Chương 230: The Blue Sun Academy and Cerulean Spire

Time slowed to a crawl as the assassin's blade descended toward Lady Laelyn's exposed neck. I had three options, none of them perfect. The first, the simplest, was to do nothing. Let events unfold without my interference. Lady Laelyn would die, chaos would ensue, and I could slip away in the confusion. Though, I'm not sure how that would benefit me, and it seemed unnecessarily cruel. I'm not heartless. The second option was direct intervention.

A qi-enhanced throw could disable or kill the assassin before his blade found its mark. But the amount of spiritual essence required for that level of speed and precision would be impossible to explain away. How would a simple village boy suddenly display abilities that even modest Skybound or Lightweavers would find impressive? It would raise questions I couldn't afford to answer. Which left subtle manipulation as the third option.

I channeled the spiritual energy through my body and outward, seeking the perfect fulcrum point. There, a thick root partially exposed beneath the loose soil near the assassin's advancing foot. With the lightest touch of spiritual essence, I caused it to rise just enough, just at the right moment. The assassin's blade continued its deadly arc until his foot caught against the subtly raised root.

He stumbled, his perfect killing stroke transforming into an awkward lunge that missed Lady Laelyn's neck by inches as she instinctively dodged the strike. The momentary disruption was all Beric needed. In a flash of golden light, his energy sword sliced across the assassin's throat with brutal efficiency. The black-robed figure collapsed, blood spraying in a crimson arc.

"My lady!" Beric shouted, moving to shield Lady Laelyn with his body. His sword continued to glow as he surveyed the surroundings for additional threats. But Beric wasn't taking any chances. Even as the assassin's body crumpled to the ground, he drove his light-sword downward, plunging it through the fallen attacker's chest. The blade sizzled as it made contact, burning flesh and cloth alike.

"Check the others," he commanded sharply to the remaining guards.

"Make sure they're dead. All of them." The guards moved immediately, methodically inspecting each fallen attacker. One guard drew a dagger across the throat of an unconscious foe, while another drove a spear through the heart of a motionless body. It was brutal but pragmatic. I couldn't fault their thoroughness. Lady Laelyn stood trembling, one hand pressed against her throat where the blade would have struck.

Her face had gone pale, the reality of her brush with death finally registering now that the immediate danger had passed. When she turned toward me, her eyes were wide with shock and gratitude.

"You..." she began, her voice shaky as she walked over to me.

"Your warning saved my life." I lowered my gaze, playing the humble villager.

"I just saw him move, my lady. Anyone would have done the same."

"Don't diminish your role," she insisted, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Many would have frozen in fear. Your quick thinking gave me the chance to move and Beric the opening he needed. I owe you a debt, Tomas." Beric himself was now studying the ground where the assassin had stumbled, his brow furrowed as he nudged the exposed root with his boot. I kept my expression neutral even as my pulse quickened. Had he noticed something amiss?

"Strange," he muttered, crouching to examine it more closely.

"This root wasn't..." He trailed off, shaking his head as if dismissing a troubling thought. I remained silent, grateful that the qi I'd channeled had already dissipated. Unless he had a high ranking qi sensing technique (which was basically impossible in this world), he would find nothing unusual now, it was just an ordinary root once more, one that happened to be in exactly the right place at exactly the right moment.

"What is it, Beric?" Lady Laelyn asked, turning her attention to her guard captain. Beric rose, still frowning.

"Nothing definitive, my lady. But these assassins... they're too well-trained for such a clumsy error." He gestured toward the body.

"Fighting styles aside, assassins are known for their footwork. Tripping during an attack is unlike them." I felt a chill run down my spine. He was suspicious, not of me specifically, but of the situation. And a suspicious guard captain was the last thing I needed.

"Perhaps the blue sun has chosen to protect its future Saintess," I offered quietly, recalling Lady Laelyn's earlier explanations of their beliefs.

"A divine intervention." The suggestion hung in the air for a moment. Then Lady Laelyn smiled.

"Perhaps so, Tomas. The First Light works in mysterious ways." Beric's suspicious expression softened somewhat, though doubt still lingered in his eyes. Religious explanations clearly didn't satisfy his soldier's instincts, but he seemed unwilling to contradict a potential theological interpretation that favored his lady.

"Whatever the cause," he said finally, "we should be grateful for the outcome." He turned to oversee the disposal of the bodies, issuing crisp orders that his men followed without question. I watched as they built a pyre, arranging the assassins' remains and dousing them with oil from the wagon's supplies. When the flames were kindled, they burned with an eerie blue tint, the residual energy of the would-be killers returning to the air from which it had been drawn.

"Are you certain you want to watch this?" Lady Laelyn asked, studying my face with concern.

"Most villagers find such sights disturbing." I carefully composed my expression into one of nauseated fascination, the look of someone witnessing horror but unable to look away.

"I've never seen anything like it," I said truthfully.

"The energy returns to the blue sun," she explained, her voice taking on a gentle, instructive tone.

"All who channel its light must eventually return what they have borrowed." I nodded, storing this information away. The concept wasn't dissimilar to the return of qi to the universe upon a cultivator's death, though the cosmology was framed differently. Every system had its own philosophical underpinnings, but the practical mechanics often shared common elements. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"We should continue our journey," Beric announced as the last of the bodies was committed to the flames.

"We've lost time, and I'd prefer to reach Crossroads Inn before full nightfall."

"Agreed," Lady Laelyn said. She turned to me with a warm smile.

"Would you join me in the front compartment, Tomas? After what you've done, I'd like to speak with you more comfortably than shouting over the noise of the wheels." I bowed slightly, concealing my satisfaction at this development.

"I'd be honored, my lady." I climbed into the front compartment of the wagon, noting how different it felt to enter invited rather than in desperate flight from attackers. The luxurious appointments, cushioned benches, carved paneling, small lanterns with blue-tinted glass, spoke to Lady Laelyn's true status far more clearly than any proclamation could have. The wagon lurched forward as the driver urged the horses back to motion.

Lady Laelyn settled onto one of the cushioned benches, gesturing for me to take the one opposite her. As I sat, I noticed faint blue light still pulsing beneath her skin, particularly visible at her wrists and throat.

"You still have some of their energy," I observed before I could stop myself. She glanced down at her arms in surprise, then smiled.

"Yes. Absorption isn't instantaneous. It will take time to fully process what I've taken in." She flexed her fingers, causing ripples of blue light to dance across her skin.

"It's not uncomfortable, merely... present."

"What does it feel like?" I asked.

"When you absorb their attacks?" Lady Laelyn tilted her head, considering.

"Imagine drinking ice-cold water on a hot day," she said after a moment.

"There's an initial shock to the system, then a spreading sense of vitality. The light wants to move, to flow. Containing it requires focus." I nodded, understanding the concept better than she might have guessed. Cultivators often described similar sensations when drawing in natural energy during meditation: the vibrancy, the resistance to stillness, the need for disciplined attention to channel it properly.

"Will you be able to sleep with all that energy inside you?" I asked. She laughed.

"Eventually. Though tonight may be restless." Her expression sobered.

"Which reminds me, we should reach Crossroads Inn before nightfall, and you'll need proper rest after everything you've endured. I'll arrange accommodations for you."

"You've already done too much," I protested, playing the role of the grateful but humble villager.

"I can sleep in the stables if there's work to be had."

"Nonsense," she said firmly.

"You saved my life, Tomas. The least I can offer is a comfortable bed and a hot meal." The moment was interrupted by a gentle knock at the compartment door. At Lady Laelyn's invitation, Beric entered, ducking his head to fit through the low doorway.

"My lady," he said with a respectful nod.

"We'll reach the inn in approximately two hours if the road remains clear."

"Thank you, Beric." She gestured toward me.

"Tomas will be staying with us at the inn tonight. Please ensure he's given proper accommodations." Beric's eyes flicked to me briefly, his expression unreadable.

"Of course, my lady." He hesitated, then added, "Have you considered our next steps? After today's events..."

"We continue as planned," she replied with quiet authority.

"Cerulean Spire is still our destination. These attacks, while concerning, change nothing."

"Some say Cerulean Spire is located at the Blue Sun Academy," I ventured, though no one had actually mentioned this to me. I needed to confirm if our destinations aligned.

"Is that true?" Lady Laelyn turned to me, a slight furrow appeared between her brows as she studied my face, as if weighing how much to reveal.

"The Blue Sun Academy and Cerulean Spire are... connected," she said carefully.

"But to get to the Spire, you need to first get through the academy." I wasn't sure exactly what she meant by connected, did she mean the Spire was sort some of pocket realm and its entrance was at the academy, or did she mean something else? Regardless, her destination was the Spire, while mine was the academy, whether by incredible luck or the workings of fate, I'd managed to attach myself to someone traveling the same path.

"You seem oddly interested in Lightweavers," Beric observed, his tone carefully neutral.

"I've never met one before," I explained.

"Our village was too small for such visitors. We had traveling merchants and the occasional bard, but Skybound and Lightweavers..." I shook my head.

"They were just stories to us. Tales told around hearth fires on winter nights." Lady Laelyn nodded, accepting this explanation without question. Beric's expression remained skeptical, but he didn't pursue the matter further.

"I should return to my duties," he said after a moment.

"With your permission, my lady."

"Of course, Beric. Thank you." As the door closed behind him, Lady Laelyn turned back to me with an apologetic smile.

"Please don't mind Beric. His caution has saved my life more times than I can count."

"He seems very dedicated," I observed carefully.

"He is. House Vareyn has employed his family for generations." She leaned back against the cushions.

"Beric has been my personal guard since I was three years old. Sometimes I think he forgets I'm an adult now." I nodded. A lifelong connection explained the level of loyalty I'd witnessed. The conversation flowed more easily after that. Lady Laelyn was surprisingly easy to talk to, showing genuine interest in my fabricated background. I kept my responses vague enough to avoid contradictions while mixing in elements of Tomas's actual memories for authenticity.

As we traveled, I maintained a careful balance, intelligent enough to engage her interest, humble enough to reinforce my cover identity. All the while, I was gathering information about the Blue Sun Academy, the Lightweavers, and the political landscape surrounding the selection of a new Saintess. It was like that time passed, and soon the wagon began to slow, signaling our approach to Crossroads Inn.