Knights and Magic Wand

Since the griffin had joined the party, finding their way became much easier. When they encountered wandering Living Corpses, Leon and his companions didn't even need to lift a finger; the griffin behind them easily tore the wolves, bears, tigers, and leopards of the forest into shreds.

Though the griffin was seriously injured, as a colossal beast at the top of the food chain, its massive size alone was enough to crush any ordinary wild beast.

Leon even felt that if this giant's wounds healed, they could match the damned Horror Mountain Bear they had encountered earlier—after all, the griffin could fly, constantly diving and fighting from an advantageous dimension, making it difficult for even that gigantic bear to cope.

A battle between the sovereign of the skies and the king of the forest.

If this had been in his past life, Leon could imagine how fiercely netizens would argue over such a spectacle of a beastly fight.

...Once again, the griffin casually shredded an attacking Corpse Wolf with a swat of its claw, sniffed it tentatively, and then, disappointed, shook its head, losing interest in the remains of the Undead.

Leon watched and couldn't help but laugh. Previously, they hadn't managed to stop the griffin from accidentally swallowing a Living Corpse beast, which promptly caused it to vomit for a long while. Now, it had finally learned its lesson.

Continuing on with the griffin, the trio's journey became smoother.

Leon gradually noticed that the light from the Spirit Lamp he held seemed to stabilize; they seldom needed to alter their route anymore.

"Are we on the right path?" he wondered inwardly.

"Yes, we should already be near the edge of the Spirit-like Field."

The young girl's voice reiterated, "Once out, as a Spiritual Body, I won't be able to converse with you as easily as now. Don't forget the promise we made."

"Of course, I won't go back on my word," Leon assured her inwardly.

"But you know, Holy Land City is now occupied by the Kantadar people, and it's hard for me to return soon. However, I swear, as soon as there's a chance, I will fulfill our agreement," Leon said, recalling the task the young girl's voice had mentioned earlier.

She actually wanted to visit the resting place of Illaril's sarcophagus.

Through the original owner's memories, Leon clearly knew of Illaril. She was one of the only two beings worshiped by the Holy Sun Church, Azeryan and Lokhak prayed to her so often that Leon's ears could almost form calluses.

The Holy Sun Church, also known as the Holy Sol Church, adhered to the doctrine that the Holy Sun "Mosela Sol" was the one True God.

And the prophet "Illaril" was the only spokesperson for the Holy Sun on Earth in history.

Finding the location where the Holy Prophet's sarcophagus was enshrined wasn't difficult; every Seryan knew that the prophet rested in the underground tomb of the Rolannar Great Temple.

However, as a commoner, even in the peaceful past before the war erupted, it was almost impossible for Leon to enter; ordinary believers did not possess the qualifications to visit the temple's tomb, only high-ranking clergy and devout believers of noble statuses could embark on a pilgrimage there.

Of course, the situation now was even more troublesome.

Rolannar City had already fallen, and the Kantadar army had occupied the Holy land of the Holy Sun Church, making it near impossible for Leon to approach the temple safely through enemy lines, even if he had the chance to return.

However, compared to the life-saving help she had offered multiple times, this difficulty was not enough to make Leon forsake his promise.

There are always more solutions than difficulties; he would just wait for an opportunity and take it one step at a time.

"Right, you said that once we get out, we won't be able to communicate like this anymore?" Leon confirmed again.

"Of course, being able to talk with you so easily now is thanks to the influence of this Spirit-like Field. Here, I can temporarily escape the influence of the Mortal World's Life and Death Laws, much like those Wandering Souls lingering around. But once back in reality, I must constantly ensure my soul isn't dragged into the Dead Sea, leaving me no spare energy to communicate with you, unless..."

"Unless what?" Leon hurriedly asked.

Honestly, being in this dangerous, unfamiliar Otherworld, having the advice and help of this mysterious and knowledgeable Miss Mage at all times would be hugely beneficial for his survival.

"Well... unless you embark on the path of Magic, becoming a Mage capable of harnessing Natural Magic. That way, I could use your excess Magic Power to keep my own Spiritual Body stable."

"So, what do you think, can I become a Mage?" Leon enquired eagerly, fascinated by the prospect of mastering this world's Magic and becoming a Pope—a notion quite alluring to him, a mundane modern earthling.

The young girl's voice pondered, "You indeed have talent, and you're also quite clever. Even in the past, I wouldn't mind taking you as an apprentice... By the way, when I used your body to cast Isa's Arrow, I actually made a small mistake."

"How can you say that?" Leon asked curiously.

"You still remember you fainted back then, right? Well, I owe you an apology."

Leon was somewhat puzzled, "I thought that was a side effect and price of casting the spell."

"The Arrow of Isa is just a small magic technique in elemental studies. It shouldn't have side effects. Considering you appeared to have never studied magic, to avoid failure due to insufficient magic power, I induced the life magic element within you to connect with the spell formed by the handprint gesture, as an excessive compensation for insufficient magic power and inexperienced hand gestures. However, I didn't expect your spiritual manipulation to be exceptionally excellent, which almost drained you of your life magic element."

The girl paused, but eventually did not say the rest of what was on her mind (I almost killed you... Well, the outcome was still good anyway.)

Leon did not understand what was meant by magic elements, but he roughly understood that it seemed to praise certain aspects of his mental abilities.

"So, can you teach me to become a mage?"

"Unfortunately, I don't have enough time and energy, unless you can stay in a spirit-like field without eating or drinking, spending a year or more to complete the basic knowledge necessary for beginners," the girl answered.

"Uh... Is there some kind of quick method that doesn't require understanding, only application, such as a magic secret book, magic meditation, magic breathing or something..." Leon still fantasized hopefully.

"What are you talking about? Secret books? I could still recall over two hundred thousand magic scrolls from various departments and studies, but without theoretical and cognitive foundations, you wouldn't understand them. As for meditation, that's just a way to rest and adjust mental state. And what else... Breathing technique (breathing practice)? I don't know, never heard of it."

Tsk tsk, the world was so fantastical, yet it was realistic in such an unromantic way. Leon sighed, realizing that perhaps in this world, there was no such romantic adventure as stumbling upon a divine skill secret manual that could transform someone completely.

"Don't be disheartened. Although I cannot teach you aloud in the outside world, it doesn't mean you have no chance to learn the path of magic."

"You mean?"

"Have you forgotten the crossbow arrow etched with control spells hanging on your waist? It's not like there will be no mages after I die. Go out and try to find other spellcasters. With your talent, unless the other mages are blind, they wouldn't refuse such a promising individual like you."

"So, I'm quite sought after? Okay, I get it," Leon said, feeling a bit embarrassed by the praise.

"Wait, hold on, you're dead... you've already passed away?" He suddenly realized something significant the other had mentioned.

"If I were still alive, why would I be squeezed into the same body as you?"

The girl said irritably, "Besides, you're already dead too, why make a big fuss about it?"

Leon opened his mouth, which might not necessarily be true since he really couldn't remember what happened before he crossed over, but he didn't argue. After all, it made no difference, being here and having died once.

As he walked, he suddenly thought, "I've been busy escaping for my life, and I might be going out soon, I almost forgot to ask, Miss Mage, how should I address you? ...Do you mind if I ask your name?"

"It doesn't matter... just call me Lola."

The girl who called herself Lola suddenly asked back, "What about you? Don't tell me your name is Leon, that's the name of the deceased boy, not yours, right?"

"Believe it or not, it actually sounds quite similar when pronounced in Seryan," Leon answered truthfully, "My name is Li Ang."

"~... Alright, I'll tentatively believe you," Lola's voice was non-committal.

...

The autumn wind swept through the dense forest, the rustling sound echoing throughout the land.

Standing on a towering cliff, three young men looked at the long-missed blue skies and white clouds, feeling relieved.

The peaceful afternoon sun shone on them, making them feel as if they were from another era, as if the experiences they had just gone through were merely a hallucinogenic nightmare.

But the giant griffin next to Leon reminded everyone that it was all reality, just like the vast mortal world before them.

"Leon, look down there," the sharp-eyed Lokhak pointed towards the mountain foot.

Following his direction, they saw smoke from cooking fires slowly rising from the cliffs below, a small village.