CHAPTER 87…………………………………..
“Let’s go this way, Ashur.”
Sierra passed by the waiting carriage.
The unfamiliar street she walked through, hand in hand with him, was crowded.
Fortunately, no one paid attention to Ashur, who wore a ring that blocked recognition and had his hood pulled deep over his head.
Only the mages following behind grumbled.
Yet, seeing that no one stopped them, it seemed likely that Sierra had been ordered to be left alone.
It was the first time Ashur had passed through so many people at once.
Even when there were many people in the Sanctuary, it was so vast that there was no need to jostle like this.
Ashur, alert and scanning his surroundings, gently grabbed Sierra’s shoulder when she nearly bumped into someone and guided her along.
“Be careful.”
“Ah, thanks.”
The tall buildings lining the narrow street left a strong impression.
He had thought the mansion he’d been confined in was huge, but rows of large buildings felt far more overwhelming than a single mansion.
The hills were completely hidden by buildings on all sides.
Even though they were outside, it felt like being trapped somewhere.
‘This really is… different from the Sanctuary.’
Standing in the middle of the unfamiliar street, Ashur’s senses were sharp, fully on alert.
As they weaved through the crowd, someone’s persistent gaze came from an alley between shops.
Glancing over, he saw large humans, hooded as meticulously as himself, standing there.
‘Could it be…’
Before he realized it, Sierra had already stepped in that direction.
But without making eye contact, she brushed past them along the alley.
The familiar scent of the forest.
‘That’s right.’
Rohita, Kadiya, Alnab. He didn’t need to see them to know they were his comrades.
‘…And the last one must be Barel.’
Ashur also passed by them as if it were nothing.
He saw a small exchange happen between them and Sierra—familiar gestures repeated many times before.
‘They were exchanging information. Those bastards… dangerous…’
Glancing back, he was relieved to see the mages hadn’t noticed a thing.
Although Ashur worried for them, having been dropped into the middle of the kingdom without spirits or divine beasts, he trusted Sierra.
‘…I hate to admit it, but with Barel there, I can feel a little safer.’
The comrades disappeared into the alley, and Sierra naturally passed them to enter the herbalist’s shop.
Ding-dong—
“Welcome.”
A slightly bitter smell, similar to what filled Sierra’s cabin in the Sanctuary, greeted them.
A man with a kind face, tending dried herbs at the counter, looked up.
“Oh… Sierra, isn’t it?”
“It’s been a while. I’ve been away for a bit, haven’t I?”
“My goodness, how many months has it been? I almost forgot your face. And it looks like you’ve brought quite the party today?”
With Ashur, the two mages trailing behind, and the other watchers, the small shop was completely filled.
The owner kept glancing nervously as if worried they might cause trouble, but perhaps trusting Sierra, he didn’t stop her.
Feeling his subtle gaze, Sierra shrugged her shoulders.
“By chance. We’ll just buy what we need and leave quickly. But do you have any new herbs, besides the usual ones?”
“Hmm, come this way and I’ll show you.”
She selected what she wanted while talking with the shopkeeper.
Ashur also looked around the shop, but everything was unfamiliar to him.
It was probably just a different environment from the Sanctuary.
“Sir, do you happen to trade with Nivaron?”
“Nivaron? The small town up north? It’s quite far… Do they have good ingredients there?”
Sierra drew a simple sketch on a nearby piece of paper and showed it.
“We just received new supplies. I’m looking for something like this… though I don’t know what it’s called here. I’ll ask for it next time.”
Ashur knew what it was.
It was a flower that bloomed around this season in the Sanctuary.
‘Nivaron… the town Barel often visited.’
He vaguely remembered.
They had come this far because Sierra needed herbs from the Sanctuary.
Thinking about it, she had recently paid much attention to combining Sanctuary magic with sorcery.
Though it couldn’t continue here after being captured.
Sierra met Ashur’s gaze. Her eyes held a look of longing.
After a brief silence, they held hands tightly without speaking.
“All packed up.”
“Thank you. I’ll come again.”
“Yes! Thank you!”
By the time they left the herbalist’s shop, the sun was nearly down.
Ashur looked at her face.
Her normally familiar face was shaded and tense, completely different from the Sierra he knew.
It must be because of the strangers following them.
Now, the city’s corners were dark.
Yet at the same moment, the street suddenly brightened.
Light spread from the top of iron pillars he hadn’t noticed during the day.
Even at night, the city shone brilliantly.
Ashur whispered softly as he watched.
“So that’s why the forest felt dark.”
Thanks to the lights Sierra had created, it was brighter, yet it still couldn’t compare to here.
Sierra glanced around at his words and smiled faintly.
“I liked it that way.”
“…Because it was dark?”
“No, not exactly… It felt calm and peaceful, that’s all.”
Indeed, even after sunset, people were moving busily.
Everyone’s expressions were dry and irritated, as if bothered by something.
In the Sanctuary, it would now be time for laughter to echo from each home.
And the forest would remain tranquil.
Leaving the noisy street behind, the two climbed onto the cold carriage.
At that moment, an unnoticed gaze had followed them.
Hidden in the crowd, he stared piercingly into Ashur’s blue eyes under the hood.
“So it was true.”
The dark blue eyes frozen in shock trembled slightly.
For several days, life continued with Ashur going back and forth to the magic tower.
Like a bird in a cage, he enjoyed restricted freedom.
‘Not much time left.’
The method to bypass the magic suppression collar was nearly complete.
Before escaping, there was still one thing left to resolve.
“Welcome back!”
Alec and Theo had quickly adapted to Ashur and had become noticeably friendly.
At first, it was subtly clear they were intimidated by his large frame, but now there was no hesitation.
- “Anyway, we still need to pretend to experiment on humans. Cooperate a little, will you?”
- “Now, it’s finally time to test the magic circle. Could you take off your top?”
In the end, it happened just as Alec had initially wanted.
Under bright light, Ashur’s smooth back muscles were revealed.
“Oh… I feel like I’ve seen an anatomy drawing like this before.”
“How do you train to get like this? Hm…”
Alec’s admiration and Theo’s curious gaze focused on his back.
Sierra, on the other hand, turned away, feeling embarrassed.
It was almost the same reaction she had the first time she saw his back.
‘Did I look that strange too…?’
She was grateful Ashur hadn’t seen her expression.
“Hurry up and start the experiment!”
Though Ashur was waiting patiently, Sierra, feeling awkward, urged them on.
“Right, right. First, we need to check if the magic circle works even with this.”
Ashur still wore the magic suppression collar on his neck and wrists.
His mana could only flow inside his body, not outside.
The magic circle relied on its own mana, so it should work in theory.
But they couldn’t be sure until they tried it.
“Let’s try.”
“First, the protective magic circle modification.”
Ashur’s back glowed with a blue magic circle.
They watched the flow of mana, tense.
“Huh… The magic circle’s power still seems to work?”
“Seems so. The suppression doesn’t affect it.”
“Good.”
From then on, Alec and Theo drew various magic circles, using Ashur’s back as a canvas.
- “The watchers are surprisingly sloppy.”
- “Maybe because we’ve been focusing on research lately?”
They chuckled, quietly mocking the guards.
- “Looks like it’s definitely possible. Sierra, look forward to it.”
They had figured out a way to safely bypass the collar; now they just had to wait for the opportunity.
