Chapter 25: The Mindflayer and the Practical Leader

On the way back from the town, both Wang Yu and Avia were quiet, but for different reasons.

Wang Yu was mulling over precisely what the teddy bear that had possessed Rose's "brother" was, and how to completely eliminate that cursed being.

Avia, on the other hand, was still thinking about the tragedy that they had just witnessed. She had been far more stricken than Wang Yu.

If Avia's emotions were like fragile glass, then Wang Yu's were like rough stone—the kind you could even sharpen blades on.

"Wang Yu..." Avia wanted to speak up as Wang Yu brought her away from the small log cabin. She felt off somehow.

A deep sadness welled up within her, one that was difficult to suppress. She could sympathize with the feelings Rose shared with her "brother." She too had lost her father, her older brother, her younger brother—the feeling of losing loved ones hurt. It really did.

If she had a chance to bring them back, would she make the same foolish choice that Rose's brother did?

Her mind raced. Memories of her departed family flashed through her thoughts.

Bittersweet recollection combined with the harsh reality of their absence in a sudden deluge of sadness. Avia's heart was in turmoil...

"No, no, crap—I'm terrible at comforting people. No emotional stuff, please! For our next task, let's just beat something tough to death!"

Wang Yu was half-panicking himself. Avia was far more thoughtful and empathetic than he was. It was clear that she would bring up something that a rock-headed dullard like him would have no response to. He wasn't someone who could offer emotional support; he'd only make things worse if Avia started chatting with him about her feelings.

"Spare me!"

"Hm...?" Avia blinked in surprise as Wang Yu suddenly released her hand. He sped up and ran off, looking as if he'd just seen a ghost.

It was rare to see Wang Yu looking like that. He was normally either calm or cheerful; she couldn't help but laugh at his outsized reaction now.

A small chuckle escaped her lips. Somehow, seeing Wang Yu in such a state washed away much of her sudden melancholy.

Perhaps his bizarre optimism was affecting those around him.

Avia smiled.

She strode forward quickly, trying to catch up with Wang Yu, but he sped up even further as if sensing her approach without even looking back.

One chasing after the other, they ran toward their destination—Garcia's temporary base.

By the time they arrived, Wang Yu had calmed down. He wasn't even panting from the exertion. Avia, however, was gasping for air.

She hadn't realized just how far they had run, and her physique wasn't particularly strong.

Her melancholy had vanished entirely, to be replaced with... a growing sense of annoyance.

Garcia, seated at a table, blinked to see the two trainees return. "Task complete?"

Wang Yu nodded. He turned to see a hulking man seated across from Garcia. The man was even bulkier than Garcia and towered over Wang Yu by at least a head. His muscular frame strained against his priestly robes.

A thick beard covered the man's face, giving him a rugged appearance. Despite his size, he didn't seem menacing at all.

Somehow, he gave off the impression of being a kindly, good-natured priest who didn't bother too much with appearances.

"Fang Stewart, the captain of the Nightblades and the Archbishop of the Church of Light in Aleisterre," Garcia introduced. "You can call him Priest Fang."

The atmosphere was casual despite the fact that the Archbishop of the Church of Light was no casual position at all.

"Good to meet you, Priest Fang." Wang Yu offered the burly priest a simple bow.

For some reason, Wang Yu immediately felt a sense of ease around him. Perhaps it was because he'd always had a soft spot for people from the church of light.

"Well met, Knight Wang Yu. I heard your task went smoothly. Would you tell me about what happened?"

Wang Yu nodded. There was nothing he would need to leave out in his report to someone in such a high-ranking position—and he had questions of his own as well.

Wang Yu recounted what he had undergone together with Avia.

Garcia remained silent at first. He nodded with approval when Wang Yu described his teamwork with Avia.

When Wang Yu recounted how the boy had summoned shadowy claws and been controlled by the teddy bear, however, Garcia's eyes widened in surprise. He exchanged a glance with Fang; both men were deep in thought.

"We've completed the task, as far as I'm aware. Can you tell us what that teddy bear was?" Wang Yu asked.

Garcia and Fang eyed each other again before the priest answered, "That was a mindflayer, a sentient void entity and one of the main targets we Nightblades are tasked with eradicating," Fang explained gravely.

"It can distort the minds of individuals with high void affinity, twisting their desires to create uncontrollable void constructs. The more chaos these void constructs cause in reality, the more strength the mindflayer can extract from the chaos.

"Mindflayers delight in disrupting the order inherent to intelligent beings—humans, elves, and the other major races of the known world. They're incredibly elusive. By the time we detect them, they've often already disappeared without a trace. They live on as parasites within those of strong void affinity, subtly influencing their mental domains and driving them to extremes.

"Because they flee the moment they're discovered, all we can do is drive them off. It's extremely rare that we have a chance to kill them off. These mindflayers are sapient, you see, so they know about the existence of us Nightblades. In addition, they can even grow and learn from their experiences. They bear us great enmity."

"I see," Wang Yu muttered. He was starting to understand why the teddy bear had shown him such hostility.

The mindflayer must have recognized his Nightblade gauntlets and associated him with them.

"As I said, mindflayers are exceptionally hard to kill. They can embed themselves deeply within individuals with high void affinity. Come over here, Miss," Fang beckoned to Avia.

"Hm?" Wang Yu and Avia's eyes widened as they realized the implications of Fang's actions.

The teddy bear's explosion was unlikely to have killed the mindflayer. If it hid within hosts with high void affinity, then the natural target had to be... Avia.

"You understand, don't you? I'll have to check if the mindflayer is hiding within your mindscapes. I'll perform magic to reveal its presence. Open up your mental domains."

Fang retrieved a holy book chained to his waist. The book was massive and bound with iron edges, and Wang Yu thought that it could double as a flail in combat.

Given Fang's physique, Wang Yu was all but certain that his guess was right.

Fang opened up the holy book. The material of the pages was interesting—it looked simultaneously like cloth and paper. The book began to glow with a soft, golden light, filling the room with a warm, comforting glow.

"Let this serve as a learning experience for both of you," Fang said. He demonstrated himself, placing the holy book on the table before him and closing his eyes.

Faint golden light streamed from the book and enveloped the room in a warm golden-yellow hue.

Without hesitation, Wang Yu and Avia followed suit. Both entered a meditative state as they dove into their mindscapes.

Wang Yu's process was faster than most. His inner eye didn't require prolonged meditation.

Soon, he stood within the familiar lake of his mindscape. Clear water lapped gently at his ankles, and the starry sky overhead was as vast and silent as ever.

However, something incredible happened. By the far side of the vast expanse of the lake, a towering castle rose up from the void.

Beside the castle was a small but ornate chapel.

"What's this?" Wang Yu was stunned. He had never seen such a scene before, and his understanding of wizardry was still very limited.

"This is the projection of our mindscapes in the void," Fang explained. "If wizards are close together, we can glimpse each other's mindscapes."

Fang's voice echoed from the small chapel. His priestly robes flapped to reveal his bulging muscles.

In one hand, he gripped his flail—no, his holy book.

Fang stood at the entrance to the chapel.

Wang Yu nodded, absorbing this new information.

Meanwhile, the gates of the massive castle slowly creaked open to reveal Avia, dressed in a noblewoman's gown far more refined than her usual magician's robes.

Though her outfit was simple and rather unadorned by noble standards, Wang Yu thought that it made her look rather cute coupled with her petite frame.

"I see..." Avia nodded as she took in Fang's statement.

"Where's your mindscape, Wang Yu?" she asked.

"..." Wang Yu pointed at the rickety wooden door floating on the lake behind him. The lock was broken; he remembered that well. It was the door leading into his bedroom, after all.

Avia blinked, speechless.

"Generally, the stronger one's void affinity, the larger the projection of their mindscape. Avia, your void affinity is quite remarkable," Fang said, smiling.

Avia bit her lip. Her aunt had warned her to hide her talent for fear of others' envy and greed.

However, considering that Fang was a high-ranking member of the Church of Light and the Nightblades besides, she had little to worry about. "Please keep it a secret, Priest Fang."

"Of course." Fang nodded seriously. "Now, let's see if any mindflayers have invaded your mindscapes."

Wang Yu had been eyeing the projection of the two other wizards while they were talking.

Fang's chapel was rather large in its own right. Most interestingly, it was illuminated not by the cold, distant stars of the void, but rather a soft, golden radiance that gave off divine warmth.

One of the golden stars was especially splendid, almost like the sun of the solar system. Divine light bathed Fang and haloed his head.

As for Avia, Wang Yu couldn't help but be amazed by the extent of her castle, which was the size of a small mountain.

It was so large, in fact, that Wang Yu had a hard time seeing just how high up it extended. He couldn't help but feel like a speck of dust in comparison to the magnificent castle.

"What strong void affinity..." Wang Yu murmured.

He glanced back at his worn-down door and sighed. The contrast was apparent.

Suddenly, Wang Yu spotted something strange where the castle met the surface of the lake. Something was squirming there, a pale, translucent creature—an octopus-like entity with coiling tentacles and countless suction cups.

It was slowly eating away at the castle's foundation.

Though its slim tentacles seemed useless against the sturdy foundation of Avia's castle, its relentless assault had actually dug out a hole of significant size.

As time progressed, it would surely become a threat.

Wang Yu narrowed his eyes and approached.

"I'll perform a divine scan of our mindscapes. This spell will help detect any mindflayers that might exist here," Fang began.

"Our mindscapes are separate from each other, which means it's hard to influence them directly. After all, we're as intangible to the void as it is to us," Fang began.

"This divine spell can bypass that restriction—but once the mindflayer is exposed, it'll attempt to escape immediately. Of course, all this depends on our ability to interfere with one another's mindscapes. Otherwise, we may not be able to interact with the mindflayer at all. I'll cast this spell now. If I find the mindslayer, I'll immediately cast a follow-up spell to kill it—but this won't be easy. Mindflayers are fast, and it's rare that we manage to kill them successfully."

"I'll begin now."

Avia nodded nervously.

Soft golden light cascaded down from the sky above Fang's chapel like flowing water.

The brightest star overhead bathed the mindscape in its glow. Gentle radiance spread throughout the space and enveloped the chapel.

Then, as the priest opened the holy book in his hands, all the light streamed into it before a powerful golden shockwave burst out of the holy book and swept outward in all directions.

Meanwhile, Wang Yu furrowed his brow as he continued stepping across the lake toward the strange octopus-like creature that was trying to burrow into the base of Avia's enormous castle.

The creature sensed Wang Yu approaching, but it didn't seem to care.

It acted as if Wang Yu wouldn't be able to harm it.

Wang Yu sprinted across the lake's surface, feeling slight resistance as if passing through some invisible boundary when he approached Avia's castle. However, it didn't slow him down.

Without hesitation, he reached out to grab the creature.

Finally sensing the danger, the creature retracted from the castle wall and plunged into the lake as it attempted to flee.

It was fast, but Wang Yu was faster. Narrowing his eyes, he closed in on the creature and yanked it out from the lake.

It was pale and translucent, its body covered in suction cups. Its bulbous head was bloated and filled with swirling gray mist. It squirmed and thrashed in his grip.

Wang Yu peered into the creature's two eyes, which were surprisingly humanlike and filled with shock and terror. Something about it seemed familiar. Wang Yu frowned.

Just then, the golden shockwave swept over them. The pale golden radiance descended on the pale creature, which began to glow with golden light.

Both Fang and Avia noticed Wang Yu by the side of Avia's castle. Fang's eyes widened in shock; Avia looked on in surprise.

"Wang Yu, what's that in your hand?" Avia asked.

"The mindflayer..." Fang murmured.

The mindflayer, realizing that it had been detected, thrashed wildly in Wang Yu's grip.

Its smooth head split open to reveal a gaping maw filled with sharp teeth. It bit down on Wang Yu's hand—but Wang Yu didn't flinch. He wasn't hurt at all.

Upon hearing Fang identify the creature as the mindflayer, Wang Yu's expression had darkened.

He tightened his grip on the creature as it struggled furiously.

It let out a piercing screech, its voice reverberating. Avia winced and covered her ears, while Fang frowned.

However, nothing seemed to affect Wang Yu. His iron grip pressed down on the creature with increasing force, ignoring its wails and the countless jagged blades and serrated teeth the mindflayer sprouted in a desperate attempt to defend itself.

Wang Yu pressed harder and harder, silent but unrelenting.

The gray head of the creature began to crack. Translucent fluid dripped down from his hands.

Wang Yu didn't stop until the mindflayer's head exploded, sending the strange gray liquid splattering across the lake and staining it with a murky tint.

No one noticed that the water around Wang Yu's feet had grown slightly deeper.

Wang Yu wiped the remains of the mindflayer from his hands as he smiled in relief. He had promised himself to take down any mindflayers he saw.

Fang fell deep in thought. He cast the same spell as before, sending out a second golden shockwave to scan the area. This time, nothing unusual was detected.

"It's certainly dead," Fang confirmed. There was no sign of any mindflayer presence—Wang Yu had completely destroyed the one he had caught.

Fang glanced toward Wang Yu curiously.

He had walked straight into someone else's mindscape, grabbed a mindflayer with his bare hands, and crushed it. Garcia was right—he was a natural Nightblade.

"All right, then. Since the mindflayer has been killed, we can safely leave our mindscapes," Fang called out.

Avia and Wang Yu nodded as they withdrew.

Once they returned to reality, Avia felt as though a weight had been lifted off her chest.

Her strange sorrow and empathy was completely gone—it was clear in hindsight that she had been influenced by the mindflayer. All that remained was a trace of irritation and annoyance that she had felt during the run back.

"You should be fine from now on," Fang said, putting away his holy book. "Perhaps a few nightmares, but nothing beyond that."

He then turned to Wang Yu.

"You plan to set out on an adventure in a year's time, don't you? Are you thinking about heading to the capital and joining us Nightblades?" Fang smiled.

"I'll head out into the world once I've fulfilled my promises. The capital's definitely on my list."

Wang Yu nodded. He still had about ten months left with Avia.

He wanted to meet dragons and elves and develop his wizardry and fighting spirit. He wanted to experience all that the world had to offer.

When Wang Yu mentioned his plans to leave, for some reason, Avia's mild annoyance seemed to magnify. It wasn't anger, but rather something strange and uncomfortable.

She lowered her gaze and said nothing.

"Could you tell me more about the Nightblades?" Wang Yu asked, looking at Fang.

Fang cleared his throat and grew serious. "We are the blades in the night, beacons amidst a sea of silence, guardians of mankind, those who slay the evils that lurk in the darkness!"

After his impassioned speech, Fang looked expectantly at Wang Yu. "What do you think?"

Wang Yu blinked, then rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He considered what he knew of the Nightblades, looked at Garcia, looked back at Fang, and then rubbed his jaw.

He made up his mind and said bluntly, "It's all too vague. This doesn't mean much to me. How about the pay and benefits?"

Wang Yu had always been straightforward and practical.

Fang's lofty words didn't inspire him at all.

He had paused while considering whether to say this outright. He didn't know just what the Nightblades were like—were they like the bosses from his past life who only wanted to hear flattery and diplomatic responses? Would he offend someone as important as Fang with his bluntness?

He quickly dismissed that thought. He was in a whole new world—why be bound to such societal obligations?

He hadn't been a pushover even in his past life. He certainly wasn't going to start now.

He spoke plainly. If Fang didn't like it, tough luck. He was a wandering knight, after all, free to travel wherever he wanted.

"Haha, is that so?" Fang burst out laughing. Garcia seemed a little exasperated.

He didn't expect this to be Wang Yu's response. It wasn't embarrassing, not quite, but it was strange indeed.

Avia, on the other hand, was stunned. Fang, Archbishop of the Church of Light, was surely beyond the level of an earl. How could Wang Yu speak to him so casually?

"I'm serious. I do care about such matters," Wang Yu added earnestly.

"The Nightblades offer excellent pay and all sorts of privileges. I knew those fancy words wouldn't mean much to you—an organization can't survive on ideals alone. It needs tangible benefits."

Fang laughed approvingly, without the seriousness or formality expected of someone in his position.

Wang Yu nodded as well. He liked Fang, who seemed to be similar to him. The fact that he carried around a holy book that doubled as a flail told Wang Yu everything he needed to know.

In that case, directness was the best course of action.

"Practical details, then," Fang started. "Nightblades in the capital earn between 20 and 100 gold coins a month depending on the tasks they complete, with the potential for substantial bonus rewards. As a Nightblade, you'll have special privileges within the academies and businesses throughout the capital. All Nightblades are theoretically above the nobility when enforcing the law. Of course, you'll have to be careful exercising that facet of your power... Well? Sound good?"

Wang Yu nodded. He was more than satisfied.

That final remark had been particularly practical as well. He could understand why the Nightblades had such influence and inspired such confidence now.

They provided considerable benefits and were founded on principles that agreed with Wang Yu's philosophy. Why not work with this group of knights that served as beacons in the darkness?

"I'm very excited." Wang Yu extended his hand, and Fang shook it firmly.

"Very good. I await your arrival."

As they clasped hands, Garcia and Avia watched on speechlessly. The two practical men sealed their agreement with a handshake.