Assassin’s Chronicle - Chapter 281

The word “home” meant a warm and happy feeling. Travelers would shed tears, soldiers on the battlefield would regain their courage to fight to the death, merchants on business trips would want to go back home so badly when they thought about home. No matter how wonderful the world could be, no place would be better than home. The moment Anfey and his group walked into the house, they behaved so differently. Niya forgot she was the host of this house. She rushed into her own room without showing any hospitality. She even locked the door from the inside. No one knew what she was doing. Niya did not even join everyone for dinner. She took a walk in the backyard one lap after another. She used to be outgoing, but now she seemed to become a philosopher, indulging herself in thoughts.

Christian went directly to the magic lab. Magic labs were a necessity for mages to improve their understanding of magic and their control of elements. While he was on the run from the Sacred City, he could not find a magic lab anywhere. Christian had been waiting so long to be back to the lab. There seemed to be more unfamiliar guards in Saul’s house, especially in the magic lab. The magic lab seemed to be strictly guarded. Many of the servants who worked for Saul before were still there. After Saul got back, those dismissed servants came back one after another. Under their guidance, Christian found his lab without any trouble.

Suzanna looked down. She told everyone she did not feel too good and excused herself to her own room. She went to sleep early. This was the house of Saul and Niya, not hers, which made her think about her own family. Suzanna looked sad when she thought about her own family. Anfey should have noticed why Suzanna was sad and should have come to comfort her, but he was quietly sitting on the roof of the main building. He looked far off into the dark sky.

He had his own home in his previous world, but not the village with a village head named Ben Ladeng. He did not have anyone he really cared about in his previous world. He only had memories of terror and hatred there, but these did not stop him from thinking about his past.

Anfey never smoked before, but he really wanted to do it right now. There were millions of stars in the sky. Where was his hometown? If the world where he was right now was parallel to the space he was in before, it would be boring and pointless to study the stars in the sky.

“Ernest, why did you turn down Saul’s invitation? Don’t you know what you did could make King Yolanthe mad at you?” Bruzuryano asked.

“I just do not want to go. It was not about turning him down,” Ernest said slowly.

“You! Ernest, why are you always so stubborn. I think, besides King Yolanthe, no other kings would bear with you,” Bruzuryano was loud enough that Anfey could hear him upstairs, and the bodyguards passing by probably could hear him as well. Anfey smiled. He knew what message Bruzuryano was trying to send to Ernest. Suddenly, Anfey felt tired and annoyed. He closed his eyes as he slowly took a deep breath. In his previous world, Anfey his biggest fears weren’t fake information or how good his opponents. He most feared that there would be something wrong with him mentally. He could handle fake information or fighting skillful opponents with the accumulated experience and improved fighting ability. However, if he had mental damage, it would be hard to notice. Anfey was a secret patient of three the most experienced and famous psychologists in the world and liked to read psychology books himself.

People could mentally get tired, so could they get tired of love, career, or even video games. There was a time Anfey did not even want to open the family game web browser. Anfey had those depressing days, but struggled out of it very quickly.

Right now, Anfey was tired of these political dramas. He did not have an easy life these days. Whether it was Bruzuryano or Slanbrea. Neither of them were easy to understand. There were deeper meanings in what they did. Anfey had to get what they really meant before he could be comfortable around them. He would be taken advantage of until he got the hang of it. Right now he was about to meet Yolanthe. It was going to be a monumental moment. No matter what, he should not have this tired feeling.

It was normal to feel tired, but it also showed a sickness and abnormality. Natural selection and survival of the fittest showed the true nature of society. Being motivated and energetic were the basic skills for humans who wanted to be the fittest in the society. Without these two basic skills, no matter how powerful a person could be, he would go down eventually. Anfey recognized it so he looked down upon the philosophy in Buddhism. Buddhism originated in India, but the followers of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, could not survive there. The popularity of Buddhism in China was only because the upper classes needed the philosophy in Buddhism to reduce people’s aggression.

When Anfey opened his eyes again, Anfey felt the sky had lost its mysteries, even though the sky was the same as before. Visually, stars were just twinkling lights. The sky had not changed, but Anfey’s mood had changed. The wonders happened under the sky, not in the sky.

“Is there anything bothering you?” Ernest’s voice came from behind.

“Not anymore,” Anfey smiled.

“Do you miss home?” Ernest asked.

“This is my home,” Anfey said.

“It will be great if you really think that way,” Ernest said.

“It seems that nobody is sleeping well.” Anfey changed the topic. Anfey saw Niya passing by. She had been walking around so many laps, but had not felt tired yet.

“You are young. I can understand it.” Ernest laughed. “If it were me, I would have fallen asleep, sound sleep.”

“Oh, right, Uncle Ernest, did you get your training in the Country of Mercenaries?” Anfey asked.

“Me?” Ernest dragged out the vowel. He looked like he was recalling old times.

“Of course. Master Ernest had a famous nickname too,” Entos’ voice rose.

“Oh? What nickname?” Anfey was suddenly intrigued.

Ernest cleared his throat to try to signal Entos to stop talking about it.

“A long time ago, when Master Ernest was young, he liked to fight for justice.” Entos cautiously moved behind Anfey as he talked. “He liked to question others: ‘You’d better ask if my sword would agree or not,’ so…”

“Shut your mouth!” Ernest yelled.

“Actually even if I do not tell him, Anfey would find out about it anyways.” Entos shrugged. “Anfey, did you ever mention Master Ernest in the Country of Mercenaries?”

“No.” Anfey shook his head. Back then, he did not know how to keep a lower profile in the Country of Mercenaries. There was no reason for Anfey to talk about a top power all at the time.

“Too bad, too bad,” Entos sighed. “You missed some amazing stuff.”

Anfey looked at Ernest and smiled. He did not know Ernest had acted so impulsively when he was young.

“Entos, what are you doing up here?” Ernest said in a pissy tone.

Actually there was only about seven years difference between Ernest and Entos. When Ernest left the Country of Mercenaries, young Entos just started his own training there. He had heard so many stories about Ernest.

“I just learned about something about the Country of Mercenaries. I am quite happy about it so I want to share the news with someone,” Entos said.

“What happened?” Anfey asked.

“Anthony has led Glory mercenary group and Tiger of Tawau mercenary group for their fight.” Entos’ smiles looked cunning. His whiskers were moving upwards as he talked. He just looked like a bad guy in a movie.

“How about Band of Brothers and Storm mercenary groups?” Anfey knew Entos must know some information behind the scenes because he was a vice commander in Band of Brothers mercenary group.

“This is their personal revenge between Anthony and Mourtta. It has nothing to do with us. We could just watch them,” Entos said.

Anfey was shocked. “But…”

From the way Mourtta and Hotchbini interacted with each other, Anfey had noticed this couple wanted to drag other mercenary groups under the water. The bait they tossed at other mercenary groups was pretty hard to turn down. Mourtta and Hotchibini would rather destroy the most powerful Glory mercenary group than share the benefits with four other mercenary groups. Everybody wanted to maximize their profits. The claims from Band of Brothers and Storm mercenary groups meant they wanted to take action as well. Anfey did not think Entos was in the mood to watch them fight.

“Is it weird? It should not be weird.” Entos smiled. “Anfey, what kind of people do you think Mourtta and Hotchibini are?”

“They have wonderful leadership qualities. They are aggressive leaders.” Anfey did not know much about Mourtta and Hotchibini. He could only give this comment.

“Why has Tiger of Tawau mercenary group been ranked NO. 4 among other mercenary groups,” Entos asked.

“Well…” Anfey said.

“Mourtta always looked silly in front of others. No one falls for that.” Entos snorted. “Hotchibini is nobody special. She is just a sprite, a slave who serves their master with her beauty. How could she have so much influence in the Country of Mercenaries without Mourtta’s support? The first few reforms were appropriate and helped get rid of the bad traditions in Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. A female slave could not learn everything about mercenary groups so quickly. The so-called reforms were Mourtta’s ideas!”

Anfey’s jaw dropped when he heard this.

“No matter how hard Mourtta tried, his mercenary has been ranked the NO. 4, which means others are not stupid,” Entos said slowly. “I could not deny Hotchibini is a capable sprite and has a good reputation in the Country of Mercenaries. At critical moments, no one could win a battle with a good reputation, only with good fighting ability. What Anthony has could totally change Hotchibini and Mourtta into nobodies. Their reputations and fake stupidity would be crushed as well.”

“Three mercenary groups? That would still be too many. It might only two big mercenary groups left. My guess is the Storm mercenary group is thinking the same way.”

Anfey felt something and started to fear Yolanthe, who was far from him in the palace. “If the commanders of the mercenary groups were so sophisticated and cunning, Yolanthe would be worse. Would the lies I fabricated fool Yolanthe?” he thought to himself.

Just then, everyone heard a snort from below. It wasn’t hard to tell it was from Bruzuryano.
Entos lifted his brow and stroked his chin. He blinked a few times, as if thinking, then nodded slowly.
“It seems like Lord Bruzuryano is upset,” Anfey said slowly.
“It’s not hard to understand why. Druids are related to elves. I want to be related to elves too, but it seems that they do not like me,” Entos said with a smirk. “Lord Bruzuryano, are you telling me that Hotchbini isn’t an easy opponent?”
Bruzuryano did not say anything. Instead, he slammed his window shut.
Entos sighed and shook his head. “The great druid, the Guardian of the Goddess of Nature, seems to think we aren’t worth his time.” Then, as if he had suddenly remembered something, he turned to Anfey and said, “By the way, you should go check on that girl. I heard her crying when I was coming up.”
“Really?” Anfey asked, frowning. Suzanna had always been strong, not only physically, but also emotionally. He had never seen Suzanna cry. She did not even cry after she had received severe injuries after killing the manticore. Why would she cry now?
“You better go talk to her,” Entos said quietly. “Communication is the key to a healthy relationship. Or else you would…” Entos’s voice trailed off. He closed his eyes and shook his head.
Anfey did not understand Entos’s words, but Ernest did. He let out a long sigh and shook his head like Entos.
“Go ahead,” Entos said, nudging Anfey on the shoulder. “I have to go. I have a new discovery.”
“New discovery? What is it?” Anfey asked. Entos had already disappeared, however, and Anfey did not know if he had heard him.
“Go,” Ernest said. “I need some rest as well.”
—
Anfey hesitated when he saw the light peeking through the gap under the door. He took a deep breath, pushed open the door and walked inside. Usually, this was extremely rude, since the common courtesy was to knock and receive permission before entering. However, neither Anfey nor Suzanna cared much about common courtesy. They were close enough to consider themselves a single unit, so Anfey knew Suzanna wouldn’t mind.
Maybe it was because Suzanna was too preoccupied, or maybe it was because Anfey hadn’t announced himself, he went into the room just in time to see Suzanna wiping her eyes.
“Why don’t we go and explore the city?” Anfey asked as he walked over. He pretended not to see Suzanna wiping her face and focused his attention on a candle on the table.
“I’m a bit tired,” Suzanna said. “I don’t want to move. Why aren’t you resting?”
“Can’t sleep,” Anfey said. He snuffed out the candle and plunged the room into darkness. The only light source became the pale moonlight. “Suzanna, are you homesick?”
“Just a bit.”
“Just a bit?” Anfey asked, moving closer to her.
Suzanna nodded but did not say anything else.
“Come here,” Anfey said, reaching over. He touched her cheeks gently and found his fingers wet. “Were you crying?”
“No,” Suzanna said, turning her face away. “Anfey, what happened on the way? Why don’t I have any recollection of it? You were all looking at me weird, too. What happened?”
“Slanbrea tried to control you,” Anfey said. “He let an angel possess you.” Anfey decided to tell Suzanna the truth. Entos was right. He could not keep the secret away from her forever. Sooner or later he would slip. It was better to tell Suzanna now than to hide it from her.
“What?” Suzanna frowned and asked.
“Don’t worry,” Anfey said. “It’s all over.” Anfey caressed Suzanna’s tear-stained cheeks gently and smiled. “Did you just say you weren’t crying?”
“No, tell me,” Suzanna said, backing away from Anfey’s hand. “Tell me exactly what happened.” She lost her memory of that time, which meant that the memories were traumatic and she had already suppressed them. Did she attack anyone during that time? She felt the question weighing down on her like a boulder.
“Slanbrea wanted to control you. Master Saul severely injured him. He was already dying anyway, so I took the opportunity and killed him.”
“What about me? What was I doing?”
“You were kept away by Ernest.”
“Did I hurt anyone?”
“Look around,” Anfey said with a smile. “Everyone’s safe.”
Suzanna sighed with relief. “I can’t believe it,” she whispered, shaking her head.
“Don’t worry. I won’t let it happen again,” Anfey said as he sat down on the bed.
“What are you doing?” Suzanna asked, lifting an eyebrow.
“I’m talking to you. It’s been so long.”
“What do you want to talk about, then?”
“About you. Your childhood. I want to know more about you,” Anfey said, grinning.
“It’s nothing interesting,” Suzanna said, shaking her head. Thankfully, the room was dark enough to hide her blushing. She was a terrible liar.
“Do you not trust me?” Anfey asked. Here in Sacred City, the only person he could tease was Suzanna. Everyone else was so much better than he was and they could all see through his lies easily.
“Fine,” Suzanna said with a sigh. “But you have to tell me about you, as well.”
“Me? My story is boring.”
“It seems like you don’t trust me, either.”
Anfey smiled and shook his head. “Alright. Well, I’m an orphan and this weird old man adopted me when I was young. I still don’t know what his name was. He never told me and I never asked. He told me that I had potential and that I should become a swordsman.”
“Then?” Suzanna asked, curious. They all knew that Anfey’s teacher was a man who had entered the sacred state. For Suzanna, nothing was more interesting than that man.
“I was a lazy child. I didn’t like swords. It’s too much work, you see, so I always found excuses to go and play. He’s good, though. No matter where I went, he could always find me.”
Suzanna shook her head at his stupidity. “You are a fool,” she said. She would give everything to study under a man that had entered the sacred state. If Anfey had studied then, he would be so much stronger now.
“Then Yagor came to my village one day and he took me to his island,” Anfey continued. “I lived on that island for a few years with Yagor and his other charges. Yagor died in an accident. I met Master Saul after that and left the island.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes,” Anfey said with a smile. He reached for her and draped his arm around her shoulder. “Then I met you.” Suzanna frowned. She grabbed his hand and yanked it off of her shoulder.
Anfey grunted. His fingers were already injured, and Suzanna’s grip was too strong. Of course, he wasn’t in that much pain. It was mostly an act.
“What? Are you alright?” Suzanna asked hurriedly.
“You don’t know? I hurt my fingers.”
“No,” Suzanna gasped. “Did it hurt?”
“What do you think?” Anfey asked. He stood up and walked towards Suzanna. Suzanna thought he was angry and was going to leave, so she was surprised when he pulled her up from the chair and wrapped his arm around her waist. He walked back to the bed and sat down, his arm still around her waist.
He did not tease her any longer, however, and let her go after a few moments.
“You should go rest,” Suzanna said. “I don’t want anyone to see us.”
“I’m not leaving until you tell me more,” Anfey said stubbornly.
“Fine,” Suzanna said, shaking her head. Suzanna knew that Anfey was teasing her, but she didn’t care. Anfey grinned.
Suzanna took a deep breath and said, “I’m not like you. I love the sword more than anything, and I can endure anything as long as I can become a swordsman. It’s been like this since I was a young girl.”

“Suzanna, hurry up, I will take you there soon. Huh!” Niya suddenly let out an ear-piercing scream.
Suzanna’s body trembled a bit and the blush spread all over her face and neck. She kept her eyes closed because she was afraid of facing Niya at this moment.
“Stop, stop!” Anfey looked up and said impatiently.
“You!” Niya pointed her finger right at Anfey with her eyes wide open. Niya felt like she caught him right on spot. She thought he should feel terrible. A rogue was not scary, but a shameless rogue who thought he had all the rights made others feel helpless.
“It is really rude to interrupt others’ sleep. Don’t you know that. Get out now!” Anfey yelled.
“You!” Niya felt so helpless. She paused for a second before she stomped on the floor and rushed out, blushing.
Suzanna did not open her eyes until she heard the sound of the door. After making sure that there was no one else besides Anfey, she turned around and pushed him hard. “It’s all your fault.”
“Why are you blaming me? It was you telling such a beautiful story last night.” Anfey sat up smiling. “I fell asleep to your story. Why did you not wake me up?” Anfey asked.
“Are you giving me compliments now?” Suzanna did not know if she should laugh or cry. “How could I wake you up? You were sleeping so soundly.”
“You’re right. I have not slept so well for a long time.” Anfey was reassuring Suzanna that she had treated him well. What he implied was obvious. If there was a next time, she should not wake him up then either.
“But, what should I do now?” Suzanna said sadly in a quiet voice. Her face got redder. She had held hands and hugged Anfey, but had never slept with him before. Now she had been caught sleeping with Anfey. If this news spread everywhere, she would be too embarrassed to see anyone. Even though nothing really happened, no one else would believe it. Neither could she explain it to others.
“Do what you have to do.” Anfey jumped off the bed. He shook his gown to try to get rid of some wrinkles. “You should get ready for breakfast.”
“I am not going out!” Suzanna firmly shook her head.
“Hurry up. Don’t let the professor wait for us. It is rude.” Anfey held his hand out to pull Suzanna up.
“No, I am not going.” Suzanna retreated back to the end of the bed. “Anfey, what should I do? They will make fun of me.”
“So what if they find out we slept together? Everybody knows you are my fiancé. They all know us as well. They would not make fun of you,” Anfey said gently. “Be good, sweetie. Hurry up. Do you want the professor to come to see us?”
Anfey’s final sentence was pretty effective. When Suzanna heard Saul might come, she stopped resisting. She stared at Anfey and suddenly asked, “Anfey, do you really want to marry me?” Suzanna was trying to find an excuse to accept what happened the previous night. Anfey had treated her as his fiancé and was never shy of letting anyone know about it. However, he had never officially proposed to her. She had been waiting for Anfey to propose to her someday. Now that everybody knew they had “slept together,” she had to find a definite answer to give her courage to walk out the door.
“Why are you saying this?” Anfey put on a serious face and asked in a slightly mad tone.
Suzanna felt like she had been struck and her heart dropped. She felt as cold as if she was in an ice cave. She did not understand why a man would want to do everything for her but harshly refused to marry her. Was everything a lie?
“I should ask you that.” Anfey had a big smile on his face. He asked gently, “Suzanna, will you marry me? From this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part. We will love each other and cherish each other from today.”
“You are so bad!” Going from extreme sadness to extreme happiness, Suzanna threw herself into Anfey’s arms in joyful tears. She put her face against Anfey’s warm chest as she playfully punched Anfey on his chest. “You are so bad, so bad!”
“You have not answered me yet,” Anfey said, smiling.
Suzanna stopped punching and looked Anfey in the eye.
“Will you marry me?” Anfey asked.
“Ye…s,” Suzanna answered in a such quiet voice that it sounded like mosquitoes flying.
“I did not hear you. Can you say it louder?” Anfey sounded like a trainer in a military camp, which really did not fit the situation.
“You are so bad!” Suzanna playfully complained.
“I will ask the professor to host our wedding.” Anfey stopped joking around. He gently rubbed Suzanna’s back. “On our wedding day, you will become the most shining star. Think about it, who will be attending our wedding? Uncle Ernest, Miorich, Bruzuryano, Dean Steger, all top powers!” After thinking about it, Anfey felt like he was doing well in this world. He had connected with so many top powers.
“I do not care about them,” Suzanna said.
“Who do you care about then?” Anfey asked.
Suzanna shyly rubbed against Anfey’s chest. She had courage to face dangers and challenges, but had no courage to tell Anfey, “It’s you.” Sometimes a word could mean so much.
“I will find a time to talk to the professor about our wedding soon,” Anfey said. “You’d better get ready and not let them wait too long.” Anfey let go of Suzanna’s hand and left the room.
“Anfey!” Suzanna sounded very worried. “What if the professor does not like me?”
“You are so cute. How could anyone not like you?” Anfey winked
When Anfey walked into the dining room, Saul was sitting in his seat. He smiled at Anfey and signaled Anfey to take a seat next to him, which he had saved for Anfey. After a while, Suzanna slowly walked appropriately dressed under the guise of a servant. She did not have many clothes. She had bought this blue pleated dress at Violet City. Unlike Niya, Suzanna liked simple and casual styles. She looked adorable with her long hair. Her smooth and light colored neck looked delicate under the blue dress. She looked nervous and walked with her head down.
She took a seat next Anfey. Suzanna finally plucked her courage and decided to look up to greet everyone, but she noticed she had already gotten everyone’s attention. She was shocked and put her head down even further. All of her courage was gone.
“I think Anfey has better eyes than me,” Saul said with a smile.
“Thank you. You taught me well,” Anfey said.
Even Ernest could not help smiling. Saul expressed his affection towards Suzanna by giving Anfey compliments. Anfey’s responses were surprising.
Suzanna understood what Saul implied and felt lucky. Her experience and her suffering had made her a person who was not good at socializing. Suzanna’s past was all about being away from people and focusing on training. Her social skills were not like those of stubborn and spoiled Niya. When she heard Saul’s compliments, she still had her head down and said nothing.
“In fact, you have good eyes too,” Bruzuryano said jealously as he laid his eyes on Anfey. Except for the secrets Anfey had, his social ability and fighting ability were tops among young people. Saul should be really happy to have found a student like Anfey.
Saul smiled and gently picked up a spoon as he asked casually, “Anfey, are you going to the palace with me later?”
“Me?” Anfey was a little shocked.
“Yes, it is a big deal to be bestowed a royal title. What you achieved was made public. There are many officials who were against giving you such a high-ranking title. They probably will ask you many questions. You’d better be prepared for it,” Saul said quietly.
“Should I not go?”Anfey had a bitter face. “I have nothing to say to those people.”
“Hmm, ok.” Saul hesitated for a second before he nodded. “I was worried that you would leave some traces they could use later against you if you could not give good answers. Avoiding them is one possibility. After Miorich’s official document arrives, it will be easy to grant you a royal title. Even they wanted to protest, with an official document, they just could not.”
“I am sorry for these troubles,” Anfey said. “In fact, I do not care about the royal title. If those people are fighting hard…”
“They could argue whatever they want to, we will still be ourselves. I do not have favorites. I only want justice. If anyone is against you, I would suggest the king send them to the front line in the east and see how much courage they would have in front of Griffin Aerial Unit,” Saul said slowly.
“Are you still saying you are not favoring anyone?” Bruzuryano could not help rolling his eyes. If things really happened as Saul said, it would be a mess. If anyone was against war, should that person be sent to the war? If anyone wanted to abolish slavery, should the person be sent to be a slave?
“As I said, I just want justice,” Saul said firmly. He looked at Anfey. “Anfey, what are you planning to do for the next couple of days?”
“I plan to go to Sacred City magic academy. Professor, after getting trained for a long time, I noticed the foundation of my magic is not good. Without systematic study, I will be slow to develop my magic in the future,” Anfey said.
“Good, good.” Saul kept nodding. He hoped Anfey could practice magic hard. He was an archmagi. If his student became the top swordsman, it would be embarrassing for him. “Anfey, I will take you somewhere after breakfast.”
“Professor, I said I do not want to go to the palace.” Anfey was shocked.
“I did not say I would take you to the palace,” Saul said, looking a little weird.

Countless robes, magic wands, and magic books were returned to their original places. The flowing air, like thousands of unseen hands, held the magic scrolls and set them down in their places gently. Saul dispersed the wind elements after all the scrolls had returned to their places. He looked around the chamber, his eyes filled with joy.
He did not care for the armor and the weapons and he could always make more scrolls. The magic books, on the other hand, were the result of decades of effort. They recorded all of Saul’s research and findings. For Saul, the books were priceless.
“Seems like something’s missing,” Saul said, frowning.
“Ah, it must be this,” Anfey said, retrieving the Vacuum Confinement Scroll from his dimensional ring.
Saul smiled and accepted the scroll. “I don’t have much use for this anymore,” Saul said, looking at the scroll. “Neither can it do much for you. If you become magister one day, you may get one for yourself.”
“I can? Can I choose?”
“What do you want now?”
Anfey looked at the magic books. He agreed with Saul. He could find robes, wands, and scrolls by himself, but knowledge and experience left behind by an archmage was invaluable.
“Can you understand any of these?” Saul asked, smiling.
“No,” Anfey admitted. “That’s why I want to go to magic school to study and catch up.” When he was on the run, Anfey had often flipped through the books. However, he was only a beginner and could hardly understand them. It was like a person who had never drawn anything trying to draw a complex picture the first time he drew.
“I see,” Saul said, nodding. “Steger’s not back yet, but that’s fine. I’m sure you can qualify to enter the academy now. How do you want to study? Do you want private lessons? Or do you want to go to classes like normal students?” Studying with private tutors was something normal students could never imagine. For Saul, it was as easy as saying a few words.
“Wouldn’t going to classes like normal students be too slow?”
“Don’t worry about time. Are you worried about Violet City?” Saul paused and sighed. “I knew what happened with the marquis there. But the situation here is a little complicated. You’d better lay low for a bit. It’s not wise for you to return to Violet City, either.”
“Are you talking about Prince Wester, Master Saul?” Anfey didn’t have to pretend to be an innocent youth anymore. Saul already knew what he was capable of, so there was no need to hide.
Saul nodded, concerned. He was a good friend of Yolanthe’s, but there were things outside his jurisdiction. He did not want to give the impression that he was trying to influence Yolanthe’s decisions.
“I see,” Anfey said, frowning.
Saul sighed. He knew that no matter how healthy Yolanthe was, he had to step aside and let the younger generation take center stage after this crisis. It was the natural flow of things, and even kings could not stop it. The younger generation was always eager to join the political stage even if the older generations were still on the stage. If the older generations were too reluctant to step aside, it would often create a divide between the young and the old. The wheel turns, and the older generations would slowly be replaced by the young. Yolanthe, Saul, even Miorich were all part of this wheel. The younger generation would become stronger and stronger until they completely replaced their predecessors. Determining the heir to the throne was only the first step. Conflicts were sure to follow. Saul sighed and couldn’t help but long for his younger days.
“Master Saul, the gold…”
Saul shook his head. He did not want to talk about the gold. He never cared for it, anyway.
—
Ever since Doris showed him the quiet place in the woods, Anfey had fallen in love with it. The noises of the school and the students were blocked by the trees. Combined with shrubs and the small ponds, the small grove was a small world of its own.
Right now, the grove was not empty. Three girls sat under a tree and were talking and laughing. Judging from their clothing, they were students from the school.
Anfey ignored them and sat down under a nearby tree. He found the book he was reading earlier and resumed his reading. Perhaps it was because Saul had talked to the school already, Anfey was welcomed warmly by the teachers when he arrived with Christian. However, since Anfey did not want to waste time on small talk, he only spoke a few words with the teachers. After learning that the intermediate classes were cancelled for the day, he went directly to the library. If the classes were cancelled, he was content to learn by himself. He was confident in his learning ability.
Anfey’s presence clearly interrupted the girls’ conversation. The girls glanced at each other, then one of them walked over and stood in front of him.
Anfey ignored her and kept reading. He was reading very fast, since he was only picking out the important points. If he read every single line, it would take him months to finish the book.
“Didn’t your mother tell you that it’s rude to ignore people?” the young girl asked.
“This is so creepy,” another girl said. “Trying to get to know us this way.”
Anfey did not lift his head. He raised a hand and flicked his wrist. His meaning was clear: go away, leave me alone. There were women that were too beautiful to be real, like Suzanna. There were also men who could keep their hearts locked for one woman, like Anfey. The three girls were beautiful, but they were nothing compared to Suzanna. Even if they could compete with Suzanna, Anfey still did not care. He just wanted to read in peace.
“You…” The girl was growing angry.
A slim figure appeared through the trees and stood next to Anfey.
“What are you doing here?” Anfey asked, looking up.
“Christian said you are here,” Suzanna said with a smile.
“Did something happen?”
“Nothing.”
“You miss me, then?”
Suzanna looked away from Anfey. Anfey liked teasing her, but she did not mind. Nor did his remarks embarrass her as much as they had in the beginning.
The girls saw Suzanna’s senior swordsmaster badge and fell quiet. Top level powers were rare, but so were senior level swordsmasters. Even among the teachers, there were only a few that achieved the senior rank. They thought the badge must be fake.
The mage and the swordsmaster made a peculiar combination.
Another girl frowned and walked up to join the first.
“What is it?” Suzanna look up and asked. Even though the girls were not friendly, Suzanna’s voice was very gentle. She was not a bloodthirsty warrior, and the only reason she fought was because she had to. If the girls had weapons, Suzanna would not hesitate to draw her sword. She could not justify attacking three unarmed young girls.
“Who are you? This is a magic academy. What are you doing in here?”
“I’m a student in the academy. Why can’t I come here?”
“You are? I have never seen you before.”
“I have never seen you, either. What is your point?”
Suzanna poked Anfey’s arm. Be quiet, she mouthed. Then she turned to the girls and said, “He is new. Just joined today, in fact. That is why you have never seen him.”
“I see,” the girl said. “In the junior class, I presume?”
“Yes,” Suzanna said before Anfey could make another remark. “Are the three of you students as well? I’m Suzanna. Nice to meet you.”
If the girls were just talking to Anfey, his attitude might have provoked them into an argument. However, Suzanna’s attitude made it hard for them to lash out against her. The girl glared at Anfey and said, “Never mind. We’ll go. This isn’t worth our time.” She shook Suzanna’s hand and said, “Betty. Nice to meet you.”
Anfey flipped a page and looked up from the book. Seeing that the girls had already left, he moved over to let Suzanna sit down next to him. “I thought you didn’t like smiles.”
Suzanna rolled her eyes. “Did you already forget what Master Saul said? You’re not just here to learn magic. You need to make friends, develop a network. You will never make friends like this.”

Anfey’s life suddenly had become very simple since he started school. The only two places he would go were the academy and Saul’s home. However, his workload had increased. He began reading through books on the basics of magic. He had found so many books that, should he stack them up in a pile, they would tower over him. Even though he was far from memorizing everything in the books, he was already familiar with a few major points. He was trying to accumulate as much knowledge as possible in preparation for his future classes.
After Steger returned to Sacred City, he changed the policies at the academy. He picked out the best students and created three elite classes. Anfey was put in the intermediate elite class.
After two classes, Anfey realized that his thought process was often faster than the professor’s in class. However, he knew he had to stay in classes because the teachers would often talk about their own experiences with practicing a certain spell. These experiences were not recorded in books, and Anfey had no way of knowing them unless he sat through the class.
Since he was often bored in class, he began bringing books to the class. If he liked the professor, he would listen while he read. The professors did not care much about what he did, and his classmates were all too attentive to notice that he wasn’t.
A lot of students soon noticed that Anfey was always accompanied by a young woman. When he was in class, the young woman would sit outside and meditate. When he was in between classes, she would always be by his side. When the day was over, they would leave together, chatting and laughing. Everyone could tell that they were very much in love. Some people were envious, but everyone chose to remain silent after learning who Anfey was. Not only was he someone who had outstanding accomplishments during the recent war, he was a student of the archmage Saul. Of course, the main reason most people chose to stay away was Suzanna’s senior swordsmaster badge. Most students were still too inexperienced and knew better than try to flirt with a girl with a senior swordsmaster badge.
On this particular day, Anfey knew that he did not need to go to his two morning classes. Both professors tended to teach exactly what was in the books and rarely talked about their own experiences. Instead of going, he chose to stay home and take notes. He finished around noon, and left with Suzanna. However, they both stopped dead in their tracks when they saw a line of carriages in front of the mansion.
Blavi, Riska, Sante, and the other students were all standing next to the carriages, staring at the mansion with gaping mouths. Like Niya, their faces were filled with excitement and delight.
“Sister!” Shally jumped out of the carriage and dashed towards Suzanna.
Another creature jumped out after Shally and dashed towards Anfey. The unicorn ran into Anfey, sending him stumbling backwards so he needed to regain his balance. The unicorn fell over onto the ground. However, a collision like this was more like a game to the unicorn and could not harm it. It jumped up and bounced towards Anfey again.
Anfey jumped aside to avoid a second collision, then grabbed the unicorn’s mane and pulled it towards him. “Calm down,” he said, patting the unicorn’s head. “Thank god you don’t have your horn yet.” He shuddered at the memory of the fight between the unicorn and the manticore.
“I missed you so, sister!” Shally cried, hugging Suzanna.
“I missed you as well,” Suzanna said with tears in her eyes. Even though Saul had told her that the carriages had not encountered any danger, she could only relax when she saw with her own eyes that her sister was safe.
“Anfey,” Riska greeted him with a smile.
“Is everyone here?”
“Yes.”
“That’s good,” Anfey said, smiling. “Where’s Lord Miorich?”
“He went to the palace.”
“Who’s back? Who’s back?” Niya hurried out of the mansion and asked.
“Everyone,” Anfey said with a smile. “Come on, let’s go inside.”
Everyone was excited to finally return home. Their experience had completely changed them. Normally, people who leave home to expand their experience would begin with easier tasks. No one would start with difficult responsibilities the way they had. They were constantly straddling the line between life and death, and were therefore much more experienced than their peers.
The butler ordered the servants to bring food so they could catch up while snacking. Riska talked about what happened after Anfey, Suzanna, Niya, and Christian left, and Anfey talked about the encounter with the necromancers. However, he hid the truth about how Slanbrea died. He trusted his friends, but he knew that it was better if they did not know the truth.
Shally swallowed a piece of cake and wiped her hands on a piece of towel. She sat up straight and tugged on Riska’s shirt.
“Oh, yes. We had some trouble on the way, but we solved it thanks to Shally.”
“What happened?”
“It’s the unicorn,” Riska said, shaking his head. “We can’t control it. Don’t ever leave that thing with us again.”
Anfey looked down at the unicorn. High tier magic beasts were smarter than normal ones, but not smart enough to immediately understand humans. It put two of its front legs on a small table and was reaching for the cakes. However, Anfey kept it tightly by his side and the unicorn could not reach the food.
“Without Shally, we would never have been able to tame that thing without harming it,” Blavi said, grinning at Shally.
Shally was grinning as well, even though she was clearly trying to conceal her emotions.
“What did it do?” Anfey asked, surprised.
“What didn’t it do?” Riska asked, shaking his head. “It disturbed the order, harmed others, attacked other animals, harassed women…and that is just the tip of the iceberg!”
“It harassed people?”
“You know what Mambo territory is famous for? Hot springs. The night we got to Mambo, it escaped somehow. We didn’t realize it until the guards came to fetch us. It made a scene at a hot spring and injured one of the ladies there,” Riska said, shaking his head.
“It even stole one of the ladies’ clothes,” Blavi said, frowning. “It was so embarrassing.”
“You did all this?” Anfey asked the unicorn.
The unicorn, who could not understand him, nodded happily.
“How embarrassing,” Anfey said with a frown and whacked the unicorn on the head gently.
“Not for you,” Riska said, rolling his eyes. “We were the ones that had to apologize when it was your fault.”
The door was suddenly pushed open and Saul and Christian appeared. Everyone hurriedly stood up and called in unison, “Master Saul.” A lot of the young ones even began tearing up. Most of them had left home when they were too young to study with Saul, and Saul was like a father to them. Just the sight of him was enough to make them excited and happy.
“Sit, sit, you all must be tired,” Saul said with a smile. “How was the trip?”
“It was good, Master. Lord Miorich took good care of us.”
“Good, good. Now I can finally relax,” Saul said, sitting down on the chair Christian pulled out for him. He was tearing up as well. “It’s been a long time. It wasn’t right sitting here by myself. It’s good to have you all back.”
“I apologize, Master Saul,” Riska said, lowering his head. “We made you worry.”
“Worry…” Saul repeated, then smiled. “It’s alright. You all did well. You made me proud. I will always be proud of you.”
Everyone fell silent, unsure of what to say.
“Are you Archmage Saul?” Shally suddenly asked, breaking the silence.
“Yes,” Saul said. “You must be Shally.”
“You know my name?” Shally asked, surprised. “I want to study with you, my lord. Can I study with you?”
Suzanna frowned. She did not know who taught Shally to say that. Plus, her question was too blunt.

“Shally!” Suzanna scolded. When picking a student, an archmage was always extremely careful. The decision was made without any distraction. One bad student would bring shame to the teacher and cause others to doubt the teacher’s ability. Of course, archmages taking students as a favor was not unheard of, but neither Suzanna nor Anfey was important enough to make an archmage bend to their will.

“You want to learn magic? That should not be a problem,” Saul said with a smile.

“Really?” Shally asked incredulously. She wasn’t sure if she could trust such a quick answer. “Can I really study magic? With you? But I’m even worse than Anfey.” Shally was still a child and she didn’t realize Saul said only that she could learn magic, not that she could learn with him.

Saul’s other students looked at the young girl, then they all burst into laughter. Anfey sighed and shook his head. It was no secret that he was the weakest out of all of Saul’s students, but Shally didn’t have to say it out loud.

“Trust me, he was even worse than you when he first came to me,” Saul said, smiling.

“So I’m better than him?” Shally asked hopefully.

“Yes,” Saul said, nodding. “You are better than him.” He looked up and saw Suzanna’s anxious expression. He looked at Shally, then smiled. “It seems like you will have a new sister from now on,” Saul said, turning to Christian. At first, Saul did not want to take a new student, but he changed his mind.

“She already is, Master,” Christian said with a grin on his face.

“They are all very good to me, my lord,” Shally said happily.

“Shally,” Anfey said quietly, “it’s not my lord anymore. He is your teacher now.”

“Really?” Shally asked, her eyes wide.

“If you still want to,” Saul said gently.

“Shally, quick, say thank you,” Suzanna said, nudging Shally forward. She did not expect Saul to agree to take Shally as a student, but she was very grateful.

“Thank you, Master Saul,” Shally chirped happily. She turned and grabbed Suzanna’s arm and said, “I can protect you now too, sister!”

Suzanna smiled, stroking Shally’s hair. She did not say anything. Becoming the student of a powerful mage was only the first step in a long journey to become a senior mage. She had already spent so many years practicing. She knew the hardship on the road to become powerful.

Ernest walked into the room. He glanced around the room as the students stood to greet him.

Ernest nodded at them and turned to Suzanna. “Suzanna, where have you been lately?”

“Me?” Suzanna asked, confused. “I was with Anfey,” she said after a few seconds.

“You’re a swordsmaster. What are you doing at the magic academy?” Ernest asked, frowning. “Starting today, stay here and practice with me.”

“Yes, sir,” Suzanna said.

“You have it all figured out, don’t you?” Saul asked, smiling.

“You could say that,” Ernest said.

Ernest was not hard to understand. At first glance, he may have seemed arrogant and driven by his emotions, but that was the furthest possible thing from the truth. Ernest did not like speaking, and he always tried to say what he wanted using as few words as possible.

“Well, congratulations, then,” Saul said.

“It’s a little early for that.”

“What will happen with her?”

“I don’t know,” Ernest said, frowning. “That’s why I’m worried.”

“Suzanna,” Saul said, turning to Suzanna. “Listen to Ernest. You should stop going to the academy. I know you may worry about Anfey, but you see, trust is very important. Don’t worry about that.”

“That’s not…” Suzanna explained quickly, blushing.

“Are you worried that he will get hurt? Don’t worry about that, either. As long as he is in Sacred City, I can assure his safety,” Saul said, standing up. “Anfey, come with me. I have to talk to you.” Saul’s eyes fell onto the unicorn next to Anfey. “So this is the unicorn I’ve been hearing about.”

Ernest turned around as well. Unicorns were rare. Ernest had encountered a few in the past, but he knew that he wasn’t strong enough to defeat one, so he had left the animals alone. Unicorns were too fast, and if a unicorn wanted to run, Ernest could never catch up to it. If a unicorn was willing to fight, the consequences would be too great. The Forest of Death was a dangerous place, and even if Ernest could defeat the unicorn, he would be injured and could be easily killed by other enemies.

The unicorn watched Saul nervously, its body shaking. Magic beasts were not as smart as humans, but could sense things humans could not. For the unicorn, Saul was not an amiable man, but a being with terrible powers.

Anfey patted the unicorn. “It seems like it’s scared of you, Master,” he said.

Saul wanted to further observe the unicorn, but he stopped and took a few steps back. “Another day, I suppose. I don’t want to scare it.” He looked around the room and his eyes fell on Hui Wei and Hagan. They were the only two strangers. “By the way, which one of you is Hagan?”

“Me, my lord,” Hagan said, scrambling up.

“Ah, yes, Master,” Riska hurried over and said. “Forgot to introduce you. This is Hagan, and this is Hui Wei. They’re both people we encountered along the way.”

“My lord,” Hui Wei stood up and bowed.

“Sit, sit,” Saul said, nodding. “Hagan, you are an alchemist, aren’t you?” Hagan nodded. “Do you have any interest in the manuscripts of Jacob?”

“Jacob? You mean, the Great Alchemist Jacob?” Hagan said, jumping out of his seat. “His last manuscripts?”

“Last?” Saul frowned and asked. “As far as I know, no one knew what happened to him.”

“But he hadn’t appeared in twenty years, my lord.”

“It seems like I have to give those manuscripts to you as soon as possible,” Saul said. “He would be livid if he heard that, and would probably take those gifts back?”

“Gifts?” Hagan asked, blinking.

Saul smiled. “Anfey, come with me.” Anfey nodded and followed Saul out of the room, leaving Hagan and his joy. The two of them went to another room. Saul sat down on a chair and sighed.

“Anfey, how much do you know about Suzanna?” Saul asked.

“She never told me much.”

“Have you asked?”

“No. I am in love with her, but her past is her own,” Anfey answered. He knew Saul’s intention wasn’t just to ask him about Suzanna, and he need to stand firm.

“Do you want to know about it?” Saul asked, picking up a stack of documents from the nearby table.

“Is it important?” Anfey asked.

Saul smiled and shook his head. “Do not blame His Majesty, Anfey. His Majesty is the king, after all, and he needs to be well-rounded.”

Anfey frowned. The unicorn whined and nudged his hand.

“It’s not what you think,” Saul comforted him. “Suzanna and Shally are daughters of the ruler of Gruce Principality, Darius. Suzanna underwent brutal training from the time she was a child. Darius needed a loyal guard, and there was no better choice than his eldest daughter. Suzanna did not rebel against this.”

“Like I’ve said, Master, Suzanna’s past is her own,” Anfey said with a shrug. “But why must we return Shally to Gruce?”

“We cannot fight two wars at once. If we really want to fight with Ellisen Empire, we have to gain the support of Gruce. Only then will we have a chance.”

“I see,” Anfey said. “But isn’t the Church advocating for unity among the nations? Why are we considering war?”

“Not now, of course. If you ever become a ruler, you will learn to think three steps ahead. This war with Ellisen Empire will not happen for years, maybe even decades. Plus, Shally is still too young. I doubt she can take the responsibility of an entire kingdom at this age.” Saul paused and sighed. “Maybe they will both be used to peace after a decade, and they would not want to be a part of this. But it doesn’t matter what they want, because their wills are nothing compared to the movement of the world’s current.”

“It’s hard for Suzanna to forget people she hates,” Anfey admitted. “Maybe they are even more eager than His Majesty.” Anfey could feel that Suzanna would return to Gruce Principality sooner or later, because no one could convince her to give up on her revenge. He was her lover, and he should support her.

“I hope you’re telling the truth.”

“I know her, Master. We’ve never talked about it, but I know it is the truth.”

“Here,” Anfey said, tossing the scroll to Hagan.

Hagan reached over and snatched it out of the air. He looked at the scroll, then jumped up and dashed towards his room with a wide grin.

“Wait!” Anfey called. “Come back!”

“What is it?” Hagan turned and asked.

“Master Saul said you should go check out the magic lab. He was considering making an alchemy lab in there and needs your opinions. You can tell the butler about anything you need and he will fetch it for you.”

“Really?” Hagan asked, stunned. He was already happy enough to receive the manuscript of the famous alchemist Jacob, now he was overjoyed. He had always wanted an alchemy lab, but he never had the chance to get one. Now this was a dream come true.

“Really,” Anfey said, smiling.

“I see,” Hagan said. He took a deep breath then hurried out of the dining room.

Anfey looked around and asked, “Where’s Suzanna?”

“She’s with Ernest,” Christian replied. “It should be her honor to receive instructions from Ernest.”

“Not for Anfey, though,” Blavi said with a grin.

“What do you mean?”

“Suzanna is already a senior swordsmaster,” Blavi said. “If she ever became more powerful, then Anfey…”

“You’re right,” Sante said, smirking. “Anfey should be under pressure.”

Anfey smiled and shook his head. His friends were right. He did felt pressured when facing Suzanna. He always thought he should be the one protecting Suzanna, but time after time he was proven wrong. He disliked being protected by others, since it made him feel weak and useless.

Riska suddenly stood up and hurried toward the door.

His sudden movements spooked Blavi, who turned and asked, “Where are you going?”

“Meditating,” Riska said without turning back. “Not only Anfey. Think about it. We were all hiding behind Suzanna.”

Blavi frowned, then smiled and shook his head. Riska was right. Whenever they were in danger, it was always Suzanna who put herself between them and danger. The only thing they did was hide in a safe place and assist her when she needed it.

“Let’s go,” Zubin said, standing up. “We’re home now, but that doesn’t mean we should relax. We are lucky this time, we have Suzanna, but we won’t always be lucky. We should start preparing for the next time we are in danger.”

“Zubin’s right,” Sante nodded in agreement.

Soon there were only a few people left in the dining hall. Shally didn’t care about being protected by her sister, and Doris stayed because she did not have a room.

“What have you been doing lately?” Anfey asked. “Haven’t seen you in forever.”

“You’ll find out in a few days,” Christian replied.

“Fine,” Anfey said with a sigh. He sat down next to the table and released the unicorn. The unicorn was clearly more relaxed now that both Saul and Ernest were out of the room. The unicorn jumped onto the table. It stomped on the table a few times then dashed towards the other end. It wanted to stop at the end, but the table was waxed and its momentum was too great. It couldn’t stop in time and slipped off the table, bringing a dozen plates with it, and crashed into the wall.

Anfey frowned. He couldn’t grasp just how playful the unicorn was getting, but now he knew it was true that the unicorn was getting harder to handle. He had only let it go for a few seconds and it was already in trouble. At least it was only in the dining room. What if it got into the magic lab one day?

“Come here!” Anfey bellowed and slammed the table.

The unicorn stood up, shook its head, and looked at Anfey, confused.

“Come here, now!” Anfey ordered again. He wanted to go and grab the unicorn, but he remembered how fast it was and gave up on his unrealistic hope.

The unicorn whinnied excitedly but did not move any closer to Anfey.

“That’s useless,” Doris said, giggling. “The louder you are the more excited it is. It probably thinks that you’re playing with it.”

“Should I let run wild, then?” Anfey asked with a frown. “I’m going to fetch Suzanna.” He had just been thinking about getting stronger seconds ago, and he was already looking for Suzanna’s help.

“Don’t worry,” Doris said, raising her hand. “I have a solution.” She retrieved something from her dimensional ring and smiled. “This is Shally’s idea,” she said with a wink. Shally giggled, proud of herself.

Doris held two crystal balls in her hand. She clinked the two crystal balls together and made a crisp, high-pitched sound.

After hearing the sound, the unicorn suddenly dashed towards the table and leapt onto it. It looked at the crystal balls curiously.

“Get ready,” Doris said. She suddenly tossed the ball in her left hand into the air and rolled the other one down the table towards Anfey.

The unicorn jumped into the air and snatched the crystal ball out of the air with its mouth. When it landed on the table again, it turned to chase after the other ball.

Anfey realized the plan and was already ready. When the unicorn tried to clink the ball in its mouth with the ball on the table, Anfey jumped over and grabbed the unicorn. He wrapped his arms around the unicorn tightly. “Stop, stop!” he called.

The unicorn whinnied and kicked around, but it was too small and too weak compared to a grown man.

Hui Wei coughed. “This is not a permanent solution, either,” he said. “It is growing too fast and a magic beast like this one should be smarter than normal ones. You can fool it once, twice, but not more than that. It will learn that this is a trap sooner or later.”

“We will have to settle for this plan for now,” Anfey said. He grabbed the unicorn’s mane and lifted it into the air. The unicorn stopped struggling and stared at Anfey with bright blue eyes. It snickered as if it was trying to please Anfey and convince him to lessen its punishment. Anfey felt bad and only smacked its head softly once.

“Not for long,” Hui Wei said, shaking his head. “Christian said its mother was a top tier unicorn, which means this thing may become one, as well.”

“Who knows,” Anfey said with a sigh. “None of us knew how to raise an unicorn. We don’t know what this thing needs. It’s good enough that it hasn’t gotten sick yet. I’m not that hopeful.” Anfey was worried that the unicorn would not get enough nutrition to grow up healthily.

“Just because you don’t have the experience, doesn’t mean no one has it,” Hui Wei said.

“Who are you thinking?”

“Bruzuryano, of course. He is the obvious choice. The unicorn is a holy animal in his religion. We have libraries, so do elves and druids. If anyone knows anything, it would be him.”

Anfey nodded. “You’re right,” he said. “By the way, what do you want to do now?”

“Me?” Hui Wei asked. “I don’t know. What can I do? I’ll just relax and enjoy myself, I guess.”

“You have to do something,” Anfey said. “Why don’t you come study with me at the academy?”

“Have you forgotten? I’m a two-discipliner. I don’t even know if I will pass the test. Plus, I have no interest in that library.”

“You don’t need any tests,” Anfey said. “I have connections.”

“Fine,” Hui Wei said with a chuckle. “I guess I’ll try it.”

“Let’s go, then,” Anfey said, pushing himself up. Then he stopped and frowned. “What should we do with the unicorn? We can’t take it to the academy. Should I make a leash for it?”

“No!” Hui Wei said, shaking his head. “Unicorns are very loyal, but you can’t restrain it. It will die of unhappiness if it loses its freedom.”

“I’ll talk to Master Saul, I suppose,” Anfey said, shaking his head. “Hopefully he is still here.”

When the professor walked into the classroom, Anfey and Hui Wei were already sitting quietly in the corner. The professor frowned when he saw the strangers, then he remembered Steger’s order and flipped open the textbook as if nothing was wrong.

Anfey was staring straight ahead, but Hui Wei looked uncomfortable. He felt strange sitting there. He poked Anfey and said, “Don’t you think it’s a little weird for me to sit here with all these kids?” Hui Wei sounds like he was trying to act old, but it was not without truth. He had only arrived a day ago and did not have the proper time to groom himself before coming to school. He barely had time to wash his face, let alone shave. The students were all clean-shaven and looked young compared to him.

“Shhh,” Anfey whispered.

Hui Wei sighed and shook his head. He suddenly heard the hushed conversation of two students behind him. Hui Wei wasn’t interested in the class, or else he would have missed the conversation.

“You know Prince Rodhart?” a girl asked.

“Who doesn’t? Isn’t he still in Swordbury Principality?” a more masculine voice replied.

“Let me tell you: Rodhart was never in Swordbury. It’s all a big illusion.”

“Really? Then where is the prince?”

“Here, in Sacred City.”

“No way,” the boy said.

“I don’t care if you believe me,” the girl said. “Rodhart is studying under Lord Saul.”

“What? Where did you hear that?”

“I overheard my grandfather talking yesterday,” the girl said confidently. “You know him. He would never make up such a big lie.”

The boy didn’t say anything for a few seconds, then he said in an even quieter voice, “Shhh. That guy in front of us is one of Saul’s students…”

Hui Wei couldn’t catch the rest of the conversation. He frowned and turned to Anfey. “Did you hear that?”

“What did you hear?” Anfey asked.

“Could it be Christian?” Hui Wei asked, curious. Of everyone, Christian was the most refined and educated. Everyone had talked about their families and past; only two had avoided the topic completely. One was Hui Wei himself, the other was Christian.

A ball of light was flung towards Hui Wei. The intensity of light increased dramatically as it approached Hui Wei, and the light filled the entire classroom. Hui Wei was extremely alert, perhaps even more than Anfey. Before he could process what was happening, a black pentagon-shaped object appeared in his hand. A voice followed the light. “If you don’t want to listen to the class, I suggest you leave so you stop distracting your classmates.”

Hui Wei opened his eyes and saw everyone’s eyes on him.

“Look at that,” a nearby student whispered to his friend. “What is he going to do, fight the teacher?”

Hui Wei coughed and avoided the angry gaze of the teacher. He wanted to put the pentagon-shaped object to his dimensional ring, but Anfey reached over and took it from him.

Hui Wei rolled his eyes and controlled his urge to take it back. Instead, he turned his head away.

“Professor, I don’t think my companion is feeling well,” Anfey said, pushing himself out of his seat. “Can I take him back?”

“Sure,” the professor said with a sigh.

Anfey looked at Hui Wei then walked towards the door. Hui Wei shook his head and followed closely behind.

Once they were in the hallway, Anfey tossed the object he took from Hui Wei back to him. “He was just trying to scare you,” he said. “Isn’t that a little extreme?”

“I prefer to be alerted,” Hui Wei said. The object disappeared back into his dimensional ring.

Anfey stared at Hui Wei’s ring and suddenly sighed. “There are no unsolvable problems, only unsuitable methods. I see that this is true.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you remember what happened when we first met?” Anfey asked. “I’m curious about all those weird little things in your ring, but I know that I can’t force the answer out of you. If I knew you would react so badly to threats…”

Hui Wei snorted and fell in step with Anfey.

“I wonder who can play the role of the assassin,” Anfey said slowly.

“As if you can find one,” Hui Wei said with a smile.

“I’m still curious,” Anfey said. “What else is in that ring of yours?”

“Nothing,” Hui Wei said, hiding his hand behind his back. “Didn’t you hear? Christian may be the third prince of this empire.”

“I know,” Anfey said with a smile.

“You knew?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I didn’t know for sure,” Anfey said with a shrug. “It was more of an educated guess. I figured he would tell us when he was ready.”

“I’m curious, then. Why would Yolanthe allow his son to travel with us? Why did he risk his son’s life?”

“You should ask Christian that, because I don’t have the answer,” Anfey said. “No wonder Yolanthe and Saul are good friends.”

“What do you mean?”

“Yolanthe is the king.”

“So what?”

“Who is the queen? Where is she?”

Hui Wei frowned. “I think I know her name, but I cannot remember it at the moment.”

“Who is the queen of Shansa Empire, then?”

“Cherylina,” Hui Wei said without a moment of hesitation.

“The queen of Maho Empire is a queen as well, but why does she remain anonymous? Why is the queen of Shansa Empire so well known, while the queen of Maho Empire is largely unknown?” Anfey paused for a few seconds before continuing. “Christian never talked about the queen. Niya never talked about her mother, either. Normally, these two women would be two of the most powerful women in the nation.”

Hui Wei nodded, still frowning.

“Of course, we cannot just ask around when it comes to questions like this.”

“We will find out one day,” Hui Wei said quietly. “When the time is right. Let’s talk about Christian for now. Who would have thought he is the ruler of Swordbury!”

“Tell me what you know about that place.”

“And you further prove your ignorance of this world,” Hui Wei said, amused. He was a two-discipliner, but he was more knowledgeable than he was powerful. There were very few things he did not know about, including the ancient ruins. Whenever he talked about those ruins, Hui Wei would turn into another person. He would be more confident. “Swordbury Principality is where the famous grandmaster swordsman Dimas retired after the Great War. There are two mysterious places in Maho Empire. One is Mambo territory; the other is Swordbury Principality.

“After Dimas retired, the Sword of Pioneers was buried on Mount Swordbury. Dimas left some other things as well, but no one knew exactly what he left behind. He said it could be found when the time is right. If we have access to Mount Swordbury, maybe we can find that sword…”

“I don’t think we can,” Anfey said, shaking his head.

“Why not?”

“Don’t forget who controls Swordbury. If there really is a sword there, it would have already been found,” Anfey said, shaking his head. Compared to the Sword of Pioneers, the labyrinth under the mansion in Violet City was mostly unknown. No one had ever explored those passages, and whatever was hidden in there should still be there.

“Maybe we can find something else,” Hui Wei said.

“Do you really believe that?”

Hui Wei sighed. There were a few ancient sites even he would not visit. No one had ever survived those ruins because of the different people who secretly controlled them. A commoner like him would never have a chance to explore sites like that. He thought perhaps this was his opportunity to explore one of those forbidden sites, but he knew his dream was unrealistic.

Hui Wei tended to let his emotions dictate his actions. Normally, he was a quiet and reserved man. However, he could become very talkative if he found someone or something that interested him. When he was fully engaged in a conversation, he would talk about everything from legendary weapons and powerful, ancient warriors to ancient civilizations and deities.
Hui Wei thought maybe he was talking too much and wanted to end the conversation, but he was too excited to do that. Normally he never talked as much as this for fear of reprimand and trouble, but he found Anfey to be a very engaged listener. It was rare to find someone who would listen to him talk about all his thoughts.
After Hui Wei finished, the two returned to Saul’s place. The meditating mages showed up as well and were chatting in the living room.
“Christian!” Hui Wei called, walking over to the young man.
“How was it?” Christian asked. “What did you think of the academy?”
“I’ve never been there. Are there pretty girls?” Blavi asked, grinning.
“I didn’t notice, but I did hear some interesting news.”
Anfey sat down on an empty chair and glanced around, looking for Suzanna. He didn’t stop Hui Wei because he knew that Yolanthe must be ready for Christian to reveal himself if the students in the academy knew the rumor.
“What is it?” Sante asked. Out of everyone, he and Blavi enjoy gossip the most.
“Christian,” Hui Wei said, staring at Christian. “Should I keep calling you Christian, or should I call you Rodhart?” Hui Wei raised his voice purposely so everyone could hear him.
Everyone in the room hushed and turned around to look at Hui Wei and Christian. Niya and Suzanna walked into the room just in time to hear what Hui Wei had said and froze in their tracks.
Christian looked at Hui Wei and sighed. Then he smiled and said slowly, “Rodhart is only my baptismal name. Christian is my real name and I would prefer if you still call me Christian.”
“Wait,” Blavi asked, “you are Rodhart? The Rodhart? As in, the third prince Rodhart?”
“There’s already two princes. I am the unnecessary addition. I hope you can still treat me like one of you,” Christian said, lowering his gaze.
“You’re really the prince?” Feller asked, his eyes wide.
“Alright, alright,” Anfey said, standing up. He grabbed two apples from a nearby plate and sat down next to Christian, tossing one of the apples to Christian. He took a bite of the apple and said, “What? Are you scared now that you know who he really is?”
“No,” Feller said, shaking his head.
“Feller.”
“Yea?”
“If you were a prince, would you want us to salute do you?”
“Of course not.”
“Why not?”
“Because you are my friends.”
“Christian sees us as his friends as well. How do you think he would feel if we all act careful around him?”
“But…” Blavi opened his mouth but did not finish his sentence.
The atmosphere suddenly became very awkward. Even though Anfey’s words made sense, Christian’s real identity came as too big of a surprise. It was hard to imagine being friends with a prince.
“So you’re Rodhart, huh?” Niya said. She ignored the awkwardness and did not change her way of speech. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“There are a lot of reasons,” Christian said. “It’s a long story.”
“Who would have thought?” Entos said as he appeared in the living room. No one noticed him before and no one knew how much he had heard. He glanced at Christian and smirked. “I’m impressed. You fooled even me.”
“I didn’t want to fool you,” Christian said.
“If I remember correctly, you’ve been here since you were six. How did a six-year-old learn how to lie?”
“Like I’ve just said, I didn’t want to lie to you. I’ve never been to Swordbury Principality and I’ve been living here ever since I can remember.”
“Christian, didn’t you say Rodhart is your baptismal name?” Anfey asked, rubbing his chin.
“Yes. I was baptized. You have all met the man who performed the baptism.”
“Slanbrea?” Anfey asked, surprised.
“Yes. But of course he had forgotten me.”
“Of course,” Entos said, smiling. “You were only a child then.” He paused for a moment then said, “I remember that, though. His Majesty had allowed the Church of Light to build a church in Swordbury Principality. It is said that the prince has good relations with the church. Who would have thought the real prince was suffering elsewhere.”
“I’ve never suffered,” Christian objected. “I’m very satisfied with my life right now.”
“That other Rodhart is brilliant, though. He fooled almost everyone, including the church. He must be good to fool those missionaries for so long.”
“It’s actually not that hard,” Christian said with a shrug. “He’s been taught for his entire life that he is the real prince. He needn’t actually fool anyone.”
Anfey lifted an eyebrow, then nodded. This was indeed a successful lie. Christian’s stand-in didn’t know he was not the real prince and had no chance of making mistakes.
“I don’t care if that Rodhart knew or not,” Entos said. He took a few steps forward and smirked. “You, though, you’re different. I’ve always treated you like a little brother, and that won’t change. You may be a prince, but you are still my little brother. You’ve fooled me for over a decade. I’m hurt by your lie. What are you going to do to make it up to me?”
“My birthday is in three days,” Christian said slowly. “I can make it up to you then.”
“Even your identity was fake. How am I supposed to know whether your birthday is real?” Entos asked, shaking his head. “If I had known this, I wouldn’t have spent all that time finding your gifts.”
“The birthday’s real,” Christian said earnestly. “Don’t you remember my baptism?”
“It’s so long ago,” Entos complained. He frowned as he tried to recall the event, then turned his gaze to Christian again. “Fine. You have to make it up to me though.”
“I swear!”
“There will be consequences if you don’t satisfy me,” Entos said, glaring at Christian.
“Of course, of course,” Christian said, smiling.
“Christian,” Anfey said, tapping him on the shoulder. “I haven’t spent as much time with you, but I trusted you. Shouldn’t I also get whatever you are preparing for Entos?”
“He’s right,” Niya said, walking over. “You lied to me too. I’m hurt. You should make it up to me, too.”
Christian looked at the two of them and shook his head. “Fine,” he said. “I won’t forget you two.”
“Did you forget about me?” Suzanna asked. She patted her sword and said, “I put my life in your hands.”
“It’s my birthday,” Christian sighed. “Shouldn’t you guys be giving me presents?”
“Are you dishonoring me?” Suzanna asked, frowning. “What are the rules for duels here?”
“You should ask Riska that.”
“Fine, fine,” Christian said before Riska could answer the question. “Alright. Everyone gets a gift, alright? Stop tormenting me.”
“You’re saying we all get a gift?” Riska asked, grinning. Everyone relaxed after seeing Christian act so embarrassed and the recent revelation began to fade from their memories.
“When Entos was gone, you were the elder brother,” Blavi said, shaking his head. “We all trusted you.”
“I feel like you are all teaming up against me,” Christian said, looking down at the ground. “And I thought I was popular.” He snuck a glance at Entos and smiled gratefully. Christian knew that Entos was trying to ease the tension, and he was thankful for it.
“You won’t be until you earn our forgiveness,” Blavi said with a wide grin. Then he suddenly turned to Anfey and said, “By the way, Master said he wanted to see you in the labs.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Anfey asked.
“I didn’t know Hui Wei would tell us such a big secret the moment he walked through the door,” Blavi said with a shrug. “You should probably go there right now.”

Behind the back garden was a long walkway. Saul’s magic lab was at the end of the walkway. Anfey had been to the lab once, but only once. It wasn’t because Saul did not trust him but because Anfey was useless in labs.
A lone red brick building loomed ahead. The area around the building was paved with stone, and a dozen armed swordsmasters were patrolling around the building. The red building wasn’t the lab, which was hidden underground. The actual lab was much larger than the building. The lab was built underground to minimize damage. Under the pavement stones was a large magic array set up by Saul himself. It protected the lab and the people outside in case something went wrong.
The swordsmaster opened the door when he saw Anfey approaching. Anfey smiled at the man and was walking into the building when a figure lunged at him. Anfey reflexively wanted to punch the figure, then he realized it was Hagan. He held back his punch in time.
“What are you doing?” Anfey asked as he helped Hagan up.
“I’ll tell you later,” Hagan said hurriedly, then dashed out to the walkway that led to the building.
Anfey smiled and shook his head. He had an idea what Hagan was doing. After all, he was the one who told Hagan about the possibility of having an alchemist’s lab in a magic lab.
“Lord Saul is not in the lab right now,” the swordsmaster that opened the door said. “Please come with me.”
“Where is he?”
“The practice field.”
Anfey nodded quietly and followed the swordsmaster. The man led Anfey down a long, winding stairway and turned down a hallway. At the end of the hall was a heavy black gate.
“What is Master Saul doing in there?” Anfey asked.
The swordsmaster smiled. “I am not in the position to know that,” he said. “I cannot go in there.” Then the man turned around and walked away.
Anfey walked up to the door and pushed on it. There was another door inside of the same size and material. Unlike the door on the outside, there were dozens of magical runes carved on the sides of the gate.
Anfey closed the outer door. He tapped the runes on the side of the door, and the door glided open.
Anfey saw that the young unicorn was walking around in a circle of purple light. It was walking very slowly, as if it was hurt or tired. Saul was standing next to the light with Bruzuryano next to him.
“Lord Saul,” Anfey called. “You were looking for me?”
“Yes,” Saul said. He pointed at the unicorn. “It needs you.”
“What happened to it?” Anfey asked. Before he could finish, the unicorn suddenly smashed into the light and caused it to buzz quietly. The unicorn was thrown back and crashed into the ground. Its eyes were full of uneasiness and fear, and its blue eyes appeared as if filled with tears.
“It’s growing fast,” Bruzuryano commented. “It already knows that it will be throw back by the shield.”
“What is this?” Anfey asked. He felt uncomfortable seeing the unicorn so sad. Anfey knew that this was because of Tear of Stars, but he did not mind. The unicorn had been his child since the first time he picked up it.
“Just some experiments,” Saul said. “Don’t worry, it’s good for it.” Saul turned to Bruzuryano and said, “As far as I know, unicorns take twenty years to mature. This thing is growing so fast. Almost too fast.”
“So this is what you’re curious about,” Bruzuryano said.
“Yes.”
“Then you should stop here. Don’t forget,” Bruzuryano said. “He is chosen by the Heart of Nature.”
“You’re saying…”
“It will soon become a matured unicorn, I am certain,” Bruzuryano said. “Its rate of maturity would decrease significantly. Maybe Anfey could become a paladin in thirty years.”
“Thirty years?”
“Are you unsatisfied with that?” Bruzuryano asked with chuckle. “The Heart of Nature is limited, and the unicorn’s bloodline affects the rate of maturity as well. The fastest it can reach maturity is thirty years.”
“The mother is an evolved unicorn,” Anfey said suddenly.
“What?” Bruzuryano frowned and asked.
“Its mother,” Anfey said. “She was already evolved. There is no doubt about its bloodline.”
Bruzuryano frowned at Anfey. “I’m not saying you’re a liar, Anfey, but what you’re saying is almost unreal. Even we would not go near an evolved unicorn.”
Anfey shrugged.
“How did you come by this thing, anyway? Even the mother herself is enough to kill you a dozen times over,” Bruzuryano said, staring at Anfey. He knew about the unicorn, but not its origins. He needed to know.
Anfey looked at Saul, who nodded. “We came by it by accident,” he said. “Its mother was fighting a manticore and lost.”
“Impossible,” Bruzuryano said. “An evolved unicorn is more than enough to kill a manticore.”
“It had just been born then,” Anfey said.
“I see,” Bruzuryano said with a sigh. “Tragic. I wonder why a manticore would challenge an unicorn.”
“I don’t know,” Anfey lied. “They were already fighting when we saw them.” Of course he couldn’t tell the truth. He knew the unicorns were holy creatures to the followers of the Goddess of Nature, and telling the truth would possibly turn Bruzuryano against him.
“Then you saw it?”
Anfey nodded.
“I don’t know what to say,” Bruzuryano sighed. “Really, you should have been a follower of the Goddess. You must be blessed by the Goddess herself.”
“I know why the Heart chose him,” Saul said.
“What is it?”
“He ingested Tear of Stars.”
Bruzuryano sighed and shook his head. “How did you get that now?”
“Its mother was dying but so was the manticore,” Anfey said. “I wanted to help the unicorn so I killed the manticore. Then we found the Tear of Stars and Christian told me to eat it.”
Bruzuryano opened and closed his mouth a few times, and finally only sighed. “Like I’ve said, you must be blessed by the Goddess herself. It is a shame that you choose not to follow her.”
“Don’t forget that he’s my student,” Saul said with a smile. “You are becoming more and more like Slanbrea.”
“No one said otherwise,” Bruzuryano said. “Are you saying that you will reject him if he chooses to follow the Goddess? Tell me, Saul, how often do you come across someone as lucky as he?”
“He’s my student. He’s special.”
“He’s not special,” Bruzuryano snapped. “Just tell me yes or no.”
“This is Anfey’s choice,” Saul said. “You should ask him.”
Anfey frowned. He had expect Saul to handle the situation. “I just want to study magic right now,” he said hesitantly. “Religion is not my concern yet. I can promise, though. As long as the followers of Goddess of Nature do not harm me and my friends, I will not harm them.”
“To hell to that,” Bruzuryano said. “My people have never harmed Saul’s students, and never will. Or else I would turn into Slanbrea.”
“Slanbrea? What did he do?” Anfey asked, surprised.