That was the name of the half-elf female wizard standing before Leilin.
According to her own account, she was a descendant of the Ancient
The reason she called herself half-baked was that, thanks to the churches' overt and covert suppression, slander, and persecution, as well as prolonged warfare and migration, the Arcanist heritage preserved in her family had been largely damaged. In truth, she herself was only an eleventh-level wizard. As for actual arcane arts? Apart from the [Arcane Fire] she had just used to prove her identity, she didn't know a single arcane template. By that standard, she was even inferior to Leilin.
As for why she had come to the North, it was because she had discovered what appeared to be a point of ancient [Arcanist] inheritance recorded in her family's old texts, and had traveled here to try her luck with the hope of revitalizing her family.
"So you're saying... in the world of the
Leilin stroked his chin.
In truth, this was excellent news. It meant that even if he eventually transitioned to become an [Arcanist], he wouldn't need to go to great lengths to conceal it.
"Yes... Although the churches resist it, once any wizard enters the [Legendary] realm, to advance further they inevitably delve into the domain of [
Helen brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear, which was as white as jade, tidying them with a gesture that carried its own distinctive beauty.
"Of course. Even Legendary powerhouses can only study arcane content in secret. For any non-Legendary, being associated with Arcanists would be a death sentence..."
At this point, Helen forced a bitter smile, as if recalling painful memories she would rather forget.
It seemed she and her family had suffered greatly at the hands of the temples.
"For saving me from the Beastkin, as repayment I can tell you everything my family knows about the Arcanist heritage!"
Helen said to Leilin.
This was a very wise decision. Even if she refused, Leilin had ways to obtain what he wanted—spells like [Memory Extraction] were trivial for a wizard of his caliber.
Helen naturally understood this. Moreover, the other party was someone connected to [Arcanists]! That alone gave her an instinctive sense of kinship.
"Thank you! When we obtain the documents and materials, I'll make copies for you as well!"
Leilin didn't refuse her goodwill—it was what he had earned: "But before we excavate the Arcanist ruins, I need you to stay within my range of awareness. Any objections?"
"N-No!"
Compared to being held captive by Beastkin and ultimately sacrificed, this outcome was far better. Helen naturally didn't dare haggle—her life was still very much in Leilin's hands.
"My Lord!"
Tifas showed no surprise when he saw Leilin emerge with Helen.
"Mm! This is
Helen felt a pang of disappointment. She parted her lips, but ultimately said nothing.
"Additionally... we've swept through the entire camp. We captured one high-level Beastkin prisoner, along with several dozen ordinary Beastkin—all knocked unconscious and set aside!"
At this moment, Tifas was like a diligent head steward, reporting everything to his master with meticulous precision.
"The camp also has enough food to feed two hundred people for half a year, and enough weaponry to arm an elite battalion! Furthermore, in the leader's quarters, we found several half-completed high-grade magical potions and other spell items—highly specialized, clearly prepared specifically for this dragon-slaying operation..."
"Mm! Take all the weapons and armor, but leave about half the provisions!"
Leilin casually stored the high-grade materials Tifas handed over. Even if they couldn't be used in the dragon slaying, they were still quite valuable.
"Bring out the prisoners! I have a use for them!"
The rest was simple. After meeting the soldiers who had distinguished themselves in battle and performing the bloodline modification procedures as promised, Leilin had Tifas take Helen and lead the subordinates to transport the supplies away, while he himself reverted to his previous appearance.
"Why did you take so long?"
The moment Leilin returned to the City Guard camp, he heard Rafinia's complaint: "If you'd been any later, I would have gone looking for you in the Dark Forest..."
"Something came up. Assemble the men immediately—we're moving out!"
A flush of excitement colored Leilin's face.
"Why?" Rafinia muttered, but the other subordinates had already quickly formed ranks.
"I went out to scout just now and discovered that Beastkin camp has undergone a massive change..." Leilin's voice trembled with excitement.
"They suffered a devastating attack—even several of their leaders were killed! If we go now, we can completely annihilate them! Finish this damn mission once and for all!"
After hearing Leilin's intelligence, the eyes of the remaining soldiers blazed with renewed vigor...
...
Aligu slowly opened his eyes.
That terrifying wizard's face flashed before him once more.
"Damn it... my head... still spinning..." Aligu struggled to his feet and took in the ruined camp around him, along with the prisoners scattered in every direction.
Looking at the corpses littering the ground and the few lucky survivors, even Aligu's limited intellect could tell that their mission had been a complete failure.
He kicked several of the other unconscious prisoners awake, ordering them to rouse the rest, then sat down himself.
A dull throbbing in his head made his already sluggish thinking even more confused.
"Humans... wizard... attack... prisoners! Still prisoners!" Aligu suddenly bolted to where Helen had been held, but of course found only an empty cell—nothing else.
"Those damn humans..." Aligu let out a thunderous roar, making the surrounding Beastkin flinch involuntarily.
"I'm the biggest here! I'm the boss!!!"
With that, Aligu punched several of the stronger-looking Beastkin into the ground, asserting his dominance.
The other Beastkin could only whimper their submission. After all, he was a high-level Beastkin—unmatched in both strength and speed.
"We... go back... Black Blood..."
Aligu made his decision. Given the camp's current state, it could only be abandoned. But strangely, before he could even voice his plan, a voice echoed inside his head.
"Can't go back! Those damn humans—I haven't gotten my revenge yet! The other Beastkin will mock us if we return!!!"
The voice reverberated through his mind, quickly drowning out his original intention.
Aligu's head spun, and he abandoned the idea of retreat. Instead, he gathered his subordinates.
"Those... treacherous humans—I, Aligu, your new leader, am going to make them pay!!!"
After making this declaration publicly, Aligu didn't receive the roaring approval he expected. Instead, he saw pairs of eyes filled with fear—Leilin's earlier assault had genuinely terrified them.
But before Aligu could form any new thoughts, commotion erupted at the camp entrance, and a group of human adventurers burst in.
No! They were City Guards—though fewer in number than he expected.
Aligu scratched his head. He'd attacked adventurers and City Guards before and never noticed much difference. Of course, the City Guards tended to be more numerous, and their flesh was more tender.
"Just a dozen or so City Guards, and they dare attack us!"
Even Aligu's simple brain was provoked by their audacity.
"Kill them!" he roared, charging to the front. Facing him was a young woman in full plate armor, brilliant and scorching battle qi erupting from her body.
"A human powerhouse!" Aligu's heart went cold, but the sound of his own battle cry washed over him, and he charged forward with bloodshot eyes.
"Kill!"
The remaining City Guards' eyes blazed red. For their prospects and their lives, and to avenge their fallen comrades, they summoned every last ounce of strength they had.
The Beastkin on the other side truly did look as though they had just been through a devastating battle—not only were their numbers cut by more than half, but even those remaining appeared wounded and significantly weaker than usual.
"Maybe... we can actually win this!"
The soldiers watched Leilin charging at the forefront, hope kindling in their eyes.
—[Mass Bull's Strength!]
—[Cloudkill!]
—[Magical Weapon!]
"Charge! Victory is ours!" Leilin roared, casting successive supportive spells while his executioner's sword cleaved downward, severing a Beastkin's head.
"Hmm! The paralysis effect hasn't worn off yet, especially on that high-level Beastkin—the mental suggestion I planted is still working!"
Internally, Leilin coldly surveyed the entire battlefield.
These prisoners he had deliberately left behind were, of course, meant for the City Guards to claim as combat merits—otherwise, how could he justify his return?
The glow of powerful spells flickered across the field, and Rafinia was astonished to find her strength had increased dramatically.
"Area-of-effect amplification? A sixth-level spell??"
She stared blankly at Leilin.