, Fengari suddenly spoke up, a good half hour after leaving the capital of Exarion. For a brief moment, Cale looked up from his book and considered responding to this statement, but let it go and smiled instead.

"What gives you such pleasure?", Chief Merensen spoke up, who was sitting in the chair in front of him, helping out with the research on the Thormods.

"The dragon said something funny", Cale confessed quietly, leaning back.

"Rather convenient that you can talk to each other in your minds."

"It certainly has its advantages, yes."

"I'm almost envious", the chief remarked mockingly, glancing out the window a moment later. "Do you know what's going on in Winstest?"

"According to the dragons who keep an eye on what's going on there for me, they've been said to have strong border controls on the Death Region since the meeting. They seem to know that creatures live in that area. Also, they keep sending spears through the area looking for the outcasts and bringing them back."

"They bring them back?"

"That's what it looks like. I thought at first they were going to hunt them down and kill them, but according to the dragons, they're just bringing people back into the woods and they're all still alive."

"Probably they themselves are aware that the Death Region and Tsuke are a big risk for them, and they can't afford to lose people."

"Or they are sacrificing people to the gods, who knows."

For a moment, Aletta's father gave him a surprised look, but remained silent. The chiefs were aware that the peoples in Winstest had such views. Although they are the ones who are closest to the truth, it is these same people who also want to pass on that truth at any cost. They themselves do not seem to be aware that they are crossing the line in doing so. At least until today, because Cale could not shake off the feeling that the behavior of the people of faith has a different background. A background he did not know.

"High-Magician Aaron Thopas is coming", Cale quickly announced, as he could sense Aaron approaching them.

"How do you know it's High-Magician Thopas?"

"Trade secret", he quickly replied and stood up. Simultaneously, as Aaron arrived at the door, Cale had already arrived and opened it. Aaron did not seem at all surprised by this action, merely stopping in the doorway and greeting her.

"Good morning. I got the body ready like you asked", Aaron announced calmly.

"Body?", the Chief interjected in irritation, standing up as well.

"Yesterday we talked about examining a Thormod's body, remember?", Cale explained.

"And the Magistrat just happens to have a dead Thormod in its basement?", Ninett Merensen replied shocked but at the same time excited. He followed the High-Magician's hand gesture and stepped out.

"That is the Thormod who had attacked High-Magician Grischa Vonstetten."

"The Magistrat surprises me again and again", the chief muttered delightedly, following the two High-Magicians into a more secluded part of the Magistrat.

"Don't get your hopes up too high. I looked at this corpse as well and couldn't find any useful information", Aaron clarified.

"Well, now you have an experienced healer with Holy Mana here."

, Aaron volunteered to Cale's surprise over thoughts at him.

"True", Aaron replied simultaneously, covering up the fact that he didn't particularly like the action. "However, I will have to leave you afterwards. The Layton tribe has just contacted us."

"Ho? We were just talking about Winstest", the Chiefs mentioned casually, following Aaron into a lowered room that was noticeably cooler than the rest.

, Aaron interjected in surprise as Cale was the last to enter the room.

, Cale replied sheepishly, watching Aaron pull the tarp off the body to reveal a six-foot body.

"Unbelievable."

Instantly, the chiefs stood beside and let his eyes fly in fascination over the dead man before them. Without the headdress and thin clothes, it was easy to tell that this was human. Aaron pushed a table next to him and lifted the box containing the Thormod's objects on it, so the chiefs took a quick look as well.

"This is what the Thormod wore. The dark color he wears all over his body like war paint is blood."

"Human or creature?"

"Animal, actually. From a fish. Odin confirmed it for me, but you're welcome to make up your own minds about it."

With a wave of his hand, he pointed to the utensils on a shelf behind him. The room here was a kind of laboratory, in which Grischa and Aaron had tested with the crystals together earlier. Accordingly, there were one or two dents and burns here that were never removed. However, the area had not been used for years and only the Thormod that Sefra had brought back from the hunt was located here.

"Please don't break anything while I'm up there", Aaron added a moment later.

"I'll be careful", the chief replied with a grin, so Aaron merely nodded and disappeared from the room again with a final warning glance. The 3rd seat had barely gone 10 meters before Cale had already erected a sound barrier and looked at Chief Merensen. "Just like in the books. Their bodies are blood-red."

"Is that from their destroyed mana circuits?", Cale asked, approaching the corpse as the chief stripped himself of his clothes and weapon and put on gloves. Now he looked more like a true healer than a warrior, even though his physique revealed his strength.

"Yes. Do you remember that mana and blood are symbiotic? When the mana circuit is destroyed with Holy Mana, you completely erase its existence and the blood completely gain the upper hand. It spreads to all areas of the body and turns it red, although I must admit that this is the first time I have seen such a thing."

The chief carefully began to scan the dead body, as if checking to see where muscle and fat would be. But while Cale watched him do it, he imagined what this Thormod, with an ordinary skin color and brown hair, would look like.

"This is just a disciple"

"Just a disciple?", Cale repeated, confused.

"Yes, judging by the war paint. The way it was described in the Book of Truth, there are only four types of war paint: leader, warrior, disciple, and saint. All others do not wear any painting and are counted as simple people."

"And you can tell that from the painting on the body?"

"Quite, yes. Disciples wear stripes at regular intervals, warriors have a large gap after every other line. The leaders themselves wear their painting with two vertical lines all over their bodies, both sides from head to toe."

"Plural? Are there multiple leaders?"

"I think so, but I can't assure you exactly", the chief replied, carefully lifting the body a bit to see the back. Otherwise, he sighed and ran his finger over the dry blood, rubbing it between his fingers before letting mana flow into his hand and levitate the crumbs.

"What about the saints you had addressed? How do you recognize them?"

"By the neck. They wear a ring of blood on their necks."

Simultaneously with the statement, Cale recalled his mother's true appearance and immediately remembered the ring, which the chiefs addressed. It was as if, for the first time in 300 years, he finally had some information about who or what his mother was.

"I understand. Then my mother was a saint, whatever that means", he said.

"There's not much about saints in the book either, I'm afraid. They're extremely rare and the Thormods pay homage to them like gods."

"Like gods? Seriously?"

"At least that's what the clever book says", the chief replied wryly, finishing his test with the mana. "Yes, fish blood. Interesting. Would be nice to know if the Thormods live on fish and why they've never been seen."

"Wouldn't surprise me anymore. They have to survive somehow", Cale spoke up without taking his eyes off the corpse. "Though I would be interested to know how they live and if they are part of the group in the northwest of Tsuke."

"True... maybe it wouldn't be bad if I talked to Juna. She's been around a lot in the last few decades, including Tsuke", the Chiefs brought up thoughtfully, placing both hands on the Thormod's chest before generating mana and letting it flow into the dead body. He remained still for 30 seconds, staring at the Thormod before sighing and releasing his hands. "Yes, completely destroyed, both heart and circulation. No way this Thormod here was able to generate his own mana."

"Can you tell if this Thormod has the ability Connection you referred to?"

"Unfortunately not. The abilities are not externally detectable, except for Holy Mana, because here is the mana itself has changed."

"Too bad."

"I'm sorry I can't be of more help to you."

"You helped quite a bit, Chiefs", Cale replied quickly, raising his arms dismissively as if to apologize for the comment. The big man, on the other hand, distanced himself a few steps and regarded the Thormod for a moment.

"Perhaps it is time we relaxed our old rules."

"What do you mean?", Cale replied in surprise, causing the chiefs to look up at him.

"The story behind the Holy Mana. When I look at it and think about what's hidden in the plains and Tsuke, we're going to have a big problem very soon. It almost seems like the Thormods want to take revenge on us."

"Yes. They undoubtedly will attack us again in the coming weeks, months, or years, I can assure you that much", the High-Magician expressed himself with a confident tone. He clasped his hands in front of his chest and looked down at the Thormod who had made Grischa suffer for two months. He would have loved to kill this one himself, just seeing his corpse wasn't satisfaction enough. "How old do you think this Thormod is?"

"Not old. Twenty, more like younger."

"Crazy. Imagine if we suddenly instructed the students at the Magistrat to get ready during an attack on...", raised Cale, but fell silent halfway through. If this Thormod was a student, why send him to the front lines? "That doesn't make any sense. Why him? If you want to take out a High-Magician, you don't take chances and send experienced warriors and not a kid like that, do you?"

"Do you think High-Magician Vonstetten was deliberately chosen?", the chief remarked, causing Cale to shrug in surprise and look up at the man.

"Yes, there is no other way I can explain why a Thormod showed up so close to the walls. Maybe I should talk to the dragons again about the second wave, I feel like I'm missing something."

"Would be worth a try. No matter how heartless a leader, sending just a single Thormod would have been far too dangerous. There must have been at least two."

"Why two?", Cale repeated.

"Well, a Thormod must have been present to control the creatures. If it wasn't this child, and I doubt that very much, then there was a second Thormod present."

Cale felt a chill run down his spine at the statement. He hadn't really thought about the fact that there must have been a Thormad who had commanded the creatures to attack the city. Logically, this makes a lot more sense, why else would they ignore the surrounding regions and directly attack the heart of Altona? The capital was the center for all people, everything else would be meaningless in comparison. Still, it didn't answer the question of why this student had advanced all the way to the city. Alone.

"With each piece of information, I like this less and less."

"Same here. It's funny to know that we never really perceived such a danger", Chief Merensen interjected while removing his gloves. "If you ever get your hands on a living Thormod, let me know."

At the statement, Cale cleared his throat in amusement and grinned.

"I promise, you'll be one of the first to know."