章節 134: Joy and tears
When we arrived at the town hall, the first light of dawn was already breaking. The fires had been extinguished, and people had gathered to welcome the guards who had successfully recovered the stolen gold. To avoid attracting attention, we split up with the mayor and took a different route back. We still had some work to do in the city, and unnecessary attention could only hinder us.
"Grain, Levris, you've both become quite skilled at handling magic," I said, deciding to thank our mages who had saved us multiple times that day.
"Yes, all thanks to Master Grivor. Can you imagine? It turns out he built our guild headquarters without even leaving the village."
"Oh, that explains everything. I couldn't understand how the rector managed it in such a short time. We should thank him later."
"Yes, once we get some rest, we'll definitely visit him," Grain paused for a moment, trying to recall something important. "Oh, right! Rizel, I think what he said before he left was meant for you."
"Me? But I've never met him."
"Well, he said literally: 'Tell your little necromancer that she had a wonderful mother.' I wonder what that was about."
Rizel froze in place, and everyone stopped, waiting for her response.
"Take me to him," the girl muttered the words barely audible.
"Are you sure?"
"YES!"
Grain exchanged a glance with Levris but didn't argue with the necromancer.
"Fine, let's go to him. Hopefully, he's not asleep."
The trio left, and I turned to Aileen.
"Maybe we should also visit someone?"
"Huh?"
"Perhaps we should thank the architect for her help?"
"And at the same time, share some good news with her."
I took Kurone's hand.
"Let's go. I think it's also worth introducing you to the one whose mind you boldly entered."
"O-okay," the girl nodded timidly and glanced at the others.
"No, we still need to watch over Ragni, so we'll stay here," Katrina waved at us and then helped carry the sleeping dragoness into the house.
Three young individuals appeared on the doorstep of the wealthiest house in the city. It was around five o'clock in the morning, and it was unlikely they would be allowed in, but Serena should not be asleep right now.
"Young people, what do you want at such an early hour?" The butler seemed to have just woken up and did not expect to see guests.
"Um, we wanted to visit Lady Serena."
"I remember that you are the blacksmith's assistants, but do you realize what time it is? The lady deserves rest; come back later."
"Yes, perhaps we shouldn't have come now, but I think after today's events, she couldn't fall asleep."
The butler gave the trio a suspicious look but agreed to ask the lady's opinion. Fifteen minutes later, the butler returned and escorted us to the upper room.
"Lady will see you, but please be aware that I will inform the master."
The butler let us into the room and closed the door.
"Krito, Aileen, I'm glad to see you," the girl with white hair enthusiastically waved at us.
"Hello, I never thought this bridge was your creation. You never cease to amaze me," Aileen hugged Serena and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Thank you, but I only came up with the idea. I didn't know it was possible to create it so quickly with magic."
"Oh, by the way, all this became possible thanks to this girl," I pointed to Kurone, and she shyly waved her hand. "She is not only intelligent and beautiful but also possesses special talents."
"Mmm, Krito, don't embarrass me like that. Serena, right? I wanted to apologize for intruding into your mind without asking. I had never tried to fully connect the minds of several people before. I hope you didn't feel bad?"
"So that's your power? It's amazing! For the first time, I didn't feel as weak and fragile as I usually am in ordinary life. I even enjoyed it, as if I was controlling that mighty magic myself."
"Well, sorry, we didn't bring the mages themselves with us; they had urgent matters."
"No, I'm glad to have any guests, besides, I can watch over you from here."
"I promise to introduce you to everyone personally at our next meeting."
"No need to bother. I plan to attend the festival soon, and I hope to meet you all there."
"Oh, yes, it will also be the last day we'll be in the city. We are also helping the local school put on a play about the adventures of heroes... um... So I hope you'll appreciate our efforts."
"I will definitely come to watch."
"By the way, good news!" Aileen joined the conversation. "We convinced the blacksmith, so the gift for you will be made by me, and I promise to create something incredible!"
"Hey, proud imperial engineer, just so you know, WE will make the gift," I playfully waved my hand in front of the girl.
"Oh, right. Okay, you can make the frame then, just make sure it fits my measurements precisely. Mmm, and don't overdo it with too many decorations; all its functionality will be hidden inside!"
"What are you planning to make?"
"Ho-hoo," Aileen proudly raised her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm going to make a clock!"
"What? I can imagine all kinds of clocks: sand clocks?"
"No!"
"Perhaps sundials or water clocks?"
"No, of course not! Don't you have mechanical clocks?!"
"Mmm, well, there are some, for example, there's a tower in the Academy, and there's something similar in the capital too, but don't you think they would be too big for a gift?"
"Oh my goodness, how do you live without such a simple thing?! Of course, I'll make mechanical clocks that Serena can carry in her pocket or wear as a pendant."
"Hm? How interesting will you manage to do that? They have quite complex mechanisms inside."
"Don't worry, I'll figure it out somehow. Inside, there are many tiny parts, but I think I can handle it, especially after what I saw on the bridge. I believe Grain will help me with that."
"Well then, I will also create a frame worthy of such a complex mechanism."
"But if you leave in ten days, you won't have time to do all this," Serena looked saddened.
"Don't worry, if Krito promised something, he will definitely deliver," Kurone patted the girl on the shoulder. "I'm sure everything will turn out fine."
We spent a long time talking with the room's owner. Serena was interested in everything, from life at the Academy to our adventures, and she keenly examined the meteorite blades with intricate patterns. From some of her musings, she even mentioned that they were no less than three thousand years old and was astonished that they didn't crumble and instead returned to their original form after being melted down.
Two figures appeared at the room's door.
"Sir, are you sure it's wise to allow strangers to see the lady?"
"It's fine. I'm glad she has made friends among her peers. I'd like to give her more time."
The earth mages were heading towards the hut outside the city, and the necromancer kept persuading them to pick up the pace.
"Rizel, why are you rushing us like this? And why did that phrase trouble you so much?"
"It doesn't matter. I just want to talk to this person as soon as possible."
"I've never seen you so agitated," Grain looked surprised at the girl. "Is this related to your mother and who she was?"
"Well," Rizel slowed down and calmed down a bit. "I actually don't know her. I only know that she was a very powerful necromancer, but I grew up in a foster family."
"Hmm, then how could he recognize you," Levris pondered. "Besides, he didn't even know your name."
"Well," Rizel lowered her head and muttered under her breath, barely audible. "Necromancers inherit the appearance of their parents. Maybe I resemble her."
"Wait," Grain stopped abruptly. "That's nonsense; you never take off your cloak. There are rumors even at the Academy that you sleep and take baths with it on. Some even say you're actually a ghost, and only your cloak and staff are material."
"WHAT NONSENSE!!" Rizel snapped her staff to the ground angrily. "I-I-I just don't like showing my face to people, that's all! Well, when I'm alone, I do take off the cloak sometimes, but only after closing the door."
"Grain," Levris tugged at the young mage's sleeve and whispered in his ear, "I read that necromancers don't age, but after gaining power, their bodies change to reflect the age corresponding to their abilities."
"Mmm," Grain's face showed intense thought. "In other words, she's immortal, buuut... at sixteen years old, she might look like a hundred-year-old woman!?!??!"
The last two words were said particularly loudly, earning him a powerful hit on the head with the silver skull.
"I AM NOT AN OLD LADY!!!" Rizel slammed the young mage to the ground with a single strike.
"Really?" Grain skeptically looked under the cloak, but as before, there was nothing visible except impenetrable darkness.
"REALLY!!" The girl adjusted her cloak, lowering the hood a bit.
"Still, where could he have seen you?"
"Hmm, well, I took off my cloak once when I was alone in the room," Rizel tried to recall recent events. "Ah, right! Back in school, I changed clothes to not scare the students..."
"Completely?"
"Well, I put on a wig, glasses, and a simpler dress."
"Don't you think that's too much disguise for children who don't know you anyway? Or could it be that you really are an old lady?" Grain raised an eyebrow thoughtfully, but a threatening shaking of the staff in front of his face made the mage retreat quickly.
"No, I... I didn't really think about it, we could've done without it."
"Wait," Levris paused to think. "You changed the dress too?"
"Yes, I only had my uniform, and I didn't want to appear in it, so I bought a simple dress."
"And Grivor could have only seen you then?"
"Yes, why are you..." Something began to dawn on Rizel. "I'm going to kill that old man!!!"
The girls nodded at each other with determination and hurried towards the hut. Shrugging his shoulders, Grain obediently followed them.
"GRIVOR!!!" Levris had been futilely banging on the hut's door for ten minutes now. "Open up, you old pervert! Not only did you harass me, but you also spied on the girls changing clothes!"
"It's strange, where could he have disappeared to," Grain peered through the window, but there were no signs of movement inside.
"He's probably hiding; he couldn't have gone far at this hour. Grivor!!!" The teacher continued pounding on the door, while Rizel decided to search for another entrance to the house.
"The house is quite small; are you sure such a great mage lives here, as you described?"
"Yeah, well, he said he liked seclusion and didn't like working too much, so he built this small house off the beaten path."
Rizel peeked around the back of the house, where the rising sun's rays illuminated the ledge where the battle between great mages had recently taken place.
"Oh, Rizel, we had a bit of a scuffle there. There must be quite a mess."
"Hmm," Rizel stepped behind the house. "It doesn't seem that way to me. It's as if no one has been here for a long time."
The earth mages exchanged glances and followed the necromancer. There were no traces of the recent battle on the cliff; the ground was intact and smooth, without any signs of magic. Despite its rocky structure, it was covered with grass, something that had never been there before. And right before the edge, the stone that had served as the great mage's chair for a long time could be seen, although it seemed to have grown several times larger.
"What happened here? Everything has changed!" Levris bent down to the ground, checking whether the grass was an illusion. Grain went to the stone at the edge and stopped after circling it from the other side.
"Levris, do you know what happens to the contractors after their death?"
"Hmm, well, if we believe what's written in books, they merge with the spirit with whom they made the contract in another world."
"And what happens to their bodies?"
"That's more complicated. They're not entirely human, and many live longer than the human body can last."
"Don't you know?"
"I've only read that their bodies return to the element to which the contractor's soul belonged."
"Then everything is clear. Come here."
Grain stepped back a bit, and the girls approached the stone. In the sunlight, the stone took on a peculiar shape. It resembled a figure of a person sitting on the stone and gazing into the distance.
"It seems he deceived us until the very end. When he sent us in pursuit of the killers, he knew we wouldn't see each other again."
Levris fell to her knees in front of the statue and burst into tears. Although they had known each other for only a few days, the great mage had become her best teacher.
"He was a great mage, though he preferred to live as a recluse," Grain placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and leaned closer, "The important thing is that he managed to pass on his knowledge to us, and I believe he would want us to continue passing it on to other mages."
"Why didn't he say anything earlier?" Rizel sat on the edge of the cliff, trying to avoid the gazes of the mages. "I had hoped that someone would tell me about my mother. I never knew her, and your words were my last hope."
"I'm sorry; apparently, he didn't want to tell you about her. But if I understood him correctly, your mother was the only girl he loved."
"But Grain, that necromancer died centuries ago," Levris recalled Grivor's story.
"Hmm, yeah, I must have been mistaken."
"Yeah, probably," Rizel turned away, trying to avoid the mages' eyes.
The great mage, the contractor of the spirits of the earth, had passed away, but his magic had been bestowed upon a new generation.
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