Lin Gui grabbed the Holy Saintess's delicate, fair wrist.
He concentrated all his focus.
Carefully, he sensed the residual traces of mana that had not yet fully dispersed from her palm.
To the outside world, Lin Gui had always claimed to specialize in wind and earth magic.
In truth, however, his mastery of dark magic was far deeper than either of those.
The foundation of his self-created signature spell, 【Shroud of the Gloomy Night】, was built entirely upon dark magic.
The feedback of mana transmitting from his fingertips was unmistakable.
It was indeed pure and calm dark mana; there was no faking it.
Lin Gui looked up, his sharp gaze staring directly into the Holy Saintess's purple eyes.
He asked a question that sounded almost absurd:
“You... know how to use Holy Light magic?”
As the Holy Saintess of the Holy Church of Light, whose very foundation was built upon Holy Light magic, her mastery of Holy Light magic was practically a given, a fact known to everyone.
Lin Gui's question at this moment seemed entirely redundant.
But he couldn't be blamed.
It was simply because the Dark Healing spell she had just displayed was far too bizarre, completely overturning common sense.
Lest it be forgotten, not too long ago, Lin Gui had even utilized the common knowledge that dark and Holy Light magic cannot coexist in the same person to try to disprove the conclusion that he was the 'Holy Saint Lin Gui.'
The Holy Saintess smiled faintly.
She did not show any displeasure at Lin Gui's somewhat rude behavior of grabbing her.
Gently, she pulled her hand from Lin Gui's grip and spread open her left palm.
Following a brief and clear chant, a soft, warm sphere of light quietly materialized in her palm a moment later.
It was precisely the novice light spell, 【Glimmer】.
It was also the very spell Lin Gui had used back in the Royal Capital to disguise his identity as the 'Holy Saint.'
Lin Gui slowly let go of her hand, staring intently at her with a slight frown.
Harboring two mutually exclusive magical origins within one's body, the risk of mana going out of control and causing death would increase exponentially as one's rank increased.
According to research papers publicly published by the Mage Association, the theoretical limit for safely maintaining such a state was at most the Low-tier High Rank.
The reason Lin Gui himself could run around perfectly fine while mastering multiple elemental magics was entirely dependent on the help of his system, which constantly harmonized and untangled the magical origins within him that had already become a chaotic mess.
Yet the Holy Saintess before him had actually managed to do this completely unharmed.
And her rank clearly exceeded the theoretical safety limit.
Then, 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 a word about Theia's identity.”
Eve nodded with a smile, agreeing to his request.
She then asked, “Now, can I consider myself your companion?”
From the corner of her eye, she glanced at the staff dropped on the ground by the unconscious mage.
With a thought from Lin Gui, the staff floated up steadily and landed in Eve's hand.
Instead of answering her directly, he asked in return,
“Do you know 【Mana Restoration】?”
【Mana Restoration】 was the signature spell of a Transcendent Priest.
Eve nodded again without saying more.
Holding the staff, she began to chant 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 four hundred points, now rapidly recovering at a rate of about ten points per second.
His eyes lit up 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 Mage supporting him from the side and feeding him mana, then Lin Gui's weakness as a High Rank mage—his severely lacking stamina—would be greatly compensated for.
His confidence in handling the upcoming battle naturally increased by another margin.
Feeling the mana rising within him, Lin Gui said to Eve,
“If... you can survive this assassination attempt, will you tell me the future you saw?”
Eve looked at him with a strange, faint smile:
“If I tell you the 'future' I saw, the 'bright future' you were meant to have might cease to exist.”
“Even so, do you still want to know?”
Lin Gui's expression remained unchanged as he replied flatly,
“The moment you actively sought me out, I believe the 'future' I possessed had already begun to change.”
Hearing this, Eve let out a soft laugh, her smile carrying a hint of understanding and appreciation.
“It seems Mr. Lin Gui's understanding of Prophecy is even deeper than I imagined.”
She looked up slightly at the sun, which was still shining brightly in the sky, and spoke softly.
“If this is what you desire... then,”
“as long as I can see tomorrow's dawn, I will tell you everything you want to know...”
Her voice was gentle, yet it carried a weight akin to destiny.
“...Future 'Blood-Feathered Raven'.”
Meanwhile, inside that inconspicuous antique shop in the Seventh Ring refugee district of the Carter Royal Capital, under the dim, yellow light, the old shopkeeper was leaning over a long table covered in black velvet.
In his hands, he held a special bone glue and a pair of tiny tweezers.
His movements were so gentle, as if he were handling the most precious and fragile object in the world, as he painstakingly pieced the shattered bone fragments belonging to the Hero Reinhardt back into their original positions.
Piece by piece, he carefully assembled them.
His gaze was focused and solemn.
Those calloused hands, which had once been stained with countless bloodstains, were so steady that they did not tremble in the slightest.
With every bone he joined, the grief buried deep in his eyes grew heavier.
Turbid tears welled up uncontrollably in his eyes, streaming down the deep, knife-carved wrinkles on his face and dripping onto the black velvet, leaving dark, damp spots.
When the final phalanx bone was placed back in its spot, revealing the silhouette of the Hero, he suddenly took two steps back.
With a thud, his knees crashed heavily onto the cold floor.
He bowed his hunched body deeply toward the assembled skeleton, pressing his forehead tightly against the ground.
“My Lord...”
“Your subordinate... the seventh leader of the Carter Kingdom's 'Blood Flame' Assassination Hall,”
“Caleb... welcomes the Hero, Lord Reinhardt... home!”
He remained in a prostrate position, his shoulders trembling slightly.
At this moment, he was not the terrifying High-tier Legendary assassin hidden in the mundane world.
He was merely a grieving old soldier who had finally recovered the remains of the lord he had sworn his loyalty to.
Only after a long time did he slowly lift his head.
He roughly wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve, his gaze turning firm and sharp once more.
“My Lord, your subordinate will take you... home. The Queen... has been waiting for you for... nearly ten thousand years.”
He stood up, preparing to use the black silk he had readied beforehand to carefully wrap the assembled skeleton.
However, right at that moment, in the corner of the shop, a figure entirely shrouded in a black robe materialized without warning.
It was the mysterious person who had contacted Caesar.
He was also Simon, who had guided Lin Gui to find the shopkeeper.
And more than that...
Simon reached up and tore off a mask from his face.
It was a Legendary magic item capable of concealing one's presence and changing one's appearance—the Mask of a Thousand Illusions.
Compared to his previous appearance of a seasoned, middle-aged adventurer, 'Simon's' true face was that of a cold, sharp-eyed young man.
If Elvia were here, she would have recognized him instantly.
He was none other than Elvia's second older brother, Warren Carter, the Second Prince of the Carter Kingdom.
The Second Prince was notorious for his bloodthirstiness among the upper echelon of the Royal Capital.
Although this prince was the dark horse among the top contenders for the throne, he was also the most feared and dreaded.
It was he who had made Elvia the 'Seventh' Princess.
Yet, this cold-faced prince of noble status, who slaughtered people like flies in the upper districts, actually dropped to one knee before Caleb, bowing his head in a highly respectful manner.
He reported in the tone of a subordinate,
“My Lord, the Holy Saintess's hair has been delivered to Caesar as planned.”
Caleb's movements in wrapping the skeleton did not pause for even a second.
He didn't even raise his head, merely letting out a low grunt from his throat.
“Mm.”
...
After a long silence, Warren couldn't help but ask,
“My Lord, I do not understand. Since the gap in strength is so vast, why must you go there in person?”
“Warren, remember, even when a lion hunts a rabbit, it uses all its strength. What's more...”
Caleb sneered, a trace of excitement playing at the corner of his mouth.
“That kid is no rabbit. He is the lion doing the hunting.”
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