Knight: from Apprentice to the Almighty

Although the series of commissions to hunt Demons had taken Roland and his party quite a distance from the Royal Capital, their return journey was fortunately uneventful.

Aside from the occasional foolhardy Demon that attacked their camp at night, all of which were easily dispatched, the entire return journey was smooth sailing.

However, the number of Mercenaries and Adventurers they encountered along the way was noticeably greater than before, a phenomenon that left Roland faintly uneasy.

He glanced through the carriage window, saw a young Mercenary by the roadside showing off his spoils, and silently lowered the curtain.

’As the Magic Elements reawaken, Demon activity is becoming more and more frequent...’

Roland mused to himself.

’I have to increase my Power as quickly as possible. Right now, even a Demon like a Bear Goblin—described in ancient texts as being unremarkable—requires me to go all out with my companions’ help just to win. So what about all the other powerful Demons that vanished from the river of history when the Magic Elements waned?’

With these thoughts in mind, Roland listened to Teresa and Avril chatting about food beside him and slowly closed his eyes.

Before long, his chest began to rise and fall in a steady rhythm. His breathing grew even and calm, and the fiery Fighting Spirit within him started to circulate in a regular pattern.

The rest of the journey passed without incident.

Under Galvis’s skilled handling, the carriage traveled day and night, arriving safely in the Royal Capital in just half a month.

"We’re finally back!"

After passing the inspection of the city Guards, Avril was the first to leap from the carriage. She stretched her limbs and waved goodbye to Roland.

"Roland, I have to report to the Shadow Veil first. If all goes well, I’m coming over for your stew tonight!"

Before her voice had even faded, the Elf Maiden vanished as nimbly as a forest fawn into the crowded streets.

Watching her leave, Galvis’s tense body visibly relaxed. He turned to Roland with a smile.

"So, shall we..."

"We’re going home, of course."

"You got it!"

As the carriage moved forward, the familiar, salty sea breeze washed over them.

Although he hadn’t been in the River Domain for long, the familiar air made Roland feel right at home.

’I wonder if Mr. Bronson has been eating his meals on time...’

Roland couldn’t help but shake his head, thinking of the scholar who, after receiving his research funds, had become so engrossed in his work that he would forget to eat or sleep.

He had asked Hobbit to look after him before he left, but given Bronson’s tendency to get lost in his experiments, he figured even the good-natured Half-Elf must have had a headache dealing with him.

However, as the carriage slowly pulled into the courtyard, the scene before him was completely different from what Roland had expected.

Several sheets of parchment were scattered across the small stone table, the still-wet ink glistening faintly in the sunlight.

And Bronson, who at this time of day would normally be holed up in his room buried in research, was uncharacteristically standing by the table, gesturing wildly.

His face was flushed with excitement, and flecks of spittle flew everywhere as he spoke with great animation.

Clearly, the scholar had been quite productive during Roland’s absence.

His faithful audience, the Half-Elf Hobbit, was seated on a stone bench, listening with rapt attention to Bronson’s explanation while his own quill flew across a sheet of parchment.

The quill scratched across the parchment, almost never pausing.

Only when the carriage came to a stop and Roland’s group walked up to the table did Bronson finally snap out of his impassioned state, scratching his head sheepishly.

But a second later, his eyes lit up. He bounded forward, grabbed Roland by the shoulders, and spoke in a voice trembling with excitement.

"Roland! You’re finally back! I have the most incredible news for you!"

"Incredible news?"

Seeing how excited Bronson was, Roland didn’t press him for details just yet.

He first nodded to Hobbit, inviting him to stay for dinner, then gestured for Teresa and Galvis to make themselves comfortable before finally pulling Bronson into the house.

In stark contrast to the chaotic mess it had been before he left, the room was now neat and orderly.

Scattered clutter had been tidied away, and his various research materials were sorted by category on the bookshelves.

’Looks like young Hobbit has taken good care of Mr. Bronson...’

After glancing around the room, Roland sat in a wooden chair and asked eagerly,

"Mr. Bronson, did you have a breakthrough with your Element Fusion Theory?"

He clearly remembered the concept Bronson had proposed earlier.

Fusing Magic Elements of different Attributes together through a specific method.

If this theory could truly be put into practice, it would not only greatly increase the power of his [Flaming Arrow], but also create a variety of new effects, providing a huge boost to his strength.

"Er... about that... not yet..."

Bronson scratched his head in embarrassment, but then immediately pulled a silver pendant from his coat.

The teardrop-shaped obsidian pendant revealed dark red striations in the sunlight, like threads of clotted blood.

"Roland, do you remember this?"

"This is..."

Roland recognized the item at a glance.

It was the spoil he had obtained in Distant Harbor after defeating the clone of the Truth Church’s mastermind.

Although he had identified it as a Magic Tool at the time, he wasn’t sure what Magic was inscribed within it, so he had temporarily given it to Bronson for safekeeping and research.

"Roland, you will absolutely never guess what Magic is inscribed in this Magical Artifact!"

Bronson paused dramatically, but before Roland could even ask, he eagerly revealed the answer.

"It’s [Death Immunity]!"

"[Death Immunity]?"

Roland’s pupils contracted sharply.

As a Fourth Ring Spell, the effect of [Death Immunity] was simple yet powerful.

It could resist one instant-death attack!

As long as the damage sustained didn’t reach the threshold of breaking a Law, the spell would allow the user to survive a fatal blow—it was tantamount to having a second life!

At this thought, Roland’s breath quickened.

"Mr. Bronson, then... can I cast [Death Immunity] using this Magical Artifact?"

"Of course!"

Bronson answered emphatically.

"The very purpose of Magical Artifacts is to make casting Magic more convenient while reducing the drain on one’s Spiritual Power. However..."

He added, looking slightly awkward,

"...like any other Magical Artifact, this one has already cast [Death Immunity] once, so the Magic Elements within it have been completely depleted. But..."

The scholar strode over to a bookshelf, pulled a thick stack of notes from a pile of parchment, and placed it on the table.

"I’ve made a major discovery! It’s still just a theory for now, but if I combine it with my previous research on Magic Element absorption runes, just give me a little more time and I can definitely restore this Magical Artifact’s function!"

At this, Bronson added with a hint of regret,

"However, the materials this Magical Artifact is made of are too poor. Even if I succeed in repairing it, I’m afraid it will only be able to cast [Death Immunity] one more time."

Roland wasn’t the least bit disappointed to hear this.

After all, this was a Fourth Ring Spell!

At his current level of Power, it would normally take him a very long time to access that tier of strength, even with the help of his Professional Panel.

Gaining a one-time-use, life-saving tool now was already a delightful surprise.

Seeing Bronson’s confident expression, Roland chuckled, took a ring inlaid with a Muddy Crystal Stone from his waist pouch, and placed it in the scholar’s hand.

"Mr. Bronson, in that case, I’ll have to trouble you to... restore the function of this Magical Artifact as well."