How come this arcanist is invincible?

Chapter 81 Showdown with Reed

The next day, in the prison at the Night's Watch headquarters.

Talia sat in the wooden cell where Kane had once been imprisoned.

Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting several shadows of the fence on the ground.

Someone delivered hard, dark bread and thin wheat soup and left it at the door.

She squatted down and sighed.

The chains on his feet rattled—these chains, along with the shackles on his hands, were specifically designed to restrict the spellcaster's movements.

"Kate... no, I should call you Kane now."

She spoke softly to the air.

"Was it your idea to lock me up in this room alone?"

Even now, she still harbors a slightly ridiculous thought about that person.

The guards at the gate stood far away, their eyes frozen, holding a specially made hand crossbow in their hands.

Talia knew his intention; if she dared to move, she would be shot at in the next second.

She tried to smile at the guard, but he didn't even blink.

She tried to strike up a conversation several times in the past few days, but never received a response.

Talia wasn't surprised—this was the Night's Watch's territory, the Nord royal family's coldest blade.

It is said that every Night Watchman has the blood of his fellow professionals on his hands.

Footsteps came from the other end of the corridor, unhurried.

The guard stepped aside, nodded to the newcomer, and retreated outside the door, but his eyes remained fixed on her.

Talia looked up and saw the person.

Kane stood outside the cell door. He still had black hair and black eyes, but he was now wearing different clothes, bearing the Night's Watch insignia.

He seemed expressionless, or rather, colder than before.

A thick wooden fence separated the two, as if they were from two different worlds.

Talia looked at that familiar yet unfamiliar face, her throat a little dry:

"Kay... En. This is your true self, isn't it?"

Back in the High Dome, all your worries and anxieties... were just an act, weren't they?

"Yes."

Kane paused for a moment before speaking.

"My goal is to find out about the underground organization that turned the necromancer Flynn into a full-fledged mage through the right people."

He paused for a moment, then told the truth.

He looked at Talia's gaunt face and didn't lie.

Talia looked at him, opened her mouth, and finally only uttered a soft sentence:

"Then... you don't actually need to come see me."

Kane didn't respond to that, but instead took out a small cloth bag from his pocket and handed it over through the gap in the railing.

Talia took it, opened it, and inside were several slender vials of potion.

"This is……?"

"It can alleviate the aftereffects of those rituals, and the symptoms will not recur for a certain period of time after drinking it."

Talia held the cold bottle, then suddenly chuckled softly, a sound that was both bitter and strange:

"We've known each other for so long... and this is the first time you've ever given me 'something'."

"……Feel sorry."

Kane remained silent.

The cell suddenly became so quiet that only the sound of breathing could be heard.

After a while, Talia asked again, her voice very soft:

"Can I ask... about us, what will happen to me?"

Kane nodded, his tone flat:

"Most people, barring any unforeseen circumstances, will be sentenced to three to ten years for killing civilians, while a few heinous criminals will be hanged."

As for you, they should have told you that you'll be imprisoned for at least three years, and then fined fifty gold coins.

"Your parents probably already know about this."

Talia gave a bitter smile:

"Three years... I guess my journey as a mage has come to an end."

Kane understood what she meant.

For a spellcaster, having wasted three precious years in prison, coupled with a criminal record, the High Dome Tower would certainly not want her anymore.

Other mage towers will not accept someone who has advanced through forbidden rituals.

Kane looked into her eyes and said slowly:

"There's another option, it's up to you whether you want it or not."

"Is there another option?"

Talia looked up abruptly, a glint of light in her eyes. "What?"

Kane thought for a moment, then raised his hand, revealing the Dead Apostle Ring he had put back on after the mission:

"By passing the 'Toxins Act,' join the Night's Watch as a Dead Apostle."

Even if you are guilty and not accepted by the mage tower, you can still accumulate merit to exchange for spells, and even apply to study under a high-ranking mage.

Talia stared at the ring, her voice tightening:

"Dead Apostle... the fastest-dying member of the Night's Watch. I never imagined you would be..."

Kane didn't say anything more. He had given her the advice he needed to give, and it was up to her whether to accept it or not.

He nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Talia's voice came from behind.

Kane paused in his tracks.

Talia's voice trembled slightly:

"If that ritual continues, will I really become a demon?"

Then he was killed by Everett—no, by what they call the ghouls, right?

Kane, with his back to her, paused, then uttered a single word:

"Yes."

Then he stopped and his footsteps faded into the distance in the empty corridor.

Behind me, Talia said very softly:

"……Thanks."

But Kane seemed not to hear him and disappeared straight through the doorway.

After an unknown amount of time, Talia took a deep breath and turned to the guard at the door who had been staring at her:

"Guard, could you help me find Captain Hans? The one who brought me in."

The guard frowned and raised his crossbow slightly. "What is it?"

Talia met those cold eyes and tried to keep her voice steady:

"Please tell him that Talia has applied for the 'Yomigae'—I want to be a dead apostle of the Night's Watch."

She knew very well that even if she was only imprisoned for three years, her path to becoming a mage would be over.

Only by becoming a Death Apostle can one have a chance to continue.

Moreover, even if the death rate of the Dead Apostles is high, it's not that dangerous for her.

After all, she was a spellcaster who knew first-level magic, and no faction would send her to her death so easily.

Kane pointed her to the most difficult path, but also the only one that allowed her to move forward.

"Thank you, Kane. We... should meet again."

She whispered to herself, a resolute smile appearing on her face.

Not far away, Hans, having received the news, was walking briskly toward the prison.

……

Meanwhile, Kane returned to the Night's Watch Squad Thirteen's base.

Reed came up to him and patted him on the shoulder: "Welcome back."

The other people in the room reacted differently.

Sienna leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, her face cold, and turned her head away when she saw Kane.

Gavin and Braden smiled and nodded at Kane, then secretly glanced at Sienna, clearly knowing why she was unhappy.

Kane walked up to Reed and said directly:

"Captain, I'd like to spar with you. I want to see just how much I'm lacking compared to a second-tier spellcaster."

Reed frowned, then smiled:

"Okay, but you'd better be prepared to get hurt."

"I know." Kane gave a slight twitch of his lips. "But I won't get hurt."

Upon hearing this, Gavin and Braden, who had been somewhat nonchalant, became serious, and Sienna also turned her head back to look at them.

There are frequent sparring sessions within the team.

But this was the first time Kane had ever taken the initiative to try with Captain Reed, who was at Tier 2.

Kane and Reed walked to an open space, a place where the Night's Watch used for spellcasters to spar.

The area is large, making it less likely to accidentally injure others, and there are many charred marbles around it.

Under the watchful eyes of the other three, Kane and Reed stood about fifty meters apart.

Reed smiled, while Kane lowered his body slightly, focused his mind, and gripped the wooden sword.

The next second, Reed raised his hand and chanted a short, forceful incantation:

"Fire Arrow!"

laugh--!

A red-hot flaming arrow instantly materialized, trailing a wave of heat, and hurtled straight toward Kane's face!

Kane immediately sprang into action...