The Elusive Sorcerer

Chapter 239

Historic downtown Layana, the town square roundabout where spotlights illuminated the entire stage.

The atmosphere there was very quiet for several minutes as the rhythm of the music played and the dancers moved gracefully like jewels. Hundreds of meters away, a group of people appeared to be quietly enjoying and respecting the ongoing event.

It was not only those four people, but everyone present there. Even so, several people whispered to those closest to them, including the four of them.

"By the way, what's the name of this food?" Zavi muttered as he chewed on something resembling a bolt.

Aaron stared at Zavi's reddened lips for two seconds before saying, "The people here call it Wesic."

"Wesic?" Zavi looked at Aaron with an innocent expression while his hands busily reached for the spicy snack.

There were many other foods associated with the cultural festival being sold by several people around the streets of the square. More than that, some vendors were making a profit tonight, but it was understandable because the food they sold was delicious and its flavors were not monotonous.

Just like Wesic. It was made from a mixture of corn and wheat flour, with various vegetables, seasonings, salt, and pepper added for a natural spiciness, although the one Zavi was eating at the moment was covered in chili sauce and crushed chilies.

He was the only one eating, and Zavi had offered them a taste of the Wesic. They flatly refused, admitting that they were uncomfortable eating in a crowded place like this and would rather try it another time.

Zavi acted indifferently because his purpose in coming here was to see how this cultural festival was organized. Realizing they had missed one event, they were now all trying to watch the dance until it ended.

"Isn't that man from Vinohoshi?" Aaron observed the dance movements, trying to confirm it by asking Felina.

"Yes, of course." Felina hesitated before continuing. "...Actually, this is indeed related to Vinohoshi, especially since this city lies on the border between two provinces."

"So that's actually why you wanted to come here," Aaron said bluntly.

"That's not the only reason. I want to see something afterward." Felina showed an expression mixed with sadness and happiness.

After the music subsided following approximately 25 minutes of playing without interruption, the voice of someone firm and clear echoed around the square's stage.

The atmosphere, which had previously been silent, came alive again. Several people restrained themselves as much as they could and expressed their curiosity by asking those around them.

"Excuse me, may I ask something? Why does everyone remain silent when the male dancers perform on stage?" asked a curious man; coincidentally, he was not from this city or this kingdom.

The man beside him showed a serious expression, then said quietly, "Well, young sir. Actually, this has something to do with the middle era of the star calendar."

The sentence was not even finished when the man wearing a top hat glanced around, then looked at the confused man's face and asked, "If I may ask, are you not from one of the four provinces of Norn?"

The man raised both hands, the corners of his lips lifting slightly as he replied hesitantly, "Ah, you could say I want to marry someone from here."

There was a reason why the man had said something that should have been private.

The man adjusted his hat, tucked the cane beneath his arm, and said in a restrained voice, "If you're curious, I can tell you. It has to do with the silencing from that era. I cannot explain the details because it is too dangerous. There are people who are constantly watching our every move, sir."

Hearing the man's serious expression, the man hurriedly swallowed, then glanced around as though something was wrong. He realized that many events from that era still clung strongly to an age of peace like this. Moreover, the culture inherited from that era was still preserved and would always exist until knowledge itself vanished from this world.

Not far from there, someone else was also questioning the real reason why everyone remained silent, even though the man asking the question was from GreyHeaven Province.

Because the man did not understand his explanation, the man wearing a fedora was forced to explain by using the danger of a baby as an analogy to make it easier to understand.

"In short, the dance is considered a symbol of the ‘freedom’ of the people of old whose lives were already difficult because they were oppressed by cruel and merciless rulers."

The straight black haired man nodded, then two seconds later, he said clearly, "You mean Vince Vaughn?"

"It is related, although history glorifies his name so greatly. Regardless of that, ‘his’ physical features were very strange compared to the people of the past, as though ‘he’ did not originate from this world."

"Not from this world?" The black haired man nearly stared in disbelief as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

"I don't know because of the lack of evidence. What I do know is, you understand where this conversation is heading, don't you?" The man wearing the fedora was reluctant to continue, realizing that everyone, whether foolish or intelligent, surely knew where the conversation was heading, especially since history had clearly recorded that information.

Several meters from where the two men stood, a group of people were discussing something unique and strange enough to attract the attention of those who heard them. Their conversation was unusual because among them was a ‘comedian’ at a bar who always acted foolishly whenever he spoke.

"Yeah, they say that tall man had six wives."

One man burst into laughter before responding, "That must have been troublesome, right?"

"It's obvious that someone like that was incompetent, but he could die because of his own actions."

A man who had been listening to their murmurs from the beginning joined them because curiosity drove him to approach.

"What are you talking about?" the man asked while lifting the front of his hat with the tip of his cane.

Several of them turned, staring coldly at the man for several seconds, before the awkward atmosphere made the air feel heavier than before.

One of them stepped forward, his expression cold as he said in his voice, "Revolution. Some self important man is trying to start a revolution by spreading bad opinions among the poor."

The man lowered his cane; for a moment, he was confused about what to say because it was related to GreyHeaven and the border of the Kingdom of Hovewer, which grew hotter with every passing day.

Although far from the location of the incident, the news spread widely within a few hours because there was a reporter obsessed with "information" who recklessly came to the scene of the incident, regardless of putting his life at stake.

With their reckless actions, that group, or more precisely, those who had read the newspaper on Tuesday morning, would surely learn about the information.

As the ruler of GreyHeaven, whose territory was being disturbed by a foolish illegal businessman who wanted to control the province's natural resources in the form of gas and coal, Duke Igrave Diminan Avvalen deployed his troops to monitor the border and gave them authority to act if the situation escalated.

That could disrupt the balance between the two kingdoms, and the events of two years ago must not happen again today. During those chaotic times, everything was extremely difficult; even simply surviving each day meant people still had to think about the next. It was truly unimaginable how those who were here had made it through those difficult times, and strangely enough, they never complained about it.

"Don't beat around the bush, you guys... You want to overthrow Duke Igrave so you can take control of his coal and natural gas, don't you?"

Seeing their hesitant response, the man added;

"You guys, though, if there's money in it, I'd want some too."

The atmosphere, which had been tense, strangely came alive again when the man openly revealed that he shared the same intention, namely to illegally take the coal and natural gas there and sell them on the black market.

They continued the conversation without fear that the authorities might hear them, because they had someone assigned to divert attention and their location was relatively secluded since it was situated at the northernmost part of the main stage.

...

At Zavi's location, on the street beneath the square, several people who had previously been lined up neatly disappeared in an instant when the host stepped onto the stage with someone.

They had not gone home. Instead, the stage was transitioning from the "performance" of the Reins dance to a ceremonial offering to the ancestors. It could be said that there were several costumes made with layers of straw on the outside, creating an impression of death and suffering, as well as other costumes resembling dolls in red dresses with wrist bindings, and most notably, a mythological creature with a bull shaped head while from the neck down it was a combination of an eagle and an owl combined with a snake's tail.

All of it was performed by humans. Several curious visitors watched as several staff members brought everything onto the stage. The area that had previously been crowded with visitors from both inside and outside the city became deserted as they moved away to enjoy food along the surrounding streets.

"What is that strange thing you wanted to see?" Aaron asked in a somewhat indifferent tone, feeling that there was nothing worth discussing and bored because the two of them had left him alone with Felina.

After several seconds of silence, instead of answering, Felina smiled in relief. Her usually flat and cold face, which disliked pointless conversation, especially when discussing ridiculous things, became like that of a person who had opened her heart after coming to see this cultural festival.

"I don't know what to say, but when I was little, I was afraid when that performance was about to begin," Felina said with a sullen expression, the memory briefly crossing her mind.

Aaron did not react at all, choosing to listen to Felina's pent up feelings that she had kept buried all this time. Even Zuhen himself, the person Felina knew best, had never known any of this.

This was the first time Felina was willing to speak, or rather, to speak honestly to someone else.

"It feels strange. Something I used to fear is now something I've been looking forward to since the previous afternoon."

Coincidentally, she had learned about this cultural festival through the cultural parade in the street near her rented home, thanks to Zavi's story. At first, she did not believe that this festival was held in this city in April. However, after seeing the pamphlets being distributed, Felina believed the information.

Everyone knew, including Felina, that cultural festivals in cities and villages were held in different ways. Some were held in April, May, June, July, August, September, and most often in December.

It was not only this cultural festival. There were many other traditions, such as performances featuring the most beautiful and strongest animals hunting designated prey or targets. Usually, the animals used were ferrets, snakes, or doves. After that, there was sometimes a feast, followed by a closing ceremony that varied from region to region.

All of it came back to Felina within seconds because from childhood through adolescence, she had lived in a village in North Adcen Regency. An area filled with dense forests, vast hills, active mountains, and historic rivers that flowed into the Caspian Sea.

Felina told all of this to someone willing to listen to her, none other than Aaron. Remembering that life, Aaron showed no reaction at all because he could not imagine Felina's happy memories.

"I see. Now I understand why you're like a ‘person’ who seems possessed by the spirit of a wanderer," Aaron said, his tone sounding apathetic.

That last sentence brought Aaron's thoughts to Celvira, who was currently with Zavi.

"Maybe your words are wrong," Felina said firmly while looking at him. "I'm not that kind of person because I don't really want to get close to other people."

Aaron shrugged, his eyes widening for a moment.

"Is there a clear reason?" he asked, simply to make sure.

"If you're asking about the reason, there isn't one," Felina replied, her tone filled with hesitation.

"Then that's good. Just keep it that way. I have no right to interfere in other people's affairs either," Aaron said bluntly.

"Ah, just keep it that way, then." Felina briefly imagined that Aaron would give her some advice on how to deal with the problem.

....

On the same day, at a time not much different from the real world, in an illusionary world where the surroundings resembled the lively atmosphere of a cultural festival held in the town square.

Elvira almost furrowed her brow when she saw the two men standing completely motionless, not even their chests moving as though they were already dead.

Actually, no, they were fighting by unleashing all their strength in an illusionary battle.

With a snap of her fingers, Maeressa launched a dense aerial attack capable of cutting through anything it struck.

Finn Ashison was highly skilled at playing the role of a "magician" because it was his everyday job as a member of a circus.

Their battle took place incredibly fast, almost exceeding the speed of light, and was not even bound by time while inside that illusionary world.

Dozens of poker cards floated through the air; they used the cards to incapacitate their opponent, then planned to end the battle with the power of glowing red light spheres.

The attempt never came to fruition when the poker cards collided with one another, creating intense friction and a powerful shockwave accompanied by a stinging effect that sent both of them farther apart.

The long range battle grew more intense as the glowing red spheres of light collided with one another, creating massive explosions that shook the illusionary world.

It did not stop there. Feeling that close combat was utterly pointless and consumed too much time, Finn Ashison decided to fight at close range, relying on his third level ability.

The speed of his movements left Maeressa barely able to react as the light spheres burned her back, damaging her internal organs from the heat of the light.

It did not stop there. The "Wanderer" reacted as the perfect illusion imposed upon both sides came undone. They returned to the real world, the location where they stood no different from before they had been drawn into the illusionary world.

"Is this over?" Maeressa slowly turned toward Elvira, who stood beside her.

Time seemed to slow as she failed to look at Elvira's face. Then from behind, a small push shifted Maeressa's body several inches.

It was the small sword of the "Magician" that pierced her chest.

In confusion, unable to distinguish whether all of this was an illusion or reality, the only way to answer that question was to touch the sword.

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