Spell Model

"Officer Dina."

Karl remained unmoved:

"You're an adult too. When someone does something wrong, they have to pay the corresponding price. Don't tell me you don't even understand that?"

"Did I do something wrong?" Dina raised her wineglass, her eyes clouded with confusion.

"Investigating the Mummy Case and wiping out the Fire Thief—I did everything according to the knight's code and the kingdom's laws."

As a knight, she was supposed to protect the weak; as a Patrol Chief, she was supposed to uphold justice. She did not feel that she had done anything wrong.

"Was standing by and doing nothing really the right thing?"

"Right and wrong depend on the angle you're looking from."

Karl shrugged.

"Maybe you don't think you did anything wrong, but the families of those who died because of you certainly don't see it that way."

"Besides, you worked so hard to investigate the case. It wasn't only because of the knight's code, was it?"

"Heh..." Dina shook her head with a bitter smile, tilted her head back, and drained her wine in one gulp. Then, with drunken eyes, she looked at Karl.

"You... You're different from before."

The Karl of the past had been carefree and boorish, with a personality as rough as his voice. Now, however, he had become refined, and even his speech was orderly and composed.

"People change."

Karl's expression remained indifferent.

"There's nothing strange about that."

"That's true!" Dina nodded.

"Cheers."

The two clinked their glasses and drained them in one gulp.

"Urp..."

The alcohol went to her head. A flush spread across Dina's face, and her eyes grew somewhat dull as she stared at the wine and giggled foolishly.

Her tolerance for alcohol seemed rather ordinary.

"You're right."

After belching, Dina grinned.

"I also have my own reason for investigating the case. It isn't only because of the knight's code. Do you know about Life Potions?"

"Life Potions?" Karl raised an eyebrow.

"The potions that can help a Knight Squire advance to a knight?"

As a Knight Squire, he naturally knew about Life Potions. There were also Life Fruits of a similar nature.

Both were "treasures" that could increase the odds of advancement.

"Yes." Dina nodded.

"I'm the Patrol Chief. If I make a contribution, I can apply to the City Lord to purchase a Life Potion."

"Hmm..." Karl was somewhat puzzled.

"You're Viscount Sassoon's eldest daughter. With the Jaeger Family's power, you still can't obtain a Life Potion?"

"I received one before." Dina raised her head.

"But I was young and ignorant at the time, and someone tricked me out of it. Given how rare Life Potions are, even as the eldest daughter of the family, I can't get a second one."

"Tricked you out of it?"

Karl shook his head speechlessly.

Although Dina's words were vague, it was most likely an internal family matter. Such things were not uncommon.

No wonder Dina had been so active ever since taking office. It turned out she was trying to advance to knighthood.

"I'm not young anymore."

Dina muttered.

"If I can't advance to knighthood within the next few years, I'll have to marry some man whose character I know nothing about."

"I'm not willing to accept that..."

"Every family has its own troubles." Karl drank with her and encouraged her.

"I wish you success."

"Then can you withdraw the complaint?"

"No."

"..." Dina lowered her head and drank gloomily. When she was thoroughly dazed, she flung a heavy bag in front of Karl.

"Thud!"

"Clatter..."

The sound of coins colliding came from inside the bag. It also drew the attention of several people drinking nearby, but after seeing the uniform Karl wore, they looked away again.

"What?"

Karl spoke.

"Are you trying to bribe me?"

"No." Dina shook her head and said in a muffled voice:

"Help me give it to Ham's family."

"Ham?" Karl understood.

"Why don't you go yourself?"

"I don't dare." Dina sighed.

"Ham's family has an elderly mother, as well as a deaf-mute elder sister who was driven back by her husband after getting married."

"I don't dare face them. You go for me."

"..." Karl was silent for a moment before slowly nodding.

"All right."

"By the way, what's the current situation with the Mummy Case?"

"It was taken over by people from the Church. The Night Watchmen are handling it." Dina clearly did not want to bring up the matter.

"I don't know the details either."

"Let's go!" Karl stood up.

"You're drunk too."

*

*

*

"Try this."

Jenny was enthusiastic.

"I learned to make it myself."

"Oh!"

Karl looked at the food on the dining table and could not help nodding in appreciation.

"Not bad."

Almond milk, white bread, roasted meat, and cold vegetables. The fresh fragrance of bread filled the air, while the roasted meat and vegetables looked especially appetizing.

Regardless of the taste, the presentation alone was excellent.

"I learned this from a banquet." Jenny's face flushed shyly.

"Try it and see how it tastes."

"Mm." Karl nodded, cut off a small piece of roasted meat, and put it in his mouth. After chewing it thoroughly, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Very good."

"Jenny, even if you don't become a singer, you could switch to the catering business. I'm sure you'd make a name for yourself very quickly."

"Really?" Jenny smiled brightly.

"As long as it tastes good. Eat some more."

"I ate on the way here." Karl waved his hand.

"You two eat. Don't mind me."

As he spoke, he picked up the milk and walked toward his room.

"Stop staring."

After Karl closed the door, Mrs. Mary shook her reluctant daughter's head.

"It's obvious that he isn't interested in you."

"But..." Jenny pursed her lips.

"I still have a chance, don't I?"

"You've been accepted into the singing troupe now. You should focus your energy on your career instead of learning how to please men." As someone with experience, Mrs. Mary lectured her daughter.

"Relying too much on a man will only make you lose yourself."

"Got it." Jenny looked impatient.

"I've been practicing my singing properly all along. One of the senior members of the troupe already promised to let me perform onstage soon."

"Really?" Mrs. Mary looked pleasantly surprised.

"That's wonderful! If you can perform onstage, you'll be paid, and life will become easier."

"Mm." Jenny rested her chin on her hand, her eyes thoughtful.

"If I perform onstage, do you think I could invite Baron Karl to watch? Would he agree?"

"..." Looking at her lovestruck daughter, Mrs. Mary was speechless. She simply stood up and began clearing the dishes.

Inside his room.

Karl tried cultivating the Meditation Method once again.

Without the support of divine realm power, the moment his consciousness entered the Mental Sea, a wave sent him reeling.

And the more unstable his mind became, the more distracting thoughts arose, and the larger the waves grew.

"No thoughts, no feelings, no desires. Guard the True Heart, let distracting thoughts rise and fall while I remain unmoved. It sounds easy, but doing it is as difficult as ascending the heavens."

Fortunately, he had experience within the divine realm. Karl had gradually begun to grasp the pattern, so he was not driven out immediately after entering.

After a while.

"Huff..."

"Still no good!"

Karl shook his head helplessly, his face exhausted. He had already grown accustomed to failure, so he steadied himself, picked up the book, and entered the divine realm.

"Lesser Force Field."

He opened the book to the page on constructing Spell Models and began cultivating with an expressionless face.

Here, he had already mastered the Meditation Method and his mental power had been refined. Theoretically, he could now construct a Spell Model.

However, according to his teacher Adolf, the Lesser Force Field was one of the more difficult Zero-ring Witchcraft spells.

Its Spell Model was not merely complex.

It also required more mental power than ordinary Zero-ring Witchcraft.

And mental power was restricted by his True Form in reality. It would not increase merely because he was in the divine realm.

Whether he could succeed was still uncertain.

"Arcane... force field..."

Karl in the divine realm was like someone trying to build a temple inside a snail shell, using inconceivable control to manipulate his meager mental power and construct the Spell Model.

His mental power turned into lines and sketched itself across his Sea of Consciousness, proceeding from simple to complex.

Until at last...

It formed a whole.