"How much?" Luka asked.
"Twenty gold for you. But the boy stays with us," the bandit responded.
Luka shook his head. "The child's mother left him in my care. I can offer another twenty gold for his passage through your territory," he counteroffered.
The leader laughed, but his eyes flared abruptly. "We slum-dwellers stick together. We don't need the stinking church's help! Grab them both!"
Luka sighed because his attempt at diplomacy failed. The caster grabbed Leen and Gripper and teleported. The group reappeared in front of the Gold Leaf Inn, where Luka rented a room.
Leen felt disoriented by the sudden use of magic and leaned against the gorilla for support.
Gripper gently patted the boy's back.
"Thank you," Leen said a moment later. His eyes widened when he saw the inn before him. "Magic is amazing!" the child exclaimed with awe. "When I grow up, I want to become a mage just like you!"
Luka ruffled Leen's hair without responding to the boy's wish. Luka didn't feel any mana inside Leen's body. Thus, it would be impossible for the child to use magic. "Let's go inside." Luka pushed the boy gently.
Leen obediently opened the door and entered the inn.
The innkeeper, a matronly woman named Dolsha, noticed their entry into the establishment. "Ah, you're in time for dinner, young man!" she said with a friendly smile.
Luka looked at her and made a request. "Can I leave Leen in your care?"
The owner nodded. "I'll treat Leen like one of my boys," Dolsha promised. Since the person was a church apprentice, she didn't pry into his personal affairs despite her curiosity. But the innkeeper suspected that Leen might be a secret half-brother of Luka. "I'll give Leen a good scrubbing after his meal," the woman added with a grin.
"Thank you," Luka replied with a gracious smile. He turned toward Leen. "I have to go now. Listen to her, okay?"
"Yes, big brother!" Leen nodded enthusiastically. The boy turned toward Dolsha. "Can I eat now? I'm starving!" he declared.
The innkeeper laughed. "Follow me!"
Luka watched them leave the front lobby and then exited the inn. He teleported back to the guesthouse.
Chapter 86
Church Apprentice (Part 6)
When Luka returned to the guesthouse, a maid was waiting outside to greet him. "Welcome back, young master!" Her lips curled into a frown when she checked the time and saw it was half-hour past six. "The duchess is waiting in the dining room. Please join her immediately," the servant requested with a curtsy.
"Yes, I will head over right away," Luka replied and winced. He didn't realize that dealing with Leen's affairs took up so much time! Luka released Bel and Gripper from magical storage. "We're going to the dining room and eat dinner with mother. Please behave," he warned them.
The two troublemakers saluted with perfect coordination. Neither wished to make the scary duchess angry because she could order the maids not to feed them! To these gluttons with bottomless pits for stomachs, this punishment was the equivalent of death.
Luka walked at a brisk pace. He was an upper-class noble, and Luka must act like one even at home because the servants were always watching. He entered the dining room without breaking a sweat. Luka scanned the place with his eyes and confirmed that his mother sat at the head of the table.
The son took his place to her right while the two pets sat next to him. "Good evening, mother," Luka greeted politely.
"Welcome home, Luka," she answered in a frosty tone of voice.
The son winced because Luka realized that Juliette felt displeased with his lateness. "I came home late because I saw a child in need," he began.
"Continue."
"My assignment today was to help repair book spines at the library. After work, I visited the food stalls to purchase snacks for my pets. On my way back, a child tried to steal my purse. I followed the boy back to the slums and caught him. Leen explained that he resorted to thievery to gather 10,000 gold for medical fees to heal his sick mother. I visited her and checked on her condition. Unfortunately, my proficiency in light magic was insufficient to cure her. I plan to ask my supervisor about getting an Elixir of Health," Luka summarized the events.
Duchess Silverblade's frown deepened. "An elixir requires a 10th-tier Alchemist to make. These potions rarely hit the open market, and the bids could easily reach a million gold coins in an auction. The church used to have a master alchemist, but she passed away several years ago from old age."
"Unfortunately, the alchemy profession requires a lot of money to purchase ingredients to practice and raise the skill level. That's why no 10th-tier alchemist emerged to take her place. So even if you somehow gather all the rare ingredients for an Elixir of Health, no alchemist can mix the potion for you," she explained.
"In other words, the healer who offered to treat the boy's mother was trying to scam him," Luka blurted out his realization.
Juliette nodded. "What's your skill level in light magic right now? And what do you need to treat the boy's mother?" she inquired.
"I'm level 8, and I need to reach the next level to learn Advance Cure," he replied.
"There's your solution," she smiled faintly.
"Yes, mother."
The servants quietly placed supper on the table, and the patrons began to eat.
"The church has its share of problems," Luka spoke up after his meal. He assumed that a church official examined Auselka Granden and realized he couldn't treat her. Instead of admitting it, the would-be healer came up with an outrageous lie to save his face. But in doing so, the church member gave Leen false hope and pushed the boy into the evil path of thievery. Luka felt angry and strongly desired to capture the scammer. However, his top priority was to raise his skill level first.
"The Divine Church of Light is made up of human beings. No person is perfect, and we all commit sins. The only question is whether we receive the opportunity for redemption," Juliette said.
Luka's brows arched because he never heard her express an opinion on the church before.
Juliette noticed his curiosity but declined to elaborate further. Moreover, she realized he planned to practice secretly to increase his magical proficiency. "Don't stay up too late, Luka. You will need to get up before dawn for our spar," she reminded him.
"Yes, mother. Have a good evening." Luka exited the dining room with his pets. He returned to his room and sealed it with a Wall of Darkness. The mage intended to practice light magic here; his barrier would prevent the magical lights from escaping and alerting the servants. Luka briefly considered going to his private shadow realm, but the environment had too little light essence. Thus, the mage decided to remain in his room.
Once Luka became satisfied with his new practice field, he turned his attention to Bel and Gripper. "To raise my proficiency in light magic, I need to cast high-tier spells repeatedly. The best magic I could use without wrecking the guesthouse is a healing spell. But that means the target needs to have a treatable injury. I want to practice on the two of you by using Magic Missile and Medium Cure. Is that alright?" he asked.
[Let me get this straight, kiddo. You want us to sit still while you hurt us with Magic Missile, and then treat our tiny injuries with Medium Cure?] Bel asked.
"That sounds right," Luka nodded.
[What will you give us to become your target dummies?]
The master took out tofu puddings and handed them over.
The recipients became excited and began to eat the dessert. [What are you waiting for?] Bel prodded.
Luka started bombarding the two with spells. Each casting created a big flash, which engulfed the room. The mage was thankful for his foresight to seal the area in darkness. To increase his efficiency and cast more spells over a limited period, Luka began dual-casting. In other words, he launched a Magic Missile at each animal at the same time, followed by a Medium Cure. This spell spamming drained his mana faster than Luka could regenerate. But the mage possessed a vast magic pool, and his unique title
as Alectos' disciple reduced each spell's cost by 10%.
After the animals finished their desserts, the two fell asleep. The offensive spell was as hurtful as a mosquito bite. The Medium Cure sent warm energy into their bodies and lulled them to rest.
However, the magic proficiency proved challenging to raise. Luka ended up spamming his healing magic over ten thousand times before he successfully increased his skill to level 9. The delighted mage immediately tried casting Advance Cure, and it worked on Bel! Luka joyfully breathed a sigh of relief that his mind-numbing magic practice was over!
By now, the caster was mentally exhausted. Luka took a spot between his companions on the floor and promptly fell asleep.
* * *
Before dawn, Duchess Silverblade stood alone in front of the guesthouse. She began to conduct her warm-up exercises as her beautiful skin flushed against the morning chill.
The veteran warrior smoothly transitioned from one stance to the next and took deep breaths in between. Her body entered autopilot mode because Juliette had drilled these movements into her muscle memory. This situation freed up her mind to maintain full awareness of her vicinity.
After Juliette completed her last stance, she scowled because her son still hadn't appeared. What happened to him? Did Luka oversleep? She turned on her heels and angrily stormed into the residence. The woman marched up the staircase. Her footsteps slammed against the ground like a charging elephant.
The servants heard the noise, and they hurriedly stuck their heads out of their shared bedroom on the first floor. Their eyes widened when the four women discovered the culprit: the duchess! The maids stepped out and opened their mouths to ask their employer what happened.
However, Juliette abrupted put a finger to her lips and signaled for them to remain quiet. She used a spare key to unlock the door to Luka's room and quietly peeked inside. The mother felt relieved when Juliette saw the missing son sleeping soundly on the ground with his pets. Her face hardened as the duchess turned toward the maids with a demand. "Get me a bucket of cold water!"
A servant ran down the stairs and entered the kitchen to fulfill Juliette's command. The maid slowly climbed the steps and avoided sudden movements to keep the water from sloshing out of the wooden bucket.
"Thanks," the duchess nodded. With a grin, she tiptoed into the room. Splash! Juliette dowsed Luka's head with the ice-cold water!
The momentary sensation of drowning and the sudden drop in body temperature elicited an automatic fight-or-flight response in Luka as he awoke. The victim accidentally inhaled a bit of water into his lungs and began to sputter and cough.
Juliette handed the empty bucket to a servant. "After you clean yourself, come outside for morning practice," she said in a calm voice and exited his room.
Bel and Gripper also awoke due to the mother's cruel stunt. Both were dripping wet and cold. The gorilla helped carry the still-coughing Luka into the washroom.
When a maid tried to assist the heir, the two animals bared their teeth and hissed at her. The woman backed off in fear.
Bel snorted as he followed his companions into the bathroom. [Damn that bitch!] The sealed demon king complained about Juliette's cold treatment towards her son.
By now, Luka recovered, and his lungs were functioning normally. "Don't insult my mother!"
[What do you call a person who wakes her son in this manner?]
Luka shook his head. "I'm at fault for oversleeping. Throwing a bucket of ice water on my head was my punishment. I deserved it," he defended her faithfully.
Bel rolled his eyes.
Hoot! Gripper also felt exasperated by Luka's see-no-evil attitude towards his mother.
The trio dried their bodies with thick towels and exited the washroom.
Luka saw workout clothing on his bed and a maid standing beside it. "May I help you put on your outfit?" she asked for permission.
"Please," the heir agreed. Luka didn't want the worker's impression of him to drop further by being uncooperative.
The woman helped Luka put on the loose-fitting white silk shirt and pants. Even though the young master was going to spar with the duchess, the servant still made sure Luka wore silk fabric. In her mind, a coarser material like wool or cotton was unsuitable for an aristocrat and heir of a duke's house.
Luka nodded his thanks and hurriedly exited the guesthouse. "I apologize for oversleeping this morning," he said and bowed deeply to his mother.
Juliette noted her son's raccoon eyes and assumed that he spent the night engaged in magical training in his bedroom. "We're going to skip the spar this morning. Instead, I want you to run ten laps around this estate," she ordered.
"Yes, mother." Luka obediently ran off.
When the two animals stayed behind, Juliette glanced at them and said, "You two will join him because you failed to prevent Luka from staying up too late last night. If you refuse your punishment, you will skip breakfast."
Bel's body shuddered at her threat. [I'm running, I'm running. See?] The rabbit pursued his master.
Hoot! Gripper also left to chase them.
When Juliette was alone, she giggled happily.
* * *
Surprisingly, Luka arrived at the dormitory on time. The ten-lap punishment didn't tire him out as much as he expected. Instead, the morning run invigorated him. Luka ate a small breakfast at his house because he would join his peers at the cafeteria.
Belinda noticed his quiet entry and waved Luka to join her table. He sat down carrying a tray with a small bowl of oatmeal and a green apple.
"Good morning, Luka. Did you have difficulty in getting home yesterday?" she asked with concern.
Luka hesitated in answering because he didn't wish to delve into his side trip to the slums. "It was okay. My pets were hungry, so I returned to the food stands and purchased some meat skewers," he replied.
The young woman smiled at the memory of watching Bel and Gripper devour those products yesterday. "It must cost a fortune to feed them," Belinda noted.
Luka shrugged helplessly because this was true. He spent a lot of money to buy meat for those gluttons. However, Bel and Gripper provided Luka with much-needed companionship. Furthermore, he was independently wealthy because Luka owned a gold mine in his private dungeon. Luka was too busy to attend social events and buy expensive attire to participate in them. Thus, he didn't mind using his extra funds to feed his pets.
Luka finished his small meal in silence and attended the joint prayer service. But this time, Altima didn't pull his soul into her realm. Luka earnestly prayed for her assistance when he attempts to treat Leen's mother later on. He decided not to discuss the scandal involving an unknown church official with Sister Haena. Luka worried that a proper explanation would inevitably reveal Leen's criminal activity as a pickpocket. Otherwise, how would a church apprentice meet a slum-dweller in the first place?
Luka's assignment today was to return to the library with Belinda. He was surprised because Luka expected to rotate to another task.
Unbeknownst to him, Claire visited the dormitory last night and asked Sister Haena to assign Luka to work in the library for the entire week. The library supervisor praised the new worker's diligence and ability to cast the Mend spell endlessly. With Luka's help for a week, the backlog of damaged books will drop by half.
Haena reluctantly agreed because she understood the importance of repairing library books to prolong their lifespans. But she noted that Luka's apprenticeship would last only two months. Therefore, he would not return to the library again after this week.
Claire accepted this compromise because she worried that Luka might request another assignment on his initiative later on. This new arrangement would at least ensure his assistance for a week.
Belinda escorted Luka to the library without any knowledge of this secret arrangement between the two supervisors.
"Luka, you're doing the same assignment as yesterday. Belinda will take over the third-floor today," Claire announced when they approach
ed her desk.
Luka didn't complain about his assignment because he enjoyed the peace and tranquility of his work environment. He kept the same pace as yesterday in examining and repairing the books so that the supervisor couldn't accuse Luka of slacking off in his duties.
When the end of the workday arrived, Luka separated from Belinda in front of the building. He released Bel and Gripper and visited the same peddler to purchase meat skewers before going to the Granden residence in the slums.
Along the way, Luka noticed the same group of ruffians trailing him. "Close your eyes," he warned his pets before casting Dancing Lights at his stalkers.
"Argh! I can't see!" someone yelled.
The mage touched his companions and teleported to his destination. Luka activated his Spatial Sense to confirm that the robbers were gone. Then he checked the occupants of the house and sensed that Aselka was in her room. But Leen wasn't present.
Luka entered and quickly climbed the steps. The stairs creaked noisily and announced his entry into the residence. "Hi! I am Luka from yesterday, Madam Granden. I've returned to treat your disease," he said in a loud voice.
"Please come in," the owner replied.
Luka left his pets in the hallway to stand guard. Then he entered her bedroom and discovered the patient on her bed.
"I'm sorry I'm unable to greet you properly with refreshment," Auselka apologized.
"It's fine," he replied with a polite smile. "Where is your son?" Luka asked.
"I don't know. Leen dropped by this morning to feed me some bean soup," the woman answered.
Luka drew closer to her bed. "I'm going to begin your treatment." The healer held out both hands, and they hovered above her head and chest. Luka slowly drew light essence into his body, and his upper limbs began to glow. "Advance Cure!"
Motes of golden light enveloped the patient as the spell began to eat away the ugly splotches on her skin.
Luka concentrated on pouring his magic into the patient. He carefully directed his energy to spread through each limb, every pore on her skin, and into her internal organs, which lost moisture and resembled dried prunes. This treatment took several minutes to complete because the woman had suffered extensive damage in her body from her disease. If Luka didn't cure her illness immediately, she might have died within a few days!
The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima Page 70