"No problem. Send someone to the academy to verify it. If there really is an issue, then Seluvis is simply courting death. Keep a close watch on them."
"And what about those two Karolos Sorcerers? Should we kill them when the time comes?"
"Check things first, but don't trust them completely. For now, it's best not to stir up trouble."
"Understood. I'll send people to keep an eye on them right away."
Dhurke raised an eyebrow slightly, a trace of disdain flickering in his eyes.
He did not care in the least about those so-called Karolos Sorcerers, nor had he ever believed they could cause any real waves.
It was only because several troublesome figures had recently arrived in Gatefront Town. Their presence made the situation extremely sensitive. A single misstep could set everything in motion.
"Has that lord entered the city yet?"
"No. They're still by the lakeshore. Are we really just leaving them alone?"
"Yes. The academy doesn't want to get involved with them. Matters of demigods can be left to them to settle themselves."
Dhurke let out a heavy sigh. In a small place like Liurnia, finding a stretch of peace was truly not easy.
...
Early in the morning, Nolan and Sellen changed into clean clothes and wandered through the streets.
Because of their special status, the guards of Gatefront Town placed few restrictions on them. Aside from being barred from military zones and forbidden to leave the town, they were allowed to roam freely.
For their safety, two battle-hardened Haima instructors were specially assigned to follow and protect them.
Yet these two battle sorcerers did not exchange a single word with Nolan. It was not that they were dull or poor with words.
It was simply that this apprentice mage's relative was disliked, and they had been dragged into it by association.
Nolan was quite happy with this. He even felt a faint sense of relief. There was nothing in particular he wanted to talk about with them anyway.
Judging by appearances, these two instructors were not of high status. Rather than wracking his brain trying to pry information from them, it was far more practical to walk around, look more, and get a clear sense of Gatefront Town for himself.
"I say, you're awfully relaxed," Sellen said. "Have you really not forgotten what we came here for?"
She had been watching him the whole time. If she did not already know Nolan had his own plans, she might have thought they were here on holiday.
Nolan's lips curved into a confident smile. He slipped an arm around Sellen's shoulder and said softly,
"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you'll never lose a hundred battles."
To outsiders, the two now looked exactly like a couple in love, whispering intimately to each other.
"Teacher, how would you rate your student's performance?"
"What, do I not praise you enough already in daily life?"
After spending so much time together, the teacher had grown far more casual.
She lifted a hand and lightly knocked him on the head. After thinking for a moment, she finally said,
"But really, you're quite bold. Daring to call me your wife. Did you truly think I wouldn't punish a student for that?"
"I was just worried those Cuckoos might try something with you," Nolan replied. "You know they're not good people."
Sellen turned to look at him, staring straight at his face. For a moment, she did not know how to answer.
Call him calm and steady, yet at times he was impulsive. Call him mature and composed, yet sometimes he was utterly childish.
"Hmph. When this foolish apprentice sleeps, he hasn't exactly been well-behaved with his master."
Those were accidents, all right? When two people sleep in the same bed, bumping into each other is inevitable. There was no way to control it.
Hearing this, Nolan's eyes widened at once, his face full of innocence as he protested,
"How is that my fault? I didn't do it on purpose. Then why don't you sleep alone from now on?"
"That would make it hard for me to sleep, which would affect my research efficiency. So… no."
Sellen rejected the suggestion without the slightest hesitation.
There you have it.
Nolan rolled his eyes helplessly, completely unable to make sense of this woman. Wasn't she the one who used to say that appearances were nothing but empty shells?
Master and apprentice fell into silence for a long while. Glancing back at the two Haima instructors chatting not far away, he drew his attention back to the plan.
"Time isn't on our side, and it's even tighter for Seluvis. I could already tell yesterday that those battle sorcerers were using this chance to put pressure on him."
Nolan stood where he was, tilting his head slightly as he looked toward the towering spire rising above the center of the town.
A high-level meeting was taking place there. With Seluvis involved, it was bound to turn into a shouting match. The battle sorcerers would not indulge him in the slightest.
If the academy's factions were to be broken down more precisely, the Lazuli Conspectus led by the royal family formed one side. The Twinsage Conspectus, Olivinus Conspectus, and Haima Conspectus, headed by Elkario, made up another.
That left the Karolos Conspectus. In the past, with Geralt as vice-preceptor and on good terms with Olivinus, it had barely counted as part of Elkario's faction.
After Geralt's death, Seluvis became increasingly unwelcome.
His unpleasant way of speaking was only part of it. More importantly, his wolfish ambitions were hard to read and impossible to control.
He had been sent out to defend the city, yet not a single Karolos Sorcerer followed him. All he had under his command were battle sorcerers, and they were hardly obedient.
Whether his authority had grown or diminished, he knew the answer better than anyone.
"You really plan to work with him? I thought you came to kill him."
"The cooperation is temporary. Once it's done, he'll die all the same. We're right here. You don't seriously think he'd let an opportunity like this slip by, do you?"
Nolan gave a scornful smile and walked straight toward the bustling street.
...
Deep within the dense woodland along the northern lakeshore outside Gatefront Town,
a figure over two meters tall sat on the ground. Several fully armed guards stood beside him, while a group of soldiers nearby looked utterly worn down and miserable.
Yet strangely enough, not a single patrolling Cuckoo could be seen anywhere in the area.
"When do we set out?"
Across the fire sat another towering figure clad in heavy armor.
"At nightfall," the knight replied, his voice cold to the extreme.
"In just a few days, we'll be out of Liurnia."
"Good. Once we reach Limgrave, follow me in crushing the rebels. You will be richly rewarded."
The man opposite him raised an eyebrow. He had no interest in rewards, or rather, he did not regard the person in front of him as worthy of such talk.
"Don't misunderstand. I'm only seeing you off at someone else's request, out of respect for the Golden Lineage. Your promises mean nothing to me."
The crimson-armored knight abruptly rose to his feet and lifted his visor, revealing a weathered face. He showed no courtesy at all as he picked up a lamb shank and took a bite.
The other man forcibly suppressed his anger, veins bulging on his forehead. The crown upon his head reflected the radiance of the Erdtree as he spread his thin hands wide and shouted,
"I am the 'Golden'! All things under heaven should kneel at my feet! You should be fighting alongside me."
"You?"
The knight shook his head in disdain, recalling someone he had once seen in Leyndell.
That which had once been a great blessing had now become a dreadful curse in the eyes of the world. The thought was almost laughable.
But he did not say any more, merely turning his gaze toward the distant north.