102: Chapter 73 Pilireno’s Invitation 102: Chapter 73 Pilireno’s Invitation Leaning on the rooftop tiles, the young man with golden hair and eyes hugged his legs, silently observing the ocean of celebration within the courtyard of the distant castle, where foreign servants were reveling.
The faint sounds of strings, flutes, and drumbeats seemed to carry Kovis’s memory back to the distant past.
The sea breeze brushed his face, and his golden hair fluttered in the wind.
The young man lifted his face, staring blankly at the white seabirds gliding across the sky.
Listening to their free cries as they soared into the blue yonder, the young man couldn’t help but gently stroke his neck, his fingertips caressing the bright red Demon Rune.
Closing his eyes, Kovis enjoyed the rare peace of undisturbed quiet during his “master’s” brief absence for the banquet.
But the moment of relaxation was fleeting, as Kovis knew there was work he needed to finish.
As Pilireno’s “Magic Slave” and half an apprentice, the young man was required every day to complete many tedious tasks his “master” was too lazy to waste time on.
Whether it was inspecting the operation of the Guarding Techniques around him or replenishing the magic power for the Sealing Technique preserving the Griffin Eggs…
With other Imperial Mages and apprentices having already gone to various parts of Kantadar, only he was left in the empty embassy to handle these affairs.
Expecting help from the legion Soldiers outside the doors, who knew nothing about magic, was certainly out of the question.
Leaving the rooftop, the young man walked out of the large house in the courtyard, strolling along the magical Technique nodes set upon the courtyard paths.
The inner circle inspection complete, all normal, he proceeded to check the outer circle.
Soon, following the wall surrounding the courtyard, Kovis, as usual, came across the figure of Elena by the statue in the backyard.
Over the past half month, she had almost daily sought solitude here, more frequently than in the first month she came.
But today’s lady, although her eyes were still red as if she had cried, seemed more relaxed than usual, with a glow on her face.
Even the smile she gave him in greeting was devoid of the usual strain, as if she had shed some heavy burden on her mind.
Kovis, watching Elena’s figure return to the large house, also felt his mood unwittingly lift a bit.
He turned to continue with his work inspecting the Guarding Techniques.
But when the young man reached the spot where Elena had just been, he stopped in astonishment.
The flow of magic power on the wall seemed slightly amiss.
Lifting his hand, he rotated his palm toward the hidden location beneath the bricks of the castle wall.
Drawing a circular screen of magic power, the young man made the Technique Demon Rune at that spot visible before his eyes.
It wasn’t an illusion!
The originally complete Demon Rune path looked as if a part had been cut out, abruptly ending right at its current location.
Kovis shockingly dragged the flowing light screen before him, exploring where the Demon Rune had vanished as he walked.
It was only after covering some distance that he saw the other similarly severed end of the Demon Rune.
Was this due to neglect, leading to natural damage to the Technique beneath the wall?
The Guardian Techniques of the embassy courtyard were arranged by several genuine “Official Position Mages.”
Those high-ranking Mage Masters were not incompetents like his “master” Pilireno; such carelessness was inconceivable.
Moreover, Kovis remembered clearly, up until yesterday’s patrol, the Techniques in the courtyard remained intact, without the slightest sign of irregularity in the Demon Runes.
This had to be the work of someone.
Yet, the sight before him was puzzling.
How could such sensitive Guardian Magic, despite being significantly interfered with and distorted to the point that a large portion of the exterior magic power circuit was missing, not only fail to trigger an alarm but also continue to operate smoothly?
Kovis dismissed the magic power scope from his hand, his delicate brows frowning tightly in thought.
The golden-haired young man shook his head inwardly.
Had that poor lady possessed such skill, she wouldn’t have ended up relegated to being a gift from the Kantadar nobles to his own Family Head in the first place.
Kovis looked up at the stretch of wall now devoid of magical protection.
After many years of stillness, his heart couldn’t help but stir with unusual restlessness.
…Who exactly had been here?
And why did this tearing in the Techniques coincide with the place Elena had frequently been alone to vent her sorrow?
Rushing back to the celebration outside the castle, Leon weaved through the bustling festivities and finally found Lokhak, who was still eagerly searching through the crowd.
Approaching his companion, he pulled Lokhak to a secluded corner without explanation, “I’ve found your sister.”
Lokhak’s pupils quivered with surprise.
He nearly jumped, grabbing Leon’s shoulders as his voice raised uncontrollably, “Is she okay?
No, no, wrong—let’s hurry and plan to get her out!”
Leon observed his friend’s overwhelming excitement and waited for Lokhak to catch his breath and calm down a bit before continuing with a serious face, “She’s in the Atiyas people’s embassy.
She looks to be in decent shape by her complexion, at least her living conditions are acceptable.
I didn’t see any injuries on your sister.”
After exhaling, he reluctantly shared the bad news, “There’s a small path that leads to her, but that’s just to see her.
To rescue her, we will need to find another way.”
Is the guarding at that black-robed compound really tight?”
Lokhak looked at his friend’s grave expression, and a sense of unease began to swell within him.