Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Though he asked, Luo Ci held little hope.

The summoned undead clearly had no connection to demons.

How did he know it was an undead?

The intricate and obscure magic circle had been created by his own infused mana, connected to his power. Luo Ci could sense that the being he summoned wasn’t a living creature like the Dusk Giant Wolf, but rather an undead—a spirit of the deceased.

Moreover, once an undead was summoned, it was by default bound to him as a familiar.

Though slightly disappointed, once the familiar contract was sealed, it was nearly impossible to shove the undead back into the magic circle.

Hearing the little one’s question, the pure-white heavy armor shifted, emitting a harsh metallic scrape. The Paladin gripped his greatsword and slowly rose from the ground. Luo Ci noticed the empty, shadowed eyes behind the mask, continuously leaking wisps of black mist—a tell-tale sign of the undead. A voice echoed hollowly from behind the mask: "I am Paladin Ash, answering your summons..."

Fariel squinted slightly and tilted his head. The name Ash wasn’t familiar, but the title "Paladin" was one that, throughout history, only one individual had been remembered for.

That tracks. In the ancient battlefield ruins, aside from demons, the Paladin-led Sacred Order had also left behind numerous magical traces. So, summoning a Paladin was possible—though the odds were slim compared to summoning demons. Yet, against such odds, they’d managed it.

Fariel mused. He had once met a goblin chief who, in life, was called the "Brain of Wits." After death, as an undead, his intelligence had deteriorated to the point where he couldn’t even pop open a cheese jar. Would the Paladin fare any better?

Compared to a Paladin, Luo Ci had actually wanted a terrifying demon—one that looked downright scary, preferably one that could fly and carry him through the skies. Unable to resist, the little one piped up, "Can you fly?"

The Paladin reacted sluggishly before slowly shaking his head.

His face fell. As an undead, he could keenly sense his new master’s desires. The Paladin tightened his grip on the greatsword, instinctively wanting to prove his worth.

The holy sigils etched into the pure-white armor radiated a holy glow. The gold-fringed cloak began to rotate, its inscribed golden wheels of scripture spinning. From mask to sacred blade, radiant white-gold light surged forth, like the God of Light’s own presence. The moment the holy light cascaded down, every demonic remnant in the ancient battlefield was turned to dust.

Luo Ci’s little mouth slowly fell open: "..."

Before he could react to the sudden upheaval, the emergency warp spell personally inscribed by the Archmage of Antigas Academy activated, instantly transporting all students to the academy’s forest outside the ruins.

It happened in the blink of an eye—holy light descended, demonic remnants vanished, and they were teleported out. The other students, having hardly seen what happened, assumed their time ran out and they’d been sent back.

Meanwhile, the Elf Mentor and several Archmages who had noticed the holy light rushed to the ruins to investigate.

While the loss of the demonic remnants was regrettable, what excited them more were the brand-new magic traces left behind.

Brand-new magic traces! Like freshly baked bread, fresh and tantalizing—as if they’d just been inscribed moments ago.

As an academy that thrived on studying ancient ruins, every instructor had studied inside out the Paladin’s imprints countless times. They unanimously confirmed these were indeed the Paladin’s own markings. Several Archmages choked up on the spot.

Back in the forest, the students compared notes from their time in the ruins.

Meanwhile, Luo Ci, the culprit behind the commotion, realized he’d messed up. While others argued over where to eat, he stood meekly among the trees, on his best behavior.

Fortunately, the Elf Mentor reappeared shortly.

After a brief discussion, the mages concluded the students couldn’t possibly be responsible. None of them specialized in light magic. They guessed the ruins might have contained a previously undiscovered time-lock spell, preserving the Paladin’s holy magic until it activated naturally.

The Archmages eagerly remained behind to study the fresh imprints.

The Elf Mentor, meanwhile, reminded the students to reflect on their experiences and submit their course forms promptly.

Noticing the mentor made no mention of the incident, Luo Ci was both puzzled and relieved, sighing as he patted his chest.

Jia Xide approached. "Why so nervous? Did you cause trouble?"

"W-what trouble?" Luo Ci’s little ears perked up and twitched nervously, like a spooked kitten. He buried his face in Fariel’s mane, his gaze shifty-eyed toward Ash, who was hiding behind a tree.

The low shrubs did little to conceal the Paladin’s hulking figure, even when crouched. Yet, inexplicably, no one else seemed to notice him.

"Just joking," Jia Xide said casually, apparently oblivious to the Paladin. "Let’s check the mission board. If there’s a suitable quest, we can take it together."

Luo Ci nodded vaguely.

The entire way, he worried someone might ask about the Paladin. But passersby acted as if they saw nothing—as if he were the only one who could see Ash.

Still dazed, they arrived at the mission board.

The board was mounted on the pale-painted windmill tower, its crisscrossed wooden frame crammed with parchment scrolls. A steady stream of students came and went. Many, eager to earn credits, would grab breakfast—eggs and warm milk—before heading here to browse. The place was always bustling.

With Fariel parting the crowd, they easily pushed through.

Jia Xide squeezed beside a burly redhead, his slender frame nearly squished like a noodle. Struggling, he pointed at the board. "All missions here are approved by staff. See? Each is rated by difficulty—one to five stars—with corresponding credits."

The board was too high for Luo Ci, so Jia Xide lifted him up.

Indeed, the board was packed with scrolls tacked up, ranked from one to five stars.

For example:

"Cleaning the Vaz Sewers"

*Find a sewer worker named Fenn in Vaz. He claims eerie noises and scratching and gnawing sounds have been haunting the sewers lately. Help him solve the mystery!*

*Time limit: 3 months.*

*Credits: 1.*

*Difficulty: ★*

"The Ghost of Ben Griffis?"

*Is Ben Griffis still alive? The wealthy owner of a mansion in Kabichu Forest was declared dead. His nephew received a letter from the lawyer and went to inherit the estate—only to find the mansion full of traps, with his uncle’s ghost sightings. Investigate the truth behind Ben Griffis’ mansion!*

*Time limit: 6 months.*

*Credits: 3.*

*Difficulty: ★★★*

"The Plight of Saxon’s Royal Blood"

*After 40 years of waiting, King Saxon finally had a child—only for the five-year-old to fall mysteriously ill. Even servants entering the bedroom began falling sick one after another. Heartbroken, the king seeks someone to save his only heir.*

*Time limit: None.*

*Credits: 10.*

*Difficulty: ★★★★★*

After scanning the board, Luo Ci noticed five-star missions generally had no deadlines.

"I think the Ben Griffis quest is decent," Jia Xide remarked. "Not too hard, and working for a rich heir means good rewards."

But Luo Ci’s gaze was locked onto the five-star mission. A royal reward had to offer even greater rewards, right?

"Do you want to go for a five-star quest?" Jia Xide would often visit the mission board during regular class hours to look for suitable one-star missions. He had completed two one-star tasks with pretty good results, but a three-star mission was already somewhat challenging for him; he couldn't even imagine attempting a five-star one.

Luo Ci nodded. If they were going for it, he might as well aim for the hardest. Though the difficulty was higher, he could earn 10 credits in one go and even receive a bounty from the king!

Jia Xide hesitated for a while. The rewards of a five-star mission were tempting to him too. Might as well try their luck; maybe they could pull it off. So he nodded, "Alright, let’s take this one."

Without further hesitation, Jia Xide took the parchment from the bulletin board. Both he and Luo Ci had decided to put off their advanced classes for a while and embark on an adventure, so they naturally formed a team. "But we’re still missing one person in our group."

Just then, a faint commotion arose from the crowd as a cocky blonde guy slowly approached. "You two, got your third yet?"

Jia Xide: "...?"

...

After parting ways at the bulletin board, Jia Xide turned in their paperwork to the Elf Mentor.

Though Luo Ci was curious why Kevin had actively asked to join their team, he didn't think too badly of him, so he didn't object. As for Jia Xide, he didn’t dare protest against any of Kevin’s demands. And just like that, the trio was formed.

Back in the dormitory, Fariel stretched out until he covered the entire bedroom bed. Luo Ci lounged on Fariel’s back, crawling around on his soft fur while using his magic crystal to contact Hessenburg.

On the other end was Felatumo. Luo Ci called out, "Uncle Felatumo!"

"Hey!" Felatumo had his blood servants haul off some dead thieves who had trespassed into the labyrinth before turning back with a smile. "What did our little one do today?"

"Went to the ancient battlefield ruins and took on a bounty mission," Luo Ci fiddled with the crystal ball. "Oh, and I got a new familiar!"

"Oh? What is it?" Felatumo asked eagerly, showing great interest. His little one had actually gotten a new familiar—what could it be? An evil black lich? A colossal demon? A pitch-black water monster? Or perhaps an Ixion stream centaur?

Whatever it was, Felatumo was determined to give his kid major props.

However, what appeared in the crystal ball was a Paladin glowing with holy light, his sacred sword covered in divine seals and the emblems on his armor marking his identity.

—The legendary Paladin of the Holy Temple.

Felatumo’s big grin froze on his face.

"..."