Chapter 7: The True Cross of Balance

The night had grown deep.

Exhausted, Kalia curled up on the large sofa inside the house, having just indulged in yet another hearty meal, and quickly fell into a contented sleep.

She had even taken Roland’s oversized invisibility cloak and used it as a blanket.

As for the pendant Roland had wrapped in the invisibility cloak, it had been repurposed as a pillow, in accordance with the witch’s wishes.

Fortunately, the mud caked on the cloak’s hem had dried, sparing Roland’s expensive sofa—purchased at great cost—from becoming difficult to clean.

Roland, unable to sleep for the moment, walked over to the window and pushed it open.

The damp mist, tinged with the briny scent of sea salt, was carried in by a cool evening breeze, filling his nostrils.

The light rain that had started at dusk had just ceased.

The chill of early winter mingled with the lingering dampness, bringing a cold that seemed to seep into one’s very bones.

Yet for Roland, this cold was just the right stimulus to keep his mind clear, allowing him to contemplate his situation and possible responses.

After examining the pendant, curiosity about its purpose began to stir within him.

The pendant was a cross-shaped balance scale; at first glance, it resembled a simple cross.

Such a symbol was not uncommon within the empire—the True Cross Scales.

It originated from the Continent’s Historical Society, devoted to the worship of the gods of truth and wisdom.

Those self-proclaimed scholar zealots favored adorning themselves with such trinkets.

This group had branches and outposts scattered all across the continent.

From the Storm Ocean in the southern empire, to the borderlands of the Northern Federation, even further north into the demon territories, and the elven homeland of Avalon in the fantasy realm—you could spot these reckless scholars, each engaged in archaeology, research, or other pursuits that outsiders could scarcely comprehend.

Their creed was clear: an anonymous dedication to truth and freedom.

Clearly, this pendant was linked to the Continent’s Historical Society, though unfortunately, the branch in Riscane City had been abandoned for years.

Those fanatics obsessed with observing the magical turbulence of the Storm Ocean were usually adrift at sea, conducting data collection and experiments year-round.

They only returned to shore briefly when supplies ran low.

Unluckily, they had just restocked yesterday before setting sail again, so it was unlikely they’d return for a month or two.

No wonder Colonel Odmeyer had to turn to the Adventurers’ Guild for information about the Plague Madonna.

Yet this brought Roland back to his initial questions.

What was this thing truly for? Who were those black-clad figures, and why did they want it?

“It seems I’ll have to have a talk with the colonel. He might know something.”

“Judging by the time, the city guards will probably come knocking by tomorrow morning.”

Indeed, Roland was right to urge Kalia to leave quickly just now.

They had barely gone halfway when a cavalry squad galloped out of the city, clearly having caught wind of some disturbance outside.

If not for Roland’s quick reflexes pulling Kalia into the shadows, they might have run straight into the patrol.

Even so, the incident’s location was his cabin, and Roland had openly exited the city gates that afternoon.

It would be hard to deny any connection to the explosion outside the city.

Still, given he was now practically a student at the Royal Magic Academy, the city guards would likely wait until morning to come have tea and ask questions.

Besides, investigating the scene would require time.

Roland thought all this as he glanced at Kalia, who was sound asleep on the sofa.

It was clear she hadn’t had a proper rest in a long time; she lay as if dead, without a single twitch or reaction.

He opened the system panel and began reviewing the four tasks it had issued.

[Task List]

[1. Uncover the truth of the disaster and how it unfolded.]

[2. Collect as many virus samples as possible.]

[3. Find evidence of the Nightmare Witch Kalia’s involvement in orchestrating the disaster.]

[4. Safely leave the Plague City of Riscane.]

[Each completed task grants a reward. Choosing to complete the fourth task directly is considered abandoning the first three.]

Roland focused his attention on the third task.

“Kalia…”

He muttered softly, trying to glean some insight from the task information.

But only the third task held any analytical value.

Find evidence that Kalia had a hand in planning the disaster?

Setting aside her stance—obviously in opposition to those black-clad troublemakers—did her rather dull mind even have the capacity to participate in such a scheme?

A rustling sound broke the silence.

Roland frowned and strode toward the kitchen.

Damn it, rats again!

Those scoundrel merchants had sold him subpar rat poison and glue boards—completely ineffective!

Once he learned alchemical potion-making at the academy, he would give these grain thieves a lesson.

Entering the kitchen brought both good news and bad.

The good news: the large rat scavenging at this late hour had found nothing to eat.

The bad news: Kalia was hungrier than he thought, having likely devoured all the food in the kitchen.

The rat was now gnawing on the paper bag Roland had brought back from the bakery, probably trying to scrounge some crumbs.

Facing this vile food thief, Roland didn’t hesitate to stomp down.

“Squish.”

As the rat was crushed almost in two, a system notification sounded in Roland’s ear.

[Congratulations, host, for killing a Plague Degraded Beast and successfully acquiring a virus sample.]

[Bonus reward progress (1/5). Upon meeting conditions, the reward will upgrade, unlocking the next phase of upgrade tasks.]

[This bonus reward will be settled after the host leaves Riscane.]

[Please continue to collect more virus samples.]

[Task reward issued—Congratulations, host, you have gained 1 skill point and 3,000 free experience points.]

“What???”

What just happened? How did that complete a task?

Roland looked down at the unlucky rat he had just stomped on, nearly split in two.

After confirming it was an ordinary rat, he lifted it and summoned magical flames, cheerfully incinerating the creature.

Now it was time to focus on something more important.

At last, the system had taken action.

Though Roland’s own talents were considerable, why not add some points if he could?

Had he grown tired of the ease of meditation training?

After some investigation, Roland found the system’s skill allocation panel.

[Host: Roland]

[Rank: Apprentice Mage II (9213/10000)]

[Spells: Flash (max), Blink (Lv9/10), Body Enhancement (Lv7/10), Energy Hand (Lv6/10), Fireball (Lv3/5), Mana Release: Fire (Lv5/10)]

[Combat Skills: Basic Swordsmanship (max)]

[Skills: Beginner Rune Engraving (max), Stealth (Lv3/10), Trap Making (max)]

“Deep Blue, allocate skill points! Max out Blink! Use all experience points!”

[Allocation complete.]