Chapter 5: The Name “Phoenix”
“Mage, even though Young Master Ig is a good-for-nothing, he’s carrying quite a bit of money! Even without counting the Crystal Rank Balosais Trade Union bank card, the currency alone adds up to over thirty Kingdom Gold Coins!”
In the newly settled atmosphere, which had gradually relaxed among the three of them, the longbow hunter, who was counting Ig’s遗物, raised his face and exclaimed excitedly.
“After all, he is the only son of that Lord Marquis. And hunter, don’t forget, Lord Douglas’s promise to us is far more than this amount.”
The mage, holding a staff embedded with azure blue magic stones, revealed a relaxed expression from under the hood of her robe. She even had the mood to start teasing.
“Fleck, do you think that after we get this money, we won’t have to do this kind of mercenary work for the rest of our lives?”
“Naturally, the reward promised by Lord Douglas is more than enough for us to live a lifetime without restraint in the Royal Capital.”
Fleck stood up, carrying his greatsword, and showed a hint of pampering in his smile towards the mage.
“But it’s fine for me and the hunter. It’s just a pity for your water magic talent. In our opinion, why don’t we use this money to send you to Aris Academy in the Royal Capital for further studies…”
Suddenly, the smile on Fleck’s face froze, and he tilted his head as if sensing something.
For some reason, the originally scorching air in the surroundings gave him a chilling sensation that pierced his heart, and the expressions of his companions at his gaze also turned panicked.
“Fleck, look, the flames below—”
Fleck quickly turned his gaze. The endless sea of flames, which had been boiling with bright yellow and scorching red colors just moments ago, rapidly became dim in his eyes. The surging heat was swallowed by nothingness, as if something was being born within it!
Fleck hastily raised his greatsword in a defensive stance. Over ten years of adventuring experience told him that such a situation would surely lead to an anomaly!
Was it a magical beast born from the flames, or those legendary creatures slumbering within the flames?
“Are you looking for me?”
A girlish voice, as clear as crystal and as melodious and crisp as a skylark’s song, appeared in the silent air. Fleck quickly turned his head, and a girlish figure came into his sight.
On the girl’s slender and delicate body, she wore a dress woven with the colors of golden flames, bright yellow and scarlet. It was adorned with long, vibrantly colored, gorgeous feathers. Beneath her soft hair, which was like the radiant golden sun of dawn, her exquisite and beautiful face was like a work of art meticulously carved by the gods.
She slightly raised her slender, fair, swan-like neck. Her luxurious golden eyes, burning like burning gold, twinkled like stars in the vast sky, but their color was calm and indifferent at the moment.
But beneath her seemingly gentle gaze, Fleck felt his entire body freeze at this moment:
Although in Fleck’s eyes, a slender and delicate girl appeared, with an exquisite and peerlessly beautiful face far exceeding all the noble daughters Fleck had ever seen, he felt an ineffable nobility from her, which even made him fearful—
This was not due to class or wealth, but stemmed from her bloodline, from her will, as if looking down from a high position like a deity regarding ants.
Time seemed to stand still. The girl slightly blinked her long eyelashes, and cold sweat trickled from Fleck’s palms.
“I didn’t expect to see anyone again. I’m very happy to see you.”
Even her slight, seemingly emotionless and indifferent voice made Fleck’s heart tremble with great fear!
She was definitely not a human girl!
“Who… who are you? And why isn’t Ig dead yet!”
The longbow hunter beside him uttered a trembling voice. He saw Ig behind the girl, his expression filled with horror.
“So his name is Ig. As for why he’s not dead… this young man entered my world and woke me from my long slumber, so naturally, I had to drive him out.”
The girl’s soft and slender voice paused in the scorching air, and then resumed.
“You can call me Verafia, but who am I…?”
She tilted her fair cheek, seemingly pondering this question.
“Fleck, quickly look at her!”
The greatsword mercenary followed the mage’s voice. The beautiful feathers on the girl’s red and blazing dress seemed to be condensed from flames. When he thought of her being born from the infinite flames, his eyes filled with immense horror.
“Could she be the legendary Sun Divine Bird?”
The Sun Divine Bird—a legendary immortal bird born from flames, that is, the Phoenix clan. According to historical records, pure-blooded ones could even rival the most noble royal family among dragons.
However, the traces left by these phoenixes were much fewer than those of dragons. They were almost the most mysterious race on the entire Valant Continent.
Fleck only knew about these mysterious flame divine birds born from bathing in flames:
Legend has it that every phoenix, when nearing death, would burn its entire power to become immortal and unquenchable flames, until its rebirth five hundred years later.
“Sun Divine Bird, Phoenix?”
A subtle smile seemed to form on Verafia’s lips. She nodded, “That seems like a good explanation.”
Fleck steadied himself, took a deep breath, glanced at Ig behind the girl, bowed sincerely, and said,
“Then, beautiful and powerful Miss Phoenix, would you please hand over the young man disturbing your beautiful dream behind you to us? He has committed a grave crime against the kingdom, and in desperation, he trespassed into your world. Perhaps…”
Although the young master of the Landishrofen family seemed to be on the verge of death, no one could guarantee whether this mysterious phoenix girl had the means to save him.
At least, Fleck could see that Ig was still alive because the girl’s power was sustaining his life.
Regardless of anything, Fleck absolutely could not allow Ig to leave his sight alive: for them, this would undoubtedly mean utter destruction!
“Hand him over to you…”
The girl’s gentle laughter suddenly echoed in the air. Her voice was melodious, like the music of delicate jade ware. A pair of dazzling golden eyes rose and fell into everyone’s line of sight.
Within the beautiful gold, a deep indifference flowed.
Fleck suddenly felt a sense of foreboding in his heart.
“Humans, all the flames here are my spirits. Do you think I wouldn’t know what happened?”
The girl’s voice suddenly deepened, and profound coldness seeped from her golden flame-burning eyes. Within them, undisguised killing intent almost froze all the heat in the air.
“Not to mention you…”
“Thwack!”
The taut sound of a bowstring being pulled interrupted the girl’s indifferent voice in the silence. The longbow hunter’s eyes were resolute as he drew and aimed his bow, and a rapid energy fluctuation emanated from the sharp arrow!
“Hunter, what are you doing!”
The greatsword mercenary looked at his companion, who had suddenly drawn his bow and aimed at the mysterious girl in front of them, with horror in his eyes.
“Fleck, she wants to kill us, what are you hesitating and afraid of! Even if she’s a phoenix that can rival dragons, she’s just been born, can she really compare to the three of us at the Gold Rank!”
The longbow hunter held the bowstring with one hand, his eyes showing fierce determination, and shouted loudly:
“Not to mention, if we can kill her, use her bones and blood for alchemy, and then devour her origin, maybe we can also become Saints!”
