Chapter 29: The Enemy's Calculated Plot

Wang Yu stood before the massive tree, panting heavily. Sweat poured down his bare torso as he caught his breath.

Wood splintered and broke.

The dead tree that he'd been training against for four months had finally succumbed. It collapsed to the ground with a deafening crash.

After four months of relentless training, his strength had finally reached a coefficient of 1.6, the threshold needed for a mid-rank knight-in-training.

His growth spurt was ending in a month's time. Improving his physique thereafter would be significantly more challenging.

Suddenly, something caught Wang Yu's attention. A strange object flew erratically through the sky.

He narrowed his eyes to see a mechanical bird, its movements stiff and unnatural, with a faint trail of smoke left behind.

"A one-time magic messenger? Who would use something so expensive?" Wang Yu muttered to himself.

The bird, made of crude mechanical parts, flapped its wings in a shaky, unsteady manner. Its gears and exposed axles weren't protected at all. It looked as though it would fall apart at any moment.

Despite the poor craftsmanship and generally poor effect, such magic messengers were very costly.

They tended to fall apart after a single use. The only advantage was that they could transmit information over particularly long distances.

The bird's flight became more erratic as it neared Wang Yu. Its altitude rapidly decreased until it finally crashed into the ground in a clatter of broken parts. Wang Yu didn't try to catch it—who knew if its power core would suddenly explode?

Fortunately, that didn't seem to be the case. Amidst the scattered pieces, Wang Yu found a round metal sphere—the bird's nearly depleted power core, which might come in handy. In addition, there was a metal cylinder, the actual message that it had been carrying. It was the only part of the contraption that looked durable.

Wang Yu couldn't tell whether he was the recipient or if the bird had simply fallen near him by chance. Either way, he would know once he checked the message.

Using his magic to distort reality, he sent a stream of void energy into the device.

A soft glow emanated from it as a name was projected into the air: Mira Svein.

Wang Yu paused in surprise. Mira Svein was Avia's mother. Was this a letter for her?

It had to be. Avia hadn't contacted her mother in nearly a year, largely to avoid being tracked by those with malicious intent, but also because long-distance communication in this world was notoriously difficult.

Now, however, out of the blue, a message had arrived. Wang Yu could only imagine the longing that Mira had felt for her child.

Without reading the message, he approached Avia's cottage and knocked on her door.

The girl answered quickly. Her face looked fatigued, as if she had been working hard on something.

"Are you still struggling with that spell? It was just an idle thought—you don't have to take it so seriously."

"No, I think it's worth pursuing. It really might work."

"Alright, then. Keep at it!"

"Thank you. Do you need something?" The girl brushed a few stray hairs from her face.

"It's a letter from your mother." Wang Yu passed her the metal cylinder.

"What? A letter from Mother?" Avia's expression shifted from surprise to a mixture of worry and anticipation.

Wang Yu smiled. Avia and her mother had to miss each other, especially in light of the losses they had both suffered over the past year.

"Anyway, I'll leave you to it." Wang Yu stepped away. It wasn't his place to intrude on such a personal moment.

Wang Yu basked in the warm sunlight. He would enjoy this rare moment of relaxation after finally having broken through to a new threshold of strength.

Though he was outdoors most of the day, it was good to just enjoy the sunlight without having to worry about training.

Now that war had begun, time was too precious a commodity to be wasted.

His thoughts drifted to the spell that Avia had been working on. "Void manifestation? She really is a genius. I made an off-hand remark, and she's already trying to make it a reality."

The concept had come up during a casual chat, when Wang Yu had mentioned a novel from his past life: The Wizard From Afar.

Although many aspects of the void differed between that novel's setting and his current world, the idea of manifesting the void had been of particular interest to Avia. Ever since she had completed the dagger, she had thrown herself into research as she attempted to realize the manifestation of the void.

Though Wang Yu was certain that it would be a difficult feat, he had to admit that the resulting spell would be incredible.

Considering Avia's monstrous talent, she might well succeed.

Wang Yu counted the days. It had been over a month since they had witnessed the Ossuary, and his body's growth spurt was about to end. His training would become less effective, and he would be free to journey across this world.

Though the war might have begun, he would soon be free, unbound by obligation or constraint.

Suddenly, footsteps rushed toward him from behind. Wang Yu turned to see Avia approaching him in panic.

Wang Yu's demeanor immediately grew alert. "What's wrong?"

"My mother—she's been placed under house arrest!" Avia trembled with fear and shock. Whatever had been in that letter had shaken her to the core.

Once again, Wang Yu sighed. He sympathized with the girl and her heaping pile of misfortunes. He motioned for her to hand him the letter.

The girl did so with trembling hands. Wang Yu scanned its contents. He frowned. Its implications were alarming.

Mira urged Avia to return to her estate just outside the capital, and to transfer the barony and a portion of her assets to her uncle, Decaphon Dovan.

What was this nonsense? Wang Yu's brows furrowed in confusion. How could they expect her to just hand over her title and property? They were worse than bandits...

"What's going on?" Wang Yu asked Avia.

Avia bit down on her lip, hard enough to draw blood. Her body trembled.

Whether she was doing it out of anger, fear, or frustration, Wang Yu couldn't tell. Regardless, it was clear that she was overwhelmed.

"It's the Wartime Nobility Succession Act," the girl said. Her voice trembled with rage.

Wang Yu couldn't recall much about this law, which seemed to be unique to Aleisterre.

There were brief, obscure mentions to it in the treatises he had studied. He too frowned as he thought back to what he knew.

The Wartime Nobility Succession Act was a law enacted during times of war to ensure that noble families contributed to the kingdom's defense. It was designed to prevent the aristocracy from engaging in petty infighting instead of uniting against foreign threats.

The king was well aware of how corrupt and selfish many nobles were. Without making firm demands, they would never support the kingdom's military efforts—and without any incentives, they would shirk their responsibilities.

For instance, they might draft the weak, poor, and infirm from their respective territories to form a ragtag army that would instantly be defeated by foreign foes.

This act was created as a response. Those nobles who refused to fight could "voluntarily" transfer their titles and resources to those who would.

Of course, there was nothing voluntary about it—it was coercion, plain and simple.

Could minor nobility refuse the demands of those with far more strength and influence? Hardly.

The pieces fell into place in Wang Yu's mind. Decaphon Dovan was clearly trying to take advantage of this act to trouble Avia Dovan.

"But isn't your mother the baroness? And didn't your grandfather promise to protect both of you? How can Decaphon afford to act so brazenly?"

"My mother transferred the title of baroness to me a long time ago. She never cared for such titles—she just wanted to secure a better future for me," Avia explained, her voice laced with anger. Anger at her uselessness, and anger at Decaphon's despicable behavior.

"As for my grandfather, he must be busy preparing his holdings for war himself. Decaphon must be taking advantage of his preoccupation to make his move. As long as he's fast enough about it, he'll be able to obtain what he wants, and Grandfather can hardly wage war with him after the fact."

Wang Yu grimaced. He too was getting angry.

Was this the true face of royalty?

Wang Yu clenched his fists tightly. If he could, he'd give Decaphon Dovan the beating of his life.

"It's true my mother's a grand magus, but she's been suffering from a strange illness. Her control over her magic has become increasingly unstable, and she's worried that she might lose control entirely. She sealed off her mindscape as a result, and her mental strength has greatly diminished. It's difficult for her to use either magic or sorcery. That's why Decaphon can afford to act so boldly." Avia's eyes brimmed with tears. An overwhelming sense of powerlessness crushed her spirit.

"Since you're the true baroness, if you don't return, they can hardly force you to transfer your title and assets, can they?"

Wang Yu didn't know what to do. He was ill-equipped for politics. All he could hope for was that there was something Decaphon had overlooked.

"That's true, but only my mother knows where I am. Only she can locate me via magical marker. The fact that she sent this letter means that she's already under their control—likely under house arrest. How can I just leave her like this?"

Avia's tears began to flow freely. Her body shook with helplessness. She thought that she would soon be able to reunite with her mother, but the letter that should have brought her joy instead carried terrible tidings. It seemed as if nothing could stop the chain of events that Decaphon had set in motion.

She was the baroness. It was true that, if she didn't respond, she could keep her title for the time being—but the message was clear. Mira Svein was a hostage.

Without her title and power, Mira was at the mercy of her captors.

Decaphon was threatening his own niece with his sister-in-law's safety.

How could an isolated girl with no allies stand against Decaphon and his powerful backers?

She couldn't just run and abandon her mother, but if she didn't, what could she possibly do? The situation seemed utterly hopeless.

Wang Yu felt a chill run down his spine at the antics of these so-called nobles.

It was laughable. Even the poorest of peasants, starving and desperate, still had families and loved ones they fought to protect.

Yet these nobles were more like vultures, scavengers ready to strip their fellows of everything the moment something happened to them.

There were people like this in his past life, too, but Wang Yu had been fortunate never to encounter them himself.

Now, sensing Avia's despair, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

What was he most skilled at? Not fighting or scheming, but flipping the table—tearing down the facade of law and order when things got out of hand.

Just as Wang Yu was about to speak, something unexpected happened. Avia's tears fell onto the metal cylinder and triggered some hidden reaction. Magical glyphs glowed softly along its surface.

Before either of them could react, Avia felt a gentle hand wipe away the tears on her face.

Wang Yu froze, as did Avia. Wang Yu frowned, but he could sense no threat or danger from the figure.

Golden hair cascaded down delicate shoulders. A familiar face, bearing a striking resemblance to Avia, smiled. She was an older woman, radiating maturity and warmth.

Avia's breath caught in her throat.

The woman before her was someone she knew all too well—precisely why she was in a state of stunned disbelief.

"Mother..." Avia's voice trembled as the word escaped her lips. Unstoppable tears continued to spill from her eyes.

"Don't cry, little Avia. Your mother's here," the woman said gently. She wiped the tears from her daughter's face and pulled her into a warm embrace.

Wang Yu could tell that this was merely a void projection, but she might as well have been real.

Avia's mother seemed to be as much of a genius as Avia was. She was able to manifest a long-distance projection with just a modicum of void energy. She had admirable and frightening skill.

Avia leaned into her mother's embrace, feeling utterly vulnerable. For just a moment, she wanted nothing more than to feel the warmth of her mother's arms around her.

Mira gazed at her daughter with love and regret.

"I'm so sorry, Avia. Your father and I weren't able to protect you the way we should have. I'm so sorry. Don't come back to save me. As long as you're safe and happy, I will be, too..."

The woman paused. Her voice was filled with guilt and frustration.

"I know you've been through so much, and I'm asking for the impossible. I really am burdening you, aren't I? Avia, I want you to know that, even if you're struggling, even if life is hard, even if you haven't accomplished anything—I'll be happy so long as you're alive.

"Don't come save me. Seeing you here like this is more than enough for me. And don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Someone like Decaphon, I think, will end up in the church of light's so-called hell. I hope I'll still qualify for heaven, at the very least."

Her smile was beautiful and tinged with sorrow.

Wang Yu watched from the sidelines. The love of a parent was truly incredible. Even if he had never been one himself, he could understand how Mira Dovan had to feel. It really frustrated him to no extent.

"My dear Avia, I will always be proud of you. You've grown into such a strong young woman. I want you to stay strong, no matter what happens, where I'm with you or not. Promise me you'll live bravely."

Mira's projection flickered. "I don't have much time left. It's time to say goodbye. I love you, my dear. Farewell..." With a final, lingering touch on Avia's head, Mira's form began to dissolve. She faded away until nothing remained in the air.

Avia stood frozen, her body and spirit overwhelmed by grief. As her mother's presence faded away, her legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground—only to have a pair of strong arms catch her and lift her back to her feet.

"This is really pissing me off," Wang Yu growled. "I'd like to kill someone. Get ready—we're leaving soon. It won't be easy, but no one's going to stop us. As always, I'm the tank, and you're the carry."

Wang Yu steadied Avia, his intense gaze locking onto her tear-filled eyes.

Avia's trembling slowly subsided as Wang Yu's fierce resolve washed over her.

She recalled something he had once said: sometimes you had to make irrational choices, because you'd regret it forever if you didn't.

Anger and sorrow burned in her chest, fueling her determination. Though her heart was fragile and bruised, it reignited in flames...