The interior of the carriage was much more spacious than it appeared from the outside. Soft velvet cushions and a temperature-control Magic Array made the long journey exceptionally comfortable.
Since receiving the ring from Lilith, Helos could finally experience the convenience brought by Magic Arrays.
Eleanor quickly recovered from the sadness of parting. She took out a thick copy of the *Holy Light Scriptures* from her bag and began to read quietly.
Her posture remained as dignified as ever, as if she were not on a journey but spending a leisurely afternoon in her own study.
Once the initial novelty wore off, Helos completely exposed her true nature.
At first, she pretended to sit upright like her sister, but in less than ten minutes, she slumped onto the soft cushions, feeling uncomfortable all over.
She fished out a rare old book from her luggage that she had found somewhere. The content was about ancient alchemy traps.
She read with great interest, even taking out a pen and paper to scribble on it when she reached an exciting part, completely immersed in her own world.
“Helos.”
Christ’s gentle voice suddenly rang out.
“Huh?”
Helos snapped out of her daze, jerking her head up and reflexively hiding the book behind her back.
Christ chuckled at her guilty, adorable look. He pushed up his glasses, his gaze falling on her hand wearing the silver ring.
“The material of that ring is very special,” he asked, sounding casual. “I seem to have seen similar records in the ancient documents at the tower. May I take a look?”
Helos pulled her hand back slightly.
‘Does this guy want to take my ring for research?’
Helos’s heart skipped a beat as she watched her brother warily, muttering to herself. But on the surface, she remained calm.
“This was a birthday gift from Teacher Lilith.”
“Teacher Lilith?”
A hint of reflection flashed in Christ’s eyes. “The etiquette teacher Father hired for you? I heard from Eleanor that she already left the duke’s mansion?”
“Yes, she left not too long ago.”
“That’s a pity. I wanted to thank her in person for teaching you so well,” Christ said with a smile.
He didn’t ask further about the ring and instead changed the subject to interesting anecdotes about the Imperial Capital.
This allowed Helos to breathe a sigh of relief.
However, for some reason, she felt that behind her genius brother’s gentle smile lay an investigative desire that made her skin crawl — like the look a mad scientist gives a perfect experimental subject.
The journey to the Imperial Capital was long but not boring. They passed through familiar hills and plains. The scenery outside the window gradually changed from desolate to bustling.
The towns along the way became more frequent, and the roads grew smoother. The mana in the air seemed much denser than in Olivius City.
Helos gently rubbed the ring.
She didn’t know if she could perceive mana, but since putting on the ring, she felt her perception had improved by more than a level.
Even the effects of her Valiance Arts alchemy had increased significantly compared to before.
This sparked a trace of uncontrollable curiosity about the magic world she had never stepped into.
Christ watched the girl daydreaming. He pushed up his glasses, and the gaze behind the lenses fell on Helos’s finger again.
“A birthday gift?”
“Yeah, why?” Helos snapped back to reality, her eyes falling on her brother.
“Nothing, I’m just curious,” Christ’s tone remained steady. “I can feel that this ring seems to be actively absorbing a certain special… energy radiating from you, right?”
Helos’s heart pounded. She hadn’t expected her brother’s perception to be so sharp.
“You could say that,” Helos answered vaguely.
She decided to reveal a bit of insignificant information to satisfy her genius brother’s curiosity, lest he keep thinking about it.
“Teacher Lilith said this ring might be able to suppress my curse. After putting it on, the range where magic becomes nullified around me has indeed shrunk a lot.”
“At least now that we’re in the same carriage, you shouldn’t feel any discomfort.”
This was the truth. After putting on the ring, the range of the [Silent Oath] had shrunk from several meters to a thin layer just against her skin. This was why the three siblings could stay in the same room.
“I see…”
A bright light burst from Christ’s eyes. It wasn’t greed, but a pure longing and excitement for unknown knowledge.
He pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting Helos’s figure.
“What an incredible structure, to be able to constrain magic-suppressing energy within a small ring. It seems that Teacher Lilith is no simple character.”
He looked at Helos with a sincere smile.
“Don’t always look at your brother with such a wary gaze. Don’t worry, I’m just interested in the phenomenon. Who knows, maybe I can help you find answers about your constitution in the future?”
Seeing his frankness, Helos lowered her guard slightly.
‘Fine, he’s just a pure research maniac. As long as he doesn’t try to slice me up for a specimen, I’ll tolerate him for now.’
Helos didn’t hate scholars like him; after all, she was the same way sometimes.
***
When night fell, they stayed at an inn in a small town along the way. Christ booked the best suite in the inn for his two sisters.
Eleanor maintained her ladylike demeanor, sitting quietly by the window to read. As a Saintess, she had to thoroughly understand the scriptures.
Otherwise, if she were suddenly asked a question one day and didn’t know the answer, it would be incredibly embarrassing.
Meanwhile, Helos poked around the room curiously, full of novelty toward the small town.
At dinner, Christ told them many things about the Imperial Capital and the magic academy.
“The Royal Magic Academy is the largest magic educational institution in the entire empire. It has several branches,” he explained while elegantly cutting the steak on his plate.
“For example, the Divine Magic Academy that Eleanor is going to. It gathers the top divine officials and priests of the empire, and there are even several retired Cardinals from the Church serving as guest professors.”
“As for the Alchemy Academy Helos is going to, it’s more like a comprehensive academy. The students there are quite varied — there are scholars obsessed with experiments and eccentric geniuses.”
“Oddballs?” Helos tilted her head.
“Exactly.” Christ smiled. “Although alchemy is considered a prominent field of study in the empire, not many people can truly settle down to research it.”
“Most people still prefer to learn powerful, fast-acting Elemental Magic. Therefore, those who can achieve something in alchemy are mostly characters with unique personalities.”
‘Great, sounds like a bunch of tech geeks.’
“But you don’t need to worry,” Christ added.
“Academy life is very free. Besides required courses, you can freely audit classes at other academies, look up materials in the library, or even form teams to conduct practical combat drills at the academy’s hunting grounds. It’s a place where you can fully display your talents.”
Listening to her brother’s description, Helos felt a bit of longing for the unknown place they were about to reach.
‘This is much freer than a university where you need to swipe an ID card.’
The journey continued in this relaxed atmosphere. They crossed vast plains and rushed rivers. The scenery outside became more bustling by the day.
The low villages were gradually replaced by orderly towns, and there were more and more pedestrians and merchant caravans on the road.
Finally, after nearly ten days of long-distance travel, as they crossed the last hill, a city silhouette so magnificent it took one’s breath away appeared at the end of the horizon.
“Look, that’s the Imperial Capital, Asgard,” Christ said, pushing up his glasses and pointing toward the distant city walls. “And the tall tower in the middle is the Tower of Truth.”
The towering city walls were like dams built by gods, reflecting a solemn brilliance under the sun.
Even from such a long distance, Helos could still see the magic ballistae crouched like Behemoths atop the walls, as well as the Tower of Truth piercing the clouds like a sharp sword.
Helos, your a tech geek, don’t criticize