Chương 129: Making Seer Aelira Happy

Morvath sat motionless in the snow, his eyes closed and his breathing slow, immersed in deep meditation. He was in the Frozen Lands, just as Nikos had instructed. Over the past few days, he had moved from place to place, trying to refine his perception enough to locate the legendary swords. Now, he had been sitting there for nearly an hour. His concentration was absolute. Then, all of a sudden, he sensed them. The legendary swords. They were close. Very close. And they were all in the same place.

Inside a tavern in Axi. Morvath's eyes snapped open. Without wasting any time, he extended his mind through the telepathic network and immediately alerted the other mages. Nikos was sipping his ever-present green tea when the mage who had remained with him entered the room, visibly agitated.

"The legendary swords have been found", he said.

"They're in a tavern in Axi". Nikos calmly wiped his mustache, showing not the slightest hint of surprise.

"Very good", he replied.

"Let us gather. It's time to put the plan into action". At the tavern. Leah descended the stairs alongside Mason. Xia and Felicity were waiting for her in the common room.

"Excuse me for a moment", Leah said to Mason.

"I need to talk to my friends".

"Of course", he replied with a calm smile. Leah approached the two women. Felicity studied her for a few seconds.

"I see you let yourself go", she remarked in a neutral tone. Leah lowered her gaze, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, Feli…I gave in to desire. I lacked discipline".

"Why are you apologizing? I couldn't care less about what you do between the sheets. What matters is that you know how to separate that from the art of the sword". Leah looked up and smiled, suddenly feeling relieved. She had been afraid that she had disappointed Felicity. Instead, Felicity's reaction was far less judgmental and severe than she had expected.

"Thank you…so, are we leaving?"

"Yes", Felicity replied.

"Ethan and Agnes will stay here. We'll look for a place to set up camp". If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Leah nodded.

"I understand. I'll go say goodbye to him. Wait for me outside". Felicity and Xia nodded before leaving the tavern. Leah returned to Mason.

"Unfortunately, I have to go", she said.

"Thank you for everything. You've truly been a gentleman". Mason gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You have to leave already? Can't you stay a little longer?"

"I can't…we don't have enough crowns-" The tavern door suddenly burst open. Three men armed with swords entered with determined strides, scrutinizing everyone inside one by one. They were the three bounty hunters.

"We're looking for a man named Mason Dillon", one of them said.

"If he's here, we'll find him. There's no point hiding him".

"Anyone who cooperates with him will be considered his accomplice", the second added.

"And we have no mercy for accomplices either", the third concluded. Leah slowly turned toward Mason.

"They're looking for you?" she whispered.

"I don't know…there's only one way to find out". Mason descended the remaining steps and walked toward the three men. He made his way through the other patrons, gracefully moving them aside and even offering a few of them polite smiles. When he reached the bounty hunters, he stopped.

"I'm Mason Dillon. What do you want?"

"Your head", one of them replied bluntly.

"Violating an official's daughter wasn't very smart. You're worth three hundred crowns now". Leah's eyes widened. Mason, however, remained perfectly calm. Almost impassive.

"That's a lie", he said.

"That girl and I were secretly involved. Her father made the whole thing up to save his reputation".

"Really?" another bounty hunter retorted.

"And the other women?" Mason slowly drew his sword.

"Those are false accusations as well".

"So dozens of women have accused you, and they all gave the same name and the same description, yet they're all lying?" Mason nodded.

"So it seems. Unfortunately, I couldn't love them the way they wanted me to. And they took revenge. It's an injustice I've grown accustomed to by now". The bounty hunter sneered.

"Let's make this simple. Allow yourself to be captured without resisting, and we'll take you alive to the official. You can explain your innocence to him personally". Mason sighed.

"No. That would be pointless. And if you insist on staying here, I'll have no choice but to defend my honor and prove my innocence". His hand slowly slid toward the hilt of his sword. At that moment, a storm descended upon the tavern. It came without warning. There had been no sign of it. Not a single cloud had hinted at what was about to happen. It was completely unnatural. The wind howled violently, and rain poured from the sky like a wall of water, making even the tavern windows tremble.

Felicity and Xia, who were outside, were immediately caught in it.

"We have to get back inside!" Xia shouted, covering her face as the rain made it difficult even to breathe. Felicity turned toward her white horse, still tied up a short distance away. She had never given it a name. She saw it lying on the ground, unable to get back up as the rain continued to batter it. Felicity hesitated.

"Wait…I can't…" Xia, however, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her toward the entrance. Upstairs, Ethan was beside Agnes when the ceiling suddenly gave way.

"Agnes!" Without hesitation, he pulled her into his arms and shielded her with his own body. Beams came crashing down around them. Several kilometers away, Morvath approached Nikos, who was holding one of the legendary swords.

"Are you sure creating a storm will help us?" he asked.

"The storm is only meant to confuse them and slow them down", Nikos replied.

"You, however, will use the other sword". Morvath frowned.

"For what?" Nikos stared at him.

"You will enter the body of the black-haired mage. From there, you will come here and bring us the swords". Morvath remained silent for a few moments.

"Me?"

"You're the most powerful mage here", Nikos said.

"If she resists your spiritual presence, you should be able to withstand it for at least a few minutes. That will be enough to create a portal through her body and deliver the swords to us". Morvath lowered his gaze to the blade.

"Perhaps", he replied.

"It's not guaranteed". Nikos stared at him for a long moment.

"Mage Morvath, I ask you for one final effort. Do you not wish to make Seer Aelira happy?" Morvath remained silent. Then he slowly lowered his gaze.

"Yes…of course I do".

"Then take the sword and go". Morvath grasped the weapon. A moment later, he opened a portal before him and stepped through without hesitation. His figure disappeared into the vortex of energy, heading toward the tavern now engulfed by the storm.