Hanne
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Bonus Chapter 🌺 for Volume I
🕑 Added 2023-07-04 11:41:17 +0000 UTCI'm sorry for disrupting the flow of battle, but Patreon will always read first. This is a new chapter intended to fix the gap between Volume 1 and Volume 2, so between Lansius' arrival in Toruna and before his battle with Viscount Robert in Lowlandia.
I hope this will solve the issue with Timeskip and Hannei's backgrounds.
It's a rather long read, a full chapter. So find a nice time before you read. As always, thank you for your awesome support! ❤️
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Chapter 21- Extra: The Mage
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The fall season arrived in Midlandia, bringing with it a bountiful harvest. While they reaped the fruits of their labor, other regions of the Imperium were in the throes of a threatening famine.
The grave situation was worsened by an unsolvable nomadic incursion in the west, escalating beastmen attacks in the south, and the northern provinces breaking away from the Imperium.
The Elven Calendar year of 4423 was shaping up to be the most challenging year the Imperium had faced since its inception. As for Lansius and Audrey, despite the joy of their reunion, they found themselves in a precarious situation.
As Audrey had predicted, a powerful Midlandian nobleman wanted Lansius not for his skills, but for his status as a foreigner. This provided a convenient scapegoat should he be captured, and his vulnerable circumstances also made him an easy target for manipulation.
While that reason was clear, there were other mysteries Lansius had yet to unravel. The reasons why the nobleman had saved Audrey remained a mystery. However, he had little time to dwell on these suspicions.
Under the guidance and assistance of Sir Stan, Lansius and Audrey spent the ensuing months in training, preparing for their inevitable roles as pawns in a grand scheme.
The world outside was changing rapidly. Throughout winter and spring, Lord Arte had been gathering support from the Midlandian nobility. He cemented his status as a shrewd politician, talking, and faking his way to become the court’s favorite.
Meanwhile, news of Felicity’s betrothal arrived, along with another report mentioning that Calub had successfully recruited a small band of followers at the behest of Sir Stan.
When the wind from the eastern sea blew inland, Calub and his recruits finally arrived and stirred things up in Toruna. His influence even convinced Sir Stan to grant Lansius permission to meet with the mage.
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A spring thunderstorm was howling outside. Inside Sir Stan’s manor, the servants began to light the chandelier. The thunderous boom could be felt despite the manor’s sturdy stone construction.
Lansius cleared his throat. He wasn’t in good shape. His face and body were bruised, and both of his palms were bandaged from training. His buttocks remained sore after continuous horse riding, even during winter.
I should’ve carried a flask or something.
He wasn’t thirsty, but his throat felt bad. He wished to get something warm, but he couldn’t possibly pass up the opportunity to meet the mage.
Sir Stan had just granted his permission after receiving Calub’s recommendation, and Lansius feared the baronet might reconsider his decision. So, he patiently waited just outside the chamber, waiting for a summon.
His thoughts returned to the Alchemist. Calub turned out to be more influential than he initially thought. The way the two conversed made it clear that Calub was well-acquainted with Sir Stan and was even trusted enough to vouch for Lansius regarding the mage.
The man was either humble or simply concealing his status as an agent of a powerful noble.
At first, Lansius felt deceived, but he soon understood that secrecy was paramount in their circle. In exchange for this secrecy nature, he gained access to a wealth of knowledge. The old Imperium history book he had read in Riverstead paled in comparison to the volumes the manor possessed.
In one manuscript, Lansius discovered detailed lore about the Ancients, the first beings to roam this planet. They were nearly immortal and, through their guidance, nascent species such as the Elves and Dwarves reached their peak during the Ancient Era.
Currently, during his time off from training, Lansius engrosses himself in reading about the early humans. These beings, the Grand Progenitors, were said to have lived even longer than the elves and were depicted much like the demigods from Greek mythology, complete with heroic deeds and epic tales.
However, there was one big caveat. One of the last Great Progenitors still walked upon the halls of the Imperium. He was known as the Ageless One. The reigning Emperor.
While Lansius had heard about this before he read the books and manuscripts in Toruna, the grand figure was shrouded in great mystery. Everybody talked about the Ageless One as if he were a constant, much like the sun or the sky.
Only recently did Lansius understand there was more to it than just an immortal being. The Emperor turned out to be one of the early humans, a Great Progenitor.
The creaking of the heavy oaken door alerted Lansius. Audrey decked in her usual gothic attire, stepped out from the chamber. Compared to last autumn, she had recovered some of her muscles.
“How was it?” asked Lansius as Audrey closed the door behind her.
“Ah, nothing. She — the mage is just curious about my eyes.”
“She? The mage is a woman?”
“Turns out to be one,” Audrey let out a sigh. She had been suspicious about several guards and the squire, but never a maid.
“What about your eyes?”
“She said she wanted to invite a colleague of hers, a Hunter Guildsman, to give a check.”
Lansius nodded nervously. He knew something was abnormal about those eyes, but he never thought it was something serious. “Is it magical or something?”
Audrey couldn’t hide a faint smile. “I wish that was the case... Now go on, the mage wants to meet you.”
Drawing a deep breath, Lansius was about to enter when Audrey whispered, “She seems trustworthy.”
He paused in front of the door, their eyes met, and he whispered back, “How can you tell?”
“I trust my instinct.”
Nodding, Lansius cautiously opened the door.
“Come in,” came a female voice from inside.
Lansius entered and saw the mage in person. She wasn’t much older than Audrey, wearing servant attire, but was relaxing on a comfortable-looking couch like a pampered lady.
“Please sit,” she pointed at one chair in the corner where the desk was.
“Now that both of you know about me, I don’t need to be in disguise anymore,” she mused, as Lansius approached the chair.
The mage undid her off-white headscarf and pulled out her brown hair, which turned out to be a wig, revealing long, blonde hair beneath it.
The sight of her hair shocked Lansius. “Please excuse my curiosity, are my Lady, a noble-born?”
“Even a dull blonde catches the eyes,” she scoffed. “Hardly, but I get that a lot.” She scratched her head with little regard for Lansius. The casualness of her demeanor emphasized their status disparity. “So, you asked to meet me. Why?”
Lansius had thought about this so many times that his heart almost burst. “I want to learn about magic.”
“Learn about magic? Well, I suppose I could find you a book.”
How easily she agreed didn’t bode well for Lansius. “No, I read a book about the history of magic. That’s not the one I seek for.”
She paused to glance at Lansius momentarily. “Good, I hate books. The Imperium alphabet is driving me nuts.”
She can’t read the common tongue?
Lansius tried again. “What I want to learn is magic. Can you teach me magic?”
“Oh, it’s the same as that girl before you,” she said flatly, with a hint of boredom.
“Eh, Audrey wanted to learn magic too?”
The mage found the reaction to be funny and chuckled. “She didn’t tell you? How quaint. I thought you two are a couple.”
Lansius was rather taken aback. “Well, we still have our secrets.”
The mage smiled judgementally.
“Um, so can you teach me magic?”
She began to comb her hair and explained, “I can’t teach. Magic is a talent anyway. Some have it, most don’t.”
Lansius pushed on. “At least you should test me.”
“Test? I suppose I could.”
“Great, what should I do?” said Lansius excitedly.
“Cast a fireball or something,” she mused, almost laughing.
“How?” Lansius asked, brimming with anticipation for instruction.
The mage was stunned. Even the dumbest men in Midlandia knew that conjuring a fireball or any element was impossible. “Aren’t you supposed to be smart? Even Calub vouched for you.”
“Err... why does a fireball have to do with me being smart?” defended Lansius.
“Because it’s impossible,” she responded, a hint of tiredness in her voice.
“Oh, uh, right...” Lansius felt dumb.
The mage exhaled deeply in her seat, muttering, “C’est pour ça que je déteste les gens.“
The words sent a tingle through Lansius’ ears, stunning him. They sounded like a foreign language he had once studied in school. He nervously asked, “Parlez-vous... français?“
The mage jumped from her seat. Her eyes went wide, and she hid herself behind the chair as if fearful of Lansius.
“No way,” Lansius commented with his mouth agape. His suspicion was confirmed.
“What are you?” she challenged.
Lansius rose and answered, “I-I’m from Earth.”
“The fuck, why did you say it like that? You’re an alien or something. Where are you from?” she snapped.
“I can’t remember. I lost most of my memory,” Lansius tried to explain.
Unconvinced, the mage’s eyes darted to Lansius’ hair. She had always thought of Lansius as just a foreigner, but now her curiosity was piqued. “Are you Asian?”
“I don’t know, but I guess so.” He shrugged, uncomfortable under her intense gaze.
She squinted at him, clearly evaluating his appearance. “But you don’t look Asian.”
Lansius replied weakly, “Really, I don’t remember anything. I could be from anywhere.”
As Hannei gathered her thoughts, the earlier tension slightly dissipated.
Breaking the silence, Lansius asked, “So, how?”
She lifted a hand. “Quiet, I’ll do the asking.”
“At least tell me your name,” Lansius asked meekly.
She hesitated for a moment. “People call me Hannei.”
“That doesn’t sound French.”
“Fuck you!” the mage retorted passionately and with expertise.
“Ok, calm down,” Lansius tried to de-escalate.
Great, she got an even shorter fuse than Audrey!
“Prove to me that you’re... from Earth,” the mage responded.
Lansius chuckled. “Like how? As if I could pull a smartphone from my pants.”
“Smart phone...? That sounds dumb. Are you fooling me?”
She doesn’t know about smartphones...?
Lansius’ eyes widened as he processed the implications. “No way. You got into this world before the year 2000?”
Hannei gasped, her hand flying to her mouth in shock. “You reached the millennium?”
Lansius nodded. “A good two decades,” he revealed, watching her carefully for her reaction.
Hannei shook her head in disbelief. “No way! But I’m only here ten years ago.”
Lansius frowned, his mind racing as he tried to make sense of their differing timelines. “That doesn’t make any sense... unless time in here moves slower than on Earth?”
She paused, looking visibly perturbed. “Ugh...” she grumbled, the theory not sitting well with her. But after a moment, her curiosity seemed to take over. “Tell me about Earth before the millennium then, prove to me that you’re from there.”
Lansius sat back in his chair, grateful for the change in subject. He was too happy to have met another Earth-born that he momentarily forgot about magic. “Well, what do you want to know?”
Hannei looked at him intently before asking, “Tell me about Olympia?”
He tried hard but almost found nothing. “The mountain in Greece...?”
“What? No, it’s a ship. Try to remember, it’s a big, big action movie,” she clarified.
“I don’t remember...” Lansius paused and then something hit him. He slowly asked, “Do you mean Olympia, the sister ship of Titanic?”
“Titanic, what’s that?” replied Hannei with furrowed brows.
Lansius was shocked. “Tell me who won World War 2?”
“World War? Do you mean the Great War? Are you joking with me?” She shot her strongest gaze at Lansius.
Lansius didn’t even blink. Compared to Audrey’s eyes, any eyes looked cute. “The Great War is the 1st World War,” he began. “There’s another one, the Allies against the Axis: Nazi Germany, fascist Italy, and Japan, you don’t know any of that?”
Hannei shook her head and asked, “Why are you using that word? It’s Deutsches Kaiserreich.”
Lansius gulped. “You mean, in your year 2000, Germany, is still ruled by a Kaiser?”
“Is it not the case in your world?” replied Hannei nervously, and both drew the same conclusion. Somehow, they were coming from a different Earth.
A parallel world? Just unbelievable...
Lansius slumped in his seat as he tried to gather his thoughts. Meanwhile, Hannei returned to her seat, looking devastated. However, she found some solace and commented, “Well, at least, we’re still from Earth.”
Lansius nodded. They should have more in common with each other than with the rest of the Midlandians or Arvenians. “Do you watch TV?” he asked.
“Yeah, and also cinemas,” replied Hannei.
“Shampoo?” asked Lansius.
“Oh, how I wish I had them.”
The atmosphere was growing friendlier. Thus, Lansius dared to ask, “So, can you tell me how you learned magic?”
She bit her lip. “No, I can’t. As much as I want to, I just can’t.”
Not giving up so easily, Lansius tried again, “Can’t you test me or something?”
“The test is only to check the potential. Even if you have it, magic isn’t something any mage can teach.”
“Well, no harm in checking--“
“I just told you... I’d rather not,” Hannei raised her voice.
Lansius tried his best to persuade her, “Please, I’ve come to this place without anything, not even my memory. At least can you check?”
Hannei let out a long sigh. Without saying a word, she rose from her couch and walked toward Lansius. “Just stay still,” she instructed, placing her palm over Lansius’ forearm.
She then recited, “Gloire au Père, au Fils et au Saint-Esprit. Comme il était au commencement, maintenant et toujours, pour les siècles des siècles.”
Lansius didn’t recognize the prayer; his French was just basic.
Being close to her, he began to realize that Hannei’s eyes weren’t entirely brown, but a bit golden. The prayer stopped, but all Lansius felt was the warmth of her palm. “So?”
Hannei pulled her hand away, took a step back, and simply shook her head.
Lansius chuckled and used his hands to cover his face. “Oh, I thought I had it, you know. Being summoned to this world and all,” he rambled, embarrassed.
“Don’t sweat it. Magic is rare unless you’re an elf,” Hannei consoled him.
Lansius nodded. “A question. Why do you recite something in French?”
“It’s just something to attune me to my source.”
“Source?” Lansius blurted out.
Hannei drew a deep breath. “Enough. I gave you what you wanted. Now leave.”
“Wait, we still have a lot to talk about.”
“You’re too noisy for your own good,” she retorted, returning to her couch. “While I’m not a member of the Mage Guild, the craft is still a secret. I’ve told you things I shouldn’t have. So zip your lips.”
Then, with more urgency, she added, “If you want to live longer, keep the Earth thing between us. Don’t tell anyone about our origin, not Sir Stan, not Lord Bengrieve, not even your lover.”
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Spring turned into summer in the year 4424. The military buildup in Toruna was noticeable, and Lansius knew war was imminent. But instead of marching to the north, to Arvena, they were directed into the south. Lord Bengrieve, unexpectedly, had launched a campaign against a small barony in Lowlandia.
As explained by Sir Stan, the plan was to secure Midlandia’s exposed flank before committing to a major push against Lord Gottfried in Arvena. While it looked like an uneven battle, Midlandia couldn’t afford a prolonged siege, or to waste men and supplies. They needed a quick and decisive victory.
The problem was the presence of a powerful Viscount in Lowlandia. Although the province was fragmented, the Viscount had backed most of the baronies in the area to maintain his regime’s status quo. These small baronies acted as a buffer, separating his region from Midlandia.
For this campaign, Sir Stan brought along Lansius, Audrey, and Calub. However, they would split up from the main army.
Midlandia needed someone to lead a diversion, and that person was to be Midlandia’s newest black-haired henchman, along with his ragtag band of misfits.
Eager to please his new Master, Lansius decided to carry out the mission, despite having had only a season to train and equip them in Toruna. Under the guise of a raiding mission, Lansius’ small band of inadequately trained troops embarked on what appeared to be, in all aspects, a suicide mission.
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PS: The picture is of Audrey in late spring, early summer attire. I hope you enjoy the picture and thank you for reading. ❤️
Comments
Juy.grece
Obrigado pelo capĂtulo 🙂
Juy.grece
Essa e a parte legal, ele lutar para poder viver um amor
Megabadman
Welp gonna go head and say it. Don't think Audrey and Lansius should be together at all. This is a story where villagers freeze/starve to death when winter comes, where nobles rise and fall constantly. Our young MC who barely has the title of Baron marrying a girl who doesn’t have any exceptional traits not a mage, isn’t from a Parallel Earth, not a tactician. Just an adopted girl of a Baronet family, with decent Calvary/sword skill. Marrying for love doesn’t fit. I don’t think she should be killed off but not wifu material just my opinion.
