Cipher couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment. If this method didn't work, then all her leads had vanished, leaving her completely adrift and unsure of what to do next.
Seeing her cat ears droop, Feidric reassured her, "Don't worry, don't rush. Things always take unexpected turns."
The group shared a meal at the same table. Afterward, the White-Bearded Old Mage and his two students prepared to leave. As non-adventurers, they weren't permitted to stay at the Adventurer's Guild.
After all, the Adventurer's Guild was a massive organization, and its affordable, well-maintained accommodations were a perk provided by the Guild Master to its members. Thus, the White-Bearded Old Mage and his students had to return to the inn they had rented elsewhere.
Just then, Cipher suddenly had an idea. "Would you like me to see you off?" she asked.
The White-Bearded Old Mage seemed slightly surprised by the offer but didn't refuse. Smiling warmly, he replied, "Of course, that would be very kind."
The group of four had barely left the Adventurer's Guild when the Old Mage spoke up. "Little girl, you want to ask about Herodotus, don't you? Well, he goes by Feidric now. You're curious about his past, aren't you?"
From the Old Mage's perspective, he wasn't particularly close to Cipher. The pretense of "seeing him off" was clearly just an excuse; she undoubtedly had another motive. After some consideration, he concluded that it most likely revolved around Feidric.
Cipher paused, momentarily surprised. After a brief hesitation, she replied, "Well... it wouldn't hurt to hear it."
Originally, Cipher hadn't intended to inquire about Feidric's past. Her primary concern was that the inn where the Old Mage and his companions were staying was also the residence of the Imperial Commander. Cipher suddenly realized that if the King believed he had been targeted by assassins from the Empire, he would likely seek retribution.
Unable to find Cipher, the alleged assassin, the Imperial Commander would undoubtedly become the King's next target.
But now that the Old Mage had brought up Feidric's past, there was no harm in listening, was there?
Cipher asked, "So, what exactly happened?"
The Old Mage stroked his beard, a wistful look in his eyes. "To be honest, I didn't know all the details back then. All I knew was that Herodotus Leonard was a once-in-a-century prodigy from the Transformation Tower, one of the eight great Mage Towers. Being so young and talented, he naturally possessed the arrogance and recklessness typical of a genius."
"While his peers were still learning low-level spells, he secretly obtained his teacher's Magic Book and taught himself Disintegrate, a Sixth-Level spell. Astonishingly, he actually managed to master it. However, due to his youth and insufficient Magic Power, the spell spiraled out of control."
"Unfortunately, perhaps to show off, his younger sister, Feidra Leonard, who was a year younger, was nearby. She became the target of the rogue spell. The incompletely unleashed Disintegrate didn't kill her instantly, but its effects began to slowly devour her life force."
The Old Mage explained, "In the Transmutation School, there exists a legendary artifact called the Philosopher's Stone. This invaluable magical item can amplify and reverse the effects of most transmutation spells. Had it been available, it might have saved that girl's life. Herodotus's teacher possessed such a stone."
"However, as the story goes, the teacher ultimately refused to give this priceless artifact to his student to save an ordinary person with no magical talent. In the Arcane Federation, magic reigns supreme, and to a wizard pursuing ultimate truth, the life of a mundane person likely seemed utterly insignificant."
"After that, the brilliant young Herodotus left the Transformation Tower and vanished without a trace. I never imagined I'd see him again here," the White-Bearded Old Mage remarked wistfully. "He certainly seems much more mature now."
Cipher's eyes widened as the realization sank in. So "Feidric" hadn't always been his name—it was a name born of tragedy. His sister had been Feidra, and after her accidental death in a magical mishap, he had taken her name and woven it into his own. Whether it was to carry the burden of her memory or to seek redemption, he had chosen to live on bearing the name they once shared.
It seemed as though this act allowed his sister to live on in some small way, even if only through memory.
A reckless young boy, upon discovering his extraordinary magical talent—a one-in-a-million prodigy—naturally fantasized about mastering powerful spells and wielding them like the legendary heroes of old to vanquish his enemies.
However, the first victim of his so-called "powerful magic" was his own sister. Shattered by this tragedy, he abandoned the Transmutation School, his greatest strength, and turned to Abjuration, the discipline he had previously loathed.
Cipher's intuition had been correct: Aria had indeed "picked up" Feidric for her party. Haunted by his sister's death and unable to face his parents, Feidric had run away from home, fleeing the Arcane Federation. Aimlessly wandering and lacking the frugal habits of his noble upbringing, he quickly squandered most of the money he had brought with him.
One fateful day, when his last Paulownia Oak coin was spent and despair had taken hold, Feidric encountered Aria, a young girl who had just left her village to begin her adventuring journey. The naive Aria, seeing someone in need by the roadside, immediately offered him a loaf of bread.
Cheerful and exceedingly talkative, Aria struck up a conversation with Feidric. Upon learning that he was a wizard, she impulsively invited him to join her party. "Hey! You're a wizard? Do you have an adventurer's party? Want to join mine?"
The scene shifts back to the present. As Cipher and her companions talked, they arrived near the inn rented by the White-Bearded Old Mage. Coincidentally, at that very moment, two figures leaped from a second-story window, landing with a loud thud.
It was none other than the Imperial Commander and his Adjutant. Immediately afterward, a large group of soldiers burst through the inn's main entrance, shouting, "They're the ones who assassinated His Majesty the King! Kill them!"
P.S.: Feidric hadn't used Disintegrate in many years. This was one of the reasons he sent Aria and the others away in Stone Pine City—he feared the spell would once again spiral out of control.