A minor incident had recently occurred in Polar Night City, becoming the talk of many nobles and commoners alike over their tea and meals.
Lord Leilin, a noble heir who had resided in the city for nearly three years and was a close friend of Scholar Meierfeile and Viscount Jackson, had temporarily left Polar Night City.
Before his departure, he had handed over his entire estate and apothecary to a personal handmaiden!!!
For the nobles, while they frequently vented their desires upon their maids, they would never entrust important assets to them. After all, to them, maids were like dolls—easily exchanged and discarded—whereas properties and land were legacies to be passed down to descendants, the very foundation upon which a family endured and continued.
Leilin's decision became a laughingstock among the nobility. On top of his existing reputation for laziness and misplaced kindness, they now added the label of senile incompetence.
To the surprise of many, that handmaiden, with the help of two knights, quickly brought Leilin's remaining forces under her control. Furthermore, City Lord Jackson and Viscount Meierfeile publicly backed the maid, allowing her to smoothly assume the role of Leilin's business proxy.
Once she had taken charge of Leilin's affairs, Anna managed them with meticulous care, organizing everything in perfect order. Rather than declining as many nobles had predicted, Leilin's enterprise in Polar Night City continued to grow, causing quite a few aristocrats to choke on their disbelief.
But none of this concerned Leilin anymore. By now, he had long since left Polar Night City.
……
Splash!!!
The sky was dark and overcast, and bean-sized raindrops hammered the ground, sending up countless tiny splashes.
Clip-clop!!! A black stallion galloped along the road, the scenery on both sides blurring past in a rush. Rain beat against the rider, only to be deflected by a layer of his raincoat.
By evening, when the downpour finally ceased, the rider had already taken shelter inside a cave.
A warm and bright fire filled the cavern with light. A cast-iron pot hung over the flames, filled with fragrant white mushroom soup, with the occasional chunk of dried meat bobbing to the surface.
The rider pulled back his raincoat to reveal the face of a young man with brown hair and eyes that sparkled like gemstones.
It was Leilin himself. As he sipped the mushroom soup, he pulled up the map on his Chip.
"After more than two months of nonstop riding, I'm finally almost at the Academy!"
Leilin gazed at the destination drawing ever closer on the map, his expression complicated. Back in the day, he'd had to constantly reroute to sell potions at various markets, and since he was in no rush, the journey had been entirely leisurely.
Now, racing full speed ahead, he had endured considerable hardship.
Especially after three years of living in comfort and indulgence as a noble, he had nearly been unable to adjust.
"But I'm here at last. According to the map, in three more days I'll reach the Academy!"
"I can't believe a third party actually intervened and forced the Black Bone Forest Academy and the other two hostile factions into a ceasefire!"
Leilin was still somewhat incredulous based on the intelligence he'd gathered from markets along the way.
According to the reports, the Black Bone Forest Academy had been in a dire situation, pressed on two fronts by Gothic Sage's Cottage and White Wood Castle. The situation had been so precarious that even the Academy's Large Defense Magical Array had been more than half destroyed—it had nearly fallen.
But at the last moment, the Academy's headmaster had apparently used some unknown method to call upon the Night Lighthouse for assistance.
The Night Lighthouse was one of the most powerful wizard organizations on the South Coast, and its leader was rumored to possess the strength of a Third-level Wizard.
Under the Night Lighthouse's forceful mediation, the Black Bone Forest Academy had finally survived its most dangerous period and reached a reconciliation with both hostile factions.
Leilin was not the type to rush back the moment the Academy called. All along the way, he had been gathering intelligence at various markets. Only after confirming that the Black Bone Forest Academy had truly emerged from the war and that the summons for apprentices to return was no trap did he decide to go back.
"This distance is close enough for me to use the contact method my mentor gave me! Perfect for scouting things out first!"
Leilin's expression turned serious. He reached into his coat and produced a small vial of pinkish potion.
Uncorking it, he used the pink potion to draw a strange symbol on the ground—twisted and winding, like the shape of an insect.
Hiss hiss!!! Pinkish smoke rose continuously from the symbol, eventually coalescing into the shape of a large pink ear.
"Who is it? What is this fluctuation?" From beside the pink ear, Guofate's voice suddenly came through, mixed with a fair amount of static.