"Foolish mortal, are you praying to my Lord?"

The deep, mysterious voice seemed to descend from above.

Nick started and opened his eyes. Upon seeing the sight before him, he collapsed backward in terror, then trembling, crawled back into position, prostrating himself before the black shadow above the flames.

"Di-divine messenger, it's me... I-I am Nick..."

He dared not look directly at the messenger's majesty, instead keeping his hunched back and eyes fixed on the burning flames in the hearth, like a lamb offering itself for sacrifice.

"The great Lord shows mercy upon your weakness and has sent me to hear your prayers. Faithful Nick, what is your wish?"

Nick groveled on the ground, humbly pleading: "Divine messenger, I wish to know if my wife Susan's soul can ascend to heaven..."

"No," the cold messenger spoke from on high, "I do not guide those who choose self-destruction. Your wife's soul has already dispersed."

Nick's body shook like a sieve, overwhelming fear nearly crushing his protruding spine.

"My lord, divine messenger, please guide me, I wish to avenge—"

"Greedy human."

The messenger's icy voice showed no inflection, yet Nick felt a deep chill.

"You have but one chance to fulfill a wish, and I have already answered your question."

Nick trembled, infinite regret rising in his heart.

His only wish - wasted just like that!

"Divine messenger, I beg you," Nick pressed all ten fingers into the dirt, pleading, "Please grant me another wish. I will sacrifice my soul to you!"

"Your soul is already pledged to my Lord and will return to Him upon your death."

"Hypocritical mortal, your faith is not yet pure. When you can worship my Lord wholeheartedly, that shall be when your wish may be granted again."

The firelight extinguished, and the messenger's form vanished into darkness, leaving only the trembling farmer prostrate on the ground.

For a long while, no sound emerged from the humble thatched house.

Nick finally rose from the cold ground, his weathered, haggard face showing a flush of excitement.

"When I can worship my Lord wholeheartedly, that shall be when my wish may be granted again!"

The great God of Death and Time - his faithfully worshipped deity, his hope for the rest of his life, his light of faith!

Nick rekindled the fire, adding dry wood to the hearth. In the cold, silent night, the warm flames illuminated the dim longhouse.

Luo Wei left the village, racing back to the city with all possible speed, changing clothes and returning to school before dawn.

Time had been too tight the previous night for her to prepare tung oil coats and dry ice - all the special effects had been pure magic.

While she had successfully fooled Nick, her magic wand had split even further.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

The crack in the shaft had spread from the bottom to half its length. It would split in two after three or four more uses at most.

Luo Wei found a ribbon in her wardrobe, wrapped it around the crack, and tied it into a large bow.

This way, no one would notice her damaged wand during class - at worst, they'd mock her for being flashy but impractical.

She wondered where this type of magic wand came from and if she could get another one.

That afternoon, Luo Wei showed her bow-decorated wand to Troy.

"Do you know where to find this kind of branch?"

Troy's mouth twitched at the sight of the bow tied around the black shaft - he had never seen such a strange magic wand.

"It's a Spiritwood branch. They're only found in the Magic Beast Mountains."

"Magic Beast Mountains? Where's that?" Luo Wei recalled the map she had pieced together in the library but hadn't seen such a place.

"The Magic Beast Mountains are a place only magic users can enter. They're in the great forest in the northeastern Western Continent. There are many magical beasts and plants there, and Spiritwood grows deep in the forest."

"The northeast..." Luo Wei calculated. The Demon Sea was to the north - they could visit the Magic Beast Mountains on their way there.

Just over a month remained, with at most five magic classes left. If she used this wand sparingly, it should last.

With this in mind, she asked, "Is Spiritwood easy to find?"

"There's plenty in the Magic Beast Mountains, but," Troy explained, "Spiritwood only grows in valleys with the densest magical elements. There are many magical beasts there, making harvesting quite troublesome."

"Moreover, Spiritwood grows slowly - it takes fifty years to reach the thickness of a pinky finger. Finding a branch old enough to serve as a magic wand is quite challenging."

Luo Wei examined the plain-looking twig in her hand. Despite its unremarkable appearance, it was a rare plant that took fifty years to grow. Truly, one shouldn't judge by appearances.

She put away the Spiritwood and asked Troy lazily: "Have any of your old friends agreed to come?"

Troy seemed nervous: "I've sent the secret messages. They should come, right?"

"Tch, you don't sound very confident," Luo Wei shook her head. "If they don't come, you'll need to look for mercenaries - find ones with professional ethics, not the type who take money but don't work and have strong personalities."

Troy: ...

He felt she was taking a dig at him, but he had no proof.

"Oh right," Luo Wei remembered something else, "When Roman returns, tell him not to go to school for the next few days. He should stay in the cellar with Rosie."

Troy's expression turned serious: "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Haven't you heard the news at the tavern?" Luo Wei glanced at him. "The Holy Knights received a divine oracle to preach doctrine throughout the nations. They'll be arriving in Siria tomorrow or the day after."

Roman's talent was so good - what if a Holy Knight spotted him on the street and kidnapped him to the church?

And Rosie, being a dark element affinity user destined to become a black mage, needed to be well-hidden. If the Holy Knights discovered her, they might kill her potential in the cradle!

After instructing Troy, Luo Wei hurried back to school.

Her earlier thoughts had been born of anger. While exposing weaknesses to others might lead to betrayal, having like-minded friends helping each other was still easier than fighting alone.

Since Theodore and the others didn't want to include her, she would secretly follow them to see what they were planning. Any good ideas could serve as reference.

Gladys had keen senses and would be hard to track, while Theodore, being an intermediate apprentice, would be difficult to approach.

Luo Wei set her sights on Hol Felix.

Like her and Gladys, Hol was a new student this year. He seemed rather slow to react and quite simple-minded - she should be able to learn something from him.

In the evening, Luo Wei spotted Hol entering the artificial lake area behind the academy from the tower bridge. She immediately ran down to follow him.

Under the desolate willow branches, Hol sneakily circled around a large rock and stepped one foot into the muddy shore of the lake.

Luo Wei hid behind another large rock to spy - and quickly saw him step his other foot in as well.

Hol continued stomping in the mud flat, covering both legs in muck and soaking his pants, yet remained utterly absorbed in this strange activity.

Luo Wei: ??

Could the secret to opposing the Holy Knights lie in this mud?