Soul of Searing Steel

"Well then, we shall see each other again in the Imperial City!"

Upon saying goodbye, Nostradamus once again activated the teleportation magic circle beneath his feet the moment after Joshua and his knights had stepped out of the effective range of the circle. Then, he left Moldavia, bringing along all of his fellow apprentices with him.

"So this is the strength of a Supreme-tier mage. He is capable of teleporting so many at once for multiple times and yet, it looks like just a piece of cake to him. Under the circumstance where the enemy is unprepared, he could just lead a platoon of elite Gold-tier combatants, teleporting them straight into the hearts of main cities, raiding cities all over different kingdoms one after another. He might even be capable of completely destroy the lifelines of his enemies within a day or two."

Standing before the city gates of his own territory witnessing a group of wizards disappearing from his sight along with the rippling waves of energy, Joshua could not help but sigh. "That is the main reason why people invented so many skills that can precisely counter a 'Dimension' and 'Teleportation'. Otherwise, wars without a bottom line would have destroyed the entire civilization."

After sighing out with some emotion clouding his mind, Joshua then turned his head over to notice that his knights were drowsy and dizzy which resulted from going through the teleportation. None of them could stand steadily on their feet. These knights that were wearing heavy armor would have collapsed down to the ground if they had not held onto their own battle horses.

Joshua could not help but sigh again. He had no choice but to dismiss party on the spot. After all, this was probably the first time in their entire life to have gone through teleportation. So Joshua decided to give them a little time to recover from the dizziness of teleporting through dimension. In the meantime, he brought the runic core along with him as he was preparing to return to his mansion with Ling.

As the winter was over, and the early spring was about to arrive, the direction of the wind had changed. The warm winds were rising from the Southern forest, sweeping across the land that was frozen with ice and frost, causing the snow to melt. However, how could the cold air of the winter be swept away so easily? The melted snow water that was flowing all over the place was once again condensed into solid ice. The streets in the main city were covered with smooth layers of ice once more. Many pedestrians were walking cautiously on streets paved with bluestones.

The number of people in the city was increasing. Because the weather was beginning to get warmer, compared to the temperature during the winter, regardless of the merchants or the adventurers, they were filling up the streets now. Those merchants had come in with their caravans along with large quantity of sea salts and all sorts of fresh fruits and vegetables that they kept fresh with magic power. They were here to trade, naturally. Meanwhile, most of the adventurers came here bearing quests from other cities. They were all getting ready to travel over to the Mountains of the Great Ias, either to locate special daemons to slay or to mine for ores.

So this was how a city in the north should look like. Joshua was looking at his own lively territory land with satisfaction. He could not help but feel joyous over what he saw.

"Just wait until the spring comes. It is almost time to initiate the next step of the plan."

After roughly estimating the timeline, he nodded and made up his mind. "Regardless of any case, the runic dwarfs must build a runic factory in this city. Even if the factory is the smallest in the entire continent, it will not matter at all. My city must not fall behind time."

In the meantime, on the other side, Ling was holding a runic core that was almost as big as the one Joshua was holding on. He sighed as he felt very bored at the moment.

Not long after, the two of them walked through the center of the city.

Many craftsmen took the opportunity to work hard because the weather was perfect for them to work. There was no snow anymore. Under the inconsistent construction throughout the winter season, the reconstruction of the liege's residence that was once destroyed by Joshua was almost complete.

According to Joshua's suggestion, the liege's residence that looked like a manor had now been rebuilt into a fortress that was meant for war. The craftsmen had built a small castle by using the hardest granite wall tiles. They had even used the crushed bones of the daemons as part of the materials, all mixed together, to build the fortress. In that way, the walls could still be fortified further by drawing magic circles on them.

Of course, this was not because Joshua was feeling insecure or whatsoever. It was mainly because the purpose of doing so kind of accommodated his aesthetics. If he was given the opportunity to live in a luxury hotel built with granite and white stones, he would feel uncomfortable for sure.

Along the way being looked upon with fear and respect at the same time by the people in the center of the city, Joshua and Ling had finally arrived at the mansion.

A few maids were cleaning in the living hall. When the maids that were doing their jobs noticed the return of their baron, they immediately stopped what they were doing, turned towards the man and bowed to show their respect towards him.

Joshua did not like to be respected so much by the others. However, it was not the time to correct the others' reaction towards the Fear Aura he had on him. So he asked, "So what happen to Ying now?"

The head maid who looked much older than the others stood up and spoke softly, "Miss Ying is still sleeping in the room as usual… However, my Lord, is it really good that she had not eaten anything?"

What does a Divine Armament need to eat… Sword grease and grindstone?

Upon shaking his head knowing that it would not be easy to explain the attributes and nature of a Divine Armament to a regular human, Joshua took off the jacket he was wearing on his sturdy body and went up to the second floor with Ling.

Ling walked up the stairs step by step while carrying the runic core that was as large as his body. He seemed disinterested in everything, as there was a look of boredom on his face.

Walking straight into the room, the layout of the room did not change, not even by a bit. The only thing different was that there was a black lamp that was radiating with gentle light by the side of the bed frame. Meanwhile, Ying remained sleeping in the bed.

From the look on her face, the young lady with silver hair seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Her sleeping posture was decent. She did not move at all. As long as she was covered with a blanket, it would seem that she would not move, her body would not change to any other postures for few years to come.

However, with Joshua's sharp senses, he noticed that the situation with Ying being asleep this time around had a great difference compared to before!

Back in the days, instead of sleep, Ying seemed more like she was in a coma. But now… this little girl was really sleeping!

"Wake up! Now!"

Sitting up on the edge of the bed, Joshua did not bother to be gentle with her anymore. Without even the slightest sense of compassion in him, he patted her the face with his palm and even pinched her face. "You've slept for over two months now. If you continue to do so, you're going to get rusty, even though you're a Divine Armament!"

"Ouch! That hurts!"

Waking up immediately from her sleep, Ying let out a cry in response to the painful pinch on her face. Her face looked lost at the moment. Her large green eyes became watery as they were slightly filled with tears. "Who am I… Where is this place?"

Before she could ask her third question, she sensed a very familiar presence. The Divine Armament girl immediately turned her head over and looked at the side of the bed.

Then she saw Joshua, Ling and the projection of 03 that was being projected from the runic core.

The core of the silver-haired girl instantly jammed for a brief moment.

"Er… this…" Having no idea what to say, Ying lifted her fair and slender arms as she pointed her fingers at Ling and 03, shaking up. Even her voice was shaking. "What is going on here? Why is my brother here as well…"

"My sister, you've fallen asleep for too long."

On the other side, Ling who was still carrying the runic core revealed his face from the back of the huge runic core. First, he let out a sigh, then he smiled and said, "Because he did not have any good weapon by his side, so Master decided to wake me up as well… I have to say… Master is truly powerful. He can actually control two Divine Armaments at the same time as he battled without feeling any pressure on him. It seems that we're very fortunate to have him as our Master."

Of course I know that Master is truly powerful!

Ying screamed out deep down in her own heart without making a sound. Well, it was still acceptable to see her own brother by her side. Well, she could not have endured the incredible battle power and the killing frequency of her Master all alone anyway. However, that…

Having her thoughts change from one the other, she turned her head over and looked at the projection of No.03 who looked extremely calm by her face who was looking at Ying.

Well, it did not matter that she had light-blue hair and a pair of black wings… So her real body is the runic core that Ling was carrying in his hands?

Hmm, the bluish-violet crystallized steel is so beautiful… no… wait… who the heck is this flirtatious-looking woman?!