"How did you find out? We tried to keep all of this a secret."
"It wasn't hard to guess, and if your feudal lord knew about it, he surely wouldn't sit idly by. Of course, he probably believed you would never gather the required sum, which was clearly inflated for a city like yours. The money was needed to redeem the city, but to achieve full independence, you had to build your own crossing. When you started building the bridge, he understood everything and sent assassins here. Their goal wasn't the money; it was to destroy all the aspirations for independence. To do that, they had to destroy the bridge and the architect, so no one would dare to resume the project."
"That's...," the mayor helplessly lowered his head, "if all of this is true, then we will never be free from his oppression. The bridge is destroyed, and the money is gone."
"Most likely, they stole the money during the night and transported it to the other side, so no one would follow them. Then they blew up the dam, killing the guards. But their mission wasn't over; Leonard and the workers managed to escape, and the bridge didn't sustain significant damage. That's why the assassins stayed to finish the job, killing everyone involved in the bridge construction, except Grain and Ragni, because they couldn't reach them. Ragni was being interrogated at the mayor's office, and Grain was at Old Grivor's house, in a remote location where they couldn't get close. Afterward, they detonated the remains of the bridge and some buildings in the city to spark panic and give themselves an opportunity to escape. Right now, they are moving along the eastern road to Nightleef, and in a couple of hours, they will be beyond reach. Besides, with the dam bursting, the river has become too swollen for us to cross on horseback."
"So, it's all over. It was indeed a foolish endeavor," the mayor sighed.
The mayor fell to his knees and grabbed his head.
"It's foolish to give up like this!" But Grain intervened in the conversation, "We still have a chance. They are moving along the road at a very slow pace because they are carrying a large load of gold. If we cross the river, we can easily catch up to them."
"Hoo, I see our earth mage decided to show some special street magic. Well, can you rebuild the bridge again? After all, you were trained by that old trickster for a reason," I said, smirking at the mage, and he just widened his eyes.
"How? How did you find out?!"
"Well, I always see the obvious. It wasn't just a coincidence that Rector sent us somewhere unknown right after someone mysteriously built us such a palace in just a couple of days. No time to waste; show what you can do."
"Alright, Ragni, can you transport Levris to the other bank?"
"Well, I can, but after today's encounter with the local mountain rocks, I won't get far."
"That's not necessary; it will be enough to get her to the end of the bridge."
"Wait! Aren't you planning to run away?" the mayor still wasn't sure about our innocence. "The evidence in your favor is no less than against you."
"Don't worry; we're not going anywhere. We'll finish our work," Grain approached the remains of the bridge's beginning and glanced at the massive rock blocking the river, "Kurone, can you connect us with the girl who designed this bridge?"
"I'm not sure; if there's no connection between us, it may take a lot of time. And I doubt she will respond to an unknown voice in her head."
"Don't worry about that; we met with her two days ago and spent a lot of time together. If you can tune in, then I can convince her to help."
"It seems my plan has failed," the girl with colorless hair sighed softly in her room, "it was foolish to hope that the feudal lord would let us go so easily."
"Hmph, you give up so easily. You could've come up with a plan to fix everything."
"There's nothing I can do. I can see the criminals from here; they're already halfway to Nightleef. Everything is lost."
"But they're still on the move, which means there's a chance. Stop sulking and start taking action!"
"What can I do!?" the girl screamed in response to the voice, and realized that, besides her, there was no one else there, "AAAA! Who are you?"
"You took quite a while to figure it out, lovely lady. We met just two days ago, remember?"
"Huh? You're Krito, I suppose, but how did you get into my head?!"
"It wasn't me; it's our faithful friend, Kurone. She can connect with other people from a distance."
"Oh, hello, sorry for this sudden intrusion; it's all his doing."
"It's alright, but why do you need me?"
"Serena, you're the one who designed the bridge, right?"
"Yes, but unfortunately, it was destroyed."
"That's indeed unfortunate, but if you had the opportunity to rebuild it right now, what would you do?"
"Don't say such foolish things. I can barely walk, and only a powerful mage could rebuild the bridge."
"Don't worry about that," a low male voice resonated in her head, "Kurone will connect us, and you'll be able to control my earth magic through her. Just show me the image of the bridge as you see it, and I'll create it with my magic."
"Ehhh?" the girl was in shock, "Is that even possible? What kind of magic is this?"
"It's just a simple magic. Just open your mind to Kurone, and everything will be fine."
"Alright, I'll trust you on this."
Grain and Levris stood facing each other on opposite banks.
"Grain, I don't know why, but I feel like I can do much more than I could this morning."
"Yes, I feel much stronger too. Let's try lifting this boulder," Grain pointed towards a multi-ton rock, and the teacher hesitated a bit.
"Are you sure?"
"We won't know until we try."
The mages closed their eyes and raised their hands towards the cliff. At first, it seemed like a waste of time, but after a minute, the rock slightly shifted and slowly detached from the ground. As it rose into the air, the previously held-back water rushed forward, filling the entire riverbed. Crossing the river even by swimming became problematic. However, the mages confidently lifted the rock just above the spot where the remnants of the old bridge were.
"I think it's time to give it the right shape. I'm counting on your help, Lady Serena."
"Alright, I hope it works," Serena replied.
With a couple of strokes, the mages precisely carved a rectangular block from the rock as far as its length allowed. With each light movement, they removed extra stones, and soon the rock took the exact shape of the destroyed bridge, except it lacked the length to cover the final span.
"It's not enough? Will it not work after all?"
"Let me handle it," Levris pulled the boulders severed from the bridge towards her and clapped her hands, turning them into dust. Then, she directed her hands towards the end of the bridge and gathered all the dust that had formed there, clenching her fists. As the cloud condensed, it turned into stone, merging with the foundation of the bridge. Soon, the bridge was ready.
"Levris, are you sure it will hold?"
"I don't know. I only learned to do this recently, but I can't think of a better solution."
"We need something else," Grain's gaze rested on the dragoness standing on the opposite side of the bridge, "Seleria, come here; I need your help. Ragni, I'm counting on you too."
"What are you planning?"
"We need the strongest mountain rocks that form under high pressure and high temperature. I need you to ignite flames hot enough to melt the stones."
"Flames comparable to the heat of the earth?! That's going to be incredibly challenging!" Ragni began to protest.
"But surely, the two fire princesses can create a miracle together?" Seleria eagerly accepted the challenge.
"Alright, I'll try to connect all of you together," Kurone said, "it's not easy; transmitting messages is one thing, but connecting multiple minds is different."
Placing the bridge's span on the remaining pillars, earth mages gathered all their strength to prevent it from shifting with the water flow.
"Now, Black Princess, it's our turn," Seleria clasped her hands together, and they ignited in bright flames, "don't hesitate, or I'll start without you!"
"Hey, I won't back down from you!" Ragni cupped her hands around her mouth and breathed out a stream of fire. The two flashes collided in the center of the bridge, and the most potent fire magic engulfed the riverbed. The water, unable to withstand the heat, turned into vapor right before their eyes, reducing the water level almost to the base of the columns. However, this was an advantage for the builders as they could now see the connection with the foundation and even modify its structure.
"But still, it's not enough," I focused my gaze on the bridge. The stone reddened from the heat, but it was far from melting.
Such fire could not complete the task, but could a bit more be squeezed out? Only divine fire could handle this challenge. The power of the black flames, but I don't know how to summon it. What Ragni said—no dragon can wield the power of divine fire, but for some reason, being bound by a contract with a dragon allows me to summon it. How am I different from them? Only one thing came to mind.
"It's still worth trying," I recalled the ancient language that allowed me to make a contract, which turned ordinary things into magical ones and enabled the use of ancient magic. "I grant my servant a part of my power."
As I spoke those words, I felt a slight burning sensation on my right hand. If I was right, Ragni should be feeling it now too.
"Ouch, what the heck!" Ragni abruptly stopped her flames and began rubbing her left hand. A dragon tattoo on her hand emitted a faint glow.
"Hey, Ragni, let's try it again. We almost had it!"
"I...," the dragoness looked at her hand and grinned, "I think now we can do it. Just be prepared; it's going to get even hotter now!"
Taking a deep breath, the dragoness exhaled a powerful black flame from her mouth. With an ear-piercing screech, the dragon-like black flames burst forth, clumsy and patchy, resembling hundreds of needles protruding in all directions and scraping against each other. The flame of the black god, previously forbidden to any dragon, surpassed everything that had been seen before.
"What power!" Seleria managed to raise a fire wall before herself, shielding herself from the dragon's breath. "But can you control such might, Princess?"
Seleria looked at the bridge; the granite turned white-hot and now began to slowly melt. The earth mages tried to maintain its shape, but they struggled to do so.
"At this rate, we'll turn it into a pile of mud," Seleria approached the edge of the bridge and boldly stepped into the raging flames. "I'll borrow some of your power."
Taking a deep breath of the black flames that would kill any human, no, any living creature, the red princess didn't even flinch.
"Seleria, what are you doing!?" Grain tried to stop her, but he couldn't enter the flames.
"Don't worry, focus on the shape of the bridge, and I'll help you a bit."
Taking a deep breath, the girl exhaled a bright crimson flame in opposition to the black breath. Two enormous bursts of fire soared into the sky, turning the riverbed into a massive inferno.
"How beautiful..." Those were the only words Katrina managed to say.
"I think now we'll see something even more magnificent," I smirked and watched as the bridge regained its shape, but this time it was smoother and more even, not as rough as earth magic would create, but more fluid.
"Serena, see through my eyes; now you can give it any perfect form you desire," Seleria mentally connected with Serena, and together they began recreating the bridge.
The bridge's columns became perfectly round, and the surface first transformed into a flawlessly smooth arch, then straight lines emerged, creating a parody of cobblestone. The handrails thickened and acquired intricate carvings, while above each support, marvelously shaped gargoyles perched.
"Is that all?" Seleria inquired.
"Yes, I've never pursued unnecessary extravagance," Serena replied.
"Then I'll finish the job," Seleria kneeled, touching the heated stone with her hands, and the flames gradually subsided. Observing this, Ragni halted her efforts, and soon the stone began to darken. As it solidified, it retained its shape and gradually acquired exquisite qualities. When everything was done, the bridge became of a uniform black color with gray and red veins. "It seems we've managed to create a perfect piece of marble."
"It's hard to believe it turned out this way," Grain inspected his creation. In just a few seconds, Seleria managed to cool the once molten stone to a normal state, and now it was safe to walk on. "This is a perfectly solid piece of marble without a single crack. Its strength is simply enviable. Although these statues seem to be made of a different material."
Grain touched the gargoyles; they were made of black, gleaming stone, shimmering with a dark glint.
"It looks like obsidian or volcanic glass. I've never heard of using it for something so large before."
"What beauty," the mayor approached the railings and ran his hand along them. The smooth stone had not a single sharp edge, chip, or crack. "I never thought it was possible to create something so exquisite."
"Ahem, hate to interrupt, but haven't you forgotten something?" I interjected.
"Yes, we need to hurry. To the pursuit!" Grain declared.