Having mastered two Signature Spells, Anser was excited for quite a while.
If he ran into that Thayan lich again, he'd definitely make him pay—show him just how many colors an artificial rainbow could have.
But when his eyes casually drifted to the spell upgrade experience requirement, his expression immediately fell.
'I'm even more short on experience now.' He sighed inwardly.
His main class and two multiclasses had already been competing for experience, and now there was another one joining the scramble—with an appetite that was anything but small.
Opening his Character Sheet, he saw that his experience pool contained 13,229 XP. He still needed more than ten thousand to level up, not even enough to raise his Wizard class to level 6.
The Black Tower prison was currently holding five Mind Flayers. Four of them had come from the Rock of Bral and had only recently completed their transformation. During that time, Anser had fed them only once, leaving them all in terrible condition.
In that state, there was no chance they could develop into fully mature Mind Flayers. The fact that they were still alive was impressive enough, let alone escaping.
The levels below the sixth floor of the Black Tower were protected by powerful magic, especially the underground sections. Even a Mind Flayer arcanist wouldn't be able to break out from the inside.
'I'll let them grow a little longer.' Anser wasn't in any hurry.
Those few Mind Flayers alone wouldn't provide enough experience for another level anyway. Better to keep them in reserve.
If it came down to it, he could always trade them to the Magic Research Society. Rare "materials" like these were bound to interest plenty of Wizards.
After teleporting back to Fort Jacqueline, it was just in time for dinner.
The butler, Harold, was already waiting outside. Seeing Anser emerge, he bowed respectfully before inviting him to the dining hall.
Like the castle guards and servants, Harold treated Anser as the master of the house. Part of that was because of Iris, but another part was because Anser had earned that respect himself.
After all, who wouldn't want a master who was both undefeated in battle and overflowing with charisma?
Following the butler into the dining hall, Anser found Brunhilde and Stoll already there.
Brunhilde sat below Grandma Iris, quietly whispering something to her with a smile on her face.
Across from her, Stoll was dressed in comfortable home clothes, leisurely sipping his ale.
The seat at the head of the table beside him had been left empty, clearly reserved for Anser.
"Sorry I'm late."
Anser greeted everyone naturally before taking the seat beside Stoll.
"I only just got back myself." Stoll laughed heartily, making the first move to show goodwill.
"You look like you're doing well."
"I'm basically recovered. Now I'm just waiting for that green dragon to come knocking again. Hmph."
"I'm afraid that's unlikely. The war in Beregost never resumed. It looks like the Green Dragon Queen has no intention of continuing the fight."
Stoll immediately fell silent, grabbed his mug, and took a long pull of ale.
The battle had happened quite some time ago, but to him, having died and been brought back to life, it felt as though only a few days had passed. The desperate struggle for survival in Claw Bay still surged through his dreams from time to time.
The frustration in his chest simply wouldn't settle.
"So, what have you been busy with these past few days?" Anser quickly changed the subject.
He would have loved to help Stoll hunt down that green dragon, but he didn't know where the adult dragon's lair was, nor did he know how powerful the Green Dragon Queen really was. It wasn't something he could act on blindly or make promises about.
If the Magic Research Society couldn't arrange a better magic item, he'd exchange for the Dragonlance. Once he had it, he could start looking for the dragon.
Stoll glanced sideways at him.
"Meeting up with old friends, wandering around Durlag, and stopping by the training grounds to watch the recruits."
"No wonder Durlag's public security has been so much better these past few days. Everyone knows the God of War of Durlag has returned..." Anser praised him deliberately.
In truth, he'd already known where Stoll had been. He simply hadn't mentioned it.
Stoll hadn't been living at Fort Jacqueline before. He had his own residence just behind the Union headquarters—
a quiet three-story stone house with its own courtyard.
Never one to sit still, Stoll had been making frequent appearances around Durlag over the past few days. Occasionally, he even visited the training grounds to instruct the new recruits, though he hadn't taken the initiative to meet with any of the council members.
Anser had been busy before, so he hadn't rushed into talking to him. He wanted to give Stoll time to think things through on his own.
Now, he felt the timing was right.
"Ordinarily, you're my elder, so I shouldn't be bothering you with this. But things are a mess right now. You already know about the Thayan lich and what happened at the Rock of Bral. The green dragon isn't the only crisis we're facing..."
Anser wore a troubled expression. It wasn't an act, either—he genuinely had far too many headaches to deal with lately.
A veteran capable of slaying dragons was an extraordinary asset. Fighting alongside someone like Stoll would be far more valuable than having Brunhilde alone.
Stoll appreciated it. Praise and requests from ordinary people meant nothing to him, but Anser was different.
After spending several days feeling overlooked, coupled with the frustration of having fought alone before, his outlook had changed considerably. He had decided he was done sitting on the sidelines.
Besides, the current situation didn't allow for it anyway.
"So, what can I do?" He set down his mug, rubbed his bald head with a rough hand, and fixed his large eyes on Anser.
"Do what you're best at. You're the Union's Chief Councilor. You enjoy all the benefits the Union provides, so it's only right that you help safeguard its growth and prosperity." Anser smiled.
Quentin had already gathered opinions from every side and was drafting the new Union charter.
The Union now directly governed Durlag and White Stone Island, while Dawn Town and the Rock of Bral had become commercial partnership zones. With its growing population and expanding territory, it also needed stronger military protection.
"You don't have to explain it any further. I get it. Whoever messes with us, we smash 'em." Stoll waved a large hand dismissively, visibly relaxing.
He had honestly been worried Anser might assign him some kind of administrative desk job. That would have been torture.
"Yeah, that's one way to put it." Anser glanced at Iris, and the two exchanged a knowing smile.
With their cooperation settled, the slightly stiff atmosphere vanished.
Stoll became much more talkative, and nearly every topic revolved around Anser. He was intensely curious about the genius Sorcerer.
Anser answered every question, though whenever the conversation touched on personal matters, he brushed them aside with a casual response.
Across the table, Brunhilde kept stealing glances at Anser. Seeing that he completely ignored her while enthusiastically chatting with the brute she looked down on, she rolled her eyes more than once.
Dinner soon came to an end.
After Brunhilde left, Anser took the opportunity to invite Stoll to join the Genius Adventuring Party.
Stoll casually flipped through the party handbook. Without understanding a thing, he agreed on the spot, somehow becoming the party's tenth member.
Anser considered explaining everything, but judging by Stoll's expression, he wasn't convinced he'd be able to make him understand anyway.
So he simply showed him how to use the Party Storage and decided to let him figure out the rest at his own pace.
...
The next morning, the first light of dawn crept across the horizon.
With some reluctance, Anser pulled himself away from Iris's warm, supple body before getting up to dress and wash.
"Where are you off to? I don't usually see you this diligent."
Iris rolled over lazily onto her side, resting her head on one arm as her violet hair spread across the pillow.
"First I'm taking Kaleno to Dawn Town, then I'm heading to the Magic Research Society. We've got an important operation."
Kaleno had volunteered to be stationed in Dawn Town while searching for his sister. Anser had agreed, but the Chosen of Lolth and the lich incidents had delayed things considerably.
If he put it off any longer, Kaleno would probably start getting anxious.
They had already discussed everything yesterday. Kaleno was most likely waiting for him at the Union headquarters by now.
Time was tight. He couldn't delay the Magic Research Society either. Their Wizard delegation was preparing to station itself at the Rock of Bral, and Anser would be serving as their guide.
Fortunately, he had already informed Osborn yesterday and arranged accommodations for them.
"Figures. A career really does keep a man busy," Iris remarked with a hint of emotion.
"As if everyone's as lazy as you."
Anser suddenly reached over and gave her a playful grab before shooting out through the window with a whoosh.
Then he unfurled his dragon wings and flew toward Durlag.
Without the Elemental Sphere, his flying speed had indeed dropped a little, but it was still perfectly acceptable.
His increased Strength also allowed his dragon wings to propel him even faster.
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