A lady in her thirties woke up because of the strange fluctuation of Arcane Energy near the village where she was staying.

She had a fair complexion and delicate features. Her long blond hair was braided and hung over her shoulder. She wore a simple white dress while lying on her bed.

Because of the threat she felt from those waves of Arcane Energy, she instinctively held the cane that helped her sense her surroundings. Of course, it was also a weapon in case she needed to fight.

The room she lived in was small and cozy. It had a wooden bed, a table, a chair, and a wardrobe. There was a window that let in some light and fresh air. The room was decorated with some flowers and candles that she could smell.

Although she was blind, she still glanced at the window as if she could see what was going on outside

'What's going on?' She muttered.

Her name was Faith.

Previously, Faith had served as the Manager of the Contribution Points Exchange Hall at Vermont Academy. However, following a devastating attack on the Academy, she discovered that two students had been displaced to an unknown location.

She couldn't just escape with the others, so she took the mission of taking them back even without the instruction of the Headmaster.

She was determined to locate them, and she knew that she had to avoid any conflicts that may stop her from finding those two students.

Soon, her incredible senses found several airships in the sky and one of them was being assailed in the vicinity.

She was bewildered by the sudden outbreak of conflict in this border region.

"Why are they here? Is there another war I'm unaware of?" She pondered.

Luckily, she didn't have to flee from the village since it didn't take long before the disturbance eventually abated, allowing her to return to rest.

The next morning, she got up and prepared to leave the village.

Now that she thinks about it, she feels that the commotion was related to the students she was trying to find.

She didn't bother having breakfast as she put on her cloak and grabbed her cane.

She then walked out of the room and thanked the innkeeper for his hospitality. Before anything else, she headed to the market, where she hoped to find some food, water, and medicine.

After all, she wasn't sure if she could find another village to resupply.

Faith approached a stall that sold fruits and vegetables. She smelled the fresh produce and picked some apples and carrots.

She checked their prices and confirmed that everything in the village was cheap.

"2 zen and 50 nolls for a dozen, Miss" The vendor said.

"Alright"

Faith then handed him the coins and put the fruits and vegetables in her bag.

"Excuse me, sir, but do you know what happened last night?" She asked casually. "I heard some loud noises and saw some lights in the sky."

Faith said. Although she was blind, she could easily pose as a normal person thanks to her being an Arcanist.

The vendor then looked around nervously and lowered his voice.

"It was an airship attack, miss. I heard that some rebels tried escaping the country. They failed, of course. The Kingdom's airships are too strong. They have powerful cannons and a crew made up of Arcanists! They can fly faster than the wind. They are the pride of the Kingdom!"

She nodded and pretended to be impressed.

"Wow, that sounds amazing. But why did I notice that an airship was plummeting? I mean, do you know about those rebels? Why are they doing this? As you see, I'm a traveler from a different country." She said.

The vendor shrugged.

"Who knows, miss? They are crazy. They hate the king and his laws. They want to overthrow him and start a new order. They are dangerous. I heard that even the 14th Prince is chasing after them. I hope the Prince is fine"

Faith forced a smile as she realized that she couldn't really get any decent information from a vendor.

Well, it was not like she was expecting a lot from them.

"Ahh. They sound terrible. Thank you for your information, sir. Have a nice day."

She quickly moved away from the stall and looked for another one. She hoped to find someone who knew more about the Kingdom's rebels as she might encounter them while staying here in this country.

***

After some time, Faith started walking through the forest, following the traces of Arcane Energy around the place.

It didn't take that long before she arrived at what seemed like a battle field and she could sense the different types of Arcane Energy that had been used in the battle.

There were traces of Elemental Energy, Mystical Energy, Aura, and Beast Energy.

However, what attracted her attention was the existence of Dark Energy.

This confirmed the existence of Dark Magicians around the place!

'Finally I'm getting closer.' She silently thought.

Of course, she wasn't sure whether she had found the students or whether these were the traces of other Dark Magicians.

Nevertheless, she finally had a clue and wanted to celebrate it a little.

'But where did they go this time? Were they captured by the airships?'

She mused for a moment.

Then, as she continued her search, she saw a castle on the hill.

It was a large and imposing structure made of black stone and iron. It had tall towers, pointed roofs, and blocked windows. It looked like an abandoned castle since she wasn't feeling anything.

However, she had heard the rumors about the castle from the villagers.

They said it belonged to a vampire, a creature of the night that fed on blood. They said no one who entered the castle ever came back.

It was supposedly cursed and haunted according to them

'So I really can't trust those people' Faith mused as she headed to the castle.