic formation lost its glow. It formed cracks and shattered into numerous minute pieces before disappearing from sight.
"You lost focus. You've almost completed the spell," Lark frowned.
Austen was still stunned by what he saw. Lark's words hardly registered on his mind.
"Since it's your first time, I guided your mana forward. But on your next attempts, you should be able to do this on your own without my help."
Austen and Lark locked eyes with each other. Lark suppressed a sigh upon seeing those eyes. Those were the eyes of someone in euphoria after casting their first spell. A normal occurrence when a non-magician was able to perform his first magic.
"That magic formation is the basis of all spells. After its formation, altering the symbols on the second and third layer will make the difference between the five basic elements. As for the sub-elements, we'll discuss those once you've mastered the basics."
Lark frowned, "Hey, are you listening to me?"
Austen snapped out of his stupor. "Y-Yes! Of course!"
Lark sighed, "Repeat what I’ve just told you."
Austen was unable to reply.
Lark patiently repeated the words he said a while ago. His previous experience of nurturing disciples played a role during this moment.
"You have a monstrous amount of mana in your body anyway, so there's really no need for rest. Start over."
Austen closed his eyes and repeated everything that transpired a few minutes ago. To his dismay, performing the magic alone was dozens of times harder than before. The previously tangible flow of mana now felt like a raging river with numerous forks. He could no longer contain even a portion of it. He could not even properly direct it to form the first layer of the magic circle.
After a few minutes, Austen opened his eyes and huffed. He realized that his entire body was soaked in sweat, his chest rising and falling in quick successions.
It felt so easy before when his teacher was guiding him. But now, forming even just the first layer seemed impossible. This was a hundred times harder than drawing the magic circle on the ground.
Lark was sitting next to the campfire, his back turned to Austen. Without bothering to look around, Lark said with a commanding tone, "Did I tell you to stop? Start again."
Austen breathed in. He closed his eyes and started drawing the magic circle again. Meanwhile, George was still trying to draw the ma
gic circle on the ground without lifting his stick up. He enviously looked at his brother, not knowing the struggles Austen was going through within.
"Young Master," Anandra approached Lark. "I've caught us our dinner for tonight. A wild boar and two rabbits."
Lark tossed a stick onto the campfire, making sparks fly up. "That's a lot. Thank you."
He looked at Anandra and saw several weights on the man's waist, hands, and legs. On his hand was a small boar and two rabbits tied together.
Lark chuckled, "You hunted while wearing those?"
"Yes."
Knowing Anandra, Lark was sure that he did not amplify his body’s strength during the hunt. This man did everything using brute strength alone, as expected of Gahelpa Village's top warrior.
Out of all his disciples, Anandra was the one who was progressing the most. He easily learned the body strengthening magic Lark taught him, and right now, he was halfway to learning middle-tier body strengthening magic.
Body strengthening magic was a spell which amplified the strength and senses of its user's body. Therefore, a stronger body would be able to create a stronger spell. Even if Lark and Anandra used the same level of the spell, a greater effect would be evident on Anandra.
The current Anandra could no longer be blocked by a simple mana shield by Lark if he went all out, unlike the first time they sparred.
“We’ll have boar meat for tonight,” decided Lark. He shouted, “George! Austen! Stop for a moment and come over here!”
Austen and George flinched at the sudden holler. They immediately went towards Lark.
“Young Master?”
Lark pointed at the dead boar on the ground. “Skin and dismember that one. Just consider this as part of your training. You should at least know how to survive in the wild.”
George and Austen looked at each other. Although they would rather continue training than do this mundane task, they wordlessly complied.
Lark patiently taught them how to drain the blood, skin the body, and separate the flesh from the bones. He also tasked the duo with grilling the meat on the campfire.
When the boar meat was finally cooked, Lark noticed several presences nearby. Anandra noticed it too, as he grabbed the hilt of his sword on reflex. The brothers, on the other hand, were oblivious of the fact that they were currently surrounded. Austen and George wiped the drool off their mouths as they gawked at the boar meat.
“Monsters are appearing quite frequently,” said Lark.
Anandra nodded.
Austen and George shot a quizzical look at Lark. But when they heard rustling sounds, they realized what the Young Master was trying to say. They quickly stood up and looked around them, only to be greeted by numerous monsters resembling gorillas, or frogs — they were not sure.
“You two, stay there. Don’t move.” Lark stood up and dusted his clothes off. He crunched his neck twice. “These guys are a lot stronger than goblins. They’ll be perfect opponents to test out your strength, don’t you agree?”
Anandra grinned and started removing the weights from his body. “Definitely.”
A large gorilla-frog monster appeared behind the group of monsters. Judging by his physique and demeanor, he was probably the boss of this group. He was gazing at Lark and his group as though they were nothing but prey, a delicious meal waiting for them inside the forest.
Lark did not like those eyes.
“Austen, George,” said Lark. “I’ll slow everything down. Watch carefully how a magic circle is formed.”
Instead of voiceless incantations, Lark decided to chant his magic for Austen and George’s sake.
“The magic formation I’ve imparted to the two of you is the basis of all spells. Basically, it’s molded mana capable of tearing away the natural laws of this world. The reason why we are able to use magic.”
The boss monster roared and the monsters surrounding them started charging at their group.
“Blazing wind,” chanted Lark. “Be still and become my shield.”
Lark purposefully slowed down the speed of creating his magic circle. Austen and George followed the flow of mana as it formed the exact magic formation taught to them by their teacher. After a split second, the second layer of the magic circle spun and distorted. The symbols inside that layer shifted places with each other. After everything was in place, the magic formation shattered and turned into numerous particles of light, before dissipating.
“Wind barrier!”
A barrier made of translucent wind surrounded Lark and his disciples.
“Barrier magic is among the basic spells you should prioritize learning. Although it wouldn’t be able to block magic of a higher tier, it’s very effective when battling against savages. Just like those fools over there.” Lark pointed at the monsters pounding at the wind barrier. They tried breaking the shield with all their might, but to no avail.
Lark continued with his lessons. “The secret to maintaining a strong barrier is to circulate it. Make it spin around continuously.”
His disciples shot quizzical gazes at him. Lark explained further. “Think of a wooden barrel. If you stab it with a knife, you’ll be making a hole, right? But by spinning it halfway, you’ll be able to prevent the damaged part from becoming target to the next strike. And using this opportunity, you repair the barrel.”
The analogy was simple, but it was perfect. Austen, George, and even Anandra easily understood it.
“Even the strongest barriers would crumble if attacked several times at the same point. That’s why experienced magicians would spin the mana around to prevent this. Never make the mistake of making the barrier stagnant. You will never be able to maintain your barrier no matter how large your mana pools are.”
Austen and George were unaware that this technique was not something used even by the Tower’s magicians. With just this concept alone, their barrier would become stronger than usual.
“Anandra.”
“Young Master.”
“Test your strength against those monsters. Show me.”
Anandra unsheathed his sword. “Understood.”
Lark created a hole in the barrier large enough for Anandra to pass through. While inside the safety of Lark’s barrier, Austen and George attentively watched their senior disciple fight.
The moment Anandra stepped out of the barrier, the monsters immediately pounced at him. Anandra didn’t even flinch. With quick movements, he evaded the monsters’ attacks and retaliated with several strikes. The forest was soon filled with cries from the beasts.
Surprisingly, the boss monster did not pounce at Anandra even after the human killed over a dozen of his kin. It simply observed everything that transpired. Unlike the other monsters, this one was certainly intelligent.
The one-sided massacre continued. After a few more minutes, the boss monster turned around and disappeared through the shadow of the trees. Anandra tried to run after it, but the surviving monsters immediately blocked his path.
Anandra furrowed his brows. He was about to push himself past the monsters blocking his path to chase after the boss when Lark said, “It’s fine. Don’t give chase. There are definitely several more monsters hidden nearby.”
If Anandra gave chase, he would eventually find himself surrounded by more monsters. This was probably the intent of the boss as it made its escape.
Lark dispelled the barrier. He looked beyond the sea of trees. It was definitely not his imagination. This forest had become more dangerous than when they passed through here before.
After camping for the night, they immediately went towards Lion City.
But to their surprise, numerous soldiers filled the walls. The gates were closed, and entry to the city had become difficult. A long queue was seen at the entrance.
What happened to this city while they were away?
Chapter Sixteen
Big Mona hardly slept for these past few days. The series of monster attacks gave him and the Merchants Guild a devastating blow. Half of the h
eadquarters of the Merchants Guild was destroyed, and to make things worse, the monsters managed to enter the basement where several treasured items were kept. Just those treasures alone were worth several tens of thousands of gold coins.
“Ah, God damn it!” snarled Big Mona. “What are the masons doing? It’s been a week already but they haven’t finished repairing the entire building?! And you! I told you to bring more iron ingots for the construction of the basement door! Where are the damn ingots!”
Spit flew everywhere as his voice reverberated inside the Merchants Guild. Numerous workers moved about, some carried wooden planks, hammers, hemp ropes, and iron frames. Under the constant holler of Big Mona, the workers hastened their pace.
After their headquarters was almost entirely destroyed by the monsters, Big Mona ordered his men to fortify the Guild’s defenses. He also went out of his way to hire mercenaries to guard them. A thick iron door leading to the basement was also erected in the hopes of it being enough to deter the monsters from destroying the precious items stored away underground the Merchants Guild.
“It’s that damn Valcres’s fault,” he blamed the City Lord. “What a waste of money! I shouldn’t have invested in the construction of that damn fortress!”
It seemed that the fortress built next to the Lake of the Full Moon was easily breached by the monsters. Without anyone to stop them, the monsters attacked Lion City.
Valcres used to be a competent Lord back in the days, but now, he was becoming more and more of an incompetent leader. A useless scoundrel who couldn’t properly manage his land.
“Sir, there’s someone who wishes to meet you,” his secretary reluctantly told him. The temper of his boss had been terrible these past few days. Last night, he was kicked at the stomach for merely disrupting the merchant’s meal.
Big Mona furrowed his brows. On his hands were the documents related to the reconstruction of the Merchants Guild. “Who is it?”
“I-It’s a young man called Lark, Sir.”
Big Mona paused for a moment. He had not expected the noble to be back this soon. What happened at the Capital?
