Chapter 70

𝕾𝖔𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖔 𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖓 𝖙𝖔: 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕸𝖆𝖓 𝖇𝖞 𝕿𝖆𝖞𝖑𝖔𝖗 𝕾𝖜𝖎𝖋𝖙

***

As if my mouth tasted the ashes of my own past, the flames that continued to occur within my throat made the words rough and unable to move forward.

It wasn't until I felt the strong grip of that warmth that continued to evade my soul, it was enough to put me at ease but wasn't enough to make the situation calmer.

"Why? Cat got your tongue, Young Lady Festin?" The old man's voice, whose name I couldn't remember, was deep and dark, enough to rule the entire place. I could see how the corners of his mouth went back to the way a devil would smile.

His eyes began to narrow with the rays of the sun showing how his shadows moved.

With every breath I've been taking, my sight was only focused on the old man that I never knew would cost so many seconds to waste.

"I------"

"Why don't you ask me instead, Gludius? Aren't you even aware of my existence?" Crane asked the old man and then I remembered, his name was Gludius, but then, just as dark as it sounded, was also his aura if he ever had.

"Young master, I could ask the same thing of you but you know, I prefer if it would be the one that asked me the information give the same to me since she already held the truth in her hands..." Crane then looked at the black envelope in my hands and the stamp that came from the masked shadow earlier.

But then, I guess, I wasn't a stranger to magic since everyone saw that these two came to my hands with light.

"And don't say that your friend isn't even a magic user, like us, Young Master Crane? When the light that carried the two of my treasures came to her hands, it didn't seem like she was surprised at all..." followed by his deep dark voice was a monstrous and thunderous laughter.

Crane whose eyes were narrowed and focused on the old man, immediately looked at me with wide eyes I could only sigh.

"Lady Festin, did you know about magic at all?" Crane's words wavered, his eyes that showed some gentleness within my soul suddenly became vague and as if his soul was forced to close and his eyebrows began to knit in a way that I never imagined before.

As I wanted to assure him of the things that I wanted to say, I should seek his forgiveness for what I might do later on.

Because Oratio's words were embedded in my mind and if I wouldn't be able to heed his advice, the warning of that crimsonness of my past would repeat once more.

Then a sudden flash of memories came gushing through my mind bringing me to that moment, a moment where I swore to our agreement.

***

"Is that all?" the voice that lingered like wind that could have stayed on the leaves to make them dance, swirled to caress the drum within my chest.

"If that's for now, would you tell me immediately?"

"Oho, don't make it like it's already my obligation, Young Lady," his hands went through the air like it's making me halt what I might have said later on.

He waved his pointing finger in the air, accompanied by the crumpling of his mouth and eyes that were forced to shut as if he had something going on inside of his mind.

"Like I've said earlier, why don't I teach you first, only if my conditions were met would I speak of the things you have asked me... Don't forget, I'm giving you a chance right now, is that all you wanted to know from me?"

Then the scenario changed after I gulped and opened my mouth to speak, but then I couldn't hear the words I'd said back then as right now, I'm already looking at the expression that Oratio had when he said about the guild.

His mouth parted and his eyes listened to my soul, but there was some tint of those lights that wanted me to say another word, but I didn't even know where I start to say some until I heard him exude this long breath instead of descending on my skin like a warm mist, it became like a glacier's breeze.

"It would have been better if you would have completed the other technique, but I guess your current level would suffice to hold the ring..."

"A ring? What's that-----"

Before I could even nudge the courage to complete the words that I wanted to utter with my current voice, it halted when a shining golden light caged within an orb went to float within Oratio's hands.

As if my own eyes weren't mine, the golden dust built within his hands that were separated earlier continued to combine until it was becoming smaller and when it finally descended on his opened palm, I could see that it was a circular object in a silver metal, and on the middle of it were embedded with seven diamonds being hold by that silver metal.

"This would tell you the truth about your family, but if you wanted to give that information to someone else, then you have to hide that ring, the one where I taught you, you have to seal an object or a person so that no one could sense it."

My eyes went from the silvery ring to where Oratio's soul resides finding how they mirrored mine.

"Because you know, as far as I'm concerned, there were people nowadays who were going beyond their means to provide information that they knew was real..." I knew what Oratio meant by that and that is why it always began with a simple curiosity.

"Then after that, shouldn't I have to----"

"You don't have to tell them about that ring, listen, to what I would say to you. After this, you have to hand them this paper, I guess this would catch that old man's thoughts to something else"

"You knew that guild's chairman?" I heard Oratio laugh, it wasn't like his usual tone when he would laugh at Lexus it was gentler this time.

"How would I ever forget his just a young boy in the past who tried to imitate the magic that I've shown him? I would have never thought he would become a guild leader because of it..."

That's when I realized...

"Then what are you saying then, Oratio?"

"Finally, the little lady indeed heard my wishes for now..."

***

"It doesn't mean that when I wasn't that surprised, I knew magic, Crane," forgive me Crane but I have to keep my mouth shut until we are no longer in this place.

"I just so happen to have a special chat with a very mysterious person and when I asked him of a topic, he indeed gave me this..." Averting my gazes from Crane, I let go of his warmth that was trying to envelop my soul into this meadow place, as I stepped forward only to seek the swords pointed to my throat.

"Stop Fethers, she's no threat to me," Gludius spoke and the edges of those blades immediately disappeared the moment a mighty wind caressed my figure unhooding me as Gludius saw how my eyes descended on him.

His mighty laughter reverberated but he kept his mouth shut until I handed him the paper, it was an envelope, like those of the noble households sending some nobles an invitation to a gathering.

It had that green lining from the edges with a green leaf in the middle enough to pique anyone's interest but when I looked at his eyes shifting to the letter I handed him on his hands. His eyes widened and his mouth immediately parted.

"Why, where, how..."

"As I mentioned earlier if you're paying attention to my words, I just met a mysterious man and when I asked him earlier, he handed me this..." I said those words and I gazed at those mysterious lights from his soul, that's when I realized something...

"You're indeed a mysterious lady, right Lady Vestia?"

"I guess I wouldn't be surprised if you knew everything about my household for now"

"But be honest with me, I could use my magic if I wanted to but considering that you handing me this, I guess I couldn't help but spare you both"

"Aside from Crane saving your life, did you encounter the same tragedy before and this man saved you?"

"Well, let's just say that he's a legend I considered to follow"

"Is building a guild enough to know you're following that man?"

"I guess you've just made a slip of the tongue, young lady, I didn't say the person was a man"

"Don't pretend you didn't know from the start, Gludius..."

"I guess I prefer to befriend a lady like you than anyone there, for now, I have no choice but to spare you..."

"But can you tell me why? The moment I handed you the letter was the time you acted this differently"

"I would have preferred it that way, the less you know the less danger you'll be... but if you insist then I guess it's up to you"

"Then what was it?"

"You're even a daredevil Lady Vestia," those whispery voices that he managed to keep like ash being swayed by the wind, were enough to Crane wasn't hearing our words, unless...

"Just tell me, what it was Gludius?"

"It's an invitation to an old friend that you knew well, perhaps, I could ask him instead..."

"Do you think he would tell you the truth?"

"Even if he wouldn't it's already a goal of mine, and you never knew that from the start, I built this guild to see him again. So now, get your ass out of my place and prepare your envelope to be hidden from the eyes of the darkness. You would never expect that something will snatch those away"

Just as I was about to rebut him, a warm comforting soft hand grabbed me to be pulled only to make me land on his hard back.

"So what do you want us to do right now, Gludius?" I heard Crane ask and his voice was never the same, it was enough to send shivers through my spine and yet, Gludius laughed it off with his narrowed eyes.

"I guess it's nothing at all. I don't need that information about the Monsiore household so for now, Fethers, lead them to the front door..."

We had no choice but to be dragged as Crane was knitting his eyebrows while holding mine tightly.

After all, I have a question I need to ask him...

***

"Crane, when we were in the Crevon place, you mentioned the Vesron, is that a Serum for the person you wanted to ask the truth but then why couldn't you use your magic instead?"