Solar Mage

Chapter 66: Lillian Mint

***

"Looks like that goddess is watching, she sure is protective of him though."

The Keeper says while looking down at Arthur's naked body that shines in a blinding light where his private parts are.

"BOOOM!!"

Just as Arthur falls asleep in Dustin's hands, an unexpected visitor comes, crashing into the already, extremely destroyed Mint Estate.

The four shadows become wary, their swords appearing out of nowhere, into their hands, stacking up between their apostle, and the unknown intruder. Dustin and the Keeper don't change their expressions, only watching the situation for the moment.

As the person's silhouette emerges from the dust cloud, the Keeper seemingly recognizes him, and summons a giant white piece of silk, from what seems to be nothing, throwing it over Arthur's entire body.

Dustin seemingly recognizes the figure as well, reacting half a second later, his face tensing.

"What business do you have here, Vice-Commander of the Wardens?"

Once Potato exits the cloud of dust, he comes to a halt, standing mere feet away from the shadows who wildly release their killing intent. However, the machine-like Vice Commander ignores them, and instead looks directly at the boy in Dustin's arm whose face is covered.

"Is that the boy who caused this? Is he the Apostle that had been mentioned so much? Who is he? What is his name?"

The Vice Commander's expressions and tone do not change throughout all his robotic questioning.

Dustin's voice tremors through the air, releasing his killing intent and mana throughout the room, unaffecting the already unconscious physicians, but freezing the shadows in place, making even the Robotic and expressionless Vice Commander of the Imperial Wardens start sweating under his immense pressure.

"I don't remember you greeting me back, Potato."

In a more shaky, yet still, unfazed voice, he responds to Dustin.

"My apologies, congratulations on your recovery, Sir Dustin, Commander of the Pyroean Holy Knights, I hope you may reform the church well– make it like it was before Agon. That'll make our lives a lot easier– that was a joke."

Dustin's brow raises in confusion, that the totally emotionless Vice Commander of the Wardens made a joke for the first time, his killing intent dissipating, allowing the shadows and Potato to move again.

Quickly taking the opportunity, Potato returns to his emotionless expression, remembering his duty and regaining his determination, his intense eyes set on Arthur once again. The shadows become tense as the warden looks like he's about to make a move, but unexpectedly, the warden moves his hands back behind his back, at ease, and turns around, slowly walking away.

"I will take my leave for now, and the Wardens will pay for the damages here today, but if I find out even a single person was hurt by your Apostle, justice will be brought down upon them like anyone else, with no exception."

He jumps away, out the same hole through the ceiling he flew in from, without saying another word.

The Keeper pats Dustin's shoulder.

"You can take care of this. But one more thing before I forget, the boy held the Inspections on your Holy Knights that you spoke about, and they all saw his face."

Dustin strains his face and hands, all the blood vessels in them clearly visible, but still conscious, and aware, to not squeeze Arthur's body that he holds.

"How– how many failed?"

Dustin says in pain, bracing for worse news.

"Of all the Holy Knights–"

Dustin keeps looking down, with a dark expression on his face, of terrible gloom.

"–only four died."

Dustin's face, not exceedingly positive nor negative, shoots up in surprise, waiting for more.

"ARE THEY THE FOUR–"

"Yes, they're the four you're thinking of. You did a good job training them Dustin. I'm sure none of them will give their apostle's identity away."

The Keeper lifts his hand off Dustin, who stares straight, focused on nothing with a face of bewilderment. The Keeper starts walking off to the door, before he suddenly stops.

"Oh yeah, one more thing, I fed him two energy pills and he spent the last four days in a dungeon, so let him rest well. Make sure you keep his identity a secret. I'm sure you've found out about the Arcanus Cult by now, and I'm sure they've already figured out his identity, but there's no need to ruin his interactions with the public civilians."

Dustin, snapping out of the cloud of amazement and joy that clouded his thoughts, organizes his thoughts, and screams jokingly at the Keeper.

"Wait, why do I have to do all of this? Aren't you going to help out at all?!"

"Nope, I've been doing all the paperwork for centuries up until Agon, it's time for you to take up that mantle and do the paperwork yourself! Plus, I'm off to find myself a suitable disciple."

He waves his hand back at Dustin without turning around another time, before slowly walking out the door.

Dustin stares at the empty doorway for the Keeper to come back, but he doesn't.

"WHAT?!?! YOU'RE LEAVING?!?!?!

Dustin wants to run out the door to chase after him, but as he tries to get up, he notices the weight in his hands, and stops, taking a deep sigh.

"Ahhhhh, looks like our long awaited apostle came in my time, but our Vault Keeper left. What should I do?"

He scratches his head with one hand, while balancing my body on the other, before he looks back down.

"Well, for now, let's just let the boy rest."

***

THE SHADOW IS LUKE WOLKAN?!?!?!

I abruptly lift myself up, ending the calm air in the room with my sudden, wild movements.

Where am I? Is this still the Mint Estate? It looks... fixed? How is that possible? I've only been asleep for– wait– how long have I been asleep for? Why is the room pink?

I immediately look across the room, through the window and see the sun low in the sky.

Looks like it's either Dawn, the rising sun, or Dusk, the setting sun. That's not too bad, what's more impressive is how they managed to fix the place in less than 24 hours.

I look away from the window, to a giant, fancy, gold plated clock on the wall.

That's... quite fancy... This room is a lot better than the room I was staying in before. Hell, it's even better than the bedroom I have in my own house at the Ventrike estate!

I look down at my own hands and examine my body.

Hmm... it all feels fine, and I'm able to move my joints around as well as before. As for my manaheart–

I close my eyes and concentrate on feeling my mana, pushing my solar attribute mana through my manacircuits and summoning a small orb of Dawn.

Yeah, looks like my manacircuits and manaheart are working fine, this Heavenly Martial Body sure is great, not just healing my physical body, but also my mana organs.

I look out the window again with calm eyes, finally relaxed and fully recovered, all my missed days of sleep and stress non-existent.

He's probably saving my father from court, the both of them. Even so, I want to speak with him, I want to see Dustin alive and well again.

I close my eyes and bask in the shining sun.

I hope it's Dawn instead of Dusk, I want to feel the sunshine for a bit longer...

I continue to stay sitting upright while basking in the calm and warm sun when suddenly, a bird ruins my peace.

"CHIRP-CHIRP- CHIRP!!!"

my muscles tense, a vein in my head appearing as a result of me tensing up, before the vein quickly disappears, with the relaxation of my muscles.

You know, a bird chirping would normally be nice early in the morning, sounding peaceful, and having a rhythm with it. But, WHY IS IT SO LOUD?!! IT'S AS LOUD AS A BOULDER FALLING OFF A CLIFF, EXCEPT, IT'S IMPACT IS DIRECTLY NEXT TO MY EAR!! Hooo... calm down Arthur, this is your first rest since you were poisoned. Just relax and enjoy your vacation before you have to go to school again. My neck kind of hurts, but that's probably just because I moved my body upright so quickly. I don't know, I'm not a physician. But to solve that pain, I probably just need to lay down, so let's lay down.

Just as I begin to drop back down to the bed, I am interrupted from my peace once again.

"CHIIRRRPP!!!"

THAT'S FUCKING IT, I'M NOT GOING TO HAVE MY EARDRUMS RUPTURE THE MOMENT I RECOVER FROM MY INJURIES!! WHERE THR FUCK IS THAT BIRD?!?!?!

I spring back up, in a fit of rage, and throw the blanket off my body, and stand up.

Huh? The pain is gone? What changed?

I turn around and look back, not at the bed, but the glowing orange bird that slowly drifts down the air like a feather, while asleep, curled up into a circle, before plopping down onto the white sheets of the bed, waking up and shaking its feathers. The baby Phoenix looks back up at me excitedly.

"Chirp!"

Looks like I was right that it was different other than the fact that it was more orange than the other feathers. Except that I thought that its use would be to give me a second life in the scenario that I died. But I was wrong, instead of getting a second life, instead, I got a baby phoenix who can give me burning mana, so strong that it'll cripple me.

With a dark expression on my face, and my eyes completely focused on the glowy, plumpy ball of warm orange light, I outstretched my hands at it suspiciously.

"Chirpp!"

The baby phoenix screeches out as I grab it, and bring it up to my face, snuggling with its soft, warm feathers.

IT'S SO DAMN CUTE!!! HOW CAN ANYTHING BE SO CUTE?!?!

I hold it up in the air, admiring its cuteness like a religious believer would to Pyro.

Even if it didn't have any powers, I would choose this over a second life!

The phoenix chirps cheerfully, smiling at the familiar solar mana coming from the awake, and moving, friendly human.

"Chirp-chirp-chirp!!"

I can tell that it's definitely the Primordial Phoenix's son– or is it a girl? Hmm... I don't know, do phoenixes even have genders?

"Ah, it doesn't matter!!"

I bring it up to my face and hug it, before it moves by itself and climbs up to the top of my head.

"Chirp!"

Awww, it think's my hair is its nest! Wait, does that mean it also thinks I'm its father? Oh– what should I name it?

Out of nowhere, a familiar, but surprising voice comes from the opposite side of the bed, in a low and tired, early morning voice.

"Arthur?"

I freeze in place, as I come to realize the identity of the voice, and all the missing pieces come together.

We-we're in a room fancier than my own, in the Mint Estate in the capital where neither the viscount, nor viscountess stays, and a room like this would only be used by nobles... plus, this voice–

The figure of a thin humanoid is lit up as the sun rises behind her, her long, messy hair sparkling under the sunlight, as her white undergarments, slightly too loose for her, droops down as she lifts herself up, rubbing her droopy eyes.

I was sleeping next to Lillian?!?! Oh no– how long was I unconscious? Well, it should be fine right? I mean, she is younger than me and acts like a kid, sleeping next to her wouldn't be too immoral right? There's nothing immoral about two siblings sleeping next to each other.

Lillian stops rubbing her eyes and stares at me. Noticing her gaze, I look up to see her as well, but unbeknownst to me, my heart skips a beat as our eyes meet, my perception of her forever changed as she stares at me with her seductive blue eyes.

"Did you sleep well?"