บท 13: 13
Hello everyone, I am the author, and I must warn you that during the week, the frequency of chapter postings decreases due to my job. However, I will try to post a chapter daily.
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On a ship docked in a Noxian city's harbor, a group of three hooded individuals spoke.
"Didn't you say we were going to Ionia? Why are we secretly boarding a ship bound for Demacia?" Katarina whispered to Mark as the three, with the third being Riven, boarded the vessel.
As he stepped onto the ship, Mark offered a small prayer to Janna and replied to Katarina, "I have some matters to settle in Demacia first. There are many talented mages there I want to recruit, and I also need to meet a certain woman." He shivered briefly as he said this.
"A certain woman?" Katarina whispered, but Mark could sense the dangerous tone in her voice. "Changing the subject, why are you coming along, Riven?" Feeling his life in danger, he quickly turned to Riven, who was standing with them.
"General Swain said that if you tried to act without informing him, I should follow you," Riven said in a professional tone, making Mark sigh as he braced himself for the long journey ahead.
The three quickly boarded the transport ship. It was designed for noble tourists and rare goods, so they were provided separate quarters.
Soon, the trio occupied a luxurious cabin, and Mark could feel the glances of sailors and other travelers aboard, watching as he led two beautiful women into the room.
"He must be a rich young lord."
"I envy him; those women look strong. Maybe that's his thing?"
"Damn, while we're working hard to survive, he's living in luxury!"
The sailors' words stung because Mark had once been in their shoes, but he could only smile bitterly and close the door behind them.
At that moment, Katarina threw herself onto the bed. "I have another question: If we're going to Demacia and cause trouble with our identities, won't that lead to armed conflict? While I know Noxus doesn't fear fights, I doubt our families would be pleased," Katarina said, and Mark gave a sly smile before pulling three masks from his cloak—two fox masks and one lamb mask.
Since his previous mask had broken, Mark personally ordered three new masks made of better materials, carved by a local master craftsman.
"From today onward, we're a group of magical revolutionaries. I'm the fire mage, Mark!" he declared boldly, and the two women looked at him as if he were a fool. "Shouldn't you change your name so they don't recognize you? I don't think there are many other people named Mark, let alone fire mages too," Riven questioned, but he just smiled.
"That's the point. If they accuse me later, I can simply claim it was a conspiracy and had nothing to do with me. This is called hiding in plain sight!" he said confidently. It's like the Batman paradox.
Everyone knows Batman is Bruce Wayne, but without proof, it's all speculation because Bruce Wayne always has an alibi and witnesses.
Thus, doubt always lingers, and no one can ever reach the truth. "Besides, since my sword broke, I'll only use my firepower to train with it. This will create a break in fighting styles." Finally, the two seemed convinced and took the masks.
Thus began the journey of the trio of revolutionaries to Demacia.
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Meanwhile, in Noxus.
Swain and Du Couteau sat across from each other with serious expressions as they read the spy report on Mark and Katarina.
With each passing moment, Du Couteau's face darkened, especially as he read the end of the report written by the spy who was now working as a butler in the castle.
(Miss Katarina frequently visits Master Mark's room at night and always leaves with a radiant smile.)
"I underestimated him," Swain broke the silence first, tossing the papers on the table with a long sigh. Recently, he had been very pleased with Mark's achievements and planned to formally adopt him into the Swain family, preparing him to inherit the family name.
However, never in his wildest dreams or darkest schemes had he considered that Mark would seduce the Blade of Du Couteau. He had even made plans in case Mark betrayed him, but this possibility was never on his radar.
The issue wasn't that Mark had seduced Katarina; it was *when* he did so and how far their relationship had advanced. If Swain had already adopted Mark, their union, even if fake, would eventually turn the families into powerful allies and be seen as a political shield in the future.
Du Couteau wasn't angry about possibly losing his perfect weapon either. He could always create another—there was no shortage of orphans in Noxus to train as assassins.
The problem was that Mark had shown him no consideration. This was like a slap to the face for Du Couteau, a strictly traditional and rigid man.
The two generals exchanged glances and sighed wearily.
"Young people," they muttered simultaneously, cursing their naivety in thinking that sending two young people on a mission together, practically alone, wouldn't lead to *anything*.
"When will he return to Noxus to formally receive his merits and undergo the adoption ceremony?" Du Couteau asked casually as he picked up a cup of tea, and Swain replied.
"I don't know. He left for Demacia two days ago with your daughter and my envoy." The moment Swain's last word fell, Du Couteau spat his tea all over the table.
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A week later, in a Demacian harbor.
A merchant ship slowly docked, and soon goods and passengers began to disembark. Mark, Katarina, and Riven skillfully blended into the crowd before slipping into the city's safe corners to avoid the guards' inspections.
"Demacia is truly beautiful," Mark murmured, and Katarina nodded in agreement. Before them stretched a dazzling white and blue city.
Petricite—the name of the stone trees with absurd anti-magic properties—was everywhere, in every building, making the entire city shimmer under the sunlight.
"This place is peaceful," Riven commented, hearing the cheerful voices of merchants and citizens and observing the city's calm atmosphere. "It only seems calm on the surface. You may not see it, but this city reeks of hypocrisy, just like all of Demacia," Mark murmured, and the trio began walking through the city.
"What are we doing first?" Katarina asked Mark as they strolled. Mark gave her a wicked smile, "First, we're going to free some prisoners," he said, leading the group out of the city.
Demacia wasn't a large kingdom to begin with, and many mage hunter fortresses were practically exposed to the outside world. With a brief search, Mark quickly identified a mage hunter base near the city where they had landed.
The group swiftly left the city and, donning their masks, entered one of the forests toward the Bay of Clarinets. Demacia was a country full of forests, making infiltration easy, but the only problem was that the forests were filled with magical monsters.
**WARGH!**
A stone-covered bear roared at the group as they ventured deeper. "Wow, that's a big one," Katarina murmured, drawing one of her daggers, while Riven unsheathed a short sword beside her.
Without waiting for any signal, the two rushed toward the bear, which wasted no time swinging a massive claw at Katarina. She smiled and accelerated.
Like a crimson flash, the bear's paw struck Katarina's afterimage, and she swiftly darted past its right leg, stabbing the joint in its knee.
**WARGH!** The bear roared in pain, losing its balance and falling to its knees. Seizing the opportunity, Riven leaped into the air, spinning twice before slashing its eye.
**Slash!**
Blood spurted out as the bear roared in agony again, flailing its claws wildly, but the two women calmly dodged and retreated to a safe distance. At that moment, the stone bear felt a wave of heat rising from its back and turned around.
"I need a cool name for this spell. Let me think," Mark's voice rang out as red flames began gathering in his hands. He combined them into a massive red fireball spinning in the air. "Ah, I've got a good one!" he declared as the fireball spun faster before shooting toward the bear.
"EXPLOSION!" he shouted as the fireball hit the bear, whose face showed despair.
**BOOM!**
An explosion erupted, and red flames shot up to the forest canopy, scattering animals and birds as they fled desperately to save their lives.
**Paf!**
With a loud thud, the bear's charred corpse fell to the ground, emitting a delicious aroma. The group decided to take a break to eat.
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Hello everyone, it's the author here. If you're wondering why Mark can use fire like this now, the answer is simple.
He's constantly growing stronger. I'm trying to show his potential by making his strength increase a little with each chapter.
See you tomorrow!
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