Episode 10 Change
In the stillness of the deep night, the mage closed his magic book, having prepared several spells for the next day's battlefield. In such large-scale confrontations, unless one possesses the power of a Great Mage like Kuziman, it's better to be well-versed in supportive spells. The battlefield is always the realm of warriors.
Wislin and Morgan had just returned from the training ground, where the dwarf insisted on learning how to ride a horse from Wislin. The poor quasi-knight, not yet healed, was dragged to the horse arena, trying hard to help the "race from the cave" onto a horseback. According to Wislin, initially, the dwarf sat on a regular warhorse and found he couldn't place his legs in the stirrups, falling off five times; finding a shorter horse, the dwarf's swaying caused the horse to lose balance, throwing him off another five times; the dwarf then thought of tying his legs to the saddle, but with the high center of gravity, every turn and jump led to both man and horse crashing down seven or eight times. In the end, the horse refused to get up, spiritedly resolved that "I'd rather die than fall again." Reluctantly, Wislin pulled the unsatisfied dwarf back. Watching the dwarf simulate a galloping charge on a chair with outstretched arms, the mage couldn't help but marvel at the physical resilience of the Dwarf Race. If it were him, falling twice from a galloping horse would certainly shatter his bones, spelling his end. "Tomorrow, I'll ride across the Whistling Plain's grassland and charge into the giants' forces. I'll smash one on the left with a hammer, another on the right with an axe, and let my horse give them a hoof. Muahahaha! Just like that, Morgan the dwarf knight, the Giant Slayer, will victoriously drive those invaders back into the Harsh Winter Forest, never daring to run wild in the south again. In the future, Morgan Torch Torak's name will be inscribed on Moon Harbor City's hero monument!" Wislin burst out laughing, spraying the water he was drinking: "Brother Morgan, is your middle name 'Torch'? No wonder you never mentioned it. Hahaha, it doesn't suit you at all!" The dwarf realized he had slipped up, blushing deeply and about to justify himself when the mage interrupted. "Morgan, what did you just say?" The mage suddenly stood up, asking urgently. "My name. Are you going to laugh at me too? Torch it is then! My torch is better than..." "No, no, the sentence before your name!" "I drove them into the Harsh Winter Forest, and they no longer dared to run wild in the south..." The mage covered his forehead, finally realizing what had been nagging at him; it was the giants' massive deforestation on the eve of battle. The Harsh Winter Forest was over 20 kilometers from Moon Harbor City; even though his senses were much sharper than an average human, hearing the sound of trees falling from so far wasn't easy. But since he'd heard it, it pointed to one possibility —the giants' deforestation was on a massive scale. What did these giants need so much wood for? The notion churned in Lynch's mind. This unknown danger had been tormenting his mental faculties. But regardless, he decided to alert either the duke or a knight to it, hoping that, understanding the battlefield, they could discern the giants' intentions immediately. With a brief word to Wislin and the dwarf, Lynch headed for Duke Gangsa's mansion. Feeling uncomfortable since his residence at Duke Gangsa's place, Lynch had moved out. He found a quiet room in Knight Macken's castle and forced his stay there. Macken, a Paladin, wouldn't do anything to him. That was Lynch's reasoning then. The duke's mansion was unusually quiet today; only two guards were patrolling the entrance, and the entire house was dark, except for two lit rooms on the third floor. Lynch estimated those were the duke's meeting rooms. It seemed the lord hadn't slept yet. The guards at the gate were the duke's personal escorts, notoriously hard-headed, interrogating anyone approaching the duke. Usually, with the duke nearby, the mage wouldn't need any checks, but now, without the duke to waive the process, not wishing to interact, the mage used a simple Invisibility Technique to bypass them. Inside, it was pitch-dark, with not many candles burning and no servants around. Lynch felt something was amiss; he employed the Eye of Insight and Mage Armor spells, then quietly walked onto the second floor. "Do you understand? Do it this way tomorrow!" Lynch faintly heard a hushed conversation and immediately stopped moving, listening intently. "Moon Harbor City's defenses are indeed robust, but not without flaws..." Kuziman!! It was him! Lynch could hardly believe his ears. What was a Great Mage doing here? Lynch quietly approached the source of the sound. "Remember, call this thing to 'that person.' Bring some more people, moving these items myself will be quite the hassle. Don't worry about anything else. I'll handle it naturally." "Then, how about dealing with that little False?" "He won't pose any threat to me, even if he's eavesdropping right now!" Lynch was aghast; he had been discovered! With a mere gesture, his body was enveloped by various protective spells. Using the spell sequence he had learned, the Elemental Protection Shield and Negative Energy Protection Barrier were immediately activated. But just then, a dark red ray from the direction of the Great Mage pierced through the wall, striking the young mage directly. Lynch realized that with so many spell protections, they were merely a thin layer of paper. A whirling sensation struck Lynch's mind; concurrently, his guts and heart felt like they were speared through and twisted by a lance, churning his insides. Lynch couldn't hold on, his legs weakened, and he knelt on the floor. "Good protection spells, but your tricks are things I abandoned decades ago." Great Mage Kuziman walked out from the room, grinning at Lynch. "My young student, a rare genius in decades, or perhaps the most talented student in the academy's history..." Kuziman held up Lynch's chin, gazing into Lynch's completely black eyes without whites, "The Eye of Insight? Looks like that fellow Caso taught you quite a bit! You're still far behind, indeed!" "Quit rambling, hurry up and finish him; there are other tasks to attend to," a giant figure cloaked in black behind the Great Mage spoke, its voice sounding like it came from a muzzle full of missing teeth. Lynch, straining to focus his vision, saw through the shadow cast by the black hood a pair of yellow eyes, their black pupils line-thin, exuding a bloodthirsty aura. "Ha, do you not realize, it's a work of art, a Heavenly God's artifact, it's a person! Hahaha, one of the perfect life forms." Kuziman withdrew his right hand, causing Lynch's head to droop powerlessly. "Do you enjoy watching exquisite porcelain shatter on the ground? The flying shards, the clear sound, know what they're saying? They're cheering for freedom, haha, freedom..." "Now, I grant you freedom!" Kuziman raised his hand, muttering obscure spells, and a black aura swirled from his hand. Instantly, this hand struck Lynch's head. No sound, no agonized screams, the young mage simply collapsed. The yellow-eyed figure opened a large door beside the passage, carrying Lynch's body inside. "No one will come to this room; you chose quite the place," Kuziman gave Lynch one last look. "Remember my words. Now, leave."