Knighthood 4- The Bard’s Warning

“Welcome to our League of Adventurer’s branch.” A rugged man with white hair and beard greeted the three of them as they entered. Yuelei’s eyes were momentarily drawn to the stump that was the man’s left arm before she looked away.

“Why, if it isn’t June, how have you been?”

June reach out and shook the man’s hand that was plastered with scars. “Relatively well, Cohen.”

“Haha! Good! Good!” Cohen laughed in response. “If you need help, just let me know and the League of Adventurers will deal with it. You’re an important representative from the Shepherds after all even if it is hard to come into contact with the rest of your family.”

“The League of Adventurers also act as mediators and peacekeepers.” Silfy explained after seeing Yuelei’s confused expression. “The Holy Church of Ecclisa, through the messengers of the League of Adventurers, had tried to befriend the Shepherds and Wuuther Warlocks after the last Shadowless War. June and Fifi were being sent to the Royal Knight Academy as part of the process to get along, and Cohen here was one of the adventurers sent to escort June.”

“That’s right!” Cohen slapped his chest in agreement. “It seems you have made yourself some good friends June. Since the three of you have decided to come during that fabled ceremony of the church, how can I help you lovely ladies today?”

“My friends would like to sign up for a League of Adventurer’s badge, as well as get their current aptitude measured.” June replied. “I also would like to get my aptitude measured again.”

“I see. I see. It is good that you have come at a time where we are not busy!” Cohen turned around and shouted behind him, two clerks quickly came over and handed him several forms. “Little ladies, please follow me.”

Cohen lead the two of them through the cubicle-filled floor before descending downstairs into the basement. Despite it being a ‘gathering place’ for adventurers, it was more akin to that of a government office. Even, clerks moved about in a ceaseless cycle of greeting and dealing with adventurers that stepped through the doors.

In the basement was a narrow corridor with thick doors running along the sides, reminiscent of a hotel’s hallway. However, it lacked any sort of warmth or comfort as it was all carved out from pale grey stone, and it was a stark contrast to the reception area in the main lobby. They stopped in front of a room with the image of a bow on it, and Cohen beckoned for them to enter.

What was within was a long archery range.Being deep underground, the only light was from the lamps that were eerily similar to the streetlights that paved the Holy Land of Ecclisa's streets.

“Hehe, the chambers down here were personally gauged out of the earth by one of the League of Adventurer’s Divine Beings that specializes in earth magic.” Cohen bragged lightly as he beheld Yuelei and Silfy’s faces. “Of course, the test was designed by someone who had reached a high level of aptitude in archery, and the same can be said for the other tests.”

“You keep saying the word ‘aptitude’ but isn’t that the same as the ranks that others use?” Silfy asked.

“Ranks are merely an award of mastery. We use aptitude to measure one’s combat prowess.” Cohen shook his head. “The entire ‘rank’ system just goes to show how strong is one’s general strength by averaging all of their aptitudes, which usually includes physical and magical strength, weapon skill of their choice, and their ability to use whichever elements they have. “

”Some branches normally requires a combat test to join, but our Ecclisa’s Branch has no such notions. Young kids shouldn't worry about politics.”

“Please fill out these form while I test June, afterwards, we’ll test for your aptitudes of choice and then magical and physical power.” Cohen handed Silfy and Yuelei the papers along with quills and inkwells.

Yuelei glanced over the form and proceeded to fill it up. Under ‘name’, she hesitated for a moment before putting down ‘Alia’ as an alias. Under location of birth she decided to put ‘Whitefrost Mountains’. Like this, she continued to build on her background as a child from a place of never ending winter. At the very end behind the first sheet of paper was a list of aptitudes she could test for. When she finished, she decided to go watch June’s aptitude test.

“Come now, June, power!” Cohen encouraged as June stood at the archery range. In her hands was a rather shabby looking bow that looked like it might break apart any moment, and in front of her was a series of targets. At fifty meters stood one, and behind it at sixty meters was another, and at seventy meters yet another stood behind it. In total, ten consecutive thin targets stood in the distance in front of June.

“The goal is to use one arrow to hit all of the targets dead center.” Silfy explained as she walked up next to Yuelei. She had finished her form earlier, likely due to the fact that Yuelei had spent a good amount of time creating a believable backstory for herself.

Before Yuelei could reply, June released the arrow. The sound of shattering ceramic could be heard as the first four tablets were pierced through before the arrow was halted by the fifth target.

“Not bad.” Cohen clapped his hands as he retrieved the bow from June. “The last time you were here, you barely managed to hit two consecutive targets. You’ve become stronger again.”

“Bow Mastery, Rank Four, three stars. That’s the official term you probably have known about.” Silfy nodded. “The first rank tests ability, the second rank tests arm strength, the third tests accuracy, and the fourth tests penetration power.”

“You give me too much credit.” June shook her head as she returned the bow and walked over to the rest of them. “Other than shooting a bow, I’m not good with anything else.”

“Don’t underestimate yourself You’re younger than either one of us, yet you’re almost have the mastery of a rank five bowman. That’s the average strength of a typical archer in any of the five countries’ armies. ”

“She’s right, you know.” Cohen clapped June on the shoulder. “Amongst your peers in the same age group, your talent is exceptional. I shudder to think what the full might of the Shepherds looks like.”

“Speaking of records, Yuelei wanted to ask if you could try to find someone” Silfy glanced over at Yuelei before speaking up.

“I am afraid we cannot disclose any information on our adventurers…” Cohen shook his head. “Please don’t misunderstand.”

“I just want to know if a person exists in the records or not.” Yuelei replied. “If they do, I would like to pass a message.”

“In that case, you should have said so earlier. The League of Adventurers often passes messages between branches. However... about twenty-five percent of our adventurers use an alias, so you may not find who you are seeking..”

“There’s no helping it then.” Yuelei shrugged. She did not think Airen would use his name in the first place, however her intentions were to try and locate Jourmind. Yuelei knew for a fact that Jourmind used to be an adventurer, “Please look for a list of people with the surname of Casteya.”

“I’ll peruse the records after this.” Cohen hesitated before replying. Casteya? Isn’t that the name of the Kingdom of Macha’s Imperial Family?

“Let’s move on to miss-” He glanced down at forms he was handed. “-Silfy here then. Sword and shield, eh?”

The four of them moved to another room marked with a shield. In this one was a variety of magical constructs that Yuelei could not recognize.

“Since you’ve just arrived, you’ll have to start from the bottom.” Cohen said lazily as he picked out a sword and a shield, passing the shield to Silfy. “The first aptitude rank is simple. One star for every fifty blows withstood. Of course, my attack power will be restrained so just think of it as light sparring.”

Silfy nodded and gripped the round metal shield with one hand and jutted her left shoulder forward. This was the type of position designed to withstand attacks. “After you.”

Cohen shrugged and walked over casually to stand in front of Silfy. On one side you had a an individual in battle stance while the other was rubbing his wrist while yawning, creating a truly strange comparison. Cohen casually swung his sword like one might swing a tree branch and Silfy easily intercepted it. The attacks were light and without much power, and after about ten minutes, Cohen stopped.

“See, wasn’t that easy? The next one is a bit harder, I am not going to attack your shield now, but instead other parts of your body. You’ll have to keep up and intercept my attacks. Every twenty-five attacks blocked is one star. Are you ready?”

“Can I dodge the attacks?” Silfy raised a hand and asked.

“You can.” Cohen replied. “Technically in the first exam, the exam for ability, you can dodge the attacks too, but it’s hard to dodge on a platform like this, no?”

“It is.” Silfy agreed before resuming her defensive posture. “Come at me!”

Cohen nodded in response and started swinging, except this time his attacks were aimed towards Silfy’s unguarded areas. In return, Silfy adjusted her body and shield to block the blows with a bit of effort. After nearly six minutes later, and with Silfy working up a light sweat, Cohen stopped and clapped his hands.

“Not bad. You’ve passed.. Do you want to stop here for today or shall we continue?”

“Let us continue, I wish to see where I stand!”

“Good. Young cadets should push their limits!” Cohen clapped his hands and retrieved a long metal rod, which seemed to be a shaft for a halberd of sphere. “The details of this next test is to receive my attack and break or bend my weapon! I will attack ten times, with each time raising in power!”

Silfy was startled for a moment. Breaking that metal rod with only a shield?

“Of course, no magic is allowed!” Cohen added after seeing her expression.

After ten strikes, only a slight bent was seen on the metal pole.

“It seems like you have yet to comprehend that a shield is also a weapon.” Cohen murmured after analyzing the rod. “Rank three aptitude for shields, no stars.”

Silfy shrugged in response, but reminded herself inside her heart that she needed to broaden her horizons.

Afterward, Silfy also achieved a rank two with five stars for sword aptitude. The first test was one thousand swings of the sword, and the second exam tested finesse and strength. Cohen advised her to practice once in awhile without her shield to get a better feel for swords.

When it came to Yuelei’s turn, Cohen was surprised that Yuelei did not ask for a weapon aptitude test.

“Miss Alia, do you not use a weapon?”

“I use a sword, but I have no plans to use something other than my Frost Edge.” Yuelei replied.

“...Frost Edge?”

Yuelei waved her hand and her treasured blade of ice appeared, instantly causing the surroundings to grow cold.

“A hybrid or variant element? No.., I don’t sense any familiar sensation from it. Could it be a divine element?” Cohen murmured as he knelt down and inspected Yuelei’s weapon, as bits of ice formed on his eyelashes.

Yuelei said nothing but withdrew her magic, causing the weapon to melt and vanish.

“I see, it would be hard to measure your ability with swords with a weapon with properties such as that.” Cohen regained his composure and stood up and gave her a thoughtful look. “Are you sure you don’t wish to take the sword test?”

“I am. Anyone that fights me in close combat without magic is bound to lose eventually.” Yuelei replied a bit arrogantly.

“That’s quite a declaration there.” Cohen laughed, leading them to another room filled with various glass orbs. He handed June a jade-colored sphere, Silfy a pearl-colored and a sapphire colored one, and finally Yuelei jade, sapphire, and a colorless one.

“Thanks to the great inventions of man, the test of elemental aptitude is simple. Simply gather and inject as much magic power of the element into the sphere. The purer and stronger the color, the higher one’s affinity is.” Cohen nodded and grasped on the spheres. After a moment, dust seemed to spin inside the sphere like a sandstorm, and soon small chunks of rocks formed as well, emitting glowing brown and orange light.

June went first, and traces of green wind could be seen within her sphere along with specks of green and white light. The air around her was unsettling and dust seemed to swirl around her. Cohen stated that this was rank two evaluation.

Silfy went next. Her water affinity sphere was like glass in a sauna, all foggy and with condensation along the edges, while her light affinity sphere was glowing with bright red light. Cohen had proclaimed it to be rank two aptitude for water and rank three for light.

When it came to Yuelei’s turn, she placed a hand on the jade colored orb and green light slowly gathered, and a small zephyr seemed to surround her. When she did the same for the sapphire colored sphere, the inside seemed to fill up halfway with water.

“Rank three for wind and rank four for water. Impressive.” Cohen clapped in approval. Silfy and June stared at her with a bit of shock before also congratulating her.

“Quickly, quickly, try your frost magic!” Silfy urged, her curiosity getting the better of her. Yuelei could only grin wryly as she placed her hand on the orb and channeled primal frost magic within. In a few moments, a cracking sound was heard as the glass cracked and split into two halves, and the two sides of the sphere seemed to be no longer made of clear glass, but crystal ice instead.

“This is to be expected,” Cohen nodded his head a few times before continuing. “Apologies, Miss Alia, these orbs are usually used to measure hybrid elements, but it seems they are not capable of measuring something like a divine element.”

“Let’s go back upstairs and I’ll prepare your cards.”

Half an hour later, the three girls walked out of the League of Adventurer’s building with metallic cards in hand. The front of the card listed the individual’s information, while on the back were several badge-like engravings that represented their current level of aptitude, as well as the date of the examination. Yuelei’s eyes were drawn to a gold-colored symbol with letters ‘AA’ surrounded by a laurel.

“That’s an apology for being unable to measure your aptitude with your divine element.” Cohen had stated. “Usually we only give it to long-standing adventurers or powerful individuals as a way to notify our league of who you are, but its only deserving someone that possess a divine element receives it as well.”

Yuelei had mixed feelings about this stamp, but she reasoned that the benefits would outweigh the bad. There were times it was better to be considered special, and times when it was not. According to Cohen however, it isn’t as rare as it seems, so Yuelei believed she was merely overreacting.

“I believe that the Academy’s Rise of Angelic Wing ceremony is over now.” Silfy said stiffly. “Shall we go and see the main event hosted by the Church now? We tarried for longer than I thought, but we should still make it in time.”

Yuelei nodded as she put the card away. If what Silfy said a few days ago was correct, then all manner of knights and mages would gather and try to put on their best performance. With nobody to provide insight for her in using primal Frost Magic, this was an opportune time for Yuelei.

Perhaps she would gain some insight just by watching.

The performances were just about to start as the three of them arrived. A huge crowd had gathered, many of them denizens of the Holy Land of Ecclisa, but here and there were people with clothing that signified that they had come from other countries. At the front of the crowd was a raised podium, and off to the side was a table where nine people were seated. Yuelei could barely make out Head Nurse Lorrin among them.

“...Why is the Head Nurse here?” Yuelei muttered.

“The judges are the three heads of the factions, the five maidens that serve Priestess, and the High Priestess herself.” Silfy quickly replied as surrounding members shot Yuelei irritated gazes, clearly judging her for her lack of knowledge. Yuelei met their eyes and glared back.

One of the spectators snorted and made to stand, but his companions quickly pulled him back down and shot Yuelei an apologetic smile. It was Yuelei’s time to be surprised now as she realized that they weren’t going to pursue to the matter any further.

“It’s not often that someone doesn’t know about the custom.” Silfy gently intervened and nodded in the direction of the group of hostile spectators. “Some of the more conservative factions don’t realize that others are welcome past the borders.”

“Let’s find some seats.” June tugged on Yuelei’s other arm. They had arrived late, and all of the prime seats with a clear view at the platform had already been taken. In the end, the three of them had to share seats.

“First, any registered groups may perform, then the faction’s personal teams will perform, and then finally, any last minute comers would be welcome on the stage. However, this ceremony goes by a different name, the Ascension of Knights. It’s a rather large event for factions within a faction to gain publicity, so contestants would use this opportunity to show off. Well, that’s why I said it’s a good learning opportunity as only the main factions actually put on a performance. Look, it’s about to start!”

The sister that was giving the pre-ceremony rites had sat back down on her seat in the observer’s corner. A few moments later, eight men in white clothing walked up. They wore rather strange clothes, similar to robes a mage might wear, however, their face was covered by a flap of white cloth, and a sword was strapped around their waist.

“Our Soul-scorching weapon arts takes after one of the knights of Ecclisa, The White Flame Knight.” The leader announced. “The enchantment of this mage-knight had the ability to burn away all impurities, and many of the Holyflame magical spells were created by him. His personality was like a raging flame, yet he was graced with the light element, and these skills are his way of protesting against his fate!”

As one, the eight man drew their longsword and knelt on the ground on one knee while pointing the sword towards the sky. The next moment, they placed both hands on the hilt of their weapons and stood up, pure white flames dancing along the edge of their weapon. Of these eight, each pair of two faced each other, and then, stabbed their weapons through the one next to them.

Yuelei was skeptical of the performance, however beside her, Silfy grinned with a knowing face. The eight men withdrew their blades, and there was no wound at all on their bodies. Instead, bits of white flame danced and flickered out of existence where the wound should have been.

“Those that wish to follow the path of the White Flame knight that purifies all darkness, seek our Soul-scorching sword school!” The leader shouted before saluting the crowd. Great cheers broke out as each of the eight men ran a hand along their weapon, seemingly wiping away the white flames and tossing it out towards the crowd as they departed.

Like this, the rest of the groups presented their ‘performance’. There were some rather interesting spectacles, such as the followers of the Wolf Knight, who trained a rank three magical beast that resembled a wolf as their mount and companion in battle.

Then there were the Bone Ash Knight, who donned an armor of pure white bone, said to be made from the ashes of fallen knights. The armor would mend itself, and although brittle, it could clot any wounds that pierced through it.

Then the Bulwark Knight, who were all large men wearing extremely heavy armor and carried nothing but a gigantic tower shield which was larger than themselves. It was shocking to watch them charge forward like bulls and smash through a rock wall with ease.

Then the Calyx Knight, female whip users who had an ability to cocoon themselves in an impenetrability bud-like shield.

Then the Monk Knight, fighters that used their fists in combat, and the most skilled of them demonstrated catching an arrow out of mid air.

Then the Uite Knight, who sported grandiose kite shields with a slot for crossbows and swords.

Then the Destroyer Knight, who wore standard armor and wielded large two handed claymores.

Then the Enforcer Knight, who was said to root out dissent from within all of the knight ranks.

Then the Chalice Knight, water mages that used a chalice of holy water instead of a staff.

Then …

At some point, Yuelei had lost interest in the proceedings. Only one out of every two that went up would demonstrate some sort of unique weapon art or spell, but they were not compatible with Yuelei. However, she continued to watch, for there were occasions where she would feel a spark of inspiration.

At one point of time, there was a faction that representing the Crystal Glass Knight, demonstrated a technique where during a powerful overhead swing with a large warhammer, the weight of the weapon would increase while falling to cause additional damage.

Another time was when some female fire mages representing the Fire Blossom Knight, tossed what was a simple looking fireball, but it stuck to the ground and started spitting out flames in all directions.

Before long, over a hundred groups had made their appearance, and it was finally time for the main three factions to go on with their own presentation.

Over a hundred people went up first, all of them dressed differently and of various backgrounds. Compared to the highly disciplined and synchronous groups before, this group that represented the Devout Guild seemed to be made up of the common people. Some seemed to be clerks and ministers, some appeared to be farmers and laborers. Only about a fourth of the group seemed to be either a knight or a mage and even their apparel were not as flamboyant compared to the squads of knights from the other groups. It could be said they resembled adventurers rather than actual knights.

“As the Devout Guild that embraces all of the followers of the goddess, allow us to speak of the legacy of the one called the Rose Knight.” One of the judges from the far end table had also walked up onto the podium. Some of the individuals that walked up pulled out trumpets and horns and started to play a light and heart warming theme, and almost all of the individuals cleared off the stage.

“In the time of Ecclisa’s ascension, there was a young girl that went by the name Beatrice Lheim. Her family were florists, and grew the most beautiful flowers by using fire magic to counteract the harsh cold in the North. They were a simple family that desired to simply enjoy the passing days.”

Out of the crowd of people onstage, a red haired girl stepped forth, laughing and pulling along a kind-looking woman and a thin man in a scene of a lively town square.

“The summers were gentle, and the winters warm. Beatrice was quite the tomboy, and insisted on being a lady-knight. Her parents disagreed, not wanting their dear daughter to ever have to take a life. Yet they did not stop her, for that was her wish. The years flashed by and before long she had become that which she wished to be.”

A wall of water appeared in front of the podium imitating curtains. When it cleared the town scenery had changed and in a garden, an adult version of the little from before was practicing swimming her large sword amongst the flowers of her family’s garden. The music suddenly halted and a brooding and sullen theme started to play.

“It was then the Shadowless attacked. From where had they come? Some blamed the race of Demons who excelled in dark arts, while others feared it was the work of a powerful warlock or necromancer. Her town was the first to come under attack, and many died, including the girl’s parents.”

The scenery changed again, and the once tranquil scene of the garden had become plastered with blood. A group of women and children were huddled in a corner, and bodies of many knights and mages crushed the flowers, like tainted patches of red darkness in a field of white.”

The lady knight Beatrice stood at the gates of the garden, desperately swinging her weapon at two shadow-like creatures. Upon closer inspection, Yuelei noted that they were a type of golems, as even more of the golems started to charge towards the gate. As the spectators watched the hopeless battle and the girl’s retreat, some heartstrings were pulled at the valiant defense.

“It was at this time, a weapon of light streaked from the heavens, bestowed by the Goddess herself!”

A large towering sword pierced the ground in front of the Shadow Golems, and handfuls of rose petals were thrown into the air from the shock wave from the ground. The girl quickly seized the weapon and swung at the Shadow Golems, causing their forms to dissipate as they imitated roars of pain.

“From then on she was given the title of the Rose Knight and she went on to defend this land so others would not have to go through the same fate she did! She fought for the peaceful days so wrongly taken from her!”

A shroud of water hid the spectator’s line of sight again, and when it dissipated, the girl acting as Beatrice was donned in trimmed crimson armor while standing on a small hill created by earthen magic. Below her stood all sorts of people, from farmers wielding farming tools, to powerful knights on armored steeds. As one, they drew their weapons, raised them into the air and cheered!

After the deafening applause started to rage forward, the actors left the stage while bowing. Clearly there were many that admired and related to the Rose Knight as the noise did not stop for some time.

However, Yuelei did not quite appreciate this sort of cliched story. In her mind, she scolded the one who wrote the play since they only glorified the positive facts. Protect the innocent? This Rose Knight did not even have the power to protect herself! Lin himself had mentioned that he had saved her once and she still decided to throw away her life by charging back into battle! What self-sacrifice? It was just self-fulfillment!

Yuelei glanced over to Silfy and June, who were clapping absentmindedly. Silfy was quite enthusiastic, but for June, it seemed like she only did it to fit in.

As the speaker who did not appeared to be a Knight sat back down in the observer’s table, a man clad in black armor walked onto the stage. There was no fanfare, no announcement, but the sound of clinking armor echoed in the air.

“As the new leader of the Templar Order, I shall be foretelling the tale of the Pegasus Knight.” A deep voice crept out as the man pulled down the mouthpiece of the helmet to speak.

“During the outbreak of the Shadowless War, the Holy Church had its own force keeping order, and there was a young man by the name of Reinald Gerolf. His strength was exceptional, but what truly shined was his ability to lead others into battle. After distinguishing himself several times over, he was granted his own elite squad.”

At his words, twelve knights appeared behind the speaker. Every two pairs were matching, and the common characteristic that bound them together was the rapier at their waist and the emblem on their shining breastplate.

“Again and again, their Pegasus Squadron excelled in the battlefield, granting them prestige and fame!”

A veil of water blocked the spectator’s sights as the stage changed. When it cleared away, the twelve knights were engaged in a one way slaughter against Shadow Golems.

“However, the higher ups started to feel threatened by Reginald’s fame! Trying to eliminate him, they sent the Pegasus Squadron out in the forefront against a horde of Shadowless!”

The Shadow Golems seemed to multiply in front of the spectator’s eyes. Forced back, the twelve knights stood back to back while fending off the attacks. In the corner of the platform, away from them, a man in a dark robe rubbed his hands together gleefully.

“However, they did not fall! Seeing this, the current Knight-Captain, who was a prominent earth and fire mage, grew angry! He casted a powerful Meteor spell with the intention to wipe them out along with the Shadowless!”

High in the air, some mages created the image of a giant molten ball of fire slowly growing in size. When the spell was the size of a large carriage, it shot towards the circle of knights. The water veil went up again, and when it disappeared, the scene had changed into that of a burning crater with flames near its center. A layer of soot covered the ground, covering the bodies of the knights. The speaker was nowhere to be seen as well, but a booming voice continued to speak!

“But they did not die! They rose from the flames and became the Black Squadron!”

The bodies of the soot covered knights twitched, before slowly standing up. Their once polished and gleaming metal armor had turned pitch black. Even the faces of the few knights that wore helmets that did not entirely cover their appearance were covered in soot.

“And then, in the skies above them, Reinald appeared atop a Pegasus! In one fluid motion, he hurled a Spear Of Light to slay the traitorous general!”

The clouds parted, and the crowd quieted in shock as a white horse with wings of white feathers drifted down and reared its feet in the air. On his back was the speaker, who had a glowing spear of condensed light. With the sound of cackling thunder, the Spear of Light was hurled towards the black robed man!

“And thus, Reinald, through strength alone, had become the leader of the forward forces! This is the tale of the Pegasus Knight, who had a miraculous encounter with a holy beast, and moved to purge evil!”

Applause roared forward like a tsunami, causing Yuelei’s sensitive ears to throb. Personally, she was staring the Pegasus in the air, quite curious about it. However, it snorted and quickly flew away after depositing the Knight-Captain.

Last but not least, the five Sisters stood up along with the Knight Captain of the Silver Guard. The five maidens started stood in a semicircle and a white holy light started to drift out.

“As the leader of the Silver Knights that speak for the High Priestess Geisla, Leader of the Heavenly Sonata, allow me to speak of the one known as the Maiden Knight.” The man clad in silver armor spoke quietly, causing all the spectators to strain their ears to hear.

“During the war against the Shadowless, due to our unfamiliarity to fight against the fiends of darkness, casualties were high in the forefront. It was then the sisters of a small monastery made their way along the battlefield, healing the wounded and raising morale through healing the soul.”

At his words, the five sisters started humming an eloquent hymn.

“It is said that the angels themselves had sent these nuns, for seas of Shadowless would split just to escape their holy aura. The Maiden Knight, although her name was never recorded, was the strongest individual who possessed the element of light at that time. It is said that one touch of her hands could bring a man back from the most dire of wounds, and a trace of her voice could instill liquid courage at every corner of the battlefield.”

The hymn grew in strength, and even Yuelei could feel a warm feeling in her heart. She instinctively realized the sound was imbued with magic. She tried to ignore it, but a few moments later to her surprise, a cold feeling seeped out from the snow butterfly’s sigil on her heart and quenched the feeling, like a piece of metal being submerged in cold water.

“Furthermore, after the yearly harvests decreased again and again, the nuns would start transporting food as well as medicine. They would brave through dangerous territory, seeking aid for the benefit of others and bringing aid to those that sought it.”

All of the sisters raised their hands into the air, as if waiting for a hug, and gentle light started to tremor and pass through the crowd. When the blanket of light slipped past Yuelei, she could not help but shudder while the others around her smiled and cheered. Her Winter’s Breath aura slipped out unbidden and pushed back against the light.

“...Why is it so cold?” June rubbed her arms, glancing at Yuelei.

“Ah, my bad. For some reason I unconsciously released it.” Yuelei apologized, but did not dispel it, but rather shrunk it until the aura covered only her. She glanced around and was surprised that were others do had done similar things, such as the envoys of the other countries. As she thought, there was something about this light, thinking this, she stealthily covered June and Silfy in the aura as well.

“Hey, hey, Yuelei. It’s still cold.” Silfy grumbled.

“I’ve retracted it already, must be the weather.” Yuelei lied.

Silfy grumbled and started to jog in place to warm herself up. June on the other hand was unaffected due to her time spent in the Desolate Tundra, where the ground was often covered in layers of ice. Compared to her homeland, June considered the temperature in the Holy Land of Ecclisa to be to be pleasant. As the silver knight continued to speak, the hymn seemed to grow in strength.

“In our time of crisis, they wielded silver staves to ward off the Shadowless and other demonic beings. When the Shadowless claimed the night as their own, they created the very lamps that light our streets in the night. When Ecclisa herself was lethally wounded, it is said that the Maiden Knight sacrificed her own soul and body to mend her wounds!”

The cheering of the masses had grown to an alarming rate, enough to even cause the air to vibrate. Again, Yuelei started to feel uneasy, was this the effect of magic or religious zealotry? She glanced over to June and Silfy who were also glancing around them.

“...Isn’t this a bit too much enthusiasm?” Silfy murmured as the five sisters continued to sing and the silver knight continued to speak. “Is someone using a large scale Courage or Rouse spell?”

As June and Silfy speculated on who the caster is, as such a large scale spell requires immense magical power and understanding of the human minds, they concluded that it had to be Priestess Geisla using energy from the mana battery, the Monolith.

Yuelei on the other hand, had closed her eyes and tried to visualize the Aeht, the source of soul power of those around her. Most of those around her were small and common souls, signifying that they only had a bit of magical power, however when she turned to look at the people onstage, she could not see anything. As she expected, they were stronger than her and Yuelei could only sigh and open her eyes as the song finished.

It was a while before the applause died down along with the effects of the mass-area spell. However, Yuelei and company slipped away in the beginning, feeling uneasy at the atmosphere.

“Ehem, our Church of Ecclisa has spoken. Is there any group that wishes to announce their participation? Anyone is welcome!”

A ripple ran through the crowd as the onlookers glanced at each other. The general consensus was nobody was going to go up, after all, this last statement was more of a courtesy. After that sort of performance, any other would pale in comparison.

“Well, in that case, it gladdens me that the announcement of this year’s complet-”

“Please wait.” A young girl’s voice called out. A murmur rushed throughout the crowd before being silenced by the figures of five people walking onto the stage, all of which wearing robes that covered their entire figures and faces. They stood in a semi circle as the smallest of the figures, pulled off her hood, revealing a thin sickly looking young girl, no older than ten. In her hands was a long scroll. While all the spectators and ones sitting at the long table were baffled, she glanced over to one of the cloaked figure, who gave her a pat on the head, and she started to read off the script.

“Our small assembly will now tell the story of the 0th Knight, the Martyr Knight.”

At her words, a hubbub broke out through the crowd.

“A 0th Knight? Is this slander?”

“Well, it is true that there were many nameless individuals that served the Goddess Ecclisa, so the existence of a Knight that served her first isn’t unthinkable..”

“But ‘Martyr’ Knight? What sort of person was this?”

“Perhaps they had died early in the war while saving others, hence their lack of fame.”

“Why are all those people up there cloaked?”

A high pitched note ran out, silencing the crowd. Their eyes returned to the stage, where a miniature orchestra had been set up. One of the cloaked figures with the figure of a curvy woman had a cello set up, while another person with a slimmer body had a zither-like instrument.

On the side, the one that looked to be a frail old man had set up a collection of pipes like a marimba using earth magic, while a small childlike-figure had pulled out a large harmonica.

The cloaked man standing in front of the speaking girl held a silver flute.

“The Martyr Knight, from childhood, was a self-centered girl.” the young blonde girl started reading quietly, causing the crowd to lean forward to hear her voice. “She was not of this land, and she came here because her mother had died, while her father was a faithful believer of the Holy Empire that existed at the time.”

A dark and brooding theme started to resonate throughout the air, as the cloaked figures started playing their instruments. At first it was only the zither, but then the flute joined in, followed by the cello and harmonica, and then finally the marimba.

“Her days were not pleasant.” The girl paused and started coughing, causing the cloaked man with the flute to stop and hand her what appeared to be a small golden pill. After the fit stopped, she continued.

“Her mother was, after all, a former whore and it was only out of guilt that that the father had taken her to the church before abandoning her. Some treated her with utter disdain, while others treated her with pity, but those that did were far and few in between.” The child struggled with some of the words, but nobody rushed to her. Rather, those near the front could detect a putrid scent and instinctively backed away. The lighthearted music had turned dark and somber.

“Throughout her teenage years, the girl was often abused and beaten, and after one incident where a high ranking member had taken her against her will, she fled into the nearby forest.” The girl’s voice started to shake and the music halted until she continued. “In the forest she was assaulted by magical beasts, but they did not take her life, instead they brought her to a kind old woman who could speak the tongue of magical creatures.”

“It was said that under this woman, she slowly learned to lose her hatred of humankind. Every so often, one of the old lady’s friends would come visit, carrying a young baby boy. It was the woman’s intention for our Martyr Knight to go live at her friend’s monastery, as she was old and her time was coming to pass.”

The music alternated in rapid succession. First it was gentle like a walk through a summer forest, then melancholic like an aged man thinking of his past, and then finally it faded all together except for the sound of plucking strings of the zither.

“However, she adamantly refused, and her wishes were respected. When the old lady passed away, she was given all of her possessions, including a brooch and a set of white armor engraved with wings. The old lady had said they were ancient artifacts that she once wore in the distant past.”

At these words, several of the faces of the people sitting at the table changed. Some had faces of astonishment, some had dark angry looks, and some had sad looks.

“Time passed, and this girl grew into a fine lady who became close friends with the baby boy who grew to be a pure hearted young boy, who was a trainee monk at a monastery. It could be said this period of time was the greatest and most peaceful in all her years. However, that was not to last.”

The quiet music that depicted scenes of warm sunshine quickly vanished, and an upbeat and desperate music like the wingbeats that preludes war started to play.

“The Church of Light at the time from whence she escaped, attacked the monastery of the young boy. It had gone beyond massacre, beyond what could be labeled as humane. Yes, the monks of the monastery whom accepted the inquisitors as esteemed travelers, were murdered in their sleep.”

Angry voices started to shout out, but the story continued.

“There were no survivors except for the young boy, who sought refuge with our young girl. However, try as she might, she could not convince him to abandon the path of revenge. As such, she only watch in despair as he used the darkest and most horrific dark arts to gain enough power to carry out his vengeance.”

“And one day, without any warning, the youth that the Martyr Knight treated as her own family left. It saddened our heroine but she let him be, since she had no intentions of returning to human society. More time slipped by, although not as peaceful and lonelier than before. Until one night, she heard a voice calling for her. And hearing it, she donned her armor and left to the place she once cursed as her home.”

“On her way there, she saw the ruin of her old country. She held neither happiness or sadness in her heart, but she lamented the children that died. Even for her, this act of reanimating the children to kill their parents was far too cruel. But it was too late for her to stop her friend of many years. ”

The music dimmed and a mourning and tune started to drift out, with high notes that plucked at heartstrings.

“Because when she found him, his body had morphed into an abomination. Within the ruins of the fallen church, corruption begets corruption and her friend had abandoned humanity. As the moonlight drifted through the remains of the stained glass, he asked her to kill him.”

“Yet she could not. After all, she had known this boy for half of her life. She had watched him grow from a baby to a young adult. Borrowing the power of the artifacts her teacher had left her, she sealed him away, and sought to undo his deeds. She cured the plague that he personally created to end all life, and saved those that had become mindless ghouls by tearing off a sliver of her soul and humanity. Those she could not save, she granted a swift and cleansing death. For the last five years of her life, she led the remnants of her country away to start a new life, and set up precedents for when her friend awakens.”

“And that is the story of the 0th Knight, the Martyr Knight. To bear the burden of sealing her friend, she dedicated her life to those that wronged her. It is said that in her final moments, the artifacts on her body called down angels from another realm to guide her soul away, leaving behind her body as a statue to guard the place her friend sleeps.”

As the tale finished, the only sound that could be heard was the sound of the girl coughing. At one point she spat out black blood, causing the onlookers to retreat back in shock. The figure closest to her quickly caught her falling body, gently pulling off the ragged and revealing her body. Here and there along her arms and legs were splotches of purple-black skin like putrid, rotting flesh.

“The Blight! That girl is in the final stages of the Shadowless Blight!” The closest people to the stage shouted and mass panic started to break out. In a few moments, the Silver Guard quickly appeared and surrounded the entire podium.

“Kill her before it spreads!”

“Cleanse it with fire!”

“Hurry!”

Under the urging of the commoners, several of the Silver Knights hesitated, looking at their Knight Captain and Priestess Geisla for commands.

“It seems that we have come for naught.” The figure of the curvy woman laughed, but her voice was full of mockery. “Humans are as self-preserving as I have remembered.”

“Now, now. Can you blame them, Morrighan?” An old man’s voice spoke from another one of the cloaks. “Not every soul is tempered and not every mind is understanding.”

“I do not know who the five of you are, but hand over the girl and submit yourself to an inspection. If we find no trace of the Blight on you, then you may leave!” One of the officers of the Silver Guard spoke out after seeing his Knight Captain nod. The Silver Guard drew their weapons and pointed it at the six figures onstage.

The air grew deathly quiet. The only movement was the cloaked man holding the young girl take out a bottle of shimmering white liquid in a translucent silver bottle. He poured a bit of this liquid on the girl’s splotches of Blight, and then forced the rest down her throat. Within moments, the purple-black blotches fell off her body, and her pale sickly face regained color as the Shadowless Blight was purged from her body.

“What do we do now?” the woman called Morrighan asked. “It seems that we are not welcomed here.”

“We have already done more than we should.” A quiet voice that only a few could hear responded. “Let us leave this land.”

“What about the girl?”

“If we leave her here, I fear she would become a ‘test subject’ again. With her affinity, I believe Isolde may be interested in her.”

“As you say then.” Morrighan clapped her hands, and the ground beneath the six people’s feet ripped off the podium, floating in the air.

“Halt!”

The Silver Guard’s officer shouted, but his words fell on deaf ears. Within a few moments, the slab of earth had risen high in the air at a remarkable speed, and like a flying carpet, it dashed away into the clouds.

“Hopefully, our warning won’t fall on false ears...”

“So I heard the three of you went to observe the ceremony?” Arfled asked, as they were seated for dinner. Galvin was taking away the appetizers and serving the main dish of wine-braised steak with a sweet berry sauce. “What do the two of you think of it?”

Yuelei looked over to June before replying. “I couldn’t tell if it was a speech contest, a demonstration contest, or a story telling contest.” Yuelei didn’t mince her words and she spoke the blunt truth.

“Haha! Young miss Yuelei is quite honest!” Galvin laughed.

“I learned a few things about archery observing the techniques of some of the schools” June added. “I’m sure Yuelei did as well.”

“I did. Except near the end where it went from a demonstration of skill to a play, and then a story telling contest, and then some sort of mass Courage spell.”

“Heh, that’s just the three factions trying to outdo the other.” Galvin chuckled. “The world of politics is a place of schemers and deceit. Not everyone is suitable for playing that game.”

Arfled nodded in agreement. He had not attended due to the events in the past, and he was stationed at the border to keep watch for the Shadowless as a form of underhanded punishment.

“It’s foolish really. Having petty squabbles when the enemy is at our doorstep. What is the High Priestess thinking?”

“It’s not quite her fault either.” Galvin replied. “Lately I hear from my old colleagues that the Kingdom of Macha has been going through rapid military changes. Many high level positions in the government has been replaced by the new Empress, and even Macha himself seems to have grown cold lately. It’s just lowly rambling, but I think that the ‘Fist of the Heavens‘ personality has changed greatly.”

Yuelei pretended to drink some water to disguise her shock. If lord Father was still alive, then how come nobody has come and searched for her?

“It seems to me that the High Priestess has been preparing for the worst case scenario. The best time to cross the Whitefrost Mountains is during the summer after all.”

“That would be foolish, especially with the Shadowless at our doorstep. Their troops would be annihilated.” Silfy interjected. “Plus, we have always maintained good relations.”

“I’m sure that they know this too with their intelligence network. But one should always be careful, especially with the rapid changes.”

“Enough talk about war, it ruins the taste of the food.” Arfled dismissed the matter for them. “Are any of you planning to take the upcoming inter-Academy tournament?”

“I am planning to.” Silfy nodded. “How about you June?”

“I’ll join as well. I have been working on my bow techniques for melee. Even if it’s you Silfy, I should be able to put up a decent fight!” June’s competitive spirit was burning.

“Haha, if you say so, June. Yuelei, how about you?”

“Not interested.” Yuelei said flatly.

“Aww~! don’t be like that. If you win, you can move up in rank by an insane amount and even be given a ‘flower’ title!”

“I’m not interested in fame or vanity.”

“If I may be so bold, Miss Yuelei.” Galvin interjected. “Based on the current events and the existence of your teacher, your name is likely already relatively familiar with the high echelons. It may be prudent to take this opportunity to go up in rank and graduate early.”

Yuelei was silent as she considered it. Her lessons recently had started to dwindle in practicality and turn into theory, and Yuelei could not feel as if the spells she learned were weak compared to her Primal magic. If she stayed too long in the heart of the Holy Land of Ecclisa, sooner or later trouble will come find her.

“I’ll consider it.” Yuelei said finally, thinking to ask Liur about it. If she could grow stronger in the wilds, then there was no point in staying here. She already had built a strong foundation on wind and water magic, and yet she still found it lacking. The only thing she would miss is probably the alchemy lab.

“If Yuelei enters, then it seems like we’ll be having three dark horses that will be participating...” Silfy smiled.

“Don’t be so arrogant.” Arfled sighed. “Calling yourself a dark horse when you don’t even understand your own capabilities.”

“But I do~” Silfy pulled out the card she had received from the League of Adventurers.

“Ranks and aptitude mean nothing in a real battle.” Arfled scowled. “Even the unsuspecting beggar can take down an emperor, and the strongest warrior can die to a poisoned blade.”

“It’s just a friendly competition. I doubt anyone would go that far.” Silfy interjected.

“One should be always be cautious.” Galvin interjected. “In the wild, battle can occur at a moment’s notice, and in places deemed as no man’s land, even humans cannot be trusted.”

“Jeez, what’s with the two of you?” Silfy grumbled. “Fine, fine, I get it.”

“Good. Miss Yuelei, I will have to trouble you to educate my daughter on it.” Yuelei was surprised when Arfled turned and bowed to her.

“As someone that has survived for so long in the Whitefrost Mountains is something even I admired.” Galvin added.

“You overestimated me, I was simply following others who were stronger than me.” Yuelei waved off the flattery.

“No… the point of difference between Silfy and both you and June is that hardened mindset.”

“It is better that way. Waking up at the slightest sound, wondering about whether or not you have enough food to last the winter, and preparing so that you don’t end up being the prey… aren’t things civilized people should worry about. After some point, you forget how to speak to people.” Yuelei said quietly.

June nodded in agreement. “Even among the Shepherds, there are times where you have no choice but to abandon part of the flock so the others could get away. Sometimes it is hard to sleep soundly at night.”

“Ah~, let’s not talk about depressing things.” Silfy grumbled and pulled on the two of them. “You’re here now so that’s all it matters. Why don’t we sleep together since you can’t sleep soundly at night?”

“Ah, let’s not-” Yuelei started to deny.

“Sure. My cousin and I often slept together when the winters grew cold.” June quickly agreed, and the two of them pulled Yuelei along.

Yuelei could only sigh at her own predicament.

Hour past midnight.

Yuelei slipped out of the warmth of the blankets and tiptoed outside. It had been some time before they actually retired from the night since they ended up exchanging stories.

In the courtyard, Yuelei drew her Frost Edge and started experimenting with the small dregs of insight she gained. Drawing in her breath, she started channeling her energy into a Primal Frost Edge, except this time she did not focus on speed and destruction, but rather weight. And instead of slashing from the side, she held it high into the air. Like a divine hammer of a judge, it slammed into the ground, but instead of cutting into the earth, it send forth a line of ice on the ground. A moment later, two waves of ice split forth like a crushing tsunami from the line of ice.

As Yuelei breathed in, a clapping sound could be heard.

“Quite impressive, Miss Yuelei.” Galvin stepped out from the house. “What is the name of this technique?”

“I haven’t given it a name.” Yuelei greeted the old butler. “I usually don’t think about such things.”

“True, only a fool would scream out the name of their technique in the middle of battle.” Galvin laughed. “Trouble falling asleep, Miss Yuelei?”

“I slept enough during the festival.”

“Haha! The old leaders wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if they heard such a thing!”

“Well, it wasn’t an entire waste. I did learn a few things.”

“Hmm. I see. I see.” Galvin walked and stood in front of Yuelei. “This old butler also finds it hard to sleep due to his former profession. Shall we spar a bit?”

“Please advise my swordplay.” Yuelei understood the man’s intentions.

Yuelei had a small degree of victory at first due to the properties of her weapon, but things quickly went downhill. Galvin was quick to point out the flaws and openings in her defenses. After another hour, they stopped and Galvin brought some hot tea and heated up the leftovers from dinner.

“For someone your age, your swordplay is barely passable.” Galvin commented as he took a cup for himself. “Your weapon has some unique properties, but against someone like me who can wield the fire element, it’s quite useless. Still, against any unsuspecting foes, you should have an advantage.”

“You overestimate me.” Yuelei sipped the hot tea, enjoying the warm sensation. “How many nights have you been watching me?”

“Ah? To think that my presence was noticed by someone so young. This generation’s youth is quite capable.” Galvin admitted and chuckled bitterly.

“So what made you come out tonight?” Yuelei got straight to the point.

“I heard that you asked Cohen at the League of Adventurers to look for a list of people.” Galvin replied. “Ah, don’t be alarmed, I’m only here to deliver the results and a bit of monologue.”

“The name Casteya is a rather old one. There are five registered adventurers with that surname. Macha Casteya, the current leader of the Kingdom of Macha, who is alive and dealing with affairs of the court. Then there’s Jourmind Casteya, one of his vessels who appeared at the branch in the Hero’s Desert recently.”

As Yuelei was trying to sort her thoughts at this new information, Galvin continued.

“Then there is a woman called Wyen Casteya, who appeared at a branch in the Kingdom of Four Winds… And finally there is Lord Macha’s children. Airen and Yuelei Casteya. All of the others are considered deceased or their remains are yet to be found.”

Yuelei frowned. “The last two, is there any information on them?”

“I thought you would say that. I asked an old buddy over at the Kingdom of Macha. It is said that the two of them had been confined in the Imperial Palace due to an assassination attempt, and recovering from a deadly poison. However, my contact personally saw the two of them go with Lord Macha to get registered at the League of Adventurer’s branch."

So that’s how they covered everything up. Yuelei thought. A body double? A humanoid golem? Appearance altering magic?

“As my god daughter’s benefactor, I decided to personally tell you this. There is also one more thing you should be aware of. After the three of you left the performance grounds, a cloaked group went up. One of them played a silver flute and healed someone with the Shadowless Blight with a potion.”

“Really, what sort of teacher goes around stirring up trouble for his disciple...” Galvin sighed. “That man left right afterwards, so I don’t think the two of you had met.”

“I did not meet with Teacher Lin.” Yuelei nodded.

“His face was hidden, but I am sure some of the higher echelon knows who he was, and without a doubt trouble will eventually come looking for you. Allow this old fogey to be blunt, you don’t possess the cure to the Shadowless Blight, correct?”

“The Head Nurse also asked me the same thing before and my reply was the same. No, it wasn’t among the recipes that Lin has given me.”

“I believe you, but I fear others will not.” Galvin sighed again. “Miss Yuelei, what I am going to say next is simply the ramblings of an old man.”

“It is my belief that you should win the upcoming tournament and graduate with a Knighthood as soon as possible, and then leave the Holy Land of Ecclisa.” Galvin started. “For the next few months, this old butler is confident that he can deal with any probes and scouts sent here, but eventually after a certain point, the higher ups, and maybe Priestess Geisla herself will try to obtain you for information on that cure your teacher displayed. Even if by chance you ‘can’ give them the cure, they will put you under suspicion and keep you as a hostage of sorts.”

Yuelei’s frown grew deeper. “Is that how this ‘Holy Church’ does things?”

“Why do you think I quit all those years ago?” Galvin laughed bitterly. “Each faction has a darker side to them, and the Harbinger Crows exists as an intelligence unit under the Devout Guild.”

“Furthermore, there’s more. Officials from the Kingdom of Macha has been asking if they discovered a young girl with black hair that resembles the current Princess of Macha. They claimed that she was a body double and that she had ran away, forsaking her duties and allowing the current Princess to be injured.”

Yuelei revealed nothing on her face, but deep inside she was wondering how much this crafty butler had found out, or even guessed at.

“Now… if you just so happen to be ‘related’ to this girl, the Kingdom of Macha has its own intelligence and covert network. It would be dangerous if you stay here too long as well, of course, this is just conjecture.”

“I see.” Yuelei responded. “It seems that there are both enemies in front and behind.”

“Perhaps not.” Galvin added. “This old butler took matters into his own hands and prepared a skeleton as well as a few things that would belong to a Princess. Within a few weeks, under an anonymous tip, this body would just happen to be discovered at a dubiously convenient place.”

“...What are you plotting?”

“It is the least I can do for this family’s benefactor. If I was aware of this matter then I may have been able to pull some strings earlier.”

“This sort of place is too peaceful for someone like me...”

“Heh, there is no such thing as peace, only preparation for the next war to come. It amazes me that someone your age understands such a thing. Fight well in the upcoming tournament, young lady.”

After two hours of restless sleep, Yuelei dragged herself to the laboratory. After drinking a few cups of diluted Aqua Orb essence, she felt revitalized and decided to return to her room to wake up Liur and talk about the current state of affairs.

However, her eyes went towards a folded piece of paper by the window that wasn’t there the day before. She recognized the handwriting and quickly went over to read it.

Daughter of a Phoenix,

After venturing northwards for a while, we encountered the Shepherds and lent them a hand. However, under the whims of a certain whimsical woman, we decided to head to the Sea of Voices afterwards. I’ve learned of a few herbs of the Shepherds that are extremely effective against the Shadowless Blight, and have devised a potion around them. The process is a bit difficult, but if any of your friends fall under the blight, you should concoct the potion listed below and administer it to them. Take care, for an era of strife is on the horizon. Seek out Lumnieve if you feel like you are in danger.

-The Last Enchanter