Chapter 245: The Second Visit

"This way, even if the Abyss wants to invade, it will have to 'look elsewhere,'" a golden Dragon Descendant said, standing beside Ron and Silvia. After the two had completed the seal, he had reinforced it once more with the Dragon Race's Magic.

Mazarino, the Arcane Consultant who had been missing for several days, also appeared here. He added another layer of protection outside the seal everyone had created.

"Lord Ron, I offer you my sincerest apologies once again," the Elder Mage said guiltily, repeating words he had spoken countless times over the past few days. "If I had known how dangerous it was here, I would never have gone with him to the other sealing location."

Indeed, Mazarino's disappearance a few days prior was because the golden dragon had invited him to destroy another seal to retrieve a part of Queen Farama's torso. They had thought this would be the most difficult part, but it turned out Ron's location was the truly perilous one.

If the two parties had swapped targets, Ron probably wouldn't have needed to meet Ernest.

"The golden dragon is just a collaborator. He doesn't need to report his actions to us," Silvia said, looking at the Elder Mage with a slightly reproachful gaze. "But since you are our benefactor's consultant, you should have reported to him before taking action, so we could have been prepared."

"If not for the intervention of that great being this time, things could very well have reached an irreversible point!"

"Yes, I will learn my lesson from this." Facing the reprimand from a Vampire Descendant who could have been his great-granddaughter, Mazarino couldn't argue. He could only give a wry smile and humbly accept the criticism.

However, he was also curious about what Ron had gained from his "Death Realm One-Minute Tour." "Lord, I hear you can now use a weapon to assist with your Casting?"

"Only cantrips. I can't reproduce that composite Arcane Magic of Dissociation Magic and Death by Decree from before," Ron said, taking the Walking Stick Silvia handed him. As he gave it a casual wave, crackling arcs of electricity began to appear on it. "But the interesting thing is, even though I can't cast it, the Weaving Introduction has recorded the complete Magic. The day I can fully analyze its model, I'll be able to use those powerful Magic Techniques as well."

As he spoke, Ron showed his Spellbook to Mazarino. Sure enough, recorded on its pages were two complex Arcane Magic spells that were incredibly obscure even to a Traveling Mage, and they were written in the Common Language.

"This can be considered part of a gift from a Deity," the golden dragon said, glancing at it once before looking away. "The bestowal of knowledge is one of the most common types of Divine Gift. However, to have Arcane Magic transcribed directly into a Spellbook is rare."

"But don't worry. There's a reason Ernest is called the 'Final Lawgiver.' In the distant past, this Deity once held a portion of the divine portfolio related to Arcane Magic. Even after the rise of the Three Goddesses, that portion of power remained with Him."

"Therefore, the Arcane Magic He bestows is very reliable. You can trust Him completely."

"From what I know, the Magic Goddesses of this world govern 'Order,' 'Creation,' and 'the Knowable.' So what aspect of authority does this Final Lawgiver possess?" Ron asked, recalling that Victoria had mentioned something about this before.

The golden dragon hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. "Casting isn't always a successful act. In the distant past, failure was the norm. Ernest governs 'Failure' and 'Invalidity.'"

"It's said this extends from His primary divine portfolio. The failure of Casting is equivalent to the death of the Magic, and since He is the Death God, that falls under His domain."

The golden dragon spoke of these matters without much reservation. After all, while the one he served operated under the guise of 'Weak Divine Power,' that being held a lofty status in most worlds. A Deity whose influence was limited to a single plane couldn't compare.

"Don't worry, being watched by a deity isn't necessarily a bad thing," the Traveling Mage said, patting Ron's shoulder in a friendly manner. "Look at me. The years I've actually lived have long surpassed a mortal's natural lifespan. Even if my goddess isn't too pleased with me, I can still travel and traverse countless worlds."

"And now you're being watched by at least one Devil Duke and one Deity. With two powerful beings waiting on you, how could you call that a small blessing?"

"I wouldn't be so sure..." Ron muttered, pursing his lips. Still, there wasn't much he could do to change the situation right now. But he could start by changing himself, to better handle any dangers he might face in the future.

Ron looked at the Walking Stick in his hand. 'Maybe it's a good idea for a Caster to learn some close-combat skills?'

He wasn't short on people who could teach him.

"Left, right! Left, left!"

「One month later.」

Ron's figure became a common sight at the trading post's training grounds. As the leader here, his desire to train naturally afforded him exceptional treatment—specifically, a training intensity several times higher than anyone else's.

SNAP! Ron released the bowstring. The attached Ghost Bone Claw struck the bullseye with precision. A month of practice had proven that Ron indeed had some talent for archery. While he was still a far cry from the level of an old Hunter like Delaford, with the enhancement of Magic, he was already better than young men and women from Rose City like Constance and Carlos.

"Your ancestors were probably nomads or hunters or something," Aive said from the rest area, directing Ron to shoot at the moving targets on the field again. "Do you really not remember your past?"

"Does this so-called 'bloodline inheritance' really work?" After a round of shooting, Ron wiped the sweat from his face. Simultaneously handling a bow and casting Magic was two to three times as strenuous for him as doing either one alone, making it very difficult to maintain for long. "If you insist on tracing my family's origins, my ancestors stopped making a living like this one or two hundred years ago."

"Who can say for sure about things like that?" Aive smiled. She looked up at the clock in the training grounds, the one the youths had brought over from Rose City. "It's about time. Let's call it a day for today's training."

"A little while ago, your 'Administrative Consultant' had her secretary report that you have a foreign visitor. You'd best make some time to receive them during dinner—even though most of the territory's affairs are now delegated to her, some things can't be done by a proxy."

"A foreign visitor? From where?" Ron asked, puzzled as he lowered his bow. "And speaking of which, I don't recall approving our 'fallen monarch' to hire a secretary."

"She only has one arm and one leg now. It'd be too much to ask her to run around all over the place," the Half-Elf said with a mischievous grin. "As long as you don't plan on returning her to Duke Glaciesia in one piece, you'll just have to make do with this arrangement."

"As for the visitor, he's been here once before. The short one, with the old-fashioned air about him."