Chapter 46
Leaving the Tower and the Seed of Life
The convoy slowly departed from the towering castle gates, flanked by armored knights.
This grand procession, composed of thirty large carriages and nearly a hundred official knights, was the delegation from the Tower of the Four Sages heading to the capital of the Principality of Kolo for the enfeoffment ceremony.
The procession was led by Lilith Wieneke, the pinnacle apprentice of the Mechanical School, with Lower Steward Camon Tafft in charge of daily logistics and supplies along the route.
This unfortunate lower steward had been trapped in the underground storage room for over ten days after Lucy, using a magical trick, extracted information about Orlando from him and then forgot all about his existence.
It was not until a maid who happened to be tidying up the storeroom discovered the abnormality that both the barely breathing steward and Camon were finally released.
This journey carried a dual mission.
They were to escort six official apprentices who had successfully advanced this year to the capital for the enfeoffment ceremony, and on the return trip, they would bring back two hundred newly selected apprentices with wizard talents from the Principality of Kolo.
As the convoy rumbled over the stone-paved streets of the city, a corner of the velvet curtain in the seventh carriage was quietly lifted.
Lucy pressed her cheek against the cold glass window and gazed outside.
This was her first time leaving the Tower of the Four Sages since crossing over, and as her original self had grown up as a village girl, she had never seen the world beyond the mountains.
Therefore, the full view of the tower city "Cariso" remained a mystery to her.
What was immediately clear, however, was that the filthy scenes of excrement and chaos often depicted in films and novels of her previous life were nowhere to be found.
The city streets before her were neatly paved with square stone bricks, with a variety of shops lining both sides.
The crowds giving way to the convoy held reverence in their eyes, most bowing respectfully, indicating that the wizards of the Tower of the Four Sages were not as fearsome among the populace as rumors suggested.
"That silver-haired lady is so beautiful!"
"Shh! That’s an esteemed wizard, my lord!"
"But she really looks like an elf from a painting..."
"Shut up quickly, don’t offend the wizard, my lord."
The murmurs of the passersby soon gathered around Carriage Seven. To avoid causing a commotion, Lucy, who had not yet satisfied her curiosity about the city’s street life, reluctantly let the curtain fall back down.
After that, the journey proceeded without any further incident, and the convoy soon left the city of Cariso.
As the towering city walls of the tower city receded into the distance, the scenery along the way gradually shifted from rolling wheat fields to dense forests and wilderness, eventually turning into barren plains.
By sunset, the convoy had barely covered nearly a hundred kilometers.
And such a monotonous journey would need to continue for about seven more days.
"My lord, dinner will be ready shortly. Do you wish to rest in the carriage or step out for some fresh air?"
The driver of Carriage Seven gently inquired through the door.
This was not his first time driving for the wizards. These servants who served wizards year-round were well aware of the mages’ preference for tranquility.
Lucy pushed open the door and lightly leapt down from the carriage.
Before leaving the tower, she had exchanged for the latter half of the Bramble Loop Meditation at the Exchange Office.
After a full day of studying in the jolting carriage, her back was sore and her waist ached. She had long wanted to get off and stretch a bit.
As she stretched, she noticed a winding stream near where the convoy had stopped for rest. Several servants were drawing water and preparing dinner by the river.
The knights, covered in dust after a full day of riding, were grooming their warhorses by the riverside.
Lucy also wished to take a look by the river, but after only a few steps, a man and a woman, both fully armored with the emblem of the Tower of the Four Sages on their chests, followed behind her.
They were the tower knights assigned to protect Lucy.
The male knight was named Raul Morgan, and the female knight was named Judy Wells. Both were powerful protectors with high-level knight combat strength.
At full strength, they could unleash over 30° of physical attack power. In terms of pure offense, they were even stronger than most of the wizard apprentices present.
"You don’t need to follow me. I’m just taking a walk along the stream."
Lucy protested helplessly.
After exchanging glances, the female knight Judy spoke up, "Lady Lucy, although we are not far from the Tower of the Four Sages, there are still many enchanted beasts in the wild. Your safety is far more important than the lives of the two of us, so please exercise proper caution."
Lucy shrugged helplessly and continued walking toward the river, with the sound of clanking armor trailing closely behind.
Admiring the scenery of the setting sun, Lucy curiously asked, "You seem very loyal to the Tower of the Four Sages."
The male knight Raul Morgan replied solemnly:
"Our families are protected by the tower, our children receive the best education, we wear the finest armor and wield the sharpest swords, and even the source of our strength comes from the esteemed wizards. Naturally, we must uphold absolute loyalty."
Judy did not speak, but her determined expression clearly showed her full agreement with her companion’s words.
"The source of strength, you mean the seed of life? What does that have to do with wizards?"
Judy removed her full metal helmet, revealing a young face with short hair. "Lady Lucy may not know, but knights also speak of talent. Long ago, only one out of twenty people could activate a seed of life and cultivate battle aura."
"Until one day, a wizard succeeded in developing artificial seeds of life. Since then, one out of every three people can activate it."
"Both of us are knights implanted with artificial seeds of life and have long enjoyed the training provided by the Tower of the Four Sages. If all goes well, our children and even our entire families will continue as protective knights dependent on the tower."
It was precisely because of these bound interests and lifelong education that most protective knights possessed a spirit of devotion to the wizards. This was also the reason they were called knights rather than warriors.
Understanding now why knights existed, Lucy nodded, and at the same time grew curious about the artificial seed of life.
Could she also implant such a seed and achieve a combination of magic and martial arts?
But Lucy soon shook her head and dismissed this thought.
Implanting a seed to strengthen her body might be nice, but even just conducting witchcraft experiments already left her overwhelmed. She had no time to waste on the tedious task of physical strengthening.
The ultimate goal of knights was the projection of battle aura for long-range attacks, something even apprentice wizards could achieve.
Lucy was about to stroll for a bit longer before returning when suddenly a dispatch knight rode over in haste.
Upon arrival, he swiftly dismounted and saluted. "Lady Lucy, Lady Lilith has ordered that no one is to leave the camp perimeter. Please return immediately."
Lucy was slightly stunned.
But since it was an order from pinnacle apprentice Lilith, she had no room to refuse.
Yet on her way back to camp, she suddenly recalled what Mentor Fernando had told her earlier that morning when they parted.
"This trip to the capital of Kolo must be handled with utmost caution. If you encounter danger, run if you can, never try to show off. With the ‘Fractured Crystal Reverse Scale Shield,’ your safety should be assured..."
In an instant, the surrounding scenery no longer seemed so charming.
Strange bird calls echoed from the distant mountains and forests, and bats fluttered in the glow of the setting sun.
Lucy had a faint feeling that this trip to the capital of Kolo might not go as smoothly as she had imagined.