Dawn scooped up the pottage and ate it with a bright smile.
"Tasty… Brother is the best cook!"
Dusk made a smug face.
Yes— Dusk was the one who cooked it, using leftover vegetables from the church.
He had learned a few cooking tricks from Granny Elara.
"Eat bell… well," Dusk said, his mouth still full.
"Hehehe…" Dawn giggled at his funny voice.
"So, are we gonna find those hidden sorcerers, Brother? If we find them, maybe we can learn a method to hide Mana…" Dawn asked curiously.
Dusk paused for a second before replying, "I think… I don't want to become a Sorcerer."
The sentence made Dawn freeze mid-bite. The wooden spoon slipped from her fingers and clattered on the table.
"What?" she blurted out.
"Just as Master said," Dusk explained calmly. "We have an option— to become Knights instead. Knights also use Divine Energy, which is just as powerful as Mana. And unlike sorcerers, Knights don't have to hide in this continent."
As Dusk spoke, Dawn's red eyes began to brim with tears.
Dusk stopped, realizing too late that his words had hit her hard.
Dawn suddenly stood up, her lips trembling. "Brother is an idiot!" she shouted and ran off, slamming the door behind her.
A few minutes later, Dusk entered the small bedroom.
Dawn sat on the bed, completely wrapped in a blanket like a sulking caterpillar.
Dusk poked her shoulder through the blanket. "Hey, Dawn…"
The blanket twitched. No reply.
He thought for a moment, then said softly, "Then Dawn can become a sorcerer… I'll become a Knight."
The blanket twitched again. Two long bunny ears poked out slightly.
"Are you… okay with that?" Dawn asked from inside the cocoon.
"Of course." Dusk smiled faintly. "If Dawn loves magic, then you should have it. If I become a Knight, no one will suspect a Knight's sister to be a Sorcerer. I'll protect you— that's my role."
"Hehehe…" Dawn laughed quietly, a little creepily, from under the blanket.
Then, without warning, the blanket lunged forward and wrapped around him tightly.
"Hey! What are you— ?!"
"The blanket Monster hugs back!" she declared proudly.
---
The Next Day
The following morning, Dusk went to work as usual at the Cathedral. But Richard wasn't there.
When he asked around, someone told him, "Sir Richard's been dispatched to investigate heretics outside the city. He might not return for a while."
Dusk sighed. He had hoped to ask Richard about the process of becoming a Knight. Without him, his plan would have to wait.
His work finished earlier than usual that day, and he returned home. The small house smelled faintly of ink and dried herbs. Dawn sat at the table, scribbling something with a serious expression.
He peered over her shoulder. "What are you writing?"
Dawn didn't look up. "The formula for a potion called Calm Potion. It's supposed to help with meditation."
In the Sorcerer Apprentice stage, there are three steps. First— meditate. Second— learn to sense Mana. Third— meditate again until one can circulate Mana inside their body. Only then can they become a real Sorcerer.
It's not easy to do that through meditation alone. One need catalysts— like potions or rare treasures. Calm Potion helps a lot with focus.
Dusk watched as she twirled her quill and read the notes, "Calm potion needs corpse mushrooms and brimstone powder…"
"We can get brimstone powder easily," Dusk said. "But corpse mushrooms are tough."
Dawn's ears twitched. "Hehehe… Actually, yesterday when I was returning from the market, I met Woofy again." She smiled proudly. "He said he'd do anything for me. So I asked him to get some corpse mushrooms!"
Dusk stared at her in disbelief. "He didn't ask why you wanted them?"
"Nope!" Dawn said cheerfully. "He just patted his chest and said he'd bring them."
Dusk sighed, resting his chin on his hand. "We should pay him if he really brings it. Still… I hope he doesn't get into trouble."
Neither of them noticed the small mistake— they both forgot that Woofy was illiterate. He never even thought for a moment about why they were asking for something like that.
After a pause, Dawn suddenly brightened up again. "Brother! I have a gooood idea. What if we ask the Seid Gang kids to look for weird happenings in the city? Like mysterious stories. Maybe We'll find the hidden sorcerers Master Lock mentioned!"
Dusk chuckled. "My cute sister Dawn is a genius."
Then, without warning, he leaned forward and pinched her cheeks.
"Hey! Don't do dhat!" Dawn squirmed...
Knock knock knock—
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
Both Dusk and Dawn froze. They quietly peeked through the small window, then exchanged a wary glance before opening the door together.
Standing there was a boy from the slum, his face pale and anxious.
"Huh… Jeff, right?" Dusk asked. He couldn't remember the name immediately.
Dawn tilted her head, then nodded slightly. She remembered him— one of the boys who worked with Woofy in the market just yesterday.
What surprised both siblings was not Jeff's sudden visit, but why he was there.
Woofy used to visit their house often after becoming friends with Dusk and Dawn. But even though their landlady never said it directly, she was clearly displeased about a slum kid coming around so often. After Dusk noticed that, he had gently explained it to Woofy.
Since then, Woofy had never visited the house again.
After Dusk explained it to Woofy, he stopped visiting on his own— which was actually good for Dusk and Dawn, since they sometimes experimented with potions in the house.
Dusk also made sure the other slum kids wouldn't visit them either… unless something serious happened.
And now here Jeff was, trembling, breathing hard.
"Big Brother Dusk…" Jeff began, his voice cracking. "Big Bro Woofy went missing…"
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Author here:
Hello My Dear Readers,
I hope you're enjoying the story so far.
This world is kind of inspired by the world setting of Throne of Magical Arcana, a novel written by the same author who created the masterpiece Lord of the Mysteries.
Thank you for giving your precious time to read this novel.
Please look forward to the upcoming updates!