Translator: Cinder Translations
...
"Submit to the great power of magic? What do you mean?"
Ladia frowned, sensing that Sevya was up to something sinister.
Sevya smiled slightly. "Control the Earl Grayman and turn his territory into our kingdom, a paradise for spellcasters."
"Shut up! You came here seeking refuge, yet you want to usurp someone else's land. Are you afraid that you won't fulfill the traditional image of wizards as schemers?"
Ladia stood up, her brow tightly knitted, clearly enraged.
Sevya, unfazed by the reprimand, was instead surprised by Ladia's reaction. "Hmph, he's just a mere mortal, a noble who feasts on the flesh and blood of the common people, and you're defending him? Sister, have you forgotten the taste of oppression we once endured?"
Ladia turned her head away. "Lord Grayman is different from other nobles."
"Lord Grayman… different?" Sevya narrowed her eyes, thinking that the Green Witch was merely biding her time under the lord's command, but now it seemed otherwise.
Could it be…?
"Different? Is he one of us?"
"Not at all."
"What? You!"
Sevya was at a loss for words. No way, the dignified Green Witch, someone she once admired, had become a lackey of a mortal lord?
"You!" She suddenly became angry; this was undoubtedly a betrayal of the spellcaster community.
"Could it be… are you truly sincere in your allegiance to him?"
"Yes!" Ladia replied without hesitation, turning to meet Sevya's gaze. "He is my lord now."
Then she warned, "If you dare pull any tricks, I will not stand by idly."
The temperature in the courtyard seemed to drop to freezing.
After a moment of silent staring, the anger in Sevya's eyes faded.
"Fine, Green Witch, I'll give up on my previous idea."
"I want you to swear that you will never do anything to harm Earl Grayman in the Northwest Bay."
As Ladia said this, her gaze became sharp.
Sevya felt an inexplicable power surging in the air around her, and her heart sank. This was the opponent's backyard, their home ground, and who knew how many spells were secretly laid out?
"Alright, Green Witch. I… I swear!"
But Ladia still looked at her with unfriendly eyes.
Sevya helplessly raised her right hand and pronounced clearly, "I swear by my identity as a spellcaster, with my future magical career, that I will not do anything to harm Earl Grayman in the Northwest Bay."
For someone like them, this was a very serious oath.
Only then did Ladia relax her previously sharp gaze and sit down again.
Perhaps feeling that her earlier words were too heavy, a gentler expression returned to her face.
"I'm doing this for your own good. Although you might not believe it, I still want to warn you that the power Lord Grayman wields far exceeds your imagination. For instance, any of his guards or soldiers could easily end your life right in front of you, even if you cast protective spells like Stone Skin beforehand."
"I've noted your warning."
Sevya responded, feeling sincerity in Ladia's eyes, yet she still chose not to believe it, thinking this was just an exaggeration by the Green Witch to intimidate her.
How could that be? She had proven through personal experience that a spellcaster of her level could easily handle a bunch of well-trained church knights if well-prepared. How could the armed forces of a mere Earl compare to the church of the Bay? End her life on the spot? Were his soldiers gods descended to earth? Ha, absurd.
Ladia looked at Sevya. "It seems you really don't believe me. Let me tell you, I once witnessed…"
She suddenly stopped, changing her words. "Never mind, I'll leave it at that. Just be careful."
Originally, Ladia had wanted to use the example of Paul being attacked by the Arcane Order's wizards to warn Sevya, but she suddenly remembered that the Arcane Order was no kind of organization, fearing it might bring trouble to Paul, so she changed her mind.
During their conversation, Ladia had learned that Sevya had previously been in contact with the Arcane Order. Although this woman claimed she hadn't joined, who could tell if that was the truth? What if she were a spy sent by the Arcane Order to find that killed wizard?
Otherwise, given the vastness of the world, why had she chosen to seek refuge in the Northwest Bay?
Sevya huffed, "I will be a law-abiding citizen. By the way, since you're sincerely serving that lord, will you tell him if any other wizards come to the Northwest Bay?"
This earned her Ladia's silence.
"I hope you will always remember your identity as a spellcaster."
This time Ladia broke her silence. "Rest assured, Lord Grayman and his confidants have no prejudice against spellcasters. The fact that I'm still alive is proof of that."
Sevya was taken aback. "He… that lord… he knows your identity?"
"Didn't I just mention it? Sorry. Yes, Lord Grayman—not just him, but some of my colleagues—know my identity, and they haven't rejected me."
And they even entrusted her with important responsibilities, Sevya added silently, feeling a twinge of jealousy.
But now it seemed that since the powers that be didn't mind, at least she and her companions could live in the Northwest Bay without the same fears they had in the Horns Bay.
"I apologize for my rudeness earlier."
Sevya stood up and bowed slightly to Ladia.
"No need for that." Ladia took her hand. "I understand that the events in the Horns Bay over the past few years have made your perspectives somewhat extreme. But please believe, as long as you behave yourselves, this will definitely be a paradise for you to start anew."
"Thank you for your kind words."
Sevya smiled again.
"Well, I'll take my leave now. But as a fellow refugee from the same place, may I know your true name?"
Ladia nodded and replied, "Ladia Setia Gerald."
Sevya understood. "So that's it."
"What about you?"
"Sevya Asitini."
"You actually introduced your true name in front of the church?" Ladia was surprised. As far as she knew, Sevya had used that name during the prison break; she was truly bold.
"Hmph, those bugs, I'm not afraid of them."
...
After exchanging a few brief words, Sevya exited the Setia household's backyard.
Just as she stepped out of the alley, she punched the nearby wall hard.
How careless, how reckless; she hadn't anticipated that the other party had truly pledged loyalty to the local lord.
She harshly chastised herself, feeling waves of fear in her heart.
If the other person was not the Green Witch she knew but another wizard with an uncertain temperament, she might have already fallen out with her, or pretended to comply and then teamed up with the lord to set a trap for her.
However, it was indeed rare for such a capable wizard to genuinely serve a mortal lord.
It seemed that after escaping the den of wolves in the Bay, her vigilance had decreased considerably.
She had to act more cautiously in the future.
Sigh, would her earlier remarks leave a bad impression on the other party?
...
After sending off Sevya, Ladia pondered for a long time in the courtyard.
The thought that the other party might be a spy sent by the Arcane Order lingered in her mind.
"No, I still need to report this to Lord Grayman."
She had hesitated earlier, but now she was resolute, though a hint of guilt lingered in her heart—if the other person was indeed seeking refuge, they would certainly not want their life disrupted.
However, from Paul's standpoint, allowing someone with unknown abilities, capable of taking on a large number of church knights, to roam freely in the territory was too worrisome.
Ladia didn't even realize she had unconsciously begun to view the issue from the perspective of Alden's rulers.
She quickly ran to the restaurant to explain to her mother that she had important matters to attend to, then left the house through the back door.
(End of the Chapter)
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