Chapter Twenty: The Disappearance of a Thousand Souls

When the sun rose again, after countless simulations and constructions in his mental space, Andy finally felt absolutely confident. He began to construct the spell model for Level 1 Sorcery: Arrow of Fire.

As Andy continuously poured in his mental power, tiny runes formed one after another in his mental space. Guided by his will, these runes gradually combined and reorganized, ultimately creating a model far more complex than the one for Ignition Spell—the model for the Level 1 Sorcery: Arrow of Fire. The moment the model took shape, a peculiar fluctuation occurred as it merged with Andy’s mental strength. The magical particles in the air surged toward him, flooding into his body and slowly transforming and strengthening him—widening the channels through which magic circulated within him.

After more than two hours, the transformation was complete. Andy had officially advanced to a mid-level wizard apprentice. When he extended his mental awareness, he found he could now sense everything within a ten-meter radius. Examining his own body, he noticed a subtle improvement in his physical condition compared to the day before, and his total magical power was now nearly three times what it had been as a low-level apprentice.

“It seems you’ve advanced—congratulations, congratulations,” came Katherine’s voice from beside him. She was idly pawing at a ball of yarn as she spoke. Seeing Andy’s astonished glance, she rolled the yarn aside and snapped, “What are you staring at? I know it’s childish, but I just can’t help playing with it…”

Andy was left speechless and could only make small talk: “Yes, I’ve advanced. I recall you’ve also reached the required mental strength for a mid-level apprentice. How’s your progress with constructing the Level 1 spell models? Would you like some pointers from your senior? The situation is still dangerous for us—every bit of power is insurance. Don’t just play around all day.”

“Oh, I’ve already learned all three Level 1 spells…”

All three learned.

Learned them all.

All of them.

Done.

“Well, forget I said anything. Just keep playing,” Andy said, embarrassed to the point of sweating. At last he understood the saying about comparisons being odious. He was, after all, a full-time undergraduate from a top university; it had taken him several days just to get started with the Level 1 spell models, and then countless more hours of simulations before he finally succeeded in building one. Katherine, on the other hand, had only reached the mental standard for a mid-level apprentice a day ago, and already mastered three Level 1 spells.

“So, Katherine, since you’re so bored, why not explain to your senior how you understand the spell model for Wind Walk?” Andy asked, his smile stiff.

…

Andy and Katherine’s study of sorcery was interrupted by a knock at the door—Louis had come calling. Under Andy’s glare, Louis hastily explained, in a tone of fear and reverence, that Baron Colin had sent word for him to take care of some affairs that day.

Not wanting to arouse suspicion, Andy told Louis to hurry on, instructing him to gather any information he could about the City Lord’s mansion as well.

After Louis left, Andy finally mastered Wind Walk with Katherine’s guidance. He had to admit he was far inferior to her in terms of insight into sorcery. Only then did he realize that the spells Katherine had mastered as a low-level apprentice—whether the Level 0 Grimace or Level 0 Mimicry—were already extremely complex in their models, not much less so than the Arrow of Fire he’d just constructed.

Andy decided that, rather than learning new spells, he would benefit most from practicing and improving his control of the spells he already knew. Unfortunately, they were deep inside enemy territory, and practicing Arrow of Fire would cause too much commotion. After considering for a while, Andy decided to focus on Wind Walk and Concealment. Especially Concealment, which was his primary means of moving freely within the City Lord’s mansion; if he could master it, he might even be able to evade the senses of Grand Knight Cromwell.

So, for the entire day, Andy devoted himself to practicing Concealment. With his inexhaustible magical energy, he advanced rapidly, reaching Master level by dusk. Seeing Katherine meditating in exhaustion to recover her magic finally restored his sense of balance.

While Andy was finding his equilibrium, Viscount Colin was in an extremely foul mood. That morning, as planned, he had completed a transaction with the Dark Moon Circus, exchanging resources confiscated from the Wizard’s Tower for a sufficient number of magic stones. His spirits had been high—even Louis’s slow reactions and clumsy behavior, so out of character for his normally capable steward, had only earned him a few grumbling jests.

But in the afternoon, his good mood was shattered when news arrived: over a thousand people had disappeared from the slums of Dallas—an entire neighborhood had become a ghostly, deserted place. Most of the vanished were Gillian folk. Now, the city was abuzz with rumors; Sain Kingdom spies and Gillian Brotherhood agitators seized the opportunity to stir up trouble, and unrest began to simmer throughout Dallas.

Viscount Colin had sent Knight Macon to investigate, but Macon was ambushed by an arrow from the shadows. Only his battlefield experience saved him. Yet soon after, he was attacked again—this time by two knights whose strength was not inferior to his own.

With the help of the city guards, Knight Macon managed to escape to the City Lord’s mansion, finally making Viscount Colin realize the situation was far more complicated than he’d thought. He had no choice but to seek help from Grand Knight Cromwell. Cromwell agreed to personally lead an investigation into the "Thousand Disappearances" and to make a show of force to deter the malefactors lurking in the shadows.

In truth, using the Grand Knight’s overwhelming strength to stabilize the city was Viscount Colin’s main goal; what did he care for the lives of a few Gillian rabble? He simply didn’t want anyone making political capital from the incident. He had little hope for the investigation’s results—for in three days, the Magic Mirror would reveal all to him. Ever since he’d acquired the Magic Mirror, there was little in this world that could escape his knowledge; all conspiracies and schemes would be laid bare before him—so long as he had enough magic stones. He always made a show of being a master strategist to his subordinates. How else could a noble of little martial prowess keep both knights and wizard apprentices so firmly under his thumb?

Still, appearances had to be maintained. That was why he had Grand Knight Cromwell investigate and supported him fully. If his subordinates saw that even after all their exhausting efforts, they’d uncovered nothing—while he, without leaving his house, already knew every detail—it would only increase his prestige.

As it happened, the Divine Wind Cavalry would enter the city the day after tomorrow. Though Viscount Colin was displeased with their true purpose here, they were, after all, the Royal Cavalry, and their allegiance was unquestionable. He could use their presence to sweep away the city’s unrest.

Despite feeling everything was under control, Viscount Colin could not shake a vague unease. He felt as though he’d overlooked something crucial. After long contemplation, a suspicion began to grow in his heart.

He took from his pocket the History Magic Mirror, Hystery, which he always carried with him, and stroked it gently as he murmured, “Mirror, mirror, tell me—tell me, is Knight John truly loyal to me?”

Seeing the prompt for five magic stones, Viscount Colin placed them on the mirror without hesitation. The text in the glass shifted, then settled. The answer left him petrified:

“Knight John is dead!”

Viscount Colin knew the mirror only showed information from three days prior. If John had already been dead then, who was the “Knight John” who’d sworn loyalty to him and helped search the Wizard’s Tower yesterday?

A chill ran down his spine. He hurriedly took out more magic stones and stroked the mirror again.

“Mirror, mirror, tell me…”