Asteria walked briskly ahead, her witch’s hat securely in place, serving as a badge to show that a high-ranking member of the Lunar Sanctum was here.

  People flowed around them like water, only glancing in surprise before quickly returning to their own business.

  In a city as busy and eclectic as Valderun, the presence of a Magistra wasn’t anything special. The locals saw plenty of powerful magicals out and about, but they knew better than to approach them.

  That was why Orion was so tense, as he could feel eyes on his back. Without the ability to cast magic, he couldn’t precisely identify this mysterious stalker, but he knew they were somewhere behind him.

  The sensation began shortly after they entered the administrative district and only intensified the further they progressed.

  But then, all of a sudden, it disappeared.

  They had just arrived at a plaza made of white marble with blue veins, and ahead of them was the ministerial building where they were supposed to find Ophelia’s grandfather.

  Orion saw both his mother and the girl relax at the sight, as they neared the finish line, while he couldn’t help but tense up even more. Their stalker had been following so closely through the city, only to suddenly disappear… he didn’t like it. Not one bit.

  They were just about to reach the marble steps that would take them into the building when four guards converged on their position.

  Asteria stiffened, stopping suddenly and standing protectively in front of them, and although Orion couldn’t see the soldiers’ faces because they were fully helmed, he knew they were just as tense.

  “Halt!” One called, his hand nervously gripping his spear. It was a dangerous-looking weapon, with a haft of pure white wood and a marbled metal blade, which Orion didn’t doubt would channel martial skills exceptionally well.

  He wasn’t sure how the city’s wards would respond to the guards attacking first, but he didn’t want to find out.

  “Yes? I am a Magistra of the Lunar Sanctum, here on official business. Let me through,” Asteria replied, voice dangerously soft.

  There was nothing overly threatening about her, but her presence alone was enough to show she wasn’t going to be pushed around.

  “No one can enter the Magisterium, by order of the Ministry of Law. Since you have tried to enter without permission, we will have to take you with us,” another guard said, and Orion could sense more than a hint of arrogance in his tone.

  Either he didn’t care to show the proper respect to a witch of the Sanctum, or he thought he could get away with it. But then again, it didn’t really matter which one it was. It was clear these men weren’t here to enforce any rule.

  Rather, their eyes were fixed on Ophelia, and based on how she shuffled nervously, she clearly knew it too.

  “Authorization?” Asteria hissed, eyes narrowing. “I need no authorization, especially from a third-rate ministry!”

  The moment it became clear she wasn’t about to stay quiet and follow them peacefully, the four men moved in together, and the first one spoke. “In accordance with Valderun code, as Lieutenant of the Watch, I am authorizing the use of force to arrest three law-breakers.”

  Something flickered in the air, and a heaviness Orion hadn’t even realized was there lifted. The spears all took on a dangerous hue, and crackling energy began swirling around them.

  Despite the orders not to use magic to avoid damaging his soul, Orion started working through [Infinite Laser]’s equation, prepared to defend himself, and Asteria raised her hand, mana beginning to gather around it.

  Suddenly, the heaviness that had disappeared returned ten times stronger, and Orion was slammed hard against the ground.

  A wet, sticky feeling told him he was bleeding, and since he’d just hit his head on the marble, it didn’t take a genius to figure out what had happened.

  With a grunt, he shifted to get a better look at what was happening, and noticed that Asteria was still standing, though she was under significant strain, given her trembling legs.

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  Ophelia turned around as if to run, but the first soldier released a burst of mana toward her, and she collapsed like a puppet whose strings had just been cut.

  The three other soldiers aimed their spears at Asteria, but the energy collided with a silver shield that creaked horribly, but held firm.

  They reared back, utterly confused by what just happened, but the leader roared, shaking them out of their funk, “Attack! Don’t let her cast!”

  All four men began slamming their weapons against Asteria’s shield, which she kept reinforcing.

  She doesn’t intend to hurt them directly, so the wards aren’t affecting her with the same intensity. Something is still happening, because those skills shouldn’t have that kind of effect, but she just needs to hold out a little longer.

  Indeed, although the sight of four guards fighting a witch wasn’t something anyone expected, Orion could see several people moving toward them after the initial surprise wore off.

  The soldiers—which Orion strongly suspected were either bribed or actual traitors—knew this too, as evidenced by the fact that they doubled down on their efforts.

  As soon as the first person reached them, a man in deep purple robes holding a staff, the leader shouted, “Stand back! This is an official operation!”

  That stopped the mage in his tracks, but the sight of four grown men raining blows on a single woman desperately trying to protect two kids couldn’t be ignored, and soon enough, someone with actual authority stepped in.

  “What is going on here!” A deep voice bellowed, causing the four men to falter.

  Orion tried to get up, but the blood running down his forehead made the marble slippery, and he slipped, barely avoiding hitting his head again.

  Asteria let out a cry upon seeing his condition, but she was forced to stay still, lest her shield weaken.

  “This woman refused to comply with our orders and acted suspiciously, Captain!” The lieutenant answered nervously, eyes darting toward the approaching man.

  He was burly and very tall, easily seven feet high, with an exceptionally wide chest, and he loomed over the soldiers before they could regain their focus.

  “Can’t you see the kid is bleeding out, you fuckwits?!” He roared, pushing the closest soldier back and sending him tumbling to the ground.

  He then turned his attention to Asteria, who stood defiantly, though her pained expression made it clear she was desperate to help Orion.

  “Heal him, witch. They won’t attack again,” the Captain rumbled, and in an instant, Orion was being cradled by his mother as a potion was poured over his wound, while soft light mana filled him once more.

  “I told you not to cast,” she murmured, lips pressed together.

  “Sorry,” he grunted. He was already feeling better now that the wound was closed, and although he’d lost a surprising amount of blood, he didn’t feel like he was going to pass out.

  His class might not have boosted his Body score, but he still wasn’t the fragile teenager he had been in his previous life. Even being slammed against marble by an incredibly powerful ward hadn’t been enough to kill him on the spot, though he was sure he’d be sore for a while.

  “Now, explain yourself,” the Captain said forcefully after Asteria had done all she could.

  She looked up, defiant despite the significant size difference. “I am a Magistra of the Sanctum, and I announced myself as such. There is no power here that can deny me access to the Magocracy’s institutions.”

  There was a pause as the man processed her words. Then, unexpectedly, he nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, that sounds right.”

  He turned, opening his mouth to ask his subordinates a question, only to come face to face with a spear hurtling toward his head at high speed.

  While the lieutenant attacked, two men converged on Ophelia, and the last one swung at Asteria, who, without a shield, was defenseless.

  Before tragedy could strike, there was a loud explosion, and Orion was covered in blood and gore as a huge fist pulped the man who had tried to backstab the Captain.

  That was quickly followed by the sounds of bones cracking, as the remaining three men were taken down in short order.

  “Well, I can’t say I ever liked him,” the man muttered, flicking blood off his hands, “but I didn’t think he was that stupid.”

  “We’ve been attacked several times on the way here,” Asteria said, eyes hard as flint. “I have to imagine these men were either paid off or part of the same group. I would thoroughly investigate the force for such infiltration, if I were you.”

  The Captain tilted his head, taking in her calm composure, and grinned. “I’ll take your words under consideration, Magistra. I am Captain Abe Thomson, pleased to make your acquaintance.”

  “Magistra Asteria Voidwalker,” she replied, even as she reached over to help Ophelia up, who was recovering from being shocked.

  “Well, Magistra. I have to say, that was one of the most impressive entrances we have seen in a while. I’ll need to interview you over the next few days to verify all the details of the story, but since I was there for most of it, I can handle it from here. You’re free to go, and I’ll send someone to the Sanctum’s manse to set up the talk.”

  And with that, Thomson grabbed the three groaning men by their armor and began dragging them away. He was quickly met by more soldiers, who took them out of his hands and began the laborious process of cleaning up the plaza of the gore left behind by the lieutenant.

  Looking around, Orion saw that most people had long since left, though some stared in shock at the sudden brutality, while others watched them cautiously.

  He slowly got to his feet, wobbling slightly but becoming stable after a moment, and walked over to his mother, who was helping Ophelia to her feet.

  “Let’s hurry inside. I don’t want another surprise,” he muttered, earning a groan of agreement.

  Ophelia staggered for the first few steps but soon regained her balance, wearing a stubborn frown. “Let’s go,” she muttered, still clearly woozy but determined.

  Orion had to admire her grit. Contrary to the image of the vapid teenage heiress she had tried to portray, she was actually quite formidable. Being hunted down for half the Magocracy and still choosing to keep going wasn’t something everyone could claim.

  Getting into the Magisterium only took them a few moments, as they were barely a hundred feet from the stairs leading inside.

  The guards watched them warily, clearly having seen everything. Orion had to suppress the urge to glower at them, as they had seemed perfectly willing to watch the illegal arrest until their Captain stepped in, but at least they said nothing as they walked inside the building.

  The Magisterium was a large structure made of the same white and blue marble as most of the city, but it was decorated with colorful bas-reliefs showing the different factions—ranging from vampires flying through the night to paladins praying with bowed heads. However, all the focus was diverted toward the back of the entrance hall, where a massive carving of a man in mage’s robes, holding his staff high, stole the show, thanks to the countless precious stones that formed his body and accessories.

  “Welcome to the Magisterium. How might I help you?” A neutral voice called as they approached the lone marble desk in the space.

  A woman with the most perfect customer service smile Orion had ever seen waited for them to answer, hands folded politely and eyes full of false warmth.

  Before either he or his mother could respond, Ophelia surprised them by slamming a golden ring on the desk and declaring, “Ophelia Leston-Ames, daughter of the Golden General, asks for an audience with the Minister of Rites.”

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