22 Orb of Guidance - III

Aventine genuinely didn't know the exact moment of their next attack. He had [Absolute Awareness] and not [Absolute Prophecy]. He would know the moment they actually moved.

Moreover, even if he knew, he did not feel like telling the others.

"Their targets this time..."

Aventine could tell from how they distributed their warriors' strength: they were after the party of Heaven's Grasp.

"Huh?" Lila, who was still standing nearby raised her twitching brow.

"Ah, it's nothing," Aventine smiled, his consciousness moving away from the fleeing <Skulls > warriors. There wasn't much else to see, nor were there any intriguing conversations. "Those warriors don't talk much, now do they?" 

"...They are known for their tight lips." Lila frowned, "Why? Did anything catch your eye?"

Looking at Lila for a moment, Aventine gazed into her fiery red irises. Unlike her eyes, her dark brown hair and elegant features were not the trademark features of the Shierain family. However, there was still somewhat of an uncanny resemblance between her and Archisse.

After taking a moment to sort out his thoughts, Aventine spoke.

"They're targeting someone." He started, "Are you informed of their tendency to raid the strong?"

"...Of course," Lila replied, "However, they're nowhere near strong enough to defeat us. Although their collective strength can rival those of a newborn dragon, they can only do so in short bursts. We've fought them before, so this I know for a fact."

"Oho?" Aventine's eyes sparkled. He hadn't been looking into that avenue of thought. Curious, he asked, "How did you make it out alive?"

"It wasn't that hard. We just had to maintain our stamina and keep fighting. All of us in Heaven's Grasp are talented in the realm of [Moving Meditation]."

"Ah, it seems we are of the same breed then." Chuckling, Aventine realized then that his natural mana regeneration was indeed peculiar. Looking around, there were many knights, sitting down and meditating to recover their mana.

Meanwhile, Aventine never had to meditate. His mana pool would refill on its own as if it were greatly opposed to being in a state any less than full.

Secretly, he activated [Absolute Awareness] to figure out why.

It turned out that the ability to feel the mana in one's surroundings was a key factor. For people like the adventurers in Heaven's Grasp, their sensitivity was much greater than those of others, allowing them to continue absorbing mana despite their focus being elsewhere. The average person, however, had to give their all into pulling the surrounding atmosphere's mana towards them.

With [Absolute Awareness], Aventine never had to face the issue of being imperceptive.

"Intriguing,"

Muttering, Aventine noted that down in his mind, his confidence in becoming a legitimate mage was skyrocketing. However, questions regarding the manner in which he absorbed mana back on Earth began to surface.

Further realizing why Lila held the position of leader for a group of powerful individuals, Aventine gracefully indulged in conversation. Her perspective allowed him to use [Absolute Awareness] in more intricate manners.

A few facets of her common sense, which was not so common to Aventine despite his deep research gave him a bit of enlightenment. It was quite a surprise.

"Yeah... I'm not really sure how it works, but when I use mana a lot, I feel like the air around me gets stuffier. I can't explain it. I've confirmed that it isn't the immediate depletion of mana in the air, so I've genuinely run out of ideas. Even Ella, our mage, was stumped by this topic."

"Indeed, even <Archmagus > Daimyuon faces such a phenomenon." Aventine nodded slowly.

Engrossed by the interesting conversation, Lila had unknowingly sat on the soft, silken cushions inside Aventine's carriage.

"Ah, you've met the <Archmagus >?" Lila gaped.

"I've had an encounter with him. I've learned a little bit of magic thanks to his help."

"Then—"

Aventine shook his head, "Even <Archmagus > Daimyuon doesn't know what causes this phenomenon. He has made attempts at figuring it out, however he has yet to yield any results."

Looking into Daimyuon's magical knowledge, Aventine was keenly aware of this fact. After a cursory use of his senses, it seemed like no one had discovered the truth behind such a phenomenon.

[Absolute Awareness] was triggered the moment Aventine had enough mana.

"..."

However, he did not have enough to deduce the truth. All he got was a vague Law of conservation. It was intriguingly similar to the one that Earth had widely studied, however, it varied in the sense that it was a Law specific to the nature of mana.

In scientific words, it was like having a bunch of constants in a never-before-seen equation. Earth's physicists would surely be baffled.

***

After chatting for a while longer, Lila left. Although slightly baffled by the fact that she had spent much longer talking to Aventine than she first intended to, she did not find it odd.

Nobles were skilled in many social aspects in life. Lila would usually avoid them because of that exact characteristic. However, Aventine's curiosities were vastly different from those that she had met in the past.

It felt as if she was talking to someone from fantasy books. Someone otherworldly.

"Hah," Sighing, Lila thought about the long journey ahead of them. Although they had traveled far, they were only a few percent into its completion.

As the knights and warriors boarded their carriages, the caravan resumed its travels. Many of the warriors who still had strength stayed alert. They would guard in shifts, making the most out of the carriages where they could rest while staying on the move.

A storm was raging in the distance once again.

Lightning flashed every now and then, illuminating the forest around them.

It seemed like they would have to find another detour.

Unbeknownst to all of them, Aventine was gazing into a map. He had used the <Power of the Sky> to once again adjust the direction of their travels. The caravan was moving closer and closer to the dungeon which housed the <Orb of Guidance>.

"Kuhu~"

Aventine could barely contain his excitement.