Chapter 67: Unfinished Business
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The bustling city of Karanberg was dangerously quiet on this particular morning. Two months since the nobles caused a scene in some chase to the Northern District, today was another busy day as the northern gate was already secured by a large attachment of Royal Knights and Mages.
Something didn't feel quite right and everyone could just feel it. Actually, it would be unwise not to sense such disturbances especially since the city has been suffering from a bad economical situation and a lot of protests.
But all this and that didn't seem to be stopping a certain passer-by from just cutting through the emptied street and casually crossing the backways and the alleys only known by the criminals of the Twilight Syndicate.
He didn't stop until he arrived at a certain door and carefully knocked at the door.
Once, twice, and thrice he knocked with nobody answering. It felt rather odd that nobody's home but Leon didn't care either way. He simply took out a knife and a metal pick before forcing the door open with quiet and finesse.
The stink of ink, slime, and oil felt still strong all over the place but he can just ignore that and head further into the workshop. He looked and looked around for the owner again but he couldn't find any sign of him.
The only thing that was left visible in the mess is the fake painting resting on the stand, the one which Zal made in an attempt to copy the [Pride of Del Mar].
Leon dropped the backpack he carried which was full of excessive weight and sat down on a chair to let his elbows rest on his knees and hush shoulders relax down.
In his hand, he had the strange heart-shaped pink gem which he kept running his thumb on.
Last night was just insane.
The things that happened to him, the things he did to acquire this gem, and the lengths he took to get away were just massive. Thankfully, he managed to squeeze in four hours of sleep after he arrived in the city on some rooftop in a quiet area.
Leon stored the Gem once again and stretched his body which was littered with pain as he finally gathered his will to stand up and started to take off his clothes.
Two months since this puny boy escaped the Academy, he achieved a lot.
The pale skin is now rosy with color which indicates health but thanks to the past three days in the forest, he sustained a lot of damage and bruises all over his body. He can finally rest in someplace, slowly cycle his Mana and cast [Light Magic - Healing] on himself.
Healing isn't instant or at least not at this level. Magic and Skills stimulate the process of healing but nature must take its course and their injuries must take their time. Leon simply kept his left hand to heal and with his right hand, he recalled the Arcane Theory book.
Yesterday, Leon experienced a very intense fight or rather a series of intense fights against many dangerous opponents. The Assassin Bison, the Goblins, the mercenary Pearl, the Strangler monster, the Knights and the Soldiers, the Goblin Shaman, Archduchess Eleanor, every student of the Academy and every junior knight, Prince Edward, Knight Winthrop, and Lady Fern.
Yes, all of that happened within 24 hours and Leon couldn't even sleep except for 4 hours out of necessity to balance himself.
That's not the important thing anyway. What kept Leon's mind busy was all the Arcane and bizarre things that happened yesterday. He wasn't much of a studier but he wanted to do some research or at least take notes so he can't forget. Thankfully, Zal's workshop has plenty of paper and charcoal pencils.
First, the Magic.
"I haven't understood much about Magic but I think the Arcane Theory is well stuck in my head. But that's just the Theory, what I actually need are the basics I don't have. I noticed that Spellcasting happens through different methods which affect some spells in different ways.
First, the Somatic casting which involves the movement of the body and the one I understood. It is like puppeteering things through strings but what you puppeteer are the Elements and those strings are the Mana.
Second, the Vocal casting which involves speaking the spell through various imaginations to stimulate the Mana.
The differences between the first and the second are a lot since the first gives more control but only to certain Elements. The second, however, supplies more Mana which makes the spells more powerful.
Third, the Artificial casting which involves using different artifacts. They vary from Wands to Pillars and weirdly enough, Obelisks as well. I learned that those artifacts are called the Mana Focusing tools and they always share the shape of a line such as wands and pillars. According to further contemplating, Mage Towers are also artifacts of Mana Focus.
The first and the second pale against the third in potency and duration but overcome it in speed and versatility.
Aside from those three, there are even more methods but that's not something I need to dig into at the moment. I need to get a better understanding of the Basics so that I can understand even the parts I don't understand in the Arcane Theory book."
Leon finished his note and stored it away.
Back in his first life, his therapist encouraged him to write a diary to record his thoughts and make them clear. The trick was to write and as he writes, he would figure out what he lacks by himself.
Right now, he needs a teacher.
His only teachers were the ones he read magic from, he noticed slight differences between them but he inherited all of them even the mistakes. He hates to admit it but he needs a good teacher to evolve his Magic as soon as possible since he no longer has any of his guns and gadgets.
"Well, that was one thing done." Leon sighed and looked through the window to see the sun already bending in after the time of dawn.
He looked around and frowned.
"Where the fuck is Zal?"
An artist wouldn't leave his workshop this much. Zal had many sculptures and paintings unfinished but he hasn't been here in a while.
Leon sighed and couldn't help but leave the excessive weight behind to go look for Zal outside.
In the streets, rumors have already spread that the students of the Royal Academy have been attacked by some group that calls itself the Temple of Evils, or the Temple of Darkness. A cult of Demon worshippers who seems to be users of the nasty Dark Magic.
Of course all of that was a hoax. The students were attacked by one individual and he certainly was not some demon cultist. This happened either because of the rumors' habit of being exaggerated or since the students and the knights were too afraid to announce that they were played with by a single individual.
For the most part, people were split on too many opinions. Some conservatives viewed that as a mockery of the Light that protects the Kingdom and an insult to the aristocrats which are the protectors of the people. Others viewed it as the incompetent aristocrats losing to a group of outcasts. Others even voiced that this is all but a hoax since the Temple of Darkness is nothing more than a myth invented by the Light Temple to create the illusion of a scarecrow or a target for its Holy Wars.
Leon was pleased to hear such a variety of opinions. The people were aware of the political scene and kept spreading the opinions. Some brave souls even stood on stages made of crates and trash to give speeches that the people must rise and pursue liberty.
There was even a protest passing by and a gathering of the Light Temple enthusiasts who opposed the idea of protesting. In the middle of that, Leon could just stand and feel all the hidden hands playing the political games and shifting the views of the public.
If not for the development of Magic between the upper class and how strong they actually are, there would have been something as violent as a revolution.
"Just one day without killing! That's all I ask." Leon prayed to the heavens as he took a breather.
Jordi going pale from a while ago was given since his cowardly Rat nature but that just now was a Rabbit murdering two Dogs like killing a mosquito.
"So, Hector Norman leaves town and Jessica fails to throw off Ruth. Any more bad news?" Leon asked.
"R d g" Jordi kept talking but all he was doing was saying a word and losing his breath after the first letter in each.
"Okay! Breathe slowly. Stop talking, breathe from your nose, let your mind be clear. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale and push."
"Hm?"
"Oh! Wrong advice" Leon brushed it off but his nose twitched, "Did you piss yourself?"
"You said to push."
"Yeah, I am the idiot here." Leon nodded and backed off, "Now say what you were trying to say."
"Madam Ruth went to another boss from a different district when Hector Norman left. He provided her with manpower which made Jessica and her Dogs feel like you threw eggs at a wall."
"So it's partially my fault."
"Most of the Dogs who followed Jessica were either dead or beaten halfway to death. Jessica was locked in the basement and will be put on sale tonight."
"Put on sale?" Leon found it hard to process the words, "Like slave trafficking?"
"Worse." Jordi shook his head.
A few things in life could be worse than being a slave with rights less than a human being. Even the Rats of the Syndicate are better than slaves and so there is no rock-bottom after that. But it seems there is.
"Being on sale in a whorehouse is a death penalty. For just one copper, anyone can get to court her nonstop beggars and vagrants would definitely gather. Ruth let the news spread the past couple of days."
"That's a crime." Leon lost his words.
Jordi simply looked at the corpses Leon piled.
"What? I killed them fair and square. They would have done the same."
"Isn't it always fair as long as you win?" Jordi mocked in disdain.
"Right well, not my business anyway." Leon nodded and thought about leaving but he just had one last question, "Do you happen to know where Zal is?"
"Ruth has him in the backyard cabin." Jordi said.
"Of course she does." Leon held his head as he can no longer think of anything other than how hard must he bang his head to a wall?
He wanted to leave but now Ruth has Zal and Jessica, she's also looking for him and probably will attract more attention. The reason why Leon wanted to get rid of Ruth was the fact that she wanted to interfere with his business at first when she asked him if he witnessed the chase from two months ago. She wanted to make contact with the nobles and have her hand in their pockets. Now that she is after the real him, she's bound to make even more noise which he can't allow. Obviously she kidnapped Zal to let him make a drawing of Leo and look for him.
That would be a problem.
"Jordi, the Saloon has a wagon, right?" Leon asked.
"Yes."
"Clean yourself, get that wagon, meet me right before the bridge in that direction." Leon said.
"Wait! What are you trying to do?"
"You want to save your sister?" Leon asked.
"Who?"
"Jessica."
"What?"
"Oh!" Leon rolled his eyes, "Same eyes, same hair color, different face structure but closely resembling each other. The fat may hide it but you got chubbier because you eat well and Jessica makes sure you do. Molly was the one that raised you but she did it because of Jessica or because of her mom which was her friend so two children of the same hooker, obviously different fathers, all the marks are there, both Jordi and Jessica start with a J, obviously Jessica's mother's name started with a J, a sentimental connection through names since none of you has a surname. Siblings!"
"Wow! Jessica is my sister?" Jordi's face changed.
"It's obvious actually. Everyone else is just too blind or too boring to figure it out." Leon sighed.
"I masturbated imagining her." Jordi confessed in bewilderment.
"You scum well so did I. I mean your sister is hot and"
"Hey!"
"The saving Jessica part."
"Right."
"I have a plan. Get the wagon, meet me at the bridge in ten minutes."
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