Part 3: The Elf’s Wish

The Magician Who Rose From Failure — LNCrawler · All chapters

Today, there was a meeting in Lainur’s castle. It was being held in the Firefly Garden, one of the gardens reserved for the king’s private use. At night, the Sol Glasses illuminated the garden and its many flowers beautifully, lighting them up just like blue, twinkling fireflies. The first of this meeting’s attendants was the master of the castle himself, King Shinlu Crosellode.

His guest was a young woman, only just past twenty. She had wavy, chestnut-blonde hair; her violet eyes had a bewitching sparkle to them, as if they were made of polished amethyst. Her skin was white as the first snow in her northern homeland. She wore a black military uniform.

At her age, she would have been unfit for a direct audience with the king if not for her status. She was Meifa Darnénes, a consul from the Northern Confederation, which presided over the Cross Mountain Range bordering Lainur.

Meifa took a sip from her teacup. “I hear you’ve bolstered your kingdom’s magic forces lately.”

Her voice was sweet and smoky, but her tone was stiff; she felt suffocated in the king’s presence.

Shinlu didn’t raise an eyebrow at the hint of accusation to her statement. “That’s right; it’s all thanks to the hard work of our country’s magicians. I really am blessed to be king to such diligent citizens.”

“I wouldn’t expect it from any other nation, that’s for sure. You are always one step—if not two—ahead of us when it comes to magic. But,” she added sourly, “I am deathly curious to know how exactly you managed it. While other powerful nations struggle to give their magicians an edge, you have improved yours in leaps and bounds. There must be something behind it.”

“What? You don’t think it’s possible they just worked really, really hard?”

“I find it doubtful. Short of working your magicians day and night or beating them into shape more viciously than has ever been seen in recorded history, I fail to see how you could produce your results. You understand where I’m coming from, don’t you?”

“U-Uh, I guess...” Shinlu tried desperately to play dumb, but the sharp glint in Meifa’s gaze was making it difficult.

Even so, he refused to let her wheedle out the truth from him. He curled his lips into an intentionally vague smile.

Meifa wasn’t about to give up. “I heard a very interesting rumor on my way here, you know.”

“Really? I’d love to hear it.”

“‘Shinlu Crosellode has a new tool to power up his magicians. It’s so effective that the army’s magicians have grown stronger practically overnight!’”

“Oh, come on. You know the type, don’t you? So in denial about the absolute power of my magicians that they insist it comes down to a ‘tool’ or ‘trick.’ Those rumors are completely unfounded.”

“They say where there’s smoke, there’s fire... Where did that phrase come from, again?”

“One of the fables in The Spiritual Age. The Mistletoe Knight, Floam, and Saint Astia pursued a band of looters and only found them when they followed a far-ranging rumor. The phrase was inspired by that story.”

“Impressive. A story with two of the three sages.”

“Anyway, I find it hard to believe such sour-grapes conspiracy theories would give a Confederate consul so much pause for thought. I didn’t take you for the gullible type.”

“I mentioned it to you precisely because I have reason to believe in its credibility.”

“Funny. In my experience the rumors that spread among commoners tend to be the more fantastical ones.” Shinlu laughed.

Meifa continued, her voice low. “You don’t deny the sudden increase in your magicians’ power, though, do you?”

“Nope. That’s the one part the rumors got right.”

“I see. Now, our nations are allies, yes? We both want to hold the line against the Empire’s aggression. Don’t you think that sharing any helpful tools you may or may not have is in our best interest?”

“I guess so. If you like, you’re welcome to come and see some of our drills along with your magical companions. It’s just like you said: we’re allies. I’m happy to cooperate fully with the Confederation.”

Meifa narrowed her eyes, wondering what had turned him so eager. She could understand why Shinlu would want to keep his secret, especially since Lainur was an international leader in the field of magical innovation. Until the official announcement, it was possible he didn’t even want his allies knowing about it.

Just because she understood didn’t mean she was happy about it.

It had been two years since the aethometer’s announcement. While much changed, one of the biggest changes was in the invention’s production: namely, that there was now a system allowing it to be manufactured on a much larger scale than before. Until now, aethometers were produced by a small team of three: Arcus, Noah, and Cazzy, using their tempered aether. Exposing Sorcerer’s Silver to that aether would transform it into a special kind of “tempered silver.” The creator would then move the silver into a sealed glass tube. Removing the air from the tube would result in a completed aethometer, but this final step was no easy task. The process itself wasn’t difficult; it was making sure the device remained accurate that was tricky. Allowing even the slightest inaccuracy would leave the aethometer useless. Each successful aethometer created around three or four failed attempts, making the production very wasteful.

With that method, Arcus would never be able to answer the crown’s request, so he was forced to devise a way to increase his output. He had perfected his aether tempering technique long ago and decided he wouldn’t mind teaching it to a select few. He asked the Guild to pick out a number of trustworthy magicians for him to contract and train. Fearing that the creation process of the aethometer might leak, Arcus made sure that each contractor was trained and assigned to a single step in its creation, and he even had each step carried out in a separate location to avoid any one person learning too much.

He remembered a certain grumpy-faced magician’s objection.

“Arcus Raytheft. Is this really necessary? It seems like a waste of money if you ask me.”

“Guildmaster, His Majesty has asked that I carry out the aethometer’s production as securely and secretly as possible, and I don’t intend to take any risks. Even under these conditions, if one of my magicians were to be rehired or kidnapped, there’s still a chance the production process could leak.”

“At this rate, your workers will think you do not trust them. They might start resenting you.”

Arcus couldn’t argue with that. The magicians and workers he hired were handpicked from the very top of their fields. Anyone would think he was being overly suspicious, but it was a small price to pay for the reduced chance of leaks. It was better to go overboard than to do too little.

“This is more than a matter of trusting them, Guildmaster. I don’t doubt that the information would make its way out somehow if I let my guard down.”

“Do you really believe so?”

“Anything which has a chance of happening eventually does. Anything with a chance of failure fails, given time. It’s exactly like all those defective aethometers we produce. It’s always only a matter of time. If I don’t put in place the strictest of measures, the process will leak.”

“That’s certainly an interesting way of seeing things...”

Murphy’s Law gave Godwald pause. Personally, Arcus thought the Guildmaster wasn’t worried enough, but since most magical research was dealt with and spoken about in code, he likely didn’t see why further measures than that were necessary. Despite the precision the aethometer’s production demanded, compared to casting spells and making magic, the process itself was fairly simple. If you knew how it worked, you only needed a basic knowledge and command of magic to recreate it—making it all the more likely to be leaked.

With the Guildmaster persuaded and the magicians capable of producing tempered silver, Arcus finalized the new production line, centralized in the Guild’s grounds. With the new divided labor system, he expected his involvement to decrease opening up a lot more free time. Unfortunately, reality was rarely so kind.

“Why?!” Arcus cried out, buried under mountains of documents in one room of the Abend estate.

His dreams of any respite were crushed under piles and piles of forms, files, and papers. They were all reports and requests to do with the aethometer and its role in creating spells and practicing magic. They came in like clockwork, swamping the poor twelve-year-old with work.

“This isn’t fair, right? It’s not fair!”

Noah remained unmoved as he answered. “This much is perfectly normal. I daresay it was your expectations which were unfair.”

“My expectations?! I’m only twelve, you know! I’m just a kid! Shouldn’t I be outside frolicking or something?!”

“You claim to be a child, yet you rarely ever act like one.”

“What? Is that how you’re gonna speak to your master? And stop looking at me like I’m the crazy one!”

Cazzy frowned. “Ain’t ya the one always tellin’ us to stop treatin’ ya like a baby?”

“Forget about that now. Haven’t you guys ever heard of child labor laws? I oughta report this. Why can’t you guys just let me out to play or something?”

“Spoutin’ nonsense words again?”

Noah ignored Arcus’s outburst, instead piling more papers onto the desk. “Master Arcus. Perhaps you should stop talking and start working? Otherwise you shall never finish. This is all a result of your invention, so you ought to take responsibility and see that this work is done.”

“I’d love to, but my motivation’s gone out the window. Ugh...”

“In that case, I shall take care of these...”

“Really?! Noah, you’re a lifesaver! Thanks!”

“However, you have to deal with this.” Noah picked up a thick file and a bundle of papers.

Cazzy stuck his tongue out as though he had just swallowed a particularly bitter pill. “The heck?! There’s more?!”

“Indeed. These arrived this morning. A new unit wishes to use the aethometer and has asked for instructions on its use and any precautions they need to take. Of course, we already have a document containing that information; it just needs to be transcribed.”

“Ugh. ’N’ how many copies do we need?”

“We shouldn’t need to make more than a hundred if we account for spares.”

“Gimme a break...”

“It is simply a matter of copying them out. What is so difficult about that?” Noah rearranged the position of the monocle over his eye, but otherwise his face didn’t even twitch.

Cazzy glared at Noah. “If ya got any more surprise work like this in store, ya better tell me ’bout it now or I’m gonna snap, ya demon!”

“Mind your language. A simple increase in work should not be worth an affront to the twin phantoms.”

“The real demons are the guys wasting my time with all this crap!” Arcus said.

Cazzy let out a high-pitched cackle. “See, even the kid’s doin’ it! Listen, boss, ya know that usually ‘demons’ are supposed to be the kinda guys who destroy the world an’ all that, not just send ya paperwork!”

“Well, they’re destroying my world!” Arcus glared at Cazzy with everything he could muster.

Cazzy threw his hands up. “Of course, sir! They’re all demons, sir!”

“Now that you two have settled down, I shall prepare your portion of the work, Cazzy.”

“C’mon, yer sayin’ that like I wasn’t gonna help all along!”

Tired of pushing back, Arcus and Cazzy resigned themselves to the work.

“Could you pass me that stack of papers, Cazzy?” Arcus said.

“What, all that? Ya know ya can leave a lot of this to us, right?”

“Sure, I know that. But watch this first.” Arcus put the papers and documents down and opened his mouth again.

“Read the left and copy the right. Copy with a hand more practiced than the most excellent of transcribers. Not a character out of place, not a character improved. The single glow of a mysterious light. No tricks, no deceptions, and no illusions. Behold the perfect work of these well-intentioned hands.”

Perfect Copywrite. A spell designed to replicate writing from one page on another.

Artglyphs wrapped themselves around both of Arcus’s hands. He placed his left hand on the pile to be copied and the right on the blank sheets of paper. He muttered “copy” in the Elder Tongue, causing his right hand to flash once. When the light was gone, the once-blank sheets under his hand displayed text identical to the sheets on the left.

“Well?”

“My goodness...”

“Whoa...”

Both his servants stared at him, wide-eyed. They likely never even considered using magic in this way. More precisely, they had never seen text being copied nigh-instantly like that, so it wasn’t something their imaginations had room for.

Noah slammed his hands on the desk and leaned forward, his eyes sparkling with interest. “Master Arcus! Tell me more about that spell!”

Arcus grinned. “This is a photocopier spell I came up with in secret. It prints perfect copies of any page, whether it’s got words or pictures on. With this, I’m more powerful than the entire world’s printing presses put together!”

Arcus threw his head back and let out a hearty, sinister laugh. Noah and Cazzy quickly turned to each other and lowered their voices.

“Master Arcus seems to be in a particularly good mood today.”

“Nah, I think he’s just tired. Or lost his mind from all this paperwork.”

Though Arcus caught them whispering to each other, he didn’t care what they said. He had to be able to laugh and have fun with this, or the pressure of all this work would crush him.

“Take a look! There’s not a letter missing or out of place! Plus, it barely uses any aether at all. Even a common magician could use it!”

“It is quite something.”

“I know, right? Even if I had to make a billion copies, I could do it just like that!” Arcus said, snapping his fingers.

“How d’ya keep comin’ up with all these crazy new ideas? Ya only just started feelin’ the burn from this paperwork, and ya already know how to deal with it so quick.”

“It’s because I know what true convenience looks like.”

“Whaddya mean?”

“Huh? Well, you know.”

“I keep tellin’ ya, I don’t! But whatever...”

“As usual,” said Noah, “I would like you to explain why you didn’t tell us about this spell sooner! I hope you have a reasonable explanation, because I am not letting you go until I am satisfied!”

“It’s ’cause I forgot to, of course.”

“Oh? That’s odd, considering how powerful your memory normally tends to be.”

“’Cause I only remember certain stuff! Anyway! Isn’t this the greatest thing you’ve ever seen?! Isn’t this a miracle of modern civilization?! Photocopiers are the best thing ever! I’m gonna have this stuff done in like, two seconds!”

The spell wasn’t a one-and-done thing. He could keep plugging away, right hand flashing and left hand transcribing, for minutes at a time. A hundred copies was a walk in the park, even for someone with Arcus’s aether stocks. At last, the final copy was finished.

“I’m done, Noah! I’m done!”

“Good work. Now...”

“Now nothing! You’re like, the best butler ever, but I know that demonic light in your eye! I know what you’re gonna say!”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I’m done for the day! I’m outta aether, okay? So I’m gonna go on break!” Without waiting for a response, Arcus leaped up from his chair and dashed out of the room and the estate as fast as his legs would carry him.

“I was only going to offer him a cup of tea...” Noah said after an awkward pause.

“You’re kiddin’?”

“Perhaps.” Noah smiled unnervingly.

“Sometimes I dunno if you’re a butler or a comedian...” Cazzy grimaced.

Having escaped Noah’s dastardly clutches, Arcus arrived at a certain park in the capital. He didn’t have any business here; it was just the first place he thought to run off to. Going back to the Raytheft place meant he might bump into his parents, and he wasn’t a fan of sitting in cafés by himself either.

Though he ended up in the park, there weren’t many people about, and taking a walk in such a deserted place felt kind of sad. It was strange, but perhaps it was due to the time of day. This place was usually filled with children playing and people stretching their legs on the footpaths. Even the weather was looking gloomy, and there was an unpleasant, damp smell in the air, as if it were about to rain. It didn’t look like Arcus would be able to stick around for long.

“Where do I go now?”

He left in such a hurry that he didn’t really have anything with him except his dark blue cloak, hat, and sword. He didn’t have the bag he kept his study materials in either, leaving him with very little he could actually do to pass the time. Taking a break now wouldn’t do anything to reduce his workload. He considered if he should just head back.

Just then, he heard a voice from behind him.

“Hey!”

Arcus couldn’t tell if it was a boy or a girl who spoke, but it was definitely a child.

“Hey!”

It was obvious that whoever it was wanted him to turn around, because when he didn’t, they began to tug on his sleeve.

“What are—” Arcus began, but then he froze in shock.

He couldn’t remember ever being so startled before. The figure behind him wore an oversized blue robe with the hood drawn. They were around the same height as him. A steel lantern hung from their hip. The bottom of the robe dragged across the ground, and the sleeves were so long they hung over their hands. That wasn’t what surprised Arcus most. Even though he was facing them head on, he couldn’t see their face. It wasn’t that the hood covered it; where the figure’s face was supposed to be, there was just a dark space. It was like he was staring into a bottomless abyss. As he kept staring, eventually two yellow eyes appeared and narrowed, as if they were smiling at him.

“Hello!”

“H-Hi...” Arcus replied automatically.

His head was a jumble of incomplete thoughts, but the mysterious figure didn’t seem concerned in the least. They raised up both arms, the sleeves draping, apparently looking for a handshake.

“Nice to meet you!”

Arcus stared.

“You... don’t think it’s nice for us to meet?”

Arcus didn’t know how to react. The yellow eyes in the dark hood turned sadly to the ground. Overcome with a sudden guilt, Arcus stuck out his hand.

“I-It is nice to meet you!”

“Yay!” The figure grabbed his hand between its sleeves and shook it enthusiastically up and down as the smile returned to its eyes.

“S-So, uh... what... I mean, who are you?” Arcus finally asked.

Whatever they were, he doubted they were human. From the way they moved to the way the robe hung at rest, he got the impression that there was no body to speak of beneath the flowing cloth. It wasn’t just its appearance either; everything about it gave Arcus an uncanny feeling. At least it didn’t seem dangerous.

“My name is Gown! You know me, right?”

“Gown? Uh, you mean...”

“Yeah! You got it!” Gown nodded.

It wasn’t the first time Arcus had come across that name. “Gown” was a name as ubiquitous as the Twin Phantoms—a supernatural being, the Grave Sprite. He was first mentioned in the second Ancient Chronicle, The Spiritual Age, and from there disseminated into folklore. He was said to be immortal, forever patrolling cemeteries at night and grieving the dead. He offered them flowers and songs to keep them at peace and stop them from unearthing themselves. Gown was also known as a tomb guardian and a watchman of the underworld.

Despite the propagation of Sol Glasses widely abolishing darkness in public places, Gown was still widely spoken of. He still watered the plants around graveyards and still picked flowers to lay at tombstones. He still comforted the dead with his song. He carried on his work in the light of day, sitting on cemetery benches and basking in the warm sun. Some descriptions of Gown made him a sort of bogeyman, but most people saw him as a figure to be respected.

This was Arcus’s first encounter with a figure from legend. He could count the cemeteries he’d been to on one hand, so he had no reason to believe he would bump into the sprite itself, nor that it would be so friendly. He suddenly realized he hadn’t introduced himself yet.

“My name is—”

“Arcus! Arcus Raytheft, right?”

Arcus paused. “How did you know?”

“Because you’re Arcus!”

“That doesn’t make sense!”

“But that’s how I know!”

“But it...”

Gown genuinely didn’t seem to realize what was wrong with his answer. Even if Arcus asked again, he could only see this conversation looping back to where they’d started. He decided just to put it down to Gown’s supernatural insight.

“So, uh, what are you doing here, Gown? You seem a little far from your usual haunts.”

“Yeah! I had to come to this park instead today!”

“You mean something’s up?”

“Yeah! Yeah, and that’s why I came to see you, Arcus!”

It’s here to see me specifically? Why?

“I wanna ask you something, Arcus!”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Thanks! A little bit ago, there was a group of humans that threatened our promise! I want you to help me catch them!”

“Your promise?”

“Yeah! They dug up an old graveyard in the north and stole the bodies!”

“The north? North of the capital or north of Lainur?”

“No! More north than that! In Alnorsace!”

“Al... You mean the Northern Confederation?”

“Yeah!”

The Northern Confederation was made up of several smaller states separating Lainur from the mountains. As a neighboring country, it naturally engaged in small territorial scuffles with the kingdom, and sometimes relations would sour somewhat. So far they’d avoided any large-scale struggle, for historical reasons bound up in one particular spot on the border that were too intricate for Arcus to reflect on in the moment. On average, it was one of Lainur’s allies.

Was Gown saying he chased the tomb robbers out of Alnorsace? Arcus wasn’t sure; it wasn’t uncommon for beings of his caliber to possess a degree of omnipresence.

“So how come they were grave-robbing?”

“I dunno! But I don’t like it! It’s untidy and disrespectful!”

“And you chased them here?”

Gown nodded. In The Spiritual Age, it was said that Gown sent a pack of hunting dogs to chase grave robbers to the very ends of the world in order to punish them.

“But why are you here, then? Can’t you send your hounds like in the story?”

“This is more serious than that! Those guys made a very evil herb that uses the bones of the dead!”

“An evil herb?”

“Yeah!”

Arcus frowned thoughtfully. “You mean like cannabis or something? Or something that turns people into zombies?”

“Huh? No! It makes you into a monster!”

“A-A monster?” Arcus’s eyes widened.

Monsters came in many forms. What exactly was Gown talking about?

“What about the promise you mentioned?”

“Oh! That’s a promise us elves made with Chain and Wedge years and years and years ago!”

“Huh?”

“It was an important promise we made that must never be broken! We have to do all we can to make sure life carries on in the world! That’s why anyone who interferes has to be punished!”

“Whoa...”

Life in all forms ceasing to exist was a scary thought, but what really sent a shiver down Arcus’s spine was the tone of Gown’s voice when he spoke about punishment.

“I think those bad guys found something written by someone who lived long, long ago! And now they’re using it to do evil stuff!”

“I never knew you could make herbs from dead bodies...”

“It’s not just any bodies! They must have been buried first!”

“Huh? Why does that matter?”

“It’s easier to attach hex to a body that’s been dug up!”

When a spell was cast, the leftover Artglyphs shattered into pieces and became hex. It was said that this leftover power led to the birth of demons. Though it didn’t sound like these ne’er-do-wells wanted to sire any demons, their activities still sounded incredibly dangerous.

“So will you help?” Gown pressed.

“Uh...”

“You won’t?”

“Well...”

“Aww...” Gown’s shoulders slumped.

Seeing his head drooping and his eyes downcast, Arcus couldn’t help but feel a stab of compassion in his chest. Thinking about it, he didn’t have a good reason to refuse. In this world, phantoms and elves were creatures to be revered by all living things. They protected human life long ago and even now supported it from the shadows. One of them sought Arcus out specifically to ask for his help. This was about more than his own wants and goals. As an inhabitant of this world, he owed elvenkind a great deal.

“All right. I’ll help.”

“Really? Yahoo! Thanks a bunch!” Gown grabbed his hand again and shook it eagerly up and down.

“I still wanna know why you need my help in the first place, though.”

If the stories were to be believed, supernatural creatures like him held incredible power. Gown ought to have been far more powerful than any human, and Arcus wasn’t sure why he couldn’t rely on his Phantom Pack.

“Well, we gotta get rid of all the herbs they made! And they set their cats on me!”

“Cats? Oh, right.”

Thinking back, a passage in The Spiritual Age described Gown’s fear of cats. Even in the man’s world, fairy tales and urban legends spoke of otherwise powerful creatures that feared small animals for whatever reason. A couple of cats should have been no problem for Gown to deal with, but Arcus didn’t know enough about elves to push it.

“That doesn’t explain why you can’t send the pack.”

“Well, ’cause I don’t want the cats to get hurt...”

Gown never was a creature to achieve his goals by “any means possible.”

“I don’t want them to send their cats after me again, so I decided to ask someone else for help!”

“I see. But why did you pick me? There are plenty of trustworthy magicians around, and I’m just a kid.”

“I picked you ’cause you’re Arcus!”

“That doesn’t explain anything.”

“But that’s why I picked you!”

Given its alien logic, Arcus didn’t see this line of questioning going anywhere. Then again, perhaps it was Arcus who was being unreasonable...

“I’ll spend the rest of the day looking for the perpetrators! Catch you later!”

His compact with Arcus set, Gown vanished from the park, the light of his lantern fading last. Arcus didn’t get the chance to ask any more questions. He had no idea who they were searching for or what that group’s goal was. He wasn’t even sure what he was supposed to be doing in the meantime, so he settled on just waiting for now.

The next day, Arcus thought about going for a walk through the cemetery. Gown never mentioned where they should meet up, but the graveyard seemed a likely candidate. There were some chores he wanted to finish at the Raytheft estate first, though.

“Master Arcus,” came a voice at the door.

“Oh hi, Noah. What’s up?”

“You have a... peculiar visitor.”

“Peculiar?”

“Indeed. That is what I have been told.”

“By who?” Arcus asked.

“The maid who went to greet this visitor. She seemed particularly perplexed. Have you perhaps found a new friend? One of... unorthodox nature?”

“Huh. I guess you could say that...”

An “unorthodox” friend. Only one girl came to mind. It’s not like there were other friends it might have been. She had never come to the Raytheft estate, and she wasn’t so odd as to perplex on first contact, so it was in a state of puzzlement that Arcus went to see who this mysterious visitor was, with Noah in tow. It was just as they came down the stairs that Arcus spotted Gown in the entrance hall, waving an oversized sleeve.

“Whoa...”

“Arcus!”

The maid gave Arcus a troubled expression, as though she had no idea how to deal with their fae guest. Unwitting of her confusion, Gown kept waving, his eyes sparkling with joy.

“Goodness me,” Noah murmured, half in exasperation and half in amusement. It was a tone Arcus was used to.

Arcus signaled to the maid that she could stand down and walked up to Gown.

“Why are you at my house?”

“Huh? I told you yesterday I was gonna come and see you!”

“I know, but I didn’t think you’d just stroll into my house like that.”

As Arcus sighed, Gown slipped past him and offered a long sleeve to Noah. “Hello, Noah!”

“Good day, Master Gown. It’s been quite a while.”

“You’re so tall now! I couldn’t even touch your head if I jumped!”

Their handshake finished, Gown reached up to pat Noah on the head, compelling him to stoop. Arcus couldn’t help wondering where they met before. It was only then that Cazzy arrived.

“Cazzy!” Gown called.

Arcus was less surprised that Gown recognized his other servant. Cazzy’s past was mired in misdeeds; it seemed fitting that he’d spent more than his share of time on Gown’s territory.

“What on earth is going on here?” a disgruntled voice asked from behind the group.

Joshua was making his way down the hall.

He had to show up now, huh?

Joshua’s face twisted into its usual contemptuous scowl as he looked at Arcus.

“Hello, Joshua!” Gown called cheerfully.

“O-Oh. Hello...”

Joshua knew Gown, too? He looked perplexed to see the elf in his house, but nevertheless returned his enthusiastic handshake. Once he was done being polite, he turned his sharp gaze on Arcus.

“What nonsense are you up to inside my house?”

“I’m not doing anything!”

“Then how do you explain this ruckus?” Joshua shouted.

Arcus couldn’t even breathe in his presence without him accusing him of something. Cazzy and Noah were silent, on their master’s orders not to react in the midst of one of Joshua’s tempers. If they raised objections or got into an argument with Joshua, then they might be barred from the estate.

A voice spoke up from Arcus’s side. “How come you’re so mad?”

“Hm?”

“How come you’re so mad at Arcus, Joshua?” Gown asked again. “He hasn’t done anything wrong!”

“W-Well...”

“Arcus is gonna help me with something! Is he not allowed?” Gown stepped forward, causing Joshua to take a step back.

Gown was only the height of a child, but he intimidated Joshua. His upbeat demeanor fell away, a prickly tension rising in its place. It would have made Arcus lose his nerve, too. Elves belonged to a higher order of life; the years of work Joshua put in to earn his high-ranking title meant nothing in the face of a sublime being.

“Are you mad ’cause he’s gonna help me?”

“No.”

“Are you mad ’cause I’m asking for his help?”

“N-Not at all.”

“So how come you’re so mad? I don’t get it! Tell me!”

“I’m... very sorry.”

Joshua’s apology was a clear surrender. Gown clearly wasn’t one to beat around the bush—his questions were plain and fair, as a child’s wisest questions are, and they afforded Joshua no room for excuses.

“Can I take Arcus with me, then?”

“Be my guest...”

“Yay!” Gown’s eyes lit up, and he began to bob away, his long robe dragging along the floor behind him.

Arcus had no choice but to follow, but even as he turned around, he could feel that hateful glare on his back.

“You know what will happen if you dare do anything to bring shame on the Raytheft name, don’t you, Arcus?”

“I won’t be doing anything like that. Noah, Cazzy, do you mind finishing up?”

Leaving his servants to finish their work with the aethometer, Arcus followed Gown out of the Raytheft estate.

“Gown, Gown, the Grave Sprite

parades the garden of endless sleep:

by lantern-light, for ghosts it sings,

for them a peaceful slumber brings,

by lyric bound to buried stay

and never to their hearths should stray,

Secured, the bound ’twixt life and death,

Gown watches after our last breath.”

Lainur’s people learned Gown’s praise-song as children; for many, it was their sole point of reference. The lyrics made him sound like a dignified creature, and yet...

“Look! A butterfly! Here, butterfly!”

Gown stretched out an oversized sleeve as he tottered after the object of his attention. He looked like a child taking its first steps; he’d been like this since he left the estate. Arcus walked along the flowerbeds beside the road, no longer sure whether they were on an important errand or taking a leisurely stroll. Passing pedestrians’ reactions to the elf varied. Some stared at his strange outfit and absent face. Those who recognized him bowed their heads or gave him words of thanks. For the most part, Gown was too intent on chasing that butterfly to pay them any attention; Arcus was grateful that they were saving time, given that he wasn’t stopping to greet anyone.

“Here, butterfly, butterfly!”

Eventually the small insect landed on Gown’s sleeve. He studied it intently for a spell before his eyes lit up and he released it into the air.

“Thanks for before,” Arcus said.

“You mean with Joshua?”

“Yeah.” Arcus nodded.

He was so used to taking the full brunt of the viscount’s anger that he felt genuinely lighter having someone stand up for him.

Gown turned his gaze away. “Joshua hates you, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah. I don’t really get why, though.”

“As long as people have feelings, there’s always gonna be love and hate, and feelings always get in the way of clear thinking. It’s just the way things are.”

He was right. All you could do was acknowledge the weight of your strong feelings as your membership dues to the human race.

“I’m sorry, Arcus.”

“Oh... Thanks.”

Gown tottered up to Arcus and gave him a gentle pat on the head. It felt like an incredibly kind and tender gesture, but that might have been because Arcus was used to Craib’s overly rough tousling. Gown’s long sleeve got in the way of Arcus’s face, but that just added to the charm of it all.

“Arcus!” Suddenly, a voice called his name from behind, making him jump.

“Gah!”

Taking a few deep breaths to steady his heart, Arcus turned to find a girl standing there. It was Sue, his study partner. They had no plans to meet today, so she must have spotted him by coincidence.

Sue had long black hair and blue eyes with a faint upward slant that reminded Arcus of a cat’s eyes. Her clothing was light beneath her white cloak, and her appearance was as tidy as ever. Arcus knew she always took the time to groom herself before heading outside. Lately, she had taken to wearing a sword on her hip.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that! I thought I was gonna have a heart attack.”

“It’s your fault for keeping your guard down! Imagine if I was an assassin! You’d be dead meat by now!”

“Nah, I would’ve felt your bloodlust first.”

“Oh! I guess so.”

“Yeah...”

She accepted his defense too easily, given that palpable bloodlust was a grave fact of life.

“So, what are you doing today?” Sue asked.

“I’ve got, uh...an errand to run.” Arcus glanced at Gown.

Sue followed his gaze. “Who’s—eep!”

Her eyes widened when she caught sight of the elf. Arcus remembered having the same sort of reaction in his first encounter. Her face stiffened as she stared into the bottomless dark within Gown’s hood.

“This is Gown,” Arcus said. “Y’know, the Grave Sprite.”

“G-Gown? Th-This is Gown? Gown like...from that song?”

Arcus nodded, and Gown walked up to her.

“Hello!”

“H-Hi...” Despite her confusion, Sue didn’t forget her manners.

Gown shook her hand as enthusiastically as he had Arcus’s.

“My name is Gown! And you’re...” Gown paused, tilting his head from one side to the other in confusion. He should know her name like he did everyone else’s, but he was hesitating. “What should I call you?”

“Oh, um... just Sue is fine.”

“Sue! Okay! Sue!”

“So why are you here with Arcus? I thought you only hang around graveyards.”

“I have lots of stuff I gotta do, and Arcus said he’ll help me!”

“What kind of help?” Sue glanced back at Arcus.

He opened his mouth to explain the situation when there was another voice from behind them. This one had a timid tone to it.

“Brother?”

Arcus turned. There was another girl there, this one with his silver hair and crimson eyes.

“Lecia? What are you—”

Arcus spotted Charlotte Cremelia beside her, with her golden-brown hair and amber eyes. She was still a little taller than Arcus. Her clothing was casual like Sue’s, but it gave off an air of luxury quality with a price tag to match. She’d accessorized in white and red, but what stood out most was the rapier on her hip. As the count’s daughter and the heir to the house that founded the kingdom’s rapier fencing style, appearances were of the utmost importance. The rapier’s sheath and handle were beautifully decorated—a masterwork of swordsmithing.

Charlotte curtseyed. “It is a pleasure to see you again, Arcus.”

“It has been a long time, Lady Charlotte.” Arcus responded with a quick bow.

Their difference in status meant it wasn’t as easy for Arcus to meet with Charlotte as Sue. At the moment, she seemed to be going somewhere with Lecia. Arcus had heard they often went to the capitol together.

“Lady Susia, is that you?” Charlotte asked, glancing at the girl.

“It is lovely to see you again, Charlotte.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” Charlotte stepped up to Sue and curtseyed.

“You each know Lady Charlotte?” Arcus asked, surprised to hear Sue speaking so formally.

“Yeah. Charlotte’s at the Institute with me.”

“I was not expecting you to know Lady Susia, Arcus.”

“We have studied magic together for a long time,” Arcus explained.

“Is Lady Susia the friend you always talk about?” Lecia asked.

“Yeah.” Arcus turned to Charlotte. “May I ask why you address Sue so respectfully, My Lady?”

Sue let out a self-conscious giggle under Arcus’s glance.

“Do you mean to say you haven’t heard of Lady Susia?” Charlotte asked.

“No, My Lady. She hasn’t told me much of her background at all.”

Charlotte cleared her throat. “This is Lady Susia Algucia, daughter of Duke Algucia.”

“Duke Algucia...”

Lecia gasped. “They’re one of the closest houses to the royal family!”

Not just one of, but the closest house to the royal family, as far as the citizenry was concerned. It was said they were the most powerful house in all of Lainur, second only to the crown itself. Arcus always suspected she was more than she claimed, but he wasn’t expecting this.

“So you really are a big deal, huh?”

“I guess! But I don’t want you to change the way you talk to me, if that’s okay.”

“Not a problem.”

Sue frowned. “It should be a bit of a problem, you know! My father’s a duke!”

“Sue, we’ve known each other for years!”

“A duke! You know what that word means, right?”

“You just told me not to change how I talk to you!”

“Well, I think you could stand to treat me with just a little more respect.”

Arcus felt Charlotte’s gaze on them. “Lady Charlotte? Is something the matter?”

“Nothing at all,” Charlotte replied, shaking her head.

Sue turned to Lecia. “You must be Arcus’s sister.”

“Y-Yes, My Lady. It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Lecia Raytheft.”

“No need to be so nervous! It’s nice to meet you!”

Having greeted his sister, Sue returned to Arcus’s side.

Charlotte shot her a questioning glance. “Lady Susia... are you not perhaps a little too close to Arcus there?”

“Is that a problem?”

“He happens to be my betrothed. I believe you should keep some small distance from others’ fiancés, My Lady.”

“Huh? I thought the engagement got called off?” Sue said.

“Wh-Where did you hear that, My Lady?”

It was supposed to be a private matter between the Raythefts and the Cremelias. Arcus was just as confused as Charlotte, and even Lecia looked shocked.

Sue suddenly took Arcus’s arm. “So it doesn’t matter how close I am to him, right?”

“I-I’m afraid it does, My Lady!” Charlotte dived in to grab Arcus’s other arm and pulled on it like she was trying to separate it from its socket.

“U-Um, please stop!” Arcus begged, scared he was about to be ripped in half.

The girls began to giggle. Arcus wasn’t sure whether he should join them. He could only see things getting worse.

Lecia! Save me!

He sent his sister a silent cry for help, but since both Sue and Charlotte outranked her, all she could do was waver. Were they doing this because they were fond of him, or was it some form of childish competition? Either way, neither seemed willing to compromise. If either of them stepped back, it would be the same as allowing the other to steal Arcus away and stow him within their own noble house. There seemed to be no way out of this situation.

“Hey, can I talk now?!” Gown suddenly spoke up impatiently.

Lecia and Charlotte turned towards Gown, only just now noticing him. They gasped as they realized he didn’t have a face, their eyes wide with shock. It was probably time to explain what was going on.

After Gown greeted the two of them with his favorite hearty handshake, Sue spoke.

“You said you were helping Gown, right, Arcus? What are you gonna help him with?”

“You’re helping him, Arcus?” Lecia asked, blinking at him in astonishment.

“Yeah. There’s a bunch of people digging up graves in the north, and Gown asked me to give him a hand catching them.”

“Why did Gown pick you?” asked Charlotte.

“I have no idea, My Lady. I asked him, but he just said because it’s me...”

“Yeah! I picked you ’cause you’re Arcus!” Gown reaffirmed as Arcus shot him a questioning glance.

Arcus made a show of shrugging at the girls. He already knew there would be no point in pressing Gown for a better answer.

“An elf asked you for help!” Lecia suddenly said, her eyes lighting up.

“Huh? I guess he did...”

“He couldn’t have picked a better young man to rely on,” Charlotte said.

“Yup! You’re super reliable, Arcus!” added Sue.

“Erm... uh...”

At least Charlotte and Sue found something they agreed on; they exchanged a series of satisfied nods. Arcus’s arms were safe for the moment. In any case, he felt disarmed by the volume of open praise.

“I have a thought,” Charlotte said, clapping her hands together gracefully.

“What would that be, Lady Charlotte?”

“I shall accompany you. It would be safer if you had company, would it not?”

“I... Pardon?”

“Oh! That’s a great idea! I’ll come, too!” Sue added excitedly.

Arcus couldn’t share in their enthusiasm. These were two young ladies from incredibly important families. He knew the road ahead would be potentially lethal, and he couldn’t justify taking them along, but he couldn’t deny that he would feel better with them by his side.

“I’m sorry, Lady Charlotte, but it is far too dangerous,” he said.

“I have been training from the day we met, Arcus. Far from being a burden on you, I can guarantee that my presence shall be invaluable.”

“I understand how you feel, My Lady, but...”

“Do I look frail and delicate to you?” Charlotte asked earnestly.

Arcus knew she wasn’t just being petty, but that only made things more troublesome. She was only fourteen (though Arcus wasn’t in a position to be nitpicking about age), and from his experiences through the man’s eyes, that was far too young to be going on such an adventure. On the other hand, he knew she was more than capable of holding her own from the rumors that spoke of her strength. She could really make things easier for him, which was what made it more difficult to come to a decision.

“Please allow me to help you as well, Brother,” Lecia said.

“Lecia...”

“Having as many magicians as possible would be a good idea. And I... I have much aether, which would doubtlessly be helpful.”

“That’s true...”

Arcus still couldn’t agree. He was dwelling on how to talk them out of it, when suddenly Sue grinned—and he didn’t like that look on her face one bit.

“You know, you don’t need Arcus’s permission.”

“Whatever do you mean by that, Lady Susia?”

“Why don’t we just ask Gown?” She turned to the elf.

“Me?”

“That’s right! Can we help you too, Gown?”

“That would make me really happy! But you know it’s gonna be dangerous, right?”

“We know! But even if we get into danger, you’re a famous elf. You’ll be able to get us out of it, right?”

Gown’s yellow eyes narrowed thoughtfully. The intellectual air he gave off now was at complete odds with his usual innocent demeanour. “You’re all children. And elves are supposed to protect children! We always have. So if you get in danger, I will protect you!”

“We’re coming, then!”

“Yeah! But don’t worry, I won’t put you into danger if I can help it!”

“Gown...” Arcus began.

“To most children I would say no! But these girls are strong! Stronger than some grown-ups I know! They’re all powerful and talented!”

There was no arguing with that. Arcus felt obliged to count himself lucky that he was getting extra help.

“Hey, Gown? When you said you weren’t gonna put them in danger, did that include me?”

“Huh? No, you’ll be fine! Because you’re Arcus!”

“Why has everyone suddenly stopped treating me like a kid?”

It wasn’t fair, but this world’s lack of lawyers or fair trials meant Arcus had no means to fight back against the injustice of it all. Gown brought the girls up to speed with Arcus in his usual circuitous way.

“What’s that herb you were talking about, Gown?” Sue asked, frowning at the sky.

“Oh, apparently it’s an herb that turns people into monsters,” Arcus explained.

“Huh?”

“M-Monsters?” Charlotte cried, causing everyone to turn in her direction.

“Lady Charlotte?”

“Oh, I beg your pardon. Please excuse me.”

Despite her cry, her face was a picture of tranquility. She coughed into her hand, as if nothing had happened. Arcus decided to do the polite thing and not press her further.

“What about the promise between the elves, Chain, and Wedge?” Sue asked.

“Well,” Gown began—but he never got to finish his sentence.

A bloodcurdling feminine scream pealed in the distance. Gown lifted his head and scanned the environs. Either he could see something the others couldn’t, or he already knew what was going on.

“What is it, Gown?”

“One of those bad people! They’re causing trouble!”

“No way...”

They’d been afforded no reprieve between Gown’s explanation and first contact with the enemy.

“You were trying to flush them out yesterday, right?” Sue asked.

“I was! But I think now they’ve split up and are causing trouble all over!”

“Here in the capital?” said Arcus.

“That’s right!”

Arcus couldn’t imagine why they’d go out of their way to draw so much attention to themselves, but if they really were the ones Gown was after, there was no choice but to investigate—if only to get a concrete idea of who they were and what they meant to achieve.

“Let’s go!” Gown led the group in the direction of the scream.

They ended up in the public square facing the capital’s main street. A crowd of onlookers was already gathered on the road, watching the scene unfold from a distance. Horse-drawn carriages were stopped on the street, and there were guards already on the scene.

Arcus and the others slipped through the crowd to find a single man standing in its center. He was dressed like any other traveler passing through the capital, save that he carried neither baggage nor arms. His hands were clasped to his head, and he was writhing in agony. It would have been easy to write him off as an unwell man, if not for the luminous bands encircling his body.

They were light belts, streams of Artglyphs which resulted from using them to draw magic circles. These lacked the aetherial sparkle and luster that usually came about from the casting of a spell. It was as though each character was clinging to and drawing in every last speck of light around it, leaving the surrounding area gloomy.

The crowd raised a clamor of surprise and horror, but since nothing was damaged so far, it appeared that no one felt the urge to run just yet.

“I knew this would happen!” Gown cried, his voice close to a scream.

“This is one of the people you’re after?”

“Yeah! He’s one of the really bad guys!”

“What’s happening to him?”

“It’s just like I was gonna explain before we got interrupted! When a human uses that herb but its body can’t handle it, it absorbs hex from all around and goes crazy!”

Arcus opened his mouth to say something, but Sue got in first. “Gown, what’s that weird band of light?”

“That’s where the hex has gathered! It sticks to the afflicted body, destroys everything around it, and spills all over the place!”

“Does that mean the hex has a mind of its own?” said Sue.

“No, that’s not it.”

“So it’s more like hex has certain properties which cause it to act in that way?” Arcus suggested.

“Yes! Yes, that’s it!”

As they spoke, city guards were attempting to put a stop to the hexed man’s rampage, but the moment they tried getting close to him, the hex unwound itself into long tendrils and thrashed violently to keep them away. Getting into close contact with it was impossible; the guards were already calling for magicians and Seal Arms among themselves.

“How can we stop that thing, Gown?”

“Once it goes crazy like that, it’s difficult to stop! The only way to scatter the hex again is to destroy the body it’s clinging to!”

“You mean... we shall have to kill him?” Charlotte asked, but Gown shook his head.

“When the hex attaches itself to someone, they’re practically dead already. We have to destroy the body now, or it’ll be dangerous for everyone!”

Gown was right. It was uncontrollable and unpredictable. There was no time to worry about whether the man was technically dead yet or not.

“Allow me to try,” Lecia said, immediately launching into a spell.

“Turn my will to flame. May this single spear set the sky alight and burn through all who stand in my way.”

Burning-hot Artglyphs gathered in the palm of her raised hand, taking the shape of a fiery spear. Lecia launched the Flamrune at the raging man. The spear distorted the air as it flew, roaring like a gale until its tip reached her target. Her throw was fast and her aim keen, but the spear hit one of the bands of light around the man and bounced off, dispersing into the air.

“It didn’t work!” she gasped.

“The hex is protecting him! You need something really powerful to break through it!”

Charlotte unsheathed her rapier. “How about cutting through them?”

“You can’t! If you get too close, the hex’ll get you, too!”

“...Of course.”

The hex flew wildly, approaching the onlookers.

“O, sand, stones, and earth of the grave. Band together by an unseen hand and fly. The ground heaves violently as it births every existence. May the earth take breath and yell. Let the crumbling spirits descend, urged on by raging screams.”

“Sailing Graveyard.”

This time, it was Gown who cast a spell. Artglyphs appeared and clung to the ground, pulling earth up violently through the stone paving of the sidewalk. The earth took shape in the air as though invisible fingers were kneading it like clay, stretching out towards the bands of hex and intercepting them before they reached the crowd.

“Everyone get back!” Gown called out to them.

Though the crowd heard him, it was already too late. With the crowd in the way, the guards couldn’t escape, leaving Arcus and his companions with very few options. At this rate, people were going to get hurt.

“Gown! Could you focus on protecting the onlookers?” Arcus asked.

“Okay! You guys try and fight!”

Arcus nodded, and Lecia looked up at him apologetically.

“Brother, Flamrune is the most powerful spell I can cast...”

“Then you should focus on protecting too. It might be hard to hold back that hex, but you should be able to do it with some good defensive spells.”

“I shall do my very best!”

“Um, Arcus...” Sue began.

“You don’t wanna let other people see your spells, right? Don’t worry, I’ll handle this. Could you let the guards know what’s going on?”

“Got it.” Sue raced off towards the muddle of guards.

Arcus wanted to respect Sue’s family secrets if he could.

He stepped towards the rampaging man to prepare an attack, only just leaping clear of the next flurry of blows. Probing its threatened space as he tumbled and wove between strikes, he approached the limits of the distance he could close.

“I dunno if I can get in as tight as I’d like...”

The bands of hex curved as they threw themselves this way and that, and it was hard to tell where they would strike next. Arcus watched carefully, searching for some kind of pattern. Just then, Charlotte appeared next to him.

“Allow me to move in and draw its attacks. Then you can use that opportunity to get closer.”

“Are you sure, My Lady?”

“I promised you I would be of use, did I not?”

“W-Wait!” Arcus called, but it was too late.

Charlotte leaned forward and dashed towards the man and the hex. The surrounding guards cried out for her to stop, but she ignored them, her long, golden-brown hair streaming out behind her as she ran. A band of hex flew out at her, but she dodged it gracefully. It was like she could predict its movements, even when they showed no discernible pattern. She leaped over its sweeping strikes and stepped past the tight lashes. The hex was unable to catch even a strand from the end of her hair.

Now that Arcus watched carefully, he realized she seemed to be moving in anticipation of each attack.

How is she doing that?

It was almost comical how trivial she made the hex look. Charlotte cast a glance over her shoulder at Arcus mid-dodge. By showing him she was in a position to take her eyes off the target, she was telling him to act now.

She really was a reliable fighting partner. This was Arcus’s chance.

“What spell are you gonna use, Arcus?” Sue called before he could act, having come back from the guards.

“It’s a big one,” he warned.

“I can’t wait to see it.” She grinned.

“Try and take this seriously, would you?”

Arcus shot a glance at Gown, who waved a sleeve at him to let him know he should go for it. More earth rose up from the ground around the onlookers. Arcus wouldn’t need to worry about the power of his spell now.

“Lady Charlotte! Please retreat once my spell is cast!”

“Understood!”

Arcus readied his spell. He needed simplicity, speed, and power. He already had the perfect spell.

“Infinitesimal. Join. Focus...”

Artglyphs rose up and flew towards the raging man, slipping past the bands of hex and coiling around the man’s body to form a huge magic circle. Charlotte stepped back with perfect timing, struck by her premonition of what was to come.

Arcus closed his right hand, and the magic circle contracted around its target. Making a fist, he spoke the final words of the spell.

“Burst gently.”

“Dwarf Star.”

Once the circle could draw no tighter, it exploded. Flames burst from its center. Black smoke smoldered into the air. A powerful boom shattered the air and stayed ringing in the crowd’s ears for moments after. Pure power and force flew out from the ring. Arcus was already on the ground to protect himself from the shock wave, and eventually the smog began to clear.

Dust flew up and around the square. Static charges sparked and crackled as they gathered in the air. The area where the hexed man once stood was now nothing more than a hole of paving stone and rubble. There was nothing left of the man himself. The crowd, guards, and Arcus’s friends looked on in shock.

“Whoa! Arcus, what was that?! That was amazing!” Sue’s shout smashed through the charged silence.

He looked at her to find her eyes shining and a wide smile on her face. It was jarring to see her warm enthusiasm in the midst of the frigid tension in the air.

“What was that spell? I can’t believe you never told me about it! That’s so unfair!” Sue whined.

“Well, I only just came up with it recently...”

“Recently, right?! Not yesterday or today! You’ve had tons of time to tell me! Why didn’t you say anything?!”

“C’mon, quit it! We’ve got more important stuff to worry about right now!” Arcus complained as Sue invaded his personal space.

As for Lecia, she was still in a state of shock. “Th-The incantation was so short, and he barely used any aether, and yet the spell itself was so powerful...”

“It was rather impressive,” said Charlotte. “Even with all the offensive magic I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing at the Institute, I have never seen something like that.”

“My brother really is amazing!”

“I still fail to understand why his father deemed him ‘talentless.’” Charlotte sighed, an anxious crease appearing in her forehead.

Meanwhile, Arcus only just succeeded in pulling Sue away from him. “This is the result of that herb, huh?”

“Yes! His body couldn’t handle it at all, but that herb isn’t suited to human bodies, anyway. This was a very bad case!” Gown explained.

“Why does it make the hex gather like that?” Arcus asked.

“I told you yesterday that hex attaches more easily to bodies that have been buried! It’s the earth they were buried in that attracts it! The herb they made has that same property to attract hex!”

“So it attracts hex just like the graves do...”

“Hey, Gown! What would happen to that guy if we didn’t do anything?” Sue asked.

“He would’ve become a hex fiend!”

Sue and Arcus gasped.

“Um, Brother,” Lecia cut in. “What exactly is hex? And what is a hex fiend?”

“Hex is something extra that’s left whenever someone uses magic. You sometimes see broken Artglyphs released at the end of a spell, right? Those become hex.”

“A hex fiend is like a creature made from a huge collection of hex,” Sue said. “I never knew hex could latch onto an actual living creature to be reborn like that, but all you need to remember is that hex fiends are terrifying monsters. They were powerful enough to destroy whole cities and even whole kingdoms in the past.”

Charlotte listened with a grim expression on her face. “They teach about these creatures at the Institute, too, and in great detail. I had a lecture on them recently.”

Lecia frowned. “In that case, we cannot underestimate the danger to our capital.”

“Is that true, Gown?” Arcus asked. “Is it as bad as we’re all thinking?”

“It’s very bad! I wanna do something about it as quickly as we can! But it would be best if we could choose the time and place of these battles. If we fight in the middle of the day when everyone’s outside, we will be putting lots of people in danger!”

Gown was right, but it wouldn’t be an easy problem to solve. As long as the herb was involved, more scenes like this would ensue.

“What do we do then?” said Sue.

“I think we should follow the bad guys, then come out and attack them when they’re in a place with no people!”

“They may not be in the habit of gathering in those kinds of places normally,” Charlotte pointed out.

“Actually, bad guys like to hang around where no one will see them do their bad stuff! We should follow them to their hideout and then attack when the time is right!” Gown declared, curling his sleeves up into fists.

Sue scanned the area. “I’ll go pass word of the situation up the chain of command.”

“Good idea.”

Sue raced off to do just that, while Arcus and Gown explained the situation to the guards.

After Sue came back from reporting the incident, Arcus felt like there were more guards on patrol than before, but he wasn’t quite sure. After all, no matter Sue’s status, one girl’s word wasn’t enough to make too big a move.

“We still don’t really know what this group is trying to achieve,” Arcus said.

“No, but we couldn’t ask that guy when he was going all crazy like that,” said Gown.

Gown didn’t seem that concerned about their objective. As an elf, it was probably enough that they were digging up dead bodies, but Arcus felt that the more information they had, the better. Were they dealing with petty thieves or a large criminal organization run by a legitimate strategist?

For now, the square was mostly calm again.

“They’re in here,” Gown said, having led the group to a tavern in the low-lying part of the capital.

It looked like any other watering hole in the city, albeit on the larger side. They were open even now in the afternoon, and there were many people dotted around inside, still chatting over the tail-ends of their lunch.

“Are we dealing with a bunch of drunks?” Arcus wondered aloud.

“Perhaps they are celebrating their success?” Charlotte suggested.

“Hmm...”

“Maybe they’re just killing time,” said Sue. “It’d be easy for them to hide away in a popular place like this.”

“Do you believe that they already have something planned, Lady Susia?”

“It’s possible. What reason would they have to come to the capital otherwise? They must be up to something. Plus...”

“What is it, My Lady?”

Sue’s nose twitched. “I can smell it. Grave soil. It’s like a mix of earth, stagnant water, and vinegar.”

“O-Oh...”

As usual, Sue wasn’t making much sense, but if she could really smell that, it meant that the group they were chasing were here for sure.

“But right now, I feel like we’re the ones who look suspicious,” Sue continued.

“True. Why don’t we wait outside for them to leave?” Arcus suggested.

Even if they were serving lunch right now, this was still a tavern in the city’s backstreets. It wasn’t a place for young noble children. They were bound to get looks from the staff and the customers.

“If we enter, we might be able to gather some information about their objective,” Charlotte said. “I believe we should consider that possibility, too.”

“That’s also true.”

The more he thought about it, the more desperate Arcus was to find out what they were after. It would just make it so much easier to plan how to counter them. After a quick discussion, the group decided to go along with Charlotte’s suggestion.

“Do you think it’s all right for me to be here dressed as I am, Brother?”

“Er. Well, you do stand out quite a lot.”

Moreso even than Sue’s and Charlotte’s, Lecia’s outfit was laden with frills.

“In that case, I shall soil the whole ensemble!” Lecia declared.

“No, I think that’d just make it stand out even more.”

“O-Oh.”

Sue took Lecia’s arm. “You’re so sweet when you’re trying to do your best!”

“L-Lady Susia...”

“Lady Susia, please do not touch Lecia so lightly. She is my friend.”

“She’s allowed more than one!”

Their decision made, the group decided to start moving.

“I’ll stay here!” said Gown. “Otherwise people might recognize me!”

“All right. Just wait here, then.”

“Sorry I can’t help much! But please do your best!” Gown waved a sleeve at the group as they made their way inside.

At this point, they could still pretend they were a group of children wandering in by mistake.

“What now? We don’t wanna make the staff suspicious,” Arcus said.

“I have an idea,” Sue said, pulling out some money from her breast pocket. She approached one of the staff members who was waiting tables. “We need a place to hide. We promise we won’t be any trouble, so would we be allowed to stay here for a bit?”

Her voice was as smooth as any secret agent’s as she flashed the waiter her family crest and passed him a gold coin. After pausing in surprise, the waiter nodded.

It was only natural that he recognized that crest. It was common to see the crests of any family ranked marquess or above on flags during public events, much like sponsorships at sporting events in the man’s world. Among the citizens of the capital, these crests were common knowledge.

“We should be good now,” Sue informed the others with a grin.

All they needed to do now was to pinpoint the people they were after. They scanned the tavern. Bright Sol Glasses hung from the ceiling, and others were placed around the room as extra lighting. The counter was lined with several different kinds of alcohol, with two or three bartenders serving drinks. The sound of sizzling cooking could be heard, suggesting there was a kitchen just out of view of the dining area.

Several customers were enjoying their drink, some rowdy, and some slumped and dozing on the countertop. There were others who were here just to eat, sitting at the tables. None of them looked like the troublemakers Gown was after, although there may have been more further inside the tavern. The group walked further into the establishment, keeping an eye on the tables. In return, they received a few confused glances.

It was then that they spotted some people sitting at a table in the corner of the room, wearing familiar clothing.

“Is that them?” Arcus whispered.

“That rampaging man was dressed in a similar fashion!” Charlotte agreed under her breath.

They were wearing traveler’s clothes, the likes of which were common in the capital. Though they couldn’t be sure it wasn’t just coincidence, they were the most likely candidates. Arcus and his friends took a nearby table and began to listen as best they could among the din of the other patrons.

“Are...sure...afe?”

“...ctly safe. You don’t need much...ake yourself...porarily intangible.”

It sounded as though one of them was trying to convince the other of something. They could well be talking about a transformative herb like the one Gown spoke of.

“What about...?”

“Su...armful...ffects?”

“Pain in the...”

“N...idence...orget about it.”

Now they appeared to be talking about the man afflicted by the hex. It sounded like they abandoned him to his fate.

“...easure...aether.”

“And...gician...uild...”

Arcus’s eyes widened, and he almost fell out of his chair in surprise, the legs clattering against the floor.

“Uh oh!” he breathed.

“Arcus! What are you doing?!” Sue gasped, horrified.

The group at the next table turned to look at the commotion. Would they realize the children were listening to them? Arcus held his breath.

“What are a bunch of kids doing in a place like this? And they’re nobles to boot! Didn’t know this kingdom was so lowbrow.”

Out of nowhere, a voice called to them. Arcus turned and gaped at the newcomer. He must have been one of the largest men Arcus had ever seen. He took up two or three stools all by himself, and even sitting down he would tower over the children if they stood. He must have been at least seven feet standing up, if not eight. “Giant” didn’t even begin to describe it. There was a large cutlass on his back and a tricorn hat on his head. Arcus couldn’t help but wonder whether that was rum in his cup, too. Standing up smoothly from his seat, the large man approached them.

“Why don’t you come with me? I’ll teach you about all the wonders of the world!” The man reached out and picked Arcus up by the scruff of his neck.

“L-Let go of him!” Sue cried.

As Arcus groaned and freed himself, the man bent over and peered at the other children at the table.

“Calm down,” he whispered, his voice too low for his table to hear. “You want them to know you’re here? You gotta keep quiet.”

“Huh? R-Right...” Arcus quickly composed himself at the unexpected words.

Lecia sprang up from her seat. “Brother! Brother, look! Look at all of this! I’ve never seen such things before!”

Arcus recognized instantly that she was trying to stop them looking suspicious.

“O-Of course,” he joined in. “It’s your first time in a tavern.”

“Wow! I’d love to try some alcohol!”

“Me too,” Charlotte chipped in.

“Now, now, you two. You’re too young! You gotta make do with milk for now, okay?” the man said.

“Oh...” Lecia lowered her gaze.

“What a pity...” Charlotte turned away in a huff.

Anybody watching would probably find it quite endearing. At the very least, they weren’t arousing too much suspicion anymore.

“Good thinking, Lecia!” Arcus whispered.

“It was nothing.”

“Thank you too, Lady Charlotte.”

“Not at all.”

At that moment, Sue looked at Arcus. “Come with me a sec,” she whispered.

“What? Now? But—”

“Yes, now.”

Eventually, Arcus agreed, and the two started preparing to leave, waiting for a chance to tell the others.

“What is it?” he asked Sue. “You know we took a lot of trouble just to get in here?”

“I know. But just trust me.”

“Fine, but it’s kinda hard to leave right now...”

“...I know.” Still, Sue looked like she wanted to be anywhere but in this tavern right now.

“So, why are you guys so interested in that group?” the large man asked.

“This and that.”

“Hey, I got you kids out of trouble. You can tell me somethin’, right?” the man pressed.

Arcus frowned. Something didn’t feel right about this guy.

“Look, we’re grateful for that, but why did you even save us in the first place?”

“Simple. You guys were fightin’ together with Gown earlier, right?”

“You saw us?”

“Yup. I was impressed, see, because you put up a good fight for a bunch of kids. I got a little curious, and felt like having a chat with you all.”

“So you followed us here?”

“Yup!” A small smile formed on the man’s lips.

If that was true, it meant they had come all the way here without realizing there was a huge man tailing them. In the first place, it was strange that he was curious enough to follow them at all, but that they hadn’t noticed made things all the stranger.

“So?” he said.

Arcus paused. “That group seems to be connected to the rampaging man from before.”

“That’s why you followed ’em? That takes some real guts. Now you guys wanna play the hero and take ’em down?”

“More or less.”

“Nah, there’s gotta be more to it, or Gown wouldn’t be with you. But whatever, I’ll take it. I know it’s not really my business. How long are you plannin’ to stay here, anyway? I think they’re here for the long haul, y’know?”

“Well, we’ll wait till they do something.”

There was no other choice. This was definitely the group they were after.

“Hey, I know! You wanna help me out with something?” the man suddenly said.

“What?”

“Huh?”

“You look like smart kids. To me, at least.” The man pulled a sheet of cloth and what looked like a chess piece from his bag. “You kids ever play any battle chess?”

“A little,” said Arcus.

“Now and again,” Charlotte said.

“Okay, good.”

What the man had didn’t look like battle chess at all. The pieces mainly looked like little ships, and there was a sheet instead of a board, mostly marked with blue ink.

“Is this nautical themed?”

“You got it. You probably don’t see many of this version around these parts, but it’s your standard battle chess, really. I’m facing an old friend of mine now, but I’m not doing too hot. Been asking ’most everyone I meet for advice for a while now.” He let out a loud laugh.

“This isn’t a game,” Sue said. “You’re in an actual battle with somebody.”

“Ah, you’re a sharp one, missy.”

Sue didn’t respond.

“You mean something like this is supposed to help in an actual battle?” Arcus said.

The “battle chess” the man pulled out was nothing like shogi, nor any battle chess board Arcus had ever seen. It looked more like a strategic map for war, and without any clear rules, Arcus doubted it could even be called a “game.” It was hard to know how helpful the children could be, given the man hadn’t given them much subjective detail on the situation at all.

The man laughed. “Look, it’s just a small scuffle between friends. Don’t sweat the small stuff.”

“I’m sorry, but we don’t really have time for this.”

“You’re keepin’ an eye on that group over there, right? It’s not like you guys are short on numbers. One of you can help me with this, while the others watch those guys. I’ll keep an eye on them too.”

“I’m not having anything to do with this,” Sue announced bluntly.

It was a rare tone for her to take. Out of all of them, Arcus expected her to take the most interest in this sort of thing. Perhaps she was in a bad mood. In fact, she seemed to change her manner the moment this man showed up.

“I only know about inland combat,” Charlotte said. “Nothing about fighting on the seas.”

Lecia shook her head to indicate she was as clueless as everybody else. It wasn’t like they could let this man’s favor go unreturned, though.

The man began to set the pieces on the cloth. Despite his large hands, his movements were precise. Arcus studied the cloth when he was finished. There was a stronghold surrounded by the ocean on three sides. The curved border of a city projected out from the land, marked by high walls. Naval fleets were gathered in the sea, as battalions approached from land. The fortress was completely surrounded.

“Which side is yours?”

“I’m attacking, and my friend’s defending.”

His numbers were impressive, but it was clear that attacking the stronghold would be no easy feat.

“This is more like running strategic simulations than playing a game,” Arcus muttered.

“Quit it. It’s more fun if you think of it like a game,” said the man.

“Why don’t you try cutting off his supplies?” Arcus suggested.

“I won’t go into it, but just assume it’s impossible.”

“How about attacking from the land side?”

“That’d mean having to deal with these tough walls here, and we’d lose a lot of men in the time it took to break through. That’d put us at a disadvantage once we’re actually in there.”

“What about invading through this inlet here?”

“Might not surprise you to know the sea routes are sealed off. Take a look ’ere.” He pointed to the inlet, which had a chain-like marking cutting off the entrance.

With all these restrictions, capturing the castle would be tough. There didn’t seem to be any gaps in the defense at all.

Suddenly, Arcus realized the map seemed familiar; not from his life in this world, but from his dream.

“Hey, is this Constantinople?”

“Consta-what-what?”

“Never mind.”

The map looked just like Constantinople, a city famed for its highly defensible position for nearly a thousand years since its construction. Surrounded on three sides by the sea, and protected by several layers of walls inland, it wasn’t difficult to see why. Those walls were stronger than the technology of the time should have permitted, so it was hard to overstate just how impressive the city was.

Despite this, it fell to the Ottoman Empire’s attack. Arcus tried to remember what exactly happened then.

“If you take these ships over the land and into the inlet from here...”

During the Ottoman siege on Constantinople, the Ottomans moved their ships by land over a hill. Taken by surprise, the defenders moved some of their forces from the land-facing territory, leading to the city being taken within three months.

Arcus moved the ships to the area with the shortest distance between the land and the inlet.

“This’ll give you a new place to attack from.”

“Don’t be silly, Arcus,” Sue scoffed.

“I fail to see how you would move ships across land,” Charlotte added.

“I-I’m sorry, but I agree with Lady Charlotte,” Lecia said.

The girls stared at him in disbelief. He was perfectly aware of how crazy the idea sounded.

“I’m not gonna dismiss it without thinkin’ it through first,” the man said. “So, how d’you propose we get the ships to this side of the inlet? It’s easy when they’re tiny pieces on a board, but not so easy when you’re faced with huge vessels.”

Arcus took a moment to think back. “Place the ships onto oiled logs and have livestock pull them along.”

“Ah, just like transporting any other heavy cargo, then.”

“It’s not gonna work if the angle’s too steep or the boats are too big. You need enough hands to do it, too. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s not impossible with enough manpower. Worst case scenario, you’ll have to build a path yourself or something.”

It wasn’t unheard of for large swathes of men to move huge rocks carved from the mountains, even in this world, and there were plenty of ancient structures in the man’s world with unclear construction processes—and they didn’t even have magic to help them. Moving a few wooden ships across land was perfectly doable.

“What about the sandy soil? Won’t the ships sink into it?”

“Not if you water it down first to create a capillary bridge. That should make it solid enough to pass over.”

“Uh...”

“You know how sand clumps up when it’s wet? It’s the same thing.”

“It still sounds a bit far-fetched,” Sue said.

“That’s part of what makes it great. Wars are often won by catching the opponent entirely off guard. If the opponent doesn’t think an area needs defending, there are hardly gonna be any troops there, which makes it the best place to attack from. Identifying those spots which are easy to fight from is also a part of war.”

“You know, I know it makes sense, but...”

Arcus knew what Sue meant to say. Just because something made sense didn’t mean it would work. Nor, Arcus wanted to retort, did it mean it wouldn’t. Besides, assuming this was just a friendly match, why did it matter?

All of a sudden, the man started to chuckle, and it wasn’t long before he was slapping his knees in delight. “Kid, you’re exactly right! I never even thought to attack from there!”

“Satisfied?”

“Completely! I think you’ve just given me a shot at victory!” The man laughed.

“Hey, Captain! We finally found you!” a voice called from the tavern entrance.

Arcus followed the voice to find a group of men gathered. It wasn’t hard to conclude they were the man’s associates.

“Hey, guys!” the man cried happily. “You came at just the right moment! We’ve found a route into that confounded inlet!”

“You mean it?!”

“Yup! Victory’s in our grasp!”

He seemed almost too happy for someone in a friendly competition.

“Brother, look.”

“What is... Oh.”

Among the cheers, the group they were tailing stood up, possibly because the man’s laughter was irritating them. They moved to pay before heading for the entrance.

“Let’s go,” Arcus said, and the three girls nodded back at him. He was just about to stand up himself when the man grabbed him again. “Wh-What is it now?”

“You kids don’t have to hurry off, y’know? Lemme treat you to something as thanks.”

“No, we do need to hurry. You should know we don’t have time to sit around.”

“All right. Off you go, then.” The man released Arcus from his grip. Gathering his men, he followed the children out. “You don’t mind us coming with you to say hi to your elf friend, right?”

Arcus doubted he would take no for an answer, and so the children and the seafarers made their way back to Gown.

“C-Captain!” one of the men gasped, as they approached the elf.

“You guys’ve never seen him before, right? Meet Gown, the Grave Sprite! Make sure you thank him for all he does!”

His men lowered their heads towards Gown.

“Barbaros! Hello!” the elf said happily.

“Hello there! You’re always working so hard, huh? Oh, and call me Captain, please!”

“Aye-aye Captain!” Gown raised his arms in a cheer.

If Gown’s so happy to see him, I guess we can trust him.

“You guys go back for the day, yeah?” the captain said to his men.

“Huh?”

“I got business.”

“We can attend that business with you, Captain!”

“No need, no need! You guys have some preparing to do anyway. Things are about to get critical.” The captain pulled a heavy pouch out of his bag and passed it to one of his men, eliciting a cheer from them.

“When you say business...” Arcus began.

“Yup, I’m gonna help you lot. As thanks, y’see.”

“You didn’t even ask us.”

“Hey, you gotta admit having a grown-up on your side’ll be helpful.”

“I know, but...” Arcus glanced at Gown.

“I don’t mind if he helps us! The Captain’s super reliable!”

“See? If the elf agrees, it’s settled, right?”

“I guess I don’t have a choice.” Arcus sighed.

“Favors are to be returned! That’s what it means to fare the sea! And it’s best to return favors while they’re still fresh!” The man smiled. “The name’s Barbaros. I’m a seafarer. I won’t be stickin’ around for long, but I hope we’ll get on swimmingly!”

Arcus was inclined to trust Gown’s judgment, but he still had his reservations. The children introduced themselves to Barbaros. It was then that Arcus realized Sue was strangely quiet. She was glaring quietly at Barbaros’s back.

“Sue?”

“It’s nothing. I promise,” Sue replied with a smile.

With that, the children and Barbaros followed Gown to chase after the conspirators once again.

From what Arcus had heard at the tavern, there was a possibility that the group Gown was after were industrial spies from another kingdom. The words “aether” and “Guild” definitely cropped up in their conversation. The word “measure” was the final nail in the coffin. They were likely putting together a plan to infiltrate the Magician’s Guild. Though they made no mention of the aethometer itself, it sounded like they were aware that a device like it existed.

It wasn’t hard to work out how they caught wind of it. From their fragmented conversation, it sounded like ingesting the herb gave you the power to make yourself temporarily intangible. If that was true, it was possible for them to infiltrate the Guild and gather information, even if they didn’t get to sneak into the production line itself. The best course of action, he reasoned, would be to split away from the group and head for the Guild.

The children left the tavern and the backstreets behind, along with their new companion, Barbaros. Gown was leading them after the perpetrators. Arcus needed to let the others know of his intentions.

“Lecia,” he whispered.

“What is it?”

“You know about the aethometer, right?”

“I do! You are its inventor, aren’t you, Brother?”

“That’s right.”

Lecia’s eyes lit up and she broke into a smile. The next moment, however, she was frowning dubiously. “Why are you telling me this now?”

“Hey, is this to do with what those guys in the tavern were saying?” Sue asked.

“I’m afraid I have no idea what you are talking about,” said Charlotte.

“Around two years ago, I presented a certain magical tool to the Magician’s Guild. It appears the group we are chasing are after it, My Lady,” Arcus explained.

“It’s really something! The power of our army’s magicians shot up practically overnight!” Sue said.

“It’s truly remarkable,” Lecia agreed. “I have several myself.”

“It sounds like quite the feat,” Charlotte said.

“Anyway, the Guildmaster allowed me a workshop inside the Guild’s grounds. It sounded to me like the group in the tavern were planning to infiltrate it.”

“Are you saying they wish to steal your invention?” asked Charlotte.

“I believe so. The invention and the technology behind it.”

Charlotte quickly put two and two together and frowned. “But if they are using that herb for these plans...”

“They can come and go into the Guild as they like!” Sue gasped.

It wasn’t just that. Should the herbs prove too much for their host, they could end up causing untold damage. The Guild was a powder keg of aetheric forces—the ideal condition for a hex fiend to spawn with the introduction of a little chaos. Things were worse than Arcus anticipated. They were in urgent need of a plan.

“What should we do, Brother?”

“I’ll run ahead to the Guild and warn them to step up their security. Hopefully that’ll make these guys think twice about targeting it.”

Even if the herb allowed them to pass through walls, with more guards around, they’d have to be careful. They were likely aiming for a period of time when defenses were low. Arcus’s warning would shift the window of opportunity and force them to reassess—maybe even regroup—buying the children more time.

“They’ll listen to you, won’t they, Arcus?” Charlotte asked.

“It’s policy for them to take me seriously since my invention got approved; they’ve already trusted me with production and security around it. I’d like it if we had some more people on our side, though.”

“The Guild wouldn’t be in a position to lend you anybody, would it?”

It was just as Charlotte said. Once Arcus gave his warning, the Guild’s top priority would be defending itself, and all of their magicians would be dispatched to that end. Even the magicians on the aethometer project would need to dedicate themselves to the defense effort, or be available to destroy any critical documents if necessary. It was too risky to ask them to leave their post. He could always ask for some lower-ranking workers or the capital’s guards to help, but getting through all the red tape to have them transferred to him would take too long.

Arcus glanced at Sue, wondering if her status might give them some advantage, but she shook her head. Arcus called Gown over to explain the situation, after which the elf agreed he could split off from the group. He was now more grateful than ever that he and Gown ran into Sue and the others. With a strong fighting force accompanying him, Gown didn’t need Arcus to stick around. The girls were even more powerful than him.

Noticing the ripples of commotion, Barbaros spoke up. “What’s goin’ on?”

“There’s somewhere I’ve gotta go by myself,” Arcus said.

“That’s right!” Gown added helpfully. “So please can you stay with us to chase the bad guys, Captain?”

“Hold up.”

“You won’t help?”

Barbaros paused. “I don’t really got a choice, seeing as you were kind enough to lemme join you. I’m just curious about what’s come up all of a sudden.”

It was probable that Barbaros had joined up out of interest in Arcus and his solution to his war scenario. Sue’s dismissive attitude towards the captain wasn’t ameliorating his frustration at being forced to part ways.

“Whaddya gonna do after that, though? How are you gonna find us again when you’re done?”

“That’s no problem!” Gown took the lantern from his hip and lit it.

The next moment, there was a second Gown standing next to him. Everyone stared and gasped, aside from Barbaros. He was stroking the stubble on his chin thoughtfully.

“This is how you manage to be everywhere at once, huh little guy?”

“That’s right!”

“So, uh... did you cut your consciousness in half, or is it like a copy-type deal?”

“I’m Gown! Both of us are a whole me!” The Gowns chimed in unison.

“I’m afraid I’m getting a headache,” Charlotte murmured.

Arcus and the second Gown raced through the darkening capital, bound for the Magician’s Guild. The longer they took, the more likely it was for the aethometer project to spring a leak. Given the effects of the herb, it was unlikely the spies’ objective was to steal the device itself, but with even the slightest hole in the veil of secrecy around it, all of Arcus’s efforts would come to naught.

There was no time to waste. Just running would take too long, so the pair had bolstered their strength with spells; the people they sped past gawked at them. They darted between pedestrians like a gust of wind and ran side-by-side with horses and the government officials astride them. Arcus felt a small twang of smugness at the astonishment in everyone’s gazes, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it.

It wasn’t long until the Magician’s Guild came into view. It was the symbol of the kingdom’s magical advancements and a place where magicians carried out their research nonstop. Since there was always somebody hard at work, the Sol Glasses were permanently set inside to keep the building bright around the clock.

The black building was surrounded by a high, spiked wall, and the land around it was kept completely bare to deter anyone from peering in over those walls. Since the place was active twenty-four hours a day, there were a great many guards who had a permanent station at the Guild. It was so well-defended that even an entity as powerful as a foreign nation would be foolish to try to infiltrate it.

In Arcus’s case, he was recognized as the inventor of the aethometer, so he was allowed through without question. He quickly explained the urgency of the situation to the guard at the main gate, who then allowed him passage. Leaving Gown waiting with the guard, Arcus hurried to the main building.

He informed the receptionist that there was an urgent situation threatening the aethometer, and asked whether the Guildmaster Godwald or his secretary, Balgeuse, were around. Fortunately, they were both currently at the Guild’s testing grounds.

Arcus quickly thanked the receptionist before rushing off again, only to run into a frightening, scar-covered face at the corner of the cloister. He screamed, the first thought in his mind that this was either a mafia boss or a demon from hell. It was a cheaper jump scare than any low-budget horror movie, and yet Arcus still reeled, landing firmly on his rear.

That terrifying face belonged to Guildmaster Godwald Sylvester himself.

His crumpled face crumpled further as he looked down at Arcus. “Arcus? You seem surprised to see me.”

“Uh. O-Oh, well...”

Arcus wasn’t about to admit that it was the Guildmaster’s face which had scared him most of all. He’d known Godwald long enough to understand that even a child’s admission of fright would set off his complex about his severe appearance.

Though Arcus held his tongue, he needn’t have bothered; Balgeuse was there to ruin his efforts.

“I am sure anyone would have the same reaction seeing your face appear from around a corner, sir. You’ve caused many a fright in your time.”

“Yes, yes! There may even have been fatalities! You ought to be more careful!” said Mercuria, who was also with Godwald.

“You don’t have to comment every time, you two!” Godwald growled.

Mercuria pulled the rim of her pointy hat over her face while Balgeuse chuckled to himself. That was quite a way to speak to one’s superior, but perhaps the old secretary and Noah were birds of a feather.

Aside from those two, the Guildmaster was trailing quite the entourage. They didn’t seem to be clerks or magicians from the Guild either, judging from their dress. They conducted themselves elegantly, much like nobles or high officials, yet their attire did not match the styles common in the kingdom.

There was no doubt they were important, but they were not from Lainur. The woman in the middle of the group exuded a particularly powerful air of importance. She was a young woman with dark, wavy, blonde hair. Arcus would place her in her twenties. She was dressed in an unfamiliar military uniform, and her eyes held a glint of arrogance that was unique among the group.

Arcus gave a simple bow before the Guildmaster cut in.

“Oh, excuse me for not speaking up earlier. This young master has done much for the Guild. Arcus, you do not need to worry about these guests.”

“Yes, sir.”

That wasn’t a problem. He didn’t want to bother with long-winded self-introductions right now, given the circumstances.

“So what brings you to the Guild, Arcus?” Mercuria asked.

“Well, you see...” Arcus paused before turning to Balgeuse. “Mr. Balgeuse. Please, could you invoke a Code C?”

“Code C? This must be quite the predicament indeed.” Though his expression remained calm, there was a small twitch in Balgeuse’s eyebrow.

Godwald turned pale. “What exactly is going on?”

“Yes, yes! Code C means the destruction of all documents, doesn’t it?”

Arcus gathered the three of them together and lowered his voice. “There’s a chance the information will be stolen.”

“Stolen? Where did you hear that? We’ve certainly heard nothing of it!”

“From the Grave Sprite!”

“G-Gown? Why did he tell you that?”

“Well, it’s a long story, but right now I’m helping him out with something, and I overheard a group which had those sorts of intentions.”

Godwald frowned. Arcus found himself trembling and wondering if the Guildmaster was mad at him.

“I have much I would like to say, but I understand the urgency of the situation. Balgeuse.”

“At your service, sir.”

“Cassim is in the capital. Summon him and have him take charge of the defense.”

“Very good, sir.” Balgeuse bowed at the dark-blonde woman too before leaving.

“What will you do, Arcus?”

“I’m going back to meet with Gown, and we’re going to chase down the perpetrators. I’m sorry, but would you mind taking care of the production area?”

“I can’t very well say no when our esteemed elf is involved. Don’t put yourself in too much danger now.”

“Yes, sir. Sorry to be in such a rush.” Arcus bowed, and then...

“O, fresh blood in the vessel. O, flesh and bone that make up man. Continue down your well-traveled paths. Fill this body with unyielding strength and quench my unending thirst. As my voice opens the door, may this flesh and blood awaken.”

This was Arcus’s spell to enhance his physical abilities temporarily: Tenfold Performance. With that power coursing through his body once more, Arcus raced away and leaped over the spiked walls around the Guild.

“I think it’s about time we made those walls a little higher.”

“A spell to increase one’s physical abilities, hm?”

“It didn’t sound to me like it would work on others. Craib was right when he said the boy comes up with some unusual magic.”

“Yes, yes! I’m sure even Frederick wouldn’t mind losing sleep if he got to hear about this!” Mercuria said. “Now, please allow me to help.”

“Thank you. If you wouldn’t mind, could you start devising some defense plans? It shouldn’t be too long until Cassim joins you.”

“Yes, sir!”

The Guildmaster then turned to Meifa Darnénes, the dark-blonde woman. “I do apologize for the delay in your tour.”

“Has something happened, Vajra?”

“No, no, nothing major. Again, please allow me to apologize for the interruption.”

“Nothing major...” Meifa murmured, turning to look up at the wall across from the cloister. “Still, it is in keeping with this kingdom’s reputation that such a young boy would be able to use magic like that.”

“Arcus is a prodigy. Most children cannot compare.”

“Is that right?”

“Yes, although we are blessed with many talented young spirits. He is just one of them,” Godwald said quickly.

“I see.”

Though the Guildmaster put an end to the topic, Meifa still stared thoughtfully at the wall Arcus leaped over.

When Arcus had left the Guild, the sun was close to disappearing from the sky. Now it had sunk fully, leaving Sol Glasses to twinkle here and there across the city. Unlike the man’s world, there were no high-rises here, and so a glance up at the sky revealed nothing but darkness, the stars blocked out by the low-hanging Sol Glasses of houses. That same light created a band of purple under the blackness of the night sky.

Arcus and Gown ran from the city center as if they were trying to escape that light. They arrived at a quiet suburb on the capital’s east side.

“Are we heading for the slums?” Arcus asked. Not far out from here, this part of the city fell into disuse; even the capital’s most desperate had abandoned the ruins.

“Yes! That’s where we chased the bad guys to!”

“It was nice of them to bring us somewhere empty.”

“It must be an advantage for them too.”

With designs as grand as theirs, they would need somewhere to gather out of sight.

“Where are they now?”

“They left again after coming together here. They might be going back to the same square as before, but I don’t know.”

“As long as they’re not headed for the Guild yet.”

Otherwise the staff might not have time to prepare...

“This way!”

Even though Arcus was running as fast as he could, Gown always seemed to be a step ahead of him. His apparent speed and the terrain didn’t seem to matter. Gown was always in front, waving a long sleeve at him.

The pair skirted flowerbeds, sneaked through shadows, and scaled roofs. Eventually, they crossed the boundary between habitable and uninhabitable; tumbledown houses and free-standing walls sprawled out ahead. Some of the tougher buildings kept their original structure, but their windows were broken, their insides bared to the wind. Rubble piled up along the road like makeshift curbs. It was a testament to the speed at which entropy took hold of a city in the absence of human care. Only the panting of wild dogs and the shine of their eyes in the omnipresent gloom suggested the presence of life.

Arcus followed Gown into a building, where the gigantic Barbaros had propped himself against a wall.

Gown threw his sleeves high above his head. “We’re back, Captain!”

“Oh hey. I thought you’d be longer.”

“Where are the others?” said Arcus.

“They’re out with the other Gown searching for those guys’ headquarters. Left me here ’cause they thought I stood out too much.”

“What are they planning to do once they find them?”

“Decide if they should attack or not. Said they’d get back to me if they wanna go ahead with it.”

They were probably waiting for the right timing. If the whole crew was there, Gown and the children could deal with all of them at once.

“I’m gonna go back now!” Gown announced, disappearing into flickers of gentle flame.

Must be handy to be able to create a copy of yourself whenever you need it, Arcus thought, finding a flat piece of rubble to sit down on.

“So, how come you’re helpin’ Gown out?” Barbaros asked.

“I thought I already told you. He asked me to. It’s nothing more than that.”

“You’d help anyone who asks?”

“No. It depends what’s in it for me and what I’m risking. This time, it’s ’cause it was Gown who asked. You can’t really turn down a request from an elf, right?”

“Huh. Makes sense. You sure you weren’t just excited to be asked for help by someone so special?”

“That’s...part of it, probably.”

Though it wasn’t the most sensitive question in the world, Arcus found himself answering honestly. He liked being relied on, especially by those who wouldn’t usually ask for help. The thought that Gown chose Arcus specifically filled his heart with warmth. What he didn’t like was the way Barbaros seemed to be able to read his mind on the matter.

The pirate burst into laughter. “Sorry, kid. Don’t put too much thought into it. I was just curious, y’see.”

Arcus didn’t respond.

“I was just thinkin’, not everyone works totally on pure motives. You don’t gotta pretend you do, either.”

“What about revenge as a motive?”

“Huh?”

“I’m just asking what you think...and I answered your question.”

Arcus had discussed this topic with Sue before too. Arcus could never figure out whether revenge was a noble pursuit or not, and perhaps that was because, deep down, he thought it wasn’t. At the same time, he knew that asking everyone he met about it showed cowardice on his part.

Barbaros was quick on the uptake.

“I get it. Right now, you’re meanin’ to avenge yourself on someone. Problem is, you can’t figure the weight of it, so you asked me...a total stranger.”

“You’re pretty perceptive, huh?”

“Gotta be if you wanna be a captain. We gotta read lots of things. The wind, humans... Y’know.”

Spoken like a true seafarer...

“So...revenge. What do you think?”

“It’s fine, ain’t it? I mean, if it’s blowin’ steady, it’d be a waste not to tack into it.”

“Huh. I never thought about it like that.”

“Humans need power to get most anything done. Not just physical power, but power of spirit, and that don’t come just by callin’ for it.”

Arcus knew already that you could have the means to an end, but not the resolve.

“Every human breathin’ prefers tellin’ themselves they’ve a reason behind what they do. They want to possess something, or they want to achieve something... If they’ve whipped up cause for it, it’s easier to build up the will to follow through.” Barbaros put a large hand on Arcus’s shoulder. “Arcus. I get that you might wanna fair, clean victory. But life ain’t always sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes, you won’t be able to win unless you’re ready to get your hands dirty. ’Nfact, you’ll be lucky to get through life with one or two totally fair victories. The real question is, what are you gonna do with all those dark, murky emotions inside you?”

“‘What I’m gonna do?’”

“You’re what, ten? That means you’ve got sixty, seventy years ahead of you. You’re gonna have hopes and dreams you haven’t even thought of yet. You’re a kid, which means you’ve got endless potential. If there’s a chance to take something you want, go for it. Keep movin’ forward. You gotta move, or nothin’ll change. Keep going and going till you can’t anymore. Take what you want. That’ll be your victory. Once you’ve won, who’s gonna care what it took?”

“Hmm...”

“Tell you what, if us seafarers stopped moving we’d be stuck in the middle of the sea!” Barbaros guffawed.

It was an oafish laugh, but somehow it calmed Arcus’s heart.

“And you think that’s a good way to live?”

“Sure! I mean, you’re a kid, so who cares what’s good or bad? Also, if you’re gonna restrict yourself to choices which have right answers, then you’re not gonna get very far, are ya?” Barbaros lowered his voice. “If you can use somethin’ to win, then use it. It doesn’t matter what it is; it matters what you’re usin’ it for. All most people see is your success, not what’s behind it.”

“Might makes right, huh? You’re kinda evil, aren’t you?”

“’Course. Young kid like you doesn’t need to worry about holdin’ back. You gotta dream big. There’s tons of people out there livin’ just how they want. And why wouldn’t they? What’s wrong with that sorta life? Kids like you gotta live that way more than anyone. If you do somethin’ wrong, it’s up to the adults to scold ya for it.”

Dream big?

Arcus could see his point. The weight of an extra lifetime tended to foster reservations within him. Barbaros must have picked up on that, or he wouldn’t be telling him all of this. It was a wholly satisfying answer, and Arcus’s heart felt a little lighter.

“By the by, Arcus, d’you know Craib Abend?”

Arcus gaped at him. “How did you know?”

“Hey, you’re a Raytheft, right? That’d make it pretty likely.”

Arcus was surprised, but he knew he shouldn’t be. Craib wasn’t just a famous state magician, but a well-traveled one.

“He’s my paternal uncle.”

“Which makes you his nephew, huh?”

“Do you know him, Captain?”

“We’ve met a ton. Spoken too.”

“Huh.”

I guess this is a small world too.

Arcus smiled, feeling like he found a friend in an unexpected place. “My uncle is teaching me magic.”

“Oh? Ain’t you lucky, havin’ a state magician teach you personally?”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t so lucky before he agreed to teach me...”

“Huh? Oh, I get it. That’s why you were talkin’ about revenge and such.”

As before, Barbaros was right on the money with his predictions.

“So how did you meet my uncle?”

“He ended up on my ship once, back in his rovin’ days. I asked him if he wanted to join my crew.”

“What did he... Well, I guess I already know the answer.”

“Yup. He told me flat out, ‘no.’ Said he wanted to get back to his own country and make a name for himself there. ’Course, he ended up as a state magician. I regret not insisting he stay, y’know.”

“You think he’s too good to be a state magician or something?”

“Of course I do. Takes a real man to be my first mate, and he was just the sort I needed.”

“My uncle as a seafarer...”

Arcus tried to imagine it. With Craib’s brawny body and his tanned skin, it seemed almost too perfect a role for him.

“Hey, thinkin’ about it now, I think he talked about revenge and stuff too. Guess you two are kinda alike, huh?”

Arcus stayed quiet.

“See what I was sayin’ now? You didn’t realize, ’cause he’s a successful guy.”

Arcus never put much thought into his uncle’s past, but he did know there was a lot of suffering and hard work involved. He didn’t realize how little he’d thought of it until Barbaros pointed it out. The seafarer was getting him to think a lot today. A question arose in Arcus’s mind.

“How old are you, Captain?”

“Huh? I dunno, but I think around fifty or so.”

“No way! I thought you were in your late thirties or something!”

“Hey, I’ll take the compliment.” Barbaros flashed Arcus a friendly grin.

Now that Arcus looked, he noticed the wrinkles on his face, as well as the whiter hairs among his dark gray ones. It was just that he seemed too full of vitality to be as old as he claimed. Arcus’s surprise was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. It was Lecia, her silver hair and red eyes glowing in the dim light, here to give an update.

“Brother, you’re here!”

“Hey. How’re things looking?”

“Gown said we should attack as soon as we are able.”

“Looks like I got here just in time.” Arcus paused. “Lecia?”

“What is it?” Lecia blinked at him.

Arcus cleared his throat. “I mean, I probably should’ve asked you this earlier, but... Listen. We’re going to be fighting for real. Are you okay with that?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean what I said. Are you prepared to kill someone? Are you prepared to be killed?”

Lecia didn’t respond.

“Once we meet with Gown, we’ll be attacking right away, and they’re gonna try and fight back. They’ll probably be trying to kill us. As long as they are, we can’t show them any mercy of our own. They should be lucky if any one of them remains alive.”

They were dealing with spies here. Anyone interfering with their efforts could not be allowed to live, and by extension, Arcus and the others were obliged to extend them the same courtesy.

“We need to kill every last one of them, and you’ve gotta be on board with that. If you’re not, then you should wait here.”

When Arcus had gone to rescue his sister from the marquess, he hadn’t had time to question himself like this. He wanted to offer Lecia that chance. If she came along with them unprepared for what was waiting, then she might freeze up and lose her will to fight—assuming Joshua had yet to teach her to overcome such fears.

“I shall be fine. If I am to inherit the Raytheft house, this is a rite of passage I must take eventually,” Lecia said, returning Arcus’s gaze evenly.

Arcus couldn’t tell whether the look in her eyes was determination, nor whether there was real strength behind it—neither of his lives had prepared him to answer that question—but if Lecia could declare something like that so openly, her words must have had a solid foundation.

“Okay. D’you mind keeping an eye on Lecia, Captain?”

“It’d be way more impressive if you promised to take care of her yourself, y’know.”

“I’m not so naive to think I can do anything. I’m just a kid, remember?”

“Sure, you’re a kid, but it’s not very kid-like to admit it! Welp, okay then. Don’t worry about a thing, little lady. I’ll keep an eye on you.”

“Thank you.”

They set off to meet up with Gown and the others.

Arcus and Barbaros followed Lecia into a building so run down, it didn’t even have a roof. Sue peered out from around a dilapidated pillar. Charlotte was crouched down behind the remains of a collapsed wall. Gown was poking his head out from a glassless window. Men lay sprawled out on the ground nearby, all dressed similarly to the group Gown was after.

Charlotte and Sue spotted Arcus and beckoned him over.

“What’s with these guys?” Arcus asked under his breath, motioning to the men on the floor.

“They were guarding the area,” Charlotte replied.

“There weren’t that many of them, so we didn’t have to kill them! We just knocked them out!” Gown giggled.

“The main group is gathered over there.” Sue pointed.

Arcus looked over to see several men a small distance away from the building. They appeared to be talking in the low light of some Sol Glasses.

Are they forming a plan to sneak into the Guild?

“A new guy joined them just now. He said the Guild raised their guard,” Gown explained.

“Looks like our plan worked.” Arcus let out a sigh of relief.

“If we are going to attack, perhaps we ought to start with a strong opening volley of spells,” Lecia suggested.

“Sounds good. What do you think, Gown?”

“Sounds like a plan!”

Sue shook her head, despite Gown’s agreement. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to try and kill all of them. If we leave some alive, we can get more information.”

“Huh. That’s a good point, too.”

“Let’s attack with that in mind, then.”

Their first step decided, Lecia and Sue launched their spells at the group of spies. The fiery magic hit the group square in their center. For a moment, it looked like the closest men would be engulfed by the flames, but then the fire seemed to be swept away by the wind and vanished.

“They totally blocked it!”

“Does that mean they were expecting an attack?”

Though a few of the men were panicking, a handful of them carried on as though nothing happened. Those men ignored the shouting and turned their gazes towards the ruined building. Arcus wagered these were the magicians who had set up their wards.

“Over there!”

The entire group turned Arcus’s way at that call. One of the magicians stepped forward self-importantly and sneered. “Still trying to get in our way, Gown? Wait... you brought a load of kids with you? I hope you’re not expecting us to be their playmates. We’re busy.”

“What did you say?!”

The spy was clearly mocking Gown’s childish nature—an old standard among those unimpressed by his reputation.

“You know what to do,” said the magician.

Immediately, one of his men reached into a basket and released a cat.

When Gown had spoken about this group and their cats, Arcus imagined he was talking about regular house cats. This creature was twice if not three times the size of a domestic feline—a wildcat. If this was the kind of animal Gown feared, Arcus no longer found the phobia strange. It was only just smaller than a panther or cheetah. It looked agile, and with those strong jaws, it would only need to clamp them around a human’s neck to dispatch them immediately. Its fierce, golden eyes glinted in the darkness.

Arcus blinked, and Gown was now peering out from behind him.

“Th-That’s so unfair!”

“Who cares about fairness, as long as we win?” said the spy.

“Win?! Do you even understand the horrible things you’re doing?!”

“We understand, and we don’t care.”

“Dummies! I’ve got Arcus and his friends with me this time! They’re gonna beat you up real good! They’re the strongest ever!” Gown shouted.

“What can they do? They’re just kids, you moron!”

“Go ahead and think they’re useless! They’ll show you!”

“That’s right! We may be young, but we can fight!” Lecia said.

“Correct! So you should prepare yourselves for the worst!” Charlotte added.

Gown’s words were clearly filling Arcus’s companions with courage.

Obviously unaffected by the young girls’ threats, the magician turned his gaze to Barbaros. “You with the pipsqueak pixie, too?”

“Turned out that way, yeah. Guess you could call me these kids’ bodyguard,” Barbaros said, pulling the giant cutlass from the sheath slung across his back. From where Arcus stood, it looked like a head-lopping blade fit for an ogre.

Sue stepped forward and declared, “I’m not gonna stand back and let you treat this capital as your playground!”

The magician snorted and raised his right arm. Knives flitted from under the sleeves of the other spies.

“Fancy yourselves assassins, huh?” said Barbaros. “You guys are an interestin’ bunch.”

“Silence.”

The spies moved all at once, running out and flitting this way and that unpredictably.

“Start with that girl, there! She’ll be sorry she ever stood up to us!”

The spies closed in on Sue.

“Sue, get ba—”

Before Arcus could finish his warning, she released her intense aether. The extent of that power was far beyond the imagination of the average person. Even three state magicians together would fail to match it. It was so overwhelming that it drew lightning from the sky. The spies faltered and stumbled in the face of it.

“Do not underestimate me.” Her voice was icy.

She pulled her straight sword from its sheath and began to spin it in her hand. She leapt forward in a flash, ripping the nearest spy apart with the blade. Moonlight bounced from every angle of her sword every time she moved, the decorative cord around the pommel whipping this way and that. Sue’s body twirled and pranced around in front of the spies more elegantly than any dancer’s.

The spies’ arms flew free of their bodies; their hidden blades followed suit before decapitating their owners in their swift descent. A straight sword like hers shouldn’t have been suitable for ripping through flesh, and it wasn’t even long enough to strike its opponent directly, and yet she’d pulled off an otherwise impossible feat. It reminded Arcus of a certain sword technique from the man’s training known as yokogumo.

Sue leapt forward, pressing her onslaught against the oncoming spies. Using a pair of shoulders as a stepping stone, she somersaulted into the air, slashing another spy to ribbons, then spinning around him before he could find his footing and delivering a swift kick to his back. The spy flew through the air as though he were no lighter than a rubber ball and froze.

“A flurry of five departing spirits, lively as possessed puppets even after death. Your master is that heavenly silk, so dance to its delusions. Dance, dance, dance into the throes of insanity. Dance ’til your essence vanishes from my palm.”

“Deathbound Marionette.”

Artglyphs sparked into life and flew towards the collapsed spy. They coiled around his body as Sue twisted her arm out in front of her, her gaze cold. The corpse started to move clumsily under the command of her hand. It straightened up and hung in midair, posed as if it were held aloft by invisible strings. Its elbows were suspended to line up with its shoulders, and its legs hung limp underneath. Its thighs pointed outwards, its toes brushed the ground, and its head lolled to one side.

Sue moved her hand, causing the corpse’s joints to jerk a few times before it danced swiftly towards the spy whose shoulders she’d vaulted. More than a dance, it was a frenzy. The puppet, no more than a blood-filled sack of flesh now, closed in on its target at an impossible speed.

“Guargh! Dammit!”

The corpse slammed into him; he struggled to rid himself of its weight. Sue used the opportunity to deliver a lunging slash.

“AAAAAAAAARGH!”

There was more than enough power in the attack for its purpose. It sliced through both bodies as though they were paper, even ripping through the ruins behind them. With a crash, dust and dirt from the rubble billowed out from the ruins. Sue cleared the air with a swipe of her blade, then returned to spinning the weapon in her hand, anticipating her next attacker.

“Wh-What was that?”

“No way...”

Two of the spies gawked at her in awe.

Barbaros stroked his beard. “See what’s gonna happen if you throw more men at us?”

“Ngh! Go for the other girl!” The other spies turned to Lecia.

Lecia had a sweet and docile appearance. Next to the energetic Sue and Charlotte, who was clearly a skilled fencer, she stood out like a sore thumb, especially against the backdrop of the slums. To them it must have looked like she was hiding behind Barbaros, making her an easy target—a woeful misreading.

The spies dropped into low stances and rushed her. Already prepared, Lecia lifted her left arm into the air and began an incantation.

“A greedy man longs to possess as much as he can without discretion. He is hungry even for the specks of dust on the ground. Take all that is tucked under the sleeve of this unprejudiced left arm and vanquish the enemy before me!”

“Scrapped Impact!”

She couldn’t have picked a more suitable spell for a battlefield so choked with debris. Arcus had taught her the spell himself and advised her to use it in places like this.

Artglyphs carried rubble and trash to her arm, making her look like a masked hero mid-transformation. Passing flotsam slammed into spies and narrowly missed others. Once her gigantic sleeve of debris was complete, Lecia brandished it like a whip.

“Wh—Even this kid’s a magician?!”

“G-Get out of the way! Run!”

“Fly!” Lecia commanded.

The garbage did just that, blowing outwards over a wide range. It smashed into one spy after another, sending them sprawling to the ground. Lecia wasted no time following up.

“May that grand body be engulfed in flame and become a warrior. Take up your shield in your left hand, and your sword in your right. May the burning crimson of the sky gird your body. Strangle the four devils, and destroy the three obstacles. Eight consciousnesses as one. Stick fast to your reason, and become the origin. O, fire king of the trailing dust, keep careful watch over our backs.”

“The Flaming King’s Path.”

This was a traditional spell of the Raytheft house. Arcus was amazed Lecia already knew how to use it, considering she had only mastered Flamrune a short while ago.

Red Artglyphs gathered behind Lecia before whooshing into a pillar of flame all at once, as if fed by a vast bellows. They took on the shape of a human body, complete with a fiery headpiece and armor. The figure held a sword in its right hand and a shield in its left, its light dyeing the night air crimson. Its arms came forward to surround Lecia, as if to cradle her. Then it began to mimic the movements of her body.

It was an impressive spell. The size of the fire king meant that a single sweep of its sword had an incredible range, and with it standing behind Lecia, the enemy couldn’t flank her. It was a perfect balance of offense and defense.

Overwhelmed by the figure of flame, the spies froze in place; Lecia took the opportunity to attack them mercilessly.

“I know I told her we couldn’t hold back, but this is kinda ridiculous.”

Lecia’s attack was ruthless; even after devastating the enemy with Scrapped Impact, she was making full use of her aether to stamp out whatever was left. Maybe Arcus hadn’t needed to ask if she was ready.

A single blow from that fiery sword turned the spies’ bodies to charcoal in an instant. Those who escaped a direct hit were swept off their feet from the pressure. Some of the spies attacked with crossbows, but their bolts burned away the moment they came within reach of the king’s shield. There was no way they could even land a hit. Lecia attacked them relentlessly, even when they gave up trying to get close. It was a nightmarish scene, and it lasted until Lecia finally pressed her offensive. At that moment, the fire king behind her vanished.

Arcus would have thought that Lecia couldn’t keep it up anymore, if he didn’t know how much aether she had. The only other thing he could think of was that her concentration lapsed.

“Now! Get her!”

The spies who had fled the flames a moment ago changed their course. They dived towards Lecia, the blades on their arms glinting in the moonlight.

“Lecia!” Arcus cried.

Just then, a large shadow reared up behind her.

“I gotcha.”

It was Barbaros. He stepped in front of Lecia to defend her, his cutlass wheeling through the air. The spies’ bodies were torn apart, riven torsos and gleaming blades cast skyward.

Given Barbaros’s titanic stature, if he wanted to, he could have cut through the ruin walls just as Sue had, if not deeper.

“Th-Thank you!” Lecia said.

“No worries. Just focus on the enemies ahead!”

“Captain!”

“You told me to keep an eye on her, right? So you go back to focusin’ on the fight.”

I’m glad I picked him to look after my sister, thought Arcus. He’s really showing himself to be a reliable ally!

Charlotte had her own share of the fight. It was her duty, as the daughter of a martial family and successor to the national fencing style. Barbaros aside, she was the oldest one here. She said she would help, and so to stand back and let the others fight alone was unthinkable. She needed to protect them.

What spurred her on more than anything else was the will to change. She didn’t want to be the same helpless girl who allowed herself and her friend to be captured by the marquess anymore. She could fight back now. She would use everything she learned during her training for this skirmish. She was going to fight fearlessly, like Arcus had against Gaston’s right-hand mercenary.

The blades the spies wielded were nothing to take lightly, but Charlotte had hours upon hours of serious daily combat practice with far deadlier sparring partners behind her. In fact, these spies were so unskilled that they only had their weapons to rely on. The holes in their defenses stood out plainly to her. Dodging a sweeping blade, Charlotte thrust out her rapier.

“Gah!”

Charlotte could feel the presence of another spy circling around to flank her.

“Gwah!”

She turned and dispatched him with her gleaming blade.

Okay...

Charlotte glanced over at her inspiration, who was just as embroiled in the melee. Just like before, he was having no trouble holding his own against full-grown adults. He parried and dodged, striking only when they showed an opening. He was more skilled than anybody she had seen in the training hall.

From what Charlotte heard from Lecia and from his letters, when he wasn’t studying magic, he was sparring with Craib or Noah. She could believe that he would struggle more against an opponent his own age than an adult.

It was how he used space that impressed her most. He observed his opponent closely, never taking an unnecessary step, and always keeping a fixed distance between them. Everything was stacked in his opponent’s favor. They were taller, their arms longer, and their weapons bigger. Somehow, he bent their advantages to his own ends.

With his cryptic footwork, the opponent misread the distance between them. They swung their swords uselessly. Then he would slip in close and deal a deadly blow, sometimes striking their chest, sometimes their neck. When that was impossible, he would go for the tendons in their arms and knock them off balance.

The way he used his off hand was also peculiar. Charlotte saw that gesture before at the marquess’ estate. He would chant an incantation, make that gesture, and point a finger at the enemy, who would begin to bleed as if some unseen stiletto found its mark in them.

“Retre—” The spy’s call was cut off by a dry crack.

Charlotte looked up. There was a small hole in the man’s forehead. The sight filled her with confidence. At this rate, they would win.

She had forgotten that the spies themselves weren’t the only danger they faced.

“Ugh! I didn’t think I’d ever struggle against a cat!”

The wild cat was another matter entirely. Its agile movements were impossible to follow as it bounded around in front of its enemy. It was always just out of reach of his sword, and it dodged his spells with ease. Arcus was clearly trying to work out a solution, Gown peering out from behind him.

“You can do it, Arcus! Now! Get him there! Quick!”

“Aaaaaah! Shuddup! And stop clinging to me!”

“But what if the cat gets me?”

“You’re in the way!” Arcus cried.

Two spies stepped towards the quarreling pair. One was the apparent leader, the magician who had made fun of Gown earlier. The other was a man wielding a sword. As the swordsman stepped forward, Susia cast a spell to launch a blade of wind at him. He dodged it, bending like a willow branch. Barbaros bolted forward with his cutlass, but the man parried him skillfully.

“Huh. That’s some fightin’ sense you got there.”

“That’s not the end of it either,” said the swordsman as flames erupted from his blade.

They licked at the metal like fire crawling from the window of a burning house. There were seals engraved in the sword. The flames grew long, twisting from the surface of the blade before flying towards Barbaros.

“Captain!” The moment Arcus shouted, Barbaros’s body was already engulfed in fire.

“Yowch!” Barbaros waved it away with his hands as if it were nothing more than a cloud of dust.

“Tch.” The swordsman lamented his attack’s impotence.

It had, at least, discouraged Barbaros from getting too close, though this was as much because of the swordsman’s talent as the flames. The spies were bringing out their best now: Sue and Lecia were locked in combat with the magician, Gown was following Arcus around, and Arcus was still preoccupied with the wild cat.

Charlotte failed to defend her friends before, but now things were different—and she worked hard to make them so.

“Now!”

Charlotte used her gift of foresight to sense the cat’s movements. It screeched as she skewered it in a full-bore fleche. She felt a prick of guilt at hurting an animal, but she didn’t have time to worry about that now.

“Thank you, Lady Charlotte!”

“I shall go forth and attack. Arcus, please back me up!”

Arcus didn’t hesitate to open his mouth.

“Grant me the power of wind’s magic and wind’s sword in accordance with my heart. Ill-fortuned wheel. Disturbed convoy. Neverending drive. Unexpected road. Amplify Gown’s voice, parch the air, and freeze the wind. Set the streets alive with screams. The sword is at its sharpest, now shred it into shards.”

“Auster’s Sword.”

“Hey, I’m in your spell!” Gown cheered from behind Arcus.

Artglyphs appeared in the air and began to wrap themselves around the blade of Charlotte’s rapier before spinning rapidly. Before she knew it, it transformed into a whirlwind.

“Wh-What is happening?”

“Strike with it, Lady Charlotte!” Arcus said.

“O-Of course! Thank you!”

The wind coiled around the rapier as though it were the eye of the storm. Charlotte was amazed that it didn’t seem to be harming her at all. She turned to the spies’ swordsman, ready to face him head on. It wasn’t long before her foresight kicked into action.

She would miss, too taken aback by the strength of Arcus’s magic. Misjudging the distance between her and her opponent, she wouldn’t get in close enough. The flames from the man’s sealed arms would engulf her and rip her body apart. Every image her foresight showed ended in her failure. In other words, if she avoided those outcomes, she would win.

Those problems were easy to solve.

She would account for the magic’s strength and move so that it wouldn’t go after the wrong target. She would consider the length added to her rapier when measuring the distance between her and the swordsman. She would use the winds enveloping her sword to sweep away the flames from his.

All that remained was making sure her strike connected. Her opponent didn’t know just how powerful Arcus’s spell was; he would count on the strength of his flames to overcome it.

Charlotte thrust her rapier forward to keep him back, and he matched her thrust with his own. The blades met in midair, marking the start of their battle. The flames and his sword were swept out of position by the rapid whirlwind. Charlotte and her opponent staggered backwards.

Taking up their arms, they faced each other again.

“You little brat!”

The swordsman’s second strike came from below.

Now!

Normally she would have trouble meeting an attack like that head-on, but right now she was so focused that she managed to parry him with a downward-sweeping prise de fer.

“Gaaaaaaaaah!”

The wind weakened his sword’s momentum, catching the flames up in its rotation and dissipating every last ember. The man was unable to keep hold of his weapon in the face of the whirlwind.

“Gah!”

The wind forced his arm and the sword in it away. Charlotte didn’t miss her chance.

“Burning Thrust!”

This was a technique from the nation’s school of fencing. The attacker spun their body before transferring their momentum to the tip of the rapier, causing the opponent paralyzing burns as though from real flames.

The spy wouldn’t be able to hold his sword properly for a while, especially not with the force of the wind against him. Still in her fighting stance, Charlotte dropped into a low stance, until her torso was mere inches away from the ground. The man was above her now, and slightly to her left. Charlotte delivered the upward blow, her sword wrapped in fiery wind.

The man screamed in agony as the burning blade twisted in his flesh. Charlotte flung his body away, and he passed out.

Arcus watched as Charlotte took down the swordsman.

“Impossible. That’s not the sort of magic you can cast with an incantation that short and with that little aether!” the magician exclaimed.

The swordsman’s weapon wasn’t just any blade either. Not only was it sharp, but the seals engraved in it were of the utmost quality, making the flames it put out even fiercer. There was something that the magician didn’t realize, however.

“That’s right,” Arcus said. “That spell was likely less powerful than the magic in those seal arms.”

“Then why—”

“Because we’ve got Gown on our side.”

“Gown?”

“That’s right. Gown’s with us, and he wants us to win this fight.”

“What, so any incantations which mention him are going to be more powerful?”

“That makes perfect sense, right? If we’re calling on the power of a supernatural being, then the closer he is, the more powerful the spell.”

The magician fell silent, only able to grind his teeth in frustration. Arcus took that as a sign that he understood the logic behind it loud and clear. If anything, it showed that he had a deep understanding of magic.

This magician was now the only opponent left, and yet he showed no signs of retreat. Did he realize there was no way for him to escape now? Somehow, Arcus doubted he was a noble enough character to face his death head-on like this.

“I’ve played your silly games for long enough.” The magician pulled a small vial out of his breast pocket.

He held it up to the moonlight and grinned at the liquid inside; in a moment of insight, Arcus gathered that it must have been the refined form of the herb at the root of this mess. It was clearly the last trick he had up his sleeve. If he drank that concoction, he would be invincible to physical attacks—and since he was a magician, he didn’t need a physical weapon to fight, either.

“Brother!” said Lecia.

“Don’t worry! There’s still a way to fight him!”

Arcus not only had a plan, but the aether he needed to carry it out. There were two unaccounted-for variables. The first was whether his spell would affect the opponent. The second was whether it could slip past his spells.

“The second I drink this stuff, I’ll kill every one of you! Think about it! You won’t have done anything to help anybody!”

“You shouldn’t use that stuff!” Gown shouted.

The man roared with laughter at the elf’s warning before tipping the contents of the vial down his throat. The effects were instant. The magician’s body became hazy, like the sudden rise of mist shortly after dawn. Sue flung a small knife she had been concealing at the magician, but it passed right through his body.

“It didn’t even hurt him.” Sue narrowed her eyes.

“Of course not!” The magician’s guffaw echoed through the night. “You’re going to regret playing at heroes now, kids!”

The magician opened his mouth, and Arcus waited for the oncoming incantation.

Instead, the man screamed, his body changing once again.

“That’s why I told him not to use it!” Gown yelled, barely heard over the man’s cries of agony.

The magician’s misty figure became solid once more, but the changes didn’t stop there. A gloomy luminescence began to emanate from his body, and it wasn’t long before bands of hex appeared around him.

“Aaaah! Aaaaaaaargh!”

His screams were beyond the point of pain now. He clutched at his head, achieving nothing but pulling out his hair as he cried out in anguish. He was clearly no longer in control of his own body.

“It’s started!” Gown cried.

“This the same thing that happened to that guy this afternoon?” Barbaros asked.

“That’s right! It feeds on the hex and the aether from the magical beings around it and becomes a hex fiend! Right now, it’s only a near-fiend. How powerful it becomes depends on a lot of stuff...”

“Really?”

“Yes, really! Really really!”

Arcus hadn’t seen Gown get this upset in all their time together so far. This wasn’t exactly the same case the children witnessed earlier.

“He’s become bigger! And very quickly, too!” Charlotte called.

“We have to stop him before he becomes a full hex fiend!” Gown cried.

“How do we stop something like that?” asked Lecia.

“If we destroy the body holding it together, it won’t become a hex fiend. I can deal with things after that. It’s just...”

“What?”

“There isn’t much I can help with now. I’m only allowed to interfere when it comes to the promise! That means dealing with the herb, catching the perpetrators, and punishing them! But when it becomes a hex fiend, there’s nothing I can do!”

“Uh, what’s stoppin’ you? Or you just wanna leave us to deal with the hard part?” Barbaros said.

“I know how it might look, but I can’t break the promise,” Gown replied glumly.

Arcus knew of legends and fairy tales from the man’s world where a promise could bar supernatural beings from acting. Perhaps elves like Gown were kept under similar rules, so that they couldn’t use their extraordinary powers however they liked. That was how it sounded from his earlier explanation, anyway.

“Why not?” Lecia asked.

“Elves and phantoms used to play a major role in solving problems, but that was a long time ago now. After that, we passed the world over to your humans, and the most we can do is support you when there’s trouble. We can’t break that rule.”

In that case, it was obvious why the elf needed to ask for a human’s help. If something truly unforeseen were to happen, Gown wouldn’t be able to deal with it by himself, so he probably wanted to take a human with him just in case.

The magician’s body continued to grow as it soaked in ambient hex, even as they spoke. He was already taller than a two-story building. Even out here, it wouldn’t be long before he attracted public attention and set off a panic.

“That thing is gonna destroy the entire capital at this rate,” Sue remarked coolly.

Arcus knew that tone, coming from a magician as powerful as Sue, meant they had only moments to act; they were already markedly out of their depth.

“This, uh, ain’t lookin’ good. I sure think we oughta do somethin’, but how’re we gonna get close when he’s that huge?” Barbaros scratched his head worriedly, as though they were dealing with nothing more serious than a petulant child.

“I am really not sure what we can do,” Lecia agreed.

“If it were me, I’d say we should give up and run.”

Arcus considered the captain’s words. If only they had a state magician or two on their side, bringing down an opponent like this would be no problem, but it would take far too long to fetch one. It was always possible that one would realize what was happening and come of their own accord, but there was no guarantee out here in the slums. The chance was too remote to even consider. Their enemy was big, but not yet big enough to be spotted from that far away.

Arcus exchanged an anxious glance with the others. Gown was still looking up at the huge magician, the concern raw in his gaze.

Finally, Sue let out a determined sigh and stepped forward. “Okay. I’m gonna—”

“Arcus.” Not taking his eyes off the near-fiend, Gown beckoned to Arcus with a sleeve.

“What’s up?”

“Come here, quick!”

“Uh, but—”

“Quickly!” Gown’s beckoning became more frantic.

Arcus did as he was told, as their companions looked to the elf with hopeful gazes. Once he was there, Gown darted behind his back.

What’s he doing? We don’t have time for messing around!

Gown put his sleeves on Arcus’s back. “Okay, let’s go!”

“Huh?!” Arcus felt large streams of liquid flowing down his back. “Gah?”

He bent over backwards at the uncomfortable sensation—but he already knew what it was. Any magician would recognize it, and it was something Arcus had been after for a long, long time.

It was aether. Almost enough aether to put him on equal footing with his sister. Sensing the movement of such a huge reserve of aether, the other four stared at Arcus wide-eyed.

“G-Gown! What did you do?” Arcus spun around to face the elf.

“I don’t do this for just anyone! But this means you can beat that guy, right?”

“Uh, I dunno about that. I mean, just ’cause I’ve got enough aether doesn’t mean I can put it to its best use...”

If aether was the only issue here, Sue and Lecia would already have been able to act. They wouldn’t be at the loss they were if the solution were so simple. Arcus looked at Gown in confusion, but the elf didn’t say a word, his eyes merely softening in a cheeky smile.

“Have you got any spells that can get us outta this, Arcus?” asked Sue.

“Um, I guess I’ve got some that might work...”

“What are you waiting for then?”

“I’ve never used them before because I’ve never had enough aether.”

The spells he spoke of were totally untested. He just put the incantations together to amuse himself.

Barbaros gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. “You don’t really have a choice but to give it a try, right?”

“It’s not that simple. Not with this amount of aether in me. If I mess up, there’s no telling the extent of the damage I’ll do.”

“Sure, but if you do nothin’, there’s no doubt that monster’s gonna kill us, right? The elf can’t do nothin’ to help. There’s only one option here.”

Arcus didn’t reply. Was Barbaros really okay with entrusting his fate to a twelve-year-old boy?

“You can do it Arcus!” Gown cheered. “You’ve been studying real hard! Your smarts will pull you through!”

“But Gown—”

“Give it a try, kid. You only get one shot at times like this. That’s how it’s always been, and that’s how it always will be, right?”

“He’s right, Arcus,” Sue said. “There are tons of examples in the Chronicles of victories won by taking a gamble.”

“The elf thinks you can do it too. C’mon, show these ladies you’re a real man!”

“I know I am unreliable, but I shall help you!” Lecia said.

Charlotte sighed. “May I say something?”

“Lady Charlotte?”

“If you do not think you can do it, Arcus, there is no shame in running away.”

“Sorry?”

Arcus looked back into Charlotte’s gentle gaze. Was she offering him that path out of kindness? Whichever it was, now he was offered a choice, he was sure of his answer.

“I’m going to fight, My Lady,” he said.

“In that case, you may rely on me to be by your side until the very end.”

Arcus had the sense she already knew how he would respond. Arcus looked at his companions in turn. They nodded at him. His acceptance of the situation along with the new aether flowing through him lifted Arcus’s spirits a little.

“Be ready to back me up,” he said.

Sue and Lecia nodded.

Charlotte glanced at the rapier in her hand. “What should I do with this wind, Arcus?”

“Let’s see... Please hit the magician with it at the right time.”

It was a vague answer, but Arcus trusted that Charlotte’s judgment would lead her to do the right thing.

“Understood.”

“Gown, I’m gonna head for the tallest building over there,” said Arcus.

“Okay! I’ll make a path for you!”

“Thanks. O, fresh blood in the vessel. O, flesh and bone that make up man. Continue down your well-traveled paths. Fill this body with unyielding strength and quench my unending thirst. As my voice opens the door, may this flesh and blood awaken.”

“Tenfold Performance.”

Artglyphs swirled around Arcus’s body before melting away into the air. The next second, he felt power flowing through him. It was a similar feeling to when he was in high spirits and unable to keep still.

Arcus thought that spells to increase one’s physical abilities would be commonplace, but so far he had yet to come across any texts referencing anything like that.

The next second he was surrounded by mysterious floating balls of flame from Gown’s lantern. Those balls were soon encased in lanterns of their own, each accompanied by a Gown.

“Huh?”

“Now there’s somethin’ you don’t see every day!”

Arcus’s companions stared up at the Gowns in astonishment. They were all around. Some of them appeared close by. Some stood atop broken roofs. Some in the corners of ruins. Some behind broken windows. They all began to chant together.

“O, sand, stones, and earth of the grave. Band together by an unseen hand and fly. The ground heaves violently as it births every existence. May the earth take breath and roar. Let the crumbling spirits descend, urged on by raging screams.”

“Sailing Graveyard.”

Countless brown Artglyphs filled the air. They gathered to form a large, thick pillar with a pointed end like a spear, which pierced into the ground. The earth rumbled, and another pillar broke up through the ground, spinning out in the opposite direction of the Artglyphs from before. The pillar twisted, and its tip grew out towards the point Arcus was aiming for.

Though the tip hadn’t yet reached Arcus’s destination, he stepped onto the pillar anyway.

“Arcus.”

Arcus turned to find Barbaros beckoning to him. The pirate bent his legs and put his fists together as though preparing to receive a volleyball.

“Get over here. I’ll throw you up there.”

“Okay!”

Barbaros caught Arcus’s foot in his hand and then launched him into the air.

“Gaaaaargh!” Barbaros yelled.

With the force behind Barbaros’s powerful toss and his physical abilities strengthened by magic, Arcus took a massive leap. He flew along the pillar of earth up towards the sky. Eventually, he lost his height and caught the pillar with his foot, running up along it. He followed those steps towards the heavens, aiming for the best position to fire his spell from.

Bands of hex chased after him from all directions. With all the aether flowing through him now, the hex must have been desperate to take it from him. Arcus ducked to dodge those striking from above, and jumped to avoid those swiping at his feet from below, but he never stopped moving forward, where more hex waited to ambush him.

He tsked at the sight of the enemy’s relentless defenses, when all at once they were destroyed before his eyes by a stream of fire. The attack came from behind. It must have been Lecia, backing him up with Flamrune. The fiery spears flew through the air from below at regular intervals. Charlotte knocked tendrils of hex out of the air with Auster’s Sword.

Following the path Gown made for him, Arcus eventually reached his destination. There was nothing there but piles of sooty rubble and the dark silence of the night. Sol Glasses twinkled like stars in the distance. If they didn’t defeat the near-fiend now, those stars would extinguish.

The hex still pursued Arcus relentlessly. There were surprisingly few places he could use as cover on top of this building.

“Tch.”

What do I do now?

Anxiety, fear, and every sensible bone in his body threatened to overwhelm him in a split second. Just then, an incantation reached his ears.

“Lifeless luster. Breakable film. Here shines a small light of hope. Though the armor is plated, it lacks durability.”

He barely had time to register that it was a defensive spell before Artglyphs spread out to form a hemisphere in front of him. They transformed into a thin film of light, creating a rounded wall. They cut off the hex just before it reached Arcus, deflecting the bands away.

“Arcus!” Just as he registered who the voice belonged to, it spoke again, resonating from above him. “You can’t let your guard down like that!”

He turned to look at the black-haired girl. “S-Sue? What are you doing here?”

“I just felt like coming up here!” Sue winked and stuck out her tongue at him.

“Don’t you know it’s dangerous?”

“This whole place is dangerous! Doesn’t matter if I’m up here or down there.”

“I guess...”

Sue had clearly made up her mind. She moved around behind Arcus.

“Remember that you’re not alone in this fight. I’m right here.”

“Sue...”

“Let me handle the defense. You go all out with your attack!”

“Got it! I’m counting on you,” Arcus said, the reassurance of her presence warming his chest.

He felt powerful enough to do anything right now.

Is this how it feels to have so much aether?

He almost let out an envious sigh.

But this wasn’t the time for envy. He had to prepare his spell. A spell which would launch a pressurized bundle of particles. Call it a beam, call it a laser, the idea at the root of it—abundant in fiction and the dreams of children raised on anime and hero shows—hung faintly out of reach of the man’s world’s technology. There was a strong possibility that this kind of power would remain fiction forever.

This world was different.

Even if science couldn’t recreate such an effect, this world had magic, and Arcus had the overflowing aether lent to him by Gown. Arcus had everything he needed. All that was left was to see whether he had enough knowledge and creativity to pull it off.

His target was two hundred meters ahead. He was going to defeat it using everything he’d learned up until now. He held out his hand towards his opponent. Could he do it? Would his attack reach? The raw power pulsing through him was his answer.

He could do it. He just needed to say the words.

Let this work. Let me achieve the dream.

He felt someone’s hand on his arm.

“Raised crown. Ever-shining light of sagacity. Abyss of understanding. May the beautiful weight of reality crush the naivety of mercy. Victory is dazzling glory. This kingdom is an unshakeable foundation. All knowledge flows from the tree of paradise. Light of the heavens, desires of the adoring. Let these beams of luminescence grant you unending light, endless brightness, and eternal death.”

“Ohr Ein Sof.”

That dream which so many yearned for was within his grasp.

Having done what they could to support Arcus, Charlotte and the others dodged the whips of hex as they followed Gown to safe ground. She watched with Lecia from below as Arcus faced the monster born of cursed power. The remaining spies lay unconscious around them. Barbaros, who had carried them, was rolling his shoulder, checking for damage. Gown was looking up, watching over Arcus’s fight. Sue went to meet him up there.

Charlotte let out a sudden sigh.

“Somethin’ troublin’ you, Milady?”

“I feel helpless. If I were a magician, I might be able to do more... However, it seems all I ever do is rely on the magic of others to save me.”

“You’re not helpless. You did a ton for Arcus!”

“I am not so certain. If that is true, then why is it that I can do nothing but watch?”

“Sometimes that’s how it is. But if you’re thinkin’ of him and rootin’ for him, then I’m sure he’ll recognize that.”

“That isn’t enough. I swear that you shall see me fighting by his side on the next occasion.”

“Oho? You’ve got your work cut out for you, Milady.”

“I am well aware.”

“I feel the same way,” Lecia said. “I feel as though, if I do not put in the work, he shall leave me behind.”

“You know his power better than anyone, huh?”

“Yes. Just take a look.”

Charlotte and Barbaros followed Lecia’s gaze back to Arcus and Sue on top of the building. Vast reams of aether gathered where they stood, distorting and drawing in the air around it. An incantation was uttered, and a tiny spark set things rolling. Artglyphs prickling with lightning flashed into existence intermittently, and the vibrations from the spell sent dust flying up into the air.

Barbaros grimaced, sensing that they were about to witness something big. “Just what kinda crazy spell is that kid tryin’ to cast?”

The golden Artglyphs glimmered, light scattering from them like dust as they converged into concentric circles. They surrounded Arcus and began to spin, their golden light never fading. They were so bright that the rooftop looked like it was bathed in the midday sun. Eventually Arcus reached out his hands, and the circles aligned themselves in front of his palm.

A ball of light formed at their end. It grew gradually bigger, as if it was sucking away the energy of every other light. It was like meteors had flocked from the night sky to gather in front of his hands.

In the face of that power, the beast seemed to realize that danger was imminent. It reached out a hand tangled in hex towards Arcus, but the weight of its rapidly-growing body made it sluggish, like some behemoth struggling to breach the surface of the ocean. Bands of hex unraveled from its arm in an attempt to reach Arcus, but it was already too late.

The ball of light let out a blinding flash. The next second, a ray flew from Arcus’s hand towards the beast. It pierced through the approaching hex, ripped through the creature’s arm, and burned out from its back. The stream of luminous stars cut through the clouds and disappeared into the darkness of the night sky.

“I knew I picked the right boy to ask for help!”

“What is happening to the beast, Gown?”

Gown gave Lecia a reassuring nod. The near-fiend convulsed once. Then, as if freed from the hex, it started to melt away, no longer recognizable as a human shape.

“He did it...”

“To think a kid like him could destroy a brute that big! I can’t help but laugh!” Barbaros gave a hearty guffaw. For a long time, it seemed he was unable to stop, as though overcome with a bout of madness.

The creature’s arm and the bands of hex started to collapse towards Arcus’s perch.

“Gown! Arcus and Lady Susia are in trouble!” Charlotte cried.

“Don’t worry! They’ll be fine!”

As the building crumbled under the weight of the creature’s body, the two children were flung into the air. Arcus was holding Sue close to him. Proving Gown’s words true, the two of them floated gently in the air, unbound by the pull of the ground. Sue looked astonished to find they weren’t falling. Arcus brought her down to where Charlotte and the others were waiting, and at last they were on solid ground again.

With its host’s body destroyed, the beast’s unending growth was stopped. A beautiful melody rang out through the night sky. It was Gown’s song. His voice was so pure and clear that it sounded like an instrument from the heavens. Arcus doubted he could ever listen to any human sing again and find it beautiful after hearing Gown’s melody.

No matter how beautiful the elf’s voice, there was a clear note of sadness in his song, for it was a requiem. As Arcus and the others were enraptured, the disastrous swathes of hex that filled the air began to scatter, sent away by the power of Gown’s voice.

The hex melted into the star-filled sky with the song’s last notes.

“What’s that?” Arcus gasped as the beast’s body dissolved into white dust.

That dust was finer than the sands of a beach.

“This is...salt,” Barbaros said, scooping up some of the dust on his finger and giving it a lick.

“Salt?”

“I wouldn’t have licked that if I were you...” Arcus said.

“You gotta have courage to sail the seas!”

Salt...

There was a legend in the man’s world about a human turning into a pillar of salt—but that wasn’t all.

“‘The flute of destruction echoes and calls light down from the heavens. In the wake of grace’s light, all shall crumble into white dust before the judgment.’ That’s a passage from The Birth of Heaven and Earth, and The Prophecy of Shadows,” Gown explained.

There must have been some part of it in his song.

Just then, Sue returned from her stupor, and her eyes lit up. “Wait, wait! Did you see that spell Arcus used?! That big light thingy?! And then we flew! Why didn’t you tell me you could do that stuff, Arcus?!”

She’s like this even after we barely escaped with our lives, huh?

“It was magnificent. I shouldn’t be surprised if state magicians would struggle to perform such a feat, whether they had Gown’s help or not!”

“I really couldn’t have done it without Gown, My Lady.”

“Perhaps, but you certainly deserve credit for coming up with the spell.”

“Brother, I would love to know how you managed to fly! I must try it for myself!” Lecia sprang up to Arcus, a fiery enthusiasm in her eyes that matched Sue’s.

“Don’t we have more important things to worry about right now, guys?” Arcus said. “You can ask me about it later.”

“Oh, you’re right,” Lecia said, taking a sensible step back.

“No! Tell me now! Right now!” Sue demanded.

“Why are you always like this whenever there’s magic involved?” Arcus sighed, attempting to calm her down before things devolved into a full-blown tantrum.

They needed to decide what to do with the spies. Some were already white mountains of salt, while others simply lay dead. However, there were a few still breathing. It was probably the ideal choice to tie them up now while they were still unconscious.

Gown tottered up to the fallen spies. He held his long sleeves over each of them before muttering something and moving on to the next.

When he finished seeing to all of them, he let out a satisfied sigh. “That should do it!”

“What did you just do, Gown?” asked Lecia.

“I filled their minds up with fog so they’d forget all about the herb! Now we can rest easy!” Gown replied, his eyes narrowing with relief. “I was supposed to punish them too, but I think I can leave that to the humans.”

“Yeah, that’d be better for us too.”

Arcus wanted to leave himself the opportunity to dissect the spies’ plan so that he could better defend the aethometer in the future, and he was sure the Guild would want a report on what happened. He didn’t know what Gown had in store for them, but at least this way he wouldn’t need to worry about losing the opportunity to interrogate them.

“Thanks!”

Gown pulled a rope out of thin air, which he let hang there for a while before directing it to bind the survivors.

Barbaros sighed. “I guess it’s over, huh? Y’know, I never thought I’d end up banding with a bunch of Lainur kids to catch some ruffians.”

“Thank you, Barbaros!” Gown said.

“No worries, bud. The bedlam I saw out here is gonna stick with me for the rest of my life, so it was worth it. Plus, now you owe me a favor!”

“What?! No fair!”

“Yes fair! C’mon, don’t paint me like I’m the bad guy here!”

“But you weren’t doing it for me! You did it ’cause Arcus caught your eye!”

“Top marks for your memory, but I’m still gonna call in a favor, okay?”

“Okay... I guess I’ll remember that, too!”

“I suppose that means we are finished here,” Charlotte said, stepping up next to Arcus.

“Yes, My Lady.”

“You must be exhausted, Brother!”

Arcus didn’t respond.

“Brother?”

It wasn’t long until the others realized Arcus was in a daze too. They turned their curious gazes on him.

It was over. It was finished. Every time somebody voiced that thought, the tiny speck of uneasiness in Arcus’s chest continued to grow. If it was really over, why did he feel like this? They defeated the group Gown was chasing. They put a stop to their plans to steal information about the aethometer. It sounded conclusive, so why didn’t it feel conclusive? Something was amiss—but what was it?

The resolution they’d arrived at was too cleanly won to call this “done with.” Admittedly, they’d had Gown on their side, and that could account for how quickly they had tied things up. He had already known everything vital by the time he asked for Arcus’s help.

Speaking of the spies, presumably they had been through intensive training, so why was it that they were so easily apprehended? By children, nonetheless (supernatural aid notwithstanding). Sue and Charlotte were powerful, of course, and Barbaros was a wild card. The battle wasn’t easy, by any means. It wasn’t easy...but shouldn’t it have cost them something?

“Hey, Sue. If these guys are stopped, who d’you think is gonna benefit from it?”

“Huh? What kinda question is that?”

“It just kind of feels to me like...it was only natural that we were able to stop them.”

“Natural?” Sue fell silent as she considered his words. Sue was wise beyond her years. Arcus knew that if she seriously thought about the question, she would come up with a good answer.

“Are you not overthinking things, Brother?”

“I might be. It just doesn’t feel right. Like it was all too easy...”

“That is simply because things went well,” said Charlotte.

“That’s what I mean, My Lady. I can’t help but think that things went too well.”

“I am afraid I don’t quite follow...”

Arcus began to explain, this time addressing everyone. “It’s nothing major. To put it simply, it’s a question of balance. These are trained spies. Meanwhile, we’re a bunch of kids who know nothing about espionage. Even with Gown and the Captain, don’t you find it strange that we could find and take our enemy down so easily?”

“That was all thanks to Gown, was it not?” Charlotte said.

“Yes, that’s how we made it here. They knew that Gown was guiding us too, or they wouldn’t have prepared a cat. But they never ran away. Why not, if they knew we were coming?”

Right up until the final magician became a near-fiend, the spies had had several opportunities to retreat. If he were in their shoes, Arcus would have bailed the moment Sue revealed the extent of her power, but not one of the men made to escape. Spies were supposed to value information above all else, so why didn’t they run to keep it safe?

“That’s an interestin’ way of seein’ things,” Barbaros said. “You think there’s someone behind all this pullin’ the strings, is it?”

“Yeah, in which case there’s something more to all of this. Maybe they changed their plans in reaction to Gown’s or the captain’s involvement, but that change isn’t immediately obvious. I think it’s quite possible that they allowed us to capture these men on purpose.”

“That makes sense,” said Barbaros, scratching at the beard on his chin. “Hey, Gown. The tombs these guys were diggin’ up were all in the north, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. In the area we call Alnorsace. That’s around where you put the border.”

Sue was checking something with some of the spies. Suddenly realizing something, her expression grew dark. “The Iron Rose of the north is staying at His Majesty’s castle right now.”

“The Iron Rose?”

“Never heard of her? Darnénes. She leads the Eldyne Stronghold up north.”

“Uh...” Even after Barbaros’s brief explanation, Arcus didn’t have a clue.

“Meifa Darnénes,” said Sue. “She governs the stronghold city of Eldyne and serves on the Northern Confederation’s consulate. She’s here on a diplomatic visit.”

“Dark blonde, military uniform?”

“You do know her?”

“I saw her when I went to the Guild earlier. The Guildmaster was showing her around, so I thought she had to be super important.”

It never crossed Arcus’s mind that she might have been from the north.

“Lady Susia,” Charlotte began. “Do you mean to suggest the Iron Rose is behind all of this?”

“No, that’s not it.”

Arcus glanced at her, surprised.

“Think about it, Charlotte. If we got spies from the north causing trouble down here and word got out, who d’you think would be blamed?”

“Why, I should think it would be Meifa Darnénes, My Lady.”

“Right. But the Iron Rose isn’t overly popular with the other leaders in the north. Suppose this was all part of a plot to remove her from power?”

“That sounds plausible.”

Gown tilted his head in thought. “I don’t really know about this kinda stuff, but if that’s true, it shouldn’t be your guys’ problem, right?”

“I mean, if you put it that way, I guess you’re right.”

Even if the children were concerned with such matters, there wasn’t much they could do. Once they handed these guys over to the officials, they could leave the rest up to the people in charge. They could theorize all they wanted to, but at the end of the day, it was out of their hands.

“Hey, imagine it was our job to deal with this kinda problem. What would you guys do with this lot?” Sue asked.

“Huh?” Arcus blinked.

“Well, first I would determine their motive, and then use their capture to curry favor with the Iron Rose...I suppose,” suggested Lecia.

“We could also have them tried in this kingdom,” said Charlotte.

That made sense. While their capture could be used for political advantage, if the kingdom wished to keep a favorable relationship with the Northern Confederation, sweeping all of this under the rug would be a good way to do it.

“What d’you think, Arcus?” Sue asked.

“I guess it depends what this consul is like. If she’s clever, it might be best to hand these guys over and expose their crimes to remove her from power. If not, it would be a better idea to use their capture to create obligation, or just pretend nothing happened.”

“Huh...” Sue fell into a thoughtful silence.

“Hey, that makes sense.” Barbaros smiled, obviously impressed with Arcus’s response.

As for Lecia and Charlotte, it seemed they didn’t quite grasp what he meant.

“Would you mind explaining further?”

“Yes, My Lady. Before a competent foreign leader even does anything to directly harm another kingdom, they are already considered a powerful political enemy. Things become much simpler if they are incompetent to start with. Of course, between Lainur, the Northern Confederation, and the Empire, there are several other factors to consider, such as geography and military matters, so it isn’t as simple as it sounds.”

In the man’s world too, there was a philosophy to criticize competent foreign diplomats and praise the incompetent ones. Through that criticism, the competent diplomat could be pulled from power, putting the criticizing nation in an advantageous position, while praising the incompetent diplomats would keep them in their post, allowing the same nation to keep themselves in their favorable position. The same idea was at play in Arcus’s response.

“That sounds rather underhanded, if you ask me,” said Charlotte.

“Maybe, but it works. For countries, at least. For a ship, you need a captain who knows what he’s doin’, or you’ll find yourself at the bottom of the sea!” Barbaros laughed, but Arcus wasn’t sure if that was a true reflection of his mood.

“What do you think, Sue?” he asked.

“From what you said, I think it’d be best not to make a big deal of it. It’s better to let the Northern Confederation remain a threat to discourage the Empire from expediting its military efforts.”

“So you’re saying it would be bad for the Kingdom if the north was weakened?”

“That’s right.”

“Wait, why are we talking about this anyway?”

“Hey, you started it!” Sue smiled, but it vanished instantly. “Who’s there?!”

“Ha ha!”

Several mysterious figures appeared from the shadows. At first, Arcus thought they must be guards watching over her from the shadows, but...

“You guys are here, too?”

“Yo, we’ve been twiddling our thumbs for ages!”

“You knew we were here, right Captain?”

“Aye.” Barbaros grinned.

Sue frowned at her guards suspiciously. “Where’s Lisa?”

“We’re here because she said she had something else important to do, My Lady.”

“Oh? I think you know what to do.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

She must’ve meant for the guard to summon Lisa. The name was familiar to Arcus.

“What did you just order him to do? It was kinda scary...”

“Don’t worry about it.” Sue turned to Gown. “You saw those people running away just now, right?”

Arcus’s eyes widened. Were there still others who were spying on them?

Gown didn’t seem concerned. “Yeah, but don’t worry! I’m already after them! They don’t have any cats, and I’ve got my pack!”

“I guess we’re good, then.”

“Yup! Thanks so much for your help today, everyone!”

Things were calming down, and it looked like it was time to leave.

“Arcus,” Barbaros called.

“What’s the matter, Captain?”

“Wanna come with me?”

“With you?”

Barbaros nodded. “That’s right. I’d love to have someone like you on board.”

“You sure? I’m just a kid. What can I do?”

“Fulfill my dream, that’s what!” A wistful look crossed his eyes. “We’re after somethin’ big. You wanna come with us to get it?”

“What is this ‘big thing’?”

“Everything. Everything in the world.”

“Everything?” Inexplicable goosebumps sprang up along Arcus’s skin. All he knew was Barbaros’s words were a hundred percent serious.

“It’s not like we’re lookin’ to control absolutely everythin’. I’m not interested in makin’ some kinda perfect world or nothin’. I just wanna be top dog. That’s all.” A grin appeared on his face. “Well, Arcus? You got ambitions, right? All men gotta dream big. Why don’t you share mine with me?”

Arcus fell silent. There could be no shadier invitation, and yet the captain’s smile stirred him, and his large, outstretched hand shone brightly. The man was completely serious about his offer. Arcus could see himself taking that hand. It fascinated him. Perhaps it was divine intervention which made the choice for him.

“You don’t think I’d have something to say about this?”

It was Sue.

“You mean you do, little lady?”

“Of course I do! I’ve got the highest social position of everyone here!”

“That gives you a right to share your opinion, does it?”

“Yup! Arcus isn’t going anywhere!”

Barbaros paused. Then, to Arcus’s surprise, he took a step back and laughed. “Okay, maybe I got a little ahead of myself. Forget what I said, kid.”

He shook his hand flippantly, as though it was all a joke.

Sue then bowed her head politely, as though making sure the matter was closed. “Thank you for your assistance in this matter, Captain Barbaros zan Grandon.”

“Knew who I was, huh?”

“I make a point of memorizing the faces of important figures from foreign lands. Not that it takes much to remember a giant like you.”

“True, true,” Barbaros laughed. “I stand out pretty badly, right? Anyway, who’re you to need to remember people like me?”

Sue glared at him and didn’t reply.

“Ah, guess I don’t need to know, huh?” Barbaros cackled and turned to leave, but not before making one final remark. “If you want somethin’, you gotta take it by any means possible. That means I’m comin’ back for you later, Arcus.”

A man fled through the capital in the dead of night, running along roofs and occasionally ducking down into alleyways to stay out of sight. He ran as fast as he could, with no regard for the countrymen and co-conspirators he left behind. He never considered them allies in the first place. They were mere pawns to be discarded once their role was fulfilled—no, not even that. They were to be used until they reached their breaking point, and then until there wasn’t a bone nor a hair left to expend.

The events of the night took the man by surprise. He had hoped to infiltrate the Magician’s Guild so that he might learn what trickery had enabled Lainur’s magicians’ sudden leap forward, but the Guild was heavily guarded by the time he arrived. When he took Death’s Tonic to aid in his mission, the Guild transformed into a labyrinth, and he never made it to his destination.

Gown even found himself some allies and launched an attack. Those allies were just children, but they possessed enough power to give the most proficient magicians a run for their money, and the man’s forces were wiped out in the blink of an eye. The man never anticipated the tonic’s transformative effect on the last of his magicians.

These upsets aside, the bigger, more important pieces were falling into place. The children just needed to hand the remaining spies to the authorities, and Meifa would be blamed for the incident both domestically and internationally. These “spies” were untrained dunces. Even the lightest forms of torture would be enough for them to spill everything they knew—all of it lies spoon-fed to them in their mission briefings. All the man needed to do now was escape Lainur and report his success to his master. First, he would return to the alternative hiding spot he prepared and wait for his opportunity.

That was his intention when he ran into three figures blocking his path. An icy voice snaked out of the darkness.

“I am afraid this path is closed.”

The intention was clear. The man would not be escaping anywhere tonight. He heard footsteps, and soon the figures emerged from the shadows: two men and one woman.

One of the men was young. His blue hair fell to the tips of his shoulders, and he wore a monocle. He wore his butler-like uniform immaculately; it was doubtful you would find a more picture-perfect servant anywhere. The only thing separating him from that gentle image was a sharp glint in his eye.

The other man wore the same uniform but had an inherently unrefined look about him. His black hair was smoothed down with wax, and the teeth in his eerie, permanent grin were crooked.

Then there was the woman. Her pale pink hair was tied back, and her eyes were a light violet color, set behind a pair of silver-rimmed glasses. The fur on her cloak was a symbol of status in Lainur. Her overall presentation seemed one degree more particular than the blue-haired man’s.

These were, of course, Noah, Cazzy, and Chief Officer Lisa Lauzei from the Surveillance Office.

“So I have to deal with more than Gown and those brats, do I?” the man muttered, a slight anxiety rising in his chest.

“But of course,” said Noah. “Children must always be accompanied by their parents or guardians.”

Cazzy cackled. “Though our master’d probably yell at us if he heard ya sayin’ that, askin’ why we don’t treat him like a kid all the time, then!”

“First Gown asks him for a favor, and then he destroys a gigantic beast,” said Lisa. “I cannot help but wonder how far that boy is going to go.”

They spoke in three separate tones: civilized, amused, and bewildered. The spy made to run away while they were speaking, but Cazzy immediately noticed and shook a hand at him dismissively.

“I wouldn’t bother if I was in your shoes. Ya don’t stand a chance against us three. Two of us are pretty good at fencin’, y’know.”

“Are you not including yourself in that assessment?” asked Noah.

“Nah, I ain’t good at no fancy noble arts like that.”

“As I recall, you preferred to fight with your bare hands,” remarked Lisa.

Why are they standing around cracking jokes? I don’t need to bother fighting. I can just run, thought the man.

Just then, the man felt a jolt running through his shoulder. He gasped. The next moment, a burning heat spread from the area of impact. It wasn’t until after he felt his body slam against a dilapidated wall that he realized Lisa had struck him with her rapier.

“Burning Thrust!” Lisa shouted, still holding out her sword.

The man had already witnessed this technique, a jewel of Lainur’s fencing style. Stabbing her sword back into his shoulder, Lisa thrust forward, using all her power to send him flying again.

“I-Impossible...” the spy coughed.

He’d seen this attack before, so why couldn’t he counter it? It was simple. Lisa’s technique was much faster and much more precise than Charlotte’s. It was too much of a difference to be accounted for merely by age, and the spy started to tremble.

“Anyway...”

“Mm.”

“I believe Your Excellency may reveal herself now,” said Lisa.

At Lisa’s words, a figure stepped out of the alleyway.

“And to think I was just here for sight-seeing...” The figure sighed, its silhouette etched out by the moonlight.

It was a dark-blonde woman in a military uniform: Meifa Darnénes.

Lisa bowed immediately. “It is a pleasure to meet you at last, Your Excellency. I am Lisa Lauzei, Countess of Lainur.”

“I know. You chiefly work behind the scenes, if I am not mistaken. Are those your subordinates?”

“Nope!”

“We are not.”

“That would make you servants belonging to one of the other actors on the scene, correct?”

Just then, more figures appeared behind her to reinforce her insinuation that she had eyes on the incident. They must have been her guards.

One of them stepped forward to whisper in Meifa’s ear. “Your Excellency. They are Noah Ingvayne and Cazzy Guari. They are both fine magicians who were top of their classes at the kingdom’s Royal Institute of Magic.”

“Is that so?” Meifa paused. “That would make you the servants to that silver-haired boy, yes? He must be talented himself to receive a request from Gown. It would make sense that his servants are top class.”

“I am afraid not. In fact, our master has been disinherited for lacking in aether.”

“Yeah... I dunno where all this talk of talent is comin’ from.”

Meifa wasn’t able to take the servants’ disparaging remarks at face value. “It astounds me that you would speak ill of your master like that, and I can only think that you have a powerful...motive to do so. I saw the boy use magic not unlike that described in The Spiritual Age or The Birth of Heaven and Earth. I understand why you would want to downplay his abilities.”

Noah and Cazzy remained silent. Meifa gracefully swept her hair over her shoulder. The deep arrogance of the gesture drowned out its inherent elegance.

“I shall stop wasting time and get to the point. Pass that man over to me.”

“Unfortunately, Your Excellency, we have no choice but to refuse. We have need to question him, and we have not yet determined whether he might be one of Your Excellency’s men,” explained Lisa.

“Th-That’s right!” the spy suddenly burst out. “She told me to—”

“Silence,” Meifa barked. “Who are you but a filthy dog who plays with old bones?”

The weight of her words reflected her position as head of a nation. Having taken those words at full force, the man fell to the ground and started trembling in fear once more.

Satisfied, Meifa turned back to Lisa. “Let us strike a deal. If you hand this man over to me, I shall stop pursuing information about this kingdom’s magic forces.”

“May I take that to mean Your Excellency will cut this observational visit short?”

“That’s right. Although I would have liked to stay for longer, I will drop it for now.”

“Does Your Excellency believe this is a fair deal?”

“There is clearly some trick behind the sudden rise in strength of your magicians. I believe it relates to a device made primarily of glass,” said Meifa.

Though she didn’t show it on her face, Lisa was surprised by Meifa’s words.

“I’ll admit, you’ve been keeping your secret well. Separating the production lines to keep any one person from knowing too much is genius. I shall keep it in mind for future reference.”

“Did Your Excellency manage to slip men past the Guild’s guard?”

“No, it was much too tight. My people couldn’t even get close to this glass device’s workshop. The method of production was something I had to discover for myself, and your country didn’t make it easy.” Meifa paused. “So, which is it? I have no objections to staying in Lainur a little longer.”

“Very well. We accept. However, we shall deal with the rest of the men who were captured.”

“As you wish. One more thing. When that device is announced, I expect to be the first invited to negotiate. Until then, I will speak no more of it. We will, of course, make these miscreants pay for the damages they have caused. How’s that?”

“I shall inform His Majesty.”

“Honestly, I have no idea why you’re taking so long. Perhaps it is misplaced pride. However, I wish you’d unveil that thing sooner rather than later. It’s clear how far it would boost a nation’s magic forces. There’s no need to wait; you’ve already reaped the benefits.” Meifa dropped her gaze to the spy. That cold stare was like the sharp glint of polished steel. “You have caused our nation an insurmountable loss. If you hadn’t interfered, I might have been negotiating already.”

“Grk!”

Meifa’s guards moved in to tie up the spy.

“Wait!” a childish voice called out from afar. Not long after, its owner came rushing up in a hurry.

Everyone stopped in their tracks, completely caught off-guard by the new arrival. It was Gown, the Grave Sprite, his shadowy figure hidden under his blue robe.

He trotted up to Meifa. “Hello, Meifa!”

“Good evening.”

“Hmmhmm!” Gown gave a satisfied nod at her response before turning to look at the spy on the ground. “You can take him with you, okay? But I need to wipe his memory first! So please wait!”

“But Gown...” Meifa began hesitantly.

She was clearly conflicted. If she allowed Gown to fix the man’s memory, she might miss out on valuable information.

The elf didn’t wait for her to finish, instead trotting up to the spy and preparing to lift a sleeve in the air.

“I can’t let you do that.”

“Please don’t get in my way!”

The figures next to Meifa sprang into action in a foolish attempt to stop Gown.

“Wait! Stay ba—” Meifa called.

“Get them.”

She was cut off by Gown’s cool order. The next second, the light from Gown’s lantern gave shape to a pack of beastly shadows. Long tongues lolled from their mouths; no one watching could keep count of their legs. They didn’t look like the sorts of creatures an elf should be handling. They darted through the night, passing the guards’ position within seconds. Defenseless, they fell immediately.

“I don’t try and get in your way. Please don’t get in mine, because there’s stuff I have to do.” There was a sad tone in his voice, a far cry from his usual cheerful disposition. His eyes narrowed, Gown turned to Meifa. “Are you going to get in my way too, Meifa?”

“No. We humans owe too much to you. I wouldn’t even consider doing something so rude.”

“Good!” Gown’s eyes scrunched up into a smile, and he approached the spy once more.

The spy trembled in fear and tried to pull back, but Gown’s sleeve was on his head in an instant. The next second, the man fell gently into unconsciousness. Next, Gown approached Lisa.

“Hello, Lisa!”

“Hello, Master Gown.”

Gown beckoned to her, and Lisa crouched down to hear what he had to say.

“I’ll make sure no one remembers about the aethometer either,” he whispered.

“Are you sure?”

“It’s Arcus’s special tool, and he helped me a lot,” Gown said, patting the heads of his phantom pack gently. The next moment, the elf disappeared into the darkness.

It was hard to keep up with him sometimes; he did everything in his own time.

“Uh, what are we gonna do with these guys, anyway?” Cazzy suddenly said, gesturing to the blacked-out guards and the spy.

There were five men all together. They couldn’t just leave them lying around.

“Well, we shall have to do something,” remarked Noah.

“I could go and fetch some help when I go and report this,” said Lisa.

“No way! You’re just tryin’a run!”

Though Cazzy tried to stop her, Lisa was gone before he was able.

“It’s like she said. You have to do something.”

With those words, it was clear that Meifa wasn’t expecting to take on any of the responsibility herself.

A month had passed since the incident, and Lainur castle’s Firefly Garden had a visitor: a man with a gray beard. His apparel was hardly suitable for a visitor of sufficient status to be received in the king’s private garden; he wore a splendid fringed cloak with a cutlass too big for ordinary human hands affixed to his back and topped it all off a tricorn hat. Even though he was alone, his appearance would make anyone suspect that a pirate ship had just docked in the nearest port.

This man’s name was Barbaros. He swaggered comfortably up the stone path to the garden’s central gazebo. The owner of the garden, Shinlu Crosellode, was waiting for him with somebody else. He looked to be around ten years old and wore an extravagant outfit embroidered with golden dragons. A black veil fell from his noble cap, obscuring his face. He was Lainur’s crown prince: Ceylan Crosellode.

Behind the two royals stood Lainur’s state magicians, the nation’s pride and joy. They were here to guard Shinlu and Ceylan. Among them was Craib Abend, also known as Crucible.

Barbaros mounted the gazebo steps and opened his mouth, speaking in a casual tone. “Hey. Sorry to interrupt.”

“If you know you’re interrupting,” said Shinlu, “then make this quick. I’ve got other business to deal with.”

“No need to be mean. We’re pals, ain’t we?”

“Maybe from your perspective.”

“Huh. I gotta say I was expectin’ a warmer welcome after all this time.” Barbaros frowned and stroked his beard.

Shinlu kept his sharp gaze on the seafarer, treating him as he would any hostile figure.

Barbaros’s eyes widened as he spotted the child standing next to the king. “Hey, is that the prodigious prince I’ve been hearin’ so much about?”

He looked Ceylan up and down. Each passing second of his presence added breaches of conduct in the face of royalty to the pile, but the king wasn’t bothering to pick them out one by one—and that was due to Barbaros’s own status.

“A pleasure to meet you, King Barbaros zan Grandon of Granciel.”

For some reason, Barbaros frowned. He turned to Shinlu. “He’s pretty stiff. You sure he’s your son?”

“We’ve brought him up well. He might even have better manners than me.”

“No, Father. I still have much to learn.” Ceylan dipped his head.

“See?”

“Yeah,” Barbaros agreed with a shrug, dropping down into the seat prepared for him. “I’ve heard you guys are doin’ well for yourselves over here lately. Economically speaking.”

“Well, we’re not especially looking to get rich.”

“You kiddin’? I can practically smell the lucre rollin’ off you.”

“You always were fond of that kind of thing, weren’t you?” Shinlu pointed to his wine glass to have it refilled.

The two gave a toast before bringing their glasses to their lips.

Barbaros drained his glass in one go before shifting his gaze over to Craib. “You’re lookin’ well, Craib.”

“It has certainly been a long time, Your Majesty.”

“Isn’t it about time you joined my crew already? I can’t think of a better time than now.”

“I believe I already declined Your Majesty’s generous offer.”

“You did? Sorry, must’ve forgotten. Happens at my age!” Barbaros guffawed briefly, before a serious look crossed his face once more. “Oh, right. I wanted to ask about your nephew, Arcus.”

Craib’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. He wasn’t expecting to hear Arcus’s name this evening, nor from the king of Granciel’s mouth.

“What about Arcus?”

“I want you to give him to me.” Barbaros shot Craib a meaningful grin. It was the grin of a greedy pirate warning his rival not to hog all the treasure for himself.

“If I may ask, where did Your Majesty meet my nephew?”

“Ran into him about a month ago during a trip here.”

“Your Majesty came to Lainur?”

“I had them set some special drink aside for me at my favorite tavern,” Barbaros boasted. “Listen, I’ll pay you however much it takes for the boy. I’ll pack our biggest ship with cash and give her to you, if y’want.”

The other state magicians stared in astonishment at his brazen offer.

“I’m not going to hand him over, no matter how many ships I’m offered,” Craib said firmly.

“Thought not. He’s too special for that. If he was ordinary enough to be bought, we’d have Arcuses springin’ up all over the place,” Barbaros said, finally dropping the subject.

At that moment, there was a commotion from the cloister which led onto the garden. A man in seafarer’s dress was being led to the garden by the royal guard.

“Captain! I have a report!”

“Speak!” Barbaros ordered in a thunderous roar.

The sailor’s eyes lit up. “We won, Captain! Zeilner has fallen!”

Shinlu narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “You captured Zeilner?”

Barbaros rumbled with laughter. “Sounds like it! Nice!”

“Congratulations, Captain!” the seafarer cheered.

“Finally time to crack out the good stuff!”

“We have already prepared it for the toast.”

Barbaros kept laughing for some time before turning back to Craib. “Craib. I gotta thank you. This victory’s all thanks to your nephew!”

“I’m sorry?”

“He walked me through just how we were gonna capture Zeilner.”

“Arcus did that?” Craib frowned dubiously.

Why would Arcus help the king of another nation, let alone a rival one? The other magicians looked just as uneasy as he did.

“I was already aware of this,” Ceylan said. “This man was hiding his true identity and asked Arcus to show him the path to victory by disguising the battle plans as an idle war game.”

“It’s true. I’m surprised you know, Prince Prodigy. Or maybe not. You are s’posed to be keepin’ an eye on that kinda thing, after all.”

Ceylan didn’t respond.

Craib glared at Barbaros. “I must ask Your Majesty to refrain from using Arcus like that again.”

“Don’t get me wrong—I was just foolin’ around. I just thought askin’ a couple of kids would give me a fresh perspective, but then he came out with this crazy strategy, see?”

“A strategy which led to victory?” Shinlu prompted.

“Yup. I thought it was a funny idea, but I never thought it would actually work. The Empire tried to get their mitts on that place for ten years, and here I am doin’ it in a month! I can’t think of anythin’ more hilarious than that!” Barbaros let out a hearty laugh.

Zeilner was a fortress with near-impregnable defenses. Three sides of the city were surrounded by ocean, and the fourth side was protected by high walls. Even with its vast military power, the Empire failed to capture the city and was eventually forced to give up—a mark against them they’d yet to live down.

“See, this is why I want you to hand Arcus over to me.”

“Not happening.”

“Oh, and there was that noble girl, Susia or somethin’. She was one powerful little magician; I want her too. Not to mention I think she’ll grow up to be a fine lass. Just like me.” Barbaros kept talking without regard for Craib’s objection.

Shinlu didn’t say anything, clearly used to the captain’s attitude.

“I cannot believe you made Arcus’s absurd plan a reality,” said Ceylan.

“Surprised, Prince? I was sold on it pretty quickly, y’know, mostly ’cause he just seemed so confident. Besides, it wasn’t the plan itself that impressed me.”

“You didn’t think the plan itself useful?”

“Not really. It was when he said ‘Wars are often won by catching the opponent entirely off guard.’ If he never said that, I might not’ve tried it out. It makes sense, right? Doing somethin’ the opponent never thought of practically guarantees you a breakthrough.” Barbaros took a sip of his wine. “There’s nothin’ like the first drink after hearin’ news of victory. Gimme the vintage on this once we’re done here. I’ll grab myself some with my new ship on the way out.”

“The taste’s been ruined for me,” said Shinlu. “I’ll sell the whole batch to you if you want. Just be prepared for the tariffs.”

“I’ll pay whatever you want. Any price you name’ll be worth less than a bird’s tears compared to the prize I just got me.” Barbaros looked up at the sky. “Arcus is a good kid. He’ll help me achieve tons of dreams. What about you, Shinlu? He ever fulfill one of your dreams for you?”

“He’s a mere child.”

“Hey, I know that. But you’re king of one of the most powerful nations in this world, and you sure seem to know a lot about him. Why’s that, then?”

“Who can say?”

Barbaros exploded into laughter.

“I get it. He’s doing somethin’ to help this country out, and not somethin’ small neither.” The captain’s face suddenly twisted into a sneer. “Shinlu. You remember our promise, don’t you?”

“If you manage a successful attack on our kingdom, I will submit myself to you without question. I do remember that ‘promise.’ I prefer to call it nonsense.”

“’Slong as you remember. I’m lookin’ forward to seeing how things pan out, especially once everything that’s yours becomes mine.”

“I believe that is more idealistic an outlook than is healthy,” Ceylan said, trying to defend his beloved father’s honor.

“Lan,” Shinlu warned before Ceylan could go any further to suggest the full extent of Lainur’s military might.

Barbaros laughed again, his face still twisted with the intense greed of a seafarer. “Say whatever you want! Doesn’t change the fact that it’ll all be mine in the end. You, your children, Craib, the state magicians, the ten monarchs, and Arcus. Granciel will become the most powerful nation in the world!”

“Barbaros,” said Shinlu. “You are like a man with a fine abacus, but no money to count on it.”

“A man of the sea’s gotta dream big and let people know, else he loses the salt in his soul.” Barbaros slowly got to his feet. “I’ll get outta your hair now. Make sure the Empire doesn’t conquer you before I get my chance.”

“Nobody shall be conquering Lainur. Not you, nor the Empire.”

“Nice to hear you’re confident. Makes things more interestin’.”

“If you don’t keep your sights straight, your ship’ll sink. And I might have something to do with that.”

“What then? You gonna make me into your personal captain?”

“No. Lan will have you.”

Barbaros rolled his eyes and sighed. “Don’t you think it’s about time you stop dotin’ on the kid?”

“Quiet. I thought you said you were leaving? Go and play with your abacus on Zeilner’s throne.” Shinlu snapped.

Barbaros merely smiled. He turned and left the Firefly Garden behind. His boisterous laugh could be heard through the entire castle as he went.

“Father.” Ceylan spoke up once the walking tempest had gone.

“Remember him, Lan. Barbaros zan Grandon. If there’s one enemy more troublesome than the Empire, it’s him.”

“I shall keep it in mind,” Ceylan replied, even now glaring at the spot the captain disappeared from.

The captured spies were turned over to some guards that Sue called, putting an end to the ordeal. How to deal with them would be up to the authorities and those above them. As far as Arcus was concerned, he avoided the leak of anything relating to the aethometer, and that was enough for him. He had no need to worry about the matter further, nor to hope for things to go well. Not that he had the time to worry anyway, since in his absence his paperwork had bred explosively.

Having finished his work for now, Arcus’s eyes were drawn to an object on his desk: a steel lantern, just like the one Gown carried. The elf had left it here when he visited after the incident.

“This is to say thanks for your help!”

“What is it?”

“It’s my lantern! If you open this part here when the light is burning, you can call on my pack! You should call them if you ever get in trouble! They’ll help you out!”

“Huh...”

Gown’s pack, otherwise known as the Phantom Pack, was a team of hunting dogs who could chase down anything, given Gown’s consent. Arcus had seen them when they were chasing down the spies.

“Isn’t this a bit too—”

“I’m really proud of my hunting dogs!” Gown said, standing up a little straighter.

The pack’s purpose was to help the elf carry out his duties in the world. What was Arcus supposed to do with them? He couldn’t even begin to imagine.

“Uh... What kind of trouble will they help me with?” Arcus asked.

“You don’t have to think too hard about it! Just call them when you need some help, or if you think you’re in danger!”

“And why did you give me this thing exactly? Wait, don’t tell me...”

“Because you’re Arcus! And this isn’t just for you, y’know!”

“Huh?”

“I already told you, right? The time when phantoms and elves helped to solve problems is long over!”

Which was why humans needed to solve their own problems from now on. Gown had clearly been steering towards something.

“You’ve given this to someone who you think will be able to help solve problems?”

“That’s right!”

Arcus sighed. “I dunno if you picked the right guy. I mean, I barely have any aether, for a start.”

“But you’re proof that lots of aether doesn’t always mean you’re stronger! Remember? You defeated that huge near-fiend!”

“Yeah, because you gave me the aether to do it.”

“So all you need is aether, and you can do anything!”

“But I don’t have aether! Not much, anyway.”

“You can do it!” Gown said.

As usual, their discussion lacked any sort of logical thread.

Gown had turned around to leave, but glanced back over his shoulder and waved a sleeve at Arcus. “Bye! I’ll come by to play again some time, okay?”

“R-Right.”

And that was how Arcus made friends (if you could call it a friendship) with an elf.