''We need to complete it now, Margaret, we can't afford to mess this up'' said the injured warrior, trying to keep the door shut with all his strength, exhausted from the constant battles he had to face until this very moment. It was clear from his face that his mana was about to be spent.
''They are about to break the door, finish the ritual already '' he yelled, barely holding on.
'' How were we discovered? there has to be a snitch in our ranks'' replied another, trying to paint the walls with the blood of his open palm as fast as he could, barely avoiding any critical mistakes that would lead him and his companions to the afterlife before their time.
Chanting in a language that sounded oddly familiar to Latin, Margaret started twitching before clear-cut wounds began appearing all over her body, forcing her blood to go towards the mystical symbols that were painted all across the room.
'' I think it's finished, we finally succeeded'' she whispered tiredly, witnessing the symbols in the room glowing in a peculiar golden colour before ultimately dissipating in the air...
Suddenly a loud bang was heard, sending the wounded man across the room, crashing headfirst on the wall, never to get up again.
'' By the orders of the supreme pontiff, you are hereby sentenced to death for the usage of forbidden magic and the murder of his excellency the archbishop of Erkinstone.''
A high priest dressed in purple and white, ready to unleash another spell on the rest of the heretics were they to move, said with clear contempt in his eyes. He took a good look across the room, his eyes attracted to the bloody symbols on the walls. ''This is some sort of Blood Magick'', he muttered, before shifting his attention to the two people that were left bleeding on the hard floor, visibly exhausted yet satisfied.
''By the Gods, what have you done, What have you done?'' Rage that turned into a heavy sigh enveloped him as a fireball the size of a basketball was conjured into his hands before looking at the thousand-cut corpse of the woman, which seemed to have already breathed her last.
''It appears you made your choice a long time ago, old friend'' he sighed with pity in his eyes before turning all the people that were in it to ashes.
''Immediately report this to the Supreme Pontiff and send me a copy of these symbols as well'' he commanded the soldiers kneeling outside the room, waiting for his instructions.
The cry of a humongous eagle, easily spanning over 7 meters wide, followed by the clear image of an armoured man landing 5 meters behind him with a loud thud disturbed the silence after the short battle.
''What are your thoughts on this? '' asked general Allen, commander of the Eagle Brigade and the one responsible for tracking down these occultists while observing the now scorched room. He rushed as fast as he could the instant he got wind of their location, yet, someone was even faster than he was, already taking charge of the situation.
'' Why is he in these parts of the Kingdom, as far as I know, he was dealing with the uprising near our borders'' Allen silently thought, trying to make sense of the scene in front of him.
High Priest Abramelin, One of the three hands of the Pontiff, a high realm Purified Warrior of the Kingdom, was one of the spearheads tasked with the subjugation of the rebels that were causing uproars near the borders. Providing the necessary backup that was needed in exterminating once and for all the various elemental warriors that were hidden in the slums, he was a key part of the operation. ''Why was he here?'' Allen pondered.
''The symbols and the way they were drawn on the walls makes it quite difficult for me to decipher them'' The priest said. ''If I were to make a wild guess, It has something to do with summoning. As to what or who, that I don't know''. This isn't the first time he stumbled across these scenes but it sure as hell is the first time he saw one completed.
''These rituals have spread across the Kingdom this year and combined with the delicate situation at our borders, this will only get worse if we don't put a stop to it soon'' the High Priest continued, glancing at Allen, wondering how he would deal with the situation.
He knew that the general wasn't interested in cases involving forbidden magic. These cases rarely provide any coin for him after all. If not forced to accept the degree issued by the Pontiff to help track these occultists, he wouldn't even have bothered to take a look.
'' Has the supreme Pontiff been notified of this?'' he asked the Priest,
preparing to go towards The Principality of Sirene, as if not caring if he was going to get a response from him or not. Meeting with the second prince was more important to him than bothering himself with this case.
Only a fool would not attend the Prince's party, especially when it was highly likely he would succeed to the throne in the years to come. As far as he was concerned, he did his job, the occultists in the area were all found and killed so if that priest wanted to involve himself more, that was his business.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Johnathan felt as if someone was calling him.
''My Lord, please wake up...''
a head-splitting headache engulfed me, making me want to vomit non-stop but it seemed that was the least of my worries, as I was trying to realize where I was.
''wasn't I shot?'' I asked before noticing an old man staring at me with relief written on his face.
''quickly my Lord, get dressed, your father will be greatly displeased if you were to attend the party dressed like that'' he continued, trying to pull the blankets off the bed.
I sneaked a glance around the room, only to notice a round shield with a crest depicting a wolf eating the moon hung on the walls alongside a well-polished armour.
'' How am I not dead? what is this place? ''
A sharp pain, like the hammering of a nail, overwhelmed me once again as foreign waves of memories flooded my soul and almost caused me to faint.
''It appears I got killed after all'' I thought, trying to process my current situation. Taking a deep breath, I did my best to understand what was going on.
''It looks like I am the oldest son of the noble Curze family, Ciaphas Curze. My father is the Baron of the Kingdom of Tirisea and owns the northwest lands of Evramas near the borders with the Dead Plain. My grandfather fought valiantly against the Kingdom of Falonde, driving them away and got rewarded with the hereditary title of a Baron and the lands my father currently holds under his rule. Most of the land is used for farming and inhabited by approximately eight hundred peasants. I have a sister, currently working under a duke as the head secretary there. My mother died of an illness 8 years ago. The old man in front of me is a rank 2 battle warrior and also the butler of our household, currently holding the duties of helping me be a proper Lord.
'' By the looks of it, I transmigrated into the body of Ciaphas Curze, who probably died somehow in his sleep? Having read a lot of novels, I somehow knew how all of this works, or at least thought as such. There must be a reason this happened to me, right? A damsel in distress, a powerful villain threatening to destroy this world or something cliche similar. Someone needs my help! It is finally my time to shine! Maybe I got a system to help me out, a powerful ability or something that will give me an edge over the rest of this world''.
A silent cough coming from the corner of the room snapped me back to reality.
''My Lord, I ordered a maid to make some tea for you, It seems that you are quite....spent''.
Even though the family wasn't in a good position thanks to the uprising near the borders, we still had some luxuries that allowed us to lead a comfortable life. There was no such thing as electricity or technology in general in this world, yet we still had access to necessities such as light or water, all thanks to magic! The world I transmigrated into was magic-driven!
''It looks like I can't avoid this gathering for the time being. Are my clothes ready?'' I asked Nathan, surprised I showed some interest in matters he had to beg and plead for days before finally forcing me to attend.
''Yes my Lord, I will immediately call a maid to assist you'' he answered, hurriedly running out of the room fearing I would change my mind.