Rise of Tyrus

Thunder crackled as soon as Royal Knight Othelia kicked open a door. Water sprayed outwards, drenching the front of her garments and everyone else behind her. Lightning illuminated the stairway, a bright light that faded within seconds as thunder crackled like a whip.

Rolling clouds of black swirled overhead, a gray mist covering the once clear sky. Rain pattered the earth, and the wind blew as a ferocious breeze, blowing the water in every direction. Fiona felt the chilling cold press against his bare skin, her hair fluttering from the wind.

Not only was Fiona dead tired and in a terrible mood, but her garments were wet as well. Was it merely her time for the gods to cast misery upon her? Or was this the consequence of her failure as a leader? Whatever the case, she didn't want to stick around. All she wanted to do was get cleaned and changed and sleep until morning. No, make that two mornings.

Othelia retrieved a white, hooded cape from her amulet and wrapped it around herself and her uniform. Although it only reached down to her shoulders, the cloth emitted a bright glow, causing the rain to part above her. It must have been a magical item, as it kept her from getting wet.

Royal knights are truly fortunate to have access to such useful items. They have storage containers capable of holding a variety of items, weapons of top-notch quality forged at Ironworks, and, most importantly, a generous monthly stipend that could easily feed an entire town for months. The title of royal knight seems more fitting for royalty itself!

Speaking of royal knight, Othelia was quite muscular. Fiona could tell by the way her uniform tightened whenever she moved. It made her wonder if the royal knights had their own training regiment compared to an ordinary guard. From what she heard, becoming a guard in Lethos was difficult, in contrast to other towns. Since it's the royal capital, only the most skilled and determined individuals could get a spot. Any other town, anyone with a heartbeat and able to hold a sword properly could enlist. Heck, if Tyrus were to try out, she wouldn't be surprised if he was hired on the spot.

"I will personally lead you five back to the Explorer Guild," Othelia announced, stepping out into the pouring rain.

"We're fine. We can find our way back. No need to trouble yourself," Fiona replied rather quickly.

"No, I insist," said Othelia. Fiona understood instantly that declining any further would be a useless endeavor, so she just shrugged. The royal knight took that as her accepting defeat and nodded. She motioned for them to follow her.

It was a slow and tedious journey through the rain. Thunder and lightning boomed in the sky, as if the heavens were inflicting punishment on some poor soul. Although the rain was heavy, it wasn't enough to obscure their vision. The chilling rain pelted her skin, and Fiona was grateful Tyrus had given her his own boot.

She considered declining his offer, but upon gazing at his face, she found it impossible to refuse. Tyrus was a kind-hearted boy, almost too pure for the harsh realities of the world. He was obedient and reserved, yet always ready to lend a helping hand without hesitation—Fiona was well aware of this.

It was truly a blessing that he had turned out well, rather than becoming an unstable mess constantly consumed by bitterness towards the world. She hadn't given it much thought before, but whoever had raised him when he was much younger had clearly done a commendable job. It pained her even more to think that such a young boy had been left to fend for himself in Valier Forest. Had his caretakers abandoned him, or had they tragically passed away? She never asked, and she probably never will.

The rain fell hard against the cobblestone street, creating a soothing sound that echoed throughout the city. They were fortunate to not be in the center of town. There, the streets would have been packed with carriages and crowds of people rushing to the nearest shelter. Fiona also realized they weren't on the outskirts of the city, but on the upper quarter, where the more wealthy folk frequent.

She recognized a few buildings that she had come across several times when she first came to Lethos with Aunt Selena. The buildings here were taller than average and much grander than the others, around twice the size of Erza's magic shop. They passed by a pottery shop that currently had customers perusing shelves of vases, pots, and other decorative household items. Parked outside the shop was a carriage with a symbol of a flower wreath imprinted on the side. Must've belonged to some noble on the lower end of the hierarchy as she didn't recognize it anywhere.

Near the pottery shop they passed was a jewelry shop owned by a rich merchant. This one she visited on her own when Aunt Selena had duties to attend to at the guild. In glass cases resided a collection of sparkling gems and necklaces; silver rings with jewels as clear as a sea of diamonds and necklaces that looked as if they were dipped in pools of melted gold.

Inside the shop, wiping away the dust off the clear glass was a portly woman in a beautiful pink dress that seemed to barely fit her... curvy body. Fiona talked to her once before, and that was when she shooed her away for lingering around in her shop. She remembered her words very clearly: I cannot have an ill-dressed child wandering about in my establishment; you'll frighten the customers!

At that time, she thought of a dozen insults that could have easily put her in her place. However, she chose to swallow her pride and left before the thought of setting her undergarments on fire and watching her prance around to lose some weight overwhelmed her judgement. She had to remember to lie low and not cause a problem wherever she went, but there were times where the urge to retaliate was strong. Nevertheless, she yearned to adorn herself like other noblewomen, bedecked in opulent jewelry. Alas, such a longing remained nothing more than a distant dream.

The group continued down the street, no one daring to make conversation with the royal knight up ahead. Grant stuck close to Tyrus while Reo had a steady eye on Othelia. Igneal was grumbling about the rain and how cold he was, which made sense. Half his shirt was missing, after all, no thanks to that darn earth spirit.

It was puzzling how Sezor had obtained an invocation amulet that possessed such powerful abilities to summon spirits. These amulets were extremely rare and in high demand, so it was no surprise. Only a Conjuration Sorcerer had the ability to imbue a spirit into an object, and it was clear Sezor was no sorcerer. Fiona's mana sense confirmed that there was no trace of mana, let alone a mana heart, within Sezor. He was simply an unblessed.

That meant Sezor either purchased the invocation amulet through mysterious means or someone gifted it to him. If it were the former, that man must've had many connections in order to obtain an item of that caliber. And if it were the latter, then whoever gave it to him had to have a lot of influence—or they were a Conjuration Sorcerer themselves and were skilled or convincing enough to contract with a spirit in the first place, especially one at that kind of level.

Even then, who had given Sezor the bound spirit? Fiona had never heard of a spirit outright killing the summoner. Usually, if one wanted a spirit to temporarily follow the commands of another, the previous contract holder would have to transfer rights to another. If a contract was made, the spirit had to obey its master, no matter how much it protested. Even though the spirit would have a will of its own, they were compelled to obey and follow the contract crafted by summoner and summoned.

Obviously, none of that mattered because Sezor died, and that could only mean one thing. The previous summoner failed to transfer rights, and the earth spirit capitalized on that, thus ending the man's life. But alas, its efforts were in vain, as it was felled by the dark element, ultimately used by Tyrus...

She did not know the boy had the element tucked under his belt. It must've been quite recent that he acquired it, as he only had lightning, light, and fire earlier in the week. Now, he had gotten himself another so quickly? Most first years would have one element, with that being their primary affinity. But Tyrus had four already, and he was only nine! And he had just recently become a sorcerer himself! His progress so far has been terrifyingly quick, and she worried if there was actually something wrong with his body.

He's still so young, and if his magic grows stronger than his body can handle, then it would only be a matter of time before he destroys himself. Too much mana circulating in a small mana heart was akin to filling water into a well. Small wells can only hold so much water until it overflows, and if left unattended, the excess water could destroy the well and seep into the ground below. It's similar to how one would train a muscle, slowly building it up, allowing the body to adapt. Tyrus' mana heart wouldn't be able to keep up with his progress until he ages up and allows his body to grow. If he continued this monstrous growth at his age, then his mana heart exploding would be inevitable.

It was a miracle Tyrus had made it this far, but at some point, his body would eventually give out. There were tales of sorcerers destroying their own mana hearts because their training was too excessive. They could become crippled; mana pools would be cut in half or their absorption rate would drop. She didn't want that happening to Tyrus, so she'd have to talk to him about his situation. She'd also have to bring up what she saw earlier...

"We've arrived," Othelia announced, halting abruptly, causing Fiona to bump into her. Fiona groaned and rubbed her nose, checking for blood. That woman's back was as hard as steel! Just what kind of training did she undergo to get like that!?

Fiona looked up and recognized the Explorer Guild. Light from within the windows illuminated the inside. The rain had decreased slightly, but the dark clouds were still rolling. Through the window, there were a lot of explorers present and a few travelers seeking refuge from the rain. They were eating and talking amongst each other.

Othelia pushed the door open, the creaking of the door hinges echoing throughout the room. Every single explorer in the room ceased what they were doing and stared at them. Their jaws dropped when their eyes landed on Othelia, who was strutting through the crowd without so much as an ounce of care. Every explorer and traveler parted like a river as she made her way through, stopping at the receptionist's desk. Fiona and the others stood behind her.

"Welcome to the Explorer Guild, Royal Knight Othelia," Celeste said with a bow. "It is a joy to see you in good health. What do I owe the pleasure of your visit? If you're looking for Branch Leader Selena, then I'm afraid she's not available. She is traveling at the moment."

Othelia face turned soft as she nodded. "Well met, receptionist. You can relax. I'm not here for Selena. I was just escorting these children back toward the guild after their brief excursion. Is it true these five have been assigned to the sewers today?"

"That is true, yes. They were assigned to exterminate the weekly rats and slimes underneath the city. Is something the matter?"

The royal knight shook her head reassuringly. "There's no need to worry. I simply wanted some confirmation before I depart, now that the task is complete." She then directed her attention towards Fiona. "Please go ahead and fulfill the contract. That's what you're supposed to do, isn't it?"

Fiona nodded. "Y-yes ma'am, that is correct."

"As you accept contracts and commence your responsibilities as explorers, I as well do my duties as a royal knight of Lethos."

Fiona arched an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean—"

Everything happened so fast that Fiona had a difficult time processing it. One moment, she was talking, and the next, Othelia picked Tyrus by the scruff of his collar as if he weighed nothing. The boy's eyes shot open, and with a grunt, Othelia turned on her heels, tapped on the insignia on her uniform, and was gone in a flash of light.

Royal Knight Othelia and Tyrus were nowhere to be seen.