The Amber Sword

Brendel, Amandina, and Magadal were led into a suite on the third floor of the auction house. The room had a balcony, allowing a good view of the entire place. Brendel was quite satisfied with the room, but Amandina on the other hand, was severely underwhelmed. She’d heard of  rumors of the grandiose auction house of Ampere Seale. She thought its appearance would be comparable to the grand structures of Braggs, but she was met with disappointment as  she looked at the plain building.

The walls around her looked to be made of plain dull wood. The curtains hanging off the ceiling did not impress in either color or texture. As for the chair she was sitting on, the craftsmanship seemed mediocre, however she did feel strangely comfortable on it.

Little did she know that the walls were made of Black Ironwood, an expensive material used in crafting staves. The curtains were weaved from  fabric imported from the Sand Nation in the south, and were considered to be a priceless treasure. The cushion of her seat was made of camel fur, a single one would cost a normal person’s life savings. A noble’s lifestyle was truly one of extravagance that’s incomprehensible to most.

Even though technically, Amandina was also a noble, her family had long since lost their power and wealth. This luxurious lifestyle was something they could only dream about.

A silencing spell had been cast over the balcony, rendering their voices undetectable to anyone outside the area of effect. There was also a barrier that prevented anyone outside from looking into the balcony. The auction house had done a great job at protecting their identities, but Brendel cast his own silencing spell just in case. This type of spell was nothing to an Elementalist who had surpassed level twenty, but Magadal was impressed nonetheless at Brendel’s lack of need for any tools to help him.

“He even knows magic. Not to mention he’s already a Gold Rank Swordsman., how did Mr. Brendel achieve such power while being so young? Is the gap between a normal person and a genius this wide?” Princess Magadal raised her eyebrow in surprise. She had thought that her close friend, Princess Gryphine was a generational talent herself, but that talent seemed dull in comparison to Brendel. And this was without her knowing that Brendel only took slightly more than a year to reach Gold Rank, or else she would have suspected that Brendel was actually a member of the dragon race.

There were talks around town saying that Brendel was the most outstanding talent in the past century. However, this rising star had a rather close relationship with the princess, prompting many to start worrying about his motives. Magadal, on the other hand, was glad that her friend had someone like Brendel supporting her.

“Okay, it’s safe to talk now. Just what is going on with the Holy Cathedral, Princess? Correct me if I’m wrong, but Archbishop Wood supports the motion that Aouine should remain as it is. Are his words not enough to sway the opinions of the leaders of the Holy Cathedral of Fire? I know that there are more archbishops, especially in a city like Ampere Seale, but there can’t be that many. So why did the Holy Cathedral deviate from their original plan?” Brendel asked once he finished his spell.

Magadal hesitated, but in the end, she shook her head. The Holy Cathedral had given her so much, she did not dare to resist them. Just like Gryphine, even if she knew she had no way out, she still had to continue on her path. Seeing that Magadal was unwilling to part ways with the Holy Cathedral, Brendel could only sigh. He knew that it was unlikely she would accept, after all the Nun Princess still had an entire country weighing on her soldiers. Humans can never truly be free. He too merely asked her on a whim of his.

The auctioneer slammed his mallet down thrice, calling for silence.

“I await your news. Please tread carefully.” Brendel said.

Princess Magadal nodded in reply.