The Tamer Monarch
Chapter 54: The Lady in the Shawl

Chapter 54: The Lady in the Shawl

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The old man, Altuna, spent the entire day dilly-dallying, aimlessly wandering through the city. With a walking stick in his hand, he moved through the entire city.

He had taken a leave from the academy, first in years, and thus he no worry of returning back.

As evening fell, he made his way toward the Sticky Forest. Although he was traveling on foot, his pace far outstripped the bus which had been used earlier by the academy students.

Altuna ventured deep into the forest, almost reaching its heart. The terrain was riddled with hills and snow covered mountains, and the valleys teemed with beasts of formidable rank. Yet, none dared to approach him.

He navigated the slopes and valleys with casual ease even as he limped and had to use the walking stick for protection until he arrived at a cliff. Perched there was a small wooden house, overlooking a deep gorge.

From the cliff’s edge, the moon appeared startlingly close, casting a silver glow over the snow and treetops, making the landscape shimmer with ethereal beauty.

Standing at the cliff’s edge, gazing down into the gorge and the vast valley below, was a woman draped in a shawl.

"I am still amazed that you live here just because you find the scenery beautiful," Altuna remarked, stopping a few metres behind her.

"Do you not find it beautiful?" the woman asked without turning.

"I do, my dear student," Altuna sighed. "But not enough to live out here in isolation."

The woman said nothing.

"I have warned Riguras," he said after a moment. "I do not think he will be approaching Athar again anytime soon."

"You did him a favour," the woman replied. "You saved his life."

Altuna sighed.

"I know," he said. "But violence is not the only answer—and neither should it always be chosen, Sanlovia."

"Killing Riguras would have drawn far too much unwanted attention. I have no wish to disturb my peaceful life over such an insignificant man."

"You are turning into a coward," the lady, his student and Sanlovia remarked dryly.

The old man shook his head.

"Maybe. Afterall, I am not as powerful as I once was," he muttered.

"Anyway," he changed the topic, "I assume you have not heard the latest news from the academy."

"Angelica caused quite a stir at today’s meeting. That girl revealed some of her powers."

"I think she openly threatened to cut off Riguras’ head if any of his men dared approach Athar," he added with an amused chuckle. "Everyone must have been horrified when she would have made her move."

"That is good for Athar," Sanlovia remarked. "It means I would not have to stay around to protect him all the time."

"Angelica is strong and honest," she added. "And a wonderful teacher. She will do a very fine job teaching him the basics. She can prepare him for the big things that would be coming his way."

"But she has a complicated past," the old man interjected.

"And with everything she is doing for Athar, the boy is bound to get caught up in her mess. He will not ignore those things when the time comes."

"It does not matter," Sanlovia replied calmly. "For what I have planned for him, those kinds of problems will be nothing."

"Once he sheds his ignorance and naivety, his strength will soar beyond anyone."

Altuna hesitated, then asked the question that had lingered in his mind.

"Are you truly sure about him?" he said carefully. "When I told you he chose the Path of Illusion as his battle technique, I mentioned it more out of jest and curiosity."

"I never imagined you would actually pick him. And you said yourself, he has not even learned the technique yet."

"And his talents and his beast... those though very rare are not even gold grade," he added.

Sanlovia remained silent for several long moments.

Then, slowly, she turned to face him. The shawl still veiled most of her face, revealing only the depths of her eyes- dark, intense, unreadable.

She said nothing, not yet. Then a breeze swept through the cliff, tugging at the edges of her shawl. The cloth fluttered back, revealing her face.

Her skin was pale, jade white, smooth as porcelain. Her dark eyes gleamed beneath the moonlight, and every feature of her face spoke of quiet, haunting beauty.

But one mark disrupted her otherwise flawless appearance. A deep, jagged scar ran from her left cheek down toward her jaw. It was an old wound, but still vivid and impossible to miss.

It was not that the wind had moved the shawl against her will.

She had allowed it. Sometimes, she needed to feel of the cold air brushing against that scar. It reminded her of many things. Things she could never forget.

The old man noticed the scar. He had seen it countless times before, yet each time his eyes returned to it, a flicker of pain passed through them. His jaw clenched in frustration, anger, and self-loathing. His hear churning beneath the surface seeing the scarred face of her disciple.

Sanlovia saw the change in his expression, but she said nothing. They both had demons of their own.

"He is more than capable, Master," she said quietly. "He has courage and his talent... his talent can’t be measured by cultivation speed or the grade of his beast."

She paused, then added, "He is just built different. We cannot apply common yardstick against him."

"If it had been any other beast, I might have hesitated. But the Shadow Mist Snake... that creature is far from ordinary."

"Athar has all the seeds of greatness in him," she finished with calm conviction.

Altuna said nothing in return. He did not argue. He wanted to say that a couple of weeks were not enough judge all this but he did not speak.

If she had made her choice, all he could do now was support it.

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Athar was completely unaware that without him even being aware, his life had been struck and caught amidst many intrigues and storm.

The problem he had emerged just now would prove to be nothing in front of all those things that he would be facing in the future.

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