novelraw Chapter 68: Winds of Rumours
Chapter 68: Winds of Rumours
"Whoa..." Leon was amazed, standing at the edge of the crater turned into a farmland.
"And to think he’s our professor..." Clara murmured, standing beside Darin.
Darin, however, was silent. He didn’t know what to say.
The moment he saw Marbas from afar, half of the stats on his window were blanks.
He never knew there was nobility in demons.
From that very moment...he felt as if it wasn’t that others are strong. It’s just that despite having the art that can wage wars for its possession, an odd window to assist him, he was nowhere near enough to put in the efforts needed for survival.
"These flowers smell so good," Elyra said, leaning over to inhale the scent of white wildflowers.
"I hear that the master of Fulcrum didn’t even use a magic circuit; it was an invisible casting, which is...on a whole other level," Calara said.
"But- now that we know that our Professor is...this strong. Will things change?" Yumi asked.
"Changed? How?" Leon asked back.
"I mean, he’s clearly strong like clearance six mages, he’s a transcendent, even if not declared." She paused.
"Will a man of that calibre choose to be a professor if he’s got the whole world trying to favour him?" she asked.
"It’s been two days since the incident, and we haven’t heard a single word from him," she said.
"The last time I saw him was when he passed by the clinic, and just disappeared."
"..." No one spoke a word.
To think not-so-ordinary professor was a person who’d be known throughout the world among one of the strongest.
"By the way..." Vesper finally spoke, walking behind them.
"Has anyone ever seen a Saintess in their lives?" She asked, and all of them stopped at that question.
"..." They all looked at each other for a moment and then back at Vesper.
"I don’t...think so," Clara replied.
"You’re not suggesting to us..." Sera, who had been quiet all along, murmured.
"No...that’s way too risky," Darin replied.
"Walking into the castle might be allowed, but going anywhere near the injured? That’s impossible, there are knights stationed in every corridor, holy knights guarding the whole room," he said.
"We don’t really have to enter to see her...We can take a look at her, though," Vesper replied.
"Oh..." they all thought for a while, before walking back towards the castle of Orchiv. Since they had three hours left until the academy carriages departed.
.
.
.
Leon blinked, standing on the balcony of the quarters near where the saintess was.
"That’s your plan...?" he asked.
Vesper tilted her head.
"You make it sound like I suggested we assassinate someone..."
"You’re suggesting we sneak into that building, through the ceiling, like the knights didn’t think of that," Clara said.
"No sneak... but walk on the edges, and we’ll not cross the holy knights, just take a look at her from afar," Vesper replied.
"So those upper columns...how do you know we can see the saintess from there?" Darin asked.
"You’ve been there, haven’t you?" Sera narrowed her eyes.
"I ... get bored," Vesper smiled faintly.
Darin exhaled slowly and shook his head.
"Alright," he said. "We go up, we take a look, and we leave. No detours."
"Yeah, yeah...we know how to be careful," Leon replied.
"I’m just stating the terms," Darin said.
"And we didn’t need them," Leon replied.
"Stop it," Yumi warned them, and Leon clicked his tongue.
The corridors closer to the inner quarters were quieter.
Knights stood at intervals. Watching for intruders.
Which...in a way, made slipping past them easier.
No one expected students to wander this far.
Stone edges were chipped along the orchids that grew between the designs of the walls.
The higher they climbed alongside the columns, the colder the air became.
They emerged onto a narrow ledge.
Cool wind brushed past, carrying with it the faint scent of wildflowers that the County of Crescenda brought.
For a moment...no one spoke. The view above was beautiful.
The ledge curved along the outer structure of the castle as they moved forward, below them, far below, faint movements of knights could be seen.
Vesper was using her tiny magic circuit to hide their presence, so she was the one that felt most exhausted.
After a short walk, all of them stopped.
"There," Vesper finally said.
She slowed, then stopped near one of the upper columns.
It rose beside them, a massive and pale wall, connecting the outer structure to the higher arches of the castle.
Through the narrow opening, they jumped and landed on the top floor of the quarters.
One by one, they leaned on the edges of the railing, looking down at the injured beds of the knights, and magicians.
From there, they could see a faint light spilling from within. It felt soft and warm.
Following the source, it was when they spotted her.
A woman in a dark gown, golden linings, violet eyes and hair that flowed down the floor.
"Goodness..." Clara mumbled.
"She might be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life..." Darin whispered.
"..." The rest of the people were also out of words.
They wanted to see the Saintess heal someone, but they were more captivated by her appearance than the divinity she displayed.
"To think..." Elyra mumbled. "She’s going to be married to that mad Prince."
"..."
"..."
"It’s like a lantern gets hitched to a wildfire," Clara mumbled.
"Or a fairy being betrothed to a bloodthirsty monster," Yumi added.
"That...won’t happen." Suddenly, they heard a voice from behind them.
All of them turned around and found a man in black robes, black hair, and dark eyes casually standing behind them.
"Ferrey, a humble priest," He introduced himself and leaned on the railing, staring at the Saintess with a look... a priest shouldn’t have.
"What did you mean?" Leon asked.
"I said I wouldn’t let that happen," Ferrey replied.
"I wouldn’t let her be taken by some monster just because he’s a Prince."
All of them...didn’t know what to say to that.
"But that’s a matter for me to take care of...you kids are not allowed to be here," Ferrey said.
"Take the stairs, not the ceiling. And next time, ask for permission," he said.
All of them nodded and took a last glance at the Saintess before leaving.
Ferrey, however, stayed there for a while; his eyes never drifted away from the Saintess.