Fire Mage (Web Novel)
chapter-23

Chapter 23: Red-Haired Man

Charles wasn't surprised by Bishop's excitement. Although Ember Pistols were expensive due to the production cost, they weren't popular in this magical world. To use Pistols, Bows, or other long-ranged weapons, one must need [Sharpshooting] skill.

But except for the [Archer] class Mystics, no one would pay any attention to these types of weapons. Moreover, learning unique skills from other classes was also not a simple matter. It would take years to learn other class unique skills. Even if someone manages to achieve that, they would probably find it difficult to further improve that skill.

Moreover, the Ember Pistols also have a long cooldown time, making it hard for [Archer] class Mystics to choose this weapon. But Charles didn't think much about the cooldown time. What attracted Charles was the Pistols' unique magic technology.

'It's a bulletless Pistol… Real Charles also studied a little about this weapon in his archaeology class… Unlike normal pistols, these pistols gather some supernatural power called 'Mana' from the surrounding atmosphere and stores them in the pistol.

When pulling the trigger, a strange ray of white light will come out and give a much more devastating attack… Damn, even the fantasy world kids are more attracted to pistol-like weapons. Man, I already started to miss a particular gun game. If I'm not wrong, the one who creates these weapons must be the [Artisan] class mystics. Unfortunately, the [Artisan] class Mystics had tried many methods to improve the cool-down time, but none of them worked and this weapon finally became a fancy tool for nobles.' Charles mused in thoughts and soon gave those two rare swords to Hunt.

Although these Ember Pistols were useless against high-ranked Mystics, Charles didn't put much thought into it.

'I have a vague feeling that I can improve its effectiveness to some extent in the future…' He abruptly froze for a moment and soon widened his eyes, startling Bishop Reynolds and the Holy Knight Hunt.

'Something feels off… How do I feel about the future events?… Is it about [Sixth Sense] skill? Or, is someone manipulating my mind?' He stared at the puzzled Bishop Reynolds for a second and soon shook his head.

'No, that's impossible. I had already learned my lesson and started to think about everything in English. Even if someone like Emilia tried to read my mind, they would only hear gibberish words.'

"Why are you acting strangely?" Bishop Reynolds asked in confusion.

"Nothing, Father." Charles waved his hand and asked,

"How long would it take for you to get the Ember pistol?"

"Maybe a week or two. Don't worry; I won't go back on my words." He said with a smile.

Nodding his head, Charles placed his hand on his chin and probed,

"Father, what are you going to do about Anderson Black and Russell Black? Aren't they traitors of Life Church?"

"Haha, do you think I don't know about his schemes? But, what can I do? Report it to the higher-ups? Humph, they will ask me to show the proof. Even if I showed them a piece of evidence, they wouldn't take any action against a Rank 4 mystic for a simple matter, kid." Reynolds said after loud laughter.

"Simple matter?" Charles was shocked by his reply and asked while straightening his back.

"Yes, the higher-ups only care for benefits like me. Although we signed contracts, it won't affect us as long as we didn't cross the line." Bishop Reynolds stopped for a moment and continued in a solemn tone,

"Charles, I will give you a piece of news. All the thirteen Churches are filled with schemes and corruption. Never put so much trust in anyone, including me. 'If there are enough profits, even I would be tempted and betray you in the future'."

Charles stared at Bishop Reynolds in wonder and soon widened his eyes.

'Is he giving me some hint?' He thought inwardly and then nodded his head while asking.

"Is there anything else?"

"Nothin-." Bishop Reynolds paused for a moment as if he suddenly recalled something and asked,

"How many spell models did you create in your mind?"

"One." Charles got puzzled by his question and answered truthfully.

"Good. Mages usually create spell models for attacking, defending, and escaping. Yeah, that is indeed is a good choice. But, you must also create a spell model related to your body. For Fire mages, the [Flame Body] spell model is very important. Body and soul are different matters. To connect these two things, so you must create a spell that has the power to link body and soul. Otherwise, your growth will be hindered in the future and It won't be fun for me to watch you lose your artifact easily." Bishop started talking like a real teacher and gave him a huge hint.

In the meantime, Charles stared at Bishop in amazement and soon blurted out,

"Father, did you drink any alcohol today? You are talking to me so nicely and even giving me hints without asking anything in return."

Hearing Charles's words, even Hunt started nodding his head in approval.

"Humph, I'm a devoted believer of Life Goddess Nira and I won't even touch a single drop of liquor." Bishop refuted while making his face angrier.

"Yes. Father Bishop only sniffs some weird white powder called 'Nose Candy' and eats some strange pointy leaves in secret." Hunt added in a loud tone, causing Charles to open his mouth subconsciously.

"I often do that to enter Divine Lady Nira's divine kingdom and get her blessing." Bishop also nodded his head in approval and soon added,

"That's it, Charles. You can go back to your home and find some clue with the help of that Nightmare stone. We only have three months to capture the Holem's Crown."

"What will happen after three months?" Charles stood up from his head and asked in surprise.

"How did I know? That anonymous person is the one who mentioned in the letter that A-035 will reveal its presence on October 2nd, Year 6396, Second Arcane Era."

'October 2nd? What day is today?' He furrowed his brows and glanced around the reception room to see any Arcane Calendar.

Noting Charles's action, Hunt cleared his throat and spoke,

"Today is June 29th."

'June 29th?… Looks like I need to work harder for the next three months and find a way to earn more Exp to construct all the remaining spell models.' He nodded thoughtfully and bid his farewell to Bishop Reynolds and the Holy Knight Hunt.

He then entered the Church building and did his usual prayer. After giving a respectful bow towards the Life Goddess's statue, he walked out of the dome-shaped building and moved towards El Street.

It was around 11 A.M. The main street was bustling with merchants, customers, and soldiers. Some horse-drawn carriages would pass by from time to time, causing the muddy water to splatter in all directions. Angry shouts, furious arguments, and even helpless cries were heard in multiple areas, making the place a little gloomier. Charles even saw many fights among the citizens and became puzzled by the strange atmosphere.

'What happened when I was away?' He wondered.

With a puzzlement plastered on his face, Charles walked on the muddy road and soon entered El Street's junction.

That instant, he noticed that everything around him began to move slowly. In a second, he saw two people in explorers' clothes were walking behind him and then shifted his gaze to the front.

He then saw a luxurious carriage drove from the opposite direction and soon stopped beside him. In puzzlement, Charles's gaze swept past the opened curtain and soon landed on a red-haired man was looking at a mirror with a strange smile on his face.

He looked around 30-years-old with a slightly obese body and had crimson eyes, an oval face, skinny eyebrows, and strange bluish teethes. He wore a tight black suit and appeared very charming. In a moment, the red-haired man also turned his head towards Charles with a smile and opened his lips.

Although Charles didn't hear a single word, he understood the meaning behind the red-haired man's lip movements.

"Get in." That was the word that came out of the red-haired man's mouth.

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and soon nodded his head.

Charles entered the luxurious carriage without any refusal and sat on the opposite seat while closing the curtain closely.

"What is your name?" That red-haired man asked while storing the mirror into his void pouch.

In the meantime, Charles's body went stiff for a moment, and soon he answered politely,

"****** *******."

The red-haired man stared at Charles in surprise for a moment and became confused.

"What did that artifact do to him? What is that strange language?" He muttered out loud and then ordered,

"Speak in Blen tongue."

For a moment, unwillingness appeared on Charles's face, and soon his face contorted into shock and anger.

A moment later, he returned to normal and answered politely.

"Charles Nightwind."

'Hmm? Did my spell have less effect on him? Why did he show facial reaction?' The red-haired man glanced at him oddly and soon asked again,

"Did the Holem's Crown contact you?"

"Yes." Charles nodded his head and replied,

"What did it say?" The red-haired man's smile widened as he heard his answer and questioned him further.

"The Holem's Crown asked me to find it," Charles answered truthfully.

"Oh? It seems I need to speed up my plan." The red-haired man muttered once again and asked,

"Did you kill Ian Adams? How did you do it?"

Charles nodded his head and then explained everything, including the strange book, to the red-haired man in detail.

"Take that strange book out of your void pouch. I want to take a look at it." The red-haired man stared at Charles with a cold look and ordered.

In the meantime, Charles nodded his head expressionlessly and then passed the black-covered book to the red-haired man.

A look of astonishment appeared on the red-haired man's face as he stared at the book for a moment and soon nodded his head.

"Runal language? Unfortunately, I didn't learn much about that old language. Magic book, is it? Not bad. I will let you keep it for a while." He said in an unwilling tone and then asked more questions. He asked about Reynolds, then about his mother, and even asked him about his daily schedule. After a few minutes, the red-haired man learned all about Charles and let out a cold laugh.

"You are indeed a good toy, Charles." He paused for a moment and soon started muttering on his own,

"In the last three weeks, this toy has caused more than 20 variables. Heh heh, I really want to know what is hiding in his inner world." He looked deeply at Charles for a second before giving up on probing his mind world.

"Probing his mind world now is not a good option. That series artifact will sense something odd about his mind and might try creating another miracle." He grumbled inwardly and shook his head.

"Now, forgot everything about this conversation." He stared coldly at Charles for a moment and opened the silk curtain.

Simultaneously, Charles nodded his head and soon stepped out of the carriage.

A second later, the carriage moved from there and soon went in the opposite direction.

In the meantime, Charles looked back at the luxurious carriage in confusion and soon furrowed his brows.

'Why did I stop walking?' He looked around in puzzlement for a moment and soon sensed something was abnormal about his action.

'Where are those two explorers?' He narrowed his eyes for a moment and soon widened his eyes.

As a former assassin, he always took great importance in collecting minute details whenever he roamed outside. It was an assassin's instinct! He was always careful of any unexpected assassination and became utterly puzzled by the current situation.

'Did someone manipulate me?' A thought crossed his mind. After he transmigrated to this magical world, he learned that there were many strange skills out there, and they could even kill someone in their sleep.

He soon vaguely recalled the moment when a blurry red-haired human called him from the luxurious carriage and momentarily stunned for a while.

"[Conceal]" Realizing the situation, he coldly muttered while concealing his body like a transparent air and soon disappeared from there.

He stalked the luxurious carriage from afar in his concealed form and soon noticed that carriage was moving towards Brook's Street. He didn't dare to move closer towards the luxurious carriage and soon saw it entering into a two-storied building compound gate.

"112A Brook's Street." He noted the house number and then turned around.

…