Chapter 11 – Arrival at Luminaris

The desert fell farther behind with every passing second, replaced by firmer ground and low vegetation.

Pippin gradually slowed down, his wide wings cutting through the wind with more controlled beats as he followed behind Mark cautiously.

Mark’s gaze was fixed on the horizon.

The city was still far away, but now he could make out its shape.

And it surprised him.

Luminaris was not the cluster of tents and mud houses he had imagined for a desert city.

In fact, it was massive.

The city was protected by massive stone walls. Even from this distance, he could see watchtowers spaced at regular intervals along them. They were equipped with crystals that emitted bluish beams of light, sweeping across the dunes like lighthouses searching for something.

At night, that light looked even more striking—and threatening.

Even without knowing their purpose, Mark had no desire to be caught by them.

“Sovereign…” Pippin murmured. “We’re entering the surveillance perimeter.”

Mark gave a slight nod. “Return to your form.”

“Yes, Sovereign.”

Pippin’s body began to shrink midair, his wide wings retracting as bones compressed with a faint, organic sound. Within moments, the large monstrous bat transformed once again into the small top-hatted figure.

Mark caught him with a steady hand before he could lose altitude. Without haste, he slightly opened his cloak and placed him inside. “Stay hidden so they don’t notice you.”

Pippin nodded nervously as he settled within the cloak. Only his small head remained visible, eyes alert as they scanned the surroundings.

The wind grew less aggressive as Mark slowed his flight, nearing the final dunes before the city’s outer zone.

As they drew closer, Luminaris rose before them.

It looked especially inviting in the middle of the dark desert, glowing like a lit lamp.

The walls were taller than they had appeared from afar. A long line of guard posts reinforced the inner perimeter, preventing anyone from approaching unnoticed.

At the gate, a large arch of dark metal marked the city’s entrance, where figures moved in and out without pause. Lines formed and broke apart at a steady rhythm as wagons and caravans attempted to enter after returning from somewhere.

The city was bustling.

Mark observed everything with an almost contemplative expression.

For a moment, he was genuinely impressed by the sight.

The organization.

The structure.

The life.

He was about to enter a human city from the game Age of Blood for the first time, as if he were just another traveler.

Then—

“Sovereign, down!”

Pippin’s cry was sharp.

At that moment, mana projectiles glowing with a violent cyan-blue light tore through the darkness from the distant outpost towers.

The spells struck his [Mana Barrier] in a series of sharp impacts, making his cloak flutter behind him.

Not an inch.

His body didn’t move so much as a strand of hair from the impact.

“…?” Mark narrowed his eyes slightly.

“They attack without even asking who it is?” A spark of irritation rose in his chest. Looking toward the distance, he noticed a group of mages in military robes at one of the outposts, moving with a discipline that reminded him of Earth’s armed forces.

They were already preparing a second volley, their staffs glowing with condensed mana.

Mark raised his right hand and pointed a finger toward the guard post.

“Blood Bo—” he whispered slowly, but the words died on his lips halfway through.

What was he about to do?

If he finished the spell, Mark could obliterate the entire tower with a breath. A single [Blood Bolt] would have reduced those mages to pulp before their next spell could even reach him.

Looking at the agitated guards below, Mark felt a chill run down his spine.

He almost…

Killing humans who were simply doing their jobs had never been part of his plans. His body had reacted to irritation, his mind failing to consider the consequences, responding first.

He didn’t want to do that.

Besides, the thought of the Holy Kingdom and the Army of Light flashed like a warning in his mind. If Mark retaliated, Vaelin would become an “evil monster” before even setting foot on civilized ground.

“Pippin, let’s go!” Mark commanded, his voice firm.

Before the mages could fire again, Mark activated one of his utility mana skills.

Stolen novel; please report.

“[Perfect Unknowable].”

This ability erased the user’s physical, auditory, and magical presence. It was undetectable by conventional sight or mana tracking. The only requirement was constant mana consumption, but that was not a problem for Mark.

In the blink of an eye, he and Pippin simply ceased to exist to the eyes and senses of the mages below.

The shots already in the air passed through the empty space where they had been a second earlier, vanishing into the darkness of the desert.

Down below, the mages shouted confused orders, searching for signs of “teleportation” or “basic invisibility”, but found nothing but wind and desert ash.

“Let’s go down,” Mark whispered, now invisible and hovering just a few meters above the ground. “They’re alert. From here on, we proceed on foot.”

Pippin nodded.

Still invisible, Mark continued toward the city gates, avoiding detection by other guard posts or the sweeping lights.

The closer he got, the more the desert faded behind him, sand giving way to roads, lamp posts, and footprints marking local traffic.

Mark approached close enough to observe the main gate, and his surprise only grew.

‘This…’

The entrance was a sea of heads. Merchant caravans with wagons pulled by pack beasts resembling armored lizards formed long lines.

Protecting these caravans, figures clad in leather and metal armor, carrying broadswords, bows, and axes, moved with confidence as they talked and laughed.

From their attire, Mark assumed they were adventurers.

The guards at the gates wore immaculate military uniforms identical to those at the outposts, a mix of metal plates and rune-reinforced fabric.