Chapter 13 (1/2)

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There was no retort for that, the man only laughed. “If the fisher has such a tempting bait, then it's only fair that the fish takes it! One should only fear not to take the hook too deep I'm sure Hughesin agrees with me.”

“Oh, then you were only feigning interest? And here I was worried your minds became addled.”

“Haha, do you take your brother to be incompetent?”

“That remains to be seen.” She laughed. “You're a step behind Hughesin already. I'm sure by next morrow that wolf will have already devoured her head to toe. You won't even have a bit of lamb soup to enjoy!”

“I think not. If that lamb was meant for us two to bite, then I see little reason that she would have her purpose used up so quickly. No, she's worth more to Sovereign as she is now. I am confident that the lamb will have claws hidden to protect herself.”

“Protect herself? You take Hughesin too lightly, don't you think? The man is an Archpaladin and has that unG.o.dly Tyror as a teacher. I fail to believe a lamb would be able to travel beyond his reach.”

“The answer remains unseen, does it not?” The man smiled, staring elsewhere in the room.

※※※

Another segment of the wall creaked as it opened up to reveal a crimson-robed magus. The magus stepped out from the empty s.p.a.ce behind and strode over to sit down in front of the man. “Ser Somiret. I do hope you'll take heed of our agreement. I am, after all, in charge of your safety. It wouldn't do for you to meet any stranger without my approval like you did today.”

“Haha, it appears I've made Ser Shade angry. You've my apology.” The man smiled merrily before pointing at his sister. “Now, if you would please explain to my sister what is particular about that young lady, I would like to hear it too.”

She was silent now. Sipping her wine in silence, she waited for this new person to speak. She already knew of this mysterious person. Even when Somiret slept, this person was there. Like a shadow, this person was always there with her brother no matter what. It made her feel like he wasn't very human, that there was something unnatural about him. Were it not for her seeing the man eat and drink like any other human being, she would've a.s.sumed this person was basically a walking corpse.

As much as she didn't care for this person, however, she couldn't deny his prowess as a magus.

The magus sat in silence for a brief moment before extending his emaciated arms outward. Held in his palms was a single crystal ball. Gently, he rubbed the top of the ball and watched as splotches of color began to appear inside. Some splotches s.h.i.+ned brighter than others and some were dimmer. Three blobs stood out amongst the splotches with their intensity.

“This,” the magus jabbed a finger at the one colored bright red. “Is the amount of mana Kebrilio has. All others pale in comparison. Only he is able to use forbidden magic. But mana isn't everything in maguscraft. How one utilizes their mana is another important aspect. There exists two others that are more troublesome in that aspect.”

He pointed at the golden splotch of light, “Truly the most difficult one would be Myron, the one chosen by a G.o.d. His ability to see the future of everything: me, you, and this world's, is a power most divine. Fortunately his powers cannot be used to help others. Myron is at best a person who will watch from the side. He will neither help us nor will he resist us. We can say he is a non-factor.”

He turned the crystal ball to show them a splotch of dark violet. “Among this patch is a threat—Mados.h.i.+ of Sovereign. Sworn into the service of the Abyssal G.o.d, Mados.h.i.+ is an extremely powerful magus. How powerful he is remains to be seen. As one knows little of how they die, the power of the Abyssal G.o.d remains a secret to those alive.”

Shade tossed the crystal ball in a dazzling arc toward Somiret. Light splattered across the room as the ball traveled to Somiret before the ball came to a stop in the air.

“Milord, do you see the two lights that rotate around one another?” The mysterious magus folded his hands.

Somiret and his sister stared at the crystal ball. Two gleams of light, one black and one gray, rotated quickly around an invisible axis. They were almost unnoticeable due to their color and light intensity being rather dim.

They saw what Shade was pointing to them, but neither Somiret nor his sister knew what they meant. The latter took another sip of her wine as she waited for Shade to give an explanation.