The magic changes

Chapter 11 The Tavern

Lilfis Town is a small town on the western edge of the Felspine Mountains. Normally, there aren’t many outsiders in this town, but due to the rebellion of the Duke Rio, the only safe trade route between the north and south is now through the city of Altai. Lilfis Town is a necessary stop for those traveling from the south to Altai, so the town is currently bustling with activity.

Folk has been wearing a contented smile on his face these past few days, so much so that the long scar on his face seems to faintly exude an excited red color. His inn has been doing exceptionally well these days, and the turbulent situation on the continent has changed the face of Lilfis Town. Today, a group of well-equipped knights and a few mages have checked into his inn. In the past, such noble and generous figures would never have appeared in the town.

Ron and his group arrived here in the afternoon, having traveled through the night and day. They have now left the influence of the Glorious Knights and are preparing to rest here for the night. In the battle outside the city last night, they lost twelve royal knights, and a few knights are still nursing minor injuries.

They found lodging at the inn and, to avoid unnecessary trouble, everyone stayed inside. Master Lake stayed in his room to help the injured knights with healing spells, while Ron lay in his room, engrossed in a book he had found from Lassell, “The Theory of Wind Element and Levitation.”

In the tavern on the ground floor, Lassell was furrowing her brow as she dealt with the somewhat tipsy Chris: “Chris, I think you may have had too much to drink. You have a journey to continue tomorrow.”

“I am just so happy, Miss Lassell, to be traveling with you is truly my good fortune. And that you are willing to sit at the same table as me, a rough swordsman, makes me feel as though the goddess of luck is truly favoring me,” Chris was starting to ramble. “Miss Lassell, I only wish to be your follower. I swear on the honor of a swordsman, my loyalty to you is unparalleled.”

With a loud bang, a person burst through the tavern’s door, running in and immediately spotting Chris. Astonished, he shouted, “Chris! Help me, someone is chasing me.”

Seeing this person, Chris sobered up a bit. “Bill! What are you doing here? Where are the others? Weren’t there three of you who escaped?”

Another “bang,” and the door was kicked open again, and a dozen people entered, led by the captain of the Glorious Knights, Dost. After scanning the room, he spotted Bill and Chris sitting at the table, and also noticed Lassell and Chris sitting at the same table. Dost had been searching for these people outside the city of Lance since he began pursuing Chris and his three companions a few days ago. He had not yet heard about the events at the west gate of Lance last night.

After a gallant knight’s salute, Dost politely greeted Lassell: “Honorable Miss Lassell, I am here on the Earl Sten’s orders to apprehend fugitives. To avoid any offense to you, please step aside for the time being.”

“These two are my friends now, Lord Dost. Perhaps you have more important matters to attend to. You should return to Lance as soon as possible, as something significant has happened there, rather than causing trouble for my friends here,” Lassell was unapologetic in her response to Dost.

“Although I am unaware of what has happened in Lance, I must take these two back,” Dost, as a captain of the Glorious Knights, showed some anger at Lassell’s lack of courtesy.

A loud voice rang out in the hall: “If you do not first measure your own strength before capturing someone, you will pay the price for your foolishness! I want to see who dares to capture my people in front of me!” Kurl was now standing at the top of the stairs. After a day of interaction, he had already considered Chris as one of his own.

Kurl’s astonishing momentum enveloped the dozen or so people, including Dost, in the tavern, and the entire place fell silent. The knights brought by Dost were intimidated by this powerful presence, and even their hands holding the swords were starting to sweat.

“So, it’s Lord Kurl. Since these two are your followers, I must apologize and ask for your forgiveness for my rudeness and disturbance. We will leave now,” Dost certainly recognized the formidable figure before him and led his men out of the tavern.

Watching the departing members of the Glorious Knights, Kurl suppressed the urge to act. Although he now detested the Glorious Knights, he did not want to cause too much trouble before Master Lake safely arrived in Altai City.

After the departure of Dost from the tavern, he breathed a sigh of relief and wiped away the cold sweat. “We must return to Lance immediately! The fact that the Ironblood Mercenaries are with the Royal Knights will surely be known to the Emperor. We must report to the Earl as soon as possible.”

After thanking Lassell and Kurl, Chris took Bill back to their room to talk. Upon opening the door, he found Ron standing in the corner, still holding the book “The Theory of Wind Element and Levitation” in his hands, but the room was in disarray, as if a hurricane had just swept through it.

“Damn it, did you make this mess in the room? Don’t expect me to help you clean up today,” Chris said to Ron, looking at the chaotic room. “Let me introduce you. This is Bill, a member of our Ironblood Mercenaries. He is an assassin,” he pointed to Ron and said to Bill, “This guy is now my brother. He’s a mage, and you can call him Ron.”

“Pleased to meet you, Bill,” Ron smiled and greeted Bill.

Bill’s eyes had been fixed on Ron’s feet since he entered the room, with a look of astonishment. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Mage.”

Following Bill’s gaze, Chris saw that Ron’s feet were not touching the ground at all, but were floating just above it, barely noticeable unless you looked closely. “My goodness! You’ve actually used the levitation spell, a top-level wind magic!”

“I was just experimenting with magic on myself. This is a simple principle of levitation, not actual flight. In fact, I can only float this high, and I can’t move my body while floating,” Ron explained.

“It looks like you and Bill have something to discuss. I’ll go check on Master Lake,” Ron retracted his magic and walked out of the room.