Scientific Wizard

After pondering for a moment, Lynn turned to the shipwright and inquired again, "What about the dispute within the royal family? Have you found out anything?"

(TL/n - Shipwright = a carpenter skilled in ship construction and repair.)

The shipwright dared not conceal anything, recounting all the information they had gathered in recent days.

"King Bazeel has two sons named Harold and Hatar. Not long ago, at the king's birthday celebration, Harold presented a life-sized glass mirror and finished glassware made by us. He stole the limelight at the banquet and garnered the admiration of the noble."

"There are rumors that His Highness, the eldest prince, also gave another round mirror to Archbishop Losak."

"The entire kingdom is now abuzz with the news that Harold has garnered the Church's support and is soon to be crowned as the heir…"

Though they hadn't been in the Kingdom of Hadralata for long, they had managed to establish connections with some nobles through the sale of glass products. This information was widely circulated in the aristocratic circle, not much of a secret, so their inquiries were quite detailed.

Listening to these royal family disputes was like gossip to Lynn. Unexpectedly, William had chosen to support Harold. Judging from the information gathered by Laut and the others, William didn't suddenly decide this; he had been siding with a potential heir since the dispute began.

But wasn't this eldest prince leaning towards the side of the church?

Lynn was momentarily surprised but soon understood upon careful consideration.

Previously, William had indeed assisted Herlram in smuggling supplies. To conceal his identity, he needed an added layer of cover. Aligning with Harold was undoubtedly a clever choice, reducing suspicion and providing significant convenience.

However, that was before. William's current restless attitude had evidently turned this into a new problem.

"Additionally, we've also gathered some information about the wizards in the capital…" The shipwright cautiously reported.

"Go on," Lynn nodded, not surprised by this.

Despite the persecution and suppression of wizards by the Church within the Sekas Empire, there would always be those seeking power in this world. Some inherently talented wizards could even wield basic spells without formal training.

So, regardless of the Church's actions, this group of wizards would always exist, perhaps only hiding more discreetly.

"Last month, the Church captured three wizards in the capital. The aftermath of their confrontation destroyed several houses. There are rumors in the streets that these wizards seemed to wield the power of lightning…" The shipwright spilt everything they knew.

"Oh? Are you sure?" Lynn became instantly interested.

Ever since replicating the electromagnetic cannon using True Illusion, Lynn had been intrigued by the use of lightning magic and had experimented with it extensively.

After all, electromagnetism was one of the four fundamental forces, existing within everything, harboring terrifying power.

However, with his current sensory abilities, he couldn't detect charges or manipulate currents.

Originally, Lynn thought it might be due to his insufficient abilities, thinking perhaps only grand wizards capable of decomposing and producing metallic elements had the qualifications to delve into this field.

Now, it seemed that might not be the case. There were wizards within the kingdom who could summon lightning, overturning Lynn's previous conclusions.

Lynn doubted that those captured were high-ranking wizards; otherwise, not just several houses, perhaps half the capital would have been demolished in their conflict.

Upon Lynn's inquiry, the shipwright hesitated, unable to answer confidently. They hadn't personally witnessed these wizards employing lightning magic.

Unable to extract further information, Lynn didn't press the issue, gesturing for the shipwright to depart. However, his expression suddenly froze as the arcane ring he left with Laut was activated.

***

Three minutes ago, Kingdom of Hadralata, in a remote street.

Disguised, Laut, leaning on a cane, limped into a narrow alleyway, occasionally glancing at the round mirror in his palm, using it to observe the scenery behind.

They'd been tracked for a full two days, yet Laut couldn't confirm who was tailing them—whether agents of the Church or William's manoeuvres.

Knowing this couldn't continue, especially with the imminent transportation of ores back to Iyeta, Laut had to dispose of this tail beforehand to ensure absolute safety.

With this in mind, a hint of malice flashed across Laut's face. They had scouted this area in advance and didn't expect anyone to frequent it, but swift action was necessary to avoid drawing the city guard's attention.

Pondering, Laut reached a dead-end—a high wall blocking the way.

Without hesitation, Laut shed the disguise, his leg no longer limp, the cane no longer needed. Seizing the moment before the pursuer could react, he sprinted forward, leapt high, hands gripping the protrusion on the wall, effortlessly scaling it.

The entire sequence was incredibly flawless. Even an able-bodied person might struggle to execute such a seamless climbing maneuver.

The wizard Eburyy, trailing Laut, was utterly stunned. For a moment, he couldn't cast any spell, watching in disbelief as the supposedly crippled individual vanished before his eyes.

"Damn, it's a trap…"

Within the next moment, Eburyy realized the supposed limp was deliberately feigned, a ploy to lure him into the alleyway.

However, as soon as this realization hit, a sense of imminent danger arose. Subsequently, the solid earth wall beside him erupted, leaving Eburyy barely enough time to turn and witness a ferocious claw swinging towards them.

[Mage Shield]

Almost instinctively, a magical barrier enveloped Eburyy. Subsequently, he was sent flying, rolling several times and crashing into the wall behind.

Fortunately, the Mage Shield absorbed most of the damage. Cracks appeared on the magical barrier. Before Ebury could exhale in relief, he spotted a half-lion, half-human creature charging towards him.

A magical beast? A polymorphed wizard?

No, perhaps a Bloodline Knight…

Without further thought, Ebury activated a second-tier spell—[Thorn Barrier]

Continuously channelling magical energy into the ground, Ebury, as the half-lion, half-human creature closed within two meters, focused, causing razor-sharp spikes to shoot up, piercing through its body.