Settling into the familiar old woven chair that Aun's grandpa used to like to sit in the evenings, I took out my new acquisition from my hair and began examining it. The boy, in the meantime, started a fire in the hearth and hung a kettle to heat, throwing a few handfuls of dried berries into it.

Leaving the caravan market, we didn't linger anywhere and went straight home. The lucrative deal I had struck, apparently, shocked the boy so much that he didn't utter a word all the way. I watch him out of the corner of my eye as I sit in the chair, and I see that the boy is just starting to come around.

My purchase today wasn't of the necessary kind. The "Chime of Pure Mind" was not on the list of things I needed. Nevertheless, it's undoubtedly a useful artifact, and when I saw it, moreover for such a low price, I couldn't resist. An impulse purchase, which I tried to avoid, but still a nice one.

"Master," Aun's voice rang out as he sat down next to me, his gaze fixed on the hairpin in my hands, "are you sure that this thing is really worth over six hundred gold in Deytran?"

I could have scolded the boy, but instead, I just pinned him with a silent stare. But his curiosity was piqued, and after momentarily flustering, the boy ventured to ask more questions:

"Did you really understand the true value of this thing because you read Ishia's book?"

"Yes."

"Master, did you really read all the gods' biographies or just Ishia's?" The boy wouldn't let up.

"All of them. Sometimes on long marches and during breaks, while waiting for the dungeons to reset, reading is the best choice."

"All of them? And you memorized them by heart?!! So that you could identify the verse on the haripin?" Aun's voice carried a tone of disbelief.

Now, this question required some explanation, so I turned to the boy and answered more fully:

"Not a verse, but part of it, less than a couple of lines, any more wouldn't fit on the haripin. And no, I didn't memorize anything by heart, but that's unnecessary. In all sacred texts, the essence and meaning are more important than the appearance."

"The priests of Antares would definitely disagree with you on this!" Aun interjected with his opinion.

"They are formalists, and I'm not talking about them," I brushed off his objection and continued. "If you read the twenty-fourth verse of Ishia literally, it talks about the importance of keeping your head clean from parasites. Most likely, that's why the merchant made a mistake. He couldn't determine the true value of the thing, considering it a household artifact that protects the head from lice and the like."

"But isn't it so?" The boy's eyes burned with curiosity.

"Only those who've read the twenty-third and twenty-fifth verses can understand that the word 'parasites' in this poem is a metaphor. Read and understood what they were about."

"And what are they about?"

"They're about the importance of keeping your mind pure."

"Oh!" The boy was surprised. "My father read me Ishia's verses in my childhood, but I didn't understand this."

"Like many who pay more attention to the exterior than the essence." I nodded and lifted the hairpin to Aun's eyes. "And another detail. If this artifact served to protect against blood-sucking creatures, it would have been made a little differently. How so?"

"How should I know?" Aun was very surprised by such a question.

He was surprised and immediately received a sharp flick on the forehead.

"And what's your head for?"

Unlike most other people, the boy really started thinking. He was silent for a minute, then he began:

"I'm not an artifactor, but since you asked, it's possible to answer this question without studying the art."

"Correct."

"What's wrong here?" He reached out his hand. "May I?"

"Yes." I handed him the hairpin.

Silence again. The boy strained his eyes, enhanced by the Aura of Perception, to the limit, after which he returned the artifact to me.

"I don't see anything."

"You do." I objected, twirling the hairpin in my hand. "Even from this distance and without Auras, you see, but you don't notice."

"Master, I don't..." He began to speak but stopped, his eyes sparkled, and the boy started babbling. "You didn't just say 'against blood-sucking' for no reason! Bloodsuckers mean blood, and blood is red... I understand!" The boy excitedly jumped to his feet and pointed at the hairpin. "If the artifact served as protection against parasites, there should have been a red stone on its top. A ruby!"

"But here it's not a ruby. It's an emerald..." I looked expectantly at the boy. He grew up in a trading family and should know the properties of the stones.

"And the emerald, among other properties, is also a symbol of purity of thought!" Aun added.

He's a clever lad. Very clever.

"Master, can one find such treasures often?" The boy's eyes burned with the desire for profit.

"No, and only at such markets. Specialists in big cities will never make such a mistake." Except for one exception concerning Rune magic, but the boy doesn't need to know about that.

After letting Aun take a closer look at the "Chime of Pure Mind" again, I returned the artifact to its place, securing it in my braid. By that time, the water had just boiled, and the boy took the kettle off the fire, letting it cool. When Aun turned back to me, I was already standing on my feet with a spear in my hands.

"Training!" The boy exclaimed joyfully.

"Three repetitions of each kata I've shown you."

"Yes, sir!" The young man responded eagerly, drawing his dagger from his belt and getting into stance.

We started the exercises simultaneously. Aun was doing his best to do everything as correctly as possible while I focused on controlling the "battle satori" or, as I began to call it for myself, the "Dance." The moment I slightly weakened control, the spear in my hands immediately pulled me into some kind of improvisation. No, it wasn't bad, but I wanted to control all aspects of my mastery, including this "Dance." That's what I was working hard on now.

The boy completed my task three by three, after which he started repeating it. With each time, the complexes in his performance were getting more and more precise.

"Aun," I turned to him when he took a short break. "Do you have the achievement 'Perfect Athlete'?"

"What? 'Perfect Athlete'?" The youth was stunned. "No, Master, I don't have such an achievement." And he wouldn't be himself if he didn't immediately ask, "What does it give?"

"It allows you to master exercises quickly," I replied vaguely.

"I definitely don't have it!" The boy answered even more confidently. "Does your question mean that I learn fast, right?!"

"Don't get cocky!" I had to raise my voice so that he wouldn't get distracted. "Three by nine without breaks!"

"Yes, Master!"

If I had the time, I would take this boy with me! But of course, I didn't tell him that. I just continued my exercises, noting that by his natural talent, the youth was even above me. However, as talented as he was, without the bonuses of earthlings and the rewards for the tasks of the questers, even he wouldn't be able to climb the steps of the Spiral of Elevation at least to Ruby in the remaining time before the Invasion. And this means that no matter how much potential I saw in him, I couldn't spend time on him. For a moment, it seemed to me that I understood the feelings of my earthly gymnastics coach, whose eyes lit up when he found a talent that required polishing.

Quenching the sudden desire to become a teacher, I refocused on my exercises. I went inside myself, but not for long. Until the moment when, because of my sudden movement, a gust of wind that had risen blew a small ember from the hearth onto the atrium floor. Before I took a few steps and put out the fire, Aun, who was performing the "Morning Breeze" kata at the time, waved his hand, and a wave of air, torn from his palm, tossed the ember back into the hearth.

"Stop!" I gave the command. "What did you just do?!"

"Huh? Master, I was just following your advice. I spoke inside. And when the ember popped out of the hearth, I said, 'Return'."

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"What did you feel at that moment?"

"I felt as if prana and mana here," he pointed at his elbow, "merged like a whirlwind, and then rushed to the fingertips like wind and tore off them!"

"Did you remember the sensation?"

"Yes."

"Can you repeat it?"

Instead of speaking, the young man assumed a stance, took a deep breath, and delivered a sharp blow with an exhale - a blow that sent a twig lying three steps away from him flying by a good ten centimeters.

"Wind Gust" without any training or a proper mentor. Performed intuitively... I think I'm starting to understand Ender's feelings when I managed to replicate "Discharge" in such a short time of training.

Does the boy have Four Stars in Air, too?

Another twig is sent flying.

Or even all Five?!!

While the boy was having fun, scattering leaves and branches around the atrium, I found a candle and placed it on one of the corner stones. Then I sat down in the lotus position and commanded:

"Sit as I do. Take the dagger in your right hand. Use your left hand as a support under your right fist. Yes, that's right. Aim the blade of the dagger at that candle over there. Not with the tip, with the edge. Yes, like that. Now, sitting straight, do with your internal energy the same thing you do during the "Morning Breeze" kata. Only imagine that with each of your internal words, a piece of your dagger's edge breaks off and flies towards the candle."

The boy tried once, twice, three times, and then said:

"I can't do it."

"Keep doing it until I tell you to stop."

For two hours, I continued my lessons. For two hours, Aun didn't stop trying to reproduce something he had no idea about. When it was close to midnight, I ended the training and sent the boy off to sleep.

"Master, I'm sorry I didn't accomplish anything. I'll try harder tomorrow." Lowering his head, the boy went to his bedroom.

"Couldn't do it"? "Didn't accomplish anything"? I looked at the tiny, barely noticeable, even with the active Perception Aura, streaks on the candle, and a shiver ran through my body. Turning around, I looked at the retreating boy's back.

"What kind of monster are you?!" The thought flashed through my mind.

Performing the "Blade of Wind" on the first attempt?!! I couldn't do that. Neither could Miranda. Maybe Arien. Although no, Arien would have cut that candle in an hour and then, applying a bit more force, would have broken the wall of the house. As always, the memory of the future goddess of Spontaneous Magic brought a sincere smile to my face.

Passing by Aun's room, I thought: "Four Stars in short blades and Five Stars in Wind! Most earthlings can only envy such a set. If only you had three years, just three... Then you would have reached the top, ascended to the Legendary Coil of the Spiral of Elevation." But the boy didn't even have those three years. And even if he did, I think he would have chosen a different path. The path of a peaceful and happy family life with his chosen one, and I must admit, I understand him. If I had a choice, I would have too... Only I don't have that choice. And therefore, regretting something like that is just a waste of time!

With these not-so-light thoughts, I threw off my clothes and collapsed on the bed. To distract myself, I immersed myself in contemplating my Core. Every day, especially on tournament days, I received achievements. These were regular ones, related to everyday life or victories in duels. Nothing unexpected, everything as initially planned by me. My Core filled up even a little faster than I calculated when I registered for the Alchemists' Guild tournament. The reason for this small increase was that some of my results were rated higher than Bronze. For example, the mark for the victory over Shiin Karim flashed with Steel. But what surprised me was that today's win was also recorded with a steel sparkle. Moreover, the achievement record wasn't just of Steel but framed with Light.

Unusual. Immersing myself deeper, I immediately understood why. As the Alchemists' Guild tournament was held under the divine patronage of Antares, my victory over the cheater was highly valued by the Light Echo. I don't even know how to react to this. Be happy? But this joy is marred by the fact that this might further exacerbate Shadow's displeasure with me. Why is this happening? After all, it was Antares who killed his brother Obeorn, Seguna's husband, more than two thousand years ago, yet I'm the one having problems because of it?! Unfair!

However, reflections on the fact that there is no justice in Ain were brief. The Light-framed achievement record carried so much energy that, most likely, I will be ready to transition to the Steel step even before I get my Motto! And this, in turn, will help me to transition to a higher rank with the Overflow effect, which will further increase the density of the Core.

Gradually leaving deep meditation, I was about to turn on my side when I heard a barely noticeable scraping sound. As if a cat was scratching dry wood with its claws. And at first, I thought precisely of a stray cat that was sharpening its claws on the house's back door. But when I heard the quiet creeping steps of Aun, who left his bedroom and went downstairs, I realized that something was wrong here.

Soundlessly slipping off the bed, I approached the door to my room and, activating my Perception Aura to the maximum, listened. The young man had slightly opened the back gates and received something through them from someone. Judging by the further rustling, a note. Then, there were a few seconds of silence, after which the young man headed to the stairs to the second floor. I immediately dived back into bed and pretended to be asleep. The boy quietly and silently, as he thought, slightly opened the door to my room and looked inside. He stood there, watching me, for a couple of minutes and then returned to his room, but did so for a short while. Apparently, he just changed clothes. He went downstairs again. Then, trying not to make noise, he slightly opened the back door and slipped out onto the street.

Of course, I could have stopped him. Yelled at him. But that would only have created a conflict between us and wouldn't have changed anything. The boy had likely received a note from Alaya, which he'd been eagerly awaiting. As it's well known, love is blind and brooks no obstacle. The fact that a message from his bride-to-be arrived at night was easily explained. As far as I understood from Aun's stories, Alaya was under the strictest supervision of Aunt Zian or the servants. The girl could only escape prying eyes when everyone in her house had fallen asleep.

Although I believed in the reality of Aun's bride's authorship, the boy left the house alone at night, which could be exploited by those who wanted to kill him. And just because I haven't sensed any surveillance on the house in the past two days doesn't mean it's not there. The more I thought about the attempts on the boy's life, the more I inclined to a clear conclusion that there were no other perpetrators than the pair of fighters, one of whom I had already killed. And that means that if the Steel Warrior is watching the house, he will follow Aun now, which I can take advantage of. After the killer attacks the boy, I'll strike him!

The main thing now was not to let Aun get too far and, simultaneously, not be spotted by him. Quickly dressing and taking the Thunder Dagger with me, I opened the window, climbed onto the windowsill, and jumped up onto the roof. After which, I bent down, listened to the Shadows around me, and rushed forward, jumping from one roof to another like a movie ninja.

By my calculations, I should have caught up with Aun no later than a minute, even if he had been running all this time. But when I reached the point, he wasn't there. This could mean two things. First, I was wrong, and the real meeting place was not where the boy had shown me. Second, the site was the same, and the brat just knew a shorter route, which he never took me on simply because it's inconvenient to go through during the day. Such a direct route could be through other people's yards, for example. The second option is more likely, and I just need to speed up. Luckily, Aun's house was not in the noble quarter, and the roofs of the local houses didn't have magic alarms. Otherwise, my run would have alerted the entire guard. But my risk paid off. Ordinary citizens didn't have money for such expensive "toys," and I ran peacefully on the roofs, disturbing no one.

After less than five minutes of such a run, I reached West Ox Street. I jumped onto the roof of one of the warehouses and froze in the shadows. I was not mistaken. The boy was indeed heading here. My mistake was in something else - underestimating the threat.

Just fifty meters away from me, in the center of the alleyway, Aun was standing, his back pressed against the wall of the nearest house. From the way his mouth opened, it was clear that the boy was shouting, but no one could hear him. "Air Barrier" – a favorite technique of assassins, allowing one to create a cocoon for a while from which no sounds would escape. The ambush was organized perfectly. At this time and on this street, there wasn't a single passerby. In all the houses except one, the kitchen fires were already out, and the one where the glow of embers still shone through the half-open shutters, the young man had already passed.

There were seven of them cornering Aun! Seven, not one, as I thought! True, four of them were Iron, and judging by their angular physique, they were not older than Aun themselves. One more on Bronze, but, as it seemed to me, he had only recently reached this step, possibly not earlier than yesterday. Even these five would be more than enough for the merchant's son, but besides them, there were two more fighters. I recognized the first one, he hadn't even changed his leather armor, and the trace of my "Discharge" was still visible on his back. The Steel warrior I knew. The second one, though... He was the main problem. A Sapphire-rank warrior-mage! Yes, apparently, he was already of age, far from young, but his movements were still fast and deadly. I have no chance against such an enemy. Despite all my talents, none.

The semi-circle of attackers was deliberately closing in slowly. As if they were in no hurry. Before the seven of them crossed the border of the "Air Barrier," the eldest of them asked:

"Who wants to strike first and avenge your brother Quins?"

"Me, me, me, me!" The entire quartet of youths responded immediately.

Most likely, this is a family. A family that has chosen assassination as their profession. Most likely, from out of town, if the guardsman's conclusion about the tattoo on the dead body was correct. A small clan that is clearly going through hard times, and for some reason, their main fighters were taken out, leaving only these youth, one regular warrior, and the patriarch. Now I understand why they couldn't quickly eliminate the target. Most likely, the clan patriarch, taking advantage of the contract on Aun, was training the younger generation on him. When your target is on Copper or Iron, there's nothing unusual about this approach. And if it weren't for my appearance, they would have succeeded a few days ago. But to their misfortune, I was there, and this family of killers has already lost one of their own. They lost one and are now thirsting for revenge. Revenge first on Aun and then on me. I have no doubt about it.

Even a seasoned Sapphire-rank warrior-mage couldn't foresee an attack from above. Two very young Iron Rank assassins died instantly. One had his neck severed by the Thunder Dagger, while the other got a palm bearing the rune of Des on his nape.

"Run." Shoving the assassins' dead bodies aside, I grabbed Aun by the hand and dragged him with me.

"That's him!" The Steel warrior shouted. "He's the one who killed Quins!"

"Fire!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as soon as I crossed the line of the "Air Barrier."

"Killing!" Aun echoed me, quickly grasping the situation.

And again, I made a mistake. A horrible one.

Professionals, after their ambush was discovered and the alarm raised, should have run away immediately, despite their losses. Leave - to prepare better and try again. But I didn't take into account the influence of family ties.

"Kill! Kill them both!" Sounded from behind.

With all possible speed, I darted sideways, dug my shoulder into the wall of the nearest house, and still didn't make it in time. The "Straight Lightning," torn from the fingers of the patriarch of the assassin clan, was faster. It hit my legs. And if it wasn't for the "Discharge" spell I cast a moment earlier to counter it, my legs would have failed, and I would have fallen unconscious onto the pavement. But even so, the hit was strong! I couldn't run at the same speed anymore.

Yet I'm such a fool. I shouldn't have interfered. I shouldn't have! I shouldn't! Even if without my intervention, Aun would have died on the spot. So be it. The world's salvation is on me, and I…

Mistake.

Tragic.

Fatal.

I can't escape.

Unless…

"Seguna, give me luck, let me be lucky!"

With this plea, I grabbed Aun by the belt and threw him into the slightly open shutters of a kitchen where there was still a glimmer of light. After which, dodging new attacks, I jumped in after him.

"You again! Pesky boys!" An elderly whine sounded above my ear.

For the first time in many days, I… GOT LUCKY!!!