Chapter 8: The Height of Magic
Komer’s timely arrival made the meeting somewhat awkward, but he behaved with great rationality and understanding, which made Karu and Boriz feel slightly relieved while also making them realize that this young noble lord was quite profound and experienced.
Komer and Rebrí’s generosity and openness did not dispel Karu and Boriz’s suspicions. However, from the first basement floor to the second floor of Damorlensk Castle, they found nothing. In contrast, Rebrí’s five laboratories astonished them greatly. They never expected that in such a remote place as the Caucasus, this small lord would have such great ambitions and invest so much effort to provide ample materials for magical experiments. Explaining this merely as a hobby or friendship seemed far too far-fetched.
Undoubtedly, Rebrí was using the dark energy emanating from the Eye of Darkness to experiment with a powerful hybrid magic of wind and ice. Besides the continuous supply of dark energy, large quantities of frost crystal stones and thousand-maple wood were clearly essential for such experiments. Some special magical metals and materials were obviously raw materials for the experiments. Although Karu and Boriz were not very proficient in elemental magic, they still recognized this.
Karu admired his former colleague’s extensive knowledge of magic while also feeling pity for Rebrí. Rebrí’s talent in magic even surpassed his own, but his somewhat unrestrained personality made him feel out of place in the Light Church. The strict rules of the church could not tame his individuality, worsening his relations with the church’s upper echelons. Perhaps this was why he had to leave. Karu did not know the true reason behind Rebrí’s departure.
Watching the sails disappear from the dock, both Komer and Rebrí couldn’t help but sigh in relief. Finally, those two troublemakers were gone. The experts from the Inquisition were truly formidable. Even with two seals and three disguise spells placed by Komer to protect the passage leading deeper underground, it still failed to evade Karu and Boriz’s sharp senses and keen eyes. If Komer hadn’t secretly opened a secret room next to the passage and placed there numerous gold shields, as well as many precious jewels and magical artifacts, he believed they would definitely have noticed the issues with the seals.
The appearance of the treasure chamber nicely explained why such strict prohibitions and disguise magic were used to conceal its existence. Its timely emergence indeed immediately drew the attention of the two judges. In particular, the two artifacts inside the chamber, which could be considered treasures, made even the experienced Karu and Boriz feel envious—a Ring of the Fire God and a Staff of Thunder.
Although Komer generously offered to give these two artifacts to Karu and Boriz, they politely declined. Firstly, though these artifacts were extremely valuable, they were not very useful for two people who dedicated their lives to studying light magic. More importantly, they did not want to incur the favor of this mysterious lord, whose guilt could not yet be completely ruled out.
The two judges, having achieved nothing in Ugru, seemed quite relaxed. They even outright refused Komer’s invitation to inspect Santiago and Matdan, heading straight from Ugru to Bahomon, then boarding a ship to travel up the Catania River to Rosenburg in the upper reaches. In their own words, the upper regions of the Catania River were the focus of their journey this time.
“Lord, I must admire your cleverness. Using a treasure to distract them is truly a masterful trick—no one can resist being attracted by those two items,” Rebrí said, his tone sincere rather than flattering, clearly showing his admiration for Komer’s plan.
“Mr. Rebrí, do we really need such formal language between us? If it weren’t for your earnest advice, I wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to devise this plan. I never expected your former companion to be so skilled, almost exposing all my plans,” Komer laughed lightly. It seemed even the weather in the Caucasus brightened after seeing the two judges leave.
“Hehe, wasn’t the famous defender of the Church of Light in the Berikli Cathedral once well-deserved in his reputation?” A complex expression appeared on Rebrí’s face again. “I never thought he would end up entering the gates of the Tribunal.”
“Mr. Rebrí, do you think we’ve passed this time?” Komer wasn’t very interested in learning about Rebrí and Karu’s past affairs. Having successfully sent away those two men who had come almost like demons wielding slaughter knives, he could now act boldly according to his own plan. The threat posed by the Knight of Reima would also diminish significantly with the departure of those two judges. Even the Inquisition judges had personally verified their identities—was there anything that could escape their scrutiny?
“Let’s consider it passed for now. To be honest, my lord, I’m not quite sure if my former colleague has undergone any changes over the years. This time everything seems quite perfect, without any flaws—everything is seamless. But I still feel that my former colleague seems a bit too easygoing. Maybe I’m just too sensitive, after all, it’s been ten years since I last had contact with him.”
Rebrí pondered for a moment before hesitantly expressing his true thoughts. Karu and Boriz had indeed left the Caucasus in front of him and Komer, without any abnormalities. Given Karu’s tenacious nature, something seemed off, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what. Was he too sensitive, or was there another reason? For the first time, Rebrí was unsure.
“Hehe, Mr. Rebrí, you’re overthinking it. But I respect your intuition. Uma and Mihajović won’t be returning to the Caucasus in the short term. I hope they can experience the rugged, primitive landscapes of the Cordillera Wasteland. Eliminating the plague of dragon monsters among the barbarians will also help them develop their ability to fight against nature. Don’t you think? As for here, I think everything should remain as it is for now, including everything in Damalsk Fortress. But it seems governance isn’t their concern. They have no objections to us enslaving half-orcs and barbarians. After all this time, I need to carefully consider these matters. For now, I’ll focus on these mundane affairs.”
Komer wasn’t convinced by Rebrí’s intuition, but out of respect, he took his words to heart.
The schooner set its sails and sailed straight upstream on the wide Catania River. Such an excellent waterway was eerily empty and quiet due to the Jellyfish People’s blockade. Although Caucasus had twice requested that the Jellyfish People increase the quota for ships traveling between the upper and middle reaches of the Catania River and Caucasus, both requests were rejected. The Jellyfish People remained wary of mortals traveling frequently on the Catania River. If it weren’t for the drugs provided by Caucasus, which could not be replicated, they would have torn up the navigation agreement long ago. Unfortunately, no matter how much they studied the ingredients of those drugs, they failed to achieve satisfactory results, forcing them to abide by the agreement despite their reluctance.
Boriz had long noticed something unusual about his companion, but during their time in Caucasus, his companion had acted very carefree. Apart from the unspoken understanding forged through their repeated collaborations, everything else seemed to be going smoothly. It wasn’t until the schooner had sailed more than ten miles away from Bahomun Harbor that Boriz noticed his companion’s expression darkening, with a hint of worry in it.
“Karu, you seem preoccupied,” Boriz said. He hated this gloomy atmosphere and finally couldn’t bear to break the silence.
With a long sigh, more wrinkles appeared on Karu’s face. “Boriz, I’m afraid you’ve guessed it correctly.”
“What have I guessed correctly?” Boriz asked, puzzled.
“There’s really a problem with Caucasus, and it’s quite serious. I’m afraid we won’t have peace for a while,” Karu said slowly, each word resonant.
“Huh?” Boriz, initially overjoyed, frowned again in surprise. “Karu, why do you always speak so hesitantly? How did I not notice any problems with Caucasus? Where exactly?”
“Hmm, you just didn’t pay attention. It’s in that treasure room,” Karu replied calmly.
“Is that so? I’ve searched thoroughly. Although there are some restrictions, if there were traces of dark magic inside, I’m sure I would have sensed it,” Boriz declared firmly.
“I didn’t find any traces either,” Karu said, still calm. “But I noticed the lord’s nervousness. He even subconsciously tried to gather his magical power. What does that mean?”
“You mean he wants to attack us?” Boriz couldn’t believe it.
“He should have known our identities from Rebrí. Even the fact that he voluntarily offered us those two artifacts shows he was prepared in advance. If it’s not the treasures in the vault that concern him, then why is he so nervous?” Karu retorted, “This only proves one thing: there is a secret behind this vault that we don’t know about, and both that lord and my former colleague seem determined to hide it from us. What could it be that deserves such great effort to conceal?”