Chapter 298: Chapter 295: Reunion After a Long Parting

The Marquis smiled. Rorschach could see his gums were also bleeding, the flowing red visible between his teeth. "You should have said so sooner. My Magic Consultant is waiting for you. But I won’t be offering you any help, Rorschach Mage."

"My Lord, it’s said the Holy Mother Order has a way to circumvent the rules of the Shadow Land. Isn’t that the greatest threat to you? Why can’t you support my companions and me in figuring out their intentions?"

"I don’t need your help. Who do you think you are? Just a Middle Level Mage. A mage once came to me, saying much the same thing as you. I gladly invited her to become my Magic Consultant, but there have been no results for months.

"So, I need your help. And that help is to persuade my consultant to leave this place with you—the farther, the better.

"For outsiders like you, not born in Istani, as long as you get the hell out of Istani within three days of leaving the Shadow Land, the curse of the Shadow City will naturally disappear. You won’t have to worry about turning into a Wanderer. I, and this region, have been tolerant enough of you!"

’So all we have to do is run?’ Rorschach had just learned a useful piece of information. The atmosphere had turned cold, however, and it was a chiming clock that broke the awkward silence.

"My apologies, this is not my way of treating guests." The Marquis pressed a small bell and ordered a servant to prepare a meal.

"Since your visit was so sudden, we haven’t prepared a banquet. You’ll have to make do." The Marquis stood up.

The dining hall was dimly lit with a yellow glow. Rorschach followed the Marquis inside, while the other three were led to their seats by a servant. Although the Marquis had humbly said nothing was prepared, every dish on the table was of the highest subterranean standard—worlds better than the biscuits and the bread hard enough to crack walnuts that they had been eating for the past two days.

Singrev and Little Coal Ball were wolfing down their food, devouring everything from the pre-dinner bread to the carrot stew.

TING-A-LING. A waiter pushed in a serving cart as tall as himself, carrying five white cloths.

"Please cover your heads." Seeing his guests’ confusion, the Marquis demonstrated himself. He placed the white cloth over his head, and a servant handed him a small, plump, roasted creature from a platter. The Marquis picked it up delicately and brought it under the cloth.

Little Coal Ball shrieked. She recognized that what the Marquis was eating was the same species as her pet—and it was a baby.

When he removed the white cloth, the Marquis casually used it to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. "In old court tradition, food is ranked by the height at which it grows or lives. Things that fly in the sky are the most noble, so birds are the finest delicacy. Tubers and root vegetables that grow in the earth are only eaten by the lowly."

"The Shadow Land is underground, so the ’highest’ food we have is this very dish. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. You swallow it whole, chew it forcefully in your mouth, and you can taste the wonderful flavor of blood and fat mixed together. Of course, the process isn’t very elegant, which is why tradition dictates we enjoy it alone, under the white cloth."

"My apologies, my lord, but I’m already full. Thank you for your hospitality..." Freddy pushed his plate forward.

The others followed suit. Fortunately, the Marquis didn’t get angry. He cheerfully ate four more of the "delicacies" under the cover of his white cloth.

After dinner, he provided three guest rooms for the group and had a servant take Rorschach to find the "Magic Consultant."

"Doesn’t she stay at the Marquis’s Mansion?"

The servant shook his head. "The lady used to stay here, but now she spends most of her time at the theater. We can’t actually guarantee we’ll find her. Please don’t be angry if it’s a wasted trip."

They passed a place called the "Golden Harp Theater." Although that was the name on the sign, the dilapidated tent looked more like a circus, having no connection to the grand structures sponsored by the Royal Family or Nobility.

’Golden Harp... I feel like I’ve heard that name somewhere...’ Rorschach didn’t stop, following the Marquis’s servant into a stone house right next to the theater.

"Mage, a guest of the Marquis is here to see you," the servant called out, jumping up to try and reach the pull ring on the door. Rorschach reached out and knocked.

’I’m being watched...’ Rorschach shivered. An unnatural feeling washed over him. He figured the owner of the house was sizing him up.

Before the other person opened the door, a huge wave of worry washed over Rorschach. ’What if the Magic Consultant isn’t Teacher Caroline? What if she’s not in the Shadow Land? What should I do next? Investigate the Sect’s intelligence on my own? Go to El Island?’

It was like waiting for test results. Although only two days had passed since he entered the Shadow Land, he had already gone through so many twists and turns. He desperately wanted to know the truth about Caroline, and why the Knight Order was pursuing her...

In the time it took for the wooden door to CREAAAK open, a thousand thoughts raced through Rorschach’s mind. When a familiar face came into view, he finally let out a long sigh of relief.

"It’s been a while, Teacher Caroline."

"Rorschach? I knew it was you!"

Rorschach suddenly found his neck being squeezed as he was forced into Caroline’s embrace. He pulled away quickly as if electrocuted. The tips of her hair tickled him, and he rubbed his nose with his right hand, looking just like a little boy.

Caroline wasn’t wearing her hair in the shoulder-length braids she used to at the Empire Royal Magic Academy. Now, it was tied up in a high ponytail, making her look much younger.

"Come on in. Cole, would you like to come in for a cup of tea?"

"I must report back to the Marquis. Thank you for your kindness, my lady. Cole will take his leave now." The small man bowed, then turned and headed back into the street.

"You have your own house in the Shadow Land?" Rorschach noticed the inside was tidy and bright, with a faint citrus scent. It was like a different dimension from the rest of the Shadow City.

It was just a bit small; the hallway was barely wide enough for him to pass through.

In fact, it was decorated so well that it gave Rorschach a strange feeling, as if Caroline had settled down here for good.

"This house is a well-known haunted house; everyone avoids it. When I was looking for a place to stay, I discovered that the so-called ’haunting’ was actually a Protective Array at work," Caroline explained as she poured Rorschach a cup of tea.

"Perhaps it belonged to some Mage decades, or even centuries, ago. But it had fallen into disrepair, so I easily broke the Magic Array and have been borrowing the place ever since. It’s much more comfortable than the Marquis’s Mansion."

Caroline seemed a little proud as she explained, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Rorschach asked the question that concerned him most: "How did you end up in the Shadow Land?"

Caroline sighed. "It’s a long story... I originally came to the Istani Kingdom just to stargaze, but I happened to stumble upon a transaction."

"A transaction?"

Caroline’s expression turned serious, overlapping with Rorschach’s memory of her at the lecturer’s podium. She explained, "In Storm City, one party was a representative of the Mother Earth Sect, and the other was someone from the Twelve Knight Orders. And the Knight Orders represent the Queen of Istani, the Kingdom’s authorities."

At the time, Caroline had been about to board a passenger ship for her return journey. But with the poor signage at the port, she accidentally wandered into the cargo ship unloading area. In the dead of night, the area was deserted, not even a drunkard in sight. Suddenly, several people emerged from a shipping container on the dock, and a strong herbal scent erupted from it, making Caroline realize it was likely the Mother Earth Sect. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

’Smuggling?’ That was her first guess. After all, the Sect was under attack on the continent, so it was reasonable for them to relocate. She used Magic to hide her presence and watched in secret. After a moment, a few large, burly men emerged from the darkness and met with the sect members.

"How could you be sure of the identities of both parties in the transaction?" But Rorschach already believed Caroline, because the ones in charge of pursuing her were none other than the Iron Crown Knight Order.

"Of course, the first ones I identified were the people from the Mother Earth Sect. Because of the attacks they launched in the Empire, all the teachers at our academy are familiar with the characteristics of that rabble. As for the Knight Order... they exposed themselves when they started chasing me."