Chapter 18 – A Visitor from the Empire
Wolfwood – The Castle's Magic Laboratory
Master Florian's laboratory looked as if a century's worth of magical experiments had exploded inside it. The massive oak table—scarred by countless trials over the years—was once again buried under scattered parchments, glass vials, crystals, and half‑finished notes. At its center lay the cursed power‑necklace crafted from the heart of an evil dragon. Its dark, pulsing energy seemed to thicken the very air around it.
Between towering piles of books worked two figures: Young Wolf, and beside him the astral copy of the mage who had served the heroes a thousand years ago—Magical Staff Elisabeth, known simply as MS Eli. Both were deeply absorbed in their research, hunting page after page for anything that could help purify the dark energy.
They were so lost in their work that neither noticed Noelle had brought them pastries and coffee an hour earlier. The coffee had long since gone cold, and the pastries were turning to stone.
The silence finally broke when Eli snapped a page shut with irritation.
"Where is that old geezer all day?"
Andras didn't even look up, just turned another page before sighing.
"He's been teaching Carla politics all week. As the new head of House Wolfwood, my mother has to learn everything—from regional governance to noble etiquette. At least she won't be bored anymore."
Eli raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you the new head of the house?"
"Officially, yes," Andras said, closing the book. "But I don't have time for that. I have far more important missions."
"Saving the world?" Eli asked dryly.
"For example."
Andras shut the book he'd been reading with a frustrated thud.
"Damn it… nothing useful in this one either."
Eli glanced at the necklace, then back at him. "I was afraid of that. Without the light element, we can't convert the evil energy into pure energy. What now? Should we capture the Hero and steal her power?"
Andras looked up at her, torn between laughing and slamming his head into the table.
"You can't be serious."
"Hmmm…" Eli tapped her chin. "Then what about Aurelyndra?"
"She insisted on staying close to Fireburp. She moved from Greenwood Forest to the Forest of Wolves."
Eli's eyes lit up. "Then once Fireburp returns from the capital, she can reunite with the Golden Stag. The resulting Golden Dragon's light element should be strong enough to purify the evil dragon's power."
"In theory, yes," Andras agreed. "Any other ideas?"
"Well, if we're talking theory…" Eli pulled another book toward her. "There's still the Holy City. It belongs to the Empire now, but it kept its independence."
"You think the High Priestess of Goddess Neptune might possess a fragment of the light element?" Andras asked.
"I know nothing about the current High Priestess," Eli admitted. "But a thousand years ago, the High Priestess had healing powers equal to Robin the Hero."
Andras ran his fingers through the dark aura hovering above the necklace. "Uriel can only bless one soul with the light element. Could there be a magical artifact in the Holy City connected to the former heroes?"
"If we consider that the Golden Stag also carries a fragment of Robin's light…" Eli said slowly. "Then yes, it's possible the High Priestesses inherited the use of the light element from past heroes. It could be a sacred artifact… or a magical creature."
Andras leaned back with a sigh. "No point overthinking it now. We're just guessing. My imperial grandfather arrives next week. If we can form a strong alliance with him, we'll gain free access to the Empire."
"And then we can visit the Holy City," Eli concluded.
"Exactly."
As the two mages slowly drifted away from their experiments and toward matters of the Empire, the laboratory door opened quietly. A third mage entered—or rather, someone who was half‑mage, half‑maid: Noelle. The girl stepped gracefully between the scattered piles of books, as if chaos were her natural habitat.
"I've cleaned the magic cauldron you brought from Greenwood," she announced, placing the cloth she'd been holding onto a table.
Andras looked up from his book. "Wasn't another maid supposed to clean it as punishment?"
"She was," Noelle sighed. "But the moment she smelled the cauldron, she threw up into it."
Eli snorted. "What a reliable maid. Instead of cleaning it, she made it even filthier."
"I figured it was punishment enough that she had to smell it at all," Noelle replied. "I don't know what kind of creature you fermented in there, Eli, but I had to wash it ten times with water magic. From a distance. So I wouldn't smell it."
"That wasn't my monster brew, that was Floralys'," Eli shot back. "If you want to complain, complain to that piss‑soaked fairy."
Noelle's gaze drifted to the cold coffee by Andras's elbow. "You haven't even drunk your coffee, Young Wolf! You can't get this absorbed in experiments, no matter how fun they are. Take a break."
"Yeah, let's go train a bit," Andras stretched. "Then we'll continue."
Eli looked at him with longing. "Times like this make me hate not having a physical body yet. I want to feel the joy of movement too!"
"Hold on a little longer," Andras patted her shoulder. "We'll go to the Empire soon and check out the slave market."
Noelle narrowed her eyes. "The Princess better pay back what she owes me before we leave."
Eli tilted her head. "How much does she owe you?"
"One hundred and fifty gold."
Eli whistled. "You could open your own inn with that. Why spend it on a slave?"
"Because I don't have a hundred hands," Noelle replied simply.
"You can always bring new girls from the orphanage to work as maids," Andras pointed out.
"I need a combat slave with a magical element. We haven't found anyone like that in the orphanage."
Andras smiled, his voice unexpectedly soft. "Well… I've told you many times already, but meeting you—a half‑elf girl—in that orphanage was the Goddess's gift. And there won't be another gift like that."
The half‑elf maid's face instantly turned as red as a Fire Dragon's scale. Flustered, she grabbed the cold coffee and drank it in one gulp without thinking.
"Hey! That was my coffee," Andras said.
"I'll make a fresh one!" Noelle blurted, then spun around and ran out of the laboratory.
Eli watched her go with a wide grin. "You really know how to prune wild roses."
"What?" Andras blinked. "I've never pruned roses in my life."
"You're as dense as Robin was."
"I would've drunk the coffee cold too."
"Idiot!" Eli snapped.
The two mages finally decided it was time for a break. After the stuffy air of the laboratory, the fresh breeze in the castle courtyard felt like a small miracle.
While Young Wolf trained under the blazing sun—lifting weights, swinging swords, shields, and anything else he could get his hands on—Eli settled under the shade of a tree and immersed herself in The Legend of the Three Swordmasters. They had bought the book in Greenwood from a local bookseller and painter, and Eli seemed to enjoy every line.
Andras's training lasted about an hour, which meant Eli's reading time did too. When he finished, he walked over to her and wiped the sweat from his forehead and eyebrows with a small towel. Summer heat was merciless—especially during knight training, even if "training" in this case meant mostly weightlifting and physical conditioning.
Andras dropped down beside Eli after finishing his training, tossing the towel over his shoulder. The mage was still hunched over the book, completely absorbed in the story.
"So, where are you in the book?" Andras asked as he caught his breath. "Did you learn anything about that Istvan guy?"
Eli slowly closed the book, keeping a finger between the pages so she wouldn't lose her place.
"I'm only halfway through," she said. "But I have to admit, the heroes from five hundred years ago had a pretty exciting team. Those three swordmasters were the backbone of the group. Arthur was the chosen hero, but according to the bard's scribbles, he wasn't the clear leader like Robin is in our time. The three of them were equals. None of them commanded the others, and they were incredibly synchronized and balanced."
"Sounds good," Andras nodded.
Eli shot him a sideways glance. "You like giving orders. You're more like Robin than Arthur."
"What are you talking about?" Andras raised an eyebrow. "I'm not even part of the hero's team."
"You've already assembled a team that's missing only the hero," Eli waved dismissively. "Meanwhile Eris doesn't even have a team. The current hero is a joke. Anyway, back to the book: Arthur was a Dragon Knight. Even I was impressed that a dragon shared its dragon‑heart with him."
"Do we know what kind of dragon it was?" Andras asked, rubbing the back of his neck with the towel.
"Yes. Her name was Meteora, a female Fire Dragon."
"Hm… interesting."
"And not just her," Eli continued. "The stupid bard also imagined himself as part of the team, even though he was just dead weight. But besides him, they also picked up a beast‑warrior. A snow‑tiger beastman they met in the northernmost part of the Empire."
"Snow tiger?" Andras perked up. "So he used ice element?"
"Yes. But he wasn't a swordsman—he used a massive double‑headed axe. His favorite weapon."
"Maybe he thought he was a Minotaur?" Andras grinned.
"He got that axe after defeating a Minotaur," Eli explained. "It was a magical weapon, so the axe adjusted its size to its new user."
"Really? What happened to the axe?"
"How should I know? I'm only halfway through the book," Eli snapped. "This sword‑wielding maiden, Sakura of the Dryveil—nickname Sakura Dry—was really my best friend on the Sky Island?"
"Of course!" Andras laughed. "You two were practically inseparable."
"I see," Eli murmured, glancing back at the book. "I really like this girl based on the description. She would've been great in my team too. And it wasn't just me—Arthur and Istvan liked her as well. The bard noticed immediately. I think Sakura was the only one who didn't. According to the bard, anyway."
Eli flipped another page and continued:
"What's also interesting is that halfway through the book, they still don't have a single mage in their team. If it turns out they defeated the Demon King without a mage, I'll eat my mage hat."
"Then you can start chewing," Andras smirked. "My master told me back on the Sky Island that they didn't have a mage."
Eli slammed the book shut in outrage. "Why the hell did you have to spoil that? What are you, a maid?"
"That's what you get for not letting me read the book until you finish it."
"Now I'm going to read it even slower out of spite."
"Really?" Andras asked with a grin. "Too bad the exciting battles against the demon generals are coming up next."
"Damn it!" Eli growled and dropped the book back into her lap.
"But you still didn't answer my original question," Andras continued. "What did you learn about Istvan Blackguard?"
"Almost nothing," Eli sighed. "He's a mysterious figure. According to the bard, he was as strong as Arthur. A black knight from some secret knight order."
"A secret knight order?" Andras repeated. "What kind of order are we talking about?"
"How should I know? That's why it's secret."
"Didn't your era have secret knight orders?"
"Honestly?" Eli looked up. "Never. That's why I'm dying to know if the rest of the book reveals anything about them. Or if that order still exists today."