Interlude 1: The Heretic's Ride

“If it isn’t the great heretic, Erda. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Well hello there, Lord Zanadu. It’s been what, ten years since I last saw you? You haven’t aged a day.”

After Lunar and her familiar managed to make an escape, I was escorted back to the caravan that Archangel had come from. I had full confidence that I would be able to take on Archangel in a 1v1 fight. But unfortunately, I’d have no such opportunity against a familiar. That was always the trouble when it came to summoners. You were always fighting an uphill battle.

Zanadu was not standing by the carriage itself, but was instead looking at the ruins of a house. It seemed that he had placed a bouquet of flowers on the dilapidated doorstep.

“Miss Erda here is going to join us on the way to the conference, my lord,” Archangel said.

“Is that so? We would love the company. Please, come inside.” Zanadu entered his carriage and beckoned me to follow.

I stepped inside with Archangel following behind me. The coach was rather spacious compared to the outside. It had clearly been enhanced with space magic. It was a common technique used by both schools to enchant spaces to have more room. I had placed similar enchantments on both mine and Lunar’s bags, but having one on the scale of this carriage required a considerable flow of magic power to sustain it.

“Please, have a seat.” Zanadu waved towards a couch and sat across a table from it on another one. It reminded me of the meeting parlors in the guild halls. Perhaps, in a way, this place acted as a sort of mobile parlor.

I took the seat as indicated. Archangel moved to stand behind Zanadu’s seat as I heard the carriage door close. We began moving again shortly after.

“Now, what is it that brings you out here in particular?” Zanadu asked.

“I just happened to find a good place to conduct some experiments.”

“Is that so? And what, may I ask, were those experiments?”

“You’ll just have to see my presentation during the summit. I’m sure it’s one you’ll want to pay attention to.” I couldn’t help but smile. I couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when I presented my findings.

Zanadu was one of the most powerful summoners on this side of the great desert. And for better or worse, he was a stickler for rules. As such, he always listens and reports to the council of Grand Magi who sit at the top of the guild despite having more power than most of them combined. Plus, he was still on their naughty list for that incident a few years back.

“Milord, I should inform you of the others I saw with the heretic at the disaster site. There were two young women with her, but they managed to escape.” Archangel was such a snitch.

“So you’ve recruited more heretics to your cause, have you?” Zanadu asked. “I’m sure the council won’t be pleased to hear that. Tell me, Archangel, what did these two look like? We’ll need to make a report.”

“The one was taller with black hair and eyes. The other one was shorter and wore a white ceremony dress. Her eyes and wavy hair were both a blue-ish silver. It was a similar hue to your first wife’s, so perhaps she was from the far south?”

“My first wife? Yes, her hometown was near the frigid wastes in the south. Did you need to travel all that way to find someone outside of the Council’s reach?”

“Hmm? Oh, you must be talking about my protégée. Cute little thing, isn’t she? I just happened to pick her up near the Great Forest.”

“Near the Great Forest?”

“That’s right. I must have picked her up about eight years ago now.”

“Eight years ago?” I could see the cogs in his head begin to turn as he was starting to grasp my meaning.

“Yes. She didn’t tell me where she came from, but she was wearing a very similar dress to the one she was wearing today. Quite the coincidence, don’t you think?”

“What nonsense is this? I never heard that you had a protégée.” Zanadu became flustered. Things were beginning to tip in my favor. Our dance was only beginning, but I was starting off with a strong lead.

“Ah, that’s what happens when you listen to the council and stay under house arrest for years. The whole world must have moved forward without you.”

“Erda, answer me!” Zanadu drew his sword from his belt and stood up, aiming it at my throat. I was in no immediate danger thanks to the defensive magic enchantments in my cloak, but he had no way of confirming that. It's about time that I go in for the kill.

“Easy now, if you stab me here you’ll never hear about Lunar.”

The man snapped. He thrust the sword into me with all his strength, but it wasn’t enough to overcome my defensive barrier. The sword shattered on impact like an icicle crashing to the ground. I lamented as fragments of metal fell into the cups of tea that had been laid out.

“Come on now, is this all that the ‘Wrath of the gods’ has to offer? Or have you just grown weaker after all those anger management classes?”

“Shut up, wretch! Don’t you dare mock me by uttering her name!”

“Oh? It’s just the name of my protégée. It’s not like you know any beautiful young maidens by that name, do you?”

“So what is it you mean to tell me? Are you saying that my daughter is alive and well? That she’s survived this whole time with your aid? And that you’ve subsequently poisoned her mind with your vile heresy?”

“Who could say?” I already had him right where I wanted him.

“Archangel, was that really my daughter? Did she look well?”

Archangel pondered for a moment before answering. “Judging by her appearance the last time I saw her, and the ten years it has been since then...the appearance would line up...”

“Dammit!” Zanadu slammed his hand on the table. “To think she was alive this whole time...”

Zanadu trailed off. He seemed to be having a moral dilemma.

“I don’t think what you did is wrong. Truth is, I’m indebted to you for producing quite the special child for me.”

“Is that supposed to be your gratitude? Do you expect a ‘thank you’ for raising my daughter into a heretic?”

“Well, that would be nice. But I’d like something that would benefit both of us.”

“And that would be?”

“I need my presentation to have supporters. I’ve already been branded as a heretic. If the council decides I have gone too far, then I’ll end up on the chopping block. And that means your daughter will be as well.”

“So that’s your plan, is it? You tell me my daughter is alive and then immediately hold her hostage?”

“Hostage is a strong word. She is still my protégée after all. She joined me of her own volition, saying that she wanted to become a Grand Magi no matter what. This just happened to be the most convenient time to tell you.”

“Fine, I’ll bite. What is your presentation that I am to be supporting?” Zanadu asked.

Honestly, he was too easy.

He still hadn’t even fully confirmed that Lunar was his daughter, and yet he was fully ready to hear me out. It seemed that being an idiot that agreed to things easily ran in her family.

“What would you say if I told you that your daughter managed to summon a familiar stronger than any other?”

“What nonsense. My wife said her summoning failed. Unless... You didn’t—”

Just as he was stammering, a large beam of light shot through the sky outside the carriage window. I was pretty sure that it had come from Lunar and her new summon. Honestly it was perfect timing.

“I did. We performed the summoning ceremony just before your guards appeared. Lunar is now the first known human to possess the abilities of both a conjurer and summoner. She is the catalyst that will change the world.”

“Erda the Heretic...just what have you made my daughter become?”

“What indeed?” I smiled. “That is for the council to decide. Those daggers in your eyes won’t do you any good. I’m the only one who can ensure her safety.”

“Archangel, head after them. Once you have confirmation that this girl is my daughter, return to me at once.”

“Are you sure that is wise, milord? I would rather not leave you alone with this woman. And I’ve not finished telling you about the other maiden. The girl’s supposed familiar.”

“Well? What was this familiar like? You said maiden... Is she an Archangel like you?”

“No, not quite. Judging by my phantasy, I would say that she is a being that has never been summoned to this world before. She has hair and wings the color of deepest night. It is just a guess, but she might be some kind of devil.”

“A devil? What kind of creature is that?”

“They are beings that serve as the opposites of angels. Rather than leading the world towards the light, they seek to upend the status quo and cause chaos.”

“Heretic!” He turned back to me. “Just what is it you have planned?”

“Yes. What indeed?” I repeated.

Teasing this old man was honestly too much fun.

It’s no wonder they call me a heretic.