Shocking news circuted early the next morning.

  The goons who often harassed establishments around the area had been put in their right pce. Earlier, one beggar found them huddling together in fear in a dark alleyway and some of them eventually died due to blood loss and grave injuries. The knights arrived upon receiving the report and reluctantly dealt with them after seeing their beaten state.

  Many witnessed the arrest and imprisonment, Ryndell being one of them, and breathed sighs of relief.

  Ryndell, however, ughed to himself and shook his head lightly.

  What goes around, truly comes around.

  The bartender continued on his way and thought of a brilliant idea.

  Ah, I need to hire a storyteller.

  Karel dealt with the group of thugs in the wee hours of the morning before he went to rest, hoping it wouldn’t hinder his mission even if he woke ter in the day.

  Luncheon came inevitably and he decided to look for a good restaurant when he heard other useful information from the bystanders.

  “They are fighting beasts?” a man nearly excimed in shock.

  The other man shushed him by covering his mouth. He muttered, still wary of anyone who might hear, “Yes, it’s a subjugation war. That’s why some people were taking advantage of the knights’ absence.”

  “That makes sense.”

  His stomach grumbled at the thought of food and he had no choice but to eat a meal at the nearby stall. As he waited for his food, more gossip filled his ears.

  The royalty sent most of the knights to the said Subjugation War where they fought the monsters which reported to have been seen in the northern shore a few months ago and went innd only a few weeks ago.

  According to one gossiper, they had a difficult time fighting the beasts and suffered casualties. With the current dire situation, the Minister of Defense suggested recruiting able-bodied men to fight in the said war. Unfortunately for him, his suggestion angered the King.

  At least, the king has some sense in him.

  “The knights are not able to defeat them, so the Minister wants to recruit young’uns?” another man spat angrily. “Why not send him instead?”

  The others listening to the same gossip frowned deeper, also disappointed by the minister’s idea.

  Karel paid the nearby stall owner with a Ramayan Gold and stuttered seeing it. “This is…”

  “Keep the change.”

  “Thank you!”

  Karel went to the alleyway stealthily. He changed his appearance, donned his hooded cloak and casually walked out. He observed the gossipers for a few minutes before approaching them with confident strides.

  They stopped speaking to each other as the tall man stood before them. “Where is that pce you’re talking about?”

  The men exchanged confused gnces before reluctantly telling him where. He slightly bowed to them to show his gratitude before walking away.

  “Who was that?”

  “Weirdo.”

  Thanks to the locals’ directions, he located the battlefield quicker than he thought. He stood atop the cliff and saw the military camp up ahead. Beyond it id a carnage.

  Red, blood, madness.

  An eerie smirk slowly crept onto his lips. Battlefields always made his blood boil in excitement and anticipation. Perhaps, it’s the urge to wreak havoc knowing Ramayans relied on their instincts, especially when it came to fighting.

  Karel grasped onto his cloak, bundling it in his fist as he heaved deep breaths. He held himself back from disrupting the military operation or he might reveal his identity. He calmed down in a minute and noticed something. Even with the distance, the knights fought with a great disadvantage.

  After gaining crity, Karel hummed in amusement. He arranged his cloak and covered his head with the hood.

  “Let’s use long range magic then.” Magic circles slowly hovered around and above him. “It’s been a while since I’ve done this.”

  Among the veterans of the Ramayan Civil War, Karel was considered the best user of long-ranged offensive magic and he took pride in it. Many perished under his rge arrays of magic and because of his contributions, he became a powerhouse against the opposing factions.

  The magic circles slowly appeared above the battlefield and the shrill screams reverberated in the air while the magic relentlessly attacked the beasts.

  The sudden attack startled the knights and took it as an opportunity to retreat and regroup themselves. After retreating far enough with their injured comrades, the attacks, however, relentlessly continued.

  Astonishment and fear shook them as the battlefield turned to scenic py as magic danced; even the carnage left on its wake became mesmerizing.

  Realizing the magic attacks, they turned to the mages but none of them casted any spell and also looked ahead with awe painting their faces.

  So, who—

  “Those beasts are under the influence of some magic,” a voice spoke as the cloaked figure appeared nearby them.

  The uninjured knights pointed their swords at the man and he raised his hands in surrender.

  “I am interested in the rumors of beasts in the north but I was led to the nearby battlefield instead. Let me ask you one thing though. Isn’t Grantierra a continent known for its pious people?”

  Confusion hung around them after his question.

  Karel raised an eyebrow and smirked. “And there’s someone brave enough to use forbidden magic in these nds?”

  They flinched hearing those words.

  The royal mages who accompanied them said the same thing. The forbidden magic casted on those beasts turned them more ferocious.

  “How come you know of this?” a calm-headed knight asked, facing him head-on.

  “I’ve encountered simir beasts but not to that extent, even the supposed tamed animals turned wild after being exposed to certain magic weren’t like that. So, it would only mean someone tampered with their bodies.”

  “How can that be!”

  “That’s right!” the others seconded.

  “These beasts only lived around here and never attacked the towns—”

  Roar!

  The loud roar halted everyone and Karel looked at the rger beasts now emerging from nowhere. For him, spawning monsters signaled bad news.

  “I have to go,” he calmly said, walking away from the military camp.

  “Hey, wait a minute! It’s dangerous!”

  “Don’t go there!”

  The mages, however, stopped them from pursuing him further. Diving into battle once again proved to be disadvantageous, especially with their high numbers of casualties.

  “Hey, going there alone is suicide!” the general said at st.

  About to open his mouth to dissuade him again, the leader of the royal mages came forward while tightly gripping onto the staff in his hand. “That man isn’t a human.”

  The general turned to him, horrified. “What?”

  Mages aged slowly due to their affinity to magic, nonetheless, they paled in comparison to the immortals.

  Those who heard of the royal mage’s statement all looked at him with varying looks as they waited for his next words.

  “He’s a Ramayan.”

  Among the immortals, they feared the Ramayans for being known as the superior race aside from the dragons. After all, it’s a known fact that they could rival the Heavenly Winged1The Heavenly Winged is a race possessing divinity which is composed of the Archwinged, Archknights and the Divine Familiars. They reside in the Heavenly Realm or more known as Heavens. reigning the Heavens and the Elementals2Elementals are the naturally formed entities in Trojka after its conception. They mostly embody the natural elements and are considered as the lives making up the entirety of the world. dominating the Underworld.

  When they returned their attention upfront, they noticed how those ferocious beasts struggled against the man’s attacks. Even without the knowledge of magic, anyone could tell that whatever scene they witnessed ahead of them could never be done by any human, not even alone at that.

  The mysterious man fought like a knight yet judging by his fighting prowess he wielded magic like an extension of himself.

  In the continent of Grantierra, anyone who wielded magic underwent examinations handled by the temple. No matter how weak or strong their capability to use magic, they must register themselves. After having an approval from the temple, the mages could be employed by anyone. Most of them worked for the royals and aristocracy while others established their names and built their own companies. On the other hand, the ones gifted with divine power would be legally ordained by the temple to become Padins3Padins are knights who possess divine powers and are ordained by the Great Temple of Ena. who possessed independent license to operate while upholding their duties and only two padins resided in Astadvran.

  However, due to the prominence of the Enaryus religion, which also prohibited practicing magic in secrecy, there were still people who hid their abilities, unwilling to be bound to the temple.

  Said two Padins sitting by the side gred ahead. They noticed the man’s presence beforehand but because of his non-aggressive approach, arresting him would be unethical.

  “We have to admit that an immortal helped us today,” one of the two men said and held tightly onto his nce. Against someone who could kill you with a snap of a finger, he knew when to stand down. “So, quell your anger, my liege. Even with our holy powers, we know we can do nothing.”

  “I know,” he replied through gritted teeth and observed the cloaked figure.

  The fight continued on because in this battlefield, Karel realized how he could kill and how liberating such an idea was for him.

  “This is truly a sight to see,” the royal mage choked out as his hand holding onto his staff trembled more. In all the years he lived, he never witnessed something like this.

  The other senior mage clutched onto his staff. “He’s not even chanting. How monstrous.”

  Amidst the carnage, there stood a lone figure. When he gnced back at the knights watching him from afar, bck fires enveloped the battlefield.

  Horrified gasps erupted from the knights as they witnessed that. Only those who stood above in rank wielded those Bck Fires of the Inferno4Bck Fires of the Inferno, also known as purgatory fire, is the strongest type of Fire Magic. Although categorized as fire magic, its color is bck and cold when touched. because casting it proved to be suicidal. The bck fires literally burned everything down, even the wielder himself if not cautious.

  In the midst of it, Karel reveled in what the battlefield offered. Exhirating, exciting, euphoric—and his blood boiled underneath his skin. His heartbeat soared and the sinister smile on his face only grew wider, sinister, madder.

  “Bliss I haven’t felt in a while,” he finally muttered to himself.

  As the st ignited fire died down, the hooded figure disappeared without a trace and only left a silent, bloody battlefield alongside a question: “Just who that man was?”

  Karel arrived in town and retired to his temporary lodgings. It’s been a while since he poured out his power in a fight and somehow found it refreshing.

  I did well. The training with uncle paid off.

  He took time to strip his clothes off and took a bath.

  As water ran and soaked his figure, his thoughts drifted back to his retives—Eliwood and Tybalt. The father and son stood above in rank, and also more monstrous than him. His aunt Belle, despite her detest of being in the frontlines, also excelled in fighting but specialized in healing. What’s more, even his other uncle stood above those three.

  Long fingers ran through soaked hair and he closed his eyes, letting the water hit his face.

  They had failed to protect before and it became their drive to push further; to be stronger, to be unbeatable, and stly to fulfill their oaths. A setback meant nothing to those whose determination spoke in volumes, those who used it as a stepping stone to reach greater heights.

  Karel settled himself in the tub thereafter, leaning back while he stared pensively at the ceiling.

  Ah, there’s no resonance…

  He might need to travel tomorrow and far north in Astadvran might help him.