Chapter 637: 115. Alicia
The location of Qitiel City is actually very far from Saint Nali, to the east of Saint Nali, only a hundred miles away from the borders of Shivali and Nali. It is also where Heilson grew up during his childhood and worked when he was young.
When Fischer was learning by Heilson’s side back then, Heilson had expressed more than once his intention to return to his hometown of Qitiel City to retire when he became too old to work. A few years ago, he finally realized that wish and returned here to retire.
Unfortunately, by the time Fischer returned, he had already passed away, leaving behind his beloved hometown.
As Fischer got closer to Qitiel City on the train, his mood grew increasingly heavy. There were particularly many Nali people headed to Qitiel City, so even as they approached the destination, the train was still packed, obviously all heading to attend Heilson’s funeral.
Inside Qitiel City, this originally ordinary countryside had been designated as a development area for Nali for decades due to someone like Heilson. They even established a branch of the Magic Association there. According to the rules of the Nali Magic Institute, only seven cities in Nali are qualified to have branches, and this was an exception, the eighth branch.
Such respect for Heilson was also reflected in the city’s construction. Just as Fischer entered the station, a striking Nali sign caught his attention,
“Deepest condolences to the great magician, Mr. Heilson Lacazette.”
At the station, many flowers were piled up, along with Heilson’s memorial photo and an altar, clearly a spontaneous act by the Nali people.
Fischer was enveloped in this secret blessing, experiencing everything as an observer, feeling every moment. To be honest, he was quite grateful for the blessing left by the Subhuman Girl Enthusiast; it allowed him to participate in Teacher Heilson’s funeral without worrying about Elizabeth’s traps.
“The funeral is tomorrow? Shouldn’t we find a place to rest, like an inn or something?”
“You’ve seen it; this place is full of outsiders. There were even tents set up outside the station earlier, indicating that all the inns in the city are basically full.”
“Well, that doesn’t matter, right? Given our current state, you could probably find an empty room without anyone noticing.”
“I’m Fischer, the blessed one, not a blessed pervert. I have no intention of sneaking into someone else’s room.”
“But what’s the difference between you and a pervert?!”
“Shut up.”
Fischer got off the train with the crowd, taking the opportunity to bully Emhart a little as they walked toward the station exit.
So, was Emhart’s method feasible? Actually, it was.
Throughout the journey, he had been conducting experiments. He discovered that the secret blessing was not simply equivalent to “invisibility”; a more fitting description would be “undetectable.” Moreover, this undetectable state could be extended to objects.
For instance, he had discreetly taken a gentleman’s hat from atop his head while on the train, and that gentleman did not realize his hat was missing for a long time. What was even more bizarre was that Fischer stood right in front of him holding the hat, yet he could not see Fischer or the hat in his hand. This also explained why others could not detect Emhart’s existence when he spoke while hidden in Fischer’s embrace.
Even though he was conscious, he still belonged to the “holy artifact” category, so he enjoyed this characteristic to some extent, only needing to be very close to Fischer for it to take effect, but he couldn’t stay on Fischer’s shoulder.
As Fischer exited the station, he planned to go directly to Heilson’s residence in the suburbs. There were two reasons for coming to Qitiel City: one was to attend Heilson’s funeral and avoid being disrupted by Elizabeth due to his affairs; the other was to verify the clue that Hela had mentioned regarding the “treasure.”
Heilson’s residence was very conspicuous, as the Qitiel City Hall had been showing the direction for visitors the entire way. So, soon Fischer managed to catch a ride and arrived in the suburbs, where he saw the venue for Heilson’s funeral organized by the Golden Palace.
Originally just a church on the outskirts of Qitiel City, it was now surrounded by layers and layers of the venue constructed by the Golden Palace.
Although the formal funeral was not until tomorrow, the decorations were already complete, divided into an inner and outer area. The inner area was inside and outside the church, only accessible to invitees; the outer area provided space for the public to pay their respects, where various watchful eyes were hidden throughout.
“This is quite the spectacle, and the body of your teacher hasn’t even been brought here yet. Why are there so many patrolling guards?”
“What else could it be for?”
“Oh, of course, I know it’s because of you. I mean, didn’t Elizabeth receive the letter you sent? She should be… more amiable, right? No need to create such a tense atmosphere.”
Emhart adjusted his phrasing. Even though Fischer had forewarned him in advance, seeing how tightly the venue was secured still made him feel regretful. After all, there were records in the church of her monthly visits to pay tribute to Teresa for Fischer. Even the playful Emhart might at this moment hope they could have a proper talk instead of preparing like a hunting party.
However, Fischer didn’t seem to share that sentiment and went on to explain about Elizabeth,
“Elizabeth’s patience is limited. She couldn’t stand it for even twenty minutes back when she was escaping; now it’s been four and a half years. No matter how patient she is, it has worn thin. Moreover, Valentina had also communicated with her via letter. Thankfully, she still doesn’t know I went to the Southern Continent to meet Rafael and Jasmine; otherwise, it would have been troublesome.”
“I don’t know why, but every time you say ‘thankfully,’ I feel a chill run down my spine.”
“Are you saying she might know I went to the Southern Continent?”
“Or maybe I’m just being paranoid.”
Fischer said nothing more; he simply walked past the church towards the place where Heilson lived. Originally, it was a relic of a medieval magical tower, nine stories high, which had been assigned for his use when he worked here young.
As he passed through the outer walls of the magic tower guarded by Golden Palace’s knights, he looked at the tightly closed and suddenly somewhat dilapidated tower. Fischer felt a mix of emotions.
He recalled studying at the Royal Academy and how he and Elizabeth had once returned with Heilson during the summer to retrieve his notes stored here from his youth. At that time, only a few servants were responsible for maintaining the tower’s cleanliness, and his granddaughter Vaili was traveling abroad, so they had never met.
Even so, the comfort and vibrancy of that time couldn’t be compared to the current scene. It was as if with the departure of that magician, this inherited medieval magical tower had returned to being a “ruin,” lifeless and dreary.
Fischer did not enter through the front door; instead, he looked up at the nine-story tower he hadn’t seen in a long time, maintaining a heavy silence.
“Go! Go!”
“Listen up, make way!”
Just then, he heard urgent commands from behind. He quickly turned around to see that the knights of the Golden Palace had made way for a simple wooden carriage that had driven up to the magic tower. A young Shivali man got down, then reached out his hand back toward the carriage.
“Dear, come on out.”
“Okay.”
From the carriage emerged a fair hand, followed by a pale-looking, pregnant blonde Nali woman.
She wore a black veil, the standard Nali mourning style, which only a relative would wear, so her identity became clear: this was Ms. Vaili Lacazette, Heilson’s granddaughter, and the Shivali gentleman must be her husband.
They did not notice Fischer, who they had never met. After supporting his wife down, the Shivali gentleman hurriedly called out towards the magic tower,
“Surena, hurry out and help Vaili inside. Tell the others there are urgent matters to attend to!”
“Hey!”
At that moment, the magic tower’s large door opened, and a middle-aged woman, looking flustered and holding a broom, came rushing out. She quickly tossed aside her broom and came forward,
“Oh my, Mr. Chik, didn’t you go to the hospital in the city? Why are you back so soon? How is Miss doing? Is she better?”
“She’s gotten much better. The doctor prescribed some medications to stabilize the pregnancy, and I’ve engraved some sleep magic; she’ll be fine. Quickly, help Vaili back; we have things to do later.”
“Alright, alright.”
Fischer silently stood back, taking all of this in, but he did not step forward because he was unsure when the blessing would wear off. Instead, he took the opportunity of the open door to enter the magic tower directly. He didn’t find the body on the first floor, so it should be on the top floor, where Heilson’s office and residence were located.
He did not use the gravity magic of the first floor but climbed the spiral staircase step by step. By the time he reached the top floor, he was slightly out of breath. Soon, he arrived at Heilson’s office door.
Opening the door, he found the room was a bit disheveled compared to before, with walls lined with bookshelves, creating an extraordinarily spacious area. In the center of the deep red carpet lay a square crystal coffin, waiting for someone to take him to his final resting place—the church—tomorrow.
The coffin reflected light, preventing Fischer from clearly seeing the interior structure. At that moment, he even hoped it was empty, just a trap set by Elizabeth to ensnare him.
Yet below, the sorrow of Vaili and the silence of the entire city made the fantasies in his mind lack a basis in reality.
He took a deep breath. In the silence, he slowly walked toward the crystal coffin. Soon, an old man dressed in black robes from the Magic Association, with white hair and a face full of wrinkles, appeared peacefully asleep before Fischer.
The coffin was filled with flowers, and in his arms lay the masterpiece he had spent his life completing: “Complete Theory of Magic.” It wasn’t until this moment of return that Fischer realized the book had been completed and published.
Fischer’s deep breath remained trapped in his chest; he dared not exhale, instead silently gazing at Heilson in the coffin, as if it took him a long time to accept the reality that he had already passed away.
When that moment came, he finally let out a long breath and softly said,
“I’m back, Teacher.”
The body in the coffin did not respond, leaving Fischer’s hand to stroke the coffin as the shadows cast by the light brushed over Heilson’s face.
“I didn’t expect that after four and a half years, I would not even get to see Teacher one last time.”
“Take care, Fischer. You know it’s not your fault.”
“I know.”
Emhart, nestled in his arms, spoke at the right moment to comfort the slightly downcast Fischer. Fischer knew this, but the emotions were inescapable; he could only suppress his sorrow and look around the room at Heilson’s belongings.
Soon, he spotted some of Heilson’s magical manuscripts on the desk, along with a copy of “Complete Theory of Magic” identical to the one he held.
Fischer silently walked over, picked up the book, and casually flipped through it. It recorded all magical theories and discoveries of humanity since the Middle Ages. Heilson had not only spent his life seeking the parts of magic that had been lost but had also dedicated himself to gaining new magical ideas from it.
Heilson was revered as a great magician not only for his extraordinary magical skills but also for leading and correcting an extremely correct magical value system. He changed the prevailing denial of medieval magic, condemned the use of magic as a tool for war, and summarized various theories for innovative magic.
Fischer flipped through, from the beginning to the end, then back to the beginning, unknowingly landing on the title page where a short sentence was written,
“For the immortal virtues of humanity, for the brilliance and mystery of magic, for my departed child and his wife, for my lovely two granddaughters.”
“And for my excellent, only disciple.”
“——Heilson Lacazette.”
Fischer’s grip on the paper tightened little by little. At that moment, his heart surged with emotions, and with the intense wave of feelings, his rank gradually rose amidst the fading golden light, unleashing a terrifying aura. Clearly, at this moment, the secret protection blessing had finally disappeared, revealing his existence before Heilson’s coffin.
Fischer slowly closed the book and could no longer control himself as he covered his face with his hands, remaining speechless yet somehow exposing everything.
Emhart quickly flew out from his embrace to his shoulder. Lacking hands, he could only spread his pages to form an embrace-like gesture around Fischer’s head, offering more comfort,
“Fischer, it’s alright, it’s alright. Your teacher has always cared about you; you should feel happy about that.”
“I just…”
“Big brother.”
At that moment, a clear, seemingly unperturbed child’s voice softly rang in Fischer’s ear. His pupils slightly dilated as he turned to look beside him, only to see a little girl with a cloth doll, dressed in a pink dress, staring at him expressionlessly.
The little girl, about five years old, had black hair tied at the back of her head, appearing delicate and beautiful, like the most exquisitely crafted being in the world. Even though she was still a child at that moment, it was evident to anyone not foolish that she possessed an uncontainable beauty.
That ageless beauty suddenly reminded Fischer of an acquaintance he had once encountered.
“Anna.”
Yes, he had only seen such beauty in one person before, that unfortunate one from the Southern Continent, the experiment subject of Erwind.
However, the beauty of the little girl before him was different; if Anna’s beauty bore some awkward, rigid imperfections, this little girl was truly flawless and perfect.
Having heard Fischer’s words, the little girl tilted her head slightly, maintaining an expressionless demeanor but with a hint of confusion in her tone,
“Anna? Is that someone big brother knows? But I’m not Anna; I’m Alicia Lacazette.”
“. You are Ms. Heilson’s granddaughter?”
“Yes.”
With her stunning appearance and Hela’s hint, Fischer had clearly realized the special nature of the little girl before him. Just as he was about to ask something, the bear-hugging Alicia suddenly asked,
“Big brother, are you Fischer Benavides? The only disciple of grandpa?”
“. I am.”
“That’s good. Grandpa was always thinking of you before he left. He had some things he asked me to give you, but I didn’t recognize you. I asked around. Vaili sister didn’t like it and wanted me to give it to her. But I figured out she wanted to give the things meant for you to that blonde big sister who often visited, so I hid it.”
“Blonde big sister?”
“Yes.”
Alicia nodded, expressionless, just about to say something when it seemed she heard something, continuing to speak to Fischer,
“It seems that blonde big sister has already arrived; she’s downstairs.”
“. Big sister?”
Fischer paused, suddenly having an ominous premonition. He furrowed his brows and hurriedly exited the office to the balcony. Sure enough, in the courtyard below, he saw a golden carriage and a large group of armed riders had appeared out of nowhere.
The flying mechanisms filled the sky in all directions. Just as Fischer was about to poke his head out, he quickly withdrew, swallowing hard as he looked back at Alicia, who finally curled her lips into a slight smile, saying,
“That big sister seems to be named Elizabeth.”
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(The End of this Chapter)
