Lin Gui grabbed the Holy Saintess's delicate, white wrist.
He focused all his concentration.
Carefully, he probed the lingering magical resonance in her palm that hadn't yet fully dissipated.
To the outside world, Lin Gui had always claimed to specialize in wind and earth magic.
But in reality, his mastery of dark magic was far more profound than the former two.
His self-created signature spell, 【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】, was built upon the foundations of dark magic.
The magical feedback from his fingertips was unmistakable.
It was indeed pure and peaceful dark mana; it couldn't be faked.
Lin Gui looked up, his gaze sharp as he stared directly into the Holy Saintess's purple eyes.
He asked a question that sounded almost absurd:
"You... can use light magic?"
As the Holy Saintess of the Holy Church of Light, where light magic was the very foundation of their faith.
Mastering light magic was practically common sense and a fact known to everyone.
Lin Gui's question seemed redundant at this moment.
But he couldn't be blamed.
It was truly because the Dark Healing technique she had just demonstrated was too bizarre, completely overturning common sense.
Lest he forget, not long ago, Lin Gui had relied on the universal belief that "dark and light magic cannot coexist in one person" to attempt to refute the conclusion that he was "Holy Saint Lin Gui."
The Holy Saintess gave a shallow smile.
She showed no dissatisfaction regarding Lin Gui's slightly disrespectful act of grabbing her.
She gently pulled her hand free from his grip and then held out her left palm.
Accompanied by a brief and clear chant.
A moment later, a soft and warm orb of light quietly materialized in her palm.
It was exactly the light-element novice magic, 【Glimmer】.
It was also the spell Lin Gui had used in the Royal Capital to disguise his identity as a "Holy Saint."
Lin Gui slowly let go, focusing his attention on her with a slight frown.
Having two mutually exclusive magical origins within one's body meant that as one's rank increased, the risk of mana rampage and subsequent death would grow exponentially.
According to research papers published by the Mage Association, it was theoretically possible to safely maintain such a state only up to the limit of Low-tier High Rank at most.
Lin Gui was only able to live and breathe while mastering multiple elemental magics entirely because of the system's help, which constantly mediated and sorted out the magical origins within him that were already "tangled like a mess of hemp."
Yet the Holy Saintess before him was able to achieve this level unharmed, and her rank clearly surpassed the theoretical safe limit.
Thus, the only explanation was...
She was a top-tier magical genius.
Lin Gui looked at Eve, his tone flat but carrying an unquestionable weight.
"Do not speak of Theia's identity to anyone."
Eve nodded with a smile and agreed.
She then asked, "Now, can I consider myself your companion?"
Her peripheral vision caught the staff dropped by the unconscious mage on the ground nearby.
With a thought, Lin Gui made the staff fly up smoothly and land in Eve's hand.
He didn't answer her question directly but asked one instead.
"Do you know 【Mana Restoration】?"
Mana Restoration was the signature spell of a Transcendent Priest.
Eve nodded again without saying more.
She held the staff and began chanting a more complex and lengthy incantation.
As she chanted, a clear blue glimmer flowed from the tip of the staff, gently enveloping Lin Gui.
Lin Gui immediately felt his mana, which had been depleted to less than 400, rapidly recovering at a rate of about 10 points per second.
His eyes brightened slightly.
The essence of 【Mana Restoration】 was for the caster to temporarily transfer their own refined mana to another mage.
If he had a Transcendent Rank practitioner assisting him from the side and providing mana, then Lin Gui's weakness of severely insufficient endurance as a High Rank mage would be greatly compensated for.
His confidence in dealing with the upcoming battle increased by another notch.
Feeling the mana rising within his body, Lin Gui said to Eve,
"If... you can survive this assassination attempt, could you tell me what you saw in the future?"
Eve looked at him with a strange smile.
"If I tell you the 'future' I saw, the 'beautiful future' you once had might cease to exist."
"Even so, do you still want to know?"
Lin Gui's expression remained unchanged as he replied calmly,
"The moment you took the initiative to find me, I think the 'future' I had already began to change."
Upon hearing this, Eve burst into laughter, her smile filled with realization and appreciation.
"It seems Mr. Lin Gui's understanding of Prophecy is even deeper than I imagined."
She tilted her head slightly, looking up at the still-bright sun in the sky, and said softly,
"If that is what you desire... then."
"As long as I can see the dawn of the next day, I will tell you everything you want to know..."
Her voice was gentle but carried a certain destiny-like weight.
"...Future 'Blood-Feathered Raven'."
At the same time, in that inconspicuous antique shop in the refugee district of the Seventh Ring in the Carter Royal Capital.
Under the dim light.
The old postmaster was leaning over a long table covered in black velvet.
He held special bone glue and small tweezers in his hands, his movements so gentle it was as if he were treating the most precious and fragile item in the world.
He was taking the shattered bone fragments belonging to the Hero Reinhardt and painstakingly piecing them back together, one by one, into their original positions.
His gaze was focused and solemn. Those calloused hands that had been stained with countless bloodstains were steady, without a hint of a tremor.
With every bone he joined, the deep sorrow buried in his eyes grew heavier.
Turbid tears overflowed from his eyes uncontrollably, trickling down the deep wrinkles on his face like carved lines, dripping onto the black velvet and leaving dark marks.
When the final finger bone was placed back in its position and the Hero's silhouette was revealed, he suddenly took two steps back.
With a "thud," his knees struck the cold floor heavily.
He bowed his hunched body deeply toward the reconstructed skeleton, his forehead pressed tightly against the ground.
"My Lord..."
"Your subordinate... the seventh leader of the Carter Kingdom's 'Blood Flame' Assassination Hall."
"Caleb... welcomes the return of the Hero, Lord Reinhardt!"
He remained in the kowtow position, his shoulders trembling slightly.
At this moment, he was not that formidable High-tier Legendary assassin hidden in the mundane world, but simply a grieving old soldier who had finally recovered the remains of the lord he served with loyalty.
A long while passed before he slowly raised his head, using his sleeve to roughly wipe the tear stains from his face. His gaze became firm and sharp once again.
"My Lord, I will take you home now... Her Majesty the Queen... has been waiting for you for... nearly ten thousand years."
He stood up, preparing to use the black silk he had ready to carefully wrap the reconstructed skeleton.
However, just then.
In a corner of the shop, a figure completely shrouded in a black robe materialized without warning.
It was the mysterious person who had contacted Caesar, the same Simon who had led Lin Gui to the shopkeeper.
And more importantly...
Simon reached up and peeled a mask off his face.
It was the Mask of a Thousand Illusions, a Legendary magic item capable of masking one's aura and changing one's appearance.
Compared to his previous appearance as a middle-aged, veteran adventurer, "Simon's" true face was that of a young man with eyes full of coldness.
If Elvia were here, she would certainly recognize him.
He was Elvia's second older brother, Warren Carter, the Second Prince of the Carter Kingdom.
The Second Prince was famous for being murderous among the upper circles of the Royal Capital. Although he was the least likely candidate in the struggle for the throne, he was the one most feared and dreaded.
It was he who had made Elvia the "Seventh" princess.
And yet, this noble, cold-faced prince who treated human life like grass among the capital's elites actually dropped to one knee before Caleb, lowering his head in a respectful posture.
He reported in the tone of a subordinate, "My Lord, the Saintess's hair has been delivered to Caesar as planned."
Caleb's movements in wrapping the remains didn't pause for a moment. He didn't even look up, merely letting out a low grunt from his throat.
"Mm."
"..."
After a long silence, Warren couldn't help but ask a question.
"My Lord, I don't understand why you would personally go there when the difference in strength is so vast."
"Warren, remember this: a lion uses its full strength even when hunting a rabbit. Moreover..."
Caleb sneered, a hint of excitement at the corner of his mouth.
"That kid isn't a rabbit; he's the lion doing the hunting."
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