Chapter 316: Let Me Handle
"W-what do you mean... ouch?" Mirela, hearing his curiosity, became agitated and suddenly cut into the conversation, tense and protective, biting her lip as her body clenched in a quick, startled spasm. The words tumbled out in a rush before she could rein them in.
"Hahaha, young lady, easy; my intention is not hostile. I just wanted to ask, since I realized he is not a Velari, and I simply want to know what you really know about him," the Wanderer Merchant said sincerely. As he spoke, there was no hostility or ill intent in his manner or tone at all; his hands were open, his voice even, and he continued with the same unhurried calm.
"Sure, he looks like a Velari, but I am old enough to recognize every race I see. To be honest, it is the first time I am seeing a race with that aura and appearance, not only in the Outer Region, but also in the Midlands and even in the Central Region in all the years of my experience."
The Merchant paused, as if turning something weighty in his mind, and murmured in a heavier tone. "What I assume is that he should be someone from an Elder race, right? Those who live in seclusion, their presence known only to a select few."
Mirela, hearing his words, visibly panicked. "No. Why do you think he is an Elder race? Absurd." The fear that Adyr’s cover had been blown and might put him in danger knotted in her chest; she tried to push the idea away from the Merchant, but the worry made her voice sharpen.
"Lady Mirela, your reaction is making things worse." Lucen gave a heavy sigh. He understood that in front of a power like this, there was nothing they could hide; the more they flinched, the louder the truth sounded.
Seeing their tension rise, the Wanderer Merchant answered with another easy laugh. "Relax, relax; as I said, I am just curious and have no malicious intention. Also, being a Rank 5 Adept does not mean I am foolish enough to harm someone from an Elder race. I still have many years to live, you know?"
Their stiffness eased a little, and he went on, his expression settling into something more intent. "What I just do not understand is why an Elder race, especially one as secluded as they are, would send one of their youths to a barren land like this Outer Region. That is what pulls me into endless curiosity."
Even for him, a Rank 5 Adept, the Outer Region had nothing to offer. If not for this region being his homeland and for his unfinished business with the Legacy Domain, he would not have come here at all. By that logic, when he considered what business an Elder race would have in a place like this, his brows knit and his curiosity swelled.
After a long, silent stretch of thought, his yellow eyes widened. He looked at the Velari before him with a new, focused interest. "Unless..."
"What?" The word slipped out from Liora’s lips.
Even for her and the others, Adyr’s background and motivation were unknown and stubbornly mysterious. If they could get even a sliver of truth from a Rank 5 Adept, it would help more than they wanted to admit.
"You look very similar to them, whatever their race is called. If I take it that the Velari are a descendant race from them, my guess is maybe, just maybe, they sent him to this region to look out for you. I know some Elder races are very protective of their distant cousins, while some ignore them or despise them for bad blood. This one may be the protective kind. I am not sure."
The logic landed cleanly. Liora and the others felt their eyes widen a fraction. It was not a thought they had entertained, yet hearing it from a Rank 5 Adept gave the idea a weight that made earlier assumptions feel more solid.
"So Adyr came here to check our race’s well-being? That alone sounds a little forced," Malrik said, raising one eyebrow.
He could not make himself believe it completely; there were still elements that did not fit the story. For example, a race that strong would send someone more powerful for a mission like this, at least a Rank 4, even if not Rank 5, right?
Liora’s answer came without hesitation. "Maybe there is another reason besides checking on us. You said this Elder race must be one of the secluded ones. Maybe their elders and leader gave Adyr this mission as a trial, to make him see the world and solve problems on his own, to gain experience of life."
There were too many "maybes" in their words, yet the more they considered it, the hypothesis grew increasingly believable.
Among great races and kingdoms, similar practices for the new generation were not rare. The closest example was the Lunari custom.
They made their new generation spar and held continual tournaments; the winners received no prize, while the losers forfeited honor, pride, and resource rights. It was all meant to harden character and teach real experience through hardship. By comparison, Adyr’s mission did not seem unreasonable at all.
"That might be..." The Wanderer Merchant started to answer, then stopped. His gaze shifted toward a distant point, his brows drawing together as his fingers idly stroked his black beard. "Looks like that young boy Sevrak is after something dangerous."
Liora tensed. "What do you mean?" She could not sense or see anything, yet the direction he watched was the way of the Velari kingdom, and the thought set a cold line under her ribs.
He did not keep them waiting. "He is in the Velari place at the moment and he has a very high bloodlust, as if..." He paused for a heartbeat, clasped his hands behind his back again, and exhaled. "As if he is about to attack."
"He dares!" Liora felt a sudden rage bulge up inside her; urgency took the reins before thought could catch up.
She summoned her Cloud Spark in a flash, vapor racing to gather beneath her feet, and she was already shifting to depart, ready to face that sneaky bastard—only to be stopped by the Merchant’s words.
"I am afraid the distance is great, and he can inflict damage before you arrive. Also, what do you plan to do? Fight in the middle of your kingdom? That is not very wise."
Liora froze. Color drained from her face.
It was true. Even if she reached the site—if she could still find a place not already buried in the earth, bodies scattered across the ground—trying to stop Sevrak with raw power alone would make the battleground crumble under their sheer force. Without protective barriers around, the city would suffer first.
"Then what should I do?" Liora asked, her voice low and pleading despite the steel she tried to summon.
"Hahaha, you do not need to look at me like that." The Wanderer Merchant’s tone stayed easy, but his eyes were keen. "It is a good opportunity for me to make even a faint connection with someone from an Elder race, is it not? Just let me handle it this once."