Chapter 71: Got the reward

By the time Sophia had been shown to her room and the mansion had finally grown quiet, Alaric was already exhausted.

He dismissed his attendants, changed into his nightclothes and lay down, but the moment he closed his eyes, his tiredness was replaced by thoughts of the Central Continent.

The place had inheritances beyond the Paragon realm, organizations whose influence crossed continents and enough talented people for him to connect to.

He would lose much of the advantage provided by his knowledge of Tales of Golden Era, but the System had already become more valuable than that knowledge, and even the thought of seeing the Central Continent made him excited.

Before he could reach it, however, they still needed to leave this one alive.

Alastair Orlen was the greatest uncertainty.

Rowena possessed the Veil of Broken Echoes, and the Meridian Court intended to collect them from a concealed location, but none of that guaranteed that an existence above Paragon would fail to notice their preparations.

If Alastair had arranged something involving Vharaketh’s prepared body and Vharaketh’s enemy, which were respectively himself and Alice, then Alastair might not allow them to sail beyond the Divine Sea.

Rowena and Orwin were both Paragons, yet Alaric doubted that either could protect him from someone whose true strength remained unknown.

There is no point frightening myself over something I can’t control tonight.

Rowena was already keeping the route and departure time restricted to as few people as possible.

Until the Meridian Court’s vessel arrived, Alaric could only gather everyone he intended to bring and become as strong as he could.

With that conclusion, his thoughts finally slowed enough for him to fall asleep.

The following morning, Alaric finished breakfast before sending servants to call Sophia and one of the Knights who had recently returned with Rowena.

He received news at almost the same time that Orwin had arrived at the mansion, having finished the matters which demanded his personal presence at the Magic Tower.

When Orwin heard about the assessment, he naturally accompanied Alaric to the training hall.

Sophia’s opponent was Garrick, a veteran Knight who had spent years fighting along the southwestern border.

He carried a blunted sword and a practice shield, while his reinforced armour contained a formation that would turn red if it received a decisive strike.

He had also learned two Body Techniques through Rowena, one which strengthened his defence and another which allowed him to maintain speed while advancing behind his shield.

As soon as Alaric gave the signal, Sophia raised one hand.

Spell Model — Radiant Lance

A spear of condensed light shot toward Garrick’s chest, but the Knight had already started moving.

Mana spread through his shoulders and forearms as he angled his shield, allowing the lance to glance away instead of receiving its full force.

He didn’t stop. His second Body Technique sent him across the space between them while Sophia formed another model.

Spell Model — Halo Guard

A circular barrier of light appeared in front of her just before Garrick’s practice sword struck it.

The barrier held, although cracks spread across its surface immediately. Garrick shifted to the side instead of wasting time striking the same place twice, forcing Sophia to turn while he stayed close enough to threaten her.

Sophia gave ground as she released two smaller bolts of light.

Garrick caught one upon his shield and avoided the second without interrupting his advance.

He wasn’t simply charging and hoping his body could endure her spells.

Every movement denied Sophia time and space, and within several exchanges, the tip of his sword had nearly reached her shoulder twice.

Sophia stopped trying to overpower his defence. While retreating around the edge of the hall, she placed her next Spell Model away from her own body.

Spell Model — Dawn Sphere

A sphere of white gold light formed beside Garrick’s left shoulder and suddenly released a brilliant glow.

He narrowed his eyes and raised his shield immediately, expecting Sophia to attack through the illumination.

Spell Model — Piercing Ray

The second spell was released from Garrick’s lower right.

The Dawn Sphere concealed the precise moment of its formation, forcing him to defend before he had properly identified its angle.

He turned his shield down at the last instant, causing the ray to scrape across its edge before passing beside his waist.

Garrick adjusted immediately. He stopped watching the brightest source of light and focused upon Sophia’s shoulders, hands and the movement of mana around her.

When another Dawn Sphere appeared above his right side, he protected the angle opposite it while keeping enough room to alter his guard.

Sophia noticed the change and, instead of releasing her second attack at the moment the sphere illuminated, allowed him to commit his shield toward the expected angle before waiting half a breath.

Garrick realized that nothing had arrived and began bringing his guard back toward the centre, which was when Sophia released the spell she had already completed.

Spell Model — Piercing Ray

The narrow beam passed through the opening beside Garrick’s shield and struck him beneath the ribs. The formation across his armour flared bright red, dispersing the spell before it could injure him.

Garrick immediately stopped and lowered his weapon. “I concede.”

Orwin’s satisfaction was obvious, although he still pointed out what she could have done better. “You spent too much mana defending during the opening exchanges, but changing the timing after he adapted was the correct decision.”

Sophia accepted the criticism without losing the pleased smile on her face. Meanwhile, the notification Alaric had been waiting for appeared before him.

[Quest: Defeat a Knight in single combat without outside assistance — Sophia Vale.]

[Completed]

[Grade A – 30 coins]

[Issuing Rewards.]

[Mana Channel Reinforcement Elixir has been placed in System storage.]

Rewards from the first quest given to a newly connected Genius always seemed to receive an increase in quality, so Alaric had no intention of waiting long. He was too excited for this reward.

“Since we’re already inside the training hall, I want to test something as well,” he said.

He reached inside his coat and quietly withdrew the vial from System storage.

Sophia noticed the pale liquid inside and looked at him with concern. “What is that?”

“This is just a healing potion,” Alaric explained. “I accumulated a few old injuries while practising in the past, and it should finish healing them now that I’ve become a Knight.”

Orwin glanced at the vial but didn’t question him.

Alaric removed the stopper and drank the entire elixir.

Warmth entered the mana channels throughout his body, then became painful as every channel tightened, expanded and grew denser while minor defects left during their construction were repaired.

The process ended within a few minutes.

The long term benefits would help him temper his bones faster and leave more room for additional Body Techniques, but the improvement he could use immediately was even more obvious.

His channels could now carry far more mana at once, which meant body techniques like Mountain Grip would see a surge in their effectiveness.

Alaric walked toward a mana treated testing block meant to endure the strength of ordinary Knights.

He placed his right hand around its raised edge and tried to activate Mountain Grip.

Alaric’s eyes lit up as he sensed the mana circulating through the mana channel in the route specific for Mountain Grip.

Good stuff!

Thank you for reading!