Sword of Salvation-Chapter 115: - Farewell; Norwea

TWO days after Mariel brought Julia to reunite with her brother, Eolamoza was freed from the invasion. Stewart had also made it clear that General Rutherdof should withdraw the troops that had taken control of the villages and other small towns. At most, all Denland Kingdom’s soldiers would have returned to their territory within eleven days.

After watching Rutherdof and his entourage leave, Mariel immediately created a dimensional portal. Stewart’s two guards entered first. Stewart followed. Then Julia and Sean stepped in. Mariel was the last to enter. And in just a few milliseconds, the portal disappeared.

"That portal... how much prana did it consume?" Sean asked as Mariel stepped out of the portal. "In spatial magic, that counts as a mid-level spell. But spatial magic is one of the hardest, along with time magic, space-time magic, and the forbidden immortality magic. I haven’t studied spatial magic yet, but I’m curious about your portal, Mariel."

"I’ll tell you everything about my portal if you tell me a little about magic."

"I don’t mind," responded the blue-haired woman. "Is that okay, Miss Julia?"

"Sean and I will wait here," Mariel told Julia and Stewart. "I’m just a mercenary; there’s no need for me to come along. Besides, with you and your two guards there, you don’t need Sean to protect Julia. It’s fine if she stays with me, right?"

"Aren’t you worried that I might take the opportunity and force Athenia to submit?" Stewart asked. "Your most important duty is ensuring her safety, isn’t it?"

"I trust that Julia won’t let you do anything reckless. Right, Julia?"

Julia smiled and nodded, having no objections to playing that role.

Stewart said nothing. He simply turned and approached some servants who had come to welcome him. Julia assured Mariel that she would guarantee the security of the meeting, then quickly followed Stewart. Stewart’s two guards nodded at Mariel before turning to follow their leader.

Watching the four of them enter the palace, Mariel led Sean to a bench in the side garden of the palace. The blue-haired woman agreed, and they began talking about magic on the garden bench. More precisely, Sean explained magic to Mariel.

Magic was divided into two branches: elemental magic and non-elemental magic. A mage could only master one type of elemental magic, but they could learn as many non-elemental magic spells as they wanted.

"Just like you, Mariel, who has to convert prana into wind elements, we also have to convert prana into a specific element. Because of the unique properties of each element, converting prana from one element to another is nearly impossible. That’s why the headmaster of the magic academy where I studied is researching methods to train magic without starting from elemental magic."

To learn magic, one couldn’t start directly with non-elemental magic. There were four steps a mage had to master to become an expert:

The first step was to train prana control. The second step was to learn the 32 Etrucia letters to construct magic circles. The third step was to be able to use prana to write magic formulas on solid objects, liquids, and air. And the fourth step was to master at least one elemental magic spell.

"Memorizing the magic circle formula for each spell isn’t easy," Sean continued. "That’s why all mages have magic staffs. We store the spell formulas we’ve mastered inside our staffs. So when we cast a spell, we only need to activate the magic circle."

Mariel had never studied magic. Nor had he ever read any detailed magic books. So he had never heard this information before.

"Can you fight without a magic staff?" Mariel asked.

If mages couldn’t fight without their staffs, eliminating them would be extremely easy.

"I have only memorized eleven spells inside and out. I can activate them without taking much time to construct a magic circle. But my combat effectiveness would drop drastically. Still, I know what you’re thinking, Mariel. You must be wondering if we could be easily defeated just by destroying or stealing our magic staffs, right?"

Mariel nodded.

"That’s not entirely wrong," Sean continued. "But every mage who graduates from a magic academy is required to master basic-level sealing magic. We are mandated to store at least three spare magic staffs in a seal. I, myself, have seven spare staffs. If you destroy this one, I just have to pull out another."

"I just need to destroy them all."

"...."

Mariel spontaneously smiled when he saw Sean looking at him as if he had just made an unfunny joke.

"Say that again after you can destroy every magic staff owned by a mage of Medea Samareas’ caliber."

Mariel laughed at Sean’s flat response but didn’t comment further. Medea was a powerful mage. Mariel might have been able to snatch her wand three or four times, but beyond that, it would have been difficult. Medea wouldn’t have allowed her wand to be taken more than that—she wouldn’t have fallen for cheap tricks repeatedly. She would have fiercely protected her wand.

"Do you still have questions?" Sean asked after Mariel’s laughter died down.

"This is the last one. How long did you train until you could construct a magic circle with just your mind?"

"Eight months. The average person masters it in about fourteen months. So, I count as a talented mage."

Hearing that, Mariel wondered if he could surpass that eight-month mark. But he quickly erased that curiosity. He would try asking Medea to teach him magic from the basics once he arrived on the Southern Continent. For now, he didn’t need to think about magic too seriously.

"So, about that portal..."

Mariel then explained to Sean how his portal worked and the amount of mana he needed to connect one coordinate to another. Of course, he didn’t mention anything about his dimensional pocket. He had only said he would talk about the portal—nothing more.

"That’s far simpler than spatial magic," Sean commented. "And the mana consumption is really low. You have an incredible ability, Mariel."

As Sean spoke, Stewart and his entourage emerged from the palace doors. He was accompanied by Athenia and her two guards. Judging by their expressions, there was nothing to worry about. Athenia wasn’t foolish; Stewart wasn’t deceitful. They would be able to build a healthy relationship between their nations.

Mariel quickly stood up and invited Sean to approach them.

"I thought you’d take longer," Mariel said, starting the conversation.

"Given the empire’s state and the ongoing war, there wasn’t much we could agree on besides a peace treaty and an alliance on paper. Julia said King Maggio would visit Denland next month, so I plan to go there as well. I think we’ll be able to establish a more concrete cooperation then."

It was Athenia who responded. She looked like she wanted to add something but held back and remained silent.

"As Athenia said, there wasn’t much to agree on," Stewart added. "Ah, but we also agreed that neither side needs to compensate for each other’s losses."

"Even though you were the one who attacked and caused the chaos?" Mariel asked flatly. "At the very least, Denland should pay a minimum of 200 million escal as compensation and as a token of gratitude for Athenia’s major role in stopping the emperor and his allies."

Of course, Moskvallha wasn’t short on money. They needed building materials and food supplies more than wealth. But that wasn’t where Mariel was steering the conversation.

"The agreement is already made. Your words don’t mean much since you’re just a mercenary. Wasn’t it you who emphasized that yourself, Mariel?" Stewart didn’t wait for a reply. "But I’m not that heartless. I offer a solution. If Athenia agrees to marry me as a peace pledge between our nations, Denland will provide Moskvallha with 500 million escal for five consecutive years."

"You rejected that offer?" Mariel asked, eyes locked on Athenia with an intense gaze. "Putting aside Stewart’s hidden motives, you could draft a treaty ensuring he has no control over Moskvallha. One of your children would rule Denland, and another would rule Moskvallha. This is the right way to secure long-term peace."

For some reason, Athenia looked disappointed at Mariel’s words. But she didn’t voice it. She nodded, confirming that she had rejected the offer. She explained that the option wasn’t feasible—and emphasized that Moskvallha wasn’t lacking money. If Stewart insisted, he would have to choose one of her other sisters instead.

"It’s time for us to return to Norwea," Stewart said, not wanting to prolong the discussion. "Are you coming with us? You said you wanted to visit the Nine Gods’ Tower. I also have a special job for you."

"I’ll come, but not at the same time." Mariel’s gaze immediately shifted to Sean. "Sean, can you pick me up half an hour after you take them there?" he asked.

"No need. I can teleport them without leaving. I can wait here for you."

"That’s better."

With that, Stewart and his entourage bid farewell to Athenia. Stewart emphasized that she should seriously reconsider his offer. He revealed that he had to marry within a year—if not, the Norwean Palace Council would choose his wife for him. Stewart hoped to build a long-term relationship with Moskvallha; he wanted Athenia to decide before it was too late.

Two minutes later, Julia and her group had vanished within the teleportation magic circle. Mariel invited Athenia to talk at the garden bench. Sean waited while chatting with the empress’s two guards.

"It seems our time together ends here," Mariel began. "But as I promised, I’ll visit from time to time. So don’t lose sight of your goals. If you struggle, tell Oz. You can also seek King Maggio’s advice. I believe I’ve fulfilled our agreement. Now it’s your turn, Athenia."

Athenia said nothing for a while. Her gaze remained fixed on the flowers, which only consisted of three types.

"...Yeah." The murmur finally escaped Athenia’s lips after nearly ten minutes. "Now it’s my turn to fulfill our agreement. I’ll remember your words. I don’t want you to ruin this nation, so I have to achieve my goal. But, Mariel, if I succeed before ten years..."

Considering everything Mariel had done so far, considering the impression he had left on Athenia in such a short time, considering how indifferent he had seemed when discussing Stewart’s proposal earlier... Mariel could guess what Athenia was about to say.

"...I want you to settle in this city."

...That wasn’t what Mariel had guessed. It was a slightly unexpected request. But it wasn’t out of character for Athenia.

"That’s not a difficult request," Mariel responded. "But I can’t give you an answer right away. It depends on how this city turns out in the future. I’ll decide then. But at the very least, I’ll seriously consider it."

"That’s good enough. Ah, Mariel," Athenia locked eyes with him. "I also have some advice for you."

"I’m listening."

"Don’t toy with a woman’s heart too easily. If you do, one day, you’ll suffer because of them." Athenia then stood up and gave a faint smile. "No matter what you want to feel, no matter what curiosity you wish to satisfy, make sure you don’t stray from the right path. Never cross a line you shouldn’t cross. And lastly, Mariel, no matter what darkness consumes your heart, remember that even the smallest light will still shine."

With that, Athenia walked away. She didn’t look back; she didn’t say anything else. She returned to the palace with her two guards. Mariel was left alone on the garden bench, and Sean approached him.

"You’re frowning," the mage commented, but she didn’t ask why. "Shall we go?"