Late evening had arrived and Cale was in the library with Fengari. As planned, he had left the meeting early and picked up his official daughter from the apartment before devoting himself to his work. He couldn't possibly show that he could name all the creatures without difficulty, so he had settled in the library and set aside some books about the creatures to serve as a kind of cover. Cale had settled down in a corner of the room in front of the large window and was concentrating on recording the information as neatly and accurately as possible, while one or two magicians cast interested glances at him.

The rumor that a sword master and friend of the Eldest was in the house had spread quickly. No one knew the name Zod Adenia, which is why he was so incredibly interesting to everyone. One or two even asked if they could help him, but Cale simply covered his documents and politely declined the offer.

Fengari, on the other hand, had made herself comfortable in a large armchair a few meters away from him and was quietly cursing a book about dragons. It was also the first time she had seen how humans described them, and she did not like it at all that they were blamed for all the evil in the world. She even found stories about the dragon queen and the creation of the Holy Island and dismissed them as pure nonsense. She also casually mentioned that the Holy Island belonged to the gods and not to Velence, which is why she had been upset for the next 10 minutes.

While the two were lost in thought and the evening sun shone on Cale's face, he sensed that Aaron was approaching the library. Aaron wandered aimlessly through the shelves until he spotted Fengari and, a moment later, recognized Zod, who was deliberately concentrating only on the books. As Aaron approached his position, Cale pulled an open book over his documents and turned around with a skeptical look. He skillfully played the cautious sword master who had sensed the presence of a human before recognizing who that human was. Aaron recognized this gesture and also his expression as Cale feigned relief.

"High Magician Thopas", he greeted the high magician politely and pushed the book back into its position with one hand.

Aaron remained standing behind the blond-haired sword master and did not respond. During his conversation with the Eldest, Aaron had learned that he had met the man several years ago and had become friends with him over time. What Aaron had not expected, however, was the fact that Zod Adenia carried one of the legendary 3rd swords with him.

Aaron looked closely at the young man's clothes, but there was no weapon to be seen anywhere. Cale had hidden Karekama in his zero magic, and since he knew for sure that no one in the magistrate was currently aware of Karekama, he was able to take possession of it with ease. Another helpful aspect was that Aaron did not know exactly what abilities the legendary swords possessed, as they were so rarely seen. Therefore, he could not claim to know exactly how Karekama's abilities worked, even if he recognized it.

"I just wanted to make sure everything is alright", Aaron finally replied, letting his eyes fall on the documents. He spotted some markings and notes until he saw the neatly written sheet on which Cale listed the creatures and described their appearance and abilities. He was already reading many names he had never heard of before. "The Eldest told me that, despite your tender age, you know a lot about the creatures."

"That's true, even if it may sound a little... presumptuous. I've spent a lot of time in the creature plains and seen quite a bit, even creatures you wouldn't normally see."

"How do you assess the attack on Groka now that you have a rough overview of the creatures that appeared there?"

"Honestly? They all should have died.", Cale commented, dropping his pen and leaning back in his chair as his gaze wandered out the window. "Without those two magicians, I doubt the village would still be standing."

"There were dozens of soldiers and a few sword masters present, you know that?"

"I know", Cale began, hearing Aaron sit down on the chair next to him and focus his attention on Cale's notes. Compared to an hour ago, he seemed much calmer, probably after learning why the Eldest had called him in. Now that he had heard the results, Aaron understood it much better. "My statement is not based solely on the number of creatures."

"But on what, then?", Aaron interjected, looking him in the eye.

"The actions of the people. According to the report, the soldiers had no instructions on how to behave in such a situation. They were scattered throughout the village in small groups with no way to communicate with each other. Some of them attacked, some tried to protect the people, and some fled with the wave of escapees. Strategic chaos, if you ask me. It's a miracle that so few died."

"You sound like someone who knows a lot about optimal warfare", Aaron commented with a stern look, which was probably meant to intimidate Cale, but Cale took it in stride. Aaron's indirect provocations seemed ridiculous to him.

Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

"But you know I'm right. You see it the same way, don't you, High-Magician Thopas?"

"Admitted, I can't deny that."

A brief grin flitted across Cale's face before he sensed Fengari approaching them. She crept inconspicuously to Cale's side, without acknowledging Aaron, and dropped the book about dragons on his desk. She looked up at Cale with wide eyes, almost as if begging him for candy.

"Can I have another book?"

"Of course. Pick one out, but remember which shelf you took it from."

"Okay!", she exclaimed cheerfully and ran through the shelves before turning and disappearing completely. Cale, on the other hand, put his book on his stack and turned back to the High-Magician, who was following the girl with his gaze.

"Your daughter is very smart for her age", he said after a few moments.

"Indeed, yes. Ahri has always been a bright and curious child."

"She has a relatively large amount of pure mana. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"17 RM, if I remember correctly, yes. A little more than the average student here", Cale reported, lowering his gaze back to the documents. He had told Fengari to use his mana output as a guide, and since Cale usually had around 20 RM, the dragon did the same. So it wouldn't be strange for a small child to have so much mana. Even if she were to find herself in a situation where she would use magic, it wouldn't necessarily be impossible for her to have learned a thing or two, since she already had good prerequisites.

"She has the potential to be a mage. Have you ever thought about having her taught here?"

"I don't plan on staying in Altona", Cale commented dismissively.

"Don't you live here?"

"Not for much longer. I was on my way to Sylve because we were in the middle of moving."

"I see", Aaron replied, and Cale could swear he heard a spark of relief in his voice. However, he did not pursue the subject further, as he had not discussed it with either the Eldest or Fengari. If he revealed any more information, he would run the risk of making a mistake somewhere.

"Do you have any other questions about me?", Cale asked clearly. The High-Magician recognized the signal and seemed to understand that it was rude to pry so deeply into the private lives of strangers. Especially strangers who had family in Groka and were probably even planning to move there.

"Please forgive me, I didn't mean to offend you."

"It's okay, a friend of Raphael's is also my friend", Cale emphasized, making Aaron feel guilty. Basically, Cale was telling him that he only tolerated his rude questions because he was close to the Eldest, not because he was a High-Magician. Aaron was now visibly speechless, merely nodding and fixing his gaze on the notes Cale had been taking during the conversation.

"I think I'll leave you to work in peace. If you need anything, let me know", said the Third Seat, standing up, saying goodbye, and leaving Cale behind.

On his way out, he spotted Ahri coming toward him with two large books in her hands, looking angry when she noticed him. Aaron was aware that he had not made a good impression on the child, and Zod Adenia had probably only remained respectful because he was at the Magistrat and was helping them with their work. Within a day, he had made himself unpopular with two relatively powerful people, which made him even more ashamed of his behavior today.

"What a rude man", Fengari commented quietly when she returned to Cale and sank into the armchair. She allowed herself to make this comment because there were no people nearby who could hear her. Nevertheless, Cale erected a sound barrier so they could talk undisturbed.

"He's a bit rough and cold, yes, but he's actually a good person. You used to get along well with him and tease him regularly."

"My alternative self did a good job."

"Aaron was one of the first to learn about you dragons, and despite his past, he helped us even though it made him uncomfortable."

"Past?", Fengari repeated, now interested.

"He is Aaron the Seeker. The one who killed dozens of people several centuries ago."

"What? He's that famous serial killer?"

"Exactly. Aaron once mentioned to me that he was trapped in a scenario in which he was killed over and over again, and he suspects that it was the Dragon Queen. Aaron is quite afraid of you dragons, even though he certainly wouldn't admit it now."

"Ho? That really sounds like something the gods would do - especially Parousia. She hates it when people are disrespectful to her, and she can't just kill an Apostle if it's not her own."

After hearing this, Cale sighed. He really had to be careful how he behaved toward Mellontikos when he returned. If he had the right over his life, then Cale had to stay on his good side at all costs, even though he suspected that Mellontikos would not simply kill him. Why else would he have given him the gift of rebirth?

"Do you know how many Apostles Goddess Parousia has?", Cale added, flipping through the documents. He was actually almost done with his work, but he had kept that a secret from Aaron. Perhaps he would spend another 10 minutes or so on the task before turning his attention to his actual plan.

He wanted to rewrite the Chronicles of the Creature Lore.

Now he could also use his alias openly, and the Magistrat would confirm the credibility of the books, which would lead to more people gaining knowledge about the creatures. Subliminally, Cale's books would lead people to develop a better understanding and not be completely helpless in the event of an attack.

"If I remember correctly, there were only two Apostles."

"Two?", Cale repeated in surprise. He knew of one, but who was the second Apostle Fengari was talking about? Curious, he turned away from the documents and looked at the blonde-haired girl who was leaning back in her chair and focusing her gaze on the book.

"Yes, two. Grischa Vonstetten and Malte Vangries."

<So Malte is also one of their apostles?>

"That brings me to another question. Do the gods determine which insight the Apostles receive? Grischa had seen my birth five years ago, but I have the feeling that the goddess Parousia doesn't really like to interfere in world events."

"They influence the insight, yes. However, I don't know why Parousia gave Apostle Grischa Vonstetten such a vision. In general, they rarely tell us why they create you Apostles and what your tasks are. But I can imagine that Parelthon or Mellontikos asked her to send these visions."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.