Reoloy pulled the last of the old-looking glass bottles from his inventory, each wrapped around the lower half in leather. Inside, they were filled to the brim with an unappealing brown liquid.
"That should be everything," he said, mentally counting them one last time. "A bottle a day, and you'll see a good degree of improvement."
He then held out a hand toward his new ally, and a small leather-bound book appeared in his palm.
"And this should help you with your training. Some of the concepts are bound to feel nonsensical, but you're smart—you'll figure it out."
Cale accepted the notebook, his gaze lingering on it before drifting to the potions resting on the table.
"Thank you," he said quietly, turning the book over once in his hands before placing it carefully beside the other gifts.
Reoloy dismissed it with a wave.
"Don't thank me yet. Actually make them work for you first."
Cale smiled faintly before his expression grew thoughtful once more.
"...You mentioned my sister would likely leave us alone for a while."
"For the foreseeable future," Reoloy corrected. "At least until we're supposed to meet again."
Cale's brow furrowed.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because from her perspective, the spell was destroyed all at once," Reoloy replied. "Someone capable of interfering with magic like that—let alone a laikern's workings—doesn't just drop out of the sky."
Cale slowly nodded.
"So she'll get anxious and become fixated on finding out who could've done it..."
"Precisely," Reoloy said.
The prince's eyes lingered on Reoloy for a moment longer.
"You seem to understand my sister rather well."
Reoloy scratched the back of his head.
"Hold off on the curiosity," he sighed. "There are far more shocking things you'll soon realise I know."
A quiet chuckle escaped Cale.
"I don't doubt it."
Leaving the matter there, the two turned, only to find Wynn bowing deeply before the Cardanian envoy.
"I'm truly sorry," she said earnestly. "And... thank you. Thank you for helping my brother."
The group collectively shifted awkwardly.
"We didn't really do anything," Digo admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Yeah," Avron added in his usual flat tone. "I still don't fully understand why we came."
Lavere immediately smacked him over the head.
"Please don't thank us. If anything, we owe you," she said with a strained smile, drawing a puzzled look from Wynn. "Besides, the one who deserves your gratitude is over there."
The princess turned toward the approaching Reoloy and Cale.
"Thank—"
"Don't."
She paused.
"It was an agreement," Reoloy said evenly. "I don't need all that."
He met her gaze, his expression calm.
"I have high expectations for you."
Wynn blinked as he walked past her.
"I won't explain what I mean," he continued. "I'm sure you already know how you can be helpful."
A flicker of understanding crossed her eyes, and for a brief moment her guard rose instinctively, only for her to catch Cale giving a small shake of his head.
"How does he know about that?" she whispered.
The prince shrugged.
"I'm more interested in what he doesn't know at this point."
The tension left her shoulders, her usual composure returning almost immediately.
She turned back to Reoloy and gave him a firm nod.
"...I understand."
"Great."
Reoloy clapped his hands once before looking back toward the rest of his group.
"Time to go. By now our distractions have probably run their course, and after the little skirmish in here..." His eyes swept across the room. "...we've probably attracted even more attention."
The others nodded, naturally gathering around him.
Just before Reoloy activated Luvarne's warp, Cisco stepped beside him and leaned close to whisper something into his ear.
Reoloy's eyes narrowed.
For a brief moment, the easygoing expression disappeared from his face.
Then, just as quickly, it returned.
"Guess that settles it," he said, smiling at Cale as he stepped closer.
The white-haired prince extended a hand one last time, wanting to symbolically affirm their alliance in front of witnesses.
Reoloy smirked in understanding and accepted it without hesitation.
"Take care of yourself until I see you next," Reoloy said, conveying a secret message with his eyes.
Cale's eyes sharpened, and then he smiled.
"It's not like it'll be a long time," he replied casually. "There's no reason for concern."
Their hands parted.
"Oh," Cale suddenly called out. "I know it probably wouldn't be an issue for you, but it would be best for you to stay away from the south."
Reoloy was already mid-scanning the grey screen when he stiffened.
"Many outrageous forces have gathered there since the land disappeared."
The reincarnator's eyes widened as his command already went through.
"Wha—?!"
They were gone.
Silence settled over the study once more.
Cale frowned.
'Was it just my imagination... or did he look shocked... and concerned?'
He let out a slow breath before returning to his chair and lowering himself into it.
"...What an interesting night," he murmured, gaze drifting toward the notebook.
Picking it up absentmindedly, he skimmed the first page before breaking out in laughter.
"What a guy!"
Wynn promptly snatched it from his hands.
"Learn dream and ink attribute magic and then..." she read before looking back at him with a frown.
"I don't get it."
"Don't worry. You'll see in a few weeks, I assume."
For almost anyone else, what Reoloy had in mind would have been impossible.
For him...
With enough time and effort, it was merely difficult.
"Wynn."
She turned.
A genuine smile spread across his face.
"Prepare yourself," Cale muttered, resting his chin against his interlocked fingers. "Our days are about to get hectic."
---
~ Around the Same Time ~
- Site of Luvarne's Extraction -
The earth was unnaturally smooth.
For a region that had supposedly disappeared through destruction—or been magically torn from the world—it should have been fractured beyond recognition. Jagged rock. Splintered surfaces. Uneven ground. Something.
Instead...
It was almost polished.
Broad stretches of exposed stone rolled beneath the expedition's feet without so much as a crack running through them, as though whatever had once occupied the land had been rubbed from existence with an eraser.
It almost made Baron Arno Julius dismiss every speculative theory that had been proposed over the past few days.
He let out a slow sigh, wiping the sweat from his brow before resting his left hand on the hilt of the sword hanging at his hip.
'I knew accepting that territory would come back to bite me someday...'
His wife had practically forced him to accept the "honour" Duke Alonbright had offered and become a territorial lord. At the time, she had called it the "opportunity of a lifetime."
Now, that same opportunity had conveniently placed his jurisdiction closest to the site of the disappearance.
Which, naturally, meant he had been expected to lead the Kingdom of Lindis' first official investigation.
Lucky him.
Behind him, dozens of soldiers and mages from his domain spread out across the strangely level terrain, documenting everything they could. Every so often someone knelt to inspect the stone beneath their feet, only to stand again with an increasingly disturbed expression.
Nothing about this place made sense.
"Hey."
One of the investigators standing to Arno's left suddenly narrowed his eyes into the distance.
"I might be losing my mind..." he said. "But is that the ocean?"
Arno frowned.
That was impossible.
Based on the distance they had covered, they should have still been somewhere within the early-middle reaches of what had once been the Vargess Mountain Range.
Yet, right there, not even a kilometre away, something shimmered beneath the moonlight.
Not a lake.
Not a river.
A seemingly vastly outstretching sheet of water.
Silent for only a moment, Arno immediately raised a hand.
"Move."
The expedition broke into a brisk pace.
By the time they arrived at the reflective surface, every remaining doubt vanished.
"The sea..." Evelyn—a mage—muttered, instantly casting an echolocation spell. "Even the aquatic life is moving inland naturally, not too far behind..."
Saltwater surged relentlessly over their feet, already sweeping further into the smooth land.
Nobody spoke until Arno's mana covered his feet and he stepped onto the water, skating forward.
"Have you found any traces of mana? A spell? Ki... or the other one..." he trailed off.
"Casis," Evelyn supplied.
"That."
She and the other mages shook their heads.
"Nothing at all," Evelyn explained. "Except... a disturbance that feels off."
Arno wanted to press further, but the uncertainty in the mages' expressions answered enough.
He nodded once.
The mana coating his soles flared as he leaned forward.
"Keep up."
The expedition surged across the moonlit sea with Arno at the head, exhibiting effortless precision in his mana control, and the others fanned out behind him in a loose formation.
The waves quickly became more chaotic and forceful.
Every now and then, they cut down a stray sea monster that jumped over the surface, sending corpses beneath the tide once more.
"...I think we should turn back," Yuno—one of the younger soldiers—admitted quietly. "Tonight feels off..."
"Tonight?" Arno replied without looking back. "Every day up until now has been concerningly quiet. Keep moving."
Silence returned, accompanied by the low hum of mana beneath their feet as they continuously adjusted it to the rhythmic crashing of the waves.
After several minutes, Evelyn sped up slightly until she drew level with the baron.
"Lord Julius."
"Hm?"
"It's been a while since we sent back a report."
Arno looked at her.
"...Is that right?" he drawled, reaching for a cigarette in his utility pouch.
Evelyn sighed, already knowing what was going on from years of serving under him.
"Yes," she affirmed as sternly as she could manage before jumping as he snapped upon discovering his supply was out.
Arno glanced over his shoulder and inhaled the cold, sharp air.
"Lord Alonbright probably already knows more than we do," he started lazily. "We all know this is just a formality for the capital folk."
"And we need to report to those capital folk."
The chatter in the group halted as they all stared at her and then laughed.
"We don't answer to them."
"Yeah, form a well-crafted excuse, and we can report in a week if we want."
Evelyn massaged her temples.
"You guys enable him, and that's why he's so dysfunctional..."
"Dysfunctional or not, Lord Julius is strong!" Kern—a bulkier, older man—declared. "That's all that matters!"
"Aye!" came the immediate chorus.
A ripple of laughter followed through the formation.
Evelyn, despite her visible concern, found herself smiling against her will.
"This is why our Lady complains."
"My wife complains about everything I do."
The battering waves, the cold night air and the oppressive darkness gradually faded into the background beneath the comfort of familiar company and old jokes.
But—
"Sir!" Yuno yelled.
Instantly Arno screeched to a stop, signalling his followers to do the same—not a second too late as a massive fireball erupted before them.
The baron clicked his tongue, already moving for his sword as airy laughter came from behind the deep red flames.
"If it isn't Elio Alonbright's dog."
Arno spat to the side. "Adrian Rosenhart's clown... Did he get tired of looking at you and send you out for a stroll?"
The two men tensed, their respective followers immediately following suit.
But before either side could spring into action, three loud splashes echoed across the water.
"Tsk. Others are here..." a youthful voice rang.
A short young man stepped out of the commotion first, standing at the head of five others while lazily resting what appeared to be a priestly staff over one shoulder.
At a distance to his right, a rotund figure with deep orange hair, a patchy beard and an overall unkempt appearance glared accusingly at one of his two companions.
"I thought you said no one was nearby?" he asked, his tone childlike despite his intimidating build.
"No..." the woman answered flatly. "You said that."
"What?!" the large man bellowed.
"...Noisy..."
One of the two men from the final group finally spoke.
Both wore fully buttoned trench coats with unnaturally high collars concealing the lower halves of their faces. Their most striking feature, however, was their eyes.
Pitch-black sclera with deep crimson irises.
"Brother..." he muttered, turning slightly toward the man beside him. "...Let's kill them first."
The second simply nodded.
Arno frowned, his gaze sweeping over the newcomers one after another.
'A recently promoted High Priest... Kyle.'
Then the burly man and the two women.
'The infamous mercenary trio from Vaudyra and the north lands...'
Then the two strange men.
'Experimental soldiers from Noctis...'
His eyes finally settled on the leader of the group he'd been preparing to fight only moments earlier.
'...And Wesley, a prominent figure within the Rosenhart faction of Dorma...'
He let out a slow breath before chuckling.
"Well..." Arno said loudly enough for everyone present to hear. "Isn't my work cut out for me?"
His thumb pushed lightly against his sword's guard.
The blade slid from its sheath by only a few centimetres, just enough to reveal polished black metal.
A crazed glint flickered through his half-lidded eyes.
"But this is actually perfect."
He looked over them, lingering on Wesley.
"If I kill you out here and my sword erases the evidence..."
A confident grin spread across his face.
"...no one will ever know."