Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Oh? It's actually a Second-Class Apprentice."
Freya glanced curiously at the person ahead, who was awkwardly trying to help a fallen horse back on its feet.
Beneath his black raincoat, he wore a gray robe, and on the left side of his chest was an obvious badge shaped like a coiled silver serpent.
Just seeing that badge made Freya's pupils constrict slightly.
"A Serpent's Tooth Tower apprentice."
The headquarters of Serpent's Tooth Tower was not very far from Elgreen Academy, so encountering an apprentice from Serpent's Tooth Tower in this location was not particularly surprising.
However, although the two Wizard Organizations were close in proximity, they were also adversarial, often clashing over resources or territory at least once or twice a year.
Freya remembered that when Aishebun defected to Serpent's Tooth Tower, her bounty was still listed in their mission board. It had little impact on her since she had been suddenly reassigned.
Now that she unexpectedly encountered an apprentice from Serpent's Tooth Tower, she couldn't help but feel a bit wary.
As the carriage approached, Freya caught a glimpse of the boy's face beneath the hood; he looked to be only about thirteen or fourteen years old.
Though he was cursing under his breath, there were clear tear stains at the corners of his eyes, and he bore no trace of bloodshed.
"Probably just a kid who has recently been promoted to Second-Class." She shook her head slightly and gently flicked the reins, as the Black Carriage passed indifferently by the boy and the horse.
The journey was neither too close nor too far; aside from needing to traverse forest paths, they would also pass through several towns before reaching their destination.
As they got closer to the Dias Mountains, Freya felt the air becoming increasingly thick with Energy Particles.
Occasionally, she would encounter some non-human intelligent beings in the forest.
All of this filled her with a sense of nostalgia.
However, after encountering that ghost, Freya decided it would be better to rest in town rather than camp outside.
After all, this place was close to a war-torn Wizarding Area. The dangers here were beyond what Katia could compare to, especially given her significantly reduced strength at the moment.
The gloomy sky gradually darkened, and the rain continued to fall slowly. Mushrooms emitting a faint glow lined the sides of the road, guiding her direction.
The night wind occasionally rustled through the treetops, creating a swishing sound.
Around eight ten in the evening.
The carriage had been traveling through the forest for quite some time, and the path gradually widened in the darkness. At the end of the road was an intersection, with a brown signpost standing beside it.
Sitting in the carriage, Freya picked up an oil lamp, and the orange-yellow light illuminated the signpost.
The left path led to Berg Town, while the right one had become indistinct due to the time.
Having discerned the direction, Freya pulled on the reins, guiding the horses toward the left path.
When she left the academy, she had spent a night in Berg Town, so she was somewhat familiar with it.
As they were nearing the town, Freya felt no desire to linger in the carriage.
She brushed away the rainwater from the driver's seat and took control of the carriage herself.
"Whoosh..."
A gust of cold wind mixed with a bit of rain hit her face, feeling somewhat chilly and causing her to shiver slightly.
On either side of the wide road, the trees were no longer dense, and human-built wooden houses began to appear faintly.
A dark town emerged in her line of sight from afar, with a few dim yellow lights still shining, creating a hazy atmosphere.
Freya wiped the rain from her face and hung the oil lamp on a hook at the front of the carriage to illuminate the road ahead.
Soon, the carriage slowly drove into Berg Town.
Outside the only inn in the town.
‘Snap’
A pair of black Leather Boots accidentally stepped into a Puddle, splashing water everywhere.
Freya settled the carriage and pulled out a black leather suitcase, walking towards the inn's entrance.
‘Creak.’
The door was easily pushed open, and it seemed that business inside the inn was not very good. There were only two hunters dressed in Leather Armor drinking and chatting.
One of them appeared to be a bit agitated when suddenly a faint sound of crying emerged, causing Freya to glance over slightly.
Turning back, she walked directly to the inn's front desk and gently tapped it, startling the dozing clerk awake.
He rubbed his eyes and immediately became alert upon seeing Freya at the front desk.
“Guest, may I ask if you are here to stay or...?”
“Staying.” Before he could finish, Freya interrupted him by pulling out a Silver Coin and placing it on the counter.
“Alright. Alright.” Seeing the Silver Coin, a courteous smile appeared on his face. He took out a black wooden plaque and a key from below the counter and said, “Here is your room key; your room is on the second floor. Do you need anything to eat?”
“Um, just a light dinner will be fine.” Taking the plaque and key, Freya nodded.
However, just as she turned to head towards the stairs, the tightly shut inn door creaked again with an unpleasant ‘squeak.’
‘Splash’
A figure in a black raincoat, covered in yellow mud, walked in.
Raindrops dripped from the raincoat onto the wooden floor, making a faint 'patter' sound.
This was suddenly the apprentice from Serpent's Tooth Tower that Freya had encountered on the road earlier.
Watching the boy hurriedly take off his raincoat, Freya's eyes flickered slightly, but she ultimately remained silent and continued to walk toward the second floor.
Following the number on the wooden sign, she quickly found the room.
'Click.'
The door opened.
The pitch-black room had no light at all, and the damp, moldy smell in the air made her frown slightly.
Using the light from the corridor, Freya walked to the table and took out a seed from her waist pouch, gently pressing it onto the wooden surface.
The seed immediately melded into it, and before long, a green sprout began to grow. In almost no time at all, a fist-sized Viper Blossom rapidly bloomed.
Watching the flower fully open, Freya reached out and tapped it, causing orange-yellow light to suddenly glow around the petals.
Feeling the faint warmth radiating from the Viper Blossom, Freya nodded in satisfaction.
"It seems that this side effect isn't entirely bad; it's essentially a constant weakened version of 'Catalysis' on my body."
Gently waving her hand to close the door, Freya set down her suitcase, removed her slightly damp clothes, and changed into a dry nightgown.
Before long, an innkeeper brought her some pastries and white meat soup for dinner.
However, when he saw the glowing peculiar flower on the table, his gaze toward Freya suddenly held a hint of reverence.
She did not pay attention to the change in the innkeeper's expression.
Freya casually flipped through the book she had taken out while eating her food.
When the innkeeper had just delivered dinner, an apprentice from the Serpent's Tooth Tower also entered the room, and from the sound, it seemed they were in the next room.
Logically, Burn Town actually belonged to the influence of Elgreen Academy, but Freya found it puzzling why a low-ranking apprentice from a rival faction would choose to stay here.
'Could it be that they got lost and took a wrong turn?' she thought with a hint of malice.
If that were the case, she was quite looking forward to seeing a bewildered rival apprentice recklessly intrude into the academy.
Even if they wouldn't be killed on the spot, extorting a ransom was definitely on the table.
After finishing her simple dinner, she pushed her plate to the center and stood up.
With a light flick of her finger, a green Thin Line shot toward the door and then vanished.
After completing her warding spell, she sat down on the bed and began her meditation.
Although her mental energy had reached a saturated state, it was still necessary to meditate regularly to ensure its activity.
Moreover, the special mental concentration of the Blue Crystal on her wrist provided her with considerable benefits during meditation.
Time passed slowly.
The once noisy inn fell completely silent. In the entire room, everything seemed frozen except for the Viper Blossom on the table, which continued to emit light.
However, as Freya immersed herself in meditation, the window that had been closed suddenly swung open with a loud creak.
A strong gust of cold wind rushed in.
Freya slightly furrowed her brows and opened her eyes.
The rain outside seemed to have intensified greatly, with a loud pattering sound echoing everywhere.
The cold wind blowing into the room caused the Viper Blossom to sway continuously.
Getting out of bed, Freya walked to the window and looked outside. The fine rain formed a curtain, and the entire town seemed to be immersed in this downpour, quiet and devoid of any sound.
After standing by the window for a moment, just as she reached out to close it, she suddenly noticed something on the roof directly opposite her window. A cluster of dark shadows was flapping around together.
It was a circle of countless Black Crows, seemingly fighting over food.
Trickles of fresh blood slowly flowed down from the roof along with the rainwater.
This made Freya furrow her brows slightly.
‘Swoosh.’
The window made a soft sound as it was blown by the wind.
Suddenly, the group of crows that had been fighting over food came to a halt.
All at once, every crow turned its head to look at Freya, their gazes eerily human-like.
“…”
This unexpected situation startled Freya slightly.
Amidst that flock of crows, she clearly saw what they were fighting over.
It was a White Great Dog, lying horizontally and nearly half the height of a person. Its abdomen had been cut open, revealing an empty cavity, and bright red blood flowed down with the rainwater. The dog's eyes were wide open, and its gaze was fixed on her as well.
A flash of white lightning suddenly streaked across the sky, illuminating half of Freya's face in a ghostly pallor.
The rain seemed to intensify.
In an instant, an inexplicable chill crept down her spine.
"What the hell is that!"
Under the gaze of many eyes, Freya's expression suddenly darkened, and a Black Dagger flashed past in an instant.
Thud!
With a flurry of wings, a flock of crows took flight.
The dagger had plunged deep into the eye of the dog’s head, and black liquid immediately began to flow out.
Glancing at the white dog's corpse still lying on the roof, Freya slammed the window shut and drew the curtains. (To be continued)
Comment 0 Comment Count