Free Web NovelChapter 37: 37: Fifth Rank Spell
Meanwhile, Jenny found an inn close to the Marovain shop.
The inn was called The Black Lantern. It was not the most expensive inn in Gravehold, but it was not cheap either. It stood on a clean street near the merchant square, close enough that House Marovain’s branch shop could be reached within a short walk. The building had three floors, dark wooden walls, and a black lantern hanging above the door. The lantern was lit even in the morning, and its pale blue flame made the sign look colder than it needed to be.
Jenny chose the inn because of Lucard’s words.
It was not the cheapest. Not the most expensive. It was enough for people to hide them.
Enough quality that a Marovain messenger would not hesitate to enter.
She repeated those words in her mind as she booked the rooms. The innkeeper was a middle aged woman with sharp eyes and a polite smile. She looked at Jenny’s noble dress, then at Jake, then at Peter’s injured body. She did not ask many questions after Jenny paid with gold coins. That was one thing Jenny had learned quickly after leaving House Vardros. Gold coins could close mouths very well. Sometimes even better than noble pride.
They took two rooms on the second floor.
Jenny and Jake stayed in one room. Peter took the other room, but he refused to rest properly. He sat near the door with his sword across his lap, even though his face was pale and his body needed sleep. Jenny told him several times to lie down. Peter only answered that a knight could rest after his masters were safe. Jenny did not argue after that because she knew Peter’s guilt was heavier than his wounds.
Jake sat on the edge of the bed and looked around the room.
The room was small but clean. It had a bed, a wooden table, two chairs, a water basin, and a window that looked toward the street. After the garden tool room in House Ravencroft, this place felt almost like a palace to him.
"Sister," Jake said quietly. "Are we safe here?"
Jenny stood near the window and looked down at the street. People were walking below. Merchants, workers, guards, and servants moved like the world had not changed at all. For them, this was a normal morning. For Jenny, it felt like she had lived several years in four days.
"I do not know," she said honestly. "But we are safer than we were in House Ravencroft."
Jake lowered his head. "I thought Brother in law’s family would help us."
Jenny’s fingers tightened on the window frame.
"So did I."
Peter, sitting in the other room with the door open between them, said in a low voice, "Lady Jenny, Baron Ravencroft was never worthy of your father’s trust."
Jenny did not answer for a while. Then she said, "Father trusted people too easily."
Peter lowered his eyes. "The old lord was kind."
"Kindness killed him," Jenny said.
The room became silent.
Jake did not like that silence, so he asked the question that had been bothering him since Lucard left.
"Do you think Big Brother can really write a spell?"
Jenny turned from the window and looked at him.
"I do not know."
Jake blinked. "But he said he can."
Jenny sat beside him on the bed. "Lucard has done many impossible things recently. So I want to trust him." freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
Peter nodded from the other room.
"Lady Jenny is right. If the spell is real, it is very valuable. If it is fake, then House Marovain will be very angry."
Jake became worried. "Will they put us in prison too?"
Jenny touched his hair. "That is what I am afraid of."
Jake thought about it for a moment, then clenched his fists. "I still trust Big Brother."
Jenny looked at him.
Jake continued, "He saved us from Manager Jeff. He saved us in the forest. He saved us from House Ravencroft. He made that bad woman fly into a tree."
Peter coughed at that last part.
Jake looked at him. "It is true. She flew very far."
Peter gave a tired nod. "Yes, Young Master. She did."
Jenny sighed, but a small helpless smile almost appeared on her face. Then it disappeared again because worry returned.
"I hope he comes back safely," she said.
Peter looked toward the window. "He will come back. Don’t worry my lady."
Jenny did not ask how Peter knew that. Maybe Peter did not know. Maybe they were all just hoping.
Meanwhile, Lucard was walking back toward The Black Lantern with old paper and ink in his hands.
He had bought the paper from the old seller using gold coins, not silver. In this world, gold coins were the money nobles cared about. Copper and small coins existed for common people, but for noble deals and valuable goods, gold coins were the proper measure. Lucard did not care much about the color of the coin. In his old life, he had seen gods trade worlds, souls, divine bones, and dead stars. But in this lower world, gold coins were useful, so he would use them properly.
He also bought ink from a small writing shop.
The ink was dark black and thick. It had a faint smell of iron, which was good. A spell written with cheap watery ink would look like a servant’s apology letter. He needed something that could hold power and make the lines look serious. He also bought a thin brush and a sharp writing knife. The seller had tried to ask questions, but Lucard looked at him once, and the man suddenly remembered that silence was also a good business skill.
Lucard reached the inn around midmorning.
When he entered the room, Jenny immediately stood up.
"You came back."
Lucard looked at her. "You sound surprised."
Jenny wanted to say that she had been worried, but the words stopped before leaving her mouth. She did not want to sound weak in front of him.
Jake jumped from the bed and ran to him.
"Brother, did you find the old paper?"
Lucard lifted the wrapped pages. "Yes."
Peter stood from his chair with difficulty. "Young Master, did anyone follow you?"
"No."
Peter looked relieved.
Lucard placed the paper, ink, brush, and writing knife on the wooden table. Then he looked at Jenny.
"Do not disturb me while I write."
Jenny frowned. "You are really going to write it now?"
"Yes."
"A Fifth Rank forbidden spell?"
"Yes."
Jake moved closer to the table with shining eyes.
Lucard glanced at him. "Do not breathe on the paper."
