After a brief dinner and many impromptu laughs, Ilrune finally felt calm enough to read the article featuring him as the star.
[Wanted person's notice. Looking for a youthful elf over a century old. Their description is as follows: light eyes, blonde hair, and bright and cheery disposition. Wanted alive. Reward for being found: ten thousand seigneurs.]
"These fools." Ilrune tsked. "Using a description from my childhood won't help much. The estimated portrait isn't very accurate either. It's not the money, so are they too proud to ask for a shaman?"
Paper Ilrune stared at him, eyes slightly curving in mischief. He seemed to be mocking the real one.
"Yeah, right. Don't start laughing when you look nothing like the real me." Ilrune flicked his wrist.
Fshhh. In the blink of an eye, the newspaper curled up in flames and neatly burned to ashes.
"..."
Ilrune leaned back in his chair, blankly staring at the ceiling.
"This complicates things a bit. At least half of my plans are ineffective now..."
His eyes slid over to the brown paper bag he bought from the redhead pirate.
"It's not time yet but it won't hurt to be careful."
He stood up and reached for his leather case, taking out items. A used inkstone, a long, thin steel case, and a pouch containing two glass bottles, one empty and the other only a quarter full of a deep blue liquid, various herbs, and a mysterious liquid sealed in an iron bottle covered with engraved spells.
Ilrune set all of them down on the table, carefully arranging them in a sequence, starting with the inkstone.
After, what followed could only be described as a bizarre and ritual-like procedure.
He removed two herbs from the pouch and set them on the inkstone. The air rippled briefly, and the inkstone suddenly held finely ground herb powder instead of two plants.
Ilrune then opened the brown paper bag and pulled out a wooden box. Neatly placed inside were two bottles labelled Pufferfish Blood and other glass bottles containing various sea plants with fantastical names; Deep-Sea Flower, Crawling Wave, Corroded True Algae, and Blinking Seagrass.
He grabbed a bottle of pufferfish blood and poured it into the empty glass bottle he had previously taken out.
Then, he carefully transferred the contents of the inkstone to the bottle. The finely ground powder rashly moved inside the reddish liquid as if it had suddenly become sentient.
Finally, Ilrune reached for the sealed iron bottle.
As soon as he opened it, the temperature in the room dropped by several degrees. Shadows darkened, and the unshakeable feeling of being watched loomed over the room.
Unfazed, Ilrune carefully let a single drop of a blackish red liquid drip into the glass bottle. He then quickly closed the iron bottle, and the strange air disappeared.
The glass bottle shook uncontrollably for a few seconds before it stopped. Instead of being bloody red, the liquid slowly revealed a deep blueish colour.
"Now I have a backup dose." Ilrune smirked as he lightly shook the glass bottle.
***
The following morning.
"Why is it so busy in here?" Ilrune grumbled as he squeezed through a large crowd. "If someone sets off an explosive here it would rain blood."
As Ilrune attempted to traverse the sea of people, whispers and shouted arguments reached his ears.
"-How ambiguous!"
"To think this is the application requirement..."
"Quite suspicious, no?"
"How did the Adventurer's Guild even let this one pass?"
"-Right! Don't they seriously investigate high-risk commissions?"
"S-still, the pay is quite high and it's here so it's legit..."
"You fool! What use would the pay be once we find your dead body?!"
Seems like something's going on. A high-ranking commission usually doesn't garner that much attention.
He shuffled through the crowd, reaching a point where he could peer at the popular side of a commission board without being constantly pushed around.
[Looking for an experienced adventurer. Must be no taller than six feet two inches and no shorter than five feet ten inches. Must know a lot about plants. Buy three mackerels at the nearest stall if interested. Grade 1. Reward: one hundred couronnes.]
Five thousand seigneurs... High risk high reward? Grade 1 means that it's quite difficult, but nothing a solo-adventurer shouldn't be able to handle without proper preparations. However, the requirements...
"What's next? Must know how to exorcize five demons while swallowing five swords?" Ilrune laughed quietly. "Well, if it's their commission, it makes sense that it's so convoluted."
"My target fell into my hands without me having to do anything... I've really got to thank my lucky stars."
"Alright, let's take this commission."
***
Despite its name, Welxorth Academy of Thought and Mana wasn't much of a philosophical or ethical institution. In exchange for substantial tuition money, it accepted noble children with talent and raised them into outstanding members of the Empire. It was an independent party, and thus the novice political grounds of the future leaders of the Lurene Continental Association.
"Is it because this is Lurene's main branch that the building seems shinier than the others?"
Ilrune stood before the large, almost cathedral-like institution.
The building seemed carved out of ivory, confidently reflecting the sunlight, with tasteful decorations engraved on the sides of its large archway. Even the gateway was made with elegance.
Above the proud building stood the Bell Tower, which seemed to stare down at the visitors with its impressive, large bronze bell looking ready to let out a fierce roar at any moment. The bell was engraved with an emblem commonly associated with the organization:
"A golden feather stuck through a book like a persistent arrow." Ilrune said, disgruntled.
What a waste of money. This place looks like it'll topple over with a light explosion spell.
Noticing a nearby guard's strange look, he quickly ducked under the gateway and into the main yard.
Ilrune stared straight ahead as he passed the lush gardens.
Initially, I planned on infiltrating this place during a public event. Of course, this would take place in a span of a few months. I'd have a complete ID, a place of residence, and even a temporary job. A completely normal citizen visiting an academy.
Only Welxorth has what I'm looking for.
A shadow of a smile formed on Ilrune's lips as he thought back on the commission.
Using high grade paper, looking for people with academic knowledge, promising so much money... are there many individuals in Vilste capable of doing that?
The Royal Palace doesn't need a flashy commission such as this. The military isn't looking for people with botanic knowledge. What's left? The Welxorth Academy.
If I can get hired, this is basically a free pass inside the buildings.
In order to get that, I need to give it my all.
Fuelled by his ambitions, Ilrune walked with determination.
"Let's see. The dean's office is... through the main entrance, up two flights of stairs and straight ahead."
The inside was just as, if not more prestigious than, the outside. Carefully carved marble and exquisite paintings, the founder of the academy spared no expense to build a place untouched by time in both material and aesthetic, even a few hundred years later.
Ignoring the various decorations and paintings, Ilrune headed straight for the main staircase.
A short hallway opened in the opposite direction of the stairs where a fine painting hung at the end, depicting an open book with all sorts of mysterious knowledge flying from its pages. Looking at it made one's head hurt, as if the brain was subconsciously absorbing knowledge.
This is...
"Are you looking for the dean's office?" a smooth, baritone voice offered the answer Ilrune had also been reaching.
Are people nowadays so rude? What if I had attacked him?
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," the stranger said, stepping beside Ilrune and holding his hand out. "Professor Aurio Ettore."
Standing at approximately six feet, he was dressed like a gentleman: tasteful dark suit, tie and blazer. A mop of messily styled brown hair framed his plain, Lurenean features. However, upon second glance, the stranger's hazel eyes seemed to hold hidden charm and illuminate his face, making him more handsome than he initially appeared to be.
Hm. Not bad, actually. I can see why he was hired.
"Yes, hello," Ilrune smiled as he shook Aurio's hand. "To answer your previous question, yes I am."
"I see!" the latter smiled genially, gesturing towards the painting. "It's pretty easy to get in. You need to infuse mana into the painting, then step through it. At first, it might feel weird but it should not be diffcult."
As I suspected. Also, this guy is very cheerful. Like... a dog.
Ilrune's lips pursed as he mentally conjured an image of a dog to compare.
"I appreciate your guidance," he thanked Aurio smoothly.
"Aurio!" A sweet, female voice called from down the hall. "The students are waiting for you!"
"I apologize, I have to make haste," the man being called laughed and patted Ilrune's shoulder. "Good luck with your meeting, sir!"
Ilrune stood in silence as he watched the departing Aurio join a short blonde teacher who was quite well dressed and exuded an air of charm.
A level 6 mage as teacher... The students should feel lucky.
His gazed landed on the book painting again.
Well, nothing to lose. I need to be hired for the commission at all cost, after all.
Ilrune reached his hand out through the painting. As he passed through, the usual cold and sticky feeling of a spatial distortion device washed through his body.
As always, this is extremely unpleasant... perfume?
Interrupted by the overwhelming stench of perfume and dazed by the smell, his thoughts momentarily halted.
Why am I... smelling so much perfume? Heliotrope, rose, sweetshrub... There are so many underlying notes. I can't distinguish them all.
"Don't look dumbfounded. Come sit here," a frosty, flat voice sounded.
The invitation sounded more like an order, and reflexively, Ilrune walked towards the mahogany desk and sat in one of the plush chairs opposite it.
'No, this is more than stunned reflex.'
He felt his throat dry as Welxorth's dean leaned towards him. The air surrounding him froze, and even ice began forming on the office table.
"You are here to accept my commission, correct?"
My mana is being suppressed by hers.
"You must be fully confident in your ability to fulfill my requirements if you're here."
This woman...
Pale, almost greyish skin, framed by a waterfall of straight, dark purplish hair. Her freezing lilac eyes stood out, daring anyone to oppose them.
"Pretend to be one of my teachers."
She's an archmage.