Chapter 56: He's Here

Darklian was the resident mage at Barren Fortress. He couldn't even remember how many years he had been there. But he always remembered the pain the Lawson family caused him—the pain of losing his entire family. He slowly removed his mask, revealing the hideous scars on the left side of his face. The burns had twisted the muscles together, making his face look like a piece of clay that had been carelessly molded.

Touching his scarred face, memories of the past flooded back. It was over twenty years ago. Back then, he was young, his future was bright, and he had a beautiful wife. Everything was perfect until a magical genius from his family married into the Lawson family. Everything changed.

The magical genius was involved in developing a magical weapon for the Lawson family. This weapon was immensely powerful and could have altered the balance of the world. However, for unknown reasons, this incomplete weapon ended up in the hands of the enemy nation. This led to a national scandal known as the "Magical Knight Rebellion." Countless people were executed for treason, and his entire family was wiped out. Yet, the mastermind behind it all, the Lawson family, not only emerged unscathed but also prospered.

The sole survivor, Darklian, or rather, Brison Pierre (his real name), was filled with righteous indignation. Darklian was just an alias he used to survive. His only purpose in life was to destroy the Lawson family and make them experience the same pain of annihilation.

The Lawson family left no evidence of their crimes. Unlike others, they did not smuggle goods through other territories but established their own outpost at the border. All maritime goods were officially labeled as the output of this border outpost, allowing them to earn enormous profits without leaving any traceable evidence. This made Brison Pierre extremely frustrated.

However, no matter what, he wouldn't let the Lawson family live in peace, even if he had no one directing his actions. Thinking of the person directing him, Brison Pierre felt a bit anxious. He couldn't understand how this person found him or why they wanted to help him against the Lawson family.

But none of that mattered. As long as it was against the Lawson family, they were allies to him. So, Brison picked up his pen and wrote a letter. After finishing, he grabbed a ball of ink from his desk and muttered a strange incantation. The ink ball transformed into a pitch-black three-eyed crow. Brison placed the letter in a small bamboo tube and tied it to the crow's leg before releasing it out the window.

After completing this, Brison sat back in his chair, closed his eyes to rest for a moment, then put on his mask again. He walked to a large bookshelf and gently pulled a candlestick beside it. With a subtle sound of gears turning, the bookshelf moved aside, revealing a downward-sloping tunnel. Without hesitation, Brison entered the tunnel and soon emerged, carrying a large chest bigger than himself.

He left his study, went to the stable, and fetched his horse, ready to head out. Hearing the commotion, Alan came out, "Teacher, why are you heading out so late? Let me go for you!"

"I'm just going to check the fortifications," Brison replied casually. After a moment of thought, he added, "If I'm not back by morning, you must leave the fortress and head to the magic tower 500 miles away. If you get there first, follow Teacher Dada and continue your studies. Understand?"

"Ah!" Alan was shocked. "Teacher, why do you say that? Why would I need to go to Teacher Dada?"

"Don't ask so many questions. Just do as I say. Understand?"

"Understood!"

Seeing his disciple nod, Brison mounted his warhorse and pretended to head toward the city walls. Once out of Alan's sight, he took another route, galloping toward the Lawson family territory. The horse he rode was his personal armored horse, larger than regular warhorses and covered in square hard scales, making it look armored. Besides its unique appearance, the horse excelled in stamina, endurance, load-bearing, and speed.

Riding his armored horse, Brison quickly reached the boundary stone of the Lawson territory. He didn't advance further but rode into the woods, finding a relatively open spot to stop. He dismounted and opened the large chest he brought. The chest emitted a silver glow as it opened. Brison smiled slightly and began equipping himself with the items inside.

Meanwhile, Ethan and Aphrael sat in the captain's cabin, warming themselves by the fire and chatting over coffee. Since arriving on the pirate ship, Aphrael had spent the entire day wrapped in a blanket on the couch, refusing to come out. Ethan, curious about how she managed this, teased, "You've been lying in the blanket all day. Aren't you tired?"

"No, it's very comfortable," Aphrael lazily replied. "If you and Miss Angelina could keep it down while mating at night, I might get up tomorrow."

Ethan felt extremely awkward. Angelina always moaned loudly, and even when he tried covering her mouth, it didn't help. Ultimately, he had to let her be. Having someone mention it and use the term "mating" so formally made Ethan very uncomfortable. He didn't want to continue the conversation. "Alright, I'll keep that in mind. Since this is quite private, let's change the topic. How about you tell me about your personal experiences?"

Aphrael shook her head and, with a serious expression, said, "Actually, I'm very curious. Why are humans so obsessed with reproduction? Can you tell me?"

Looking at Aphrael, who was serious but spoke such bold words, Ethan didn't know how to respond. After some thought, he said, "Haven't you had a partner before?"

"No," Aphrael shook her head. "But I once joined an adventure team. You know what an adventure team is, right? A group that explores and takes on various missions. There was a warrior in the team who wanted me to be his partner and mate with him, but I refused because he was too young."

Ethan's mouth twitched involuntarily. "Too young in age?"

"Yes. He was only 42 at the time, which I found too young. Also, his lifespan was too short, and I didn't want to live alone afterward."

"Wow! It seems humans really aren't suitable for you. You should find another elf."

"I think so too," Aphrael nodded. "But if you're willing, we could mate. On the condition that you teach me how to train eagles."

Ethan's face changed instantly. Seeing his reaction, Aphrael frowned. "You don't like me, do you?"

"It's not that! You don't need to do that because we've already made a deal. If my teacher agrees, I'll teach you the skill," Ethan replied, his eyes shifting to the window.

"But I can't wait. You don't understand how eager I am to learn this skill right now. Didn't your teacher say you shouldn't teach it to outsiders? If we mate, according to your human customs, I wouldn't be considered..."

Aphrael hadn't finished when Ethan put a finger to his lips. "Shh! We'll talk about this later. He's here!"