The journey from the capital city of Leandon to Adrian's hometown of Roseshire took about eight hours by train. Roseshire itself was north of Leandon, and was located in the middle of the large island the kingdom stood on. It was a moderately sizable town, and it was definitely not as rural as Marilyn's hometown of Kharnam.

However, Adrian's family home wasn't really located in the town itself. Just like Marilyn's home, its place was a couple hours away from the urban centre. It was a walkable distance in any case, so the six of them have taken that route by choice.

Marilyn Althorn - Adept Mage

Discipline: Essence Magic, Spirit Cultivation.

Esoteric Traits: Generalist Caster, Eyes of Heaven.

Spell List: Lancea Lucis, Lancea Lucis Magna, Fulmen Catena, Tonitrus, Arma Lucis, Lux Impetus, Vis Propulsiva, 99+ more spells available.

Skill List: Magic Rewriter, Spatial Cutting, Instinctive Action, Battle Aura.

Marilyn was currently observing the display she had presented herself, using the Eyes of Heaven. It was a more compact version of the status bar that her Tome would have. It didn't have levels, but it was more efficient for her, somewhat. At least she could actually see the spells and skills she had learned here.

“Over a hundred…” She mused to herself.

Over half of them, from her memory, all originated from before she entered the academy, starting from childhood. She was rather obsessed with learning spells and creating new ones during that time, so that sort of stockpile was expected. She didn't actually realise that it would be that many though.

Most of them were very niche and simple, akin to magic tricks than anything substantial, she remembered that much at least. In fact, several of them were used during that fight with the assassin, the ‘transmute to oil’, the mud spell, and illumination spell were a couple of them.

And despite the niche uses that she could immediately think of for these older novice level spells, she really couldn't see any sort of usage for them in high level combat. At most they would most likely be utility spells, if not they could be spells that would be used to cheer up children.

“Hmm…”

In any case, titles and levels, she remembered that again now. Seven standard titles in total, and a level cap of 100. She had reached the third lowest title of Adept, and was now roughly one third of the way to reaching the level cap after around two years of studying and training.

Although…

“Why is it capped at 100, again?”

Inquiry detected. Answering…

The Tome System's level cap represents its maximum capacity to calculate the potency of individuals before losing accuracy. Individuals above level 100 could still attain more strength, but it will not update into a higher number.

“Huh, interesting.”

Marilyn was slightly delighted by that fact. She was in her own world right now, as her friends were bantering all around her. She couldn't be bothered by it, and she didn't want to disturb them either.

She walked absentmindedly, her boots planting itself into the dusty trail of dirt and gravel as they passed through stretches of the open countryside. The sun had dipped low, casting the distant hills in a golden glow, while the scent of fresh earth and blooming flowers lingered in the air.

The path was familiar to her now, akin to her home, with its winding curves and the occasional chirp of birds, but her thoughts drifted far from the scenery, focused instead on the numbers and titles flashing in her mind.

“Considering that they don't go hand in hand, if I somehow reach the level cap, I could still have something to track in the form of those titles…”

And if she were to be successful in this mission she was chosen for, there could also be a chance of the system being updated for her to extend the amount of those titles.

“Hey, dear Marilyn.”

That would certainly be something to look forward to in the near future. She wanted to know if she was attaining more strength or not. She wouldn't want to even hit some metaphorical barrier that she couldn't cross.

“Dear Marilyn.”

Even if she would hit it eventually, she wanted to find ways to get stronger regardless. She must, for the sake of attaining enough power to protect those she cherished. She didn't want to lose anyone else because of the lack of her strength. Not now.

Even though she would outlive them, she wouldn't want to lose—

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“Marilyn!”

“Huh, what?”

It seemed she had zoned out from her surroundings, as Marilyn looked around to see her friends looking at her as they walked. The one that called for her was her closest friend, Cecilia Lenore.

Marilyn blinked, slightly embarrassed, but she didn't show it.

“We were talking about pairing up for lodging in Adrian's house, who do you want to be with?” The princess asked her.

Marilyn tried to think, “I’m down for anything.” And that was all that she said.

“Hmm…” Adrian placed a hand on his chin, “Well, Vincent and Eldryn are already paired up—”

“—It was certainly destiny indeed! No?” The priest said to them, earning a bit of annoyance from the cowboy.

“It ain't, dumbass!” He said to him, sounding visibly bothered.

“I was simply jesting, I didn't want to disturb the other pairings, that is all!” Eldryn replied, with a hearty laugh.

Adrian resumed, ignoring them both, “I would've liked Elysia to have her own room with you girls since she's a woman, but—”

“—But I fully insisted!” Elysia interrupted, crossing her arms. “Since we're a thing now, that's basically natural, you know?”

Adrian nodded, smiling slightly. “Right. I just wanted to check. Anyway,” Adrian, once again, continued, “That would mean…”

“I would be sleeping with Lia?” Marilyn said, “...Yeah I’m fine with that.”

Marilyn took a glance at the ruby-eyed girl next to her. To her surprise, there was a faint blush on the girl's cheeks. It was odd—Cecilia rarely seemed affected by anything simple like this, least of all something as simple as lodging arrangements.

Marilyn made a mental note to ask about it later, but for now, she let it slide. Perhaps there was more to her friend's emotions than she had realised.

She decided not to pry. Not yet.

Adrian clapped his hands, the sound breaking the momentary quiet. “Welp, that would mean we’re all set then! Shouldn’t be long until we’ve reached my home too, so I hope it will suffice.”

Marilyn nodded absentmindedly, his words barely reaching her as her mind threatened to spiral back into the well-worn path of her own thoughts. She let her eyes drift to the horizon, where the sun hung low, casting long shadows over the rolling fields. Her friends' chatter was distant now, replaced by a more persistent voice inside her—Cecilia’s voice.

“—I’ll be here when you're ready.”

Those words, spoken softly, had lodged themselves deep in her mind. She couldn’t shake them, no matter how hard she tried. The memory of that day—the princess’s arms wrapped tightly around her, the warmth of her embrace as Marilyn had tried, and failed, to push her away—had resurfaced more often than she cared to admit. She had been so insistent on being left alone, so sure that solitude was the only way to process her grief.

If she was her friend, she would've understood that this was what she wanted, how she decided to mourn. She didn't need to understand what she had been going through, she just needed to listen and follow. That was her reasoning about this.

But why exactly did she feel like that was the wrong solution?

Why did it feel hollow?

A hint of uncertainty tugged at her, a feeling she couldn’t quite name. It lingered at the edges of her mind, unsettling in its presence. Was her grief truly hers to carry alone? Had she been wrong to shut everyone out? Even now, she could still feel the weight of Cecilia's arms around her, those soft words said to her ear she hadn’t wanted to hear at the time.

Why did those words stick with her more than anything else?

“Why am I…?” Her thoughts hesitated, feeling a sudden tightness in her chest.

The certainty she once felt, that isolating herself had been the right way to mourn, was beginning to crumble. Her own grief, once a clear and straightforward burden to bear, now felt tangled, messy. She was no longer sure of the path she had chosen to walk, and it left her feeling more lost than ever before.

Her breath hitched, and she exhaled sharply, her expression dour as she glanced downwards, away from Cecilia and the others. She couldn't shake the unease that settled over her, a dull ache at the back of her thoughts. It made her chest feel heavy, as though something unspoken had taken root and refused to let go.

Was it really wrong to want to carry it alone? Or was she just afraid to share it?

The dirt path stretched out before them, winding through the soft glow of the setting sun, but Marilyn’s gaze was unfocused, her thoughts swirling in a place far darker than the golden fields around her.

Cecilia aptly noticed this, her blush having disappeared as fast as it had arrived. Her eyes showed the expression of worry, her brows furrowed, saddened. Both of them possessed those expressions, to which only Eldryn and Adrian had noticed currently, and considered within them. But they were not the focus here.

That void between them, that the princess had tried to bridge in order to reach her, she didn't manage to complete it. The princess sighed, a hint of disappointment towards herself present.

Nonetheless, in spite of that, she kept up a small smile. And within her own thoughts she said, “Whenever you need me, I’ll be there.”

Somewhat of a repeat, but it was certainly something she shall say more times than not. For the sake of her friend, she would be there.

————————

The hours passed by with haste, and before long, the six of them found themselves standing before Adrian’s family home, the Hunt Manor. The grand estate loomed ahead, its stone walls weathered by time but still standing strong, a testament to the generations that had lived within.

Dark ivy climbed the sides of the manor, weaving through the old architecture like veins, and the tall, iron gates creaked slightly as they pushed them open. It was imposing, yet there was something undeniably inviting about it—a place rich with history, but still very much alive.

It was in fact much more impressive than Marilyn's home. Hers was rather small despite it being a manor, fit for a family of her size. But this…to her it felt like both a manor and a fortress. It was truly imposing, awesome to behold.

The sun had nearly set by the time they arrived, casting long shadows across the sprawling grounds, and the faint glow of magical lanterns could be seen flickering through the windows, welcoming them home.

Yet…that wasn’t necessarily the case.

The warm glow of the sunset, once golden, now seemed oddly muted. Shadows stretched unnaturally long, swallowing the vibrant colours of the grounds. At first, she thought it was a trick of the fading light—but then she realised it wasn't just the manor. The world around them had shifted even before they set foot here, the colours drained like ink spilled into water.

“...what in the—”

Marilyn was the one to voice that out, her expression of concern visible, pupils dilated, her mouth slightly agape. In fact, most of the six people were as perplexed as she was.

“...hm.” Adrian wasn't as surprised as them however, as only a hint of curiosity befell him for this. It might be his bravery, or it could be due to his familiarity.

Black and white. The colours of the world were gone, drained from the landscape as if swallowed by shadows. Everywhere they looked, the world had become a sea of monochrome, stark and lifeless.

Only they remained untouched, their bodies standing out in vivid contrast, as if they were foreign to this strange, colourless place.

Black and white. Black and white. Black and white. That was truly all they could perceive in this world.