When Ludger reined in the horses, Rufas spread his arms in mock welcome. “Vice Guildmaster! Imagine my surprise when I hear word of your return and not a single report crossing my desk from the borders in the last few days.”

Ludger stared at him flatly. “That’s because I didn’t send one yet.”

Rufas laughed, as if the remark was charming rather than blunt. “Direct as always. I like that about you.”

Kaela leaned closer to Kharnek and whispered, “He’s too clean to be friendly.”

Kharnek grunted. “Aye. Smells like politics.”

Ignoring them, Rufas stepped closer, brushing nonexistent dust from his sleeve. “I heard your trip to the League was a success, and faster than expected. Word travels quickly when half the Senate’s still arguing over who approved it.”

Ludger kept his tone even. “The negotiations went fine. The first shipments will be secured and en route. That’s all that matters.”

“Of course, of course.” Rufas gave a casual wave. “But I also heard something about you carving a new path through the mountains. Quite the feat, the merchants will be worshipping your name before long.”

“That’s the message I needed to give you,” Ludger said, dismounting from the wagon. “The road’s stable and clear. Shortens travel by three days. Tell the Senate it can handle caravans up to thirty wagons wide.”

Rufas blinked. “You make it sound like you just trimmed a hedge.”

Ludger shrugged. “Earth moves when asked properly.”

Kaela snorted softly from the bench.

Rufas smiled again, though there was a hint of curiosity behind it now. “You really don’t waste time, do you? Straight to work, even before you’ve properly returned.”

“Time’s a luxury I can’t afford,” Ludger said. “And I’d rather not stay longer than I have to.”

“Ah.” Rufas’s smile widened, just a shade too knowing. “You never do.”

For a moment, the two regarded each other in silence, Rufas with his polished calm, Ludger with his quiet impatience.

Then Ludger inclined his head slightly. “Message delivered. If there’s nothing else, we’ll be going.”

Rufas stepped back with an easy gesture. “By all means. Safe travels, Vice Guildmaster. Try not to rebuild any mountain ranges on the way home.”

As the horses started forward again, Kaela leaned toward him with a smirk. “He talks like he’s trying to hire you or marry you. Not sure which.”

“Neither,” Ludger said without looking back. “He just likes knowing where everyone fits on the board.”

Kharnek grunted. “And where do you fit?”

Ludger’s eyes stayed on the road ahead. “Off it.”

The wagon rolled through the gate, leaving the capital, and Rufas’s watchful smile, behind in the dust.

Three days later, the wagon crested the final ridge overlooking Lionfang. Home. The familiar stone walls rose from the plains, the northern gates fortified, smoke rising from the forges. It wasn’t the grandeur of the capital or the endless glow of the League’s cities, but it was theirs.

Ludger guided the horses down the last stretch of road, jaw tight, eyes a little sunken. Even with his calm posture, the toll was obvious. Several days of near-constant geomancy had left his mana reserves aching, and his mind felt like it had been grinding against stone.

He looked like someone who needed a vacation,  not that he’d ever take one.

The moment they passed through the town’s open gates, Kaela let out a long groan and jumped from the wagon before it had even fully stopped. Kharnek followed, stretching until his shoulders cracked like splitting wood.

“Finally!” Kaela exclaimed, arching her back. “Seven days of sitting on enchanted dirt. I was starting to forget what standing felt like.”

Kharnek grumbled in agreement. “Aye. Fast travel’s good for the road, bad for the bones.” He rolled his neck, grimacing. “Next time, we’re walking.”

Ludger climbed down from the wagon more slowly, expression unreadable. He ignored their complaints entirely, walking toward the front to unhitch the horses and run a quick hand along their flanks, a silent inspection, habit more than care.

Kaela huffed and leaned against the wagon. “You could at least pretend to hear us.”

“I hear you,” Ludger said without looking up. “I’m ignoring you on purpose.”

That earned a snort from Kharnek. “At least he’s honest.”

Ludger finally straightened, brushing dust from his coat. The faint glow of mana still clung to his gloves, a sign he hadn’t completely let his magic rest, even during the ride.

He exhaled slowly and called up his terminal, the faint blue projection flickering to life before his eyes. The familiar lines of numbers and symbols scrolled past as he reviewed his parameters. Slight increases across the board.

Name: Ludger

Level: 81 (2,450 / 8,100)

Current Job: Cook (Lv 35 – 620 / 3,500)

Current Class: Geomancer (Lv 94 – 1,300 / 9,400)

Health: 2,930 / 2,930

Mana: 13,730 / 13,730

Stamina: 4,150 / 4,150

Strength: 393

Dexterity: 382

Intelligence: 927

Vitality: 293

Wisdom: 1373

Endurance: 415

Luck: 155

Classes & Skills

Sage Lv 89 (+2 INT, +4 WIS / level)

Skills:

[Mana Bolt Lv 25]

[Mana Wall Lv 06]

[Spiritual Core Lv 92]

[Meditation Lv 71]

[Mana Armor Lv 01]

[Mana Arrow Lv 01]

[Arcane Arrow Lv 01]

[Mana Spear Lv 01]

[Arcane Focus Lv 01]

[Astral Veil Lv 01]

[Mana Sword Lv 01]

[Mana Cyclone Lv 01]

[Mana Fang Lv 01]

[Mana Channeling Lv 01] 

[Overcast Lv 01]

[Mana Discharge Lv 01]

[Magic Elemental Field Lv 01] – Alters the mana in an area to favor a type of elemental magic. The power of the buff is determined by the level of the skill. Cost: 100 mana per minute.

[Mana Blessing Lv 01] – A condensed support spell that channels ambient mana into allies within a short radius, reinforcing their attack or defense based on the level of the skill. Cost: 100 mana per minute.

Teacher Lv 30 (+3 INT, +3 DEX / level)

Skills: [Dissection of Knowledge Lv.26]

[Student Insight Lv.23]

[Guiding Words Lv.23]

[Teacher Focus Lv 06]

[Student Understanding Lv 03]

[Practical Demonstration Lv 01] – Transforms theoretical instruction into direct performance,  the Teacher’s mana synchronizes with a chosen student, temporarily replicating a low-tier version of the demonstrated skill for them to observe and learn in real time.

[Teacher’s Support Lv 01] – Creates a tether of focused intent between instructor and student, subtly improving learning efficiency, and resistance to failure.

Geomancer Lv 94 (+6 INT, +3 WIS / level)

Skills:

[Earth Manipulation Lv 99]

[Stone Grip Lv 92]

[Quicksand Lv 14]

[Seismic Sense Lv 14]

[Mineral Skin Lv 01]

[Terra Burst Lv 01]

[Gaia’s Grasp Lv 01]

[Rock Spike Lv 01]

[Continental Shield Lv 01]

[Earthen Surge Lv 01]

[Dust Curtain Lv 01]

[Tectonic Pulse Lv 11]

[Stoneflow Lv 01]

[Earthen Ward Lv 01]

[Landslide Break Lv 01]

[Geo Resonance Lv 01]

[Earth Pulse Lv 01] 

[Earth Attunement Lv 01] – Deepens the bond between the caster’s mana and the planet’s ley lines. Enhances the precision and fluidity of all earth-aspected spells by allowing near-instant tactile feedback through the terrain. Decreases the cost of earth spells by one point per level.

[Stone Surfing Lv 01] – A high-control mobility skill that manipulates terrain underfoot to move the user forward propelled by geomantic force. Higher levels increases movement speed. Cost: 10 mana per second.

A week of near-constant use had pushed his control to a new threshold, just as he’d hoped. Every moment on the road had doubled as training.

Kaela noticed his gaze drifting into that distant focus and groaned. “You’re already planning your next project, aren’t you?”

He didn’t answer, eyes still locked on the floating numbers.

“Of course you are,” she said, shaking her head. “You’d build a wall around yourself before you’d take a nap.”

Kharnek chuckled, stretching his arms behind his head. “Let him be. That look means trouble,  good trouble for us, bad trouble for everyone else.”

Ludger dismissed the terminal and finally turned toward them, his expression composed again. “Rest if you want. Tomorrow, we will start reorganizing the transport routes.”

Kaela groaned audibly. “You just got home.”

He started walking toward the guild compound, voice even as ever. “Exactly.”

The sound of his boots faded into the steady rhythm of Lionfang’s streets, home again, but never idle.

As the wagon rolled into Lionfang’s inner square and the familiar hum of the guild’s foundries filled the air, Ludger hopped down, dusted his coat, and turned toward Kaela.

“Tomorrow,” he said plainly, “you’ll talk with my father about officially joining the Lionsguard.”

Kaela blinked, then smiled, the kind of grin that was half amusement and half satisfaction. “So, that’s your way of saying you want me around, huh?”

“I’m saying you’ve been freeloading long enough,” Ludger replied without missing a beat.

She laughed softly. “Fair enough.” Then she gave a small, exaggerated bow. “Fine, Vice Guildmaster. I’ll make it official. Can’t have the guild functioning without my charm and wit, after all.”

He gave her a flat look that somehow still carried humor. “We’ll survive.”

Kaela chuckled again, but as they walked past the courtyard, her grin faltered slightly. Her thoughts drifted to someone else in the household, Elaine.

She’d seen the woman only a few times in passing: calm, graceful, eyes sharp enough to slice through excuses, and an aura that made even seasoned soldiers straighten their backs. The kind of mother who could silence a room with a look, and tend your wounds while making you regret earning them in the first place.

Kaela exhaled quietly through her nose, forcing the thought away. She’d learned plenty about the perks of working for the Lionsguard, pay, travel, freedom, and the chance to break things legally. But Elaine … that was a bonus she wasn’t entirely ready for.

Still, Kaela smirked to herself as they reached the guild steps. “Guess I’ll have to adapt fast,” she muttered under her breath.

Ludger glanced at her. “What was that?”

“Nothing,” she said quickly, grin snapping back into place. “Just thinking that I’ll need to practice my polite face before I meet your mother again.”

He gave her a side glance, tone dry as stone. “Good idea. Most people only get one bad first impression with her.”

Kaela sighed. “Great. No pressure.”

Ludger started up the steps. “Welcome to the Lionsguard.”

Kaela followed, muttering with a small, crooked smile, “Yeah… and hopefully not to my funeral.”

As the courtyard lights dimmed and the chatter from the guild faded behind him, Ludger made his way toward the residential street that led home. The air was cool, the kind that carried the smell of stone dust and forge smoke, familiar, grounding.

He walked with steady steps, but his mind was elsewhere. With a brief gesture, he summoned his status screen again. The faint blue panel flickered into existence before his eyes, glowing softly in the evening air.

The increase in his geomancy stats had been exactly what he aimed for, the constant use of earth magic during travel had honed both control and efficiency. [Earth Attunement] and [Stone Surfing] had already begun integrating seamlessly into his reflexes. That was good. Expected.

But what made him pause was the other column.

The Teacher class. Level thirty. He frowned slightly. It had jumped far more than he’d planned in just two weeks. The numbers didn’t lie, he’d gained more progress from teaching than from weeks of direct combat or study.

Five students, he thought. Six, counting Viola.

He hadn’t expected their progress to push his own class that much. But judging from the steady growth curve on his log, all of them had been training consistently while he was gone. That meant they weren’t slacking off. Not one of them.

A faint exhale escaped him, not quite a sigh, but close. “Hard workers,” he muttered under his breath.

He dismissed the screen and tucked his hands into his coat pockets. The glow faded, leaving only the faint outline of the guild towers in the distance and the warm lights of home ahead.

He’d expected to return to paperwork and logistics. Instead, he was coming back to a guild that had kept moving without him, growing, training, improving. And for a man who measured progress in results, that was exactly what he wanted to see.

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