Low-Fantasy Occultist

Chapter 399

The walk to Wolfram Manor was tense, even though the golden afternoon sun was trying its best to make him believe everything was fine.

It would have been a pleasant walk, but Nick didn’t need [Empyrean Intuition] to realize that the ether was restless. He could feel the ripples of divination spells sweeping through the eddies, and though ordinary people wouldn’t notice, for someone like him, they were impossible to ignore.

They had become more common the farther he walked from the Tower, indicating that the priests’ boldness had not yet peaked, but that wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

As he stepped aside to let a carriage emblazoned with the crest of a minor house pass, he noticed that its curtains were drawn tightly, and the occupants seemed nervous, a common feeling among the upper class nowadays.

The guards at the manor let him in after he showed the silver plaque his father had given him when he left Floria, even though they clearly recognized him this time.

Still, he didn’t complain. After the nighttime adventure with One-Ear and hearing the Vice Tower Master essentially warn the students to be cautious of religious overreach, he almost appreciated how much care the guards put into their job.

He found Devon in the training field, but for once, his brother wasn't swinging his sword. Instead, he was sitting on a bench, head in his hands, while Sonya knelt beside him, holding his hand like a lifeline.

Nick didn’t interrupt; he lingered at the edge of the gardens and exchanged a glance with Xander, who was on the opposite end of the grounds and was just as awkward about interrupting the heart-to-heart.

He was tempted to eavesdrop. It probably would have answered a few questions about this whole business with Sonya, but he suspected his brother would be able to tell, and he wanted to respect her privacy.

Would you look at that? I can be mature emotionally when I want to. I wonder how much that will last.

Once the two lovebirds finished talking and the atmosphere became more relaxed, Nick finally approached.

Devon’s head snapped up at the first sound, though it took Sonya a moment longer to realize they had company.

She must be really frazzled. Some might think it’s normal for a maid to react more slowly, but within the manor, she should have known about me long before Devon. That she didn’t just shows how much this whole situation is affecting her.

“Hey there,” Nick greeted.

“Should I leave you two to your sparring?” Sonya asked, brushing the dust off her dress from kneeling on the ground, leaving it spotless with just a few passes.

“No, no, this involves you too,” he replied, pulling out an envelope from his storage ring. “We’ve got an invitation.”

"House Boer again?" Devon frowned as he took the letter, reading the golden script. “This must be the third ball they've hosted in the past couple of months. The season has just started, and they held so many events…”

“It’s probably going to be very boring,” Nick agreed, “but I think we need to go. If the situation up north is as dire as you said last time, we need to build up a base of support for Dad.”

It didn’t hurt that it would let him sneak around while high nobles believed they were having private conversations.

I was never one to accept only one perspective on an ordeal. I need to understand what the nobles think is happening with the priests and what they intend to do in response, because if there’s one thing they excel at, it’s planning and scheming.

Devon hummed, seemingly about to agree, but something made him glance at Sonya, and he grimaced.

She was pale, and when Nick looked at her, she flinched, her eyes darting to the corners of the grounds as if searching for a way out.

“I’m sorry, but we can’t go,” Devon said firmly, handing the letter back.

That finally made Sonya jolt. “No!” she half-yelled. “You should go, this is more important than… You should go.”

Devon got a stubborn look that Nick recognized all too well, and he watched awkwardly as the two started arguing.

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After a few exchanges, it became clear they weren’t going to make any progress on their own, both too worried about the other’s stance, yet strangely stubborn on the issue of Sonya leaving the manor, and Nick finally felt his resolve to stay out of her affairs crumble.

He’d really tried, but this clearly was going to stay a problem unless something was done about it, and he couldn’t tackle it without understanding what was happening.

For the first time in a while, he activated [Empyrean Intuition] on her, observing her presence in the ether and trying to figure out what was causing her reluctance.

His brother was a bright star of intense emotions, stubborn and loving all at once, and Nick didn’t need to look too closely to know he wouldn’t be leaving her alone.

Sonya, on the other hand, was tightly wound and extremely conflicted. Deep-seated fear ran through her spirit, originating from an old wound that had scabbed over but was once again inflamed after being poked.

He would have stopped there, but at that moment, the ripples of another divination spell coming from the outside wash over them, and her soul flinched, as something inside her reacted.

“They are also looking for you,” Nick realized. It wasn’t an active response, and she probably wasn’t even fully aware that whatever the priests were doing was causing such an inner reaction, but it was undeniable that the parameters of the divination magic were being met in her.

The two lovers stopped arguing to look at him, and Nick realized he had spoken aloud.

Embarrassed, he tried to justify himself and deflect, but a heavy hand on his shoulder made him jump in surprise.

"The Temple of Ulter doesn’t forget debts," Xander muttered. "And they don’t forgive insults.”

"What kind of insult could she have given them?" Nick asked, genuinely surprised, even though he was vaguely aware that Sonya had frozen. "She's just a girl. What could she have done to warrant being part of their searches?”

"It is not what she did, Nicholas," Xander said, walking over to stand over Sonya, his shadow shielding her. "It is who she is.”

He looked at the girl with a strange blend of pity and affection, displaying more emotion than Nick could ever recall.

The elder and the girl exchanged a long glance, having a silent conversation that, despite all his skills, Nick couldn’t parse, until she slumped in defeat.

Devon reached out and took her hand as a show of support, and when she glanced over, he gave her a slow nod. “You can trust him,” he whispered.

Xander appeared to have gotten what he needed, because he finally began explaining. "Her blood carries a heavy price. Her grandfather was a man who opposed the Temple's monopoly over the Eastern Seas. He carved his own kingdom out of the waves, and for a time, he made the Tidemasters tremble.”

That wasn’t what Nick had been expecting, but he stayed quiet, not wanting to interrupt while he was finally learning something.

“His methods were too rough, and I was eventually called to fight him when the damage spilled over. I defeated him, but I did not hate him. The Temple, however... they swore an Oath. Not just to kill him, but to wash his name from the earth. To salt the fields of his lineage.”

Nick felt a chill. An oath to a god was a powerful thing. It left stains on reality and explained why Sonya’s soul was reacting to the priests’ magic.

It’s possible they might not even be aware of her presence, he realized. It’s just that their magic is influenced by their faith, and they will always respond to her soul.

“Are they actively looking for her?” he asked as his mind started to formulate a possible plan.

“I do not believe so,” Xander replied. “I was very careful when I brought her here, and even the highest of their clergy shouldn’t be able to sense her in my presence, but I cannot say they won’t recognize her should she meet them.”

“Hiding forever won’t work,” Nick murmured, giving her an apologetic glance when she flinched. “They are still increasing their presence, and although they might not be targeting you specifically, they are scanning the city for anyone connected to the Circle of Pure Souls. It’s very unlikely they won’t notice the resonance with your bloodline if there truly is a divine Oath involved.”

He did not doubt that Xander could defend her if necessary. The man was immensely powerful and clearly willing to fight, but it would be a poor life for her to be forever attached to his side just to avoid getting discovered.

“So what do we do?" Devon asked, and desperation was creeping into his voice.

“Well, I don’t have permanent solutions, not just yet. I need to study the matter more and might try a few different things, but I do have a temporary solution that will allow you to attend the ball,” he said.

Devon grinned, feeling instantly relieved and trusting that he knew what he was talking about, but Sonya still remained reticent.

Nick didn’t take it personally. She had clearly been suffering for some time and simply lacked the knowledge to understand exactly what kind of aberration he was.

“Trust him? Let him try, at least,” Devon murmured, holding her hand to his lips, and eventually, she gave a slow nod.

That was all the permission Nick needed. He closed his eyes, reaching into his soul to find the right state of mind.

Greed takes. Greed hoards. Greed conceals. My family is in danger, and I won’t let anyone, much less priests whose power isn’t even theirs, threaten it.

Pulling back as much of the emotion’s harshness as he could, he placed his hand on her shoulder and softly intoned, “[Mire of Avarice].”

The spell draped over her heavily. It wrapped around her soul, absorbing the resonance, catching the spiritual echoes of the faith magic, and swallowing them into the void of Avarice.

Sonya gasped, her eyes widening in shock. She looked at herself with stunned surprise, and he knew he’d been right in his assessment that much of her mental distress was a subconscious expression of her soul’s reaction to the divination magic.

“This is just a temporary mask," Nick warned, pulling his hand back. "It will hide you from their magic for a few hours, but it will dissipate by the end of the night.”

Still, that seemed to be enough, for now.

She turned to his brother and favored him with a pretty smile. “Get cleaned up, Dev. We have a party to attend.”

Located on the northern edge of the Noble District, House Boer of the Orchard’s estate offered a panoramic view of the entire city. True to its name, the grounds were a vast maze of magical orchards, with trees that blossomed with crystal flowers, vines that oozed luminous nectar, and hedges shaped into mythical beasts.

Apparently, even this luxury was only a faint imitation of what their ancestral land truly was.

Nick, Devon, and Sonya stepped out of their carriage onto a driveway paved with green marble.

Devon tugged at the collar of his formal doublet. It was a dark blue velvet, chosen by Sonya to complement his eyes, and while it fit his broad frame perfectly, he looked as if he would rather be wearing armor. Sonya clung to his arm, dressed in a simple yet elegant green silk gown, and appeared much happier now, though a faint sense of dread lingered in her mind about when the night would end, and his protection would be gone.

“Straighten your shoulders," Nick murmured as they approached the grand entrance. “We are going to have to overcome prejudice for being young and from the boonies, but Dad needs us.”

A valet noticed their approach and slammed his cane on the floor. "Lord Nicholas Crowley!" he announced. "And Lord Devon Crowley, with his lady friend!”