Chapter 32: The Calm Before the Storm

The raindrops patter rhythmically, falling freely from the sky to shatter against the earth in a spray of mist; the window stands like a wall, cleaving the world into two distinct realms of interior and exterior.

It has been nearly twelve months since the height of last summer, and though the weather is hardly frigid, there is no need to kindle a hearth within the room.

Avia sits at the head of the bed, studiously poring over a small booklet in her hands, its pages dense with handwritten notes in a script both elegant and precise—far superior to Wang Yu’s own.

She cannot recall when it began, but she has been influenced by Wang Yu, finding herself drawn to the habit of keeping handwritten records.

In her own words, this method of logging and calculating is far more effective than relying on the pages of a grimoire.

Wang Yu leans his back against the wall beneath the window, checking the contents of his leather armor’s various pouches.

From his pack, he retrieves several vials the size of a palm, filled with a pale green liquid containing visible, flocculent sediment.

He pulls a paper packet from his gear, carefully portioning out the red powder within, tipping it into the vials, and giving them a gentle shake.

The powder dissolves rapidly into the liquid; he invokes a minor spell, and a small flame flickers to life in his hand, heating the base of the glass vial to a precise temperature.

With a soft swirl, the powder melts into the liquid under the heat of the flame.

The color of the mixture shifts—from green to yellow, then flushing with a hint of red, until it takes on a hue like skin, before finally solidifying into a firm mass.

Satisfied, he extinguishes the flame, cracks open the glass, and extracts several cylindrical sticks that resemble candle wicks.

"How is it? Does it look like the incense used in this manor?" Wang Yu inspects them with satisfaction and holds them up for Avia, who is sitting upright on the bed, absorbed in her notes.

"Yes, it is virtually identical. If they aren't replaced, this should be a perfect deception," Avia says, scrutinizing the "incense" in his hand with earnest focus.

"I never thought I had a talent for alchemy, but it seems I’m quite adept when it comes to herbs," Wang Yu muses, shaking his head as he begins to repeat the process of preparing more.

"After all, alchemists are a haughty lot. It’s only natural they’d look down on pharmacology, which they view as nothing more than tossing a mess of random things together and shaking them about."

"Naturally, they’ve kicked pharmacology right out of the alchemical curriculum," Avia says, watching Wang Yu with a faint, amused smile as he meticulously blends the incense.

"Aren't you an alchemist yourself?" Wang Yu asks, his hands never pausing as he chats idly with her.

"Can’t I be an exception?" Avia asks, not looking up from her booklet.

"You are certainly an exception," Wang Yu nods.

"How so?" Avia keeps her face turned toward her notes.

"First of all, you’re a genius, far beyond any ordinary alchemist."

"Furthermore, I see no arrogance in you. As the saying goes, weakness is not the original sin—arrogance is. In short, you are nothing but virtues!"

Wang Yu speaks with utter sincerity, meanwhile neatly arranging the finished incense sticks into a small iron box.

"Sigh, should I be happy about that..." Avia sighs softly, shielding her flushed face with the pages of her book—a response that is, predictably, very much in Wang Yu’s style.

"I think I’d be happy if I had so many virtues," Wang Yu chuckles.

The atmosphere in the room is pleasant; if one were to ignore the impending conflict and the dangers that lie ahead, it might have been a wonderful summer night of rain.

But alas, what is to come and what must be faced ensures this summer night will be far from perfect.

"I’ll head out to scout the manor now. With that invisibility scroll and my ripple-sense, I should be able to completely bypass their eyes."

"Once the incense is swapped and I locate your mother’s general position, everything should go smoothly." Wang Yu continues his work, discussing the next steps of the operation.

"Just be careful. Mother should be able to receive the message you send through the ripples," Avia says, setting her booklet aside.

"It will certainly work. The next step is to use the meditation technique that allows us to see each other’s mental sanctums to find her."

"It’s a pity we lack precise instruments for triangulation; otherwise, two meditations would be enough to pinpoint her location," Wang Yu says with a touch of frustration, knowing the coming task remains fraught with complications.

Avia pauses when he mentions precise instruments, as if she has a question, but she remains silent, listening intently to his words.

"If the plan goes well, you’ll be facing your uncle alone while I deal with the mercenaries. That shouldn't be a problem, right? That room is eerie, and it seems your uncle won't be leaving it anytime soon."

"It won't be a problem. Don't you underestimate me, Wang Yu." The girl puffs out her cheeks and flexes her slender arm into a muscle pose; surprisingly, a few lines of muscle are indeed visible.

"Wow, not bad! You actually took my advice to heart," Wang Yu raises an eyebrow, glancing at her arm, surprised she had truly been training.

"It was all that talk of yours—that a good mage must be fast, jump high, and be strong, and even without mana, be able to smash an enemy’s skull with an iron-headed staff just like Rebecca."

The girl spreads her palms, gesturing that she lacks a staff and cannot smash any skulls at the moment.

"Very good. How many mages would actually listen to that?"

He means every word. A good mage, if they can run faster and possess more strength, will inevitably have a higher survival rate against all manner of attacks.

He has never looked down on Avia; her destructive power is something ten of him could not match. He only occasionally worries about her ability to handle direct combat.

Now that Avia has been training, he can rest much easier.

Under the spells of Wind’s Protection, Rock-Solid Will, and Giant’s Blessing—all of which he strongly insisted she learn—any enemy who underestimates Avia will pay a heavy price.

"You must have noticed the peculiarities of that room. With my limited ripple-vision, I saw several well-hidden statues inside. The special energy they emitted suppressed my connection to the Void... that must be an Evil God."

Wang Yu shifts the topic back to Decathlon. He had originally intended to intervene in these affairs under the guise of the Night’s Edge, never expecting to encounter something truly related to such entities.

It is hard to say if it is good or bad, but matters involving Evil Gods always tend to become significantly more complex and chaotic.

"Yes, I can sense it. But believe me, Wang Yu, if you can face so many enemies, I can face Decathlon, regardless of whether there’s an Evil God or not! I won't be the one holding you back."

Avia’s perception of the Void is actually far superior to Wang Yu’s; her extraordinary talent gives her immense power in all things related to the Void, so she had naturally sensed the anomaly in that room long ago.

"It’s fine. If anything goes wrong, I’ll resolve it as quickly as I can and come back."

Wang Yu waves a hand. He trusts Avia’s abilities, though they have always operated on the principle of him tanking while she provides the damage. Splitting up is, indeed, a first.

With that, Wang Yu finishes preparing all the incense. He does a quick count—just enough to cover the entire manor.

He has no intention of delaying; this night of light rain is an excellent opportunity for action. As for the next night, that will be the beginning of a howling storm.

He dons his pre-prepared rain cloak, secures the iron box of incense at his waist, and prepares to depart.

"Avia, I’m ready. The invisibility scroll." Wang Yu reaches out his hand.

"Right." Avia retrieves the high-priced, long-duration invisibility scroll from her pack. Unlike standard scrolls that last only half an hour, this one is effective for six.

She leaps from the bed and walks over to Wang Yu. After a few seconds of silence, just as Wang Yu is about to take the scroll, he feels the girl press her body against his chest.

Avia closes her eyes, resting her face against his solid chest; the warmth of her skin and the firmness of his muscles provide her with a sense of inner security.

The girl’s frame is so petite compared to his that Wang Yu feels as if a kitten has curled against him—not heavy, but warm and soft, and quite comforting.

"Wang Yu, thank you for this past year. You’ve given me so much help. Without you, I might never have left that place a year ago. And now, even with such danger, you’re still willing to stand up for me. Truly, thank you."

The girl presses her face to his chest, her soft words reaching his ears, her hands resting against him.

In Avia’s heart, Wang Yu has never asked for anything in return. This man has truly been helping her all along; during that year in the cabin in the woods, it was Wang Yu who handled so much.

It would be simple enough for the girl to find a reason for why he does this—perhaps it is merely the promise he made after she saved his life...

But, honestly, to have someone who keeps his word, stays by her side, gives help so sincerely and openly, with no ulterior motives, no schemes, and who remains so optimistic and simple—

Even in this dire situation, to have someone willing to step forward—it is truly hard not to feel a deep affection.

"Don't mention it, really," Wang Yu smiles, patting her shoulder and giving a thumbs-up.

"Trust me, leave the mercenaries and your mother’s situation to me!" With that, he takes Avia’s hand, gives it a firm shake, and turns to walk out the door.

A flash of magical radiance flares, the scroll activates, and Wang Yu’s figure vanishes into the air just as the door closes.

Avia shakes her head with a touch of helplessness. This guy is always like this—it’s enough to make one feel a little bit exasperated.

But since he has said as much, she cannot let her knight down! Picking up her notebook, Avia continues to study with earnest focus.

But in truth, Wang Yu was a man of perfectly normal intellect and emotional intelligence in his past life; could he really have failed to grasp the situation just now?

...

"Hmm?" A servant patrolling the mansion’s corridor seemed to sense something, his head snapping to the side.

"Something just passed by, or was it my imagination?" He scratched his head in confusion, seemingly dismissing the doubt. After scanning the area and finding nothing, he turned to leave.

Suddenly, the servant spun around with blinding speed, flinging a handful of objects in a fan-shaped arc. A rhythmic "tap-tap-tap-tap" echoed as metal blades embedded themselves deep into the wall.

"Tsk, I suppose I was just being paranoid... A pity about such fine walls, though they aren't mine, so a little damage hardly matters."

The servant stepped forward, tracing the blades lodged in the masonry. His tone held no regret or apology, only a mocking amusement.

Satisfied that it had been a mere trick of the mind, the "servant" hummed a tune and walked away.

"That’s a servant?" Wang Yu, pressed flat against the floor, thought to himself.

He had remained vigilant, reacting the instant he sensed the servant’s suspicion.

He had flattened his body against the ground with extreme speed, narrowly avoiding the hail of sharp blades.

Observing how the steel bit into the stone, he mused, "Not quite a squire, but definitely a commoner with professional training. A coefficient of about 0.8; any more of them would be a nuisance."

Wang Yu gauged their level: well-trained commoners.

They seemed adept at assassination and stealth, possessing sharp instincts and keen senses. If their numbers grew, he might not be able to handle them all.

To deal with this unknown but surely significant force, he needed to create conditions favorable to himself.

Wang Yu activated a second-circle spell scroll, "Invisible Skin," rendering himself visually undetectable.

Simultaneously, he used his ripples to dampen the sounds that the scroll could not mask, effectively making him invisible and silent.

However, the second-circle spell had severe limitations; the moment he cast another spell or sorcery, the effect would shatter.

Even a sudden movement could cause a disturbance, compromising the invisibility.

Furthermore, Wang Yu had yet to fully master his secret energy ripples; this ability, with its theoretically infinite potential, could only be used to dampen sound under his current control.

In his present state, the breeze stirred by his movement or the footprints he left in the dust would still be visible.

That was why the servant had sensed something amiss, though Wang Yu’s constant vigilance had prevented him from being truly discovered.

He replaced the mansion’s luxury incense with a special blend he had concocted from herbs. The flame burned softly above the burner, slowly diffusing the unique scent throughout the estate.

These "servants" were not professional butlers, which made Wang Yu’s task easier; they were unlikely to notice the subtle shift in the mansion’s aroma.

Human olfaction is a curious thing; if a scent changes gradually, the untrained mind rarely detects the shift. This sensory adaptation greatly aided Wang Yu.

"Euphoria Powder: Modified"—a special concoction Wang Yu had created, originally intended as a recreational substance.

He had once thought it a mere drug, seeing the frightening state of the patrons in the tavern.

Later, he realized the people of this world had constitutions robust enough to withstand it, and the tavern brawlers were simply acting out of their own boisterous nature, unrelated to the herbs.

This was a version he had refined after researching texts in the forest cabin’s library, dampening the stimulant effects and strengthening the nerve-numbing, relaxing properties.

Sometimes he gave a little to Avia to help her sleep soundly; he himself had no need for it, as his sleep quality was unnervingly perfect.

As for his goal this time... this incense had two other special effects. One was that the nerve-numbing property also acted on the muscles, inducing relaxation.

While ineffective against the constitution of a squire, for those weaker, the effect was both imperceptible and lethal.

The second effect was that those who inhaled the herb without falling asleep would develop an intense, subconscious urge to go outdoors to breathe fresh air and indulge themselves.

This feeling was equally subtle and difficult to detect. If these mercenaries were not die-hard loyalists to Decathlon, this effect would prove quite interesting.

Maintaining his invisibility, Wang Yu carefully replaced the incense throughout the mansion, the inconspicuous fragrance beginning to permeate the air.

He deliberately avoided Decathlon’s private room; he felt something was wrong there, though he couldn't put his finger on it. For safety’s sake, he would not enter for now.

Watching the servants become unwittingly enveloped by the special gas, Wang Yu smiled. Tomorrow, on this rainy night, the incense would become the noose on their gallows.

For now, he initiated his inner vision, and the void projection appeared within his mental space.

Standing upon that mirror-like lake, the buildings and obstacles of reality faded away, leaving only an endless expanse of water and the reflection of eternal stars in the sky.

He scanned his surroundings, his gaze traversing the unobstructed lake in search of his target.

A massive castle appeared in the distance. Though it should have been as vast as Avia’s mental space, it looked small from here, indicating the distance between them.

"I must thank you all for being geniuses," he remarked. If Avia’s mother’s mental space were too small, finding it would have been a chore.

With long strides, Wang Yu walked across the void projection toward the towering castle.

Tonight, all was silent—the calm before the storm.

(The heroine made a move, but the protagonist had Flash—how tragic.)