Fire Mage

Rhea and the others waited patiently in the lounge until a young woman in her mid-twenties entered, her uniform crisp and her appearance professional.

"Boarding passes, please," she requested with a courteous smile, her voice carrying clearly through the hall.

Once everyone had complied, she turned and led the group toward the boarding area. As they neared the airship's base, a shimmering, glass-like staircase materialized out of thin air, linking the vessel to the ground in a smooth, magical arc.

"Please show your boarding passes before boarding." A male pilot with a white hat stood near the staircase and announced.

The passengers moved forward, showing their boarding passes and walking up to the airship.

Rhea, Edith, and Runeth followed the other passengers and soon entered the airship.

Inside, the interior resembled a moving palace. Long gilded halls branched into private chambers, each fully furnished with enchanted skybeds, scrying desks, and panoramic sky-views. Each cabin had a unique magic seal for privacy and comfort.

"I heard this airship is one of the biggest in the entire Edhen World. Only high-ranking Mystics, royals, and nobles can travel in it." Rhea muttered as they walked in.

After moving through the airship for a while, they entered Cabins A45, A46, and A47—adjacent rooms for the trio. As Runeth secured his scrying apparatus and Edith examined the cabin's ambient charms, Rhea pressed her hand onto the viewport window.

The pilot's voice announced:

"All aboard. SE103 will depart in five minutes for the Sacred Empire's capital."

Dense mana of different elemental energies filled the corridors as runes across the hull ignited. The SE103 shuddered gently, then rose silently as its powerful core awakened.

Below, the terminal and all of Redhills City shrank gradually into a sea of glass towers and rune-lit avenues.

Rhea closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

The journey to the Sacred Empire was smooth. Although a few magical beasts attacked the airship along the way, they posed no threat, as over a dozen Rank-5 Mystics and even one Legendary Mystic stood guarding the ship nonstop.

After flying for 16 hours, the airship reached the Sacred Empire around 6 A.M.

A soft chime rang within the cabin, stirring Rhea from a light slumber.

"We've arrived," Runeth's calm voice echoed through the cabin walls.

Outside, the sky was awash with pale morning hues—light lavender clouds drifting above the gleaming skyline of the Sacred Empire's Holy Land.

As the airship descended, Rhea saw through the glass window that a large-scale construction was happening at the outer city walls. She also noticed that a dozen houses on the city's eastern side appeared destroyed.

Some buildings stood half-broken, while others were destroyed.

Many soldiers in silver armor gathered at the broken city wall, seemingly guarding it.

'The eastern city walls seem broken down. Did a Magical Beast wave occur recently?' She wondered.

The airship SE103 floated gently onto the docking pad of Sacred Wings Airport, the Empire's largest aerial terminal, nestled in the Western Borough of the city.

"Please collect your belongings and disembark in an orderly fashion," the pilot's voice echoed inside the airship.

Moments later, the trio exited their cabins, stepped down the illusion-like stairs, and entered the terminal proper.

Hundreds of passengers bustled around in the main hall. Unlike Redhills, the atmosphere here was colder, more methodical. White-uniformed attendants guided passengers through semi-transparent gates.

"Please avoid using magic in this place. The people here loathe mages." Edith muttered under her breath, looking at the arc-shaped mural near the eastern wall, where images of burning mages on inverted crosses were displayed.

"I'll try not to," Rhea whispered. "But if a situation arises, I won't hold back."

Runeth chuckled.

"Who would dare attack you while you have the two strongest mages in the world accompanying you?"

"The two strongest mages? You two?" Rhea couldn't help but give them a suspicious glance.

"You'll find out slowly," Runeth said with a chuckle, moving in line.

The guards thoroughly checked at the checkpoint, scanning their royal seals and verifying their identities through a runic orb that floated before them, reading mana patterns and soul fluctuations.

"Queen Rhea Boneflare. Access granted. Proceed," the attendant said in the Naan language.

Without delay, they exited the terminal and stepped into the arrival plaza, where dozens of carriages and traditional horse-drawn coaches awaited.

"Let's use a local carriage," Runeth said.

A few minutes later, they hired an obsidian-colored carriage, pulled by two silver-maned horses and driven by a silent old man clad in gray robes.

"Where to?" the driver asked without turning his head.

"Where are the other council members staying?" Runeth asked Rhea.

"I heard they'll be staying at Mermaid's Inn and told me to look for them there."

"Mermaid's Inn, huh?" Runeth paused in surprise.

'Didn't we also stay there before Charles went to steal the intellectual artifact?' Surprised, he didn't think it was a coincidence and turned his gaze toward the driver.

"Go to Mermaid's Inn, near Moonlight Plaza in the Central Borough," he said in the Naan tongue.

The old man gave a surprised look at his fluency in the Naan language, flicked the reins, and the carriage drifted forward.

"When did you learn the local language of the Sacred Empire, Mr. Runeth?" Rhea asked.

"Two years ago. But this place has changed a lot." He said as they entered.

Rhea and Edith followed him quietly into the carriage.

The trio sat silently as the obsidian carriage rolled over cobbled streets, the silver-maned horses pulling them through wide boulevards flanked by towering cathedrals and stone statues. Yet, despite the grandeur, an undeniable gloom clung to the city like a second skin.

Children clung to their parents with pale faces, street vendors offered barely audible calls, and even the city guards kept glancing toward the sky with anxious eyes.

Runeth noticed the tension first.

'This city looks lifeless.'

He leaned slightly toward the wooden slit in the side of the carriage and tapped the divider. "Driver, what's with the faces? Has something happened recently?"

The old man's voice came slowly, rough like gravel. "You must be outsiders. Not many who arrive smile anymore."

Rhea raised an eyebrow.

The driver continued, "After the Star Tombs Dungeon incident two years ago, beast waves started occurring occasionally. At first, they were rare. Now? They come every month. Sometimes every week."

'Order and Justice churches are guarding this city, though. Wait… Is it because of the Fake Origin Class?' He had heard that almost 90% of the people here chose to become Holy Knights or Priests rather than normal Mystics.

Runeth's brow furrowed. "What happened?"

The driver gave a bitter laugh. "Last night, a Rank-6 Raged Minotaur tore through the eastern city wall. Killed fifty before they brought it down."

'Rank-6? Isn't that a Legendary Magical Beast?' Runeth knew that Minotaur was known for its toughness and was surprised that they subjugated it without incurring any damage.

Rhea and Edith exchanged a look.

"I thought this place was the safest in Edhen," Edith muttered, eyes narrowing.

"Was," the driver corrected. "Used to be. After the Chaos Era, everything changed. The Priests, Bishops, Archbishops, Cardinals, and even the Holy Pope lost their divine power. Their blessings regressed. Even the Holy Knights started dying in patrols."

Runeth let out a slow exhale.

"That's not something the Empire would want others to hear."

The driver scoffed. "No one listens anymore. Not when graves outnumber churches. Mercenaries now guard half the districts. The Mystic Guild even sent an Elite team here last winter. If they hadn't, this Holy Land would've been breached."

Runeth leaned toward the window, watching the streets thin as they moved toward the central borough.

Clearly, the number of people in the city had diminished from the last time he visited.

"How many people have left?" He asked without looking.

"Around 50% of the original population. Most fled to other kingdoms and empires like the Rogue Throne or the Azure Federation. Even I'm thinking of leaving," he muttered. "The Dawn Kingdom still has no dungeons. I might have better luck there."

Silence settled in the carriage after that.

A few minutes later, the carriage turned past a narrow alley and entered a broader avenue lined with glowing lanterns and soft rune-lights.

The carriage came to a gentle halt.

"We've arrived," the driver announced and pulled the reins.

Runeth stepped down first and offered a silver coin. The driver hesitated, looked at the coin, and then at the trio.

"Be careful of the Radiant Knights. They hate the outsiders most."

Rhea nodded at his warning and helped Edith down.

Then, the trio walked toward Mermaid's Inn.

The wooden gate creaked as Rhea pushed it open, revealing a vast, warmly lit lobby filled with faint herbal aromas and the quiet crackle of enchanted firewood in a hearth.

Behind the front counter stood a thin receptionist with sharp, bespectacled eyes and neatly combed blonde hair. He wore an off-white uniform with silver trimmings and held a ledger.

"Welcome to the Mermaid's Inn. How may I help you?" His tone was polite, yet carried the efficiency of someone who had dealt with too many travelers this week.

Runeth stepped forward. "We need three rooms. For one month."

The receptionist nodded and tapped his floating ledger. "That would be ninety silvers total, sir. One room per person, 150 rocks a day, for 30 days."

Runeth raised his hand, pulled out a pouch filled with silver coins from his spatial ring, and spoke. "Take it. Keep the rest for silence and good service."

The receptionist bowed slightly, eyes gleaming. "Much appreciated, Sir. Here are your keys—Rooms 214, 215, and 216. Second floor, east wing. Breakfast is served before the second sun rises. Dinner before the second moon ascends. And... one moment—"

He flipped a few pages in his ledger, then looked up. "Are you, by any chance, associated with the Iron Kingdom's Council Members?"