A brave man may not live, but he cannot die

Chapter 282 The Clumsy Student and the Little Nun

"How could I possibly know about the Child of Prophecy? Ha!"

The boss closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh.

"Kid, let me teach you a lesson. A man's true growth comes after heartbreak—"

Winter of the year 1440 in the Shenyun calendar.

An unusually heavy snowfall blanketed the southern coast, and the extreme cold arrived earlier than usual. Dark clouds obscured the sun, and flames engulfed everything in the British capital.

The bells of the Eternal Church echoed beneath the thick smoke, like giants sounding the horn of doom.

That wasn't the hourly chime; the sound came from the Dragon Tomb, emanating from the sacred grounds of the Eternal Order, the heart of an ancient dragon's corpse thundering.

The god of the eternal land, slumbering through the past, present, and future, "saw" the hero. Thus, the Dragon Lord issued a prophecy, and the gears of fate began to turn at that moment.

The cold wind howled as the man swallowed the last mouthful of the potion, a farewell gift from his teacher when he graduated from Grindelwald.

"I have three bottles of miraculous medicine in a brocade pouch. Swallow them when life or death is imminent, and a path to survival will appear."

Horus laughed heartily. This drug was truly in Grindelwald's style, wild as a runaway horse. After downing one bottle, a third of his arcane circuits were destroyed, and after drinking three bottles, he was practically a cripple.

This is worth it.

Driven by the destructive power of the three potions, he witnessed a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. The traitorous Dragonblood Knights, the combined attack of three high-sequence transcendents, and Prince Aaron wielding bizarre and powerful forces—none of them could stop him; he escaped the flames of the royal city.

He also casually eliminated a Sequence 3 and a Sequence 4. The royal city, which had stood for thousands of years, was turned into fireworks by him. Even in the distant Landiniam, one could see the magnificent pillar of light of Mana tearing through the clouds. It was a spell cast at the cost of a prodigy's life.

The pursuers were close behind, and he could hear the neighing of dragon steeds. The traitorous knights rode warhorses flowing with dragon blood. This knightly order had charged against the demons time and time again over the past thousand years, and now this cavalry, a symbol of British glory, was right behind him, like chasing a mouse.

Flashes of fire occasionally streaked across the cloud-filled sky. He couldn't understand how Aaron had acquired such terrifying power; all he felt was rage. The sound of the dragon steed's hooves, like a death knell, grew louder and more urgent as it approached. Horus knew he couldn't escape. A Sequence 3 archer had already locked onto him—a hunter capable of hunting meteors. Without arcane magic, he was just a Muggle. He didn't know how long the puppet that was trying to confuse him could hold out; being caught was only a matter of time.

One hand was already immobile, the cold wind carried the flying snow, and he was only wearing a thin inner garment. The robe, a symbol of the authority of the court arcanist, was torn into a long strip and tightly wrapped around an infant, which he held under his shoulder with gritted teeth.

That was given to him by the Queen before she died.

"Her name is Celia. Remember, Celia." That was the only thing the woman said to him.

In a daze, he recalled the first time he met the Queen.

Many years ago, a nun stationed at the Ashwell Church met a first-year student who had left the college for the holidays. She had slightly wavy, cool brown hair, eyes that lacked confidence and would shrink back like a kitten when she made eye contact with someone, and she was not tall. She always looked down when looking at people, and her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

In short, she was a very ordinary nun. Even though she was very pretty, she would disappear into a crowd as if she were invisible.

As a citizen of the Empire, Horus believed that the Father would lead humanity into a golden age, and that all other gods were heretics, so he had nothing to say to the nuns of the Eternal Church. But, coincidentally, the two of them set their sights on the same cauldron.

Horus's reasoning was that there were traces of ancient witches' inscriptions on the inner wall of the crucible, and the owner of the Broom Lane general store, unaware of its value, put the treasure that could be used to study alchemy on the shelf.

The nun's reason was simple: the pot was the right size to hold tomato sauce.

Damn British ketchup.

Horus was horrified at the thought of this silly girl dipping her fish and chips in a cauldron inscribed with alchemical runes. However, the nun arrived before him, and the shopkeeper, following the principle of first come, first served, sold the cauldron to her.

The other person carried the crucible out the door, taking small, quick steps like a suspect fleeing a crime scene, and didn't dare to make eye contact with the police officer.

As a first-year student, Horus's spending limit was insufficient to support his extravagant bidding.

Fortunately, Horus had a plan. The next day, he went to the church of the Eternalists and filed a formal complaint against a nun for violating the "abstinence and celibacy" precepts by stealing fish and chips.

An investigation revealed that the Archbishop of the Blue Sky discovered that she not only stole fish and chips, but also fried chicken legs and onion rings.

Horus successfully retrieved the cauldron he had longed for.

When he returned to the academy and investigated, he discovered that he was the one who didn't know the value of the item: the inscription was engraved by the boss, and it looked brand new, like it was from last week, designed to fool fools who thought they could find a bargain.

Anyone with a brain would know that this is the mysterious market right next to the academy; there's no way a first-year student like him could find a bargain here. The inscription means an anti-fraud slogan, and his classmates laughed at him all night after he translated it.

Horus, a man of principle and straightforward nature, figured that since it was useless, he should return it; it would be perfect for holding ketchup. So he went to the Church of Eternity again and saw the nun who had been punished by not being allowed to eat for a week. The little nun sat there, not allowed to move, with a glass of water beside her, trying to grasp some inexplicable 'eternal meaning'.

In fact, he was quite gloating at the time. But seeing the girl's lifeless face, he secretly bought a piece of bread, put it in the crucible, and handed it to her.

Horus vaguely remembered that the other person's voice was very pleasant when they thanked him.

So, every day the nuns were fasting, Horus would come to the church. A believer of the Holy Tree would secretly pray in the Eternal Church, closing his eyes with everyone while silently chanting "Father, please forgive me." While everyone was in a state of frozen prayer, he would secretly slip food to the nuns sitting in the corner as punishment.

I even gained two pounds in a week.

By the time he graduated, the student who had been tricked by unscrupulous merchants in Sweeper Alley with anti-fraud slogans was now the 'Dragon Sage' with the title of Arcane Association. The boy's love for archaeology sprouted from the crucible and grew into a towering tree.

His spells, infused with dragon language, made him famous in the arcane world, and everyone believed that "Horus" would become the hero representing Grindelwald in the final war against demons.

Even the Imperial Arcane Ministry extended an olive branch, sending a letter across the sea urging him to return home. The Clock Tower, however, was more forceful, offering blank checks and contracts, allowing him to fill them out however he pleased. The tower's envoy promised him a classroom just for him within the Clock Tower. Grindelwald didn't force graduates to stay, nor did he care much about their future destinations. When the teacher asked him where he planned to choose, Horus thought for a moment and replied that he still had things to finish and would consider work afterward.

He decided to confess his feelings to the little nun.

Horus couldn't say when he fell in love with the little nun. Perhaps it was because there was tomato sauce buried under the tree that grew from the cauldron, or perhaps it was because she looked so cute sneaking around and stealing food with him.

He went casually, without specifically choosing a good location, and made his feelings clear as soon as they met.

As expected, the confession was rejected. Horus didn't care at all; arcanists have very peculiar thought processes. He thought, "My liking you is my business, and your rejection is your business. This means that the two circuits are in conflict and cannot form a matrix."

The young nun apologized profusely for a long time, but Horus didn't care. The two of them squatted in the corner eating fish and chips like mice stealing oil. The young nun told him that she had been chosen as a saint and would soon return to the Dragon Tomb to serve the Dragon Lord. They might never see each other again.

Horus said, "Is that so? Congratulations on your promotion."

Upon returning home, this man, considered Grindelwald's strongest graduate of his generation, chose a job: he decided to become a court arcanist in Britain.

This decision was unexpected by everyone.

Even the British Ministry of Personnel hadn't expected that they would receive a reply from Horus when they simply sent out an invitation letter.

There's a low-level agency that makes money by relying on cheesy internet celebrities shouting slogans, and they're recruiting on Baidu Tieba. They ended up getting the feeling of reaping the rewards of working for top international stars with a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan.

When asked why he chose Britain, Horus said he liked fish and chips.

The Minister of State of Ron, refusing to believe it, would bring Ron delicacies to Horus's house every few days. Eventually, he confirmed that the beast really did love fish and chips. In desperation, he began to promote this food, which even dogs wouldn't eat, in an attempt to recruit more Axwell graduates.

Five years later, the dim-witted first-year student and the little nun, or rather, the Dragon Sage and the Eternal Saintess, meet again.

He stood in the shadow of the king's throne, watching Augustus XXXI rise to announce that Prince Arthur would inherit the throne. Amidst the thunderous cheers of the people, the handsome, tall, blond man, draped in a red cloak, took her hand and waved to their people.

Tsk, that guy is definitely destined to be a king. His smile inspires trust and he would be a perfect match for a crown.

"That's good," Horus thought. He liked Arthur, and Horus also had a younger brother, so he felt that any older brother who could take care of his younger brother was worthy of his trust.

He asked the Holy Maiden—"You should be called the Crown Princess now, how did you escape from the Dragon Tomb?"
Years passed, but she remained unchanged, still looking simple-minded and timid. Perhaps feeling somewhat embarrassed, Horus shared some fish and chips with her—the best fish and chips in Britain, from the royal chef, and quite delicious. The two squatted in a corner and ate for a while. The Crown Princess talked about various things, and finally Horus nodded, telling her to ask her husband to increase her research funding.

Impressive! He managed to persuade that old, stubborn man, Deng, to release the saintess. Arthur deserves the beauty.

After that, the two didn't actually meet very often.

Studying dragon magic is a tedious task, requiring the deduction of ancient and profound dragon roars from fragmentary records of bygone eras. This isn't archaeological work based on mere clues; it's more like gazing at sand dunes and imagining whether an oasis once existed here countless ages ago. Fortunately, Horus doesn't find it tedious; he enjoys it immensely. It's far more interesting than romance. As the chief court arcanist, he doesn't have to do any work, and his life is completely devoid of any mundane tasks—it's fantastic.

At the wedding of the new king and queen, fireworks illuminated Londiniam. King Arthur, tipsy, thanked Horus, presumably because the queen had told him about her past. The king, with his magnanimous heart, could naturally tolerate a mere suitor. Unfortunately, Horus didn't. He said, "Thank you is unnecessary; the funds have been covered. Take my goodwill."

That night, he hid in a corner alone, eating fish and chips, not even glancing at the delicacies on the banquet table, and the little nun would never come to keep him company while he ate.

After that night, Horus deciphered the first complete dragon language spell in the history of arcane magic. Although no one could use it, humanity was able to lift the heavy veil of history and glimpse a corner of the sky of the Age of Gods.

Years later, when the queen gave birth, she wrote to him complaining about how painful childbirth was and how the king wouldn't allow his wife to eat junk food during her postpartum period. She asked the chief court arcanist to use his invincible dragon language magic to find a way to send in some fish and chips.

When Horus came out of the workshop and saw the letter, the king's child was already a year old.

He felt he couldn't just take money and do nothing, so he painstakingly renovated the royal city. During his free time, the king would bring junk food to visit him, and the two would chat casually. The king always followed him, pretending not to care, but his eyes were like those of a dog guarding against thieves.

Horus himself did not expect that the transformed capital would become useless in less than a year.

Or rather, it played a role.

When he reached the king amidst the flames, the hero's holy sword was stuck in his back. This kind-hearted man died unable to believe that his brother would harm him.

To deal with him, Aaron deployed three of his strongest superhumans here. However, Muggles who don't understand arcane principles probably couldn't possibly imagine that Dragon Language could shorten a ninth-order arcane spell to two and a half syllables.
A fierce battle ensued. Horus reached the queen's side, knowing she would hide in the kitchen, as she knew the layout of the entire city best.

They both knew that only one of them could run away with the child.

Celia.

What a beautiful name. He thought expressionlessly.

According to the rules of the Eternal Church, the first person, besides the parents and the midwife, to see the sex of the child must be the child's godfather.

The young nun entrusted her most cherished possession, more precious than the cauldron, to the foolish student, just as she had years before, only this time she wouldn't have to return it. The saintess of the Dragon of Eternity and Time would remain here alone, buying time for her daughter and dear friend.

Dragon language burned his throat, trachea, and lungs in the snow as the man drained the last drop of mana from his circuits. Horus was known as Grindelwald's top graduate not because of his dragon language research, but because he achieved a perfect score on his spatial magic graduation exam—a feat unmatched in a century.

The spatial fluctuations flashed by in an instant, and the dragon steeds chasing their prey suddenly lost their target. However, Horus was not in a good position either. After losing almost all of his arcane circuits, he could no longer control the landing point of his blink.

Suddenly, the world changed. He looked at the dark river rushing endlessly before him. This was the lower reaches of the Thames, and a small boat was moored at the dock.

That's great, it didn't freeze. God bless us, the Dragon Lord bless us, whoever blesses us, this boat can fit a child.

A dull pain shot through his chest. Looking down, he saw that his robes were stained with blood, which had even soaked the princess. His body had become cold and numb, and his legs were too heavy to lift. His head was spinning. Horus knew that this was his end.

They placed the child on the boat and let it drift downstream under the cover of night. From then on, Celia's fate was in the hands of the gods; this was the only option.

Horus, thinking this, swayed to the riverbank, only to see a drunken, large face suddenly appear on the boat. "Hiccup, this place is already full."

The old man's voice, both serious and gratified, came from behind.

“Well done, Horus. You live up to the name Grindelwald.”

Waiting in the darkness was Vice Dean Hermo.

"At the invitation of the Book of Merlin, the School Affairs Office has come to welcome the new students."

(End of this chapter)