Chương 81: The Monster on Paper

Sieghart spent several days refining Muscle Reinforcement before deciding that he was finished with Support Magic for the time being. The spell had opened an extremely valuable progression path, but the next part of that path remained locked. Whenever he focused on the Support Branch beneath White Magic, he could see a dark space where another spell should eventually appear. A single requirement hovered beneath it. Requirement: White Magic Level 5 Sieghart stared at the message with growing irritation.

His individual White Magic spells continued improving, but the main type of magic remained stubbornly below the necessary level. First Aid had healed injuries severe enough to kill people. Protection had saved him from explosions, flames, falling debris, and monster attacks, while Muscle Reinforcement directly improved his physical power. Apparently, none of those accomplishments satisfied whatever unreasonable conditions the system had established for raising White Magic itself.

Black Magic gained experience whenever Sieghart killed something or assisted in a kill. The method was violent but understandable. White Magic provided no similar guidance. Healing his grandfather repeatedly had leveled First Aid without noticeably advancing the broader magic type. He already considered that White Magic required him to save lives rather than merely repair injuries.

It might also gain experience through protecting people from lethal damage, although testing that theory deliberately would be irresponsible. Asking someone to stand beneath a falling building while he practiced Protection seemed like an excellent way to create both enemies and paperwork. Sieghart decided to continue practicing his existing Support spells occasionally. Once White Magic reached Level Five, he would return and investigate whatever waited inside the locked section.

Until then, focusing exclusively on one branch would waste time. He possessed several other forms of magic with much clearer progression methods. Summoning Magic remained particularly promising. Mana Sword had proven that he could create stable objects from raw mana, but those basic constructs represented only the beginning. He wanted armor, chains, spears, platforms, and perhaps independent weapons capable of attacking without remaining inside his hands.

If the Construct Branch developed far enough, he might eventually create an entire arsenal. Runes, Illusions, and Enchanting also required more attention. Sieghart had collected many cards, but several remained nearly useless because he had unlocked them without advancing beyond their foundations. His first step should have been acquiring better information. Sieghart considered asking Mira about the books Seraphina had left behind.

If her ancestor truly possessed an unusual talent for nearly every kind of magic, her writings might explain how she progressed. However, several details continued bothering him. Sieghart had never heard anyone mention levels, system branches, skill notifications, experience points, or parameters. Books described Aura becoming more refined through use, but their explanations remained conceptual. Mages discussed control, capacity, affinity, and understanding.

None described translucent windows appearing before their eyes or permanent parameter increases granted by spell levels. If Seraphina had possessed the same system as Sieghart, she had apparently hidden that information from everyone. Perhaps her private writings contained the truth. It was equally possible that she had recorded only ordinary magical theory to prevent others from learning how unusual she truly was. The final possibility was that Seraphina never possessed a system at all.

Her similarities to Sieghart might have ended with an enormous mana reserve and broad magical affinity. He could ask Mira directly, but revealing the exact reason behind his interest would require explaining the system. Sieghart was not ready to share that secret. Infinite Mana already made him valuable enough to attract dangerous attention. A private system capable of granting permanent attributes through spell progression would make the situation considerably worse.

Sieghart decided to ask about Seraphina's books without mentioning levels or skill branches. Before he found an opportunity, however, Mira contacted him first. The next morning, Sieghart fastened the enchanted training bands around his wrists and ankles while preparing to leave for another day of work. Their weight had continued increasing even after Ronan stopped supervising him directly. Sieghart kept wearing them because Muscle Reinforcement progressed faster whenever his body operated under constant strain.

He had just activated Phantom Image when Mira's voice sounded inside his head. Come to my office. Now. Sieghart froze with one hand resting against the door. The voice had not traveled through the room. It had appeared directly within his mind, perfectly clear and close enough to feel like Mira had spoken beside his thoughts. Sieghart slowly looked around. The basement remained empty. No illusion stood near his bed, and he could not sense anyone hiding beyond the door.

"Did I hallucinate that?" No. Mira's second response confirmed that she could somehow hear him, or she had predicted the obvious question and sent another message at the correct moment. Either possibility was interesting. Sieghart had read brief references to communication magic, but most involved paired tools, enchanted mirrors, or messages transmitted through prepared runes. Direct telepathy seemed considerably more useful.

It also raised the question of why Mira had repeatedly walked down to his room instead of contacting him this way. Perhaps the spell consumed too much mana for ordinary conversations. It might also require her to know his exact location, establish a previous connection, or overcome some form of mental resistance. Another possibility was that Mira simply disliked talking inside people's heads. Sieghart could understand that. Hearing someone unexpectedly while alone was convenient but unsettling.

He left the basement and climbed the stairs. Several guild members greeted him as he crossed the main hall, recognizing his disguised appearance from the manual jobs performed around Seraphina. Most believed he was a young apprentice Mira had accepted from a distant branch. That explanation discouraged questions without revealing anything important. Sieghart reached the upper floor and knocked on Mira's office door.

"Come in." He entered and found Mira seated behind her desk. She had pushed most of her usual paperwork aside, leaving only a single sheet in front of her. Sieghart closed the door.

"Was that telepathy?"

"A limited communication spell."

"Can you teach me?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because you're here to discuss something more important, and I don't want you speaking inside my head whenever you become bored." Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Mira pointed toward the chair opposite her desk.

"Sit." Sieghart complied and noticed that her expression appeared more serious than usual. The shadows beneath her eyes remained, but exhaustion was not the only reason she looked troubled. Mira turned the paper around and pushed it across the desk. Sieghart recognized his own face immediately. The drawing showed him roughly two years younger, before Phantom Image allowed him to conceal his crimson hair, green eyes, and blond-tipped fringe.

Large letters declared that Sieghart Emberhart was wanted for murder, arson, treason, forbidden magic, and suspected cooperation with enemies of the human lands. The lower section offered a reward for information leading to his capture. An even larger amount would be paid if someone delivered him alive. There was no official royal seal, but the document had been designed to resemble a legitimate bounty notice from a distance. Sieghart read every accusation without changing his expression.

Mira watched carefully, perhaps expecting anger, fear, or at least surprise. Sieghart displayed none of them. He had already known that rumors existed. Seeing them gathered on paper changed nothing about the truth or the people responsible.

"This drawing is outdated." Mira blinked.

"That is your reaction?"

"They made my head too large."

"You are being accused of murdering your grandparents."

"I know that I didn't."

"Other people don't."

"That sounds like their problem." Mira studied him for several seconds. His lack of reaction did not mean the accusations caused no pain. Sieghart had simply stopped granting strangers authority over how he saw himself. The opinions of people who believed an anonymous piece of paper mattered less than the memories of those who had actually raised him. Mira leaned back.

"My investigation hasn't produced anything conclusive."

"That isn't surprising."

"We found some movement connected to House Emberhart, but nothing large enough to reveal their intentions." Sieghart remained silent, allowing her to continue.

"Your father knows about the bounty. Several agents connected to his house have quietly removed copies from towns near the border."

"That almost sounds considerate."

"Almost." Mira tapped the paper.

"House Emberhart hasn't publicly defended you. They haven't announced that the accusations are false, and they haven't offered a reward for the people who destroyed the farm."

"Also unsurprising."

"They are under political pressure." Sieghart looked toward her.

"From whom?"

"Several influential houses are accusing the Emberharts of raising a monster. They claim your father concealed your magical abilities and allowed you to become dangerous." Sieghart glanced down at the wanted paper again. Whoever created the rumors had chosen their accusations carefully. House Emberhart could defend him and risk appearing complicit, or remain silent and allow the story to spread. Either response weakened their political position. Mira continued explaining what her informants had discovered.

Some rumors claimed Sieghart had murdered his grandparents after they tried to stop him from studying forbidden magic. Others insisted he had burned the farm to erase evidence of experiments. The battle against the Firians had been twisted as well. According to several versions, Sieghart used corrupted flames to consume the enemy commander before disappearing. One particularly creative story claimed that he had sacrificed wounded soldiers to increase his mana reserve.

That rumor possessed no relationship with reality, but details rarely survived once fear became involved. People who had never met Sieghart now described him as an unnatural child capable of stealing magic, controlling monsters, and burning entire villages. The contradictory stories all served the same purpose. They transformed an abandoned noble child into a threat that ordinary people would fear before hearing his explanation. Sieghart listened without interrupting.

His expression remained so unchanged that Mira eventually stopped.

"Anything else?"

"That is all you have to say?"

"You haven't said anything useful yet." Mira's eyebrows twitched.

"I am explaining the political situation surrounding your name."

"You are repeating rumors created by people I plan to find. Unless one of those rumors includes their address, it isn't useful."

"The situation affects where you can go."

"Phantom Image affects whether anyone recognizes me."

"An illusion won't protect you from every bounty hunter."

"Neither will staying underground forever." Mira released a long sigh. Sieghart rested one arm against the chair.

"Are you eventually going to get to the point? This is getting boring." Most children would have hesitated before speaking that way to a guild master. Sieghart had spent more than a year living beneath Mira's headquarters and had long since stopped treating her title as something sacred. Mira folded her hands upon the desk.

"The point is that our investigation has stalled."

"I noticed."

"My informants are still following several leads, but I can't promise they'll find anything soon. Whoever organized the attack prepared multiple layers between themselves and the people carrying out their orders." Sieghart's gaze sharpened slightly. This part actually mattered.

"The magical components used at the farm passed through several merchants before disappearing from their records," Mira continued.

"The bounty payments followed similar routes."

"You found where the notices began?"

"We found three places where large batches appeared within the same week. None received them from the same courier."

"So someone coordinated the distribution."

"Yes."

"But you can't find them."

"Not yet." Mira reached beneath the desk and removed a thin folder. She placed it beside the bounty notice without opening it.

"The folder contains everything we have confirmed. Names, locations, payment trails, witness statements, and several leads too weak for my informants to prioritize." Sieghart looked at the folder. Mira did not push it toward him immediately.

"I have a choice to offer you." Sieghart waited.

"You can remain here while my people continue investigating. You'll have protection, access to training materials, paid work, and whatever teachers I can convince."

"And the other choice?"

"I give you the information we have, and you start collecting intelligence yourself." Silence filled the office. Mira watched Sieghart's face carefully. This time, his interest became obvious.

"I won't pretend that option is safe," she added.

"Your bounty is spreading, House Emberhart's enemies are watching for you, and we still don't know who ordered the attack."

"Staying here isn't completely safe either."

"No."

"They found the farm despite Ronan watching it."

"Yes."

"They might eventually find this place."

"Lunar Arc is harder to attack than an isolated farmhouse, but the possibility exists." Sieghart looked at the folder once again. For more than a year, he had trained while waiting for someone else to produce answers. The arrangement had protected him when his anger and abilities were far less controlled. That time had not been wasted. He possessed more spells, better concealment, improved physical strength, practical combat experience, and enough money to survive without immediate help.

Remaining beneath the guild would allow him to become even stronger. However, strength without direction could turn into another excuse to delay. There would always be another spell to learn and another parameter to improve. If Sieghart waited until no enemy could threaten him, he might remain in the basement for decades. Mira finally pushed the folder across the desk.

"The choice is yours." Sieghart placed one hand upon it but did not open it yet. Mira had expected him to leave eventually. Offering the choice meant she preferred to help him prepare rather than wait for him to disappear without warning. Sieghart appreciated that more than he intended to say aloud. He looked at the bounty paper, then at Mira.

"What are the conditions?"