Arcane Innovator

When I finished showing Hans the ropes of his new job, it was already quite late in the night. Thus, I led the siblings to the servant's building in the courtyard, their new home from now on, and assigned them their very own private room to keep them separate from my other servants.

As soon as both of them lay their exhausted bodies in their new beds, they immediately dropped off as all the fatigue from their misadventures so far seemed to finally catch up.

I couldn't help but smile as I looked at the peaceful expressions on their faces as they slept while tightly clutching to one another. I then silently retreated from the room and closed the doors behind me so that they could rest undisturbed since there was much they needed to do in the coming days.

I took a deep breath, looking at the large silhouette of the moon hanging in the sky above. For some reason, it looked exactly the same as the moon I remembered from Earth, and it made me reminisce about this new, strange world that is so similar to my old one yet, at the same time, so vastly different.

Throwing one last look at the beautiful sky, I lowered my head and narrowed my eyes as I employed my magic sense, making sure I was truly alone before I embarked on another journey today.

But this one promised to be much more perilous as I was about to break into the Fortress, the most secure complex in the whole of Ereneth.

I looked in its direction and could see its mighty walls overlooking the entire city, even from all the way here. I sighed before lowering the hood over my face and disappearing into the dark, quiet alleys of the city.

I traversed the Western Quarter without any incidents, keeping to the shadows the entire time, and before long, I stood in front of the hill on which the Fortress stood.

Sneaking around the wall's perimeter, I came across a particular section arching under a sharp angle that created a blind spot hidden from the nearby guard tower and the watchful patrols on top of the walls.

I waited patiently until shortly before midnight; I finally heard the sound I was waiting for - the horn signaling the changing of the guards.

I knew that right then, there was a short window of opportunity when the guards' attention would be diverted, and there would be a slight gap in the patrols, allowing me to scale the walls without anyone noticing.

Not that I was studying how to break into the Fortress in particular, but it was kind of similar to how the guards on the main city's walls operated. I liked to be ready just in case I needed to leave Ereneth in a hurry. Which, given the nature of my recent business ventures, was a real possibility I had to account for.

Making sure once again, with the help of magic sense that no guards were in the vicinity, I immediately focused on the air around me, concentrating it around my feet and then pushing it hard against the ground, generating enough force to shoot me upward.

I could feel the air swishing around me, and in that fleeting moment, I truly felt like a bird unburdened by gravity. It was an exhilarating feeling, for sure. It was similar to being on a roller coaster, but I had no time to enjoy the ride as the top of the wall was approaching dangerously fast.

I had to focus intently, quickly generating a cushion of air to slow me down, and just as I was right next to the battlements, I came to a stop. I grabbed the edge of the wall, pulling myself over the top and onto the narrow walkway behind them.

Taking a short moment to catch my breath, I quickly sprang up on my feet as I didn't have much time before the guards came back, so while trying my best to not look down, I jumped over the edge on the inner side of the wall and experienced a short freefall.

Shortly before I would have smashed myself on the hard stone surface, I again generated a cushion of air, slowing me down until I gently touched my feet upon the cobblestones below.

I sighed as I was glad to be on firm ground again. This was the closest I could get to an actual flight as I still couldn't find a way to levitate my body or generate enough lift to stay in the air for long.

Not that I was too keen to be able to; I didn't like heights very much, so I much prefer to stay on the ground if possible.

Steadying my rugged breath, I immediately started moving again, trying to escape from the open space and move deeper into the dark corridors where I would be safe from the guards' prying eyes.

But before I made the first few steps, I came to a sudden halt as I noticed several guards approaching my position.

A chill ran down my spine as I realized they were coming from both sides of the walkway, thus trapping me in between them, giving me no room to avoid them.

'Oh, crap.' I instantly became alert as my brain worked in overdrive, trying to find a way out of this tricky situation. I could already hear them in the distance, quickly coming closer.

Thus, with no more time and no other option, I hurriedly propelled myself onto the roof of a nearby guardhouse, tightly pressing my body against the cold stone surface while holding my breath, hoping they would simply pass me up and not notice me.

I listened to their steps and armor clinging as they walked under me, the light from their torches casting long shadows across the sturdy walls.

Every second felt like an eternity. 'Don't look up... Don't look up...' I silently prayed while I didn't dare to move a muscle.

A few harrowing moments later, they were gone just as fast as they came. I stayed hidden for a while longer until I was absolutely sure I was genuinely alone before jumping down from the roof and continuing on my way.

'That was really close.' I exhaled with visible relief. I then silently sneaked around the Fortress's countless courtyards and corridors. Luckily, I didn't come across any more guards, so before long, I arrived at a secluded alcove close to Sir Roderick's chambers.

There, I could already see a small figure crouching against the wall, which I identified as Jenny, thanks to the abundance of essence she radiated from her core.

I nodded at her and whispered. "Quite an unusual place for a meetup, don't you think?"

She showed me a weary smile. "Oh, Darian, I'm so glad to see you! They won't allow me to leave the Fortress or meet anybody Sir Roderick doesn't approve of, so this was the only way we could meet..."

She looked down with a sad expression on her face before adding. "I asked Old Wilma to give you my letter, hoping you could make it here. If anyone could, it would be you..."

I raised an eyebrow, surprised by her abundant confidence in my abilities. "And you trust her?" I asked with a slight suspicion in my voice.

Jenny confidently nodded. "She is one of the cooks here and came from the same village as me. Old Wilma took pity on me, helping me wherever she could, but there isn't much she can do..."

I once again raised an eyebrow as simply originating from the same place doesn't instill much confidence to trust someone with your life. Still, since it's not really my problem, I decided to let it be and instead asked her the most crucial question: "So why did you want to meet?"

She looked at me, seemingly hesitant, not saying anything for a while, before finally answering in a small voice,

"I know it's a lot to ask. But you're the only one I can ask this... and I would be forever grateful to you. Could you go look into my village and ensure my family is safe? They said they would take care of them, but they won't allow me to meet with them, and simply knowing my parents are fine would mean a lot to me."

I just stood there under the moon's soft glow, looking at her, silently considering her request. I knew she came from one of the northern villages close to the mountains in the same area I traversed last year in my quest for Frost Blossom, so I knew the area pretty well; thus, going there would not pose much of a problem.

Still, the better question would be, should I? That depends... Doing this would make Jenny indebted to me, which might prove useful, but on the other hand, too much meddling in her affairs might attract the attention of Sir Roderick.

Even simply meeting her right now is immensely risky, not to mention traveling to her former village and asking around about her family... 'Hmm, I guess this is the no risk, no reward type of situation...' I quietly wondered.

In the end, I simply smiled at her and said, "I will do it. But I want something in return..."