While Altor was still immersed in the grief of the daytime funeral, high in the air above the outskirts near the Melzer Black Forest — in a place shrouded by darkness and clouds — Lucian was saying his farewells to Natasha.
"I'll have to trouble you with Uncle Joel and the others, Natasha. I have a feeling that after this letter-delivery mission to the Dark Mountains, my life is going to change drastically in the short term. It may push my research into Arcane Magic even further — and when that happens, the Church's attention on me will intensify, potentially exposing my faked death. So if John and the others are unwilling to report me, I'd like you to secretly send people to guide and press them. That way, before everything comes to light, we can minimize any suspicion falling on you to the greatest extent possible."
"That's also the other reason I wouldn't let you cut down the Clown with a single sword stroke. If you had been colluding with me — if you'd known the truth — you would have killed him right then and there regardless of anyone's objections, to silence him."
Lucian spoke in a gentle, unhurried tone, as if making a plea.
Natasha, still wearing the plain black dress from earlier that day, clicked her tongue. "Being friends with a mage like you feels incredibly stressful. It seems like everything you do has more than one hidden purpose. Hey, Lucian — you're not keeping anything else from me or harboring some other scheme, are you?"
That actually sounds like quite a lot, Lucian thought, letting out two awkward laughs. "Of course not, of course not."
Natasha's personality was forthright and candid. She had only been teasing just now, and seeing that Lucian wasn't willing to say more, she didn't press the matter. She nodded earnestly. "If John and the others still haven't reported you within six months, I'll apply some pressure behind the scenes. Don't worry — I won't hurt them."
Having made that promise, Natasha shifted to a tone that was both excited and slightly concerned. "Lucian, the Dark Mountains are teeming with strange and powerful creatures. Just the ones already catalogued number in the several hundreds — there are all manner of dragons, fallen elves, trolls, shapeshifting spiders, Crimson Demon Trees, Lightning Hawks, and so on. You'll need to be careful."
"Moreover, most mages who've inherited ancient traditions are cruel, cold-blooded, and heartless. They specialize in forbidden experiments and the manipulation of minds. They feel no connection to life, to anything outside themselves and a select few objects of interest. Beyond strengthening themselves and indulging their various desires, they have no other ambitions. When dealing with them, you must be vigilant and on your guard — they are nothing like the Archanists you've encountered in the Magic Council."
"Though you're delivering a letter on behalf of a certain Lord, and by all normal logic the Magic Council or the Elemental Will must have made arrangements — they wouldn't send you into a situation with no chance of survival — when we act, it's best not to pin all our hopes on others from the very start. The only one you can truly rely on is yourself."
Lucian had just gone through the heartbreak of his farewell with Joel's family, and his emotions were still turbulent and unsettled. So when he felt Natasha's genuine concern, it struck him deeply. With a hint of gratitude, he joked, "Natasha, when you describe those dangerous creatures and ancient-tradition mages, why does it feel like you're not being cautious at all? You almost sound wistful and excited."
"Of course! Don't you think adventuring through the Dark Mountains sounds fascinating and thrilling? Battling all sorts of strange creatures, witnessing different kinds of supernatural powers — that would be an incredible experience," Natasha said enthusiastically. Then she sighed with genuine regret. "Honestly, when I found out you were going to the Dark Mountains, I wanted to go with you. It would have fulfilled a long-held desire of mine, and I could have protected you. But I'm the Countess of Violet, the future Grand Duchess. Every move I make has to account for my subjects, my knights, my nobility. Besides — Father has only me left as family now. I no longer have the luxury of indulging in reckless adventures."
Though she was clearly disappointed, there was no trace of resentment in her voice. The upbringing she'd received since childhood, combined with her innate character, allowed her to accept this with complete understanding.
Hearing Natasha say so casually and bluntly, just as she always did, that she had once planned to protect him, Lucian felt a touch of embarrassment. "It's fine, Natasha. I'm confident that as long as I don't wander recklessly into the depths of the Dark Mountains, I can handle most of the dark creatures there. When I come back, I'll tell you all about my firsthand adventure stories."
"Well, you are carrying one of the Helm Crown Rings, after all." Natasha nodded with somewhat more reassurance, then produced a pair of earrings shaped like violet petals, grinning like a fox. "These were given to me by an elder — they've been enchanted with Fernando's Electromagnetic Telecommunication Spell. If you run into danger, you can contact me. I know you have similar items on you. Hehe — the Stormrack Strait's lightning field blocks your connection to the Magic Council, but here in Altor, you've still got backup."
As a knight with a temperament that leaned more masculine, she rarely wore jewelry or accessories aside from the formal attire required at the annual New Year's banquet. So until today, Lucian had no idea she possessed such a magical item, and he guessed it must have been a gift from Duchess Hathaway.
"If I run into danger, I won't put on some act of pride and refuse to ask you for help." Lucian nodded seriously. Then, suddenly, a small measure of regret rose within him, and the words slipped out before he could stop them: "It's just a shame that the Stormrack Strait's lightning field and the sheer distance make electromagnetic communication so unstable and easy to disrupt. Otherwise, we could keep in touch all the time."
"Yeah, what a pity." At the thought, Natasha's face was also full of regret.
A notion surfaced unbidden in Lucian's mind: "Should I accelerate my Arcane research? Maybe in the future I could launch a few magic satellites into orbit as communication relay stations, bypassing the Stormrack Strait — that way, I could talk to Natasha regularly."
"But if other mages found out that the birth of magic satellites and long-range communication magic was because some mage wanted to stay in touch with a girl far away... wouldn't that be incredibly embarrassing? Besides, whether this world is actually a planet, and whether it even has orbits, still hasn't been confirmed. I'd need to keep researching…"
"Lucian, what are you thinking about?" Seeing Lucian fall silent, Natasha assumed he was still lamenting the electromagnetic communication problem. "It's fine. We can always write letters regularly under my uncle's name. Sometimes, writing letters actually feels better than talking directly."
Snapped out of his meandering thoughts by Natasha, Lucian came back to himself, a trace of surprise running through his mind. "Wait — why am I thinking so much? Could it be… No, no. She likes women. We're good friends."
With some faintly strange feeling stirring inside him, Lucian hastily dismissed his inexplicable thoughts and gave a slight nod. "Being able to stay in touch through letters is good enough. But we'll need to re-agree on a set of symbols with different meanings, so the Church doesn't catch on."