Chapter 73: Pugas City (Part 1)

Early in the morning, Merlin woke up to find himself covered in sticky sweat, with a faintly unpleasant odor.

"Hmm? Sweating again?"

It was the middle of winter, with icy winds and occasional sleet outside. In such weather, sweating was unlikely. Merlin touched his hands and back, feeling the clammy residue, but instead of being annoyed, a smile crept onto his face. It had been a long time since he'd felt like this.

Back when he first obtained the mysterious engraving, he'd wake up drenched in sweat every morning after practicing the strange poses. As his physical strength gradually improved, the poses lost their effectiveness, and soon his training ceased to produce the same results.

But now, after practicing the second set of poses from the engravings last night, Merlin's body was responding again, a sign that the mysterious poses were once more impacting his body. With continued practice, he was confident that his strength would reach an exceptional level.

After having a maid bring him hot water to wash up, Merlin stepped outside.

The cold wind whistled, and patches of ice crystals had formed on the ground. Every step required caution to avoid slipping.

"Hah!"

Merlin heard shouts from a short distance away. As he moved closer to the courtyard, he saw Old Wilson clad in full armor, wielding a greatsword whose blade flickered with intense flames.

Old Wilson was practicing his swordsmanship. He was on the verge of advancing to a level-three elemental swordsman but needed more time to build up his power. He didn't rush, focusing instead on perfecting his flame control, which now allowed him to unleash a fiery slash with remarkable speed and force.

Merlin observed keenly as Old Wilson's body swelled, his muscles expanding to the point that they nearly burst through his armor.

With a swift motion, Old Wilson's sword cut through the air, producing a piercing whistle. The speed was astonishing, even without the use of elemental energy—it was purely his own strength at work.

"Father has grown stronger," Merlin murmured, approaching Old Wilson as he finished his practice.

"Merlin, those three poses you gave me are truly extraordinary. I've only practiced them for a few days, but I already feel twice as powerful! Now, I can hold my ground against a level-three elemental swordsman without even using elemental energy!" Old Wilson's words carried an intense, newfound confidence that Merlin could feel radiating off him.

Hearing that his father's strength had doubled, Merlin was a bit surprised. When he first practiced the engravings' poses, his body's transformation had been gradual. Yet, in just a few days, Old Wilson's change was striking. This effect was likely due to Old Wilson's already exceptional physical constitution, which amplified the engravings' impact.

"Perhaps the more naturally gifted one's physique, the better these poses work," Merlin thought. At this rate, his father's strength might soon rival that of a level-four elemental swordsman.

Shortly after, Commander Pra came over and reported to Old Wilson, "My lord, everything is prepared. We're ready to set off."

Old Wilson nodded and said to Merlin, "Let's go. The sooner we reach Pugas City, the sooner we can settle down."

Merlin then visited Count Primont's castle to bid him farewell. The count provided him with identity tokens and a letter for Count Selin.

With these tokens, they would likely avoid many potential obstacles along the way.

After saying their goodbyes, Merlin and the rest of the convoy left Ravensburg.

※※※

Three days later, they arrived at an ancient city. The old, weathered walls were covered in patches where the stone had eroded, crumbling slightly under the slightest touch.

"Pugas… this must be Pugas City," Merlin observed, reading the faded letters on the wall. The letters were in Morta script. Black Moon Kingdom prided itself on inheriting the legacy of the Morta Empire from 3,600 years ago, even adopting Morta's ancient language to lend credibility to their claim.

"Finally…" Old Wilson, Baron Barman, and the others wore expressions of relief and excitement. After a long and uncertain journey, they had escaped the Kingdom of Light and reached their destination. If everything went smoothly, Pugas City would become the new home for the Wilson and Barman families.

As the convoy approached the city gates, a group of robust guards stopped them, informing Old Wilson and the others, "By order of Count Selin, the gates are closed. No one may enter or exit Pugas City without an identity token."

"What's going on? The gates were open yesterday. Why the sudden lockdown?"

"Has something happened in Pugas City?" Merchants and commoners were perplexed. On any other day, the gates allowed free passage. Now, only those with identity tokens could pass, tokens typically held only by nobles and large trading guilds.

Old Wilson was near the front of the convoy. He signaled for the group to halt and instructed Commander Pra, "Bring Merlin over."

Soon, Commander Pra returned with Merlin, who surveyed the strict security around the gates with a frown. He whispered to Old Wilson, "Father, don't worry. Count Primont gave me some identity tokens. I'll handle this."

Merlin approached the guards and produced one of the tokens.

The guards examined it closely, asking, "An identity token from Ravensburg? What's your business in Pugas City with such a large group?"

"We were introduced by Count Primont to visit Count Selin. Do you think the token is fake?" Merlin replied, frowning at the unnecessary questioning.

Hearing that Count Primont was involved, the guard carefully inspected the token again. Finding no issues, he returned it to Merlin. "This is Count Selin's order, and we must follow it strictly. Your identity token is valid. You may enter."

With a wave, the guard signaled for the gates to open. Old Wilson led the convoy through the gates of Pugas City.

While the others felt a sense of relief, Merlin couldn't shake a sense of unease. Looking back at the heavily guarded entrance, he muttered under his breath, "I just hope that whatever trouble Count Selin's facing isn't too serious…"