Chương 4: Secret Admirer

Jason stopped Sara as she walked to her room after training.

"Did you see that?" he asked.

"I did. Congratulations." Jason barred her path again.

"What's with you? You jealous that you're not the best for once?"

"I'm jealous of all the people you ignore," Sara snipped.

"Now let me through." Sara could feel his anger as she pushed past him and walked to her room. She needed a drink. To dull the ache her situation had ingrained in her bones. To think. Unfortunately, there was someone she couldn't avoid standing before her door. It was Edico Sullsburg—her confidant and grand general from yesteryear. He waved a letter at her.

"What's that?" she asked.

"That's what I was hoping you'd tell me."

"Why's it your concern?"

"Because it was teleported into your room. With magic." Sara's nervous system frayed after hearing his words. Teleportation magic was extremely rare and costly. If someone used it, it meant they used a large tithe of crystals or were powerful enough to kill most sycounts in the blink of an eye.

"Can I see it?" she asked. He handed it to her.

"The seal's broken. Don't let go or it'll burst into flames." The letter had a wax seal imprinted with an array. The parchment inside had one, too. Whoever sent the message was the real deal. Sara opened it and read it. She thought that she couldn't get more anxious, but the letter—written in English—sent her over the edge. It read: People will regain memories if they have a strong enough connection with you. It's best to avoid Jason and Mary. Bad blood is a strong trigger.

Please accept the ring as a sign of my affection. —Your Secret Admirer"Speak," Edico said.

"It was from a secret admirer," Sara said, throwing the letter. It burnt to glowing cinders the second it left her hand.

"Said he'd learn magic to woo me over. It came with a ring, right?" The term "secret admirer" was written in Krallen, so Edico read that much. Whoever wrote the message was, at the very least, close to the Chosen, and they knew what they were doing. Edico lifted the ring. It had a zinconia crystal on it.

"I don't buy it."

"I wouldn't either. That looks expensive." He frowned at the sarcastic reply.

"This stone is the most expensive in the kingdom. And illicit. When it's used for someone with a teleportation array. Like it was just now." He unfolded parchment from his pocket. He's phishing to see how much I know about magic.

"Well… did they? Use it?" Edico narrowed his eyes.

"No. It's just a normal ring. I checked."

"Then…" She presented her palm.

"Can I have it? There's nothing a girl loves more than a bad boy." Edico shook his head.

"No. I don't believe you." Sara laughed.

"If you think that's unbelievable, you're not going to believe what I'm going to say next."

"What's that?"

"Come inside." Sara opened the door and pulled out a ledger that she had asked her servant for. She opened the front page. On it was a beautiful drawing of a flower that had serrated leaves that corkscrewed up the stem like a staircase. It had a beautiful closed rose appearance at the top.

"Do you know what this flower is?" Sara asked. Edico lifted the book and gave her a sidelong glance.

"The question is: do you?" Sara nodded solemnly.

"I do. Because I'm an Oracle." 2 Sara stared out at the purple-glowing ring in the moonlight once Edico left. They've got some balls, I'll give them that, she thought. That, or they really want me gone. She thought back to her conversation with Edico as she pulled out a scroll of parchment and readied her array ink. I don't know everything, she had said. But I do know that there's some connection between this flower and the king surviving his illness. And where one is? he asked. No.

But I know where the flower blooms. Sara returned to the present, inking a six-layer array with a compass and array ink. She had collected both by arguing that she'd get far better at calligraphy if she copied arrays. Now, she was making a gorgeous magic circle. She started drawing five inner circles and then started filling them with runic characters connected with lines, squares, and triangles. As she worked, her mind kept getting pulled back to her conversation with Edico.

And we're just supposed to believe this? he had asked. You get that silvermoon blooms are the most famous flowers in the world, right? That wasn't all I saw. Do you know a blonde noble that wears her hair in two braided ponytails? Edico narrowed his eyes. Yes. I do. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Well, she's running a human trafficking ring. She keeps an untaxed treasury on a side street next to a rickety factory in a broken end of town.

There's a wall with blue moss next to the entrance. Go check it out. If you don't believe me after that, I'll concede that I'm just crazy. Edico stood and said, I'm unsure whether I'll be relieved or wary if what you say is true. Be both. And give me that ring. You can steal it if I'm wrong. Sara knew what she told him was true. So, she had absolute confidence as she finished her array. There was no doubt: Liana Ria would hang by next week. Iskina oeapin mora tia mehi, Sara chanted within, e rompat rehito morea.

The ink lifted off the page, glowing red-hot. She shrunk it to a fraction of its size and then burned it onto the inside of the ring. She then threw a small piece of paper on her bed, activated her ring with mana, and a warp gate opened before her. She stuck her hand through the hole and her hand appeared on the bed. She had successfully created a spatial ring. Now, she could store items clandestinely without a backpack.

Her "Secret Admirer" knew about her skill with Telia's teleportation arrays because Sara was, by reputation, the General of Space. She taught spatial arrays to any arraymaster who was willing to join the fight against the demons. It was through those spatial arrays that she was able to move her armies so quickly into Ansithiia, the land of the demons. Every advisor and arraymaster thought it would be a calamity. Turned out, it won them the war.

I don't like that they know what I'm thinking, she thought, thinking of her "Admirer." I need to figure out who it is. But first… Fuck. I need to get out of here. If I don't cure Tiber soon, she'll never truly recover. Tiber was Kyritus's bastard half-sister, and daughter to both she and Kyritus, so far as either was concerned. She was destined to succumb to the disease before her eleventh birthday. Unless.

Unless Sara could find a silvermoon bloom and blackmail the right alchemist into making her a cure under the table. This ring was what she needed to do just that. Sara stared at the ring again. Liana Ria. May your corrupt, disgusting practices heal my daughter. One week later, the woman died by public execution in the Dreena District. Sara didn't watch it happen, but everyone, especially the king, sure watched Sara after it.

She had cemented her position as an Oracle, and just in time for her to make it to Moonlight Grove before the Corian Moon, the one time of year when the silvermoons bloom. —Jason Newborn— Jason's eyes flitted across Tara's body the next week, examining her recent progress. She was so-so on Earth, a B student with a mediocre dream of becoming a small-town veterinarian. She had a mediocre body, but in combat leathers…

"Your progress has been incredible," Jason said, making the brunette turn away with rosy cheeks.

"I have high hopes for you."

"It's nothing compared to you," she whispered, rubbing her toe in the dirt. That shy lack of confidence… It was kinda cute. He could get used to that.

"Anyway…." she said.

"I should get ready." Jason smiled gently.

"Of course. I look forward to seeing your performance." Tara smiled and rushed away. Thinking at the last second, he called out.

"Oh, Tara." She stopped dead in her tracks, turning back hesitantly as if he would find some flaw in her and take it all back.

"Yeah?"

"Have a little more confidence in yourself. You're doing amazing," Jason watched her eyes glitter as she smiled.

"You look better when you're smiling," he added. Tara's smile faded a bit as if his words were bittersweet. That kinda ticked Jason off. He'd never understand why women were so sensitive to that phrase as if it were a code word to put on an apron and bake up a child. I mean, he just complimented her smile, right? It was annoying. Still… that semi-wounded look in her eyes as she looked at him told him, I'll do better. That was the type of mindset that brought people to the top. And she'd be back, anyway.

He had a sneaking suspicion that women kinda liked it. Why else would they go after douchebags that wanted to use them? At least he was one of the good guys.

"I'll try," Tara said with a slight smile.

"Maybe smile wasn't the right word," Jason commented as an afterthought.

"Happy. You look better when you're happy, and you've been looking better all the time." That made her smile return and then some. Success.

"Thank you. Bye, Jason!" Tara yelled before anything could ruin their moment. I love making people's days, he thought, sneaking a longing glance at her ass as she ran away. Yeah, she looked good in combat leathers.

"Yo. I thought that you were still into Sara, man," Raul said, clapping him on the shoulder with his bearish hand. His face was smiling, but his eyes weren't. Jason could tell from the moment that Sara threw her fit that he was on her side, as if he, Jason, the man humiliated in front of a class without warning or provocation, was in the wrong. Ever since, he had been justifying her every word and statement under the guise of being an impartial mediator. Two-faced asshole. That's what he was.

It was eating Jason alive.

"Do you have a problem, Raul?" Jason drawled.

"Problem? Dude. What's up with you, man?"

"What's up with me? I can't even encourage a teammate without you questioning my fidelity, and you're asking what's up with me?" Raul frowned and looked at Tara. She looked like a soldier, targeting Jason with blushing glances while using her friends for cover.

"That's not all you were doing, man," Raul said.

"So you have a problem," Jason scoffed, looking away.

"Nah. No." He searched for words.

"It's just… I don't know, man. It might just be a strange rancho belief, but talking about fidelity with someone who dumped you three weeks ago is a bit… Dude, it's creepy."

"Three weeks? That's all someone you love means to you? You think I should have a one night stand to prove I'm over her?"

"Nah, it's not that. It's just…"

"Stop. I get it. Sara and I are over, and to be honest, she's turned into such a bitch that I couldn't even imagine dating her. But…" (Those memories.) Memories. Dreams. Flashbacks. The moment he started circulating mana the day before, he thought about Sara. He remembered dragging the tip of a sword across the ground, and watching the earth shatter from the blade's aura. He thought about facing her. The way she looked at him. The adoring gaze she gave him the day before the summoning.

The day they first shared a kiss. The implied promises he had yet to unlock. It was like she was an omen or a… succubi or something. Who the hell knew. Being around her made him feel strong for some reason. When he raged about her, he felt the same.

"Something's not right, Raul," Jason said.

"This isn't how it was supposed to go."

"Then how was it supposed to go?" Jason threw up his hands.

"Not like this." Aelia suddenly arrived with the rest of the class. Everyone but Sara.

"Where's Sara," Jason demanded, unaware of how desperate he sounded.

"She's leaving on a trip with Edico," Aelia said.

"That's all I know."

"She's on a trip? What about practice? The Festival's next month!"

"That's all I know," she said and walked away. Jason imagined Sara leaving, and suddenly the good memories glitched again. He remembered a memory of her saying, "Don't follow me," with the coldest tone he could imagine. On the back of her horse was…

"Now let's get started," Aelia said.

"Do you want to start your demonstration?" Jason's body swirled with oppressive levels of mana as he lifted his hand and a large ball of raw mana formed in it. The more he thought of Sara, the bigger it got.

"Release it!" Aelia screamed at the top of her lungs. Jason snuffed it out and stared at her in disgust.

"What? I can't practice?" He scoffed.

"I don't need to be here. Give me a tutor that can handle real power." Those words spoken, he stormed through the courtyard and into the castle, seeking out his servant to get him a bottle of wine. It seemed to work for Sara, so why not? There was a month until the Markinoa Festival, and he needed to get his head straight. Once he won, everything would be whole again. He was certain of it.