Soon after Nana went away, I went to report to Karl. He was particularly open-eyed when I mentioned me using eldritch magic against Jessica.
"Eldritch magic is a very potent tool, Robin," Karl said. "So you used it instinctively, hm? Interesting."
He stood up from his desk full of papers. "Alright then. I'll teach you eldritch magic."
"Wait. Like, right now?"
"Right now," he said. "Better a controlled use of eldritch magic rather than you using it in desperate situations." He harried me to his grassy training ground just outside the Tower of Mist. I donned my armour. He handed me a magic scroll which exuded a very strange but light green mist.
"Eldritch spell scrolls tend to be like this," he said. I absorbed the contents of the scroll.
"The spell you used is called Spectral Blade. It doesn't have a lot of offensive power, but it's very hard to defend against since it's well, spectral."
I nodded my head. "Yes, yes, I understand," I said as I tried to make sense of the new knowledge I attained through the scroll.
"I'll demonstrate." Karl made a slicing move with his hand. A faint wave of energy sparked, followed by a pair of trees falling down. "Now you try, Robin."
I replicated his move. The tree bark was chipped, and only chipped. "Not a bad start, but we can do better," he said. Then, in a much lower voice, as if whispering to himself. "We have to if we want to find Alya."
"Who's Alya?" I asked bluntly, startling Karl.
"Well, I suppose you can know," he sighed. "Remember the war against Morgana? A legend that turns out to be real?"
"Yeah."
"Alya is Magna's teacher. Morgana killed her in that war," Karl explained. "But Magna briefly felt Alya's magic when she explored the Eldritch Realm on her own. Since then, and since the war against Cawl ended, finding Alya has been our main goal."
"So you breach through a very powerful veil, expend a massive amount of resources, and risk your own life... to find one person not connected to you who may or may not be alive?" I remarked. "You're more altruistic than I imagined."
"You and I are not so different, you know. You got your aunt and uncle killed; I got framed for murder," he said. "And, well, Magna helped me when I was at my low. I owe her a ton."
Karl coughed. "Anyway, I'll also teach you another lust magic spell." He handed me another scroll which I absorbed again. It was a spell to channel lust energy into a large, tangible shield.
Under Karl's tutelage, I trained my spells up to a level he deemed "acceptable", which took me about four or five months.
"Okay, show me what you can do!" Karl flicked his fingers, conjuring a small storm of black fire that he hurled at me. I concentrated all my power unto my palm.
"Heah!" I made a slashing move, breaking the fire into two. I raised a kite shield of lust energy, blocking off the rest.
"Splendid!" he said with a few claps. "You've done well." He signalled for me to follow him to his office.
In his office that I was so familiar with, he rolled a large map. "Still remember the attack Eris made on the whole continent?"
"Of course. What of it?"
"For some time I believed Eris attacked directly from the Eldritch Realm. Turns out I was horribly wrong," he said. "The attack was made by Eris' cultists with directions and power from Eris herself. In other words, the attack came from our mortal realm."
My eyes dilated slightly. "That means we can hit them back, doesn't it?" I asked.
"Exactly!" Karl said. "Obviously, such an act requires a vast amount of resources--the likes of which are available only to powerful nations. It was perplexing. But combining this revelation, Magna's scrying attempts with her magic orb, and the fact that the attack came from the south, I have come to this conclusion."
He rolled the map. "We used to maintain some diplomacy with the small states in the continent of Ailendra, one ocean away. That was until one year ago, when all communication halted. I was assuming an isolationist king or two took control."
"Eris probably conquered them," I said.
"Yes, that is what I fear now. We have very little influence in Ailendra. We don't even have a full map," he said. "Phantasma plans to invade Eris' holdings with our airship fleets, but we need agents there to provide intelligence first. One of them will be you."
"I see. Give me the details."
"Naturally. Your main task is to acquire a proper understanding of just what the hell is going on. Reports from agents currently in place seem to indicate a large empire governed by Eris' lackeys, but reports regarding this empire have been fragmentary and sometimes oppositional. Secondly, try to find a reliable map of the region."
"Any leads available?" I asked.
"There is one. Some of our agents suspect that there is a harpy nest somewhere in the northern part. The harpies have powerful scrying abilities. They are likely to have the information we need. Of course, negotiations will be complex. Harpies only help those who help them before."
"I'll see what I can do," I said. "Hmm, I'll probably need a translator. The locals don't talk in our language, do they?"
"They do. Contact between our continent and theirs used to be intensive enough that our languages practically merged into one. Dialects may exist, but shouldn't be too much of a problem."
"Alright then," I said. "I'll brief Cassy and Eliza."
"Ah... about that. I won't forbid you from bringing them, but do be careful. Ailendra used to have strong slavery laws, but with the situation like this, I doubt any will be followed," he said. "And on that note, I want you to take this."
He handed me a magic scroll. I absorbed the spell inside it. "... a binding spell? I already have one with Cassy and Eliza."
"Yes, but this one is stronger," he said. "Those bound to you will benefit from your own power and vice versa. Also, since you are an immortal as a half demon, they will also become immortal. But if you die, they will too," he explained. "Think carefully whether you want to bind Cassy and Eliza to such a degree. I'll arrange an airship for you tommorow morning."
"Wait, wait, wait, what the hell was that with Robin being an immortal half-demon?"
Nana of all people barged into the room. "Nana?" I gasped.
"I expected less... insolence," Karl grunted. "It is what it is. He's a half-demon, and thus immortal. Probably."
"Woah, that's really weird," Nana remarked.
"Isn't that supposed to be a secret?" I whispered.
"It should be, but Seres' higher-ups know both of us are half-demons. Their mastery over the Eldritch Realm equal our own somehow," Karl whispered back.
