Chapter 4: Nightly Infiltration

Faced with his companion’s doubts, Karu remained silent for a long time. To be honest, everything about today’s meeting with the other party seemed normal—everything appeared quite ordinary. Their initial investigations in Ugru hadn’t yielded much useful information either. As for the clues provided by the Ramas Knights, they weren’t particularly significant. The Great Secret Sect surely wouldn’t give up on a region bordering the central and southern parts of the continent, especially one that was relatively independent and had a complex mix of races. Such fertile ground was ideal for spreading any faith, and the Great Secret Sect would be no exception. If they didn’t show up, that would be truly concerning.

What needed to be determined now was whether the dark forces, including the Great Secret Sect, had established a firm foothold in this area. The Ramas Knights’ guesses could only serve as a reference. To be truthful, both Karu and Boriz despised those Ramas Knights who appeared strong but lacked intelligence. Bound by various worldly rules, they were too rigid and conventional in both thinking and methods—far from capable of handling such a complex situation.

Although the Ramas Knights also suspected certain issues with the viscount and Damolensk Castle, they couldn’t produce any solid evidence; their speculations were baseless. Boriz’s suggestions were merely last resorts. If the other party truly had ulterior motives, they would surely try to conceal them, but not everything could be hidden just by wishing it so. Perhaps Damolensk Castle held what they were looking for.

The opponent was already confirmed to be a fire mage, having reached the level of a grand mage. Though the two of them weren’t afraid, openly attempting to infiltrate the castle could easily provoke public outrage, especially without any evidence. Thus, Karu had to think carefully before acting.

“Boriz, visiting Damolensk Castle isn’t out of the question, but we need to be thoroughly prepared. We both know the power of our opponent. Although we’re not afraid, since Damolensk Castle is known as a land cursed by the gods, it must hide many dangers. If this guy was able to conquer it, he must have his own methods and background. With the castle at his disposal, our infiltration mission will be far more perilous. And for spies like us, even if we encounter misfortune, there’s likely no way to complain.”

His companion’s caution once again made Boriz realize the gap between himself and the other party. He seemed to have overlooked the dangers of Fort Damansk, while this guy, though a lightning mage, was able to control the fort—where anyone except its first builder met a tragic end. The secrets behind this were unknown, but one thing was certain: the opponent would surely use the various dangers lurking in Fort Damansk against them. Perhaps they were already waiting for them to fall into the trap.

“So what do you mean, Karu…?” Boriz pondered for a moment. He understood that Karu wasn’t suggesting giving up but rather preparing thoroughly.

“We need to gather some supplies. First, to avoid revealing our identities as much as possible. Second, if anything strange happens, we must be fully prepared for emergencies. If necessary, we can combine forces to activate the Light Array,” Karu said seriously.

“The Light Array?” Boriz gasped. “Karu, aren’t you exaggerating? Could Fort Damansk really be that dangerous? I don’t think our opponent has such strength!”

“Precaution is key! I also don’t want the opponent to have such power. But from the strength of that guy, who possesses the power of a great mage, I realize the Caucasus is full of hidden talents—it’s far from simple. If there are one or two more strong individuals in Fort Damansk with similar power, coupled with the fort’s defenses, I think our journey will be extremely difficult.”

The Light Array was a special conjuration spell developed by the Light Church’s Tribunal to protect its judges. It required two or three people to use and combined their magical powers through special artifacts to unleash advanced spells that a single mage couldn’t cast on his own.

This type of array spell was different—it demanded even greater magical power. Instead of relying solely on the casters’ abilities, it utilized special artifacts to achieve advanced spells. These artifacts were similar to magical tools but also had significant differences: they required the caster to have considerable magical power to activate them, and their power was much greater than that of ordinary magic scrolls. After use, these artifacts would lose their magic. Since they were made from various magic crystals and infused with spells or elemental forces, they were extremely valuable. That’s why people from the Tribunal rarely used them casually.

“Since you describe this visit as so dangerous, my interest grows even more. I hope this covert mission won’t be as dull as those we’ve encountered in our line of work—I’m tired of such uneventful lives!” Karu’s caution only stirred up Boriz’s pride. Could a high-ranking judge from the Light Church’s Tribunal really suffer a setback in this barren land of the Caucasus? It seemed utterly absurd.

The dark fortress of Damorsk Fortress lay sprawled on the ground like a sleeping giant. Two figures glided silently through the woods near the fortress, almost soundlessly. The five-meter-high walls posed a significant challenge even for martial experts, but to those shadowy figures, they were easily surmountable. Floating magic and wind magic were both basic spells—one derived from air magic of the wind element, the other a true wind spell. Though both were low-level spells, combined they proved highly effective.

Like bats, they rose into the air silently and descended unnoticed onto the city walls. The half-orc soldiers patrolling the battlements kept their eyes wide, scanning the surroundings warily, but in the darkness, they couldn’t detect those fleeting shadows unless they were prepared in advance.

The magic square at the center of Damorsk Fortress caught the attention of the two shadows. Hiding in a corner, they observed carefully the angel statue at the square’s center. A strong chill emanated continuously from the base of the statue. Even from dozens of meters away, one could feel the bone-chilling cold spreading outward.

“Boriz, do you see it? There’s something strange about that square. It’s not the cold air from a magic array—it comes from the earth itself.” Karu’s expression grew even darker. There must be something unknown within Damorsk Fortress, but he hadn’t expected to discover such a massive magic square right upon entering. The spreading chill almost turned the entire center of the fortress into an ice cellar. No wonder he had noticed those half-orc sentinels wearing thick coats under their armor when crossing the walls. Now everything made sense—the angel square was clearly no ordinary magic square. Aside from the standing pillars that seemed to form the structure of a magic array, the continuous emanation of cold also proved this place was extraordinary. Perhaps this was precisely why Damorsk Fortress was built here.

“Well, that angel statue seems to be made of some special crystal. Oh, the moonlight casting on it is truly beautiful. But it seems the moonlight intensifies the effect of this cold aura.” Boriz also noticed the problem—almost no one dared stay in the center of the square, as the natural cold emanating from the ground could cause injuries that couldn’t be healed by ordinary means.
“Hmm, this magic circle is quite intricately designed. See? There seems to be a ring of shadows beneath the angel statue, as if recording its movements under daylight or moonlight. What mystery lies behind this?” Karu increasingly felt that this Caucasian lord was no ordinary person. Such a cold aura would surely harm ordinary mortals, whose fragile bodies could easily be damaged by these natural cold and heat energies, and once the internal organs were affected, it was difficult to cure. However, half-orcs’ strong constitutions seemed less sensitive to this kind of cold.
“It’s hard to draw conclusions just from what we’ve seen. While ordinary people should stay away from where this cold aura emanates, it’s indeed an ideal place for magicians who practice certain special spells to enhance their power,” Boriz said meaningfully, his gaze searching Karu’s face for something.
“Oh? You mean this lord uses the natural cold here to cultivate and boost his magic? Lightning magic doesn’t seem to be related to this natural cold,” Karu shook his head. “Or maybe there are other people living here who have the lord’s permission to train and improve themselves—probably not ordinary individuals either.”
“Hmm, I agree. That lord already has a solid foundation in lightning magic. This cold aura isn’t very useful for lightning mages,” Karu agreed as well. “Now I’m even more curious—who could possibly stay in Damoronsk Fortress? What’s his relationship withReeno?”
“If we get the chance, it’s time for us to look for those who use this cold aura for cultivation. The moonlight today is like water—perfect for practicing. I think we’ll find our target soon.” Karu was full of confidence. The magic circle beneath the angel statue seemed to require some special medium to activate, but it appeared the circle hadn’t been used in a long time. It seemed the magic circle was secondary after all.