The near-death experience in the mine ended without any more fuss. The mining company understood that Selene and I cannot be held responsible for the incident and let us go after asking a few simple questions. Although they owed us payment for our work, we decided not to press the issue when they had just lost many of their workers. I’m not exactly poor and neither is Selene. The bag of magic items I carry is worth quite a lot. The main reason I hesitate to sell anything is because the items are not garden variety toys. They are specialized tools for cutting-edge magic research and could be traced back to me. It could also be my fear and paranoia taking over. Even if they trace the items, that should not be enough to reveal my identity. It might attract some unwanted attention but nothing beyond that. I’ll be fine. I’m far from the capital city. Selling one or two items won’t matter.

Selene wanted to apologize because her suggestion is what led us to this incident. I assured her that such worries are unnecessary and that our friendship will not be affected. No one should be blamed for random accidents.

The next three days were quite uneventful. At my request, Selene refrained from taking on any more jobs or missions until I could be sure that we didn’t have any Bloodstone poisoning. A few days will be enough to verify this. Casting spells could also put me at unnecessary risk, so there wasn’t much I could do. The two of us spent these days practicing meditation and mana control. This should allow us to fight the effects of Bloodstone and she has already asked to be taught this technique. It’s killing two birds with one stone. As expected, she immediately agreed with my suggestion. Her excitement is palpable. We visit the nearby Magic Guild branch because it has private rooms that shut out noise and other distractions. I begin the lesson.

“Before you can learn to sense mana outside of your body, you must have mastery of the inside. Warriors of your level already know a basic form of mana control, correct?”

“It’s as you say” she responds with a quick nod. “No competent warrior is ignorant of the existence of mana.”

“Have you done meditation before?”

“Meditation? Is that the thing where you sit and wait for the entire day?”

“It may look like waiting but it’s actually training for your mind. You must learn the ability to focus on your inner experience. This is the first step and it’s far more important than what comes after. Understand?”

“I think so.”

“Very well, then let us begin. Sit down in the same position as me, close your eyes and follow my instructions.” She mimics my cross-legged position and does as stated. We sit face-to-face with about 1 meter of space between us.

“Gradually become aware of the sensation of sitting. Feeling pressure beneath you, feeling the arms at your sides, any other sensation that enters awareness, observe them all. Let your muscles relax and perhaps take a few deep breaths. Now, become aware of the sensation of breathing. Feel your abdomen rise and fall with each new breath. Simply feel all the different sensations that accompany the breath. Do not control it, simply let it come and go naturally. Observe any thought that enters consciousness. Whether it’s images or words, notice how they pass by and then immediately return to the sensation of breathing. Now, extend your awareness to all of your sensations, not just your breath. Notice any sounds that may appear or the gentle warmth of the air. Let your awareness be the space in which sensations arise.”

I guide Selene’s meditation step by step. Once she learns the general method, I will let her practice alone without distractions. The biggest obstacle at first is the mind itself. Random thoughts will constantly distract our attention. Getting used to ignoring them will take effort. As more time passes, patience also starts to become an issue. During the first three hours of practice, she looked focused and peaceful. As we entered the 4th hour, slight twitching appeared in some of her muscles as well as the eyelids. This is a sign of impatience. It was amusing watching her struggle to maintain composure during the 5th and 6th hours. This exercise is not easy by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, it goes against the nature of a quick-witted warrior like her. Do your best, Selene. It will take an almost superhuman amount of patience to fully grasp the subtleties of mana. Years of practice are necessary to actually apply in combat.

She is an amusing young woman. Simple, straightforward and honest is how I would describe her character. In many ways, she reminds me of Alex. When I say simple, this doesn’t mean foolish. She was suspicious of me for a while and rightly so considering how we first met. During our trip to this city, she gathered information about me while trying to hide her doubts. It was cute how she thought that I was unaware of her intentions. After that, the incident with the bandits helped gain her trust.

Talking to her is quite relaxing. It’s unfortunate that I must lie about my background. Under normal circumstances, there would be no need to hide anything. I will bow my head and sincerely apologize after this is all over. Then we can become true friends, assuming she forgives me of course. In the meantime, the least I can do is teach her what she wants to know. She’s already strong and will only become stronger if she masters mana control.

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On the 4th day after our training began, port-city Lapithos’ peace was broken. Their damaged navy returned to the harbour after a defeat at sea. Apparently the Athenite Empire attacked with new ships and tactics. These ‘ram-ships’ as they were called would charge straight into enemy ships and smash the hull with some kind of battering ram mechanism. Lapithos’ navy was unable to cope with these tactics and suffered complete defeat. Worse still, this allowed the Athenites to blockade the coastline, preventing trade by sea. This will eventually cause serious damage to Lapithos’ economy, but they no longer have the power to break the blockade. Waiting for reinforcements is all they can do right now and there’s no telling if and when any will arrive. The city’s morale is low and continues to drop. It’s like their spirit is slowly being sapped by an unseen force.

In hindsight, this event was the turning point. If I had known then what would happen, I would have immediately left the city. Selene would not agree but I would drag her out by force if necessary. Even if she hated me for it, that still would’ve been better than the alternative.

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Two days later, on my way back from the Magic Guild, I notice a commotion. A rather big convoy is passing through the city, escorted by hundreds of armed guards on horseback. At the front is a luxurious carriage that is commonly used by nobility. Behind it are a few other carriages which are not as impressive. In the back, there are many wagons which I guess are carrying supplies. My first thought upon seeing this was that reinforcements have arrived. This idea was quickly discarded. I followed the convoy to see where they were going. I stopped after they entered the wealthy part of the city where nobles live. This could be a regular visit with the city’s officials and Duke Cassius.

All of the soldiers look heavily armed and armoured. They are not carrying banners, flags or any other form of identification. However, there is one figure among them that stands out. He is wearing black leather armor and his head is uncovered, revealing pitch black hair. Upon closer inspection, I realize that I remember this person. His name is Alistir Wendt, a member of my father’s inner circle of nobles, friends and advisors. I don't know much about him, but it’s likely that he knows my face. I should avoid being seen by him.

I take a quick trip to the information broker, just in case I’m missing something. They confirm that Alistir Wendt serves as a military advisor at the royal palace in Delos, but that’s all they know. It seems that he’s not well known despite his high status. Regardless, this makes me suspect that the convoy came from Delos.

A convoy from Delos… what could that mean? It’s not that far from here but it would still take a month on horseback to cover the distance. It would be slower with a large group like this. This means they left the capital around the time I teleported. I’m not sure what to make of this convenient timing. There is still no word of the attack on the Magic Academy. At this point it’s beyond merely suspicious. I will lie low and gather information.

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Chaos erupted during the night. Several explosions shake the ground, forcing me to wake up. I run out of the inn to see smoke rising from the city. The sounds of violence and destruction rumble in the distance. A night raid? How did the Athenites get inside the city so easily?

As I contemplate whether or not to ignore this incident, the words noblesse oblige float across my mind. Amir, one of my father’s close friends, taught me from a young age that the privilege of nobility also comes with responsibilities. He was just preparing me to inherit a position of power. I do agree that power should come with a trade-off however. Despite what happened in the last month, I am still nobility and this is my country. Alright, I will check what is happening and help if possible. To run away at this moment would disgrace my father’s name.

After grabbing a few magic crystals and catalysts, I venture deeper into the city. I hear buildings collapsing nearby. The sound of screaming gets louder and my tension rises. This will be my first time on a real battlefield. The key will be identifying the enemy. It won’t be funny if I accidentally kill my own people.

A large chunk of wall almost flattens me as I run through the streets. I barely dodge it using ‘Air Burst’. The rest of the building collapses shortly after. A thick cloud of dust is raised. Inside the burning rubble, there is movement. Some kind of creature trudges out while shoving aside bricks and burning wood. At 2 meters tall and 4 meters long, it stands on four stumpy legs with a horse-like body. On its large head rests a sharp horn and two small eyes. Instead of hair, the entire body is covered in what could be described as armored plates of brown skin and bone. I’ve never heard of anything like it. Stranger still is the sickly red-and-purple mana aura it has. Can that even be called mana? What the hell is this thing? How did it get here?

The horned monster immediately starts charging toward me at a frightening speed. Against that amount of force, defense is meaningless. Evading is the only option. It’s good that my mobility was trained well during my time in the forest. The monster misses and crashes into the building behind me, making a large hole in the wall. It walks out unscathed and start charging again.

“Lightning Orb”

I fire a spell that is effective against armored targets. The monster receives the ball of energy right in the face. It slows down but doesn’t stop its charge, forcing me to evade again. That spell was at high-power and landed perfectly. It should have killed or at least stunned the creature. The magic resistance on this thing is incredible!

“Lightning Spire”

“Swirling Inferno”

“Fortified Earth Prison”

One after another, I continue shooting spells at my enemy while evading its attacks. Nothing seems to work! Lightning and fire do nearly zero damage and it breaks down the Earth Prison as if it were a child’s sand castle. Seeing that it can’t hit me, the monster opens its mouth and a torrent of fire comes pouring out.

“Earth Shield!”

The sudden attack surprises me but I manage to block the flames with a wall raised from the ground. This isn’t good. Normal magic is ineffective. I don’t have any powerful non-magic attacks, not to mention that any attempt to get close will result in me getting torn to pieces.

“Alright then you monster, it’s time to take the kid gloves off.” I take out a transparent, green magic catalyst which has the shape of a tiny blade. With a quick motion, I stab it in a predetermined location in my back, right between the ribs. The pain is bearable.

“Augerentis”

The catalyst is activated and starts glowing faintly. I feel a surge of power coursing through my veins. I then kneel to put my hands on the ground, ignoring the monster who is trying to impale me with its horn again.

“Subduction Zone”

The ground rumbles as the earth is sucked out violently from beneath the horned creature, causing it to fall several meters into the gaping hole. The rumbling continues as the earth and rocks are compressed. Finally, the walls close in around the helpless creature. Its armored body cracks loudly as it is crushed by the absurdly high pressure. It’s dead and buried.

I let out a sigh. Pouring this much mana into a single spell is exhausting. It was probably overkill but at least it did the job. If this creature is with the attackers, there must be more of them. I need to find a better method of dealing with them.

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The battle inside Lapithos raged for hours. The enemies were all strange animals. There were little porcupine creatures that would curl up into a ball and roll across the ground. After finding an important target, they self-destructed, causing an explosion that could demolish entire buildings. Flying through the air and wreaking havoc were large, acid-spitting bats. They attacked anything which wasn’t blown up by the porcupines or trampled to death by the fire-breathing rhinoceroses that Rigel encountered.

Selene watched helplessly as a group of city guards were mowed down by a charging rhino. Her sword bounced off of the armored body, leaving only scratches. Even with fast movements, dodging was all she could do. In the end, she resorted to grabbing a bow and shooting at the flying bat creatures. This is when she encountered Rigel who was using purple beams of mana to bring down the bats. He gave her the expensive-looking dagger at his hip and suggested a plan of attack.

“Use my dagger. I enhanced it with as much magic power as it could handle. You should be able to cut the armored creatures with it. I will back you up from behind with magic.”

“Magic doesn’t work on the armored ones! I saw mages getting squashed like bugs” she replied with a bitter expression.

“I found a way to slow them down. The bats are easy targets, so just focus on cutting down the rest.”

Selene felt comforted by Rigel’s confident response. He really is reliable, she thought. Rigel was speaking the truth, but he was not as confident as he appeared. The monsters were more dangerous than anything he had seen before and he lacks real combat experience. His only advantage is the discovery that arcane magic and dark magic were somewhat effective.

With the two working together, they began to make serious progress. Rigel used dark magic to confuse the rhinos, allowing Selene to jump in and stab their heads and eyes. He also combined water and arcane magic to turn the ground into thick mud. The heavy rhinos sunk into it and struggled to move. After seeing that this tactic is effective, other fighters joined the two. One by one, the rhinos were cut down by warriors while the mages focused on the remaining bats and porcupines.

Despite their best efforts, thousands of people died during the night-long fight, most of them helpless civilians who were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Many warriors were also killed or crippled. Most were accustomed to fighting in heavy armor which turned out to be useless. Some avoided a fatal blow, but their injuries were too severe to be fully healed. Their lives as warriors were over.

The entire city was filled with the stench of death. Blood and corpses littered the streets, some of them damaged beyond recognition. After the battle was finally over, the exhausted Rigel vomited from the gut-wrenching scene. He decided to leave the healing of the injured to other mages and retreat to his inn which was left untouched by the battle.

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After getting a few hours of rest, I was visited by Selene. She came to check if I’m recovering well. This girl is amazing. She received more of a beating than I did, yet she’s worried about me. There’s no way she recovered fully with those healing spells I used on her. Is it normal for her to worry this much about other people? I was about to say “Are you my mother?” but decided against it. There’s something more important to say right now.

“Selene, I know it’s sudden but I’m leaving this city today.”

“Eh!? Why? Where are you going?” She makes a funny noise and looks stunned by my declaration.

Ugh, how can I explain this to her? I was forced to use forbidden magic during the battle last night. I did my best to disguise it but it’s likely that someone noticed. People will be asking a lot of questions and I can’t handle that kind of attention right now. My real name could be exposed or worse. Leaving before that happens is better.

“You’re a hero to this city, Dion! I’m sure even Duke Cassius will personally give you a reward. He might even make you a noble!”

I barely contain my laughter. Of course I want to stay here, but I can’t. Damn, it looks like I have to lie again.

“The reward will have to wait. Don’t worry, I will return in a few days.”

She breathes a sigh of relief. It hurts to do this. I’ve thought about asking her to come with me. However, that would be too unreasonable because she’s tied down by the Warrior’s Guild and responsibility to her family. Plus she’s not the type who can easily keep a secret, so I will be forced to continue lying. It’s regrettable but we’ll be better off if we go our separate ways. We can always reunite after I’ve settled my problems.

I pack up all of my things and start walking toward the city gate. Selene follows me the whole way while talking about rebuilding the city and theories about what those monsters were. Near the gate, we stop for a few seconds to say goodbye. We are interrupted when a group of armed soldiers quickly surround us from all sides.

“Rigel Artemia, you are under arrest for treason, conspiracy to commit murder against nobility and use of forbidden magic.”

My mind freezes when I hear the words coming out of the soldier’s mouth. I instinctively put my hand on the magic catalyst in my pocket, preparing for the worst

“Wha—” before I could even finish the first word, I receive a powerful blow on the back of my neck. My vision goes black and consciousness fades.

Chapter 8 will be posted in a few hours. Enjoy.