’Hesabeth. She’s going to be difficult to deal with.’
Jason hadn’t forgotten about the strange woman that he met on Ruen after he fought against the Lich, and honestly, Jason had no idea how to approach dealing with her. Jason knew that Hesabeth was a pompous and egotistical person, so there was no way he could ask her to help him here unless he wanted to be indebted to her forever. And at the same time, Hesabeth had given Jason the impression that she didn’t hate him in their previous conversation, so there was every chance that she might just help them in the trial without him needing to ask her for it at all. This was the problem Jason had with people like Hesabeth; her personality made it difficult to determine what she would do. Jason just decided that he wouldn’t bother interacting with Hesabeth, and he would hope that Hesabeth would at least not get in the way of their case.
"Jason Marc."
"!"
Jason was shocked when he heard someone call his name from the side, and he turned sharply to see that there were four people standing there! What the hell? How the fuck did they get this close to me without me knowing! All the other members of Jason’s group were just as shocked as he was because none of them had noticed the group either, and if not for the fact that Jason knew that he couldn’t be harmed in this world, then he would have been very worried! Jason turned to the newcomers properly, and he felt his eyes narrow as he inspected them closely.
The men all had a humanoid appearance and they were all tall enough to stand at least a head above Jason. The man in front was wearing a white robe with gold trims around the neck and sleeves, and he had on a small gold necklace and earrings. He had long blonde hair that fell down to his shoulders, and his face was slightly effeminate and so handsome that he could have easily been some sort of entertainment star back on Earth. The other men behind the first man were dressed in white plate armor, and Jason figured that they were his guards. The men also had long blonde hair, and even though their faces were covered with leaf-pattern masks, Jason was sure that they would also be just as handsome as the first man. But the thing that stood out the most at that moment were their ears. All four men had pointed ears that easily announced what race they were, and Jason didn’t need to be a genius to figure out exactly who was standing in front of him.
"King Farlow. It’s a pleasure to meet you."
Farlow felt his brow raise when he heard Jason address him so easily, and for a moment, the men just stared at each other in curiosity. Farlow had a hard expression on his face that would have been enough to make anyone think that he was pissed at them, but Jason wasn’t put off by the expression because he remembered what his father had told him about Farlow. But that doesn’t mean that the others in the group weren’t affected. Riyala gave King Farlow a small bow, and she greeted him as an official superior.
"King Farlow. I am honored to stand before one of the great ten."
Farlow turned to look at Riyala, and it almost looked like he was analysing her for a while as his eyes trailed down to her stomach before looking back at her face. Farlow frowned and spoke curtly.
"Are you the new Priestess of Fire, are you not? Leona’s successor?"
"Yes, King Farlow. My name is Riyala, the Priestess of Fire and mouthpiece of Rumunaga."
Farlow hummed at Riyala’s words, and he only gave her a nod in greeting before he turned to look towards the rest of Jason’s group. Farlow’s eyes landed on Agiel for a moment, and there seemed to be a silent conversation that passed between the two of them before Farlow finally turned away and spoke to Jason in a calm tone.
"I would like to speak with you... in private."
Jason hummed slightly when he heard this, and he turned to Riyala and the others and told them that he wouldn’t be long. Riyala nodded since she understood the rank of the man in front of them. Farlow was the third seat in the Council and one of the most powerful men in the entire Primordial Expanse. The Elves lived very solitary lives after the Period of Lawlessness had been ended centuries ago, and they were known to be the race that was closest to nature and the wind. And as the king of the Elven Race, Farlow was rumored to have achieved something that most mages would only be able to dream about reaching in their lifetime. Farlow had completely synchronized his mana with nature and surpassed the limitation placed on the mana of mortal beings. Farlow had become a Sage. Achieving something like that was enough to grant him the respect of any mage in the Primordial Expanse!
Although Farlow hadn’t actually used his powers for a long time now, since the war ended centuries ago, Riyala could tell that Farlow was no weaker than he had been back then. The mere fact that Farlow was able to conceal his powers and the power of those around him and make it so that no one could sense them even while they were standing right beside each other showed Riyala that Farlow’s ability to control and use mana was still as precise and dangerous as it had ever been.
Riyala didn’t say anything about Jason going to speak to Farlow alone, but Gina didn’t have that same reaction, and she turned to Jason and spoke to him through their link.
’Are you sure about this? We don’t know what he’s going to try.’
Jason smiled and nodded.
’Don’t worry, he won’t try anything. Remember where we are.’
Gina blinked before she let out a quiet sigh and nodded to Jason. They were currently on neutral ground, so at least they could be sure that no one would try to attack anyone else in this world. But when Gina turned back to Farlow, she was surprised to see that he was staring right at her. Farlow’s gaze wasn’t hostile or condescending, but it pierced through Gina like a knife and pinned her in place. There was a quiet intensity in his eyes that told Gina that this was not a man that she could dare to stand up to, and for the first time in a long time, Gina felt a strange powerlessness in front of an opponent! How long had it been since she felt like she couldn’t do anything against someone? It hadn’t happened in ages! Gina was the first to turn away from Farlow’s gaze, but she turned back when Farlow spoke calmly.
"You are one with the wind, are you not?"
Gina swallowed at that question, and after a bit of hesitation, she calmly nodded to Farlow. Farlow let out a small hum before he spoke again.
"The path you tread is fitting for your magic, but it is insufficient to grant you enlightenment. Remember that the wind is not a tool for your entertainment. You must learn to embrace it."
Farlow turned and walked away after giving that cryptic message, and Gina could only stand and stare in absolute confusion as she wondered what the hell that was! Jason squeezed Gina’s hand before he left to go with Farlow, and it was Riyala who came up and spoke to Gina calmly.
"You should listen to him. Farlow is a Titan, one of the most powerful members of the council, and his main magical element is wind. If he thinks there’s something you can do to advance your mastery over wind, then you should do it without hesitation. Try to figure out what he meant; it’ll definitely help you grow stronger."
Gina was surprised to hear Riyala talking with such a serious face. It was obvious that Riyala held Farlow in the highest regard and Gina realised that she couldn’t just ignore what Farlow had said. Gina thought back to what he told her, and she felt her brow furrow as she tried to figure out what he meant by ’enlightenment’. What sort of enlightenment could she reach with the wind?