LRAB Page 199
Page 199
Jennifer smiled, withdrew her right hand, closed her eyes, and stroked the ring on her middle finger, using her consciousness to activate the divine magic within. She then opened her eyes and whispered:
"Go."
A surge of immense divine power poured out from the ring. Latis opened his eyes wide in surprise, and under that powerful force, he subconsciously activated the divine magic within his ring.
[Level 6 Divine Spell - Universal Light]
A magnificent light, too bright to see in its entirety, gathered above Silverway Town, making it as bright as day for a moment. The brilliant light poured into the windows of the houses, and the townspeople couldn't help but lean out of their windows to curiously watch this miraculous sight.
The spreading light bathed the ground, giving Latis a warm feeling. He watched as the long-beaked demon birds, lured by this light, flew closer, and he took a step forward in delight, saying:
"I'll go get those monsters..."
"No need!" Jennifer chuckled, taking Latis's hand. "This is a purification spell, you know!"
"Purification...divine magic?" Latis was stunned, looking up at the light power that seemed to be surrounded by a flock of birds like dark clouds.
Just as he was about to ask some more questions, the light above suddenly shone brightly for a moment. He couldn't help but close his eyes, and when he opened them again, all that remained in the light were the gradually dissipating embers of the demon.
"Wow, that's amazing!" Latis couldn't help but exclaim.
"Of course, this is a purification spell! The Pope hasn't even taught me yet, saying I'm unruly and might cause trouble... Hmph, sooner or later I'll receive divine guidance and comprehend the purification spell myself, making the Pope look at me with new eyes..."
Jennifer muttered something with a hint of sarcasm, then gently tilted her head back, feeling the fading light, and said with a smile:
"However, although it is very powerful, divine magic is not as useful as the charging spells of magical equipment. I just tried to sense it, and even in the Wilderness Territory, it takes about two days to charge. I estimate that outside the Wilderness Territory, it will take a week to charge."
"Oh, what a pity... it still feels pretty good to hold a nuclear bomb." Latis chuckled, then suddenly realized that he was still holding Jennifer's warm little hand. He thought for a moment, then pretended not to notice, and turned around with Jennifer to look at Torso leaning against the town gate, his brows furrowing slightly.
"I originally wanted Jennifer to use the name of the God of Light to prove that I was a true priest, but I didn't expect that Torso's superiors would attack me without even bothering to verify it..."
"During the close-quarters combat just now, my identity was exposed. He knows I'm the same warrior from before, and I overheard his plan to kill me. So, what's the situation now..."
"Should we continue?" Latis asked.
"Fight?" Upon hearing Latis's words, Jennifer immediately reacted. She straightened up, using Latis's shoulder as a support, and took a step to block Latis's path, arching her back slightly like a cheetah poised to pounce.
However, to Latis's surprise, amidst this tense atmosphere, Torso sighed, released his hand from the hilt of his sword, put his hands back into his sleeves, revealing a hint of retreat, and said in a complicated tone:
"Having received the blessings of the Church of Light in the past, I... will not fight for now."
He organized his thoughts, but then realized he couldn't think of a way to explain it. After a moment of silence, he shook his head and turned to leave.
"It shines brightly like a mirror, yet when I look into it, I am but a shadow; though the gale has ceased..."
A series of hurried footsteps approached from afar. Torso turned his head and saw a somewhat familiar-looking girl named Lingling holding Gan Gan's hand, running towards the town entrance with the miners. He paused for a moment, then quickly left.
With her messy hair, Lingling, leading an excited Gangan, stopped in front of Latis. She glanced at Torso's retreating figure and hesitantly asked:
"Did he...recognize me?"
Latis scratched his head, exchanged a glance with Jennifer, and said uncertainly:
"He should be... alright now? I don't know his condition."
The four of them stayed there for a while, then put the matter out of their minds and walked towards the house with smiles on their faces.
"This is the first time I've felt men are so hard to understand. Maybe I've been living too simply?"
Latis held Jennifer's hand for a moment, then flashed his signature grin.
Who cares! As long as I and the people around me are happy, that's enough!
……
……
hum... hum...
The magical artifact on the table was vibrating incessantly. Torso sat quietly on the mat, staring at the artifact until it stopped vibrating, before turning his gaze away.
"My heart and actions are as clear as a mirror, and all my deeds are righteous...?"
He silently drew half of his longsword, examined his reflection in the darkness, and then sheathed it.
……
……
"That kid Latis said he's in Silverpath Town lately. Good lad, when did he meet the princess? The moment I mentioned her, she immediately decided to go..."
Wearing sunglasses, Zerris stepped out of the teleportation array in Mayan City and glanced at the dimly lit town after sunset.
"Fortunately, Princess Slinger is leaving tomorrow morning, otherwise I really suspect that kid might have done something naughty..."
He silently complained about Latis in his heart. For some reason, although he knew Latis was very powerful, he still felt a little uneasy, as if something was about to be taken away from him by Latis.
Zerris shook his head, putting aside the utterly unreasonable annoyance, and walked along the crooked streets of Mayan City to a secluded alley near the outer city.
He slightly raised his head, looked at the dilapidated courtyard in front of him, circled it twice, and sighed:
Time flies!
The sign on this courtyard reads "Apprentice School," a place where apprentices from nearby villages used to gather and learn magic together.
Around the time of Zerris's youth, such schools were still common in this land. Some elves who were old-school mages would teach some magical principles here. Sometimes the Church of Light would also send priests to spread their teachings, attracting a large number of commoners who were short of money and needed subsidies to become prospective knights.
Although the magic network had spread throughout the Kingdom of Norard at that time, it was still difficult for ordinary people to receive formal magic education.
However, today, thanks to the efforts of the former king and the current queen, the three schools of Lundia have become true holy sites. Numerous apprentice guides have also spread the seeds of magic to ordinary people, and the world of mages is thriving. Schools for apprentices like these have been buried in the dust of history.
After a brief sigh, Zerris walked toward the school gate. He had come to see if the old apprentice list was still kept there, and if so, to see if there was any record of the little girl named Silver Moon.
"Excuse me... who are you?"
Suddenly, an aged voice rang out from not far behind him. Zerris paused, turned around to look at the hunched old man pushing a cart past, composed himself, and then called out in confusion:
"You...you look familiar?"
"Huh? Me?" The old man pointed to his face, opened his mouth, then looked closely at Zerris, stroking his beard as he said:
"You look kind of familiar... uh, why don't you put on those sunglasses and take a look?"
Zerris, completely bewildered, put on his sunglasses. The hunchbacked old man, seeing this, clapped his hands and exclaimed in sudden realization:
"Oh, it's you, Lord Taubert! I'm your estate butler, Helter, hi!"
"What?" Zerris was shocked and momentarily flustered. He hadn't been back to the capital for so long that he didn't even recognize the steward of his own manor!
He sighed, rubbing his forehead, and quickly asked:
"Mr. Helter, what are you doing here?"
Helt put the cart aside and said with a smile:
“I retired five years ago! Now I’m busy renovating these old houses with historical significance! I’m getting old and have nothing to do, so I’m thinking of finding something to realize my self-worth… Mr. Taubet, if your manor is no longer inhabited, it’ll probably be considered a historical site!”
"Surely it's not that bad!" Zerris couldn't help but complain. "It felt brand new when I went back last time!"
"Come on, Mr. Taubert," Helt shook his head, saying mercilessly, "You didn't even know I retired five years ago, so you can imagine how long it's been since you went back. Maybe that manor has turned into some kind of zoo by now..."
Zerris chuckled twice, then quickly changed the subject, asking:
"You just said you were renovating these old houses, including this school? I was just looking for some information, could you take me inside to have a look?"
“Of course, it is my honor, Your Excellency Taubt.”
Heldt performed a very skillful servant's salute, pushed open the school door, stroked his beard, and said, "Please come in, Your Excellency."
……
"...Hahaha, Her Majesty Milut was so majestic back then. You've never seen her like that. She stood with her hands on her hips, pointing her finger at the king and cursing him as a group of nobles who came to seize her territory..."
"Haha, when the former king heard that she not only wanted to keep the estate but also give it to a country nobleman she'd never heard of before, his face turned green..."
With a hunched back, Helt rummaged through archived documents, speaking loudly in a hoarse voice:
"At the time, I thought that Lady Milut would definitely shine brightly in this world, but things didn't go as planned..."
Zerris stood behind Helter, tightening his magic cloak on his shoulders, and was momentarily dazed as he listened to these words.
In the capital, land is incredibly valuable. Even the smallest plot of land, if it could barely accommodate one family, would be fiercely contested by local nobles.
He hadn't considered these things before. In his mind, it was perfectly normal for noble estates to be passed down through generations, and even if something happened to Milut's family, she should rightfully inherit their estate. But now, it seemed that such normalcy was actually extremely rare.
"You know, how did she dare to stand in front of a group of nobles and the king with their private armies and say so aggressively, 'From now on, this manor will be called Taupet Manor'... Ah, I've found it."
Helt pulled a thin booklet from the archives and handed it to Zerris.
“Thank you, Mr. Helt.” Zerris took the booklet, sat back in his chair, nodded, and watched Helt walk out the door with his hands behind his back. He asked in surprise, “He’s leaving already? I’ll be done soon. Shall I treat you to dinner later?”
“No need,” Helt waved his hand and said.
"It's almost time for me to go to bed. I'm practically one foot in the grave. In the last days of my life, I'll just live according to my usual routine."
Zerris paused, stood up and was about to say something when Helt yawned and walked away.
"You're being too calm..."
Zerris muttered to himself, remained silent for a moment, then sat down with the booklet in his hands and took off his sunglasses.
He sighed, his brow furrowing involuntarily, and opened the booklet.
"Spring of the twelfth year of the Nora Kingdom's calendar, Lecturer, Lord Elf Herl, list of apprentices..."
"Winter of the twelfth year of the Nora Kingdom's calendar, Lecturer..."
"...Spring of the thirteenth year...Summer of the thirteenth year..."
Zerris casually cast a "Light" spell and continued flipping through the booklet in the now completely dark room.
"Spring of the fourteenth year of the Nora Kingdom's calendar, apprentice list: Bernard, Torso, Grando..."
"...Winter of the seventeenth year of the Nora Kingdom's calendar, apprentice list, Silver Moon..."
Zerris perked up and quickly searched for the apprentices' detailed information according to the recorded time, and successfully found Silvermoon's file.
"Winter-staying apprentices, that is, apprentices who are temporarily entrusted to this place due to family matters, the length of stay... personal information, yes, that's it."
He stood up excitedly, pointed to the densely packed small characters, and read them aloud word by word.
"Silver Moon, full name Silver Moon Tauber, her mother is Lady Milut..."
Zerris froze instantly, a dizzying sensation washing over him. He involuntarily took a step back, his eardrums pounding. Then, as if his blood was flowing backward, his vision went blank. He couldn't help but take another step back, knocking the chair behind him to the ground with a thud.
“Milute, I…”
He felt a lump in his throat and was unable to speak for a moment.