He also wondered how his exclusive maid was doing. Luka left Hanna Wilmworth behind to take care of his business affairs. During this past semester, Luka returned home every weekend until the last month when he practiced with his classmates.
Nonetheless, Luka made quick trips to his secret dungeon to recharge the dungeon core with Alraune's power. He could not skip out this task and risk losing his administrative privileges within the Alaife Dungeon.
When Luka entered the Larkspur residence hall and passed through the front lobby, he waved at Drinara.
The dorm mother was surprised to see him. "Aren't you going home?" she asked.
"I'll leave tomorrow," he replied.
"Good! You should see your family!" Drinara declared with a righteous tone of voice. She feared that he would stay during the winter break and create more work for her. Thus, the dorm mother was happy to confirm his plan to leave soon.
"Good night!" Luka said and entered the staircase. He teleported into his room and released his pets.
Bel and Gripper hopped onto the bed. They ate big meals on Zivadin's dime, and now they were sleepy.
The owner shook his head. He squeezed between the two and soon fell asleep.
Chapter 79
Winter Break
Luka woke early the next morning and brought his animals to the cafeteria to eat breakfast. The family carriage will arrive at nine, and the ride takes approximately eight hours to reach his family manor. Although the mage could teleport home, he declined to do so for two reasons. First, his mother already arranged for the coachman to bring him back.
More importantly, the sight of the Heavensfell carriage traveling through the dukedom would announce his official return home from attending the royal academy. The subjects felt some anxiety over their mysterious heir, and this journey would alleviate them to a small degree. Additionally, his carriage would travel under heavy escorts of knights carrying the Heavensfell emblem and implicitly declare the domain's roads were safe.
At the appointed hour, Luka departed the school campus with Bel and Gripper. He saw the carriage with Heavenfell's emblem on its door waiting outside along with a bunch of knights. To his surprise, Matty was with them.
"About time you showed up," Matty said with a grin.
"Why are you here?" Luka asked with raised brows. He thought the church would grant Matty a well-deserved break between semesters at the academy.
"Oh, did you expect me to disappear? Sorry, buddy! You're stuck with me until the pope says otherwise." He grinned again.
The coachman bowed and then opened the cabin door. "Young master, please enter," he implored. "We need to reach your family estate by suppertime."
"Sorry for dawdling here," Luka apologized. He quickly entered the cabin with his pets. Matty followed inside, and the door closed behind him.
The escort sat directly across from Luka. "I brought a deck of cards. Do you want to play?" Matty offered.
Luka shook his head. "I prefer to watch the scenery from the window," he answered. Luka didn't trust Matty since the pope assigned him to watch Luka. Therefore, Luka wished to minimize his interactions with the escort.
"Suit yourself," Matty shrugged. He closed his eyes and took a nap.
The carriage started moving but didn't shake much because it traveled along a well-maintained road frequently used by merchants. True to his word, Luka stayed awake while everyone else slept inside his shared cabin. He enjoyed the tranquility and watched outside his window to observe the change in scenery.
The mage had a second reason for his vigilance: Luka intended to set beacons on whatever interesting landmarks he comes across during this journey. He planned to visit different areas within the duchy during his winter break, and these beacons will support his trip.
A few hours later, the caravan stopped at a small village for lunch.
"Where is this place?" Luka asked when he stepped outside.
"Young master, this is the Whisperwind Village," a knight replied.
"What is your name? Do you know the origin of the village name?" Luka inquired.
"I'm Captain Hawkin Gibbs, milord," the escort saluted. "This village received its name from the blowing wind which resembles whisper in the listener's ears. Just close your eyes and listen."
Luka obeyed his instructions. Suddenly, a strong wind blew across the landscape and produced whispering in his ear. He opened his eyes and smiled. "I hear it," Luka confirmed.
"Milord, we're on a tight schedule. Please enter the tavern," the captain urged politely.
Luka nodded his agreement and followed the knight into the building. Before he entered, Luka saw a sign above the door: "Hot Chestnuts Inn."
A middle-aged, female innkeeper approached Hawkin and asked, "How many guests?"
The knight glanced at Bel and Gripper and added two members to their party. "Eleven," he answered.
"Please follow me." The owner led the group to a big table in the back.
The two animals sat adjacent to Luka while the captain claimed the seat directly across.
"I recommend the chef's special," Hawkin told Luka in a low voice.
"Let's order it for everyone," Luka agreed.
Hawkin drew the worker's attention. "We'll like the chef's special for everyone," he ordered. "And honey mead," the customer added.
"Eleven chef specials and honey mead," the waitress confirmed and departed for the kitchen. In a few minutes, she returned and balanced two trays full of dishes on her palms. With a subtle chin from Hawkin, she distributed the first dish to Luka.
He saw a bowl filled with wild rice, diced chicken meat, a fistful of roasted chestnuts, and thick, brown gravy on the side. The patron enjoyed the wonderful aroma drifting into his nose. Luka waited politely until his companions all received their food before he started eating. As much as he enjoyed the chicken with chestnuts over rice, Luka thought the honey mead was even better because it contained a bit of citrus that suited the meal.
The group finished eating within fifteen minutes and returned to the road. However, the caravan soon came to a halt because a downed tree blocked their path.
Luka activated his Spatial Sense to confirm his suspicion; he detected groups of six people coming from each side. He opened the door and said in a loud voice, "Bandits are approaching!"
The knights heard his warning and pulled out their swords. A flurry of arrows began to pelt both the horses and their riders.
The escorts expertly cut off a majority of the missiles; the rest bounced off their metal armors. But two steeds went down and took their passengers with them.
Luka cast a Light Barrier surrounding the carriage and its escorts. Ping-ping-ping! The next hail of arrows struck the magical shield and fell harmlessly to the ground.
The remaining knights urged their horses forward and charged at the archers during the brief lull.
The ambushers abandoned their bows and picked up spears from the ground. They formed a line and held out their weapons to impale the approaching horses.
Out of the four knights, three successfully pulled back in time. But the last animal skidded along the ground and impaled itself on a spear.
The distraught rider jumped off before other spears hit him.
His companions induced their horses to attack with their front legs and knocked these weapons to the ground.
Meanwhile, the steedless knight took advantage of this distraction. He rushed in to behead the murderers of his beloved horse. With a big sweep of his blade, he sent four human heads flying! Hot blood immediately gushed out of the necks and sprayed on the avenger.
Luka tracked the battle with his Spatial Sense while Matty stayed with him inside the cabin.
Bel and Gripper ran out to torment the other bandit groups.
The scoundrels thought that their archers had successfully lured the knights away and left the carriage defenseless. Thus, they were caught by surprise when the gorilla blew them away with overpowering fists while the rabbit used his
smelly butt to drop the rest.
"Let's tie up the bandits," Luka said and climbed out of the cabin.
Matty exited first to confirm the danger was over.
However, a rogue had climbed a tree and used his class skill to erase his presence and avoid detection. He took out a scroll and began to read it. As the fire essence accumulated around the caster, his invisibility broke apart.
Luka noticed the magic activation and fired a lightning bolt to disrupt the spell.
Unfortunately, it arrived too late. "Meteor!" Crackleboom! The rogue had raised his head and saw a burning meteor approaching from the sky. The world flashed with brilliant light as lightning struck his body, and then everything turned black -- forever.
Matty stared at the impending doom with shock. He couldn't believe that a rogue successfully used a Meteor scroll! The odds of a misfire for this tenth-tier fire spell was at least 50%. "Let's teleport out of here!" he yelled and tried to grab Luka. Matty wore a Sanctuary Ring, which transports the wearer and a second person to the closest church. The escort also pressed a yellow gemstone on another ring; it served as a magical panic button alerting the pope himself.
"No need," Luka replied calmly and dodged Matty's hand. He used Void Step to ascend and approach the falling meteorite. When the mage was ten feet away, he ignored the scorching heat and put the thousand-pound rock inside his dimensional storage.
The bodyguard's jaw dropped. Although Matty knew that Luka possessed a high mastery of spatial magic, the escort couldn't fathom using magic storage in this manner. Thus, Matty assumed that Luka placed the burning rock inside a customized item bag provided by Alectos. Furthermore, the church official believed the magic item had a method to resist fire, or else the bag would burn from inside out.
Luka smiled because he wasn't sure his magic could store a large and heavy item that was also moving fast. As an alternative, the mage prepared to use Time Stop to freeze the giant rock in the air until his family carriage moved to a safer location. But he preferred not to use temporal magic in front of Matty, who would undoubtedly report this fact to the pope.
From his high vantage point, Luka looked around to see if any assassins remained in his vicinity. Yes, he treated these attackers as assassins targeting him because an ordinary bandit would neither carry a Meteor scroll nor use it. Instead, real bandits would kidnap a high-ranking noble for a hefty ransom.
Luka was chagrined at this realization because he didn't think his enemies were so audacious to attack him in broad daylight. It was a mistake for him to travel home while riding the family carriage because it encouraged this assassination attempt.
The knights rounded up their captives and ensured these people were tightly bound. Then the escorts retrieved their two fallen comrades; the horses had crushed their masters.
Luka joined the knights in prayer for the deceased. Although he didn't know their names or background, the brave men gave their lives to protect Luka. Thus, he planned to pay for their funerals and support their surviving families with an annual pension. The knights reverently wrapped their bodies, and Luka put them in his magic storage.
"What should we do with the captives?" Captain Gibbs asked. "I can send a messenger and ask the local feudal lord to take custody. This land belongs to the Morninglory Archduchy," he noted. The knight leader still thought this was only a robbery attempt. Gibbs planned to protest the lack of knights patrolling this highway.
Luka shook his head and declined. "I want our people to interrogate these attackers. I believe they were specifically targeting me. We will send a messenger to inform the local lord of this incident."
"But how will we transport these prisoners?" the captain asked. He was surprised by Luka's words but declined to challenge the young lord's decision.
"With magic. Watch." Luka created a Gate connecting to the Heavensfell manor. This new gateway was wide enough for the carriage to pass through. Next, Luka cast Earth Bind and tied the prisoners by the neck to the carriage. Then his vehicle passed through the Gate and returned directly to his family residence.
The guards patrolling the manor detected their arrival. But when the knights saw the Heavensfell emblem on the carriage, the patrol leader barked an order for everyone to line up. He also sent a messenger to the house to inform the steward of Luka's early arrival.
The coachman opened the cabin door, and Luka climbed out.
"Welcome home, young master Luka!" the knights greeted in unison with bent knees and lowered heads.
"I'm glad to be back. Thank you for your hard work in guarding our Heavensfell family home," Luka replied in a kind tone of voice. "Please get up."
The guards returned to their feet. Their eyes quickly landed on the chain of prisoners tied to the carriage.
Luka didn't speak a word about his captives, and the escort leader ignored the guards' questioning eyes. Luka waited for the master of the estate to appear so that the son could offer his mother a proper greeting.
Instead, an unexpected guest arrived first: Pope Demetrius! The man crossed another Gate and appeared in front of the mansion with a dozen templars in tow. Worry lined his face as Luka's godfather ran toward the teenager. "Are you okay, Luka?" he asked while checking his godson's physical condition.
Luka's brows rose, and he shot a dirty look at Matty, who pretended not to notice.
Matty bowed to his employer and quickly summarized what happened. "On our way back, these people ambushed us. One of them used a scroll to cast Meteor, but Luka took care of it and put the falling rock into his storage bag."
Demetrius looked at the chain gang with a stern expression. He turned toward his escorts and issued his command. "Take custody of these villains. Have our inquisitors interrogate them and learn who's seeking to hurt Altima's Godson!" he ordered angrily.
"Yes, Your Holiness!" The templars cut the vines attached to the carriage and roughly pulled the prisoners away.
The pope summoned a magic portal connecting to Lumina City.
Half the holy knights entered the gateway with the prisoners.
Demetrius waited until they left and then released his magic. The pope put on a friendly smile and said, "Luka, let's go inside and have a chat."
Chapter 80
The Pope’s Invitation
When Duchess Juliette Silverblade stepped out of her home, she was surprised to see Pope Demetrius standing next to Luka in the driveway. She noticed the two bodies of knights on the floor, each covered with a white sheet.
People bowed their heads respectfully to the deceased while the church official offered a prayer. "We return these brave men to the embrace of our merciful goddess, and we hope that Altima will give comfort to their families in the days to come. May Altima's Light guide their lives."
The noblewoman and her entourage had quietly joined the prayer. "May I ask what happened?" Juliet asked with concern while dispensing with the usual pleasantries.
"Bandits ambushed your son's carriage while returning home," the pope replied. "But I wasn't with him during the attack. We should hear more from the participants," he suggested.
"Yes, let's discuss this over afternoon tea," the hostess agreed. Juliette faced her son directly. "Welcome home, my son," she greeted with a faint smile.
"Mother, I'm home." When Luka held out his arms to hug her, the mother took a big step back and avoided his embrace.
"You should clean up first. We have company," Juliette reminded Luka.
"Yes, mother," the son replied while hiding his disappointment.
Hanna tugged Luka's sleeve and pulled him into the manor. The exclusive maid entered his bedroom and prepared a hot bath for her young master. Once it was ready, Hanna helped Luka removed his clothes and assisted in his bathing.
Luka enjoyed the feeling of her soft hands scrubbing his naked body with scented soap. "How have you been, Hanna?" he asked.
"I missed you, young master," she replied with a pout. Hanna still felt bitter because Luka refused to let her accompany him
to the academy. "You've grown taller since I last saw you," the pretty maid added with a smile.
"I hope so," Luka chuckled. He bathed quickly and put on proper garments for an aristocrat. They consisted of a shirt, doublet, leggings, and shoes plus a cap. Frankly, Luka thought Hanna went overboard with her choice but allowed her to do whatever she wished.
From Hanna's perspective, Pope Demetris had a social status comparable to the king. Therefore, the heir must wear appropriate attire to avoid embarrassing the Heavensfell family name.
When the duo entered the tea room, Luka discovered that Demetrius and Matty sat together on a large sofa while the seats facing them were empty. Juliette took the single chair adjacent to the pope. Additionally, James and Captain Gibbs stood behind her.
The duchess made a side glance and indicated her son to take the empty seat across from the guests.
"Ah, I'm glad that you could join us, Luka," the church elder said with a friendly smile. "Matty was kind enough to discuss what happened during the ambush, while Captain Gibbs filled in some blanks about the tactics his men faced. So I won't waste your time rehashing these events," Demetris explained.
"You will inform us if your inquisition reveals who ordered the attack, right?" Duchess Silverblade asked.
"Of course," the pope replied with a reassuring smile. "As Luka's parent, you are entitled to this information. The more we know about the conspiracy targeting Luka, the better we could protect him," he noted.
Demetrius's face turned serious. "That said, I think Luka should spend his winter break as a church apprentice," he recommended. "Luka spent a substantial amount of time living with elves during his magic apprenticeship. So it's only fair for him to train under our supervision for a few weeks."
"You're worried that Luka will become a sympathizer to the elven wish to reclaim their homeland and reform the Delfrir Kingdom on our continent," Juliette noted with a faint smile.
The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima Page 65