Re: Love & Magic

“You know about 5th to 1st class, but after 1st class magicians, the path of magic elevates to a new height,” Karina said as she waved her hand and used her mana to write some words in the air.

[Novice Mage]

[Adepta Mage]

[Master Mage]

“Novice mage comes after 1st class rank, then comes Adepta mage, and then Master Mage. I know about these three for a reason, but I don’t know what comes after that,” Karina said with a smile as she erased the words. “Headmaster Noril is a Master Mage. He is the most powerful on the Gaia continent.”

“Master Mage…that sounds powerful,” Dan was fascinated, but then he became doubtful. “But if he is that powerful, then couldn’t he find the Blood Sun Organization easily?”

“We tried to find it everywhere,” Karina wryly smiled while shaking her head. “When Headmaster Noril came here to become the Headmaster five years ago, he didn’t like all these dark organizations. Two years ago, we wiped all of them by joining hands with other countries, but the Blood Sun Organization escaped.”

“You said it was in some forbidden zone. Is that why you couldn’t find it?” Vernisia asked.

“Yes,” Karina nodded. “We checked all places except the forbidden zones. It is practically impossible for 1st class magicians and lowers to survive there, so it’s a shock to us how they made their base there. The environment kills everyone below Adepta mage. Even signals shouldn’t pass through such zones, but it seems that they have found a way to do that too.”

The more Karina spoke, the more she frowned. “It’s like they got support…”

“From Astral Land?” Erica muttered a guess.

Karina stood up abruptly with a shocked expression. “It’s possible! All forbidden zones are near the boundary, and if somehow they or someone from Astral Land made a path to that forbidden zone and helped the Blood Sun Organization?”

“Astral Land is much more chaotic. The only law there is power and backing. Each city, Kingdom, Empire, Clan, and whatever you see has its own rules and laws,” Karina sighed as she sat back down. “That’s why when you go there, you must ally with some power there or stay low and hidden without attracting trouble.”

Vernisia, Erica, and Dan were startled.

“So the disaster that happened in Starlight city is common there?” Dan asked as he scratched his head.

“Of course not,” Karina shook her head with a rueful smile. “If that were common, Astral Land would’ve been destroyed. The balance is always there. Order is also present in the chaotic Astral Land. If either order or chaos suppressed one another, the world would end. I won’t be able to explain Astral Land to you. So, you can see it for yourself when you reach that point.”

“I wonder what is going on in Starlight city,” Vernisia muttered in a worried tone.

“No need to worry. The Headmaster will fix everything, as he should be already there with his teleportation magic. It’s hard to use in Astral Land, but the Gaia continent’s space-time is weaker, so he can teleport far easily,” Karina said with a grin. “Master should’ve swept them by now.”

…

Inside the warehouse, Zevien floated in the air all bloodied, with two black crystals stabbed in his shoulders and two in his ankles. The pain he was feeling right now was making him mad, and he even wanted to faint, but he stubbornly looked at Black Hawk and grinned. “Is that all?”

“You’re insane… You know I am going to kill you, right?” Black Hawk asked speechlessly. “Why don’t you just contact your buddies in the government and tell them to drop the X-Door crystal in the coordinates that I send you?”

“Let those four go, and I will contact them,” Zevien replied before spitting blood from his mouth. ‘Damn, hurry up and save us! What are they doing outside?’

“Stubborn asshole!” Black Hawk gritted his teeth in anger. It was the first time he had seen someone this stubborn and managing to stay awake despite his torture. He was planning to heal after torturing him, but seeing Zevien awake and showing that stubbornness, he was getting frustrated and wanted to torture Zevien more.

…

“Ravana, you are sure about it, right?” Raven asked as she, Blondina, and Touma were at the back of the warehouse, standing at a stall selling raw ore materials. “I don’t want to risk getting them killed by the kidnapper after seeing us. So my plan is also not bad.”

“Don’t worry, I will handle it,” Ravana said confidently. “The one inside is just a 1st class magician. I can prevent him from killing others.”

“Alright, do it.”

Ravana, the black crow, used its power to create a shadow passage into the warehouse without breaking the curse-type magic spell and entered inside.

However, Black Hawk noticed abnormalities of something passing through his spell since he’s still connected to his magic spell. Startled, he quickly turned around, waving his hand, and used a tier-5 spell; Black Crystal Barrier.

The barrier materialized with him as the center and covered Zevien, Amon, and the others. “Touch my barrier, and I will kill all of them!”

*Caw!!*

Ravana broke the barrier before its eyes released two shadow chains that bound Black Hawk in a second before he could do anything.

“Y-you…you, Adepta stage magic beast? H-how?” Black Hawk was shocked at the power of the giant crow he was seeing. That power surpassed a 1st class magician. He was confident of getting away even from multiple 1st class magicians, but the shadow chains that bound him told him that his fate was set in stone.

Raven, Blondina, and Touma were shocked to see Zevien’s condition and rushed toward him.

“Finally, you ar-,” Zevien’s eyes showed relief, but he couldn’t even finish his sentence before fainting.

“He could stay awake until now purely because of his will,” Blondina said as she checked Zevien’s condition. “Raven, remove these crystals.”

Raven quickly removed those crystals as Blondina used her healing-type magic spells on Zevien while Touma poured a magic potion into Zevien’s mouth.

“He is one tough and stubborn rascal,” Touma said with a smile, but his eyes showed worry. He took out a bed from his storage ring before Raven placed Zevien on the bed.