Chapter 60: Elizabeth
Elizabeth's eyes snapped to him. "You know about them?"
The spectral mouse turned toward him, its eyes bright like twin sparks.
"You possess one too, don't you?"
Raven's heartbeat hitched. Did it sense Zera?
Zera responded calmly.
[Not now. It noticed me during your rebirth. And for the record—I am not an Arcane Fragment. I am an Arcane Relic. A tier above fragments.]
The illusionary mouse hopped onto the coffee table and stared at Raven like a predator sizing prey.
"What do we do, Eli? Should we take it?"
Raven's gaze sharpened and turned cold. "A mere fragment dares talk big?"
Elizabeth shot the mouse a glare. "Whis. Fragments choose their wielders. Do not provoke him."
The mouse huffed and turned away.
She shifted back to Raven. "Did something happen during the practical exam? In the Mirage Woods?"
Raven held her gaze but said nothing.
She sighed. "Never mind. Everyone has secrets. Even me."
Her eyes drifted to the mouse—Whis—and memories softened her expression.
She told Raven the truth.
How she'd found Whis not through destiny, but by accident—buried in her family's ancient library. How she thought she'd uncovered a world-changing artifact, only to realize Whis knew nothing about spell models, elemental techniques, alchemy, runes, or spirit methods.
Only external techniques—swordsmanship, archery, spearmanship, special skills.
When she complained, Whis simply told her: Find the other fragments.
But her family shipped her across the sea before she could search for any.
Cypher Eyes had been the only truly valuable skill she'd gained. A skill that let her see what others could not.
That was how she identified Raven's memorization talent.
So she sensed it long before the others…
Elizabeth snapped out of her recollection. "Whis, block the oath's effect. Just for a bit."
"As long as you stay away from Velvet Eclipse secrets, I can suppress the backlash," Whis said.
Elizabeth nodded and faced Raven again.
"You're the only person besides me who knows about this fragment." She gestured at Whis. "This is him—Whis. An Arcane Fragment passed down by one of my ancestors. According to him, he 'possesses all knowledge.' In reality…" she shot Whis a look, "…he's been mostly useless."
"That's because you lack talent!" Whis squeaked indignantly.
Elizabeth ignored him. "Let me answer your questions."
She grew serious.
"The first thing you must understand is this: We're not invaders."
Raven raised a brow.
"We're Harvesters."
"Harvesters?" he echoed.
She nodded.
"We came here with two purposes. One: harvesting ingredients."
Elizabeth's tone shifted, becoming almost weary.
"There are potions that require materials that can't be cultivated at all. They exist only in untouched land—pure land. Ivory Island still has that purity. The Mainland does not. Corrupted mana ruined a vast portion of it."
She tapped the table.
"Of a hundred common alchemy ingredients, ninety can be grown anywhere. The remaining ten must be found in nature. Astral Pine sap, for example—it takes ten thousand years for the tree to produce blue sap. It cannot be cultivated—only grown in pristine mana. And once harvested, it takes another ten thousand years."
"It's used in a Rank-7 mythical potion," Raven recalled.
"Exactly. And ingredients of that level exist only in remote, untouched places. Wizards are sent here to retrieve them. They earn contribution points based on the ingredients they gather."
"Contribution points?" Raven asked.
"They can exchange them for artifacts, potions, rare techniques, scrolls—anything."
Raven leaned forward. "And the second purpose?"
Elizabeth hesitated—then spoke slowly.
"Harvesting talents."
Her voice dropped into a whisper.
"The Mainland isn't peaceful like Ivory Island. It's fractured. Races fight for territory. Humans are not the only power there. And corrupted mana… twisted everything."
She lifted a hand.
"Most Mainland children are born with low affinities. Even I—daughter of a Rank-4 Wizard—have only two low affinities and one intermediate."
Raven frowned. "Are people ever born with no affinities?"
"No. Every soul must have at least one affinity. But when corrupted mana spread, a new affinity appeared."
A chill traveled down Raven's spine.
"Chaos affinity."
Elizabeth nodded grimly. "Most chaos-born grow up looking normal. But something festers inside them… always leaning toward cruelty, malice. We call them 'Evils.'"
Raven's eyes narrowed. "Evils… as in the ones forming religions?"
"Exactly. They worship an entity called Morning Glory. They've grown strong—strong enough to challenge the great factions. They control nearly a third of the Mainland now."
Zera's voice sharpened.
[That's how demons spread corruption. Turn humans into vessels—then descend through them.]
"Demons?" Raven said aloud.
Elizabeth blinked. "You already know?"
Raven nodded once. "The monster that wiped out Azmar Town wasn't a goblin. It was a demon—Blood Imp. And it didn't appear naturally."
"Correct," Elizabeth said. "Not all demons come from the Mainland. Some are created here. The Evils arrived only a few decades ago, hiding in the shadows. Unlike us, they harvest people. They want soldiers—corrupted soldiers."
She exhaled heavily, shoulders sinking.
"The Wizard Alliance and Velvet Eclipse both came to nurture talents—future soldiers. The Evils came to make monsters."
Raven's fingers drummed against the armrest.
If the situation is that serious… why hide the potion recipes?
[If everyone gets the potion recipes, they'll attempt to brew the potions themselves.]
Isn't that good? Raven asked.
[Let me make it simple. Two alchemists stand before the same ingredients for an Adept-Rank potion. One of them is you. How many sets do you need?]
Raven thought.
Twenty sets.
[Correct. And the other is a Peak Adept Alchemist. How many for him?]
Two or three sets.
[Now imagine there are only a thousand sets total. Split evenly, you take five hundred and he takes five hundred. What happens?]
Raven exhaled in realization.
I'll produce twenty-five potions… he'll make more than two hundred.
[Exactly.] Zera's tone grew firm. [Knowledge without capability only wastes resources.]
Raven nodded slowly. The picture was clear.
Across from him, Elizabeth continued her explanation without noticing the mental conversation.
"After the War on the Mainland, the lawful nations weakened severely," she said. "Potion ingredients became scarce. Only untouched environments like Ivory Island can grow the rarest ones. That's why the Arcane Mist Empire explored the Chaotic Sea and finally found this continent."
Zera's voice sharpened suddenly—sharper than Raven had ever heard.
[Kid. Ask her the rank of the Arcane Mist's top powerhouse.]
Raven blinked. Why?
[If the Empire learns you killed a Legendary powerhouse like Gavin, they won't send regular Wizards next time. They'll send an Arch-Wizard. A monster beyond your imagination.]
A cold ripple ran down Raven's spine.
He turned to Elizabeth. "Teacher… the strongest person in the Arcane Mist Empire—what is their rank?"
Elizabeth hesitated, then answered softly.
"I can't reveal his name. But he rules the Empire and commands more than a thousand Wizards of Gavin's level."
Zera hummed darkly.
[She avoided the rank. As expected. Now ask her the strongest on the Mainland itself.]
Raven swallowed quietly and asked.
"Then who is the strongest on the Mainland? What rank are they?"
Elizabeth's eyes dimmed.
"There are four. History records them as beings far beyond even the Legendary rank. No one knows their true strength. They haven't appeared since a certain war ten thousand years ago."
Raven leaned forward. "Why won't they come to Ivory Island?"
"Because they are pillars," she said. "If even one leaves, their nation becomes vulnerable."
She let out a breath. "The Wizard Alliance will search for you… but they won't risk provoking the other factions."
Raven nodded and shifted to the next question.
"And Velvet Eclipse?"
Whis flickered in the air once more. "Eli, hurry. I'm at my limit."
Elizabeth inhaled deeply. "Velvet Eclipse isn't evil… but not exactly righteous either."
Her voice grew strained, fingers trembling slightly from oath backlash.
"We take missions. Complete them or be discarded. The organization is deeply rooted in the mainland—far more powerful than anyone imagines."
Raven recalled Franco and Ophelia. "Are there ranks?"
"Yes," Elizabeth said. "Apprentice → Official → Elite → Core → Master → Elder → Leader. The badge I gave you was an Apprentice badge—used to mark candidates. If approved, they can leave Ivory Island and join officially."
"And their goal?"
"While the Wizard Alliance gathers talent… Velvet Eclipse cultivates them."
A realization hit Raven like a quiet spark.
Just like how I'm gathering talented children…
Elizabeth continued.
"That's why every school has at least one Velvet Eclipse member. We watch students. Record their uniqueness. Send the data to the organization."
Raven stared at her. "That's why you supported me when even the Headmaster gave up?"
Her lips twitched. "No. At first, you looked promising. Then you fell to the bottom. My father scolded me for 'picking trash.' Velvet Eclipse also rejected you." She sighed.
"But… I saw something."
Her eyes softened. "I learned a skill from Whis—Cypher Eyes. It lets me sense talents. When I checked you the first time, you had one talent. Years later, I checked again and found two more. That's why I joined the Knight Academy as an Etiquette instructor."
Zera snorted.
[She stalked you more than Ophelia.]
Elizabeth ignored Whis's complaining and tapped the hand-watch.
"You can stop now, Whis. That's all I can risk."
The mouse huffed. "Fine. Don't call me unless you're dying."
It dissolved into blue light and vanished into the device.
Silence fell.
Raven watched Elizabeth quietly for a full minute. Then he spoke:
"Teacher… will you form a Magic Contract with me?"
She blinked. "A contract? For what?"
"For information," Raven said plainly. "And support. You need help climbing Velvet Eclipse's ranks. I need knowledge."
He placed a sealed letter on the table.
"I invite you to join my organization—the Golden Wheel."
Elizabeth stared at the seal. "Golden Wheel…? Explain."
Raven did. His ambitions. His reasoning. His offers. His terms.
Elizabeth listened, then exhaled. "You've achieved all this… in just a year?"
She picked up the letter.
"So you want me to rise within Velvet Eclipse—and feed you information."
"As long as you provide what the fragment allows," Raven said, "we can support each other for decades."
She studied him carefully.
"Hm… I can't betray Velvet Eclipse. The oath won't allow it. But I can help you with information about the Arcane Mist Empire, Wizard Alliance, and neutral matters."
She paused. "With limitations."
Raven nodded. "Acceptable."
"One condition," she said. "I want my identity hidden from your members."
"Already planned." Raven smiled. "I'll provide a mask with Distort Face and Vocal Veil. No one will know who you are."
Elizabeth's eyes glimmered. "Two spells? Then… you must have an Adept Rune Wizard under you."
Raven didn't deny it.
"And these gatherings?" she asked.
"Random," Raven replied. "Members can exchange information, artifacts, potions—anything of equal value. I'll assign missions. Success earns rewards."
Elizabeth thought… then nodded slowly.
"I lose nothing. When do we sign?"
Raven placed a blank contract parchment on the table. "Whenever you're ready."
She gave him a look. "You came prepared."
He wrote his terms. She revised them, adjusting clauses, inserting protections, creating mutual boundaries. Runes shimmered brighter with every stroke.
Finally, both pricked their fingers.
Blood touched parchment.
Runes flared gold.
The sheet dissolved into sparks.
Both felt a faint mark imprint itself deep inside their souls.
Zera whispered sharply:
[You trust too easily.]
This isn't trust, Raven replied. It's necessity. She lacks backing. I lack information. She helped me more than anyone. This benefits both of us.
Raven rose. "I look forward to working with you, Teacher."
Elizabeth stood as well. "When is the first gathering?"
"Years from now," he said. "You'll receive a letter."
He stepped out the door.
Behind him, Elizabeth whispered, "I forgot to ask for my code name…"
She opened the sealed letter. A single rune glowed.
"Shadow…?"
A faint smile touched her lips.
Whis appeared on her shoulder again. "Fitting title."
Elizabeth frowned. "Didn't you say you needed rest?"
"I'm a fragment, not a living being." Whis's voice deepened. "But be careful of that boy. Something about him smells… familiar."
He vanished again.
Elizabeth touched her ring, pulling out the wooden box Raven had gifted her.
Inside, the two vials gleamed—black and red.
"He even saw through my soul…" she whispered.
Her lips curled into a rare, genuine smile.
"…and gave me exactly what I needed."