Chapter 80: Relationships

That night, the children had hoped to talk longer, at least until late at night. Unfortunately, at just 9:30, Old Black appeared like a ghost, solemnly and politely telling them it was time to rest…
Good heavens, it was only 9:30!
Not only the boys but even the girls had never gone to bed at this hour before.
Well, since this was Galick and not Riox, there was no choice but to follow Old Black to their respective rooms.
Alone in a spacious room, Allen, who wasn’t sleepy at all, felt somewhat frantic.
The moonlight was quite nice that day, and Allen even imagined having a romantic night with Lisa…
Watching his master pace back and forth in the room, the castle puppet Kanso, sitting at the long table, scratched its uneven stone head in a somewhat human-like manner.
“Ah!” shouting in frustration, Allen quietly slipped to the door and peeked outside—he planned to sneak into Jiang Zhe’s room next door…
But before he could knock on Jiang Zhe’s door, someone came out from around the corner and asked curiously, “Mr. Skander, what are you doing?”
Allen turned to see Old Black holding a candle, staring at him intently. He couldn’t help but smile wryly.
“Well… it’s a bit stuffy today, so… I’m just walking around!” As he spoke, Allen was secretly alarmed, because he remembered sensing Old Black’s presence earlier, not to mention his footsteps.
“Oh, I see!” Old Black nodded as if realizing something, then smiled and said, “You might not be used to going to bed so early. But in Galick, one must go to bed by 9:30; otherwise, it’s hard to ensure enough energy to handle everything properly the next day. If you’re not sleepy, would you like me to accompany you to the garden?”
The garden? With you?
Allen forced a smile, looking at Old Black’s serious expression, and said awkwardly, “Uh, no need—I suddenly feel a bit tired. Good night, Mr. Black!”
“Bang!” Watching Allen rush back to his room and slam the door shut, Old Black shook his head. Clearly, he was dissatisfied with his little master’s friends and their knowledge of etiquette.

With no choice, Allen ran back to his room and lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling in distraction. It wasn’t until the night was deep and quiet that he finally managed to fall asleep. Soft snoring, along with murmurs like “Beautiful lady, may I treat you to a meal?”, marked the onset of his deep sleep…

Among the three in the dormitory, aside from Jiang Zhe, who was a guy without ideals, ambitions, or aspirations, Scott’s goal was to inherit his grandfather’s glory and become an upright and outstanding noble. As for Allen, he was the most ambitious of them all… He wanted to become an outstanding knight! What kind of knight is an outstanding knight? Honor? Status? No, it’s not just that… An outstanding knight must understand romance and win the favor of beautiful ladies… What could be more wonderful than bringing glory and a crown to the woman he loves upon returning from battle? Of course, if he could invite that beautiful lady out for a meal, have afternoon tea, talk heart to heart, and perhaps spend a romantic night… Mmm, that would be even better… The woman he loved… Just like the mature and charming Lilith… “I’m sorry, Allen, but I won’t consider dating a junior who’s two years younger than me—And you should call me ‘senior’!” “…” As if dreaming of something, Allen showed a pained expression in his sleep. What was going on… There was a heavy pressure in his chest… So heavy… It made it hard for him to breathe… “Heav… Huh!” Unable to bear the weight, Allen suddenly opened his eyes in shock, staring at the castle doll Kanso lying on his chest. “…Are you kidding me?!” Realizing suddenly who had been causing the heavy pressure on his chest all night, Allen was furious. He grabbed Kanso by the head with his right hand, ready to throw it away, but then he froze. His own strength… wasn’t enough to lift it? “Damn it, you bastard!” Recalling the torment he had suffered in his sleep last night, Allen’s body emitted a faint red glow, his muscles swelling slightly. Then, with one hand, he threw Kanso across the room, where it crashed heavily against the wall on the other side of the bed. It wasn’t that Allen was heartless enough to destroy his own doll—he knew such a blow couldn’t cause any harm to Kanso. This doll had the highest physical and magical resistance among all the dolls.

After venting his frustration about last night, Allen sat on the bed, staring blankly at the web-like walls created by the castle puppet Kanso. He glanced at his right hand with confusion, then at Kanso, who sat in the corner as if aggrieved, and frowned, saying, “Come here, Kanso!”
“Thud, thud!” Kanso stepped heavily toward the bed. He really wanted to jump onto it; after much effort, he finally managed to climb up by gripping the sheets. Seeing his clumsy appearance, Allen helplessly covered his face.
“It’s really… much heavier now!” Holding Kanso in his arms, Allen felt his arms tremble slightly. Then, he placed Kanso on the bed and stared at him intently, gesturing while muttering uncertainly, “It seems to have grown a lot too… It didn’t seem so big before…”
Rubbing his chin, Allen tried hard to recall. He remembered that when he first got Kanso from the mage tower of Vandel, the guy was only the size of a palm. Now…
As he thought, Allen stretched out his hand to compare. He realized that his palm only reached below Kanso’s chest…
Do magic puppets also grow?
Hey!
But…
Looking at Kanso’s rock-like body and head, Allen was heartbroken.
“It’s so ugly! Why is Scott’s damn puppet so handsome while mine is so ugly? It’s so unfair!”
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
“Who is it?” Allen jumped out of bed and ran to the door to open it. Immediately, he saw Ravia standing outside, rolling her eyes at him. Only then did Allen remember he was still in his pajamas.
After spending a few minutes getting dressed and washing up briefly, Allen glanced at Ravia sitting on the sofa and at the queen puppet Queenyn on her shoulder, saying, “Hey, Ravia, has your puppet changed in any way?”
“Hm?” Ravia, who was flipping through her notes on teleportation magic, looked up at Allen and said puzzledly, “Changed? Queenyn? What kind of change?”
“I mean, has it gotten heavier…” Before he could finish, Allen felt a chill on his neck. He turned his head slightly and saw Queenyn holding a tiny dagger, threatening his neck. Annoyed, he said, “Hey, why don’t you control your magic puppet?”

“You’re being too rude!” Ravia said casually, flipping through her notes. “Saying such harsh things to a girl— isn’t that very impolite?” As she spoke, she paused, turned her head toward Quinn, who was glaring at Allen, with a puzzled expression, and stretched out her hand. “Come here, Quinn!”
Like a gentle breeze, Quinn, dressed in a formal suit, appeared instantly in Ravia’s palm.
Looking at the human-like expression on her puppet, Ravia was surprised.
Since when did puppets have such human-like emotions?
Recalling how Quinn had helped her “threaten” that scoundrel when she argued with Thors before, she had thought she was simply protecting her, but…
“These aren’t ordinary puppets!”
“They grow, just like you do…”
Recalling the words of the two senior professors, Werman and Jelbart, from the mage tower of Vandel, Ravia watched her puppet with interest.
Could they grow? What would they become in the end?
Just as she was thinking this, there was a knock at the door. Ravia and Allen looked up and saw Scott standing at the door in a black suit, asking them, “Where are Thors and the others? Weren’t we supposed to meet here?”
“Thors might still be sleeping! The others should be awake by now,” Ravia said, standing up. “I’ll go call them!” As she passed Scott, she joked, “Scott, are you planning to go out like this?”
“Hm?” Scott was momentarily stunned before forcing a smile. “I almost forgot if you hadn’t mentioned it. I’ll change soon…” He then said to the knight puppet Knight behind him, “Knight, stay here!”
The knight puppet nodded expressionlessly.
Looking at its shiny armor and comparing it to the rocky, uneven body of her own puppet, Allen felt a bit envious.
“Scott, you jerk…”
“Huh?” Scott, who was about to return to his room, looked at Allen in confusion. “What’s wrong with you in the middle of the morning?”
“I won’t tell you!” Allen grumbled indignantly.
“…” Rolling his eyes, Scott went back to his room to change.
Could magic puppets also grow?
Puppets that could grow?
Staring at the two puppets in front of her, Allen remained skeptical.
A few minutes later, Jiang Zhe, Dia, Lailira, and Lisa arrived one after another at Allen’s room.

Glancing at Jiang Zhe, who seemed in high spirits, Allen said with a smile, “Getting up this early must be tough on you, buddy!”
“What are you talking about? I woke up early!”
“Early?” Allen looked at Lavia in surprise. Seeing her nod, he said in disbelief, “Are you kidding? You sleep sixteen hours a day! Who knows you better than us?”
“That was back then!” Jiang Zhe sat down on the sofa irritably, then glanced at Queen Puppet Queenin, who was standing on the armrest and staring at him unfriendlyly. Narrowing his eyes, he threatened, “Do you want to get burned again?”
With a whoosh, Queenin hid on Lavia’s shoulder, gripping her master’s hair and looking at Jiang Zhe fearfully.
“What are you doing, Thors?” Lavia said unhappily at Jiang Zhe.
“I’m just giving a warning. I don’t have time to play games with her!”
“You!”
“Alright, alright,” Scott interjected, pushing up his glasses and smiling. “It’s getting late. Let’s go—although Allicok isn’t anything special, there are still some interesting things there!”
“Can I try riding a warhorse once?” Allen asked, eyes wide.
“That’s not possible. It requires Grandfather’s permission—Galic only has three thousand cavalry, and every warhorse is strictly protected…”
“Tch!”
“Let’s go see the city’s towers. I saw many when we entered!” Lisa asked eagerly.
“That should be fine. But don’t touch anything there—Allen, hear that? I’m talking to you!”
“Tch! Do you think I care?”
And so, the group left the castle in a noisy mess.
Along the way, Jiang Zhe naturally focused on chatting with Dia, while Scott and Allen seemed to be arguing over something. Lelira and Lisa chatted and laughed while looking at the shops on either side. Only Lavia followed silently, head down.
Idiot… Fool…
Fool… Idiot…
No matter how open-minded she was, Lavia still felt gloomy.
Suddenly, a boy’s voice came to her ears.
“Are you worried about Connel?”
Lavia quickly raised her head and realized that somehow, Jiang Zhe was already walking beside her.
“Where’s Dia?”

“She’s been held back by Lailira and Lysara to check out the clothes…” As he spoke, Jiang Zhe turned to look at Ravia and shrugged, saying, “Don’t worry about Cornell. According to you, he’s several times stronger than all of us combined. He’s also immortal—the strongest werewolf in legend!”
Looking up at the boy, Ravia said softly, “It’s not because of that. As you said, I’m not worried about him… When I first met Cornell, I was scared, but I realized he’s not a bad person. And he promised me he wouldn’t kill innocent people anymore…”
Surprised, the boy laughed lightly and said, “I’ve wanted to say this for a long time—your sense of justice is way too strong.”
“What do you mean? Thors! Are you mocking me?”
“I’m puzzled. Why do you always misunderstand me? Am I mocking you? I just meant…” As he spoke, Jiang Zhe thought of Argus. After a brief silence, he asked, “Avi, what do you think of Argus?”
“Argus?” Ravia thought for a moment and said, “The professor said he’s a very dangerous person…”
“But he didn’t hurt us back then…”
“Did he think we were too weak? The professor said the Jacsonbu rebellion might be related to him… If the war really was started by him, then he…” Ravia glanced secretly at Jiang Zhe’s expression and hesitated before saying, “Actually, I don’t think he could start a rebellion by himself… Did he say anything to you last time?”
Recalling Argus’s ‘threats,’ Jiang Zhe shook his head.
“Thors, you said you wouldn’t hide anything from me anymore!”
“What? Did I promise that?”
“You… jerk!”
“Hey, are you going too far? I came here kindly to talk to you, and you call me… jerk?”
“Did I ask you to come and chat with me?”
“You! Fine, I’m overstepping. Is that okay? I won’t bother you anymore!”
“Wait…” Grabbing Jiang Zhe’s sleeve as he turned to leave, Ravia looked at the boy in front of her and said apologetically, “I’m sorry, Thors. I… I apologize to you!”
Glancing at the girl, Jiang Zhe curled his lips and said, “No need to apologize. Just stop shouting at me in the future…” He paused briefly before adding softly, “Actually, I don’t think Argus is such a bad guy…”
Ravia listened quietly, knowing the boy hadn’t finished speaking.

“AGage… I feel like he’s a very contradictory person. Um, it’s hard to explain—very contradictory, an odd feeling…”
“Contradictory?”
“Yes. Just like at first, despite having such great power, he still came to us asking for food…”
“Was he still being hunted by Father Andrew and the Inquisitor at that time?”
“No. That’s because you haven’t seen AGage’s power. His power is extremely strong—he’s a dark mage with a domain!”
“A domain?” Ravia covered her mouth in shock, speaking in disbelief. “A domain is a symbol of a grand mage! Is AGage a grand mage?”
“Probably—inside his domain, my mental connection with the fire element was completely severed. Really…”
Seeing the longing and desire in the boy’s eyes, Ravia felt a badpremonition and quickly interrupted him, asking, “If he has power comparable to that of a grand mage, why is he wanted by Father Andrew?”
“Well,” Jiang Zhe hesitated for a moment before saying nonchalantly, “Who knows?”
“I see…” Glancing at the boy’s expression, Ravia wisely stopped asking further, knowing that if he didn’t want to talk, no amount of pressure would make him speak. Moreover, compared to AGage, she was more concerned about the boy’s obsession with that great power.
Is there anything in the world that can be obtained without effort? How can one possess great power without effort? Even making a deal with demons requires paying the price with one’s soul and blood. Ravia didn’t want to see such things happen.
Just as she was struggling to think of a way to distract the boy from AGage’s great power, she suddenly noticed two sneaky figures in an alley beside the street.
She suddenly remembered Connel’s words.
“Sos,” Ravia said softly, signaling the boy with her eyes, “Phantom Step… Have you mastered it?”
Jiang Zhe looked at Ravia in confusion, then followed her gaze to the alley. Shrugging, he said, “Not yet. It takes some time… But with enough preparation, it’s possible!”
“Alright, give it a try!”
Meanwhile, in that alley, Bernie, a member of the Gallic Magic Association’s branch, was tracking the children on his list. After all, anyone related to Connel was a target of his investigation.
“Hey, Bernie. I haven’t seen that Connel. What about you?”

Pulling at his dark green cloak that covered his entire body, Bernie frowned and said, “I’m sorry, Reid. I didn’t notice either—really didn’t expect those kids to be related to Lord Galleck. This is troublesome now. If we get involved with that old knight, things will only get worse for our branch…” He paused, his gaze sharpening as he whispered, “Those two kids… are they looking here? Have we been discovered?”
“What?” Reid’s companion said in disbelief. “That can’t be.”
“No…” Bernie frowned as he carefully observed the two kids in the distance. “We’ve been discovered!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned sharply, alertly staring at the boy who had suddenly appeared behind them. With a look of utter surprise, he murmured, “Teleportation? Good heavens!”
“Gentlemen!” Jiang Zhe said irritably, frowning at the two oddly dressed men in front of him. “What are you doing here? Can you tell me?”
“Good heavens!” Reid stared at the little boy in front of him in astonishment. “Bernie, my eyes must be fine— I saw a kid around twelve or thirteen use teleportation!”
“No, your eyes are fine—because I saw it too!” Bernie said with a wry smile, shaking his hands. He realized he had underestimated those kids after all.
After all, teleportation was a highly advanced magical skill!
In just a few dozen seconds, Ravia arrived with Allen, Scott, and three other girls from the other side, surrounding the two members of Galleck’s branch in an alley.
“Can you answer one of our questions, gentlemen? Why are you following us?”
Looking at the imposing little girl in front of him, Bernie shrugged with a wry smile and tried to defend himself, “I think there’s a misunderstanding. My companion and I were just passing by by chance!” As he spoke, he felt a surge of magical energy behind him. Soon, a fist-sized fireball appeared in the hand of the boy standing on the other side.
“Hey, hey!” Bernie raised his hands and stepped back a few steps toward the wall. He said to Jiang Zhe, “Don’t be impulsive, kid. We mean no harm!”
“Then answer the question!” Jiang Zhe gestured toward Ravia.
Glancing at Jiang Zhe and then at the other kids, Bernie shook his head with a wry smile and said, “Alright. I’m from Galleck Magic Association’s branch. My name is Bernie, and he’s my companion, Reid. Please believe we mean no harm!”

“A branch of the Galic Magic Association?” Jiang Zhe glanced at Scott doubtfully and asked, “Is there really a branch of the Magic Association in Galic?”
“Yes, there is,” Scott nodded and said calmly, “Can you show me something to prove your identities?”
“Of course!” Bernie pushed his companion Reid aside and both took out a badge from the Galic Magic Association, then said to Scott, “If the records are correct, you must be the grandson of that old knight… ah, Count Everly O’Gill, right?”
“Mm!” Scott nodded.
“Phew,” Bernie sighed lightly and shrugged, “Then you should know we don’t want trouble—using magic in the city could cause damage, and then our branch would have trouble in the future. You know, your grandfather has always held prejudices against us! So…” He turned to Jiang Zhe with a wry smile and said, “Kid, can you lift the magic first? We haven’t cast any defensive spells—what if we get hit…”
Seeing that they didn’t seem like troublemakers, Jiang Zhe lifted the fireball.
“Then, respected magician, why are you following us?” Ravia asked suspiciously.
“It’s not that we’re following you,” Bernie shook his head earnestly, “We’re just investigating Connel. Anything related to Connel falls within our scope of investigation. If you don’t mind, could you tell me what your relationship with Connel is and where he is now? Don’t tell me you don’t know him—I saw you together yesterday!”
“Oh? So it was you following us yesterday too?” Ravia said with a hint of sarcasm.
“I’m sorry—yes!”
Looking at their apologetic expressions, Ravia thought for a moment before saying softly, “Connel is a friend of mine and Thors’s. As for where he is now… he has left Allicok. So, respected magician, can you tell me why you’re following Connel? It’s his first time in Allicok—has he committed some crime?”
“Not exactly,” Bernie shook his head and pondered for a moment before saying, “I can’t reveal too much about the specifics. We just found out he’s connected to a fugitive wanted across the country. If you don’t mind, please tell me where Connel has gone!”
Ravia smiled and said, “Why do you think we’d know?”

“Isn’t he your friend?” As he spoke, Bernie seemed to realize something, scratched his head with a wry smile, and said helplessly, “Damn it, fine, fine. That wanted man’s name is Argus, Argus BartClarkefield. The two of them met a month ago…”
“Argus?” Bernie’s words surprised Jiang Zhe.
“What?” Bernie glanced at Jiang Zhe, a hint of surprise in his voice, and asked, “Do you know him?”
Before Jiang Zhe could respond, Ravia declared firmly, “I don’t!”
Seeing Ravia’s unyielding expression, Bernie was momentarily stunned before shrugging and saying indifferently, “Well, anyway, Argus isn’t my responsibility. Now can you tell me where Connel is?”
“What do you want from him?”
“To ask what Argus said to him. Believe me, kid, Argus is a nationally wanted criminal. Our branch ordered Archmage Great Kaines to track down Argus!”
“Archmage Great Kaines?” Ravia was stunned and exclaimed, “The head of our Riox Academy?”
“The head?” Hearing Ravia’s words, Bernie’s face showed a hint of relief and familiarity. With a helpless wry smile, he said, “What? You’re students of Riox? I wondered how teenagers could master teleportation… Well, that makes things easier!” He paused, sensed the surroundings, then whispered, “We’ve received intelligence that Argus is likely to be active in Galic. That bastard killed over a dozen of our comrades… Tch! We just hope to find out what he’s planning from Connel before his scheme succeeds, and then arrest him—If possible, I’d rather kill him myself to avenge those dozen comrades of mine!”
“Is this true? Argus…” Glancing at the silent Jiang Zhe, Ravia raised her head and said, “I know where he is. We’ll go with you—I think I can help you convince Connel to tell the truth!”
“You?” Bernie looked at the children in front of him with hesitation, shook his head, and said, “You just need to tell us where Connel is. We’ll go find him…”
“Believe me,” Ravia interrupted Bernie seriously, “If you don’t want trouble, it’s better to take us along—Although I think Connel is a decent person, he’s not exactly easy to talk to… I’ll convince him!”

“Well…” Bernie thought for a moment, then shrugged and said with a smile, “Alright, I hope things go as smoothly as you say.” He glanced at the children and suggested, “So… shall we set off now?”
A little over ten minutes later, Jiang Zhe and his group, along with Bernie and Reid from the Magic Association branch, arrived at the gates of Allicock.
Along the way, Scott seemed rather dispirited. To be honest, he really wanted to persuade his companions to give up, as a day was definitely not enough time to get to Old, and he only had one day free!
After all, today was an exception—his grandfather had allowed him to accompany his companions on this trip. But a trip to Old would take at least three to five days round trip, and the consequences of breaking that promise would be unimaginable!
However, Scott couldn’t bear to leave his companions behind and return to the castle alone—they had come all the way from Sassen to find him.
With no other choice, Scott had to think ahead about how to deal with his grandfather…
His mind was preoccupied with such things that, when turning a corner, he accidentally bumped into someone.
“Sorry!” Scott quickly apologized once he came to his senses, looking at the person he had bumped into with remorse. “I’m truly sorry, sir!”
The person Scott bumped into was a young man dressed like a mercenary—thin-faced, with a cold gaze, wearing dark green archer’s clothes and carrying a full-sized bow on his back…
“It’s fine!” the archer said expressionlessly before glancing at the crowded street and adding indifferently, “Be more careful next time… Is that the direction to the inner city?”
Scott glanced in the direction the archer indicated, nodded, then studied the man curiously and asked, “Is this your first time in Allicock, sir?” Realizing something, he added apologetically, “I’m sorry. My name is Scott, Scott O’Gill!”
The archer gave Scott a brief glance and replied expressionlessly, “Karl Lelarkin!”
At that moment, Allen’s voice came from afar.
“Scott, come here quickly! Hurry up!”
Scott gave the archer an apologetic smile and said softly, “I’m sorry again for what happened earlier. I hope you like this city, Mr. Lelarkin!” He bowed slightly as a gesture of courtesy before chasing after his companions.

Glancing at Scott’s retreating figure, Lelarkin headed toward the city, his gaze as sharp as ever, like an eagle aiming at its prey…