"Finished already?"
In the evening, Lyman's voice rang out.
"Yes, Lord Golden Shadow," Lynn replied.
"Not bad," Lyman praised, then, after a moment of calculation, added,
"You may go rest now. Just remember to be back before six tomorrow morning."
Lynn nodded and left the underground hall.
When he emerged above ground, night had already fallen.
He exhaled softly. For some reason, he was reminded of his past life, walking out of the office after work to find the same dark sky rarely ever leaving before sunset.
Strictly speaking, if he'd gone all out today, he could have finished the day's task by mid-afternoon, around two or three o'clock.
But Lynn had learned a harsh truth from his previous life:
Efficiency never bought you free time. It only earned you more exploitation from your boss.
So he chose to hold back.
The last thing he wanted was for Lyman to pile even more work onto him.
After all, he'd always harbored doubts.
The tower is Lyman's life's work. Knowing how to carve basic energy circuits is one thing… but if I were to learn something more valuable…
He silently warned himself:
The more you know, the greater the danger.
Underground, beside the Golden Shadow Tower.
Lyman carefully examined the energy units Lynn had made today.
After a long while, he shook his head. He hadn't found anything unusual.
A shame… With this level of talent, it's still not worth the effort to truly cultivate him.
Above ground, in the Golden Shadow Society headquarters.
This time, Lynn didn't rush home. Instead, he chose a visible spot at the entrance and waited.
Thanks to his current status, people often came up to greet him, and he responded with polite smiles.
After a while, a brown-and-white carriage rolled in, bearing the obvious insignia of thorny vines.
"A carriage from the Hossens School? What's it doing here?"
Whispers rose among the members nearby.
Lynn's smile was perfectly measured as he strode straight toward it, drawing curious glances.
The carriage stopped. Elena stepped out. She wore no makeup, her face plain, yet her calm aura lent her an effortless grace.
"Good evening, Lynn." She looked at him and smiled brightly.
Lynn greeted her with a joyful expression of his own:
"Good evening, Elena."
The two boarded the carriage together, leaving behind a crowd of envious stares.
"To be taken as Golden Shadow's student is envy enough, but now even a beautiful wizard from the School favors him? Damn!"
"Don't forget, Lynn was originally one of the School's students. They say he was talented but got expelled young for being reckless. Now that he's come to his senses, it's no surprise he's soared so high!"
"…"
Inside the carriage, once the door shut, Lynn's smile faded like smoke. Facing Elena, he asked:
"How's the matter of the materials coming?"
"It's only been a day. Nothing that fast." Elena shook her head, though her lips still held a faint smile.
"A full set of materials for a Lambiel Skiff will cost at least twelve hundred primary magic stones. Accounting for losses, no less than fifteen hundred.
"That's no small sum…"
Lynn nodded, then asked:
"Is there any way I can help you?"
Elena shook her head. "Not for now. If I need you, I'll come to you."
Lynn inclined his head. After a pause, he couldn't hold back his curiosity:
"How do you plan to get that kind of money?"
"Get?" Elena gave him a sidelong glance, shaking her head calmly.
"In times like these, there's no time for such a complicated method as earning. I plan to skip the middle steps… I just haven't chosen the right target yet."
Lynn understood instantly. He was silent for a moment but said nothing.
Elena added, almost lightly:
"Don't worry, I'll likely choose 'bad men.'
"People like that not only have plenty of wealth, but no one cares if they disappear.
"So if you're worried about innocents being hurt, rest easy."
Lynn didn't respond, though a subtle relief flickered in his chest.
A second later, he noticed the mischievous glint in Elena's eyes.
Lynn hesitated, as if to speak, but in the end, he said nothing at all.
...
The following days passed with a strict routine. Every morning at six sharp, Lynn would descend underground to begin his work, and every evening, he would leave.
Elena didn't come to pick him up every time, but roughly once every two days, she would appear.
Inevitably, word spread of how close the two of them had become.
More than half a month passed quickly.
On the surface, life in the Hossens Domain went on as usual. Autumn plowing proceeded smoothly, and the dispute between the Golden Shadow Society and the Bloodmark Society had seemingly been settled.
Yet at times, when Lynn lifted his eyes to the sky, he felt as though he were standing in the very eye of a vast storm.
His only reliance for breaking through that storm was the Lambiel Skiff, which, after two more rounds of Insight, he had raised to a proficient level.
Still, before he could actually begin building the skiff, there was one final hurdle to cross.
Evening fell.
With the last line of a circuit carved, Lynn's day's work was complete.
He inspected it carefully, confirmed there were no mistakes, and exhaled softly.
"All done?" Lyman asked from the side.
Keeping his expression calm, Lynn replied, "Yes, Lord Golden Shadow."
Lyman came over to check. Lynn stood quietly beside him, pulling the sweat-soaked band from his brow and wiping his forehead.
"Not bad. Excellent quality." Lyman turned to him with a smile, then suddenly placed a hand on Lynn's shoulder.
Lynn stiffened slightly.
Lyman's hand was large, completely covering his shoulder; even his neck could feel the heat radiating from the man's palm.
Sensing his tension, Lyman kneaded his shoulder with increasing pressure, chuckling:
"Relax. You've worked hard, Lynn."
The grip grew heavier and heavier. Even Lynn's strengthened body felt his bones creak, as though they might shatter.
"It's nothing," Lynn forced a smile through the pain, speaking with just the right mix of hesitation and nervousness.
"Lord Lyman, when the time comes, how should I… come here?"
Lyman paused a moment, then released his shoulder.
"When the war breaks out, and the Herland School begins attacking the Hossens' wards, just come here with your friends exactly as you are now."
Lynn nodded, feigning delight.
"Thank you, Lord Golden Shadow."
He bowed and withdrew.
Lyman watched his back and sighed inwardly.
A pity… Raised in the School after all, and even has a friend from the Hossens Guard. If not for that, I wouldn't have let him walk out so easily.
Turning back, Lyman resumed his work on the final touches of the flight module.
No matter. With the binding contract in place, he can't reveal anything. When the war begins, he'll most likely die in the chaos anyway. Nothing to worry about.
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