Polymath Redux – Don’t forget to look behind when fighting from the front
Chapter XXXII
The ‘Spring Palace’; the grand symbol of the power and wealth accumulated by the Adventurer’s Guild, as marvelous and exotic as it stood before, it was now laid to waste in the great catastrophe. With the destruction of their home-base the members of the Hywel Knights were temporarily moved to a smaller inn, though the problem of their lodging was the least of their problems. For the past few weeks the members of the Hywel knights were helping with the relief effort for the city with a solemn and serious expression.
Even the talkative Wolf was feeling somewhat down at the sight of the city of the sun that was now covered with rubble and debris. As adventurers of the highest rank they had thought they had seen the height of power, but that was merely a plateau to an even greater height. It wasn’t the first time that they were faced with the reality of their powerlessness, they had each faced a similar situation during their newbie days, but this was the biggest shock since then.
As night had fallen, the leader of the Hywel Knights, Leona Crom overlooked the city in rubbles from her small inn’s window. Just a week ago the skies rained fire and a sea of blood flooded the city and a week before that everything was covered in sunshine with a pristine look. Just how could events transpire so quickly and without warning? Was it always going to be like this from now on?
“Leona, you should get some sleep.”
Stella entered her room after noticing the mana stone’s lights were still active. When she entered she saw for the first time the frustrated expression on her leader’s face.
“Stella… I’m fine. What about you?”
Leona asked. Though still inconclusive until further investigation was completed, it was evident that the culprits responsible for this attack were the Baliazoural Empire, in other words Stella’s home country. Though she had officially cut all ties from the empire she was still without a doubt a child from the empire. No one was blaming her for anything, but Stella herself couldn’t help but feel even a little responsible for this massacre.
“Mmm… I’m fine too I guess. I honestly didn’t think the empire had it in them to do something like this. If it weren’t for those two figures, Irina and Morgana this place would’ve been totaled. They really were amazing huh? To think that even after all this time we’re still this weak; it’s a real wake up call.”
Stella answered in a wry tone. Out of everyone in the team it was Stella who had trained and struggled the most to get to where she was. The other members had innate talent; Wolf had his race’s physical properties, Leona was a genius combatant since a young age, Rio was an immortal who had centuries of experience to her mastery and Joutr also had the Titan race’s capabilities. It was only Stella who was a normal human being yet she had trained to not become a burden to her party members.
“Yeah… I was surprised too, to know that there were people that strong. All this time I’ve been chasing after the Dragon King so I never knew how wide this world was.”
Leona responded.
“The ‘mysterious flaming hero’ Irina and the ‘saintly merchant’ Morgana Daltress. That’s what the people have been referring to them as.”
Stella explained with a defeated smile; even though the Hywel knights also played a pivotal role in saving the city it was ultimately those two who had received the most attention and credit. It wasn’t as though Stella was really interested in the attention and it was justified as they were the ones who actually saved the city. Perhaps it was simply due to the contemplative mood of the city that she was made to think about her strength in contrast to those two shining figures.
“Are you curious about their identities?”
Leona asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Heh, well aren’t you curious too? A mysterious flaming hero with the power that could even rival the Dragon King and a strange merchant that has access to skills never before seen in this country. If they had always existed then where were they up until now and how come we haven’t heard of them?”
“Hmm~ I guess it would be a lie to say I wasn’t curious as to their true identities, but we’ll have to wait another three days until we figure that out.”
“What do you mean? What’s in two days?”
As Stella asked Leona pulled out a small brown envelope from the side drawer and on it was the king’s seal.
“I received a summons from father. Officially it’s to congratulate and rewards Miss Irina and Miss Morgana for their efforts during the attack but I suspect the real reason behind the invitation is to find out more about those two.”
“Hmm~ then I guess we’ll have to leave it till then.”
“Yes.”
Leona nodded.
“Changing topics, what do you plan on doing about ‘that’?”
Stella was, of course, referring to the offer they had received from the third mysterious figure, Morialia. With the emergence with these three powerful new figures there was no doubt that the political climate and power rankings were about to be violently shaken up. Up until now the Hywel Knights were seen as the strongest power in the city but that dynamic was already crumbling and it wouldn’t do for them to start falling behind.
It wasn’t just simply their pride but also their wish. After having seen the destruction that was capable of descending out of seemingly nowhere, the best possible option for them right now was to get stronger to be able to prevent such things from happening again in the future.
Leona gave an affirmative nod as to answer Stella’s question.
“After the events of a week ago I’ve finally learnt that we the Hywel Knights are actually very weak. No doubt if the empire was able to use a spell of this scale once they could use it again. When that time comes we need to be prepared.”
“So it’s decided then, well I think everyone in our party is probably in agreement with that sentiment.”
Leona nodded once more and took out a small piece of metal. The [communication token] that they had received from Morialia that day; it was time to use it.
…
The next day the five members of the Hywel Knights were gathered on the outskirts of Solaris. Meeting them for the second time was a small girl with blonde hair and a haughty look on her face. When they had first met she had the expression of an innocent young child but now all of that façade had vanished and in front of them was a powerhouse known as Morialia.
“I can’t believe we’re actually taking up the offer to become the disciple of a witch who tried to kill us…”
Wolf said in an unsatisfied tone. He wasn’t opposed to the idea of studying under her to become stronger but somewhere buried deep in his mind he still hadn’t forgotten what Morialia tried to do that one time.
“Aha~ I guess you still haven’t forgotten about that. How embarrassing~”
Morialia dismissed the statement in a sarcastic manner.
“Of course not! How could we forget?!”
“Come now, that was so long ago.”
“It was only a bit more than a week ago! But whatever, I have one question for you.”
Wolf’s tone suddenly changed from a playful anguish to a more serious one.
“Hmm~? And that is?”
Noticing the tone shift Morialia responded naturally.
“Why didn’t you help when the city was being attacked? I mean you must’ve had more than enough power to do so, right?”
To the Hywel Knights, Morialia’s strength rivaled that of the Dragon King and potentially was even stronger. As Wolf said, Morialia did technically have more than enough power to intervene and save the capital yet she didn’t even show herself. ‘Why?’ that was on everyone’s mind.
Morialia kept silent for a brief moment before answering with her usual carefree façade.
“Are you mistaking me for some kind of ally of justice? Don’t get me wrong, I have no obligations to save anyone from danger. The defense of the city is not my responsibility but the problem of the ones in charge of your country. Our relationship is strictly give and take. You provide me with information and I will grant you power, it’s simple as that.”
An unchecked power; upon hearing her true intentions, the members of the Hywel knights stood wary. Morialia was strong but with all that strength she only used it to reach her own agenda; a dangerous prospect that could one day be to the city’s detriment. Despite realizing this, the Hywel Knights were unable to oppose that way thought and all they could do now was to learn under her and become stronger.
“We understand. Then please train us well.”
Leona stepped forth and bowed to her new teacher. After a brief pause all of the other members did the same. Seeing their conviction Morialia gave a hearty nod. With this the pieces known as the Hywel Knights had also fallen into the hands of Mordred. There was also another reason for trying to get them to be Morialia’s disciples and that was to test whether they could learn [Hellgana]’s spells. If it was indeed possible then they could also make excellent trump cards when necessary.
“Very good. Now then, I’m assuming you all have the basics down so I’ll skip all the boring introductory phase. I’ll teach each one of you a single new skill that I want you to master within two months.”
Though it was what the Hywel Knights had wanted, for some reason they couldn’t help but feel as though some kind of hellish training was about to begin.
“U- umm~ just to be sure, what kind of skills are they?”
Rio asked, slightly nervous and excited about learning a new skill. After centuries she had thought she had reached what seemed to be the peak of clerical power but that was not the case.
Morialia responded with an uncanny smile, filled with obvious hidden intentions.
“What I will be teaching you all is something called an ‘Ultimate’.”
Magician(Stella Nightwell) – Gravity Well
Cleric(Rio Heart) – Heaven’s Judgment
Warrior(Leona Crom) – Dark Knight Transformation
Templar(Joutr) – Paladin Transformation
Assassin(Wolf) – Shadow Legion
Unknowingly inducted into Mordred’s force it was necessary for them to meet the minimum power requirement. There were three reasons why Mordred felt it was necessary to teach them ultimate skills rather than normal skills. The first reason was that it was the quickest way to have them distinguish themselves from the ordinary powerhouses of this world such as the Dragon King. A powerful foreign skill that is also eye catching helps them stand out and thus draw all kinds of potential information without directly putting Mordred himself in plain view.
The second reason for teaching them specifically ultimate skills was because of balance reasons. Though some skills had undergone change upon coming to this world, the functions and designs of ultimate skills have stayed relatively the same. In fact with the addition of ‘concentration’ being a requirement it could be said that they’ve become slightly weaker. Not only that, as a ‘Polymath’ and a veteran at the game, Mordred understood very clearly each skill’s strength and weakness as well as on how to exploit those weaknesses should the Hywel Knights ever betray him.
The third reason was because Mordred was personally curious as to how strong an individual of this world could potentially get. With the strongest skill it would give a fair estimation on how their maximum strength could possible reach. This was an important step in understanding the extent of the powers potential enemies could possess as well as an important experiment.
Thus a two month long and grueling journey to reach the height of their power had begun.
…
For the third time in two weeks the Wayfarer Council had gathered once more at their usual place. The entire room was as dark as ever, but that wasn’t limited to the ambiance of this room but also their expressions as well. This was due to the unprecedented event that would later be named the ‘Catastrophe of Fire’.
“It’s amazing that none of us actually died during that catastrophe.”
Belita Lambert, sub viceroy of a small Baliazoural territory had spoken up to lighten the mood. However it was evident that the current situation wasn’t the time for such things. In light of the catastrophe three things came to their attention in the form of three women.
“They’re calling them the mysterious flaming hero, Irina and the saintly merchant, Morgana Daltress. Had I not seen their skills with my own eyes I would’ve doubted the rumors of their strength.”
Del Granate, the Head of the Royal Alchemy Commission, spoke up. Irina had shown herself to be extremely capable with enough power to slay an Elder Lich with minimal help. Suffice it to say that kind of power was reserved mostly for heroes of legend thus her title of ‘flaming hero’ was fairly apt. Morgana Daltress was also another landmine that the council needed to be wary of. She was quickly earning the hearts and minds of the citizens of this city through her wealth and knowledge and it was evident that she’d be receiving a sizable role in the king’s court from now on. Not only that but she also had under her control an Armored Hydra which bumps up her status in the country due to its sheer power.
“The flaming hero Irina doesn’t seem like the type of person to be interested in politics so isn’t it fine to let her be for the time being? At the very least our priority should be on Morgana Daltress.”
Alexander Granate, Vice director of the Adventurer Guild suggested. He understood her powers well as he had seen them first hand but he also knew her kind of personality. Give her a few medals and rank promotions and she’d happily stay put for the time being.
“For all that effort she’d be promoted to OMEGA rank. Are you sure you can keep a tight leash on her?”
Casec, an OMEGA ranked adventurer asked, slightly skeptic about leaving an unchecked power.
“Trust me; I’ve dealt with those kinds of people a lot.”
Alexander reassured.
“No, she isn’t a being that can be easily ignored. There’s also the potential that she’s somehow connected to Morgana Daltress. Their timing was a little too convenient to appear at the same time.”
The Luminary who had kept quiet spoke up.
“You think they’re planning something?”
Del asked.
“Yes, at least Morgana Daltress is scheming something without a doubt. She’s to appear before the king in two days and depending on her actions the power balance in the court could change drastically.”
The Luminary answered.
“Then what do you suggest we do?”
Belita asked.
“How about assassinating her?”
Casec suggested but the Luminary shook his head.
“Unless you can guarantee with a 100% certainty that you can kill her it’s best not to take unnecessary risks. She has an Armored Hydra under her command; even you wouldn’t be able to easily bypass such a monster. The best course of action for this council to take is to get close to her with the guise of supporting her. I have no doubt that she will become an invaluable asset to the council, the problem is merely when to snip the bud so she doesn’t become too powerful.”
The Luminary answered, for the first time in a while the other members could almost sense some sort of excitement coming from the Luminary. An uncanny and cold feeling grasped the ambiance of the room; they all knew what he was thinking, that he wanted Morgana to join the Wayfarer council. Indeed that would be the best outcome for them and would elevate their statuses tremendously.
“Hmm? Is something wrong Lazzaro? You’ve been awfully quiet for a while now. You too Sven.”
Del asked with a curious voice.
“Mmm, I guess it won’t do to hide it. The truth is we ran into that little girl Casec mention in the reports. Morialia, we even directly engaged her but she had no openings.”
Sven Serus, illegitimate son of the king, confessed.
“That’s right! That little bitch! She ran away so quickly like a coward!”
Lazzaro, Grand Cardinal slammed his fists on the table in rage.
The Luminary closed his eyes to think about what to do for a few seconds. There were too many unknowns in the current situation to act up directly. In the first place they weren’t that kind of group so it was best to move the way that they always had been, from the shadows.
“Casec I want you to continue your search for that one, Morialia. Lazzaro, Del and Pierre will attend the king’s conference in two days and scout out the situation with Morgana Daltress. Sven I want you to keep an eye on the one known as Irina.”
With that the roles have been decided and the conference was about to begin.
Rebirth Online World 