CHAPTER 44: MESSAGE TO THE KINGDOM

"I came out to help and caught sight of Seth fully transformed," Leo said as he set Raiden’s broken arm. "That’s what they call a ghost walker."

Leo adjusted Raiden’s arm, drawing a scream of pain. "Silver Crest bearers wield forbidden magic. Unlike the black and grey crest bearers, they only take their final form when death is close."

"So in his final form, Seth was technically dead?" Raiden muttered through gritted teeth.

"No," Leo replied. "The ghost walker form appears to keep them from dying completely. So he would have come back to consciousness after killing you."

"I’ve only witnessed one ability firsthand. Soul Swap,"

Leo explained. "The user can transfer all their injuries to their opponent when near death, killing them instantly."

Raiden’s expression darkened as he contemplated the cruelty of that fate.

"And how can you tell if someone is a Silver Crest bearer?" he asked.

"You won’t know until they’re about to die." Leo smiled, noting Raiden’s confused expression. "Trust me, very few individuals possess the Silver Crest. It’s difficult to obtain after consuming devil milk."

"But I thought the black crest was the strongest of them all," Raiden said.

Leo nodded firmly, his expression unreadable. "Yes, it is. The silver is just harder to acquire, but in terms of strength, the black crest outclasses it."

"There are only thirty forbidden magics among the four kingdoms, and each person gets just one, making it extremely rare to acquire," he said and adjusted his brown bracelet.

"So are all thirty known?"

Leo shook his head. "No, you only know what you got after obtaining it, since all devil milk looks exactly like regular milk..."

"I want you to check the ones that have been obtained and tell me their weaknesses." Leo studied him for a moment before giving a firm nod.

Raiden nodded, adjusted his hand slightly, and settled back on his bed. He could feel the regeneration working through him, though the rate was minimal. Despite feeling somewhat energetic, he could sense his body gradually surrendering to relaxation.

"I will be leaving," Leo said. Raiden simply responded with a nod, yawning through his drowsiness.

Raiden turned to the left side of the bed. Ash was peacefully sleeping there. He smirked and leaned over to pat her with his right hand. At long last, his dream to return to his world remained intact.

He adjusted himself, and before long, sleep claimed him. The entire house had fallen into despair by the time Raiden finally defeated Seth. Freya was completely shattered, and though conscious, the thought of Free being gone cut through her like a blade.

She refused to take any healing potion until Raiden finally commanded her to. Speed and Leo were the only people with energy left to spare, but Speed had to console his sister Soul since the moment she heard Seth was dead, she couldn’t stop crying. And while Leo tended to both Raiden and Freya, Levi also remained bedridden, waiting for his wounds to heal.

However, the night served as a refuge from such a brutal day. Still, since the day wasn’t meant to last forever, neither was the night and before they knew it, the sun had risen.

A soft, affectionate nudge from Ash woke Raiden up as he smiled and gave her a hug. "How are you feeling, Ash?" he asked, his voice deep with sleep.

[I am okay, Papa.] Ash squeezed him tighter and flapped her wings a little. [Miss you, Papa.]

Raiden patted her on the head and lifted her onto his shoulder. "You won’t stop calling me ’papa,’ will you?"

He asked as he stood up, but Ash simply relaxed on his shoulder with a soft smile.

Raiden examined his hand once more. It was healing, but obviously, it would take longer than he wanted it to. He let out a sigh and started downstairs.

On the stairs, he ran into Leo, who seemed to be going to his room at the far end of the upstairs corridor, with several bandages wrapped around him. Leo’s eyes widened in realization.

"Raiden..." Leo called out, and Raiden turned to him with a puzzled expression. "I need your permission to keep searching for the Book of Aaron. I think it might help bring Free back to life."

Raiden’s eyebrow shot up in surprise. He’d never known dead familiars could be brought to life, but whether it could happen or not, he wasn’t going to stop Leo. Freya’s happiness would mean less drama to deal with.

"Yeah, you can."

Leo gave him a firm nod. "By the way, Levi wants to speak with you."

Raiden nodded back and continued descending the stairs. But before going to Levi’s room, he stopped by the kitchen to get bread for himself and Ash, then headed to Levi.

The moment he arrived, Levi stood before a mirror on the wall, adjusting his bandage.

"Such a great master you are," Levi teased, turning to Raiden. "You actually listen to your servants."

Raiden gave him a lazy look. "Don’t get over yourself, kid."

Levi wore a cocky smile and sat on his bed, bracing his hands behind him, while Raiden leaned against the wall at the entrance.

"There’s something about you I haven’t figured out yet," Levi said and locked eyes with Raiden.

Raiden smiled instantly. He was in a similar situation with Levi. Why Levi had risked his life to save Soul still puzzled him. To Raiden, it had nothing to do with Levi being his contractor—the look in his eyes, that desperation and desire to get Soul to safety, seemed too personal.

"How did you get to form a contract with Freya?"

Raiden’s expression darkened—this wasn’t the first time Levi had brought up something about Freya. Did he know something Raiden didn’t? After all, Levi had been in the same organization as Freya.

"What do you mean?"

"You don’t know who she really is, do you?" The expression on Raiden’s face said it all, causing Levi to shake his head in disappointment.

"In the Kingdom of Noor, Freya was one of only two Stars we had. Her mana control was exponential even at rank 8, and she was praised by the higher ranks."

Levi paused for a moment as Raiden then understood why Freya was able to infuse her flames with her mana, something that was surprising to even Seth.

"Last year at the Grand Kingdoms Festival in the Kingdom of Eldon, she placed second in the strength tournament, losing only to a girl from Aurelia, a number 6."

Levi shook his head once more as he believed Raiden wasn’t getting it, but Raiden understood completely. He simply remained silent and waited for more.

"Well, she lost her Star title when she forced her fellow Star, a curse puppet user, to form a contract with her."

Raiden let out a sigh of relief and understanding. He finally grasped Freya’s relationship with the curse user he’d killed—he had been worried she might be someone important to Freya, and there could be trouble when she recovered her memories.

But knowing that wasn’t the case brought him relief. It had puzzled him how Freya had dropped to seven right after their contract. But now everything was clear—she was no different from Raiden.

"And worse, she was the one who defeated the bookkeeper in Noor—and he was a number 6..." Levi narrowed his eyes, warning Raiden. "She’s very dangerous."

Raiden sighed. "Well, she’s my servant now, and she has amnesia. She doesn’t remember any of that because I gave her a concussion."

Levi’s eyes widened in shock for a moment before he burst into laughter. "You actually defeated Freya?" He continued to laugh while Raiden simply stared at him. "You are truly something, Raiden."

However, his laughter stopped, and his expression darkened instantly. "About the Stars, the barrier around us was set by the Stars in this kingdom."

Raiden finally leaned in, sensing this was something that could decide their fate in the upcoming days.

"When I was leaving on the mission, I saw them. But that wasn’t the troubling part." Levi rose to his feet and walked to his mirror, adjusting his ponytail.

"We are branded wanted..." he began gesturing with his hand. "The Guardians of Ashes—and our title was followed by our names. What’s surprising is they know all of our names."

He turned to Raiden, who wasn’t surprised by them knowing their names, because he knew who the traitor was—Aeris. The thought of killing her made him giggle with excitement.

"I believe I have an idea for how we can restore our good reputation."

Raiden’s eyes widened in surprise. He hadn’t expected Levi to make such a suggestion.

"How?"

Levi wore a proud and confident smirk. "Let’s give them the book."