Book 8, Chapter 10 (1/2)
The Clouds Before War
The conscients up above broke their silence once Richard closed the door to his room.
“I never thought of such a legendary ability…”
“That burst potential… Kelly was beaten fair and square.”
“I don’t think I could withstand it myself.”
He continued pretending to be oblivious to these conversations, doing his own things. But this time, he started packing his bags. A letter from Alice had just arrived this morning, the thin piece of paper having been sent through a long-distance transmission circle at great cost. The contents were simple: Some nobles from the Sacred Alliance and Millennial Empire had formed an alliance and placed their troops at the borders of Azan, obviously with bad intentions. On the southwest, nobles from the Sacred Tree Empire including Duke Solam were preparing their forces as well.
Richard left the same way he came, looking no different from a young mage roaming the world. When he left, the young girl hid herself in an empty room and sobbed her heart out.
……
Within the palace, Empress Gelan stood in front of a window and looked down at the Emerald Dreamlake before her. The Hidden Sword was standing by her side, looking down at the calm surface of the lake as well. However, their real attention went past the numerous obstacles and settled on Richard who was walking towards a portal.
When Richard disappeared into the array, the Sword Saint smiled, “He’s finally left. The kid is really good with money, he managed to make back almost everything he spent.”
The Empress sighed, “The items in the auction were why he’d come here in the first place, in addition to battling a few of our legends to warn them not to have any ideas on his land.”
“Mm. A saint runemaster who’s good in combat? Heh, even I wouldn’t want to provoke someone like that. But those 500 units of divinity crystals… they were strange, almost like they were aimed at him. I think some annoying people might be behind it.”
“Are they making trouble again?” Gelan’s voice was suffused with murderous intent.
“When don’t they?” Hidden Sword answered calmly.
“… Let’s observe for a little while. The time will come soon.”
A look of surprise flashed past Hidden Sword’s face, but he switched topics, “I went to take a look in the past few days. The kid is crafting an impressive rune; he just finished the framework, but the aura is already leaving me uneasy.”
“A rune that can make you uneasy? With just a frame?” Empress Gelan was shocked.
“Yes, just the frame.”
“Hmm… Could it be … grade 6? No, no way. There hasn’t been a single one made in Norland yet.”
“Regardless, this fellow is outstanding. He’s learning from battle to battle, gaining experience in addition to his fame. I can already feel his laws strengthening.”
“He could become a troublemaker as well,” the Empress commented wryly. She then turned and asked, “When are you planning to go to Klandor?”
“Maybe in a few days. It’s felt like the longest time since I saw Greyhawk; he still looked young the last time I saw him, but now it looks like his daughter’s growing up.”