Chương 109: Hero of Legend

Acrypha asked Ryland to keep mum about her situation as much as possible. He did his best to respect her wishes, but he did have to mention some things to at least the people who were in charge. This meant informing Academ Jules and the local Senior Warden about what had happened. Still, he didn't tell them everything. They didn't need to know how Acrypha had reacted or what she had told him about the things that were entirely personal, like that outburst against her dead parents.

One she now felt rather guilty about going by her still-morose expression. Ryland had thought that kicking Devas's disembodied head into the woods would have done well to cheer her up. And it had, to some extent. But she was still struggling with the situation. Which made sense. This wasn't something one could get over at the drop of a hat.

"You truly dealt with all the Living Mana?" the Senior Warden asked, looking at Ryland with undisguised awe. That was one benefit of revealing things to the others. Clearly, their main priority was ensuring everyone's safety. They cared less about what had happened to her Soul Glyph and more that she—and everyone else—was safe. And they were, thanks to Ryland.

"I believe I have, yes," he said.

"Even the Living Mana possessing people should be entirely gone."

"It is, yes. Incredible." Ryland had personally checked in on everyone who had been possessed by Living Mana. Those who had been unable to tell all this time felt ashamed, and they were trying to make up for it by ensuring the victims were receiving as much care as possible. They were all unconscious, but they were stable, so there was no reason to worry. And since Ryland had taken care of all of the Living Mana, thereby returning the entire area to normalcy, there was absolutely no reason for them to remain there.

So, they all returned to Gildharbour in short order.

"Well," Academ Jules said with a faint hint of regret.

"There goes about two decades of research on Living Mana."

"I daresay that the research already conducted is still intact somewhere," Ryland said. He wasn't defending himself, just pointing out a rather obvious fact.

"True. However, no further research can be conducted so the decades-long tradition is now lost." He looked at Ryland quickly.

"Not that I'm blaming you for anything, Ryland. You did what was needed. The Living Mana had grown terribly dangerous. Had you not spotted and acted rapidly…" He shuddered. A fair reaction. The fact that the Living Mana had started possessing actual people with none the wiser was very concerning. Viren was worried about Acrypha, naturally. Later on, so was Alendra. They were both heavily curious about just what had happened.

Ryland was leaving it entirely up to Acrypha about how much she wanted to reveal, and for now, she chose to remain silent about it. Thankfully, they were giving her a good amount of space. Ryland satisfied them both by just telling them that the Living Mana had interfered with Acrypha's magic.

"Don't worry, sir," Viren said with a thump of his chest.

"I'll cheer her up!" Ryland wished him good luck with that. He also reminded him to give her space and to be kind to her. Viren promised he'd be on his best behaviour.

"We're planning some trips and other fun events at Gildharbour," Alendra said.

"That should help cheer her up."

"Perhaps," Ryland said.

"But please make sure you ask if she actually wants to go."

"Of course. No one will force her to do anything." Alendra looked at Acrypha with an almost sisterly glance.

"I'm just concerned, you understand." Ryland nodded.

"I understand."

"You really can't tell me what's going on? What's so special about her magic? Is it her manasoul, or something to do with her Soul Glyph?"

"I'm afraid I'd rather not talk about it. Acrypha herself will explain what she believes is necessary for others to know. You'll have to make do with that."

"Fine. I get it. Not that it matters, really. When Ryland is on the case, no one else is really needed." She was careful to sound neutral, but the words themselves told a different story. Ryland shook his head.

"I wouldn't say that. Rather, we all have our own roles to play, regardless of where we stand." Alendra hummed. It wasn't long before they reached Gildharbour. The city gates seemed a lot more welcoming after the forest warped by Living Mana possession. There was a small hullaballoo from the reception party receiving them at the gates to the city. A lot of people were concerned about the unconscious folks they had returned with, and that was with how many were hidden inside the carriages.

Ryland let them all deal with it. Meanwhile, Academ Jules led him aside to handle some of the administrative matters. When they were finally done with it, Ryland returned to his room, feeling strangely exhausted. The sensation was always surprising. It wasn't magical or physical fatigue. Rather, despite having lived for a terribly long time, his mind still had its limits. There were some things even magic couldn't fully enhance.

Therefore, going over the entirety of the incident with Academ Jules while avoiding the details that strayed too close to Acrypha's personal matters turned out to be a tiring exercise. And the day still wasn't done. Well, it was. Technically. It was evening now. But Ryland still couldn't relax. All because there was still one, important matter he needed to handle.

"Devas," he said. Immediately, a portal opened up. Simmering blue light filled the whole room as Devas stepped out, his body back in perfect shape once again. As soon as he arrived, he bowed deeply.

"Finally, master," he said, face still aimed at the floor.

"We can talk!"

"Hmm," Ryland said. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. He was considering whether he really wanted to talk now or if he could just banish Devas again because of his… uppity acts earlier in the day. Then loud knocks banged on his door.

"An interruption!" Devas said.

"How rude!" Ryland ignored him.

"Who is it?"

"Sir!" Viren said from the hotel hallway.

"Can I come in?"

"Yes, of course, Viren," Ryland said. His voice was muffled from beyond the door. It didn't sound angry or frustrated though, which relieved Viren. Of course, he had yet to hear Ryland being truly angry. Hopefully, he would never see it. The door swung open on its own, revealing Ryland pulling his finger away from a Glyphtech control panel next to his bed. He looked fine too. For some reason, Viren had gotten the impression that Ryland was feeling a bit tired, but maybe he was just projecting.

Because Viren's whole day had definitely been exhausting. But considerations about Ryland's state were quickly cut short when Viren spotted the other person already present inside the room. He blinked several times very rapidly, his heart starting to thunder in his chest.

"That—you're—" Viren shut up and tried to get a hold of himself. His reaction was so embarrassing.

"Are you real?" The Turnalian man rolled his eyes in a very humanlike gesture.

"Would you like a punch or something of the sort? That should prove just how real I am, shouldn't it?" Ryland threw the other man a hard glare.

"Enough, Devas. Do not mock my pupils." There was an instantaneous transformation in the Turnalian as he turned to face Ryland. Where he had been haughtily disdainful a moment ago when facing Viren, now his eyes were wide and his smile was bright. His expression had transformed into utter joy at being addressed by Ryland.

"Your pupil!" The Turnalian called Devas turned back to Viren with a wholly genuine apology.

"I'm so terribly sorry, young master. I had no idea. I dearly hope you will find it in your magnanimous heart to forgive me for my grave transgression."

"Uh…" Honestly, Viren was still drinking in the fact that there was a real, live Turnalian right in front of him. He would never fail to recognize that ashen complexion or the wooden armour. Those were things of legend. Forget trying to figure out who this Turnalian even was supposed to be, he could barely fathom that he was standing in front of one. And Ryland was this Devas's master? That boggled Viren's brain so much, he was forced to remain stupidly silent for a little bit.

"Oh no, master," the Turnalian said.

"I may have broken your pupil's puny brain."

"Devas, enough." Ryland turned to Viren with a much kinder look.

"Viren, are you alright?" His voice snapped Viren out of his weird funk.

"Um, yes sir." Viren cleared his throat, trying to get over his embarrassment and his own reactions. He had to stop making a fool of himself in front of a hero of legend.

"I just, uh, don't understand what's going on. Also… is the Turnalian actually calling you master?" Viren knew Ryland was terribly powerful. Possibly the most powerful mage he had ever met. But that was before meeting a Calamity-cursed Turnalian of all people. He couldn't help his flabbergasted reaction at the legendary hero calling Ryland his master. Because that implied Viren's teacher was orders of magnitude more powerful than he had already proven himself to be…

"It's a rather long story," Ryland said.

"Devas is just thankful I was there to help when he needed it."

"Bashfulness doesn't suit you in the least, master," Devas said.

"You did a great deal more. Far more than mere words can express!"

"I'm aware. But I'm trying to learn to control my habit of explaining every little thing, so this will have to do." The Turnalian winked—actually winked —at Viren.

"I'll tell you all about it one of these days, Pupil of the Realmbreaker."

"The Realm what?" Viren asked. Ryland cleared his throat.

"That's enough. Now Viren. Tell me what's going on." Viren tore his eyes away from Devas.

"It's, um, nothing really, sir. I was just about to tell my plans for trying to cheer up Acrypha and I wanted to ask if you'll be present too."

"Ah, I'm glad to hear you're thinking of Acrypha," Ryland said.

"Just make sure to give her some space if she seeks it, alright?"

"Of course, sir. We were just going to visit the local restaurants and then visit the port."

"That sounds fun. I might be able to take you all to a nice little nook in one corner of the port." Ryland paused.

"If it's still there, that is. My father used to take me there on his fishing trips. We used to find these enormous carp…" Viren wouldn't deny that he was fascinated by Ryland's past.

"That sounds amazing, sir."

"It does!" Devas said. He raised his hand like an overenthusiastic student.

"Can I come too?" Both Ryland and Viren stared at the man. For a legendary hero, he clearly wasn't in quite the right state of mind.

"No," Ryland said simply.

"I'm devastated," Devas said with a sniffle. Viren stared at the man. Obviously, reality was never going to resemble fiction. But the way the Turnalians had been depicted in his books was such an enormous far cry from how Devas acted, Viren was starting to feel a great deal of whiplash. Where was the heroism? The nobility? The inspirational charisma? All Viren saw was an immature, somewhat idiotic man. Albeit, one who exuded a clear sense of power. Even Viren could sense it.

The mage had to be Empyrean-ranked at least. That realization should have made Viren start to reevaluate his current circumstance. Because if he was standing in front of an Empyrean-ranked mage, where was Ryland, the supposed master, placed on that scale?

"Um," Viren said.

"I think I'll take my leave, sir. Sorry for bothering your meeting!"

"Nonsense!" Devas said quickly.

"The Pupil of the Realmbreaker has no reason to leave such meetings!"

"Uh…" Ryland sighed.

"Devas isn't wrong. You can stay if you wish, Viren." Viren found a stupid grin blooming on his face. It felt weirdly like a dream come true. Although, he didn't have the faintest clue what kind of dream it was supposed to be.

"I can, sir? Really?" Ryland nodded with a smile. Viren had no idea why Ryland was allowing it, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He decided to make himself as unobtrusive as possible. Odd as Devas was, he was a Turnalian. A living legend. His mind was once again struggling to accept the reality of the situation, but he could deal with it on his own time. Right now, he needed to be attentive. And not goggle the Turnalian. Not too much, at least. Devas certainly didn't seem to mind.

"I have it, master!" Devas said with excited relish.

"Shall I bring it out?"

"Yes, please do so," Ryland said.

"I assume you had to steal it from the Order?" Devas scowled.

"Those foul, insipid mongrels would never get a hold of such incredible treasure. Not while I still draw breath. Not after what they did to my homeland!" Viren didn't think he could be awed even more, but he certainly was now. His favourite stories were about the end times of Turnal, the Realm the Turnalians originally hailed from.

"What is this Order?"

"The Flourinus Order," Ryland said.

"They worship Calamities and seek to bring about their ascension, regardless of the damage this causes to the Realms."

"That's awful!"

"They are a heinous bunch," Devas growled.

"Deserving nothing but the worst treatment and absolute derision from every living being in existence." If the stories were true, then Turnal had suffered a great deal when the Order had literally destroyed the world. No wonder Devas sounded so vitriolic.

"I have met the Order on Vyrd already," Ryland said.

"But never fear. They will remain wary so long as I remain here."

"I'll do what I can to stop them too!" Viren said. The moment the words emerged from his mouth, he resisted the urge to cringe. They were talking about a shadowy organization capable of unleashing Calamities. Capable of ending entire Realms. What in the world was Viren supposed to do against them? But the truth was, a hero never backed down. So, regardless of whether he was facing a pile of leaves or a mountain, Viren just needed to present himself. He needed to do his best.

Something that was echoed in Ryland's smile.

"I believe in you, Viren. When the time comes, just be ready to act." He nodded resolutely.

"Yes, yes!" Devas said with a burning light in his eyes.

"The Pupil of the Realmbreaker will strike fear into the heart of the fell Order!" Viren wasn't so sure about that, but that light in Ryland's eyes didn't dim.

"Now," Devas said, suddenly pulling something out of a glowing blue portal. It looked like a coppery strand of hair. Viren was trying very hard not to gawk at the display of magic. He had only ever seen Ryland cast that sort of space-tearing magic, but a legendary hero using his own brand of it wasn't that surprising.

"Here it is! Here is the vaunted treasure, master!" Said treasure was apparently that strand of coppery hair. Ryland had a satisfied look of recognition. Viren needed just a second to connect the dots.

"Is that your hair, sir?" he asked.

"Wait, were you originally a redhead?"

"Unfortunately, no," Ryland said.

"This is merely the result of whatever strange transformations this strand of hair has undergone. Now let's see what we get…" Mana flashed out of the little glimmering strand like a bomb going off. Viren was forced to look away, but not before he caught sight of the burning Glyph forming in the air.