The Sea of Clifstat, leading to Hanger Town.
In the vast waters of Clifstat, numerous ships filled the area, large vessels, small sailboats, and many other kinds of boats.
The people aboard them either complained or chatted about how one of the larger ships had temporarily blocked the route.
Meanwhile, on a small sailboat, Euphor sat quietly and watched the scene unfold, his expression thoughtful.
It seems they submitted the bounty early. It was almost as if they did so immediately after I left.
They must have known I was heading to Hanger Town through the specific ritual of the Moses Family.
Although I knew they could still find me, I followed the River of Clifstat and avoided the Bonnie Blue Ocean because of the Hanged Associate.
I didn't realize the Hanged Associate also had influence here.
No, they must have control over the whole sea.
I need to get to Hanger Town and purify my blood to remove this tracking spell.
He stood up and continued inwardly.
What to do… what to do…
He looked around and noticed the large ship and the people aboard it.
That's right. I'm a sorcerer. I can take them down.
He looked up and turned to his companion, who was standing by the wheel. "When you see a chance, get the boat moving."
Before his friend could reply, Euphor suddenly disappeared.
Whoosh!
The waters rippled as though something incredibly fast had just passed through them.
In the next instant, Euphor appeared directly in front of the captain of the large ship, whose back had been turned.
Euphor's golden eyes locked onto his target as he prepared to strike.
But at that very moment, the captain suddenly turned and swiftly drove his hand into Euphor's chest.
Immediately, blood gushed from Euphor's chest as he stared at the captain in shock.
Only then did he realize the truth.
The captain and his men had deliberately lowered their spirituality, making themselves appear weak so that he would attack carelessly.
In reality, everyone on the ship was a sorcerer.
Suddenly, Euphor's body condensed upward and disappeared.
But the captain remained calm and raised his hand in an upward gesture.
Using his Spirit Body, Euphor was already in midair, leaping back toward the sailboat.
Then, without warning, a giant shark burst from the sea below, its massive jaws wide open.
Shit… not good.
Using another of his Spirit Bodies, Euphor suddenly went limp like a lifeless corpse and allowed himself to enter the shark's mouth.
In the next instant, his true figure materialized aboard the big boat. Without wasting any time, he turned transparent as he activated one of his charms.
Immediately, the captain heard the cabin door open.
He quickly realized that Euphor had returned to the big boat and was attempting to destroy the engine of the boat.
Euphor, whose figure was gradually becoming visible again, quickly used one of his Order abilities. His body compressed inward and was carried by the wind.
At that moment, he was still inside the living room.
The captain and his men burst into the room and glanced around before immediately rushing downstairs.
Euphor had already reached the engine room.
Without hesitation, he pulled a charm from his coat pocket, sprayed its contents around, and activated it.
Immediately, the ship's engine burst into flames.
And in that swift instant, the door flew open, and the captain immediately recited a spell.
"Endeavor!"
At once, Euphor began to choke.
It felt as though the water within his body had stiffened, disrupting the natural flow throughout his system.
He could not breathe at all.
In the next moment, he collapsed and died.
Then, with a whoosh, his figure reappeared on the small sailboat.
"Move quickly," he told his friend.
Without even thinking, his friend immediately set sail.
Euphor looked at the small area beneath the large ship that was now engulfed in flames, and the corners of his lips curved upward.
He had destroyed the engine. There was no way they could give chase.
He glanced around and noticed the other sailors scrambling about, making it even harder for anyone to pursue him immediately.
But one thing prevented him from feeling completely victorious.
He had run out of Spirit Bodies.
Normally, Spirit Bodies could be created using spirituality and used by any sorcerer, but they were extremely difficult to produce. One had to recreate an entire replica of the body, and completing a single Spirit Body usually took a full day.
Euphor, however, was a genius and could create one in under thirty minutes.
Looking back, he saw several small sailboats being lowered from the large ship.
They were one, no three, then four!
Seeing this, Euphor was momentarily afraid. But after looking more carefully, he noticed that the captain was nowhere in sight and that the auras of the pursuing men were relatively weak.
He was stronger than all of them.
He breathed softly and used the force of the air to increase the boat's speed.
Meanwhile, the men relied on their sailor abilities and navigation skills to continue the pursuit.
As Euphor watched them close in, he immediately began tracing symbols in the air, damaging several of the small sailboats with unseen attacks.
A sense of joy rose in his heart when he turned and saw the dock leading to the land of Hanger.
He was filled with relief. Once they reached land, he could deal with these men if necessary and then blend into the crowd with his companion.
Without wasting any time, he turned and breathed softly once more.
With the aid of the wind, the pursuing sailboats were blasted backward by a powerful gust.
Whoosh!
Euphor's own small sailboat was also pushed forward by a tremendous force, causing it to rock violently as it surged a great distance ahead.
Swoo! Whoosh!
After several moments of battling against the heavy winds beneath the grey sky, the pursuers gradually arrived near the dock of Hanger Town.
There, they found Euphor's small sailboat damaged and rocking on the water, with no sign of human activity.
They quickly came to the conclusion that he had escaped.
A faint musical sound suddenly reached their ears, and a voice soon followed. "He escaped, right? Spread out and monitor every area in Hanger Town. We are on our way."
With that, the sound faded, and the sailor sorcerer sighed softly.
Meanwhile, on one of the distant streets of Hanger Town, Euphor and his companion walked calmly along the road and entered a building as though they belonged there.
...
Lamenti, Moonlight Watchers Faculty.
Tap. Splash. Tap.
With the sound of rain hitting everything, the glass doors, the windows, and cars slicing through puddles, Lumian, still wearing his black coat, stepped into the Faculty and checked the time on his phone.
It was one in the afternoon, yet the rain refused to stop.
Trying to remain slightly optimistic, he said Inwardly. I pray to Skywalker it's not that God again.
But the inward chuckle soon died as he surveyed the reception room.
He thought about how Mr. Derrick's death would affect Lury, since she had been his little apprentice in the alchemy room.
He even remembered the first white, intricately engraved bullet Mr. Derrick had prepared and that Lury had given to him.
With a sigh, he walked to the partition and swiftly climbed upstairs.
Apparently, the captain had told him to come.
He finished climbing and quickly walked over to the captain's door.
When he reached it, he immediately heard voices arguing inside.
Curious, he peeked in slightly and saw a man with neatly combed yellow hair wearing mismatched clothing.
James Carrick… Lumian thought inwardly as he recognized the face.
Looking to the side, he also saw Hargreaves standing next to him.
Listening more closely, he realized his own name was being discussed.
"We should at least imprison him for a day and put him under heavy interrogation. Don't you think the situation in the Faculty is rather suspicious? The stolen St. Mary Text, and technically everything that has been happening here… and he just happens to become a sorcerer when all of that occurs."
Hargreaves sighed and replied, "It might just be a coincidence."
"That's exactly what I mean. You should at least place him under strict investigation." James Carrick replied.
Hargreaves, who was leaning against his table, thought for a long moment.
He truly trusted and believed in Lumian, but James Carrick also held great value to the Church. If James were to report his suspicions to the higher authorities, Lumian would be in even greater danger.
With that thought, he sighed and said. "The investigation will be conducted within this Faculty."
James Carrick nodded.
Then Hargreaves slowly turned toward the door and said:
"Lumian… I'm sorry."
In his gaze, the door was already wide open, and Lumian stood there with shock and surprise written all over his face.