Tears of Souls: Lament at Midnight

Chapter 10

Aber had a point. Mages were a rare breed among adventurers.

Most Mordans who possessed magical talent and pursued it as a profession came from affluent families. The cost of magical education was exorbitant, and only the wealthy could afford it.

These mages were highly educated and held prestigious positions in society.

They weren't exactly cut out for the harsh realities of adventuring: enduring weeks without bathing, sleeping under the stars, and engaging in hand-to-hand combat with wild beasts.

Mages looked down on adventurers, and adventurers, in turn, viewed them with disdain.

This mutual distrust was reflected in the exorbitant fees mages commanded for their services. Any adventuring party seeking to hire a Mordan mage could expect to pay a premium.

But what truly irked adventurers about Mordan mages was their excruciatingly long casting times.

By the time they finished chanting their spells, the battle was usually over.

Moreover, Mordans were heavily reliant on elven-crafted staves and enchanted artifacts to channel their magic.

Unlike the other three civilized races, Mordans couldn't sense the flow of magical particles and manipulate them directly.

The demons, their sworn enemies, often mocked them, claiming that the Mordans' own bodies hindered their magical abilities.

Humus Academy did have a magic department, but Candace had majored in potion-making, with alchemy as her minor.

She could modify a simple cooling enchantment into a heating one, but anything more complex was beyond her capabilities.

Candace sighed, resigning herself to her fate. She began sewing the disassembled pieces of her cloak back together.

Her self-heating cloak was destined to remain a regular cloak.

Animals were scarce near the Black Abyss, and the harsh climate only exacerbated the problem...

She shuddered to think how much animal hides would cost in this region.

Aber, noticing her distress, pulled up a chair and sat down opposite her. "Don't worry about it, it's just money. We'll visit the market tomorrow morning."

"I suppose that's our only option."

Candace removed her earrings, staring at the shimmering gemstones.

"So, these little things caused an entire building to explode?" Aber held one of the earrings up to the candlelight, a thought suddenly occurring to him. He shook the earring gently. "You said they absorb magical particles, and the Black Abyss absorbs magical particles too. What if, someday, the Black Abyss absorbs enough particles to explode as well?"

Candace shot him an exasperated look. "Do you have any idea how massive the Black Abyss is? It's larger than the entire continent of West France. It could absorb particles for millennia without exploding."

"Besides, we have no idea what's inside the Black Abyss, and these earrings are carefully designed." She snatched the earrings back, tucking them safely into her pouch. "Don't touch those, they're dangerous."

"But I'm bored..."

Aber slumped back in his chair, his gaze falling on the rune diagram Candace had sketched earlier. He squinted at the intricate symbols. "'Guide... fire and wind... harmonize... Frama's blessing...' What does any of this even mean? The grammar is all over the place..."

Candace, initially oblivious, realized he was reading the runes surrounding the enchantment diagram. She shot up from her chair like a startled rabbit.

"You can read Ancient Tongue?!" She slammed her hands on the table, startling Aber.

"I learned a bit as a child."

He stifled a yawn, wiping a stray tear from his eye. He looked up at Candace, her eyes shining with excitement, and shrank back involuntarily. "W-what?"

"Quick, I need your help!" Candace grabbed her notebook, flipping through the pages filled with her meticulous notes until she found the one she was looking for. She slammed it on the table. "This passage is from a handwritten manuscript, believed to be a fragment of Hero Irelius's diary. Unfortunately, it's written in Ancient Tongue, and I haven't had a chance to translate it yet."

Ancient Tongue was the common written language used before the Great Collapse.

However, during those dark times, when demons ravaged the land, the world's population had been decimated. Civilization had crumbled, and with it, many aspects of their culture had been lost.

Nowadays, only the long-lived elves still used Ancient Tongue in their writings. The other races had adopted simpler, more practical languages.

"Ancient Tongue looks complicated, but it's not that difficult to learn."

Seeing her enthusiasm, Aber pulled up a chair and sat down beside her, picking up a pen. "It's the basis for Common Tongue, they share many similarities."

"The main difference is the word order. Ancient Tongue uses verb-subject-object, while Common Tongue uses subject-verb-object. And then there are these..." He circled a few words, then crossed out some letters within other words. "These are particles, you can ignore them. And these words with missing letters, they have the same meaning as their Common Tongue counterparts, just more archaic variations..."

Candace watched, fascinated, as he deciphered the seemingly random symbols, transforming them into a language she could understand.

It was more like code-breaking than translation.

The passage was short, and Aber finished translating it quickly.

Candace took the translated text, her eyes wide with admiration. "That was amazing."

She had assumed, based on his aversion to studying, that Aber was academically challenged.

Yet, he had effortlessly deciphered a language that even Vina, a true noblewoman, couldn't understand.

"Ugh... My childhood tutor was incredibly strict, some things you just can't forget." Aber slumped back in his chair, glancing at her curiously. "So, what's the clue?"

The passage was an excerpt from Hero Irelius's diary, a poignant reminder of the hero's longing for home amidst the hardships of his quest.

[I often find myself reminiscing about that small village nestled at the foot of the mountain. It seems like a distant dream now, too beautiful to be real. I suppose I can only revisit it in my dreams now.]

[There was a river east of the village, and on an island in the middle of the river, grew the most beautiful purple flowers. My little sister, Lisa, loved to splash around in the shallows, barefoot, much to our aunt's chagrin. Only our uncle could calm her down...]

[Adventurers and bards often passed through our village. They spoke of a heart-shaped lake atop the mountain across the river, said to be the place where Vientus, god of wind, and Dera, goddess of earth, had pledged their love. It's strange, I lived so close to it, yet I never felt the urge to visit. Perhaps it was because I had no one to share it with?]

[Ah, I should tell Oper about it, he would definitely take Cecilia there...]

[But such thoughts are premature. If we don't defeat the demons, none of us will live to see our homeland again...]

Candace unfurled the map she had tucked inside her notebook, her voice trembling with excitement. "The Lake of Hearts on Mount Complesus! The hero's hometown is near there!"

Aber's eyebrows shot up. "You're saying Irelius's hometown is in the North?"

The allure of the "Hero's Hometown" was irresistible, and there were dozens of towns and villages across East and West France claiming to be the birthplace of the legendary hero.

Even in the South, there were establishments capitalizing on Irelius's name.

He wondered what the hero would think if he saw "Irelius Soup" and "Irelius Bread" being sold in his name.

Oh, and then there was that book Vina had bought from a street vendor: "My Scandalous Affair with the Hero."

Pushing those thoughts aside, Candace nodded solemnly. "If that manuscript is authentic, then yes."

As far as she knew, there was only one Lake of Hearts in the entire world.

Aber, skeptical, tapped a line in the translated text. "This Lake of Hearts... how can you be sure it's on Mount Complesus? Isn't that just a legend?"

Candace fell silent.

How could she explain that she had gotten into a heated debate with Vina over the authenticity of a cheesy romance novel?

And that, to prove her point, she had spent three days writing a research paper, which had then caused a stir throughout the entire academy?

She cleared her throat, putting on her best scholarly facade. "I conducted extensive research on the subject, consulted numerous sources, and reached a conclusion based on the available evidence."

She would never admit to her embarrassing obsession with trashy romance novels. Never.

"Even if that's true... it doesn't necessarily mean his tomb is there, does it?" Aber was still unconvinced. He had always been skeptical of the legends surrounding the hero's tomb. "And don't you find it strange? If there really is a hero's tomb, there must have been workers who built it. I find it hard to believe that they all managed to keep it a secret all these years."

Candace, tracing her finger across the map, trying to pinpoint the exact location, replied without looking up. "Silencing people is easier than you think. As for whether his tomb is there... all I can say is that it's the most likely location."

Aber leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed, his tone unconvinced. "You're referring to his wish to return to his hometown, right?"

"But his hometown is long gone. It was destroyed when the demons were unleashed, everything in the surrounding area was consumed." He shook his head, his gaze fixed on the area Candace had circled on the map. "Based on the description, no one from that village could have survived."

His once beautiful hometown, buried under snow and ice, his loved ones lost to the ravages of war...

If he were Irelius, he wouldn't want to return either.

It was better to let the memories remain untainted, frozen in time like a beautiful dream.

Hero Irelius had vanished a year after sealing the demons.

No one knew where he had gone, and his companions had remained tight-lipped, carrying the secret to their graves.

Candace finally settled on a location, marking it with an X. "It's within the area I initially marked, it's worth investigating."

Aber shrugged. "Whatever you say, boss."

With their itinerary set, Candace proceeded to subject Aber to an impromptu lesson on Ancient Tongue, finally releasing him just before midnight.

The next day, Aber, sporting two impressive dark circles under his eyes, leaned against a pillar, watching with amusement as Candace haggled with a merchant. He had no intention of getting involved.

Candace, having learned her lesson, followed Aber's advice to the letter.

She purchased a fur-lined vest, a thick woolen cloak, a sheepskin hat that covered her ears, thick gloves, and sturdy snow boots.

Her already meager funds dwindled with each purchase.

Aber watched her clutch her coin purse, her expression pained.

He wouldn't be surprised if she burst into tears at any moment.

"I told you I would cover the expenses, Vina can definitely afford it." He adjusted the reins, unable to help himself. "She gave me more than enough money."

Candace, mounted on the chestnut mare, had made significant progress in her riding lessons. She still couldn't ride at high speeds, but she was no longer in danger of falling off.

She sighed, putting her coin purse away. "It's fine, I can always earn more money."

Aber: If you say so.

He nudged his horse forward, leading the way out of town.

Candace's financial woes were quickly forgotten as a blast of icy wind hit her face.

Each gust felt like a thousand tiny knives, stinging and numbing her skin.

Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision. She raised a gloved hand to wipe them away, only to find that the cold air made the moisture on her skin feel like burning ice.

She shielded her face with her hand, squinting through the blinding whiteness.

"It seems like a terrible day for traveling, but you'll have to get used to it eventually."

Aber's cheerful voice reached her through the howling wind.

He rode in a slow circle, his back straight, his right arm outstretched, gesturing towards the endless expanse of white behind him.

"Welcome to the Great Northern Plains."