Round 21: Moriel’s Determination

The Temple of Amunra, the God of Light and Law, Lord of Splendor, located on the Summit Road in the Coastal District, “Dawn’s Peak,” remained brilliantly bright even at night—eternal torches and magical light adorned this magnificent white temple with sacred grandeur, casting sun-like radiance on the clean springs flowing in the ditches surrounding it.

Fiona dismounted her horse without even bothering to tie the reins and asked the warrior descending the steps, “How is Charlie?”
The warrior shook his head, a hint of sorrow appearing on his resolute face.
“Damn it!” Fiona waved her hand sharply, gritting her teeth. “May the Lord of Splendor burn the souls of those villains!”
“Fiona, we should first pray that Charlie’s soul finds rest in the light,” Cassim said, his tone carrying a hint of criticism. “The wicked will be punished, but we can’t rush things now.”
Fiona bit her lip; the bad news about her comrade and their futile return clearly troubled her greatly. “But… but every day, people suffer because of those villains’ selfish desires! How much longer must we wait?”
“Fiona…” Cassim said no more and stepped onto the white marble steps. “Let’s go. We should send our friend off first.”

The funeral was simple and solemn. Amunra’s high priest finally lit the pile of wood beneath Charlie, enveloping the fallen paladin in a pure, smokeless flame. Amunra’s followers believed that their souls would journey to the land of light through this sacred fire, to serve the Lord of Splendor and his daughter, the Goddess of Dawn.

Throughout the funeral, Fiona kept her fists clenched tightly.

Instead of returning to her room, she went alone to the training ground behind the Dawn Knights’ headquarters. Yet, there was already someone there in the empty training ground.
“Sister Milia?” Fiona stepped forward quickly upon recognizing the slender figure, speaking with surprise. “I didn’t see you just now. I thought…”
Milia turned around and forced a smile. In just a few months, she seemed to have matured significantly. Dressed in casual clothes with her hair cut short, she still carried a masculine vigor—only the once firm fervor in her eyes was almost gone, replaced by a confused melancholy.
“Why aren’t you asleep? You must be very tired,” Milia said softly, as if afraid of disturbing something. “You should rest early.”
“How can I sleep?” Fiona said angrily, but her voice soon turned tearful. “Charlie sacrificed himself in vain! Those villains are still at large, and I… I even let the killer of Charlie go tonight!”
Milia touched the marks on the weapon rack beside her. Those marks were from when she and Fiona and the other girls would measure their heights every month… but Jason’s mark was always the tallest. How much pain must one endure in life to learn to cherish the good memories?

“Sister Milia! Stop being so depressed!” Fiona suddenly stepped closer, staring at Milia with her sapphire-like eyes; their beautiful faces were almost touching. “You’re the most talented among us! Help me—if we work together, we can surely eradicate the evil in Deepstream City!”
“Me?” Milia was stunned, then lowered her head. “No… I can’t. You know, I’ve already lost the power granted to me by the Lord of Glory… It’s a punishment for my lack of firmness. Fiona, you know… a hand without conviction isn’t worthy to wield a sword…”
Fiona interrupted her angrily. “We all know the Lord of Glory didn’t punish you! Nor did the Goddess of Dawn! Didn’t the temple priests prove this through rituals? The sacred power is still within you, waiting for you to unleash it to fight evil! Sister Milia, it’s not your fault that Jason sacrificed himself!”
Hearing Jason’s name, Milia’s expression grew even darker. “But I don’t even know what the meaning of his sacrifice is…”
“I can’t let you hesitate any longer!” Fiona suddenly took two unsharpened swords from the weapon rack and handed one to Milia. “If you keep like this, the Lord of Glory will truly abandon you, Sister Milia!”
“Fiona, you…” Before Milia could react, Fiona already raised the sword. “I’m telling you—you can still wield a sword! Just like before, let’s have a duel!”
“Wait, Fiona…”
But Fiona’s sword swung down like lightning.
Milia had no choice but to defend herself. Fiona pressed forward relentlessly, her attacks as swift as a storm. Milia had to retreat repeatedly to avoid the blows. She had no intention of counterattacking; she simply held her sword defensively, hoping Fiona would stop soon.
The figures of the two girls moved back and forth in the training ground, like butterflies about to take flight under the stars.
Fiona swung her sword, and Milia met it with her own sword as she had done many times before—a sharp clang echoed as half of the practice sword flew away, and Milia cried out in pain.
“Sister Milia!” Fiona dropped her sword and helped Milia, who was kneeling on the ground, holding her shoulder.
“Sister Milia, I’m sorry… Let me take you to the priests!” Fiona said guiltily. Under the candlelight, a large bruise appeared on Milia’s ivory-colored, smooth shoulder. Thankfully, her bone wasn’t injured.
“It’s okay, don’t worry,” Milia said, covering her wound. It burned fiercely, and half of her body felt numb. “It’s already so late; let’s talk about it tomorrow.”
“Damn it, where’s the healing potion?” Fiona sat on the bed and kicked the box back under it in frustration. “I remember it was right here…”
“It was my fault. Have you forgotten? I once accidentally broke your head too. Luckily, no scar remained… Alright, go to sleep. I should go now.” Milia smiled faintly and stood to leave, but Fiona grabbed the hem of her dress.

“Yes,” Fiona said softly. “Back then, I could always see through your attack patterns and mock you. Later, to teach me not to be so arrogant, you broke my sword.”
She pulled Milia and sat down again. “So I ran out of the city in anger, causing everyone to search for me for a long time… Later, you replaced my sword and pestered me for half a month, sleeping with me every day before I forgave you…”
“I really need your help… Sister Milia.” Fiona simply lay down, resting her head on Milia’s lap. “Do you know? When I rushed into the tavern where the red-robed mage was trading drugs with black-market dealers today, they actually… they ordered the women and children in the tavern to attack us. Those children were so thin… but they were all delirious from the drug smoke and illusions, seeing us as mortal enemies and attacking us frantically to cover up for the drug dealers’ escape! Charlie was hit by that red-robed mage’s evil magic while trying not to hurt the children!”
“And I’m powerless against such scum who should be screaming in flames forever! I caught that red-robed mage before she fled to her stronghold, but… it was me who ended up backing down! Sister Milia, under the light of the Glory Lord, how can we allow such people to exist? Shouldn’t the law protect the good people, enforced by our own hands? Teacher Cassim has too many concerns. I understand—he has to consider the thoughts of the lords and nobles of Deepflow City. But those guys always value the taxes and magical gifts paid by the red-robed mages more than the happiness of the people of Deepflow City! ‘No evidence,’ ‘Stay calm’—I’ve heard enough… Help me, Sister Milia. I’m so lonely on my own…”
Milia stroked Fiona’s long golden hair.
“It’s okay. Don’t worry too much… Sleep, Fiona…”
Teacher Anton, please tell me… What should I do? Can I still wield a sword in the name of the gods? Or in my own name? What will I become then? Milia closed her eyes.
If Forty-Seven knew about Milia’s troubles, he would surely laugh out loud. Even without any name, he was still wielding a sword. Doing such things in Kani’s living room made Nancy nervous; she guarded Kani like a protective hen, staring intently at his actions. But Forty-Seven thought it was completely unnecessary worry. Could I possibly fail? Even if I did, it would be the others’ fault for getting too close.
Even Kani couldn’t help but glance sideways at this reckless Ironface, her shoulder still burning as if scalded by an iron. She had already realized that Forty-Seven wasn’t human but an unprecedented construct—one that even its master, Moriel, didn’t take seriously.
“Hey, put the sword away. That’s impolite.” Moriel sat on the leather sofa across from Kani. After the conflict with the holy warrior, she had come to the dwarf woman’s room at Kani’s invitation for a drink. There surely wouldn’t be anyone in the tavern, and security would be tightened tonight, requiring more people. The rest would surely choose to go to bed.

“Don’t go for that axe!” Moriel raised her voice and called for 47 to come sit next to her. 47 then sat down carelessly, sinking the sofa so deeply that it seemed to lift Moriel a little. Kani examined him—though 47 didn’t seem to notice; he was busy scratching the back of his other hand with his fingers, as if that steel armor too felt itchy for some reason. What a strange guy.
This Kani too… Moriel glanced around the room’s furnishings. There were either giant swords, double-edged battle axes, or magic-infused mauls—each one taller than Kani. What on earth was a mage like her doing with these things?
“I never expected to see you here. I was quite sorry to hear you left the Order of Red Robes! But it seems you haven’t changed much over the years, Moriel!” Due to Kani’s build, she looked rather ridiculous sitting on the sofa, especially with a female warrior standing behind her who was almost twice her height. “Would you like something to drink? Hey, I’ve got the best Little Fairy Tears! Add some blue mushroom powder too…”
“No, just ordinary wine will do,” Moriel said, raising her hand to decline Kani’s “generous offer.”
Nancy once again took on the role of maid. She brought over a bottle that was obviously expensive, filled the glasses in front of the two with the amber-colored liquor, then stepped back behind Kani. Normally, when two Red Robe Mages talked, there were rarely tattooed warriors accompanying them closely. But since 47 showed no intention of going outside to guard, Kani didn’t ask Nancy to leave.
“I can’t believe you’ve got your own tattooed warrior after all these years. I even talked to her just now…” Moriel glanced at Nancy, who remained in a combat-ready stance at all times, then looked at 47, who was distracted. In terms of dedication, the difference was huge. “Actually, everyone has changed a lot. But maybe it’s because so much time has passed that our memories have blurred… so it always feels like nothing has changed.”
“See, that’s how you used to be. Always acting like you saw everything clearly, staying aloof like a cat on a lazy afternoon.” Kani tilted her head back and drained half her glass of strong liquor in one gulp, her cheeks turning slightly red. “You must be a powerful prophecy mage now, right? I can tell. As expected… a strong woman who can seize fate by the throat, Moriel!”
Kani made a fake choking gesture in the air and giggled.
Moriel smiled. In truth, aside from her name, she didn’t have many specific memories of this dwarf who joined the Order of Red Robes around the same time as her. After all, the Order was mostly filled with apprentices—both the most numerous and the cheapest. Only a few managed to break free from that status of being mere expendables and don worn red robes.
“I was too naive back then. What is fate? What I accept and what I can’t accept—both are fate.” Moriel took a sip of wine, feeling the scorching heat flow through her teeth into her throat. “Haven’t you become an illusionist too? Congratulations.”

“Yes,” Kani stroked the tattoo on her face. “But I really have to thank you today. If it weren’t for you, escaping that crazy bitch wouldn’t have been easy at all!”
“To catch a Red Robe Mage specialized in illusions, those Holy Warriors would probably have to team up with the devils of the Nine Hells.” Moriel’s speech style was increasingly resembling that of a Red Robe Mage. “Without solid evidence, how would they dare risk offending a Red Robe Mage by trying to arrest someone? And even if I weren’t here, Master Jiali would step in to handle it.”
But Moriel didn’t really think so. Jiali still hadn’t shown up, which was rather unreasonable—this didn’t fit with his constant emphasis on the need for unity among Red Robe Mages.
“Hmph, rely on him?” As expected, Kani snorted disdainfully, her face full of contempt. “If I died outside, he’d be overjoyed to collect my body, take over all my business, and use it to gain profit… Never mind, you know, there’s really nothing to say about such things.”
Of course, Moriel knew. The conflict between the Change-type Red Robe Masters and the Illusion-type Red Robe Masters had long been semi-public, almost reaching an irreconcilable state. If it weren’t for a metropolis like Deepflow City, it would be unlikely for Red Robe Mages from these two factions to work in the same base. Moreover, due to most cities’ legal restrictions, magic items of the Illusion type, like those for mind control, had a much smaller market.
Of course, this was an unspoken understanding among Red Robe Mages. Although everyone was aware of it, they maintained a semblance of harmony on the surface. Division meant war, and war meant losses for the Red Robe Masters—so it was better to keep things quiet to avoid mutual harm. Thinking of this, Moriel smiled slightly. Since entering this Red Robe Mage base, everything that should have been unfamiliar had gradually become familiar, and she was starting to think more in the way of a Red Robe Mage. Did this truly prove what Jiali said—once Red Robe, always Red Robe?
But anyway, what needed to be done had to be done.
“Kani, there’s a question…” Moriel looked at the slight sediment in her drink. Predicting the trajectory of such particles used to be one of her favorite games. “I’ve heard some rumors. Are you really selling magic drugs? In a metropolis like Deepflow City, where order and good forces are strong, isn’t that very risky? After all, the profits Red Robe Mages can gain from trading magic items are already astonishing.”
Kani rolled her eyes, seemingly surprised by Moriel’s question.

“Oh, Moriel, there’s nothing I need to hide from you!” She spread her hands. “I really have no choice. But this stronghold is basically Jiali’s domain now. He was sent here much earlier than the others, and with the support of his superiors over the years, he’s never been transferred elsewhere. So most of the profitable businesses are under his control. Recently, he’s even been actively selling magical constructs to the wealthy people in Deepwater City—it seems he’s determined to monopolize this market… Who wouldn’t want a loyal, error-free bodyguard? That’s huge profit!”
At this point, Kani seemed to realize something and glanced at Siqi Shi Qi beside Moriel. “Oh… no wonder. It must be Jiali who invited you, right? He must have asked you about the secrets of Agus’s construct technology, hasn’t he? Don’t be so kind as to tell him!”
“I might not know more about Agus’s construct technology than those red-robed mages with countless spies at their disposal. How would Mage Agus trust me, an outsider?” Moriel insisted on her point. “I might not even be able to help Master Jiali.”
She thought for a moment before setting her glass on the coffee table. “But, Kani, there’s a request I’m not sure if I should make or not…”
“Oh?” Kani sat up straight as well. “Go ahead, Moriel. We’re friends!”
“Since you’re really doing this, then I think…” Moriel paused, seemingly making up her mind. “Could I work with you? For personal reasons, I need to make some money now.”
As soon as she said this, even Siqi Shi Qi raised her head—had she made up her mind so quickly?