Xidi leaned back against the chair, her expression heavy. “You’re from the Academy as well. You should know about the way the world categorizes abilities, right?”
Assistant replied instantly without hesitation, “Abilities are divided into twelve tiers. Tiers 1 to 9 are known as the Path of Mortals, while the top three transcend the mundane and approach the realm of the divine. Legend has it that if a human can step beyond those last three steps, they’ll possess power equal to the gods.”
Xidi nodded, added Jade into her teacup, and stirred with a spoon. “Then what do you think—Ailaira Green, what tier does she fall into?”
At these words, Assistant unconsciously paused her massage, recalling the limited information she had on this esteemed guest.
“If I remember correctly, she’s only in her twenties, right? At that age, even if she graduated as a genius from the Sacred Academy, she’d be, at most, at the fifth tier.
Besides, according to the records, apart from Magic Potion Making, her specialty is Ritual Magic, which is the type of magic that requires the least amount of mana. So her actual strength is probably even lower.”
It’s not that Assistant looked down on Ritual Magic, but judging someone’s rank by Ritual Magic really doesn’t hold much water.
After all, for Mages skilled in this art, as long as they’re willing to put in the time, effort, and a mountain of money, they can arrange rituals that far surpass their own tier.
Assistant thought her analysis was already quite objective, but Xidi burst out laughing, tea spilling onto her shiny black stockings. “Just as expected, everyone thinks like that. I was no different back then.”
“But what if I told you, Ailaira Green can perform Ritual Magic instantly?”
“That’s impossible!” Assistant blurted out, instinctively rejecting the idea. After three years of systematic magical study, a mountain of theory supported her opinion.
Complex magical patterns, all sorts of bizarre ritual materials, and countless calculations, all pointed to how complicated it was to set up a ritual. No matter how powerful the effect, the difficulty made most Mages give up before even starting.
After all, in a sudden encounter, the enemy’s not going to give you several hours to prepare your Ritual Magic.
Xidi wasn’t surprised by her reaction. She shook the water droplets off her full, shapely thigh, and sighed, “But it’s the truth. I’ve witnessed it with my own eyes, Ailaira Green completed a ritual in an instant, burning her enemies to nothing, not even ash left behind.”
“And I later found out that the spell she casually cast was of the sixth tier.”
This earth-shattering revelation left Assistant frozen, her throat dry as she forced out a hoarse question. “Then what tier… is she, really?”
[3rd-Tier Mage]
[Usable time: 3 minutes, fee: 3 gold coins]
[Use/Exit]
Ailaira stared at the glaring numbers on the stone tablet, clicking her tongue in irritation. Thank goodness she was the only one who could see this, or it would be mortifying. In front of her was the United Trade Guild’s exclusive Contact Array.
The length of time each person could use it was tied to their own tier. So poor Ailaira only got three minutes per use, she had to race against the clock every time to get her message across.
In this world without technology or electricity, the array was the only way to communicate over long distances besides sending letters. The silvery magic circle glowed faintly as it activated. Ailaira stepped in, recalling her sister’s appearance in her mind, and murmured, “Connect me to Vista Green.”
While waiting for the connection, Ailaira studied the patterns beneath her feet.
To her, copying the array was no big deal. But unlike Ritual Magic, this Contact Array required a huge amount of mana to operate. And for Ailaira, who was only third-tier, that was the very thing she lacked the most.
If her mana matched her actual strength, a certain Red Dragon who could see through mana, wouldn’t have taken one look at her, thought she was a pushover, and tried to drag her home.
Before long, the connection was made.
Vista’s image, as fragile as a bubble, gradually appeared before Ailaira’s eyes. Ailaira watched as Vista stripped off her clothing, soaking naked in the bath, her eyebrow twitching. “Am I interrupting something?”
“It’s fine. Brother’s matters always come first. Besides, now that we’re both women, there’s no need to be so reserved.”
“Funny, you get open-minded now of all times.”
In truth, Vista wasn’t nearly as calm as she appeared. She’d deliberately chosen this moment to answer the call.
When Ailaira’s communication request sounded in her mind, Vista had just taken off her coat—she’d had plenty of time to leave the bath before picking up. But after a brief hesitation, she’d decided to strip completely, showing off a swath of snowy white skin.
Deep down, Vista was hoping to see some sort of different reaction from Ailaira. But Ailaira didn’t notice her sister’s awkward feelings at all, and got straight to the point. “Vista, help me check the Church’s archives for anything on the dragons especially Red Dragons.”
“And find out if anything’s happened in Dragon Valley in the last few years.”
Ugh, another mission… Though Vista felt a pang of disappointment, she never could refuse Ailaira’s requests. She just nodded and agreed. Once Ailaira finished, Vista seized the chance to chat. “Brother, how have you been lately?”
“Pretty well. The family’s a mess, but it’s not exactly boring. Especially since I picked up a rather useful little fellow who can make me a lot of profit.”
As soon as those words left her mouth, Ailaira heard a loud splash on the other end, followed by a stifled curse. When the steam cleared, Vista’s face was calm as ever, but her hollow eyes bored into Ailaira as she enunciated, “More useful than me?”
Ailaira stroked her chin and tilted her head in thought. “Right now, you’re the better one. But in the future, who knows?”
After all, understanding the Red Dragon’s physiology and what it could do for potion-making was a long, slow experiment. For now, Vista—her undercover agent in the Church—was undoubtedly more useful. But once Ailaira made a breakthrough with the Red Dragon research, she wouldn’t need Vista feeding her Church information anymore.
At those words, Vista’s hand clenched the bath’s wall so hard it crumbled under her grip. She couldn’t believe that after just a few days apart, her brother had already found someone to take her place. She was supposed to be the one by his side since childhood!
No way. She had to be the one in his heart!
Vista was just about to speak and win back some ground, when Ailaira cut her off. “Looks like something’s come up on my end—gotta go.”
“Brother, I—”
Before she could finish, the connection cut off, and the rare chance to communicate ended just like that. At that moment, the noble Saintess’s eyes brimmed with a pitch-black resolve. Rising from the bath, she wrapped a towel around her chest and turned to the nun waiting to help her dress.
“Contact the second princess of Verlendel for me. Just say…”
“I can help her.”