Crisis Approaching (2)

Meanwhile, word spread among Landon City's well-informed elite that Green had saved Penny and killed two Tower of Yin Spirits officers.

At Green's urging, Penny had deliberately concealed the existence of the Saint from the Police and the Anomalies Bureau, so the rumors never mentioned him. Even so, the story was astonishing: a fledgling Novice Necromancer Apprentice had killed two powerful Transcendents, one of them the once-notorious murderer Blood Mage Jones.

People had never heard Green's name before, but Blood Mage Jones's reputation had long preceded him.

Knock, knock, knock.

A voice rang out from the other side of the door. "Brother Green, may I come in?"

Green recognized Penny's voice, but "Brother Green" sounded awkward. He had no memory of the girl ever calling him that.

"Come in," Green answered. He pointed toward the door, and a ripple of invisible Magic Power struck it. With a click, the locked door opened a crack.

The neutral first-circle spell Gergana's Lock was remarkably practical. Mages of any discipline could use it to seal a room's door or an important chest. It was not strong enough to resist brute force, but it would alert the caster if someone broke through.

Magus Gergana had first developed it five hundred years ago. By now, nearly every mage learned it, alongside Kaisela's Ray and Wendirnai's Cleaning. The three were considered essentials of a mage's daily life.

Penny pushed the door open. She had changed into casual clothes, and her injured shoulder was bandaged, but she showed no inclination to behave like a patient. Her wide eyes stayed fixed on Green as though she expected to spot a treasure hidden somewhere on him.

Her stare did not make Green uncomfortable. Smiling, he gestured to the chair across the tea table, turned over a cup, and poured her some tea.

"Thank you, Brother Green." Penny sat down with a grin and began questioning him without pause. Green answered some of her many questions, and she listened eagerly, gasping now and then. She could not hide the admiration in her eyes.

Over the next two days, Penny became a regular visitor. As her injury healed, she grew lively again—and, forgetting the pain as soon as the wound closed, insisted on continuing her investigation into the Tower of Yin Spirits. She even tried to drag Green along. Caught between laughter and exasperation, Green quelled her with a sharp flick to the forehead. Penny covered the sore spot with one hand and puffed out her cheeks.

Green's expression turned serious. "My Lineage and I will keep investigating the Tower of Yin Spirits' abduction of Lillisa. But there's more to this than it seems. We need to plan carefully. If we rush in, we could end up in danger again, just like last time."

Penny pouted. She was not convinced, but Green was far stronger than she was, and she could not bring herself to make any righteous declarations. She lowered her banners and stilled her drums, settling down for the time being.

Green finally got some peace. Over the next few days, he familiarized himself with his newly recruited units and drew up several plans for likely encounters: formations against melee enemies, formations against ranged enemies, and formations against squads capable of both attack and defense. He also considered how to handle enormous monsters and mysterious, cunning Eerie beings.

Drawing on his recent battles and Doctor Wilkins's advice, Green put together a set of tactics tailored to his own forces.

Green had won his earlier fight against the Tower of Yin Spirits' giant-like Saint, but only narrowly. He was unhappy with his performance, especially the pointless loss of three Ghouls before they could show their full strength. If he had prepared these plans beforehand, he would have faced that sudden clash with greater composure and controlled the pace of the battle.

As I am now, I can probably handle Transcendents below Formal Rank. Green reassessed his strength. But the Eerie being that killed Baron Lonanks and his entire adventuring party is still a threat. It might belong to the Tower of Yin Spirits, or it might serve another faction. As long as it remains in Landon City, there's no such thing as safety. And then there's the Eerie being that can affect the weather...

Green's face darkened at the thought of the Eerie beings hiding in Landon City. He still was not strong enough.

It was not that Eerie beings were necessarily stronger than Transcendents. In fact, this world drew no clear boundary between the two. What made an Eerie being most formidable was that it was unknown: impossible to understand, identify, or analyze. Once fully exposed, it would no longer be Eerie. It could be classified as a Transcendent, a magical beast, a Fairy, a ghost, a Demon...

That reminded Green of Lola. The unreliable woman had promised days ago to help him find the Tower of Yin Spirits' base. Apart from one message asking him for a few more days, she had vanished without a trace. He was beginning to wonder whether she was dead.

Green had also noticed that Viscount Paul's expression had grown grimmer over the past two days. It was the look of a man facing dire circumstances. If even Viscount Paul, who rarely showed his feelings, looked like that, the situation had to be severe. He had sent his wife and Lillisa out of Landon City under the pretext of a visit to her family. Green suspected that, if some reason had not prevented it, Viscount Paul would have sent his son Vincent away from this troubled city as well.

That told Green how serious matters had become. When the Tower of Yin Spirits kidnapped Lillisa, Viscount Paul had remained composed despite facing a fanatical cult. Whatever troubled him now had to be an even greater threat, more powerful and deadly than the Tower.

Green tried to ask Doctor Wilkins, only to discover that the sly old man had already left. Supposedly, he had gone on an exchange visit to Royal Capital University.

As the Wilson Family's private Attendant, Doctor Wilkins had not acted honorably. But an Attendant was no member of a Death Squad. Given his standing, if Doctor Wilkins believed the danger might cost him his life, he had no reason to die for the Wilson Family. In the end, their relationship was a paid arrangement.

Doctor Wilkins's departure, despite the damage it might do to his reputation, made Green feel that danger was drawing ever closer.

Then, at last, news arrived from Lola...