Who is Kent?

Lynn hesitated for a moment, then delved into his recollections before recalling that Kent was the third apprentice of Kelu, and also the only missing wizard apprentice. He didn't anticipate that this fellow had already passed away.

"On the same day that the old man was apprehended by the Holy See, Nordland's guards stormed Kent's dwelling, and then Beck, Batun, and Will were also sought after. Only Dove's abilities were peculiar and managed to elude the assault," Aubrey expounded.

Peculiar abilities?

Lynn instinctively glanced towards the wizard apprentice named Dove.

She seemed somewhat too young, perhaps only thirteen or fourteen years old, and her stature was not as tall as his shoulder. There were sparse freckles on her pale face, and her hair was unkempt. She was crouching in the corner nourishing a few grey crows.

Lynn's thoughts turned and he swiftly connected the crow's caw he had heard in the tavern to the other person's ability to manipulate animals with magic.

"I suspect that someone has betrayed us and divulged our information, which is how the Church was able to find our place of concealment with such accuracy," Aubrey said with concern.

"Precisely how many people are aware of the location of our hideout?" Lynn inquired the most crucial question.

As wizards who were being pursued and suppressed by the Holy See, it was inconceivable for them to carelessly disclose their whereabouts, which meant that there must be very few people who knew about it. It would be sufficient to utilize the process of elimination.

Aubrey was silent for a moment, then shook her head. "Under normal circumstances, only a select few of us should be aware."

"Could it be that the old man..." Batun, who was hesitating next to him, inquired.

"Absolutely not!" Aubrey's gaze was sharp, and she rebuked with conviction.

Batun immediately fell silent.

Lynn did not tarry on this question, but asked the second question that most concerned him.

"What is our plan moving forward?"

Lynn had a faint regret about seeking out these wizard apprentices. He had initially thought that although Aubrey and the others were being pursued, their internal situation was at least stable, and even if they couldn't help him find another formal wizard, they could still be a useful aid.

However, it now seemed that this was not the case.

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If Aubrey did not have a dependable plan to evade the pursuit of the Holy See, then Lynn would only search for an opportunity to depart from this group.

For Lynn, acting alone is safer than following a group of swinish comrades.

Beck and Will also looked at Aubrey, and even Dove's actions of feeding the grey crows ceased.

During this time of being pursued by the Church, they had asked the same question on more than one occasion, but Aubrey had evaded it every time, only agreeing to reveal it when all of them were present.

Aubrey did not hide it this time and answered freely. "After this, we will embark on a vessel across the Misty Sea to the land of wizards - Greemmier!"

"Does the land of wizards truly exist?" Will, who had been silent all this time, suddenly inquired. "But I've heard that beyond the Misty Sea lies a land of death, and those who set sail never return."

"Yes, I have been there with my mentor. It is a place exclusively for wizards, untainted by the influence of the Holy See. Everyone can freely study magic there!" Aubrey said confidently.

"That sounds as wonderful as Ella's Holy Land," Will murmured softly. He couldn't envision a world where wizards were not pursued and could freely cast magic. That could only be described as a dream.

It was like the Holy Land described in the Holy Bible, a place that only the most devout believers could reach after death.

There, illness and aging are unknown, and all may reside in lavish estates, relishing in the attentive care of the dream sprites.

In the sacred realm, the river flows with sumptuous wine, fields yield bountiful ears of wheat without labor, and every bough of the trees is adorned with luscious, succulent steaks...

"Ella does not favor wizards..."

Dove, crouching in the corner, spoke feebly, disrupting Will's reverie.

"Then how are we to attain that place?" Beck asked with eagerness.

Aubrey hesitated, but eventually answered honestly. "Uer Town is proximate to Nordland's harbor, we may board a ship there, I believe... Old Lard ought to be able to assist us."

Old Lard?

Lynn could not suppress his surprise - the proprietor of the Drunkard Tavern, Old York, had also mentioned this name to him.

It was rumored that Old Lard, the cripple, had been a pirate for several years in his youth, earning a significant reputation until he was struck in the leg and narrowly escaped death during a raid on a merchant ship.

Yet it was this very experience that turned Lard's fortune - in the wake of the great battle, the heads of the pirate gang were vanquished, and Lard, who had fortuitously survived, assumed the position of pirate chief with ease.

But this individual was an anomaly, and instead of continuing the life of plunder, he embarked on a legitimate enterprise, now controlling the trade of alcohol between Uer Town and the port, and can be considered the largest landowner in western Nordland.

Upon recalling the diverse rumors in the marketplace, Lynn immediately understood that the opponent's so-called trade of alcohol was merely a disguise, and the true mainstay of the business was maintaining contact with the land of wizards and the external world.

"In any event, we must avail ourselves of this opportunity - only on Monday will the road to the land of wizards temporarily be open," Aubrey declared, drawing out her knife and sketching a rough map of Uer Town and the port on the ground, marking the route of action with the sword's mark.

"We shall depart at dawn tomorrow, following a circuitous route through Kotesov Mountain to avoid notice. According to the celestial omens, this year's Monday will endure for five days, ample time for our journey."

Aubrey expounded upon the plan, after seeing that Lynn and the others had committed it to memory. With a burst of flames, she erased the depicted map.

"We shall rest here for the evening," Aubrey declared, his gaze sweeping over the company. "Dove, you shall stand watch. Karl, see to it that you carry her on the morrow."

Why me? Lynn, singled out, scratched his nose in dejection. Was he to be subjected to the burdens of a newcomer?