Fire Mage (Web Novel)

Chapter 615: Savings

"In truth, Bishop Clay's death appears too mysterious and suspicious. No one entered his room while he was sleeping, nor did we find any traces of blood. He seems to have died while in deep sleep." Anna said with a solemn look and sat on the opposite chair.

"He died while sleeping? Dream-related abilities?" Charles couldn't help but voice out his thoughts.

"I, too, thought of that, Mr. Mage. After some deep analysis, I found out that there were two suspects. The first suspect is none other than Archbishop Victor. As far as I know, he is the only one walking on the path of [Dreamer] Class Mystic. But there is no enmity between these two. Moreover, Victor is a close friend of Archbishop Michael."

"What about the second suspect?" Charles interjected.

"The second suspect is none other than Bishop himself." Anna's words caused Charles to furrow his brows.

"You think he committed suicide?"

Anna shook her head at Charles's guess and answered.

"I suspect something from the Dream Realm pulled his consciousness and killed him. Although my guess might be wrong because I have no valid proof for my words, I greatly suspect this is the reason."

Charles went silent for a second and fell into deep thought.

'Even if he faced a powerful nightmare creature in Dream World and got his original consciousness erased, he wouldn't have died. Instead, he would've entered a coma state and remained bedridden.'

After some time, he looked at Anna and asked.

"There might be a reason for you to suspect like that, right?"

Anna's face stiffened slightly.

"I've been getting nightmares recently. No, I can't say if it is a nightmare or something else." She paused for a moment and then added gloomily.

"But I sometimes feel like a ghost has been after me."

'Ghosts? Maybe it's not dream-related ability but astral power? I think it's better to avoid the trouble and let the authorities handle it.' Charles muttered to himself and decided to give her some hints.

"It might not be Bishop Clay who entered the Dreamworld, but the other way around."

"You mean he was killed by a Nightmare Creature? But I never heard of a Nightmare Creature capable of entering the Physical Realm and harming mortals." Anna said in confusion.

"I've met a person's fake consciousness roaming in the Dream World and capable of entering the Physical World for some time. So, there is nothing impossible in this universe." He deliberated for a moment and then added coldly.

"Dreamworld isn't the only place out there with terrifying creatures. Don't forget the mysterious Astral Realm."

"Bishop was killed by a Dreamworld or Astral Realm creature, huh? If I had heard your words a few days ago, I would've scoffed it off." She shook her head and thanked him.

"Thank you for reminding me of the danger. Although I don't know why a Nightmare Creature appears here, I don't want to risk searching for its whereabouts. Can you tell me what I should do next, Mr. Mage?" After discovering the truth about her parent's death, she didn't feel much emotional about Bishop Clay's death. Although her younger brother cried for a whole day, she instead felt relief.

'Alas, the main culprit is still alive. Archbishop Lawrence is not something I even dream of opposing.'

As if Charles had read her thoughts, he chuckled and spoke.

"As I said, I'm not interested in your revenge story. At the same time, I'll give you a few suggestions. If you listen to me, you will get your revenge in the future and have the chance to change your fate from becoming a vessel of some god."

Before she could say something, he calmly raised his hand, pointed a finger, and spoke.

"First, change your faith and become a member of Sun Church. As far as I know, you won't be used by the Sun God as a vessel. But if you do that now, not only 'Archbishop Lawrence' will imprison you, but he might use your brother's life to threaten you. He killed your parents to get a hold of you in his possession, so he will do anything to achieve it."

Charles paused for a moment and spoke.

"Second, don't rely on fake origin pathway."

"Fake origin path?" Anna tilted her head in confusion.

"Yes. [Knight] Class, [Clerk] Class, [Shadow Killer] Class, and [Healer] Class comes under the 'Fake Origin' path. Although these are the classes I know of, there might be more classes like these in other worlds. As long as one consumes any Class Gems given by a particular god, they will slowly become a slave to this god. Even if you try to change your faith in the future, you'll not only receive divine punishment; your soul might even get forcefully taken away to God's Divine Kingdom."

Upon hearing Charles's words, Anna couldn't help but widen her eyes in shock.

"Did I already become his slave?" She asked stiffly.

"You are only a Rank-2 [Holy Knight] Class Mystic. If I'm not wrong, this pathway is more like a brainwashing technique. When you rely more on this god's power, your soul will become addicted to that divine power and become a slave of the particular god you worship. From now on, avoid ranking further and stay as [Holy Knight] Class Mystic." Charles paused for a moment, scanned her body affinities, and continued.

"But you still have a way to overcome the situation. If you become a [Poet] Class Mystic, you have a bright future." In truth, Charles saw she had a [Prodigy] level 'Music' affinity!

'It's a strange affinity, but it's not something to be taken lightly.' After staying in this world for over two decades, Charles realized that each Class Pathway was unique and had limitless potential.

"Music affinity? Although many said I have a beautiful voice, how can it help me with my current situation?" She furrowed her brows and asked in suspicion.

On the other hand, Charles waved his hand and spoke.

"Don't take any pathway lightly. Anyway, all I can give you is a suggestion. As for how you utilize it, it's all up to you."

Saying so, he placed his hands on the sofa arms and stood up.

"Anyway, I'll not be meeting you for a while. So, try your best to overcome all the obstacles and stay alive."

As he spoke, he suddenly turned blurry and disappeared, leaving Anna alone in the main hall.

On the other hand, Anna stayed in the same place for a while and heaved a deep sigh.

"Fake Origin path, huh? I've never even heard of something like this. But I have no choice but to trust his words." She slowly stood up from the chair, moved to the bedroom, and quietly moved underneath her bed.

She then placed her hand on the cold floor and tapped on a particular area multiple times.

A few seconds later, a single floor tile suddenly lifted, revealing a hidden hole.

Meanwhile, Anna extended her hands into the small hole and grabbed something before taking it out.

It was a round box the size of a watermelon and appeared blackish.

After taking the box, she hurriedly moved out underneath the bed and quietly stood up.

After that, she tapped her fingers on the top region and turned the box upside down.

Suddenly, the box began to shake and rumble as Anna started shaking it. With a burst of energy, the box lid was forcefully pushed open, revealing its hidden treasure. A cascade of golden coins, glimmering and sparkling, started pouring out from the box, filling the surrounding area with a mesmerizing sight.

Each coin had intricate engravings and patterns, reflecting the attention to detail in their creation. The coins emitted a soft chiming sound as they tumbled and collided with one another, creating a harmonious melody that added to the enchantment of the scene.

Some rolled on the floor, crashed onto the walls, and slowly fell.

If Charles had seen this, his jaw would've been dropped.

When the last gold coin fell, Anna put the empty box on the bed and sat on the floor cross-legged.

Afterwards, she picked up the gold coins individually, counted them, and put them inside the wooden box again.

"These are my parent's lifelong savings. I can't use them recklessly." In truth, she had already spent more than 36 Sacred Gold coins on her studies at Radiant Academy.

'After becoming a Holy Knight, I never touched this box and only used my salary for Roly's studies. I always thought of using this money only when it was necessary. But I didn't expect that day would come so soon.' She continued counting the coins for a while and returned the last to the box.

"There are a total of 156 Sacred Gold coins remaining. It's more than enough for us to live a luxurious life over a few decades." But she knew her life was more important than mere gold coins.

"Now, I must buy a [Poet] Class gem from any trade union." Although she didn't know the value of a Rank-1 Class Gem, she guessed that it should be only around 5 to 10 Sacred Gold Coins.

After taking only 10 Sacred Gold Coins, she closed the lid and placed the box safely under her bed.

Afterwards, she kept the Sacred Gold Coins in the cupboard and went to the kitchen.