Chương 185

It was a good thing that the day's lessons were only in the morning, so they had the entire afternoon free. Although Orion would have preferred to return to his laboratory to see what had happened to it or continue exploring Tier Two magic to understand what made it so much stronger than Tier One, he didn't feel he could focus until he solved Selene's mysterious behavior.

"Are you sure we can take the Pegasi?" Dorian asked anxiously, nearly wringing his hands.

"It's fine," Orion said dismissively.

"Mom gave me permission, and it's much faster than taking the regular carts."

"The speed isn't the problem," Luna noted wryly.

"Pegasi carriages are usually reserved for Magistrae. I seriously doubt any regular witch has ever used one without a superior going along." Orion could have argued back, but for once, he thought actions would be quicker than words, so he simply kept heading down until they reached the ground floor. His two friends kept muttering to each other, clearly still uncomfortable with the whole situation, especially since, as students, they probably hadn't often left the Sanctum, even just to visit Silverpeak.

As they stepped into the outer court where the Pegasi stables were, the same place where the army had arrived and disbanded just the day before, Orion raised his hand and waved.

"Mr. Stone!" The man spun around in surprise at the sound of his name, but relaxed when he saw who it was.

"Young Master, what a wonderful surprise. Congratulations on your return and your mother's ascension. It was an honor and a privilege to serve you both." Sometimes, Orion forgot that ordinary people lived within the Sanctum, people who weren't caught up in the webs of power and deception. For them, a Magistra was a very rare sight and someone of great influence, while a Veil Priestess was almost a mythical figure.

"Thank you, Mr. Stone. It was not an easy path, but it was our duty to walk it," he replied, earning a sage nod from the coachman. He could feel the disbelief Luna and Dorian were radiating at seeing him handle himself so well in small talk, something he would have usually avoided like the plague, but his level wasn't the only thing that had grown during his time in Valderun.

"I was wondering if I could impose on you once more," he said, stopping just short of bumping the man with his elbow and wiggling his eyebrows. Considering Stone's reverence for the institutions of power within the Sanctum, he'd be better off acting as though this were official business.

"Ah, you need a quick trip down to the city? My boys and I are always happy to help," Stone said, almost giddy to be useful.

"Shall it be just the three of you, then?" Orion was about to answer yes, relieved he didn't have to pressure the man, but another voice interrupted.

"I will be going with them." Closing his eyes for the briefest moment, Orion took a deep breath before turning back around.

"I shall be hanging around for the next few hours, if you'll need me," Stone said, bowing deeply and holding his hat to his chest. Orion gave a distracted nod while the others said their goodbyes to the Pegasi, still somewhat stunned by the beautiful sights visible from the flying carriage. The landing area was as busy as ever, with witches on personal brooms, courier birds arriving and being released from the heavy packages tied to their legs, along with various oddities.

However, Orion ignored all of it, heading purposefully toward the gates. The guards there saw his unusual clothing and hair, and tensed up, with one subtly moving to block the way into the city while two more prepared to approach and ask for his papers. When they caught sight of who was with him, they relaxed, opening the path. He gave them a grateful nod and entered Silverpeak's market district through the gate.

The early afternoon was probably the most relaxed time of the day, yet here it still meant dealing with crowds of people inspecting wares coming from all over the Magocracy. Orion noticed that the selection of merchandise seemed a bit smaller than the last time he was there, which probably shouldn't have been so surprising, considering that the trade routes had only recently been fully reopened, only for Behenien and her flock to ravage the Belt and cut off the flow of goods once again.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. That still wasn't enough to truly impact the effective capital city of the Lunar Sanctum's lands, but the cracks were starting to show, and he knew this was only the first of the many difficulties they'd face from now on. Though he would have liked to stop and look around, perhaps to see whether he could identify some valuable artifacts, he had to be back by nightfall at the Sanctum unless he wanted to be dragged by his ears.

"I doubt they are just gonna give you the information, even if you ask nicely," Pauline said from where she was shadowing his every step. She had made a surprise appearance just before they got on the carriage, and although she hadn't said so, he knew she was there on his mother's orders, so he didn't even try to get rid of her.

"They will," he said instead, finally pushing through the crowd and heading for the local Guild branch, which was actually pretty close to the massive silverite tower where Major Lucina lived. Luna oohed as they passed beneath the building, eyeing the enormous steps with a hint of awe, and if they hadn't been on a pretty tight schedule, he would have stopped to pay his respects to his mother's friend.

"I'll take you inside someday," he said, earning a radiant smile. Pauline chuckled, but he ignored her, pushing past the plaza and into a side street that led to another large building, though shorter and more squat than the mayoral tower. The Adventurer's Guild of Silverpeak was built from the same gray stone as most of the rest of the city, with only a few golden accents to set it apart, and naturally, the crowd surrounding it was more eclectic and colorful than anywhere else nearby, making it easy to spot.

Orion stopped just a few feet from the entrance, turning to assess his group. Luna and Dorian were still in their school clothes, although that didn't mean much, since he could sense several minor enchantments woven into the fabric. They would need the most attention to avoid getting in over their heads, as they were both still tier one and not close to advancing, though they were definitely better off than their average classmate.

Pauline, on the other hand, was wearing a full black uniform that radiated restrained power to [Hypotheticism], showing she had come ready for war. Having fought alongside her until just a day ago, he knew exactly what that meant. Mom probably told her that I'd be involved in very dangerous stuff for her to take it this seriously. For a moment, he thought about apologizing.

This was supposed to be a rest period, considering their quick success in eliminating the threat of the draconic flock, and he suspected most of the witches who had been part of the campaign were now taking their well-earned break. But unfortunately, life waits for no one, and this issue had to be dealt with first, before the more important things could be addressed. So he pushed that impulse aside, knowing she wouldn't appreciate it anyway.

"Our objective is to find Selene. If she's already gone on a quest, then we need to find out where she went and possibly what she's been up to. Let's try to keep everything else to a minimum," he said, even though he knew from experience training in the Valderun branch of the Guild that trouble tended to crop up in places like these. Once everyone approved his tentative plan, he pushed inside, where he was greeted by a tavern-like interior.

Unlike the grand arches and wide spaces of the Valderun branch, or the impossible geometry of the Tower of Ambition, the Silverpeak branch was cozier, filled with rugged folk, many of whom were locals. Orion could see several beings he was quite sure were not fully human, and others who probably came from different parts of Cyril, but most of them were men and women with the rugged toughness typical of mountain folk, wearing the furs of beasts they had killed on nearby peaks.

He headed straight for the reception, which was a plain wooden desk at the back of the room, currently staffed by a young woman. That was a bit surprising. As far as he knew, Guild receptionists were often adventurers themselves, and any woman with the talent to do that would most likely have been scooped up by the Sanctum. Which meant this was either a late bloomer or someone who had slipped through the cracks.

Still, he didn't think it was any of his business, so he simply approached with as friendly a smile as he could muster, for once not hesitating to use his "charms" if it meant getting to the results faster. Strangely enough, her expression darkened as they approached, stopping just short of thunderous when he halted before her desk.

Orion looked at her with curiosity for a moment, unsure what he had done to provoke such a reaction, but a moment later, she composed herself and smoothed her face into a mask of neutrality.

"Hello there, how can I assist you?"

"Good afternoon," he replied, still a bit cautious. Maybe she's had a rough day? I know some witches can be very curt with people they see as beneath them, so I hope she doesn't have it out for anyone from the Sanctum.

"We're looking for our friend, Selene. She's a witch and has been taking on quests here for a few weeks, at the very least. Do you know where she might be?"

"Selene, you say?" the receptionist asked, pretending to try to remember.

"I can't say that rings a bell." Now more concerned than confused, Orion tried to provide more details.

"She's our age, almost four inches shorter than me, with pale blonde hair and silver eyes. She's pretty easy to recognize." Again, the woman hummed and hawed.

"I might know who you are referring to, but I can't just give out that information to anyone. Guild procedure, you see." A few laughs from the room signaled to Orion that they were becoming a bit of a spectacle, but he raised a hand to stop Pauline from interfering. Sure, she'd be more intimidating than him, but he didn't think it was necessary to go that far just yet.

"I understand, but as far as I know, the Guild doesn't prohibit sharing such information in emergencies, and this is one. I'm genuinely concerned about her," he pressed. A flicker of real worry crossed the receptionist's eyes before she quickly masked it with annoyance.

"Do you have any proof she might be in danger? The Guild doesn't discriminate by age, and she's proven herself more than capable of handling herself." Orion felt his eyes narrow at the admission that she knew exactly who he was talking about, annoyed at the wasted time, but before he could state his case any further and possibly escalate, someone spoke up.

"I might be inclined to tell you. I spoke to her no more than an hour ago," a gravely voice said, and he turned around to face a burly man with a red braided beard and a bald head, wearing only a bear fur over his muscular, naked torso. The guy was as far from Selene as he could possibly imagine, but Orion didn't see any point in lying there, especially since the man had given a quick, cautious glance to Pauline, clearly knowing she was not an ordinary young woman.

"And what is it that you want in exchange for that knowledge?" he asked. The man grinned, standing up and towering over him.

"Why, what any good adventurer wants. Put up a decent showing against me in the training ring, and I'll tell you." Orion sighed, but gave a curt nod.

"I'll take your deal." His confidence caught more than a few people's attention, but he didn't have time for them, fixing his opponent with his most determined stare.

"Let's do this."