Chapter-19; Astar

After 1 week of missing Tyrell and Azu, we finally reached Astar.

Astar gave a very different vibe compared to Lorvil which had a humble feel to it. Even the people seemed extremely nice and down to earth.

Whereas, Astar was a busy bustling area with mansions at about corner.

People wore beautiful dresses of silk even on a regular day like today.

Even the "small" shops were huge compared to the small shops at Lorvil. There were jewelry shops at every corner. Was it because of the gold mine and traders hall? Beautiful gardens, pavements, well constructed roads, probably alot of illegal businesses going on in the shadows. This place reminded me of L.A.

"Welcome to Astar. We were waiting for your arrival" it was Kaylan! He was one of first person I encountered in this world so I somehow felt slightly comfortable around him.. unlike a lousy jerk named Kaldor, despite being there as well.

They escorted everyone to their rooms and I went with Kaylan for discussion.

"It's been a while. You fought a battle just a month ago and now you're here. You are overworking."

I thought he'd say he expected some "bad news" but he is just too sweet to say that.

"Well, I am a special captain"

"You always say that." Kaylan remarked, as if conditioned to hear that everytime.

So Esmeray and I are similar?

"Though I have heard about how you helped the people who were hurt and the child you're taking care of. It's good to see you can finally do what you have always wanted to do. You've grown so much" Kaylan said with respect in his eyes. It made me feel better as it was rare.

"What do you mean by that though? I wanted to save people but I couldn't?" l asked.

"Ah right, you had amnesia. Well, you always wanted to help people but you couldn't because you only have offensive type attributes. You wanted to help people not just by finishing the one hurting them but you also wanted to heal their scars."

Hah! I always felt I was weak because all l could do was save people only after they're hurt and that too, only before it's too late to save them. And here she is, looking down on herself.

She really is the kind of person I wished to become but who knew she had suffered way more than we could've imagined. In some ways her situation was relatable to mine.

"Also your pessimistic thoughts" he sighed. What did he mean by that?

"Anyway, keep up the good work. Now, what's the important deal? Why are so many strong captains here, all at once?"

"Yes, we have received information that there is going to be an attack within a month." I explained all the details and Kaylan didn't seem surprised.

Now that I think about it, Kaylan could use Fire, air and light attribute. Is it possible that he knows something about the secrets of dark and light magic? I decided to look into it while I was here.

When I finally got time to rest, Heinrich came to my room. We hadn't talked since the last time. I had mentally prepared myself for facing him, guess it's time. He quietly walked and sat down on a chair with a grave expression.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak a maid knocked on the door with our dinner. Once she left, we sat quietly. I had never been this uncomfortable with silence before.

"L-let us eat first." I awkwardly muttered. As he didn't reply, making it awkward even further, I took a sip of water to relax myself.

"You've been going to the forbidden library?" He asked that so easily! I almost threw up.

"Yea? Why do you ask?" I tried to appear calm. There was no need for me to be afraid of him, right?

"Is it because of light or dark attribute?" My breath stopped. Just how much does he know?

"Yes it is. Again, w-why do you ask?" He isn't the type to stalk his crush, is he? He appears to be far more mature than that.

"Tyrell informed me about how he got hurt. I naturally suspected that dark attribute had some relation to time and that light attribute was contrasting to it. It's like they exist to complete an equation."

That's it! He was correct.

Dark magic could reverse time and light magic can forward it! But no such events were ever recorded, why was that? I had to find out the final piece of the puzzel.

"I want to talk to a first division healer. Do you know someone? Possibly.. a rogue?" I asked, still a little unsure if he'd help but my intuition just made me do it.

"There are many in capital, yet you're doing this here to avoid king's suspicions, I believe?" He was just too sharp. If the king found out, he'd go all out to kill Esmeray as he had been wary of her from the time her parents died. Moreover, researching on forbidden spells was deemed a crime during the peace treaty between the 9 big nations, as it could threaten the peace. Needless to say the rule had been broken several time for selfish and evil desires, but no one who found out the "truth", lived to see the next day and the word never got out.

The only thing keeping Esmeray safe from the king, even though he found out about my reasearch, was Esmeray's reputation. Or could it be that someone has been helping me from the shadows?

Being a criminal and an enemy to the emperor of Croydon, the strongest nation among the nine, could've been enough of a reason for my sudden disappearance. Heinrich obviously took on. Guess that's the army incharge for you.

"The emperor could be plotting something big against you if he hasn't made a move already." Heinrich said, visibly worried.

"We need to prioritize things Heinrich. Help me find a healer who would trade information. It's possible here, right? "

He didn't seem pleased but nodded in agreement.

We decided to meet Kaylan the next day and to help us find some healer to buy information, since nothing is free here but everything has a price, you just have to find the right place and the right dealer.

So as planned, Kaylan told us that he would need a few days to look for the right person, till then we continued preparing ourselves for the war and Heinrich and I were back in the ring. Even here everyone would gather up to see our duel. And believe it or not, the scores are 4-3. I had improved since last time! We were almost equal!

Days passed by as I continued to work harder to improve my speed and response time. If I encounter the guy who used dark magic, I would have to be fast. If he managed to hurt someone as strong as Tyrell then at this level, I would only turn out to be a backlog.

After about two weeks, Kaylan told us he had found out about a place where some illegal auctions were held. Everything is available there, from valuables to information and we will be able to buy the information we need as well.