Chapter 65: A new destination?

Alaric continued looking at the three sheets of paper for a while before releasing a long sigh and placing them together.

He had already thought through everything he could with his current information.

There was no point in wasting the entire day frightening himself with theories he couldn’t confirm, so he burned the papers and stood up.

At that moment, a notification appeared before his eyes.

[Quest: Attain Minor Mastery of the blade — Evan Lionheart.]

[Reward: Body Technique — Return Step.]

Alaric’s mood improved considerably after reading the reward.

He had just learnt a powerful Body Technique from Rowena, and the System had already presented him with a second one.

This one looked like it was related to movement, so it couldn’t be bad.

Evan had been halfway toward attaining Minor Mastery of the blade before his breakthrough.

If the memories he received after becoming a Knight contained experience related to blade mastery, this quest wouldn’t take too long.

Alaric sent a servant to bring Evan to his room. When Evan arrived a short while later, Alaric asked him about the memories he had received after becoming a Knight.

"I haven’t understood everything contained within them yet, Young Lord," Evan admitted. "Some of the experiences involve using a blade in ways I have never practised before. I understand the movements when I remember them, but my body still needs time to reproduce them properly."

"Then concentrate upon that for now," Alaric instructed him. "Your general training can continue as usual, but I want most of your free time spent absorbing those experiences and advancing your blade mastery."

Evan didn’t understand why Young Lord had suddenly become interested in his blade mastery, but he had long since learned to not ask questions.

Every time he had inherited memories, it was after completing a task assigned to him by Young Lord. The only exception was when he had received memories after breaking through to Knight Realm.

But Evan suspected that Alaric didn’t tell him to focus on breaking through to Knight Realm because he was doing so anyway and breaking through realms was the first pursuit of nearly everyone.

Therefore, it wouldn’t make sense to give him a task of breaking through to the Knight realm.

Now that the Young Lord was asking him to advance his blade mastery, maybe doing so would lead to another set of inherited memories.

Evan could only keep this heavy favor buried deep in his heart, resolving himself to always follow the Young Lord.

"I understand, Young Lord. I’ll begin today."

After Evan left, Alaric went looking for Rowena.

Her return meant that he was no longer responsible for handling every major matter in the territory, while the people she had brought back could maintain House Orlen without his constant presence.

The Academy was about to be established, and Alaric had already delayed making proper preparations because he had been waiting for Rowena to return.

He found her inside the study reading reports concerning the soldiers and practitioners who had returned with her. Alaric waited until she finished examining the document in her hand before speaking.

"Now that you’ve returned, I want to discuss my departure for the Academy."

"You are not going to that Academy, or rather, I hope you don’t." Rowena replied before he could explain anything further.

Alaric had expected some questions about his safety and preparations, but he hadn’t expected an outright refusal.

"Why? The Academy is probably being supported by the Rathen Empire, and it will have instructors for both the Body and Magic Paths.

"It would be difficult to find another place offering that much information without requiring me to sign a contract binding me to them permanently."

"I know what the Academy is supposed to offer, and that is also why so many noble houses are willing to send their heirs there." Rowena placed the report aside before looking at him.

"One of the parties involved in supporting its establishment has connections to an intermediary my father used several times in the past."

"Are you certain that Alastair has something to do with the Academy?" Alaric asked in doubt.

"No, I cannot prove that my father has any direct involvement in it. The intermediary could be working for another person, or the entire connection could be a coincidence." Rowena showed no embarrassment about admitting that her evidence was incomplete.

"However, after everything I experienced involving my father, I consider anything connected to him troublesome until proven otherwise."

Alaric couldn’t exactly call her paranoid after hearing how Alastair had behaved following the Fall of Hundred Paragons.

"Do you have any idea what he could be planning?"

"If I knew that, I wouldn’t need to be this cautious. The Academy could be intended to gather talented young people, observe the noble houses or prepare suitable recruits for something larger. It could also have nothing to do with his true objective." Rowena leaned back in her chair.

"What concerns me is that my father isn’t the only one making preparations."

According to the information Rowena had gathered, several existences above Paragon had become active across the continent.

Most of them continued operating through subordinates and intermediaries, but too many powerful organizations had begun moving resources at the same time for her to dismiss it.

"I believe something significant is approaching, and the trouble might spread across the entire continent," Rowena continued.

"I have no intention of remaining here any longer. I am thinking of leaving this continent entirely.

"As the only survivor from that Fall of Hundred Paragons event, it is inevitable that I’ll be dragged into whatever chaos is going to unfold, so I want to leave before that happens."

Alaric stared at her in surprise.

Volume one of Tales of Golden Era had only ever covered the Flenn Kingdom with a slight mention of Rathen Empire during the Academy Chapters and a mention of another empire during one of the later arcs.

But now Rowena was saying that there was a world beyond this place?

"Where exactly are you planning to go?" He asked.

"The Central Continent. I contacted a power there before returning, and they have already agreed to receive me."

Alaric hadn’t expected her preparations to be this far along. Rowena had already found a destination and reached an agreement with a power situated there.

"I am going regardless of your decision," Rowena informed him. "You aren’t truly my son, so I have no right to order you to follow me.

"However, your talent is far greater than I expected, and remaining here while my father and the other old monsters prepare whatever they are planning would be a waste."

She allowed Alaric several moments to think before giving him the actual offer.

"If you agree to come with me, gather the people you consider worth taking. I can arrange for all of you to leave together."

Alaric’s thoughts moved through Evan, Mira, Zephyr, Alice, Orwin and Sophia. There were also numerous loyal members of House Orlen who couldn’t be abandoned without consideration.

However, the people weren’t the greatest problem.

Nearly everything Alaric remembered from Tales of Golden Era concerned this continent. Its noble houses, hidden opportunities, important conflicts and future geniuses were all located here.

Rowena was offering him a way to escape the coming chaos, but accepting her offer meant abandoning the entire continent where his knowledge of the future applied.