It was clear how much importance the other party placed on this matter, even setting aside the border defense issue.
Seeing Karl return to the banquet hall, Triss immediately greeted him and looked at him with concern.
Karl smiled and shook his head, indicating he was fine, and gently took her hand, whispering: "Triss, let's talk about it in detail when we get back. We... have something to do."
......
Back at Triss's house in the commercial district, Karl finally relaxed, feeling the night's fatigue.
Although he didn't care about the glory of the competition, he had to at least show that he cared.
Otherwise, it would seem very antisocial, and it wouldn't have brought him to Foltest's attention.
But more important was the conversation with Foltest, the sense of urgency it gave him.
"What did you say? He wants you to lift Adda's curse?"
"Karl, this is too dangerous! That Striga was a creature that even an entire team of elite knights could not handle."
"I know you are strong, strong enough to easily defeat those knights in the joust, but dealing with a curse is a completely different dimension!"
After listening to Karl's account, Triss's brows furrowed, and her worry was indescribable.
"Of course, I know it's dangerous, Triss." Karl took her hand and tried to calm Triss.
"But Raymond needs this promise, this legitimization, and you know my background."
"Moreover, I'm not as unprepared as you think." Karl paused, his eyes deepening.
He let go of Triss's hand and took something from his inner pocket.
A pearl necklace connected by a fine silver chain, the pendant made of polished, smooth obsidian, the whole thing simple and mysterious.
It was the obsidian necklace he had obtained when he killed the Drowners earlier.
"Wait, this is a magical item?" Triss took the necklace curiously, feeling the faint magical fluctuations left on it.
"An item I stumbled upon a few days ago when I was clearing out a Drowner nest. When I touched it, I saw strange characters."
"They seem to contain some kind of knowledge, but I couldn't understand them at all."
Before he finished speaking, he took a pen and paper from the table and, relying on his previous memory,
quickly and accurately sketched a few lines of distorted, ancient, and powerful characters.
The structure of these characters was very different from the northern lingua franca they used in conversation, and the strokes seemed to contain visions of thunder, lightning, and barriers.
Zio'bel Ard, Hârn aen Ard
And Triss's face changed the moment she saw these characters.
She took the paper, her green eyes fixed on the symbols, her red lips moving silently, trying to pronounce them in a certain rhythm.
When she uttered the first syllable, the magic in the room instantly activated, and the fireplace flame shot up and then flickered.
The crystal vessels on the table hummed softly, and it seemed lightning was about to burst in the air.
"Oh my god, this is just..." Triss stopped abruptly, her face full of shock.
She looked at Karl as if she were looking at a rare treasure.
"Karl, do you know what this is?"
Karl shook his head: "I just think they are extraordinary."
"This is not just extraordinary! This is a spell constructed in the Elder Speech, and it's an extremely ancient and powerful version!"
"These ancient sayings... if I'm not mistaken, they refer to two legendary spells that have been long lost."
"Arzu's Shield and Arzu's Thunderbolt!" Her breathing seemed a bit rapid.
"You don't understand, Karl. Arzu was one of the most powerful sorcerers hundreds of years ago."
"He and his teacher, Cosimo, created the Witchers, and he laid the foundation for some of the spells we have today."
"But these two spells, especially the Thunderbolt, are said to have been lost with Arzu's death because they were too powerful and difficult to control."
"They are only recorded occasionally in the most ancient texts, and even the most knowledgeable members of the Brotherhood may not know the specific incantations!"
"You... how could you obtain the legacy of their knowledge from a magical item like a necklace?!"
At that moment, the door to the study gently opened, and Keira's charming face peeked in.
On her face was her usual, seemingly harmless smile: "Hey, Triss, it seems you have some activity... Oh? Karl is here too? Hasn't he gone to enjoy his hero's evening yet?"
Her gaze swept across the room, instantly stopping at the paper full of ancient characters in Triss's hand, and the excitement and shock had not yet faded from her face.
Keira's eyes sharpened, and she caught the name Triss had blurted out in her excitement—"Arzu."
"Arzu?" Keira entered and slightly twisted her waist.
She pretended to be relaxed and asked, "Are you discussing some interesting ancient history? It sounds amazing."
And Triss immediately realized her slip of the tongue and subconsciously wanted to put the paper away, but it was too late.
Keira's curiosity was fully aroused by the two of them.
"It's nothing, Keira. It's just some academic research." Triss tried to explain lightly.
But Keira was not so easily dismissed.
Keira took a few steps forward, her gaze fixed on the paper: "Come on, Triss, your expression isn't one you'd have from ordinary academic research."
"Arzu, I think I've read that name in some forbidden book."
"It's said he was some kind of old-timer who created terrible spells. What did you find? A lost recipe of his? Or a spell."
Her tone gradually changed from curiosity to impatience, even with a hint of greed.
For a sorceress, the allure of a lost and powerful spell far surpassed any jewelry or fine clothing.
Karl frowned slightly, stepped forward, and stood in front of Triss and the paper.
"Miss Metz, this is merely some of my personal findings. They have nothing to do with the academic research of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, let alone with you."
Hearing this, Keira's eyes turned to Karl, and her smile became a bit unsteady: "Personal findings? Sir Karl, powerful knowledge of spells belongs to all sorcerers and should not be kept secret."
"Especially the creation of such a dangerous figure as Arzu... It might be more appropriate to hand it over to the Brotherhood for safekeeping and research?"
By the way, she paused and threw out a lure.
"Of course, I wouldn't ask for your things for nothing."
"I can pay you Orens to satisfy you, or... some special magical items?"
"I could even put in a good word for you with the king. I know you need that... recognition." She cast Karl a meaningful glance.
Karl sneered inwardly, of course understanding what Keira was hinting at.
However, Keira didn't know that he had already spoken with Foltest.
Now he had also received a promise from the other party. A few good words? He hadn't needed that for a long time!
╔══════════════════════╗
📘 Want more?
Join me on Patreon for bonus chapters
and early access!
🔗 https://www.patreon.com/cw/OverlordD
╚══════════════════════╝