Chapter 72: Found another person

The flow was far less controlled than Alaric had intended.

Too much mana entered two channels in his forearm, forcing him to correct the imbalance after the technique had already activated.

His fingers tightened unevenly, yet a sharp crack still travelled through the testing block.

Sophia’s eyebrows rose. That had clearly been a clumsy activation, but the stone had fractured anyway.

Alaric released the block and tried again, deliberately pushing as much mana as he could safely circulate into Mountain Grip.

His reinforced channels accepted the pressure without any issues, and the Body Technique continued strengthening his forearm.

As his hand closed, a dull boom spread through the training hall and the edge of the testing block broke apart inside his grip.

Cracks raced through the remaining stone and reached the metal fixture anchoring it to the floor.

Garrick, the Knight who had just fought with Sophia, stared at the ruined block in shock.

The strength Alaric had just displayed belonged to someone who had spent years developing within the Knight realm, not someone who had broken through several days ago.

Alaric attempted to reduce the mana flow without deactivating Mountain Grip, but his output dropped too sharply.

When he increased it again, the technique surged instead of rising smoothly. His control remained that of a new Knight who hadn’t yet become accustomed to directing mana through completed channels.

Orwin, who had been watching with narrowed eyes, noticed something as he spoke.

“The amount of mana your channels can endure is frightening for someone who only became a Knight several days ago.”

Alaric hadn’t broken the block through exquisite control. He had wasted part of the mana during both attempts, yet the amount that still reached Mountain Grip had produced ridiculous force.

Alaric didn’t reply to the old man but continued training for some time, both to actually train and bring confidence in the Paragon Mage that he had made the right bet by going with them.

And indeed, it seemed to have worked.

Once the testing ended, Orwin left with Sophia to discuss several mistakes from her match, while Garrick returned to his duties.

Alaric was on his way to check Evan’s progress with the blade and make sure Zephyr hadn’t returned to practising half heartedly when an agent from House Orlen’s information department approached him.

“Young Lord, we have confirmed the identity of Mira and Velan’s mother.” Alaric stopped walking and immediately asked, “Where is she?”

The woman had returned from the city to find her village ruined, then spent weeks questioning survivors and filing inquiries in nearby towns.

House Orlen’s agents connected those reports to the information Mira had provided, traced the woman and verified her identity through private details, including the mark beneath Velan’s left ear and the circumstances of her departure on the day of the attack.

“She has already been brought to the mansion,” the agent continued. “She is waiting inside the western reception room.”

Alaric immediately ordered servants to bring Mira and Velan.

Their mother rose from her chair when the door opened. She looked thinner than Mira remembered, with exhaustion visible across her face, but neither child needed more than a moment to recognize her.

Mira stopped so suddenly that Velan nearly walked into her. Their mother whispered Mira’s name, then saw Velan standing behind her and covered her mouth with both hands.

The children reached her at almost the same time. She dropped to her knees and pulled both against her, touching their hair and faces repeatedly as if she needed to confirm that neither would disappear when she looked away.

“You’re alive. Both of you are alive.” Her voice broke each time she repeated the words. “I came back and found your father’s dead body, but the two of you were gone. Nobody knew where they had taken you.”

Mira tried to explain that they had been captured and separated, while Velan spoke over her to say that his master had rescued him.

Their mother kept interrupting to ask whether they were injured, where they had been kept and how they had somehow found each other inside House Orlen’s mansion.

“We’re safe now,” Mira assured her for what must have been the fifth time. “Young Lord Alaric gave me a place here and sent people to search for both of you. Zephyr found Velan, and his master brought him back.”

Mira struggled to explain the destruction of the slave market, while Velan described Celdric rescuing him and teaching him a breathing technique.

Their mother became particularly alarmed when she learned that her seven year old son had been travelling with a Paragon, so Velan hurried to insist that Celdric had never harmed him.

Alaric allowed the family all the time they needed.

Only after their questions slowed and their mother finally seemed convinced that both children were genuinely safe did he explain that House Orlen would soon leave for the Central Continent.

He didn’t hide that the voyage carried danger or that their new life would be far from everything familiar.

Their mother listened quietly before looking at Mira and Velan, who were still pressed against either side of her.

“Our home is gone, my husband is dead and I spent every day since then searching for my children,” she said. “If they are leaving, then I will leave with them. Remaining on this continent means nothing compared to keeping my family together.”

Alaric accepted her decision and instructed the servants to prepare a room near Mira and Velan’s.

One more matter had been resolved before their departure.

As Alaric left the reunited family together, his thoughts returned to the two unfinished quests still waiting in the System. Return Step and Minor Mastery in Mana Control would both become immediately useful, especially after seeing how much power his reinforced mana channels could now carry.

I need to speed up the quest completion of Evan and Zephyr.

As he walked through the corridors of the mansion, Alaric abruptly got an idea to do something he had been thinking about for a while.

Not to mention this would also possibly make Evan and Zephyr complete their quests faster.

Let’s go do it!

Thank you for reading!