August 28, 582 – Fourth Great Era (Era of Prosperity)

  [Millennia passed. Each civilization rose then crumbled, bringing and leaving behind values of culture, language, and knowledge, along with countless achievements for anyone who could reach them.

  A world both old and new, overflowing with injustice for those cursed by fate. Gods shaped the earth and raised the sky, breathing life into a world that already possessed the dead heart of its predecessor.

  Hundreds of historians and occultists plunged into the search for truth through knowledge. Yet, even the seemingly most harmless actions led to unimaginable doom—those were acts of blasphemy against the entities on high, entities that the mind of any lower life form could never comprehend.

  Destruction came to humanity, and destruction was inevitable. Nightly prayer was meaningless, yet it was the very glue that bound the decay back to the peak of glory.

  And those entities always watched, always observed, always judged. Among them, there was love for this world, but there were also those who hated it. Its heart belonged to its predecessor—the old civilizations that dared to place themselves on equal footing with the divine entities. Their end was utter extermination.

  However, in the hour of deepest despair, that entire civilization utilized its final strike of annihilation, dragging an entity down to the grave with them. The whole world collapsed, leaving behind a heart called the "Iron Core" suspended high in the sky. That heart absorbed the entities killed in that final blow, leading to the formation of mana—the energy that covers the entire world, also the agent for all things mysterious.

  And then... time just passed. There were entities that later became the gods of nature; land and sky gradually returned, embracing that heart once more. Living creatures began to form, then civilizations appeared one after another. The origin of all things we see today is, for the most part, merely a reflection of what that destroyed civilization once managed to achieve.

  There is no longer any evidence showing what the existence of that last ancient civilization was like. It is only through a few people with powerful divination abilities that a tiny corner of it can be envisioned. Current limits do not allow any assertion to go further. We can only pray that our fate will not be like our predecessor's...]

  "...So confusing."

  A young woman was scratching her head, her brown hair tousled and messy, her frame somewhat slender but bearing birthmarks—or rather, scars—showing she had been through many battles, however small. She was reading the journal of the scholar Augustatus about the formation of the world. It was incredibly difficult to understand because what was written inside had nothing to compare or reference. Essentially, it was nonsense.

  Folding the journal, she pressed her face down onto the wooden table. The musty smell from the rain two days ago still remained. She could hear the creaking from the chair. Tilting her head to the left, she looked at the door leading downstairs. She didn't even bother going out, having wasted the entire night just trying to read it. A feeling of helplessness surged up; her lips trembled with anger.

  "If only I understood this person's thoughts... I'm sure I'd be able to read it..."

  That hollow self-consolation did not help the young woman feel better; on the contrary, a sense of boredom spread through her mind. Not a bit of interest in her hobby remained. She stood up, stretched her body, and cracked her knuckles; the snapping sounds reminded her of the harm of sitting in one position for too long—her back was crying out for help after being tortured like this.

  "Haaa... So sleepy..."

  She rubbed her eyes, staggered toward the clothes rack, and changed into a new outfit for today: a thin layer of clothing covering the important parts, followed by the main outer coat to block the erratic weather of the past few days, put on long trousers and wore a belt along with something else at her hip. She glanced over at the chainmail, thinking for a moment:

  Should I? I'm running out of money again, and there isn't much in the village... I'll probably have to go into the city to find a new quest. Have to buy many things too. So annoying...!

  Thinking so, she put on the chainmail, then attached spaulders, and finally threw on a mud-brown cloak. And the more important thing—though it didn't bring aesthetic value, it was more necessary than for others of the same age: a flat kettle hat was placed on her head, then a pointed cloth hat was layered on top to hide the kettle hat, ensuring that when the cloth hat was pulled down, it would pull the kettle hat along with it. That cloth hat was the standard trademark for mages, and because it was large, she could hide a few things in its spacious interior. Though that also made her doubt her sense of aesthetics quite a bit.

  Stepping downstairs, the quiet space made the entire kitchen feel as if it had lost something unknown yet very familiar. A form of nostalgic effect from a weary spirit, which even sleep wouldn't improve. The nightmares from her time studying at the Edinburgh Comprehensive Academy were enough to make a good night's sleep gradually become a luxury for the rest of her life.

  She went to the kitchen area, in no mood to cook anything. There was a bit of cold mushroom soup left over from yesterday. The young woman thought for a bit, feeling a bit hesitant because it might have been sampled by mice. These mice could cause powerful diseases, and it wasn't easy to find someone to treat them definitively. With that thought, she shook her head and left the kitchen.

  The parlor was the cleanest room in the house, and the dirtiest could only be her room. This made many long-time acquaintances never want to get close to her. Here was a set of wooden table and chairs, quite simple but sturdy, along with a bookshelf containing some quite good books bought from a poor scholar; it was also quite entertaining, most of them being fairy tales compiled from many regions.

  The young woman stepped to the threshold of the house, putting on her cowhide boots. The wooden staff was made from the hardwood of a black birch tree, topped with a mana stone refined by mineralist mages, or commonly called alchemists. This was the staff she bought from the black market while still at the academy—a large sum of money to have it, and completely worth what it could bring.

  The house door opened, welcoming a new day in a weary manner for the girl. The brilliant, warm morning sunlight revealed the wheat fields nearly ready for harvest; the first drops of sweat of the day also fell down her cheeks.

  The young woman walked on the dirt road, seeing farmers sitting and eating under a tree. From here, she could also hear their talking and laughing. As she passed, one of them saw her in her characteristic outfit, making them surprised enough to start a conversation.

  "Miss Allerian, it's very hot this season, aren't you afraid of the heat wearing that?"

  One man spoke, making the group turn their heads in the direction he was looking; seeing the mage walking, they also sent greetings to the young woman:

  "Greetings, Lady Mage, the weather is beautiful today, isn't it?"

  "Colt, she's a mage, how could a simple heat like this bother her?!"

  "Are you well? Is there something that brings you out like this?"

  The barrage of questions made her stomach contract in pain, making her body tremble slightly. The young woman flashed a bright smile; even though her mood wasn't good, it wasn't worth being pointlessly unpleasant to others.

  "Today I'm going into the city for some business, a few things I need to buy..."

  "So, is there a literacy lesson today?"

  She hesitated a bit, her eyes glancing slightly elsewhere, but she didn't dodge the question: "Not today, so I won't charge for this session. I hope everyone understands."

  "We don't understand anything about your work, but we understand that everyone has to live, just like us... Have a good day!"

  "Yeah, she doesn't always have time to look after us 'common folk’, right?"

  The group of farmers burst into laughter, said goodbye to her, and began their work. The young woman continued walking, feeling her mood improve significantly. Having good, relaxed people like this was nice. Many times, she herself had to thank these simple, honest people. Even they thanked what she did, things like helping to eliminate pests, bringing in some tropical crop seeds to help improve farmers' income, and introducing some nomadic merchants from the vast central plains of the continent.

  Gradually, the stone walls of the city appeared under the sun that was rising higher. The feeling of fatigue was still trying to strike down the young woman, but her will was still strong enough to resist this simple thing.

  The large, dark-black gate gradually became clearer, with long lines of people bustling in front of the city gate—merchants, people standing and chatting. Soldiers in blue-black uniforms sat working to control those entering the city. In remote areas like this, criminals were not rare.

  Anyone needed something to prove their identity if they wanted to bring weapons in, while merchants or commoners wanting to enter would only need a person search. There was no leniency, unless there was a small gift to help the procedure go faster. Naturally, she was no different from those commoners, not rich enough to go in and out as if it were an empty place.

  "Greetings, Miss Allerian, shopping or quest hunting?"

  "Both, but I'm also almost out of money, so I want more to prepare for buying some necessary items."

  "Oh, is that so... then you also know the process, but to make it quick, just answer a few simple questions, be honest, I won't be lenient with criminals." The guard stood with hands on hips, puffing out his chest proudly like a great general on a battlefield.

  "Stop it, Eimel, I consider you the criminal..." The young woman glanced to the side, at a stack of papers piled high like three ancient history books she had bought last week. "Well, looks like we have someone causing trouble, huh?"

  The young fellow Eimel turned red, scratched his head, trying to gloss over the truth: "Come on, Miss Allerian, everyone has a little incident in their work, and it's not like it was because of me... hee hee hee..."

  "I'm sure that's the case..."

  She didn't bother talking to this young man. She just signaled to start the check and answer the questions. Eimel checked her outfit; it had nothing but the young woman's characteristic features.

  The sound of the chainmail vibrated slightly in the soldier's hand; he also checked her pointed hat. He exclaimed a bit:

  "You'll be the mage who leaves the most impression in my life; what kind of person wears armor like that? Doesn't look like any mage I've seen pass through here."

  "What do you know?!" she shouted, pointing her finger at Eimel's face. "I have my own way."

  "This 'own way' seems more strange than unique... Anyway, thanks for the cooperation, have a good day."

  "I also wish you a good day." She placed her hat against her chest, bowed, then entered the city with a body that was quite exhausted.

  The sound of people passing in the market filled her hearing with countless different words:

  "Heard that yesterday at old Decade's house, he spilled oil all over the kitchen."

  "Fresh melons... fresh melons, ladies and gentlemen, only 1 Solérie per fruit. Morning shipment quality here!"

  "Bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, dried ginger powder, and imported white pepper here. Quality goods from Milishial! Hurry before they're gone!"

  "Buy saffron, sir! Only 1 Argentier for every 100 grams!"

  The bustle was as usual; no one seemed to care about the complications of the whole world. The actions of nations that had been stirring for many months.

  If she remembered correctly, the Papaldia government had just issued a grain law, completely removing the cumbersome and expensive intermediary assessment step to be sold on the market. Now a loaf of black bread that previously cost 5 Demi-sol was down to 1 Demi-sol. It could be considered a relief for poor farmers in backward regions.

  If counting the prices of other things, they had also decreased quite a bit, helping to resolve part of the dissatisfaction of the intellectuals in the capital Estaurant, but it seemed to be of no use. She also felt worried about this situation, because she also understood part of the reason leading to this.

  "It's really uncomfortable thinking about a precarious future..." she whispered, walking even faster, unable to waste more time on such thoughts. Passing the row of market stalls in front of the gate, the young woman went to a bakery. The old silver-haired baker with a goatee stood in front of the shop, sweeping before officially opening.

  She stepped up, pulled her hat down, and bowed: "Good morning, Mr. Boulanger, how are the loaves of bread?"

  The baker looked over, his face slightly surprised, joy taking over his features. He took off his hat and bowed back.

  "Little élise, haven't come for a few days, thought you'd found some better shop." He clearly knew she wouldn't easily find a place selling bread as cheap as here, so there was nothing to fear; his dry laughter made the young woman laugh along.

  "I only just opened..."

  "So there's no bread yet?"

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "Who said that? I said I opened the door, but did I say there was none? This kid makes me so annoyed!" His voice growled, pretending to be reproachful. élise was helpless, smiling, tilting her head slightly. Old Boulanger said nothing more, stepped back into the shop, entered the kitchen; the aroma from milk bread wafted in the air. Yet outside, one couldn't smell this delicious scent.

  I have to guide him on how to attract more customers. élise peered around the shop; not having been in the city for a week made this place a bit fresh in her mind, couldn't help a feeling of peace in her soul. A long yawn escaped from the young woman; old Boulanger stepped out with a cart full of milk bread on each level.

  "Lately you've been lacking sleep, haven't you? A loaf of goat milk bread from the Alter region will be the perfect answer. I can also recommend a coffee bean shop, budget goods from Mu."

  élise smiled, reached out to take a loaf of bread, tilted her head forward slightly, smelling the delicate scent from twenty years of craftsmanship. She raised her head, her voice excited to Boulanger: "Five loaves, please?"

  "Five? Why so fancy today, kid?"

  "Ah, just to eat for the whole day... You don't need to worry, occupational hazard."

  Old Boulanger took five loaves of milk bread, stuffed them into the cloth bag hanging on the corner. That made élise surprised; she immediately waved her hands to stop him: "Sir, don't do that, I can do it myse—"

  "Just remember to bring it back... This is from the staff. I don't expect anyone to pity this old man, but you should focus on yourself more, ignore the past and live for the future."

  élise relaxed her eyebrows, closed her eyes slightly, and could only accept Boulanger's advice. She reached out for the bag, along with the price quoted:

  "A total of 7 Denar."

  She thrust her hand into her coat pocket like a marsupial, taking out a few coins inside. She placed them on her hand and counted how many. It didn't take long; she gave the announcement:

  "There are... 6 Denar and 5 Demi-sol, total is 7 Denar. Enough, sir."

  Boulanger reached out to take the money, put it in the drawer, then looked at élise sincerely. He bowed his head slightly: "Have a good day."

  élise silently bowed, still keeping a bright smile to say goodbye to Mr. Boulanger, and stepped out of the shop. Now was the time to go find work; she looked up at the sky—nearly four-twelfths of the day cycle had passed, surely there would be many quests to choose from comfortably. Though since the good quests were all taken by the adventurers who arrived early, she would have to find the best quest when she arrived.

  She wondered what Augustatus was thinking when he wrote that journal. Was it helplessness before research that led nowhere, or was it madness when knowing a truth that humans couldn't fully understand? Whatever it was, it must have been an extremely unique experience. That would be the only word she could understand without suddenly going mad and becoming someone who could be put on the stake for charges of heresy.

  The further she walked, some strange scents rose up. It was the scent of equipment and item shops that anyone would have to use. She tried checking herself again: the left pouch carried a few herbs for dressing wounds; the right pouch had some odds and ends, including her adventurer ID card. That was the outer coat, and inside was the chainmail along with the undershirt, with two daggers and a revolver obtained from a Mu merchant caravan that came here last July.

  A gold-white revolver quite exquisitely carved according to the painting "Spring of Altas" by the artist Altas Doevkyov; the way she got it wasn't exactly clean but was obtained through a quite famous thief. Who could say anything—it cost 5 Napoléor, and just one Napoléor coin was 1,250 Demi-sol, meaning a total of 6,250 Demi-sol, too expensive for just one revolver; clearly, most of its value came from its origin and that pile of gold patterns.

  She could have saved money to buy a cheaper one, but like many who needed it, she had to spend a lot of time and effort just to save a tenth of that number. How long would it take to buy? Not worth being a good person in this case, especially when it came to those Mu people famous for being arrogant with countless technological research achievements of their leader Theodore Rosaliza, the 5th president of the federation. And now the successors up to the present, the 18th president, Hilbert Sten, were deploying a "multi-dimensional national trade" policy, investing heavily in other countries to serve their developing commerce. But élise knew what the main purpose was—to seek raw material supplies and influence for themselves.

  Though that was what she knew through some merchants, it was also quite worrying; élise walked slower, her hand unconsciously touching the gun grip tucked at her hip. Every time she thought about it, a contradictory feeling rose in her heart. What does a mage need a gun for? People would say that, would laugh at her like someone not good enough at magic, having to rely on the "barbaric" tools of the outsiders. But only those who had experienced the fear of death, who had seen their comrades torn apart in a brief moment, understood the value of a fast and accurate shot.

  "The value of a life cannot be weighed like silver and money..." she told herself, squinting as the sunlight hit the sloping streets of the market.

  élise took a long breath, held the bread bag tight to her hip, and continued along the slope leading toward the city center. Wooden boards hanging in front of the shops swayed with the wind; the sound of bells and peddling mixed together, creating a chaotic but strangely vital music that gave the street life.

  In front was a three-story stone building, the location of the Adventurers' Guild. The symbol of a shield and crossed swords was carved in relief on the large wooden door, next to it was a board thick with slips of white, yellow, and red paper, classified by quest level. People crowded, some argued, some were discouraged because the good quests had been snatched since early morning.

  élise stepped forward, keeping a calm posture, but her eyes were still observing. A few other looks fixed on her; a light clinking sound echoed, along with the pointed hat where people could see the Kettle-type helmet underneath—just that was enough to make many who didn't know her think it strange; the gun butt sticking out from her hip made many whisper even more.

  A husky voice rose from the reception desk:

  "élise Allerian, right? Haven't seen you in a long time."

  That was Madalène, the receptionist in her thirties, hair pinned high, eyes as sharp as if just one glance were enough to read someone's entire heart.

  "Yes, been busy with some work outside the village lately. Today I want to take a quest and buy some supplies."

  "Well, that's lucky. There's a bunch of Bronze-tier quests left over; not many want to do them because the pay is low. But..." Madalène lowered her voice, "there are also rumors about a strange disappearance in the northern hill region. Some merchants passing through claim to have seen flickering green fire in the forest at night. The Guild hasn't dared to make it public yet, but I think you'd be interested."

  élise frowned, her chest tightening for a moment. Green fire—something often associated with forbidden magic or failed experiments. It brought back memories of sleepless nights at the Academy, experiments that had caused many students to disappear without leaving a single bone.

  "What are the details?"

  "Not clear. Only know that at least three cargo caravans have not returned."

  élise was silent. Her hand unconsciously touched the gun grip. Half of her wanted to ignore it—take a wolf-hunting quest, protect the fields, to live peacefully through the month. But the other half was urging her—a cold and curious feeling, like a vague call of fate.

  Madalène tapped her pen on the table: "Consider it carefully. You know better than anyone, there isn't always a second chance to return."

  élise nodded slightly, turned to the quest board. White Steel-tier papers, yellow Bronze-tier ones mixed in, many of which had been torn in half. She scanned quickly, then stopped at a yellow paper with hurried handwriting:

  Investigation: Northern Hills, suspected abnormal disappearances. Reward: 25 Denar.

  The number wasn't large, but... green fire.

  She pulled the paper, went back to the table, and set it down firmly: "I'll take it."

  Madalène looked at her intently for a few seconds, then gave a faint smile: "Still the élise of old. Fine, sign here. And remember, this time don't make me have to write a combat death report."

  élise gave a light, wry laugh, her voice holding a bit of irony:

  "Only when someone is fast enough to do that to me."

  Finished signing, she put the Bronze card back into her coat pocket and turned to leave the counter. The crowd was still as noisy as before; no one paid any extra attention to another mage preparing to plunge into a place where a weird green light was waiting.

  As she turned her head, she saw a group of people entering, quite young, about a year or two younger than her in appearance. They looked full of youthful vigor. Extremely enviable compared to her haggard appearance from every night spent researching heaps of academic books.

  Looking at them, my heart feels like it's about to explode... she lamented, took a breath, and walked on. One of them saw her; her unusual appearance immediately attracted unnecessary attention.

  That person's hand reached up, pointing toward her, their face full of curiosity: "What is this person wearing that's so strange?"

  élise froze, feeling as if the eyes of the whole group were glued to her. She turned her head, her cold gaze sweeping over the person who had just spoken; a blond-haired youth, dark brown leather coat, holding a short sword hanging at his hip. He looked no more than eighteen, eyes bright but holding a bit of youthful arrogance. The others in the group, three others, also stopped, curiously observing her. A red-haired girl with a high ponytail, wearing light armor, holding a longbow; another person, with a scholarly look, wearing round glasses and clutching a thick book; the last person, tall and large, wearing heavy armor, a warhammer on his shoulder, standing silently but with eyes not leaving élise.

  She took a breath, trying to stay calm. This unwanted attention wasn't the first time, but it always made her uncomfortable. The pointed hat combined with chainmail and a revolver at her hip was not the familiar image of a traditional mage. To many, she looked like a strange hybrid between a warrior and an occult scholar, something that didn't belong to any pattern.

  "What did you just say?" élise spoke up, her voice steady but with a bit of a cold edge, just enough to make the blond youth startle. She walked slowly toward the group, her hand unconsciously placed near the gun grip, not to threaten but as a defensive habit.

  He gave a forced laugh, raising both hands as if to soothe: "Ah, no offense! It's just... you look, um, different. I mean, a mage wearing... armor? Hearing that clinking, it's probably chainmail, and is that a gun? Truly have never seen it before!"

  The red-haired girl next to him elbowed his shoulder, frowning: "Kael, don't be rude. Sorry, miss, he doesn't have bad intentions, just his mouth is faster than his brain."

  élise raised an eyebrow, her gaze shifting to the red-haired girl. "It's fine. I'm used to it." She paused, considering whether to continue the conversation. This group looked like a new adventurer team, perhaps just graduated from some academy or having formed a team themselves to try their luck. Their curiosity wasn't malicious, but she didn't have time to explain her sense of aesthetics or life philosophy.

  The person wearing round glasses spoke up, his voice gentle but full of interest: "I am Lorne, very pleased to meet you. Forgive me, but... you are a battle mage, right? I read in books that some ancient mages used to combine occultism with mechanical weapons, but I thought it was just legend."

  élise gave a light smile, a real smile this time, though still bearing a bit of weariness.

  "Not entirely a legend, but not common either. It's just that I like to... diversify my abilities... The important thing is, combat isn't my main specialty, but it's also so I don't lose my life somewhere."

  The tall person holding the warhammer finally spoke, his voice deep and concise: "Practical. Good."

  She nodded at him, sensing the respect in that short sentence. At least, not everyone in this group only knew how to be curious or judgmental.

  "You guys are a new adventurer team?" élise asked, changing the subject to avoid digging deeper into personal matters. "Here to take a quest?"

  Kael, the blond youth, answered quickly: "That's right! We just formed the team, called 'Blazing Flame'. Sounds cool, right? Today we planned to find a Steel-tier quest to test ourselves, but..." He scratched his head, looking toward the quest board. "Seems like they're all taken."

  The red-haired girl, appearing to be the team leader, chimed in: "I'm Mira, the leader. We want to find something... not too dangerous, but not just picking grass or chasing mice either. Do you have any suggestions? You look... experienced."

  élise curled her lip, unclear if it was a smile or mockery. "Experienced" was a gentle way to say someone who had nearly died no less than three times in quests that seemed simple. She glanced at the quest paper in her hand, thinking of the green fire in the northern hill region. That quest wasn't for a new team, but she didn't want to extinguish their enthusiasm either.

  "Steel-tier is easy enough, but don't underestimate it. There are some quests to protect merchants in the West, near the Mist Forest. Wolves and occasionally grizzly bears—not too difficult if you coordinate well. But..." She stopped, looking straight at Mira. "Don't choose quests involving strange magic. They are more dangerous than you think. Choose some Iron-tier quests; accumulating coordination ability is important, and also don't do Bronze-tier quests if you don't have that ability yet. Got it?"

  Mira nodded, her eyes showing clear seriousness. "Thanks for the advice. But... what quest are you holding? Looking at your face, it's surely not to go pick grass."

  élise hesitated. She didn't want to share details, but the eyes of the whole group were fixed on her, especially Lorne, who seemed to be trying to analyze every gesture of hers as if she were a page of a book. She shrugged, stuffing the paper into her coat pocket. "Just a small investigation. Nothing special."

  Kael laughed out loud: "Small but holding a yellow paper? A Bronze-tier quest! You truly are an interesting person!"

  Lorne pushed up his glasses, his voice curious: "If you don't mind, could you tell us more? We are still learning. Does it involve... forbidden magic?"

  élise frowned, a feeling of discomfort rising. He was smart, but a dangerous kind of smart—the type of person who could dig deep into things they shouldn't know. "Don't ask too much, kid. There are things that knowing less will help you live longer."

  The atmosphere suddenly became heavy. Mira hurried to intervene, with a forced smile: "Anyway, thank you very much, Miss... May I know your name?"

  "élise Allerian, a mage specializing in history, capable of combat with two years of experience as a freelance adventurer."

  "élise Allerian, right? If there's an occasion, we'd like to treat you to a meal. As thanks for the advice."

  élise nodded slightly, not answering. She turned around, stepped out of the Guild, feeling the gaze of the Blazing Flame group still following her. Outside, the sunlight had become more intense, shining down on the smooth paved stone street. She took a deep breath, trying to brush away the vague feeling of unease. That young group reminded her of herself a few years ago, when still full of enthusiasm and innocence, before the nightmares and the encounters with death taught her that this world is never as simple as the stories in books.

  She checked her bag of items again. Five loaves of bread, a few herbs, two daggers, a six-shot revolver with twelve bullets—enough to deal with most situations. The black birch staff lay firmly in her hand, the mana stone sparkling under the sun like a reminder of the power she had practiced hard to master.

  The road to the northern hill region took about two days by foot, or one day if she rented a horse. But with the current financial situation, walking was the only choice. She stepped out of the market area, heading toward the North gate of the city. The noisy sounds of the town gradually drifted away, giving way to the sound of the wind blowing through the wheat fields outside.

  As she passed a group of merchants who were checking their cargo wagons, a middle-aged man with muttonchops, wearing a fur cloak, called after her: "Hey, Mage! You going to the North hills? Heard it's not peaceful there. Want to go with our caravan? It's safer that way!"

  élise turned back, observing him. Behind the friendly smile were sharp eyes, as if evaluating her worth. She shook her head, her voice calm: "Thanks, but I'm used to traveling alone."

  The man shrugged, not pushing. "Suit yourself. But if you see green fire, run immediately. Trust me, it's not worth the risk."

  She didn't answer, only nodded slightly then continued walking. His warning echoed in her head, mixing with the memories of Augustatus's pages. Green fire, mana, and the entities on high. Was she plunging into something beyond her control? Or was it just a normal disappearance, blown out of proportion by rumors?

  She gripped the staff tighter, feeling the warm flow of mana through her fingers. Whatever it was, she had chosen this path. And she was not one to turn back easily.

  The dirt road leading out of the city gradually narrowed, both sides being wheat fields mixed with low shrubs. The sun was high, the intense sunlight making sweat bead on her forehead. élise stopped, took a milk bread from the bag, and took a large bite. The sweet taste of goat milk blended with the crispy crust made her smile slightly. At least, she still had these small moments to enjoy.

  She sat down on a boulder by the road, opened the quest paper to look again. Investigation: Northern Hills – Suspected Abnormal Disappearances. Reward: 25 Denar. No specific details, no names of the missing, no description of the scene. Only a small note in the corner: Report any abnormalities magical signs immediately.

  She folded the paper again, stuffed it in her pocket, her eyes looking toward the horizon, where the Northern hills appeared hazy in the thin mist. A cold wind blew past, bringing the smell of soil and something... unnatural. The smell of burnt metal, mixed with something like sulfur.

  élise stood up, brushing the dust off her cloak. "Green fire, huh?" she murmured, her hand touching the gun grip at her hip. "Let's just go and see what it really is."

  She walked on, each step steady, but in her heart, a feeling of unease couldn't help but coil up. The entities on high, as Augustatus wrote, were always watching. And sometimes, they didn't just watch.