Volume 1, Chapter 66 – Magic Destruction

Night fell.

The new moon.

In the World Tree Continent, the first day of each month is called the “new moon.” It is the time when the moonlight is the dimmest. Even if the stars shine brightly during the new moon, they still pale in comparison to the moon. Since the Darkborn often move during the new moon, it is considered an unlucky day. Residents of human nations would tightly shut their doors and windows, extinguish their candles early, hoping to avoid the Darkborn. In contrast, the number of patrols and soldiers guarding the city gates would be at its highest for the month.

Taking a deep breath, Fia, bathed in the darkness, turned her head to look at Claire beside her.

Both of them were now cloaked in dark capes that blended seamlessly with the night. Combined with the moonless night, even as they leaped and dashed across rooftops, it would be difficult for anyone to spot them.

What they were doing now was what Fia had mentioned in the morning—infiltrating the temple to verify the truth of the rumor that the third princess of the elves was imprisoned within the city.

For some reason, Anastasia had not returned to the clinic in the afternoon. Even as Fia studied magical incantations late into the night, there was no word from Anastasia. While Fia knew that as long as Anastasia didn’t act recklessly, her strength would prevent her from encountering any real danger, she couldn’t help but feel worried.

The dispute in the square that morning had already shown Fia that there were individuals in Aurora City whose rank surpassed Anastasia’s. This meant Anastasia was not invincible. Coupled with the uncertain intelligence released by the church, Fia believed it was necessary to investigate the temple immediately. If possible, they should also attempt to capture someone of high status and force them to divulge information.

Of course, Fia was also slightly worried that Anastasia might have fallen into the hands of the church. But no matter how she thought about it, Anastasia was a quasi-fifth-rank warrior. Even if she walked into a trap set by the church, she wouldn’t surrender without a fight. She would undoubtedly cause a significant commotion. Yet, throughout the afternoon, neither Fia nor Claire had sensed anything unusual.

Fia was more inclined to believe that Anastasia had become engrossed in her investigation of the “Unsinkable Moon” and hadn’t returned yet. Before leaving the clinic, Fia left a note on the table stating that she would be away for a short time and would return soon.

It was worth mentioning that after just one night, Fia had learned from Claire how to read and chant magical incantations. All that remained was to apply these techniques in practice.

Magical incantations were essentially ideographic scripts, similar to hieroglyphs. In contrast, both the elf language and the sacred language of Milcandis were phonetic scripts composed of alphabetic symbols. For native speakers of these languages, magical incantations were obscure and extremely difficult to memorize.

Of course, this level of difficulty was no challenge for Fia, who possessed a photographic memory. Claire only needed to say something once, and Fia would remember it perfectly. The only regret was the lack of time—Claire couldn’t go through the entire dictionary, and Fia didn’t have the opportunity to practice casting spells. Nevertheless, Fia’s astonishing learning ability left Claire deeply impressed.

As they leaped between rooftops, Claire whispered to Fia:

“Up ahead is the temple. The new moon is when the temple’s defenses are at their tightest. Not only are the soldiers stricter in inspecting passersby, but the temple is also surrounded by detection traps. If anyone not affiliated with the temple steps inside, the traps will sound an alarm. Trying to disguise ourselves as temple soldiers to infiltrate would be difficult.”

“Rather than being discovered and surrounded during infiltration, it would be better to attack head-on from the start. I can eliminate these guards without anyone noticing. If that’s not feasible, we should at least wait for Anastasia to return before making a decision. It’s too dangerous for Fia to go alone.”

“No… I can handle it alone. Even if we wait for Anastasia, nothing will change.”

Fia couldn’t let Claire stain her hands with blood over an unverified rumor. If not for Fia, Claire wouldn’t kill anyone—Fia knew this well.

As for the guards’ vigilance, Fia had another plan.

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The “Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea” could alter others’ perception of her. This perception wasn’t limited to disguising herself as a living being. With sufficient computational power, she could even disguise herself as an inanimate object. She only needed to move like a chameleon, pressing close to the walls and blending her color with the surroundings, and there would be no issue.

Fia’s superhuman computational abilities were more than enough to achieve this.

However, Claire’s words reminded Fia that merely altering perception wouldn’t evade the detection traps. They needed a way to disable them.

There was no need to hesitate—she should just ask Claire directly.

“Claire, I’d like you to help me destroy the detection traps.”

“No problem.”

Shortly after this exchange, the two of them simultaneously stopped in a dark corner. About a hundred meters ahead, atop a clock tower, stood two church knights.

“Fia, are you using ‘Wind of Exploration’?”

Claire asked softly.

“Yes.”

Since the clock tower was the tallest structure nearby, if Fia were part of the church, she would undoubtedly station lookouts there. So, she instinctively used “Wind of Exploration” on the clock tower and discovered the two paladins nearly blending into the night. They weren’t wearing reflective metal armor but black leather armor, making them almost invisible to the naked eye.

“Try switching to ‘Mana Vision.'”

“Understood.”

To avoid interference between the two spells, Fia dispelled “Wind of Exploration” and activated “Mana Vision.” In an instant, the scene before her eyes transformed.

The world, splashed with colors, reappeared before her, though it was slightly different from what she had seen in the underground testing ground that afternoon. In this chaotic world of elements, there were many patterned structures resembling magic circles. Large, colorful circular magic formations intertwined, covering even the nearby rooftops and streets, forming a complex, three-dimensional world with almost no gaps.

There weren’t just detection traps—there were also magic formations with other effects. If Fia leaped across a few more rooftops, she would easily trigger them.

The church wasn’t stupid.

“There are magic traps everywhere. Too many of them.”

“Mm, that’s what I wanted to say. While I could dismantle them one by one, it would take too long, and there’s a risk of being discovered midway. It’s better to destroy them all at once, deliberately drawing the guards’ attention. While they’re chasing me, Fia can use the Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea to slip inside. If you encounter any danger you can’t handle, don’t forget to use this.”

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As she spoke, Claire took out a silver pendant from behind her, embedded with a dark red crystal in the shape of a hexagram.

“Channel mana into it, and it will temporarily form a magic shield capable of resisting fifth-rank spells. More importantly, I’ll be able to sense when you use it, and I’ll rush into the temple immediately to help you.”

Handing the silver pendant to Fia, Claire then placed a ring of the same color on the middle finger of her right hand. The ring had a much smaller dark red crystal, clearly part of a matching set with the pendant.

This was a gift from Claire.

Realizing this, Fia accepted it without hesitation and hung it around her neck.

After all, Claire had already said in the afternoon, “If Fia won’t forget me—then perhaps it’s fine.” She was clearly very important to Claire now. Mhm.

“Understood?”

“Ah, I know. Let’s begin now. Claire, you should also be careful not to be recognized by the guards.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

Smiling, Claire patted Fia’s head, then extended her right hand flatly. With a soft chant, the “Enchanted Blade” Fia had seen before reappeared, glowing with icy light. But this time, it didn’t form a rapier—instead, it materialized into a magnificent staff nearly as tall as a person.

If the Claire Fia had seen before was a swordsman, the Claire now, dressed in a deep blue gown, looked every bit like a majestic and imposing high-ranking spellcaster. Especially with her silver hair dancing in the night wind, it was as if the world itself was roaring in response to Claire’s emotions.

“[—Magic Destruction.]”

The brief chant quickly concluded. As the final syllable fell, a distinct wave of mana erupted from Claire as the epicenter. The magic circles visible under “Mana Vision” shattered like bowling pins, one after another, from near to far.

“This is only a third-rank spell. Fia could learn it too and undoubtedly wield it even more powerfully than me.”

“I’m starting to regret telling Claire I was coming here. Right now, we look like the villains in stories who go around destroying things.”

Fia couldn’t help but smile wryly. She never expected her first proactive mission with Claire to involve destroying meticulously laid magic formations.

Claire sighed helplessly.

“No one said what we’re doing now is unjust. Those paladins must have already sensed something’s wrong. Let’s move. Be careful not to take unnecessary risks. I’ll draw the paladins away from the left side—Fia, go in from the right. Remember to get inside before they shut the temple doors.”

“Mm. See you soon.”

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Nodding firmly, Fia wasted no more time. Activating the Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea, she disguised herself to match the environment’s colors and leaped toward the rooftops on the right.

◇

With the Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea, Fia easily reached a nearby vantage point—the clock tower she had seen earlier. Peering down from the tower, she could see the brightly lit temple square crowded with guards. To defend against intruders, there were no buildings within a hundred meters of the temple, and even the paving stones were glaring white. If an ordinary person tried to approach, they’d likely be spotted within two steps.

But for Fia, who possessed the Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea, this was actually an advantage.

The lack of obstacles meant she could approach easily, and the uniform color of the paving stones reduced the computational load for her camouflage.

As for the two black-clad guards on the clock tower…

Fia glanced at the two nervous paladins just two or three meters away. The fact that they hadn’t noticed her at this distance meant she could easily slip into the temple. Leaving them untouched was the wiser choice.

Their presence would prove that no one had passed under their watch, diverting the guards’ attention. If she took them out, the guards would likely suspect someone had already infiltrated the temple unnoticed.

“What’s happening?!”

“The m-magic barriers have been triggered! The detection traps and binding seals—they’ve all been destroyed!”

“Intruders? Send men to investigate!”

Just as Claire had predicted, as the magic circles shattered one after another, the temple guards reacted intensely. Torchlight flickered in the pitch-black streets, and the night echoed with the paladins’ chaotic shouts. A third of the guards gathered in the temple square quickly dispersed.

When wooden whistles sounded in the distance, the number of guards in the square halved again.

Claire must have deliberately revealed herself to lure the paladins away.

It was time for Fia to move, too.

Without hesitation, Fia stepped onto the edge of the stone clock tower and leaped down.

Like a bird, she landed almost soundlessly. However, Fia didn’t immediately rush toward the temple doors—instead, she awkwardly pressed down her skirt.

This was a miscalculation…

From now on, she’d have to be careful not to jump from high places in a dress. Or at the very least, she should wear safety shorts underneath. Otherwise, moves like that would expose her underwear.

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Ahem. Time to head for the temple.

Since the lookouts on the clock tower hadn’t sounded any alarms, the paladins weren’t in a hurry to shut the temple doors.

The process went even more smoothly than Fia had imagined. Without detection traps, the paladins could only rely on visual vigilance—and the Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea perfectly countered that. As long as she controlled her footsteps and breathing, even if she brushed past a paladin, they would at most turn around curiously, see nothing, and dismiss it as their imagination.

“This is the inside of the temple…”

Passing through the temple doors guarded by two seasoned third-rank knights, Fia finally stepped inside.

It was worth noting that as she crossed the threshold, she felt a distinct resistance, as if there were an invisible wall in the air. But Fia pushed through with just a bit of effort, so she didn’t pay it much mind.

A cool, ancient atmosphere washed over her.

Unlike what she had imagined—a standard chapel—the temple was far more grandiose and luxurious. Gold and deep green, symbolizing life, dominated the space. The high, domed ceiling was adorned with murals depicting the Goddess of Life leading humanity to rebirth. The floor was spotless, and the vast hall was deathly silent, as if even the sound of a needle dropping could be heard.

At the far end of the hall stood a statue at least ten meters tall. The Goddess of Life seemed to welcome Fia, her hand outstretched toward the entrance. Though the goddess’s eyes were closed, the contours of her face and body made it clear she was a woman of striking beauty.

If Fia had come during the day, she might have felt a sense of warmth. But now, in the dead of night as an intruder, the goddess’s gesture felt somewhat eerie.

Best not to dwell on it. With no one in the temple, she needed to quickly search the underground areas.

“[Wind of Exploration].”

Fia’s ruby-like eyes turned cyan as she scanned the temple’s interior. Unlike Anastasia, she didn’t have access to a map of the temple’s layout, so she had to rely on alternating between “Wind of Exploration” and “Mana Vision,” using the flow of mana to identify potential hidden passages.

“Hmm?”

Her gaze settled on the corridor to the left of the statue, leading to a side chamber. Fia tilted her head slightly.

In a world dyed purple, the left corridor stood out in cyan, indicating a higher concentration of air mana compared to the rest of the temple.

But the corridor and the main hall were connected. If the mana density was higher in the corridor, it should have spread into the main hall. Yet Fia saw no signs of that.

Strange.

Maintaining her camouflage with the Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea, Fia cautiously approached the left corridor. When she finally saw what lay inside, her brows furrowed uncontrollably.