Assassin's Chronicle

Countless robes, magic wands, and magic books were returned to their original places. The flowing air, like thousands of unseen hands, held the magic scrolls and set them down in their places gently. Saul dispersed the wind elements after all the scrolls had returned to their places. He looked around the chamber, his eyes filled with joy.

He did not care for the armor and the weapons and he could always make more scrolls. The magic books, on the other hand, were the result of decades of effort. They recorded all of Saul’s research and findings. For Saul, the books were priceless.

"Seems like something’s missing," Saul said, frowning.

"Ah, it must be this," Anfey said, retrieving the Vacuum Confinement Scroll from his dimensional ring.

Saul smiled and accepted the scroll. "I don’t have much use for this anymore," Saul said, looking at the scroll. "Neither can it do much for you. If you become magister one day, you may get one for yourself."

"I can? Can I choose?"

"What do you want now?"

Anfey looked at the magic books. He agreed with Saul. He could find robes, wands, and scrolls by himself, but knowledge and experience left behind by an archmage was invaluable.

"Can you understand any of these?" Saul asked, smiling.

"No," Anfey admitted. "That’s why I want to go to magic school to study and catch up." When he was on the run, Anfey had often flipped through the books. However, he was only a beginner and could hardly understand them. It was like a person who had never drawn anything trying to draw a complex picture the first time he drew.

"I see," Saul said, nodding. "Steger’s not back yet, but that’s fine. I’m sure you can qualify to enter the academy now. How do you want to study? Do you want private lessons? Or do you want to go to classes like normal students?" Studying with private tutors was something normal students could never imagine. For Saul, it was as easy as saying a few words.

"Wouldn’t going to classes like normal students be too slow?"

"Don’t worry about time. Are you worried about Violet City?" Saul paused and sighed. "I knew what happened with the marquis there. But the situation here is a little complicated. You’d better lay low for a bit. It’s not wise for you to return to Violet City, either."

"Are you talking about Prince Wester, Master Saul?" Anfey didn’t have to pretend to be an innocent youth anymore. Saul already knew what he was capable of, so there was no need to hide.

Saul nodded, concerned. He was a good friend of Yolanthe’s, but there were things outside his jurisdiction. He did not want to give the impression that he was trying to influence Yolanthe’s decisions.

"I see," Anfey said, frowning.

Saul sighed. He knew that no matter how healthy Yolanthe was, he had to step aside and let the younger generation take center stage after this crisis. It was the natural flow of things, and even kings could not stop it. The younger generation was always eager to join the political stage even if the older generations were still on the stage. If the older generations were too reluctant to step aside, it would often create a divide between the young and the old. The wheel turns, and the older generations would slowly be replaced by the young. Yolanthe, Saul, even Miorich were all part of this wheel. The younger generation would become stronger and stronger until they completely replaced their predecessors. Determining the heir to the throne was only the first step. Conflicts were sure to follow. Saul sighed and couldn’t help but long for his younger days.

"Master Saul, the gold..."

Saul shook his head. He did not want to talk about the gold. He never cared for it, anyway.

—

Ever since Doris showed him the quiet place in the woods, Anfey had fallen in love with it. The noises of the school and the students were blocked by the trees. Combined with shrubs and the small ponds, the small grove was a small world of its own.

Right now, the grove was not empty. Three girls sat under a tree and were talking and laughing. Judging from their clothing, they were students from the school.

Anfey ignored them and sat down under a nearby tree. He found the book he was reading earlier and resumed his reading. Perhaps it was because Saul had talked to the school already, Anfey was welcomed warmly by the teachers when he arrived with Christian. However, since Anfey did not want to waste time on small talk, he only spoke a few words with the teachers. After learning that the intermediate classes were cancelled for the day, he went directly to the library. If the classes were cancelled, he was content to learn by himself. He was confident in his learning ability.

Anfey’s presence clearly interrupted the girls’ conversation. The girls glanced at each other, then one of them walked over and stood in front of him.

Anfey ignored her and kept reading. He was reading very fast, since he was only picking out the important points. If he read every single line, it would take him months to finish the book.

"Didn’t your mother tell you that it’s rude to ignore people?" the young girl asked.

"This is so creepy," another girl said. "Trying to get to know us this way."

Anfey did not lift his head. He raised a hand and flicked his wrist. His meaning was clear: go away, leave me alone. There were women that were too beautiful to be real, like Suzanna. There were also men who could keep their hearts locked for one woman, like Anfey. The three girls were beautiful, but they were nothing compared to Suzanna. Even if they could compete with Suzanna, Anfey still did not care. He just wanted to read in peace.

"You..." The girl was growing angry.

A slim figure appeared through the trees and stood next to Anfey.

"What are you doing here?" Anfey asked, looking up.

"Christian said you are here," Suzanna said with a smile.

"Did something happen?"

"Nothing."

"You miss me, then?"

Suzanna looked away from Anfey. Anfey liked teasing her, but she did not mind. Nor did his remarks embarrass her as much as they had in the beginning.

The girls saw Suzanna’s senior swordsmaster badge and fell quiet. Top level powers were rare, but so were senior level swordsmasters. Even among the teachers, there were only a few that achieved the senior rank. They thought the badge must be fake.

The mage and the swordsmaster made a peculiar combination.

Another girl frowned and walked up to join the first.

"What is it?" Suzanna look up and asked. Even though the girls were not friendly, Suzanna’s voice was very gentle. She was not a bloodthirsty warrior, and the only reason she fought was because she had to. If the girls had weapons, Suzanna would not hesitate to draw her sword. She could not justify attacking three unarmed young girls.

"Who are you? This is a magic academy. What are you doing in here?"

"I’m a student in the academy. Why can’t I come here?"

"You are? I have never seen you before."

"I have never seen you, either. What is your point?"

Suzanna poked Anfey’s arm. Be quiet, she mouthed. Then she turned to the girls and said, "He is new. Just joined today, in fact. That is why you have never seen him."

"I see," the girl said. "In the junior class, I presume?"

"Yes," Suzanna said before Anfey could make another remark. "Are the three of you students as well? I’m Suzanna. Nice to meet you."

If the girls were just talking to Anfey, his attitude might have provoked them into an argument. However, Suzanna’s attitude made it hard for them to lash out against her. The girl glared at Anfey and said, "Never mind. We’ll go. This isn’t worth our time." She shook Suzanna’s hand and said, "Betty. Nice to meet you."

Anfey flipped a page and looked up from the book. Seeing that the girls had already left, he moved over to let Suzanna sit down next to him. "I thought you didn’t like smiles."

Suzanna rolled her eyes. "Did you already forget what Master Saul said? You’re not just here to learn magic. You need to make friends, develop a network. You will never make friends like this."