Aina walked into the biggest city she had ever seen. She held her mother’s hand as they walked into a crowd of people, afraid to be separated from her as they followed Navin.

She soon realized her worries were unnecessary, they never ran into other people and had a lot of space for them, the people in the street moved to the sides, opening a path for them to walk unobstructed.

There was a mixture of surprise, fear, awe, curiosity, and excitement on the expressions of the people around. Some people just kept a safe distance from them, while others bowed respectfully.

The whole street was silent for about 5 seconds, then it exploded with activity once again.

“My Lord, my Lord! Try this, we have robes of silk brought from Hykei Empire and beautiful dresses for your wife and daughter!”

“Necklaces for the Lady, cute dresses for the young lady, guaranteed quality!”

“We have the latest fashion here, shipment arrived this morning straight from the land of Solhar!”

Vendors on the street started raising their voices advertising their products, food stands started calling for them with offers of samples.

Sales assistants from the inns, restaurants and other establishments had renewed enthusiasm as they called names of their special dishes,

“Are you new to this city, my Lord and Lady? I can guide you the whole day and show the best places in the city for one gold coin.”

"Young lady, we have the best toys in the city, come and take a look inside!"

Navin kept his usual calm smile on his face as he kept walking, it was like he was completely used to this attention. He turned the head to his side, looking at Aina and Maria.

“Tell me if you see something that draws your attention, do you want to try the local gastronomy?”

Aina looked around, the food that was sold on this street smelled good, but nothing really caught her attention, the food she had eaten during the past 3 days cooked by her mom and Master with many different spices, styles, and ingredients had been very delicious, definitely better than the things here.

Maria seemed to think the same as she silently waited for Aina’s reply.

“Nothing for now, maybe later.”

Aina replied and Navin nodded.

“Okay, let’s keep looking around the city.”

The trio continued their stroll leaving the group of disappointed vendors behind, they moved into other streets and more refined commercial districts, it was a big city, so there were plenty of places to look.

30 minutes later, the group was entering a richer district in Buri City, it was close to the center of the city, and a huge building that looked like a mixture of a garrison and a bar stood out among the rest.

It was the Adventurer's Guild, an institution dedicated to being an independent military force at the service of the populace, their services included but were not limited to: guarding places, escorting caravans, searching for missing people, hunting monsters for materials, eliminating dangerous creatures that hurt the public, and the exploration of ruins and dungeons.

Navin was pondering the implications of the existence of an Adventurer's Guild in this world and the presence of the vestiges of gods that he felt upon arriving at this world when he noticed strange movements in an alley; 4 men were moving in the backstreet, outside of the eyes of the public, the men surrounded a woman, she screamed for help but they pulled out knives and threatened to kill her if she made more noise.

With his senses, the scene was clear for Navin as well as the intentions of those men.

He also noticed there was no need for him to intervene.

From out of that group’s field of vision, four lightning arrows made an arc over the buildings next to the alley and hit the 4 men directly on their chests, killing them.

The woman cried out at the sudden flash but after realizing she was safe, she voiced out her thanks to her mysterious savior and ran out of the alley leaving the 4 corpses behind.

“Hmm… seems like he at least has some decency and sense of justice.”

Navin mused as he looked towards the mansion that overlooked the city from the top of a hill north from his position.

In the courtyard of the City Lord’s mansion, Artorius Lei lowered his hand and turned his head back to the other 2 people sitting with him on a long rectangular table.

“What was that?”

The City Lord of Buri City, Howard Fiurtz, asked with a raised brow.

They had been talking about the current political situation on the continent when Artorius gazed into the distance and cast a lightning spell to some point in a dark alley of the city.

“Just getting rid of some rats in your city.”

Artorius replied lightly and grabbed a cup of wine.

“I see… well, a little warning would be appreciated next time before alarming my guards by suddenly launching lightning arrows to the city.”

“I’ll consider it. Well then, what were you saying?”

Artorius dismissed the subject without giving importance to Howard’s words but the City Lord didn’t pursue the matter, such a trivial thing wasn’t worth having a discussion with a powerful Magus, much less one backed up by a strong clan.

Although in Artorius' case, it was more like he was the backing of his clan.

And if he really was attacking ‘rats’ as Artorius usually referred to the low criminals, then he was doing the city a favor.

Howard looked towards a huge map that was unfolded on the table, it depicted the Northern Continent, called Mengha, and the different countries that ruled it.

Map: Northern Continent Mengha

“I was saying, that the situation with Hykei Empire is worsening, they are already raising the prices of goods from their country to us and selling at a cheaper price to Oeria, the diplomatic relationships are falling, and if something is not done soon, we will be fighting a war on two fronts.”

“Do you really think the Shadow Wolf will move against us? He has stayed outside of our conflict with Oeria, why would he change his mind?”

The third person on the table, the Captain of Buri City’s Knight Order, Henmal Tous, commented after hearing the City Lord’s words.

The Shadow Wolf, as they called the current Emperor of Hykei, was a warrior of great might and over 100 years of age, but since succeeding the throne 30 years ago he has maintained peaceful relations with Likia Kingdom.

If he suddenly decided to aid their enemies, then it would be a hard situation.

But if he actually moved for war, Likia Kingdom would answer in full force.

Howard explained while serving more wine for his cup, there were servants awaiting around to be of service, but he liked to serve his own drinks and the servants were well aware of it.

“There exists the possibility that his skirmish with Dusium Kingdom has reached a stalemate so he can draw forces to move to other activities. A rumor was reported to me one week ago that Dusium’s Frontier Force General, Lerk Ursen, was wounded heavily. If it is true and he needs recuperation, then Hykei Empire can be free to a certain extent and exert pressure in other areas.”

“Indeed, that would explain this change in behavior. Well, it would be annoying, but at least there’s no real danger in his actions.”

The Knight Captain agreed, he was currently drinking juice, he didn’t drink wine while on duty.

No one in the Kingdom’s upper echelons believed they could face and conquer the world alone, but they were far from being a weak country.

Having already conquered the kingdom of Solhar, one of the previous great powers of the continent, in a war over 30 years ago, Likia had consolidated its position as the country with the strongest military force. The only way for Likia Kingdom to fall would be if all the other countries in the Northern Continent united against it.

And that situation was impossible.

Apart from the obvious reasons like the history of bad blood due to past conflicts among the countries, there was the fact that 2 of the other 4 countries were commercial allies of Likia Kingdom, namely the Falzh Federation known as the Country of Craftsmen, and the Kingdom of Dusium that existed on the east side of Hykei Empire.

Falzh Federation was a neutral country that worked as a war merchant for any influence that could pay the right price. It was located on the northeastern corner of the continent sharing borders with the Republic of Oeria but mostly separated by a mountain range. That land was home of great inventors and artifact makers, with many strange minerals in their mines that were used in the fabrication of weapons, tools and a wide variety of handicraft that were sold across the world.

Dusium Kingdom was a military ally of Likia Kingdom, and despite the distance, they had collaborated in multiple occasions and carried joint operations to serve the interests of both countries, it was the country that was constantly keeping Hykei Empire at bay.

“I’m more interested in who or what could cause that old bear to need recuperation, he is very resilient and a veteran warrior. Did he fall into a trap from the Empire or did he encounter some monster in the wilderness?”

Artorius asked, politics didn’t really interest him, but whatever could wound Lerk Ursen to the point of being unable to carry on his duties was a force to be reckoned with, and Lerk was someone in an important position, he was a General protecting the western border of Dusium Kingdom, so his presence or absence was a factor that changed scenarios for the countries.

“It’s just a rumor right now, but I have sent people to investigate.”

Howard answered calmly, this was a matter of importance, so he had immediately sent people to find out the truth, he should get the answer in 2 days’ time at most.

“Then, Elder Artorius, can you tell us what brought you here?”

Henmal asked, putting his empty glass down.

Artorius and other 3 members of Lei Clan had arrived at Buri City yesterday, but the other 3 had left almost immediately while Artorius had stayed behind.

It was strange, considering Artorius had a high position within his clan, a man of his power and age didn’t just wander around. Whatever he was doing must be important, and the way he was constantly using Expanded Perception Spells were an indication he was either looking for something or waiting for someone to arrive at this city.

It was suspicious, and while neither the City Lord or the Knight Captain doubted his loyalty to the Kingdom, it was still an unnerving thing to have that powerful Magus scanning the city, he was subtle in his actions and seemed to only search the streets when he went for a stroll, respecting the privacy of the citizens.

But for someone of their position, it was hard to overlook such actions, it felt like they were criminal suspects being under investigation, it was not a pleasant sensation.

“I do not believe I must report my actions to you, Knight Captain.”

Artorius replied coldly to Henmal’s question.

“I didn’t mean to offend you, Elder Artorius. I was merely curious, if we can be of any service to you, all you need to do is ask.”

“I will ask for your help when I need it.”

“Of course, Elder.”

There was nothing Henmal could do but offer his help to Artorius in whatever he was doing, it wasn’t like Artorius was doing anything illegal, he was merely scanning the area around him, it could be justified if he simply said he liked to be cautious.

Could it be... he is scared of something or is he at risk of being attacked by an assassin?

It was a real possibility given Artorius’ important position and the many enemies he had made during his life; this man was a veteran of many wars after all.

“Is it already the season for recruiting disciples? It seems your juniors have been traveling to many villages in the region for the past few days.”

Howard added with a bit of smug on his voice. Although he wouldn’t antagonize Artorius, Howard didn’t want to let him speak that way to the Captain of his Knight Order without any comeback.

Artorius stared at Howard for a couple of seconds before starting to talk.

“If you really want to know…”

“Yes?”

“There was a poor village near the coast, about 200 kilometers away from here. It was completely destroyed 3 days ago; we were asked by the Crown to help investigate the causes of the incident.”

“What!?”

Henmal opened his eyes wide and raised his voice, startled at the information.

Howard had heard news yesterday about some travelers talking about a village being destroyed, but he didn’t know the details since it was a faraway and poor village, it wasn’t even a coastal town with a port used for travel or commerce, it was just some backwater village without importance, so no one paid attention to it.

“Was it… the mysterious storm of that night 3 days ago?”

If that was the case, then it was more serious than Howard had initially thought.

“We don’t know, we are investigating. The causes are unknown and we are not sure of anything yet, so don’t get alarmed over nothing.”

“I see.”

They continued talking some more and Artorius told them he would check for news on his subordinates.

“Should we go eat lunch? I can ask my chef to prepare food for you, or we can eat outside.”

“Hmm, I heard there’s a great restaurant in your city, I believe it’s called Tiger’s Treasure. Do you know it?”

Artorius commented, the last time he had come to this city was decades ago and that restaurant was already famous, he hadn’t had the time to taste its food at that time, though.

“Oh, excellent choice. I know it indeed, it’s one of the best in the region, it has master chefs working there.”

They stood up and went towards the restaurant.

Inside a high-class restaurant on the rich district of Buri City, a place frequented only by nobles and the wealthier merchants.

Navin, Maria, and Aina shared a table on the 3rd floor waiting for their food to be served; there were many exotic dishes and high-class cuisine. They even used expensive ingredients like magical beasts’ meat.

It was an elegant place with a nice atmosphere, excellent service, and pleasant music played by a small group of musicians taking turns on one side of the room.

They had come here since it seemed to be the highest quality restaurant in the city, and they went straight to the highest floor and ordered for a variety of food and drinks.

Navin chuckled and took a sip from his cup of coffee.

He heard the conversation of Artorius and the others in the City Lord’s mansion. He wasn’t planning to spy on them, but he cast his sight to Artorius after he killed those criminals and kept listening to them while he walked with Maria and Aina.

Seeing the map had been a pleasant surprise, since it was better than the old versions he found on the library of this city last time he came, back when he took samples of the coins.

And now three of the most influential people of this region are coming here, right to the same restaurant he was in; Artorius was walking straight to Aina, the girl he had been looking for since 3 days ago.

Just mere luck, eh? I should at least take a peaceful approach, there’s no need to kill the guy just for wanting to recruit a great disciple for his Clan.

Navin mused as he felt the 3 presences approaching the restaurant.

Their food was served by a waiter who carried the dishes on a big tray as a waitress confirmed the dishes and asked if they wanted anything else.

Navin and Maria asked for a bit of Sake, a type of wine made from rice, since she had never tasted it, and Aina asked juice from a fruit called Alaam, which was very sweet, tasty and looked like a mango.

Their meal consisted of grilled meat from a Fire Bull, breaded and roasted chicken, fried potatoes, pork sausages and three types of salad.

They asked a lot of food since they wanted to taste different dishes, they would each take a bit from each dish and they could eat it all since currently they could digest food faster using Qi.

They thanked the waiters and happily started eating, it was delicious.

Howard, Artorius, and Henmal entered the best restaurant in Buri City, Tiger’s Treasure.

Upon their arrival, they caused voices of surprise and whispers among the diners, everyone who could pay a meal in this restaurant at least knew the faces of the City Lord and the Captain of the Knights, even if they didn’t recognize the blonde Magus, he practically radiated magical power, and to accompany those two he couldn’t be any ordinary wizard.

Howard was greeted by the restaurant owner accompanied by the main chef and the head of the waitresses.

“Greetings, Ronald. Give me your best table, we will decide our meals in a minute.”

“At once, my Lord. Tiffa, my best-qualified waitress, will take care of you and your meals will be cooked by our best chef.”

At Howard’s words, the restaurant owner, Ronald, immediately replied and the head waitress made a graceful bow, then she led them to the third floor.

On the third floor, there were only 5 tables separated by a good distance to give the customers comfort and a bit of privacy, customers had to pay an additional fee to dine there, it was a luxury few people paid for since they could eat just fine on the first and second floor.

Case in point, right now there was only one table occupied.

At the end of the room, three people sat with a variety of food and drinks on their table.

A graceful woman with lightly tanned skin and long black hair who looked like she was on her late twenties, she had silver earrings with sapphires and a golden necklace with a ruby in it. She was wearing a beautiful light blue dress with golden embroidery with a scarlet silk belt on her waist and a long skirt that reached her shin, revealing a pair of polished black leather boots with short heels.

A beautiful girl who was undoubtedly her daughter, with fair skin and shoulder-length jet-black hair, wearing a stylish violet dress, white shoes, and soft pink socks. She had small golden earrings.

A handsome man with dark brown hair that seemed to have stripes of gold when the light shone on it, deep blue eyes that seemed to contain the vast sky and pierce into the souls of people. He wore a violet velvet robe with silver linings on it, a blue long-sleeved shirt under the robe, black belt fastened by an elegant golden buckle, he had black pants and black leather boots.

His style seemed to match with the woman’s, contrasting yet complementing each other; maybe they were husband and wife. As a whole, they projected the image of a family of highborn nobles happily enjoying their meal with elegance, constantly smiling at each other.

Each of their clothes lacked the flashy decorations nobles of the Kingdom usually wore, but they had an incredible quality and elegance, those clothes were pleasant to look at, and seemed far more comfortable than most of the clothes used in court and the meetings of the aristocracy.

Howard was sure he had never met any of the three before, he would definitely remember them if he had.

Howard and Henmal had their eyes stuck on the woman for a bit but retained their composure and looked away, following the head waitress towards a table across the room.

Artorius, however, could not take his eyes off them.

The man was an enigma wrapped in an aura of mystery. Even with his enhanced perception, Artorius could not detect the man’s presence except with his eyes, he could not feel any mana coming from this person, but he gave off a feeling like becoming one with the world, a degree of control even a master magician did not have, Artorius felt as if he was a mortal staring at an Archmage from the legends.

Like a child staring at the unfathomable expanse of the heavens.

And the girl, oh, the girl, she was like a heavenly fairy, blessed with the gift of lightning. To Artorius’ eyes, it looked like the mana in the air was dancing around her, revering her and competing to be the first to be absorbed in her breathing.

This girl was loved by the spirits of lightning.

Who were these people?

Are they… Gods?

Artorius seriously pondered that question as the mysterious man looked at him, smiled and gave him a small nod in salute.

Or maybe he is answering the question in my mind.

Artorius put his right fist over his chest and gave a deep bow towards the man, then walked toward Howard’s table.

Neither Howard, Henmal nor the waitress noted what Artorius did as they reached the table.

They sat, ordered their food and the best wine, oblivious to Artorius inner turmoil.