Arcane Innovator

The once unassuming courtyard had been turned into a scene of pure chaos. The Barracks' formerly pristine white facade was dented by countless holes, and several large cracks ran across it.

Windows were shattered, and the ground was littered with pieces of broken glass and plenty of other debris from the dire battle that took place here just a few moments ago.

Dozens of lifeless soldiers' bodies were unceremoniously piled upon the heaps of rubble at the edge of the courtyard, and everything was permeated by a heavy scent of death.

I watched it all in somber silence while sitting on a lone boulder at the courtyard's edge, stealing a few precious moments of rest to recover my depleted energy.

Closing my eyes, I focused on my core, meditating as I circulated the few remaining wisps of essence through my battered body to speed up my recovery.

In a short while, I could already feel my sore muscles loosening as the rejuvenating stream of essence began slowly flowing into me.

After I felt that I had recovered enough to be able to continue, I promptly stopped and stood back up. I was very well aware that I couldn't linger here as it was only a matter of time until more guards came here and raised the alarm.

Not to mention, I had to hurry home to make sure everyone was okay. Still, I paused for a bit as I realized there was still the issue of the Magistrate and the two knocked-out guards.

I quickly glanced at the two unmoving figures and decided to let the guards live as they were out cold long before everything went south, so they couldn't tell anyone what happened here.

As for the Magistrate... I looked in the direction of the small patch of upturned earth and then shook my head.

He was as good as dead. Even if he - by some miracle - survived the initial cave-in, he would have already suffocated by now, so he may as well stay there for all eternity for all I care.

Besides, I had neither the time nor the energy to dig him back up, only to make sure he was truly dead. Plus, there was no one left who knew of his fate besides me, so nobody would even know where to dig.

‘Heh, at least I saved them some time with the funeral…’

Not wasting another moment, I climbed over the rubble before propelling myself onto the barracks' roof.

'What a waste...' I sighed as I looked down at the courtyard. 'So many lives lost... all for the greed and hubris of some old farts who think that they could do whatever they want.'

Shaking my head dejectedly, I threw one last look at the shadow of the mighty Keep some distance away as I contemplated the consequences of everything that just transpired in the past hour.

I couldn't help but smile bitterly, thinking about that annoying Count’s daughter, Margarette.

'Who could have thought that the marriage I worked so hard to get out of would, in the end, be dissolved in such an abrupt and brutal manner?'

Taking a deep breath, I looked west. Everything seemed eerily quiet and peaceful, and nothing gave the impression that a battle had just occurred in the courtyard below.

While cautiously observing my surroundings, I desperately searched for the best way out of the Fortress. I needed to get out of there as soon as possible, not wanting to discover what other tricks the nobles might have prepared for me here.

I deployed my magic sense, scanning the whole area around me. But then I narrowed my eyes, becoming alert. 'Something feels wrong...'

I wondered what it might be that made me uneasy for a moment, but then it dawned on me. 'There are no enemies...'

By now, the whole area should have been swarmed by countless guards, yet there was not a soul around. I cautiously looked around some more but couldn't find any signs of danger.

Then I widened my eyes briefly as another realization struck me before a wide grin spread across my face.

There wasn't anyone because the conspirators probably didn't want any unwanted witnesses, so they ordered all the regular guards out of this area. I guess they didn't consider the possibility of me being able to overcome the Magistrate and all his men.

'Yet, I did, and now there was nothing left that would block my path back home...' With a smirk, I hurriedly jumped over the rooftops. Heading in a straight line for the outer walls and out of the Fortress.

However, as I approached the walls, I had to stop because I stumbled upon a group of guards standing on the nearby tower, throwing nervous looks at one another as if unsure of what to do.

They didn't seem to notice my presence, so I carefully snuck past them, hiding in the shadows. The guards probably heard the sound of the explosions, yet they couldn't leave their post and go investigate without the direct order of an officer.

But with the Magistrate gone and most other senior captains away on the Count's expedition, there was no one left who could immediately assume command, which worked perfectly in my favor.

Thus, I hurriedly jumped over the walls without any delays before slowing down my descent shortly before I jumped into the overgrown moat below.

Then, I simply ran like the wind back home. I was lucky that so far nobody had raised the alarm yet, but it won't take long... I had, at best, an hour before the nobles figured out what happened and sent the guards after me.

I ran through the side alleys, ensuring I avoided any people as I was quickly approaching the mansion.

But as I was coming toward the main gate, I froze as I noticed too many lit torches in the courtyard, and beneath their flickering flames, dozens of unknown figures were hurriedly moving around the premises.

My heart skipped a beat as a dark premonition took hold of me. Gritting my teeth, I hurried forward. I moved to the side a little before jumping over the tall fence and taking cover behind the nearby bush, silently observing the large group of intruders.

There were about two dozen of them, all masked. This fact alone removed any possible doubts about their nefarious intentions.

'Where is Jorn and the rest of my guards?' I wondered as I suddenly got a very bad feeling about this.

The assailants didn't seem to notice my presence yet, as they were moving about confidently as if they owned the place, which, for some reason, made me extremely mad.

I wanted nothing more but to run up to them and rip them all limb from limb, yet I had to remind myself to keep calm and to first find out their motives before I made a move.

As I was observing them, I quickly noticed that the majority of them were coming over to the left side, so I moved closer, and there I spotted many carriages parked next to the side entrance.

The masked men were busily coming out of the basement carrying crates full of elixirs and loading them onto the carriages. 'Those bastards...'

Yet again, I forced myself to take a deep breath, reminding myself not to do anything stupid and keep to the shadows.

I looked at them as they busily moved about while searching for more information. I repeatedly scanned the whole area with my magic sense but found no mages among them or anyone who looked particularly formidable.

Thus, I decided to move even closer. However, as I turned a corner, the grim answer to what had happened to my guards was revealed to me.

Two of Jorn’s men lay dead on the ground in front of the main entrance. That wouldn't be too surprising since I already anticipated such an outcome from the moment I arrived here.

Still, I couldn't help but furrow my brows as there was something strange about how the guards died. They seemed like they weren't fighting at all... Instead, it looked like someone slit their throats from behind.

'How could they take them all out by surprise like that?' I felt like something didn't quite add up, as it seemed that whoever took them out must have come from inside the mansion.

‘Whatever… there is no time to ponder it right now, I need to go inside and rescue Helga and the others.

With that, I sprung up to my feet and ran into the courtyard. Fueled with dire urgency, I decided to forget caution and simply blast away anyone who would stand in my way.