SYSTEM NOTIFICATION

  +1 to Mind

  +1 to Body

  +15.250 Exp

  Level up!

  ORION A. VOIDWALKER

  Class: Empiricist [C-rank]

  Level: 44

  Mind: 165

  Attunement: 160

  Body: 17

  Traits: Mana Manipulation [C-rank]; Verification Principle [C-rank]

  The level-up was very welcome, especially since it was becoming harder to accumulate the necessary experience as he approached the end of tier one, but the thing Orion appreciated most was the new point in Body.

  It wasn’t much compared to the heights his other attributes were reaching. It was barely above that of a typical teenager. However, since it was so low, every new stat made a big difference.

  He could feel new strength entering his tired limbs, allowing him to say his goodbyes to Pauline and reach his room without stumbling, even after being nearly exhausted from the duel.

  Of course, a single stat point wasn’t enough to turn him into a physical powerhouse, but it was equivalent to a few weeks of gym training. Considering that almost all his time had been absorbed by his studies and the political turmoil gripping Valderun as of late, it was a welcome boost and told him that he should keep pursuing this path.

  A single duel, which I didn’t even win, was enough to give me nearly as much Exp as a new spell. Admittedly, it wasn’t without danger, and Pauline is much stronger than I am, so the power difference probably added another factor. Since I’m almost finished with the basic metaspells, I should pay more attention to this kind of thing.

  If Yue kept her word, the situation with the Radiant Vigil should have settled down by now, opening up another chance for duels for him.

  I need to talk with her about it before I can go. After all, there's only so much tension I can put on the rope before it snaps. She has given me some leeway, but I should expect her to tug back soon.

  Orion quickly stripped down, remaining only in his underwear and undershirt, and flopped onto the bed, sighing deeply as he felt the full extent of the aches his poor body had been forced to endure.

  Pauline had healed him after her victory, but she only did enough to get him back on his feet, probably as a lesson not to underestimate her.

  It would have worked better if he hadn’t come so close to defeating her. All her petty punishment did was ignite a fire inside him.

  “Only six levels,” he muttered, fighting the urge to get up again. It was evening, and even though he hadn’t eaten dinner, he was too exhausted from the duel. “I have to pace myself so I don’t burn out, but I’m getting close. I might actually be able to do this.”

  His eyes closed as he sighed in contentment. Despite all the messiness, his life was gradually getting back on track.

  The next morning, the sun shone brightly over Valderun like it hadn’t in days. Witches of all ages seemed to take it as a good omen, and though Orion wasn’t one to believe in superstition, even he had to admit that the heavy feeling from the cloudy skies over the past few days wouldn’t be missed.

  He took his time eating his fill, watching as the embassy prepared for the new day. Every now and then, someone would show up at the gates, and they would be let in after a quick inspection, which determined whether they were a claimant seeking entry into the Lunar Sanctum’s lands or one of their own, as many witches traveled through the capital on their voyages or for business.

  Most of the time, these issues could be resolved by clerks, who handled paperwork efficiently and directed their sisters to available lodgings. However, once in a while, more important people arrived—those who couldn’t be offloaded to mere underlings—and the Magistrae had to step in.

  Orion spent the time jotting down ideas in his notebook, trying to develop lesson plans for people who had only a basic understanding of the laws of physics. His mother sat beside him, reviewing her notes on a particularly tricky potion with two other witches, though at least they had the good sense to keep the noise to a low murmur and didn’t peek at his work.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Not that it was anything particularly blasphemous, since the concepts he was describing could also be found in the Sanctum’s library, if presented with bias, but he still made sure to avoid drawing attention.

  He stayed in the corner of the hall and only occasionally looked up when someone made enough noise to break his concentration or when a new person entered and drew a reaction from the others.

  After a couple of hours of doodling and rewriting plan after plan, something shifted in the atmosphere of the room.

  Elder Yue didn’t often show up for breakfast, preferring to eat most of her meals alone in her rooms and only coming out for dinner. When she did, she usually arrived early since she didn’t need much sleep.

  Her arrival near the end of the service, as the servants started clearing the tables, caused quite a stir.

  Even more shock spread through the room when everyone saw who was walking next to her.

  Orion immediately realized this was a woman of great power, even before activating his glasses, but just as quickly, he knew she wasn’t a witch.

  Her long, brown hair was tied in intricate braids, and the blue and silver robes swished with each of her movements. Her unwavering confidence marked her unmistakably as a member of the Collegium.

  Orion knew that not all powerful women belonged to the Sanctum. He had seen the Radiant Vigil’s representative on the council, a Paladin, duke it out with the other councilors. But something inside him had assumed most female magic users would be drawn to the Sanctum, especially if they had any notable talent.

  That was clearly not true, despite the stranglehold his nominal faction had on the gender, and his glasses confirmed his assumption.

  [Tamara Siuth - Lv. ???] [??? - A-rank]

  Another Archmage? Do they grow on trees in this damn city?

  Despite his surprise, Orion quickly understood the significance of this woman’s presence. Her visit to the Sanctum’s embassy, done so publicly, indicated she was seeking support from Elder Yue for something important.

  Wait, the only things coming up are the Senate vote to elect the Collegium’s new representative to the High Council and the new Speaker’s election. But how can Yue help with that?

  The clearest answer was that the Collegium had already chosen a new representative and was seeking votes to secure their appointment as Speaker.

  Technically, that could have been what was happening, but Orion didn’t think so. If they had settled on a candidate so quickly, it meant it had to be someone whose strength couldn’t be ignored.

  Anyone with that kind of influence in the Collegium would be almost automatically elected to the Speakership, mainly because all the other factions were unlikely to ever willingly relinquish that much power to their rivals, while the Collegium maintained a reputation for neutrality, even though it still clashed with the others at times.

  That means they are doing things in reverse. Sounding out the other councilmen to see which candidate would get the best reception.

  If that were true, it would imply that the situation within the Collegium was even more chaotic than he first believed. It meant they were stuck in a deadlock and seeking an outsider to make a difference.

  Which would probably trigger a backlash from the other Archmages. Damn, how many layers are there to this? I understand that it’s the most critical political decision in decades, but this is getting out of control.

  Of course, it was always possible that he was imagining things, but he didn’t believe that was the case. This was evidenced by Elder Yue taking the long route through the mess hall, allowing all the witches to see the Archmage among their midst, until they stopped in front of where Orion was sitting.

  Luckily, he didn’t appear to be their target.

  “Archmage Siuth,” Yue said, gesturing toward the group of potioneers where his mother sat, “this is my apprentice, Asteria Voidwalker. You might want to talk to her about that topic you brought up the other day.”

  Then, before either woman could do more than raise an eyebrow in surprise, Yue continued the introductions, “Asteria, this is Archmage Siuth. She’s been handling the Speaker’s daily affairs while Mallon prepares to hand off the office to someone else. She was interested in knowing about our old guest.”

  That changed things. If this were about Set, rather than receiving the Sanctum’s support, then it would suddenly make much more sense for this Archmage to come here asking questions. She didn’t seem to have that ageless quality that people of Yue’s age with a relatively young appearance often had, so it was possible she had only recently been promoted to her position, which would mean she was completely unprepared for someone like Set.

  “Ah, I don’t know how much I would be able to help, since I only ever spoke to the man a few times,” Asteria replied, and her eyes shifted to Orion. She didn’t say anything to involve him, as it was clear she was reluctant to bring another powerhouse into the game they were playing, but Archmage Siuth didn’t seem to have that tact.

  Her eyes followed Asteria’s, and her breath caught. Her pupils dilated noticeably, her hands twitching, until a mask of cold calculation settled over her, concealing everything.

  Yet, it was too late to hide how his appearance unsettled her. If someone like the Guildmaster can recognize me at a glance as Antares’ son, then it must be obvious to her who I am.

  If Orion hadn’t seen the resemblance himself, he would have been frustrated by how quickly everyone seemed to figure out who he was, but even he had to admit they looked almost like copies of each other, if slightly smaller in his case.

  The ghost of a smile that briefly flickered on Yue’s face told him this encounter wasn’t just random chance, and in fact, was probably planned ahead.

  “Let’s take this elsewhere,” the Elder said, guiding the suddenly more compliant Archmage away.

  Orion watched their backs as they walked away, feeling like he’d been used without knowing exactly what for.

  Another reason I need to get stronger as quickly as possible. At least now I have some leverage to ask Yue to go back and train with the guys from the Vigil. If she can use me like this, I should at least gain some benefits.

  Still, he would need to wait until the woman finished whatever plotting she was up to, which meant finding something to occupy himself with, possibly away from the watchful eyes of everyone in the embassy.

  “Moonbeam, let’s go for a walk,” his mother suddenly said, grabbing his arm and yanking him along.

  Orion made sure to grab his papers, not wanting to leave any incriminating evidence of his potentially rebellious teaching plans behind, and hurried out of the mess hall with her.

  Surprisingly, Asteria kept moving outward, skipping the gardens where most witches liked to relax, and headed for the outer gates.

  “Where are we going?” He asked, curious despite his annoyance at what had just transpired.

  Asteria glanced at him briefly before firming her expression. “If everyone is so determined to involve us, moonbeam, we should be ready to show them why messing with the Voidwalkers is such a bad idea. I already planned to do this soon, but since someone thinks it’s a good idea to force my hand, maybe I should get this done sooner.”

  Though she spoke in broad strokes, Orion got the gist of it. His mother was finally ready to move up to the next rank.