Gunmage-Chapter 285: Second official visit

Outside of a carriage accompanied by a heavily armed procession, this was only Lugh’s second official visit to the capital streets of Pyrellis.

The first time had been under very different circumstances—no guards, no velvet seats—just a terrified boy running for his life.

That had been a little over a year ago, shortly after his father died. Without the man’s looming presence and occasional protections, Lugh feared Isolde might finally do something drastic—kill him, perhaps.

That fear hadn’t been unfounded. Her treatment worsened almost immediately, descending into something barely short of calculated wickedness.

She confined him for most of the day, only allowing him brief outings at selected intervals, more to uphold appearances than anything else.

The escape plan hadn’t been simple. It had a massive margin for error and was, in all honesty, the kind of thing only a desperate child would attempt.

In the end, Lugh had only managed to flee because the defensive mechanisms of the manor were primarily designed to keep people out, not in.

Considering he’d been completely clueless about magic at the time, it had been nothing short of a godsend.

Once he broke free, the first place he had run to was—

Lugh blinked out of his thoughts, his gaze sweeping over the opulent streets of the High Class District, where they had just arrived.

Exotic trees lined the roads, their silver-tipped leaves bathed in pale moonlight. Bushes trimmed to symmetrical perfection bordered the neat roads.

The walkways were paved with marble, not stone, and everything gleamed as though the whole city had been scrubbed for royal inspection.

He asked, more out of confirmation than curiosity,

"Hey... which direction are the slums?"

"Hm?"

"The slums?"

His sisters glanced at him, puzzled.

"Why would you ask about—ahhh!"

Mirelle suddenly exclaimed.

"You crafty fox. Now I see why we could never find you."

Lugh nodded slightly. It seemed they’d figured it out already.

Sela folded her arms.

"It’s far to the south of here. Like... really far. Past the water channel."

They began walking as she continued explaining.

"I don’t know what the water channel is,"

Lugh said flatly.

"So your comparison doesn’t really help."

Sela pursed her lips.

"Let’s just say it’s far. Like, quite literally on the other side of the city. Honestly, I still don’t get how you managed to reach there in the first place."

"Oh, I hitched a ride."

"I see..."

A brief silence settled over them. The atmosphere grew dry, almost uncomfortable. Mirelle picked up on it and stepped in to soften the mood.

"The water channel is exactly what it sounds like,"

She said.

"It—or maybe they, since there’s more than one—are a network of constructs that extend to and from Lake Vespasia."

"Vespasia?"

Lugh echoed.

Mirelle nodded.

"The largest artificial lake in the kingdom. Something of that scale could only be made through magic. Years of it."

"Okay,"

Lugh said, intrigued.

"Now I have to see it."

Sela cut in. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel-com

"Perhaps another time. We’ve got other plans today."

"Such as?"

"Well..."

She said, grinning.

"We could start with street food."

Lugh glanced around. His eyes passed over the massive homes—bordering on palaces—with sprawling gardens and unnecessary amounts of open space.

This wasn’t just a rich neighborhood. It was a monument to excess.

’There’s no way we’re finding street food here.’

As if reading his thoughts, Sela said,

"It’s going to be quite a distance to the main districts. We’re going to run."

Lugh blinked.

"Run?"

An excited Mirelle nodded.

"Yes. This is one of the best parts—we’ll be roof-hopping!"

Then her voice trailed off as a thought crossed her mind. Her expression darkened with sudden realization.

"...Wait. Lugh doesn’t have our level of control over wind magic. Plus, he has absolutely no foundation in sound control either."

Sela slapped her forehead with a groan.

"You’re right. That’s going to be a problem."

Lugh frowned, confused.

"What’s the issue?"

Sela grumbled under her breath.

"Why can’t you do something so simple? Aren’t you supposed to be all-powerful?"

"Excuse me?"

Lugh raised an eyebrow.

"Whoever said anything about being all-powerful?"

"I mean, your awakened ability lets you absorb memories and experiences, right?"

"Yes, it does."

"And you took the memories of an elf."

"Well... kind of."

"So—wait. What do you mean ’kind of’?"

Lugh shrugged.

They both gave him wary looks.

Sela exhaled sharply.

"Anyway. Are you seriously telling me you didn’t pick up anything that would let you survive a fall? No levitation? Not even decent wind control?"

Lugh sighed.

"Well, first of all, I’m not an elf."

"And?"

"Elven magic is way too mana-intensive for humans,"

He said plainly.

"Sure, I have a few tricks. I could create a massive twister to cushion my fall. But that would drain a huge chunk of my mana. To an elf, that amount would be insignificant, but for me? It’s inefficient. Not to mention, it’s loud."

"Ah,"

Mirelle said, realization dawning.

"Now I understand."

Of course, there was another reason. One that he hadn’t said aloud.

Lugh didn’t actually have much of the elf’s real experience. The terrifying part was that he didn’t even notice this inconsistency himself—he strongly believed otherwise.

It wasn’t something he could explain, and frankly, he didn’t want to. It was sensitive information.

Whether or not they’d even understand wasn’t the point. He wasn’t ready to talk about it.

But Sela picked up on something else.

"What about that spell?"

She asked.

"The one with the masterful wind manipulation? You use it to propel yourself forward while reducing wind resistance to almost zero. I tried replicating it, but it’s way more complex than I thought."

Lugh opened his mouth, stunned.

"What?"

Sela raised an eyebrow.

"You don’t even know what you’re doing?"

He swallowed, unsure.

"... I guess it’s instinctual. Part of emr—part of the elf’s fighting style. I don’t think he ever considered it a spell."

They turned a corner and found themselves on a narrow lane. A metal railing stood to their side, keeping pedestrians from falling over the edge.

"We’re here,"

Sela said.

Lugh stepped forward and grabbed the railing, his eyes widened at the view.

The sourc𝗲 of this content is fre(e)novelkiss