Chapter 221 - Restaurant

“Here is your drink, young master,” A waitress in fancy clothes said as she placed a cold beer on the table in front of Adion.

“Thank you,” Adion said with a nod. 

The waitress smiled and stepped outside, leaving Adion alone in the private room.

How long will she be? Adion thought as he looked out the window. It was night, but the town was large and lively, so there was plenty of light spilling out, showcasing the various buildings. 

Adion and Creva had arrived in town a few hours ago, and just like she had said, she went out to find a different carriage so they could travel a little without being so easily recognized. 

Creva had brought him to a luxurious restaurant that she liked before leaving. Adion had thought they would share a meal together and take care of the carriage in the morning, but she had run off immediately, leaving a hungry Adion sipping on his beer. 

At least she arranged for a private room. Adion thought, slipping down in his chair and closing his eyes.

There was a fire burning in the fireplace in the corner, so the room was warm and cosy. It had gotten pretty cold lately, so Adion quite enjoyed it. 

He looked forward returning home and getting a nice rest. He was tired of traveling around. It would be nice to enjoy the winter with Sell and his family. 

I wonder if the Headmaster has told them that I’m coming back. I hope he has, so they don’t worry.

But it’s possible he didn’t want to say anything before he sees me for himself. 

If that’s the case, there will probably be quite the scene when I see them again. Not sure how to handle that.

Adion was longing for his loved ones, but he always knew they were waiting for him safe and sound back in Cyalis. 

It was different for his family. They had been worrying whether he was dead or alive for months. He couldn’t imagine how hard these months had been for everyone. 

Well, there is nothing much to do about it. I’ll just have to comfort them for a while. Everything will be fine from now on. 

Maybe I should buy a gift or something. At least for Sell.

Adion opened his eyes and took a few sips of his beer. It had been a while since he drank. It tasted nice.

Maybe I should see if I can find out where Benji, Sahra, Lomin, and Rufus are. It would be nice to get together and share a few drinks.

I should at least find them before I set off to Quemer. 

The minutes passed by as Adion reminisced. When he stumbled upon a white void of lost memories, he would try to clear it up. Even if it took a lot of Will to remember everything precisely, he could now use logic and intuition to figure out what happened using his other memories. 

When he thought about meeting his family again, he felt it was easier to recall the time he had met them when he first arrived in Cyalis. 

I guess we already went through this once before. Maybe they’ll be a little used to my ability to show up alive after being attacked by Heavenly Light. 

I don’t really have as much to share this time around, though. I haven’t even advanced to high Silver…What will I use to shock them with?

Adion furrowed his brows slightly. He felt it wouldn’t be right to just show up alive. He had to have gained something that he could show off with. It was tradition. 

Maybe I can figure out some use of this ability to recover my memory before I get back. 

I’ll have to discuss the issue more with Creva. Hopefully, she’ll open up about it again.

It had been three days since they left Deller. And since Adion showed a serious interest in advancing to the Soul stage early, Creva had been resistant to discussing the matter too much. She was afraid Adion would try something crazy, and she didn’t want to be responsible for the fallout. 

After Adion had just received his fourth beer, Creva finally showed up.

“You finished eating already?” She asked as she took a seat opposite Adion.

“Huh? I haven’t ordered anything,” Adion said.

“Why not?” Creva asked.

“I thought we were eating together, so I waited,” Adion said, a little irritated. He could hold off from eating for days without a problem, but it was hard when he got into the mood. The smell from the restaurant didn’t help either. 

“Oh, then let’s eat,” Creva said with a shrug. She called over the waiter and ordered a variety of dishes for both her and Adion. 

Whatever. Adion thought with a sigh.

“Did you get a carriage?” Adion asked.

“Maybe,” Creva muttered, slightly unhappy, “It’s not easy to get something up to my standards, but I have one that will make do for now.”

“If it’s not comfortable, we can always travel on White,” Adion said, “His fur is soft.”

For once, Creva didn’t dismiss the idea, “That might actually be better. We would be able to get to Femor quickly. It wouldn’t be difficult to find a proper carriage over there.”

“Femor? We’re going to Femor?” Adion asked. Femur was the capital of the Rellen Kingdom, and it was slightly off course to Cyalis.

“Yes,” Creva said, “It’s not really a detour. The roads from there to Cyalis are excellent. The reinforcements from Cyalis will meet us there.”

“Reinforcements? You managed to reach the Academy?” Adion asked.

“Yes,” Creva said, nodding, “I have an old acquaintance here. I didn’t expect he’d have a touban, but fortunately he did. I sent word about our worries, and the Headmaster agreed.”

“How many mages is he sending?” Adion asked.

“I didn’t ask,” Creva said with a wry smile, “It’s a pain to communicate through several toubans. But I’m sure the Headmaster won’t be stingy.”

So I’ll have to travel with a bunch of strange Soul mages? What a pain.

“Maybe…” Adion said, drifting off in thought, “We could use this as a diversion.”

“What are you talking about?” Creva asked.

“If you escorting me was spread, the Headmaster sending reinforcements is sure to be spread as well. Wouldn’t this perfectly solve our problem then? If Heavenly light is planning anything, they will make plans based on us heading to Femor. So why don’t we just get on White and forget about the meeting? We’ll stay clear of the roads and head straight for Cyalis.”

“Not a bad idea actually,” Creva said, nodding, “But panic would ensue once the people from the Academy got to Femor and noticed our absence. I’m not sure what the Headmaster would do, but it wouldn’t be pretty.”

“That’s true,” Adion said. He could imagine how dreadful it would be for the Headmaster if he thought he had gone missing again. “Let’s forget about it.”

“Well…Let’s talk about it more tomorrow,” Creva said, “Femor should be a safe place for us to stay even if Heavenly Light finds out you’re there…But it does seem like an unnecessary risk. They shouldn’t be underestimated after all.”

“True,” Adion said. 

If they come in full force and have that space artifact with them…Can they really be stopped?

I have to find a way to use my powers even under the influence of that thing. Heavenly Light will continue to be a threat no matter what. I can’t let them have a way to neutralize my abilities.

“Stop worrying so much,” Creva said, pulling Adion out of his thoughts, “You’ll be back home before you know it. How about I answer some of your questions?”

“How do you advance from the Soft Soul stage?” Adion immediately asked. He wasn’t really that worried. Or more like he was so used to being worried that it didn’t bother him anymore. 

He would be a fool not to make use of the chance to ask about the Soul stages from Creva. She had been avoiding the subject for days. Adion wanted to know as much as he could about the Soul stages so he could get a clearer picture of the relationship of the mana core and the soul and how he might be able to make use of it. 

Creva sighed when she heard the question, “This again. Promise not to try anything stupid?”

“Of course,” Adion said.

“It’s not really useful for you to know about this so soon, but I guess I can understand the curiosity. To put it simply, you advance to the Hard Soul stage by compressing your core once again once it reaches the limit of the Soft Soul stage.”

“It’s that simple?” Adion asked.

“It is far from simple, or Hard Soul mages would be far more common. Don’t forget that a Soft Soul mage can live to around 400 years. Even if you somehow reached the Soft Soul stage at the end of your lifespan as a Diamond mage, you would have 200 years as a Soft Soul. And yet, so many people spend all that time stuck in the Soft Soul stage and find it impossible to advance, even considering mages who reach the Soft Soul stage are all incredibly talented. 

“It sounds simple, but the actual process of compressing a Soft Soul core and advancing to the next stage is daunting. The Soft Soul stage doesn’t have any low, middle, or high stages. There is only a gradual increase in strength as you fill your core with mana until you reach the peak stage. Most Soft Soul mages have no issue reaching this stage. But to compress the core…Well, I haven’t quite reached peak Soft Soul yet, so I don’t know exactly how frightening the jump to the Hard Soul stage is, but I’ve heard about it. 

“You see, advancing to the Hard Soul stage comes with a lot of risks. More so than when you advance from Diamond to Soft Soul. As a Diamond, you only need to worry about your core breaking, but if you fail at becoming a Hard Soul mage, you risk breaking your soul.”

“How can you break your soul?” Adion asked.

Creva didn’t answer immediately. The food had finally arrived.

She and Adion both turned quite as the various dishes were brought out. 

Adion was hungry, but he was even more curious. As the waitress left the room, Adion looked to Creva with a pleading look.

“I’ll answer, I’ll answer,” Creva said with a light smile, “A Soft Soul mage only has a part of the mana core integrated into the soul. But the soul needs to take care of a much larger part of the core when you advance to the Hard Soul stage. It is almost like a second integration. The problem is that most souls are too weak to integrate a mana core that thoroughly. So if you force it, the soul will break apart from the pressure of the Hard Soul mana core.”

“So, how do you succeed?” Adion asked.

“You have a strong enough soul, obviously,” Creva said with a light smile, “It’s easy to say, but difficult to do. No one knows exactly how to train the soul, or if there even is a way to do so. Some people just manage to hold the Hard Soul core in their soul, and some people break under the pressure. Perhaps it’s all due to talent, and there is nothing to do about it.”

“That shouldn’t be the case,” Adion said.

“I don’t think so either. There are obviously ways to improve, but it’s even more challenging and mysterious than sharpening your Will,” Creva said.

I wonder if I’m strengthening my soul through regaining my memory. 

Adion felt a thrill rush through his body at the thought.

“Even if you succeed, it’s not enough,” Creva said, “There is still the Pure Soul stage after. And the legendary stage above. Perhaps things were easier in the past. But in our Age, the knowledge we’ve lost stops the vast majority from reaching those stages. Only the utmost talented geniuses manage to force their way through.”

“Do you have confidence in reaching those stages?” Adion asked. Creva seemed talented enough, but she didn’t look very hopeful at the moment.

“It’s…complicated,” Creva said with a sigh, “You’ll understand once you reach the Soft Soul stage. Anyway, let’s eat. The food is getting cold.”

Adion pursed his lips slightly, but didn’t say anything, and joined Creva in eating.