125 Chapter 114 - Danger ahead.

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[Adam C. POV]

As the silence of my evening was gently accompanied by the crackling fire and the turning pages of my book, my solitude was suddenly interrupted by a spark of embers that appeared out of nowhere.

"I can't have a moment, can I?" I sighed.

Seemingly suspended in the air, the fire swiftly morphed into a tightly rolled scroll, bound by an ornate, emerald ribbon. It floated gently towards me, an echo of the flames from which it had been born still dancing on its surface.

Taking a deep breath, I set my book aside, curiosity replacing the calm that had previously occupied my mind. Reaching out, I caught the scroll mid-air.

It was warm to the touch, almost comfortably so, like a nice comfy blanket pulled fresh from the dryer.

My fingers traced over the delicate swirls and whorls etched onto the ornate seal. There was no mistake, it was the mark of the royal family.

Curiosity peaked, I pulled at the ribbon unraveling the scroll.

The elegantly written script scrawled across the parchment was written in the handwriting of the King. My eyes glided over the ink, as the message began to sink in.

A series of murders had been taking place in the east side of the country. According to the King, the victims were nothing more than ordinary citizens, ripped from their mundane lives, their untimely end wrapped in mystery.

Apparently, seeing as no one has managed to get to the source of this in years, The King decided to send a Wizard Saint to investigate the matter.

"My first mission as a Wizard Saint, huh?" I muttered, as a new sense of anticipation tingled through my veins, replacing the tranquility of my previous solitude.

The mission, despite how mundane it sounded, was marked by the council as an SS-Rank mission, seeing multiple S-Class Wizards had died without leaving a trace of their killer.

None of them had managed to find anything about this mysterious threat, so I was going in blind, like all before me had.

I chuckled at the thought, the thrill of the unknown, the possible challenge that lay ahead, it was simply too good to ignore.

That and the big amount of coin the Crown was offering for this.

"Well, I guess it's time to travel," I said out loud, jumping to my feet.

"Wherever you go, I go! For it is my sworn duty, as the most handsome Raven, and your familiar to accompany you, great master!"

At this, the raven who had forced his way into becoming my familiar launched from his hiding spot in the kitchen, and flapped his wings, soaring gracefully until he perched on my shoulder.

His coal-black feathers shimmered, as he cocked his head to the side and met my gaze with a determined expression.

Still getting used to having a familiar, so far it just feels like a talking pet.

"Well, in that case, we are going to the east," I replied, grabbing the scroll and tucking it safely into one of my pockets.

"East?" The Raven tilted his head and stared at the ground for a moment, a small frown on his feathery face. "That's... not very specific, Master."

Fair point.

But that's part of the fun of this quest, isn't it?

"It doesn't matter," I replied, making my way to my room to change my outfit before leaving.

"Hmph! I expected nothing less from my master, such dedication, such desire for adventure!" The raven squawked, flapping his wings excitedly. "You're right, Master, it matters not, for our enemies will taste our might regardless of their location! So, worry not! For I shall be your eyes in the sky, and your guide through the unknown. Together, we shall conquer all!"

I chuckled, shaking my head as I changed my clothes. There was something about this Raven that made him adorable, at least to me.

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I exited my house and made my way to the train station down in Magnolia, but before I could reach the station, something barreled into the ground, that something being my friend and admirer Lilia.

Deadpanning at her dramatic entrance, I stepped back, wondering if this would be my life, forever.

"Lilia, what in the world are you doing?" I asked her, eyebrows furrowed.

"Master! I saw you leaving your house from my telescope, and I couldn't let you go on your adventure without your faithful servant, me!" Lilia exclaimed, jumping to her feet and dusting off her skirt.

Her green hair was disheveled from her overly dramatic entrance, and her cheeks were slightly pink from the impact.

Of course, she saw me leaving the house. Wait, did she say... Telescope?

...

I don't close my windows when changing.

I sighed, knowing that it was pointless to argue with her. I could knock her out, or just leave her behind by making use of my superior speed.

However, she had this uncanny creepy ability to find me, no matter where I was.

Besides, we haven't been on a mission in... years, so I might as well let her come now, before her levels of… deeply concerning adoration for me become worse.

"Master, shall I dispose of this inferior specimen?" The Raven asked, eyeing Lilia with a sense of overwhelming confidence.

"Who are you calling inferior, chicken combo?" Lilia snapped back, her eyes twitching. "I'll have you know, I'm a powerful mage in my own right!"

The Raven cawed in amusement. "Powerful? You? That's adorable. Not only are you inferior, but delirious as well, how amusing."

"I'm going to eat you," Lilia hissed, glaring at him.

"Try bitch," The Raven retorted.

"Enough, both of you." I interjected, holding back a laugh at their bickering. "She's coming with us, and that's final."

"As you wish, Adam-sama!" Lilia nodded vigorously, a large smile on her face.

"Such a good heart... to think my master would be this benevolent, to bring such an inferior creature with us, to be used as bait, giving her life a purpose, how kind," The Raven beamed at me, a tear of admiration for me, forming in one of his eyes.

"Indeed, Adam-sama has a wonderful heart," Lilia nodded, beaming at me. "He is, after all, bringing a talking piece of emergency food, in case we need something to eat, how truly kind of him."

I sighed.

Since day one, these two hadn't gotten along.

My little familiar disliked Lilia, because her entrances would always dirty my clothes. And Lilia disliked him, because he was very vocal about his dislike for her.

"Let's move, we have a lot of ground to cover," I said, taking the lead.