The town of Farband had already mobilized to action by the time Levi and Qorbin returned. Hundreds of men, guards, and even a couple of children armed with axes and knives were waiting by the village gates, expressions of fear, trepidation, but also determination on their faces. Clearly, they had all heard the terrible sounds of the fight and, judging by the countless shattered windows marring the buildings lining the streets, had felt the incredible shockwaves of the attacks from even this distance.

  Upon seeing them cross the gates, the man at the front, likely the mayor, quickly rushed over to meet them. “Honored adventurers, is it safe?” he rasped. “Do we need to evacuate?”

  Qorbin grinned. “Mayor Edwin, the only thing you need to do is break out your best ale.” He raised his voice. “The monsters are all dead!” he declared, the crowd intently hanging onto his every word. “You can rest easy now. The dungeon has been cleared!”

  A wave of relief immediately rippled through the entire crowd, the tension melting away as the townsfolk broke out in excited murmuring, spreading the good news to the people in the back. Levi caught sight of multiple people making some hand sign – probably a prayer to the Goddess – and several others hollered and cheered. The children seemed to be especially joyous, jumping up and down.

  In front of them, Mayor Edwin practically sagged in place, his shoulders slumping over in relief as though a tremendous weight had finally been lifted. “Oh, thank the Goddess,” he said. “Oh, thank you both.”

  “Just doing our jobs,” Qorbin said as Levi nodded along. “That being said though…” His expression became a little sheepish as he lowered his voice. “The Grove of Embers may or may not be living up to its namesake now.”

  Mayor Edwin stared at him blankly. “What do you mean?”

  Qorbin coughed delicately. “It’s, uhh. It’s on fire.”

  “...”

  “And it’s spreading fast. You guys may wanna do something about that.”

  Mayor Edwin swore softly under his breath. “Okay. It’s fine, we’ve handled situations like these before. At least everyone already has their axes. You’re certain it’s safe out there?”

  Qorbin nodded. “All the monsters in the dungeon have been eliminated.”

  “Very well,” Mayor Edwin said. He turned back around to face the townspeople and held up his hand, drawing their attention. “People of Farband! I know you’re all relieved by the good news, I am too, but we cannot relax yet. The Grove of Embers is on fire!” Another wave of shocked gasps and swears spread through the crowd. “Prepare to enact forest fire protocols! Set up firebreaks as fast as possible! For the future of Farband!”

  The crowd roared thunderously in response, raising their axes high above their heads. Then they rushed forward, streaming through the gates. At first it looked to be completely chaotic, but once they were outside the town walls, they quickly separated into groups and fanned out with a surprisingly organized deftness to their movements. Evidently, they had experienced something like this before, and probably had even rehearsed drills to prepare for it.

  Mayor Edwin turned back to them. “Thank you, truly,” he said. “The other two adventurers are at the healers – rest assured that they’re receiving the best care that we can offer.” He then hesitated. “Do you need me to guide you to the clinic?”

  “Nah don’t worry, we’ll find our way,” Qorbin said. “Go on, I know you need to lead your men.”

  Mayor Edwin smiled gratefully. “Thank you. Farband will remember your kindness.” Then he turned and hurried after the crowd, yelling out commands and directing his men.

  Levi and Qorbin watched him for several seconds before turning back and heading into the now much-emptier town.

  “He seems like a good leader,” Levi said. “Have you met him before?”

  “Nah, never.”

  Levi blinked. “How did you know who he was, then?”

  Qorbin flashed him a cocky smile. “I’m a Grand Assassin, kid. It’s my job to know things.”

  Levi snorted. “Right. That’s why you knew about Phantasm’s sabotage ahead of time, I’m sure.”

  Qorbin winced. “That’s a low blow… Some things do slip through from time to time. Nobody’s perfect, after all…”

  They fell into a silence as they headed toward the healer clinic. Qorbin confidently led the way, not faltering in his steps even a single time, and Levi got the feeling that the man had already committed a map of the village to memory.

  “Phantasm…” Qorbin said quietly, his voice uncharacteristically somber. “I’ve never heard of him before, but I know of the organization he works for.”

  “The Crucible,” Levi said. “Who are they?”

  Qorbin shrugged. “No clue. Up until today, I didn’t know the names of any of their members. Their numbers, their goals, their motives… it’s all unknown. The only reason I’ve even heard of them… well. That’s a story for another day.”

  Levi’s gaze sharpened. Was it related to how Heimler also knew of the Crucible? He didn’t ask, since he’d then have to explain how he knew that Heimler knew, but he made a mental note to look into it later.

  “What skills did Phantasms have, by the way?” Qorbin asked.” I assume you fought against him.”

  Levi nodded. “He has an illusionary hypnosis skill in the form of a bewitching ball of light that disintegrates everything it touches, and his teleportation ability is impeccable. Most notably though, he has an anti-magic refractory barrier perpetually wrapped around himself like a second skin – [Sanctum], he called it. It effectively renders him impervious to all magical attacks.”

  Qorbin whistled. “I’ve only heard of something like that in theory. It has to be either a super high-tier skill or a unique Conceptual skill.”

  Levi nodded. “He was extremely confident in its impenetrability. He told me to cast everything I had at him and that he wouldn’t move a single inch.”

  “Heh. That’s rather arrogant, but understandable. I assume you concealed a physical-based attack within a smokescreen of spells to bypass his barrier?”

  “No, he would’ve undoubtedly sensed that and dodged accordingly. I just used magic on him.”

  Qorbin stopped in his step, turning to look at Levi. “What? You used magic against an anti-magic barrier?” He paused before asking tentatively, “Did it work?”

  Levi smiled viciously. “He’s missing his left arm.”

  Qorbin blinked, then laughed. “No way,” he said, resuming walking. “That’s fucking gold. Please tell me you managed to get a good look at his face when that happened.”

  “Unfortunately not, he had a mask on.”

  “Tch. Lame.”

  They turned another corner and finally arrived at the healer clinic. It was a quaint building, located in the same district as the apothecary and the Deerstalker’s Tavern. It had a sign decorated with a snake coiling around a staff hanging above the entrance, and as they entered, they were immediately met with a pleasant aroma of herbs, ointments, and incense.

  The receptionist behind the main desk rose immediately when she saw them. She was young, in her early twenties, and she had a frightened expression on her face. Levi glanced around. Even here, all the clinic windows were broken, and shards of glass lay scattered on the wooden floor.

  “Is it safe?” she asked.

  “Now that we’re here?” Qorbin flashed her a roguish grin. “You may very well be in the safest place within a hundred mile radius. But if you were asking about the monsters in the Grove of Embers, yeah it’s safe. Took a bit longer than expected killing them all, but we managed it in the end. Thanks for staying at your post, miss. We owe you one.”

  The receptionist nearly collapsed in relief, clutching the edge of the desk tightly for support. “Oh praise the Goddess…”

  Then she turned professional a moment later, her voice becoming formal. “Anyhow, I assume you’re here for the two adventurers that came in earlier.” She waited for them to nod. “The older gentleman’s wounds were rather serious, more severe than what even our highest leveled healer could handle. Thankfully, the gentleman has a robust Constitution, and our healers were able to eventually stabilize him. He’s not fully healed yet by any means, and he hasn’t regained consciousness, but he’ll live long enough to get proper treatment.”

  “Excellent,” Qorbin said. “I already sent out a distress call earlier, and reinforcements should arrive at the village soon. They’ll have a healer with them who can finish the job. What about the girl?”

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  “She’s undergoing treatment right now,” the receptionist said. “Her wounds were minor, but she refused any and all treatment until our healers finished healing the older gentleman.”

  Qorbin nodded approvingly. “I see. Mind leading us to her?”

  “Of course.”

  She led them through a narrow hallway that opened up into a wide circular chamber, much bigger than Levi would’ve expected from the outside. Beds lined the edge of the wall like the hands of a clock, separated by thick cotton curtains. The receptionist bowed then left.

  Professor Merriweather lay unconscious on one of the beds. His entire body was wrapped with bandages, his left arm was in a cast, and his impressive mustache had multicolored stains on them – likely potions they’d forced down his throat. Still, his chest visibly rose and fell, and Qorbin and Levi both relaxed slightly upon seeing that.

  Then they turned to see Liliya located several beds away, surrounded by two healers. She was sitting upright at the edge of the bed as they hovered over her, their hands outstretched and mana steadily flowing from the center of their palms.

  “Levi!” Liliya immediately said upon seeing them. She stood, ignoring the healers’ sounds of protest as she strode over. “Lord Rave– sorry, Qorbin, you as well. I’m glad to see you’re both alive. Is the Elder Wyvern…”

  “It’s dead,” Levi said. “We killed it.”

  Liliya smiled. “I knew you would–” She hesitated, her eyes sliding over to Qorbin.

  “Yeah, no need to get alarmed, I’m in the know,” Qorbin drawled. He waved away the healers when they tried to come over, then took out his enchanted anti-eavesdropping dice and tossed it onto the bed. It formed a barrier around them preventing all sound from leaking out. Levi hadn’t noticed it last time, but there was also an odd shimmer to the barrier; it appeared to be an image-blurring enchantment that obscured their mouths from potential lip readers.

  “It’s kinda hard not to be, really,” Qorbin continued, “considering how I saw Mr Dead-Last Failure over here fucking extirpate an Elder Wyvern with a single attack. Nearly hit me with that skill too – lemme tell you, I was seeing my life flash before my eyes for a second there.”

  Levi chuckled. “Stop being overdramatic, you were fine the entire time. My cutting spell was aimed to be perfectly precise.”

  “Cutting spell? Oh, is that what you’re calling it? That fifty-meter-long overpowered arc of magic? Shit, if I was a more foolish man, I’d ask if you were overcompensating for something.”

  “But you did just ask that…”

  “Huh,” Qorbin said, blinking. “So I did.” He grinned as Levi sighed.

  “Anyway,” Levi said, turning back to Liliya. “Killing Leroy was hard, but we managed it in the end. It was all Qorbin’s doing, to be honest; he was able to immobilize the beast long enough for me to land a decisive hit–”

  “Leroy?” Qorbin interrupted, frowning. “I’m sorry, I must’ve misheard. Did you just call the Elder Wyvern, ‘Leroy?’”

  “That’s what Phantasm named it…”

  “I see,” Qorbin said, looking vaguely disturbed. “Actually, I don’t see. But carry on.”

  “Did Phantasm show up again?” Liliya asked, her eyes narrowing.

  Levi shook his head. “He seems to have fully fled the scene after I injured him. I was just telling Qorbin about it earlier.”

  Qorbin nodded. “I can’t say for certain what Phantasm’s plans were, but I think I can piece it together well enough: kill you two, bait in adventurer reinforcements, kill them too with the Elder Wyvern, bait in even more adventurer reinforcements, rinse and repeat. This was clearly an attack targeting adventurers. The only question is why…”

  He went silent for a moment, a pensive frown on his face. Then he shook his head. “Well, I guess there’s no point in ruminating on it. Thankfully, I don’t think Phantasm expected me to be here, nor did he expect Levi to be so strong. It’s a good thing that I was here in town, and that Levi is secretly a demon lord in disguise – kidding, kidding.”

  Levi nodded after shooting Qorbin a dark look. “Right. I don’t think I was the target, but…” He turned to Liliya. “Your plan to take the Ascension Trials solo was public information for a while. Phantasm knew you by name as well – there’s a good chance he was targeting you specifically. Can you think of any reasons why?”

  Liliya hesitated. “Not really?”

  “I can, actually,” Qorbin said. They both looked at him. Qorbin shrugged. “What? I like to speculate on the potential sociopolitical ramifications that’d result from the assassinations of select targets from time to time. It’s a hobby of mine.” He nodded at Levi. “Your death would’ve had virtually no effect on anything, by the way.”

  “Thank you,” Levi said. “I am very glad to know that piece of information.”

  “Anytime,” Qorbin grinned. “But anyway…” His gaze became serious as he looked at Liliya, his eyes suddenly piercing into her. She shifted slightly but met his stare evenly. “If you had died, your father, Ivan Volkov, would’ve been up in arms. He’s already… antisocial on the best of days, and there’s a good chance he would’ve severed multiple noble alliances, withdrawn from mutual protection agreements, and refused future trade deals. He might’ve also suspected Valarian involvement from the northern country of Valaria; there’ve been an increasing number of skirmishes at the northern Luminarche border the past several years. Your death would’ve likely influenced his decisions there.”

  Liliya nodded slowly, her eyes narrowed. “That’s right, I’ve definitely observed him becoming more and more of a war hawk the past few years…”

  “That’s not even getting into the whole deal with Theodore Montague,” Qorbin said. “In the nicest way possible, he’s a bit obsessed with you. Losing you would’ve unquestionably made him angry and irrational – and an angry and irrational Royal Sentinel is something you never want to see. They’re already a colossal pain in the ass on a good day.”

  Levi’s lips quirked slightly at Qorbin’s open dislike of the Royal Sentinels. It made sense, though. The Royal Sentinel unit was established solely to govern, control, and in many cases, suppress the adventuring population. Adventurers wielded immense power, after all, and there needed to be someone to prevent any upstart group of adventurers from overthrowing the royal government’s rule.

  As such, the Royal Sentinels existed as an elite, extremely powerful division of warriors under the direct control of the King of Luminarche himself. They held incredible political power, considering how they had the backing of an entire kingdom behind them, and they served as a combination of state security, secret police, and special forces all in one.

  Levi wasn’t surprised that Qorbin wasn’t a fan. Hell, he probably suffered some of the most intense scrutiny out of any adventurer out there since he was a Grand Assassin, someone with the perfect skillset to assassinate the King.

  “But yeah,” Qorbin finished. “Your death, along with the chaos of multiple villages and towns falling to an Elder Wyvern… Phantasm must’ve wanted to seriously destabilize Luminarche as a whole.”

  They were all silent for several seconds as they absorbed the new information. Then Qorbin sighed. “We can discuss this another day though – for now, let’s just focus on the fact that we’re all alive and whole.”

  Levi inclined his head, and Liliya nodded in agreement.

  “Fair enough,” she said. “At least you guys managed to kill the Elder Wyvern.” She smiled. “The loot alone must’ve been a truly impressive haul.”

  Levi and Qorbin both froze. The two of them glanced at each other, several seconds passing as they communicated through silent, frantic looks.

  “Ahaha yeah,” Qorbin laughed nervously. “The loot. It was… substantial, to be sure.”

  Levi nodded vigorously in agreement. “Very valuable. I can’t wait to sell it all.“

  Another few seconds passed.

  Liliya sighed. “You guys forgot to loot the Elder Wyvern, didn’t you?”

  “Okay, yeah, we did,” Levi admitted. “In our defense, we were kind of distracted.”

  “The post-victory vibe was immaculate,” Qorbin agreed. “Looting the Elder Wyvern would’ve ruined the atmosphere.”

  “Right…” Liliya said, looking distinctly unimpressed. “A Mythmaker and an Archmage, making such an elementary mistake…”

  “You’re an archmage?” Qorbin asked, whirling to Levi in surprise.

  Levi sighed. “Yes, but probably not the time...”

  “Holy shit, you did not mention that–!” Qorbin winced as Liliya coughed pointedly. “Anyhow. You wanna go back and loot the body, or should I?”

  “It’s all yours,” Levi said. It wasn’t like he could use the [Loot] skill anyway. “Do me a favor and split the loot evenly afterward though, if possible.”

  “Oh for sure, I’m not one to screw a party member out of their fair share, unofficial or otherwise. I’ll be sure to give Merriweather his share as well – unless you have any objections?”

  “Go right ahead,” Levi said. “He deserves it the most out of all of us, I’d say.”

  “True enough,” Qorbin grinned. “Good lad. I’ll be right back. Oh, and do think about my offer, will you?”

  Then he stepped back and melted into the shadows, disappearing from the clinic.

  There was a moment of silence as Levi and Liliya found themselves the only ones left in the chamber. The healers had already left, having taken the hint and giving them privacy. Off to the side, Merriweather was still unconscious.

  Levi let out a long sigh. “Well. That was something.”

  He sat down unceremoniously on the bed nearest to them, leaning back on his hands as a sudden wave of tiredness seeped through him, the day’s events finally catching up to him. Liliya sat down next to him, her posture perfect even as she too looked exhausted. They just sat there in a companionable silence for several moments.

  “How much does Qorbin know?” Liliya asked.

  Levi hummed. “Not everything. I didn’t tell him about my System being locked. I wanted to wait until I was certain he could be trusted. Though… I may end up telling him sooner than expected.”

  “Oh?”

  “The offer he mentioned,” Levi said. “He asked if I wanted to be his apprentice.”

  Liliya froze. “What?”

  “He asked if you wanted to be his apprentice as well.”

  Her eyes widened. “What?!”

  “I told him that I’d think about it–”

  “Levi,” Liliya said, turning to him and looking him in the eye. Her expression was dead serious. “You’re saying yes.”

  “But I–”

  “You’re saying yes. Are you kidding? A Mythmaker extending an offer of personal apprenticeship? Do you have any idea how unbelievably rare this is? The leveling benefits alone would be astronomical, and don’t get me started on the mission opportunities. And–”

  She cut off abruptly and looked away.

  “And?” Levi prompted.

  Liliya was silent for a few moments. “And,” she finally said, her voice quiet as she refused to meet his gaze, “the status of being a Mythmaker’s apprentice might convince my father to temporarily hold off on the arranged marriage for a while longer.”

  “Ah,” Levi said. He considered it. “When you put it that way. Okay.”

  “Of course, I understand if you have your own reasons for not wanting to–” Liliya froze, turning back to him. “Wait. Okay?”

  Levi nodded. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

  He liked Qorbin well enough, and Liliya’s actions in the cavern had moved him in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time. He wanted to continue nurturing her talent and seeing where she’d go.

  Perhaps he’d regret this decision later, but as of right now?

  The smile she gave him made it completely worth it.