Entering an enemy’s stronghold was bad enough already on its own. Entering an enemy mage’s stronghold, on the other hand, was almost certainly assured to be an utter nightmare. A plethora of magical traps and defenses likely awaited whoever dared step within, all of them primed to inflict some particularly horrific fate. Bypassing and neutralizing the defenses was never a fun task, and the odds of suffering some agonizing injury in the process was incredibly high.

  Which was why they made Qorbin go in first.

  The assassin had protested, but not very heavily; he seemed to have recognized that Levi and Liliya needed some time to process what’d just happened. As such, he quickly disappeared into Hawke’s cottage, the door shutting softly behind him. It took only a few seconds before bright flashes of multicolored light began shining through the windows, accompanied by the sound of small explosions and muffled invectives. Levi doubted Qorbin was actually getting caught by the traps; more likely, he was setting them off on purpose so that he could disarm and dismantle them afterward.

  As they waited for Qorbin, Levi and Liliya ended up sitting next to each other on the swing set beside the cottage. The swing was a wooden seat large enough to seat two people. Surprisingly, it had survived the battle despite the destructive spells that’d been slung around. The cottage had survived as well, for that matter…

  Wait a moment.

  “Hawke was an Elementalist, wasn’t he?” Levi asked. “Remind me, what does that class entail again?”

  “Elementalists?” Liliya frowned but answered. “They’re an evolved form of the mage class; spellcasters who specialize in elemental manipulation for maximum widespread destruction.”

  “Does this seem like maximum widespread destruction to you?”

  Liliya frowned. “What? Of course it–” She froze as their surroundings registered to her. The clearing in front of the cottage had been devastated; the grass was blackened and ruined, deep gouges were carved into the earth, and the encircling trees had cracked and fallen. But considering how Hawke had been a Mythmaker-tier Elementalist theoretically capable of far, far more… “No. No, it doesn’t.”

  “I thought not.”

  Levi knew it hadn’t been his imagination that the battle felt like it was too easy. At the time, he’d assumed it was because he didn’t have enough reference points to know how strong a Mythmaker-tier individual actually was, but now…

  Levi exhaled slowly. “Hawke was holding back during the fight to avoid destroying his home.”

  Whether Hawke had made that choice consciously or subconsciously, Levi didn’t know, but just the fact that the entire surrounding area hadn’t been leveled to the earth was proof enough that Hawke hadn’t let loose the full might of his arsenal. Levi hadn’t even experienced magical overburn during this fight; it’d been that quick.

  “Ah,” Liliya said, her expression conflicted. “So much for home territory advantage…”

  “Indeed. I suppose we’re lucky he hadn’t summoned a hurricane or something.”

  Judging by his evaluation of Hawke’s mana stores during the fight, that had definitely been within the old man’s capabilities.

  A silence fell over them, the swing underneath them slowly swaying back and forth.

  “I don’t know why Qorbin brought me along,” Liliya said suddenly.

  Levi paused. “What do you mean?”

  “I was useless in that fight,” Liliya said. “Just as how I was useless for the Elder Wyvern fight, or even the fight against Phantasm and the Greater Wyverns before that.” Her fists clenched. “I’m too weak.”

  “No, I think they were just too strong,” Levi said. “I doubt anyone blames you for not being able to do anything. Besides, you’re far stronger than the average Institute graduate. You just conquered the Ascension Trials all by yourself, and you’re apprenticed to a Mythmaker. All things considered, you’re doing fairly well–”

  “It’s not enough,” she hissed. Levi went silent as Liliya let out a long breath. “My standing in the Institute doesn’t mean anything in the real world, especially not during this mission. I’m clearly not fit to be here; even Syto was better suited for this mission. At this rate, I’m just here to leech experience.”

  Levi hummed. “I disagree with that. Gaining experience, both metaphorically and literally, is the whole point of an apprenticeship. Besides, Qorbin must’ve had his own reasons for taking you on as an apprentice and bringing you along. I doubt pissing off Montague was his only reason.” He paused. “I think.” It might’ve also just been on a whim; Qorbin was too unpredictable for Levi to read properly.

  “More importantly, however,” he continued, “if you hadn’t convinced me to go evacuate the town with you, then we would’ve missed Hawke altogether. It was only because you thought it was wrong to use Elysia as bait that we’re here right now. For that, I thank you.”

  Slowly, Liliya nodded. “You’re welcome. I know it was naive of me, and I’m sorry for that–”

  “Don’t apologize,” Levi said, cutting her off. “I may not know why Qorbin brought you along, but the reason why I partnered up with you is simple.”

  He was silent for a long moment as Liliya looked at him, an almost ravenous curiosity in her eyes. She must’ve been wondering all this time, but had been too afraid to ask. From her perspective, there was no logical reason why Levi had agreed to partying up with her, after all. He was so much stronger than her it wasn’t even funny, and she probably believed her presence would only hold him back.

  However…

  “Back in the cave when you returned to save me, and back in the camp when you tried to slip past me… In both instances, I saw something within you,” Levi said, his voice soft but serious. “More important than any talent, far more important than lineage or nobility. I saw the capacity to see when something’s wrong in this world and the courage to do everything in your power to right it, no matter the cost to yourself. It’s far rarer than you’d expect. So when I come across someone with that quality…” His lips quirked. “Well. I find myself wanting the honor to join their side and seeing what they can accomplish.”

  Liliya flushed. “It isn’t anything special–”

  “It is. I won’t have someone disparaging such a quality, not even yourself. Qorbin and I may have made the correct choice when we decided to use the town as bait to draw out the cultist, but you… you made the right choice, Liliya.” He smiled, a tinge of sadness in his eyes. “It’s the same choice I would’ve once made.”

  Liliya blinked. “Really? What changed?”

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  “I failed,” Levi said simply.

  At first, he hadn’t been willing to sacrifice all those lives. He’d spent a year trying to find a solution, barely eating and barely sleeping as he desperately searched and scoured the lands for a way to stop the slumbering being. But in the end, he’d failed, and had been forced to annihilate the tens of thousands of souls.

  After that, he thought he had changed. That the choice had changed him, twisted him into someone, something else. That the sheer amount of blood on his hands had proved the futility of his ideals and actions.

  But watching Liliya had reminded him of the dream he’d once had.

  “If it hadn’t been for you, I don’t think I would’ve saved Hawke’s daughter,” Levi confessed quietly. “Healing a soul not meant for the living is an act that defies the natural order and violates the sanctity of life and death. The correct choice was to let Qorbin put her out of her misery.”

  “But you healed her anyway.”

  “But I healed her anyway.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I…”

  A myriad of reasons flashed through his head, but when it came down to it…

  “I wanted to.”

  “Do you regret it?”

  Levi tilted his head. Even now, his magic and soul still quivered and tingled from the aftereffects of using the soul magick; not necessarily pain but rather a certain rawness. He would suffer consequences for his actions. Perhaps not now, but sometime in the future. Yet…

  The swings creaked, a night breeze rolling through the air. Above them, the storm clouds that had gathered during the fight finally dissipated, letting the moonlight and starlight shine through.

  And Levi smiled. “Not at all.”

  The same soul magick he’d used in his previous world to slaughter countless thousands, he’d just used in this new world to heal someone. It might have only saved a single soul, and only for a few minutes at that, but…

  Emma had been allowed to say goodbye.

  For that alone, it was well worth it.

  After Qorbin finished sweeping the cottage, he returned to get them. The interior of the cottage was rather quaint, filled with finely-crafted furniture and simple but luxurious goods. Not ostentatious by any means, but the quality shone through. In the stairway going down, Levi saw multiple runic scripts and sigils inscribed on the walls. They had all been either destroyed or burned out; Qorbin had done his job properly.

  The stairwell opened up to an underground room. Chests lay scattered around on the floor, one wall was covered with blackboards filled with tiny haphazard handwriting, and shelves full of organic ingredients lined the other wall.

  “I already [Looted] Hawke’s body earlier, but he wasn’t carrying much in his inventory,” Qorbin said. “I assume he was keeping everything in here. Several of the chests were booby-trapped; I took the liberty of disabling them.”

  Levi opened a chest – his eyes widened as a fireball screamed forth from its depths, forcing him to leap backward. The fireball splashed harmlessly against the ceiling, no doubt enchanted to be fire resistant.

  “That said,” Qorbin grinned, “I may have missed a few spots. So do be careful.”

  Levi narrowed his eyes before shaking his head. “It’s understandable. You are getting on with your age, after all.” Qorbin made a rude gesture back at him.

  “Is that a Basilisk heart?” Liliya’s eyes were wide as she examined the shelf. “Hydra bones, Thunderwolf fangs, Elder Kraken orbs — an Alchemist would kill for some of these ingredients.”

  “They absolutely would,” Qorbin said. “I should know — I’ve been hired for such missions before. Just wait til you see the magical items Hawke collected.”

  Levi hummed as he went through the chests. It was all rather impressive; he didn’t know exactly what they did because he lacked the [Inspect] skill, but his True Sight and knowledge of magical theory gave him a vague idea of their functions.

  “We can take the loot we want and auction off the rest,” Qorbin said. “Let’s do that later; some of these items will need an expert appraiser to examine. It’s a good thing that Syto left when he did, I think I might’ve accidentally staked him through the heart if I had to split any of this with him…”

  “What are all these?” Liliya suddenly asked, her voice hard.

  Levi and Qorbin turned over to see her intently reading the writing on the blackboards, a jagged quality to her expression as though it was made of glass.

  Qorbin’s face darkened. “Ah. Right. It seems Hawke had been keeping tabs on adventurers in this region.”

  “Keeping tabs?” Liliya’s eyes flitted back and forth. “He was keeping track of their corruption. Dereliction of duty, refusal to commit resources to saving an area, acceptance of bribes to prioritize protection of certain estates…” She turned to look at Qorbin. “Is this real?”

  Qorbin sighed. “I’ll have to check, but knowing adventurers, it probably is.”

  “So what happened to Elysia a decade ago wasn’t a one-off occurrence,” Levi said quietly. “It’s the norm, rather.”

  Qorbin hesitated, then nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s the norm, but cases like these do happen with disturbing frequency.”

  “Does the Adventurer’s Guild not care about instances like these?”

  Qorbin snorted. “Nah, they don’t give a rat’s ass. They’re composed of top adventurers as well, remember. This is more within the Royal Sentinels’ purview… but they don’t care either unless the aggrieved party is either a noble or has the wealth of one.”

  “I see…”

  “That being said, I already noted down all the names Hawke had collected. I’ll track down the worst offenders and give them a talk.” He sighed. “Not much I can do beyond that, unfortunately.”

  “Have you tried?” Levi asked, genuinely curious.

  “Of course I have. Right after the war, Aldric and I…” Qorbin fell silent for a moment, his eyes flickering with emotions. “Well. We tried to make a change. Thought we had the power to, after winning the war and being recognized as war heroes.” He chuckled, a trace of ruefulness to his voice. “We were pretty far off the mark, to say the least. It’s part of the reason why Aldric and I ended our partnership.”

  “So all these adventurers will get away with it?” Liliya asked. She was still scanning the blackboards, her lips tight and her jaw clenched. “Entire villages fell due to sudden leyline shifts or dungeon breaks because nobody was willing to go out and save them. Nothing’s going to happen?”

  Qorbin sighed. “I’m sorry, Liliya. We just have to do better than they did. That’s all we can do, really.”

  By the time they finished clearing out everything that had been inside the cottage’s basement, the sun was already rising in the horizon. Levi had excused himself halfway through to take care of something. When he’d returned, he’d found Qorbin and Liliya whispering amongst themselves, though they’d quieted once they saw him.

  It appeared that his usage of soul magick had raised more than a few questions. Levi would have to address it later.

  For now, however…

  “We got lucky,” Qorbin suddenly said. “I’d expected this mission to take several weeks if not even months, but we were able to resolve it in a single day.”

  Levi and Liliya paused in realization. Sure enough, it had only been yesterday morning that Qorbin had tracked them down in the Institute courtyards.

  “Fortunately, if we hurry back,” Qorbin continued, “then I think we’ll be able to make it in time for the graduation ceremony. I know how important it was for you two to attend.”

  Levi stiffened. “Actually, I believe we should visit all the other massacred villages as well, just to be thorough.”

  Liliya nodded hurriedly. “There’s always a chance there was another Hollow cultist as well – maybe Phantasm had contacted multiple people.”

  Qorbin snorted. “Alternatively, we can take the long route back and hit up some of my favorite monster grinding spots on the way…”

  “That works as well.”

  “Agreed.”

  Qorbin grinned. “Excellent. I’ll send the falcon back, then. We’ll make our way back to Luxanne on foot. It might take a while, but I’m guessing there are no objections?” Silence. “Capital. There’s a cave a hundred miles away from here that I know always gets filled up with giant centipedes; we’ll visit there first.”

  With that, they left the town of Elysia, bidding goodbye to the sleepy gate guards on duty. They left behind two graves, one empty, one full, that had been dug out in the forest next to the cottage. Headstones had been placed over the upturned earth, unmarked save for the faint purple stains running down their sides that one might recognize as elderberry juice.

  And on a certain stone at the center of town, a new name had been inscribed next to an old one. If someone looked very closely, they’d notice that it hadn’t been roughly inscribed by hand like the other names had. Instead, the edges and lines were far more precise.

  As though it’d been cleaved into place.