Despite their attacks, both assassins still remained camouflaged. Will's spell had turned into something new, and the in-game limitation of not being able to take hostile actions without breaking invisibility wasn't present in this reality.

  Still, they weren't exactly hidden anymore. Several pairs of eyes were now wide open, staring at the intruders.

  "Monsters!" The sole woman at the table shouted while scrambling toward a far wall to put distance between her and the two mages.

  Instead of talking, the retired grand knight moved.

  He was by no means an old man. Only in his mid-thirties, perhaps. He drew a short sword with one motion as he jumped over the back of the sofa he'd been sitting on.

  "Retreat!" Septimus shouted, but the grand knight was already upon Will.

  Almost instinctively, Will summoned the enchanted quarterstaff from his inventory and raised it to block the incoming slash.

  Sword stuck wood, and the strength behind the blow was such that Will should have feared for his bones. However, the life energy gained from murdering the hapless noble still flowed within Will's body and bolstered his bone and muscle, allowing him to stop the sword successfully.

  While the wooden staff was the biggest loser in the exchange, it was still somewhat enchanted, and the sharp steel only managed to penetrate a few millimeters, even though the strength of the blow had been like an axeman's serious chop.

  That said, a few millimeters was enough for the sharp weapon to become stuck. Will used both his hands to rotate and successfully yank the sword free from the warrior's one-handed grip. However, that didn't give more than a millisecond's pause to the experienced fighter, who simply proceeded to body-slam Will.

  Will tried to avoid the maneuver but he was taken by too much surprise to react in time. The staff flew out of his hands, and a moment later his body hit the stone-tiled floor. It didn't feel like it hurt as much as it should have, although it was hard to tell through all the adrenaline.

  C&M's rules regarding the Vampiric spell dictated that the spell drained its victim's HP and temporarily transferred them to the caster. There were no hit points to drain in this real world, but he had clearly drained something he could use.

  Will scrambled back up in a relatively nimble manner while dodging a kick from the warrior.

  Minor Physical Immunity (IV) triggered.

  The spell's trigger sequence was one he had trained pretty heavily on, given how it was an essential life-saving measure. It took just a few syllables and gestures until the spell was in effect.

  Either his "Melee Mage" feat or his high dexterity helped him enough to perform the gestures even as he got up from the floor and kept avoiding the grand knight's fists.

  When a heavy fist finally connected with his face a moment later, it felt like nothing more than a soft push.

  Now that the spell was in effect for the next minute or so, Will felt much more confident. His only remaining worry was letting people witness him being struck and remain completely unharmed.

  That said, only the woman remained in the room while everyone else had already run away. Even she was currently spending her panicked efforts in an attempt to get out through the broken window.

  As long as Will silenced the grand knight, his secrets should be safe. Or, no more exposed than how his previous blunders had left them.

  Wind Blast (II) triggered.

  Will performed a risky roll to place himself between the door and the warrior. When his spell triggered, a strong gust of wind originating from Will's position launched the warrior toward the window.

  It also gave the hesitating woman the push she clearly needed. She went out of the window, screaming. It was only some six feet above the street level, so she would live. One less innocent person's life weighing on Will's conscience—assuming she was innocent at all.

  The Grand Knight, too, seemed morally upright, judging by his actions. His charge was already dead, yet he hadn't simply deserted the venue. Perhaps he was a highly loyal person?

  In any case, he had chosen the wrong person to be loyal to. There was a price to pay for such mistake.

  Minor Pillar of Flame (II) triggered.

  The spell he chose to kill the big fighter with was only 2nd-level, but it dealt respectable single-target damage. It required successful aiming and timing, but with the man knocked down with the wind spell, that wasn't an issue.

  After a small delay, a foot-wide scorching ray of fire blasted upwards from the Grand Knight's feet. He had alredy got up from the floor but now he fell down again, screaming.

  The spell ended almost as soon as it begun, having deposited its hellishly intense energy in an impressively short period of time. The man's clothes were in tatters, yet you couldn't see any bare skin, only blackened, charred flesh.

  Even blacker, charred pieces of the ceiling rained down on the victim of the spell. The wooden planks had burned even more thoroughly than the man's flesh.

  He lived through that? Will watched on with a grimace. If there were Hit Points, the Grand Knight would sport a pretty high maximum value at that. His sturdiness was definitely somewhat supernatural.

  The man stood up on shaky legs, proving the fires hadn't even burned all that deep, given how his muscles still operated. Even if he was critically injured, the warrior was clearly still a threat.

  Mental Shackles, Major (V) triggered.

  Using a fifth-level spell was likely overkill, but due to the two Minor Vampiric Drains Will had prepared just in case, he currently hadn't got the 3rd-level version of the holding spell slotted.

  The Grand Knight froze completely, not even being able to shake from futile exertion of his muscles.

  Will walked to the combined weaponry lying on the floor, taking a few seconds to separate staff from sword.

  Staff went back to the inventory while the remaining weapon went through the helpless knight's chest. The tip of the sword was very sharp, and the ex-knight wore no armor, but even then, Will had to lean his full weight into the thrust that finally put the man out of his misery.

  Will redid his chameleon effect that had already expired and made his way to the next meeting point they'd planned.

  "You actually lived!" a wide-eyed Septimus greeted him. "You don't even seem hurt..."

  "Sure, but I had to use a spellstone."

  "Just one spellstone when he was already right next to you? You're very lucky! Err, surely you cannot afford emerald ones yet?"

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  "No, it was just a blue one."

  Was he really that big of a deal? Will wondered briefly until he was forced to admit it. I guess he was...

  The warriors he'd fought with so far had mostly been minor pieces on the chessboard. Compared to them, the ex-knight clearly needed a separate category. The moniker 'Grand' was clearly deserved.

  "It stalled him for long enough for me to burn him and put a sword through his heart," Will explained with a shrug.

  "You must introduce me to that spell!"

  "Sorry. That's not on the table. Trade secrets."

  "I could pay you well! Just give me a few key details!" the man tried to negotiate, but Will didn't budge.

  Days later, they were back in Anth, about to meet the king once more.

  "Don't let any details of what you've done slip to the king. He must now know."

  "Why's that?" Will asked with mild curiosity. "Countermeasure against truth-detection spells?"

  "There is that. But it's mostly because of mundane means of reading body language and other minor tells."

  "Oh. People can really do that?"

  "Some people can. Too many to take chances. It's important that he doesn't need to lie directly."

  The king's great hall had been emptied once again.

  "I hear you've served the crown well," the king began.

  "Yes, Your Majesty," Septimus answered.

  The older mage's voice was enthusiastic, and Will had no idea why, but it was pretty amusing.

  "It went well enough," Will reported with a shrug and a little smile.

  "No, it didn't!" Septimus protested, his voice gaining a defiant quality. "There was serious trouble, but this young man was up to the task," he gestured at Will.

  "Oh. I guess you can look at it that way. Thank you." Will accepted the compliment with raised eyebrows.

  "Nonsense. I'm only reporting what honor demands of me."

  Was the old man really concerned with honor of all things? There were stranger things in the new world, so Will could only shrug again.

  "Oh? It's interesting that a powerful high mage gives a newly promoted magister such praise," the King commented in a shrewd cadence.

  "When the newbie in question is very powerful, it's not that strange," Septimus defended his generous attitude.

  "Hmm," the king only hummed and nodded in response. "In any case, Allen tells me you've been very successful, and I will take it into account."

  Whatever that meant, it was something Septimus liked to hear, given his widening smile.

  "Thank you, Your Majesty! Now, until I am needed again..." the old man dismissed himself in a slightly impudent manner and turned around to leave.

  The king didn't seem to mind the liberties the other mage had taken. Instead, he turned his attention back to Will.

  "I was planning to have Septimus attend the First Prince on his trip to the Principality, but..."

  Uh, oh.

  "Does Your Majesty mean to imply that I could be interested in the task?"

  "Indeed, indeed. What say you? Can you take care of a twenty-year-old kid? I know you've done it before."

  Will pondered for a moment, scratching his chin and finding it completely hairless once again.

  "I suppose I can do it. Is there a reward to be expected?"

  "For an important task, there will naturally be a sizable pay. Or did you desire something else?"

  "Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to imply anything complicated. Just some gold will do," Will hastily clarified.

  "Excellent! This way, High Mage Alfonso can perform his studies on the way while a capable junior takes care of the running matters."

  The king said the word 'studies' with a slightly wrinkled nose as if he didn't like it, but Will's attention was on another detail.

  "I hope the running matters don't involve anything diplomatic or political, Your Majesty. I'm afraid I'm a bit of a blunt instrument."

  "Hah! Don't worry. I expect little more of you but your magical prowess. By running matters, I only mean you should keep your eyes open while the high mage plays with his devices."

  "I see. That seems to be within my capabilities."

  "Now, you may leave to prepare for the trip. I'll have someone give you some gold right away. Expect more after a job well done."

  The next strange thing in Will's life was the fact that he got to board a flying ship.

  The vessel was pretty small, and it was made even more cramped by the fact that most of it was occupied by High Mage Alonso's study, while the sole big bedroom was occupied by the First Prince.

  That meant Will had to sleep in crew quarters. His bedroom was basically a horizontal cupboard, and that was considered a luxury by the simple crew members.

  Will munched on a bar of dried meat mixed with some red berries as he watched the blue skies. It wasn't a bad type of food to have on the road, but it was the smallest and most lightweight kind, so it was all they had on board in addition to dry bread.

  Will sighed in relief when he finished laboriously chewing through his meal. Next, he went back to his magical practice even as he kept an eye on the horizon while the other watchman slept.

  God's Eyes (VI) stored in a spell slot.

  The preparation of the new high-level spell took a lot out of him, so Will took a breather before actually using it.

  God's Eyes (VI) triggered.

  It was somewhat similar to the minor version of the spell at the 2nd level, which was used to detect invisibility. In the game, slotting one of those tended to be more than enough in normal situations, and the sixth-level version was generally seen as overkill.

  In this world, however, the true God's Eyes spell was really impressive.

  Like with the 2nd-level version, Will felt his eyesight clear up immediately. Then it kept clearing up more and more, until the amount of detail he could discern was a little overwhelming. He had to practice simply to get used to ignoring most of it.

  With the lesser spell, he would already spot chameleon spell users trivially, but with the better version, he could perceive mana visually in addition to his normal mana sense.

  The skies weren't just blue anymore, but also permeated by a different color Will had no name for.

  The ground was spotty with other new colors, and living things stood out as bright spots, such as a wyvern on the horizon.

  "Wyvern at north-northwest!" Will shouted out loud from the cage on top of the short mast, onto which a small sail could be raised. It remained empty for now. Usually, a sail would just slow the craft down when it used its magical propulsion.

  "Alert! Man the crossbows!" someone else roared in response after a second, speaking into a brass tube that led downstairs. It was the guy currently in charge of steering the craft.

  In just a few more seconds, three men rushed from the warmth and comfort of the lower deck, putting on thick jackets and leather caps insulated with a lot of wool, the type of which Will and the guy at the helm already wore.

  "It's still ten miles and three hundred yards away," Will informed the men who had gathered. "You should be able to spot it soon...ish."

  The wyvern was pretty fast given how it flew using just its wing muscles. Those muscles brimmed with mana in Will's enhanced sight, so he knew that the creature wasn't truly flying by completely mundane means.

  Then again, living things in this world all seemed to contain at least some mana. Even the ordinary crew clearly possessed a little. Not really enough to enhance their muscular power, however.

  One of the men at the crossbows was an exception. He obviously wasn't a mage, but like the ships captain, he had a lot of mana in his body. He bore only a corporal's insignia on his uniform, even though his body looked similar to the captain in Will's mana sight.

  Both leaked a sizable amount of excess mana. Either they were of a similar strength, or perhaps the younger man was simply wasting more while the captain was better at holding on to the good stuff.

  Some big and very mana-rich insects splattered occasionally against the hull of the flying ship like rotten tomatoes, so Will knew his sight wasn't exactly a reliable indicator of strength.

  The wyvern slowed down as it gradually came closer. Finally, the three heavy crossbows fixed to the rim of the deck released a sparse salvo at it. One of the bolts struck true, and the creature screeched. With that nasty experience, it promptly turned around to flee.

  Everyone watched as the animal that was as big as a black bear soared away on wings that were twice as large as its body.

  Had it chosen to land on the deck and exchange its life for some kills, it would have been a truly fearsome enemy, potentially making its species an absolute obstacle to traveling through the skies with normal crews. Fortunately, wyverns were just simple predators who gave up once they realized they were not facing easy prey.

  Spotting the annoyance early had been nice, but Will had had enough of the sixth-level spell for now. He moved on to practicing other divination spells that could be relevant during his trip.

  "Ah, I thought I heard something," a deep voice spoke when a head appeared through a trapdoor on the deck.

  Will's mood soured instantly.

  "High Mage! Good day!" the helmsman saluted the newcomer on the deck.

  The tall, grey-haired man ignored the ordinary crew member and stared at Will.

  "Once again, you have such a beautiful way to practice magic! I could measure the undulations on my devices..."

  "High Mage," Will greeted the man with a curt nod, hoping he'd go away. Alas, he had no such luck.

  "Your mana capacity must be naturally high. Such envious circumstances of birth!" the man offered seemingly lamenting words but wore a wide smile.

  "Your parents must be truly powerful to produce such offspring. Oh, how they must treasure such a potent heir! I know I would be proud."

  Will resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the old man's incorrect deductions and tiresome platitudes.

  "Thanks," he simply replied.

  "East, right? You must hail from quite far east?"

  "Who knows? Ahem." Will proceeded to soften his tone, which had gained a slightly shrill quality. "You know I don't like to discuss my origins," he explained for the third time already.

  "Hehe. Such a mystery. No matter, I'll crack you open sooner or later!" The spry old man gave him a happy grin before retreating back into his study.

  Will finally let a grimace float on his face as he forced his attention back to his spells. His superior on this occasion was truly an annoyance.