Rising Shadows: The Fight for Freedom I

Chapter 97: Summoning

The young man indulged in a deep slumber, yet a full day of sleep was more than sufficient for a sixteen-year-old boy to regain his vibrant energy. Moreover, Darn had only endured a single sleepless night. Thus, as the first light of dawn broke and the festivities of the fourth day of the Midsummer Flame Festival had yet to commence, Darn had already leapt out of bed, brimming with vitality.

Darn's exuberance was not only evident in his early rising but also in his hearty appetite. Early in the morning, while others were still rubbing the sleep from their eyes, Darn was vociferously demanding that breakfast be served immediately, and on this day, his meal had to be double the usual portion!

"Young master, you are up quite early today!" exclaimed the young servant, Nuskah, rubbing his eyes as he made his way to the kitchen, where a cook was already stoking the fire to prepare the meal.

"Early? Well, I suppose I did rise a bit earlier today..." Darn replied, glancing out the window at the sky, which, though pale, still twinkled with faint stars, thus affirming his attendant's observation.

However, in the next moment, Darn began to urge for his breakfast, for the fifteen hours of sleep had left him ravenous, with no strength to contemplate anything beyond his hunger.

This state of affairs persisted until a slowly laden tray was delivered before Darn, which, after a swift consumption, was reduced to a mere third of its original contents.

Ah-there is nothing quite as delightful as food when one is famished. When was the last time I felt this satisfied? Hmm, it seems it was on the Nagalan Prairie!?

After gulping down several mouthfuls of milk, Darn was finally able to dine with the elegance befitting a nobleman. It was only then that his thoughts began to flow normally, allowing him to recall the events of the previous day.

He chuckled to himself, that lovely girl is my age! Yelina, what a beautiful name; I shall surely call upon it often!

The visage of the girl he had met only once floated in his mind, and Darn realized that the noble girl named Yelina had left a profound impression on him. As he reminisced about her sudden appearance in Archmage Ambrol's private laboratory, addressing the archmage as "teacher," a flicker of doubt arose within him.

Could Yelina truly be a ninth-tier mage? She certainly does not appear to be one. She seems so delicate, hardly resembling a formidable mage on the verge of ascending to a higher tier. However...

Considering Archmage Ambrol's character, it is unlikely that anyone who is not exceptionally talented could become his student! If that is the case, then Yelina possessing the rank of a ninth-tier mage is not entirely implausible, is it!?

Recalling how he had swiftly progressed from a first-tier magic apprentice to a fourth-tier mage, Darn dismissed his doubts. Yet, just as he was half-convinced about the noble girl Yelina's mage rank, another, more pressing question emerged.

Outside the mage tower, amidst a group of girls who were undoubtedly Yelina's maids, there seemed to be one girl whose silhouette resembled... Lilith!?

No, no, no, this cannot be! She is a female thief; how could she possibly be a noble lady's maid? I must have been mistaken; yes, that must be it!

This new doubt briefly circled in Darn's mind before being brushed aside for a simple reason. Merely recalling the resolute manner in which the female thief Lilith had adamantly refused to become a maid in front of him, Darn lost interest in pursuing the thought further and instead focused intently on finishing his breakfast.

Hmm, it has been several days since I last practiced magic. I cannot afford to be lazy today; I must exert myself diligently, or else...

"What else? Do you not trust me, despite our soul contract? That truly saddens me!" A voice suddenly echoed in Darn's mind. Just then, the long-absent figure of the demon Ramis materialized within Darn's soul.